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“Media houses have relied on advertising and physical copy sales for years. However, with social media and digital advertising platforms offering better analytics and mass reach, most advertisers have moved budgets to those platforms. They have disrupted the way people access content, especially breaking news and advertising through programmatic advertising and rich media,” says Jared Kidambi, reader revenue manager at the Standard Group.
Kidambi says that most media platforms are slow to change and do not invest in tech personnel and the ones that have invested in tech teams cannot keep up with the multinationals that offer better packages. As a result of the introduction of social media and the lack of advertising opportunities for media publications, many publications have had to find new and innovative ways to diversify their revenue streams.
“We have invested our energies quite heavily into content marketing (where clients pay to publish their content on our platforms, essentially selling them the strength of our audiences) and have begun our road to reader revenue by launching registrations, which is the precursor to launching a registration wall,” says Lance Witten, editor-in-chief, IOL News.
Kidambi describes the Standard Group’s current revenue model as ‘freemium’ as 80% of their content is free, whilst 20% of the content is behind a paywall. IOL’s current revenue model is a mix of direct advertising, agency sales, brand marketing, content marketing, programmatic advertising, targeted ad buying campaigns, and affiliate marketing via content aggregation websites such as Outbrain, Teads, Vidoomy, Taboola, Oovvuu, and many others.
Taiwo Adebayo, investigations editor at Premium Times Nigeria says the publication uses “a mix of adverts, grants, readers’ fund (donations), and sales of special publications focused on key sectors like the real estate and banking.
Despite these new forms of revenue streams, media publications continue to face challenges in increasing their revenue. “Audiences in Africa are not attuned to paying for news content; they will pay for entertainment content, but not news because it has been free for so long. Second is ensuring our content teams don’t carry marketing or PR content as part of our news mix, as that could harm our content marketing businesses, which seek to urge brands to pay to have their press releases published on our website as partnered or sponsored content,” says Witten.
Kidambi says for most of their readers, paying for content is a new concept and adds “more than 90% of digital payments in Kenya happen via mobile money. Mobile money doesn’t provide auto-renewal, which keeps us at a disadvantage compared to other markets where card payments are the norm”.
Adebayo says that the challenges the publication face are “corporate advertisers seeking to influence journalism and recalling business opportunities when they do not have their way.” Adding that the “worsening economy impacts readers’ ability to donate to fund journalism”.
Are paywalls the future? From the perspective of sub-Saharan Africa, Adebayo says: “I think consideration of the socio-economic situation will discourage more news platforms from adding paywalls. Paywalls will affect citizens’ access to good journalism, the information they require to make informed decisions and ask questions”.
There have been concerns about whether paywalls will kill journalism. However, for Kidambi: “the one thing I like about a paywall is that it moves away from click-baiting for the sake of pushing website traffic to focus on the quality of content produced. In my opinion, a paywall will improve the quality of journalism as publishers will focus on content that is monetisable.”
Witten adds that media publishers need to come together and agree that in order for quality journalism to succeed, audiences need to pay for it, and subscriptions would be the best way to save the industry.
“One of the reasons our industry is in trouble is due to a lack of investment because the business model relied on advertising sales. We need to educate our audiences that without their support, we cannot bring them a quality product. If there is no investment coming in from our audiences, there can be no completely free media because we rely on media owners or sponsors for our survival,” says Witten, adding that “if more pay for a premium subscription, we are then able to start turning a profit and reinvest that into our business to bring even better quality content. Audiences need to understand that without their help, we can’t produce the best quality content, which is what we want to do, and which costs money.”
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Down memory trails
Hotel Grand Kopaonik presented an exhibition as a part of 40 years of modern tourism on Kopaonik.
The exhibition "Down memory trails", organized by the hotel Grand Kopaonik was officially presented to journalists and tourism industry representatives on the Sava Promenade in Belgrade.
The director of TOS, Marija Labović, pointed out that the jubilee, 40 years since the beginning of the development of modern tourism in Kopaonik, is important not only for the MK Group and Kopanik, but also for the whole of Serbia.
“This is the best indicator of how far tourism has advanced in our country, occupying a significant place in the Serbian economy.” MK Group’s investments have brought Kopaonik as a destination to the level of world-class ski centers. Kopaonik is an example of how destinations develop, not only in the winter but throughout the year. Today, we can say that we have a mountain that matches all other mountain resorts in Europe, rightfully competing for foreign and domestic tourists”, said Marija Labović.
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Who needs a ticket to be in the stands for the Super Bowl on Sunday when you already have the best view…from your couch! Unless you’re a mega Patriots or Giants fan, have the cash to fork over for a ticket (They are over a $1,000!), you’ll be watching the biggest game in sports from home.
But your Super Bowl experience goes beyond the TV this year, because 60 percent of you will be watching on a second screen, just like you’re reading this article right now. For the first time, the Super Bowl will be streamed live online and on your IOS4 or Android mobile device. The NFL and NBC Sports teams up with Verizon’s NFL mobile application to elevate your game watching experience on Sunday.
Boca Raton-based tech expert Craig Agranoff believes this is just the start of how technology will change and heighten your sports watching experience and says, that with the NFL application, consumers will be “watching the game live, seeing the different angles, pretending they’re coaches from the bench and the teams themselves will be getting involved.”
That’s right, so you’re not a true Patriots or Giants fan until you’ve downloaded their free mobile app. It’s a way to keep in touch with your teams with real time statistics, video on demand, pictures and much more. Most apps that you download on your smart phone can also be downloaded on your iPad.
If you haven’t yet, get on the Twitter train and check out the NFL Pro Tweets application. There’s nothing like getting the Super Bowl highlights right from the NFL players themselves who are watching the game along with you. The application called, NFL Pro Tweets, grabs the legit tweets – through the NFL players association – and puts the timeline in one place for you to check out, not only pro tweets, but sports media tweets too.
Agranoff warns though, that the players can get raunchy, a true sign that the tweets are coming right from the mind, through the fingers and from the official accounts of the players themselves.
Sure, this rematch between New England and New York from Super Bowl 42 in 2008 will have plenty of eyes watching the actual battle between Brady and Manning, but most will just watch …for the commercials. Yes, there is an app for that too! Just search Super Bowl commercial in you app store and you’ll find the SuperAds application, which is free, or for $1.99 you can buy the Super Bowl Commercial App. You’ll not only be able to instantly watch the best Bowl commercials of 2012, but you’ll see the classic commercials from past Super Bowls.


