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Why Aren’t Regulators Shutting Down Lousy Timeshare Exit Companies?
Last updated April 2020
Update: On July 6, 2020, following publication of our series on timeshare exit companies, Missouri attorney general Attorney General Eric Schmitt announced that he has filed a second lawsuit involving the timeshare exit industry. The lawsuit names several related Missouri companies we mentioned: Vacation Consulting Services, VCS Communications, The Transfer Group, and Real Travel, as well as company principal Brian Scroggs. The lawsuit accuses Scroggs and his companies, among other things, of failing to provide promised services.
Schmitt also issued tips for those eager to exit their timeshares, among them that they should first contact their resorts directly to determine whether they offer exit options. Schmitt advised anyone considering hiring an exit company to beware of making upfront payments, and he warned that exit company money-back guarantees “may not offer the protection or promises that consumers expect,” as we reported in our series.
Missouri clearly has become a sanctuary for unscrupulous exit companies. We’re concerned about Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt’s slow response to the problem.
For example, though more than nine months have passed since the Better Business Bureau (BBB) of Eastern & Southwest Missouri & Southern Illinois issued its report detailing problems with the Missouri-based exit industry, when we posted this article, we still couldn’t find a single warning about timeshare exit companies on the Missouri attorney general’s website. That Missouri BBB reports that a staggering 16 Missouri exit companies have BBB “F” ratings.
After years of complaints, Schmitt in January finally took what we believe is the state’s first action against an exit company, filing a lawsuit against Springfield-based Martin Management Group and its owner, former NFL player Steve Martin. The suit accuses the company of failing to provide promised exit services or refunds to dozens of customers. It cites four consumers who paid up to $11,268 to have their timeshares canceled within as little as six months. The lawsuit says the company told its customers to stop paying their timeshare maintenance fees or to redirect those payments to Martin Management Group.
During an interview with Checkbook, Steve Martin acknowledged that his company has financial problems, which he blamed on previous business associates. He also blamed banks, which he said retaliated against him by closing his company accounts after he accused them, timeshare management companies, and the resorts of fraudulent dealings with timeshare owners.
Following the death of his partner and brother, Martin said he became the only remaining person in a company that once employed 25 people, but that he still is trying to free his customers from their timeshares. “I’m an honorable guy trying to make a difference in a shady industry,” he said. Martin said he was surprised by the attorney general’s lawsuit because he was in contact with the state about his plans to fulfill his contractual obligations. “I’m perplexed, and I’m still trying to wrap my head around it.”
Retired New York City Fire Department battalion chief Kevin McCabe, who has been complaining to the Missouri Attorney General’s office about Martin Management for years, says he’s glad the state finally has taken action against the company. But he says the state has taken far too long to crack down on abusive exit companies operating from within its borders.
In 2017, McCabe told the state that Martin Management did nothing after taking $18,000 to liquidate two timeshares owned by his friend, Long Island resident Donna Hickey, whose husband, New York City fire captain Brian Hickey, died in the World Trade Center on 9/11. Hickey now is fighting a collection agency that seeks to recoup unpaid fees from her for one of those timeshares. After the state’s attempt to mediate Hickey’s complaint failed, McCabe said it informed Hickey that it was dropping her case—a decision it reversed only after McCabe protested. “The reason a lot of those companies are in Missouri is because they [state regulators] are so lax,” he said.
Several other exit company victims we interviewed said they too filed complaints with the Missouri Attorney General’s office, but either were still waiting or, like Hickey, had been told that the state was unable to mediate a successful outcome, advising them of their right to pursue legal action on their own instead. A Schmitt spokesman told us the state has ongoing investigations into other industry players. “Taking on timeshare exit companies is a priority for our office,” said the spokesman, Chris Nuelle.
He defended the state’s approach up to now, saying the attorney general believes that it is more effective to try mediating consumer complaints “rather than jumping right away to legal action.” He said the Attorney General’s office has successfully negotiated resolutions for 54 exit company complaints and is still trying to mediate others. But he also acknowledged that an additional 35 complaints were administratively closed “because we could not get the parties to agree on a refund amount, or a contract made it difficult to mediate.”
Escape Resolutions is another F-rated, Missouri-based exit company that has racked up dozens of consumer complaints without action from state authorities. The BBB issued a consumer alert on Escape Resolutions in 2017 after customers reported that it failed to complete timeshare transfers by promised deadlines, refused to honor its guarantees, ignored customer phone calls and emails, and had poor customer service.
Among those who complained about the company to both the BBB and the Missouri attorney general were Gil and Libbey Gagnon of Long Beach, California. The couple paid Escape Resolutions $2,525 in 2015 and an additional $565 later on to free them from their Desert Breezes timeshare in Palm Desert, Calif., which they weren’t using. They said the company repeatedly assured them that it was completing work on their exit. But, in 2018, with no apparent progress, the Gagnons asked for their money back. “Over time, I had asked for a refund and got some silly response that the contract would not allow it,” Gil wrote in his complaint to the BBB.
While we were preparing this article, the couple, desperate to find out the status of their timeshare, checked in with their resort. Its title company told them it had approved a deed-back of their timeshare in 2017, but that the exit company never followed through with the paperwork. In March, the Gagnons’ resort agreed to work with them directly to return their timeshare, charging them $565 in title transfer and administrative fees. It also said it would write off the Gagnons’ unpaid maintenance fees, which they estimate at more than $3,000. “Now how do I get back all the money paid to Escape Resolutions?” said Gil. In an emailed response to questions from Checkbook, Escape Resolutions acknowledged that there was a foul-up in the Gagnons’ case, saying there “appears to have been a clerical error on behalf of the resort.” Unaware that the Gagnons had decided to directly negotiate an exit with the resort, the company said it was continuing to work on their behalf.
Responding to its failing grade from the BBB, the company said it was considering “all of its options in connection with the BBB’s inaccurate, negligent, malicious or reckless reporting.” It says the BBB removed from its website favorable reviews, as well as complaints that had been resolved to the customers’ satisfaction. In some cases, it said, customers who complained to the BBB had failed to provide Escape Resolutions with the paperwork needed to complete timeshare terminations. At the same time, the company admitted responsibility for some of the complaints, which it said were caused by a technical issue in its phone system that resulted in a “serious communications issue.” “Since then, ER has worked diligently and tirelessly to resolve customer complaints,” the email said.
The company acknowledged that there are “a number of bad actors in this industry that do not fulfill their contracts with their clients or are complete scams.” It said that Escape Resolutions itself has been victimized by third-party vendors, including law firms, that it hired to assist in terminating its customers’ timeshares. “In one instance, we hired a company that performed so poorly that we were forced to recall all of the timeshare cancellation and mortgage elimination matters they were assisting us on which totaled about 320 different matters,” it said, adding that most of the cases were subsequently resolved successfully.


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It’s been nearly three years since the Brock community has gathered for a barbecue in Jubilee Court, but the annual spring tradition is making its return.
Interim President and Vice-Chancellor Lynn Wells is hosting a barbecue lunch Wednesday, June 1 from noon to 1:30 p.m. for all faculty and staff. The event will include live music, lunch and backyard games while allowing colleagues to reconnect.
Tickets are $6 each and are available until Friday, May 27 online through University Tickets. Menu choices include a vegan/vegetarian burger, mild sausage or a beef burger along with a choice of salad, drink and ice cream cups.
Anyone attending the event is asked to bring a printed or digital copy of the ticket showing your food preference.

domain: news


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The official figures also revealed that consumer spending rose one per cent year-on-year between July and September, the lowest in more than five years. Real disposable income grew only 0.2 per cent in the period, said the Office for National Statistics.
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Bikes and coffee have gone hand in hand for years. Now, a French lover of them both is making it his business
There are lots of things you stop noticing after a while here in Vietnam, like middle-aged women getting about in their pyjamas after 3pm. You’re never not aware that it’s going on, but after a certain amount of time, it no longer makes you giggle quite as much.
Basically, if you’re a long-termer, it starts to take something truly out of the ordinary to make you pay attention, which is what I did when I witnessed the recent sight of a well-dressed foreigner making ca phe sua da from a bicycle-cum-coffee shop on the side of a road in District 2.
Since the beginning of March, mostly along Xuan Thuy in Thao Dien, Coffee Spin or Spin Coffee, has been causing a small stir, entering what many might have thought to be a saturated market, offering good quality, reasonably priced coffee.
The well-dressed foreigner in question is Frenchman Vincent Demailly. He, along with his business partner Truong Que Phuong, have been trading in locally produced and hand-pressed coffee from their mobile café emporium. And they’ve quickly discovered that the locals’ thirst for the bean is far from sated.
Vincent explained to me that bringing coffee back to the street in such an interesting yet traditional way, is something that people can relate to. An industrial designer with a love of custom, quality bicycles and motorbikes, he designed the vintage-looking trike himself, and while he considers this model a prototype, it’s been getting its fair share of attention. For him, it’s been about combining his love of good design and good coffee, and presenting it in a way that people feel connected to. It’s one step forward with a definite nod to the past.
The Marseilles native says that coffee is a simple product that people appreciate when made well, so by offering it to them outside, where they are, without having to go into any one of an increasing number of chain stores, Coffee Spin retains a personal, human touch.
“We’ve been meeting a lot of people,” Vincent says, “and by being here I think we’re teaching people that good coffee, not the poor-quality chemical stuff you usually buy on the street, doesn’t have to be too much more expensive either. It’s also a more ecological product, and a lot of people like that. We don’t need fuel or electricity to make good coffee.”
Vincent, Phuong and another partner Quynh source all their beans from Dalat. The beans are brought to Saigon by the plantation owner himself, roasted in Saigon and ground every morning at Vincent’s home and on-site.
Friends on the Street
It’s an idea he’s had in his head for several years, since he started hearing all the bad press about the local street coffee. But without a Vietnamese partner, it’s remained just that.
Now, with Phuong and Quynh very much at the heart, he is finally on the ground living his idea, and with the smiles and love they’ve been getting from people every day, they’re considering expanding the fleet.
“For sure we would like to spread the idea of making ecological and clean coffee,” Vincent says. “Soon I think we will have more bikes like this in District 3, District 7 and District 1 — why not?
“But what I think is very important is the idea that we are preserving what people like in this country, the culture of eating and drinking with friends on the street, and I think even as people become more able to afford to eat indoors, it’s something Vietnam needs to hang on to.”
To find out where Vincent, Phuong and Quynh will be each day, head to their page facebook.com/CoffeeSpinSaigon. You can find them most mornings from 7.30am opposite North End Deli on Xuan Thuy, Q2, HCMC


