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- GOP hopes taking shutdown off the table with budget deal will pay dividends
- Chinese Death Star: The moon cited as the perfect launch pad for ballistic missiles
- Help wanted: Homeland Security plagued by vacancies at the top
- We are not amused: Queen’s protection officers warned to keep ‘sticky fingers’ off the royal cashews
- Unleash the crossbows: Gov. Scott Walker creates new hunting season
- Bubonic plague kills 20 in Madagascar
- G-20 diplomats fell for hacker attack promising nude photos of former French first lady Carla Bruni
- Minnesota guardsman charged with stealing private soldier data for fake IDs
- Florida appeals court rules universities can’t regulate guns
- Vladimir Putin defends Russian conservative values
BlackBerry users mull effect as service curbs loom
All three countries have cited concerns the phones’ security features could be misused by terrorists and criminals, though they have not always made clear what specific concessions they’re seeking. Other countries, including Lebanon and Indonesia, are also taking a closer look at the devices. The proposed bans all apply to data services, not phone calls, meaning BlackBerry handsets would still be allowed in the countries.
While free-speech advocates have criticized the crackdowns, a number of BlackBerry users say they understand the governments’ concerns.
“It’s important for things to be traceable,” said Brad Kollur, 33, an IT consultant who lives in Rockaway, New Jersey, and often travels to India on business. “It’s one of those things where you give up certain comforts for the greater good.”
RIM has declined to discuss details of its negotiations with regulators. It says it tries to cooperate with countries’ legal and national security needs, and has “a consistent global standard for lawful access requirements that does not include special deals for specific countries.”
Still, some users are urging the company to do more.
“Please, BlackBerry, adjust whatever you have to … and honor the security requests of the government,” said Manoj Warrier, who runs an IT consulting business in New Jersey. “It’s a very good product. … The company should give a little and get a little in return.”
Warrier uses his BlackBerry to keep up with employees and clients in India, Saudi Arabia, Dubai and elsewhere. He’s so devoted to the brand that he refuses to switch carriers or devices, and he plans to postpone a business trip to those places next month if the controversy isn’t resolved.
There are alternatives, of course.
Nokia Corp. is among the manufacturers that sell smart phones with e-mail, Web browsing and other office tools _ none of which raise the ire of Mideast and Indian regulators. The iPhone and a number of handsets running Google Inc.’s Android software offer those features too.
“We would equip our employees with alternative devices if there should be any major change,” said Michael Grabicki, a spokesman for the German chemical company BASF SE.
These other devices, however, don’t rely on the same type of sophisticated encryption that appears to have raised concerns, meaning they also don’t offer the same level of security that many businesses find crucial.
And although business travelers would also still be able to use laptops for e-mail if BlackBerry service bans go into effect, juggling a computer while holding a cup of coffee is far more difficult than thumbing through messages on a palm-sized smart phone.
“At the end of the day you can also pick up the phone and call” business contacts, said Australian BlackBerry user Emad Soliman, a designer at a furniture factory in the Emirati capital, Abu Dhabi.
Besides, say some BlackBerry users, there could be a bright side to government-imposed crackdowns _ especially for those who see the gadgets less as a convenience and more as a tether to bosses back home.
“I just won’t answer my work e-mail,” said Jeet Sohal, who was heading to Dubai from London for a family vacation, when asked about the looming bans. The 40-year-old, who works for a British cafe chain, added: “That’s not such a bad thing.”
By Mangosuthu Buthelezi
Memories of a long brotherhood tempered in common struggle
- Obama's Afghanistan experts stumped on U.S. death toll, war costs during hearing
- Inside China: Ukraine gets nuke umbrella
- NAPOLITANO: A conspiracy so vast
- North Korean dictator stuns world with uncle's execution
- CHELLANEY: China's game of chicken
- Obama takes 'selfie' at Mandela's funeral service
- Comma on!: Twitter erupts over Obama-Castro 'marriage'
- 80 people publicly executed across North Korea for films, Bibles
- Inside the Ring: China targets Global Hawk drone
- Chinese man fed up with his girlfriend's shopping jumps to his death
Independent voices from the The Washington Times Communities
Consummate traveler Todd DeFeo explores the unique stories that make destinations worth going to.
Covering the world of soccer, including the World Cup, Major League Soccer, D.C. United and the English Premier League and other interesting sporting events.
Born in 1930 in rural Missouri, Charles Vandegriffe, Sr., brings his time and place to the Communities.
Columns from Voices around the World talking about the events, people, politics and social issues that concern us wherever, and whoever, we are.
Extraordinary day at Redskins Park
White House pets gone wild!
Let it snow


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The events in the news yesterday underscored how dangerous it can be out there in the real world. Oh, I'm not talking about the middle east or urban high-crime neighborhoods or other traditional hotbeds of violence. The new ground zero is the American department store during the Christmas shopping season. Yesterday I read in horror how shoppers at WalMart trampled and killed an employee. While my mind was still reeling from this, I was further shocked to hear two men had shot and killed each other at a Toys-R-Us. To take someone's life is tragic, but to do so in the name of competitive shopping takes us to a new low. I find myself suddenly motivated to do all my shopping online where I can steer clear of the animals.
Worker Trampled to Death in Wal-Mart Sales Stampede
Two armed men shoot and kill each other at a Toys-R-Us

domain: news


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By Candice Choi-Associated Press
MIAMI — When Burger King set about to fix its ailing empire, the fast-food giant started by scrutinizing everything on the menu — even the mayonnaise.
A group of Burger King executives and franchisees last year sat through a lengthy presentation, complete with charts and graphs on how oils and eggs affect the quality of the spread. A blind taste test of 30 varieties followed. The verdict: They liked the one Burger King was already using.
“That was actually a pretty hard day,” recalls John Koch, Burger King’s executive chef.
It wasn’t the only one. Over the past year, Burger King evaluated all of its ingredients from the bacon to the cheese slices it serves on its chargrilled burgers as part of a yearlong quest to reverse years of slumping sales of its Whoppers and fries.
The result: On Monday, it plans to launch a lineup of smoothies, frappe coffees, chicken strips and snack wraps. The 10 new items mark Burger King’s biggest menu expansion since the chain opened its doors in 1954.
Burger King’s food odyssey shows how grueling it can be for a fast-food company to come up with new menu items — a process most Americans aren’t aware of when they’re handed a bag at a drive-thru window. Burger King is the latest chain to revamp its menu as part of the fast-food industry’s move away from its nearly single-minded courtship of young men.
Once the lifeblood of the industry, those junk-food fanatics were particularly hard-hit by the economic downturn. At the same time, Americans generally have been demanding healthier options.
Burger King has failed to evolve even as competitors have gone after new customers with breakfast items and healthier fare. Last year, Wendy’s for the first time edged out Burger King as the nation’s No. 2 burger chain behind McDonald’s.
To stem the decline, Burger King executives last year decided to remodel its aging system of 7,200 stores to make them more contemporary, redesign worker uniforms with aprons so they stay clean and even serve the iconic Whopper in cardboard cartons instead of paper burger wrapping for the first time in more than 20 years. The food, however, is at the heart of its plan.
Consumers have longed for more food options at Burger King, but the revamp is a gamble. The new menu may not go far enough to differentiate Burger King from its competitors.
After all, there are striking similarities between Burger King’s new items and the offerings of its much-bigger rival, McDonald’s. The Golden Arches already rolled out specialty salads in 2003, snack wraps in 2006, premium coffee drinks in 2009, and fruit smoothies in 2010.
“Being an innovator is critical in the fast-food industry,” said Darren Tristano, an analyst for researcher Technomic Inc. But in recent years, he said, Burger King has been more of a follower.
Burger King executives don’t deny that its new items are pretty close to those on McDonald’s popular menu. But they say the new menu was created as a result of Burger King’s own research.
“Consumers wanted more choices,” said Steve Wiborg, president of Burger King’s North America operations. “Not just healthy choices, but choices they could get at the competition.”


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AT A SPECIAL sitting of the Devonport City Council an application for a Bunnings development has been unanimously passed by the council.
The meeting was held with all councillors bar Alderman Alison Jarman present and was passed with mostly positive feedback.
The new Bunnings store will be built on the Homemakers Centre site.
It is unknown what this development will mean for the current K&D store which is also situated on the site.
The application has been a long process for the council who have been trying to attract the hardware giant to Devonport for at least three years.
The development application was carried unanimously at the meeting.
SEE MORE IN TOMORROW'S ADVOCATE


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WildStar developer Carbine Studios has had a run of bad luck the past few years - the studio was hit with layoffs back in 2016, and earlier this month the developer announced they would be shutting down.
Now the studio's sci-fi MMORPG, WildStar, is shutting down its service November 28, 2018. A statement released on WildStar's website today:
When Carbine first started working on what would become WildStar back in 2005, the team set out to make something special that presented a different kind of MMORPG experience. At launch, the Carbine team delivered a deep, engaging, and spectacularly fun game full of outlandish adventures on the most legendary planet in the universe. And it has been our great privilege to share those adventures with all of you over the last four years.Carbine Studios have disabled the ability to purchase anything with real money on both the game's official website and its in-game store. Any purchases made with real money since July 1 of this year, including pre-paid Signature Memberships, will receive real money refunds. Active players with unspent C.R.E.D.D. - which is essentially WildStar's version of WoW tokens - will receive NCoin in its place. Ncoin is WildStar publisher NCSOFT's premium currency, which can be used in games such as Blade & Soul and Aion.
WildStar's Steam users will get refunds too, so long as you have made a purchase on or after July 1, 2018. Refunds will be issued according to the payment method players used on Steam, so those who paid with a card will have funds go back into the bank account.
As one last hurrah, Carbine released an update today, granting all players Signature status, increasing in-game Omnibit drops, and more. Seasonal in-game events will also take place through September, October, and November up until the servers close for good.
You can check out the full details of WildStar's shutdown on the game's official site.
Quick TakeI remember being in Boston around the time WildStar released. Advertisements were everywhere. I also saw a lot of coverage all over the web for the game. It looked exciting, but I never got to try it out for myself. It's sad to see another MMORPG shutting down, but when you have giants like World of Warcraft and Final Fantasy XIV to compete with, you'll have to make something truly special.
In 2015, Carbine re-released the game as WildStar: Reloaded, in what I assume was a last attempt at gaining a following. It stuck around for three more years, which is admirable, but it just couldn't keep up with the big boys.


