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Beacon Packaging invests in two Union Ramdoors
06 October 2016
Union Industries returned to long-standing client Beacon Packaging to install a further two heavy duty Ramdoors, which will provide access to a new storage area.
Beacon Packaging, the Aldershot-based company, has invested in an extension to its existing facility, which increased its storage capacity and required doors suitable for heavy forklift truck use and also reduce environmental ingress and contamination.
The Ramdoor is efficient, reliable and effective against heavy wind pressures and also features Union’s famous ‘Crash-Out’ damage protection facility, which ensures that the door remains operable if the steel composite bottom beam is hit by a vehicle.
It also comes with free entry into Union’s Lifetime Warranty Scheme. This cover is provided as standard and includes a service visit from Union’s highly trained technicians. The warranty scheme provides peace-of-mind for the customer as well as allowing ease of budgeting for maintenance of Union’s fast acting doors.
Having previously ordered a Bulldoor and a Ramdoor, Beacon Packaging’ site now boast four of Union’s high speed doors. The latest additions, which were made to measure, have been installed between its main factory and the new extension and the second, between the new extension and an existing extension.
Beacon Packaging is a large independent converter of board into corrugated boxes and fitments. It occupies an approximate 80,000sq.ft site in Aldershot. Its location allows it to cover Greater London, the Home Counties, Southern Midlands, M4 corridor (into South Wales) and South Coast from Kent to Dorset.
Henry Patterson, Technical Sales Engineer at Union Industries, said: “We’ve been supporting Beacon Packaging since 2008 and it is always rewarding when an existing customer places a new order – it’s a great endorsement for our products and aftersales service.”
Richard Horrocks, Logistics Manager at Beacon Packaging, said: “The original door Union installed eight years ago is still going strong, which is why we continue to return to the company whenever we require new fast acting doors. They are extremely reliable and are also capable of taking a knock, which is important if downtime is to be minimised.”


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A lot of smartphone manufactuers have tried to market foldable devices as the next big trend. Despite the impressive looks and features sported by the new devices, most customers are kept at a distance by prohibitive costs.
There are lots of of factors that may justify the price tags, including years spent on research, the need to use custom parts, and the effort of creating components that can endure constant use for a long time. Samsung spent ten years before the Galaxy Fold hit the market, and it ran into unexpected issues after launch.
Expensive to make
According to some industry sources, the cost involved in the manufacturing of flexible devices is so high that Huawei lost almost $70 million after the development and release of the Mate X. However, the lessons learned during he more difficult stages allow companies to boost production while also reducing overall costs.
A source that has offered reliable information in the past has announced that Samsung is working on a device known as SM-F415. It is known that the device will sport a foldable screen, 64GB of 128GB, or built-in storage space, and it will be available in three different colors.
The original Galaxy Fold hit the market with a $1,980 price tag that seems to have been a bit much even for dedicated Samsung fans. With the release of the Galaxy Flip Z, the price tag reached $1,380, which seems to be more reasonable, especially since the Motorola Razr is sold at a price of $1,499.
Called by some Galaxy Fold lite, it is argued that the more affordable device will be a toned-down variant of the Galaxy Z Fold 2, with Samsung planning to sell it for a price of $900. A lower price would lead to too many sacrifices, and no one wants to pay too much for a device with mid-range specs, even if it looks good.

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On a late Saturday morning earlier this month, hundreds of people gathered under a navy blue tent at Brandywine Creek in Wilmington, Delaware, in preparation to pick up trash. Philadelphia-based outdoor lifestyle company United By Blue has been organizing these waterway cleanups since the company was founded in 2010, but this day was a bit different. It marked the company’s 140th cleanup, on target to collect 250,000lb of waste from beaches and waterways.
In 2007, United By Blue founder Brian Linton started Sand Shack, a company that sold resort jewelry, and donated some of the revenue to nonprofits focused on ocean and waterway conservation.
“When I started the business in college, I figured the way to do good in business is to give money away,” Linton said. “And that was the natural thought process of a 20-year-old. And the reality over the course of three years became that, it’s a good model for bigger businesses – and it’s a noble thing for anybody to do – but to me, it didn’t really have any tangible impact.”
When Linton founded United By Blue, he decided to be the one contributing to the conservation efforts, and not with money, but with the company’s own manpower. The plan was to pick up a pound of trash for every product. And now, at about 220,000 products sold, United By Blue has more than stuck to its promise.
The company joins the ranks of other outdoor companies trying to give back to the environment. In 2012, on Black Friday, one of the largest companies in the outdoor lifestyle industry, Patagonia, asked their customers to stop buying things they don’t need in their “Common Threads” campaign. Instead, the company urged people to repair and recycle their clothes, to cut down on waste and the resources necessary to produce a new jacket. Groups like the Sustainable Apparel Coalition and the Outdoor Industry Association’s Sustainability Working Group have created indexes to push for more responsible action.
All this effort could have a big impact. The Outdoor Industry Association estimates about 60% of American adults classify themselves as outdoor consumers, and each spends about $137 annually on outdoor apparel.
United By Blue got its start selling graphic T-shirts, and expanded to a full line of apparel for men and women with pants, dresses and socks. They also sell items like artisan paddles and hand-painted axes, which blur the line between art and function. They also stock brands – like Red Wing boots – the company has deemed to further their own message of sustainably produced goods. They sell their products online and in national retail stores like Urban Outfitters, Nordstrom, and REI, as well as various local outdoor retailers and, as of 2013, in their own coffee shop-retail hybrid stores.
The first hybrid store is located in the ground floor of United By Blue’s headquarters, on a quiet street in the historic neighborhood of Old City, Philadelphia. The business office is on the second floor, with a photo studio and conference room on the third. Linton calls it a “vertical business”. The company has another shop in University City, which Linton said is smaller but busier. This summer, the company also opened a pop-up shop in Asbury Park, New Jersey. Between the two shops, the company employs 24 people, with 13 on the operations side.
The small shops also serve as a community space – tables and desks are handmade from reclaimed wood, and the light fixtures in United By Blue’s University City store are made from recycled industrial whisks from a Tastykake factory. This is emblematic of another particular obsession in the company – creating “responsible, durable goods”. And for apparel, that starts with materials.
“In the entire line, we only have a handful of fibers that we use,” Linton said. “A lot of the synthetics are what fast fashion uses. So we have a lot of cotton, wool, bison, recycled polyester, tencel – those are our main materials in the line.“
About that bison: last November, the company started a Kickstarter campaign for a $38 pair of socks. It sounds ridiculous, but the team dubbed it the “Ultimate American Sock”, because it was made from the downy part of a bison’s coat.
“There’s a growing meat industry for the bison in the US, and unfortunately a lot of that fiber is discarded,” Linton said. “So there was this ‘aha!’ moment where the bison fiber is actually a technical, warm fiber, and it’s not being used to its full advantage or its full potential. So I got my hands on some. I bought 30lb of it to start playing around with it.”
Despite the high price tag, Linton’s company has sold more than 10,000 pairs of the socks so far, with demand that far surpasses the supply chain. This fall, they’re expanding to a jacket made with the coarser outer layer of bison fur.
However, there are some sustainability hurdles United By Blue has yet to clear – like plastic.
“We are very focused on picking up plastics out of the ocean, but in doing business in this industry, many factories love to put plastic around anything,” Linton said.
A couple years ago, United By Blue tried wrapping their garments in paper bags instead of plastic. But straying from the norm confused retailers, who worried the products would get damaged without a protective plastic covering. “So we’re reevaluating how do we reduce and ultimately remove plastic from the supply chain, and how do we do that responsibly while not losing sales, because at the end of the day, the business is a business,” Linton said.
The company’s commitment to sustainability has earned United By Blue a B Corporation certification. B Lab, the nonprofit that gives out the certificate, likens it to LEED certification for green buildings.
The most visible part of that commitment is the waterway cleanups. Since 2010, the company has prompted more than 4,500 volunteers to get out and clear trash from beaches and coasts in 24 US states, as well as Canada.
To mobilize all those volunteers, the company partners with companies like Subaru, and organizations like the National Park Service and the Nature Conservancy, as well as local outdoor retailers. All had representatives on hand at Brandywine Creek in Delaware at the big September cleanup. As the day tipped toward afternoon, volunteers trekked back to the tent to weigh their catch, telling stories of a near bee attack, or towing a waterlogged inner tube.
The line to weigh the trash snaked its way through the park. Kids and their parents, groups of teens and couples of all ages showed up to collect, showing off the weirdest items found, like a collection of shoes or old knives and hubcaps. The strangest item (a collection of various shoes) won a prize, as did the lucky volunteer who had the closest guess at the total weight of the day’s haul.
By the end of the cleanup, the group had far surpassed the 400lb needed to reach the 250,000lb goal, gathering more than 1,800lb in total. pounds.
To celebrate, the United By Blue team stopped for lunch at a nearby pizza place to celebrate, and lamented that their food was served on styrofoam.


