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Those who bought ground beef with a use or freeze by Jan. 20, 2019, date are being advised to throw it out because it may contain pieces of plastic.
TOPPENISH, Wash. — Washington Beef is recalling more than 30,000 pounds of ground beef produced on Dec. 27, 2018, because it may contain pieces of plastic.
Those who bought ground beef with a use or freeze by Jan. 20, 2019, date are being advised to throw it out, said Patti R. Brumbachi, executive director of Washington State Beef Commission.
Workers at Washington Beef’s plant in Toppenish, Yakima County, immediately removed 130 cases of the 1, 319 cases — 30,260 pounds — possibly affected, Brumbachi said.
“So the product is not in the stores anymore,” she said. “The only concern is it might be in somebody’s freezer.”
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Workers discovered blue plastic in processed beef Jan. 27, and a consumer reported finding plastic in beef the following day, Brumbachi said.
The assorted beef products were sold to 27 customers across 13 states including Washington. Products involved in the recall were not sold through the company’s direct-to-consumer sales channel, according to a Washington Beef news release announcing the recall.
The company has notified the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Food Safety Inspection Service.


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By Cindy Klose
3:03 PM CST, February 8, 2013
The British Government has launched a criminal investigation in to horse meat being sold in imported beef products. First, hamburgers sold through a supermarket chain were found to contain horse DNA. Now, horse meat has been discovered in packs of beef lasagna in concentrations ranging from 60% to 100%.
There is no known health risk from horse meat, but there's concern it may be tainted with the veterinary drug phenylbutazone that's not allowed to enter the food chain.
Read more here and tell me what you think.
Copyright © 2013, KWCH-TV

domain: news


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The Samsung Odyssey G9 gaming monitor launched last year with great success thanks to its high refresh rate 1000R curved screen. The company Samsung has announced the latest version of the game monitor Odyssey G9 – gaming monitor Odyssey G9 2021.
The Samsung Odyssey G9 2021 gaming monitor has the same design as the original G9 monitor. However, this new version uses Quantum MiniLED technology to offer improved brightness over the previous version. Quantum MiniLED technology also provides increased contrast over standard LED backlighting. This monitor offers a maximum brightness of 2000 nits in locations when displaying HDR content.
“The Odyssey G9 gaming monitor generated a lot of buzz in 2020 – this year, Samsung is improving the experience with a Quantum MiniLED display and premium gaming features. 1000R screen curvature combined with Quantum MiniLED display technology gives gamers a new experience. Unlike others, the new G9 joins Samsung’s full line of curved and flat Odyssey gaming monitors, ”Samsung said in a statement.
This monitor offers fantastic specs, including a 2K native resolution, 240Hz refresh rate, and 49-inch screen size. This 49-inch screen has one of the toughest curves for a gaming monitor, with a 1000R curve. This monitor offers a high refresh rate of up to 240Hz and a maximum response time of 1ms, ideal for active gaming. These games include first-person shooters and racing simulators, to name a few types of games.
While Samsung has yet to release any pricing information for this monitor, the previous model launched at $ 1,699. This monitor is expected to support AMD FreeSync Pro and NVIDIA G-SYNC technologies.


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Swiss food giant Nestlé has announced it will shut its plant in the Democratic Republic of Congo by end of January 2018.
A statement released on Sunday said “about 120 people will be affected by this decision”, but we will “continue to develop our business model for third-party distribution”.
The company set up in 2009, amid escalating poverty and political instability with a factory manufacturing poultry cubes, Maggi.
About 120 people will be affected by this decision
It had invested 15 million dollars in the business but the record losses incurred have forced Nestlé to abandon a potential market of 80 million people.
Its departure is seen as a huge blow to the economy, that was already unstable.
A presidential election that could settle the crisis is scheduled for December 2018, when the country will vote to replace president Joseph Kabila.


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The Mexican parliament yesterday approved a law as a first step to nationalize the country’s lithium reserves, the primary metal used for EV batteries today. According to the specialized website Mining technology, Mexico has significant resources in the northern state of Sonora.
In Bacadéhuachi, in the state of Sonora, the Anglo-Canadian exploration company Bacanora Minerals has discovered the largest lithium deposit in the world. The site, which measures the equivalent of 100 000 soccer pitches, contains estimated reserves of 243 million tons of minerals embedded in rocks and clay.
It plans to build a 35 000 tons per annum battery-grade lithium operation there, in partnership with its majority shareholder, Chinese giant Ganfeng. The latter is one of the biggest batteries manufacturers in the world.
Next in the nationalization process, the law has to be voted in the Senate, where the ruling Morena party of the left-wing president Andres Manuel López Obrador also has a majority. But according to the reform of the mining law, lithium is part of Mexico’s heritage, which excludes any new licensing to private companies.
Previous governments had granted eight concessions, which will remain in force. There are 36 lithium exploration concessions in Mexico, of which only 27 are active, all of which are controlled by three foreign companies, including Ganfeng.
Mexico wants to turn lithium into a strategic resource like oil. “We have to protect this coveted mineral. It belongs to the nation. We cannot allow it to pass into the hands of corporations or hegemonic powers”, López Obrador said in October last year.
Global demand for “white gold” is very high since this light mineral is used in the electromobility sector, in batteries for smartphones and electronic equipment, energy storage systems, anti-depressant medication, and even in the nuclear industry. According to the government of Chile, the region’s biggest lithium producer, global demand for “the oil of the future” is set to grow by 80% by 2030, and Mexico does not want to miss the boat.
Need for industry know-how
However, the tricky point is that without the technology and know-how of the private sector, Mexico’s wish to gain a foothold in the lithium business is likely to be frustrated. This has been the case in Bolivia. The country has the largest lithium reserves globally, but 13 years after its first foray into the sector, it has not fully exploited them.
According to El País, it is not yet clear whether Mexico will focus on lithium production in developing batteries for the electric automobile industry. It also remains unclear if the law would oblige private companies to sell extracted lithium to the state or, in contrast, if they would be used for export.
On the other hand, others claim that the Mexican state-owned petroleum company Pemex and the Federal Electricity Commission’s state-owned companies could develop the entire lithium industry. Still, they must take it step by step.
Repercussions of the free trade agreement
A simple majority passed the lithium law, but on Sunday, the House rejected a constitutional reform to strengthen the state’s role in the electricity market. The constitutional reform required a two-thirds majority, which the Mexican president does not have among the deputies.
The proposed electricity market reform worried the United States, fearing environmental risks and investments of billions that US companies have made in Mexico. Washington has also warned of “endless disputes” in the Mexico-US-Canada free trade agreement.
Within three years, automobiles manufactured in the three countries must contain at least 75% regionally produced components if they are to be sold without duties. This includes lithium batteries.
Mexico could therefore only benefit if it could incorporate Mexican lithium into this industry. In 2018, Ganfeng signed an agreement to build a battery recycling plant in Mexico to supply minerals for Tesla Motors, the largest electric vehicle factory in Nevada, only 1400 km from Sonora.
In general, China currently dominates the EV supply chain, producing close to two-thirds of the world’s lithium-ion batteries. Europe also wants to increase its efforts to mine lithium in the future to become less dependent on China in that area.
At the same time, Mexico’s lithium discovery is a double-edged sword. As in Chile and Bolivia, plans to expand lithium mining also raise new questions about lithium extraction’s social and environmental risks.
The exploitation of lithium requires vast quantities of water and can have severe consequences for the environment. Sonora, for example, is already facing a desertification crisis and is ranked as having “extremely high baseline water stress”, according to the World Resources Institute. This means the population already uses more than 80% of their available water supply.
According to the environmental campaign group, Fridays for Future, lithium is also a particularly polluting mineral. Hydrochloric acid is used in lithium processing to filter waste products from brine, rock, or clay. In Argentina and Chile, this has generated conflict with communities living near mines, where it has polluted local water sources.


