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French aircraft engine supplier Safran posted higher than expected earnings for the first half of 2022. While supply chain problems continue to plague the industry, the Paris-based company reported a 59% increase in its operating profit, reaching around $1.1 billion during the period.
In its financial report for H1 2022, which was released on July 28, 2022, Safran also said its revenue grew to $8.7 billion, reflecting a significant 24% increase when compared to the same period a year ago.
“Safran posted solid results in the first half of the year amid improvement in air traffic in all regions of the world except China,” Safran chief executive Olivier Andriès was cited as saying in the company’s statement.
The CEO noted that the ongoing recovery in air travel has increased demand for spare aircraft parts. Safran also noticed that demand for medium-haul aircraft parts was notably higher than for wide-body planes.
However, Safran admitted that supply chain problems have made the manufacturing process more challenging.
“Our ability to ramp up production rates is somewhat constrained by a fragile supply chain as the world emerges from the pandemic and we are working hard to ensure timely delivery to airframers,” Andriès said.
During H1 2022, the combined delivery of CFM engines reached 492 units, 465 of which were LEAP turbofan engines and 27 were CFM56s. The recent result is an improvement on the 448 aircraft engines delivered by the company during the same period in 2021.


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Improved performance of the Chicken segment
For the last few quarters, the credit for Tyson Foods’ (TSN) improved performance goes to the Chicken segment. The Chicken segment has been showing higher and stable margins, as the company has restructured this business. Operating margins have improved in the Chicken segment since fiscal 1Q15.
In fiscal 3Q16, the Chicken segment reported an operating margin of 13.9% with an improved product mix. Value-added sales grew by 5% in the third quarter, while commodity sales fell by 10%. This helped the average selling price increase by 40 basis points during the quarter, despite a fall in volume by 90 basis points.
Restructured Chicken business
Tyson restructured its Chicken business by optimizing its cost structure. The company invested in operations with good ROIC (return on invested capital) projects and also got rid of $1 billion of inefficiencies from the business. Tyson Foods has also diversified its pricing structure by focusing on grain-based mechanisms. Further, the company has upgraded its product mix to more value-added branded products. This is mainly intended to meet demand from the retail and food service customers. The last strategy employed by the company is the buy versus grow strategy.
Expectations for fiscal 2016 and 2017
For the Chicken segment, the company expects lower feed costs of ~$175 million in fiscal 2016, compared to feed costs in fiscal 2015. This is based on current futures prices, according to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. This segment is projected to deliver an operating margin of more than 12%. For fiscal 2017, the operating margin expectations are the same.
Tyson Foods’ peers in the food industry include Pilgrim’s Pride (PPC), Hormel Foods (HRL), and Sanderson Farms (SAFM). They reported gross profit margins of 14.1%, 22.8%, and 16.4% in their last respective quarters. Tyson Foods’ stock accounts for 1.3% and 1.2% of the iShares Morningstar Mid-Cap ETF (JKG) and the Vanguard Mid-Cap Value ETF (VOE).

domain: news


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20 days ago
Apr 19, 2021
Artificial Intelligence(AI) has transformed the world of marketing by simplifying functions, improving customer service, and creating...
Feb 1, 2021
Now that many customers around the world are hesitant to leave homes, online shopping has become more popular than ever. Building...
Jan 19, 2021
It's important for businesses to have a professional-looking site that is a positive reflection of their brands. Building a website...


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Ukraine has partnered with global technology company the Bitfury Group to put a sweeping range of government data on a blockchain platform, the firm’s chief executive officer told Reuters, in a project he described as probably the largest of its kind anywhere.
Ukraine’s deal with Bitfury will begin with a pilot project to introduce blockchain into the country’s digital platform. The areas being explored for the pilot project are state registers, public services, social security, public health, and energy, Valery Vavilov said.
The Central and Eastern European Outsourcing Association (CEEOA) has released “Central and Eastern European QA Outsourcing Review 2016-17” covering the latest trends in software quality assurance and testing, as well as application quality and testing practices across the region.
Belarus, Bulgaria, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Macedonia, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Serbia and Ukraine are covered by the research.
On April 22-23, a 24-hour hackathon devoted to innovative IT solutions in education will be held in Kharkiv (Kharkov), Eastern Ukraine. Participants will pitch to the representatives of Ukrainian tech universities, IT business and venture funds to compete for a 30,000 hryvnia award (approximately $1,100).
Christened “IT-Eureka! Ukraine,” the event will attract Ukrainian student teams, which will create a prototype based on their ideas with support from mentors.
The Ukrainian Venture Capital and Private Equity Association (UVCA) has just released its Investors Book, a report that features data about local venture funds, accelerators, incubators, PE funds and other market players.
According to the report, 17 venture funds, six private equity funds and one corporate fund (HP Tech Ventures) currently operate in Ukraine.
The GCV Symposium has asserted itself as the leading global event for corporate venturing professionals, attracting more than 400 business leaders every year.
This year, in partnership with Ukraine Digital News, a special Eastern Europe Session will highlight the growing connections between corporations and startups in these countries — from incubation, to investment, to acquisition, to other forms of partnerships.
Newcastle-based Poptop.fm has secured £100,000 from the Finance for Business North East Proof of Concept Fund, which is managed by Northstar Ventures. An additional £20,000 came from an undisclosed angel investor.
Presenting itself as “an international event concierge service,” the startup offers a range of services including “music entertainment, catering, decoration, photography and event planning,” to name a few.
Based in New York, the startup is a major provider of cloud-based video curation solutions to online publishing, non-profit, community and ad network markets.
If Ukrainian mobile phone users are tired of their tariff plans or fed up with poor service, they face a tough choice: either they stay with their current provider and suffer on, or change networks and be forced to change their number as well.
Such a dilemma doesn’t exist in the more than 70 countries where mobile number portability is available. Portability allows customers to move freely among networks, taking their number with them wherever they go.
The best Ukrainian players of the domestic e-commerce market will be awarded at the Ukrainian E-Commerce Awards ceremony this Friday, April 7 in Kyiv (Kiev).
While industry experts will select the winners in such categories as “Breakthrough of the Year” and “Man of the Year in e-commerce,” Ukrainian online consumers will vote online for a series of other nominations.
DataRobot, a machine learning platform that helps enterprises build predictive models at speed, has raised $54 million in a Series C funding round led by existing investor New Enterprise Associates (NEA), reports VentureBeat.
The company has an R&D office in Kyiv (Kiev), with up to 200 employees working there, according to DOU.UA, an authoritative local industry resource.


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BRUSSELS, Nov. 6 (UPI) -- Retail sales dropped 0.6 percent August to September in the eurozone and 0.3 percent in the European Union, the data office Eurostat said Wednesday.
From September 2012, retail sales rose 0.3 percent in the 17-member currency union. Sales climbed 0.8 percent in the 28-member European Union over the same period, Eurostat said.
On an annual basis, retail sales rose in 15 member states and fell in seven. Data was unavailable for the remaining six states, the European Commission's data office said.
The highest gains were in Luxembourg, up 19.9 percent, Poland, up 6.5 percent, and Bulgaria, up 6.2 percent. The largest declines were in Slovenia, down 6 percent, Belgium, down 2.8 percent, and Portugal, down 2.2 percent.
Data was also unavailable or held back from the Czech Republic, Greece, Croatia, Italy, Cyprus and the Netherlands.


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Bill To Tighten Plastic Bag Ban Moves Forward
Delaware lawmakers are strengthening the near-prohibition on single-use plastic bags that took effect at the start of the year.
The House approved a bill Wednesday (House Bill 212) that would close a loophole in which many larger stores or chains introduced slightly thicker plastic bags touted as reusable. The new legislation defines a reusable bag as made of certain cloth or other durable fabric – with stitched handles. Plastic bags would also have to reach a higher level of thickness to qualify as reusable.
“Shortly after the implementation of the state’s prohibition on single-use plastic bags, we realized the law of unintended consequences was occurring. We immediately received complaints from constituents, that new, thicker plastic bags were being provided by several stores. This practice was in clear violation of the spirit of the bill and our intent,” Representative Gerald Brady, D-Wilmington West said. “Unfortunately, the thicker bags only compounded the threat on our environment. It became apparent that further steps would be required to reduce the use of plastic bags, thus protecting our ecosystem, cleaning up our communities and purifying our watersheds”.
Exemptions to the ban would continue: plastic bags can be used to wrap meat, fish, flowers or potted plants, live animals, and bags used to carry chemical pesticides, and bags placed over articles of clothing on a hanger.
The legislation goes to the State Senate for consideration.


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Italian flair returns to the Los Angeles Auto Show
November 20, 2015, 11:52 a.m. by Jim Motavalli
Fiat Chrysler's Sergio Marchionne wants to sell 180,000 Alfa-Romeos in the U.S. by 2018. That's an ambitious goal.
Peer pressure works better than celebrity ads in reducing teen driving deaths
October 20, 2015, 12:47 p.m. by Jim Motavalli
81 percent rate their own driving highly, but 66 percent say the other guy scares them.


