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Short reads on a Saturday morning:
• Arguments were held Friday in the Comcast, FCC net neutrality dispute. The case revolves around an FCC order banning Comcast's blocking its broadband customers from the file-sharing technology BitTorrent. The original order by the FCC was issued when the commission was headed by Republican Kevin Martin. The current commission, chaired by Democrat Julius Genachowski, is placing a top priority on the issue of net neutrality.
• The expected closings at Reed Business Information began a little earlier than expected with the news that Video Business was being shuttered, along with MBT (Manufacturing Business Technology) and Industrial Distribution. Penton quickly followed with the news that two of its B2B pubs would stop publishing print editions and become online only pubs.
• The Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas was held and the news was tablets, tablets, tablets (oh, and readers, too). Whether you are in the newspaper, magazine or book business, new devices are being targeted at consumers.
ComputerWorld states the obvious: You don't need to work in my business to know that publishing is in a world of hurt. Newspapers and magazines are cutting staff or closing down due to declining readerships and the loss of advertisers. Book publishers, also losing readers, bank on high-priced blockbusters, franchise publications, and dashed-off tell-all books, and take fewer risks with unknown authors.• Yet more CES news: Sling Media, maker of the Sling Box (I want one, too bad Christmas is over), announced support for Flash support in its hardware and software products. The Sling Box allows users to view television broadcasts on their computer when the device is hooked up to a cable box. Sling Media also has an iPhone app that allows users to watch live television on their phones via their Sling Box.
This same article also pointed to an older post on MacWorld that asks "Does Apple really want to sell magazines?": Apple would need to create a new set of iTunes storefronts for books, magazines, and newspapers, and would need to sign deals with major publishers. Publishers would need to present their content to Apple in a compatible format, which could be easy or hard, depending on if Apple were to support a common format or create something completely new.
• And finally, this story backs up my assertion that Microsoft head honcho Steve Ballmer's CES keynote address was a bit of a disappointment.
Apple must be patting themselves on the back, as the Hewlett-Packard (HP) tablet unveiled by Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer on Wednesday night failed to wow those expecting a true competitor to the mythical Apple tablet ... The HP tablet is basically a color e-reader running Amazon Kindle software, with few other details besides a sub-$500 price point and an estimated arrival on the market by mid-2010. So disappointing was the release that Microsoft and HP's shares fell yesterday according to BusinessWeek.
So the media world still remains waiting for tablet publishing revolution.


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Some State Laws Prohibit Wine Shipments
December 10, 1998
Thirty-five states limit interstate wine shipments in one way or another. Although the Constitution prohibits states from erecting trade barriers against one another, the 21st Amendment -- which repealed Prohibition -- let states decide how alcohol is sold and marketed.
The result has been a patchwork of laws that critics say benefit no one but alcohol retailers and distributors -- by putting roadblocks between consumers and vintners.
- Some states completely ban wine deliveries to consumers, while others will let out-of-state wineries ship directly to homes or offices -- but only if the customer purchases a liquor license.
- Shipping wine across state lines is a felony in Florida, Georgia and Kentucky.
- The penalties range from fines to jail time.
- Out-of-state, direct-to-consumer wine sales probably amount to less than 2 percent of the $16 billion in wine sold in the U.S. last year.
The limits cut sales at as many as 1,700 wineries -- most of them too small to link into national distribution networks. Usually they are family businesses that sell fewer than 10,000 cases a year.
Wineries that do a substantial business in direct shipping are estimated to forgo as much as $10,000 a month in direct sales.
Source: Editorial, "Grapes of Protectionist Wrath," Investor's Business Daily, December 10, 1998.
Browse more articles on Tax and Spending Issues

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She is arguably one of the sexiest and most beautiful women in the world and for the 2014 Autumn/Winter Ad campaign for Balenciaga, Gisele Bündchen has gone hair-less.
The fashion model, is known for her long flowing hair, killer curves and monster catwalk. But for Balenciaga’s new campaign, the models sports a cropped hairstyle with shaved sides, thigh-high patent boots against a backdrop of cracked mirrors.
The hair style was cut by Anthony Turner while the image was shot by Steven Klein.
Speaking to WWD, the brands artistic director, Alexander Wang said “This is how I see Gisele for Balenciaga; strong, powerful, mysterious and uncompromising” . “This season we worked with this idea of vanity, staged in a room filled with mirrors. But the cracked mirror is a continuing thread from the marble veins and creeping ivy leaves from seasons past.”
Half of the campaign was shot in black & white while the rest in colour and the ads are set to be revealed in September 2014.
Diane Kendal created the makeup look.
We think it’s kind of refreshing and wonder if she will be rocking a pixie cut soon. Like the look?
Photo Credit: wwd.com


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Intel Security Pitches Platform-Based Threat Defense Strategy
At the company's partner summit, officials build on the initiative to move away from point products in favor of a broader integrated effort.BOCA RATON, Fla.—Intel Security officials last year unveiled a shift in strategy in which the company was moving away from selling point security products and instead would focus on building out a platform approach that would better address that changing threat landscape. At a time when hackers are rapidly developing new attack methods and broadening what they're targeting, the industry is struggling with a significant shortfall of cyber-security professionals and organizations are now having to protect themselves and their data in the face of the emerging Internet of things (IoT), it's unrealistic to believe a collection of traditional point products would be enough to keep the threats at bay, according to Steve Grobman, Intel Fellow and CTO of Intel Security (pictured). Instead, what's needed is an agile platform of technologies that not only includes tools to defend the perimeter, but also to quickly detect when an attack is taking place, reduce the time between the attack and the detection, and to resolve the situation as quickly as possible to get the customer back to normal as quickly as possible, Grobman said. Organizations need to be able to address what company officials are calling the threat defense lifecycle. Grobman and other executives with Intel Security took the stage here May 11 during the first of the two-day Ascending 2016 Partner Summit to outline the work the company is doing as it pursues this new strategy and to convince the 200 channel partners at the event that the strategy will mean a better experience for their customers and better business for them and Intel.
"Point products will be point products," Raja Patel, vice president and general manager of corporate products at Intel Security, said during the show. "They will come and they will go. … The only way to get the best outcome is with this integrated approach."


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We live in a big-data world. Everyday companies collect, use and sell our information — often with our consent but without us fully understanding how. As data breaches continue, and consumers grow more anxious about their online protections, privacy policies are more important than ever. But they’re often inconspicuous or difficult to understand.
One way to protect your privacy is to learn how an organization will use personal information before you provide it.
The General Data Protection Regulation, a 2018 European Union data-privacy protection framework, requires privacy policies to be delivered in a “concise, transparent and intelligible form, using clear and plain language.” But often, exactly the opposite is true.
The policies also often outline companies’ reasoning for collecting (and sometimes selling) your data, according to the research. “The data market has become the engine of the internet,” he said, “and these privacy policies we agree to but don’t fully understand help fuel it.”
Understandably, then, most Americans are anxious about the personal information that is collected and shared, and the security of their data, according to Pew Research Center studies.
A 2014 survey found that 91% of Americans agree that people have lost control over how personal information is collected and used by all kinds of entities. Nearly 80% of those on social media are concerned about advertisers and businesses accessing the data they share, and more than half think the government should do more to regulate advertisers.
Six out of 10 Americans said they would like to do more to protect their privacy. Educating yourself about privacy policies — particularly the specific ones for the services you use — is a good place to start.
So what can you do?
If you’ve already provided your email address and other personal data, you may receive promotional emails, in which privacy policies often surface at the bottom just like the “unsubscribe” functions. If you can’t find a policy, consider it a red flag and take pause.
Once you’ve found a policy, scroll through and look for potential opt-outs or helpful privacy settings if you’re uncomfortable sharing your personal information with third parties for marketing. If the policy states, for example, that data sent to third parties can be used for advertising purposes, then you could expect to see an increase of spam in your inbox.
Some organizations, like the Center for Identity at the University of Texas at Austin, have created helpful tools that scan policies to help consumers quickly learn how a company handles personal data. Transparency is a good thing. Privacy policies empower consumers to better understand and control the data they share. But they’re only useful if easily understood and people actually read them. To stay on top of all the latest methods of keeping your data safe and secure, get plugged into our Resource Center.
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Joe Supan — 5 min read


