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Troy Mason paid $943,570 to settle fraud claims about Ztegrity Forex with the CFTC.
In a deal signed on August 15, Mason says he did
all of the things said in the (CFTC’s) Complaint and all of the things said in this Consent Order.
On October 7, Mason’s settlement was sent to the court.
In June 2021, the CTC sued Ztegrity and accused Mason of forex fraud, not registering as a commodity pool operator, and fraud by a commodity pool operator.
On the Ztegrity website, Mason said that 411 people had given him more than $460,000.
Mason signed a settlement that says he will pay $643,570 in restitution and a civil penalty of $300,000. A permanent order against Mason has also been made.
In his advertising, Mason sold Ztegrity as a “forex savings club.” As stated by the CFTC,
To convince current and potential participants that money put into the Forex Savings Club was just as safe as money put into a bank savings account, the Defendants required participants to get a “debit card” called “zBlackcard.” Cardholders were then required to put a certain amount into their accounts every month.
In 2018, BehindMLM looked at ZBlackCard. At the time the book was written, Mason had not yet used the forex scam.
He has, however, kept scamming people through different pyramid schemes.
Mason started Our Gas Club and 25X Club after ZBlackCard and Ztegrity.
Mason is currently marketing the 25X Club as of October 27.
Fiona Robinson Moody is blocking victims from the official 25XClub Facebook group. She works with Mason to scam people.
SimilarWeb has been keeping track of how the tiny amount of traffic to 25X Club’s website has gone down over the past few months.
Until the government takes more action, we don’t know how many people have been hurt by the 25X Club or how much money they’ve lost.


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Apple is working on a battery that can last for weeks
Batteries are the weak point in portable computers and mobile phones. And although batteries have become a little bit better, their loaded time is still limited.
Last week Apple filed a patent for a Macbook battery which will maintain for days, or even weeks.
The patent application
The patent application, published by the US Patent and Trademark Office, describes a “portable and cost-effective fuel cell system for a portable computing device” that could use a number of different energy sources to provide long-term power.(…) “can potentially enable continued operation of portable electronic devices for days or even weeks without refueling.”
A British firm in ‘Intelligent Energy’, told weeks ago that it had installed a hydrogen fuel cell in an iPhone that could power it for a week without recharging.
The patent mentions that the energy could come from “a fuel cartridge which is detachably affixed to the fuel cell system”, meaning rather than recharging, one would simply replace the device’s cartridge when it had run out.
It’s not clear how far Apple is with it’s development of this miracle battery.
- Solar flow battery outperforms lithium-iodine batteries +20%
- Aluminum battery loads in 1 Minute
- Green Battery Using Hydro-pneumatics
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The falling pound and stock market speculators are driving up the cost of petrol, according to the AA. The price of petrol at the pumps has gone up a further 1p in the last five days.
The AA says that in little more than a month the cost of filling up an average saloon has gone up by more than £4 and it has been predicted that by Easter we could be seeing the most expensive petrol ever.
ITV News Correspondent Emily Morgan reports:
Millions of people who are already feeling the squeeze will be worried about how they can afford this latest rise in the price of petrol.
George Osborne must use next month’s Budget to cancel his tax cut for millionaires this April and instead help people on middle and low incomes struggling with the rising cost of fuel and food.
A temporary VAT cut would help to kick-start the economy and take 3p off the price of a litre of fuel right now. And a new lower 10p starting rate of tax, paid for by a mansion tax, would help 25 million people on middle and low incomes.
The Chancellor must finally act in the Budget to support families feeling the squeeze and boost growth and jobs in our flatlining economy.
There are a lot of things pushing up the prices of petrol. Paradoxically it might be one of the things the Bank of England is doing to try and stimulate the economy, which is partly to blame.
We know that it is mulling more quantitative easing (QE) and one of the side effects of QE is to weaken the pound against other currencies.
The pound has lost about a tenth of its value against the US dollar since last spring.
Oil is priced in US dollars, so that means it is more expensive for us Brits to buy it. At the same time the actual price of oil has risen sharply in the first six weeks of this year, that is partly to do with Middle East unrest and problems in Iran.
That has been building up into wholesale prices which are yet to feed through to the forecourts, which means more pressure yet to come for the companies that use fuel, like haulage companies and also hard-pressed motorists.
Chancellor George Osborne has said that petrol remains 10 pence cheaper than it might have been under Labour despite the price of petrol at the pumps has going up a further 1p in the last five days.
"I completely understand the pressure on families, that's why we've taken action to make sure that petrol is 10p per litre cheaper than it would have been if we'd stuck with the tax rises of the last Labour government."
This is the third 10p-a-litre wholesale price surge in 11 months, given extra vigour by currency speculators betting against the pound.
Given the lashing motoring families and UK businesses are taking from speculator-driven fuel prices, we hope the Chancellor spells out clearly in the forthcoming Budget that he can feel the pressure rocketing fuel price inflation places on families and business, and that he will cancel the September rise if that strain is too great.
The AA says drivers have been caught between a pound weakened against the dollar and soaring wholesale prices, both due to stock market speculation.
- Yorkshire and Humberside and the north of England are the cheapest for petrol at the moment at 137.6p a litre
- Prices in London and Scotland at an average of 137.8p
- Northern Ireland and south-east England are the most expensive at 145.2p
- Drivers used 1.465 billion litres of petrol last month, down 14 million on the previous all-time low set in March last year and nearly 100 million below December's consumption of 1.564 billion
The falling pound and stock market speculators are driving up the cost of petrol. The AA says after surging 5p a litre over a month, the price of petrol at the pumps has gone up a further 1p in the last five days.
The AA says the average cost of petrol is now 138.32p a litre. Diesel has risen 4.78p from its mid-January price to stand at an average of 145.10p. The latest figures show that petrol has risen 6.24p a litre since early January, adding £3.12 to the cost of refilling a typical 50-litre tank.
Petrol prices are expected to rise by 4 pence a litre in the next few days as retailers pass on increased wholesale costs to motorists, the Telegraph reports.
The rise has been forecast by the Petrol Retailers Association (PRA), who said wholesale prices had risen by five pence a litre since Christmas. Brian Madderson, chairman of the PRA, said:
"Independent retailers have been soaking up this increase at the expense of already tight margins because they know how hard the motorist is squeezed. But the floodgates will have to open soon."
The AA, which has forecast a smaller rise of 2.5 pence a litre, accused the industry of failing to pass on recent falls in wholesale prices to motorists as quickly as increases. Edmund King, president of the AA, said:
"Wholesale petrol prices turned upward in the first week of January, average pump prices six days later. If falls in wholesale were reflected as quickly, no one would mind, but they’re not."
The Petrol Retailers Association is warning that petrol prices could go up in the next few days.
After three months of falling prices at the pumps, wholesale prices have risen by five pence a litre since Christmas.
ITV Daybreak's Katy Fawcett reports.
Petrol prices have fallen but drivers are still being short-changed, according to the AA.Read the full story ›


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JW Marriott Marquis Dubai was voted Middle East’s Leading Conference Hotel 2016 and Dubai’s Leading Conference Hotel 2016 at this year’s prestigious World Travel Awards Middle East.
This adds to an impressive por
The JW Marriott Marquis Dubai recently participated in a new city initiative launched by Dubai Municipality wherein excess food from large banquets and buffets, from homes or hotels, will be packaged and delivered to those less fortunate.
The JW Marriott Marquis Dubai,a luxurious property in the UAE emirate, saw revenues jump 13 per cent in 2015, boosted by a 12 per cent increase in demand .
The hotel also saw occupancies across its 1,608 rooms remain constant and in exc
The JW Marriott Marquis Dubai, a leading hotel in the UAE emirate, has appointed Valerie Barrie as the property’s new director of sales and marketing.
A Scottish national, Barrie joins the team from Jumeirah Beach Hotel and Wild W
The Oman Tourism Development Company (Omran) has partnered with Bank Sohar for development financing for the new JW Marriott Hotel Project within the upcoming Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre (OCEC) precinct, said a report.
JW Marriott Hotel Dubai, a luxury hotel in the UAE emirate, was awarded the title of ‘The Best Hotel in the Middle East’ at the North India Travel Awards held yesterday (December 20) in Delhi, India.
With its tempting choice
JW Marriott Hotels & Resorts has launched “Poise and Grace,” a series of inspirational video training tutorials to inspire the staff to develop their natural confidence, poise and grace.
The tutorials will be led by Ashl
Kuwait City's JW Marriott hotel and Courtyard by Marriott hotel have launched summer deals, starting from June 1 to August 31.
Guests can book rooms at the five star JW Marriott Kuwait Hotel at KD55 ($194) per night on week days and
JW Marriott Kuwait Hotel has announced the appointment of Dina Makouyan as director of Event Management.
Makouyan has 11 years of experience having worked in the hospitality and corporate industry in different regions covering Leb
Marriott International’s world-class luxury hotel brand, JW Marriott, will open a new luxury hotel in Bahrain.
The JW Marriott Manama, Bahrain Hotel, under management agreement with owner Khaleejcapita, will open in 2016.