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Intel at Mobile World Congress: New modems, low-cost x86 take center stage March 2, 2015 at 9:30 am
Intel is detailing its 2015 plans for mobile at Mobile World Congress this year. The company’s low-cost 3G phones will break into emerging markets while Cherry Trail pushes into tablets and low-end laptops.
Which mobile apps drain your battery the most? February 27, 2015 at 5:30 pm
A new report from AVG Technologies breaks down exactly which Android applications chew through battery life, network data, and bog down phone performance. There are a number of applications that badly need a diet — including some created by major companies or the phone manufacturers themselves.
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Elite materials like graphene usually aren’t just lone success stories. Generally, the whole family of related materials — oxides, nitrides, or other derivatives — are all sought after for unique applications. As it typically happens, folks first imagine using a promising new material to store bits or energy, but then settle for trying to make…
Samsung is still lying about the encryption on its Smart TVs February 27, 2015 at 11:46 am
Last week, Samsung claimed that the voice information captured by its newest TVs was encrypted, even if older models were still insecure. This has now been proven untrue — Samsung televisions still on the market and available for purchase are using plaintext.
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BT has reported that sign-ups to BT TV surged during the three months comprising July to September. The company cited its exclusive coverage of the UEFA Champions League and launch of the AMC channel as reasons for the growth.
Between July and September, more than 106,000 people signed up for BT TV. That's a record quarter for the broadband and TV provider, and no doubt aided by loads of football fans eager to watch the Champions League get underway in September.
BT paid a hefty £897 million for three years' exclusive Champions League coverage, so it'll be pleased to see that it's attracting subscribers. Gavin Patterson, BT's chief executive, said: "We've seen good demand for BT Sport Europe and this has helped us add a record number of BT TV customers in the quarter. Its contribution has been better than we expected, helping drive a 7% increase in BT Consumer revenue."
All BT Sport channels, including the Champions League-focused BT Sport Europe, are free for customers taking a TV package. Those who have BT Broadband only, can watch Champions League matches online via website or smartphone app, if they sign up for the full BT Sport pack for an extra £5 a month.
As well as the footie, BT said the newly-launched AMC channel - home to The Walking Dead and spin-off Fear The Walking Dead - was enticing subscribers.
Overall, BT revenues increased for the first time in over two years, rising 2% to £4.3 billion.
Source: The Drum
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Vietnam Introduces Food, Beverage Products in Thailand
|Participants of Tasting Vietnam.
Tasting Vietnam had the attendance of more than 40 guests representing the purchasing department of leading retail groups (Central Retail, Siam Makro, Big C, The Mall Group), and enterprises designated to directly import from Thailand.
Applying a new approach, focusing on the finished product experience in the form of business-to-business transactions, this event marked a strong transformation of Vietnam's food and beverage industry with the direction of deep and sustainable integration with the international market.
Vu Kim Anh, representative of Association of High Quality Vietnamese Products, said, "The goal of today's event is to change the approach to trade promotion, instead of just meeting between businesses and businesses. We want to turn those products into typical Vietnamese dishes with ingredients from the businesses that will participate in today's event.
We hope that, when enjoying Vietnamese dishes, guests will feel the deliciousness and quality of the product, so that the connection between businesses, suppliers, and buyers will be more effectively."
|Some Vietnamese products were introduced at the event.
The products selected at the event of QP Foods, Khai Hoan, Tri Kien, Khanh Ha Foods, Tan Nhien represent a new generation of products, meeting the diverse tastes of global consumers.
They apply advanced processing technology, keeping their identity, and promoting the essence of Vietnamese cuisine.
At the event, through the hands and unlimited creativity of artisans, the quintessence of local raw materials such as Bac Giang lychee, Phu Quoc fish sauce, Cu Phong grapes, Tay Ninh rice paper become a unique source of ingredients to create outstanding dishes of the regions of Vietnam, making the guests extremely excited.
Wisan Anggurarat, deputy commercial director of Siam Makro, a subsidiary of CP Group Thailand said, "This is a good opportunity to promote the product. We see a wide range of products here, that are all high quality Vietnamese food with scrumptious taste. These products can all penetrate and sell well in the Thai market.
Our company is interested in rice paper products used for the fresh spring rolls of Vietnamese enterprises here. I think our customers will love this product".
Nguyen Hai Son, representative of ThaiBev, which accompanies the Vietnam Trade Office in Thailand to organize the Tasting Vietnam program, appreciated the new format, connectivity and effectiveness of the event. He expressed hope that more activities in this form will be organized in the future.
|Nguyen Thanh Huy, in charge of the Vietnam Trade Office in Thailand.
In charge of the Vietnam Trade Office in Thailand, Nguyen Thanh Huy affirmed that this is a new approach for trade promotion activities abroad, taking advantage of typical products and foods of each region.
It builds a Vietnamese brand and leaves a strong mark on a new generation of innovative products in the international market.
Huy said, "The Vietnam Trade Office in Thailand organized many seminars as well as programs, recently a program to experience Vietnamese flavors, to help businesses diversify their current products.
Ultimately, the national brand element is a goal that all businesses and state agencies want to build and promote".
Tasting Vietnam 2023 is an activity with high practical value, taking advantage of the potential of the network of the Vietnam Trade Office in Thailand.
This is an important trade activity that contributes to providing product information to be displayed visually, affirming belief in product quality and making an important contribution to helping importers choose the right product.
Vietnam grew its share of inbound travel in the first five months of 2023, coming in third behind Japan and Thailand among Asian destinations.
The organizers hoped that the programme will help Thai firms and people know more about HCM City, opening up more business cooperation opportunities and pushing ...
The Vietnamese community in Thailand’s Nong Khai province on June 24 inaugurated a friendship gate which is designed with Vietnamese architecture.


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|Prei Dy |||Apr 21, 2017 07:26 AM EDT|
(Photo : Getty Images) Pakistan has handed over Gwadar port's operations to China for 40 years.
State-run firm China Overseas Port Holding Company (COPHC) will take over the operations of Pakistan's Gwadar port for 40 years, Mir Hasil Khan Bizenjo, minister for ports and shipping, said on Thursday.
The Chinese firm will perform all the development work connected to the Gwadar port. According to the Economic Times, the COPHC will collect 91 percent share from the gross revenue of terminal and marine operations, and 85 percent from gross revenue of free trade operations. And based on the constitution, the provinces will have no share in revenue collection.
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Gwadar is featured in the $57 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) plan and is also considered a link between the Chinese One Belt, One Road initiative and the Maritime Silk Road program, the Hindustan Times reported. Gwadar comprise the southern Pakistan hub of the CEPC infrastructure and energy project that Beijing introduced in 2014.
Pakistan received in 2016 its first large shipment of Chinese goods at Gwadar, where the COPHC took over operations in 2013. The port is poised to handle between 300 million and 400 million tons of cargo annually. It also plans to develop seafood processing plants in a neighboring free trade zone.
Meanwhile, earlier this year, Pakistan has also approved Russia's request to utilize the Gwadar port. Speculations further surface that Russia also wants to join the CPEC and merge with the Moscow-led Eurasian Economic Union.
Such rumors were quickly brushed off; however, state-media The Global Times pointed that permitting Moscow to join the CPEC is not a terrible idea as it will open more doors for cooperation between China, Russia, and Pakistan.
Aside from Russia, Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Shariff said that several other countries have also expressed interest in joining the CPEC.
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Last week, Sony UK teased something Street Fighter related for the PS4 as part of its #4ThePlayers campaign. While we still don’t know what’s up with that, Sony has released another video with intentions that are far easier to discern.
The latest #4ThePlayers promo features E. Kenway & Sons Bespoke Tailors – a clothing store based heavily on Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag. As we already know about Black Flag coming to the PS4, this promo doesn’t have the same air of mystery surrounding it. It’s just a fun reimagining of the characters and themes from the latest Assassin’s Creed title.
But wait, what if Sony is teasing something more? Perhaps an Assassin’s Creed clothing line? Maybe some exclusive DLC where Edward Kenway gives up pirating and becomes an honorable tailor? Those of us who love video game fashion would do anything for the latter, but Ubisoft probably has no plans to appeal to a super niche market in one of its biggest franchises.
Speaking of DLC though, Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag will feature exclusive content that focuses on Assassin’s Creed III: Liberation protagonist Aveline. Later on down the road, the game will also receive a DLC spin-off called Freedom Cry! that focuses on Kenway’s quartermaster – Adewale. Freedom Cry! will be available on all platforms.[Image: sonyplaystation/YouTube]


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Baugur to break up Big Food kingdom
BAUGUR wants to break up Big Food Group and is holding talks to sell around 500 of the 750 Iceland food stores to former frozen food boss Malcolm Walker.
The Reykjavik retailer has started poring over BFG's books to assess whether to proceed with its proposed 110p-a-share bid. BFG said it would recommend an offer at this level.
Walker was ousted from retailer Iceland in 2001 after a controversial share deal. He wants to revive the chain he founded 30 years ago.
Baugur could hive off the best of the Iceland stores to supermarkets such as Tesco and sell the rest to Walker for a small sum.
Baugur already owns a 22% stake in BFG, bought at around 40p-47p per share. Analysts reckon this may deter rival bidders.
Private equity firms would be interested in the Booker cash and carry arm and Woodward food business which generate lots of cash. BFG fell 4 1/4p on Monday to 98 1/2p.
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Drought has been an issue in Zimbabwe, but this Famine Early Warning System alert suggests climate is a relatively minor player in the country’s impending food crisis:
This year’s cereal production is expected to meet only 55 percent of Zimbabwe’s requirements, according to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization and World Food Programme. The 2006/07 harvest was severely compromised by poor access to inputs, the underutilization of land and, in the south and west, by El Niño-related drought conditions.
Things are apparently being made substantially worse by Robert Mugabe’s inflation controls, which have had the effect of curbing economic production, making food harder to get:
[T]he implementation of the June price controls resulted in a run on price-controlled commodities and a decline in their production due to the erosion of profit margins. The formal market can no longer maintain a regular supply of basic goods, and sporadic deliveries of these goods are met with long lines that do not allow for everyone to make it into the store before stocks run out.
(Hat tip the excellent Reuters AlertNet)


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How to do business with universities
Sir, I am glad that a CBI survey reported that “84 per cent of companies had links with universities that they valued” (report, April 11; see also letters, April 12, etc).
In addition, the recent Higher Education and Business Survey (funded by the Department of Trade and Industry) stated that it took, on average, £8.6 million of research expenditure to create a spin-out company (a small company created on the back of university research) in the UK, whereas in the US the average was £53.1 million. There have been 199 spin-out companies created in 1999-2000, compared with a total of 338 in the whole of the previous five years.
As for the “hassle factor” of doing business with universities, there is always room for improvement.


