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Macron tells China to open markets or risk protectionist backlash
Date created : Latest update :
French President Emmanuel Macron focused on trade imbalances on the second day of his state visit to China, offering to open up France to Chinese investment in exchange for greater access to Chinese markets for French companies.
Speaking to members of the French and Chinese business community at a start-up incubator, called Soho3Q, in Beijing, Macron warned that existing bilateral trade imbalances would lead to protectionism.
"We have an access to markets which is unbalanced, unsatisfying," said Macron.
"If we don't deal with this responsibly, the first, natural, reaction will be to close up on both sides."
Macron was in China on his first state visit aimed at boosting trade relations as well as Sino-French cooperation on the global fight against climate change and terrorism, particularly in Africa.
Trade relations have dominated the agenda during his visit, amid concerns over China’s trade surpluses. France has a €30 billion trade deficit with China. Macron’s delegation includes around 60 business executives, including the heads of Airbus, Areva and luxury French brands such as LVMH.
Reporting from the hi-tech incubator in Beijing Tuesday, FRANCE 24’s James Andre said Macron chose the setting to call for a level trade playing field. “He pointed to the fact that there are much more French investments in China than there are Chinese investments in France, and that he would like that to change,” said Andre. “Basically, he’s saying: right, the classic reaction would have been to close the market in response to China’s position as far as opening its own markets. Well, what we want to do is the opposite: we want to open both markets to each other so that everyone can gain,” explained Andre.
Macron, who met with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday evening, said the two countries would fall into a lose-lose situation if continued restrictions on foreign firms in China prompted France and Europe to put a brake on Chinese investment in Europe.
"Let's open up both instead," Macron said.
Commercial and nuclear deals on the cards
Macron launched his charm offensive in China Monday amid growing international concerns over Chinese expansionism.
Macron is hoping to seal deals, notably in the nuclear, aerospace and agrifood sectors. "We're confident we'll achieve more than symbolic stuff," a French official said, on condition of anonymity.
One success is that the Pompidou Centre in Paris, which houses the world's second biggest collection of modern art, has sealed a deal to open a franchise gallery in Shanghai, Macron announced on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, French nuclear group Areva is close to signing a commercial deal to build a nuclear reprocessing plant, the official added. "We've never been that close to signing a commercial deal," the official said.
French banking giant BNP Paribas is also expected to set up a joint venture with a Chinese partner in the consumer credit sector, the same official said.
At the incubator, French engineering firm Fives signed a deal with Chinese online retail giant JD.com, which will set up a logistics centre in France to source French food and luxury products for sale online in China.
JD.com agreed to sell 2 billion euros worth of French products - such as Remy Martin cognac or Evian water - on its website over the next two years.
(FRANCE 24 with REUTERS and AFP)


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Price, release date, specs and news info for Sony's PlayStation PS5 video game console
As anticipation hots up for the launch of Sony's PS5 next-gen console later in 2020, we're gathering together all the best PlayStation 5 information that we know already, which is actually a lot, as well as all the freshest leaks, rumors, news and gossip. Here at T3 we can't wait to get our hands on the PS5 and as each new announcement reveals more about the system our excitement increases.
And, from everything we've heard so far, the PlayStation 5 is going to absolutely blow gamers away with its top-level specs and eye-catching design, though nothing is certain until Sony makes the console official. Right now, at the start of 2020, that looks like it could take place within a matter of weeks, so we really are approaching crunch time.
As well as an official PS5 release date window, we've also got an absolute ton of official details already in the bag, as revealed by PS5 lead system architect Mark Cerny in April last year, and you can consider our appetite well and truly whetted for what the PlayStation 5 is going to bring with it.
For the absolute latest on the PlayStation 5 release date, price, specs, design, features or anything else about the super-powerful video gaming machine, then you've come to the right place. We've even got a fantastically detailed guide to some of the PS5 games gamers can look forward to playing on the new console, too.
SONY PS5 OFFICIAL INFORMATION
In April 2019, tech site Wired published an exclusive interview and briefing with PS5 lead system architect Mark Cerny that contained official announcements about the PlayStation 5. These included:
1.) Cerny confirmed that Sony's "next-gen console" will not launch in 2019 (we now know 2020 is the release window). He did not refer to the console as the PS5 or PlayStation 5, although Sony's traditional console naming system would indicate that is what it will be called.
2.) Cerny confirmed that the PS5's CPU is based on the third generation of AMD's Ryzen line of processors and features eight cores of the firm's new 7nm Zen 2 microarchitecture.
3.) The PlayStation 5's GPU has been confirmed by Cerny as a custom variant of Radeon's Navi family and will support ray tracing (a next-gen lighting technique that models the travel of light in complex game worlds).
4.) Cerny also confirmed the AMD chip in the PS5 has a custom 3D audio unit that will deliver far more immersive in-game sound.
5.) The PlayStation VR headset will be compatible with the PS5 and, although Cerny would not comment on whether a new PSVR headset was incoming, he did say that "VR is very important to us".
6.) Cerny confirmed the PlayStation 5 would come installed with an SSD out of the box, and then demoed a PS5 dev kit loading the game Spider-Man, which was shown to load eighteen times faster than on PS4.
7.) Cerny confirmed that thanks to the new SSD, the PS5 would be able to render 2D worlds much faster than PS4, too, meaning that gamers will get larger game worlds and be able to move through them faster while fidelity is maintained.
8.) Cerny confirmed that the PlayStation 5 will support 8K graphics, although in what capacity and if that will be native 8K remains to be seen.
9.) Since Cerny's announcements, Sony has confirmed exactly what the PlayStation 5 logo will be.
10.) Sony has confirmed that the PS5 will not be shown off at E3 2020, stating that:
"After thorough evaluation SIE has decided not to participate in E3 2020. We will build upon our global events strategy in 2020 by participating in hundreds of consumer events across the globe. Our focus is on making sure fans feel part of the PlayStation family and have access to play their favorite content. We have a fantastic line up of titles coming to PlayStation 4, and with the upcoming launch of PlayStation 5, we are truly looking forward to a year of celebration with our fans."
SONY PS5 RELEASE DATE
Having previously said that there will be no PS5 before May 2020, Sony has now confirmed that the PlayStation 5 is going to arrive in November or December 2020 just in time for the holiday shopping season.
That makes sense, really: the PlayStation 3 came out in 2006, and was followed by the PlayStation 4 in 2013, and rumours have been circulating for months that the PlayStation 5 would launch around 2020. Respected Sony analyst Hideki Yasuda has previously pegged the launch date of the PS5 as November 2020.
In terms of when we will actually get to see the console, well, that has been called by many respected commentators, and even by famous God of War developer David Jaffe, as taking place in February 2020 at a PlayStation event in New York City.
Taking to Twitter, Jaffe stated that "PS5 reveal is less than 4 weeks away. Sony knows hard core gamers are hanging on every scrap of info and know that just cause MSFT dominates the conversation at the moment, that's an easy thing to change when they are ready to reveal (assuming the reveal is good)."
SONY PS5 PRICE
When the PS5 does finally break cover, how much is it going to set you back? Is it going to be worth the investment?
Well, the most recent prediction on the PS5 price is that it will cost $499 in the U.S. and £449 in the UK. And that figure tallies up with respected analyst predictions of a $499 price point from last year. It's still just a rumour, though, but it's one we've heard from several sources.
Is that price going to be accurate, though, and will it be a success for Sony? First, consider the cost of PlayStations past the PlayStation 4 originally debuted for £349.99/$399.99 and when it was reinvented as the PS4 Slim it began selling for £259.99/$299.99 and up.
The more powerful PlayStation 4 Pro, on the other hand, launched with a price of £349.99/$399.99, matching the original PS4 on that score though you can now get all kinds of bundle offers and discounts on various flavours of the PS4 console.
All three of those PS4 consoles have enjoyed strong sales to date.
Go back a bit further, though, and gamers will no-doubt remember that the Sony PS3 originally went on sale in the U.S. at a whopping $600, and at an equally steep £425 in the UK, which at the time was even more expensive than it sounds today.
And, to be very clear, that console did not sell well out of the gate, not at all.
As such, the big question is whether Sony can hit the £449.99/$499.99 price point or lower with the PlayStation 5? We'd say it's more likely that the final PS5 price will be £449.99, rising to £499.99 with a game included, though Sony will of course want to keep the hardware as affordable as it can for gamers and protect that huge install base lead it currently has.
Speaking of affordability, there is a rumour that the PS5 might well be followed by an all-digital, download and streaming focused console (like the next Xbox Series is expected to). Microsoft launched its all-digital, disc-less Xbox One S don't forget, and an all-digital PS5 model might follow suit.
SONY PS5 DESIGN
The most recent depiction of the PS5 console we've seen comes via Twitter user @xTHAFINESTx, who posted up a brace of renders of a PlayStation 5 in both black and white colourways. Despite only offering one angle to view the system, this depiction is one of the most understated and impressive we've seen to date.
Just before Twitter user @xTHAFINESTx posted up that PS5 concept render, gamer Dan Kuhl showed off a system he had built in the PS4 creation game Dreams based off what has been widely reported as the PlayStation 5 devkit.
The devkit first emerged in a Sony patent last year, and since then has been used as the basis for many concept renders and console designs. The most famous devkit render comes courtesy of LetsGoDigital. It's kind of shaped like a Roman numeral V for 5, so make of that what you will.
Unfortunately we don't have insider access to Sony's design or engineering departments, but computing components continue to get faster, thinner, and smaller, so we'd be very surprised if the finished PS5 design was anywhere near that large and chunky.
Devkits famously look nothing like the finished system in most console cases, so even if that devkit is genuine, the PlayStation 5 will almost certainly not look like it.
It goes without saying that overall the PS5 should be smaller and sleeker, but even with increases in broadband speeds and the rise of streaming, we don't expect the PS5 to go all-in on the cloud and shrink down to a tiny Blu-ray box set size even with Google Stadia now on the scene.
Microsoft has now shown the world exactly what the Xbox Series X will look like, which is taking on a more novel tower design, so now the ball is very much back into Sony's court. If we were to hazard a guess, though, then we think the Japanese maker will play it much safer, as it is coming from a position of market dominance and will want to make the transition for PS4 gamers as easy and as familiar as possible.
SONY PS5 SPECS
No surprises here: the PS5 is going to be fast. Very fast. It's going to offer "dramatically increased graphics rendering speeds" according to an official Sony presentation. We know it's going to include ray tracing capabilities and support for resolutions up to 8K as well.
That ray tracing feature has been confirmed by Sony itself. There has been talk that Sony is going to launch two versions of the PS5 at the same time, although it's not clear how they might differ in terms of specs.
As the launch date draws closer, we're hearing more and more official news about the specs inside the PlayStation to go alongside the rumors including patents to banish loading screens. We've also had it confirmed that a special power-saving mode is going to be built into the unit.
The PS5's CPU is based on the third generation of AMD's Ryzen line of processors and features eight cores of the firm's new 7nm Zen 2 microarchitecture, while the PlayStation 5 GPU is a custom variant of Radeon's Navi family and will support ray tracing.
This official confirmation makes sense as it was long-rumored that next-generation AMD graphics tech was believed to be headed for the PS5, and that it had been in production for a while. Those rumors stated the system would use 7-nanometre chips and Navi, too.
Rumors also stated that Sony's principal programmers were already hard at work on adapting AMD's Ryzen technology, pointing to a major performance boost for the internal guts of the PS5. Based on leaked benchmarks, it looks as though the PS5 could offer four times the performance of the PS4.
If you want to know exactly how much faster the PS5 will be versus the PS4, this leaked video should give you some idea (it's said to be up to 18x faster than its predecessor in some areas). If that doesn't get you excited about what the PlayStation 5 might come packing, then nothing will.
Some proper flesh has just been added to those core PS5 component reveals, with a backed-up-with-numbers list of specifications apparently coming courtesy of an insider who infiltrated an official Sony meeting.
At the meeting the insider reportedly became privy to a spec sheet and, via a friend, the information was then leaked online. According to the spy's dossier of info the PS5 will come with a:
"8 core Zen 2, clocked at 3.2Ghz.
Custom Navi GPU, 56CU, 1.8Ghz, 12.9TF. RT is hardware based, co engineered by AMD and Sony. (They believe the RT hardware is the basis for the rumor that Navi was built for Sony)
24GB RAM (Type or bandwidth wasn't mentioned)
Custom embedded Solid State solution paired with HDD."

