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Is the Wii U a true “next generation” console? According to Capcom, it’s not:
…although Nintendo will release the new game console Wii U and the market will be continue to be invigorated by the increase of DLC, time is required before the next generation console cycle begins in earnest.
They must still be stuck in the mindset of raw power being the only determining factor. Pity.


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By Geoffrey Smith
Investing.com -- Unilever (AS: ULVR ) stock rose 7.48% at the open on Tuesday after the consumer giant said it had appointed US-based activist investor Nelson Peltz as a non-executive director.
The move represents a big concession to outside shareholders who have long pressed for more outside influence on its strategy after suffering years of relative underperformance.
Pressure on the board increased earlier this year after it bid what was seen to be an unrealistically high sum of 50 billion pounds ($63 billion) for the healthcare arm of GlaxoSmithKline (LON: GSK ).
Unilever stock has been on a downward trend since July last year, and the stock sold off heavily after the company warned that inflation would compress its profit margins this year.
Peltz’s Trian fund holds a stake of around 1.5% in the British-based consumer staples company, making it the group’s fourth-largest shareholder. Peltz has a long history of trying to squeeze value out of the consumer staples sector, having previously held board seats at Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG ) as well as food companies Heinz (NASDAQ: KHC ), and Mondelez (NASDAQ: MDLZ ).
"We have held extensive and constructive discussions with him and the Trian team and believe that Nelson's experience in the global consumer goods industry will be of value to Unilever," the company’s chairman Nils Andersen said in a statement.
Peltz will join the board as of July 20, Unilever said.
Unilever was the best-performing stock in the FTSE 100 as of 3:10 AM ET (0710 GMT).
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Latest spirits brand news
In honour of today’s British visitors, the Union Jack is draped alongside the bandiera d’Italia at Luxardo’s distillery near Padua. But both are motionless given the lack of breeze.
Brown-Forman shareholders celebrated yesterday the success of its 2014 financial results which it said was “one of the company’s most successful years in its 144- year history.”
The Famous Grouse, the official whisky provider to the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games, is expecting a rise in footfall to The Famous Grouse Experience visitor centre over the next 17 days as the games kickoff today in Scotland.
Diageo, for the second time this year, has had a Captain Morgan advert banned by the Advetising Standards Authority (ASA) for a Facebook adve which stated that alcohol could combat boredom.


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HThe Brussels Motor Show will not take place next year. And whether the stock market will ever come back is an open question.
The fact that the Brussels Motor Show could open its doors at the beginning of this year was already a victory. Many international car shows died during the corona epidemic. Their existence was already under pressure – because new marketing trends dictate that brands do not want to share the attention of their new products with competitors. Brussels Motor Show had to go back. It was about half the size, but not half the price. Of course there are no motorcycles, only a few brand cars that were there… but it was there. There were even victories – the fact that the winner of the prestigious Brussels Car of the Year election was announced, for example. A real celebratory version was made: the 100th Brussels motor show – actually a lie because it was only the 99th.
The 2023 Brussels Motor Show was so successful that…
“is a D’Ieteren importer that kills the organization“
However, the guest did not have to complain only about the price or the reduced dimensions. For the individual, it was often a meditation salon. Cars have suddenly become very expensive. Last year there was only a 25 percent increase in prices in one year. The result: only the commercial vehicle market with its enhanced models and tax-reduced purchase or lease is thriving. Car brands changed the cars shown for this. Many visitors remained hungry. The mainstream media wrote it all up under the guise of elaborately sponsored propaganda. The salon proved to be a huge success and a new version for 2024 was certain.
The January 2024 exhibition, which had already been announced with celebration and would have been the hundredth edition, has now died before it could well and truly begin. The reason: organizer Febiac cannot convince enough brands to participate. No names are officially mentioned, but it is the importer D’Ieteren who kills the organization. It distributes, among others, Volkswagen, Skoda, Audi, Seat, Bentley, Porsche, Rimac, Bugatti, Cupra and Microlino in our country. ‘No’ from D’Ieteren directly means that the organizer cannot achieve his goal of showing at least two thirds of the brands available on the market. So end of story. “That could undermine the quality of justice,” it appears in the official response.
However, there were very few importers who were interested in the new version. Stellantis (Opel, Peugeot, Citroën, DS, Alfa-Romeo, Fiat, Jeep), Astara (Suzuki, Hyundai, Isuzu…) and Renault (Renault, Alpine, Dacia), among others, preferred. Or how the big levels of brands in the automotive sector also turn such a show into a power play… A large number of brands doubt whether the Brussels Motor Show will ever return. Reasonable suspicion, if you see the fate of other car shows. These are also different times: expensive cars, electricity supply, covid and chip shortages…
January is car month
So there is no Brussels Motor Show, but January will be car month. Car brands will look for alternatives. After all, most car brands donate a third of their annual sales to individuals in and around the show season. So car brands will use January as car month – although of course it’s still too early to have firm plans for this. Or at least: BMW has already organized its ‘car salon’ at its headquarters in Bornem during the corona crisis and is now considering doing so again.


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The UK based digital publishing support company, YUDU, today introduced a new lower cost way for publishers to launch their magazine apps into Apple's Newsstand. Called Easi-App, YUDU says that a publisher launching a 72-page magazine would expect to pay about £350 per edition.
Any app using the new pricing model would be purely a replica edition, of course, as YUDU says on its website that adding in photo galleries, multimedia or any cross-platform capabilities would require an upgrade.
The good news is that there is no revenue share requirement with Easi-App, so publishers get to keep whatever sales they generate for themselves.
Below is the promotional video for the new YUDU Easi-App:


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HTC’s One M8 is now available on the UK high street in a new colourway after Carphone Warehouse became the first retailer to start selling it in pink with a couple of web exclusive deals keeping the device cost at a minimum.
Related: HTC One M8 review
Shoppers can lay their hands on the top of the range handset at a cost of just £26.50 per month with nothing to pay up front and HTC will hope that the new option allows it to add a new clientele to its growing customer base.
The no initial outlay, £26.50 per month tariff is a web exclusive 24-month contract on Vodafone and gives customers 600 UK minutes to any network, unlimited UK texts and 1GB of 4G data.
O2’s lowest 24-month tariff comes in at £28 per month and includes unlimited minutes and texts, 1GB of 4G data, with an upfront cost of £99.99 for the phone that can be offset by an extra £100 off when an old handset is traded in.
The cheapest deal on offer on EE, meanwhile, also involves trading in an old phone and offers unlimited minutes and texts as well as 2GB of 4G data for £35.99 per month for two years with no initial outlay.
HTC first released the One M8 in March and it has a 5in display with 1,920 x 1,080 pixel resolution, Qualcomm Snapdragon 2.3GHz quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM and 16GB of onboard storage.
There is also a 4-megapixel front snapper geared towards selfies as well as a 5-megapixel lens on the back and it comes in gold, silver and grey colourways in addition to pink.
Carphone Warehouse opened up pre-orders for the pink device late last month and there are no indications so far as to how popular the new incarnation has been with shoppers.


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Silicon Dragon Shanghai 2016, Sept. 22: A Turning Point – China Venture and Innovation Goes Mainstream
Silicon Dragon presents its annual LA event, July 27 at the Pasadena Convention Center. This year’s theme is Hollywood Meets China Meet Tech.
Silicon Dragon 2017 – Calendar of Flagship Events & Salons
Silicon Dragon’s annual NYC forum explored the growing connections between the U.S., China and Israel for venture investment, technology innovation and deals. Plus, Silicon Dragon launched its pitch contest.
Silicon Dragon Pitch Competition Launches. Entrepreneurs Pitch in New York June 23 To Win Prizes To Start Up In Beijing. Applications due June 17, 2016.
Venture capitalists Jenny Lee, Melissa Guzy and Anna Fang discuss their view of the global startup and funding scene. Join us June 2 eve in Hong Kong.


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Prices and trading volume for the Ethereum NFT collection Moonbirds experienced a significant surge on Friday following the announcement of Yuga Labs’ acquisition of the collection’s intellectual property alongside creator Proof.
However, there were also considerable spikes in sales activity in the days leading up to the revalation, which has sparked speculation of potential insider trading.
Moonbirds NFT Trading Volume Spiked Before Yuga Deal
Data from blockchain analytics platform CryptoSlam reveals that daily sales volume for Moonbirds NFTs remained below the $100,000 mark for each day throughout this month until February 13, with only one exception on February 4, totaling approximately $141,000.
On February 14, daily sales volume skyrocketed fivefold to about $460,000, accompanied by almost four times the number of transactions seen previously.
The elevated sales volume persisted on February 15, amounting to roughly $333,000.
Following the afternoon announcement on February 16, sales surged even further, with the current daily tally at approximately $3.1 million and rising.
A closer look at the project’s price floor, which represents the lowest listed asset price in the collection, reveals a similar pattern of spikes in the days leading up to the Friday announcement.
On Monday afternoon, the price stood at around $2,680 worth of ETH according to data from NFT Price Floor.
It began climbing on Wednesday, reaching $5,000 before experiencing a slight decline.
However, on Friday, after the announcement, it briefly peaked at over $6,000 worth of ETH before settling at approximately $5,170 at the time of writing.
While it is not surprising for asset prices to rise following a deal announcement, the surge prior to the announcement raises suspicions of potential insider trading.
Influencers, developers, and community members took to Crypto Twitter on Friday to highlight this possibility.
Pseudonymous blockchain developer cygaar tweeted a sales/price chart for the week, showing the unexplained spike on Wednesday.
“Moonbirds chart before the Yuga acquisition tweet. Nope, definitely no insider trading here,” he sarcastically said.
Moonbirds chart before the Yuga acquisition tweet.
Nope, definitely no insider trading here. pic.twitter.com/UqV0DeXUr8
— cygaar (@0xCygaar) February 16, 2024
Another well-known pseudonymous crypto trader and influencer, Cirrus, jokingly referred to a wallet that had purchased over 150 NFTs from the Proof ecosystem in the past few days as “Nancy Pelosi’s wallet,” alluding to accusations of the U.S. Representative and former Speaker of the House trading stocks based on insider knowledge.
Cirrus also mentioned being in profit after the Yuga news.
Found Nancy Pelosis NFT wallet
80 Moonbirds, 71 Moonbird Mythics, 28 Oddities, and 13 Mythic eggs bought in the last 7 days
Sitting on a couple hundred thousand in profit after the Yuga news pic.twitter.com/VqImNT77tA
— Cirrus (@CirrusNFT) February 16, 2024
Last year, Nathaniel Chastain, former Head of Product at OpenSea was arrested and charged with wire fraud and money laundering in connection with insider trading in NFTs.
At the time, prosecutors in New York’s Southern District accused the 31-year-old of “using confidential information about what NFTs were going to be featured on OpenSea’s homepage for his personal financial gain.”
Chastain earned over $50,000 by trading at least 45 NFTs he knew would be featured on OpenSea’s homepage.
He was then sentenced to three months in prison for profiting tens of thousands of dollars through insider trading.
The post Insider Trading in the NFT Market? Moonbirds’ Unusual Sales Activity Before Yuga Deal appeared first on Cryptonews.