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IDC, Gartner Agree: Server Sales Continue To Plummet
IDC estimated that worldwide server shipments in the second quarter plummeted year-over-year by 30.4 percent, while worldwide revenue dropped by 30.1 percent to $9.8 billion, which is the lowest revenue since the research firm began tracking quarterly server sales in 1996.
Gartner, meanwhile, said worldwide server shipments dropped during the same period an estimated 28 percent to 1.7 million units, while revenue dropped 29.4 percent to $9.7 billion.
Both firms said IBM held on to its No. 1 position in terms of server revenue for the second quarter, with IDC crediting IBM with sales of $3.4 billion, down 26.3 percent compared to last year, and Gartner crediting IBM with sales of $3.1 billion, down 27.1 percent.
In both research reports, Hewlett-Packard was the No. 2 server vendor in terms of sales, followed by Dell, Sun Microsystems and Fujitsu/Fujitsu Siemens.
Of all the major vendors, Sun seems to have fared the worst. Both IDC and Gartner said Sun's server revenue dropped the fastest of the top five vendors, with IDC estimating a drop of 37.2 percent compared to Gartner's estimate of 36.2 percent.
Gartner further estimated that HP was the leading vendor in terms of server shipments thanks to sales of 522,447 units in the second quarter, down 26.1 percent compared to last year. Dell was second with shipments of 402,187 units, down 30.3 percent. IBM shipped 226,570 units, down 26.6 percent from last year. Sun's shipments fell 34.3 percent to 63,412 units. And shipments from Fujitsu/Fujitsu Siemens fell 20.1 percent to 48,819 units.
While sales of x86-based servers have been falling faster than sales of non-x86-based servers in the last few quarters, that is changing, both IDC and Gartner said.
IDC also estimated that sales of Windows-based servers fell 27.7 percent year-over-year, compared to a decline of 28.9 percent for Linux-based servers and a drop of 30.9 percent for Unix-based servers.
One relatively bright spot in server sales, according to IDC, was the blade server market, where shipments fell year-over-year by 19.8 percent, leading to a drop in revenue of 12.1 percent. This was significantly better than IDC's estimated 30.4 percent drop in total server shipments and 30.1 percent drop in total revenue.
HP continued to lead the blade server market with a 52.9 percent share in terms of revenue, followed by IBM with a 27.2 percent share and Dell with a 9.1 percent share, IDC estimated. However, IBM grew its share by 3.8 points thanks to a 2.3 percent growth in revenue compared to last year, IDC said.
Gartner also called blade servers the best-performing part of the server market. It estimated total x86-based blade server shipments fell 23.6 percent over last year, leading to a drop in total revenue of 13.6 percent.
In another bright spot, Gartner estimated that the average selling price of servers from three of the top five vendors actually rose, compared to last year.
Overall average server prices rose 2.3 percent to $3,323 in the second quarter of 2009 compared to last year, according to Gartner. The rise in average selling price was led by Dell, which saw an increase of 14.3 percent to $3,215, followed by a 7.1 percent increase in IBM server prices and a 1.9 percent increase in Sun's prices.
In a statement, Matt Eastwood, group vice president of enterprise platforms at IDC, wrote that IDC sees signs the server market is starting to stabilize.
"In the weeks and months ahead, IDC believes that IT customers around the globe will begin to focus on the future once again, making strategic compute platform decisions for the next business cycle, and driving more predictable server demand as market conditions stabilize in the second half of 2009," Eastwood wrote.


