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TSYS payment solutions and NetSpend general purpose reloadable (GPR) prepaid debit cards signed a definitive agreements by which TSYS will acquire NetSpend for $1.4 billion, cash. TSYS expects the transaction to be accretive to GAAP EPS for the first 12 month period following closing, excluding one-time acquisition related fees and expenses. NetSpend’s extensive distribution network provides consumers the ability to purchase prepaid debit cards at more than 62,000 distributing merchant locations, such as retailers, check cashers, convenience stores, grocers, insurance providers, tax preparers and many others. NetSpend currently serves more than 2.4 million accounts of which 46% are direct deposit.
Michael Waltrip Racing (MWR) has teamed up with CardStar from Constant Contact to give key sponsors and NASCAR partners an easy way to reward loyal fans through the CardStar app. MWR has a perfect opportunity to reach fans with targeted content and promotions through their smartphone. Race fans can become an MWR Insider anytime by downloading the CardStar app and the MWR Insider Card. The card gets them access to MWR merchandise and exclusive offers from partners and sponsors, like Aaron’s, 5-Hour ENERGY, and Monte Carlo Resort and Casino, right from their phone. The program will also drive foot traffic through geo-fencing capabilities that push special offers directly to the phones of consumers who are near participating local businesses. CardStar’s free mobile loyalty application is available on all major mobile platforms. CardStar has more than 3 million active users, and with users in all 50 U.S. states and 173 countries worldwide.
[ihc-hide-content ihc_mb_type=”show” ihc_mb_who=”0″ ihc_mb_template=”1″] Average credit card APRs did not experienced the typical post-holiday season plummet from January to February, holding at a steady 14.96% February average. Slightly higher than the 14.91% average measured the year ago period, the average credit card APR has settled just below 15%. This after a nearly 0.50% jump in…
Visa, in collaboration with mobile operators is set to demonstrate at the Mobile World Congress 2013 in Spain. Visa’s product showcase will provide attendees the NFC Mobile Payment Experience, for which it partnered with Telefonica, La Caixa and the GSMA to provide select Mobile World Congress attendees with a hands-on mobile payments experience. Also Visa and GSMA will release a new five-country study, “Unlocking the Potential: Women and Mobile Financial Services in Emerging Markets,” offering insights on how mobile financial services can better support the complex financial lives of women at the base of the pyramid.
One Point Financial (OPF) ATM operator partnered Huntington Bank, allowing the bank customers to access their accounts with no fee by using ATMs at 88 Go Mart locations. The new ATMs are in addition to the existing 31 Huntington branches and 53 Huntington ATMs. OPF finalized an agreement with Huntington to brand the ATMs. The first ATMs will be placed in Go Marts beginning in early March while all 88 are expected to be placed by mid-March.
Virtual Piggy safe youth payments announced the addition of WorldPay as a payment gateway partner. Virtual Piggy allows parents to set up a monthly allowance for their children and promotes financial management while empowering under 18’s to make purchasing, saving and other money management decisions for themselves. WorldPay is a major global leader in payment processing, handling an average of over 12 million transactions per day. WorldPay was the first UK bank to offer a full internet banking service and now operates in over 40 countries, making it one of Europe’s largest payment service providers. The company offers services across the entire payment value chain, including transaction capturing, merchant acquiring and transaction processing. The companies have completed the integration of their solutions, to which WorldPay brings 200 alternative payment mechanisms.
Computop payment service provider and SafetyPay online-banking payment solution allowing consumers to shop and pay directly from their bank account announced their strategic global partnership. Computop will now offer the SafetyPay solution on its “Paygate” payment platform, thus expanding its comprehensive range of secure payment options. SafetyPay allows those with an online bank account to shop and pay using their own currency from businesses. Now “Paygate” merchant customers can offer SafetyPay for secure online payment options.
Checkpoint Systems shrink management solutions, announced a new enhanced performance (EP) anti-theft EAS (Electronic Article Surveillance) food label for supermarkets that is certified to be microwave safe. The 4010 EP Food Label was designed specifically to protect fresh and frozen supermarket food. It has been certified as microwave safe and non-flammable by TUV Rheinland, an international service group that provides manufacturers with assessment and certification services to ensure product safety. The 4010 EP Food Label can be applied through high-speed source tagging at the point of manufacture, or through in-store tagging.
[ihc-hide-content ihc_mb_type=”show” ihc_mb_who=”0″ ihc_mb_template=”1″] With the total outstanding revolving US consumer credit having jumped 1.1% in November- its first decrease in two months- it was down 5.1% in December thanks in great part to the busy holiday shopping season. However, when compared with 4Q/11, consumer credit was up 6.5% in 4Q/12 and was up 6.25%…
Fiserv financial services technology announced that its Financial Crime Risk Management (FCRM) platform has been awarded a “Best-in-Class” rating in the Enterprise Support category in the CEB TowerGroup 2012 Anti-Money Laundering Technology Review. The FCRM platform also received high marks for front-end usability and back-end configurability. The report highlighted that CEB TowerGroup analysts were impressed by the layout of the interface, which facilitates streamlined workflow management. Fiserv was also highly ranked in the Detection Tools category, where the combination of behavioral profiling and analytics-based approaches in combination with flexible rules to identify potential money laundering behavior were highlighted as key strengths.
Tenants who rent their homes can now get financing credit for their on-time rental payments, including millions in a variety of lending opportunities, with Rental Kharma. Rental Kharma furnishes data to large credit bureaus and launched this new service to make it possible for renters to overcome this barrier. There are more than 100 million renters in the U.S., and Rental Kharma has developed its comprehensive, online platform for renters, letting them build their credit score by self-reporting the last two years of their payment history. The data is then provided to the large credit bureaus.
Wells Fargo redesigned its ATMs with a layout featuring ease of use and a modern design. With the upgrades now available on more than 500 machines across several states, the new interface will launch at all the more than 12,000 Wells Fargo ATMs by May. A “Balance Dashboard” features balances at-a-glance, if the customer chooses, for their most used accounts while the ATM “Cash Tracker” tool helps customers manage their finances and automatically appears on the main ATM screen. This feature allows customers to visually track their monthly Wells Fargo ATM withdrawals. Customers can also set a monthly withdrawal target and can view details about how much they withdrew the prior month and their average over the past 12 months.


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Regulated Australian Cryptocurrency Exchange to Launch Ripple (XRP) Trading
Independent Reserve, Australia’s first regulated cryptocurrency exchange, will add support for Ripple’s token currency XRP this week.
Sydney-based cryptocurrency exchange Independent Reserve is reportedly enabling support for Ripple (XRP), the world’s third-largest cryptocurrency by market cap after Bitcoin and Ethereum. With launch of trading on July 7, the exchange is offering trading to both retail investors through its exchange and institutional clients via over-the-counter trading.
The exchange currently offers fiat trading pairs between USD, AUD, NZD and Bitcoin, Ethereum, Bitcoin Cash and Litecoin.
In statements, Independent Reserve chief executive Adrian Przelozny explained his reasons for adding Ripple to the exchange, stating:
There is a wide universe of digital currencies out there now, but to be listed on Independent Reserve they need to meet a range of criteria including quality, stability and volume metrics. Our clientele have been requesting XRP and we felt this timing was right to offer it to them.
The exchange is launching Ripple trading on Saturday, enabling users to buy XRP with AUD, NZD and USD. The exchange platform also facilitates crypto trading pairs, allowing for trading between XRP and Bitcoin (XBT), Ethereum’s Ether (ETH), Bitcoin Cash (BCH) and Litecoin (LTC).
In April 2018, Independent Reserve became Australia’s first regulated cryptocurrency exchange after legislation passed late last year authorized the Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (AUSTRAC) to monitor domestic cryptocurrency exchanges.
The regulatory mandate, which requires compliance to meet anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing (AML/CTF) obligations, customer record keeping and flagging suspicious transactions including all cash transactions above AUD $10,000, came into effect on April 3.
On the same day, Independent Reserve revealed it had gained approval from AUSTRAC to become Australia’s first cryptocurrency exchange to comply with the mandated rules. “We have been lobbying for increased regulation since we opened for business in 2014,” CEO Przelozny said at the time.
“We passionately believe that the digital currency economy will – and should – become just another part of the mainstream economy. In order for that to happen, digital currency needs to be regulated just like any other asset class. “
CoinSpot, another AUSTRAC-approved domestic cryptocurrency exchange with support for dozens of cryptocurrencies, is also offering XRP trading in Australia.
Credit – Samburaj Das / CCN

