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Decentraland MANA Price Prediction : The Decentraland (MANA) platform of the game has been built to attach an all-new control over the virtual land of users who can now purchase, build, and sell virtual reality applications through Decentraland, which is based on the Ethereum blockchain with an incontrovertible record of ownership.
Users of Decentraland have more control over the environment and applications they construct on their land. The platform’s official social media account keeps its followers up to date on future activities. The blockchain records all of the details of the transaction, making the information on this virtual reality platform safe and secure.
Decentraland (MANA): Next-Level Gaming Concept
All of the game’s assets and land parcels, including highways and plazas, can be acquired with the native token, MANA. Transferability and security emerge as key metaverse game elements since Land possession is an NFT recorded on the decentralised blockchain Ethereum utilising the ERC-721 standards.
Even while the Decentraland project is designed to attract players who have grown out of children’s games, for teenagers ization young adults who desire deeper human relationships focused on socialising and transacting rather than treasure hunting, virtual worlds are still in their infancy.
Decentraland went a step further in January 2022, aiming for mass acceptance by offering a complete virtual coverage of the Australian Open tennis event beginning on January 17, combining metaverse and reality with providing the experience of live broadcasts, daily POAP’s, and more. Let’s take a closer look at the Decentraland MANA price Prediction for upcoming years.
Decentraland MANA Price Prediction: 2022-2026
MANA which is also a web3.0 project is on track to create a new standard for performance, attracting a large investment community and exceeding all expectations in terms of total growth. The following are Decentraland pricing forecasts over the coming years:
Decentraland MANA Price Prediction 2022
Given that the cryptocurrency market is unlikely to experience any major shocks in the near future, the Decentraland (MANA) token is likely to maintain its solid position as a primary attraction for many investors and traders.
According to the positive MANA forecast and future market capitalization, the road ahead is full of petals if investor confidence continues to rise, resulting in a major push for the Decentraland price, taking it to scale above $4.8 in the crypto market, according to our unbiased crypto forecast for the year 2022 Decentraland MANA price prediction.
Users should invest at current crypto market prices to obtain big profit in the future, according to the current price trend and forecast. Experts predict that investing in Decentraland at the current price level will provide traders with significant gains in the short term, allowing them to decide whether to buy or sell the cryptocurrency.
MANA’s price is expected to reach $5.1 by 2022, according to the price estimate. By December, the Decentraland price is expected to jump to $5.8. Market analysts expect the MANA to trade at roughly $8 by the end of the year, which is 279 percent higher than its present price.
Decentraland MANA Price Prediction 2023
Decentraland (MANA) has built a fast, dependable network and is focused on improving the product’s user experience. These attributes, according to our Decentraland price predictions, can help the MANA token reach a significantly higher price of $6.7 in 2023. According to our Decentraland MANA price prediction 2023, if the desire for functional crypto continues until 2023, the coin may potentially experience a paradigm rush.
Decentraland MANA Price Prediction 2024
By analysing Decentraland MANA price prediction for the coming year. There are a lot of predictions for Decentraland in the future (MANA). Few decentraland forecast that the MANA price will reach $8 on the crypto market, especially in light of the company’s technological announcements and success.
Decentraland MANA Price Prediction 2025
Decentraland is also involved in community initiatives, and we are optimistic about the token’s future growth in terms of different factors such as prices, volume, upgrades, and so on, given their continued momentum and significant market capitalization, as well as their initiatives focusing on education, outreach, and innovations.
According to Decentraland’s price projection, after surpassing the psychological resistance level as its long-term price in 2025, MANA token might reach an appreciable level of $10.
Decentraland MANA Price Prediction 2026
MANA, a digital asset, is set to overcome all barriers and flourish exuberantly in 2026 if all markets prove favourable, climbing the top as predicted. According to our honest crypto forecast, MANA will undoubtedly bring good fortune to its customers. Decentraland (MANA) might easily reach $12.5 by the end of 2026, according to future price predictions based on Decentraland price trends and historical data.
Decentraland MANA Price Prediction 2030
Experts predict that the average price of MANA tokens will reach $97 by 2030, according to a Decentraland price research. Decentraland future price forecasts a favourable year, with the cryptocurrency expected to trade above $80 by the conclusion of the first half. According to MANA’s crypto price forecast, prices might reach $110 in the best-case scenario.
Is MANA Coin Worth an Investment for the Future ?
Yes, a long-term increase is projected based on our Decentraland estimates; the Decentraland price forecast for 2027 is $15.23. The revenue is predicted to be roughly +368.1 percent after five years, making it a worthwhile investment. Given the upswing of virtual reality and Metaverse, MANA crypto currency can prove to be a rewarding investment if invested after extensive market analysis. Crypto traders must use extreme caution while investing in this cryptocurrency to prevent losing money.
In the medium term, MANA coin future predictions estimate that the price will reach a high of $6 in 2023, and that the average price will trade above $4 in a year. MANA coin forecasts short-term growth from present levels, rising $3.9 in the first half of 2022 and $10 in the first half of 2025, respectively, increasing the Decentraland price by 23% and 215 percent. While things are going up for the Decentraland price in the near future, according to the Decentraland MANA price prediction, investors should expect good profits. MANA could soar to new heights in the future, making it a worthwhile addition to your portfolio.
The opinions mentioned here are based on our Decentraland prediction and are not investment advice; the coin’s previous performance does not guarantee future results. Before you spend money on Decentraland, do your research.
Tokens – MANA, MANA-INR, INR-MANA, USDT-MANA, MANA-USDT


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The dip in the price of petrol at the pumps has failed to match the fall in wholesale prices, the AA has revealed.
In the past week, average UK petrol prices have fallen less than 1p a litre despite falls in wholesale prices equivalent to at least 3p a litre, the motoring giant says.
The AA said last week that as supermarkets were cutting prices by around 2p a litre they should actually fall by 4p a litre to reflect the drop in costs.
- Petrol prices down by 1p/litre
- But wholesale prices fallen by 3p/litre
- Prices up on last year
Petrol at the pumps is now averaging 135.71p a litre, with diesel at 139.89p a litre.
The mid-August figures compare with 135.62p a litre for petrol and 139.68p for diesel in mid July.
Prices up on last year
Compared with a year ago, petrol is 19.22p a litre more expensive, while diesel costs 20.91p more.
Filling a typical 50-litre petrol tank now costs £9.61 more than a year ago, adding £40.81 to the monthly petrol spend of a two-car family.
Currently, Northern Ireland is the most expensive region for petrol (136.7p a litre) while Yorkshire and Humberside is the cheapest part of the UK (134.9p), the AA adds.
Northern Ireland is also most expensive for diesel (140.8p a litre), nearly 2p a litre more expensive than the cheapest region - Yorkshire and Humberside (139.0p).
AA public affairs head Paul Watters says: "Supermarkets announced that they would be cutting pump prices this week and, hopefully, the drop in wholesale costs will be more properly reflected at the pumps.
"However, there is clearly a need for price transparency covering oil, wholesale and retail markets, taking into account the exchange rate."

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Arsenal’s new home shirt by adidas is expected to be officially released in the coming days after various leaks online.
The German manufacturing giants proved to be hugely successful with last season’s design and it appears as though the next kit will also be a hit with supporters.
Thanks to reliable site Footy Headlines, fans can see there have been numerous links to the supposedly official kit for the 2020/21 season springing up all over the place.
First, the Singapore version of Sports Direct leaked the kit and then made it available to buy for fans from their site.
A fan then sent in a picture of the kit whilst wearing it to the site, who confirmed via @AFCNewsroom the team will debut the new strip on the final game of the season at home to Watford on July 26.
And then, a large advertising banner was spotted outside the Emirates stadium with the caption ‘Arsenal are at home’ emblazoned on it, with the official kit launch set to be soon.
The kit was set to be released far earlier in the year, but the COVID-19 outbreak put pay to that. The club’s previous deal with Puma meant last season’s kit launch was also delayed until August.
Arsenal have reportedly decided on a much darker shade of red for the shirt, with the classic Gunners look ensured via a crew neck white collar reminiscent of the 1980’s.
The jagged pattern on the front adds serious spice to the kit, while the sleeves feature two rings at the end which are similar to the Germany and Juventus home kits – both produced by adidas.
Interestingly perhaps for Arsenal fans is that Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is pictured sporting the new kit.
The striker has been heavily linked with a move away from the Emirates as he enters the final 12 month of his contract.
But this suggests Arsenal are confident the Gabon international will still be at the club to sport the new strip next season.


text: havasunews.com: The contract post office that serves the Desert Hills, Arizona, community will close its doors May 31 along with the mini mart it currently resides within. Maggie Hickson, a Desert Hills Post Office employee, said owners of the Desert Hills Mini Mart are selling their business, but the post office can’t legally be a part of the private sale. Hickson said staff has been working to inform its customers about their options, which include transferring their mail to a PO Box in Lake Havasu City, putting a mailbox at their home address or using a private mailbox company. She said the post office is regularly used by people throughout the year who don’t want to travel into town for postal services. “It’s not a real happy thing for the people in this area,” Hickson said. “They really liked to use the local post office.” Read more.


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While details are still scarce at this point, some expect that the company will announce the HTC One X10 smartphone, a successor to the HTC One X9 that was released in January for around $370. That device featured a 5.5-inch 1080p display, an eight-core MediaTek Helio X10 at 2.2GHz, 3GB of RAM, 32GB of internal storage, a 13-megapixel front facing camera, a 5-megapixel rear facing camera, fast charging and support for dual SIM cards.
The HTC One X10 was revealed in a filing by the Eurasian Economic Commission last month and is expected to feature a 5.5-inch 1080p display, an eight-core MediaTek Helio P10 at 2GHz, 3GB of RAM, a 13-megapixel front facing camera, a 5-megapixel rear facing camera, fast charging, and a lower $290 entry price.
Other announcement possibilities include a smartphone-based VR headset, new controllers for the HTC Vive PC headset, or simply a new smartwatch. Some even insist the announcement could be a sneak preview of its second-generation HTC Vive PC headset, though the company was still in very early planning stages and internal discussions with its VR unit back in August.
The invitation banner is quite minimal and only mentions the phrase “for you” in stylistic format, though The Verge has noted that the “U” is a vertical version of the “C” used in HTC’s company logo. This hardly leaves any room for imagination, though it is interesting that a product announcement would be held over a month and a half before Mobile World Congress takes place in Barcelona.


