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DirecTV to pay millions in telemarketing case
Published 10:00 pm, Tuesday, December 13, 2005
WASHINGTON -- DirecTV Inc. will pay $5.34 million to settle charges that its telemarketers called households listed on the national do-not-call registry to pitch satellite TV programming, Federal Trade Commission officials said Tuesday.
The proposed settlement, if approved by a federal judge in Los Angeles, would be the FTC's largest civil penalty in a consumer protection case. In all 17 previously settled no-call cases, the FTC assessed just $808,500 in penalties.
The DirecTV complaint, filed by the Department of Justice at the FTC's request, named the company and five telemarketing firms it hired, as well as six principals of those firms.
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"This multimillion-dollar penalty drives home a simple point: Sellers are on the hook for calls placed on their behalf," FTC Chairwoman Deborah Platt Majoras said.
DirecTV issued a statement saying it has terminated its relationship with the telemarketing firms that made inappropriate calls and has implemented new procedures to ensure there is no repeat of the violations. The proposed settlement also requires DirecTV to operate a desk to handle complaints stemming from its marketing practices.
"DirecTV wholly supports the national do-not-call registry, and our agreement with the FTC reflects our commitment to prevent unwanted and unlawful telemarketing calls to existing and potential DirecTV customers," said the El Segundo, Calif., company, which has 15 million subscribers.
If the proposed settlement is approved, the FTC said, it would end litigation against five defendants, including DirecTV and two of the telemarketing firms, Communication Concepts and American Communications. The firms will pay civil penalties of $25,000 and $50,000, respectively.


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The novel coronavirus outbreak led to a massive stock market correction in 2020, as evident from the 12.5% drop in the S&P 500 so far this year. Though the market has rallied over the past few weeks (it was down as much as 30.7%), some top-quality tech stocks continue to remain cheap thanks to the correction.
Microsoft (MSFT -1.43%) and Fortinet (FTNT -0.46%) are two companies that have beaten the broader market this year thanks to the utility of the products and services they provide. Yet their stock continues to trade at attractive levels despite rallying of late.
Microsoft's cloud services and Fortinet's cybersecurity offerings may continue to remain in demand despite the economic fallout of the COVID-19 outbreak. What's more, both companies look well-positioned to weather the economic crisis COVID-19 may bring. Let's take a closer look at the reasons why it may be a good idea to go long on Microsoft and Fortinet.
1. Microsoft could get a shot in the arm because of the coronavirus
Microsoft's resilient stock market performance isn't surprising at all, really. The services and products it offers are well suited to take advantage of the stay-at-home directives ordered by governments across the globe to contain the outbreak.
An increase in telecommuting, online education, and gaming has led to an increase in demand for cloud computing and communication platforms such as Office 365 (recently re-branded as Microsoft 365). At the end of March, Microsoft said that it witnessed a 775% monthly spike in the usage of its Teams app -- which allows workplaces to collaborate online -- in Italy, where strict shelter-in-place orders were imposed to contain the novel coronavirus.
The company also pointed out that the usage of the Windows Virtual Desktop tripled in the space of just a week. As it turns out, Microsoft's Azure cloud service was reportedly suffering from capacity constraints in Europe earlier in April, forcing the company to create additional capacity in the wake of the pandemic.
However, the cloud isn't the only business arm of Microsoft that could benefit from COVID-19. The software giant's traditional Windows business may also get a boost thanks to an increase in demand for laptops and notebooks. The NPD Group reports that laptop sales were up 10% in the first week of March. Notebook sales to businesses jumped 30% in the closing week of February, followed by a 50% hike in the first half of March.
Microsoft might turn out to be a coronavirus-proof stock, as the crisis has the potential to boost demand for its products. But that's not the only reason why the company seems like a sound bet during these uncertain times.
Microsoft has a solid balance sheet, with its cash position of $134 billion comfortably exceeding its $87 billion in debt obligations. What's more, the stock is currently trading at a price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 30 -- lower than the five-year average multiple of nearly 36.
Another thing to like about Microsoft stock is its dividend, which seems to be safe thanks to its impressive cash position, strong free cash flow generation, and a sustainable payout ratio -- all of which strengthen the bull case.
2. Fortinet's cash-rich balance sheet makes it an attractive bet
Like Microsoft, cybersecurity specialist Fortinet also has a healthy cash position (in this case, $2 billion), and its debt obligations are just $46 million. This puts Fortinet in a solid position to boost shareholder value through stock repurchases in light of the novel coronavirus-induced stock market correction.
The company was left with a share repurchase authorization of $1.6 billion at the end of 2019. It repurchased $141 million worth of shares last year, but there's a good chance of a jump in repurchase activity as the stock is trading at relatively cheap levels.
Fortinet's trailing P/E ratio of 56 is substantially lower than its five-year average multiple of nearly 379. The forward P/E ratio of 40 indicates that the company's bottom line could improve in the future.
Demand for cybersecurity products is reportedly on the rise thanks to social distancing. Companies are taking steps to protect data in a scenario where employees have been working from home. Fortinet has a variety of solutions that companies can deploy to help keep their employees safe from cyber threats. So, there's a possibility that the flight to the telecommuting model in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic could play in Fortinet's favor and help sustain its impressive growth.
Fortinet expects to clock 15% annual revenue growth through 2022, and the COVID-19 outbreak may give it more fuel to achieve that target. That's why it may be a good idea to consider Fortinet stock. It is currently trading at a relatively cheaper valuation, has a strong balance sheet, and could drive bottom-line growth on the back of share repurchases and a potential boost in cybersecurity demand.

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It has been a bitter sweet story for the app who first brought live video streaming in the palm of our hands. Meerkat is gone, forever.
Meerkat was the first. And often that also means first to go. There was not enough space for it. Between the Twitter-powered Periscope, the unbeatable Facebook Live and the more recent YouTube live video, Meerkat just could not survive.
A few hours ago, Meerkat was pulled out of the iOS and Android app stores. Ben Rubin, CEO of Meerkat creator Life On Air, confirmed the news. Rubin also explained that he and his team will now be focusing on HouseParty, their new group video chat mobile app.
It is not a surprise. To be honest, most publications, including us, had announced Meerkat’s death a few months back. There was still hope then, that the app will find a second life with some new features. Group live video streaming was one that could have saved Meerkat. But it now seems that the company has decided it was a better idea to launch this as part of the new app and let go of the legacy.
As much as I am saddened to see Meerkat go, I think I agree with their strategy. Goodbye Meerkat, you shall be remembered.
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YouTube is testing a new Viewer applause feature that lets fans donate to creators in very much the same way …


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Here Are 3 Hot Things to Know About the Stock Right Now
- The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose Tuesday, getting help from Johnson & Johnson (JNJ – Get Report), which posted a strong we're in the first quarter, but gains are
- UnitedHealth, the giant health insurer, has fallen even after losing Wall Street's first-quarter hopes.
- Qualcomm (QCOM – Get Report) after chipmaker fix a long-standing dispute with Apple (AAPL – Get Report) over royalty payments for chipmaker's smartphone equipment
Wall Street idea
Stocks end in positive territory Tuesday even a sharp drop in UnitedHealth Group (UNH ̵
1; Get Report) shares slowed the advance of the Dow.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average has reached 68 points, or 0.26%, up to 26,453. Highly for the session, the Dow has raised 145 points. The closing of the blue chip record is high, set October 3, 2018, is 26,828. Meanwhile, S & P 500 rose by 0.05% on Tuesday and the Nasdaq advanced 0.30%. Apple (AAPL – Get Report) and Qualcomm (QCOM – Get Report) and Qualcomm (QCOM – Get Report) have concluded their long-standing royalty payments for chipmaker smartphone devices, CNBC said Tuesday, arriving at a six-year license on April 1. The settlement terminates all litigation between the two companies and includes payment from Apple at Qualcomm.
Qualcomm shares grew more than 23% to $ 70.45 in news, while Apple shares fell slightly to $ 199.25.
Johnson & Johnson (JNJ – Get Report) climbed 1.1% to $ 138.02 after losing expectations expected in Wall Street's first quarter. The company reported net income in the first quarter of $ 3.75 billion, or $ 2.10 in revised parts, compared to $ 4.37 billion, or $ 1.39 a share, a year earlier. Analysts analyzed by FactSet rely on each revenue earning $ 2.04. Sales are held on a year-on-year basis of approximately $ 20 billion.
The UnitedHealth Group (UNH – Get Report) has dropped almost 4% to $ 221.01 despite the insurer's health insurmountable for the first-quarter earnings of Wall Street. The company said it earned $ 35.6 billion, or $ 3.73 a share on a suitable basis, compared to $ 29.2 billion, or $ 3.04 a share, a year ago. Analysts analyzed by FactSet rely on each income of $ 3.60 a share. Earnings rose to $ 60.3 billion from $ 55.2 billion a year ago. The health insurance sector has seen price steep declines amid concerns of proposed changes to the system of rebates paid to insurers. Cumulative growth earnings in Q1 for the five largest public companies in the US are projected to decline by 10.1% year over year, with material below the market growth rate (-4.3%), "said of Jason Pride, chief investment officer of private wealth for Glenmede. "That fact does not seem to date, with the top five returning 22.6%, ahead of the S & P 500's gain of 15.9%, reflecting the ongoing trend that investors are still willing to invest on future growth prospects. "
The Federal Reserve reports that industrial production has fallen by 0.1% in March, the economist's missing expectations for a 0.1% achievement.