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By 2019 shipments of factory installed driver monitoring systems (DMS) with inward facing cameras will reach 6.7 million in number.
The systems include eye tracking technology which analyses the movements of your eyelids and the direction you’re gazing in and allows for personalisation in your vehicle, security, health tracking, distraction and detection of fatigue, according to market research firm ABI Research.
Mercedes-Benz, Volvo and Volkswagen already have some of these features but Toyota has deployed advanced eye tracking systems in its Lexus brand and both Volvo and General Motors will install similar systems in the future.
And in a further twist, chip companies Nvidia and Intel ears are perking up as they sense business headed their way.
It’s not just cars that will deploy such systems, however. ABI Research said in its report that companies SmartDrive and Lynx are targeting commercial vehicle fleets.
Bentley has received Volkswagen’s blessing to produce its first SUV. The green light from its corporate overlords in Wolfsburg means that Bentley will start selling the first SUVs built in England by 2016. We’re not sure the announcement will go down well in purist circles.
Seat’s Leon got a lot of positive reviews when it launched last year, thanks to Seat’s new design philosophy and Volkswagen’s featherweight MQB platform. The 5-door Leon Mk3 ended up 90kg lighter than its predecessor, yet it was the biggest MQB hatch when it launched, courtesy of a wheelbase extended by 2.3 inches over the Golf and Audi A3.
The decision to go for a longer wheelbase, the same one used on the A3 Sportback, was surprising, but it soon started to make sense when Seat announced that it would roll out the Leon SC, a 3-door coupe version with the standard MQB wheelbase. Furthermore Seat announced that it would introduce an estate version of the Leon and now a Czech car site has leaked a series of gorgeous press photos.
So far Seat kept the Leon line-up simple, as a simple 5-door hatch, but now it is offering three flavours and both the SC and ST look quite appealing indeed.
The estate is said to feature a 587-litre boot, which is a bit less than the Golf Variant and Octavia Combi, at 605 and 610 respectively. However, the Leon looks a lot more dynamic than its German and Czech siblings. The rear end looks like the lovechild of an Audi A3 Sportback and an Ibiza ST, which means it looks a lot better than most compact estates. In other words, it does not look like a hearse, but rather a nice hatch with a sporty backpack.
There is still no word on pricing or availability, but the ST should make its official debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September. The 5-door and the SC are competitively priced, hence the ST should be no exception. It should end up quite a bit cheaper than the Golf or A3, probably on par with the Octavia Combi, but with a lot more flare.


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PepsiCo is calling on retailers to stock up for winter with its new range of Quaker products.
Heinz has unveiled a limited edition repackage for its Heinz Beanz range.
With the international spotlight on Britain thanks to the Olympics and royal events, there’s never been a better time to stock British food
The magnesium-enriched range also contains functional botanicals
The move comes following increased popularity of the single format
The better-for-you bars also have less sugar thanks to revised recipes
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A clothing brand geared toward Southern California baby boomer surfers is looking to Europe and other global markets for growth.
San Clemente-based OGR International Inc., which owns the Old Guys Rule brand, is looking to build business in Europe as its British licensee pursues sales in Finland, Sweden, Germany, France and Spain.
The licensee also is looking to start sales in South Africa.
Besides the U.S., Old Guys Rule clothes now are sold in Canada, Britain and Australia.
“We are constantly looking for new venues without shooting ourselves in the foot and hurting the people we started with,” founder Don Craig said.
The brand began as a tribute to Craig’s father and his surfing buddies.
“We always intended the brand to be worn as a badge of honor, which is the way it had been accepted,” he said. “Baby boomers are a growing niche in the apparel market.”
Craig’s main licensee, Ventura’s Streamline Designs & Silkscreen Inc., produces Old Guys Rule T-shirts, sweatshirts and caps. The products are sold through stores of Coraopolis, Pa.-based Dick’s SportingGoods Inc., Minnesota’s Gander Mountain Co. and others.
In all, more than 1,400 stores carry the brand.
The OGR brand is estimated to do about $10 million in yearly revenue.
Craig has a long history with surf-inspired clothing. He started out as one of the first sales representatives for Huntington Beach-based Quiksilver Inc.
His relationship with Quiksilver Chief Executive Bob McKnight led to stints with Costa Mesa-based Rip Curl Inc. and Hawaii’s Hawaiian Island Creations Inc.
Craig was working as a sales representative for private label apparel companies when he created Old Guys Rule as a joke for his father and his friends.
“It was a fluke,” Craig said.
His father and friends were known as the “three wise men” at San Onofre Surf Beach. They mentored Craig on life, money and where to sit in the lineup for waves.
Craig created a bumper sticker to honor them and handed it out to surfers and others who knew of them.
The brand crystallized on a visit to a retailer in the South Bay for another company. The retailer spied the bumper sticker and inquired about buying 100 of them. T-shirts followed.
“It took off,” Craig said.
The brand started out with three designs in 2003. It now counts more than 700.
“We have about 150 of those active, with new designs introduced every year,” Craig said.
The brand has moved beyond surfers with designs for fans of fishing, racing, golf, winter sports, road trips, even beer.
“I realized early on that not everybody’s dad surfs,” Craig said.
The company is looking into designs based on Nascar, football and other sports, according to Craig.
A deal with the Newport Beach-based John Wayne Cancer Foundation that allows use of John Wayne images has been among the brand’s top sellers.
“We’ve got about seven designs with John Wayne and about four of them are in the top 10,” Craig said.
As a smaller brand, Old Guys Rule has grown through the clothing industry’s slump, which hit surf-inspired companies hard.
“Even through the recessionary period, we managed to hold our own, growing a little bit each year for the last three to four years,” Craig said.
This year, Craig stepped aside as the brand’s Southern California sales representative to focus on the growth and direction.
He recently brought on Tom Gudauskas, formerly of Hawaii’s Local Motion Hawaii Inc., to handle the sales.
“We have about 35 sales reps who are working with our network of retailers to move product,” Craig said.


