At CWEB, we are always looking to expand our network of strategic investors and partners. If you're interested in exploring investment opportunities or discussing potential partnerships and serious inquiries. Contact:jacque@cweb.com
The deal would value Noble Energy Inc (NBL.O) at about $13 billion, including debt. The deal will give Chevron more presence in Permian Basin in New Mexico, West Texas, and the DJ Basin of Colorado.
The deal Chevron Corp (CVX.N) announced on Monday that it will buy Noble at for $10.38 a share, or 0.1191 a Chevron share, a 7.6% premium over Noble’s Friday closing price of $9.65.The deal gives Chevron assets in the eastern Mediterranean and West Africa.
“Our strong balance sheet and financial discipline gives us the flexibility to be a buyer of quality assets during these challenging times,” said Chevron Chairman and CEO Michael Wirth. “This is a cost-effective opportunity for Chevron to acquire additional proved reserves and resources. Noble Energy’s multi-asset, high-quality portfolio will enhance geographic diversity, increase capital flexibility, and improve our ability to generate strong cash flow. These assets play to Chevron’s operational strengths, and the transaction underscores our commitment to capital discipline. We look forward to welcoming the Noble Energy team and shareholders to bring together the best of our organizations.”
“This combination is expected to unlock value for shareholders, generating anticipated annual run-rate cost synergies of approximately $300 million before tax, and it is expected to be accretive to free cash flow, earnings, and book returns one year after close,” Wirth concluded.
“The combination with Chevron is a compelling opportunity to join an admired global, diversified energy leader with a top-tier balance sheet and strong shareholder returns,” said David Stover, Noble Energy’s Chairman and CEO. “Over the last few years, we have made significant progress executing our strategic objectives, including driving capital efficiency gains onshore, advancing our offshore conventional gas developments and significantly reducing our cost structure. As we looked to build on this positive momentum, the Noble Energy Board of Directors and management team conducted a thorough process and concluded that this transaction is the best way to maximize value for all Noble Energy shareholders. We look forward to bringing together our highly complementary cultures and teams to realize the long-term value and benefits that this combination will deliver.” Source Chevron Investor Relations
Mike Wirth Chairman of The Board and Chief Executive Officer Michael K. (Mike) Wirth, 59, is chairman of the board and chief executive officer of Chevron Corporation. He was elected to these positions by Chevron’s board of directors in September 2017 and assumed the roles on February 1, 2018.Prior to his current role, Wirth served as vice chairman of the board in 2017 and executive vice president of Midstream & Development for Chevron Corporation from 2016 — 2018. In that role, he was responsible for supply and trading, shipping, pipeline, and power operating units, as well as corporate strategy; business development; and policy, government, and public affairs. Source Chevron
A lot of the predictions we hear about the future involve a hot, crowded planet, one where we need some serious science to figure out how to feed everyone and control rising global temperatures. The UN’s population forecast of almost 10 billion people by 2050 is widely quoted, and with it has come much conjecture about what such a world will look like. Where will all those people live? What kind of jobs will they have? What will they eat?
But before we invest too much into preparing for an impending population boom, we should consider some factors that, though often overlooked, could have a massive impact on the world’s population 20, 30, and even 80 years from now. A paper published this week in The Lancet explores the impact on population of factors like fertility, mortality, and migration, and details potential deviations from a heavily-populated future Earth.
On top of forecasting the populations of 195 countries, the study looked at age demographics and the impact they could have on national economies and the global power structure.
“Continued global population growth through the century is no longer the most likely trajectory for the world’s population,” said the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) Director Dr. Christopher Murray, who led the research. “This study provides governments of all countries an opportunity to start rethinking their policies on migration, workforces, and economic development to address the challenges presented by demographic change.”
Here are some of the paper’s key findings, and what they could mean for the future of our countries, economies, and planet.
How Many People Will There Be?
The study predicts that the global population will peak at around 9.7 billion, but not until 2064. By the end of the century in 2100, that number will plummet by almost a billion people, to 8.8 billion.
It’s a pretty huge fluctuation in 35 years’ time, especially barring events that would take out a big chunk of people at once, like world wars, natural disasters, or pandemics. According to the research, though, 23 countries will see their populations shrink by more than half, including Japan, Thailand, Italy, and Spain.
The US would reach its projected peak of 364 million people in 2062, then fall to 336 million by 2100. This would make the US the world’s fourth most populous country after India, Nigeria, and China, in that order, followed by Pakistan in fifth place. China’s population is expected to shrink to 732 million by 2100, while Nigeria’s is set to explode, more than tripling from its current 206 million to 791 million by 2100. Sub-Saharan Africa’s total population is also forecast to triple, reaching 3.07 billion by 2100.
