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Bringing Home the Bacon (Brownie, that is)
UIS alumni shoot for the moon with distinctly unusual dessert
By Dave Wieczorek
Does it sound crazy that a kid could grow up on a pig farm, learn to bake before he could pitch a bale of hay and someday create a snack treat laced with bacon that just might sweep the nation?
Yes, it does – unless that kid was Clay Evers ’07 CBM, who grew up to become an unconventional man with an unconventional idea whose unconventional story could have an ending as sweet as a MoonPie.
“I’m an eclectic fella, and I’ve had a lot of wild ideas in my time,” he says, “but I never followed through on [them].”
Not until now.
Chicago, soufflés and serendipity
One fateful night in 1998, Evers was walking by the InterContinental Hotel in downtown Chicago and decided to step in for dessert.
“On the menu was something called the ‘Bacon and Chocolate Soufflé,’” he remembers. “I thought it was the best thing I’d ever eaten in my life.” When he got home, he said to a friend, “I’ve got to re-create that taste,” and started making bacon brownies.
But why bacon brownies?
“It’s what was in the pantry at the time: Duncan Hines Brownie Mix and fried Oscar Mayer bacon, chopped up,” Evers admits. “That was the first Bacon Brownie.”
Fourteen years later, the first such items produced by Evers’ company, Bacon People, were sold in November in convenience stores in central and southern Illinois and southeast Missouri. By mid-December more than 3,000 Bacon Brownies had been purchased at $2.49 apiece. Based on that early success, Evers is gearing up for bigger production this year.
But we’re getting a little ahead in this unconventional story.
A New Year’s resolution
“I was raised on a pig farm by a coal miner’s daughter right here in Greenview with a population of 800,” says the talkative Evers, referring to his hometown just north of Springfield, where he still resides. “I’m a sixth-generation Greenviewian from an old farm family. We’re not pig farmers anymore, but my uncle still farms 2,800 acres of grain.”
After graduating from high school, Evers bounced around several colleges. He worked with a cousin in St. Louis producing video commercials. He worked as a lobbyist. He worked for the state Department of Transportation. After he and his wife, Lori Gorney Evers ’98 LAS, had a daughter and son in 2004 and 2006, respectively, Clay became a stay-at-home dad and enrolled in the business management program at UIS. But when the calendar turned to New Year’s 2010, the family, who, according to Evers, was “just kind of struggling through life,” decided to “make something happen.”
Enter the bacon brownie dream.
Evers, whose first baking venture was making peanut-butter cookies at age 6, had been making pork-packed brownies in his home kitchen and pushing them on friends for years. (In fact, once when he and Lori didn’t attend an annual Fourth of July party, the host called him to report that his guests were unhappy due to the absence of bacon brownies.) So Evers had an inkling of the temptation of his tasty treat.
“This brownie has some type of strange appeal,” he says. “I knew that from the beginning.”
So did Drew Stevens, MBA ’95, Evers’ high-school buddy whose family owns the Stevens Implement Co., a John Deere Equipment dealer in Petersburg and Havana, Ill.
“Drew was the only person I knew who had enough money to burn on something as crazy as this,” Evers says, laughing.
“We didn’t know if the brownie would go any further than the kitchen,” Stevens says. “I realized the majority of these kinds of ventures never go anywhere, but nobody else was making this product, so I thought the Bacon Brownie had a chance.
“We’re selling something that’s an indulgence, and that’s always fun.”
It’s also savvy, as “TheTopTens” ranks chocolate at No. 2 and bacon at No. 9 on its online list of favorite foods. A concoction of a fudge brownie mixture and applewood smoked bacon, the Bacon Brownie fulfills two cravings in one big chomp.
With Stevens’ financial backing, Evers spent the next two-and-a-half years getting his “home brew” brownie mix industrialized, that is, ready for large-scale production. As the U.S. Department of Agriculture requires any product with a meat content of more than 3 percent to be produced in a certified facility, Evers also searched for an appropriate baking location, as the bacon quotient in his brownies, Evers says, is “north of 10 percent.”
After finding a baker in Pennsylvania, Evers received USDA approval for his
creation last July. Bacon Brownies made their shelf debut in 12 stores in parts of Illinois and Missouri on Nov. 12, the day before Evers’ 43rd birthday. More than 3,000 were sold in the first month. In the first week of December, another 63 stores began stocking the brownies.
“There are 60,000 convenient stores in the country,” he says. “Our original business plan was to get in 10,000 locations.”
Evers won’t reveal how much he clears on each brownie, but whatever the figure, it is hard-earned.
Noting startup costs of just under $75,000, Evers points out that he
also gave up several years of pay in forgoing a regular, salaried
position. “This has been three years of my life,” he says of the
venture. “I could have gone out and got a $60,000-a-year job, so it’s
cost me $180,000 so far.”
Love at first bite
So where is all of this headed? Is the Bacon Brownie an unconventional idea that’s here to stay? According to data from a taste test conducted by a Chicago consumer-marketing consultant, one in four people who sampled the brownie loved it.
“That’s a crazy high number,” Evers says, who adds that surveys indicate the Bacon Brownie is popular among a curious mix of fans – Asian-Americans (whose cuisine often includes a salty-sweet combination), rural folks and hipster urbanites.
“I have a viable product that I can mass-produce, and now I’ve got the sales to validate the plan,” he says. “I can take it to the Casey’s General Stores of the world and their 1,700 stores and the Kangaroo Expresses of the world and their 1,700 stores.
“We’re trying to cast our nets and get a MoonPie,” Evers says, referring to the
well-known pastry comprising graham crackers and marshmallow filling, a million of which are produced daily. “That snack’s been on every shelf in every grocery store for 100 years.
“That’s what we want. We want to create a MoonPie.”
In a sense, Evers has been shooting for the moon ever since he baked that first batch of peanut-butter cookies as a youngster.
“Having a food product is pretty much what I’ve wanted to do with my life all along, but I just never got into this position before,” he says. “I was distracted by life. I didn’t focus on exactly what I wanted to do.
“Now it’s ‘Fantasy Island.’ It’s my wildest pipe dream come true.”
Editor’s note: For more information about Bacon Brownies, visit baconpeople.com.
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|Like The Hindenburg We Just Needed A Spark|
The budget forecast be damned, its full speed ahead. The only justification we need is saying it will be far worse if we do nothing. The bungled response of a delusional government so obsessed with the idea that by simply passing legislation they can make things happen should not be overlooked. The Paycheck Protection Program or PPP was originally funded with $350 billion but the money was soon gone. Of the thirty million small businesses in America, only 1.7 million received money from the 2.3 trillion dollar aid package passed to help sustain America during this difficult time.
This resulted in more funding but still, the last report I saw indicated only around 13% of the, less than half the businesses that were eligible, were approved before the fund was again depleted and 60% of these had yet to receive any money. Just as poorly handled was rapidly getting out money promised to individuals and creating a system where many people could receive more money by collecting unemployment than returning to work. The problem is that when all is said and done, large businesses with access to cheap capital will again be the winners and the big losers are the middle-class, small businesses, and social mobility.
It has become difficult to comprehend the size of the failure the political-financial complex has designed. This is partly because stocks have continued to soar with every announcement of rising unemployment and even as businesses continue to fail or file for bankruptcy. Bad news is not good news. The sick idea that poor spending habits are the answer to achieving a faster-growing economy is absurd and twisted. This is not new, politicians seem unable to grasp the fact economic growth does not necessarily bring about economic strength or long-term prosperity. Following 9-11 I remember then-President George Bush encouraging and pleading for Americans to rush out and buy more junk.
In a world where central banks are pouring out money to stimulate an economy eager to die the question many people are asking is will it work? Until now it appears these actions are only postponing the inevitable. The folly and insanity of continuing down a path where each wave of failure costs more than the one before holds little potential. Stacking debt upon debt and bad loans upon bad loans has already proven to be an answer that doesn't work. The fact that country after country has joined in this game only extends the illusion it is a reasonable path of action.
As I bang out this piece behind me on a shelf is a book titled, "The Greatest-Ever Bank Robbery" by Martin Maver. It chronicles the collapse of the savings and loan industry in 1987 and how it would cost American Taxpayers upward of 500 billion dollars over the next half-century. That is a drop in the bucket compared to what we are witnessing today as the powers that be endeavor to paper over past financial sins by simply issuing more credit and debt.
Debt has exploded and as defaults grow wealth vanishes or is transferred. The economy is complex with ramifications that overlap and tie unrelated events together in ways that are difficult to imagine. When we look at how people spend the twelve hundred dollars donated by our surging deficit we find where it goes makes a big difference. Responsible people will most likely use their money in ways that yield a better result for society than if it is just squandered.
How money is spent matters. Failure to use money and credit wisely is a huge factor in why so many governments and people are broke. Paying down debt or paying for necessities pays dividends. Paying rent allows a landlord to pay their obligations and allows the money to move forward in an economically constructive way. Investments in things that add long-term benefits and pay dividends such as adding insulation to your home may not be flashy or bring instant gratification but they constitute a hand well played.
A list of ways to blow this money off that adds to our woes include things such as buying expensive goods produced in a distant land and imported. These goods do little to provide work for Americans or our communities. Ordering a slew of imported consumer goods on Amazon to be delivered below cost by an outdated, inefficient, subsidized United States Postal Service is the biggest slap in the face a person can bestow upon the economy.
Almost as bad is leveraging the money into more debt when you are already deep in a hole of debt. Unfortunately, many or most people will choose to use their money poorly, and that is a big part of the reason we are in this situation. What is almost impossible to grasp is the incredible size and magnitude of the extension of unjustified credit taking place in a relatively short period of time. This time we are talking trillions upon trillions of dollars being created out of thin air.
Swinging back to the key point of this article is that governments and central banks rival these people in bad spending and fuel these habits. While covid-19 can be viewed as the straw that broke the camels back. It would be unfair to think the disaster before us would have been avoided had the pandemic not descended over the world. Even before this mess disaster hovered above our heads in the form of ever-growing debt. Like the Hindenburg and all it needed was a spark.

