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Competition watchdog fines Grab, Uber S$13 million over 'anti-competitive' merger
SINGAPORE — Handing down its decision on the Grab-Uber deal after a six-month review, the Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore (CCCS) on Monday (Sept 24) said it has imposed more than S$13 million in financial penalties on the two ride-hailing firms, as it ruled the deal "anti-competitive".
SINGAPORE — Handing down its decision on the Grab-Uber merger after a six-month review, the Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore (CCCS) on Monday (Sept 24) imposed more than S$13 million in financial penalties on the two ride-hailing firms, deciding that the deal is "anti-competitive".
Saying that Uber would not have left the Singapore market if not for the merger, and riders and drivers have since complained about increased fares and commissions, the CCCS set out remedies to cushion the impact on these groups, to open up the market and level the playing field for new entrants.
These include removing Grab's exclusivity arrangements with any taxi fleet, maintaining Grab's pricing algorithms and drivers' commission rates before the merger, and requiring Uber to sell vehicles from its car-rental arm Lion City Rentals to any potential competitor that makes a "reasonable offer based on fair market value".
Monday's decision came nearly three months after the competition watchdog released its provisional findings on the transaction, which took place in March.
Pronouncing that the deal has "substantially" reduced competition and infringed Section 54 of the Competition Act, the CCCS said in a statement that the financial penalties are to "deter completed, irreversible mergers that harm competition".
Grab will have to pay a fine of about S$6.4 million, and Uber about S$6.6 million. This was after the commission took into account the "turnovers of the parties, the nature, duration and seriousness of the infringement, and aggravating and mitigating factors, such as whether the parties were cooperative".
In a statement issued following the CCCS’ decision, Grab said that it will abide by the remedies set out by the commission. However, head of Grab Singapore Lim Kell Jay said: “It is unfortunate that the CCCS is taking a very narrow market definition in arriving at its conclusion that the (merger) has led to a substantial lessening of competition.
“Commuters are free to choose between street-hail taxis and private-hire cars, and it is a fact that private-hire car drivers’ incomes are directly impacted by intense competition with street-hail taxis."
The ride-hailing firm maintained that it completed the merger within its legal rights and “did not intentionally or negligently breach competition laws”.
Separately, Uber issued a statement saying it was "disappointed" with the CCCS' decision, adding that it is reviewing the decision and will consider its options, including an appeal.
As part of its measures, the commission is preventing Uber from selling vehicles from its subsidiary Lion City Rentals to Grab without its approval. "This prevents Grab and Uber from absorbing or hoarding Lion City Rentals vehicles to inhibit the access to a vehicle fleet by a new competitor," the CCCS said.
Presently, Grab holds a market share of about 80 per cent. Despite the recent entry of several small players, their market shares remain "insignificant", the CCCS added.
Still, it noted that it may vary, substitute or release Grab from the measures imposed if it finds that they are no longer necessary in preventing the substantial reduction of competition.
For example, it would suspend the measures if an "open-platform competitor attains 30 per cent or more of total rides matched in the ride-hailing platform services for one calendar month". The measures will also be lifted if such a market share is maintained for six months in a row, the CCCS said.
CCCS chief executive Toh Han Li said that the final decision was a “calibrated” one and the measures were “not over-reaching”. Allowing the merger to happen without any conditions will not be helpful to other large businesses seeking to enter the market. “It will only be helpful to one player… That’s also not pro-business,” he said.Array
Contrary to CCCS’ findings that Grab's effective fares have increased after the merger, Mr Lim insisted that the company has not raised fares, and is committed to “fair pricing” and “will continue to adhere to our pre-transaction pricing model, pricing policies and driver commissions”.
On non-exclusivity arrangements, Mr Lim noted that for drivers to have full maximum choice, “all transport players, including taxi operators, should also be subjected to non-exclusivity conditions”, adding that Grab has long advocated industry-wide regulations that allow drivers to freely choose and work with the platform or operator they want.
Grab believes it should not be the only transport firm subject to non-exclusivity conditions, as this is inconsistent with taxi-industry practices and does not create a level playing field, Mr Lim reiterated.
Asked if taxi firm ComfortDelGro, for instance, is allowed to strike exclusive arrangements, CCCS' Mr Toh acknowledged concerns raised about the requirement imposed on Grab being “one-sided”. But he noted that under Singapore’s competition laws, dominant players can have certain measures imposed on them, and the commission has done this in other cases.
“The argument is that you’re already dominant, you have market power and if you’re able to impose exclusive agreements, it would really have a significant impact on competition in the market and make it very difficult for everyone else,” he said.
In the long run, transport economist Walter Theseira said that it was “absolutely the right thing to do” to eliminate exclusivity arrangements as much as possible across the industry, because these put drivers at a “severe disadvantage” vis-a-vis companies. Right now, the requirement for Grab to do away with such arrangements makes the entry of other players possible, added Associate Professor Theseira, who is with the Singapore University of Social Sciences.
In reaching its decision, the CCCS considered Grab and Uber's written representations, feedback from industry players, stakeholders and the public, as well as all available information and evidence.
The Land Transport Authority (LTA) said on Monday that it supported the CCCS' decision on the Grab-Uber merger, saying "the conditions within the infringement decision are in line with LTA’s ongoing review of the regulatory framework for the point-to-point sector, which aims to keep the sector open and contestable".
HOW THE MERGER AFFECTED COMPETITION
After Grab acquired Uber, the ride-hailing company increased its fares, excluding rider promotions, by 10 to 15 per cent, the commission found.
Since Grab had imposed exclusivity obligations on taxi firms, car-rental partners and some drivers, the CCCS said that potential competitors are finding it hard to expand here, particularly in amassing a sufficient pool of drivers and commuters to compete effectively against Grab.
BACKGROUND ON THE MERGER
On March 26, after months of speculation, Grab announced its acquisition of Uber's South-east Asia operations, including in Singapore.
As part of the deal, Grab, which is based in Singapore, will take over Uber's ride-sharing and food-delivery business in South-east Asia. The American ride-hailing firm will, in turn, take a 27.5 per cent stake in Grab, and its chief executive officer Dara Khosrowshahi will join Grab's board.
Hitting back at the watchdog's provisional findings in July, Grab criticised the commission for taking a "very narrow approach in defining competition". It also said that the provisional findings and proposed remedies were "over-reaching", and went against "Singapore's pro-innovation and pro-business regulations in a free-market economy". In the same month, co-founder Anthony Tan said that he was "extremely" confident that the company could work through the issues flagged by the CCCS.
In recent months, Grab's top executives have expressed hope that the ride-hailing firm could work through the regulatory difficulties it has faced since the high-profile acquisition.
At a panel discussion on start-ups and innovation in Hanoi about two weeks ago, Grab's co-founder Tan Hooi Ling said of the firm's relationship with governments: "Some conversations go well, some conversations don't, but... as long as we're both willing to listen and adjust our practices accordingly for the greater good of the people we're ultimately serving, we'll get there."
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MODESTO, Calif. - This Saturday, October 21, aspiring chefs ages nine to 13 will compete for one of three grand prize trips to Walt Disney World in Florida for a family of four, in the SaveMart Kids Bake-Off Contest.
Despite its name, for the event, sponsored by Smuckers, General Mills, and Nestle, kids will cook all kinds of meals for the contest. SaveMart said it will test the culinary skills of qualified contestants representing from SaveMart stores in Tehachapi, Bakersfield, Modesto, Chowchilla, Stockton, Oakdale Fresno, Visalia, Sanger, San Jose, Turlock, Los Banos, Galt, Clovis, Manteca, Sonora, Tulare, Porterville, Merced, Santa Clara, Ceres, and Madera.
(Story continues below.)
Each contestant will prepare a recipe during a 90-minute time period between the hours of 7:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. The meals will be created according to three categories: appetizer, main entree/side dish, or dessert, and each contestant will receive cooking assistance from their representative store manager. Five groups of 12 children will cook their recipes during the day, and one finalist will be selected per contest category from each of the five groups to prepare their recipes again for the final round and judging.
Event judges include radio and television personalities and newspaper reporters from Bakersfield and Sacramento. They will judge the recipes on the basis of taste, appearance, preparation, and creativity, and use of main ingredients from the list of required products.
One grand prize winner in each category (Appetizer, Main Entree/Side Dish, and Dessert) will be selected to receive a trip to Walt Disney World in Florida for a family of four. Runners up will each receive a Save Mart gift certificate.

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Time Left - 04:00 mins
Attempt now to get your rank among 3798 students!
Name the person of Indian - origin who has been appointed as the next chief executive officer (CEO) of the world's largest coffee chain Starbucks?
Mahila Nidhi, a women entrepreneurs’ financial supporting scheme was launched by which state of India?
Cricketer, Colin de Grandhomme who announced his retirement from the international cricket, has played for which country?
According to the latest data from the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy, how much per cent of the unemployment rate of India has been recorded in August 2022?
As per Boeing, by which year the air traffic of India would grow by an average of 7% per year?
As per the Reserve Bank India data, India's services exports has been surged by how much per cent year-on-year in July 2022?
How much amount of gross Goods and Services Tax has been collected by Finance Ministry in the month of August 2022?
What is the theme of World Coconut Day 2022 that observed annually on September 2?
Which of the following credit card service provider company has launched the 'CASHBACK Card', to boost online spending?
Which of the following financial service providers has partnered with IME India Pvt Ltd to stretch its money remittance services between the Indo-Nepal corridor?
- 3798 attempts
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Sep 3PO, Clerk, SO, Insurance


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China is targeting an October release for its own homegrown operating system as a replacement for Windows. The news comes after the Chinese government set out to prevent the procurement of software made by Western developers; most notably the ban on Windows 8 in the civil service. Ni Guangnan of the Chinese Academy of Engineering told the People’s Post and Telecommunications News that the OS will initially be designed for computers, although there are plans to bring it to mobile devices as well.
Ni heads a group of developers who have been working on the OS since March. A project that Xinhua reports as being under funded and facing problems with too many developers pulling in different directions.
It is possible that the developers are rushing the final product out the door to take advantage of the end of support for Windows XP, and the fact that government offices will be unable to procure new computers if they run Windows 8. Ni has said that these recent events have opened the door to domestic OS developers.
“Our key to success lies in an environment that can help us compete with Google, Apple and Microsoft,” said Ni.
There are no details about this OS at the moment, nor are there rumours about what it might look like or be based on. It is likely that the developers are working off a Linux fork due to the speed at which the project has been moving along. Although that is purely speculation at this point; despite this, it is highly unlikely that this Chinese OS is being created from a completely new Kernel.
Creating a fully Chinese eco-system could be the ultimate goal for the government as it has accused America of installing spyware onto devices sold to the country; a claim that has similarly been leveled by the Americans at Chinese manufacturers. At this rate, it appears that the Chinese government could potentially have entire systems running home grown software just to keep any spies (real or not) out of its business.