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SAN DIEGO, August 31, 2021 / PRNewswire-PRWeb / – MK Decision (MK), a family-owned FinTech, has launched its strategic partnership with Kairos Digital Commerce Consulting, a technology and data matchmaking company, to strengthen and bring innovation to the digital account opening and loan issuance. Together, MK and Kairos are disrupting the market by providing local financial institutions with an online platform for deposit accounts, credit cards, personal loans, indirect loans and a BNPL product that can be integrated with online shopping. . experiences.
After serving many years in the financial services industry, Kairos has made it their mission to provide a different way of doing consumer banking at community financial institutions. The founders of Kairos continued to partner with MK by bringing together a complementary suite of technology partners they call the “technical foundry,” which pairs financial institutions with innovative, like-minded, open source technology providers focused on technology. consumer acquisition, digital marketing and other powerful features and integrations.
“Kairos’ commitment to digital success was a natural fit for MK Decision. As we both envision a transformed digital storefront in the banking industry, the partnership is focused on supporting home improvement lenders, finance companies and community financial institutions on both sides of the balance sheet. By working with leading suppliers and financial institutions, Kairos has developed a broad understanding of the ecosystem and industry challenges. When paired with the MK platform, the sky is the limit, ”said Har Rai Khalsa, CEO of MK.
With consumers’ growing expectations for online financial services, MK’s platform makes it easy for consumers to shop and apply for any account, card or loan of their choice in less than three minutes. By streamlining the approval process, financial institutions can support more consumers and invest more in their local economies.
“The MK Decision platform is a dream solution for any partner to help with expansion, but what really drew us into this partnership is the commitment we share with MK Decision to help financial institutions make good banking. Their online digital approach to deposits and loan acquisition enables convenient, efficient virtual interactions for consumers with their banking partner, which is more important than ever, ”said Kelli Bain, co-founder of Kairos.
About MK Decision
MK Decision’s mission is to help community financial institutions thrive by receiving more deposits and more loans. With a commitment to strengthening local economies, MK’s platform gives community banks and credit unions a competitive edge through simple and beautiful consumer experiences and streamlined back-office workflows. The MK platform supports a variety of financial products, including checking and savings accounts, credit cards, and consumer, business, small business, and indirect loans. So far, MK has helped over 250 community financial institutions acquire customers online. MK was founded in 2015 and is headquartered in San diego, california. For more information, visit mkdecision.com.
Kairos Digital Commerce Consulting is a data-driven consulting firm that works with solution providers of all kinds to help banks and credit unions reinvent their product solutions and transform themselves digitally. Kairos DCC is based in St. Petersburg, Florida and believes that with powerful data, they can help FinTechs and financial institutions solve problems together for the greater good. For more information, visit kairosdcc.com.
Molly Ireland, Decision MK, +1 (844) 888-5565, [email protected]
SOURCE MK Decision


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“Eero’s acclaimed mesh routers will bring to Amazon the promise of the very basic platform of smart home-ready multi-point router networks”
Amazon has acquired mesh router specialist Eero, the company said in a press statement. The e-commerce giant has been making a major push for promoting its smart home hardware, and its latest acquisition of the majorly popular mesh router company is yet another positive nod towards growing its Alexa-powered smart home ecosystem.
Eero, in standalone terms, has offered highly promising mesh routers that are also priced competitively. Mesh routers solve the issue of having multiple, network-enabled devices and high bandwidth internet consumption at home. With steadily increasing internet usage across all sectors, the use of smart home equipment is increasing steadily. Amazon’s Alexa-enabled devices too are increasing in scope, with Alexa Skills adding to what its Echo line of audio products can do. Furthermore, Amazon has opened up its Alexa API to third parties for adding the AI engine to multiple hardware forms, maximising the ecosystem.
It is here that Eero’s routers can contribute heavily. The company has been widely hailed for excellent mesh routers that can connect across multiple access points, providing multi-band Wi-Fi connectivity with a single SSID and password. This can be further configured using Bluetooth, and be altered using a smartphone app. This app can then be further used to authenticate new users, as long as they have the Eero app.
Nick Weaver, CEO of Eero, stated, “From the beginning, Eero’s mission has been to make the technology in homes just work. We started with Wi-Fi because it’s the foundation of the modern home. Every customer deserves reliable and secure Wi-Fi in every room. By joining the Amazon family, we’re excited to learn from and work closely with a team that is defining the future of the home, accelerate our mission, and bring Eero systems to more customers around the globe.“
Eero’s hardware setups begin with one router and two added beacons that add multiple, strategic access points, and are priced onward of $399 (approx. Rs 28,200). Users with more smart appliances can also set up the Pro kit at $499 (approx. Rs 35,200), and Amazon will hope this helps it further grow its smart ecosystem.


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Tuesday, July 31, 2012
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Druthers Brew Pub at 381 Broadway is scheduled to debut, as planned, at 11 a.m. Wednesday.
The new business, located between the Adelpi Hotel and The National (at the former site of Shoe Depot), will have 45 full- and part-time employees.
Upon opening, the brewery will offer four or five of its own craft beers along with guest taps from other regional breweries.
“By early October we should have 10 of our own beers available,” owner Chris Martell said.
When production reaches capacity, the brewery will produce from 1,000 to 1,200 barrels of beer per year, or about 2,000 to 2,400 kegs.
The pub will feature a 4,200-square-foot outdoor patio lined with trees. The patio will be large enough to seat about 100 people and will have an outdoor area for bands, primarily jazz with some Americana thrown into the mix.


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Acer CEO says company not considering takeover of HTC
A top executive of Taiwanese computer maker Acer Inc. ( ) on Tuesday quashed speculations about a takeover of HTC Corp. ( ), saying his company does not have the capacity to acquire the struggling smartphone manufacturer.
“We have no plans to do so at this moment,” said Jason Chen (
), Acer corporate president and CEO, at a media briefing Tuesday, when asked about a possible acquisition of HTC.
Acer does not have the capacity to acquire the Taiwanese smartphone maker or the capability to integrate the resources and operations of the two companies, Chen said.
Furthermore, Acer has no reason to consider such an acquisition because Acer has been making good progress in its smartphone business over the past 18 months after Chen joined the company, he said.
One June 5, HTC lowered its second-quarter sales forecast and projected a loss per share of nearly NT$10 (US$0.32) for that period.
Asked whether he had any advice for HTC, Chen said: “Don’t just look at the shadow. Face the sun. Run as fast as you can. Use your strength.”
He said that while it is “human nature” to want to fix problems, that approach “does not necessarily get you to where you want to go.”
Chen, who took office in January 2014 and pulled Acer back from three consecutive years of operating losses, was answering reporters’ questions on the HTC issue four days after Asustek Computer Inc. ( ) hinted a possible takeover of HTC.
Speaking with the press after a shareholders meeting Friday, Asustek Chairman Jonney Shih (
) said his company had held “informal” internal discussions about acquiring HTC and he would not rule out the possibility of a takeover.
In a filing with the Taiwan Stock Exchange on Monday, however, HTC said it had not contacted Asustek and would not consider such an acquisition.
“As an international brand, HTC will continue to design world-class innovative smart devices through its pursuit of brilliance brand promise,” the Taoyuan-based company said in its statement.
Sales of HTC’s Desire Phones Top 1 Mil. in Taiwan in 1 Year
HTC said Tuesday that sales of its Desire family have topped 1 million units in its home market over the past year as the company has invested more in the mid-tier market.
The 1 million Desire phones sold in Taiwan between May last year and April this year — including the mid-range Desire 816, Desire 820 and Desire 826, as well as the entry-level Desire 626 — indicates that the low-cost featurerich smartphone range is gaining popularity among local consumers, HTC said in a statement.
Jack Tong ( ), president of HTC North Asia, told a press briefing Tuesday that 70 percent of the smartphones sold in Taiwan are priced under NT$10,000 (US$323), and that the Desire range will meet consumer demand in this price band.
Despite recent setbacks in HTC’s operations, the company’s shipments to the Taiwan market increased by 50 percent yearon-year during the first half of 2015, ranking the company as Taiwan’s best- selling smartphone brand between March and May, Tong said.
He also said he expects HTC’s high-end product line to gain momentum in Taiwan in the third quarter before the anticipated launch of Apple Inc.’s next-generation iPhone.
HTC said June 5 that it had lowered its second-quarter sales forecast to NT$33 billion-NT$36 billion from its previous estimate of NT$46 billion-NT$51 billion made April 28.
HTC also said it expects a net loss of NT$9.7-NT$9.94 per share for the April-June period, a revision from an earlier earnings forecast of NT$0.06-NT$0.34 per share, citing lower-than-expected global demand for high-end Android devices and the company’s weak sales in China.
HTC shares closed down 5.86 percent at NT$78.7 Tuesday in Taipei trading.


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The Balancing Act® on Lifetime TV Welcomes Tolerant Foods to Show
Chef Giovanni Santi from Tolerant Foods will be on set to talk to viewers about good carbs
(Pompano Beach, FL – April 15, 2013) The popular morning show The Balancing Act® is pleased to welcome Tolerant Foods to the show – makers of organic pasta made from legumes such as red lentils and black beans. Tolerant Foods will be making their appearance on an upcoming “Better Ingredients for a Healthier Lifestyle – Good Carbs For Families in the Fight Against Obesity.”
Chef Giovanni Santi from Tolerant Foods will be on set to discuss the nutritional benefits of their organic pasta which is high protein, high fiber, high iron, low glycemic and gluten-free. During the episode, Chef will also showcase easy to make recipes that bring out the flavor and texture of the organic pasta.
“We’re looking forward to having Tolerant Foods on the Balancing Act® so our viewers can learn about an easy way to incorporate healthier eating into their favorite pasta dishes for themselves and their kids”, says Doug Campbell, Executive VP of Programming for The Balancing Act® on Lifetime Television.
Learn more about Tolerant Foods at: www.tolerantfoods.com
O2 Media, Inc.
About The Balancing Act® on Lifetime Television
Now in its 5th year, The Balancing Act® continues to empower women in all aspects of their lives. The mission at The Balancing Act® is simple -- the show strives to help today’s modern woman balance it all by bringing them exceptional solutions to everyday problems. Entertaining, educational and trusted by women, viewers can watch America’s premier morning show The Balancing Act weekday mornings on Lifetime television at 7 am (ET/PT).


