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Pune, Mar 30 (PTI) Senior Congress leader and former Maharashtra chief minister Prithviraj Chavan on Tuesday said the government must compensate for the loss of wages by direct cash transfer in case a lockdown amid a recent surge in COVID-19 cases is 'inevitable'.
He claimed the Centre had imposed a nationwide lockdown last year, in March, without any prior preparation, which impacted the economy of the country and over three crore people were pushed below the poverty line.
'So it is important toprepare for the lockdown by taking people into confidence, ensuring minimum impact on the economy and also ensuring how the chain of thevirus can be broken,' Chavan said.
In a press statement, Chavan said the state was witnessing more cases now as compared to 2020, and 'on this background, different opinions are coming forward from administration, medical experts, people from industries and common people'.
He said the state government is in a dilemma over the imposition of lockdown, and added that some points will have to be considered if such a step is taken.
'Before implementing lockdown, the people should be given prior intimation, the lockdown period should be minimum, compensate the loss of wages by direct cash transfer. If need be MLALAD and MPLAD (local area development) funds can be diverted,' Chavan said.
He said the government must ensure the lockdown does not impact transportation of industrial goods and agricultural produce. PTI SPK BNM BNM


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Cricket Wireless this week announced a new Android smartphone with the Engage LT. Manufactured by ZTE, the handset is now on sale for $179.99 at the no-contract carrier.
You'd be forgiven if you thought this new model sounded similar to a current offering; it's nearly identical to the ZTE Engage announced in late 2012. In fact, it's hard to imagine how Cricket plans to position the two devices considering just how closely they resemble each other.
The Engage LT runs Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and features a 4-inch display, a single-core 1GHz processor, 1GB … Read more

domain: news


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Crypto Market Observes Massive Hiring Boom – Job Listings Doubled in the Last 3 Months
It seems that the “good news cycle” of cryptocurrencies has started once again. As we covered yesterday, more credible and bigger names are endorsing the importance and need of the digital currencies, leading to a spike in market activity and pushing the prices up.
While one side of the market activity is currency trading, the other one is more of a backend stuff. For example, development of a token, its processes and go to market plan, all of this is done in the back offices with little known to the public. One such activity is job listing and hiring, where companies and institutions are trying to acquire the best brains of the market.
In the bitcoin frenzy, the reports of trading, price ups and downs, and other market activity do make headlines, but little attention is paid to the backend things like hiring. Angellist, probably the most popular website for startups, has revealed some interesting information about the new crypto-related job listings.
Even though the price of bitcoin has dropped 60% since December of last year, the company found out that: “In the last 3 months, the number of new crypto job listings has doubled.” It has shared the details of the hiring, popular jobs, and the needs of companies.
What’s behind this Hiring Boom?
There are a number of factors leading to the latest hiring boom. According to the premier startup website, the growth in market activity and price competition between various currencies is attracting people into the market.
“The price run-up of Bitcoin and Ethereum in 2017 is attracting more people into the space for the first time, and the level of interest from the investor community is also at a record high,” wrote the company. Even in the last week, Etherereum, XRP, and Bitcoin cash observed steady price hike – and gave tough competition to Bitcoin.
The second important factor is growing number of token sales and initial coin offerings (ICO). With the number of startups succeeding in fundraising, increasing day by day; new investors and entrepreneurs are jumping into the bandwagon to test their ideas and luck. The large sums of money going into the cryptocurrency space, from ICOs, to VC funding, and the price appreciation of key currencies, has led to a hiring boom at cryptocurrency startups. Only in the month of March, over $3 billion were raised via ICOs.
And it’s a typical business phenomenon that once a startup finds the financial capital, her next hunt is the best human capital for the project/product. Engineers who’ve deep expertise and experience in blockchain technologies are in great demand. In fact, the demand is equally high for experienced as fresh enthusiasts who have a keen interesting in blockchain and its sister technologies.
However, it’s not that only engineering related jobs are in-demand. According to Angellist, it has seen growth in the job listings for marketing, business development, operations, growth, customer support, and other non-technical roles as well.
There are a number of companies who have plans and future projects, but are waiting for market consolidation before jumping into the ring. They acquire talent to test their idea beforehand, and develop some killing minimum viable product (MVP). Even regulators and government functionaries are hiring subject specialists, in order to deepen their understanding of the subject, and do their jobs in a more balanced manner.


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The U.S. economy grew from April through June at an annual rate of 1.7 percent – a sluggish pace but stronger than in the previous quarter. Businesses spent more, and the federal government cut less, offsetting weaker spending by consumers.
The government on Wednesday sharply revised down its estimate of growth in the January-March quarter to a 1.1 percent annual rate from a previously estimated 1.8 percent rate.
NPR’s Yuki Noguchi looks at how a low growth rate affects the entire economy, from the job market to home buying.
The Associated Press contributed reporting to this article.
- Yuki Noguchi, business correspondent for NPR.
JEREMY HOBSON, HOST:
From NPR and WBUR Boston, I'm Jeremy Hobson. It's HERE AND NOW.
And the good news is the economy is still growing. The bad news is it only grew at a rate of 1.7 percent in the second quarter of this year. That number could give us a heads up to Friday's monthly jobs report from the Labor Department, which is widely considered to be the most important economic indicator of the month. NPR's Yuki Noguchi joins us with more on all this. And, Yuki, that GDP number is just one piece of data. It's not the only one. What does all of this data tell us about where we are in the economy right now?
YUKI NOGUCHI, BYLINE: Well, let's start with the GDP number first. I mean, basically, the economy is doing a little bit better than people thought. The federal spending clampdown is not exactly taking a huge bite of the economy, as was expected. And, you know, of course, public sector spending was down, but it's down less than the first part of the year, and consumers and businesses are spending more, which offset the decrease in spending. But, of course, as you mentioned, that's a pretty low bar to beat. I mean, we beat low expectations. 1.7 percent is still historically weak, and most economists say we need something more like 3 percent.
HOBSON: And there was a little technicality here, Yuki. And I want to ask you about that. I know that the government made some changes this month in the way that the GDP is calculated. Tell us about that.
NOGUCHI: Yeah, GDP tries to capture everything that we produce and sell in the U.S. So it includes things like exports of cars, you know, inventories that stores keep in stock, government purchases of computers, you know, what have you. But of course, the economy changes and technologies change, and we're moving, you know, less from an industrial economy to one that relies more on intangible things, things like intellectual property and digital content.
And so the government is basically, in making this move, trying to count more of those things, like what drug companies spend on research and development, for example, or even investments to develop TV shows and movies. And in the aggregate, these things generate hundreds of billions of dollars to the economy. And the fact that we're counting them now doesn't affect the rate of growth, which is the important number. It just sort of alters the estimated size of the overall economy.
HOBSON: Hmm. So what is all this going to mean for hiring? We're going to get, as I said, the July jobs report on Friday and find out what the new unemployment rate is.
NOGUCHI: Yeah, so, you know, I mean, GDP growth does drive hiring. Obviously you need the economy to grow in order for businesses to want to hire. You know, it is - GDP growth is expected to improve in the second half of the year to something north of 2 percent. So, you know, hiring - what's interesting about this actually is that hiring is actually exceeding the levels that you might expect given the amount of growth that we're seeing. I mean, it's pretty decent hiring.
And just this morning, for example, Moody's ADP payroll survey was out and it showed 200,000 private sector jobs were added last month, which was more than expected. The bad news part of that is that it seems that a lot of those jobs that are being added are low-wage jobs and a fair number of them are part time as well. So it's not quite the stable good job growth that you'd expect to see if the economy were expanding faster.
HOBSON: And often, that ADP report is not a good predictor of what comes from the Labor Department, but I guess we'll find out in a couple of days. One...
NOGUCHI: Yeah, it has been a pretty good predictor in the last few months.
HOBSON: Well, Yuki, let me ask you about one part of the economy that everyone is seeing doing much better and that is housing. In some places, you could say it's on fire.
NOGUCHI: Yeah, I mean, housing has been doing well or at least much better than it had been doing. Earlier this week, you saw, you know, you've seen a number of reports about home prices, and they've all been pretty consistent. You saw another one this week that showed more improvement and that, in fact, prices in Denver and Dallas are actually now exceeding their pre-recession levels. And, you know, rising home prices, obviously, has a big effect on people's sense of economic wellbeing. It's tempting to say things are great, but they're just now getting close to normal.
HOBSON: NPR's Yuki Noguchi, business correspondent. Thanks so much.
NOGUCHI: All right. Thanks so much.
HOBSON: And coming up, we'll hear from a congressman who is leading the charge to limit the NSA's surveillance programming. That's next. HERE AND NOW. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.


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According to the National Marine Manufacturers Association, retail sales of boats, accessories, and marine services increased six percent to $32.3 billion between 2011 and 2012. Boating participation in the United States increased 10 percent over the same period and the proportion of adults who went boating last year (34.8 percent) was the largest since 1997. This fall will be a perfect time to sell boats and this year’s show could be the best one in years.
The boat show will feature free admission and all in-water exhibitors will be able to take visitors for demos on Lake Erie. Exhibit prices have been kept low and structured to ensure a good mix of products.
Boats may be displayed in the water or on land and all 10-foot by 10-foot booth spaces will be covered by tents. To reserve your space or learn more about the show, call (440) 899-5009 email email@example.com.


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A graphic designer is suing Cher claiming she jacked his famous typeface and slapped it all over her 2013 album, "Closer to the Truth."
Moshik Nadev says he created the font, which he calls Paris Logo, back in 2011 ... which earned him praise on a load of graphic design websites, even Vogue.
Nadev says his famous font and the font on Cher's album are indistinguishable ... in thickness of the swishes and lettering which, gotta say, they look super similar.
Nadev says he contacted Cher, her label and graphic designers to fork over the materials they used to create their logo, but they've refused and continue to sell the album.
He's suing for more than $5 million in damages.
We reached out to Cher for comment ... so far, no word back.


