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Ford has announced updates to its Transit Connect, offering greater payload than previously.
Tool theft from vans costs trade professionals £264 million a year and can put them out of work for 30 days at a time on average, a new study has found.
A “dramatic shift” to electric power will soon be underway for UK businesses that operate vans, according to new research.
Amazon has unveiled its first custom electric delivery vehicle, designed and built in partnership with Rivian, which is plans to have on the road in 2022.
Renault has added an enhanced off-the-shelf Master Dropside option to its range, aimed at customers who need to load and bulky items.
A new fast-change graphics service has been launched that opens up a new range of on-van advertising possibilities, according to its maker.
The first all-electric zero emissions ambulance to be used in frontline services in the UK has hit the roads in the West Midlands.
Iveco has launched a new Business trimline for its Daily product range, which groups together some of the range’s most popular options.
To celebrate 40 years of the Master van, Renault Trucks has launched a special edition of its latest generation Master Red Edition range.
Utilities contractor Clancy Group has taken delivery of more than 500 Mercedes-Benz vans, which are now supporting a range of well-known service providers.
MAXUS is offering all UK customers a £2020 discount on e Deliver 3 orders made between September 9-30.
Demand for light commercial vehicles (LCVs) dropped by 16% in the UK in August, as fleet operators wait for the new September plate, new figures have revealed.
Internet retail giant Amazon has announced that it is to add 1,800 electric Mercedes-Benz vans to its European deliver fleet this year.
Ford has announced that Ford Transit Custom and Transit Connect vans developed by vehicle design specialist MS‑RT will be available to order direct from Ford Transit Centres from September.
Telecommunications specialist Openreach has ordered 270 Vauxhall Vivaro-e vans and nine Corsa-e cars as part of the company’s commitment to electric-powered vehicles.
Spartan Motor Factors has commissioned 70 new Mercedes-Benz Citans as the company seeks to grow following its acquisition by MWR Sales Ltd...
The number of new LCVS registered increased by 7% in July, the first monthly year-on-year increase since January, fuelled by pent-up demand from operators after lockdown restrictions have been lifted.
The UK’s most reliable light commercial vehicle (LCV) is the Nissan NV200, while the Ford Ranger is the most prone to needing repair, according to new research.
Van owners are being urged to get their vans checked and repaired, as about 1.2 million vans had MOTs postponed during the COVID-19 lockdown exemption.
Renault PRO+ has launched its latest small electric van, the zero-emission Zoe, offering a range of 245 miles and a payload of 387kg.
Mercedes-Benz Vans UK has launched a range of finance offers to support businesses who run vans and ensure that pricing is transparent and suitable for various budgets.
Southampton City Council (SCC) has put 24 zero emission Renault Kangoo ZE33 panel vans into service around the city.
London Electric Vehicle Company (LEVC) has announced the full details of its fully electric VN5 van, which will hit the roads later this year.
Renault has expanded its electric Master ZE range, which now includes a chassis cab version and an increased payload across the entire range.
June provided another tough month for the light commercial vehicle sector, with registrations down 24.8% compared to the same time in 2019, and sales in the sector were more than 44% down on the first half of last year.


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© Scott Gries via Getty Images
J.Lo has rocked a number of memorable looks throughout her successful career, however, one specific look stands out. The Versace dress she wore to the 2000 Grammy Awards, alongside P.Diddy, is creating yet another buzz in the fashion scene. The Italian House behind the dress has decided to draw inspiration from it, borrowing its print for the design of its latest summer sneaker.
Head back to the year 2000. Nineteen years ago, on February 23rd, Los Angeles welcomed an array of stars and celebrities for the 42nd annual Grammy Awards. Among the guests were Jennifer Lopez, and the rapper P.Diddy, who were together at the time, and who had both been nominated for a Grammy that year, for "Best Dance Recording" and "Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group" respectively. However, it was Jennifer Lopez's Versace dress that stunned the red carpet, which led to so many internet searches that it helped to spark the fuse for Google Images to be created.
The sneakers in question? An exotic-printed silk design, seen during the Spring/Summer 2000-2001 Versace fashion show, also seen more recently as worn by Donatella Versace and Geri Halliwell. Nearly two decades after its initial creation, the "Jungle Print" is back, and has been applied to the latest Versace sneaker, dubbed the "Chain Reaction". With only 1,500 models available for purchase, you'll have to act fast in order to get your hands on a pair.
Translated by Zoe Hofmann

domain: news


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The number of people shopping at vintage, or thrift stores, continues to increase. This is occurring even when considering the strong economy. The growth in shoppers is even greater for younger people, in particular those who are under the age of 25.
A couple of recent reports have come out to show the growth of vintage stores. One, from GlobalData, shows that sales at thrift stores are growing 24 times faster than other forms of retail, and the size of the market may double by 2022. This report takes into account shoppers of all ages and income brackets, whether it is a teenager on a limited budget or someone in their 50s who is looking for some vintage type items. In fact, about 33% of females have shopped at a thrift store at least once in 2017, regardless of their age.
A second report from ThredUP shows that an astounding 40% of young people between the ages of 18 and 24 have shopped at a vintage store over the last 12 months, with a majority of them going back multiple times. Now to see that almost 50% of those under the age of 25 are using thrift stores is an incredible number.
What does this data tell us?
This is where it gets more challenging. ThredUP did provide some of their own sampling data as well, including the following. The firm showed that one in 3 millennials is concerned about waste, so buying vintage items (vs throwing them away, etc.) cuts back on waste. Younger people are claiming to be more environmentally friendly.
There is also data from ThredUP and Gallup surveys that shows that millennials are not as materialistic as older generations…well at least they claim they are not! If that is true, and it holds up as their income increases and is not just something they say as their budgets are holding them back, then that would be a “breath of fresh air”. We may need to write some now posts how maybe “keeping up with the Jones”, not saving, spending, etc. is no longer relevant!
There is some Gallup survey data that shows some millennials were impacted by the “great recession” when they were growing up. Maybe their parent(s) lost a job, or their house was foreclosed on. Or maybe they were struggling to pay the utility bill or buy food. So there is some expert thought that those experiences may be influencing millennials shopping patterns, even as they age, and maybe they do not want to be as materialistic as other generations. As the years go by we will see if that is the case and the trend holds up. Time will tell whether those two data points hold up over time. As there have been many other periods in recent American history in which younger people say they are not materialistic and care about the environment, such as in the 1960 – 70s “hippie” eras, people growing up in the 30-40s when economy was weak, those in the 80s who claim to be environmentally friendly due to Ozone layer, etc.
The fact is it is fairly simple to say you are not materialistic when living on a limited income. Once they get into the job market and start earning a paycheck, peoples outlooks often change. So needless to say we are a little skeptical whether people are becoming less materialistic and more environmental. But we at needhelppayingbills, and me personally, hope very badly to be proven wrong in that skepticism.


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The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) sees Philippine exports to decline by 8.7 percent in the third quarter (Q3) of the year, easing from the double-digit contraction in the April to June period.
This is lower from the 29-percent decline in export revenues recorded in the second quarter (Q2) of the year based on the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) data.
Data from UNCTAD’s Global Trade Update for October shows that Philippine exports followed the global downtrend in outbound trade in the third quarter of 2020 due to economic and social disruptions brought about by the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).
“Global trade continued to decline in Q3, about – 4.5 percent year-on-year, although at a lower rate than in Q2 (second quarter), about – 19 percent year-on-year,” the UNCTAD report published on October 21 said.
On the other hand, some East Asian economies have posted exports growth in the third quarter of 2020 including Taiwan with 6.4-percent growth, China with 8.8-percent growth, and Vietnam with exports increasing by 10.9 percent.
“Overall, global trade is expected to fall by about 7 percent in 2020 under the assumption that the trend observed in Q3 continues into Q4 (fourth quarter),” UNCTAD said.
TRADE OF COVID MEDICAL SUPPLIES PEAKED IN MAY
UNCTAD reported that global trade for medical supplies related to Covid-19 peaked in May, which jumped by 74 percent.
“Nevertheless, the increase in the supply of Covid-19 related products has been largely to the benefit of wealthier countries. There is substantial evidence that middle- and low-income countries have been largely priced out from access to Covid-19 related products,” the report noted.
Aside from income, the report said that governments from poor or highly indebted countries have found themselves in a tight budgetary position to mobilize resources to increase healthcare expenditure, unlike the wealthiest economies. (pna.gov.ph)


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Airborne KTM 1290 Super Adventure R
One year ago - By Motorcyclist
Jumping a 500-pound bike is easy. It's the landing part that's tricky!
What happens when KTM holds a press launch for the 1290 Super Adventure R in the Peruvian desert?
Read more ...
The headlines of Auto Motor Buzz
The abc of MotoGP Hospitality
MotoGP Vip Village dress code, Pit walk lane and much more
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Repsol Honda Team 2017 racing effort Jakarta (Indonesia), 3 February 2017 – Marc Marquez and Dani Pedrosa today unveiled the 2017 Repsol Honda Team racing effort to the...
Marquez Pedrosa ready for 2017 MotoGP Title
Seventy-four days after the Repsol Honda Team ended their successful 2016 campaign in Valencia, reigning MotoGP World Champion Marc Marquez and teammate Dani Pedrosa, Repsol...


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Investment into venture capital (VC) backed fintech companies in China increased 67 percent in the third quarter from the previous three months, bucking the global trend which has seen two consecutive quarter declines, finds a recent KPMG report.
Over US$1 billion was invested into VC-backed fintech companies in China with 12 deals done in the third quarter, compared to US$600 million and 13 deals recorded in the second quarter.
Global VC-backed fintech funding declined 17 percent to US$2.4 billion in the third quarter, while deal activities fell 12 percent to 178 deals, according to Pulse of Fintech, a quarterly global report on fintech VC trends published jointly by KPMG and CB Insights.
Investors continue to focus on payments and lending in China, although areas such as InsurTech are also starting to gain traction. The report highlights that China has embraced a shift toward using mobiles to make small transactions, with some retailers opting for online payment instead of cash. It is therefore not surprising to see an emphasis on payments and marketplace lending in the country.
“Blockchain is becoming very hot as banks and financial institutions examine best practices and look closely at what international companies are doing in the space,” says Blockchain has also gained attention with growing popularity in terms of payments and lending services. Raymond Cheong, Partner, KPMG China.
“VC investors are putting a lot of money into small blockchain technology companies in Asia; some very new companies are already into their second or third round of funding.”
While deal activities in Asia declined to a five-quarter low at 35 deals in the third quarter, funding into VC-backed companies increased 50 percent from a quarter earlier to US$1.2 billion, due to a strong performance in China.
Year-to-date results suggest Asia-based fintech investment for 2016 could top last year’s record high of US$4.8 billion, according to the report.
“There has been a lot of conversation about setting up consortiums in Asia,” says James McKeogh, Partner, KPMG China.
“We are seeing cross-industry and cross- jurisdiction organizations working together, utilizing technology and data from an infrastructure perspective in order to address some of the big gaps that exist. For example, property developers, banks and lawyers are working together to simplify the process of buying and financing property.”