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Anyone who has watched ‘Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory’ will remember the edible garden that the candy maker welcomes his guests into. That fantastic chocolate and candy world just got a bit closer to reality after it began raining chocolate in Switzerland recently.
A Day To Remember
The people of Olten, Switzerland, may have just had the best day of their lives. The chocolate factory for Lindt and Sprungli is in Olten, and following a ventilation duct malfunction, everyone in the town had a treat because it was raining chocolate.
A Delicious Mistake
Of course, the chocolate factory hadn’t intended to cover the town in chocolate, but this was a happy mistake. A defect in the factory’s cooling system meant that fragments of cocoa beans escaped into the air.
Then, thanks to high winds, those chocolate fragments were picked up by the storm and blown over the surrounding area. The confectionery company offered to pay for any damages, but it seems as though nobody in Olten is complaining.
Unusual Weather Patterns
The raining chocolate incident isn’t the only time in history that strange things have been falling from the sky. In 2012 there was a downpour of raw meat in Virginia, which was most likely explained by seagulls dropping their meals. A blocked waterspout caused it to rain golf balls in Florida in 1969.
Another, more disgusting, rain shower came in Florence, Oregon, in 1970. A whale carcass had washed up on the shore, and residents thought the best way to get rid of it was to blow it up using dynamite. That sent whale chunks flying through the air, with one so large it even damaged a car.
We’re sure the people of Olten already love the smell coming for their local chocolate factory. They had a bonus event after it began raining chocolate, turning the town into a real-life ‘Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory’ story.


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Indonesian millennial-focussed news portal Brilio today announced the launch of FULUS, a credit card service comparison platform aimed at the millennial audience.
The new platform is launched in partnership with financial services comparison platform Cermati, which had raised funding from fintech-focussed venture capital firm Finch Capital (formerly known as Orange Growth Capital) in February 2017.
“Based on a research we conducted with JakPat Mobile Survey involving 1024 respondents from 34 provinces in Indonesia, around 59 per cent of Indonesian millennials – especially the middle class — prefer cashless payment to the conventional one. We also found that 63 per cent of Indonesian millennials need credit cards, but 66 per cent of them face difficulties in choosing the best card for their needs. With FULUS, we hope we can be a solution to such problem and be a reliable source of information regarding credit cards,” said Brilio Co-Founder and CEO Joe Wadakethalakal.
The platform will include information about a credit card service’s benefits, annual cost, fines, to requirements. The credit cards are being divided into the Travel, Rewards, First Card, Dining, Cashback, and Women categories.
Users can also apply directly on the platform.
In the future, Brilio also plans to add more type of financial services to the platform.
“Brilio has more than 20 million monthly visitors; it becomes a strong foundation for Brilio to develop FULUS. We are going to maximise Brilio’s strong user base as FULUS users,” a Brilio spokesperson explained to e27 when asked about the company’s plan in competing with existing platforms.
The company will also rely on the platform’s user experience, combined with giving honest and independent advice.
Founded in March 2015 by Wadakethalakal and Danny Purnomo, Brilio provides content in the form of articles and videos through its channels Brilicious, Brilistyle, Brilio Ngakak, Bawang Bombay, Brilio Video, BRITA, Wajah Indonesia, and its 32 content categories.
It is backed by the KapanLagi Network, a network of local online media in Indonesia.


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After a strong push from state Senate Agriculture Chair Darrel J. Aubertine and U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee Member Kirsten Gillibrand, the United States Department of Agriculture has committed to changing its interpretation of a local foods provision of the 2008 U.S. Farm Bill to allow local farmers to slice and bag fruits and vegetables for school children to snack on.
Ã¢â‚¬Å“This is great news for New York State agriculture,Ã¢â‚¬Â Sen. Aubertine said. Ã¢â‚¬Å“The Fresh Fruits and Vegetables Program is intended to give schools the ability to buy local fruits and vegetables. This reversal now means that simply slicing and bagging these fruits and vegetables for convenience will not prevent local farmers from providing the freshest, most nutritious foods for our school children.Ã¢â‚¬Â
The 2008 Farm Bill through the Fresh Fruits and Vegetables Program authorizes schools to buy local produce that has not been processed for students to eat outside of school cafeteria programs. For convenience, the program operates best when this local produce has been washed, sliced and bagged, since it is eaten outside of the lunchroom.
However, a previous USDA interpretation of what it means for local produce to be considered Ã¢â‚¬Å“processedÃ¢â‚¬Â has closed up this market for local farms. Sen. Aubertine and Sen. Gillibrand co-authored a letter asking USDA Secretary Thomas J. Vilsack to reverse this interpretation to help the Fresh Fruits and Vegetables Program succeed in helping local agriculture and making our children healthier. Sen. GillibrandÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s office was notified last week that the USDA will change its interpretation to allow sliced and bagged produce.
Ã¢â‚¬Å“We have to let our farmers do what they do best, and thatÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s deliver fresh fruits and vegetable to local communities,Ã¢â‚¬Â said Senator Gillibrand. Ã¢â‚¬Å“New York farmers produce some of the highest quality, fresh produce in the country. The Farm Bill was supposed to make it easier for farmers to sell produce directly to New York schools, and this USDA ruling will finally ensure that our students will have healthy New York produce and our farmers can earn the extra income that comes from providing value-added products such as pre-cut apples. During difficult economic times, we need this new market to create jobs.Ã¢â‚¬Â
“When we make local food available in our schools, our children get the freshest and finest produce available. We asked Secretary Villsack and the USDA to review this because the enforcement of de minimis handling had been contrary to what the bill’s authors and all of us in the farm community were looking for,Ã¢â‚¬Â Sen. Aubertine said. Ã¢â‚¬Å“I’m pleased to see that they are reviewing this and that New York farmers will have the opportunity to provide fresh snacks for our school children.”
Jim Allen, President, New York Apple Association, Inc., said: Ã¢â‚¬Å“Apple growers from across the state appreciate Senator Aubertine’s support to allow more New York State apples in local schools. His efforts to help remove confusing restrictions that kept New York State apples out of local schools came to fruition recently when the USDA announced a policy change, providing easier access of locally grown apple slices into our schools. We thank both Senator Aubertine and Senator Gillibrand for their leadership that will benefit New York Apple growers.Ã¢â‚¬Â
Ray Denniston, Co-Chair New York State Farm-to-School Coordinating Committee, and advisor , New York State Food Policy Council, said: Ã¢â‚¬Å“New York students will have healthier food choices and New York growers can plan on a steady market for their produce thanks to this common sense decision by the USDA. Bagged, fresh apples slices are a healthy snack choice with the flexibility to be used in the cafeteria, classroom as part of the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable program, or as a healthy snack anytime. We want to thank Senator Aubertine and Senator Gillibrand for taking our concerns to the Department of Agriculture and getting results that will ensure a healthier future for New YorkÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s children and New YorkÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s agriculture.Ã¢â‚¬Â
Jilly Stephens, Executive Director, City Harvest, said: Ã¢â‚¬Å“ Groups that work to address hunger and improved nutrition for low-income New Yorkers have been requesting for some time that schools have the option to include locally sourced food in school meals, especially in forms that schools can easily use. City Harvest applauds the USDA for revisiting the de minimis processing section of the Farm Bill so that healthy items like sliced fresh apples from New York state farms can be part of school lunches.Ã¢â‚¬Â
In the Farm Bill’s Joint Explanatory Statement, the authors of the bill said the term “unprocessed” should not be taken literally, but rather “logically implemented” to allow the preparation necessary to deliver farm products “to a school food authority in a usable form.”
In February, Sen. Aubertine and Sen. Gillibrand asked the USDA to “…remain mindful of the vitality and value of New York’s farms, the health of our school children, and the positive benefits of promoting local agriculture.”
In their letter, Sen. Aubertine and Sen. Gillibrand stated that Farm to Fork programs create wealth and lead to increased employment through agriculture, “creating a ripple effect that strengthens our struggling rural communities. Additionally, locally grown and distributed food is likely to be fresher and more nutritious, a key to fighting childhood public health problems from obesity to diabetes.”