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From a college dorm room to consumers around the world, Fetch’s humble beginnings fuel its forward motion.
Fetch Rewards, America’s No. 1 consumer-rewards app, has surpassed 5 million daily active users, according to engagement metrics from Data.ai.
With over 17 million active users and valued at $3 billion, Fetch Rewards is looking to expand from grocery chains into other retail stores and restaurants.
Fetch Rewards Closes $80 Million Round of Funding led by ICONIQ Growth with DST Global Participating
Fetch Rewards, the nation’s leading consumer-loyalty and retail-rewards app, announced today that it has raised $80 million in Series C funding in a round led by ICONIQ Growth.
BY ADELE PETERS For female farmers growing mangos or pineapples in Kenya or Uganda , one of the main businesses challenges is simply getting food to customers: Without access to refrigerated storage or efficient transportation, food often spoils before it gets to a...
The Madison, Wis.-based startup raised $80 million in Series C financing
Imbed Biosciences Inc., a closely-held biotech that makes a product for pain and infections in complex wounds, says a reformulation of its biggest product as a nasal spray could help prevent the spread of Covid-19.
Imbed Biosciences announced today the results of a first prospective clinical evaluation of its next-generation wound dressing, Microlyte Matrix, in complex chronic wounds.
SHINE announces first sales of its non-carrier-added lutetium-177
Sankaralingam said the chip has the potential to speed up development of artificial intelligence and machine learning, which has been hindered by hardware that can’t keep up.


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Studios get a dressing down over a new form of private photo shoots. Zhou Wenting in Beijing reports.
Xiao Yu (not her real name) smiled as she flipped through her favorite photo album - a collection of nude portraits she recently posed for at a Beijing studio.
"A beautiful body deserves pride," said the 23-year-old. "I wanted to preserve the memory of youth, when the body is at its physical peak."
Although unabashed in private, perhaps the fact that Xiao Yu did not want to be quoted under her real name for fear of upsetting her family or bosses at the media organization where she works tells a different story.
A growing number of Chinese people are now choosing to go nude for posterity, particularly young women and new brides. However, the trend is not supported by everyone.
"Nude photos are unhealthy," warned He Lina, chairwoman of the Shanghai Wedding Trade Association, a group that is urging authorities to ban studios from the practice.
And it is not just a matter of morality; critics also claim the images could be misused and even illegally distributed as pornography.
Few photography studios make a big noise about their nude services, either in-store or online, yet the vast majority are taking advantage of the peak in demand.
Photographers who talked to China Daily said customers fall largely into three categories: college students, newlyweds and women aged about 30 who want to "capture their shapes" before they have a baby.
According to Zhou Xiaozheng, a sociologist at Renmin University of China, the development proves China has "diversified from its conservative past" and boasts a more open social atmosphere.
However, He in Shanghai, whose group is pushing for a clampdown on studios, dismissed the trend as simply "a novelty" and claimed nude bridal shoots "show disrespect to the country's wedding customs, which are traditionally sacred and serious".
"We were young once and we understand the idea of wanting to keep a memory of that eternal beauty, but that doesn't justify taking nude photos that have nothing to do with art," said the 56-year-old.
The association boss explained that her favorite picture was taken when she was about 20 years old. In it, she is wearing a white shirt and blue trousers, a typical outfit at the time.
"The clothes were not tight but I can still make out my curves," said He. "I think this is a good way to remember my youth. You don't have to be naked."
Market takes off
Many people disagree with He. Industry insiders say the photography market is booming thanks to massive demand for naked portraits; and it is not just in China's more fashionable cities.
From Harbin in far northeastern Heilongjiang province to Chengdu in far southwestern Sichuan province, professional studios are reporting an increasing number of inquiries about nude shoots.
"I first noticed the phenomenon when I began working in Shanghai (six years ago) but it's no longer a small thing," said Wei Tianjian, 45, a Taiwan native who works at a prestigious studio in Shanghai. "I've already taken nude portraits for two women this year and I'm just one of nine photographers here."
The popularity has also boosted profits, with most businesses charging extra for clients who want the "stripped down" option.
At Dayu Photo Studio, a company that has branches throughout China, a nude shoot costs 2,999 yuan ($450), four times that of its standard portrait service.
"When (the model) doesn't have any clothes on, it's more demanding for the photographer to design the layout, find the perfect angles and create an ideal effect," explained a 30-year-old customer service manager surnamed Ou at Dayu's Beijing office.
"The pictures can be indoors or outdoors, the model can cover the most private parts with a flower, a piece of chiffon or they could use nothing at all. They are the decision-makers about their photos," she added, while showing some sample pictures published on the company's website.
Xiao Yu, who admitted to going on a two-week diet before her shoot as she did not want to see her "muffin top" years later, said she feels nude pictures are about women being outgoing and confident, and have nothing to do with being disrespectful.
"Girls used to wear one-piece swimsuits but now many prefer bikinis, which indicates an open-mindedness in the new era," she said. "It is exactly the same with photography."
Several psychologists also endorsed nude photographs as a way to appreciate youth, suggesting that it is helping Chinese society to break a long-standing taboo.
"We keep photos of naked babies; why can't we keep those of our mature bodies?" asked Ji Xuesong, deputy chief physician at Peking University's clinical psychology center.
Keeping it private
One aspect that has prevented many women from jumping on the bandwagon is privacy - and the potential danger their photos could fall into the wrong hands.
"What if they are leaked?" said Wu Xia, a 22-year-old sales clerk at a multinational consumer goods company in Wuxi, Jiangsu province, who was clearly appalled at the idea of posing for nude pictures.
Although photographers naturally own the creation rights of their work, under Chinese law customers own the portrait rights of such photos, which means if the images are distributed by studios they will face legal penalties.
"Also, charges over pornography (illegal in all forms) would be inevitable if the photos were posted on the Internet," explained Shi Yu, 50, a photography expert and deputy director-general of the China Association of Social Workers' committee of wedding service industries.
To put customers at ease, studios often sign confidentiality contracts that promise whopping sums of money in compensation should the photos be improperly distributed.
"We'd be in big trouble if the photos got out, not only legally but our reputation would be severely damaged," said Ou at Dayu Photo Studio. "We want to get more business in the future, so we're not going to put our neck on the line like that."
She said staff members do all they can to ensure clients' privacy, explaining that the retouching of photos is always done in a private room, while software installed on the computers monitor and record the use of any flash drives or other "removable discs".
"All photos are deleted from the computer in front of the customers as soon as they are given their copies and all samples used on the website are with customers' permission," added Ou.
There are no laws or regulations concerning nude art photography or the qualification of a studio to provide the service, according to legal experts. That means, as long as businesses do not violate public order, the pictures are acceptable.
However, as Wei in Shanghai pointed out, contracts and strict company rules only prevent gentlemen, not villains.
"It's our duty to remind young people that we live in the digital age," added Yi Shenghua, a lawyer at Beijing Yingke Law Firm. "They should be clearly aware of the potential hazards."
Trouble for teens
Nude portraits, as an artform, are permitted by the central authorities. Yet, some social analysts claim the new trend for photos among young people is moving away from artist creation and into "unhealthy" commercialization.
In the past, photographs and drawings of naked women could be viewed only in galleries and public exhibitions. Today, albums of the pictures can be bought at markets.
"Nude art is at risk of being misused in commercial circles," said Wei Pishen, 54, chairman of the Shanghai Photography Trade Association.
"So, if photographic art is becoming a business service, that could cause trouble."
The changes in social values and sexual liberation that nude photo shoots are said to represent could also hinder the development of teenagers, according to Xia Xueluan, a professor of sociology at Peking University.
"Juvenile crime has continued to worsen, especially sexual crimes, to which the open-mindedness of the public and the easy availability of scantily clothed men and women both make great contributions," he said.
"In primitive times, people knew to cover their bodies with leaves. Why are people now taking off their clothes? How can youngsters cast aside etiquette and shame?"
He Lina in Shanghai has a daughter in her 20s. In her bedroom hangs a picture of her playing tennis in a gymnasium, her hair in braids, which He thinks is the right image for teens to learn from.
However, photography expert Shi Yu argued people like He and Xia are simply trying to hold back history.
"Three decades ago, many things we are doing today were prohibited. Who is to say what will be acceptable in 10 years?" he added.
Initially, the photographic techniques for nude shoots were taken from Western examples but, as time has gone on, the Chinese have developed their own aesthetic taste: flawless.
Things like wrinkles or plump arms are simply not allowed in these pictures.
So, as photographers, we have to do our utmost to make customers look perfect. We circle 360 degrees to find their best angles and find ways to hide imperfections with shadows.
The first time I see a model, I tend to build a concept of her (it's usually a her) in my mind based on past experiences. However, women are assertive when it comes to nude portraits, so I just give advice and they make the final decisions.
Instead of getting straight to the nudity, though, we take some photos with costumes to break the ice. That way, the photographer and model get a better understanding of each other and the model gets a feel for standing in front of the camera.
In all, a shoot can last up to two hours, after which we have about 300 photos.
A couple of things are obviously vital in the studio, such as heating. If a model gets cold, their muscles tense up, their expressions become stiff and their skin gets goose bumps. Not good for a shoot.
Also, to avoid making the model feel uncomfortable, as few people as possible are involved in the process. I arrange the lighting myself, while a female makeup artist helps out in emergencies.
We also keep it simple with the scenes. The most commonly used background is the monochrome board, otherwise pictures are taken on a bed. Increasingly, though, we're working in customers' homes, which provide a more relaxed setting.
A decade ago, I worked in a studio in Beijing's Haidian district, close to several colleges. Customers were mainly students and young white-collar workers and, back then, nude photos would cause a bit of a stir.
But recently I've taken nude portraits for a dozen women, some as old as 40. I admire their love of life and I'm touched by their confidence.
I've met some women in their early 20s, who had fully prepared themselves for a nude shoot but, when it came to the critical moment, were unable to disrobe in the studio.
When that happens we tend to give up and take standard fashion photos instead.


