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Written on: July 27, 2020 by SprayTM
Source: The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA)
FDA is warning consumers and health care providers that the agency has seen a sharp increase in hand sanitizer products that are labeled to contain ethanol (also known as ethyl alcohol) but that have tested positive for methanol contamination. Methanol, or wood alcohol, is a substance that can be toxic when absorbed through the skin or ingested and can be life-threatening when ingested.
The agency is aware of adults and children ingesting hand sanitizer products contaminated with methanol that has led to recent adverse events including blindness, hospitalizations and death.
Methanol is not an acceptable active ingredient for hand sanitizers and must not be used due to its toxic effects. FDA’s investigation of methanol in certain hand sanitizers is ongoing. The agency will provide additional information as it becomes available.
Consumers who have been exposed to hand sanitizer containing methanol and are experiencing symptoms should seek immediate treatment for potential reversal of toxic effects of methanol poisoning. Substantial methanol exposure can result in nausea, vomiting, headache, blurred vision, permanent blindness, seizures, coma, permanent damage to the nervous system or death.
Although all persons using these products on their hands are at risk for methanol poisoning, young children who accidentally ingest these products and adolescents and adults who drink these products as an alcohol (ethanol) substitute, are most at risk.
FDA reminds consumers to wash their hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom; before eating; and after coughing, sneezing, or blowing one’s nose. If soap and water are not readily available, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend consumers use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60 percent ethanol (also referred to as ethyl alcohol).
FDA remains vigilant and will continue to take action when quality issues arise with hand sanitizers. The agency is especially concerned with:
FDA is aware of reports of adverse events associated with hand sanitizer products. FDA encourages health care professionals, consumers and patients to report adverse events or quality problems experienced with the use of hand sanitizers to FDA’s MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting program (please provide the agency with as much information as possible to identify the product):
Complete and submit the report online; or
Download and complete the form, then submit it via fax at 1-800-FDA-0178.


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Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway trimmed its wager on Activision Blizzard in late 2022, because the online game maker’s agreed takeover by Microsoft struggled within the face of regulatory scrutiny.
Berkshire bought 7.4mn shares, or 12 per cent of its place, in Activision within the fourth quarter. The gross sales by the sprawling industrials-to-insurance conglomerate lowered its stake by roughly $435mn to $4bn, filings with the US Securities and Alternate Fee confirmed on Tuesday.
Buffett final yr wager massive on Activision, shopping for hundreds of thousands of shares of the corporate behind the Name of Obligation and World of Warcraft recreation franchises. The acquisition was in contrast to many of the investments in Berkshire’s $306bn inventory portfolio, with the billionaire investor hoping to revenue off the steep low cost at which the inventory was buying and selling in contrast with the $95 share worth Microsoft supplied to pay for Activision in January 2022.
Buffett had hoped the hole would cut — a ploy usually deployed by merger arbitrage hedge funds betting on a deal finally closing on the worth initially struck — but it surely has widened as a substitute.
“Once in a while I see one thing that I need to do in that discipline [merger arbitrage], however very seldom as a result of they’ve bought to be massive,” Buffett informed buyers at Berkshire’s annual assembly final yr. “The revenue is proscribed. In the event that they say you’re going to get $95, you’re not going to get $96 and if the deal blows up you will have a inventory that’s at $40.”
Microsoft’s takeover, set to be its largest ever, has confronted regulatory pushback. This month the UK competitors watchdog stated the acquisition would damage UK avid gamers, jeopardising the deal. That got here shortly after the US Federal Commerce Fee sued to dam the transaction, arguing it will hurt competitors.
Shares of Activision closed roughly 19 per cent under the takeover worth on Tuesday at $76.78.
Berkshire took an preliminary $1bn stake in Activision in 2021, earlier than Microsoft introduced its takeover. Buffett stated the purchases have been directed by both Todd Combs or Ted Weschler, his two funding lieutenants, at a price of about $77 a share. However his view that Microsoft’s takeover would achieve success drove him to extend the wager.
“If the deal goes by we make some cash, and if the deal doesn’t undergo who is aware of what occurs,” Buffett stated on the annual assembly.
Activision was not the one funding Berkshire pared again within the quarter. The Omaha, Nebraska-based firm bought greater than 85 per cent of its stake in chipmaker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing, a place it had taken simply months earlier when it bought shares value $4.1bn.
Berkshire lower its place in TSMC by greater than 50mn shares, disclosing it held 8.3mn shares value $618mn. The fast shift is considerably uncommon for Berkshire, which tends to consider its investments in years or a long time versus months.
The corporate additionally dumped its place in regional financial institution US Bancorp and greater than halved its stake in Financial institution of New York Mellon.
Berkshire made modest additions within the quarter, shopping for 1.2mn shares of Louisiana-Pacific, a maker of development provides, and a pair of.4mn shares of MTV proprietor Paramount International.

domain: news


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Apple TV took center stage at one of the Apple’s largest product launches of recent years, alongside new iPhones, iPads and Apple Watch designs, held at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco.
“This is the future of television, coming now” Apple CEO Tim Cook said. “We need a new foundation for TV, one that’s built on powerful hardware.”
Most significantly, tvOS will allow developers to create apps for the Apple TV, opening up major opportunities for gaming. Netflix, HBO, and Hulu apps will all be available as well. “We believe the future of television is apps,” Cook said.
Some of the games to be released are Guitar Hero, Beat Sports, an exclusive Multiplayer version of the hit mobile game Crossy Road only available to Apple Tv and popular game Raymond Run. These are only some which showcase the new focus apple have on this new product.
Here is a gif showcasing Crossy Road on the device


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If you place a preorder for Motorola’s Razr right now, you won’t receive the phone until February 18th — more than 10 days after its launch date. The resurrected Razr, now with a folding screen, will exclusively hit Verizon on February 6th. Preorders opened up yesterday, and delivery dates for the $1,500 device were quickly pushed out by several days.
Motorola’s website, which is also taking preorders for the Razr, lists the same February 18th estimate at the moment. The company delayed preorders by a month, claiming that interest in the phone had exceeded its initial expectations.
Verizon is offering a number of promotions for those purchasing the Razr; you can save up to $500 if you trade in a recent phone and pay the Razr off over a 24-month period. But since it’s the only carrier to actually offer the phone, that $1,500 asking price (when bought outright) probably won’t be changing anytime soon.
After Samsung’s Galaxy Fold got folding screens off to a rocky start, there’s high interest in whether Motorola’s approach — and the Razr’s old-school form factor — will be more about proving out the appeal of this new category. Samsung seems to be pursuing a similar path for its next folding phone, which is rumored to be unveiled alongside the Galaxy S20 lineup on February 11th.
Vox Media has affiliate partnerships. These do not influence editorial content, though Vox Media may earn commissions for products purchased via affiliate links. For more information, see our ethics policy.


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Soap brand marketed by Unilever, Lifebuoy is working towards spreading hygiene awareness in times of COVID-19. What started with a public service message via print now includes TVC's and digital ads, to spread awareness amongst consumers. The ads focus on the ways t0 prevent contracting the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19.
Throughout its communication, the brand has refrained from a sales call to action in the traditional sense. It has maintained the stance that any soap will do, as long as one washes hands thoroughly. In its first print ad, Lifebuoy even named some of its competitors in the copy, and stressed that the ad was not for branding or promoting sales, but to spread awareness regarding the protection against the disease.
In the initial days of the pandemic Lifebuoy released a public service message which asked the consumers 'to prevent the spread of COVID-19 by using any soap available whether it is lux, dettol, santoor, or godrej no.1'. The brand issued a simple guide to F.I.G.H.T covid-19 following simple steps.
The brand has also rolled out its TVC, focusing on washing hands. The TVC teaches viewers 'to wash hands from hands', making a small chore of washing hands very interesting during this pandemic.
Read Also: YouTube Leaderboard: Most-watched PSA ads of last three months
The TVC shows hands with faces made on them. The brand asks viewers to take any soap and water and make friendship, following with fighting, making crocodile, butterfly with hands to reach out every corner of the hand, washing out and killing all the germs.
The brand also shared a video of brand ambassador Kajol saying "until now people have seen me promoting Lifebuoy, but now I request you to use whichever soap you have to wash hands, because washing hands with soap can stop the spread of COVID-19, it is the responsibility of everyone", on their social media handles.


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Consumer Reports has no financial relationship with advertisers on this site. The recent security breach at Equifax has left some 143 million consumers scrambling to understand the difference between fraud alerts and security freezes, and which works
143 million social security numbers were stolen from Equifax. Impacted consumers are rushing to put a credit freeze on their accounts. However, a credit freeze won’t protect you completely. Here are three big risks you need to consider.
Just when you thought the Equifax data breach couldn’t get worse: The incident, which saw hackers steal personal data from at least 143 million people, is now inspiring scammers to try and steal even more information. On Thursday morning, the Feder
Equifax Inc. dropped in early trading after specifying which software vulnerability hackers exploited to steal data on 143 million U.S. consumers, pointing to a flaw that computer security experts had flagged publicly early this year.