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During a session of the Intermodal Europe Conference in Amsterdam today, four industry organisations representing different sectors of the supply chain drew attention to the responsibilities of container owners and operators in providing equipment that is fit for purpose and properly packed with cargo.
The Global Shippers Forum (GSF), ICHCA International, TT Club and the World Shipping Council (WSC) have for some months been working together to improve safety through a focus on cargo integrity.
The responsibilities they were addressing are set out in the Cargo Transport Unit (CTU) Code, a joint publication of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE).
The specific aim of the session was to promote wider use of the CTU Code, for correct packing and securing of all CTUs.
“The Code calls for effective interaction between the shipper, who is responsible for specifying requirements for the type of equipment suitable for the cargo intended to be carried, and the container operator, in providing units that satisfy such requirements,” said ICHCA.
“Faulty and badly maintained units may have as serious ramifications as incorrect and deficient packing of cargo inside the units.”
The session also included discusiongs around improved standards of declaration and handling of dangerous goods together with steps to prevent pest contamination.
“Engagement with governments and industry groups representing the diverse mix of supply chain stakeholders is one of our primary goals,” explained TT Club’s Peregrine Storrs-Fox.
“Through communication and understanding of the safety issues comes a wider implementation of the CTU Code and other best practices aimed at cargo and environmental safety. To this end we urge regulatory and advisory bodies as well as associations to unite with us in spreading the good word.” the club said.


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Google Wallet has seen an uplift of 50% in transactions on a weekly basis since Apple Pay’s launch, with users almost doubling on a monthly basis “in the recent couple of months”, reports Ars Technica.
- Gatwick Airport installs 2,000 BLE beacons for augmented reality wayfinding
- Lotte Card introduces ‘pay with your palm’
- Debit cards set to overtake cash in 2018, three years earlier than expected
- Digital, decisive and drone-ready: American Express commissioned study shows Gen Z’s customer experience expectations
- EU agency calls for action on IoT security


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Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Monday announced an executive order extending the state’s moratorium on COVID-related commercial evictions and foreclosures an additional month, until October 20. This measure extends protections already in place for commercial tenants and mortgagors in recognition of the financial toll the COVID-19 pandemic has taken on business owners, including retail establishments and restaurants. The […]
The post Cuomo extends moratorium on commercial evictions, foreclosures to Oct. 20 appeared first on Brooklyn Eagle.


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Nine billion burger orders were served at U.S. restaurants and food service in 2014, an increase of 3% and the first gain in five years, according to market research firm NPD Group. That means every man, woman and child in America on average ordered a burger about every two weeks.
In comparison, orders of grilled chicken sandwiches, which tend to be the chief rival to a burger, fell 9% to 1.32 billion servings ordered.
“We love our burgers,” said Bonnie Riggs, NPD’s restaurant industry analyst, in an interview. “Restaurants are placing more focus on them and adding choices of different things. There are a lot of deals and new concepts that focus on burgers. It’s just such a bright spot.”
Of course, the figures don’t include all the burgers Americans cook or grill themselves or for friends. But even with the added demand for burgers, Americans in a restaurant are still more likely to order some kind of sandwich, according to NPD data. The sandwich category, which includes subs and other hot and cold sandwiches and excludes burgers, shrunk 2% to 12.4 billion servings.
Demand for pizza, meanwhile, rose 2% to 5.2 billion servings.
The increase in burger orders comes as overall visits to restaurants were flat compared with 2013 — and declined at both fast-food burger joints and casual dining and family-dining restaurants. Total restaurant visits are still down 1.3 billion from 2008, when the Great Recession hit, to 61 billion, according to NPD.
Restaurants are experimenting with new variations — and cost-conscious restaurant-goers are opting for a cheaper meal, particularly as the rising price of beef pushes up the cost of steak and other items. Burgers are particularly popular at restaurants with limited service, where restaurant operators rank them above both pizza and chicken sandwiches among perennial favorites, a separate National Restaurant Association report showed.
Among fast-food spots, Wendy’s Co. now offers a pretzel bacon cheeseburger as well as a bacon and blue cheese burger on brioche, in addition to the traditional version with American cheese and on a bun.
Restaurants, including full-service, fast casual and even some quick-service spots, are using artisanal and ciabatta bread and serving sides like sweet potato fries in addition to french fries.
Wendy’s innovations have paid off. Its North American same-store sales have outpaced that of larger rival McDonald’s Corp.
The growing popularity of fast-casual burger chains such as Five Guys and Shake Shack also helped burgers sizzle. This segment saw a 9% jump last year to 240 million burger servings, making it the fastest growing channel, according to NPD.
Indeed, Five Guys touts made-to-order burgers and over 250,000 ways to customize a burger. Shake Shack recently filed for an initial public offering, and the shares could price this week.
[by Andria Cheng, writing for MARKETWATCH]
As always, posted for your edification and enlightenment by
NORM ‘n’ AL, Minneapolis


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Uncle Maddio's is getting ready to open its first Virginia location on Saturday, August 30, in Dulles within the Washington, D.C., area.
North Dakota’s economic growth a unique opportunity for quick-serve brands.
Made to Order LLC signed a deal to open three Uncle Maddio’s Pizza Joint locations in North Carolina.
Uncle Maddio’s Pizza Joint is opening its second Charlotte-area location in Huntersville, North Carolina, July 7 at 10009 NorthCross Center Court in the NorthCross Shopping Center.
North Dakota will get its first Uncle Maddio’s Pizza Joint location when the restaurant opens in Minot today. North Dakota residents Troy and Jamie Mattern will open the franc
Premium fast-casual pizza restaurant Uncle Maddio’s Pizza Joint announced the selection of Scout as its first agency of record for advertising and other marketing services, following a compre
When entering a new daypart, particularly breakfast, operators should prepare for both opportunities and challenges.
Building on their success with Uncle Maddio's Pizza Joint, Charlotte, North Carolina franchise partners Jerry Licari and Tim Verhagen are expanding market penetration with the fast-casual pizza
Uncle Maddio’s Pizza Joint will soon open its first location in Raleigh, North Carolina.
With 20 years of experience operating multiple Krystal restaurant locations in north Florida, Kevin Gartner is expanding his franchise operation portfolio signing on to develop five Uncle Maddio&rs
At Uncle Maddio’s Pizza Joint, “Served with Love” isn’t just a saying, but a mission built into every facet of the restaurant.
Fast-casual pizza concept Uncle Maddio’s Pizza Joint will spread the love each Monday by offering a Maddio Mondays $5.55 pizza deal on any nine-inch pizza with up to three toppings of the cus
Uncle Maddio’s Pizza Joint will open its 19th unit on March 27 in Auburn, Alabama, at the Heart of Auburn complex at 339 South College Street, Suite E.
Atlanta-based fast casual franchise, Uncle Maddio’s Pizza Joint, welcomes the newest member of its executive team Scott Goodrich, vice president of field opera
Uncle Maddio's Pizza Joint is diving into 2014 with aggressive growth and new market penetration.
Soon, Nebraskans will get 50 million ways to enjoy fast-casual pizza.
Two chefs and an aerospace engineer have come together in their love for the Lone Star state and great food to bring Uncle Maddio’s Pizza Joint to the Southwest.
How CEOs successfully transition from one brand to another.
Uncle Maddio’s Pizza Joint will test a breakfast menu at its Charlotte, North Carolina, location, serving free breakfast pizzas, panini sandwiches, and Break-zones on Thursday, December 12, a
With 13 Uncle Maddio’s Pizza Joint locations operating in Metro Atlanta, the fast-casual pizza franchise plans to expand into North Georgia.
Uncle Maddio’s Pizza Joint is showing customers and dozens of local charity partners the love while introducing its “Love Cookies.” As part of the introduction of the new Love Coo
It’s not just vegetarians who are choosing non-meat menu items.
In celebration of National Celiac Awareness Month, Uncle Maddio’s Pizza Joint added a gluten-free dessert to its menu.
The fast-casual pizza franchise Uncle Maddio’s Pizza Joint continues expanding across the country with the with the recent signing of a five-unit franchise development agreement for Southeast
Uncle Maddio’s Pizza Joint announced a franchise development agreement with successful entrepreneur and Golden Corral restaurant owner, John Verderame, to open three locations in South Florid
Long dominated by delivery and takeout players, the pizza industry is in the midst of a fast-casual revolution. And everyone wants to be the Chipotle of pizza.
Guest comment cards make the switch from paper to digital.
Uncle Maddio’s Pizza Joint, the original and fastest-growing fast casual pizza chain in North America, announces the opening of its 18th unit on August 17 in East C
Uncle Maddio’s Pizza Joint announces the opening of its newest unit on August 3 at 1544 Piedmont Ave. NE in Atlanta in the Ansley Mall shopping center.
It’s no secret that kids love pizza. Even the pickiest of eaters will gobble up a slice of cheese and pepperoni.