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Reddys to sell Maxwell stake to co-owners
Sources said both the parties have agreed to the decision. The Reddy family will sell their combined holding of 1,99,99,906 shares, representing a 31.71% stake, to the Pathares. The shares will change hands on and after May 16 at the market price. At the ruling price of around Rs 20, the transaction is pegged at around Rs 40 crore.
Maxwell Industries was jointly promoted by Jaykumar Pathare (chairman) and L Jaipal Reddy (managing director) about 17 years ago. Mr Pathare could not be contacted. An e-mail sent to the company did not elicit any response. A source close to them confirmed that the agenda of Thursday���s board meeting includes inter-se transfer of shares among promoters.
According to sources, the new generation of the Reddy family is not too keen on pursuing the textiles business further as they want to focus on advertising and dairy business. The Reddys tried to sell their stake nearly a year ago to Kishore Biyani-promoted Future Group���s private equity arm, Indivision, and a high net worth individual, which did not work out due to differences on pricing.
It is learnt that sellers were asking around Rs 100 crore, which the buyers found to ���too high.���The other prominent shareholders of the company are Reliance Capital and Videocon Industries who hold 14.55% and 2.24%, respectively, as per the filing of the company in the quarter ended December 2007. The shareholding pattern for the last quarter is not yet available on the BSE website.
The exit of the Reddy family will call for a change in the board. In addition to Jaipal Reddy (managing director), another member of the family ��� L Vinay Reddy ��� is a director of the 13-member Maxwell board. However, it will not trigger an open offer as there will be no change in management.
Maxwell has posted a topline of around Rs 150 crore for the nine month ended December 2007. It has posted a net profit of around Rs 8 crore during the same period. The shares of Maxwell Industries are currently trading at Rs 19.5 on BSE. It closed the day, up about 4% from the previous close.
Maxwell is one of the prominent players in the country���s branded innerwear, which is pegged at around Rs 750 crore. It is maker of VIP and Loveable brands of innerwear. Other Maxwell brands include Daisy Dee and Vanity Fair.


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Things just aren't moving fast enough for the folks at Microsoft. In this case, what they're looking to speed up are the connections between people using all sorts of Microsoft products and the Internet. Chairman Bill Gates has even publicly lamented the sorry state of high-speed Net links in the U.S. "Clearly, if you can get [broadband prices] down to $20, $25 a month [in the next 18 months], something then will happen.... But, you know, in the U.S. it's not clear that will happen," he said in April at the Government Leaders' Conference in Seattle.
Now, after talking up and praying for speedy adoption of broadband seemingly for ages and getting no response, Microsoft (MSFT) is trying a more direct approach. It's offering its MSN.com content to providers of high-speed Internet access to spice up their offerings. The Colossus of Redmond is also building out Xbox Live, an online gaming network with supercool graphics and interactivity, to lure gamers into going broadband. Finally, it's striking more deals with Internet service providers, perhaps in an attempt to help them financially -- essentially subsidizing broadband access for consumers. All told, Microsoft could spend upwards of $3 billion on all these projects in the next two years, according to some estimates.
Will it work? Good thing Microsoft has deep pockets and plenty of determination because a good chunk of Wall Street thinks Gates & Co.'s timing could hardly be worse, given the meltdown in the telecom sector in particular and the overall skittishness of cable and telecom players to invest in this much-hyped technology. Although Microsoft projects that broadband subscriptions will jump by 50% in 2003, fast Web access has failed to excite much consumer enthusiasm so far.
WHO NEEDS IT? In 2000, analysts had predicted that the spread of the high-speed Internet was just around the corner. Instead, the economy took a turn for the worse, and consumers and businesses found broadband too pricey and still unnecessary. Only 20% of about 62 million U.S. households with Internet access will have broadband by yearend, according to tech consultancy Cahners In-Stat. Now most analysts don't expect growth rates for fast Web access to hit the gas pedal until 2005.
Meanwhile, the Redmond (Wash.) software giant's growth has slowed along with the economy. Its revenues will rise only 8% from 2002 to 2003, estimates Mark Specker, an analyst with SoundView Technology. That compares to Microsoft's average annual sales growth of 20% over the past five years. So Specker agrees with Microsoft that faster growth lies in providing bandwidth-thirsty services and applications like movies-on-demand, corporate collaboration, and interactive online games -- all part of Microsoft's vaunted .NET (pronounced dot-net) strategy.
In fact, up to a third of Microsoft's business lines could benefit from faster broadband adoption, estimates Robert Austrian, an analyst with Banc of America Securities. With the ubiquity of high-speed Internet delayed, "it might mean [Microsoft's] growth won't be as fast as everybody hoped," says David Cole, president of entertainment consultancy DFC Intelligence in San Diego, Calif.
HIGHER LOSSES. That's why Microsoft, with revenues of $25.3 billion and profits of $7.3 billion last year, is ramping up its efforts to hasten broadband adoption out of its own pocket. Matt Rosoff, an analyst with consultancy Directions on Microsoft in Kirkland, Wash., believes Microsoft may even be starting to help telecoms cover some of their expenses of providing high-speed service in hopes of getting the lower prices for consumers. As Gates said in his April speech, when broadband prices hit $25 a month, demand could skyrocket.
Microsoft is also increasing the losses it's willing to take to spur sales of its Xbox game console (the only one on the market that comes broadband-ready), hoping that online games will catapult high-speed connections into the mainstream. And on July 11, Microsoft announced a new line of wireless networking products, allowing for fast connections between digital devices within homes (see BW Online, 7/11/02, "Meet Microsoft, Home Networker").
These moves will likely generate billions in red ink up-front, says Speker. This year alone, Microsoft should loose $1 billion on Xbox, estimates Brendan Barnicle, an analyst with Pacific Crest Securities. In May, Microsoft cut the game machine's price from $299 to $199, and today it's selling for $100 to $150 below cost, he says. The company won't start turning a profit on gaming titles and Xbox Live, which it will introduce this year, until 2004, Barnicle says. At that point, online gaming could be among the first .NET services to go into the black.
"LIMITLESS POSSIBILITIES." Microsoft says the eventual payoff overall will be huge. It figures that high-speed connections will turn PCs into always-on centers of home entertainment and communication, making computing more a part of consumers' lives. In turn, sales of Windows XP, online gaming titles, and home-networking products would get a major boost, putting Microsoft back on the double-digit growth track. "It's really the way the Internet goes from being a daily struggle, with dial-up, to a consumer-like experience," says David Hufford, Xbox marketing manager. "The possibilities with broadband are limitless."
Dream on, say many analysts. Even Microsoft, with its deep pockets ($5.1 billion in cash and cash equivalents as of Mar. 31), can't lower the tide of trouble now washing over broadband ISPs. Telecoms, ranging from WorldCom (WCOME) -- which filed for bankruptcy July 21 -- to Qwest (Q) are in financial distress and, for at least the next year, will be busy trying to avoid sinking further.
They're unlikely to lower their prices on broadband or expand their networks to encompass more homes, both crucial moves in speeding up broadband adoption. Today, digital subscriber line (DSL) connections typically cost $49.99 a month for consumers, vs. about $14.99 for dial-up connections. Worse, DSL is available only in limited areas.
TROUBLED PARTNERS. Telecom woes could clearly hamper Microsoft's efforts. Take local-phone company Qwest. Under an April, 2001, agreement with Microsoft, Qwest (in which Microsoft holds a 1.33% stake), exclusively markets MSN Internet access to its dial-up and broadband subscribers in 14 states. Under the agreement, Qwest customers who sign up for broadband receive MSN content by default and use a customized Qwest-Microsoft co-branded Web browser. The deal was struck after Microsoft's earlier partner, NorthPoint Communications, went bankrupt.
Today, however, Qwest is in trouble, too. Its credit rating had been downgraded to junk. The Securities & Exchange Commission is investigating its accounting practices. And on July 11, the U.S. government's General Services Administration launched a review of Qwest's federal contracts. Still, "the relationship with Microsoft is going smoothly," says Asilvia McLachlan, a Qwest spokesperson, who declined to provide any other comments.
However, Microsoft is already reacting to the shifting telecom landscape. On June 20, it struck a similar pact with the nation's largest phone company, Verizon (VZ). The software giant is trying to build its ties to the industry's stronger players, says David Readerman, an analyst with Thomas Weisel Partners.
FIRST STEP TO .NET? Few details about the Verizon pact were disclosed, but starting in early 2003, any customer signing up for DSL with Verizon would get MSN content and services through a default customized browser, explains Paul Symczak, Verizon Online's director of business development. Although some users could elect to change their default homepage, Microsoft expects most to stick with MSN, allowing Microsoft to later market its various .NET services directly to them. Symczak says either Verizon or Microsoft will handle billing and service, depending on which one signs up the customer.
Microsoft is likely also in talks with cable companies (it already has a broadband deal with Charter Communications) as well as Baby Bells SBC Communications (SBC) and BellSouth (BLST), says analyst Rosoff.
For the ISPs, such an agreement with Microsoft could be a sweet deal. MSN content will allow Verizon to differentiate its services from competition, says Verizon Online's Symczak. Plus, Rosoff believes that Microsoft is helping its partners financially, though neither Microsoft or Verizon are saying what the terms of the deal are. That help should, in theory, translate into Gates's much-wish-for lower broadband prices for consumers.
BROADBAND-CRAZY KOREA. Still, Microsoft might be a bit late to the game with some ISPs. Baby Bell SBC, for one, says it won't comment on speculation about possible deals. But late last year, the telecom struck a deal to offer Internet services with Yahoo! (YHOO). The companies' co-branded DSL service will be rolled out in the fall, says SBC spokesperson Selim Bingol.
Meanwhile, Microsoft's efforts in online gaming might not come to fruition anytime soon, either. Although online game StarCraft, from Irvine (Calif.)-based Blizzard Entertainment, did wonders to hasten high-speed Internet adoption in South Korea, according to Nielsen/Net Ratings, other countries are proving different. As of last December, 15% of South Koreans, or 7 million homes, had broadband connections. That's about as many homes as in the U.S., with a population of 287 million.
Microsoft's Xbox Live gaming network will debut as a $49.95-a-year service, requiring players to have Xbox consoles as well as broadband subscriptions. DFC Intelligence's Cole says it likely won't be a big draw right away since Microsoft will need time to work out the bugs and build up the all-important buzz. Only hundreds of thousands -- not millions -- of users will use Xbox Live by yearend 2003, he estimates. After all, only 33% of Xbox's 2 million U.S. users now subscribe to broadband, says Cole.
BETTER THAN AOL? "We wish them all the luck," says Jim Merrick, director of network marketing for rival gaming company Nintendo (NTDOF.PK
and NTDOY.PK). Nintendo has no plans for a special online gaming network, though it will offer an add-on broadband adapter for its consoles in the fall, he says. "The mass market is [still] the dial-up," Merrick explains.
That's certainly not what Microsoft thinks. "Many new consumers will sign up for Internet access in the next year, and many existing dial-up users will switch from their current ISP to a broadband provider," says Lisa Gurry, MSN product manager.
Another challenge for Microsoft is to make sure its move into broadband goes better than that of online rival America Online (AOL) (see BW Online, 1/4/02, "How Broadband Could Slow Down AOL"). Only a few hundred thousand existing users were paying for AOL Broadband as of January, the most recent available data. And, according to Buckingham Research Group analyst Ken Kiarash, overall growth rates of Microsoft's user base are now higher than those of AOL, partly because of Microsoft's broadband offerings.
Still, if AOL -- which has the seeming advantage of Time Warner Cable's 13 million subscribers -- is having trouble spurring folks to go high-speed, Microsoft might have to spend more -- and stick with the strategy longer -- than it expects. By Olga Kharif in Portland, Ore.


