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For US$19.95 a month, customers of InfiNet thought they were getting unlimited access to the company's dial-up Internet service.
But unlimited, it turns out, is a relative term.
Over the past week, more than 1,000 InfiNet subscribers received letters from the Norfolk, Virginia ISP, saying records showed they were overusing their "unlimited" accounts.
"As with most Internet service providers, the dial-up Internet access accounts offered by InfiNet are for individual and occasional use. They are not intended as a means of near-continual connection," said the emails, which InfiNet said went out to about 3 percent of its subscribers.
In the letters, InfiNet said it would cut off the targeted Internet accounts following its January billing cycle. Customers who thought they received the letter in error would have their complaints considered on a case-by-case basis.
"We are working with those individuals who feel they have either been identified incorrectly, or are willing to change patterns or habits," said Susan Kelly-Gilbert, vice president of customer development at InfiNet.
A number of customers took InfiNet up on the offer.
"Yes, I am online a lot, often several hours a day, but I am certain that my individual usage is no more excessive than many, many thousands of others, including many of InfiNet's own subscribers," wrote Mike Sharsky, a North Carolina subscriber who has used the service for several years.
Like a lot of other ISPs, InfiNet includes a couple of caveats in its unlimited access plan. Customers can be cut off after leaving their connections idle for more than 20 minutes or logging on for more than four hours straight.
Often, ISPs can't turn a profit if customers are logged on for too many hours, said Gary Gardner, executive director of the Washington Association of Internet Service Providers.
"I have heard of a number of ISPs who will discontinue a service if somebody treats a dial-up service as if it is an 'always-on' like a dedicated circuit," Gardner said.
InfiNet is owned by a consortium of newspaper publishers and primarily markets its service through partnerships with newspapers. It offers services in about 60 urban markets, often selling under the brand name of a local newspaper.


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Saying federal safety standards are insufficient to manage the CBD industry, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has called on Congress to set rules for the products through legislation.
The agency said Thursday that not enough is known about CBD products to regulate them as foods or supplements under the FDA’s current structure.
“A new regulatory pathway would benefit consumers by providing safeguards and oversight to manage and minimize risks related to CBD products,” FDA Deputy Commissioner Janet Woodcock said in a statement.
Same old song
FDA has repeatedly cited studies that say CBD could harm the liver and male reproductive system, and said little is known about how it interacts with drugs, and its effects on children and pregnant women.
Hulled hemp seeds, hempseed oil, and seed-based protein powder are allowed as ingredients in human food by the FDA. But CBD, which is derived from hemp flowers, is not.
In calling for Congress to act, the agency said its existing foods and dietary supplement authorities are not able to manage many of the risks associated with CBD under rules for dietary supplements and food additives. “Given the available evidence, it is not apparent how CBD products could meet safety standards” for such products, FDA said in the statement.
The FDA underscored its position on CBD by simultaneously announcing it had denied three petitions from stakeholder groups that had asked the agency for rules that would have allowed the marketing of CBD products as dietary supplements.
Lawmakers and CBD stakeholders have repeatedly called out the FDA for its inaction on CBD. The Oversight Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives had said recently that it was preparing to investigate the agency over its regulatory jurisdiction.
Instead of supporting CBD research and making rules, the FDA has mostly cracked down on vendors with repeated waves of warning letters over the last few years.
FDA said recently that it is only months away from finalizing some recommendations for how cannabis should best be regulated, and called for a framework “that balances individuals’ desire for access to CBD products with the regulatory oversight needed to manage risks.” The agency said Thursday it will work with Congress to develop a cross-agency strategy for regulation.
The lack of rules for CBD, long-awaited by stakeholders, is a factor in stalled investment in the sector, which at any rate is massively downsized as a result of a crash that has lingered for more than two years. Interest in the sector could be revived if federal rules allow hemp-derived cannabinoids to be treated as food or supplements instead of drugs.
Critics were swift to respond to the FDA’s announcement.
“Contrary to the FDA’s continued assertions regarding the safety of CBD, there is clear, established evidence of safety over the years,” said Jonathan Miller, general counsel at the U.S. Hemp Roundtable. “CBD products have been sold at retail for nearly a decade with no significant safety issues.”
Miller argued that existing dietary supplement and food pathways and regulations covering the manufacturing, labeling, and marketing of products are sufficient for CBD.
“We are going on five years with no regulation being blamed on concerns for health implications and we need those investments to support research that showcases the benefits and effectiveness of CBD use – and helps develop dosage guidelines based on those concerns,” Chase Terwilliger, CEO of Balanced Health Botanicals, told FOX Business.
Steve Mister of the Council for Responsible Nutrition, one of three petitioners which had asked FDA to allow the marketing of CBD products as dietary supplements,” told the Washington Post that the agency is “kicking the can down the road while ignoring the realities of the marketplace” by turning to Congress for a resolution.
“FDA has repeatedly disregarded evidence demonstrating safety that is relevant to CBD at the levels commonly used in supplements,” Mister said, claiming the agency’s concerns about CBD are based, wrongly, on indicators related only to high dosage CBD products, such as Epidiolex, a prescription drug that is the only cannabis-based product the FDA has approved.
Congress has already been looking at CBD, having drafted legislation in 2021 that would have ensured that hemp-derived CBD and other non-intoxicating hemp ingredients could be marketed as dietary supplements. “The Hemp and Hemp-Derived CBD Consumer Protection and Market Stabilization Act of 2021,” which also would have required CBD products and hemp extract manufacturers to comply with existing safety rules for dietary supplements, appears to have died in a House committee early this month.
CBD could be dealt with in the 2023 Farm Bill which will be negotiated this year. Stakeholders have urged lawmakers to incorporate language into the Farm Bill that would designate CBD and other non-intoxicating cannabinoids as dietary supplements.

domain: news


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Daughters start kindness campaign to honour mother
How the pandemic has highlighted the wage gap
IN DEPTH: Covering a contentious lobster fishery
Have you heard about the SaltWire News app?
Daily forecasts and weather facts from Cindy Day
SaltWire Selects: Stories you don't want to miss
What you need to know about COVID-19 today
Eric Morris, Head of Retail for Google Canada, speaks with Financial Post’s Larysa Harapyn about how the pandemic has altered Canadian consumer shopping trends.
Copyright Postmedia Network Inc., 2020


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Exciting news (for me, anyway). We have been missing having California Shabu Shabu so close during the redevelopment of the retail center at Brookhurst and Garfield in FV and have been awaiting their return. While driving by last night, I saw a sign for Kitikata Ramen Ban Nai in that center. It will be a welcome addition to the neighborhood.
Nice especially since the Costa Mesa location has the worst parking!!!
With all these expansions, there is still a long ass wait. Hopefully this puts a dent in the lines!
Parking won’t be an issue here, but who knows on the lines. I’m hopeful that the trend for quality tenants continues.