text: HARD TIMES Mall owners reluctant to drop rents, enter into revenue-sharing pacts ASMITA DEY New Delhi June 8 UNRELENTING LANDLORDS MAY force many more retailers to shut shop just as has happened with Full Circle bookshop and Cafe Turtle in New Delhi's tony Khan Market. Feware willing to drop rentals, though some mall owners have eased the load for retailers by allowing them to stretch payments over a longer period. Others have waived the rent forthe period of the lockdown but are unwilling to get into revenue-sharing agreements. Retailers have been hoping to invoke force majeure clauses that would exempt them from paying rentals during the lockdown period but some legal experts have opined the clause may not apply there is no "permanentdamagetothe Store Or goods in the store nor is there any permanent restriction of physical access to the store." Sanjiv Mehra, president, Khan Market Traders' Association said the lease agreements of Some stores had expired and new agreements could not be worked out. "We have said landlords should grant tenants whatever discount they can afford. Owners too have financial commitments, Mehra said. Continued on Page 2 Mall owners reluctant to drop rents, enter into revenue-sharing pacts NAJEEB KUNIL, CEO at Pioneer Property Zone Services that manages malls across the countryincluding the Vega City Mall in Bengaluru and The Marina Mall in Chennai, said the company was not waiving rents for thelockdown period and "there isnoquestion of arevenuesharingmodelwhenbankersare sitting on the otherside". Instead,the firm hasworked out a moratorium like in the banking sector retailers can make smaller payments each month but must clear their dues by March 2021."We have projected sales for three quarters based on the last three years' sales. Although the first couple of months are expected to be slow, business should be close to pre-Covid levels once the festive season commences,' Kunil told FE. Kunil said even if the firm makes 60-70% of the business it made last year, it would suffice as the company can dip into its reserves from the previous year to sustain. Muhammad Ali, COO, retail division at Prestige Group that operates nine malls across the country,said although the firm was among the first to offer totalrentalwaiverforthe period of lockdown, no decision has been reached on agreeing toa revenue sharing model. "Retailers are going by the presumption that there will be a compression in consumption. We believe this is a premature and pessimistic outlook, Ali said. Rather, mall operators and retailers need to work towards improving customersentiment and only after a thorough evaluation should commercial arrangements be reached. Manoj K Agarwal, CEO at Mumbai-based Viviana Mall, said rents would be negotiated closer to the date of reopening of mallsin Maharashtra,adding the individual agreements and track record would be the basis for negotiations. "We need a partnership-based approach where both the parties can be reasonable and factor in the other's concerns and financial conditions. Developers too have fixed and variable costs, Agarwal said. According to analysts at ICICI Securities, although retailers have cited force majeure clauses which would exempt them from paying rentals during the lockdown period, interactions with legal experts indicate the clause may not apply in this case as there is no "permanent damage to the store or goods in the store nor is there any permanent restriction of physical access to the store".


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Warner Bros.’ fighting game MultiVersus is making a comeback later this year on May 28th after being temporarily taken down following an extensive open beta last year. The relaunch comes with some exciting updates, including a new game engine – the Unreal Engine 5. This means players can expect enhanced graphics and smoother gameplay overall. Additionally, MultiVersus will now feature improved netcode, ensuring better online connections for players around the world.
In a recent announcement video, MultiVersus game director Tony Huynh expressed gratitude for the feedback received during the open beta phase. “The team has heard your feedback, and we’ve learned a lot from our open beta,” stated Huynh. With player input in mind, the developers are dedicated to delivering a gaming experience that not only impresses but also contributes positively to the genre.
One of the highlights of the relaunched MultiVersus is the introduction of a brand new PvE mode, set to be available at launch in May. This mode will come with its own set of in-game rewards, although specific details have not been disclosed by Huynh and Warner Bros. just yet. This new mode could potentially be reminiscent of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate’s popular World of Light single-player mode, offering players a new way to experience the game beyond traditional PvP battles.
MultiVersus’ return to PC and consoles this year marks a significant moment for fans who have been eagerly awaiting its comeback. The game was originally listed as an ‘open beta,’ which led to some confusion among players as the beta continued for an extended period before being taken offline in April 2023. Despite its initial launch status, MultiVersus managed to capture the attention of the gaming community, prompting high expectations for its relaunch.
MultiVersus is gearing up for a highly-anticipated return with significant improvements and new features. With a revamped game engine, enhanced netcode, and the addition of a PvE mode, players can look forward to an even more engaging and immersive gaming experience when MultiVersus relaunches on May 28th. Stay tuned for more updates and announcements as the launch date approaches.


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Koru Distribution is a Canada-based eco-friendly product distributor that makes green products more affordable and accessible to Canadian buyers and businesses. We interviewed the company’s president and co-founder, Corey Berman, about the early highlights and successes experienced just one month after launching Koru’s marketplace on Nautical Commerce.
When Koru Distribution launched in 2009, the company owned all of its inventory. Like most distributors running under a traditional distribution business model, much of Koru’s capital was locked up in product, and the company depended on inventory turnover.
Holding inventory comes with inherent risks that distributors must contend with. Koru was no exception to this rule. For every five products that Koru would bring on, one wouldn’t work out — and the revenue lost from dead stock could be significant enough to wipe away a year’s worth of profit. The company found itself in a battle between mitigating excess inventory costs and the desire to expand via new brand partnerships.
The marketplace model presented an escape from this inventory-risk-vs-product-growth holding pattern. But, with the limited technology of the day — Excel files, PDFs, and, eventually, an ecommerce site — the available functionality wasn’t enough to free Koru from the burden of inventory risk.
Koru launched its marketplace on Nautical’s multi-vendor marketplace platform in September 2023. Transitioning to Nautical enabled the company to adopt a consignment marketplace model. By doing so, it has taken the onus off of Koru staff to manage all their vendors manually, instead empowering their vendors to manage their own product information and orders through Koru’s platform. This means the company will expand offerings while holding significantly less inventory and, in turn, less risk.
Here are some early benefits Koru has experienced from launching a marketplace on Nautical’s platform.
A mere one month into its marketplace journey, Koru has already unlocked capital and drastically reduced the inventory risks it faced under a traditional distribution model. Since Koru now operates as a consignment marketplace on Nautical, it can hold significantly less inventory. Once relieved from all dead stock risks, Koru will be able to focus on new monetization levers and growth initiatives, like online advertising, adding sellers, and expanding its assortment.
As a marketplace, Koru is no longer responsible for managing sellers and their inventory. Nautical’s real-time reporting gives Koru’s sellers the autonomy to build their business on the platform. Koru’s sellers can access an analytics dashboard that shows critical KPIs like throughput, best sellers, and inventory allocation. This is a vast improvement from pre-transformation, where Koru relied on staff to provide sellers with sales reports and metrics.
Koru has established itself as the go-to eco-friendly products distributor in Canada, and becoming a marketplace on Nautical has cemented its stronghold. Koru’s primary source of new sellers comes from retail customers who refer suppliers back to Koru as the de facto place to sell products. Nautical has made it possible for Koru to be the one-stop-shop eco-friendly brands and retailers look to because, by eliminating inventory risk, Koru can accept inbound business without hesitation.
Nautical’s platform automates marketplace operations, allowing Koru to significantly decrease the labor hours required to manage individual sellers. Before the move to Nautical, Koru’s staff was bogged down by data management and seller requests, like making price changes. Nautical has freed Koru’s staff from these administrative burdens and enabled the company to become far nimbler by automating menial tasks.
Corey’s takeaway from turning Koru into a marketplace is this: Think of your business as a marketplace, not a distribution business. Corey believes the traditional model of distribution is out of date. Marketplaces are coming and present a much more efficient way of doing business.
Koru has shown how the marketplace model enables distributors to run lean: Little-to-no sales team, organic customer acquisition, no overhead, and the ability to change course on a dime. Koru’s story exemplifies how running asset-light is a superpower: When distributors get rid of inventory risk, they also get rid of cash flow risk. The result is a strong, resilient distribution business that can scale infinitely.