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A midnight fire which recently ravaged a popular market in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital has left many traders with bitter tales, Daily Trust Saturday reports.
Midnight fire has destroyed property worth billions of naira in Maiduguri Monday Market, taking away sources of livelihood from thousands of traders.
Penultimate week, the incident had thrown many millionaires in the largest market in Borno State into poverty within few hours.
Some of the traders who operate from Kano, Lagos and neighbouring countries like Niger, Chad and Cameroon, revealed that the larger part of what they lost were goods bought on credit.
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Devastated by this disaster, some of the traders have fallen sick and remained indoors while others currently engage in petty businesses.
Narrating their ordeal, some of the affected traders said that although they incurred huge losses through the inferno, a large number of their goods were looted by criminals.
One of the biggest losers, Bashir Mai-Iyali, said he lost up to 17 shops and warehouses of brocade.
“We could not salvage our goods from the inferno. I deal in fabrics and brocade. We own 17 stalls with an estimated value of over N200 million,” he said.
The trader, who is in a joint venture with others, also decried how looters stole goods that were salvaged from the raging fire.
Recounting how the incident happened, he said, “I received a call at 5am that my shops had been gutted by fire. I quickly rushed down to the market to see if we could salvage some of the goods, but when I arrived, it had burnt to ashes.”
Mai-Iyali, who deals in expensive fabrics and materials, said he imported some of his goods from neighbouring countries.
He said, “Whatever the Almighty Allah destined is the best for all of us. Our only challenge is the people we received goods from; and the incident happened before making payments. It worries most of the traders here,” he said.
Another trader, Sale Musa Maisaleh, who deals in brocades and materials said he lost over N170million to the midnight fire, adding, “It is the second catastrophe that befell us. Boko Haram insurgency reduced our 12 shops to seven, then this inferno. We have lost everything.”
Maisaleh said his father started the business over 40 years back while he was introduced in it 25 years ago, adding, “Since then, I have been managing everything.”
He also said their challenge was that they collected some of the goods on credit from wholesalers in Kano and stockpiled them targeting Sallah celebrations.
On what he is doing to survive, he said, “I now shuttle from Maiduguri to Kano to see how we can start all over and recover. It is a serious burden on us.”
Maisaleh said they could not rescue anything out of their shops. He, however, said, “I thank Allah that my father is hale and hearty, but everyone is afraid of the uncertainty that lies ahead.”
He also observed that over 30 apprentices who fed under them are now left without jobs. He called on the state and federal governments to put that into consideration because “an idle mind is a devil’s workshop.”
Another shop owner, Zubairu Maisumari, who rushed to the spot on the day of the incident, said he lost six shops that housed tea and mats worth N20 million.
“I helplessly watched as my means of livelihood went down to ashes. I was a millionaire days back but a pauper today. All my six shops were filled with goods, but I am struggling to feed my family today,” he said.
Maisumari, who was in tears, said he spent over 20 years struggling for livelihood, but unfortunately, “Today, I went out with a small bag of wares to sell and buy food.”
He, however, thanked Governor Babagana Zulum for his prompt response and advised the well-to-do in the society to donate to the victims so that they would bounce back to help the people under them.
Aminami Kaka, who has been operating in the market for more than 23 years, said all his six shops got burnt and he lost goods worth N20 million.
Kaka, who is a dealer in perfumes said, “I cannot believe that all the goods I received from dealers days before the inferno have gone. I wish I was able to save some of the goods.
“Those of us who have sufficient savings are now feeding from there. I don’t know about those who do not have savings.”
In an interview with Daily Trust Saturday, the general manager of the market, Mustapha Loskori, said that over 10,000 shops were destroyed by the midnight fire.
“I cannot tell you the exact number of shops we lost, but they are over 10,000. We also have squatters and temporary sheds that are uncountable. The losses are worth billions of naira,” he said.
He said the incident was a great tragedy to the state, especially now that the people are picking the pieces of their lives from the devastation of Boko Haram insurgency.
He also observed that textile material dealers were the top losers in the fire outbreak, which lasted for almost three days before it was brought under control.
The Maiduguri Monday Market was established 40 years ago, and is said to be the largest, not only in Borno State but the entire North East.
Zulum commences reconstruction, donates N1bn to traders
Meanwhile, Governor Zulum has donated N1billion to the affected traders and another N1bn as initial fund for the reconstruction of the market.
“While we are waiting for support from the federal government, the Borno State Government will not completely fold its arms, we have to start somewhere,” the governor said.
Last Tuesday, Zulum revisited the market to assess the level of the ongoing reconstruction work and expressed satisfaction.
He said, “This committee is doing a very great job and we have to support you. Most importantly, we should beef up security here to ensure absolute safety of people’s property.”
The governor also dispelled rumour making the rounds on the social media that someone donated N500million to the traders through the state government. “We did not receive such amount, people should take note of that,” he said.
He explained that donations so far received in respect to the fire incident had been properly documented, and urged mischief makers to stop spreading misleading information on the social media.
Giving a breakdown of donations so far, Zulum said N300m was made by Zenith Bank Limited; N100m each by the vice president-elect, Kashim Shettima, the Yobe State Government, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the chairman of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND), Alhaji Kashim Imam; N50m by Martix Nigeria Ltd; N20m by Al-Ansar Foundation and N10m by the senator representing Southern Borno, Mohammed Ali Ndume.
“We have to be very careful about some information going round on the social media. Some people are posting ghost donations, which we know nothing about.
“At least after every two weeks, the committee, as the custodian of the special account meant for the market fire incident, should inform the public of the amount of money received,” Governor Zulum noted.


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Our colleagues atAmazon will reveal a new 7-inch Kindle Fire alongside a slightly revamped version of the original, according to someone who's seen both products.
The new Fire will feature a faster processor, a camera (conspicuous by its absence on the original), physical volume controls and an HDMI port. It'll also have more storage, but still won't be expandable.
The rejigged version of the current Kindle Fire, meanwhile, will have a new user interface. Presumably the price will come down as well, to be more in line with, though there's no word on that yet.
Amazon also has an ad-supported tablet in the works that'll cost less than its standard Fire, according to the Wall Street Journal. Details are scant, but apparently it'll show an advert every time you wake the device, which could be extremely annoying, depending on what kind of advert it is. (If it's Go Compare or those sodding meerkats, I'm saying we all boycott it.)
The Kindle Fire was listed as "" on Amazon's US site this week, conveniently about a year since it launched. Hmm. Both models of its , hinting we could see some new e-readers at Thursday's event, too. Here's hoping they make it to our shores, and Amazon doesn't keep us in the dark, as it has so far with the Kindle Fire.
The Kindle Fire was touted as the most affordable decent Android tablet around, until Google knocked it off its top spot. Can Amazon reclaim its crown? And would you want an ad-supported tablet? Let me know below, or on our Facebook page.


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Thermo Fisher Scientific will be showcasing its metal detectors, X-ray systems and checkweighers for quality and safety assurance of food products at Cibus Tec.
Tetra Pak has joined the European Commission Graphene Flagship project as the representative from the packaging industry to explore possible future applications of graphene in food and beverage (F&B) manufacturing.
Flavour and fragrance specialist, Givaudan, has revealed an entirely new approach to transform the taste experience of meat alternatives created from textured vegetable protein.
Tate & Lyle, a provider of food and beverage ingredients and solutions, has completed the expansion of its non-GMO Maltosweet Maltodextrin production line at its facility in Boleraz, Slovakia, doubling its capacity.
With a strong focus on the UK market, the facility strengthens customers will benefit from faster access culinary solutions and service.
The protein bar category is growing, thanks to demand for functional foods, meal replacements and on-the-go snacks, and Arla Foods Ingredients is offering an easy solution for manufacturers to give protein bars premium positioning.
Cacaofruit Experience range presents food and drink world with products that celebrate the fresh, fruity taste and natural richness of the cacao fruit
Adding crunch, fruit or salt turns chocolate pieces into trendy flavours to give muesli, snack mixes and ice cream a special taste


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As enterprise businesses start to see the benefits of immersive tech, VR Intelligence brings together immersive leads from Johnson & Johnson and DHL, along with HTC Vive, for a webinar to discuss where and how companies can get a real return on their investment in XR.
Last month, an XR industry survey by VR Intelligence revealed some interesting feedback on the uses of VR and AR in enterprise. On one hand, the vast majority of companies already using immersive tech, claimed they were seeing positive results and intend to invest more. On the other, many enterprise companies yet to implement the technology, reported difficulty in proving ROI to gain internal buy-in from budget holders.
While XR companies have excelled in creating hardware and software to transform industries – from architecture to automotive, retail and beyond – the question now comes in how those benefits can be measured and communicated, in order to push for further adoption and investment.
To understand this further, VR Intelligence is bringing together two major household brands – Johnson & Johnson and DHL, along with major VR headset gurus, HTC – to discuss what impacts the technologies are actually having, and how companies can build a business case for continued investment.
With a panel of experts:
- Vinay Narayan, Vice President, Product and Operations (Americas), HTC Vive
- Raj Tiwari, Global Service Owner – Advanced Technologies (XR), Johnson & Johnson
- Lee Burrell, Director of Business Development – Automotive, Engineering & Manufacturing, DHL
Discussion chaired by: Amy Peck, Founder & CEO, EndeavorVR
The key talking points will cover:
- Benefits and applications of XR tech and how to gain buy-in from the right people
- The importance of proving the value proposition of XR from the start to enable it to sustain and scale
- Why consistently tracking and measuring success is key to proving the business case and demonstrating ROI
The webinar will take place on September 20 at 10am PDT. To register for the webinar, or receive the recording afterwards, go to https://bit.ly/2x4DPPS
This is a promotional post not produced by the UploadVR staff. No compensation was exchanged for the creation of this content.


