Online retailers saw a significant increase in online Halloween sales, bolstered by the event (31 Oct) falling during school half-term as well as coinciding with Diwali, according to data from Wunderkind, the AI-driven performance marketing solution.

Supply chain agility critical to success in biggest retail golden quarter for years. Chris Clowes, executive director at global supply chain and logistics consultancy, SCALA, discusses how the agility of supply chain and logistics operations will be critical for businesses looking to make the most of this year’s golden quarter...

RAIN Alliance, the non-profit industry organisation supporting the development and adoption of Ultra High Frequency (UHF) Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), has published its bi-annual research report ‘Global Markets & Applications for RAIN RFID Solutions’, produced by VDC Research.

According to a report from Adroit Market Research, 3D printing powder market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 26.6% between 2021 and 2031.

This Earth Day, Brother International Europe is celebrating 15 years since first joining forces with the rainforest conservation charity, becoming their longest-serving commercial partner.

Shanghai World of Packaging (swop) will take centre stage from November 18 to 20, 2024, at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre.

Fifty years ago, the first retail barcode was scanned, marking a pivotal moment in computing history by linking a physical product to its digital identity.

To commemorate this milestone and in conjunction with Cambridge Tech Week, Orca Scan has launched a new exhibition, ‘Celebrating 50 Years of Barcode Scanning’, in collaboration with Datalogic and the Centre for Computing History.

At six years old, Luke Bucciarelli (pronounced BOO-cha-relli) already knows he wants to be a surgeon when he grows up. But not just any surgeon - a thoracic surgeon; someone who operates on organs in the chest, including the lungs, esophagus, trachea and heart.

[Domestic] :
The number of female executives in the country's top 100 companies has reached a record high. According to global headhunting firm Unico Search on Monday, the number of female executives in South Korea's top 100 companies reached 463 this year, up five-point-five percent, or 24 from last ...

[more...]

[Sports] :
Prosecutors are seeking a four-year prison term for football forward Hwang Ui-jo, who has admitted to filming sexual encounters without his partners’ consent. The 32-year-old footballer, who plays for the Turkish Süper Lig club Alanyaspor, entered the guilty plea Wednesday at the Seoul Central District ...

[more...]

[Science] :
The number of patients suffering from heat-related illnesses jumped over 30 percent this year from a year earlier due to the historic heat wave this summer. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) on Sunday, the number of patients with heat-related illnesses from May 20 to ...

[more...]

Whether you are an employee or a small business owner, it can be helpful to calculate the number of working days in a year. Most people are familiar with the total number of days in a year: 365. But how many of those days are working days?

While the average billionaire is 66 years old, there’s a dramatic shift taking place in the world of wealth. A new generation of billionaires is making headlines with their impressive fortunes. Around the globe, 14 individuals have reached a net worth of over $1 billion despite being 30 years old or younger — and the youngest billionaire is still in her teens.

Unfortunately for drivers, we often see the highest gas prices during the summer, starting around Memorial Day. In May 2022, U.S. consumers paid an average of $1.50 per gallon more than they were at the same time in 2021, according to AAA.

[Culture] :
KBS hit drama "Winter Sonata" which led the Korean Wave in the 2000s will be released as a theatrical film in Japan next year. Pan Entertainment, which produced the show, announced Monday that it had decided to release a film version after receiving continuous requests from Japanese distributors and ...

[more...]

As April Fools' Day draws near, many are on the lookout for the best April Fools' pranks to strike the perfect balance between fun and family-friendly. This tradition, rooted in jest and joy, offers a unique opportunity to engage in humorous antics that lead to a good laugh without crossing the line.

Starting your own vegetable garden can be a rewarding and delicious hobby. But choosing the right vegetables can make the difference between a bountiful harvest and a frustrating experience. If you're a beginner, you'll want to start with the easiest vegetables to grow in different seasons.