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AmEx, Wal-Mart giving strength to Bluebird
- Staff New York Business Journal
Started in 2011, Bluebird was created as a way for consumers to bank without a traditional bank.
The new Bluebird will include capabilities such as deposits by smartphone and mobile bill pay, fee transparency, and no minimum balance, monthly, annual or overdraft fees, according to a press release.
It will be available through more than 4,000 Walmart stores by Dec. 8, the companies said. Account kits will be available for $5. The kit includes a starter card, which can be funded with cash or a debit card at the register with any dollar amount between $1 and $500. Once funded, the starter card can be used immediately anywhere in the U.S. where American Express Cards are accepted.
Bloomberg Businessweek reported that American Express (NYSE: AXP) was looking for ways to expand its client diversity.
"Bluebird is our solution to help consumers who currently may be poorly served by traditional banking products," Dan Schulman, group president of enterprise growth for American Express, said in a statement. "It allows them to easily and safely move, manage, and spend their money. In an era where it is increasingly “expensive to be poor,” we have worked with Walmart to create a financial services product that rights many of the wrongs that plague the market today."
Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT) already offers Green Dot prepaid cards, whose stock, trading on the Nasdaq as GDOT, was expected to drop 19 percent on the news, Barron's reported.
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- It has been 10 years since the Market Square pavilion was dedicated to Bill Lyons.
- Lyons led efforts to revitalize Market Square roughly 20 years ago as chairman of KCDC.
- Previous plans for downtown revitalization called for tech businesses in Market Square and a glass dome over top.
- Property owners participating in the project led to the vibrant Market Square locals know today.
You could spot tumbleweeds in Market Square, roll a bowling ball down Gay Street or roam naked on sidewalks without anyone noticing — all are analogies used to describe the urban desert that was downtown Knoxville 20 years ago.
This may sound like ancient history to newcomers who only know Market Square and the surrounding blocks as the city’s vibrant epicenter, but old timers will tell you it wasn’t so long ago.
This story doesn’t aim to tell the entire history of Market Square; there’s a Jack Neely book for that.
But as a new year starts, with it comes the roughly 20-year anniversary of conversations about what could be done to revitalize downtown, which eventually led to a new-and-improved Market Square and the developments that came up alongside it.
Sure, the anniversary is a bit ambiguous, and so would any date suggested as the project’s completion. Market Square is ever-changing.
But the 10-year anniversary of the city dedicating the Market Square pavilion to Bill Lyons is accurate to the month. He was lauded in December 2010 for his early-2000s work as Knoxville’s Community Development Corporation chairman to re-imagine a worn-down Market Square as a destination.
“It was kind of a perfect storm of folks realizing Knoxville has so much going for it, it’s worth taking a little risk and public investment and time into downtown,” Lyons told Knox News. “Economics is one thing, but I’m a lot more on the cultural and social benefits of having a place of gathering.”
The origins of a Market Square revamp
The vision for Market Square as locals know it today came after a handful of failed proposals to revitalize downtown.
“First it was sort of the silver-bullet theory, which was, ‘We got to do something big,'” Lyons said. “People looked at Chattanooga’s aquarium as an example.”
“The stars just weren’t properly aligned” for Universe Knoxville, a virtual-reality planetarium project intended for State Street, developer Earl Worsham told Knox News in 2002.
Worsham was one half of the Worsham-Watkins International firm, whose $380 million proposal to revitalize downtown was a front runner in 2000.
“It was an impressive presentation, but it just never got — it ended up being scoffed at more than taken seriously after a while,” Lyons said about the firm’s plans.
Worsham-Watkins called for a mix of public and private dollars to re-imagine downtown with shops lining a Henley Street pedestrian bridge and “shoppertainment” on Market Square, which would be covered with a controversial glass dome.
Eventually, that proposal was scaled back by the Public Building Authority under the new name Renaissance Knoxville. But even with a sharper focus, the plan did not pan out.
One morning in 2001, Lyons picked up a copy of the Knoxville News Sentinel and saw Mayor Victor Ashe was assigning Market Square revitalization to Knoxville’s Community Development Corporation.
While agency is often viewed as the city’s public housing authority, the corporation also acts as the city’s redevelopment agency and has worked on other projects over the years that include World’s Fair Park and Volunteer Landing.
Lyons was leading KCDC at the time as board chair, alongside CEO Alvin Nance, whom he dialed on the phone.
“He just was out there sort of choking on his coffee, too,” Lyons said. “So I said right at that time … we’re going to make this thing work because we’re going to make this much more organic, bottom up, driven by a lot of public participation, which is where the others had fallen short.”
Seeking public input for the project
This time of year, downtown Knoxville is a lively winter wonderland, with Christmas lights spreading cheer and the sounds of friendly chatter spilling onto the streets from bar after bar.
But in the early 2000s, Lyons said, downtown was a “wasteland” most nights.
Before the Market Square garage, there was a parking lot, which would only have a handful of cars on a Saturday night. Potemkin-like facades were once placed on Gay Street to replicate storefronts for pure aesthetic, Lyons said.
“Most of the buildings were in such disrepair that they were beginning to fall in, and only a couple were marginally occupied,” he said about Market Square.
Previous plans called for drawing technology-focused businesses to the Market Square area, but that concept lost support. Technology was doing just fine catching up on its own without public help, Lyons said.
KCDC held public meetings for input, and most of what people suggested inevitably became reality as revitalization took form. But at a time when top-down decision making was the norm, Lyons said, he was met with skepticism and worries that a public process would delay progress.
“There was the old model, which is you decide and then you defend,” he said. “In some of those meetings, I was accused of letting inmates run the asylum and all sorts of things by people who were very skeptical.”
Of course, a general skepticism toward government was legitimate, especially when considering the possibility of property being taken by government through eminent domain. But Lyons said he didn’t want to go that route.
While the city was willing to work on getting the Market Square mall revamped, the property owners would be given the freedom to propose their own building renovations as they saw fit.
“I think that was absolutely essential,” Lyons said. “We had a couple recalcitrant property owners who were very distrustful, didn’t want to participate. But they later sold to others, and so we ended up with a good group.”
What made downtown successful?
Market Square wasn’t all tumbleweeds when renovation work got underway. The Tomato Head was one of the most notable Market Square businesses at the time and one of the very few still operating today, while Ashley Capps’ Sundown in the City was drawing large crowds to the center of downtown to witness world-class music acts.
“I think events were an important part in early development of downtown — just getting people coming downtown on a more regular basis,” said Michele Hummel, executive director of the Downtown Knoxville Alliance.
The Alliance is a central business improvement district, which uses an extra tax on downtown property owners for downtown projects. Hummel started her position in 2000, when conversations about revitalizing downtown were picking up steam.
KCDC didn’t explicitly call for events as part of its plan but felt a revitalization of Market Square would naturally attract cultural festivals and other happenings, which is what many businesses wanted.
The plan emphasized the importance of improving the infrastructure of Market Square and helping owners renovate their buildings, which could help make other downtown ideas successful, including:
- Connecting Market Square through the Krutch Park extension
- Attracting a movie theater to Gay Street
- Building a Market Square parking garage
- Adding residences in the Market Square area
“Although significant areas of downtown Knoxville have been redeveloped in recent years, Knoxville will not be able to live up to its promise as the center of economic, social and cultural activity in the East Tennessee region until the heart of the City — Market Square — is reborn,” KCDC’s plan stated.
The Kinsey Probasco Team out of Chattanooga was tasked with making it happen, with around $8 million allocated for the project.
“What first got me interested was that I knew the community was really interested in seeing something happen in their downtown,” developer Jon Kinsey said in 2002. “Without that, nothing can happen.”
The silver bullet theory went out the window, and the focus became on helping Knoxville reclaim its identity.
“It was Chattanooga envy, Asheville envy, a little Greenville envy,” Lyons said. “We were part of a larger trend of downtowns becoming places that people wanted to be. … So, there was also a sense that it was Knoxville’s time to make it work.”
What’s great about Asheville? “It’s Asheville,” he said, and Knoxville needed to find a way to be its authentic self.
“I think Knoxville’s a little bit behind of where where a lot of cities were starting to destroy or take down a lot of the historic old buildings,” Hummel said. “I’m glad we were behind that curve. … In Market Square, that’s maintained.”
A ‘rare’ reaction to the end result
Maintaining the historic feel of Market Square was required by zoning, but building owners still were given freedom. KCDC’s role was to help owners through façade grants and other affordable methods to revitalize their properties.
Market Square was dug up when the project started and became “a mud bath for quite a while,” Lyons said.
“It was a real challenge for the businesses that were trying, like Tomato Head, to keep their customers coming in” he said. “There were walks built over where the construction was.”
This construction was happening at the same time business owners were making improvements to their properties. Massive amounts of private dollars went into these buildings, Lyons said.
Some of the most notable examples come from Scott West, who acquired Market Square properties and was much more willing to work with the city to take advantage of grants than the previous owner, Lyons said.
“I’ll give them a lot of credit,” he said. “Had they not been able to do that, that would have been a lot more difficult.”
West later would become infamously known for his prison stint, following a revelation he was laundering money from a drug operation into Market Square businesses. Today, the West family owns a handful of businesses on the Square, including Preservation Pub and Tommy Trent’s.
For a moment, Lyons was worried what this would mean for Market Square. It was one of the only times he worried about the project.
When Ashe cut the ribbon in 2003 and reopened Market Square following a year of construction, work on building facades continued. But Lyons was shocked with how quickly the community embraced the fresh look of Market Square.
“It was really very heartening,” Lyons said. “I think it’s pretty rare.”
Before the project started, Lyons said, there were some people who thought KCDC’s efforts would be meaningless for a downtown already dead. People can be cynical when it comes to cities — always wondering why their hometown can’t have nice things.
“You hear very little of that now,” he said. “That whole narrative that had been out there that was bolstered by the inability to do the previous efforts really had to be overcome. But I think the talk on that and the sense of pride in what was going on down there took hold pretty darn quickly after the early 2000s.”
Hard work continues to pay off
In December 2010, Knoxville Deputy Mayor Larry Martin helped dedicate the pavilion dedication to Lyons.
“There hasn’t been a guy that has worked longer and harder for downtown and done that with dedication and passion,” Martin said at the time.
Lyons is staying busy these days with consulting work after years with the city focusing on downtown. He told Knox News it’s hard to believe 10 years have passed since the honor, and 20 years since conversations began brewing.
“I’ve just been a believer in cities — a believer in downtowns,” he said.
His belief in downtown Knoxville’s potential has been backed up by recent figures.
The Market Square Garage some people believed needed no more than 200 spaces now fills op on weekends with roughly 700 vehicles. The Gay Street movie theater was built following Market Square’s face lift, and Mast General store followed.
While it’s unclear whether downtown’s exponential growth would have happened without Market Square’s revitalization, Hummel said, it certainly was key. And Knoxville would look quite different without it.
Numbers provided by Hummel show roughly 1,100 people lived in the core of downtown in 2000. Today, 2,600 people live in that area, roughly bounded by Volunteer Landing, Hall of Fame Drive, 11th Street and the railroad tracks in Old City.
Hotels rooms have increased from 1,291 to 1,930 in roughly that same time frame, with the alliance’s assessments increasing from $226,098 to $835,409.
The businesses that flocked to Market Square were not part of any plan. Stock and Barrel didn’t open because KCDC thought a burger joint would be good for that building, Lyons said.
Businesses come because they believe in Market Square. And Market Square was made successful, in part, because local leaders believed in businesses.


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Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios took the stage at the D23 Expo in Anaheim to present their upcoming animated slate. For Superhero News readers, the first details on The Incredibles 2 is of particular interest, as the whole cast, including Samuel L. Jackson, appeared along with director Brad Bird. The fun didn’t stop with everyone’s […]
Superhero News reviews the new Disney film, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales!
Hackers claim to have stolen the upcoming Pirates of the Caribbean film and are demanding that Disney pay a ransom or else have it released online, according to The Hollywood Reporter and Deadline.
In celebration of the upcoming film, “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales,” some lucky Disneyland park guests got more than they bargained for when Johnny Depp, as Captain Jack Sparrow surprised fans aboard the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction, which recently celebrated its 50th anniversary. Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell […]
Will Smith is in early talks to voice the Genie in Disney’s live-action “Aladdin” reboot from director Guy Ritchie.
Looks like there were plenty of people who accepted their “Be Our Guest” invitation. Walt Disney Studios announced this morning that its live-action Beauty and the Beast has officially reached the $1 billion mark worldwide. Beauty and the Beast is the 29th film in history to earn $1 billion or more at the box office and the 14th […]
The Walt Disney Studios has released a quintet of character posters from Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales. The Studio also announced plans to preview the film in Disney Parks and Resorts beginning April 21. See all the posters in the gallery above, and preview details below! In addition, beginning April 21, Guests […]
Disney’s biannual D23 Expo returns to Anaheim this July, which means it will soon be time to induct a new class of Disney Legends. The Disney Legends Award ceremony, to be held on July 14, is essentially Disney’s hall of fame and this year’s class is big on Star Wars and Marvel superheroes. Carrie Fisher, whom we […]
Sources tell Variety that Beyonce is director Jon Favreau’s top choice to voice Nala in the upcoming remake. Insiders stress that the Grammy winner has not made a decision regarding the role yet, as the star is pregnant with twins. But since it’s a voice-acting role, sources say the studio and director will do whatever […]
Disney•Pixar’s Coco isn’t in theaters until November, but today we have a small taste of the film via the animated short, “Dante’s Lunch – A Short Tail.” Dante is a dog with a bone, or at least he’d like to be, but finding a free lunch is easier said than done when you’re so close to […]
Walt Disney Animation Studios has announced the official title for the highly anticipated Wreck-It Ralph sequel. Announced earlier this evening at CinemaCon in Las Vegas, Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck-It Ralph 2 will arrive in theaters March 9, 2018. Disney also announced some of the first story details about the film, which you can see in the full […]
Disney’s Beauty and the Beast made $170 million this weekend, setting a new March box office record.
Aside from big box office grosses, reimagining an untouchable classic can be a thankless endeavor. Disney, however, has found massive commercial and critical success in translating its own animated library into live-action blockbusters like Cinderella and The Jungle Book. Now it’s time for the world to see Disney’s live-action attempt at perhaps the most untouchable of all, Beauty and the […]
Disney•Pixar has released the first teaser for Coco, a family adventure centered on the Mexican holiday Día de los Muertos. The teaser takes us through the story’s main jumping off point where Miguel (voiced by Anthony Gonzalez) attempts to connect with his idol from years gone by, Ernesto de la Cruz (voiced by Benjamin Bratt), and […]
Director Lee Unkrich took to Twitter to reveal a brand new poster from Disney•Pixar’s Coco. The film, which centers on the Mexican holiday Día de los Muertos, will have its first trailer released next week. During the 2015 D23 Expo in Anaheim, I saw a portion of the film in which the main character, Miguel (voiced […]
Disney’s Beauty and the Beast is just over two weeks away from its March 17 release. As the cast tours the world promoting the film, Disney is releasing clips featuring songs from the film. Today, you can hear LeFou (Josh Gad) sing “Gaston” before the subject of the tune, played by Luke Evans, chimes in. Speaking […]


