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- Much a goo about 'pink slime'
At present, the USDA does not require labeling that would let consumers
know if the beef they're buying contains the mixture.
"The only solution I can give you is: The only way you can use ground beef is by watching the butcher
grind it in front of you - which they can do, but that's a real pain in the backside," said Oliver.
However, a new report in the tablet-only newspaper The Daily suggests the USDA plans
to buy 7 million pounds of lean beef trimmings from BPI this spring for the national school lunch program. Change.org has since started a petition against the USDA and its use of BPI's products
in school lunches.
Red Slime: Scourge of Supermarket Sushi
You've heard of pink slime, aka "lean finely textured beef," a bubblegum-colored paste
made from the scrapings off cattle carcasses. But what about red slime, the viscous scrapings from the skeletons of tuna and
other fish, a supermarket sushi staple, and sometimes a vector for food poisoning? As nasty as it looks, pink slime is treated
with ammonia to kill bacteria and served cooked. Red slime is untreated and served raw.
The brilliant nutrition scientist Marion Nestle answers a reader's questions about red slime in her montly Q&A column:
Q: I had no idea that the tuna in my sushi roll was scraped off the bones in
India, ground up, frozen, and shipped to California. Is this another "slime" product? Can I eat it raw?
A: No sooner did the furor over lean, finely textured beef (a.k.a.
"pink slime") die down than we have another one over sushi tuna. On April 13, the Food and Drug Administration said Moon Marine
USA, an importing company based in Cupertino, was voluntarily recalling 30 tons of frozen raw ground yellowfin tuna, packaged
as Nakaochi scrape.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention investigations linked consumption of Nakaochi
scrape sushi to about 250 diagnosed cases and an estimated 6,000 or so undiagnosed cases of illness caused by two rare strains
of salmonella. Among the victims who were interviewed, more than 80 percent said they ate spicy tuna sushi rolls purchased
in grocery stores or restaurants. [Emphasis added.]
Nestle doesn't call it red slime, but I've eaten enough sketchy sushi to recognize
the stuff. My advice? Steer clear of chopped and "spicy" rolls, unless you watch the chef chop the fish.
Speaking of sketchy, when I read the name Moon Marine, my first question was whether
the Unification Church is trafficking in tainted tuna. Melissa McCart of the Broward Palm Beach New Times is wondering the same thing. In addition
to the Washington Times, the Moonies are deep into the sushi grade seafood business. If you know the answer, please drop me a line.


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Malaysia to build giant new port
Project is more than twice the size of administrative centre Putrajaya and is touted as competition for S'pore
PETALING JAYA Northport. Westport. And next up is Carey Island, a massive port-industrial city project, with infrastructure investments of more than RM200 billion (S$64 billion) covering an area of over 100 sq km - more than twice the size of Putrajaya.
This giant new port to the south of Port Klang, Selangor, will be able to handle more cargo than the two existing ports combined.
According to Mr Kong Cho Ha, chairman of Port Klang Authority (PKA) and Malacca Port Authority, the 20-year project will comprise the development of an integrated port and related infrastructure, industrial parks and free trade zones, commercial and residential buildings.
Once all three phases of development are completed, the total gross development value (GDV) could exceed RM1 trillion.
"The whole of Port Klang is very congested now, and the ports are reaching maximum capacity. So we need to build another deep-sea port and develop capacity now to cater for our needs and growth," said Mr Kong, in an exclusive interview with The Star.
The port within the project is envisaged to have an annual capacity to handle 30 million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) of container cargo.
"If we do not do anything now, we will continue to play second fiddle to Singapore and will not get a share of the bigger pie in future," Mr Kong added.
Last year, Port Klang - the world's 12th busiest container port - handled container cargo totalling 13.2 million TEUs, a rise of 10.8 per cent over 2015. Its maximum capacity is 16 million. By comparison, the Port of Singapore handled 30.9 million TEUs in 2015.
Mr Kong said a new port offering comprehensive maritime services was vital for Malaysia as 80 per cent of the world's maritime trade between the East and West passed through the Strait of Malacca.
The congested strait also sees US$600 billion (S$864 billion) in annual oil trade - a third of global oil demand - passing through it.
Port Klang, Singapore and the Port of Tanjung Pelepas are considered major ports in the strait.
On the funding for the project, he said: "We are open to interested parties from port operators, shipping lines and infrastructure developers. They can be from China, Japan, USA, UAE, India, etc.
"China is keen on developing the whole place. In China, every port is developing capacity now. We need to do something big to trade with them. Otherwise, we will be forever small."
Mr Kong said the proposed port-city would also provide maritime services that include bunkering, ship repairing and maintenance.
It will cater for container ships, bulk and liquid carriers, and vessels carrying grains, minerals and vehicles.
The first phase of development is expected to take about six to seven years if the project is launched this year. - THE STAR

domain: news


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As confirmed by Blizzard this week, the Diablo 3 Season 21 start date has been scheduled alongside the game’s next patch release. Season 20 kicked off in late February, offering its own range of incentives for smashing through the event. And now gamers can look forward to the release of Diablo 3 Season 21, which is scheduled to begin in early July.
WHEN DOES DIABLO 3 SEASON START ON ALL PLATFORMS?
Blizzard has confirmed that the Diablo 3 Season 21 release date has been set for July 3, 2020. Season 21 – Trials of Tempest will launch next week and will offer new seasonal conquests and Journey Rewards.
Blizzard has confirmed that During Season 21, your character will occasionally (every 90 seconds) channel an elemental power which unleashes into the environment for a limited time:
- Rain meteors from the skies around you.
- Breathe lightning.
- Summon a wall of flame.
- Release twisters of pure energy.
- Crush your foes under the weight of rolling snowballs.
As mentioned above, Diablo fans can also look forward to new Seasonal Conquests, with the following challenges confirmed:
“For Curses!/Stars Align, pick any Cursed Chest event that requires killing monsters and defeat over 350 or more at level 70 on Torment X or higher.
- PS5 free game: Sony gives fans extra incentive to go next-gen
“Also returning for Season 21 is Sprinter/Speed Racer, where you’re challenged to complete the entire Diablo III campaign from Act I to Act V at level 70 in under 1 hour!
“Next is Avarice/Avaritia, where all that glitters is gold—that is, if you can complete a 50 million gold streak outside of The Vault or its Inner Sanctum.
“We’re also bringing Thrill/Superhuman, which requires completion of a Greater Rift level 45—solo and without any Set items equipped.
“And lastly we’ll be bringing back Speed Demon/Need for Speed, meaning you’ll need to beat a Torment X Nephalem Rift at level 70 in 2 minutes.”
From what has been shared in the past, we would expect Diablo 3 Season 21 to last around three months, meaning it won’t end until around October 2020.
Diablo 3 Season 21 is expected to start first on PC, with the new update usually going live at around 5pm local time on the day.
Depending on where you live, console gamers may be waiting longer for access, with a new seasonal not going live until around 5pm PT, which would be the next day (July 5) for gamers in the UK.
Unless stated otherwise, this will affect all console platforms, including gamers on Nintendo Switch, PS4 and Xbox One. It should be noted that Blizzard could share an updated release plan for Diable 3 Season 21 next week, sometime before launch.
While Blizzard continues to support Diablo 3 years after its initial PC launch, a sequel is on the way. The only downside to this is that Diablo 4 doesn’t look set to hit shelves for some time, with no set release date in place.
This means we’re probably got plenty of new seasons ahead of us for Diablo 3 across all platforms. Blizzard has been keeping fans up to date with D4 news via quarterly reports, meaning a new one should be on the way in the coming weeks.
The last report focused on a number of different topics, including controller support, with the team confirming at the time:
“This is the first time a Diablo game is being developed simultaneously for both PC and consoles, but the decision to support controller input on PC is what caused the greater paradigm shift for us.
“We wanted to give players the ability to switch between the two options freely, so our UI needed to be unified enough that swapping hardware inputs on the fly wouldn’t throw people completely off kilter. A unified UI means our layouts are more grid-based for ease of navigation, but it doesn’t necessarily mean an identical interaction flow.”
Source: Read Full Article


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Global logistics has changed forever because of the ongoing pandemic and now the war in Ukraine.Ensuring a smoothly running supply chain, inventory control and the associated processes in production has become more important than ever.
Our world has changed significantly in recent years.
Globalisation has played a major role in bringing continents together and changing industries.
However, the ongoing pandemic and the recent outbreak of war, has resulted in many new challenges to secure the flow of goods worldwide.
Klicken Sie auf den unteren Button, um den Inhalt von tourmkr.com zu laden.