domain: news


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Create your-own attention-grabbing video messaging for social media, digital signage, websites and more
FOSTER CITY, Calif. (PRWEB) February 14, 2019
Easy-to-use, customize-it yourself video.. PRWeb - Published
Taking full advantage of Fortnite's replay system, we got the best look of Marshmello's absolutely insane live concert that over 10 million users tuned in to watch and put together our favorite moments..
Cannabis Can Alter the Genetic Makeup of Sperm Cannabis is the most widely-used drug worldwide, with an estimated
147 million users. While the psychoactive effects are well-documented, there are some..
Credit: Wibbitz Top Stories Duration: 01:28Published
In a similar move to what Spotify did, Slack would bypass a traditional initial public offering. According to Business Insider, Slack is used by eight million people daily each year. It also has three..
Millions of people who use the dating app Coffee Meets Bagel woke up on Valentine's Day to some unsetting news: their personal information had been compromised.
Coffee Meets Bagel reported a massive.. Mashable - Published
The production studio and streaming service provider Lookhu Inc., founded in 2014, will soon offer its customers a new bundle of popular cable channels through its now subsidiary TV Zone.app — which.. PRWeb - Published
Somfy’s New Range of Lithium-ion Wirefree Motors is the Perfect Choice to Motorize Today’s Decorative Shades
DAYTON, N.J. (PRWEB) February 14, 2019
Somfy Systems, Inc., the world’s largest.. PRWeb - Published
An app is once again making it easier for teens to talk trash about each other.
There is growing worry among parents, digital watchdog organizations, and schools about an app called Tellonym. The.. Mashable - Published
Wattpad is taking its user-generated, text-based stories to South Korea in a new partnership with Huayi Brothers Korea, a talent agency and production company.
Under the agreement, Huayi Brothers.. The Wrap - Published
Deeper partnership provides Ellucian users access to procure-to-pay platform
WARRINGTON, Pa. (PRWEB) February 13, 2019
Ellucian has expanded its cloud-based Ellucian Spend Management Suite to.. PRWeb - Published
With Skuid, MarketSource will enhance the customer experience and accelerate sales for customers.
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (PRWEB) February 12, 2019
Skuid, the leading no-code cloud application.. PRWeb - Published
LinkedIn — the social network for the working world with close to 600 million users globally — says that video is the fastest-growing format on its platform alongside original written work, shared.. TechCrunch - Published
Leading Digital Monetization Firm Takes on Ad Management of Education Website and Adds 400 Million Users to Its Network
DEERFIELD BEACH, Fla. (PRWEB) February 11, 2019
Sandbox & Co (SBX) has.. PRWeb - Published
As it celebrates its 10th anniversary this week, Okta, the $9 billion security and identity management company, has released its annual report of the fastest-growing work apps of the year.
This is.. Business Insider - Published
F—Jerry, the wildly popular Instagram account that’s gained millions of followers and built a media company by posting jokes and memes without acknowledging their real creators, hasn’t had a.. The Wrap - Published
Twitter is making more money than ever before—even as it loses monthly active users.
On Thursday, the company announced its latest [INS: earnings report :INS], and it was loaded with positive.. Mashable - Published
Moore’s critical experience advising disruptive technology companies will further advance doxo’s market innovation and rapid growth
SEATTLE (PRWEB) February 07, 2019
doxo, the innovative,.. PRWeb - Published
· *Facebook has been clobbered with a landmark ruling in Germany, which could mean huge changes to the way it collects data for 32 million users in the country.*
· *Germany's antitrust regulator has.. Business Insider - Published
ID.me welcomes Ned Struzziero, Wade Callison, Brian Piccioni, and Melissa Blanken to its executive team
MCLEAN, Va. (PRWEB) February 06, 2019
ID.me, the next generation digital identity platform,.. PRWeb - Published
Leader in data breach protection for companies that use the cloud earns top honors in the Security Products and Solutions for SMBs and SOHO category
TEL AVIV, Israel (PRWEB) February 06,.. PRWeb - Published
Snapchat didn’t gain any daily users during the fourth quarter of 2018, but Wall Street doesn’t seem to mind at first blush, after Snap Inc. posted record sales, running past analyst estimates in.. The Wrap - Published
FX chief John Landgraf questioned whether Facebook and Google’s outsized influence is bad for humanity during his executive session at the Television Critics Association press tour on Monday, saying.. The Wrap - Published
Students and teachers using the learning management system (LMS) from itslearning will now have a significantly enhanced user experience with the latest system release, which features updates in.. PRWeb - Published
· Facebook has 2.3 million users — more than followers of Christianity.
· Despite various privacy scandals, studies have shown people are steadily loyal to the site.
· The company's mantra.. Business Insider - Published
Government agencies, cities, and large retailers drive exponential growth
McLEAN, Va. (PRWEB) February 04, 2019
ID.me, the next generation digital identity platform, today announced that it has.. PRWeb - Published
Bizagi’s Digital Business Platform named a Challenger for third time in a row
LONDON (PRWEB) February 03, 2019
Bizagi, a leader in Digital Process Automation (DPA) and Business Process.. PRWeb - Published
· *Learn2Play is an educational platform that teaches people to play eSports for money.*
· *There are already tournaments where players can win millions of dollars. *
· *The skills people learn.. Business Insider - Published
*SINGAPORE /ACCESSWIRE / February 2, 2019 / *With more and more people communicating and displaying themselves through social platforms, social platforms have gathered a large number of users and have.. Accesswire - Published
Jon Deane will lead GreatSchools.org in supporting parents across the country
OAKLAND, Calif. (PRWEB) February 01, 2019
GreatSchools today announced education leader Jon Deane will become its new.. PRWeb - Published
There's safety in numbers when it comes to surviving on the Serengeti, just ask any zebra. There's also safety in numbers when it comes to digital security, and with 400 million users, Avast's.. Mashable - Published
Currently more and more IT jobs are being outsourced in a new direction: South America. The region has unique, appealing advantages for US customers, according to executives at Nearsure: time zone.. PRWeb - Published
UltraViolet, the digital locker that allows viewers to watch their shows and movies on several platforms, is closing down on July 31.
The service, run by the Digital Entertainment Content Ecosystem,.. The Wrap - Published
IFTTT Users Can Now Control Somfy-powered RTS Motorized Window Coverings Along with Other Smart Home Solutions
DAYTON, N.J. (PRWEB) January 31, 2019
Somfy Systems, Inc., the world’s largest.. PRWeb - Published
New Crypto App Features A Daily Live Bitcoin Game With Cash Prizes, Crypto Ratings, Crypto Price Targets, and A Fun Practice Trading Game
NEW YORK (PRWEB) January 31, 2019
BuySellHODL is excited.. PRWeb - Published
Google made the decision to shut down its social network last year after the revelation of a security vulnerability. It even moved up the website's final day after the existence of a data bug exposing.. engadget - Published
Leading LMS Chosen to Support District’s Ongoing Pledge to Digital Learning Transformation
BOSTON (PRWEB) January 30, 2019
Oconee County Schools (OCS) has chosen to expand its partnership with.. PRWeb - Published
Gensuite, cloud-based compliance and management systems software solutions provider, is excited to announce that it entered 2019 surpassing a momentous milestone, 1 million users in the Gensuite.. PRWeb - Published
*FORT LAUDERDALE, FL / ACCESSWIRE / January 28, 2019 /* MjLink.com, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Social Life Network, Inc. (OTCQB: WDLF), announced that its CEO Mr. Ken Tapp, will present at.. Accesswire - Published
· *Some lawmakers have spoken out about Facebook's plans to partially merge WhatsApp, Messenger, and Instagram.*
· *The social network plans to combine the back-end systems of the three apps, so.. Business Insider - Published
· *Spotify has confirmed to Business Insider that some Spotify accounts were hijacked to play bogus music from fake bands, presumably to generate revenue in royalties.*
· *BBC journalist Jonathan.. Business Insider - Published
The latest version of the Splashtop Business apps for Windows and Mac introduces several highly-requested features.
SAN JOSE, Calif. (PRWEB) January 24, 2019
Splashtop, Inc, the worldwide leader.. PRWeb - Published
· *Instagram will be a major driver of Facebook's growth as revenue from Facebook's core business is expected to slow in the coming years, according to Jefferies.*
· *Facebook is due to report.. Business Insider - Published
LONDON — After European policymakers adopted a sweeping data privacy law last year, the big question had been how regulators would use their newfound authority against the most powerful technology.. SFGate - Published
Since reports revealed last March that Facebook had allowed Cambridge Analytica to access the personal information of 87 million of its users, there's been a fair amount of fallout. CEO Mark Zuckerberg.. engadget - Published
Lifetime's creepy stalker drama You hit Netflix just over three weeks ago — and according to the streaming service, that move is working out for everyone involved.
Per a post on one of Netflix's.. Mashable - Published
*Company Has Also Agreed To Manufacture A House Brand Product For A "Big Box" And Will Provide A Forecast And Price Terms Once We Agree In Coming Days*
*LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / January 17,.. Accesswire - Published
This story was delivered to Business Insider Intelligence Apps and Platforms Briefing subscribers hours before appearing on Business Insider. To be the first to know, please click here.
With US'.. Business Insider - Published
Skuid released its “CRM Project Guide” to help application developers quickly create custom CRM apps by leveraging the power of Skuid.
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (PRWEB) January 14, 2019
Skuid, the.. PRWeb - Published


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Taste of Roanoke returns for its 20th year on Saturday, Aug. 17, offering samples of menu items from Roanoke area restaurants and organizations.
Food will be served from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Live music will be provided by Urban Legend with a mix of soul, R&B and rock from the 1960s through today.
Restaurants, non-profit organizations and civic groups will line Main Street in downtown Roanoke, cooking and serving their food. The evening's menu includes grilled tenderloin sandwiches, barbecued ribs, gumbo, Wagyu beef burgers, roasted chicken, corn on the cob, sloppy Joes, apple dumplings, pie, ice cream, gelato, smoothies and more.
There is no admission charge for the event and food items are priced individually.
Proceeds from the event go to the Roanoke Chamber of Commerce scholarship fund.


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Assemblyman Will Barclay said he opposes the New York State Thruway Authority’s proposed 45% toll increase for commercial vehicles, saying this would hurt our economy and deter truckers from traveling through New York altogether.
“This latest proposed toll increase is poorly conceived. At a time when our economy is teetering on a recovery and many communities have been deeply affected by unemployment, adding to the cost of doing business in this state is a bad idea,” said Barclay.
“Passing another toll hike will make it tough for trucking companies to stay in business. These companies provide thousands of jobs so we also risk putting more people out of work. New York companies already deal with taxes, energy, workers’ comp and regulatory costs that add up to more than many can afford in order to stay competitive,” said Barclay.
Tolls would increase for trucks with more than three axels effective October if the plan passes. According to media reports, the trip for a commercial truck from Albany to the Buffalo would increase from $61.89 to $89.73. According to the New York State Motor Truck Association, truckers in New York already pay the second highest per truck in state and federal user fees per year.
“This kind of increase is too much to ask. Those costs will be passed down to wholesalers and retailers, who will in turn, pass the costs on in the form of increased prices at the checkout,” said Barclay.
By law, the Thruway Authority must hold public hearings after a toll increase is proposed.
There will be one held on Aug. 17 in Syracuse at the Double Tree Hotel, 6301 St. Rt. 298 in East Syracuse.
Barclay urged those who cannot attend the hearing to submit their thoughts to [email protected] or mail comments to New York State Thruway Authority, 200 Southern Boulevard, Albany, NY 12209.


