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Yesterday, it was all about the cookies. Today, it’s burgers.
A building permit was filed Wednesday, Sept. 14, for a new Insomnia Cookies location in the U of M area.
Thursday, Loeb Properties – developer of the Highland Strip – announced that it had signed Burgerim, an Israeli-based burger chain that sells mini burgers by the box.
Burgerim was founded in 2011 and has since spread around the globe. Customers can by a duo, trio or party box with 16 mini-burgers. Burgerim is known for its “always more than one” concept. Burger patties are 2.8 ounces each.


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Today, GameDaily quotes Reggie Fils-Aime, the current godfather of all things Nintendo in the ever important American market, and he spewed a mouthful once again. Basically, Reggie told BMO Capital Markets today that, “The challenge that our competitors have is significant. They’ve gone down the path with building expensive machines that they lose money on. They’ve gone down the path with games that are hard to develop. They’ve put themselves in a box. I don’t know how they’re going to get out of it.”
GameDaily says it’s hard to argue with that sentiment today, given Nintendo’s insane profits compared to those other two, and I, obviously, agree. But I’m finding that my opinion is becoming less “fanman bias” every day and more what we in the biz call “fact.” Game drought? Anyone with Google can tell you it never really happened as badly as the Intertubes would have you believe.Â Basically, it’s only been the most passionate of gamers who have felt its effects as far as the Wii’s software library is concerned. Still disagree? I’d argue now that you probably slept through 2007. Zak and Wiki? Trauma Center? Rabbids? Madden 2007? Resident Evil? All third party, all decent, and we haven’t even hit the Nintendo titles yet.
Now, is Reggie arrogant? Obviously yes, he is. But as the head of Nintendo USA that’s his job. He’s the hired muscle, and now he’s armed with an immense amount of market research and facts. And money. He is Donkey Kong personified, with a killer system and a dominant handheld to boot. And he’s going to let you know it.

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"In our view, the announced SEC investigation creates too much of an overhang with uncertain timing and increases the risk that the Pringles deal will be terminated,” Jefferies said, adding that it is taking a neutral stance until there is more clarity on the matter.
Procter & Gamble spokesperson Jennifer Chelune said "P&G's commitment to the transaction is predicated on the favorable resolution of all current investigations."
Diamond shares were already tumbling after disclosing in a regulatory filing that the SEC was probing its accounting practices. The company said it received a formal order of investigation from the regulator Wednesday and will cooperate with the SEC. The increased scrutiny comes as the company is conducting its own internal investigation into an accounting decision that allowed some walnut growers to be paid for deliveries they did not intend to make.
The company called the payments “momentum payments,” and claims they are not a measure to make quarterly earnings look better. The $2.4 billion deal for Pringles, which would add a strong name to the company’s category of snack food brands, may hang in the balance as regulators look over Diamond's books.
Shares in Diamond, which have fallen almost 48% year-to-date, were down 5.2% Thursday, at $27.99.


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ALBANY, N.Y. – U.S. Senator Charles Schumer is urging Canadian officials to reverse a pricing policy that’s designed to discourage Canadian cheesemakers from using imported, ultra-filtered milk from the U.S. in their products.
Schumer says the new pricing policy essentially sets the price of Canada’s products below that of New York’s ultra-filtered milk imports, and he says that hurts farmers in the Empire State.
Schumer met Thursday with Canadian officials. He says the new dairy trade and pricing policies fly directly in the face of trade agreements signed by the two countries.
Schumer noted that New York producers have invested millions in order to be able to export to Canada because they have long enjoyed duty-free access for their ultra-filtered milk product under the North American Free Trade Agreement.


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30 May 2010 - Iraq Directory
The first international fair for food products and household items continue in Basrah for the third day, with over 40 Turkish companies, as well as a number of international and local companies.
Salem Shaier director of (ATILIM), a Turkish Company participating in the exhibition, said that the exhibition aims to establish trade cooperation between the participating companies and Iraqi traders, indicating their intent to a similar exhibit next year.
Turkish Consul in Basrah, Ali Reza Oozjo, said that the exhibition, which consists of a number of suites, will contribute in the development of economic relations between the two countries.
Aozjo said many Turkish companies intend to invest in the province.
Basrah International Airport has witnessed last month, an exhibition of construction materials and construction equipment, and participated more than 30 Turkish companies. The second exhibition which is scheduled to end on Friday, is larger than the previous exhibition.
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Fish accounts for just 17 percent of the global population’s intake of animal protein
As we continue breaking through on the importance of seafood in human health – and believe me, we are – seafood production people have to bring on new product innovations, and our marketing people have to keep hitting the right messages. Recently, I was in Bergen, Norway, to attend both the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Committee on Fisheries (COFI) Fish Trade meeting and the North Atlantic Seafood Forum (NASF), and I was impressed by how many times the subject of seafood and health came up in a positive way.
The United Nations clearly has seafood’s role in human health as an agenda item now. While human nutrition is a relatively new item for the COFI sub-committee on fish trade, there was much agreement about the need to increase fish consumption.
It is now fully understood in these circles that seafood plays an essential role in human nutrition and is an excellent source of protein as well as essential fatty acids and micronutrients deficient in many diets.
According to FAO, fish accounts for about 17 percent of the global population’s intake of animal protein, but this share can exceed 50 percent in some countries. In West African coastal countries, where fish has been a central element in local diets for many centuries, the proportion of dietary protein from fish is very high: 43 percent in Senegal, 72 percent in Sierra Leone and 55 percent in Ghana and Gambia. The same picture is seen for some Asian countries and small island states.
The paper presented by FAO at the COFI Fish Trade meeting also reinforced that seafoods provide the long-chain omega-3 fatty acids that support brain function and are important for optimal brain and neurodevelopment in children. Alternative fatty acids found in vegetable oils must be converted into docosahexaenoic acid in an inefficient process that makes it difficult to rely only on vegetable oil during the first critical 1,000 days of our lives.
What is most important is that a paper is being prepared by FAO on the role of fish in nutrition for the November 2014 Second International Conference on Nutrition. This high-level ministerial conference will propose a flexible policy framework to address today’s major nutrition challenges and identify priorities for enhanced international cooperation on nutrition. The FAO paper will highlight existing knowledge on the roles aquaculture and fisheries can play in combating malnutrition, both as a provider of essential nutrients and as an income-generating activity.
At NASF, we learned from a number of organizations about their involvement in seafood and health issues. WhiteFishMall, which is establishing a branding concept for North Atlantic whitefish through a web-linked information site, promotes the nutrition information of all their species directly to consumers.
The European Union End User Session – which included representatives of Young’s, Sainsbury’s, Metro, ICA, Delhaize and M & J Seafoods – also highlighted issues relating to health. Sainsbury’s Judith Batchelar said consumer interest in the health angle rose from 11 percent in 1995 to 22 percent in 2013, and 54.9 percent of buyers said they pay greater attention to nutritional labeling. Additionally, 68 percent of those surveyed agreed they should eat more healthy products like seafood. Interestingly, speed of preparation has become more important for consumers. In 1980, 60 minutes was considered acceptable, but in 2013, that time has become just 31 minutes.
Mike Berthet of M & J Seafood stressed the importance the company places on qualified training, both within their enterprise and also through engaging their customers. To that end, M & J is offering training courses to hotel chains and has created a “Chef’s Tool Kit” full of relevant information that empowers chefs to be more creative with their seafood offerings.
U.S. market move to quickservice
In another session, John Connelly of the National Fisheries Institute pointed to a worrying sign in the United States, where since 2006, 15 annual full-service restaurant visits/person have been wiped out due to recessionary issues. He highlighted that the full-service arena had been an important growth area for seafood, where eight of every 10 entrees were seafood, thus leaving a big hole in opportunity.
Describing the U.S. market move to quick-service restaurants and e-commerce home food deliveries, Connelly stressed: “The days when pieces of protein were the center of the dinner plate continue to fade. Meat, poultry and seafood are still being used as ingredients or additives to other dishes, most notably as part of a sandwich.” He closed with the comment that “Seafood convenience, even in takeaway, remains an innovative challenge.”
White fish forum
During the White Fish Forum, a number of the presenters made the point that while health benefits are a strong selling point for seafood, unless the product also meets criteria such as taste, convenience, availability and price, then it is not top of mind. When people are not regular consumers of a product, it takes a mammoth change to make inroads.
Sysco, a global leader in marketing and distributing food products to restaurants and healthcare, educational and lodging establishments, also made this point in the recent communication “Healthful Food Must Pass the Taste Test.” In it, Sysco said: “This year’s National Nutrition Month acknowledges a fact that most chefs and restaurateurs already have learned – that taste is the most critical element in an individual’s decision of what to eat.”
While social, emotional and health factors all play a role in the decision-making process, we are most likely to choose the foods we think taste the best. “When taste is the most influential factor driving what consumers eat, it is important that we find the balance between choosing the foods we like and those that provide the nutrients we need,” said Dr. Glenna McCollum, president of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
Balanced nutrition, taste
Balancing nutrition and taste is key. The National Restaurant Association’s 2014 Culinary Forecast, which polled almost 1,300 chefs across the United States, found that health and nutrition, smaller portions and a growing interest in incorporating more whole grains, fruits and vegetables into dishes were among the year’s “Top 20 Trends.”
Libby Mills, a registered dietitian and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, said: “We know that 82 percent of adults eat out at least once a week and that about a quarter of Americans’ calories come from eating out. People desire flexibility in restaurants to meet their different needs and wants.”
As a result, she said: “Restaurateurs can step up and be proactive, and change perceptions that consumers have. The new frontier is how to make healthy food delicious. Restaurants can play a significant role in building healthful eating habits … and if you offer it, they will come. This is a great time to be a leader.”
During the warmer weather, chefs can help accentuate seasonality through the use of cooking techniques that reduce fat, like cooking with broths. “During spring, we look for lighter fare and lighter tastes, and poaching addresses that,” Mills said. “In particular, you can sear a piece of salmon quickly on one side and then poach it quickly with vegetables.”
Finally, growing research on its numerous health benefits has given the Mediterranean Eating Style precedence in the scientific community. Consumers are driven toward this flavorful, tasty and freshly prepared cuisine. It is growing in popularity, and we all have the opportunity to capitalize on the trend. The emphasis is on healthful ingredients rich in antioxidants and fiber, such as fresh fruits, vegetables, legumes and whole grains, and healthier fats derived from olive oil, nuts and fish/seafood.
(Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in the May/June 2014 print edition of the Global Aquaculture Advocate.)
Roy D. Palmer, FAICD
2312/80 Clarendon Street
Southbank Victoria 3006 Australia
Health & Welfare
A study with Nile tilapia conducted in commercial production cages in Brazil showed the potential – in the absence of major disease threats – of a commercial, natural growth promotor that modulates the microbiota (inhibiting growth of pathogenic bacteria and promoting growth of beneficial bacteria) and inhibits quorum sensing.
Oysters provide important, natural filtration of water and are an important component of many healthy coastal ecosystems because their active filtering can help improve and maintain water quality. For many coastal communities, oysters are an important food resource and excellent sources of protein and amino acids, zinc, selenium, iron and B-vitamins.
Innovation & Investment
This year’s Aquaculture America in San Antonio, Texas, provided significant learning and networking opportunities. It successfully brought together 14 U.S. aquaculture organizations and more than 1,600 participants from Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia.
Many people, including health-conscious consumers, are concerned about the cholesterol content of foods such as meat, eggs and dairy products. In the case of shrimp, the cholesterol story is different because a number of research studies have demonstrated that the high percentage of “good fats” in shrimp reduce the impact of cholesterol, and that a majority of people can eat shrimp as part of a balanced diet.


