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As a researcher in a muscle biology and regeneration lab, it’s disturbing to picture myself eating the tiny pieces of muscle I grow in petri dishes. However, the idea of growing muscle (meat) from avian (chicken) or bovine (cow) stem cells in the laboratory for human consumption is a reality today. Some people consider it a replacement to current meat production standards and its rising global demand.
In 2013, the Dutch stem cell researcher Mark Post presented to the world the first cell-cultured hamburger that was cooked and tasted live on air. The patty took three months to make using 20,000 muscle fibers grown from bovine stem cells in Post’s lab at an approximated cost of €250,000, which was financed by Google co-founder Sergey Brin. This cell-cultured beef burger represented a notable milestone in the field of cellular agriculture.
Another researcher eager to shift meat manufacturing from the farm to the lab is Gabor Forgacs, a biological physicist at the University of Missouri. Forgacs’ goal is to use 3-D printing technology to fabricate larger bits of meat from myocytes (muscle cells). Additionally, the company Memphis Meats in San Francisco, California, announced in March 2017 that they have produced “clean poultry” — chicken and duck meat from cultured cells of each bird.
Cultured stem cells can be used to grow millions of tons of meat, reducing animal suffering and helping the environment stressed by huge tracks of lands occupied by livestock. In conventional meat production from “factory” farms, antibiotics are regularly given to healthy animals to encourage their growth. On the other hand, lab-grown meats are prepared in a sterile lab environment, circumventing antibiotics and bacteria present in live cattle. According to a 2011 study, cultured meat requires less land and energy to make than common methods for producing pork, sheep or beef. Moreover, clean poultry would require even less energy to produce than lab-made meat. Even though engineered meat provides an animal-free alternative to present meat production, no synthetic food has yet reached the marketplace and it is not clear which government agencies would supervise this emerging food source.
Historically, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) supervised the safekeeping and security of food additives while the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) regulated meat, poultry and eggs. Moreover, the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER), a center within the FDA, regulates biological items for human consumption. This includes products made from human tissues, blood and cells and gene therapy procedures. New food products like lab-grown meat do not fit into present-day regulatory definitions. To address this problem, the White House launched in 2016 an initiative to clarify which U.S. agencies are responsible for a given product and how such agencies should regulate agricultural biotechnology. Meanwhile, industry leaders are focusing on making their potential lab-based foods comparable to existing products that are known to be safe for human consumption. The groundwork laid by these companies could provide a path for approval of lab-made meat for the end consumer — you and me.
The push to generate cheap and mass-producible lab-grown food is underway and perhaps one day coming to a burger joint near you…the “deluxe myocyte patty”— would you eat it?


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For the 5th consecutive year, Hankook were present at the Solutrans located in the heart of France, to display its full range of bus and truck tyres as well as services dedicated to the world of transport.
Continental Launch New Agricultural Tyre App at LAMMA
Continental has launched ‘Agriculture TyreTech’, a new mobile app to help farmers use tyres more efficiently.
New Camso Halftrack Conversion Track System Presented at Agritechnica
Camso introduced its newest conversion track systems (CTS) in a new tractor segment at this year’s Agritechnica show.
BKT at Agritechnica
BKT started with the future at Agritechnica 2019 and deployed an entire fleet of tyres at its stand including both new products and established best sellers.
STARCO Present Solutions at AGRITECHNICA 2019
STARCO attended agricultural fair AGRITECHNICA in Hannover, Germany recently, with the company displaying its in-house designed, developed and manufactured wheel solutions for the agricultural industry.
Maxam Tire Attends Agritechnica
MAXAM Tire featured the newest addition to the agricultural tyre market - the MAXAM AGRIXTRA series at AGRITECHNICA.
Falken Attend the NUFAM CV Trade Fair
The Falken tyre brand is represented with a 30 square meter stand at the NUFAM commercial vehicle trade fair in Karlsruhe from 26 to 29 September 2019.
Nokian Present New Ground King Tyre at Agritechnika
The new Nokian Ground King tyre, which is premiering this year at Agritechnica fair, is set to bring new opportunities for tractor and machine.
BKT Bringing New Innovations to Agritechnika
BKT will be presenting some of their latest innovations at Agritechnica scheduled at Hanover from November 10 to 16, 2019.
Alliance Nominated for Agritechnica’s Systems & Components Trophy
Following on from the Innovation Award Silver Medal awarded to Alliance recently, the focus now shifts to another innovation in the Alliance tyre portfolio with the nomination of the Alliance Forestar 344 ELIT for the “Systems and Components Trophy – Engineers’ Choice”.

domain: news


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SYLACAUGA, Ala. – On Friday King’s Mattress Gallery, formerly King’s Mattress Outlet, held a grand-opening ceremony.
Owners Russell and Angela King decided to re-brand after the business began to carry Tempur-Pedic and Sealy mattresses, two of the top-selling brands in the country.
“We decided to re-brand because we were selling a few different brands as King’s Mattress Outlet, but now we have Sealy and Tempur-Pedic,” said Angela King. “These are the nation’s most recommended and most recognized mattresses.”
According to King, her store is the only local retailer for these brands. “We are so excited to be the only local retailer for these,” she said. King’s Mattress Gallery will also carry the pillows, sheets and everything else you need for bedding.
The store will pride itself on being local and serving local people – something it has done for 25 years. “When you shop local we are here for you. When you have a need we are right down the street,” King explained.
Sylacauga Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Laura Strickland believes this re-brand will also bring others from surrounding areas to shop locally in the Marble City, bringing even more tax revenue to the city. “This is an opportunity to draw people from our surrounding region to come shop with us,” she said. “To see [Angela and Russell King] re-invest in this community is fabulous, and it means a lot to the city.”
King’s Mattress Gallery will offer multiple installment and payment options for customers. Consumers can finance their dream mattress or pay in full, and mattresses can either be delivered or carried out upon purchase.


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PAX South: Co-op RPG Dauntless demos its gameplay
This past weekend at PAX South, the co-op RPG Dauntless made its public debut, offering attendees a chance to try out a demo of the monster-slaying title. As you may recall from December’s reveal of the game, Dauntless is a free-to-play multiplayer game being developed by former Blizzard and BioWare employees.
PC Gamer caught some time with the demo and reported that it seemed (initially) impressive: “I was initially skeptical of its free-to-play model, but developer Phoenix Labs assured me it wants to stay far away from paying for power — focusing more on the standard cosmetics and boosts we see in other free-to-play games — and after playing it, I really liked the idea of being able to drop in to hunt giant monsters with friends without them having to make a purchase to do so.”
You can check out that site’s hands-on video below.


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WEBINAR: How is SLS 3D Printing Being Used in Orthotics?
It is hardly a secret that prototyping was one of the first applications for SLS 3D printing and is still one of the most popular. However, as machines, materials and post-processing are now reaching the standards expected by the manufacturing industry, more and more professionals are switching from traditional manufacturing methods to 3D printing to move beyond prototyping to the production of end-use parts.
The orthotics industry, which focuses on the creation of orthoses or “externally applied devices to influence the structural and functional characteristics of the neuromuscular and skeletal system,” is one example of this 3D printing revolution. In fact, the market has been growing steadily over the years, along with 3D printing in the medical field and prosthetics in general, and according to a recent report is even expected to be worth about $6 Billion by 2028. That is because coupled with the digitization of the process, 3D printing makes it possible to quickly manufacture orthotics adapted to the patient’s needs not just fitting it perfectly to them but also enabling orthoses which are thin, durable, light, and repeatable.
To learn more about how 3D printing and more specifcally SLS is being used in the sector, then check out our webinar “How is SLS 3D Printing Being Used in Orthotics?” which took place on May 24th. Attendees learned about how SLS 3D printing is being advanced in the field of orthotics. Additionally, experts from Axis Prototyping and Prodways discussed applications for 3D printing in the sector, such as insoles, as well as how Prodways SLS 3D Printers are adapted to the production of orthotics. You can find the replay HERE.
Lee Barbiasz is an AMER Sales Manager at Prodways Tech and has several years of experience in 3D printing and additive manufacturing. He’s aided numerous customers in their deployment of 3D printing across several applications.
Gilles Desharnais is the CEO at Axis Prototypes Inc. With over twenty years of experience in the 3D Printing industry, he provides a strategic perspective on the uses and development of rapid prototyping, manufacturing and 3D printing applications and technologies. Gilles is certified by the SME (Society of Manufacturing Engineers) in Rapid Technologies & Additive Manufacturing, master Level.
Madeleine Prior is the English Content Specialist for 3Dnatives, the leading international online magazine on 3D Printing and Additive Manufacturing. As part of the team, Madeleine is in charge of defining the content 3Dnatives covers for its english-speaking audience, bringing the latest news about the additive manufacturing sector and its implications to readers.
Are you interested in learning more about the SLS printing production in orthotics? Will you register for free for this webinar. Let us know in a comment below or on our LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter pages! Don’t forget to sign up for our free weekly Newsletter here, the latest 3D printing news straight to your inbox! You can also find all our videos on our YouTube channel.