The percentage of a country’s population that’s of working age–defined by the OECD as 15 to 64–has a significant impact on its economy. It’s part of why China was able to spur such a massive change in its GDP and poverty rates in just 30 years; high birth rates before the country’s one-child policy meant the opening of China’s economy coincided perfectly with a huge working-age population. It’s also why Japan’s aging population could be called a “demographic time bomb.”
The IHME study predicts major shifts in the global age structure, with far more old than young people by 2100; it estimates there’ll be 2.37 billion people over 65 and only 1.7 billion under 20. Moreover, the countries with the most young people will be those that are currently poorer, and their large working-age populations should accelerate their GDP growth.
IHME Professor Stein Emil Vollset, first author of the paper, said, “Our findings suggest that the decline in the numbers of working-age adults alone will reduce GDP growth rates that could result in major shifts in global economic power by the century’s end.”
At the moment, tensions between China and the West seem to be mounting, with multiple countries recently moving to ban Chinese companies like Huawei and TikTok; meanwhile, China is steadily advancing in technologies like AI and genetic engineering. The US and China are, in a sense, vying for global dominance, and the international leadership vacuum left by the current US administration’s foreign policy isn’t helping.
The study predicts China will overtake the US economically by 2035, but if the US maintains a liberal immigration policy, it will go back to having the world’s biggest economy by 2098.
The emphasis on immigration as an economic bolster here is critical. Countries that promote liberal immigration, the paper says, are better able to maintain their population size and support economic growth, even in the face of declining fertility rates.
“For high-income countries with below-replacement fertility rates, the best solutions for sustaining current population levels, economic growth, and geopolitical security are open immigration policies and social policies supportive of families having their desired number of children,” said Murray.
It’s crucial, though, that countries put women’s rights, education, and healthcare ahead of population growth; we already saw what happens when a government tries to force women to have as many children as possible, and it wasn’t pretty.
The Fertility Factor
According to the paper, the UN uses trends from the past to predict how fertility and mortality will evolve across countries in the future. But it leaves out one huge influencer: the fact that there’s not only room for improvement, but improvement is likely.
Though it may not seem like it right now–Covid-19 has thrown a big wrench in all kinds of statistics regarding both the present and the future–human well-being has been on a steady upward trajectory for the past couple decades. Infant and maternal mortality are down. Life expectancy is up, and gender equality is progressing. The widespread dissemination of technologies like smartphones, combined with government policies aimed at helping the most vulnerable, are lifting people out of poverty.
These trends are likely to continue and even accelerate, and as further gains are made in gender equality and access to education, one of the biggest knock-on effects we’ll see is fewer babies.
At present, women in poor countries are far more likely than women in rich countries to start having babies young, and to have a lot of them. This is due to cultural factors, like marrying young, as well as lack of education and access to contraceptives. The IHME research accounted for the likelihood that women will continue to have greater access to education and reproductive health services, and as a result will delay childbirth and have fewer kids.
The difference between this study’s projections and UN forecasts, then, come mainly from the associated decline in fertility rates. The team predicts that in sub-Saharan Africa there will be 702 million fewer people by 2100 than UN forecasts predict, and over 1 billion fewer in south and southeast Asia.
Less Is More?
Despite advances in technology that include bigger agricultural yields, cheaper manufacturing, and closely-linked global supply chains, the resources available to us do have a limit, and fewer people means more resources per person.
Looking again to China’s example, the country was in part able to achieve its astounding economic growth and decline in extreme poverty due to its one-child policy. The Chinese population grew just 38 percent from 1980 to 2013, while India’s grew by 84 percent and Sub-Saharan Africa’s by 147 percent in the same time period. Fewer mouths to feed means more food per mouth, more wealth per capita, and more people having their needs met.
This applies on a global scale, too, and the paper’s authors point out that their forecasts have positive implications for the environment, climate change, and food production–though they acknowledge the predictions could have negative implications for labor forces, economic growth, and social support systems in the countries with the biggest fertility declines.
Humans are pretty good at adapting, though. Whether learning to stay inside for three months straight to curb the spread of a disease or figuring out how to cope with a smaller working-age population, odds are, we’ll manage. A lot can change between now and the year 2100, but from our current vantage point, having fewer than 10 billion people on Earth doesn’t sound too bad.
While its car sales are strong, they’re not the source of Tesla’s skyrocketing value; people are investing in the company because they see it as the future of electric vehicles. After clearing a legal hurdle last week, Tesla is set for more growth, and in a brand-new market: Europe. Germany, to be specific.
CEO Elon Musk announced plans last November to build a fourth Gigafactory outside Berlin (the first three are in Nevada, New York, and Shanghai). But construction involves cutting down a pine forest the size of 100 soccer fields (not to mention removing buried World War II ammunition), and work was halted after local environmental groups protested. On top of having to cut down thousands of trees, the factory will border a nature reserve, and there’s been much concern raised about how the area’s water supply and wildlife will be impacted.
