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|OFF-THE-ROAD (OTR) TIRE MARKET INDUSTRY REPORT WITH YOKOHAMA TIRE CORPORATION'S TIM EASTER|
| ||FULLERTON, CA. – (March 24, 2014) – To no one's surprise in the industry, the off-the-road (OTR)tire market continues to fluctuate regarding supply issues. Two years ago, tire manufacturers could barely keep up with demand, and last year the supply was much stronger than the demand.
Tim Easter, director of OTR sales for Yokohama Tire Corporation (YTC), discusses what causes the OTR tire market to change so frequently and what the outlook is for 2014 and beyond.
Question: What are t...[Read more...]|
|NISSAN ZEOD RC HITS THE TRACK FOR JAPANESE FANS AT FUJI|
|◾Electric prototype runs at Fuji Speedway for the first time.
◾Nissan-powered teams take top seven LM P2 positions in rain curtailed FIA WEC race.
FUJI, Japan – The Nissan ZEOD RC was unveiled at NISMO headquarters in Yokohama last Thursday and performed three demonstration runs at Fuji Speedway in conjunction with the Japanese round of the FIA World Endurance Championship.
The Nissan ZEOD RC will complete an entire 8.5-mile lap of Le Mans next year on pure electric power at speeds...[Read more...]|
|Yokohama Tire Corporation'S New Advan Neova® Ad08 R To Debut At Washington Formula Drift Event, July 19-20|
|• Yokohama-sponsored driver Michael Essa looks to move up in the standings on Yokohama's 'fastest tire yet'|
FULLERTON, CA (July 17, 2013) – Veteran drifting competitor Michael Essa is taking Yokohama Tire Corporation's (YTC) newest ultra high-performance tire – the ADVAN Neova® AD08 R – for a spin…and then some. The YTC-sponsored driver will debut the AD08 R during the Formula Drift event at the Evergreen Speedway in Monroe, Washington, July 19-20.
Essa, who won Formula Drift...[Read more...]
|YOKOHAMA TIRE CORPORATION GEARS UP FOR THE 2013 MOTORSPORTS SEASON|
|Plans include a new team in the ALMS GT Class and continued efforts in the GTC and GT3 Challenge series, off-road racing and drifting
FULLERTON, CA (March 7, 2013) – From desert racing to drifting, Porsche 911 GT3 to Ferrari 458, Yokohama Tire Corporation (YTC) is busy tuning up for the 2013 racing season. 'This will be an exciting year,' said Andrew Briggs, YTC director of product planning and motorsports. 'We have a new ALMS partner, a historic teaming in off-road and a strong, over...[Read more...]|
|Volkswagen Car Corral Offered for American Le Mans Monterey|
|The American Le Mans Monterey, presented by Patrón is providing an opportunity for VW car owners/clubs to unite and join in on the fun and racing action May 11-12.
Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca's VW Car Corral experience includes a two-day general admission and paddock ticket with open grandstand seating, one souvenir program and preferred parking with other VWs, all for just $90.
'We've put this offer together so VW enthusiasts can enjoy a VIP experience as part of our world-class event,' s...[Read more...]|


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Fresh from the fiasco in Copenhagen and with a failure in the U.S. Senate looming this coming year, the climate-change lobby is already shifting to Plan B, or is it already Plan D? Meet the carbon tort.
Across the country, trial lawyers and green pressure groups—if that's not redundant—are teaming up to sue electric utilities for carbon emissions under "nuisance" laws.
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domain: news


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Subject: Do not sell your gas vehicle yet
In theory, EVs are a wonderful idea - the infrastructure just cannot handle it. (This article doesn't go into how the batteries will be disposed of - another mess, itself.)
Do not sell your gas vehicle yet
Dr. Jay Lehr and Tom Harris
The utility companies have thus far had little to say about the alarming cost projections to operate electric vehicles (EVs) or the increased rates that they will be required to charge their customers. It is not just the total amount of electricity required, but the transmission lines and fast charging capacity that must be built at existing filling stations. Neither wind nor solar can support any of it. Electric vehicles will never become the mainstream of transportation!
The problems with electric vehicles (EVs), we showed that they were too expensive, too unreliable, rely on materials mined in China and other unfriendly countries, and require more electricity than the nation can afford. In this second part, we address other factors that will make any sensible reader avoid EVs like the plague. EV Charging Insanity
In order to match the 2,000 cars that a 14-pump filling station can service in 12 hours, an EV charging station would require 84, 11-kilowatt chargers at an estimated cost of $300,000 and a supply of a full megawatt of power from the grid. That is enough to power 200 homes.
No one likely thinks about the fact that it can take 30 minutes to 8 hours to recharge a vehicle between empty or just topping off. What are the drivers doing during that time?
ICSC-Canada board member New Zealand-based consulting engineer Bryan Leyland describes why installing electric car charging stations in a city is impractical:
“If you’ve got cars coming into a petrol station, they would stay for an average of five minutes. If you’ve got cars coming into an electric charging station, they would be at least 30 minutes, possibly an hour, but let’s say its 30 minutes. So that’s six times the surface area to park the cars while they’re being charged. So, multiply every petrol station in a city by six. Where are you going to find the place to put them?”
The government of the United Kingdom is already starting to plan for power shortages caused by the charging of thousands of EVs. Starting in June 2022, the government will restrict the time of day you can charge your EV battery. To do this, they will employ smart meters that are programmed to automatically switch off EV charging in peak times to avoid potential blackouts.
In particular, the latest UK chargers will be pre-set to not function during 9-hours of peak loads, from 8 am to 11 am (3-hours), and 4 pm to 10 pm (6-hours). Unbelievably, the UK technology decides when and if an EV can be charged, and even allows EV batteries to be drained into the UK grid if required. Imagine charging your car all night only to discover in the morning that your battery is flat since the state took the power back. Better keep your gas-powered car as a reliable and immediately available backup! While EV charging will be an attractive source of revenue generation for the government, American citizens will be up in arms.
Used Car Market
The average used EV will need a new battery before an owner can sell it, pricing them well above used internal combustion cars. The average age of an American car on the road is 12 years. A 12-year-old EV will be on its third battery. A Tesla battery typically costs $22,000 so there will not be many 12-year-old EVs on the road. Good luck trying to sell your used green fairy tale electric car!
EVs Per Block In Your Neighborhood
A home charging system for a Tesla requires a 75-amp service. The average house is equipped with 100-amp service. On most suburban streets the electrical infrastructure would be unable to carry more than three houses with a single Tesla. For half the homes on your block to have electric vehicles, the system would be wildly overloaded.
Although the modern lithium-ion battery is four times more efficient than the old lead-acid battery, gasoline holds 80 times the energy density. The great lithium battery in your cell phone weighs less than an ounce while the Tesla battery weighs 1,000 pounds. And what do we get for this huge cost and weight? We get a car that is far less convenient and less useful than cars powered by internal combustion engines. Bryan Leyland explained why:
“When the Model T came out, it was a dramatic improvement on the horse and cart. The electric car is a step backward into the equivalence of an ordinary car with a tiny petrol tank that takes half an hour to fill. It offers nothing in the way of convenience or extra facilities.”
The electric automobile will always be around in a niche market likely never exceeding 10% of the cars on the road. All automobile manufacturers are investing in their output and all will be disappointed in their sales. Perhaps they know this and will manufacture just what they know they can sell. This is certainly not what President Biden or California Governor Newsom are planning for. However, for as long as the present government is in power, they will be pushing the electric car as another means to run our lives. We have a chance to tell them exactly what we think of their expensive and dangerous plans when we go to the polls in November of 2022.
Dr. Jay Lehr is a Senior Policy Analyst with the International Climate Science Coalition and former Science Director of The Heartland Institute. He is an internationally renowned scientist, author, and speaker who has testified before Congress on dozens of occasions on environmental issues and consulted with nearly every agency of the national government and many foreign countries. After graduating from Princeton University at the age of 20 with a degree in Geological Engineering, he received the nation’s first Ph.D. in Groundwater Hydrology from the University of Arizona. He later became executive director of the National Association of Groundwater Scientists and Engineers.
Tom Harris is Executive Director of the Ottawa, Canada-based International Climate Science Coalition, and a policy advisor to The Heartland Institute. He has 40 years of experience as a mechanical engineer/project manager, science and technology communications professional, technical trainer, and S&T advisor to a former Opposition Senior Environment Critic in Canada’s Parliament.
You do not need to have an advanced degree in mathematics to understand the term “Overload”! The average person, no matter where you live, can quickly identify the political feel-good sensation that is being attempted by those short sighted individuals who are promoting the EV revolution….Vehicle manufacturers, Charging station builders, Transmission Line contractors, Battery producers….etc. “It’s Magic”….and you are saving the planet by creating less pollution as you get rid of your gas burning vehicle and take out a five year loan to pay for the shiny new $60,000 electric car. No more fill-ups at the service station and the global warming is solved. You can now sit back and imagine the new polar ice formations that are providing a safe environment for the Polar Bears, Seals, Penguins that we all adore. We have done our part saving humanity…..and you can see the smile on little Greta Thunberg’s face! BUT WAIT….why are we losing power at our house?
Well the short answer is….We failed to understand that our electrical grid reached max capacity and was overloaded when all of the EV’s were plugged in tonight at the same time. The next short answer is…..where do you think the energy came from to supply the grid in the first place? It sure was not from Wind or Solar….nor from any other alternate energy source we use which, when all combined, only provides 7% of today’s use demand. It was from the traditional combustible resource called Hydrocarbons!
Until we discover a non-hydrocarbon energy source that is efficient and safe,….we are committed to Oil & Gas!
Massive !All you hear is electric, electric. Not a word about infrastructure. Maybe that's on purpose. The DOT has spent millions on Vision Zero improvements, yet fatalities are UP! But traffic is worse than ever.
A speculative mind might get the idea that there are ulterior motives at play.
They had a similar issue with the Ford trucks. There was a guy in YouTube who documented his ability, or lack there of to tow a trailer, he could only get a fraction of the distance out of it. These vehicles aren’t made to be under a load.Electric garbage trucks that the Department of Sanitation has been testing for the past two years are not up to the task of removing snow from the streets of the Big Apple, according to the agency&…nyc.streetsblog.org
An good example of this is the cordless lithium ion drills. Use it for light small bit drilling in wood or as a drill driver with shallow screws in wood and the battery lasts a long time. Switch to hammer drill mode and try driving a 1/2” masonary bit into concrete and the battery life is drastically shortened.They had a similar issue with the Ford trucks. There was a guy in YouTube who documented his ability, or lack there of to tow a trailer, he could only get a fraction of the distance out of it. These vehicles aren’t made to be under a load.