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The Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) is calling on marketers to re-examine how they view themselves - to challenge traditional norms and redefine where the profession is going.
In its latest Shape the Agenda paper, Tomorrow’s Word: Re-evaluating the Role of Marketing, the body proposes a new definition that turns the focus away from management to the customer in order to reflect the current nature of marketing.
In the last 10 years marketing has grown by around 80 percent and there are now well over half a million marketers in Britain. Digital media has also exploded onto the scene and social marketing has changed the ethics of the profession.
However, the way marketing defines itself has not changed in 30 years. Widely regarded by the profession as the benchmark, the CIM defines marketing as "the management process responsible for identifying, anticipating and satisfying customer requirements profitably."
As such, the Institute has proposed a new definition:
"The strategic business function that creates value by stimulating, facilitating and fulfilling customer demand. It does this by building brands, nurturing innovation, developing relationships, creating good customer service and communicating benefits. By operating customer-centrically, marketing brings positive returns on investment, satisfies shareholders and stakeholders from business and the community, and contributes to positive behavioural change and a sustainable business future."
David Thorp, director of research and information at The Institute, explained: "We want to make it reflect the reality of marketing today. That marketing’s a strategic business function not a ‘fluffy’ subject. That it delivers tangible and measurable benefits for the business, that it’s geared towards the customer, addressing their needs and demands and not the ones marketing thinks they need or want.”


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Citi ThankYou Rewards has added Aeromexico as a transfer partner, joining American Express Membership Rewards and Capital One in partnering with the Club Premier frequent flyer program.
This will not move the needle at all on which bank transferable points program is best.
- Aeromexico Club Premier has high award prices
- Aeromexico Club Premier adds fuel surcharges to awards
- Aeromexico Club Premier has terrible customer service
Club Premier is 49% owned by Aimia, the company that spun off Air Canada’s Aeroplan, lost 80% of its market value when Air Canada announced its intention to start a competing program, and then sold the program back to the airline. Aimia has the demonstrated capability to run a good operation. In this case however they are part of one of the worst frequent flyer programs.
Some bloggers will claim that Aeromexico offers great round the world awards offering 15 stopovers for just 224,000 kilometers in economy or 352,000 kilometers in business class (see, for instance, The Points Guy).
However I do not know anyone that has ever successfully booked one. Aeromexico’s customer service is too frustrating, even for a native Spanish speaker, and the airline’s agents regularly report award space is unavailable even when it’s being offered by the partner airline.
Copyright: noratm / 123RF Stock Photo
My advice for Aeromexico is that the juice simply isn’t worth the squeeze. If you need to use Citi ThankYou points for travel on a SkyTeam partner other than Delta (where Virgin Atlantic may be the best transfer partner) look to Air France KLM Flying Blue instead.
(HT: One Mile at a Time)


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Boat Rocker Rights has announced the sale of more than 400 hours of factual and lifestyle into multiple international territories.
The news comes as Boat Rocker Media looks to ramp up its efforts on both the production and distribution front, following the launch of its newly rebranded unscripted division, Crooked Horse Productions. The unscripted arm is led by VP David Lerech.
French broadcasting group AB Groupe acquired four titles from Xploration Station (pictured), a block of nature and STEM programs. AB picked up Xploration: Awesome Planet (26 x 30 minutes), Xploration: Outer Space (26 x 30 minutes), Xploration: DIY SCI (26 x 30 minutes) and Xploration: Nature Knows Best (26 x 30 minutes).


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|Cát Lái Port in HCM City has lifted the ban on rice export shipments after over a month. – Photo sggp.org.vn
HCM CITY – Rice businesses in the South are again able to ship through HCM City’s Cát Lát Port after a month’s stoppage due to a pileup of containers after many consignees suspended business due to COVID-19.
Berth 125, which had stopped accepting rice consignments during the month, started doing so again on Monday (August 16), Nguyễn Trung Kiên, deputy chairman and general secretary of the Việt Nam Foodstuff Association, said.
However, the reopened berth only allows up to around 70 containers of export a day, which is not enough to satisfy exporters' demand, and the usual volume of rice transported through the berth is very high, said Phạm Thái Bình, general director of Trung An Hi-tech Agriculture JSC.
Nguyễn Chánh Trung, deputy general director of agricultural company Tân Long Group, said that there are still other logistical and staff problems due to the social distancing in the city.
According to Việt Nam Logistics Business Association, rice exporters should load their rice into containers at their storage facilities instead of loading them at the Berth 125 to reduce congestion there. However, not many companies can afford to do so.
Phan Xuân Quế, general director of Vinafood 1, said the pandemic is making exporters reluctant to buy large quantities though farmers in the Mekong Delta have an abundance of rice they just harvested.
Export in the first seven months of the year were less than 3.5 million tonnes, a 12.7 per cent year-on-year drop.
Cát Lái is Việt Nam’s largest international port. – VNS


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It is no question that both Apple and Samsung have been locked in a fierce legal battle throughout the last few years. It isn’t just Apple and Samsung that are the only tech giants pursuing legal actions against each other however, it seems like the entire industry is seeing how far they can push legal boundaries.
It looks like Samsung may have pushed these boundaries too far though as The Guardian has reported that Samsung could be facing a serious penalty from the European Commission it its attempt to ban Apple’s iPhone and iPad in Europe.
Samsung is currently trying to use its standard-essential patents on 3G to ban various Apple products around the world, this isn’t just limited to Europe. The problem is, standard-essential patents have to be fairly licensed on reasonable and non-discriminatory terms so as all companies can compete fairly in the marketplace. This is because standard-essential patents are a patent on specific technology that must be used to comply with modern technical standards.
According to the report “Apple had offered to pay a licensing fee on the patents for 3G owned by Samsung and the Korean company’s demands for a sales ban were unjustified.” As such, the commission could be fining the company 10% of its worldwide turnover, which in Samsung’s case is nearly a whopping $15 billion.
Samsung isn’t the only company to be penalized. The Google-owned smartphone company Motorola Mobility may face similar penalties over its attempts to ban sales of Microsoft’s Xbox 360 through its use of standard essential patents relating to Wi-Fi and the H.264 video standard. Both Samsung and Google could additionally receive fines in the United states as well.
And to clear up any confusion, the reason why Apple is not being penalized is because the patents they have used against Samsung and other companies are not standard-essential patents.


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Apple to Launch New iMac, Mac Pro, and More in 2023: Report
Apple's successor to the M1-powered iMac from 2021 has reportedly entered engineering validation testing and could go into mass production soon
Apple iMac 7th and 8th Gen Computers Hit Clearance Pricing at Costco
If you're looking for an older iMac, start the car and head to your local Costco warehouse..
Apple M3 iMac Possibly Debuting in 2023: Gurman
While we wait for Apple to launch M2 Macs, veteran analyst Mark Gurman says the company is already developing an iMac with third-generation Apple Silicon.
Apple Has No Plans for Larger Screen iMac in the Near Future, Says Report
If you were hoping for a larger screen iMac, that apparently isn't in the works, says 9to5Mac.
Apple’s Next Mac Pro, iMac Pro Isn’t Coming Until 2023, Predicts Kuo
According to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, he believes the company's next pro desktops are coming in 2023.
Apple Files Three New Macs Eurasian Economic Database Ahead of Rumoured Event
Apple has recently filed three new MacBooks with the Eurasian Economic Database.
You Can Now Buy Apple’s Refurbished 24-inch M1 iMac in Canada
Apple has launched refurbished M1 iMacs for purchase on its website.
iFixit Completes 24″ M1 iMac Teardown, Gives 2/10 Repairability Score
The iFixit team has concluded their teardown of Apple's 24-inch iMac.
Comparing 2021 M1 iMac to the Original G3 Model [VIDEO]
Stephen Hackett has compared the models in orange colour.
Apple’s New iMac, M1 iPad Pro, Apple TV 4K Launches May 21 in Canada
Apple has announced its newest products will debut this Friday, May 21 in Canada.
You Can Now Buy Apple’s 2021 iMac, iPad Pro, Apple TV 4K in Canada
Apple has opened up pre-orders for its 24-inch iMac, iPad Pro and Apple TV 4K.
Apple Says M1 iMacs in Yellow, Orange, and Purple Available Online-Only
Apple says its retail stores will only have four out of the seven colours available for purchase.


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This weekend kicks off the cavalcade of Christmas movies! Fans can count on multiple premieres of new holiday movies across various networks and platforms from now until Christmas. Lifetime, a reliable producer of feel-good movies that are just what we all need in 2020, launches its It's a Wonderful Lifetime Christmas movies with Christmas Unwrapped, and we have an first look at the festive feature.
When does Christmas Unwrapped premiere?
The first of Lifetime's new original holiday movies for 2020, Christmas Unwrapped premieres Saturday, Oct. 24 at 8 p.m. ET.
Who stars in Christmas Unwrapped?
Christmas Unwrapped, from executive producer Tiffany Haddish, stars Amber Stevens West, Marco Grazzini and Cheryl Ladd.
What happens in Christmas Unwrapped?
In this holiday tale, investigative reporter Charity Jones (West) is assigned to get the scoop on millionaire Erik Gallagher (Grazzini) and his NSB ("Never Stop Believing") charitable organization. Her boss (Ladd) wants her to find out everything she can about how the group's annual Christmas Day Giveaway works. Every year, "Erik Christmas," as he is known around town, gives away millions of dollars in gifts and holiday cheer—while insisting the gifts are from Santa. Charity's boss thinks otherwise and wants her to get to the bottom of it.
Will Charity's investigation uncover the truth about the organization or will it lead her on a path to believing in the miracle of Christmas?
How to watch Christmas Unwrapped
Christmas Unwrapped premieres Saturday, Oct. 24 at 8 p.m. ET on Lifetime.
Is there a trailer for Christmas Unwrapped?
Of course there is! Watch an exclusive sneak peek trailer below.