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The Covid-19 pandemic has challenged the premise of the word ‘normal’. The economic and social disruption it has caused has been felt by mankind globally, whether it was a dramatic loss of human life, a devastation to public health or an existential threat to the world of work.
The last 15 months have challenged all of us in multiple ways; requiring communities, businesses, governments and the society at large to step up.
In unprecedented times like these, purpose-driven businesses that work towards the greater good of humanity, are more resilient, emerge stronger and adapt better to the ‘new normal’. We at the Mahindra Group have always espoused this belief. Our core purpose is to drive positive change in the lives of our stakeholders.
Very early on, we instituted multi-level ‘rapid action’ teams across businesses and locations, our first priority being the safety and well-being of our associates. While 200,000 employees adapted quickly to working from home, plant teams resumed operations in May last year, strictly adhering to government health advisories and protocols. After a brief shutdown, the value chain kicked into gear to ensure viable production despite several constraints.
Our ‘People First’ initiatives ensured that associates not only knew, but experienced the fact that we were firmly behind them; whether it was mental and physical well-being programmes, upskilling and access to educational opportunities, quarantine centres, medical and financial support, or vaccinations for them and their families.
Covid-19, while being a health risk, has also had severe economic repercussions. The poorest in our country are the most vulnerable, and the hardest hit. This necessitated alternative thinking and mobilisation of contributions from every source within the company, beyond donating generously.
We reimagined our engineering capabilities to manufacture PPE kits, aerosol boxes, face masks, shields and sanitizers – all needed to help local officials and healthcare workers to combat the pandemic.
Recognising that there is a huge segment of the most vulnerable within our ecosystem, we set up a Covid-19 Relief Fund at the Mahindra NSE -0.72 % Foundation. We strove to minimise pain for thousands of people in need, by providing meals, transport, food packets, rations and even tractors for harvesting.
Many of our businesses have been interacting with the affected communities. We work closely with governments and local authorities to provide oxygen concentrators, set up oxygen plants, enable last mile delivery of oxygen and build isolation centres. In addition, Tech M’s Nursing Academy staff and students are valuable assets at various hospitals.
Healthcare is an investment. We have made it available not only to our direct employees and plant workers, but also to our dealers and their families.
While the Covid-19 pandemic exposed us to multiple challenges, it has also presented us with the opportunity to look at the world differently. It has accentuated the need for resilience and agility in business, accelerated adoption of technology, digitization and environment regeneration practices, and redefined supply chains and customer experience in many cases.
Our focus on simplification, judicious capital allocation, cost control and creating value for our stakeholders, has ensured strong business performance for us even in a tough year.
Despite higher input prices and supply chain disruptions, the Group’s operating net profit (PAT) increased by 36 per cent and our growth in free cash flow generation in fiscal 2021 was robust.
As we emerge into the ‘new world’, businesses that put their people and purpose first, will rise.
You can also share your thoughts in the Comments section below!


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UL at UofL: AMCC Opens In Louisville
FEBRUARY 18, 2016
3D Design 3D Printers 3D Printing Business 3d systems AMCC concept laser eos Kentucky SLM ul UL Additive Manufacturing Competency Center underwriters laboratories university of louisvilleA couple of weeks ago I was cruising my LinkedIn feed and noticed a post from Matthew Pasha. He’s the Marketing Manager for Digital Manufacturing Technologies at Underwriters Laboratories (UL). View the entire article via our website.


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Published on February 19th, 2016 | by The GC Team0
ONS: January retail sales show strong growth
Figures released today by the Office for National Statistics show that retail sales volumes grew for the 33rd consecutive month in January.
Estimates put growth at 5.2% compared to January 2015 and 2.3% compared to December 2015.
Average store prices (including petrol stations) fell by 2.6% year on year, representing the 19th consecutive month of price falls.
The figures also show the amount spent by consumers rose 2.4% compared to January 2015 and 2.3% on December.
Figures released by the BRC last week showed total sales growth up 3.3% on the back of big-ticket purchases.
According to the BRC-KPMG retail sales monitor, this was the best growth since September last year, and the result was firmly ahead of the 3-month average of 1.6% and the 12-month average of 1.9%.
The ONS today said that online sales also increased in January, rising 10.4% year on year and up 2.7% on December.


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Environmental advocacy group Greenpeace, which on Wednesday chided Apple for withdrawing from EPEAT, on Thursday said Apple has been slow to act on its promise to power its data centers with renewable energy and to avoid power generated from coal.
[ Read about GE's efforts to pilot "next-generation" batteries that run ten times longer at half the size. See iPads In Factories: Early Lessons From GE. ]
According to the report, Apple said in May that its North Carolina data center will be exclusively reliant on renewable power by year's end, and that all three of its major data centers will be coal-free by the end of 2013.
The report shows that Apple has made some improvements: Its "scorecard grades" have improved since April from D to C in the Energy Efficiency/Greenhouse Gas Migration and Renewables/Advocacy categories, and from F to D in the Infrastructure Siting category.
However, its grade for Energy Transparency remains a D. That isn't exactly surprising for a company had relies on secrecy to encourage press coverage. But it's a problem in terms of community engagement on environmental issues.
"Apple certainly has room for improvement in terms of transparency," said Gary Cook, senior policy analyst for Greenpeace International, in a phone interview. "They're very good in providing a narrative that talks about environmental leadership. But they need to provide the detail, to back up their claims."
According to Cook, Apple has been growing very quickly but its environmental commitments have not kept pace. He said that there's no connection between the timing of this followup report and news of Apple's withdrawal from EPEAT, a decision prompted by the company's prioritization of design over repairability and ease of disassembly.
Cook said Apple was making a false choice between design and recyclability. Apple's decision to stop seeking EPEAT certification for its products is "a step backwards from what had previously been quite good environmental leadership," he said. "We need to have these products last longer and be repairable."
But Cook also stressed that Greenpeace isn't singling out Apple, noting that the organization has also pushed Amazon and Microsoft to make their cloud computing operations more environmentally sustainable. "It's about the whole sector," he said.
One of Greenpeace's concerns is that Apple's lack of specificity about its definition of "renewable energy" means that Apple may opt to continue buying coal-derived power from Duke Energy and then buy North Carolina Renewable Energy Credits to be "coal-free" in name only.
Cloud Connect is expanding to the Windy City. Join 1,200+ IT professionals at Cloud Connect Chicago, where you will learn how to leverage new cloud technology solutions to increase productivity and improve your business agility. Join us in Chicago, Sept. 10-13. Register today!


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Jack & Annie’s Closes $23 Million Series B to Expand ‘the Next Generation of Plant-Based Meat’: Jackfruit
3 Mins Read
Leading vegan frozen food brand Jack & Annie’s has announced the closing of its series B funding round. Pulling in $23 million, the funding is led by Creadev, Desert Bloom, Wheatsheaf, and existing investors Beta Angeles and Investco.
Despite only launching into retail less than a year ago, Jack & Annie’s is now the third-largest brand in the frozen food category overall, and leading the pack in the natural frozen nuggets category with its vegan jackfruit nuggets, the brand says.
Jack & Annie’s was founded by Annie Ryu, who’s also the founder of the Jackfruit Company and Global Village Fruit. Ryu founded GVF in 2011 after discovering jackfruit while working in India as a pre-med student. She helped bring it to the U.S. and build the jackfruit market. Jackfruit is the core ingredient in all of Jack & Annie’s products.
“We are excited that our investors are partnering with us to create the next generation of plant-based—real foods, from a real plant. They are experienced, connected investors who share our vision and values – to transform the global food system for the good of people and planet,” Ryu said in a statement. “We’ve known Creadev and Desert Bloom for many years and are extremely excited to take these strong relationships to the next level, joining hands as shareholders. With their help, we are committed to continuing to craft delicious foods that deliver the benefits of plants, improving the health of our bodies, the health of the planet, and the livelihoods of our farmers.”
The jackfruit supply chain
According to the brand, nearly 70 percent of jackfruit goes unused; Jack & Annie’s helps create a supply chain for the fruit, decreasing waste and increasing revenue for India’s farming communities. The brand says it currently supports as much as 40 percent of the income for 1,000 farming families across India.
The new funding will help the brand to expand its footprint, with additional U.S. distribution across retail including natural food and club stores, as well as in foodservice channels. The products are currently sold in 1,500 retailers including Whole Foods Market, Sprouts, Meijer, Wegman’s, Hannaford, Target, and Giant.
“Annie and her team are dedicated to making a real positive impact, from partnering directly with farmers to formulating excellent, nutritious whole plant foods to reduce meat consumption. Building a new food system for the future in a fast-growing plant-based market, prioritizing doing what’s right versus what is easy, convinced all of Jack & Annie’s mission-driven investors”, said Delphine Descamps, Managing Director of Creadev.
“We are thrilled to partner with Annie and her dynamic team. Jack & Annie’s, simply put, is unique in the marketplace. Unlike other brands, most of which are highly processed, Jack & Annie’s alternative meat products are made from jackfruit—a whole food that has tremendous nutritional value. We believe the adoption of these products will help improve consumer health, reduce animal production, promote regenerative agricultural practices and add incremental income to farmers,” said Sohel Shikari, co-founder of Desert Bloom.
Jackfruit is the largest tree fruit in the world. It can grow as large as 40 pounds. It grows across India and Southeast Asia. The fruit is nutritious, containing a range of nutrients including vitamins C, B2, B3, B6, B9, calcium, magnesium, potassium, and phosphorous.
When the unripe “meat” of the jackfruit is cooked, it takes on the consistency of pulled pork. It’s low in sugar, so it works more like a vegetable or a meat product than a fruit. The sweet ripe fruit can be eaten fresh.