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Electronics Production | October 12, 2006
Sanmina executives resignes over Backdating
Sanmina-SCI Corporation today announced that the Special Committee of its Board of Directors reported its findings after an investigation into the Company's stock option administration policies and practices dating back to January 1, 1997.
The Special Committee, comprised of disinterested, non-management members of the Board, retained independent counsel and forensic accountants to assist it in conducting the investigation. In the course of its four-month investigation, the investigation team examined over one million electronic documents and over 350,000 pages of hardcopy documents, and conducted more than 40 interviews with current and former employees, directors and advisors. The Special Committee found that most stock option grants to executives and other employees between 1997 and 2006 were not correctly dated or accounted for and will require that the Company restate its historical financial results and record non-cash compensation charges. The investigation identified concerns in particular regarding the actions of a former and a current member of management involved in the authorization, recording and reporting of stock option grants. The Company has accepted the resignation of the current member of management. The Board of Directors and Special Committee have responded and continue to respond to these issues and are taking appropriate action, the details of which will be disclosed to the appropriate regulatory authorities. Commenting on the situation, Sanmina-SCI's Chief Executive Officer, Jure Sola, stated, "I am pleased with the thoroughness of the Special Committee's investigation and the recommendations they have made to remediate, and help us insure that this never happens again. I regret that our stock options program was not properly administered in the past and I apologize to our stockholders, employees, and customers for any impact or concerns these issues may have caused. With this investigation now behind us, we expect to refocus our management's attention on servicing the needs of our customers and improving our operating efficiencies." As previously disclosed, the Company's management has determined, and the audit committee of the Company's Board of Directors concurred, restatement of the Company's historical financial statements will be necessary because the Company will need to record additional stock-based compensation expenses as a result of the findings of the Special Committee. The Company believes that substantially all of these charges will be of a non-cash nature. The Company has, in consultation with its independent auditors, submitted the proposed accounting treatment for the charges to the Office of the Chief Accountant ("OCA") of the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"). Because of the pending OCA review, the Company has not yet determined conclusively the amount of such charges, the resulting tax impact, or which periods may require restatement. The Company expects to file its restated financial statements as soon as reasonably practicable after the OCA responds to the Company's submission. In addition, the Company's management has met with the Listings Qualification Panel of the Nasdaq Stock Market regarding the Company's plan for completing its late SEC filings and returning to compliance with the listing qualification requirements of the Nasdaq Stock Market. The Listings Qualification Panel has not yet ruled on the Company's request. The Company continues to cooperate with the SEC and the United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of California in response to the SEC's informal inquiry and the United States Attorney's Office's grand jury subpoena for documents relating to the Company's past practices for granting employee stock options.
Comtech Telecomm Corp. issues business update New York-based Comtech Telecommunications Corp. has issued a statement on the withdrawal of its business outlook for its fiscal year ending July 31, 2020, as well as an update on its proposed purchase of the Gilat Satellite Networks Ltd.
Xerox provides HP acquisition update Xerox has issued a statement regarding its earlier proposal to buy HP Inc.
As Samsung Display exits the LCD market a major reshuffle is expected According to the latest investigations by the WitsView research division of TrendForce, the oversupply of TV panels in 2019 resulted in a major price drop. As such, panel manufacturers hoped to utilise their excess capacity in 2020 through increasing their production of monitor panels, with Samsung Display (SDC) having the most extensive plans.
Swedish PCB manufacturer updates machine park PCB manufacturer MMAB’s factory in the south of Sweden recently got a new drilling area with updated machines.
Ventec races to build up regional inventories to fight COVID-19 The electronics industry is playing a major role in supporting increased requirements for critical medical devices during the current COVID-19 pandemic. And with that an increase in demand of the building blocks is to be expected.
Elmatica sees a spike in demand - responds with growth in staff Growing demand, new customers and an increase in business within knowledge intensive industries, has reinforced the need for another Country Manager in Poland, a new Technical Manager and an additional resource in the Customer Service Department.
Co-operation negotiations completed at Etteplan Etteplan initiated co-operation negotiations on March 18th 2020 due to temporary changes in customer demand caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, the negotiations have come to a complete.
Indian electronics company support the fight against COVID-19 Indian engineering and technology solutions company, Cyient, says it’s received clearance for its Mysore facility to run its MedTech manufacturing lines to support the production of medical equipment critical in the fight against COVID-19
Tesvolt kickstarts production at new German factory Semi-automated production began today in Europe’s first gigafactory for commercial battery storage systems, located in Wittenberg, Germany.
Global semiconductor materials market revenues slip 1.1% in 2019 Global semiconductor materials market revenues edged down 1.1% in 2019, SEMI reported in its Materials Market Data Subscription (MMDS).
Cirexx Int’l posts COVID-19 update Santa Clara, California-headquartered Cirexx International has released a statement penned by President and CEO Philipp Menges concerning status of operations during the coronavirus pandemic.
Abbott gets OK for fast, portable COVID-19 test Abbott has been granted emergency use authorization (EUA) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for a rapid molecular point-of-care test for the detection of novel coronavirus (COVID-19).
COVID-19 limits viability for AT&S Considering current events and the effects that the global pandemic is having on logistics and production chains worldwide, AT&S is preparing itself for a decline in demand in some of its customer segments.
Neways provides update on COVID-19 impact The EMS provider says it has taken various measures to limit the risks to the health of its employees, as well as its clients and suppliers. In addition, the company has taken measures to safeguard business continuity.
Samsung Display plans to stop all LCD production in 2020 The South Korean company has reached the decision to end all of its production of LCD panels in its home country and in China by the end of 2020.
Orbit One updates machine park with new selective soldering machine Swedish EMS provider, Orbit One, has invested in a new ERSA selective soldering machine for the production unit in Ronneby, Sweden.
ZOLL pivots to focus on volume for ventilator production Massachusetts-based ZOLL Medical Corporation has shot capacity up to 10,000 ventilators per month in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, representing a nearly 25-fold increase from normal volume production.
Computrol ramps output for ventilator production As the coronavirus pandemic continues its spread through the U.S., Idaho-based Computrol is joining a growing list of electronics manufacturers who are adjusting operations to support companies producing critical healthcare products.
ABB adding jobs, new distribution center in Arizona ABB has announced the creation of a new distribution center in Phoenix, in a move that will bring the company closer to Western U.S. distributors, contractors, industrial customers, and retailers.
8% growth in 2019 drives tenth consecutive year of EDA growth The Electronic System Design (ESD) Alliance Market Statistics Service (MSS) says that the Electronic Design Automation (EDA) industry revenue increased 2.2% for Q4 2019 to USD 2626.3 million, compared to USD 2570.1 million in Q4 2018.
Polestar 2 production begins in Luqiao, China Production of Polestar 2 has officially begun in Luqiao, China. The new electric performance fastback is the first electric vehicle to be produced by the facility.
Kimball Electronics updates on the impact of COVID-19 COVID-19 has disrupted the company’s global operations since its initial outbreak. While Kimball Electronics' facilities in China were initially adversely impacted, they have now resumed normal operations.
First Solar says that it's still operational First Solar says that its manufacturing operations will continue at each of the company’s Wood County, Ohio, Kulim, Malaysia and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam facilities at this time
100 IC wafer fabs closed or repurposed since 2009 The hardest hit are ≤200mm wafer fabs, 70% of the closures are found in Japan and North America.Load more news


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The Farm Equipment Rental Market is expected to register a CAGR of 7.31%.
Increasing arable land area, demand for agricultural mechanization in matured, as well as emerging markets, is driving the tractor market, globally. There have been significant advancements in the technology to enhance engine efficiency and increase the horsepower capacity of the tractors.
Over the past few years, a rise in the number of startups offering farm equipment rental services has increased. Farm equipment rental services offer cost-saving benefits to end-users. They also aid in transforming agriculture through mechanization.
Farm equipment such as farming implements are not used frequently in farm operations, and only has a limited requirement in each farming season and remains idle during the rest of the year. This increases the need for providing farm equipment on rent for only certain times of the year, this factor has encouraged many start-up companies to enter the global farm equipment rental business.
Key Market Trends
Increasing Developments in Tractor Rentals Service Driving the Market for Tractor Rentals
Tractors covered a major share of in the agricultural machinery rental market in 2018, and are anticipated to remain a major machinery segment, during the forecast period, with increasing demand for high horse-power tractors, ranging above 40 horsepower (HP), i.e. utility tractors and row crop tractors, from matured markets, like Europe and North America.
The rising demand for mechanization and the increased number of medium-scale farmers are the primary factors that created a demand for tractor hiring in Ghana and other African countries, majorly in south of the Sahara, which allows tractor owners to fully utilize their machines, while providing services to farmers, who can not afford their own tractors.
Small farmers in African countries, such as Nigeria, can not afford tractors. However, an Uber-like program has been gradually expanding in the country, which makes it possible for farmers to get temporary access to tractors in demand.
Over the next five years, through a public-private partnership, John Deere plans to deploy 10,000 tractors in Nigeria, selling them to contractors, who then rent them out to small farmers using a platform from a company called Hello Tractor.
Asia Pacific Dominating the Farm Equipment Rental Market
Mechanization in the agricultural sector has already transformed the high-income countries. Additionally, the adoption rate of mechanization in the agricultural sector in the emerging markets, (includes African countries, ASEAN countries, and other developing countries) has been gradually increasing.
One of the key factors contributing to the growth of the global farm equipment rental market is the need to reduce the financial burden on farmers. Farm equipment, especially larger equipment such as forage harvesters, mower conditioners, and tillage equipment are expensive to buy and require more time to make the farming business profitable. Renting farm equipment allows the farmers to harvest their crops on time by avoiding large sums of money as a down payment on farm equipment, it also provides them a convenient way of enhancing their operations.
The majority of farmers in the predominantly agrarian societies, such as India and ASEAN countries, have less than five acres of land and can barely afford high-cap equipment. However, this was not the first such service to be offered in India. Firms like EM3 Agri Services and Trringo, owned by Mahindra’s Farm Equipment Sector, have been offering tractor-on-call services in different States in the country.
- In September 2018, TAFE, India’s second largest tractor maker, has launched the JFarm Service APP, a tractor aggregation platform that aims to help farmers achieve optimal utilization of their tractors. The application works as an interface between farmers who want to hire and those who want to let out equipment.
India's leading tractor maker, Mahindra & Mahindra, iwith its in-house startup, Trringo, has helped small farmers connect with tractor owners in the hinterlands of India through a call center or smartphone app.
Deere & Company, JFarm Services (TAFE), Messick's, Pacific Tractor, Premier Equipment Rentals, and The Pape' Group are the dominant players in the market studied. However, in developed countries, there are several small companies that offer farm equipment rental services. With the existence of several such players, the market has become highly fragmented.
- TAFE has launched free of cost tractor rental platform in partnership with Tamil Nadu government’s Uzhavan App. This app offers 12 major agricultural services to the farmer that include real-time information on crop prices and weather updates, subsidy and government schemes forms, crop insurance and compensation.
- Over the next five years, through a public-private partnership, John Deere plans to deploy 10,000 tractors in Nigeria, selling them to contractors, who then rent them out to small farmers, using a platform from a company called Hello Tractor. Farmers can request a tractor via a text message to an agent, who aggregates requests. A tech platform pairs the availability of tractors with jobs, and then tracks each tractor as it is being used.
Reasons to Purchase this report:
- The market estimate (ME) sheet in Excel format
- Report customization as per the client's requirements
- 3 months of analyst support


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SpeedChecker, the mobile crowdsourcing company released a new report (June 2021) on the performance of mobile networks in Oman. This report is part of an ongoing commitment from SpeedChecker to benchmark true user experience. The SpeedChecker report has been compiled using data from 38,874 unique mobile devices performing 56,838 tests in 3 weeks in June 2021.
There has been little change in Oman mobile speeds since our previous report in December 2020. There is nothing to choose between Omantel and Ooredoo with both offering excellent speeds in excess of 20 Mb/s. These speeds are set to improve as Omantel have followed up their successful tests of 5G in June with the first launch of 5G in Oman in September. This launch is in alignment with the ITU’s goals of Growth, Inclusiveness, Sustainability, Innovation and Partnership (ITU Connect 2030).
A report by Ericsson ConsumerLab has highlighted the need for the consumers in Oman to be better informed about the benefits of 5G to encourage uptake. The report states that 20 per cent more smartphone users would have taken up 5G had the knowledge gap been addressed.
The full report including data collection & measurement methodology can be found here.