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New Deal Is Plain Sailing For Giants Of UK Yacht Charter Brokerage
The Irwin Mitchell corporate team has advised Borrow A Boat, the UK’s largest yacht charter broker on an acquisition, adding high-end, luxury charter vessels to the firm’s growing business portfolio.
Led by senior associate, Ben Gale, from the Irwin Mitchell London office, the acquisition of charter brokerage firm, Helm, confirms Borrow A Boat’s place as the largest boat charter marketplace in the country.
Founded in 2016, Borrow a Boat has grown to offer the largest boat charter marketplace worldwide, by offering consumers flexible and affordable boating experiences. The company now lists over 35,000 boats in over 65 countries, covering popular destinations like the Mediterranean, North America, the Caribbean and South East Asia.
Rapid expansion over the last five years has seen Borrow A Boat raise over £3.8 million in capital, from a mixture of crowdfunding, private investors and venture capital investors.
Helm was founded by charter industry experts Peter Harrison and Simon Morgan in 2015 in order to specialise in crewed charters and catamarans. This deal now brings Helm’s luxury vessels and catamarans to Borrow a Boat, together with Peter and Simon’s extensive yachting knowledge, and a loyal and growing customer base.
Expert Opinion“We have witnessed Borrow A Boat deliver impressive growth over the last few years and we are delighted to have had the opportunity to advise the company again; this time on a deal that will see both Borrow A Boat and Helm join forces and undoubtedly prosper in the years ahead.
There is enormous growth potential in the yacht charter sector and it’s great to see two successful businesses continuing to expand in what has been a difficult year for much of the UK economy. We wish them the very best with the next chapter of the combined business’s future” Ben Gale - Senior Associate Solicitor
Matt Ovenden, CEO and founder of Borrow A Boat, said: “The acquisition of Helm is an important milestone for Borrow A Boat as we look to build the number one yacht charter platform globally.
The Helm brand is well respected within the industry, and the founders bring a wide breadth of knowledge and expertise to the team, particularly in terms of the high-end market of crewed charters, luxury catamarans and motor yacht charters. We plan to invest in and develop this expertise alongside Borrow A Boat to further grow the platform and reach more customers.”
Peter Harrison, Co-founder of Helm, said: “This is a new chapter for Helm as we team up with Matt and Borrow A Boat to further grow the business. With plenty of synergy between the two brands, we see an impressive future for the combined businesses.
There is massive potential for future growth in the yacht charter market. Our aligned vision of making boating more accessible has contributed to the chemistry of this partnership and we are thrilled to be working together to encourage more people to get out on the water.”
Corporate partner James Paton-Philip, senior associate Ben Gale and trainee solicitor Ben Jones from law firm Irwin Mitchell advised Borrow A Boat on the deal.


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Mondi and Skånemejerier partner to introduce mono-material plastic packaging.
Skånemejerier has collaborated with Mondi, a global leader in packaging, to create a mono-material, polypropylene (PP) based packaging for, among others, ICA’s Hushållsost cheese.
Mondi’s mono-material solution provides high barriers against oxygen and water vapours, keeping the product fresh on the supermarket shelf. – and the material is recyclable.
Ingemar Jönsson, Packaging Manager, Skånemejerier, adds:
– Our collaboration with Mondi has been a thorough process: we started our first test and trials in 2019 and are delighted to be bringing this fully recyclable packaging to market before the end of 2023. The great working relationship we had, meant that we were able to adapt materials and machinery efficiently, resulting in a successful, fit for purpose solution. We have strong, effective and good-looking packaging that keeps materials in the loop and responds to consumer demands for more sustainable solutions, he says.
This new, innovative packaging is being launched in the same time period as Site Zero, the world’s largest sorting facility for used plastic packaging, will open its doors in Sweden. This state-of-the-art facility, slated to go live in November 2023, will process used plastic waste from both Sweden and Finland. Thanks to the packaging’s mono-material design, the facility will be able to effectively sort this solution for recycling.
Rickard Jansson, Development Engineer at Swedish Plastic Recycling states:
– We are very positive about the new packaging that Mondi has developed together with Skånemejerier for ICA. By using mono-material film instead of laminate consisting of different types of plastic, we can sort out and recycle the packaging that is left in the system, thus avoiding incineration. With Site Zero’s new technology, this PP film-based packaging will be able to become new products, which has not been possible in any facility in Sweden before. It provides circular plastic flows that reduce the need for fossil raw materials and combustion.
Read the full press release HERE


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CARROLL GARDENS — What better neighborhood for a Greek garden?
Avlee Greek Kitchen opened its doors last week on Smith Street and will be serving traditional food with “a little twist.”
So what’s the little twist? “It’s a secret,” said Peter Ragakos, general manager of Avlee, meaning "garden," at 349 Smith St.
Restaurant owner Andrew Poulos and Ragakos grew up in the community and would often volunteer for a Greek festival at their church, Sts. Constantine & Helen Cathedral on Schermerhorn Street.
“There’s a demand for the Greek palate here,” said Ragakos.
Several of the restaurants authentic recipes, like Pastitio – a traditional baked dish with Greek pasta - and Moussaka – a casserole of eggplant and spiced meat – were handed down from family and friends, said Ragakos.
“Our mother was a really great cook,” said Stelene Argyri, Ragakos’s sister, who said she makes the best avgolemono, a Greek soup with chicken, orzo, lemon, and egg.
Diners can also expect delicacies like Spanakopita, a savory spinach pie, and Sika, figs with feta and cured beef.
The restaurant also boasts a mini Greek market with jams, honey, grape leaves, tea, and pastas, most of them imported from Greece.
Avlee’s drinks are also imported from the Mediterranean country and the restaurant will be brewing their own Chamomile ice-tea, fresh every morning, flavored with pomegranate and honey.
Appetizers are priced at $4 to $8 and entrees are around $10 to $15.
For more information, visit www.avlee.co.