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Mumbai, Jul 9 (PTI) Shares of fruit drinks maker Manpasand Beverages made a weak debut on the bourses today, falling 9 per cent, as against the issue price of Rs 320.
The stock listed at Rs 291, reflecting a sharp fall of 9 per cent, as compared to the issue price on the BSE.
Selling intensified at the counter as the stock plunged 10.62 per cent to touch the day's low of Rs 286.
At the NSE, shares of Manpasand Beverages debuted at Rs 300, down 6.25 per cent. The initial public offer of Manpasand was over-subscribed 1.40 times last month.
The Gujarat-based firm, the eighth company to launch an IPO this year, had set a price band of Rs 290-320 for the issue.
Manpasand, the maker of 'Mango Sip' and other fruit drinks, has manufacturing plants in Vadodara, Dehradun and Varanasi.
Meanwhile, in the broader market, the BSE barometer Sensex was trading flat at 27,687.38 at 1151 hrs.


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Websites that were previously banned in China may finally be unblocked but only within a proposed free-trade zone, which would be in an area in Shanghai. This may finally open the door of the country once again for Facebook, Twitter, and the New York Times, among others.
According to sources, Beijing has decided to unblock those online sites within the planned free trade zone as a way to make foreigners, who would come for trading, to somehow ‘feel at home.’ The move could also entice foreign traders and businessmen to visit the free trade area.
Strict Internet censorship
The Communist Party, China’s ruling party, has been noted for being aggressive and stringent when it comes to censoring the online media within the country. It has been active in deleting Web posts and in prohibiting access to identified Websites that it classifies as politically sensitive or inappropriate for its citizens.
Popular social networking sites Facebook and Twitter got the axe in China in the middle of 2009. Back then, the Chinese government blamed the sites for the bloody demonstrations in the province of Xinjiang. For its part, the New York Times was banned in the country just last year after it reported that former Premier Wen Jiabao and his family had used their influence to amass fortune.
Free trade zone
China recently approved the proposed free trade zone. The area is intended to be an experimental project that would test the convertibility of the national currency and of further liberalization of prevailing interest rates. It also aims to test reforms in foreign direct investments as well as taxation. This special trade zone is reportedly set to be launched this weekend (September 29).
Meanwhile, China has also announced that it would start gathering bids from international telecommunications companies, which may want to hold licenses to provide Internet services within the free trade zone. This could be part of China’s strategy to entice foreign traders and investors.
According to reports, China Unicom, China Telecom, and China Mobile, the three major Chinese telecom firms, are not contesting the government’s decision to prefer foreign companies to provide Internet services in the project. The three firms reportedly do not want to be at odds with Premier Li Keqiang and other leaders, who have openly backed the establishment of the proposed free trade zone in Shanghai.


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Earth Day 2016 Announcement
This year, we celebrate Earth Day with an update on one of our boldest initiatives to date.
Exactly a year ago, on Earth Day 2015, Bow Street Market led the way in Freeport by eliminating single use plastic checkout bags and encouraging our customers to bring their own bags by giving away 1,000 reusable totes. We hoped to save about 600,000 bags.
As of Earth Day, 2016 we’ve calculated this move resulted in 743,993 plastic bags eliminated from the waste stream. One change, one company, almost 3/4 of a million bags saved.
We celebrated by giving a new bike to the customer who guessed the closest to the actual number, and we extend sincere thanks to all our customers for continuing to bring reusable totes & helping to make a positive impact in our community!


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Future HGUC release include Messala - the transformable MS/MA from Gundam Zeta.
I'll take the news with a pinch of salt though.
See the price? It says 2,400 Yen without tax and 2,448 Yen inclusive of tax. But it should be 2,520 Yen instead. Bandai would never make that kind of mistake, when it comes to pricing. ^^;
Image from Toysdaily.
Also, new images of 1/100 00 Raiser Designer's Color Ver. and the box art of HGUC Schuzrum Dias:
May release, 5,250 Yen (inclusive of tax).
June release, 1,785 Yen (inclusive of tax).
Images from Ruli PlaModel Forum.


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Mountain View based Internet search giant Google Inc. is expected to officially announce the launch of its moderately popular Google TV platform in the UK later today.
Having conquered almost 90 percent of the Internet search market, Google tried its luck on the television industry last year with the launch of the Google TV in October. The company’s decision to make the product available in the US market, and making the fans in the UK wait for so long obviously annoyed quite a few.
However, the wait is finally over as Mountain View based search engine leader is now all set to bring the platform to the country. According to reports the green flag will be hoisted by Eric Schmidt, executive chairman and former CEO of Google, at the Edingburgh Television Festival, scheduled to be held later in the day.
“Schmidt is also expected to offer an olive branch to the TV industry in his keynote speech, according to the Press Association,” the Inquirer wrote in its report.
“Google fell out with a number of major TV networks, including ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox, who blocked transmission to Google TV devices after Google failed to secure a deal with them,” it added.
But many believe that Google TV might just not pull the right strings in the UK. "Google TV is basically unusable," Matt Millar of Tellybug told The Register. "Any system that requires you to move a mouse pointer around a TV screen will fail".


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Call of Duty: Black Ops II will release on consoles on November 13th. Fans of the series will once again be able to step into this kick-ass title and the ever popular zombie mode. A new launch trailer has been revealed that will give those who are still debating whether to purchase the title that extra little push into the darkside!
On November 13th, Activision and Treyarch will deploy the sequel to the universally acclaimed Call of Duty: Black Ops , which set the record for the biggest entertainment launch in history following its release in 2010. Call of Duty: Black Ops II catapults players forward into an epic near-future warzone rooted in today’s headlines. The title represents an unprecedented leap for the franchise, delivering a groundbreaking single-player campaign with branching storylines, advanced weaponry, new graphics technology, a deep multiplayer experience featuring a greater emphasis on eSports and match customization, and the most expansive Zombies action yet, now running on the multiplayer engine.
You can visit the official Call of Duty: Black Ops II website to learn more about the game.
Got news? Click here to submit it!
Shoot ’em in the head in the comments section below!


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A European court has turned down an appeal by Microsoft to delay hard-hitting sanctions from the European Commission.
Windows has a virtual monopoly of the operating system market
The US software giant went to the European Court of First Instance to try to get the penalties for abuse of monopoly suspended.
Microsoft wanted to delay the opening up of aspects of its Windows software system to rivals, and a record EU fine.
The court dismissed Microsoft's plea "in its entirety".
Microsoft said after the judgement that it remained confident of coming to an agreement with the Commission.
In March, the European Commission imposed the sanctions on Microsoft after finding that it had abused the virtual monopoly of its Windows computer operating system.
The Commission demanded Microsoft change its business practices, and levied a fine of 497m euros (£331m; $613m), the biggest it had ever imposed in an anti-trust case.
Microsoft had wanted the sanctions to be suspended until its court case on the substance of the EU ruling is completed years from now.
The failure of its initial appeal could have huge commercial implications for the company, since the Commission ordered it to divulge some software secrets and produce a version of Windows without its digital Media Player.
Yet the European Court of First Instance ruled that delaying the execution of the EU ruling would not cause Microsoft irreparable damage.
"Microsoft's application for interim measures is therefore dismissed in its entirety," the court's statement said.
"The evidence adduced by Microsoft is not sufficient to show that implementation of the remedies imposed by the Commission might cause serious and irreparable damage."
The European Court of First Instance is the second-highest court in the EU. However, Microsoft could now take its appeal higher, to the European Court of Justice.
The full appeals process could take up to five years, prompting speculation among IT analysts that Microsoft may have been hoping to persuade the Commission to reopen negotiations - halted before the March ruling - on remedies.
"This is a victory for consumers," said Thomas Vinje, a Brussels lawyer who represented an industry group which dropped out of the case after a $20m settlement with Microsoft.
The Commission's case against Microsoft centred on the software giant's digital Media Player which it includes as part of its Windows operating system.
Brussels determined that the inclusion of Media Player was an abuse of monopoly as it made it very difficult for rivals such as RealNetworks and Apple's QuickTime to get consumers to use their products instead.
The Commission also called for Microsoft to reveal key parts of its software code to enable other software and hardware manufacturers to more easily develop products that work with Windows.
In a statement, Microsoft said the EU's Court of First Instance
had recognised that the company has "powerful arguments" against the
anti-trust ruling, despite finding that the sanctions should be upheld for now.
"We are hopeful that the issues highlighted by the court will create an opportunity for the parties to discuss settlement," it added.