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Statement from FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, M.D., on proposed new steps to protect youth by preventing access to flavored tobacco products and banning menthol in cigarettes
. . .
Almost all adult smokers started smoking when they were kids. Nearly 90 percent started smoking before the age of 18, and 95 percent by age 21. Only about 1 percent of cigarette smokers begin at age 26 or older. When I announced the FDA’s Comprehensive Plan for Tobacco and Nicotine Regulation in July 2017, I made clear my concerns about kids’ use of e-cigarettes, especially those products marketed with obviously kid-appealing flavors. At the time, however, the trends in youth use appeared to be changing in the right direction – reported e-cigarette use among high school students, which peaked at 16.0 percent in 2015, had decreased to 11.3 percent in 2016 and held steady in 2017. What I did not predict was that, in 2018, youth use of e-cigarettes and other ENDS products would become an epidemic.
Today, the FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are publishing data from the 2018 National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS). The data from this nationally representative survey, conducted of middle and high school students, show astonishing increases in kids’ use of e-cigarettes and other ENDS, reversing years of favorable trends in our nation’s fight to prevent youth addiction to tobacco products. These data shock my conscience: from 2017 to 2018, there was a 78 percent increase in current e-cigarette use among high school students and a 48 percent increase among middle school students. The total number of middle and high school students currently using e-cigarettes rose to 3.6 million — that’s 1.5 million more students using these products than the previous year. Additionally, more than a quarter (27.7 percent) of high school current e-cigarette users are using the product regularly (on 20 or more days in the past month). More than two-thirds (67.8 percent) are using flavored e-cigarettes. Both these numbers have risen significantly since 2017.
These increases must stop. And the bottom line is this: I will not allow a generation of children to become addicted to nicotine through e-cigarettes. We won’t let this pool of kids, a pool of future potential smokers, of future disease and death, to continue to build. We’ll take whatever action is necessary to stop these trends from continuing.
Over the past months, the FDA has worked aggressively to address youth use of e-cigarettes.
We deployed a range of our regulatory tools.
We launched a multi-pronged Youth Tobacco Prevention Plan. We escalated enforcement against retailers who illegally sell ENDS products to minors. We partneredwith the Federal Trade Commission to target e-liquid manufacturers whose products used misleading, kid-appealing imagery that mimicked juice boxes, lollipops and other foods. We worked with eBay to remove listings for these products on their websites. We launched innovative campaigns, including “The Real Cost” Youth E-Cigarette Prevention Campaign, to educate teens about the consequences of addiction to e-cigarettes.
And I made clear – in speeches, in statements and in interviews – that we were closely watching what appeared to be disturbing trends. I repeatedly said that, although we continue to believe that non-combustible tobacco products may provide an important opportunity to migrate adult smokers away from more harmful forms of nicotine delivery, these opportunities couldn’t come at the expense of addicting a generation of kids to nicotine. I told the manufacturers of e-cigarettes that the youth use of their products was an existential threat to this innovation. In short, over the past year we weren’t sitting still. And we weren’t quiet about our concerns. And yet these deeply disturbing trends continued to build.
In September, after receiving the raw data from the NYTS survey, I took additional action. I called on manufacturers to step up, to take voluntary actions to prevent youth access to these products and to take meaningful steps to curb their youth appeal. Some manufacturers have already responded to these requests and pledged to take some meaningful voluntary steps to curb youth access and appeal to their products. I also said that the FDA would be re-evaluating our own policy approach and that all options would be considered. Given the startling and disturbing youth use rates in the 2018 NYTS data being released today, it’s clear that we must do more – specifically, several policy changes to target what appear to be the central problems – youth appeal and youth access to flavored tobacco products.
Some of these changes would involve revisiting the FDA’s compliance policy, issued in 2017, which extended the dates by which manufacturers of deemed tobacco products that were on the market as of Aug. 8, 2016, were expected to submit premarket applications to the FDA for review (after receipt of an application, the FDA reviews the application and determines if the product meets the applicable statutory standard to be marketed). Under that policy of enforcement discretion, the premarket application compliance date for newly regulated combustible tobacco products, including certain cigars and pipe tobacco, was extended to August 2021. The premarket application compliance date for newly regulated non-combustible tobacco products was extended to August 2022. This applied to most ENDS or e-cigarettes.
Today, I’m directing the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products (CTP) to revisit this compliance policy as it applies to deemed ENDS products that are flavored, including all flavors other than tobacco, mint and menthol. The changes I seek would protect kids by having all flavored ENDS products (other than tobacco, mint and menthol flavors or non-flavored products) sold in age-restricted, in-person locations and, if sold online, under heightened practices for age verification.
These changes will not include mint- and menthol-flavored ENDS. This reflects a careful balancing of public health considerations. Among all ENDS users, data suggests that mint- and menthol-flavored ENDS are more popular with adults than with kids. One nationally representative survey showed that, among ENDS users aged 12-17 years old, 20 percent used mint- and menthol-flavored ENDS while, among adult ENDS users, 41 percent used mint- and menthol-flavored ENDS. Any approach to mint- and menthol-flavored ENDS must acknowledge the possibility that the availability of these flavors in ENDS may be important to adult smokers seeking to transition away from cigarettes. Moreover, I recognize that combustible cigarettes are still sold in menthol flavor, including in convenience stores. I don’t want to create a situation where the combustible products have features that make them more attractive than the non-combustible products. Or a situation where those who currently use menthol-flavored cigarettes might find it less attractive to switch completely to an e-cigarette. This is a difficult compromise that I’m trying to strike, recognizing the public health risk posed by cigarettes still being available in menthol flavor.
But at the same time, I’m deeply concerned about the availability of menthol-flavored cigarettes. I believe these menthol-flavored products represent one of the most common and pernicious routes by which kids initiate on combustible cigarettes. The menthol serves to mask some of the unattractive features of smoking that might otherwise discourage a child from smoking. Moreover, I believe that menthol products disproportionately and adversely affect underserved communities. And as a matter of public health, they exacerbate troubling disparities in health related to race and socioeconomic status that are a major concern of mine. Although I’m not proposing revisions to the compliance policy for the mint- and menthol flavors in e-cigarettes at this time, we need to address the impact that menthol in cigarettes has on the public health.
I’m also aware that there are potentially important distinctions even between mint- and menthol-flavored e-cigarette products. I’m particularly concerned about mint-flavored products, based on evidence showing its relative popularity, compared to menthol, among kids. So, I want to be clear that, in light of these concerns, if evidence shows that kids’ use of mint or menthol e-cigarettes isn’t declining, I’ll revisit this aspect of the current compliance policy.
In addition, I’m directing CTP to revisit the compliance policy for all flavored ENDS products (other than tobacco, mint and menthol flavors or non-flavored products) that are sold online without additional, heightened age-verification and other restrictions in place. As part of that effort, I’m directing CTP to publish additional information regarding best practices for online sales.
. . .
Here are additional details regarding the policy framework that Commissioner Gottlieb seeks to advance (pulled directly from FDA Press Announcement):
- Flavored ENDS products that are not sold in an age-restricted, in-person location.
- Have all flavored ENDS products (other than tobacco, mint and menthol flavors or non-flavored products) sold in age-restricted, in-person locations. All ENDS products, including e-liquids, cartridge-based systems and cigalikes, in flavors except tobacco, mint and menthol, would be included. For instance, the proposed policy would apply to flavors such as cherry, vanilla, crème, tropical, melon and others.
- To advance this goal, the FDA is revisiting the compliance policy on PMTA authorization for such flavored products sold in physical locations where people under the age of 18 are permitted.
- The FDA is not revisiting the compliance policy with respect to ENDS products sold exclusively in age-restricted locations – for instance, a stand-alone tobacco retailer (such as a vape shop) that adequately prevents persons under the age of 18 from entering the store at any time; or, a section of an establishment that adequately prevents entry of persons under the age of 18 and the flavored ENDS products are not visible or accessible to persons under the age of 18 at any time.
- At this time, ENDS products with tobacco, mint or menthol flavors, as well as any non-flavored ENDS products, sold in any location, would not be included in any policy revisions. This distinction among flavors seeks to maintain access for adult users of these products, including adults who live in rural areas and may not have access to an age-restricted location, while evidence of their impacts continues to develop. It also recognizes that combustible cigarettes are currently available in menthol in retail locations that are not age-restricted. This approach is informed by the potential public health benefit for adult cigarette smokers who may use these ENDS products as part of a transition away from smoking.
- The FDA, however, will not ignore data regarding the popularity of mint- and menthol-flavored ENDS among kids. We will continue to use all available surveillance resources to monitor the rates and use patterns among youth and adults for these products, and we will reconsider our policies with respect to these products, if appropriate.
- Flavored ENDS products (other than tobacco, mint and menthol flavors or non-flavored products) that are sold online.
- In addition, we will seek to curtail the sale of applicable flavored ENDS products that are sold online without heightened age verification processes.
- The FDA will be working to identify these heightened measures for age verification and other restrictions to prevent youth access via online sales. These best practices would be available soon, so sites can quickly adopt them.
- Because no tobacco products should be sold to kids (including non-flavored ENDS products or those with tobacco, mint and menthol flavors), the FDA will continue to enforce the law whenever we see online sales of these products to minors and will closely monitor online sales of mint and menthol ENDS products.
- Flavored cigars.
- Research shows that, compared to adults (25 or older) who smoke cigars, a higher proportion of youth who smoke cigars use flavored cigars. This data also indicates that eliminating flavors from cigars would likely help prevent cigar initiation by young people.
- Given these public health concerns, I believe flavored cigars should no longer be subject to the extended compliance date for premarket authorization — regardless of the location in which the products are sold.
- The FDA’s proposal to revisit the compliance policy for flavored cigars that are new tobacco products does not apply to the entire product category, as some products were considered “grandfathered.” Accordingly, the FDA intends to propose a product standard that would ban flavors in all cigars.
- In July, the comment period for our ANPRM on flavors in tobacco productsclosed. The FDA has expedited review and analysis of these comments, and we intend to proceed with developing a proposed regulation. As included in the most recent Unified Agenda, the FDA intends to prioritize the issuance of this proposed rule.
- ENDS products that are marketed to kids.
- The FDA will pursue the removal from the market of those ENDS products that are marketed to children and/or appealing to youth. This could include using popular children’s cartoon or animated characters, or names of products favored by kids like brands of candy or soda.
- Menthol in combustible tobacco products.
- Informed by the comments from our ANPRM, the FDA will advance a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that would seek to ban menthol in combustible tobacco products, including cigarettes and cigars.
- The FDA started this process several years ago with an ANPRM. That ANPRM issued alongside the FDA’s preliminary scientific evaluation, which suggested menthol use is likely associated with increased smoking initiation by youth and young adults.
- Now, armed with the additional years of data, comments from the public – and with the perspective of our Comprehensive Plan and its implementation – the FDA will accelerate the proposed rulemaking process to ensure that our policies on flavored tobacco products protect public health across the continuum of risk.