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Jan 18, 2022, 4:14 pm265 ptsRemember Marty McFly’s self-tying Nikes from “Back to the Future”? So does Apple, and the tech giant may be interesting in making such kicks. The post Remember those self-tying shoes from ‘Back to the Future’? So, apparently, does Apple appeared first on Apple World Today.
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Oakville, Burlington and Milton residents carrying most consumer debt in all of Ontario
Halton residents are carrying the most non-mortgage consumer debt among all Ontarians.
According to a recent report from Borrowell, the average Ontarian is carrying $27,523 in consumer debt–$10,770 in revolving debt, which is debt associated with credit cards and lines of credit, and $16,753 in installment debt, which is debt associated with loans, such as personal or auto.
In Oakville, the average resident is carrying $48,410, the most in all of Ontario, while Milton and Burlington residents are carrying an average of $36,769 and $36,665 respectively, the fourth- and fifth-most in Ontario.
Additionally, Oakville was one of just three cities in Ontario that saw the average consumer debt increase this past year.
Over the past year, consumer debt in Ontario decreased slightly—the average debt for Ontarians is down three per cent compared to the year before.
Further, while average installment debt has remained relatively unchanged—it decreased just one per cent over the last 12 months—revolving debt has decreased by seven per cent this past year.
In Oakville, consumer debt increased two per cent over the past year, while consumer debt in Milton decreased five per cent and consumer debt in Burlington was unchanged.
Revolving debt decreased in all three Halton cities—in Oakville, it decreased by four per cent to $24,490, while in Milton, it decreased by nine per cent to $16,146, and in Burlington, it decreased by six per cent to $17,338.
However, installment debt increased for Oakville and Burlington, while Milton was remained nearly the same—Oakville’s installment debt rose nine per cent to $23,920, while Burlington’s rose six per cent to $19,327, and Milton’s dropped one per cent to $20,623.
However, while debt has decreased over the last few months, many experts expect it to rise shortly, as restrictions associated with the pandemic begin to ease.
With many businesses moving to a work-from-home model, costs associated with commuting, such as gas and transit fees, have declined.
Moreover, with restrictions prohibiting many activities, such as dining out at restaurants, attending events—such as sporting competitions and concerts—and shopping for non-essential items, discretionary spending has also decreased.
“We’ve seen positive consumer debt trends over the past year, but the next few months could mark a significant shift,” Andrew Graham, co-founder and CEO of Borrowell, said in the report.
“Loan deferral programs have already begun wrapping up, and people are eager to get out and socialize once again. The financial habits that consumers developed over the past year will almost certainly change as more opportunities become available to socialize and spend this summer. We could see an increase in consumer debt over the next few months,” he continued.
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September 1, 2009
Refashioning the Familiar
When a headhunter called Candace S. Matthews about an opportunity at Amway, she initially scoffed at the idea. “Were they even still around?â€ she thought. “Would [the role] be bigger than what I’m doing now?â€ After all, she was already president of Soft Sheen-Carson, a consumer products division of the cosmetics giant L’Oreal USA, and she had held a series of top marketing positions at some of the world’s leading corporations, including Procter & Gamble and The Coca-Cola Co.
What Matthews didn’t realize at the time was that the family-owned, multilevel network marketing business had grown beyond offering a line of cleaning products. Encouraged by the recruiter to re-examine the offer, Matthews became receptive, even enthusiastic. “I had no idea of the company’s global scope,â€ she says of the enterprise that operates in more than 50 countries, employs 13,000 staffers, and at the time grossed roughly $7 billion in revenues. “It was huge, and totally under the radar.â€
Matthews would soon discover how she fit into Amway‘s growth equation. In 2007, the board, led by co-CEOs Steve Van Andel and Doug DeVos, decided that the company needed transforming. The direct sales leader lagged behind its competitors in connecting well with American consumers. In the company’s early stages of growth, 80% of its revenues came from the United States and 20% from international markets. Now those percentages were reversed. Expansion was happening rapidly in areas such as Russia, India, and China, its largest market, with only marginal growth in the U.S. Amway’s bruised reputation here also contributed to flat domestic sales. Matthews, 50, who came aboard at the end of that year, says, “They [knew] they needed to transform and laid out three main pillars: growth through innovation, consumer orientation, and performance driven.â€
Amway needed a strong chief marketing officer who understood how the pieces came together and who could infuse a new level of dynamism into the organization. Matthews was the executive for the job.
She was tasked with moving the company from a multilevel marketing business model to a consumer driven model; creating the strategic direction for the five lines of business; and establishing a process for new product development and consumer insight, as well as developing global positioning for Amway products and brands. She wasted no time tackling this audacious mission. Matthews, who controls a budget in the hundreds of millions, has launched a fully integrated marketing program, which her 600-person global team executes in support of 3 million distributors who sell five categories of products: beauty, nutrition, home care, personal care, and durables.


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'Worse than Black Friday': Des Moines shoppers descend on retail warehouse amid coronavirus concerns
Frank and Mary Williams, their cart laden with meat, wore face masks to the Windsor Heights Sam's Club.
"The virus is already here," 72-year-old Frank Williams said, his pale yellow mask moving as he spoke. "There's people who are sick here and don't even know it yet."
Though the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention does not recommend healthy people wear face masks, Williams said he'd rather be safe than sorry.
The Williamses were among countless shoppers this week at the retail warehouse, stocking up on food and paper products as the number of COVID-19 cases in Iowa continues to grow. As stores across the metro run low on essentials and medical products, the massive Sam's Club is a mecca for metro Des Moines shoppers.
► Stay informed: The latest on coronavirus in Iowa
► More: How to prepare, what to expect, what will be affected
But even the 140,000-square-foot warehouse is struggling to keep up with the demands of frightened Iowans.
By midday, Sam's Club was out of toilet paper and bottled water. Hand sanitizer was not available. Several other cleaning products, like paper towels and disinfectant wipes were in low supply.
Paper signs posted around the store warned shoppers of limits on several high-demand products. Above the toilet paper, paper towels, bottled water and cough drops, the signs read, "ATTENTION MEMBERS: LIMIT OF 2 PER DAY PER MEMBERSHIP."
"It's been a zoo all week," assistant manager Xyander Zuhlke said as he unwrapped a palette of Puffs facial tissues. He said an entire truckload of paper products had been delivered to the store that morning, but by noon, the toilet paper supply was dwindling.
An hour later, it was gone.
"This is worse than Black Friday," Zuhlke said. "I've never seen anything like this before."
While the limits are meant to prevent shoppers from hoarding supplies, Esmeralda Robles, manager at Bernardo's Burritos in downtown Des Moines, said it's limiting her ability to run the restaurant.
"We buy from Sam's and there is nothing there," she said, noting that several of the essentials she needs from the store — including toilet paper, napkins, rice and beans — are on the two-per-person limit.
Stores all around the Des Moines metro are facing similar issues.
Amy Herold, 71, and her sister Gina Joss, 69, said they went to Costco at 9 a.m. — an hour before it opened — to wait in line for toilet paper, which like the supply at Sam's Club was limited to two per customer.
"We watched the cars. When I got there, there were probably 10 cars in the parking lot," Herold said. "By the time I called my husband, laughing, I said 'There's at least 40 cars here now.'"
Making their way over to Sam's Club, they bought more toilet paper and paper towels, including some for a friend.
"I'm old and my medical condition is compromised. Getting this now, I won't have to come back for a while," Herold said. "I'm retired, so I'm probably going to avoid areas where there's a lot of people when I can."
For shopper Rodney Atwell, the run on supplies was interfering with his weekly grocery shopping.
"I come here a couple times a month to get the same stuff, but everything I came to get that I’m out of, it’s all gone," the 41-year-old soybean processing plant worker said.
Atwell said he felt people were "over-panicking" about the threat of coronavirus.
“I’m not worried at all," he said. "My son’s got heart problems, I mean, and his immune system is a little weaker than most people’s but I’m not that concerned. It’s basically like the flu."
- How to wash your hands properly
- Coronavirus is scary, but the flu is deadlier, more widespread
- Can't find Purell or other hand sanitizers? Here's how to make it at home with vodka or rubbing alcohol
- The shopping list for your own home quarantine kit
Despite the run on supplies and a widespread movement for social distancing, business at Sam's Club largely went on as usual.
The store continued to offer free samples, though with new precautions. Megan Enos, handing out chicken-and-veggie nuggets to shoppers, explained that she was told to wash her hands every 30 minutes, keep the samples completely covered with either a plastic lid or tin foil, move 10 feet from the cart to cough or sneeze and to change gloves if she touched her clothing, face or hair.
Enos said people were still readily sampling, despite coronavirus fears.
Staff at the Sam's Club cafe estimated they were wiping down surfaces three times more often than usual — the tables, ordering machines and drink machines. A news release on the Sam's Club website said staff was instructed to increase the frequency of cleanings, including wiping down shopping carts between each use.
Produce stocker Sashi Acharya said he has seen increased demand across the store, even for perishable items.
"It used to be like four times (taller) on here," he said of the space above a box of onions sitting on a near-empty palette. "There's just one case, see. It's all gone."
Katie Akin is a retail reporter for the Register. Reach her at email@example.com or at 515-284-8041. Follow her on Twitter at @katie_akin.
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Wages have fallen by more in real terms during the current economic downturn than ever previously recorded, according to an economic think-tank.
According to the Institute for Fiscal Studies, a third of workers who stayed in the same post following the recession suffered a cut or freeze in their wages in cash terms in 2010-11.
Once inflation is taken into account, real-terms pay has fallen by more since the recession began in 2008 than in any comparable five-year period, said the think-tank in a working paper for the magazine Fiscal Studies.
It found that many UK companies, particularly smaller businesses, have cut wages rather than lay off staff.
Workers have been willing to accept pay reductions because of the fierce competition for those jobs which are available.
More top news
Two men will begin their trial over the murders of young British tourists Hannah Witheridge and David Miller.
A slow start for most of us tomorrow with dribs and drabs of rain leaving some of us with a soggy journey into work.
If you're worried your online social circle is thinning out, a new browser extension will let you know who cut you loose online.