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Leak expert Jon Prosser has published images showing the possible design of the Pixel 6 and its bigger brother, which should be called Pixel 6 Pro.
The differences are drastic especially on the back of the phone. Pixel 6 can feature a rectangular grid of cameras, which includes three image capture modules and an LED flash.
The renderings show that the imaging system will also be quite bulging. Also, the top of the device (above the cameras) will have a different color than the rest of the back.
The front of the cell phone is also likely to undergo changes, according to images shared by Prosser. Unlike previous models, the Pixel 6 must have a hole centered at the top of the screen, which will hold the front camera.
After the images were published, another leak specialist also commented on the matter. Max Weinbach, from the website WinFuture, said in the Twitter that the new Pixel 6 design is true, but the colors are not confirmed yet.
In addition to revealing Pixel 6 images, Prosser also published renderings showing the supposed Pixel Watch. The smart watch is expected to be launched by Google in the second half with WearOS system.
The watch appears in the leak with round screen, similar to the previously leaked images. Weinbach also confirmed that the device’s design is real.
So far, however, Google has not commented on the matter. The company is famous for not being able to keep a secret, but the trend is that the devices only officially appear in the second half of the year. Therefore, it may be that the firm will make changes to the devices over the next few months.


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After facing the massive impacts of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the Philippine tourism and hospitality sector begins to bounce back and reinvent itself as it taps into the various opportunities that a transformed market offers.
Ms. Valerie Soliven, Rockwell Land Corp.’s Executive Vice President and Chief Revenue Officer, observed that the industry remains to be greatly challenged with extended restrictions on both local and foreign travel, yet the domestic leisure market was seen contributing to post-pandemic growth in the second quarter of 2021 while the economy was inching to return to normalcy.
“However, this slow and steady recovery is still sensitive to the current conditions. Colliers announced in July 2021 that their year-end projection for the performance of Manila hotels remains at 30% occupancy rate,” Ms. Soliven added.
Despite this, bright spots do remain. According to research by global property advisory firm Savills, while serviced apartments have not been immune to COVID-19’s impact, the sector is weathering the storm marginally better.
In fact, serviced apartment brands operating in Asia-Pacific saw occupancy rates as high as 80%, even during the height of the crisis. Michael Roberts, director for hotels, Asia-Pacific at Savills, explained that the sector’s unique features of self-contained long-stay accommodation, alongside strict hygiene protocols required by highly regulated branded serviced apartments, have allowed the sector to outperform both mainstream hotels and the various alternative accommodation platforms like Airbnb.
Rockwell Land’s Aruga Apartments is one such example.
Ms. Soliven said that Aruga Apartments has been able to enjoy healthier occupancy rates relative to the industry, with bookings from existing corporate accounts and from the leisure market on account of its certificate to operate as a staycation hotel. Serviced apartments, she added, also performed better than regular hotels during the pandemic as they offer bigger spaces that come with a fully-equipped kitchen and some with balconies.
“Renowned for its signature attention to detail and foresight for the little things that matter, Aruga Apartments takes pride in its location being a coveted address for those that aspire a holistic lifestyle experience,” she said.
Units at Aruga Apartments offer bigger spaces for one’s safety and convenience.
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Beyond its hotel service, Aruga Apartments was able to adapt its offerings and operational strategies to navigate the changes in the business landscape during the pandemic. Most recently, Aruga received accreditation from the Department of Tourism and Bureau of Quarantine to operate as a multiple-use accommodation establishment in addition to its certification to operate for staycations.
With staycations being top of mind for local guests who are not ready to hop on a flight and the remote working lifestyle that business travelers now require, Aruga Apartments can cater to these new normal lifestyles and offer conveniences by being a stone’s throw away from the Power Plant Mall and being within a secure neighborhood with safe open spaces for wellness and health buffs.
“With the proliferation of choices for accommodations these days, it is easy to get lost in the rush of brands and promotions; but the discerning traveler knows that now more than ever, safety and convenience are key,” Ms. Soliven said. “Aruga Apartments offers a prime location, enhanced safety protocols, as well as the standard of comfort and service the brand has been known to its loyal patrons and its community, the Rockwell Center. Whether guests are checking in for business, a staycation, or for quarantine, the Aruga team is committed to providing from essential to a tailor-fit, personalized and sincere service throughout their stay.”
The success of Aruga Apartments is further reflected in the property’s performance as an investment. Offering competitive recurring rental yields and hassle-free management, Aruga Apartments makes itself attractive as a viable real estate investment that remains resilient in the current conditions.
“Investors looking to widen their portfolio can be assured that Aruga Apartments by Rockwell would be a hassle-free investment that will provide regular rental yields for the years to come and for investors to experience the joy of staying and celebrating family events for a fraction of the cost when staying elsewhere in the metro,” Ms. Soliven said.
“While it’s always a good time to invest in real estate for capital appreciation, Aruga’s luxury homestay business model is backed by a brand with a reliable track record in property development and management. Experienced property managers and our hotel management arm are working hand in hand in realizing the value of our investors. Despite the challenges, the changes we have made have allowed us to keep our promise of delivering rental yields. We are optimistic that we have the right product in the new normal. During the first half of 2021, net rental yields averaged at 5% of their investment.”
In keeping with Rockwell’s brand of exclusivity and luxury, Aruga Apartments provides over 100 units ranging from studios to two-bedroom accommodations, fully furnished in the Asian Contemporary style, infused with a sophisticated interior design and quality that is crafted to suit the needs of every kind of traveler.
To learn more about Aruga Apartments and its sound investment opportunities, please visit aruga.com.ph/investment.
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Huge cheers rang out in Gloucester city centre as the new Marks & Spencer opened in Eastgate Street yesterday.
The air was thick with anticipation as a large crowd of eager customers gathered to watch the ribbon cut at 10am.
They flocked inside and were greeted by glasses of champagne and orange juice to toast the eagerly awaited occasion.
Among them was Audrey Townsend, of Fullers Court in Westgate Street, who had been queuing since 8.30am.
The 92-year-old has shopped at M&S in Gloucester for 74 years, since she was 18, and was presented with a bouquet of flowers to thank her for her loyalty.
She said: “I’m always made welcome here and everyone is always so helpful and lovely.
“I have hardly ever gone anywhere else and am really looking forward to shopping in the new store.”
Manager Laura Pratt was flanked by almost all of her 120 staff as she cut the ribbon.
The new 35,000 sq ft store brings together the previous two Gloucester branches under one roof.
The company revealed the investment in January 2010 and Laura said: “Thank you all for being so patient and for being such loyal customers.
“I hope you all enjoy the new store.”
Asked how she felt about the opening she said: “I’m overwhelmed.
“People are just desperate to get in there.”
Also among the crowd was Gloucester MP Richard Graham and several city councillors including leader Paul James.
Mayor, councillor David Brown, said: “You’ve heard of the Olympic tingle, well I think we have got the Gloucester tingle here today.
“There is so much support from the people of Gloucester for this.”
A buzz of excitement spread through the two floors as people tripped over themselves to discover the products on offer.
Within minutes the food hall was packed with people snapping up products including fresh bread and pastries from the in-store bakery.
Joan Wilson was one of the first customers through the tills.
The 81-year-old, from Tredworth, bought some fishcakes and sweets. She said: “I’m so excited it’s finally opened as we always shop here.”
Female customers were keen to try out the Style Online service which has samples of brands not available in store and touchscreens to create virtual outfits.
Downstairs, the 80-seater cafe was crammed and people explored the rainbow arrays of ties and socks in menswear as well as the children’s and lingerie departments.
Amy Knight, 31, from Tredworth said: “It’s lush. The layout is a lot better than the other ones.”
Audrey Jefferies, from Stroud, said: “It’s what Gloucester needs.
“It will make a vast difference.”
Moreen Webb, from Stroud, said: “It’s absolutely lovely.”
Gethin Evans, 33, from Hempsted, said: “It brings Gloucester forward and I will shop here more now.”
Ken Smith, 65, from Bishopstone Road, Gloucester, said: “I came down especially for the opening and I’m not disappointed. It’s very nice.”
Liz Brookes, 48, from Longlevens, said: “I’m not sure it will help Gloucester but it’s nice to have everything under one roof.
“I’d love to see a Next in one of the old stores.”
City chiefs are hoping the new store will revive trade in the area which suffered a drop in footfall after Woolworths left the site in 2009.
A spokesman for the Eastgate shopping centre said it was in talks with several companies about taking over the now empty former Southgate Street-fronting M&S unit and an announcement was expected “within weeks”.
There were tears the previous evening when M&S staff said goodbye to the old stores in Southgate Street and Northgate Street.
Shelagh Barnard has worked for M&S in Gloucester for 25 years.
She said: “It was quite emotional.
“We didn’t stop crying yesterday because a lot has happened to us at the other store over the years.
“But it’s lovely to open the new store as everyone has worked so hard on it.”
Pictured: Manager Laura Pratt cuts the ribbon to open the new Marks & Spencer on Eastgate Street, Gloucester.