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The Suez Canal Authority is committed to a ban on allowing Qatari ships to dock in ports within the Suez Canal's economic zone, Ahram reported as chairman Mohab Mamish saying.
Egypt Bans Qatari Ships Docking in Suez Canal
Jul 9, 2017
Sweden’s Minister for EU Affairs and Trade to Seoul, Anne Linde, and a high level Swedish business delegation, including Seth Ryding, Head of APAC at Telenor Connexion
Turkey-based Palmali, one of the biggest shippers in the Caspian region, said on Monday it had lodged a claim worth almost $2 billion against Litasco, the trading arm of Russian
A Panama flagged bulk carrier, DL Carnation, has been banned from entering Australian ports for a period of 12 months after authorities uncovered a scheme which saw the vessel’s


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FM spots signals of overheating in economy
P Chidambaram feels that some sectors in the economy could be showing signs of overheating.
Conceding that some sectors in the economy could be showing “signs of overheating,” finance minister P Chidambaram said containing inflation was the government’s “most immediate goal.” With this admission, the finance minister has come a closer to the RBI’s position, in acknowledging possible signs of overheating.
With the inflation rate touching a four month high of 5.41%, the minister has also said that fiscal and monetary steps will be taken to gradually bring it down to around 4%. Mr Chidambaram had earlier downplayed concerns on overheating in the economy.
In his mid-term review of annual policy, YV Reddy, governor RBI, had said, “emergence of inflationary pressures is usually seen as the first indication of overheating.” The policy had stated that “it is critical to be watchful for early signs of overheating.”
However, Mr Reddy said that there was no need to review monetary policy after Friday’s inflation rate of 5.41%. “There is no need to review the monetary policy’s estimate on inflation for the current financial year,” Mr Reddy had said.
The RBI has a target of 5-5.5% inflation for current fiscal and has not revised it in its mid-term review, earlier this week. The highest recorded inflation this year stood at 5.44% for the week ended June 17. The finance minister said inflation, which has risen to a four-month high of 5.41% was largely on account of rise in prices of primary articles, he said.
The inflation rate for the manufacturing sector is still moderate. The finance minister reiterated that the economy will grow at 8% for the fourth year in a row. The RBI’s repo rate hike early this week was a signal that the central bank was ready to take monetary steps to check inflation. The government would simultaneously take the necessary fiscal measures to achieve the objective, the minister said.
The government “stumbled” last year in the supply-side management of food grains, especially wheat, forcing imports, he said, but added that lessons have been learned this year.
Earlier, speaking at a seminar Mr Reddy said, “Globally inflation risks remain, though incipient at the current juncture.” While headline inflation rates are moderating, core inflation, especially in the US, has remained firm. This indicated that upside pressures from oil and commodities prices persist across advanced and emerging economies, especially at the producer level, the governor said.
Though global inflation conditions have not worsened, concerns relating to potential price pressures persisted, particularly in the context of firming of food and metal prices, Mr Reddy said. Some deceleration in economic activity in recent months has induced a pause in the policy tightening cycle of several important central banks, he added.


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Mork Trading Inc will be launching its Egyptian nuts at the Gulfood Exhibition, with the aim of attracting new customers in Gulf markets to increase exports.
Bassam Al-Faris, chairperson of Mork, said that the company specialises in marketing seven main products in local and international markets, namely nuts, halawa, tea, herbs, olive oil, and soap made from olive oil.
Al-Faris pointed out that Mork has participated in the last three sessions of the Food Africa exhibition, which is held in Cairo, and will be participating in the current session of the Gulfood exhibition in Dubai to market its nut products.
He added, “The nuts factory is located in Egypt, but the tea and herbal factory is located in the Sultanate of Oman, and Mork is the exclusive agent for exporting the company’s products”.
On export, he said that the company currently exports sweets, but it is attending the Gulfood exhibition with the aim of marketing Egyptian nuts. The company exports sweet products to the Netherlands and Sweden.
Mork manufactures nuts such as pistachios, walnuts, cashews, and hazelnuts. It also seeks to export to compensate for the decline in the local market’s demand.


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BETTING ON THE SMALL FARM
A Growing Family Affair
By Deborah Horn
Jack Daniels and his wife, Sunny, were named Nevada County Farm Family of the Year in 2013. Jack and his parents also received the Farm Family honor in 1983 in Hempstead County. Pictured left to right, top row: Sunny Daniels, Tara Carlton, Jack Daniels, Jimmy Daniels, A.J. Daniels, J.C. Carlton, Emma Daniels, Tabby Stone, and Tammy Daniels-Baldwin. Front row left to right: Cora Carlton, Maggie Daniels, Charlotte Daniels and dogs, left to right: Fancy, Miss Kay and Lollie.
Becky and Bruce Goyne drove about 100 miles across Southwest Arkansas on a recent Saturday morning to Miracle Farms Market. They came for grass-fed beef but stayed for hours, relaxing under the shade of native pecan trees, drinking homemade lemonade and discussing the year’s excessive rainfall as cool breezes blew across the hot afternoon. Instead of traffic or sirens, the afternoon is occasionally interrupted by chirping birds, baaing lambs or laughter.
The market, a co-op of local farmers, is the brainchild of Jack and Sunny Daniels, and set on their three-generation-owned farm on County Road 15 near Bodcaw (Nevada County). As well as offering visitors a family farm experience, there’s a hand-squeezed lemonade stand set up on the lawn. And inside the market, there are old-fashioned fried pies and fresh-baked breads, jellies, jams, teas, spa products and whatever veggies and berries are in season, either fresh or canned—and more.
In the market, there are four freezers filled with grass-fed, USDA processed beef, Berkshire Pork and lamb, and, in the refrigerator, real Jersey milk. Bruce, who lives at Crossett, says, “The meat is worth the drive … It’s healthier, and it’s the most tender beef that I’ve ever had.”
The meat comes from the Daniels’ farm, with Jack running about 60 head of cattle and 25 ewes on their 200-acre spread, and the milk is a product of the Daniels’ teenage son, Jimmy, who raises and milks the cows. They hope to add hand-churned butter to the refrigerator’s lineup soon, Sunny says. She cans all they sell in the market’s commercial kitchen, and that’s where their teenage daughter, Emma, prepares her cakes, pies and breads. Emma, who sells under Emma’s Baking Co., says her inspiration is driven by whatever’s in season. But there are also bath and spa products and hard lotions made by nearby Stone Farms and teas packaged by Laura Ward. What’s in the market’s fresh produce section depends on the month.
Inside the market, the day’s last customer grabs a dozen eggs, a quart of locally grown blueberries and a loaf of sweet white bread before checking out. Because of their rural location, Sunny said, “We want people to be able to get everything they need here.” Jacks says there are about seven farms selling their wares at his 4-year-old market, and in Arkansas it’s an unusual but creative arrangement. Most often, co-ops allow farmers to pool their resources when buying seeds, fertilizers, fuels or machinery.
Tara Carlton, a co-op supply member who sells pastured poultry, eggs and breads at the market, says she had no doubt the market would succeed from the first moment the Daniels family talked about it. “I was excited. It works … and the word [about Miracle Farms Market] is spreading,” Tara says.
Jack also takes their products to farmers markets in Hope, Texarkana and Camden. For a time, Sunny says, “we worried these would steal business from our market,” but it’s proving the opposite, and she adds, “It gives people a taste and they want to see what else we have.”
Jack, as well as his grandfather, I.J. Daniels, and father, Jim Daniels, grew up on County Road 15. In fact, I.J. Daniels started the family farm there in the 1940s and retired in the 1970s, but it was the 1980s that were rough on the American family farm. It was so devastating that Jim, who had taken over the farm, went back to work as a civil engineer for the Natural Resources Conservation Service, a division of the USDA.
But father and son were determined to farm. The original plan was that Jack and Jim would work the farm together, but unfortunately, Jim was killed in a car accident in 1997. Instead, Jack and his family tackled it alone. His mother, Tammy Daniels-Baldwin, helped make their dream of a sustainable family farm possible. In addition to working the land, Jack toured with gospel and secular musician David Phelps as a pianist for about 20 years.
It was “hard to do both,” but in the long run, Jack says, it was worth the hard work. “It was a great time in my life. I got to see much of the world and perform in places like Carnegie Hall in New York and The O2 in London,” he says. And while traveling around Europe as a musician, Jack says, he “enjoyed seeing the small-scale farms … and I knew that’s what I longed for. Small family farms and community.”
After traveling to Swoope, Virginia, for a tour of Polyface Farm, owned by Joel Salatin, Jack says, “We came away encouraged that we could support our family with our family farm.”
The mood inside the market and out is light and welcoming. So it’s not surprising that Norway’s Ole’ Hartwedt tour owner asked if he could stop by with two separate groups in early May for a farm tour and lunch. The tourists, who were traveling from Little Rock to Dallas, were treated to grilled meat and fresh side dishes. Later, the group voted Miracle Farms their favorite stop on the 14-day trip through the U.S., and the Daniels family hopes to host more groups in the future. Armed with the knowledge that agriculture is Arkansas’s No. 1 economic driver, with tourism a close second, Jack believes that agri-tourism holds possibilities, and he says, “People really seem to enjoy the experience.”


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Valve had to make a second game, because it got a hole-in-one.
Is MSI's premium AIO solution as good as the company thinks it is? Andy finds out.
We've picked some of the best projects recently completed in our project log forum.
Activision has confirmed that it will be releasing modding tools for Call of Duty: Black Ops.
Microsoft has announced the first Call of Duty: Black Ops map pack, which will land on Xbox 360 first.
We weigh in on one of the most anticipated shooters of the year, Call of Duty: Black Ops.
We've rounded up the prices that the big stores are selling Call of Duty: Black Ops for.
Treyarch has announced that it will charge users to use dedicated servers in Call of Duty: Black Ops.
Treyarch has announced the PC version of Call of Duty: Black Ops will include mod support.
Treyarch has claimed that upcoming Call of Duty game, Black Ops, is based on a plausible fiction.
Treyarch's Josh Olin says that games shouldn't use technology just for the sake of it.
May 5 2021 | 09:30
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International Automaker to make debut SUV in Pakistan
The automaker Proton will be making its debut in Pakistan within the next couple of months with the launch of the X70 crossover SUV and the Saga sedan that will compete in the emerging compact crossover SUV segment and the compact sedan segment respectively.
Initial reports by various outlets had claimed that the Saga sedan will be launched in January 2021 following the launch of the X70 SUV in December 2020. However, PakWheels.com recently reported that the compact sedan will be available for booking in Pakistan “during the third or fourth week of December 2020”.
Reports further suggest that Proton will first bring in 100 CBU units of the Saga sedan from Malaysia at subsidized 50 percent duty as per the government policy, and that they will be available in three variants – the Standard Manual, the Standard Auto, and the Premium Auto. Also, the automaker will initially have four official dealerships – two in Karachi, one in Lahore, and one in Islamabad.
As per reports, the Saga will be offered with 3-year/100,000 and 5-year/150,000 kilometers warranties. The Saga also likely to go into local production ahead of June 2021 but the decision to do so will be based on the public’s response. Credits: paultan.org
The Saga comes with a downsized 1.3-liter, naturally aspirated 4-cylinder petrol engine that makes 94 horsepower and 120 newton-meters of torque, and is mated to either a 5-speed manual or a 4-speed CVT automatic transmission depending on the variant.
On the inside, the Standard MT/AT trim-levels will have basic features like dual front airbags, rear seat ISOFIX anchors, disc brakes with ABS, EBD, and brake assist technology; while the Premium AT trim-level offers added features like stability control, traction control, hill start assist, front parking sensors, and a reverse camera. Credits: paultan.org