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CAR PARK chaos, trolley wars, never-ending queues and ringing tills – it can only mean one thing: the Christmas rush.
There were panicked scenes across North Wales yesterday as people packed town centres in search of their last minute festive goods.
Aisles were crammed as many battled their way to the shelves, but for some, their efforts were in vain as stock rapidly diminished before the morning was through.
Businesses are bracing themselves for much of the same today and already items are being reduced, attracting brave bargain hunters.
Shoppers described the mayhem in supermarkets where ingredients for the festive feast where in high demand.
From Broughton to Bangor, Flint to Llandudno the pavements were impassable with people armed with mounds of bulging bags.
Many took to Facebook and Twitter to express festive frustrations while the more organised others revelled in their victories as they relaxed in the comfort of their own living rooms.
John R Newman said: “Chaotic scenes at Sainsbury, Rhyl :(“
Elizabeth Morris said: “M&S was the busiest store I have been in today. Such a huge loss to Rhyl in the future.”
Gerallt Jones said: “The new Asda in Bangor was quiet, but the Tesco was packed however the traffic around Bangor was a nightmare.”
@magicmickoo said: “Bangor is stupidly busy.”
@GingerStump said: “Just been to Sainsbury's for a few last minutes bits and bobs. Big mistake, chocka.”
Mike Harris refused to let the chaos faze him stating: “I went to Asda this morning in Kinmel Bay, it was mental people pushing looking stressed and grumpy. I had lots of fun, put Christmas music on my iPhone walked around in a happy Christmas mood wishing everyone a merry Christmas all done now just one day left in work.”
And Robert Wayne Hughes commented: “Morrisons in Denbigh was crazy, never seen it that bad.”
Huw Hilditch-Roberts, owner of I’r Dim/Just Right in Denbigh, said the tills have been ringing merrily.”
Victoria Owens, who jointly runs Gifted with three other artisans in Rhyl High said: “We’ve had a good steady week like normal, unfortunately this weekend Rhyl high street has not attracted the hordes of last minute shoppers as yet but there’s still time.”
Kellie Williams reacted: “Rhyl was quiet, unlike Llandudno where it took an hour to be served in Marks and Spencer and for three hours parking only £1. Now why is Rhyl losing out I wonder?”


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RIM launches first BlackBerry flip phone
By Wojtek Dabrowski
TORONTO (Reuters) - Research In Motion Ltd is launching a flip version of its popular BlackBerry Pearl smartphone, a move that reasserts its push into the retail consumer market.
Like RIM's original Pearl model, the first-ever flip BlackBerry comes loaded with multimedia features such as a video and music player and a 2-megapixel camera with flash, as well as a Web browser and an abridged keyboard.
"Seventy percent of the mobile phone users in the United States use a flip," RIM co-CEO Jim Balsillie said in an interview. "There's never been a smartphone or a BlackBerry option for that."
He added the new device is "extremely important" to capturing more retail users.
The new clamshell flip BlackBerry will be available around the world starting this autumn. In the United States, T-Mobile will be the exclusive launch carrier. No pricing details were immediately available.
RIM's volatile shares jumped early on Wednesday, rising $3.37, or 3.4 percent, to $102.67 on the Nasdaq market. In Toronto, they rose C$4.20 to C$110.23.
The first, candy-bar-shaped version of the Pearl was launched in September 2006 to rave reviews and strong sales. Its success was a key factor behind the Waterloo, Ontario-based company's ability to deliver banner results throughout the rest of that year and in 2007.
The Pearl also allowed RIM to broaden its market beyond its mainstay of executives, lawyers, politicians and other professionals who use the BlackBerry to send work e-mail securely. Continued...


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A new report expects Microsoft’s share of the tablet market to rise 14 percent by 2014, up from just one percent in 2010.
Even though the company’s Windows 8 tablets won’t launch until mid or late 2012, the devices could help Microsoft maintain leadership in the tabletsphere, according to RBC Capital Markets. The company’s revamped “Metro” user interface leverages both desktop and mobile, making it competitive with iPad and Android tablets, according to analyst Robert Breza.
Microsoft held its BUILD conference earlier this week, where the company showed off multiple tablets running the new operating system to developers working on Windows 8 apps and programs. While most details of the system were kept a secret, Microsoft did reveal the latest OS will run a variety of chips, including ARM-based units from TI, Qualcomm and NVIDIA. During the presentation, Microsoft continually stressed that apps written for Windows 8 will work across all Windows 8 devices.
As for Microsoft’s Windows 7 tablets, the Samsung Series 7 Slate will ship next month with a price tag of $1,099 for the 64GB model. While the device will lack AT&T 3G connectivity and NFC present in the developer unit passed out at BUILD, it will pack a 1.6GHz Core i5 processor. The slate will sport an 11.6-inch capacitive touchscreen (1366 x 768) and will feature a 3MP rear-facing camera, a 2MP front-facing shooter, 4GB DDR3 RAM and either a 64GB or 128GB solid state drive. The Series 7 Slate will also support a Wacom stylus and will have Wi-Fi and Bluetooth compatibility.
Source: Financial Post


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Investment research outfit Multex has expanded its fundamentals database beyond the North American markets to cover companies worldwide.
The database is now offering information on 10,500 global firms from 63 countries, including all the companies in the major global and country indices. This coverage will soon expand to 16,000 companies, says the vendor.
Multex plans to market the expanded database to a new client base in Europe and Asia, while strengthening existing relationships with firms with global business scope.
The data will be made available through Multex's own products and existing partner channels. An initial distribution deal has been signed with OneSource Information Services.