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Canada’s charitable sector will prove to be pivotal in helping Canadians through these challenging times. But the revenues of charitable organizations have been falling. In a survey of Canadian charitable organizations during the COVID-19 pandemic, Lasby (2020) found that 69 percent of charities had experienced decreased revenues and that, on average, the decline in revenue was 30 percent. For Canadian charities to continue carrying out their important missions in helping to provide those in need with food, clothing, shelter, and emotional support, Canadians are going to have to increase their giving.
There is no doubt that the pandemic has exacted a considerable economic and emotional toll on countless Canadians. As governments have sought to control the spread of the virus through the shuttering of numerous businesses and events, many Canadians have lost their jobs and some businesses have had to permanently close. However, the economic impact of the pandemic has been spread among Canadians unevenly, and there is still potential for many to give to the charitable organizations that are actively working to help Canadians in need during this time. Indeed, some Canadians have been able to successfully transition to working from home without an impact to their incomes, while their discretionary spending in several areas has fallen, freeing up the potential to increase their charitable giving. For those who can, increasing their contributions to charitable organizations could go a long way in helping their fellow Canadians through the hardships that the pandemic has wrought.
This study seeks to assess the potential of many Canadians to increase their charitable giving to help support civil-society organizations in their responses to the pandemic.
The Economic Impact of the Pandemic
The economic impact of the pandemic has been stark. Statistics Canada (2020a; 2020b) has reported that Canada’s GDP fell by 9 percent and the countrywide unemployment rate reached 13 percent in April. By way of comparison, Canada’s GDP fell by a total of only 3 percent across the course of the 2008–09 financial crisis, and the unemployment rate reached only 8.7 percent (CBC News 2010; Statistics Canada 2020b). Moreover, during the 2008–09 financial crisis, employment in Canada’s goods- and services-producing sectors fell by almost 420,000 jobs. In contrast, employment in these same sectors has fallen by over 3 million between February and April 2020 (Statistics Canada 2020c). In this sense, the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is unprecedented for almost all Canadians.
However, the pandemic’s economic impact has not been evenly spread. A disproportionate share of the economic burden has fallen on younger and on lower-income Canadians. The reality of a disparate economic impact is clear in the data on Canada’s labour market in these exceptional times, recently released by Statistics Canada (2020c).
Consider first the disproportionate economic impact of the pandemic by levels of income. Figure 1 displays employment changes between February and April 2020 by various employment characteristics. As can be seen, employment losses have been much greater for those in low-wage work (-38.1 percent change in employment) compared to the whole economy (-17.8 percent change in employment). Those with temporary employment or short job tenure have also been out of work at a greater rate than the labour market as a whole. This finding is not unexpected given the measures that have been taken to restrain the spread of the pandemic. Two of the hardest-hit employment sectors have been 1) accommodation and food services and 2) wholesale and retail trade; these sectors tend to be two of the lowest-paying labour market segments (Statistics Canada 2020c).
Furthermore, the disproportionate economic impact of the pandemic can be seen by examining changes in average wages. From February to April, average wages rose by 7.3 percent. While this would normally seem like positive news, as Statistics Canada (2020c) discusses, most of this increase is largely attributable to declines in employment in lowpaying sectors, having the effect of raising average wages.
Finally, a recent analysis by Lemieux et al. (2020) further demonstrates the disproportionate economic impact of the pandemic between different income groups. The authors calculated both employment losses and those absent from the workplace with substantial reductions in their hours worked by income quartile.1 The results are telling and confirm that most of the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in terms of lost jobs and wages has fallen on lower-income Canadians. Indeed, nearly 80 percent of all job losses were in the bottom two weekly-earnings quartiles. Only a little over four percent of all job losses were in the top quartile. The Lemieux et al. (2020) analysis also found that nearly half of workers who are still employed but absent from work and with a substantial reduction in hours were in the bottom earnings quartile. Again, 80 percent of workers experiencing this situation were found in the bottom two quartiles, while the top earnings quartile was much less effected.
Next, consider the disparity in the pandemic’s economic impact by age group (Figure 3). Here, employment reductions have been much greater for younger workers than for older ones. In total between February and April, employment of those aged 15 to 19 declined by 40.4 percent, and employment for those aged 20 to 24 declined by 31.1 percent. This compares to an employment decline of 12.8 percent for Canadians aged 25 and older.
In addition, Statistics Canada (2020c) found that a quarter of those aged 15 to 24 who remained employed in April lost the majority, if not all, of their usual hours worked. The disproportionate impact on Canada’s younger workers comes from the fact that this group is more likely to hold employment in the harder-hit industries of accommodation and food services or wholesale and retail trade.
Overall, what the above shows is that the economic costs of the pandemic have been disproportionally borne by younger and less-well-off Canadians. On the other hand, it also reveals that many older and higher-income Canadians have experienced a lower economic impact compared to others, owing to the fact that they are still working. Thus, they are the group that has the greatest potential to give to the Canadian charities that are desperately in need.2
The Potential to Increase Charitable Giving
The economic impact of the pandemic has disproportionately fallen on the younger and lower-income Canadians, leaving many others comparatively spared. At the same time, expenditures are falling, and many Canadians are finding that they are saving money (Buckner 2020). Spending on transportation, dining out, and retail have all fallen, as businesses shuttered and many Canadians are no longer commuting to work. Data from RBC regarding changes in credit-card usage suggests that in the heart of the national lockdown between March 24 and April 21, consumer spending was down an average of 26 percent compared to pre-COVID spending levels (Guldimann 2020).
The combination of relative financial stability and lower spending for some Canadians presents an opportunity for those who can to increase their charitable giving. These increased donations could go a long way to helping to stabilize Canadian charities that continue to provide essential support for those in need while also facing the pressure of lower revenues.
However, the call to increase charitable giving from those who can also raises the question of how much these Canadians have been saving during the pandemic. We have produced estimates below that provide insight into this question. We have applied data from RBC, on how consumer spending has declined across certain areas, to the spending estimates from Statistics Canada’s Survey of Household Spending (SHS), which collects detailed information on household expenditures. The analysis is conducted on the highest and second-highest before-tax income quintiles, since these Canadians will have the highest potential to increase their giving. The analysis also reflects savings across two months of spending in order to approximate the savings during the period in which disruption to consumption has been the greatest. The latest available data in the SHS is 2017, and this will serve as the basis for the analysis.3
To begin, Figure 4 displays the average change in consumer spending between March 3 and April 21 compared to pre-COVID levels, based on RBC data from changes in credit-card usage (Guldimann 2020). It is important to note that spending has not declined in every area. Notably, spending on software and data and on groceries have each increased by an average of 20 percent across this period. As expected, there have been large declines in spending on travel, parking and transit, purchases of apparel and accessories, and dining out. The costing of net savings includes both the increases and decreases in spending to present as realistic an analysis as possible.
Table 1 displays the results of the analysis.4 Based on comparing changes in consumer spending from RBC to data from the Survey of Household Spending, households in the highest income quintile have, on average, net-saved almost $1,150 through two months of the pandemic, while households in the second-highest income quintile have saved nearly $700. This should be considered a lower-end estimate, as the RBC’s data for the travel category (-65 percent decline in spending) was not included in the analysis due to the lack of a clear comparator in the SHS data. All told, when these savings are aggregated across the number of households in each income quintile, the total savings over two months for Canada’s highestearning households is over $5.3 billion. If even part of this total were donated to Canadian charitable organizations, it could go a long way to helping those in need.
It should also be recognized that while some households have been experiencing savings from lower levels of consumption, these savings may have been directed to help family or friends in need. In light of this reality, this analysis is not intended to suggest that everyone in the highest two household-income quintiles have been experiencing net savings, or that these savings must be donated to charity. Rather, it provides evidence of the potential scale of some of the savings that may have occurred, and therefore the potential to give.
As the economic costs of the pandemic continue to mount, Canadian civil-society organizations will be necessary to help those in need. As these organizations experience revenue declines, such assistance many prove tougher to provide. The economic toll of the pandemic has been disproportionally borne by younger and lower-income Canadians. At the same time, expenses on commuting, dining out, and other forms of consumption have fallen. This leaves many with the potential to give. For some, this will mean helping family or friends navigate the economic and emotional hardships. But for others, consideration should be given to donating to Canadian charities in need. Organizations that serve the common good form an essential part of Canadian society, especially in times such as these. Ordinary Canadians will play an important role in strengthening and sustaining the necessary work of these charitable organizations.