A Berlin-Brandenburg court stopped Tesla’s forest-clearing with an injunction earlier this month, but last Thursday overturned the injunction and granted the company permission to resume activity, finding that the legal requirements for early construction had been met.
The factory will be located in Gruenheide, a small town about 33 kilometers (20 miles) south-east of Berlin. Tesla intends to have the plant completed and fully functional by mid-2021, and will eventually produce up to 500,000 cars a year there. Though it’s moving forward with land-clearing and other construction preparations, the company technically doesn’t have final project approval from German authorities. Tesla has projected that the factory will employ about 12,000 people.
Getting the state government’s approval is just one of a few hurdles left to clear, and in fact may be more straightforward than the other tasks awaiting Tesla as it builds this factory.
German environmental laws dictate that construction must not interfere with the breeding period for wildlife, which starts in March; this essentially means that for the project to move forward on its planned timetable, tree-cutting would need to be completed in the next couple weeks.
Speaking of protecting wildlife, Tesla will also have to provide bats living in the forest with alternative spots to hibernate, put up fences to prevent reptiles from entering the area, relocate ant nests without destroying them, and find a way to ‘humanely expel’ any wolves living in the area.
In a tweet from January 24, Musk emphasized that the factory “will absolutely be designed with sustainability and the environment in mind.” He added that Tesla will plant three trees for every tree it cuts down in the area.
Home to iconic brands like BMW, Mercedes, Audi, and Volkswagen, German car manufacturing has been disrupted by companies that got an earlier and stronger start in electric vehicle technology–specifically, Tesla. The company’s Model 3 outsold all German competitors in both the US and European markets last year, and Germany’s auto industry is now at a 22-year low.
The arrival of Tesla will, in the best-case scenario for German automakers, spur innovation through competition and encourage more private-sector investment. The Germans may not be leaders in electrification, but they certainly have a reputation for high-quality engineering. They would do well to follow in Tesla’s footsteps and start investing in energy storage technology and research; perhaps this could be the path to a rejuvenated German auto industry and economy.
But first, let’s make sure those bats, wolves, lizards, birds, and ants are taken care of.
Image Credit: Artist rendering, Gigafactory. Image courtesy of Tesla
Verizon Communications Inc. Verizon (VZ) NYSE:- Yahoo’s parent company beat estimates for second-quarter profit and revenue with strong demand cell service and internet connections. Even with many Verizon stores closed due to COVID-19, the services were in high demand. Verizon offers curbside delivery and appointment only in store shopping.
Verizon also owns Tech Crunch and The Huffington Post. Revenue was down due to advertising cuts amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The consumer-based unit contributed revenue of $21.1 billion, a decrease of 4% year over year. Wireless service revenue was $15.9 billion. Verizon added 76K accounts. Analysts were looking for 100,000 subscribers.
Strong wireless customer additions and cash flow highlight Verizon’s 2Q and first-half 2020 results
2Q 2020 highlights:
Consolidated:$1.13 in earnings per share (EPS), compared with $0.95 in 2Q 2019; adjusted EPS (non-GAAP), excluding special items, of $1.18, compared with $1.23 in 2Q 2019.Operating revenue decline of 5.1 percent from second-quarter 2019.First-half 2020 cash flow from operations of $23.6 billion, an increase of $7.7 billion from first-half 2019.Second-quarter 2020 total debt reduction of $4.9 billion, and net debt (non-GAAP) reduction of $5.7 billion.
Consumer:Total revenue of $21.1 billion, a decrease of 4.0 percent year over year.72,000 retail postpaid net additions, including 97,000 phone net additions and 199,000 postpaid smartphone net additions.Total retail postpaid churn of 0.69 percent, and retail postpaid phone churn of 0.51 percent.10,000 Fios Internet net additions.
Business:Total revenue of $7.5 billion, a decrease of 3.7 percent year over year.280,000 retail postpaid net additions, including 76,000 phone net additions.Total retail postpaid churn of 1.12 percent, and retail postpaid phone churn of 0.90 percent.
Total Wireless:Total wireless service revenue of $15.9 billion, a 1.7 percent decrease year over year.352,000 retail postpaid net additions, including 173,000 phone net additions and 287,000 postpaid smartphone net additions.
Total retail postpaid churn of 0.78 percent, and retail postpaid phone churn of 0.58 percent. Going forward with many work at home lifestyles that companies are embracing. and more staying at home as schools focus on online learning will remain strong. Financial Reposts Source Verizon
Verizon’s dividend of $1.23 per share will be paid out August 3rd 2020.