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Ready For the rush?
Published 7:33 pm Tuesday, February 2, 2010
When the top two teams in the NFL meet in Miami on Sunday, it is likely to make for the most-watched night of television of the year in America. And with all those fans tuned to the big game during dinner, it’s easy to understand why Super Bowl food is almost as important to many fans as the game itself.
In full knowledge that no Super Bowl party can reach its full potential on an empty stomach, grocery stores and restaurants all over America are stocking up for a busy Super Bowl Sunday.
For many pizza places, Super Bowl Sunday is their busiest time of year. The date rivals the Fourth of July for many grocery stores.
“Super Bowl Sunday is probably one of the busiest days of the year for us,” said Lisa O’Connor, manager of Sal’s Pizzeria by Maurizio on Main Street.
Last year, Sal’s Pizzeria sold at least 1,000 wings, according to O’Connor.
“We do them hot, mild, BBQ and in Sal’s special sauce — a garlic,” she said. “But, being a pizza place we still sell a lot of our monster 24-inch — that’s two feet — pizza.”
Other pizza shops in Suffolk — including Domino’s and Papa John’s — are gearing up for a busy day, as well.
“Fridays and Saturdays are our busiest days, but we get phone calls every second of every minute on Super Bowl Sunday,” said Britney Miller, assistant manager at Domino’s. “We’re so busy, it’s mandatory for everybody — inside workers, managers and drivers — in the store to work on Sunday.”
Grocery stores are already preparing for the rush.
A chips, dip and drink display will be set up in the front of Farm Fresh, and their peanut stand is already in place. Baskets of beer and peanut combinations are already made and fresh football-shaped breads will baked for the big day.
“We have a ton of specials coming out on Wednesday,” said David Connor, Farm Fresh store director. “We’ll have subs, team balloons, beer, cakes, pizzas and platters — wings, cheese and ham biscuit trays.”
Harris Teeter also will have an assortment of trays people should order 24 hours in advance.
“If our shoppers do not have time to make their own party meal for their Sunday festivities, they should consider placing a party platter order,” said Catherine Reuhl, Harris Teeter communication specialist. “Customers can choose from Fresh Foods Market party platters including The Entertainer and The Cheese Sampler; The Hero Collection and The Six Footer; Deviled Delights and Chicken Fingers. Our Fisherman’s Market also has a great selection of platters like the Seafood Sampler, and if they want something a bit lighter, the Farmers Market Vegetable Dip Tray is great, as well.”


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I'm probably missing something in the long saga of the Airbus-Boeing WTO complaints, but today the BBC reported that:
The US has been given the go-ahead to impose tariffs on $7.5bn (£6.1bn) of goods it imports from the EU.
It is the latest chapter in a 15-year battle between the US and the EU over illegal subsidies for planemakers Airbus and rival Boeing.
The ruling by the World Trade Organization (WTO) could mean tariffs on EU goods ranging from aircraft parts to cheese and salmon fillets.
Brussels has threatened to retaliate similarly against US products.
The US first filed the case against Airbus in 2004, arguing that cheap European loans for Airbus amounted to illegal state subsidies.
The WTO decided in favour of the US, which subsequently complained that the EU and certain member countries were not in compliance with the decision, prompting years of further wrangling.
While the US had wanted to impose tariffs on $11bn worth of EU imports in retaliation for the aid to Airbus, the WTO cut that figure to $7.5bn - still the largest penalty of its kind in WTO history.
The WTO's dispute settlement body must formally adopt the ruling but is not expected to overturn the decision.
Since the EU usually abides by WTO decisions, how come they are still threatening to retaliate over those WTO-blessed tariffs? Or maybe I'm misreading the timeline here and they only threatened to retaliate if the US raised tariffs before this final WTO decision?
Actually the story then says
"But if the US decides to impose WTO authorised countermeasures, it will be pushing the EU into a situation where we will have no other option than do the same," the European Commission said.
This suggest that in the Boeing WTO decision, the WTO allowed the EU to impose its own retaliatory tariffs. Is that the gist of the story here? Is the EU hoping to "cancel out" WTO-authorised retaliatory tariffs on both sides?


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By Eric on 2006-04-28
Ray Fongs got pulled! I’m sure a bunch of Asian groups will be happy. The only thing that could have helped is if we got to release the shoe. Oh well. Sayonara to the Fongs.
Adidas pulls back sneaker with caricature
Controversy – The company reconsiders and stops sales of the shoe Asian American groups found offensive
Friday, April 28, 2006
Adidas Group has reversed itself and agreed to immediately halt sales of a limited-edition sneaker that features a caricature some Asian American groups found offensive.
The Y1-Huf sneaker, designed by Barry McGee, a San Francisco graffiti artist, featured an Asian face with slanted eyes, buck teeth and a bowl haircut. The caricature is a design that McGee, who is half Asian, has used before and was meant as a representation of himself, he said in a statement released by Adidas.
The stereotypical image angered some who saw its use, divorced from the artist’s context, as offensive. Adidas initially refused to stop sales of the $250 sneaker, defending the artist’s work.
But after hearing complaints from several groups since the shoe went on sale April 1, the company changed its mind and said on Thursday that it will pull any remaining pairs, said Abby Guyer, a spokeswoman with Portland-based Adidas America, the North American headquarters for the German company.
“We’re an inclusive brand and we felt like we needed to respond to that,” she said. “We continue to stand by Barry’s vision and by his creativity and by his partnership with Huf (a retailer) in San Francisco.”
Most of the 1,000 sneakers that were for sale have probably been bought, she said. The company is assessing how many remain with the 12 retailers around the world selling the shoe.
She said Adidas’ “apology is for the offense that was caused and for the unfortunate misinterpretation of our intentions but we can’t apologize for the artwork that was created by an artist.”
Portland-area groups representing Korean Americans, Japanese Americans, and Chinese Americans were preparing to send a joint letter to complain about the sneaker. But the news that Adidas would no longer sell the shoe satisfied their concerns, said Stephen Ying, president of the Chinese American Citizens Alliance in Portland.
Angie Chuang of The Oregonian contributed to this report.
Helen Jung: 503-294-7621; email@example.com; www.oregonlive.com/weblogs/playbooksandprofits


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Last week, Facebook announced that their free tool, Facebook Analytics, will be retired as of June 30, 2021. The social media giant quietly published the news via their Facebook for Business help center.
Users will now have to export charts and tables before June 30 if they wish to access reports and insights through the tool. Navigating to analytics.facebook.com now redirects users to the announcement, which reads:
“Facebook Analytics will no longer be available after June 30, 2021. Until then, you will still be able to access reports, export charts and tables, and explore insights. To export data into a CSV file from Facebook Analytics on your desktop, click the arrow in the top-right corner of each chart or table.”
As of now, the company doesn’t offer a reason for its decision to discontinue Facebook Analytics.
If you’re like me, you might be wondering what this might mean and what your alternatives might be. But before we get into that, let’s discuss what Facebook Analytics is and what it does.
What’s Facebook Analytics?
Facebook Analytics is a tool that tracks “likes,” page views, and monitors the interaction of the audience with a business page on Facebook. The tool aimed to help businesses take a structured approach tying a company’s social media efforts with its business goals.
For businesses and marketers, the tool would let you know how your ads were doing and provide information that could help you target the ads better in the future.
Why is Facebook Analytics going away?
While the news could seem alarming to marketers and businesses, some users speculate that Facebook Analytics was not as useful as many other analytics tools.
In contrast, others point out the company’s announcement of Facebook Business Suite last year and its intention for the tool to be available to businesses of all sizes in 2021. Believing that Facebook is trying to push its Business Suite, Ads Manager, and Events Manager as alternatives for analytics, this has received a rather mixed response from users.
What we know at this point is that Business Suite is not available to businesses of all sizes. Perhaps an update to Facebook Business Suite will be available before June 30.
What are the alternatives?
While Facebook does not offer insight on the discontinuation, it does point users to the following business tools to use after Analytics is removed:
»Facebook Business Suite: Allows users to manage their Facebook and Instagram business accounts. Business Suite offers detailed insights about a business’s audience, content, and trends (but is not available to everyone)
»Ads Manager: Lets businesses view, make changes, and see results for Facebook campaigns and ads.
» Events Manager: Can help users set up and manage Facebook business tools like the Facebook pixel and Conversions API (Application Programming Interface). Also reports on actions taken on a business’s website, app, and physical store.
These business tools are not exact 1:1 alternatives. The challenge will be for businesses and marketers to adapt using a combination of the above tools to accomplish the same tasks they’re used to getting done in Facebook Analytics. Or, begin the search for and implementation of “all-in-one” third-party reporting tools.
Not sure which is the best way to move forward? Feel free to contact us, and we would be happy to set up a consultation and discuss a digital strategy that is right for you.
And remember, if you’re a business or marketer using Facebook Analytics, it might be in your best interest to export charts and tables before June 30 to access reports and insights.
Posted In Digital Strategy & Social Media