Soccer, football — no matter what you call it, the world's most popular sport has a long and colorful history, from its ancient origins to its modern-day status as a global phenomenon. But when was soccer invented? How did it become the "beautiful game" that captivates millions today?

[Economy] :
The number of economically inactive South Koreans increased by 245-thousand on-year in August. According to Statistics Korea on Wednesday, nearly two-point-57 million people were neither working nor looking for work. Those in their 60s made up 36-point-three percent of the total, while people in their ...

[more...]

[Economy] :
Global investment banks have slashed their growth outlook for South Korea for this year. According to the Korea Center for International Finance on Friday, the growth forecast by eight foreign investment banks averaged two-point-three percent at the end of October, representing a zero-point-two percentage ...

[more...]

[Economy] :
A state-run institute has revised down this year’s growth outlook by zero-point-three percentage point to two-point-two percent. In August, the Korea Development Institute(KDI) said it expected the economy to expand two-point-five percent in 2024. The institute said the economic recovery has weakened as ...

[more...]

[Economy] :
South Koreans appear to hold more favorable views of marriage and childrearing than they did two years ago. According to Statistics Korea on Tuesday, 52-point-five percent of some 36-thousand people aged 13 and older polled in May said people should get married, up two-point-five percentage points from ...

[more...]

BGS maps out priorities with five-year strategy  British Geological Survey

Will 2024 be the Year of the Aurora?  British Geological Survey

UK Minerals Yearbook 2023 now available to download  British Geological Survey

Forty years and counting: new topsoil data provides most extensive snapshot of environmental pollution effects  British Geological Survey

The first Federation of European Biochemical Societies Advanced Course on macromolecular crystallization was launched in the Czech Republic in October 2004. Over the past two decades, the course has developed into a distinguished event, attracting students, early career postdoctoral researchers and lecturers. The course topics include protein purification, characterization and crystallization, covering the latest advances in the field of structural biology. The many hands-on practical exercises enable a close interaction between students and teachers and offer the opportunity for students to crystallize their own proteins. The course has a broad and lasting impact on the scientific community as participants return to their home laboratories and act as nuclei by communicating and implementing their newly acquired knowledge and skills.

Source: Streetwise Reports 11/05/2024

Revolve Renewable Power Corp. (TSXV:REVV; OTCQB:REVVF) released its strongest financial results since going public in 2022, those for fiscal year 2024 (FY24) ended June 30, 2024, the company announced in a news release.

"FY24 marked significant progress for the company as it continues its transition to an owner and operator of renewable energy projects, incorporating a focus on building long-term recurring revenues and cash flow for the business," the release noted.

This company, headquartered in British Columbia, develops utility-scale solar, wind, hydro, and battery storage projects in North America. The Revolve Renewable Business Solutions division installs and operates sub-20-megawatt, behind-the-meter distributed generation assets.

FY24 revenue of US$6.7 million (US$6.7M) exceeded guidance by 35% and surpassed FY23 revenue by 509%. Significant contributors to total revenue for this latest fiscal year were deferred revenues and milestone payments of US$4.25M from the sale of the Bouse and Parker projects to ENGIE. Completion of the WindRiver Power Corp. acquisition in February added $671,738 of total revenue. In the future, WindRiver business is projected to generate recurring revenue of US$1.8M on a 12-month basis.

Adjusted EBITDA in FY24 also was up year over year (YOY), at US$2.7M versus US$1.5M of guidance and (US$2.1M) in FY23.

The gross margin in FY24 was strong at 96%. This was due to increased recurring revenues from the distributed generation portfolio, low operating costs of the rooftop solar projects therein, the addition of operating utility-scale projects in Canada, and sale proceeds from utility-scale projects in the U.S.

FY24 resulted in a net income of US$2.6M, whereas FY23 saw a net loss of US$2.3M.

As for the balance sheet, at FY24's end, Revolve had US$3.2M in cash. Total liabilities were US$10M, up from US$2.6M in FY23 due to nonrecourse debt taken on via the WindRiver acquisition plus additional loans granted by RE Royalties Ltd., a Canadian royalty finance company, throughout FY24.