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August 9, 2022
The horror thriller Margaux will be released through digital retailers Sept. 9 from Paramount Home Entertainment.
In the film, as a group of seniors celebrate their final college days at a smart house, the house’s highly advanced AI system Margaux begins to take on a deadly presence of her own. A carefree weekend of partying turns into a dystopian nightmare as they realize Margaux’s plans to eliminate her tenants one way or another. Time begins to run out as the group desperately tries to survive and outsmart the smart home.
The film stars Madison Pettis, Vanessa Morgan, Richard Harmon, Lochlyn Munro, Jedidiah Goodacre, Phoebe Miu, Jordan Buhat, Brittany Mitchell and Louis Lay.


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XIAOSHAN AIRPORT, HANGZHOU, ZHEJIANG PROVINCE, CHINA: An outbound tourist group is waiting for check-in in front of the counter of China Customs. Chinese nationals have become the largest number of foreign tourists visiting other countries in 2015 as the number of outbound visitors crossed 120 million, registering an 11 million increase from last year.
Zhang Peng | LightRocket | Getty Images
BEIJING — The rapid growth of Chinese tourism took a bit of a breather during the latest week-long National Day holiday, government data indicate.
The seven-day vacation from Oct. 1 to Oct. 7 is dubbed “Golden Week” and is one of the few major government-mandated holidays in a country where personal vacation days are few. This year’s National Day was particularly significant domestically since it revolved around massive celebrations on Oct. 1 for the 70th anniversary of the Communist Party’s rule.
Chinese tourist sites received 782 million visits during the holiday, up well over 7% from last year’s 726 million, according to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. But, that’s slower than reported growth of more than 9% in 2018, and down from a 10% increase in 2017.
Retail and food and beverage sales from Oct. 1 to Oct. 7 grew 8.5% to 1.52 trillion yuan ($212.7 billion), according to the Ministry of Commerce. While a solid figure, that’s a slower pace than the Commerce Ministry’s claims of nearly 10% or higher growth for previous years.
Website: du lich quang binh


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''We had nutritionists who served on our team who put the standards together, and they said 100 percent fruit juice drinks were a major improvement over what is available today, and they feel they're appropriate,'' Mr. Oestreicher said. ''Anything less than 100 percent fruit juice or anything with artificial flavoring or artificial coloring or artificial sweeteners was not acceptable.''
Fern Estrow, a registered dietitian and nutrition educator in New York City, said the city schools should be offering low-fat milk and apples in the vending machines instead of these juices.
Mr. Oestreicher said he is not sure whether milk will be available in the machines.
Ms. Estrow is also concerned that exposure to the Snapple logo will persuade students to drink the company's other beverages, most of which are about 10 percent juice and have no added vitamins. ''Kids don't know the difference,'' she said. ''Snapple carries a huge product line of basically sugar water.''
Mr. Oestreicher disagrees. ''We believe our students will be able to distinguish between Snapple drinks once they leave the school,'' he said.


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Fond du Lac and Area Business News & Notes
• Gov. Scott Walker met with about 200 employees when he stopped by Michels Corporation in Brownsville June 20. Walker discussed efforts to create jobs in Wisconsin and trumpeted Michels Corporation as a local success story. Michels Corporation is the 24th largest contractor in the United States and has 6,500 employees throughout North America.
• Holly Brenner, vice president of Strategic Development & Business Development with Agnesian HealthCare, has been recognized as one of the top hospital marketers at the national conference, “Best Practices in Marketing Your Health Provider to Prospective Patients.”
Brenner, who has been with Agnesian HealthCare since 2011, was honored by DTC Perspectives as part of the inaugural group of top hospital marketers recognized for their efforts to drive innovation, spearhead great creative and work toward better branding for their hospital, health system or facility.
“Holly and her team have achieved many new and exciting initiatives to help promote Agnesian HealthCare’s brand, including a new dynamic look for marketing products, social media efforts, web site enhancements, different avenues of marketing messages, and much more,” said Steve Little, Agnesian HealthCare president and CEO.
• Engineered with innovative new features and state-of-the-art technology, the new Mercury MerCruiser 4.5L 250hp sterndrive was designed and is manufactured at Mercury Marine’s world headquarters in Fond du Lac.
“We are proud to introduce the next generation of sterndrive technology with this ground-breaking new engine,” said Mercury Marine President John Pfeifer. “This is a great power source that provides features, benefits and technology that make boating more enjoyable and worry-free. This engine was purpose-built for marine use and it delivers Mercury’s proven performance, durability and ease of service.”
• Mercury Marine announces the promotion of Chris Drees to vice president of global operations. Drees is currently the president of Attwood and vice president and general manager of Brunswick Marine P&A Products.
During his eight years at Attwood, Drees served as chief operating officer, then as president, until his most recent role. From 1998-2006, Drees held a variety of positions within Mercury, including roles in purchasing, sales and marketing, and general manager of propellers. Currently based in Grand Rapids, Mich., Drees and his family will relocate to the Fond du Lac area.
“I am excited for the opportunity to come back to Mercury Marine’s world headquarters in Fond du Lac,” Drees said. “I have had the good fortune of wearing many different hats for Brunswick Corporation, and have spent most of my career in the marine industry. We will continue to focus on safety, clean energy, world-class manufacturing and introducing the most innovative and sustainable marine technology in the world.”
• InStyle His & Her Fashionsrecently opened in the Kohl’s wing of Forest Mall. InStyle His & Her Fashions specializes in men’s big and tall, men’s suits and suit separates, men’s and women’s casual wear, formal gowns, shoes and accessories.
“We’re excited to welcome InStyle His & Her Fashions to our growing list of specialty retailers,” said Tracy Vassallo, mall manager at Forest Mall. “Our shoppers will be thrilled to have new options for attire and accessories.”
• Just Fare Market announces the selection of a co-managing duo. Laurie Woltman, a former assistant manager at Just Fare Market, and Kelly Braun will serve as co-managers. Both women have strong ties to social justice and are very knowledgeable about Fair Trade.
The two take over for Carol Smith and Ruth Holstein who are retiring as co-managers. In addition, Mary Southard is retiring as assistant manager.
Just Fare Market is a faith based non-profit organization improving lives through global partnerships and fair trade. Just Fare is located at N7645 Peebles Lane, Suite 2, in Peebles. More information is available at justfare.org
Submit business news to firstname.lastname@example.org; indicate “business news” in the subject line.