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Classic Motor Cars Limited of Bridgnorth recently finished restoring a 1968 Jaguar E-Type which went through a series of changes.
Classic Motor Cars Limited of Bridgnorth (CMC) recently finished restoring a 1968 Jaguar E-Type which went through a series of changes.
It was far from being the ordinary restoration as this left-hand drive Jaguar E-Type Series 1 4.2 had its wheelbase stretched by a significant 4.5 inches (114mm). The managing director of CMC boldly stated "this is the E-Type that Jaguar Cars should have built."
The owner of the car is from United States and asked CMC to develop a matching trailer for his E-Type as he plans to travel around the country with his iconic British roadster. The trailer is connected to the car by a removable tow hitch which locks into position via the revering light aperture. When the trailer is not in use, the reversing light will hide the hitch mechanism for a cleaner look.
More info is available in the press release area.


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News by Topic
- Search Marketing
- Email Marketing
- Loyalty Marketing
- Mobile Marketing
- Social Marketing
- Viral Marketing
- Trends & Ideas
- Internet Marketing 101
Survey: Amazon influencing back to school shoppers
Many US families are already hip-deep in notebooks and pens, new shoes and jeans for the back to school year, but there are still many left to shop for these items. And, surprisingly, nearly half say Amazon is influencing their buys - both online and in-store.
According to new research out from Baynote most parents (70%) plan to shop with their children in stores while about one-third will shop online with their child taking part in choices. And, while 85% say childrens' wish lists help them choose, about three-quarters (79%) are also relying on product reviews. Nearly half (40%) say they're using mobile devices in store to compare prices on Amazon.
"While parents are the primary buyers of back-to-school supplies and apparel, their student's opinions play an important role in the purchase decision," said Lauren Freedman, president, e-tailing group. "So it is important for retailers to understand how the entire family - both parents and students - are being influenced, especially as the social and mobile channels continue to gain traction."
"We wanted to discover what is motivating buyers this back-to-school season and how retailers should adjust to capitalize on their changing shopping behaviors," said Marti Tedesco, Senior Director, Corporate Marketing at Baynote. "As consumer expectations rise and stores like Amazon continue to dominate, it is more important than ever that retailers understand how and why consumers are making purchases so they can tailor the shopping experience accordingly."
Other interesting findings include:
• 49% will use mobile devices in-store to redeem coupons
• 34% say they'll use smartphones to research products
• 23% say they'll use a smartphone to buy products
• 84% say they'll opt for free shipping offers
• 80% say they'll look for email promotions
• 64% say they'll look for flash sales or social network promotions
Image via Shutterstock
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- How new data collection techniques may impact your business
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After Jolla smartphone, it is the turn of the Nexus 4 model to take advantage of the recent update called Saapunki. Let us take a look at some new features and improvements that it brings.
Developed by the Finnish company Jolla, behind which there are also old Nokia, the Sailfish OS operating system has been launched. As announced in January this year, it also proves capable of running on the Google Nexus 4 smartphone. Note, however, that the medium in question remains as an experiment by the moment and may be accompanied by problems with brightness, Wi-Fi or IMEI reading (serial number of the smartphone).
Thus the update 188.8.131.52 Saapunki recently arrived on the smartphone Jolla arrives now on the Google model. It provides a reminder to 4G extended support, HTML 5 content in full screen for the integrated Web browser, new Bluetooth profiles folders for the launch area and custom shortcuts for the lock screen. It fixes some bugs while waking up the smartphone.
Recall that Sailfish OS is based on the Meego project, a result of the merger between Nokia Maemo project Linux environment and Intel Moblin. Initially, Meego would replace Symbian OS on high-end smartphones from Nokia, but was ousted in favor of Windows Phone, with the success that we know.


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Shoe Carnival Inc. has named its next chief executive officer.
The footwear retailer said its board has unanimously elected Mark Worden, president and chief customer officer, as its next CEO, effective September 30, 2021. Worden will succeed Cliff Sifford, who will step down at that time, but will continue to serve as vice chairman of the board. Sifford, who started at Shoe Carnival in 1997, has been CEO since 2012.
Under Sifford’s leadership, Shoe Carnival’s revenues grew to over $1 billion, with eleven consecutive years of comparable store sales growth leading into fiscal 2020. He also oversaw the strategic investments in the company’s CRM system and the launch of its e-commerce platform. Together, Sifford and Worden achieved record sales and profit results in fiscal 2019 and significantly advanced the company’s strategic priorities in fiscal 2020, despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the global economy.
Worden joined Shoe Carnival in 2018 as executive VP - chief strategy and marketing officer and has served as president and chief customer officer since 2019. He will retain the title of president.
“Mark [Worden] has made tremendous contributions to Shoe Carnival, and I have enjoyed working alongside him over the past several years,” said Sifford. “I have the greatest confidence in his ability to lead the company as we embark on this new chapter. His strategic direction, deep knowledge of our customers, digital expertise, and unwavering commitment to our employees makes him the perfect fit for this role.’
Shoe Carnival also announced that its board has increased its quarterly cash dividend from $0.09 to $0.14 per share, an increase of 56%. This will be effective for the next quarterly cash dividend, which will be paid on April 19, 2021, to shareholders of record as of the close of business on April 5, 2021.
As of March 18, Shoe Carnival had 383 stores in 35 states and Puerto Rico.


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Dixons Retail has said that it is pleased with how 3D electronics have been selling so far, and that it expects the new tech to be a hit during the festive season.
Head of media relations Mark Webb told PCR in an interview that 3D “is a slightly different launch to some things you’ve seen in the past” and that sales so far have been limited.
“But already what we’re seeing makes us so confident, particularly when we’re waiting for the high-end levels of content to come through,” he said.
“There’s a great level of interest already, and high levels of sales on a relatively low number of units that we were first to market with, and we’re excited about Christmas for 3D,” he added.
Webb’s comments follow Sony unveiling its strategy for pushing 3D to home users, claiming that the tech could be as big as 2D.
To read our interview with Webb in full, click here.


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BEST&LESS NAMED IN THE 2019 OXFAM NICE LIST11th December 2019
Best and Less is proud to announce that it has been named on the ‘Nice’ list in the 2019 Oxfam Naughty or Nice List; which details fashion brands’ commitment to paying a living wage, which would lift the women who make our clothes, and their families, out of poverty. We are thrilled to be named on the Oxfam ‘Nice List’ as community has always been at the heart of how Best&Less operates its business. For several years; Best&Less have been making continual improvements across social and environmental arenas; working with suppliers to ensure that they adhere to the Best&Less Ethical Sourcing Code. This has been a key focus in company operations whilst also ensuring that Best&Less continue to provide quality clothing for the whole family at affordable price points.
Learn more about the changes Best&Less has made in the name of corporate social responsibility and shop with a company that proudly supports positive change in Australia and across the globe.


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BigBasket is an online grocery started by e-commerce experts Hari Menon, VS Sudhakar, Vipul Parekh and Abhinay Choudhari in December 2011. The company has logistics provider Delyver in a cash-and-stock transaction as it seeks to strengthen its capacity to deliver in quick time to customers across 50 cities. Till the two teams chalk out the particulars, Delyver will continue to operate as an individual unit. For now, Delyver will start delivering groceries and BigBasket will have Delyver’s on-the-ground fleet for deliveries.
Delyver was started in late 2010 by 3 IIM Lucknow graduates – Afsal Salu, Reebu Varghese and Praful Thachery. The company had raised a sum of INR 6.5 crores till last year with Krishnan Ganesh being one of the key investors in Delyver and also in BigBasket. Currently Delyver is operational in Bangalore and does about 50,000 orders every month.
Players In The Field
When it comes to competition, Grofers and PepperTap are the biggest upcoming challengers for BigBasket. Both from NCR, Grofers has raised more than $45 million and PepperTap has raised more than $10 million. Grofers is expanding at a swift rate and after three cities, has been launching one city a day in the last week. Woah! The service is active in 9 cities at the moment. Mumbai based LocalBanya is another contestant in the market.
Funds & Growth
The fast growing online grocery store, BigBasket, has raised more than $60 million and was valued at over $200 million. Present in 50 cities and getting the 60-90 minute delivery promise only makes its image glossier. BigBasket is operational in 8 cities and plans to reach 50 cities by end of the year. BigBasket claims to be delivering 11,000 deliveries a day in NCR alone and that too, only after three weeks of launching in the region. Pretty impressive, eh?
With revenues of over $30 million, BigBasket co-founder Hari Menon said that the establishment is likely to turn profitable after two years. The company has also put its finger on private labels to increase profitability and has recently tied up with more than 1800 grocery stores. And this acquisition will come in handy to fulfill on the quick service promise. “Everyone has their eyes on the 90 minute promise with groceries and with this alignment, BigBasket will be able to compete on this front as well,” said Praful.
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Samsung Galaxy A10s was launched in India on Tuesday. To recall, the smartphone was launched globally earlier this month. The successor to the budget Samsung Galaxy A10 that was launched in Q1 2019, the Galaxy A10s brings several improvements, including the use of a dual rear camera setup compared to a single camera setup on its predecessor, as well as a higher resolution front camera sensor. It also has a significantly higher capacity battery – 4,000mAh compared to 3,400mAh. Read on for more details, including the Samsung Galaxy A10s price in India, specifications, and release date.
Samsung Galaxy A10s price in India
The Samsung Galaxy A10s price in India starts at Rs. 9,499 for its 2GB RAM/ 32GB inbuilt storage variant, while its 3GB RAM/ 32GB inbuilt storage variant is priced at Rs. 10,499. It will be available in Black, Blue, and Green colour variants. To recall, the smartphone was launched globally earlier this month.
Samsung says the Galaxy A10s will go on sale in India from Wednesday, August 28, via online retailers, retail stores, the Samsung India E-Shop, and Samsung Opera House. For now, the company has not detailed any launch offers.
Samsung Galaxy A10s specifications
The dual-SIM (Nano) Samsung Galaxy A10s runs Android 9 Pie with the company's skin atop. It features a 6.2-inch HD+ (720x1,520 pixels) Infinity-V Display. It is powered by an unnamed octa-core SoC (four cores clocked at 2GHz, and four cores clocked at 1.5GHz), coupled with 2GB or 3GB of RAM, depending on the variant.
Galaxy A10s features a dual rear camera setup, with a 13-megapixel primary sensor coupled with an f/1.8 aperture lens. The setup also features a 2-megapixel sensor. On the front, it has an 8-megapixel sensor paired with an f/2.0 aperture lens.
There is a single inbuilt storage options on the Galaxy A10s – 32GB – expandable via microSD card (up to 512GB) with a dedicated slot. It features the standard bunch of connectivity options, include 4G VoLTE, and also bears a fingerprint sensor on the rear panel. The Samsung Galaxy A10s measures 156.9x75.8x7.8mm and weighs 168 grams.
"Galaxy A10s has been developed for Indian millennials who are looking for a great display, superior camera, long-lasting battery and fingerprint scanner. Galaxy A10s is a complete package of great looks and top performance,” said Aditya Babbar, Director, Mobile Business, Samsung India.