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Economy White Paper Series
Exploring Today’s Most Important Economic Questions
The Center publishes White Papers on a wide variety of economic issues. Diverse in topic, these reports are intended to shed light on important economy-related debates and emerging trends. The Economy White Paper Series is produced entirely by the Center’s nationally renowned economists and researchers.
Demographic Dilemma: Slowing Population Growth, Not Pandemic, At The Root Of U.S. Worker Shortage
Supply chain struggles have been widely blamed for the inability to meet consumer and business demand throughout the pandemic. While fixing the supply chain should be a top priority, it is worker scarcity, driven by the lack of basic, long-term population growth that is the true underlying cause—and a critical future challenge for the economies of the United States, and particularly California.
“For several decades there has been a substantial slowdown in the growth of Americans in their prime working years,” said Christopher Thornberg, Director of the Center for Economic Forecasting and author of our latest White Paper. “Whether it’s the missing factory worker, delivery truck driver, or salesclerk, the scarcity of workers is hindering the ability to connect demand to supply and is slowing economic growth.”
According to the analysis, the population growth rate of prime working age people in the nation today is 0.2%, one-tenth of what it was 40 years ago.
The mass wave of retirements that occurred during the pandemic both accelerated and exacerbated today’s worker shortage, but it is not the root cause. “This is a long-term demographic problem, not a short-term cyclical one,” said Thornberg. “It is not going to disappear as the COVID crisis fades.”


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The Reserve Bank of India unexpectedly raised its policy interest rate on Tuesday by 25 basis points but said that if consumer price inflation eases as projected it does not foresee further near-term tightening.
The policy decision was driven by an expectation that consumer price index (CPI) inflation will remain high, an indication that the RBI is looking to adopt a recent proposal to base its policy rate decisions on a CPI target.
The RBI raised its policy repo rate by 25 basis points to 8.00 percent. Most economists in a Reuters poll conducted last week had expected no change in rates. However, expectations for a rate hike had increased after a central bank panel proposed to make CPI the main inflation benchmark.
This article is for general information purposes only. It is not investment advice or a solution to buy or sell securities. Opinions are the authors; not necessarily that of OANDA Corporation or any of its affiliates, subsidiaries, officers or directors. Leveraged trading is high risk and not suitable for all. You could lose all of your deposited funds.


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For the first six years of its PartnerDirect channel program, Dell Inc. has not been much of a player at distribution in North America, preferring instead to predominantly ship product direct to its resellers....
Daily tech news and analysis channel partners need to know now, including intY's dashboard launch, Nadella's shares sell-off, Foxconn's results and more
Channel chief talks to Channelnomics about overturning history of business challenges for partners
Vendor facing allegations of threatening customers and concealing low demand
What's been happening this week on Channelnomics?


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Endless Legend, Amplitude Studio’s fantasy turn-based strategy game, is getting a second free mini expansion. Visions of the Unseen will add 10 new side quests and snazzy special effects for quest reward weapons. The release date hasn’t been announced yet, but the developers say more information will be forthcoming. The first free DLC, Shades of Alteration added user mod support, a new quest, and patched out some bugs.
In related news, Amplitude also announced Chronicles of the Lost, a free add-on for their 2012 space strategy title, Endless Space.


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After much discussion and debate, the Indian government has decided to ban 59 Chinese apps that also include TikTok. TikTok was used as a platform by millions and from the past few days, the internet was trending with banning Chinese apps that included TikTok. Now, as soon as the list of all the banned apps went viral, Twitter is all about funny Bollywood memes. From sharing funny movie dialogues to snippets from comedy films, there are several situational tweets doing the rounds.
For the unversed on June 15, in a clash between India and China, 20 Indian soldiers died and more than 70 were injured. After the horrific incident, ban on all Chinese products was in demand and now the government has finally taken the decision to do so.
Taking about the funny Bollywood memes, One user wrote, "When memers are only making memes on the ban of #TikTok 58 other apps:"
"#TikTok everyone trolling tittokers right now meanwhile tiktoker me"
"Finally something good happen in 2020 Me right now - #TikTok."
"Government banned 59 Chinese apps including #TikTok Govt to TikTokers:"
"*#TikTok banned in India* Meanwhile, Tiktok to Popular Creators:"
"#TikTok and 59 other apps banned by govt. le me and my bois rn:-"
"#tiktokbanindia India banned 59 chinese apps including #TikTok* Meanwhile Play store & App store -"
"#TikTok Aftet listening government ban 59 Chinese App including tik tok Le me to government."
"*Government bans #TikTok and other 59 Chinese apps in India* Memers after seeing this:"
Along with TikTok, the government has also banned several fashion apps including Shein, and Club Factory.


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Mark Cuban is facing a lawsuit for promoting Voyager Digital! Recently, news of Mark Cuban getting sued is trending in the community.
Billionaire entrepreneur and owner of the Dallas Mavericks, Mark Cuban, is now facing a lawsuit. The class action lawsuit against the billionaire is related to the promotion of crypto broker Voyager Digital. #Crypto pic.twitter.com/veDI6u27xn
— SHI₿ILIA (@SHIBAINUCRYPTON) August 11, 2022
Mark Cuban is getting sued by Voyager investors and fans of the Dallas Mavericks, the basketball team he owns. The Moskowitz Law Firm filed the lawsuit on August 10th. Stephen Ehrlich, the CEO of Voyager Digital, is also mentioned here.
In the lawsuit, they allegedly “target young and inexperienced investors, who are certainly new to cryptocurrency trading and mainly utilize mobile apps (rather than any sophisticated software) for trading.” The suit added that Mark Cuban had misinterpreted the Voyager platform numerous times.
According to the lawsuit, “Defendants Mark Cuban and Stephen Ehrlich were key players who personally reached out to investors, individually and through the Dallas Mavericks, to induce them to invest in the Deceptive Voyager Platform.”
The lawsuit alleged Mark Cuban and Stephen Ehrlich, through their experience in the industry, deceived customers into investing in the Voyager platform. As a result, millions of Americans now lost billions in cryptocurrency assets.
The lawsuit also said, “This action seeks to hold Ehrlich, Cuban, and his Dallas Mavericks responsible for paying them back.”
Mark Cuban was Promoting Voyager
In the lawsuit, the Plaintiffs also put several proofs that Mark Cuban was promoting Voyager Digital to make people use the platform.
Mark Cuban once said:
“I gotta add, I am a [Voyager] customer and I’ve been a customer for several months now. I like to use it, it’s easy, it’s cheap, it’s fast, and the pricing is actually really good, so we find it as a perfect fit for our Mavs fans and reaching Mavs fans of all ages.”
There is more evidence in the lawsuit regarding the misinterpretation by Cuban when he was promoting Voyager.
Since the news dropped, the community has been buzzing about what will happen next with Mark Cuban regarding this issue.


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Google researchers have found that Google Street View technology paired with a new algorithm can solve CAPTCHAs with ease.
The Ashley Madison hack: a confusing battle between good and evil
...of Lumia flagships, Windows milestones, and Samsung's reminder to RTFM
One month on, what do you think of Windows 10 so far?
Windows 10 Insider Preview build 10532 rolls out
Samsung confirms devices it plans to upgrade to Android 6.0 Marshmallow
Known issues with Windows 10 Insider build 10532
Your favourite band is touring and you know tickets will sell out in an instant, so every second counts. But there is only one thing in the way, and it threatens to make your life miserable.
A Stanford research group has shown that Captchas aren't really that great at differentiating between human and computer. However, many websites aren't very worried.