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Homegrown Organic Farms' Stephen Paul Discusses Peach Season and Stonefruit Demand
- by Laura Hillen
PORTERVILLE, CA – As its organic stonefruit program continues to expand across the board, Homegrown Organic Farms is currently ramping up to start its second season of California peaches.
“I’m very excited about our second season of peaches. They’re all wonderful yellow peach varieties of big and beautiful California peaches,” Stephen Paul, Category Director, tells me of the company’s current crop.
Stephen says that the season started and stayed very intense with elevated volume until the end of last month, with supply expected to remain steady through mid-October with the later varieties. Homegrown Organics says its crop will remain bountiful as long as weather permits.
“I expect the market is going to remain steady as the season goes through October, with prices staying around mid to upper 20s, and in some cases lower 30s,” Stephen says. “I’m optimistic because I know California produces an amazing piece of fruit, and there is thriving demand for the organic sector.”
The company is focusing on tapping in on retailer needs for merchandising this season in order to deliver an optimized product.
“Our motto is to listen, learn, and deliver. This year we’re focusing on learning what POS materials retailers want and are working with them to achieve their goals, because they’re the ones working with the customer,” Stephen tells me.
Stephen says the company’s stonefruit program has consistently grown year-over-year due to new growers and partnerships, including Homegrown’s partnership with The Giumarra Companies. The arrangement, penned last year, gives Homegrown access to the Nature’s Partner brand of DulceVida stonefruit varieties to grow them organically.
“This was our first year with DulceVida volume, and we expect the program to continue in growth and maturity to fill our late-summer timeframe,” Stephen says of the diversity the partnership adds to Homegrown.
Stephen says that the company also has its eyes ahead on the next season as the company plans to launch new varieties of stonefruit to answer growing consumer, and retailer, demand.
“Our organic Asian Pear program will see a significant increase in volume next year with the addition of six or more varieties,” Stephen finishes. “This will allow our program to run from mid-July through mid-November.”
As Homegrown Organic Farms continues to expand its stonefruit program, and supply this year’s retailers and consumers with beautiful California peaches, AndNowUKnow will have the latest in handpicked industry announcements.


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Roughly 25% of all phishing emails found in a batch of 55 million analyzed emails were marked as clean by the Office 365 Exchange Online Protection (EOP) and reached the users’ inboxes, while another 5.3% were whitelisted instead of getting blocked because of admin configurations.
The rest of 69.7% of phishing emails were blocked by Office 365 EOP, with 49% of them getting marked as spam and 20.7% getting tagged as “phishing.”
On the whole, Avanan’s 2019 Global Phish Report found that 1 out of every 99 emails is part of a phishing attack which uses malicious attachments or links as the attack vector, this being especially interesting given that phishing is seen as a more serious security threat than malware.
For Office 365, 546,247 e-mails out of the 52,379,886 examined were marked as being part of a phishing campaign, with 1,04% of the total being phishing messages. On the other hand, 0.5% of the 3,120,114 emails received by G Suite users were phishing mails.
The emails were scanned by Avanan after the default security checked them, allowing the company “to see not only the phishing attacks
that were caught but also those that were missed.”
“Our software connects via API inside of the cloud, creating key advantages over conventional solutions to email security, which sit outside (such as
em ail gateways),” says Avanan’s report. “For this reason, it can detect and analyze phishing attacks that have evaded Office 365 and Gmail security. Scanning after the default security but before the inbox, the platform catches phishing emails that bypass all other existing security layers.”
According to the report, malware phishing was identified as the attack vector in 50,7% of the total of 561,947 phishing mails, followed by credential harvesting (40.9%), extortion (8%), and spearphishing (0.4%).
Avanan also unearthed very interesting info when looking into the indicators which can be used to detect phishing attacks, with 98% of emails containing a cryptowallet addresses and 35% of emails with a link to a WordPress website being part of a phishing scheme.
Brand impersonation is also used to camouflage phishing emails as coming from various trusted brands, with Microsoft being used in 43% of brand impersonation-powered phishing attacks and Amazon in roughly 38% of the total of observed phishing messages.
Phishing is utilized by threat actors to trick their victims into going to websites they control and designed to collect confidential information, into downloading attachments containing malware or into clicking links redirecting to malicious websites that drop malware on their computers.
“Cloud-based email, despite all of its benefits, has unfortunately launched a new era of phishing attacks,” said Avanan lead security analyst Yoav Nathaniel. “The nature of the cloud provides more vectors for hackers and gives them broader access to critical data when a phishing attack is successful.”
Phishing targeting payment data, credentials, and social security info
In related news, Doctor Web’s researchers disclosed a novel phishing approach yesterday, with newsletter sign-up forms from the websites of various international trusted brands being used by crooks to effectively camouflage phishing e-mails as official newsletter subscription messages.
Last week, ProofPoint illustrated how phishing campaigns are actively targeting the tax season with the help of realistic-looking phishing emails coupled with malicious attachments.
As discovered by the Microsoft Office 365 Threat Research team during March, Netflix and American Express (AMEX) customers were targeted by two other phishing campaigns, with the bad actors behind targeting both credit/debit cards and social security information.
Another phishing campaign was spotted in February while attempting to steal both Google and Facebook credentials using Google Translate to camouflage itself on mobile browsers as found by Akamai’s Security Intelligence Response Team (SIRT) member Larry Cashdollar.


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FNA’s spokesperson says their goal of getting the best possible deal for farmers doesn’t always make them popular with input supply companies
Saskatchewan farmer Jim Mann started Farmers of North America (FNA) in 1998 in a bid to make farming more profitable. Mann rounded up interested farmers and began approaching input supply companies to form mutually beneficial partnerships, by lowering transportation and transaction costs.
“And they told him to take a hike,” says Bob Friesen, FNA spokesperson.
Friesen says it’s difficult to work with Canadian input supply companies to this day “because they see FNA for what FNA is. FNA wants to try to reduce the price as much as possible for farmers, and so they don’t really like us.”
But Jim Mann persisted, and today FNA has 10,000 members in Canada. FNA doesn’t own any bricks and mortar, but is a farmer-membership organization that links farmer members and input supply partners, said Friesen.
“They basically hire us to buy for them. And we offer those products (to) them — ranging from chemicals to fertilizer to bins to tires and ear tags and parts,” says Terry Drabiuk, vice president of operations at FNA.
A yearly membership costs farmers $625. FNA charges $1,675 for three years, and $2,625 for five, says Drabiuk.
“They could use one program and get it back instantly,” Drabiuk says. He added how quickly farmers recoup membership costs depends partly on which programs they access.
FNA has spot priced and spot sourced fertilizer, Friesen says. After spot sourcing a fertilizer batch, FNA develops a program and delivers the fertilizer to members.
FNA is now planning to build its own fertilizer plant project, with the help of farmer investors. Friesen says they’re approaching the fertilizer plant differently than their spot pricing programs.
“We’re not doing it to introduce competition. We’re doing it simply to accrue benefits for the farmer investors. We don’t want to destroy the marketplace for fertilizer,” says Friesen.
FNA and its non-profit arm, FNA-Strategic Agriculture Institute, aren’t afraid to lobby for regulatory change, either. At the 2013 Canadian Farm Progress Show in Regina, Friesen encouraged farmers to sign and send in letters asking the Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) to speed registration of generic pesticides.
Friesen says the objective wasn’t to criticize pesticide or fertilizer companies, but to make farmers more cost competitive.
“Even on that pesticide issue, we’re not trying to eliminate the exclusive marketing protection that basic registrants have, the innovators have, when they register an innovative product. They can keep that protection. We also want to pay them fair compensation for the data that’s relied on,” says Friesen.
“But after that, that’s when the PMRA should really put an effort into expediting the registration of generics.” †
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Boston-area booksellers are out to prove that pop-up bookshops are increasingly important for stores, whether they are well-established or just starting out. In conversations with four pop-up proprietors, PW explored how temporary microstores are helping booksellers find new ways to reach readers.
“A Great Chance”
The Peet’s Coffee in Brookline, Mass., closed last January, but the wood-paneled space with large windows just steps from bustling Coolidge Corner hasn’t had a new tenant move in. That vacancy got Brookline Booksmith co-owner Peter Win and his staff thinking about what they might do with the space as the holiday season approaches. “It’s a really great space with lots of windows and natural light,” Win says.
Located just three doors down from the Booksmith, the vacant location has the same landlord as the bookstore, so Win inquired about converting it into a pop-up store from mid-November until January 1. With permits in place, the store opened on November 15.
“It gives us a chance to try some different things, especially given the fact that the space is so close by,” Win says of the pop-up, which contains 12,000 remainders, some of which previously occupied prime table space near the front of the bookstore. In that way, the pop-up gives the store additional space during a busy time of year.
“It frees up space in our store, which is at such a premium,” Win says. “We’ve pretty much maximized what we can do with our space, but this was an opportunity to do something different.” At the same time, he adds, “It gives us a chance to move and display our remainders in a whole different way. They’ll be really nicely visible.”
Win has no plans to take over the space permanently, but he says reception of the short-term occupancy has been positive. “There’s just a lot of excitement in the neighborhood that something’s going into that space,” Win says. “Commercial rents are very expensive, so people were excited to see that something might be happening there.”
A Way to Launch
High commercial rents are the main reason Roy Lincoln Karp and Tom Nealon are starting Rozzie Bound as a monthly weekend-long pop-up in Turtle Swamp Brewing’s beer hall, in the Roslindale neighborhood of Boston. A veteran bookseller, Nealon previously owned Pazzo Books, a used and antiquarian bookstore that he now runs online.
The two will largely use Nealon’s existing stock to launch their pop-up the weekend before Christmas. For Karp, it’s an exciting way to begin to learn the book trade while also proceeding carefully.
“I’m very risk-averse,” Karp says. “I just want to start small and see if we can make it work. Roslindale doesn’t have a single bookstore, so I want to put that idea out to the community and see how the community responds.”
Karp is hopeful that the store will follow a similar path as the brewery, which began as a pop-up and grew over time, ultimately taking its current space in a refurbished city substation. Karp has already looked at spaces for a more permanent location but says the costs are still too high. Instead of rushing, he is studying the business of bookselling and exploring different ownership models, and planning to reach out to the city of Boston’s technical-assistant program for employee-ownership models.
A mile and a half from Porter Square Books in Somerville, Mass., one-year-old Bow Market has emerged as a hub for arts and crafts. The two-story marketplace houses small shops and restaurants, including space for one-week pop-ups, so when five booksellers realized they all lived nearby, they decided to try it out.
Calling their venture Porter Square Limited Editions, the booksellers have stocked the store with only 25–30 titles, all of which are staff picks. “The idea was that, because it’s staff picks by someone who you are likely to see, it’s a concentrated version of the indie bookstore experience,” says Josh Cook, who is one of the five booksellers who staffed the location in mid-November.
Before opening, Cook and his fellow booksellers reached out for advice from Silver Unicorn owner Paul Swydan and MIT Press Bookstore manager Clarissa Murphy, who ran a romance pop-up at the location in February. The two provided tips on how to organize a small space and keep things simple and focused.
For Cook, the pop-up has provided an opportunity to think creatively about what a bookstore can look like, and if the one-week residency is successful, the store will consider trying it again.
Among his ideas are pop-ups that feature translations or Boston presses. “One of the real joys of the pop-up is you can try something,” Cook says. “However you want to slice the world of books up, you can you can see what works.”
A More Permanent Pop-Up
When Astra Titus purchased the iconic World’s Only Curious George Bookstore in May, she knew big changes were afoot. The store’s location at the center of Harvard Square was set for renovation, and Titus announced plans to move to nearby Central Square. That plan hasn’t changed. Titus expects to open the flagship location in late spring or early summer, with a broadened educational mission alongside a large stock of children’s books, including Curious George titles.
With the Harvard Square location now closed, Titus has opened the Curious George Store Minimart in the main entry to the same Bow Market where Porter Square Books is experimenting with its own version of pop-ups. Titus says she has been thrilled by the energy and spirit of collaboration that the marketplace provides for the pop-up. The store opened on November 9, and Titus plans to evaluate by early January whether a longer-term stay makes sense.
“I love the market because it is fiercely independently quirky,” Titus says. Having never run a bookstore before, she’s found that the chance to start fresh with a small location has been positive and invigorating for her staff—especially her senior manager, Rosa Irene.
“It’s cool to see that she’s able to exercise her creativity in a way that she couldn’t do in the old store,” Titus says. “And it’s a really good mini experience for me as an entrée in terms of creating something my own.”