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Own brands give boost to multiple's bottom line
Grocery retailer MD expects sales at SuperValu and Centra this year to be relatively flat, but says it's a complaint many companies would relish these days. By John Mulligan
It's Monday morning, and the Helix at Dublin City University is slowly becoming a hive of activity as it gears up to play host to tidy town hopefuls.
For Martin Kelleher, the managing director of Musgrave's SuperValu and Centra brands in Ireland, it's just another part of the day job.
He'll be helping to dish out the awards (in the event, Killarney was named tidiest), and in the meantime gaining some exposure for the SuperValu chain, which sponsors the competition.
But the razzmatazz of the Helix is just an aside to the tough conditions that face retailers of any ilk these days -- from grocery purveyors to publicans.
People are spending less, have often seen their paypackets -- if they're still lucky enough to have one -- shrink and are thinking carefully about how they spend the cash they do have.
"There's a level of pressure on households now that obviously finds its way through to grocery, as it should," explains Kelleher, who adds that Musgrave's own research has shown that the typical household had about €60 less a month to spend on groceries following the last Budget.
It may not sound like much, but the multiplier effect of higher fuel prices, taxes, levies and a range of other expenses all serves to depress spending on groceries, which, after rent or mortgages, are typically the next largest household bill.
SuperValu (which controls just under 20pc of the Irish grocery market) and its competitors have all been involved in pretty ferocious advertising campaigns in their efforts to lure shoppers.
A swing towards own-brand goods has been one of the noticeable changes in shopping habits as consumers seek to make their money go further.
Earlier this summer, research from Kantar Worldpanel showed that own label groceries account for almost 35pc of total grocery sales in Ireland compared to just over 32pc in the middle of 2009.
"What we've seen in the last year at SuperValu is about a 5pc or 6pc growth in sales of own brand products. They're usually about 33pc cheaper," explains Kelleher. "Shoppers are working it out for themselves."
He maintains that in taste tests SuperValu has conducted over the past number of months on all its own brand items, that they beat branded goods in 25pc of cases.
But the National Consumer Agency (NCA) also pointed out during the summer that only tiny differences emerged between Ireland's major grocery retailers for a common basket of goods, and that 37pc of surveyed products had identical prices across Tesco, Dunnes, SuperValu and Superquinn.
The NCA has insisted that grocery retailers are more concerned with price matching rather than price beating.
"If you take the price of certain things that people buy, if any of us are out, you're at a disadvantage, so you have to at least match the price," says Kelleher.
"Promotions make retailers more competitive in certain product areas. I think it's actually a clear signal of the competitiveness of the market rather than anything else."
The NCA probably wouldn't agree, but Kelleher -- as you'd expect -- doesn't buy the agency's stance.
"If you think about it, if a retailer isn't going to be dramatically disadvantaged then that -- price matching -- is the end product."
SuperValu -- which has about 193 stores in the Republic and 41 in Northern Ireland -- differs from other major grocery retailers in the country in that the stores are owned and operated by franchisees.
They're free to introduce their own products and pricing, and benefit from being able to buy the bulk of their stock from Musgrave.
Also in Kelleher's remit are 464 Centra stores around the country, which have had to face the demise of cash-rich, time-poor consumers. The breakfast roll is no more, but Kelleher says the stores have expanded food offerings, for instance, in an effort to attract extra business.
"The convenience sector is tough, but Centra's performance has been astounding," he maintains.
"We have a very clear direction in terms of what the customer wants. But the most dramatic thing was the demise of the breakfast roll. Those type of sales would have been an important part of turnover in some urban stores."
What's been on the minds of some SuperValu franchisees of late is Musgrave's decision to agree to pay in the region of €250m for Superquinn.
The deal still has to be approved by the Competition Authority, but the acquisition is certainly a game changer for the Cork group.
With a higher concentration of stores around Dublin, the business could complement SuperValu's better penetration outside the capital.
Still, industry sources say that Kelleher had a busy summer at so-called cluster meetings of SuperValu franchisees around the country, addressing concerns expressed by some franchisees that Musgrave will divert more money to Superquinn at the expense of their stores.
It's also probably difficult for some SuperValu franchisees that are facing challenges meeting bills (Kelleher says Musgrave has been working closely with any franchisees with cash flow difficulties to find solutions) to see Musgrave forking out to buy another chain.
Superquinn will operate as a standalone business in the Musgrave chain, and sources also reckon it could ultimately help bolster revenues from a tougher cash-and-carry business.
It will also give the combined SuperValu-Superquinn business close to 27pc share of the grocery market, putting it on a par with Tesco -- the current leader.
Total Musgrave sales last year were €4.4bn, down 3pc, and pre-tax profits were up 3pc to €72m.
In the Republic of Ireland, its revenue amounted to €2.6bn from its SuperValu, Centra and Daybreak operations, down 3.6pc on 2009. Retail sales at SuperValu were €2.4bn last year. "Superquinn is a business that we think we can improve from a customer perspective and we have to look at how to get the best from both organisations so as to strengthen it," explains Kelleher, who adds it's too early to say whether Superquinn will remain a Dublin-centric operator.
To be fair, it's not just Musgrave that perceives the planned Superquinn acquisition as a good deal.
Industry insiders also see it as a good one for both Superquinn and SuperValu, and it also serves to underline just how much cash Musgrave is throwing off even in the current environment to be able to finance the transaction.
The announcement of the agreement to acquire Superquinn also found Musgrave on the back foot, however, in relation to enraged suppliers to the former who were about to be stung for millions of euro in unpaid invoices.
Musgrave eventually stepped in to help establish a €10m fund -- subject to the takeover being approved -- to pay those Superquinn suppliers that didn't have insurance for most of what they'd be owed.
Musgrave also moved to give Superquinn suppliers that don't already stock SuperValu stores access to the outlets.
"There are 15 suppliers now supplying both chains and another 25 that we're in discussions with," notes Kelleher.
"The biggest barrier to some extent is often their capacity to grow to meet that extra demand. We don't want them to overtrade, but this is some of the good stuff coming out of the deal."
In the meantime, there's been one high-profile SuperValu casualty of the property downturn.
One of the country's leading SuperValu outlets was placed into receivership earlier this year by Bank of Scotland (Ireland) after its owner, Jim Treacy, used it as security for loans to develop a Northern Ireland golf course.
Kelleher won't be drawn on the events, but says it's not the case that there are many other franchisees who might find themselves in a similar position after having branched out during the boom.
"We'd have a firm understanding of what our franchisees are involved in. Some people are involved in non-retail business aspects. The retail side has generally been their best investment, but we're comfortable with where they are," he says.
While Kelleher expects sales at SuperValu and Centra this year to probably be relatively flat, it's a complaint many companies would relish these days. He has plenty on his plate to keep him busy -- even without the showbusiness.