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COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA (KMTV) — The Mulvania family has spent more than a decade perfecting a fish breading that has people traveling from other cities to try it.
Mo Fish, located in Council Bluffs near Nash Blvd. and N. 24th St., opened in October 2005. Troy Mulvania and his parents opened the restaurant after a printing company went south.
"We decided to open up a fish shop since there wasn't one in Council Bluffs. We've done good ever since," said Mulvania.
The restaurant's name stems from the beginning of their last name, but Troy says, "You also just want Mo fish!"
The fish shop specializes in deep-fried Catfish, Carp, and Alaskan Walleye, handed-breaded and served fresh everyday. They also carry pork tenderloins, appetizers, and chicken fingers.
Although the outside looks like a bait shop, inside you'll feel like you're dining on a beach coast with its fish knick knacks decorating the walls, including some Nebraska and OU gear. The walls are decorated with items brought in by friends and customers.
Back in the kitchen, the Mulvania family prepares the fish that's given them success over the years. They've created their own special breading and dip they use when deep frying. Mulvania says the key to their amazing and fresh taste is using new, clean grease each day and their fish is also locally sourced.
On a busy day, they cook nearly 300-400 pounds of fish on busy days, like during lent season.
The place seats up to 60 people and offers dine-in or take-out options.
2403 Nash Blvd. #1
Council Bluffs, IA 51501
Tues. - Thurs.: 11AM - 7PM
Fri. - 11AM - 8PM
Sat. 12 - 8PM
Sun. - Mon. - CLOSED


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Netflix geoblock crackdown has started early in the month in an effort to restrict VPN users from accessing and enjoying its wide collection of video content. The streaming giant has expressed their intentions of cracking down on people that are using the VPN technology to bypass the geographic restrictions being imposed by the company.
Using VPN to bypass Netflix Geoblock?
Many people across the globe are using VPN services for various reasons, and one of them is to be able to access the US version of Netflix – which often has the best catalogue of video contents that are readily available to US-based users only.
Unfortunately, users from countries such as Australia, Indonesia and the United Kingdom are restricted from accessing content on the Netflix US platform. They can, however, access the latest line-up of video programming from the regional Netflix channel that currently exists in their respective country of residence. But then again, the best shows are on the US version of Netflix.
Netflix for its part said that such measures are needed in order to provide better viewing experiences to its customers. Netflix’s VPN crackdown has more to do with content rights which vary for every region that the streaming company operates in.
Netflix geoblock crackdown affecting popular VPNs
VPN service providers that have been affected by the recent blockage have condemned Netflix and called the move as a way to satisfy studios and copyright holders. Several VPN companies have been affected by Netflix’s crackdown.
Among the top VPN providers that Netflix tried blocking include ExpressVPN, BolehVPN, Mullvad and TorGuard. The VPN companies, on the other hand, are confident that they will be able to find a workaround to the Netflix geoblock crackdown. That’s not to say that VPNs have consistently solved various geoblocking issues across the web.
As a Netflix customer, do you think Netflix’s move to block VPN services even necessary?


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Here at Loam Ridges we take a lot of time talking about food, thinking about new recipes, and making sure we are producing the highest quality olive oil for you and your family to enjoy.
For all that time, we also know that there are hundreds of foods we’ve never enjoyed. Everyday recipes are created for that we want to try, and news concerning all topics “food”.
So… we had a thought. Let’s write an article every month to talk about food, cooking, and olive oil! In our first “Cooking News” installment, we cover a range of topics from Cow Appreciation Day to a tasty summer salad. Enjoy!
Cow Appreciation Day 2018
Chicken giants Chick-fil-A celebrated their 14th annual Cow Appreciation Day on July 10th. This is a fun celebration in which any patron who dresses in any cow attire will receive a free entrée or a kids meal (Sorry adults, the free kids meals are just for, you guessed it, kids).
We realize that by the time this article is published this day will have come and gone, but we still love the idea. In fact, it’s almost has cool as the “Eat mor Chikin” billboards they continue to produce!
“Mark your calendars: Chick-fil-A is celebrating its 14th annual Cow Appreciation Day on Tuesday, July 10, 2018. Restaurants nationwide will offer a free entrée to any customer who visits the restaurant dressed as a cow. Chick-fil-A’s largest single-day customer appreciation event, Cow Appreciation Day, celebrates the company’s iconic “Eat Mor Chikin®” Cows.”
Read more here:
Chipotle’s legal troubles
Unfortuanatly, Chipotle is back in the news again today facing 2 new lawsuits for a food poisoning scare. These reports came from an event in 2015 where 600 people who ate at a restaurant near Columbus, OH became ill after eating at the location.
The store was closed immediately to implement new safety protocols. While the investigation is ongoing, the initial tests have come back negative for many common foodborne illnesses.
After a spate of foodborne illnesses in 2015 affected restaurants across the country, Chipotle Mexican Grill vowed to clean up its act by implementing new food handling processes in both its restaurants and at the supplier level.
A Tasty Salad Recipe for Summer
One thing about August… It’s hot. Too hot to cook in many, many locales. That being said, we still want to eat healthy, delicious food that will fill us up. Most importantly, it needs to help dull our sweet tooth so we don’t end up going for ice cream (again).
Is a Well-Rounded Diet really good for you?
You want a well-rounded diet, right? We all know that a wide variety of foods will lead to a bunch of different nutrients and is the best way to guarantee you’re getting the vitamins and minerals your body needs. Not so fast.
The New York Times just published an article that points to a new study that those with the widest variety of food in their diet also tend to have the most junk food in their diet.
A panel of experts with the American Heart Association found that many who have a wide selection of meats, fruits and veggies also tend to each the most sugar process and processed food.
For decades nutrition experts have encouraged Americans to eat a variety of foods to ensure that they consume a nutritionally adequate diet. But this week a panel of experts said that longstanding recommendation might be outdated.
The advice to consume a variety of foods has long been included in the federal government’s Dietary Guidelines for Americans. It is largely based on old studies of low-income populations that found that consuming a broad range of foods helped prevent nutritional deficiencies.
Read more at the New York Times:
Want some Chemicals with your food?
It’s no surprise that having chemicals in our food doesn’t sound like the healthiest idea. Many chemicals that are used in food processing and packaging have been found to potentially harmful to humans. This is an especially big problem when you talk about children.
We’ve highlighted this because a new article on USA Today published 5 of these chemicals, tells you where you can find them, how to avoid them, and how to minimize risk if you do have them in your home and diet.
The chemicals added to food and used in food packaging are potentially harmful to children, a major pediatricians' group says.
Chemicals used in packaging and in processed meats, among others, can lead to obesity, puberty issues and other health problems, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) said.
The group is calling for "urgently needed reforms" at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. In a policy statement, the AAP, which represents 67,000 children's doctors, argued for more rigorous testing and regulation of food additives.
Read more at USA Today:
Sam Zien and his Cooking Show
Finally, San Diego cook Sam Zien gets his due (this is a big over exaggeration, he’s got his due long before this!). When he first started 17 years ago, he was a funny guy who simply could not cook. Nowadays, Sam is a legitimate cook who has appear on the Today show as well as winning a ton of local Emmys, and a lucrative YouTube following.
Sam Zien was the worst cook on TV. That was the whole idea of his show, which became a hit in San Diego. What would happen if a tech sector burnout who couldn’t cook worth a damn learned his way around the kitchen while you watched? The idea paid off. His show won a bazillion local Emmys, landed him guest spots cooking on the Today show, and a few weeks ago he opened his own restaurant in Little Italy.
Read More at San Diego Magazine:
Have a topic you’d love to see in the September edition of “Cooking News?” Let us know!


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Audi is apparently planning an onslaught of performance crossovers for the Geneva Motor Show next month. Not only is the German automaker preparing an RS Q5 for the Swiss expo, but now reports indicate that it's gearing up to showcase an RS Q8 concept as well.
Based closely on the Q8 hybrid concept (pictured) revealed in Detroit last month, Autocar reports that the RS Q8 will adopt a performance orientation that would closely preview a production version to follow. Currently the RS Q3 is the only crossover in Ingolstadt's lineup to have received the full performance treatment from Audi Sport.
Powering the big crossover coupe is anticipated to be a version of the 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 that currently powers (among other models) the S8 Plus performance sedan and Bentley Continental.


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Fill out the form to download the latest edition of EV
Electric vehicle penetration of new retail registrations reached
5% in the five months from January to May 2022. Asian consumers
continue dominate EV, with 16% of Asian new registrations being
electric. While African American and Hispanic consumers make up a
larger portion of EV purchases compared to three years ago, EVs
only represent 3% of those ethnic groups' new registrations.
Fill out the form on the right to access the latest edition.


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Marijuana’s primary celebrity ambassador continues to move the ecosystem forward
Being able to use Snoop Dogg’s name as a reference for a cannabis product should certainly be seen as a privilege. A recent partnership with the rapper is giving these honors to Atlas Global, a cannabis company based in Canada.
The joining of forces between the legendary rapper and the cannabis brand will make Snoop Dogg’s marijuana products drop like it’s all the rage at the local dispensary. Atlas now has the joy of being able to use Snoop Dogg’s name, image, logo, trademarks and other intellectual property to package, produce, distribute, manufacture, sell and even advertise products.
“I chose Atlas to represent and launch my new brands because of their innovation and global reach,” explains the rapper about why he chose to partner with Atlas and their Canadian marijuana products. “I’m excited to work with their team to select my favorite strains for my brands and fans. You know they’re going to be awesome because I will personally approve them.”
Company CEO Bernie Yeung was quick to celebrate this agreement with the iconic rapper, making it clear that he is the most relevant figure in cannabis culture and that it is an honor to collaborate with him. It is important to note that the products will only be launched in Canada, as well as medical cannabis products in Germany, Israel and Australia.
Atlas Global did not disclose the financial terms of the licensing agreement. However, it is known that the contract will last up to five years, according to a press release. Snoop Dogg is no stranger to such transactions, as he signed cannabis licensing deals before, in addition to launching a cannabis brand and making investments in the MJ industry through his California-based fund, Casa Verde Capital.