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Bidcorp’s results for the year to June 2021 released on Thursday showed a strong recovery from the havoc of the previous year when travel restrictions and the closure of restaurants worldwide impacted heavily on its operations and the ability to earn revenue.
Headline earnings per share (Heps) increased by some 22% to nearly R8.70 and free cash flow improved from R2.7 billion to R4.7 billion. However, the group is still far from the numbers it produced before the Covid-19 pandemic hit.
Bidcorp, supplying a large range of food to restaurants, airlines, hospitals, hotels and whoever renders catering services in 35 different countries, was hit hard by lockdowns and operating restrictions worldwide during 2020.
Heps dropped from R13.40 in the 2019 financial year to only R6.65 (as restated) in 2020.
Thus, while the recovery in earnings in 2021 is remarkable as operations in several countries continued to face restrictions from time to time, it is still below “normal”.
“Bidcorp has delivered a solid trading performance for the past financial year,” says Bidcorp CEO Bernard Berson.
“This is impressive, considering the devastating economic and social impacts of the continuing Covid-19 pandemic on the hospitality, tourism, and leisure industries globally.”
He adds: “The excellent free cash flow has been driven by good asset management and some asset realisations, while exceptionally nimble trading has underpinned the results that have still been affected by the pandemic.”
“Our primary focus has been on keeping our businesses agile, ensuring their sustainability and preparedness for the bounce back when lockdown restrictions are eased.”
Berson says operating conditions in hospitality markets have fluctuated depending on the extent and severity of government interventions to control the pandemic.
“Demand in the discretionary spend hospitality sectors has reflected pandemic-restrictive measures, recovering robustly when conditions have allowed. However, activity aligned to business travel and catering remain depressed.”
Bidcorp CFO David Cleasby elaborated on this in an interview with Moneyweb: “The food industry is a good industry to be in and the past year showed that the industry recovered quickly when circumstances improved and whenever restrictions on the restaurant and hospitality industry were eased.”
“We looked at what we do and had to take some tough decisions to match costs with the operating environment and the level of activity,” he adds.
Cleasby says some of these cost savings could well turn out to be permanent, but that better activity levels requires higher inputs.
When these improvements will manifest is uncertain.
“There is still a lot of volatility in the world. When normality will return depends on vaccination programmes around the world. We remain optimistic. In terms of earnings, we hope to return to the pre-Covid-19 levels this year, assuming the absence of large disruptions,” notes Cleasby.
It goes without saying that demand for Bidcorp’s catering supplies to hotels and travel-related entities reduced due to lower international travel and tourism. However, most businesses have seen some benefit from ‘staycations’, eat at home and increased suburban and rural activity.
Listen to Suren Naidoo’s interview with Tsogo Sun Hotels CEO Marcel von Aulock (or read the transcript):
Bidcorp benefitted from the trend of people ordering from restaurants to eat at home. “We still supply the restaurants,” says Cleasby.
Management also disclosed that non-discretionary demand from its institutional customers – such as hospitals, aged care, prisons, the military and government departments – remained stable during the last year, although it was below pre-Covid levels in certain instances.
A look at the income statement shows that significant improvements in cost of sales and other operating expenses were behind the boost in earnings and cash flow.
In addition, proceeds from the sale of assets gave rise to a profit of R242 million, compared to an impairment of nearly R925 million in the previous financial year.
Cleasby says the impairment in 2020 was as a result of the write-down of goodwill due to the effect of the pandemic.
Bidcorp management notes in their commentary to the results that the trading profit margin improved to 4.2% compared to 3.4% in the previous financial year and that basic earnings per share from continuing operations increased by more than 112% to nearly R9.25.
Bidcorp announced that it uncovered fraud in one of its Hong Kong businesses that has been going on for years.
“In June 2021, Bidcorp uncovered a significant and sophisticated fraud that was being perpetuated in the Miumi division of the Angliss Greater China business. This fraud has been going on since about 2016 and has involved the manipulation of accounts receivables and prepayments and the misappropriation of inventories, the result of which these balances have been progressively overstated over the past six years,” says Berson.
“Notwithstanding the ongoing forensic investigation, the group has taken the prudent view by impairing the full overstated amounts, although we remain confident of some future recoveries from insurance, the perpetrators and other third parties involved,” he says.
The impairment comes to R694 million and losses attributable to the 2021 financial year of some R121 million.
“The tax deductibility of these impairments is uncertain so no provision for any tax relief has been accounted for,” according management’s commentary.
Berson and Cleasby both say they remain optimistic that things will continue to improve.
“Most of our businesses have bounced back strongly as demand rapidly returned when economies opened up, particularly in the Northern Hemisphere,” says Berson.
“Despite the volatility and uncertainty of the trading environment arising from the ongoing Covid pandemic, we remain extremely optimistic about the long-term prospects of both Bidcorp and the foodservice industry,” he adds.
Cleasby says the new financial year started stronger, with the first quarter showing continued improvement. However, uncertainty remains.
“Despite our best efforts, the hospitality industry is not immune to challenges such as staff shortages and supply chain disruptions, currently evident across all our markets,” says Berson, with Cleasby citing the current shortage of heavy-duty truck drivers in the UK as an example.
It seems management’s optimism has rubbed off on Bidcorp’s shareholders.
The share closed nearly 2% up at R322.61 on results day.
This represents a huge recovery from the low of below R200 a year and half ago and not too far off from its all-time high of R352.


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SafeDigit raises $1.2M in pre-seed funding
Founded by two logistics tech leaders, the startup is after the $363.8 billion delivery services market.
Vancouver-based SafeDigit has raised USD $1.2 million in pre-seed funding for its logistics integration platform. The round was led by Ascend.vc, with participation from Acequia Capital and the Cascade Seed Fund.
Co-founded by CEO Marat Asadurian and Dale Williams, SafeDigit was created to enable logistics businesses (like delivery or courier services) to integrate with common platforms that their customers use on a daily basis, like Shopify, Wix, and WooCommerce.
For a monthly fee starting at $250, the SafeDigit platform will work to power transactions and orders with various apps and plugins. The goal is to facilitate any last-mile delivery service to create a seamless workflow with eCommerce merchants.
According to Julie Harrelson, managing director at Cascade Seed Fund, the startup’s early success can, in part, be attributed to the background of its founders. Williams was previously chief revenue officer at Routific, another local logistics tech startup, and Asadurian has worked for data giants such as Amazon and Trulioo and led integrations and data analytics engineering teams. “SafeDigit has a unique combination of market knowledge and differentiated technology to solve a significant logistics pain point,” Harrelson said. “We are excited to be working with Marat and Dale."
The company plans to use the funding to accelerate product and engineering, and grow its team, according to Asadurian. “Logistics is still going through its technological revolution, and the coming years will mean a lot of new software solutions and changes to how the global supply chain works. We’re just getting started and have big plans to empower our customers and connect the logistics ecosystem,” he added.
According to IBISWorld, a market research firm, there are more than 365,000 courier businesses in the U.S. alone. The world-wide delivery services market is worth $363.8 billion. Yet, the vast majority of independent package carriers are running via phone, old web portals, and email, explained Kirby Winfield, one of SafeDigit’s new investors at Ascend.vc. He’s betting on SafeDigit to solve this problem on a global scale.
“Marat and Dale are building the digital connective tissue between tens of thousands of couriers and the world's largest eCommerce platforms,” Winfield said.
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Brought to you by
The 2017 UK City of Culture has a burgeoning reputation as the epicentre of East Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire's digital tech community. According to Tech City UK's "Tech Nation 2017" report - the most comprehensive analysis of the UK digital tech ecosystem - Hull is helping to secure the UK's position as the digital capital of Europe.
The city and wider East Riding are together seen as a hotspot for digital activity, with start-ups taking root here in increasing numbers and established businesses enjoying unprecedented growth.
KCOM and the Hull Live are therefore proud to host for a fourth year The Digital Awards, which celebrate and highlight the creative strides being made in the development and use of digital technology.
The awards will bring together the movers and shakers of the digital community for another exciting event to recognise the inspirational companies that are at the cutting edge of digital business in the region.
With 11 categories covering everything from best mobile app to best digital marketing communication, KCOM and the Hull Live invite businesses, organisations and individuals from all sectors to enter, presenting a comprehensive showcase of the innovative spirit and indomitable pride that exist in Hull in East Yorkshire. The Digital Awards 2018 will be held at the soon to be opened Hull Venue, our area's newest and most prestigious venue. Hosting the evening of entertainment will be presenter and comedian Mark Dolan. We're pleased to welcome back to the stage, Digital Ambassador, David Keel as our keynote speaker.
Tickets for the event are available at £35 per person which includes a drinks reception, street food, entertainment and the opportunity to network following the awards ceremony. To purchase tickets or contact the events team on 01482 315300 or visit here.
6 June 2018
5 August 2018
10 August 2018
20 Sept 2018


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AirAsia Airlines seems to be surrounded by a set of social media scams.
The Airlines warning the public over a social media post that has been doing the rounds, offering free air tickets through an online survey said, this scam post directs people to a link; where participants are supposed to answer a few questions before redeeming the offer vouchers.
While another scam post that was circulating on Facebook offering 268 free air tickets in commemoration of AirAsia’s 28th anniversary.
The airlines made it very clear that it would not be held liable for any claims arising due to these false schemes. Also, it threatened of taking legal actions against any such organisations that use its brand name to create such illegal scams.


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Corrections or additions?
These stories were published in U.S. 1 Newspaper on November 4, 1998. All rights reserved.
From Car Detailing to Phones to Beepers
Mitch Brown's first venture, Princeton Kar Kare, required lots of elbow grease: it was a car detailing firm. From there he began to sell car phones, which led into the cell phone business, which grew into pagers. He added a partner -- in life as well as in business -- when he married Debbie Brown. They opened a 1,200 square-foot second store in East Windsor, and now they are expanding from 500 square feet at the first location on Princeton-Hightstown Road to 1,500 square feet at the Village Square Shopping Center on Clarksville Road.
The Browns offer cellular phone and paging sales and service and carry Motorola, AT&T cellular, DKI, Audiovox, Mitsubishi, and NEC products. They have the largest ComCast dealership in Mercer County. "ComCast asked us early in 1993 if we wanted to be a dealer, and we thought it would be something else added," says Mitch Brown. "We didn't know it would take over our company. Once we saw the cellular business was bringing in more than the detailing business, we opened the East Windsor store early in 1997. It was a real success and we realized that we needed more retail space in West Windsor also."
Mitch went to Mercer County Community College, and Debbie majored in advertising design at College of New Jersey. His father was a Manhattan-based food broker and hers was a Sun Oil engineer. They met at Hamilton Fitness Center, and at the time she was an art director at Merrill Lynch.
"The pager business is definitely growing," says Debbie Brown. "For cell phone users, it is cheaper to give out your pager number and use a pager to screen your calls. For some calls, you may want to wait until you get to a landline and call back."
Mitch Brown still owns part of Princeton Kar Kare, and Nate Barnes is keeping that business on Princeton Hightstown Road. The Browns will occupy their new store at 17 Clarksville Road at least by November 9.
Bohdan and Marie Porytko have been in the pager and cellular telephone business for 15 years; they opened a fourth location on Brunswick Pike earlier this year.
The very latest pager, says Jennifer Grear, manager, is Motorola's Pocket Talk. "It allows messages to be left in the caller's own voice," says Grear. It has guaranteed message delivery and keeps sending the message until reception is acknowledged. The pager/portable answering machine costs $49 and the service is $19.95 monthly. For now, it works in Lawrenceville but not in Hopewell and Princeton, but soon it will be ubiquitous in the Boston to Washington Market.
This page is published by PrincetonInfo.com -- the web site for U.S. 1 Newspaper in Princeton, New Jersey.


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TORONTO — Canadian foodservice operators are exercising cautious optimism, according to Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association’s (CRFA) inaugural Restaurant Outlook Survey.Some 30 per cent of restaurant owners believe the next six months will bring improved same-store sales, but 52.5 per cent expect to maintain the same-sales growth rate in the period and two in 10 expect sales to expand at a slower pace.
Leading negative factors found to be impacting restaurant sales include: rising food costs (78 per cent), rising labour cost (66 per cent), the weak economy (54.8 per cent), sales taxes (37.9 per cent), tourist decline (34.2 per cent) and bad weather (32.9 per cent).
The negative factors led to flat sales in the second quarter. In fact, only 34 per cent of operators reported higher same-store sales in the second quarter of 2011 compared to last year, an equal number said their sales were lower and the remaining 32 per cent reported unchanged same-store sales.
The results are based on 427 completed survey reports of the second quarter and represent 4,826 establishments across Canada.


