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Thursday is delivery day at the Yellowstone Valley Food Hub, and it’s a busy place, with orders being filled and ready to head out the door.
The food—everything from beef to vegetables to dairy and other products— is all locally grown by local farmers and ranchers, most of whom have small operations.
“We are just trying to make local food as accessible as possible,” says general manager Michelle Schahczenski.
The food hub got its start a few years ago as a collaboration between the Northern Plains Resource Council and local farmers and ranchers.
“We provide almost like this incubator for small producers. If we can provide a steady market, then somebody who has a really small farm that they are starting has a chance to get their feet on the ground if they know that they have this market that is already secured,” says Schahczenski.
Producers say that can really make a difference in meeting some of the challenges they face.
“A lot of the challenge was finding the money for marketing, finding the market research, just being able to get the word out there that you have local products available to the public,” says Sara Hollenbeck, whose company, High Five Meats, sells lamb and other products through the food hub.
As the operation grew, she also was able to use the food hub’s freezers to store her product.
“It's convenient, really. Before you are running around, you are trying to sell all over the place. The food hub really puts it all together. I can bring the product in. They handle the invoices, the payments some of the storage and delivery, so it works great for us,” says Tom Tschiea, who has a small grass-fed cattle operation near Bridger.
Veronica Evenson uses aquaponics to grow lettuce for her company Swanky Roots. She’s used the food hub since its inception and is also now starting to get the product into some grocery stores in Montana.
“I don’t know if people really understand what it takes to get to food. You are so used to just going to the grocery store and picking it off the shelf, so the food hub really connects the customers with the people growing it,” she says.
It became obvious during the early days of the pandemic how important those local producers can be.
“When there was a food shortage and no ground beef in the grocery stores, us producers had an abundance of beef and meat and vegetables available because we didn’t have to wait on distribution trucks because our food was here,” says Annika Charter-Williams, who raises cattle outside of Billings and sells the meat through the food hub.
“There’s so many benefits to keeping food local. I think there’s a statistic that about 80 cents of every dollar you spend locally stays within your economy, but also when you are buying local from producers from farmers from ranchers you are encouraging them to keep those sales in your city—so that you will always have access to that kind of food,” says Charter-Williams.
She also believes there is no better food than what is grown locally.
The process is simple. Customers can order online by Tuesday night and then every Thursday the food is delivered to several locations for pickup. They will also deliver to your home for an extra charge.
While orders soared early in the pandemic, they have leveled off since. Schahczenski is hoping people will continue to see the benefit of keeping local food as accessible as possible-- the main idea behind the Yellowstone Valley Food Hub.


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Earlier this week there were rumours that Tesla was going to postpone their plans to begin 4680 battery cell production at Giga Berlin. The speculation was that Tesla was going to instead ship equipment destined for the German factory to the United States to manufacture cells at Giga Texas in order to take advantage of tax credits from the new Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).
According to a report by German publication rbb24, Tesla confirmed to some of its partners in the Grünheide region on Friday that they have no intention of slowing down their plans for battery production at Giga Berlin.
In fact, Tesla said the German battery plant will progress faster than originally planned.
At the same time, Tesla said it will also speed up its plans for battery production at Giga Texas to take advantage of the tax credits, somewhat confirming the previous reports.
However, Tesla clarified that the two operations will be ramped simultaneously.
As part of the plans, Tesla could send some workers from Germany to Texas to support the accelerated production ramp in the US.
This shift to accelerate battery production in the US should translate into massive savings for Tesla, with estimates indicating it could reduce the cost to produce 1kWh of battery capacity by over one third.
According to Tesla’s original plans, the Giga Berlin battery plant will have an initial production capacity of 100GWh per year. Over time that capacity will increase to as much as 250GWh per year.
Construction of the facility has been progressing quickly. The exterior of the building is largely complete, and work has begun on finishing the interior. No battery production has been spotted yet on site.

domain: news


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(ANSA) – Rome, December 7 – The 10th edition of the Buy
Tourism Online (BTO) online tourism expo in Florence on November
29 and 30 saw over 160 events with more than 200 presenters in
new technology and digital tourism, including main operators in
the sector such as Google, Facebook, Airbnb, Trivago,
Tripadvisor, Booking, and Expedia.
The expo focused on best practices in areas including
cybersecurity against online fraud and new digital frontiers
such as artificial intelligence.
In addition to key themes such as online safety, other topics
included Asia as an emerging market, and the application of
artificial intelligence in the travel field.
The event was capped off by the December 1 event with
Ecosistemi Digitali (Digital Ecosystems), which highlighted
Italy’s leading role in the areas of digital tourism and
More than 100 participants attended the event, with experts
from the startup country in the sector including representatives
from the Italian Culture Ministry MiBACT, regional governments,
the Tuscan Tourism Promotion, and the Italian Tourism Board
(ENIT), to discuss spreading best practices in digital tourism.
“On the hospitality side, the top best practices presented
were those that have developed a direct contact with people who
live in a particular area,” said the director of Tuscan Tourism
Promotion, Alberto Peruzzini.
“It’s a factor that, for a region like Tuscany, has become an
essential need in terms of tourism promotion. Regarding
narration, the need to work on innovative forms of tourism is
emerging, to make an effort to move away from stereotypes and
find different people who are able to tell about their
experience in an authentic way,” he said.
During the BTO expo, Italian environmental association
Legambiente awarded 15 tourism structures with their “Oscars for
Ecotourism” 2018, a prize that goes to hotels, bathing
establishments, farm stays, parks, and protected areas that have
adopted innovative practices and the best solutions for


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Answering questions from callers, former hedge fund manager and CNBC “Mad Money” host Jim Cramer revealed his favorite stock picks Thursday.
5G Is King
Smartphone maker BlackBerry Ltd (NYSE: BB) is clearly not Cramer’s favorite. Describing it as “absolutely nothing,” he suggested a caller take their money if there’s anything left and buy Marvell Technology Group Ltd (NASDAQ: MRVL) because “5G is king.”
Marvell Tech is engaged in the design, development and marketing of integrated circuits for communications-related markets.
Another tech darling of Cramer’s is Adobe Inc. (NASDAQ: ADBE).
"Why not buy a big position in Adobe?" he said. "That company is great."
Given the coronavirus pandemic, it was no surprise that pharmaceutical and medical stocks were discussed.
Cramer is positive on Intuitive Surgical Inc. (NASDAQ: ISRG) which he described as a “winner.” The company develops, manufactures and markets robotic products used in minimally invasive surgeries. Their most well-known product is the da Vinci Surgical System.
"I love the product," he said of Intuitive Surgical.
A Leap Of Faith And A Gamble
Cramer’s advice on Inovio Pharmaceuticals Inc.(NASDAQ: INO)?
“So if you can handle the speculation, you can put one-twentieth of your money into it. No more than that.” Inovio is in a race to create a vaccine for COVID-19.
Cramer called it the most speculative of stocks that he discussed on the show Thursday.
Another speculative pick he mentioned is Provention Bio Inc. (NASDAQ: PRVB). The company has paused its Phase 3 Type 1 diabetes drug trial.
Expressing his faith in Penn National Gaming, Inc. (NASDAQ: PENN) and its celebrity founder Dave Portnoy, Cramer said he believes the pandemic will end and “Portnoy is going to come on top ... I believe in Penn National.” He warned that it will not not happen fast because “of COVID.”
Penn National operates, owns or has interests in 39 gaming and racing facilities, as well as video game operations in the United States.
An Invitation Is Extended
Simon Property Group Inc. (NYSE: SPG) recently closed all its U.S. retail properties — malls, premium outlets and mills — due to the coronavirus pandemic. Cramer called out to David Simon, the company’s chairman, “come on the show.”
Photo courtesy of Intuitive Surgical.
See more from Benzinga
- WWE's Wrestlemania 36 Takes Another Blow, Could Be Without Top Star Roman Reigns
- US Surpasses China And Italy In Number Of Infected With COVID-19
- Huawei Releases Latest Flagship Phone Amid Global Coronavirus Lockdown
© 2020 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.


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April 12, 2015
Just outside Arusha, a women’s group is learning to make and can a variety of jams that they can sell in nearby markets: mango and guava, banana-ginger and an onion marmalade.
It’s a sharp learning curve for them. To be able to sell commercially, they have to learn about health and sanitation (for a food-safety certification) in addition to perfecting their jam recipes.
Like much of sub-Saharan Africa, Tanzania produces all kinds of food for local consumption as well as export. Yet here, in the part of the world that can arguably least afford to waste food, a good portion of these crops are lost.
Much of the loss happens before the food can be eaten, during the so-called “post-harvest” phase between harvest and the point of sale or consumption. The problem is that the equipment and methods that many small-scale farmers use to process and store their crops are inadequate, so months after the harvest, tons of corn might be infested with insects or contaminated with toxic mold.
This waste stream of food is starting to attract attention from global agriculture organizations and financial institutions, offering hope that the losses can be reduced, and with them rates of rural hunger and malnutrition.
Food waste in Africa and other developing nations is an entirely different problem than it is in developed regions. In developed regions, the biggest waste — more than 40 percent — occurs at the retail and consumer levels. In developing regions, often the biggest chunk of food loss — more than 40 percent — occurs during the post-harvest phase, according to a 2011 U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) report.
Across sub-Saharan Africa, more than a third of fruits, vegetables, roots, and tubers are lost by the time they are processed or packaged, according to the FAO report, the most recent comprehensive estimate available.
More precise estimates vary from year to year and from country to country. In Kenya, pests destroy up to 30 percent of all maize harvested — a total loss of about 162 million tons, according to the government-run Kenya Agricultural Research Institute.
Ghana, meanwhile, loses up to 50 percent of its main crops of vegetables, fruits, cereals, roots, and tubers, said Joe Oteng-Adjei, the country’s Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, according to the news service GhanaWeb.
There’s a growing interest in solving this problem.
There is a quickly-growing array of tools, from forced-air cooling rooms to solar dryers, that can help farmers and processors preserve their harvest in the absence of the grain elevators, refrigerators, and freezers that developed countries rely on so heavily.
Research has shown that switching from wood-slat to plastic crates can reduce tomatoes lost during transport from 53-to-22 percent.
Compatible Technology International, a Minnesota-based nonprofit, has designed and tested several products to reduce crop losses in various African countries in recent years. The organization recently introduced equipment for processing millet in Senegal that it says captures more than 90 percent of the grain — up from roughly half using traditional methods — while also nearly eliminating contaminants.
Other researchers in Tanzania, Kenya, and a few other countries are studying the potential of plant materials to serve as pesticides during crop storage.
Source AFK Insider