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By Yann Kohout
Anyone familiar with online drug dealing platforms will know about the Discord server ‘NZEnts’. Set up in 2017, it had more than 500 users at its most popular. Yann Kohout talks to the guy behind it.
There’s nothing like ten dudes with ear pods cooking chicken breasts to convey young entrepreneurship and a pretty special version of ‘flat dinner’.
The large house, tucked away in east Auckland, is home to a bunch of early-20 tech and business nerds. Among them is S0ck. Unassuming and relaxed, about four years ago, the then 18-year-old was in the early stages of a pet project combining some of his favourite pastimes: technology and drugs.
“I thought, why not start one on Discord,” he says from a computer room in the house.
Back then, there was a relatively limited market for online drug dealing platforms in New Zealand. Discord, an online platform similar to reddit, had been launched two years earlier for discussions on gaming by developers in the US.
Like other online communication platforms, users on Discord connect via private chats. A special ID is required and users have nicknames to remain anonymous. Chats dedicated to one topic involving a number of users are known as ‘servers’. To enter a private server, users are normally required to answer specific questions and a page moderator must admit them. Different discussions known as ‘text channels’ also branch from a single topic.
In 2017, S0ck was a regular on both Discord and reddit. After participating in a discussion about the effect of weed strains on the reddit forum r/NZTrees, he decided to create a copycat version on Discord. That was the start of NZEnts - one of New Zealand’s first online drug dealing platforms.
“For the first few weeks, there were 50 people on the server,” S0cks says.
“No ID was required - it was really loose, just pictures of buds and plants.
“All of a sudden, someone asked if they could sell a 50 bag and I was thinking: ‘Holy f**k this is kinda crazy’”.
Over the next few years, NZEnts took off as a platform exclusively for cannabis. By the end of 2018, it had more than 200 members, mainly in Wellington. Several page administrators also helped run things, and further checks for users were implemented. Other servers were also set up for different kinds of drugs.
Eventually, it expanded to Auckland and Christchurch. By the end of 2019, more than 500 users were members. Even the infamous Wellington dispensary ‘The Daktory’, also known as ‘DaktaGreen’, was advertising its products on NZEnts. S0ck himself used it regularly to purchase cannabis.
“It was amazing,” S0ck says.
“It looked like an Uber delivery service for weed, which was safer than going to tinnie houses or dodgy hook ups at night.
“I was so proud of helping people get weed in a safer way.”
Around this time, despite its success, S0ck also decided to step back from NZEnts.
“In early 2019, I did a big acid trip and contemplated the whole thing. I had a feeling I would get caught someday, so I called it quits.
“Then I gave the keys to the username Omega and quit the site for a solid six months.”
S0ck says he never returned as an administrator, but checked on things occasionally. In line with other online drug dealing platforms, traffic on NZEnts peaked during Covid in 2020.
Robin van der Sanden, a researcher in online drug markets and Massey University Phd student, says last year’s “boom” was connected to low market supply.
“The pandemic really influenced the accessibility of drugs, therefore people had to look for alternative online servers instead of their dealers who were running dry on supply,” she says.
Like other illegal trading, online drug platforms also come with risks. S0ck and other online users are also aware of scams and deals gone wrong, as well as robberies and attacks. At the end of last year, Stuff also reported a spate of attacks linked to online drug dealing platforms.
Robin says her research shows violent incidents are more likely to occur on servers which lack strict verification procedures. Essentially, if it’s easier to access, it’s harder to control who gets in. Servers with “high barriers” have less risks, she says.
S0cks adds that NZEnts eventually implemented a three-month waiting period for dealers as one of its verification measures.
He found out in January this year the server had been deleted. While he hasn’t been able to find out what happened, he is proud of its existence.
“All I wanted was to make a snobby hipster weed forum for stoner enthusiasts, but it became much bigger than I anticipated,” he says.
When asked about Discord and illegal drug dealing, police would not comment on the platform directly. In a statement, a spokesperson said “organised criminals go where customers are”, including on technology and social media platforms.
“For operational reasons police are not able to provide specific details on which platforms are used, or specific tactics criminals or police use,” the spokesperson said.
Discord did not respond to requests for comment. A report from the platform showed it had 140 million active monthly users at the end of last year. It also highlighted significant user growth over the Covid-19 pandemic and platform safety-checks for users.
This story is part of Re:’s Drug Week. We’re talking nangs, comedowns, decriminalisation and more.
Where to get help:
- The Ministry of Health has a list of different addiction help services here
- Free 24-hour drug and alcohol helpline: 0800 787 0797


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Remember last week when Lenovo came under fire for exposing some of the people using its computer to cyberattacks thanks to some sketchy adware that the company pre-installed on some of its devices? Well, unsurprisingly, the company is now facing much more than public outrage and is now looking at a lawsuit over the adware which injected ads into search results.
Not surprisingly, the controversy over Lenovo installing Superfish adware into its consumer PCs has resulted in a lawsuit.
According to the suit, filed in California district court, San Diego-based Jessica Bennett purchased a Lenovo Yoga 2 laptop in late 2014, and quickly noticed unwanted pop-ups. Bennett “was writing a blog post for a client when she noticed spam advertisements involving scantily clad women appearing on her client’s website,” prompting her to ask her client if their site had been hacked. Later, however, she saw the same ads on a different, well-known website, and realized that the problem was with her PC. The suit is seeking class-action status for affected Lenovo laptop owners. Though Lenovo said it only installed Superfish on PCs sold between September and December 2014, the suit wants to include anyone who bought a Lenovo PC dating back to Jan. 1, 2012.


text: The word of advertising is changing. A landscape once dominated by print and television is being redefined by the internet and other emerging technologies. Companies now have mere seconds to grab your attention before you click through to another webpage or close an app on your tablet or smart phone. Host Cathy Lewis is joined by three local innovators and advertisers who are changing the way we consumers interact with the myriad of companies who are vying for our attention or more specifically, our money. We'll also discuss the new Google film "Project RE:Brief", that highlights the challenges of taking classic ad campaigns into new digital territory, and also features several of today's guests.


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The BMW Z4 (E89) has been around for six long years. That’s why BMW’s Head of R&D was quick to confirm the BMW Z5 – successor to the Z4 on the sidelines of the 2015 Geneva Motor Show. Since then, the new BMW Z5 has been under development and as road trials of the new roadster commence, we can now expect more images of prototypes from the car paparazzi.
These are some of the first spy shots of the upcoming BMW Z5 convertible. It is hard to spot any exterior styling details at the moment. The fabric roof with no back window does look like a temporary solution, but we never know as BMW might go for a lightweight rag top instead of the metal folding roof from the last generation Z4.
The new BMW Z5 is expected to hit the streets in the year 2018. We would certainly learn more about the Z5 as the days pass. What we can expect for now, as far as technical specifications are concerned is a 4-cylinder turbocharged engine sending its power to the rear wheels via an automatic transmission. That said, for now, we can only hope for a more sportier Z5 with a 6-cylinder engine making somewhere around 300+ horsepower.
Source: Motor Authority