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Waterloo pulls plug on local Macaroni Grill restaurants
(Page 2 of 3)
The local closures affect its Pioneer Place store in downtown Portland and restaurants at Clackamas Town Center, Bridgeport Village and Hillsboro.
Bob Buchanan, general manager for Pioneer Place, said the Macaroni Grill space is more than 7,000 square feet and has all the infrastructure to handle a restaurant or other user. He expects to fill it quickly.
Buchanan called it an opportunity to bring in a new and unique operator.
Privately, restaurant industry watchers say the four Portland Macaroni Grills occupy first rate real estate, but could be challenging to lease. Most are in mall settings where landlords agree not to lease space to direct competitors.
Pioneer Place, for instance, recently inked a deal with Yardhouse, a beer-oriented restaurant operator. That would seem to preclude it from turning the Macaroni space over to another brew-oriented business.
The Bridgeport Village site, however, is tentatively slated to reopen in a few months as Twigs, a Spokane, Wash.-based concept with an extensive martini menu and bistro fare, said Fred Bruning, president of the center's owner, CenterCal Properties. Bruning said exclusivity agreements with tenants such as PF Chang's China Bistro and California Pizza Kitchen precluded it from leasing its Macaroni Grill space to an Asian food outlet or pizza restaurant.
Bruning lamented the loss of Macaroni Grill, but likened the retail industry to a subduction zone — operators are always going under and new ones are always coming on to replace them.
Waterloo appears to be a victim of timing rather than operational issues. It held the right to develop the Romano’s Macaroni Grill concept in Oregon, Washington, Northern California and parts of Idaho. It is the lone franchisee of Mac Acquisition LLC, a Dallas-based holding company of Romano’s Macaroni Grill Inc.
Wendy Culverwell covers sustainable business, manufacturing and law.
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An increase in fake reviews and false information, as well as flouting of consumer protection laws, are all possible results of the AI boom.
Increasing demand for ethical beauty products in Kenyan market
By our News Team | 2023
Global chain The Body Shop opens first local store in the wake of changing consumer preferences for sustainably produced beauty products.
Growing demand among Kenyan consumers for ethically and sustainably produced beauty products has led to the international chain, The Body Shop, launching its first in-country outlet in Nairobi.
The soft launch of the store at the Village Market sees the global chain’s local operations being handled through an exclusive franchise agreement with The Mask Retailers.
Photo credit: The Body Shop, via Facebook
There will also be an e-commerce option, with an online platform scheduled to be launched later this year to service consumers in East Africa with products from The Body Shop.
“Kenya is a fast-developing economy which is well positioned to attract global brands aiming to strategically have a share of this market,” said Sarah Jackson, The Body Shop’s Franchise Business Director for EMEA and Latin America.
“The Kenyan consumer deeply cares about how ethically and socially conscious a business is across its entire value chain, and also value for their money. The Body Shop is bringing the consumer over 800 products that meet their need for high-quality, naturally-inspired skincare, hair care and make-up, produced ethically and sustainably.”
Store is designed to minimise its environmental footprint
According to Jackson, the Nairobi store has been designed around the brand’s strategy to minimise its environmental footprint. It is built with reclaimed wood and recycled plastics destined for landfill.
The facade is made from zinc/aluminium-low energy metal that is infinitely recyclable and the worktops are 100% recycled wood. Customers can also purchase a refillable 300ml aluminium bottle to store The Body Shop products such as shower gels, shampoos, conditioners and hand washes.
You can watch a KBC TV news report on the Nairobi store opening here.
The brand already has an interesting connection with Kenya. In 2020, it began sourcing tea tree oil from the foothills of Mount Kenya and the east coast region, working with the Kutoka Ardhini (‘from the ground’ in Swahili) group which supplies the key ingredient from a network of over 1,000 farmers.
This is implemented through The Body Shop’s Community Fair Trade programme which helps producers gain market access and invest in social and environmental projects that benefit their communities.
According to research published in December 2021 by Newcastle University in the UK, the rise of the ethical consumer has led to the emergence of a market segment where consumers are increasingly making ethical choices when it comes to purchasing goods. They are also willing to boycott unethically manufactured goods and, if necessary, organise protests against the companies that make and sell them.
“They are more than just consumers, they are driving the economy in a new direction,” the researchers noted.
As tougher times bite, only 10% of CMOs believe their marketing investments will enable them to emerge better off than their competitors.
On-the-Go stores will extend the brand and be located on TotalEnergies service station forecourts to cater to motorists and busy consumers.
The social media platform’s ad revenue is up 25.8% year-on-year and is forecast to total US$71-billion for 2024.
Alliance offers a simple, fast and convenient experience for consumers to buy groceries online, with orders being delivered within an hour.
Consumer must feel that buying the product will somehow elevate them so that they sit more squarely alongside the influencer they follow.
What are the key things that people consider before buying online? Researchers find that the computer mouse holds important clues.
Bon Marché has typically confined itself to the affluent suburbs of Zimbabwe’s capital. Now it has opened in Marondera in Mashonaland East,
As rugby fans liken the SA national team’s alternative kit to the Checkers Sixty60 e-commerce platform, the brand seizes the opportunity.
Sports apparel company renews an old partnership with Newcastle United as it further cements its presence in top soccer competitions.
Interactive Advertising Bureau study finds internet advertising has reached a new high of 34% of the overall SA advertising market.


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Pune, May 4 (PTI) The administration in Satara district of Maharashtra on Tuesday announced stricter restrictions for a week to contain the spread of coronavirus in the region.
As per the fresh curbs, shops selling essential commodities such as milk, groceries, vegetables and fruits will remain closed and only home delivery of these items will be permitted.
Under the earlier guidelines, shops selling essentials were allowed to operate from 7 am to 11 am in the district.
'In view of the rise in COVID-19 cases, a decision has been taken to make the lockdown stricter in the district. As per the new restrictions, shops selling essential commodities such as milk, groceries, vegetables and fruits will remain shut, and only home delivery of these items will be permitted till 11 pm,' said Ramchandra Shinde, officiating collector, Satara district.
The restrictions will remain in place in Satara till May 10, it was stated.
Shop owners selling essential commodities will have to obtain passes for delivery boys from the administration, the official said.
Medical shops will remain open from 8 am to 8 pm, while chemists attached to hospitals will operate round the clock, he said.
'Shops selling agriculture-related products will be allowed to remain open till 11 am,' the official added.
Meanwhile, the administration in Kolhapur has also imposed certain curbs for 10 days starting from 11 am on May 5 till May 13, an official said.
The authorities have urged citizens not to step out of their homes unnecessarily and opt for home deliveries of essential commodities, he said.
Satara has been reporting 2,500 COVID-19 cases per day over the last few days and the positivity rate in the district stands at 35 per cent, while Kolhapur is seeing a daily tally of 800 to 1,000 cases. PTI SPK ARU ARU


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In 2017, Australian lingerie brand Honey Birdette released a campaign called ‘Office Party Time’ where women were shown wearing lingerie while surrounded by fully clothed men. The images suggest that the women are the product available for purchase (rather than the lingerie) and that a woman’s role in the workplace is to serve and arouse.
Ad Standards received multiple community complaints that these ads sexualised and objectified women.
Honey Birdette has a history of using sexualised images and arguing that it empowers women.
But regardless of the brand’s intentions, sexualisation and objectification are proven to have damaging impacts on women’s body image.
Find out more about the health impacts of gender inequality in advertising.


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In January 2013, Walmart first announced that it will buy an additional $50 billion in U.S. products within ten years. Adding up what the company spends each year the total purchase comes to $250 billion.
The reason for the domestic purchase is to grow U.S. manufacturing and encourage the creation of U.S. jobs. “We believe we can create more American jobs by supporting more American manufacturing. Jump-starting the manufacturing industry and rebuilding the middle class requires a national effort by companies, industry leaders, lawmakers and others,” the company proclaimed.
According to data from its suppliers, items that are made, sourced or grown in America already account for about two-thirds of what the company spends to buy products at Walmart U.S.
However they want to increase this and will work with suppliers to:
- Increase what we already buy of U.S. manufactured goods
- Source “new to Walmart” U.S. manufactured goods
- Re-shore the manufacturing of goods we currently buy by facilitating and accelerating efforts of our suppliers
To achieve these goals the company will host the first ever domestic manufacturing Open Call Summit on July 8th in Bentonville, Arkansas.
At the Summit current suppliers that want to present new categories will be featured alongside suppliers with U.S .manufacturing capabilities who are currently not doing business with Walmart. They’ll have a chance to meet with senior leaders, buyers and Walmart executives.
Typically the vendor rooms are open by appointment only – so this is the first time that Walmart has put out an open invitation to all suppliers – to come on one specific day. They’re expecting hundreds of companies to attend and pitch their products.
The Open Call Summit will be focused on new business development on products and categories that are made or grown in the US. Applicants will be evaluated on the ability of their items to meet Walmart customer needs including:
- Product: design, quality and innovation
- Price: competitive costing, value, EDLP (Every Day Low Prices)
- Strategic fit within merchandising strategy
- Ability to execute: production, logistics, etc.
The review process will close on June 6th – if applicants are selected for the Summit, they will be notified by June 17th.


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Sony Mobile Japan has announced a 10.1-inch Android tablet that features a 1.5GHz quad core processor and support for LTE as well as NFC. The Xperia Tablet Z will begin shipping in Japan “this spring”.
- Fido Alliance adds authentication support for NFC and BLE
- London buses get on board beacon rollout
- Beacons on menu for Cathay Pacific lounge guests
- 25% of British consumers fear mobile payments will make them spend more
- Facebook rolls out Messenger mobile payments across US