“For second-quarter 2020, Verizon reported EPS of $1.13, compared with $0.95 in second-quarter 2019. On an adjusted basis (non-GAAP), second-quarter 2020 EPS, excluding special items, was $1.18, compared with adjusted EPS of $1.23 in second-quarter 2019. The company estimates that second-quarter 2020 EPS and adjusted EPS included approximately 14 cents of COVID-19-related net impacts, primarily driven by impacts to wireless service revenue and lower advertising and search revenue from Verizon Media. The company expects total wireless service revenue growth for third-quarter 2020 of -1 percent to flat year over year.” Source Verizon https://www.verizon.com/about/news/strong-wireless-customer-additions-and-cash-flow-highlight-verizons-2q-and-first-half-2020
Hans Vestberg is chairman and chief executive officer of Verizon Communications, a leading provider of wireless, fiber-optic and global Internet networks and services. Prior to assuming the role of CEO in August 2018 and the role of Chairman in March 2019, Mr. Vestberg served as Verizon’s chief technology officer and president of Global Networks from 2017, with responsibility for further developing the architecture for Verizon’s fiber-centric networks. At Verizon, he has focused on transforming the businesses 2.0 customer-centric strategy, leading the company to be first in the world to deploy 5G home and mobile technology, delivering seamless experiences for customers over network assets consisting of the country’s leading 4G LTE network, the nation’s biggest residential fiber network, a global internet backbone and undersea cable network carrying much of the world’s internet traffic, and fiber assets in 45 of the top 50 markets in the U.S. Source: Verizon
Verizon (VZ) NYSE CWEB Analysts view the stock as a long term growth and a great addition to your investment portfolio with an upward momentum of $80 by 2021 with direct competition to Amazon.
CWEB.com Inc. is and authorized media publisher for Bugatti Inc.
Bugatti has stood for innovative, extraordinary and timeless automotive design for more than 110 years. For the French luxury brand, design development
is both a key competence and a highly complex task. Bugatti has been intensively working on virtual design processes with photorealistic 3D animations since 2016 in order to master this challenge in the age of digital transformation. The design team under Achim Anscheidt has already digitalized more than 90 percent of the creative model development process and has thus established a paradigm shift in design creation.
As Director of CAD and Visualization, Ahmet Daggün is responsible for the digital design processes of new models. The designer has been modelling cars since he was 13 years old. He even had a poster of a Bugatti EB110 in his room as a child, which served as an inspiration for his first drawings. After receiving a degree in vehicle engineering, Daggün joined Bugatti as a surface designer in 2012. “I had always wanted to understand how technical things work —
and optimize them if at all possible,” Daggün explains. For him, this includes the design development processes, as well as the technical components. These processes are his area of expertise.
Half of the design of the Bugatti Chiron1 was already produced digitally, and this share increased to 90 percent for the Divo2 hyper sports car. “With the Divo, we proved for the first time that we could use the digital design process to develop a breathtaking shape into an extraordinary vehicle that is ready for the prototype stage within just a few months,” says Daggün. This would not have been possible within such a short timeframe with traditional clay
models. Around 50 percent of time can be saved and approximately a quarter of costs cut thanks to this virtual process. The significant improvement of VR data goggles, which now provide designers with a hyper-realistic view of virtual models, was crucial for the technological breakthrough.
The transition to digital design. In the analogue age, there initially were draft drawings of new vehicles, which were then transformed into clay models with a scale of 1:4. Employees from different departments could then assess the shape, provide input and request changes at an early development stage. The
employees spent months changing nuances or the lines of more than 10 design models. Designers would then produce a clay model at a scale of 1:1, of which several experts from different departments would assess and make any necessary alterations until the final design was decided upon. Thanks to virtual reality and 3D models, Bugatti now develops its hyper sports cars considerably faster and even more precisely. “Today, we are the leading manufacturer to apply this form of development in such a systematic way, and not just in the hyper sports car segment,” says Stephan Winkelmann, President of Bugatti. “Throughout our tradition spanning over 110 years, Bugatti has always
2 BUGATTI proven that it is able to choose the right path on the basis of new and courageous ideas. As the manufacturer of the world’s most outstanding vehicles, we are obligated to always develop new ideas, both in terms of technology and design. We owe this to our tradition and our customers.” Everything starts with the draft from a creative individual like Chief Designer Achim Anscheidt. Design computer specialists then digitize this draft and virtually develop the shape on the screen using special computers with enormous computing power. They first roughly edit the studies on the basis of sketch models to come up with initial, rudimentary proportions. “We subsequently refine the curves, adapt surfaces and balance the interplay of light and shadow.
We generate a VR presentation from the completed digital data record, which comes stunningly close to seeing the real thing,” Ahmet Daggün explains.