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Semiconductor Stocks for the 2020 Market Rally
- Market update: Don’t chase the old-world leaders — like Apple and Microsoft — today. Here’s where you need to be for the big money.
- Telsa’s earnings surprise, pot’s double and why Bitcoin (BTC) jumped 40% over two days. Plus, what to expect with bitcoin’s halving.
- Paul Mampilly’s bull market prediction and the stock to buy today.
Mad at the markets?!
Hey, bears … don’t be mad.
Stocks are rebounding in a big way, but not in the way many would have predicted.
The truth is: A major shift is happening, and not every rising stock is a good buy for big America 2.0 profits.
The leaders of the past — Apple and Microsoft — are doing nothing today.
The leaders of this 2020 bull market: America 2.0 stocks.
And one of the best industries that’s showing signs of GoingUpness — Paul’s strategy for picking stocks with the explosive potential — is semiconductors.
So today, Paul and I are going to tell you which semiconductor stocks to buy today to ride the market rally to the top. Check it out here:
The Market Keeps Going Up
The stock market continues its big move up which is not shock or surprise to us but many are simply upset by this turn of events.
Maybe it’s because investors don’t like to be wrong. But the stock market is going up and that’s a good thing, obviously.
But some investors are angry and there seems to be an extraordinary level of confusion.
Macro, mainstream news keeps suggesting that the stock market should be going down. It’s confusing for us.
The S&P 500
Some of the top five stocks in the S&P 500, were worth 20% of the total market cap of the S&P 500, which is pretty crazy because there’s more than 500 stocks in there and the top five have 20% of the market share.
Those stocks have lagged behind during the recovery.
Instead, we’re seeing that market cap that was in them being pushed down into smaller companies. That has made for a rise in the equal-weighted S&P 500 for all companies.
When the smaller stocks do better, Invesco Exchange Traded FD Tr S&P 500 Equal Weight ETF (NYSE; RSP) goes up in comparison to the SP&500.
We want to make that 100% clear. A lot of the stocks in the S&P500 represent the past, America 1.0.
It has been a tradition for the folks who pick the Dow stocks to be late and to pick them when the vast majority of the gains are in.
Most investors fall into the trap. They chase the winners of the last big move up. People are chasing Shopify, Tradedesk, Salesforce and things like that.
Sure, those stocks will go up a little, but if you want to make the big money and be right looking at it two or three years from now, it’s the stocks we’re looking at that we’re putting into IPO Speculator, True Momentum and Extreme Fortunes. We’re also doing trades in the two options services Rapid Profit Trader and Rebound Profit Trader.
We are all over this. We know from past history that it’s a mistake to chase this stuff.
The mindset of some is to think: “Hey, that made a new high and it looks cheap.” First, it will underperform slowly and then it gets hit hard because there are always sellers into the up move. All the people who bought at the old high are constantly selling.
In hindsight, it looks like the move from the bottom in 2016 to the top in 2020 was a bull market in about 20 large cap stocks like Apple, Microsoft, Amazon. Some of them are still in bull markets, but for sure it looks like Apple has peaked.
It might get near its old high, it might even push a little past it, but in terms of it making a bet for it to make huge additional gains, it looks for it to be pretty much done. Most people own it already.
It all comes down to supply and demand really.
Tesla Innovations Inbound
Tesla just reported good numbers yesterday; better than expected. This is the third quarter in a row that Tesla has posted a profit. They had 88,000 deliveries, which is amazing considering the factories were shut down for part of the first quarter.
Their revenue grew 32%. It was amazing for Tesla, especially considering the circumstances.
And Tesla stock price increased as a result.
Many people say it’s because of what Elon Musk said on the conference call. I can tell you the vast majority of people who own Tesla know Elon is passionate.
Now that many COVID cases have peaked, he wants his car factories open.
As the CEO of Tesla, he can say what he needs to say and try to push people to understand his situation.
Tesla has a lot of exciting innovation on the horizon including solar roofs, the Model Y and the Cybertruck.
The growth for Tesla is going to keep bewildering people. I’m not sure when the surprise is going to fade.
Quarter after quarter everyone still seems shocked they are doing so well and growth will likely not let up anytime soon.
We have said Tesla stock price can hit $1,000 this year and it may actually go past that. Many people said when it hit $950 it was going to crash.
Just before coming on we saw an analyst that said Tesla stock should be worth pennies. There is still an extraordinary amount of hate and dislike, negativity and pessimism.
Whenever there is a huge new technology people resist it at first. Some of the general public is going to accept it for what it is. It’s making things more efficient. It’s an amazing technology in every way. Tesla is by far the leader in autonomous cars and batteries. They have a lot of things going for them.
So we are still Bullish, Optimistic and Positive on Tesla. We think it will go over $1,000. Once these lockdowns end and they go back to production, the semi-truck is ahead and their new advances in technology are still ahead.
Cannabis Stock Roundup
We’ve mentioned the idea that a senator could sponsor legislation for federal approval of cannabis nationwide and a senator from New Jersey has actually introduced legislation.
The idea of federally legal marijuana is definitely gaining more traction.
Politicians from New Mexico have stated their regret for not legalizing marijuana because if they had, the state would have collected more than a $100 million in tax revenue that they could put toward the coronavirus situation.
Purely from a tax perspective, legalizing marijuana could really bring in a lot of revenue for the US government.
Both California and Colorado have brought in billions of dollars in tax revenue since it was legalized there. It could really be a boost to states. And marijuana was classified an essential business there. It went from illegal to essential in a few years. I don’t think we’re far off from federal legislation being taken seriously.
NYSE: MJ, which is the cannabis ETF that has all the big marijuana stocks in it, has gone up 50%.
Canopy, which is arguably the leader, has gone up 100% from the bottom. There are definitely people coming in to buy these stocks.
Into the normalization of economies, you are going to see all those people who bought these stocks come in and push the demand for these stocks higher.
Bitcoin Is Up 40% in Two Days
Bitcoin has gone up 40% in two days.
A month and a half ago it was at $4,000, last night it went up to $9,000. It’s more than doubled. It’s made a huge run and is higher than it was before it made the big drop on March 13. The Halving is coming up in a few weeks.
That’s going to be monumental as it has been the other times it has happened. After each Halving I think Bitcoin has gone up at least 1,000% over the next couple years. We have bright things ahead for Bitcoin for sure.
If you look at Google trends, there is massive searching for Bitcoin and he Halving. People are interested. We know because we get emails from a lot of people asking how to get in and what to do. The Halving is pretty severe being that it’s the third.
The quantity we are getting down to in terms of what the miners can generate is now down to 6.25.
A lot of miners were anticipating the Halving coming up, but a lot of them got wiped out because of that one drop when it went from $7,000 to $4,000, or even lower on some exchanges, in one night.
That wiped people out because they knew the Halving was coming up and they were making nothing.
We have the strong miners well positioned and they have bought out all the assets from the ones who went out of business.
Now they are extra prepared.
They are anticipating the price to go up because of all the extra demand we saw since the crash.
Right now, the number of accounts that have more than 1,000 Bitcoin — they are called whales — is at a two-year high. The last time it was higher was right after the peak of the last bull run when it went to $20,0000.
Generally speaking the miners who mine Bitcoin tend to accelerate mining into a Halving because they are only going to get half of it going forward.
Then they tend to sell after the Halving because they accumulated. However, after the crash, the reverse has happened.
They got liquidated during the crash. At that point, a number of them ended operations.
The ones that were well capitalized benefited in different ways.
1 – They didn’t sell their Bitcoin because they were capitalized enough to withhold.
2 – As the Halving unfolds, the difficulty level jumps. It requires an investment into computing equipment to be able to mine for Bitcoin in the future.
Everything now jumps to a level that favors the people who are, what we call, strong hands. Those are people who have the capital to hold something, even through volatility.
A lot of people didn’t sell during the crash and actually ended up buying.
Now, Bitcoin is up more than 100% since that bottom. A lot of buying from that shows a lot of people have strong hands and we have a whole new crowd in there.
They bought at the bottom and are waiting because they think Bitcoin has a bright future and they wanted to get in at a lower price.
Editor, Rebound Profit Trader


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Tom Brady And Gisele Bündchen Reportedly Lost Tens Of Millions Of Dollars
Once upon a time, FTX was a big deal in the world of cryptocurrency. In fact, it was endorsed by multiple celebrities including former NFL star Tom Brady and his wife at the time, Gisele Bündchen. Now, just like the celebrity couple is no longer a couple, FTX is no longer a company.
In November, FTX’s CEO, Samuel Bankman-Fried, stepped down as CEO, but it was too late for him to avoid being held responsible for a company that allegedly stole millions of dollars. Allegedly, the company transferred hundreds of millions of dollars from the U.S. to the Bahamas before declaring bankruptcy. The company was based in the Bahamas. That’s also where Bankman-Fried was arrested and charged with criminal charges.
Now many people, including Brady and Bündchen are facing massive consequences from their involvement in FTX. In exchange for endorsing the company as a brand ambassador, FTX had paid Brady $30 million in FTX stock. Meanwhile, in 2021, Bündchen was hired as an “environmental and social initiatives advisor,” and she was paid $18 million in FTX stock. Their stock is now worthless.
The bad news for Brady and Bündchen doesn’t end there. Even though Brady and Bündchen’s stock is worthless, they still have to pay taxes on the value of the stock they originally received.
In addition, Brady and Bündchen, as well as other celebrities who endorsed FTX, are facing a class action lawsuit from unhappy FTX customers. The lawsuit was filed in November 2022, and other celebrities listed as defendants include Larry David, Naomi Osaka, Steph Curry, and Shaquille O’Neal.
According to the lawsuit, the celebrities endorsing FTX made customers think it was a credible company when time has shown that wasn’t true. The lawsuit states, “Part of the scheme employed by the FTX Entities involved utilizing some of the biggest names in sports and entertainment—like these Defendants—to raise funds and drive American consumers to invest … pouring billions of dollars into the deceptive FTX platform to keep the whole scheme afloat.”
Class-action attorney Adam Moskowitz is representing the victims in the FTX lawsuit, and he claims, “The crypto industry needed celebrity endorsers to get any credibility.”


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You’ll never believe it, but the world’s most popular website isn’t Google, Facebook, or Amazon.
So what is it?
TikTok! Recent insights from Cloudflare Radar show that TikTok.com was the #1 most popular domain visited in 2021, with Google.com and Facebook.com taking second and third place respectively.
You may be wondering how a social media platform could dethrone a search engine giant like Google after a 15-year reign. After all, TikTok is a relatively new global phenomenon and not one without controversy — the app has dealt with multiple concerns relating to data-mining, app permissions, and even national security. However, none of these issues have proven to be a major risk to users and have hardly prevented the platform from amassing a user base of over 1 billion, a milestone that occurred back in September of 2021.
“TikTok has become a beloved part of life for people around the world because of the creativity and authenticity of our creators. Our global community is remarkable in its ability to reach millions of people, across generations,” the company said in an announcement in September.
But why the reason for the app’s sudden explosion in popularity? While TikTok was first lauded as an entertainment app — a place for creators to post creative short-form videos focused on dance, humor, or skits — it has since expanded. Now, some of the most popular content that can be found on the app is informational: tips, recipes, how-to videos.
This is huge for digital marketers, because it clearly indicates that the way our audiences consume information online is changing. If they’d rather hear from peers via user-generated content than get answers through Google’s SEO-manipulated rankings, that can mean a massive shift in marketing strategy for any brand with a digital presence.
But what does this mean for your brand specifically? A few things:
- If you aren’t on TikTok, it’s time to establish a presence. As a business owner myself, I know how stressful it can feel to expand to a new social platform. But if there’s one place to be right now for maximum visibility and impact, it’s TikTok. So, if you haven’t already, go download the app and create a business account. Then, check out my Ultimate TikTok Marketing Guide to help you get started!
If you’re wanting to set yourself up for success with your TikTok strategy from the start, consider booking a strategy call with me. My 90 minute intensives are perfect for the CEO who wants to develop a winning plan for how to approach social media platform expansion to TikTok. To learn more about what a strategy call entails, click here.