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While the progress of self-driving technology made a lot of positive headlines over the past few years, the past three months haven’t exactly been great for autonomous vehicles. In July, a driver of a Tesla car was killed in an accident while the Autopilot system was engaged, calling the viability of the car’s accident-avoidance system into question. Earlier this week, Chinese researchers claimed to have successfully hacked into a Tesla Model S, gaining remote control over several electronic features of the car, including the brakes.
While Tesla was quick to release a security patch fixing the loophole the researchers had exploited, the countless reports on the incident were a PR disaster for Tesla and self-driving technology nonetheless. As our chart illustrates, both incidents confirm the many reservations people still have against self-driving cars. According to a recent report, published by The Boston Consulting Group, 58 percent of the consumers surveyed across 10 countries would take a ride in a fully autonomous vehicle. 23 percent of the respondents don’t see themselves cease control to their vehicle though. And incidents like this week’s won’t help to convince them otherwise.
This chart shows some of the main concerns that consumers have with respect to self-driving cars.


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— Elastic NV (NYSE: ESTC) reported a loss of $0.28 per share in the third-quarter of 2020 vs. $0.35 per share loss expected.
— Q3 revenues grew 60% to $113.2 million, vs $107.3 million expected. SaaS revenue more than doubled to $25.1 million.
— Calculated billings were $122.9 million in Q3, up 54% YoY.
— Total customer count with ACV above $100,000 rose to 570, compared to over 525 in Q2.
— Chief Revenue Officer Aaron Katz transitioned into an advisory role until August 1, 2020, effective immediately. The company has initiated a search for his successor.
— For Q4, Elastic expects total revenues between $119 million and $120 million, and adjusted loss per share between $0.32 and $0.30.
— For fiscal 2020, the company is expected to report adjusted net loss of $1.13 to $1.12 per share on revenues of $423 million and $424 million.
— ESTC gained over 6% during pre-market hours.
For technology stocks, 2022 has been a challenging year, with companies losing significant market value amid prolonged stock selloff. In that respect, Salesforce, Inc. (NYSE: CRM) is among the worst-affected
Shares of Macy’s Inc. (NYSE: M) were down on Thursday. The stock has gained 36% over the past three months and 18% over the past one month. The company’s sales
Department store chain The Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR) on Thursday said its third-quarter sales and adjusted earnings increased year-over-year. The latest numbers also exceeded the market's expectations. Net earnings attributable to


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Shoppers with EBT food benefits are in for a pleasant surprise when they go to the Wausau farmers market. A special token now will double the amount of food they pay for.
symphonic rock concert 400 block
The program, funded by a grant from Ministry Health Care, is meant to encourage healthy eating by making the farmers market more affordable for those receiving benefits. If it goes over well, the program could be extended to all communities in which the health care organization operates.
The initiative, new this year, is one of a number of programs derived from a community charitable fund at Ministry, says spokesperson Geoffrey Huys. Farmers markets in Stevens Point, Oshkosh and Appleton are benefiting from similar grants.
EBT recipients have long been able to swipe their state-issued benefit cards, getting market tokens in return for a specified amount of food dollars. Now they get a special token that doubles that amount. A recipient accessing $10 from an EBT card would get $20 worth of spending power at the market, for example. Farmers are then reimbursed for the amount they collect for their products.
The idea originated with Huys, an active member of the healthy eating organization Slow Food Marathon County. He’s a fan of farmers markets himself. Other than milk and a few other odds and ends, the vast majority of his groceries come from the market, Huys says. But eating healthy can seem more expensive than buying processed foods, often putting farm-fresh, local selections out of reach for struggling families. Huys dreamed up the idea as a means to help make healthy eating more manageable for local families.
“The idea is we wanted to make the farmers market more accessible,” Huys says. “One of the criticisms we hear is that ‘the farmers market is too expensive, we can’t afford to buy there.’ That’s not always true, but we wanted to make it easier for folks to get fresh, local food.”
So far, market goers are enjoying the extra boost, says Craig Carlson of Ninepatch Farms, whose market stand houses the EBT exchange. Only a few people have actually asked about it at this point, but everyone is happily surprised when they get the larger double dollar token, Carlson says.
The program could also expand with demonstrations of how to use local, seasonal produce, Huys says.
Ministry donated $10,000 to help fund the EBT program at the Wausau Farmers Market. The grant also included another $5,000 for marketing and promotion.


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It looks like Ubisoft have a very strong position in the industry following the last financial year. Today the publisher announced a 13.5% increase in sales and $1.6 billion with non-audited operating income nearly doubling from the $72 million from last year to an astonishing $129 million at the end of 2013.
With the upcoming move into the next console generation, there’s a lot up in the air. Companies could make it or break it in the all new terrain, so it’s time to solidify their positions and make sure that they’re ready to survive and take advantage of the coming change. Ubisoft are in a prime position now and are more than prepared for the unveiling of the eighth generation.
With such huge series as Assassin’s Creed and Just Dance sitting pretty in the top 20 best selling franchises (Assassin’s Creed itself taking a very impressive 5th spot), and more entries in both of those franchises still to come, there’s a lot of potential sales right there. Games such as Assassin’s Creed III have sold 12.5 million units across the digital and retail markets, whilst titles like Far Cry 3 are shifting more than 6 million copies and Just Dance 4 carrying its franchise with an impressive 8.5 million sales.
Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag and Splinter Cell: Blacklist are both expected to do very well on the market, helping Ubisoft further. Not only that, but with new two brand new IPs in the form of Watch_Dogs and a mystery title that Ubisoft haven’t revealed yet, they’re set to take advantage of a huge portion of the market. More titles such as South Park: The Stick of Truth and another unannounced title are also on the cards, giving Ubisoft six huge releases coming in this new financial year.
Things are definitely looking bright for Ubisoft and as a huge fan of their titles, I am looking forward to a potential future in which they have a larger part of the market. With great games such as Assassin’s Creed and Splinter Cell, I can’t wait for the likes of Watch_Dogs or whatever else Ubisoft have to reveal.


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State lawmakers in New York have agreed to legalize marijuana for recreational use in a late-night session. The move positions the state to join at least 14 other states already allowing residents to buy marijuana for recreational and not just medical use. New York’s past efforts to pass marijuana legalization have failed in recent years.
“My goal in carrying this legislation has always been to end the racially disparate enforcement of marijuana prohibition that has taken such a toll on communities of color across our state, and to use the economic windfall of legalization to help heal and repair those same communities,” Sen. Liz Krueger, Senate sponsor of the bill and chair of the Senate’s finance committee, said.
Democrats who now wield a veto-proof majority in the state Legislature that made passing the bill a priority this year, and Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s administration has estimated legalization could eventually bring the state about $350 million annually, according to a story in the Associated Press. Cuomo has pointed to growing acceptance of legalization in the Northeast, including in Massachusetts, Maine and most recently, New Jersey.
The legislation would allow recreational marijuana sales to adults over the age of 21, and set up a licensing process for the delivery of cannabis products to customers. Individual New Yorkers could grow up to three mature and three immature plants for personal consumption, and local governments could opt out of retail sales. The bill also sets aside revenues to cover the costs of everything from regulating marijuana, to substance abuse prevention, according to the AP.
The legislation would take effect immediately if passed, though sales wouldn’t start until New York sets up rules and a proposed cannabis board, according to the AP. Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes estimated Friday it could take 18 months to two years for sales to start.
New York would set a 9% sales tax on cannabis, plus an additional 4% tax split between the county and local government. It would also impose an additional tax based on the level of THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, ranging from 0.5 cents per milligram for flower to 3 cents per milligram for edibles.
New York would eliminate penalties for possession of less than three ounces of cannabis, and automatically expunge records of people with past convictions for marijuana-related offenses that would no longer be criminalized, according to the AP. That’s a step beyond a 2019 law that expunged many past convictions for marijuana possession and reduced the penalty for possessing small amounts.
The bill allows cities, towns and villages to opt out of allowing adult-use cannabis retail dispensaries or on-site consumption licenses by passing a local law by Dec. 31, 2021 or nine months after the effective date of the legislation. They cannot opt out of legalization.