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CISA was just signed into law on the same day the new Star Wars movie came out.
CISA was attached to the Omnibus “keep the lights on” spending bill, flew through congress and was signed by the president. Few people knew about it, and even fewer people said anything online as it was happening.
Meanwhile, the Star Wars movie has hundreds of thousands of people rage posting on social websites in a relentless and concentrated attempt to block “spoilers” from getting out.
And, once again, to everyone mad at Obama for sneaking CISA into the Omnibus bill, you do realize this was done by a Republican controlled congress, right? Both congress and/or Obama could have raised hell about CISA in the Omnibus bill and the gross loss of our online privacy. Neither did.
Welcome to the new world of no online privacy and warrant-less searches. Enjoy the movie.


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UPPER EAST SIDE — Sushi has befriended the bloody mary.
At Arlington Club, chef Laurent Tourondel's steak-and-sushi restaurant that opened last November, a new brunch menu launching Saturday will boast bagel-themed sushi.
The "everything smoked salmon" sushi brings together traditional bagel toppings — such as smoked salmon, cream cheese and scallions — with asparagus and daikon.
"Brunch means something different for everyone," Tourondel, 46, said in an email. "For some, who are early risers like myself, brunch is a midday meal and a customer might want to order a more fitting lunch item; for others, they’ll lean towards our more breakfast-y items, which is exactly what I aimed for with this menu."
Other nontraditional items like poached egg and short rib popovers will be served alongside familiar favorites including huevos rancheros and challah French toast with rum-caramelized bananas and roasted pecans.
The food and cocktail menu at the restaurant — which is located at 1032 Lexington Ave. near East 74th Street — wasn't quite finalized on Friday, but dishes will cost about $14 to $24, Tourondel said.
The dishes were inspired by Tourondel's travels through the United States, which showed him different regions' approaches to brunch, said the chef, who is a native of Montlucon, France.
"This menu reflects my interpretations of these classic American dishes, and how I have reimagined them: huevos rancheros, eggs and popovers, and my own take on the eggs benedict," Tourondel said. "I like to incorporate familiar elements in the American style of cooking and use this in new ways."


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Pboc ban bitcoin
Posted On 26.09.1965
The price of Bitcoins slumped on Friday, reacting to the move by the People’s Bank of China to ban financial institutions from using the currency. The price of the virtual currency dropped to 6,148. Friday at 5 pm pboc ban bitcoin Thursday’s high of 7,005.
01 yuan on BTC China, the country’s largest Bitcoin online trading platform by trading volume. The PBOC said Thursday that Bitcoins have no “real meaning”. Market players said the central bank’s warning probably dented investors’ confidence, and some holders of the currency sold their Bitcoins immediately after the PBOC warning. I read the warning and thought that in the future, Bitcoin might not be used and circulated in many cases. That’s why I sold all my holdings for about 12,000 yuan, with a profit of 4,500 yuan,” said Zhao Qun, a Bitcoin collector in Shanghai.
Other investors, however, said people shouldn’t read too much into the price slump, as Bitcoin trading is still active. Bitcoin prices are volatile because the outstanding amount of the virtual currency is limited, the current combined investment into the market is limited and any big capital moves can make prices gyrate,” said Shen Yang, a Beijing investor. In the past, Bitcoin prices have sometimes doubled within 24 hours or dropped more than 50 percent within a day. Judging by the price change on Friday, the value is quite stable,” said a Shanghai market insider who has knowledge of the real-time trading price and volume of Bitcoins in China and the global market. The biggest one-day gain came on Nov 19, when the Bitcoin price surged from 3,226. 01 yuan at the opening to 5,888 yuan.
Shen said Bitcoins are still accepted widely by some online e-commerce platforms and some brick-and-mortar retailers. Basically, you can live well without paying in cash and use only Bitcoins in China, thanks to the widespread acceptance of the virtual currency,” said Shen. THE WEEK Dec 6: In your face! Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. 768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site. It also provides a global converted average of all the currency pairs monitored by ETHNews, converted to USD.
The People’s Bank of China has a new governor, Yi Gang. In the past, Yi has used positive terms to describe bitcoin. China’s National People’s Congress voted to approve President Xi Jinping’s nominee for central bank governor on March 19. With Liu He, the president’s leading economic advisor, also ascending to the position of vice premier that Monday, some are speculating that Yi will play a supporting role to Liu in drafting the country’s economic policy. After being appointed, Yi said that the “main task is that we should implement prudent monetary policy, push forward the reform and opening-up of the financial sector, and maintain the stability of the entire financial sector. As governor, he is expected to continue pursuing the liberalizing agenda of Zhou Xiaochuan, his predecessor in the role. Last week, while still governor, Zhou speculated that digital currency could someday replace paper money in China’s economy.


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There are two principle objectives to marketing: selling a product and communicating a brand. It sounds straightforward, but in practice it is both multi-layered and convoluted.
All the major players in the mobile space hawk their wares across a wide range of media and are increasingly looking to promote their brands with abstract advertising messages, intended to lodge in consumer minds and form some kind of emotional attachment.
The UK mobile market is saturated, with penetration at 123 per cent, according to a recent Ofcom report. Customers are inundated with mobile offers, and are wise to them, so brand is a useful differentiator.
Orange’s ‘I am’ campaign, launched in July, is a case in point; it is abstract and intended to ingratiate itself in the public consciousness.
Initial confusion and skepticism at the ads has given way to a better understanding of them as the message has become clearer, judging by opinion voiced on the internet.
It cost Orange a cool £30 million for the initial schedule and was put together by elite advertising agency Fallon, with a brief to recreate some of the tech cool and mystery of Orange’s seminal ‘The future’s bright, the future’s Orange’ campaign, with which it debuted in 1994.
Orange is the first to admit it has failed in recent times to replicate, and reflect in its service levels, the success of its early marketing. Since its £25 billion sale to France Telecom in 2000, Orange has become unwieldy and service has slipped – hence new UK managing director Tom Alexander’s back-to-basics plan.
Full feature available in Mobile News issue 423 (September 22, 2008).
To subscribe to Mobile News click here


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PharmEasy and Portea to launch 3rd phase of vaccination drive as soon as there is clarity on supply
1mg, MFine have enabled registrations for 45+ age group, while fintech startup PayNearby will leverage 15 Lakh+ PayNearby retail touchpoints across 17,500+ PIN codes for vaccination
Even though the announcement has been made, there is a huge gap between supply and demand which will create only chaos, say some founders
Covid19 Tech Impact
Latest updates & innovations, in-depth resources, live webinars and guides to help businesses navigate through the impact of the COVID19 pandemic on India's economy.
As the 3rd phase of vaccination officially starts today, the question is will it really begin for the millions awaiting vaccination in India?
Opening the third phase of vaccination drive for 18 to 44-year-olds, prime minister Narendra Modi on April 20, said, “Now, half of the vaccines produced in India will be available directly to the states and hospitals. Meanwhile, the Central Government’s vaccination programme for the poor, the elderly and persons above the age of 45 years will continue at the same pace as before. ”
The vaccine registration for the new age group started on April 28 and by end of the day, the Indian government’s platform for vaccine registration Cowin recorded almost 1.33 Cr registrations, reflecting the huge pressure that vaccine centres, hospitals might witness from May 1 onwards.
Besides the addition of the new age group 18-44 years, the central government has also liberalised the vaccination drive to allow states, private hospitals, and healthtech startups to procure the doses directly from manufacturers.
Healthtech or non-healthtech, startups have already been fighting against Covid at multiple fronts be it gathering funds, supporting aid efforts for testing or even home isolation and developing or procuring ventilators and oxygen, software/platform development.
In the case of vaccination drive, while many of the startups have already enabled vaccination booking on their platform, this participation could have been much more, had there been a well thought centralised vaccination policy and implementation, healthtech startups feel.
Even in the current National Vaccination Strategy too — there are a plethora of issues that have made it almost impossible for the private sector to procure vaccines from manufacturers in order to participate in the vaccination drive.
Startups Plan Vaccination Services
Bengaluru-based Portea Medical cofounder Vaibhav Tewari told Inc42, that Portea has already planned to launch a vaccination drive in the first week of May, depending upon the supply chain. Depending upon the availability, Portea plans to launch in the 15-16 cities across India. This will also enable one to get vaccinated at home.
Mumbai-based healthtech unicorn PharmEasy has announced plans to vaccinate over 3 Cr families via 5,000 partner centres, pan-India over the next few quarters. The company will leverage its presence across India, with over 80,000 partner retailers, 5,000 doctors and pharma supply chain facilities to enable last-mile delivery of cold chain products. The company has come up with a Google docs form for vaccine registration.
“We have been overwhelmed with the response so far. Over 50 lakh individuals and 750 organisations have already made a soft commitment to vaccinate themselves and their respective families in the last 24 hours alone, with many more joining us each minute,” said the company in a statement.
Startups such as Gurugram-based 1mg and Bengaluru-based mFine have so far enabled vaccine registrations for people aged over 45 years. The vaccination charge on these platforms stands at INR 250. However, the platforms are merely accepting the registrations and charges are being levied by the vaccine centres. Both will reportedly start accepting registrations for 18 year-olds too, once there will be clarity on the supply side.
It’s not just healthtech startups that are aiding citizens in the vaccination drive. Mumbai-based payments startup PayNearby has rolled out plans to leverage its distribution network to assist citizens in enrolling in the vaccination program. The company has introduced a CoWIN registration module within its trade app, that will enable PayNearby Digital Pradhans to seamlessly assist local communities to register for the vaccination process.
In sync with the government’s efforts to immunise citizens, 15 Lakh+ PayNearby retail touch points across 17,500+ PIN codes will be leveraged to create community awareness around the program and assist citizens to overcome tech and language barriers, and seamlessly register themselves on the CoWIN app, said the company.
This local trust will be channelised to create social awareness around the importance of immunization and also assist citizens limited by tech ability and language barriers to seamlessly register for the vaccination program.
While Startups Amplify Efforts, Vaccine Policy Flummoxes Stakeholders
While the Indian government has flagged off the third phase of vaccination drive, there is very little chance that anyone under the age of 45 will get a vaccine from May 1 onwards, due to the dearth of vaccines. Most of the vaccination centres in Mumbai and Delhi have been shut down for the past few days citing no supply of the vaccine. This has already created a furor at multiple centres with thousands of people roaming around the centres seeking vaccines.
Similar is the case with the participation of the private sector. There is currently no information or guideline on startups or the private sector’s participation even if the announcement has been made.
A former secretary at the Ministry of Finance told Inc42, the entire hullabaloo could have been avoided had the announcement been made in sync with the supply. For instance, the Phase 3 vaccination programme could have been announced to launch from May 15 onwards after ensuring that all the states have received enough vaccine doses to disburse. Similarly, the government badly failed in addressing the shortage of raw materials in due time which heavily impacted the vaccine production. To add further, the export of vaccines was permitted without giving much due attention to the rising curve of Covid at home. As a result, we have now agreed to import some of the exported vaccines at much higher price.
On the vaccination front, private hospitals and startups continue to wait for clear guidelines. Girdhar J. Gyani, director general, Association of Healthcare Providers (India) said, “As on date, the private sector has no clarity about delivery of vaccines for the 18+ population, who will be looking forward to vaccination from 1 May. We have suggested that as there is very little time left to have dialogue with vaccine manufacturers, we should continue to get supply through states as presently being done.”
Escalating the confusion further, union health ministry secretary Rajesh Bhushan in a letter dated April 23 told all state chief secretaries that unutilised vaccine stock balance as on April 30 should be returned to the cold chain point from where they were issued. The states accordingly have already issued advisories to the hospitals in this regard. However, a senior official from Apollo Hospitals Group, which will roll out vaccination for 18+ citizens, said that such a notification is a complete abuse of the supply chain as well as a waste of time. Instead the government could have come up with certain clarification pertaining to the use of remaining doses.
Another healthtech startup founder who is actively engaged with government officials over vaccination, told us on the condition of anonymity, that even though the government has green signalled the import of other vaccines such as Moderna, Pfizer, and others, there are multiple issues with the import which have not been completely resolved. While Sputnik V by Dr Reddy Lab will take another month, making the import of these vaccines tough.
Barring selected centres of Apollo and Max, most of the private centres are expected to launch the third phase of vaccination drive only after May 15. In such a case even if the announcement has been made, there is a huge gap between supply and demand which will create only chaos, said a healthtech startup founder.
So, what could have been the right approach? To start with, speaking with the stakeholders which not only include states but also private players — hospitals, and healthtech startups — should have been the first step. Perhaps, private players could have been involved since day one which would have created multi fronts for vaccine disbursal and those who could afford to pay for vaccines would have opted for private channels.