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Dairy producers to share in $2 billion aid package
Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced that dairy farmers will share in $350 in pandemic assistance payments via the Pandemic Market Volatility Assistance Program. Farmers who received a lower value for their products due to market abnormalities caused by the pandemic will be eligible for assistance.
The assistance is part of a larger $2 billion package including permanent improvements to the Dairy Margin Coverage safety net program.
“The Pandemic Market Volatility Assistance Program is another component of our ongoing effort to get aid to producers who have been left behind and build on our progress towards economic recovery,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “Family dairy farmers have been battered by the pandemic, trade issues and unpredictable weather and are the life-blood of many rural communities throughout Vermont, the Northeast and many other regions. This targeted assistance is the first step in USDA’s comprehensive approach that will total over $2 billion to help the dairy industry recover from the pandemic and be more resilient to future challenges for generations to come.”
Under the Pandemic Market Volatility Assistance Program, payments will reimburse qualified dairy farmers for 80% of the revenue difference per month based on an annual production of up to 5 million pounds of milk marketed and on fluid milk sales from July through December 2020. The payment rate will vary by region based on the actual losses on pooled milk related to price volatility.
USDA will make payments through agreements with independent handlers and cooperatives. Handlers and cooperatives will distribute the monies on the same basis July - December 2020 payments were made to their dairy farmer suppliers and a formula set by USDA.
USDA will contact eligible handlers and cooperatives to notify them of the opportunity to participate in the Program. USDA will distribute payments to participating handlers within 60 days of entering into an agreement.
Once funding is provided, a handler will have 30 days to distribute monies to qualifying dairy farmers. As part of the program, handlers also will provide virtual or in-person education to dairy farmers on a variety of dairy topics available from USDA or other sources. A handler will have until March 1, 2022 to directly provide educational opportunities to dairy farmers.
Additional details about the program are available and will be updated at the AMS Dairy Program website.
Outside the pandemic assistance, USDA will also make improvements to the Dairy Margin Coverage safety net program updating the feed cost formula to better reflect the actual cost dairy farmers pay for high quality alfalfa. This change will be retroactive to January 2020 and is expected to provide additional retroactive payments of about $100 million for 2020 and 2021.
Unlike the pandemic assistance, this change will also be part of the permanent safety net and USDA estimates it will average about $80 million per year or approximately $800 million over ten years for dairy headed into the upcoming Farm Bill.


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While continuing to welcome the investment of transnational companies, China has learned the negative effects of these corporate giants: curbing competition and creating monopolies.
The fair trade bureau under China's State Administration for Industry and Commerce has recently completed an investigation of anti-competition acts of transnational companies in China, which finds some transnational companies are abusing their advantageous positions to curb competition.
A report about the investigation, the first of its kind ever undertaken by the bureau, says transnational companies command obvious advantageous positions in their investment areas in China.
For instance, Microsoft's operating system software and Tetra Pac packaging materials each account for 95 percent shares of the Chinese market. Eastman Kodak, which formerly held a more than 50 percent share of China's roll film market, is expected to further consolidate its market dominance after having taken over 20 percent shares of its sole major Chinese rival Lucky Film Corp.
According to the report, some transnational companies have been using their dominant roles in technology, brand recognition, capital and management to suppress competitors and maximize their profits.
On the eve of the release of WPS97, a set of computer program developed by a Chinese company, a transnational company hurriedly put forward its version of the same kind of product at much lower prices.
In addition, certain transnational companies tend to purchase the exclusive promotion rights of supermarkets in busy seasons, barring these supermarkets from displaying other brands.
Some transnational companies set different prices for the same kind of products for China and their home countries, with the price in China twice as high as that in their home country.
To ensure their dominant roles, some transnational companies often carry out sweeping mergers and acquisitions to put major competitors under their own flags.
"Such actions would undermine the competitive environment of their host countries if transnational companies become domineering forces in this way. If such things happen, an anti-monopoly law has to be invoked to rectify the situation," said an official with the State Administration for Industry and Commerce.
The official said that to curb the anti-competition acts of transnational companies in China, it's imperative to quicken the revision of the existing law against unfair competition and make an anti-monopoly law.
Existing laws lack provisions against certain acts that suppress competition, such as selling tie-in goods, setting unfair prices to subdue competitors and pricing discrimination, said the official with the administration.
Informed sources say the draft of the anti-monopoly law is being considered by the Legislative Affairs Office of the State Council and other relevant departments.


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Amid a soaring rise in overdose deaths, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio introduced a bipartisan bill Wednesday aimed at blocking online sales of illicit drugs, including highly lethal fentanyl.
Called the “Domain Reform for Unlawful Drug Sellers Act,” the bill would freeze and then block websites found to illegally facilitate online drug sales in the United States. Rubio, a Republican, is co-sponsoring the bill with Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn.
“Florida ranks second in the nation for overdose deaths, and far too many families across the country find themselves torn apart by drug addiction,” Rubio said. “We need to crack down on bad actors, including those from China, that target our youth and families with the online sales of counterfeit and illicit drugs like fentanyl.”
Without action, Rubio said, fentanyl will continue to fuel the growing opioid crisis — already largely blamed for many of the nation’s 100,000 overdose deaths during the pandemic. That number, which covered April 2020 to April 2021, was a record increase of 28.5% over the previous year.
In Orange, Osceola and Seminole counties alone, more than 50 people a month die from drug overdoses, a recent report found, the vast majority of them due to fentanyl or fentanyl mixed with other illicit drugs or alcohol.
“We have to stop the flow of these drugs one way or another,” said Andrae Bailey, founder of Orlando-based Project Opioid, a campaign to address the issue. “The opioid crisis has really become a fentanyl crisis. These drugs are pouring in, and not just over the border. They’re coming through the mail from overseas.”
Unlike heroin, which requires the cultivation of opium poppy plants, fentanyl is created in a lab. Much of the U.S. supply of the drug comes from China, where drug dealers sell either the drug itself, structurally equivalent forms or the precursor ingredients, typically online.
“Fentanyl is unlike any other drug problem in modern history. It’s more useful to think of it as a mass poisoning than as a traditional drug epidemic,” noted a 2020 report from the RAND Corporation, a nonpartisan think tank. “Fentanyl is a mail-order product, marketed on the open internet and shipped directly to consumers and dealers, no international drug cartels required. Some of it comes across the border from Mexico, but much of it comes from poorly regulated labs in China. They often guarantee delivery, so sure are they that their small packages will slip by in cargo shipments or standard mail.”
In 2018, the Senate Subcommittee on Investigations determined a simple Google search allowed buyers to connect with suppliers. It was able to identify more than 500 sales, totaling $230,000, involving six online sellers. The greatest number of purchases came from Ohio, Pennsylvania and Florida.
Rubio’s bill builds on the success of a federal Food and Drug Administration pilot program earlier this year in which the agency engaged directly with website registries to place a hold on domain names tied to illicit drug activity.
Essentially, the move freezes the domain name in place so it can’t be updated, transferred or deleted during a weeklong review period. If the domain is then suspended, it would be unavailable to the public.
Tech experts say the move will likely slow the illicit activity — but not stop it altogether.
“This is a huge problem, in part because these are internet sites that are based abroad,” said Carlos Carbonell, founder and CEO of the Orlando-based tech company Echo Interaction Group. “I think the bill is a really good step, but this is big business, so the drug providers will work hard to find another way.”
The legislation includes an appeals process to allow legitimate online pharmacies that are mistakenly identified to demonstrate they’re operating legally.
A 2015 study by researchers at Carnegie Mellon University estimated that revenue from online illicit drug sales was at least $150 million that year. It is widely believed to be considerably larger now.