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By M&C Report team2006-12-10T15:35:00+00:00
Burger King UK has acquired Romford-based Burger King franchise business Zing Leisure Limited, in a deal which sees 17 sites added to its company-owned portfolio.
Burger King has expanded its range of meat-free items, adding a Vegan Royale to its menu. The burger is certified by The Vegan Society and is made with crispy-coated plant-based chicken.
Burger King UK has set out a four-year roadmap towards improved sustainability, food quality and ethics, which will see the chain use 100% recycled or certified packaging by 2025.
Itsu has confirmed that it has signed a significant deal with international asset group Bridgepoint, which see it acquire “a meaningful minority stake” in the Asian-inspired food brand, enabling it to add a further 100 outlets to its estate over the next five years.
Maven Leisure, the premium bar group from the directors of ETM, has secured a £4.3m fundraise Growthdeck.
Bridgepoint is poised to take a significant stake in Itsu, in a deal which would value the business at £100m, Sky News has reported.
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Sens. Cruz, Cotton, Colleagues Introduce Bill to End US Dependence on Chinese-Manufactured Pharmaceuticals
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Mike Braun (R-Ind.), and Rick Scott (R-Fla.) today introduced the Protecting our Pharmaceutical Supply Chain from China Act, which would end U.S. dependence on China for pharmaceutical manufacturing.
Upon introduction, Sen. Cruz said:
"American dependence on Chinese supply chains is not only a health threat but a national security threat. During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, we saw mouthpieces of the Chinese Communist Party threatening to withhold critical medical materials. I am proud to join Sen. Cotton on this bill to defend American drug manufacturers from China's economic warfare, and most importantly, protect American lives."
Sen. Cotton said:
"The Chinese Communist Party has threatened to cut off America's access to vital drugs in the midst of a pandemic caused by its own failures. It's time to pull America's supply chains for life-saving medicine out of China and make the CCP pay for contributing to this global emergency."
Sen. Blackburn said:
"The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored America's heavy dependence on China for critical prescription drugs. We cannot continue to allow Beijing to hold the keys to our pharmaceutical supply chain and risk future drug shortages, contaminated drugs, or ineffective drugs. This legislation helps to ensure Communist China no longer plays a role in creating or providing U.S. prescription drugs and further incentivizes manufacturers to produce necessary medication on American soil."
Sen. Braun said:
"The majority of active ingredients for pharmaceuticals are made in China, and the Chinese Communist Party showed through their lies, coverups, and threats to cut off American access to drugs throughout the COVID-19 pandemic that they can't be trusted. I'm proud to join Senator Cotton's bill to incentivize making drugs in the U.S. and end our dependence on China for drug manufacturing."
Sen. Scott added:
"We cannot continue to rely on countries like Communist China, who lied about the coronavirus and refuses to be a partner in solving this crisis, for critical supplies and medicine. This outbreak has shown why we need to end our reliance on foreign supply chains. Removing Communist China from our pharmaceutical supply chain is the right move."
Specifically, the bill will:
- Track active pharmaceutical ingredients through an FDA registry.
- Prohibit pharmaceutical purchases from China or products with active pharmaceutical ingredients created in China*.
- Create transparency in the supply chain by instituting a country-of-origin label of all imported drugs.
- Provide economic incentives for manufacturing drugs and medical equipment in the United States.
This requirement will be phased in over two years. The FDA may issue waivers if the active pharmaceutical ingredients are only available in China, however, no waivers may be issued after 2026.


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Posted Tue May 13, 2014 at 12:00 PM PDT by Steven Cohen
The electronics giant has reportedly pulled back from developing OLED displays.
According to a report from Nikkei, Sony has put its commercial OLED development on hold. The company had previously announced the termination of a joint OLED partnership with Panasonic back in December. While Sony had originally intended to continue development on its own, it seems as if those plans have now changed.
OLED televisions offer many benefits over traditional LCD technology, including superior black levels, better contrast, and fast response times. Unfortunately, the display tech is prone to low yield rates, expensive manufacturing costs and lifespan challenges, and Sony does not currently see enough demand for the product to warrant continued development. Instead, the company will continue to focus on LCD Ultra HD TVs, where it is the industry leader in the global 4K market.
For now, LG remains the only major display company committed to OLED tech. The 55EA9800 curved-screen OLED and 55EA8800 flat-screen OLED are currently available and the company plans to release more models later this year. Meanwhile, Sony's 2014 lineup of LCD 4K displays are now up for pre-order, including the XBR49X850B, the XBR55X850B, the XBR65X850B, and the XBR70X850B.
The latest news on all things 4K Ultra HD, blu-ray and Gear.


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New Facebook App From Miramax
With 20 movies to rent (for now), the Miramax app is now among one of the largest movie streaming apps to hit Facebook. Among these other video streaming apps are companies like Warner Bros., Paramount, and Universal.
“No question there will be more content and more markets,” Miramax CEO Mark Lang said in a blog post. “Our plan is to use this as an enabling platform, including eventually as a digital locker cloud service.”
Users of this new app will be allowed to watch movies on their PC, iPad, or Google TV browser. Most movies are free but if you so choose to rent one, it will cost you 30 Facebook credits or around $3.


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At the Lenovo India Gaming Week in Mumbai, Lenovo unveiled a new gaming laptop for India – the Lenovo IdeaPad Y700-17ISK.
The IdeaPad Y700-17ISK sports a quad-core Intel Core i7-6700HQ processor (base clock of 2.6GHz that goes up to 3.5GHz in Turbo), a 128GB solid state drive, a 1TB 5400rpm hard drive, 16GB of DDR4 RAM, a 17-inch full HD display (1920×1080 pixels) and an Nvidia GTX 960M video card with 4GB of GDDR5 video RAM.
It runs Windows 10 and weighs a hefty 3.5 kilograms. But that’s not the only thing heavy about it, the laptop costs Rs. 1,25,000, inclusive of taxes.
Even more amusing, Lenovo Gaming Week’s focus is on eSports, which means games like Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and Dota 2 are at the forefront and playable on all its demo units at the event. These are the kind of games that would run perfectly fine on a toaster. So, why launch a pricey gaming laptop here? Lenovo’s answer was anything but forthcoming.
“It’s because one we’re associated with this [Lenovo India Gaming Week] and second, overall gaming is one of the biggest names and it would help us get that association faster to show what serious gaming is like,” said Hiral Somaiya, National Product Manager for Consumer Notebooks at Lenovo.
Somaiya acknowledged that the lack of big AAA games like Grand Theft Auto V and The Witcher 3 to show off its new launch was a concern. The company is planning to launch a 15-inch variant and desktop PCs as well. This is something he divulged when asked if Lenovo was planning to bundle any games with the Y700.
“Not for this one [the Y700] but there is something we’re working on. We’re talking to Nvidia and trying to see how we can do something bigger post-Diwali season,” he said. “When we’re going to launch our desktop version… we’ll do something across [laptops and desktops] because it will be a bigger discussion point for them [Nvidia] as well.”
“We’re using Nvidia graphics and we definitely want to associate with that,” he continued.
For most part, the gaming PC space has been dominated by assembled computers simply because affordability and customisation is a concern that most gamers face.
This ensured that companies like Alienware with their high prices are largely irrelevant when it comes down to consumers putting down money on what to buy. It’s something GPU manufacturers like Nvidia are aware of and have tried to solve.
Last year, it launched the Battlebox range – a sort of hardware guideline as to what your neighbourhood PC store should sell to you when you ask for a gaming PC, but that initiative seems to have died a premature death. It made us wonder what makes Lenovo’s approach any different.
“The idea is not to sell 500 or a 1000 units, because it’s a fairly small segment,” Somaiya explained. “The idea is to give this as a value proposition to set of buyers and then learn from that and deliver other experiences.”
Essentially this implies that the audience for Lenovo’s latest are guinea pigs or on the bleeding edge of portable PC gaming in the country depending how you look at it.
“17-inch anyway is going to be a very small market. Not even 0.1 percent so it’s a drop in the ocean. But for those looking for a 17-inch option this is a serious offering,” he told us. “We’re not looking at big numbers for the 17-inch but 15-inch which is the standard screen size offering we will definitely be looking at bigger numbers.”
Don’t expect availability via your local PC store or online sites like Amazon either. The Y700 is limited to Lenovo’s own online portal with the 15-inch variant being made available to other vendors when it hits.
However the most glaring concern are its specifications. For Rs. 1,25,000 you’re getting a laptop that can play most games at high and not the highest or ultra quality settings possible. For that kind of money, you can assemble a rather luxurious gaming PC. Unless of course you really need the portability which makes the Y700 fit right in to the old gaming laptop maxim that makes it a compromise rather than the best option to play your games. Even more so, if it’s Dota 2 or Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.
Lenovo also launched new gaming accessories alongside, with the Lenovo Y Gaming Surround Sound Headset priced at Rs. 5,070, the Lenovo Y Gaming Precision Mouse at Rs. 3,770, the Lenovo Y Gaming Mechanical Switch Keyboard at Rs. 8,000, the Lenovo Y Gaming Backpack at Rs. 8,000, and the Lenovo Y Gaming Mouse Mat at Rs. 715.


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Canadian musician Blank Banshee, known for keeping his identity hidden behind a mask and creating trademark electronica that blends the vintage sounds of the 1980s and 90s, is coming to Athens for one night. The show starts at 9 p.m. at Six Dogs and tickets cost 15 euros at the door. They can also be purchased online at the venue’s website at a reduced price of 10-13 euros.
Six Dogs, 6-8 Avramiotou, Monastiraki,
tel 210.321.0510, www.sixdogs.gr