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Take-Two Interactive, a prominent videogame publisher, experienced a decline in its shares following the release of a disappointing forecast for revenue.
For the fiscal third quarter, Take-Two reported adjusted revenue (net bookings) of $1.34 billion, which aligned with the consensus among analysts tracked by FactSet. The company also disclosed adjusted earnings per share of 71 cents for the December quarter, just shy of the average analyst estimate of 72 cents.
However, Take-Two’s guidance for the current quarter was concerning. The company provided an adjusted revenue guidance range of $1.27 billion to $1.32 billion for the March quarter, significantly lower than the average analyst estimate of $1.51 billion. In a news release, Take-Two attributed this decrease to weakness in mobile advertising and NBA 2K24 title revenue.
CEO Strauss Zelnick commented on the situation, stating, “We are reducing our outlook for the year to reflect these factors, as well as a planned release moving out of the fourth quarter. We are currently working on a significant cost reduction program across our entire business to maximize our margins, while still investing for growth.”
As a result of these developments, Take-Two shares plummeted by 8.3%, reaching $155.50 in aftermarket trading on Thursday.
During a phone interview with ‘s, Zelnick acknowledged that there had been a decline in demand for NBA 2K24 on older console platforms. On a different note, when asked about the reception for the trailer of GTA VI, Zelnick expressed his excitement, stating that it had “broke the internet” and emphasized his high anticipation for the upcoming title.


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Kellogg launches Special K Nourish in Australia
Cereal manufacturer Kellogg has launched a new variety, Special K Nourish, in its iconic breakfast brand Special K.
Kellogg said the new variety contains ‘superfoods’ such as oats, quinoa, pepita seeds and cranberries.
The new Special K Nourish variety follows the release in February 2014 of a new three-grain Special K variety.
Now with a blend of ingredients including nutrient-rich multigrain flakes, fruits, seeds, nuts and crunchy oat, quinoa and rye clusters, Special K Nourish is a wholesome cereal option which is high in fibre, and contains whole grains and protein, with the goodness of seven essential vitamins and minerals such as iron.
“Special K has changed. It’s taking a new, healthier direction in 2014 and the launch of Special K Nourish is the next significant step,” said Kate Harris, Senior Brand Manager for Special K. “After revamping the Special K flake recipe, we wanted to create some even more nutritious options for Aussie women who we know are looking for quick, great tasting breakfast options which help them feel good about their choices and maintain a healthy lifestyle,” she said.
Karen Martini, chef and judge on TV show My Kitchen Rules, has partnered with Special K on this latest breakfast innovation and has created six new home-cooked recipes inspired by some of the individual nourishing ingredients in Special K Nourish.
“As a mother and a chef, I believe it’s essential to use honest, humble and healthy ingredients,” Ms Martini said. “Simple is often best and I’m excited that the new Special K range now includes the ancient grain quinoa – which was once worshipped by the Aztecs for its protein content – nutritious pumpkin seeds, and tasty fruit pieces. It’s important to start the day on the right foot, and the launch of Special K Nourish makes my food choices at breakfast a lot easier,” she said.
Breakfast lovers can choose from three delicious flavours: Special K Nourish Blackcurrant, Apple & Pepita; Special K Nourish Wildberry, Raisin & Pepita; and Special K Nourish Apricot, Cranberry & Almond.
Special K Nourish is available from Coles and Woolworths supermarkets, as well as leading independent supermarkets nationwide for RRP $5.99.
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Mar. 7, 2017
Spanish bottling companies have been advised to request taste panel results along with the chemical analyses to ensure their products comply with standards.
Oct. 24, 2014
Students Design Device to Detect Indicators of Rancidity
A simple device developed by students at UC Davis can help monitor the quality of olive oil along the supply chain.
Jun. 19, 2013
The 'Peroxide Value' of Olive Oil
The peroxide index indicates the quality of life attributed to a virgin olive oil from the moment it was produced to when it was packaged.
May. 22, 2012
How Heat, Light and Oxygen Harm Olive Oil
A three-year study by Australian scientists confirms that oxygen, light and heat are among extra virgin olive oil’s worst enemies, and serves as a reference for calculating shelf life.
Nov. 15, 2010
Good Oils Gone Bad: Recognizing Olive Oil Defects
What good olive oil tastes like and how to recognize some of the defects in an oil past its prime.


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From 20K To 100 Cr: Odisha Entrepreneur Braja Rout Is Stealing Market Share From McDonald’s & Burger King
Bengaluru/Bhubaneswar: It was in 2016 that IT professional-turned-entrepreneur from Odisha, Biraja Rout, established a quick-service restaurant chain called ‘Biggies Burger’ from Bangaluru. And today, his QRS start-up is competing with McDonald’s & Burger King by offering a delightful taste of authentic grilled burgers to its customers.
A resident of Bhubaneswar, who did his BTech from Silicon Institute of Technology (SIT), Biraja moved to Bengaluru in 2011 to work at Infosys. It was here that he tasted burgers for the first time at the age of 21 and fell in love with it. “I was aware of the famous vada pav from Mumbai, but I had never seen a burger all my life. I was aghast to know that despite its existence across the world as well as in some parts of India, it was unavailable in my hometown,” he told The Better India.
During his research on burgers, he found that there was not a single Indian homegrown burger chain and saw an opportunity to scale up a global burger QSR from India.
Biraja started with only Rs 20,000 and a dream of reforming India’s fast food culture. “I started from scratch which includes a basic understanding of burger ingredients, and the art of making it from YouTube and blogs. After diving deep into the burger-making process, I came up with a small kiosk that was 5×5 feet where I started Biggies Burger. I spent my weekends selling burgers at my kiosk near my office which attracted food enthusiasts from all around. The struggle to start Biggies Burger yielded initial results when one of my customers volunteered to take a franchise Biggies Burger. Today we are a franchising-led business,” the food chain’s founder told Livemint.
He told a podcast that his roommate Subrat took a loan of Rs 1.5 lakh to support him. “My financial condition was not good and I used to use credit card to buy lettuce from Namdhamri’s Koramangala as it was not available everywhere. Those hard days have taught us how to run a company in an optimised way,” he said.
By 2016, he had four franchises — two in Bengaluru, and one in Raipur and Bhubaneswar each as two customers and a friend decided to expand the business and invested about Rs 20 lakh. Then they all quit their respective jobs to focus entirely on growing the business. “We increased the range of products, which remain healthy, as our products are grilled or baked, but not fried. Our burgers have lean meat, and we use wheat buns,” he said.
Amid reports about junk food adversely affecting people’s health, Braja introduced baked burgers, which he claims has 30 per cent less calories than others in the market.
The burgers cost between Rs 150 and Rs 200.
Today, his burger chain has 46 outlets across 14 cities, earning him crores. Each outlet now also has about 400 sq feet of space that allows customers to sit and enjoy a comfortable experience. In addition, the company has also entered the cafe segment with ‘BIGG Cafe’, the gourmet burger cafe.
This year, Braja is eyeing a revenue of Rs 100 crore with its primary focus on increasing the store count and venturing into new regions.