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Shmayleys Mobile Events Bar, one of Long Island’s first rolled ice cream businesses, is bringing unique, delicious desserts to GrillHampton and Dan’s Bubbles for Dan’s Taste Signature Weekend on August 5 and 6.
Opened last year as a pop-up stall operating between Montauk and Hampton Bays, owner Hayley Pierce says the culinary vision behind Shmayleys Mobile Events Bar is a drive to “do something creative and give back to the community.”
After years in the hospitality industry Pierce decided to strike out on her own. “I wanted to do it all and follow my passions,” she says.
This vision is paying off, and Shmayleys is quickly becoming a favorite of foodies throughout the Hamptons. Using ingredients from local farms and offering a variety of signature flavors, she delivers a fresh take on ice cream to customers needing to cool off in the summer heat.
Shmayleys’ Tooty Fruity flavor was a triumph at Dan’s Rosé Soirée this month with long lines at Pierce’s trademark pink trailer all night.
Rolled ice cream is a unique dessert experience that needs to be tasted to be believed.
Originating in Thailand, this delicious treat is the latest trend in dessert foods, and Pierce has introduced it to the East End. Fried on a freezing cold pan, spread thin and then rolled, this kind of ice cream is unlike anything many people have tasted before, with a unique texture and exciting flavors.
Pierce spices up classics such as chocolate or vanilla with a wide array of toppings, and she has a selection of alcohol-infused ice cream.
The pandemic inspired her to start a food business that centered on fun and community, and Shmayleys prides itself on serving Long Island with a distinctly local style while bringing excitement and a friendly attitude to the culinary industry.
Available for all kinds of private events across Long Island and upstate New York, from weddings to birthdays to Bar Mitzvahs, Shmayleys is a welcome addition to any celebration and a sure-fire smash hit with customers.
Pierce’s team works hard to coordinate with event organizers and they provide the best possible service no matter the occasion. The key to success in the Hamptons food scene is to “always wear a smile and work seven days a week,” Pierce proudly told Dan’s.
This stall will not be one to miss at Dan’s Signature Weekend.
For more information about Shmayleys Mobile Events Bar, visit shmayleys.com.
Dan’s GrillHampton will be held Friday, August 5 from 7–10 p.m. at Nova’s Ark in Water Mill. Dan’s Bubbles will be held from 7–10 p.m. on Saturday, August 6, also at Nova’s Ark in Water Mill.
Visit DansTaste.com for tickets and more info.


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- Local newspaper, the Botswana Daily News has reported that the state-owned Botswana Power Corporation (BPC) intends to purchase 10 MW from its citizens over the next 3 years under the Rooftop Solar Programme.
- 2 MW capacity is expected to come from domestic consumers and 8 MW from commercial and industrial consumers.
Last week in Gaborone, Botswana’s Minister of Mineral Resources, Green Technology and Energy Security, Hon Lefoko Moagi, made the announcement by launching the “Rooftop Solar Programme” at the University of Botho in the capital Gaborone.
According to BPC, this electricity will be the surplus production of solar photovoltaic systems installed by the population. Of the 10 MWp purchased in one year, 2 MWp will come from domestic consumers and 8 MWp from commercial and industrial consumers. The maximum capacity for a single domestic consumer is 35 kW, while for commercial and industrial consumers it is 1 MW.
“Any excess energy exported by the consumer will be rolled over to the next billing cycle for a duration of 12 months, upon which time, BPC will pay the consumer for the remaining credits at the cost of generation rate at 81.51 thebe/kWh. This rate will be reviewed annually,” he stated. Noting that solar energy was one of the greatest natural endowments that Botswana enjoyed, Minister Moagi said the programme was meant to exploit the resource.
The initiative has been made possible through a collaboration with the US governments’ USAID Southern Africa Energy Programme
The “Solar Rooftop Programme” will run for three years. To take part, interested households or companies will have to submit their solar projects before 30 November 2020 via an online application directly accessible on the BPC website. According to the company, the system will operate on a “first come, first served” basis.
To be eligible for the solar programme, a person will need to be a BPC customer, have title to their rooftop solar system, and have a meter that will measure the import and export of electricity. Successful owners will sign an interconnection agreement and/or a 15-year licence.
Author: Bryan Groenendaal


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Apple Updating iTunes U for iPad With Course Creation, Student Discussion Features
Apple today announced that teachers using the iTunes U will be able to create, edit and manage entire courses directly from the iPad, while students will be able to start class discussions and ask questions using their tablet. The tools will be part of a future update scheduled for July 8.
“Education is at the core of Apple’s DNA and iTunes U is an incredibly valuable resource for teachers and students,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Internet Software and Services. “iTunes U features an amazing selection of academic materials for everyone around the world. Now, with the ability to better manage and discuss educational content, learning becomes even more personalized on iPad.”
The new updates to iTunes U will give educators the ability to add content directly from the iPad’s built-in camera, iWork, iBooks Author or any of the more than 75,000 educational apps available for iPad.
“iTunes U is the most powerful destination for bringing the entire educational experience to life on iPad,” said Fraser Speirs, head of computing and IT at Cedars School of Excellence in Scotland. “By freeing teachers to create and organize courses right on iPad, educators can be better focused on enabling student participation both with the content and one another.”
The update will also bring a Discussion tab, which means students using iTunes U on the iPad will be able to automatically follow classroom discussions and join conversations on new topics or set up push notifications for when new topics are started or replies are added to active discussions.