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The firm isn’t focused exclusively on beauty brands, but the industry is of great interest to Prelude Growth Partners. And the expertise of founders Neda Daneshzadeh and Alicia Sontag suggests the team will bring a tremendous advantage to fragrance, cosmetics, and personal care brads poised for exponential growth.
Daneshzadeh has worked for some 12 years with the world’s largest consumer-brands focused private equity firm, L Catterton (which, as Cosmetics Design reported, arrived on the scene in its current form in mid-2016). There her most recent role was two-fold, partner and member of the firm’s investment committee.
Last June, L Catterton invested $30m in the prestige color cosmetics brand Il Makiage. As Cosmetics Design noted at the time “funding prestige beauty is part of the firm’s strategy. And, L Catterton has to date invested in manufacturers and brands including the probiotic product line TULA, Bliss, Cover FX, CLIO Professional, Intercos Group, and StriVectin.”
Sontag was most previously global vice president of beauty at Johnson & Johnson, overseeing some 10 brands including Neutrogena, Aveeno, and OGX. Before that, Sontag worked for The Estée Lauder Companies, in senior roles with brand like Bobbi Brown and Clinique.
The two women met years back while working at the global management consulting firm McKinsey & Company. Commenting to the press about the firm they’ve just launched together, Daneshzadeh says, “We are excited to launch Prelude and are confident that our complementary experiences, strong industry relationships and deep operating know-how both at the firm and through our world-class operating advisors will enable us to capitalize on the secular changes in the consumer sector.”
“Central to Prelude's investment thesis is our belief that a highly active and value-added investing approach will lead to a structural advantage in sourcing new investments and driving growth at our portfolio companies,” says Daneshzadeh.
The new private equity firm has its headquarters in New York City. And is “focused on providing capital and value-added operating support to high potential, fast-growing consumer brands,” according to the press release. Prelude aims to invest in category disrupting brands, led by passionate founders in personal care and beauty, in wellness, in food and beverage, in baby, in pet, and more.
The firm’s initial plan is to invest between $3m and $10m in each consumer brand it works with. Which companies Prelude works with will be determined in part by the firm’s operating advisors like Maureen Chiquet who served as global CEO of Channel; Laura Lang who has held the chief executive post at Time and Digitas; Jennifer Fleiss, CEO of Code Eight and co-founder of Rent the Runway; and Lauri Kien Kotcher, CEO of Hello Products; among others.
Remarking on the potential of private equity investing in the current economy and the future of consumer brand, Sontag says, “There has never been a more compelling time to invest in high potential, fast growing consumer brands. Today, we are seeing new consumer brands scale more rapidly than ever before as a result of a modern generation of consumer demand and changing market dynamics. Across categories, we expect the top 10 brands of tomorrow to be markedly different than the top 10 brands of today.”


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Apple’s compititors have slowed down their build plans in the tablet market as they are unable to catch up with Apple’s iPad sales, investor reports from JP Morgan said.
Analyst Mark Moskowitz noted that the build plans have dipped by 10 percent, with the reduction in the sales as non-Apple tablet hopefuls have adjusted to the weak showing so far.
Asustek’s Eee Pad Transformer, Motorola’s XOOM, RIM’s PlayBook, and Samsung’s Galaxy Tab have dropped their build plans consequently.
In our view, the technical and form factor improvements of the iPad 2 stand to make it tougher for the first generation of competitive offerings to play catch-up, meaning actual shipments could fall well short of plan, Moskowitz wrote in a report.
Earlier reports of JP Morgan warned the investors that the build plan for tablet shipments of Apple’s rivals could “increase the risk of bubble burst.”
Apple’s shipment estimates have been lowered to 6.75 million iPads in the June quarter by the Wall Street analysts due to production constraints.
According to the analyst, the nascent tablet market stands to become big enough to create a ripple effect in the broader tech food chain in 2011.
Total tablet shipment will reach 3 percent and 11 percent of the total handset and smartphone units in 2011, the report said.


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It is no news that Hushpuppi is a big boy. If you are online, especially on Instagram, you must be aware of his flamboyant lifestyle. The Dubai-based Nigerian recently posted a video of himself hanging with American rapper Lil Pump.
Their love for Gucci is unrivaled!
Their meeting is far from being a coincidence. First, both Hushpuppi and Lil Pump have something in common – their love for Gucci. Lil Pump got his big break following the release of his song titled Gucci Gang. It became an instant hit, receiving massive airplay all around the world. Hushpuppi himself is an unrepentant Gucci lover. He wears some of the most expensive pieces the luxury brand has in store.
>>> Hushpuppi's car collection is mind-blowing! Ray Hushpuppi flaunts his luxury supercars (Video of car interiors included)
Hushpuppi and Lil Pump seem to be close friends in Dubai
In the video, we see a purple Rolls-Royce which Hushpuppi says belongs to Lil Pump. According to him, the rapper owns one in Dubai and another one in the United States. We also see Hushpuppi’s highly-priced Gucci jacket which he adorns.
Watch the video below:
>>> Check out latest auto news on Naijauto.com for updates!


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Ring has made it their mission to empower consumers in their fight against neighborhood crime. Their affordable, do-it-yourself home security products have given countless American consumers the peace of mind they require to leave their home unattended. Yesterday, the company launched the 2nd generation version of their Ring Video Doorbell. The original quickly became the most popular video doorbell on the market and Ring believes its successor will be even more impressive. The significantly upgraded version of the camera offers 1080p HD video recording and a completely removable, rechargeable battery.
Ring has also made enhancements to the camera’s night vision capabilities. Finally, consumers now have the freedom to change the camera’s appearance with the inclusion of interchangeable faceplates. Many of its predecessor’s most popular features remain in place. This includes two-way audio and motion detection functionality. The company’s founder, Jamie Siminoff, confirmed that more than 1 million homeowners rely on the company’s security products to protect their homes and reduce neighborhood crime.
He also confirmed that the video doorbell cameras have already helped to stop burglars and package thieves. The company has gone on to confirm that law enforcement officials have praised their products and their effectiveness. According to the company’s press release, a Florida police officer admitted, “The Ring Video Doorbell is a simple but effective tool in this endeavor, providing us with hard evidence and the homeowner with solid peace of mind.”
The second generation Ring Doorbell possesses a wealth of features. Many can be found below.
- A completely removable battery pack
- 1080p HD video recording
- 2-way audio
- 180-degree horizontal motion detection
- 160-degree FOV
- Enhanced night vision
- Purchase protection for life
- Interchangeable faceplates
The Ring Video Doorbell 2, which will retail at $199, is now available at more than 15,000 retail locations across the United States. Besides the company’s website, consumers can also purchase the 2nd generation doorbell from Home Depot and Best Buy.


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Nokia Tablet T20 2024 is coming with impressive specs like 12GB RAM and 108MP cameras! Keep reading for more details! Nokia Tablet T20comes with 512GB ROM and 12GB RAM with full space! Currently Nokia is thinking of releasing another new phone for Nokia customers. Nokia has officially planned to release its new “Nokia Tablet T20 5G” phone this year. Nokia is a quality product and a phone that people can trust. The Nokia smartphone brand has now taken the number one position in the world due to its good performance. The Nokia family always makes the latest and high-end smartphones at low prices.
Nokia Tablet T20 5G Release Date:
However, we are very optimistic that this smartphone will be released by the January of 2024. Although many times there may be delays due to internal reasons. Nokia lovers many customers are waiting for the release of this phone.
Nokia Tablet T20 5G 2024 specs:
Let us first know about the display of this device. The Nokia Tablet T20 5G flagship will bring a powerful display. It also has a 10.4-inch Super AMOLED display with 2K pixel resolution. and a pixel resolution of 2000×1200 along with 226PPI pixel density, 400 nits of peak brightness, 60Hz refresh rate. The new device will have Corning Gorilla Glass 7 protection to protect it from various harmful spots.
Let us know about the battery of this device. Nokia Tablet T202024 supports a huge 8200mAh power cell. Another interesting feature is that it has 15W fast charging technology. Which will help your device charge faster. Nokia Tablet T20 is the new smartphone. The battery of the phone is huge and very powerful. Which allows the adibis to be charged for a long time. So the gamer brothers and sisters do not have to do any tension.
The upcoming Nokia Tablet T20 5G device has a quadrangular lens on the back. Nokia devices always make good quality and high config camera. This is a feature of Nokia phones. The Nokia Tablet T20 camera segment has 8MP focal point. There is a 5MP snapper lens for taking selfies.
RAM, ROM & Other Info:
In the memory section, the Nokia Swan Ultra handset has 3GB/4GB RAM and 32GB/64GB inbuilt storage. (Expands up to 512GB via microSD card). It comes powered by the “Unisoc 12nm Tiger T610 chipset”. The Nokia Tablet T20 model mobile will run on the latest Android 11 version operating system. This device can feature the latest under-display fingerprint scanner and Face ID lock for maximum security.
Nokia Tablet T20 5G 2024 Price:
Nokia is a good brand and high technology, so the price is a little higher. Prices for this Nokia Tablet T20 5G 2024 start at 3G/32GB- Rs. 19,900 and 4G/64GB- Rs. 23,400 (Expected) Below are the prices of more different countries. Do you buying this new Nokia flagship? Please throw us your thought in the section below!