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Given craft distilling’s three year Colorado growth binge, you knew it wouldn’t be long before someone took a stab at putting together a festival to celebrate craft beer’s spirited cousin.G
Now in its third year, the week-long Dstill spirits celebration hopes to do for craft spirits what the Great American Beer Festival has done for beer: build a community of educated, discerning consumers that will propel a fledgling industry focused on quality and turn it into a slayer of ubiquitous industry giants.
So far, the collection of Dstill events being held April 13-19 at various locations in Denver is headed for another sell out, according to Dstill co-founder Chuck Sullivan. Its marquee event, The Showcase, will feature more than 40 distillers from around the country, the majority being from Colorado.
“The Showcase is a chance for people to get to know the distillers and hear their stories, their experience and how they got to where they are,” Sullivan said.
The Showcase is being held April 16 at the McNichols Civic Center Building on Colfax and is limited to 1,200 people. It and the Dstill Rocks Concert at the Bluebird Theater April 14 are among the week’s premiere events. Filling out the week is a Women of Distilling, Cocktails and Culinary gathering at the Rino Yacht Club and an educational workshop with food, spirit samples and a panel discussion/Q&A with pioneering Colorado distillers Todd Leopold of Leopold Brothers, Davy Lindig of Peach Street Distillers and Len Eckstein of Deerhammer Distilling, among others.
Tastings, meet-and-greet sessions and educational events are an important part of a successful marketing scheme for up-and-coming distillers because, just as the GABF did with the craft beer revolution, smart, loyal customers are made, not born.
Colorado Distiller’s Guild
“Consumer events are a key element to introducing your juice to the public,” said P.T. Wood, president of the Colorado Distiller’s Guild who, with his brother, Lee, own Wood’s High Mountain Distillery in Salida. “The spirits business is much more challenging than the beer business. With beer, you’re trying to talk someone out of 10 bucks and get them to take a chance on a 6-pack of something they’ve never tried before. With spirits, you’re talking $30 or $40.”
But the reward is there; how else to explain the double-digit growth in the number of distilleries both in Colorado and nationwide. In 2011 there were about 18 distillers in Colorado. Today, Wood says there are 72 holding federal licenses in the state and that number shows no signs of leveling off.
And while the festival scene surrounding spirits isn’t as robust as it is for beer, it is growing. Breckenridge will host its 6th annual Still on the Hill craft spirits festival this Oct. 23-25 and the 4th annual Denver International Spirits Competition was held March 7 and 8. The difference in these events is that only the DISC goes to the trouble to do double blind judging and awards medals. And as any brewer who’s won a GABF medal knows, they mean something and at the least add to the bragging rights for a distiller.
But medal winners or no, Colorado in general and Boulder County, Denver and North Metro Denver in particular have become hotbeds of quality hooch. And they’re just getting started.


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South Korea's export index for Q2 surges
South Korean exporter sentiment rebounded in the second quarter despite worries about fiscal problems in Europe and the fading effect of global stimulus spending, a survey by a leading industry body showed yesterday.
The Korea International Trade Association said in a statement that its export business survey index for the April-June 2010 period rose to 128.4 from 112.4 in the first quarter.
That compared with 131.5 for the past three months of 2009 and 108.5 for the third quarter of last year. A reading above 100 means the sector's business activity would continue to expand.
The latest figure comes amid growing concerns since the start of the year that global demand is losing momentum, with some economies taking steps to tighten monetary policy.
The Bank of Korea had been tipped last year as one of the first Group of 20 central banks to raise interest rates after the global recession but more recently its cautious views have suggested it would leave rates unchanged for some time.
Follow Emirates 24|7 on Google News.


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Snapchat’s parent company Snap has struck a deal to access Foursquare’s location data, which will be used to power the visual messaging app's geofilters, allowing you to essentially access new graphics tied to more specific places.
Twitter has partnered with Foursquare on a new feature that lets you tag your precise location in a tweet, which can then be found on a location timeline. The update is currently being rolled out to iOS users, and will soon be available to…
Foursquare, the app that lets you "check in," recently revealed what we ate, drank, and saw the most of in 2015. Data also includes notes on how the year started, as well as trend predictions for 2016.
Here's some good news: One of the original, and most fondly remembered social gaming features is back. Swarm, has reintroduced Foursquare's Mayorship titles, but with a few cool alterations to make them even more fun.
New York City-based Button is revolutionizing the in-app experience by allowing users to stay within a single app to complete multiple functions, like making a dinner reservation and calling a car, in a process called "deep-linking."


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Free webinar, hosted in association with Tetra Pak, to take place on Wednesday September 5 at 3pm
BusinessGreen is to host an exclusive webinar next month providing a unique insight into how businesses can better integrate the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into their corporate strategy.
Delivered in association with Tetra Pak, this free to attend webinar will provide BusinessGreen readers with an opportunity to learn about how the SDGs can provide an invaluable framework for how businesses can tackle the inter-related environmental and social risks and opportunities they face.
Through a series of expert presentations and an interactive Q&A session, the webinar will explore how leading businesses are starting to integrate the SDGs into their corporate strategy and report on progress against the UN's 17 overarching development goals.
"The SDGs are gaining ever more traction amongst corporates and investors, and are providing businesses with a useful framework for driving forward their wider environmental programmes," explained BusinessGreen editor-in-chief James Muray. "This exclusive interactive webinar will provide an invaluable insight into how leading businesses can respond to the targets set out under the SDGs, map against the SDGs, integrate relevant SDGs into corporate strategies, measure their impact on SDGs, maximise the benefits from a sustainable business approach, and utilise the SDGs as a framework for more effective and transparent corporate reporting."
The webinar is free to attend and will take place on Wednesday September 5 at 3pm. You can register for the event here.
The session will feature expert presentations on the latest corporate thinking on the SDGs from Mario Abreu, vice president for sustainability at Tetra Pak; Aris Vrettos, director of open programmes and international markets at Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL); Sam Kimmins, head of RE100 at The Climate Group; and Laurène Aubert, senior associate for global partnerships for Scale Up Nutrition Business Network at the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN).
The webinar comes ahead of the upcoming launch in September of BusinessGreen's new Sustainable Development Goals content hub, which will provide a raft of articles and resources on every aspect of the SDGs and how the risks and opportunities they present to the global business community.


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Top Penny Stocks to Watch Premarket
During premarket, penny stocks and blue chips looked to start the day lower with U.S. stock futures pointing down. In early morning trading, shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co (NYSE: JPM) had dropped by around 3% despite the bank beating estimates for its quarterly results. Earlier in the week, we also saw a major bounce among tech stocks. However, the volatility we witnessed late in the week seemed to reverse those gains.
While there are plenty of penny stocks pushing up right now, we have to take into consideration what is going on in a macroeconomic sense. In December, we witnessed retail sales fall by around1.9%, which is greater than the 0.1% estimate that investors had hoped for. So, while there is a lot to be excited about such as the positive quarterly reports from large financial institutions, investors should also be wary about the future.
News That Could Affect Penny Stocks
Today, President Joe Biden will nominate the next Fed Reserve Vice Chair for Supervision, Sarah Bloom Raskin. This comes alongside the Supreme Court blocking Biden’s request for a Covid-vaccine mandate for private companies. Additionally, the Transportation Department is in the midst of putting forth a $27 billion program to upgrade roughly 15,000 highway bridges as part of an infrastructure bill.
5 Trending Penny Stocks to Watch
- Guardforce AI Co. Ltd. (NASDAQ: GFAI)
- Nextplay Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ: NXTP)
- China SXT Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: SXTC)
- Kaival Brands Innovations Group Inc. (NASDAQ: KAVL)
- Vinco Ventures Inc. (NASDAQ: BBIG)
Guardforce AI Co. Ltd. (NASDAQ: GFAI)
By market open, shares of GFAI stock had jumped by over 24%. The big news with GFAI comes as the company announced its plans to expand robotics as a service in China. This includes the proposed acquisition of Shenzhen Keiweien Robot Service Co. Ltd. and Guangzhou Kewei robot Technology Co. Ltd.
The acquisition should occur by the end of next month. Guardforce estimates the purchase price to be around $10 million, which will be paid in cash and restricted shares. With this in mind, is GFAI stock worth adding to your list of penny stocks to watch?
Nextplay Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ: NXTP)
By early morning, shares of NXTP stock had jumped by over 15% to north of $0.77 per share. The news for NXTP stock comes as the company announced its Q3 financial report only a day prior. In the report, the company posted record revenue of $4.2 million.
This represents an almost 60% sequential increase. In addition, its gross margin increased to 53.5%, which is no small feat. At the end of the quarter, the company states that it held assets totaling $121 million in value. All of these numbers are significant and show that NXTP stock is growing right now.
China SXT Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: SXTC)
With an over 15% gain during early morning trading, SXTC stock is on many investors radars right now. While no news is causing this jump, the company is working hard to remain listed on the NASDAQ following a deficiency letter sent back in December.
For some context, China SXT is a pharmaceutical company developing and manufacturing traditional Chinese medicines. While its performance over the past year is nothing to write home about, the company has made several speculative gains in that time. Whether it deserves a spot on your penny stocks watchlist however, is up to you.
Kaival Brands Innovations Group Inc. (NASDAQ: KAVL)
Another big gaining penny stock during morning trading is KAVL stock. Last month, the company announced that smokers in the U.K. preferred its E-cigarette products to other brands. And, with the staggering rise in popularity of E-cigarettes, the company has made major headway in the past year or so.
Kaival Brands is based out of Florida and produces a large range of brands in the vaporizing market. This includes being the exclusive global distributor of all products made by Bidi Vapor. While KAVL stock is highly volatile, it could be worth watching in the near future.
Vinco Ventures Inc. (NASDAQ: BBIG)
BBIG stock is a penny stock that we’ve covered multiple times in the past few months. And during that time, shares have continued to shoot up including a 3% gain in early morning on January 14th. This brings its five day gain to almost 60%, which is no small feat whatsoever.
The company is moving right now on rumors of the launch of Cryptyde as well as its Lomotif platform. The latter is a business that Vinco owns a 50% interest in through a partnership with Zash Global Media made in July of last year. Right now, BBIG is highly popular on social media and is aptly known as a Reddit penny stock. Considering this, is BBIG stock worth buying or not?
Which Penny Stocks Are You Watching in January?
With so many penny stocks to watch in January, understanding where the market is headed is crucial. While it can be difficult given the sheer amount of momentum in the stock market right now, having a strong trading strategy and a know-how of how to take advantage of current events are key. These will allow you to have the best chance of making money with penny stocks in 2022. With that in mind, which penny stocks are you watching in January?