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Microsoft is turning to creating "web apps" for a number of popular brands and websites. A new section on the Windows Phone Store called Microsoft WebApps offers a number of downloadable, pinnable web apps that are basically app wrappers for popular ...
Nokia actually announced two new devices that seem as if they were torn out of the Book of Samsung: an oversized phone and a 10-inch tablet. While both devices feature 1080p screens, quad-core processors, and cameras that rival some point-and-shoots,...
The Windows RT 8.1 update is back on the Windows Store, days after Microsoft took it down in response to installations that went wrong and left users with devices that couldn't boot up.
Nokia has added a tablet and two large-screen smartphones to its Lumia family, and is once again counting on its camera technology to attract buyers.
Microsoft's Windows 8 woes continue, as the 8.1 OS update for Windows RT remains offline days after technical problems forced the vendor to pull it from the Windows Store.
A court in New York has upheld an arbitration award requiring Yahoo not to delay the roll out of Bing services in Taiwan and Hong Kong under a 2009 agreement.
In the office, people still prefer Microsoft Office.
Microsoft has pulled Windows RT 8.1 from the Windows Store due to unspecified technical problems.
Microsoft's Xbox One and Sony's PlayStation 4 are due for release next month, but chip supplier Advanced Micro Devices is already teasing chip upgrades that could make the game consoles faster and more power-efficient.
Windows 8.1 is finally here and with it comes Microsoft's hopes of a second act for its flagship operating system.
Microsoft will start selling gift cards good for purchases on its digital content market, taking a page out of Apple's iTunes playbook.
Microsoft's new update for Windows Phone 8 added support for larger phones and higher-resolution screens, a move analysts hoped would soon put the operating system onto small-sized tablets, a market Microsoft and its OEM partners have largely ignored...
Microsoft has enhanced its Yammer enterprise social networking suite's mobile applications, email integration and document collaboration.
Yahoo will start encrypting the webmail sessions of its users in early 2014 by making HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) standard for all Yahoo Mail connections.
Microsoft's next Windows Phone update opens the door for 1080p screens and more powerful processors from Qualcomm.
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But the US government got them all beat.
Tesla and its CEO Elon Musk had a magic touch when it came to marketing. Walking on water was just a low-level activity. Tesla was able to create enormous pent-up demand for its Model 3, long before it ever entered much delayed production, collecting $1,000-deposits from hundreds of thousands of enthusiasts without ever spending a dime on advertising the Model 3. That will go down as one of the most fabulous product launches ever.
A year ago, Musk was still seen walking on water after lunch, and his erratic behavior and pronouncements just brightened his halo. But now he’s wading knee-deep in mud, with the SEC breathing down his neck, as Tesla is laying off people in waves, closing all its stores to save cash, and shipping Model 3s to China and Europe because demand has dried up in the US.
Americans have taken note: Tesla’s reputation has plunged from a glorious 3rd place last year among the most visible US companies to a middling 42nd place, according to the Axios Harris Poll 100 that ranks the reputations of the most visible companies in the United States.
In the survey that polled a nationally representative sample of 18,228 Americans between January 2nd and 18th, Tesla plunged 39 places from the prior year – and landed just below Google, which has had its own series of issues, and right above General Electric which is trying to dismember itself in an existential struggle.
Only scandal-plagued Facebook plunged further than Tesla, down 43 places, a move that mirrored the plunge in its shares.
The poll rates a company on nine subcategories: Affinity, ethics, growth, products/service, citizenship, vision, culture, character, and trajectory. Where Tesla got dented the most was in the categories of culture (58th place), character (57th place), ethics (56th place), and citizenship (54th place). But in the category of products/service, it ranked 14th; and in trajectory, it ranked 22nd.
Tesla’s fate appears to be inextricably tied to Musk, and when Musk walks on water, Tesla soars. And when Musk sinks up to his crotch into mud, Tesla loses it.
Facebook’s reputation ranking was already a lot lower last year, below even where Tesla is now, and so it plunged a lot deeper than Tesla: It plunged to 94th place near the bottom of the list, into the ignominious territory of Wells Fargo and Goldman Sachs, both of which are embroiled in festering and costly scandals, and of Sears which is bankrupt.
Goldman Sachs ticked down 1 spot to 93rd place, but Wells Fargo managed to tick up 1 spot to 96th place. Sears fell 9 spots to 97th, raking dead last (#100) in four categories: growth, vision, culture, and trajectory.
There are only 3 spots left below Sears, at the bottom of the list. In 98th place is the Trump Organization whose dirty laundry keeps getting aired on a daily basis; cigarette maker Phillip Morris; and well, in last position, the US government, which ranked dead last (#100) in two categories, affinity and ethics, and next-to-dead-last (#99) in character and trajectory.
“The U.S. Government is the worst company in America, according to its customers (the citizens of America),” Axios says as the top of the five “Key Findings.”
“The Axios Harris Poll 100 is a measurement of what real people think right now about the companies in our cultural conversation,” Axios says (detailed methodology). And that sounds about right.
The FANGMAN companies that I track periodically on WOLF STREET showed mixed results:
- Facebook was the #1 plunger this year, down 43 spots, from #51 in 2018 to #94 in 2019.
- Amazon ticked down from #1 last year, a spot it had held for three years, to #2 this year.
- Netflix fell 3 spots, from #21 to #24.
- Google dropped 13 spots from #28 to #41, after employees were “walking out over Google’s Project Maven contract to partner with the Department of Defense on AI technology and the #Metoo challenges.”
- Microsoft ticked up 2 spots to #9.
- Apple, which had peaked at #2 in 2016 and then fell, landing on #29 in 2018, fell further in 2019, to #32
- Nvidia, the taillight of the FANGMAN didn’t make the list.
Interestingly, and perhaps not all that surprisingly, the 10 companies with the highest-rated reputations included a family-owned supermarket chain (Wegmans) an employee-owned supermarket chain (Publix), and two family-owned retailers (Patagonia and L.L. Bean):
- Patagonia, rose 6 spots
- L. Bean, up 11 spots
- Walt Disney
- Publix (employee-owned supermarket chain)
- Procter & Gamble
- Sony, up 21 spots.
Tesla’s plunge from grace with Americans, while not as drastic as that of Facebook, shows that the hype isn’t working anymore, at least not to the extent it did. For Americans, Musk no longer walks on water, and Tesla suddenly has to face all the problems other automakers have to face, plus some.
This is how its own online sales, now one-third of its total sales, eat its brick & mortar. But it’s a matter of survival. Read… The Biggest Retailers Are Too Scared to Disclose this Data. But Nordstrom Just Did
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As the pickleball craze continues, padel wants in on the action.
Already popular worldwide, padel is poised to take the States by storm.
Like pickleball, the racket sport of padel was invented in the 1960s. A mashup of tennis and squash, players use a special paddle and ball in a small, enclosed court to compete, usually in doubles format.
- As of late 2022, padel counted 25M global players in 90 countries.
- Europe has seen a 159% increase in padel courts built between 2016–2021.
- An estimated €1B will be invested in padel court construction across European between 2022–2025.
From its origin in Mexico, padel quickly took hold in Spain — where it currently boasts 5M players and 11.5K courts. As the sport catches on, Italy, Sweden, and Belgium are proving to be key growth markets.
Still untapped, the US is fertile ground for padel’s continued rise.
Join the Club
Padel Haus, NYC’s “first and only” padel club, just added $7.5M in new funding.
After debuting its 16K-square-foot Brooklyn club last summer, the company plans to open three additional locations across the Northeast in the next two years.
Vying to become North America’s leading padel provider, Padel Haus leans into athletics and wellness to create a lifestyle-focused social club complete with indoor courts, training programs, a juice bar, and more.
Speaking about padel’s potential, founder and CEO Santiago Gomez said, “The sport is entering a new chapter and gaining awareness across the country.”
Scaling up, the US padel market is expected to grow from 200 to 30K courts and over 8M players by 2030.
Making a Racket
Spurred by the pandemic, a global recreation boom put padel and pickleball on similar growth trajectories.
Now, from professional leagues to infrastructure, padel is ramping up too:
- Court supplier EE Padel launched EEP Capital to invest in padel-centric businesses, including Padel Haus.
- The Pro Padel League, North America’s first professional padel league, officially launched last summer.
- The New York Yankees investment arm acquired a minority stake in A1 Padel, an international tournament, with plans to grow in the US.
Play on. Not choosing sides, more developments—like Swing Racquet + Paddle’s $70M complex in Raleigh, Miami’s Ultra Club, and the LA Galaxy’s new public park—are including both pickleball and padel courts.
Buy in. Both pickleball and padel benefit from smaller playing surfaces than tennis, meaning clubs can pack more courts in less space. But, while pickle can be played on almost any hard-top surface with an inexpensive DIY setup, padel’s sport-specific court costs upward of $25K each.
Go big. Olympic hopefuls, both sports are vying for IOC approval by the 2032 Games in Brisbane. Having already gained recognized sport status, padel’s global reach gives it an advantage over pickleball in the quest for gold.
Early days. As padel finds its footing in the US, it’s not Olympics or bust. Bullish on the sport’s future, US Padel Association president Marcos Del Pilar believes success is inevitable:
“The growth of padel globally is a completely unstoppable phenomenon… In the United States, I think we are close to that ‘tipping point.’”
Looking ahead: In a battle for the same players, pickleball and padel are bound to clash. While pickleball will likely remain ahead in the states, the global focus on casual recreation and competition is a win for everyone.
🎙 On the Podcast
House of Athlete founder & CEO Brandon Marshall explains how his 13-year NFL career inspired a fresh take on high performance.
We also cover: the five pillars of HOA programming, prioritizing mental health, and building a category-defining brand.
Listen to today’s episode here
📉 lululemon “pivots away” from MIRROR
Market watch: The activewear brand recently reported its Q4 and full-year 2022 earnings, beating analyst expectations.
- Revenue increased 30% to $2.8B.
- Operating income climbed 30% to $1.8B.
- Fiscal ’23 revenue is projected to surpass $9.3B.
Looking closer. While strong sales stole the show, the company’s connected fitness bet might be a bust.
In its earnings release, lululemon noted a $442.7M post-tax impairment charge related to MIRROR as hardware sales continued to underperform.
Having written down its $500M acquisition, lululemon CFO Meghan Frank said the smart screen is on its way out:
“We are pivoting away from the hardware-centric business that we acquired to also focus on a more efficient app-based model.”
Going forward, Frank said MIRROR will be a “very small portion” of revenue and an equally small part of the company’s five-year plan.
But… lululemon CEO Calvin McDonald was quick to point out that the company isn’t eliminating MIRROR’s hardware. Instead, they’re taking a device-agnostic, app-based approach à la Nike.
Punchline: In pursuing a sweat-centric membership, lululemon had the right idea but the wrong execution — burning $500M to chase the pandemic-era connected fitness gold rush. Now, distancing itself from hardware, the company hopes hosting workouts from premium fitness brands and lulu ambassadors will fuel engagement.
😮💨 WHOOP launches stress tracking, breathwork protocols
Wearables are zeroing in on stress.
What’s new: WHOOP’s latest launch includes a stress-tracking feature and breathwork protocols developed with Stanford neurobiologist Dr. Andrew Huberman.
It’s personal. The company’s wrist-worn strap measures real-time heart rate variability (HRV) and resting heart rate metrics to deliver a personalized stress score.
If that number rises, users are instantly notified and referred to Huberman Labs-validated interventions to increase alertness and boost relaxation.
Stress test. With 76% of adults reporting stress-related symptoms, wearable brands are taking preventative measures.
- Happy Ring’s mood monitor prescribes journaling
- NOWATCH delivers a real-time “state of being” report
- Apollo Neuro uses sound waves to promote stress resilience
Soon, stress tracking could be the new step counting.
Be on the lookout. On the Fitt Insider Podcast, WHOOP CEO Will Ahmed teased a forthcoming feature for quantifying muscular strain. Bringing its 2021 acquisition of PUSH to life, strength training may be the next upgrade to drop.
Takeaway: Rolling out new features to keep an already loyal memberbase paying, WHOOP’s latest partnership is sure to resonate with high-performers seeking evidence-based strategies to excel.
📰 News & Notes
- Ritual enters Target. [Re-read: DTC Goes Retail]
- Liteboxer rebrands, levels up VR strength training.
- lululemon and Madhappy collab on “inspired” running gear.
- Digital health funding trends up in Q1, but challenges remain.
- Uber’s healthcare arm expands same-day prescription delivery.
- Exos explores readiness as the future metric of healthy workplaces.
- Startup Q&A: BreakAway Data’s Dave Anderson on direct-to-athlete data.
- Equipment maker Eleiko bulks up Life Time’s strength training experience.
- F45 hires GNC vet Tom Dowd for CEO, Mark Wahlberg as chief brand officer.
- Fitt Jobs: Discover your next big career move in the health & fitness industry.
💰 Money Moves
- Padel Haus, a padel social club concept based in Brooklyn, raised $7.5M in a Series A round and will expand in the Northeast.
- Canadian women’s hormonal health platform Eli Health raised C$5M ($3.7M) in a funding round.
- Stretching studio franchise Stretch Zone received an undisclosed investment from Princeton Equity Group.
- SoundMind, a music therapy platform, closed a $2.25M seed round.
More from Fitt Insider: Music as Medicine
- UK-based FitFlop, maker of walking-focused wellness footwear, raised $30M in new funding.
- Omius, makers of a smart cooling headband for endurance athletes, secured $986K in a seed round.
More from Fitt Insider: Functional Apparel Takes Hold
- Ingenio, a wellness marketplace company, acquired Simple Habit, a meditation app, for an undisclosed amount and will rebrand it to Sleep Reset.
- Wellth, a chronic disease management platform focused on behavioral lifestyle change, raised $20M in an oversubscribed Series B round.
- Sensate, makers of a therapeutic device for stress management, closed $3.2M in a seed round led by Incisive Ventures.
- Global investment firm EQT Life Sciences closed €260M for its fund dedicated to solutions for dementia.
- Employee health benefits platform Zorro landed $11.5M in a seed round co-led by Pitango and 10D.
- Babylon Micro-Farms, makers of vertical farm systems for consumers, secured $8M in a Series A round led by Venture South.
Today’s newsletter was brought to you by Anthony Vennare, Joe Vennare, and Ryan Deer.