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TORONTO, March 30, 2020 /CNW/ – PRESS RELEASE – The Green Organic Dutchman Holdings Ltd. (TGOD), a producer of premium certified organic cannabis, has announced that it has received Health Canada’s approval for the licensing of the final component of its Ancaster site, the processing facility.
The license amendment includes approval of a state-of-the-art production facility designed to support processing activity including dedicated spaces for packaging of flower, oils, pre-rolls and several Cannabis 2.0 products.
This final phase of expansion at Ancaster enables TGOD to reduce its reliance on third parties, accelerating its supply chain timelines for product launches. Receiving the license amendment for this large facility also enhances TGOD’s quality assurance capabilities and marks a key milestone in eliminating bottlenecks in its production ramp up.
The license amendment is valid until Aug. 16, 2022 and is subject to customary terms and conditions.
"Receiving this license amendment was a key element of our 2020 operating plan. We made significant investments in this state-of-the-art facility, and now that it is fully licensed, Ancaster can finalize the ramp up of its production capacity," commented Brian Athaide, CEO of TGOD. "The processing facility reduces our reliance on third parties for packaging, secured storage, and for our next wave of 2.0 product launches. Beyond the successful launch of our TGOD Infusers, we are planning to launch a series of differentiated consumer packaged goods, including organic teas and vapes in Q2, as well as edibles, beverages and topicals later this year."


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Jiemian News visits one of the many street fairs selling gourmet food, crafts and knickknacks that have sprung up in cities around China.
Photo provided to Jiemian News by Woodstock of Eating.
By MA Yue
“This was probably the first time I’d seen so many coffee brands in one place,” said photographer Peggy Zhu, just back from a foodie fair in a leafy Hangzhou suburb. Over 20 coffee roasters, 10 bakers, all little-known independent operations, occupied stalls in the street. Zhu is no stranger to this kind of fair which is becoming popular in big cities around China this year.
“I’m always either visiting a market or planning to visit one,” said the self-proclaimed travel and lifestyle enthusiast.
For businesses nearby, fairs improve footfall and increase sales. In May, more than 80,000 people visited the Shanghai Anyi night market on its reopening. In a posh new neighborhood in the outskirts of Beijing, a weekly street fair that began in the summer attracts visitors from all over the city, some driving for more than an hour to get there.
A local real estate developer said that although almost entirely consisting of independent brands, the fair had been very helpful to local malls. Foot traffic was up at least 20 percent on a regular weekend.
Unlike traditional street markets in China that sell second-hand goods, various junk and household goods, these markets are carefully planned. They include gourmet food, trendy crafts, and eye-catching knickknacks to suit the taste of global-trotting urban youngsters, forced to stay at home until the world gets back under control.
Some local governments are active in organizing events to help small businesses and revive traditional retail spaces, but most are masterminded by private planners.
One such planner is Woodstock of Eating, which holds pop-up fairs around the country. During an August event in Beijing, tens of thousands of people poured into the open-air marketplace in a historical district now full of sleek co-working spaces art galleries, coffee shops, and trendy eateries.
Alongside eating, the mainstay of Woodstock of Eating, organizers invited publishers, independent bookstores, and book design studios to the Beijing event.
“Many brick-and-mortar bookstores have shut down and won’t bounce back as quickly as restaurants. We hope the fair is a chance for them to meet book buyers,” Bian Bian, co-founder of Woodstock of Eating told Jiemian News.
More than 130 businesses participated, and other than books and food, there were accessories, vintage clothes and crafts by local designers. For participating businesses, sales during the fair were three to five times higher than in their brick-and-mortar stores. But food is still the biggest draw.
“We knew from day one that there has to be food,” Bian Bian said. When the team looked into event space in Beijing five years ago, they were surprised that there were no pop-up street fairs offering ready-to-eat food.
“The operational cost at least doubles when you introduce food,” Bian Bian explained. “There are a lot of bureaucratic procedures.”
But the team decided that eating was essential to Woodstock, a communal experience.
“Everyone eats regardless of age, nationality, or social class. People also spend more money when there’s food. You can get a snack, walk around for a bit, and get another drink when you finish the snack.”
For participating restaurants, it’s both science and art creating an experience that leaves an impression. There needs to be a well-thought-out menu representative of a restaurant’s style. Portions should be small – eaters spend at most ten minutes at a stall, as Bian Bian likes to remind restaurants.
And the layout of the stall must be social-media friendly.
“Everyone brings a camera,” Peggy Zhu said. For her and her friends, a trip to a street fair is also a photo op not to be wasted. For organizers like Bian Bian, social media posts are free ads that bring more visitors.
Street fairs provide valuable opportunities to extend reach the new customers and get feedback.
“If I like a stall, I’ll make sure to follow their online stores, or sometimes visit their brick-and-mortar store,” Zhu said.
A craft maker in Beijing told Jiemian News that her online store following increased by 50 percent three days after a street fair. The network effect can be limitless.


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Millet to open millet in India plans to open the next two years 100
May 11, 2017, millet science and technology announced that India's first millet house will be officially opened on May 20.
Millet house is millet unique line of retail stores, rice can be here to experience and buy millet latest products, millet home integration of the Internet and e-commerce services and efficient retail service experience.
Rice can buy a range of millet products in the store, such as mobile phones, mobile power, headphones, bracelets, air purifiers and eco-chain products released in India.
The next two years, millet plans to open 100 millet in India home. The next millet house will be opened in some metropolis, such as Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Chennai. These millet homes have a separate area for rice noodles to experience more millet products.
Up to now, the number of millet homes in China has 88, in just past the rice festival (April 2017), millet home into the store more than 500,000 people, in Beijing, a newly opened shop hit A single day into the store 24,000 records. The total sales of Chinese millet stores during the rice flour festival totaled more than 75 million yuan.
In recent years, millet phone sales in the Indian market is good, market research firm Canalys latest data show that the first quarter of this year, millet to become the Indian smart phone market runner-up, second only to Samsung.
"We are very excited about the upcoming opening of the first millet house in India, which is another milestone in millet India's journey," said Manu Jain, vice president of millet and general manager of millet India. "We will run online marketing The success of the experience through the millet home application to the line to go in. Millet House is millet "Internet +" and "new retail" based on the concept of the establishment, will achieve the same efficiency with online sales.
Millet company said that since the millet in May 2015 in India released millet online platform Mi.com, the rapid development of India has become one of the top five business platform.
In addition to millet house, millet will continue to work with retailers and distributors to expand the line of retail business, this direct mode will remove the layers of distribution channels under the agent, so that millet can do product line line Under the same price. At present, millet line of retail outlets has more than 10,000.