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888 Holdings has reached an agreement to buy William Hill’s European business from casino giant Caesars Entertainment.
The landmark deal will include William Hill’s 1,400 UK betting shops which will see the online-only 888 move into the retail channel for the first time. Although many U.K. companies have closed their physical stores after government crackdowns made them less profitable, 888 plans to keep them operational.
Chief Executive Officer Itai Pazner said in an interview.
“It’s a stable business, positive cash flow, profitable — very profitable — so I see no reason not to keep it, and keep investing in it,” he said by phone, referring to the brick-and-mortar stores. “It’s obviously not a significant growth business, but it is a very stable business.”
888 has been a relatively small player in a U.K. betting market dominated by the likes of Flutter Entertainment Plc and Entain Plc. The deal will allow 888 to use the William Hill brand everywhere apart from the U.S, combining a group of more than 12,000 employees with an estimated savings of around £100m a year, along with the potential to increase revenue with enhanced customer proposition and product offerings.
The operator said the acquisition would give it “significantly enhanced exposure to sports betting, the world’s largest and fastest-growing online segment, with the addition of an iconic sports brand”.
“The acquisition of William Hill International is a transformational and hugely exciting moment in 888’s history,” 888 chief executive Itai Pazner said. “This transaction will create one of the world’s leading online betting and gaming groups with superior scale, exceptional brands, increased diversification, and a platform for strong growth.”
“William Hill is an iconic sports brand, making it the ideal complement to 888, one of the leading global online gaming brands. Our strategies are also complementary, being digitally-led, customer-focused, and committed to player protection and raising industry standards around safer gambling.”
Caesars Entertainment purchased William Hill nearly a year ago for $3.7bn as part of a wider consolidation, which saw several U.S. companies snap up London-listed groups to gain the upper hand on the fast-growing US market after the supreme court legalised sports betting in 2018. Caesar’s lack of interest in William Hill’s high-street shops or non-US online operations prompted a bidding war involving Apollo Capital Management and CVC Capital Partners along with 888.
“We have found an owner for the William Hill business outside the U.S. which shares the same objectives, approaches and longer-term ambitions of that business,” Caesars CEO Tom Reeg said.
888 successfully gained £2.1bn in fully committed debt financing from JP Morgan, Morgan Stanley and Mediobanca, including £1.6bn of term loans and £500m of bridge loans/senior secured notes in order to fund the deal. The online gambling firm also obtained a fully committed revolving credit facility of £150m and will attempt to raise £500m by issuing new equity via a capital raise in the near future.
The Acquisition is classified as a reverse takeover under the Listing Rules of the Financial Conduct Authority (“FCA”) as such it remains subject to a host of approvals of 888’s shareholders. The betting company has already revealed that it secured the backing of its largest shareholder, its founders’ Dalia Shaked Trust, which holds a 23% stake in the operator. Additionally, 888 and Caesars must also finalise an agreement with Caesars over the restructuring of the William Hill US and non-US businesses.
Subject to satisfying all of these conditions, 888 hopes to finalise the purchase during the first half of 2022.
“We have been incredibly impressed with the William Hill management team, and I look forward to working with them and the wider William Hill team to create great products for our customers, driven by best in class technology, powerful brands, and benefitting from our significantly enhanced scale,” Pazner added.
SiGMA Americas Virtual 2021:


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Will Apple charge $800 for the iPhone 5? Not likely, but a rumor to that effect has been circulating on Twitter.
Two topics related to the rumor — #800dollarsforaniPhone" and "iPhone 5 $800" — were trending on Twitter on Thursday. Most users seemed to treat the topic as an opportunity to show off their comic chops:
— Timotheus Harper(@Tedd_2Fearless) August 2, 2012
#800DollarsForAniPhone It better be doing my homework for me... and show ALL the work!
— John Da Kid (@John_Da_Kid) August 2, 2012
#800DollarsForAniPhone That Hoe BETTER Catch Itself When I Drop It...
The exact origin of the rumor is unclear. According to IBTimes, gamenguide.com features a listing on taobao.com, a Chinese auction site, that shows a photo of what is purported to be the iPhone 5 for the equivalent of $800 to $1,050.
Of course, Apple is keeping any details about a new iPhone close to the vest. Apple has not confirmed numerous reports that peg an announcement relating to the new phone at Sept. 12. An $800 iPhone would be a big jump in price. The current top-of-the-line iPhone 4S with 64 GB of memory sells for $399 with a wireless service plan.


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Each new generation of gaming system graces its users with enhanced graphics, better in-game mechanics, and far more ambitious game options.
This is why, despite the often-intimidating cost, gamers tirelessly update their gaming systems with each new console release. We await their announcements with bated breath because we know each new system will bring heaps of new games with dazzling graphics and stellar gameplay. The announcement of Xbox’s next generation console, the Xbox Series X, has gamers hunting for details on the upcoming system.
Xbox Series X
Xbox announced Project Scarlett, now called the Xbox Series X, earlier this year. Gamers immediately pounced on the news and have been eagerly awaiting any details the company might let slip. We can easily guess the new system will be faster, have a clearer image, and likely have more storage space than its predecessors. Gamers also hope for dozens of other perks, like backwards compatibility and cross-platform options. News about the new console is scarce, but thankfully we are learning more about next year’s Xbox console release.
What we know so far
The new system promises to have “four times the processing power of Xbox One X,” according to the Xbox announcement. When it comes to graphics and visual capabilities, look no further than the trailer for Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II, which Xbox included in its announcement. Holy hot damn that looks like a trailer for a live-action movie. According to Xbox, the footage for the trailer was “captured in-engine and reflects the power of Xbox Series X.”
When it comes to specs, the Xbox Series X isn’t pulling any punches. The new system promises “world-class visuals” in the form of 4k at an impressive 60 frames per second with the staggering potential to reach up to 120 frames per second. The system will even include support for a variable refresh rate—which helps with visuals and power consumption—and 8k capability.
Xbox’s new storage drive also promises to “virtually eliminate load times,” a boast that no gamer will take lightly. A massive plus to the new system is its backwards compatibility at launch. Not a month later, not two years later: at launch. That means gamers can bring all of their previous games from the Xbox One, along with their accessories, to the new system. I probably don’t need to tell you this, but that’s huge. However, the company plans to go even further. The new system aims to support “cross-generation entitlements,” which means games from even earlier systems, along with achievements and previous saves, will all be shared across devices.
The new controller considers far more factors in its design than previous versions. Xbox will “refine” the size and shape, which gamers with small or range-restricted hands have previously criticized, to accommodate a wider audience. Xbox will also add a new “share” button to ease the process of capturing screenshots and sharing content. The new controller will be compatible with Xbox One systems as well as Windows 10 PCs, and one will be included with every purchased Xbox Series X console.
As with all newly launched systems, several high-profile games will accompany the Xbox Series X release. One we know of for sure is Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II, which promises stunning visuals, complex characters, and a deep, gripping storyline. Halo Infinite is also set to release alongside the console. The trailer teased gorgeous textures and the same thrilling storylines fans of the franchise have come to expect.
The new system, along with PlayStation’s 2020 release, are set to hit shelves during 2020’s holiday season. We don’t have a specific date yet, but previous systems have typically launched in mid-to-late November. Redesigns tend to follow a few months later, usually hitting shelves during the summer months.
Xbox Series X cost
Unfortunately, this is one of the foggier areas when it comes to the Xbox Series X. Thanks to the massive gaff that was Microsoft announcing the Xbox One’s intimidating price—and required add-ons—too early, the company is approaching its newest console with far more caution. The new console aims to be the best on the market, so its cost is sure to reflect that. Still, since it is launching at a similar time as the PlayStation 5, both companies will be fully aware of the competition. The Xbox One X, which launched in late 2017, was $499 at launch. We can expect a similar, or slightly more costly, price tag for the Xbox Series X.


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Apparel exports to Asian markets on the rise
Garment shipments from Bangladesh to its major Asian markets—India, China and Japan—are rising by the day thanks to competitive prices the country offers and spiralling production cost in China.
Bangladesh's strength in formal garment production and higher economic growth in populous Asian countries have also helped such shipments to increase, which could hardly reach a few million dollars only five years ago, experts said.
Garment export to these three markets grew 17.79 percent year-on-year to $1.39 billion in July-May period of the current fiscal year, according to data from the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB).
Japan, with a retail garment market worth nearly $50 billion, is the largest export destination for Bangladesh among the Asian nations. In July-May period, Bangladesh sent $787.13 million worth of garment items to Japan, which is a 13.04 percent year-on-year rise.
The overall export to Japan has already crossed $1.05 billion mark in the first 11 months of the current fiscal year from $945.47 million last year.
Garment export to Japan will cross $1 billion soon as major Japanese retailers are increasing their footprint in Bangladesh for formal garments like woven shirts and t-shirts, said Anwar-Ul Alam Chowdhury Parvez, former president of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association. Japan is the only nation where Bangladesh exported goods worth more than $1 billion apart from its traditional markets -- the EU, the US and Canada.
“Among the Asian destinations, garment export to Japan from our group is on the rise,” said Shahidullah Chowdhury, CEO of Noman Group, which exports over $1 billion worth of apparel items a year.
“Especially, export of formal woven shirts and bed sheets to Japan is higher than other products.”
Another promising market in Asia is India, which is also a destination of more than $50 billion worth of garment items.
Garment shipments to India from Bangladesh more than doubled year-on-year in the first 11 months of the fiscal year.
Between July last year and May this year, apparel items worth $253.07 million were shipped to the neighbouring country, in contrast to $117.21 million a year earlier, according to the EPB data.
The reason for the exponential rise is bulk purchase by Western brands with operations in India and Indian clothing chains, which are finding Bangladesh's garment items to be more competitively priced for India's bulging middle-class demographic.
Bangladeshi garment exporters face a 12.5 percent countervailing duty on shipments to India, although India announced duty-free facility on all Bangladeshi products except some alcoholic and beverage items in 2012.
Overall exports to India increased 24.67 percent year-on-year to $792.88 million in the July-May period.
The demand for formal wear in India is high due to growing middle-income office-going population, Parvez said. Moreover, the government's 3 percent stimulus package for the emerging markets also acted positively for higher growth to India and other new destinations, he said.
China itself is becoming a major garment export destination for Bangladesh because of higher cost of production, enactment of stringent laws on garment production in China aimed at protecting the environment and shifting of manufacturing bases in China to machinery and electronic gadgets, Parvez said.
Moreover, China is a densely populated country in Asia. Two thirds of the global population reside in Asian countries, of which China alone has more than one billion people.
So, for having a larger consumer base, China is turning into a major garment export market for Bangladesh, he said.
Garment exports to China in the July-May period fell 2.82 percent year-on-year to $347.08 million, the EPB data said.
Overall export to China also declined by 28.91 percent year-on-year to $626.75 million during the period.
“The export to any country might be lower on a particular year for some reasons, but this is not any permanent problem,” Parvez said.
Garment export to China may rebound soon as Bangladesh enjoys duty benefit for export of nearly 5,000 goods to the Chinese market, exporters said.