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Chester’s Park & Ride service will be extended for more than two hours every Thursday evening to support the city’s Head Out Not Home campaign.
The service, which runs from designated car parks at Chester Zoo, Wrexham Road, Boughton Heath and Sealand Road, usually finishes at 7pm, but a new half hourly service will now run on all routes until 9.15pm every Thursday until September 1.
BID Manager at CH1ChesterBID Carl Critchlow said: “We’re really pleased that Cheshire West and Chester Council have chosen to support our Head Out Not Home campaign this summer. Their support and the extended Park & Ride timetable will allow us to offer visitors a range of parking options and make it easy for them to get into the city to experience everything it has to offer.
“We hope to encourage as many people as possible into Chester city centre on Thursday evenings throughout the summer to indulge in some late night shopping, have food with family and friends and enjoy the packed programme of music, movies, outdoor theatre taking place.”
The campaign aims to bridge the gap between the city’s daytime and evening economies. Every Thursday until September, more than 40 city centre retailers are keeping their doors open until 8pm for late night shopping, and a range of music and street entertainment will be taking place.
Full details of the events and participating stores can be found online at www.ExperienceChester.co.uk .
Cheshire West and Chester Council launched an improved cross-city Park & Ride service just last month in partnership with Stagecoach, including a greater choice of stops for customers. A fleet of 12 new buses also boast climate control; free 4G wi-fi and USB charging; premium quality seats and the latest enviro clean engine technology.
During the extended Thursday service buses on all routes will depart the city centre at 15 and 45 minutes past the hour between 7.15pm and 9.15pm.
For a full timetable and further information about the Park & Ride service visit http://www.cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk/residents/transport_and_roads/park_and_ride.aspx


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If you are shopping online instead of the neighborhood grocery store in the midst of hefty discounts, then there is some bad news for you.
If you are shopping online instead of the neighborhood grocery store in the wake of hefty discounts, then there is a little bad news for you. Because the era of huge discounts on e-commerce companies like Jio Mart, Blinkit, Flipkart is not going to last much.
fat discount (Discount Offer) If you go to the neighborhood grocery store instead of online shopping (Online Shopping) If so, then there is some bad news for you. Because e-commerce like Jio Mart, Blinkit, Flipkart (E Commerce) The era of huge discounts on companies is not going to last much. So the news is that the big FMCG brands (FMCG Brands) Has started pulling hands with e-commerce companies. So once again only the neighboring shop can be of use to you. Now let’s understand the issue completely. All India Consumer Products Distributors Federation (AICPDF) says that top FMCG brands have reduced the supply of their products to e-commerce companies.
The blame for this has first fallen on Jio Mart. Because the business method of Jio Mart was not right. Retail traders were getting hurt due to this. FMCG companies have had to take this step when the trade association united the retailers in Maharashtra.
Many companies reduced the supply to Jio Mart
Retailers were already against huge discounts from B2B companies like Udaan, Jio Mart, Best Price. Now Nestle, Marico, HUL, Dabur and many top FMCG brands have reduced the supply to Jio Mart. FMCG companies are giving preference to offline distributors as compared to e-commerce companies like Geomart, Udaan, Intax. Because offline distributors contribute 85 percent of the sales.
Now just let us know how Jio Mart first came under the target of FMCG companies. Actually, Jio Mart was giving a discount of at least 10-15 percent even from the fixed margin. Whereas, the fixed margin is around 5 per cent. Taking action on this complaint, FMCG company Marico completely stopped the billing of Jio Mart.
Apart from this, let us tell you that the arbitrariness of companies related to e-commerce business in the country is going to be curbed soon. In order to protect the interests of customers, the government has intensified the exercise of bringing a national e-commerce policy. Under the new policy, retailers will have to adopt fair business practices while giving discounts, cashback and rewards to their customers. E-commerce companies will not be able to discriminate against sellers. Actually, through the new rules, the intention of the government is to control the e-commerce sector of the country. Several steps have been taken in this direction.
(Story: Gagan Rao Patil)
: Language Inputs


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Over the past couple of years, Sony has been moving away from the ailing consumer electronics industry and focusing on its strong components business. The company has found particular success in image sensors, where it now owns a reported 40 percent of the market and powers the cameras in devices like the iPhone 6 and Galaxy S6.
It’s not quite the consumer-focused innovation that made millions fall in love with Sony throughout the ‘80s and ’90s. But, in an extensive Wall Street Journal story published late last night, CEO Kaz Hirai made the case that this pivot is just as compelling as the company’s glory days.
“Whether it’s a device that goes into other manufacturers’ products or sometimes our own, if there’s innovation there... that’s something I get excited about,” he says. The WSJ goes onto state that Sony has “stopped trying to replicate its glorious past as a creator of era-defining consumer-electronics gadgets” in favor of pursuing image sensors as a major concern alongside video games and entertainment.
It’s not just Sony: Japanese companies like NEC, Toshiba, and Panasonic are increasing their focus on enterprise rather than consumers. And it’s not just Japan, either: European brands like Nokia, Siemens, and Philips have all wound down consumer operations to varying extents. If you’re not based in South Korea or Silicon Valley, it’s hard to make an impact with your own devices these days.
Sony’s success with image sensors is a victory for innovation, but on a much smaller scale than the PlayStation or Walkman. Yes, the company has a technical edge on its competitors at the moment. But components are commodities, and supplying others puts Sony in a far more vulnerable position than when it won customers with its own designs and brand. While Sony now provides the muscle behind the most popular camera in the world, there’d be little stopping Apple from switching parts for price or performance reasons.
Sony is set to report its year-end earnings tomorrow; expectations are that it’ll turn a moderate operating profit but record a net loss due to smartphone business write-downs. The real thing to look out for is whether the company gives any hints as to how it plans to handle its wildly disparate divisions. Sony offloaded VAIO last year —could Bravia or Xperia be next?
Five stories to start your day
"Some flights are experiencing an issue with a software application on pilot iPads," American Airlines spokesperson Andrea Huguely later told The Verge. "In some cases, the flight has had to return to the gate to access a Wi-Fi connection to fix the issue.
The first three months of 2015 have marked a return to prior form as Apple's total came down to 61 million while Samsung's, according to Strategy Analytics estimates, has risen beyond the 80 million mark again. But it's not all great news for the Korean company
As a president, you are necessarily a quantified being, measured and judged by a large array of numbers. Approval / disapproval ratings. Unemployment rate. Median household income. Inflation rate. The numbers of views on a clip from the White House Correspondents Dinner. The worldwide gross for Furious 7. Here are a few more ways to judge the president: heart rate, steps taken, sleep.
A US Coast Guard aircrew photographed the wreckage of several ships last week during a routine patrol along the northern shoreline. One of the pilots, Lt. Cmdr. Charlie Wilson, told NPR that it’s "fairly common" to spot an old wreck on patrols "but not in the numbers we saw on that flight."
Reaching into your pack, you pull out your selfie arm and stretch a smile across your disappointment. *click* You’ve arrived at your destination, and it’s a million miles from where you ought to be.


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The concept was years in the making, and now boxcarorange are finally ready to launch their line of accessories that truly represents the `street’ in street wear.
Taking inspiration from Melbourne’s laneway culture – the art, the colour, the raw industrial look and the attitude of this culture – boxcarorange seek out products that are unique to this aesthetic. They are working with designers who compliment the laneway theme such as Hob with raw leather and paint; 22 Design Studio with concrete and their own designs with recycled leather.
“All of our designers have slightly different approaches,” says boxcarorange director, Alex Miller. “For Hob it’s simple – he just looks to to create what no one else does. His designs are handmade so he can work with a new shape or colour until he feels it’s ready. He also looks to his customers for feedback on new designs regularly.”
22 Designs takes inspiration from Japanese Architect Tadao Ando. Alex says they are experts at marrying the familiar with the unfamiliar with the use of concrete in jewellery.
“Once a concept has been decided upon they rely on feedback from friends who are invited to experience the jewellery,” he says. “They aim to produce an end product that maintains the emotional quality of the original design.”
Overall, boxcarorange aim to bring something new to the street scene and show how a raw approach with less conventional materials and processes can deliver the `real’ street look.
Alex took five with Streetlab Blog;
Can you tell us the story behind the name?
A business name is nothing until you give it a personality, so in a play on words we landed on ‘boxcarorange’ named after our beloved retro ’74 Kombi, which is a metallic orange and, you guessed it really is just a box on wheels.
Your designers have already seen astounding success overseas, how do you think your product will be received in Australia?
Hob already has the beginnings of a cult following from Australian tourists visiting Bangkok and he is now thrilled to be working with us in Australia to gain a larger exposure for his products. The team from 22 Designs have also had a lot of success overseas and we hope to get their incredibly unique concrete look out into the Australian market on a larger scale. We are also really excited to be bringing a recycled leather range to the Australian market as there is definitely a growing interest in the eco-fashion scene.
You are about to showcase the brand at Streetlab in August, why did you choose this event and what do you hope to gain?
Being a relatively new label we really hope to gain more exposure with retailers as we feel we have a unique range that fits the Streetlab brief perfectly.
What’s in store for the future – where do you see the brand heading?
Our aim is to stay true to our original intentions, to be a unique and truly street accessory label, and remain as exciting and ever-changing as the Melbourne laneway’s themselves. Hopefully there will be a few people who want to come along for the ride!