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Nigeria losing USD22m to software piracy
COMPUTING| Nov. 18, 2011, 2:13 p.m.
Microsoft Corporation estimates that losses due to software piracy have now reached a whopping USD1.5 billion annually, with Nigeria alone losing USD225 million.
According to the findings of new research which examined the financial impact using illegal software has on the competitive landscape in developing economies with manufacturing companies in Brazil, Russia, India and China as case studies, it was discovered that firms that chose to use illegal software steal more than USD1.5 billion from their in-market competitors that choose to play fair by using genuine software. These revelations were made to commemorate Microsoft’s global Play Fair Day which spotlights the impact pirated software causes in local economies.
And in the latest piracy research for Nigeria, the value of PC software theft reached a new peak at USD225 million in 2010. Up to 82% of software deployed on PCs during the year was discovered to be pirated.
“The ability to insert more than USD1.5 billion per year into these economies should be reason enough to play fair, regardless of the other inherent dangers pirated software brings to a business. Pirated and counterfeit software is lining the pockets of dangerous criminals. What’s more, when companies use pirated software, it hinders job opportunities and stifles innovation. It is also just plain wrong,” said Dale Waterman, Microsoft’s Corporate Attorney for Anti-Piracy for the Middle East and Africa region.
Commenting on this findings, Seye Oloruntoba, Anti-Piracy Manager at Microsoft Nigeria, said software piracy is an unfair game that hurts the economy and give nothing in return to people who patronise them.
“Software piracy is unfair play that ultimately hurts us all. Economic growth in Nigeria is thwarted by piracy – pirated software doesn’t create jobs for students, developers, or IT professionals. This is one of the key reasons we take our responsibility to educate consumers about the risks – and support local enforcement efforts by authorities like the NCC – extremely seriously,” Oloruntoba said.
Nigeria is experiencing a rising number of what turns out to be ‘accidental pirates’ – people who unintentionally purchased counterfeit software from resellers they believe to be reliable and only later found out that they have been duped. In doing so, they expose themselves to a plethora of risks, which in the long-run can prove extremely costly for individuals, and often disastrous for businesses.
“I purchased a copy of Windows 7 Ultimate from what I thought was a reputable shop in Abuja, believing that I was buying a genuine version. When I installed the CD on my PC, I received an alert that the copy was in fact not genuine. I spent N45,000 only to receive a copy of software I’ll never be able to use. I was cheated,” explained Ismail Sayi Pella, a victim of software piracy in Abuja.
It is becoming increasingly difficult to differentiate between genuine and non-genuine software, unless consumers are discerning and know what to look out for. Microsoft is advising consumers to educate themselves around how to tell whether their software and hardware are genuine, and to visit Microsoft’s anti-counterfeiting site http://www.howtotell.com.
“Every day we strive to compete in the global economy but when our competitors do not use legal software, it is very challenging. We take a lot of pride knowing that our decision to use legitimate software is not only helping to strengthen our business, but also helping us help other businesses grow,” said Nnamdi Ezeji of High Performance Distribution.
Last month, the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) raided the premises of Wisdom System Technologies Limited, a computer reseller located in Tinubu, Lagos Island following a consumer tip-off, an undercover test purchase and a subsequent petition to the local law enforcement authorities by Microsoft Corporation. The raid is the latest in a series of enforcement activities by the NCC in recent months, aimed at curbing unfair play in the country, and addressing the harmful impact to individuals as well as the Nigerian economy caused by pirating software.
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Today is the day to “Dine Out for Orlando United” to support the OneOrlando Fund, which provides aid to the victims of the Pulse Nightclub tragedy and their families. According to the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association website, over 300 restaurants are participating from all around Florida, with a couple restaurants in Chicago, IL, and a few nationwide chain restaurant locations. See the full list of restaurants: https://www.frla.org/dine-out-orlando/
Overall, this fundraiser will be a day for Florida restaurants, employees and guests to make a difference for those affected by the tragedy. All proceeds raised will be donated to the OneOrlando Fund. Everyone can help by dining out and supporting this fund that will help so many in need.
I strongly recommend making reservations for this evening if you have not already. With so much support from the Orlando community and cities around Florida and beyond, local favorite restaurants will surely be booked up. If there’s a restaurant that you’ve always wanted to try on the list, this is your chance to dine out for a good cause.
Full participating restaurant list: https://www.frla.org/dine-out-orlando/
Words by Julius Mayo Jr.
Content © Droolius.com 2016


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The classic black taxi, a quintessential part of London life, will now be equipped with the latest in tire pressure monitoring systems (TPMS). NIRA has been awarded the contract to supply indirect TPMS to LEVC, the taxi manufacturer formerly known as London Taxi Company, and the first TPI (tire pressure indicator) has already been installed to the first electric taxi vehicles in London.
NIRA Dynamics reports that its many years of experience working with Volvo Cars was an important part in the selection of TPI. This is because the LEVC TX is based on the Volvo SPA platform, which is equipped with TPI from NIRA. TPI is a good match for the electric taxis the system has a smaller environmental impact than sensor-based (direct) TPMS.
“No batteries means no electronic waste and less environmental impact, sometimes it is just as simple as that,” stated Jörg Sturmhoebel, business development manager at NIRA Dynamics.


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New York Fashion Week’s Fendi Presentation This Year Is Concluded By Linda Evangelista
She was asked to participate in the show to commemorate the legendary Baguette bag by Fendi’s 25th anniversary. The Italian fashion label surprised everyone by announcing a collaboration with Marc Jacobs at the exhibition.
Evangelista was spotted going down the runway in a plush gown while accessorizing with a classic Fendi Baguette bag, silver silk gloves, and diamond earrings. The model announced her participation in the show in a July Instagram post.
In the same month, she reached a settlement with the court about a botched cosmetic treatment that she claimed left her disfigured. In September 2021, Evangelista posted the procedure’s outcomes for the first time on the internet.
She asserted at the time that CoolSculpting, a noninvasive liposuction option that the FDA has approved had left her horribly scarred and irreversibly deformed. Evangelista announced the conclusion of the legal dispute with Zeltiq Aesthetics Inc., the parent company of CoolSculpting, in July after suing for $50 million in damages.
I’m happy that the CoolSculpting matter has been resolved, she said in a statement. I’m excited to start the new chapter of my life with my friends and family and am relieved to have this issue behind me. I sincerely appreciate the help that individuals who have contacted out have given me.
In a previous post, A lawsuit filed by Linda Evangelista over a botched cosmetic treatment that she claimed left her disfigured was settled.
After suing Zeltiq Aesthetics Inc., the parent company of CoolSculpting, for $50 million in damages, the supermodel, 57, declared on Instagram on Tuesday that the saga was ended.


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MANILA - Ayala Corp said on Friday its core net income grew 18 percent in 2022 to P27 billion on the back of strong contributions from BPI and Ayala Land.
BPI net income grew 66 percent to P39.6 billion due to higher interest rates, lower provisions and gains from a property sale, among others, while Ayala Land profits jumped 52 percent to P18.6 billion due to commercial sales and leasing resurgence, the company told the stock exchange.
Globe's net income grew 46 percent to P34.6 billion while ACEN profits more than doubled to P13.1 billion, Ayala Corp said.
"Our full year results demonstrate the strength and diversification of our portfolio. If 2022 was marked by revenge spending on the part of consumers, 2023 may well see the resurgence of the economy as a whole," Ayala President and CEO Cezar Consing said.
"With strengthening macro, our businesses should get back to or exceed pre-pandemic levels in 2023," he added.


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Top-heavy bank sector holds back FinTech potential
A top-heavy banking ecosystem coupled with an under resourced regulatory regime is holding back Australia’s FinTech progress, according to industry leaders.
The panellists were participating in a session of the Newfound Australia FinTech Market Mission event dealing with the lessons learned by FinTechs in the Australian market.Australia’s financial layout differs with most other countries in that we have a huge mass of banking activity concentrated in our Big Four banks.
Panellist Damir Cuca, founder and chief executive at Basiq an aggregation platform for acquiring financial data believes the Australian banking structure can make it tricky for FinTechs to move as quickly as they would like.
“It would take an average FinTech a single day to integrate into our API platform. With a bank it’s a nine-month pilot, plus another six months before they get to production and many, many meetings along the way.”
However, those long lead times have advantages. “The advantage is that you become a lot more enterprise ready sooner and your platform evolves a lot sooner as well,” said Mr Cuca.
Our top-heavy banking ecosystem does put a drag on financial innovation said panellist Lynda Coker, Commercial Director of Volt Bank, the first Australian consumer neobank, to be issued with a restricted ADI licence by APRA.
To read more, please click on the link below…