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An anonymously run Singapore-based crypto fund, Metapurse, was the winner of Thursday’s record-breaking auction of a digital composite by the artist known as Beeple at Christie’s on Thursday. The $69.3 million sale shook both the art world and the crypto world, the purchase marking the largest amount ever paid for a nonfungible token, or NFT, and making Beeple one of the most valuable living artists.
“This particular piece is invaluable,” says the pseudonymous Twobadour, a co-manager of the Metapurse fund. “We believe it’s the most important piece of this generation.”
“Everydays: The First 5,000 Days” by Beeple is a massive JPEG, a collection of 5,000 images Beeple created over a decade-plus. It was sold in a two-week online auction that became a closely watched event, several million people flooding onto Christie’s site to watch its finale. It is the latest height in a rising mania for NFTs, a new way for digital media to be bought and sold over the internet. And for 24 hours or so, the identity of the person willing to pay nearly $70 million for the piece—more than has ever been spent on artists like Frida Kahlo or Salvador Dalí—was a mystery.
“We are pleased to have brought together two distinct collecting communities—the traditional and the digital—at exactly the right moment for digital artists, for blockchain technology, and for cryptocurrency,” Christie’s CEO Guillaume Cerutti said in a statement. “The possibilities for what comes next in this field are inspiring and we look forward to more collaborative innovations in the near future.”
So what is Metapurse? The fund was founded last year by another pseudonymous investor, Metakovan, a longtime crypto investor who runs the fund alongside Twobadour.
On Thursday, the pair worked together in separate locations in Singapore to secure the artwork. They didn’t begin bidding until the final five minutes, around when the number of buyers doubled and the artwork’s price lept from less than $20 million to over $60 million. The auction’s duration was extended several times as new bids entered, angering at least one other interested buyer, Justin Sun, founder of the Tron cryptocurrency. Sun took to Twitter Thursday night to criticize Christie’s and call for the auction house to change its rules in the future and give potential buyers more time during extended bidding.
In the end, Twobadour and Metakovan emerged as the victors. “We believe it's a $1 billion dollar piece eventually,” says Twobadour, a suggestion that can sound a trifle farfetched. A billion dollars would be more than double the highest price ever paid for an artwork at auction: the $450.3 million spent on Leonardo Da Vinci’s “Salvator Mundi” in 2017. “So, in essence, I think we got it for a steal.”
This wasn’t the first time Metapurse had bid on Beeple’s work. Twobadour and Metakovan bought 100 pieces of his art during a December sale and have since bundled them with an additional cryptoasset—parcels of virtual land called Cryptovoxels—and sold the combination as their own token. The duo have built up a substantial collection of NFTs, which Twobadour claims was conservatively worth $200 million before the Beeple purchase and funded entirely by Metakovan.
As the names Metakovan and Metapurse suggest, the investors are keen believers in a techno-concept known as the metaverse. Put most simply, the metaverse is the idea that we will increasingly live in a increasingly realistic digital realm, like the worlds from The Matrix and Ready Player One. Some time in the future, Metakovan and Twobadour believe they will be able to build an expansive virtual museum displaying many of the NFTs they’ve accumulated.
They plan to do something like that straight away to display “5,000 Days,” “We want to build a fitting monument to it,” Twobadour says. “An immersive experience, which you can access in your browser or in a VR headset wherever you are in the world.”
That’s not happening tomorrow, he admits. “For now, [we’re] just basking in the glory of being able to make history like we did.”


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If you are a kind of guy who is in a hurry and getting a back to back schedule, sometimes your only option for not being late and hungry is ordering a handy food or going to a fast food. It’s not healthy and you have to be really careful in choosing what to eat. If you ever heard about the horse meat, the mysterious “Pink Smile” or other internet revelations about the secret ingredients of fast foods, this might help you to choose wisely on what to eat next time when you are in a hurry.
There’s a news in Oklahoma City stating human meat found in Mcdonald’s factory. It once started when a man in a disturbing audio claimed Mcdonald’s uses human meat as a filler in their 100% beef hamburgers. Indeed the man let the inspectors do their job and found human and horse meat in the freezer’s of an Oklahoma City McDonad’s meat factory. The worst thing is that it’s not only human meat, its child meat according to FBI agent Lloyd Harrison. The investigation went through different factories of McDonald’s and found human meat in 90% of the locations and horse meat was found 65% of the locations.
This issue made people think and ask a lot of questions. When did it start using human meat? Where did they get those human and children meat? Do they still use human meat after the investigation? But the most important question is are you going to buy this issue and pick where to eat next?


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Visit Key Travel at this year's COUP07 August 2009 12:54
Key Travel is exhibiting at this year's Conference on University Purchasing (COUP) in September.
Key Travel is exhibiting at the NCVO Trustee Conference07 August 2009 12:52
Key Travel will be exhibiting at this year's NCVO Trustee Conference, taking place in October.
Key Travel is exhibiting at InterAction28 May 2009 13:00
The InterAction Forum is celebrating it's 25th Anniversary this year and Key Travel is exhibiting!
Key Travel launches new system17 April 2009 13:06
Key Travel recently launched a new booking and business information system and we're delighted to say it is working well.
Preferred Travel Partner17 April 2009 13:03
Key Travel is delighted to be the preferred travel partner for this years International Aid and Trade exhibition in Washington DC.


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Members of the New Orleans Saints are teaming up with local business people to host a grocery store buy-out this Thanksgiving. Alvin Kamara and Cam Jordan will be assisting last-minute shoppers by paying for all of their groceries at the Save-A-Lot on S Carrollton.
Nothing says the Holiday season quite like a glass of delicious egg nog. Well, Blue Bell Ice Cream said let's capitalize on the public's love for egg nog. They announced today that a special egg nog flavor of Blue Bell will be available in stores today.
The '50 Shades of Grey' book series seemed to be in every woman's hands a decade ago before it was made into a major movie franchise... That's why it's so funny to me, that in 2021, my friend Misty Ingersol went viral for her 50 Shades-themed Halloween costume!