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Telecommunications giant, Optus, has announced that it will acquire Australian restaurant and review website, Eatability, for $6 million.
Eatability was launched in 2003 by Celeste and Hui Ong. It currently hosts more than 235,000 restaurant reviews and 37,000 listings.
The acquisition is part of Optus’ strategy to provide more localised digital content and services for the Australian market.
It will serve as a foundation for future transaction-based business and mobile services in the lifestyle category, according to the telco.
The agreement, which is subject to approval from the Foreign Investment Review Board, will see Eatability become a wholly owned subsidiary of Optus.
“By acquiring Eatability, we have secured a critical building block to deliver a highly engaging and distinctive local digital application,” Group Digital L!fe Local L!fe head, Loo Cheng Chuan, said.
Chuan revealed that Optus plans to expand Eatability by extending it to smartphones, and making it personalised and contextually relevant.
This announcement follows SingTel Group’s recent acquisition of Singaporean food portal, HungryGoWhere.


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Will Google release a standalone VR headset? That’s what most people have been asking since the tech giant released the Daydream View. The latter works only with a compatible Android smartphone. What Google is expected to launch soon is a wearable device that won’t need a phone inside but something more like an Oculus Rift or HTC Vive but hopefully, without the high price tag.
We can dream but for now, it’s just Daydream View. We know the company has plans for such and that it has started gathering people to work on the product. There’s no official announcement yet but we learned that the future VR device will utilize algorithms, sensors, and eye tracking together to map out the real-word. The technology aims to “view” what is actually in front of the user, integrating augmented reality and virtual reality. Yes, the two are different but they can very well be incorporated together especially in a VR headset.
A report by Engadget noted that Movidius will be supplying the chips. Intel is now in the process of acquiring the AI company so we can say this early the next VR device will be powered by Intel. It may not run the Daydream VR platform as the headset will be a totally different and standalone product.
There’s also the idea that it could be wireless. You see, there’s a mysterious device sighted on the FCC. It was recently approved but there’s not much mention of the specs or features. The only indication that it’s a Google product is the Mike Jazayeri name as the contact person. In case you didn’t know Jazayeri, he is Google VR’s Director of Product Management.
We know Google isn’t the only company thinking of releasing a new VR device. Actually, there are other virtual reality headsets already available in the market but they haven’t made it commercially yet. But when Google finally announces and releases a standalone headset whether expensive or affordable, we know the world will take notice. This time, it will incorporate augmented reality–or not.


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Europe wants to create a certified quality label for its tourism activities. Europe is already the world’s leading destination for tourists, attracted most notably by Spain, Italy and France. It wants to boost this further, especially to encourage visitors from countries whose economies are developing well.
The European Parliament has passed a motion asking the European Commission to draw up detailed proposals for the initiative. The MEP responsible for guiding this through the various institutional steps is Carlo Fidanza, with the Committee on Transport and Tourism.
Fidanza said: “We must above all support small and medium-sized businesses, SMEs, so that they can present quality offers on the Internet. With the European Commission we are looking at setting up a web platform for SMEs to improve their visibility on the Net.”
One of the highlights of this is a European harmonisation of the hotel star classification system, because today a four-star rating in one EU country can be the equivalent of a two-star rating in another EU state. The parliament also wants European investment dedicated to training people in the tourism professions, for instance in management.
Fidanza said: “We see all the indicators telling us that, in this period of crisis, tourism is one of the sectors that responds best in the face of global difficulties. Tourism is not a resource that can be relocated elsewhere, and this makes it able to stand up to fluctuations in international markets.”
Tourism represents ten percent of the EU’s income, provides twelve percent of all the jobs in the bloc and is its third-strongest socio-economic activity.


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The company announced Vivo two days ago for its brand new sub-iQOO specialized without in the smart phone sector. While we still wonder about the purpose behind the creation of this brand new sub, the company decided to the Chinese not to waste time and actually send her smart phone the first to the partners. According to the images published today on the social network of Chinese Weibo is expected to show first sub-brand iQOO will be a smart phone foldable.
Photos that have been posted on the social network, the Chinese are very clear and do not need to explain, it shows us a smart phone with a folding screen in the middle axis vertical. Unlike some of the designs used by some other companies in the smart phones, this new phone from the brand iQOO will be a foldable with keep the screen on the outside.
There is no other information available, but according to the person who was behind the leaking of these images, it is possible to up the price of this phone to more than 7,000 Chinese yuan which is more than 1000 USD. These images which we have now know us the phone without buttons or areas, thus we doubt if this phone will adopt the concept of Vivo APEX 2019 or whether these images simply don’t know will the final version of the product with all its details.


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PRINCETON — The snowy weather and frigid temperatures haven’t seemed to budge this winter, which has left many local business owners facing just as bitter hardships with fewer customers and forced closures due to weather conditions.
Jyl Morse, co-owner of Hoffman’s Patterns of the Past in downtown Princeton, said looking out and seeing no cars out on the street has been rough.
“Thank goodness for the few customers we have had and our online sales,” she said. “We’ve still been able to ship out quite a bit.”
The positive factor, however, is the slow business has allowed her employees to transition the store’s winter decor into spring.
“We have the heat turned up in here. Come and use it,” Morse said. “You can come find spring in here; you won’t find it out there.”
For Janice Woodford, owner of The Feed Store and Watering Hole in Malden, winter weather has never affected business this much.
“It’s been rough. I’ve been in business over 20 years, and it’s never been like this,” she said. “The biggest hit is all the snowstorms have come on weekends, when it’s normally our busy time.”
And when the roads are cleared, the subzero temperatures seem to still keep customers tucked away in their homes. The pattern has forced the restaurant to close its doors early a few times with the lack of business.
“Over the years we’ve had to close for weather, but never this much,” she said.
The cold weather, however, hasn’t blown business for everyone.
Le Soleil Tanning Salon owner Robyn Washer of Princeton was happy to announce the cold temps have actually stepped up business. While January and February tend to normally be a busy time for the salon, Washer said she has seen even more business with people just wanting to get in, warm up and escape the frigid cold.
“I’ve had at least six new tanners in the last two weeks, even,” she said. “Customers come in and warm up in the tanning beds, and we offer them a free cup of coffee. It’s a great place to warm up.”
Manager Kim Teegardin at Casey’s General Store in Spring Valley said when it snows, the store gets busier. Casey’s has also been one of the few area gas stations that have stayed open, no matter what the conditions have been.
“When cars get stranded, they come in here and get warmed up. We’ve seen a lot of people do that, even emergency crews,” Teegardin said. “People just know we never close, and they can be in here.”
She said the store even seems to have trouble keeping bread, milk and other regular staple items on the shelves when the bad weather blows in.
“We keep our pizza deliveries going too,” she said. “I think there’s only been two times when we haven’t been able to get out there.”
And at Amma’s Studio, designer Dixie Reed, mentioned one thing that’s helped business this winter is the new Flour House Bakery and coffee shop, located in the north portion of downtown Princeton.
“We’re loving the new coffee shop. People go over there to get a warm cup of coffee, and then do their shopping over here while they’re out and about,’ she said.
While business typically tends to be a little slower around this time of year, Reed said they’re finding customers are still out and about and looking forward to spring merchandise.
“They’re just in good spirits and understanding that we living in Illinois, where we get quite a bit of snow,” she said.
Comment on this story at www.bcrnews.com.