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We bring to you the latest edition of News Roundup: Indian Startup Stories Of The Week!
In one of the most important developments this week, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) released guidelines on tokenisation for debit, credit, and prepaid card transactions.
Also, the reports surfaced that the Centre’s Credit Guarantee Fund (CGF) worth INR 2,000 Cr ($285.2 Mn) to boost startup growth in the country by providing funding facilities is yet to be operational.
Here’s a look at the other important developments for the week.
Important Indian Startup News Stories Of The Week
DIPP Floats Guidelines For Startup Ranking 2019
After releasing States’ Startup Ranking 2018 on December 20, the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) has now published a draft discussion document for States’ Startup Ranking 2019. DIPP has released a set of six suggested pillars and their action points to setup the framework for States’ Startup Ranking that intend to evaluate the progress made by states from May 1, 2018, to May 31, 2019.
Centre To Make Linking Of Aadhaar With Driving Licence Mandatory
The Union minister of law, electronics and information technology, Ravi Shankar Prasad is of the view that at present, duplication of licences is very easy and this helps the guilty to flee in case of road accidents and apply for a new licence. However, linking Aadhaar with driving licences will help police trace the guilty as they can change neither their biometrics nor iris or fingerprint scans.
Ecommerce FDI Policy, Angel Tax Issue And More
- The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT), an all-India traders’ body, has written a letter to Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion (DIPP) secretary Ramesh Abhishek opposing the extension of the February 1 deadline for implementation of the ecommerce foreign direct investment (FDI) policy. As said, companies such as Amazon and Walmart-owned Flipkart, are looking to seek an extension on the deadline.
- Commerce Minister Suresh Prabhu said that government will find a solution to Angel Tax problems. While speaking at the third edition of the National Entrepreneurship Awards, held on January 4 in Delhi, he added that the government is completely supportive of new entrepreneurs and that efforts are being made to solve regulatory and financing issues for enterprises. The angel tax issue has become a bane for the Indian startup ecosystem and there was quite an uproar after recent income tax notices and demand orders were issued to startups and angel investors.
- Minister of commerce and industry and civil aviation Suresh Prabhu believes that the upcoming ecommerce policy and FDI policy are in line with securing the interests of the small retailers in the country. While sharing his thoughts in a recent interview, the minister said that the government will not be going to interfere with the business dealings or business models of the others.
Financials FY18: BigBasket, Zomato And More
- Bengaluru-based online food and grocery store BigBasket, reported a 34% hike in its revenues for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2018, reaching INR 1,606 Cr ($ 230.95 Mn), as against INR 1,197 Cr ($172.14 Mn) in the previous year. At the same time, the company managed to control its losses very well as it reported a net loss of INR 310 Cr ($44.57 Mn), a 53% fall from INR 653 Cr ($93.88 Mn) in FY17.
- Zomato claims to have achieved 28 Mn in monthly order run rate as of December 2018, up from the 21 Mn monthly orders it claimed in October 2018. At the same time, Swiggy is said to have clocked in 28 Mn monthly orders in absolute terms.
- Online fashion retailer Myntra witnessed an 80% drop in revenue for the year ended March 2018 as it clocked in a revenue of $60.6 Mn (INR 427 Cr). Myntra’s losses for the year stood at $21.4 Mn (INR 151 Cr) while its total expenses were recorded at $131.5 Mn.
- BYJU’S has posted a revenue of $69.4 Mn (INR 490 Cr) for the FY 2017-18, a 97% jump since FY 2016-17. It further reported a net loss of $4.1 Mn (INR 29 Cr) during the same financial year, a 53% decrease from the previous year. The company’s total expenses were $73.6 Mn (INR 519 Cr) during the FY 2017-18.
Jio Bids For Same Licencing Regime As Telcos
Indian telecom operators such as Reliance Jio and fintech startup Paytm have recommended lawful interception of messages on internet applications and services. The companies claimed that the step would help keeping tabs on criminal, anti-national, and anti-social activities.
Alibaba Cracks Down On Chinese Sellers Importing ‘Gifts’ Into India
Indian customs officials said that Chinese online sellers are sending in large shipments of products marked as gifts as the Indian government has exempted gifts with a value of up to INR 5,000 ($71.5) from import duties to allow non-resident Indians to send back gifts to relatives and friends in India. Aliexpress — the online retail business of Alibaba — said it respects the regulations of the areas it is operating in and reportedly said it would crack down on sellers that encourage buyers to avoid taxes. Such sellers could also face store closure.
Hotel Lobby Rails Against OYO, Threatens Boycott
The Budget Hotel Association of Mumbai has said that it is planning a city-wide boycott of hospitality unicorn OYO, which has been facing severe criticism from hotel owner associations over its policies. The Mumbai-based lobby has also formed a pan-India association called the Hotel Association Confederation of India (HACI) with a claimed strength of 8,000 hoteliers in a bid to broker better business terms with OYO.
Other Indian Startup News Stories Of The Week
RIL Launches ‘Lite’ Jio Browser For Android
The company is touting the browser as a ‘fast and lite’ solution for web browsing. The Jio browser currently supports eight Indian languages apart from English. This includes Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Tamil, and Telugu. One can download the Jio Browser for Android directly from Google Play Store. The app size is 4.8 MB and it is compatible with devices running on Android 5.0 Lollipop and above.
In another development, Reliance Jio is reportedly getting into the point-of-sale (PoS) devices space and has launched pilots with merchants in Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai and Pune.
585 APMC Markets Integrated With eNAM Platform: Agri Minister
A total of 585 wholesale regulated markets/Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC) markets have been so far integrated with the electronic national agricultural market (eNAM) platform. The connected APMC markets belong to 16 states and 2 UTs, which have carried out requisite reforms in their state APMC Act, stated minister of state for agriculture and farmers welfare ministry Gajendra Singh Shekhawat in the Rajya Sabha yesterday (January 4).
Amazon-More Retail Deal Comes Under CCI Scanner
The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has sought details from private equity (PE) fund Samara Capital on whether the proposed deal with ecommerce giant Amazon to jointly acquire More, a retail chain of supermarkets, is in line with the government’s revised foreign direct investment (FDI) ecommerce policy, according to two senior industry executives. The policy was issued by the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) on December 26.
In another development, Amazon Pay has now started rolling out doorstep know-your-customer (KYC) services for its mobile wallet users. The move comes after the Supreme Court’s September 26, 2018 verdict on Aadhaar which restricted its usage as a valid KYC document for the private entities.
Paytm Introduces ‘Bus Help Desk’
Bus Help Desk aims to provide customers assistance with their end-to-end, travel-related queries at individual boarding points. The platform will also provide free water bottles, free Wi-Fi connectivity and free porter assistance through this help desk. Paytm travellers can look out for ‘Paytm Crew’ wearing a Paytm bus jacket at bus boarding points to avail these services.
OYO Home Expands Global Footprint
OYO Hotels & Homes has announced the launch of OYO Home in Dubai. Starting with 40 beautiful homes in the city, the hospitality chain plans to ramp up the footprint to 200 homes in the next six months. It also plans to introduce the category to other emirates in the UAE. OYO Home is a Home Management service that utilizes the chain’s existing on-ground operations, hospitality technology, housekeeping skills, revenue management algorithms and distribution prowess to deliver a hassle-free solution to second home-owners.
SRiX Inks MoU with Cranfield UK
Emergent Tech Business Incubator SR Innovation Exchange (SRiX), in Telangana and Cranfield University (UK) have signed a collaborative agreement to provide British and Indian startup entrepreneurs access to new business development and academic expertise. Under the collaborative deal, a 10-week immersion programme is being developed with Indian startup companies mentored in the UK by leading Cranfield academics. Both organisations aim to leverage experience in industry partnerships, applied research projects, business education and entrepreneurial development programmes.
Stay tuned for the next week edition of News Roundup: Indian Startup News Stories Of The Week!