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The crisis of trust expands, will TikTok make the United States immersive?
The focus of the world’s attention has shifted from the historic meeting between the heads of state of the G20 US and China back to reality. Judging from the fact that the Republican congressmen actively launched the TikTok ban bill after the mid-term elections, it proves that the previous meeting was just a stage for rebuilding the pipeline platform. Intense confrontation, especially the suppression of China by US political parties will not be loosened by high-level interactions.
When Trump promoted the ban on TikTok during his administration, it was passively resisted by the Democratic Party. After Biden became president, he revoked the executive order signed by Trump at that time, and issued another executive order stating that the security risks of social platforms such as TikTok should be assessed based on evidence methods . However, even Democratic members of Congress are open to the prohibition bill initiated by Republican members of Congress, believing that Trump’s ban on TikTok is the right decision, and the consensus between Republicans and Democrats on TikTok will enable the new Congress to actively operate the bill .
TikTok has a huge impact on the world and the United States, and the US government is on high alert
TikTok is quite popular with people all over the world. It is widely used in 150 countries, and the number of users will reach 1.8 billion by the end of the year. At a time when the global population is about to exceed 8 billion, it is quite impressive that an App can have nearly 2 billion users.
The United States, which has the most intense confrontation with China, has even greater influence. The United States has a population of more than 300 million. The number of TikTok downloads has reached 200 million, and there are also 140 million active users. National security software, especially the Internet benchmark brand controlled by China. When TikTok was established, ByteDance set the goal of international development, and “going out, going in, and going up” was its overseas route.
The United States and China are looking for trust on the tightrope, and TikTok continues to ferment the crisis of trust
The G20 meeting between the heads of state of the United States and China does not mean that the relationship between the United States and China has improved. The relationship of trust between the US and China will not be restored after a few meetings and exchanges, and the goodwill expressed by both sides often increases and decreases under the implementation of repeated policies and bills, just as the US and China need military-related restraint and cooperation strongly need dialogue. However, it is clear that the two sides should be divided into upper and lower levels and areas whether they cooperate or confront. The TikTok ban is an urgent means for the US to suppress China without hindering dialogue, because the US does not trust China and is worried about people’s data being collected. The relationship between TikTok and the Chinese government is the reason why the trust crisis between the United States and China continues to ferment. Under mutual suspicion, the chance of finding trust on the tightrope is really slim.
The new cold war between the United States and China will make young people in the United States and China use TikTok as an export?
Twitter and TikTok are important social media in the United States. The former is partially owned by Saudi Arabia, while the latter is fully and partially owned by China. This may be a dangerous trend for the United States.
Given the current atmosphere between the US and China, there is intense confrontation at the national level, but civil society media is thriving. The proportion of American young people (12-17 years old) who use TikTok every week has changed from almost no in 2019 to 50% in 2020, and even 63% in 2021. The rapid growth rate is astonishing. The proportion of adults aged 18 to 26 who get news or information through TikTok every day is as high as 26%, so many politicians have to use TikTok to promote their ideas. According to information from this midterm election, an average of 25% of candidates for the U.S. Senate, House of Representatives, and governor have TikTok accounts. It can be seen that even if U.S. officials believe that TikTok has national security concerns, it is still an important platform that political parties cannot ignore when trying to win votes.
Can the Americans be persuaded on the grounds that TikTok threatens national security?
After the mid-term elections, members of the US Congress introduced a bill to try to treat TikTok like the Huawei ban, but is it easy?
Huawei and TikTok are different types of products. One is a physical object, and the other is a usage habit that takes advantage of the continuous spread of the Internet. Why should young people give up when American apps such as Instagram and Twitter cannot be as new, fun or easy to use as TikTok? In particular, the perception of TikTok by the Democratic Party, the Republican Party, and the judiciary, and the long-standing values of freedom, democracy and human rights in the United States, can it prevent people from using it on the grounds of national security? It is worth thinking about, and it is also a phenomenon that the various parties in the United States will enter the internal game.
The new U.S. Congress is about to start. Before the 2024 election, whether the U.S. government can formulate an approach that can maintain consensus and be acceptable to the public seems to be an outpost battle between the two parties on China issues. Whether the moderate attitude of individual Democratic congressmen can affect the The direction of the bill from the White House and administration is also key. Or another way of thinking, instead of enacting a TikTok ban, or asking ByteDance to get rid of TikTok away from the Chinese government, why not make it easier and faster for American companies to acquire?
Even if the danger is known, most Americans may still not be able to quit TikTok before the U.S. government takes active actions. This means that in addition to the crisis of trust between the U.S. and China, there are still value issues to overcome, which is even more difficult in a free, democratic and open American society.
Decline in GameStop’s Quarterly Revenue
According to financial data, digital gaming sales growth at the Grapevine, Texas, store is not compensating for a drop in in-store purchases.
Despite the company’s best attempts to offset the fall in physical sales with growth in digital transactions, GameStop Corp. just reported its worst quarterly revenue dip in two years. In the three months leading up to October 29th, net sales dropped 8.5% to $1.19 billion, which was lower than the $1.39 billion predicted by two analysts. Loss per share after adjustments came in at 31 cents, which was higher than the predicted loss of 29 cents. The company is only worth $7 billion, and its stock is extremely volatile, therefore very few analysts cover it.
Since becoming chairman of the board this year, Ryan Cohen has been working to reinvigorate GameStop’s growth in Grapevine, which has slowed as customers switch from purchasing game CDs to purchasing digital downloads. To make matters worse, COVID-19 lockdowns crippled GameStop’s retail operation, and supply shortages on consoles have further impacted profits.
According to market research firm NPD Group, overall spending in the gaming business fell 5% in the third quarter compared to the same period a year ago.
Earlier this week, Axios reported that GameStop has begun a new wave of layoffs, with a particular focus on the team developing the company’s blockchain wallet. GameStop also announced layoffs of an undisclosed number of employees and the departure of CFO Mike Recupero in July.
In its earnings release, GameStop said nothing about layoffs
Cohen has been trying to get GameStop involved in digital assets, but it’s been difficult. The company began transitioning into nonfungible tokens in September, when it announced a partnership with cryptocurrency exchange FTX US. The parties agreed to work together on some new e-commerce and online marketing projects and stock some stores with FTX gift cards. However, the crypto market went into a tailspin in November after FTX imploded with $9 billion in liabilities and filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
CEO Matt Furlong stated on an earnings call with analysts that GameStop does not have “a meaningful balance of any cryptocurrency.” We have not and will not put significant shareholder capital at risk by entering this market.
Furlong has stated his optimism for the continued development of digital assets
GameStop became a symbol of the meme-stock mania that swept the retail trading community during the pandemic, in which the price of specific stocks was driven up by online discussion of such stocks on Reddit and other social media platforms rather than by any actual business fundamentals. The stock price, which is down 40% so far this year, rose by around 1% in after-hours trading on Wednesday in response to the news.
Newcomers Chris Sacca, Jack Dorsey, and Kalanick
Three of the most famous people in the tech business are Chris Sacca, Jack Dorsey, and Travis Kalanick. They’ve all achieved phenomenal success in technology and been in the front of some of the industry’s most game-changing developments. Sacca is a well-known businessman and investor who put money into companies like Twitter, Uber, and Instagram at an early stage. Dorsey co-founded and currently leads Twitter, while Kalanick created and resigned as head of Uber.
Chris Sacca, Jack Dorsey, and Travis Kalanick: Who Are They?
Can You Introduce Me to Chris Sacca, Jack Dorsey, and Travis Kalanick? The tech industry is led by visionaries like Chris Sacca, Jack Dorsey, and Travis Kalanick. Chris Sacca is a successful businessman, investor, and entrepreneur from the United States. The likes of Twitter, Uber, Instagram, and Kickstarter all counted on his early financial support. Jack Dorsey founded Square and serves as its CEO. He is also a co-founder of Twitter. He is considered a forerunner in the fields of microblogging and online monetary transactions. Uber, the groundbreaking ride-hailing service founded by Travis Kalanick, has completely altered the transportation landscape. It is widely believed that Kalanick single-handedly destroyed the traditional taxi sector with his work on mobile app-based transportation services. All three of these men are quite young yet have already made significant contributions to the technology sector.
How did these three people get where they are today?
Three of the most successful businesspeople alive now are Chris Sacca, Jack Dorsey, and Travis Kalanick. The remarkable success of their individual companies has made these three men household names, and they have become IT industry icons. It’s not surprising that these businesspeople have succeeded, given their combined intelligence and doggedness. Chris Sacca, an early investor in Twitter and Uber, was the first of the three to find financial success.
Sacca’s knowledge of the tech business allowed him to see the potential in the social network, and his investment in Twitter allowed Jack Dorsey to start the company. Jack Dorsey played a key role in the development of Twitter and laid the groundwork for the service to go global. Finally, Travis Kalanick entered the digital industry late yet created Uber into a global powerhouse, cementing his place in history as one of the most successful and important business leaders of all time. These three gentlemen all have the requisite smarts and guts to start their own businesses and make a killing.
The Effects of Their Achievements
Chris Sacca, Jack Dorsey, and Travis Kalanick’s achievements have had a significant effect. These three men have built successful careers as technological pioneers and entrepreneurs. They have contributed to the development of today’s advanced technological landscape. Twitter, Uber, and Lowercase Capital are the three founders’ most notable accomplishments. Twitter has grown into an important resource for users to keep up with the latest news, trends, and other events, making it one of the most popular social media platforms in the world. The ride-hailing sector has been shaken up by Uber, which has become ubiquitous.
Lowercase Capital is a VC firm that has helped launch the careers of numerous entrepreneurs by investing in over 200 different software businesses. The achievements of Sacca, Dorsey, and Kalanick are not limited to the realms of the businesses they founded. They have a track record of investing in successful tech startups, which in turn inspires new generations of business owners to launch their own ground-breaking ventures. In addition, many people now have jobs because of their investments. Many would-be business owners have looked to Sacca, Dorsey, and Kalanick as examples of success. They have demonstrated that it is possible to achieve one’s goals through perseverance and hard effort. They have also demonstrated that a small number of innovative ideas can have a significant impact on the technological world. Because of this, numerous up-and-comers have been encouraged to follow in their footsteps and develop ground-breaking goods and services.
Perspectives on the “Newcomer”
The names Chris Sacca, Jack Dorsey, and Kalanick have become virtually inseparable from the modern information technology sector. These three “up-and-comers” changed the game by daring to challenge the status quo and taking calculated risks. Lowercase Capital was established by Chris Sacca, who has gone on to invest in the likes of Twitter, Uber, and Instagram. Jack Dorsey started both Twitter and Square and currently serves as CEO of both companies. Kalanick is the Uber founder and CEO, and his company has had a profound impact on the transportation sector. These three “newcomers” have all changed the face of technology forever, and their achievements have served as models for other would-be business owners.
Is there any guidance we may glean from their experiences?
Is there any guidance we may glean from their experiences? Current examples of people who have achieved great success include Chris Sacca, Jack Dorsey, and Travis Kalanick. These people have made names for themselves in the business and technology communities thanks to their accomplishments in disciplines as diverse as venture capital and entrepreneurship. However, aspiring businesspeople can learn a lot from their experiences. To begin, despite facing setbacks and defeat, all three of these individuals have remained steadfast in their dedication to the undertakings they’ve undertaken. They have shown they are willing to take chances by investing both time and money in their projects. They have also demonstrated skill at establishing and maintaining connections with other powerful individuals. All three of these men exemplify the traits that are crucial for success in business, and by learning from their experiences we may develop our own set of abilities and outlook.
Newcomers to the tech business who have made significant contributions include Chris Sacca, Jack Dorsey, and Kalanick. Each of them rose from obscurity to become a household name and a major force in their respective fields. These three guys have altered the course of technology with their respective venture capital investments (Sacca), startup (Twitter’s Jack Dorsey), and startup (Uber’s Travis Kalanick). They have inspired a new generation of entrepreneurs by demonstrating that anyone, regardless of background, can make a substantial impact on the world.
Case of the alphabet U.S. drone operations expansion: Wing wants FAA’s blessing D.C. (Reuters)
The Google subsidiary Wing Aviation has applied for a waiver from some FAA drone regulations so that it can expand its operations beyond a single small city in Virginia, according to a notification published by the FAA on Friday. As of early 2019, Wing has supplied a multitude of services for locals of Christiansburg, Virginia, including both scheduled and emergency deliveries. With the goal of serving more people, “Wing is now aiming to expand and improve upon these operations,” the company claimed in its request for waivers from some FAA drone regulations. The organization promised to listen to petitioners before reaching a final call. The FAA was informed by Wing that the company had “made major investments targeted to strengthen both the safety and capacity” of drone operations in the United States. More than 17 months have passed with no reported incidents. Wing seeks FAA clearance to move remote pilot activities “to regional operations centers that can monitor and safely handle a greater number of airliners at once. When it grows, Wing aims to utilize a variant “that has been demonstrated to be dependable in commercial operations and is extremely comparable in its operating characteristics,” Wing said. Yet “to identify and accept this alternate aircraft version,” approval from the FAA is required.
In addition, during the interval, Wing requested that the FAA conduct operator line inspections once every 12 months rather than every three. According to the report, “current limitations will make it infeasible to grow a light-footprint, distributed operation across a neighborhood,” therefore the amendments “will assist assure that more American homes may experience the benefits of (drone) technology.” Small drones can now legally fly over people and at night without special permission under new FAA regulations that went into effect on Wednesday. The long-awaited guidelines require remote identification technology in most situations to enable drone identification from the ground, which is intended to alleviate security concerns.
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Apple Investigating Indonesian Tin Production for Illegal Mining
Apple has updated the Supplier Responsibility page on its website addressing concerns over the illegal mining of tin in Indonesia.
The company is initiating a new task group with the Electronic Industry Citizenship Coalition (EICC) to determine if its suppliers are getting tin from illegal mining operations.
Bangka Island, Indonesia, is one of the world’s principal tin-producing regions. Recent concerns about the illegal mining of tin from this region prompted Apple to lead a fact-finding visit to learn more. Using the information we’ve gathered, Apple initiated an EICC working group focused on this issue, and we are helping to fund a new study on mining in the region so we can better understand the situation.
The Verge, which first noticed the change, noted that 249 of Apple's suppliers use tin in the production of its products. In an article last year, Bloomberg Businessweek looked at the collapse of a tin-mining pit on Bangka island that killed a number of miners in a landslide --one-third of the world's tin production comes from the area.
In recent years, Apple has stepped up its examinations of suppliers, issuing yearly Supplier Responsibility Reports and in 2013 fired one of its Chinese suppliers for child labor violations.
Top Rated Comments
1. Apple uncovers problem without waiting for public outcry.
2. Apple publicly announces problem of their own volition, along with specific plans to solve it.
3. Apple follows up publicly on how those plans have progressed.
4. Apple competitors have the same problem, but ignore it, cover it up, or make vague statements not backed up by action.
5. Greenpeace or other group misguidedly places blame on Apple while giving the competitors a free pass. (The Apple name is good for headlines.) This in turn gives honest environmentalists and human rights activists, working for vital causes, a bad name (thus hurting the very cause they intend to support).
6. Media and bloggers bash Apple for causing the problem and call for a boycott (which would only drive business to the competitors who encourage the problem).
7. Everyone is falsely led to believe that Apple only acted after public outcry. (And that other companies never had the problem at all.)
8. Apple gets little credit from the media and bloggers for actually being the one to step up and spend money, in the full light of public disclosure, to improve something important.
9. Astroturfers have a new talking point for the week.
10. Issue is forgotten. Apple continues to improve it anyway. Competitors keep on as always.
All exploitation and environmental destruction is therefore inherently ethical.
Thank you for clarifying.
There is a law that states that you cannot clean the tin on land, so they wash the tin on the sea, near the beach.
You can find this trend not only in Bangka but all over Indonesia.