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In an era of expanding supply chain and logistics footprints, it's important for companies to ask whose hand is on the wheel within their departments. The next few years could prove pivotal to development and improvement, with organizations needing leadership and guidance as they digitize processes, become more analytical and increase the amount of input departments such as procurement have to overall corporate direction.
Supply chain leadership demands a special kind of expertise. The many moving parts within global logistics departments are hard to coordinate at the best of times, and recent years have seen these operations become faster and more all-encompassing than ever. Not only should supply chain managers be able to handle these evolving processes, they have to translate the relative value of logistics operations to the rest of their companies.
An empty seat in the C-suite
According to CFO contributor Chuck Franzetta, many organizations lack supply chain leadership at the C-suite level, though such management could help them understand the impact of supply chain operations. In situations where there is no chief supply chain officer, the chief financial officer tends to take over. This isn't a perfect solution, however, as a granular level of detail will likely be lost when the leader in charge of all financial operations is responsible for negotiating future initiatives.
The quest to hire an outside CSSO and remedy this insight shortfall is another area where some businesses make missteps, Franzetta reported. This is due to a lack of specificity about what a CSSO does. Firms looking for someone to fill the supply chain oversight role may not have an ingrained idea of what they want or need in a leader. Making a new hire could result in an uncomfortable period of restructuring as department leaders try and decide which of their duties go to the CSSO.
As for what C-suite supply chain managers should know, Franzetta suggested their experience must be wide-ranging. While many "ideal" CSSO candidates come from the logistics or sourcing side of the discipline, they should also be ready to handle manufacturing, customer service and more. These executives should also be tech-savvy, as the next generation of supply chain excellence will involve heavy use of new IT options.
According to The Wall Street Journal, a relative lack of workers with supply chain leadership skills hasn't gone entirely unnoticed by U.S. organizations. These businesses are now engaging in an escalating round of wage hikes to attract and keep top talent. Citing Institute for Supply Management data, the newspaper explained salary gains among supply chain professionals were higher than U.S. averages, and that 2017 growth may just be the beginning.
Knowledgeable executives are particularly valued for their ability to keep costs low when organizations run into problems such as rising fuel costs. When profit margins fall, these businesses have to find ways to make up the difference. Skilled supply chain managers are being called on to maximize their departments' spending, and to minimize the impact of common risk factors. If they can succeed in these tasks, they'll save their employers enough to justify high wages.


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Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos recently spoke in an interview in Berlin about what he's learned from the challenges his company has faced and how he deals with criticism. Amazon has f ..
Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has become famous among Apple observers for publishing accurate rumors about upcoming Apple products. If you've heard a rumor about an unreleased Apple p ..
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has granted a financial hardship waiver to an oil refinery owned by billionaire Carl Icahn, a former adviser to President Donald Trump ..
The U.S. made its final plea in the trial over AT&T Inc.’s proposed takeover of Time Warner Inc., telling a judge that consumers will pay the price if the owner of the cou ..
Twenty US cities are vying a $5bn investment and 50,000 jobs, so are the movements of the CEO’s aircraft, N-271DV, the key to HQ2? Jeff Bezos’s Gulfstrea, G650ER has touched ..
Hint: It's not the newlyweds ..
ILG serves some 2 million members through various networks and has faced pressure from investor FrontFour Capital Group, which has been urging a sale to cash in at a time when ..
Google today announced that Nvidia's high-powered Tesla V100 GPUs are now ..
Strong earnings and impressive sales imply that the technology sector's hot streak could continue throughout 2018--despite recent market-wide volatility. Check out these ..
Botox maker Allergan's shares fell 4.2 percent to $155.16 (112.8 pounds) in late-morning trading, and are down more than a third over the last year. Allergan has hired multip ..


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Calling All Models!
What woman hasn't dreamed of walking a runway modeling beautiful clothes? This May, a fundraising fashion show will be featuring many of Broward's beautiful members modeling clothes to raise money for the extraordinary work of Hadassah! The L'dor V'dor Fashion Show will be held on May 18th at the exquisite Signature Grand.
We still need more models! There is no age limit; women and girls of all shapes and sizes are being asked to donate their time (and their fiercest model poses) in the name of our great cause.
The young women of AHIOT will be meeting at The Dubliner in Mizner Park (just north of Palmetto Park Road on Federal) for an informal happy hour on Thursday, January 23rd. If you are interested in making new friends and possibly modeling, join them at The Dubliner to learn more about the fashion show in May.
Don't forget! You can keep up with interesting happenings throughout our Region right here on our blog. If you're interested in becoming a guest blogger, please reach out to Rachel Creveling at email@example.com.


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Ferrari racers have always worn red. But black has been the standard-bearer for the company so far this year, as the Prancing Horse turned a $72 million trading profit in the first quarter.
Making money amid the global economic crisis is no small feat--and Ferrari posted the gain despite a slip in sales and revenue.
The Ferrari California, a 460-hp retractable hardtop, posted “vigorous sales” in the second part of the period and lifted the company’s overall performance with particular strength in Asia.
The California launches in North America in late June, and there’s a 24-month waiting list. The 2+2 speedster is billed as more of an everyday sports car in contrast to other offerings from Ferrari, such as the 599 GTB Fiorano and the F430.
Ferrari sold 1,571 cars in the first quarter, down five percent from a year ago, though it was still the most profitable of all Fiat companies.


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Uber, the taxi hailing app has made rounds ever since they made inroads into Kampala with their Uber X service, receiving too much fun fare in the process. Questions rose up regarding the almost non-existent competition it was to fend off ,with no cash fueled local rival with a big war chest as Uber’s. The would-be competition instead joined hands with Uber and their fleet of cars is tying Kampala roads disguising as Uber contractors and no one else seems bold enough to take a fight with this American juggernaut.
I am a bit heretical about Uber’s future here but it now seems to be facing a smooth ride with its operations in Kampala and will continue to sail a tide free journey if its projected uptake reconciles with their investments if no rival surfaces.
Elsewhere, it is a different story with it facing Lyft on its home turf, Get in Europe, Easy Taxi in Latin-America, Grab in South East Asia and finally Didi in the People’s Republic of China.
Our particular interest is Didi Chuxing, its Chinese frenemy. New spreading like wildfire suggest Uber’s ship in China has finally hit the tides and anchored after a fierce and costly war with Didi that has now culminated into a takeover. Uber China has long played the underdog while battling Didi, bleeding cash in the process to a tune of $2 billion in the course of 2 years.
Uber has since thrown in the towel after letting go of its Chinese operations, which have now become part of the wider Didi. Uber will now merge with Didi and part with a 6% stake in latter.It joins domestic tech giants like Alibaba and Tencent in becoming Didi’s investors after the two foes called for quits and joined hands in a bid to turn a profit.
Uber’s CEO almost admitted that their rivalry with Didi hardly allowed them score any profit but prospects are high that the consolidation might turn things around. “Getting to profitability is the only way to build a sustainable business that can best serve Chinese riders, drivers and cities over the long term.” stressed Travis Kalanick.


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Excellent John K. Kumi is a cryptocurrency and fintech enthusiast, operations manager of a fintech platform, writer, researcher, and a huge fan of creative writing. With an Economics background, he finds much interest in the invisible factors that causes price change in anything measured with valuation. He has been in the crypto/blockchain space in the last five (5) years. He mostly watches football highlights and movies in his free time.
The name disclosed to reporters is Japan Digital Asset Trust Preparatory Company (JADAT), however, it is expected to be shortened to Japan digital asset trust.
With the rising demand for digital assets by institutional investors, the Japanese bank Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings (SuMi) has announced that it has partnered with crypto exchange Bitbank to launch the Trust Company. The name disclosed to reporters is Japan Digital Asset Trust Preparatory Company (JADAT), however, it is expected to be shortened to Japan digital asset trust.
The announcement further reveals that the company is meant to offer custodial services as well as auditing and wallet insurance. As part of the custodial services, JADAT will offer digital asset holdings including security tokens on a public blockchain, cryptocurrencies, stablecoins, and NFTs. The digital asset will be stored on hardware wallets or cold wallets. Also, it has been designed with high-security measures including Hardware Security modules (HSM) and multi-sig.
Custodial services are the backbone for the institutional adoption of cryptos as investment assets. According to Bitbank Chief Executive Officer Noriyuki Hirosue, the Japanese crypto market is dominated by retail investors compared to the US market which is largely made up of institutional investors. Also, the rising number of crypto theft recorded on various exchanges in Japan and other countries has been a major problem.
“The biggest problem is that there is not a trustworthy digital custody service. Given the past incidents, crypto companies do not enjoy public trust. We need cooperation from a major trust bank,” said Hirosue.
The successful implementation of custodial services could increase crypto interest significantly, according to Hirosue. SuMi has a very good history of centralized and decentralized finance. Since 2002, it has been actively providing financial services to both retail and wholesale customers. It is also known as a publicly traded holding and specialized trust bank group.
Bitbank, on the other hand, also has a monthly trading volume of more than $5 billion, making it one of the largest exchanges in Japan. Considering their background, their expertise will be crucial in making JADAT a success. Also, the firms have signed a memorandum of understanding. This means an agreement has been made to analyze the possibility of SuMi investing in the established company. As it stands, the firm is currently seeking a custodial trust company license.
“JADAT aims to have necessary factors of digital asset management for institutional investors and enterprises, such as access to digital asset exchanges, buying and selling executions, the audit by external auditors regularly, and insurance coverage,” said the company.
The crypto adoption rate in Japan has been very impressive as companies are staging interesting moves into the ecosystem. It can be recalled that Nomura Holdings Inc (TYO: 8604), and Komainu, its joint venture company, collaborated last year with Crypto Garage to provide custodial services related to cryptos for investors. In addition, SBI Motor Japan announced earlier this month that it will accept BTC and XRP as payment options.