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By Elyse Glickman
As we tiptoe toward the morning after the pandemic, bar/restaurant owners and managers now face additional challenges. Safety is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg, and they now need to rethink their course to avoid hitting it.
“Covid can’t be predicted, and human behavior, which impacts the restaurant and bar labor/guest pool, can be just as fickle,” says Colin Geoffroy of G Hospitality, a hospitality management and development company with venues in the greater Boston/Metro Providence area. Amid this storm of activity and uncertainty, Geoffroy believes that COVID simply exacerbated these issues. Even as new practices are taught to employees, rules are being accepted by many loyal customers, and his team has become more cohesive, the way back is unclear and something he and his employees strategize about daily.
He is hardly alone.
Ivan Vasquez, owner of Madre Oaxacan Restaurant & Mezcaleria in Los Angeles, agrees, and says that in the last two years, inflation, compliance with local ordinances, and economic issues like minimum wage increases as well as extra expenses on PPE, propane, and outdoor dining equipment, have all added further strain. The recent spike in Omicron cases made consumers feel insecure and unsafe, tempering enthusiasm for going out. “All we can do is hope for better sales and Covid cases to go down,” he says. “We will keep focusing on service and food so we can continue doing what we know how to do: run restaurants and bars.”
While frustration is understandable on both sides of the bar, the good news is that swift and smart rethinking on the part of a bar/restaurant’s leaders can ensure customers’ and workers’ spirits can make a comeback, even in the face of intense economic and social change in the U.S.
“We have been trying to climb a slippery hill with buckets of water being dumped on us for the last two years,” says New York City-based Consultant Christopher Bidmead, whose Bar Methods handles everything from programming nightclubs facing constant supply chain issues to smaller bars and restaurants struggling to find qualified employees.
“As a consultant and educator in the bar industry for the last 15 years, this is the hardest we’ve been hit since Prohibition,” says Bidmead. “This is something plaguing several programs I’m working with now, and I find myself having to reengineer our beverage program to be able to operate with one or two leaders simplifying the execution side of things so that I can work with less skilled labor and work to educate them as we evolve the program.”
(Shelf) Life Support
Bidmead’s recent consulting experience underscores the reality that supply chain glitches can be a particularly thorny problem in some areas.
“We have been putting a lot of time into modifying the menu and overall programming,” says Bidmead. “We don’t want to depart from what we are offering guests, but we also want to make sure they are getting a quality experience. The focus has been on simplifying the execution of the cocktails taking advantage of batching, bottled and draft cocktails, and other prep techniques and products. This gives us the opportunity to run service with fewer staff members and train up new staff.”
Barry Prescott, general manager at The Landsby Hotel in Solvang, California, says some managers don’t possess enough knowledge on costs of wine and spirits to make calculated managerial decisions, and that most bars should pivot by, “revising cocktail-making and teaching standards and putting the right-priced spirits into those cocktails to keep production cost-effective and prices down.”
“I think that the world is getting back to normal, but as new variants emerge, the uncertainty continues to grow,” says James Flanigan, CFO of Old School Hospitality (including Quarterdeck Restaurants, nautical-themed sports bars around South Florida). He points out that his venues’ management decided to remove lobster from the menus entirely because it became prohibitively expensive to sell. He had to make similar adjustments to their drink menus as well as leverage supplier relationships to ensure things came in a little more quickly and frequently.
On the other hand, bars in some regions, like those operated by Geoffroy’s company, have rolled with the supply chain punches, underscoring the importance of continuous education and conversation in anticipating what adjustments will be needed, finding good substitute products, and educating staff. “While there have been slight differences in product availability, the situation posed nothing significant enough to impede our business,” says Geoffroy. “We are grateful to have healthy lines of communication within our restaurants to make effective change less challenging.”
To deal with supply chain issues affecting Nella Kitchen & Bar at the Fess Parker Wine Country Inn in Los Olivos, California, Bartender Chris Hewes has looked to local wine and spirits producers as well as farmers to fill in some of the gaps. Benefits of this strategy include giving staff practice on introducing customers to new products, helping to support regional businesses, and a more sustainable approach resulting in a smaller carbon footprint.
“There will be times when I order thousands of dollars in wine and alcohol, and then, when I receive the order, there’s only one case of something because everything else is out of stock,” he says. “I have leveraged this situation to encourage the staff to apply their customer service skills by encouraging customers to try other comparable varietal wines, spirits, or cocktails with slightly different combinations of ingredients with a unique local spin.”
”Team Building” has New Meaning
Of course, you need to have all hands on deck to have those conversations and recalibrate. Just ask Old School Hospitality’s Flanigan, who argues his biggest challenges at press time were related to labor shortages as well as inflationary pressures from both the supply chain and the labor force.
“It is very difficult to find qualified people,’’ agrees The Landsby Hotel’s Prescott. “I believe many senior bartenders, and staff in general, retired when the pandemic started. Many of them never rejoined the workforce. There are some qualified bartenders to hire, but unfortunately, they are looking for the highest hourly wage, have very little loyalty, and jump ship as soon as someone offers them a dollar more.”
Prescott recently started hiring younger, less experienced people who are willing to learn. While he notes that it is hard on payroll at the present, it will be a good investment in the future.
“We’re basically looking for that kind of all-around [employee]; somebody who will be able to bartend or take on managerial tasks in a pinch but also can be a food runner or wash dishes if needed,” says Hewes of Nella Kitchen & Bar. “In this situation, super versatile people are learning first-hand how to run a restaurant from back [of the house] to front. Once an employee masters certain tasks in the kitchen, opportunities open up for him or her to jump up to higher positions with greater responsibility. There are people who, with fair pay, will be willing to work that much harder if they can earn valuable work experience as well as money.”
Hewes adds that this allows him to tap into employees’ strengths and function more effectively as a team. For example, there may be an employee who really knows Pinot Noir but not the computer system, while another employee may be good with the computer but not selling wine. “This dynamic creates a better support system for all of the employees when they can help each other with different skills.”
Bidmead, in his consultation work for bars in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Yonkers, reports having a similar experience over the past two years with people leaving the industry, moving away, no longer working at multiple venues, or having overall health and safety concerns.
“The days of simply interviewing an applicant are over,” agrees Vasquez. “The labor pool is shrinking exponentially because people seem to be using this time to explore new avenues of employment. We’ve been working hard at adjusting our recruitment and employee retention efforts to position ourselves as a premier employer.”
On the positive side, Vasquez notes existing teams at his Madre restaurants are very cohesive and working extremely hard to keep everything on the menu and to open on time. They are also taking longer shifts to cover sick people and fill the staffing voids, while Madre is working breaks into each employee’s schedule.
“Our management team has become very strong and reliable,” says Vazquez. “Tighter, more streamlined communication and arming our staff with the tools to properly perform their jobs are paramount to our continued success. We’ve always been nimble and creative problem solvers. However, COVID has pushed our team exponentially in this area, and we are much better for it.”
“While bars and restaurants, by nature, are in the business of managing, identifying, and exceeding customer expectations, one of the biggest and most recent challenges is doing so in the context of COVID-19,” says Robert Castellon, general manager for KOJO, a modern Asian concept in downtown Sarasota run by Hi Hospitality Group. He says his restaurants’ challenges are rooted in the transient nature of hospitality in places like Florida, where tourists’ notions of having a good time during COVID clashes with that of locals.
“We are looking at this in the same way we would any other challenge we have faced or will face. We ask ourselves three golden questions when making decisions: Does this do right by our staff? Does this do right by our guests? Does this do right for the company?” says Castellon. “Most times, we will find a solution that checks all boxes. Every once in a while, that decision will still rub a small percentage of our guests the wrong way, at which point our hospitality instincts kick in and we do our best to meet this particular guest’s expectations.”
In contrast to the hospitality landscape in Florida, Geoffroy says that in the greater Boston/Metro Providence area, most businesses, including hospitality, share a concerted focus on mitigating the risk of COVID spread, even if this region has its fair share of tourists from elsewhere.
“Part of this may be a result of being in an area with many major hospitals and universities devoted to medicine and science,” he says. “We’re in a much colder environment, so cold and flu season is making people much more cautious.”
“After nearly two years of repeat outbreak waves and ever-changing regulations, I would be lying if I said I wasn’t waiting for the next shoe to drop,” admits Bidwell, back in New York City. “Unfortunately, I think we are still years away from COVID no longer being in our daily lexicon and returning to some version of normal staffing and business. New talent may take more time to gain the experience a seasoned bartender has, especially with the modified service that we are running. However, I think the solutions that we have found are [opening up] more opportunities to be a stronger industry on the other side of this.”


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First-Ever Microsoft Linux Conference Announced For March 10-11, 2020
. -conference-microsoft-and-salesforce-com-announce-strategic-partnership/ . /04/17/npd-numbers-titanfall-for-xbox-one-was-no-1-selling-game-in-march/ . -conference-microsoft-and-salesforce-com-announce-strategic-partnership/ .
-conference-microsoft-and-salesforce-com-announce-strategic-partnership/ . -conference-microsoft-and-salesforce-com-announce-strategic-part
Apr 19, 2020 · Some of the users have shown interest to convert iPhone/iPad into Windows Phone (now Microsoft is planning to release a new OS for all smartphones and PC devices). However, it is predicted that W10 will be the most popular OS in the world, and Windows Mobile may disappear. So how would it happen? The first (and currently only) Windows Phone was Windows Mobile 6. It was released in October 2008, almost a year after Android and iOS launched. Microsoft is now launching Windows 10 to users as the new operating system for Windows, eliminating the Windows Mobile side of the operating system, and will continue to work on it. Apr 19, 2020 · Windows 10 Mobile was designed to run on Windows Phones, but Microsoft has historically stubbornly refused to support the platform with any new releases. Instead, the company has made small improvements to the OS over time. W10M is the last version of Windows 10 for the platform, and it will remain part of the Microsoft. The first mobile device was announced in 1999 by Microsoft on the set of a popular TV show. The devices were the. Apr 19, 2020 · The first Windows 10 Mobile device was a Samsung-made Windows Phone. From then on, the Windows Mobile operating system has largely struggled to remain relevant. Recent updates to the platform have been negative ones, with Windows 10 Mobile generally being a long way behind its desktop counterpart and rival operating systems. Windows Phone has been the operating system of choice for Windows phone fans since the early 2000s and offered just about every feature imaginable to the average Windows user. However, more recently Windows 10 Mobile has slipped behind its. Microsoft has launched Windows Phone 8.1, a new major release of its mobile operating system. The company has. As Microsoft builds out the Windows 10 mobile platform, the company will continue to release occasional minor updates. That’s the same policy that will be. 16 Windows 10 Mobile improvements you might not know about. . “We have an app, but it doesn’t work as well as it should. So, I’m getting up on the screen real quick and just going to click ‘Send’ on that one.”. Windows Phone developer earns first Emmy; ‘Crazy Ex-Girlfriend’ gets nod as best musical;. May 05, 2020 by Fully enabled File/Folder Encryption with My Cloud One clients can encrypt their entire File/Folder by default. Microsoft also announced a new feature, “Hot to Share”, which uses 1a679d06d6


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NTC member company The Disruption Lab is offering their Executive Innovation Program to New York and Barcelona to you and other Nashville Technology Council members.
We wanted to make sure you are aware of this exciting program and consider participating. It is a great opportunity to see first-hand and meet with global leaders in technology innovation with applications in health care, fintech, retail, digital and mobile marketing, sports and food.
Nashville Technology Council members will receive a 10% discount. Use code LABNTC.
For more information about The Disruption Lab’s Executive Innovation Program October 13-20, visit www.thedisruptionlab.com.
· Explore the impressive itinerary of companies and leaders who are transforming how our world stays connected, does business and how it will look in the future.
· Watch this video with program leader, Michelle Greenwald, Forbes innovation blogger and former senior vice president with Disney and Mattel, and former vice president and general manager with Pepsi-Cola.
· Read a recent Forbes blog about Gx, Gatorade’s latest sport technology innovation and collaboration with leaders you will meet: Tucker Fort, partner at Smart Design, a global leading design consultancy, and the CEO at UP2YOU sports marketing firm.
The Disruption Lab is an innovation and growth lab that supports executives and corporations in Nashville and beyond. We create an enriching learning environment and offer innovation services including experiential learning opportunities for a first-hand look at future technologies and business innovations. Follow us at @CorpDisruption, hashtag #innovation.


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Customers at Peterborough’s Queensgate shopping centre are to be urged to wear face masks after Freedom Day
Shoppers in Peterborough’s Queensgate centre are to be encouraged to continue to wear face masks from Monday despite the Government’s relaxation of remaining Covid-19 restrictions.
Rules on mask wearing and social distancing are among the last lockdown restrictions that will end on Monday as the Government seeks to get the country back to normality after 16 months of constraints.
However, Prime Minister Boris Johnson is still encouraging the public to act responsibly and with caution.
Now bosses at the Queensgate centre have announced that mask wearing in the centre will be encouraged from Monday onwards and that numbers of shoppers in the mall will be monitored.
Mark Broadhead, the Queensgate centre director, said: “Following the latest Government advice, Queensgate Shopping Centre will continue to encourage visitors to wear a face covering when visiting the centre.
“While it is not mandatory to do so, wearing a face covering can significantly reduce the transmission of the virus and will help protect one another.
“We will continue to provide hand sanitiser stations at entrances and exits and we will monitor the number of people inside the centre at one time.
“Each retailer will have their own policy for visiting their store so please observe and respect their individual requirements.
He added: “It has been encouraging to see the return of retail and leisure in Queensgate and we welcome the additional lifting of restrictions, but we ask everyone to use caution and common sense so we can all enjoy the experience we have to offer.”