Operational Progress Made

Operationally, in FY24, according to the release, Revolve generated 8,048,729 kilowatt-hours (8,048,729 kWh) of renewable energy, up 397% from 1,618,456 kWH the year before. The main drivers were continuing output from the company's operational distributed generation portfolio and power produced at the Box Springs wind farm.

During the 15 months between July 1, 2023, and Oct. 31, 2024, Revolve added of 76.1 megawatts (76.1 MW) net of development hydro projects in Canada through the WindRiver acquisition and 480 MW of new greenfield development projects in Canada and the U.S. These took the total of Revolve's utility-scale projects under development to 3,015 MW.

The company made significant progress on its 20 megawatt (20 MW)/80 MWh Vernal BESS battery storage project and 49.5 MW Primus wind projects, now in the late stage of development and expected to reach ready-to-build status at the end of 2025 (2025E).

Revolve is still building its two distributed generation assets in Mexico, totaling 3.45 MW. Permitting work continues on the 3 MW CHP project continues, and the final commissioning of the 450-KW-peak rooftop solar project is taking place.

The distributed generation project pipeline remains at about 150 MW, and efforts are ongoing to sign additional power purchase agreements for new projects from it.

Also, Revolve recently announced its acquisition of a 30-MW-peak solar development project in Alberta, Canada, and expects a 20-MW-peak first phase will be ready for construction by 2025E.

Independent Power Producer

Revolve is a revenue-generating, renewable-focused independent power producer formed in 2012 to capitalize on the growing global demand for renewable power, according to its October 2024 Corporate Presentation.

The company began as solely a developer of utility-scale projects, a line of business that provides investors access to higher returns. Currently, the company has two projects under construction, the ones in Mexico and 3,000-plus MW worth of projects in development in Canada, the U.S., and Mexico. To date, Revolve has developed and sold more than 1,550 MW of utility-scale projects and is now targeting 5,000 MW under development.

Today, Revolve is also an owner-operator of renewable energy distribution generation projects that provide recurring revenue and cash flow via long-term power purchase agreements. Currently, the portfolio contains 150-plus MW of generation projects in Canada and Mexico. The company will continue expanding this line of business through organic growth and mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activity.

Revolve's management team has a successful track record in taking renewable energy projects from greenfield to ready-to-build status and in selling them to large operators. Collectively, it has generated about US$23M in revenue historically from the sale of 1,550 MW of development assets and has raised US$10.3M in equity capital.

Significant Sector Growth Forecasted

The transition to net zero emissions continues driving the renewable energy industry after nearly 200 countries at the COP28 UN Climate Change Conference in December 2023 pledged to triple global capacity by the end of this decade. In a report last month, the International Energy Agency (IEA) forecasted global renewable capacity reaching almost 11,000 gigawatts (GW) by then, reflecting 2.7 times growth, falling short of the goal.

Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Power: Of the growth predicted for renewable energy during this period, solar photovoltaic power will make up 80% of it, according to the IEA, due to its increasing economic attractiveness in most countries.

"At the end of this decade, solar PV is set to become the largest renewable source, surpassing both wind and hydropower," the agency wrote. Hydropower currently is the top source worldwide.

Wind Power: Wind power will account for 15% of all forecasted renewable capacity growth, noted the IEA. This sector has suffered recently from macroeconomic factors and supply chain difficulties, but it is expected to recover. Global wind capacity is projected to expand between 2024 and 2029 at double the rate it grew between 2017 and 2023.

"Policy changes concerning auction design, permitting, and grid connection in Europe, the United States, India, and other emerging and developing economies are expected to enhance project bankability and help the wind sector recover from recent financial difficulties," the article noted.

Hydropower: As for hydropower, capacity is continuing to grow consistently, noted the IEA, due primarily to efforts by China, India, Africa and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations region.