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Published On: Sep 18, 2011
Mumbai, September 18 (ANI): Budding designers recently showcased their collection along with acclaimed biggies like Manoviraj Khosla at the fashion week in Mumbai. Sixteen fashion designers from India and abroad exhibited their collections at the event. Sixteen fashion designers from India and abroad exhibited their collections at the event. Prominent figure like Ritesh Deshmukh, Miss USA Rima Fakih were present at the news conference and lauded the fashion week. The Signature Fashion week would be held in eight different fashion capitals of the world and it would have eight different showstoppers.


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Chrysler is currently pursuing the clause in the courts administering its bankruptcy protection. The reasoning is that Fiat has put in the time and money into pursuing the partnership that would allow Chrysler to continue operating, and if the courts – or anyone else, for that matter – were to terminate the arrangement, Fiat would deserve compensation. A similar clause worked out well for Fiat after its partnership with General Motors was terminated. The tables now turned, Fiat has certainly come a long way since then.
[Source: The Detroit News | Image: Chris McGrath/Getty]


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| Posted on Thu, February, 20th 2014 by THCFinder
Good news for all dispensary owners! Banks are beginning to relax their standing on accepting money that was used in the marijuana industry. The government recently release a set of rules for the banks to follow regarding this industry and they are going to allow the financial institutions with banking services, just like any other business. With such large amounts of cash being handled, marijuana establishments being barred from banks creates a huge public safety problem, not to mention an inconvenience for customers and patients.
According to the rules that have been set forth, the banks must be labeled as "suspicious" and will be investigated after the bank files a report (Suspicious Activity Reports is what they'll be called). Transactions that are believed to be legal will be reported as "marijuana limited" transactions. For other transactions that the banks believe the be illegal, they will be labeled as "marijuana priority" and will be further investigated by the bank's cannabis industry regulators.
While the new rules aren't going to solve everything, at least the government is taking steps in the right direction. Dispensary owners will be able to store their money in a safe place, as compared to stuffing it in their mattresses to keep it guarded or having to leave it in the safe at the store. Cannabis may still be illegal under federal law but forbidding these large amounts of money from entering bank accounts is only going to promote black market activity and other money related crimes.


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One of Tuscaloosa's oldest and most beloved restaurants gets its due.
Dreamland hopes to open the new location in the spring.
From Nick's in the Sticks to The Waysider, we look at Tuscaloosa's oldest active restaurants.
The winners of the Birmingham Business Alliance's 2015 Small Business Awards were judged by an independent panel. More than 90 companies were qualified as contenders.
The Alabama Retail Association and the University of Alabama at Birmingham Collat School of Business presented awards to 13 retail businesses with operations in 51 Alabama cities and in 30 other states.
Company official says Dreamland is in "the exploratory phase of expanding into Florida."
Four other Alabama barbecue joints made the initial Top 20 list.
Before the show, Letterman asked an audience member: 'Well, what's Birmingham, Alabama, known for?'
Dreamland was mentioned among 'Things Overheard at George Clooney's Wedding.'
See which BBQ joints readers voted as stops on our hunt for Alabama's Best BBQ ribs next week.
Decatur's Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q and Tuscaloosa's Dreamland Bar-B-Que join eight others from across the region.
Bob Byrd of Birmingham wins a Kamado Joe Ceramic Grill for his recipe for grilled chicken.


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Wednesday, May 18, 2016
Brown is the first woman to win the International Door Association’s most prestigious individual award.
Posted on 05/18 at 12:30 PM
Dock Equipment •
The location in Georgetown, Kent., puts Creform in close proximity to its many large customers in the region and provides a pivotal location between its Greer, S.C., headquarters and Novi, Mich., Tech Center.
Posted on 05/18 at 06:52 AM
CeMAT, a world-leading trade fair for intralogistics and supply chain management, is to be co-located with Hannover Messe every two years, starting in 2018.
Tuesday, May 17, 2016
Olea Sensor Networks announced today the formation of a joint venture with Flat Earth of Bozeman, Montana for further development of their OleaVision technology and to enable delivery of the next generation of collision avoidance and people detection technologies for the industrial truck market.
Monday, May 16, 2016
Citing an evolving industry landscape and a history of significant growth, the rebrand enables the Radnor, Pennsylvania-based company to meet the changing demands of its clients, and the highly competitive global indirect materials and asset services market.
Through customer example, this white paper1 will examine how ASRS solutions function within a connected fulfillment process.
To better understand how companies are approaching decisions regarding the evaluation, purchase and installation of automated material handling systems for distribution centers (DCs), viastore systems, Inc., along with Modern Materials Handling magazine conducted a second annual study among top material handling managers.
Dorner Holding Corp., the parent company of Dorner Mfg. Corp., has announced the acquisition of Jülich, Germany-based Geppert-Band, a leading European manufacturer of belt and modular belt conveyors.
Friday, May 13, 2016
Coming off of a very sluggish first quarter, retail sales in the month of April showed somewhat of a bounce back in tandem with signs of spring, according to data issued today by the United States Department of Commerce and the National Retail Federation.
Thursday, May 12, 2016
Awards conferred for integrator members, partner members, rising stars and lifetime achievement.


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Microsoft announced today that it would be shutting down production on "Fable Legends" and is in the process of closing Lionhead Studios.
Some of the hardest decisions in gaming are taken in this list. You have been warned.
Running through Acre and driving through Algonquin.
The release of the Xbox One is just on the horizon and Microsoft Stores across the country are getting ready to welcome it with a bang. Six cities will host a Killer Instinct Ultra Fighter Gaming Tournament ...
It is going to be a white (and green and pink and blue and yellow) Christmas as Apple gears up for a holiday season that puts a lot of their products underneath the tree. In fact, new research released today...
As forgettable as the name suggests.
When you're high you never, ever wanna come down.
A new downloadable game to be livestreamed each week


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As the nation battles the coronavirus pandemic there’s never been a more important time for communities to come together and support each other. Many small food businesses have moved their trade online during the lockdown. The quest for quality, fresh produce ends here. Farm shops across the UK are launching home food delivery services to keep the nation fed during the coronavirus pandemic. It’s time for you to switch to organically-produced fruits and vegetables delivered to your doorstep.
From Field to Doorstep
Despite their stretched sizes, supermarkets do restrict variety. Big chains buy and promote foods that suit their purposes. They select goods they can obtain in bulk quantities, especially produce that packs easily, travels well and doesn’t spoil.
But if you’re a farm retailer, you already know this. You’re just waiting for the rest of us to wake up and smell the roses. Or rather, to smell the pungent, earthy smell of strange-looking root vegetables.
Well, COVID may have resulted in one good thing for local farmers in the UK. Restricted imports combined with stay-at-home orders are changing how we eat and shop. We investigate what this means for the small, local retailer and how you can take advantage of the trends.
Supermarkets’ plight means delight to farmer stores
Stockpiling at the outbreak of the COVID pandemic left supermarket shelves bare. It wasn’t long before consumers knocked on the doors of smaller, local producers.
Compared to pre-COVID times, we are six times more likely to search for “veg boxes” online. Moreover, we are three times as likely to buy from local independent bakeries, butchers and grocers.
When restaurants and pubs were shut down, many farmers were left with unclaimed perishable stock. Online trading marketplaces, like ITradenetwork, stepped up to link producers to consumers. By using their online platform, they helped farm shops access stock to service the new demand. Currently, the UK farm shop turnover exceeds £1.5 billion.
Farm retail is more expensive
In 2012, only a fifth of UK shoppers used farm stores. They listed the support of the local economy as a reason for doing so. Additional reasons were food quality, food miles, and specific or seasonal foods.
Just like in many first world countries, unhealthy foods are significantly cheaper in the UK than healthy ones. Balancing fair wages for farming communities with affordability is challenging. This means that veg boxes have always been an expensive alternative to supermarket shopping.
The latest research indicates that 78% of Britons wish to support local producers, but only 38% are willing and able to do so. And this despite public trust in British farmers rising to 66% in the wake of COVID and Brexit.
Farm retailers should change business models
Jan Willem van der Schans, of Wageningen, Netherlands proposed some suggestions on why farms need to embrace newer business models. His proposal acknowledges that the established model of weekly delivered veg boxes won’t suffice post-pandemic. In his opinion, few consumers will tolerate the inconvenience of a weekly shop.
Besides that, the “last mile delivery” is often a substantial cost driver. Successful fresh produce delivery is time-sensitive. Costs on the other hand are impacted by parking and vehicle costs. Van der Schans also points out the packaging of veg boxes is often excessively wasteful.
The Farm Retailers Association is focussed on assisting their members to avoid the aforementioned negative consequences. They provide free online retail platforms with payments terminals and next-day access to cash. Their assistance is geared towards click-to-collect and call-to-collect capacity. Where consumers collect from the stores or local collection points, it addresses many problems.
Why the Government must come to the party
Finally, farm retailers are typically too small to qualify for subsidies. This is why the government must be pressured to come to the party. Van der Schans argues “food production should be part of the discussion on public health and not just agricultural policy”. Have we not just experienced how relying on cheap imported food to fight poverty is not a sustainable solution?