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Mercedes-Benz Malaysia (MBM) together with authorised dealer, Hap Seng Star Sdn. Bhd. has just opened a new 3S Autohaus in Puchong South. The RM6 million showroom is Hap Seng Star’s 10th Autohaus and 34th overall for MBM.
Covering a space of 21,577 sq. ft, the Mercedes-Benz Hap Seng Star Puchong South Autohaus is furnished with the Mercedes-Benz Presentation System II (MPS II) Autohaus concept; a signature of the three-pointed star’s latest corporate identity.
The 27-member team at the new Autohaus offers a one-stop solution in sales, financial and after sales services. Equipped with 12 work bays, the Autohaus is capable of servicing up to 500 vehicles a month, catering to customers residing in and around Puchong, USJ and Putrajaya.
Hap Seng Consolidated Berhad, Group Chief Operating Officer and Hap Seng Star Sdn Bhd, Chief Executive Officer Harald Behrend said, “With the launch of this Hap Seng Star Puchong South Autohaus, we are proud to announce our 10th authorised Mercedes-Benz dealership in Malaysia. While this is a significant milestone in our history as a passionate dealer of Mercedes-Benz vehicles, we continue to reaffirm our commitment to deliver the highest standards of customer service to those who are part of the Hap Seng Star customer family.”
Mercedes-Benz Malaysia President and CEO, Dr Claus Weidner said, “We are constantly looking to expand our dealer network, both in terms of coverage and to ensure that we are in the most advantageous locations to better serve our customers. It gives us great pleasure to congratulate Hap Seng Star on the launch of Mercedes-Benz Hap Seng Star Puchong South Autohaus and wish the team all the success in both sales and after sales.”
“We will continue enhancing our customer touchpoints nationwide while investing in developing key areas including talent, technology, production and services, as we remain focused on providing our customers with the Best Products and the Best Customer Experience.” Dr Claus added.


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After the successful launch event for the Samsung Galaxy S4, the company is now geared up for the next big thing for this year, the Tizen smartphone. Samsung said that the company is working on three high end devices and one of them happens to be the new Tizen smartphone which could be the game changer for Samsung.
A Samsung executive told Bloomberg that the company has plans for three high end devices. One of them obviously was the Galaxy S4, the second on is the Galaxy Note and the third one was the Tizen smartphone. Tizen is an operating system that has been developed by the company and will soon be seen in its latest smartphone which is said to be announced by the month of August or September.
[two_third]Samsung’s executive vice president of marketing for mobile business, Y.H Lee said in an interview with Bloomberg that the Tizen smartphone will be one of the three flagship products for Samsung. So this new smartphone will soon join the Galaxy S4 and the new Galaxy Note which is on its way (we assume that it will be the Galaxy Note 3). Samsung gave similar information to CNET at the Mobile World Congress event last month, but during that time the estimated launch period for the Tizen smartphone was expected to be between July and August.[/two_third]
“The Tizen phone will be out in August or September, and this will be in the high-end category,”
Tizen is actually an open-source operating system that will support multiple handset vendors and wireless carriers. The development of this operating system is being done under the guidance of Samsung and Intel. Tizen will be the new operating system that might reduce the dominance of the Google Android OS and Apple iOS which have found no match till date. These two mobile operating systems are the best in the world and are used all over the world. Samsung plans to introduce Tizen and change this one sided scenario. Tizen will also allow carriers to manipulate and modify the operating system which will give them more control over their subscribers.
Like Apple, we might soon get to see Samsung smartphones running on Tizen. This would create a new market for the company and at the same time could give rise to a new challenge as well. It will be really interesting to see what Tizen has to offer.


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Maynards Bassetts is launching its first big TV campaign in 20 years, ‘Tasty Intermissions’ from Wieden+Kennedy. There’s a series of 20-second spots rolling out over six months, The first being ‘Chunky’ for wine gums.
‘Squidgy’ for jelly babies:
And ‘Chewy’ for Bertie’s Jelly Mix.
You have to hand it to W+K, they don’t take the easy way out do they? Producing a multi-product long-running TV campaign on what probably isn’t the biggest media budget in the world (although the ads must have cost a bit) is quite an achievement.
MAA creative scale (we haven’t seen them all): 8.


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Raspberry Pi has become synonymous with DIY programmers and tinkerers over the last decade.
John Preskill, Director of the Institute for Quantum Information and Matter, California Institute of Technology, presented an overview of quantum technology at the 2018 Q2B Conference.
The Raspberry Pi is a great educational device, but in its bare-bones state this might not be immediately obvious.
Revealed at the Embedded World expo in Nuremberg, Germany, last week, the BeagleBone AI has been developed to fill the gap between small single board computers and bigger, more powerful industrial computers.
Having a laptop suited to your needs is important for consumers, but essential for software developers. You want the best laptop for programming, because if the machine isn't well suited for coding, it could be a significant hindrance.
Though many alternatives are available, the Raspberry Pi computer boards are probably the most well known and widely used in the maker community.


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Rising Raw Material Costs Fuel Price
Growth in Emerging Steel Markets - MEPS
Brazilian distributors booked material
for only immediate requirements, this month. Despite this, domestic steelmakers
attempted to lift transaction values, in view of the upward movement witnessed
in other global steel markets and the rising cost of steelmaking raw materials.
Business sentiment remains mixed in India. The new 18 percent goods and services
tax (GST), implemented on July 1, had a negligible impact on sales volumes.
Meanwhile, exporters continued to develop positions in Southeast Asia, with
Chinese steel deemed too expensive.
Turkish steelmakers adopted more aggressive pricing positions, this month.
However, end-users remain risk averse. The majority plan to continue with
cautious purchasing strategies.
The trading environment is unchanged in the United Arab Emirates. Services
centres are booking for immediate requirements only, due to volatile import
quotations and the onset of the summer trading period. Meanwhile, domestic
re-rolling mills opted to increase their selling figures, shadowing the recent
upturn in the cost of imported semi-finished steel products.
Mexican steelmakers remain concerned about the US government’s Section 232
national security investigation. The uncertainty created has been labelled as
unwelcome, at a time when profit margins are already tight, due to the peso
devaluation and the rising cost of key steelmaking raw materials.
Source: MEPS -
Steel Review - July 2017 Edition
Free Sample copy
of Developing Markets' Steel Review


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A lucky Cowboy Draw® player holds a $1,165,543 winning ticket from the Monday, October 21 Cowboy Draw drawing. The winning ticket was purchased on October 20 at Bow River Crossing located on 104 East Spruce St. in Elk Mountain. The winning numbers are 8, 18, 19, 36, and 37. Be sure to check your tickets.
The WyoLotto retailer, Bow River Crossing, is as dedicated as they get. The retailer, which is typically closed on Sundays, has been opening its doors from 11 am – 2 pm solely for the Cowboy Draw buy one get one free (BOGO) promotions this football season. That dedication paid off this week for the retailer and whoever the lucky winner is as the winning ticket was purchased during that 11 am – 2 pm BOGO time frame.
“We love the buy-in from our retailers and the support they provide our games,” Jon Clontz, CEO of Wyoming Lottery Corporation, said. “Its retailers like Bow River Crossing that make Cowboy Draw, and all of our WyoLotto games great. They go the extra mile week in and week out. We are very thankful for them and our players.”