In North America, the U.S. is expected to be the biggest market for hydropower, according to Mordor Intelligence. Between 2024 and 2029, the market is forecasted to expand at a compound annual growth rate of 1%, spurred by demand for renewable energy and investments in hydropower plants.

"The technological advancements in efficiency and decrease in the production cost of hydropower projects are expected to create ample opportunity for market players," the article noted.

The Catalysts: Results of Business as Usual

As Revolve continues effecting its growth strategies, numerous potential stock-boosting events should occur, according to its corporate presentation.

Catalysts resulting from ongoing efforts include further M&A transactions, signing additional power purchase agreements, and bringing new distributed generation projects online. wo increasing revenue and cash flow growth.

Specifically, the company reaching its goals of advancing 70 MW of the BESS and Wind projects to ready-to-build status as well as 30 MW of solar in Canada, in 2025. These have the potential to generate material revenue and add value.

Another catalyst is Revolve achieving ready-to-build status for its two wind projects in Mexico, the 103 MW El 24 and the 400 MW Presa Nueva. The company's ultimate goal with these assets is to partner on or sell them. [OWNERSHIP_CHART-10982]

Finally, payments toward the remaining US$45–55M balance still owed to Revolve regarding the ENGIE sale could boost its stock.

Ownership and Share Structure

About 60% of the company is owned by insiders and management, Revolve said.

Top shareholders include Joseph O'Farrell with 13.21%, Roger Norwich with 12.15%, the CEO and Director Stephen Dalton with 6.01%, President and Director Omar Bojorquez with 4.82%, and Jonathan Clare with 1.84%, according to Reuters and the company.

The rest is retail.

Revolve has a market cap of CA$17.96M. It has 63.04M outstanding shares and 38.75M free float traded shares. Its 52-week high and low are CA$0.50 and CA$0.21 per share, respectively.

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Important Disclosures:

1. As of the date of this article, officers and/or employees of Streetwise Reports LLC (including members of their household) own securities of Revolve Renewable Power Corp.
2. Doresa Banning wrote this article for Streetwise Reports LLC and provides services to Streetwise Reports as an independent contractor.
3. This article does not constitute investment advice and is not a solicitation for any investment. Streetwise Reports does not render general or specific investment advice and the information on Streetwise Reports should not be considered a recommendation to buy or sell any security. Each reader is encouraged to consult with his or her personal financial adviser and perform their own comprehensive investment research. By opening this page, each reader accepts and agrees to Streetwise Reports' terms of use and full legal disclaimer. Streetwise Reports does not endorse or recommend the business, products, services or securities of any company.

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( Companies Mentioned: TSXV:REVV;OTCQB:REVVF, )

The graphics in my post about R^2 were produced by an updated version of a sixty-year old program involving the U.S. census. Originally, the program was based on census data from 1900 to 1960 and sought to predict the population in 1970. The software back then was written in Fortran, the predominate technical programming language a half century ago. I have updated the MATLAB version of the program so that it now uses census data from 1900 to 2020.... read more >>

People rest while riding a Los Angeles Metro Rail train amid the coronavirus pandemic on April 1, 2020 in Los Angeles, California.; Credit: Mario Tama/Getty Images

Despite the racial reckoning going on in America right now, and despite the fact that attitudes towards race, inclusion and representation are different now than they were 30 years ago, new research from UC Berkeley shows that a large majority of American metro areas are more segregated now than they were in 1990. The new report from Berkeley’s Institute covers a number of topic areas, but among the key findings were from the national segregation report component of the project, which found Los Angeles to be the sixth-most segregated metro area with more than 200,000 people.

Today on AirTalk, we’ll talk with the lead researcher on the new report and a local historian to talk about how we see the findings of the report play out in Southern California.