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Two of Asia"s biggest shipping lines this week announced major losses for the June-September quarter in a further sign of the unprecedented severity of the crisis battering the industry.
Two of Asia"s biggest shipping lines this week announced major losses for the June-September quarter in a further sign of the unprecedented severity of the crisis battering the industry. Singapore"s Neptune Orient Lines, which operates the world"s fifth-largest container ship fleet, said that it would lose money at least for the first half of 2010 as it announced $139m net losses for the three months to September 30.
Hong Kong-listed China Cosco, the world"s second-biggest dry bulk shipowner and number eight container line, announced third-quarter losses of Rmb691m ($101m) on revenues down 52.4 per cent on the same quarter last year to Rmb15.8bn.
Container shipping is by far the worst hit of any major shipping segment by the economic downturn, with volumes of the manufactured goods it ships slumping.
Rates per container shipped have plummeted as the sector"s huge excess supply of ships depresses prices.
Several lines ? including France"s CMA CGM, Germany"s Hapag-Lloyd, Israel"s Zim and Chile"s CSAV and CCNI ? are all either in the course of negotiating restructurings to avoid collapse or have already had bail-outs.
Companies that lease container ships to operators have suffered still more as shipping lines hand back large numbers of unneeded vessels.
At least one of the Hamburg-based companies that dominate the segment has sought help from Germany"s federal government.
The Asian companies" results came as Europe"s main trade body for container lines released figures showing continued weakness in volumes of containers shipped. In August, the European Liner Affairs Association said that imports into Europe from Asia were 11 per cent down on the year before.
Nol"s net losses compared with $35m profit for the same quarter of 2008, while revenue fell 34 per cent to $1.56bn.
It was the company"s fourth consecutive loss-making quarter.
Ron Widdows, Nol"s chief executive, said the quarter had seen the continuation of adverse business operating conditions.
?Despite some improvements in certain trades, container shipping freight rates remain at uneconomic levels,? he said.
Nol"s results are closely watched because it is the most open major container line about its performance and is regarded as one of the best-run operators. Its core container-shipping line ? APL ? saw container volumes for the quarter down 6 per cent on the year before and revenue per forty-foot-equivalent unit, a standard volume measure, down 29 per cent.
Core earnings before interest and tax in logistics were $17m, while terminals earned $8m by the same measure.
Cosco, which is controlled by the Chinese state, said volumes in its container shipping division had fallen 6.5 per cent year-on-year but revenue had tumbled 39.5 per cent to Rmb6.25bn. It did not split out how the different divisions contributed to the losses. But it did announce a Rmb620m profit for the year so far on freight derivatives that prevented the loss from being still larger.
Nol"s shares fell 1.2 per cent to S$1.62. Cosco"s figures were announced after the market closed.


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Following the surprising announcement of stylized interquel, Escape Dead Island earlier this year, publisher, Deep Silver simply claimed that the game would be arriving before the end of the year. Now, we know when exactly we can get our hands on this latest zombie odyssey, as Escape Dead Island is set to arrive on November 18th.
Differing from the more realistic-looking design of the original Dead Island, and its follow-up, Dead Island: Riptide, Escape Dead Island features a cel-shaded art style, and a revised emphasis on stealth, along with a new solo protagonist. The game is being developed by Swedish developer, Fatshark, rather than the series’ usual developer, Techland, and will release for a budget price of $39.99. Its story will bridge the gap between the previous games, and the upcoming Dead Island 2.
Most interesting however is the revelation that anyone who pre-orders Escape Dead Island will get guaranteed access to the future multiplayer beta of next year’s Dead Island 2. How this works is a bit up in the air however, since a beta for Dead Island 2, first announced at Sony’s E3 2014 press conference, was already promised at this year’s E3 to be exclusive to PlayStation 4, and the game doesn’t appear to be in development for last-gen consoles either. Whether this is the same beta, or a different beta, remains to be determined.
In any case, Escape Dead Island will release for PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Look for it this November.
Eggplante will continue to shamble you your news and updates on all things Dead Island.


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One of Dubai’s newest fitness experiences has opened its doors to the public for the first time.
GymNation on Sheikh Zayed Road held an open day at the weekend giving members, and the rest of the public, a first glipse at their state-of-the art facility.
The highly anticipated full opening will take place later this month.
The gym originally hit the headlines when they offered memberships at just Dh99 – this was just an introductory offer for a set number of people, but even now the price point is around Dh179 per month.
Questions were initially raised whether a budget price would equate to budget quality equipment, but all those fears have been laid to rest.
The facility in Al Quoz, is a 45,000 square-foot floor space, equipped with over 500 pieces of latest generation equipment by Matrix and offers over 200 Les Mills fitness classes, all accessible as part of the monthly membership.
Add to this a high-tech spinning studio, dedicated combat sports area, and huge studio space and the variety of attributes the facility has is clear – you can even take part in classes when there are no instructors there – through virtual technology.
The gym is equipped to cater for all fitness needs – with huge interest shown from first-time gym users right the way thought to top level athletes from a range of sports.
Female gym goers are extremely well catered for also, with a special women’s only area that is directly connected to reception and changing area for maximum privacy.
The company has also announced a partnership with Kcal for their on-site nutrition offering.
Fuel Up by Kcal, a concept dedicated to promoting wellness through good healthy food, is now the official nutrition partner of GymNation. The concept is all about taking charge of your health and wellness, without compromising on choice, ease, speed, and convenience – an ethos that fits with GymNation’s ‘fitness for everyone’ ideology.
With Fuel Up by Kcal on board, GymNation say their offering becomes even more comprehensive.
“Health and fitness is a blend of exercise, nutrition and a healthy lifestyle. As part of our holistic offering to our members, GymNation is pleased and proud to partner with UAE’s favorite health food company,” said GymNation Founder Loren Holland.
“We are delighted to have opened a world-class fitness facility which offers gym memberships at an affordable and flexible rate to the people of Dubai. Our partnership with Fuel Up by Kcal further enhances our offering to GymNation members allowing them to access the best nutritional advice, services and healthy food offering across the UAE,” he added.
“We are excited about our new partnership with GymNation which will bridge the gap between food and fitness, giving us the opportunity to provide our clients with access to personalised nutrition and physical wellbeing,” said Mark Carroll, Founder & Co-CEO of Kcal.
GymNation is due to open in May following the launch event last week; for more information or to claim your membership, for more information visit: gymnation.ae


text: Way to go, City Brewing! LaCrosse's City Brewing seems to have developed a taste for rescuing regional breweries who once specialized in producing green-bottle beers. Their latest acquisition? Latrobe brewery, where Rolling Rock was produced until bought by Anheuser-Bush in May. Some time after that, City Brewing bought the plant. Now, they've managed to score a $4.5M aid package from the state of PannSlovenia, and they plan to put the plant back in operation by June. Keeping brewery facilities running - that's good for everyone! And can the world's second largest six pack be far behind?


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Results for "Xiaomi-Redmi-Note-6-Pro-specs"
Now, the phone will be available 24×7 in India via Flipkart and Mi.com.
The company has now announced that the next sale of the Redmi Note 6 Pro will happen at 3PM today.
The smartphone is the successor of Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro which was launched in India earlier this year.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro will be available in four colour variants: Blue, Red, Black and Rose Gold. The phone is speculated to be announced in November at a launch event in India.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro runs on Android 8.1 (Oreo) operating system out-of-the-box with MIUI 9 and has been backed up by a 4,000mAh battery with fast charging support.
The listing reveals that the smartphone comes with a price tag of MDL 5,800, which is equivalent to Rs 24,987, for the 3GB RAM and 32GB storage option. The listing also reveals some images of the new smartphone.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro will be powered by Snapdragon 636 processor with a clock speed of 1.61GHz.
The listing reveals that the smartphone will be priced at $171 (approx. Rs 12,470) and it will come in Black, Blue, Rose Gold, and Red colour variants.
There is a vertically-aligned dual-camera setup at the rear and the fingerprint scanner is also placed on the rear side. The front side of the phone shows that the Redmi Note 6 Pro comes with a notched display.
The image reveals that the Redmi Note 6 Pro will have a 6.26-inch full-Screen display with a 19:9 aspect ratio. This hints that the phone will have a notched display. The smartphone will be backed up by a 4000mAh battery under the hood.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro will face a tough challenge from Poco F1 when it launched on November 22. As of now, the price has not been unveiled but it is expected to be around Rs 17,000.


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FedEx worker goes viral after he personally delivers generators ahead of Hurricane Irma
FedEx generated some good will with at least one Florida customer late last week as Hurricane Irma began its ominous approach.
Scott Wolf's Facebook attaboy for the Memphis-based carrier has drawn more than 16,000 likes, more than 2,600 shares and more than 1,200 comments.
The remains of Irma, now a tropical storm, soaked the Memphis area Tuesday with rain and some gusty winds expected to continue into Wednesday. But as the more powerful, hurricane-force version of Irma worked its way toward northern Florida, Wolf was keeping his fingers crossed that a generator he had ordered online would arrive ahead of the storm.
"I ordered a generator a few days ago online and paid a lot to have it overnighted to our home before the storm," Wolf said in his Sept. 8 Facebook post. "The company didn't mail it out until over 24 hours after I ordered it, but it finally arrived in Orlando around 8 a.m. today."
Wolf said the generator was never delivered to his home, however. He said he called the FedEx customer service number and was told FedEx had suspended operations in Orlando already in advance of Irma.
"I really wasn't mad, just frustrated I had spent so much to have it shipped next day and we might not have it in time for the storm."
Imagine Wolf's surprise, then, when a FedEx worker in his personal vehicle showed up at Wolf's home about 7 p.m. on Sept. 8 with several generators stacked in his car.
"He said they unloaded all the generators from today's delivery trucks and were personally delivering them to customers before the storm," Wolf explained in his Facebook post. "WOW!"
Wolf said later, after Irma had passed, that his home never lost power, so he lent the generator to friend who needed it. He said everyone in his area was safe, though the area sustained a lot of tree and roof damage.
But Wolf remains impressed with FedEx's service under dire circumstances.
"The director of communications for FedEx corporate and an Orlando supervisor both contacted me," Wolf said.
FedEx announced earlier last week it was suspending some Florida operations in advance of Irma as the carrier geared up to offer assistance instead. The company committed to donating $1 million in cash and transportation services to help victims of Hurricane Harvey.