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To enjoy free access to all high-quality "In depth" content, including topical features, reviews and opinion sign upNov 26, 2010
Researchers in the US have made a graphene-based supercapacitor that can store as much energy per unit mass as nickel metal hydride batteries – but unlike batteries, it can be charged or discharged in just minutes or even seconds. The new device has a specific energy density of 85.6 Wh/kg at room temperature and 136 Wh/kg at 80 °C. These are the highest ever values for "electric double layer" supercapacitors based on carbon nanomaterials.
Supercapacitors, more accurately known as electric double-layer capacitors or electrochemical capacitors, can store much more charge than conventional capacitors. An important feature of supercapacitors is that there is an extremely narrow gap between the electrodes – which are ultrathin layers. This means that a large amount of electrical charge can be stored in a tiny volume.
The new device was made by Bor Jang of US-based Nanotek Instruments and colleagues. It has electrodes made of graphene mixed with 5wt% Super P (an acetylene black that acts as a conductive additive) and 10wt% PTFE binder. A sheet of carbon just one atom thick, graphene is a very good electrical conductor as well as being extremely strong and flexible.
The researchers coat the resulting slurry onto the surface of a current collector and assemble coin-sized capacitors in a glove box. The electrolyte-electrode interface is made of "Celguard-3501" and the electrolyte is a chemical called EMIMBF4.
We believe that this is truly a breakthrough in energy technology Bor Jang, Nanotek Instruments
The energy density values of the supercapacitor are comparable to that of nickel metal hydride batteries. "This new technology makes for an energy storage device that stores nearly as much energy as in a battery but which can be recharged in seconds or minutes," Jang explained. "We believe that this is truly a breakthrough in energy technology." The device might be used to recharge mobile phones, digital cameras and micro-EVs, he adds.
The team, which includes scientists from Angstron Materials in the US and Dalian University of Technology in China, are now working hard to further improve the energy density of the device. "Our goal is to make a supercapacitor that stores as much energy as the best lithium-ion batteries (for the same weight) but which can still be recharged in less than two minutes," said Jang.
His team first discovered that graphene could be used as a supercapacitor electrode material in 2006. Since then, scientists around the world have made great strides in improving the specific capacitance of these electrodes but the devices still fall short of the theoretical capacitance values of 550 F/g.
"Despite the theoretically high specific surface area of single-layer graphene (which can reach up to 2.675 m2/g), a supercapacitance of 550 F/g has not been reached in a real device because the graphene sheets tend to re-stack together," explained Jang. "We are trying to overcome this problem by developing a strategy that prevents the graphene sheets from sticking to each other face-to-face. This can be achieved if curved graphene sheets are used instead of flat ones."
The work was reported in Nano Letters.


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Things aren't looking good for Mini this year. The diminutive BMW brand has shown falling sales every month in 2014 in our By the Numbers wrap-ups. If that weren't bad enough, the latest Cooper Hardtop suffered fuel economy issues upon arriving to the US. First, there was a delay getting some versions certified, and then several models had to have their miles-per-gallon ratings revised.
- Jun 27, 2014
2014 Mini Cooper S: Review


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Apple is set to launch its first mixed-reality headset in the coming months, but concerns about its potential for success have been raised, according to a report by The New York Times. The AR/VR headset is expected to be unveiled at the Worldwide Developers Conference in June, but some insiders are questioning its usefulness in a largely unproven market, as well as its eye-watering price tag of $3,000.
Several current and former Apple employees told the Times that the enthusiasm for the project has given way to skepticism, with some wondering if it’s “a solution in search of a problem”. The report also stated that some employees have walked away from the project due to concerns about its success, while others have been fired for failing to make significant progress on certain features.
Changes in Apple’s design team have also reportedly impacted the project, with former chief design officer Jony Ive departing in 2019 and his successor, Evans Hankey, leaving earlier this year. The Times’ report comes as Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman wrote about a recent top-secret event where the headset was shown to Apple’s most senior executives.
Apple vs. Meta
Apple’s mixed-reality headset will compete with Meta’s $1,000 Quest Pro, which recently received a $500 price cut to boost sales. With the launch of the headset, It will have to explain to consumers why they would want to own such a product, unlike its previous successful launches of better versions of familiar products such as the Mac, iPod, iPhone, iWatch, and iPad.
Awaiting the Launch
All eyes are now on the expected reveal at WWDC and how Apple will market the headset to achieve success. The mixed-reality headset launch will be closely watched by the tech industry as it marks the company’s entry into a relatively unproven market. While the company has a history of successful product launches, this new product represents a significant departure from its traditional offerings.


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Nigerian govt trying to refill its leaking container 😒
Introducing Laikipia 'BJ-50' 🚙
Hello, it’s been a week of drama, with different happenings. A bit on education, since we touched on that during the week, the Nigerian government is thinking of replacing the 2020 Secondary school exams WASSCE With GCE. Hopefully by November things would be better.
Nigerian government goes looking for funds
What do you do when the content of a leaking container is finishing?
A. Fix the leakage.
B. Pour more funds into the leaking container.
Most people would opt for option A, but that’s because they’re not the Nigerian Govt, which in its usual fashion always seems to pick option B.
And it has done it again, introducing two new levies this week, the same week we heard “Honorable Minister it's okay, it's okay, it's okay Off your mic it's okay” 😂 🤦
And the two levies: Stamp Duty on Rent and License fee for Delivery companies
The new schedule
What this means
If you are an individual renting from another individual, your stamp duty is payable to the state tax authority such as LIRS if you are resident in Lagos. If either the tenant or the landlord is a company, then the duty is payable to FIRS.
Contrary to the tweet and popular opinion, since most people rent houses for less than 7 years, the Stamp duty on most rent agreements is at the rate of 0.78%, not 6%.
While it’s an arguably insignificant amount to the tenants, this is a means to generate revenue for the government. For example, Lagos state has about 1.2 million houses, assuming they get to collect from only 30% of these houses at the lowest tier 0.78% @ N100,000 per annum, that’s about N312m. A sure money-making scheme.
And the next burden: License fee on Delivery companies
Delivery companies now have to pay these fees to get their licenses in order to move around.
Prior to this new tiered licence fee, according to the Courier Regulatory Department (CRD), obtaining the licence costs an initial ₦2 million (₦10 Million for International couriers) and an extra cost of about ₦270,000 in application processing and induction. The licence is also renewable yearly for ₦360,000. It looks like the new proposition is better than the former but was the former even enforced, how many people knew it existed? Should this fee even exist?
Why it matters
This would lead to an increase in the cost of delivery - which is often as high as 30 - 50% the cost of many commodity products. Think of the price of delivery for small chops increasing from 1k to 3k. 😢
These new fees if enforced would reduce the number of delivery companies, as many can’t afford the license fees.
Timing and Accountability have always been a major reason people fight back against new government policies. Why introduces these changes now? Where’s all the money going to?
It’s easy to put these policies on paper but the enforcement would be difficult for the Nigerian government, as Nigerians are clearly not having it.
The 2018 ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo which was the world’s second-biggest — over 2,000 people died — is over. Ebola generally kills two-thirds of those who contract it.
Thanks to new treatments, including antivirals, the new outbreak has been put to an end.
Soon we’d be able to say same to COVID-19
Introducing Laikipia 'BJ-50'
Photo credit: Laikipia
It seems the Kenyan government is trying their hands on some innovative technologies and automobiles are setting this trend.
Background story: The Kenya Export Promotion and Branding Agency, a government organisation whose sole mission is to brand Kenya and export the nation’s locally produced products to the international market has collaborated with Laikipia County to assess the needs of up-scaling an automobile plant ‘Sagak Auto tech plant’ in the region to build capacity to produce cars for both local and international markets.
Where is Laikipia County?: Laikipia County is one of the 47 counties of Kenya, located on the equator in the former Rift Valley Province (one of Kenya’s former eight provinces bordering Uganda). As county number 31, Laikipia is a cosmopolitan county with two major urban centres: Nyahururu to the southwest and Nanyuki to the southeast with Rumuruti as it’s capital.
Photo credit: Nairobi wire
The car model named ‘BJ-50’ was first seen on the news early 2019 when Laikipia County Government showcased two locally made cars at a conference in the region. It is proposed to be used as a form of urban commercial transport popularly known as tuk-tuk and one of the vehicles goes for about Ksh450,000 ($4,173.53). It has a capacity of seven passengers and achieves a maximum speed of 70km per hour.
Economic impact: Since its recent launch, BJ-50 already has 26 buyers and counting. The car which can also be used as a cargo carrier comes in handy for farmers and business people. This also might just be one of the long-awaited means of creating more jobs for young people in Kenya.
What people say: With the level of technological advancement from around the world, this might come across as a joke to some Kenyans who think the cars look like student projects for a science fair but to others, perhaps, full of patriotism, think every good story has a beginning and this is a milestone for Laikipia county.
Worth reading 📚
Talk doesn’t cook rice.
— Chinese Proverb
Thank you for reading this week’s edition 💙


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Digital identity authentication company, Payfone raised $23 million today. This Series F round brings the company’s total funding to $93.6 million.
Payfone will use the financing to expand its user experience by enhancing security services in retail, insurance, and healthcare. The round was led by an institutional investor with participation from Synchrony Financial, MassMutual Ventures, as well as individual investors Anil Aggarwal, Jonathan Weiner, and Andrew Prozes.
In a press release, Rodger Desai, founder and CEO of Payfone explained that consumers will increasingly expect that transactions are mobile-first, secure, and fast. He added, “The days of using quizzes, questions and one-time codes to verify identity are numbered. Payfone is ushering in a new world where authentication is instant, passive and continuous using the most advanced cybersecurity. Our mission is to help clients across the financial, retail, insurance, healthcare, and technology industries use authentication to not only thwart fraud but drive revenue.”
Payfone, which was founded in 2008 as a mobile payments company, demoed 1-Touch Checkout at FinovateFall 2012. The New York-based company has since pivoted to focus on authentication solutions.
Among Payfone’s product offerings are Instant Authentication for Mobile, a frictionless two-factor authentication solution, and Instant Authentication for Voice, an API that uses the caller’s phone number to authenticate them. The company also offers a Trust Score that provides a measurement of the reliability and risk of each mobile device.
Managing director at MassMutual Ventures, Eric Emmons, said, “Payfone enables service providers across the financial, retail, insurance, healthcare and technology sectors to offer a frictionless mobile and online experience to their customers, which substantially improves conversion rates and dramatically reduces the cost of call center operations.”
Payfone, whose technologies are currently used by six of the top 10 U.S. banks, processes millions of signals per day to authenticate and score transactions; the company currently authenticates 10 million transactions per day. Earlier this year, Payfone partnered with O2, a U.K.-based mobile network operator, in an effort to protect mobile users from digital fraud. Last spring, the company announced it would power mobile ID authentication for Zelle.