Digital models increase productivity and precision Using monitors or VR goggles with a high depth effect, Bugatti employees can assess the vehicles, which are already at 90 percent of the subsequent production status, from all sides. Experts implement requested changes within one day — regardless of the country in which the decision-makers such as Bugatti President Stephan Winkelmann or Chief Designer Achim Anscheidt are currently located. Back in the analogue age, this took up to two weeks. This gives designers and engineers more freedom and time to perfect the respective model. Bugatti produces a
been reached on the digital model. Designers and developers analyze the proportions at a distance of between 30 to 40 meters to get a better impression of the shapes and proportions. “A physical model you can touch is still important because Bugatti vehicles are always highly emotive and we really want to feel them,” says Achim Anscheidt. Any requested changes are manually visualized by the designers for correction on the respective model and are incorporated in the digital model so that a show car or pre-series vehicle can be directly created from the final data record. “Thanks to this digital process, we save a minimum of five months development time, while also increasing the number of adaptation loops and thus also the quality. Digital models also allow us to identify and smooth out even the smallest imperfections in advance. We therefore designed the Bugatti Divo in six months instead of one year,” explains Achim Anscheidt.
All the involved Bugatti designers are also experts in computer-generated imagery (CGI) and image synthesis. It is extremely important to have an excellent visual understanding of 3D animations, vehicle volumes, shapes and defining contours. “These individuals are absolute specialists and without them, this process would not be possible,” says Achim Anscheidt. Digital 3D technology will continue to massively transform the automotive design and engineering process. Bugatti is one of the most outstanding innovators here. “As a result, we live up to the claim of company founder Ettore Bugatti, who once said that perfection is never reached. But we will do all we can to get as close to it as possible,” adds Stephan Winkelmann.
Videos have become one of the most effective ways for businesses to communicate their ideas to existing and potential customers. The new generation doesn’t enjoy reading long pieces of content as they did previously. Whereas, they are explicitly enjoying good video content coming from small businesses and large corporations alike.
Videos are, without a doubt, more engaging, entertaining, and easy-to-digest, all at the same time.
This has led many small businesses to start experimenting on using animated explainer videos to market themselves and their products effectively. Let’s find out how they benefit the most from pushing out such smart video content on digital platforms.
Animation makes your small business stand out from the competition
Modern-day marketing is evolving very fast, and it has grown beyond the big-budget campaigns, glamourous advertisements, and huge posters. You can make a significant impact with one extraordinary idea that clicks with your audience.
It means your strategy consistently needs fresh ideas and updates to keep up with the requirements of the digital space and expectations of your tech-savvy customers. Smartly done animations as a part of your marketing strategy can be a fantastic way for your small business to make its mark finally.
You can use various styles of animated videos with different branding, messages, characters, and so on, that reflects your business’s persona, convey your values, and represents the uniqueness of your brand. Besides, you can also use different types of explainer videos, including whiteboard videos, animated explainer videos, and live-action explainer videos to present your message or explain the features of your product engagingly.
Animation is an art with a purpose. It is creative and demands viewers’ attention by default. Eye-catching animation videos can boost your brand awareness and leave a lasting impression on the audiences.
Even though video marketing is said to be the future of content marketing, there are still not many businesses that are using animation up to its real potential. So, it means you have a chance to be creative with animation videos and unlock your marketing potential and gain the first mover’s advantage in your niche.
How to market your small business with the help of best explainer videos
Here are a few ways you can adapt to more effectively market your small business by using animated explainer videos to the best of their potential.
Make your content engaging and relevant for the target audience
Your animated explainer video can be engaging and impactful for your audience if you consider their needs, expectations, and the kind of video content they like watching when you are in the actual video production process.
They should able to connect with the characters in your animated explainer video. You need to come up with a smart script that maybe highlights the problems your prospects face, or how the product can add value to their life, or what are the different ways users can use the product.
From the colors, backgrounds, texts, and font used within the video to the music and sound effect you choose, you want to evoke specific emotions towards the brand and product.
The more you focus on the content of the animated explainer video, its messaging, and how valuable it is for the prospects, the more it helps in building trust in the brand and encouraging customers’ loyalty.
Here is an example of a highly user oriented animated explainer video. The characters and storyline that were used were the ones that users in that particular niche could easily identify and empathize with.
When working with an animation production studio to build your 2D explainer video, it is absolutely necessary to tell them what your primary platform for hosting the video really is.
Marketers often use a video on different platforms and they try to repurpose the content for various uses to make the most out of the investment they have made. However, it’s crucial to keep the central platform in mind to make the video intelligently cater to the specific style and needs of that channel.
For example, videos on Instagram have to provide a more appealing visual experience than anything else. So when making an explainer video for Instagram you want to make it more vibrant and appealing for a relatively younger audience. Whereas, videos for Facebook can be a bit more on the informative side and you can create relatively longer videos for YouTube that explains your product features and benefits more in detail.
Only when you are clear about the destination of your video, you create an animated explainer video that markets your small business effectively, and it allows you to make the most impact with limited investment.
Animation videos increase your website visibility
Internet users’ attention span has become shorter over the years. It has made it more challenging for marketers to draw audiences’ attention to their business website and learn more about their products and build brand reputation.
Turns out engaging and entertaining video content, like animated explainer videos, are an effective way to make website visitors stay longer on the site.