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Dubbed ‘Google Storage for Developers,’ the new service will compete with Amazon’s S3 for app dollars.
As part of Google I/O today, the company unleashed its Google Cloud Storage product, which is squarely aimed at the same market as Amazon’s
S3 but has some significant advantages, including aggressive beta pricing (free) and integration with Google’s App Engine platform.
The pricing for Google Storage is as follows:
Upload data to Google
Download data from Google
$0.15/gigabyte for Americas and EMEA
$0.30/gigabyte for APAC
PUT, POST, LIST—$0.01 per 1,000 requests
GET, HEAD—$0.01 per 10,000 requests
Amazon’s S3 prices are here.


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The new Mitsubishi L200 first went on test trials in July of this year. The pickup truck, which is known in some markets under the name Triton, is still in the status of a prototype, but independent designers, taking spy shots as a basis, have already roughly imagined what the novelty will look like.
Render images of the new L200 Daily-found on one of the Australian club forums. Judging by them, the car will receive a significantly revised appearance.
The greatest changes can occur with the front part of the car body, which will get a new vertical radiator grille. Mitsubishi’s designers will adjust lighting equipment to the new corporate identity of the company – narrow strips of LED DRL will be located along the edge of the hood, and the main headlight unit will be located a level below.
For fog lamp blocks, the middle of the bumper will be allocated and enclosed in chrome-plated C-shaped inserts bordering the “grill”.
Taking into account all the changes, the visual component of the L200 in front should become more brutal compared to the current model.
The feed of the new Mitsubishi L200, in turn, will be able to boast of the presence of a new cargo compartment cover, as well as a redesigned bumper.
The new L200 should be the basis for the next generation of Nissan Navara, although the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance is stubbornly striving to reduce duplication.
Under the hood of both pickups, some gasoline and diesel units will be installed at once. In addition, a plug-in hybrid version will be offered for models.
The official debut of the new Mitsubishi L200 is scheduled for 2023.


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One of the more intriquing storylines of the year is the deal that was struck between Microsoft and the established world mobile player Nokia. Windows Phone is off to a good start, but the idea of Nokia’s partnership has many, including Gartner and IDC, predicting that Windows Phone will be a major player in the mobile space within a few years time.
Up until now, the deal was more or less in principle and had not been finalized. Today we’ve received news that the deal is final and Nokia Windows Phones are being produced and may land by the end of this year and mass distribution will definitely come in 2012. In a blog post on The Official Microsoft Blog, Kai Oistamo, Executive Vice President and Chief Development Officer, Nokia & Andy Lees, President, Mobile Communications Business for Microsoft both shared the details and their expectations for the partnership.


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Who are the most popular New Home Builders?
Updated: Jul 15, 2020
COVID-19 has had a catastrophic impact on most parts of the UK economy, yet discussions we have had with stakeholders in the housing construction sector suggest this market is very much 'on the up'.
For now, property prices have remained broadly stable and new reservations have been high. This demonstrates the significant pent up demand in the UK for home ownership, despite prices remaining out of reach for many first time buyers. The recent announcement of a stamp duty cut until 31st March 2021 should only strengthen demand further. As stamp duty is tiered, this will particularly represent a huge incentive to buyers of properties up to £500,000 in value.
Allied to demand for new homes, the announcement of £5,000 per household to kick start the decarbonisation of existing homes is also very welcome. This should reap a double benefit: securing work and jobs for the SME’s that are the lifeblood of the sector, while also providing funding to create the conditions needed to help lower the price of energy efficiency technologies and products in the mass market.
Eureka! Research has worked with brands in the construction sector for years and has seen at first hand the severe impact of Coronavirus on tradespeople. Our ongoing self-funded research has revealed the extent of the disruption on the plumbing, heating and bathroom sector in particular so it is positive to see some support for tradespeople being announced.
While it may not be clear at this point about the exact make-up of the home grants, there is some anticipation that this will include new boilers and heating systems, with the additional secondary benefit that homeowners undertaking government supported improvements may also go a step further and undertake other refurbishments in their homes.
So with the market buoyed by these announcements, what impact is this going to have on consumer sentiment towards new home builder brands? Which developers are people noticing the most and what do potential buyers think of them? Will consumers have a different relationship with their homes in a post COVID world?
We have been commissioned by one of the largest housing developers in the UK, Taylor Wimpey, to track attitudes to the new build market amongst those who have an active interest in moving home.
Some of the most recognisable new home builders to consumers currently include:
Our challenge is to measure the extent to which brand equity amongst these sorts of new home builder brands evolves over the Summer, in line with a major media campaign being launched. In a sector that is normally more obsessed with generating specific enquiries or local interest, this more holistic approach is a very interesting departure.
This housing and construction research project is being undertaken in conjunction with our long term partners Rock Kitchen Harris.
See here for more information about our work in the buildings and construction sector.