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WEEE Days at Tesco stores in Mayo collect a massive 71 tonnes of waste!
The Tesco Mayo WEEE Days held on May 8th collected a massive 71 tonnes of waste electrical and electronic goods from residents around Ballinrobe, Castlebar and Claremorris, it has been announced.
This event was organised by WEEE Ireland in association with Tesco Ireland and Mayo County Council. Free electrical recycling events such as this one allow householders to bring any broken or unwanted electrical and electronic equipment and waste batteries for free recycling.
Tesco Claremorris recycled 28 tonnes of waste – that’s the equivalent of 350 washing machines, Tesco Ballinrobe recycled 22 tonnes of waste – the equivalent of 1500 microwaves and Tesco Castlebar recycled 21 tonnes of waste – the same as 10,500 hairdryers!
Since 2007, electrical recycling events at Tesco such as this one have collected over 500 tonnes of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment, that’s the equivalent of 250,000 kettles!
If you missed this event and have waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) for disposal, it can still be recycled for free by bringing it back to any electrical retailer when purchasing an item of similar type. Household WEEE can also be brought back to your local recycling centre free of charge, find yours by visiting www.recyclefree.ie.
For further information please contact Tesco Corporate Affairs on 01 215 2661


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Infinity unveils its new international marketing strategy for 2012
Following on from the forthcoming presentation of its new tyre range, Infinity Tyres have unveiled the outline of their new marketing and communications campaign for 2012. This campaign is built around Infinity’s brand philosophy concerning its unswerving policy of only producing excellent quality tyres, never compromising safety, and always offering superb tyre design.
Mr. Jorge Crespo, European General Manager for Infinity Tyres, said that Infinity’s marketing aim is to “increase the very successful international media campaign Infinity runs in the various markets where it operates. This year Infinity has a lot of news for its partners and clients, and this new marketing campaign is only the beginning!”
Chief among Infinity’s new marketing actions will be its emphasis on expanding their successful DNA campaign. Infinity’s DNA campaign is built on the idea that Infinity Tyres have their own pedigree, one that makes them stand out from the crowd, hence their slogan “Not all tyres are created equal”. It also plays on the idea of their tyres being inimitable, just like DNA makes everyone a unique individual, so are Infinity tyres unique.
This spectacular new European campaign features a series of adverts where iconic monuments from several different countries are re-interpreted using an Infinity Tyre. Infinity’s marketing and advertising strategy is to tailor their publicity philosophy to each market, rather than using the standard approach of most tyre companies of ‘one-size-fits-all’.
As part of the new strategy, Infinity will also be running a competition to further promote this thrilling campaign where the prizes will include trips to some very exciting destinations.
Infinity’s new marketing campaign is also underscored by its continued media presence in the form of periodical newsletters issued by the main industry publications in the markets where it operates, as well as by the printing and distribution of its quarterly newsletter which is also available in a digital format and which is available at Infinity’s online press room: www.infinity-news.com


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Chasing Summer returns to Calgary for its fourth year this summer, and will be held on Heritage Day long weekend, July 30 and 31. After outgrowing its previous space, the festival will be held at a new venue: Max Bell Centre Festival Grounds.
“We’ve had an amazing three years at Fort Calgary, and we are excited to bring this next phase of Chasing Summer to the fans,” Harvey Cohen, VP Talent at Live Nation Canada and Producer of Chasing Summer, said in a statement. “With the help of the City, we were able to secure a new location that will bring to life the vision we have for this festival.”
Last year’s weekend attendance was over 33,750, which saw a huge boost in sales since its debut year in 2013. This year’s festival will feature a list of world class artists and expanded attractions. Previous headliners include Tiësto, Above & Beyond, Hardwell, Kaskade, Afrojack, and more. The full lineup of performers this year will be released this spring.
“2016 will be the best year yet, featuring a new, expanded location, an enhanced experience, and another terrific lineup of artists,” Cohen said.
Presale tickets go on sale Thursday, March 17 at 10 a.m. General Admission Early Bird starts at $109.95 with Early Bird VIP starting at $179.95. Marquee VIP Lounge and VIP Cabanas will also be available during the presale. Fans will also have the option to use the Chasing Summer Layaway plan instead of paying upfront, a new feature added this year.
When: July 30 and 31
Where: Max Bell Centre Festival Grounds – 1001 Barlow Trail SE
Tickets: Go on sale March 17 starting at $109.95 (General Early Bird)


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Samsung Sees Large Market for AMD Personal Internet Communicator; Says Its Memory a Key Aspect of PIC Design
San Jose, Calif. --
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., the world leader in advanced semiconductor memory technology, today predicted a strong market for AMD’s new Personal Internet Communicator (PIC) strategy. PIC offers a low cost computing solution with managed Internet access and Microsoft Windows capabilities which targets users in developing markets like China, Russia, Mexico, India and the Caribbean. Samsung, which played an integral role in the development and manufacturing of the PIC system, will be the supplier providing AMD with DRAM–based memory solutions that meet the PIC technology and cost requirements.
AMD’s goal is to deliver affordable, accessible Internet connectivity and computing capabilities to half of the world’s population by 2015. According to the company, the new PIC system represents a major milestone in reaching that goal.
“Samsung’s collaboration with AMD is a major step toward fulfilling our commitment to help people in the developing world gain easy access to information,” said Tom Quinn, senior vice president of marketing at San Jose-based Samsung Semiconductor, Inc. “The PIC is a major milestone in reaching out to billions of people across the globe and helping them access the Internet, in part through a highly efficient application of Samsung memory technology.”
The new PIC consumer device will be built using Samsung’s DDR1-based, small-outline, dual inline memory modules (SODIMM), which are small circuit boards that hold memory chips, most notably used in notebook computers.
About Samsung Electronics
Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. is a global leader in semiconductor, telecommunication, digital media and digital convergence technologies with 2003 parent company sales of US$36.4 billion and net income of US$5.0 billion. Employing approximately 88,000 people in 89 offices in 46 countries, the company consists of six main business units: Corporate Technology Operations, Digital Appliance Business, Digital Media Business, LCD Business, Semiconductor Business and Telecommunication Network Business. Recognized as one of the fastest growing global brands, Samsung Electronics is the world’s largest producer of color monitors, color TVs, memory chips, TFT-LCDs and VCRs. For more information, visit www.samsung.com.


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Leading provider of blockchain cryptocurrency mobile apps and cloud-based business software solutions Epazz, Inc. (OTC: EPAZ) recently acquired Google Play Store app ‘Bitcoin Altcoins Tracker’, further expanding the company’s robust portfolio of blockchain apps. An article discussing the acquisition reads: “Features of the app are expected be included in Epazz’s CryptoFolio blockchain mobile app, which the company acquired in January (http://ibn.fm/Dcyct), and a new version of CryptoFolio is scheduled to be released on May 30. This new version is set to include all features from Bitcoin Charts and Bitcoin Altcoins Tracker, with the combined app offered in a free edition (supported by advertisement revenue) and a paid edition that will be sold for $2.49. There will also be an option for users to purchase additional features, ranging in price from $1.99 to $5.99. … The company’s acquisition of Bitcoin Altcoins Tracker will give CryptoFolio users the benefit of cryptocurrency conversions into native currencies.”
To view the full article, visit http://ibn.fm/qKHQ7
Let us hear your thoughts: Epazz, Inc. Message Board
About Epazz, Inc.
Epazz, Inc. specializes in enterprise cryptocurrency blockchain mobile apps and cloud business process software, with more than 500 repeat customers. The new Bitcoin mobile app is a financial technology company that offers unique software that allows consumers to acquire Bitcoin at the point of sale. The consumer can then use the cryptocurrency or digital currency to make a purchase at the store with ease. Epazz technology makes it easy to convert legacy systems into cloud business process software, for which the company then charges an annual subscription fee. Epazz has acquired 11 software companies that have converted or are in the process of converting their legacy software products to cloud software using Epazz technology. Epazz then markets the new cloud-based solutions to new and existing customers. For more information, visit the company’s website at www.Epazz.com
QualityStocks is committed to connecting subscribers with companies that have huge potential to succeed in the short and long-term future. It is part of our mission statement to help the investment community discover emerging companies that offer excellent growth potential. We offer several ways for investors to learn more about investing in these companies as well as find and evaluate them.


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Final Fantasy XV will definitely have a day one patch, and Square Enix's Hajime Tabata has detailed what exactly this will entail.
In a press release (via Siliconera), the game director detailed that the team is working on some improvements and fixes for the game. The Day One patch, called the Crown Update, will bring some hefty additions.
There's the improvements in the camera, which are meant to make tracking for narrow areas easier. The team is also building up the Wait Mode feature by way of an ability tree. This brings a more enhanced strategy element to the game that can be used for fights.
Final Fantasy XV will also get some useful additions. For instance, players can now call out monsters using the Monster Whistle. Fans who want to explore the world, try out new recipes, and get to know the different fish varieties, the game will now have more of these and a gallery so players can maximize world exploration.
Prompt fans will even get a nice function for the social aspect of the game. Since you'll be taking more photos using his camera, you can now upload and share your snapshots via Twitter and Facebook. Finally, event scenes from Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV and the Omen trailer will be added.
Tabata ended the new info dump with a message on spoilers. Recently, there have been a number of leaks appearing online, and Tabata called out to fans to just wait a little bit more.
"I'm wishing from the bottom of my heart that everyone will get to enjoy the game with a fresh new feeling. It's our big goal to have everyone enjoy the story of Final Fantasy XV and discover its surprises through the simultaneous global release. There are likely other spoiler videos and such circulating out there that we had not expected, so for those of you looking forward to Final Fantasy XV, we hope that you'll be careful."
Final Fantasy XV will be out on the PS4 and Xbox One on Nov. 29.
Read:The angrier Andrew Lincoln is, the better Jeffrey Dean Morgan is at his job.
Gal Gadot is apparently a force of nature as Wonder Woman.