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US FDA consults on using patient experience to support approval of novel devices
This article was originally published in SRA
The US Food and Drug Administration is inviting feedback on a draft guideline that explains how the "experience and perspectives of patients" with certain medical devices can be used to support the approval of such products1,2.
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US FDA released a final guidance aimed at helping sponsors and other stakeholders interested in using patient-preference information to make their case for a device application. The agency has decided to keep its labeling recommendation in the final guidance despite industry objections.
Revisions to the updated EU guideline on transitioning multinational trials to the Clinical Trials Regulation are said to be “solution oriented.”
The European Medicines Agency is consulting on major changes to its decade-old guidance on the development of medicinal products for acute and long-term treatment of major depressive disorder.


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By now everyone has heard of one Hassan Ali Khan of Pune and the dailies are full of news covering various aspects of the scandal, some unbelievable and some shocking. The most shocking to me was the statement: “The Income Tax Dept. in Mumbai says he has not filed any tax returns for the last seven years”. Just consider this. An honest ‘marginalised’ taxpayer who stands in a queue to submit...


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Today 7th December 2022 - Blaze Entertainment posted an awful update on the status of their upcoming Evercade EXP Limited Edition console stock.
It's absolutely awful that some lowlifes have targeted these, especially in the run up to Christmas and release! Limited Edition consoles were for the earliest of adopters and came in a nice black finish. They could only be purchased from Funstock so hopefully they can track down the despicable individuals responsible and are able to recover their stock! It appears the robbery will only affect UK and US customers at this time, with EU stock being secure. Thankfully Blaze and Funstock are already working on getting new consoles produced and out to early adopters! To read the full announcement check out the Evercade website HERE.


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MADISON, Wis. — Apparently, scissors can have one shining moment at the NCAA tournament, too. And one brand, above all others, emerges as a champion every year.
That brand would be Madison-based Fiskars, the official net-cutting scissors of the big dance. Yes, such a product really exists. When players on your favorite team are standing on a ladder ready to celebrate by snipping a few net strands, they’ll be holding the Fiskars famous orange handles with the gold titanium blades.
How does a brand stake a claim as the official net-cutting scissors?
According to Fiskars public relations specialist Amanda Weibel, the story goes like this: A Fiskars vice president of brand marketing was watching the NCAA tournament several years ago and noticed players having a difficult time shearing strands of the net. The small medical-type scissors were cheap and not sturdy enough to easily cut through the nylon.
Thus, an idea was born. The VP called a contact at the NCAA and offered to provide scissors for the ceremony.
This marks the fifth consecutive year that Fiskars has been the official net-cutting scissors of the NCAA tournament. Fiskars provides scissors for the regional champions and national championships for men’s and women’s teams in Division I, II and III.
Each pair of scissors is engraved with a special NCAA logo and features an orange handle with serrated, gold titanium blades. The winning team gets to keep the pair of scissors to commemorate the achievement.
“These are 9-inch scissors,” Weibel said. “They are more heavy-duty scissors than just your average everyday pair of scissors.”
Fiskars makes a variety of tools for crafting, sewing, quilting and gardening. The company is named for the small village in Finland where it began in 1649. As for whether the brand has actually grown because of its partnership with the NCAA, it remains to be seen.
“I don’t know that there is a ton of exposure for it,” Weibel said. “Last year, we actually partnered with the NCAA to do a couple giveaways on Facebook. That was the first time that we had done anything like that. It’s something we get very excited about internally. It’s a fun way for us to show off our scissors.”