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BTC – A preface to this piece of super creepy propaganda, is that Spain has a history of being on board to make internal chipping look cool. Ever since Verichip introduced what I call a destabilization agent of personal boundaries, much less sovereignty, of a RFID chip contained in a rice sized transparent case Bar”TH”elona discos have made it an exclusive way to “get in”.
“Consumers are urged to purchase and consume only FDA-approved or authorized medical products to diagnose, treat, prevent, or cure infections caused by the H1N1 virus. Consumers also are urged to contact their health care provider if they have any questions or concerns about medical products or personal protective equipment.”
October 22, 2009, in New York to unveil details of their virus triage detection system for the H1N1 virus and Phase II development of an in vivo glucose-sensing RFID microchip. The companies will also provide a product demonstration of the virus triage detection system currently being developed.
The event will take place at the Grand Hyatt at 4:30 p.m. ET and feature a presentation by Robert E. Carlson, Ph.D., President and Chief Science Officer of RECEPTORS LLC, and an expert in the field of proteomics and the development of artificial receptors.
Parties interested in attending the New York event should contact Allison Tomek at (561) 805-8008 or at email@example.com


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The New Apple iPhones Are Coming, What Next?
Fans of the Apple products have diligently stood by the product over the years. They have waited patiently for each new phone as it was revealed. They have watched the Apple iPhone grow and blossom over the year. They saw exciting features happen such as a better camera, the addition and the improvements of Siri, colored phone options, bigger sizes, and so much more. Each time that Apple reveals a new product, fans are left thinking “What next?” The iPhone 6 and 6 plus have been on the market for a while now. People are anxiously looking forward to getting the latest and greatest addition. Many are wondering, what features could they possibly spring upon us next?
There has been an announcement that the iPhone 7 is coming. Although it won’t hit store shelves for a while, it’s still fun to speculate. For one, the new Apple iPhone will most likely be thinner. iPhone has worked on making their products larger but they never focused much on the width. People love the sleeker design of a thin phone. That is why this is probably what will be next for Apple. Another direction that Apple should go is to focus on making the screen more durable. If it’s one thing many of us iPhone users learned, it’s that the screen can shatter at the slightest drop. A more durable and crack-proof screen would surely lend itself to more purchasers.
Apple will also need to do some work internally. Right now, there have been reports that users phones crash quite frequently. This can occur when someone opens an app on the phone or Safari. Whatever they’re trying to view simply crashes. Apple needs to address this problem if it wants to retain customers. If there is one thing the Android phones have been good at, it’s developing a camera that users love. Right now, the android camera has more features available than the iPhone camera. They offer many features that a user can put right into the camera when taking the picture. If iPhone wants to compete, they need to do more with their new phones. They need to have more options and they need to have a camera that takes better pictures.
Apple has already begun discussing the iPhone 6s. This is typical practice for the company. The iPhone 6s will be much like the current latest option but it will be offering a new feature. Users will be able to choose the color of their phone. Apple has done this in the past with their 5 line and they have seen some successes from it. Users will now be able to choose beyond the gold, silver, or white phone options. Users can choose more exciting sounding options like rose gold. This is sure to bring out users who want a phone that will make them stand out from the rest of the crowd.
Overall, Apple just needs to keep pushing forward and coming up with newer ways to stay on top of the competition. Each phone they reveal generally looks similar to the one before it. It’s typically always the same features and the same layout. Apple is getting better at giving the people what they want. Apple tends to fix the errors in previous phones that people aren’t happy with. Apple listens to customers and enhances features that were already in place. With the new phone, we will most likely see Siri get an enhanced vocabulary. We will also see iPhone update it’s operating system to give us updates such as more emotes. It’s always exciting to see where Apple will go next. At times, it’s something we never truly expect but they need to keep innovating to compete with so many Android offerings that a more often than not considerably cheaper.
This guest article was written by Andy G, a tech geek and Linux guru from Austria. At the present moment he maintains firmware
and driver download website called http://www.helpjet.net/


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ALEXANDRIA, Va. (FOX 5 DC) - As the gun debate rages on in Virginia, gun store owners in the Commonwealth say business is booming.
“Business has been absolutely crazy,” explained Jerry Rapp, owner of SpecDive Tactical in Alexandria. Rapp said business has increased by 200 to 300 percent since the last election, although that doesn’t mean the news is all good for the gun shop owner and his customers. “People are really on edge. They’re worried about their Second Amendment rights. They’re worried about the future of what you can and cannot have as a firearm.”
Download the FOX 5 DC News App for Local Breaking News and Weather
The concern stems from last November when Virginia Democrats took over both the executive and legislative branches of government for the first time in decades. Now, with efforts underway to pass new gun laws, people like Jake Roberson are flooding into stores like SpecDive.
“If they’re willing to make laws that will strip your second amendment right, I mean who’s to say what could happen, so yeah, I’m gonna get it while I can,” Roberson said.
FBI statistics show he’s far from alone. In December 2018, for instance, there were about 53,000 firearm background checks run in Virginia. But this past December, the number ballooned to nearly 77,000 background checks, an increase of about 45 percent.
“Profitability-wise it’s been great but at some point that’s going to stop,” Rapp said. “And stop means that either everything has gone back to kind of the same as where we were or that it’s going to be stopped and my business could be effected completely where I could be out of business.”
Some of the laws that been proposed in Virginia would limit handgun purchases to one per month, require universal background checks, institute red flag laws, and local governments would also be allowed to ban guns at certain events. Gun control advocates have expressed strong support for the measures.


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A dollar tree isn’t the most common tree on the block, but its real value isn’t just for its value as a tree, it’s also for its sentimental value, as the tree’s owner says.
“It’s a real treasure,” said Paul Brierley.
He bought the tree on Christmas Eve and now sells it every year for $2,000.
Brierley is a self-taught tree grower and says it is the best Christmas tree he has ever owned.
This year he said he wanted to show the world that a dollar can buy you a house and a car.
The story of a Christmas tree story and its roots Briersley has been trying to sell the tree for four years.
We were told it’s a really beautiful tree, so I think if I put a dollar in it I can make it beautiful,” he said.
His idea is to take a large piece of white pine and cut it in half.
When he took it home he cut a big piece of it in two.
Next he took the top and cut a large chunk off.
It’s actually a bit of a nightmare.
Then I cut it down in half and I used a hammer to break the pieces up and it was like a really fine sandpaper.
Once I had it, I just thought ‘that would be a great idea, if I could do it that way’.
He’s also considering selling the tree to someone who wants to buy it.
That’s when the story took off.
He’s selling the money for a house in Melbourne.
But it has become a bit much for him.
In December he was in the process of selling his second tree.
And while he wants to sell it, he said it was just a piece of fun.
I think if you put a little bit of money in it, it will be worth it.
He said he’s planning to keep the tree.”
You know, I think it’s probably the best idea ever to do a dollar, but it’s just an idea,” he added.
A few years ago, a dollar was worth $3,500.
At Christmas, Brierly said he bought the $2 million tree and he thought he would sell it.


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International money transfer giant MoneyGram has announced that the company has completed a strategic minority investment in Coinme, a major cryptocurrency exchange in the US. MoneyGram said it had purchased an approximate 4 percent stake in Coinme as part of an investment strategy which is a follow up to a May 2021 partnership between the two companies to establish a crypto-to-cash model by building a bridge to connect Bitcoin to local fiat currency. The investment also marks a close for Coinme’s Series-A financing round in a bid to propel its international expansion plans towards which, MoneyGram is expected to play a key role.
“At MoneyGram, we proceed to be bullish on the huge alternatives that exist in the ever-growing world of cryptocurrency and our potential to function as a compliant bridge to attach digital belongings to native fiat foreign money,” MoneyGram chairman and CEO Alex Holmes said.
“Our funding in Coinme additional strengthens our partnership and compliments our shared imaginative and prescient to broaden entry to digital belongings and cryptocurrencies,” Holmes added.
Back in May 2021, the money transfer company partnered with Coinme to introduce Bitcoin kiosks to select physical MoneyGram kiosk locations in the US, expanding Coinme’s reach and making it easier to buy Bitcoin in person across the country.
“Our unique cash-to-Bitcoin offering with Coinme, announced in May 2021, opened our business to a whole new customer segment, and we couldn’t be happier with our progress,” added Holmes.
In 2020, the kiosk operator had partnered with Coinstar, a collaboration that spurred “strong national momentum and growth” in Coinme’s core cryptocurrency business in just a few months, leading to one of the most successful quarters in the business so far.
MoneyGram’s investment also arrive after Coinme was selected in November as a Deloitte Fast 500 company and named the fastest-growing company in Washington state and 78th in North America. Founded in 2014, Coinme claims it currently operates in 48 US states.
“With MoneyGram’s global network and infrastructure, the company’s continued partnership and strategic investment will help us accelerate our growth and international expansion,” stated Coinme CEO Neil Bergquist.
Catch the latest from the Consumer Electronics Show on Gadgets 360, at our CES 2022 hub.