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Internet to be world's 5th biggest economy by 2016
- Staff Silicon Valley Business Journal
If the Internet was a country, its gross domestic product would eclipse all others but four within four years.
That is one of the conclusions of a new report by Boston Consulting Group.
The only countries in the world with a bigger GDP than the United Internet would be the U.S., China, Japan and India, the report concluded. The report based its estimate on Internet use in the 20 biggest economies in the world.
"The economic impact of the Internet demonstrates that no one—individual, business or government — can afford to ignore the ability of the Internet to deliver more value and wealth to more consumers and citizens more broadly than any economic development since the Industrial Revolution," Boston Consulting said.
Some other interesting findings in the report:
— More than two-thirds of Americans said they would go without coffee and 21 percent would give up sex for a year to stay online. U.S. users said they would need to be paid about $2,500 to give up the Internet for a year.
— Mobile access will grow in importance as smartphones and tablets account for four out of five broadband connections by 2016.
— The U.S. will continue to chip in more than any other country in Internet-related spending, but its share of that will drop from about 30 percent today to about 24 percent of the total Internet economy in 2016.
— The Internet chipped in for $684 billion, or 4.7 percent of all U.S. GDP in 2010, compared to $625 billion, or 4.3 percent, attributable to federal government spending.
— The U.K.'s Internet spending accounted for the highest percentage of any country's GDP at 8.3 percent in 2010, followed by South Korea (7.3 percent), China (5.5 percent), Japan and the U.S. (tied at 4.7 percent).
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Meijer seeks local artists for culturally-inspired product collection
GRAND RAPIDS — Supermarket chain Meijer is seeking work from local artists inspired by diverse outlooks and communities for a special collection it will carry in stores across the Midwest.
The artwork will be featured on products, including stationery and decorations, and sold in celebration of Black History Month, Women's History Month, Pride Month and Hispanic Heritage Month, beginning in 2023.
“At Meijer, we want our products and business partners to reflect our communities, customers and team members,” said Peter Whitsett, executive vice president of merchandising and marketing. “That’s what makes this collection so special. Our customers will see perspectives both similar to and different from their own reflected through art on products they can bring into their homes.”
Between now and Sunday, Nov. 7, artists residing in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky and Wisconsin may submit artwork inspired by the four cultural categories, or by their locale.
Sales from the collection will benefit nonprofit organizations, in part selected by artists, who will also receive a monetary prize.
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For the last two years, Meijer has partnered with Black students and artists from the West Michigan Center for Arts and Technology to sell limited-edition shirts honoring Black History Month and Juneteenth.
However, this is the first time the retailer is recruiting artists from communities it serves on such a large scale.
“We’re excited to support local artists by offering a platform for their work to reach thousands of customers and homes across the Midwest,” said Meijer Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion Tim Williams.
To enter your artwork, visit meijer.com/collection-of-voices.


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To own a pet seems to be good for us, as if we didn’t already know. But just how good for us is a matter of opinion. Researchers from York Uni took the opportunity recently to survey a handful of Britons to find out whether their experience of lockdown was aided or not by their pet.
The York study retrieved data from an online survey sent to 5,926 Britons. The survey asked about respondents’ experiences during the period of maximum lockdown and asked about their relationship with animals. 90% of those people who took part in the survey owned a pet.
Assisted through dark times
According to the results published last week, more than 90% of respondents claimed their pet had helped them to psychologically cope with confinement. 96% noted that owning a pet had also helped them to stay fit physically.
Although researchers were careful not to promote the ownership of a pet as a means to an end, they did admit in their precis on PLOS One that, “owning animals versus not owning was associated with smaller decreases in mental health and smaller increases in (feeling) lonely during confinement.
"The possession of animals therefore seemed to mitigate some of the harmful psychological effects of confinement linked to Covid-19 ".
Responsibility not to be overlooked
Owning a pet has been for some time considered beneficial to our mental and physical health. Those lucky enough to own a pet throughout lockdown have been at an advantage. However, the worthy owner realises as well that the relationship between them and their pet works both ways, and involves a great deal of dedication.
Watch: Dogs can help us to get through the worst of Covid-19


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Institute of Strategic and International Studies (ISIS) in its National Interest Analysis (NIA) report said Malaysia's participation in the TPP was, on balance, in the national interest.
This NIA was part of the cost-benefit analysis study on TPP released by International Trade and Industry Ministry today.
ISIS stressed that critical domestic issues would have to be addressed in areas relating to Bumiputera, labour, investor-state dispute settlement, intellectual property and state-owned enterprises.
The think tank said the realities of global political economic developments, however, meant that Malaysia must secure its future with the necessary institutional frameworks to be able to engage, advance and defend its interests.
Under the TPP, the government has secured numerous exclusions and exemptions to safeguard the interest of the country and stakeholders.
"These might not be uniformly viewed as favourable or sufficient but nonetheless, they are more favourable to Malaysia than originally expected," the report noted.
ISIS believed that joining the TPP was consistent with Malaysia's New Economic Model and ambition to become a high-income economy.
Through TPP, Malaysia would have fewer tariff restrictions in four new markets namely, the US (90 per cent), Canada (95 per cent), Mexico (77 per cent) and Peru (81 per cent).
On Bumiputera participation, ISIS said the government procurement threshold for supply of goods and services is expected to change the status quo of Bumiputera participants.
"Recipients of contracts above relevant thresholds will now have to compete openly and those below the thresholds remain unaffected," it said.
For construction contracts, ISIS said there was a 30 per cent Bumiputera reservation ensuring that there would be minimum Bumiputera participation.
It said there was policy space for equity ownership by Bumiputera in real estate, oil and gas and privatised government-owned assets.
"The government can continue offering direct assistance through licensing and permits to Bumiputera as well as maintain the right to control activities such as gambling permits and products such as information content and alcohol.
"Halal certification, syariah legal services, religious schools, pilgrimage and zakat continue to be controlled by the state," it noted.
On investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS), ISIS said this topic was not new as provisions were already present in Malaysia's Bilateral Investment Treaties and Free Trade Agreements.
"All TPP participants are subject to the same investment rules and regulations," it said.
On State-Owned Enterprises (SOE), ISIS said Malaysia is able to comply with TPP obligations on competition policy through the Competition Act 2010.
There are concerns raised by Khazanah Nasional Bhd over its ability to comply with these disciplines and carry out social and economic programmes.
However, TPP does require conformity to certain disciplines covering non-discriminatory treatment and commercial considerations in the domestic market and non-commercial assistance in overseas markets, it noted.
On Intellectual Property (IP), ISIS said the impact on prices of medicine would be minimal when the agreement comes into force.
It said there was a data exclusivity (DE) period of five to eight years for biologic drugs, but this impact may not be significant since an 18-month access window safeguard applied.
"Malaysian consumers may incur increased burden from additional royalty payments to foreign content creators amounting to US$115 million a year due to copyright extension from 50 to 70 years for books, music and films," it said.
On rice, ISIS said the issue of food security was addressed because Malaysia has the right to adopt or maintain any measures relating to wholesale and distribution services for rice.
"Regulator of rice industry and distributor, Bernas, will still maintain its control over rice supply and hence its price.
"The price of rice may not decrease in the short-run, as tariff is only eliminated in the 11th year," it said.
On alcohol and tobacco, ISIS said the government can still maintain the implementation of price and supply control on these products indefinitely under the TPP through excise duty and restricted license distribution.
It said the transition period for tariff elimination is 15 years.
On automobiles, ISIS said cars from Japan and the US are expected to be cheaper to import in the first 12 years.
"The government, however, will be able to maintain the excise duties prevailing at that time," it noted. - Bernama
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In East Bay, mobile and school-based food pantries catching on
Updated 7:20 pm, Tuesday, October 27, 2015
Gathering enough food to feed thousands of struggling families is the easy part.
The hard part is getting the rice and beans, sweet potatoes and pears, and cans of mixed medley vegetables into the hands and homes of those who need them. In Alameda County, that’s at least 1 of every 5 households.
So instead of waiting and hoping that families will come to traditional and sometimes inconvenient distribution sites, the county organization is increasingly bringing its produce, dairy and dry goods to the people by using mobile food pantries and schools as convenient micro-distribution centers.
By analyzing detailed records and using mapping software, the food bank determines the best time and place to reach people.
“One thing that often gets overlooked is these are working families,” Altfest said. “They don’t have the luxury to alter their schedule to meet their basic needs.”
The food bank, with grants totaling $325,000 over the past two years from Morgan Stanley, is now expanding the school-based and mobile pantries. While such tactics have been used in other regions, they are relatively new to Alameda and are helping push food into corners of the county where there is great need.
Trucks pull into neighborhoods, set up tables with tablecloths, and roll up doors with produce on one side and dry goods on the other. It’s more like a farmers’ market than a food bank, Altfest said.
The grants are “giving us the flexibility to create programs we might not have otherwise,” Altfest said. “It’s increasing access. It’s finding the most convenient way to get people the food they need.”
Among those who appreciate the help is Marcus Garner.
On Tuesday, he dropped off his sixth-grade daughter at West Oakland Middle School just after 8 a.m., then walked up a flight of stairs in Building H to the parent resource center. He grabbed a couple of reusable grocery bags and filled them with eggs, boxed milk, whole wheat pasta, brown rice, canned goods and produce.
He estimated it was close to $50 worth of food, given the high costs of eggs and other items. Garner said that he gets paid once a month and that the school-based pantry helps his family through some lean days before the paycheck. It’s convenient, he said, and full of other parents.
“I just drop her off and come get some food,” he said. “It’s great.”
West Oakland Middle School Principal Neha Ummat also loves the program.
Full range of services
“We’re a full-service community school,” she said, offering medical care and other aid, and now a food pantry. “That’s the whole idea.”
The goal is to clear impediments to students learning. Too many show up hungry or without nutritious food in their bellies, said the school’s health center coordinator, Hana Shirriel-Dia, who also coordinates the food pantry.
“A lot of our kids come to the health center complaining of headaches or stomachaches,” she said. And when the staff asks if they ate breakfast, they say yes. But that breakfast was often chips or a sweet roll with a large sugary soda or tea.
The school-based pantry can help ensure home cupboards are stocked with fresh produce, protein and whole grains.
The food bank started the West Oakland school pantry two months ago, with distribution at the start and close of the school day, twice a month. Up to 65 families have taken advantage on any given day.
Instead of handing out an already full bag of groceries, families get to choose what items they want. The selection changes from week to week. Sometimes pears and sweet potatoes are on the menu, other times kale or tofu.
The setup at a familiar place like their child’s school, and the freedom to choose, create an environment that is welcoming rather than demeaning, Altfest said.
“There’s definitely a stigma that comes along with needing help,” he said.
Single mom Tara Scott, who has a fifth-grader at Kipp Bridge Charter School adjacent to West Oakland Middle School, stumbled on the food pantry Tuesday morning after she dropped off her son. Recent medical problems reduced her ability to work, and though she recovered she’s playing catchup on bills.
“When you think about how much fresh vegetables and fresh produce cost, it’s a blessing to be able to come and pick up food like this,” she said, adding she can now add meat or protein to her grocery list. “It’s really helping stretch (money) out.”
In the Bay Area, it takes $80,000 to $90,000 for a family of four to make ends meet, Altfest said. Even then, an illness or major expenditure can put a family on the financial edge.
“It’s difficult to get by here,” he said. “The mind-set is you can skip a meal here and there.”