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Even after opening 15 successful fast-casual sandwich shops, eight critically acclaimed full-service restaurants and serving as top judge of “Top Chef,” an Emmy-award-winning television cooking competition, Tom Colicchio said he hasn’t yet reached the pinnacle of his career. The 48-year-old chef said he is currently producing the project that will make him most proud.
He and his wife are working on a documentary about domestic hunger. The film’s goal will be to increase awareness regarding the magnitude of hunger in the United States among children, military families and the elderly, and to point out “what can be done to fix it,” he said, adding that the government “needs to stand up and play a more active role.”
“We are the only industrialized country that doesn’t take care of our poor,” he said. “And the charity model doesn’t work. This is the work that, looking forward, I will be most proud of.”
Along with his activism to end hunger, Colicchio also is known for supporting fellow chefs and being a generous mentor to up-and-coming cooks.
“I think his mentoring is an amazing thing,” said Tina Ujlaki, executive food editor of Food & Wine magazine, which was one of the first national publications to recognize Colicchio as a culinary leader when it named him one of the country’s 10 “Best New Chefs” in 1991. At the time he was chef of Mondrian in New York.
In addition, Ujlaki said she admires the chef for not letting fame get to his head.
“He is largely the same man I met 20 years ago,” she said. “A lot of people take their celebrity and keep it all for themselves.”
Title: chef/owner Craft restaurants and ’wichcraft
Birth date: Aug. 15, 1962
Hometown: Elizabeth, N.J.
Education: high school degree
Career highlights: earning four three-star New York Times reviews from four different reviewers for New York’s Mondrian, Gramercy Tavern, Craft and Tom: Tuesday Dinner restaurants; being named one of Food & Wine’s Best New Chefs in 1991; winning an Emmy for “Top Chef”; receiving six awards from the James Beard Foundation; winning Bon Appétit’s Chef of the Year and Food Arts’ Silver Spoon awards. “But being a good father and husband is the hardest part,” he said.
Personal: married, three sons ranging in age from 18 years to two months
Hobbies: saltwater fly-fishing, playing the guitar
Taking a cue from clothes
“He can play it high and he can play it low,” Ujlaki said. In fact, he intentionally copied the model of successful clothing manufacturers like Ralph Lauren, who offers variously priced lines of garments. The chef rolled out diversely priced dining options, ranging from fast food to steakhouses to fine-dining restaurants.
“It’s all about being relevant,” Colicchio said.
“As expensive as Craft [Restaurant] was, I think it moved the market conversation forward by leaps and bounds by moving what was always at the side of the plate to the center of the plate,” Ujlaki said of the flagship eatery that opened in 2001 in New York.
Before that Colicchio was in a partnership with Danny Meyer’s Union Square Hospitality Group at Gramercy Tavern, also in Manhattan.
“Craft was the first restaurant that put the composition of the meal, unless you count the smorgasbord, in the hands of the diner,” Ujlaki continued. “Now everyone wants everything prepared their way.”
Feeding diners’ growing desire for quickly served, inexpensive and high-quality food, Colicchio next entered the so-called “fast-fine” chain business in 2003 with the ’wichcraft sandwich concept.
“That was just another example of him being a maverick,” Ujlaki said.
At the time, few fine-dining chefs opened casual chains. Now some of the world’s most highly regarded chefs, such as France’s Paul Bocuse and Spain’s Ferran Adrià, run quick-service operations.
“He was definitely ahead of the curve,” Ujlaki added. “And who knew that we were heading for a sandwich craze?”
Colicchio coined the term “fast fine” at the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen 2007 to describe the food at his ’wichcraft chain, which served sandwiches made from fine-dining ingredients in a fast-casual setting.
The debut of ’wichcraft was actually a bit backward, however. Colicchio’s wife came up with the name before he developed the restaurant concept and found the first location. Colicchio credits his partner, Sisha Ortuzar, for conceiving the concept. Ortuzar actually suggested that they build a sandwich store when a space opened on the same street as Craft. But the quick-service business turned out to be slightly more challenging than it looked.
“It’s a funny business,” Colicchio admitted. The last two locations he opened in New York haven’t performed as well as anticipated. They also were undercapitalized, the chef/owner said.
Every unit “makes money,” he said. “But the margins are razor thin,” and even smaller than those he was used to at full-service operations. He reported this year a same-store sales gain of 1.2 percent to 1.3 percent at ’wichcraft.
And he plans to grow those gains going forward. He is considering offering a line of grab-and-go dishes to shorten lines and wait times, which he noted is a common customer complaint. He said he is concerned, however, that if diners see premade packaged dishes, which are already available since items are prepared in a central commissary, it could weaken ’wichcraft’s image of serving high-quality, fresh food.
If Colicchio is able to fund expansion properly, he aims to open locations in the Washington, D.C., market. He has targeted the area in part because it’s close to his New York home base. Currently, all but two of the sandwich stores are in New York.
The others are in San Francisco and Las Vegas.
But before he opens more units, Colicchio said he would establish better systems.
“We grew at such a fast rate,” he said. “We learned that our systems weren’t what they should be.”
For instance, his business needs to act faster when prices of ingredients change, he said, noting that selling prices need to reflect changes in food cost.
A price to fame
Colicchio also became aware that television fame could be a “double-edged sword.”
He said most viewers of the hit show “Top Chef” think he spends more time filming it than cooking in his restaurants. Many assume that he’s not a real working chef who puts out quality food, he said.
In fact, the show’s executive producer for the first five seasons, Shauna Minoprio, said she recruited Colicchio partly because he is so respected within the professional chef community. She wanted participants and viewers to experience the “real deal, not reality shenanigans.”
“He didn’t come across as a TV chef,” Minoprio said.
Actually, Colicchio didn’t want to be on the show at first and repeatedly turned down the producer’s offers.
“He was pretty leery about getting involved,” Minoprio explained. “It took a bit of persuading. He wanted to know that he was in business with people who were making something that was as high quality and as authentic as possible.
“I think that it worked brilliantly,” the producer said. “He is very charismatic and he brings an authenticity to the show. He gave the show its backbone.”
Besides making Colicchio a household name, “Top Chef” helped to elevate the restaurant industry, she said.
“I feel like the show itself has definitely shone a light on professional restaurant chefs,” Minoprio added. “It’s the first show that brought people into that world.
And that sort of expanded the interest and contributed to the burgeoning foodie culture. It taught people more about chefs like Tom. And Tom embracing his fellow [New York] chefs like Wylie Dufresne [of wd~50] and Eric Ripert [of Le Bernardin] made them household names. I would imagine that it’s all great PR for the restaurant industry.”


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GSA officials aim for flexible sweet spot in early e-commerce plan
GSA officials detailed prospective legislative changes needed to establish e-commerce portals in a conference call on Friday.
Category management gateway strives for 10,000 users by year’s end, halfway there now
The acquisition gateway will be open to the public starting next week. Officials hope to gain insights on improving it and attracting 5,000 more users this year.


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Posted by Dale Buss on June 29, 2012 08:59 AM
Anheuser-Busch InBev hails adding Corona to stable of brands in $20 billion Modelo deal.
BlackBerry-maker RIM reports dire earnings, slashes 5,000 jobs and delays phone, sees shares plunge and erodes Canadian confidence.
Barclays faces political firestorm.
BMW and Toyota announce joint development of new sports car.
Coty nears IPO.
Family Dollar keeps thriving amid sluggish U.S. economy.
Ford warns of weaker profit because of Europe.Continue reading...
Posted by Dale Buss on June 6, 2012 09:01 AM
TD takes top spot on Interbrand's new Best Canadian Brands ranking.
JCPenney continues claw-back of new business model, plans to use term "sale" again.
Sara Lee renames North American business Hillshire Brands and narrows focus to meat.
Apple uses more celebrities in marketing; what does that say about new products?
Justin Bieber debuts another fragrance concept called Girlfriend.
Burger King expands in Russia.
Clear Channel shifts royalty deal for music artists including Taylor Swift's label.Continue reading...
Posted by Dale Buss on November 16, 2011 09:22 AM
Amazon violates contract with Kindle, U.S. authors' guild says.
Anthony's Pizza & Pasta takes on national pizza chains in Colorado.
Apple adds Disney CEO Bob Iger to board as the company warms up to the business market.
Cadillac takes broad aim with new flagship XTS sedan.
Citigroup trims workforce.
Dow sponsorship deal creates headache for London 2012 organizers.
Facebook invokes the wrath of Salman Rushdie with real-name push.
Family Dollar arrives in California.Continue reading...
Posted by Dale Buss on September 29, 2011 08:59 AM
Amazon launches tablet skirmish against Apple with Kindle Fire.
Darden targets sluggish performance of Olive Garden brand.
DreamWorks may take over distribution of its own films.
Electronic Arts will feature romping Sports Illustrated models in new video game.
Family Dollar keeps expanding.
Ford considers adding 10,000 jobs and moving Fusion production to the U.S. from Mexico, Bloomberg says.
Gas Station TV gets to distribute Bloomberg news content at the pump.Continue reading...
Posted by Dale Buss on September 14, 2011 08:56 AM
Best Buy faces investor skepticism of its big-box strategy amid stiffening online competition.
BP may avoid gross negligence conviction in Gulf Oil spill.
CBS drops What's Trending web TV series after Steve Jobs flub.
Cisco sets more conservative growth target.
ConocoPhillips tries to fuel more natural-gas use.
Dell sets $5-billion share buyback.
Dreamworks masters YouTube and Zynga marketing.
Facebook chases Google+ with "smart lists" feature.Continue reading...


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Already 40 hotels, including five international chains, are scheduled to open in Laos over the next five years as the country becomes a more popular tourist destination.
Yang Fu Ning, general manager of Don Chan Palace, a luxury hotel in Vientiane, said international brands Ramada, InterContinental, Crown Plaza, Sofitel and Marriott were set to open hotels in the capital by 2019.
Three global brands - Mercure, Ibis and Best Western - have already opened their doors in Vientiane, and one regional brand has entered the World Heritage Site of Luang Prabang to cash in the World Best Tourist Destination status of the country.
Furthermore, 25-30 three- and four-star hotels are set to open in the capital, with some in other tourist cities.
In the first year after receiving World`s Favorite Cultural Destination " we registered 3.7 million arrivals last year, generating income of US$600 million.
The government aims for 3.9 million tourists this year.
The number of arrivals should reach 10 million within five years but we need another success in WORLD BEST TOURIST DESTINATION to consolidate our status.
The number of American and European tourists has significantly increased in recent years.
Currently, seven foreign airlines, including Thai Airways International, AirAsia and Bangkok Airways, and two local carriers are operating in and out Laos. Some of these airlines run charter flights during high season.
Two years ago, the European Council on Tourism and Trade named Laos the "World's Best Tourist Destination for 2013", which put the country on the global tourism map especially for its rich history, culture, traditions and natural beauty.
DOCUMENTARY ABOUT LAOS-WORLD BEST TOURISM DESTINATION FOR 2013-Documentary that received European Academy Award