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‘Apple TV’ to Be Powered by Siri, A6, and Come in Three Sizes?
Image via i-kreate
Near the end of the Steve Jobs biography, author Walter Isaacson explains what Jobs details to him about his vision for a television set:
“I’d like to create an integrated television set that is completely easy to use,” he told me. “It would be seamlessly synced with all of your devices and with iCloud.” No longer would users have to fiddle with complex remotes for DVD players and cable channels. “It will have the simplest user interface you could imagine. I finally cracked it.”
With that being said, a new rumour has emerged with supposed details about the upcoming Apple television. Smarthouse is reporting the following, according to its insiders:
Sources at a major Japanese company who are involved in manufacturing the TV believe that the 55″ model will compete with new Smart TVs from Samsung and LG that will have new processors built in while offering a combination of OLED display, as well as new Super HD TV technology from LG.
These new TVs will be powered by the next-generation chip set to debut in the iPad 3, which logically could be the A6, rumoured to be already under trial production by TSMC. It will consist of voice commands powered by Siri on the iPhone 4S and potentially iPad 3.
Gene Munster’s Piper Jaffray has also made claims of a rumoured ‘iTV’ that could debut in late half of 2012.
Wouldn’t that be awesome? We’ve already seen videos of SiriProxy controlling TVs and entire homes.
[Smarthouse via MacRumors]


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Collect 11.9% Yield from This Down-and-Out Stock
Real estate can be a great place for income investors. And thanks to the creation of real estate investment trusts (REITs), small investors now have a change to build their own diversified real estate portfolio.
The thing is, though, as investors searched for yield, the most well-known real estate stocks became highly sought after. As their share prices rose, their dividend yields started to slip. In the current market, it’s not easy to find a high-quality REIT offering a yield of more than six percent.
However, it is still possible to earn a double-digit return from the real estate sector today. And that involves digging into the out-of-favor areas of the REIT landscape.
Washington Prime Group Inc (NYSE:WPG), for instance, is a solid real estate investment trust that pays an 11.9% dividend yield.
Headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, Washington Prime Group is in the business of owning, managing, acquiring, and developing retail properties. It was founded in May of 2014 as a spin-off from Simon Property Group Inc (NYSE:SPG). In January 2015, Washington Prime Group acquired Glimcher Realty Trust for $4.3 billion. Today, the company’s portfolio consists of enclosed and open-air retail venues totaling 60-million square feet. (Source: “Bank of America Merrill Lynch Global Real Estate Conference—Investor Presentation,” Washington Prime Group Inc, last accessed September 15, 2017.)
One of the reasons why Washington Prime became a high-yield stock is the downturn in its stock price. In the last 12 months–a period where all three major indices of the U.S. stock market soared past their all-time highs–WPG stock plunged 29.4%. Ouch!
In particular, people have been worried about the future of the retail industry. With the rapid expansion of e-commerce companies such as Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN), there is a serious concern about whether online shopping platforms would bring declines to brick-and-mortar retailers.
As a matter of fact, the decline is already happening. Several department store chains have reported year-over-year sales declines. Just take a look at the stock price performance of Macy’s Inc (NYSE:M) and J C Penny Company Inc (NYSE:JCP) and you’ll see what I mean.
However, while Washington Prime is known as a retail REIT, it has a pretty diversified tenant mix. Last year, the company added 17 new entertainment and fitness tenants, representing more than 296,000 square feet of its portfolio. Moreover, approximately 40% of Washington Prime’s leasing volume year-to-date comes from what it calls “lifestyle tenants,” which include food and beverage, entertainment, and fitness.
In other words, a sizable portion of Washington Prime’s portfolio is leased by tenants that provide experiences rather than just merchandise. These businesses are less likely to be affected by the booming e-commerce industry. Think about it: you can buy running shoes from Amazon.com, but you would still go to the gym to work out. It’s the experience factor that allows Washington Prime’s Lifestyle tenants to keep making money, even when many physical products can be purchased online. This adds stability to the REIT’s cash flows.
Today’s investors may have second thoughts when they see a high-yield stock, and that’s completely understandable, given that in many cases, the reason why a company can offer such a high yield is that investors are concerned about its dividend safety. It a company cannot make enough money to cover its distributions, it would eventually have to cut its payout. For income investors with a long-term horizon, buying a stock before its dividend is cut can turn out to be a very expensive lesson.
Fortunately, Washington Prime’s financials suggest that the company’s payout is safe. The real estate firm reported earnings on July 26. In the second quarter of 2017, the company generated funds from operations (FFO) of $110.6 million, or $0.50 per share, representing an 11% increase from the $0.45 per share earned in the year-ago period. (Source: “Washington Prime Group Reports Second Quarter 2017 Results,” Washington Prime Group Inc, July 26, 2017.)
The leasing business is going quite well. In the first six months of this year, Washington Prime’s re-leasing spreads on new leases increased 10.2%. This means that the rent per square foot on the company’s new leases is 10.2% higher than the rent that was previously paid for the same space. The improvement was driven by a 9.3% increase in its enclosed malls and a 12.7% increase in its open-air shopping centers.
The company also provided future guidance. For full -ear 2017, Washington Prime expects to generate adjusted FFO of $1.67 per share. At its current quarterly dividend rate of $0.25 per share, the company would have a payout ratio of less than 60% if it achieves its guidance.
Final Thoughts on This High-Yield Stock
As it stands, Washington Prime is running a solid business. It also has ample liquidity–more than $1.0 billion–so it can execute its growth strategies. Moreover, the company is investment-grade rated, which could provide flexibility if it needs additional financing.
Not all high-yield stocks are safe bets, but with a stable business model and a conservative payout ratio, Washington Prime is a name worth considering for income investors.


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Video Briefing: For Apple, video is just one piece of a bigger puzzle
Apple is spending more than a billion dollars on pricey TV shows. But the tech giant also seems to be hampering the chances of this streaming service attracting a wide audience by limiting the type of programming it’s willing to make.
The key hits:
- Apple is spending $1 billion on original TV shows, but it’s unclear how the company plans to package and distribute these shows.
- CEO Tim Cook is risk-averse and wants family-friendly programming, which has cast doubt among Hollywood insiders on whether Apple can compete with Netflix and HBO, which are more open to edgier content.
- Apple doesn’t need to compete with Netflix and HBO. What’s more compelling is if and when Apple bundles its TV shows with other services such as Apple Music, new iPhones and AppleCare into a monthly subscription.
It’s unclear how Apple plans to package and distribute its original programming. It could be a video app and it could be bundled with other products and services from Apple such as Apple Music, but we don’t even know when this app and these shows will launch.
But Apple is willing to spend over $1 billion for shows with big names. An untitled series with Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston is reportedly costing more than $12 million per episode. The company also has shows in the works with Oprah Winfrey, Kevin Durant, M. Night Shyamalan and more.
But according to a recent Wall Street Journal report, Apple executives Jamie Erlicht and Zack Van Amburg — two top Hollywood executives that Apple hired away from Sony Pictures — have to get approval from Apple CEO Tim Cook and the company’s media and services chief Eddy Cue before greenlighting any projects. And apparently, Cook is averse to anything that could be considered edgy or controversial and instead prefers family-friendly programming.
Tim Cook has passed on a Dr. Dre-inspired scripted drama because of its depictions of violence, sex and drug use. He has also asked the people behind an M. Night Shyamalan-directed show to remove crucifixes inside characters’ homes because Apple doesn’t want to wade into religious and political topics.
Now, edginess does not automatically equate to Emmys — and Jamie Erlicht and Zack Van Amburg have a great track record in making great TV shows. But by limiting the type of projects it’s willing to buy, Apple is casting doubt around Hollywood on whether it can truly compete with Netflix, Amazon and HBO, according to sources.
Maybe Apple doesn’t care about becoming a true Netflix and HBO rival — and honestly it doesn’t need to. The real interesting aspect of Apple’s video plans is how the TV shows could be bundled into a bigger Apple subscription service. Imagine for a monthly subscription, you get the new iPhone whenever it comes out, AppleCare, Apple Music, original TV shows. That could be a very compelling for a lot of people, and that’s what Apple seems to be interested in rather than scoring a ton of Emmys. (Though I’m sure it wouldn’t mind some Emmys on the mantle, either).
If that’s the game plan, then video is just a piece of a broader business strategy for Apple — similar to how Amazon uses video to get people to buy more shoes.
If anything, Apple’s insistence on family-friendly programming makes sense for a company that craves being inoffensive. And Tim Cook’s decisions are another classic example of why tech companies should probably not be making content decisions (hello Facebook). And it’s possible that limiting the scope of its original series acquisitions, Apple won’t be able to attract as wide a customer base as one would expect from a company spending, again, $1 billion on content.
But, again, what if video is not the end-goal for Apple but the means to another, more lucrative end?
This week on… mobile video
Jeffrey Katzenberg’s mobile video venture, New TV, wants to bring movie and TV-quality programming and top Hollywood talent to mobile screens. But as I reported in January, the company’s plan has also been to surround its tentpole projects — which could cost north of $100,000 per minute — with digital programming. Now, Janice Min, the former co-president of The Hollywood Reporter, is joining the company. In a tweet announcing the move, she said there there will be news programming on New TV. My colleague Tim Peterson also reports that New TV is expected to announce an actual name in a couple of weeks as well as the fact that the service will be priced at $5 for the ad-supported tier and $8 for the ad-free version.
“The wheels are completely coming off, but ultimately, does it even matter?” — Publishing exec on Instagram co-founders resigning from the company.
Numbers don’t lie
$4.61 billion: Amazon’s U.S. advertising revenue for 2018, according to eMarketer estimates.
23 million: Number of pay-TV subscribers Sky has across Europe.
Speaking gig: Digiday Video Marketing Summit
We’re hosting our first-ever Video Marketing Summit in Nashville from Nov. 28-30. The event will tackle a wide range of topics in video marketing and advertising. Want to speak? Want to attend as a VIP? Hit me up. (Again: This opportunity is for brand marketers and ad agencies only.)
What we’ve covered
Programmatic TV ads are coming to Sky next year:
- Sky will initially sell ads programmatically in its VOD before doing so for the ads in its addressable platform and then its linear broadcasts.
- Like any major publisher, Sky wants to own an SSP so it can control and manage how its inventory is sold to keep its margins high.
Read more about Sky’s TV advertising plans here.
France’s tussle with Netflix won’t stifle the platform’s growth:
- Some French broadcasters want to stop selling or licensing shows to Netflix, which has roughly 3.5 million subscribers in the country.
- But as producers vie for the highest bidder and look for international revenue growth, Netflix will continue to be a platform that they go to.
Read more about Netflix in France here.
What we’re reading
Disney CEO Bob Iger discusses the company’s streaming plans: In this interview, Iger admits that Disney will lose out on licensing revenue thanks to its upcoming subscription streaming service. One thing I want to reiterate: Disney has to do this, but the realities of building a direct to consumer product means we are going to see old business models change substantiality. “We all believe that the reality of transformation is staring us in the face, and we have to transform with it. In order to transform successfully, it means that you’re going to go through a period of time where you’ve reduced your profitability somewhat,” Iger said.
More in Future of TV
This week’s Future of TV Briefing looks at how the latest quarterly earnings season evinces more streaming subscriber growth struggles and a growing fondness for the bundle.
It would appear that investors’ enthusiasm for the CTV narrative that has served TTD, Magnite and PubMatic so well for the last 18 months is starting to plateau.
This week’s Future of TV Briefing looks at how platforms are pulling creators toward longer videos while brands push for shorter fare.
Ad position: web_bfu