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Chinese auto maker and umbrella company for several marques, Geely, is due to take a 49.9% share in Proton, and from Proton a 51% share in Lotus.
Geely Holdings Group, which is also the parent company of Volvo Cars, says it expects the deal wil be finalised by mid-July 2017.
Lotus’ next owners hope to gain more expertise in research and development from the British brand, as well as exploring manufacturing possibilities, and strengthening market presence.
“With Proton and Lotus joining the Geely Group portfolio of brands we strengthen our global footprint and develop a beachhead in South East Asia,” says Daniel Donghui Li, vice president and CFO of Geely Holding Group.
“Reflecting our experience accumulated through Volvo Car’s revitalization, we also aim to unleash the full potential of Lotus Cars and bring it into a new phase of development by expanding and accelerating the rolling out of new products and technologies.”
Since it was founded in 1986, the Chinese conglomerate claims it has sold a combined 1.3 million vehicles.
A new owner could mean a better chance for Lotus to survive, as a company with as much investment power behind it as Geely is likely to have no issue throwing plenty of cash in to get as much out of it as possible.
Geely says that Volvo Cars has already benefited from joining the portfolio of brands due to globally focused management, and access to innovative technologies.
Could this mean we’re about to see a resurgence in the popularity and presence of Lotus? Watch this space…


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A new report from the American Booksellers Association (ABA) and Civic Economics reveals the continuing — and increasing — loss of jobs and essential state and municipal revenue as a result of the growing retail dominance of Amazon.com. The report documents both Amazon’s sales and, for the first time, the explosive growth of sales through its third-party Marketplace from 2014 to 2016. And the report makes clear that Amazon’s sales tax avoidance strategy has continued despite well-publicized agreements with American states.
“This important new study reaffirms ABA’s commitment to document the growing negative impact Amazon has on the overall U.S. economy,” said ABA CEO Oren Teicher. “It makes clear that while Main Street retailers won a significant victory when Amazon began collecting sales tax, the accelerating growth of its third-party sellers has continued to rob cities and towns of needed sales tax revenue. This shortfall cuts the revenue necessary for schools, first responders, and infrastructure, and continues the shift of billions of dollars of retail away from Main Street, causing a staggering loss of jobs to the U.S. economy.”
Prime Numbers: Amazon and American Communities, released by ABA on April 4, 2018, paints a comprehensive picture of Amazon’s impact at the state and national level.
Civic Economics estimates that Amazon’s total retail sales in the U.S. in 2016 (the most recent figures available), including third-party merchants, exceeded $130 billion. Those sales represent 44,000 empty storefronts and 637,000 displaced retail workers, only minimally offset by Amazon’s employment in distribution facilities.
Marketplace sales grew from 46 percent of Amazon’s retail sales in the U.S. in 2014 to 56 percent in 2016, more than doubling in volume over the same period. Amazon’s direct sales grew at a much slower pace, resulting in a significant shift toward third-party sellers, which are left to their own discretion to decide whether and where to remit sales taxes.
Moreover, a recent report from the federal General Accounting Office estimates that such third-party online sellers “likely collect and remit between 14 percent and 33 percent of potential sales taxes to state and local authorities.” Based on that range, Prime Numbers estimates the total uncollected state and local sales taxes in 2016 at as much as $5 billion, resulting in shortfalls that leave states, cities, and towns scrambling to fund schools, first responders, infrastructure, and other services.
The growth of online sales in general and Amazon in particular has had a visible impact on American communities, exhibited by the much-discussed “retail apocalypse” as retail activity increasingly moves from commercial districts to industrial parks.
“Online retail is a fundamental reality of the 21st century, but advances in technology don’t eliminate the fact that all businesses should be competing on an even playing field, and that elected officials must ensure that local businesses — which do much more to sustain a community’s long-term economic health — get the same resources and benefits given to large corporate retailers,” added Teicher.
ABA and Civic Economics have made the full Prime Numbers report available online at www.CivicEconomics.com/primenumbers.html. Detailed information is also available for each state and the District of Columbia, allowing readers and policymakers to see for themselves how their community is affected.
Booksellers are encouraged to share this report with their customers, neighboring businesses, area shop-local organizations, and local officials. Booksellers can visit the New Localism Toolkit in BookWeb’s Designs & Downloads for sample social media posts and an updated infographic showing how Amazon impacts Americans and their communities. State-specific letter templates that booksellers can send to legislators are available in the Antitrust Action Kit on BookWeb.
Booksellers can also follow ABA on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram and IndieBound on Facebook and Twitter, where they are invited to share ABA’s posts about Prime Numbers or use the language in ABA’s posts to adapt for their own social media outlets. To promote the report, ABA is using the hashtags #RealCostofAmazon and #TakeBackMainStreet.


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As the motorcycle industry starts to go electric, we can’t help but wonder what bikes of the future will look like, especially the most popular models.
Yamaha is one brand that’s already given us a glimpse of what its electrified future looks like, courtesy of some of the battery-powered scooters that it’s revealed in the past. Now, the motorcycle manufacturer is back with yet another new electric model, and it looks a lot like the NMax.
Of course, this isn’t the NMax’s electric successor—we reckon we may be a bit far from seeing such a bike. This is the new E01, Yamaha’s new electric concept that it will be rolling out in Europe, Indonesia, Malaysia, Japan, Taiwan, and Thailand for real-world proof-of-concept testing later this year.
Is the Yamaha Neo’s electric scooter’s 37km base range enough for Filipino riders?
Yamaha is launching a new electric scooter with a swappable battery system
More details about the Yamaha E01
The reason this electric scooter is styled this way is that the model-specific frame has a design “reflecting the technology garnered through sportbike development.” Its looks are also based on Yamaha’s Jin-Ki Kanno EV Design concept that was used to create the Motoroid.
Yamaha says E01 features usability equal to that of a 50-125cc gasoline-powered scooter. It packs a Yamaha-developed electric motor capable of 10.86hp. While it may not pack a swappable battery like the EMF, it still boasts a maximum, range of 104km, which is plenty enough for a cramped urban space like Metro Manila.


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Follow the podcast on
More support could be on the way for the tourism regions most affected by the closure of international borders.
New figures show tourism spending in Otago dropped by almost a quarter last year, while many tourism businesses in Fox Glacier are operating at 20 percent normal capacity.
Finance Minister Grant Robertson says the Government is looking at a number of support options.
But he told Mike Hosking any support will need to be targeted to protecting a core, long-term tourism sector, while we wait for a trans-Tasman bubble.
"The Government won't be able to save every business, but it wants there to be a tourism sector ready to go, when borders eventually reopen."


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Changes have been made to gameplay, Pro Clubs, Ultimate Team, and more with FIFA 17's first update.
Find out which Madden 17 players got buffed and nerfed this week!
A free Madden NFL 17 trial arrives for a limited time on consoles.
The Browns won big and the Rams lost big in this week's Madden ratings update—and that's not a typo.
Find out what's changed in the second Madden NFL 17 title update.
Madden NFL 17 has amazing attention to detail—except for this colossal goof.


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Better Factories Cambodia (BFC) says its programme is showing real results in the working conditions of garment workers but admits there is more work to be done in relation to gender differences in areas such as wages and harassment.
The BFC, which is a partnership between the UN’s International Labour Organization (ILO) and the International Finance Corporation (IFC), engages with employers’ and workers’ organisations, government partners, and international apparel brands to pursue dual objectives of improving working conditions and firm competitiveness. It was recently extended for a further three years.
“Results show that factories receiving the full package of BFC services achieve improvements in compliance systematically above the industry average,” says Sara Park, Better Factories Cambodia programme manager. “This is a strong indication that commitment to improving working conditions, through an integrated approach of greater compliance enforcement, training, and advisory services, are key determinants of both business success and the well-being of workers.”


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Alumna launches her own beauty brand after founding student organization
Beauty entrepreneur Taylor Sanders discusses her early success and credits Temple for helping her pursue her passions.
While Taylor Sanders, TYL ’21, FOX ’21, was launching her beauty brand Snake Magic Skin Care, she felt like giving up. But she remembered a message she heard at Temple.
“Perseverance conquers is something Temple says, and I feel it does,” said Sanders, who is originally from Prince George’s County, Maryland. “If I would have stopped, nothing I accomplished would have happened. Persevering helped me achieve my goals, and I hope it continues to do so.”
At Temple, Sanders was inspired to turn her passion for beauty into a business. Snake Magic Skin Care sells body scrubs and bath bombs, which are clean skin care products that Sanders manufactures.
“When I was a kid, my mom loved Bath and Body Works, so she would get scrubs from there. I wanted to use them, but she wouldn’t let me. So I decided to make my own, and it became a thing,” said Sanders.
Eventually she’d like the company to have a full skin care and body care line—becoming a self-care, lifestyle brand—and for the products to be sold in Target, Sephora and Ulta.
Sanders also wants to cultivate a welcoming community for Snake Magic. “I think skin care and self-care can feel forced down our throats,” she said. “I just want my brand to feel fun and empowering. Being rooted in feel-good and easy skin care is something that makes us different.”
Snake Magic began when Sanders entered Fox’s Be Your Own Boss Bowl as a novice entrepreneur. After working with investors and business professionals, Sanders learned she could take her business to the next level. She made a website, started marketing campaigns and recently had her first brand photo shoot.
“It takes bravery and a lot of confidence to be an entrepreneur,” said Sanders. “Being an entrepreneur has taught me to be someone who creates space, which can be so impactful, and I learned that from Temple.”
Sanders’ commitment to community was also evident in her founding of the Temple student organization Women of Color Creatives in 2019 during her junior year. The club’s mission is to empower creative women of color, making an inclusive space that spans all schools.
“I was a transfer student [from Goucher College] and didn’t know anybody, so I figured if I couldn’t find the sisterhood that I wanted, I was just going to create it,” said Sanders.
Sanders credits the organization’s executive board members for continuing the mission and vision, especially after she stepped down as president during the pandemic when she couldn’t come to campus.
“I’m proud I made a space that’s going beyond me,” Sanders said about Women of Color Creatives. “I imagine myself years from now coming back to see that this club is huge on campus. I hope to be super successful and contribute to my community at Temple, especially Women of Color Creatives.”
At Temple, Sanders also learned that it was okay to change direction. Originally an art history major at Tyler, she entered the international business program at Fox as well.
“My two dreams were accomplished at Temple being both an art and business student,” said Sanders. “Fox opened my mind to being an entrepreneur and doing multiple things and made me realize I don’t only have to be creative as an artist; I can be creative in so many other ways.”
“Temple allowed me to be a lot more creative in my pursuits and goals. I figured out things while in college, and I’m still figuring out a lot now.”
Currently, Sanders works as a content editor. In May, she’ll begin a new role as an account representative for CDW in Chicago. In this new position, she plans to grow and learn what part of business she’s most interested in.
“I’m really interested to see how my career becomes different things,” she said. “I never imagined myself being a one-trick pony. Everyone, all my professors at Temple, told me I could do anything, opening all these career paths for me.”
Ultimately, Sanders is proud she transferred to Temple. “I became more confident in myself and my decisions at Temple,” she said. “It made me a doer.”