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DuPont Packaging Graphics recently conducted the second in a series of flexographic printing seminars in Eastern Africa in conjunction with flexo industry associates, including Tesa, Esko, Chespa, and Windmöller & Hölscher.
Held in Nairobi, Kenya, the seminar was attended by almost 50 printing experts representing the entire value chain from pre-press to press from more than 20 companies in the growing Eastern Africa region. The seminar was titled “Quality at its Best – Advancing Flexography in Africa,” and featured the use of DuPont™ Cyrel® flexographic systems.
“Eastern Africa is one of the fastest growing regions in the world where there is a significant increase in demand for sustainable packaging solutions, and a higher expectation of quality,” said Hans-Peter Hormann, Business Development Manager DuPont™ Cyrel® EMEA.
“Flexographic printing is delivering sustainability, productivity and quality to help packaging printers address these needs [and] we estimate that more than 250 attendees from Nigeria, Tanzania, and Kenya have gained important insights from these seminars to date.”
“It is satisfying to see the enthusiasm of the attendees after presenting the printing results, which are standard these days within a flexo printing process,” said Johan Bastiaen, Sales Account Manager Middle East & Africa ,who represented Esko with his presentation “Results That Make You Smile.”
“There is no way not to roll out Flexo in Africa on a large scale,” said Vincent Marzin, Sales Manager Export Sales, Industrial Division, of Tesa. “There is a vast demand for quality and sustainability solutions.”
After watching the “Virtual drupa 2012” video from DuPont, Richard Okemwa, Sales Co-ordinator, from Sanjac Packaging Limited, the major flexo distributor in Kenya, commented, “We have not been able to attend drupa 2012 in Germany this time. However, we feel delighted to see, that drupa show came to us.”
“We see a great benefit for us, but also for the flexo market in Africa, to show effective printing solutions from pre-press, substrates, inks, flexo plates to flexo presses, that are cast in one pour,” said Joachim Siekiera, Chairman of the board, from Chespa. “This is really a great chance as we don’t build on legacy business, but provide almost a new flexo community on the green field. The demand is huge.”
DuPont Packaging Graphics expects to continue the series of flexo seminars in Africa throughout the year and to strengthen a regional contact network through the African DuPont organization and through specialized dealers in the region.


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A listing at the Brazilian telecommunications agency ANATEL has revealed the model numbers of Brazil Version of the LG Velvet.
As you can see from the above screenshot, The upcoming LG device with the model number LM-G910EMW has just been approved by the ANATEL.
According to our sources, the LM-G910EMW could be the LG VELVET, LG’s upcoming flagship smartphone for 2020.
LG announced its new flagship LG VELVET on April 12, but LG did not provide other details about the Velvet, such as a release date or price.
It is reported that LG will launch the LG Velvet on May 15 in South Korea.


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Saturday, March 24, 2018 from 7:30 a.m. to 12 noon.
Foothills Higher Education Center, 2128 South Sterling Street
The theme this year: Totally Awesome
Tune in to your health this year at Lady Fair where we are going back to the ‘80s.
Carolinas HealthCare System Blue Ridge welcomes “totally awesome” women of all ages to the region’s single largest annual event dedicated solely to women.
This year, the doors open at 7:30 a.m. Free screenings offered include:
- Diabetes risk assessments
- Blood pressure checks
- Cholesterol screening
- Nutrition education
- Bone density screening
- Lung health screening
- Skin cancer screening
- Ankle brachial index (circulation)
If you get an abnormal reading on one or more of your screenings, staff will follow up. During last year’s event, we conducted more than 200 cholesterol screenings, 120 skin screenings, 160 respiratory screenings and 190 A1C diabetes screening.
Lady Fair will have select vendors with items for sale so bring your wallet. Some of our vendors who have already confirmed are:
- The Thankful Goat
- Premier Jewelry
- Pampered Chef
- Posh Skin Care
- David’s Creations
- Country Girl Soaps
- Keep Me Safe Organics
- Beltone Hearing
- Betsy’s Weaving
- D & L Candles
- Sylvia Designs
- Burke Myo Therapy
- Party Lite Candles
- Lucy’s Crafts
- Firefly Recycled Glass
A lot of educational material will be available for women who decide not to get screened. “We have our service lines and practices will be represented there and you can come through and ask questions,” said Danette Brackett, executive director of Business Development for Carolinas HealthCare System Blue Ridge.
The first Lady Fair was held almost 15 years ago. “We wanted to have a day just for women so they can get potentially life-saving screenings and get health information,” Brackett said. “You’ll also get the chance to shop for items you can’t find in a store.”
Carolinas HealthCare System Blue Ridge is focused on wellness, preventive care and knowing your health numbers. We hope you will attend. Interpreters will be available for Hmong, Spanish and deaf and hard of hearing.


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As superstorm Sandy bore down on the region during the early hours of Oct. 29, Lorne Edan Stockton decided to pick up a few things at the CVS Pharmacy on the 3900 block of Hollins Ferry Rd. in Lansdowne.
A couple of problems: CVS was closed at the time, and according to a police report, Stockton entered the store by smashing out the drive-thru window.
At around 12:41 a.m., the 30-year-old Stockton destroyed the drive-thru window of the store by undisclosed means, then entered the pharmacy and began placing drugs in a trash can, according to the police report.
Stockton was interrupted by a patrol car arriving at the scene, and attempted to flee on foot but was caught shortly afterward, the report said.
Stockton, who lives in the unit block of Stonecroft Road in Baltimore City, was charged with second-degree burglary.


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Pepsi soda is displayed on shelves at the Walmart Supercenter on December 06, 2022 in Austin, Texas. PepsiCo, the maker of Pepsi soda, plans to cut hundreds of corporate jobs at its North American division, according to a news report from The Wall Street Journal.
Brandon Bell | Getty Images
PepsiCo reported quarterly earnings and revenue on Thursday that exceeded analysts’ expectations, fueled by higher prices for its snacks and drinks.
But the company saw volumes in its food business fall 2% worldwide as price hikes hurt consumer demand. Nevertheless, Pepsi plans to intensify its “revenue management”, which generally means raising prices based on estimates that inflationary pressures will remain in 2023.
Shares of the company rose more than 1%.
Here’s what the company reported compared to what Wall Street expected, based on a poll of analysts by Refinitiv:
- Earnings per share: $1.67 adjusted versus $1.65 expected
- Revenue: $28 billion vs. $26.84 billion expected
The food and beverage giant posted fourth-quarter net income of $518 million, or 37 cents per share, up from $1.32 billion, or 95 cents per share, a year ago. Pepsi said it wrote down some of its brands, including SodaStream and Pioneer Foods, because of high interest rates.
Excluding those impairment charges, gains from selling its juice business, write-downs of its Russian assets and other items, Pepsi earned $1.67 per share.
Net sales increased 10.9% to $28 billion. The company’s organic revenue, which strips out the impact of acquisitions and divestitures, climbed 14.6% in the quarter.
But demand for Pepsi products actually declined during the quarter. Volume, which excludes pricing and currency fluctuations, fell 7% in Quaker Foods North America and 2% in its North American Beverage division.
One bright spot was Pepsi Zero Sugar, which saw a 26% increase in volumes. And the authorities have high hopes for the drink. The company announced in mid-January that it had revamped the formula to more closely match Western Europe’s version, nearly a year after rival Coca-Cola updated Coke Zero’s recipe. As part of the relaunch, Pepsi is running two Super Bowl ads on Sunday highlighting Pepsi Zero Sugar.
Frito-Lay North America reported flat volume for the quarter, despite double-digit revenue growth for Doritos, Cheetos, Smartfood and several of its other brands.
Looking to 2023, Pepsi is forecasting 6% growth in organic revenue and 8% growth in its core constant currency earnings per share. Wall Street is forecasting net sales growth of 3.5% and earnings per share growth of 7.3%.
“Would we expect volumes to be down? Maybe they’ll be down a little bit,” CFO Hugh Johnson told analysts on a conference call.
He said there could be a “mild” recession in the US and some developed markets in the second half of 2023.
Read PepsiCo’s full earnings report here.


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Taiwan-based touch panel supplier Wintek has been blamed for a delay of iPad shipments, according to a Chinese-language report on the “Liberty Times.”
Actually, the WiFi only version goes on sale April 3. All Apple originally said was they’re go on sale in late March.
The “Liberty Times” report claimed that Wintek is facing a manufacturing bottleneck in its touch panel production, and its low yield rate for touch panels has hampered its shipments to Apple. However, according to “DigiTimes” (http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20100319PB202.html), in response to the report, Wintek, in a statement filed with the Taiwan Stock Exchange said that all of its operations have been running in line with its plans, and it declined to comment on individual clients or particular orders.