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India-Australia ODI tickets to cost more post GST
Kolkata, Aug 19 - Ticket prices for the One-Day International tie between India and Australia next month will be hiked due to the 28 percent Goods and Services Tax (GST) being levied post July 1.
India are scheduled to take on Australia on September 21 at the Eden Gardens.
"Ticket prices will remain the same. Only 28 percent GST will be levied," Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) president and former India captain Sourav Ganguly told reporters after the working committee meeting here on Saturday.
Tickets costing Rs 500 will be priced at Rs 650 while those of Rs 1,000 will be Rs 1,300 post GST.
Spectators who will go for the Rs 1,500 tickets will now have to shell out Rs 1,900.
"Test match tickets won't be affected as tickets are charged on a day to day basis," Ganguly added.
Win Big, Make Your Cricket Prediction Now


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El Distrito in San Juan, Puerto Rico will open next to the downtown Convention Center. It will be excellent place for public gatherings.
This new attraction will consist of the following:
•Performance venue for 6,000 patrons
•More than 80,000 square feet of other entertainment spaces
•175 room hotel
•Pedestrian mall offering retail and dining
In addition, there will be a rum-micro-distillery on the property. El Distrito is set to open in February 2020.More information is available here.


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Venture capital investment is just one of the ways banks are rushing to follow the opportunities offered by the explosion of fintech.
As a business and an investment, fintech reached a point of maturation, if not saturation, in 2019. New investments in the subsector reached $34.5 billion globally across 1,913 deals, according to a report by CB Insights.
Fintech startups mature beyond the early stages. CB Insights reports that Series B+ rounds surpassed five-year highs last year, as a percentage of trades; 83 megarounds were completed, an increase of 81% over 2018. Funding and transactions increased in South America, Africa, Southeast Asia and Australia. Southeast Asia saw transactions and financings increase by 143% year-over-year.
With the plethora of new financial technologies and online transactions, the banking industry needs to change the way it approaches them, argues Deloitte in a recent report. Banks will be forced to look to partnerships, increased investment and different business models to make the same capital relationships work better. The good news is that they will have even more choice as to where to place their bets as the fintech trend continues to gain momentum.
The investment banks that have earned a spot in Global Finance’s third annual Best Banks for New FinTech rankings have all met these challenges in one way or another.
Investec took the top spot among banks focusing on new global financial technologies. His venture capital fund, INVC, renamed Outward VC, received a fundamental investment from NIBC Bank. It has already invested in, among other things, Aventus, an operating system for the insurance sector; Bud, a financial ecosystem leveraging open banking; Curve, which allows consumers to spend with all credit cards with one card; Monese, a mobile money account; and PrimaryBid, which connects listed companies with mainstream investors to improve the capital formation process.
“Outward VC’s distinctive advantage is leveraging its investors’ platforms to add real value to portfolio companies,” said Devin Kohli, co-director of Outward VC, last summer at the closing of the inaugural fund. “We have demonstrated this by facilitating follow-on funding from top-tier investors, senior executive hires and business partnerships for our existing portfolio companies.”
During a panel discussion on banking and fintech hosted by Outward VC, Lyndon Subroyen, Global Head of Digital at Investec, discussed how in-house legacy systems and fintech investments can come together. “We never tried to be everything to everyone, so we have fewer legacy issues to deal with,” he said. “New technology helps us do even better what we already do really well, and partnering with fintechs allows us to tailor the offering to customers.”
Citi maintained its position as the leading fintech investment bank in North America. Citi has established innovation centers in Singapore, Dublin, Tel Aviv, London and other places to act as feelers within the fintech sector. CB Insights ranks Citi as the second most active bank in global fintech transactions, having backed four blockchain startups, three capital markets, and three payments startups over the past two years.
Citi has positioned itself to benefit from the broader public access that fintech provides. A successful agreement last year between Google and Citi, as well as Stanford Federal Credit Union, allows Google to offer personal checking accounts linked to Google Pay by accessing Citi’s global network of more than 100 million customers. In turn, Citi has access to millions of Google users by allowing customers to use their bank accounts through the Google Pay app.
“What we’ve seen is coexistence,” Citi CEO Michael Corbat remarked recently during a panel discussion. “We develop a lot of our own stuff. We are partners. We buy. Some of the fintechs are great partners on our platforms. Some of the fintechs are great customers of the company, in terms of the services we provide to them.
In Latin America, BBVA extended its support to the venture capital fund Propel Venture Partners. This is one of the reasons why it has earned the position of Global Finance’s top fintech bank in Latin America.
“Category-defining companies can take a decade to mature,” says Propel partner Jay Reinemann in a public statement. “But in our short history, we already have four portfolio companies that have achieved unicorn status, including an IPO, DocuSign.”
Banco Santander, Global Finance’s top pick in Western Europe, bought a majority stake in British fintech Ebury for £350m ($453m at the time) last year. The Spanish lender will take 50.1% of the London-based startup, which provides services such as foreign exchange, cash management and trade finance for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Ana Botín, executive chairman of Santander, told the Financial Times that the deal was “strategically very important” for the group.
Central and Eastern Europe
VTB Capital, a Russian investment bank, is making inroads into fintech in Central and Eastern Europe. As Global Finance’s first fintech bank in this region, VTB serves all of Russia as well as the Commonwealth of Independent States. “VTB continues the model of partnerships with fintech companies; and thanks to VTB Accelerator, we have selected the most relevant and complementary startups for our business,” says Ekaterina Frolovicheva, Head of Digital Business and Technology at VTB. “There were already two rounds, and we managed to build 37 pilots and proofs of concept with selected companies. The overall influx of businesses has exceeded 500.”
Focusing on regional trends, Frolovicheva notes that hyper-personalization and data savvy make instant payment and credit decision-making possible. “Most players are moving from monolithic applications to microservices architecture if possible.”
UBS, the Asia-Pacific winner, has launched its third Future of Finance Challenge, a competition for fintech startups and tech entrepreneurs, and it is providing funding and coaching hours to winning fintech entrepreneurs, most recently including Dathena , based in Hong Kong, which uses artificial technologies. intelligence to organize system-wide documents.
UBS seeks to help startups in the specific areas of customer experience, product, efficiency and security, and was a key presence at the Singapore Fintech Festival.
The bank deepened its investment with a second round of financing in iCapital Network, a fintech that provides access to alternative investments. Speaking earlier this year, Michael Dargan, UBS chief information officer and group chief technology officer, said the bank was also considering launching a venture capital fund to invest more in fintech.
Mashreq Bank, Global Finance’s Best Bank for New FinTech for the Middle East, has joined Startupbootcamp FinTech Dubai, an acceleration program that Dubai International Financial Center launched in 2018 in partnership with HSBC and Visa to identify and support startups. Over three years, Startupbootcamp FinTech Dubai plans to accelerate a total of 40 startups recruited and selected from a panel of over 1,000 worldwide.
“Innovation is at the very heart of everything we do,” Subroto Som, executive vice president of Mashreq and head of Retail Banking Group, said in a statement. “We are in the midst of our own digital transformation journey and welcome the opportunity to invest in an initiative that has the potential to deliver incalculable benefits to our business and our customers.”
This year’s winner for Africa is the Rand Merchant Bank. Its Foundery Innovation Center, “created to accelerate the transformation of RMB into a digital bank”, strives to develop adaptive financial ecosystems and leverage its understanding of digital banking to serve customers. “He designs, builds and experiments with new digital pathways in corporate and investment banking,” Liesl Bebb-McKay, head of the foundation, wrote in February, citing new cryptocurrency technology products and blockchains that have emerged thanks to the lab.
Additionally, through Rand Merchant Investment Holdings, AlphaCode identifies, partners with and supports next-generation financial services entrepreneurs. AlphaCode’s previous investments have included Entersekt, which secures digital transactions in 46 countries; Merchant Capital, which provides SMEs with cash advances in exchange for a percentage of future revenues; and Prodigy Finance, which offers loans to postgraduate students. Last year, AlphaCode took a 25.1% stake in a healthcare startup, Guidepost, which connects people with diabetes with a team of doctors and provides information to help them manage their condition and their treatment.
BEST INVESTMENT BANK FOR NEW FINTECH 2020
|Western Europe||Santander Bank|
|Central and Eastern Europe||VTB Capital|
|Middle East||Mashreq Bank|
|Africa||Rand Merchant Bank|


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The social networking giant Facebook on Thursday rolled out the new "Live Video" feature globally, thanks to its interactive map that gives you a window into what's happening in the world right now from friends or on topics you're interested in.
"Facebook has been pushing Live Video aggressively lately. At its F8 developer conference recently, it announced an open API so developers could add the feature to their cameras, " technology website engadget.com reported.
"Over the last three months, Facebook 'Live' video has become more and more popular and more and more people and Pages are creating and watching live videos," the Facebook officials posted.
If you're looking for a stream from a random stranger you can either go on one of the highly-ranked clips on the left side of the page, or click on one of the blue dots from everyone else on the digital globe.
To access the interactive map, a new "Live Video" app is available on the left navigation bar in your Facebook timeline.
In addition to showing where a stream has come from, when you click on a video, it also shows where it's being viewed.
Before Thursday, the only way to know if an account is live streaming was by following that person or brand and waiting for a notification to pop up in your timeline.