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Black & Decker toasters recalled for fire hazard
- December 5, 2007 12:15 PM
- By Peter Hadzipetros
About 23,000 Black & Decker toasters are being withdrawn because they may overheat and ignite, the distributor Applica Canada Corporation and the Ontario Electrical Safety Authority said Wednesday.
Applica Canada Corp. said the recall affects the Infrawave toasters with the model number ST2000 sold in stores across the country. The toasters were manufactured by Hong Kong-based Elec-Tech International Co.
About 4,000 toasters, which were priced for between $69 and $79 each, have been sold to consumers.
The company has learned of four toasters overheating, involving two reports of fire damage.
Consumers are advised to unplug their toasters and contact the company for a refund.
- Seymour Custom Solvent recalled over labelling
- Health Canada has recalled 16,000 Seymour Custom Solvent Blend and Water Blend aerosol products because they do not meet mandatory warning labelling requirements.... Continue reading this post
- Kids eyeglass cases recalled because of lead levels
- About 1,500 childrens' eyeglass cases have been recalled because paint on the cases contains lead levels in excess of federal standards.... Continue reading this post


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By Molly Atchison | Print Managing Editor
The last part of the “Confessions of an Entrepreneur” lecture series ended Thursday, rounding out the series with a talk by Baylor professor and entrepreneur Andie Day in Foster 143. Day’s clothing boutique, Mary Claret, was put center stage as she explained to eager business and design students how she’s taken her passion for clothing design and created her own “side hustle”.
Day’s lecture focused on several aspects of her business endeavor, mixing information about textile design and merchandise management with savvy tips on how to get a side business off the ground while balancing a full-time career. Day, who teaches apparel merchandising and design at Baylor, is an Austin resident whose extensive background in costume design gave her a unique view on fashion in the public market.
Day explained that she found a unique gap in the merchandise being sold, specifically in combining modern design and popular silhouette with Eileen Fisher-style minimalist, airy fabric. Once she identified the issue, she set on her way to creating her own designs that could be customized to fit the buyer’s personal needs. “I’ll bring a measuring tape with me and I’ll take the customer’s measurements on site,” Day said. “We’ll talk about what length is good for their height, and my background in apparel has really helped me relate to the customer.”
While Day described in detail how her designs are created and manufactured, she also had a broader message for business majors looking to start their own company. “Only in the time of Instagram can you do this process. I decided to design a product … I took pictures of my friend wearing it and sold it on Instagram to my friends,” Day said.
One of the biggest takeaways for Day from following a more nontraditional process was that social media is one of the best ways to begin branding a company. Day explained that by using nontraditional methods of selling, going to fairs and being a solely online company, a business owner can avoid some of the high costs accompanying come with a “brick and mortar” storefront boutique.
This message of following a less run-of-the-mill path to business success seemed to resonate with the audience. Wichita Falls sophomore Taylor May was one of the students that took Day’s message to heart. “For one thing, I’m a business major, and so I’m still exploring a lot of the majors surrounding the business school,” May said. “I liked hearing about how people have started at Baylor like me, and just gone through all these different experiences and pathways people go through and end up with these amazing businesses and opportunities.”
Although Day rounded out the series for the semester, the Foster Business and Free Enterprise program is working to bring “Confessions of an Entrepreneur” back to campus next fall, where they hope to feature more local business owners who can share their stories with aspiring entrepreneurs.
Baylor Business and Innovation LLC volunteer Luke Harvill explained that the series can benefit people who aren’t even interested in entrepreneurship at the moment. “I’m a finance and econ major, but you never know when your path will go into entrepreneurship, so it’s always good to learn something new,” Harvill said.


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Hyundai Mobis has been named the Supplier of the Year by GM, North America's largest car maker. This was the first time that the Korean vehicle parts company won the honor.
GM selects the Supplier of the Year via a comprehensive evaluation of about 3,000 partner companies’ product quality, development capability and innovation among others in a total of 10 sectors, including chassis, powertrains, interior design and electronic devices. Hyundai Mobis was selected as a partner in the field of electronic devices that play a key role in the future car sector.
A representative component supplied by Hyundai Mobis to GM is an integrated switch stack (ICS), a core electric part that controls multimedia and air conditioners. Hyundai Mobis has received orders amounting to a total of US$ 1.1 billion since landing GM's first ICS order in 2010, and has been supplying ICSs to GM's major automobiles from small passenger cars to large SUVs.
In addition to ICSs, Hyundai Mobis is supplying GM with automatic occupant sensors (AOSs) and drums in hats (DIHs) among others.
Hyundai Mobis's competitiveness in electric parts duly recognized by GM is expanding to other automakers in North America and Europe.
Hyundai Mobis is the first to receive a display-type multimedia and air-conditioning control system (DCSD: Disassociated Center Stack Dispersion), which is similar to ICS, to FCA (Fiat Chrysler)
Hyundai Mobis received an order for ICSs from PSA (Peugeot Citroen), a European car maker for the first time in 2015. Hyundai Mobis will continue to expand ordered items and order volume while stepping up efforts to expand its presence in the French market based on its confidential relations formed via ICSs.
On the other hand, Hyundai Mobis announced its strategy to achieve more than 40% of total parts sales from global and car manufacturers other than Hyundai and Kia. To this end, Hyundai Mobis plans to utilize its local factories on the basis of its proprietary technologies and to diversify its order items into core parts for future cars. In addition, the company plans to expand its supply base to newly emerging nations such as China and electric car companies in addition to current automobile customers such as those in North America, Europe, and Japan.