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Separating the meaningful from the merely novel, Bill Drummy outlines his Top Ten digital marketing trends for 2017.
There’s power in predictions. If you can figure out where a market is headed, or which technology will win the day, you can profit strategically and financially. That’s why people invest enormous time and considerable cognitive energy to gain even a slightly better idea of how the future will play out, where the tide will break, how a trend will tend.
In the business of pharmaceutical promotion, though, oftentimes this fascination with the latest trends (evident in the agenda of every healthcare conference as well as on the covers of countless industry publications) can be more distracting than illuminating. In brutal fact, obsessing over every shiny object can lead to purposeless investments and gassy, self-congratulatory, but ultimately ineffectual initiatives.
To me, the secret to unlocking value in the predictions business has always been in knowing how to distinguish the meaningful from the merely novel. By separating the signal from the noise, we gain a tangible market advantage-one that will not only lead your brand to superior engagement with your customers, but also, ultimately, higher conversion to a script or a sale. It’s as simple, and as vital, as that.
Since we’ve all been conditioned by David Letterman to think in terms of “Top Tens,” and since that’s a good number to give you some indication of just how massively healthcare is being disrupted today, I give you my Top Ten Healthcare Trends of 2017.
Note: These are not the only trends that matter, and they are not presented here in order of importance.
(Drummy roll, please)
1. DATA SMOG
90% of all the data created in the history of the world has been generated in the last 2 years. As a result, it’s growing increasingly more difficult for patients and even medical professionals to keep pace with the mountains of healthcare data.
Source: Dan Tinkoff, McKinsey & Co., at the Digital Health Coalition Spring Summit, May 8, 2017.
2. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
Within 5 years, 50% of all hospitals will adopt AI to enable their physicians’ delivery of medical care. In fact, because of Data Smog, without AI, doctors could well be completely unable to navigate the treatment landscape.
Source: Healthcare IT News and HIMSS Analytics survey, April 11, 2017, http://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/half-hospitals-adopt-artificial-intelligence-within-5-years.
3. VIRTUAL REALITY
The VR market grew by 168% in 2016-to $5 billion-and is expected to reach $38 billion by 2020. One of the greatest areas of potential is the healthcare sector, where VR promises big impact by improving training, expanding educational vistas, and increasing empathy for patients suffering from a wide variety of conditions.
Source: Superdata, https://www.rt.com/business/378767-virtual-reality-market-growth/.
4. THE INTERNET OF THINGS
By 2018, 63% of millennials will want to provide health data from wearable devices to their HCPs. We are entering a world where “the Quantified Self” is becoming normalized in healthcare.
Source: Welkin Health blog, www.welkinhealth.com/blog/utilizing-digital-health-to-engage-the-young-adult.
5. MINDLESS SHARING
60% of articles shared on social media are never read by the sender. Admit it, you’ve done it too: “That looks interesting/reinforces my world view, let me spam it out to everyone I know!”
Source: The Science Post, June 4, 2016, http://thesciencepost.com/study-70-of-facebook-commenters-only-read-the-headline/.
6. MOBILE FIRST
In 2015, mobile searches surpassed desktop searches for health information-fundamentally changing health info consumption behavior. For example, Google found that, once mobile searches eclipsed desktop searches, location-based searches grew dramatically (where is the nearest pharmacy? nearest doctor? best urgent care clinic?).
7. THE CONNECTED HOME
By 2021, there will be more than 50 million home-health monitoring devices in US homes. Whether a general-purpose device like Amazon’s Alexa, Google Home, Apple’s HomePod, or a health-specific device, embedding health monitoring in the décor means patients will have higher expectations for responsiveness and service.
Source: Circle Square, HIT Trends, February 2017.
In 2016, 50% of all doctor-patient interactions at Kaiser Permanente were technology-enabled, and that number is rising-fast. Patients have tried Virtual Healthcare, and they like it. Stay home in your pajamas, have a consult on your laptop, go back to bed. The 21st century house call.
Source: Physicians News Network, October 26, 2016, http://www.physiciansnewsnetwork.com/santa_clara_monterey/article_43ea59ec-b589-11e6-b0ec-07e7d9cb1462.
9. DARK SOCIAL MEDIA
86% of all social interactions now occur by means of messenger apps instead of over “standard” social platforms like Facebook and Twitter. The “message” here is that radically simple technologies like texting are dramatically preferred by the vast majority of people you’re trying to reach.
Source: RadiumOne, 2016.
10. QUICK. VISUAL. QUIET. (QVQ): The new syntax of digital communications
84% of Facebook videos are watched with the sound off, but less than half of these videos are designed to be understandable without sound. Viewing behaviors are changing, so you need to design your content to take advantage of them.
Source: Facebook study, 2016.
You could easily drive yourself crazy trying to keep up with all these epochal changes, much less figuring out how they will impact your business. So it’s not only sensible, but essential for good mental hygiene, to winnow down the list … to separate the trends that are interesting from those that are likely to have a substantial impact on your business-the business of pharmaceutical promotion.
Fortunately, while all these trends are important to the overall healthcare landscape, they do not all hold equal, or at least not immediate, significance for pharma marketing. So let’s do a solid for our collective sanity and focus on three of the trends that portend the most significance for you. Today.
1. TELEMEDICINE: The doctor will see you NOW!
No digital health trend has had a more significant and surprising impact than the rapid growth of “Virtual Distributed Medicine,” also called Telemedicine. You saw in trend #8 above that 50% of all doctor-patient interactions at Kaiser-Permanente (that enormous, California-based healthcare system) were technology-enabled in 2016. Whether those interactions were merely assisted by a digital technology (smartphone, tablet, kiosk) or were entirely conducted over technology (full-scale telemedicine), the effect has been profound.
“What we’re now seeing is greater interaction with our members and the healthcare system,” said Kaiser CEO Bernard Tyson (@BernardJTyson). “They’re asking different questions; they’re behaving more like consumers; and medical information now is becoming a critical part of how they’re making life choices.”
But how, you may be asking, does this relate to pharma marketing? Well, to see the relevance, you need to fully comprehend the changing nature of the patient-physician experience. The marketers at Orexigen Therapeutics saw it when they thought differently about marketing Contrave®, their product indicated for weight loss. Contrave faced a number of unique challenges, and the marketers at Orexigen understood that:
Facing these challenges, the Contrave brand team knew they had to reach consumers directly, but they couldn’t rely on the “standard” pharma DTC approach.
That’s where the telemedicine trend became highly relevant.
Orexigen devised a completely online selling model, wherein digital advertising led prospects directly to the Contrave website. After providing some basic information, the potential patient could request (and pay a small fee for) an online consult with a doctor-right then and there. The telemedicine service (provided by a third party) enables a direct video consult between the patient and a doctor, who assesses the patient’s suitability for Contrave, advises the patient of risks, and then, if the doctor determines the patient is appropriate, authorizes the prescription. The whole process takes just a few minutes.
Orexigen even makes the fulfillment process easy and efficient, enabling patients to get the product shipped overnight directly to their homes, thereby adding an Amazon-like element of speed and convenience to the sale of a pharmaceutical product.
So the trend was telemedicine, but the innovation was re-engineering the DTC selling process: accelerating the patient journey to conversion while increasing throughput. And it seems to have worked. At the end of March, Orexigen reported “dramatic growth” and its Chief Operating Officer and President of Global Commercial Products, Dr. Thomas Cannell, shared, “Our telemedicine pilot program has also demonstrated early signs of success in California and Texas, and we’re now targeting the expansion of the offering to 47 total states by the end of May. The combined effect of this novel, broadly integrated commercial effort is clearly visible in our prescription-volume and net-sales performance to date.”
2. “Dark” Social Media and the radical simplicity of texting
Dark Social Media may be a new term to you, so a moment’s explanation: I’m not referring to anything nefarious lurking in the nether regions of the internet. Dark Social Media simply refers to internet communications among people that does not take place on public platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or Snap. It’s called “Dark” because it can’t be seen (except by the NSA) as easily as normal social media interactions. (If the word “Dark” makes you uncomfortable, you can refer to it as “Private” Social Media.) Whatever you call it, this kind of social communication has two major characteristics: it’s extremely simple and low effort (it’s texting) and for that reason, it’s become the clearly preferred mode of daily communication for most people most of the time. According to social media monitoring firm Radium One, 86% of all social media is now of the “Dark” variety, and that’s not just among millennials, that’s for everyone.
So virtually everyone you are attempting to communicate with prefers simple texting. That’s proven. Yet, most pharma marketers persist in creating CRM programs that are primarily based on websites and emails. Of course, this might make sense for some demographics (although I would challenge you to look critically at the data before conceding that point) but for the vast majority of audiences, email is no longer their preferred mode of communication. So why don’t we give our customers the kinds of experiences we know they like best? Namely, why are we not using automated, anticipatory, context-sensitive technology to give customers superior service experiences?
I’m thinking of a technology such as a Chatbot-an automated means for patients (or HCPs for that matter) to get answers to their questions immediately. Chatbots are being used to great effect in other industries (leaders include Disney, Whole Foods, and Pizza Hut), but why not in pharma? A well-designed Chatbot would be smart enough to understand the general nature of a patient’s question, steering the patient to the answer by means of an input no more complicated than a text message, or even the most radically simple interface device of all-a voice command. To my mind, this is the future of CRM for pharma, and several companies have already taken steps in that direction. Synergy Pharma stepped in it with their “Poop Troop” emojis, meant to simplify the conversation about Chronic Idiopathic Constipation between patients and professionals, using a friendly form of (truly) Dark Social Media.
3. QVQ: The new syntax of digital communications
Another term that may have surprised you in my Top Ten is QVQ, which stands for Quick, Visual, and Quiet. The acronym (coinage uncertain) refers to the way in which new modes of media consumption are leading to different forms of content design. And while this trend may be surprising, it also may well be the one with the most immediate impact on the way you need to think about your marketing.
When people interact with websites and social media properties (and, despite the growth of Dark Social Media, these remain extremely vital channels), they do so in ways that are significantly different than were common even a few years ago. Why? Because as technology has evolved, so have the habits people exhibit when they are consuming information. To put it bluntly, many people now digest information in a state of near-permanent distraction-often using several digital devices at once-and they focus on any one platform for only a few seconds before the next Pavlovian ding distracts them. Consumers are typically viewing their favorite websites or social channels with the sound off, scanning for interesting or entertaining content as they multitask. To put it another way, their experiential syntax has changed.
To reach people effectively in this transformed information environment, you need to design your content very differently, acknowledging that attention is now the scarcest commodity. So you need to deploy different techniques to capture it. Specifically:
But despite the reality of this new syntax, it’s startling how few content developers are building assets designed to work optimally in this new reality. Remember, Facebook says 84% of their videos are viewed with the sound off; they also say that 41% of videos on their platform are not easily comprehensible without sound.
In the world of pharma marketing, that percentage is likely to be far worse.
Of course, that discrepancy spells opportunity for the more sophisticated marketer who takes advantage of the QVQ trend-just as the savvier content developers on Facebook have realized. For example, Buzzfeed’s Tasty food videos (https://www.facebook.com/pg/buzzfeedtasty/videos/) earned the second highest engagement of any sponsor on Facebook in 2016-engagement that led to some 142 million actions.
I am sometimes challenged by those who say, in effect, “You can’t do that sort of thing in pharma; we have to be serious.” But I counter: If your audience isn’t picking up what you’re putting out, your communication is impotent. So it’s really incumbent on us as good marketers to design messages and message delivery that will connect with the experiential reality of our viewers. Not the reality we may wish were the case, but the reality that is the case.
Which is why keeping QVQ top of mind is critical. It’s important to communicate even complex messages in serious therapeutic categories like oncology in ways that will arrest the attention of our distracted audiences, to pry open a sliver of cognitive space so that a productive conversation may begin.
The Disruption roiling the healthcare environment today isn’t going away; as with everything in the digital age, it’s accelerating. Accordingly, we all need to get very good at making sense of the trends without being hypnotized or paralyzed by them.
To that end, you need to keep these three things in mind:
And, in the end, that’s why knowing the trends that matter, matters so much to marketers.
Bill Drummy is Founder & Chairman of Heartbeat.