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Microsoft Files Complaint Against Google In the EU
we’re concerned by a broadening pattern of conduct aimed at stopping anyone else from creating a competitive alternative... We’ve therefore decided to join a large and growing number of companies registering their concerns about the European search market. By the European Commission’s own reckoning, Google has about 95 percent of the search market in Europe. This contrasts with the United States, where Microsoft serves about a quarter of Americans’ search needs either directly through Bing or through our partnership with Yahoo!.Smith then hints at Google's dark motives, describing the company's Yahoo offer as an attempt to impede fair competition, while Google Books is an attempt to "monopolize book content." Despite the DOJ's best efforts "this has not stopped the spread by Google of new and disconcerting practices in the United States."
Bing's market share in selected nations. Data from Q4 2010
Google, Microsoft alleges, plays both ends against the middle. It decries any attempt to apply a walled garden standard to the Internet while simultaneously "walling off access to content and data that competitors need to provide search results to consumers and to attract advertisers."
Microsoft claims that Google has made it steadily more difficult for third-party search engines to index YouTube clips, has purposefully prevented WP7 smartphones from implementing a competitive YouTube app, is attempting to steal so-called 'orphan' books, restricts advertisers' ability to access their own data, and competitively blocks leading EU websites from displaying embedded search boxes from other search engines. This last point has "blocked Microsoft from distributing its Windows Live services, such as email and online document storage, through European telecommunications companies because these services are monetized through Bing search boxes."
Microsoft's filing could cause further waves for Google. The search giant is still under investigation after three alternative browser developers sued it late last year. Google's response is short and to the point: "We're not surprised that Microsoft has done this, since one of their subsidiaries was one of the original complainants," said Google spokesperson Al Verney. For our part, we continue to discuss the case with the European Commission and we're happy to explain to anyone how our business works."
As for why MS filed in the EU, there's a difference in how copyright law is often interpreted across the pond. In the EU, the focus is on anticompetitive behavior. In the US, companies must typically show that consumers were harmed. It's rather difficult to demonstrate how Google has harmed consumers. The fact that its market share is smaller here also makes it harder for Redmond to prove that Google has abused its dominant position.
Lest any of you think the company is without a sense of humor, Brad Smith notes notes the irony of the situation. saying: "Having spent more than a decade wearing the shoe on the other foot with the European Commission, the filing of a formal antitrust complaint is not something we take lightly."


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Thailand Business News can help you promote you Event in several ways. You can register your event for free on our Submit Event page and you can also promote your event with sponsored article.
Events for May 30, 2019
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BANGKOK, 30 May 2019 (NNT) - The Ministry of Commerce has prepared to host an intellectual property event titled IP Fair 2019, focusing on academic knowledge, showcasing innovations that have found commercial use, and pushing Thai operators to seek value from intellectual property. The theme of this year’s IP Fair is “Expanding on Ideas” and […]Find out more »


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Published on : Wednesday, July 27, 2016
The recently finished Manchester Furniture Show saw just under 5000 visitors treated to a plethora of new designs from well established brands and several younger companies, already making a name for themselves.
Westbridge, Baker, Furmanac, Rauch, Gallery Direct, Whitemeadow, Nolte, and Furniture Origins were amongst those who reported better than expected sales and all have confirmed they will be showing next year. Organisers report that at the show’s close, re-bookings meant that already over half of the exhibition space for next year has been taken.
Business Development Director at Gallery, James Hudson commented, “The open space feel worked well for Gallery. Ranges launched in January were viewed with fresh eyes which resulted in good orders – in fact we took far more orders than last year and we are delighted.”
James Stevenson, Baker’s Sales Director said, “Our new product has been really well received, we’ve had really good orders and we will be back next year.”
Visitor numbers for this edition were above those in 2015. Visitors were impressed with the quality of the exhibitors and the stands and enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere of the show.
Next year’s event returns to Manchester Central from July 16 to 18, 2017.


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BMW's North American President Ludwig Willisch talks about why the company is manufacturing its X series cars in the South Carolina.
Ambassador Samantha Power hints at why she wants Hillary Clinton to run in 2016.
Bill Ford, executive chairman of Ford, discusses the last 50 years of Mustang, global car markets, fuel economy, the GM recall and self-driving cars.
Tumblr CEO David Karp talks about his relationship with Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer and how his company has changed.
CEO of International Airlines Group Willie Walsh says 'we've got to find this aircraft and we've got to understand what has happened.'
CEO Mary Barra says that her company is not focused on the 'cost elements' of the safety fix and that GM is 'gonna do the right thing.'
CEO Mary Barra explains GM's decision to recall 2.6 million cars with faulty ignition switches and what they are doing to prevent another situation in the future.
Twitter co-founder Biz Stone on why he turned down Facebook's $500M offer and why entrepreneurs aren't heroes.
Education Secretary Arne Duncan tells Christine Romans how spending on kids now will bring big returns later.
Education Secretary Arne Duncan gives his 30-second pitch to prospective teachers saying teaching is the best way to change America.
Should America be concerned about how much data Facebook collects? COO Sheryl Sandberg responds, and says that she has 'no plans' to run for political office.
Ally Financial CEO Mike Carpenter describes how his company's IPO brings TARP money back to the American taxpayer.
Ebay CEO John Donahoe says he talks with Carl Icahn 'on a periodic basis' and that they have agreed to keep PayPal part of Ebay in exchange for adding an independent board director.
He's only 28, but Sam Altman, the new president of venture capital firm Y Combinator, knows what it takes to found a successful tech company. He did it himself. Find out what he looks for in a founder and why he thinks we're all too scared of risk.
The CEO of Oberthur Technologies, which issues credit cards with EMV security chips, says 'the U.S. Has become the weakest point' where hackers can target credit card transactions.
GrubHub CEO and co-founder Matt Maloney talks the company's IPO, its profitability, and goals for expansion in the market of takeout food.
Sam Adams' Brewing The American Dream initiative gives loans and advice to small businesses. Co-Founder and Chairman Jim Koch discusses the program, the company's fundraising, and the surging popularity of craft beer.
In a one-on-one interview with Christine Romans, Emanuel discusses the steps Chicago is taking to make itself friendly to the tech community.
Digital advertising exchange Rubicon Project had a good first day of trading after its IPO on the New York Stock Exchange. The CEO discusses the company and its culture.
Chicago Mayor and former White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel explains why Obamacare is positive change but there's a reason the President isn't celebrating too much.
CBS Outdoor Americas CEO Jeremy Male discusses his company's first day as a public company and the decision to break away from its former parent company, CBS.
Venture Capitalist Ben Horowitz dishes on Valley secrets, and what he looks for in entrepreneurs. Laurie Segall reports.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella gives his vision for Microsoft going forward.
Speaking on the topic of the digital revolution in retail, Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz sees a 'seismic change in consumer behavior' and says 'every retail company is going to have to change.'
Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz on how he got Oprah Winfrey to partner with the Teavana brand.
Howard Schultz says raising minimum wage to $10.10 an hour would likely not cost jobs or increase prices at Starbucks, but may have an impact on benefits.
Hip hop businessman Russell Simmons says he is for raising the minimum wage despite being an employer. He also says 'our democracy is deeply flawed' and discusses Spike Lee's comments on gentrification in New York City.
Intel's new CEO Brian Krzanich explains how his company is adapting to the mobile world. He also says, 'the PC isn't dead.'
TOMS CEO Blake Mycoskie discusses why the shoe company is expanding its buy-one-give-one model into the premium coffee business.
Richard Branson commends senators for bringing attention to climate change, praises Tim Cook for standing up for what is 'ethically right' and says the 'Koch brothers are not listening to science.'
Hip hop mogul Russell Simmons has his hands in many businesses, but he still takes the time to meditate, which he says helps him do 'twice as much work.'
Nicole and Alana Feld are the third generation of the Feld family to produce the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, a show that dates back to the 1870s.
Dell CEO Michael Dell talks about how the company's move into big data services will become a big part of their business.
Coupons.com CEO Steven Boal says being able to digitally clip coupons has helped the company avoid tough times as newspaper sales plummet.
As PC sales rapidly decline, Logitech has moved from keyboards and mice into mobile accessories.
The first female CEO of a major automaker explains her philosophy on climbing up the corporate ladder.
Jon Matonis, Executive Director of the Bitcoin Foundation, says Bitcoin is safe, but maintains it is an experimental platform that should still be considered in beta.
Starting out as a trunk maker, the Louis Vuitton brand is now estimated to be worth $30 billion.
Nokia's Stephen Elop discusses the new Nokia X line of devices, Android, and not becoming the CEO of Microsoft
BlackBerry CEO John Chen talks about the need for the struggling phone maker to keep enterprise customers.
LEGO says they became the number two toy manufacturer by staying true to what kids want.
CEO Jon Oringer discusses the success of stock photo company Shutterstock.com.
CEO Kevin Plank says the company 'got dragged through the mud a little bit' after Team U.S.A. speed skating performed poorly at the Olympics.
Zappos is transitioning to a new organizational structure. It's not what you're used to, and it's not a democracy. Here's a look at how a company can run as a holacracy.
De Beers CEO Phillipe Mellier says the hottest diamond markets in the world are the U.S. and China.
AOL CEO Tim Armstrong says 'we might have the most scaled media strategy in the digital age.'
Why AOL sold PATCH despite CEO Tim Armstrong saying local news is 'critically important.'
Expedia CEO Dara Khosrowshahi discusses optimistic trends in the travel industry and his future outlook for mobile spending.
GoldieBlox CEO Debra Sterling talks about what makes her toy company different and why she created GoldieBlox, an engineering toy for girls.
Prudential Center CEO says over 3,000 members of the media will interview coaches and players in front of 10,000 fans at Super Bowl media day in Newark this year.