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The Current, delivered daily.
Forget the blender. Couples can now signal they want one-of-a-kind wedding gifts.
The marketplace on Wednesday launched Etsy Registry, which allows couples to register for personalized or handmade wedding gifts.
Through the feature, couples can create and share their wedding registries. True to Etsy’s penchant for unique items, couples can be very specific in their requests. They can add personalization to the items, such as names and colors.
“In addition to handmade and vintage, couples can also register for personalized items and specify the exact customization for their guests, making Etsy a one-stop-shop for gifts, wedding decor, and even bridal party items – all while supporting small businesses,” Etsy wrote in a blog post.
Etsy is already a destination for wedding gifts, so the registry feature was a natural extension of a behavior that is already being observed on the marketplace. Etsy said it was further fueled to create the new feature when it noted an 872% increase in searches for handmade gifts.
The registry is part of a wider effort to underscore that Etsy has specific categories, so that consumers think of the marketplace for a certain item when they are shopping. While there’s benefit to having a wide assortment, the marketplace wants to be thought of in “top of mind consideration” in certain shopping journeys.
“The more specific we can be, I think there's a tremendous opportunity because we know when they do come to Etsy for home furnishings, when they do come to Etsy for style, when they do come to Etsy for gifts, when they do come to Etsy for pets and babies and all weddings and all of the other things, there's a tremendous experience,” CEO Josh Silverman told analysts.
Intriguingly, the feature arrives at a time when another famed registry appears to be on the brink of extinction. Bed Bath & Beyond’s popular registry now has an uncertain future after the retailer filed for bankruptcy. Analysts have said Bed Bath’s failed adoption of ecommerce helped lead to its decline. In fact, the wedding registry happened to be one of the few examples of Bed Bath recognizing the digital shift.
As Gavin/Solmonese Founder Ted Gavin put it to The Current, “Nobody is going to buy online at Bed Bath & Beyond unless it’s a bridal registry.”
With Bed Bath teetering, Etsy no doubt stands to pick up some of its market share.
Trending in Retail Channels
On the Move has the latest from Amazon, Lovesac and more.
This week, leadership is changing at GameStop, Sorel and Beautycounter. Meanwhile, key executives are departing at Amazon, Wayfair and Lovesac.
Here’s a look at the latest shuffles:
GameStop CEO fired
GameStop announced the termination of Matthew Furlong as CEO on Wednesday. A brief statement did not provide a reason for the firing.
With the move, Chewy founder and activist investor Ryan Cohen was named executive chairman of the video game retailer. Cohen will be responsible for capital allocation and overseeing management.
It came as the company reported a 10% year-over-year decline in net sales for the first quarter. Meanwhile, the company’s net loss improved by 62%.
In an SEC filing, GameStop further added this “We believe the combination of these efforts to stabilize and optimize our core business and achieve sustained profitability while also focusing on capital allocation under Mr. Cohen’s leadership will further unlock long-term value creation for our stockholders.”
Cohen was revealed as GameStop's largest shareholder when he disclosed a 10% stake in the retailer in 2020. GameStop went on to become a leading name in the meme stock rise of 2021.
Sorel president steps down
Mark Nenow is stepping down as president of the Sorel brand in order to focus on his health.
After rising to the role in 2015, Nenow spearheaded a transformation of Columbia Sportswear-owned Sorel from a men’s workwear brand to a fashion-focused brand that led with a women’s offering of boots, sandals and sneakers.
“Mark led the brand to sales of $347 million in net sales in 2022,” said Columbia Sportswear CEO Tim Boyle, in a statement. “His leadership has been invaluable to this company, and we wish him the very best.”
Columbia will conduct a search for Nenow’s replacement. Craig Zanon, the company’s SVP of emerging brands, will lead Sorel in the interim.
Beautycounter appoints interim CEO
Beautycounter appointed board member Mindy Mackenzie as interim CEO, succeeding Marc Rey. According to the brand, Rey and the board “mutually decided to transition to a new phase of leadership for Beautycounter.”
McKenzie, a former executive at Carlyle, McKinsey and Jim Beam, will lead the company as it conducts a search for a permanent CEO. Additionally, former Natura & Co CEO Roberto Marques will join Beautycounter’s board as chair.
As part of the transition, Nicole Malozi is also joining the company as chief financial officer. She brings experience from Tatcha, Nike, and DFS Group Limited.
Amazon’s North America fulfillment chief departs
Melissa Nick, a VP of customer fulfillment for North America at Amazon, will leave the company, effective June 16, CNBC reported. Nick joined the company in 2014, and oversaw a region that included nearly 300 fulfillment centers. After doubling its supply chain footprint during the pandemic, Amazon recently reorganized its fulfillment operations to take a regional approach, as opposed to a national model that often resulted in items shipping across the country.
Wayfair’s chief commercial officer to retire
Jon Blotner (Courtesy photo)
Steve Oblak will retire from the role of chief commercial officer at home goods marketplace Wayfair. With the move, Jon Blotner will be promoted to chief commercial officer.
"Steve has served as a critical part of our leadership team and played a pivotal role in Wayfair's growth, helping us grow from a $250 million business when he joined to $12 billion in net revenue today,” said Wayfair CEO Niraj Shah, in a statement. “He oversaw countless milestones, from helping to launch the Wayfair brand as we brought together hundreds of sites into a single platform, to launching new categories, business lines, and geographies while overseeing our North American and European businesses, to leading our debut into physical retail.”
Blotner previously oversaw exclusive and specialty retail brands, as well as digital media at Wayfair. Before joining the company, he served as president of Gemvara.com prior to its 2016 acquisition by Berkshire Hathaway.
Lovesac announces CFO transition
Furniture retailer Lovesac said Donna Dellomo will retire as EVP and CFO, and move to an advisory role, effective June 30. Dellomo was with Lovesac for six years.
Keith Siegner was appointed as the next EVP and CFO. He brings experience as CFO of esports company Vindex, as well as executive roles at Yum! Brands, UBS Securities and Credit Suisse.
Additionally, Jack Krause will retire from the role of chief strategy officer, effective June 30. His responsibilities will be divided between CEO Shawn Nelson and president Mary Fox.
“Since joining Lovesac, Jack has played an instrumental role in transforming the Company into a true omni channel retailer by helping expand our physical touchpoints and digital platform as we continue to disrupt the industry,” said Nelson, in a statement.
NRF adds board members
The National Retail Federation announced the addition of five new board members. They include:
- Marguerite Adzick, founder and CEO, Addison Bay
- Harley Finkelstein, president, Shopify
- Ian Kahn, partner, PwC
- Sharon Leite, CEO, Ideal Image
- Carrie Tharp, VP, strategic industries, Google Cloud


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There’s one type Woolies just can’t shift even for free – so they’ve come up with an ingenious way to persuade us to buy...
22nd Jan. 2020 10:01 AM
A 62-YEAR-OLD woman has been cautioned after a banana was allegedly contaminated with a metal object at a Queensland...
17th Sept. 2018 6:09 PM
Taking a vitamin found in tuna, bananas, avocado and chickpeas before bedtime can help you recall dreams throughout the...
30th April 2018 3:04 PM
WHEN a customer uploaded a picture of bananas it sparked a fierce online debate. But Woolies reckons customers prefer their...
05th March 2018 3:03 PM
Here's how your kids can get their hands on the goods
02nd Nov. 2017 7:11 AM
BIO security officials are investigating a new suspected outbreak of the deadly Panama TR4 on a banana farm
12th July 2017 2:07 PM
WEEKS of rain could affect prices.
28th March 2017 11:03 AM
Why are the exporters given more rights and less scrutiny on disease than our local growers?
12th Jan. 2017 5:01 AM
FARMERS markets are such a part of Byron Shire culture that it's hard to imagine a time before they existed.
08th Nov. 2016 1:11 PM
BANANA production is set to quadruple at a Sarina farm during the next 12 months, as owners Lyn and Jim Palmer seize the...
05th Oct. 2016 10:10 AM
THOSE thick-as thieves up in Queensland have launched a shameless campaign to steal businesses away from New South...
07th Sept. 2016 6:09 AM
For these banana growers, the horror of the floods gave way to some big ideas.
12th July 2016 5:07 AM
The pursuit of votes and political donations is taking some peculiar twists as the election campaign drags on, and on, and...
05th June 2016 9:06 AM
As the election campaign drags on and on and on parties are becoming increasingly desperate to raise funds.
04th June 2016 5:06 AM
FIVE years ago, the humble banana was fetching a whopping $15 a kilo at the supermarket checkout after Cyclone Yasi wiped...
01st June 2016 2:06 PM
COFFS Coast banana growers can get the latest information on management issues at a workshop hosted by Department of...
08th Feb. 2016 4:02 AM
A WORKSHOP for North Coast banana growers will provide the latest information on management issues.
04th Feb. 2016 5:02 PM
IF YOU’RE passing by the Grafton Railway Station today don’t be alarmed if you notice wooden crates filled with bananas...
31st Aug. 2015 8:08 AM
A SURVEY of 140 horticultural producers on the mid-north coast has identified a need for local residents to take up careers...
22nd Aug. 2015 6:08 AM


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If you are a woman, drink vodka and don't drive, then you probably don't need to worry too much about inflation. Although everyone is in a panic about the rising cost of food and petrol, there are plenty of things falling in price. A dig beneath the headline rise in the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) measure of inflation in June to 3.8% shows that the vast majority of the jump from 3.3% in May was due to rising food and oil prices.
But they also show clothing and footwear prices fell 7.5% over the past year - their biggest decline in almost six years, driven by huge discounts in women's clothing as desperate retailers attempt to entice shoppers back into their shops.
Food price inflation rose to more than 10% - its highest since 1989 - but drink prices had a downward effect on inflation as the prices of spirits, and in particular vodka, dropped sharply.
And while petrol prices seem to hit new records on an almost daily basis, motoring is getting cheaper in other respects. For example, secondhand car prices are down nearly 6% from a year ago - their biggest fall for nearly three years. However, the biggest price falls are in consumer goods such as computers, televisions and digital cameras, which are down more than a fifth on last year.
This explains why the official rate of inflation remains at 3.8% and is not as high as some of the figures being bandied about in the media based only on a small sample of food items.
The Office for National Statistics, by contrast, measures about 6,000 items a month. Food is a staple that people have to buy, but many shoppers have managed to hold their personal food price inflation in check by changing supermarkets to such discounters as Aldi and Lidl.
There is also anecdotal evidence that people are driving slower, driving less and sharing their cars more, all of which means they are personally managing a lower rate of inflation from petrol prices than would otherwise be the case.