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Hundreds of sports and swimming complexes and gyms across the UK could close in the near future as the energy crisis escalates amid anti-Russian sanctions. This was reported by the Financial Times on Friday.
It is noted that in the light of skyrocketing energy prices, the owners of sports complexes in order to save money have begun to reduce the temperature in swimming pools and refuse to provide full lighting. Gym-goers were also advised to reduce their shower time after exercise.
Also, the publication emphasizes that in the light of the highest inflation in 40 years, fitness industry in the UK may be virtually destroyed by the end of this year. Experts point out that energy prices in the country have risen by 100-150% since 2019, leading to an accumulation of debt for fitness centres and threatening to result in their closure.
In particular, industry research shows that about 85% of owners of fitness centres will have to cancel a number of services in the next six months, and 63% will have to cut staff.
The newspaper reminds us that the UK fitness industry is in chronic trouble: before the coronavirus pandemic it was estimated that around half of the country's more than 4,000 swimming pools would close by 2030, according to a 2019 report by the trade association. The reason given for this development was the deterioration of facilities dating back to the 1960s.
Moreover, fears about the possible closure of many facilities are also expressed by fish restaurant owners in the UK.
Earlier Sky News TV channel reported that about a third of all fish and chips places in Britain could be closed because of disruptions in food supply chains. Entrepreneurs are already complaining about the need to raise prices, abandon a number of menu items and reduce portions.
It is stressed that about 40% of the country's total cod and haddock production comes from Russian suppliers. Moreover, potato fertiliser, which has tripled in price, also comes to the UK mainly from the Russian Federation.


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Two southern New Jersey assemblymen are proposing a partial ban on plastic bags. Though the proposal is controversial, banning plastic bags would be a relatively effortless way to protect the environment, save energy and reduce a danger to wildlife as well as dogs and other pets. It would also make New Jersey a lot prettier by cutting down on the number of ugly bags that get stuck in trees, on telephone polls and in storm drains.
Herb Conaway Jr. of Burlington County and Jack Connors of Camden County, both Democrats who were re-elected last month, say that if the bill is not passed in the current lame duck legislative session they will bring it back next year. It would require big retailers like supermarkets and big-box stores to reduce their use of plastic bags by half by the end of 2009 and to eliminate them entirely by Dec. 31, 2010.
The plastic bag lobbyists are screaming. People like the convenience of plastic bags and would not react favorably if the Legislature banned them, says the New Jersey Food Council. Maybe so, although a lot of New Jerseyans simply find it hard to push back when the man or woman at a busy checkout counter automatically puts the groceries in a plastic bag. And a lot of Americans resisted the idea of giving up smoking until they realized the dangers involved.
Here are some facts: Unlike paper bags, which can be easily recycled, relatively few plastic bags (about 7 percent) are ever used a second time. They last what seems an eternity, probably longer than most of the people using them. They put toxins in the soil, water and food chain. They are made of oil, something we should be saving rather than using when we do not need it. (It takes millions of barrels of oil to make the 100 billion plastic bags that Americans use in a year.)
And, as you may have noticed, they fly and tumble with the wind — to bodies of water where they endanger fish and aquatic life and to low-lying shrubs, lawns and woodlands where they pose a real danger for wildlife and pets that get tangled up in them. Dogs have been known to choke on them.Continue reading the main story
Plastic bags have become close to indispensable for some purposes, although we are hopeful that environmentally safer alternatives will be devised. Newspaper deliverers, for example, use them to keep the newspapers dry, and dog owners use them to pick up their pets’ droppings.
Under the proposed law, plastic bags would still be available to smaller retailers. But the partial ban would represent a useful first step, and would make New Jersey a leader among the states. Many cities and towns, including San Francisco last month, have put bans into effect, and the legislature in Suffolk County on Long Island has passed a measure requiring large stores to set up bins for discarded bags and requiring retailers to see that the bags are taken to recyclers.
There are other approaches. Ireland, for example, has imposed a tax on plastic bags. ShopRite gives consumers two cents for each plastic bag they reuse, and numerous supermarkets offer shoppers the option of paper bags with handles.
Finally, consumers in increasing numbers are declining plastic bags in favor of paper; some, including Mr. Conaway and his wife, are even bringing their own reusable canvas bags to the supermarket and corner groceries.
All these are excellent steps. But the best way to cut down on the use of the ubiquitous plastic bag is just to ban its use by big stores. The Conaway-Connors bill would make that happen.Continue reading the main story


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We’ve put together a list of what our team of Precious Metals Experts sees as some of the most notable coins of the modern era.
In an uncertain world, precious metals investing is an excellent way to maintain relative stability and hedge against losses from constantly fluctuating stocks, bonds, and other highly sensitive markets.
In the midst of the current turmoil, it seems inappropriate to speak about rising gold and silver prices as being a good thing. Relatively speaking, they’re not.
But why Gold? Why would an individual or government want to hold Gold as a safety net for troubled times? You cannot eat Gold, in the same way you cannot eat currency, nor a stack of Treasury Bills. But Gold can help make sure you can eat later. Or in the case of government, can help ensure you can purchase whatever goods and services your populace may need later.
While we’ve touched on the industrial uses of gold and silver before on the blog, we wanted to revisit the topic and expand our understanding.
As Coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to tighten its grip on societies around the globe, it seems that each day brings about a dizzying roster of headlines, ever more concerning forecasts on the outbreak’s impacts on human life, and unfortunately, an uptick in fraudulent schemes.
We have written before about how precious metals and certain types of annuities can help protect retirees against economic shocks like we are seeing today.
As 2020 progresses, the anticipation of a possible change in the U.S. Presidency will have an increasing effect on precious metals prices.
Rounding out the month is our second American Eagle Launch of 2020! Released by the U.S. Mint on January 30, 2020, at 12 noon Eastern Time was the 2020 Platinum American Eagle Proof coin. Adding to the fanfare surrounding the launch is the fact that this year’s issue is the third and final installment of the special “Preamble to the Declaration of Independence” series.
In October of 2019 we alerted our readers to the possibility of entering a recession here in the United States, sometime in 2020. This concern has begun to be expressed by American CEO’s that have their finger on the pulse of the business climate both here and around the world. We thought it would be a good time to revisit this discussion, and update our interpretations of the latest data, and what it all means for precious metals.