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Stories have emerged this week that the car maker will buy a 50% stake in Red Bull Technologies, the arm of the Austrian-owned, UK-based business that includes a new F1 engine factory that will be fully operational by the end of the year. Finally, Porsche’s anticipated return to grand prix racing will become a reality.
An announcement of the partnership has been delayed largely because F1’s new engine regulations, set to be introduced in 2026, haven't yet been signed off and made official. That is due to happen in August and will finally signal a green light for the Volkswagen Group to take a plunge that it has studiously avoided for decades.
But before the deal is confirmed and made official, how the partnership will work raises plenty of juicy, fundamental questions. The most prominent: how much control will Porsche have over the operation of the F1 team, currently soaring towards a second consecutive drivers’ world title with Max Verstappen and a first constructors’ crown for nearly 10 years? Red Bull has thrived as a proudly independent entity since its first entry into F1 as a constructor in 2005. That ‘indie’ status will end whenever this deal kicks in.
Red Bull has had manufacturer relationships before, most recently with Honda, which ended with the manufacturer’s withdrawal from F1 at the end of last season. That was a harmonious relationship, from which Red Bull negotiated to take over Honda’s F1 proven and eventually successful engine IP (intellectual property), which is why it has remained so seamlessly competitive this season. But its other big manufacturer relationship, with Renault, was fractured so badly – despite a string of four consecutive world titles together with Sebastian Vettel between 2010 and 2013 – that bridges were well and truly burned. Returning to Renault power was barely an option when Honda made its call to pull out.
Team principal Christian Horner, head engineer Adrian Newey and driver-management chief Helmut Marko are the architects of Red Bull’s success, under the patronage of brand owner Dietrich Mateschitz, and take a hard-headed, no-compromise approach to F1 – which is precisely what is required. F1 teams don’t work as democracies, as we’ve seen time and again. Big characters with power and a clear vision of how to win succeed in motorsport – and they don’t take kindly to sharing their responsibilities with car manufacturer executives.


text: ParkLake Plaza, to be located on Liviu Rebreanu street in Bucharest on the premises of the former Spartac sports base, close to Titan park, will include a shopping mall, office spaces and housing. Initially, the project was supposed to feature two residential towers, but the developers gave up one of the towers, in order to make room for more green areas and sports areas. The shopping mall project will cost EUR 600 million to complete. The developers are currently awaiting construction permits, and hope to finalize the project by 2011. Sonae Sierra joined Caelum Development last year, in a EUR 45 million transaction involving 50 percent of the project.


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UK online grocery sales hit a record 16% market share last month as consumers turned to e-commerce while forced home due to the national lockdown, so it’s unclear how the sector’s prospects could look like.
In January 2020 the figure was only 8% rising to 14% in June 2020, according to research by Nielsen.
READ: Ocado forecasts £700mln yearly capital expenditure in new year as losses reduced over fivefold
The four-week spend rocketed 121% to £1.4bn last month after one in three British households used online services, with £770mln generated by first-time users.
“This growth has once again been driven by increased demand throughout the third lockdown as shoppers shifted spend away from stores where overall growth was flat,” Mike Watkins, Nielsen’s UK head of retailer and business insight, was reported as saying by Reuters.
“Retailers were able to flex their capacity in home delivery and increasingly in click and collect to meet the unprecedented number of new online shoppers.”
“We gave up trying to forecast Ocado some years ago because there is virtually no visibility and the group rarely if ever hits a figure that it starts a financial year desiring,” analysts at Shore Capital commented.
“Normally such poor visibility is a discount factor to an equity. However, in Ocado’s case, the business has thrown the financial physics book in the air and, seemingly, the worse financial output the higher the share price.”
The FTSE 100 tech firm posted a 33% jump in revenues to £2.3bn for the year to last November, with loss before tax reduced to £44mln from £214mln in 2019.
Management says that the addressable market has a value of £7.6 trillion, to which ShoreCap added the £50bn vertical farming market where there is little trading to note at the moment.
Therefore, “it may be best to expect the ongoing investment levels to remain very high alongside derisory capital returns and minimal if any positive earnings for the foreseeable future”, the broker added.
In the current financial year, Ocado forecasts £700mln of capital expenditure to continue expanding UK and international operations, while it ended last November with £2bn of cash and cash equivalents.
Shares dropped 2% to 2,678p on the back of a foggy outlook, not helped by the UK government’s plans to review tax for online retailers.


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Original article published in the Mower County Independent, Thursday, June 15, 2023.
Reprinted with permission and gratitude.
Calling out around the world, Are you ready for a brand new beat? Summer’s here and the time is right for dancing in the streets….” –Martha and the Vandellas
“We have new vendors and new music acts, and this year, the VFW green space will be utilized as a kid-friendly area with activities and vendors geared more towards kids. The fire department and VFW will have the trucks for kids to check out, as well as, hopefully, other opportunities throughout the summer. We will also have a new food truck with Mexican food and ice cream,” stated Tiffany Mundfrom, highlighting who’s going to be in the street on Broadway during Spring Valley’s second annual Wednesdays on Broadway summer market event series slated to begin Wednesday, June 21, and continue one Wednesday of each month through October.
The online declaration of what it’s like to dance in the streets as attendees share that the market series is “Spring Valley’s summer market…with that block party feel!” The Spring Valley Economic Development Authority’s webpage shared, “We invite you to join our community for Wednesdays on Broadway in historic downtown Spring Valley, Minnesota. One night each month, through this summer, Wednesdays on Broadway is inviting local businesses, vendors, community organizations, youth groups, faith communities and more to celebrate what makes Spring Valley the destination for summer night fun – community! Join us downtown on the third Wednesday of the month for a summer market, live music, food vendors, arts and crafts, shopping, and fun for the entire family. This is a free-to-attend event for our community that promises fun for all ages.”
Mundfrom recounted that Wednesdays on Broadway 2022, the first step into the street, went quite well. “We had a fantastic turnout at each event. Everyone seemed very happy to be out socializing, and the vendors had great things to say about the atmosphere of the events. It was very rewarding to have multiple vendors tell me that Wednesdays on Broadway was their favorite market to attend. It’s being able to do a little shopping, supporting our small businesses and farmers’ market vendors for fresh, locally grown produce while keeping in touch with community members in a relaxing and fun environment. I feel like even if people aren’t interested in buying anything at the market, they still enjoy coming downtown to find something to eat and enjoy visiting with people and listening to music.” The 2023 events calendar includes the first Wednesdays market on June 21–featuring live music by Matt and Brenda Stier–followed by the July 19 event with music by Bourbon Stiletto, Clay Fulton appearing onstage on Aug. 16, Luke Hendrickson performing on Sept. 20, and Bob Schlief on Oct. 18. Each evening’s activities begin at 5 p.m. and last until 8 p.m. Mundfrom commented on the vendors that will be at the street fair, saying, “So far, we have about the same number of vendors signed up for the first event as we did last year, although about half are new. I expect, like last year, we will continue to add new vendors. My favorite part is seeing everyone having a good time, and I like providing an opportunity for vendors to showcase their products and services and hopefully gain more customers through the events.”
She concluded by inviting anyone interested in showing at the market to “sign up online at Wednesdays On Broadway – Spring Valley, MN (springvalleyeda.org), or reach out to me, Tiffany Mundfrom, at 507-251-2198.” For more information on events themselves, log onto the Spring Valley Economic Development Authority’s website.
Courtesy of the Mower County Independent, 135 E Main St. LeRoy, MN 55951, (507)-324-5325


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Previous media releases
UBS SME barometer: Divergent economic circumstances for SMEs and large companies
Overall, the business situation eased slightly in the industrial sector, although differences between large companies and small and medium-sized enterprises are more pronounced. Despite falling income, the economic situation in the service sector has stabilized at a high level.
In recent months, the Swiss economy displayed an increasingly divergent trend: On the one hand, industrials came under increasing pressure owing to falling demand from abroad. On the other hand, the service sector benefited from brisk domestic demand. However, there are now growing indications that the industrial sector has bottomed out, while the economic situation in the service sector has stabilized at a high level. Our forecast for the Swiss economy therefore remains relatively optimistic; we anticipate GDP growth of 1.1 percent for the current year.
However, the barometers fell for both business groups, despite the stabilization seen in the industrial sector. At -0.94 points in August, the SME barometer was well below its mean value of 1.30. Over the past two months, the barometer for large companies also fell to –0.60 points from –0.56 and was also below the long-term average.
Growing differences between SMEs and large companies in industry
According to the survey, large companies and SMEs in the industrial sector are drifting farther apart according to many indicators. The large companies rate the business situation as satisfactory, while the SMEs continue to assess it as poor. This is very probably attributable to the large companies' better profit situation. While the backlog of orders large companies received from abroad also recovered, this continued to decline for SMEs. There were no discernible differences between the two business groups in terms of prices.
Although the economic situation deteriorated somewhat for both SMEs and large companies in the construction sector, the majority of companies still consider the economic situation to be good. However, large companies were slightly better positioned than SMEs. This stands in contrast to the development of prices, which have increased among SMEs in recent months. Both SMEs as well as large companies rated their profit situation positively. In recent months, architectural agencies and engineering consultancies, commonly regarded as preliminary indicators for the construction sector, were considerably more upbeat about their economic situation. This positive rating of the business situation is in all likelihood attributable to the continuing improvement in income owing to rising prices in the third quarter.
Growing demand among large companies in the service sector
As in the industrial sector, the two business groups are also diverging further in the service sector. Large companies expect prices to rise over the coming three months, while SMEs anticipate that prices will fall. The large companies are also more upbeat than their SME counterparts in their assessment of demand for the coming months. This development is also reflected in the employment figures; while the large companies rated the current headcount as too low, the SMEs considered it to be too high.
The profit situation of the SMEs in the retail sector also improved thanks to higher revenues. This contrasts the view of large companies, which continue to anticipate negative performance. Most likely, large companies therefore assess their economic situation as poor, while the majority of SMEs consider it to be good.
The outlook in the tourism sector, however, remained gloomy. Although the situation has eased slightly for all indicators, most companies continued to report falling demand, revenues and income, regardless of their size. In addition, most companies rated their current headcount as too high.
UBS SME barometer
Calculation of the UBS SME barometer
The UBS Industrial Barometer is based on the industry survey conducted by the KOF each month (excluding the construction industry). It is calculated as the first main component of 17 subindicators for the entire industry, divided into SMEs (up to 200 employees) and large companies (more than 200 employees). It is scaled so that its mean value is zero and its variance is 1.
The data is seasonal adjusted. Survey responses are evaluated using a diffusion index: the result represents average of companies reporting a positive or a negative trend. It therefore does not represent a percentage rate of change.
Daniel Kalt, UBS Chief Economist Switzerland
Tel. +41 44 234 25 60, firstname.lastname@example.org
Sibille Duss, CIO Research Wealth Management Research
Tel. +41 44 235 69 54, email@example.com
UBS publications and forecasts for Switzerland: www.ubs.com/wmr-swiss-research