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FCM Travel Solutions has made a minority investment in Shep, a browser extension technology that assists companies with better management of travel purchased outside of corporate travel policies.
By monitoring activity on more than 70 consumer travel sites, Shep’s technology will help companies improve savings, compliance and safety. In addition to tracking, Shep’s advanced browser extension approach can also enforce policy at point of sale and link to client analytics and duty of care programmes.
FCM plans to incorporate Shep’s technology into the next generation of its platform offering, joining similar investments and acquisitions made by companies such as Sam :], FCM’s 24-hour personal travel assistant on mobile; and 30SecondsToFly with its AI-powered chat booking platform.
John Morhous, CEO of FCM, said in a statement: “We’re excited to leverage some of this technology into our platforms, as we feel the browser extension is a simple and elegant solution to a problem many of our customers face, which is gaining visibility overspend on travel that happens outside of the managed programmes they provide.”
According to PhocusWire, Shep was founded in 2016, and counts Capital Factory, Moonshots Capital, Plug and Play and former Travelocity Business president Ellen Keszler among its investors.


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Click here to read the complete illustrated article as originally published or scroll down to read the text article.
Plena Alimentos is consolidating itself in the slaughterhouse and processing meat industry as one of the largest in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. The company makes steady investments in imported production machinery, staff and logistics and is one of the most prominent in the sector.
Producing two lines of beef products and derivatives for food services and retail, Plena focuses on the small to midsized markets and professionalizing operations to meet their growing demands.
As the industry looks to increase technology in beef production and processing, Plena’s aim is to remain at the forefront, adding value to their products and constantly increasing know-how. “What creates a difference is quality and team strategy,” affirms Managing Director Cássio Silva.
Plena has supplied high-standard meat products for the entire country and abroad for more than 20 years. The company was founded by three partners – three butchers – who began with the simple intention of selling good meat in the state capital of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte. It was an intention that led to commitment to quality and to the industry. The partners quickly realized the advantages of expanding beyond retail and purchased their own slaughterhouse in nearby Pará de Minas.
“In the beginning, Plena worked with beef and pork,” Silva explains. Based in Belo Horizonte, the company expanded business to include processing and distribution, supplying local stores and gaining experience.
The simple strategy was effective. As time passed, knowhow grew and Plena stepped out of the state towards the north of the country, acquiring a plant in Paraíso (Tocantins state). Moving north was the logical step, due to the abundance of high quality cattle in the region.
In 2013, Plena made its most recent acquisition – a complete processing facility in Porongatu, Goiás state.
“Our expansion was always driven by the desire to achieve a unique structure and outlook towards the industry. Plena created the company concept ‘one of a kind’ and focused investment on research and infrastructure projects that serve its customers in a distinct manner,” Silva says.
Today, Plena’s headquarters is located in industrial capital, São Paulo, but the company has facilities in Minas Gerais, Tocantins e Goiás, including three bovine slaughterhouses, a processing center for beef products, storage facility and distribution center. “For the last five years, we have been investing in reinforcing our presence outside Minas Gerais,” Silva adds.
To achieve the best results at every stage of the production process, Plena has renovated its industrial parks with the newest technologies and a modern logistics system with a large fleet of vehicles for more efficient transport. “The industry is going through a phase of modernization and professionalization – either you step up or you lose out,” Silva comments.
Consolidating markets outside Minas Gerais and an eye for competition have also led to exportation. Plena currently exports around 15 percent of production to Africa, Hong Kong, and the Middle East. Silva explains: “Overseas markets are an important part of our business. To maintain our position in the industry, recognition of our quality outside Brazil shows our competence and adds value to our products.” Some cuts and meat products are made exclusively for export.
It is clear that constant reinvention is the key to Plena’s growth and success. “We invest heavily in remodeling our infrastructure and our products, and pride ourselves on having some of the best professionals in the area,” Silva says. The company has brought qualified staff from across the country and abroad to continue adding value to service and products. Currently employing 1,300 staff, Plena has its own sales team specializing both in food services and retail.
The company markets two product lines: Bonne for food services and Chef for retail. Silva explains that “Bonne is a brand that is well known among restaurants (Brazilian barbecue chains), steakhouses, industrial kitchens, hotels, and schools.” The Chef range, targets the end consumer through large supermarket chains and butchers. “We operate in huge markets, but unlike the majority of our competitors, we focus on the small to mid-size customers,” he adds.
In its large portfolio of food products, Plena includes beef cuts and industrialized products, such as hamburgers and meatballs of its own production plus lines of importer fish, vegetables and meat. “We want to offer a full and professional service to our clients, which has led to distribution agreements with other products that are not made by us,” Silva justifies. The company imports some added-value products from Belgium, China and Vietnam.
The Secret of Sustained Growth
In the abattoirs (unlike the pork and chicken industries) beef production allows little space for technological innovation. Silva points out “the size of the animals involves more labor and slaughter takes on a different scale.” Plena has imported some automated equipment, which has allowed greater speed and efficiency but essentially achieves differentials through other means.
“The quality of raw material – the animals themselves – makes the difference,” Silva says. Plena invests in genetic research and animals of the highest standard.
The company’s recently opened processing center is the focus of technological investment. Here, machines imported from the Netherlands enable the facility to produce 600 tons of hamburgers and meatballs a month equating to 50 percent of its capacity. Hamburgers, meatballs and other reconstituted beef products (made of pieces of meat) can be made efficiently and packaged for delivery. “In the next six months we will hit 100 percent of our production capacity,” Silva affirms.
Plena has also invested in its fleet of 50 refrigerated trucks designed to transport frozen products. “Success is not only a question of quality but also a complete chain of service, including safe and timely delivery,” Silva assures.
Quality is treated with the utmost rigor and seriousness. Plena develops its activities by following high standards of process control and microbiological analyses. All products are prepared within GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices) standards and are controlled by the HACCP system (Hazard Analysis and Critical Points), meeting stringent national and international standards.
In the last five years, Plena has averaged 20 percent growth; reporting 28 percent growth in 2013. Silva predicts figures in the region of 32 percent ($400 million annual revenue) in 2014, thanks to increased production, growing markets and “sheer hard work!”
Plena has created its own expertise in the market. A modern structure, state-of-the-art equipment, and technical team in constant training, always place the company one step ahead. Professionalism, research and technology make Plena one of the only beef producers among 1,500 in Brazil to have professionalized the industry and strategically managed growth.
“Our competitors are waking up now,” Silva concludes, “but we have been actively improving and investing for years.”


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Ok, well it did, just not as many as they wanted you to believe. Maybe they wanted to strike fear into the hearts if iPhone users, or maybe their PR department just didn’t get the memo, but Sprint apparently overstated just how successful the EVO was on launch day.
On Tuesday, Sprint said that the number of EVO 4G’s sold was in line with the number of Samsung Instinct and Palm Pre devices sold over their first three days on the market combined.
“We originally reported that the total number of HTC EVO 4G devices sold on launch day was three times the number of Samsung Instinct and Palm Pre devices sold over their first three days on the market combined.We inadvertently erred in the comparison,”
Sprint said in a statement on Tuesday. Analyst Walter Piecyk reduced his EVO sales estimates from ~275,000 down to 150,000 after the announcement.


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There’s been a lot of talk over the meaning of the recently announced closing of the doors at Funky Ladles and the downtown hotdog shop. To be honest, we’ve talked a lot about it too.
Don’t forget we started down this revitalization path in order to re-energize the downtown and help businesses succeed, not fail, so whenever we lose one we ask ourselves was there something more we could have done?
The loss of a local shop is like losing a member of our family and we want to understand what went wrong so that we can look out for the others. There’s no guarantees in any business but the small mom and pop shops have a particularly big hill to climb.
These are brutal business markets with a lot of heavy hitters that use their economies of scale, supersized-marketing budgets and market share-dominance to hold the little guy down. So when you design your economic strategy around the underdog shops like we have, we all have to learn to have thick skin and recognize that a high turnover rate is the price we pay for that strategy.
Recognizing that reality doesn’t mean we accept it as a fait accompli — au contraire, we don’t want anyone to go down without a fight. We’re in their corner cheering them on and dusting them off between rounds but at the end of the day it all comes down to how many customers support these local businesses.
Money talks and the customer’s dollar speaks the loudest. Shopping, eating and buying local is more than a political soundbite, it’s how our favorite mom and pop stores stay open. Our only counter punch to the big box stores are those customers that make the choice to spend their money supporting the small local businesses because they believe in small business, they buy their neighbors dreams and they put their money where there mouth is.
For years Kent residents had asked the City to help bring more business activity into Kent. Survey after survey rated more retail, restaurants and shops as a top priority and now that we’ve helped deliver the goos — all of us need to go out and buy them.
Industry statistics are painful to read if you’re fan of local shops — some 60% start with big dreams but end in failure after 5 years.
With so much of the deck loaded against the little guy we brought some trump cards of our own in the design of the downtown project. We included a lot of convenient parking (480 new spaces once PARTA opens the deck), we included a 100 room signature hotel that promises to bring great foot traffic downtown all year long, we reconnected the downtown with the 27,000 students and 3,000 employees on campus with credit cards in their pockets that are only about 1/4 mile up the esplanade, we partnered to restore an old eyesore hotel to renew our skyline, we are building lots of outdoor public space that is engaging (public art) and comfortable (lots of natural and man-made benches and seating areas), we found a great mix of unique restaurants that sets Kent apart from our peer cities, and if all that fails we included a new apartment building that would be home to some 60 new downtown residents that would be a captive market for all the downtown retail and restaurants to take advantage of.
I hate that we lost some good friends with the recent business closings but we’ve only been able to play a couple of our trump cars so far and I feel confident that when we lay down all of our cards we will have a thriving downtown business environment.
Until we get to lay down all of our cards, the wild card that trumps everything are the customers that can personally keep these great businesses afloat until the final deal is dealt.