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Winds of Change
Safety and Security in the times of the Internet of Things
Shopping for analogue video cameras is a real challenge today. Virtually every camera on the market is digital, be it from traditional vendors or from newcomers who have never developed analogue in the first place. And while cameras have clearly led the trend towards digitization and standard based networking in the security industry, door controllers, fire panels, public address and intrusion detection systems were not slow to follow. Connected and centrally managed security solutions are just too promising, enabling higher security levels through event correlation as well as faster and more targeted incident response. Using existing IP networks instead of proprietary communications links adds the opportunity to lower both investments and operating expenses as does central management of the entire connected solution. Digitization has been the most dramatic change in the security industry in more than a century, but the journey has only just begun. Enter the Internet of Things (IoT).
While most security solutions consist of networked subsystems today, the majority still represents a closed solution with maybe a few external connections for remote monitoring, remote maintenance and alarming purposes. The IoT will dramatically change this situation, and it has already started to do so. With everything being connected to everything, new applications will arise and new risks will have to be addressed. Already today we see cloud security services being offered, which can be very efficient for small and even for larger enterprises. On the other hand we have recently seen how malware like Mirai and IoT Reaper can hold internet enabled cameras hostage and add them to a botnet designed to perform massive Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks against individual organizations or entire networks.
Just as it does in other industries, the Internet of Things (IoT) is rapidly transforming the way vendors of safety and security systems do business. While today most customers look at connectivity as an enabler of the IoT, Ethernet connectors and IP stacks are really just a prerequisite – IoT is much more than just connected systems or a central management system. As Dr. Aleksandar Mitrovic, Senior Vice President Engineering at Bosch Security Systems, puts it, IoT will in essence change the entire business model in the industry with vendors transforming from hardware suppliers to service providers. “While hardware quality and features are the main differentiators today, within a couple of years we will see software-based features and analytics becoming equally important”, says Dr. Mitrovic. “Software will enable new applications, and artificial intelligence will allow our customers to gain deep insight into their business processes and thus to improve them. We are at the beginning here, but services like remote monitoring are already on the verge of becoming mainstream, and there are first applications publicly available which go beyond security - such as Bosch’s in-Store Analytics solution for retailers.”
Three steps towards IoT
From today’s perspective, embracing IoT is actually a three step endeavor for traditional vendors of security solutions. The first step is adding connectivity to the products, and most vendors have gone a long way here. Connectivity, however, does not necessarily mean that each and every product needs to be equipped with an Ethernet or WiFi interface and a new software stack. While cameras benefit greatly from this kind of connectivity, other sensors such as fire and intrusion detectors can still do without, given they are suitably connected to IP enabled controllers, e.g. via LSN (Local Security Network).
While the first step to IoT – connectivity – is mainly an engineering task which is well understood, the second becomes a bit trickier. It is about identifying business opportunities, developing applications and bringing meaningful data from the security systems into the backend to enable and support those. A good example for this could be a remote maintenance application which is fed by real time data such as the pollution level of fire detectors and can thus predict a failure before it actually occurs. If a similar application has access to all health data of a security solution and is based on appropriate algorithms, it can calculate optimized maintenance windows and reduce the number of service calls and onsite assignments. A number of such, mostly cloud-based services is currently available from a variety of vendors, but there is still a long way to go to reveal the full potential of remote services.
In the third step, finally IoT opens up a completely new world for vendors of security systems. In addition to acting as a hardware vendor and based on real time and/or statistical data in the cloud backend, they can and probably will have to transform into service providers and develop a wide range of applications which can go way beyond security – with data analytics being the main enabler. Applications such as people tracking or crowd detection can still be used for safety and security purposes, but we start to see completely new business applications based on data analysis – mainly in the retail space today, but others will certainly follow.
Most vendors today sell a lot of their hardware without even knowing which end customer or which application their products are going to. Bosch’s Dr. Mitrovic predicts: “In an IoT world, we will not only know where our products have been installed. Our customers will also be able to rely on us when it comes to monitoring, managing and upgrading products across the entire lifecycle. They will also have the option to benefit from our cloud-based analytics capabilities as an enabler for advanced business applications.” The windfall profit of such a development will also be increased customer loyalty, given that privacy and data security issues are properly addressed by every vendor.
New opportunities come with new challenges
So there will be lots of new business opportunities, and this is obviously good news for the established vendors. But every coin has two sides, and their challenge will be to maintain a leadership position while new players enter the market. In the telecommunications sector, the advent of Voice over IP has shown dramatically how fast newcomers can get a strong foothold in times of rapid change, while some of the former market leaders simply disappeared – even those with multi-billion businesses. As major parts of the hardware will become standards-based and more of a commodity over the next years, agile new players will be able to quickly leverage intelligent technologies and offer advanced services without even caring about the underlying hardware. This is why it will be essential for the established vendors to realize that IoT is not just a new technology which you introduce a year sooner or later than your competitor. It is actually a complete paradigm shift that will entirely change the market.
While transforming from hardware vendors to service providers, two things will be essential for every player in the security industry: data and analytics. Data are obviously the foundation of next generation services, as can easily be seen when you look at Google, Facebook and the like. But without sophisticated analysis it will be hard, if not impossible, to leverage those data and offer customers a real benefit. This is the prime reason why Bosch includes video analytics capabilities as a built-in standard in the majority of its network camera portfolio today, as Dr. Mitrovic points out. “However, you cannot rely on the sensors alone to offer such capabilities”, says the Bosch expert, pointing at fire detectors or intrusion detection sensors. “Here you will have to implement analytics in the back-end, which will usually be cloud-based. And even with intelligent cameras, new applications will depend on correlated information from multiple devices, again requiring additional analytics in the cloud.”
Data analysis opens up a wide range of new applications and thus business opportunities for safety and security vendors. Again, video based applications such as movement analysis or crowd detection come into mind first, but think what you can do with real-life data from access control or fire detection. Predictive maintenance based on continuous health monitoring can save customers real money and avoid outages, but such data can also be used for applications way beyond security. Usage data from access control systems and temperature information from fire detectors can help to optimize HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning) operations and energy consumption, while video data may be perfectly suited to improve store or even airport layouts.
After introducing connectivity to our products we are now in the process of digitizing business processes around our products such as described above. The next step will be creating high value ecosystems across manufacturers. “For Bosch, IoT goes beyond connectivity only. Our breadth of technology expertise in numerous fields puts us in an unparalleled position to foster cross domain ecosystems and operate cross-application ecosystems,” Mitrovic said. “We are working, together with numerous industry partners, on an open, cross domain, cross manufacturer IoT ecosystem. Details on this platform will be covered in one of our next publications.”
Privacy and data security must be addressed
Collecting, storing and processing customer data will thus be one of the main pillars of safety and security vendors’ future business. This development will open up new opportunities, as we have seen, but it will also come with a new set of challenges. In the Internet of Things, privacy and data security are major concerns, and vendors who cannot guarantee that their customers’ data are safe may easily disappear. Specifically, the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation will set new and very strict standards here as of May 2018 with huge penalties of up to 20 million Euros or 4 % of global annual revenues arising on the horizon.
This means that all cloud based service offerings will have to be secured with best of breed technologies and that privacy and data security need to become design principles of any connected product. Hijacking of surveillance cameras, as it has happened in the recent past with consumer products, is simply not an option in serious security applications. “Our mission is to use our customers’ data to their benefit alone”, explains Bosch’s Dr. Mitrovic. “This is our ruling IoT principle, and it is a corporate policy binding all of Bosch's business areas – be it automotive, safety and security, home appliances or power tools. As we strive to anchor IoT in our DNA, privacy and security of customer data will always be our top priority.”


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Pevonia Natural Skincare has been named Spa Skincare Brand of the Year in the 2020 Destination Deluxe Awards. In addition to the win, the brand was also shortlisted in the Results Oriented Skincare Brand of the Year and Anti-Aging Skincare Brand of the Year categories.
The Destination Deluxe Awards honor the leaders and pioneers in wellness and travel, specifically celebrating the hotels, spas, treatments, and skin care and wellness brands that drive the industries.
“We are honored to receive this accolade in a highly competitive landscape. Thirty-years young, Pevonia’s foundational ethos is to offer the world the finest natural, clean skin care made sustainably and formulated for truly visible skin transformation,” says Maritza Rodriguez, global vice president of marketing and communications for Pevonia International.