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Virtual Reality Content Creation Market Share, Trends And Leading Players By 202
Posted by avinash on March 13th, 2020
Virtual reality creates a digital environment to provide real lifelike experience to the user. Rampant growth of the gaming sector is a major factor for the growth of virtual reality content creation market. Increasing demand for virtual reality games on various platform such as smartphones, PlayStation, and computer have accelerated the growth of gaming segment in the virtual reality content creation market. Adventure Time, Vanguard V, Proton Pulse, Need for Speed No Limits VR, Grand Theft Auto VR, Rez Infinite, Thumper, Kittypocalypse, and Hover Junkers are some of the games based on virtual reality.
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The increasing adoption of virtual reality technology have boosted the growth of market globally, owing to the adoption of virtual reality technology by news and entertainment. For instance, in 2015, the New York Times news magazines launched a virtual reality film, which shows children’s eradicated due to war. The on-demand series providers have also adopted the virtual reality technology. For instance, in 2016, HBO adopted the virtual reality 360 degree content for Game of Thrones series. Increasing gaming platform have accelerates the growth of virtual reality content creation market. In 2016, Sony launched a PlayStation VR in the market. The adoption of virtual reality technology provided the new platform to the retail industry for marketing and branding their products. For instance, German automobile manufacturer Audi has adopted the technology by permitting users to use head mounted devices to see the interior of the vehicles.
The online customer retention has become one of the major challenge for media and entertainment industries. The implementation of virtual reality technology increases the retention of viewers for the online channels. For instance, RTV Slovenia, a Slovenia's national public broadcasting organization have implemented a virtual reality technology, which helps to improve the engagement through online content. According to RTV, it recorded 5,000 viewers in 48 hours with an average time of 2 minutes per session. Similarly, Hotstar an India-based digital entertainment platform have implemented Vizrt augmented and virtual reality technology for live online coverage of Indian premier league cricket. High adoption of virtual technology by film industry have fueled the growth of virtual reality content creation market. For instance, in 2016, HBO launched a VR-based game of thrones promo.
Detail Virtual Reality Content Creation Market Segmentation:
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Key Companies- Global Virtual reality content creation Market.
Some of the major companies in the global virtual reality content creation market include 360 Labs, Blippar, Koncept VR, Matterport, Panedia Pty Ltd., SubVRsive, Vizor, Voxelus, WeMakeVR, and Wevr
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AMD (NYSE: AMD) today announced that its AMD Opteron 6200 Series processor family, based on the new "Bulldozer" architecture, was chosen as the winner of The Linley Group's first annual Analysts' Choice Awards. The awards recognize the top processor products of 2011 in several major categories including embedded, mobile, PC, server, design IP and related technology. To choose each winner, the Linley Group's team of technology analysts focused on merits of the leading products that began shipping between January 1, 2011 and December 31, 2011.
"Our analysts are deeply familiar with processor products and technology, having conducted extensive research in order to deliver the firm's popular publications and reports," said Linley Gwennap, founder and principal analyst at The Linley Group. "We chose the winners on the basis of their performance, power, features and cost as appropriate for their target applications."
This latest award for the AMD Opteron processor comes on the heels of the recent Technology of the Year honors from InfoWorld. AMD Opteron 6200 Series processors along with the Dell PowerEdge R715, which is based on the latest AMD Opteron processors, have both received 2012 Technology of Year awards from the publication.
"The AMD Opteron 6200 Series processor rose to the top of our list of nominees due to its leading performance for high-volume, dual-socket servers," said Bob Wheeler, senior analyst at The Linley Group. "Reported SPEC_rate2006 baseline scores show the AMD Opteron processor Model 6282 SE delivers about 20 percent greater integer performance1 and nearly 40 percent greater floating-point performance2 than comparable processors from the competition and costs about 40 percent less.3"
"We are honored to receive this prestigious award from The Linley Group," said Pat Patla, corporate vice president for AMD's Server Business. "Since we launched the new AMD Opteron processor a little more than 2 months ago, the industry has rallied around the combination of innovation and price-performance advantage AMD is delivering to Cloud, HPC and enterprise customers. It is clear the new AMD Opteron processor with our "Bulldozer" technology is a winner."
Other recent Awards and Top Performance ratings for the AMD Opteron 6200 Series processor-based servers include:
Top 2-node blade VMmark 2.1 on the HP ProLiant BL685c G7; largest ever published result on a blade server
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Mercedes-Benz has sold a total of 36 hydrogen-powered fuel-cell vehicles, the B-Class F-Cell, in the California marketplace. The automaker said the vehicle has as range of 240 miles and gets an average 55 mpg equivalent while emitting only water vapor.
Despite a limited number of hydrogen fueling stations in California, a few more have opened, with stations open in Los Angeles and Newport Beach, making offering the vehicle there somewhat more practical for the automakers focusing on fuel cell technology. The automaker’s most recent announcement detailed a sale to actress Diane Kruger (pictured above).
Mercedes isn’t alone in the hydrogen fuel cell-powered vehicle marketplace, for example Honda has its FCX Clarity (of which it plans to produce a total of 200 over the next three years), and General Motors recently launched a test fleet its own fuel cell vehicles in the U.S.. These vehicles are still hardly mainstream methods of transportation given their numbers, though.
As for progress, the cost of fuel cell technology has dropped significantly over the last few years. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, the cost per kilowatt of energy was $248/kw in 2002. In 2009, the cost had fallen to $51/kw.
In addition to the F-CELL, Mercedes said it offers eight alternative fuel vehicles in the U.S., including the all-new 2012 M-Class BlueTEC SUV and S400 hybrid.
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The Passat is still a core pillar for Volkswagen as the fifth best-selling model after Golf, Polo, Tiguan and T-Roc.
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A special edition Range Rover which will be available exclusively to Future Astronauts signed up to fly to space with Virgin Galactic.
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Plans have been submitted for a new £10m showroom just off the A63 in Hull.
BMW and MINI scoop multiple honours at the Company Car Today CCT100 awards
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The All New Toyota Corolla has been honoured once again, this time being named Affordable Hybrid of the Year in the 2019 Auto Express Awards.
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The average American uses 365 pieces of single-use plastic each year. Researchers are examining the possibility of plastics engineered from plant-based materials to minimize the mass amounts of non-biodegradable plastics hitting our landfills.
November 17, 2022
The average American uses 365 articles of single-use plastic each year according to research done by National Geographic.
These items, products like plastic utensils, cups, and bags, are typically used once before they are sent to landfills to take up space.
In the United States alone, about 100 billion plastic bags are used each year, with estimations made that the world uses about 4 trillion annually, Waste Management reports. In many ways, the use of these non-biodegradable materials, such as single-use plastic bags, has become too incorporated into modern life to simply stop using.
Though eight states in the U.S. have officially banned single-use plastic bags, and bans across the country on other plastic products such as straws, plates, cups and bottles have proven successful in reducing plastic waste, others have a different perspective on how to eliminate the massive amounts of plastic waste single-use plastic products creates.
“It takes 1,000 years for a plastic bag to degrade in a landfill. Unfortunately, the bags don't break down completely but instead photo-degrade, becoming microplastics that absorb toxins and continue to pollute the environment,” a report from the Center for Biological Diversity states.
Deciding to tackle this issue from another angle, some scientists are investigating the possibility of creating a material that can be substituted for plastic in one-use products.
The goal of this approach is the create a material capable of decomposing so that it can be composted or broken up naturally into landfills without causing harm to its surroundings.
With multiple approaches to this, a variety of scientists and other researchers have begun exploring the possibility of producing a plastic replacement made up of plant-based materials.
In recent years several notable studies have discovered materials like this with potential.
In June 2021, Nature Communications published research completed by researchers from the Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry at the University of Cambridge titled “Controlled self-assembly of plant proteins into high-performance multifunctional nanostructured films.”
The report details the researcher's approach to creating plant-based films similar enough to those produced with our current petroleum-based systems.
Though successfully producing a material similar to plastic, the report describes the researcher's continuous encounters with one hurdle; scaleability.
“Here, we demonstrate a scalable approach for generating mechanically robust plant-based films on a meter-scale through controlled nanometre-scale self-assembly of water-insoluble plant proteins.
Ultimately discovering their production methods can be replicated with the use of ultrasonication, the possibility of upscaling their work to production levels capable of replacing the millions of single-use plastics becomes more possible.
“Also, ultrasonication is widely used in food processing and thus practically available at industrial scale,” the report denotes.
This method is not the only to come up with a possible solution, however.
In 2022 two professors in the Department of Forest Biomaterials at North Carolina State University named Lokendra Pal and Lucian Lucia identified a way to convert leftover sawdust powder and agro-residues into a material similar to styrofoam.
This plastic replacement has the potential to replace styrofoam and other plastics often used in the food industry.
The two professors are currently conducting pilot trials to test the material's potential for commercialization.
This plastic substitute demonstrates one thing that others do not; a lower amount of raw materials needed to produce it.
“These alternatives, however, require a lot of water, energy, and chemicals to produce and therefore cost nearly 10 times as much as the material developed by Pal and Lucia,” Andrew Moore of North Carolina State University writes.
Each of the two prior mentioned methods have their own pros and cons, one single solution to the overproduction and consumption of single-use plastic has not been agreed upon.
An even more recent study by researchers at the University of British Columbia has gained some traction and media attention as a promising option.
The wood-based material is capable of replicating transparent plastic, garnering excitement from the public as a material truly similar to the plastic bottles and cups we are accustomed to. With a legion of other strengths, the material's success is a demonstration of the possibility to meet all of the criteria exhibited by the plastics we currently use.
“The prepared cellulose film shows high transmittance, good thermal stability (Tmax of 350 °C), high mechanical strength (99.7 MPa tensile strength and 5.7 GPa Young’s modulus), good underwater structural stability (17.1 MPa tensile strength after being immersed in water for 30 days), as well as excellent biodegradability (completely degrades in 19 days when buried in soil).”
The material is evidence of the true potential these plant-based alternatives have to eliminate the unnecessary waste of plastic cups, straws, bottles, plates, and bags.
Over and over again we are seeing researchers and scientists discovering materials capable of withstanding the same conditions of the plastics currently on the market.
With tons of potential mitigation tactics and solutions to the rising plastic use across the globe, utilizing biological materials to create substitutes has gained some traction.
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Azerbaijani state budget's customs revenues forecasted to increase
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 11
By Anvar Mammadov – Trend:
The State Customs Committee of Azerbaijan intends to overfulfill the forecast on revenues to the state budget, the Committee’s Chairman Aydin Aliyev told reporters in Baku Oct. 11.
“Last year, we exceeded our forecast for customs revenues. As for the current year, growth by 17.5 percent is observed regarding the revenues,” noted Aliyev.
According to the Committee’s report, customs authorities transferred more than 1.95 billion manats to the state budget in January-September 2017 that is 18 percent more than in the same period of 2016.
Meanwhile, transfers exceeded 243 million manats in September. Last month, revenues from customs duties amounted to almost 56.2 million manats, revenues from VAT – 176.3 million manats, revenues from excise duty – 7.8 million manats, revenues from highway use tax – 3.4 million manats.
Revenues from customs duties decreased by 1.4 percent, revenues from VAT rose by almost 10 percent, revenues from excise duty decreased by 1.9 percent, and revenues from highway use tax increased by 41.7 percent as compared to September 2016.
The forecast for customs revenues of Azerbaijan’s state budget is 2.205 billion manats for 2017.
(1.7003 manats = $1 on Oct. 11)


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One of India's largest smartphone manufacturers, Micromax, has agreed to ink a royalty deal with Swedish network gear manufacturer Ericsson, which had filed suit against the company over patent infringement.
According to a report Thursday by Times of India, Micromax issued a statement revealing its intent to satisfy an interim order by the Delhi High Court instructing the Indian manufacturer to pay royalties to Ericsson for every smartphone and tablet it manufactures.
The Swedish network equipment maker had filed suit against Micromax, seeking US$18 million in damages over claims Micromax had infringed its patents covering its 2G, 3G, and EDGE technology.
Ruling on the lawsuit, the Delhi High Court earlier this week told Micromax to work out a patent deal with Ericsson by April 9, stated an earlier report by the Times of India. While both companies agreed on a long-term arrangement, they will sign a one-month fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory license agreement" (FRAND) which stipulates between 1.25 percent and 2 percent of the sale price per device be paid as royalty.
The agreement also states that a consignment of devices cannot pass through customs until an Ericsson representative has inspected and approved its release into the hands of Micromax.
According to the news report, Ericsson's advocate Pratibha Singh welcomed the quick HC interim order. "This shows Indian courts can decide very complex patent litigation swiftly," she said.