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A private rental scheme for private owners’ EV charge points is to be launched later this month, named Chargie.
The service, which is comparable to private accommodation rental app Airbnb, allows owners of home EV charge points to rent out the chargers to EV owners, who book the charger in advance. Users are already being registered, but the service is officially launched on 16 May.
The service currently operates from a website, but its founders are currently working on an app for launch within 3-4 months which is expected to further bolster registrations.
Rental prices are decided by the charge point owner, but the company adds its 10% service fee on top of this for registered EV charge point owners, or 20% for those who use the service to charge only. Chargie says that the cost to the homeowner is between £2 and £4 per charge.
Chargie claims to be the first private EV charger rental service in the UK, and could more than double the UK’s EV charger network, depending on the number of home EV charger owners who sign up.
The company hopes to help grow the uptake of EVs by increasing the charger network in this way; there are currently around 12,500 public charge points available in the UK, and the company hopes to grow this number to create a network of publicly available EV chargers considerably more than this, with a pool of around 100,000 plug-in cars on UK roads.
Chargie was set up by EV-owning husband and wife Jan Stannard and Jeremy Coulter; the idea was born after the couple found no local charging point near a holiday destination in the UK.


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Businessworld,24 September 2011
Even as participants at the Indian Retail Forum in Mumbai, the industry’s annual jamboree, are being cautiously optimistic about the implications of expanded foreign direct investment (FDI) in retail, preliminary data from the first quarter of 2011-12 (FY12) reinforce the perception of a slowdown.
Compared to the fourth quarter of FY11, growth has been slower in the first quarter of FY12. Shoppers Stop had negative EBITDA (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation) growth of 26.3 per cent, while Trent declined 69 per cent; Pantaloon grew by just 6.5 per cent.
“Marking down of products will continue this year and retailers have to plan their purchases to get stable revenues,” says Devangshu Dutta, CEO of Third Eyesight.
Analysts say industry revenues will not grow as much as they did last year, though indicators for the second quarter seem to look better, thanks to summer and end-of-season discount sales. “We have had a good quarter so far,” says Govind Shrikhande, CEO of Shoppers Stop (SSL) in Mumbai.
But here’s the thing: slow growth has not meant no expansion. Store openings continue at a reasonable clip even if merchandise sales don’t. SSL has plans to open eight more stores by 2011 end; Reliance Trends will open five more stores in Bangalore alone this year, and Reliance Footprint is going to add 47 stores by next year. “We are growing by 100 per cent compared to last year,” says Sankar Gopalakrishnan, CEO, Reliance Footprint.
And let’s not forget Kishore Biyani’s Pantaloon Retail, which has over 15 million sq ft of space will add 9 million sq.ft over a couple of years. Its stores will number close to 1,500, up from the current 1,000 stores. Lifestyle will add four more this year to its current 34.
Knight Frank Research forecasts retail space in Delhi to grow 10 times from the existing 1.2 million sq. ft to 11.25 million sq. ft by 2012. Which is probably why the folks at the forum seemed happy to welcome the idea of allowing more FDI in retail.
The entrepreneurial-minded continue to take the risks of entry too. Abhishek Tibrewal, a first-time retail entrepreneur, and founder and chief marketing officer of Crusoe, just opened his first men’s inner wear store in Coimbatore’s Brookfield Mall and is happy enough to think of expanding to 100 stores in a couple of years; he has set aside Rs 15 crore for this. He has spent Rs 40 lakh for his flagship store and is already making Rs 3 lakh a month, which will allow him to break even in a couple of years. “It was nice to see women come in and shop for sons and husbands,” he says. “People are accepting branded stores.”
But will private labels in apparel be quite the success hoped for? A few, maybe. Sources say that Lifestyle’s Max store in Select Citywalk Delhi has revenues of Rs 1 crore (Max is the private label apparel store of Lifestyle).
In most others, there have been markdowns. “When you see a markdown in private labels then the brands are loss making,” says a retail analyst. Apparel retailers have been discounting and will rely on October’s discount sales for a rebound. Perhaps Diwali will light things up.
(This story was published in Businessworld Issue Dated 3 October, 2011)


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For many of us, screens are an inevitable part of our day. Whether it’s working on a computer in the office, watching a movie on the TV at night, or checking social media on a smartphone, we’re constantly exposed to screens. Many of these screens and other light sources use light-emitting diodes, or LEDs, which produce significant amounts of blue light.
The negative effects of blue light
Studies have shown that exposure to light with a short wavelength, especially blue light, can disrupt your circadian rhythm, the human body’s internal clock that takes the form of a 24-hour cycle and governs certain physiological processes such as sleep and eating. This particular type of light can prevent the release of melatonin, making it more difficult to fall asleep or reach the deep sleep stage of sleep.
Researchers also believe there may be a link between exposure to bright artificial light and weight gain, insulin resistance, obesity and other metabolic disorders. However, organic light-emitting diodes, or OLEDs, produce less blue light than LEDs. Is it possible that the negative effects of screen exposure are reduced with this display technology?
What the studies reveal
In a study published in the journal Scientific Reports in June 2021, researchers from the University of Tsukuba in Japan compared the effects of LEDs, commonly used for their energy-saving properties, and OLEDs on the physical processes that occur during sleep.
Polychromatic white LEDs emit a large amount of blue light, which has been linked with many negative health effects, including metabolic health. In contrast, the polychromatic white light emitted by OLEDs contains much less blue light. “Energy metabolism is an important physiological process that is altered by light exposure,” explained senior author of the study Professor Kumpei Tokuyama. “We hypothesized that compared with LEDs, OLED exposure would have a reduced effect on sleep architecture and energy metabolism, similar to that of dim light.”
To test this hypothesis, the Japanese researchers exposed ten participants to LED, OLED, or dim light for four hours before they slept in a metabolic chamber. The researchers then measured energy expenditure, body temperature, fat oxidation, and melatonin levels during their sleep.
“The results confirmed part of our hypothesis,” explained Professor Tokuyama. “Although no effect on sleep architecture was observed, energy expenditure and core body temperature during sleep were significantly decreased after OLED exposure. Furthermore, fat oxidation during sleep was significantly lower after exposure to LED compared with OLED.”
“Thus, light exposure at night is related to fat oxidation and body temperature during sleep. Our findings suggest that specific types of light exposure may influence weight gain, along with other physiological changes,” says Professor Tokuyama. We can therefore assume that OLED displays, and therefore OLED TVs, have less disruptive effects on sleep quality.
Should you choose OLED technology for better sleep?
In more concrete terms, this study shows that having screens in your home that emit less blue light can improve your well-being and that, as a result, OLED TVs can help reduce the negative effects on your sleep quality and metabolism if you enjoy late-night home theater sessions or can’t stop binge watching episodes of your favorite Netflix series until late at night.
In addition to the potential health benefits of OLED displays, blue light emission as well as the impact on sleep and eye health are features that companies now take into consideration. In 2020, Underwriters Laboratories classified Samsung 4K and 8K TVs as being “no photobiological LED hazard”, while Verband Deutscher Elektrotechniker granted them an eye safety certification. The Chinese brand TCL has also met the requirements of the EyeSafe Display standard, which seeks to reduce the negative impacts of blue light on vision.
If you’re planning to change your TV, a screen with lower blue light emission is recommended. To learn more about OLED and QLED technologies, read our article OLED TVs and QLED TVs: which should you choose?


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Calgarians may have noticed a disparity at the gas pump recently.
Some people have reported seeing a wide range of prices depending on the retailer and time of day they go to fill up, with callers reporting seeing higher prices in the evening, before dropping back in the morning.
Gas Buddy’s Dan McTeague said this is not a plan to rip off customers.
“What it really means is that some are simply trying to recoup any losses that they incurred during the day in hopes of keeping their proverbial businesses above the waterline,” explained McTeague.
“Gasoline is a tough business to be in and it’s under that kind of strain that you’re going to continue to see these wild fluctuations always on the last 12 cents a litre which represents what it takes to turn on your pumps and be an effective gasoline bar anywhere in Canada.”
He suggests filling up over the weekend because prices may increase by 2 cents a litre come Monday.


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Nedbank’s shopping app Avo has raked in 45 000 less than three months after going live.
The Avo app gives the bank’s customers access to online shopping, essential services and financial products on a single platform.
The Avo beta phase was released to Nedbank clients via the Money app on 15 May 2020 and released to the broader public, including non-Nedbank clients, via Apple and Google Play stores on the 19 June 2020.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic creating challenges for many clients to access essential services such as healthcare and home repair services, Nedbank launched its market-leading digital innovation Avo, which is a one-stop super app enabling clients to buy essential products and services online and have them delivered to their home.
Since its launch, Nedbank informed investors on Wednesday that Avo has achieved 100% month-on-month growth.
“It currently has more than 45 000 customers, with over 750 businesses registered and seamlessly offering their products and services on this e-commerce platform,” the banking group said.