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Company / division: HMD Global
HMD Global Launches First High-End Android, Nokia 8 (Aug 16, 2017)
NDTV’s Manish Singh has an interview with the head of consumer electronics sales for Amazon in India which provides several interesting insights on trends around smartphone sales there. It seems Amazon’s sales of smartphones in India have risen dramatically in India over the past year, up 100% overall but up by far higher percentages in the smaller cities around the country. Perhaps more importantly, Amazon is finding that a smartphone is often the first purchase a customer makes through the site, but in many cases turns the customer into an Amazon convert, with many other purchases following that first positive experience. In a sense, this is the equivalent of Facebook or Google pursuing strategies to expand internet access: the efforts are designed to create new potential customers who are more likely to be loyal to Amazon, though this would be even more effective if Amazon launched its own devices, something NDTV has previously reported it was working on. The piece here also talks about Amazon’s strategy of offering the broadest possible range of devices and brands while also securing the odd exclusive including phones from OnePlus and a particular model of the iPhone. That’s an interesting strategy in a market where a majority of smartphone sales are still made in offline retail, but online is an increasingly important channel. Overall, some good insights into both Amazon’s India strategy and the Indian smartphone market. Also worth noting: this separate story from NDTV on the new Nokia 6 (from HMD Global) hitting 1 million “registrations” (effectively a soft pre-order) on Amazon’s website in India, which is running some special promotions and bundles around the phone.
Google has today announced a patent licensing alliance which is intended to provide cover to member companies using each other’s patents. The idea is that any member can use any other member’s patents without fear of being sued, something that’s actually been quite common between members of the broader ecosystem over the last few years. The alliance has only nine members to start with, about half of which are smaller smartphone brands, but the members do include Samsung, LG, and of course Google itself, as well as Foxconn. Those members alone apparently have 230,000 patents between them which will now be freely available to other members within the context of Android devices. This is a fascinating move, and it’s impressive that Google was able to get Samsung and LG in particular on board without also having some of the other big Android vendors. Of course, none of this will stop these companies from suing those outside the Android ecosystem (or this alliance), but it might help temper some of the animosity that has sometimes characterized competition between Android OEMs.
Americans Don’t Care About Nokia (or Huawei) – PCMag (Mar 7, 2017)
This is good from Sascha Segan, explaining why “Nokia” (really HMD Global) and its new 3310 are irrelevant in the US, but also in some ways more interestingly why Huawei (and other Chinese manufacturers) have long struggled here. With Nokia/HMD, it’s a long-standing lack of investment in the unique requirements of the US market including CDMA networking technology, whereas with Huawei it’s a more complex geopolitical issue involving Huawei’s networking gear. It’s easy to dismiss the US government’s objections to Huawei equipment in networks covering US network traffic as scaremongering or protectionism, but in a previous job I heard from very reliable sources about Chinese gear (not Huawei’s) in telecoms networks which had backdoors installed – these concerns can’t just be dismissed out of hand. But even beyond that, there are significant other reasons why the Chinese brands don’t succeed here, including notably the fact that those brands simply aren’t known, and in many cases the companies aren’t doing enough to change that. The one place where some of the Chinese brands do reasonably well in the US wireless market is the prepaid segment, were several have made a decent business. But that’s much less brand- and much more price-sensitive than the much larger postpaid market.
HMD Launches New Nokia Phones – Wired (Feb 27, 2017)
Quick explainer for those that haven’t followed the saga of Nokia over recent years: Microsoft bought Nokia’s Devices and Services business, including the smartphone and feature phone businesses, a few years back, along with exclusive use of the Nokia brand in these markets for several years. That exclusivity has now expired, and Microsoft last year sold the rump of the feature phone business to a new Finnish entity called HMD Global, which now has the rights to manufacture phones under the Nokia brand. The original owner of the Nokia brand and devices business, which now mostly makes telecoms network gear, has essentially nothing to do with these new phones. The MWC announcement actually covered three smartphones, the Nokia 3, 5, and 6, but almost all the attention has been on its resurrection of the extremely popular candy bar feature phone from 17 years ago, the Nokia 3110. It’s fascinating to see both the BlackBerry and Nokia brands get reboots at MWC from new companies – both were once key players in the global industry but have fallen enormously from those heights, and are probably past the point where a meaningful resurrection is possible, considerable nostalgia notwithstanding.


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Stuttgart, Germany – Mercedes-Benz has announced it is developing a new super sports car in-house, the SLS AMG. The new model features an AMG 6.3-litre V8 engine, aluminum spaceframe body, and “gullwing” doors.
“Mercedes-Benz is presenting an exhilarating super sports car in the guise of the new SLS AMG, which is bound to set the pulses of all car enthusiasts racing that extra bit faster,” said Dr. Dieter Zetsche, head of Mercedes-Benz Cars. “The SLS AMG is emotion pure and simple for the Mercedes-Benz brand and is set to become one of the most alluring sports cars of our era.”
The AMG 6.3-litre V8 achieves a peak output of 571 horsepower and maximum 479 lb-ft of torque, mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. It is expected to accelerate from zero to 100 km/h in 3.8 seconds, with a top speed of 315 km/h.
Design and development for the new model got underway in the last quarter of 2006, with vehicle testing expected to be completed by the end of 2009, and the model launched in the spring of 2010.


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PAYFONT, the fledgling Cybersecurity firm that’s fast building an international reputation for its breakthrough personal online security innovation, launched its current round of fundraising on 8th September and today announced it has already received backing from private investors of over 1.1 million pounds.
The figure of £1.1m, raised in such a short time, and part of a wider funding round, is understood to be amongst the highest ever for a Scottish IT start up and sees Payfont now carrying a valuation of £20 million. It indicates growing investor awareness of the global problem and of the returns that can be generated by the innovation Payfont has pioneered.
Chief Executive, Dr David Lanc, formerly a senior executive of the Royal Bank’s Cards Business, said:
“I am delighted with the response from our investors. Their support will help us massively to bring Payfont’s authentication framework to market. We have developed the easiest and safest way in the world for people anywhere to protect their private and personal information online. For the first time everyone can benefit from our patented online protection against Cybercrime and ecommerce fraud.”
Payfont’s dynamic authentication massively overcomes weaknesses in online security, such as used by major card, bank and social network businesses. It’s desperately needed as figures released recently by the UK Card Association indicate online and card not present fraud has increased 23% alone in the first half of 2014.
The company will use this funding to start the build and to market its products globally. World leading Cybersecurity experts at University of Greenwich and independent IP/IT experts have independently evaluated Payfont’s online security model as groundbreaking.
This significant funding follows a recent £100,000 UK innovation award via Scottish Enterprise and accompanies significant international payment industry interest in Payfont. With increasing cybertheft of customer data at organisations like Apple, Adobe, EBay and Target, Payfont’s technology promises to be a hot ticket.
The fundraising was led by fund management veteran Ian Paterson Brown who said: “We had great support from our original investors, who followed through with an increased investment. They are joined on our journey by a new group of private investors who also clearly recognise the Company’s potential. At a valuation of £20 million, they recognise what they are getting for their investment, and its potential.”
Payfont are already in talks with a number of organisations here and in the USA and Europe. Lanc concluded: “Our online protection for people is relevant globally. We will be announcing further developments.”