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Bodies in Balance to expand in new space
By: LaReesa Sandretsky, Lake County News Chronicle
When Bodies in Balance opened in its current location in 2009, owner Amy Phipps-Poe made sure the design of the building allowed for expansion in the future.
Now, the time for expansion has arrived, but it turns out the business will be growing at a different site. Bodies in Balance has announced that it has purchased the former Home Video building on Seventh Street in Two Harbors and will open Bodies in Balance-The Studio there in early June. Home Video closed in early March.
“It turned out to be more cost-effective (than expanding the current building),” Phipps-Poe said.
She has finalized the purchase of the building, which she is financing with a business loan, but is still waiting on bids to renovate its interior. The new 3,000-square-foot space will accommodate fitness classes at first, and Phipps-Poe said they hope to expand to include a juice and organic coffee bar with some food options by 2014.
“People have always wanted classes,” Phipps-Poe said, but the current location lacks the necessary space. Bodies in Balance currently offers an early morning boot camp and running club, which meet twice per week, but the new space will allow them to offer many more classes, beginning with Pilates.
Jill McLaughlin, a doctor of physical therapy at Bodies in Balance, is a certified Pilates instructor and the space will allow her to offer classes. Other classes haven’t been finalized, but Phipps-Poe said the staff is taking input. Their Facebook page has over 20 comments offering class suggestions, including Zumba, yoga, kettlebells and wrestling. They also hope to add some youth-focused wellness programs.
When Phipps-Poe started Bodies in Balance 10 years ago, there were three employees, including herself. Now, the physical therapy center and gym employ 10 fulltime and five part-time staff members. They’ve nearly doubled the number of fitness center memberships in the last four years.
With the new classes, they hope to reach even more people, Phipps-Poe said. She estimates they will add 6-8 part-time positions at the new location to meet the need.
“Our growth has exceeded expectations,” Phipps-Poe said.
Bodies in Balance is located at 1451 Highway 2, Two Harbors. Find out more by visiting www.facebook.com/BodiesInBalanceTH or www.bodiesinbalancemn.com.


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Giuseppe de Candia is the first name listed on one of the most important documents of the internet’s last ten years. And now he wants to reinvent the net once again.
All posts tagged ‘nicira’
- 6:30 AM
- 6:30 AM
As it seeks to reinvent computing all over again and maintain its place inside the world’s data centers, VMware has snatched up another collection of world-class engineers. But this time, the virtual computing kingpin took a different tack. It bought …
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VMware paid $1.26 billion to acquire virtual networking startup Nicira. And eBay just provided another reason why this massive purchase makes perfect sense.
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Oracle has agreed to acquire virtual networking company Xsigo Systems. The software giant announced the deal on Monday, but terms of the deal were not disclosed.
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VMware just spent $1.26 billion to secure its place in the future of computer networking. But in acquiring the swashbuckling Silicon Valley startup Nicira, the virtualization giant is also shifting even further into the world of open source software, a …


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NEW YORK – News Corp.’s Fox said Tuesday that it will institute an eight-day delay for current episodes of TV shows as of Aug. 15 for consumers who aren’t authenticated pay TV subscribers of a participating TV distributor or Hulu Plus subscribers.
Satellite TV firm Dish Network is the network’s first distribution partner for the initiative that is trying to cut back on the free availability of TV content online right after it airs. Fox previously made its shows available 24 hours after their initial airing.
At a time when broadcasters are getting retransmission consent revenue from TV distributors and industry watchers are continuing to discuss the risk of cord cutting and the potential effect of Web content on TV advertising revenue, Fox is using the initiative to keep consumers from getting quick access to popular TV content, such as The Simpsons, Glee and Raising Hope, without being a pay TV subscriber or paying user of online video service Hulu. It wasn’t immediately clear if Dish agreed to pay Fox extra for its subscribers’ immediate online access to shows.
To watch new episodes of Fox shows the next day, authenticated Dish customers can go to Fox.com, Hulu.com, Dishonline.com or “the online TV portals of any future participating distributors and log in with their subscriber usernames and passwords,” the companies said. “Viewers who do not subscribe to a participating distributor will be able to watch new episodes online eight days following their initial air dates.”
“We are continually looking at opportunities to provide our pay television distributors with content and products that enhance the value of pay television to subscribers,” said Michael Hopkins, president, affiliate sales and marketing, Fox Networks. “Our new authentication service will continue to provide next-day access to Fox broadcast shows for our viewers who subscribe to participating pay television providers.”
“Dish Network is proud to be the first pay TV provider in America to give customers the opportunity to take full advantage of the new Fox.com viewing experience – at no additional cost,” said Dave Shull, senior vp of programming for Dish.
While other broadcast networks are believed to be eyeing moves similar to Fox’s, none were willing to divulge any possible steps on Tuesday. Spokespeople for ABC and CBS declined to comment. A Hulu spokeswoman also didn’t comment.
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Ecommerce in Spain increased by 24.8 percent year-on-year during the first quarter of 2017. During these three months, 6.8 billion euros was spent online, while the number of transactions increased by 31 percent to 115 million.
The ecommerce turnover in Spain was worth 23.91 billion euros in 2016, an increase of over 15 percent compared to the year before. This year, it’s expected ecommerce in Spain will grow 17 percent to reach almost 28 billion euros at the end of 2017.
When an online basket was filled with 39 popular summer products in six countries across Europe, the ecommerce industry in France happened to have the highest prices. This ‘summer basket’ however is most expensive for consumers in Spain, as they have the lowest gross domestic product per capita among these countries.
Some online stores tend to adjust their prices, so consumers won’t go ordering something at a competitor’s website. For Ecommerce News Europe, price tracking software provider Prisync looked at how many ecommerce websites in Europe change their prices daily and how high the stock-out ratio is in these countries.
Logistics management software Onfleet has gone international. The American SaaS platform is focusing more and more on Europe and other continents and has now made its driver app and website available in Spanish and French.
Ecommerce in Spain has increased with a year-on-year-growth of 20.3 percent during the second quarter of 2016. The online turnover was worth 5.95 billion euros during that period. Industries with the highest online revenue were travel agencies and tour operators, air transport and clothing.
In Spain, more people are using their smartphones and tablets to order products and services online. One in two Spanish internet users who have purchased online claim to have made some of these purchases through their mobile device. This is an increase of 15 percentage points compared to last year.
Apple has launched its mobile payments service Apple Pay in Spain. It supports cards from Banco Santander, Carrefour, Ticket Restaurant and American Express. At the moment, Apple Pay in Spain can be used at 27 major retailers, including Media Markt and Bershka.
Swiss online furniture retailer Beliani has further expanded its business across Europe. The ecommerce company has opened an online store in Spain, where it has run a pilot project since the beginning of 2015. Beliani is now active in 14 European countries.
In Spain, more than half a million people shopped fashion online during the month of July this year. An average order of clothing and accessories was worth 57 euros. Especially, Zara was a popular shopping destination, followed by Asos and Zalando.
Amazon has announced it will open a new and bigger Spanish headquarters. This 12,000 square meters building will be located in Madrid’s upcoming business district of Méndez Álvaro. It will host Amazon’s current 400 corporate employees as well as provide capacity for over 1,000 employees.
Older consumers in Spain, ages 50 and up, were always among the most hesitant to use the internet or to shop online, but this trend is slowly shifting. Now internet is a common destination for Spanish seniors when asked where they most often buy products and services.
Rakuten is closing its marketplace in the United Kingdom in August. The online platform will also cease its operations in Spain and move customers and merchants from the Austrian website to the German website. The Japanese company wants to focus fully on France and Germany, where its websites have the scale and potential for sustainable growth.
Promofarma has won the award for Best Webshop in Spain. The online marketplace that’s filled with products from local pharmacies won the most important prize during the Ecommerce Awards, an event hosted by Club Ecommerce last week.
The 3SI Group, formerly known as 3 Suisses International, has decided to pull the plug on all of its retail activities in France, Belgium, Spain, Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic. It has changed its business strategy drastically and will now focus solely on service activities.