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A new study from Digitalsmiths, the TiVo-owned maker of video search and recommendation services, offers a mix of good and bad news about adoption of authenticated TV Everywhere services – though increasing number of consumers are aware that these apps are available from their pay TV providers, a larger group remains unaware of them.
In a survey of more than 3,100 consumers, the company’s latest report – Q4 2015 Video Trends – found that 40% said they are aware that their pay TV provider offers TVE apps, up 3.7% in two years, and up 13.6% over a three-year span.
Still, 46.9% said they didn’t know if their provider offered such apps, an improvement from 55.2% in Digitalsmiths’s study from Q4 2012.
In Q4 2015, 21.5% said have a TVE app on their tablet or smartphone, a decline of 3.7% year-on-year. However, 45.4% said they use those apps on a weekly basis, up 3.6% from the previous quarter. Of those weekly TVE users, 21.6% tap in one to three days a week, and 14.7% access it six to seven days a week.
Just over half (50.8%) use the search and recommendation features offered on those apps, Digitalsmiths found.
Digitalsmiths said it believes “the next phase of TVE involves continued marketing efforts within each provider’s subscriber base, in order to improve overall adoption.”
Pay TV Churn Risk Remains High
The study also took another look at the churn threat and found that 44.7% of those surveyed were at risk – meaning they answered “yes” or “maybe” when asked if they intended to change their cable or satellite provider in the next six months.
Of the group, 5.6% said they plan to cut service altogether, while 6.6% planned to change providers, and 2.4% expected to switch to an online app or rental service.
Among consumers surveyed who do not currently have a pay TV provider, 17.5% said they cut service within the past 12 months, down from 19.3% from the previous quarter (Q3 2015). Additionally, 45.5% of the group without pay TV service said they use an antenna to access TV channels over-the-air.
There was also a slight uptick in the percentage of respondents (77.4%) who said they were satisfied or very satisfied with their pay TV service, with higher fees for video service, increased fees for Internet service, and poor customer service as the top three reasons for dissatisfaction.
Indicating that consumers remain interested in new, slimmer bundles and a la carte options, 73.6% said they’d like to choose only they channels they want to watch, a number that actually dropped from 81.6% in Digitalsmith’s Q1 2015 study.
The top 10 most-desired channels among respondents were: Discovery Channel, ABC, CBS, History, NBC, A&E, Nat Geo, Fox, HBO, and PBS. The bottom five: Fusion, Tennis Channel, Univision, Ovation TV and Telemundo.
Turning to OTT, 55.4% of those surveyed said they have a monthly subscription to an OTT service, down slightly from the previous quarter.
Of the group that are cord-cutters or cord-nevers, 59.1% use a monthly subscription service, with Netflix (53.0%) and Hulu (13.4%) the top OTT services used by those non-pay TV subs.
With most OTT and SVOD services offering personalized or next-gen interfaces, Digitalsmiths, for the first time, used the study to understand consumer sentiment toward Netflix features. Roughly 54.3% said the ability to create personal profiles was a key feature, as well as auto-play (47.2%), recommendations based on viewing history (43%). However, price (64.6%) was the top feature ranked.
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Acreage Holdings Posts Q4 and FY 2019 Revenue of $21.1 Million and $74.1 Million, Up 101% and 251%
Q4 and FY 2019 Pro Forma Revenue Came in at $43.6 Million and $155.5 Million, Respectively
Acreage Holdings (CSE: ACRG.U) (OTCQX: ACRGF) (FSE: 0VZ), one of the largest vertically integrated U.S. multi-state operators (MSOs) announced earnings today for the fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2019.
Acreage reported Q4 and full-year revenue of $21.1 million and $74.1 million, respectively. Those numbers represent an increase of 101% over the $10.5 million posted in Q4 2018 and 251% over the $21.1 million reported for the full-year 2018. However, compared to the prior quarter, the company’s revenue declined by nearly 6% from the $22.4 million posted in Q3 2019.
On a pro forma basis, the company’s fourth-quarter and full-year revenue came in at $43.6 million and $155.5 million, up 90% and 101% over the same time frames in 2018. Analysts were forecasting Acreage to report Q4 pro forma revenue of $49.4 million and full-year 2019 pro forma revenue of $161.6 million. Unfortunately, the company missed the mark on these projections.
On a less positive note, Acreage saw its fourth-quarter loss more than double year-over-year from $29.8 million to $65.6 million. For the full year 2019, the company’s net loss grew from the $32.3 million reported in 2018 to $195.2 million.
The company’s Q4 and full-year 2019 pro forma adjusted EBITDA loss came in at $15.8 million and $44.4 million, respectively. Analysts had projected that Acreage would report an EBITDA loss of $7.2 million for Q4 2019 and $40 million for the full-year 2019.
“While 2019 was a challenging year for the industry, I am pleased with the many accomplishments we delivered for shareholders including launching three award-winning brands, implementing our Canopy Growth strategies, and significantly growing our retail and wholesale businesses. We subsequently secured capital for our short-term operating requirements, and we are targeting positive pro-forma adjusted EBITDA in the second half of the year,” said Kevin Murphy, Chairman and CEO of Acreage Holdings.
2020 Financial and Operational Objectives
- Scale operations ASAP and built out 10 to 15 new retail dispensaries.
- Grow its wholesale business with the goal of having a wholesale revenue mix of roughly 20%.
- Reduce general and administrative costs by 12% or $7 million annually.
- Capital expenditures for cultivation, processing and dispensary buildouts of $45 to $50 million.
- Achieve positive pro forma adjusted EBITDA in the second half of 2020.
Pending Deal With Canopy
Another important factor investors should remember, Acreage Holdings and Canopy Growth (TSX: WEED) (NYSE: CGC) (FRA: 11L1) have a deal in place that gives Canopy the option to acquire Acreage if and when federal cannabis prohibition in the United States in abolished. The combination of Canada’s top licensed producer (LP) and one of America’s biggest MSOs would result in the creation of the world’s largest cannabis company with massive operations on both sides of the border and internationally.
ACRG.U Stock Price Action & Chart
Shares of Acreage Holdings’ CSE listed ACRG.U stock closed today’s trading session at $4.40 per share, down 4.56% on the day. South of the border, the company U.S. OTC Markets listed ACRGF stock closed the day down 4.47% at $4.44 per share. Overseas in Germany, Acreage’s Frankfurt listed shares closed trading today at $4.14, down 1.43%.
Disclosure: The Cannabis Investor does not hold a position in any of the stocks mentioned in this article.


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- Expected to be priced in the range of Rs 8-12 lakh (ex-showroom).
- Will rival the Ford EcoSport, Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza, Tata Nexon and the upcoming 2019 Hyundai QXi.
- Will be available with both petrol and diesel engine options.
- There won’t be an automatic transmission option at launch.
Mahindra has announced that the XUV300 will be launched on 14 February 2019. The Mahindra XUV300 shares its platform with the SsangYong Tivoli, but gets redesigned front and rear profiles and has an overall length of under 4m, unlike the Tivoli.
The XUV300 will be available with the Marrazzo's 1.5-litre diesel engine along with a brand new 1.2-litre turbocharged petrol engine. Mahindra has not revealed the specs of the engines except for their torque figures. While the diesel is rated at 300Nm, same as the Marazzo (123PS/300Nm), the petrol is rated at 200Nm. Both the engines will be mated to a 6-speed manual transmission. There won’t be an automatic transmission option at launch.
The XUV300 will be available in four variants – W4, W6, W8 and W8 (O) –, and going by the equipment Mahindra has revealed, it will be a feature-rich offering compared to its rivals. Goodies like dual-zone climate control, upto seven airbags, front parking sensors, rear disc brakes and steering modes are some of the segment-first features that the XUV300 will pack. Also on offer will be a sunroof, machine-finished alloy wheels, projector headlamps, DRLs, LED tail lamps, and leather upholstery.
The pre-launch bookings for the XUV300 are already underway for a minimum amount of Rs 20,000. Mahindra has also announced that the XUV300 will be priced between Rs 8 lakh to Rs 12 lakh (ex-showroom). Once launched, it will rival the likes of the Tata Nexon, Maruti Vitara Brezza, Ford EcoSport and the upcoming Hyundai sub-4m SUV, the QXi.


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Nokia marked its return in the smartphone industry last month by unveiling its two new smartphones Nokia 5 and Nokia 3 at MWC 2017. The company also introduced a refreshed version of the classic Nokia 3310. But just like LG and Huawei, many expected Nokia to announce a flagship smartphone alongside its newly released budget-smartphones at the launch event.
A new rumour, however, has suggested that the Finnish smartphone maker is planning to release its flagship smartphone with two different screen sizes in June this year.
The rumour that has come from the Chinese website MyDrivers claims that the new Nokia-branded flagship smartphones will be powered by Snapdragon 835 chipsets. The smartphones are said come with two RAM options- 4GB RAM or 6GB RAM. These flagship devices are expected to come with ‘at least’ 23-meagpixels on the primary camera sensor. The report also suggests that the phones will sport a metal unibody design and at least one of the variant is tipped to feature a dual rear camera setup.
As for the pricing, the small-screen size model is expected to cost CNY 4000 (around Rs. 38,600), while the large-screen size variant is said to come with a price tag of CNY 4,500 (roughly Rs. 43,500).
If Nokia supposedly brings the flagship smartphone, it could be the widely rumoured Nokia ‘P1’ or Nokia 8 whose leaks and rumours have been circling up on the internet quite from sometime. As per the leaks, the alleged Nokia P1 is tipped to feature a 5.3-inch display with a Gorilla Glass 5 protection. The phone is expected to come with 6GB of RAM with 128GB and 256GB internal storage variant. Rumours have also suggested that the device will sport a 22.6-megapixel rear camera with Carl Zeiss lens. The alleged P1 is said to run Android 7.0 Nougat out of the box with the company’s Z-launcher.


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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 3, 2021
MetroClick Launches Interactive Smart Cooler, Bringing Digital Media to Store Shelves
Smart Coolers boost sales, improve interaction with customers, enhance in-store experience and provide actionable analytics in test at leading retailer by top beverage marketer
NEW YORK – Consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies have long supported retailers’ efforts to replicate the benefits of the online interactive shopping experience in the physical store. Dynamic in-store digital experiences such as state-of-the-art interactive smart coolers enable the retailer and brand partners to break through the noise of the marketplace and get their messaging to the customer.
The new MetroClick Interactive Smart Coolers feature a standard refrigerated case with an innovative transparent LCD on the door that is attached to a commercial grade network media player and external speakers. The door display screen is currently being trialed at a top five retailer by a leading beverage marketer, which is looping calls to action for the brand’s products and apps. The content will soon be customized for each location depending on product assortment and co-branding.
“Brands and retailers have lofty goals for the Interactive Smart Coolers, including revolutionizing the shopper’s in-store digital experience and growing loyalty. By using the latest touchscreen technology and ultimately enabling customized messaging based on smartphone opt-in campaigns, we expect the companies will see a quick ROI on each installed unit,” said Taylor Miller, Partner and COO at MetroClick.
The MetroClick Interactive Smart Coolers currently in test markets replace non-digital units and are already increasing sales and shopper engagement at retail locations in Los Angeles, Atlanta, Nashville, Tallahassee and Normal, IL. Additional locations for the cases will be announced shortly.
“CPG companies invest significant resources to bring the latest brand merchandising tools to retail customers and consumers. Our inventive way to communicate messaging at the point-of-purchase is already enhancing the connection with the shopper. The vertical canvas is perfect to adapt social media content, not to mention zero waste comparing digital content with traditional printed advertising,” said Jesse Cooper, Partner and CEO at MetroClick.
The software for the Interactive Smart Coolers manages the user interface, collects data on each interaction and helps the brands and the retailers optimize the way each case is stocked with product and used as a messaging platform. It has a wide range of communications capabilities, from straightforward advertising and product promotion to customizable offerings transferred to a mobile device.
“The proliferation of innovative offerings in all beverage categories creates the need for brand owners to differentiate themselves in key retail environments like convenience stores, supermarkets and beer, wine and spirit shops. The MetroClick Interactive Smart Cooler is designed to influence in-store shopper behavior wherever chilled products are sold, giving marketers the ability to deliver customized messaging that engages consumers in real-time,” said Ken Aufiero, Beverage Channel Executive at MetroClick.
MetroClick merges hardware manufacturing capabilities and an in-house software development team to create the highest levels of digital communications functionality, customization and versatility. The company helps companies in a wide range of industries tell their unique stories to their customers to create engagement and boost brand impact. From retail and hospitality to stadiums and financial services institutions, MetroClick’s team has the expertise to help create desired customer experiences one touch at a time. More information is available at https://www.metroclick.com/.