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LOS ANGELES (CBS.MW) - For many travelers, renting a house or a condominium for a summer getaway is more affordable - and less harrowing - than a two-week hotel stay.
In addition to basics such as kitchens and added living space, rental housing often comes with barbeques, swimming pools and other amenities to accommodate the family reunion-type gathering many vacation-bound Americans crave post Sept. 11, experts said.
"It's a good option and it's not too late" to make reservations, said Tim Cafferty, president of the Vacation Rental Managers Association (VRMA.)
Still, finding a good rental requires research to avoid disappointment that could arise from booking a property sight unseen. As summer approaches, Web-based resources are especially important for consumers seeking to sort out prices and accommodations.
Online travel services providers such as Expedia.com, 1stchoice.com and VacationRentalsOnline.com list rates and offer multiple pictures of properties in destinations like Maui, Orlando and Lake Tahoe, Calif. - areas still taking summer reservations.
"The Internet gives you the ability to see a lot of inventory in different locations and be able to make a reasonable, accurate judgment about what you're trying to buy," said Tracy Lotz, founder of 1st Choice Vacation Properties.
Many sites also will suggest vacation activities and carry customer testimonials and property owners' contact information, offering perhaps a more complete and honest picture of a rental.
"Everything sounds great in the description of a paragraph, but when you see four, five pictures, it's hard to hide some of the shortcomings of a rental unit," said Ken Brunt, vice president of operations at EscapeHomes.com, which will offer vacation-home listings on its Web site starting May 15.
Home away from home
Demand for summer rentals has been rising steadily in the past few months and is expected to continue for the remainder of the year. VRMA projects vacation rental revenue will jump nearly 10 percent this year.
When searching online, price-conscious consumers generally will find vacation rentals offer more bang for their buck than motels, especially when traveling with family or large groups of friends.
"A lot of these places, like in Cabo (San Lucas, Mexico) are $1,000 a night, but they sleep 10 people, so you get four or five couples to go together," Lotz said.
To be sure, rental rates vary dramatically based on factors such as demand, location and time of year, experts said.
For example, hot spots along the northern Florida shore tend to fill up quickly and open homes may be more expensive, while other "fly-to" destinations such as Maui are clamoring for business. And don't forget about off-season spots like Lake Tahoe, which will likely have plenty of homes and cabins at vacationers' disposal.
"There's some good deals out there to be had and some great places to stay within a three to four hour drive from where you live," Lotz said.
A sampling of getaway offers
Here's a snapshot of what you might find online at some popular destinations:
A mid-scale, two-bedroom, two-bath beach condo in Maui generally costs $200 to $250 a night, said Henry Coleman, owner of Vacation Rentals Online. Available rooms are generally easier to come by because the island getaway is "overbuilt," he said.
On the mainland, Orlando still has plenty of available houses - an ideal option for families wanting to hit up Disney World. A four- bedroom home within driving distance of the theme park costs an average $1,000 a week, Coleman said. "And that would be high end -- a huge home with a pool."
Meanwhile, a South Lake Tahoe cabin listed on 1stChoice.com that sleeps eight and has a large deck in the backyard is going for $540 a week. If the price sounds too good to be true, you can read testimonials from customers to find out why most rate it a five - the site's highest ranking.
If possible, e-mail previous guests that rented the house you're interested in, Lotz suggested. Be sure to ask: Did the owner send the deposit back in a timely manner? Were there any charges to the deposit that weren't warranted?
At the same time, Web shoppers may find property owners want detailed information about them, too.
"For some people, this is their second home and they want to talk to people and make sure the home isn't being rented to spring-breakers -- that it's going to a family," Coleman said.
Overall, it's important that travelers be realistic. Accommodations consumers might consider five-star quality in the U.S. may fall under different standards in other counties, for example.
Said Lotz: "Some of it might not be perfect, and don't let it ruin your vacation."


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Spanish TV production and facilities group MediaPro has taken a 60% stake in Barcelona-based production and commercials house Ovideo TV.
Ovideo produced Jose Luis Guerin’s “Work in Progress,” one of the standout pics at the last San Sebastian Festival, which is being sold at Cannes by DeAPlaneta.
The Ovideo purchase marks one more step in MediaPro’s drive into film and TV production in Spain.
It already has a minority stake in Madrid pic prodco Esicma and recently tapped regarded industry vet Juan Ruiz de Gauna to steer MediPro into pic production, distribution and exhibition through partnerships with established players.
“Production in Catalonia needs to go through a process of media concentration. Otherwise, 80% of companies will disappear,” MediaPro co-prexy Jaume Roures is quoted as saying Wednesday.
MediaPro has sold 50% of its French sports program production subsid VCF to Sportfive, a joint venture between Bertlesmann, Canal Plus France and Darmon.
It has also taken a minority participation in Italian TV prodco Grupo Comunicazione Italia (GCI), producers of the Italian version of “Big Brother.”


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Last week, there were two separate incidents of a student’s YES Altitude 3 phone catching on fire. YTL promised to look into the reported incidents and has emailed us with the conclusion from their investigations.
YTL found that both phones had undamaged screens, concluding that the phones “did not explode”. Regarding the first case, they said the phone’s issue was “only” confined to the battery and that the phone was still functional with a battery swap, although we can’t imagine how safe that would be.
As a quick primer, a nine-year-old boy was surprised when his free phone, which he received from the Jaringan Prihatin Programme, suddenly caught on fire in the middle of his online class. His aunt Suryani, a kindergarten teacher, said the phone often overheated and that they were lucky the incident happened while they were home or else their Gombak home could have burned down.
The second incident involved a Form 5 student’s phone catching fire while charging. YTL contacted the student’s father and found out that the phone, at the time, was being charged using a third-party charger and cable, with burns at sections of the cable. YTL concluded that a power surge may have caused the incident and advices its users to only use original chargers with its devices.
However, as mentioned in the original article, the student’s sister, Fatin Najmi, explained that the student noticed that the phone’s battery had gotten bulky the day before the incident but proceeded to charge the phone as its often overheated anyway. When contacted, Fatin said that the phone was being charged using an original Vivo charger, a reputable smartphone brand. It is also worth mentioning that in the first incident in Gombak, the phone was not charging when it burst into flames.
YTL’s manufacturing partner, China Mobile, and battery manufacturer, UTime Limited, have completed audits of the YES Altitude 3’s production and quality control. They have confirmed that YES Altitude smartphones are fully in compliance with all pertinent international health and safety certifications, including CE (Conformitè Europëenne), and are safe for use. It’s a bold claim, especially given the circumstances; one phone battery combusting is an isolated incident, but repeat performance means that there could be a pattern YTL may genuinely and seriously need to investigate, and that means actions that go beyond the standard audits.
Fatin did mention that despite her sister already receiving a new crowdfunded phone, YTL insisted on making it up to her by compensating her with a YES Altitude 4. The phone is a slight upgrade from the Altitude 3, with 2GB of RAM instead of 1GB, so maybe now it can Google Classroom better.


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London crowned top city for luxury store openings
Despite the economic uncertainty surrounding the UK over the last year, London saw more luxury store openings than any other city in the world, rising above Paris, Tokyo and Singapore.
London has taken the global top spot in a ranking from international real estate advisor Savills, after ranking fourth in 2017. The results are all the more impressive given the tough trading conditions facing retailers in the UK, causing countless store closures, CVAs and collapses from both high street and premium brands.
Underlining the resilience of London’s luxury market, the city accounted for 9.6% of all luxury store openings worldwide last year - more than any other city globally. 33 luxury retailers opened their doors, up 38% on 2017.
But while fashion brands continue to be the most active in terms of store openings, their share fell to 45%. Meanwhile, specialist accessories, footwear and eyewear brands increased their share from 20% to 24% and jewellery and watch brands kept their pace and accounted for 24% of store openings.
Savills suggested the increased activity was linked to the decline in the pound in 2017, which sparked an influx of tourists looking for cheaper luxury goods.
Globally, luxury brands opened 16% fewer new stores than in 2018. Behind London, Bangkok ranked second with a 6.7% share, followed by Dubai and Hong Kong in joint third place.
Marie Hickey, retail research director at Savills, commented: “In spite of the headwinds facing UK retail, the London luxury market is looking not only resilient but is also offering attractive opportunities for those brands who want to enter the market, as well as those looking to improve their physical presence with more high profile, experiential spaces. With a 38% increase in luxury store openings last year, the city became the most active destination globally for high end brands, up from joint fourth in 2017.”
Anthony Selwyn, head of London and international retail at Savills, added: “Last year we saw the big luxury brands retrench to the core cities and we expect these global destinations to remain the key focus for luxury brands wanting to expand or improve their physical profile in 2019.”
Copyright © 2023 FashionNetwork.com All rights reserved.


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Following sanctions on Russia by the US and many European countries, Russian drug makers are increasingly looking towards Indian pharma industry for supplies. In fact, in a move that could be of advantage to India, Russia has brought in changes to its drug regulatory norms. The Russian Health Ministry recently simplified the drug registration norms for the Russia market to facilitate approval for drugs with clinical trials conducted outside Russia, including India. This makes the process faster.
The Russia-Ukraine war has impacted the Russian economy and the Russian industry and government have started working at measures to ensure the smooth supply of drugs. Pharma manufacturers in Russia are facing a crisis in the supply of both substances and finished dosage forms, as many US/Western firms have announced halting of clinical trial operations in Russia.
“As per a communication we received from Indian Embassy in Moscow, various Russian companies engaged in pharmaceuticals, medical devices and associated equipment are inquiring about supplies from India,” R Uday Bhaskar, Director-General, Pharmaceutical Export Promotion Council (Pharmexcil), told BusinessLine.
According to information available with the Indian Embassy, about a half-a-dozen Russian companies have already sought supplies from India, and more are likely to follow the suit in the days to come. Russian media has been reporting a risk of shortage of foreign as well as Russian medicines going forward.
Russia accounts for 50 per cent of CIS pharma market for India. As per provisional data of the Department of Commerce, Government of India, exports to Russia were at $597 million in 2021-22. “We expected more exports in FY22, but due to war-related disruptions, there is only marginal increase. I’m very positive that our exports to Russia as well as CIS will increase in this FY23,” said Pharmexcil DG.
From an Indian perspective, there are challenges, too. “There is a concern about payments. However, not all banks were under sanctions and we understand that some payments to Indian companies began in Euros recently. But we need to see how this evolves going forward,” said top executive of a Hyderabad-based major drug maker.
A clear picture on Rupee-Rouble transactions and assurance on payments will encourage companies to ship the consignments, according to Bhaskar.