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The PC Gaming Alliance has formally and officially changed its name to the "Open Gaming Alliance" (or OGA, for short). The group said that it changed its name in recognition of the changing dominance of platforms within the digital gaming market. The organization describes itself as "an open forum where companies can cooperate to develop and promote solutions that drive the PC gaming industry forward."
The PC Gaming Alliance announced today that it plans to officially launch its games certification program in March of next year. The group's PC Gaming Certification Program will support a number of platforms including Mac, PC, Linux, etc. The program has already had a soft launch through an early adopters program, though PCGA president Matt Ployhar tells Gamasutra that March of 2014 is the target date to finalize specs and other requirements for the program.
GamesIndustry International offers an interesting article expanding on the negative press Windows 8 has been getting from several high profile development studios including Mojang, Blizzard, and Valve. The article asks other developers in the PC game space what they think of Windows 8 forcing software makers to sell their products in a customized marketplace.
The PC Gaming Alliance published a preliminary part of its third annual Horizons research reports, revealing the state of the PC gaming industry in 2010. Prepared by research firm DFC Intelligence, the report covers 2010 and offers projections for the market worldwide through 2014. The full report will be shared with PCGA members a week after GDC - going on this week in San Francisco.
According to data from the report, the worldwide PC games market reached a record $16.2 billion in 2010 - a 20 percent jump from 2009.
China was the largest and fastest growing market in 2010, with record revenue of around $4.8 billion. Korea, Japan, the US, UK and Germany also all showed growth in 2010. Together these markets increased revenue by 19 percent in 2010 to $7.3 billion.
PCGA president and Intel analyst Matt Ployhar says the 2010 numbers show that the focus has returned to the PC.
PCGA, a nonprofit, charges itself with driving the continued growth of gaming on personal computers. PCGA President Randy Stude commented on the group’s additions, “By joining our rapidly growing organization, they are demonstrating their support for expanding the PC Gaming industry and their commitment to improving the PC gaming experience.”
Logitech and Razer are peripheral manufacturers, while Corsair is known most for its memory, but also markets power supplies, USB drives, harddrives and PC cases. Arxan specializes in software application security.
The ranks of the PC Gaming Alliance have expanded with the addition of eight new member companies, reports gamesindustry.biz.
Leading retailer GameStop and famed designer Chris Taylor's Gas Powered Games studio are the biggest names among those joining the PCGA, which aims to foster PC gaming as a viable business. Others include GameTap, Howie's Game Shack and Bigfoot Networks.
GPG's Taylor (left) explained his decision to join:
I've spent most of my career fully immersed in the world of PC gaming. It's where many of the world's biggest gaming franchises were born and where much of the industry's innovation continues to this day.
By joining the PCGA, Gas Powered Games hopes to make contributions that keep PC gaming at the forefront of the industry, help it to overcome its challenges, and continue to fulfil its amazing potential.
GP: Gotta put this out there - Chris Taylor's late-90's RTS Total Annihilation is on my all-time Top 10 list of games...
Activision Blizzard has bailed from the PC Gaming Alliance, the trade group devoted to promoting the PC side of the video game biz.
Joining the organization, however, is Sony DADC. You might know them better by their widely-reviled SecuROM software, the DRM that famously sullied last year's Spore launch.
GP: As a longtime PC gamer who has been frustrated by the game industry's shabby treatment of computer players in recent years, I've been enthused by the concept of the PCGA. But the decidely consumer-unfriendly SecuROM is a major part of the problem, not part of the solution.
UPDATE: Game Biz Blog spoke with PCGA Program Manager John Ehrig, who offered the organization's view on SecuROM's Sony DADC's participation:
PCGA doesn’t have any ability at all to limit its membership. Anyone that’s in the PC gaming arena who’s willing to pay their dues and sign a member agreement can become members. We’re not in a position to prevent people from joining our group.
We get [complaints] a lot, people saying ‘oh why are they a member, they shouldn’t be a member, they don’t really believe in PC gaming’. It’s not unusual at all... The impression that somebody in the general public might have in [a member’s] commitment to PC gaming can be completely biased by some rumour or false impressions they’ve picked up.
Big Download is the latest beneficiary of Randy's insights. The site has posted a fascinating interview in which the PCGA head talks about the issue of piracy and PC games.
Most notably, Randy points out that, back in the day, piracy actually helped grow the PC industry:
I don't think that [those who protested Spore's DRM scheme] is anti-DRM as much as they are anti-Spore's approach to DRM. Their protest has been echoed many times on many gaming forums and the PCGA is listening...
If you ask [Valve and Stardock] about the rate of piracy for their games you may find that one has rampant piracy and the other has almost none. The PC Gaming Industry's history is littered with examples of startups (including Stardock and Valve) that actually benefitted from wide spread piracy to grow a market for their future titles.
Don't get me wrong, I am not advocating piracy... However, how would Quake, Doom, Starcraft, Counter-Strike, or Half-Life have been able to grow widespread brand recognition without a widespread network of gamers openly sharing these games. These titles (and many more) defined the industry. Personally, my first experience with a first person shooter was with Doom (back in the day) and I did not pay for it. Id Software turned the corner and has a very successful business built on the back of the early free/open source exchange of their games...
The updated PCGA home page is definitely an improvement over the original. Randy Stude, PCGA president, commented on the transition:
Visitors... will see that the PCGA is the place that PC Gaming companies of all types can come together to collaborate to help solve problems that plague our industry. Our membership remains steadfast in the belief that this is vital to ensuring the continued growth and health of PC Gaming globally.
Not best known for their computer games, Resident Evil publisher Capcom is a somewhat surprising addition to the PC Gaming Alliance.
The news comes via a PCGA press release which mentions that The Guildhall at Southern Methodist University (SMU) has come on board as well.
Capcom exec Christian Svensson commented on the decision to join the nonprofit corporation which is dedicated to fostering computer gaming:
Capcom believes strongly in the value and strength of the PC gaming market as a global platform for our entertainment brands. Our participation in the PCGA’s activities over the past year has greatly improved our understanding of the market, provided us great business opportunities and allowed us to participate in improving the field of PC gaming. We’re pleased to have a representative on the board in order to directly help shape the future of the PC gaming environment.
PCGA president Randy Stude added:
Since the PCGA was formed, the organization and its member companies have spread the word that PC gaming is a thriving $54 billion a year industry. With the recent addition of Sony DADC and Howie’s Game Shack to our membership roll, we are already seeing proof that our new structure will provide the right mix of benefits for a greater number of industry players, while also better serving our current members and the overall PC gaming community.
As a gamer who made his bones on the PC, one of the most encouraging developments of 2008 has been the launch of the PC Gaming Alliance, an association comprised of companies with a stake in the computer games market.
Beyond the formation of the PCGA, however, I'm encouraged by the outspokenness of its president, Randy Stude. In his day job Randy is the Director of Intel's Gaming Program Office. His love of PC gaming is evident and his eminently reasonable voice has given cheer to millions of PC gamers who sometimes feel like outcasts in an increasingly console-centric world.
Randy spoke with GP at length recently on a number of topics, including piracy, where PC gaming is heading and why you can't really play strategy games on an Xbox 360 or PS3.
GP: Randy, what's the outlook for PC gaming?
RS:The PC is leading the way when it comes to hardware innovation and business model innovation. When we released our Horizons research [in Leipzig] which shows the software revenues being generated for PC gaming, I think a lot of people were stunned to see how much revenue is being generated out of Asiain particular.
It shouldn’t be too stunning, I mean this trend has been underway of quite some time. Almost half of the $10.7 billion that are being generated in PC gaming software revenues are coming out of Asia. And this is a trend that obviously many of us who sell hardware are very well aware of because there’s a huge appetite for our technology in the Asian region - anywhere from Vietnam to Korea to China. Even Japan is taking off at this point for PCs and PC gaming.
The usual perception that the West has [is that the Asian market is primarily subscription-based] but it’s more like what Battlefield Heroes is going to be. Its more either pay-to-play, time-on-wire or micro- transactionsgaming where the game client itself is free but in order to advance and level up you need the assistance of certain in-game merchandise that you have to acquire. It’s the acquire vs. accumulate business model. Accumulating takes a lot longer, so most gamers will go for the acquire model.
A lot of these games are finding their way to the U.S. as well. I think the first AAA U.S. title will be the Battlefield Heroes game. Of course there’s Maple Story that’s already here as well as several other similar titles. I think Battlefield Heroes will blow it out for us in the West.
GP: So, will packaged games go away in favor of online distribution and browser-based games?
RS: I don’t think the PCGA is in a position to predict [whether the packaged titles will go away] necessarily, because there are those in the PCGA who rely on packaged goods as their primary source of revenue… I think it’s an important trend and one that several analysts are predicting that the consoles will follow shortly in terms of more content being distributed through the online stores for Nintendo, and Microsoft and Sony, direct to the hard drive of the console. (Hit the jump for more with PCGA's Randy Stude)
Leigh Alexander takes a look at piracy from the industry side in a two-parter for Gamasutra.
In the first installment, Leigh speaks with Ric Hirsch, the top IP enforcement guy for game publisher's trade group the Entertainment Software Association. Hirsch talks about the ESA's efforts to combat piracy, but points out that its work is undertaken only on behalf of its member (i.e., not on behalf of Activision and the six other publishers which left the organization in 2008):
Part of the problem is [that piracy is] vast... And that's exacerbated by the internet, which has the effect of anonymizing a lot of activity... We use an outside vendor through which we monitor instances of infringing activity involving our members' game product. Based on the reports... we send takedown notices to ISPs all over the world.