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Much before the DOLO-650 controversy shocked the general public with astounding claims of Rs 1,000 crore freebies distributed to doctors, an expose had tried to uncover the murky world of nexus between pharma firms and doctors.
In late 2019, weeks before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, two Pune doctors brought out a detailed report on how pharma firms were gifting gifts and freebies worth several crores to doctors for prescribing their drugs, whether the patients needed it or not.
Titled 'Promotional Practices of the Pharmaceutical Industry and Implementation Status of Regulatory Codes Status in India', the 72-page report was packed with explosive claims of cars, sponsorship of national and international conferences, online shopping vouchers and even female companionship flowing freely from pharma firms to doctors in exchange of favourable prescriptions to patients.
The report by the physicians associated with the NGO Support for Advocacy and Training to Health Initiatives was based on in-depth interviews with 50 medical representatives (MRs) and area managers of pharma companies and doctors in six major cities across the country.
Though not the first systemic analysis on the subject, it was one of the latest and explored themes such as the “changing trends in promotions” and “new innovation of temptations”.
The report put a spotlight on the Code of ethics that the erstwhile regulator for doctors, the Medical Council of India (MCI), has laid down for doctors.
MCI's mandatory regulatory codes for medical practitioners (Professional Conduct, Etiquette and Ethics) Regulations, 2002, remain on paper with most doctors not just accepting freebies but even demanding them, the report said.
MCI has not been the only one seeking to instil a sense of ethics in the sector. Seven years back, the Department of Pharmaceuticals (DOP) under the Union Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers had brought out the Uniform Code of Pharmaceutical Marketing Practices (UCPMP), a voluntary set of guidelines to govern the conduct of drug makers and draw boundaries of their relationships with healthcare professionals.
It was expected to be adopted by all drugmakers.
However, the whistleblower report said the UCPMP was non-functional on the ground with most MRs, who interact with doctors on drug makers’ behalf, not even aware that such a Code existed.
Hardly 10 to 20 percent of doctors follow prescribed ethics, the report said, citing senior MRs.
Interestingly, instead of introspection, the report put the fraternity in a denial mode with various doctors’ bodies demanding action against the Pune whistleblowers.
The ‘live case’
The pandemic, which hit weeks after the report came out, only exacerbated the malpractices, some doctors and activists feel.
In July this year, the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) made a sensational claim that freebies worth Rs 1,000 crore were distributed to doctors by Micro Labs, the maker of DOLO-650, a brand of paracetamol, a common medicine used in the treatment of fever and pain, for promoting its products. DOLO-650 was incidentally a go-to-medicine for the treatment of fever during Covid-19. The Bengaluru-based drugmaker, however, has vehemently denied the taxman's charges.
The CBDT claim has made its way into the submission filed by the Federation of Medical & Sales Representatives of India in the Supreme Court. The submission was given during the hearing of a case that the Federation is fighting in the apex court to get statutory backing for the UCPMP.
However, many inside and outside the industry, including those who say that the pharma-doctor nexus continues unabated, feel that the figure of Rs 1,000 crore for the promotion of DOLO-650 may have been exaggerated.
Yet, the significance of this case and the practices it places on record is not lost on anyone.
“Before this, we did not have a live case in which we could see how drug makers and their associations have operationalised the ethics committee under UCPMP and how they take decisions,” Malini Aisola of the All India Drug Action Network, a patient rights group, said, questioning the clean chit given by an industry body to the drug maker in the case.
“But now you can see that they are not taking it seriously. When something has blown up a little bit in the public eye, then they are forced to take it up but the exercise is a sham,” she said, adding that it reinforces the need for a mandatory rather than voluntary code for companies.
The Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance (IPA), a group of research-based Indian drugmakers, after being urged by the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority under the DOP, carried out an internal investigation into the freebie charges involving DOLO 650 and Micro Labs.
“In view of interaction with the management of the company and the detailed reply, it is clear Rs 1,000 crore expenditure on single brand DOLO-650 on freebies in one year is not correct,” it said in its report to the NPPA recently.
Several crucial questions, however, remain unanswered.
“The IPA report shows that quite a substantial amount of money was spent on promotion and what needed to be thoroughly investigated is whether the promotion fell beyond ethical boundaries- for example, what sort of promotional activities had been undertaken?” asked Aisola.
She pointed out that all drug makers, every year, spend a hefty amount under the head of “Scientific and Academic Services”.
“But the question to be raised is why would companies need to even have that kind of a scientific and academic promotion for a generic molecule that they have been selling for some 20-30 years?”
The IPA did not reply to queries by Moneycontrol on the issue. A query sent to the Organisation of Pharmaceutical Producers of India, a network of multi-national pharma firms in the country, remained unanswered.
Laws not on the same page?
While the government is aware of the practice, the rules are not uniform.
The (Professional Conduct, Etiquette and Ethics) Regulations, 2002, brought out by MCI made accepting gifts and freebies by pharma companies to doctors a punishable offence, which can lead to suspension of licence to practice medicine.
On the other hand, the UCPMP, which asks pharma companies to adhere to the self-regulation of not offering freebies to doctors, is voluntary.
The government, on its part, had tried to limit the gains made by pharma companies through such practices. Through tax amendments in the Finance Bill this year, it disallowed pharma firms from claiming the cost of various freebies and largesse offered to doctors as a business deduction from April 1.
Before that, in August 2012, the CBDT had asked doctors who accept gifts from drug companies to declare the equivalent value as taxable business income while companies to reveal such expenditure on doctors in their annual accounts.
But the companies had been claiming deductions on these costs on doctors as legitimate business expenses even though the tax officials had been denying these deductions in many instances.
This led to various litigations as pharma companies appealed against non-exemption from deductions.
The latest amendment introduced by the government aimed to clear the misinterpretation as it proposed to insert another explanation “expenditure incurred by an assessee for any purpose which is an offence or which is prohibited by law”.
The government stance
The government swears by the plethora of existing legislations it has to deal with the menace.
In response to a query in the parliament in July this year, the Centre had said that in addition to defining what entails freebies to doctors by pharma companies, the UCPMP also details the mode of operation of the code, responsibilities of the pharmaceutical associations in constituting the Ethics Committee for Pharmaceutical Marketing Practices for handling the complaints and Apex Ethics Committee for Pharmaceutical Marketing Practices (AECPMP) for review, the procedure of lodging a complaint, procedure of handling of complaints by the Pharmaceutical Associations and various penalty provisions.
“The Code is adopted by all the major associations of pharmaceutical companies,” said the DOP, adding that on various occasions, it has, on various instances, reviewed the implementation of the voluntary Code.
Besides UCPMP, there exists a sufficient and enforceable legal regime to counter, control and disincentivise unethical marketing practices such as ethical regulation for doctors, provisions available under Income Tax Act, Drugs and Cosmetics Act and Prevention of Corruption Act.
It also made it clear that there was no consideration of amending the Code or bringing a new law to stop the practice of offering freebies to doctors by drugmakers.
Interestingly, the government has never released any information in public on how many complaints have been received for violations of the UCPMP or whether any company has ever been penalised under its provisions by pharma associations.
‘No need for new regulation’
The Indian Drug Manufacturers Association (IDMA), the biggest grouping of drugmakers, insisted that there already are regulations and guidelines in place to restrict the freebies and they clearly define the allowable practices and also state what is not allowed.
“IDMA was one of the first amongst the associations to have formed the Ethics committee and Apex committee under the UCPMP, showing our commitment to ethical practices,” IDMA president Viranchi Shah told Moneycontrol. “IDMA supports only ethical practices in marketing and will continue with its efforts”.
Contrary to the perception, we would like to highlight that the pharmaceutical industry is one of the most regulated industries, with elaborate regulations concerning research, development, manufacturing and marketing of medicines and any additional regulations may be counter-productive, and should be considered only after elaborate consultations, he added.
'One molecule, one price'
With the rot running deep, many are rooting for price regulation.
Many senior members of the Indian Medical Association (IMA), the largest network of doctors in India, for example, mince no words in saying that fulfilment of the group’s long pending demand of “One nation, one molecule, one brand, one price” was the need of the hour.
“We have been observing that so many molecules are sold under different brand names and prices by introducing marginal modifications, which is a tool for pharma companies to get out of price control,” said Dr Ravi Wankhedkar, former president of IMA.
He said that this one rule may also result in curbing spending of funds by pharma companies for sale promotions.
According to senior IMA member Dr R V Asokan, while any material gifts to doctors cannot be justified, it should be noted that most of such gifts are less expensive ones like a ball pen.
“We need to have a sense of proportion in this-- any gift which is large enough to incite a behavioural change should be deemed proscribed,” he said.
On the other hand, said Asokan, the gift of a text book —even an expensive one — should be considered appropriate.
A portion of Pharma profit, he said, should certainly be ploughed back for continuing medical education as this will contribute towards better patient care and a portion of CSR funds should flow to professional organisations for continued medical education and even research.
“All fund flow needs to be in the public domain and transparent,” said Asokan, adding that a fundamentalist Victorian approach will only benefit the industry and not the patients.
‘Replace the Code’
Dr Arun Gadre, a gynaecologist from Pune and one of the two writers of the 2019 report on the pharma-doctor nexus said that in India, even though there are a huge number of companies offering a number of brands for every molecule, there is nothing called a “price competition”.
If there is a proper supply-demand market, then the price of the product that is in high demand should be on the lower side. “But in the pharmaceutical industry, there is a market failure and product differentiations actually drive the competition.”
Through product differentiation, companies come up with slight variations of the same product to set apart their brand from all the competitors and then they put in a lot of marketing muscle.
“So there is a problem of fundamentals and therefore the UCPMP needs to be replaced completely with a strong statutory instrument,” said Gadre, who is also a founding member of the Association of Doctors for Ethical Healthcare.
“A new law should be brought in such a way so as to cover all the inputs and provisions through which there can be direct and indirect payments to influence prescription by doctors,” he said.
Ultimate loser: the patient
With the Centre refusing to budge, much of what happens ahead depends on the ongoing case in the Supreme Court, but till the time a positive change happens, patients will have to keep paying the price.
Gadre’s report had highlighted that promotional practices by pharma companies led to the promotion of excessive, irrational drugs and pushed for high-cost brands.
It also found that several drugs were being promoted to even non–allopath or AYUSH (practitioners of traditional systems of medicine) doctors who were not allowed to practice modern medicine.
“This has led to prescribing non- indicated doses of antibiotics as well as less adherence of the doctors to prescribe a full dose of antibiotics,” said the report.
“This has serious implications for patients-- not only in terms of money but also for the quality of medicines, which are a risk to the life of the patient.”Part 2 of the series will explore what drives the prescription of drugs in India.