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Airtel Africa, a leading provider of telecommunications and mobile money services, has announced the completion of the minority shareholding buyback of Airtel Networks Limited, the Nigerian subsidiary of Airtel Africa plc.
According to the disclosure signed by the company’s secretary, Simon O’Hara, and filed with the exchange, the total consideration for the 8.22% minority shareholdings which was acquired under the buyback program is N61 billion, equivalent to $147 million using a conversion rate of 415.07 NGN/USD.
Airtel Africa Plc now holds 99.96% ownership over its largest subsidiary.
The telecommunications company had earlier announced the buyout offer in October 2021. In the notice, it stated that the company had initiated a process under which it sought to buy back the 8.27% minority shareholdings at an offer price of NGN 55.81 per share and assuming all minority shareholders decided to tender their shares, the total consideration would be NGN 61.24 bn.
What you should know
The company’s Q2 2021 unaudited results for the period ended June 30th, 2021 shows a profit before tax of 133 per cent to $259 million while profit after tax went up by 149 per cent to $142 million. Airtel Africa Plc announced a revenue growth of nearly 31%, to $1.1 billion.
The company’s shares currently trade at N950.00 per share on the Nigerian Exchange Limited, appreciating by 11.53% from year to date.


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Fortunately, this is not the case for fans of the BOOST-blessed Saikou. The Primeknit and suede sneaker first appeared at retailers last month and was quickly snapped up by fans of Yojhi Yamamoto’s cutting-edge style. In response, Y-3 sent out a restock of the sleek sneaker in its uber-clean white and black colourway.
The Y-3 Saikou is up for raffle right now at Feature. Look for these to hit additional Y-3 stockists in limited numbers, very soon.


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Apple's Steve Jobs has taken the stage at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco to make a slew of announcements related to iOS, Apple TV, iTunes and the iPod. First though, he dropped some big stats on the state of the iOS ecosystem.
According to Jobs, Apple has sold more than 120 million iPhones, iPads and iPod touches. This is up from 100 million devices just three months ago. What may be more impressive is that Apple is activating 230,000 new iOS device every single day. That's more than the number that Google touted in May of 100,000 Android device activations daily (though that number has likely grown significantly higher since then).
Unsurprisingly, the App Store is also on fire. Jobs announced that 6.5 billion apps have been downloaded from the App Store, and the pace of downloads is now at 200 apps per second. 25,000 of the applications in the app store are now iPad apps.
Apple's retail stores are also growing. There are now 300 Apple stores in the world, including new ones in Shanghai and Paris.


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Otomix manufacturer of athletic apparel, shoes and martial arts gear. Announced today it will revive their endorsement program. Otomix has used celebrities and athletes in the past to promote their line of products. President Mitchell Bobrow a Taekwondo Hall of Famer says the time is right again to get back in the endorsement business. The successful launch of the MMM Shoe Stingray Escape has given the company the boost it needed in the slow summer quarter to justify this decision. Our brand is global so we will be researching athletes from around the world. Agents and managers can contact Otomix at 747 Glascow ave, Inglewood, Ca 90301
Otomix Manufacturer of activewear, Shoes & Martial Arts Gear. Reports a 22% increase in internet sales since the start of the Olympic games. Founder Mitchell Bobrow believes the Olympics signals a trent for people to get back to the gym early this fall. Otomix specializes in stylish gym wear, yoga attire and specialized shoes. For more info go to http://www.otomix.com or call 800-597-5425
Various Korean forms of martial arts have existed but in the early 20th century, Taekwondo became a combination of those forms. In 1955 a group of Korean martial arts leaders chose Taekwondo as the definitive Korean martial art in an attempt to promote its development worldwide.
In 1973, the Korean government recognized the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) as the legitimate governing body of sport Taekwondo, and the first World Championships were held in that year. Taekwondo became a demonstration sport in the 1992 Olympics and a Medal sport in 2000.


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Customs Seizes Children’s Bags at Houston Seaport
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced yesterday its officers had confiscated more than 6,000 children’s backpacks and lunch bags on two different occasions. Both times authorities determined the China exports had extremely high levels of lead.
The first instance involved a Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) compliance investigator examining 1,500 children’s backpacks and more than 4,000 lunch bags, and determining more testing was needed. A test of a sample at the CPSC laboratory concluded the products’ metal zippers had lead levels ranging from 900 to 15,000 parts per million—more than the legal limit of 100 parts per million.
CBP officers and a CPSC compliance investigator examined a single carton of backpacks in another incident and submitted a sample for more testing. Each backpack contained lead levels of 200 to 3,000 parts per million. CBP confiscated all of the noncompliant items for destruction.
“These seizures reflect our commitment to protecting American consumers from hazardous, harmful products,” Dave Fluty, CBP port director, said. “Together with CPSC, we tirelessly search for imported products that may pose a hazard or safety concern for American consumers and we take the appropriate steps to ensure those items do not reach store shelves.”


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The Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) today launched the RTech Startup Network, a community designed to generate a stronger connection between the startup ecosystem and retail senior executive communities.
The Startup Network will be home to early-stage companies developing cutting-edge solutions to the retail industry’s most stubborn problems, and whose total revenue is under $50 million. Members will have unparalleled opportunities to participate in RILA events such as startup award programs and open innovation challenges, as well as unique access to RILA’s committees of retail executives.
“The RTech Startup Network is just one component of our larger retail innovation community, but an important one. By curating this group of retail problem solvers, we’re establishing a single access point for retailers who are hungry for new technology, and for startups whose innovative solutions can have a real impact on the retail industry,” said Nicholas Ahrens, RILA vice president of innovation. “We look forward to growing the Network as we continue to drive innovation across the retail industry.”
Qualifying startups are invited to join the RTech Startup Network by submitting a simple application here.


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The Daily Show Host’s Conversation with FTC Chair Lina Khan
During a recent interview on The Daily Show, host Jon Stewart discussed a controversial aspect of his show’s history with Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan. The discussion surrounding Apple began around the 16:30 mark of the video.
Apple TV+ Controversy
Before the abrupt cancellation of The Problem with Jon Stewart on Apple TV+, Jon Stewart revealed that Apple had forbidden the appearance of FTC Chair Lina Khan as a guest on the show. Additionally, Apple steered the show away from addressing issues related to artificial intelligence. Stewart pointed out that creative differences over guests and topics played a role in the decision to cancel the show last October.
According to reports, both China and AI were contentious topics between Apple and Stewart. Stewart confirmed these reports during a CBS Morning Show interview after announcing his return to The Daily Show. He explained Apple’s reservations saying, “They decided that they felt that they didn’t want me to say things that might get me into trouble.”
Stewart’s Specific Comments
During his interview with Khan, Stewart disclosed more specific details publicly for the first time. He expressed disappointment by revealing, “I’ve got to tell you, I wanted to have you on a podcast, and Apple asked us not to do it—to have you. They literally said, ‘Please don’t talk to her.'” This interaction demonstrates the behind-the-scenes challenges faced by the show.
FTC’s Efforts Against Monopolies
Khan’s appearance on The Daily Show focused on highlighting the FTC’s ongoing efforts to combat corporate monopolies within the tech industry in the US. She emphasized the organization’s commitment to addressing monopolistic behavior among major tech companies such as Amazon and Meta. Khan assumed her role as the FTC chair in 2021 and has since gained recognition for her firm stance against monopolistic practices.
AI as a Sensitive Topic
Stewart also touched upon AI being a sensitive topic for Apple during the interview. He mentioned that Apple had reservations about a segment on AI that was meant to precede Khan’s interview. The segment aimed to critique tech executives’ optimistic portrayals of AI technologies and their potential impacts on the workforce.
Future of Generative AI at Apple
While Apple incorporates AI-related technologies in its products and services, the company has yet to unveil any generative AI features. However, speculations suggest that Apple might introduce generative AI capabilities with the release of iOS 18, an upcoming operating system update for iPhones expected to be announced at Apple’s annual developer conference in June.
Image/Photo credit: source url


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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — If you’re attending a football game at the University of Kansas’ Memorial Stadium this fall, you’ll be able to buy beer or wine.
Kansas Athletics announced Wednesday it will begin alcohol sales in August.
This comes after the university earlier introduced the sale of beer and wine to test the products’ viability.
With success and positive feedback, Kansas Athletics Director Jeff Long said “we are now prepared to expand it. Fans have told us that one of the best ways to enhance their experience at Kansas Athletics events is for them to have the ability to enjoy beer and wine.”
Centerplate, Kansas Athletics’ current concessionaire, will manage alcohol sales.
The new program comes with a “No Re-Entry/No Pass” policy, and alcohol sales will halt at the end of the third quarter.
In the past, Kansas Athletics allowed alcohol in suites and two premium seating areas.
The pilot program also included alcohol sales at the baseball, softball and soccer stadiums.
KU is the sixth Big 12 member to begin the sale of beer and wine on game day.