We are trying to pursue some of the principal players... at the top of the piracy food chain, members of warez groups who within days of a game's release and sometimes before, manage to get pirate versions of games available out there on the internet for download.
Over the last eight to 10 years, the U.S. government has stepped up its efforts in addressing IP piracy, in which game piracy is a small but growing part... Part of our mission is to make law enforcement understand better the problems that game piracy creates for the development of local game markets and how it impacts businesses and tax revenues from the game sector...
Meanwhile, in part two, Bo Svensson, a spokesman for the fledgling PC Gaming Alliance, discusses the controversy surrounding digital rights management (DRM):
[Stardock CEO] Brad [Wardell]'s approach is very hands-off. I think that if the PCGA as an organization is going to be all-embracing, if Stardock were to become a member and EA were to become a member, I think there are very obvious differences in their strategy as pertains to DRM. As a PC gaming organization, we probably need to be able to embrace both approaches, and still be able to make recommendations.
I think it's fair to say that, along the continuum of what is the best experience for the consumer and what provides the highest level of protection for developers and publishers, there's a whole realm of grays in there. I don't think that anyone has the right answer today.
GP: Hirsch also discusses the ESA's efforts to get the anti-piracy message into elementary schools. While I don't disagree with the message, as a parent and a taxpayer, I find the idea of permitting a corporate lobbying group to waste valuable educational time to be fairly outrageous. It's surprising that watchdog group the Campaign for a Commercial-free Childhood hasn't weighed in on this one.
There's much more to Leigh Alexander's story than we can summarize here. If the topic interests you, be sure to check it out.
In the current environment, game publishers seem perfectly willing to push their customers around, especially when it comes to gaming on the PC.
That's why - as a long time PC gamer - the more I hear about the PC Gaming Alliance, the more enthusiastic I become.
While publishers like Electronic Arts need a lawsuit or three, along with a wave of bad publicity, to clue them into the fact that computer gamers don't want restrictive DRM on their games, the people at the PCGA are studying the piracy issue with an eye toward balancing the needs of publishers to turn a profit and consumers to enjoy a positive gaming experience on their PC.
Ben Kuchera of Ars Technica interviews outspoken PCGA head Randy Stude:
I don't think [piracy is] getting worse, as much as it's getting easier. As broadband has gotten more prolific the issue has been exacerbated... The PCGA will take up the challenge of piracy, not to assume the responsibility that [game publishers lobby] the ESA has taken on... rather the PCGA would like to address the methodology that publishers might be able to take to solve, or to do a better job trying to solve, the piracy challenge for their substantial investments in content.
I think [in the Spore DRM revolt] gamers wanted to make their voices known; it was the equivalent of the Boston tea party... [PC Gamers] don't buy one machine, stick it in the corner, hook it up to the TV, and play it forever. We play on multitudes of machines, and we want the same rights an Xbox 360 purchaser has, to move the game to whatever machine we want to play on.
We [at PCGA] are the guardians of the PC as a platform for gaming. We need to make sure there is an environment where publishers are not afraid to invest tens of millions of dollars in developing great gaming experiences.
PCGA members include hardware types like Dell, INtel, nvidea, AMD, Acer and Antec, as well as Microsoft and Activision.
The [online game] revenues being generated [in China and Korea] just blow the mind. You're talking almost 5 billion dollars. Almost half the world's PC software revenues are coming from marketplaces that have almost no retail at all...
You look at a game like Spore… despite the fact it's pirated out there on torrent networks, its selling great by any standard... it sort of bucks the notion that all games are going to be destroyed because of piracy. That's not the case...
I'm not saying that the [PC gaming] industry needs to accept piracy. I'm saying that if there’s nothing that can be done, the assumption that gaming will die on a platform is ridiculous.
LucasArts was taken to task over a producer's comment that Star Wars: The Force Unleashed wouldn't be ported to PC due to the challenge of developing for a broard range of PC configurations. Stude told gamesindustry.biz:
That's not an educated answer. In the last several years there have been at least 100 million PCs sold that have the capabilities or better of an Xbox 360. It's ridiculous to say that there's not enough audience for that game potentially and that it falls into this enthusiast extreme category when ported over to the PC. That's an uneducated response...
LucasArts hasn't made a good PC game in a long time. That's my opinion... I think the last good PC game they made was probably Jedi Knight 2... So I can understand why they would make that call.
You hear it a lot: PC gaming is dead. Or, at least, terminally ill.
However, the PC Gaming Alliance, a trade group formed to boost the PC end of the game business, maintains that the future is bright for those who prefer to game on computers.
Speaking at GCDC in Leipzig, PCGA president Randy Stude (left) cited key findings from the group's first Horizons Report. Among the more noteworthy points:
PC gaming was a $10.7 billion industry during the year of 2007
Retail sales accounted for just 30 percent of total revenues
Growth was largely driven by online revenues from Asia, the world’s largest market, which is approaching half of total worldwide sales.
Online PC gaming revenue led the way in 2007 with $4.8 billion, nearly double the worldwide retail sales numbers for PC games.
Digital distribution sales approached $2 billion
Advertising revenues from websites, portals, and in-game ads accounted for $800 million.
Commenting on the findings, Stude said:
Our analysis clearly shows incredible growth in online PC gaming, proof that this industry is far stronger than anyone has reported. Today’s consumers shop where they live - online.
David Cole, DFC Intelligence analyst, added:
The real key has been the rapid growth in penetration of broadband-connected PCs in all markets around the world. Broadband-connected PCs are the key driver of growth for PC gaming. DFC Intelligence estimated that by the end of 2007 less than one-third of households in the top 20 markets for games had a high-speed Internet connection. That clearly indicates that there is still plenty of growth to come.
As a longtime computer gamer, I was cheered earlier this year to learn of the formation of the PC Gaming Alliance, a group of industry types who have banded together to promote the PC as a game platform.
Last week, Cnet's Crave blog posted a terrific interview with Intel's Randy Stude, president of the PCGA. Among Stude's comments:
You have [a PC gaming] industry that's being beat up in the Western press in terms of... its perceived lack of health, so we in the industry... didn't really like the perception that we were hearing that PC gaming is on a decline. When in fact while certain markets of the PC gaming industry might be in a decline, others are sky-rocketing like never before.
The PCGA chief also downplayed discouraging NPD numbers:
I chuckle when I read through the articles or opinion that say that PC gaming is in a decline and they continue to quote NPD's North American retail sales figures... NPD decided in the first quarter of 2008 to attempt to quantify North American MMO subscription revenues. And lo and behold... they found--under a rock that they hadn't looked at before--a billion dollars...
In fact, Stude says that PC gaming generates a quarter of all video game revenues:
So if you add the billion dollars [NPD] claim to have found in annual subscription revenues on top of the $920 million that they were previously reporting in retail, suddenly the PC game piece of the pie is closer to a quarter of all software revenues generated in North America. That's one platform out of eight that's generating a quarter of all the revenues. There isn't another platform generating that big of a share of the pie. And that is woefully underreported at a billion dollars. That's why we're here.
Stude also mentioned that the PCGA is looking into piracy issues:
We're collecting research on PC game piracy... trying to have some understanding of how big it is, and then hopefully quantify the economic impact... We don't intend to become the police force for PC game piracy. We're not the RIAA, we're not going to become the RIAA. Rather we're a group that's trying to look out for PC gaming, and if there's a problem with it, we're going to make industry recommendations...
Andrew Eisen: Feel free to leave us suggestions on Facebook or Twitter too. We're going to be busy but we'll try our best to keep an eye on 'em.08/31/2015 - 8:59pm
Andrew Eisen: It's an interesting idea though. If we do anything, we probably won't know until after the site goes offline so keep an eye on GP social media for announcements.08/31/2015 - 8:59pm
Andrew Eisen: Yeah, we could use my Twitch chat box too. There's always IRC but we don't currently have a GamePolitics channel.08/31/2015 - 8:57pm
Goth_Skunk: Though I think the limit is 9 at a time in the hangout, so anyone who can't get in would be stuck out in the 'on air' portion.08/31/2015 - 8:57pm
Andrew Eisen: For the show, I'd like the chat open to anyone who wants to watch.08/31/2015 - 8:55pm
PHX Corp: I could Set Up a Temporary chatroom on My twitch.TV page while GP is busy updating the site(since I'll be Fighting Megaman Legacy Collection on Xbox one)08/31/2015 - 8:54pm
Goth_Skunk: I don't see a problem with inviting viewers. It's not like I'm advocating this to be an open forum, just something specific to GP members.08/31/2015 - 8:53pm
Andrew Eisen: That's why I embed the chat box from my Twitch Page. Can't get chat on the YouTube page to work either.08/31/2015 - 8:49pm
Andrew Eisen: I do but I haven't seen a way to incorporate viewers to chat without specifically inviting them to the event.08/31/2015 - 8:49pm
Goth_Skunk: Though I'm surprised you'd not be familiar with this, Andrew. Do you not use Google Hangouts when you do S.P.A.C.?08/31/2015 - 8:45pm
Andrew Eisen: GP Movie Night!08/31/2015 - 8:41pm
Big Perm: Eveyone should be too busy with phantom pain to notice GP is down. Hail Vidya!08/31/2015 - 8:40pm
Goth_Skunk: But such a hangout *could* be a neat idea. It could be used, for example, for all us GPers to get together and watch the new FemFreq video, and then discuss amongst ourselves in real time what our thoughts are.08/31/2015 - 8:38pm
Goth_Skunk: cacophany of voices all trying to talk at once.08/31/2015 - 8:37pm
Goth_Skunk: Video is entirely optional. The only criticism I have of the hangout system is that I don't believe the moderator has the ability to "give the floor" to any one particular individual. Without mutual respect and tact, a Google Hangout can be reduced to a08/31/2015 - 8:37pm
Andrew Eisen: Well, I can't stream anything because I'm at work all day (still am).08/31/2015 - 8:28pm
Goth_Skunk: It seemed simple enough to me. During a shift at work I was bored and hopped on a Google Hangout that was GamerGate themed and streamed on YouTube. Granted, I was not the host, but joining in seemed fairly straightforward.08/31/2015 - 8:24pm
Andrew Eisen: So, like a space where we can all hang out and chat while the site is down? I can dig it. No idea how to do that though. Is there a way to create a public chat in Google Hangout?08/31/2015 - 8:23pm
benohawk: @Goth Thirded, I think the motion carries08/31/2015 - 8:17pm