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2014 Ford Fiesta ST is best hot hatch in the world
Performance is alive and well around the globe and the new 2014 Ford Fiesta ST proves that it will continue. The Fiesta ST took the Best Hot Hatch crown in Europe and is now advancing around the globe and launches in China for the first time. Ford dominated this year’s Auto Express Awards with four honors, more than any other manufacturer, and the Fiesta was awarded with two. It's good news for performance fans.
The new Ford Fiesta has already made a name for itself in the UK and its popularity is reflected in the demand for the sporty hatch. Registrations in the UK rose from 96,000 new registrations in 2011 to 109,000 last year. This year is shaping up to be even better with close to 61,000 registrations reported in the first six months of the year, which is 1,500 more than the same time last year. And the hot Fiesta ST has over 2,250 more than last year.
The best hot hatch on the planet
What is driving the demand for the new Fiesta ST? Steve Fowler, Auto Express editor-in-chief, said the latest Ford Fiesta line-up has something for everyone. “The recent range refresh has taken Fiesta back to the top of the class, combining style, quality and driving fun that just isn’t available anywhere else. The ST is an absolute joy to drive, so far and away the best hot hatch you can buy – a thrill-a-minute to drive and an absolute bargain too.”


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New attractions and show bags on offer at the 2022 Perth Royal Show
The Perth Royal Show is back this weekend with new attractions and a selection of about 300 show bags up for grabs.
Minecraft, My Little Pony, Stella Athletic and Cadbury’s 100-year anniversary are just some of the 54 new show bags on offer this year.
Cadbury’s 100-year anniversary show bag includes three blocks of chocolate, two Curly Wurly bars, an assortment of small chocolate bars, and a water bottle.
A new NERF show bag is also on offer which has a super soaker, cup, cap and keyring.
A show bag called The Greatest Showbag on Earth features a range of lollies and your choice of a mini quadcopter, headphones, a toy gun, a speaker, a gaming keyboard or an Among Us plush.
The most expensive show bag, the Lindt Box of Blocks, will set you back $125.
There will be 147 confectionary, 50 general, 18 hobby and 83 toy show bags.


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Cyber Monday retail sales may hit record
The Black Friday frenzy is over, but consumers have another major shopping event to keep the spending marathon going.
The first Monday after Thanksgiving, Cyber Monday traditionally marks the first big jump in online spending for the holidays. Millions of consumers are expected to storm retail websites for Web-only deep discounts, special promotions and free shipping.
No longer just an afterthought to Black Friday, Cyber Monday has grown in importance in recent years.
In 2006 it was only the 12th-biggest online spending day of the year. It’s jumped in the rankings every year since, landing in the No. 1 spot last year for the first time, said Andrew Lipsman, vice president of industry analysis at market research firm ComScore Inc., which tracks online spending.
Cyber Monday sales topped $1 billion in 2010, and Lipsman estimated that sales this year could reach a record $1.2 billion.
Already there are signs that consumers plan to spend heavily online this Christmas season.
ComScore reported Sunday that U.S. retail e-commerce spending rose 26% on Black Friday compared with the same day last year. The firm reported $816 million in online sales for the day, up from $648 million.
Fifty million Americans visited retail websites on Black Friday, a 35% increase from a year earlier, ComScore said. The most-visited site was e-commerce giant Amazon.com Inc., followed by Wal-Mart Stores Inc., Best Buy Co., Target Corp. and Apple Inc.
Thanksgiving Day saw an 18% year-over-year increase in online retail sales, to $479 million, ComScore said. Online spending through the first 25 days of November totaled $12.7 billion, up 15% compared with the same period last year.
That bodes well for the retail industry ahead of Cyber Monday, which has gained momentum in recent years thanks to merchants’ aggressive marketing efforts to increase consumer awareness of the day. At the same time, Americans have become more comfortable shopping on their laptops, smartphones and tablets.
Cyber Monday is typically a hit with office workers, who use their computers to shop on the job. About half the day’s online sales are expected to come from people at work.
With consumers expected to shop carefully this holiday season, retailers say they’ll continue to roll out the deals in stores and online every week leading up to Christmas.
The National Retail Federation predicts that total retail sales will rise a modest 2.8% year over year during the November-December period to $465 billion. Online retail spending is estimated to reach about $37.6 billion for the holiday period, up from $32.6 billion a year earlier, ComScore said.
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If you’re a true wine lover, the satisfaction of a delicious and sustainable bottle of wine is unbeatable. But what if that winery took sustainability one step further and made their wine a zero-waste product?
That may soon be the reality thanks to scientists and researchers working on making leather out of wine grape skins, stems, and seeds.
Instead of burning, dumping, or burying the waste leftover over the grapes are crushed, scientists are transforming it into a leather-like product. It’s perfect for vegans, just like mushroom leather, but it’s more sustainable because tons of raw material is created every year in wineries around the world.
H&M recently gave 300,000 Euros to a research team led by Rosa Rosella Longobardo to develop the concept as part of its sustainability project to become climate positive.
An Italian company started by Gianpiero Tessitore called Vegea will have a product by October. Tessitore started working with the University of Florence in 2014, and, according to Decanter, will have a prototype to display in Milan, Italy.
Before you know it, you could be carrying your wine in your leather purse made from wine. Sustainable, fashionable, and made with the byproduct of your favorite drink. We can’t wait to have one of our own.


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U.S. fears lost jobs if AT&T merger is approved
The Justice Department’s lawsuit challenging AT&T Inc.’s $39-billion takeover of T-Mobile USA Inc. was based on worries that consumers would be hit with higher prices, worse wireless service and dwindling mobile phone options.
But administration officials acknowledged that another concern colored the decision: jobs.
Combining AT&T and T-Mobile could lead to the loss of as many as 20,000 jobs as redundant positions are eliminated, putting a drag on unemployment in the wireless sector for years.
That’s not exactly the kind of news President Obama wants as he rolls out a new initiative next week to boost employment, including an address to a joint session of Congress. The sour state of the economy stands as the single biggest obstacle to Obama’s reelection.
“The view that this administration has is that through innovation and through competition, we create jobs,” said Deputy Atty. Gen. James M. Cole at a press conference Wednesday announcing the lawsuit to block the merger. “We see this as a move that will help protect jobs in the economy, not a move that’s going to in any way reduce them.”
Beyond the short-term layoffs, critics say the merger could lead to a less competitive U.S. wireless industry, where the remaining companies spend less to build and improve their networks, sapping the demand for thousands of technicians and engineers.
In a presentation on the merger in March, AT&T said that it expected to save more than $10 billion in “avoided purchases and investments” related to its wireless network, and that it would cut another $10 billion out of its budget for call centers and customer billing — both major employment areas for telecom companies.
“The job losses would be felt immediately” as AT&T eliminated redundant positions after a merger, said Derek Turner of Free Press, a media advocacy organization. But as investment slowed in the construction and maintenance of cellular networks, he said, the demand for labor in the wireless industry would shrink.
“In the long run you’ll see many fewer jobs created in this active sector of our economy,” Turner said.
Perhaps anticipating these concerns, AT&T announced early Wednesday that if the deal went through, it would bring 5,000 call center jobs to the U.S. from other countries.
AT&T also reiterated that $8 billion in future investments that would be “part of the T-Mobile merger” would create 96,000 jobs, citing a study by the Economic Policy Institute, a Washington think tank. The study was commissioned by the Communications Workers of America, which represents AT&T workers and has been a vocal supporter of the merger. The merger would enable the union to expand its membership if it absorbed some of the 42,000 employees at T-Mobile, which is not unionized.
Union officials denounced the lawsuit, saying “the DOJ’s action would put good jobs and workers’ rights at the bottom of the government’s priorities.”
Business groups joined the chorus criticizing the government, which they said was needlessly interfering in a vigorous market.
“The Department of Justice’s lawsuit amounts to a subversion of the evolution of free enterprise and economic progress,” said Ryan Radia, associate director of technology studies at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank. “The suit is also further evidence of this administration’s antipathy toward the job-creating sector.”
But consumer advocates scoffed at those claims.
“When AT&T talks to Wall Street, they talk about synergies, which means shutting down retail outlets and cutting back-office jobs,” said Andrew Jay Schwartzman, policy director of the Media Access Project. He said the proposed merger was “arguably the most anti-competitive move in recent American economic history.”
“Fighting the job-killing merger is the best Labor Day present anyone can give the American people,” said Harold Feld, legal director of advocacy group Public Knowledge. “AT&T’s effort to recreate ‘Ma Cell’ by holding rural broadband hostage and threatening American jobs deserves nothing but scorn.”
The antitrust lawsuit filed Wednesday would prevent AT&T, which has the second-largest number of wireless customers in the country, from acquiring T-Mobile, the fourth-largest wireless carrier. The deal would displace Verizon Wireless as the largest wireless carrier in the U.S., and according to the Justice Department, would lead to a wireless industry that was less motivated to provide high-quality, affordable service and to continue the rapid pace of wireless innovation that consumers have seen over the last decade.
Justice Department officials said the move to block the deal marked the Obama administration’s biggest and most significant antitrust action. They said the lawsuit was driven by the belief that losing T-Mobile — known for its more-affordable phones and service plans — would result in higher prices for tens of millions of cellphone users.
T-Mobile “was the one company that was aggressively offering lower-price plans. They were the competitive juice driving that market,” said a Justice Department lawyer who worked on the case. “That is extremely valuable from a competitive point of view.”
The American Antitrust Institute, a Washington research organization, last month urged the Justice Department to block the merger because consumers would pay the price if two big players — AT&T and Verizon Wireless — dominated the market. It concluded that after a merger, the two companies would have 75% of wireless subscribers and nearly 80% of revenue.
“This was a pretty easy case for DOJ. There is a good chance this kind of merger would have been blocked by a Republican administration as well,” said Richard Brunell, an author of the American Antitrust Institute’s analysis.
A breakup could be expensive for AT&T, which would have to pay T-Mobile parent Deutsche Telekom more than $3 billion if the deal falls through.
The fate of the merger was clouded further when Julius Genachowski, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, said Wednesday that his agency also had “serious concerns” about how the proposed buyout would affect the wireless market. The FCC has significant sway in preventing mergers it deems anti-competitive.
But the case is not yet closed. When they get to court, Justice Department lawyers will have to convince a judge that the merger would hurt competition and harm consumers. And for its part, AT&T will argue that a merger would make for a stronger company that would serve consumers better. The case was assigned to U.S. District Judge Ellen Huvelle, an appointee of former President Clinton.
“We are surprised and disappointed by today’s action,” Wayne Watts, AT&T’s senior executive vice president and general counsel, said in a statement. “The DOJ has the burden of proving alleged anti-competitive affects and we intend to vigorously contest this matter in court.”
Staff writer Marc Lifsher contributed to this report.
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Sony, along with U.S. partner AT&T, took the wraps off their latest S1 & S2 Android tablets at recent event in NYC: http://bit.ly/nc34A5
Sony on July 13 provided a sneak peek of the two Android 3.0-based tablet devices it announced in late April in Japan, as they progress toward their market debuts later this year. The Wi-Fi-only tablet, code-named S1, and its Wi-Fi and 3G (and eventually 4G)-capable dual-screen folding tablet cousin, code-named S2, were demonstrated at a press meeting held in Sony’s New York offices.
Sony showed off certain tech features it said would differentiate the devices in the market once they are released, while it made two related announcements. One was that AT&T would be the S2’s exclusive U.S. mobile broadband provider; David Haight , vice president of business development for AT&T emerging devices, said his company plans to offer pre-paid and post-paid data plans, with distribution and pricing to be announced at the products’ launch. The other was promoting a developers contest in conjunction with partner Adobe Systems designed to stimulate creation of Adobe AIR applications for the tablets. The contest, the Adobe AIR App Challenge, will award a total of $200,000 in cash prizes. Via: DealerScope.