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The creators of Halo Infinite have released yet another video that provides a glimpse behind the scenes of how they are recording sounds for the game.
This latest video, much like the ones that came before it, is a treat to watch.
The crew from 343 Industries traveled to Oregon’s Powerland Heritage Park to record steam engines, which will serve as the basis for some of the noises that will be included in Halo Infinite.
To be more specific, the steam engines will be responsible for bringing various “mechanical sounds” to life in Halo Infinite.
Have a look at the video that can be found below and see if you can figure out what Halo Infinite might be using these noises for.
Watching videos of this nature is always a unique and enjoyable experience for me.
These are some of the most recent behind-the-scenes videos that have been released by 343.
In the earlier part of this year, 343 demonstrated how it captures the weapon and car sounds for Halo Infinite.
And in 2019, the developer released a video featuring a lovable little pug whose snuffs and scruffs will be included in Halo Infinite.
The Xbox Series X will have Halo Infinite as one of its launch titles.
Even though the production crew is currently working from home, it is still anticipated that the game will be released in time for the holidays alongside the next-generation platform.
Additionally, Halo Infinite will be available for purchase on Xbox One and PC.
For More Information Visit Our Site: https://www.techllog.com/


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Roland DG Showcasing Exciting New Products at Visual Impact Brisbane
Sydney, Australia, April 8, 2016 – Roland DG Australia, a leading manufacturer of wide format inkjet printers and 3D devices, is proud to once again be a Platinum Sponsor at Visual Impact Brisbane. As well as unveiling its brand new TrueVIS VG Series of printer cutters, Roland DG will display other recently released printers and engraving solutions, as well as a range of inspirational applications and workflows.
Visitors to the Roland DG stand can view the most recent addition to the wide format line up: the completely re-imagined TrueVIS VG Series of printer/cutters. With a rigid new industrial design, exclusive FlexFire print heads, new GreenGuard GOLD certified TrueVIS inks, enhanced cutting technology, plus Bluetooth-enabled control panel operation via smartphones and tablets; the future of print and cut has arrived with the TrueVIS VG Series.
In addition, Roland DG will display three recently released products for the first time at an industry event: the VersaUV LEF-300 Benchtop UV Printer, the SOLJET EJ-640 Wide Format Printer and the Texart XT-640 Dye Sublimation Printer.
The latest addition to the LEF series, the LEF-300 produces brilliant colours and superb images directly to a range of materials including three dimensional items up to 100mm thick. The EJ-640 includes new inks and 1-litre cartridges that cost up to 35% lower than the competition, resulting in high-volume, low-maintenance printing and bold colours on wall and vehicle wraps, posters, banners and signs. The XT-640 is built to meet the demanding production requirements of the textile industry, delivering outstanding quality, reliability and high-speed performance.
Dedicated applications and personalisation areas designed to educate on production workflows will also be producing real-world samples and giveaways to inspire customers. Roland DG users will be available to discuss their experiences with using Roland DG’s solutions and the benefits they’ve been able to add to their business.
The team will be running the successful Roland DG “Print for Purpose” program for the Starlight Foundation, producing posters on the EJ-640 and key rings on the LEF-300, and donating these to help with Starlight’s marketing campaigns.
Like us on Facebook or Twitter to stay-up-date during the show, or for more information contact Roland DG on 1800 500 119 or visit our website.


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|11th March 2016, 08:21||#1|
Join Date: May 2010
HTC scores Nexus deal
HTC has scored a deal to exclusively manufacture Nexus devices for the next three years.
This means that not only will HTC manufacture Nexus phones running Android N, but also Nexus phones and tablets running the next two versions of Android.
This is not the first time that HTC has been involved in the Nexus project. It made the Nexus One in 2010 and Nexus 9 tablet two years ago. But the dark satanic rumour mill suggested in January, that HTC was manufacturing at least two new Nexus devices this year.
Now the news that HTC will manufacture the next Nexus phones was leaked onto Weibo, a Chinese version of Twitter. Two upcoming Nexus phones will have, much like the Nexus 5X and 6P, 5-inch and 5.5-inch displays. If this is true then HTC will be breathing a sigh of relief as things have not been going that well for it lately.
|Thread||Thread Starter||Forum||Replies||Last Post|
|Huawei's Nexus Phone Will Be The First Nexus Device To Offer Up To 128GB Of Storage||Stefan Mileschin||WebNews||0||21st September 2015 12:08|
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|Intel fab deal is no fab deal||Stefan Mileschin||WebNews||0||1st November 2013 08:20|
|Google ‘Gem’ Nexus Smartwatch Landing October 31 Alongside Nexus 5 and Android 4.4||Stefan Mileschin||WebNews||0||7th October 2013 08:35|
|Nexus 5, Nexus 8 and Nexus 11 concept renders show desirable design||Stefan Mileschin||WebNews||0||13th May 2013 09:26|
|Android 4.2.2 update reportedly arriving on Galaxy Nexus phones, Nexus tablets||Stefan Mileschin||WebNews||0||12th February 2013 10:04|
|Nexus Q scores CyanogenMod 10.1 nightlies, reminds you of its existence||Stefan Mileschin||WebNews||0||21st January 2013 09:58|
|Google Nexus 4, Nexus 10 for sale in US now! (update: Nexus 4 already sold out)||Stefan Mileschin||WebNews||0||14th November 2012 09:07|
|How to Root the Nexus 7, Galaxy Nexus, or Nexus S||Stefan Mileschin||WebNews||0||1st August 2012 09:50|
|Nexus 7 Tablet and Nexus Q Media Player Outed Ahead of I/O||Stefan Mileschin||WebNews||0||28th June 2012 08:45|


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BolognaFiere Group S.p.A and Informa Markets in India, organisers of Cosmoprof India 2020, have decided to postpone the 2020 edition of the event. Originally scheduled to be held from September 2 to 4, 2020, the show will take place on October 29-31, 2020 at Bombay Convention and Exhibition Centre.
“The rescheduling of all the main trade shows globally as a consequence of the outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19) has forced us to rethink about the timing of our exhibition. We are monitoring the situation constantly, in order to take care of the business needs of our exhibitors and buyers along with Informa Markets,” said Mr. Gianpiero Calzolari, President of BolognaFiere Group.
Launched in 2018 as a special “preview”, the 2019 edition of Cosmoprof India hosted 237 exhibiting companies from 23 countries, and 7,429 visitors from 48 countries.
“It is a difficult but necessary decision to postpone the event. The COVID-19 situation presents a mixed and constantly changing scenario for the organisers of exhibitions worldwide. With an unflinching focus on the well-being of our customers, partners and employees, we believe the new date will allow more time for normality and confidence to return to the marketplace, ease travel restrictions, and provide all-around better conditions for exhibitors and visitors to engage. This will ensure that our stakeholders know they can receive the same outstanding experience and business that they have come to expect from the reputed Cosmoprof India show, a 360° platform for the domestic and international beauty community,” added Mr. Yogesh Mudras, Managing Director, Informa Markets in India.
The organisers continue to monitor the developing situation and remain in close communication with relevant local government bodies, the industry and other key stakeholders.
In October, Personal Care Ingredients & Lab, co-located with Cosmoprof India, will showcase innovations in the field of ingredients for perfumery and cosmetics, essential oils, labs accessories, equipment and furniture, testing solutions.


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Great news from Together Price! The LVenture Group portfolio startup that developed an online platform to share digital services and split subscription costs has closed a capital increase for 630k € led by Samaipata Ventures, an international Venture Capital fund active in the early stage tech market, followed by LVenture Group and several business angels of Angel Partner Group.
“Together Price is our first investment in an Italian-born company and we’re incredibly proud of it”, said Josè del Barrio, Founding Partner at Samaipata Ventures. “The sharing economy is arriving in all kinds of digital services, and we’re thrilled to see how Together Price is ready to change the market in the coming years”.
LVenture Group after the new investment brings the total resources invested in Together Price to €175K, thus confirming its confidence in the startup launched by LUISS EnLabs, the holding company’s accelerator.
“This transaction, side by side with a leading player in the European VC market, as Samaipata Ventures, shows our the capacity to expose startups to a qualified network of international investors, required to scale-up and for the incoming, significant, valuations. It also confirms the tremendous work done by our team, which has contributed to launching Together Price and continues to support it in its growth” said Luigi Capello, CEO at LVenture Group.
Together Price is a sharing platform which allows users to share digital subscriptions and split expenses, saving money up to 80%. The solution developed by the startup is a strong leading generation tool, useful to help services providers to acquire new users.
Together Price has been online since May 2016 and has already created a strong user base: more than 140k members, with a large focus on the millennial generation.
“We are very excited, this is the first step towards the international expansion alongside a perfect, young, but extremely competent partner in our industry, to scale quickly in Europe”, concludes Marco Taddei, CEO at Together Price.


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The HomePod is back, but can it last this time? I’m not so sure.
Earlier today, Apple announced the return of the HomePod, the large smart speaker that it originally launched in 2018 and eventually discontinued in March 2021. The return of HomePod brings a number of upgrades underneath the hood including changes to the engineering, the number of tweeters, the number of microphones, and a more modern WiFi chip.
The new HomePod also comes packed with a temperature and humidity sensor, an accelerometer, an Ultra Wideband chip for device proximity, and support for Matter, the new smart home standard that almost everyone is supporting with new and upcoming products.
Greg Joswiak, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing, said that “leveraging our audio expertise and innovations, the new HomePod delivers rich, deep bass, natural mid-range, and clear, detailed highs. With the popularity of HomePod mini, we’ve seen growing interest in even more powerful acoustics achievable in a larger HomePod. We’re thrilled to bring the next generation of HomePod to customers around the world.”
The return of the HomePod is great, especially with all of those internal upgrades. However, there’s one thing that the new HomePod won’t be able to do and that’s actually selling a lot of HomePods. That’s because Apple has seemingly forgotten, or is unwilling to admit, the largest flaw of the HomePod: the price.
Same as the old boss
The new HomePod, bewilderingly, costs $299, almost the same as the original HomePod when it launched back in 2018. Back then, Apple started the large smart speaker at $349. Over the next three years, you could regularly find the HomePod at discounts of $50 or sometimes even as much as $100.
Despite third-party retailers commonly discounting the HomePod, sales never took off and the smart speaker struggled to handle the pressure of more affordable options from the likes of Google and Amazon. Eventually, Apple launched the HomePod mini in 2020 and after seeing great success with the $99 smart speaker, discontinued the HomePod in 2021.
When rumors started to arise about the return of the HomePod, I was really excited. I was hoping that Apple would be able to bring back the larger speaker, which has an even fuller sound than the HomePod mini, as the option for those looking for a little more than what the HomePod mini has to offer.
I didn’t care about almost anything else. Not the tweeters, not the woofer, not Matter. I only cared that Apple would lower the price. A return of the HomePod at $199 would have been a smash hit and ensured that Apple had two viable options for a wide range of customers.
However, the new HomePod came in at $299, a price so disappointing that I can’t help but speculate that the new HomePod will end up with the same fate as the original. I can’t see the path to success here. Apple is trying the same thing again after giving up on that plan before.
Meet the new HomePod. Same as the old HomePod.