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GreenScreen Interactive Software has announced the appointment of industry veteran Ron Chaimowitz as the company's Chief Executive Officer.
Chaimowitz co-founded GT Interactive Software in 1993 and was most recently CEO of PixelPlay.
GreenScreen also announced that it has completed the acquisitions of two independent publishers - Destination Software, Inc. and ZOO Digital Publishing.
"The acquisition of these two publishers provides us with several advantages, including world-class management, infrastructure, distribution, high-profile licenses and an exciting lineup of products for the burgeoning mass-market sector," Chaimowitz said.
"I'm looking forward to working with the seasoned industry team at GreenScreen as well as our new partners at Zoo Games to build something truly special."
ZOO Digital Publishing, the creators of the Premier Manager series, is based in Sheffield, UK. Destination Software is headquartered in New Jersey, US. Both have published for platforms such as the Wii, DS, GBA, Xbox, PS2, PC and PSP and will form the core of a new casual game label to be known as Zoo Games.
"We are pleased to align ourselves with GreenScreen Interactive Software, and are excited at the opportunities generated by a global organization," said ZOO Digital chairman Ian Stewart.
"We look forward to expanding our presence beyond the European marketplace, and working hand in hand with a group of successful and dynamic industry professionals to further develop the company's product portfolio."


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Grand Illusion: Walmart’s Birthday ‘Gift’ to Chinatown
- 06 Mar 2012
- Written by Bobbi Murray
OUT OF FRYING PAN - Happy Birthday, Walmart! You great big mega-marketing rascal–you turn 50 this week. You’ve come such a long way from Roger, Arkansas, the tiny town at the foot of the Ozarks where you took your first wobbly steps. Now you’re an international star! The planet’s biggest private-sector employer, with 2.2 million “associates” throughout the world—we usually call ‘em employees, but whatever– 1.4 million in the United States. Creator of history’s most efficient global supply chain, you call the shots on production, wage and workplace standards around the world—the Walmart business model ruthlessly undercut those everywhere. Plus you have shriveled and destroyed small business communities in towns across the United States.
Star power, dudes.
Now you are here in Los Angeles celebrating the big Five Oh with a new acquisition.
It’s tasteful, not large and gaudy, like your typical 200,000 square foot megastore. A valuable little gem.
You are establishing a small-scale grocery in Chinatown near downtown Los Angeles.
The news broke February 24, right here on Frying Pan News – City Hall sources confirmed that Walmart has gotten some of the necessary permits to establish a 33,000 square foot grocery downstairs at a mixed-use complex at Cesar Chavez and Grand that includes a senior citizens complex.
Nice touch, Walmart, the senior living thing. Of course, local Chinatown mom-and-pop shops will be hard-put to keep up with your ability to stock factory-farmed foods from all over the world. Making omelets, breaking eggs—like that—can’t be sad about it.
Oh, oops! Sorry to be sour on your birthday. You look great. Check out that firm bottom line. Is that a muscular 27 percent increase in fourth quarter income in 2011 right there? DO NOT listen to the word “sagging” in reference to your domestic sales. Not what you want to hear on your 50th, Lord knows.
The haters can be vicious.
But you know that declining domestic sales are the reason it’s so important for Walmart to move into LA’s Chinatown.
You have owned the rural and suburban areas in these United States for at least a decade now–but there’s gold in them there urban communities—maybe $100 billion to be made in ten cities, Los Angeles among them.
That’s according to Nelson Lichtenstein —who probably knows more about Walmart than anyone, including Walmart.
The historian and author of the lively book The Retail Revolution—How WalMart Created a Brave New World of Business, Lichtenstein has traveled the world–China, South Africa, Bentonville, AR– to document Walmart’s wildly successful and savvy combination of visionary technical know-how and backward, virulently anti-worker politics.
The Walmart model has re-made the global economic landscape—starting with the United States. The shoppers that make up Walmart’s base are precisely those hurt by the devastating economic downturn of the last few years, Lichtenstein told Frying Pan News, so they are spending a little less at Walmart.
Here’s the New York Times on that subject.
Since purchase power of Walmart’s traditional market has slipped it’s more important than ever to expand into cities.
Walmart may now be desperate enough for urban markets to sustain losses to get into L.A., Lichtenstein says, the Chinatown store may be an expensive experiment to establish a beachhead.
The uber-retailer has been discouraged from locating in L.A. because of an ordinance that requires reporting on employment and community standards—such trifles as health coverage, decent wages and neighborhood environmental health.
The local Chinatown community, labor and others are mobilized against a Chinatown Walmart. The world’s Number One retailer may be in for a costly fight.
“The point is to get it in there,” Lichtenstein says. “Economics is irrelevant to placing this first neighborhood market.”
(Bobbi Murray has reported on politics, economics, police reform and health-care issues for Los Angeles magazine, LA Weekly and The Nation. This article was posted first at fryingpannews.org) -cw
Vol 10 Issue 19
Pub. Mar. 6, 2012


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Cheapskate exclusive! The iOrange-E cable is flat, MFi-certified and equipped with a simple but incredibly useful feature.
The Tesla CEO echoes the words earlier this week of Stephen Hawking, and says he invests in AI so he can keep an eye on it.
Apple is bulking up its iCloud offering while making it more reasonably priced. But a bad experience with the current version makes going back difficult.
While I can see the benefits of the Android platform, especially with regard to hardware, it's just not the mobile experience I want.
By hiring Katie Couric, Marissa Mayer makes a sharp turn toward her mission of entertaining us. It's only the latest move in Mayer's plan to bring Yahoo into the bright lights.
Now that I've lived with both, I can safely say that I prefer a smaller, more affordable tablet.
As part of Road Trip 2015, CNET sits down in Ho Chi Minh City with the CEO of Misfit Wearables to talk about the Vietnam tech scene and why the fitness tracker is making a big bet on the country.
What incredible feat of crowd-funded engineering got Steve Wozniak to gush on Gizmodo? Here's a hint: It fits in your wallet.
From CNET Magazine: Actor and entrepreneur LeVar Burton, host of the beloved "Reading Rainbow" TV show-turned-iPad app, is putting interactive books and video field trips on more devices than ever -- thanks to readers like you. It's quite a story.
The latest iOS version of the popular app includes a text-to-speech reading option.


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The belt was reportedly fashioned out of South
African hornback crocodile skin and was made on the spot for the cost of $500.
The owner said O’Neil also bought a leather belt in Laker colors for $100, and
employees went crazy when he came in.
You can check out a picture of O’Neil at the shop and
the crocodile belt at the above link.


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Hotels in Nepal to stay shut till November, staff to get paid 12.5 percent basic salary
The Hotel Association Nepal (HAN) — the umbrella organisation representing tourist standard hotels in Nepal — has decided to close their operations till mid-November.
The executive committee meeting of HAN, which took place today, decided to close hotels across the country initially for six months effective from April 13 by paying 12.5 per cent of staff’s basic monthly salary.
Shreejana Rana, president of HAN, said that they were compelled to shut hotels as there was no business due to halted tourist mobility to combat the spread of coronavirus. “We have already had no business at all since almost two months.
Though we are shut, we will be paying 12.5 per cent of staffs’ basic salary every month and the amount is close to the government’s basic determined salary for workers,” she said.
HAN is officially submitting its decisions to the government on Monday.
If workers do not cooperate in implementing the aforementioned decisions, hotels will start cutting down staff totally or partially, as per HAN.
“We have fulfilled our responsibilities towards workers.
It is now the responsibility of the government to retain them,” said Rana.
Meanwhile, HAN has also urged the government to set up a Job Retention Fund to help hotels and businesses retain their staffs.


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The Micronics management team will also have a significant ownership stake in the business.
Headquartered in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, Micronics provides filtration products to a range of industries worldwide including mining, chemical, wastewater, metals, and food and beverage. Micronics also has locations in the UK. The company offers filter presses of all sizes, including the fully automatic Lasta MC for mining, replacement plates, parts and filter cloth for all equipment. Micronics has locations in the UK and is the only distributor for Ishigaki Co Ltd in North and South America.
“In Vance Street, we could not have found a better partner as Micronics enters its next phase of growth,” said Micronics CEO Barry Hibble. “The firm has extensive experience working with manufacturers as well as a deep understanding of operations. This transaction is a positive development for our company and our hard-working employees as we look to the future with our new partners.”
“We look forward to working closely with Barry Hibble and the entire Micronics management team to help the company capitalize on the many growth opportunities it has before it, both here and abroad,” said Jake Blumenthal, principal at Vance Street Capital. “We focus on investing in companies that provide engineered solutions to blue chip customers and we feel that Micronics is perfectly positioned to continue to gain market share.”


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Registered users with wallets in Criptolago have an announcement board to offer petros. Because of the oversupply and low interest in buying, some users choose to sell off their PTR funds.
Currently, hundreds of Venezuelans are seeking an alternative that allows them to exchange or sell their funds in Petro (PTR). The Venezuelan exchange Criptolago announced, last February 27th, that it had enabled the peer-to-peer (P2P) trading of the government’s cryptocurrency project.
However, it seems as though the initiative has not provided an effective solution, given the low interest in buying observed on the platform.
The registered and verified users that own wallets in Criptolago can now transfer their funds in PTR from PetroApp to their wallet on the Venezuelan platform. From there, they can offer them for sale or purchase, when an interested party accepts the offer, an agreement is reached.
This is a P2P market where people go to buy and trade or exchange the government’s cryptocurrency. It is observed on the billboard that some offers have been made starting from 0.1 PTR, the minimum amount allowed to trade. It should be noted that the transactions on the platform have a cost of 2%.
As soon as Criptolago announced that it had enabled the P2P trading of PTR, some offers began to arrive. According to the system, in less than 48 hours more than 260 offers, mostly for sale, have been uploaded. Due to the oversupply and low interest in buying, some users choose to sell off their PTR funds.
The average rate observed on the billboard is of about 1,800,000 bolivars (VES) per unit, even though the Patria (Homeland) system, the platform used by the Venezuelan government to provide subsidies, indicates that the value reached VES 4,043,700.42.
A user requested the exchange to minimize speculation and display the complete book of orders, in addition to the full volume for each pair of cryptocurrencies. He also wants the financial institution to accelerate the time of fiat funding and withdrawal of the wallet, and to expand the P2P exchange to more peers.
Several users also asked Criptolago administrators to restore the purchase of Bitcoin with Petro, which was active until recently and was canceled for unknown reasons. The option still can be seen on the platform, but it is active for the exchange of Bitcoin for Petro, which has created confusion among those interested in this option.
According to other comments, the new Criptolago’s P2P trading proves that Petro is not achieving the objective for which it was created since it cannot be used as a means of payment or exchange due to the few available options. Before reserving it as a long-term savings method, many Venezuelans prefer to exchange their PTR funds for the devalued VES, which implies losing more than 50% of its official value.
Last April 2018, President Nicolás Maduro announced the names of 16 exchanges in which transactions with PTR could be conducted, but not all of them are operational. However, there are still some options, such as Antwerp, where PTR can be exchanged for other cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Litecoin, Dash and Ether.
Last January, several users registered on the LocalBitcoins and Hodl Hodl exchange platforms published P2P sale and purchase announcements with PTR. The emergence of exchanges with PTR in foreign crypto exchanges caught people’s attention as their trading, driven by the Maduro’s government, was theoretically limited to a handful of Venezuelan exchanges.
By Alexander Salazar


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Majid Al Futtaim has finally launched the first Carrefour store in Uganda at the popular Oasis Mall which is located in Kampala. The new store is located at Oasis Mall and it covers 2,800 square meters.
Presiding over the official ceremony, Hon. Amelia Kyambadde, Uganda’s Minister for Trade, Industry and Cooperatives stated that the country’s growing population, coupled with a vibrant economy will support Majid Al Futtaim’s commitment to Uganda.
“The entry of a global retail brand like Carrefour goes a long way in ensuring that the expanding community is catered to. With rapid urbanization, there is an increased demand for superior and high-quality products offered at great value, and we are very confident that in Majid Al Futtaim, we have the right partner,” she said.
The store will stock up to 20,000 products, a mix of international and local brands, all certified by relevant government agencies, applying international hygiene standards in order to guarantee food safety to customers.
Majid Al Futtaim has recruited 130 Ugandan employees and has contracted 50 more from external local companies. The company has also engaged 260 local suppliers to stock the Carrefour store in Uganda. The company owns the franchise rights to operate the Carrefour brand in over 30 countries across the Middle East, Africa and Asia. Today it operates over 300 stores in 16 countries across that network.