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Jane Wurwand, Founder, Co-Owner and Chief Visionary of Dermalogica and The International Dermal Institute (IDI), and founder of the brand’s social impact initiative, FITE, has been awarded top honors by Cosmetic Executive Women (CEW), one of the cosmetic industry’s leading executive associations, as one of this year’s recipients of the prestigious CEW Achiever Award. The Awards ceremony took place on October 17 at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City.
The Achiever Awards recognize the accomplishments of women leaders in the cosmetic industry. The Awards serve as an inspiration to future leaders and for companies to support executive women’s advancement. In years past, CEW recognized top level executives of major cosmetic corporations. In the spirit of CEW’s 60th Anniversary, with an eye towards the future, the organization recognized women within a new awards category: trailblazing entrepreneurs who have changed an industry.
“We are excited to have Dermalogica recognized by CEW in this first-time ever entrepreneurial category,” says Wurwand. “The cosmetic industry has given birth to incredible entrepreneurial brands, many founded by women with a singular passion and vision. The professional salon skin care industry puts more women into their own businesses than any other, and I am very proud to represent the hundreds of thousands of professional skin care therapists who make up our Tribe worldwide.”
For thirty years, since the inception of The International Dermal Institute (IDI) and the Dermalogica professional skin care brand, Wurwand has focused her business on creating professional opportunities and economic empowerment for women. In 2011, Jane launched FITE, Financial Independence Through Entrepreneurship, to help women entrepreneurs around the world invest in their own potential. Working in more than 70 countries, FITE creates pathways to entrepreneurship by providing access to funding and business resources, supporting education and leadership training for women, and helping to amplify women’s voices. To date, FITE has helped to fund more than 50,000 women entrepreneurs worldwide, providing them with the opportunities and resources needed to achieve financial independence, and most recently announced the launch of their groundbreaking new program to support vocational training to careers in the salon industry for young women and girls.
Also recognized at the CEW Achiever Award ceremony include the following Honorees: Laura Geller, Founder, Laura Geller Beauty; Alli Webb, Founder, Drybar; and Wende Zomnir, Chief Creative Officer/Founding Partner, Urban Decay Cosmetics. Additionally, Leonard Lauder, Chairman Emeritus, The Estée Lauder Companies Inc., received the Lifetime Achievement Award.
For more information on Dermalogica, visit www.dermalogica.com. To learn more about FITE, visit www.joinFITE.org.
[Images courtesy of Dermalogica]


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Bango boss on PM’s Asia FinTech mission
Ray Anderson, the CEO of Cambridge UK mobile payments specialist Bango, is on Prime Minister David Cameron’s financial technology trade mission to Asia, launched in Malaysia today.
The delegation will go on to demonstrate UK prowess in the FinTech arena in Indonesia and Vietnam.
In the first half of 2015 Bango has completed seven mobile payment agreements with Mobile Network Operators across Asia. These include launching carrier billing routes for Indosat and XL in Indonesia, and Taiwan Star in Taiwan.
The agreements allow the operators to enable a feature in a mobile app store, such as Google Play or the Microsoft Windows Phone Store, so that a smartphone user can pay for games, music, movies and other content on their phone bill.
The Bango payment platform is used by app stores today to operate over 60 per cent of all live carrier billing routes worldwide. Asia has been a particularly active market recently, reflecting the huge appetite for smartphones and internet connectivity amongst young consumers in the region.
Bango’s partnerships span a whole range of market economies, including Taiwan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines and Singapore.
Since every smartphone user has a mobile phone account, this means total payment coverage. The young and dynamic populations of many Asian markets are developing their app, web and entertainment habits primarily through their mobile devices.
In parallel, developers are busy in these countries producing games, utilities and all kinds of apps for smartphones. One notable app of the last two years was Flappy Bird, developed in Vietnam for Android and Apple phones.
Ray Anderson said: “The smartphone and app phenomenon has been extraordinary across Asia. Bango’s technology is in demand because it gives our operator partners access to the big internet players that drive most end user spending on digital content.
“In addition to the progress made in Asia already this year, we are working with operators in Vietnam, India, Bangladesh and Japan to deploy the Bango Platform in these markets.”
Global leaders plugging into Bango include Amazon, BlackBerry, Facebook, Google, Samsung, Microsoft and Mozilla.


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Payments provider is introducing new behavioural profiling technology to help spot anomalies
As the technology continues to improve, it seems that more and more of us are now using our mobile devices to pay for goods and services.
But how secure are the systems powering this new kind of mobile commerce? A recent TechWeekEurope interview with security specialists Kaspersky found that the company was optimistic regarding the current status of the mobile payments ecosystem, but what do the payment providers themselves think?
TechWeekEurope spoke to David Emsworth, who heads up risk and compliance at Zapp, which has partnered with many leading high-street retailers to bring mobile payments to both physical and online stores, to find out his opinion.
Much like Kaspersky, Emsworth says that Zapp is still yet to spot any real trends in the mobile security space, saying that the payments sector is, “still in its infancy to a certain extent”, despite more and more companies wanting to use mobile every day.
“Mobile is, to a certain extent, is probably a bit safer than your average laptop”, Emsworth says despite many people viewing the situation the other way round, thanks to the latter often having more of a visible security presence through anti-virus pop-ups.
“Hackers are still focusing on the online side of things, and maybe not so much on the mobile side at the moment.”
The public’s perception of security has also been swayed as the smartphone becomes a truly integral part of everyday day, Emsworth believes, as many of us would much rather lose a credit or debit card than a mobile device.
“The mobile phone is so much more personal now…if you lose your mobile phone, it’s like the end of the world. Compared to a piece of plastic, losing your card is just a bit of an inconvenience.”
Zapp helps secure consumers through digitisation – when making a transaction, all the customer information gets turned into digital tokens which include nothing on the user or the merchant, effectively making it useless for hackers.
This method also keeps customer information away from apps, which all too often are the weak links exploited by cyber criminals. Zapp effectively piggybacks on this, Emsworth says, sitting behind the bank’s mobile app to provide a service, meaning that the pressure is on the banks to provide a secure platform for customers.
This means no need for extra Zapp apps needing additional passwords, which are all to easily targeted, simplifying the process for both customers and merchants.
But to boost security even more, Zapp is also boosting its own fraud monitoring system, developed alongside Featurespace, a Cambridge-based company which has helped it implement behavioural profiling.
Set to appear later this year, the system monitors the interactions carried out between consumers and merchants, looking for patterns in behaviour that might help identify errors.
Every time a transaction is completed, the service delivers a ‘risk score’ that combines consumer behaviour and merchant behaviour which gives an indication of the risk of the transaction.
It also provides a ‘confidence score’, a percentage rating whether the ‘risk score’ is accurate based on past transactions. Both scores get delivered to the bank leaving them to decide if they want to validate the transaction.
“Up until now, there has been a concern over mobile payments, and just how secure is mobile,” Emsworth says, “here we are providing the solution.”
Reports suggesting huge potential growth for mobile payments are accurate, he says, adding that so long that companies like Zapp can put consumer’s minds at rest concerning the security of mobile payments, the use of such systems should skyrocket soon.
“Mobile is a safe and secure means of making a payment,” he concludes, “and people always want to use their mobile more.”
All clued up on mobile payments? Try our quiz!


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Cryptocurrency prices have been in freefall with Ethereum shedding nearly 40% over the past month, falling to under $2,500 for the first time since late July 2021. Falling crypto prices mean lower profits for miners, and therefore more GPUs for gamers. As expected, graphics card mining feasibility has been consistently depleting over the past couple of months. It now takes 30 months to break even if you buy a GeForce RTX 30 series graphics card for mining, and given the uncertainty over crypto prices, and the looming Ethereum 2.0 merger, there’s a good chance that miners buying new hardware at this point will never be able to recoup their investments.
Stats provided by well-known Russian miner “ProTON” show that even with a GeForce RTX 3080 Ti or a 3090, you’ll need close to three years (36-37 months) to recoup your initial hardware investments. Unexpectedly, the GeForce GTX 1660 Super and the 1660 Ti have the shortest turnover period of 28 months, followed by the RTX 3060 with 30 months.
The worst graphics card for cryptomining, however, is the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT. Requiring more than 3 years or 38 months to break even, the top-end RDNA 2 GPU is a miner’s nightmare. The combination of a massive L3 cache and a slim bus width makes for a starved compute digestor. This also partly explains why the Radeon RX 6900 XT is one of the most widely available graphics cards despite costing well over a thousand dollars.


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Crazy Johns will be including the new pink Blackberry Pearl 8110 smartphone for free on its $39 BlackBerry Service Cap. This cap plan is currently the lowest bundled voice and data BlackBerry service plan in Australia.
The bundled voice and data plan allows unlimited mobile access to email, instant messaging, social networking sites, Internet browsing and thousands of other mobile applications. The popular BlackBerry service enables access to up to 10 supported ISP email accounts, as well as access to various instant messaging services such as Yahoo! Messenger and Windows Live Messenger.
It is also incredibly easy to stay in touch using the Facebook for BlackBerry application. With notifications sent straight to their inbox, users will immediately know when someone tags them in a photo, writes on their wall, sends them a message or comments on their status.
In addition, the sleek and stylish smartphone provides an outstanding user experience through its intuitive interface, trackball navigation system and SureType keyboard. It also comes with built-in GPS (Global Positioning System) and a media player that allows users to make the most of their personal time with music, video and pictures on the move.
BlackBerry Media Sync is also included free of charge, allowing users to easily sync music from their iTunes or Windows Media Player music collection to their BlackBerry smartphone.
Matt Scriven, Head of Marketing for Crazy John’s, said, “We think many of our customers will love the slim and fashionable design of the pink BlackBerry Pearl 8110 smartphone, and the incredible value of this BlackBerry service plan will mean that they can own a premium smartphone for less than $40 a month.”
The pink BlackBerry Pearl 8110 smartphone is now available in Australia from Crazy John’s for $0 upfront on a 24 month plan with a $39 BlackBerry Service Cap for a bundled voice and data plan including unlimited Internet and email.