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First Coast weather
High of 78. Sunny, cloudy and warm. See more weather at Action News Jax.
10 holiday gifts that don’t cost a thing (Forbes)
EU imposes record $1.92 billion fine on Philips, LG, others (Reuters)
U.S. futures point to higher open (WSJ)
Nike facing legal hurdles in China (WSJ)


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The Sony Xperia XZ2 that made its debut earlier this week at Mobile World Congress will apparently have more RAM in some markets, and less in others. More specifically, based on product pages on Sony’s websites for various regions, it looks like the Xperia XZ2 will come with 6GB of RAM in the U.S., the UK, Canada, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. Meanwhile, the global versions of the smartphone, such as the model for the European market, will come with just 4GB of RAM. However, things are a bit confusing. Originally, the sources also showed the smaller Xperia XZ2 Compact with 6GB of RAM in some markets, yet they have now been updated to show the smartphone with 4GB of RAM for all regions. It remains unclear for now whether the Xperia XZ2 will retain the 6GB of RAM for all aforementioned markets, or whether the pages will also be updated to list a lower 4GB of RAM.
The Xperia XZ2 raised plenty of interest at the MWC 2018, as it finally sports an improved design, ditching the sizeable bezels of its predecessor in favor of a full-screen design and an 18:9 aspect ratio. The flagship also comes with high-end specs and features all around, aiming to deliver a powerful and immersive experience with entertainment front and center. Sony touts that its latest Xperia XZ2 features notable upgrades in terms of specs, design, camera, and audio technology. The smartphone comes with a 5.7-inch display with a QHD+ resolution (2,160 x 1,440 pixels) and while it’s not an edge-to-edge display, the slim bezels are sure to be appreciated by a larger number of users.
The handset is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor, and it comes with 64GB of native storage space, expandable up to 400GB with a microSD card. The Xperia XZ2 further comes with dual SIM support, IP68 certification for water and dust resistance, a 3,180 mAh battery, wireless charging, and a USB Type-C port. Like other recent flagships, the Xperia XZ2 comes without a 3.5mm headphone jack. The smartphone is set to launch this spring and Sony said that it will offer exact release and pricing details at a later date. Sony Mobile’s official German website, however, listed the Xperia XZ2 with a €800 price tag and the Xperia XZ2 Compact at a €600 price point. It remains unclear for now just how much the Xperia XZ2 will cost in other markets, or how much will the price difference be between the 4GB and 6GB of RAM configurations.


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BEIJING—China's Ministry of Finance confirmed that it will end a tax break for purchases of smaller cars that has helped to drive auto sales in the last two years.
The ministry said Tuesday that the purchase tax for passenger cars with engines of 1.6 liters or less will return to 10% from Jan. 1., ending a preferential rate of 7.5% in place this year. The rate had already been raised from a special rate of 5% the government implemented for smaller car purchases in January 2009.
The National Development and Reform Commission, China's main economic planning agency, said on Dec. 9 that the 7.5% tax break would expire at the end of this year.
Expectations of the tax change are one factor that caused analysts and industry executives to predict that sales growth in China, the world's biggest car market, will likely slow in 2011 to around 10%, from around 30% this year.
The Beijing municipal government also said this month that it will issue up to 240,000 license plates for new cars next year--only about a third of the 750,000 vehicles that analysts estimate will be sold in the city of nearly 20 million people this year. The measure is a bid to ease the increasing traffic congestion in the capital,
The ministry's latest statement, issued jointly with the Administration of Taxation, didn't mention whether China will also scrap a cash subsidy of 3,000 yuan (about $450) a car for purchases of certain fuel-efficient vehicles with 1.6-liter or smaller engines.
China started subsidizing small-car purchases in 2009 to reverse a plunge in vehicle sales and encourage a reduction in fuel emissions.
Expectations of the tax incentive's impending end, coupled with the Beijing municipal government's reduction in new license plate issuance next year to curb traffic, have led many car buyers to move their purchases forward. Though sales figures for December haven't been released yet, local media have reported a surge in auto sales during the month.
—Victoria Ruan and Owen Fletcher


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That marks a less than stellar improvement over the 2018 RWD 4.3-liter V6, which despite having two more cylinders and two fewer gears, was good for 18 mpg city, 24 highway, and 20 mpg combined. Despite achieving worse fuel economy on the highway, the 2.7-liter I4 does make 25 more horsepower and 43 more lb-ft of torque than the bigger V6.
The AWD four-cylinder, meanwhile, will manage 19 cty/22 hwy and 20 mpg combined, compared to the 2018 AWD V6’s 17 cty/22 hwy and 19 mpg combined.
SEE ALSO: 2019 Chevrolet Bolt EV Review
Worse still, the I4 doesn’t stack up all that well against the six-cylinder competition. Both Ford’s 3.3-liter V6 and FCA’s 3.6-liter V6 offer 25 mpg on the highway, and 22 mpg combined.
The I4 isn’t even a marked improvement over Chevy’s new 5.3-liter V8, which also gets 19 mpg combined.
Chevrolet rates trucks fitted with the four-cylinder at 7,200 lbs of towing capacity and 2,280 lbs of payload, which is competitive in the segment but does raise questions about whether or not the engine will be good enough to overcome the stigma of small engines in big trucks.
A version of this story originally appeared on GM Inside News.


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by NURUL SUHAIDI / pic credit: sidec.com.my
THE Selangor SME Digitalisation Matching Grant has benefitted almost 300 small and medium enterprises (SMEs) with a total allocation of RM1.2 million approved by the state government since the first batch between April to mid-June this year.
The grant is part of the state’s initiative to speed up the digital transformation among SMEs, which includes assisting local start-ups to deploy the Software as a Service (SaaS) and increasing their cloud computing adoption rate.
Selangor executive councillor for industry and trade Datuk Teng Chang Khim said through this programme, the state government is offering SMEs a 50% matching grant up to RM5,000 to subscribe to e-commerce; a human resources (HR) and payroll system; cloud accounting; digital marketing, and electronic point of sale system and payment gateway.
“The grant’s special evaluation committee approved 280 out of 492 applications for the first batch of applications.
“We are on track to achieve our target of benefitting 1,000 SMEs by the end of the year,” Teng said.
Additionally, he said most SMEs applied for digital marketing at 31.8%, followed by applications for cloud accounting at 25.4%, while 16.6% applied to digitalise their HR and payroll system as part of their digitisation initiative.
Teng also welcomed the RM300 million allocation for small and micro entrepreneurs, where RM200 million is to continue the Shop Malaysia Online campaign and an extra allocation of RM100 million for the SME Digitisation Grant.
Currently, Selangor is holding four rounds of the Selangor E-Bazar campaign, which generated RM144.7 million in direct sales and a RM2.95 billion ripple effect on the state economy which benefitted 294,119 local merchants in the state, including 74,837 new merchants.
“Grants and onboarding campaigns are just the first steps as more efforts and resources are needed to speed up the adoption of digital technologies among traditional SMEs.
“This is to re-engineer, automate and infuse multiple intelligences across key business functions,” he said.
The application for the second batch of SME grant will open next month, while the application for digital service providers as authorised solution providers started yesterday.