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Amazon has been the Goliath of the e-book battleground. Booksellers, publishers, authors, and libraries have all taken turns bemoaning the buying power and aggressive price strategy employed by the Seattle company. But that notion may not be correct any longer, according to Chris Rechtsteiner, blogger and publisher of the weekly newsletter Thinking Out Loud, who suggested four months ago that libraries were the real threat to e-book sales.
Now, Rechtsteiner, who is also the founder and chief strategist for research firm BlueLoop Concepts, says people simply not reading is now the biggest challenge facing booksellers, publishers, and libraries. They’re not reading because there are so many low-cost alternatives to capture their attention, whether accessed via television, tablet, or smartphone.
In a recent postfor digitalbookworld.com, he speculated that libraries have dealt with the issue of people not reading for quite some time and have been forced to adapt more quickly. Creating programs to lend e-books and e-readers is the sort of innovation booksellers and publishers have not been doing with the same sense of urgency.
Booksellers and authors are trying, but need help from publishers, according to Rechtsteiner.
“Publishers (both old and new) must step up and provide the platforms (and rights-management frameworks) for innovation needed by booksellers (all types of booksellers) and authors to push reading forward,” he wrote. “If they don’t, publishers will fall by the wayside as true innovation will be limited to a few (one?) large players investing on their own behalf (see Amazon, Barnes & Noble + Microsoft), while authors take their storytelling to completely new platforms that are altogether outside of the bookselling and library frameworks.”


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SMR provides about 6.6% higher capacity than CMR at 30+ TB, compared to roughly 16% higher at 24+ TB.
Seagate unveils HAMR HDD platform for 30TB+ HDDs with new media, new heads, and a new controller.
A producer of thin films for HDDs has ‘collapsed’ and 600 people will have to find new jobs, according to reports from Taiwan.
The Sony PS5 Slim's external disc drive requires an internet connection for pairing, but some have raised fears this will make it hard to play games down the line.
Western Digital's 28TB Ultrastar DC HC HDD is set to compete against Seagate's 32 TB Exos HDD next year.
Stay on the Cutting Edge
Join the experts who read Tom's Hardware for the inside track on enthusiast PC tech news — and have for over 25 years. We'll send breaking news and in-depth reviews of CPUs, GPUs, AI, maker hardware and more straight to your inbox.


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Facebook Removes Privacy Setting For Timeline Searches
Now, every Facebook user is searchable by anyone else on the social network. Facebook announced that it has removed the privacy setting that allowed users to remain hidden from Timeline searches. Facebook reasoned that only a small percentage of its 1.2 billion users were using the privacy setting in the first place. According to them, the best way to limit what people can find about you on Facebook is to choose who can see the individual things you share.
The “Who can look up your Timeline by name?” was a Facebook feature that moderated the visibility of your account through a search from the search bar on top. You could decide if you wanted to be found by everyone or selectively stay visible to your friends and friends of friends. Facebook’s Chief Privacy Officer Michael Richter said that this privacy was glitch prone as people could still come to your Timeline by clicking your name in a story on the News Feed. Furthermore, it made things confusing for a circle of friends or the ones in the same Facebook Group as they couldn’t locate each other through the search bar though they knew each other personally. Anyone who had the old setting active, should see a notification as the one below:
Facebook’s Graph Search has introduced different ways to search through the circle of friends. Facebook has also improved its privacy features and now gives you more fine-tuned controls over each individual items you share. The announcement post linked to below gives you a refresher on the account controls to keep in mind while sharing.
Everyone has an opinion on Facebook’s privacy changes. Tell us yours. Does this change make it more convenient, or does it really bother you?
Source: Facebook Newsroom
Affiliate Disclosure: By buying the products we recommend, you help keep the site alive. Read more.


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Or, makes it policy for developers with games featuring loot boxes to disclose the drop rates and odds for receiving each item. So yeah, here we are on the tail end of 2017 The Year of the Loot Box - and Apple is now a leader in clearing up all the rampant confusion with loot box economies in games.
So the question now will be exactly how developers respond to this change. For companies like Blizzard, recent moves along these lines in China has resulted in the company no longer selling card packs for Hearthstone. Instead the loophole or workaround is to sell crafting materials to players so they can craft the cards they want. And then simply provide "free packs" after spending a certain amount.
Which is, a little sneaky.


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According to Dagens Naeringsliv, Norwegian millionaire Ola Braanaas would rather get rid of salmon lice than have to use his new boat for delousing.
Braanaas, who is the founder and owner of the Norwegian company Firda, invested in the boat “Firda Fighter” to combat lice. It was built in Turkey and arrived in Norway in February. The boat is designed for thermal delousing and can handle up to 200 tonnes of salmon per hour.
“The best thing is if the boat stays idle and the problems with lice are being resolved,” said Ola Braanaas.
Although he acknowledges there are different causes of stress to fish, the goal is to reduce this strain on the fish through efficient and good handling methods.
Braanaas calls the boat a “crazy investment”, and believes it sends out a signal to those who say the company does not do anything to combat lice.
Prior to investing in the boat, the company spent between €2.5-3.0m a year to purchase services for delousing.
According to Braanaas, the biggest advantage of having their own boat for delousing is that the company itself can control the work schedule and use the boat whenever needed.


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In what was the lowest national offering for 25 years, the Australian wool market rose for the second week in a row with the AWEX Eastern Market Indicator (EMI) adding 13 cents, closing at 1183 cents per kilogram for the week.
And although this only equated to a humble 1.1 per cent increase, it was welcome news to sellers as buyers interest lifted with orders needing to be filled.
The national offering was just 15,375 bales, 3453 fewer than last week and and the lowest national quantity since AWEX records began in 1995.
Only Melbourne and Sydney sale centres operated this week with no Fremantle sale.
Most individual microns recorded price rises of two to 30 cents, with the exception of 16.5, 18 and 21 microns in the south sale recording little change.
The limited offering of Merino skirtings, crossbred and oddment attracted strong demand, pushing prices higher, generally between 20 and 30 cents.
The crossbreds also enjoyed rises this week with 26 to 28 microns rising by 12 to 41 cents.
But industry experts warn the rise is not to be seen anything but for what it is - a reaction to the low supply.
Craig Lawson, Southern NSW Wool Manager, Nutrien Ag Solutions, said the rise in the EMI over the last two weeks has been due to a squeeze on to fill orders as well as the market following conventional economic ideology - the reduced supply attracting stronger demand.
"Buyers have orders that they have to complete so they can get them delivered to China," Mr Lawson said.
"The quantities that are being offered are expected to remain low until the end of June. One of those reasons is a number of growers have been advised by their accountant to not sell until the next financial year."
He anticipates a spike in amount of wool placed onto the market during the first two sales in July, before the annual three week recess, which will put pressure on the market to sustain the level it's at right now.
"We are only getting a limited rise on very small offerings, once we get a bit more quantity coming in, it will put stress on the market to hold its levels," Mr Lawson said.
We are only getting a limited rise on very small offerings, once we get a bit more quantity coming in, it will put stress on the market to hold its levels
"I really don't believe there will be a significant rise in the wool market for 12 months.
"We still can't physically deliver wool to a major part of the world because countries are still in semi or full lockdown."
He said Italian mills are operating at a 30pc capacity and mills in India are operating at 20pc capacity.
"That will all change in time, but they are not going to go back to 100pc in a week or two," he said.
"It will take time - the longer it takes, the longer it is going to keep the pressure on markets to not rise.
"The other telling reason is we are not selling a product out the other end at the moment because no one has been able to go out and buy the product. It is a snowballing effect."
Worth noting, due to the strengthening of the Australian dollar, the price increases when viewed in USD terms were more significant.
The EMI rose by 44 USc for the series, closing the week at 821 USc, this was a rise of 5.3pc.
Sales resume at all three centres next week, with quantities increasing to 24,140 bales currently lotted for sale with Fremantle rejoining the selling program.
The story Smallest offering in 25 years sparks buyer interest first appeared on Farm Online.


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Chrysler LLC and England's Lotus Cars Ltd. are in talks to produce an electric sports car.
Frank Klegon, Chrysler executive vice president of product development, told Automotive News on Tuesday that the sports car--called the Dodge ev--would go from 0 to 60 mph in less than five seconds.
"Lotus has a lot of experience with lightweight vehicles and aluminum structures," Klegon said on the sidelines of a Chrysler press event. "We have experience with propulsion systems."
It was not immediately clear what time frame Chrysler was pursuing for the vehicle.
Lotus already plays a major role in an electric car being built by California startup company Tesla Motors Inc. The $109,000 Tesla Roadster is based on the Lotus Elise. Tesla has taken more than 600 orders for the car. Its first dealership opened on May 1 and 27 customers have taken delivery of the vehicle.


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The word “farm” usually conjures up images of lush greenery, animals and Midwestern amber waves of grain. Yet rarely, if ever, does the word invoke a Brooklyn, New York, parking lot.
It may sound unreal, but one team of entrepreneurs has set up farms — in shipping containers, no less — to bring fresh produce to urban residents. Even more surprising, the food is grown without natural sunlight or soil.
“By 2050, there’ll be 9 billion people and the planet, and 70 percent of them all live in the city. Those people need feeding and those people will want real food,” said Tobias Peggs, the CEO of Square Roots Grow, the start-up behind the shipping container farms. He cited 2015 population estimates from the United Nations.
“So the only conclusion that you can draw here as an entrepreneur is, we have to figure out how to grow a lot of real food right in the middle of the city at scale as quickly as possible,” Peggs added.
The start-up is the brain child of Peggs and Kimbal Musk, the brother of Tesla founder Elon Musk. They selected 10 entrepreneurs to run their own farm, located behind a former Pfizer factory in the shadow of the Marcy Houses — a public housing development where rapper Shawn “Jay Z” Carter, grew up.
Meanwhile, this particular farm produce comes with a unique touch.
“This food is grown hydroponically, which means that the nutrients are mixed with the water that feeds the roots, they’re not put into soil,” Peggs said.
In each of the 10 shipping containers Square Roots uses, the plants grow on vertical towers stacked side to side in the container. This means each container is the equivalent of a 2-acre farm, according to Square Roots.
“We don’t use pesticides, we don’t spray. All of the seeds are sourced non-GMO [genetically modified organism]. This is literally the cleanest, healthiest food that you’re ever going to eat,” said Peggs.