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By Robyn Collins
Lots of electronic musicians strip down their beats or arrangements for remixes. Scottish superstar DJ and EDM producer Calvin Harris just plain stripped down.
As a gag birthday gift to his manager, Harris posed for a pic in his underwear and posted it on social media. It looks like Harris was wearing an item from the Armani collection; he has represented the brand since last December, reports Billboard.


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AFTER a dazzling wedding ceremony, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle continued their wedding celebrations by travelling in style to their lavish evening reception.
The royal newlyweds, who on Saturday became the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, made their way from Windsor Castle to nearby Frogmore House in a silver blue Jaguar E-type Concept Zero, an electric reincarnation of the 1968 British classic.
Although the short drive was only fleeting, it produced one of the most striking visual moments of the day.
The E-type sports car, which Ferrari founder Enzo Ferrari famously called “the most beautiful car in the world”, was originally manufactured in 1968 and has since been converted to electric power, complete with LED head lamps.
The £350,000 electric version even came with a bespoke number plate, which bore the date of the royal nuptials.
Last year, Jaguar launched the Concept Zero service to restore and convert existing E-Types to electric power.
The Concept Zero model used on Saturday is one of three battery-powered cars Jaguar showcased at its Tech Fest event last year in London as part of the car manufacturers promise to electrify every new model in its range from 2020.
The environmentally-friendly convertible has a top speed of 150mph and can reach 60mph from standstill in just 5.5 seconds, thanks to a 220kW electric motor.
“Concept Zero combines the renowned E-type dynamic experience with enhanced performance through electrification,” said Tim Hannig, Director of Jaguar Land Rover Classic.
“This unique combination creates a breathtaking driving sensation. Our aim with Concept Zero is to give classic Jaguars a sustainable future in changing environmental and economic conditions.”


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Video: Hands-on with the ZTE Grand S
By now, it's pretty evident that 2013 will be the year of 5-inch 1080 displays on all flagship Android phones. HTC kicked off the trend a few months ago with the HTC J Butterfly and Droid DNA, and now ZTE and every other OEM has followed suit. The ZTE ...
ZTE Grand S will be coming to the US “later this year”


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Alessi’s flagship store in New York's SoHo neighborhood got a facelift this year, reopening earlier this month after a refurbishment by Hani Rashid of Long Island City, N.Y.–based Asymptote Architecture. Rashid is no stranger to the space on Greene Street, having designed the store the first time, when it opened in 2006. Many elements—including the ribbons of cove lighting that rise from the floor and span the ceiling, as well as the bulk of the shelving for the 3,500 products on display—remain the same, but the main display counter and the blue wall graphics were updated to freshen the space in time for this year’s International Contemporary Furniture Fair.
As part of the reopening celebration, the store is playing host to “Metal Workshop: Cranbrook for Alessi” an exhibition featuring the results of a 2009 workshop between the Italian design house and the Cranbrook Academy of Art in Bloomfield Hills, Mich. The workshop—which was codirected by Cranbrook’s 3D designer-in-residence, Scott Klinker, and metalsmithing artist-in-residence, Iris Eichenberg—combined handcrafted materials exploration with digital design tools. Four designs from that collaboration are now in production and will be released later this year.


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In the PYT series, Fashion Unfiltered introduces today’s most exciting up-and-comers.
On the fifth floor of a window-lit loft on the corner of Canal and Kenmare streets, Piotrek Panszczyk and Beckett Fogg cut vintage Cadillac seat-embossed silk into slim-running bell-bottom slacks. They have a mood board covered with splashes of bubblegum pink and hair-slicked ’90s beauty queens opposite a rack of embossed basics for Pre-Fall. Charlotte Wales-lensed lookbooks and white chaps from seasons past rest on wooden shelves. This is the studio of Area, the now three-year-old line from the design duo. Fogg, 27, who hails from Kentucky and cut her teeth at Calvin Klein, and Panszczyk, 29, who’s Polish by way of Paris and got his start at Chloé, are fast preparing for their 2016 show, which will be held by Made Fashion Week at New York’s Standard Hotel on February 11. The sketches and inspiration images for the brand’s forthcoming outing debut here.
“This is going to be fun,” says a grinning Panszczyk of the upcoming collection. “We’re playing on this idea of hard-core femininity. That could mean anything. It could be overly feminine, floral; it could be like drag. It could be overly sensual. It’s all these ideas of what women are, and when does it become almost ridiculous and almost masculine? And how can we translate that into color and feeling?”
“It’s about contrast as well,” adds Fogg. “Contrast between textures. Very historical references. We did a lot of research at libraries. Like, real libraries. But then we also did a lot of research on the Internet, looking at Tumblr. For us, it’s always about that contrast, that back and forth between those ideas.”


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Haigh Rail Achieves Cyber Essentials Compliance
Following recent verification of Haigh Rail Limited’s assessment against the Cyber Essentials Standard by Secarma, we are delighted to say that our business has met the requirements of the scheme, and have been certificated as compliant.
The Certificate certifies that we have been assessed as meeting the Cyber Essentials implementation profile [BIS/14/696/1.5] and that at the time of testing, the organisation’s ICT defences were assessed as satisfactory against commodity based cyber-attack.
Managing Director Chris Haigh added:
“As part of our business strategy, we are always looking to develop safer systems of work. So, it’s a very big thanks to our business leaders and our supply chain partner IT 24/7 for supporting this latest achievement.
“With businesses these days so reliant on IT, our cyber policy, supporting systems and partners, help protect us against a range of risks associated with digital technology in order to provide critical support in case of a cyber event.”


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Big Picture: Windows 11 Insider Previews often hint at what features users can expect from Microsoft’s possible public release. Now, with the release of the first major feature update, Windows 11 users can finally access Android apps through the Amazon Appstore Preview if they’re in the US. Meanwhile, features being rolled out globally include several taskbar improvements, updated Notepad and media player apps, and more powerful Teams experiences.
Official support for Android apps in Windows 11 received a lot of attention during Microsoft’s presentation of the feature last year. However, this capability was conspicuously absent from the first official release of the OS, and so far it has only been found in Insider builds.
In his first major windows 11 updateMicrosoft has released this feature to the general public, albeit in limited numbers. First, it’s only available to US users, giving them access to over 1,000 Android apps and games from the Amazon AppStore.
The latter is also currently in Preview, which means more touches can be expected before a wider rollout to the global Windows 11 user base. What’s more, those who want to download the unpublished Android APKs can do so. now, after installing this update.
With this release, Microsoft also introduced two redesigned native apps: Notepad, which now comes with updated simplified menus, a dark theme, and several typing improvements; and the new Media Player, which replaces the Microsoft Groove music app and is designed to be used as a central hub for music and video.
In terms of taskbar improvements, the update brings back the weather widget, which now serves as the entry point for the Windows 11 widget bar. In the case of a center-aligned taskbar by default, this widget appears at the far left, while users with a left-aligned taskbar edge, find it to the right of the task view icon.
In addition, those with two or more monitors installed will now be able to view the date and time on all of their screens. Microsoft is also engaging Windows 11 users with exclusive improvements to the Teams app. Meetings held with the latter can now be instantly mute/unmute using the new microphone icon located on the taskbar.
In the meantime, the addition of window sharing allows users to quickly hover over any open application icon on the taskbar and share content with a couple of mouse clicks. Microsoft notes that these features are only available to Team users with a work or school account.
Windows 11 users can also expect additional feature updates outside of the annual release schedule. In addition to making the OS the best open platform for innovation, Microsoft says it’s also focused on making Windows the best place to play games and the gateway to the metaverse. What the latter entails remains to be seen.