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SPAIN has long been a favourite holiday destination for Brits – but new rules across the country could now affect your trip.
In a bid to prevent visitors from making life difficult for locals, regulations have been introduced ranging from limits on booze to clothing rules.
Here we run through a list of the changes and what they could mean for your trip to Spain this summer.
In parts of the Balearics, all-inclusive guests have been limited to six drinks a day at their hotel resorts, in order to reduce public drunkenness.
Previously there were no limits for holidaymakers who had paid for such packages, but the local government has brought the change in, with disorderly behaviour a problem in the past.
The rules apply to both Magaluf and Palma on Mallorca, as well as parts of Ibiza, also mean pub crawls and drinks offers, such as two-for-one and happy hour, are also banned.
The sale of alcohol in shops is prohibited between 9.30pm and 8am.
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In certain parts of Catalonia, authorities have banned dancing at beach bars, again to try and cut back on drunken behaviour.
Meanwhile, fireworks have been banned at other beach spots, to try and prevent fires.
Restaurants in Playa de Palma in Mallorca have drawn up a dress code that locals hope will limit anti-social and drunken behaviour.
Football shirts are banned as part of the code, while going topless is not an option either.
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Swimsuits and items bought from street vendors will also prevent customers from getting served, with a number of places putting a QR code on their entrances for guests to check the dress code.
Swimwear in public
Playa de Palma is not the only place in Spain where swimwear has been deemed inappropriate.
Barcelona and Malaga have both also banned tourists from walking the streets in either bikinis, or swimming trunks without a top on.
Fines of up to £300 could be handed out to any rule breakers.
The swimwear rule is not the only new regulation to have been brought in in Barcelona, as the city looks to maintain a certain image this summer.
Officials in the city have also limited the number of people who can join tours to 15, to prevent the streets from filling up with visitors.
Additionally, tours will only be allowed to travel in one direction and will be limited to 24 streets.
Megaphones have also been banned following noise complaints from local residents.
Urinating in the sea
The popular holiday resort of Vigo has banned weeing in the sea with fines up to €750 (£640) for anyone caught.
The coastal region in the northwest of Spain has issued the new warning which bans urinating "in the sea or on the beach".
It is now a minor infraction due to being a hygiene and sanitary risk, meaning tourists will be fined if they break the rules.
The beach may seem like the perfect place for a barbecue, but in certain parts of Spain that could land you with a big fine.
In San Pedro Del Pinatar, in Murcia, a fine of €1,500 could be the punishment for any seaside chefs.
The medieval town of Salobreña also forbid the use of barbecues on beaches and those caught breaking the rules will be landed with a heftier €3,000 fine.
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Stag and hen dos have been warned about stricter rules in the Costa del Sol this summer while several beaches in Spain have also imposed smoking bans on their beaches.
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Retail auto sales in the U.S. were 35 percent lower than expected last week, putting March on pace to be as much as 45 percent worse for auto makers than a year ago, according to data published March 25 by J.D. Power.
Sales are forecast to plunge even further this week and in the coming months after a number of states ordered most residents to stay home as much as possible to help contain the coronavirus outbreak.
For all of March, J.D. Power is forecasting that retail sales will be 38-45 percent lower than in March 2019. The company expects year-over-year plunges of as much as 78 percent in April and 75 percent in May.
J.D. Power said the virus outbreak could eliminate 1.8 million to 2.8 million retail sales through July.
Transaction data collected by the company showed sales generally were in line with expectations through March 11. The sales pace was 22 percent lower than anticipated on March 13, 30 percent lower on March 17 and 43 percent lower on March 21, a Saturday.
The drop-off was even steeper in certain parts of the country, including an 86 percent plunge over the weekend in San Francisco after California residents were told to shelter at home.
One factor that could help prop up demand for new vehicles during the crisis is the fact that 1.8 million leases are scheduled to end from March through July, J.D. Power said.


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COVID-19: We’re equipping CPG companies with resources relevant to industry and of concern to consumers. Here’s what you need to know.
Creating Frictionless Supply Chains. The supply chain responsible for delivering CPG products to every American home is incredibly complex, made up of thousands of processes and decisions that are invisible to consumers but essential to getting them the things they rely on every day.
The Consumer Brands Association is working with PwC to provide our members with perspectives on how companies and functional leadership can best focus their efforts as the coronavirus evolves.
Inaugural Meeting. Fundamental change was the purpose of the inaugural gathering of the Recycling Leadership Council in January. Consumer Brands Association President and CEO Geoff Freeman convened the meeting with a simple directive: “We have a responsibility to give consumers a roadmap to a system that makes a lot more sense.”
By Meghan Stasz Meghan Stasz is the vice president of packaging and sustainability at the Consumer Brands Association. She joined the association in 2010 and has more than…
Improving Racial Diversity and Company Culture with Eric Holder. The 82nd Attorney General of the United States and current Partner at Covington & Burling LLP Eric Holder will join CPG Speaks to provide his view on the current state of the country as it relates to racial justice, diversity in the workplace and company cultures.
Better Process Control School. The Consumer Brands Association’s foundation is the leader in training for companies that produce low-acid and acidified foods, like tomato sauces, pickled products and even some foods for pets.
This guide is the GMA Equipment Design Checklist for Low Moisture Foods to evaluate compliance with the GMA Sanitary Design Principles for low moisture foods.
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Create Your Personal Profile: Step 1 Name and Email Address. Just in case you already have a personal profile, we will check our database for your first name, last name, and email address.
FDA Recognition Process The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has the authority to review and approve an individual, university, or technical institute to become a recognized BPCS provider.
The state regulatory environment is a top issue. Most regulations for CPG companies are smart, valuable and strengthen consumer trust. But regulation becomes more complicated and has more adverse effects on consumers when it is inconsistent, conflicting or patchwork — and examples of this challenge abound at the state level.
John Hewitt is senior director, state affairs, at the Consumer Brands Association, based in California. Hewitt has managed state issues on behalf of CPG companies for nearly 10 years.
05 Challenge: There are nearly 10,000 municipal-run recycling programs, all with unique rules. This patchwork prevents scale and directly contributes to vast consumer confusion,
How Much American Schools Will Need Per Cleaning. There are 56.4 million students enrolled in PK-12 this school year. That means cleaning one desk per student would require 28.2 million disinfecting wipes or 95,432 bottles of disinfectant spray.. While many students are learning virtually this fall, even if only one-third of students go to a physical classroom, there will still be a ...
Stacy Shibao Papadopoulos is general counsel and senior vice president of operations and initiatives for the Consumer Brands Association. She serves on the organization’s executive team, leading the legal and operations functions as well as special initiatives like the association’s 501(c)(3) foundation and SmartLabel digital disclosure program.
Dr. Betsy Booren currently serves as senior vice president of regulatory and technical affairs at the Consumer Brands Association. Dr. Booren provides strategic leadership to the technical and regulatory platforms on behalf of the CPG industry.
Ellen Davis is the executive vice president of industry engagement at the Consumer Brands Association. Having spent her entire career in consumer-facing industries, Davis brings a wealth of knowledge to the task of creating an impactful membership experience worthy of the industry whose products consumers depend on every day.
The Consumer Brands Association promotes a sustainable future, through increasing recyclability and reimagining the recycling system.
Ally Members. Companies that provide products, services or solutions to the consumer packaged goods industry and other organizations that support the well-being and success of the industry.
For the Future of Packaging, Impatience is a Virtue “The big elephant in the room is that all of your packaging is already recyclable.” Tom Szaky, founder of TerraCycle and believer that all things – even cigarette butts – are recyclable, said the real question was not if their packaging could be recycled, but when it would be practically recycled.
It’s been 22 weeks since we started surveying Americans on their feelings on the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. In that time, we have seen panic buying change to restocked shelves and shuttered businesses move to cautious reopenings.
Overview. Among all the headlines of 2020, one that we can work toward changing is the opportunity afforded to Black leaders in America. In these recent months of societal unrest and racial tensions, there has been a renewed focus on the role of brands, how they can do better and how they can better support Black leaders.
The Consumer Brands Foundation is pleased to present a webinar on underutilized crops and their potential to contribute to biodiversity, reduce hunger, and contribute to new product development to meet consumer demands.
At the 1893 World’s Exposition in Chicago, Clark Stanley — better known then as the “Rattlesnake King” — stunned spectators when he grabbed a snake out of his bag and sliced it open before the crowd. He then plopped the snake into boiling water and skimmed the fat off the top to create his snake oil, which he claimed to be a remedy for a host of ailments.
Overview. Consumer Brands, in partnership with the Food and Beverage Issue Alliance (), will host a town hall with Frank Yiannas, FDA deputy commissioner for food policy and response, to discuss the New Era of Smarter Food Safety Blueprint.Deputy Commissioner Yiannas will present on the New Era of Smarter Food Safety, provide specifics on the blueprint and then take questions from the audience.
Beans, bread and potatoes: these pantry staples have become some of the most sought-after items in the COVID-19 pandemic. As fear and panic buying settled into 2020’s new normal, what is the future of food?
Overview. Legal Forum 2020 is the preeminent gathering for legal professionals in the food, beverage and consumer products industry. Top in-house counsel, defense attorneys and regulatory experts will cover a wide array of important and timely legal issues with an emphasis on protecting your brands from litigation risks and complying with government regulations.
Our Position on the Optimal Recycling System The CPG industry has made sustainability, particularly packaging sustainability, a top priority. With unprecedented commitments to improving the design of packaging — from source reduction, to fully recyclable or compostable design, to using recycled content — the CPG industry is packaging with the planet in mind to reduce our footprint.
REGISTER. Packaging and plastics is top of mind for consumers, companies, the media and especially U.S. lawmakers. Truly sustainable operations and a minimized environmental footprint require progress on a broad range of factors.
REGISTER NOW. When the COVID-19 pandemic began, cleaning and sanitizing products became some of the most sought-after CPG products – and the demand continues as consumer behavior adapts to today’s realities.
CDC Update on COVID-19 for the Food and Beverage Industry. March 16, 2020 (2:30pm - 3:15pm US/Eastern)
In the inaugural CPG Speaks session, General Mills’ Chairman and CEO Jeff Harmening joined Consumer Brands for a frank and open discussion on contending with the events of 2020 — from the COVID-19 outbreak and the halt of the economy to standing up against racism and injustice across the nation.. Through it all, Harmening has kept his focus on doing what’s right for his employees and ...
Overview. The National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard’s (NBFDS) disclosure requirement for ingredients that may be considered highly refined continues to be an implementation challenge for the food and beverage industry.
Content. Content for the workshop falls under several major headings, including: General Authorities, Required Labeling Elements, Nutrition Labeling, Ingredient and Nutrition Claims, Bioengineered Food Labeling, Special Labeling Provisions and Placement of Required Labeling Elements.
Meghan Stasz is the vice president of packaging and sustainability at the Consumer Brands Association. She joined the association in 2010 and has more than 15 years of experience in the environmental sustainability field.
Powering every day. Applying Lessons Learned from the COVID-19 Crisis: Ten Critical Changes to Advance Smarter CPG Industry Regulatory Policy
Access. Insights. Ideas. CPG Speaks brings the industry’s influential leaders directly to you to share their insights and engage on the pressing issues that will define the future.