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Covid-19 sent Sylvia LeRoy, a pregnant nurse working at a Brooklyn hospital in the earliest days of the pandemic, into a tailspin that left her barely responsive in a brain recovery center in Pennsylvania. The coronavirus hit the 35-year-old
Experts say that more than a decade of research—including several new studies—makes it clear that existing buffer zones from oil and gas wells are inadequate to protect public health. Now, political pressure to push oil and gas wells as far as a half-mile from homes and other buildings is peaking across the country, over industry alarm that such measures amount to a de facto ban on drilling.
The Food and Drug Administration has issued warning letters to 10 companies it says are illegally selling flavored e-cigarette products that have come under attack as being targeted at teens.
A shadowy e-cigarette company that has reaped millions of dollars by exploiting a loophole to sell kid-friendly flavored nicotine products says it is suspending sales in the U.S following revelations about its owners.
In recent months, mystery has surrounded the ownership of a controversial e-cigarette company that has reaped millions of dollars in sales of flavored, kid-friendly nicotine products by exploiting a loophole in federal regulations.
A consumer watchdog group is asking the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to shut down a group of websites advertising a so-called abortion pill reversal, a potentially dangerous treatment that is not FDA-approved.
A federal court trial underway in San Francisco could spell the beginning of the end of water fluoridation in America, potentially affecting drinking water supplies for hundreds of millions of people across the U.S.
Even in the gray fog of a pandemic, news about the future of the U.S. power sector has been dominated by a sunny outlook on renewable energy. In January, the U.S. Energy Information Administration reported that most new electric power generation in 2020 would come from wind and solar.
Engulfed in Lawsuits, Johnson & Johnson to Halt North American Sales of Talc-Based Johnson’s Baby Powder
Johnson & Johnson announced that it will halt North American sales of its talc-based Johnson’s Baby Powder, a product that for decades evoked images of cherubic infants and adoring moms, but in recent years has dragged the company into a quagmire of expensive litigation.
The FDA has repeatedly urged expectant mothers to avoid medically unnecessary ultrasounds, like those performed for entertainment's sake at keepsake ultrasound clinics. The situation reflects a misconception, even among some medical professionals, that repeated, long-term exposure is proven to be harmless to the developing fetus.


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Just like Intel's Otellini, AMD CEO Dirk Meyer talked about the nascent slate market in a conference call about his company's latest quarterly results. The folks at eWeek were on the call, and they suggest Meyer isn't as eager as Intel's Paul Otellini to clench the market. Rather, it sounds like AMD is taking more of a wait-and-see approach.
Speaking about hardware makers putting netbook processors inside slates, Meyer predicted, "I think you'll see AMD solutions in tablets in the next couple of years for that reason." However, eWeek says the CEO added, "We're still so small in the notebook market that given all of the opportunities in front of us it doesn't make sense for us to start turning R&D dollar spending toward the tablet market yet."
Over the short term, AMD's low-power Fusion APUs like Ontario could find their way inside x86 slates—but with a 9W power envelope, Ontario might be a little power-hungry for an iPad killer. Still, considering the competition both Intel and AMD face from low-power ARM processors in the slate market, waiting for Intel to carve out an x86 slate segment before jumping in could work for AMD in the long run.
|Samsung's Portable SSD T3 reviewed||8|
|TR BBQ Day Shortbread||26|
|Watch the "second-10th" TR BBQ live in 360 degrees right now||11|
|G.Skill hooks up the TR BBQ with some giveaway goodies||14|
|We threw a Minecraft party to test Samsung's Gear VR headset||9|
|Deals of the week: cheap solid-state storage and more||25|
|Sapphire Nitro+ Radeon RX 480 hot-rods Polaris 10||64|
|AMD gets back in the black with its second-quarter financials||45|
|Nvidia unveils a Pascal-powered Titan X with 11 TFLOPS on tap||201|
|I'll...just review the thin air on my desk where a GTX 1060 would fit, since that's what we have.||+118|


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HTC Is Looking Into Updating The US HTC One X To Android 4.4By cheatmaster 01:08 Mon, 19 Jul 2021 Comments
HTC’s decision to leave its 2012 flagships, the HTC One X and One X+, on Android 4.2 was met with a vocal outweep from owners of assumed phones. In a Q&A session on Reddit, a team of HTC managers revealed the decision wasn’t up to the company.
They pointed the finger at NVIDIA, saying the chipset maker didn’t provide the necessary support to port Android 4.4 KitKat to Tegra 3.
In the US, the One X is powered by a elegant Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset (for the LTE support) but it’s not getting KitKat either. “We didn’t think it would be a fine experience for our customer base to update the X, but not the X+.” Note: One X+ is powered exclusively by Tegra.
The company has now had a change of heart and is “actively exploring” an update to Android 4.4 for the US HTC One X. It’s not clear if the HTC One XL - the international variant of the Snapdragon phone - will be updated or not.
In case you’re wondering how the Nexus 7 (2012) got KitKat with its Tegra 3 chipset, it’s becautilize inside it is the T30L. The HTC One X and One X+ utilize the AP33 and AP37 respectively. It’s unclear why, but NVIDIA is supporting the T30L better than the AP3x, leading to this debacle.
You can read the whole Ask Me Almost Anything (AMAA) thread over at Reddit. There's more discussions than just the One X thing - the HTC team also revealed the company is working with Microsoft to update the HTC 8X to Windows Phone 8.1 ("Blue"), which is not fully official yet.
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The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) issued a set of guidelines for “broadband video commercials” today, which it defines as ads appearing before, during or after broadband content such as video and games.
The recommendations are virtually identical to a set the group floated in May, prior to a feedback period.
They suggest an ad length of “up to :30” for commercials appearing before or during content. Post-roll ads may be any length. Interactivity, such as clicking within ads, is a matter of publisher discretion, and fast-forwarding should be disabled during ad play.
On ad specs, the guidelines say advertisers should present these ads in a 4:3 or 16:9 aspect ratio, at a minimum encoded bit rate of 200 Kbps. The minimum suggested panel size is 300 x 225 pixels.
The guidelines are also notable in part for what they don’t address. They contain no mention of how in-stream video ads should be tracked, reported or frequency capped. The IAB notes the omissions and says it may address these issues in the future.
In a statement, the IAB said the guidelines “were developed to further enhance the user experience without constraining creative opportunities for marketers and will improve the efficiency and ease of planning, buying and creating online media.”
Marketers' spending on social media has tripled in the past seven years but falls way short of where marketers expected it to be when they peered into their crystal balls in 2009.
Advertisers have been flocking to Snapchat, which now has more daily users than Twitter and is increasingly seen as perhaps the biggest threat to Facebook's dominance in social.
Header bidding is a programmatic technique that allows publishers to offer their inventory through multiple ad exchanges before they serve up ads from their ad server.
YouTube is said to be preparing new non-video features that will allow content creators to interact with their viewers through photos, text posts, links and polls.


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Black Friday in Vacaville has never had a reputation for being particularly chaotic, especially in comparison to larger parts of the country. However, this year — possibly in large part due to the COVID-19 pandemic — seemed more mellow than most.
The parking lots seemed emptier and the lines outside the doors of businesses appeared to be confined to certain areas, but it was evident more than enough people were willing to carry on the tradition of waking up early to score some deals.
The shopping center that seemed to have the most activity in the early morning hours was the Vacaville Premium Outlets. Due to retail stores operating at 25 percent capacity, this meant lines out the door were common, and social distancing markers were placed on the ground to ensure shoppers stood 6 feet apart.
Among the stores that had long lines were Kate Spade, Tommy Hilfiger, Lacoste, Ralph Lauren, PacSun, Adidas, The North Face, Bath & Body Works and the Nike Factory Store, which had a line that stretched around the back.
Soncia Davenport of Vacaville was among those waiting in line outside Nike at 6 a.m. with her daughter Kya Jackson. For them, participating in Black Friday has been a tradition for the last 10 to 15 years and the Nike store was their first stop.
“I like to come out early, get the deals, try to beat all the crowds,” Davenport said.
While the long line outside the Nike store prevented Davenport and Jackson from meeting the latter goal, Davenport said it was manageable.
“It’s not that bad,” she said. “It”s not that cold.”
With customers constantly coming in and out of the stores, it also meant the lines moved pretty fast.
In addition to the social distancing markers, many shops also had hand sanitizer available for customers either inside or outside the stores. Signs posted by Simon Property Group, which managed the outlets, provided guidelines for shoppers, including wearing face coverings, washing hands on a frequent basis for at least 20 seconds, staying home if inhibiting flu-like symptoms, and advising customers to return to a store at a later time if too busy.
The outlets also played Christmas jingles non-stop to add to the holiday atmosphere.
Kevin and Rhodalyn Vanisko came from Fairfield to buy some gifts and take advantage of discounts. They had started at the Ralph Lauren store and were planning to go to the GUESS Factory Store to continue their shopping.
Kevin said Black Friday is something he and Rhodalyn usually take part in each year, and he pointed out that the crowd size was noticeably smaller.
“There’s surprisingly fewer people out,” he said.
Usually, the Nut Tree Plaza is where one expects to see long lines. However, due to the Nut Tree stores having a larger capacity than the outlet stores, this meant the customers were mostly inside the stores. Still, it was not unexpected to see customers walk out of Best Buy with a big-screen TV or Old Navy with a bag full of clothes. HomeGoods even had a small line outside before it opened.
Because of the 25 percent capacity limit set by the California Department of Public Health, Brian Grissom — the manager of Nordstrom Rack — said the limit was 99 people inside the store. Additional precautions included requiring customers and employees to wear masks, sanitizing the store throughout the day, taking employees’ temperatures before work, and having hand sanitizer by the fitting room and all cash registers. These practices were typical for a lot of retailers.
Back at the outlets, Allison and Bethany Malcolm stood outside Bath & Body Works, which had a line that wrapped around the store. Allison has been taking part in Black Friday for the last three years, and her mother has been doing so for the last decade. The two came all the way from Woodland to take advantage of the stores in Vacaville.
“There’s stores here we don’t have in Woodland,” she said.
Allison and Bethany had started their day at American Eagle, then went over to the Vans store. Allison remarked that this Black Friday was quieter than most.
“Most of the parking lot was pretty empty,” she said. “NIke was super packed. I saw the line around the building, but it was overall more dead than I thought it would be.”
Still, it is a thrill that Allison has come to enjoy.
“I like the thrill of it,” she said. “Going online is not as fun, it kind of takes that out. Going in stores, finding the deals and waking up early is thrilling and exciting for me.”