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THE north west's small firms are no longer concerned with keeping it in the family.
Firms starting out with a family name over the door are in decline, and nowhere more so than in this region, according to research by Royal Mail.
Forty one per cent of small businesses established before 1980 are named after a family name. That figure falls to only 14 per cent among UK businesses established after 1995.
Just 12 per cent of the north west's small businesses have a family name today. And that is the lowest level in the United Kingdom.
Younger companies are more likely to have a factual, product-driven or even humorous name today than companies that have been trading longer.
Tim Rivett, head of small business at Royal Mail, said: "The name of a business plays an important role in creating the very crucial first impression of the business. Getting it right is therefore key."
Owner managers in the north west are fairly indecisive with 10 per cent changing the name of the company once.
Some 11 per cent of those established before 1980 said their present company name is based on an anagram or play on words, compared with 16 per cent of businesses established after 1995. Those firms account for 13 per cent overall.
Around two per cent of small firms established before 1980 said their present company name was humorous compared with six per cent overall. There are approximately 200,000 small businesses with "funny" names.


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All bourbon is whiskey, but not all whiskey is bourbon. And, despite what you may have heard, not all bourbon is distilled in Kentucky. According to the Kentucky Department of Tourism, 95 percent of the world’s bourbon is distilled there. But as many raise a glass of bourbon—on the rocks, or in a mint julep—ahead of the Kentucky Derby, the co-founder of a Chicago distillery believes the Midwestern roots of their bourbon is not only what makes it unique, but what makes it worthwhile.
“Bourbon can be made anywhere in the United States. Kentucky makes a lot of it. They certainly do not have a monopoly on it. You can have a bourbon made in Alaska, in Vermont, and right here in the city of Chicago,” says Dr. Sonat Birnecker Hart, president and co-founder of Koval Distillery. “Bourbon is American heritage. It is part of our identity as a nation.”
Birnecker Hart and her husband, Dr. Robert Birnecker, founded their distillery back in 2008, leaving their careers to do so. Birnecker Hart was a professor, and her husband was the deputy secretary at the Austrian embassy. Robert comes from a family of three generations of craft distillers in Austria, and he grew up helping his grandfather on his farm, distilling and making things like brandy, liqueurs, and ciders.
“We wanted to really bring the family tradition that Robert grew up with to Chicago and also make it uniquely Chicago- and Midwest-oriented,” Birnecker Hart says.
But at the time, Illinois state laws regarding craft distilleries were more strict, prohibiting tours or tastings. Distilleries were only allowed to manufacture. Birnecker Hart says she worked with officials to lobby the state legislature to get the laws changed. It worked.
“We went from literally not even a handful of distilleries and rectifiers in the state of Illinois to now about 50,” she says.
Birnecker Hart says Koval was the first distillery in Chicago since the mid-1800s (or, the first legal distillery, she adds, noting the Prohibition Era). When they first opened, they began producing brandy as a nod to Robert’s roots, but quickly switched to focusing on grain spirits. All of the grain they use is grown locally.
“We're in the bread belt. We've got some of the best grains in the world growing in the Midwest, and we wanted that to be one of the key elements of our whiskeys,” she says.
That includes their bourbon. By legal definition, bourbon is made from a grain mash that is at least 51% corn. It must be produced in the United States and aged in new charred American white oak barrels, and the finished product needs to be at least 80 proof.
Most bourbons usually contain wheat, rye, or barley in addition to corn. What makes Koval’s bourbon different is that the rest of its mash bill is made entirely of millet, giving it "a real signature of the Midwest,” Birnecker Hart says. Millet is beneficial for the farmers they work with, too.
“It's a rotation crop. It helps revitalize the soil,” she says. “When they're not producing rye for us, they can produce millet for us and it's good for them, and it's great for us.”
Koval distills in its Ravenswood facility, using only the “heart cut” of the distillate, meaning the purest part.
“It means that all of our whiskeys are very bright and clean and grain forward. It's similar in style, to some degree, to Japanese whiskeys,” Birnecker Hart says.
In bourbon production, the barrels are charred to give the spirit flavor. Koval uses a medium char, “because we think that imparts a lot of wonderful flavor and aroma. At the same time, it doesn't overpower the grain. And we really want people to be able to taste the grain,” Birnecker Hart says. Their bourbon then ages in the barrel for at least 36 months in a rickhouse outside of the city.
Bourbon can taste different to different individuals, thanks to the same science that makes cilantro taste good to some and like soap to others. For Birnecker Hart, Koval’s bourbon has notes of white chocolate, candied orange peel, and a “light herbaceousness.”
What Birnecker Hart loves about making a bourbon in the Midwest is that it emphasizes that bourbon is an American spirit.
“It's a kind of spiritual diplomacy, so to speak,” she says, “where people are able to try it and experience it and … learn about how we do things, whether they are in Tokyo or Sydney or Milan.”
And while Kentucky may make the most bourbon, Birnecker Hart hopes that more and more distilleries will pop up all around the country. Chicago is well-suited to be the place to do that because, “Everywhere, really, is a good place for bourbon.” With its location smack-dab in the middle of the country, it has always been a “distribution town.”
“Chicago deserves to have something unique and different and interesting,” Birnecker Hart says. “Chicago has always been a place that has not been afraid to try something new, to be bold, to compete, to punch above our weight.”


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Apple has unveiled its highly anticipated augmented reality headset, Apple Vision Pro, which aims to merge the real and digital worlds. With a design resembling ski goggles, CEO Tim Cook described it as the first Apple product that users look through, rather than at.
The headset features separate battery packs and can be controlled using eyes, hands, and voice commands. Priced at $3,499, it is set to launch early next year, starting in the US market with plans for global expansion.
Augmented and Virtual Reality
Apple Vision Pro is primarily an augmented reality (AR) device but can switch to full virtual reality (VR) with the turn of a dial. The controller-free device allows users to navigate through rows of app icons in the visionOS operating system simply by looking at them.
It supports familiar iPhone and iPad apps and incorporates voice commands. Additionally, the headset supports Bluetooth accessories and enables users to connect their Mac for use within the headset. Hand tracking is possible through downward-facing cameras, even when the hands are resting low on the body.
Design, Optics, and Immersive Features
The headset’s design comprises a glass front, an aluminum frame, and a modular mask and strap. The mask, known as the “Light Seal,” and the strap, known as the “Head Band,” are cloth-lined and adjustable to fit various face shapes and head sizes.
Zeiss has partnered with Apple to provide custom optical inserts for users who wear glasses. The headset includes an external battery that lasts up to two hours, offering flexibility for extended use through connection to external power sources.
With a 4K display for each eye, the Apple Vision Pro promises an unprecedented level of sharpness and video quality. The device uses the M2 chip and introduces a new chip called the R1. It incorporates an EyeSight system that displays users’ eyes and offers passthrough video, enabling the projection of 3D objects into the real world.
Furthermore, the headset creates a digital persona by scanning the user’s face and allows for spatial audio during remote communication. Users can also capture and relive 180-degree video with the integrated 3D camera.
The announcement of Apple Vision Pro comes after years of development and numerous iterations. It is seen as a significant addition to Apple’s product lineup and has garnered praise from industry insiders. However, the headset enters a market that has yet to fully take off.
As the launch of Apple Vision Pro approaches, excitement builds among tech enthusiasts and industry watchers. The advanced features, intuitive controls, and high-quality display position the headset as a potential game-changer in the augmented reality landscape.
With its unique capabilities and Apple’s reputation for innovation, the Apple Vision Pro has the potential to shape the future of AR and VR experiences for users worldwide.


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People are lined up at the Sioux City Post Office to mail their holiday packages
Sioux City, IOWA (KTIV) - Locally, people were also lining up at the Sioux City Main Post Office to mail their letters and packages as well.
Postal officials say they have added extra staff to help expedite mailing and the lines as fast as possible.
New this year is their Priority Mail boxes that will ship anywhere in the U.S. for a flat fee.
And, if you don't want to wait in the traditional line this year, officials say there are a few other options.
"We also have the option for people not wanting to wait in line is we have an Automatic Postal Center, where they can do it on there own. Just like an a-t-m machine, they can mail their own packages. They could also, if they don't want to wait in line, they could do everything on-line at home at usps.com and print their own labels, get everything ready to go and either just drop off or we would pick up for them also," said Lori Slater-Trautwein, Sioux City Post Master.
Slater-Trautwein said packages should arrive in time for Christmas as long as they are mailed by Friday.