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Brisbane, Australia: China has been a critical part of the supply chain for Australian recycling for three decades. In fact, since the 1980s, China has been the world’s largest importer of foreign materials.
China’s new ban on importing foreign recyclables, dubbed its “National Sword Policy” was initiated in July last year by its Ministry of Environmental Protection when it informed the World Trade Organisation that it would “forbid the import of four classes, 24 kinds of solid wastes, including plastics waste from living sources, vanadium slag, unsorted waste paper and waste textile materials.”
The ban on foreign trash was announced in a press briefing by Guo Jian, an official at the ministry. “The problem of foreign garbage is loathed by everyone in China,” Jian said.
“A few unscrupulous dealers at home and abroad illegally imported and carried foreign garbage for their own interest. It has caused serious environmental problems and should be treated strictly.”
The award-winning documentary, Plastic China, filmed by Wang Jiuliang, captures this sentiment well. It tracks the lives of two families who make their living from the plastic waste industry and shows in horrifying detail the serious health and environmental implications of the trade in foreign recyclables.
So what happens to Australia’s recyclables now?
During his talk at a recent sustainability conference, Mike Ritchie, Director of MRA Consulting Group, an industry veteran who holds 25 years experience in environmental policy in waste and resource recovery, explains the impact of China’s ban on Australia’s recycling industry:
“The big effect of the China sword is on plastic and fibre, cardboard paper. Before the ban, China took half of the world’s recyclables. Australia’s portion was miniscule compared with what Europe, the UK and the USA were sending.”
According to Ritchie, China wants to build its own domestic recycling supply chain. “They’re using World Trade Organisation rules to control the imports and materials and limit the number of licences coming in through China as a way of stimulating domestic recovery of recycling product into the paper and plastic mills that they have.”
In Australia, kerbside recycling lies in the jurisdiction of councils. Recyclables that are put in yellow-top bins are picked up and dropped off at a Materials Recovery Facility (MRF). Recyclable materials such as glass, steel, plastic, aluminium, paper and cardboard are then sorted. Most of the plastic and fibres from paper and cardboard are exported to countries like China. The glass remains in Australia for use in the industrial market (typically crushed and turned into sand for use in road construction), and the aluminium and steel are sent to local or international smelters.
However with the China ban taking effect on 1st of January and now in full swing, Australia is starting to feel its full ramifications.
“An MRF operator makes about $100-$150 per tonne on input material. A household typically generates about a quarter of a tonne of recyclables a year so it takes roughly four houses to generate one tonne. With the China ban, MRF operators lose about $100-$150 value as there is no market for the materials. They then have to pass the costs on to councils.”
Councils are left with few options. “Some councils are trying to hold MRF operators to their contract. The net effect of that, of course, is that bins won’t get collected so councils have a binary decision to make: put more money into the pot or stop collecting recyclables.”
While some councils fear that recycling contractors will cut off service, other contractors are actually stockpiling materials rather than send to landfill. Some councils are even telling their residents to minimise use of their yellow bins.
To support the industry, the Victorian Government announced a $13 million package last month. Other state governments have yet to announce their rescue packages.
Australia has benefited enormously from this 30-year export deal and so too China, using the global trade of materials to fuel its manufacturing industry. “If it weren’t in place, households would have had to pay higher rates for their councils to deal with the volume of recyclable materials,” says Ritchie. “It’s much more efficient to send paper and plastic to the large demand-driven economy [of China] where they’re doing all the manufacturing, than us subsidising the mills here to do the same job. We don’t really have a secondary market here who buy the fibres and plastics.”
However, this “out of sight, out of mind” attitude to waste has come back to bite Australia and other developed nations. What happens now that some types of recyclable rubbish can no longer be exported?
“There are other international markets to sell to,” explains Mike Ritchie. “The problem at the moment, of course, is that China has limited the number of input permits and licences which has had an immediate impact on the supply of material that has been generated. We’re still generating the supply… [and] an unregulated market system where supply of recyclables continues at any price [is an issue]. So the problem we have is the mismatch between supply and demand. There has been a crash in the price of these materials… and with a limited number of paper and plastic mills in places like Korea, Thailand and Vietnam, the price they’re prepared to pay has fallen.”
Negotiations between councils and waste collectors are still taking place; with some calling for Australia to invest in a domestic recycling reprocessing centre. Still, the problem remains – if Australia produces products made from recycled materials, who is going to buy it?
“The question is, how deep do we want to go? Is this what we want to do, build paper mills or should we rely on an efficient global market? And that’s a judgement call that will have to happen over the coming months.”
In the short term, households can expect their council rates to increase by roughly $50 in an effort to cover rising MRF costs. What will happen in the long-term though is anyone’s guess.
The learning lesson from all this is clear; while effective recycling is a good solution to the waste problem, it’s not the best solution. Prevention of waste where people and businesses actively reduce material consumption and incorporate zero waste principles into their lifestyles and operations, is by far the best solution.
Want to do your bit to reduce material consumption? Read this post for helpful hints on how to consume less.
For more green living tips, grab our 12-page Sustainable Lifestyle Guide that lists 101+ ways to live more planet-friendly. For your digital copy, just subscribe to our newsletter here.


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Michael Jackson’s Glove Fetches $199,000 at Auction
(LOS ANGELES) — A Swarovski crystal-encrusted glove that Michael Jackson wore at the 1984 American Music Awards has sold at auction for $199,069.
That’s one of the highest prices fetched for one of the late entertainer’s gloves, according to Nate D. Sanders auction house, which organized the bidding. What makes the glove particularly special is that it’s black, unlike the trademark white ones that Michael typically wore during his performances and public appearances.
Another bit of Michael memorabilia, the red leather “Beat It,” jacket that he wore on his 1984 Thriller tour, also sold at auction. The jacket, which was signed and given by M.J. to the son of then-Epic Records President Ron Alexenburg, sold for $84,422.
Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio


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The Father of Android Unveils Potential Rivals for Apple’s iPhone and Amazon’s Echo
Former Google executive Andy Rubin has finally taken the wraps off his secretive hardware startup, Essential.
Rubin on Tuesday detailed his company’s two new devices: the Essential Phone and Essential Home. The former is a smartphone designed to come with high-end features, but at a more affordable price than other luxury handsets. Essential Home is a smart home device like Amazon’s Echo, providing users control over their smart homes with voice commands.
Rubin became a prominent figure in the mobile world after creating Android, now the world’s most popular mobile operating system by market share. After Alphabet-owned Google (GOOGL) acquired Android in 2005, Rubin served as its senior vice president of mobile and digital content, where he oversaw Android’s development and Google’s broader mobile ambitions. He then spent some time in 2013 working on other Google projects, including robotics, before leaving the company in 2014.
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Since then, Rubin has been working behind the scenes on hardware ventures and is now focusing on Essential.
In a blog post earlier this month, Rubin said that he founded Essential to address problems he sees in the technology industry, including high-priced luxury products and devices that become obsolete after just a year of use. He said he wants to address those and other problems with each product Essential sells.
The Essential Phone has several high-end handset hallmarks, including an edge-to-edge display that measures 5.71 inches. The smartphone, which is running on the latest Qualcomm (QCOM) Snapdragon 835 processor, also comes with dual rear cameras and a titanium body design. Not surprisingly, it’s running on Google’s Android. It costs $699 unlocked, allowing users to run it on the carrier network of their choosing.
Essential Phone, which was initially announced on The Verge, is available now for customers to pre-order, though the company hasn’t said when it’ll begin shipping.
It’s a similar story with the Essential Home, a small, round device sporting a screen that can display a range of information, like search results or upcoming events. The Amazon Echo Show, a new smart home hub slated to launch next month, also comes with a built-in screen. The original Amazon Echo as well as Google Home both lack screens.
Like its competitors, Essential Home is meant to enable users to issue vocal commands to control other tech gadgets around the house. It runs on an operating system called Ambient OS, which will automatically link a new smart home device with Essential Home for simpler set-up.
The smart home device, which isn’t yet available for pre-order, doesn’t have a shipping date—nor a confirmed price.


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A little less than one year ago, Walmart workers across the nation walked off the job on “Black Friday” to spotlight Walmart’s low wages and poor working conditions. Today those same conditions prompted 80 workers at a Miami Walmart to hit the picket line.
Since November there have been dozens of actions and strikes by Walmart workers around the country. Paul Toussaint, a Miami area OUR Walmart member, said:
Walmart workers nationwide have been standing up and speaking out for better jobs, better wages and an end to Walmart’s illegal retaliation against workers who speak out. And these courageous strikers are in solidarity with Walmart associates across the country who have been calling for change, striking against retaliation and even been arrested in nonviolent protest.
Low wages force many Walmart workers to rely on public assistance, from food stamps to health care, and the Miami workers and others who are demanding change at Walmart are calling on Walmart to pay a living wage of $25,000 a year.
Show your support for Walmart workers by signing a petition calling on Walmart to respect workers’ rights and pay a living wage. Find out more at Our Walmart and at Making Change at Walmart.