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Earlier this month, Xiaomi anticipated the next announcement of its new smartphone Wed 11, the first with the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 chipset. Now, the Chinese company has communicated through Chinese social networks Weibo (via GSMArena) that the phone will be announced in China shortly after Christmas but before the end of this year: Monday, December 28.
According to rumors, the Mi 11 will join the Mi 11 Pro.
At the moment, we only know the chipset of the phone: the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888.
“For the last decade, since the first generation of Xiaomi mobile phones, we have partnered with Qualcomm Technologies to bring the most advanced mobile experiences to users around the world.” said Lei Jun, founder, president and CEO of Xiaomi, on the occasion of the presentation of Snapdragon 888, a mobile platform that defined being. “The Most Powerful Ever Made by Qualcomm Technologies“adding that”In addition to industry-leading 5G connectivity, it has brought breakthrough advancements and innovations in artificial intelligence, games, and the camera. I am happy that our new flagship smartphone Mi11 is one of the first devices with Snapdragon 888 “.
We await the announcement of Xiaomi Mi 11, so we will update this article. Recall that the Mi 11 series that will later arrive in Europe may differ from the one that Xiaomi will launch in China.
Introvert. Beer guru. Communicator. Travel fanatic. Web advocate. Certified alcohol geek. Tv buff. Subtly charming internet aficionado.


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Coca-Cola India, one of the country’s leading beverage companies, has collaborated with Vodafone Idea Business Services, the enterprise arm of Vodafone Idea Limited, the largest telecommunications...
Oct 24, 2018
IT transformation has become a priority for enterprises globally. In order to successfully drive this transformation, CIO-CFO collaboration is important as these are the major players who provide the...
Mar 28, 2018
Firms are heavily investing in innovation centers in an attempt to keep up with market changes, but are failing to become more innovative, according to Capgemini’s Digital Transformation Institute's...
Dec 14, 2017
In 1978, Transformational Leadership was introduced by expert, James McGregor Burns, in his book “Leadership”. He explained it as a process where followers of a leader are developed to the higher...
Dec 05, 2017
In a big win over business communication service rivals like Google's Slack and Microsoft's Team, Facebook's Workplace has now signed up global retail giant Walmart as its customer. The retail...
Sep 27, 2017
In a bid to accelerate 3D printing for industrial production, HP on Friday announced integration of its 'Multi Jet Fusion' 3D printer with Siemens' Additive Manufacturing (AM) software module.Siemens...
Sep 08, 2017
Some very incisive presentations, technology insights, leadership talks, inspiring speeches and policy briefings, interactive sessions, engaging workshops, collaborative knowledge sharing—along with...
Aug 25, 2017
Digital workplace programs often lose their way, or fail, due to a fragmented approach that prioritizes a few technology “fixes” over business strategy, according to Gartner. To combat this, digital...
Aug 22, 2017
Dr Pawan K Sharma, Head – IT Operations, Tata Motors, talks to CIO&Leader, keeping the Vision 2020 in perspective. Excerpts from the interview: Scenarios that are likely to impact your industry...
Jun 28, 2017
Tamal Chakraborty, Director– IT & Test, Ericsson Global Services talks to CIO&Leader, keeping the Vision 2020 in perspective. Excerpts from the interview: Challenges that will be faced by...
May 12, 2017
The 3DEXPERIENCE company, Dassault Systèmes, at Solidworks World in Los Angeles recently announced the extension plans of its 3DEXPERIENCE Lab - an open innovation laboratory and startup accelerator...
Feb 16, 2017
Enterprises are embracing new-age collaboration to gain maximum business benefits. So how are you making sure that you stay connected to your customers and all other stakeholders at the same time you...
Nov 29, 2016
Close to 28% of Indian enterprises said their top goal from investing in collaborative technologies is to improve sales/revenue as compared to just 14% of enterprises globally. On the other hand,...
Feb 25, 2016


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Nike Inc shares rose 8% on Friday, after the company's solid quarterly results eased worries that escalating trade tensions between Washington and Beijing would weigh on China demand and hurt the group's growth.
Sportswear maker Under Armour on Wednesday forecast 2019 revenue growth and profit below Wall Street estimates on expectations of flat sales in North America, triggering a 11 percent drop in its shares.
A raft of major fashion names have benefited from the rise of street fashion and luxury’s growth in the past decade with a new study of Google search data showing just how popular some brands have become in the UK.
Athletic apparel maker Lululemon Athletica reported a third-quarter profit above analysts’ estimates, driven by a rise in its established store sales but failed to provide an upbeat revenue outlook for the holidays.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen told his ministers to ease pressure on labor union leaders on Wednesday, after threats by the European Union to remove the Southeast Asian country’s duty-free trading access.


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Korean biosimilar brands from Celltrion Healthcare and Samsung Bioepis are expanding drug footprint across the world, with some already overtaking established reference medications in just three to four years after launch in the United States and Europe.
Celltrion’s biosimilar trios (Remsima, Truxima and Herzuma) have been remarkable in their European foray. Remsima, a biosimilar version of U.S. Johnson & Johnson’s blockbuster drug Remicade for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune diseases, already command a 57 percent share in Europe as of the end of March, pushing the original drug’s share to 28 percent. Blood cancer drug Truxima referenced to Rituxan hovered at nearly 70 percent in Europe. In contrast, Rituxan’s market share in Europe shriveled from 78 percent in 2017 to 21 percent in the first quarter of this year.
Herzuma referenced to Roche’s top-selling breast cancer drug Herceptin biosimilar took a 19 percent share in the first quarter, compared with 4 percent two years ago. Samsung’s Ontruzant, another Korean biosimilar brand against Herceptin, grew more than 10 times in Europe in the same period, whereas Herceptin’s position dwindled from 93 percent in 2018 to 55 percent in the first quarter of this year.
Samsung Bioepis’s key pipeline Benepali is now coming closely on the heels of its reference drug Enbrel (etanercept) of Amgen just in four years after its launch.
According to IQVIA data, Benepali accounted for 44.3 percent in Europe at the end of July, which is a quantum jump from 0.2 percent in February 2016. It already took the market leadership from Enbrel in Europe’s big five markets (Germany, France, UK, Italy, and Spain). Enbrel’s share in Europe stands at about 40 percent. Samsung Bioepis has so far generated 2 trillion won ($1.74 billion) in Europe since 2016.
Samsung’s Imraldi, a biosimilar version of Humira (adalimumab), AbbVie’s global blockbuster used to treat rheumatoid arthritis and ulcerative colitis, is also growing fast. Humira lost its monopoly due to Imraldi, which now represents nearly 15 percent in Europe.
K-biosimilar expansion is also evident in the U.S., the world’s largest pharmaceutical market. J&J’s Q3 global sales from Remicade reached $921 million, down from $1.62 billion in 2016, when Celltrion began to sell its Remicade biosimilar Remsima under the name of Inflectra. In the U.S. market alone, Q3 Remicade sales tumbled by 15.4 percent to $634 million from $749 million a year ago.
According to U.S. market tracker Symphony Health, Inflectra accounted for 9 percent of the U.S. market at the end of June, a nine-fold increase from 1 percent in 2017. Samsung’s Renflexis took 4 percent. In contrast, Remicade’s U.S. market share contracted from 99 percent in 2017 to 88 percent in the second quarter of this year.
Market watchers say it is a symbolic event that J&J`s Remicade monopoly is shaken due to Korean biosimilar makers, adding biosimilars will continue to grow as many countries actively embrace them because of price affordability over the same efficacy and safety profile.
By Kim Si-gyun, Park Yoon-gyun and Minu Kim
[ⓒ Pulse by Maeil Business Newspaper & mk.co.kr, All rights reserved]


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GameSalad, maker of a do-it-yourself mobile-game publishing platform, is announcing today that it has teamed up with Amazon to provide tools for releasing titles on Kindle Fire tablets.
The move is consistent with rumors that Amazon plans to introduce a game console, but it is also something that Amazon must do to drive adoption of its existing Kindle Fire products.
“Amazon approached us because they were releasing new Kindle Fire devices, and one of their initiatives is to get more content for them, including indie games,” said Steve Felter, chief executive of San Francisco-based GameSalad, in an interview with GamesBeat.
GameSalad’s development platform is aimed at both professional and amateur game makers. Those who use the engine do not need to have coding experience to make games with it.
Felter had no comment on whether Amazon would introduce its own console or not. He said, “It certainly seems like something they are well positioned to do. If I were them, having a lot of content that they could port over to a device would be key. But our partnership applies to the Kindle Fire.”
“GameSalad’s tools open doors for developers and non-developers alike to harness their creativity and bring their games to the Kindle Fire family. With the new line of Kindle Fire devices, our customers will enjoy more games produced through GameSalad and delivered on premium devices, including Kindle Fire HD and HDX,” said Steve Rabuchin, general manager for the Amazon Appstore.
That deal means developers who use GameSalad to create their titles can take advantage of the Kindle line’s graphical capabilities, its GameCircle social networking, and Amazon’s in-app purchase service.
GameSalad has more than 700,000 developers, many of them indie game makers. The company will run a promotion where it will make publishing for the Kindle Fire free for a limited time. Developers who submit their titles by Nov. 30 will not have to pay the GameSalad Pro license fee. Normally, individuals would have to pay a $299 professional license to GameSalad in order to publish an experience.
The service launched in 2009. It is the engine behind more than 200,000 original titles and is already available for publishing on the Android platform. GameSalad has 22 employees, and it raised a venture round in early 2011.