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Feb 13, 2021 12:14 AM EST
A mom refuses to let a fraud drag her down financially.
As most scams go where most victims just cry and do nothing to fight back, it is apparent that Lesley Urwin is no ordinary mom. She did not let a scam go and in the end won a refund.
She is now telling her story so that other moms can be aware and do the same if something similar happens to them, as reported by Daily Mail UK.
Mom of three, Lesley Urwin got the shock of her life when her sons' Xbox account was hacked by a fraudster who lives 400 miles away.
The fraudster has gotten hold of her credit card details and used her credit to purchase 36,000 Fifa gaming points.
The mom only found out about the transaction when Microsoft emailed her to confirm the purchase she did not make on March 22..
The mum to two teenagers, Nathan, 17, Liam, 14, and one more boy, Scott, 9, said: "I received an email which said I had purchased three lots of 12000 points, each costing £79.99. I couldn't believe it." She confirmed that none of the boys knew about the purchase or made them themselves, so she called Microsoft up.
Microsoft eventually told her to check the devices linked to the account.
The boys knew nothing about it so she called Microsoft and it told her to check the devices linked to the account.
"I found two which did not match our Xbox One S. We only own one Xbox. The boys share it. So I deleted the rogue devices and removed my card details," she explained.
She felt relieved when Microsoft said they'd issued a refund. After reporting the issue 11 months ago, no refunds happened, which made her even more frustraed with the company.
"I've lost count of the times I've phoned and emailed Microsoft," she explained. "The boys have had no Xbox Live for nearly a year as a result because I won't let them log in," she added.
"I am fed up fighting and I want to warn others. None of this is our fault," she added.
But she has finally won now. After receiving several promises of cheques and going back and forth Tesco and Microsoft, which at point enraged her further by telling her the company can no longer see the rogue charges, she has finally gotten back her money out of sheer tenacy and persistence.
After the refund was made, a representative from Tesco said the company is happy everything is okay now.
"We have robust controls and processes in place to protect our customers from fraud and are very pleased to hear that the matter has now been resolved," the representative said.
Barry Gabster is the founder of InitiateU and is a leading proponent of the marketing mailer revolution, having already taken his company to 10x growth in 2021, alone. In fact, the exponential growth has seen the company rise from $800K-$8.5M just on word-of-mouth referrals.
If you think that the micro accounts are useful only for beginners who may not be able to cope with the fast dynamics of changing quotes on trading platforms, then this is not so. Professionalism grows out of these cent accounts.
Journalists love their jobs because they get to interact with people from all sorts of backgrounds and expertises, then turn around and share their knowledge with the world.
As the metaverse takes over more of our digital lives, the commoditization of all aspects of our virtual beings becomes more and more of a reality.
Bitcoin and cryptocurrency in general guarantee some amazing profits if invested correctly.
In the currency trading business, many individuals make mistakes. Since most individuals join this profession with too much excitement, they forget about efficient strategies. Instead of controlling their investment and execution process, most individuals make poor choices for trading.
In today's digital world, more and more people are investing in cryptocurrencies. These digital tokens have exploded into popularity over the past few years, and have grown to the point that there are now nearly over 6,000 of them, according to Statista.
Following the pandemic, natural calamities, and major employment shifts, a startling new study on the online news site News Nation shows that 1 in 4 Americans don't have an emergency fund.


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Various release date announcements confirm that there are at least six day one games coming to Xbox Game Pass in April 2023.
There are already six games confirmed for the Xbox Game Pass subscription service in April 2023, even though Microsoft has yet to do the formal reveal. Microsoft likes to keep the focus on the new Xbox Game Pass games coming to the service in the very near future, which means fans likely won't get a full view of the April 2023 games until some time next month.
For now, Microsoft is still focused on the new Xbox Game Pass games for March 2023. Most of the games that were confirmed for Xbox Game Pass in March 2023 have already been added to the service, though subscribers are still waiting for Ni no Kuni 2: Revenant Kingdom to join the lineup on March 21. PlayStation's MLB The Show 23 is coming to Game Pass on March 28, while Way to the Woods is still expected to join the service at some point this month as well, though its specific release date still has not been announced at the time of this writing.
Xbox Game Pass subscribers can check out the new Xbox Game Pass games for March 2023 while they wait for April's offerings. To date, six day one games have been confirmed for Xbox Game Pass in April 2023, with Everspace 2 coming April 6, Ghostwire: Tokyo joining the lineup on April 12, and Minecraft Legends hitting the service on April 18. Coffee Talk Episode 2: Hibiscus & Butterfly will be added April 20 and The Last Case of Benedict Fox will follow one week later on April 27. Homestead Arcana is coming to Xbox Game Pass in April as well, though it is still waiting on its specific release date.
Out of these games, the two most notable are arguably Ghostwire: Tokyo and Minecraft Legends. Ghostwire: Tokyo was a PS5 console exclusive for the first year of its release despite being developed by Microsoft-owned Tango Gameworks, whereas Minecraft Legends is a new strategy spin-off game of the ultra successful Minecraft franchise.
The Last Case of Benedict Fox is another game coming in April 2023 that subscribers will want to keep an eye on. The Last Case of Benedict Fox is a new indie game that's been turning heads since its reveal last summer. It's a Metroidvania game with Lovecraftian horror elements that promises to provide a unique spin on the genre. Xbox Game Pass subscribers will find out if it lives up to the hype or not come its release date on April 27.
MORE: One Xbox Game Pass Game for March 2023 is Shrouded in Mystery
Dalton Cooper is an editor for Game Rant who has been writing about video games professionally since 2011. Having written thousands of game reviews and articles over the course of his career, Dalton considers himself a video game historian and strives to play as many games as possible. Dalton covers the latest breaking news for Game Rant, as well as writes reviews, guide content, and more.


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"We're obviously pleased with the early results of these launches," said Robert Garriott, president of NCsoft North America. "Perhaps what's most gratifying is the virtually flawless launch we had for both products.
"Having one smooth launch for a massively multiplayer online game is practically unheard of and we had two in one day. Since April 28 our servers have been stable and we're adding more customers every day."
Stay tuned for the latest on both City of Heroes and Lineage.


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Significant flow through opportunities for Australian beef producers exist with the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement (ChAFTA), newly elected Cattle Council of Australia president Howard Smith said this afternoon.
The deal, which eliminates current tariffs on Australian beef over 9 years, will place Australian beef in a favourable position against competitors in this market.
Mr Smith said that the potential benefits that exist within this FTA for Australian producers are huge and congratulated Minister for Trade, Andrew Robb, on another great deal for Australian beef.
“ChAFTA will remove significant burden from the beef supply chain, in the form of removing tariffs currently imposed on chilled and frozen beef, live cattle and co-products, including offals and hides,” Mr Smith said.
“It will also provide more opportunities for Chinese consumers to develop a taste for Australian beef, by alleviating the inflated prices currently paid for Australian beef due to import tariffs.
“In terms of farm-gate returns, economic modelling [Centre for International Economics] suggests that beef prices are estimated to increase by 8 c/kg (dressed weight) above baseline level, should the current tariffs on beef be phased out to zero by 2024.
“There are also opportunities for increased farm-gate returns in the future through ensuring that producers are paid for the products they produce, including hides and offals,” Mr Smith said.
Source: Cattle Council of Australia


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In what can be seen as a community support initiative, TCL, a global top two television brand and leading consumer electronics company, has donated LED televisions to care centers of Government hospitals in Chennai. In a first-of-its-kind initiative, the leading consumer electronics manufacturer aims to recognize the contribution of medical institutions, staff and fraternity amid the current pandemic crisis.
Commenting on the company’s decision to donate LED TVs to government hospitals in Chennai, Mike Chen, General Manager, TCL India, said, “Our endeavor is to extend support to the community amid the coronavirus pandemic situation. The medical community is working day and night to cure the people affected with the coronavirus. Our decision to donate LED TVs to hospitals is an effort to recognize the immense contribution of hospitals, doctors and medical staff in the current situation.”
The initiative focuses on ensuring boosting the morale of health workers. The company wants to make sure that they are able to play a responsible role in supporting the efforts of the medical workers and ensure that they find something relaxing amid this crisis. As India is continuing its fight against Covid19, the brand wants to unite in this and make sure that everyone stays calm and strong.


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While there are some new phones out there that many people would like to see added to HTCDev’s list of devices that can have their bootloader unlocked, HTC is making sure that they cover all their bases. And what better way to do that than by adding a device that no one out there is probably using all that much anymore. That’s right, ladies and gentlemen, the HTC Dream’s bootloader can now be officially unlocked.
The details are pretty straight forward. You can head over to the Developer’s Center that HTC opened up and access the tools to unlock the Dream’s bootloader. If you’re interested, you can head through the source link to learn more.