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Matthew Griffin, described as “The Adviser behind the Advisers” and a “Young Kurzweil,” is the founder and CEO of the World Futures Forum and the 311 Institute, a global Futures and Deep Futures consultancy working between the dates of 2020 to 2070, and is an award winning futurist, and author of “Codex of the Future” series. Regularly featured in the global media, including AP, BBC, Bloomberg, CNBC, Discovery, RT, Viacom, and WIRED, Matthew’s ability to identify, track, and explain the impacts of hundreds of revolutionary emerging technologies on global culture, industry and society, is unparalleled. Recognised for the past six years as one of the world’s foremost futurists, innovation and strategy experts Matthew is an international speaker who helps governments, investors, multi-nationals and regulators around the world envision, build and lead an inclusive, sustainable future. A rare talent Matthew’s recent work includes mentoring Lunar XPrize teams, re-envisioning global education and training with the G20, and helping the world’s largest organisations envision and ideate the future of their products and services, industries, and countries. Matthew's clients include three Prime Ministers and several governments, including the G7, Accenture, Aon, Bain & Co, BCG, Credit Suisse, Dell EMC, Dentons, Deloitte, E&Y, GEMS, Huawei, JPMorgan Chase, KPMG, Lego, McKinsey, PWC, Qualcomm, SAP, Samsung, Sopra Steria, T-Mobile, and many more.
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF
The world is changing faster than ever, so we go and take a look in the wormhole …
Firstly, thank you to James Stewart, KPMG’s Vice Chairman for asking me to take part in KPMG’s first event of the year which, again, because of the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic was held online and streamed live to thousands of attendees around the world.
During the event, aptly titled The Road to Recovery, we heard from Tony Danker, the newly appointed CEO of the Confederation of British Industry which represents over quarter of a million British businesses, and heard how Brexit and the pandemic are impacting overall business confidence and strategy.
We also heard from KPMG’s Rebecca Okuda about the impact of Brexit on UK and European businesses and business operations, and then the floor was turned over to KPMG’s Chris Hearld who took us on a journey of his own and discussed the future of cities.
During my session James and I discussed a wide variety of future topics including the future of work and the workforce, all the way through to how exponential thinking and emerging technologies can help businesses of all sizes disrupt the status quo and prosper on the global stage like never before. And, as always, if you like what you hear and would like to know more then I’m just a mouse click and a DM away.


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Tyrrells spruces up popcorn range with new recipes and packaging
Tyrrells has revamped its Poshcorn range with a packaging rebrand, recipe changes and the addition of two new flavours.
The company’s newest popcorns are coconut & caramel and lemon cupcake, both of which will be available in large sharing bags (70g-80g, RRP £1.59) and 12g bags (RRP £0.79).
The recipe for its best-selling Sweet & Salty variety now contains golden caster sugar, which Tyrrells said delivers “extra deliciousness”.
“Our Poshcorn launch positions Tyrrells as delivering deliciousness in a category where taste is often sacrificed in favour of counting calories,” said Tyrrells marketing director Jocelyn McNulty. “With improved recipes and a pipeline of fantastic flavour and format developments, Poshcorn is ideal for women looking to cut back on sweet treats such as chocolate, but without having to sacrifice on delicious taste”.


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Geometry Global, a brand experience agency operating in 56 markets around the world, 19 cities in Asia Pacific, today unveiled a new brand identity reflecting the changes it has gone through since it was launched in 2013.
“A lot has changed in five years. Our world has become more digitized and fractured, and brands are thinking more about how to optimise their sales in an omni-channel world,” said Steve Harding, Global CEO. “Geometry has evolved to meet these needs, and our new branding is a reflection of this evolution. It says we are a modern, omni-channel agency - a diverse, curious, fun company that is confident and ambitious for the future.”
Diana Cawley, Asia Pacific CEO added, “We’ve evolved our offerings in Asia Pacific over the past few years to respond to the region’s fast-changing market dynamics. We are better positioned than ever before to support our client's growth and seize the opportunities ahead of us, so now is the right time to fully express the company we have become”.
The new identity was created in-house by the Geometry team in Hamburg, Germany. It includes a new logo word mark and monogram, a vibrant new color palette and a set of symbols that represents diverse disciplines and expertise coming together to solve problems.
Global Chief Creative Officer, Jon Hamm, said, “this new look reflects our confidence and aims to capture the magic of the geometric world and bring to life the beauty inherent in it. We have moved away from the defined, rigid representation of our past to a more fluid, curved, organic identity that is representative of our future.”


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The Winners: 2017 Seattle Business Magazine Family Business Awards
See the winners of this year's awards here.
December 7, 2017
Grit. Determination. Communication. Strategy.
All are characteristics common to family businesses putting their stamps on industries ranging from agriculture to boatbuilding across the state of Washington.
At the same time, these legacy companies make concrete commitments to transferring ownership to succeeding generations.
This year, Seattle Business magazine celebrates 11 recipients of Family Business Awards for their pluck, panache and perseverance in navigating the often difficult path of keeping it all in the family.
Meet the winners of the 2017 Seattle Business magazine Family Business Awards.
Joshua Green Corporation
Twin Brook Creamery
Cascade Gasket & Manufacturing
Family Business of the Year (Midsize Firms):
Gold: Hewes Marine Company
Family Business of the Year (Small Firms):
Gold: Kristoferson Farms
Silver: Claar Wine Group
Silver: Washington Shoe Company
Judges for the 2017 Family Business Awards
- Dori Brewer, partner, Perkins Coie
- Mary Dickinson, principal, Bader Martin
- Loren Lyon, president and center director, Impact Washington
- Tony Mestres, CEO, Seattle Foundation
- Catherine Pratt, management faculty, Pacific Lutheran University
- Christian Schiller, managing director, Cascadia Capital
- Rich Simmonds, cofounder, Pacific Family Business Institute
- Bhaj Townsend, president, Northwest Family Business Advisors
- Joseph Williams, ICT industry sector lead and economic development director, state of Washington
See the rest of our events and awards calendar here.


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Strawberry season has begun in Tulare County despite Mother Nature's winter fury
Die-hard strawberry lovers have anxiously waited for weeks hoping local stands would open in Tulare County.
Easter has typically been the kickoff to strawberry season in the Valley, but this year the fields took a hit from Mother Nature. A series of storms poured more than 78 trillion gallons of water on the state, filling 12 of California's 17 major reservoirs to above their historical averages for the start of spring.
But now, just ahead of Mother's Day, stands are opening and expanding hours to meet the demand.
This week, Koy Strawberry announced they were open. A line of customers followed.
"Come by for some GIGANTIC fresh strawberries and say hello," the post states.
When Yao Vang and Koy Saechao started operating their stand on the northeast corner of Ferguson Avenue and Akers Street more than 13 years ago, they only grew strawberries on 2 acres of land. Today, strawberries and an assortment of produce are grown on roughly 4 acres of land in northwest Visalia.
Due to the late start, Vang hopes the season will extend into August, but if it gets too hot too quickly, the delicate berries will die. Typically by July, the strawberry plants have started to die off. But in November, new plants will go into the ground and by spring stands will be back in business.
The northwest Visalia stand is open daily from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
While stands are open, growers are concerned for the yield.
Meui Saelee opened her stand on Visalia Parkway, across from Cottonwood Creek Elementary School, this week.
"We had a lot of rain and the freeze killed the blossoms," she said. "This year, it doesn't look like there will be that much."
Despite the shortage, there were baskets and buckets of bright red strawberries displayed at the stand. Alongside the three varieties of berries, there are avocados, cara cara oranges, lemons and juicy blueberries for sale.
Saelee estimates they sell roughly 50 to 60 buckets of strawberries a day − well over 600 pounds.
John's Strawberry Patch on the corner of Tulare Avenue and Ben Maddox Way is also open from 9 a.m. until dusk, or until sold out.
"We anticipate opening throughout July, but the weather plays a crucial role in determining time of harvest as well as the amount of crops we yield," Ken Saechao said. "The fluctuations in current weather conditions caused a delay and that is why we opened a little later this season."
The stand sells a variety of strawberries: Chandler, Camarosa, and Albion.
"The nursery we get our plants from suggested to try one of their new strains called Royal Royce, which we currently have very limited amount of but plan on adding to the selection next year," Ken Saechao said.
On Friday, a handful of eager customers waited in line to pick their baskets.
"We have received a lot of positive feedback from our customers," Ken Saechao said.
Customers can keep up with John's throughout the year by following the Facebook page "John's Strawberry Patch."


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Hundreds charged on stolen credit card
PENNSDALE – When Latoya Washington found a customer’s debit card outside Burger King at Lycoming Crossing, instead of turning it into the restaurant, she went on a shopping spree with it, Muncy Township police alleged in court papers.
Washington charged hundreds of dollars on the card, using it to pay fuel, cigarettes, shoes and other merchandise, police alleged. She even used it to pay for two gas bills, one for the amount of $271, police said.
Investigators allege that Washington tried to make two online purchases with the card, one for $4,023 and another for $1,005.
Police allege Washington used the card over a five-day period, beginning May 28 when she found it. The card was owned by Teonna Southard, police said.
Washington, formerly of the 600 block of Fourth Avenue, Williamsport, and now staying at a home in the 2700 block of Route 973 West, Cogan Station, was arraigned last week before District Judge Jon E. Kemp on 12 counts each of identity theft and access device fraud, 10 counts of theft by deception and two felony counts of attempted theft by deception.
Already on probation for simple assault and driving under the influence, Washington was committed to the Lycoming County Prison in lieu of $25,000 bail.


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Several content owners filed suit for copyright infringement against Hotfile Corp, a corporation that operates a website where users can upload electronic files to the site, after which Hotfile provides the user with a unique link allowing anyone with the link to download the file. Hotfile pays users who upload the most popular files to it servers, and encourages users to promote their links. Files that infringe copyright constituted the majority of the downloaded files. Hotfile filed a motion to dismiss. The district court for the Southern District of Florida dismissed the claim of direct copyright infringement because, although Hotfile allegedly encourages the massive infringement, the complaint did not allege that the Hotfile took “volitional steps” to infringe the plaintiffs’ rights. However, the court concluded that the plaintiffs’ business model could give rise to contributory and/or vicarious liability for copyright infringement.
TIP: Regardless of whether direct copyright infringement is found, secondary copyright infringement may be found for inducing infringing conduct of another or profiting from direct infringement while declining to exercise a right to stop or limit it.