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As somebody who has used Android for the reason that authentic Motorola Droid from 2009, I’ve seen loads of working system iterations over time — even going as far as the treacherous technique of rooting and putting in ROMs to get as a lot as I may from my telephones. However Android has come a good distance for the reason that OG Droid, and for the overwhelming majority of individuals — it is nice. Nonetheless, even with its enhancements all through the years, I nonetheless have to repair an Android telephone or assist somebody
In keeping with an India-based probe, Google is responsible of abusing its dominant place to harm rivals.
Google reportedly reduce down on “the flexibility and incentive of gadget producers to develop and promote gadgets working on various variations of Android,” says the June report by the Competitors Fee of India’s (CCI) investigations unit, per Reuters.
The findings are one more hit in opposition to Google in India within the antitrust realm. The tech large is presently going through quite a few probes within the funds app and good tv markets, and Google has been seemed into in Europe, the U.S.
In 2020, American tech big Google launched a brand new function relevant to the Android 11 that said that purposes that haven’t been utilized in a while can have their permissions revoked. Now Google will enable this auto-reset to use to older telephones as effectively in order that they are often cleaned too.
The function is designed to assist defend consumer privateness by stopping older apps from having unfettered entry to the telephone in the event that they have not been utilized in months. Here’s what Google mentioned relating to the brand new function:
“In Android 11, we launched the
Indian guests discuss on their cellphones outdoors the Google stall on the India Cell Congress in New Delhi on Sept. 27, 2017.
Prakash Singh | AFP | Getty Photos
Google abused the dominant place of its Android working system in India, utilizing its “big monetary muscle” to illegally harm opponents, the nation’s antitrust authority present in a report on its two-year probe seen by Reuters.
Alphabet Inc’s Google lowered “the power and incentive of gadget producers to develop and promote gadgets working on various variations of Android,” says the June report by the Competitors Fee of India’s (CCI) investigations unit.
Google has been fined KRW 207 billion (about $177 million) by the Korea Truthful Commerce Fee (KFTC) for abusing its dominant place within the cellular OS market (by way of Reuters). The South Korean antitrust regulator has accused Google of blocking custom-made variations of Android by requiring smartphone makers to signal an “anti-fragmentation settlement.”
The settlement apparently prohibits producers from delivery telephones with modified variations of Android, also called “Android forks.” This, in keeping with the regulators, has allowed Google to bolster its market dominance. It has additional alleged that rivals equivalent to Amazon and Alibaba failed to achieve the
Google, whose cell working system powers greater than 80% of smartphones across the globe, is being accused of utilizing its highly effective market place to dominate the competitors, Bloomberg studies. South Korea has fined Alphabet Inc.’s Google $176.8 million for obstructing the event of rival Android builders.
Be taught: The Most Googled Cash Questions — Answered
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The Korea Honest Commerce Fee mentioned the tech big’s anti-fragmentation agreements with producers reminiscent of Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics forestall builders


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Walgreen Company: Should Investors Love This Dividend Aristocrat?
We might not have a royal family in the US, but steady income seeking investors are well acquainted with dividend aristocrats like Walgreen . Members of this elite class have steadily increased shareholder distributions during each of the last 25 years.
After more than a century of operations Walgreen continues to reach new heights. When it last reported earnings, quarterly revenue broke a company record of $19.6 billion as comparable store sales rose 4.3%.
While growth at Walgreen has been respectable, its top line is dwarfed by CVS Caremark's . As both the second largest pharmacy benefit manager and retail pharmacy store operator in the U.S., its fourth quarter 2013 revenues reached $32.8 billion.
Walgreen is still No. 1 when it comes to U.S. retail pharmacy sales, but just barely. CVS Caremark's retail pharmacy segment reached $17.2 billion in 2014's fourth quarter as same store sales grew 4%. The company should release first quarter earnings early next month, but until then its retail pharmacy segment appears to be a few steps behind Walgreen's.
A distant third
In terms of retail pharmacy sales Walgreen and CVS Caremark are miles ahead of their nearest competitor, Rite Aid . Investors that prefer underdogs are enamoured with the company's recent turnaround. After years of losses it's been furiously shuttering, remodeling, and rebranding stores. So far the plan is working.
Earlier this month Rite Aid reported quarterly revenue of $6.6 billion. The company closed 37 stores throughout the year, ending fiscal 2014 with 4,587 -- a U.S. footprint roughly half of Walgreen's. Despite the reduction in locations, the top line was about $100 million higher year-over-year. The gain was driven by a same-store sales increase of 2.1%.
Rite Aid's return to positive earnings is impressive, but the company hasn't paid a dividend since 1999. By contrast, CVS Caremark may soon deserve a seat at the dividend aristocrat table along with Walgreen. Since 2003 both companies have steadily increased their dividends at a compound annual growth rate over 20%.
Both companies have increased dividends by a similar rate over the past 11 years, but CVS has done so without breaking a sweat. The company has stayed a step ahead of Walgreen, while distributing less than 24% of net income to shareholders.
Walgreen's U.S. retail operations may be just a few steps ahead of CVS Caremark's, but it's hardly in danger of losing its top spot on the worldwide retail pharmacy leaderboard. Over the past few years Walgreen has stacked the deck with some shrewd maneuvers, dealing itself a royal flush in the process.
Following a seven-month fight with Express Scripts that forced millions of customers to fill prescriptions elsewhere, Walgreen began reducing its exposure to the U.S. market. The company's 45% stake in Alliance Boots effectively makes it the world's single largest purchaser of generics. A joint venture with China's Guangzhou Pharmaceuticals could help it retain that title for years to come.
Bigger customers usually get bigger discounts. Just over a year ago Walgreen entered another partnership to consolidate its drug purchases through a single channel. Pharmaceutical distributor AmerisourceBergen is now responsible for all of Walgreen's branded drug purchases, and will soon handle all of its generics.
While Walgreen has been aggressively expanding abroad, CVS keeps control of its exposure to the U.S. retail market through the integration of a second business channel. As a pharmacy benefit manager it now serves more than 60 million plan members. Operating profit from the company's pharmacy services segment rose about 15% last year, comprising roughly 38% of the 2013 consolidated total.
CVS Caremark's consolidation of retail pharmacy, benefit management, and health clinic is a smart move for retaining customers in an increasingly austere environment, with CVS pharmacies increasingly serving as a one-stop shop for customers. The upward trend of its top and bottom lines over the past couple years suggest it's working. I'll be surprised if CVS doesn't earn a seat at the dividend aristocrat table in about 14 more years.
Walgreen's bold expansion into international markets presents an excellent opportunity for long-term growth. Unfortunately the strategy also includes a great deal of execution risk. Until this dividend aristocrat's international expansion plays out further, investors might sleep easier with CVS Caremark in their portfolios and Walgreen on their watchlist.
More top dividend stocks for the next decade
The smartest investors know that dividend stocks simply crush their non-dividend paying counterparts over the long term. That's beyond dispute. They also know that a well-constructed dividend portfolio creates wealth steadily, while still allowing you to sleep like a baby. Knowing how valuable such a portfolio might be, our top analysts put together a report on a group of high-yielding stocks that should be in any income investor's portfolio. To see our free report on these stocks, just click here now.
The article Walgreen Company: Should Investors Love This Dividend Aristocrat? originally appeared on Fool.com.Cory Renauer has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends CVS Caremark and Express Scripts. The Motley Fool owns shares of Express Scripts. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
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U. of Maryland seeks $24M for nanotech center
Aims to compete with UAlbany as research hub
- Robert J. Terry
- For The Business Review
The University System of Maryland's top administrator wants state lawmakers to invest $24 million to make Maryland a leading center of nanotechnology research.
Chancellor William E. "Brit" Kirwan hopes to use the money to build new research facilities and recruit star scientists working in the emerging field, which involves manipulating individual atoms and molecules to manufacture materials at scales less than 100 nanometers, a few billionths of an inch.
By engineering materials at the atomic and molecular levels, scientists hope to, for example, design tiny devices that could precisely target cancerous cells, generate images to diagnose the spread of disease and deliver a treatment without harming healthy cells.
The science has the potential to transform the computing, communications and bioscience industries. But such nanotech-based innovations remain years away. Commercial applications for the work have been limited so far to things such as sunscreen products and stain-resistant pants.
Budgetary pressures, which continue to shadow the State House, will be the main hurdle. Even if the projected $1 billion deficit falls by as much as $700 million, as new preliminary revenue estimates show, a slew of initiatives are in line to be funded ahead of this proposal, General Assembly spending leaders said.
Proponents counter that the science contains far-reaching implications that should not be ignored. Maryland already has some of the infrastructure--research universities and scientists, primarily--in place but needs to invest more to compete in the future with upstate New York and California as geographic hubs of nanotech research.
ROBERT J. TERRY writes for The Baltimore Business Journal.
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One of Ghana’s youngest rich people, Nana Wan, has opened a plush supermarket estimated to have cost millions of Ghana cedis.
The supermarket known as Uni-Life is located inside the P-Cular Heights building at the Rawlings Circle in Madina.
Uni-Life Supermarket occupies two floors in the building. While the ground floor has groceries and other household items in stock, the first floor deals with furniture for homes and offices.
READ ALSO: Beautiful video drops as Obofour opens plush 20,000 capacity church he used a month to build
Nana Wan announced his new supermarket by sharing pictures from the grand opening of the shop. According to the young man, his shop's items were of the highest quality.
' "UNI-LIFE SUPERMARKET is an industry leading grocery store. Our products are made of the highest-quality ingredients, and we guarantee to only serve you with the freshest products. Our prices are flexible and our yummy foodies will surely make you come back for more! Want to know more about our products , services and team members ? Simply stop by the Store!!! Uni-Life Supermarket For Life," he wrote.
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Born Nana Kwame Wiafe, Nana Wan is the CEO and owner of Wiafe Group of Companies and the President of 2Hype Music. His date of birth is unknown but he is speculated to in his early 30s.
Nana Wan who often appears in the news for his flashy lifestyle is known to own expensive cars and houses in Accra.
About two years ago, Nana Wan came up in the news over a supposed confession of him saying that he used over 100 babies including two from his sister for money rituals.
He, however, came up to deny that an imposter had made those claims and that he was out of the country at the time the supposed confession hit social media.
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Multiple award winning rap mogul cum entrepreneur Denning Edem Hotor is confirmed to have signed an ambassadorial deal with ‘Snappy snacks’ company. Details of the contract is not yet known to the public. But from the word go, Edem has started displaying his ambassadorial duties judging from his tweet, “If you see Me in the city take a picture and Tag me #Snappyonthego.”
I clearly recall, a song he released few days titled ‘Snappy’ to promote and add brand/trending value to the product with his music brand. It’s a good look for the rapper, because the creative industry need corporate companies to invest in their craft for mutual benefits. He has bangers like gbevu, over again, best rapper, hurricane, koene, ghetto arise, mighty Jesus, etc under his sleeves.
His highly anticipated new album, ‘The African Answer ’ drops on November 4, 2018.
Written by: John Claude Tamakloe.