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Zacks Investment Research upgraded shares of Autohome Inc. (NYSE:ATHM) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report released on Monday, July 10th. They currently have $51.00 price target on the information services provider’s stock.
According to Zacks, “Autohome Inc. offers an online destination for automobile consumers primarily in the People’s Republic of China. The company through its Websites, autohome.com.cn and che168.com delivers content to automobile buyers and owners. It also offers advertising services; dealer subscription services; used automobile listings services; automobile dealer subscription services as well as operates automotive aftermarket services platform and real-time feedback on the service providers. Autohome Inc. is based in Beijing, China. “
Other equities analysts have also issued reports about the stock. UBS AG lowered shares of Autohome from a neutral rating to a sell rating in a report on Friday, June 2nd. HSBC Holdings plc reissued a buy rating and issued a $45.00 price target (up previously from $36.00) on shares of Autohome in a report on Monday, May 15th. Finally, Benchmark Co. initiated coverage on shares of Autohome in a research note on Tuesday, April 18th. They set a hold rating on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. The company presently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $39.25.
Shares of Autohome (NYSE ATHM) traded down 1.30% on Monday, hitting $47.82. 636,483 shares of the stock traded hands. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $46.40 and a 200 day moving average price of $37.70. Autohome has a 52 week low of $21.42 and a 52 week high of $49.59. The firm has a market cap of $5.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.69 and a beta of 2.25.
Autohome (NYSE:ATHM) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 10th. The information services provider reported $0.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.29 by $0.12. Autohome had a net margin of 21.10% and a return on equity of 21.42%. The company had revenue of $195.90 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $189.69 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.39 EPS. Autohome’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that Autohome will post $2.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.
ILLEGAL ACTIVITY WARNING: “Autohome Inc. (ATHM) Upgraded to “Buy” by Zacks Investment Research” was first posted by Stock Observer and is the property of of Stock Observer. If you are viewing this piece of content on another domain, it was illegally copied and republished in violation of US & international copyright laws. The original version of this piece of content can be viewed at https://www.thestockobserver.com/2017/08/06/autohome-inc-athm-upgraded-to-buy-by-zacks-investment-research-updated-updated-updated.html.
A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale purchased a new stake in Autohome during the second quarter worth $517,000. NN Investment Partners Holdings N.V. purchased a new stake in Autohome during the second quarter worth $110,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Kokusai Asset Management Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in Autohome during the second quarter worth $213,000. Acadian Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Autohome during the first quarter worth $154,000. Finally, Xact Kapitalforvaltning AB purchased a new stake in Autohome during the second quarter worth $277,000. Institutional investors own 34.30% of the company’s stock.
Autohome Company Profile
Autohome Inc is an online destination for automobile consumers in China. The Company is engaged in the provision of online advertising and dealer subscription services in the People’s Republic of China (PRC). The Company, through its Websites, autohome.com.cn and che168.com, and mobile applications, delivers content to automobile buyers and owners.
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The launch of Fabiani Women marks the beginning of an exciting new era for the brand, established as an exclusively menswear label for nearly forty years. The pioneer behind the revolutionary new collection is highly acclaimed local designer Warrick Gautier.
Fabiani’s Le Smoking collection includes masculine-inspired pieces like shirting, tailored suiting and accessories. The range also offers a juxtaposition of femininity with softer pieces like silk blouses, decorative bows and heels. The versatile collection aims to empower women irrespective of their style.
Fabiani surprises #MBFWJ guests with the reveal of their Women’s range
The Fabiani Women store space will also boast luxurious interiors with marbled and mirrored walls, and gold plated finishings. The store reflects Fabiani’s unmistakably high fashion flavour with its modern and sophisticated aesthetic.
Fabiani Women’s first flagship store launched in Canal Walk, Cape Town on November 2, and will also launch another one in Sandton City, Johannesburg on November 16 – a further six locations are set to open nationwide before the end of 2017.
Exclusive couture pieces as seen at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week are available in selected stores nationwide, alternatively shop online at fabiani.co.za.


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Graco has recalled 11 different models of child car seats sold between 2009 and 2013 adding up to nearly 3.8 million seats. The popular car seats have been recalled because children can get trapped by buckles that do not always unlatch. According to the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), this recall is the fourth-largest child seat recall in U.S. history. The Associated Press reports that federal safety regulators want the recall to include another 1.8 million rear-facing car seats designed for infants. The NHTSA may hold a public meeting to call on Graco to recall those infant seats as well, which will put the total number of seats recalled at 5.5 million.
The seats are being recalled because the latches can stop working if they get sticky from spilled food and drinks. A spokesperson for Graco has stated that the infant seats have not been recalled because infants do not have food and beverages as often as children. They will, however, send replacement buckles to owners of infant seats who request the new parts. The company has also offered cleaning tips for the buckles to help prevent children from getting stuck.
At the time of the report, there have been no injuries related to the defect. There have, however, been cases of parents needing to cut their child out of the seat because the latch was stuck. According to a recent ABC News report, the NHTSA is looking into whether models of Evenflo child safety seats will need to be recalled as well. Evenflo has a number of seats that may use the same buckles made by AmSafe Commercial Products Inc. that led to the Graco recall.
It is important to stay abreast of product recalls because there are many dangerous products in the marketplace. If you or someone you love has been injured by a defective product such as a car seat, please make sure you preserve the product for a thorough inspection. Please contact an experienced San Jose product liability lawyer who will help you protect your rights and obtain fair compensation for your losses.


text: By IRV OSLINT-G Staff WriterArea residents are finding out in droves how easy it is for thieves to get their credit and debit card numbers and run up a tab.What could be more disturbing is perpetrators can encode those numbers onto virtually any card with a magnetic strip and siphon cash from bank accounts.Until about three months ago, local law enforcement agencies received only a few reports a month of unauthorized purchases on credit and debit cards. That changed late this spring, according to detective Joel Icenhour of the City Police Department.We noticed in June that we started getting a sudden influx of these, Icenhour said.The Police Department and Sheriffs Office each receive one or two complaints a day of unauthorized transactions on credit or debit cards. Most of the unauthorized transactions are made in foreign countries or out-of-state.Theres a reason for this, according to Icenhour. Brokers buy and sell batches of account numbers online and use them far away from the source. This makes it virtually impossible for local law enforcement agencies to investigate and prosecute, he explained.Furthermore, many of the account numbers are used to purchase gift certificates, which have no mechanism linking them to the purchaser. The gift certificates often are sold at a discount on the black market.Icenhour has seen other patterns emerging here. Certain banks in Ashland, Wayne and Knox counties are being targeted and the average victim is about 48 years old.Its not hard to see why older residents would be attractive to thieves.You have to ask yourself who has the most money, Icenhour said. A 50-year-old is going to have more than a 20-year-old.Computer savvy thieves are able to obtain not just account numbers but personal information online. They can determine the ages, addresses, Social Security numbers and even the maiden names of their victims mothers.Local investigators are trying to determine how the perpetrators got this information in the first place.It can be as simple as writing down a number or hacking into a system, Icenhour said.Ultimately, this information can end up in the hands of crooks who have the equipment to re-encode magnetic strips on credit cards or any similar plastic card. The cards dont even have to match the information on the strip because customers typically swipe them through card readers and merchants never see them.In many cases, the perpetrators dont have to sign for purchases and, even if they do, they can sign any name they want, Icenhour pointed out.The losses, which typically have been several hundred dollars each, are absorbed by the banks. For now.Ultimately, that will be passed on to consumers, Icenhour believes.Id like to see merchants made more accountable, he said.Even though card holders arent responsible for the dollar loss, they can be saddled with bounced check fees if the unauthorized charges deplete their accounts.Preventing this type of theft is practically impossible. Even at the international and federal levels, arrests are rare. However, victims or potential victims can minimize their losses by keeping a close eye on all bank accounts, according to Icenhour.Go online and check your accounts often, he said. The quicker you notice the better.Some people might be reluctant to check their accounts on the Internet for fear it could make them more vulnerable to hackers. However, it doesnt matter whether they go online or not because the banks and merchants do business that way and the information already is out there.Icenhour doesnt expect the problem to go away anytime soon. Not just because credit and debit card fraud is hard to investigate and prosecute but because of the perpetrators mindset.Part of this, he believes, is because they are miles or continents away and never see their victims.The conscience isnt there, he said. In a lot of peoples minds, its not a crime.n Irv Oslin can be reached at 419-281-0581 ext. 240 or at ioslin@ times-gazette.com.