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What made Wise go public in London? The story of TransferWise – All Finance Directory
The story begins in London, when the TrasferWise Co-Founder, Taavet Hinrikus, was still Skype employee. He was receiving his salary in Estonian kroons (the official currency before Estonia joined the Eurozone), and had to deal with fees, while exchanging it to British pounds. And as he was already a part of a revolutionary Skype, it was only a matter of time until he found a solution to his problems with international payments. That is how TransferWise was created.
This should be no surprise that his solution was not blatantly obvious, if you take into consideration the extensive period of time when this issue was bothering thousands if not millions of people. When Taavet was making his first steps in the industry, Bitcoin and PayPal were already there, and one would be pretty naive, thinking they were not looking for the solution themselves. But Hinrikus was first, which gave his TransferWise a deserved boost, as he managed to solve the problems with high fees and charges and the low level of customer service (trust me, if you’re dealing with big international money transfers, you want to feel as if you have anyone to speak to in case of trouble).
Ten years later, Estonian firm announced that they are planning to be directly listed in London, which would (according to them) mean more transparency, fairness, and also fewer costs for the investors. This is a sentiment that occurs in the FinTech industry really often.
Bloomberg commented on how TransferWise may not look like a FinTech monopolist, but it really makes enough profit. It’s excellent news for the European market, that a home-grown Unicorn is celebrating more and more successes. Although this used to be a trend, it’s not something you see every day anymore.
Rebranding and the company’s investors
Now, TransferWise is known as ‘Wise’, and it became really profitable. In 2011 Taavet was joined by Kristo Kaarmann, who helped him with making his company profitable, which finally happened in 2017. Since then, they are noting profits year by year, and going public has always been their ambition. Kristo states that they had always done things differently. That is why, instead of making a normal IPO (like others), their company is doing the direct listing.
In 2014, they were still gaining presence on the markets in the United Kingdom and in Europe generally. And only a year later, Taavet spoke at the TechCrunch event, where he openly criticized the tactics that they were previously using. One of those marketing stunts involved 100 naked people running around London. All this to highlight consumers’ problems with charges and the banks. Although the company was still only dreaming of joining the top percentile, they have already crossed their paths with the United Kingdom’s Advertising Standards Authority.
Kristo and Taavet are undoubtedly brave and have a really original approach as to how they are conducting their business. They first got Valar Ventures to invest in their endeavour, and then Richard Branson joined in. All this in the early rounds of investment. What is impressive, is the fact, that they managed to gather $33 million worth of funding while being still a 3-years old company.
Peter Thiel of Valar Ventures spoke of TransferWise in 2013, when he stated that the Estonian company represents true innovation by enabling its customers to retain their money and wealth internationally.
Also, Branson spoke about the company back in 2014, explaining why he even got involved with it. He highlighted that in his opinion, TransferWise tackled the status quo, which is the kind of mentality that he always had and adored in others. What he found exciting, was how they managed to simplify doing businesses without borders.
In 2015, the company received a whopping $58 million from Andreessen Horowitz, thus becoming their first-ever European investment. If you want to get to know more about TransferWise investors, the plans for the future, and more, visit Disruption Banking in order to read a comprehensive piece by Andy Samu: https://disruptionbanking.com/2021/06/21/wise-like-transferwise-why-is-wise-going-public-in-london/.
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Tower, Body Central Cut Offer Prices This Week as IPOs Slump
Tower International Inc. (TOWR) and Body Central (BODY) Corp. cut the price for their initial public offerings this week, while three companies postponed sales as a rebound in U.S. stocks failed to lift the IPO market.
Cerberus Capital Management LP sold new shares of Tower in an $81.3 million IPO for 11 percent less than it paid to take control of the auto-parts supplier three years ago, and Body Central, the Jacksonville, Florida-based clothing retailer, reduced its offering by as much as 19 percent. NetSpend Holdings Inc. pushed its sale back to next week, while Legacy Healthcare Properties Trust Inc. (LRP) and U.S. Federal Properties Trust Inc. shelved their deals.
Only four U.S.-based companies have completed IPOs in New York this month even as the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index (SPX) rallied 15 percent since July 2, data compiled by Bloomberg show. At least 54 sales have been withdrawn or postponed in the U.S. this year, while companies based in China and India account for seven of the 10 best performing IPOs on American exchanges as economic growth in emerging markets outpaces the developed world.
“It underlines the sentiment in the U.S. IPO market,” said Josef Schuster, the Chicago-based founder of IPOX Capital Management LLC, which oversees $3 billion. “Really there’s little interest for U.S.-domiciled IPOs. It underlines economic concerns here in terms of the macroeconomic picture.”
Tower, which was bought by Cerberus in July 2007 and builds hoods and doors for Volkswagen AG and Toyota Motor Corp., sold 6.25 million new shares at $13 each on Oct. 14, 24 percent less than it sought, Bloomberg data show. The IPO valued the buyout firm’s $181.6 million initial investment at $162.1 million. That stake was part of a $1 billion deal by Cerberus that brought Tower out of bankruptcy just before the credit crisis began.
Cerberus, which was Tower’s only shareholder, spent $14.57 per share for its 12.47 million-share holding, versus the per-share price of $13 that IPO investors paid, its filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission and data compiled by Bloomberg showed. The offering cut the New York-based buyout firm’s stake to 67 percent, according to the filing.
At the midpoint price of $16 each, Tower would have had a market capitalization of about $300 million, debt of about $548 million and $141 million in cash, its filing showed.
The company’s enterprise value, or the sum of its stock and debt minus cash, would then have equaled $707 million, or 4.5 times its earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization of $157 million in the 12 months ended June 30, according to Tower’s filing and data compiled by Bloomberg.
That compares with the median of 5.7 times Ebitda for the 278 makers of original parts and equipment for cars and trucks, data compiled by Bloomberg show.
Tower’s initial sale was the second from the auto industry this year, following electric sports-car maker Tesla Motors Inc. (TSLA) in June. It also came before a planned IPO from General Motors Co. (GM), 61 percent owned by the U.S. government after its own bankruptcy. GM will seek to raise $8 billion to $10 billion next month, less than the Detroit-based automaker had targeted, according to people familiar with the matter.
Body Central sold 5 million shares at $13 each on Oct. 14 after offering them for $14 to $16, SEC filings and data compiled by Bloomberg show.
NetSpend, the Austin, Texas-based provider of reloadable prepaid debit cards, delayed its $222 million IPO until next week. Legacy Healthcare of Orlando, Florida, also postponed its $166 million sale, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
U.S. Federal Properties Trust, the Kansas City, Missouri-based real estate company that manages properties leased to the U.S. government, shelved a $289 million initial sale on Oct. 11.
“The volume of IPOs indicates that investors are interested in participating,” said Lawrence Creatura, a Rochester, New York-based fund manager at Federated Investors Inc., which oversees about $350 billion. However “the pricing is not as robust as hoped for, and that could indicate that prices are being set a bit more aggressively and the market isn’t robust enough to support that pricing,” he said.
NetSpend and five other companies are scheduled to raise about $822 million combined next week, data compiled by Bloomberg show. ShangPharma Corp., a Shanghai-based pharmaceutical and biotechnology research company, and Beijing-based TAL Education Group (XRS), which offers after-school tutoring services, will offer shares after companies from China posted the three biggest gains among U.S. IPOs in 2010.
‘Willing to Pay’
China’s economy will grow 9.6 percent in 2011, according to estimates from the Washington-based International Monetary Fund. That compares with 2.2 percent for developed nations and 2.3 percent forecast for the U.S.
“What we’ve seen this year is the market has been very, very selective,” said Timothy Cunningham, a manager at Santa Fe, New Mexico-based Thornburg Investment Management, which had $56 billion in assets as of June 30. “They’re willing to pay up for the really good, premium stories, with the good fundamentals and big opportunities in front of them.”
ShangPharma will sell 5.8 million American depositary receipts at $14.50 to $16.50 on Oct. 19, while TAL Education will offer 12 million ADRs for $8 to $10 each the same day, according to SEC filings and data compiled by Bloomberg.
Bravo Brio Restaurant Group Inc. (BBRG), the Columbus, Ohio-based Italian restaurant chain operator, will sell 8.3 million shares at $14 to $16 each the next day.
Vera Bradley Inc. (VRA), the Fort Wayne, Indiana-based women’s accessory retailer, also plans to offer 11 million shares at $14 to $16 each next week. Aegerion Pharmaceuticals Inc. (AEGR), the Bridgewater, New Jersey-based biopharmaceutical company that develops drugs treating lipid disorders, will sell 4.7 million at $14 to $16, SEC filings and data compiled by Bloomberg show.
To contact the reporter on this story: Cecile Vannucci in New York at firstname.lastname@example.org.
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Daniel Hauck at email@example.com.


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NEW YORK The spot aluminum billet market remained sluggish Wednesday with lower spot sales volumes due to a slight seasonal slowdown in auto demand.
However, diminishing inquiries for spot deals didnt dampen premiums, which remain between 12.5 and 13.5 cents per pound.
"Were still completely full, but we havent received as many spot/extra requests lately," one producer told AMM. The last spot deal he sold was 12.5 cents per pound last week, adding that he did manage to book some forward 2013 business at these levels.
"Weve seen a slight softening for August business," a second producer said, adding that he closed just one spot deal for 6063 billet at 12.5 cents on Tuesday and two truckloads at 13 cents last week.
"Were not in the spot market this week," a consumer added. "We havent seen any pickup in business."
Participants are reporting a slight softening in demand in the automotive and truck and trailer markets in the second half of the year after a blistering first half, but maintain it is due to seasonality rather than a larger economic slowdown.
Kaiser Aluminum Corp., Foothill Ranch, Calif., has forecast a 10-percent decline in automotive build rates in the second half compared with the first half (amm.com, July 27), while Pittsburgh-based Alcoa Inc. readjusted its truck and trailer forecast to a range of 4 to 8 percent from its original 7- to 12-percent growth prediction (amm.com, July 10).
A third producer said he had seen a slight "relaxing" in automotive demand for September orders. However, he noted that its not unusual for auto suppliers to perform inventory checks at this time of year, which results in fewer orders.
The lack of spot billet in the market is likely to keep premiums high for now, and producers expect supply to remain tight next year as well.
"Very little offshore billet has come to the rescue (in North America this year). (And) I dont see how that situation will improve next year," the third producer said.