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The Bryan Texas Utilities (BTU) used a Demonstration of Energy & Efficiency Developments (DEED) student research grant from the American Public Power Association to support a student to analyze mitigation strategies for the potential deleterious effect electric vehicles could have on utility transformers.
With the adoption of electric vehicles expected to rise rapidly in the future, BTU wanted to look at the use of rooftop solar power and battery storage to offset potential degradation of transformers caused by the expected increase in electric vehicle adoption and charging.
Studies showing average electric vehicle adoption rates can be misleading, Mladen Kezunovic, a professor of electrical engineering at Texas A&M University and the education advisor overseeing the DEED project, said. It is more likely that electric vehicle adoption will not occur evenly and will be concentrated in certain neighborhoods. In those neighborhoods, utilities could see much higher loads on their distribution transformers, possibly even a doubling of loads, Kezunovic said. And higher loads lead to higher heat in a transformer, which can shorten the expected useful life of the equipment.
Using the DEED grant, which took the form of a $5,000 scholarship, Milad Soleimani, a doctoral student at Texas A&M, developed a series of calculations to study the effect of overloading on transformers and mitigation strategies to offset those effects. The DEED study ran from December 2019 to December 2020.
The case study considered a residential area with a transformer with a nominal power of 63 kilovolt amps (kVa) and a total solar generation capacity of all the buildings of 10 kilowatts (kW). The rated power of the battery storage inverters was 5 kW, and it was assumed that the electric vehicles only operate in grid-to-vehicle mode.
For the study, Soleimani used load data available from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) on OpenEI. Solar generation was calculated using NREL’s PVWatts Calculator. Weather data was extracted from the Iowa State University’s Environmental Mesonet archive. And electricity price data came from the Electric Reliability Council of Texas records.
The case study looked at seven different scenarios, ranging from a baseline with no electric vehicles, solar generation or battery storage to a scenario with a high penetration of electric vehicles with no solar or battery storage to a scenario in which there is solar generation, a high penetration of electric vehicles and battery storage is optimized by considering both electricity prices and transformer loss of life estimates.
Among the results, Soleimani found that the loss of energy in the charging and discharging of battery systems increases total energy consumption and presents challenges to the sole use of battery storage to mitigate transformer loss of life.
The study found that using battery storage, both with and without solar generation, optimized based on electricity prices, but did not mitigate transformer loss of life and had a negative impact on utility profits. The most successful approaches in the study were those that modeled the optimization of solar and storage based on prices and transformer loss of life calculations.
“Utilities as the owners of the distribution transformers benefit from the transformer loss of life mitigation strategy,” Soleimani wrote in the DEED report. “In the long term, the lower expenses for the utility will lead to cheaper electricity delivery to the end consumer. Thus, utility and consumers are both benefitting.” There should be incentives from utilities for consumers to make the investment viable, he said.
Broadly speaking, Kezunovic said the DEED study looked at three broad strategies: staggering electric vehicle charging times to minimize load, using solar photovoltaic panels and battery energy storage to minimize increased loads on transformers, and a combination of the first two options that uses algorithms to reduce the loads on transformers. The third option proved to be the most realistic, but it requires an algorithm for optimization that is not available today, Kezunovic said.
Today, “there is a disconnect between utilities and customer owned resources,” Kezunovic said. Utilities need to gain a better understanding of what customer resources, such as solar panels and electric vehicles, can do to their systems, he said, “and customers need to get on board with what utilities want them to do” and maybe utilities could incentivize them to do that.


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AutoNation rebound: Q3 sales hit another post-recession high
AutoNation had a great third quarter for new vehicle sales, selling more than 76,000 units – the highest third quarter level since 2007.
Sales for the Fort Lauderdale-based retailer have been climbing out of a deep cellar since the recession. Back then, the industry suffered a perfect storm of problems: soaring gas prices, choked auto lending, and Big 3 automaker bankruptcies.
On Wednesday, AutoNation (NYSE: AN) said third quarter sales were 13 percent higher than the prior-year period. (Taking into account additional stores recently added, the increase was 8 percent.) Broken down by operating segment: domestic brands, 17 percent higher at 23,782 vehicles; import brands up 9 percent to 39,092; and premium luxury brands, up 19 percent.
The company also reported that September sales statistics were down 10 percent, but that was attributed to the fact that Labor Day weekend – always a good weekend for sales – was tallied in the month of August this year.
In related news, AutoNation CEO Mike Jackson criticized Congress on Tuesday during a press conference, saying the recent government shutdown showed the system was dysfunctional, irresponsible and incompetent.
Jackson blamed both parties, but said the House Republicans expectation of a “quid pro quo” for every major decision was impossible, according to a report in the Sun-Sentinel.
Shares of AutoNation were trading down 23 cents on Wednesday morning to $52.09.
Paul Brinkmann covers venture capital, technology, energy and environment.
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|By Business Wire||
|March 6, 2014 07:42 AM EST||
Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/vvtctm/global_small) has announced the addition of the "Concise Analysis of the International Small Lithium-ion Battery Market" report to their offering.
Over the years, there has been a tremendous increase in technological advancements, which has led to a subsequent increase in the use of various electronics devices. This has in turn led to an increase in energy usage, mostly in the form of batteries. For instance, modern telecommunication devices such as mobile phones are being progressively equipped with various innovative features including multimedia messaging, internet accessibility, and TV viewing, which consume substantial battery power.
Consequently, electronic devices nowadays lose their battery power within short time frames and therefore require frequent charging. As a result, there is an increased need for efficient and durable rechargeable batteries, and this has led to the growth of the Global Small Li-ion Battery market. The increasing sales of digital cameras that require substantial battery support are also expected to lead to the growth of this market. Thus, the increased usage of advanced electronic devices is a trend that is expected to influence the Global Small Li-ion Battery market to grow over the next few years.
According to the report,the growth of the Global Small Li-ion Battery market is driven by several factors, one of which is the cost-effectiveness of Li-ion batteries.
Key Topics Covered:
1. Executive Summary
2. List of Abbreviations
4. Market Research Methodology
5. Scope of the Report
6. Market Landscape
7. Geographical Segmentation
8. Vendor Landscape
9. Buying Criteria
10. Market Growth Drivers
11. Drivers and their Impact
12. Market Challenges
13. Impact of Drivers and Challenges
14. Market Trends
15. Key Vendor Analysis
16. Other Reports in this Series
- Amperex Technology Ltd.
- Build Your Dreams (BYD) Battery Co. Ltd.
- China BAK Battery Inc.
- EVE Energy Co. Ltd.
- LG Chem Ltd.
- Panasonic Corp.
- Samsung SDI Co. Ltd.
- Shandong Heter Lampson Electronic Co. Ltd.
- Sony Electronics Inc.
- Tianjin Lishen Battery Co. Lt
For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/vvtctm/global_small
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17th Cloud Expo, taking place Nov 3-5, 2015, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA, will feature technical sessions from a rock star conference faculty and the leading industry players in the world. Cloud computing is now being embraced by a majority of enterprises of all sizes. Yesterday's debate about public vs. private has transformed into the reality of hybrid cloud: a recent survey shows that 74% of enterprises have a hybrid cloud strategy. Meanwhile, 94% of enterprises ar...
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DevOps is about increasing efficiency, but nothing is more inefficient than building the same application twice. However, this is a routine occurrence with enterprise applications that need both a rich desktop web interface and strong mobile support. With recent technological advances from Isomorphic Software and others, it is now feasible to create a rich desktop and tuned mobile experience with a single codebase, without compromising performance or usability.
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ROSS COUNTY – A local bank caught several hundred dollars of counterfeit money in a deposit from a local store this week and reported it
According to the Chillicothe police department, they were called to the Kingston National Bank on Western Ave when a bank representative found two one hundred dollar bills in a deposit from Goodwill.
In the report, Chillicothe had contacted Goodwill and they reported that they had taken the two fake bills in during the day on Friday during a regular transaction. Currently, they are reviewing the transactions to determine if a suspect can be determined.
Counterfeit money had been being passed around in the Ross County area for years.


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Press Release Distribution
forget Latest News
By NextCo, Inc.
NextCo, Inc.’s latest Apple iOS app, iForgot for the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, remind users what they left the room for.
25 million bags went missing in 2009 in the world's airports, resulting in losses of about 2.5 billion US dollars to the airline industry, according to the data released by air transport electronics group SITA Thursday.