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Google's annual developer conference kicked off today with an unsurprisingly sweet Android announcement. The next mobile OS, Android 3.1, will be dubbed Ice Cream Sandwich and has a fittingly cute logo to boot. Among the new developer API goodies are...
That little green robot must be struggling to catch his breath.
Google kicked off its annual Google I/O developers conference by giving people what they'd been speculating about for months - an online music service.
Representatives of Apple and Google denied that they are collecting the personal information of owners of smartphones running their operating systems, but a U.S. senator questioned whether those denials were accurate during a hearing Tuesday.
Google gave Android developers several reasons to cheer on Tuesday with its announcement of new versions of the operating system, as well as the addition of music and movies to the Android Market.
The U.S. government and the country's top mobile phone service providers on Tuesday launched a public safety program that will allow people to receive emergency alerts via text message.
Google's Android was the top smartphone operating system in the U.S. in the first quarter of 2011, overtaking the market share of Research in Motion's BlackBerry and keeping Apple's iPhone in the third position, according to ComScore.
Windows Phone 7's big fall update is getting even bigger with two crucial features: turn-by-turn directions and speech-to-text messages.
As of Monday, Verizon Wireless was 12 days late with the start of sales for its second LTE smartphone, the Droid Charge from Samsung, which was first promised on April 28.
Several privacy and civil rights groups voiced support for an online do-not-track bill introduced in the U.S. Senate Monday, saying the legislation would give Web users control over their personal data.
French Internet users in rural areas may end up getting faster mobile broadband than other parts of the world, after a minister said that operators would be allowed to buy more spectrum.
While SAP has spent the past year spinning a vision for on-premises, on-demand and on-device computing, its upcoming Sapphire conference is an opportunity for the vendor to lay out some important specifics on these plans for the thousands expected to...
U.S. Cellular will roll out an LTE (Long-Term Evolution) mobile wireless network, reaching more than 25 percent of its subscribers by the holiday season late this year.
Microsoft on Wednesday said it will not help Windows Phone users who updated their smartphones last month with an unsanctioned tool, and are now unable to apply a security update.
The Android-powered Xperia Mini Pro smartphone from Sony Ericsson, Sony Ericsson unveiled the Xperia Mini and Xperia Mini Pro smartphones in London on Thursday, each running Android 2.3 and powered by 1 GHz Snapdragon processors.
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US supermarket chain Kroger has filed a lawsuit against Visa for allowing customers to verify EMV purchases with a signature instead of a PIN. “Kroger said the dispute began after it was informed by Visa that the configuration of its new terminals didn’t comply with Visa’s rules,” The Wall Street Journal reports. “Visa’s rules require merchants to allow customers to choose between a PIN and a signature verification.” Walmart also sued the payment network for its EMV signature authentication option in May 2016.
- Chinese province uses Alipay QR codes for citizen ID
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- US supermarket chain Meijer to launch mobile self-checkout service


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When Matt Allard was met with disappointment over a putting mat ordered online, he didn't look for another, he decided to build his own — Puttr, a gamified training aid
Putting mats usually suffer from three problems.
One, they’re too rough or the surface is too slow or too small to resemble putting on a real green. Two, they take up too much space and are difficult to store. Three, they’re not much fun.
Matt Allard encountered the latter when he ordered a mat online so he and his 3-year-old son, Faro, who practices hitting balls in the yard most mornings, could embrace putting, too. The mat arrived and so did the disappointment.
“We hit a few putts and we were bored,” Allard said. “I thought, there’s got to be a way to gamify this.”
From this frustration was born Puttr, Allard’s putting mat that rolls up into a classy portable aluminum-sided case with a handle to make it portable. It also has technology inside the box to make it, Allard hopes, like Peloton for putting.
He is based in Los Angeles, has a computer science background. He also was a walk-on who played for George Washington University’s golf team.
His wife Sage was the inspiration for the roll-up box. “She is an interior designer,” he said. “The look she gave me when I had a putting mat laid out on the living-room floor required me to do something else. There was no good way to put it away and either way, it was an eyesore. The goal was to make it portable and look like a piece of furniture. With Puttr, you just roll it up like a yoga mat and put it into the box.”
Puttr is a mat that measures 12 feet long and 2 feet wide, but has a twist — several actually.
The ramp to the hole tilts, so players can practice putts that break right-to-left or left-to-right. The mat has sensors, a camera and connects via Bluetooth to an app so players can compare their stats to friends — or even tour players — and compete against other users in live tournaments the way at-home Peloton bikers do.
Allard has been a Peloton guy for years.
“Mostly because of the stats and the leaderboard and competing with my friends,” he said. “I also follow Rory McIlroy. I get a push alert whenever Rory does a workout and I compete against him.”
Allard resigned from his job at a mobile app company that worked with hotels and casinos, learned CAD (Computer-Aided Design) and eventually created some prototypes, physically building the first ones himself. He found a manufacturer in Shanghai last September to make the final product, a boxed putting mat, which is called Puttr.
It's a brave new world on the Internet. Puttr is up and running, sort of — it won’t be available until April — because of crowdfunding. That’s the innovative way Allard chose to finance his venture.
“I’m really a bootstrapper,” he said. “I did all this myself. The company hasn’t brought in a lot of capital. Crowdfunding made sense. It’s also a litmus test to see whether, as cool as I think Puttr is, will people really buy one? That was yet to be seen until we started the campaign.”
Allard recorded a five-minute video as a sales pitch. It won first place in the Crowdfunded Summit Pitch Competition
Puttr's retail price will be $599, but buyers who commit at IndieGoGo.com get it for a discounted price of $449. Basically, Allard pre-sold Puttr models to customers to pay his production costs for an item that won’t be available until April.
The crowdfunding has been a huge success. At last look, Puttr passed $104,000 in pre-sales, far more than Allard’s goal of $25,000.
“We went way above what I thought we would do,” he said. “So many people said, 'Wow, this is so cool,' but it’s another thing to put down $500.”
The standard business model would’ve required Allard to get a loan and take on a lot of debt or give away company equity to pay for the first round of product. “In China, you’ve got to order 1,000 of anything to get efficiencies of scale,” Allard said.
He read a book on crowdfunding and followed the playbook on how to do it successfully.
“We blew through our goal in the first hour of a 40-day campaign with very little marketing,” he said. “So now I’m on my way to paying for the initial inventory. Our $25,000 goal would pay for the tooling and we raised $65,000 the first day.
Challenge your friends to some match play, stroke play, or arcade games like Skee-Ball, Cricket or Horse! 📸 @jameslawphoto
.#puttbetter #puttfordough #puttr #putting #golfputting #putt #puttek #putter #putterporn #putters #golftech #makeputts #golf #golflife #golfstagram pic.twitter.com/fhZA86Ienz
— PUTTR (@puttrco) October 25, 2021
Crowdfunding sites are usually frequented by early-adopters, the people who are first to recognize new trends. Two of the big dogs are Kickstarter.com and IndieGoGo.com.
“IndieGoGo has 18 million users who are all early adopters and if you do well, they start promoting you, so it’s free marketing,” Allard said. “IndieGoGo seems to be more tech-focused. Kickstarter is more like board games, music, books and things like that.”
The selling and marketing of a product, Allard learned, is just as challenging as inventing it.
He looked at “about 100” carpet samples from China before settling on a mat with rubber backing that rolls at 11 or 12 on a Stimp-meter. “There’s nothing worse than practicing on slow greens,” he said. “You end up hitting the ball instead of stroking it.”
Inside the box is a microcomputer and wide-angle-lens camera that tracks the ball for the last 3 feet. As soon as the ball reaches the ramp, it registers with the computer, which tracks misses and makes and measures the speed of the putts. With refined practice, a player compiles more accurate data.that can diagnose trends.
Puttr is properly gamified, just as Allard wanted. The games include Cricket, the classic dart game where you have to close out each number; Horse, like in basketball, you call your shot, make a 7-footer left-to-right and your opponent has to make it or earn a letter; and Pop-a-Shot, a player gets 60 seconds to make as many putts as possible with each holed putt earning a point and three extra seconds. More games are in development.
Allard’s own golf highlights include getting a chance to play Cypress Point — “It lived up to all the hype,” he said — and seeing his dad make a hole-in-one during an outing at Manchester Country Club in Bedford, N.H., to win a Mazda Miata.
“That was my first car,” Allard said. “Dad wanted to sell it but mom and I worked on him. He was considered a professional for a year because he won that car.”
The current West Coast shipping gridlock shouldn’t impact Puttr’s arrival next April. Allard and his business partner are having them sent from China to Texas, not Long Beach.
Asked if he considered a product name a little less basic than Puttr, Allard said, “I just find PUTTR to be interesting,” he said. “It describes the club and the person using it.”
The name works. Crowdfunding said so.


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These deposits do not allow us to learn more about the technical characteristics of the devices in question, just that their marketing is on track. After a late launch for the iPhone 12 last year, Apple is expected to return to a more traditional timeline this year with a presentation in September.
The design of the iPhone 13 shouldn’t stray from what Apple put in place with the iPhone 12, but a reduction in the size of the notch is to be expected. There will also be new cameras including a redesign of the ultra wide-angle, the Apple A15 chip, a more efficient 5G modem, a 120 Hz screen on Pro models, the possible return of Touch ID integrated directly under the screen…
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Microsoft upped its cool factor today with introductions of some really great-sounding products, including a first for the company, the Surface Book convertible laptop.
Mobile World Congress 2015
Speck's latest iPhone case, the CandyShell Inked Luxury Edition, features an eye-catching metallic design and a matte finish.
Speck's made some nice folio cases for iPads, but the CandyShell Wrap is its first screen-protecting folio case for iPhones.
The two companies strike a partnership to bring mobile payments technology to more than 20 Chevron stations in California.
Speck, a leader in smartphone and tablet cases, has gotten into the Apple Watch game with its $29.99 CandyShell Fit protective cover.
The upcoming flagship smartphone lacks a technology called optical image stabilization, which counteracts blurry or shaky images. But improvements are on the way.
A "telepresence robot" is currently holding a place for a woman in Sydney who will be one of the first in the world to own Apple's latest smartphone.
The chipmaker's Quick Charge 3.0 technology not only improves battery cell life but allows for rapid charging.
On Apple's new iPad Pro, Office users can run Excel and PowerPoint side by side. Meanwhile, Apple Watch owners can check their Outlook email and appointments.
From the Cheapskate: This intriguing service helps you save money -- like, actually save it -- and here's five bucks to get you started.