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Presenting cash-strapped startups an alternative to undertaking money, enterprise financial debt or financial institution financial loans, earnings-based mostly funding startups are getting traction. When Berlin-based fintech re:cap raised $111.5 million in a seed funding round previous 12 months and Capchase lifted $80 Million in March, Madrid-centered RITMO is introducing sheen to the race.
After elevating €13.8 million funding in a seed round in July final calendar year, RITMO is back again with a bang. The fintech has now shut a $200 million financial debt funding round led by i80 Team and Avellinia Funds. According to the company, it is a single of the most significant funding rounds of any e-commerce finance enterprise in Europe and Latin The us. This delivers the platform’s whole funding elevated to $225 million in personal debt and equity funding in its very first yr of operations.
The funding will be made use of to assistance the company’s speedy advancement, making certain capital is readily available to fuel the funding of more than 2,000 e-commerce clientele over the subsequent 18 months in crucial European and LATAM nations around the world. It will also push RITMO’s global growth system and programs to launch in new marketplaces by means of agreements with key gamers in the payments and e-commerce sectors.
Started in 2021 by Raimundo Burguera, Iñaki Mediavilla, Iván Peña and Prageet Sharma, the fintech platform delivers doing the job cash financing and an automatic Acquire Now, Pay out Later on (BNPL) payment process for e-commerce companies to prevail over offer chain challenges, ensuring they can far better deal with dollars circulation and scale more quickly.
By way of this range of items, its technology is embedded in the day-to-working day functions of its consumers, giving to finance for advancement and enabling merchants to extend payment phrases with suppliers.
The Spanish startup has secured agreements with major players in the payments and e-commerce sector, with accessibility to extra than 150,000 merchants. In March 2022, it partnered with world-wide fintech and worldwide payments assistance supplier, WorldFirst, to launch a £100 million development bundle for quick-rising e-commerce corporations in the British isles and Europe.
Raimundo Burguera, CEO and co-founder, RITMO, claimed: “In a lot less than a year of operations, RITMO has closed 1 of the biggest funding rounds of any e-commerce funding company in continental Europe and LATAM, backed by the renowned i80 Group and Avellinia Money. With this new funding, we intention to aid thousands of e-commerce entrepreneurs scale up promptly and defeat the present-day source chain challenges by delivering them with the cash and instruments to efficiently manage their income flow cycles.”
Asher Hochberg, running director, i80 Team, extra: “There has been a proliferation of the e-commerce marketplace ecosystem in the past several yrs. RITMO is on a mission to provide an innovative credit rating funding remedy to e-commerce entrepreneurs opting for non-dilutive development cash as an alternative of promoting their company.”
Christoph Pfundstein, co-founder of Avellinia Money, concluded: “We are delighted to provide a adaptable multi-jurisdiction and multi-forex financing line to RITMO to guidance their further more development.”
As a reminder of the ongoing RBF race, our ongoing tabulations:
|Identify||Area||Turnaround time||Profits Selection||Pre-requisites|
|Karmen||France||< 48 hours||40% ARR||–|
|Vitt||London/Berlin||< 24 hours||100% ARR||ARR of £100,000|
|re:cap||Berlin||< 48 hours||50% ARR|
|Ritmo||Madrid||< 24 hours||up to €3 million|
|Requr||Amsterdam||< 24 hours||unspecified cap||MRR of €20,000|
|Viceversa||Milan||< 72 hours||€10,000 – €1 million|
|Wayflyer||Dublin||< 24 hours||$10,000 – $20 million||MRR of $20,000|
|Silvr||Paris||< 24 hours||€10,000 – €10 million||MRR of €10,000|
|ArK Kapital||Stockholm||< 336 hours||€1 million – €10 million||variable|


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SACRAMENTO—The Monroe family from Yuba City, hasn't shopped at the Roseville Galleria recently.
"Typically, we might shop at the Galleria, had the incident not happened there with the fire. But we're here and I'm actually glad we're here," Alicia Monroe said, while shopping at Arden Fair Mall with her family. "You got security and officers and stuff around here. So it's definitely a safe place to be."
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Recently, Arden Fair has been contacted by other malls, local, statewide and even across the country, for its code of rules.
"I've done presentations to some of the local agencies. And there's some in the future that I probably will be doing, so. We're all trying to share our best practices," said Arden Security Manager Steve Reed. "I'm not in the business to make money. I'm in this business to keep people safe."
Last year, Arden banned shoppers from wearing hoodies over their heads. They say robbers in the past, have worn them to conceal their faces.
"You feel safer when you can see the person's face looking at you," Arden shopper Ruby Nunez said.
The mall also outlawed sagging pants.
"It's been really successful. We've done it for a year now and we haven't had really any issues with it," Reed said.
"It's killing the fashion," 17-year-old Calvin Johnson said, while at Arden with his buddies.
Anderson Williams, 19 "But you guys are here, though. So you can't be too upset about it," Fox40 said.
"We still don't walk with them on. But what they say, regardless, they can't stop us from wearing our own sweaters that we just paid for," buddy Anderson Williams said.
"They said the same thing about sagging their pants, too. But I could see about that. It's kinda disrespectful. Anyways, I'm pulling up my right now," Johson joked, before they started laughing.
"One of the associates actually did walk up and asked someone to remove their hoodie from their sweatshirt. I found that kinda odd. But I guess with all the things that happen, you have to be safe," Monroe said.
Nunez would agree. She shops Arden with her granddaughter, Vanessa, and appreciates the million-dollar security surveillance camera system in place.
"We feel secure, leaving our cars out there and also what we have purchased," she said.


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Carl Sjogren not only runs the company, he maintains an active hand in solving the engineering and process challenges customers bring to Sjogren.
Let him know the specifics of your application, and what you are looking to accomplish: if he doesn’t already have your solution, he’ll find it!
Call the company at +1-508-987-3206 or send Carl an email.
Matt Padula joins wire and cable industry leader WORCESTER _ Sjogren Industries, a global manufacturer of wire and cable tools, has announced a new appointment to its engineering team. Matt Padula will join an engineering department that has over 25 years of...read more
With privacy and data protection in the news we wanted to reach out to our valued customers and talk about how Sjogren Industries handles your information. Over the last year, social media platforms, banks, and large corporation have come under fire for the way they...read more
Sjogren Industries would like to thank all of our friends, vendors, and customers who joined us at the International Wire and Cable Trade Fair in Dusseldorf, Germany. Industry trade fairs and conferences are a great way for Sjogren to interact with other industry...read more


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Google Nexus 6P: Official specs and images leak
Hardware specs for the upcoming Nexus phone have been leaked, and it seems Apple will have a tough battle on its hands this time.
Android Police has released what seem to be a couple of slides made for retail employees, with hardware specifications and images of the new phone.
The Huawei-made Nexus 6P, the larger of the two new devices, is expected to be unveiled on September 29 (today).
Hardware-wise, the Nexus 6P attacks the Apple iPhone 6s Plus, as the two are somewhat similar. The Nexus 6P comes with a 5.7-inch display, while the iPhone 6s Plus has a 5.5-inch one. However, the Nexus 6P comes at a much higher resolution: 2560 × 1440 pixels, while the iPhone 6s Plus has 1920×1080.
Nexus 6P also beats Apple in terms of battery, although that’s still a long shot. The Nexus 6P will come with a 3,450mAh battery, while the 6S Plus has a 2,915mAh one. However, Apple’s devices are known for good optimization and low energy consumption, so it’s still too early to say if the Nexus 6P will outperform the iPhone 6s Plus.
The Nexus 6P will have a fingerprint sensor located at the back, and will come in a metal unibody which could give the device a premium feel.
It will also be somewhat lighter -- weighing just 178 grams, it will be lighter than the iPhone 6s Plus, which weighs 192 grams. Still, we’re talking 14 grams here, and I’m pretty sure no one would notice the difference.
The Nexus 6P comes in four colours: aluminum (grey), graphite (black), frost (white), and gold which will only be available in Japan "for now".
Published under license from ITProPortal.com, a Net Communities Ltd Publication. All rights reserved.


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GIANT GROUP WRITES OFF STAKE IN PERISCOPE, FIRES PRESIDENT
NEW YORK — Periscope Sportswear, a moderately priced women’s and children’s apparel importer, has lost its top executive, and its parent has written off its investment in the company.
Giant Group, which bought Periscope in December 1998, said it wrote off its Periscope investment as a result of significant operating losses for 1999, and because more working capital would be needed to keep Periscope operating, according to Giant’s 10K.
Effective April 11, Giant terminated the employment of Glenn Sands as president and chief executive and appointed Ralph Stone, chief executive officer of Stone Investment Banking. Sands founded Periscope in 1977. The firm named Scott Pianin, formerly chief operating officer, president.
Stone Investment was hired to manage Periscope’s operations and negotiate with creditors, including Century Business Credit. As of March 31, the firm was in default of its factoring agreement, and Giant said there were no assurances that Century would continue to provide advances to Periscope and not demand payment on the loan.
Giant lost $46.3 million in 1999, including a $28 million write-off of its investment in Periscope. Sales at Periscope, which primarily makes private-label products, reached $76.6 million.
Kmart accounted for 30.7 percent of sales; Sears, 14.5 percent, and Fashion Bug, 10.7 percent. Other customers are Costco, Cato, Montgomery Ward, Wal-Mart and Shopko.
On a comparable basis, Periscope’s sales fell 4.3 percent due to declines of $7.3 million in women’s knit sportswear, $6.7 million in children’s apparel and $1.8 million in returns due to late deliveries. Sales of woven and imported apparel gained $12.5 million.
Sales were hampered by a reduction in available credit by its former factor, CIT Commercial, stifling its ability to buy raw materials. The loss reflects returns, markdown allowances and discounts.
Giant, based in Los Angeles, has minor equity investments in the Checkers Drive-In Restaurants and Rally’s hamburger chain.


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While consumer electronics, technology, mobile phones, auto and sports-wear categories dominate the top 20, FMCG has only one entry in the list.... ...http://www.rediff.com/money/report/brand-trust-samsung-is-no-1-followed-by-sony-lg/20180426.htm
The brand has survived by changing with the times.Viveat Susan Pinto reports. IMAGE: Horlicks is widening its appeal, targeting college-going... ...http://www.rediff.com/money/report/how-to-be-the-market-leader-for-80-years-and-counting/20180412.htm
India on track to be third largest consumer economy by 2025.Viveat Susan Pinto and Arnab Dutta report. Illustration: Uttam Ghosh/Rediff.com... ...http://www.rediff.com/money/report/young-india-can-make-us-a-4-trillion-economy/20180327.htm
Craffts.com is the first Indo Western...
India's No.1 multipurpose discount...
Uncease Group- With 10 years at the...