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That's what 789 horsepower will do for ya.
There can't be a lot of people in the world for whom the new Mercedes-AMG G63 wouldn't be powerful enough. But those few can now turn to Brabus, which has released a full tuning package for the big Benz.
Part of the tuner's Geneva lineup this year, the Brabus 800 Widestar amps up the 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 to epic proportions. Where the "standard" model leaves the factory with 577 horsepower and 627 lb-ft of torque, the Widestar boasts 789 hp and 738 lb-ft. That's as much torque and much more power than the old twelve-cylinder G65 produced.
With 212 more horses and 111 lb-ft more torque, the tuner's take on the G63 will thumb its nose at the laws of aerodynamics and propel its considerable heft to 62 in just 4.1 seconds – down from 4.5 stock and the discontinued G65's 5.3 – and top out at an electronically limited 149 mph.
Of course Brabus hasn't just massaged the engine. As the name suggests, it also fitted a wide-body kit to give it four inches of extra fender, housing massive 23-inch forged alloys. It even redesigned the front end for added cooling and a carbon-fiber hood with twin power-bulges.
The brightwork's all been painted to match the body color, and the interior's been completely reupholstered in two-tone tan and black diamond-quilted leather, with a Rolls-style "starry sky" headliner that embeds fiber optics into Alcantara. So the Brabus 800 Widestar makes us forget all about not only the G65, but the Maybach G650 as well – at least until the ultra-luxe division comes out with its own version of the new G-Wagen, and maybe – just maybe – reintroduce the V12 under the hood, too. And just imagine what Brabus would do with that.


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The views of this article are the perspective of the author and may not be reflective of Confessions of the Professions.
As lockdown restrictions are eased and restaurants find innovative ways to welcome back customers, many Americans remain hesitant about dining in during COVID-19. Bid-On-Equipment recently analyzed Google search trends for “takeout”, “takeout near me” and more than 2,000 related search terms in every state across the country to learn exactly where demand for takeout has increased the most.
Here’s what we found:
- The average American is ordering 2.4 takeout orders per week while spending $67 per week on takeout.
- 65% of Americans have been ordering more takeout since Covid-19 began in March.
- Only 1 in 3 Americans have dined in since restaurants have reopened. 43% say they don’t feel safe dining inside currently.
- Local support has increased during Covid-19 with 59% of Americans ordering more from local restaurants instead of large chains.
Take a look at the full report.


text: First Tekken 7 Gameplay Trailer By Lexley Ford, 13 Nov 2014 CommentsBandai Namco have released the first gameplay trailer for their upcoming 3D fighting title, Tekken 7. It features a host of returning characters showing off their varied techniques and flashy moves, all powered for the first time by the Unreal Engine 4. The trailer also introduces two brand new characters: Claudio Serafino and Katarina Alves. Tekken 7 is currently scheduled for an arcade release in Japan in February 2015. As with previous titles in the series it is highly likely that Tekken 7 will eventually make its way to consoles, though at this time no announcements have been made.VideoUpcoming Release Written by Lexley FordLex has been gaming for nearly three decades and has been a Newshound for TrueAchievements since 2011. When he’s not writing news he can normally be found immersing himself in a good story, both written and in-game, or just blowing stuff up (only in games).


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Sony Exec Says Nintendo Died Three Years Ago
Jack Tretton, the Executive Vice President for Sony Computer Entertainment America, recently sat down with GameDaily BIZ and revealed some interesting pieces of information. For starters, Nintendo went out of business in June 2003, and everything we’ve seen since then have been phantom pains.
“The DS was just a figment of people’s imaginations,” Tretton explained. “Not only has it not sold well, it didn’t even exist.”
Tretton pointed out that the popularity of the PS2 was so massive it demolished Nintendo’s sales and morale, and the company simply folded as a result. “There is no Nintendo anymore, and there never will be a Nintendo!,” Tretton exclaimed.
The Sony VP then went on to demonstrate how his company continues to expand. “The PSP is so popular, everyone owns at least two devices and thirty games,” he expounded. “Five billion Playstation 2s have been sold this year alone.”
According to Tretton, the PS3 should prove to be so popular that it will cause cable companies to go bankrupt, “because the only reason to use a TV will be to play a PS3” he said.
Posted by ChrisV82 on September 25, 2006 01:35 AM


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Consequently, you will not burn fat or lose weight. Worry no more, thanks to a computer algorithm. This diet, though controversial, is scientific. In fact, a recent German study showed that people on the Mediterranean Diet lost an average of eleven pounds over twelve weeks. After two weeks, start adding a small amount of fruits back to your diet.
Nevertheless, not everybody can adapt to this diet. Over the last 15 years, she has written for a variety of newspapers, magazines, and on-line publications.
It is a healthier way of losing weight. Having spent 10 years with the Inuit, Steffanson not only flourished, he lost weight. Atkins puts the blame for the epidemic squarely on the government and its familiar food pyramid with a heavy emphasis on bread, pasta and rice.
Autopsy showed a massive abnormality in the heart. At this point, you are close to your weight loss goals. That is what the scientists say, and you got to believe them. In fact, until recently, there has been little research into the long-term effects of the Atkins diet. The diet was devised by a billionaire who probably had no qualms with butter.
According to Harvard researchers, quoted in the PCRM study, individuals who consume large amounts of animal protein may be at risk for permanent loss of kidney function. Even mild acidosis can have potentially deleterious consequences over the long run.
Add some nuts and low carbohydrate vegetables. When Stefansson relayed his findings back to the American scientific community, nobody believed him. Back then, though, eliminating carbs was considered certifiably insane, and Banting certainly had no scientific backing for it.
HCG will prevent the absorption of fat into your body system and use stored fat to give your body normal energy. An increased consumption of protein leads to an increase in ketones in the kidney. This will help kick start the weight loss process.
While looking at fad diets, we create work for some people but do absolutely nothing about others.Few diets have ever been more controversial than the Atkins Diet Plan. First introduced by Dr.
Robert Atkins inthe plan severely restricts consumption of carbohydrates in the form of bread, pasta, rice and starchy librariavagalume.comd: Jun 17, The Atkins diet or the "Atkins Nutritional Approach" is a lifetime nutritional philosophy.
The diet claims that you can lose weight on a high-fat, high-protein diet.
It works on the premise that a healthy lifestyle requires a limited amount of simple carbohydrates, protein, exercise and proper portion control. The low-carb diet included 71 grams of carbs, and the high-carb diet included grams of carbs. T3 levels were equal on the normal and high carb diets (ranging from to ng/ mL).
However, on the low carb diet they fell to ng/ mL on average. The Controversial Atkins Diet The Atkins diet is a controversial topic to discuss. Now, having deeply researched the Atkins diet, I have learned there is a lot that is positive about Atkins' approach.
The controversial Atkins diet is just as effective and safe as a conventional low-fat diet, a two-year study has found. Researchers found that overweight volunteers shed more pounds on the low. Both the Atkins diet and the keto diet are considered low-carb plans, but they have several key differences.
Unlike the Atkins diet, the keto diet doesn’t emphasize significantly increasing protein to make up the carbs not being consumed. Instead, the keto diet makes up those calories by primarily increasing fat intake.Download