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Time Century Holdings has taken out a $ 23.6 million home loan to begin phase one of a building’s renovation in downtown Miami.
The property at 1 Northeast First Street, formerly known as Metro Mall, is scheduled for a $ 50 million renovation in the second quarter of 2022. City National Bank is the lender, according to a press release.
In the first phase, under the direction of Yair Levy, Time Century will renovate the wholesale space that includes the basement, ground floor, mezzanine and second floor of the building now called the Time Century Jewelry Center.
According to Dan Deutsch, Managing Director of Time Century, the developer will renovate the four floors of the office space at the end of this or the beginning of next year. Architect Kobi Karp designs the project.
The building is in a four-block jewelry district that is home to more than 500 jewelry stores that have annual sales of more than $ 1 billion, according to the press release. Across the street is the historic Seybold Building, a centerpiece of the jewelry district.
More than 60 percent of the wholesale areas of the Time Century Jewelry Center have been approved in advance. The remaining retail space ranges from 500 square feet to 2,000 square feet, with rental rates between $ 65 per square foot and $ 150 per square foot, according to the press release.
Tenants include Markaled, an Istanbul-based jewelry store that is 1,500 square feet, Deutsch said. Time Century’s Isis Pellegrino handles the leasing in-house, Deutsch said.
The intestinal renovation of the building includes glass shop windows, a three-story atrium with new escalators and a parking service.
“We are injecting lightning into a dead area,” said Deutsch, referring to the historic district of downtown Miami. “We’re coming in, we’re spending a lot of money and we’re building a building that will soon house all of Miami’s major jewelers.”
Time Century paid $ 14.5 million for the 225,000-square-foot building in 2018, records show. It was built in 1926.
Developer and investor Moishe Mana has spent more than $ 350 million building real estate in the Flagler District of downtown Miami. Mana recently broke ground for the Nikola Tesla Innovation Hub, a 136,000 square foot office and retail building at 155 South Miami Avenue.
Earlier this year, the Silicon Valley investor Plug and Play announced that it would be opening an office in the Mana district.


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Over the past few decades, economists have tracked two discomforting—and perhaps related—long-term trends for the U.S. economy.
Trend No. 1: The productivity of American workers and businesses is barely growing, at least compared to prior years. Since 2004, annual growth in total factor productivity—a measure of how much we can produce with a given level of inputs—has hovered below 1 percent (Figure 1, bar chart).
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Trend No. 2: The business landscape has grown more concentrated. The leading firm in any given industry now commands more than 50 percent of its market, on average (Figure 1, line chart).
Economists can theorize causal arrows pointing in either direction: Are corporate behemoths making us less productive? Or could declining productivity be providing some advantage to large firms? Untangling these connections could indicate the right policies to spark innovation and productivity, increase competition and efficiency, and raise the overall U.S. standard of living.
Rather than one trend driving the other, new work by economist Jane Olmstead-Rumsey points to a third force driving both trends: the declining quality of U.S. patents. Olmstead-Rumsey, now at the London School of Economics, developed the most recent version of her research, “Market Concentration and the Productivity Slowdown,” while serving as a visiting scholar at the Opportunity & Inclusive Growth Institute at the Minneapolis Fed.
Patents just aren’t what they used to be
Scholars have taken various approaches to measure the quality of a patent, such as how often it is cited by subsequent patent applications. Olmstead-Rumsey leverages a formula developed in a 2017 paper1 that focuses on the contribution of a new patent to a company’s stock value. “Firms patent not just because it helps other people develop subsequent stuff,” she said. “They patent because they want a strategic advantage.” A higher-quality patent is one that makes a larger contribution over time to a company’s stock price.
Between 1994 and 2017, the quality of U.S. patents fell by more than half. One possible culprit: Innovations based on computer and networking technology became less transformational and more incremental.
Olmstead-Rumsey analyzed 1.3 million patents issued to 5,700 public companies since 1980 and found patent quality has fallen across the board. From the high-productivity-growth period (1994-2003) to the lower-growth period (2004-2017), the average value of a patent declined by more than half.2
She believes the decline reflects that we are on the tail end of a transformative wave of computing advances that peaked in the 1990s. “When you think about the history of the U.S., times in which patents were of high-average quality are exactly when we had new general-purpose technologies,” she said. “The steam engine, electrification, railroads—technologies that, like computers, were applicable in a wide set of industries.”
Changes unleashed across U.S. businesses by computing and networking in the 1990s and early 2000s were revolutionary. Those since have been more incremental. She offers the example of Amazon, which began a series of patents in 1998 related to a merchant making recommendations based upon items a shopper considered but did not purchase. The notion feels obvious 25 years later. At the time, however, it marked a fundamental shift in online shopping and helped transform Amazon from one of many online bookstores into the world’s largest retailer.
“When another e-commerce firm is innovating now around the shopping cart, it’s just not viewed as having the same impact on that firm as Amazon being the first one to do it,” said Olmstead-Rumsey.
The dwindling advantage of playing catch-up
The decline in patent quality after the year 2000 coincides with the U.S. productivity slowdown. That connection feels intuitive: As innovation falls, so would productivity growth. But what about our second big trend? How could lower-value patents translate into more market concentration?
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Olmstead-Rumsey takes a critical step beyond prior research by separating firms into market “leaders” and “followers.” The first notable observation is that the follower firms have much higher-quality patents, on average (Figure 2).
Business and management theories abound for this advantage of innovating from the rear. Some are organizational: The research and development teams of smaller, newer companies might benefit from being “closer to the ground” and more in-tune with their customers. The CEO—imagine the founder of a start-up—is more likely to be intimately involved with R & D and drive an aggressive research vision.
If you’re back in the pack, you also have a clear view of the dominant firms and the opportunity to shape your strategy in response. “You can glean a lot from what the market leader is doing,” said Olmstead-Rumsey. “It’s a lot easier to go from behind to the frontier than it is to innovate on the frontier.”
Follower firms also have a strong incentive to go big or go home. If they ever hope to vault from bit player to market leader—like Amazon—it will take a moonshot approach to find (and patent) truly disruptive innovations. Market leaders, by contrast, “just want to march forward and assure their position,” Olmstead-Rumsey said. All else equal, they generally have less incentive to gamble on high-risk, high-reward R & D.
However, the trend over time in Figure 2 shows the situation changing. Patent quality at the follower firms has taken a much steeper dive. This trend has substantially eroded the traditional edge in patent quality enjoyed by followers.
“The small firms understand that it’s harder to catch up, and they tend to reduce their investments in R & D. They’re patenting less, and when they do, those patents are worse than before.”
The result, says Olmstead-Rumsey, is a change in incentives across all firms. For followers, lower patent quality compared with the 1980s and ’90s means they are less likely to strike it big. “The small firms understand that it’s harder to catch up, and they tend to reduce their investments in R & D,” she said. “They’re patenting less, and when they do, those patents are worse than before.”
This cycle alone could lead to more concentrated market share and less leadership turnover in industries—just as we see in the data. But in Olmstead-Rumsey’s economic model, she finds the big firms also react to the changing environment by further cementing their position.
“They are now less likely to be displaced,” she said. “They look into the future and say, ‘Wow, I’m going to be the big player for the next 10 or 20 years. Any improvements I make to my product—which will allow me to increase my markup [profits] and increase my market share—are going to accrue to me for a longer period. I actually might want to invest more in R & D.”
As leading firms do relatively more R & D and follower firms less, Olmstead-Rumsey says the leaders reinforce the effects by gobbling a larger share of the research workforce.
Basic research and the next innovation wave
Olmstead-Rumsey adds to an ever-growing body of research seeking to understand the slow productivity growth of the U.S. economy and the trend toward greater market concentration. As always, when economic models meet the real world, there are likely many factors at play.
What is the effect on innovation, for example, of market leaders buying up competitors and otherwise inhibiting competition from smaller rivals? While anticompetitive activity could play a role in declining innovation, Olmstead-Rumsey says it does not obviously explain the decline in patent quality, which has been particularly severe for the smaller—and traditionally most innovative—businesses.
If this patent decline is at the root of some of our challenges, what policies might help juice our collective creative process? The story told by the research leads back to the power of general-purpose technologies, or GPTs, to drive higher-quality patents. With previous GPTs like the microchip and the internet now receding into the rearview mirror, we would want to invest in the type of basic scientific research more likely to lead to the next big thing.
On its own, however, the private sector will tend to underprovide this kind of R & D. “Companies are very focused on applied research that is directly related to what they already do,” said Olmstead-Rumsey. “Basic research is where we tend to come up with a lot of really important innovations, [and many] have come out of the government side.”
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With its lack of immediate commercial benefit, basic research fits the classic profile of a public good. From the U.S. Department of Defense to the National Institutes of Health, the federal government is deep into the basic-research business (Figure 3).
However, the government is even more in the business of funding later-stage (“applied” and “development”) research. And at $41 billion in 2021, spending on basic research remains more or less a rounding error—less than 1 percent—in the context of $6.8 trillion in federal government spending.
Are we investing enough—and in the right places—to turn the tide on some troubling trends? The answer might look different as we learn more about the connection between patents, productivity, and competition.


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Yankee Candle Closes
Sadly, the Yankee Candle flagship store in Williamsburg closed on April 18th 2021. Even in the unprecedented upheaval of the Covid pandemic this came as a surprise to locals and visitors alike.
The 45,000-square-foot facility on Richmond Road was a huge drawl for years. People came to know the sights of indoor snow falling, the sounds of holiday animatronics and of course the smells of candles.