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Estée Lauder Companies has confirmed its minority investment in ‘clean’ beauty start-up Code Mint.
The move marks the beauty giant’s first investment in a Chinese brand.
Code Mint is said to have attracted the attention of ELC’s New Incubation Ventures (NIV) business, according to China-based financial publication Yicai, citing sources at the US multinational’s China branch.
NIV was set up by the beauty giant in 2021 to identify and grow new-generation prestige beauty brands from across the globe.
Code Mint launched at the start of 2021 and is owned by Hangzhou Jianfa Meixue, a company founded by internet celebrity Grace Chow (Yangqing Zhou).
The brand’s hero products include a cleansing balm with grape extracts, an amino acid cleanser and its caffeine-laced Iced Americano Sheet Mask.
It previously received angel investment from prominent South Korean beauty OEM Cosmax, which also manufactures Code Mint products.
But rumours of Lauder investment in Code Mint have been circulating for several months.
A February 2023 report by Chinese beauty industry publication Chaileedo, said that Chow had ‘a while ago’ shared details of Estée Lauder’s investment via social media, as well as videos of her trip to the company’s headquarters in New York.
Meanwhile, WWD, citing market sources, said the deal was closed around two years ago.
Chow has more than 11 million followers on Weibo and 2.2 million followers on Instagram.
She rose to prominence as a cast member of Chinese fashion reality TV show Fourtry.
Cosmetics Business has reached out to Estée Lauder Companies for comment.


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How to buy Alienware computers for $100,000
Microsoft’s new Alienware PC is no more.
The company confirmed the news on Twitter this morning, with a tweet from Microsoft general counsel Brad Smith.
I’m sorry to announce that we are no longer selling Alienware PCs.
The decision to no longer sell PCs was based on many factors, including the continued success of the Alienware 7 series, and the evolution of the business.
We have many customers who have made a lasting investment in the PC ecosystem and continue to look for the best value, and this decision has helped us achieve that.
With the new product line, we’re committed to offering a wide range of products for our customers, and to delivering a great experience for our users.
The Alienware product lineup continues to evolve and improve with every new iteration.
We look forward to continuing to deliver the best in computer hardware, software and services for years to come.


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AMD announced they have entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Xilinx in an all-stock transaction valued at $35 billion.
The acquisition brings together two semiconductor companies with complementary product portfolios and customers. When completed, AMD will offer a strong portfolio of high-performance processor technologies, combining CPUs, GPUs, FPGAs, Adaptive SoCs, and deep software expertise to the industry. That, thinks the company, should enable leadership computing platforms for cloud, edge, and end devices. Together, the combined company will capitalize on opportunities spanning some of the industry’s most important growth sectors. That includes segments from the data center to gaming, PCs, communications, automotive, industrial, aerospace, and defense.
This is a megadeal, and only a little less than Nvidia’s megadeal for of $40 billion for Arm announced last month. And five years ago, Intel acquired Xilinx competitor Altera for $16.7 billion, which would easily be doubled today. AMD’s last major acquisition was ATI in 2006 for a mere $5.4 billion.
The deal will still leave AMD with over $1.7 billion in cash and only $373 million debt, so it is very healthy. This deal, when it is completed at the end of 2021, will be accretive to AMD, and, the merger will significantly expand AMD’s product portfolio and customer base.
For instance, the deal gives AMD more heft in the data center. FPGA’s are the second most popular device for AI training, which is why we saw a flurry of FPGA deals and news a couple of years ago including the Altera deal. Microsoft’s Project Catapult announced in 2018 is combining FPGAs with CPUs in its cloud services for AI work. This is the kind of expansion AMD is interested in.
What do we think?
If Altera was good for Intel, Xilinx would be great for AMD. Xilinx will expand AMD’s footprint with existing customers because Xilinx and AMD share many of them. Xilinx gives AMD another product line for AI solutions. With AMD’s stronger presence in the data center and supercomputers, FPGAs are a natural addition. Xilinx will also open automotive and other markets for AMD. And AMD’s buying power will drive down Xilinx’s costs.
One other nice bit of synergy: Xilinx has been using the Mali GPU IP from Arm. AMD can replace the Mali with AMD’s GPU IP and get a better GPU for less money.


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The leading European dating site has chosen Smart AdServer to manage all of its online advertising campaigns in France and Europe
Paris, 07 October 2009 – Smart AdServer, a leading player in Europe in adserving and digital marketing, announces that MEETIC, the leading European dating agency, has chosen its advertising solution to deliver all of its display campaigns in Europe and optimise its campaign to recruit new members.
Founded in 2002 by the French born Marc Simoncini, MEETIC is the leading European dating agency. Offering two different services – dating and matchmaking with Meetic and Meetic Affinity mainly – in 16 European countries (France, Belgium, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Italy, Spain, Austria, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, the United Kingdom, Germany, Portugal, Poland, Norway and the Netherlands) and Latin America, MEETIC is available in 13 languages. With 945,000 subscribers, and following the buyout of the European activities of its competitor Match.com (the US group IAC and global leader) last February, MEETIC is currently the benchmark for online dating in Europe. It is in particular thanks to a dynamic online recruitment policy that MEETIC has been able to become market leader, across Europe. On the strength of these results, MEETIC decided to continue its expansion in Europe.
With this in mind, MEETIC was seeking a stable, scalable and innovative technological solution, managed by a team of experts, which makes it possible, on the one hand, to manage and harmonise all of its campaigns to win new clients and boost customer loyalty in Europe, and on the other to analyse performance and rapidly measure any return on investment.
After examining all leading technologies in the ad server market, MEETIC chose the Smart AdServer advertiser solution, in particular for its advanced functions and real user friendliness. Also, MEETIC’s specific large scale acquisition problems required a personalised response. Smart AdServers ability to develop customised functions with extremely high added value services of targeting, reporting and tracking was consequently a determinant criterion for MEETIC.
Now boasting MEETIC among its new customers, Smart AdServer has strengthened its position as a benchmark player in the French and European markets. “We are delighted to announce the signing of this pan-European contract with one of the largest advertisers in Europe. This contract fits perfectly with our international development strategy, and bears witness to the undeniable competitive advantages and maturity of Smart AdServer“, says Cyrille Geffray, the Managing Director of Smart AdServer. “This signing is a strong signal not only for us but the entire market. The biggest players, advertisers, media agencies and advertising houses are now ready to imagine an alternative to traditional adserving solutions. They are seeking more innovative partners able to support their projects. In an increasingly competitive environment in which the online advertising market is dominated by three key players, Smart AdServer’s independence from any of these giants is also reassuring.”


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CJ - Cryptocurrency Enthusiast
The top 10 coins according to social interaction are tweeted by LunarCrush
The top ranking was for Bitcoin
Shiba Inu came in at number 10
The top 10 cryptocurrencies by social interaction for October 25 were listed by LunarCrush, a popular cryptocurrency social media and market research company.
The top cryptocurrency in the world, Bitcoin, ranks #1 on the list. Bitcoin price is $19,347.31 and a 24-hour percentage loss of 0.03%. It has a 24-hour high of $19,425.50 and a 24-hour low of $19,169.81. The current market capitalization of Bitcoin is $371.30 billion, with a volume of $575.94 million transactions per day and a value of $5.58 billion. Bitcoin is followed by Ethereum. Trading at $1,358.56, ETH had a 24-hour profit of 0.98%, a low of $1,324.70, and a high of $1,359 during that time. In addition, Ethereum now has a market worth of $162.62 billion, a 24-hour volume of $562.86 million, and a 24-hour transaction value of $2.56 billion.
Aptos was the third alternative coin to garner the most social interaction today. At the time of writing, Aptos was trading at $9.32, down 4.56% over the previous 24 hours, with a low of $9.08 and a high of $9.89. Additionally, Aptos now has a market capitalization of $1,213,798,558, a 24-hour volume of $683,927,361 million, and a value of $683,927,361.43 per transaction. Solana came in at number four on the list, trading at $28.52 with a $39.46 24-hour trading volume and a $10.26 billion market value. Fifth on the list was Cardano, with ADA trading at $0.3635, registering a gain of 1.09%, and a market valuation of $12.27 billion.
Other currencies in the top ten included Tezos (Trading Price: $1.35), Polygon Matic (Trading Price: $0.879), Tether USDT (Trading Price: $1.0), and Dogecoin (Trading Price: $0.06) and Shiba Inu (Trading Price: $0.0000100), two of the most popular meme coins.
Cheapest coin site to buy and sell Bitcoin online is BCBitcoin – a trusted cryptobroker with more than 180 different cryptocurrencies to choose from.