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Putting the Freeze on Holiday Celebrations
by Stephany Schings, Communications Specialist
How Employers Are Practicing Frugality During the Economic Downturn—and Why Some Employees Are Thanking Them for It
As employees may have already found out, the current economic troubles have turned many employers into grinches this year when it comes to the annual office holiday party.
The number of expected corporate holiday parties this year reached a 20-year low, according to the Annual Survey on Corporate Holiday Celebrations, an annual survey of 108 American businesses by New York-based Battalia Winston Amrop, one of the largest executive search firms in the United States.
Only 81% of businesses said in the survey that they would be conducting some type of holiday celebration this year, the lowest percentage of companies conducting parties in the 2-decade history of the survey. Thirty seven percent of companies said their party plans were impacted by the economy (either cancelled or more modest), nearly double the 19% who stated they were affected last year.
MarketWatch.com reported similar statistics from Chicago-based outplacement firm Challenger, Gray and Christmas. Their annual holiday survey found that 23% of companies said there is “little reason to celebrate” and that they will not have a party this year compared with only 10% who said the same last year.
This year’s Battalia Winston survey also shows cutbacks on holiday trimmings outside of the office party. Year-end bonuses are down this year, according to the survey. Of the companies that typically give year-end bonuses, 62% said bonuses will be the same or smaller than last year. Only 6% expected year-end bonuses to go up, and a few companies are getting rid of them altogether.
SIOP member Ben Dattner, an organizational effectiveness consultant and founder of Dattner Consulting in New York City, said he has observed the pinch firsthand. Dattner, also a professor at New York University, said he has noticed that many of his clients are freezing end-of-the-year bonuses and scaling back on holiday parties this year.
However, despite the popularity of holiday parties amongst employees, Dattner said many of the cutbacks have been made with employees in mind.
“In a situation where there has been a lot of economic turmoil, there’s skepticism on the part of employees who ask, ‘why are we spending this money on parties when others have been laid off or lost their jobs?’” he said.
Dattner said companies want to send a consistent message of frugality during hard economic times, even if it means cutting back on holiday festivities.
“In a situation where workers and employees have had to personally pay a price, the idea is that it sends a mixed message to employees to celebrate,” he said. “It’s inconsistent with what is going on.”
SIOP Fellow Kathryn M. Bartol, a professor of Management in Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland who conducts research on compensation and employment relationships, said some employees agree with the holiday cutbacks for personal reasons.
“In this type of economic situation, employees are worried about their job security and don't want to see their employers spending money for things that are discretionary and easy to forgo,” Bartol said. “Everyone is reading about organizations that typically do well but are running into trouble due to the economic downturn. They do not want to see their organization get into trouble.”
Dattner said company leaders don’t want to see their companies in trouble either, as the frugal spirit has been common amongst companies during hard economic times.
“We have definitely seen this before,” he said. “After 9/11, companies became substantially more frugal, partly because the country was in mourning, but partly because the economy was bad. Those things do happen. It’s a cycle.”
This year’s low surpasses the post-9/11 holiday party crunch, though, according to the Battalia Winston survey. In 2001, 83% of companies held holiday parties. This season even surpasses previous recessions, as 82% of companies stated they would hold holiday parties during the recession of 1991.
Add this to the other pressures the economy puts on employees and, Bartol said, not many are in the holiday spirit.
“Many employees also are being indirectly affected because of family members or friends losing their jobs or in danger of losing them. Another factor is that the value of 401K plans are being adversely affected by stock market performance,” she said. “These are other reasons that many are not feeling like doing celebrating.”
Bartol said cancelling holiday parties and other seasonal cost-cutting measures may actually boost employee’s moods.
“Cancelling and downsizing holiday parties will help the morale of employees,” Bartol said. “Even if employees feel their jobs are secure, they do not want to see others in the organization lose theirs if the economic situation worsens. Employees do not like to see others lose their jobs. Employees understand that ‘this just is not a time to celebrate.’ Hence motivation and morale will be aided by the cancelling and downsizings because employees generally will view such moves as wise under the circumstances.”
This may then translate to success for the company. Through her research, Bartol has found that employees will engage in more discretionary behaviors, such as knowledge sharing, when they perceive that the organization is supportive of them and perceive that they have high job security. In the current situation, she said, efforts by employers to protect job security are likely to be met by employees not only keeping up regular required performance but also "going the extra mile" to help the company through difficult times.
Despite the cutbacks, the holiday season isn’t void of giving this year. Forty two percent of businesses said employees planned giving gifts to each other or having a gift exchange (i.e., grab bags, etc.) amongst one another this year, according to the Battalia Winston survey, and 74% of companies still planned to scrape enough money together to participate in charity efforts.


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Walgreens announced Thursday it was asking customers to "no longer openly carry firearms" in its stores. Authorized law enforcement officials would be exempt from the request, the second-largest pharmacy chain, with 9,560 stores, said in a statement.
"The sight of someone with a gun can be alarming, and we don’t want anyone to feel that way at Wegmans," the supermarket chain said in a statement. "For this reason, we prefer that customers not openly carry firearms into our stores."
The announcements come two days after Walmart asked its customers not to openly carry firearms in stores — even in states where it is permitted. Walmart also said that it would discontinue the sale of ammunition used in high-capacity magazines and military-style weapons. Walmart CEO Doug McMillon said the retailer will stop selling short-barrel rifle ammunition, such as the .223 and 5.56 caliber, which can be used in high-capacity magazines and military-style weapons.
Ohio-based supermarket chain Kroger, which has nearly 2,800 stores nationwide, also said this week it is asking shoppers not to openly carry guns in any of its stores.
The retail chains' measures follow mass shootings around the country in the past two months that have claimed dozens of lives.
On Saturday, in the West Texas sister cities of Midland and Odessa, Seth Ator, 36, opened fire after a routine traffic stop, killing seven people and injuring more than 20 others. He was killed by police outside a movie theater.
Last month, on Aug. 3, 22 people were killed by a shooter in a Walmart in El Paso, Texas. The next day, on Aug. 4, a gunman in a popular nightlife district in Dayton, Ohio, shot nine people to death.


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Microsoft Corp on Monday announced that Xbox Music, a digital music service to vie with Apple Inc.'s iTunes and Amazon.com Inc.'s Cloud Player, will be available for its Xbox game consoles on Tuesday.
The service will be expanded to Windows software-based computers and tablets, including the upcoming Surface tablet, from October 26, when Microsoft launches Windows 8. It will be expanded to phones shortly after that.
Microsoft has been trying for years to make the household living room an entertainment hub with its Xbox. More than 67 million units have been sold since 2005.
About 18 months ago, the company realized that Xbox users were spending half to 60 per cent of their time on entertainment services rather than video gaming, Xbox Music general manager Jerry Johnson said.
The market-leading video game console already streams Netflix, ESPN and other channels and is bolstering its service with music and other video content.
"We also realize, as an entertainment company, that music is an important ingredient on its own and as a part of different user experiences," Mr. Johnson said.
Xbox Music replaces Microsoft's digital media brand Zune that struggled to compete with iTunes.
Microsoft will offer a free ad-supported music streaming service, and a premium $9.99 subscription service for unlimited, ad-free streaming.
The service includes a download-to-own music store with over 30 million songs in its global catalog, more than iTunes' library of over 26 million songs. It also carries over 70,000 music videos, available only on the Xbox console.
It has cloud-storage features similar to iTunes and Amazon Cloud Player and an artist-based radio function like music streaming services Pandora and Spotify.
Xbox Music will be available in 22 countries. Microsoft hopes to take the service to Apple iOS and Google Inc. Android devices next year.


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Maple Leaf car wash and cookout to benefit food pantry
The staff at Maple Leaf Lincoln in Geneseo will host a car wash and cookout from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. May 21 at the dealership. All proceeds from the day will go toward the Geneseo Food Pantry. Cash or canned food donations will be accepted. Soap and car wash supplies will be donated by Carquest of Geneseo. For more information, contact Maple Leaf Lincoln at 944-5161.


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Sheffield furniture firm set expand with loan
A Sheffield business that makes furniture for disabled children and adults has secured a major investment from Finance Yorkshire.
Jenx was founded in 1982 by product designer Clive Jenkins and wife Catherine, a paediatric physiotherapist.
The company designs and manufactures products to help children with special postural needs that help with seating, standing, sleeping and therapy.
One of Jenx’s best known products is Monkey, an adjustable wooden standing system for children up to six.
Jenx has received a business loan of £180,000 from Finance Yorkshire, which will help to increase manufacturing capacity for cutting wood and plastic sheets and make products faster and with greater accuracy.
Clive Jenkins, managing director of Jenx, said: “This investment means we can replace our old machines and improve efficiency, and comes at a time when we have a number of exciting new products in the pipeline.”
Jenx has a turnover of £6m and employs 75 staff. It exports 15 per cent of products to countries including Australia, New Zealand and the US.
UK sales and distribution of Jenx products is carried out by a division of Jenx called Jiraffe, run by daughter Holly Jenkins, which has grown strongly since its launch two years ago.
“We have been growing over the last couple of years but there are always new product areas for us to look at.
“While Jiraffe is focused on the domestic market, Jenx is now pushing forward with a more global view and growing our international trade,” said Clive.