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BUREAU OF INDIAN STANDARDS
Indian companies contest plastic in water bottles study
The findings suggested that a person who drinks a litre of bottled water a day might be consuming tens of thousands of microplastic particles each year.
India's tightened consumer goods standards could hurt China imports
Bilateral trade between India and China boomed to $71.45 billion in 2016-17 from $1.83 billion in 1999-2000, though most of this is skewed to Chinese exports.
Cabinet approves new bill to replace Bureau of Indian Standards Act
The bill provides for compulsory hallmarking of precious metal articles, ...
Bureau of Indian Standards plans new parameters and labels
Standards and labelling will help consumers to find products as per their requirements," said Sunil Soni.
Cabinet note moved for amendments in Consumer Protection, Bureau of Indian Standards Act
The Consumer Affairs Ministry has moved a Cabinet note for making amendments to the Consumers Protection Act and the Bureau of Indian Standards Act.
Government of India to soon pick agencies for big pre-poll ad blitz
Street plays, GPS-enabled multimedia flash mobs, music concerts — all are part of the to-do list.
BIS revises standard for hallmarking of gold jewellery
"Indian standard on gold hallmarking has been revised and has been made effective for implementation with effect from January 1, 2017," BIS said.
Lok Sabha passes bill to include services, process in ambit of Bureau of Indian Standards
A bill to extend the ambit of BIS to include services, processes and products while ensuring production of world class goods in line with the best global practices was passed by the Lok Sabha.
The jobs data mystery: Understanding India's big crisis in a fraught poll season
The wrangling over jobs data has led to a bitter political slugfest, with Opposition throwing charges at the govt.
Drug regulator issues notice to Amazon, Flipkart for alleged sale of spurious cosmetics
The law provides for penal actions ranging from monetary fine to imprisonment for sale of such "unapproved" products.
'Only 4.5 lakh out of 40 lakh so far apply for inclusion in NRC'
Besides, less than 100 applications have been received by the authorities challenging the inclusion of the names of suspected illegal immigrants in the NRC, a list of Assam's residents.
India lacks awareness about tools to quantify green emission: Bureau of Indian Standards
The government standards body also emphasized on the importance of greenhouse gas management, significance of life-cycle assessment, carbon foot-printing.
Steps being taken to stop cotton contamination: CCI
Bureau of Indian Standards would work out a system for traceability of cotton arriving as bales from ginning factories.
Ghosts of past frauds haunt Indian jewellers as banks raise alarm
Bankers are reviewing all diamond and jeweler-related accounts and in some cases are seeking more collateral and extra documentation.
A banking revolution: Looking at the sector through Jaitley's Budgets
Banking is one sector that has seen major changes after the NDA government came to power in May 2014.
Copyright © 2019 Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. All rights reserved. For reprint rights: Times Syndication Service


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A recent legal action has brought to light concerns over food safety and quality in a well-known fast-food chain. In Florida, a lawsuit has been filed against Chick-fil-A by Shi’Terra Sharp, who claims that consuming “black” chicken nuggets from one of the chain’s Brooksville outlets led to severe health complications.
Sharp recounts her experience after purchasing the chicken nuggets on January 8, 2020. It was when she began eating them at home that she noticed the meat within the nuggets appeared unusually black. The consumption of these nuggets allegedly caused Sharp to suffer extreme sickness.
According to Sharp’s lawsuit, her symptoms were severe and debilitating. She experienced prolonged bouts of vomiting, extreme abdominal pain, cramping, nausea, and diarrhea. As a result, she sought medical attention multiple times, leading to hospital admissions where she was diagnosed with various gastrointestinal illnesses.
In her lawsuit, filed in Orange County, Sharp details the extent of her suffering, which included injuries to her mouth, throat, stomach, and digestive system. The lawsuit claims that her condition was not only intensely painful but also led to a range of other issues, such as mental anguish, loss of enjoyment in life, and an inability to partake in regular activities.
The lawsuit targets Holland Hospitality, LLC, the operator of the Chick-fil-A restaurant in question. Sharp alleges that the company was negligent in its responsibility to ensure that the food served was safe for consumption. She claims the fast-food chain failed to adequately inspect the quality of its food items before selling them to customers.
Sharp is seeking compensation exceeding $50,000, citing ongoing and possibly permanent damages. Her legal claim encompasses bodily injury, pain and suffering, disability, mental anguish, medical expenses, and more. The repercussions, she says, are likely to persist, affecting her life quality indefinitely.
This case puts a spotlight on food safety practices in the fast-food industry and raises questions about quality control measures. While Chick-fil-A has yet to respond to the lawsuit, the incident underscores the importance of vigilant food preparation and handling in the hospitality sector.


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Many tour guides in Ho Chi Minh City say they always warn their clients against visiting the Ben Thanh Night Market, even if they do not have anything else to do after sundown.
The guides say fake and cheap products are sold widely here and many tourists can be tricked into paying a lot of money.
“Many tourists still visit the market during their free time in the evening anyway,” said one guide, who asked not to be named. "I always tell them to bargain, even for food, and always hold on to their bags tightly,” he said.
The night market that sells mostly food, clothes and accessories opens from 7 p.m. until late outside Ben Thanh Market.
Thanh Nien reporters posed as tourists to visit the night market recently and found many products are sold for unreasonably high prices.
At one stall, a fake handbag was priced at VND800,000. The seller quickly cut it to VND600,000 and then VND300,000. She insulted any prospective customers who walked away without buying anything.
At another stall, a knockoff T-shirt was on sale for VND280,000. The vendor quickly said “OK” after she was offered VND100,000.
Some stalls sold lacquer paintings with unknown origins and the paintings peeled off easily. Tea and coffee shops also sold dubious products bearing popular brands.
A Rolex watch for $65
Just a short walk from the market, several shops and malls in the city downtown are selling fake products or those without a clear origin.
At a shop Taka Plaza on Nam Ky Khoi Nghia Street, a fake Piaget watch was sold for US$65 and a fake Rolex watch for $150.
The shop owner claimed that the quality is high even though he admitted that they are knockoffs.
At the Saigon Post Office, a popular tourist destination in the city, many stalls sell brocade, lacquer products and potteries. Most products do not have a brand or origin.
Alexey, a Russian tourist, asked about its origin after choosing a bracelet. The seller only said that it is locally made.
A director of a tourism company in Ho Chi Minh City, who wanted to be unnamed, said the night market and many shopping streets in the city have failed to boost tourism and increase revenues.
“Tourists may visit these places once and will never return. Tourism agencies should take action to stop overcharging.”
“The night market can be a good place to promote tourism. Don’t waste it!”


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Late in April 2020, a rumor appeared suggesting that Nintendo has seemingly canceled its June 2020 Nintendo Direct. The company usually has a briefing at E3. As an addendum to that rumor, it seems that we might not be seeing any Nintendo Directs at all in the near future. [Thanks, VentureBeat!]
Essentially, it seems that Nintendo has been telling its partners to find other ways to announce their big news, as it’s not planning to hold a Nintendo Direct presentation any time soon. As such, first-party and third-party titles coming to Nintendo Switch are likely going to be announced out of the blue or through third-parties via their own channels.
One example of such a case could be Paper Mario: The Origami King, which was announced out of nowhere and with little fanfare, to the shock of fans. If the announcement of this game is any indication, we might be getting several sudden announcements like these as Nintendo staggers out its news in order to manage expectations and a rather-barren schedule for big releases.
As for when we might see a return to the Direct format, it’ll could be after things return to normal and people are working from offices once more. Since the start of the 2020, Nintendo has been providing information on upcoming games via dedicated Nintendo Directs, and a Nintendo Direct mini was also released in March 2020. The last full “proper” Direct aired in September 2019.


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Stevenson Ranch resident Vicki Rivera used to love going grocery shopping, opting to shop for each meal rather than getting all her groceries at once, but since the pandemic hit, she’s seen a change in her shopping habits.
“It used to be fun to go weekly, but now with the pandemic, not only does it feel like more of a hassle but it also feels like it’s been getting more and more expensive to shop for groceries,” Rivera said.
Grocery prices are soaring not only in the Santa Clarita Valley but also across the nation, with food prices reportedly rising more than 1% from just August to September, according to Consumer Price Index data, which measures the changes in the cost of goods and services in the U.S.
In 2020, the increase in food-at-home prices through the year was 75% above average, and those increases have continued into this year, with prices increasing 2.5% in 2021 thus far compared with last year and 4.5% higher in August than in the same period last year, per CPI data.
However, it’s not just food prices that are continuing to creep up, as overall inflation increased 5.4% from September of last year — the highest annual increase in 13 years, according to the CPI.
“Groceries are up and so is everything else,” said Holly Schroeder, CEO and president of the SCV Economic Development Corp. “There’s a lot of discussion on to what extent the inflation we’re feeling is temporary or permanent, and like most things, it’s likely some combination.”
Rising food prices in the SCV
When it comes to shopping for grocery list staples, prices are continually increasing. Protein-rich categories, like beef and veal, had the largest relative price increase, costing 10.5% more than they did last year, while the fresh vegetable category had the smallest increase of 0.6%, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service, noting that no food categories have decreased in price in 2021 compared with 2020.
Here in the SCV, a comparison of products purchased at the same local grocery store in Canyon Country in March 2020 to present revealed increases among costs, with the highest increase seen in ground beef prices, which rose 33% in the 20-month period, while vegetables and fruit remained the same price.
Causes of inflation are worldwide
While the price increases people are seeing at the supermarket started as COVID-19 took hold and caused widespread industry shutdowns, those increases have continued for a variety of reasons.
“There is definitely an inflationary factor affecting materials, including groceries. Groceries are not just what you’re eating, it’s all of the components that make up the food,” Schroeder said, noting that this includes packaging materials.
Restaurants, for example, have been having a hard time getting ketchup, not because there’s a tomato shortage, but due to the shortage of containers, Schroeder said.
Among the highest increases seen in food products across the SCV were whipped cream, 2-liter Coca Cola and pasta sauce, all of which increased by more than 25%, which could be attributed to shortages in the packaging items these products require.
And while food manufacturers were deemed essential, able to continue operating through the pandemic, COVID-19 still caused a labor shortage and the closure of food production facilities that resulted in production falling behind schedule, said Ali Naddafpour, College of the Canyons accounting professor and chair of the business department.
This, along with the fact that the shutdown also led to an increase in consumer demand for food-at-home, has resulted in an overall decline in inventory, Naddafpour added.
“I call this a ‘growing pain’ because we are growing, but we have to catch up with our past,” Naddafpour said.
As the holiday season fast approaches, Naddafpour said to expect empty store shelves as demand for product continues to increase amid a shortage of supply.
This is also due, in part, to the global disruption to the supply chain, as record demand for imported goods combined with capacity issues across the supply chain worldwide and the labor shortage have slowed distribution, causing massive delays at ports, such as Los Angeles and Long Beach, Schroeder and Naddafpour agreed.
“It’s the law of supply and demand: supply is less; demand is high. People want all of these materials but they are not available, so the price goes up,” Naddafpour said.
However, these are disruptions that, while Schroeder said may take a year, will eventually be worked through.
“It might feel permanent to people right now, but it will get back to equilibrium in the future,” she added.