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PetSmart and Dick's Sporting Goods are the first stores to hoist signs at The Fountains at Farah shopping center under construction in East El Paso.
The signs began going up this week on big-box buildings in the rear of the 600,000-square-foot center at Interstate 10 and Hawkins.
PetSmart, the Phoenix-based retailer of pet products and services, plans to move its store in the Yarbrough Plaza Shopping Center at Yarbrough and Interstate 10 to the Farah center, about 1 1/2 miles down the highway, said Jeff Davis, a Petsmart spokesman at its Phoenix headquarters.
The Farah store is expected to open in late September or early October, he said. PetSmart operates two other stores in El Paso.
Pittsburgh-based Dick's Sporting Goods previously announced plans to open its first El Paso store in the Farah center. PetSmart's entry in the center was not publicly known until its sign went up.
A Twin Peaks Restaurant spokeswoman also confirmed Wednesday that the Dallas area company plans to locate a restaurant in the Farah center. Twin Peaks is a sports bar and restaurant designed to look like a mountain sports lodge and features scantily dressed waitresses a la Hooters, a longtime national restaurant chain.
Twin Peaks is shooting for a late September opening.
Twin Peaks, PetSmart and Dick's Sporting Goods are three of six retailers so far that have announced plans to go in the center. The others are Nordstrom Rack, Jared The Galleria of Jewelry and Barnes & Noble.
Best Buy is expected to put a store there, but the company has not confirmed it.
More than half of the Farah center has been leased, West Miller, president of Centergy Retail, the Dallas shopping center development company building the center along with Western Refining founder Paul Foster, reported recently.
Centergy has not released its list of tenants. But this month, it launched a campaign asking El Pasoans to send the company ideas for stores and restaurants to go in the $70 million shopping center. It's taking suggestions on Twitter, on Facebook and on its Web site.
"A majority of the space at The Fountains at Farah has been leased, but there is still space available," Miller said when the ideas campaign began.
Vic Kolenc may be reached at email@example.com, 546-6421. Follow him on Twitter @vickolenc
Make suggestions for stores, restaurants for The Fountains at Farah:


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‘Pop-Up Disney! A Mickey Celebration in Singapore’ will be held from Nov 19, 2021 to Mar 20, 2022. Spanning over 1,350 sqm at Suntec Convention Centre, the exhibition first made its debut at Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California.
In this regard, does Disney have a park in Singapore?
Singapore’s Disneyland – Universal Studios Singapore.
People also ask, is Disneyland reopening in 2020?
The Disneyland Resort is now open! We couldn’t be more thrilled to welcome everyone back to “The Happiest Place on Earth!” Downtown Disney District at the Disneyland Resort has been successfully reopened since July 9, 2020.
Is Universal owned by Disney?
No, Universal Studios, both the studio and the theme parks named for the studio, are not owned by Disney. They are part of the Comcast family of companies.
Should you go to Disney World in 2021?
Even with all of this, 2021 will likely bring a better Disney vacation experience overall than 2020. The more time that passes, the more things will be phased back in. Again, book a trip so you know you have the dates you want, and then wait and see. In fact, I already have a couple trips for 2021 booked!
What rides are open at Disneyland 2021?
Rides and Attractions Open at Disneyland Park
- Alice in Wonderland.
- Astro Orbitor.
- Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.
- Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters.
- Casey Jr. Circus Train.
- Davy Crockett’s Explorer Canoes.
- Disney Gallery.
When did Disneyland Singapore Open?
The park officially began operations on 28 May 2011. Over 3 million guests visited the park in its opening year. Since then, Universal Studios Singapore has had approximately 4 million visitors every year.
Where is the biggest Disneyland in the world?
In terms of size, the Florida park is the biggest and the one in Hong Kong is the smallest. Although each Disney park is a solid vacation destination on its own, some are simply much bigger than others. The Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando is by far the biggest property at roughly 27,000 acres.
Why is there no Disneyland in Singapore?
Rumors of a Disneyland in the tiny island of Singapore dates back as far as the early 1990s. … With that said, the plans fell through due to financial and land disagreements It is estimated that 300 hectares of land will be needed to build Disneyland, a size that cannot be justified for land-scarce Singapore.
Will Disneyland be open in June?
Disneyland Resort will reopen to everyone on June 15. Only CA residents can visit the resort’s parks, Disneyland and Disney California Adventure, now.


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Sen. Chuck Schumer has some strong feelings about the snortable chocolate powder that went viral last week.
The Senate minority leader wants to crack down on the product, called Coco Loko, which is similar to snortable chocolate powders available in Europe. Coco Loco, an “infused raw cacao snuff” that contains gingko biloba, taurine and guarana, promises to give users a drug-free energy “high” for 30 minutes to an hour. But Schumer isn’t having it.
“I write to urge the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to take immediate action and investigate the use caffeine in inhalable food products,” the senator said in a letter written to the Food and Drug Administration over the weekend, obtained by HuffPost.
“For the past several years, the FDA has worked to better understand caffeine consumption and to determine safe levels for total consumption. Unfortunately, the significant threat associated with inhalable caffeine warrant expedited action.”
He added, “The math for the FDA is clear: This suspect product has no clear health value. It is falsely held up to be chocolate, when it is a powerful stimulant. And they market it like a drug – and they tell users to take it like a drug, by snorting it. It is crystal clear that the FDA needs to wake up and launch a formal investigation into so-called Coco Loko before too many of our young people are damaged by it.”
Nick Anderson, the CEO of Legal Lean (the company that produces Coco Loko), told ABC News he hasn’t had his product tested by professionals to make sure it’s safe.
“I didn’t consult with any medical professionals. I basically just saw what they were doing in Europe. There are no health issues, it’s been out two, three years, everyone seems fine,” Anderson told the outlet. “It says not to do more than half the container, I think everything is self-explanatory, there are warning labels on it and I don’t think I would be responsible.”
The FDA has yet to investigate the product, according to a statement given to ABC News. HuffPost also reached out to the FDA.
″[The FDA] is not prepared to issue a determination regarding whether and how this product is subject to FDA jurisdiction at this time,” the statement says. “In reaching that decision, FDA will need to evaluate the product labeling, marketing information, and/or any other information pertaining to the product’s intended use.”
Maybe just eat your chocolate in the meantime.
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XXXTentacion is expected to dominate the charts.
Albums sales aren't what they used to be. Before the digital age took over everything, rappers could expect to go four or five times platinum if they were on top of the game. Now, we celebrate when a rapper hits gold status. Billboard's response to the decline was the inclusion of streams on the charts, which has been widely criticized by artists. Jay-Z let his opinions of streaming sales be known on Meek Mills "What's Free," but yet here we are again at the head of the week diving into album sale projections. We just can't help it.
According to Hits Daily Double, XXXTentacion can be expected to sit atop the charts this week. The debut of his posthumous album Skins was highly anticipated by fans, and is projected to move between 150-160K album equivalent units in its first week. 50-55k of those come from pure sales. Gucci Mane's latest album Evil Genius is projected to take the number three spot with between 54-59k album equivalent units sold. 5-7k of those come from pure sales. Meek Mill holds onto the number two spot this week with Championships' second week on Billboard. Travis Scott's Astroworld sits at number six, Drake's Scorpion sits at number eight, and Tekashi 6ix9ine's Dummy Boy rounds out the top ten.


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NEW YORK, August 4, 2014 — Jeff Bergin has been named vice president of vertical strategy development for Hearst Newspapers, a corporate development role focused on the classified businesses across the company. The announcement was made by Hearst Newspapers President Mark Aldam, to whom Bergin will report.
In this new role, Bergin will be responsible for identifying contemporary solutions to meet recruitment, real estate and automotive customer needs. Prior to this, he was senior vice president of advertising sales for the San Francisco Chronicle since 2009. Bergin will remain based in San Francisco.
“Jeff has a unique background in both advertising sales execution and strategy development over an extended local media career that will serve us well as we upgrade our portfolio of solutions,” Aldam said. “As the marketplace continues to evolve, it is important that we constantly evaluate and improve the products that serve our clients. We are excited to have Jeff extend his leadership across the group in this important area.”
Bergin served as vice president, national sales and advertising strategy for Gannett from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was retail advertising director at The Fort Myers News-Press from 1993 to 2001. Bergin has a bachelor’s degree in English from Western New England College.
About Hearst Newspapers
Hearst Newspapers is the operating group responsible for Hearst Corporation’s newspapers, local digital marketing services businesses and directories. With more than 5,000 employees across the nation, Hearst Newspapers publishes 15 dailies and 34 weeklies, including the Houston Chronicle, San Francisco Chronicle, San Antonio Express-News and Albany Times Union. It also operates digital marketing services and directories businesses under the LocalEdge brand.


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Online used car seller Carvana added over 51k cars to its inventory in 2023 Q1, ended March 31, the smallest increase since 2019 Q3 excluding the start of the pandemic according to Earnest Auto Sellers web data. This, as Carvana’s existing inventory is taking upwards of three months to sell. Caravana reduced new car purchases nearly 60% YoY in the quarter in the face of tighter auto lending conditions, higher rates, and inflation squeezing consumer budgets.
In a positive development for Carvana, the cohort of 2023 Q1 cars added to inventory have sold better than then historical average. Around 89% of cars in the cohort had sold in the first 60 days, the highest rate ever for the company. The only other comparable high sell through rate belonged to the historically small 2020 Q2 cohort (not pictured). The high sell through suggests that demand may be higher than first anticipated for the quarter.
Powered by Earnest Auto Sellers web data. Contact Sales for more details.