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World’s leading golf networking group swings into the George Washington Hotel to boost Wearside business
AN innovative networking group that connects businesses with each other while they’re out on the golf course has arrived on Wearside.
FORE Business – the world’s largest golf-networking organisation – with more than 100 groups around the UK, as well as in America, Spain and Ireland, has launched at the George Washington Hotel and Golf Club.
And having successfully launched, the group will meet monthly to bring businesses together and owners who have a shared love of the global game.
Andrew Biggs, FORE Business ambassador at the George Washington, said: “This is something that Tyneside and Teesside have had for some time and I’m thrilled to be involved in bringing it to the Sunderland area.”
The group, which has generated more than £40m worth of business since its launch six years ago. works on the simple premise that many business owners love a round of golf, so what better way to network than to combine business with pleasure?
FORE Business co-founder Arron Busst said: “We launched the company when we realised as keen golfers and networkers ourselves that there could be a way to combine the two.
“Business owners get to enjoy a round of golf with fellow business owners and as they get to know each other over a round of golf they can build up the trust and understanding needed to see fresh business opportunities.
“It has been a winning formula for us, helping owners generate millions of pounds in business and we are delighted to bring it to the Wearside now.”
Bill Michie, golf manager at the George Washington said: “It’s great that the George Washington has been selected by FORE Business for this region.
“It’s a real feather in our cap and we’re looking forward to supporting and helping business owners across the North East over the coming months and years who can work on their company contacts and their game at the same time!”
The next FORE Business day at the George is being held this Wednesday, June 19.
To book a complementary guess pass, ring Andrew on 07775 989 882, or for further information contact firstname.lastname@example.org about future events.Back


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HA NOI — All imported chemical substances sold in Viet Nam must be labelled in the Vietnamese language, the Ministry of Industry and Trade has announced.
The ministry's circular on classifying and labelling of chemical substances said that labels must include the chemical's name, identity code, potential hazards, ingredients, date of manufacture and expiry date. Information about manufacturers and importers must be affixed to the products.
Original labels are also compulsory in addition to the Vietnamese versions.
The new system, which will go into effect on March 30, is expected to effectively control imported chemical substances circulating within the country. — VNS


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Going green takes a lot more than just flooding the market with electric vehicles while gradually discontinuing cars running on fossil fuels. Yes, EVs have zero emissions, but the manufacturing process is still bad for the environment. To that end, BMW is tackling the sensible subject of building cars in a sustainable manner by planning to cut CO2 emissions by the end of the decade across the entire value chain by a whopping 40% compared to 2019 levels.
To make it happen, the BMW Group – including MINI and Rolls-Royce – has what it refers to as a 360-degree sustainability approach, including everything from resource extraction to production and recycling. Speaking of which, nearly 30% of all BMW Group cars are already being made using recycled and reused materials collectively known as secondary raw materials, with the next step being to hit 50%.
The BMW Group delivered more than 2.5 million vehicles last year, reaching an all-time high. It goes without saying a tremendous amount of electricity was needed to power the manufacturing process. The German automotive conglomerate has more than 400 contracts with suppliers to use 100% green electricity, from aluminum to battery cells and everything in between. From 2024, all cast aluminum wheels for the BMW and MINI brands will be made using solely green electricity.
Of course, going green also involves a great deal of EVs. At least half of all annual deliveries the BMW Group will make by 2030 will be purely electric. From the early next decade, MINI and Rolls-Royce will completely abandon combustion engines.
The ultimate goal? To achieve climate neutrality by 2050 as per the Paris Climate Agreement. The BMW Group is also the first German automaker to sign the “Science Based Targets initiative” (SBTi) “Business Ambition for 1.5°C,” which implies following a “scientifically validated and transparent path” to eliminating emissions.


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Online sellers in the U.S. are upbeat about the coming holiday selling season, and they plan to use that cheery outlook in their holiday marketing, according to an Alibaba.com survey.
Of more than 1,200 e-merchants surveyed, 64 percent said they plan on employing products that center around an optimistic theme, and 60 percent said they will focus on products that are bright and cheerful. Of the survey sample, 70 percent had made a big change in their product lines in order to better tap into market trends and customer needs.
"Despite our global economic woes, this spirit of entrepreneurship is not flagging in the U.S.—which is good news for consumers and the market as a whole," says Linda Kozlowski, director of global marketing and customer experience at Alibaba.com.
Online merchants have reason to be optimistic. E-commerce market research firm comScore reported online sales grew 13 percent in the third quarter, compared to the same period last year. As more consumers head online to do their shopping, e-tailers have reason to anticipate a profitable selling season.
The survey results also show that 45 percent of e-tailers plan to market by word of mouth, and 42 percent will market through social media. Of the 61 percent who market with a Facebook fan page, up to 75 percent don't use any additional features, such as Facebook ads. Other strategies to promote products include email marketing (34 percent), online advertisements (33 percent) and coupons (14 percent). Forty percent of survey respondents said they don't yet use social media for their business marketing.
Less than 50 percent of those surveyed will offer discounts such as free or expedited shipping, price reductions and limited-time deals.
Alibaba.com is a global provider of e-commerce solutions for small businesses. The holiday e-tail survey was conducted in conjunction with Alibaba.com's U.S. subsidiaries, Auctiva and Vendio.
Other Entries by this Author
Auctiva staff writers constantly monitor trends and best practices of those selling on eBay and elsewhere online. They attend relevant training seminars and trade shows and regularly discuss the market with PowerSellers and other market experts.


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Home Authors Posts by Abdullah Waseem
Bayonetta 3 will reportedly launch on October 28th, 2022, leaked by a Twitter user who has been precise on many previous occasions.
Diablo Immortal has possibly been banned in China after the official Weibo account makes fun of the Chinese President
Callisto Protocol will feature around 10 to 11 different monster types, but there will be no space combat revealed by the co-creator.
In a recent interview, the president of Dice Entertainment stated that there is no time for anything else except Battlefield.
Cryptocurrency Mining has finally crashed after 2 years resulting in the market getting flooded with used GPUs at lower prices than MSRP
The GeForce RTX 40 series will reportedly have higher MSRPs than the previous generation GeForce RTX 30 series graphics cards.
PCI Express Gen 7.0 Specifications have been revealed, and it will double the bandwidth from an already massive bandwidth of PCIe Gen 6
According to the new leaked details about GTA 6, we will see the return of older characters Michael and Nico Bellic from previous iterations
An interview with the director and producer of Gotham Knights revealed that the game's map will be bigger than the Arkham series.
The Last of Us Remake was rumored since the TLOU 2's patch for the PS5. Finally, we got the much-awaited announcement at the Summer...
Diablo Immortal has earned $24 Million in just two weeks from microtransactions despite its criticism for making them too expensive.
Graphics card prices are finally returning to normal as mining crashes, with Bitcoin and Ethereum hitting their lowest since 2021.


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When we first wrote about BarMax in January, there was a lot of interest in the iPhone app for one obvious reason: it cost $999.99. While it may not have been the first $1,000 app (the useless gimmick app, I Am Rich, can claim that title), it was the first to seemingly be worth the high price tag. Apparently, users have agreed. As the app meant to help law students pass the bar exam is already profitable and ready to roll out a version to cover another state: New York.
The first BarMax was specific to California because each state has different bar exams. This second version will cover New York’s version — effectively doubling the number of people who will find the app useful. Between those two states, they’ll have almost half of all bar exam test takers covered, company chairman (and the guy behind the original idea), Mike Ghaffary, tells us. To be clear, this latest version will be a separate app from the first one (called BarMax NY), but that’s just as much because of app size limits — these apps have so much information in them that they’re over 1 gigabyte in size.
As I said above, the California version has done very well. Ghaffary says that over 100 students have downloaded the app so far. That may seem like nothing, but remember, we’re talking $1,000 here. That means the app has rung up over $100,000 in sales — in case it’s not clear enough, that’s the same as a $0.99 app being sold 100,000 times. In fact, these 100+ sales have been enough to make the entire venture profitable, Ghaffary says.
And the students who have downloaded BarMax clearly like what they’re getting for their money: the app has a 4.5 star rating in the App Store (out of 5 stars). Why are they so happy with a $1,000 app? Because it’s anywhere from 1/3 to 1/4 of the price of its main competitor, BarBri, which has dominated the bar exam test prep space for decade. Clearly, they’re shaken up by BarMax’s entry into the field. And again, BarMax was just in California so far, with New York in the mix now, they’ll have a whole other reason to worry.
And BarMax isn’t stopping there. With the money they’re making, they’ll be extending to other states as well. Next in the pipeline are Illinois, Texas, and Florida, Ghaffary says. They’re also hard at work on an iPad-specific version of the app, built from the ground-up. This will take a while to build out, but Ghaffary expects huge things from it when it’s ready.
Ghaffary also notes that not only is Apple comfortable with the pricing of BarMax, “they love this thing.” The fact that they’ve featured it in the App Store in recent weeks seems to prove that. Last week, the $1,000 app was #6 in the What’s Hot area of the App Store, and it’s the #36 in top grossing apps, Ghaffary says. And that doesn’t count the thousands of users who are downloading the free ethics exam (a separate exam you have to take) version.
Some of you may have read about the incident of a kid accidentally buying the $1,000 app. Ghaffary says they were ready to step up with a refund, but Apple beat them to it.
BarMax NY was submitted late last week to the App Store for approval, look for it soon in the store. Meanwhile, you can find the CA version here — but don’t click to buy by accident.


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Not so long ago, the market and broader economy were in a freefall. Eventually, the Dow Jones would hit a market low of 6,443.27 — 54 percent off its 2007 high, according to MarketWatch. Today, eight years removed from the beginning of the financial crisis and with the Dow now above 18,000, macroeconomic indicators are pointing toward improvement. However markets are still plagued by a veritable storm of potential risk.
Just over the course of the last few weeks, experts have wondered openly whether Brexit is today’s version of the Lehman Brothers collapse, while economic gauges in the U.S. have hinted at underlying vulnerabilities and an unprecedented presidential race has shattered long-held assumptions. At such a time, there are a handful of key lessons and beliefs that I have adopted during my time in the insurance industry that give me confidence and which other business leaders may find value in.
The 2008 crisis spurred industry changes that are being felt to this day. A number of firms consolidated as international concerns purchased U.S. companies while other competitors restructured, honed their offerings and, in some cases, even abandoned certain insurance business lines. Even as the business evolves, risks expand and the technology changes on an almost daily basis, a few core beliefs remain as important as ever to help our industry navigate through uncertain times.
This must always be a successful company’s North Star. This is especially true in our industry where we help provide stability to our policyholders during a period of uncertainty. A purposeful, long-term focus on financial stability can help our industry perform strongly through short-term squalls in the economy.
There’s no doubt that technology and cultural dynamics have changed the way we make purchases, our buying motivations, and our delivery expectations. This is true if you’re a baby boomer or a millennial. As an example, today’s customers are used to seeing fast and easy approvals in virtually every other purchase they make. Non-fluid underwriting and e-Apps are industry innovations that have helped us meet customer expectations. The key to long-term growth, even through challenging times is to increase our knowledge of our customers’ changing needs and adjust.
Dedicated customer service
Whether in terms of support teams, technology or guidance, we need to support our distribution partners and our policy holders at every contact point. This also means having an engaged home office team, including senior leaders who are dedicated to customer satisfaction and delivering upon our commitments.