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Toy recall sparks regulation debate
For the third time in a month, toy manufacturer Mattel has recalled toys from Australian store shelves because of concerns over their safety, prompting renewed calls for a single regulating body.
Consumer advocates are worried Mattel's product safety problems may just be the tip of the iceberg.
Mattel has recalled just over 14,000 toys, mostly because of concerns over lead paint in miniature dogs and cats, as well as crockery and handbags that come in Barbie play sets.
The headlights and ladder in the Fisher-Price GeoTrax train also contained lead paint.
In a pre-recorded statement, Mattel marketing director Julie Kearns says the products contain unacceptable levels of lead.
"Mattel is managing a voluntary recall, which relates to impermissible lead levels in paint, and in particular it relates to five pet and furniture play sets sold under the Barbie brand, and one Fisher-Price GeoTrax toy," she said.
"There are no Barbie dolls affected in this recall. We ask that all potentially affected toys be taken away from children and returned to Mattel at our expense, and not returned to retailers."
It is the third time in a month that Mattel has been forced to recall toys.
The company recalled toys at the beginning of August over lead paint concerns and then two weeks later recalled another 18 million toys globally - including nearly half a million in Australia - because of concerns over dangerous small parts.
Consumer groups say Mattel is actually being a good corporate citizen by being open and honest about its difficulties.
A spokesman for consumer group CHOICE, Christopher Zinn, says the real worry is that other companies may not be as vigilant.
"They [Mattel] have been caught out in a really big way here, although when I say 'caught out', it's them who put their hand up themselves, it was internal audits that turned up the problem in the first place," he said.
"They've done it in a very public way, in a textbook way, it's going to be very damaging to their reputation.
"But you have to ask, what [about] all the other toys that may have come in from less well-known brands or sold in the toy $2 shops ... that may have an issue with lead paint."
It has been revealed a number of imported toys manufactured for Royal Perth Show bags also contained unacceptable levels of lead and other heavy metals.
The hazardous items included rubber teeth, masks and jewellery.
Western Australia's Minister for Consumer and Employment Protection, Sheila McHale, says they pose potentially serious health issues, especially for children.
"They can significantly affect kidneys, gastro, and as far as lead is concerned, the major organs of the bodies," she said.
"Of course with young children, their absorption rate of these heavy metals can be up to five times that of adults."
Ms McHale says the toys were stopped before they reached the Perth show, but the same toys may have already been sold in other states.
Consumer groups are now worried the tangled web of regulations and responsibility over product safety is too complicated, and things are slipping through the net.
Mr Zinn says there should be a single federal regulator controlling product safety.
"It's different authorities that have different roles," he said.
"Food falls under the Quarantine Service, lead paint falls under Customs Service. Fair trading bodies in various states have other roles.
"That's why we think there just needs to be one body that can enforce laws and the regulations and standards, and also do testing where necessary."
New South Wales Consumer Affairs Minister Linda Burney says the states have been willing to move to a more centralised system of regulation since early last year.
"The states have been ready since 2006 for this type of regulation - in fact it's the Commonwealth that are absolutely dragging their heels on it," she said.
"I don't know how many more wake-up calls they need."
But the Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasurer, Chris Pearce, says the states have rejected an offer of a federal regulator.
"All of them said that they wanted to continue to manage in their own independent and very fragmented way the regulation of product safety," he said.
"I regret that, and I again call on the states and territories to embrace the Productivity [Commission's] recommendation for one single law and one single regulator."


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Pure Origin, the supply chain expo taking place alongside Pure London in February, will showcase the latest innovations in fashion manufacturing in a dedicated Trend catwalk show and a Technology and Innovation area.
Mamas & Papas continued to struggle in its latest year as it reported another loss, although there were some bright spots as its online sales continued to accelerate and now make up nearly a third of its total turnover.
British lawmakers defeated Prime Minister Theresa May’s Brexit divorce deal on Tuesday, triggering political chaos that could lead to a disorderly exit from the EU or even to a reversal of the 2016 decision to leave.
The international sportswear giant has unveiled the Nike Adapt BB: a basketball shoe capable of continually altering its fit and the first product to be released as part of the brand’s new Nike Adapt platform.
There was a great of talk in Milan about 'sprezzatura', Italian for relaxed and being at ease. A suggestion that the city and its fashion needs to lighten up a little to entice new generation millennials to be consumers.


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Distributed ledger company Ripple said this week that it is testing a private version of the open-source XRP Ledger for use by central banks.
The firm's work, outlined in a Wednesday blog post, comes as a growing number of central banks pursue digital currency initiatives. Ripple said the CBDC-focused version of XRP Ledger "provides Central Banks a secure, controlled and flexible solution for the issuance and management of digital currencies."
"We are currently engaged with Central Banks around the world to better understand their goals and assess how the CBDC Private Ledger can help achieve them," the company said. "We believe this solution will overcome the major challenges around creating and managing a sovereign digital currency, while amplifying the value and benefits for Central Banks, their partners and, above all, the millions of people who will use it."
Ripple isn't the only technology positioning itself for a world in which central banks go live with digital currency initiatives.
The announcement comes weeks after PayPal CEO Dan Schulman said the financial services company is planning to play a significant role in the space as "the digital wallet for global CBDCs."
According to The Block's 2020 CBDC report, while few central banks are likely to move towards the full implementation and issuance of a digital currency within the next five years, several have already begun the process of initiating pilot programs. Over the past few years, central banks' views on CBDCs have become more accepting, the report claims.
These developments are happening as China expands the scope of its digital currency tests, which has taken shape across multiple cities and a growing number of participants.


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Costco is now opening 24 California warehouses, including three in the Sacramento area, at 9 a.m. instead of its usual 10 a.m. slot during the workweek.
The local stores affected are in north Sacramento (1600 Cal Expo Pkwy.), Folsom (1800 Cavitt Drive) and Roseville (6750 Stanford Ranch St.). Costcos in Rancho Cordova, Citrus Heights and Woodland will all still open at 10 during the week, while the south Sacramento location already opened at 9.
The north Sacramento, Folsom and Roseville stores will all open at 9 a.m. on the weekends as well, a half-hour earlier than the other locations.
Costco has 519 warehouses nationwide, including 123 in California, and 230 abroad. The Washington-based bulk sale company's NASDAQ stock closed at $195.48 Tuesday, up 30 percent from July 2017.
Benjy Egel: (916) 321-1052, @BenjyEgel


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We are preparing for the upcoming summer season of 2023 and are starting to stock irrigation pipes, which are intended for watering gardens. This news will be interesting not only for all owners of gardens who are interested in an efficient way to irrigation their plants, but also for implementation companies that deal with the irrigation of gardens, parks or football fields.
Irrigation pipes are made from high-quality materials that are resistant to high water pressure and sunlight. These pipes are very easy to install and can be used for irrigation of small and large areas.
We stock irrigation pipes of various sizes and lengths so that everyone can choose the right pipe size for their particular garden. Thanks to this, it will be possible to optimize irrigation and save water.
Irrigation pipes are also very environmentally friendly as they minimize water loss due to wind and evaporation. They are also of good quality, easy to install and environmentally friendly. Thanks to them, watering gardens will be easier and more efficient.
The irrigation pipes produced by us are now in a pre-season sale at our e-shop https://eshop.tiu.cz/zahradnictvi/ where you can also find other interesting products, such as pool edges and pressure pipes.


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Agent Provocateur Launches S & M Viral Video, Offers Co-Branded Triumph
At the heart of a new cross promotion to bring the two brands closer together as the ultimate sexy alternative, the UK motorbike manufacturer Triumph has created a one off Agent Provocateur bike. The bike is the prize in a new online viral campaign as well as in the window of the flag ship Agent Provocateur London store. The campaign is being independently seeded through London's new viral media consultancy ASABAILEY .
The viral campaign itself promotes Agent Provocateur record album, "Peep Show." The first single, to be realeased August 16, covers Joy Division's "She's Lost Control" and is set to a video featuring Siobhan Fahey, Dita Von Teese and some dude called George Dubya doing some nasty S & M in the Oval Office which makes Clinton's escapades look like an kiss between two five year olds.
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Rolls Royce Motor Cars has experienced tremendous success, enjoying a record half-year in 2011. The British automaker has seen an increase of sales by 64 percent worldwide, compared to the same period in 2010. Within the first six months of 2011, 1592 cars have been delivered to customers, and there is continued strong demand for both the Phantom and Ghost.
Rolls Royce is experiencing growth in all regions, but there is a particularly strong demand in Asia, with sales up over 170 percent. Sales are also growing in the Middle East, up by over 40 percent and the US is also growing by a similar amount. There has also been an increase in Europe with German sales up by 60 percent.
Torsten Müller-Ötvös, Chief Executive Officer for Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, said, “This is an excellent half-year result and demonstrates the confidence that our customers have in our company and our products. The first six months of the year have also seen Rolls-Royce celebrate our unique heritage, with the centenary of the Spirit of Ecstasy, and demonstrate our innovation, with the Phantom Experimental Electric, 102EX. Rolls-Royce Motor Cars continues to operate as the world’s foremost ultra luxury car manufacturer.”
Ford is planning a product-lineup bonanza in China, with plans to introduce 15 new vehicles there as part of its Asian expansion plans.
The announcement was made at the 2011 Shanghai Auto Show, where Ford also outlined plans to more than double the number of dealerships currently open: from 340 to over 700. Ford will also add 1,200 jobs and a brand-new, $490 million plant at Chongqing next year, which will be able to handle 150,000 cars annually. The first car to launch will be the all-new Focus, entering production in China in 2012.
Like many other companies, Ford has seen booming success in the Chinese market: sales were up 19% in the first quarter, with over 140,000 cars sold. The company expects 70% growth across Asia and Africa within the next 10 years.