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This week, Google pulled out of the loose alliance of companies that utilize the WebKit browser rendering engine. Going forward, Google will go its own way with the WebKit-derived Blink rendering engine, leaving Apple and other WebKit backers in the dust.
To be fair, this was a long time coming. Back in April 2010, I wrote that there was no such thing as a WebKit standard and that each browser, on each OS platform, implements the web browsing engine differently: Read The WebKit Lie and the Future of Web Standards for the gory details. And Google admitted as much when it announced Blink.
“Chromium uses a different multi-process architecture than other WebKit-based browsers, and supporting multiple architectures over the years has led to increasing complexity for both the WebKit and Chromium projects,” Google’s Adam Barth wrote in the announcement. “This has slowed down the collective pace of innovation - so today, we are introducing Blink, a new open source rendering engine based on WebKit.”
Best of all, Google claims this new fragmentation is a good thing.
“Having multiple rendering engines—similar to having multiple browsers—will spur innovation and over time improve the health of the entire open web ecosystem,” Barth claims. That kind of puts the kibosh on any hopes that Microsoft would implement WebKit in Internet Explorer, I assume.
According to Barth, work on Blink will start with internal architectural improvements and a simplification of the codebase, leading to a healthier codebase, more stability and fewer bugs. A developer FAQ dives into the gory details.
But the big question mark here is about Apple, which uses the WebKit rendering engine in its Safari web browser. Until this change, both Apple and Google—bitter rivals, by the way—were cooperating on WebKit, contributing code and improvements. Now, WebKit is basically just Apple and a bunch of less influential companies like Samsung, BlackBerry, Opera, and Amazon. Google stabbed WebKit in the back to hurt Apple (and to a lesser extent those other companies).
That said, Blink isn’t completely proprietary. It’s still open source, technically, though other companies won’t necessarily be able to map Google improvements into their own products, each with their different architectures. Overall, it’s not clear that Blink is good for the web. It’s certainly good for Google.
And you know what? Good for them. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with the company seeking a competitive advantage from its own work. I’m honestly just surprised it took this long.


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Plan for housing - not our dying ports
Letting Shenzhen have our transshipment business will result in the release of a massive amount of prime waterfront land ideal for homes
"Transshipment is the last fort of Hong Kong's port business and if we lose that it will mark the end of our port."
Alan Lee Yiu-kwong
HK Container Terminal Operators Association
SCMP, November 25
Mr Lee has thus complained to the Transport and Housing Bureau that ports across the border are illegally taking business from Hong Kong by inciting shipping companies to make false declarations of origin.
I think this is indeed a matter for the bureau to look at very closely but with its Housing hat on rather than its Transport one.
The facts are simple. We are losing our port business in Hong Kong and there is nothing we can do about it other than cover our eyes and say that we cannot see it happening.
The business is going across the border because that is where it naturally belongs, close to the Guangdong manufacturing centres rather than in the middle of a bustling city at the end of a traffic-clogged roadway that crosses a border where rules to protect vested interests add extra costs.
The only reason we ever had a container port is that Guangdong was much further behind on the development path. It has now caught up.
And the only reason we still have a container port is that Beijing is still trapped in commercial inefficiencies. It will not allow foreign carriers to transport cargo from one domestic port to another, a practice known as cabotage. This trade is reserved for China-registered vessels.
But Hong Kong is deemed a non-domestic port for these purposes (sometimes we're China, sometimes we're not, don't ask me). This means that foreign carriers can transship their China cargoes here, which they cannot do in Shenzhen although it would be more cost-effective for them if they could.
Port operators in Shenzhen know it too and they have come up with the solution. "Why don't you declare Hong Kong as your port of origin in your manifests," they tell shippers. "That way it's not trade between two domestic ports. Then you can bring all the business here and save money."
I can understand why Mr Lee is worried about this. Transshipments now account for more than 60 per cent of our port's business and if Shenzhen takes it away then what is left of our port's real export/import business will also soon vanish.
I think it a waste of breath for him, however, to protest that this new practice is illegal. In the first place, to follow all the rules of business across the border is to go out of business. Illegality is the lifeblood of enterprise in Shenzhen.
More than that, he complains to the wrong people. No branch of the Hong Kong government can do much for him.
But most of all, why should it really bother us? Big ports do not belong in the centre of big cities. The only reason Rotterdam still has one is that Rotterdam is only a port. London and New York, however, have long seen their port businesses move out and both cities still thrive. They have found other things to do. So can we.
There is also a very big bonus in letting Shenzhen have the business. It will free up 2.7 square kilometres of prime waterfront land with excellent transport links right in the centre of our city.
A little reclamation between the terminals (don't need water where there will be no ships) could easily raise this to over four square kilometres.
This alone would be enough for almost all the 470,000 flats our government says it must build but for which it supposedly cannot find land, all of it in relatively open planning at lower densities than existing public housing estates.
So instead of complaining of illegal practices, why don't we help Shenzhen take that transshipment business and start planning now for Kwai Tsing Town?
I recognise there is a bureaucratic inertia here that says what is designated for port must be port.
But what can that inertia say when there is no longer a port business for our port? Must the land be left vacant then?
It is time to start planning now.


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Will analytics and AI finally help marketing teams measure ROI properly? Will TV ‘die’ or become bigger than ever? Is it more important to be a real influencer, or have real followers on social media? And how can brands navigate the risks and rewards of voice technology?
Andy Brown, CEO of Kantar Media; Jane Ostler, Global Head of Media for the Insights division at Kantar, and Andrew Stephen, L'Oreal Professor of Marketing at Saïd Business School, discuss how the next twelve months will transform the world of media, marketing and brand building.


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DenisProduction.com // Shutterstock
Here’s how American families, from the poorest to the richest, spend their money
A hand taking money out of a wallet.
Americans certainly know how to spend money. And they’re doing it at escalating rates—even outpacing inflation.
U.S. households spent an average of $67,000 in 2021 on everything from groceries to political contributions, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data. That was a 9.1% increase over 2020. Pre-tax incomes were up about 3.7%, and the Consumer Price Index—which measures inflation through urban prices of various goods and services—increased by 4.7%.
Predictably, the highest expenditures among all income brackets are on necessities like housing, transportation, and food. But spending can vary widely among demographics.
CouponBirds used 2021 BLS Consumer Expenditures Survey data to analyze spending differences based on pre-tax household income, examining spending overall and within four major categories. Spending increased within all income brackets in 2021 and grew faster than pre-tax earnings in each.
Income inevitably has the most profound effect on how people spend. The idea of living paycheck to paycheck isn’t new. Still, the data spells it out clearly: Lower-income households must spend a higher share on daily necessities—and don’t make enough to cover even that, reinforcing cycles of poverty. Meanwhile, higher earners have more to save and invest in retirement.
Among this data set, the average household size of all survey respondents was 2.4, with the highest income bracket at 3.2 people and the lowest income bracket at 1.7 people. While this analysis focuses on spending at various income levels, household size and other factors (age, race, place, etc.) also influence spending patterns.
Continue reading to learn more about how Americans spend depending on household income.
Debt threatens the lowest earners as they can’t keep up with necessary expenses
A bar chart showing the difference between expenses among different income brackets.
Spending money is unavoidable. For the lowest-income people in the United States, that can often mean spending money they don’t have.
For households earning under $15,000 per year, about 90% of their spending is on essentials: housing, groceries, utilities, transportation, health care, apparel and services, and personal care products and services. And even if that’s all they spent—no eating out, no movie nights, no educational expenses—they would still be at a loss of about $20,000.
Income can include government assistance such as Social Security, unemployment, workers’ compensation, public assistance, Supplemental Security Income, and the Supplementary Nutrition Assistance Program.
That makes it very difficult for lower-income households to avoid taking on debt, and many also must pay with credit as they face climbing interest rates that accumulate rapidly if they don’t pay off their cards in full. Inflation over the past year has compounded the issue: Outstanding credit card balances increased by nearly 17% in November 2022 compared to the previous year, according to Federal Reserve data. Interest rates have risen from 14.6% in 2021—the year of our data analysis—to 19.07% as of preliminary November estimates, to make matters worse.
Meanwhile, high earners typically have considerable money left over after accounting for expenses. With that, they can save, invest, insure, and pay off debts, securing their financial futures against unexpected costs or dips in income.
This analysis does not necessarily tell the full financial story for many Americans, partly because it looks at pre-tax income. A few thousand dollars in tax refunds can help offset expenses for the poorest Americans, while wealthier Americans may have to pay tens of thousands of dollars in taxes each year. Still, the impact is uneven: After taxes, Americans earning less than $15,000 still have an average $20,200 deficit, while those in the highest bracket maintain four times that.
High earners save more for retirement
A bar chart showing the share of expenses paid on retirement savings, by household income.
The most significant discrepancy in spending between the lowest and highest earners is in retirement savings. The wealthiest Americans have the means to allocate more than 17% of their considerably higher expenses to retirement savings.
A 2020 Retirement Research Center study found that just 18% of households had accumulated enough wealth to spend as much in retirement as they did before retirement. Three in 10 of those households continued to build wealth in the decade after retirement, though many still chose to spend less due to general uncertainty.
Without enough retirement savings, people who earn less—or don’t have the means to save for retirement—may have to work later in their lives, sometimes for lower pay or in more menial jobs as skill gaps, layoffs, and market competition can force elders out of their professions.
BLS Employment Projections data shows that Americans over 55 were the only ones to increase their labor force participation rates from 2001 to 2021. The highest growth was among the oldest Americans (ages 75+). This trend is likely to continue over the next decade.
Low earners must spend more of their income on housing
A bar chart showing the share of expenses paid on housing, by household income.
On average, one-third of the average American household spending goes to shelter. As the affordable housing crisis persists in many cities across the country, low-income households must spend a considerably higher share on housing, and their opportunity to buy property is dwindling.
Households earning less than $15,000 spend nearly that entire amount—$12,400 annually, or a little over $1,000 a month—on housing. Households earning over $200,000 a year spend four times as much on housing, though it comprises only 29.2% of their total spending.
One reason behind this is that most high earners own their homes, while renting is more common among lower earners, according to research from Pew. Rent is more susceptible to market increases, and mortgage payments remain consistent while homeownership creates further wealth. Some wealthy Americans can also buy homes without taking on debt, potentially reducing their housing expenses in future years.
Low earners spend a higher share on groceries, but people across income brackets spend roughly the same on dining out
A split bar chart showing the share of expenses paid on groceries and eating out, by household income.
Interestingly, Americans spend similar amounts on dining out, regardless of income bracket. It could be because restaurants serve a wide variety of food, from $2 burgers to $50 steaks. Plus, Americans value speed and convenience, including with their meals: Fast food, delivery, and take-out restaurants are an American staple, and are the most popular categories among food establishments, according to BLS data.
Despite similarities in dining out, low earners have to put a much higher share of their money toward groceries. In turn, inflation has an outsized impact on these households. The BLS reported grocery costs increased 10.4% in December 2022 compared to the previous year, and staples like eggs, flour, pasta, and coffee saw the steepest increases. Comparatively, the cost of dining out increased by about 8.3%.
Middle-income earners spend more on transportation
A bar chart showing the share of expenses paid on transportation, by household income.
After dipping 8.5% in 2020 amid COVID-19, BLS reported that transportation expenditures grew 11.6% in 2021. Households on the highest and lowest ends of the socioeconomic scale spend a similar share on transportation. However, there’s a lot of variation among the middle-income levels.
Much of this has to do with car ownership and financing. Extremely low-income households have at most one car. More than a third of households earning under $15,000 a year don’t have a car, which is significantly lower than any other bracket. By walking, biking, or using public transportation—which often offers discounted rates for low-income riders—many people don’t have to spend as much getting from place to place.
For middle-income Americans, car ownership adds up. Those with incomes of $30,000 to $100,000 typically have closer to two cars. In 2021, they spent between $3,000 and $5,000 on cars and trucks, $2,000 or so on gas, and another $3,000 to $4,000 on other expenses like insurance and repairs, BLS data shows.
Those making over $150,000 typically have closer to three cars on average, but have more money to buy them outright or better credit to lock in competitive interest rates if they need financing, according to Federal Reserve data
This story originally appeared on CouponBirds and was produced and
distributed in partnership with Stacker Studio.