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Nobody likes ads. But as the online world has matured, people have come to understand that certain ads are necessary to fund their favorite sites that are free to access (hello). And while it's one thing to see ads on a website, but quite another matter when they start showing up in your phone's built-in apps. That's just what's happening for a number of users with Samsung phones in the US and other regions across the globe.
This story was originally published and last updated .
When setting up a phone for someone who's not especially tech-savvy (or simply doesn't care to learn about their phone), Android offers a nice amount of flexibility in terms of what you do or don't have to do. But just because the flexibility is there doesn't mean there aren't a few highly advisable, if technically totally optional, steps you can take to make that phone (and potentially the person using it) a lot less annoying. Here are 10 things we think will make any beginner's experience on an Android smartphone less frustrating, both for them and the person tasked with setting them up.
Mozilla has several flavors of its Firefox browser for Android, with 'Firefox Lite' serving as the main choice for Indonesia and other Asian countries. Despite its name, the Lite browser has become more and more bloated over the past few months, and now there's a travel feature that isn't very helpful.
The TCL Plex was announced late last year at IFA, marking the company's first self-named foray into the world of smartphones, following its success under a host of other brand names. Expectations were high, and the phone's mid-range specs sounded impressive on paper, but it looks like TCL couldn't resist the urge to drag the experience down just a little bit. As part of its brand new Android 10 update, the phone picked up a bit of bloatware in the form of a likely-unwanted game.
While the amount of bloatware has generally shrunken in recent years, you can almost be certain that you'll still find more pre-installed software on carrier-issued phones than on their international or unlocked pendants. The same is true for T-Mobile's REVVLRY phones, available for purchase starting today. A Play Store listing of a "T-Mobile Play" app has surfaced that adds an additional tab on these phone's Google Discover feed sitting next to the leftmost homescreen.
With its display covering almost the entire front surface, the Galaxy S10's design aims at being simple and clutter-free. Samsung's software, on the other hand, isn't necessarily popular for being sleek, as it noticeably changes Android's classic look and feel. The company has further customized its interface with the recent release of One UI, which looks nice, albeit different from the OS' standard appearance. Galaxy devices also come with extra apps, which are often useless and end up taking additional space. The latest flagships will be no exception as they'll come preloaded with McAfee's anti-malware bloatware.
The Snapchat app is still a dumpster fire, but now it's a dumpster fire that can look up products on Amazon. While work continues on the revamped Android application, Snapchat has decided to add Amazon searching to the camera screen. Because that's totally what users want, right?
The KEYone is available as an unlocked phone, and that's probably how most BlackBerry fans will buy it. However, there's a Sprint version, too. Owners of the Sprint version recently reported an aggravating battle with bloatware, which was constantly reinstalling itself on the phone. Sprint has now confirmed this is a bug, and it'll be fixed soon.
Carrier bloatware is always annoying, but Sprint just upped the ante. Sprint is currently the only US carrier selling the KEYone, the latest BlackBerry-branded device manufactured by TCL. Owners of the Sprint KEYone are reporting a huge amount of apps being automatically installed, and they can't be disabled or removed.
Verizon is known for bundling large amounts of pre-installed applications with little value, hence the term 'bloatware.' Unfortunately, it seems like the Verizon-sold Google Pixel phones are no exception.
According to a page on Verizon's website, the Pixel includes eight "Preloaded Play Store Apps," besides the usual Google-made apps bundled with most Android devices. The included apps from Verizon are My Verizon, Go90, and VZ Messages. There are other Google apps pre-loaded outside of the usual bundle as well, including Allo, Duo, Android Pay, Docs, and Keep.
Unfortunately, Verizon does not make it clear if their bloatware applications are uninstallable or not.


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Siliguri, 1st May: With the upsurge of the second wave of COVID-19, the West Bengal government announced a partial lockdown all across the state, on Friday.
As per the directive, bazaars/haats will remain open only from 7-10 am and 3-5 pm. However, various shops in Siliguri's markets were spotted open after 10 am defying the state's COVID-19 protocols. After the matter came to light, the Siliguri Metropolitan Police jumped into action and directed the traders to close their shops immediately.
Reportedly, the fish market, fruit market, vegetable market, and other shops in the city's Bidhan Market were open even after 10 am morning. Following this, the police officer of Panitanki Post reached the spot and closed all the shops.
The Siliguri Police Commissionerate said that all the traders are currently being warned. If the instructions are violated further too, the police will take action against them according to the law.


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Nigeria: The Lekki Deep Sea Port
The port has immense potential for the economy
President Muhammadu Buhari was exultant last week as he inaugurated the Lekki Deep Sea Port in Lagos. It is the first of its kind in Nigeria and one of the biggest in West Africa with immense potential for the economy. Built within four years at the cost of about $1.5 billion, the deep seaport is equipped with state-of-the-art technology, such as biometric scanners and facial recognition systems. It is expected to ease cargo congestion that costs billions of dollars in annual revenue. At a banquet in his honour by the Lagos State government, Buhari said the completion of the project was driven by the vision to “bequeath a legacy of poverty elimination through the provision of job-creating infrastructure.”
Designed to handle at least 2.5 million 20-foot standard containers per year, the port will be operated as a joint venture between the federal government, Lagos State, Singapore-based Tolaram Group (in charge of the Lekki Free Zone) and state-owned China Harbor Engineering Company. The foreign outfits own 75 per cent of the project while the balance is shared between the Lagos State government and the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA). According to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, ships docking at the port could be up to four times the size of vessels that currently berth at both Tin Can and Apapa ports. “This is a transformative project, a game changer”, said Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, Cui Jianchun who also harped on the number of jobs that could be created at the port.
We commend the initiative, and we hope that there will be more of such projects based on private-public partnership. Indeed, the new multi-purpose deep seaport has come as a big relief for many businessmen and Nigerians. Although Nigeria has six major seaports, more than 80 per cent of the country’s imports are handled by just two of the ports in Lagos. Bogged down by low water death and other challenges, the Port Harcourt and Calabar Ports are still operating peripherally. Meanwhile, access to the nation’s two major ports in Lagos has remained paralysed for as long as anyone cares to remember.
The Apapa ports have for years been a national embarrassment, a serious of threat to national security, the economy, health, and the environment. Almost on daily basis, millions of containers laden with various cargoes are stranded due largely to the inability of importers to evacuate them. Yet, for inexplicable reasons, a government seriously in need of cash deliberately allowed the revenue potential of the Lagos ports to be imperilled.
The impossible traffic conditions saw to the crippling of commercial and industrial activities in the area and beyond, while the cost of goods from the ports are astronomical as a result of the difficulties in getting them out. Huge trade cargoes are also lost to Benin Republic, Togo, and other neighbouring countries from where they are offloaded and transhipped to Nigeria due to poor shipping connectivity, shallow draft of the port channels, and general infrastructural inadequacies.
These pitfalls are what the new Chinese-built deep seaport are expected to correct, especially by easing congestion at the country’s ports and ensuring connections between them and the outside world. That it is done in partnership with the private sector also guarantees proper management that would result in return on investment. The whole idea is that if properly managed, the Lekki deep seaport can become an African hub for trans-shipment, and handling cargoes in transit for other destinations. As President Buhari rightly said at the ceremony, all matters related to the operationalisation of the seaport must be placed on top priority. That is the only way of ensuring that the promise of the deep seaport is fulfilled.