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In the midst of the COVID-19 crisis, a group of local creatives are working to help those hit hardest in Kansas City’s creative community, starting with the service industry.
Single Wing Creative, a collective of local designers in Kansas City, has launched a new line of T-shirts, hoodies, ball caps and mugs through its Emoji My City website, with 100 percent of the proceeds going to chef Howard Hanna’s Crossroads Community Kitchen, which is helping to feed local service industry workers, first responders, children and the elderly. From there, Single Wing plans to collaborate with local artists, musicians and others to develop new lines of clothing to help support other creative industries hit hard by the impact of the coronavirus.
The group is made up of five local graphic designers and artists including owner and creative director Emily Elmore, graphic designer Liz Mehrmann, designer and creative Elliot Wiersgalla, web developer Grant Trahant and business operations and local food writer April Fleming (a frequent Feast contributor).
Chef-owner Howard Hanna was inspired by the work of José Andrés.
“It killed us to see all these hardworking people (friends, partners and colleagues) who are vital to the community, have always taken care of us by providing amazing service, now they're facing utter economic devastation. Right now, they need our support more than ever,” says Elmore.
Each of the five partners knows many people in the service industry who have been impacted by recent layoffs from the novel coronavirus; that's why they decided to start with this group first.
“Two of our staff have partners that work in the industry that have been laid off, and three of the five of us used to work in the restaurant industry as bartenders and servers,” says Fleming, who is helping to get the word out about this fundraiser. “We also have a lot of friends that are servers, chefs and bartenders, and most of them are suddenly out of work.”
Single Wing Creative originally developed the Emoji My City website a few years ago as part of a fun Kansas City-themed sticker pack to use on Messenger for iPhone and Android phones. In February, the group started working on switching the site over to a web store with clothing and merchandise featuring its own designs. Much like the local restaurants that turned to carryout and delivery when the COVID-19 crisis happened, Single Wing pivoted. The creative group added a new line Kansas City service industry-themed clothing, featuring three different unique designs, to help raise money to support the restaurant and bar industry.
“We have been part of the Crossroads Art District for almost eight years, and a Kansas City business for over 10,” says Elmore. “We work in partnership with local freelancers [and] small businesses, and host events to benefit resident artists, makers and musicians because these creative workers are what make the Crossroads unique and Kansas City so stellar. We plan to continue in this vein by transitioning to other beneficiaries that help individuals in these fields.”
When the benefactors change, new clothing designs will be developed and rolled out. Right now, Single Wing plans for the benefactor to change every couple of weeks. The group realizes the importance of being transparent with its fundraising goals, and will announce ahead of a change who the new benefactor will be so that supporters know exactly where their money is going. At the end of every donation period, they will give all of the proceeds raised to the charity or benefactor before moving on to the next one.
“We chose to initially help service industry workers because currently there is no legislation to help aid the restaurant industry,” says Elmore. “A majority of these workers depend on tips to pay bills and cover everyday expenses. With the Kansas City mandate to close all bars, breweries, taverns and restaurants [for in-house dining], there is no way they can afford to cover even basic needs.”
With that in mind, Single Wing Creative is working to help provide a warm meal to those who need it most.
Support the KC Industry Collection by purchasing clothing at EmojiMyCity.com, with funds right now going toward chef Howard Hanna’s Crossroads Community Kitchen. You can also make a donation directly to the Crossroads Community Kitchen on its website.


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The new-to-Canada ride-hailing service Lyft has launched a new feature in the country.
Lyft Line connects riders with others who are heading in the same direction, mimicking a carpool. The service also costs riders less money than a traditional ride through the service.
The new feature will be available in downtown Toronto at first and is designed to remove cars from the road while also providing another form of affordable transportation.
“We are thrilled to officially launch Lyft Line in Toronto, as we continue to expand our presence with an amazing network of local drivers and loyal riders,” said Tim Houghton, general manager of Toronto at Lyft.
The ride-sharing service is also offering up a promotion tied to the infamous King Street Pilot transit project that was put into place by the city of Toronto. Users can save money when riding on King Street in Toronto where the pilot begins and ends.
Lyft is not the only company that has taken advantage of the polarizing transit situation in Toronto to bring customers to their platform. The food ordering app Ritual had a similar promotion sponsored by the city and used it to launch a sort of digital food festival to get people out and trying new restaurants.
The ride-sharing app is also doing all it can to onboard new customers, offering steep discounts and bringing in new features rapidly. After coming into a market in which Uber dominated, Lyft had some ground to catch up on.
“Since arriving in Toronto, Lyft has shown that it is committed to our community. The launch of Lyft Line with this King Street promotion is a strong example of how technology, transportation, and business can work together to address the needs of our city,” said Rocco Rossi, president and CEO of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce. “Ridesharing promises to take cars off the road, reduce car ownership, and help create a greener, more livable Toronto. As the city pilots a new street design for King Street, I’m glad to see Lyft seeking out innovative ways to help Toronto residents and visitors continue supporting the businesses along King Street.”


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Market participants remain at loggerheads, unable to agree on a fixed number for this quarter. This means that the MJP aluminium quarterly premium cannot yet be published by Fastmarkets.
Typically, negotiations for the MJP quarterly benchmark conclude before the quarter starts, meaning that the third-quarter talks should have concluded by the beginning of July.
Deals have been concluded for third-quarter supply
but the range has been abnormally wide, with the first deal heard at $85 per tonne cif Japan, although subsequent deals were heard at $68 per tonne and $60 per tonne
Over the past few days, there has been a revised offer heard from a producer at $80 per tonne, and some sources told Fastmarkets that they had heard a deal concluded at $79 per tonne.
“The market is now too quiet. We can expect more in such a wide range of offers, bids and deals,” a trader said.


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This past week was a busy week for Q2 2023 for a number of companies across the consumer sector. Broadly speaking, the results were better than investor expectations, largely reflecting a healthy and growing economy. Q2 GDP was reported this week, and real GDP grew +40 basis points faster than Q1 (+2.4% on a quarter-over-quarter basis). On a year-over-year basis, real GDP also accelerated (+80 bps) to +2.6% growth and nominal GDP to +6.5% growth. That’s real growth and why companies are growing revenue and earnings. Below, we've reviewed results from a handful of key consumer companies:
Last week, we wrote about theme park tourism in Florida for Q2 and the reasons why visitation was down. This week Comcast offered some additional commentary about Universal Studios Orlando. “In Orlando, our comparisons were impacted by unprecedented levels of visitation last year, but underlying momentum remains healthy as attendance was relatively in line with 2019 pre-pandemic levels, while revenue was substantially ahead of 2019 levels.” The company also noted that visits that were down and “it's just been a rebalancing with cruise lines back.” As shown below, our data shows that visitors with dwell times exceeding 90 minutes was down about -5% compared to 2019.
Royal Caribbean reported solid Q2 2023 earnings and raised their full year earnings guidance by 33% to reflect an accelerating demand environment. The company's press release noted that its, “brands continue to fire on all cylinders, resulting in record yields and second-quarter earnings significantly exceeding our expectations. Demand for cruising and our brands is exceptionally strong and we have seen another step change in booking volumes and pricing, leading us to now expect double-digit net yield growth for the full year. We also expect to achieve record Adjusted EBITDA per Available Passenger Cruise Day (APCD) and Return on Invested Capital (ROIC) this year.” The release also read, “Demand from the North American consumer has remained incredibly strong throughout the year.”
For the quarter, the number of passengers at 1.9M was 240K more than in 2019. For the year, on-board spend per day per passenger is expected to be $25 more at $85 than in 2019. Our visitation data suggests that these cruises are picking up from ports outside of Florida as three of Royal’s large ports are showing large declines in visitors. (Florida was so 2021 and 2022. People are exploring other markets.)
Royal Caribbean’s management also noted that, “Booking volumes since our last earnings call significantly exceeded 2019 for both North American and European consumers...The acceleration in demand is resulting in an increase in our revenue expectations for Europe sailings. The better-than-expected performance has mostly been driven by our European customers, which underscores our nimble and global sourcing model. Alaska only accounts for 6% of our full year capacity but represents 16% in the third quarter. We have added 3 additional ships to the region with capacity up about 60% versus 2019 for this high-yielding product. Similar to the Caribbean, we have seen very strong volume trends for Alaska sailings and load factors have been above 2019 since early this year and in line with our expectations. (And so, this suggests that the affluent U.S. consumer is also going to be off cruising over the summer and fall versus visiting shopping centers and premium shops.)
Microsoft CFO Amy Hood noted, “Our guidance assumes no significant changes to the PC demand environment. In devices, revenue should decline in the mid-30s due to the overall PC market.” This paints a challenging outlook for the consumer electronics category, something we've discussed in the past when looking at Best Buy. Next week’s results from Apple will provide a more complete picture of the category. (Of note, Intel said that the PC market was bottoming.)
Google reported a slight acceleration in search and YouTube, on an easier comparison base, which CBO Philipp Schindler said was, “led by solid growth in the retail vertical.” Doing more in the vertical is a key priority for the company this year and Schindler said, “We also continue to see success in helping businesses unlock efficient growth and deliver on their omnichannel goals. Take Ace Hardware, who tapped into AI-powered search and omnichannel bidding to capture increased seasonal demand leading up to Memorial Day. This drove increases across online sales, store visits and in-store sales, resulting in 87% year-over-year growth in omnichannel revenue from Google Ads and led to one of the largest revenue weeks ever for Ace store owners.“ Industry peer Meta also reported a reacceleration in revenue growth to +11% in the U.S. and expectations for +20%+ growth in the 2H.
From our vantage point, the much-improved trends for Google and Meta advertising reflects the growing economy, base period effects, and a further faltering in linear TV and advertising (Comcast’s video subscribers were down -523K for Q2 2023, bringing them down to 14.9M versus 17.1M at this point last year and down from the peak of 21.5M in 2016). Meta CFO Susan Li offered the following explanation, “The first is, frankly, we're lapping a weaker demand period...Second, we saw increased supply and improvements to ad performance, including improved Reels monetization as we continue to work down the Reels revenue headwind.” Looking forward and for the second half as is, Google, YouTube, and Meta will produce around +$12B in revenue growth in the U.S., or $24B annualized. By comparison, the linear TV ad market is around $62B. And so, the growth by just Google, YouTube, and Meta is roughly 40% of the total linear-TV market. Their growth will now again starve the room of oxygen for traditional media and the studio industry. (See our story on the risks to the movie industry.)
Visa reported a modest year-over-year acceleration in card present volume for July month-to-date, but that was somewhat a base period effect as the 4-year trend remained stable. As it relates to international leisure travel, Visa CEO Ryan McInerney stated, “Excluding intra-Europe, total cross-border … travel volume at 136% of 2019.” (See our earlier comments on LVMH.) Visa CFO Vasant Prabhu shared, “Consumer spend across all spending bands from affluent to low spend remained stable since March. Our data did not indicate any behavior change across consumer segments. Putting all this together, we continue to believe that the primary driver of the step-down in U.S. payments volume growth since March is moderating inflation and that the consumer has remained resilient so far...We're assuming recent trends will sustain in the U.S. and key international markets for the rest of [Q3].”
The assessment of a resilient consumer was also echoed by Fed President Jerome Powell in his press conference comments following FOMC decision to raise the Fed Funds rate by +25 basis points to 5.25%-5.50%. On the job market and wages, Powell offered, “The labor market is gradually cooling; it’s in a good place and we are comfortable, and the economy remains strong.” Also striking from that conference was the relaxed and confident demeanor of Powell. Clearly, they are liking what they see in the economic data. He also stated that from their purview, the banking industry has stabilized, following all the issues earlier this year.