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A popular and festive Christmas decoration could potentially cause a catastrophic plane crash, the Federal Aviation Administration is warning this holiday season.
A strong cold front settles in Monday afternoon across the Chicago area, dropping daytime highs from the mid-to-upper 30s to the teens.
Driving around to see Christmas lights is a holiday tradition for many families, and thanks to a new ranking, we now know where to go to see the biggest and brightest display in Illinois.
Bitcoin's debut on a major U.S. exchange is a hit so far, with the price of the first-ever futures contract for the virtual currency rising 18 percent.
A man with a "low-tech" pipe bomb strapped to his body with Velcro and zip ties detonated the device in an underground passageway near Port Authority Bus Terminal in midtown Manhattan as Monday's morning commute...
A woman won a $1 million prize after scratching a lottery ticket while she was grocery shopping in the western suburbs.


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Standard Motor Products, Inc. (NYSE: SMP), a leading automotive parts manufacturer and distributor, reported today its consolidated financial results for the three months ended March 31, 2022.
Net sales for the first quarter of 2022 were $322.8 million, compared to consolidated net sales of $276.6 million during the comparable quarter in 2021. Earnings from continuing operations for the first quarter of 2022 were $20.6 million or 91 cents per diluted share, compared to $22.2 million or 97 cents per diluted share in the first quarter of 2021. Excluding non-operational gains and losses identified on the attached reconciliation of GAAP and non-GAAP measures, earnings from continuing operations for the first quarter of 2022 were $20.6 million or 92 cents per diluted share, compared to $22.2 million or 97 cents per diluted share in the first quarter of 2021.
Mr. Eric Sills, Standard Motor Products’ Chief Executive Officer and President stated, “We are quite pleased with our first quarter results. Our sales increased nearly 17% over last year’s strong first quarter, posting our seventh consecutive record quarter, with solid performance in both divisions.
“By division, Engine Management sales were up nearly 13% in the quarter, driven by sales from acquisitions made during 2021, along with solid customer demand, price increase benefits, and phase-in of business wins.
“Turning to Temperature Control, the robust year-end demand from 2021 has continued as sales in the quarter grew 30% year over year. This strong performance was due to a combination of strong pre-season orders, ongoing customer replenishment, and new business wins in winter-related categories.
“Looking at profitability, consolidated operating margins were in line with expectations, finishing at 8.3% in the first quarter, down from 10.6% in the first quarter of 2021. Our lower operating income was mainly the result of lower gross margins in both divisions, partly offset by continued improvement in operating costs, which were down to 19.5% of net sales in the quarter.
“As we’ve noted before, last year’s gross margin enjoyed many non-recurring benefits from reopening after COVID, while this year was impacted by inflationary headwinds and elevated supply chain costs. While we were successful in passing through some of these higher costs, we anticipate more pricing actions to be taken in 2022 to match our elevated expenses during this volatile inflationary environment. We expect our consolidated gross margin will be in the range of 28-29% for the full year after taking into account more normalized production levels, pricing to offset inflation, as well as a mix shift to higher sales in our specialized non-aftermarket channels.
“These specialized business channels, which focus on custom-engineered products for niche end markets such as medium and heavy-duty vehicles, construction and agricultural equipment, power sports, and others, represented 23% of our revenue in the first quarter of 2022, compared to 17% the prior year, with most of the growth related to our recent acquisitions. As we have stated in the past, we are quite excited about this business as it brings new customers, products and geographies and is highly complementary to our core aftermarket business.
“As we seek to improve our transparency related to sustainability, we are pleased to have recently published our 2021 Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability report. In it, we announced our ambition to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, and introduced specific reduction targets related to our scope 1 and scope 2 emissions, along with many other first-time environmental and diversity disclosures.
“Our strong operating results have allowed us to continue to return value to our shareholders. The Board of Directors has approved payment of a quarterly dividend of 27 cents per share on the common stock outstanding, which will be paid on June 1, 2022 to stockholders of record on May 16, 2022. Furthermore, we repurchased shares of our common stock in the amount of $6.9 million in the quarter, with $22.8 million remaining under our current share repurchase authorization.
“In closing, we are pleased with our momentum as we exit the first quarter, and remain cautiously optimistic for the balance of the year. We understand that there are various headwinds including ongoing inflation, increased borrowing costs, supply chain disruption, and an eventual normalization of demand. Still, the industry is one of resiliency, with many favorable trends such as an aging fleet, constrained new car availability, and rebounding miles driven. Finally, thanks to our people, our position in the industry has never been stronger.”


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GoPro outs Fusion 5.2K spherical camera
GoPro is now into 360 video recording with the announcement of their latest product, the GoPro Fusion.
The GoPro Fusion is a spherical camera designed to capture VR and non-VR videos and photos in 5.2K resolution. Starting today, professional content creators can apply to participate in the pilot program which is expected to roll-out during the summer of 2017.
“Fusion is just that, the ability to capture every angle simultaneously… as though you had six GoPro cameras fused into one,” said GoPro founder and CEO, Nicholas Woodman. “Whether filming for VR or traditional fixed-perspective content, Fusion represents the state-of-the-art in versatile spherical capture.”
The GoPro Fusion is compatible with a broad range of GoPro’s mounts and handheld accessories. It will on a limited commercial release by the end of 2017. Pricing is yet to be announced.


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Rising of veganism in the UK
In the latest years, the vegan society in the UK has rapidly grown. People who claim themselves to be vegan go between the age of 15 to 65. It’s a very priding decision, since going vegan means that you get healthier, you can lose weight, and contribute making the world a better place. Going vegan means healthier, happier people!
So, switching to a vegan diet can accomplish all these goals. Thanks to the contribution of people, in the UK, many vegan shops and restaurants have opened their doors.
Why go vegan?
The main reason is the ethical choice, even if more and more people are turning to a vegan diet for health benefits. Media have also recently discussed about the health benefits of going vegan, saying that there exist many scientifically proven benefits to living a vegan life.
For ages, the production (and the consumption) of meat and other animal products has had a very heavy burden on the environment of our planet. The hope for the future is avoiding animal products and adopt a more sustainable way of living!
The capital city of the UK can be considered as the hearth of this change. There are plenty of choices in London if you are vegan: from supermarkets, to restaurants, to pubs, and many other health-shops. Suitable places where to eat or buy vegan (or vegetarian) food are growing in number in this city.
London and other cities in the UK are faster growing and it is easier than the past to find vegan friendly areas wherever in the cities. It’s easy to find where to have an healthy dining and to find restaurants, shops, supermarkets and so on which are exclusively vegan!


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Seems like a new celebrity fragrance is launched each week, doesn't it? The latest A-lister to join the fragrant bunch is Halle Berry. WWD reports that the Oscar winner has inked a deal with Coty to launch her own scent early next year.
"She adds another dimension to the celebrity fragrance market," said Steve Mormoris, senior vice president of global marketing at Coty. "Halle has always been a little more mysterious, not quite as open with her personal life as some other stars. Her fragrances will allow her to present another facet of her personality to her fans."
What's surprising is that Halle's fragrances are starting out at what Coty calls "mid-tier" stores such as J.C. Penney. (I would have pegged her as more of a Nordstrom girl.) Think you'll have a little Halle, or are you over the celebrity fragrance trend?


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Click here for the PDF: The Weekly Beacon – February 24 2023
We will be giving some macro economic market updates on a weekly basis. No equity recommendations will be given in this commentary, and we encourage you to contact us if you have questions regarding any observations.
Feel free to send in your pictures of lighthouses to be featured in our weekly commentary.
This weeks issue: Walmart, Home Depot, Employment, Hiring, Wage inflation, Job market demand, Crypto’s horrible year, Crypto in 2022, Crypto market caps, FTX, Sam Bankman-Fried, Bernie vs. SBF, Coinbase earnings Q4 2022, Coinbase revenue, Coinbase stock compensation, Jim Cramer stock picks, Retail investors, No landing by the FED, Ireland’s tax haven, Global tax havens, On shoring intellectual property, Intel, European tax rates, UK inflation, Ireland inflation, Ireland GDP, Credit card spending, Chinese labor, Altasia labor, Chinese competition, Global manufacturing share, Taiwan, India, Bangladesh, Russia China relations, Putin and Xi, Military ties, Economic ties, Energy = prosperity, Energy use leads to economic development.
Higher wages, higher prices
Wage inflation has recently picked up, especially in retail and services. These wage increases for workers will eventually be reflected in the prices consumers pay at the cash register.
On Tuesday morning, Home Depot announced it would be spending $1 billion on hourly workers’ wage increases. The wage increases will be split across U.S. and Canadian stores. The wage increase will be reflected on workers’ paycheques immediately.
This move by Home Depot signals the tightness in the labor market, especially for lower-wage hourly workers.
Home Depot is not the first retail giant to increase pay to incentivize workers. Walmart announced a plan recently to lift its average hourly wage to $17.50 from $17.00 as well as raising its U.S. minimum wage to $14.
Click here to continue reading: The Weekly Beacon – February 24 2023