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Frankfurt am Main, 14 June 2017. – They were major beacons of hope for international manufacturers of production technology: the USA with its reindustrialisation programme, and Mexico, which had evolved into one of the world's most important automaking locations. But since the beginning of this year at the latest, industry representatives all round the globe have been wondering where it is heading, the US-American economy, and what is to become of its southern neighbour Mexico. The VDW (German Machine Tool Builders' Association) will be investigating these questions as part of its Metalworking Growth seminar on 21 September 2017 at the EMO Hannover. After all, last year the USA was the second-biggest market for machine tools worldwide, with Mexico ranking 7th.
"For addressing our highly topical seminar theme, we're partnering with Gardner Business Media, a company possessing excellent knowledge of both these markets," reports Dr. Wilfried Schäfer, Executive Director of the EMO's organiser, the VDW. Soundly based expert information, he continues, is indispensable for every corporate leader from the manufacturing sector doing business with these two countries. It's all the more valuable when the experts concerned are able to base their assessments and appraisals on how the situation is actually viewed from within these two markets.
Travis Egan, the publisher of the Modern Machine Shop trade periodical, takes an optimistic stance. He perceives a highly upbeat mood among the manufacturers in both these countries, and promises good business opportunities for every vendor able to utilise this optimistic atmosphere in his favour. The figures issued for the German machine tool industry's first quarter, for example, prove him right: German exports to the USA have increased by 16 per cent, with exports to Mexico even up by more than one third. "Needless to say, this trend has its roots in last year's order bookings," explains Dr. Schäfer. Many large-scale orders in project business with these two countries' automotive industry had ensured high growth rates. But in Mexico at least, ordering activity slumped considerably during the year's first quarter, whereas order intake from the USA continues buoyant.
What will be addressed in the EMO's seminar is the ongoing global economic and technological trends in the machine tool industry, with a particular focus on the USA and Mexico. Steve Kline Jr., Director of Market Intelligence at Gardner Business Media (GBM), will provide information on the investment plans of US-American companies, right through to certain technologies which have been identified as primary targets for purchasers. For almost ten years now, Steve Kline has been drawing up market studies in the capital-goods industry, and heads the Capital Spending Survey and the Gardner Business Index, to name just two benchmark indicators he's in charge of.
Pete Zelinski, the Senior Editor of the Modern Machine Shop trade periodical, is devoting a lot of attention to technical developments, and goes into downright raptures: "Ever since I started working, this is the most exciting time I've experienced for the USA's industrial sector. Much of the boost is coming primarily from the relatively small companies that are seeing major opportunities in the application of new technologies like additive manufacturing."
In Mexico, by contrast, what's needed is some long-term strategies. That's the verdict of Claude Mas, the publisher of the Modern Machine Shop Mexico trade periodical. He sees major sales potential here, because a Mexican middle class with ample purchasing power is in the process of emerging. "Given an annual economic growth of between four and five per cent, Mexico's baby boomers will over the next 20 years be in the market for high-quality consumer goods, which could also be produced in the country itself," is his firm conviction. So far, only 20 per cent of Mexican production output is being sold at home. So a higher level of domestic demand, he continues, offers major opportunities for selling production technology.
"In the times we're living through at the moment, highly eventful and turbulent as they are, where politicians on the other side of the Atlantic are questioning the retention of free trade, it's all the more important to analyse the real conditions obtaining on the spot time and again," says Dr. Schäfer of the VDW. "For this, there is no forum better suited than the EMO Hannover because it's there that many top-flight international production experts meet up for exchanging news and views and for discussing trends and challenges."
At a glance
What: Metalworking Growth Seminar – overview of the trends in metalworking in the USA and Mexico
When: Thursday, 21 September 2017, 9.00 to 11.00 a.m.
Where: Hanover Exhibition Grounds, Convention Center
10.00 a.m. Welcome Dr. Wilfried Schäfer, VDW
10.05 a.m. Trends in the international machine tool market, with a particular focus on the USA and Mexico Steve Kline Jr., Gardner Business Media
10.40 a.m. Technical trends in the US machine tool industry Pete Zelinsky, Modern Machine Shop
11.10 a.m. The machine tool industry in Mexico: opportunities and challenges Claude Mas, Modern Machine Shop Mexico
11.40 a.m. Discussion
12.00 a.m. Ending with a snack
EMO Hannover 2017 – the world's premier trade fair for the metalworking sector
From 18 to 23 September 2017, international manufacturers of production technology will be spotlighting "Connecting systems for intelligent production" at the EMO Hannover 2017. The world's premier trade fair for the metalworking industry will be showcasing the entire bandwidth of today's most sophisticated metalworking technology, which is the heart of every industrial production process. The fair will be presenting the latest machines, plus efficient technical solutions, product-supportive services, sustainability in the production process, and much, much more. The principal focus of the EMO Hannover is on metal-cutting and forming machine tools, production systems, high-precision tools, automated material flows, computer technology, industrial electronics and accessories. The trade visitors to the EMO come from all major sectors of industry, such as machinery and plant manufacturers, the automotive industry and its component suppliers, the aerospace sector, precision mechanics and optics, shipbuilding, medical technology, tool and die manufacture, steel and lightweight construction. The EMO Hannover is the world's most important international meeting point for production technology specialists from all over the planet. In 2013, the fair attracted more than 2,130 exhibitors, and around 143,000 trade visitors from more than 100 different countries. EMO is a registered trademark of the European Association of the Machine Tool Industries CECIMO.
You can also follow the EMO Hannover using our social media channels


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An anonymous pirate, speaking on behalf of pirates, rogues and thieves around the world, today bemoaned the Better Business Bureau’s 100+ years of service advancing trust between businesses and customers.
“It’s tough to be a scallywag with those landlubbers peeping through their spyglass,” the captain noted through an anonymous interview made available to the media on International Talk Like a Pirate Day. “In the good ol’ days, any bilge rat could drop anchor any place he fancied and take the locals for every farthing they got. Now me and me lads ‘ave had to mend our sails or it’s to the brig with the whole lot of us.”
“It be troublin’,” he added sadly.
The pirate captain went on to lament BBB’s mission of an ethical marketplace where buyers and sellers can trust each other. “What kind of scoundrel thought that up?” he asked.
The buccaneer also grumbled about how easy BBB has made it for consumers to file a complaint against a business. “All a feller has to do is log in t’ bbb.org and tell ‘em the story. BBB takes it from there.”
When asked about how BBB works to fight fraud, scams, piracy and other criminal activity, the former swashbuckler wiped away a tear and said, “They’ra makin’ it harder and harder for a pirate to earn a dishonest living.”
For more than 100 years, Better Business Bureau has been helping consumers find businesses, brands and charities they can trust. In 2012, consumers turned to BBB 124 million times for Business Reviews on more than 4.5 million companies and Charity Reports on 11,000 charities, all available for free at bbb.org. The Council of Better Business Bureaus is the umbrella organization for 113 local, independent BBBs across the United States and Canada, as well as home to its national programs on dispute resolution and industry self-regulation.– Kathrine Hutt, Communications and Media Relations – CBBB


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Next week, May 12th through the 16th, is National Small Business Week, recognizing “the critical contributions of America’s entrepreneurs and small business owners.”
The Small Business Administration has lead this effort since 1963. It applauds this group of businesses. More than half of Americans either own or work for a small business and they create about two out of every three new jobs in the U.S. each year. Every day, the SBA works to grow small businesses, create 21st century jobs, drive innovation, and increase America’s global competitiveness.
The U. S. system of land grant universities has supported these businesses over the years. The Cooperative Extension Service, as part of that system, has worked to encourage, build and support their growth and development. Next week will find Extension participating in a special week-long event highlighting some of the successful partnerships created (Check out: http://powerofbusiness.net/blog/).
The second special event will be a week-long special series of “Live Chats” with business owners. Learn how they got into the business and listen to their tips to help other business owners.
For the third part of next week’s celebration we ask you to thank a small business owner.
- Change - December 26, 2018
- Regular Customers Form Your Base - December 12, 2018
- Disasters: Is Your Small Business Ready? - December 5, 2018
- Business Startup: Steps to Remember - November 28, 2018
- HAPPY THANKSGIVING FROM SMALL BIZ SURVIVAL - November 21, 2018
- Finding a Business Idea - November 14, 2018
- Does Your Networking Have Punch? - November 7, 2018
- Build Tomorrow’s Community Business Sector - October 24, 2018
- Are You Changing? - October 17, 2018
- Is it really a deal? - October 10, 2018


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Apple iPhone 4S and Apple iPhone 4 both continue to perform strongly this holiday season32
start selling its iconic smartphone in 50 more countries this month as we told you Monday morning. Walkley forecasts sales of 47.5 million units of the Apple iPhone in the current quarter which would be a gain of 77% sequentially from the third quarter. He expects the latest iteration of the phone to help Apple achieve gross profit margins of 38.7% in the current three month period.
The Canaccord Genuity analyst says that by the end of the year, the Apple iPhone 5 will have been launched in 100 countries with 240 carriers. Considering how strongly the Apple iPhone 4S and the Apple iPhone 4 are still selling, Walkley says that we are in the beginning of a "strong multi-year product cycle" for the Apple iPhone 5.
In the meantime, the analyst reiterated his buy signal on Apple's shares, with a price target of $800. That would be a 36% move from the stock's current price of $590.