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Your local Apple Store may always look crowded with eager customers, but it seems that too many of those customers are leaving empty handed these days. In the past three months Apple has seen a steady decline in sales for products across the board. The end of this quarter marks the second quarter in a row of declining sales and revenue is down 15% compared to sales at this time last year. The sales weren’t the only drop in numbers. Apple’s stock dropped 8.3% after quarter results were released which only adds to the 20% decline in shares over the last 12 months.
So what could be causing one of the biggest tech giants in the world to take such a hit? According to the New York Times, there could be several factors.
The first is an over-saturated market. Nearly half of the smartphones sold in the United States are iPhones. It’s hard to consistently sell a product when the majority of your consumer base already owns it. Toni Sacconaghi, an analyst at the Bernstein brokerage firm, was quoted in the Times saying, “[Apple] grew at astronomical rates, and it’s now so big that its ability to grow at those rates doesn’t exist anymore.”
The second issue is China. What was once Apple’s second-most important region saw revenue fall 26% in the last year. Apple blamed the results on declining sales in Hong-Kong where the local currency compared to the US dollar made products more expensive. With most Apple products being north of $600 anyways, it’s understandable that people might be holding back.
Lastly, there’s the company’s recent dry spell. Apple hasn’t released a new smart phone since the release of the iPhone 6S in September 2015. Their most recent gadget upgrade is their iPad Pro which boasts a bigger screen and more advanced features designed to make it a replacement for a laptop. While the new iPad seems to be hit, there hasn’t been any real jaw-dropping product releases as of late. However, the rumored Fall 2016 release of the iPhone 7 could change that. There has been a lot of speculation around what new features the iPhone 7 will come with. A more advanced camera and the removal of the head phone jack seem to be among the most significant upgrades. I’m sure that when people hear the new iPhone will allow them to take a selfie in low-light, Apple products will start flying of the shelves yet again.


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Despite the stock market taking a hit in recent months from growing recession fears, some experts still remain cautiously optimistic about the economy’s prospects, predicting that a downturn can be avoided if inflation continues to moderate and consumer spending remains resilient.
Investors have been facing recession warnings ever since the US economy contracted by 1.4% in the first quarter of 2022 but the economic outlook isn’t as dire as it seems.
In fact, a majority of forecasters expect GDP growth of roughly between 2% and 3% in the current quarter, a solid rebound from the previous quarter.
Many experts are warning that the economy is heading for a hard landing as the Fed tries to combat inflation, but the economy is simply slowing rather than shrinking—and will therefore avoid a recession, argues LPL Financial chief economist Jeffrey Roach, who forecasts full- year GDP growth of 2.6%.
Beyond the “anomaly” in first-quarter GDP, the economy has “sufficient momentum” to offset inflationary pressures thanks to the stable US consumer, with inflation likely to continue to moderate during the second half of the year, he says.
“The market bottoming process is often messy and volatile” and negative sentiment is “being overblown,” says Nationwide chief of investment research Mark Hackett, who argues that most economic data still reflects an “encouraging backdrop,” with corporate earnings, consumer spending and fund flows remaining resilient.
The ideal scenario for markets would be a soft landing—where the Fed is able to tame inflation without hurting economic growth—similar to 1994, when the central bank raised rates seven times in 13 months but avoided a recession, Sam Stovall, chief investment strategist for CFRA Research, told forbes last week.


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Is This A Royal Gift Or A 'Stolen' Gem? Demands That The United Kingdom Return The 500-carat Great Star Of Africa Diamond
After Queen Elizabeth II died, there are more and more calls in South Africa for the British royal family to give back the world's largest clear-cut diamond. Is this a royal gift or a 'stolen' gem? Demands that the United Kingdom return the 500-carat Great Star of Africa diamond. The diamond is also called the "Great Star of Africa" or "Cullinan I." It was cut from a larger stone that was found in South Africa in 1905 and given to the British royal family by the country's colonial rulers.
Mariah Carey discusses her new Chopard collaboration as well as butterfly's 25th anniversary. MC tweeted on Friday morning (Sept. 16) about her sixth studio album's 25th anniversary, which was released on this day in 1997: "I poured myself into every lyric and every note on every song. 25 years later, it's still one of the proudest moments of my life & career."
Following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, the discussion regarding the fate of the legendary 105.6-carat Koh-i-Noor diamond has been revived. Following the confirmed news about Queen Camilla to wear the Koh-i-Noor crown. It is stated that Queen Camilla, the incoming King Charles III's wife, would wear the Type IIa D-color stone that serves as the centerpiece of her crown during her husband's coronation. This diamond is considered to be the most precious diamond in the world.
On Monday, September 19, mourners will gather to pay their respects to Queen Elizabeth II. On Thursday, September 8, 2018, Her Majesty passed away at the age of 96. After the funeral service at Westminster Abbey in London, the Queen's coffin will be carried to Windsor, where she will be laid to rest next to her parents and her late husband, Prince Philip. The funeral service will take place at Westminster Abbey. The queen could be buried with just two pieces of jewelry, but it's possible that she'll only be buried with a select few people.
Hello everyone! Today's generation is obsessed with jewelry, and nearly 30% of the population is currently purchasing it. Without a doubt, they are having fun, unless their jewelry has become tarnished. What would you do if you were in the same situation? You must first learn the process of cleaning jewelry at home.
Like the Earth's natural resources, there are only so many diamonds. Diamonds are becoming rarer and rarer because the volcanoes that brought them to the surface stopped erupting tens of millions of years ago. On other planets, however, precious gemstones might be as common as regular rocks. Scientists have thought for a long time that an unusual kind of rain called "diamond rain" falls deep inside ice planets like Neptune and Uranus. Yes, you understood it right. There are diamond-raining planets, according to scientists.
Tiffany and Beyoncé collaborated on a new advertising campaign, and it was published early on Friday afternoon when almost everyone in the United States had already left work and gone on vacation to start enjoying the unofficial end of summer Labor Day weekend. What makes Tiffany X Beyoncé 2.0 unique in this advertising campaign?
It's an old way to trick people into buying fakes and fake stones that look like real ones. It usually happens near mines, where inexperienced buyers think the gems come straight from the source and where buyers probably can't test the gems before buying them. However, there are a unique collection of blue "rough" gemstones that you should consider buying.
In July, India's exports of cut and polished diamonds experienced a decline for the very first time this financial year. This decline was a direct result of the lockdown in China as well as Beijing's strategy of implementing zero-Covid. And China's zero-covid policy has a negative impact on India's diamond exports.
Mumbai, India - The government group that helps the diamond and jewelry trade in India, the GJEPC of India elects a new chairman (Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council). Colin Shah's two-year term as chairman is over, so Vipul Shah, who was vice chairman for the 2020-2022 term, will take over as chairman.
Botswana's capital city, Gaborone - The figures that were released by the company on Wednesday show that sales of rough diamonds maintain balance by De Beers Group and increased month-over-month in August and continue to pace of the same period last year ahead. The seventh sales cycle of 2022 for rough diamonds (which ran from August 15-30) brought in a total of $630 million for De Beers, which is a 21 percent increase from the $522 million that was brought in during the same time period in the previous year.
LONDON: The auction house Sotheby's said on Wednesday that one of the purest pink diamonds in the world may fetch more than $21 million at auction in London when it goes under the hammer in Hong Kong in October.
New York - Both Virtual Diamond Boutique and lab-grown VDB source add 8X, which was recently introduced by the Gem Certification and Assurance Lab. The 8X Ultimate Diamond Cut Grade was first introduced by GCAL in April 2021. This grade takes into account eight different criteria.
Austin, TX - The next generation of people who will buy lab-grown diamonds has been founded by The MVEye, which used to be called MVI Marketing. "The MVEye's Core 3.5 LGD Consumer Segments," which is based on recent research, lists the main groups that it says are behind the "explosive global growth" of the lab-grown diamond sector. These are the main types of groups that buy lab-grown diamonds that were found through the research and the ways that the market research firm suggested communicating with each of them.
Mumbai - In celebration of India's 75 years of independence, diamond supplier Shree Ramkrishna Exports (SRK) has begun a charitable initiative. On Monday, August 15, the philanthropic arm of SRE, which is called the SRK, a diamond supplier, will install 750 solar-powered roofs of 750 homes located throughout India. Commandant Chetan Kumar Cheetah of the Central Reserve Police Force was present at the celebration that was held to commemorate the charitable endeavor.
Washington, D.C - Extraordinary American diamonds on display in a new Smithsonian exhibit mined in the United States have recently opened at the National Museum of Natural History in the Smithsonian Institution. The exhibition "Great American Diamonds" opened on Friday, June 10, and features four of the most notable stones that have been discovered in the United States. This includes the "Freedom Diamond," which at the time of its discovery in the United States was the largest faceted diamond ever found there.
Like coal, oil, and natural gas, diamonds are a resource that can't be made again. Since they were formed over billions of years by intense heat and pressure, they are not easy to make or replace. Gemological Institute of America research scientist Evan Smith says: “For every diamond you take out of the ground, there’s one fewer to be found." Still, the state of the diamond industry hasn't reached a point where the Earth has no more diamonds to give.
Trumbull, Connecticut Bill Heher of rare earth mining co. died at the age of 72. He was the founder of Rare Earth Mining Company and a big fan of gems. Even though he started out as a teacher, Heher eventually went into the gem and fossil business. Through his company, he now sells interesting and unique pieces to people all over the world.