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Nvidia shares details about its Denver chip for the first time at Hot Chips
Microsoft wants Windows to be part of the Internet of Things, so it's seeding a Galileo board with custom Windows firmware to selected makers and developers
Energy harvesting technologies will work for really low-power wearables, not power-hungry smartwatches.
Chip makers are adding more security layers to protect mobile device users from malicious attacks and code injection
The company is targeting 100-petaflop supercomputers with the SPARC64 XIfx chip
AMD says the FirePro S9150 is faster than Nvidia's fastest Tesla processor
HP will provide the engineering and technology for wearables designed by fashion houses and partners
The number of businesses adopting 'Internet of things' technology continues to grow
The low-power advantage in ARM server chips is diminishing, says Dell's server chief.
HP's SlateBook is priced at $429, $30 more than the original announced price.
Brain Corporation's BrainOS is designed to do away with complex programming to train robots to do specific tasks.
The tale is akin to what happened when Microsoft ended Windows XP support, which lead to PC upgrades
Want to read your smartphone, but forgot your glasses? MIT researchers may have you covered.
AMD's new chips will bring console-style gaming to small desktops
The open-source PC board lists at $129 but will cost more from the first retailers selling it


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Saturday EVENTS at a glance
Clinton: Holiday Market, downtown, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Cookie Crawl, downtown, 1-4 p.m.
Norris: Winter Festival, downtown commons area and Norris Middle School, 2-6 p.m.; Christmas parade at 6 p.m.
Oak Ridge: Christmas Parade, Lafayette Drive and Oak Ridge Turnpike, 6 p.m.
The annual Holiday Market and Cookie Crawl in Historic Downtown Clinton, and the Norris Winter Festival will highlight this Saturday’s holiday events, along with Christmas parades in Norris and Oak Ridge.
In downtown Clinton, the Holiday Market runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 9. It includes the brick-and-mortar stores, along with street vendors, food trucks and more.
Then from 1-4 p.m. Saturday, downtown Clinton merchants will present their annual Cookie Crawl, featuring free cookies and other refreshments in the stores, along with visits from Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus and The Grinch.
Just a few miles away, the third-annual Norris Winter Festival will be held in the downtown commons area and at Norris Middle School from 2-6 p.m. Saturday, followed by the Norri Christmas parade at 6 p.m.
Oak Ridge’s annaul Christmas parade will be held beginning at 6 p.m. Saturday. It will form at Corporate Center (151 Lafayette Drive) and turn West onto the Oak Ridge Turnpike, then proceed to the Oak Ridge High School area.
The Norris Winter Festival will feature music, crafts, local artisans, and more. At least 40 vendors are expected.
This event “provides local entrepreneurs an opportunity to sell food, crafts, books, and more for our gift-giving and personal enjoyment,” according to its promoters. The festival is sponsored by the Norris Recreation Commission.
“Candy Land” vendors will serve caramel corn, hot chocolate and cider, cookies, maple syrup, homemade pies, and cupcakes inside the Norris Middle School Cafeteria.
Vendors there will feature homemade candies, chutneys, jams and jellies, beef jerky, baked holiday gifts, and more.
“The Village,” in the Lions Club Pavilion in front of the middle school, will include woodworking and carvings, dog biscuits, crochet, and tatting, jewelry,
bird food and feeders, leather items, handmade pottery, aromatherapy products, herbal remedies, crocheted rugs, bath and body products, baby items,
and handcrafted goat milk
There will also be wreaths and Christmas ornaments, including plushies and felted wool ornaments.
Former Norris resident Catie Toennisson will feature wildlife watercolor paintings, prints, children’s books, and stickers; Deana Charcalla will return with children’s books; and Norris native author David Peters will be signing his book, “Little Boy Lost.”
Jay Miller will present music beginning at 1 p.m., followed by the Lil Stars Cheer Team at 2 p.m.
Photo opportunities with your pets will be offered by the Norris Animal Shelter from 1:15 to 3:30 p.m., and there will be cat toys available to purchase.
Food trucks will be on hand. April’s Grill will feature burgers, hot dogs, chicken tenders and fries, and The Potato Chef will offer meals inside spuds.
Children’s activities will include games in front of the middle school; the Kids Corner in the Betty Anne Jolly Norris Library; and foods, such as hot dogs, s’mores, popcorn, and candies.
Parking will be available in the lot behind the middle school, and Jim McGunn and his golf cart will be available for rides from the parking lot to The Village and Candyland.
ORNL Federal Credit Union
is once again sponsoring the Winter Festival and will be giving away items at its booth in The Village.
Stop by the information booth and pick-up a card to win prizes sponsored by the Winter Festival Committee.
Winter Festival will open at 1 p.m. with a reading of the real Christmas story by the Rev. David Seibers.
The parade begins immediately at 6 p.m., and will include Santa Claus.
Festival promoters invite anyone who is in a “decorating mood” to join them at 1 p.m. Friday, Dec. 8, “to transform the Lions Club Pavilion, school lawn and commons area into the Winter Festival.”
For more information, contact Kim de Ropp at 865-314-5740 or Sally Jackson at 865-599-0137.
Coming up next week:
On Friday and Saturday, Dec. 15-16: The annual Museum of Appalachia Candlelight Christmas event will from 4-9 p.m. both days. Get tickets at the museum or museumofappalachia.org.
On Sunday, Dec. 17, Norris Dam State Park will present old-time Christmas in the Park at the Lenoir Museum, Gristmill, and Crosby Threshing Barn from 4 to 8 p.m.
It’s free and for the family, and will include children’s crafts, warm drinks, a pie supper auction, live folk music, and Santa Claus.
The activities are just off Norris Freeway (U.S. 441) between Andersonville Highway and Norris Dam.


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Tata Motors showcased the upcoming concept vehicle named as the H5X at the 2018 Auto Expo. The SUV has been caught testing numerous times on Indian roads and will be launched in the market soon. The H5X is a much-awaited car and here are all the things that you should know about it.
Not H5X anymore!
While the internal codename given to the vehicle was H5X and even the concept model carried the same name, Tata has officially revealed the name of the upcoming SUV. Interestingly, Tata will name it the Harrier. Tata has officially revealed the name today. Tata has always been known for naming their concept models with bird names but with the Harrier, Tata has gone a step further and has named the production version of the SUV as Harrier, which is a bird species.
MAJOR Jeep Compass connection
How is that? Well, Tata will power the upcoming Harrier with the 2.0-litre multijet diesel engine supplied by Fiat. Currently, only the Jeep Compass is powered by the 2.0-litre multijet diesel engine on the Indian market and the Harrier will become the second SUV on the market to get the engine. However, the 170 Bhp – 350 Nm output of the engine with the Compass may change due to re-tuning.
And MASSIVE Land Rover connection
The Harrier will be the first-ever SUV from Tata that will get the Land Rover LS550 platform. The same platform also underpins entry-level JLR SUVs like the Discovery Sport. The platform will make the Harrier very capable. This is the first time that a Tata-branded vehicle will use the platform of its subsidiary.
Official reveal just 4 months away!
Tata will officially reveal the production version of the Harrier in November, 2018. After showing the concept version at the start of this year, it will be a very fast development cycle for the SUV. The pre-production version will be officially revealed by Tata with features and specifications.
Production to begin soon
Tata has been testing the upcoming Harrier in various terrains across India. The testing phase seems to be in final stages and Tata will soon begin the production of the SUV in India. Tata is expected to start the production by the end of this year.
But launch will happen later
The SUV is expected to be extremely high on demand once it is launched in the market. To keep enough stock of the SUV, the production will start by the end of 2018 and the official price will be announced in early 2019. This will ensure that Tata has enough stock of the SUVs to meet the high demands.
The Tata Hexa is currently the most expensive product from the brand. The Harrier will be positioned above it in the market, which means it will become the new flagship of the brand. The 5-seater SUV will take on the likes of Jeep Compass, Hyundai Creta and will also compete with the 7-seater Mahindra XUV 500 on the Indian market.
Will retain H5X looks
Pratap Bose, the head designer of Tata Motors, revealed that the Harrier will retain as much as 80% looks of the concept model. It will follow the same path as the Nexon concept and the production version. Tata released teaser pictures of the Harrier today. It gets a sleek front and rear just like the H5X concept. We can safely assume to see a very aggressive-looking final product from the brand.
Will be a capable SUV
All the Land Rover platforms have the 4WD feature and the Harrier will utilise the same. Tata will launch the upcoming SUV in both 2WD and 4WD options, taking full advantage of the Land Rover platform. It is not known if it will get a low-ratio transfer case but it is confirmed that the Harrier will get the 4WD option.
A larger version awaited
Tata is also working on a larger version of the SUV that gets the H7X codename. It will be a long wheelbase version of the Harrier and is yet to get a name. The H7X will get seven seats and will share a lot of parts with the Harrier. However, the big brother is scheduled to be launched at a later date, which can be by the end of 2019.
Will be built in Pimpri
Tata Harrier will be built at the Pimpri-Chinchwad facility of the brand. The facility is the hub for the Tata commercial vehicles. Tata used the facility to make Indica and Indigo but both the vehicles have been discontinued now and it will be used for the production of the Harrier. It is not known if Tata will export the Harrier to the foreign markets but given the modern looks and popularity of the vehicle, it is certain the Harrier will be available in various foreign markets.