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THE Chipata Magistrates’ Court has absolutely discharged two juveniles who were charged with street vending related offences. And the court fined five people for street vending offences. The two juveniles, who appeared before principal resident magistrate Jennifer Bwalya, pleaded guilty to the charge.
According to the social welfare report presented by Chipata social welfare probation officer Christabel Sampa, the first juvenile was charged with selling of local products in the streets other than a market without a licence from the council. Sampa said the juvenile, who was 17 years old and in grade ten at one of the schools in Chipata, was arrested when he was found selling chips near Saturday Market.
She said the juvenile, a single orphan, comes from a financially challenged family. Sampa said the convict was remorseful and regrets his action. She recommended that the court should hand the juvenile an absolute discharge, adding that the court had a duty to pass judgment in the best interest of the child.
In mitigation, the boy said he was an orphan and that he was paying for his schools fees and buying books from the money he realises from vending. Magistrate Bwalya said she took into consideration the mitigation and ordered for an absolute discharge of the juvenile. The other juvenile was charged with displaying of goods and merchandise without authority from the council. The boy displayed plastic bags without authority on May 11.
Earlier, the court fined five street vendors for vending offences. One of the convicts, Selemani Mwanza, who was charged with displaying goods and merchandise without the council’s authority was fined K100 or two weeks simple imprisonment in default. Magistrate Bwalya also said the convicts who would fail to pay the fine by yesterday would be sent to prison and that they would only be released after payment.
By press time yesterday, most of the convicts had paid the fine.


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According to a statement given to Eurogamer by Eidos Montreal, the new Thief game won’t have a any competitive multiplayer when it ships. However, there is a chance it will have some online component.
“Right now, let’s say competitive multiplayer, like the example you just gave us – Tomb Raider – there is no plan for that,” said game producer Stephane Roy.
“We are looking to see if there is maybe a challenge mode with some online component, but I’m going to be very honest with you – our main goal with this team is to give you the best single-player experience, just to bring back this franchise, to convince you we’re part of the future and not something holding onto the past. It’s really demanding, so I don’t want to see my team wasting any energy… I want to see them focusing on that.”
“We think maybe some challenge mode could be interesting, with online component like I said, but again, let’s see in the near future, let’s have another meeting together, maybe we’ll be able to give you more information. But again, no competitive multiplayer. Single-player is asking a lot of energy.”
So there, Thief will apparently be a single-player focused game, just like the original trilogy.
In other news, some new screenshots and concept art were released yesterday, and you can see them below. True, we’ve seen some of them already, but now they are official.
Thief will launch on next-gen consoles and PC in 2014.


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“OPPO has already announced that it will launch a foldable smartphone at the upcoming MWC 2019 in Spain”
OPPO recently sent out media invitations for an event it will be hosting on February 23rd, a day before Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2019 officially kicks off. The brand is calling its event OPPO 2019 Innovation Event and is expected to unveil the first phone with 10x zoom. The company had previously also confirmed it will be announcing its first foldable device at MWC 2019, a fact that was further underlined by the foldable media invites. The brand has already filed patents for a number of foldable smartphone designs. Now, yet another patent from the phone maker for a foldable device has surfaced.
The new design patent has been published on the website of the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) just yesterday and reveals several key details of the foldable device. The drawings reveal that the smartphone has cutouts for a dual camera module on one side and earpiece on the other. The device has a single large screen and it can be folded like a book. When folded, the smartphone and tablet hybrid has two screens on either side.
Furthermore, the new patent drawings reveal how the device will accommodate the rear camera module when it is folded. According to the drawings, there will be a groove on one side of the back panel to house the camera bump when the display is folded. This way, the smartphone will lie flat and smooth when folded, ensuring a sleek overall appearance to the design. Notably, this will allow the company to offer a slim and lightweight foldable device.
As of now, it’s not clear if the aforementioned patented device will be showcased at OPPO’s upcoming MWC event or not. 91mobiles will be on the floor at the mega expo and will bring latest updates straight from Barcelona, so stay tuned.


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The Hibernians answered right back by stealing the ensuing kickoff and driving in for a try. With some theatrics from North Penn, and hot tempers from the Hibos, the first half was heating up and needed to be reigned in ASAP or else the referee would call the match altogether. Each team spoke to their players and the game pressed on.
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The Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division is suing to block the proposed merger of cinema advertising networks National CineMedia and Screenvision. Bill Baer, assistant attorney general for the…
Movie theaters are trying to go interactive again, with Audience Entertainment and Screenvision debuting interactive technology in theaters across the country. Since Sept. 12, customers of 100…
Movie-advertising network National CineMedia has cut deals with partners including Disney’s Maker Studios, Twitter, Shazam Entertainment and the Grammy Awards in a bid to bring sponsored content to…
The two companies that have made ads on the movie screen as much a part of the process as buying popcorn and watching sneak previews have decided to merge. National CineMedia said it would pay…
Hoping to tap into the faith-based theatrical market, Screenvision and Teen Mania Ministries are partnering to release a feature-length version of the 22-year-old annual event Acquire the Fire on…
For CNN, the birth of the Royal Baby (complete with His or Her own royal hashtag) is a royal opportunity. Sure, everyone in the media muck will be diving into coverage of a story that nobody in the…
Following is some field reporting from the couch-potato fryer. Like the presentations themselves, we start off serious and get progressively sillier.
Don Payne, a writer for “The Simpsons” who also penned “Thor” and “Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer,” died March 26 at home in Los Angeles after battling bone cancer. He was 48. Payne…
BBC Worldwide is partnering with in-theater advertising company Screenvision to bring Daniel Craig-narrated nature docu "One Life" to Stateside theaters for a limited engagement on Feb. 21.
Explores the nature of American masculinity in a surface-scratching fashion that does no favors to men -- or America, for that matter.


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- 16th April 2018
- Posted by: Manolis
Knewton drew heaps of hype and investment by promising to provide artificial-intelligence technology to major textbook companies to make their content more adaptive. Now the company has pivoted, and it is poised to formally announce its own online courseware that will compete head-to-head with those publishing giants.
The move marks a major turn for Knewton, which has raised more than $157 million in venture capital based largely on a promise to provide the high-tech engine inside online textbooks created by publishers and organizations. But in the past few years the company has suffered several setbacks—along with mounting criticism that its founding CEO, Jose Ferreira, overhyped its technology. One tech consultant went so far as to compare Ferreira to a snake-oil salesman.
So the company has hit the reset button. Earlier this year Ferreira stepped aside as CEO, replaced by Brian Kibby, a veteran of major textbook companies including Pearson and McGraw-Hill. And even before the management change, the company had quietly started building a huge library of courses bolted to its adaptive engine. The secret to its swift entry into publishing was OER (open education resources). Rather than hire authors to write textbooks from scratch, the company is now curating open-educational materials already on the internet.
In an interview with EdSurge this month, Kibby called Ferreira “brilliant,” but said that the company’s initial strategy was based on a “flawed” idea. “No [textbook] company would ever allow someone to come in and be the ‘Intel inside,’” said Kibby, noting that major publishers would rather build their own adaptive platforms than rely on an outside vendor. Early on, Pearson had embraced Knewton’s technology and even invested in the company, but this year that publisher decided to pull back on the use of Knewton’s platform.
Kibby also criticized Ferreira’s highly abstract and “complex” public statements about Knewton’s technology (referencing one NPR interview in which the former CEO called Knewton “a robot tutor in the sky”). Kibby said that as CEO, he plans to approach the market “with humility” and work to convince professors that Knewton’s adaptive textbooks will better help them and their students.
Kibby has big claims of his own, however, when it comes to how aggressively Knewton plans to compete with major textbook publishers. “We’re going after the higher-education market in every major course area,” he said, calling Knewton courseware “something that will basically take over the marketplace.”
The company has already built online textbooks for the full range of mathematics curriculum, as well as some economics and chemistry titles. And officials say that professors at 80 colleges are already trying the textbooks in their courses. The company plans an official launch in January, in hopes that more professors will adopt them for the fall.
Michael Feldstein, the edtech consultant who called the company’s previous pitch snake oil, said that “after years of absurd hype from their former CEO, it’s a relief to hear them promote a value proposition that at least makes sense.”
On the other hand, the company has moved into a market that’s saturated—and struggling. “While that’s certainly a reasonable business model,” Feldstein added, “I’m not sure how it justifies the enormous investments that have been made in that company.”
New ‘Course Product’
Textbook providers don’t like to use the word textbook anymore, preferring “courseware” or something that emphasizes interactive features like automated homework systems (which save professors time in scoring assignments and entering grades in the gradebook). On its website, Knewton describes its new online textbooks as “course products.”
One notable feature of Knewton’s approach is the price: Each online textbook costs $44 for two years of access, or $9.95 per month. Just like traditional textbook publishers, the company is working to convince individual professors to adopt the courseware for their students.
Whether that is a good deal depends on how you look at it. Many textbook publishers offer courseware that costs hundreds of dollars to each student. Yet, professors can build their own OER textbook for free, and companies such as Lumen Learning sell courseware products based on OER (with homework-delivery features and other tools) for less (about $25 per student). And at least one major publisher has a similar competing product: Cengage’s OpenNow courseware, based on open education resources, also starts at $25 per student.
Knewton’s pitch is that its mix of OER and an adaptive-learning system will set it apart. The basic idea is that students are shown different problems depending on how well they do on each question they face. Get a tough problem wrong, and the system shows an easier one, and then tries progressively harder questions.
Anna L. Cox, a math professor at Kellogg Community College, is among those testing Knewton’s new calculus title. (Her students have been given free access to entice her to try it). She says her best students love the new system because they are given only a few problems for homework if they do well. “They can be done in a half an hour—and for a calculus class that’s a pretty quick homework assignment,” she says. Meanwhile, students who miss early questions effectively have more homework because they are shown more questions before the system decides whether they have mastered the concepts. Cox is noticing that students are spending time searching the internet for extra help so they get early questions right to minimize their workload.
There are downsides to the adaptive approach, however. During one recent class, for instance, a student asked the professor to work out the “circle problem” that was in the homework. The professor had no idea which problem that was, and she had never seen it—because students get different questions based on how they do on each one. “I thought I was thoroughly prepared, but I wasn’t because I didn’t know all the problems it might give to them,” she says. She’s asked the company to add an option that prints out all possible questions within a topic to be ready in such cases, and she says they’ve added it to a list of things they’re considering changing.
And while Knewton officials are marketing their courseware as a textbook replacement (with content and automated homework), Cox sees Knewton’s product as mainly an “online homework system.” “The content is there if a student needs it,” she admits, “but almost no student volunteers to go out and read a math book.”
The company is essentially betting that the old idea of publishers touting the quality of their content—and seeking out Nobel-prize winning professors as authors—is fading away with so much information online for free. “The idea of the superstar author in higher education—and I have to be careful here—has had its day to a degree,” says Kibby, Knewton’s new CEO. “Strong content is—I wouldn’t say it’s a commodity now, but it’s not as hard to come by. It’s just out there.”
In an op-ed published on EdSurge in 2014, Knewton’s former CEO, Ferreira, went further. “OER will commoditize education content. Nothing can stop that,” he wrote. He remains on the board of Knewton.
These days it’s trendy for textbook publishers to say they are no longer publishers, but rather software companies. And Kibby says Knewton has an advantage in that environment because its roots are as a tech company (and Kibby says it employs 80 software engineers).
Knewton is also sticking to its old business model of selling its adaptive-learning platform to other organizations. One area it is especially eyeing is the corporate-training market, for companies interested in improving how they offer courses to their employees. And Knewton sees K-12 as a future market for online textbooks as well.
“Oftentimes you have to start in higher education because the decision-making dynamics are different,” Kibby said. “But we will be a K-12 company, a higher-education company, and a corporate-learning company.”
Many in higher education remain skeptical about the promise of adaptive learning, though—or at the least, fuzzy on what the concept looks like in reality—in part because of Knewton’s earlier missteps.
That reputation will be hard to overcome, argues Feldstein. “These incredibly overhyped products have created a backlash against anything that sounds cutting-edge because there’s just a deep skepticism and often a poor ability to evaluate what’s real and what’s hype,” he says. “Fake news came to edtech long before it came to politics.”