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Get your used theme park water!
Baggies and bottles “Genuine Splash Mountain water” from Disney World for sale!
On the heels of fans enjoying one last ride aboard Splash Mountain before it closed Sunday for renovations at Walt Disney World, eBay sellers have listed small quantities allegedly collected during the attraction’s final day of operation.
Is it authentic? It’s possible the water could’ve been taken from other sources, but multiple sellers on the e-commerce website are claiming to sell small quantities of “genuine Splash Mountain water” from the three-decade old log flume ride.
On Thursday, prices for the alleged used H2O ranged from a couple of bucks into the thousands.
Some listings included:
- A reusable bottle with 10 ounces for $7.99.
- A plastic bag with “Splash Mountain water” written on it in black marker with hand-drawn water droplets added for emphasis, for $25.
- A Mason jar with four ounces of water for $149.95.
On Thursday, one 16.9-ounce bottle was going for $10,100. (No joke: As of Thursday, there were 39 bids.)
Another listing offered a “Great Value Sandwich Bag of Toilet Water from Restroom by Splash Mountain.”
Splash Mountain closed at Disney World:Here’s why and what’s next
How do hotels deal with problems? Common issues and what guests can expect in exchange
30 years in operation
Splash Mountain opened at Florida’s Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom Park in 1992.
In 2020, Disney announced it would replace the ride’s controversial “Song of the South” theme with “The Princess and the Frog.”
‘Goonies’ house sells to superfan:‘Goonies’ house in Oregon sells to an ’80s kid superfan’ who wants to protect the landmark
While the announcement came on the heels of a Change.org petition calling for the swap, Disney noted it had already been working on the overhaul since 2019. Critics have called Disney’s 1946 film “Song of the South” a glossed-over portrayal of slavery.
On Sunday, the ride’s last day in operation, fans traveled in droves to Magic Kingdom in Florida for one last ride on the iconic attraction, pushing wait times as high as 220 minutes.
Natalie Neysa Alund covers trending news for USA TODAY. Reach her at firstname.lastname@example.org and follow her on Twitter @nataliealund.
Story Credit: usatoday.com


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Mothercare plans to cut up to 140 shopfloor managers as part of an overhaul of the loss-making UK chain.
The company said 620 middle managers had been put at risk of redundancy, with 120-140 jobs expected to go as new roles are created. Mothercare employs about 5,000 people in its UK shops.
The move would save £1.3m and help reduce Mothercare’s payroll costs to 12% of sales, which compares with other chains who aim to operate below 10%, the baby goods retailer said.
The company said: “Mothercare is proposing the creation of new roles and a new structure for its management in stores … This step will lead to an adjustment in working practices for a number of our UK store management colleagues and we are consulting with those affected.”
The changes are being overseen by the new chief executive, Mark Newton-Jones. Since taking the reins at Mothercare a year ago, Newton-Jones fought off a £266m takeover bid from US rival Destination Maternity and has embarked on a mission to modernise the high street chain, which he described as old-fashioned and in need of a complete overhaul.
A trading update on Thursday showed UK like-for-like sales climbed 5.1% in the fourth quarter – the fourth consecutive quarter of like-for-like sales growth – after Newton-Jones decided to run fewer promotions and discounts. International sales were even stronger, rising 11.4% in constant currencies. However, currency movements reduced the actual growth figure to 5.5%.
Newton-Jones said it is “still early days in our turnaround” but hailed the progress made so far.
“The final quarter is in line with our plan. In the UK, our strategy of reducing promotional and discount activity and returning to being a full price retailer has continued to stabilise margin. By restricting discount periods we produced a stronger end-of-season sale with improved sell through rates as a result. Like-for-like and online sales have also benefited from this approach, along with the initiatives to improve product and service put in place during the year.”
His turnaround plan also involves moves to improve customer service, introducing more upmarket product ranges and thrashing out better deals with suppliers.
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Hopefully, no one marked their calendar in pen.
Tagged: Avalanche Software
“Hogwarts Legacy” is proving to be a stellar success after amassing $850 million in sales during its first two weeks.
A new cinematic trailer for “Hogwarts Legacy” has arrived, and fans have the chance to win some magical prizes from Warner Bros. Games.
The release date for “Hogwarts Legacy” has been announced, and it’s later than anticipated.
After last month’s State of Play event, some common questions about “Hogwarts Legacy” have been answered. Find out more about the game here.
A live broadcast has given fans their first real glimpse at the gameplay for “Hogwarts Legacy” on PlayStation 5 plus a release window.
Rumor: “Hogwarts Legacy” to Have Multiple Regions, Inspired by “Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild”
New rumors have surfaced regarding new, previously unknown features in “Hogwarts Legacy” such as multiple regions and towns to explore.
Game Publisher Electronic Arts Canceled Early “Harry Potter” Game, Didn’t Believe the Franchise Would Last
A former EA executive has revealed that a “Harry Potter”-based MMO was canceled in the early 2000s because EA didn’t think the franchise would last.
Could that open-world “Harry Potter” video game be coming in 2021? Learn more here!


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Key Drivers for Korea’s 5G Success: Exploring Compelling 5G Services
Samsung introduced a multi-part series highlighting 5G’s successful evolution in South Korea. In this article, Seungil Kim, Head of Korea Business, Networks Business at Samsung Electronics, discusses the mobile operator 5G strategies in South Korea, as well as business use cases in key verticals.
What are the key drivers behind 5G success in Korea?
“We have seen the number of 5G subscribers reach 14% of the total population in Korea within just 14 months of launch.1 Not only is the subscriber base growing but 5G users are also consuming about 28% of the total mobile data traffic.2 5G has certainly opened doors to new possibilities. I believe the success in Korea can be attributed to the Korean operators’ strategic approaches in introducing innovative 5G services. Operators are offering compelling B2C services, as well as industry-wide B2B use cases, which are creating momentum and convincing subscribers and enterprises to choose 5G.”
Consumer Use Cases
Operators are continuing to look for new services that can help consumers experience the benefits of 5G in daily life. The initial 5G services introduced by Korean operators focused on enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB) such as UHD video, Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR). Most of these services were offered free of charge to 5G subscribers to help generate interest.
The main verticals introduced to consumers were around sports, gaming, entertainment, education and virtual communications. The chart below provides a deeper dive into the 5G experience offered to consumers in each industry.
Enterprise Use Cases
There is a lot of opportunity for the operators when delivering 5G to the B2B sector. B2B and B2B2X business models can bring various applications to life, ranging across many industries, ultimately generating huge returns on operators’ 4G and 5G investments.
Some of the B2B services that are currently available in Korea include:
Smart factory is a notable example that demonstrates how 5G’s low latency, connectivity and high speed will enable many benefits for this industry. With 5G, real-time detection of defects based on AI and wireless robot control help improve operational productivity, and are just two examples.
SK Telecom introduced a smart office system that enables flexible “work-from-anywhere” capabilities. 5G smart offices have a ‘5G walk-through’ system, which allows entry without ID cards via AI-based facial recognition and a mobile VDI docking system. Employees can choose to work from a smart office closer to home to save on commute time and raise convenience.
With 5G, first responders can effectively and instantaneously exchange multi-media such as high-resolution images and live videos for emergency responses. With a reliable 5G network, public safety agencies can take advantage of robust, real-time surveillance communication technologies.
Distinctive 5G Service Strategies by Korean Operators
All three operators took a similar approach to attract 5G subscribers by offering unlimited data plans at a very competitive rate, in comparison to 4G data plans. As a result, about 70-80% of the subscribers chose the 5G unlimited plan option according to the Korean operators, which allowed them to take advantage of the wide range of services exclusively offered to the 5G users.
They also took a distinctive approach in introducing new 5G services. Their goal was to deliver the best consumer experience to end users. Each Korea operator’s strategy is explored below:
SKT: 5G Clusters Create the Choice and Focus Strategy
SK Telecom created 5G clusters, which are focused zones where subscribers can experience the real benefits of 5G, such as high-speed mobile connectivity, new applications and other 5G membership benefits. In 2019, SK Telecom created 70 5G clusters mainly in densely populated areas, transportation hubs and college campus districts, and is planning to increase the number of 5G clusters to 200 by the end of this year.
In the early days of 5G, these clusters such as key shopping districts, university areas, bus and train terminals and airports, created focused areas of “choice” for 5G with the goal of generating market interest to attract subscribers.
KT: B2B-Focused Strategy
With 5G commercialization, KT announced that it would focus its 5G services in the B2B vertical, in which they have already experienced various successful use cases. KT has signed strategic business agreements to implement 5G in various B2B sectors such as smart factories, autonomous driving, smart medical services and digital media. By the end of 2019, KT had introduced 150 B2B use cases and secured 53 5G enterprise clients.
Industry experts predict that KT’s 5G network will take over as the primary communication fabric for the B2B market, supplemented by its nationwide wired networks. While network reliability is particularly important in the B2B sector, its wireless network, backed by the wired network, will ensure stability and reliability for the businesses.
LG U+: Step-By-Step 5G Service Roadmap Strategy
LG U+ took a step-by-step approach to introduce 5G services in multiple phases.
Initially in the first phase, the service was branded U+ 5G 1.0, and the operator added 5G features to its existing 4G services. In June 2019, LG U+ launched U+ 5G 2.0, where it introduced new 5G-only services, expanding into gaming and entertainment. In 2020, LG U+ launched U+ 5G 3.0 services by integrating cloud services into 5G within various sectors, including education. Many of these U+ 5G services have been upgraded to include AR and VR capabilities as well.
With network technology’s evolution accelerating, 5G is transforming everyday life and industry. Korea’s 5G success is one early example of how this technology can bring new experiences to life today. Samsung’s expertise in combining 5G with other emerging technologies, such as AI, Cloud, VR and AR played a key role in creating the foundation necessary to bring next-level 5G services to life.
Learning from our successes in Korea, we look forward to ongoing collaboration with global operators to enrich the 5G journey and improve the way we live, work and communicate around the world.
Read more on Samsung’s whitepaper that explores new 5G services in Korea and beyond: Transforming Everyday Life and Industry with 5G.