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The Banque de France has hinted that it will pay particular attention to the development of a central bank digital currency (CBDC). In particular, Villeroy de Galhau, the bank’s governor, revealed that it would explore the benefits of a wholesale CBDC.
“A wholesale CBDC could make a significant contribution to improving cross-border and cross-border payments,” Galhau said during a conference on the direction of a potential CBDC. The head of the banking regulator added that retail CBDCs have gotten all the attention from the wholesale versions, but says both offer immense economic benefits.
Wholesale CBDCs refer to interbank wire transfer settlement, and its proponents say it could improve the efficiency of securities payments and settlement and reduce liquidity risk and counterparty credit. On the other hand, retail CBDCs are typically issued to the general public, on distributed ledger technology, and may offer interest rates to users.
Besides examining the benefits of wholesale CBDCs, Galhau notes that the central bank is looking to improve liquidity management of CBDCs in decentralized finance (DeFi) using automated market makers (AMMs). He adds that this would see it play the equivalent role to investment banks, supporting the trading of a security.
The governor also revealed a project that focuses on issuing and distributing tokenized bonds on a blockchain following the development of Project Jura, a CBDC pilot recently completed by the French and Swiss central banks in collaboration with the Hub. Innovation from the Bank for International Settlements (BIS).
Follow the example of the European Central Bank
France’s attempts to develop CBDCs rely on the efforts of the European Central Bank (ECB). The regional bank is currently conducting a public inquiry to determine the feasibility of digitizing the euro, with experts eyeing 2026 as a potential launch date.
There are several speculations about what the digital euro might look like when launched, but information remains scarce at the time of writing. However, ECB Director Christine Lagarde said the digital euro will not be designed to replace cash; rather, it will be designed to complement it.
The CBDC will be released on two fronts, both wholesale and retail, with the ECB noting that privacy and power consumption will take priority.
“We will also strive to achieve the highest standards of privacy and aim to contribute to financial inclusion and foster digital innovation, including with respect to payment programmability,” said Fabio Panetta, Member of the Executive Board of the ECB.
“In terms of implementation, we strive to minimize the time to market, costs, risks and environmental footprint associated with the digital euro,” he added.
Watch: The presentation of the BSV Global Blockchain Convention, CBDC and BSV
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New to Bitcoin? Discover CoinGeek bitcoin for beginners section, the ultimate resource guide to learn about bitcoin – as originally envisioned by Satoshi Nakamoto – and blockchain.


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Nintendo Ramps Up Super Mario Bros. Wonder Marketing with Amusing New Ad Depicting Bowser’s Reaction to Peach’s Elephant Transformation.
With the highly anticipated Switch title Super Mario Bros. Wonder launching on October 20th, 2023, Nintendo is aggressively promoting the game with advertising across media. The latest amusing ad highlights one of the title’s new features – the Elephant Fruit power-up – while showcasing villain Bowser’s enduring affection for Princess Peach despite her transformation.
The advertisement was initially uploaded to YouTube but then the official Nintendo UK X account tweeted out the video which can be viewed below:
The ad begins typically, with Bowser pursuing Peach, his perpetual object of obsession, with a simple flower. However, Peach inadvertently absorbs a tumbling Elephant Fruit, triggering her metamorphosis into Elephant Peach, complete with elephantine trunk and proportions. Initially shocked, Bowser ultimately responds by presenting Peach with an entire floral bouquet, demonstrating his indefatigable devotion.
The ad humorously exhibits the new Elephant ability in the game, allowing characters like Peach to charge through blocks and swing their trunks at foes. Transformations have been a staple of Mario titles for decades, but the Elephant Fruit offers a new creative spin. Unsurprisingly, Elephant Peach has already spawned memes among fans ahead of launch.
Beyond highlighting this single power-up, the ad reflects the constant undercurrent of Bowser’s fixation on Peach throughout the enduring franchise. Despite routinely kidnapping Peach, Bowser remains determined to win her affections. This ad suggests even Peach’s unconventional elephant form will not deter Bowser’s efforts in Super Mario Bros. Wonder.
Nintendo Promotes Game Aggressively Ahead of Launch
The latest installment represents a hotly anticipated 2D local co-op platforming return for the iconic series on Nintendo Switch. Slated to feature iconic characters like Mario, Luigi, Toad, Yoshi, Wario, the two previously mentioned and Princess Daisy.
We recently showcased over 40 minutes of gameplay here on the site, so if you’re itching for some insight before the official release then you should go check that out.
With the launch imminent, Nintendo is blanketing media with promotions like this lighthearted ad. Pre-orders already top Amazon charts, with fans scrambling for retailer exclusives and playable demos are available in stores, underscoring the communities excitement. Fresh details emerged recently on the badges system, in particular the invisibility perk.
More Mario Content:
- Villain King Boo Confirmed for Wonder
- Piranha Plant Joins LEGO Universe with New Interactive Set
- Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD Haunts Nintendo Switch Summer 2024
Nintendo clearly hopes ads showcasing the new powers will bolster hype for the game in the critical run-up to release.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder arrives on October the 20th, exclusively for the Nintendo Switch.
About The Author
Stephen is the proud owner of a popular gaming news website GLN, where he provides the latest updates on everything gaming-related. With a passion for video games that dates back to his childhood, Stephen is dedicated to sharing his knowledge and expertise with fellow gamers around the world.


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Kamloops farmers' market packed with supporters
As people are itching to return to the outdoors following pandemic restrictions, the Kamloops Regional Farmers' Market is seeing record attendance in both vendors and customers.
Greg Unger, farmers' market manager, said it’s been packed since April when the market opened for the season, so much so that he’s finding every odd space to put vendors and even had to turn some away.
The variety at the market is pretty much everything you can think of, he said. You can find locally-grown fruits and vegetables, garden plants, house plants, baked goods, vegan ice cream, coffee, donuts, hot dogs and more.
New this year are gin and vodka vendors including Red Bridge Distilling, Route 1 Distillery and Gin Lane.
“The Kamloops craft and distillery scene is exploding and we’re happy to support that,” Unger said.
A crafter’s market also showcases the creativity of vendors from the Kamloops region.
“We’ve had all kind of special events, music, the Pollinator Festival was new this year, it’s just been a really big exciting year for us,” Unger said.
The market is also expanding its accessibility with a ramp connecting crafter and farmer sections.
They’re also excited to announce the purchase of an electric front-loading cargo bike, an eco-friendly way to set up and take down the market. They got the bike with the support of A&T Construction and District Bicycle Company, Unger said.
You can visit the dog-friendly market every Saturday on St. Paul Street in Kamloops from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and on Wednesdays along Victoria Street outside of the Thompson Nicola Regional Library from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Both markets run until the end of October.
To contact a reporter for this story, email Carli Berry or call 250-864-7494 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.
We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above.


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Research in Motion CEO Mike Lazaridis has indicated that software found on the upcoming PlayBook tablet could well end-up on its BlackBerry smartphones as well.
During the Wall Street Journal's Dive Into Mobile event, Lazaridis said that he believes all future smartphones will be based on tablet devices, and that RIM will be the first one to implement the strategy.
“By focusing on the tablet market, we see an opportunity to free where the smartphone can go. When we have multi-core processors across the board, they’ll all be running the PlayBook platform,” he said during the conference.
RIM has been struggling to maintain its hold in the smartphone market thanks to the popularity of Apple's iOS devices and Google's Android powered smartphones.
The company recently released its new BlackBerry OS 6 operating system along with the Torch touch-screen slider smartphone to bolster its market presence in the wake of competition. The phone has seen unimpressive sales with users complaining that it's slow and has poor graphics.