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We have outlooked several promising Forex pairs and the result can surprise you!
Amazon Earnings Disappoint
Information is not investment advice
The world’s biggest e-commerce retailer on Thursday reported sales and gave a forecast that fell short of expectations. Shares declined by about 7% in the extended trading after the results were released. It marked the first time Amazon had missed quarterly sales estimates since 2018.
To be honest, this shouldn’t be a surprise. Amazon emerged as the essential store for homebound shoppers during the coronavirus pandemic, propelling its sales and profits to new highs. Now, the rush online is slowing down as vaccinated consumers peel away from computers and smartphones and revert to old habits like traveling and dining out.
Q2 sales increased 27% to $113.1 billion, missing the $115 billion estimated. While profit was $15.12 a share in the period ended June 30, compared with the average estimate of $12.28.
Nevertheless, Amazon is optimistic about the current quarter saying that revenue will be $106 billion to $112 billion in the period ending in September. Operating profit will be $2.5 billion to $6 billion. If so, this would cover the disappointment of Q2. With that being said, I would consider the current decline in Amazon as another price discount that many are waiting for.
Greetings, fellow forex traders! Exciting news for those with an eye on the Australian market - the upcoming interest rate decision could be good news for Aussies looking to refinance or take out new loans. The Mortgage and Finance Association Australia CEO, Anja Pannek, has...
Hold onto your hats, folks! The Japanese yen took a nosedive after the Bank of Japan (BOJ) left its ultra-loose policy settings unchanged, including its closely watched yield curve control (YCC) policy. But wait, there's more! The BOJ also removed its forward guidance, which had previously pledged to keep interest rates at current or lower levels. So, what's the scoop? Market expectations had been subdued going into the meeting, but some were still hoping for tweaks to the forward guidance to prepare for an eventual exit from the bank's massive stimulus


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3 May 2013
Iconic Australian entertainers Mental as Anything and James Reyne will have more than 8,000 participants rocking when they open the 14th edition of the Australian Masters Games in Geelong this October.
Headed by Martin Plaza and Greedy Smith, Mental as Anything will Live it Up on opening night, complemented on a double bill by former Australian Crawl front man James Reyne.
Entry is exclusive to registered Games participants who will be entertained by MC and Games ambassador Mark Beretta in what promises to be a spectacular opening to the eight day event.
The opening ceremony will take place at the Avalon Airport Games Village at Kardinia Park and will be part of a massive Games social program to be managed by Geelong based event management company EMC Group.
EMC Group will provide a series of entertainment hot spots along Cunningham Pier for the 8,000 plus visitors with The Pier Geelong, City Quarter and Baveras Brasserie set to be abuzz during the Games as some of the key sites for the social program, as well as Lambys, Gold Diggers Arms and Edge Geelong.
EMC Group have also committed to managing the Avalon Airport Games Village on behalf of the Australian Masters Games throughout the duration of the Games.
In addition EMC Group will supply over a thousand workforce meals for Games volunteers.
The partnership will help complement the festival atmosphere that will be created in Geelong throughout the Games.
Darren Holroyd, Director of EMC Group says he is thrilled to showcase the group’s restaurants and event spaces to participants who visit Geelong during the Games.
“We could not be more excited to support such a massive event in Geelong. The Australian Masters Games is the perfect platform to showcase the city to the 8,000 plus visitors who are expected to attend,” Holroyd said.
“EMC Group is dedicated to providing the perfect venues for the Games social and entertainment program and we want to make sure that every visitor to Geelong during the Games has the best experience possible.”
Kean Selway, chair of the 14th Australian Masters Games says the partnership will ensure participants have exclusive access to Geelong’s best entertainment facilities and hopes the partnership will encourage a tremendous social atmosphere.
“We are Australia’s premier mass participation multi-sport event, with participants coming from all walks of life. This partnership is designed to encourage and support the social and festive atmosphere of the Games, allowing participants to make the most of their time in Geelong,” Selway said.
The Australian Masters Games is a mass participation sporting event for anyone over the age of 30, attracting over 8,000 participants in 55 sports, with its 14th edition being held in Geelong from the 5th to 12th October 2013.
To help deliver the trip of a lifetime, is Australian owned and operated boutique travel company, All Sports Travel, appointed as the official travel partner for the 2021 Australian Masters Games.
The team set to deliver the 2021 Australian Masters Games is starting to take shape, with the captain - Games general manager Kirsten Drower leading preparations.
We're heading west! The next Australian Masters Games will take place in Perth in 2021.


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HPA Tracking SARS-like Virus-infected Man’s Co-Passengers
The Health Protection Agency (HPA) is tracking the passengers of an aeroplane who sat near the first person in the UK who was diagnosed with SARS-like virus. The man who has been diagnosed was travelling from Saudi Arabia back to London. Lately, his 39-year-old son died in a hospital of Birmingham infected with the same virus, which was passed on to him.
HPA has confirmed that the passengers who are being tracked are those who were sitting in the same row of the infected person or in the two rows in front or behind him. The agency has also followed up the close contact cases of around 100 people among his family and friends. In these cases, one of the second relative has been diagnosed with a mild illness but has recovered since then, and all the other cases have been registered negative.
Those workers in healthcare who are treating the infected person are also tested and reassured of any health risk. HPA is of the view that this is a standard procedure followed by them of tracking closely related people in the case of any such major type of infections like measles or tuberculosis. They also added that Britain has four confirmed cases of illness known as novel coronavirus and 12 anywhere in the world with six deaths so far, including the one in the UK.
New Zealand News
- Tesla offering new discounts & perks in China amid negative press
- Electric Vehicle Council slams Victoria Government for proposed punitive mileage tax on electric cars
- Chinese EV brand Ora unveils VW Beetle-inspired electric car Punk Cat
- Swapping personal car for e-bicycle saved over $50,000 in just 7 years: San Francisco woman
- Hyundai Motor Corp to create ultra-fast EV charging network E-pit in Korea
- Tesla pockets roughly $101 million in profit from sale of some of its bitcoins
- Norway’s ICE car sales decline as buyers making shift to EVs
- Pursang launches Retro-inspired E-Track Motorcycle for Euro 14,449 in Netherlands
- ElectReon successfully tests dynamic wireless EV charging system on public road in Sweden
- Volvo to design special Gothenburg Green City Zone for autonomous & related technologies


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Apple Inc.'s new iPhone went on sale Friday to eager buyers worldwide, but there were problems getting the phones to work.
Kenny Pichardo, 24, was the first to buy an iPhone 3G at an AT&T store in the New York borough of Queens, but he said it took the store half an hour to get the phone activated. That boded badly for the approximately 70 people after him in line. Pichardo had camped out overnight to be first.
A spokesman for AT&T Inc., the exclusive carrier for the iPhone in the U.S., said there was a global problem with Apple Inc.'s iTunes servers that prevented the phones from being fully activated in-store, as had been planned. Instead, employees are telling buyers to go home and perform the last step by connecting their phones to their own computers, spokesman Michael Coe said.
At Apple's flagship store on Manhattan's Fifth Avenue, customers were waiting at the counter for at least 20 minutes to get their new phones activated.
When the first iPhone went on sale a year ago, customers performed the whole activation procedure at home, freeing store employees to focus on sales. But the new model is subsidized by carriers, as is standard in the wireless industry, and Apple and AT&T therefore planned to activate all phones in-store to get customers on a contract.
The problem extended to owners of the previous iPhone model. A software update released for that phone on Friday morning required the phone to be reactivated through iTunes. "It's a mess," said freelance photographer Giovanni Cipriano, who updated his first-generation iPhone only to find it unusable.


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Infinity Ward Teases New, Futuristic Gun for Call of Duty: Ghosts
The latest in high tech weaponry is on the way to Call of Duty: Ghosts.
Infinity Ward has revealed a teaser video showing off the functions of a brand new weapon. In the video, we get to see a new machine gun in action that has a digital targeting reticule that mechanically pops out from atop the stock of the gun. Unfortunately, the teaser video hints that this new age firearm will only be made available for Xbox 360 and Xbox One players who have signed up for a Season Pass.
The inclusion of this highly advanced gun correlates to our previously featured story about the possibility of the next installment of the Call of Duty franchise being oriented around some form of a futuristic theme. Infinity Ward claims that it will unleash the full details about this new weapon soon.


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Aug 19, 2009
Gymboree second quarter profit likely to beat Street on promotions
Aug 19, 2009
By Vidya Lakshmi
BANGALORE, August 18 (Reuters) - Children's clothing retailer Gymboree Corp's (GYMB.O) earnings are expected to top market expectations in the second quarter, as promotions and a product mix in line with fashion trends resonate with customers.
Gymboree Corp - Photo: www.gymboree.com
"Gymboree has done a fantastic job of creating value-centric propositions," Susquehanna Financial Group analyst Thomas Filandro said.
This, he said, was especially important at a time when customers are looking to maximize their discretionary spending power.
Dorothy Lakner, analyst with Caris & Co, said the company has lined up a strong product assortment and has the ability to further cash-in on carefully-timed promotional events.
Gymboree, which caters to newborns to 12-year-olds, has been running back-to-school offers and coupon promotions for customers spending above a certain amount.
The San Francisco-based retailer's Gymbucks coupon scheme is driving business at a time when customers demand discounts, Lakner, who has a "buy" rating on the stock, said by phone.
Growth, especially in the future, is also expected to get a boost from Crazy 8 -- a new line whose prices are 30 percent below the core Gymboree line.
"Crazy 8 is gaining some real brand traction," analyst Filandro said.
"When it was initially launched, there were some kinks in terms of quality, fit and price, (which) have been worked out," he said.
These trends have resulted in improved same-store sales, which along with better cost and inventory control could provide an earnings upside in the quarter.
The company's second-quarter same-store sales declined by one percent, while rival Children's Place (PLCE.O) posted a 7 percent decline in the period.
"They've done a great job of controlling their inventory, managing their cost structure and cash flow," Filandro said, adding that cost-controls are likely to be the greatest positive variance on a year-over-year basis.
Analysts on average are looking for the company to post a profit of 39 cents, before items, on revenue of 211.8 million, according to Reuters Estimates. (Reporting by Vidya Lakshmi in Bangalore; Editing by Anthony Kurian)
© Thomson Reuters 2023 All rights reserved.