Guests:

Stephen Menendian, assistant director and director of research at the Othering & Belonging Institute at UC Berkeley, which works to identify and eliminate the barriers to an inclusive, just, and sustainable society in order to create transformative change; he tweets @SMenendian

Eric Avila, professor of history, urban planning, and Chicano/a studies at UCLA

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

For two decades now, and counting, the LANDFIRE program continues to assemble the most easy-to-use, intuitive and complete clearinghouse of remote sensing data products for wildland fire managers. 

Operationally, the company's renewable energy generation was up 397% year over year. Discover the many potential catalysts for the stock.

George R.R. Martin has entered into a five year deal with HBO to develop content for both HBO and HBO Max, the network said in a statement on Monday.

The best-selling fantasy author and four-time Emmy award winner, best known for his book series A Song of Ice and Fire and its television adaptation Game of Thrones, is attached to multiple projects in the pipeline for the media company and streaming service.

The Game of Thrones television series followed powerful families aiming for the iron throne in the continent of Westeros. It ran for eight years on HBO, with the final season wrapping in 2019.

Martin has a new drama series in the works, House of the Dragon, which is based on his Fire & Blood book. The Game of Thrones prequel follows House Targaryen and is set 300 years before the events of Game of Thrones.

The show has been given a ten episode order. Paddy Considine, Olivia Cooke, Matt Smith, and Emma D'Arcy have joined the series, with additional cast members to be announced.

The show is co-created by Martin and Ryan Condal, whose prior work includes Colony, Rampage, and Hercules. Condal and Miguel Sapochnik (Game of Thrones, Altered Carbon) serve as showrunners and producers with Martin and Vince Gerardis (Game of Thrones).

Martin is also set to executive produce HBO's Who Fears Death, a fantasy post-apocalyptic series with Tessa Thompson attached to star and adapted from the novel by Nnedi Okorafor; and Roadmarks, an adaptation of the sci-fi novel from Roger Zelazny.

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

Tanitoluwa Adewumi, pictured in 2019, just became the newest national chess master in the U.S. at age 10.; Credit: Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images

Tanitoluwa Adewumi, a 10-year-old in New York, just became the country's newest national chess master.

At the Fairfield County Chess Club Championship tournament in Connecticut on May 1, Adewumi won all four of his matches, bumping his chess rating up to 2223 and making him the 28th youngest person to become a chess master, according to US Chess.

"I was very happy that I won and that I got the title," he says, "I really love that I finally got it."

"Finally" is after about three years — the amount of time that Adewumi has been playing chess. When he started, Adewumi and his family were living in a homeless shelter in Manhattan after fleeing religious persecution by the Islamist militant group Boko Haram in their home country of Nigeria.

Now, Adewumi practices chess "every day" after school for "10, 11 hours" — and still manages to get some sleep.

His hours of practice have paid off. As a chess player, he describes himself as a bit of an every man, "aggressive" or "calm" when he needs to be, and always thinking ahead.

"On a normal position, I can do up to 20 moves [in advance]", he says. Keeping all of the pieces straight in his head might seem like a challenge but Adewumi says it's a skill that "when you master, it just keeps coming back."

Adewumi competes against other chess players at all levels. But his favorite match?

"I guess Hikaru Nakamura is my favorite person I've ever played," he says. "He's a grandmaster, a very strong one. He's on the top of the rankings."

Nakamura won that match. But Adewumi takes each loss in stride — and there's always the possibility of a comeback.

"I say to myself that I never lose, that I only learn," he says. "Because when you lose, you have to make a mistake to lose that game. So you learn from that mistake, and so you learn [overall]. So losing is the way of winning for yourself."

Since the last time NPR spoke with Adewumi, his family moved out of the shelter and he's written a book about his life called My Name Is Tani . . . and I Believe in Miracles. That book has been optioned for a Trevor Noah-produced film adaptation with a script by The Pursuit of Happyness screenwriter Steven Conrad.