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KENAI — If measured in sheer volume of fish, the Upper Cook Inlet commercial harvest of salmon was low: preliminary Alaska Department of Fish and Game estimates show it at about 20 percent less than the 10-year average harvest. But, when the $2.25 price per pound for sockeye is factored in, the ex-vessel value of the 2014 harvest was high at $35 million — making it the second year in a row that Cook Inlet commercial harvesters have seen lower-than-average harvests with higher-than-average values. Last year, the commercial harvest in Upper Cook Inlet was valued at just more than $39 million, ranking it as the eighth-highest ex-vessel value since 1960, according to Fish and Game data. This year, commercial fishermen made just more than $35 million, coming in at the ninth-highest ex-vessel value since 1960 and the third-best in the last 10 years.
2014.10.23 09:22 AM


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LONDON - In a spartan office in the London headquarters of De Beers, Elliot Tannenbaum holds a cloudless stone the size and shape of a domino to the light: a rough diamond worth millions, even before it is cut and polished.
A veteran diamantaire, Tannenbaum's family firm is one of some 80 buyers handpicked by the diamond giant to buy rough gems from its mines, under an arcane system of pre-determined allocations and regular sales meetings known as "sights".
"I have been coming here some ten times a year for 35 years, I have missed only two or three sights. It is part of our routine," says Tannenbaum, whose Leo Schachter group, founded in New York and now headquartered in Israel, is a major manufacturer of polished diamonds.
But this week's sight is De Beers' last in London. From now on, the action will be in Gaborone, dusty capital of Botswana.
The office allocated to Tannenbaum's firm, his dedicated De Beers contacts and the black-and-yellow attache case stacked with clear plastic bags of diamonds will move south along with the whole of the company's sales operation - 85 out of 300 London-based De Beers employees.
The 2011 decision to move - which will cost more than $120 million, including shiny new offices in Gaborone - follows years of negotiations between Anglo-American-owned De Beers and Botswana, the largest producer of gem diamonds and home to mines like Jwaneng, the world's richest.
The move secured a new 10-year contract for the sorting, valuing and sales of diamonds from the Botswana mines run by Debswana, a 50:50 joint venture between De Beers and the southern African country's government - the longest sales contract agreed to date between the two sides.
It will shift more than $6 billion of annual rough diamond sales from an international financial centre to a comparative backwater with a population of 230,000, in one of the most dramatic examples of a producing country battling successfully to keep value and profits from the raw materials at home.
The change will test Botswana's ability to develop skills and services, lower an unemployment rate stuck at roughly 18 per cent and diversify an economy still dependent on diamonds for more than 80 per cent of exports.
By separating sales from corporate headquarters, the move is also arguably the biggest challenge De Beers has faced to the way it does business since the current sales model was set up nearly a century ago to secure its then-dominant position.


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In a move to help tackle the burden of foodborne diseases that a recent global assessment found to be comparable to that of malaria, HIV/AIDs or tuberculosis, the CTA in partnership with the African Union Commission, CGIAR A4NH, FAO and WHO, launched a new African Food Safety Index (AFSI) yesterday, 2 October 2018.
The AFSI aims to provide the evidence necessary for African countries to prioritise food safety, reduce foodborne illnesses and improve trade and income.
Unsafe food is a threat to food and nutrition security and an impediment to national development as a whole. According to the WHO, 91 million people in Africa fall ill each year due to foodborne diseases. Of these, 137,000 will die, many of whom are children and other vulnerable groups, die (young, old, pregnant, malnourished and immune-suppressed).
In addition to health concerns, food safety has become an important precondition for access to global food markets and increasingly, for high-value domestic markets in developing countries. No studies have been done on specific impact on national economies but evidence indicates a high burden on trade and health amounting to hundreds of millions of euros. A single food safety hazard, aflatoxin contamination, alone is estimated to cause annual losses of over €600 million in lost export trade of Africa.
Amare Ayalew, program manager at Partnership for Aflatoxin Control in Africa: “Without access to safe food, consumers are denied access to adequate food, nutrition or health and the Malabo Declaration Commitments 3, 4, and 5 on ending hunger, poverty reduction (raising incomes), and tripling intra-African trade in agricultural commodities, will not be achieved."
CTA’s recently launched Africa Agriculture Trade Monitor cites growing concern over health risks associated with imported food products that have prompted revisions in sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) standards in industrialised countries. In 2012, according to the report, EU imports of sub-Saharan African (SSA) commodities that may be affected by standards compliance amounted to €7.9 billion. SSA is Europe’s main supplier of cocoa and a major provider of coffee and tea. Several African countries exported millions of euros worth of cane sugar, molasses, and nuts and fruits to Europe in 2012.
According to the 2015 WHO report on the Global Burden of Foodborne Diseases, the global burden attributed to 31 main food-hazards was 33 million Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) in 2010 with the highest burden per population observed in Africa, accounting for a third of the death toll.
Last week, the implementing partners and experts met to design a composite indicator that will be included in the Comprehensive African Agriculture Development Program (CAADP) biennial review for progress monitoring and scoring for all the 55 member states.
The composite indicators which capture the multi-sectoral nature and impacts of food safety will be packaged into the AFSI and incorporated into the Malabo Biennial Review mechanism. Food safety tracking and country level efforts to meet food safety benchmarks are expected to have a domino effect on the prioritisation of food safety and policy making, leading to systemic improvements in food safety management and ultimately to enhanced food security and nutrition, the reduced burden of foodborne illnesses and enhanced access to markets, agribusiness and overall development contributing to the realisation of the AU Malabo Declaration Commitments.


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The 6th annual Teeing Up Fore Health Care Golf Classic is less than two weeks away. To help us score a hole-in-one and maximize revenues for our hospital, we’ve launched an online auction that features over 40 fabulous items from local businesses.
The online auction runs from Friday, September 17 until Friday, October 1 at 4:00 p.m.
Whether you’re getting a head start on your holiday shopping or are just in the mood to treat yourself to something new, our online auction features something for everyone.
Proceeds will help contribute to the purchase of a new ultrasound machine that will serve patients at QHC Prince Edward County Memorial Hospital.
On average, over 2,200 patients require an ultrasound each year. The new ultrasound machine will cost $184,931 and is part of the local share requirement that is helping to Back the Build for our new County hospital.
Thank you to all the local businesses who donated an item and to you for helping us keep our hospital well equipped for everyone in our community.
Our online auction is now open – be sure to have a look and get your bids in. https://www.32auctions.com/PECMHFauction2021


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Microsoft will take the wraps off Windows 9, the next iteration of company s desktop operating system at an event in San Francisco on September 30, according to the press invites the company is sending out. Also Read - Microsoft Surface event tomorrow: What to expect, how to watch livestreamAlso Read - Best laptops for students and professionals under Rs 60,000 in India in September
At the event, Microsoft’s operating system chief Terry Myerson, and Windows Phone chief Joe Belfiore will talk about what comes next on Windows. As teased in the invites, the event will focus on enterprise and power users of Windows. The final version of Windows 9 is expected to come out next year, though Microsoft could release a “Technical Preview” of the operating system at the event or soon after it. The fact that Joe Belfiore will be at the event suggests that the company could give a glimpse of the merging of Windows RT with the Windows Phone platform. Also Read - Best laptops under Rs 40,000 for work and studies in India in September
Windows 9 comes with a plethora of features. The operating system brings the Start menu back, a feature it pulled in Windows 8 in favor of Modern UI’s Start screen. Interestingly enough, the Start menu, as seen in the leaks, has received a major face lift. It now houses both traditional and Modern apps. The company might also not include Windows 8’s Charms bar in the new operating system. In addition, as seen in the leaks earlier, the new operating system brings a Notification Center to help users keep track of everything, a feature called Multi-desktop (Or Virtual Desktop), which could bolster user’s productivity.
It is rumored that Windows 9 will also see Cortana, Windows Phone’s voice assistant arrive on the desktop front, but it is unlikely it will be a part of the “Technical Preview”.


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Ahrens latest project a sweet success
Ahrens’ latest project has proven to be a sweet success with locals and visitors to the Barossa Valley.
Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment David Ridgway and Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development Tim Whetstone, officially opened the Barossa Valley Chocolate Company on April 12th.
However, the venue had a soft opening in early April and already has been abuzz with people flocking to check out the region’s newest attraction.
The $5.5 million-dollar facility completed by Ahrens combines a chocolaterie, retail shop, café, ice creamery and cellar door, nestled amongst mature gum trees and vineyards.
Barossa architect, Jamie Gladigau of JBG Architects, designed the facility, continuing a long-relationship of local projects with Ahrens.
Works included the construction of the 1375 square metre building complete with functioning chocolate producing facility, amphitheatre, cellar door, kitchen, 150 seat café, retail area, point of sale areas, landscaping and a deck under the main roof, overlooking a fabricated lake.
The venue offers several design focal points including a chocolate waterfall that consists of real chocolate, a stone fireplace, the picturesque man-made lake, and a viewing window to the chocolaterie, which plans to initially produce 50 tonnes of chocolate a year.
The Barossa Valley Chocolate Company was the brainchild of owners Chris and Sandy Day who collaborated with Food and Beverage Australia Limited (FABAL) to see their idea come to fruition.
The venue takes inspiration from destinations around the world that have already perfected the art of pairing beautiful locally produced chocolate with local wines.
The cellar door will showcase FABAL’s Vineyard Road wines and offer paired chocolate and wine tastings.
Officially opened just in time for Easter and the school holidays, Mr Ridgway welcomed the addition of the chocolate company to the Barossa’s tourism offering.
“The Barossa Valley Chocolate Company is a fantastic addition to the Barossa Valley tourism mix,” Mr Ridgway said.
‘Appealing to children and adults alike, it is sure to bring an influx of visitors to the region.”
Speaking at the opening, Mr Ridgway said he commended all those involved in creating this world-class facility.
“It is a significant investment and contribution into South Australia’s visitor economy that will create jobs for locals and increase the already outstanding appeal of the Barossa Valley,” Mr Ridgway said.