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Intel has upgraded its sales forecast for the three months ended 30 September. Intel says revenues are expected to be 5% higher than its second-quarter figure of $4.62bn (# 2.98m). Intel's initial forecasts...
That's several hours faster than the average human
Password re-use weakness enabled attackers to compromise developer's TeamViewer software
Fintech startup Orwell Group aims to cut the cost and risk for banks looking to expand into new territories
Alan Partridge-themed 'Chat' will require mobile carrier opt-in


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TORONTO, ONTARIO – August 27, 2020 – Drone Delivery Canada Corp. (TSXV: FLT; OTC: TAKOF; Frankfurt: A2AMGZ or ABB.F) (the “Company” or “DDC”) is pleased to announce the successful implementation of its second cargo drone route with DSV Air & Sea Inc. Canada (“DSV”), using DDC’s drone delivery platform. The intent of the roll-out is for DSV to deliver various types of cargo, including healthcare related cargo, from a DroneSpotTM at DSV’s warehouse in Milton, Ontario to a DropSpot at RB (Reckitt Benckiser) in Milton, approximately 4km away. RB is a global producer of health, hygiene and home products.
“We are pleased to announce that the initial implementation of our first contactless, commercial cargo-drop project has been completed successfully. We are excited to bring the benefits of our drone delivery solution to yet another company, RB. The route includes transport over Highway 401, one of the busiest highways in the world, adding a unique dimension to this project. I don’t know that any other commercial delivery drone operator has done this before. DDC’s solution is one of the most advanced in the world,” said Michael Zahra, President & CEO of DDC.
For a YouTube video from the project, please visit: https://youtu.be/1vknYkQSpyA
About Drone Delivery Canada Corp.
Drone Delivery Canada Corp. is a drone technology company focused on the design, development, and implementation of its proprietary logistics software platform, using drones. The Company’s platform will be used as a Software as a Service (SaaS) model for government and corporate organizations globally.
Drone Delivery Canada Corp. is a publicly listed company trading on the TSX.V Exchange under the symbol FLT, on the U.S. OTC Q B market under the symbol TAKOF and on the Frankfurt exchange in Germany under the symbol A2AMGZ or ABB.F .
Read more about the Company at: www.DroneDeliveryCanada.com or on DDC’s social media:
For further information:
Investor Relations: Mr. Michael Zahra, Chief Executive Officer, and Mr. Bill Mitoulas, Telephone: (416) 479-9547, Email: firstname.lastname@example.org;


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Whirlpool's second-quarter profit climbs
BENTON HARBOR — Whirlpool Corp. reported that its second-quarter profit climbed from last year.
The maker of Maytag, Kitchen-Aid and other appliances earned $320 million, or $4.15 per share, for the three-month period that ended June 30. That compares with $177 million, or $2.21 per share, during the same period last year.
The Benton Harbor-based company’s second-quarter revenue was $5.2 billion, remaining flat compared to the same period in 2015.
Jeff Fettig, chairman and chief executive officer of Whirlpool Corp., said in a prepared statement that the company enjoyed “record earnings and margin expansion while overcoming challenging in several key countries through focused execution of our plans. Our leading portfolio of brands, innovative new products and strong ongoing cost productivity programs have enabled us to continue creating significant value for our shareholders."


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New federal nutrition labels required for 40 popular cuts of meat
The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Wednesday morning that the new rule, slated to start Jan. 1 of 2012, requires that 40 of the most common cuts of poultry, pork, beef and lamb include labels that disclose to consumers the total number of calories, the number of calories from fat and the total grams of fat and saturated fat.
The labels also must include details about protein, cholesterol, sodium and vitamins in the product, according to federal officials.
The rule will apply to whole cuts of meat and poultry, including boneless chicken breast, tenderloin steak, and ground or chopped meat such as hamburger or turkey, said officials for USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service.
The new nutrition labels (which officials say will look something like the label above) will either need to be attached to the package itself or be available to shoppers at retail stores and grocers, officials said.
USDA officials say the new rule is designed to help American consumers be better informed about the health benefits and drawbacks of the meats they buy. All this comes as consumer advocates and lawmakers alike rail against the obesity problem among American children, and the Centers for Disease Control has reported that American men consume 7% more calories –- and women 18% more -– than they did in 1971.
These “nutrition facts” labels were revised in the early 1990s to give consumers uniform information about serving sizes and nutrients and became mandatory on virtually all processed food by 1994. But meat was, except under a voluntary measure, left out of the labeling overhaul. Now, as the FSIS published the rule in the Federal Register on Wednesday federal officials say they are taking the first step to making such labels mandatory for meat.
"More and more, busy American families want nutrition information that they can quickly and easily understand," Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a statement released Wednesday. "We need to do all we can to provide nutrition labels that will help consumers make informed decisions.”
You might be surprised at what you find: According to the USDA’s Nutrient Data Laboratory, a 4-ounce serving of ground beef that is 80% lean meat contains about 280 calories -– with 200 of those calories coming from 23 grams of fat.
-- P.J. Huffstutter
Photo: A nutrition label for ground beef. Credit: USDA


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South Florida’s luxury residential market closed out a year of significant challenges on a positive note during the fourth quarter of 2020, according to the latest South Florida Luxury Market Report produced by The Keyes Company and Illustrated Properties.
Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach and Martin counties posted astonishing year-over-year increases of 120% in completed $1 million-and-up single-family sales and 58.3% in condominium transactions.
South Florida’s total high-end single-family sales rose from 734 in the fourth quarter of 2019 to 1,615 in the fourth quarter of 2020. The average sales price increased 26.9% year-over-year, from $2.22 million to $2.82 million. Cash sales also surged, with a 121.7% gain from 374 to 829.
Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties all saw significant year-over-year increases in luxury single-family sales, average sales price and cash transactions.
“South Florida’s real estate market has certainly been on a roller coaster ride since the onset of the pandemic,” said Keyes and Illustrated President and CEO Mike Pappas in a press release. “But the luxury sector catapulted the region to the point that the total number of properties sold in 2020 ended up on par with 2019. With interest rates expected to stay low and the continued increase in prices, 2021 could be a record year in terms of volume.”
Other notable findings from the quarterly luxury report include:
- Palm Beach County’s high-end single-family sales leaped by 157% year-over-year, from 256 to 658. Cash transactions had almost an identical year-over-year gain, rising 156.2% to 415.
- Broward County $1 million-and-up single-family sales jumped 85.4% year-over-year, from 192 to 356. Luxury condo transactions increased by 96.2%, from 53 to 104.
- Miami-Dade County’s high-end market had the biggest year-over-year gain in average sales price at 35.5%, from $2.33 million to $3.16 million. The average price per square foot rose by 28.4%, from $542 per square foot to $696 per square foot.


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Using a vehicle's existing Bluetooth and audio technology, researchers have figured out how to block smartphone use by people behind the wheel, while passengers can text, talk, and tweet away.
Distracted driving is being tackled by state legislators, mobile carriers, and auto manufacturers with a disjointed collection of laws, apps, and hands-free technology. But wouldn't it be a lot easier if smartphones can tell when the their owner is behind the wheel of a car and just shut down all the tempting features?
Mobile operators such asand are employing technology to do something similar, but the antidistracted-driving apps lock down phones even if the user is a passenger or on public transportation. For that reason, the apps contain easy-to-use override buttons. But researchers at Stevens Institute of Technology and Rutgers in New Jersey are developing technology that can tell the difference and limit the driver's phone, while not interrupting service for occupants.
Current anti-distracted driving technology uses an app that runs in memory and uses the phone's GPS to figure out if a user is in a vehicle or not. This means that if a user is in a bus, taxi, or passenger seat, the phone locks up, and its effectiveness also depends on the phone's signal strength. However, an alternative strategy developed by a team led by Dr. Chen at Stevens and Drs. Marco Gruteser and Richard Martin of Rutgers University leverages a vehicle's Bluetooth technology and speakers to measure acoustically whether a phone is being used by someone behind the wheel or a passenger.
Using this strategy, a car stereo would generate a series of high-frequency signals that the smartphone would record and time how long it took the signal to reach the device to gauge the distance from each of the vehicle's speakers. By measuring the phone's distance between the speakers, the phone can estimate its distance from the car's center, and determine more than 95 percent of the time if the phone is in the possession of the driver or a passenger. Once the ownership is determined, the phone can figure out if it needs to lock down services.
Of course, this protocol has some limitations. It assumes that the driver will be in a vehicle equipped with Bluetooth and that all speakers are working. And it also assumes that users have paired their phones with the car's Bluetooth phone system. The data presented by researchers reports up to 95 percent accuracy (depending on wind noise, conversation, and background noise) in determining the phone's position in the car. But when the phones are placed in the cupholder--a favorite phone storage place of both the driver and the passenger--the algorithm accuracy drops down to 80 percent. It is still a lot more accurate than just figuring out if you're traveling at a rate of more than 5 mph.
Once the phone can tell if the user is behind the wheel, it could lock the phone's interface, or block texts and incoming calls altogether. It's not perfect, but it's closing in on taking the temptation to text out of the driver's hands, while not impeding the convenience of passengers.