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As the world of cryptocurrencies continues to expand and evolve, new data on Bitcoin’s distribution among various players becomes increasingly important to investors and analysts. According to recent CryptoQuant data, big players currently control a significant portion of the Bitcoin market.
Large corporations control 61% #bitcoin market, #CryptoQuant Report https://t.co/DGO847b5N4
— Kyptos (@azcoinnews) March 28, 2023
CryptoQuant analyzed the UTXO Value Range, which shows the value distribution of all unspent transaction outputs, and found that mid-sized players Dolphins and Sharks, with 100-500 BTC and 500-1,000 BTC respectively, control 29.57% of the market share. Meanwhile, whales Representing players with 1,000-5,000 BTC, 5,000-10,000 BTC, and over 10,000 BTC respectively, Humpbacks, Humpbacks, and Super Whales control a 31.57% market share.
Together, these big players control 61.14% of all Bitcoins. This means that the market is very sensitive to the actions of these players, who buy and sell large amounts of Bitcoin, causing large price swings.
At the same time, the data also shows that there is still significant potential for growth and increased retail investor participation, as smaller players and investors currently hold only 38.86% of the market. This shows that cryptocurrencies are still a relatively niche investment vehicle, with room for further expansion and diversification.
Looking at the distribution of Bitcoin address balances by pool shows that the richest wallet group, which controls 31.57% of the market, has only 4,151 wallets. This highlights the fact that despite the growing popularity of cryptocurrencies, the number of investors holding bitcoin remains relatively small.
- Bitcoin Holds at $28,000 Thanks to Spot Market Buying Power, But Institutional Investors Still Selling
- Bitcoin whale just moved $62 million in BTC to Binance
according to Kyptos


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Target’s stock has taken a massive dive, with a market cap of about $14 billion lost by Tuesday. This is a drop that started in mid-May. We reported that Target had two downgrades – from JP Morgan & KeyBanc – and was on its worst losing streak in 23 years. JP Morgan said that “too many worries are rising” was the reason for their downgrade.
It’s amazing how much has changed in such a short time. Elon Musk, Kevin O’Leary of Shark Tank, and others are now warning that the next shoe could drop on the company.
O’Leary said on “Jesse Watters Primetime” that Target seemed to have lost its way when it comes to what they do and how this sent a warning to other companies of the dangers associated with going down the woke path.
On one hand, businesses want to show that they support diversity and all the issues being discussed in society. The job of a company is to show its support for diversity in all the mandates that society is discussing openly.
If you get too far or too close to the main mandate, you will be punished by the market. It’s awakened all sorts of boards.
The two spoke about Target’s non-profit funding of an organization that wants to close down Mount Rushmore, claiming it is a symbol of “white supremacy”. They also attacked the U.S. Military.
O’Leary stated that many companies don’t fully understand social media, and how a negative reaction can be spread by the public. He noted that Bud Light, after becoming the number one selling beer brand, was ruined in “32 hours,” after promoting Dylan Mulvaney’s “365 Days of Being a Girl.”
But he said, “There’re a lot of unhappy cowboys out there. They’re called your investors.”
Elon Musk went even further when he forecasted how shareholders would react.
BREAKING: JP Morgan just downgraded Target’s stock, after its longest losing streak in 23 years citing “too many concerns rising’.
Happy Pride Month Target!!
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) June 1, 2023
Musk said that it won’t take long for shareholders to file class-action suits against the board and company, claiming they have destroyed shareholder value.
The companies will understand the message if this happens. The companies may not fully understand the influence of social media, but they’ll be able to hear their shareholders screaming as their stocks plummet, and this could have an impact on their decisions.
This is not only a lesson for Target but also for other companies. The other companies will see what Target has done and the damage they have taken. They don’t want their companies to suffer a loss of billions, or to be criticized by their shareholders. It could be a good thing for the future of the companies to stop pushing political positions.


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BANGKOK, Thailand - Fearing that Buddhism is losing relevance as Thailand develops economically, maverick Thai monks and laymen have launched the religion into cyberspace, transforming Buddhist teachings and stirring controversy about whether the Internet is a suitable spiritual medium.
In the past three years, the number of Buddhist Web sites in Thailand has more than quadrupled, Web masters say, and hits on the most popular sites have increased at a steady pace. Several Bangkok booksellers offering religious volumes report that sales have fallen drastically since 1997.
The majority of Thai Buddhist sites target young men and women, who are not only Internet-savvy but also more likely to feel that Buddhism's traditional structures have little bearing on their lives.
Though most Thais regard themselves as Buddhist, few young people today take the time to study the religion, says Abhinito, a monk who has a personal Web site that includes chat groups and question-and-answer sessions relating to Buddhism.
"They have worldly concerns," he says, "like going to RCA" -a famous Bangkok nightlife district.
In the past, most males living in Bangkok ordained as monks for three months, but today fewer than 10 percent of them do so, and the number of men who stay in the monkhood after three months is declining precipitously, Abhinito says.
The decline in formal Buddhist study falsely suggests that young people's interest cannot be piqued by Buddhism, says Jaksit Olarikkachat, who runs a Buddhism site. Against this "myth," he notes youths' participation in heated online Buddhist chat groups.
Supporters of Buddhism on the Internet argue that it reaches people by personalizing religion, allowing each Web user to absorb tenets of the religion relevant to his or her life in a way that traditional practices no longer can.
"Most monks still see themselves as preachers -they don't know how to make Buddhism meaningful to people with modern problems," says Isara Sukongkaratanakul, who maintains the popular www.budpage.com.
"You have to market Buddhism, approach it like a commodity," says Luenchay Vongvanij, head of one of the first Buddhist Web sites, www.dhammathai.org. "It's not enough to just say, 'Here is the religion.' It should mean something to you. The Internet is key to showing people that Buddhism matters, since the Web is flexible and you can tailor the religion to suit people."
Www.dhammathai.org offers chat groups, downloadable scriptures, question-and-answer sessions with monks and online forums on how to live a Buddhist existence in a consumer culture.
"We are the supermarket of Buddhism," Luenchay says. "You surf our site and pick out which aspect is best for you."
"Modern society just doesn't have time to go to a monastery for hours," concurs Abhinito. "So, should they give up the religion? No ... I have them go visit a site and learn about Buddhism quickly ... at their convenience."
But like many sites, Abhinito's page encourages users to set up in-person meetings to discuss Buddhism.
Thai Buddhists are playing catch-up to other religions on the Internet. As far back as 1987, the tech-savvy Pope John Paul II announced that "computer culture" would herald "an evangelization."
Today, groups tracking Internet spirituality estimate that more than 85 percent of mainstream religious Web sites are Christian and that the number of Muslim sites is increasing more rapidly than the number of Buddhist sites.
That may be partly because of the resistance of traditionalists to cyber-Buddhism. These critics charge that Internet Buddhism will give Thais an oversimplified version of the religion and will expose monks to dangerous influences.
"The Sangha [high-ranking monks] still believe that anything short of ancient, long-form ways of studying the religion is inadequate, and they know that the Internet is making it easier for reformers who want to clean up the monkhood to reach people," says one senior monk.
In recent years, Thais have been shocked by a series of scandals in which senior monks reportedly embezzled temple funds, and some Thais have left traditional Buddhist temples to join reform-oriented splinter sects.
"Although monks are allowed to use computers to propagate Buddhism, some people cannot accept ... us surfing the Web, because there are [pornographic] Web sites not appropriate for monks," Abhinito says. "So we do not get enough money for Buddhism on the Web from foundations because many people are still worried about the impact of these inappropriate sites on monks."
Proponents counter that Net-savvy Buddhists learn more about the broader aspects of the religion and that the Web is Buddhism's last best chance in Thailand.
"The senior monks only think the traditional ways of promoting Buddhism are adequate, and are worried that if their expertise is challenged, they will have to change and will lose their status in society," says one young monk who runs a Web site. "But it's better to understand Buddhist concepts than just go through the motions of visiting a shrine. Today, people can access anything they want, so only religions that are adaptable will survive."
Some former skeptics are becoming converts to online Thai Buddhism.
"Perhaps you have to be more cynical because of the volume of Buddhist information on the Internet," says Nantasarn Seesalab, a Bangkok-based Buddhist leader who used to believe that putting Buddhism on the Web would undermine its impact.
"But cynicism is not wrong," he adds. "The Buddha taught his disciples not to believe because of what your teacher says, but because of your own wisdom. If what is on the Web has the basic idea and means something to you, it can be Buddhist.
"The Web sites can't replace temples, and some people will still visit those places, but Web sites give more people access to the information. Without them," he says, "Buddhism might be forgotten here."


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Mushkin serves up its own SandForce SF-1200 controlled SSD: Callisto
That controversial SandForce SF-1200 controller sure has been poking its head out an awful lot lately, and yet again we're watching it steal the show in another new SSD. Mushkin, a mainstay in the high-end RAM industry, has just outed a new solid state drive meant to compete with those already splashing down from Intel, Corsair and OCZ Technology, and if the claims prove true, the Callisto could indeed be a serious contender. The outfit claims that users will see read speeds of up to 285MB/s and write speeds of up to 275MB/s, and the three-year warranty is definitely assuring. It's available to order today in 60GB, 120GB and 240GB capacities, with prices set at $219, $370 and $666 in order of mention. Go on -- you know that devil on your right shoulder was coaxing you into buying the biggest one, anyway.
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