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For many years, the perception that coffee can cause cancer of the pancreas, colon and rectum, but recent biochemical studies have refuted this claim and confirmed the results of epidemiological studies. Experts of the research center of NESTLÉ (Switzerland) c. Cavin et al.  in animal and human cells have shown that coffee derivatives possess anticarcinogenic properties and reduce the activity of certain carcinogens due to increased antioxidant protection and suppression of the activation of carcinogens. The findings substantiated biochemists large epidemiological studies.
Italian scientists a. Tavani et al.  examined the relationship between coffee and tea consumption and the risk of developing cancer of the rectum and large intestine in patients and 7057 3530 persons in the control group. A statistically significant link between coffee consumption and the risk of developing colon cancer is not established; on the contrary, it turned out that coffee protects from the disease through consumption of three cups or more per day.
It is known that the Swedes are the biggest consumers of coffee in the world per capita. K. Michels et al.  examined the relationship between consumption of coffee, tea, caffeine and breast cancer among 59036 Swedish women aged 40 to 76 years, mammography screening. The study showed no relationship between drinking coffee with the frequency of breast cancer.
Due to the randomized analysis of 17 studies of colon cancer in a dozen countries, conducted by Harvard University, found that the risk of cancer in people who consume four or more cups of coffee, 25% lower than that of those coffee drinkers rarely or never drinks it.
Coffee and in the CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM
What coffee beneficial effect on the central nervous system, improves mental and physical performance, improves health, is known for a long time. Research of the last decade have revealed another interesting effect of coffee on the human body. I. Kawashi et al.  examined the relationship between coffee consumption and the incidence of suicide among women for ten years in a prospective study among 86625 nurses aged 34 to 59 years without ischemic heart disease, stroke or cancer. Use the gradation of frequency of consumption of coffee: sometimes; 1-3 cups per month; 2-4 cups per week; from 5-6 cups a week up to 1 cup a day; 2-3 cups a day; 4-6 cups a day and more than 6 cups a day.
The results of the study showed that in people, coffee drinkers, the risk of suicide than those who do not drink coffee with increasing doses, the risk is reduced. This trend remained unchanged after taking into account factors such as smoking, alcohol use, drug use, marital status and stress.
It turned out that for women who use coffee, have higher levels of stress, including fewer cases of hypertension, diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, they are less inclined to take such drugs as phenothiazine, diazepam, cimetidine and methyldopa.
Inverse correlation between daily coffee consumption and the risk of suicide is revealed during the 8-year-old monitoring 128934 by the Kaiser’s ongoing programme on health .
The beneficial effects of coffee on the central nervous system and, accordingly, the mood and the performance of the jobs examined c. Bricee et al.  in a double blind placebo controlled trial. The test subjects drank a coffee, containing 65 mg of caffeine, or CSC, then in the range of 1-4 hours were evaluated for their effectiveness. According to the researchers, caffeine increases concentration improves the performance of simple or cognitive tasks that require a complex approach and selection decisions.


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LOS ANGELES, Calif. (FOX 11) - The Tesla Model S may soon come in black and white…with an emergency light and siren bar on top. The Los Angeles Police Department is testing out two Tesla Model SP85-D loaner sedans over the next year.
The electric car isn't practical for a police car yet, but, who knows where the technology will be in five years.
A LAPD spokesperson says they'll assess the Tesla's performance in a police environment...
They're very curious about its strengths and weaknesses. The department is looking at it as a fleet vehicle and also a possible patrol vehicle that would do all the things regular patrol cars do -- including high speed pursuits.
Tesla is not commenting at this point.
Copyright 2016 FOX 11 Los Angeles : Download our mobile app for breaking news alerts or to watch FOX 11 News | Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. Be a citizen journalist for FOX 11 and get paid – download the Fresco News App today.


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CoreLogic, a property information, analytics and data-enabled services provider, released its Home Price Index and HPI Forecast data for December, showing home prices are up month-over-month, as well as year-over-year.
In Colorado Springs, home prices, including distressed sales, increased by 5.4 percent in December 2015 compared with December 2014. On a month-over-month basis, home prices, also including distressed sales, decreased by 0.5 percent in December 2015 compared with November 2015.
Statewide, home prices increased 10.4 percent year over year. The Denver metro area home prices increased 11.4 percent over the same time period.
“That’s what happens when you have limited supply and a lot of demand,” said Colorado Springs Realtor Sylvia Jennings. Jennings, who sells under the Berkshire Hathaway brand, said both home sales and prices are increasing.
“December was just a whopping month,” she said of the 20 percent increase her office experienced over December 2014. “You know the market’s improved when you know people who haven’t sold a house in five years and now they’re busy.”
Regional sales hit 1,105 for December, making a total of 13,250 for the year, beating the region’s previous record set in 2006. That year, 13,124 homes were sold in the Pikes Peak region, according to figures from the Pikes Peak Realtor Services Corp.
The trend of Denver workers buying in Colorado Springs has continued into this year, she added.
In her newsletter, Jennings said, “Denver’s rising home prices and high rents are sending metro area residents packing … straight to Colorado Springs.”
Increased pricing also means homeowners who purchased when prices were high can now sell and not lose money, she added.
“You’re not going to be a millionaire, but we’re going to get you out from under this,” she said.
Home prices nationwide including distressed sales, increased year-over-year by 6.3 percent in December 2015 compared with December 2014 and increased month over month by 0.8 percent in December 2015 compared with November 2015, according to the CoreLogic HPI.
The HPI Forecast predicts home prices will increase by 5.4 percent on a year-over-year basis from December 2015 to December 2016. On a month-over-month basis home prices are expected to increase 0.2 percent from December 2015 to January 2016. The CoreLogic HPI Forecast is a projection of home prices using the CoreLogic HPI and other economic variables. Values are derived from state-level forecasts by weighting indices according to the number of owner-occupied households for each state, according to a news release from CoreLogic.
Nationally, home prices have been rising between 5 and 6 percent annually for more than a year, said Dr. Frank Nothaft, chief economist for CoreLogic.
“Local-market growth can vary substantially from that. Some metropolitan areas have had double-digit appreciation, such as Denver and Naples, Fla., while others have had price declines, like New Orleans and Rochester, N.Y.”
“Higher property valuations appear to be driving up single-family construction as we head into the spring. Additional housing stock, especially in urban centers on the coasts such as San Francisco, could help to temper home price growth in the longer term,” said Anand Nallathambi, president and CEO of CoreLogic. “In the short and medium term, local markets with strong employment growth are likely to experience a continued rise in home sales and price growth well above the U.S. average.”