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Watchdog Warnings: CC required at theaters, Facebook pays up and more
Closed captioning, now required at the theater: A rule on closed captioning and audio services at the movies that’s been in the works for six years was finalized last week by the U.S. Justice Department. The rules under the Americans with Disabilities Act will require theaters with digital projectors to make devices with closed captioning and audio description available to the hearing impaired. The captions wouldn’t appear on the screen for all other patrons. The availability of such services need to be advertised at the theater. There are exceptions for analog-only theaters and theaters where compliance would represent an “undue burden” or “fundamental alteration” of the facility.
Facebook sends $15 checks to users: A settlement in a 2011 court case involving Facebook’s use of user photos in sponsored stories has resulted in $15 checks for 614,000 of the site’s users. A federal judge agreed to the $20 million settlement last week, with $9 million set aside for payments to those whose identities were used without permission. Digital Trends reported last week that the case gave users more control over their images.
Wells Fargo wants arbitration: Banking giant Wells Fargo wants to keep the people suing it out of the courtroom. The bank was fined $185 million by federal regulators earlier this year after it was revealed that its employees had opened unauthorized accounts for customers to meet demanding sales goals. The company faced Congressional scrutiny and lost its CEO to the debacle. Now, the company’s hoping to avoid courtroom scrutiny by forcing a group of plaintiffs who’ve sued it to settle using mandatory arbitration with out-of-court mediators. Critics of the move say the mediation, agreed to by customers in contracts, is a way to deny customers a day in court. The company argues that arbitration is a more efficient way to handle complex disputes. USA Today reported that the company is facing action by at least 80 plaintiffs in federal court in Utah.
Smartphones bypass credit ratings for some marketers: Companies that hope to reach customers without a credit history are increasingly mining your smartphone data to target you for marketing. Bloomberg News reported last week that companies analyzing call records and buying patterns can help reach two billion people without bank accounts, and that selling data on customers could be worth more than $1 billion a year to U.S. phone companies. Using the data could help get loans and credit cards into the hands of people in far-flung areas, but customers must usually first consent to data-sharing in the U.S. The practice is gaining traction worldwide, Bloomberg reported, with company behind FICO scores announcing last week that it would work with two start-ups to gather data in Russia and India.
See consumer news you think Argus Leader readers ought to know? Send it to firstname.lastname@example.org , tweet it to @ArgusJHult or call 605-370-8617. John Hult is the Reader's Watchdog reporter for Argus Leader Media. You can find him on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/ArgusReadersWatchdog


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Denver, Colorado (PRWEB) May 06, 2015
Is Colorado’s legal cannabis industry the victim of its own success?
Next month the Centennial State will mark the 18-month milestone of its historic experiment with legal, recreational cannabis sales to adults. And while Colorado’s legal marijuana industry has been successful and has seen rapid growth during that time, it’s also facing some new challenges.
For example, many marijuana retailers in the state are currently facing shortages, especially in the wake of last month’s “420” cannabis celebrations. And part of the problem, according to Ryan Fox, is that much of the industry still isn’t thinking of itself as a legitimate, long-term venture.
“Some day cannabis will be traded just like every other commodity,” he says. “Just as orange crops and the futures on frozen OJ can be influenced by severe weather, the price of cannabis is susceptible to many variables as well.”
Fox is the founder and CEO of Kindman cannabis, one of the oldest and largest recreational marijuana growers and distributors in Colorado. Over the past year, he says, his organization produced nearly 20 percent of the recreational cannabis purchased in the state.
With a statewide shortage of cannabis to sale at local dispensaries, Fox has positioned Kindman to be the go-to wholesaler for resupplying the empty shelves.
“I predicted there would be a healthy demand for our more than 20 premium strains when we rolled out our wholesale operations last year,” he says, “but I’m happy to say I overestimated the number of growers that would follow our lead into the wholesale vertical.”
Fox is now in the process of doubling his grow facilities, to keep pace with the growing demand for his Kindman strains.
One major issue the industry struggles with, he believes, is the over-emphasis by dispensary owners on expanding their retail operations; and that coming up with a sustainable, long-term production and supply chain solution has been a costly oversight for some.
But Fox has avoided that issue. “We sat down to strategize and rework our business model a few years ago, in preparation of the upcoming changes we would see here in Colorado for 2014,” he recalls, “and it didn’t take long for us to identify what end of the supply chain we wanted to be on.”
Fox acknowledges that the legal marijuana industry is still in its infancy, and its once-outlaw culture hasn’t yet fully evolved and adapted to current business norms. And he says Colorado, with its well-planned, state-established regulations, is handling that transition better than any other state where recreational marijuana is currently legal.
But he also expects California, where the cannabis culture is strong and where medical marijuana is legal, will have an uphill battle if and when voters there legalize recreational cannabis.
“California is probably going to have the hardest conversion to recreational cannabis of any single state,” observes Fox.
“They have thousands of dispensaries that will most likely be out of compliance the moment those regulatory guidelines are established – and that will likely create additional economic growth due to the large number of ancillary companies formed, just to assist in solving those problems.”
Established in 2009, Kindman provides customers with an unmatched cannabis product – grown in Colorado state-regulated facilities at indoor locations, using a customized process that combines food-grade nutrients and a unique soil mix that brings out the plant’s best features. Close attention is paid to product cleanliness, quality, curing and processing.
Since the January 1, 2014 start of legalized sales of recreational cannabis to adults in Colorado, Kindman has provided high-quality marijuana flowers to tens of thousands of customers from over 100 countries.
For more information, visit: http://www.mykindman.com/
Tags: Marijuana, cannabis, dispensary, cannabis business, Colorado, retail, supply chain, shortages, cannabis shortages, investment Ryan Fox, Kindman


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Justin Bieber sported new kicks on a date with model Bronte Blampied.
With his eyes glued to his mobile screen, the pop star strutted to a helicopter in London on Sunday for a trip to V Festival wearing the black colorway of the Adidas NMD City Sock sneakers.
The same style quickly sold out when it dropped July 15, but more NMDs will be released on Thursday, followed by the new NMD_XR1 silhouette debuting in September.
As a fan of the NMD City Sock, Bieber has worn a pair in the white colorway in the past, but he likely had the other colorway on his mind after enjoying a date last week with Sofia Richie in Tokyo.
He wore a pair of Fear of God military boots from the brand’s spring ’16 collection, and Richie wore the NMD City Sock shoes in black.
Speaking to Footwear News in a recent interview, Adidas’ Traci Morlan, global director of entertainment and influencer marketing, said that since partnering with Bieber in 2013, he has “brought a new level of followers to the Neo social channels.”
“He is becoming a style icon,” she added. “Whether he posts an onstage pic in the Adidas Ultra Boost or a pic of him playing ‘Pokemon Go’ in his white Adidas Originals NMDs, he has an enormous influence on his followers, which enhances the demand and coveted reputation of both these models.”


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At Casual Connect London, Ubisoft's Chris Early explained the challenge of the subscription model and how developers may have to 'game the system.'
At Casual Connect London, Guy Richards from ID@Xbox outlined a number of key learnings for indies.
At Casual Connect London, Ready at Dawn co-founder Ru Weerasuriya spoke about his company's culture and how the studio has managed to succeed for more than 15 years.
At Casual Connect London, Ready at Dawn's Ru Weerasuriya interviewed Media Molecule's Siobhan Reddy about user generated content and studio management.
In a panel at Casual Connect London, Alex Schwartz, Callum Underwood, and Steve Tagger all weighed in on the evolving VR business.
Putting the G Into Gaming is dedicated to balancing the gender disparity in a male-dominated industry.
What can people do to make sure they have a more diverse and inclusive team at their studio? A panel of women in games focused on the topic at Casual Connect London.
Blow and co-founder of Three Knots, Sam Browne, have a conversation about how the indie game scene has evolved and changed throughout the years and why Blow believes that things haven't progressed all that much since the '80s.
In a series of sessions at Casual Connect London, experts weighed in on the questions facing both the business and the technology behind cloud gaming.


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Braxton-Bragg has been named the preferred national supplier for Emmedue Marble & Granite Machinery, and is one of only two suppliers in the United States. Emmedue will be exhibiting its 5 Axis bridge saw inside the Braxton-Bragg Coverings booth 488, in Orlando April 9-12, launching this new partnership.
“This is a special show for both Braxton-Bragg and Emmedue to announce our partnership, as we celebrate our 25th anniversary this year, and they just celebrated theirs.” said Rick Stimac, Braxton-Bragg CEO. “As we continue to build our breadth of products, the addition of this capital equipment will allow us to offer fabricators a one-stop-shop.”
“Partnering with Braxton-Bragg gives us our largest American footprint for sales of our large equipment,” said Christian Montanari, Emmedue General Manager. “This agreement gives Emmedue a national platform to reach more customers, with a likeminded company who values customer service as much as we do.”
Additional products on display at Coverings include Braxton-Bragg’s material handling line, and both national and exclusive brands of blades, core bits, CNC and accessories.