It enables you to make your users consume and enjoy your content, and consequently, it also boosts your SEO. More video content helps you decrease your bounce rate and rank higher on search engine result pages. Google and other search algorithms rank your website high if people spend more time to consume your high-value content, which gives your site more authority in the search results.
Both your audience and Google prefer highly engaging video content, which helps you market your small businesses affectively across the web.
Make it easily shareable
Marketing is always making sure your content reaches and engages your target audience. The higher the reach, the more effective the marketing campaign.
Without any doubt, people want to see more videos. It is probably why Google introduced the video tab that helps users to search for videos directly, and YouTube has become the second largest search engine.
The best thing about videos, which makes them so easy to market, is that along with being super fun and engaging, they are easy to share. From Instagram stories and feed to Facebook and YouTube videos, you can easily tag or send them to your friends or share the link.
The easily shareable feature makes animated explainer videos one of the most profitable marketing investments because the more creative in your marketing strategy higher your numbers go.
Include a call-to-action
Your animated explainer video will only succeed if it achieves the primary purpose of creating it in the first place. You may just want to create brand or product awareness, but most marketers ideally want their viewers to take a particular action once they have watched the entire video.
Your call-to-action may just be to subscribe to your YouTube channel, follow you on Instagram, like your Facebook page, signup for the monthly newsletter, or avail the special discount by making the purchasing within a timeframe.
When people watch your video, they are giving you a few minutes of their valuable time, and you want to make sure you use it to the best of your ability. So, you don’t want to make your views hang there. To make an impact in your business, ensure you provide the next step for the viewers.
Check out this animated explainer video where the narrative starts with telling viewers how their services can help other businesses and ends on smartly introducing the call-to-action.
How to market your small business
Animated videos are a very powerful tool that small businesses can use to engage customers, tell their brand story, and market the product features and benefits. Leveraging on the engagement and entertainment factor, companies can shape a favorable brand image by evoking the right emotions and sentiments of viewers.
Animated explainer videos provide a lot of creative space for small businesses to rise above their competition without making huge investments. We hope this animation guide inspires you to create incredible explainer videos and experiment with the magic of animation to help your organization grow and drive desirable numbers.
Author Bio
Jane Collen is a distinguished and highly experienced industry voice. She is an incredibly eager learner and is always excited to write about new and trending topics, but her field of expertise are 2D animation, app development, emerging tech like AI, Big Data, and the field of outsourcing for businesses.
After a 4-month layoff, the 2020 NBA season started off last night with a bang as the Utah Jazz outlasted the New Orleans Pelicans 106-104 in the opening game.Then in the nightcap, the Los Angeles Lakers outlasted the Los Angeles Clippers 103-101 in a back & forth thrilling contest that nearly went into overtime.
As expected, both games started with both teams kneeling during the National Anthem paying tribute to solidarity and against police brutality.
Friday’s schedule features six games including exciting match-ups with Grizzlies-Blazers (4 pm ET), Celtics-Bucks (6:30 pm) and Rockets-Mavericks (9:00 pm)Other games include Nets-Magic (2:30 pm), Suns-Wizards (4 pm) and Spurs-Kings (8 pm).
The first game of Friday’s restart opener saw the Orlando Magic outscore the Brooklyn Nets 128-118. However, the beginning of their game didn’t start out the same, as one player stood during the National Anthem. Magic’s Forward Johnathan Isaac, one of the most outspoken Christians in the NBA, did not kneel for the National Anthem nor did he wear a Black Lives Matter T-shirt while the rest of his teammates and opponents on the Nets did before the start of their game.
Issac said he informed his teammates of this decision before the game and they supported him, but he understood people watching would have questions. “I do believe that Black Lives Matter. A lot went into my decision and part of that is my thought kneeling or wearing a Black Lives Matter t-shirt don’t go hand-in-hand with supporting black lives,” Isaac said. “I believe my life is supported through the gospel, Jesus Christ, and everyone is made in the image of God and that we fall short of God’s glory. And, that each and every one of us and every day do things we shouldn’t do and say things we shouldn’t (say)-hate and dislike people we shouldn’t hate and dislike.
Sometimes it gets to point where we point fingers about whose evil is worse and sometimes it comes to a point where we point fingers about whose evil is worse and sometimes comes outs as whose evil is most visible.
When you look around, racism isn’t the only thing that plagues our nation, that plagues our world. We want to get past not only racism but everything that plagues our society. I feel like the answer to it is the gospel.” Isaac also stressed that his decision to stand was not related to patriotism. Issac also stressed that his decision to stand was not related to patriotism.
During a the year of a pandemic and COVID-19 we’ve seen the world feud in political debates and now not only are we seeing it in professional sports,athletes are “standing up” for themselves in support of their religious beliefs too.
Two St. Louis players have tested positive for COVID-19 forcing Major League Baseball to cancel yet another game between the Cardinals vs the Brewers that was supposed to take place tonight in Milwaukee.