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Join EON Sports VR´s CEO, Brendan Reilly, at On Deck Sports and Technology Conference on September 22nd at 1.30 pm at the Bohemian National Hall in New York.
Founded in 2013, the On Deck Sports and Technology Conference is an annual event series designed to shine a spotlight on new technology that is transforming the ways that we follow, enjoy, analyze, and understand sports.
A full day of programming at the 2015 On Deck Conference will seek to identify the key trends and technologies – emerging from both industry incumbents as well as startup companies – that will reshape the sports industry in the years ahead.
The On Deck Conference will provide a forum for an expected audience of over 400 sports industry executives, sports tech entrepreneurs and consumers alike to discuss the key ideas and innovations in technology that will fundamentally improve the fan experience moving forward. It will also provide a platform to surface promising new technologies and startups that are primed to transform the sports industry.
See the agenda and more here


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HootSuite is one of the largest social media management platforms out there. With over 2 million users sending tweets, managing lists and participating in hashtag chats every day, it is a Twitter power-user’s dream.
At the Shorty Awards industry awards ceremony on October 6th in NYC, HootSuite’s CEO Ryan Holmes gave some pretty cool insight into how on of the most popular Twitter dashboards came to be. Check it out in this quick video below.
I’m personally a HootSuite user myself, so I found it especially neat to hear from its founder just how the company got its legs. Being a social media platform, Holmes explains they strictly adhere to the “social” element in their entire business aspect, even going to far as to crowdsource the name “HootSuite”.
Holmes also spoke about how winning a Shorty early in its life impacted HootSuite – and how the award itself was the catalyst for the name change from Bright Kit to HootSuite.
My favorite quote: “We built all of our business eating our own dog food”. Awesome!
You can check out the entire interview below:


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Last week, Burger King unleashed an ad that angered the collective internet — and one of the internet’s biggest names — by designing a commercial that would intentionally trigger viewers’ Google Home devices, directing them to the Wikipedia page for the Whopper sandwich. Google responded swiftly by amending Home to no longer respond to the ad’s prompt: “What is the Whopper burger?” And now, it looks like Google wasn’t the only one angered by the experiment.
Wikipedia also had some choice words for Eater’s sister site the Verge, which in its reporting of the stunt, inserted incorrect information on the Burger King Wiki to see if Google Home would read the wrong information. (It did.) Wikipedia is asking for an apology to its “editors and readers” from all involved.


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Ice cream lovers get ready for the best news ever!
Remember everyone’s favourite ice block, the Fruju Tropical Snow? Well, they’re officially making a comeback in stores across New Zealand!
Last week, a Reddit thread sparked rumours that the beloved Fruju Tropical Snow would be returning just in time for New Zealand’s summer …
In an email to TipTop Consumer Care, a Reddit user was able to get the ultimate hint about the Tropical Snow- that it would be available to buy "IN A COUPLE OF WEEKS"!!!!
And now TipTop has confirmed they will be available in stores nationwide!
BRB going to the dairy!


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Security researchers have identified a sophisticated phishing campaign originating in China that is deploying tens of thousands of malicious domains. The phishing campaign is centered around spreading malware and generating advertising revenue, security researchers at Cyjax say. The group has been dubbed Fangxiao and its campaign directs users to the malicious domains via WhatsApp messages. The messages indicate that the recipient has won a prize, and needs to click on the link to claim. The phishing site landing pages are impersonating well known brands such as Coca-Cola, MdDonald’s, Emirates, Unilever, and Knorr.
Fangxiao also generates money from the advertising sites that it directs its victims too. The sites contain fake surveys were the site claims that the user can win a prize. Security researchers state that, in some cases, this triggers malware deployment. Cyjax states that the operators behind the campaign have used other lures in the past, such as Covid-19 themes. The 42,000 domains detected by cybersecurity researchers were registered back in 2019 and have likely been adapted to fit the goals of different phishing campaigns. Additionally, the domain names are changed regularly and quickly to avoid detection.


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BYD Co Ltd (1211.HK)
24 Jun 2016
Tue, Jun 21 2016
* Says it signs framework agreement to set up joint venture with partners including Qinghai Salt Lake Industry Co Ltd on lithium products
BEIJING, April 28 Chinese automaker BYD Co Ltd , backed by Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc, forecast on Thursday a five-fold jump in first-half net profit, citing strong demand for its electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles.
* Says it expects H1 net profit to rise 382.15-425.01 percent y/y to 2.25-2.45 billion yuan ($347.29-$378.16 million)
* Says unit wins bid for electric buses for 1.8 billion yuan ($278.61 million) in Shenzhen
* Two more green SUV models to launch in 2016 (Adds Q1 forecast, model launches, company comments)
SHANGHAI, March 28 Chinese automaker BYD Co Ltd , backed by Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc, said on Monday its 2015 net profit rose more than six times over the previous year to a six-year high as green-energy car demand surged.
* Says 2015 net profit up 551.3 percent y/y at 2.8 billion yuan ($429.74 million)
* Says preliminary 2015 net profit up 552.6 percent y/y at 2.8 billion yuan ($428.34 million)
* Says gets securities regulator's approval to issue A-shares in private placement
* Says major shareholders including Wang Chuanfu pledge not sell company shares in the next six months from Jan 14, 2016


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$50 Portsmouth parking fines? Council says no as residents, workers object.
PORTSMOUTH – The City Council rejected a controversial proposal to increase parking fines from $15 to $50, voting unanimously to send the issue back to two city committees for further study.
The council voted Monday night after receiving a litany of complaints from city residents and downtown workers about the proposed hike in parking fines.
The proposal was scheduled for first reading during Monday’s council meeting, but never got that far because of the vote to send it back to the Parking, Traffic and Safety Committee, along with the Fees Committee.
City Councilor Deaglan McEachern stated he spent part of Monday trying to “respond to about 100 emails I got on this today.”
The proposed hike in the fine from $15 to $50 could end up being “a deterrent not to come back to Portsmouth if you were to increase it that much,” McEachern said.
City Councilor Paige Trace believes they heard from so many residents and downtown employees because many struggle to find a parking spot at the free Parrott Avenue lot or can’t afford to pay a ticket.
“It’s all of those people out there who aren’t making enough money to even be able to afford a $50 ticket,” Trace said Monday, adding, $50 is “huge for them.”
She believes “the very people who are most likely to get” a parking ticket for staying too long in a spot “are the people who can afford it the least.”
Mayor Rick Becksted said he would not support any hike in the parking fines while the city is still in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“There’s so many people that are out there that are hurting,” Becksted said. “I don’t think this is the time or the place.”
Assistant Mayor Jim Splaine noted city officials are routinely looking at ways to raise revenue, and that ends up in the hands of city staff.
Sometimes, he said, staff look at things “more statistically rather than in the way people are affected by this.”
Increasing the parking fine from $15 to $50 “could be a burden, particularly when you have a family and you’re living on low pay,” Splaine said.
“We have to consider that a lot of our people in Portsmouth, and visitors too, certainly employees who work downtown, are subject to these kinds of fines and could be living under that kind of scenario,” Splaine said.
“We don’t need to do that to our people, we don’t need every piece of revenue from parking,” he added.
The case for increasing fines
City Manager Karen Conard said in a memo to City Council that the “current fine structure was last revisited in 2013.”
“Presently, the Parking Division recognizes that the fine structure no longer encourages the desired effect, particularly as it pertains to the new daily maximum rates under the Stay and Pay system,” she said. “Out-of-town guests who find a $15 citation on their vehicle are now even more prone than before to simply skip payment for the remainder of the day, rather than be encouraged to either vacate the space or continue their parking session.”
“Portsmouth lags behind peer averages in myriad violation categories,” Conard said, which led the Parking Division to recommend revising the fine structure.
In addition to increasing the $15 fine to $50, the amount of that fine would increase to $75 from $30 if it’s not paid within 30 days, according to city documents.
Downtown employee Ankati Day was one of many people who emailed the City Council about the proposed parking fine hike.
“Going from $15 for parking tickets to $50 is absolutely unreasonable. For those of us who work in downtown but cannot afford to live there, parking is already enough of a challenge,” Day said. “If you raise the tickets to $50, you're likely going to impact the employees who work here more than anyone else. We are the ones who get stuck at work a little too long and the meter runs out. We are the ones also visiting the coffee shops and restaurants to fuel our lives while we're in town. And we are the ones who could be broken by a couple of $50 parking tickets.”
Seacoast restaurants open this winter:Is your favorite on the list?
Portsmouth resident Jessica Bacon noted the proposed fine hike represents a “233 percent increase.”
“We want to encourage people to come to our beautiful city and park downtown, and raising the fee by this much is not encouraging at all,” she said. “This is a tax on the poor ‐ if you don't have much money, $50 is a huge penalty to pay for an expired meter. If you have a lot of money, it's really not a big deal. Please, I implore you, reject this increase.”
City resident Alexis Lang also opposed the parking fine hike.
“This is primarily going to hurt downtown workers who are already struggling under the effects of the pandemic,” Lang said. “I think our council should be working to try to make downtown workers' lives easier, not increasing their potential burdens.”
Downtown business owner Laura Brooke Keith called the proposed fine hike “abhorrent,” and added, “I cannot express how much I contest this.”
Winter city?:Portsmouth can be like Edmonton, planner says
“Businesses downtown are already struggling with the pandemic, and even before COVID it has been extremely difficult to encourage local community members to shop downtown due to parking concerns,” she said. “Perceived lack of parking and concerns over the tenacity of parking enforcement has been a constant mention of why people refuse to shop downtown, and more than a threefold increase in penalties will do nothing but further encourage customers to stay away from downtown.”
Plus, she said, downtown employees “have very little access to parking near their worksites, and may need to pay to park.”
“They cannot guarantee they will be able to move their cars as required, and risk receiving a ticket that would, at times, negate their shift,” Brooke Keith said. “This proposal does nothing but hinder the ability of business owners to maintain a workforce and customer base. Please help us stay in business ‐ as a group, we are holding on by a thread.”
City Councilor Esther Kennedy encouraged members of the two committees that would be addressing the issue to “look at the big picture.”
Kennedy encouraged councilors to think about “how we can support the people that are working in our community.”