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In this episode of “Fast Casual Nation,” brought to you in part by Simplot Harvest Fresh Avocados, host Paul Barron heads to Seattle, joining Roz and Kamala to learn how Ma Kai is upscaling fast casual in terms of food, service and ambiance; how the pair overcame challenges of being early adopters in the local food truck scene; why they chose to offer alcohol at this location; and, of course, to give viewers a taste of Ma Kai’s blended menu (kimchi quesadillas! street tacos! oh my!).
Marination Ma Kai is a Hawaiian-Korean fusion fast casual inspired by Roy Choi’s famous L.A. food truck, Kogi. But don’t get it twisted: while both menus are inventive, Marination Ma Kai is certainly doing its own thing. And while the Marination brand does include a food truck, it’s also got some brick-and-mortar locations, the first of which came into fruition about a year and a half after the food truck opened.
"A Hawaiian-Korean blend of food is definitely our mark, it's our angle on the whole thing, and it's how we distinguish Marination culinarily from a lot of other Asian fusion places that are out there," says Roz Edison, one of Marination's CEOs and co-founders.
The idea of starting a concept that mimicked Choi’s high-quality take on street food was sparked from a conversation at dinner (naturally). Turns out, there was a need for food trucks in Seattle dishing out this fare. At the time, food trucks were very new, so the competition was not nearly as saturated as it is today. That initial dinner conversation took place in February, and by June, Roz Edison and Kamala Saxton, Marination’s CEOs and co-founders, opened the food truck.


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BITZER, a globally leading compressor manufacturer, has announced that it will support the 3rd Edition of ATMOsphere America 2014 for the third consecutive year. The conference will take place from 18-19 June in San Francisco.
With around 3,000 employees in more than 90 countries and 33 subsidiaries in Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa and America, BITZER offers innovative solutions to a global customer base.
About ATMOsphere America 2014
Taking place on 18 & 19 June 2014 in San Francisco, the 3rd annual ATMOsphere America promises even bigger results than the previous conferences. One again, key HVAC&R industry stakeholders will come together to discuss technology innovations, market trends and the latest regulatory updates in the field of natural refrigerants in North America.


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Xiaomi’s growth path includes three main factors. Today the “Mi Home” is the example how the company evolved its business model integrating New Retail
Since the launch of its first smartphone in 2011, Xiaomi has grown very fast in the first few years and became China’s top smartphone companies in 2014 and 2015. And the company has maintained a surprising growth rate. In 2014, over 61 million of Xiaomi’s smartphones were sold that year. Today, China based smartphone maker has expanded into Asia, Africa and parts of Europe.
However, its sales for smartphones dropped massively in 2016. Company’s over-reliance on online sales and fierce competition from other Chinese smartphone companies – like Vivo and Oppo – pressed Xiaomi to change its business model and go offline, develop a New Retail format, seamlessly integrating its online and offline channels.
©Sohu.com. Last year in May, In May of this year, Xiaomi officially entered the French market and opened the first “Mi store” authorized store in France
In 2017, Xiaomi has incorporated New Retail strategies to its “Triathlon business model”, which Xiaomi started to place great emphasis on interconnecting its online and offline channels. Since then, the company has enjoyed an unprecedented turnaround. As stated by Lei Jun, Xiaomi’s CEO, “Xiaomi is a new brand that was born in the process of China’s economic transformation and upgrading. It is a mobile phone company, mobile Internet company and a New Retail company”. And in the strict sense, Xiaomi is a retail company
The result is the “Mi Home” store (小米之家), an offline store that allows Chinese consumers to experience Xiaomi mobile phones, but also a range of other related products, like speakers, headphones, laptops, TVs, and other mobile devices.
The hi-tech company opened its first physical store “Mi Home” in Beijing, which marked Xiaomi’s official debut in the offline retail market. Three years after, more than 400 Mi home stores were established in the country, covering more than 50 cities in China. According to Xiaomi, the number of Mi Home stores is expected to reach 1,000 by 2019-2020 and achieve total revenue of 70 billion yuan in five years.
The success of Xiaomi includes three main factors: its powerful business ecosystem, “killer products” and strong “Mi Fans” culture.
What makes unique Xiaomi is its business model known as “The triathlon model” that now entails three components: the “Hardware”, “Internet Services” and “New Retail”. As we know New Retail means the integration of online and offline channels, thus the essence of Xiaomi’s new retail strategies is to provide users with omni-channel shopping experience and through highly efficient store operations, with optimal rent- to-revenue ratio.
Major online channels include Xiaomi’s direct online retail store “Mi Store” (available in mobile app and Mi.com), Xiaomi’s self-operated boutique-style e-commerce marketplace “Xiaomi Youpin”, and its flagship store on Tmall. Nowadays, new retail is a core component of Xiaomi’s growth strategy, allowing the company to operate efficiently while simultaneously extending the customer reach and enhancing customer experience.
©Xiaomitoday.com. The Chinese brand Xiaomi launched its flagship smartphone Mi 9 in February, the first consumer smartphone capable of using 5G networks.
According to Lei Jun Xiaomi “strived to offer ‘killer products’ about high quality, high performance, well-designed and honestly priced”. The company has maintained a unique principle of “satisfying 80% needs of 80% of the market”.
Recently Xiaomi aims to offer high-end products to the mass market – allow high-tech, trendy, and well-designed products at price points that are accessible to the widest and largest user base. Thus, the company would offer mass products that are of high quality in order to meet the needs of the post-80s and post-90s generations who want a higher quality of life.
This is directly connected with its “Mi fans”. Xiaomi’s success is also largely built upon its strong fans culture. During the years, the company has cultivated close interactions and direct relationships with its fans. Xiaomi’s ‘ killers products’ such as relatively inexpensive products with good design or intelligent functions have continued to win and accumulate massive global community of “Mi Fans”.
©Xiaomitoday.com Xiaomi named its unique business model as “The triathlon model”. Now entails three components – the “Hardware”, “Internet Services” and “New Retail”.
Today passionate users who are intensely loyal to Xiaomi brand. There are even“Mi Fans Clubs”, not only in China, that are active interactions within Xiaomi’s platform for fans to provide feedback and ideas on product development, product testing, advertising and marketing.
Xiaomi has regularly launched a number of promotional campaigns such as “Mi Fans Festival”, “Mi Pop” events, games, and contests to boost sales and engage with their fans.
Xiaomi definitely changed its business philosophy. The company moved from a Chinese mobile and technology company to a lifestyle and retail company. And it worked. Xiaomi already replaced domestic rival Vivo to occupy the spot of the world’s fifth-largest smartphone maker after its smartphone shipment rocketed 74.5% to 92.4 million units
Currently, Xiaomi is the world’s fourth-largest smartphone company, achieving over 100 billion yuan in annual revenue and has nearly 20,000 employees. On 3 May, 2018, Xiaomi Group officially submitted an IPO application to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, aiming to raise US$10 billion.
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Graham-Field: 'We have just about everything'
ATLANTA - Graham-Field beefed up its marketing department this spring with three new hires and now employs dedicated product managers for respiratory, mobility and mattress/pressure reduction products.
That kind of individualized focus spells good news for Graham-Field and its customers, say company officials.
"There is one contact point," said Scott Sutherland, the new senior product manager, respiratory. "When you are calling in and saying, 'I have a question about such and such,' before they'd say, 'OK, let me look up the right person.'"
That won't be the case anymore, he said.
Likewise, a dedicated product manager--rather than someone overseeing several lines--improves accountability and product development, Sutherland said.
"When you are looking at the needs of respiratory vs. the needs of wheelchairs or mattresses, I think the approach you take is a little bit different," he said.
In addition to the expanded marketing department--from 12 to 15 employees--Graham-Field recently doubled the size of its Atlanta distribution center to 100,000 square feet and added a line of respiratory disposable products.
This summer, it plans to introduce a 35-pound concentrator, said Ken Spett, Graham-Field's vice president of marketing.
"We're strong and growing," he said. "The whole purpose of Graham-Field is to buy as much as you can from us because we have just about everything."


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By the Caribbean Journal staff
Carlzon Rezidor Hotel Group has named four new senior appointments in the Americas region, the company said this week.
Carlson has named Aly El Bassuni as senior vice president for franchise operations; Ross Hosking as vice president of sales and distribution; Dinesh Chandiramani as vice president for development and Mark Williams as vice president for development.
“I am confident they will help grow and strengthen our brands’ presence in their respective territories,” said Terry Sanders, chief development officer for the Americas.
Carlson is one of the world’s largest hotel companies; its Caribbean presence includes hotels under the Radisson brand, with destinations including Trinidad, Grenada and Barbados.


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The Chairman of the EEC Board, Mikhail Myasnikovich, and the Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications, Omar bin Sultan Al Olama, signed a memorandum on co-operation between the Eurasian Economic Commission and the United Arab Emirates’ Government – as reported by the EEC official website
According to Mr. Myasnikovich, the EAEU views the UAE as one of the most promising partners for trade and economic co-operation in the Middle East, “We express our gratitude to the Emirati side for a high pace and quality of our joint work. I believe that the decisions taken today will contribute to increasing trade and economic co-operation between the EAEU and the United Arab Emirates.”
The memorandum reads that its purpose is to increase the volume of mutual trade and to implement the measures aimed at removing barriers. The sides plan to liaise in the areas of customs and technical regulation, application of sanitary, veterinary-sanitary and quarantine phytosanitary measures, financial markets, transport, industry and agro-industrial complex, competition policy and antimonopoly regulation, intellectual property, and others.
During the signing ceremony, Mr. Myasnikovich also appreciated the sides’ joint work on possible conclusion of a preferential trade agreement.