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Since their invention more than 150 years ago, Christmas crackers, with their terrible jokes and paper hats, have become just as much a part of the Christmas tradition as the carols, tree and presents, and as such as loved by children everywhere. But thanks to a little-known EU ruling, the sale of crackers to children is forbidden, meaning that some supermarkets have been turning teenagers wanting to purchase them away.
Under EU regulations, crackers are classed as low-grade fireworks, meaning that their sale to minors is prohibited. Any shopkeeper caught selling crackers to children faces a jail sentence of up to six months, or a £5,000 fine.
The ruling has led to a number of teenagers being turned away from supermarkets empty-handed. Last week, in one such example, a 16 year old attempting to buy a box of crackers at a Sainsbury’s in Islington was refused the sale, the Daily Mail has reported.
When the crackers were swiped through the till, a “think 25” message, more commonly associated with other age-restricted items such as alcohol and tobacco, flashed up on the screen. As the boy was unable to prove his age, the sale was refused, despite the government last year lowering the age limit for cracker sales from 16 to 12 as part of a measure to cut back on red tape.
A Sainsbury’s spokesman said: “Our corporate age restriction on Christmas crackers is 12, in line with trading standards policy. But it is up to the discretion of store managers on whether to go ahead with a sale.”


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Edible Garden’s Heartland Facility - Q3 Acquisition Expected to Begin Operations by Year-End Expanding Capacity to Support up to $20 Million in Annualized Revenue
Conference Call to Be Held Today at 11:00 am ET
BELVIDERE, N.J., Nov. 10, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Edible Garden AG Incorporated (“Edible Garden” or the “Company”) (Nasdaq: EDBL, EDBLW), a leader in controlled environment agriculture (CEA), locally grown, organic, and sustainable produce, today provided a business update and reported financial results for the three- and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2022.
Mr. Jim Kras, Chief Executive Officer of Edible Garden, commented, “We continue to generate solid year-over-year revenue growth, and believe we can accelerate that growth through the execution of our business strategy and prudent deployment of capital raised to date. Importantly, the Company continues to effectively add new retail distribution partners, while expanding penetration within the existing partners. We have also been diligently working with buying teams at our retail partners to optimize the mix of SKUs at each retailer.
The Company is also working aggressively to drive Edible Garden towards our goal of profitability. Towards this end, the Company plans to further optimize the supply chain, leverage the purchasing power that should come with continued growth, and further enhance the product lines with new, higher margin, complementary products. All of these steps should help offset some of the inflationary effects that have impacted costs of goods across the industry. Importantly, our Zero-Waste Inspired® mission continues to resonate with both retailers and their customers who are increasingly concerned about the sustainability of the food supply and its effect on the environment. Edible Garden has taken steps to cut down on food miles by acquiring a greenhouse facility closer to our midwestern customers and will continue to look for new, innovative technologies to further this mission.”
“Among the achievements in the third quarter, the Company acquired a five-acre greenhouse facility in Grand Rapids, Michigan, which will operate as Edible Garden Heartland. This new, Zero-Waste Inspired® CEA facility, which will utilize our patented GreenThumb software in order to bring products to market in a highly efficient manner, is expected to begin operations by year end. This new facility expands the Company’s capacity and is expected to support up to $20 million in annualized revenue. The facility will house a state-of-the-art research and development center, focused on improving existing products, developing new products and innovations in plant-based protein and nutraceuticals, as well as applying advanced agricultural technologies. It will also be home to the first commercial installation of Edible Garden’s proprietary hybrid vertical growing system. In addition, the Company will partner with the University of Michigan’s School of Environment & Sustainability, a leading research facility in the field of sustainability, and the University’s Erb Institute, to offer students an opportunity to work directly with Edible Garden’s team at the new facility in order to develop and implement initiatives that address the environmental and societal impacts of the food industry, by harnessing the power of sustainable CEA farming.”
“The Company recently introduced three new, greenhouse grown, salad kits to our list of available SKUs, all containing Edible Garden’s locally grown, sustainable, cut lettuce, along with dressing, croutons, cheese, and more, with the ingredients sourced from local suppliers. Two of the salad kits have already launched in Meijer retail locations across the Midwest and additional kits are currently under development. By growing product closer to the distribution centers, these kits align well with our Zero-Waste Inspired® approach by extending shelf life, reducing shrinkage, and reducing food miles, making this a win-win for our retail partners, their customers and the environment.”
Financial results for the three months ended September 30, 2022
For the third quarter ended September 30, 2022, revenues totaled $2.8 million, an increase of 12.5%, compared to $2.4 million for the three months ended September 30, 2021. The increase represents growth from the existing customer base.
Cost of goods sold were $2.6 million for the three months ended September 30, 2022, compared to $2.3 million for the three months ended September 30, 2021. The increase was due to the increase in revenue.
Selling, general and administrative expenses were $1.9 million for the three months ended September 30, 2022, compared to $1.2 million for the three months ended September 30, 2021. The increase was primarily driven by higher payroll and compensation expense, as well as other public company expenses that were not incurred in 2021.
Net loss was $2.1 million, or $0.24 per share, for the three months ended September 30, 2022, compared to a net loss of $1.1 million, or $0.28 per share, for the three months ended September 30, 2021.
Financial results for the nine months ended September 30, 2022
For the nine months ended September 30, 2022, revenues totaled $8.5 million, an increase of 10.0%, compared to $7.7 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2021. The increase represents growth from the existing customer base.
Cost of goods sold were $8.2 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2022, compared to $7.1 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2021. The increase was due to higher packaging costs due to inflation, higher labor costs due to COVID-19 and higher costs charged by contract farmers.
Selling, general and administrative expenses were $6.3 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2022, compared to $3.9 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2021. The increase was primarily driven by higher payroll and compensation expense, which included one-time expenses related to the completion of our IPO, as well as other public company expenses that were not incurred in 2021.
Net loss was $9.5 million, or $1.36 per share, for the nine months ended September 30, 2022, compared to a net loss of $3.4 million, or $0.86 per share, for the nine months ended September 30, 2021.
The complete financial results for the quarter and nine months ended September 30, 2022, are available in the Company’s Form 10-Q, which will be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and available at: www.sec.gov.
Edible Garden will host a conference call today at 11:00 A.M. Eastern Time to discuss the Company’s financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2022, as well as the Company’s corporate progress and other developments.
The conference call will be available via telephone by dialing toll free 877-545-0320 for U.S. callers or +1 973-528-0002 for international callers and using entry code: 548159. A webcast of the call may be accessed at https://www.webcaster4.com/Webcast/Page/2914/47066 or on the investor relations section of the Company’s website at https://ediblegarden.com/pages/webcasts-presentations
A webcast replay will also be available on the Company’s Investors section of the website at https://ediblegarden.com/pages/webcasts-presentations through November 10, 2023. A telephone replay of the call will be available approximately one hour following the call, through November 24, 2022, and can be accessed by dialing 877-481-4010 for U.S. callers or +1 919-882-2331 for international callers and entering conference ID: 47066.
ABOUT EDIBLE GARDEN®
Edible Garden AG Incorporated, is a leader in locally grown organic leafy greens and herbs backed by Zero-Waste Inspired® next generation farming. Offered at over 4,000 stores in the US, Edible Garden is disrupting the CEA and sustainability technology movement with its safety-in-farming protocols, use of sustainable packaging, patented Greenthumb software and self-watering in-store displays. The Company currently operates its own state-of-the-art greenhouses and processing facilities in Belvidere, New Jersey and Grand Rapids, Michigan, and has a network of contract growers, all strategically located near major markets in the U.S. Its proprietary GreenThumb software optimizes growing in vertical and traditional greenhouses while seeking to reduce pollution-generating food miles. Edible Garden is also a developer of ingredients and proteins, providing an accessible line of plant and whey protein powders under the Vitamin Way® and Vitamin Whey® brands.
Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including with respect to the Company’s growth strategies, ability to expand its distribution network and distribution relationships, and performance as a public company. The words “believe,” “expect,” “intend,” “look forward,” “mission,” “objective,” “plan,” “seek,” “will,” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties, and assumptions, as described in the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and its final prospectus for its IPO, dated May 5, 2022, filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including the Company’s ability to integrate Edible Garden Heartland into its operations, expand relationships with new retail partners, and achieve its growth objectives, and market and other conditions. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any such forward-looking statements after the date hereof to conform to actual results or changes in expectations, except as required by law.
Crescendo Communications, LLC


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Grocery stores in Milwaukee used to be fixtures in the neighborhood, but over the past 50 years with the migration of stores to suburban areas, as they followed their more “affluent customers” who were moving out of the city, their presence became less and less.
This decision to pull out of urban areas had devastating effects on these communities and major grocers were and still are aware of the impacts their decisions to pull out of urban communities had on them.
In fact, in a 2015 Associated Press analysis, it was found that “major grocers overwhelmingly avoid America’s food desert areas instead of trying to turn a profit in high poverty areas.”
Now, urban area does not automatically mean “food desert ” but when resources like grocery stores are taken from urban areas; they then become food deserts.
When asked about major grocers failure to address the food desert situation, Forbes columnist Talia Ralph said “Its disappointing.” “But from a purely economic perspective, it makes all the sense in the world: these companies are beholden to their stockholders, not…the low-income residents in desperate need of fresh food.”
What are people supposed to do?
Pick Fresh Delivery has the solution.