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It’s official, Canada has “Double Down-ed”. On October 18th, KFC unleashed its much anticipated sandwich-like product on the Canadian market. I call it “sandwich-like” because although it employs some elements of the classic sandwich, most notably food “sandwiched” between other food, it still seems like a creation of Dr. Frankenstein’s.
The Double Down is two pieces of bacon and processed – a euphemism for fake- cheese between two pieces of deep fried chicken, completed with “the colonel’s savoury secret sauce.” Mmm! Does it also come with a side order of triple by-pass?
According to the chief marketing officer of Yum! Restaurants Canada, Dan Howe, “the Down has so much 100 percent premium seasoned chicken, we didn’t have room for a bun!” Which may be a suitable tag line for KFC’s website but behind closed doors, there must be a certain amount of contempt for consumers. I’m guessing the guy to pitch the original idea of replacing the bun with deep fried chicken wasn’t thinking that KFC’s clientele were aristocrats.
Comedian Bill Maher summarized this best when the Double Down was first introduced to America last spring, “For as long as KFC insists on selling their new Double Down sandwich… they have to change their slogan from ‘we do chicken right,’ to ‘eat shit and die.’ It’s only fair.”
The advertising campaign for the Double Down in Canada features several staged testimonials of average looking men who compare eating the sandwich with going into battle. One of them says, “today is the day that I ignore the voice of reason and double down.” Here, at least, there’s still some truth in advertising.
The commercial features no women, presumably because only men could be persuaded by commercials to ingest such a monstrous creation. What’s not included in the ad is the 540 calories, 30 grams of fat and 1,740 milligrams of sodium that is packed into this greasy entrée. With roughly half a day’s recommended intake of fat and more than a day’s worth of sodium, the DD is obviously a no-no for any health conscious Canadian.
Still, if it’s not from the Double Down, Canadians must be getting their calories from somewhere. With nearly 50 percent of Canadians classified as overweight or obese and a whopping 74 percent of Americans making the switch to elastic waisted pants, there are serious consequences for unhealthy eating.
The total direct cost of obesity is estimated to be at least 1.8 billion dollars, which accounts for 2.4 percent of the total health care costs for diseases in this country. In fact, obesity and smoking are now essentially tied as the cause of the highest number of preventable deaths in North America, with obesity poised to take the lead – the only race fat people and smokers will ever be a part of. With 10 million Double Downs sold in America and an estimated 45% of Canadians wanting to try one, KFC is doing its part to help obesity win this morbid race.
I know fast food is dramatically more affordable than eating healthy.
Five dollars goes a lot further at an establishment with deep fryers than at a trendy vegan café but the money saved by a lifetime of eating at KFC is eventually paid in full by the Canadian taxpayer. At least cigarettes soften their inevitable blow to Canada’s health care system; between 63 and 79 percent of the price of cigarettes is taxes.
However, fast food restaurants currently remain immune to similar “sin taxes.”
So why is it that KFC can contribute to a leading cause of preventable deaths in North America without punishment while tobacco giant Phillip Morris can’t? Here’s why: in 1998, a settlement between Big Tobacco and 46 American states ended with tobacco companies shilling out a mind-blowing 206 billion dollars in reparation over a 25 year period.
Here in Canada, smoking has been banned in all public indoor spaces and workforces by all provinces, territories and the federal government.
Thanks to this strict government regulation and the national anti-smoking campaign of the last few decades, smoking has become taboo throughout Canada. Smokers are forced into the frigid January wind to light up while the more health conscious patrons of pubs are free to sit on their stools and pass judgement on their smoker friends through frosty windows. Yet the same rules do not apply to fast food.
Granted, you can’t inhale deadly second hand fast food but if the government feels the need to impinge upon the cigarette market, it follows that at least some government paternalism should be present within the fast food market as well. I know the labels of calories on certain fast food items may be a novel first step, but if you’re going to eat a sandwich that features deep fried chicken instead of bread, you’re probably not too concerned with the stats.
For all of you who say fast food is only harmful to the person eating it, you can tell that to the poor bastards that get stuck flying coach next to director Kevin Smith on the flights that he doesn’t get kicked off of for being “too fat to fly.” I don’t care if the armrests can still be lowered on both sides; fat is very malleable. Even if the armrests are lowered, Kevin Smith’s fat will somehow find a way to engulf them and end up touching your thigh.
To be fair to KFC, their new Double Down doesn’t even take the prize for the most unhealthy fast food item. Wendy’s Baconator features 610 calories, 35 grams of fat and 1,130 milligrams of sodium, while Burger King’s sadistically fattening Triple Whopper punishes arteries all over the globe with 1,250 calories, 84 grams of fat and 1,600 milligrams of sodium.
I’m not saying that we should forfeit the right to indulge in grease and sodium altogether or that junk food should be hidden from sight in gas stations like cigarettes. I’m just looking for a little consistency.
The number of smokers in North America has decreased dramatically and those who still indulge in the cancer sticks are now viewed as breaking a cultural taboo. This has come at the expense of numerous cigarette corporations and the tobacco farmer. Fine. It means fewer Canadians will die from cigarettes.
However, obese Canadians die from complications arising from their unhealthy habits at the same rate that smokers die from complications arising from theirs. Let’s channel at least some of the anger that fuelled the numerous lawsuits against Big Tobacco towards the other corporations that are killing just as many North Americans.


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Clarksville downtown development calls for more apartments, rooftop restaurant
More apartments and retail could be making their way to downtown Clarksville.
A new development calls for 200 apartments and townhomes to be constructed in the city. Current812 would be located across the street from Bolt and Tie, which opened in May.
Developers said the project will include space for a rooftop restaurant, retail space on the ground floor and a dog park.
The plans are part of a larger effort by Clarksville to create a new downtown space.
If approved, construction could begin in November.


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CNBC writes this morning that "inflation accelerated at its fastest pace in more than 12 years for April as the U.S. economic recovery kicked into gear and energy prices jumped higher, the Labor Department reported Wednesday.
"The Consumer Price Index, which measures a basket of goods as well as energy and housing costs, rose 4.2% from a year ago, compared to the Dow Jones estimate for a 3.6% increase … The increase in the headline CPI rate was the fastest since September 2008."
CNBC also provides some context:
"In addition to rising prices, one of the main reasons for the big annual gain was because of base effects, meaning inflation was very low at this time in 2020 as the Covid-19 pandemic caused a widespread shutdown of the U.S. economy. Year-over-year comparisons are going to be distorted for a few months because of the pandemic’s impact.
"For that reason, Federal Reserve policymakers and many economists are dismissing the current round of numbers as transitory, with the expectation that inflation settles down later this year around the 2% range targeted by the central bank.
"Price surges also have come amid supply bottlenecks caused by a number of factors, from production issues with the ubiquitous semiconductors found in electronics products to the Suez Canal blockage in March to soaring demand for a variety of commodities."
- KC's View:
I'm no economist, but my initial reaction to this news - in fact, my reaction to every piece of economic news these days - is that the world in which we are living this year is very different than the world in which we were living last year. So comparisons of short-term results are not very instructive. But, if we start to see broader trends that last over a period of months and quarters, then we'll have stuff to be concerned about.


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Lab results reveal what's really in your patients' e-cigarettes
Vapers who use nicotine-free e-cigarettes are potentially inhaling not only nicotine but also trace amounts of pesticides and a biological chemical found in urine and faeces, an Australian study has found.
WA researchers purchased 10 different e-liquid products labelled 'nicotine-free' from Australian suppliers and had their chemical composition analysed by an independent commercial laboratory.
Nicotine was detected in six of the e-liquids, including three that had levels comparable to those found in low-dose nicotine e-cigarettes.
Lead researcher Associate Professor