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From March 21 to 23, security experts and major players in West Africa’s security industry will be at the Landmark Centre Lagos, for Securex West Africa, the sub region’s foremost security and public safety event. The annual event will bring together leading local and global companies, and representatives of the government and private sector to discuss the latest trends in security, and reveal what is in store for Africa’s fastest growing market for security products and services.
Securex West Africa offers suppliers in the commercial, homeland and cyber security, fire protection, and safety industries the opportunity to showcase their products and services to over 2,500 industry stakeholders. They will also be able to meet and network with new and existing players in their sector, and come in contact with leads that are relevant to their business goals.
At the conference, participants will hear seasoned panelists speak on the security profession in the modern Nigerian context, its relevance and impact on various sectors of the country’s economy, and the implications of global trends in security on Nigeria’s security industry.
Last year’s event was deemed a big success, and its organizers are keen on building upon the positives they have taken from it.
Exhibition stands at Securex West Africa 2017 are available for booking. Businesses interested in exhibiting can visit securexwestafrica.com/exhibiting to find out more about how to get a stand. They can also send their enquiries via email to joleen.sibely[@]montex.co.uk, or call +44 (0) 207 886 3048.
Securex West Africa 2017 will take place from March 21 to 23 at the Landmark Centre, Plot 2 and 3 Water Corporation Drive, Victoria Island Annex, Lagos.


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For a few months, Google’s 10-inch tablet, the Nexus 10, has only been available in a 32 GB model in the Google Play Store since the 16 GB model has been out of stock, but today inventory has finally run out completely.
Seeing as how Google never replenished stock of the 16 GB model, it’s probably safe to say we won’t be seeing the Nexus 10 (2012) coming back. Hopefully this means that it’s almost time for a new 10-inch tablet, since at the moment, the company is lacking in that option.
There have been plenty of bogus leaks such as those that suggested a new model would be released on Black Friday, then at CES, but all of those rumors turned out to be untrue.
With the Nexus 10 released in November 2012, it missed the yearly update cycle Google usually has with its products. If any more information about a new device becomes available, you can be sure we’ll have it here.


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Today’s response from the Coalition Government, despite a commitment to put sustainability at the core of its agenda, does not go far enough in setting out a long-term, joined-up vision for our food system.
The Food Ethics Council asks: Who is leading the Government’s promise to put sustainability at the heart of its agenda? Which Government department has responsibility for ensuring sustainability is embedded across health, welfare, business, the environment, education and infrastructure?
Our key concerns are that:
• The Government has rejected the EAC’s recommendation that competition policy needs to be revised to allow businesses to collaborate to promote sustainable food. It is clear from our conversations with business leaders that this is a very real barrier to progress.
• The Government’s answer to securing food supplies is sustainable intensification, yet we argue that tackling food insecurity requires getting to grips with supply, demand, waste, efficiency and population too. The more successful we are in these areas, the less we will need to increase yields.
• Responsibility for ensuring consumers eat healthily and sustainably is devolved to the Public Health Responsibility Deal (PHRD). But RDs focus on how companies influence consumers, not on how they reform their own business practices. Government should seek to change markets and institutions, not just individuals.
Our work with business leaders over the past few months has shown that they need a clear sense of direction from government, in order to plan and invest. And they report that consumers need help in understanding what sustainable food means in practice. This response to the EAC inquiry into sustainable food gives support to neither group.
Liz Barling, head of communications said:
“In this report the Coalition goverment talks the talk on sustainable food, but the jury is out on whether they will walk the walk. A truly joined-up approach to a sustainable food system would include long-term goals that provde the strategic framework for a fair, healthy and sustainable food for people and planet.
“Business wants strong leadership, consumers need clear guidance on how to eat sustainably, and environmental groups require reassurance that our natural environment won’t play second fiddle in the rush to increase food production.
“It is, however, encouraging that the Government is committed to public sector research to support the transition to sustainable food systems and that the Groceries Code Adjudicator is shaping up to have sufficient powers to be an effective supermarket watchdog.”
Notes to editors
1. You can read the Environmental Audit Committee’s report on sustainable food and the Government’s response on the Parliament website by clicking on the following link:
2. The Food Ethics Council is a charity whose aim is to create a fair food system where it is easy to eat healthily, and where animal welfare and ecological and social justice are the norm.


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Wick & Greene Jewelers is in the midst of a facelift and name change. In August, it will reopen as Spicer Greene Jewelers. The new owners, Eva-Michelle and Elliot Spicer are currently in the midst of bringing the building’s art deco exterior to the store’s interior. “The furniture…the light fixture…we’re bringing it back to how it would have been built in 1932, if it had been built as a jewelry store,” says Eva-Michelle.
The store’s new aesthetic comes by way of Canadian designer Ron Harris. The renovation design is by Asheville architect George Stowe. Caldwell Constructors of Greenville, SC is the site’s contractor.
Originally a filling station, the building was designed by architect W. Stewart Rogers, of Greene and Rogers. According to Eva-Michelle, local Shell gasoline distributor, W.C. ‘Bert’ Shuey wanted to create “the most modern gas station in America.” It operated as a gas station until the 1970s.
For over a decade, however, the building sat vacant. It wasn’t until 1986 that Wick & Greene relocated from its storefront at 10 Wall Street to where it stands today. By then, both Eva-Michelle’s parents and grandparents owned and operated the store.
With Eva-Michelle and Eliot Spicer’s recent purchase, the business will carry on in the family for a third generation. “We call it three and a half, though,” she says. “Mr. [Ernie] Wick basically raised my grandfather [Paul Greene]…who started working for Mr. Wick when he was 14.” By 1953, Greene partnered with Wick before taking over in 1956, after Wick’s death.
As a child, Eva-Michelle never envisioned running the family business. It was her husband, Eliot, who initiated the process. The two met while attending Gemological Institute of American in Carlsbad, California.
“I’m excited to continue the legacy of the Greene family,” says Eliot, “while also adding the Spicer twist.”


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Bossa Studios has revealed plans to bring its Steam Early Access title I Am Bread to iOS.
Bossa announced the news in a new video – stating that the team expects the mobile edition to launch later this year, but adding that finishing the title’s currently available Steam Early Access version on PC and Mac is the studio’s top priority.
That in mind, the studio has prepared an update for the Steam release expected out this Friday. The patch will add the Cheese Hunt game mode as well as a new garage area.
I Am Bread follows Bossa’s major commercial success Surgeon Simulator, a game about awkward and unfortunate surgical operations that took YouTube and Twitch crowds by storm. It initially launched on Windows PC, Mac and Linux in 2013, and arrived last year on Android, iOS and PlayStation 4 platforms.