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Balzac: To host brand new east side farmers market this fall
Milwaukee, WI – Balzac Wine Bar, located at 1716 N. Arlington Place, announced today it will sponsor a Farmers Market this fall featuring local farmer, food vendors and crafts. The markets will be held from 10:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. on two Saturdays this year, September 23 and October 21. Arlington Place will be closed off beginning at Brady Street for these events. The markets will be held rain or shine.
“At Balzac, we place great emphasis on reducing food waste and locally sourcing our food whenever possible. In fact, we grow our own herbs and edible flowers for use in our entrees and host a free Sunday evening meal for food service employees using remaining ingredients from the previous week’s menu. Encouraging people to support local farmers, vendors and artists is another way we can put our sustainability philosophy into practice and demonstrate our commitment to the community by providing fresh food options for eastside residents,” said Emily Chirillo, General Manager of Balzac.


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SUNSET IS GRP INC COM USD0.001 (POST REV SPLT (OTCMKTS:SIGO) appears to be a new flavor of the day on the OTC in the cannabis patch. SIGO has been red hot over the past month, ripping as much as 550% off its July lows on a breakout from a long-term basing pattern. The big run in the stock appears to be predicated on an expansion and the news that its current supply of medical grade marijuana had been pre-sold to California-based player.
SIGO’s most recent catalyst is its announcement that they have looked at additional expansion space that’s available and that they are now considering 230,000 square feet of cannabis grow space. CEO T.J. Magallanes stated, “We have a very solid plan for accessing additional capital for expansion that will more than meet our previously announced expansion plans. With that being said, as a result of recent discussions with our current lease holder, it has come to our attention that up to 230K square feet of additional grow space could become available soon at very favorable terms. We are strongly considering this option based on the terms presented. Based on the results of our first harvest and the overall performance of our team, we are of the opinion that we should be able to scale up production at a much quicker pace than originally expected.”
SUNSET IS GRP INC COM USD0.001 (POST REV SPLT (OTCMKTS:SIGO) trumpets itself as a company whose principal line of business is the cultivation of medical cannabis.
SIGO has leased green house space in Northern California that has been approved for cannabis cultivation. The greenhouse is 12,000 square feet; however, SIGO has begun filing its permits to expand to 22,000 square feet.
Once the State of California has finalized the licensing process and requirements for licensed manufacturing facilities, the Company will begin consulting and advising clients that operate in the medical marijuana business by providing clients a licensed manufacturing facility to produce products such as oils and edibles.
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As noted above, SIGO has been on a major bull run following the company’s announcement of plans of a major expansion. The ramping action in the market for SIGO shares has been an aggressive show of faith. As updates hit the market, that faith has been augmented. Of course, that means the stock has a potential trap door below if we see a hiccup in the plans. But so far, management appears to be increasingly sanguine.
CFO Valerie Baugher stated, “Even if we do not immediately put all of that square footage into production, another consideration is the permitting and licensing requirements that will be put into effect across the state of California at the beginning of next year. Every indication points to less growers across the state as the legal requirements become more stringent. Having a surplus of square footage could become an advantage to us if in fact the demand for product becomes more than available supply.”
Mr. Magallanes went on to say, “We are working out the details on two more pieces of very exciting news and will share with our investors in the coming weeks. If both of these come to fruition, there’s no doubt in our minds that investors will be extremely pleased with their investment in Sunset Island Group.”
Recent action has seen approaching 470% during the past month in terms of shareholder gains in the listing, a bounce that has taken root amid largely bearish action over the larger time frame. The situation may be worth watching. SIGO is a stock whose past is littered with sudden rips. Furthermore, the company has witnessed a pop in interest, as transaction volume levels have recently pushed just shy of 240% over what the stock has registered over the longer term.
Earning a current market cap value of $39.53M, SIGO has been carrying around a basic blank slate in terms of financial data: virtually no cash on the books, which stands against virtually no total current liabilities. And the company is pre-revenue at this point. This may be a very interesting story and we will look forward to updating it again soon. For continuing coverage on shares of $SIGO stock, as well as our other hot stock picks, sign up for our free newsletter today and get our next breakout pick!
Disclosure: we hold no position in $SIGO, either long or short, and we have not been compensated for this article.


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Rockpool’s best-known games are Worms, MotoGP and Ronnie O’Sullivan; Ironstone Partners is a licensing company while SoGoPlay develops and publishes casual web games.
Said Jane Cavanagh, Chief Executive, Eidos: “We believe that the global market for mobile games is set to grow considerably over the next few years from around $3bn in 2006 to $10bn in 2009, and that casual games are also becoming increasingly important. Rockpool’s breadth of activity … fits well with Eidos’ strategy to expand the company’s business in this direction.”
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Trump orders troops to US borders to stop caravan from Mexico
Several hundred troops are being sent to beef up security at the US’ southern border with Mexico, the Department of Defense said. It comes as a caravan of several thousand migrants, some estimates place it at over 14,000 makes its way north through Mexico.
The US Defence Secretary James Mattis is expected to sign an order sending at least 800 troops to the border in anticipation of the caravan’s arrival, a government source told AP.
Departing crime- and poverty-stricken Honduras two weeks ago, the caravan swelled in number as it approached the US, with the UN estimating it to be 7,000 strong last week. Since crossing into Mexico almost a week ago, the caravan has advanced north to the town of Mapastepec with some of the people in the caravan dropping off.
Mapastepec is still over 1,000 miles from the US, a journey of several weeks for the remaining members. Some of the drop-offs have taken another route to the US, others have stayed in Mexico, and more have turned and gone home, some falling ill and some fearing attacks and harassment by criminals.
President Trump has vowed to stop the caravan since it departed, declaring border security a “national emergency,” and tweeting on Thursday that he is “bringing out the military” to deal with it.
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By mmillikin German auto manufacturers will optimize the emissions systems in 5.3 million currently approved Euro 5 and 6 diesels in the country, according to the outcome of the “National Diesel Forum” held in Berlin today between the automotive industry and the German Federal and state governments. The aim is a 30% reduction in NOx emissions from these vehicles by the end of 2018. The automakers will bear the entire cost of the retrofitting, estimated by the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA) to be at least €500 million.
Read Full Article Here
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Argentina has both a large pet food market and strong e-commerce potential, two factors that can reinforce each other, according to Diana Mercado, founder of Zoo Inc., during her presentation at the Pet Food Industry Congress in Latin America (CIPAL) in Buenos Aires, Argentina on September 18.
More than 9 million dogs live in Argentina, said Mercado, quoting figures from Mordor Intelligence. Three million domestic cats call the country home. Feeding those dogs, cats and other pets added up to an annual pet food market value of approximately US$1.053 billion in 2014. Mordor analysts projected that the Argentinian pet food market will hit US$1.162 billion by 2020 with a compound annual growth rate of 1.6%.
E-commerce in Argentina and pet food
While the Argentinian pet food market is growing, e-commerce acceptance continues increasing, along with internet penetration rates.
Statistics from the Argentinian Chamber of Electronic Commerce, presented by Mercado, suggest that consumers’ resistance to e-commerce has decreased in just the past few years. In 2016, 73% of respondents told the Chamber that not being able to see the product was a disadvantage to using e-commerce. That figure decreased to 52% in 2018. Likewise, concerns about late shipping decreased from 38% to 28%. Argentinian consumers’ fears about data insecurity on e-commerce retailers’ websites declined from 15% to 9%.
Argentinian consumers correspondingly increased their belief in the value of e-commerce. The Chamber’s most recent figures reflect that 43% of consumers feel that the process of buying online was easy and simple to do, up from 30% in 2018.
However, many pet food companies operating in Argentinian e-commerce don’t take full advantage of potential internet sales of dog, cat and other pet products, Mercado said. She found that no major pet food brands in Argentina sold their products directly to consumers. Likewise, many didn’t provide tools to help pet owners find places to buy products. The pet food companies Sieger, BioPet, Nature/Keddi and Dr. Cossia fell into this category.
Some companies’ websites included links to online retailers where Argentinians could buy their products, or interactive maps to help consumers find brick-and-mortar retailers. Pet food companies operating in Argentina and offering these tools included Vitalcan, Eukanuba and Pedigree.