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Mainstream media gangs up on Sanders over ‘Stop BEZOS’ bill
Senator Bernie Sanders’ anti-corporate welfare bill aims to hammer the companies that pay their workers so poorly they need government aid to survive. Corporate media outlets are gunning for Sanders in response.
The Stop Bad Employers by Zeroing Out Subsidies Act (Stop BEZOS) would impose a tax on companies equal to the amount of money their employees receive from federal welfare programs such as food stamps or Medicaid. It would apply to both full- and part-time employees as well as independent contractors.
Rep. Ro Khanna (D-California) co-wrote the bill with Sanders (I-Vermont). While more symbolic than workable, it “speaks to the injustice people perceive - that the market isn’t properly rewarding work,” Khanna said.
This bill isn’t perfect. No legislation is. But it speaks to the injustice people perceive —that the market isn’t properly rewarding work. The bill can be further tweaked so corporations pay a decent wage & instead of just compensating those with fancy titles or degrees.— Ro Khanna (@RoKhanna) September 7, 2018
The proposed bill would target companies with 500 or more employees, including some of America’s largest corporations such as Amazon, Apple and Walmart. Its name is a pointed jab at Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, the world’s richest man. Bezos is worth $160 billion, and while the median salary of an Amazon worker is $34,000.
Workers in Amazon’s UK distribution facilities are often so overworked that they are reportedly forced to urinate in bottles to make their quotas. In the US, a large number of them rely on food stamps to make ends meet. In Arizona, one in three Amazon workers is on food stamps, according to the state government data obtained by nonprofit New Food Economy. In Washington state many employees rely on Medicaid.
Amid the negative publicity, Amazon has resorted to paying employees to tweet nice things about the company. The tweets praise working conditions at warehouses while repeating the mantra of “safety is the priority and we just want to get your packages out on time.”
Working conditions at my JAX2 FC are great. Temp controlled warehouse, safety is the priority and we just want to get your packages out on time.— Leo - Amazon FC Ambassador 📦 (@AmazonFCLeo) August 23, 2018
But Bezos apparently has little to fear. Since Sanders unveiled his ambitious proposal, the mainstream media has taken over PR duties for his omnipresent megacorporation.
“In Bernie Sanders vs. Amazon's Jeff Bezos, only workers lose” read a headline from USA Today on Sunday. What Sanders proposes, economist Ryan Bourne argued, is “dangerous,” as it would make workers who would rely on government assistance unemployable. Implicit in this argument is the assumption that Amazon is duty-bound to pay the lowest wage possible, instead of raising it to avoid this situation in the first place.
“Shareholders and customers of companies should not be responsible for every factor of their workers' lives,” Bourne wrote. He is the chair in public understanding at the Cato Institute, a think tank of free-market evangelists that sits somewhere to the right of Ayn Rand.
“Bernie Sanders Picks the Wrong Kind of Fight With Amazon,” declared Noah Smith in Bloomberg last week. Making a similar case to Bourne's, Smith argues that Amazon would be morally bound to fire workers before raising the minimum wage, or would actually cut wages to save money. As government benefits don’t rise 1-for-1 with falling income, Amazon could game the system instead of raising wages.
Instead, Smith suggests federally mandating a higher minimum wage, which is a frequent progressive talking point.
The Washington Post (fully owned by Bezos), blasted Sanders for trying to “outsource the fight against poverty,” which editor Charles Lane argues is the government’s job.
“Bezos is good at many things,” Lane wrote on Tuesday. “As a businessman whose shareholders depend on him to meet the demand for low-cost consumer goods, however, he’s not well-positioned to produce public goods. And equality and a decent safety net, like a working court system and national defense, are public goods.”
But Amazon is not the only corporation that would have to change its ways under the bill proposed by Sanders. Walmart and McDonalds have more employees on food stamps, according to an analysis by New Food Economy. Accusations of abusing corporate welfare have been leveled at Walmart for decades. Most notably, liberal agitator Michael Moore focused a large segment of his 2009 documentary ‘Capitalism: A Love Story’ on the practice.
In naming Bezos, however, Sanders takes advantage of the billionaire’s ‘household name’ status to get people talking about income inequality and ending it, something the Vermont socialist has been pushing for decades. Rolling Stone’s Matt Taibbi argued on Tuesday that this was the senator’s aim all along.
That kind of publicity seems to work, too. Walmart raised its minimum wage to $9 per hour in 2015, citing a desire to improve workers’ welfare, and therefore customer service in-store. Earlier this year, the retail giant bumped its minimum wage up again to $11, with CEO Doug McMilon crediting President Donald Trump’s trillion-dollar tax cuts for making the jump possible.
Amazon said in a statement to RT that the company investigates " any allegation we are made aware of and fix things that are wrong," commenting on the reports that employees have to urinate in the bottle. The online retail giant says it created 130,000 jobs in 2017 as it provides "positive and safe working environment" as well as healthcare benefits and over $15 an hour pay to full-time employees.
In painting a target on Amazon, Sanders has also made himself an otherwise unlikely ally. Trump has blasted Amazon for taking advantage of a tax loophole that allows online retailers to avoid paying state-level taxes. He has also attacked Bezos for putting small-scale ‘mom and pop’ retailers out of business, taking advantage of the US postal system, and perhaps most importantly to him, funding negative articles on his administration in the Washington Post.
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LONG BEACH, Miss. -- Triton has taken another step in preventing ATM fraud, as the Encrypting PIN Pads (EPP) on the Triton RL5000 and FT5000 ATM have been certified as being compliant with new Visa security requirements. Visa mandates that all ATM EPPs be Visa tested and certified by July 1, 2004. Triton's new EPP is the latest in a series of enhanced ATM security features, which include Triple DES encryption capabilities, now standard on all Triton ATMs.
"Triton actively supports any available security measures that will help prevent card fraud and ATM theft," said Brian Kett, president of Triton. "Our compliance with these measures also supports our partners in maintaining consumer confidence by preventing fraudulent ATM transactions. At Triton, we are continuously improving our products to provide our customers with the most secure ATMs in the market."
An EPP improves security by encrypting the PIN before it is transmitted from the terminal pad. The device prevents the unencrypted PIN from being intercepted while in transit from the terminal pad.
All makes and models of Triton ATMs will be compliant by Visa's July 1 deadline, requiring all newly deployed ATM and cash-dispensing PIN-acceptance devices to pass laboratory testing by a Visa-recognized laboratory.


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Robust global semiconductor sales to date. May 2022 sales increased 18% YoY to US$52bil (Exhibit 2), compared to US$44bil in May 2021. This also marked its 28-month streak of uninterrupted growth. On a YTD basis, sales grew 23% to US$254bil, on track to meet World Semiconductor Trade Statistics’ (WSTS) 2022 global sales projection of US$614bil.
Sales growth led by the Americas market.Amongst regions, Americas rose the most by 37% YoY, followed by Japan (20%), Europe (16%), Asia Pacific (16%) and China (9%). We view the strong growth in Americas to be extremely beneficial to local semiconductor players as according to the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA), Malaysia accounted for 24% of all US semiconductor global trade in 2021. Globally, Malaysia accounted for 7% of total semiconductor trade flows.
Growth trend to persist until 2023 with localisation on the horizon. We foresee current global chip shortages to persist until 2023 even as the industry ramps up capacity expansion. Furthermore, as the pandemic revealed the shortcomings of global supply chains, more countries are strengthening their local output. With China being the world’s largest consumer/importer of semiconductors, we think that the nation will be most aggressive in capacity expansion as the government has committed to supply 70% of its chip demand locally by 2025, up from just 17% in 2021.
Smartphone demand showing signs of decline. Smartphone shipments decreased 8.8% YoY to 314mil units in 1Q2022 (Exhibit 3), marking its 3rd quarter of consecutive decline. The contraction was mainly led by Chinese smartphone makers, particularly OPPO (-27%), Xiaomi (-28%) and VIVO (-18%) as negative consumer sentiments amid economic uncertainties dampened demand. However, Apple bucked the trend with its shipments increasing 2% due to its more loyal customer base and better supply chain management.
Uninspiring outlook for 5G smartphone demand. While global smartphone shipments are expected to dip 5.8% YoY in 2022, Greater China’s shipments could drop further by 18% YoY, mainly from slower 5G smartphone demand. According to Gartner, China’s zero-Covid policy and resulting lockdowns have softened demand for non-essential items such as 5G smartphones. Globally, 5G smartphone penetration has reached 73% for North America and 76% for Western Europe as at Jan 2022, a dramatic increase since Apple introduced 5G with its iPhone 12 series. We expect slower growth to persist from the smartphone segment as higher 5G smartphone penetration could mean lower demand for upgrades from 4G.
On the other hand, we continue to see critical supply-demand imbalances in automotive chips.Reportedly, several US automakers are shipping vehicles with compromised functions and features, committing to install chips to drivers once supplies become more readily available.
We maintain our OVERWEIGHT call on the sector, favouring companies with a sales mix that tilts toward the automotive segment given the ongoing critical supply-demand imbalance for automotive chips. Our top BUY continues to be MPI (fair value RM45.16), due to its focus to be the globally preferred outsourced semiconductor assembly and test partner for the automotive segment. Recall that the automotive segment accounted for 38% of MPI’s 3QFY22 revenue.
This book is the result of the author's many years of experience and observation throughout his 26 years in the stockbroking industry. It was written for general public to learn to invest based on facts and not on fantasies or hearsay....