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It was in October last year that Smithers Purslow bought out its Manchester-based counterpart Byrom Clark Roberts – and now the latter is set to assume the name of its new owner.
The Smithers Purslow logo will be refreshed to include the Byrom Clark Roberts company star, to acknowledge its heritage, while the “independent professional expertise” slogan will remain the same.
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Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. reported mixed fourth-quarter results as the ongoing store closures and the sale of its non-core banners — both key to its turnaround strategy — took a toll on its sales.
The home goods chain reported net income of $9.1 million, or $0.8 per share, for the quarter ended Feb. 27, after a loss of $65.4 million, or 53 cents per share, in the year-ago period. Adjusted earnings of $0.40 topped analysts’ estimates of $0.31.
Net sales fell 16% to $2.619 billion, missing estimates of $2.627 billion, driven by the sale of Christmas Tree Shops and Cost Plus World Markets and ongoing store closures, the company said. Excluding these impacts of approximately 12%, Bed Bath & Beyond said its core banner net sales decreased approximately 3%, primarily due to store closing activity.
Comparable sales increased for the third consecutive quarter, with total enterprise comparable sales growth of 4%, led by digital growth of approximately 86%. Comparable store sales decreased 20%.
Comp sales at the Bed Bath & Beyond banner rose 6%, with digital growth of approximately 99%. Growth was driven by key destination categories including bedding, bath, kitchen food prep, indoor décor and home organization, which had strong comp sales growth of 12% (combined) and represented almost two-thirds of total Bed Bath & Beyond banner sales in the fourth quarter.
Buybuy Baby returned to delivering comparable sales growth in the quarter, led by strong digital growth of over 50%, which represented almost two-thirds of the brand’s sales, the retailer stated.
Bed Bath & Beyond released its results days after it unveiled one of its biggest brand campaigns ever in a move to position itself as the leading authority in the $180 billion home goods market. The campaign comes amid a big private label push by the retailer. Bed Bath & Beyond. The company will launch at least eight store brands in fiscal 2021— six in the first part of year with at least 10 owned brands will be introduced in the next two years.
In addition to more owned brands, Bed Bath & Beyond’s turnaround plan also includes store remodels and ongoing tech investments. The company plans to invest some $250 million during the next three years to remodel about 450 stores, which represent approximately 60% of the company’s revenue.
“Fiscal 2020 was a year of fast-paced transformation in which we reformed the past, overcame extraordinary circumstances of the present, and established a firm foundation for the future,” said president and CEO Mark Tritton.”We are excited to start fresh in 2021 with our sharpened size and scale, a healthier portfolio of core banners and a stronger financial position to execute the first phase of our 3-year transformation journey.”
The company forecast its first-quarter net sales to rise by more than 40% year over year. Analysts had been calling for a 45.8% increase. Excluding the impact from divested businesses, however, Bed Bath & Beyond said sales from its four core banners could grow upwards of 65% to 70%.
“We are excited to start fresh in 2021 with our sharpened size and scale, a healthier portfolio of core banners and a stronger financial position to execute the first phase of our 3-year transformation journey,” stated Tritton. “As our transformation continues to take hold, we will show up differently for our customers with enhanced omnichannel experiences and modern stores, new communications and differentiated Owned Brands that will elevate the shopping experience and make it even easier to shop with the new Bed Bath & Beyond."


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Evicted Season 5 BBNAIJA Housemate ‘BrightO’ has bagged another Ambassodorship deal with ‘MORE’, an African Micro-Blogging company.
He is now the brand ambassador of the blogging and social media platform.
He then took to his official Twitter account to reveal the story about his new feat.
I'm excited to announce my partnership as the new Brand Ambassador for MORE – Africa's favourite microblogging, and social media https://t.co/iU9OZW3jcz get more of my exclusive content,download the MORE app on Playstore. https://t.co/dGESZNWfwL
@morebuzzafrica #BrightOxMORE pic.twitter.com/HyLw27Q12Z
— Brighto 🛳🛳 (@Thebrighto) September 18, 2020


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The 3-D printed optical tactile sensor meets the need for an inexpensive yet robust, versatile sensor to give robots an artificial sense of touch, researchers said. As demonstrated in this video, the sensor has a unique design in which a webcam is mounted inside a 3-D printed soft fingertip to track internal pins that act like touch receptors inside a person’s fingertips.
The design makes it inexpensive to build and easily customizable, its developers said.
"An artificial sense of touch is the key for enabling future robots to have human-like dexterity,” said Dr. Nathan Lepora, senior lecturer in robotics at BRL and leader of the Tactile Robotics Team. “Applications of artificial touch span from the future robotization of manufacturing, food production and healthcare, to prosthetic hands that restore a sense of touch."
The TacTip features a biomimetic design inspired by the skin structure on a human finger. As explained by researchers, when the human fingertip makes contact with an object, deformation in the epidermal layers of the skin is detected and relayed by its mechanoreceptors. The TacTip device seeks to replicate this response by substituting papillae with internal pins on the inside of its skin.
The pins deform when an object is contacted, and are then tracked with an internally mounted USB camera. The TacTip tip is made as one piece with multi-material 3D printing. The shape, layout and pattern of pins can be modified to tune the morphology to a desired application, whether it be as a stand-alone tactile sensor or an integrated part of a robotic hand.
The device took top honors in Soft Robotics Research competition sponsored by Harvard University’s John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.


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CBN Only Organisation Authorised to Determine Import, Export Exchange Rate, Customs Clarifies
BY ALIMOTU SHADIA
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has said that it is not responsible for the recent increase in exchange rate in its system for imported goods.
Earlier this week, the official exchange rate Customs uses to calculate import duties and levies increased from $409 to $422.3 on its portal, a move that did not go down well with stakeholders.
There are concerns that the hike would lead to increase in the cost of clearing vehicles and other goods at the country’s seaports.
A statement issued by the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Service, DC Timi Bomodi, today, clarified that only the country’s apex bank has the power to increase the rate.
The statement read: “The attention of the Nigeria Customs Service has been drawn to reports by some sections of the media attributing the increase in exchange rate in our system to the Nigeria Customs Service.
“Noting that the rate of exchange used to calculate duty payments is not a static phenomenon, we wish to reiterate that the Central Bank of Nigeria is the only organization vested with the authority to determine official rates as applicable for the purpose of calculating duties and other taxes applicable for import and export.
“Members of the trading public are kindly advised to go about their business dealings with the full assurances of the Service’s commitment to trade facilitation”.


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News – Resident Evil Zero HD Remaster announced
Resident Evil Zero is getting remastered for PS4, Xbox One, PS3, Xbox 360 and PC, Capcom has revealed.
The game was previously released on the Gamecube back in 2002 and was a prequel to the first game in the series. It stars Rebecca Chambers and Billy Coen and it’s most unique feature was the partner zapping mechanic, which allowed you to switch between the two characters throughout to make use of their unique capabilities.
It will be released early next year.


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A new apology over a blackface controversy came Wednesday, not from Virginia's embattled governor, but from luxury fashion brand Gucci. The Italian company pulled a black balaclava-style sweater from its stores and website and apologized "for the offense caused," after social media users said the design resembled blackface. The $890 wool sweater, released in the first week of Black History Month, covered the bottom half of the face, with a cutout lined in thick red for the mouth, per NBC News. "What racist at Gucci thought this was a good idea?" reads a typical response tweet. "Come to be offended by the racism, stay to be offended by the price," adds Forward columnist Molly Jong-Fast.
"One day I am going to deliver a prolific dissertation on how it feels to live in a continuous cycle of disrespect as a black man," user Michael Bonner notes, per CNN. "This is unacceptable." While some wonder whether ski masks will be outlawed next, others say the fact that Gucci even created the sweater showed a lack of diversity within the company. "We are fully committed to increasing diversity throughout our organization and turning this incident into a powerful learning moment," the company says. (Fashion label Prada recently took flak for images resembling blackface.)


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August 14, 2007
If It Says McDonald’s, Then It Must Be Good
Hamburgers, french fries, chicken nuggets, and even milk and carrots all taste better to children if they think they came from McDonald’s, a small study suggests.
In taste tests with 63 children ages 3 to 5, there was only a slight preference for the McDonald’s-branded hamburger over one wrapped in plain paper, not enough to be statistically significant. But for all the
other foods, the McDonald’s brand made all the difference.
Almost 77 percent, for example, thought that McDonald’s french fries served in a McDonald’s bag tasted better, compared with 13 percent who liked the fries in a plain white bag. Apparently carrots, too,
taste better if they are served on paper with the McDonald’s name on it. More than 54 percent preferred them, compared with 23 percent each for those who liked the unbranded carrots and those who thought
they tasted the same.
Walt Riker, a McDonald’s vice president, said in an e-mail message that “this is an important study and McDonald’s has been actively addressing it for quite some time.
“In fact,” he said, “McDonald’s own ‘branding’ of milk, apples, salads, and other fruits and vegetables has directly resulted in major increases in the purchases of these menu
items by moms, families and children.”
But Dr. Thomas N. Robinson, an associate professor of pediatrics at Stanford and the lead researcher on the study, was not impressed. “The best response the fast-food industry could make to this information,”
he said, “is to alter their menus to include a majority of healthful foods instead of encouraging consumption of high-fat, high-calorie foods.”
Researchers ran taste tests on all five food items. First they served one-quarter of a McDonald’s hamburger wrapped in a McDonald’s wrapper, and another quarter in plain paper. Then they tried chicken
nuggets in a McDonald’s bag with the red arches logo, and identical nuggets in a white bag. The third course was three french fries in a McDonald’s bag marked with the arches and the phrase “We
love to see you smile,” and three fries in a matched white bag with no design.
Then the children tasted milk in a McDonald’s cup with a straw, and milk in a plain cup with an identical straw. Finally, they were served two baby carrots placed on a McDonald’s french fries bag and two
carrots on a plain white bag. For each test they were asked if one tasted better, or if there was no difference. The study appears in the August issue of The Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine.
Fifty-nine percent of the children preferred McDonald’s chicken nuggets compared with 18 percent who preferred the plain product and 23 percent who saw no difference.
Even milk tasted better in a McDonald’s cup, with more than 61 percent preferring it compared with 21 percent who liked the unbranded milk and 18 percent who thought they tasted the same.
The researchers also found that the more television sets in the house, the more likely a child was to prefer McDonald’s branded food, and that three-quarters of the families had toys from McDonald’s in
Although the study was not large, it had several significant strengths. McDonald’s did not sell carrots at the time, but all the other food was bought at McDonald’s, and the pairs of food were taken from
the same individual serving. The samples were randomly placed, and the children were given no feedback about their selections. The wrappers had just enough information to let the children know that they came from
McDonald’s — there were no other designs that could otherwise distract them.
“We often hear that parents are the ones responsible for their kids’ nutrition,” Dr. Robinson said, “but in reality there are these other factors, created by a tremendous amount of advertising
effort, that undermine parents’ ability to make healthy choices.”