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The Street was a bit surprised with Apple’s (AAPL) announcement that there will be no price hikes for the newly released iPhone 14 (at least in the US). That’s not the only surprising thing about Apple right now, according to Wedbush’s Daniel Ives; the analyst thinks early demand trends are a tad surprising, and are coming in better-than-anticipated.
“We already are seeing delivery times push to mid-October for many Pro models and most pre-orders are now looking at 3-4 week deliveries and quickly pushing out,” the 5-star analyst said. “So far demand and orders for iPhone 14 are tracking slightly ahead of iPhone 13 and are tracking ahead of our expectations out of the gates.”
Even better, as far as ASPs (average selling price) are concerned, Ives’ checks indicate a “very heavy Pro/Pro Max mix that could be in the 80%-90% range.”
Ives thinks that of the global 1 billion iPhone users, around 240 million haven’t upgraded handsets in more than 3.5 years. This suggests there should be strong demand for the latest version, whose distinguishing features include the next-gen A16 Apple silicon chip (iPhone 14 Pro) and a 48-megapixel main camera – something Apple fans will “loudly applaud.”
The mix favoring Pro/Pro Max is especially promising and one Ives expects will continue. Estimating that around 30% of Chinese users are due an upgrade, Ives thinks many of them will head to the Pro/Pro Max section.
At the pace of current sales, Ives mulls over the prospect “many” Apple stores will have Pro shortages by late September/early October. The analyst sees Apple as well-equipped to navigate the difficult macro conditions, and based on the initial demand, thinks the “baseline for ~220 million iPhone units in FY23 is likely a low bar.”
So, good news for Apple but how does this translate to investors? Ives maintains an Outperform (i.e., Buy) rating while his $220 price target suggests the shares are currently undervalued to the tune of 43%. (To watch Ives’ track record, click here)
Most on the Street agree. Of the 28 analyst reviews posted during the past 3 months, 23 are to Buy. The average price target stands at $183.56, providing room for 12-month gains of ~19%. (See Apple stock forecast on TipRanks)
To find good ideas for stocks trading at attractive valuations, visit TipRanks’ Best Stocks to Buy, a newly launched tool that unites all of TipRanks’ equity insights.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the featured analyst. The content is intended to be used for informational purposes only. It is very important to do your own analysis before making any investment.


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Industry body PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry has urged the Centre to launch ‘District Level Ease of Doing Business’ rankings to ensure that smaller towns become more business-friendly in the coming times.
The industry body’s President D. K. Aggarwal, in a virtual interaction with Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal, suggested the measure to promote healthy competition in more than 700 districts in the country.
“The focus should be put upon One District One Product (ODOP) scheme that aims to give boost to the traditional industries and enable the people to gain expertise in one product,” Aggarwal said, as per a statement.
“The scheme has the potential to contribute towards the growth of states’ GSDP and raise the quality of the products.”
According to Aggarwal, in the post-Covid scenario, there would be noticeable changes in the global supply chains and India should focus on capturing a significant share in the world economic system.
“To become ‘AatmaNirbhar Bharat’, it is now imperative for our country to reduce import content and divert trade towards friendly nations while focusing on enhancing indigenous production and domestic capacity building,” he said.
He further said that India should completely stop the entry of products from China, especially in the current difficult time, which may hurt the growth prospects of indigenous manufacturers.
“At this juncture, bolstering manufacturing at competitive costs should be a key focus area for the government,” Aggarwal said.
“India should take advantage of the global supply chain disruptions and become a global manufacturing and exporting hub, going forward.”
In addition, he said that India has immense potential to become a $100 billion FDI destination by 2022.
“Cost competitiveness of our businesses enterprises should be enhanced and a level playing field should be created.
“The government should focus on further reducing the cost of doing business in the country including the costs of capital, costs of compliances, costs of logistics, costs of land and availability of land and costs of labour,” he said.


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February 9, 2021
Vans has announced a limited-time footwear collaboration featuring four rising Black artists in honor of Black History Month.
“As we live our purpose to enable creative expression, we are proud to partner with each artist to uplift and amplify their voices during Black History Month and beyond,” says Carly Gomez, vice president, marketing, the Americas, Vans.
This initiative showcases four creatives:
- Rewina Beshue, whose work includes multimedia, painting, printmaking and graphic design;
- Sydney G. James, a muralist and fine artist who is a leading creative voice in southeast Michigan;
- Chris Martin, an artist that explores the African Diaspora and spotlights the history of The South through multiple disciplines; and
- Tony Whlgn, a visual artist who has worked with Big K.R.I.T. Joey Badass, Marc Ecko and NYC’s KITH. He is known for creating his art on unconventional mediums.
“As creatives, the least we can do is speak our truth and hope it resonates and uplifts others,” says Martin.
Each week in February, Vans.com will feature a different artist and delve into their story and work. With this, Vans will release their Vans custom design that embodies their styles and spirits.
“The design is special because, for me, it goes way beyond a shoe,” says James. “It brings my life as an artist full circle. As a child artist, like many young artists, and into adulthood, I’ve always drawn and painted on clothes, walls and shoes. My parents granted me such liberties. And now, as I am soon to become a 42-year-old Black woman, I have created art in all three mediums professionally and MY way. There’s something poetic and encouraging in that.”
Each artist will be featured in store windows of all Vans stores across the U.S. and Canada for the entire month of February, as well as on Vans.com and Vans social media accounts.
In addition, Vans will also be donating $40,000 to the Black Arts Future Fund. The donation will fund granting efforts to small and community-based Black arts organizations across the country. Vans fans can also support Black Art Futures Fund by donating their Vans Family points up to $25,000 within the U.S.
“It brings me absolute joy to use my art to uplift Black art communities,” says Beshue.
“It is important to use my platform to amplify positivity in Black communities through art and creativity.”
Vans has also reintroduced its “Foot the Bill” program to support small businesses that the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted. In conjunction with Black History Month, Vans will spotlight three Black-owned businesses each week as part of directing consumers to Black-owned businesses throughout the U.S.
“My hope is for people to unlearn what they’ve been taught, to do the work of the inner and outer self and receive the intergenerational messages of love, peace and happiness,” says Whlgn.
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Amazon is getting into more brick-and-mortar stores. While the retail giant purchased Whole Foods last year, Amazon had previously opened up a convenience store for employees under its own brand in Seattle in 2016.
Amazon Go was supposed to be a cashierless, checkout-line-free store to help get people in and out faster — a convenience store of the future. But while Amazon employees have been able to use the store for the past year or so, it had failed to open to the public. Until now.
Recode Senior Editor Jason Del Rey recently got a look at the store, which is located at the bottom of Amazon’s main office tower in Seattle, before it opens to the public on Monday, Jan. 22. Let’s take a look.
You scan a special Amazon Go app on the way in to get access to the store. On the way out, you just walk out — no scanning.
Like this story? Like CNBC Make It on Facebook!
Here’s what the new Amazon Go cashierless convenience store looks like