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HIPAA Omnibus: Vendor ContractsPay Attention to Those Business Associate Agreements
Healthcare organizations signing new deals with vendors, including many cloud services providers, must make sure that their business associate agreements reflect the requirements of the new HIPAA Omnibus Rule, which goes into effect on March 26.
The rule broadens the definition of business associates to include any vendor that creates, receives, maintains or transmits protected health information on behalf of a covered entity.
And under the rule, business associates and their subcontractors are now directly responsible for compliance with the HIPAA Security Rule and many components of the HIPAA Privacy Rule. So contracts between covered entities and business associates need to reflect that change.
Agreements signed between covered entities and business associates before Jan. 25, which was when the HIPAA omnibus final rule was published in the Federal Register, must be modified by Sept. 23, 2014, to reflect changes in the regulations.
"As a business associate, starting March 26, you will have the same responsibilities as a covered entity under HIPAA - you'll share the joy," quipped Jutta Williams, director of the corporate compliance privacy office at Intermountain Healthcare, an integrated delivery system in Utah, during the recent 2013 HIMSS Conference..
A common complaint from healthcare organizations has been that many vendors - including some large cloud services providers - have declined to sign business associate agreements.
But remember, if you're audited for HIPAA compliance or investigated for a breach and you don't have a business associate agreement in place, you could risk paying extra monetary penalties for HIPAA non-compliance (see: New Considerations for Breach Penalties).
Under HIPAA, covered entities have always needed to have business associate agreements in place with their vendors that describe safeguards for patient information, says Susan McAndrew of HHS' Office for Civil Rights. What has changed under the HIPAA Omnibus Rule "is that when these contractual arrangements are entered into, they now need to pay particular attention to the spelling out for the business associate of what exactly are the uses and disclosures of this protected health information that they will have," she says.
As a provider of cloud services, Microsoft has always considered itself a business associate, says Dennis Schmuland, chief strategy officer of Microsoft's U.S. health and life sciences division. So the company has long provided its cloud computing customers in the healthcare sector with a business associate agreement that the company developed in collaboration with healthcare providers, payers and medical schools. The agreement, however, is a standard contract Microsoft offers to all its healthcare customers regardless of the cloud services they use.
Schmuland explains that Microsoft, which will be updating its business associate agreement to reflect the new HIPAA Omnibus provisions, tells its healthcare cloud clients: "We will not use the data for secondary uses like contextual advertising or data mining."
The company via its website also makes available to cloud customers its privacy and security principles, he says. Plus, Microsoft will provide audit reports under non-disclosure agreement, which includes the auditor's assessment of penetration testing.
Healthcare organizations should demand that their business associates, no matter what their size, be very clear about how they'll safeguard patient information. And they should demand specifics on how these vendors will limit their use of sensitive patient information to what's "minimally necessary" to perform a specific function, as required under HIPAA.
If your organization is doing work with vendors, including cloud computing specialists, that have been reluctant to sign business associate agreements in the past, make sure they're aware of the HIPAA Omnibus Rule. If they continue to drag their heels, then it's time to shop around for other vendors more forthcoming about privacy and security issues.


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Do you want a physical keyboard on your smartphone? The new BlackBerry with a hard keyboard will be here soon, but there are alternatives. Here we show you eight phones, including six not from BlackBerry.
Apple, Samsung and Google are all rumored to be working on smartwatches. With all the buzz about these devices, it's hard to see the real use cases through the hype. Here are nine things we think any smartwatch worth its salt (and silicon) needs.
In recent years, iOS has been at the back of the pack for innovation in mobile operating systems. If iOS is going to remain a heavy hitter, it needs a serious overhaul in the upcoming version 7. Here are the top 10 things it needs to have to hit it out of the park.
5 Top Federal Initiatives For 2015As InformationWeek Government readers were busy firming up their fiscal year 2015 budgets, we asked them to rate more than 30 IT initiatives in terms of importance and current leadership focus. No surprise, among more than 30 options, security is No. 1. After that, things get less predictable.


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Hinckley has become a fuel's paradise with motorists benefiting from the lowest petrol prices in years.
And hopes are high that prices at the pumps may even drop below £1 a litre in the coming weeks.
Petrol pump prices have plunged in the last month with the mid-November to mid-December fall the third biggest in 25 years, according to the AA.
And the fall does not include the very latest 2p-a-litre petrol reduction by the four biggest supermarkets which took effect on Wednesday.
According to PetrolPrices.com, Hinckley's cheapest petrol is Research Garage in London Road, which is 112.9p.
The AA said that between mid-November and mid-December UK average petrol prices fell 6.6p to 116.32p a litre.
Only the October-November 2008 fall of 11.5p a litre and the August-September 2006 dip of 7.9p have been greater than the most recent decline.
The AA also said that average diesel prices have fallen 5.27p a litre to 122.16p over the mid-November to mid-December 2014 period.
Currently, south west England has the cheapest petrol, at an average of 116.1p a litre, while East Anglia has the dearest, at 117.1p.
The cheapest diesel is to be found in Northern Ireland, at 121.8p a litre, with the most-expensive in Scotland, at 122.7p a litre.
The RAC has suggested the new year could usher in petrol pump prices below £1 but the AA said this possibility remained "remote".
AA president Edmund King said: "A 6.6p-a-litre drop in the price of petrol releases a potential £3 million-a-day switch of consumer spending from fuel forecourts to other businesses.
"It will also lower the cost of transporting goods, hopefully also to be passed on to customers."
Mr King went on: "However, the parallels with the 2008 crash, albeit that was a market in freefall while this one has been engineered by Opec and could be stopped any time, carry a warning from the ghost of Christmas past.
"In 2009, a new year brought a new assessment of the market and pump prices started to rise again on January 5."
Asda, Sainsbury's, Morrisons and Tesco have all reduced their petrol by 2p a litre and their diesel by 1p a litre.
The Asda cut means its customers are now paying no more than 110.7p a litre for petrol, with the company's diesel costing 117.7p a litre.


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Volvo To Title Sponsor Charleston WTA Event Ole Miss, Nike Extend Apparel Deal Coke Zero Rolling Out Ads Around CFB USATF's Nike Rule Relaxed At Worlds Marketplace Roundup Grand Slam Quest Brings New U.S. Open Advertisers Luck Getting More Comfortable With Endorsements Saints OK With Mercedes-Benz' Falcons Move Arizona To Only Take In $500K From Nike Extension Marketplace Roundup
SBD/July 10, 2013/Marketing and Sponsorship
Published July 10, 2013
FACING CONSEQUENCES: In Boston, Jordan Graham noted Stars C Tyler Seguin’s recent “controversial homophobic tweet could cost him lucrative endorsement deals as he struggles to establish himself in a new market.” Harvard Business School professor and sports marketing expert Stephen Greyser said that Seguin, who was traded to the Stars after three years with the Bruins, "may have just scared off any opportunities he may have had.” He said that Seguin has “not risen to the level of superstar that would allow him to weather this incident” (BOSTON HERALD, 7/9). Seguin yesterday said “My Twitter was taken over, along with a few other things that are with my name. It definitely didn’t feel good that my name was out there saying negative things.” Stars GM Jim Nill: "I think Twitter and social media are a major downfall of ours” (BOSTON GLOBE, 7/10).
MAKING WAVES: ADWEEK’s David Kiefaber noted Roxy’s “teaser ad for the Pro Biarritz 2013 surfing contest, which it's sponsoring, is more about butts than surfing.” The ad features surfer Stephanie Gilmore and critics have “sneered at the ad's focus on the surfer's body instead of her skills.” Kiefaber wrote, “I have to say, I agree with them.” Coming from a company “that claims to speak to female athletes, the teaser video pretty much ignored athletics for blatant eye candy” (ADWEEK.com, 7/9).


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Citrix buys RingCube for desktop personalisation: News in brief
Citrix has acquired RingCube, a desktop personalisation software provider, for an undisclosed sum. Citrix will add RingCube’s capabilities to its XenDesktop platform.
Citrix buys RingCube for desktop personalisation
Citrix Systems has acquired RingCube, a vendor that provides software for personalising desktops within virtual desktop infrastructure.
RingCube’s technology makes the move from physical to virtual desktops easier, Citrix said, because it helps isolate all user-specific apps and settings on virtual desktops. That lets users self-install apps on their own personal desktops. RingCube also allows IT teams to easily customise virtual desktops for each user and reduces storage costs, Citrix said.
Citrix did not disclose terms of the deal.
Click here for more on Citrix VDI technology.
Dell profits rise, but outlook still gloomy
Despite an increase in profits, Dell has lowered its expectations for the rest of the year.
Dell reported a 63% increase in its second-quarter profits to $890 million (£537 million). But the company reduced its growth outlook -- from a range of 5% to 9% down to a range of 1% to 5% -- blaming continued uncertainties in customer demand.
Sales rose just 1% to $15.66 billion (£9.44 billion), slightly lower than expectations of $15.75 billion (£9.49 billion). Software and services sales grew 4% to $4.6 billion (£2.78 billion) and the storage business grew 15%.
Dell also reported a 1% increase in sales to large businesses and a 3% decrease in sales to public sector organisations.
Click here for more on Dell server sales.
Xsigo launches Server Fabric
Xsigo, a virtualised infrastructure provider, is launching Xsigo Server Fabric, new software designed to virtually link all servers in a data centre.
The company said Server Fabric will help IT pros create connections between resources without configuring switches, switch ports or VLANs.
Existing offerings from switch vendors such as Cisco Systems are based on traditional switches and ports, but Xsigo said Server Fabric allows network connections from virtual machines to any data centre resource -- including servers and networks.
Xsigo Server Fabric is interoperable with existing networking products from Cisco, Brocade, Juniper Networks and other vendors, and it will be available in December for $1,000 per host.
Click here for more on server fabric technology.
Digital Realty Trust buys redevelopment site in suburban London
Digital Realty Trust, a data centre service provider, has acquired a redevelopment site in Chessington for £12.9 million.
The 130,000-square-foot site will support five 1,440 kW modular data centres built using the company’s containerised architecture. Digital Realty Trust faces around 30 MW of demand in the greater London market, including requirements of 6 MW of space. The new site will have a total IT capacity of 8 MW.
Click here for more on Digial Realty Trust.
Archana Venkatramanis the site editor for SearchVirtualDataCentre.co.UK.