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AlphaBay marketplace was originally seized in 2022 but now someone claiming to be DeSnake, the original AlphaBay co-founder has announced. Versus project darknet market darknet market redditspurdomarket market top Top Darknet Markets List and Links April 01-Aug-2022 AlphaBay and Hansa were. See more ideas about dark web, marketing, dark net. Users and vendors of the popular #Darknet site, AlphaBay Market, speculate the cause. Darknet markets, or cryptomarkets, are sites on the dark web offering illicit goods that can be purchased anonymously. By A Afilipoaie 2022 Cited by 16 (2022) Dutch police secretly ran a huge dark web drug marketplace for a month. Available: dark-net-market-alphabay-down-. The blockchain analysis revealed that stolen funds moved through AlphaBay (darknet market between December 2022 and July 2022) were also.
The law enforcement may have shut down AlphaBay Market, but the darknet drug markets are alive and even booming in the very same niche. Several darknet markets have recently retired, marking a shift from with the law enforcement takedown of Alphabay another market in. The popular black marketplace AlphaBay is back, four years after law enforcement agencies took down the popular hidden service. The darknet. Best darknet market to by Cannabis product in the USA. only use reputable links such as the onion link for AlphaBay Cannahome Darknet silkkitie market darknet Market Cannazon. Darknet markets are online black markets. They are highly illegal, and dangerous to run. Hear exactly how dangerous it was for Alphabay and. The takedown of AlphaBay, along with the takeover of the dark web marketplace Hansa Market in a related operation, damaged user trust in the dark web.
AlphaBay was an extremely popular darknet market that launched in 2022 and operated until June 2022, when it was seized by law enforcement. Alphabay silkkitie link market darknet asap darknet market. When Alphabay was closed in week 27, overall sales dropped: many traders lost their primary market. The following week, Hansa trading volumes. Darknet participants are not exactly beacons of trust, so sites like AlphaBay offer an escrow service to hold bitcoin payments until a buyer. AlphaBay, a dark web market, began in 2022 and quickly became one of the most prominent markets of its time. The market was taken down by. German authorities also played a significant role in taking down the Alphabay and Hansa markets in 2022. Authorities seized control of Hansa's.
AlphaBay, the now-shuttered online marketplace that authorities say traded in illegal drugs, firearms and counterfeit goods, wasn't all that. AlphaBay was the biggest marketplace, transacting over US800,000 in a silkkitie darknet market day enabling its founder to live a luxury lifestyle in anonymity until. And Ronald L. Wheeler, III, as long-time spokesperson for and moderator of the dark web marketplace AlphaBay, is indeed now facing way more. Results 1 - 10 of 11822 The Dark Web, Deep Web or Darknet is a term that refers 27- Long time vendor on AlphaBay and WhiteHouse market now selling on our. AlphaBay, until recently the biggest online darknet drug market, has been offline since July 4, leaving 2022 darknet market a whole lot of online drug vendors. Let's get started with the Miscellaneous Deep Web Links. onion - BitPharma (Darknet Drug Market) BitPharma is a pretty good alternative dark web drug market.
GROUND MARKETS ON THE alphabay darknet market DARK WEB TOOK CENTER STAGE IN A. JOINT POLICING EFFORT OF THE FEDERAL IN THE TAKEOVER AND SUBSEQUENTLY TAKE DOWN OF ALPHABAY. The mystery of AlphaBay has revealed one interesting development: Darknet markets are getting into the banking business. Alphabay was one of the original darknet market place but was taken offline when the domain was seized in 2022. No just recently, administrator DeSnake. Authorities in the United States and Europe have shut down two huge criminal marketplace operating on the dark web, one of which officials. Bryan Connor Herrell, a 26-year-old resident of Colorado and former moderator of now-defunct darknet marketplace AlphaBay. See more ideas about dark web, marketing, dark net. Users and vendors of the popular #Darknet site, AlphaBay Market, speculate the cause.
Dark Markets Norge
In my circle of friends, we often wandered the streets like fools and were out alphabay darknet market to fuck things up. Keep up to date with all the latest news from Coin Browser is the nearest substitute to the Tor Browser for iOS gadgets, and it’s accessible on the iTunes store. In other words, if Google can’t find what you’re looking for, it’s probably still out there in the World Wide Web ; it’s just in the harder-to-access Deep Web. Does the marketplace force its members to sign their communications using Pretty Good Privacy (PGP), an encryption method to prove the legitimacy of messages? The GA version has normally undergone all testing and finalization to be ready for commercialized purchase, including regulatory and security testing and more. In fact, it looked like a bit more than a gram. Due to the enduring popularity of the site, and relative ease of replicating the first few digits of a. Coinfirm revealed every vendor claimed to input customer details into the national Russian system, no matter the price. This means that the suspects possessed at least 100,000 units of Monero and Bitcoin. On April, in Mexico City, the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD) alerted of the increase in drug sales online, and that over the past ten years, over 700 new psychoactive and deadly substances have been detected, 400 of which are being bought and sold in the darknet. Due to this incident, we were forced to send crypto assets manually to the waiting list Bitcoin wallet, as we have to wait for this process to complete, so that coins can be sent to the appropriate matching escrow wallet.
“That would set a bad precedent that would deter other darkc0de market important innovations that humanity needs to combat all of the threats to our whole civilization.”
Dark Markets Norway
For security, it offers PGP via alphabay darknet market 2-FA and mnemonic code. Although gardaí are closely following technologies being developed by Europol's cybercrime centre and IT experts in University College Dublin, the rapidly-evolving nature of such activities means the threat remains prominent. The suspect, Arden McCann, 32, is now the subject of an extradition request to the United States, where he could be sentenced to a long prison term. Join and gain access to exclusive in-game items, game keys, and some of the most sought after closed betas. MDMA prices, on and offline, are often a good indicator of supply-chain status. This kind of data is very difficult to collect because hackers and cyber criminals are very smart and it is very hard to fool them. Like countless other businesses, the HSG has reacted to this unusual situation with a range of measures, not least digital ones. Those institutions that took the "kitchen sink" route need to hone in on where to invest and focus; those institutions that underinvested will find that their ability to continue to thrive truly may be at risk if they don't move the needle.


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Apple is working on "digital spectacles" that could connect to an iPhone and beam content like movies and maps, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reported on Monday. The Cupertino, Calif.- based company is also working on augmented reality features for the iPhone that are similar to Snapchat, Bloomberg said.
To make its augmented reality push, Apple has acquired augmented reality start-ups FlyBy Media and Metaio, and hired major players from Amazon, Facebook's Oculus, Microsoft's HoloLens, and Dolby, Bloomberg said.
Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Apple's AR ambitions don't come as a total surprise. Apple patents for augmented reality maps, facial recognition, a headset, and new camera software have surfaced this month alone. Augmented reality, which lets viewers superimpose graphics onto footage of the physical world, has become a mainstream hit with the IPO of Snap.


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Toronto: Early exposure of babies to household cleaning products is associated with the development of childhood asthma and wheeze by age 3 years, a new study suggests.
“Our study looked at infants, who typically spend 80 per cent-90 per cent of their time indoors and are especially vulnerable to chemical exposures through the lungs and skin due to their higher respiration rates and regular contact with household surfaces,” said study lead researcher Tim Takaro from Simon Fraser University in Canada.
For the findings, published in the journal CMAJ, researchers looked at data from questionnaires completed by parents of 2022 children in the Canadian Healthy Infant Longitudinal Development (CHILD) Cohort Study who were exposed to cleaning products from birth to age 3-4 months.
Participants in the CHILD Cohort Study were recruited from mostly urban centres in 4 provinces: Vancouver, BC; Edmonton, Alberta; Winnipeg, Morden and Winkler, Manitoba; and Toronto, Ontario.
The children were then assessed at age 3 years to determine whether they had asthma, recurrent wheeze or atopy (allergic sensitisation).
The most common cleaning products used were hand dishwashing soap, dishwasher detergent, multisurface cleaners, glass cleaners and laundry soap.
The researchers found an association between early exposure to cleaning products and risk of asthma and wheeze.
According to the study, scented and sprayed cleaning products were associated with the highest risk of respiratory issues.
The researchers hypothesize that chemicals in cleaning products may damage the respiratory lining by triggering inflammatory pathways of the immune system, leading to asthma and wheeze.
The modulation of the infant’s microbiome may also play a role, the study said.
“These findings add to our understanding of how early life exposures are associated with the development of allergic airway disease, and identify household cleaning behaviours as a potential area for intervention,” said study lead author Jaclyn Parks.
Reading labels on cleaning products and choosing those that are not sprayed or contain volatile organic compounds will help minimise a child’s exposure and balance the risk associated with using cleaning products in an effort to achieve a mould-free, low-allergen home, the study said.


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The award ceremony of Ananya Eid Fashion Competition 2008 was held at Hotel Abakas in Dhaka on Friday.
Cultural affairs adviser Rasheda K Chowdhury handed over the awards among the winners as chief guest. Entrepreneur Rokeya A Rahman and actress Kabori Sarwar attended as special guests at the programme chaired by Maleka Khan.
A total of 98 awards were given in 14 categories including saris, salwar-kamiz, punjabi and childrenâ€™s wear.
Fashion house Narimela won the best award in exclusive sari category. Lokaz and Usha Silk jointly took the second award while Nandini Fashion received the third award. OD Crafts received the best award in the salwar-kamiz category while Nandini Fashion and Ruper Haat jointly received the second prize.
The third award in the category went to Nikhunt Crafts.
In the punjabi category, Reshom Palli bagged the best award. Fashion house Banglar Darpan and Grihini received the second award while Karitas Silk got the third award.
Narimela, Banglar Shobha and Nikhunt Crafts received the first, second and third award respectively in the childrenâ€™s wear category.
About 150 fashion houses participated in the competition with entries of a variety of designs, said the organisers.