But Adewumi's journey is not over yet. He says his goal is to become the world's youngest grandmaster. At 10 years 8 months, he has a little under two years to beat the current record holder, Sergey Karjakin, who gained his title at 12 years 7 months.

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

In light of the results of the U.S. election, Michael Ballanger of GGM Advisory Inc. shares his thoughts on the overall market and specifically looks at gold and silver.

Louise Ackerman serves as the Chairwoman for Alcohol and Substance Abuse Prevention (A.S.A.P.) of Catawba County. A.S.A.P. is a volunteer coalition made up of Catawba County residents with members from all segments of the community, including education, law enforcement, the criminal justice system, the faith community, mental health, social services, public health, local business, parents and youth that work together to combat underage drinking and substance abuse.

Brian Drum, one of the supervisors of the Catawba County 911 Communications Center, who has been called upon to increase his supervising duties over the past year and has a record of dedication to 911 dispatch that spans more than ten years, has been recognized by his peers in the North Carolina Chapter of the National Emergency Number Association (NC NENA) as Supervisor of the Year.

For the twenty-second straight year, Catawba County�s Budget Office has been recognized by its peers for producing a budget document which is easy to read and understand. The Office has won the 2010 Distinguished Budget Presentation Award from the Government Finance Officers Association. This award recognized the County�s fiscal year 2010-2011 budget.

Employees with 25 or more years of service were recognized at the twenty-sixth annual Quarter Century Club lunch at the Catawba Country Club. Many current members of the club celebrated with retired County employees, who also served with the County for 25 or more years. Catawba County formed the Quarter Century Club in 1986.

The company will locate a manufacturing operation in the Catawba Industrial Commons, creating 110 new jobs with an average wage of over $50,000 and investing $15 million over the next five years. It will provide specialized services for parts used in gas turbine engines produced by Siemens, GE, Alstom and Rolls-Royce.

The Catawba County Finance Department is a winner of the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting from the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA), for its Comprehensive Annual Financial Report for the fiscal year that ended on June 30, 2010. Catawba County has now won the award for 29 consecutive years.

The committee compiled existing information about the status of children in the county. It also held public meetings and surveyed members of the public about their priorities and ideas. The committee found that most children in the county are well-cared for, but that a substantial number are falling through the cracks. A major cause of concern is the large number of children living in poverty.

A 35 year veteran of the Register of Deeds Office, Beaver was praised by all her co-workers in that office for excellent customer service, for being a patient instructor on the laws involved in her work, and for preserving the County�s history.

Internal Systems Analyst Scott Klinger was recognized, in part, for integrating a new billing program that resulted in improved efficiencies across the organization.

Catawba County�s Budget Office has been recognized by its peers for producing a budget document which is easy to read and understand. The County Budget Office has won the 2011 Distinguished Budget Presentation Award from the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA).

Catawba County Government renewed an annual tradition on March 22nd, honoring employees with 25 or more years of service at the twenty-seventh annual Quarter Century Club lunch. Catawba County formed the Quarter Century Club in 1986. A highlight of this year�s program was the recognition of twelve new Quarter Century Club members.

Rodney Miller has been named Outstanding N.C. Finance Officer of the Year for 2011-12 by the North Carolina Government Finance Officers Association. The award traditionally and annually recognizes and honors the local government finance officer who has demonstrated state leadership in local government finance issues by serving as the organization's president.

Catawba County Attorney Debra Bechtel has been named County Attorney of the Year by the North Carolina County Association of County Attorneys. Bechtel was recognized for her service to Catawba County and for her service to the association and local governments across the state.

2012 Catawba County Employee Of The Year, Ona Scruggs, recognized for patience, understanding, listening in stressful arena.

Suzanne M. White, who has managed comprehensive library programs, services and personnel at two full service library branches in Rowan County for more than seven years, and has had a successful career in library services spanning more than twenty years, has been named Catawba County�s new Library Director. White succeeds Karen Foss, who will retire on February 1, 2013, after serving as the County�s Library Director since July 1999.