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The calls to the police department from businesses that fall under the new regulated use ordinance include everything from disturbancing the peace to a suspicious person. Police say they get more calls from certain kinds of businesses. Chief Bruce Dunagan says, "Sex oriented businesses generated a lot more calls for service. There's a lot more criminal activity going on in those businesses and this is going to help regulate those particular type of businesses."
The new ordinance makes the owner or operators directly responsible for what happens in or around the business. "They can't have subjects hangin' around outside where we get the calls for service for disorderly conduct, like urination in public and so forth," says Dunagan.
There are a certain number of points for specific violations but racking up the points doesn't automatically mean a business's license is suspended or revoked. The business owner is entitled to a hearing. Dunagan says someone can appeal.
Pawn shop owner Jesse Eaves says the only problem he has with the ordinance is it lumps pawn shops with adult entertainment. "I mean ya know when I can sell a 12-year old kid a bicycle...how's that, I don't understand how they try to include us in adult entertainment when we're far from adult entertainment," says Eaves.


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Nintendo Switch Lite: From D-pads to sharable games, here's what we learned
Nintendo's Doug Bowser tells us about the Switch and the future of the 3DS
Scott SteinEditor at Large
I started with CNET reviewing laptops in 2009. Now I explore wearable tech, VR/AR, tablets, gaming and future/emerging trends in our changing world. Other obsessions include magic, immersive theater, puzzles, board games, cooking, improv and the New York Jets. My background includes an MFA in theater which I apply to thinking about immersive experiences of the future.
ExpertiseVR and AR, gaming, metaverse technologies, wearable tech, tabletsCredentials
Nearly 20 years writing about tech, and over a decade reviewing wearable tech, VR, and AR products and apps
Nintendo's newly unveiled Switch Lite, unlike its established older sibling, forces compromises like the lack of detachable Joy-Cons or the ability to connect to a TV in exchange for its cheaper $200 price tag. The Switch Lite is going truly handheld, a change from the original's big pitch of being able to go back and forth between TV and mobile.
The Switch Lite marks the first new piece of gaming hardware since the New Nintendo 2DS XL came out in late 2017. It also suggests a new direction for Nintendo, which has successfully fended off the competitive threat of more hardcore games running on the Xbox One and PlayStation 4, or more casual titles played on your phone.
But the Switch Lite also raises some questions. For instance, it could potentially replace the aging Nintendo 3DS platform. And does this open the door to more Switch variants (like the long-rumored Pro edition?).
We took these questions to Doug Bowser, president of Nintendo of North America. Here's what we learned:
The Switch Lite has a D-pad, but don't expect one on Joy-Cons (yet)
The Switch Lite has changed the four-button array on the left-side controls with a proper plus-shaped D-pad, just like a Nintendo 3DS. It feels a lot better for controlling retro games, but don't expect any Joy-Cons that will add a D-pad anytime soon. Bowser says the Joy-Con's four-button design is made to be versatile in any configuration. "There are no plans, or nothing to announce, in terms of further variations of Joy-Con."
Nintendo's working on a way to make switching Switches easier (shared libraries?)
At the moment, Nintendo doesn't make it possible to easily play Switch games on two devices. For instance, if you wanted to buy a non-TV-connected Switch Lite and make it your console, you'd give up playing games on TV with the Switch. But Nintendo may be making it easier to live between two devices soon. "I could see this fitting into a household where there are multiple players... and one flagship Nintendo Switch," Bowser says about Switch Lite, adding, "Yes, you will have the ability to transfer between devices, your gameplay experiences. More to come there, but that is the intention." Maybe, when the Switch Lite is launched in September, we'll know more.
Watch this: Nintendo Switch Lite first impressions
No Nintendo Switch Pro console... yet
The Switch Lite is designed to appeal to tighter budgets, kids and new customers, but it's not really the Switch upgrade owners of the 2017 system might have expected. Reports have indicated that a "Switch Pro" with upgraded components is in the works, which may be delayed until next year. Bowser says nothing of the sort is on tap right now, referring to the original Switch as staying onboard for now. "It will continue on its path at the price we have it currently positioned at," he says. That being said, there may be a stealth chip upgrade in the original Switch.
The 3DS isn't disappearing (and 3DS games aren't coming to Switch yet)
Even though the $200 handheld-only Switch Lite looks like a future replacement to the Nintendo 3DS/2DS family of devices, Nintendo's not getting rid of the 3DS -- yet. "Short answer: the Nintendo 3DS does have a place beside the Nintendo Switch family of products, and we'll continue to support it as long as consumers continue to purchase them," Bowser told me. That being said, Nintendo still doesn't have clear plans to move 3DS software over to the Switch.
No SNES/N64 game news, but more NES games are coming
The Virtual Console possibilities for the Switch are strong, especially with a bunch of NES games and plenty of arcade ports and classic games from Sega, Capcom, Konami and others already available. However, SNES and N64 games remain MIA. "Nothing to announce at this time, but we continue to release NES games at a nice pace. We're well over 40, and we continue to release those on a monthly basis."
The Switch Lite ditching TV doesn't mean TV mode is going away
The Switch Lite may be handheld-only, but Nintendo's Bowser refuses to suggest that more handheld-based play is where Switch games are headed. "It's really how people want to play, and also it's based on the game," says Bowser, discussing how he still plays some games on TV. "We believe we're offering a choice."


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HTC is launching its VR store, Viveport, an alternative to the known Steam catalog. It will soon launch globally as a beta version, followed by a full rollout. Developers can register on the official site to get involved with the project. HTC will take a 70/30 revenue split with them.
The new store will focus on general-interest, an alternative for the game-focused Steam platform. It will be available for web browsers and Vive headsets, and an app will exist for PC and mobile devices. The VR-catalog will also have space in the Vive Home virtual environment.
Customers will have to visit separate storefronts for different types of content, so the interface is not very friendly or practical. A small price to pay for variety.
Viveport offers Virtual Reality experiences
Viveport was announced early 2016, and it recently launched in China, where Valve’s gaming store is not the leader platform. Now, the global beta version will launch in the next weeks to become the place-to-go to find “crazy-cool, immersive experiences.”
Steam already has a “general-interest”-like the catalog, featuring general software, such as animation, design and game-developing programs, or even films in the form of a virtual theater.
Furthermore, the store offers an overwhelming amount of titles, both VR and non-VR. With such a leading presence in the market, HTC states they “don’t necessarily want to compete with it,” only add more categories.”
“Viveport will play an important role in giving access to virtual reality experiences that will enhance our daily lives and the way we connect with friends and family. The Vive team and our customers cannot wait to see what new experiences will be shared by our partners in the developer community,” said Steiber.
HTC has a decent trajectory and enough tools to gain a lot of popularity despite the presence of Steam. Viveport advertises itself as a dedicated store for edutainment, social media, news, sports, health, travel, shopping and 360˚ video.
Comparing Vive to Steam doesn’t seem fair because HTC is not focusing on the gaming industry, that would be pointless. In other words, even though they look the same, HTC wants to appeal a different audience, but it doesn’t mean the store is not going to offer games.
— HTC Vive (@htcvive) August 6, 2016
HTC is trying to distinguish itself from the rest in the VR market
Vive becomes a crucial part of HTC’s future, a company that made a massive push into the VR market with its top-end gear, the most expensive in the market.
Even with their increasing popularity in the VR world, where they compete with Facebook’s Oculus Rift, the company has been struggling to keep the money flowing. The Taiwanese enterprise saw a drop around 44 percent in the second quarter of 2016, after a first three months period where their revenue fell another 61 percent.
Viveport represents a significant step for the company towards a branch they have already made a dent. Building a non-gaming store shelve might be the smart move to land some distinction for the Vive brand in a field that will soon be crowded with the incursion of the PlayStation VR next October.
Source: HTC Blog


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Nike Inc. CEO Mark Parker probably wouldn't admit that he took a subtle jab at arch-rival Adidas AG. He seems far too polite for such a thing.
But you can judge for yourself.
First, a little context.
As we reported Monday, a German court granted Nike an interim injunction preventing Adidas from making and distributing its Primeknit shoes in Germany, the only place where it's currently on the market.
Nike claims Adidas violated the patents for its Flyknit running shoes, which it debuted back in February. Adidas — which unveiled Primeknit four months later — has said that its shoes were a project four years in the making and that it would be virtually impossible to make a copycat in just four months.
Cats and dogs. Hatfields and McCoys. Sigh.
Then along comes Parker, responding to a Flyknit question from an analyst Thursday, with this:
"I’m not surprised we've got some attempted innovation in the marketplace," he said.
Wink, wink, Adidas.
Parker has good reason to be protective of Flyknit, a product innovation in which the shoes are knitted together in a single piece, reducing waste and likely elevating profit margins. He’s hailed it as Nike’s next great product platform, one that is expected to be expanded through the brand's portfolio of sports categories.
On that front, Parker — a footwear designer himself who has collaborated on some Flyknit products — on Thursday said he’s taken a peek at what he called the “successive generations” of the product and came away impressed.
“I say that not just as a CEO,” Parker said, “but as a shoe dog.”
The price is right
The biggest news from Nike's first quarter earnings release Thursday was that its profits declined for the second straight quarter.
Not surprisingly, company executives didn't dwell on this in their quarterly conference call with analysts.
They did, however, discuss pricing.
The shrinking profits are largely attributed to the rising costs of materials and labor that goes into making Nike products. The company said those costs were offset somewhat by increased prices on their products.
Over the last several product seasons, Nike CFO Don Blair said the company has raised prices "across the board." That's changing with products for this fall and the upcoming holiday season.
Instead of wide-ranging price increases, Blair said it will be "a lot more style by style, product by product."
Nike caught a lot of flak after the Wall Street Journal reported that the company's latest LeBron James signature shoes would carry a top price surpassing $300. That story prompted a response from the National Urban League, calling Nike insensitive for marketing such expensive shoes to kids.
Nike deflected the criticism by saying the shoes hadn't been priced yet, and then stuck a $270 price tag on them later.
Despite that episode, Nike Brand President Charlie Denson on Thursday said the company has seen "very little" resistance from consumers over the price increases.
"Overall, we're very happy," Denson said. "As you can see the revenue numbers are high and the unit numbers continue to climb."