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Amazon buys smart camera and doorbell startup Blink
Amazon buys smart camera and doorbell startup Blink
26 December, 2017, 02:06
Notably, Amazon appears to have cut off SmartThings support with its acquisition of Blink.
In a bid to ramp up its connected home line-up, online giant Amazon has acquired a startup named Blink that builds wireless home monitoring systems, including connected Wi-Fi home security cameras.
Blink first broke cover back in 2014, then the following year announced a crowdfunding campaign aiming to raise $200k for its entirely wire-free security camera.
Though the financial terms of this acquisition wasn't revealed. Blink's system, though, works with batteries you could pick up at a local corner store.
Jio New Year Dhamaka offer
The plan also gives unlimited local, STD and roaming calls along with unlimited SMS across all operators for the 28-day period. As a part of this offer, customers will get advantage of unlimited local and STD calls even while roaming in India.
After shipping its original camera in January 2016, Blink launched an outdoor camera with night vision capabilities later in the year. Amazon recently announced a delivery service that allows someone to walk into your home to drop off a package. Blink had raised almost $30 million in funding, most recently $3 million in convertible debt this past February, according to VC-research firm PitchBook.
Walmart, meanwhile, is testing a system that would sync up with home security cameras to let delivery workers leave groceries in your home fridge. "We'll continue to operate under the Amazon umbrella", Blink said in a blog post.
"If you own one of our systems, nothing changes for now", the statement read.
Blink products are already compatible with Amazon's Echo home assistant, which runs the Alexa voice service powered by Lex, an AWS-hosted deep learning engine for enabling natural language functions. It's Day 1 for us at Amazon, and we're looking forward to seeing what we can deliver to our customers together.
India shares a 3,323 km long border with Pakistan, of which 221 km of the IB and 740 km of the LoC fall in Jammu and Kashmir . Troops guarding the borderline retaliated the fire effectively and the exchange of fire continued till this evening.
Pakistan and India are bitter regional rivals that have fought three wars since gaining independence from Britain in 1947. Jadhav was identified in India as the son of Sudhir Jadhav, a retired Assistant Commissioner of Police in Mumbai.
The NORAD Santa Tracker first started in 1955, but the history of the Santa Tracker is actually pretty amusing and ridiculous. As the world awaits the arrival of a saint dressed in red, U.S. military helps children track Santa Claus through NORAD.
The suspect was sacked from his job earlier this month after an incident with the victim, according to officials. Green Bay Police Chief Andrew Smith tells the Green Bay Press-Gazette one person was arrested.
In August, Liverpool had all but annihilated Arsenal with their blitzkrieg and a similar story unfolded in the first half. Perhaps nothing was more damning than Milner's admission after the game, "We've got to see the game out.
According to CNN affiliate ABC7, the package was from "the American people". (Facebook) The box was packed with horse manure. Robby Strong poses with the box he claims was left for Steve Mnuchin at his Bel-Air mansion. .
Monday was a working day in Russian Federation because Orthodox Christmas is celebrated on January 7, according to Reuters . Passengers on-board and people walking on the steps near the Slavyansky Boulevard metro station were killed, police said.
London Fire Brigade said it had sent 10 fire engines and more than 70 firefighters to the zoo after the alarm was raised. The zoo said it was "dealing with an incident on site". "The zoo with be open tomorrow, Sunday 24 December, from 10am".
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is also likely to campaign in the state once poll dates are announced. When we went to Gujarat and spoke to people they said there is no (Gujarat) model.
Jairam Thakur new Himachal CM
Mr Thakur comes from the Mandi region, which till today has never had any saffron party chief minister in the state. The ceremony would be brief and some ministers would also take oath, but their names are yet to finalised, he said.
Store Christmas Eve hours 2017: Is Costco open?
For those who are hoping to hit up Walmart or Target , USA Today reports that Target stores should all be open until 10 p.m. Oxley Nature Center's visitor center will be closed Friday through Christmas Day, but the trails will be open.
Liverpool hold Arsenal in six goals thriller
The last round of games before Christmas is headlined by a hugely anticipated clash between Arsenal and Liverpool . Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere said his side had been too cautious in the first half.
The Steam Winter Sale is now live
Starting today and running through January 4th, Steam's Winter Sale brings you quite a lot of discounts on titles of all genres. Some titles will change daily, as now Tekken 7 is $24.99, Middle-earth: Shadow of War is $41.99 and Prey is $19.99.
India beat Sri Lanka to clinch T20 series
Rohit Sharma now shares the record for the fastest T20I hundred with South African middle-order batsman David Miller . The opener hit five fours and eight sixes in his 49-ball blitz before being caught behind off Nuwan Pradeep.


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CHANGES IN CONSUMER HABITS REPORT FALL 2021
What the 'new normal' means for retail
In our latest edition of the Changes in Consumer Habits series, we dive into how expectations continue to evolve.
What's covered in the report:
- How technology is impacting consumer behavior
- What customers expect from the businesses they interact with
- Where businesses can focus their efforts to drive the greatest impact
What's important to consumers?
Over the last two years, price, convenience and quality have risen back to the top in terms of key aspects rated most important when making a decision to visit a store.
How are expectations changing?
When looking at aspects that respondents find extremely important when choosing to visit, COVID-19 related safety measures such as contactless service and crowd management dropped in importance.
How have consumers responded to alternative shopping methods?
60% of respondents have reported using alternative shopping methods such as curbside pickup or delivery, with curbside pickup taking the top spot.