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Air Conditioning Archive
Serfac Limited has added significantly to its product range from top global cooling and air conditioning brand NRF.
Tech’n’Tools has launched its new ‘Automotive Air Con’ brochure for 2019. This brochure provides just a small selection of the equipment, parts & consumables and services the company offers for automotive air conditioning and it also extends to supporting agricultural, truck and bus applications. Tech’n’Tools have partnered with some of the world’s leading product and
Denso has hailed the impact of Edd China after his presence on the Denso stand helped attract a heavy footfall.
Workshop equipment specialists, Techplus has added the Ecotechnics ECK 3900-Up Air Conditioning Service Unit to its impressive product portfolio.
Delphi Technologies has added more than 50 new parts, fitted to over 900 new applications, to its extended air conditioning range.
Behr Hella Service, a leading aftermarket supplier of thermal management solutions, has introduced its latest product catalogue for commercial vehicle (CV) and light commercial vehicle (LCV) applications, showcasing its 3,100-part numbers across multiple product groups, which cater for more than 800 vehicles from 60 manufacturers. Technicians rely on fitting original equipment (OE) quality products to
Short car journeys are causing massive pollution problems – and it’s not just pedestrians at risk, according to a new study. Emission control systems take up to five minutes to activate with nitrogen oxides (NOx) increasing by up to 32 per cent before a diesel engine has warmed and 422 per cent for petrols, according
Serfac Limited has added top global cooling and air conditioning brand NRF to its extensive product range. Since 1927, NRF has been the leading manufacturer and supplier of engine cooling and air conditioning products for the automotive aftermarket, industrial and marine sector. An established supplier of OEM components, a significant number of vehicle manufacturers install
Thermal management expert Behr Hella Service, is supporting workshops as “The Workshop’s Friend” with regard to all their air-conditioning (AC) servicing needs – starting with the right spare and service parts via technical support to targeted customer contact. Behr Hella Service provides independent workshops with a single source solution for all AC products – from


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Even Organic Honey Is Probably Toxic
By James Donahue
Health conscious folks like to substitute honey for sugar or artificial sweeteners when baking. The
general thinking is that pure honey is a natural sweet ingredient that can be safely enjoyed without the problem of toxic
But researchers have discovered an overlooked problem here. It seems that even on organic farms, and
when bee keepers are being ultra-careful to assure the purity of the honey their bees are producing, nobody can restrict the
bees from buzzing on over to the nearby farms where GMO crops are being grown.
Honey bees sometimes fly up to six miles from the hive in their search for nectar. And they are bringing
back significant amounts of glyphosates, the toxic chemical used in Monsanto’s Roundup weed killer. Samples taken of
honey from a variety of sources show the levels of glyphosate higher than government accepted levels for health safety.
A recent report by Kali Sinclair for Natural News noted that "five categories of food items were tested
from Philadelphia grocery stores: honey, corn and pancake syrup, soy milk, tofu and soy sauce. Sixty-two percent of the conventional
honeys and 45 percent of the organic honeys sampled had levels of glyphosates above the minimum established limits."
Glyphosate is linked to mostly gastrointestinal problems but other toxic issues are associated with
this chemical. Corrosive effects with mouth, throat and epigastric pain and dysphagia, renal and hepatic impairment, respiratory
distress, impaired consciousness, pulmonary edema, shock, and even renal failure are among the effects glyphosate can have
on the human body.
Researchers found that the levels of glyphosate are highest in honey produced in the United States.
It exists, but at much lower levels in countries that prohibit the agricultural use of Roundup weed killer.
As long as the U.S. allows Monsanto to produce and sell its Roundup brand of herbicide (other companies
also are using glyphosate in similar products) the honey and sweet syrups in our grocery stores are laced with enough of this
stuff to attack us all, especially the children. At present, there seems to be no way to be sure the honey we buy is really
Sinclair suggests shopping at local farmer’s markets for locally produced organic honey, and
talking to the bee keepers about this problem before choosing what we buy. If we choose to consume honey, do so in moderation.


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UK toy maker Character Group warns sales have been hit by Toys R Us collapse
Character Group has warned that its international sales have been hit by the collapse of Toys R Us.
The UK toy maker, which is licensed to make Peppa Pig, Disney, Doctor Who and Marvel toys, said the American retailer’s troubles had made customers more cautious despite an enthusiastic response to its products ahead of Christmas.
Toys R Us filed for bankruptcy protection in September and sought a major restructure of its debts, with at least 25 stores likely to close in the UK.
Character warned the turmoil would probably affect sales ahead of its half-year results in February.
Yesterday, in preliminary results for the year to August 31, it reported revenues of £115.3million, up 4.7 per cent on the same period last year, but said profits had fallen 6.9 per cent to £12.2million, which it blamed on tough market conditions.
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MG Comet EV | First Look | India’s smallest car
MG Comet EV has been unveiled in India. This is India’s smallest car and the only city-specific electric car. Editor Sirish Chandran takes a quick look at the Comet EV. The interiors are under embargo and we cannot reveal specification and more details. We also speak to MG Motor India MD Rajiv Chaba who tells us that “I am 6-foot-2 and four of me can fit in. But that is not what it is intended for” This is our first look at the radical EV that will be launched in India by end of the month. Bookings start on 15 May 2023. Deliveries start in select markets in May and all over the country by August 2023.


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The demand for gold has bounced back sharply in India from the lows seen in 2020 because of the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, and has even beaten the pre-pandemic level.
In the September quarter, the demand for gold jumped 47 per cent year-on-year (YoY) to 139.1 tonnes, as against 94.6 tonnes in the year-ago period, and higher than the 123.9 tonnes recorded in the pre-pandemic September 2019 quarter, the World Gold Council (WGC) said in its latest release.
In value terms, demand surged 37 per cent year-on-year (YoY) to Rs 59,330 crore during the quarter.
Gold jewellery demand jumped 58 per cent YoY to 96.2 tonnes due to strong pent-up demand, occasion-related gift buying, economic rebound, and soft gold prices.
Bar and coin investment demand, too, increased 27 per cent YoY to 43 tonnes.
Among regions, north India outperformed the south, as some southern states such as Kerala were impacted by higher number Covid cases that affected jewellery store operations, according to the WGC.
Typically, the July-September period is weak seasonally for gold demand because of the monsoons and perceived inauspicious periods like pitru-paksha, when buyers usually prefer to postpone gold purchases.
“This (surge) is primarily driven by what appears to be a firm grip on the pandemic with higher vaccination rates and falling infection rates, leading to a strong rebound in economic activity.
"Softer gold prices also generated significant consumer interest,” said Somasundaram PR, regional chief executive officer, India, WGC.
Another reason for the surge, according to the WGC, is the steady rise in inflation in India, with savers typically buying the yellow metal as a hedge.
“For each one percentage point increase in inflation, gold demand increases by 2.6 per cent.
"On the other hand, for each 1 per cent fall in the gold price in any given year, demand increases by 1.2 per cent,” the WGC said.
The WGC expects demand to rise further as economic activity returns to normal across most Indian states.
“With the upcoming festive and wedding season, there is all the more enthusiasm towards gold demand, and we anticipate it to be the busiest gold-buying season since the start of Covid.
"But the potential for further waves of Covid, which may require lockdowns, is an ever-present threat,” Somasundaram cautioned.
World view: ETF outflows
At the global level, gold demand dipped 7 per cent YoY and 13 per cent quarter-on-quarter to 831 tonnes, primarily due to outflows (27 tonnes) from gold-backed exchange-traded funds (gold ETFs).
Gold prices, meanwhile, averaged $1,790 per ounce (oz) throughout the quarter — down from the September 2020 quarter’s all-time high of $1,908 levels.
“A year ago, investors were flocking to gold, seeking a hedge against the pandemic.
"And gold ETFs were particular beneficiaries of these flows, adding more than 1,000 tonnes over the first three quarters of 2020.
"On balance, it appears the prospect of a higher interest rate environment is more of a concern than ‘transitory’ inflation,” said Louise Street, senior market analyst at WGC.
Street expects the full-year gold demand to be led by strong consumer and central bank purchases, which he feels will mitigate losses from ETFs.
“Jewellery demand will continue to exceed last year’s levels, but investment demand in total will be weaker in 2021, despite healthy bar and coin demand,” Street said.
Photograph: Rupak De Chowdhuri/Reuters


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Big news in the tech and automotive space.
MMW has learned that Immersion Corporation — a leading developer and licensor of touch feedback technology — has signed a multi-year license agreement with Tokyo-based Mitsubishi Electric Corp.
We can confirm that Mitsubishi Electric is licensing Immersion’s haptics IP for its automotive solutions.
Immersion’s high-quality touch feedback technology enhances in-vehicle interfaces and applications. Increasingly, haptics is being designed into automotive applications as more and more vehicles incorporate high-quality tactile effects for operations such as entertainment, navigation and climate control.
“The sense of touch enhances the user experience, and we are pleased to work with Mitsubishi Electric to add haptics to its automotive applications,” said Nobumitsu Shimada, Immersion’s Representative Director and Country Manager for Japan. “Throughout the automotive interior, we look forward to seeing Mitsubishi Electric’s next-generation interfaces enabled by our technology.”


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The November issue of Every Day With Rachael Ray is a bounty of Thanksgiving goodness: 322 ideas, 121 recipes and 40-plus bonus pages.
But in one sense the publisher was a bit stingy.
Waiting inside the polyurethane wrapping that subscribers peeled open this month was a letter informing them that the issue would count as two issues toward their annual subscription.
Apparently, it was just that fabulous.
“It’s our Biggest-Ever Thanksgiving Blowout!” the letter began. Then came the bad news: “This edition is so big, in fact, that we are treating it as a special issue that will count toward two of your subscriber issues, so the duration of your subscription will be adjusted accordingly. We hope you will agree that it is well worth it.”
Not everybody did.
Gary Davis, a spokesman for the Reader’s Digest Association, which publishes the magazine, said readers who expressed their displeasure had had their subscriptions extended to make up for the lost issue.
“Those that had a concern, we heard from them, and we’ve done everything we could to accommodate them,” he said. “Beyond that, everybody’s been pretty happy with it.”
A typical subscription to Every Day With Rachael Ray is 11 issues for $15.
Doubling up on an issue is nothing new for magazines, which use these so-called dark periods to save on production and distribution costs. Reader’s Digest has certainly been in need of cost savings lately. Harder hit than most publishers who have struggled with falling print revenue, Reader’s Digest emerged from bankruptcy last year to a spate of problems.
So far this year, it has had three different chief executives and put itself up for sale. A deal to be acquired by Meredith, publisher of Better Homes and Gardens and Family Circle, was completed on Friday. (A price was not disclosed.)
Skipping an issue can put magazines on precarious ground with subscribers — and not only because it harms good will. A magazine subscription is like any agreement between a customer and a business: the business is obligated to fulfill it.
Fortunately for publishers, most customers don’t complain — or even notice.