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Even though regulations bring a degree of clarity into an as of yet unregulated crypto world, there are some concerns that the crypto industry could be negatively impacted by constant change in the regulatory environment.
Regulations may directly affect the innovation and growth of the market, but not everyone is feeling pessimistic about laws in the crypto-verse.
According to him, the crypto space is already entering its maturation phase. Some of the original disruptive players that helped crypto get big are under question and potentially out-regulated.
"The new players can enter the space with new sorts of frameworks. We will get new regulatory frameworks, which add the clarity that is needed for adoption or will add more requirements for some of the existing players, right?"
The IOTA Foundation aims to build a new digital economy by redefining how people and devices connect to share information and value around crypto technologies. By creating a standardized and open-source technology, the foundation highlights trust and transparency in managing the IoT.
IOTA changed the heavily traditional blockchain design and developed a new technological platform called Tangle. Tangle is a distributed ledger technology that is specifically designed to run in an IoT environment.
IOTA strives to become a standard in IoT, so Schiener highlights that regulations and recognition from governments is the key for them to scale and achieve adoption in the real world.
Schiener underlines that big companies feel enthusiastic about adopting crypto technologies, however, they raise the same questions about taxes, standards, transaction fees, and other legal concerns. Schiener truly believes that regulations will bring clarity to all participants and accelerate adoption.
IOTA is already working closely with authorities to create different tech solutions, such as the Gaia-X project in the EU, and working with governments in East Africa to generate paperless trade solutions.
"I think one of the next major phases for us is also more recognition from governments, like we have already seen in Germany and Europe. Even though adoption in the enterprise world takes a lot of time, it's worth it in the end because this is where most of the transaction volume will happen in the future, in my opinion."


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Picture used for illustrative purpose only.
The domestic campaign will include a variety of hotel ‘staycation’ deals and offers across 50 hotels throughout the capital.
The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) announced the “Creative Visa” initiative, which aims to support individuals contributing to the cultural and creative industries in Abu Dhabi.
Maryam, the mother of the teen, says she hopes her experience will help change the public’s perception toward organ donation and encourage more residents to carry out this selfless act.
Amazon Inc will shut down a food-delivery business it was testing in India, the e-commerce giant said on Friday, a day after it announced the winding down of its online learning platform
British house prices will fall in 2023, putting an end to years of bumper rises, but a large crash was unlikely despite the cost of living crisis and increased borrowing costs putting a lid on buyers’ ability to fund purchases, a Reuters poll found.
Pakistan’s central bank raised its key policy rate by 100 basis points to 16% on Friday in an unexpected move to ensure high inflation does not get entrenched.


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Gardening on the go
(Color) Chieftain photo by Chaz Evans
Bill Goodner of C&C Sand Co. sets up a display at the Pueblo Home Show running this week at the Pueblo Convention Center. The show, offering clinics by Home Depot, hosts 60 exhibitors and is the first large-scale trade show of its kind at the center. Hours of the show are 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. today and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $5 for adults and $3 for children 12 to 17.


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New People, a new center for Japanese pop culture to be opened in San Francisco's Japantown, will feature food from local curry maker Delica rf-1.
While New People currently says that it will get fresh daily deliveries of "bento boxes" from the Japanese deli, it doesn't specifically mention whether any of those will contain curry rice. But we can dream, right?
New People is the brainchild of Viz Media founder Seiji Horibuchi, bankrolled by a $15 million investment courtesy Japanese comic publisher Shogakukan. (I'm fairly certain the name comes from the Japanese phrase shinjinrui, their term for "Generation X.")
The four-floor building will have a theater for screening J-pop films, stores selling all things Japanese, and fashion boutiques from Harajuku. It will open on August 15.
(Image: Viz Media)


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With baseball’s trade deadline nearing, it’s fitting that a development group that includes former Red Sox General Manager Dan Duquette is still angling for a deal to build what has been described as a “Mini Patriot Place’’ on Cape Cod.
The so-called Golden Triangle in Sandwich—a 56-acre parcel owned by the town—has long been seen as ripe space for commercial development. But efforts by the town to deal it off in the past have fallen flat.
Last month, The Cape Cod Times reported two groups, one of which included Duquette, were bidding to buy the land. If accepted, the group involving Duquette would seek to develop a youth sports destination for both indoor and outdoor sports, that would also include retail space and hotels for youth sports families in town for tournaments.
A competing proposal from an existing commercial property owner in Sandwich would involve purchasing only about 17 acres of the available land, and would include residential units, office and retail space, and a hotel.
The Cape Cod Times now reports the two groups are discussing whether their bids could partner up. Meanwhile, both groups filed answers to questions from the town ahead of a deadline last week. The Times suggests a decision from the town about how to go forward with either proposal could be made by early September.
Duquette now handles baseball operations for the Baltimore Orioles and also owns a youth sports facility in Western Massachusetts.


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A majority of Australian GPs support medicinal cannabis being available on prescription, with their preferred "access model" involving trained GPs prescribing independently of specialists.
In 2013, UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital San Francisco became the first site to administer the drug in a child, and as of this week, the FDA has approved its use in two rare and devastating forms of epilepsy.
The lab will run full-service testing for cannabinoid profiles, terpenes, pesticides, heavy metals, biological screening, and residual solvents, testing for 10+ cannabinoids and 40+ terpenes.
While medical marijuana supporters may cite the FDA approval of Epidiolex as evidence of the benefits of marijuana, it is not an endorsement of any CBD or cannabis product.
A patent has been filed for the use of cannabis therapies for the manipulation of ion channels in sensory neurons that contribute to chronic pain, peripheral neuropathy, urinary cystitis, asthma, and specific types of hearing loss.
The designation has been given to Revive Therapeutics for the use of CBD in treating autoimmune hepatitis.
As the California cannabis industry evolves and state-mandated laboratory standards of operation prove vital, both clients and consumers will now have assurance that the results will be accurate and reliable.
Epidiolex contains cannabidiol (CBD) and is the first FDA-approved drug that contains a purified drug substance derived from marijuana.


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Wisconsin-based big box retailer Shopko said it plans to open 20 new Shopko Hometown stores — including three in Kansas — in former Alco stores.
The Green Bay retailer said in a news release it has acquired the rights to occupy former Alco stores in nine states.
Last November, Alco closed all 198 stores it had, including 23 in Kansas, after the beleaguered retailer’s creditors won approval from the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Dallas to shutter the stores.
In its release this week, Shopko said grand openings are planned for the new stores in late March, including in Abilene, Beloit and Ulysses.
Shopko said it will add new interior and exterior signs to the stores, as well as new paint, carpet, layout and an expanded mix of merchandise.
The stores will carry brand-name and private label apparel, home furnishings, toys, consumer electronics, seasonal items, grocery department and lawn and garden products.
Shopko operates 178 Hometown stores and 133 big-box stores in 21 states.
Shopko previously operated big box stores at 2057 N. Rock and 350 S. Tracy in Wichita, but closed them in 2001.
Alco was an Abilene-based company until it moved its headquarters to Texas in 2013.