This is the latest of games being canceled & postponed by MLB in just a matter of one week and will be the 30th game canceled due to positive tests, since the abbreviated 60-game season started on July 23rd. The Coronavirus forced another change in the MLB’s schedule, bringing the league’s total to 8 teams affected in the first 9 days of the season.
The league announced the schedule change hours before the game was to be played. It said the postponement in Milwaukee is “consistent with protocols to allow enough time for additional testing and contact tracing to be conducted.” The Cardinals said in a statement they learned Thursday night about the positive tests from samples collected Wednesday. Player and staff have been instructed to isolate in their hotel rooms in Milwaukee, and the club did not leave the hotel Friday for Miller Park. “The team is currently conducting rapid testing of the entire traveling party, has implemented contact tracing, and will continue to self-isolate,” the team said.
“We are supportive of MLB’s decision to postpone today’s game and look forward to playing our home opener as soon as conditions safely allow,” Brewers GM David Stearns said in a statement. “The health and safety of our players and employees are, and will continue to be our top priorities.” Rightfully so. Two Other games scheduled for Friday involving the Marlins, Nationals, Blue Jays and Phillies had already been postponed because of the outbreak involving 18 Marlins’ players and 2 of their coaches. Additionally, there’s been 2 positive tests reported on the Phillies coaching staff.
It’s uncertain now if the Indians and Twins will move forward with their scheduled game Friday night. Cleveland plans to hold a team meeting early in the afternoon to discuss the situation and if so, it’ll force MLB to scramble as they try to figure out when they intend to make up all these games since the 60-game season is being played in 67 days.
To help make up all the postponements, MLB and the players union agreed Thursday evening that doubleheaders this season will become a pair of 7-inning games, which is completely ridiculous. This decision goes against everything that MLB is about. First, they implemented the “extra-innings rule” and now 7-inning doubleheaders? What is this, Little League? This simply proves that MLB is turning this season into a nontraditional farce, and this decision does not sit too well with baseball purest like myself. What’s MLB going to implement next — every game played will be only 7-innings too?
Meanwhile, back in Philly, the 20 infected Marlins intend to return back to Miami in sleeper buses, where they will remain together in quarantine. The trip is expected to take about 18 hours. The Brewers and Cardinals plan to resume their schedule Saturday night at Miller Park, pending results from the testing and contact tracing, and make-up Friday’s game as part of a doubleheader Sunday.
In a MLB season already filled with several firsts, the Brewers have never hosted a doubleheader at Miller Park which has a retractable roof. The last twin-bill in Milwaukee was Sept. 23, 2000 against the Pirates at the old Milwaukee County Stadium.
All I have to say is one thing to MLB baseball & the players…you should’ve come to terms months ago and agreed to play out the 2020 season in a bubble like the NBA.
Rubio Joins Cotton, Colleagues in Urging TikTok Scrutiny Over Election Security
JUL 28 2020
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) joined Senators Tom Cotton (R-AR), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Thom Tillis (R-NC), and Rick Scott (R-FL) in sending a letter to Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe, Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Christopher Wray, and Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf expressing concern over the Chinese social-media service, TikTok. Specifically, the Senators wrote that TikTok could enable the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to engage in influence operations against the United States, including operations designed to interfere with our elections. The Senators requested answers to the following questions regarding TikTok:
Do you believe ByteDance’s ownership ofTikTok gives the CCP an opportunity to conduct influence operations within the United States, including campaigns directed at changing the outcome of elections?
Given the CCP’s control over ByteDance, is it possible Chinese officials could direct TikTok’s employees to amplify or suppress certain political content for U.S. users?
Could the CCP direct networks of bots to create or boost its preferred political content on TikTok and other social-media platforms?
If evidence emerges of CCP electoral interference via TikTok, would ByteDance be eligible for sanctions under President Trump’s September 12, 2018, executive order on foreign electoral influence?
What other Chinese social-media applications and technology corporations present vectors for election interference in the United States?
Dear Director Ratcliffe, Director Wray, and Acting Secretary Wolf,
We write to raise concerns about TikTok, the Chinese social-media service, which could enable the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to engage in influence operations against the United States, including operations designed to interfere with our elections.
The Trump Administration has rightly taken steps to maintain the security and integrity of our elections. As President Trump stated in Executive Order 13848 in September, 2018, “the proliferation of digital devices and internet-based communications has created significant vulnerabilities and magnified the scope and intensity of the threat of foreign interference.” The administration has acted decisively on this threat by forcing media outlets controlled by hostile state actors like Russia and China to register as foreign agents, imposing sanctions on foreign officials who attempted to meddle in American elections, and issuing repeated warnings about efforts by hostile foreign powers to interfere in upcoming elections.