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By Marcin Jerzewski èçå¤
Lithuania, arguably one of Taiwan’s strongest supporters in Europe, remains the target of Chinese negative economic policy tools. In retaliation against the Baltic nation for allowing Taiwan to open a representative office in its capital, China removed Lithuania from its customs register and reportedly instigated a business boycott, ordering multinationals to sever ties with the country.
As cereals are Lithuania’s biggest export product to China, farmers and food producers have been particularly affected by the ongoing feud.
Therefore, as Taiwan seeks to capitalize on the new opening of its relations with Central and Eastern Europe, it is imperative that the nation designs effective, efficient and flexible channels to foster cooperation with the agriculture and food sectors of the Lithuania.
The strong representation of Lithuanian food producers at the just concluded international food fair, Food Taipei, marks an important step in the right direction. The Lithuanian pavilion was one of the 15 national pavilions presented at the fair and was a sign of a newly established but steadily increasing cooperation between the Taiwan Foreign Trade Development Council (TAITRA) and the Lithuanian Enterprise Development Agency and rural markets.
At the same time, collaboration with Lithuanian farmers and food producers should not be done on an ad hoc basis; Institutionalization of the relationship will remain crucial to ensure the sustainability of these ties as Lithuanian exporters learn about the characteristics of the Taiwanese market.
Therefore, cross-sectoral cooperation between TAITRA, the Council of Agriculture, the National Development Council and other executive agencies is necessary for a holistic and nuanced approach to linkage.
The government’s efforts to become a substitute market for part of the Lithuanian agricultural exports interrupted by China are consistent with consumption trends at the individual level. Wheat exports – Lithuania’s main export to China – are a good example. Compared to other grains, wheat consumption has gradually increased in Taiwan, while the country depends on imports for more than 99 percent of its wheat.
Nonetheless, imports remain undiversified, with 92 percent of the unprocessed wheat purchased by the Taiwan Flour Millers’ Association from the United States in MY 2020-2021. Heavy dependence on imported grains is one of the main obstacles Taiwan faces in its quest for a stable food supply, and low levels of diversification exacerbate this vulnerability.
Therefore, a more rapid opening of the Taiwanese market to Lithuanian grains could be mutually beneficial.
Dairy products stand out as another potential area of ââcommon interest. Gintaras Bertasius, chairman and managing director of Vilkyskiu Pienine, one of the largest dairy producers in the Baltic region, lamented in a recent interview that âwhile previous governments encouraged [our company] to go to China, it is a fact that our exports are now stopping.
Demand for fluid milk has continued to increase in Taiwan over the past decade, as has demand for yogurt made from fresh milk.
As domestic milk production declines, imports from New Zealand are expected to increase due to the provisions of the New Zealand Economic Cooperation Agreement with the Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu. Although this could potentially limit the viability of fresh milk imports from Lithuania due to the lack of duty-free access to the Taiwanese market, Lithuanian producers could still benefit from positive trends in imports and consumption. processed dairy products and cheese – which are subject to proportionately lower import tariffs, in particular.
Agriculture is also a politically important sector.
Vilnius’ quest to deepen ties with Taipei through its “values-based foreign policy” has received mixed reception from the Lithuanian public, which sees it largely as an overly confrontational partisan initiative by the government of the day.
A November survey commissioned by LRT, the Lithuanian national broadcaster, found that the country’s policy towards Taiwan and China received the support of only 33.5% of those polled, while the disapproval rate was 40. , 5%.
Given that the ballot took place before China’s economic coercion, it is likely that the disapproval rate will rise further.
The Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union (LVZS) is the largest opposition party and the second largest group in the Lithuanian parliament. It was also the only party that had not sent any of its members to Taiwan as part of the Baltic legislative delegation.
Giedrius Surplys, an LVZS lawmaker who oversaw a huge expansion of Sino-Lithuanian agricultural cooperation as Minister of Agriculture in the previous government, called the delegation an “indoctrination mission” and called on the government to coalition to ensure that Vilnius can maintain positive relations with Taipei and Beijing.
Governments come and go, while people stay. That is why it is important that in this time of economic uncertainty, Taiwan shows agility and reliability, and enlists a broad coalition of actors in Lithuania.
It is also important to recognize that the incumbents of the ruling coalition notice the sensitivity of cooperation in the agricultural and food sectors.
Matas Maldeikis, head of the Parliamentary Group for Relations with Taiwan, told the Open Parliament Forum in Taipei: âIf Taiwan opens up the market for these products, it could send a clear message that we can make business politically beneficial.
While the government has allowed imports of Lithuanian grains and pulses, Baltic nation exporters remain negatively affected by the obscurity of the Bureau of Plant and Animal Health Inspection and Quarantine standards for phytosanitary certification. and fumigation.
As Svajunas Banelis, director of agricultural commodity trading company Linas Agro, told LRT in an interview last month: âThe Taiwanese market is interesting, but so far unknown.
This sentiment underlines the need for sustained awareness among farmers and food producers in Lithuania so that quality control issues and other procedures can be harmonized.
Agricultural and food products are generally characterized as low added value, and Lithuanian stakeholders have expressed their desire to deepen cooperation with Taiwan in the field of high value added high tech manufacturing, especially semiconductors. . Nonetheless, given the current industrial capacity gap between the two countries, bolstering Lithuania’s technological prowess will be a long game.
To persuade the Lithuanian public that cooperation with Taiwan can bring tangible benefits, Taipei must act quickly to resolve the most pressing issues. Trade in agricultural and food products figures prominently among them.
A little bread and cheese with friends can go a long way.
Marcin Jerzewski is a researcher at the Taiwan NextGen Foundation, a policy think tank based in Taipei and Chiayi.
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Mykola Solskyi, Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine, is on a working visit to Berlin. He will take part in the 16th Global Forum for Food and Agriculture (GFFA) and the 16th Berlin Agriculture Ministers’ Conference.
Mykola Solskyi took part in the opening ceremony of the Forum and, together with German Federal Minister of Food and Agriculture Cem Özdemir, attended the official opening of the International Green Week 2024 Trade Fair.
Also on the sidelines of the Forum, the Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine met with the Minister of Agriculture and Food of the Republic of Bulgaria Kiril Vatev and the Federal Minister of Food and Agriculture Cem Özdemir.
During the meetings, the parties discussed support for the Ukrainian agricultural sector, the continuation of the free trade regime with the EU, the results of the Black Sea corridor and the export of agricultural products across the western borders.
The 16th Global Forum for Food and Agriculture (GFFA) takes place on 17-20 January in Berlin. This year's theme is Food Systems for Our Future: Joining Forces for a Zero Hunger World and aims to intensify and reinvigorate the international dialogue on agricultural policy.
The Global Forum for Food and Agriculture (GFFA) is an international conference dedicated to key issues of vital global agricultural and food policy. The event is held annually alongside the International Green Week (IGW).
GFFA is organised by the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture.
The Forum includes a large number of events that provide an opportunity for an international audience to discuss and reach consensus on issues and challenges related to global agricultural policy and food security.


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The Impact of Mobile Technologies on the Contact Center
| Published: March 19, 2014 | Comments (1)
Mobile device adoption continued its torrid pace in 2013. In fact, a recent Nielsen U.S. Digital Consumer Report revealed that 65 percent of U.S. consumers now own a smartphone, up from 44 percent in 2011. Tablet ownership shot up from five percent to 29 percent in the same timeframe, and U.S. consumers own an average of four digital devices. It’s safe to say, consumers are more connected now than ever before, providing unprecedented levels of communication with family, friends and even brands.
But how are today’s advancements in mobile technology playing out in the contact center? Here are five mobile mega forces at work today that are impacting the contact center and customer experience management at large:
Proliferation of Mobile Devices – The sheer number of mobile and connected devices is the biggest force affecting the contact center. Estimates reveal that the number of mobile devices is expected to surpass six billion units in 2014. It’s hard to believe that they will soon exceed the world’s population. What’s even harder to believe is that this number will more than double between 2015 and 2017.
Constant Connectivity – Not only are analysts expecting six billion mobile devices this year, but each of those devices is Internet-enabled, providing more ways to interact 24/7. Consumers are connecting through phone, text, online chat, email and social media. More points of connection mean more touch points for a contact center.
Variety –Mobility produces a variety of data types, including structured and un-structured data, which contact centers need to take into consideration. This includes contact information, transaction information, interaction history and interaction information across phone, chat, email, social media and SMS. Couple that with the burgeoning global mobile data traffic that will surpass 15 exabytes by 2018, and you have a tremendous wealth of information regarding consumer behavior. Contact centers must identify the various data associated with customer journeys and aggregate them to get a 360-degree view of the customer. This will allow them to deliver great customer service and ultimately an amazing customer experience.
Volume – Mobility allows consumers to transact and interact at any point-of-contact, which has dramatically increased the volume of customer service interactions. For example, a customer may engage with a retailer’s customer service agent via an online chat. Perhaps they grow impatient and close the chat box. They then take to Twitter to voice their complaints about being left on hold, opening up another avenue of interaction with the brand. This is a far cry from the days of the single channel call center.
Velocity – Mobility and constant connectivity have accelerated the immediacy of customer service. Pair that with the speed at which social media interactions take place, and you have a new wave of consumers that expect service in real time. According to LiveOps Research, 85 percent of consumers feel that how a brand handles issues on their website or on social channels, like Facebook or Twitter, is a good indicator of their customer satisfaction and the quality of their support. Meaning, a brand needs to not only be present on these channels, but engage with customers in real time to keep them happy.
These powerful mobile forces have affected the contact center in several ways. Let’s take a look:
Your job just got harder. Mobile customer service went from a “nice to have” to a “must have” in the contact center. It is particularly crucial to integrate self-service with live-service, as mobile consumers tend to favor self-service.
You have the chance to be a service hero. Rather than looking at these forces as threats, view them as opportunities that uniquely position you to be the savior by delivering memorable customer experiences when and where the customer expects.
You’ll need a new plan of attack. As the saying goes – if you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Start by identifying gaps in your customer service and prioritize your most glaring issues. Develop your core cross-functional team, develop solid KPIs and chart your progress.
Legacy processes and technologies are a cost burden that prohibits innovation. As you evolve the agent skill set required to service today’s mobile, omnichannel customers, don’t forget to take a hard look at your contact center processes and infrastructure technology. A simple upgrade often provides the quickest route to immediate success.
Promoting small wins becomes key. Pick your battles and demonstrate your value from small wins, as well as the business benefits from your mobile campaigns. This will go a long way toward sustaining your progress.
You have to be flexible - measure & optimize! When it comes to adopting mobile solutions in the contact center, one size definitely does not fit all. Develop a timeline with checkpoints and measure the results of your efforts. Make tweaks and adjustments as you go.
If you do all of the above consistently, there’s indeed a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Not only will you increase your job satisfaction and get yourself that next big promotion, but you’ll also gain a legion of happy agents. This becomes a critical element when you consider that 92 percent of consumers report that a customer service agent's perceived "happiness" has an impact on their customer experience with the brand. 66 percent of consumers agree that their experience with a brand's customer service agents has a major impact on their impression with the brand overall. Creating a frictionless experience for consumers that, thanks to more powerful mobile devices, expect resolution immediately will lead to fantastic business benefits, such as higher customer retention, greater loyalty and share-of-wallet, higher sales conversion and lower abandonment. What are you waiting for? Mobilize your contact center!
Mobile, Customer Experience
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Business Intelligence Lowdown reports on the top 10 anti-privacy companies. Here's the list:
10. Response Unlimited
See the article for details about how we're all getting pwned.
How to avoid such pwnage? One of the commentors of that article suggests using the TrackMeNot Firefox extension, which creates white noise search terms to hide your real search terms from MSN, Yahoo!, AOL and Google.