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As it regains its economic footing after coronavirus-containment measures, the Chinese jewellery industry is adjusting its strategies to better respond to changes in the market.
MCLON Jewellery Co Ltd Chairman Sun Songhe
Bojem Jewelry Co-Founder Joyee Zhao
Shanghai Zbird Co Ltd Brand and Marketing Director Xu Xiaoxue
Shanghai Diamond Exchange Board Director and Vice President Caroline Yuan
Shenzhen Xingguangda Jewelry Industrial Co Ltd Chairman Lin Changwei
This article first appeared in the JNA January/ February 2021 issue.
For China’s jewellery market, the new normal refers to both the repercussions of the Covid-19 pandemic and the changing preferences of local consumers.
At the JNA Awards-organised Return & Recovery: China’s Perspective webinar in late October 2020, industry representatives revealed that the jewellery market is being shaped by Covid-19 containment efforts and major shifts in consumer habits as members of Generation Z (born after 1995) become the country’s main spending group.
Caroline Yuan, board director and vice president of the Shanghai Diamond Exchange (SDE), said China’s diamond and jewellery market is steadily recovering from the coronavirus-induced downturn.
Citing SDE data, she disclosed that polished diamond imports in August and September 2020 rose to 93 per cent and 160 per cent respectively of their levels in the same periods in 2019.
Yuan was confident the industry would overcome unprecedented changes brought about by the pandemic. “Jewellery has survived through history. It will not lose its shine as time passes as it appeals to the human pursuit of beauty,” she commented. “Jewellery businesses should stay away from competing on prices and instead properly market their products by enhancing their aesthetic value through designs and craftsmanship.”
Also impacting China’s jewellery market is the rise of the Gen Z consumer.
Sun Songhe, chairman of MCLON Jewellery Co Ltd, expects fashionable jewellery for daily wear to gain favour over big-ticket items as Gen Z consumers no longer consider jewellery as luxury goods but still put a premium on quality.
“Consumers no longer obsess over big brands. They now seek brands that share their values or have an affinity with them. This would mean golden opportunities for Chinese jewellery brands,” Sun remarked.
Joyee Zhao, co-founder of Bojem Jewelry, agreed that consumers are now more cautious with their spend and hesitate to purchase higher-priced jewellery pieces. More affordable jewellery move faster, she noted.
The boom of livestreaming as a sales and marketing channel is another game changer for the Chinese market, she added. “Consumers relied on livestreaming to buy their jewellery during the lockdown. This has become a regular and reliable channel for the market,” she explained.
Innovation in business
Jewellers have rolled out new measures and accelerated the adoption of digital initiatives to navigate in and beyond a Covid-19 world.
Shanghai Zbird Co Ltd recently launched the Zbird Wedding Ring Master WeChat mini programme that allows customers to select and design their own ring online. The app is powered by an advanced 3D try-on service and allows customisation of every single detail of the ring.
Targeted at young consumers, the app proved successful during the lockdown period, with more than 30 per cent of users spending as many as three days on it. Average spending per order is also much higher than at Zbird’s physical stores, said Xu Xiaoxue, the company’s brand and marketing director.
Bojem meanwhile capitalised on new media to stay connected to customers. It has leveraged different online sales channels such as WeChat circle, Taobao, Tiktok and RED with specific product strategies to cater to different customers on those channels.
To boost consumer confidence amid economic uncertainty, Bojem enabled a “buy-back” policy for big-ticket items. The company has also hired more salespeople for livestreaming sessions and created an elegant and upscale e-commerce customer interface to give consumers the same feeling of exclusivity when buying luxury products offline.
Zhao however noted that the key to success as an online business lies in building trust and relationships with customers, which she took years to establish.
“Technically speaking, livestreaming and advanced tools help to drive sales as they enable customers to clearly view the products on the Internet. But what’s more important is that they trust you,” she said.
Moving forward, brands need to develop accurate positioning by offering a more focused product mix to a more targeted group of consumers, MCLON’s Sun said. They should also restructure their existing business model, communications, service and supply chain to transform to the “New Retail,” he added.
Coined by Alibaba’s Jack Ma, “New Retail” has become one of the biggest buzzwords in China’s retail strategy. It refers to a new business model that blends online and offline commerce through the digitalisation of the entire retail value chain through the power of new technologies and data science.
“Online channels and big data management are becoming ‘standards’ for a jewellery company. Online business will be complementary to offline business – consumers get to learn about the brand online and get to know the brands in person at physical stores, which serve to support the brand’s value,” Sun noted.
Shenzhen Xingguangda Jewelry Industrial Co Ltd is also stepping up its digital initiatives to cater to its customers’ requirements in today's changing retail landscape. The jewellery manufacturer has actively launched collaborative projects with business partners to build a more effective, flexible and resilient supply chain for the trade, disclosed company chairman Lin Changwei.
Xingguangda has set up an online ordering centre for its customers and shares real-time inventory information with business partners through its central warehouse digital platforms, “Colour Jewellery Steward” for gemstones and “Ju Bao Hui” for finished jewellery. These digital initiatives are borne from the company’s continuous investment in big data management over the years, Lin noted.
The company has also been transforming to smart manufacturing by adopting advanced technologies in production, such as CNC, 3D printing and industry 4.0 in production lines that can improve efficiency and better cater to consumers’ demand for personalisation.


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Retail Sales Jump in February
Mar. 11, 1999
WASHINGTON (AP) _ Americans opened their wallets and purses to purchase everything from cars to furniture in February, powering retail sales to another strong increase.
The sales _ which represent about a third of the nation's economic output _ jumped 0.9 percent last month to a seasonally adjusted $236.5 billion, the Commerce Department said Thursday.
That came on top of robust gains of 1 percent in January and 1.1 percent in December. And it was the seventh in a row. Both the January and December figures were revised higher from previous estimates, January's substantially, from 0.2 percent.
Auto sales were particularly strong, up 1.8 percent. And sales of everything else rose a healthy 0.6 percent.
Several factors are combining to drive spending higher, including unemployment near a 29-year low, low interest rates, record stock prices as measured by the Dow Jones average of industrial stocks and a substantial increase in federal tax refunds, compared with last year.
Good weather across much of the country encouraged some additional spending as well.
Americans appetite for new goods is helping power brisk economic growth at a time when export sales are soft, thanks to the economic crisis that began in Asia nearly two years ago.
In February, other strong sales gains included furniture, up 1 percent; building supplies and hardware, 1.2 percent; apparel and accessory shops, 1 percent; food stores, 0.9 percent, the most in nearly two years; drug stores, 1.3 percent; restaurants and bars, 0.8 percent, and gasoline stations, 0.8 percent.
Sales at department and other general merchandise stores rose 0.5 percent, a decent increase on top of an extremely strong 2.6 percent advance in January.


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Ultra-fast 5G networks are already rolling out in the United States and Apple wants to ensure its upcoming iPhones will be able to take advantage of those speeds sooner rather than later.
The deal would include a massive portfolio of 5G patents as well as Intel’s staff of experts, which could give Apple a significant boost in developing proprietary 5G technology for its own devices.
The move would also reduce Apple’s reliance on external modem manufacturers like Qualcomm, preventing the drama and costs associated with the possibility of another legal spat over royalties.
However, the main benefit of this deal lies in the hands of consumers.
As we can see today, Apple’s tight control over hardware and software in its consumer devices, like the iPhone and iPad, allow for top-notch quality and performance.
Apple creates its chipsets in-house, which routinely beat any competing processors used in flagship Android devices. With that in mind, it’s safe to assume that future 5G modems created by Apple and used in the company’s hardware will set the bar high for 5G mobile performance.


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From a medieval castle to suburban shopping malls to rural summer camps, fans were getting ready Friday to dress up, line up and stay up to nab the first copies of “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.”
“We’ve been waiting so long, the idea of waiting one minute longer than necessary to get it is dreadful,” said 15-year-old Potter fan Sinead Miller, who lined up outside a London bookstore at 6:30 a.m. along with seven friends.
It has become publishing’s most lucrative, frantic and joyous ritual: Bookstores around the world planned to open just after midnight, when copies of the schoolboy wizard’s latest adventure go on sale. Thousands of people in London were expected amid heightened security in the wake of last week’s terrorists bombings.
“We’re very much of the message that it’s business as usual — London’s open for business and we want to celebrate this book,” said John Webb, children’s buyer at bookseller Waterstone’s, which expects 300,000 people to attend midnight openings at more than 100 stores across Britain.
British publisher Bloomsbury, which expects to sell hundreds of thousands of Potter books this weekend, was gathering 70 competition-winning children from around the world inside the thick stone walls of Edinburgh Castle for a midnight reading by author J.K. Rowling, who lives in the Scottish capital.
Elsewhere, summer camps were planning midnight wake-up calls and waiving package restrictions in anticipation of “Half-Blood Prince,” the penultimate of Rowling’s planned seven-book series. One camp in New Hampshire even planned to forklift books to kids.
Bookshops promised jugglers, fire-eaters, magicians and face-painters to entertain fans eager to unravel the book’s hinted-at mysteries: Will Harry’s teenage friends Ron and Hermione find romance? Which major character will die? What more will Harry learn of his nemesis, the evil Lord Voldemort?
In London, events were muted by the July 7 subway and bus bombings, which killed some 50 people. Book and magazine chain WH Smith announced it was scrapping a planned midnight launch at King’s Cross Station, from whose fictional Platform 9 3/4 Harry catches the train to Hogwarts at the start of each term. At least 26 people died in a bomb blast on a subway near King’s Cross, the deadliest of the day’s four attacks.
Smith spokeswoman Sarah Hodson said it would be “insensitive and inappropriate” to hold the event at the station, but the store would remain open into Saturday morning so fans could purchase the book.
Rowling is richest woman in BritainSince Rowling first introduced Harry and his fellow students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to the world in 1997, the books have become a global phenomenon, selling 270 million copies in 62 languages and inspiring a series of movies. Rowling is now the richest woman in Britain, with a fortune estimated by Forbes magazine at $1 billion.
With only brief interruptions, “Half-Blood Prince” has topped the charts of Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.com since last December when Rowling announced that she had completed it. Pre-orders worldwide already are in the millions and other Potter products are selling strongly, including the audio book narrated by Jim Dale, a “deluxe” edition of “Half-Blood Prince” and a box set of the previous five books.
Events are planned from New York City — where Dale will read at a Barnes & Noble in Union Square — to Mexico City, where the Libreria Gandhi book store scheduled a midnight sale and a daylong Potter festival on Saturday, even though the book will be available only in English.
Publication has sparked a price war in England, with many chains selling the book for about half the $29.95 cover price. In the United States, the online retailer Alibris.com is offering $5, plus postage, for used copies.
Scholastic Inc., Rowling’s U.S. publisher, is releasing more than 10 million copies. Waterstone’s predicts 2 million copies will be sold in Britain and 10 million worldwide in the first 24 hours.
Amazon reported that advance orders of the “adult” edition, which bears a more muted cover than the children’s version, were up 17 percent from the last book.
The new work has been preceded by months of carefully orchestrated publicity, hype and plot leaks, and surrounded by intense security. Amazon.co.uk has a secure 200,000-square-foot warehouse to pack the books. Canadian publisher Raincoast sought a court injunction after a Vancouver store accidentally sold 14 copies last week. A judge ordered customers not to discuss the book, copy it, sell it or read it before its release.
Even the pope is part of Pottermania. Writer Gabriele Kuby (author of “Harry Potter — Good or Evil?”) said that Pope Benedict XVI told her in letters written in 2003, when he was Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, that the books “deeply distort Christianity in the soul.” The Vatican had no comment.