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Around 1,700 jobs are under threat in the small town of Broxburn, near Edinburgh, Scotland. Food processing firm Vion UK has threatened to close its Hall’s of Broxburn pig slaughter and processing plant.
This affects 1,150 permanent and 595 agency workers, who were told last week that a 90-day “consultation period” had begun during which the company will seek to extract enough concessions from the workforce to allow the plant to remain open.
Vion UK is one of a handful of abattoir and meat processing companies dominating the British market. The Dutch-owned Vion NV parent company, with a global turnover of €9.5 billion and employing 26,500 workers worldwide, inherited the Broxburn plant when it purchased the Grampian Country Food Group in 2008. Vion has 46 sites in the UK, along with 63 in Germany and 90 in the Netherlands.
The closure threat is a part of Vion’s European-wide “Balancing the Future” restructuring programme, to defend profit margins as economic slump and changing consumer preferences alter food buying habits. Vion UK lost £39.6 million last year, during which it closed plants in Sheffield and Doncaster at a cost of 460 jobs.
The Broxburn plant slaughters 8,000 pigs a week, processing the carcasses into sausages, black pudding, bacon, pies and similar products. Its capacity is as high as 20,000 carcasses but is competing against European operations with a capacity of 60,000 pigs a week.
The company intends to focus on the most lucrative areas of its business, as well as reorganising and rationalising its management and support operations to reduce the wage bill. Entire product ranges are expected to be dropped, while job losses are being prepared in the company’s other key markets.
In addition to the Broxburn workers, 340 workers are losing their jobs in the Netherlands along with 290 in the company’s German operations, mainly in the town of Wunstorf, near Hanover. As part of the same plan, the company is expanding its operations in Northern Ireland. Vion’s Cookstown plant, which is in direct competition with Broxburn, intends to take on 164 workers. Vion aims to make the Cookstown facility the largest meat processing plant in Ireland.
Vion recently purchased Eastman Gel from Eastman Kodak, to allow the company to take over a major share of the North American gelatine industry. It is also seeking to expand operations in the BRIC countries.
Closure of the Broxburn plant will devastate the small town, whose total population is around 12,000. Many workers at the 30-year-old plant will not readily find alternative work. Across West Lothian, in which the Hall’s is the third-largest private sector employer, some 7,200 workers are reported to be chasing a mere 900 vacancies. Unemployment is currently around the national average of 7.9 percent, and youth unemployment stands at 9.9 percent.
The closure also threatens numbers of pig farmers with ruin, as the increased costs of transporting live animals to the nearest alternative site, reported to be York, will imperil marginal small-farming operations. Rearing pigs, which draws no subsidy from the European Union’s Common Agricultural Policy, has declined by 50 percent over the last 10 years in Scotland, while UK pig production costs are generally 12 percent higher than in Europe.
The response of retail workers’ trade union USDAW, representing 800 workers at the plant, was to express concern for the company’s profit margins. Stewart Forrest, Deputy Scottish Divisional Officer, told the press that having been informed of Vion UK’s losses, the union had persuaded workers earlier this year to cancel annual pay negotiations.
Forrest also focussed on the Cookstown plant, blaming workers in Northern Ireland for Broxburn’s problems. “We were certainly not aware of this investment at another Vion site which we see as a mirror image of the Broxburn one,” he said. “We will be raising it as part of the consultation to see if this investment has had any implications on what has happened here.”
The USDAW’s response is identical to that of the Unite union in another Vion plant in Cambuslang, Glasgow. Earlier this year, 300 workers struck in pursuit of a pay increase in the notoriously low-paying industry. It followed a 91 percent vote for a strike.
Unite called off a planned series of rolling strikes on “key production dates” on hearing news that Vion had lost a poultry contract with Sainsbury’s supermarket chain, 40 percent of which was supplied from the Cambuslang site.
The closure threat is a debacle for the Scottish government, which last year handed over £1.5 million to Vion at Broxburn on the basis that the company would create 250 posts and 100 apprenticeships. The Scottish finance secretary, the SNP’s John Swinney, launched a task force to attempt to keep the plant open. The USDAW, Vion management, West Lothian Council, local MPs and numerous industry and local investment agencies are also participating. The British government’s Scottish Secretary, Michael Moore, also supported a “united team Scotland approach”.
Scottish first minister Alex Salmond ostentatiously visited the plant, posturing as an ally of Hall’s workers. Salmond’s preferred option is to find a new buyer. Morrison’s supermarket chain’s own meat-processing operation has been touted as a possibility.
Any rescue package will inevitably be based on further concessions, both in terms of jobs and wages, and on tax handouts.
No confidence whatsoever should be placed in the trade unions, the main political parties or the investment agencies. An independent action committee must be set up to seek support from all Vion workers and the broadest layers of the working class in Britain, Ireland and internationally.


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Last month at Google I/O, Android chief Sundar Pichai surprised everyone by announcing the Android One initiative. This initiative, which will be launched first in India, will see sub-$100 smartphones running on stock Android from Micromax, Karbonn and Spice. A report on Business Standard now claims that the first smartphones could be launched within the next three months. The report reveals that Sundar Pichai will be coming to India sometime between September and October to launch Android One smartphones. Also Read - UEFA Euro 2020: Colourful Google Doodle kicks off European Football ChampionshipAlso Read - Fake apps scam: How to identify fake apps on Android, iOS
Android One has the potential to shake up the entry-level segment in India, where smartphones aren t known for the hardware or software quality. This will change as Google will provide both software guidelines as well as hardware reference designs to OEMs. Also Read - Android 12 beta 2 rolling out: New privacy features, tweaked design and more
Not much is known about the hardware, except that the first Android One smartphone from Micromax will feature a 4.5-inch display, dual-SIM card slots, FM Radio and a microSD card slot. A separate report also claimed that Google had tied up with MediaTek to provide chipsets for these affordable smartphones.


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August 16, 2011
Fusion Garage Grid10 tablet up for pre-order
Tablets are meant to roll fast; hence we’re seeing them flooding our shores untiringly. The Fusion Garage Grid10 is the latest edition to our catalog of desirable tablets. It showed up for pre-order and promises latest Android support with, a 10.1-inch display that supports resolutions as much as a whopping 1366×768 pixels, powered by a 1.2GHz Nvidia Tegra 2 dual-core CPU, 16GB storage space with microSD expansion and HDMI out.
The Fusion Garage Grid10 uses the GridOS on an Android kernel. It’s up for pre-order at Amazon.com. Get it for $499, next month.


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Tesco Mobile is hoping a new brand identity “pulling” the company closer to the Tesco masterbrand will help the business differentiate itself in the crowded mobile market.
The rebrand, which features a refreshed pulse logo, new use of brand colours and energetic visuals, is seen as a new way to bring the connection between Tesco Mobile and the wider Tesco family to life.
“It’s a hugely competitive market and becoming increasingly commoditised, so it’s absolutely crucial that Tesco Mobile creates a differentiated brand that helps us standout in that market and the brand identity is just the first step in that strategy and how we make sure we really cut through,” explains Tesco Mobile CMO, Rachel Swift.
“I believe that pulling us closer to the Tesco masterbrand and ensuring that the identity really cues quality and expertise is absolutely vital for us in the market. It’s just one step in the right direction.”


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CNN – Americans have become increasingly more apt to choose quick and easy comfort food during the pandemic.
Most pizza chains are selling exponentially more cheesy goodness. On Tuesday, Papa John’s reported its sales have risen 24% in the past four weeks in North America. Internationally, sales rose 23%.
While other restaurants have struggled during the pandemic, pizza — which is often delivered anyway — has been a help to people who are barred from eating inside at restaurants or to those who are still afraid to leave their homes. The low cost is also a persuasive factor during the worst recession since the Great Depression.
“Papa John’s numbers demonstrate that value and convenience is likely to be a powerful combination even a post-pandemic environment,” Morningstar analyst R.J. Hottovy told CNN Business.
Papa John’s sales rose 28% at its North American stores for the three months ending on June 28, which encompassed the continued spread of coronavirus and nationwide lockdowns. July was also strong: sales increased 30% in North America and nearly 14% internationally.
They are selling so much grub in fact, the chain announced it would hire 30,000 new workers to meet the growing demand for pizza.
And they aren’t the only chain to do so.
Domino’s also announced it will hire 20,000 employees. Last month, Domino’s said second-quarter sales at stores open at least a year increased by 16%. The Domino’s CEO Ritch Allison said customers are buying more pizza to keep leftovers in the fridge.
“They’re thinking about not just that evening’s meal, but how they’re planning for the following day,” he said.
Pizza Hut was struggling before the pandemic, but now it’s growing too. Sales at stores open at least a year rose 1% last quarter. However the chain relied more heavily on a dine-in experience, and NPC International announced it’s closing 300 locations and selling 900 location as part of its bankruptcy agreement.
In contrast, Papa John’s said most of its 3,000 North America locations have reopened.
Hottovy predicts that Domino’s and Papa John’s will continue to be successful moving forward. The two chains “are likely to be the pacesetters for the broader restaurant category over the foreseeable future as we move from a period of pandemic uncertainty to a period of economic uncertainty,” he added.


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Topic: ALDI Group
Top galleries, list articles, quizzes
After horse meat was found in 11 of 18 tested lasagna products, the UK's Food Standards Agency ordered further testing of "all beef products, such as beef burgers, meatballs and lasagna."
A year after Britain's worst rioting in decades, scars remain in London's Tottenham district. Many young people in cities say that rioting could break out again as poor conditions persist, says poll.
Wal-Mart is in a bright spot, for now. But Wal-mart is concerned that high gas prices will cause customers to spend less.
05/18/2011 10:00 am
With a little help from my friends, I learned valuable lessons about getting tropical plants such as orchids and bromeliads to bloom.
11/16/2010 07:36 pm
Whether you live to eat or eat to live, eating costs money. Here's 13 ways you can save money next time you head to the grocery store.
04/27/2010 06:25 pm
U.S. families use ingenuity and belt-tightening to save on mounting grocery bills.
06/12/2008 01:00 am


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Today, we were contacted by another of our readers who's obviously experiencing the same problems with their Galaxy S III. When they spotted a crack on the bottom of their handset, they tried to contact Samsung, but the company replied that this particular kind of damage isn't covered by the warranty, and they have to take the device to Samsung's Repair Center. When our reader visited the closest Repair Center, they were told that about 30 users have already brought their Galaxy S III's to this center, due to similar issues. Apparently, the guys from the Samsung Repair Center have reported the issue to Samsung, however, the company has denied to admit it being a widespread problem.
We've reached out to Samsung to see if they have something interesting to say regarding the situation and will report to you when we get an answer.
Here's the full, uncut message by our user:
Please advise all readers and I sincerely hope you will investigate this issue and take the matter up with Samsung as it is absolutely inequitable.