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Here are Square Enix's plans for the Kingdom Hearts 3 rollout, broken down by day. It also said players will be able to enjoy all of the main game, including the standard ending, without the need for an internet connection. Update 1.01 will feature several data fixes, the Memory Archive videos, and a new epilogue that players can only see after finishing the game. "The entire development team is pouring their love for the franchise into KINGDOM HEARTS III and is striving to create a game that all players will enjoy".
The epilogue will be viewable to anyone who has finished Kingdom Hearts 3, while the secret video requires finishing the game along with various criteria that will scale by difficulty level. This is a recap of all the events in the KingdomHearts story up to the beginning of KingdomHearts 3. Odd when you consider that an epilogue is meant to bring closure to a game's ending.
However, that is the Kingdom Hearts 3 Epilogue and not the actual ending of the game.
January 31: The "secret movie" for Kingdom Hearts 3 will be released.
Square Enix says both these videos will "enhance our enjoyment of Kingdom Hearts".
In a series of tweets, Square Enix noted that a few different free game updates will come on and around launch day.
For more news and updates, follow IRN Post on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+. Are you happy that gamers will be unable to spoil everything the day of release?


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With India looking at the second round of BS VI emission standards under the CAFE regulations, followed by the RDE norms in 2023, the role of allied players, including that of lubricant manufacturers such as Gulf Oil is going to be critical.
The engine oil is the important design parameter of an internal combustion engine and its right type, quality and quantity goes a long way in ensuring that the engine and after treatment devicesare in the pink of theirhealth and emissions are within permissible levels.
Sharing his views while speaking on the first day of the two-day ‘Meeting Emission Challenges’ virtual conclave organised by Autocar Professional, Dr YP Rao, CTO, Gulf Oil International Group, said, “Engine oils are the cost-effective way of meeting fuel economy norms.”
“With RDE norms coming in 2023, it is extremely important that the sulphated ash, phosphorous and sulphur components from the engine oil are optimised to ensure that the after-treatment devices function at close to 100% efficiency,” Dr Rao added.
The company which has worked to ensure backward compatibility of BS VI engine oils in BS IV vehicles in commercial vehicles, had carried out exhaustive field validations in different vehicle engine/vehicle platforms and operating conditions for about two years covering over 15 million kilometres, has also been able to enhance the change intervals by up to 50 percent with these new-age BS VI engine oils.
Using their global expertise, Gulf Oil says it had quickly adopted technology to local conditions and launched BS VI engines oils for commercial vehicles, passenger cars and motorcycles after thorough validation ahead of implementation of BS VI emission norms.
But going forward, the onset of RDE emissions, OBD-II compliance as well as alternate fuel blending in the form of ethanol and bio-diesel, will make it imperative for lube manufacturers to design oils that enhance fuel efficiency while offering protection to the engine as well as after-treatment systems, such as gasoline particulate filter, which will also be required in turbo-charged GDI engines.
“Gulf Oil’s Global R&D teams have been working on next-generation fuel economy oils with optimised SAPS to meet next stage of BS VI requirements,” Dr Rao added.
On the commercial vehicle side, Gulf Oil says it has already implemented 10W-30 grade of BS VI engine oil in place of 15W-40, in collaboration with Ashok Leyland, and has also successfully migrated to 80W-90 axle oils in place of 85W-140 as a step towards implementation of future fuel economy lubricants to derive cumulative fuel economy benefit from engine and transmission oils.
A big challenge, however, that the Gulf Oil CTO foresees is ensuring the availability of the right quality of Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF) for the smooth functioning of the selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system in vehicles utilising the said technology for emission control.
“There are no country-specific regulations in place in India at present to ensure the quality of DEF in the aftermarket, while VDA and API have certification processes globally for DEF and AdBlue, which is the registered trademark of VDA,” Rao said.
Gulf Oil was one of the first companies that started marketing DEF under the AdBlue license as early as 2010. The company has two plants in India in Silvassa, and Chennai, with a combined annual production capacity of 30,000KL, alongside having contract satellite manufacturing plants in the North, South, East and West of India to take up total capacity to 60,000KL, and ensure smooth distribution across the country.
“While BIS has taken an important step of adopting ISO standards for DEF as a joint ISI-ISO standard, there is an urgent need for quality certification and after-market surveillance to ensure that the right quality of DEF is available for consumers considering the proliferation of manufacturers of DEF and very few companies including Gulf Oil have AdBlue license,” Rao concluded.


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A reporter at New Scientist handed over some borrowed cellphones and her own mobile device to “DiskLabs, a company that handles cellphone forensic analysis for UK police forces, but also for private companies and individuals snooping on suspect employees or wayward spouses.” She wanted to learn how much personal data can be gathered from cellphones and SIM cards.
A decade ago, our phones’ memories could just about handle text messages and a contacts book. These days,Â the latest smartphones incorporate GPS, Wi-Fi connectivity and motion sensors. They automatically download your emails and appointments from your office computer, and come with the ability to track other individuals in your immediate vicinity. And there’s a lot more to come. Among other things, you could be using the next generation of phones to keep tabs on your health, store cash and make small transactions – something that’s already happening in east AsiaÂ (see “Future phones”). […]
These changes could well be exploited in much the same way that email and the internet can be used to “phish” for personal information such as bank details. Indeed, some phone-related scams are already emerging, including one that usesÂ reprogrammed cellphones to intercept passwords for other people’s online bank accounts. […]
According to theÂ UK government’s Design and Technology Alliance Against Crime (DTAAC), 80 per cent of us carry information on our handsets that could be used to commit fraud – and about 16 per cent of us keep our bank details on our phones. […]
When [Neil Buck, a senior analyst at DiskLabs,] looked at my colleague’s iPhone, he found two 4-digit numbers stored in his address book under the names “M” and “V”. A search through his text messages revealed a few from Virgin informing him that a new credit card, ending in a specific number, had just been mailed to him. Buck guessed that “M” and “V” were PIN codes for the Virgin credit card and a Mastercard — and he proved to be correct on both counts. […]
So how can people go about making their phones more secure? Turning on the security settings is an important first step, says [Joe McGeehan, head of Toshiba’s research lab in Europe and leader of DTAAC’s Design Out Crime project], as this may dissuade potential thieves from going to the effort of trying to crack the codes. Then make sure you delete anything you want to keep secret, while bearing in mind that it is often possible to recover itÂ (see “Phone security Q & A”). “I work on the basis that anything I put on there I’ve got to be prepared for people to see,” says McGeehan.


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GALLOWAY, April 27, 2015 – Linode, a leading provider of cloud-hosting services, today announced the expansion of its Asia-Pacific presence with a new datacenter in Singapore. This new location, created to meet the growing demands of the region’s rapidly growing technology and information sector, marks Linode’s second in the region and seventh overall.
“We’ve been making simple cloud infrastructure available since 2003,” COO Thomas Asaro explained. “Within the next three years APAC cloud-computing usage is forecast to outpace the rest of the world. By launching our datacenter in Singapore, we’re meeting that demand head-on and showing our commitment to making reliable cloud-hosting services accessible to everyone, everywhere.”
Information technology research and advisory company Gartner recently predicted the public cloud services market in the APAC-region would exceed $7.4 billion in 2015, a 14.2-percent increase over 2014. And by 2018, Gartner predicts an $11.5 billion market for total cloud services in Asia Pacific and Japan.
Linode’s latest expansion anticipates that growth and extends three user-valuable criteria the company is known for:
- Expanded worldwide presence – Launching Singapore, the company will have its second datacenter in the Asia-Pacific region and its seventh worldwide.
- Consistency – Since 2003 the company has grown by reinvesting its profits to provide the highest performing cloud infrastructure available.
- Trust – According to BuiltWith and CloudHarmony, Linode is now home to more than 580,000 websites and has a greater than 99.99 percent service availability average across all of its datacenters.
For its newest datacenter Linode evaluated numerous locations before selecting Singapore. Of all the locations tested, Singapore met or exceeded every benchmark.
According to project lead Brett Kaplan, adding Singapore to the mix was a “no-brainer” because “it’s the hot-spot for innovative businesses looking to establish a presence in the region.”
Linode already has a regional presence in Tokyo and will continue to invest in its infrastructure around the world. Just last year the company invested $45 million in upgrades and is targeting summer 2015 to launch its second European datacenter in Frankfurt, Germany, as a complement to its existing location in the UK.
Linode is a leading cloud-hosting provider founded in 2003. Today, the company boasts more than 350,000 customers worldwide with four data centers in the US as well as two others in Europe and Asia.
Subscribers can create a cloud server with Linode in under a minute for as low as $10 per month. Users can then dynamically scale their environments to meet business demands – paying for only what they use, with no long-term commitments.
Christopher S. Aker created Linode with the goal of offering developers powerful and reliable cloud servers at an affordable price. The system interface offers an intuitive control panel that users can replicate on a larger scale using the company’s simple API. The company’s platform also enables customers to fully customize their environments and choose from a menu of add-on features, such as system-metrics-reporting service Longview, backups and NodeBalancers, Managed Services and Professional Services.
In February 2015, BuiltWith.com ranked Linode – home to more than 580,000 websites on the Internet – in the Top-10 of all web-hosting providers. Additionally, CloudHarmony indicates a greater than 99.99 percent average for service availability throughout Linode’s datacenters.