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Pioneer and Alpine go head to head with Apple CarPlay aftermarket solutions as Freescale champions in-car heads-up displays for the masses. Andrew Tolve reports.
In this week’s Brief: Pioneer, Alpine, Apple, Mercedes, Volvo, Ferrari, Honda, Hyundai, Alibabi, AutoNavi, Tencent, Baidu, BMW, Google, Freescale Semiconductor, INRIX, Pitney Bowes, Volkswagen, AUPEO!, MirrorLink, AT&T, Volvo Car Group and Digital Radio UK.
Let the CarPlay wars begin.
A day after Pioneer and Alpine announced rival in-dash systems compatible with CarPlay, Apple took to its website to confirm for its users that they soon will be able to add CarPlay “to the cars they already own.” Pioneer and Alpine seem to be the only two manufacturers that Apple has tapped for the job, and their solutions sound pretty similar based upon their press respective releases, which read like twin logs passed through the Apple PR paper mill.
Both promise large touchscreens, compatibility with the iPhone 5s, 5c and 5, and the ability to use Siri to control CarPlay’s standard features, from Apple Maps to iTunes Radio. Priced between $700 and $1,400 depending on the model, the Pioneer system will hit the market in early summer in the United States. Alpine plans for a simultaneous North America and Europe launch of its solution this fall. Mercedes, Volvo, Ferrari, Honda and Hyundai have committed to embedding CarPlay in their new vehicles, with a raft of other OEMs to follow in 2015.
In other news, Chinese Internet behemoth Alibabi acquired AutoNavi in an all-cash transaction of $1.58 billion. Alibabi already owned 28% of AutoNavi, which it first pegged in May 2012 as a promising way to enter the mapping industry and compete with Tencent and Baidu. AutoNavi’s profits have been declining in the past two years, and, notably, it lost BMW as a customer this year. But the company does have the Chinese government’s mapping license, which gives it access to top-notch mapping data for which companies like Apple and Google are willing to pay handsomely.
Freescale Semiconductor introduced a new technology that aims to take heads-up displays from the exclusive domain of high-end cars to the masses. The solution reduces cost and complexity by combining the multiple external components in existing chips (main processor, graphics unit, external SRAM and dedicated circuitry) into a single triple-core chip with 1.7 times higher performance than its competition.
INRIX integrated location-based services into its traffic intelligence platform through a partnership with Pitney Bowes. The two plan to merge location capabilities with traffic analysis to create a beefed-up INRIX app that can recommend desirable locations partly based upon the user’s history and partly based upon the ease of navigating to those locations in current traffic. Headed to a department store around noon? The app can offer lunch recommendations based on user preferences, convenience, proximity and projected traffic patterns.
Volkswagen penned a deal to bring AUPEO!’s audio streaming platform to its cars. AUPEO! works much like Pandora, harnessing an algorithm to create custom radio stations for its listeners. The carmaker will use MirrorLink integration to allow drivers to stream AUPEO! directly into the dash, where they can display and manage the app.
In the United States, AT&T locked Volvo Car Group into a multi-year agreement for high-speed wireless services. When 2015 Volvo vehicles trundle off the factory floor later this year with the all-new Sensus Connected Touch infotainment systems embedded inside, those vehicles will use AT&T to power the service.
Finally, is FM radio going the way of the woolly mammoth and the Dodo bird? A new report shows that 45% of new cars in the United Kingdom come with digital audio broadcasting (DAB) radio as standard today in place of its FM kin and that more than 50% of new cars will likely come fitted with DAB by the second half of this year. Digital Radio UK has set a major initiative in motion to get the number of local DAB transmitters to FM equivalence in the U.K., thus expanding network coverage from 94% of the population to 97%.
The Weekly Brief is a round-up of the week’s top telematics news, combining TU analysis with information from industry press releases.
Andrew Tolve is a regular contributor to Telematics Update.
For all the latest telematics trends, check out Insurance Telematics Europe 2014 on May 6-7 in London, Data Business for Connected Vehicles Japan 2014 on May 14-15 in Tokyo, Telematics India and South Asia 2014 on May 28-29 in Bangalore, India, Insurance Telematics Canada 2014 on May 28-29 in Toronto, Telematics Update Awards 2014 on June 3 in Novi, Michigan, Telematics Detroit 2014 on June 4-5 in Novi, Michigan, Advanced Automotive Safety USA 2014 on July 8-9 in Novi, Michigan, Insurance Telematics USA 2014 on Sept. 3-4 in Chicago, Telematics Japan 2014 in October in Tokyo and Telematics Munich 2014 on Nov. 10-11 in Munich, Germany.
For exclusive telematics business analysis and insight, check out TU’s reports: Insurance Telematics Report 2014, Connected Fleet Report 2014, The Automotive HMI Report 2013 and Telematics Connectivity Strategies Report 2013.
06 May 2014 - 07 May 2014, Novotel London West, UK
Telematics, Insurers and the Consumer Collide: Harness ‘Big Data’ to Create Product Differentiation, Engage & Empower the End-User


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Yesterday afternoon, NBCUniversal CEO Steve Burke took the stage at CES 2016 to make a case for the traditional TV business. Facing increasing competitions from the new Internet TV services like Netflix and digital videos, the TV ratings has been in steady decline for the past few years, but Burke firmly believes that the TV business is going to adept and hang around “for many, many years.”
Throughout his conversation with MediaLink CEO Michael Kassan, Burke stressed several times on the incomparable mass reach that TV possesses. “Niche content might work with targeted digital ads,” he admits, “but if you want a blockbuster, you better advertise on the Super Bowl.” He thinks too many marketers have been treating digital videos as a “shining new thing” that will magically replace the scale of TV, and warned against such mentality.
Nevertheless, the TV industry still needs to adept to the shifting viewing behaviors and pick up a few tricks from their digital competitors to connect with today’s mobile-first consumers. When asked about NBCUniversal’s recent investment in Vox and Buzzfeed, Burke said one of the reasons they invested is “to learn from them, to go to market with them.” He regards consumer data and premium content as the two key weapons that will help TV compete with its digital videos.
When asked if services like Netflix were enemies, friends, or frenemies, he said “all of the above,” and admitted that Netflix has definitely impacted the ratings, “but not as much as time-shifted viewing.” He concludes that all players in the content space will have to continue to evolve, and figure out how to get better at distributing content in digital spaces. To that end, NBC’s new OTT comedy streaming service SeeSo seems like a step in the right direction.
For more of the Lab’s CES coverage, click here.
Facebook reported its quarterly earnings yesterday and, all things considered, the social network is doing splendidly well, especially in regard to its mobile ad revenues. The company reported a 45% year over year increase in ad sales in the Q3 2015, bringing total ad sales to $4.3 billion, of which mobile ads took up about 78% ($3.4 billion). Moreover, Facebook also reported 8 billion average daily video views from 500 million users, up from just 4 billion video views per day in April.
With mobile ads now accounting for the majority of its ad revenues, Facebook’s transformation into a mobile company is now more than half complete. The majority of users are accessing the social network via mobile devices, and its monetization focus has also shifted toward mobile. Although part of that 8 billion views is no doubt fueled by the autoplay videos on user timelines, the impressive number still indicates early success in Facebook’s ongoing efforts to build out its video platform, which bodes well for Facebook as it competes with YouTube for the TV commercial dollars that are shifting to digital video.
Source: AdWeek and TechCrunch; Chart from Statista
Earlier this week, CNN announced its plan to launch a digital video platform named Great Big Story (GBS) that targets millennials with “three to five non-fiction videos per day” that caters to the interests of “urban, globally curious 25-to-35-year-olds.” CNN plans to rely on Facebook, YouTube, and an upcoming GBS mobile app as its primary means of distribution, with an app for OTT streaming platforms like Roku and Apple TV coming next year. The news network indicates no immediate plans for display advertising or pre-roll commercials on GBS, but focusing all initial advertising efforts on branded content instead.
What Brands Need To Do
By launching GBS, CNN is effectively building a young-skewing content platform to go after the content marketing dollars, which puts them in direct competition with the likes of Buzzfeed and Vice. For brands, it’s time to recognize the rising importance of branded content, especially videos, in reaching today’s younger, tech-savvy audience and start to team up with media owners to create quality content that people want to watch and share.
Following the launch of its OTT video service Watchable in July, Comcast continues its attempt in broadening its content offering by adding digital videos right into its X1 set-top box. Bringing in short-form videos from a number of content providers, including ABC, Discovery, AMC, BBC America, and its subsidiary NBC, Comcast’s digital content mostly consists of clips of news and sports at the moment. While it probably won’t be enough to convince the customers considering cord-cutting to keep their service, it does offer a nice complement to the existing living room viewing experience.
What Brands Need To Do
With consumers of all age demos excluding baby boomers now watch as much digital video as television, traditional media companies are starting to recognize the importance of digital content in reaching the increasingly fragmented audience today. In August, Comcast invested $200 million in BuzzFeed via NBCUniversal, making a play for its viral digital content. As the audience continues to migrate towards OTT on-demand platforms, marketers and brands will have to follow the eyeballs, as well as developing a more comprehensive digital strategy and campaign approaches.


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National Shooting Sports Foundation's Mark Oliva discusses a new law in New York that allows 3rd parties to sue gun companies. Listen to the whole interview at https://bit.ly/3e9qZ96, and read more at https://bit.ly/3yROjjE.
For more videos like this one, subscribe to Gun Talk at www.guntalktv.com, on Gun Talk's Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Android TV, iOS app, Android app, Chromecast, or find Gun Talk on YouTube, Facebook, or Instagram. Copyright
©2021 Freefire Media, LLC


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Well, it's official - Q3 2008 saw Apple's only current smartphone, the iPhone 3G, outsell the numerous devices based on the Windows Mobile platform not only in USA but on worldwide scale. That's some surprising news, we bet Mr. Jobs is already throwing in a dinner party.
Despite the global financial crisis the smartphone market share is still growing (though at a slower pace than last year) and territories are being remapped. The third quarter of 2008 saw some really interesting changes in position.
Nokia is still king of the hill with 42.4% market share in Q3, but for the first time they have a decline in sales as compared to last year.
Windows Mobile has shamefully slipped behind Apple proving that sometimes it's not all about pumped up specs, but user experience and service integration count big time as well.
RIM's Blackberry devices are also growing in popularity having 81.7% more sales than last year's quarter. And they should do even better in Q4. Seems like the Bold and the Storm just might liven up the conservative facade of the brand.
Different OSes are changing market shares too. For the first time Symbian has fallen bellow 50% market share possibly because of the rise in popularity of touch-screen devices, which effectively lacked in the Nokia portfolio in Q3. Sony Ericsson's UIQ wasn't there to fill the gap either.
The now elederly WinMo will probably continue to suffer hard hits from the competition due to its inferior user-friendliness. The OS definitely needs a serious refresh and we really hope to see one soon.
But user-friendliness is only part of the game. The successful future of the smartphone platforms will also depend on building up better application portfolios, wider online services with easier and more intuitive access. AppStore or no AppStore, Apple's application business model is one fine example of delivering the right content straight to the device hassle-free.
The iPhone is the best gadget I've ever had! if you used one and took a glance look at the new released smartphones and the pocket PCs you'll figure the reason for its massive sales.
I am not surprised the at iPhone's success. I was in an Apple store and I tried one out, they are fantastic phones!
Iphone is the most envied phone ever. It's ridiculous that some people would actually go out of their way to post silly comments just to pull the iphone down when it's obviously a bestseller. The iphone is not for everybody, although everybody ...