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HELSINKI – June 26, 2019 – Loupedeck, the custom photo and video editing console built with an intuitive design that makes editing faster and more creative, has announced its integration with Adobe’s Camera Raw for Photoshop, expanding its compatibility within the Adobe ecosystem. The Camera Raw integration provides more flexibility for Adobe users, allowing them to bring some of the basic features to the Loupedeck+ and increase functionality with Photoshop. Camera Raw is one of several Loupedeck+ integrations announced since launching one year ago, including Adobe Premiere Pro CC, Final Cut Pro and Adobe Audition.
Camera Raw and Photoshop users using Loupedeck+ will be able to:
“We value a customer experience that is always evolving to benefit our users most,” said Mikko Kesti, Founder and CEO of Loupedeck. “We’re looking forward to offering our users new Adobe product compatibility with Camera Raw, as it’s something many of them have been specifically asking for. We’re confident bringing this new integration into the mix will help them further increase their productivity with the Loupedeck+ and provide the flexibility they require on a day-to-day basis.”


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PlayStation VR Aim Controller Alongside VR Shooter 'Farpoint' Launch On May
At GDC this week, Impulse Gear, the developer of Farpoint, confirmed that the game and controller will launch as a bundle for the next few months. PS VR Aim Controller claims to deliver a seamless first-person shooter experience in virtual reality, reducing the nausea-inducing side effects which normally associated with free movement VR shooters.
PS VR Aim Controller And Farpoint Brings Immersive VR Experience
The PS VR Aim controller itself is sleek, minimal, and a complete configuration for converting a standard dual-stick shooter into a VR game with an analog stick for movement and a built-in pink color ball. The pink orb on the front is designed to mimic your movements in the real world. For example, if you point the gun to the side, it will move that way independently of your head movements. and is shaped so you can hold it like an assault rifle pulled into the shoulder or fire from the hip. The controller uses a similar system to the Move controllers for PS VR. Meanwhile, the Farpoint itself is described as a free movement and a virtual reality shooting game that is only exclusive to the PS VR. The Aim Controller is effectively a replacement for the Sharpshooter. However, take note that Farpoint won't support the Sharpshooter at all. You should have an Aim or a standard PS4 gamepad to play the game once it eventually comes out in the market.
Price And Availability
It is noteworthy that the Farpoint offers an amazing VR experience because the VR Aim makes the whole experience much more enchanting. According to a source, the Aim Controller will soon be available hitting the market starting on May 16th. Most likely you'll get the PS VR Aim Controller and Farpoint bundle for $80. As with the retailers, a June release date is likely to happen.
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US Patent and Trademark Office Nixes Eolas Browser Plug-in Patent
Friday March 5th, 2004
Reuters is reporting that the US Patent and Trademark Office has invalidated a patent covering browser plug-ins. The patent, jointly held by Eolas Technologies Inc. and the University of California, has been struck down in a preliminary decision, which Eolas has sixty days to respond to. Eolas successfully sued Microsoft for infringing on the patent last year, forcing the software giant to outline drastic changes to Internet Explorer that would severely impact upon the user experience of the Web. MozillaZine reported on the lawsuit and the Mozilla Foundation's response to it last October. Thanks to Zachariah for the news.
Friday March 5th, 2004 11:24 PM
You are replying to this message
Good. "Forgetting" you have a patent (whether intentional or not) and then waiting until it is pervasively used in the industry only to sue the pants off of anyone with money who uses it 5 years later is just plain stupid.


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Last Orders: What you might have missed on the ASX today
Link copied to
Small caps have gained for a second straight day, outpacing their larger peers, which trod water.
The Small Ordinaries finished Wednesday up 0.32 per cent to a fresh eight and a half month high of 3,063.3, while the ASX200 was up just fractionally, gaining 0.03 per cent to 6,590.2
The Emerging Companies index dipped 0.07 per cent to 1,890.4.
One of the biggest gainers was Cycliq Group (ASX:CYQ), which rose 50 per cent to 0.3c after the Perth-based cycling light and camera system manufacturer announced Cyber Weekend sales were up 44 per cent year-on-year.
Elsewhere on the ASX:
– Oncosil Medical (ASX:OSL) dropped 10.6 per cent to 14.75c after the medical device company abruptly announced the termination of Daniel Kenny as chief executive officer, effective today. The company said that while it had made progress on its targeted radioactive isotope for pancreatic tumours, sales were unlikely to occur by the end of the year, as previously forecast.
– Telix Pharmaceuticals (ASX:TLX) gained 10 per cent to $4.09 after the nuclear medicine company announced it had been granted ethics committee approval to begin a first-in-human phase 1 study of its next-generation prostate cancer therapy product TLX592.
Telix also noted that the US Food and Drug Administration had approved PET scanning for prostate cancer at two California universities using a radioactive tracing agent known as 68Ga-PSMA-11. “This is a highly anticipated event within the US nuclear medicine industry and paves the way for the FDA to approve commercially available products, enabling the broader availability of this important technology to American men with prostate cancer,” Telix said.
– Zelira Therapeutics (ASX:ZLD) advanced 9.9 per cent to 8.9c after the cannabis company announced it had launched its proprietary CBD toothpaste in the United States in partnership with SprinJene. The dental care product uses CBD distilled from hemp, with no psychoactive effects, and will be available in the USA through SprinJene’s existing partners including Bed, Bath & Beyond.
– Rhythm Biosciences (ASX:RHY) surged 18.9 per cent to 72.5c after the cancer detection company announced it had appointed France-based Biotem Limited as the global manufacturer of its ColoSTAT colorectal cancer test. The company is trying to replace faecal tests with a simple, rapid blood test.
– Amplia Therapeutics (ASX:ATX) gained 2.2 per cent after the Melbourne biotech company announced it had received a research and development tax refund of $533,521 for toxicology studies of its clinical-stage FAK inhibitor, AMP945.
– MGC Pharmaceuticals (ASX: MXC) announced an update on the sale of its subsidiary company, MGC Nutraceuticals to Onassis Holdings Corp. As part of the agreement, MXC will receive shares equating to the value of $6 million in Onassis Holdings Corp. and it will have an exclusive supply agreement. Completion of the transaction with Onassis is expected within five months.
Roby Zomer, co-founder and managing director of MGC Pharma, said: “The sale of MGC Nutraceuticals is a milestone transaction for the division and will allow it to achieve its full operational and commercial potential. The Onassis team are highly experienced in wellness products and will be able to develop, grow and distribute the products to a broad range of customers across the US.”
At Stockhead we tell it like it is. While MGC Pharmaceuticals is a Stockhead advertiser, they did not sponsor this article.


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One day before Samsung’s big Unpacked event, HTC has announced a new phone, the Desire 21 Pro 5G. Yes, the company that was once a powerhouse in the Android space is still alive and kicking, and releasing new devices no less.
All things considered, the Desire 21 Pro 5G looks like a decent device. It comes with a 6.7-inch Full HD display with an IPS panel and 90Hz refresh rate, which, as Android Police points out, is a first for HTC. It’s also worth a mention that HTC has somehow managed to source a high refresh rate panel for one of its phones before Apple.


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Marketing firm Development Counsellors International recently released its sixth "Winning Strategies in Economic Development Marketing" survey.
Including more than 300 executives from companies across the country, the DCI survey aims to identify the states with the strongest and weakest reputations among the business community and identify the factors that make them appealing places to do business.
For the fifth straight time, Texas was rated the most appealing business destination, mentioned by 49.4 percent of respondents. North and South Carolina followed with 27.8 percent and 14.3 percent of respondents, two more long-standing locations at the top of the rankings. New York, California and Illinois were rated as the worst places to do business, largely because of high costs and high taxes.
These kinds of reputations can prove crucial for states looking to attract business, as 46 percent of respondents reported they expect to make a siting decision of some kind within the next two years.
"With the battle for business more intense than ever, states and their economic development organizations need to pay close attention to the results of this survey," Andrew Levine, president of DCI, said in a statement. "Whether accurate or misguided, perceptions about a location's business climate often play a crucial role in site selection decisions and where companies invest money and create jobs.


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Sue Ryder survey reveals almost half of people experience poor mental health following the death of a loved one
In response to the survey commissioned by Sue Ryder, we are launching our #JustSaySomething campaign in a bid to encourage everyone to open up about grief and bereavement, enabling a more honest, supportive grieving process for those affected and people supporting them.
Sue Ryder has recently appointed fashion stylist and consultant Grace Woodward as Retail Ambassador to advise on its sustainable fashion and clothing offer for its national retail network.
Today, on Carers Rights Day, our Human Rights Lead Jacqui Graves highlights the rights of carers looking after people with life-limiting conditions and how they can ensure their rights are respected and protected.
People with neurological conditions in England are being let down by the very health and care systems that are supposed to be supporting them – that’s the finding of our new report Time to get it right, writes our Policy and Public Affairs Manager (England) Duncan Lugton.
Famous faces, including Eddie Redmayne, Kate Moss, Gillian Anderson and Daniel Radcliffe, have donated personal items to a new Sue Ryder pop-up shop that will be open in Mayfair for one day only.