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Smuttynose Brewing Co. announced a new distribution agreement with Cavalier Distributing-Indiana, to bring the New Hampshire craft brewer’s beers to the Hoosier State. Though details, including launch events, have yet to be finalized, the first shipments should be in stores by the end of June. All of Smuttynose’s offerings will be available around Indiana including limited release Big Beers and experimental Short Batch releases.
“We haven’t been able to add new markets as we’ve reached capacity in our original and current home,” said Peter Egelston, founder and president of Smuttynose. “With our new, state-of-the-art brewery set to open later this fall, we felt like Indiana would be a great fit.”
Cavalier is Indiana’s only statewide, independent craft beer distributor, boasting a strong presence in each of the state’s craft beer markets. The partnership with Cavalier brings Smuttynose’s distribution footprint to 22 contiguous states and Washington DC. In 2012, the brewery sold nearly 41,000 bblsof beer. In August of 2012, Smuttynose officially broke ground on its new production facility at the 14-acre Towle Farm in Hampton, N.H., which will be
operational by the end of 2013.
“We don’t expect to take the state by storm on day one,” said Kevin Love, Smutty’s vice president of sales and marketing. “But we believe there is plenty of room to grow our brand with Cavalier and we’re wicked excited to do so.”
Independently owned since its opening in 1994, Smuttynose brews over 25 different styles of beer for distribution in 22 different states, including their best-selling Finestkind IPA and international award-winners Robust Porter and Wheat Wine Ale.


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Google’s largest event of the year, Google I/O 2016, started with a presentation of the new Google Assistant, a conversational assistant embedded within Android and the new Google Home smart speaker, which was also one of the highlights of yesterday’s event.
Truth be told, Google Assistant seems to be an upgrade from Google Now, but it does bring so much more to the table. Users can receive answers to their questions and Google uses AI machine learning to analyze multiple questions and return the right answer.
The new functionality is already integrated into the new messaging application Allo and Google Home, which is basically Google’s response to Amazon Echo. Allo uses Google Assistant in order to provide smart replies or automatically search for information online, so the user can send it in a reply to a conversation.
Google Assistant allows users to make queries and get the right answer, even after asking multiple questions. It provides AI-powered services, making it a strong competitor against Amazon’s Alexa and Apple’s Siri. Google Assistant will also be able to execute certain tasks, like changing reservation times or setting calendar reminders, without the user having to open specific apps for that.
Unlike Siri or even Microsoft’s Cortana, Google adopted a rather different business strategy for the virtual assistant, in the sense that it didn’t provide it with a catchy name. The company decided to use the Google brand popularity and awareness, rather than creating an actual assistant with personality, which some people like.
During the event, Google also unveiled Google Home, which incorporates the voice-recognition interface for Google Assistant. Home will be a system that allows users to get answers to questions, set alarms, tasks, keep track of reservations, travels plans and even control other smart accessories. It will be available on Android and iOS devices starting this fall.


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Coca-Cola, alongside its subsidiary, Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Company, has agreed a deal for Russia's Multon juice company. Multon owns the Dobry brand, a market leader in non-carbonated soft drinks with a 20 per cent share, as well as local brands Rich and Nico.
The move is part of a long-term CCHBC strategy to focus on non-carbonated drinks and the firm says it will also be able to make efficiency savings by taking over Multon's production facilities in Moscow and St Petersburg.
"We are confident that our infrastructure, scale and local expertise position us uniquely to deliver optimal results from a wider Russian brand portfolio," said Doros Constantinou, CCHBC managing director.
Sources close to the deal were cited in Russian press reports as saying that Coca-Cola would pay around $600 million for 100 per cent of Multon, though this was not confirmed by either company.
Coca-Cola has been keen to expand its juice portfolio after what chief executive Neville Isdell called a disappointing performance in 2004, especially from the firm's flagship fizzy cola drink. "By most measures, we did not perform to our potential or the expectations of our shareowners," he said.
CCHBC too found its 2004 performance held up by emerging markets in Russia and Romania, with non-carbonated juice and water drinks leading the way. Soft drinks sales across Western Europe were fairly flat due to poor weather and a consumer backlash against sugary products.
Non-carbonated drinks, on the other hand, are on the up. A recent report by market analysts Euromonitor said that fruit juice sales in Eastern Europe rose by 64 per cent between 1998 and 2003, compared to just 18 per cent growth for carbonates. And fruit juice and water are expected to continue leading the sector up to 2008.
Euromonitor highlights the fact that Russia is by far the biggest fruit juice producer in eastern Europe, and as well as being the largest consumer, it also the leading exporter - which means that a company with such an international distribution network as Coca-Cola could really develop a strong local brand in a number of countries.
And Multon, the second largest juice producer on the Russian market, has a reputation as a strong marketer. Its Dobry brand, for example, looks somewhat old-fashioned but has played on this image to appeal to Russian consumers' sense of patriotism and nostalgia.
The company's management was up-beat about the benefits a deal with Coca-Cola could bring.
"The purchase of Multon by the world leader in the beverage industry provides assurance that Multon's business will have strong investment and future growth, to the benefit of our employees, customers and consumers," said general manager Alexander Kritsky.
In 2004, Multon had revenue of $336 million and a juice volume of approximately 500 million litres.


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VIENNA, Aug 23 (Reuters) – Oilfield equipment maker Schoeller-Bleckmann (SBO) announced a surge in second-quarter earnings on Thursday, putting it on course to return to a full-year net profit.
The Austrian group is emerging from a rough patch, triggered by the collapse of oil prices a few years ago, as recovering crude prices prompt producers to invest in new projects.
It reported an eightfold increase in operating profit for ทางเข้า sbobet April-June, helped by a thriving North American business where its customers include industry giants Halliburton and Schlumberger.
SBO said its sales surged 40 percent in the quarter to 105.9 million euros ($121 million), benefiting in particular from strong demand for its drilling motors, circulation tools and repair and maintenance services in North America.
That helped group operating profit rise to 18.5 million euros, from 2.2 million a year earlier.
A company spokesman said Schoeller-Bleckmann expects to make a net profit this year, after a loss of 54 million euros in 2017.
SOB expanded its operations in North America in recent months and generates around 60 percent of its revenue from there.
Chief Executive Gerald Grohmann said U.S.President Donald Trump’s protectionist policies were not affecting SOB’s business in the United States.
“Our U.S. business is going very well, but that is because of the good oil markets and not for political reasons,” Grohmann told Reuters by phone.
SBO could be affected by new U.S.sanctions against Russia, where it has a small but “very profitable business”, Grohmann said, adding it was too early for an in-depth assessment.
“The question will be, whether or not we will be able to ship goods from Europe to Russia.”
GLOBAL UPWARD TREND
SBO’s bookings increased 63 percent in the first six months of this year, and its order backlog had more than doubled to 89.6 million euros by the end of June, partly because companies started to invest in new exploration projects outside North America.
“It is our fundamental expectation that the upward trend that has set in will continue,” Grohmann said.”We expect our North American business to continue its strong growth this year and beyond, and we see the international markets further recover.”
The company did not give a profit estimate for this year. Analysts forecast a full year profit of 48.8 million euros on sales of 431 million euros, according to Thomson Reuters data.
SBO shares gained 2 percent to 97.90 euros.Since the beginning of the year, the stock has risen 15 percent, outperforming the European sector index, which gained 9 percent. ($1 = 0.8744 euros) (Reporting by Kirsti Knolle; Editing by Susan Fenton)


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By Michael Snyder
When you get into too much debt, really bad things start to happen. Sadly, that is exactly what is happening to Italy right now. Harsh austerity measures are causing the Italian economy to slow down even more than it was previously. And yet even with all of the austerity measures, the Italian government just continues to rack up even more debt. This is the exact same path that [...]
Dec. 13 (Bloomberg) — Steve Forbes, chairman and chief executive officer of Forbes Inc., talks about fiscal negotiations in Washington and the outlook for Italy’s economy. Forbes speaks with Adam Johnson and Trish Regan on Bloomberg Television’s “Street Smart.” (Source: Bloomberg)
Biderman’s Daily Edge – New Year could see immediate recession at worst, slower growth at best
Nov 23, 2012
In Greece, with the economy collapsing, the people attempt to push through barricades where their political leaders are meeting:
In the US, with the economy collapsing, the people attempt to push through barricades at Victoria’s Secret to buy panties:
In Spain, with the economy collapsing, the people take to the streets in desperation, where clashes with police break out over austerity cuts:
In the US, with the economy collapsing, the [...]
(Reuters) – Italy‘s economy will shrink about 2 percent in 2012 though signs of recovery could start to appear at the end of the year, Bank of Italy governor Ignazio Visco said in an interview.
Visco had previously expected a 1.5 percent contraction in gross domestic product (GDP), against a government forecast of -1.2 percent and a 2.4 percent decline seen by employers’ lobby Confindustria.
Italy has been in recession since the middle [...]