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Monday Morning News
Apple’s March 27th education event this week reportedly won’t be live-streamed, but the rumour blogs seem to have a pretty good idea of what we’ll see at the event anyway. The first Apple event for the year and Apple’s first education-focused event since 2012 is expected to bring a cheaper iPad and the possibility of a cheaper MacBook Air, although the only real educational news might be the release of iOS 11.3 with ClassKit and an updated Classroom app for teachers to lead students through lessons. We’ll see how it all shakes out on Wednesday.
A cheaper iPad is always good, but it seems unlikely Apple’s going to just drop the price on a device that’s already relatively cheap. Rumours claim this cheaper iPad will feature better performance, with the possibility of supporting either the current Apple Pencil or an updated model, for compatibility with both the regular iPad and the iPad Pro. The cheaper MacBook Air is said to have an outside chance of being released, seeing as — let’s not forget — this is an education-focused event, with limited time for new hardware announcements.
Apple CEO Tim Cook recently opened the China Development Forum with comments about the brewing trade war between China and the US. Cook acknowledges that both countries haven’t necessarily benefitted equally from history, but he hopes that cooler heads will prevail this time around, with the leaders of both countries hopefully being able to act rationally moving forward.
Tim Cook also called for well-crafted regulations surrounding data privacy, in light of recent news regarding the misuse of Facebook user information. Cook wants regulation to prevent the misuse of user information, including ways to prevent user information being collated and used in ways without their knowledge, which is pretty much what social networks exist to do.
Apple has proposed new accessibility emojis to the Unicode Consortium. Guide dogs, hearing aids, prosthetic limbs, wheelchairs, and other accessibility-related emojis are all part of Apple’s submission to better represent individuals with disabilities, with the initial list not intended to be an exhaustive list of all possible depictions of disabilities, but merely a starting point.
Another study from the developers of the Cardiogram app and researchers at the University of California has shown that the Apple Watch can detect abnormal heart rhythms with incredible accuracy. A 97% accuracy rate beats out the KardiaBand, an FDA-approved Apple Watch accessory that also monitors heart rate. The developers note that the Apple Watch isn’t a replacement for a traditional EKG to detect abnormal heart rhythm issues, but can assist in their diagnosis much earlier.
Analysts claim we’ll see an iPhone with a foldable display in 2020. While the analyst from the Bank of America seems to think Apple is working on a foldable phone, it’s one thing to have a permanently folded-display like in the iPhone X, and another thing entirely to have a display that can be folded and unfolded at will.
MacRumours tells us how to enable better Bluetooth audio codecs for your Bluetooth headphones. Even though your Bluetooth cans might support a more advanced audio codec like AAC or aptX, some fall back to the standard Bluetooth audio codec SBC for audio playback when connected to your Mac. Luckily, there’s an easy way to get your devices talking to each other with better fidelity.
Hilariously, the Church of England now accepts contactless donations, including Apple Pay. I’m surprised it’s taken this long.
Also somewhat humorously is the fact Apple has fixed their ad that showed off a visual bug in iOS, before they fixed the bug itself. To be fair, the ad was probably the easier fixed of the two, with Apple seemingly playing whack-a-mole with public, sometimes serious, bugs for the last few months.


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Second CB2 separate from Crate
August 30, 2004,
CB2, the fledgling business catering to a younger, hipper customer than its parent — Crate & Barrel — opened its second unit here earlier this month.
As a result, there are two dedicated buyers working on the CB2 product mix, she said. But they are divorced from the influence of the Crate organization which provides information on design direction.
"We learned from the first store that in no way should we imitate the look of Crate," she related.
"The CB2 customers don't want basic products; they want the new and different in product with a pleasant environment."
To this end, the new CB2 is bright, white and colorful — a far different environment than the first which was more woody.
While furniture is the biggest piece of the merchandise mix, said Barbara Turf, president of Crate, "We have an awfully huge home textiles offering" — more than in the original store. Much of the furniture mix is "pick-up items" as it is throughout the store. After home textiles, bath shop is next and tabletop is fourth, she said.
Both bedding and bath merchandise is designed domestically and sourced offshore, Turf stated.
The biggest design influence, she pointed out, "is that the '70s are coming back so strong — but not too severe."
The new store moves into a neighborhood inhabited by a full-scale Crate & Barrel, a Crate outlet and a Land of Nod unit — a kids retailer 50 percent owned by the company. The site is on heavily trafficked Clybourne Avenue with all four units in a few block line.
The store opened quietly, with little fanfare, atypical of Crate openings in locations across the country. Marketing efforts, Turf said, will be outdoor advertising, local papers and local festivals. CB2 also has its Web site, cb2.com, that is up and running and taking orders, she added. The site uses icons — live, eat, work, sleep, splash, party, me and look — to guide users to the product areas of interest.
While the first CB2 opened in 2000 — and in 2002 Crate's CEO Gordon Segal announced plans to open three additional units that year — expansion plans were tempered by the need to tweak the format and get it right, Turf said. The company plans to open more of this format, but the right real estate now is the critical issue.
Looking ahead, Turf said, "Now we think we got it right and we're talking about two stores in the next 18 months, one on the East Coast, the other on the West Coast."
Among the major changes is the size of the second unit — 9,000 square feet, compared with the first unit at 6,000.
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During the past trading week (September 30 to October 4), a technology payment company announced it would begin making its popular services available to the US cannabidiol (CBD) market.
Also making headlines was the latest acquisition from a Canadian cannabis giant, as well as the way the Canadian marijuana industry is impacting the overall gross domestic product (GDP) of the country.
Here’s a closer look at some of the biggest cannabis news over the last week.
Novelty payment platform adopts cannabis stance
Last Thursday (October 4), Square began accepting cannabis business in the US by way of payment services, payment tracking and inventory management.
A report from Bloomberg indicated the technology company is only making these services available to operations selling CBD products.
“We saw this as an opportunity to make our tools available to (CBD) sellers,” Square said.
Canopy makes sports brand acquisition
The Canadian marijuana firm did not disclose the specifics of the transaction but did indicate it represented an all cash deal. After it’s completed, Canopy Growth will own 72 percent of the sports company. BioSteel holds endorsement deals with Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott, Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers, Canadian pro golfer Eugenie Bouchard and National Hockey League (NHL) hall-of-famer Wayne Gretzky.
“We view the adoption of CBD in future BioSteel offerings as a potentially significant and disruptive growth driver for our business,” Canopy Growth CEO Mark Zekulin said.
In related Canopy Growth news, its biggest shareholder, alcohol maker Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ), issued its latest earnings report and shifted its sentiment on the cannabis investment. The firm expressed excitement for the upcoming launch of edible and infused products in Canada.
“Overall, we’re pleased with the progress of the Canopy team and what they have done in the last few months,” Bill Newlands, CEO of Constellation Brands, told analysts and investors during a quarterly call, according to a report from Canadian Press.
However, the results from Constellation Brands took a hit due to Canopy Growth’s recent performance. The beer maker recognized a US$839 million loss in fair value of its investment of the Canadian firm.
On Monday (September 30), the Bank of New York Mellon (BNY Mellon) confirmed it would soon stop accepting positions or trading activities from investors regarding marijuana stocks operating in the US.
“BNY Mellon continues to monitor trends in CRB (cannabis-related business) transactions and may impose additional restrictions or require additional information in the future,” the bank said in its note.
According to new data from Statistics Canada, the marijuana industry has added a significant C$8.26 billion to the country’s GDP for July.
Fire & Flower Holdings (TSX:FAF) credited its retail expansion across Western Canada for its uptick in revenue for its latest earnings report. The Canadian cannabis retailer recently obtained an investment deal from Alimentation Couche-Tard (TSX:ATD.A) for the development of its global expansion plans.
This past trading week, Canopy Rivers (TSX:RIV,OTC Pink:CNPOF), the venture capital investment arm of Canopy Growth, told Canadian Press it is planning an investment for biosynthetic development of cannabis.
This synthetic production of cannabis derivatives is being developed by a variety of players in the market looking to refine the production of standardized cannabinoids.
Don’t forget to follow us @INN_Cannabis for real-time news updates!
Securities Disclosure: I, Bryan Mc Govern, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.


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iFixit, Google to Debut Genuine Pixel Parts Program Later This Year
The repair and teardown experts over at iFixit have today announced a new collaboration with Google to sell genuine parts for Pixel phones, starting later this year.
The initiative is aimed at making it easier for independent repair professionals and skilled consumers to access the genuine Google parts they need to repair Pixel smartphones.
Pixel spare parts will be available for purchase via iFixit’s website for Pixel 2 through Pixel 6 Pro, as well as future Pixel models, in the U.S., UK, Canada, Australia, and EU countries where Pixel is available.
The full range of spare parts for common Pixel phone repairs, such as batteries, replacement displays, cameras, and more, will be available either individually or in iFixit Fix Kits.
“If we’re going to build a sustainable electronics industry, consumers must have options to repair products themselves. Google is making repair more affordable and accessible, even in places without repair shops. We are committed to enabling repairs at a place and time of your choosing,” says iFixit CEO Kyle Wiens.
With this program, Google joins a growing list of manufacturers leading the industry by supporting repair.


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For CBD food craze, regulations and restrictions are all over the map – Despite limited research on the compound’s health benefits, hemp CBD has become a nationwide health-food craze. Stressed-out people flock to cafes and restaurants that sell CBD cocktails and cookies,
AUSTIN — CBD oil for pets, that’s the specialty product sisters Shayda and.
RELATED: 11 marijuana-related bills, resolutions filed in the Texas Capitol this session She also said their CBD oil is.
4 things to know before buying CBD oil for your dog – There are many reasons why you need get CBD oil for dogs. CBD oil has been researched vastly and is.
and the thrilling overtime win over Texas Tech to win the 2019 national title, the first in.
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — The CBD oil trend has.
Hemp Lab has a variety of products containing CBD oil that include coffee, bath bombs, chocolate bars and even items for your pets. Marijuana lovers.


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The mayor of London Boris Johnson has called for a return of scrappage schemes to lower pollution levels in the capital, suggesting owners of diesel cars be paid up to £1,000 to take them off the road.
Pollution levels in London are at all time high, and ahead of his appearance before the House of Commons’ Environmental Audit Committee, which is conducting an inquiry into air quality, Johnson has submitted evidence backing his ideas.
“A national scrappage scheme for diesel and other polluting vehicles is now needed as a priority in order to compensate people who have bought polluting diesel vehicles in good faith, as well as to drive forward air quality improvements,” the submission reads.
The ideas is based on the 2009 scrappage scheme which offered drivers £1,000 towards a new car if they scrapped their older, more polluting vehicle for a newer, more environmentally friendly one.
Johnson has already unveiled plans to charge diesel drivers an environmental penalty of £10 on top of London’s congestion charge in order to lower London’s exceptionally high emission levels.
A recent study conducted by Kings College London has also unveiled that Oxford Street, one of the capitals most popular shopping destinations, has the world’s highest levels of diesel fumes – something Johnson refuted.
London is under pressure from the European Union over air pollution exceeding EU standards, alongside other UK cities. Councils are consequently facing fines, unless effective measures are introduced to control rising emission levels.
Photo source: Garry Knight via Flickr