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Harnessing AI for Marketing ROI
Words by Danny Buckland
With investment in artificial intelligence on the rise across the pharmaceutical industry, we look at how AI tools can boost traditional marketing campaigns’ productivity, improve targeting, and deliver significant business value.
Random forests, white box, intelligent humans, regression, and hyperplanes; alien concepts to an untrained mind but approaching forces in the pharmaceutical space that have the potential to energise sales and marketing campaigns. Machine learning and AI have clear indications in diagnostics and drug development; now however, they are offering novel opportunities to improve return-on-investment (ROI) and patient outcomes.
Traditional routes to engagement and sales are already influenced by digital capabilities but a new wave of cyber techniques can harness the raging ocean of data that washes through pharma and healthcare. Reports from GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company, forecast that the disruptive force of AI will deliver productivity gains across all aspects of the value chain in the coming years. The challenge is to embrace its potential to offset the mounting budgetary pressure from drug development and traditional marketing campaigns.
Pharma can perhaps not harness the same agility as the social networking services Instagram and TikToK, yet it can learn from the platforms’ digital mastery of hooking an audience, as well as from the strategies of Amazon and Facebook – both now substantial forces in healthcare – to get a deep understanding of both clinician and patient preferences and aversions.
The rewards are clear but achieving them goes way beyond purchasing software and hiring a team of data scientists. A fundamental shift is needed to bolt AI into the wider business ecosystem. “Something I see repeatedly in pharma is a classic disconnect of data scientists not being business strategists who, in turn, don’t understand data science. It is a challenge that is holding some pharma companies back because they choose the tech before they have identified the business challenge, when it should be the other way around,” says Dr Andree Bates, Founder and CEO, Eularis, a leading supplier of marketing analytics. “We need to get them speaking the same language.” Miscommunication has already derailed partnerships between pharma and data science organisations. “One big pharma company hired IBM Watson for data insight but it didn’t work because they didn’t understand what each other wanted. This is repeated across the industry and is wasting opportunity and budget,” says Bates.
The potential is enormous and there is a huge range of digital tools that are yet to be fully exploited
Eularis has a vast tech toolbox to connect patient, clinician, and pharma rapidly. In one project, it collated the facial characteristics associated with a rare disease and deployed facial recognition software to crawl online sites, such as Facebook and Flickr, to identify patients and trigger adverts when they searched disease-specific information. The operation identified 13 new patients who accessed the treatment they needed and lead to a significant ROI. “The potential is enormous and there is a huge range of digital tools that are yet to be fully exploited,” adds Bates, who has lead AI-powered programmes for top-tier industry companies across medical affairs, sales, and marketing.
Research by technology analytics company ZS highlights pharma’s ad hoc approach to its data mountains which, although mainly unstructured, contain gold mines of intelligence on how patient behaviour nuances influences affinity and switching.
Roxanne Balfe, Senior Digital Healthcare Analyst, GlobalData, believes pharma has realised the competitive edge available from deploying algorithms, machine learning, and strategic software to illuminate fresh insights: “Pharma has not been the swiftest sector to take advantage but that is changing,” she says. “There is a growing trend for pharma companies to partner with smaller companies that are experts in digital innovation and technology rather than acquire them or grow them from within. This shows that pharma companies are aware they must learn from the technology industry and forge partnerships to deliver innovation, otherwise they will lose out to companies in the tech and retail space that have a strong online presence and dedicated customer base.”
Security, privacy, and regulatory concerns are all issues but social media is also opening new landscapes for marketing. “Many influencers and users have gained popularity by sharing their healthcare experiences throughout the pandemic, opening up opportunities for pharma and healthcare to take advantage of the technology,” adds Balfe. “These opportunities include insight mining: searching the platform for content related to a brand, disease state, or patient communities. Many influencers and patients have posted throughout 2020, either relating to healthcare experiences or specific conditions and diagnoses. Collaborating with healthcare professional influencers is especially relevant for younger audiences.”
The human touch in sales and marketing is still critical but AI and machine learning are set to be a growing thicket within the pharma landscape.


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Health Marketing Round-Up: January 2019
New OTC products and marketing campaigns in Germany, Australia and the UK.
You may also be interested in...
Starpharma has received approval for its innovative VivaGel condom in Japan, which will be launched in the first half of 2019 by Okamoto Industries.
To help Germans struggling through the dark winter months, Hevert, Cefak, Stada and Doppelherz have all released vitamin D supplements onto the German market.
Stada Arzneimittel moves into the German probiotics market with four new products under its Probielle brand.


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La Machine Launches a Flying Greenhouse in Nantes
Before the greenhouse, a 50-foot-tall spider on the side of a building turned heads in Liverpool and a 50-ton wooden elephant roamed the streets of Nantes.
Implications - Consumers in contemporary society are attracted to products that allow them to stay green-friendly. Items that are made through a sustainable method of production are appealing to those who want to protect the planet. Companies trying to adapt a greener culture could focus on creating all of their items through renewable resources.


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California governor signs "Amazon Tax" into law
- Sarah Duxbury, San Franicsco Business Times
This post has been updated to reflect that Gov. Brown signed the sales tax into law.
The governor's office will only say that Gov. Brown is going to San Francisco today to "take action on legislation critical to job creation in California."
Under the new law, written by Assemblyman Charles Calderon, many out-of-state online retailers will be obliged to collect California sales tax starting Sept. 15, 2011.
AB 155 supports California jobs in multiple ways. First of all, both mom and pops and large chain retailers have pushed for online sellers to be forced to collect sales tax, claiming that Amazon, Overstock and their ilk have an unfair price advantage over Main Street and mall stores that costs jobs. Second, all those affiliate marketers can, in theory, be reinstated and go back to earning their commissions. Finally, because it will be collecting California sales tax one year from now, the door is now open for Amazon to open a distribution center or warehouse in the country's most populous state.
AB 155 represents a compromise from an earlier version of the law, which this new law replaces, that required any online retailer with nexus in California to start collecting sales tax on July 1, 2010. Many companies like Amazon and Overstock responded by kicking out affiliate marketers to remove any "nexus" or physical presence from the state. With both sides drawing stark battle lines, and with Amazon supporting a referendum on the law, the fight promised to be long and expensive.
Update: It's official. Gov. Brown signed the tax into law Friday morning, which will give Amazon a 1-year reprieve to lobby Congress for a national effort to create nationwide system of state and local sales-tax collection. If Amazon fails, it is required to start collecting sales tax from California consumers next fall.
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Exeter company launches refrigerated dog food lineBy JASON SCHREIBER
Union Leader Correspondent
May 25. 2013 1:53AM
EXETER - People aren't the only ones considering healthier food options these days.
Pets are watching what they're putting in their mouths as well, or at least their conscientious owners are.
The demand for pet foods that support a natural, healthy diet has led to a new food for Fido called Butchers Feast Premium Pet Food.
The healthier choice created by Pet Pantry Provisions in Exeter was launched earlier this year and is a refrigerated dog food made from locally sourced premium meats and vegetables.
"More and more people are realizing how important it is to feed their pets healthier, just like we're feeding our families. People want to see their pets live longer and healthier lives, and realize that in the wild, dogs and cats don't consume grain, soy and wheat in their diets. They lived off the protein they could find as well as vegetables," said Bev Hanson, who handles marketing for Pet Pantry Provisions.
The store at 78-A Lincoln St. opened four years ago and has been working on developing Butchers Feast for the last three years.
During the development phase, Hanson said a network of customers and friends performed taste testing and feeding trials to see what flavor profiles were the most preferred.
"We recruited a lot of pets through our customer network who were confirmed finicky eaters. Our final results were overwhelming. We didn't have a single dog turn their noses away from this food," she said.
The store carries dog and cat food and researches all the foods and treats that it carries to be sure they're made and sourced with products from North America, Hanson said. Nearly 100 percent of its products are grain free.
Butchers Feast is an alternative to dry and canned food, according to Hanson.
The food is made with locally sourced beef, chicken, turkey and liver from Vermont. The carrots, butternut squash, peas and green beans also come from local sources.
Butchers Feast has no preservatives, gluten, grains or soy, but has essential vitamins and minerals added.
"The Butchers Feast food has been well received by our customers," Hanson said.
The food is being sold in local butcher shops like the Meat House, but Pet Pantry Provisions plans to expand to larger, high-end grocery stores and butcher shops.
Because Butchers Feast is made in a USDA-approved facility from human-grade ingredients, Hanson said the food can be sold in the butcher's case or right out of the deli case.
Butchers Feast comes in 1.5-pound rolls (chubs) and 6-pound chubs. Flavors include chicken, turkey and beef. The manufacturer's suggested retail price is $8 for the 1.5-pound roll and $21 for the 6-pound roll.
The treats are $6.49 and are available in chicken and beef.
The store is also in the process of developing a fish-based dog food, as well as cat food.
For more information, visit www.petpantryprovisions.com or www.butchersfeast.com.