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Legend of Edda: Level cap raise to 40 starting Oct.1st
JC Planet reveals that [Legend of Edda: Global Edition]’s level cap will be raised on Oct. 1st. The cap will add 10 new levels. Along with the Level raises, first update brings several significant changes to the game including reveal of unknown territory and new dungeons. Edda team expects that pristine area and added dungeon would wake of your adventurous journey of Legend of Edda: Global Edition.
Moreover, Edda team opened item mall to maximize players’ convenience on Sep. 26th. Every player can customize their characters as they wish with tones of cute and sleek items from now on. If you conquer every quest of Edda, it’s time to challenge the new world of Legend of Edda: Global Edition.
For more info, visit https://edda.jcplanet.com/Event/OpenEvent
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2021 was yet another tumultuous year. Which stock market sectors thrived during the twists and turns of the last 12 months, and which faltered?
A Global Breakdown of Greenhouse Gas Emissions by Sector In a few decades, greenhouse gases (GHGs)—chiefly in the form of CO₂ emissions—have risen at unprecedented rates...
After the coronavirus-related market crash in early 2020, billionaires across every sector saw a double-digit increase in wealth.
World emissions have reached almost 50 billion tonnes of greenhouse gases (GHGs) and counting. Which major sectors do they originate from?
In just a few months, the U.S. economy reeled from COVID-19. As real change in GDP suffered, which states and industries were the hardest-hit?
We don't think of the Great Lakes as its own economy, but maybe we should. It's tightly integrated by trade, and generates $6 trillion in GDP...
This infographic breaks down the colors used in branding across industries - and it shows how different colors can mean different things based on context.


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Experienced Dallas, Texas, product liability attorney, Witherite, is aware of recent warning letters sent to drivers by Discount Tire. The written advisories were distributed to Discount Tire consumers concerning a problem with the rubber air valve stems. Apparently, the air valve stems, supplied by Dill Air Controls, crack prematurely causing air to seep out of the tire. The leaking air causes tire failure resulting in accidents. The warning came over a year too late for the Weir family. In June 2007, the family’s Crown Victoria, equipped with tires from Discount Tire, was totaled while their son was driving. The Weir family received the Discount Tire warning letter about 10 days ago. The letter from Englert, CEO of Discount Tire, states, “Discount Tire has received a few reports of accidents, including one fatality, allegedly caused by a cracked valve stem, and we are actively investigating these accidents.”
Dallas product liability lawyer, Witherite, is urging Discount tire owners to take the following steps and have their tires inspected:
1. Schedule an appointment as soon as possible for a free valve stem replacement service by visiting www.DTCcares.com or call 1-888-356-0262.
2. If you have already paid someone to replace you valve stems, obtain a reimbursement form at www.DTCcares.com or call 1-888-356-0262.
3. Regularly check your tire’s air pressure for signs of slow air leaks.
4. Keep your defective tires.
3100 Monticello, Suite 500
Dallas, Texas 75205
Toll Free: (888) 407-6669


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It transpired over the last 24 hours that one man is likely to have been responsible for some of bitcoins biggest price drops over the last few months. The Japanese whale and Mt.Gox bankruptcy trustee we reported on yesterday, who sold almost $400 million worth of BTC, some of it at the very bottom on Feb 6th. He crashed the market by 75% by selling the bitcoins in couple of rounds.
In the following chart made by redditor u/riverflop you can see the exact correlation between the sales of bitcoin by the trustee and the market dumps.
Kobayashi made his disclosure in the report from the 10th creditors’ meeting, which took place yesterday (Wednesday). In the report, he said he’d started selling off the bitcoin and bitcoin cash to raise money for disbursements that the trustee will soon need to begin making as bankruptcy claims are being evaluated, per Bloomberg.
The MT Gox trustee has sold half a billion worth of bitcoin and bitcoin cash between December 2017 and February 2018 it was revealed today.
He sold the first batch of 6k bitcoin on December 22nd, sending price from nearly $16,000 to a brief low of $10,800. Then he waited for market to recover and sold another batch of 8k bitcoins on January 17th. Which again produced the same effect – crashed the bitcoin price.
Kobayashi then does another sell on January 31st, this time for approximately 6k bitcoins. The vast majority of bitcoins were sold on February 6th which implies that he actually tried to crash the market by selling at the bottom.
Something else that many commentators have about is why he is selling on exchanges and not OTC which would smooth out the dumps and not affect the market so profoundly:
The strangest thing about this guy selling 40K #Bitcoin for MtGox victims is that he just sold on exchanges. How can such an incompetent person be in charge of this? Just OTC it.
— WhalePanda (@WhalePanda) March 8, 2018
The trustee still has around another 180k BTC to sell. However, it should be noted that according to redditor u/riverflop:
“MtGox owed creditors 41.5 billion JPY ($391 million) and the total value of the sold BTC is 43 billion JPY ($405 million). This leads me to think they have sold enough BTC to pay off the debt to creditors and won’t be selling any more BTC any time soon (They didn’t sell anything for over a month).”
It it notable that the price bounced back to over $10k which shows how much demand there is for bitcoin, and implies that once these Mt.Gox sell-offs are over, the bitcoin price should start to rise as many crypto commentators have predicted.
We now know that the amazing drop in the price of Bitcoin was caused by a Japanese man liquidating the MTGox hoard. This means that the price of almost $20,000 will return and then be greatly exceeded. There are only a few sources where mega-drops like this can be triggered.
— Beautyon (@Beautyon_) March 7, 2018
Main image courtesy of Zero Hedge.


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Japan the Model
Date: May 23, 2013
Source: The New York Times, By PAUL KRUGMAN
A generation ago, Japan was widely admired — and feared — as an economic paragon. Business best sellers put samurai warriors on their covers, promising to teach you the secrets of Japanese management; thrillers by the likes of Michael Crichton portrayed Japanese corporations as unstoppable juggernauts rapidly consolidating their domination of world markets.
Continue reading »


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Smartphone pricing has been outrageous for a long time. Paying $600 and up for a smartphone is tough to swallow, and the reason people find it so easy is due to 2 year contracts subsidizing prices to $200 and lower. But the industry is slowly but surely moving away from contracts, and phone prices have to get lower.
The first step was the line of Nexus devices, which were released for very low prices of $350 and even $300. Then there was the Moto G, which offers very nice mid range specs for only $180 off contract. We also have devices with high end specs launching for far under $600 off contract these days, which is an improvement already. But according to OnePlus CEO Pete Lau, the new OnePlus One will be significantly under $400.
The OnePlus One is going to be the first device designed together with CyanogenMod and running the software out of the box. The CEO of the company took the time to make fun of statements like “It’ll be under $500″ when the actual price is $499, and said that the OnePlus One will actually be under $400. This could mean anything, like $380 or even lower. Even so, such a price for what should be a high end smartphone is actually really nice.
We hope to see smartphone pricing plummet within the next few years, as companies like OnePlus, Motorola, and others show companies how to build amazing phones that don’t cost a crazy amount of money. I think the industry is heading in that direction, and I’m excited to see how it turns out. I’m also excited to see what the OnePlus One is like, are you?


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ORLANDO, Fla. – The 2017 Kitchen and Bath Industry Show announced a 17-percent increase in qualified attendance. Major brands and several new exhibitors have already committed for the 2018 event, with net square footage of exhibit space for 2018 up 13-percent year-over-year. KBIS will take place January 9-11, 2018 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando.
“Our verified growth confirms what we already knew; KBIS 2017 was one of our most successful kitchen and bath industry shows to date,” said Brian Pagel, SVP, Emerald Expositions. “KBIS 2018 is setting up to be an even bigger and more successful show. I look forward to continuing to see the kitchen and bath industry growth this year, and to returning to Orlando in 2018.”
At KBIS 2017 in Orlando, NKBA CEO Bill Darcy delivered the 2017 State of the Industry Address, discussing annual design trends and economic research studies taking place in the $134 billion kitchen and bath industry.
One NKBA study, “Estimated Market Value for the Kitchen & Bath Remodeling and New Residential Construction Markets,” found that each year homeowners remodel upwards of 10.2 million kitchens, roughly one in 10 of all households, and 14.2 million bathrooms.
The NKBA with KBIS hosted the first public event supporting the This Old House Generation Next philanthropic campaign to encourage and empower young people to join the skilled trades. All proceeds from the campaign went to the mikeroweWORKS Foundation’s Work Ethic Scholarship Program, providing scholarships to people getting trained for skilled jobs in demand.
Also in 2017, the NKBA Presents KBISNeXT Stage sponsored by HomeAdvisor offered inspiring programming delivered from some of the most well respected names in kitchen and bath design. A highlight of KBIS 2017 was the all new Discovery District, which served as a center for exploring unique and potentially undiscovered brands and products new to KBIS.
KBIS will return to Orlando and the Orange County Convention Center January 9-11, 2018. For more information, visit http://kbis.com.
Have something to say? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.


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Home » Business » NYSE patent filings show bourse’s plans to become digital currency, NFT marketplace
The world’s largest stock trading platform is considering becoming a digital currency and non-fungible token (NFT) marketplace. The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) has filed a number of patents that would allow it to expand into digital assets and even the metaverse, but it says it has no immediate plans to make any move into Bitcoin.
In its patent filings on February 10, which just became public, the stock trading giant applied to register “NYSE” for goods and/or services that it may create and offer which relate to digital assets, tokens, NFTs and metaverse-related technology such as augmented reality.
The NYSE also filed for the “provision of an online marketplace for buyers, sellers, and traders of downloadable digital goods authenticated by non-fungible tokens (NFTs).” This marketplace would also encompass virtual an


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ONTARIO HOME PRICES EXPECTED TO REVERSE RECENT DECLINES
The recent easing of home prices in Ontario isn’t expected to last long, thanks to solid economic growth projections and rising interest rates. The province will see “moderate” increases in home prices driven by the state of the province’s economy, the lack of ownership affordability and the balance between supply and demand, predicted Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. in a report on Ontario’s housing released Thursday. Based on the Crown corporation’s analysis, Ontario prices will range between $562,000 and $575,000 in 2018, but reach between $570,000 and $595,000 in 2019. In April, the Canadian Real Estate Association said the average home in the province was priced at $578,072, down 13 per cent from the year before, when the market was facing a frenzied state of sales and prices. CMHC’s report said that more below-forecast growth of the Ontario or GTA economy, steeper interest-rate increases or declining consumer and business sentiment may place extra downward pressure on prices.