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“The touchscreen controls work well, and even though the game only offers four levels, there’s a ton of fun here for any fan of the genre.” – Matthew Sholtz (Android Police)
Social Media Assets
Run-and-Gun Shooter Star Titan Now Available on the App Store & Google Play
Take the fight to the Terran Conglomerate for only $1.99KENT, England – Nov. 14, 2019 – Dark Pyre Interactive’s Star Titan has launched on iOS and Android! A premium, side-scrolling run-and-gun game built from the ground up for touchscreens, Star Titan pays homage to ‘80s and ‘90s mecha anime with impeccable 2.5D graphics, multi-level combat, and four entirely distinct levels featuring atmospheric lighting and particle effects. The game also boasts an energetic original soundtrack by David Rose – and terrifying enemies such as Anubis, the Interceptor, and the massive Lava Boss (a.k.a. “The Beast”)! Worlds Apart In the not so distant future, humanity has charted most of the galaxy with the aid of an alien species known as the Muranians. However, a human military organization – the Terran Conglomerate – seeks to rule over ALL other races, subjugating their former allies and slaughtering millions in its path. Unable to ignore these atrocities, top human scientists and former military personnel smuggle Muranian refugees to a distant planet where they use their skills to build giant war machines to put an end to this injustice and reclaim the galaxy in the name of peace. These majestic machines are known as the Titans. Choose Your Weapon Star Titan makes two distinct mechs available to players at launch: The lean-and-mean killing machine, Phoenix – and the sturdy, larger-than-life Behemoth: Phoenix can fly, is light on its feet – and moves FAST. Behemoth, a hulking figure towering above all other Titans, can take and deal damage like nobody’s business! Perform well, and you’ll earn credits to upgrade your Titan roster with enhanced health and damage output – and unlock several alternate skins. Weapons such as Behemoth’s machine gun, cannon, and laser – and Phoenix’s SMG, homing, and spread shot – are available in every level. “I grew up playing run-and-gun shooters like Contra and Metal Slug and was surprised to find that the genre wasn’t really a thing on mobile platforms. So I decided to create my own with Star Titan,” says Omid Karimpour, Managing Director & Co-Founder at Dark Pyre Interactive. “Knowing that the mobile market is highly competitive, we spent the time and resources to make Star Titan a high-end, premium mobile game with top-notch 3D models, stunning worlds, and challenging encounters – including an unlockable Hard Mode for the hardcore gamers out there.” “Like Omid, 16-bit run-and-gun shooters are in my blood. Star Titan was an opportunity to really go all out with poster-worthy concept art, intricate character designs, and even some hefty world-building,” says Andreas Karpasitis, Creative Director & Co-Founder at Dark Pyre Interactive. “The run up to launch has been exciting! I hope mobile gamers take a chance on Star Titan and experience the thrill of futuristic run-and-gun gameplay on their smartphones and tablets.” Key Features
- Experience exciting arcade-style gameplay on the go.
- Enjoy 4 detailed, exquisitely-designed levels.
- Play as 2 distinct, customizable characters.
- Listen to a thrilling original score composed by David Rose.
- Progress through an anime-inspired storyline featuring top-notch graphics and sound.


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ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece posted in November its highest deflation since monthly records began in 1960, as consumer prices fell 2.9 percent on an annual basis, data from the statistics service showed on Monday.
The EU-harmonised deflation accelerated to -2.9 percent from -1.9 percent in October. The November reading was below a forecast of -1.7 percent.
A combination of deep recession, wage cuts and substantial spare capacity in the economy have pulled prices down, prompting internal devaluation that could render the Greek economy more competitive.
Price dynamics are seen keeping Greece’s inflation rate below the euro zone’s average in the medium term, according to the International Monetary Fund.
Inflation in the 17 countries sharing the euro rose to 0.9 percent from 0.7 percent in October.
Reporting by Renee Maltezou


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Earlier this week we announced that we were the first Internet provider to deliver the hat-trick of NBN services fibre, wireless and satellite. I’m happy to say that we’ve bowled another hat-trick this time for our customer service.
iiNet and Internode followed closely behind, meaning we took out the top three places. Howzat!
It’s always nice to receive recognition for the things we place such a strong focus on, like customer service, and the best thing about the Canstar Blue Award is that it’s voted on by you the customers.
We’ve also recently been recognised by the folk at Roy Morgan with their research finding that Internode, iiNet and Westnet also took out the top three spots for the inaugural Home Internet Service Provider of the Year Award.
As a business that began in CEO Michael Malone’s garage, we’ve come a long way in terms of our size and the services that we offer. One thing that’s remained the same is our promise to differentiate with awesome customer service. We are passionate about connecting people to the Internet and even more so about helping people realise the potential of their connection.
Take the BoBsquad for example, it’s an initiative that takes the customer service we’re famous for into the homes of our customers to set up and demonstrate how gadgets and devices can be maximised with an Internet connection.
We’ve also got the Learn with iiNet workshop program (Perth only for now) which sees us hold two workshops each month to teach Internet and computer skills to those who are tackling technology for the first time.
Going that extra mile is what we do and what we pride ourselves on. It’s nice to see that our customers are sharing their satisfaction and helping us grow our trophy cabinet.
If you’re interested in checking out what other awards we’ve scooped up recently, check out our website. Here’s to continued awesome customer service!


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THE NEWS WRAP: Stockland’s profits down 79%, predicts housing market recovery will help it rebuild
The nation’s largest property developer, Stockland, has told investors it believes the residential property market is due for a recovery.
The comments came as chief executive Mark Steinert announced a fall in full year profits of 79% to $105 million as revenues dropped 13.2% to $1.9 billion.
“Although global economic conditions have improved over the last six months, there is still considerable uncertainty and volatility," said Steinert says.
"The housing market has bottomed and is heading up.”
Icahn takes a bite of Apple
High profile investor Carl Icahn has revealed he has had a “nice conversation” with Apple chief executive Tim Cook after amassing a “large position” in the company”.
During the meeting, Icahn reportedly advocated the company should undertake a $150 billion share buyback by borrowing funds at 3%.
"If Apple does this now and earnings increase at only 10%, the stock – even keeping the same multiple currently – should trade at $700 a share," Icahn says.
Gourmet results help Domino’s top off a good year
Domino's Pizza Enterprises has reported its annual profits are up by 7% to $28.7 million, with revenues up 5.4% to $848.6 million.
Chief executive Don Meij is crediting the introduction of the chain’s gourmet pizza range and increased online orders for the strong results.
“It's been a game-changer in Australia. They've been one in five of the pizzas going out the door," Mr Meij says.
The company, which owns the master franchise rights to the Domino’s brand in Australia, New Zealand, France, Belgium, The Netherlands and Monaco, also announced it is purchasing a 75% stake in Domino's Pizza Japan.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average is up to 15,451.01. The Aussie dollar is down to US91.01 cents.


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- GroupM, WPP’s media investment group, is launching a new data and digital services initiative called mPlatform that unifies data analytics and digital services including search, social, mobile, digital ad operations and programmatic into one team, according to a company press release.
- MPlatform will centralize data from across WPP’s offerings, including the Kantar and Wunderman groups; third-party providers; GroupM data drawn from agreements with global media partners; and WPP clients’ own data.
- Brian Gleason, former global CEO of WPP’s Xaxis group, will be the chief executive of mPlatform. Four regional presidents will suport Gleason. WPP is the world’s largest ad buyer, with Group M placing around one-third of all ads seen around the world, according to Adweek.
WPP’s latest play at streamlining its data offerings and digital services follows an ongoing trend toward consolidation among many of the industry’s largest ad players: Publicis Groupe also recently combined two of its major digital agencies, SapientNitro and Razorfish, into a single entity called SapientRazorfish — a merger which came about “in response to client needs for digital expertise at scale.”
MPlatform’s launch similarly hints at the difficulties traditional ad agencies have experienced in managing an ever-more unwieldy and competitive digital media landscape. In a statement, CEO Gleason suggests the “rise of digital and mobile technologies, media fragmentation and expanding e-commerce” is making “the scientific application of data to media strategies [...] essential” for marketers — and, by extension, their ad buyers.
Given the scope of GroupM’s media buying power, the shift of all digital services and data to a single platform could provide a wealth of targeting information for clients and better support cross-channel planning.
GroupM might also be eager to reassure its existing business following the recent loss of some significant clients including AT&T’s $2 billion North America account, which switched over to Omnicom in the fall. AT&T’s departure came as a significant blow to GroupM, with Tim Castree ultimately replacing Charles Courtier as head of the agency's media investment arm MEC earlier this month.
Many agencies have seen formerly solid client relations crumble of late, as brand marketers have become increasingly wary of their ad buyers overs issues like a lack of transparency and the aforementioned failure to get a handle on digital channels. Agencies can also struggle to capture a brand’s essence creatively, and some marketers like Marriott have seen significant success in moving some production in-house.


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on Thursday grew first-quarter revenue 17% year over year, beating the consensus estimate.
But the design-software maker did not report full earnings because of its ongoing review of its stock option grant practices and related accounting issues. Additionally, the company did not give EPS guidance.
Revenue for the April quarter increased to $509 million, attributable to robust business of model-based 3D products, subscriptions and maintenance and in emerging markets. Analysts polled by Thomson First Call were looking for sales of $499.9 million.
The San Rafael, Calif.-based company forecast second-quarter revenue of $520 million to $530 million vs. the $512.8 million consensus.
For the third quarter, Autodesk's revenue range of $520 million to $530 million is in line with analysts' estimates.
The company also raised its full-year revenue forecast to between $2.12 billion and $2.15 billion, beating the Street's $2.11 billion forecast.
Autodesk, which expects to restate previously issued financial statements for fiscal years 2003 through 2006 to correct errors, also said that it is recording other "minor adjustments related to reseller incentives on its subscription program. The adjustments increase revenue and decrease deferred revenues for fiscal 2006 and fiscal 2005" by roughly $15 million and $5 million, respectively, the company said.
After hours, shares of Autodesk recently lost 2 cents to $43.28.