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LYNN — Less than a week after controversial comments about police from the daughter of a Central Square coffee shop owner went viral, the one-year-old shop is closing.
“I’ve lost my business and I’ve lost my daughter … I don’t know how this story just keeps building, but I need people to leave me alone,” said Kato Mele, owner of the White Rose Coffeehouse. “I’m closing my business so I can stop being harassed.”
The final straw came last night, she said, when she arrived home to find a TV crew in her driveway.
Last weekend, Sophie CK, Mele’s 23-year-old daughter, posted on her personal Facebook page that she would never host a “Coffee with a Cop” event at her family’s establishment.
Her posting ignited a debate that got ugly when Sophie called police bullies and racist killers. The response was swift by others who defended police and said the shop should be boycotted.
Mele apologized for Sophie’s remarks, fired her, and invited police to her shop on Monday to make amends. But the police did not show, and the usual morning crowd never materialized either.
By Tuesday night, Mele had had enough.
“This is completely out of control,” she said. “I just want to be left alone.”


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FROM Louis Hyman
The Dangers of Alluring Layaway Plans Christmas "layaway" plans go back to the Great Depression, when retail stores wanted to keep low-income shoppers. Credit cards put an end to all that but this year, "layaway" is being revived in a big way by Walmart, Sears, Toys "R" Us and many others. Louis Hyman is Professor of Labor Relations, Law and History at Cornell University. He's author of Debtor Nation : The History of America in Red Ink.
Mixed Messages from US diplomats on the new hard line on Syria Since President Trump's surprise retaliation against Syria's use of chemical weapons, Bashar al-Assad has used the same airport to launch conventional attacks on his own people. It's not clear what the US, its allies — or Vladimir Putin's Russia -- plan to do now.
Trump's ethical conflicts pile up as transparency diminishes President Trump's refusal to reveal his income tax returns is just one example of a lack of transparency that could be hiding conflicts of interest. Other conflicts are already obvious from his appointments. And he's being sued for using his job to increase his profits.


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A Japanese maker of high-tech materials for one of the world’s most advanced aircrafts is now turning its attention to something more down to earth: a new textile to keep style-conscious consumers toasty during the chilly months, but one whose lightweight characteristics offer greater comfort than traditional cool-weather wear.
Toray Industries, which makes strong but amazingly light carbon-fiber materials for Boeing‘s newest passenger aircraft, the 787 Dreamliner, said earlier this month it has developed a synthetic fiber for cool-weather garments that is lighter and stronger than wool. Yet the new product has a fuller body suited to prevailing trends. Its name – Airlissimo – even sounds like an airline. (Italian, perhaps?)
“We will go into a category that has been dominated by fabrics such as wool,” said Kazumine Torigoe, general manager of Toray’s women’s and menswear fabrics department. The company will start with new fabrics for jackets and coats, then expand into women’s dresses and skirts, he added. Japan Real Time has more.


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Motorcycle Industry News
On Aug. 8, 2011, Stephen K. Iggens will officially become the president of S&S Cycle Inc., the motorcycle motor manufacturer says.
Iggens is no stranger to the company, though; he served as Executive Controller, Director of Finance/CFO and CFO/Vice President of Finance at S&S between 2003 and 2006.
2012 World Superbike
In 2012, the World Superbike Championship is expected to begin in Russia. This news arrived last week after the CEO of Infront Motor Sports, which promotes World Superbike, and the CEO of Yakhnich Motorsport of Russia, Alexander Yakhnich, announced that a partnership has been reached between the two companies.
Hiroshi Yasukawa has been appointed by Dorna Sports as an advisor to company CEO, Carmelo Ezpeleta.
Yasukawa will bring a wealth of motorsport experience to the MotoGP rights holder and will provide his insight on the further development of the sport.
America Motorcycle Sales
Motorcycle sales among major brands rose 7.2 percent in the first quarter of 2011, compared to the same period last year, according to the Motorcycle Industry Council’s Retail Sales Report. This report tracks sales among 18 leading brands being sold in the U.S.
2011 AMA Supercross
With the stars of the AMA Supercross Championship poised to kick off the 2011 season in Anaheim, Calif., today, the AMA is excited to be on location for what promises to kick off one of the most exciting championship battles in years.
The Board of Directors of Hulman & Company and affiliated companies, including the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, has received the resignation of Anton H. "Tony" George from the board of directors effective immediately, according to Mari Hulman George, chairman.
"As members of his family, we are sorry to see Tony leave," said Mrs. George. "We are grateful for his service to our company as a board member and of course for formerly serving as CEO and president of our companies. I speak for our whole family in wishing him well.
Having signed a distribution agreement with Precision Motor India Private Limited and Radiant Motorcycles, and following on from the opening of the first Ducati Store in Mumbai, Ducati continues to impact on the Indian market. On Friday 18th December, and in the presence of a very special guest, India’s second Ducati show room was officially opened for business.
Nicky Hayden, Ducati’s factory rider in the MotoGP Championship, was invited to inaugurate the Ducati Store in Gurgaon, one of the most dynamic and modern districts of the Indian capital.
Confederate Motorcycles, a premiere American-made luxury motorcycle manufacturing company, will unveil a new apparel line, created exclusively for Confederate by Kushitani at the Los Angeles Auto Show December 4-13.
"It’s a thrilling time to be a part of Confederate," Matt Chambers, CEO and founder of Confederate Motors, said. "We have made some important and exciting partnerships with the world’s best creators of motorcycle apparel and helmets and it is an honor to be able to provide these items for our current and future clients."
LeoVince USA has added six new staff members to its in-house team. After the news of creating a single distributor relationship with Tucker Rocky, LeoVince recently bolstered its staff with three new in-house sales positions. Todd Lewis, Chris Hayer and Drew Patterson join LeoVinces sales staff.
In addition to this they have also added Rick Marlin, former CEO and President of Suomy USA & Gearbox international to head their sales team.


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Beloved discount retailer Target has announced that it will close all 133 of its Canadian locations in the coming weeks due to low profitability. Despite the fanfare that accompanied its entree into the Canadian market in 2013, Target was never able to fully court the Canadian customer with common complaints including higher prices than expected, limited stock availability and an overall less exciting and varied array of product compared to its U.S. locations.
The company’s decision to pull out of Canada will leave approximately 17,600 people out of work, though it has agreed to pay nearly all employees a minimum of 16 weeks compensation — roughly $70 million in total — including wages and benefits.
Although Target Canada was hotly anticipated and eagerly welcomed by Canadian consumers, many claimed that they still traveled across the border to reap the benefits of the chain’s fashionable items at low prices. In the meantime, Target stores will remain open throughout the liquidation process so Canadian shoppers may finally score some good deals.


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Yesterday, I attended a press junket for Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII, the latest in the megaseries and our first chance to see the game in action. The game, from what little we saw, could be cool. The press junket, on the other hand, wasn't great. We got very little new info that isn't already in the game's Final Fantasy Wiki entry. We spent a good chunk of time watching an extended cut of the trailer that we've already seen. There was a brief gameplay demo that raised more questions than it answered.
Kinja is in read-only mode. We are working to restore service.


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Beef prices have remained constrained in 2019 but reports suggest things could be starting to improve. An autumn cattle surplus filled chillers and left a backlog last year as rising costs and forage shortages meant cattle were offloaded to avoid expensive winter feeding bills. However, early reports are that deadweight prices are beginning to […]
The post Flat beef trade continues into new year appeared first on Farmers Weekly
To be updated with the latest information in the raising livestock industry to can check out our raising livestock latest news. On the other hand if you are starting livestock farming and would like to start professional livestock rearing today get a copy of our Profitable Livestock ebook.
When animals are raised in the pasture-based system they are allowed to graze openly and eat nutritious grass and other plants that are easily digested by their bodies. The animals welfare is greatly increased when they graze on pasture.
Sustainable livestock farming also helps in lowering damage to the environment plus the produces such as meat, eggs and milk is more nutritious and taste better than food from factory farms.
Livestock Health Benefits:
Livestock that are kept in restricted factory farms have less quality life than those raised on pasture. Animals when raised on gree pasture can move around and live an all natural life where else in factory farms the animals are all crowded in confined facilities. These facilities don’t have sunlight or fresh air allowing bacteria to develope and affect the livestock. This then results in the animals being provided with antibiotics which is not best for the livestock.
Since a great deal of livestock eat grass, grazing them on pasture has a lot of benefits. Some of the benefits are the livestock are able to produce secretion which is good for neutralizing acids that is in their digestive system. Since grain fed livestock produce less saliva they often suffer from dehydration, intestine harm and even death.
Human Health Benefits:
Livestock farmed on pasture produce more nutritious eggs, beef, milk which is ideal for consumers then livestock raised on grains. Adding to that, pasture raised foods have a more healthy balance of omega-3 plus omega-6 fats than your conventional foods. Their supplement levels are greater as well.
It’s no question that sustainable livestock farming is the way to go if you would like to be a successful livestock farmer. The livestock are raised in a healthy way and the produce is good for us human beings.