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PUTRAJAYA is at fault for turning a campaign to support Muslim-made products into a boycott of non-Muslim goods, Umno Youth chief Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki said today.
According to Asyraf, government leaders deliberately called a positive campaign a “boycott” instead to create misunderstanding.
“The issue of a boycott never arose, whether by Muslims or not. This is a manipulation of sentiment by government leaders.
“The government should stop playing with sentiments that can break up the country,” he said at a press conference after chairing Umno Youth’s monthly meeting at party headquarters in Kuala Lumpur today.
Muslim groups Gerakan Pembela Ummah (Ummah) and the Muslim Consumers Association of Malaysia (PPIM) have since April held a campaign to encourage Muslims to purchase Malay-made products and services.
They have said the campaign’s intent is to strengthen the Malay economy and help traders who do not have access to wider markets.
Around late August, calls to boycott non-Muslim goods surfaced on social media, following weeks of public debate over controversial Indian preacher Dr Zakir Naik’s continued presence in Malaysia, where he has permanent residency, and the teaching of khat calligraphy in vernacular primary schools.
Asyraf said it was ministers who misinterpreted the campaign to support Muslim goods as a boycott of non-Malay products.
He said Umno Youth’s stand was to support the campaign to push Muslim products because it helped Malay entrepreneurs and traders.
“For us, this is something good as we can help Muslim and Bumiputera entrepreneurs who all this while have not had this kind of support.”
Among government leaders who had called the campaign a “boycott” were Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng.
The cabinet last week issued a statement through the Prime Minister’s Office stating its rejection of the boycott and called for it to stop, urging Malaysians to support Malaysian-made products instead.


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Today Google released a new version of Google Earth (version 9). Unfortunately, it’s not a new standalone desktop app. This version is again designed to run in a Web browser (limited to Chrome). There is also a new Android app (and iOS coming soon).
The new version features a couple of cool improvements including destination discovery, knowledge cards and much better 3D navigation. Additionally, Google Earth now suggest “Points of Interest” it thinks the users will like based on what they have searched for in the past.
But the biggest new selling points are interactive tours. This feature is called ‘Voyager’ and it enables people to take interactive journeys guided by experienced scientists and documentarians from BBC Earth, NASA, Sesame Street, and the Jane Goodall Institute.
This new released is really cool but I’m a bit disappointed that there is no update to the Google Earth Pro desktop app which is still stuck on version 7. It has a lot of great pro features likes measurements and recording that aren’t available in the Web browser version.
It is great to see that Google is still investing in the product but we would definitely like to more pro features during the next releases of the app.


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The Apple Watch has caused a level of excitement that I haven’t seen anywhere else in the wearable tech industry. Is it because of Apple’s marketing techniques? The company did after all spend $38 million on advertising the Apple Watch in a single month, which compared to the $44 million that Apple has spent advertising the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus over the last five months seems excessive.
Of course, such a large amount invested in advertising should, and did, result in huge interest in the Apple Watch – which, in a way, is the downfall of its launch.
See also: Complete guide to Apple Watch | The 11 worst Apple products of all time
Apple announced days before the pre-orders went live that customers wouldn’t be able to queue up outside Apple Stores all around the world, something of a tradition for Apple fan boys (myself included).
Launch day queues are part of the experience of buying an Apple device – it’s very rare that a company gets that kind of attention on a product launch day. I’ve participated in launch day queues for the iPhone 4S, iPhone 5S and iPhone 6. The 4S launch was a great experience, with Apple staff bringing free Krispy Kreme donuts and Costa coffee to anyone in the queue that wanted it. It was filled with likeminded tech enthusiasts that would excitedly discuss the device we were all queuing up for.
But, by the time the iPhone 6 was launched, something had changed. The Apple fan boys had been replaced with people buying iPhones with the sole purpose of selling them on for extortionate prices online or, perhaps, on the black market in China and other countries. The mood had changed; with reports of people in UK launch day queues literally fighting for their place in the queue, Apple had to rethink the launch day process. Bye-bye launch day queues.
See also: How to answer a call on Apple Watch
It was on April 10, the day that Apple Watch pre-orders went live that the true scale of the interest in the Apple Watch was displayed. With previous releases, a portion of customers would hold off pre-ordering online to queue instead – but this time it was all hands on deck, around the world, at the same time.
I was one of many people patiently waiting for Apple’s pre-orders to go live at 8:01am, and as soon as the site went live, I was ready. But, by the time I’d tapped on “Pre-order” for the 42mm Space Grey Apple Watch Sport, the 24 April delivery date had already slipped to between 24 April and 8 May. What? It had been literally around 20 seconds since the site went live.
By the time I pre-ordered mine, a process that took around a minute, the shipping time had slipped again, this time to between 12 May and 26 May. To say I was disappointed was an understatement, and it was an emotion shared by others on social media. It got further and further away until the delivery estimate had been pushed back to the summer. Summer delivery for a device launching in April? Whoops. Something hasn’t gone to plan.
See also: 10 Apple Watch games we’re excited about
When has Apple ever had a launch like this one? Sure, stock is usually limited around launch but there are still a significant number of people that get their hands on the product on day one. Even Apple acknowledges that there will only be a small number of people that get the Apple Watch on the 24 April, removing the date from the Apple Watch website and replacing it with the tag line “the Watch is coming”.
Apple has offered try on sessions at the Apple Store, which I attended only to be greeted with demo Apple Watches. You can’t interact with it on your wrist, just watch a few demos and get a feel for the haptic feedback that it generates. There was one unit that you could interact with, but it was attached to a hefty display case and without being able to run anything that required an internet connection, it was a disappointing experience. It’s interesting that Apple are using dummy units in store – are stock levels that bad?
The real question is what should Apple do now? How can it take the lesson of the Apple Watch launch and learn from it? I think the main point for Apple to take on board is not to announce a launch date for a product that is in ridiculously short supply. Wouldn’t it be a much better experience if Apple announced products, then started shipping the next day? If not, then at least allocate a level of stock to each country and stagger pre-orders, launching at 12am local time and not at the same time around the world. That’s the future of Apple that I’m waiting for, and a way to move on from the shocking Apple Watch launch.
See also: Apple Watch Review


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Adopting bitcoin blockchain technology in India seems to have a long way before actually coming into reality. Indeed there have been several blockchain developments happening in various sectors but there are many questions yet to be answered about their operations. Perhaps, the market leaders have anticipated the potential of then encryption-based technology with its PoCs (proofs of concept), execution and validation across the country in several projects. But there are some major concerns which are yet to be addressed.
According to INC 42, it is stated that creating a self-governing solution blockchain in India might not be feasible as their mode of profit is yet not specified. Another important issue that needs to be addressed is the method of raising funds for blockchain start-ups which is usually done by ICOs and cryptocurrencies. However, the government clearly discard any crypto transaction in their payment system as of now. Lastly, there is a huge lack of bitcoin blockchain technology developers in the country.
How Feasible Is Switching To Blockchain?
Shifting to bitcoin blockchain technology in India for any organization isn’t just easy. There will be a complete transformation which will cost a fortune in the complete makeover along with a dedicated time. In addition to this, recruiting blockchain experts and data scientists is definitely much costlier as compared to hiring software developers.
The biggest applications of blockchain rely on public frameworks such as Bitcoin and Ethereum. All the parties can make transactions within the same network that is monitored. But the entire process is expensive and needs a lot of investment to keep it under operation. For a government projects or any public blockchain-based applications, the role of cost bearer in terms of network maintenance and the validation of transactions is still not clear.
Despite all the issues, there is a significant rise in the number of blockchain developer requirement in the market. It is even alleged that cryptocurrency and blockchain jobs are gradually more appealing to job seekers from more conventional sectors especially in Asia. (Via INC 42)[The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views and/or the official policy of the website. ]


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Online Maryland sports betting applications are rolling in and a launch before the new year appears in line.
Ten applicants already submitted their information prior to Friday’s deadline, according to an update provided to the Sports Wagering Application Review Commission at its meeting Wednesday. The Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Commission will meet Oct. 27 to push those 10 applicants ahead with alternative licensing qualifications.
The SWARC will meet Nov. 21 in hopes of giving its members and consultants enough time to review the applications of those operators. If the SWARC awards licensees at its next meeting, that should line up a December online MD sports betting launch, pending final approvals by regulators.
Expedited path for Maryland sports betting operators
Similar to how the MLGCC gave casinos alternative licensing standards prior to the retail MD sports betting launch in December 2021, they are ready to give the same priority to online sports betting licenses. The operators are established gaming entities that are familiar to the state’s regulators or licensed in multiple other jurisdictions.
With nearly a month between the MLGCC meeting and SWARC’s next gathering, SWARC Chairman Tom Brandt knows they are likely to become scapegoats for any additional delay. Still, he wants to give his commissioners ample time to read the applications.
“All eyes will be upon us to get online sports wagering started in the state of Maryland and we become the gating step in the process,”Brandt said. “I would keep the November date for [commissioners and consultants] to thoroughly do their jobs.”
Long journey to online MD sports betting
Marylanders will be happy to see a launch date is finally nearing after voters approved sports betting in 2020. A legislative mandate to include minority- and women-owned businesses in the industry delayed the online launch process two years.
Gov. Larry Hogan applied pressure on the SWARC earlier this summer to hurry along the process. Regulators eventually determined they could not apply specific requirements regarding minority and women ownership to license applications.
The commission then sent its draft regulations on to a legislative review commission and opened a 30-day comment period. SWARC also opened the application period for competitive licenses, including up to 30 retail and 60 mobile operators.
Maryland regulations not all that different
MLGCA staff and SWARC consultants went through public comments on the regulations at Wednesday’s meeting. The commission adopted one non-substantive change recommended by the MLGCA staff.
SWARC consultants from Taft Law said the regulations fall in the middle of other markets they have worked with.
“The regs fall in the middle from what we’ve seen,” Taft Partner Cezar Froelich said. “Some are, frankly, easier to comply with and a handful of states are a little more difficult. The process we went through was a little more difficult for the reasons previously discussed, like the study and the like. But the regs themselves are smack-dab in the middle.”
Operators ready for launch
Earlier this month, at least two US sportsbooks began touting their Maryland future.
FanDuel Sportsbook tweeted out it was “coming soon” to Maryland. FanDuel already runs one of the largest retail sportsbooks in the US at Live! Casino in Maryland.
Maryland retail sportsbooks near full year of operation
US sportsbook operators with retail presence in Maryland:
- Barstool, Hollywood Casino Perryville
- Betfred, Long Shot’s, not open
- BetMGM, MGM National Harbor
- BetRivers, Bingo World
- Caesars, Horseshoe Casino Baltimore
- Fanatics, FedEx Field, not open
- FanDuel, Live! Casino
- PointsBet, Riverboat on the Potomac
- TwinSpires, Ocean Downs Casino