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Say goodbye to all things sparkly, as scientists have found sufficient evidence as to why glitter is detrimental to the planet.
Scientists and campaigners have proposed that the material be banned and it looks to be going forward in the UK within the next year.
Glitter primarily consists of microplastic which is a minute piece of plastic which is smaller than five millimeters in length. The tiny nature of the material means that is is much easier for it to be maneuvered into oceanic water and fresh water sources.
As a result, it is more likely to implement pollution, harming animals and the coral. This issue has come to the attention of many in the UK, leading more people to become vocal about the issue.
This issue has encouraged changes in UK based companies including cosmetics retailer Lush. There has been an introduction of eco-friendly options like biodegradable glitter which are readily available for all to use in their products.
Lush released a statement insisting they have become more environmentally friendly, saying, “We’ve avoided microplastics by switching to synthetic mica and mineral glitter, as well as natural starch-based lusters, our ingredient suppliers have worked hard to develop these plastic-free alternatives for our products, all of which are safe for the environment.”
In addition, brands including L’Oréal, Burt’s Bees, Clarins and St. Ives have followed in the footsteps of Lush and removed all microplastics from it’s products.
On the other hand, brands including Revlon, Aveeno, and L’Occitane still reportedly contain microplastics.
Dr. Trisia Farrelly of New Zealand’s Massey University noted that “when people think about glitter they think of party and dress-up glitter”. He added, “But glitter includes cosmetic glitters as well, the more everyday kind that people don’t think about as much. All glitter should be banned because it’s microplastic.”


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Ferrari Original Factory Entrance
Ferrari on Thursday said that its third-quarter profit jumped 46% from a year ago as its wealthy customers continued to choose expensive “personalization” options for their new cars.
As it did last quarter, Ferrari again boosted its guidance for the full year following the results.
Ferrari now expects 2023 revenue of about 5.9 billion euros ($6.3 billion) and per-share profit of at least 6.55 euros, with an adjusted EBIT (earnings before interest and tax) margin of at least 26.5%. In August, the luxury automaker guided investors to full-year revenue of about 5.8 billion euros and per-share profit between 6.25 euros and 6.40 euros, with an adjusted EBIT margin of at least 26%.
CEO Benedetto Vigna said in a statement that a richer product mix – meaning more sales of the company’s higher-end models — and “the continuing appeal of personalizations” led Ferrari to boost its outlook.
“The order book remains at highest levels reflecting strong demand across all geographies, covering the entire 2025,” Vigna said.
Ferrari in recent years has greatly extended its options lists, offering its customers a huge range of choices in paint finishes, interior materials and other details, which it calls “personalizations.” Those extended options can add hundreds of thousands of dollars to the price of a new Ferrari, considerably increasing the company’s profit per car sold.
Here are the key numbers from Ferrari’s third-quarter earnings report:
- Earnings per share: 1.82 euros vs. 1.60 euros expected by Wall Street analysts polled by LSEG, formerly known as Refinitiv.
- Revenue: 1.54 billion euros vs. 1.47 billion euros expected, per LSEG.
Ferrari reported a net profit of 332 million euros, or 1.82 euros per share, an increase of 46% over net profit of 228 million euros, or 1.23 euros per share, in the third quarter of 2022. Its EBIT margin rose to 27.4% in the third quarter of 2023 from 23.9% a year ago.
Revenue increased 24% year over year to 1.54 billion euros.
Ferrari shipped 3,459 vehicles in the third quarter, up 9% from a year ago. The company said that the increase was simply a function of its “geographic and product allocation plans by quarter” and emphasized that its order book remains very strong.
On a year-over-year basis, deliveries were up in Europe and North and South America, lower in China, and roughly flat in the rest of the Asia-Pacific region.
A Ferrari NV SF90 hybrid vehicle on the opening day of the Paris Motor Show in Paris, France, on Monday, Oct. 17, 2022.
Nathan Laine | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Ferrari said it continued ramping up production of its SUV-like Purosangue model during the quarter, and that allocations of its limited-run seven-figure Daytona SP3 sports car continued “as planned.”
Ferrari also noted that its four hybrid models – coupe and convertible versions of the six-cylinder 296 and eight-cylinder SF90 sports cars – accounted for 51% of its total shipments during the period.


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How pork is being served today.
Sugarcane Skewered Pork Loin
Several of the new appetizers at Wish in Miami Beach, Florida, are adaptations of dishes executive chef Michael Bloise discovered during a recent trip to Vietnam. Inspired by the country's roadside hibachi stands, he created Sugarcane Skewered Pork Loin. Brined medallions of pork are threaded and grilled on sugarcane stalks then served on a salad of baby greens, Thai basil, bamboo shoots and rice noodles dressed with a soy vinaigrette. "The flavors and textures of this appetizer are in perfect balance," Bloise says.
Haute Hash and BLTs
Located in Perry, Iowa—the heart of pig-farming country—the Hotel Pattee's menu features plenty of pork. Executive chef Shad Kirton feels it meshes well with his "comfort food with an edge" theme, reflected in such specialties as Grilled Pork Chops with Triple Pork Hash. "I like to incorporate several types of pork into one dish, contrasting the flavors of smoked and unsmoked meat, for example, or the textures of crisp bacon with soft braised shoulder," Kirton says.
Baby Backs Front and Center
Meaty St. Louis-style ribs have long been a bestseller at the Columbus, Ohio-based Damon's Grill. But as part of a menu extension this year, Brett Freifeld, director of food & beverage excellence, has added baby backs to the menu. They go through a 21-step cooking process, including marinating, steaming, saucing and grilling to guarantee tenderness and succulence. Damon's sweet-tangy barbecue sauce—"a flavor that keeps our customers coming back," Freifeld says, adds the signature touch.


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In an effort to stave off competition from deep-pocketed players such as Grab and GOJEK, newly launched small ride-sharing companies in Southeast Asia are increasingly seeking opportunities to set their foot in smaller frontiers. The latest in the fray is TADA.
Founded by Singapore-based MVL Foundation, TADA launched its blockchain-based ride-hailing app in Phnom Penh on Wednesday.
TADA claims it is one of the first e-hailing companies in the world to utilise blockchain technology to offer zero commission taken from drivers.
After its launch in Singapore last July and in Vietnam earlier this year, the company said it has attracted more than 30,000 drivers and 230,000 users in the said region.
TADA has sealed a partnership with financial services providers including Alipay, Shinhan Bank and Pi Pay, a digital wallet based in Cambodia.
“This collaboration with TADA is another step forward for us as the growth of ride-hailing is encouraging more and more Cambodians to adopt cashless payments in the digital era,” said Tomas Pokorny, CEO of Pi Pay.
New features following the launch in Phnom Penh included the TADA app meter and integrations with Pi Pay and Alipay, TADA said.
“We are pleased to have such great partners and driver partners who support TADA. Our purpose has always been to improve the lives of drivers, create a better experience for riders and deliver a trusted ride-hailing application through innovation for all our users,” said Kay Woo, founder and CEO, MVL.
Vietnamese e-hailing company FastGo has also expanded in Myanmar, a market where ride-sharing is still fragmented as people primarily use traditional taxis. The company said it will look at other markets with the same conditions.
However, the biggies such as Grab and GOJEK, equipped with war chests of money, are not haunted by competition or regulations.
In Myanmar, Grab has said it will launch new services such as GrabShuttle for buses, GrabCall for taxi booking via call centres, Rent and Grab Web Booking for hotels and offices to book Grab rides.
In Vietnam, Grab’s country head Jerry Lim told DEALSTREETASIA that despite the mounting challenges in the legal environment, the company will continue to invest in the country for a future of shared mobility system.
TADA’s Woo said his firm was not aiming to compete with drivers or taxi companies. “Instead, we want to provide more tools for drivers to choose from,” he said.
However, the development in its neighbouring country Vietnam, as well as several other markets, has signified that taxi associations will react to the rise of e-hailing apps.