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Code42, the leader in endpoint data protection and management for business and enterprise, today announced it has been named an "Enterprise Product of the Year" winner in the 2014 Best in Biz Awards. The award honors innovative companies, teams, executives and products for their business success in the past year.
"Enterprise-grade endpoint data security is top-of-mind for CIOs as end-user data continues to shift away from the data center, and seemingly beyond the reach and control of IT," said Brian Bell, president and chief operating officer at Code42. "More than 35,000 businesses have chosen the Code42 EDGE Platform-powering CrashPlan endpoint backup-to protect their important corporate information. We're pleased to again be recognized for CrashPlan's market leadership position."
Winners of the fourth annual Best in Biz Awards are determined based on scoring from an independent panel of 53 judges from highly recognized newspapers, business, consumer and technology publications, radio outlets and analyst firms. More than 550 award nominations were received this year across a variety of company, executive, team and product-focused categories. Nominations were fielded from public and private companies of all sizes, from virtually every major industry and region in the U.S. and Canada. For a full list of 2014 Best in Biz Award winners, visit: http://www.bestinbizawards.com/2014-winners.
The recognition marks the latest in a series of honors recognizing Code42's leadership in endpoint backup and commitment to providing enterprise-level data security and scalability for businesses. Earlier this year, CrashPlan earned the gold 2014 Golden Bridge Award for "Backup and Recovery" in the "Innovations: Information Technology and Security" category. Additionally, Network Products Guide gave CrashPlan its 2014 Best Product Award in the "Cloud Computing/SaaS" category, and Info Security Products Guide 2014 named CrashPlan a winner in its "Endpoint Security" and "Software as a Service/Cloud Solutions" categories. For information on the complete list of Code42 achievements, visit the Honors page on the company's website.
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In France, a family of four throws away the equivalent of one meal per week on average. And according to a study by Ademe, the Ecological Transition Agency, each year, it is the equivalent of a minimum wage that ends up in the trash in each home.
Food, the first source of waste, before industry and agriculture: on the basis of this sad observation, Alexia Desportes-Richard, a Lyon entrepreneur specializing in “food”, has embarked on the hunt for waste. “I observed the madness around the home-made and, by digging a little, I identified the sources of waste, explains the thirty-something. There is the end of the plates that go into the trash, the many expired products that end in the same way, just like overconsumption, these products that we buy in the supermarket and that we do not know what to do with. “
Balanced and personalized recipes
It is therefore at the level of the organization of meals that Alexia Desportes-Richard has decided to act. After two years of research and development, his start-up, created in 2017, launched Popotte Duck in January, a free app that helps families manage groceries, the contents of the fridge and meals.
You just have to enter what is in your fridge and in your cupboards the first time. And from this data, Popotte Duck offers balanced and personalized menus and recipes for each meal, which take into account the number of people, diets and any allergies. All while managing the expiration dates and freshness of the products. The app also suggests shopping lists.
Immediate success for this “kitchen attendant”, with some 5,000 downloads since the start of the year, at a rate of nearly 200 per day. And already the first feedback: “Families save on average 30% to 50% on their usual budget”, rejoices the creator of Popotte Duck. “When you are parents of young children, this tool offers the luxury of eating good and healthy, with less mental load,” explains Chloé, a young mother, who has been using it for a month.
Alexia does not intend to stop there. The entrepreneur is preparing for the launch of her physical Popotte Duck this summer, a “cooking planner” to be placed in the kitchen, which concentrates the same functions as the app, by integrating a scale and a voice command. What to realize directly the recipes. The duck with good boils will be sold for 199 euros through a home sales and demonstration network, a distribution method that has already made the Thermomix a success.


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Elections usually bring with it communal tensions in this city famous for its power looms and small-budget movies. The bridge over the Girna river on Mumbai-Agra highway divides the city’s Hindu and Muslim habitations, while symbiotic business ties of the two communities unite them to keep violence at bay.
As Malegaon’s residents queue up to vote for the Assembly polls on Monday, an estimated 80,000 to 100,000 of them, mostly Muslims and some Hindus, who earn their livelihoods from recycling ‘single-use plastic’, are unified in their concern for survival of the fledgling industry.
In Malegaon, only a handful are associated with the film industry. The textile industry is the biggest employer. An estimated 150,000 power looms operate in the city. Lesser known is Malegaon’s plastic recycling industry.
As traders associated with the business like to put it, men, women, and children, the most abjectly poor of the city, help recycle plastic that is considered ‘unrecyclable’ anywhere else in the country.
Safety norms, whether to do with the health of workers, or toxicity of the material, are least concerning among people busy making ends meet. A recent National Green Tribunal order has asked the administration to disconnect electricity supply to units to prevent further polluting activities.
Those running the trade argue they are doing social service, and should get government support instead of being forced to shut down. "Our industry is unique in the sense that we recycle single-use plastic that in most other parts of the country finds its way into dump yards as it is considered unrecyclable,” Nitesh Ostwal, owner of Prakash Agro Plast, says.
Heaps of bundled plastic bags are seen on either side of the highway as one reaches Malegaon, as are small and big trucks filled to the brim with gunny bags containing single-use plastic that trundle their way into the city. Poverty and availability of cheap labour, as well as the city being around 300-km from bigger cities like Mumbai, Pune, Surat, and Indore, has made the business possible in Malegaon.
Ostwal is in the business for 25 years. He recycles the gitti, or lumps, made from plastic waste into water pipes used for agriculture. One of his business partners is Mohd Furqan. While Ostwal takes care of the top end of the business by running a small factory that converts the plastic lumps into pipes, Furqan sources the plastic waste, gets it segregated, cleaned, and turns it into plastic lumps.
“Neatly 200 trucks laden with single-use plastic, unusable elsewhere, reach the city daily,” Furqan says.
Each truck carries 8-10 tonnes of plastic waste. Once the waste reaches Furqan, he contracts families who sift through the waste, sorting different quality into separate bundles. Families, mostly women and children, earn Rs 2,000-3,000 to segregate plastic waste of one truck. The plastic is then cleaned, grinded and converted into plastic lumps. Given the low returns in the business, all the machines used in the process are manufactured locally by mostly semi-literate craftsmen from oil drills and gear boxes of trucks.
Ostwal and Furqan have been friends for over two decades, including during times of communal tensions. Ostwal remembers how his Muslim friends saved his father's factory from being looted in the riots in 2004.
Both blame outsiders for the troubles the city has faced in the past 20 years, including the infamous Malegaon bomb blast. Furqan’s father hailed from Sambhal in Uttar Pradesh, and was a ragpicker in Mumbai. Furqan and his brother climbed the business ladder to become agents who hire ragpickers, and have now turned into small entrepreneurs. Furqan’s brother dispatches plastic waste from Mumbai for his brother's factory, but it also comes from Bengaluru, Mumbai, Surat and Pune.
Each tonne of plastic waste can generate up to 400 kg of plastic granules. The pipes made of these cost 50 per cent less than the PVC pipes, and are popular in Haryana and Punjab.
Ostwal say his business is also recession proof since economic slowdown makes more people turn to cheaper priced pipes. Malegaon has around 20-25 units that make pipes from single use plastic, and 150 units that segregate such plastic and convert it into lumps. Ostwal says the PM's call for abjuring use of single use plastic is welcome. "I believe plastic is not dangerous, but needs to be used and recycled properly. There are millions of livelihoods involved," he says.


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by Louis Navellier | June 18, 2012 7:00 am
Two weeks ago to the day was National Donut Day 2012, and doughnut chain Krispy Kreme Doughnuts (NYSE:KKD) drew the hungry masses in droves with its free donut offer that day. Now everyone can agree that Krispy Kremes are sinfully delicious, but are promotions like this a reward from a fundamentally healthy company, or a desperate gimmick designed to boost sales? Let’s find out.
This year, Krispy Kreme is celebrating its 75th Anniversary as an American doughnut shop. Over the years, this company has introduced a wide range of interesting flavors, including a 20-calorie glazed wheat doughnut, New York Cheesecake, and even one made with Cheerwine soda. The company also sells a variety of coffee beverages, iced drink, smoothies and sundaes. Its products are sold in both stand-alone Krispy Kreme stores as well as grocery stores and gas stations; in 2011, the company brought in $362 million in total sales.
Krispy Kreme is a member of the highly competitive Restaurant industry. Out of 98 companies, Krispy Kreme ranks at no. 42 in terms of market capitalization. This company does stand out in terms of long-term growth rate, which is ranked at no. 3, and earnings growth (no. 6), but that is because the rest of the industry is doing so poorly in terms of profits.
Krispy Kreme’s main competitors are Dunkin’ Brands (NASDAQ:DNKN), Einstein Noah Restaurant (NASDAQ:BAGL) and Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX). Of these four companies, my Portfolio Grader tool rates BAGL an SBUX as A-rated buys while the other two companies fall behind.
At the end of April, management announced an exciting expansion into one of the world’s leading emerging markets: Russia. Specifically, Krispy Kreme is teaming up with the Novikov Restaurant Group to build 40 shops over the next five years in Moscow. Since 2004, Krispy Kreme has been on a tear to increase its international reach. In addition to North American operations, Krispy Kreme stores operate in 19 other countries, including the U.K., Austrailia, Mexico, South Korea and Thailand.
Before you buy any stock, you should always run it through my free Portfolio Grader ratings system. For much of the past year, KKD has stayed firmly in buy territory. However lately the stock has sustained a signficant drop in buying pressure, so its Quantatitve Grade has slipped to a D-rating.
Meanwhile, Krispy Kreme does well in terms of its Fundamental Grade, which is B-rated. Currently, the company receives an A for its operating margin growth, earnings momentum and earnings surprises; its cash flow is B-rated. However, there is plenty of room for improvement in terms of sales and earnings growth, return on equity and analyst earnings revisions.
As of today I consider KKD a D-rated sell. The company is doing well in terms of most of its fundamentals, but it is going to have to firm up its buying pressure if it wants to make its way onto my plate.
Sound Off: What do you think about KKD? Are you a buyer at current prices? Let me know what you think by posting on our wall on Facebook.
Source URL: http://investorplace.com/2012/06/krispy-kreme-no-longer-a-sweet-treat-kkd-dnkn-bagl-sbux/
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