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New York, N.Y. – Mower Chairman and CEO Eric Mower was inducted into the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) Business-to-Business Marketing Hall of Fame during the 2019 Masters of B2B Marketing Conference in Chicago.
He was one of three inductees, the others being John Iwata, former chief marketing officer of IBM and executive fellow at the Yale School of Management, and Ann Lewnes, executive vice president and chief marketing officer at Adobe.
Paying tribute to business-to-business marketing professionals, the ANA B2B Marketing Hall of Fame recognizes individuals who have elevated business marketing and moved the B2B advertising industry forward, while contributing to the future of business marketing by inspiring talent and championing development programs for the next generation.
Mower built his agency from a single office with a staff of four to one of the largest independent full-service advertising, marketing and public relations agencies in the U.S. Last year he celebrated his 50th anniversary with the firm, which has won numerous major awards for B2B campaigns for clients such as Nucor, Domtar, Charlotte Pipe & Foundry, Buckman OnSite, Freightliner Trucks, KeyBank and Sirona Dental, as well as B2B campaigns the agency created for itself. Mower joins John Favalo as the second person from the agency to be inducted into the B2B Hall of Fame.
“This year’s inductees once again represent the highest level of talent and achievement in the B2B industry,” said ANA CEO Bob Liodice. “Our sincere congratulations go out to John, Ann and Eric for this well-deserved accolade. Welcome to the ANA B2B Hall of Fame!”
During the Masters of B2B Marketing Conference, Mower’s firm also won a B2 Award for its “50 Days of Data” campaign that was launched as part of its rebrand that took place during its 50th anniversary celebration.
“As in the alphabet, B comes before C. So, it is not surprising that B2B marketing, which means business-to-business, and not just business-to-consumer marketing (B2C), has been an important part of our business since the early days of our agency. Before a consumer or end-user makes a purchase, manufacturers must bring their products to market. I’m honored to be inducted into the ANA B2B Hall of Fame,” Mower said. “Some of the most memorable creative and strategic marketing campaigns we’ve developed over the years have been for B2B brands. This honor reflects the high level of collaboration between the Mower team and our clients, which results in superior work.”


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Hira in Panna: 10.69 carat diamond worth Rs 50 lakh found in mine in MP
Bhopal, July 22: A 10.69 carat diamond, with an estimated value of Rs 50 lakh on Tuesday has been unearthed in a mine in Panna district in
Panna's diamond officer R K Pandey said Anandilal Kushwaha (35) has deposited a 10.69 carat diamond with the local diamond office (Hira Karyalaya), who has a lease of a mine in Ranipur area.
Kushwaha had also recently deposited a 70-cent diamond, he said, adding that this is the first big find after the coronavirus-induced lockdown was eased in the district.
According to the official report, the precious stone will be auctioned and the proceeds will be given to the depositor after deducting government royalty and taxes.
The diamond is yet to be valued but local experts claimed that it can fetch up to Rs 50 lakh based on its quality.
Kushwaha told reporters that he and his partners have been working hard for the last six months in the mine and were thrilled about the find.
Panna district in the state's Bundelkhand region is famous for its diamond reserves.


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Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S., companies across the country have stepped up to help support affected individuals, from frontline workers to patients. This issue’s feature interview is with the CEO of one such company – ZOLL Medical, a Massachusetts-based medical device manufacturer. While ZOLL’s core business centers around defibrillators, the company shifted its focus to a smaller segment once the crisis hit – its ventilator division, through which it has drastically scaled up production. We recently spoke with CEO Jon Rennert about how ZOLL was able to quickly ramp up ventilator production to help fight COVID-19, what the future of the office may look like and leadership through crisis. To learn more about ZOLL Medical’s COVID-19 response, watch this video.
Also in this issue, BBH Senior Advisor Ellen Perry discusses decision-making about social interactions during COVID-19 in this time of both increasingly less restrictions and very clear differences in personal risk tolerances. In another article, we cover top tips for communicating during a crisis. Finally, Senior Wealth Planner Kerri Mast discusses effective board governance during complex and uncertain times.


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Calyxt Announces Next Generation Premium Soybean Product Line Performance Best-In-Class for High Oleic, Ultra-Low Linolenic ProfileTue, 04 May 2021 14:39:05 CDT
Calyxt, Inc. (NASDAQ: CLXT), a plant-based technology company, announced today that its next generation premium high oleic low linolenic (HOLL) soybean oil trait has exceeded industry performance targets expected in the premium oil segment. This marks a step-improvement on Calyxt’s first gene-edited product that was commercialized in the U.S. by delivering superior functional performance plus a -superior functional performance and fatty acid profile superior to other premium oils.
Preliminary composition analysis indicates that Calyxt’s trait for its next generation soybean with a high oleic and low linolenic fatty acid profile is best-in-class. It is expected to offer the highest levels of heart-healthy oleic acid and ultra-low levels of linolenic acid of any premium oil, on par with high-oleic sunflower oil.
“Our R&D team continues to identify and unlock high value plant-based products and metabolites through the use of Calyxt’s proprietary TALEN® editing systems, breeding approaches, and advanced analytics platforms that built upon the learnings from our first edited product,” said Travis Frey, Ph.D., Chief Technology Officer at Calyxt. “The early-stage validation of HOLL, our most complex product to date, marks an exciting step-change in our ability to discover, understand and harness the potential of complex plant biological pathways to deliver the next generation of plant-based solutions in a fraction of the time.”
“We’re excited by the performance of the HOLL trait in terms of desirable fatty acid profile, improved oxidative stability, increased shelf life, and reduced polymerization,” said Sarah Reiter, Vice President of Business Development. “We look forward to partnering with elite soybean companies to introduce this trait through their premium seeds as a compelling alternative to commodity soybean and other premium oils.”
Calyxt’s HOLL was developed through combined proprietary editing technologies and breeding approaches to deliver the desired attributes. Having completed foundation seed production, HOLL will be advancing into seed production for a potential 2023 launch. The company is currently evaluating potential collaborators for the North American and global markets and intends to partner with elite soybean companies to bring this product to market.
Calyxt based in Roseville, Minnesota, is a technology company with a mission to deliver plant-based innovations for a better world. Founded in 2010, Calyxt uses its proprietary TALEN® gene editing technology to work with world-class partners to revolutionize the way the world uses plants to solve problems. For further information, please visit our website at www.calyxt.com
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Users of live streaming e-commerce platforms reached 469 million in China by June 2022, up 204 million from March 2020, and accounted for 44.6 percent of the total internet users in the country, said the Academy of China Council for the Promotion of International Trade in a report on Nov 15.
As per the report that focuses on the development trend of China's e-commerce, between May 2021 and April 2022, China's major short-video platform Douyin launched over 9 million livestreams every month, selling at least 10 billion pieces of goods, the total sales of which grew 2.2 times year-on-year. By March 2022, number of views of livestreams on Taobao reached over 50 billion.
The report noted that digital techs have become the new driver in consumption upgrade. On the one hand, digital techs have expedited the forming of new business patterns, such as cloud shopping and cloud concert. On the other hand, digital techs have pushed ahead refining the consumption structure.
The report deemed e-commerce is playing a key role in China's economic recovery and development against the background of a complicated international and domestic environment.
First, the e-commerce has become a major force to boost consumption and supply. In the first nine months of this year, the online retail sales of physical commodity recorded at 8.24 trillion yuan ($1.15 trillion), up 6.1 percent on a yearly basis, far higher than the total retail sales of consumer goods over the same period. Online sales of food, clothing and other daily necessities grew 5.6 percent, 4.7 percent and 5.2 percent respectively, guaranteeing the supplies for daily life.
Second, the emerging of new consumption scenarios has boosted service sectors. By June this year, remote-work users in China reached 461 million, 43.8 percent of the total internet users of the country. So far, online medical service users stand at 300 million, 28.5 percent of the total internet users.
Third, cross-border e-commerce has become an important tool to stabilize foreign trade and promote consumption. Data from the Ministry of Commerce shows that foreign trade via cross-border e-commerce in the first half this year increased 28.6 percent from a year earlier.


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Streaming services are the hottest thing in entertainment these days. But when it comes to getting the word out about the newest offerings, it’s traditional media that often benefits.
As tech companies like Facebook Inc and Google vacuum up billions of dollars in online advertising, they’re pouring their own marketing dollars into billboards and other forms of outdoor signage.
Google Ads Will Be Targeting a Billboard Near You: Alex Webb
Among the billboards for jewellers, stylish sedans and vacation destinations plastered across this commercial hub, two new American imports now beckon India's aspirational class.
An advertising agency has come up with a unique idea that turns the billboard into a water capture and purification device in Lima, Peru.
Competition in Egypt's ride-hailing and tech-enabled transport market is heating up as rivals from global giant Uber to smaller local firms vie for a slice of the Middle East's largest market.
Big city billboards, social media images, redacted patch notes and answerphone messages suggest a gold theme is coming to Chapter 2, Season 2 of Fortnite on Feb 20.
When Benefit Cosmetics, a San Francisco-based maker of skin care and makeup, used Twitter's Periscope live-streaming video service to make a product demonstration, a heckler became part of the live show, typing to the presenter, "I can see down your top" even though there was no wardrobe malfunction.
Advertisers and companies trying to expand their marketing, take heed: There’s a new way to reach customers, starting with something called "advanced television”.
YouTube has asked musicians to agree not to disparage the streaming-video service in exchange for promotional support, according to people familiar with the matter, a way to quell persistent criticism by artistes.