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Vishal has been one of the forerunners in fighting against piracy which plagues the industry to unimaginable levels. According to Vishal, piracy cuts short a producer’s revenue by nearly 40% and it is only expected to go high as time goes on. “People from across the industry come together for a Cauvery issue or for tax exemption, but barely anyone comes forward to support an anti-piracy movement. Producers who have no trouble spending Rs. 2.5-3 lakh on success meets, are reluctant to spend Rs. 54,000 on sending that pirated DVD to a lab to find out which theatre it was copied in,” says Vishal.
“I know for a fact that my movie will release on January 14 and by the next morning, the pirated DVD will be in my hands. All this anti-piracy stuff that I’m doing is not for political mileage or publicity. I’m doing it for this industry. There are some who understand that, I can’t do anything about the others,” adds Vishal who is gearig up for the release of Aambala on January 15th.


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Raid / from Reuters
In Canada, Daimler has tied up with owners of Mercedes diesel cars. The cost is a three-digit million sum.
Stuttgart – Daimler has reached a settlement in Canada in a legal dispute over a years with owners of Mercedes diesel cars over excessive exhaust emissions. Daimler announced on Friday that the costs for the nearly 83,000 affected cars and Sprinter vans amounted to about 175 million euros. Accounting provisions have been made for the cost. Final approval of the competent court in Ontario is pending.
In Canada, Mercedes buyers filed class action lawsuits against several group companies in April 2016. Consumers accused Daimler of installing equipment with which exhaust gas purification is reduced to emit extremely high nitrogen oxide emissions.
Daimler again denies the allegations
The carmaker said settling the proceedings would avoid protracted disputes involving financial risks in court. However, Daimler again denied the allegations. “The company denies the necessary factual allegations and legal claims made by plaintiffs and members of the class action,” Daimler said. The comparison does not determine whether vehicles have work permissible cut-off devices.
The diesel emissions scandal, which began in September 2015, when it became known about the manipulation of diesel engines at Volkswagen, has already cost the Stuttgart carmaker several billion euros. Unlike VW, Daimler denies installing illegal defeat devices.
Devoted web advocate. Bacon scholar. Internet lover. Passionate twitteraholic. Unable to type with boxing gloves on. Lifelong beer fanatic.


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Hally Leadbetter, Golf Digest Senior Producer, interviews her father, David Leadbetter, Golf Digest Top 50 Instructor, on the role fitness plays in his life and the trends we’re seeing among professional golfers today You are using an unsupported version of Internet Explorer. Please upgrade to Internet Explorer 11 or use a different web browser.
The Change Driver Men’s Polo | Pre-Order Now: $84The Change Driver Women’s Polo | Pre-Order Now: $84 Rhoback’s relationship with Valentine started about a year ago, which led to ongoing discussions about the challenging financial barriers for players attempting to find success in professional golf. Valentine currently plays on the PGA Mackenzie Tour in Canada
At the 2020 Travelers Championship, it’s much easier to look at what has remained the same instead of trying to list the many things that have changed. To start with, the tournament’s spot on the annual golf calendar – June 25-28 – remains unchanged from last year. Considering the impact that the COVID-19 global pandemic
Devereux is a men’s apparel company known for quality activewear and stylish on-course offerings. For Father’s Day, the company is running a promotion to outfit dad without breaking the bank. The Active Bundle includes a pair of versatile shorts, a crewneck t-shirt and a pullover for $99 (originally $198). The Oasis Active Short (originally $60)
Several winners emerged from the TaylorMade Driving Relief charity match this weekend. Of course, those who helped raise $5.5 million for COVID-19 relief were the biggest winners, with Rory McIlroy and Dustin Johnson winning the competition over Rickie Fowler and Matthew Wolff in an exciting closest-to-the-pin playoff. But Wolff emerged to a larger sports fanbase
In late April, Nova Scotia experienced the deadliest mass shooting in Canadian history when a gunman took the lives of 22 victims. The tragedy was felt across the globe, hitting especially hard during the COVID-19 Pandemic. In an effort to support the families of those victims, Nova Scotia-based Dormie Workshop raised more than $20,000 through
Johnson is also part of a campaign launching from sports drink company BODYARMOR. The “Only you can make you better” campaign features Johnson and six other athletes on the team–James Harden, Mike Trout, Megan Rapinoe, Naomi Osaka, Skylar Diggins-Smith, and Carlos Vela. Johnson signed with and invested in BODYARMOR in 2016. We caught up with
Memorial Day may feel a little different this year, but one major aspect is still the same—the sales. The early summer holiday traditionally brings big sales and deals, but you don’t have to wait until Monday because most companies have started slashing prices now. We’ve rounded up the best online shopping promotions on everything from
If you’re a golfer looking to play with golf courses opening in most states, it’s likely you’ve searched the internet for available pushcart options. And most likely, you’ve struck out in that attempt. The gold rush of pushcarts is upon us with most courses enacting walking-only rules and restricting the use of traditional golf carts.
With the Memorial Day holiday upon us in the U.S., Adidas golf has released an ultra-patriotic golf shoe design to help celebrate at home and abroad. The Nations Pack features five limited edition models of the CODECHAOS golf shoe, each representing a different part of the world: the U.S., Canada, U.K., Japan and South Korea
There’s no shortage of cool, new golf products being released on a weekly basis. Whether it’s modern, fashion-forward apparel; stylish but ultra-comfortable shoes; useful accessories; sleek tech; or some other sort of on-course gear, we have eyes everywhere. We’re combing through the best of it all to pinpoint the best new golf stuff we’re talking
Golf GPS watches have come a long way in utility and appearance. Thoughtful designs allow golfers to access data more efficiently, with less distractions and without sacrificing style. On-course wearables range in price, but one luxury timepiece turning heads this summer is the third generation Tag Heuer Connected Golf Edition watch that launched Wednesday. The
As summer heats up and temperatures rise, the battle between sun protection and style on the golf course will commence. Preventing over-exposure to the sun’s harmful rays is not only about health and safety, but it can be a challenge for maintaining comfort, style and mobility. There are a variety of ways to stay safe
The Theragun line of massage-therapy devices have grown in popularity among athletes and weekend warriors. The handheld devices used to administer percussive therapy on targeted muscles to relieve tension, aid in recovery and prevent injury. The triangle-like devices have become a mainstay in locker rooms for elite athletes and athletic trainers, but the simple-to-use massager


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Newsmaker preview: Rebuilding Japan
The historic earthquake and tsunami on March 11, and the nuclear debacle that followed, have exposed the unique risks of doing business in Japan. Among the hardest-hit by the calamities has been the automotive industry, with a supply chain whose depth and complexity surprised even the car makers themselves. With parts production hampered by power outages, damaged equipment and in some cases, exposure to elevated radiation levels, all 12 of Japan’s car and truck makers were forced to stop their assembly lines in the weeks after the quake. A full recovery for Japan’s car production may yet be many months off.
Despite accounting for a fifth of the world’s earthquakes of magnitude 6 or greater, Japan is home to hundreds of companies churning out cars, chips and precision electronics, defying an exodus of factories for white goods and other products in the past decades. But the unprecedented scale of disruption has fanned concerns that these disasters would, once and for all, prompt the hollowing out of Japanese manufacturing and threaten the country’s export- dependent economy.
Many auto executives have been united in their vow to try to keep Japan’s storied “monozukuri” culture alive. Nissan Motor CEO Carlos Ghosn is no exception.
Better known for his no-holds-barred approach to cost-cutting, Ghosn last month celebrated the full recovery of a badly damaged engine factory not far from the stricken nuclear power plant in Fukushima. Far from pulling out of the region, Nissan is pouring millions of dollars to make the facility more resistant to earthquakes in one of the most seismically active countries in the world.
That’s not to say the temptation to abandon Japan for lower wages, more favorable exchange rates and expanding car markets will let up. Ghosn – like his peers – will come under more pressure than ever to explain how his company will balance its Japanese roots with the attraction of greener pastures overseas.
- Chang-Ran Kim, Asia autos correspondent
Carlos Ghosn, CEO of Nissan Motor and Renault, will speak at the Thomson Reuters Newsmaker event in Tokyo on June 22. The 60-minute session will be moderated by Reuters Deputy Editor-in-Chief Paul Ingrassia.