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WASHINGTON—Information and communication technology (ICT) is reshaping modern manufacturing around the world, but a new report released today by the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF), the world’s top-ranked think tank for science and technology policy, finds that U.S. manufacturers, and especially small manufacturers, have been slow to adopt digital manufacturing processes. Examining smart manufacturing adoption in the United States and Korea, the report offers policy recommendations to improve smart manufacturing adoption.
“For all smart manufacturing’s promise, most U.S. companies remain just at the initial stages of manufacturing technology adoption,” said ITIF Vice President Stephen Ezell, lead author of the report. “More needs to be done to facilitate the uptake of digital manufacturing practices and technologies.”
The report examines U.S. manufacturers' adoption rates of various smart manufacturing applications, such as the Industrial Internet of Things, cloud computing, artificial intelligence and data analytics, robotics, and finds that in some cases U.S. manufacturers trail international competitors in adoption of shop-floor smart manufacturing implementations.
The report offers a series of policy recommendations to further advance the digitalization of U.S. manufacturing, including:
- Create regional digital manufacturing hubs/scale pilot digital manufacturing centers/testbeds;
- Introduce mechanisms to encourage original equipment manufacturers to take more ownership of manufacturing supply chain digitalization;
- Increase funding for the U.S. Manufacturing Extension Partnership;
- Support small- to medium-sized enterprises’ digital manufacturing investments;
- Provide more generous tax credits for investments in new machinery and equipment;
- Expand funding for Manufacturing USA Institutes and make funding permanent;
- Improve federal tracking of data on U.S. manufacturers’ implementation of digital technologies.
“Large and small manufacturers alike face challenges in fully maximizing the promise of smart manufacturing,” Ezell said. “Other countries are doing significantly more to support the digitalization of their manufacturing sectors, and the United States should develop a more comprehensive strategy to support its domestic industry.”


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The Nelson and District Chamber of Commerce will be handing out its top awards on Thursday.
The Chamber AGM-Business Excellence Awards begin at 5 p.m. at the Hume Hotel and Spa, said the chamber’s executive director Tom Thomson.
“Bring along a friend from work. $10 gets you a complimentary glass of wine or beverage of your choice and some nice appies from the Hume kitchen,” said Thomson.
The AGM and election of directors begins at 5:45 with Selkirk College’s Bob Hall, Rebeckah Hornung from Whitewater and Sheyla Kallas from CIBC joining the board.
At about 6:15 p.m. the an expanded list of Business Excellence Awards will be presented.
The categories are now: Business of the Year, Hospitality-Food and Beverage Excellence, Tourism Excellence, Retail Excellence, Non Profit-Community Service Organization Excellence, Rising Star-Start Up-New Business-Entrepreneur Excellence, Professional Service Excellence and Technology-Innovation Excellence.
Thomson said there were 266 unique businesses nominated for the awards this year, with more than 800 total nominations. He said the judges, Barry Auliffe and Garry Kalinski, have gone through all of the nominations and narrowed it down to the finalists in each category.
“These awards recognize businesses and business leaders in Nelson and area that have achieved excellence in the community through their initiatives. The business community is an integral part of our region and helps to make our area – a great place to live, learn and work,” said Thomson, adding, “We are fortunate to have a strong entrepreneurial mentality and a number of economic drivers that help support our residents with shopping, restaurants, outdoor adventure, and entertainment opportunities, not to mention employment procurement and of course taxation.”
Last year’s winners were the Savoy Hotel (Business of the Year), Georama Growers (Retail Excellence) and the Adventure Hotel (Hospitality Tourism).


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A few major hits this week, as Nintendo acquires a video production studio, Kojima finds themselves in the midst of an online joke gone sour, and Bayonetta is set to hit shelves sooner than you think!
🕹 The Console War Rages On
- Kojima Productions threatened legal action! - The report comes as internet users made a false post linking Hideo Kojima, creator of Death Stranding, to the assassination of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. The posts were made in jest and were not meant to be serious, but several news stations from multiple countries, including a french politician falsely identified Hideo Kojima as the assassin. (Source)
- Bayonetta 3 Gets Release Date! - Bayonetta 3 is set for release 28th of October 2022. The game will release on the Nintendo Switch. A physical edition of the original Bayonetta game is set for release as well, and a collectors edition of Bayonetta 3 will also be made available on release day. (Source)
- Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth will be a PS5 exclusive - Square Enix has responded to the concerns about FFVII: Rebirth being PS5 exclusive by explaining why. They stated that the access times of the SSD were needed to prevent loading times from being too extreme, and that is why they aren't targeting a PS4 release as well. There are several other pieces of information surrounding FFVII in the source. (Source)
- Bandai Namco has been hacked - A ransomware group known as "ALPHV" claimed to have hacked Bandai Namco. Bandai Namco has confirmed that were indeed subject to an attack. They further clarified that their data in the Asia region was compromised (excluding Japan ) and potential customer data has been leaked. (Source)
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredders Revenge has sold One Million Units! - Developers of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredders Revenge, Tribute Games, have announced via Twitter that TMNT has sold over a million copies. (Source)
- Nintendo has acquired Dynamo Pictures - Nintendo has made another acquisition this time, they will be acquiring the team who previously worked on Pikmin short movies. The studio will be renamed Nintendo Pictures. They have previously done Motion Capture and animation work for Death Stranding, Monster Hunter World, and a variety of different anime. (Source)
✨ Going to Events Spiritually
- Pokemon Puzzle League will head to Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack.
- New games coming for PlayStation Plus in July: Stray, Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade, Marvel’s Avengers, as well as Assassin’s Creed, Saints Row games, LocoRoco Midnight Carnival and more. (Source)
🎮 Where's My Controller?
- I haven't really played much.
🎵 Turn it up to 11!
📝I don't know what a pen looks like.
- Didn't do much this week, I was unwell.
💖 Enjoy this newsletter?
Forward to a friend and let them know where they can subscribe (hint: it's here).


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ERPNext, backed by Frappe Technologies, is a customisable ERP that contains scores of modules, everything from inventory management to payroll to sales and support CRM, and ticketing to HR and employee wellness.
ERPNext is offered as a hosted cloud solution for businesses with competitive prices.
“This is a strong signal of the arrival of ERPNext as an alternative to the large, expensive and proprietary ERP products. ERPNext is powerful, scalable and 100% opensource and with the investment we will continue investing in the product and the community,” said Rushabh Mehta, founder & chief executive officer, ERPNext.
ERPNext has played a significant role in helping us rapidly build and scale the Zerodha technology stack into the largest stock broking platform in India, said Kailash Nadh, chief technology officer, Rainmatter and Zerodha.
“We are very happy to be able to support ERPNext, the best Free and Open Source (FOSS ) project out of India, and also make this investment into the FOSS ecosystem here...Rushabh Mehta founded ERPNext 10 years ago as a system to help manage his family’s business, and since then, he and his team have turned it into a sophisticated and expansive piece of technology...The team of passionate technologists and FOSS developers are now at a juncture where they have to expand to non-technology arenas such as sales and consulting to cater to the growing list of enterprise, B2B customers,” said Nadh.
- Front Page
- Pure Politics
- Companies & Economy
- Economy & Companies
- Adani Group Stocks Rally, Close Off Day’s Highs
Adani Group stocks rallied in early trade on Tuesday after the promoters said they had repaid ₹9,250 crore ($1.1 billion) of debt backed by shares in three companies.MHA, IT Min to Talk App Ban with RBI
The home and IT ministries, along with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), will hold discussions over the next few days to decide on the next steps after the government blocked 94 online lending apps earlier this week, multiple people aware of the developments said.Health Info-with-Price Norm likely for Ecomm
India’s food safety regulator is likely to mandate online marketplaces to prominently display key health and nutritional alerts alongside the retail price for packaged items sold on their platforms, multiple people aware of the matter told ET.
ETPrime stories of the day
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Balfour buys Kent pubs
Balfour Winery has bolstered its on-trade offering with the freehold purchase of two Kent pubs, despite a “tough” trading environment, operations director Lee Hart told db.
Balfour Hospitality, the pubs and venues arm of Balfour Winery, announced this morning the purchase of The Goudhurst Inn at Goudhurst, and The Tickled Trout in West Farleigh.
Its latest investment brings Balfour’s total number of pubs to 10, with seven country sites across Kent and the Cotswolds and three in London.
Lee Hart, operations director at the English winery, said that the company’s pubs “act as brand ambassadors for the Balfour Wine Brand, and English wine generally”.
The company said it was keen to secure these sites amid ongoing UK pub closures due to rising costs.
In 2023, more than 500 pubs closed, and according to Balfour, 90 pubs across Kent have shut their doors over the last two years. The British Beer and Pub Association warns that as many as 750 pubs could close by the end of the first half of 2024, if no action is taken by HM Treasury to relieve ever-rising costs.
But Balfour is not shying away from growth, though Hart was keen to stress that any ongoing investment should be targeted. “In terms of growth, we aim to take a slow and steady approach to any growth in a targeted and strategic way to ensure the success of both the business and the community assets,” he said. “We believe this way we are creating the most accessible way to discover English wine.”
He said that “whilst budgets for all remain tight”, investments in its hospitality arm allow Balfour to remain “attractive to our guests in terms of offer and price point, whilst protecting the business and our team”.
Balfour plans to invest in the exterior renovation of both pubs, and will put in new menus and install new management teams.
The Kent-based winery is also banking on higher tourism rates in Kent due to the growing wine industry in southeast England bringing more footfall to its on-trade sites.
“We are also seeing fantastic growth in our winery visitor numbers, and these two sites — being a short drive from our vineyards — can act as overnight hubs for English wine-themed escapes which we hope to launch later in the year,” Hart said.
Balfour Hospitality is a collection of hotels, country inns and restaurants in London, The Cotswolds and Kent launched by the winery in 2013.