TikTok has become a popular forum for Americans-particularly younger Americans-to engage in political conversations. We are greatly concerned that the CCP could use its control over TikTok to distort or manipulate these conversations to sow discord among Americans and to achieve its preferred political outcomes.
TikTok is owned by the Chinese firm ByteDance, and the majority of the company’s engineering and development resources are based in China. ByteDance regularly modifies TikTok content to satisfy CCP censorship rules. In 2019, the Washington Post reported that ByteDance employees based in China set TikTok’s content standards and issued commands to remove TikTok content they deemed ‘ ·subversive or controversial.” In November 2019, TikTok locked the account of an American teenager who posted a video critical of the CCP’s horrific crimes against the Uighur people in China. TikTok only reversed this act of censorship and unlocked the young woman’s account after a public outcry.
The CCP devotes significant resources to conduct information operations overseas. Beijing exploits the openness of Western democracies and social-media platforms to propagate the Party’s preferred narratives. The CCP conducts these influence operations by coopting traditional media outlets, spending tens of millions of dollars to purchase space in major U.S. newspapers for propaganda by state-owned outlets like China Daily, and working to ensure Chinese state television channels like CGTN dominate Chinese-language media overseas. The CCP also manipulates overseas political discussions on Chinese-owned social media platforms like WeChat. Chinese government officials increasingly use Western social-media companies, including those banned in China, to flood global social media with propaganda and misinformation.
With this history in mind, we respectfully request answers to the following questions about TikTok:
Do you believe ByteDance’s ownership ofTikTok gives the CCP an opportunity to conduct influence operations within the United States, including campaigns directed at changing the outcome of elections?
Given the CCP’s control over ByteDance, is it possible Chinese officials could direct TikTok’s employees to amplify or suppress certain political content for U.S. users?
Could the CCP direct networks of bots to create or boost its preferred political content on TikTok and other social-media platforms?
If evidence emerges of CCP electoral interference via TikTok, would ByteDance be eligible for sanctions under President Trump’s September 12, 2018, executive order on foreign electoral influence?
What other Chinese social-media applications and technology corporations present vectors for election interference in the United States?
Thank you for working to ensure the integrity of our elections from Chinese interference, which is important in order to maintain the American people’s trust in the democratic process. We look forward to hearing from you.
Floyd Mayweather’s boxing gym are opening in the Sacramento County. The signed franchise deal will bring 10 locations to the towns of in the Sacramento County area of California, including, Folsom, Arden Arcade, Elk Grove, Roseville, Fairfield, Bakerville, Vineyard, North Highlands, and North Natomas.
Mayweather Boxing and Fitness CEO James Williams said in a prepared statement. “We’re particularly excited to build out the northern California market, given our start in this state, and the recent 30-unit development deal we signed in San Francisco.” Source Reporting Sacramento Bee
“My Faculties and everything else comes first your health is your wealth. Now Pacquiao fights because he has to. I fight if I want to. So, there is the difference.” says the reigning boxing champion of all time, Floyd Mayweather, Jr.
In 2016, Mayweather was ranked by ESPN as the greatest boxer, pound for pound, of the last 25 years. As of July 2020, BoxRec ranks him number two fighter of all time, pound for pound as well as the greatest welterweight of his era.
Floyd “Money” Mayweather Jr. defeated Irishman Conor McGregor in 2017.
Boxing record
Total fights:50
Wins:50
Wins by KO:27
About Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Floyd Mayweather Jr. (born Floyd Joy Sinclair; February 24, 1977) is an American professional boxing promoter and former professional boxer. He competed between 1996 and 2015 and made a one-fight comeback in 2017. During his career he won fifteen major world titles including The Ring in five weight classes, the lineal championship in four weight classes (twice at welterweight) and retired with an undefeated record. As an amateur, Mayweather won a bronze medal in the featherweight division at the 1996 Olympics, three U.S. Golden Gloves championships (at light flyweight, flyweight, and featherweight), and the U.S. national championship at featherweight.
Mayweather was named “Fighter of the Decade” for the 2010s by the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA), a two-time winner of The Ring magazine’s Fighter of the Year award (1998 and 2007), a three-time winner of the BWAA Fighter of the Year award (2007, 2013, and 2015), and a six-time winner of the Best Fighter ESPY Award (2007—2010, 2012—2014)
In other news, Mayweather vs. 40-year-old Japanese fighter Uchiyama (24-2-1) Reportedly Exploring Exhibition Fight . Uchiyama held the WBA title from 2010 to 2016 before losing to Jezreel Corrales. Mayweather made $9 million for his one-sided win in 139 seconds against the overmatched 20-year-old Nasukawa less than two years ago.
Mayweather was guaranteed $100 million and McGregor $30 million ahead of the bout in the UFC. The two fighters ultimately received more than two-and-a-half times their guarantees, with Mayweather at $275 million and the top paid athlete in the world.
By Mshake3 – Self-photographed, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3745442