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World renowned light and street artist Karim Jabbari will perform in Bahrain this month.
Hosted by Al A’ali Mall in coordination with Shop Bahrain, the event ‘Once the Dust Settles’ is an art concept that includes an installation, portrait booth and live show.
“Once the Dust Settles” is an anthem to staying strong in all conditions, especially when facing a continuous flow of distractions, and obstacles,” said Mr Jabbari in a statement.
“I will deliver this concept in three stages through 20-minute live shows and an installation.
I would also like to offer a personal experience to visitors as well, so I will have a booth available at the mall where they can take their pictures surrounded by my light calligraphy.”
Mr Jabbari began his artistic journey at the age of 12.
He has been featured in TED Talks x Casablanca, CNN, MBC and Vice, to name a few.
The one-of-a-kind show will take place in Al Aali Mall on Friday and Saturday, as well as January 25 and 26.


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|24th June 2016, 12:07||#1|
Senior - BHPian
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China spends more on infrastructure (road & rails) than Western Europe + North America combined
CHINA SPENDS MORE ON INFRASTRUCTURE each year than North America and Western Europe combined. Thatís according to a new study published last week by global management consulting firm McKinsey & Company.
BBC article: http://www.bbc.com/autos/story/20160...oads-and-rails
McKinsey report link: http://www.mckinsey.com/industries/i...structure-gaps
Report also downloaded and attached.
|Thread Tools||Search this Thread|
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|Delhi: More cars than Bangalore, Chennai & Mumbai combined!||GTO||The Indian Car Scene||65||23rd June 2016 10:58|
|VW spends years trying to conceal security flaw||Tushar||The International Automotive Scene||2||18th August 2015 22:58|
|City With Best Road Infrastructure !||racing4cure||The Indian Car Scene||30||5th December 2005 11:59|
|City With Best Road Infrastructure !||racing4cure||The Indian Car Scene||0||26th November 2005 18:49|


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Buying real estate might not always be a smart bet, but investing in online real-estate listing company Trulia just might be. The San Francisco-based company Trulia (TRLA), started trading Thursday on the NYSE and enjoyed a 41 percent stock price pop by the trading day's close Thursday.
Though it didn't quite hit the 45 percent pop analysts were expecting, it was still a very good day for Trulia. Part of its success came from conservatively pricing its shares at just seven times its 2011 revenue, says Sam Hamadeh, CEO of analyst firm PrivCo. "That's a lesson learned for upcoming consumer internet IPO attempts," he says.
There were early indications that Trulia's opening day was going to go well. With real estate showing some sustained signs of a rebound in the United States, the 5-year-old company priced its stock at $17 per share, above the expected range of $14-$16. The stock opened Thursday morning at $22.10 per share and jumped to a peak of $25.07 in the afternoon before closing the day at $24 even, a 41% jump. The company raised $102 million with its 6 million share offering. Lead underwriters were J.P. Morgan and Deutsche Bank Securities.
Trulia is the second high-profile consumer internet initial public offering since Facebook (FB) IPO'd in May. Travel site Kayak (KYAK) went public in July and closed Thursday at $33, 2 percent above its IPO price. In addition to braving what many believed would be a very tough market for internet companies thanks to Facebook, Trulia was one of the first Silicon Valley companies to file its prospectus under the JOBS Act, which allowed it to keep its filing confidential up until 21 days before its investor roadshow began. That quiet period was designed to prevent sometimes-embarrassing public changes to an S-1 filing, similar to what Groupon experienced when its internal accounting calculations were off and it had to issue a correction.


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SnapSkan, the digital scanning tyre service developed by Nokian Tyres, has reached one million scans in May. The results of the scans in Finland show that 10% of Finnish drivers drive with dangerous tyres.
Japanese tyre manufacturer Bridgestone has unveiled its new “Enliten” technology for more environmentally friendly tyres. This technology will reduce fuel consumption, CO2 emissions and rolling resistance by 20%.
Finnish tyre manufacturer Nokian Tyres is working hard to make its tyres “greener” and more environmentally friendly. Changes that will allow millions of litres of fuel to be saved on a European scale.
At the “Movin’On” sustainable mobility summit, Michelin and General Motors presented a prototype of an airless tyre for passenger vehicles. A concept named Uptis which will be available for everyone in 2024.


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Baskin-Robbins appoints new marketing chief and plans customer loyalty overhaul
- 28 August, 2014 13:08
Geraldine Van Der Merwe
Baskin-Robbins has appointed a new marketing chief in Australia as it looks to build out its presence and revamp its customer loyalty program locally.
Geraldine Van Der Merwe joined the ice cream company this month as national marketing manager and was most recently the national marketing manager for Retail Food Group’s Michel’s Pattisserie. She has nearly 20 years’ experience in food retail, including a stint as senior marketing manager for development at Subway, and seven years with Tiger Brands.
She replaces Julian Casa, who has headed up marketing locally for Baskin-Robbins for three years and is relocating to the Northern Territory with his family.
In a statement announcing Van Der Merwe’s appointment, the company said it was planning to increase its store network by 25 per cent over the coming year as part of its ambitions to become Australia’s leading ice cream brand.
On Van Der Merwe’s priority list is shaking up and relaunching Baskin-Robbins’ Club 31 customer loyalty program, implementing an online ordering platform, and developing new strategies to drive localised marketing activities for its franchise partners.
The Club 31 loyalty program was launched in 2012 is currently a free card-based program that rewards customers with monthly discounts, competitions and personal offers. It was a replacement and enhancement of the previous Birthday Club and supported by a website redesign.
“Geraldine is an excellent addition to the Baskin-Robbins family,” said Australian general manager, David Jordan. “We’re currently in the process of growth and aim to increase our brand presence in existing and new markets.
“Geraldine’s extensive experience across food and retail will be highly beneficial as we move forward and she will play an important role in helping us achieve our goal to become Australia’s leading ice cream brand.”
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In light of the state’s Stay-At-Home Executive Order from Gov. Gavin Newsom, ADESA has closed its California auctions until further notice, the company said via Twitter on Friday.
That includes its Brasher’s, Fresno, Golden Gate, Los Angeles, Sacramento and San Diego locations in the state.
Similarly, ADESA Reno and ADESA Las Vegas will remain closed through April 16 in light of Nevada’s Declaration of Emergency.
On ADESA’s COVID-19 update page, it provided an outline of what these closures mean, as shown below:
Digital solutions: We have many digital solutions to keep your business moving, including sales at our other auction locations across the country via Simulcast on ADESA.com and the ADESA Marketplace app. Learn more about powering up your digital business here.
AFC: All Regular transactions will be available on AFCDealer.com® or AFC On the Go mobile app. All branch calls will be directed to AFC’s Business Development Center (BDC). To reach the BDC directly, call 1-888-335-6675.
—Will suspend all vehicle imaging in California indefinitely
—Will suspend all vehicle imaging in Nevada through April 16
However, you can still use the app to self-inspect your vehicles and launch your vehicles on our 45-minute live-bidding, dealer-to-dealer auctions. Please reach out to your TradeRev team with any questions.
Elsewhere, Manheim also provided a statement Friday regarding its impact from the California closure.
“We are aware of California Governor Newsom’s recent action regarding a statewide stay-at-home order for all California residents until further notice. The health and safety of Manheim team members, clients, partners and guests is our top priority,” Manheim said in its statement.
“As a wholesale vehicle auction company with six locations in California, we will fully comply with this order and help do our part to reduce the spread of COVID-19. For clients looking to fulfill their wholesale vehicle needs during this time, we recommend they use our digital channels or go to www.manheim.com, the company said.
Manheim said its California locations continue to work closely with parent company Cox Enterprises as they monitor updates from the CDC and World Health Organization, as well as state and local agencies.
The list of safety measures Manheim is following at all of its auction locations can be found here:
In related news, digital auction technology provider Xcira has released a “Five Point Support Plan” to help the auction industry adapt to the challenges from COVID-19.
“It’s at times like these that our auction partners need solid, tangible, and reassuring commitments from their technology partners, and to simply know we have their back,” co-founder and chief executive Nancy Rabenold said in a news release.
The support plan includes the following:
- Additional support resources: With its auction partners dealing with a temporary move to all-digital, Xcira said its possible digital customer activity could climb tenfold. So, Xcira is adjusting its phone systems at its operations support system in Tampa to be able to support/manage more concurrent calls and will be adding more customer service associates.
- Scalable trusted technical solutions: Xcira said it conducts regular load testing of systems in production. It has verified that its OnLine Ringman platform can support 10,000 simultaneous bidders.
“This provides our customers with the peace of mind that Xcira’s solutions will be ready to perform in the face of increased system demands produced from the potential of digital-only auctions,” the company said in the release.
- Resources to assist in clerking: Xcira has long provided auctions with remote clerking services, it said.
“Our staff is trained, capable, and ready to seamlessly clerk an auction from afar. For auction houses that may be mandated to close large physical operations, Xcira offers resources to clerk live digital events on behalf of the auction house,” it said. “Xcira also offers the capabilities to extend an auctioneer’s ability to conduct an auction from a remote location.”
- Preparation of remote workforce: Xcira said that in its two decades, it has experience re-allocating support/essential workforces in crises ranging from hurricanes to extended power outages and beyond.
“This ensures uninterrupted service for our customers,” the company said. “In preparation for the reality that Xcira may be faced with the same mandated office closure, all employees have performed dry runs working from home to validate they have all the tools necessary to work both efficiently and effectively.”
- Data centers: Xcira said it has reached out to its data centers regarding their COVID-19 preparedness plans and “feels confident” the plans will enable its partners to “maintain ‘business as usual’ levels of support, performance, and contracted response times,” the company said.
“In these unprecedented times, where the information available changes hourly, our country and partners have many decisions that need to be faced head-on,” Bill Cieslak, Xcira’s vice president of automotive, said in the release.
“Concerns about a technology provider and their ability to deliver dynamic solutions in the face of challenges, should not be one of those decisions. Xcira is poised and ready to deliver for our partners through years of experience, planning, and preparation.”