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ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED Feb. 22, 2022
Microbiologists grew antibiotic-resistant Enterococcus bacteria found in samples of both dry and wet pet foods bought in Portugal. The microbes held genes granting resistance to clinically important drugs, such as linezolid and vancomycin. Although pet food hasn’t been documented passing these germs to people, a reservoir of antibiotic resistance genes could be created in the gut of dogs, study co-author Ana Freitas, Ph.D., assistant professor at the University Institute of Health Sciences (Instituto Universitário de Ciências da Saúde) in Portugal, said. That store of genes in the environment could potentially reach humans. The International Journal of Food Microbiology published her teams’ results in February.
The example of Salmonella, a true zoonotic bacteria, has already demonstrated this, she said.
“One problem is that the requirements of pet food do not include the screening of antibiotic-resistant bacteria such as Enterococci, just pathogenic bacteria like Salmonella or Campylobacter,” she said.
Antibiotic-resistant Enterococcus bacteria, including vancomycin-resistant strains, most frequently infect hospital patients and people with immune system issues. The bacteria cause thousands of deaths in the United States each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Freitas’ study included 55 samples from 25 brands of which 21 were sold internationally. The products included 22 wet, 14 raw frozen, 8 dry, 7 treats and 4 semi-wet. The researchers bought the products from nine retail outlets in the Porto, Portugal region between September 2019 and January 2020.
The microbiologists tested the bacteria for resistance to 13 antibiotics. The scientists identified clinically-relevant species (E. faecium and E. faecalis), antibiotic resistance (vanA, vanB, optrA, poxtA) and virulence (e.g. ptsD, esp, sgrA) genes using polymerase chain reaction (PCR).
Seven species of Enterococcus, mostly E. faecium and E. faecalis, occurred in 30 samples, representing 54% of the total. The scientists found the bacteria in 14 raw, 16 heat-treated, seven dry, six wet and three treats. E. faecium occurred most frequently in dry pet foods, with E. faecalis predominating in wet samples.
More than 40% of the bacteria taken from the pet foods were resistant to erythromycin, tetracycline, quinupristin-dalfopristin, streptomycin, gentamicin, chloramphenicol, ampicillin or ciprofloxacin. Lower rates of samples showed resistance to linezolid (23%; optrA, poxtA), or vancomycin and teicoplanin (2% each; vanA).
Multidrug-resistant samples (31%) mostly came from raw foods, although they were also taken from wet foods and treats.
“[In thermal processing,] Enterococcus are particularly resistant to temperature and dry conditions and not all bacteria will die, some will just stop their growth but can ‘resuscitate’ let's say when we give them proper conditions in the lab again,” she said. “That's why the more problematic bacteria were found in the raw dog food and less in the processed one.”
Tim Wall covers the dog, cat and other pet food industries as senior reporter for WATT Global Media. His work has appeared in Live Science, Discovery News, Scientific American, Honduras Weekly, Global Journalist and other outlets. He holds a journalism master's degree from the University of Missouri - Columbia and a bachelor's degree in biology.
Wall served in the Peace Corps in Honduras from 2005 to 2007, where he coordinated with the town government of Moroceli to organize a municipal trash collection system, taught environmental science, translated for medical brigades and facilitated sustainable agriculture, along with other projects.
Contact Wall via https://www.wattglobalmedia.com/contact-us/
By Lindsay Beaton
Whether you’re looking to enter the pet food world or have recently crossed the bridge from human CPG to pet food, here are some things to consider as you grow your business.
By Lindsay Beaton
As pet owners continue to ask more of pet food packaging, the sustainability movement rises to the top of challenges being addressed.


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Recombinators ranks 707th on the 2022 Inc. 5000 list
With 889% Three-Year Revenue Growth, Recombinators Ranks 707th Among America’s Fastest-Growing Private Companies
CEDAR KNOLLS, NJ, Aug. 17, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Inc. magazine has revealed that RECOMBINATORS is No. 707 on its annual Inc. 5000 list, the most prestigious ranking of the nation’s fastest-growing private companies. . The list represents a unique look at the most successful companies in the fastest growing segment of the US economy, its independent small businesses. Recombiners earned their spot on this list in their first year of eligibility and also ranked 22 in New Jersey, 69 in New York, and 57 in commercial products and services.
“We are honored to receive this recognition,” said Nadim Yacteen, Managing Partner of Recombinators. “Our growth is a direct reflection of our great team of consultants and the trust our clients place in us. We seek to forge inseparable relationships between our clients and their customers by reimagining the way companies define, perceive and approach value creation. Most businesses need to innovate to survive and thrive. At Recombinators, we offer a proven approach to help them reframe their most critical challenges and find inspiration to create and implement new ideas.
“I am incredibly proud of our progress over the past three years,” said Stephen Moulton, Partner. “Our unique approach to framing the unmet needs of our customers has given them the springboard to differentiate themselves in an increasingly competitive landscape. By continuously delivering transformation initiatives, we have retained customers who continue to partner with us. We encourage them to be less selfish, laser-focused, and bold enough to take the extra risks that lead to breakthrough success.
“Recombiners have been developing new solutions for their customers at a time of required innovation and transformation,” says Mike O’Connor, Partner. “Their work involving the rise of virtual selling, developing the marketers of the future and training advanced skills inspired me to join the team to grow our operational innovation practice which is a natural progression from ‘strategic innovation that makes Recombinators so special.’
Founded in 2017, Recombinators is a leading strategy and innovation consulting firm that helps clients see their challenges in a new way – by focusing on one or two challenges that will give them the best return and reframing them. to stimulate new thinking. With a proven proprietary approach to strategy, innovation is in their DNA – they have been researching precedents across all industries and domains for over 15 years, accumulating over 10,000 previous winners. Recombiners have successfully partnered with some of the world’s most iconic organizations and brands to solve their critical business challenges.
Recombinators teaches strategy innovation workshops for C-level executives and their teams at Stanford Graduate School of Business and has designed and co-taught strategy and innovation labs at Columbia Business School. They partner with organizations to design a successful implementation and realize wins, with a wealth of experience helping clients go from their whiteboard to tangible ROI. For more information, visit www.recombinators.com/.
About Inc. Media
The World’s Most Trusted Business Media Brand, Inc. provides entrepreneurs with the knowledge, tools, connections and community to build great businesses. Its award-winning cross-platform content reaches over 50 million people every month across a variety of channels, including websites, newsletters, social media, podcasts and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced annually since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest growing private companies in the United States. For more information, visit www.inc.com.
Cedar Knolls, New Jersey


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DHS COVID-19 PROVIDER GUIDANCE // OLTL
How Do Economic Impact Payments Affect Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL)
Issued: April 17, 2020
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is in the process of distributing economic impact
payments (or recovery rebates) as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic
Security (CARES) Act. OLTL has received questions about how these payments will
affect the Medical Assistance (MA) eligibility of OLTL participants in Community
HealthChoices, the Living Independence for the Elderly (LIFE) program, OBRA waiver,
and Act 150 program. These questions are answered below.
How will participants receiving OLTL services in nursing homes, residents
receiving SSI, or retirees in a nursing home, receive the economic impact
The IRS has released guidance about the economic impact payments on their website. The website answers questions such as “Who is eligible for the economic
impact payment?” and “How will the IRS know where to send my payment?” Please
continue to check the IRS website for updates on the status of economic impact
payments. Key information about economic impact payments will be posted.
How will receipt of the economic impact payment affect participant
resources? Will participants be over the resource limit?
The portion of the economic impact payments that are spent within 12 months of
receipt are considered an excluded resource for MA eligibility. Any portion of the
payment that is not spent within 12 months of receipt is a countable resource.
How does the state/County Assistance Offices (CAO) plan to handle?
DHS has provided instruction to the CAOs on how the economic impact payments
affect MA eligibility.
Do these payments need to be reported as income for the month they’re
received? Will they count as income in the month they’re received?
The payment must be reported to the CAO, but it will be considered excluded income
for MA eligibility.
Does the economic impact payment need to be included in the resident
liability (patient pay) for the month?
No. The payment will not be counted to determine the patient pay.


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Byju's to buy medical, engineering entrance coaching leader Aakash for $1 billion
21 January 2021
India’s biggest online education start-up Byju’s has signed a deal to acquire brick and mortar test preparation leader Aakash Educational Services Ltd for $1 billion, in what is seen as one of the biggest deals in the edtech field.
As per the deal, Aakash’s founders, the Chaudhry family, will exit completely, while Blackstone will swap a portion of its 37.5 per cent equity in Aakash for Byju’s stake, reports citing sources said.
The deal is expected to close in the next two or three months, reports quoted sources as saying.
Bangalore-headquartered Byju’s is valued at $12 billion and has been on a fund-raising spree as the pandemic has sent demand for its online lessons soaring. India’s second-most valuable startup is backed by the likes of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg’s Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, Tiger Global Management and Bond Capital, co-founded by Silicon Valley investor Mary Meeker.
Blackstone Group-backed Aakash Institute has over 200 brick and mortar centers and tutors to guide and coach students, helping them to gain entry into the country’s elite engineering and medical colleges. Its student count is over 250,000, according to its website.
Offline brick and mortar tutoring centres have been worst as the pandemic forced closure of all educational institutions, not just in India, but throughout the world. The demand for online learning startups thrived in the absence of tutoring centers, for almost a year.
Byju’s was founded by Byju Raveendran, a former teacher and the son of educators, who conceived the smartphone app in 2011. The app caters to students from kindergarten to the 12th grade, providing lessons in maths and science through video animations and games.
Baiju’s has been adding over 5 million users a month. More than 70 million users logged in from over 1,700 cities around the country, Byju’s said last September ahead of its fund raising. Of these, over 4.5 million are paid users. It’s targeting doubling its revenues to $1 billion in the current financial year ending in March 2021, according to a Bloomberg report.
Byju’s has huge plans for expansion and the educational technology and online tutoring firm has announced plans to hire about 8,000 new people, for multiple roles, including content, sales and product development, this year.