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Jan 17, 2019 (Baystreet.ca via COMTEX) -- This is the point in time where Las Vegas is transformed into something that transcends physical boundaries, and we have the U.S. Supreme Court to thank for opening up a massive sports betting market that—for starters—will probably absorb the $150 billion the American Gambling Association estimates is bet illegally on sports every year in the U.S.
The beneficiaries are big and varied. Everyone from live in-game betting operators, to casinos, sports clubs and betting app makers are set to cash in their chips here.
Some are even speculating that social media giants such as Facebook (FB), Twitter (TWTR) and Google (GOOGL) will be clamoring to enter the sports betting business because they could easily take advantage of their massive user bases and infrastructure.
However crowded this space becomes, all bets are on the house.
In May, the Supreme Court struck down a 1992 federal law that barred states from authorizing sports gambling.
Now, many states are lining up to copy something like the quarter of a billion dollars in sports bets that New Jersey took in just in October, or even better, the $528 million that Nevada took in.
So while casino stocks, for instance, flopped this year, analysts are expecting outsized gains going forward.
As Bernstein’s Vitaly Umansky notes, “the gaming space has shown, time and again, that if investors pick the right market, the right company, at the right time, outsized returns are possible”.
Whether it’s an established casino giant angling for fresh flesh, a sports team that sees the green in partnering with the gambling world, or a savvy small-cap that sneaks in to position itself as an end-to-end provider of next-gen gaming solutions …
Here are 5 stocks that can get you into the game:
#1 MGM Resorts MGM, -1.74%
The largest casino operator in the United States, MGM pulls in more than $4 billion in revenue just from Las Vegas, but now its angling big for sports betting, surrounding it on all fronts.
In no uncertain terms, these guys are building a sports betting empire that is poised to end up trumping their casino operations, as evidenced by their recent partnership deal with Major League Baseball (MLB), which also features in our Top 5 list. So, MGM will be MLB’s official gaming partner, adding to the resorts company’s sports line-up, which already included pro basketball and hockey.
MGM will leverage this new partnership to cross-promote its casinos and its sports betting app. The only thing missing now is professional football.
Once MGM secures football, it might be the death of Las Vegas as we know it.
Investors will also be keenly watching how MGM’s partnership deal with Boyd Gaming BYD, -0.51% is leveraged. BYD is one of the biggest sportsbooks operators in Las Vegas, and MGM will now have access to its online and mobile gaming platforms—and vice versa—in some 15 states.
#2 Bragg Gaming Group, Inc. (tsx.v:BRAG.V) BKDCF
This little-known company boasts the single largest Facebook page in the online sports industry, with 26 million fans who are sports fanatics. The Bragg Gaming Group is betting that many of them are ready to pounce on a new sports gambling app in the $150-billion market that just opened up.
Bragg is positioning itself as an end-to-end provider of next-generation gaming solutions, transitioning from its traditional tech and AI business. It’s a transformation that’s timed specifically to take advantage of the critical moment for outsized opportunities in the sports betting market.
They plan on dealing in everything from casinos, e-sports and poker to sports betting, lotteries, B2B/B2C gaming technologies and payment services, so Bragg is set to hit the ground running.
Its secret weapon is its GiveMeSport subsidiary, the proud owner of the 26-million-strong Facebook sports information page, which beats even ESPN.
Even better where timing is concerned, they are about to launch their first game to this massive audience...
It’s a new app that they’ve been holding back for years, waiting for sports gambling to be legalized.
The catalysts are mounting: Bragg has recently acquired Oryx Gaming, a turnkey gaming solutions provider for casino operators that include over 5,000 integrated games, including from Tier-1 gaming operators.
That’s when Breaking Data became Bragg (tsx.v:BRAG.V) BKDCF and got listed on the TSX Stock Exchange.
Bragg is a highly integrated gaming and media company that leverages its cross product and multi-channel platform to market its diverse product suite. Its sports betting arm will operate under the GiveMeBet banner, working pretty much like Sky Betting and Gaming, which was sold to the Stars Group to April this year for £5.7 billion.
GiveMeBet will funnel GiveMeSport’s 26M users and work to monetize them, starting with sports betting and then moving on to casinos, e-sports, poker, lotteries, B2B/B2C gaming technologies and payment services.
So, Bragg will own three gaming and media assets: GiveMeSport, Oryx Gaming and GiveMeBet—all to be high-value businesses serving high-growth markets.
Both GiveMeSport and Oryx Gaming are proven growth machines. Since April 2017, Give Me Sport’s UK monthly traffic has increased by 5 million and currently exceeds 30M. Revenue has grown by a healthy 30 percent clip.
For investors looking for that sweet under-the-radar bet in a sector that is worth an estimated $150-billion only from formerly illegal sports betters—this is the pure play.
#3 Caesars Entertainment CZR, -0.55%
Give unto Caesar what is his … and the newly legal sports betting bonanza is likely to do just that. Casino stocks will be one of the biggest beneficiaries of the Supreme Court’s May ruling.
And one of the biggest specific catalysts is Caesar’s positioning of itself to gain access to the wildly lucrative Japanese gaming market, following a Japanese ruling in July allowing Las Vegas-style casinos.
Dubbed the ‘mother lode’ for Las Vegas gaming companies because of the Japanese penchant for gambling, Caesar’s is expected to soar on this. But not only on this: The location means it will automatically have access to other Asian gambling tourists.
Japan is expected to issue its first casino license in 2020 and see its first casino opened in 2025. But the big number of interest to investors is the $21 billion gaming market Japan is expected to be.
Las Vegas gaming executives expect the first casino license to be issued in 2020, with the first resort to be opened by 2025. Osaka, Wakayama and Yokohama are among the cities interested in hosting a casino.
The recent quarterly earnings also helped, with CZR reporting $.0.03 earnings per share, meeting analyst expectations, with $2.19 billion in revenue for the quarter.
Stock is down from highs right now, but a brand new world is opening up to it, and many view it as undervalued:
#4 Madison Square Gardens MSG, -0.22%
As billionaire Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban told CNBC right after the Supreme Court ruling on sports betting in May, “I think everyone who owns a top-four professional sports team just basically saw the value of their team double.”
The nearly $7-billion market cap MSG, which owns the New York Knicks and the New York Rangers, now appears to be undervalued.
And there are some big catalysts here. Longer-term, investors should be looking at the massive market potential for sports television and streaming rights right now.
But the biggest thing on investor radar presently is progress towards spinning off MSG’s sports business, for which it filed its initial Form 10 on October 4th. The spin-off would mean that investors can better evaluate the company’s assets and future potential, as Forbes points out, giving both companies “increased strategic flexibility to pursue their own distinctive business plan and capital allocation policy”.
In other words, the Knicks and Rangers would be a pure-play sports company. The bottom line here is that once this spin-off is completed, assets that are now undervalued will find their true value.
#5 Penn National Gaming PENN, -2.53%
Overall, it’s been a rollercoaster year for Penn, but the new lease on life for sports betting changes things.
This almost $2.7-billion market cap casino company is placing its biggest bet yet with a $3.1-million gamble that the house will win. The deal is the biggest insider purchase in 15 years. And it’s all about sports betting. Penn is planning to launch sports betting at five Mississippi casinos and its Hollywood Casino.
It also got a boost in mid-November on news that it would acquire Detroit’s Greektown Casino-Hotel’s operations for $300 million from Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert, the founder of Detroit-based Quicken Loans.
That rollercoaster showing this year, plus PENN’s miss on analyst estimates in quarterly reporting end up rendering the stock fairly cheap after working in the new potential of the sports betting segment and the casino company’s ability to grasp this opportunity.
Other companies that can’t be forgotten in the new gaming boom:
GameHost Inc (GH)
GameHost is a leading entertainment and hospitality provider based in Alberta, Canada. The company operates four primary properties in the Alberta province, each offering slot machines, table games, top quality hospitality and more meant to appeal to both casual gamers and dedicated gamers alike.
GameHost is well-known for providing dividends to its investors, a plus for those who have stuck with the company over the years. In fact, its focus on increasing value for shareholders is made abundantly clear in its mission to reduce costs and improve offerings, creating some of the highest profit margins in the business.
Pollard Banknote Ltd. (PBL)
Pollard Banknote is one of the world’s largest instant scratch-off lottery suppliers for over 30 years, distributing tickets to over 60 lottery and charitable gaming organizations across the globe. With top-tier marketing, new design developments and other innovative measures, Pollard has solidified its position as one of the greats.
One way that Pollard sets itself apart from the competition is its social media presence. Pollard has worked hard to leverage new media outlets including Facebook and Twitter to really up its marketing game…and its efforts show.
Like other companies in this list, however, Pollard continues to pay its investors healthy dividends, showing where its priorities really lie at the end of the sday.
Jackpot Digital Inc. (JP)
Jackpot Digital is at the forefront of the digital gaming revolution, providing cutting-edge tech features, industry breaking mini-games, a wide variety of payment optionas and more. Additionally, Jackpot takes its regulatory responsibility seriously, and is fully compliant with all necessary regulations.
In addition to its online offerings, Jackpot Digital also offers a physical kiosk for casinos around the globe, allowing users to refill their accounts, fund gift cards, register for tournaments, and even allow casinos to add customized marketing displays.
Absolute Software Corporation (ABT)
This Vancouver-based company offers endpoint security and data risk-management solutions. And it looks like it’s on a path of securing strong new customers. The pipeline looks great, and forecasts have been increased.
With strong management and an innovative team, Absolute Software is drawing investor attention. Absolute is positioned perfectly for the coming fintech revolution, and its security offerings are sure to save its clients time and money moving forward.
Absolute is another company that stands out a bit due to its backdoor potential. Some of the world’s leading industries trust Absolute with their most important security challenges, and nowhere is that task more essential than in the gaming industry, where so much rides on digital platforms.
Versus Systems Inc. (cne:VS)
Versus, a Vancouver based tech company is not your average game developer, or e-gaming provider.
The company is operating a business-to-business system with which gaming companies and developers can offer in-game purchases and prices to their users.
With their Winfinite platform, the company has found a unique niche, a niche that makes sense if you see that the developer of Fortnite, a popular on-line game, has already earned some $1 billion with in-game purchases.
The company’s 2018 results are impressive, and show much more engagement in terms of time played, and e-mails opened. Going forward, Versus Systems attempts to make the Winfinite system easier to integrate in different games in order to be able to offer more e-commerce solutions real-world prizes, coupons, and offers inside games.
The company has seen a bit of a share price correction in 2018, but the continued growth of e-gaming market continues to offer opportunities for this company.
**IMPORTANT! BY READING OUR CONTENT YOU EXPLICITLY AGREE TO THE FOLLOWING. PLEASE READ CAREFULLY**
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS. Statements in this communication which are not purely historical are forward-looking statements and include statements regarding beliefs, plans, intent, predictions or other statements of future tense. Forward looking statements in this article include that the gaming industry continues to grow; that a bigger investment opportunity than casinos may be in growth stocks like BRAGG; that GiveMeSport’s new website will start with sports betting before expanding into the other areas including casino games, e-sports, poker and lottery products; that BRAGG Systems may have a system that would be accepted by gamers; that it can leverage the Give Me Sport fan base into sports betting through BRAGG’s platform to drive adoption and growth; that BRAGG can protects its intellectual property; the size of the potential sports gaming market; that Oryx gives it the gaming platform to break into the online sports gaming and betting market: that more states in the US will legalize sports gaming; and that BRAGG’s revenues will continue to increase; and that the company intends to grow and acquire assets across the full spectrum of gaming verticals in multiple jurisdictions. Forward looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties which may not prove to be accurate. Actual results and outcomes may differ materially from what is expressed or forecasted in these forward-looking statements. Matters that may affect the outcome of these forward looking statements include that markets may not materialize as expected; gaming may not turn out to have as large a market as thought or be as lucrative as thought as a result of competition or other factors; fans who like sport may not be converted to online sports gamblers; BRAGG may not be able to offer a competitive product or scale up as thought because of potential inferior online product, lack of capital, lack of facilities, regulatory compliance requirements or lack of suitable employees or contacts; BRAGG’s intellectual property rights applications may not be granted and even if granted, may not adequately protect BRAGG’ intellectual property rights; and other risks affecting BRAGG in particular and the gaming industry generally. The forward-looking statements in this document are made as of the date hereof and the Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update such forward-looking statements except as required by applicable securities laws.
Risk factors for the online sports gaming industry in general which also affect BRAGG including without limitation the following: Competitors may offer better online gaming products luring away BRAGG’s customers; Technology changes rapidly in the business and if BRAGG fails to anticipate or successfully implement new technologies or adopt new business strategies, technologies or methods, the quality, timeliness and competitiveness of its products and services may suffer; BRAGG may experience security breaches and cyber threats; regulators may impose significant hurdles to online gaming companies; BRAGG’s business could be adversely affected if consumer protection, data privacy and security practices are not adequate, or perceived as being inadequate, to prevent data breaches, or by the application of consumer protection and data privacy laws generally; The products or services BRAGG distributes through its platform may contain defects, which could adversely affect BRAGG’ reputation.
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