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Tilting Point’s SpongeBob: Krusty Cook-Off has surpassed 50 million downloads.
Krusty Cook-Off saw immediate success as the most pre-registered users of any Nickelodeon game, exceeding 17 million pre-registrations.
At launch, Krusty Cook-Off was one of the top 10 most downloaded games in 97 countries on iOS, and 79 countries on Google Play. Within its first week the game reached 2.2 million daily active users.
In Spongebob: Krusty Cook-Off, players interact with characters from the show and navigate their way across the various restaurants in Bikini Bottom in over 400 story levels.
The secret formula
Corresponding with the milestone is a new Halloween themed in-game event that lets players "earn spooky cookies" to rack up in-game rewards, such as costumes, gems and more.
Additionally, the collection of kitchens in-game has expanded to include Chef Glovey’s Restaurant, home of "wonderful waffles" and other "delicious dishes" in the theme park, Glove World. The limited time event, Chef Glovey’s Food Truck, will give players a taste of the new restaurant.
Krusty Cook-Off is available free-to-play on iOS and Android, and also on Nintendo Switch for $14.99 in the US, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, and recently launched across all of Africa.
Within the coming weeks, the game will be available for Switch in Europe and Asia. Tilting Point recently revealed a partnership with Huya to bring the game to mainland China.
Krusty Cook-Off is also available on PC via the Microsoft Store.


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Can you name a condom brand other than Durex? Many will find it difficult: Durex is by far the world’s top-selling condom maker. But, in the short term at least, some consumers may have trouble spotting the multicolored Durex boxes in pharmacies and supermarket shelves.
This is because Durex’s supply of condoms from India has stopped since May, according to a spokesman for Reckitt Benckiser, the U.K.-based group that owns Durex. This is a pretty big deal: in a recent note to investors, Citibank estimates that the Indian manufacturer produced between 50-60% of Durex condoms globally.
Durex accounts for 42% of the global condom market, according to a 2010 research note by stockbroker Taylor Collison, so simple mathematics tells us that this spat could affect over 20% of the contraceptive’s supply world wide. (The U.S. is a big exception: this is one market where Trojan condoms reign supreme.)
So what is threatening a global shortage of Durex condoms? A spat between Reckitt Benckiser and TTK Lig, their Indian joint-venture partners. Reckitt Benckiser did not say what was causing the dispute but said via email that it hoped this would be resolved soon. It declined to comment in more detail because it is “involved in legal action” over the supply halt. TTK were not reachable for comment.
The effects of the dispute are already starting to show. In its report, Citi notes that the “Indian supply disruption is beginning to result in supply shortages of Durex condoms at the retailer level.” In a note posted on its Web site late last month, the U.K.’s National Health Service said it “regrets to inform customers” of the possible Durex drought and offered them a list of alternative brands.
Durex competitors are already cheering. The Citi report said that Durex rival Ansell is set “to make a windfall gain” since it is “well placed to pick up the majority of Durex’s lost sales across many markets.” With a around 15% share of the market, Ansell is the world’s second-largest condom producer.
This pushed Citi to lift their earnings forecast for Ansell for the year through June 2012 by 0.8%. They are maintaining their “Buy” recommendation on Ansell stock.


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With the holiday season just around the corner, FedEx is getting for an early peak in shipping volume.
In fact, the US courier company has forecasted its busiest day to be Monday, 10th December with 19 million shipments being handled by its global network of freight, express and courier staff.
“The continued trend toward record peak volumes is a testament to the strength, speed and reliability of the FedEx Ground and FedEx SmartPost networks,” said Frederick W. Smith, founder and chairman of FedEx.
Compared to the shipping volume generated on 12th December 2012, FedEx expects 2 million more shipments to be moved through the hands of its Christmas staff this year. This would result in a year-on-year increase of 10 percent.
“FedEx team members from around the globe, 300,000 strong, are prepared to help drive commerce during the busy holiday season and beyond”, confirmed Smith.
20,000 additional staff will be hired to help with the increased shipping volume. FedEx hopes to move approximately 280 million shipments between Thanksgiving and Christmas through its network.
Source: Post&Parcel / FedEx


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Facebook finally put an end to the video for Instagram rumors, by making that feature official today. The social network held a press event at its Menlo Park headquarters to unveil “something big” and to share a cup of coffee with a few shortlist invited reporters. In an unprecedented move, Facebook sent out paper invitations to the event, in addition to the specific mention of a cup of Joe offered up as well. So Instagram will include 15 seconds of video uploads which allow it to compete with Twitter Vine service, that features 6 second video loops. Instagram has also announced over 130 million active members, and tripling their team.
The CEO of Instagram, kevin Systrom mentioned that Instagram is about moments, visual images. Instagram is on a quest to record meaningful and everyday moments, that may have otherwise been forgotten, and capture them. Capture and share the world’s moments. Allow different people like chefs, actors, to create a community not just about photos, but about coming together. There are 16 billion photos have been shared on Instagram, with over 1 billion likes a day! There are 130 million people who use Instagram every month.
Video for Instagram
Instagram is launching a video feature that allows 15 second uploads, which it considers the right balance. The video and new cinema feature to make your videos more beautiful, will be available for the iOS and Android apps. Instagram also called on the community for what features video editors would really appreciate. So now it lets you easily remove clips from videos and then apply 13 brand new custom filters to the videos like Moon, Skyline, Vesper, Stinson and more. Instagram’s team focused on “Simplicity, Beauty and Community” and can’t wait to see what videos we all start to share!


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Ozark Harley-Davidson Buell
2300 Evergreen Parkway
Lebanon, Mo. 65536
Jack and Debi Fleming
Owners Jack and Debi Fleming have been long-time Harley-Davidson enthusiasts and even had their first date on a Harley. Jenna Eidson, who handles marketing for Ozark Harley-Davidson/Buell, says the couple’s enthusiasm is contagious throughout the dealership. The Fleming family worked together in a family owned trucking company prior to the H-D dealership. In 1997 after having sold his share of the trucking company, Jack Fleming discovered there was a H-D dealership for sale in Lebanon, Mo. “After many months of paperwork and waiting, Jack and Debi were finally approved by Harley-Davidson to become dealers,” Eidson said. “They reopened the dealership under their ownership Sept. 1, 1998.” The Fleming family wanted their dealership to be known for outstanding customer service. “They know what it’s like to be in the customers’ shoes and they want to do whatever they can to help fulfill people’s dreams of living the Harley lifestyle,” Eidson said. In June 2001, they moved the dealership into a bigger facility and next to the highway. Then in May 2005, they added a second dealership in Osage Beach, Mo. What began with just the four family members has expanded to more than 30 employees between the two dealerships.
Ozark Harley-Davidson/Buell’s greatest concern is the economy. Eidson says with less expendable income, people are fulfilling needs before wants. Another concern for the dealership is finding qualified employees. “Our dealerships believe in maintaining a top-of-the-line staff that is knowledgeable and can provide excellent service to each customer,” Eidson said. “Our customers are important to us, so we think they deserve the best possible service we can provide. With such high expectations, finding the right employee for the job is of top concern.”
With an all-new frame on the touring models and the addition of the V-Rod Muscle, the recently released 2009 models have been exceptionally popular this year, Eidson says. In addition to the new line, women’s riding gear has become more in demand. With more female riders hitting the streets, apparel and helmets specifically designed for women have been leaving the shelves fast. “The number of women riders is ever increasing and Harley-Davidson wants to ensure they will be as comfortable for the long haul as men riders,” Eidson noted. “Both dealerships strongly support women riders and encourage them to stop in and shop the gear that was made with them in mind.”
CUSTOMER BUYING TRENDS
More customers are looking to personalize their motorcycles, Eidson says. “Lately, we are starting to see more customization in the touring models,” she noted, adding another trend the dealership has noticed is the want for the “dark, custom look.” It’s a blacked-out customization offered on a few models, Eidson notes. “This trend is seen in the up-and-coming generation of Harley-Davidson riders,” she said. “The dark custom models allow us to fulfill the dreams of not only our traditional customers but those who are part of a new demographic as well.”
PARTS AND SERVICE
Taking it to a new level, the parts and service departments are areas the dealership excels in. It has six factory-trained technicians between the two stores with a pick-up and delivery option. Eidson says it utilizes the Harley-Davidson Digital Technician System, with a real-time connection to the factory diagnostic database. “This allows the technicians to pinpoint diagnostics for the ultimate tune-up,” she said. “We also offer tuning for H-D motorcycles with a customized Dynamometer equipped with both a load control system and an air/fuel module. The Eddy Current power absorption technology gives our technicians the ability to control vehicle RPM and speed at any throttle opening.” The department also offers special promotions for riders to keep motorcycles maintained as well as seminars that are intended to educate riders about the importance of motorcycle maintenance. Ozark Harley-Davidson/Buell’s parts and accessories department also stands out from other dealerships as it has a chrome consultant for customers who want to customize. “Our staff specializes in knowledge of genuine parts and accessories as well as Screamin’ Eagle performance parts,” Eidson said.
PROMOTIONAL HOME RUNS
Ozark Harley-Davidson/Buell hosts a number of events throughout the year. That has especially been the case this year with Harley-Davidson’s 105th anniversary. “At our dealerships we frequently hold events where the main goal is to offer our customers a destination to ride and a chance to have fun,” Eidson said. “All promotions are created for the customer. They’re designed to draw new prospects into the dealerships to experience the Harley-Davidson legend and benefit those already experiencing it.”
WORDS OF ADVICE
“To be a part of the Harley-Davidson legend every day is an honor,” Eidson said. “We are not simply selling a product; we as dealers are fulfilling dreams and creating new members of the Harley-Davidson family.”
— Karin Gelschus