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Apple's second-gen iPod nano busted open (photos)It was only a matter of time before someone purchased one of Apple Computer's new iPod nano digital music players only to bust it open and reveal its guts.
You can thank the guys over at iFixIt for being one of the first to do so on Thursday. The online Mac and iPod parts reseller has posted to its Web site a photo-illustrated take apart guide based on the dissection of a blue 4GB second-generation iPod nano.
Internal photos of the player corroborate much of what was already presumed based on previous media reports, particularly that it's being manufactured by Foxconn and that it uses Samsung flash memory and SoCs.
According to iFixit, the nano's new Li-ion polymer battery is thinner but significantly larger than the one included with the first-generation model. Also, the new player's ARM chip is clearly branded with an Apple logo. The numbers on the chip read: "33753291 8701 N02R5Q5 0627 ARM."
In the coming days, several research firms are expected to offer their own iPod nano tear-down reports, which have historically included a part-by-part analysis and estimated bill-of-materials price list.
On Topic: General
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- AppleInsider podcast analyzes what to expect at Apple's Sept. 9 event, Wall Street, 'Apple Car,' more


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The cannabis industry
New Zealand is one of the top users of cannabis. Over half of New Zealanders aged 15 to 45 have admitted to cannabis use. In fact, figures collected from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime suggest New Zealand ranks third in the world in cannabis consumption.
In December 2018, New Zealand passed a law to allow medical cannabis throughout the country. However, how the country is going to move forward with this law is not exactly clear. Until recently, New Zealand has been strongly against the production and use of cannabis, and the police have often conducted raids on farms and suspected peddlers. So how will medical cannabis fit into the picture?
As of now, it seems the NZ government is looking forward. They are trying to figure out just how they are going to produce the cannabis, what the rules will be for obtaining medical cannabis, and many additional industry questions that they were not prepared to answer when the law went into effect.
Currently, they are in the process of securing options to better understand the cannabis industry and to research the points that were in question. These issues must be addressed for a full scale roll out of enough dispensaries to supply those in need of medical cannabis.
What is a cannabis dispensary?
Simply put, a cannabis dispensary is where you go to legally obtain cannabis. They can be labeled as recreational, medical, or both. The recreational dispensaries have a full line of cannabis and cannabis-related products to offer those who would like to pursue the recreational use of cannabis. Medical cannabis dispensaries, on the other hand, cater to those who seek cannabis for medicinal use, based on a prescription from a doctor who has been permitted to prescribe cannabis.
The dispensaries that sell both forms will sell to those who have a medical card and those who are looking to purchase recreationally. Typically, the medical prices in these dispensaries are lower than the price for the same product when purchased for recreational consumption. (This is almost always due to a difference in taxation on medicine and recreational cannabis.)
Why is cannabis so hard to come by in New Zealand?
In actuality, obtaining cannabis in New Zealand is simply not as hard as you might think. It’s the most widely used illegal drug in the country. However, trying to obtain the drug does present a number of challenges.
Unfortunately, these methods of distribution are mostly illegal, and the crimes associated with cannabis carry harsh penalties. In addition, despite its brand new legality for medical use, if you are a medical patient that fact doesn’t make everything better. The current cannabis industry is tough in New Zealand and there are not enough dispensaries for everyone.
The major reasons cannabis is so hard to come by legally in New Zealand?
- It is mostly grown by drug gangs, and thus distributed by them;
- Which leads to large-scale police crack-downs and raids; and
- The stigma is that cannabis causes “social harm in communities” and therefore is greatly monitored by locals;
- (For more information, look at Source Two: News Hub at the bottom of this article.)
Surprisingly, it’s easier to find harder drugs, such as meth, in New Zealand than cannabis. If you take a stroll through online comment boards, you’ll find most people unwilling to offer insight into finding weed, and reviewers like Marijuana Travelers state you must take what you get from the kids peddling on the streets.
So, as of right now, people are advised not to purchase or use cannabis in New Zealand, assuming you’re searching for an illegal source. Just for purchasing cannabis, you can spend months or even years in prison. The weight of the crime makes it difficult for outsiders to know where to look if they are attempting to obtain cannabis, but the consensus is that you should travel to places where cannabis is legal if that’s something you want to do while traveling.
How many registered doctors can prescribe cannabis now?
While there are many different registered doctors who can prescribe cannabis in New Zealand, it can be tricky to find them. Despite the new law, cannabis is still illegal, making it hard for prescriptions to be written or filled.
One helpful website is www.MarijuanaDoctors.com where they walk you through the criteria needed to get a prescription. This website can also be used as a starting research point for those who need to find a doctor in their area that’s able to prescribe medical cannabis.
For the best information and contacts on finding medical cannabis in New Zealand, refer to the government health website, Source Three at the end of this article.
What is the state of scientific research into cannabis in New Zealand?
In New Zealand, research is ongoing in the cannabis field. Some studies focus on the long-term effects of cannabis while others focus on the effects of cannabis on various physical and mental conditions.
One promising company is Helius Therapeutics, where research is done on both the medical and therapeutic effects of cannabis. The facility is located in Auckland and is currently one of the few companies publicly manufacturing cannabis in New Zealand.
Do pharmacists stock cannabis now?
Cannabis is not carried at local pharmacies in New Zealand. Instead, cannabis is purchased through an expensive mail order systemthat is greatly monitored by the state. This is a high spending feat not feasible for most patients who need these types of medications. This has led many medical patients to seek out their medication on the street, which, if caught, could land the patient in jail for up to one year or see them fined up to $1,000.
What will happen in the future when it comes to cannabis dispensaries?
With the law passing in December of 2018, coming years should see an increase in dispensaries throughout New Zealand. The subject now is not whether they are allowed, but figuring out how to fit them into the current laws.
Inevitably, this could take months or even years.
No one can be certain how fast the government will move on cannabis laws, or how long it will be before they allow dispensaries to begin operations. Until then, patients will have to keep in close contact with their doctors or keep a watchful eye on the New Zealand Drug Foundation.
Final word — will New Zealand ever allow dispensaries?
Over time, yes, New Zealand will likely allow dispensaries, given that medical cannabis is now legal, and perhaps even recreational cannabis will be legal soon. There is a large market for cannabis and a big profit can be made, especially considering the substance is so widely used.
Eventually, New Zealand will want to maximize the benefits of medical cannabis on their economic industry, and they will start to allow the establishment of more dispensaries. However, to date, nothing has really been decided on this subject and it is something that will continue to be debated in the courts and government before a decision can be made.


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Counteract Cancer with Coffee
An Excuse to Drink Java
If an apple a day keeps the doctor away, 2-3 cups of coffee may delay the onset of breast cancer or reduce the risk of developing the debilitating and life-threatening disease. This new research comes from the Lund and Malmo Universities in Sweden. Coffee's effect is related to the female sex hormone estrogen. Some of the metabolic products of such hormones are known carcinogens and certain components of coffee change a woman's metabolism so that a better configuration of the various estrogens is gained. As an additional benefit, the caffeine in coffee has the knack of hampering the growth of cancer cells.
Helena Jernstrom, a cancer researcher, and her colleagues have been following the coffee-drinking habits of almost 460 breast cancer patients undergoing treatment in Lund. The scientists found that the effects of coffee differ depending upon which type of CYP1A2 gene is present. The CYP1A2 gene is essential for metabolizing both estrogen and coffee. Half the participants had a variant of this gene called A/A, while others had variants A/C or C/C.
It was found that those women with C variants of the gene who drank three or more cups of coffee daily developed breast cancer one third less often than women with the A/A variant. Meanwhile, those A/A women who had drunk two or more cups of coffee a day were diagnosed with breast cancer much later than women who had abstained or seldom drunk coffee, with a mean age of 58 years, ten years later than the abstainers, excepting those who had taken hormone replacement therapy for menopausal symptoms. This good news is tempered by the fact that almost 15% of these women had the much more difficult to treat estrogen-insensitive (ER negative) tumors.
"The majority nevertheless had estrogen-sensitive and more readily treated tumors. And women who develop breast cancer at a higher age often do better than those who get it earlier in life," said Helena Jernström.
Americans Drink Less Coffee
Jernstrom stressed that research is still in its earliest stages making it much too soon to issue dietary recommendations regarding coffee consumption. The scientist believes that further research will prove that women in coffee-drinking countries like Sweden will continue to show fewer cases of cancer than in other countries. Jernstrom supposes that the higher preponderance of breast cancer in the United States is due to the fact that Americans drink more decaffeinated coffee and less coffee altogether than in Sweden and in other coffee-drinking nations.


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Warburg Research Reiterates “€18.00” Price Target for S&T (SANT)
Several other research firms have also commented on SANT. Hauck & Aufhaeuser set a €23.00 ($27.38) target price on shares of S&T and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Wednesday, November 22nd. Kepler Capital Markets set a €19.50 ($23.21) target price on shares of S&T and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Friday, November 10th. Finally, equinet set a €21.00 ($25.00) target price on shares of S&T and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Tuesday, November 28th.
S&T (SANT) traded up €0.06 ($0.07) during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting €21.74 ($25.88). 338,971 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 186,987. S&T has a 52 week low of €8.46 ($10.07) and a 52 week high of €22.10 ($26.31). The company has a market cap of $1,380.00 and a price-to-earnings ratio of 63.94.
S&T AG develops, implements, and markets IT hardware, solutions, and services primarily in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Eastern Europe. The company offers devices for workplaces, such as desktops, notebooks, and tablets; external hard disks and fan less devices, as well as peripherals, including monitors and printers; and special solutions for POS comprising checkout systems, self-service terminals, and electronic advertising spaces.
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