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The airlines announced Thursday that they have signed a letter of intent, creating the basis for continued negotiations between the two companies.
As a first step, both parties intend to establish a joint venture company to which the business and operations of SAS’s ground handling and Spirit Air Cargo Handling will be transferred. Swissport will hold 51 percent ownership, and SAS will hold 49 percent.
“I am very proud of SAS having chosen Swissport as their partner for outsourcing the ground service business,” Per H. Utnegaard, group president and CEO of Swissport International, said. “This is a perfect strategic fit for both companies, and for Swissport this step into the Scandinavian market is an important part of our defined growth strategy and our worldwide expansion.”
The complete outsourcing of SAS’s ground and cargo handling services would include the workforce of 5,000 full-time employees in Scandinavia.
“The letter of intent is an important achievement within our strategy 4X Next Generation,” Rickard Gustafson, CEO of SAS, said. “Not only is it a significant step towards delivering the outsourcing solution that we set out for reducing complexity and securing a flexible cost base. We are also very pleased to partner up with the world’s leading ground handler, Swissport, who is well known for high quality services worldwide.”


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JetBlue Airways wants to attract business class customers even more. The airline has expanded its ‘Mint’ service exclusively designed for premium fliers. The customers buying business class tickets will now be offered expanded ‘Mint’ service on some important transcontinental routes, which includes Seattle-New York and San Diego-Boston.
Robin Hayes, President and CEO of JetBlue Airways, said, “The company wants to differentiate itself from rivals such as United Airlines and American Airlines. We are delighted to announce that the ‘Mint’ service has been extended on significant transcontinental routes like Seattle-New York and San Diego-Boston. The business class customers will be offered lie-flat seats and top notch services.”
Hayes further said that the launch of ‘Mint’ service has proved to be beneficial for traditional business class travelers with affordable tickets and the ultimate realization that this is the only better way to fly business class cheaper. He also said that there were plans for quite some time now for the strategic growth of Mint on the newly-launched lucrative transcontinental routes. The time is ripe now to gain profits from these routes, provide stiff competition to the competitors and offer flexible travel options to the customers.
The announcement by JetBlue Airways has come barely after two weeks following the expansion of Mint service in the Caribbean. This has also made JetBlue Airways the only airline to offer lie-flat business class seats on its regular flights to the Caribbean.
Apart from offering Mint service to premium customers, JetBlue Airways has also tried to distinguish itself from other low-cost carriers in more ways than one. The airline continued to offer fee-free service and other perks which resulted in record profits and higher customer satisfaction. It may be recalled that Mint service was introduced by JetBlue Airways for the first time in 2014 in order to attract business class customers. The Mint service is now being constantly offered at lower cost and is viewed as a modern version of traditional business class.


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Sony is firing their legal guns to all directions. Now they are aggressively pursuing the hackers that cracked the PlayStation 3 copy protection. According to the source PS3 firmware version 1.10 and 1.11 have been cracked, forcing the console to boot copies of games. However, booting is not enough yet – hackers have not been able succesfully play the copied games.
As reported by CVG.com, hackers have cracked PS3 firmware versions 1.10 and 1.11 – thereby forcing the console to boot illegal copies of games.
Booting games and playing them are two different things, however; so far, hackers have not been able to get any of the copied games to run, nor have they been able to run homebrew software.
Every hardware launch brings with it a race for hackers to defeat the system’s protections, whether for the technological challenge, to run copied software, or to allow for homebrew games.
Despite Sony’s attempts to prevent its emergence, the PSP has a strong homebrew community – and hackers are doubtless hoping to establish a similar base for PS3.


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August 19, 2018
Netflix Is Now Playing Ads for Its Original Series While People Are Binge-Watching
The day you all feared has finally arrived: Netflix is now playing ads for its original series in between episodes of other shows. After reddit users complained about the change, the streaming giant confirmed that some viewers will now be seeing brief trailers for the likes of “Insatiable” while binge-watching.
“We are testing whether surfacing recommendations between episodes helps members discover stories they will enjoy faster,” Netflix said in a statement to Ars Technica. “A couple of years ago, we introduced video previews to the TV experience, because we saw that it significantly cut the time members spend browsing and helped them find something they would enjoy watching even faster.”
A rep for the company stressed that this is being done on a trial basis so far, but the implication appears to be that more and more users will see ads if they prove successful in increasing viewership for Netflix’s original series and movies.
No word yet on how long this testing period will last or how many customers are actually seeing ads already, but initial reaction has been expectedly negative; whether that ultimately makes a difference remains to be seen.
Source: IndieWire film


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Blog: A spring wardrobe…in January?
Leonie Barrie | 6 January 2006
I’ve been fortunate enough to have sufficient holiday in hand to extend my Christmas and New Year break by a few days – so today is the first time I’ve been back at my desk for a while. If you’re like me, it usually takes a time to get back to speed after taking a break from work – but for once the usual post-Christmas lull doesn’t seem to have happened and it appears that we’re already in full flow again. I’m frantically trying to get up to scratch on events that have taken place during my absence, but retailers are already filing reports of their sales results – and profit forecasts – for December, and it looks as though the doom and gloom that many were predicting hasn’t happened after all.
Last-minute discounting helped retailers such as Aeropostale, Abercrombie & Fitch, Chico’s and Limited Brands to rev up December sales – but equally impressive are the positive profit outlooks from companies despite their aggressive holiday season promotions. Even Gap, which posted a disappointing slide in same-store sales as a result of continuing problems with its merchandise mix, is standing by its year-end profit estimate.
However, there’s been less to shout about for retailers targeting low income shoppers. Wal-Mart blamed a disappointing December for its downbeat fourth quarter profit forecast, although if it’s any consolation for the companies concerned then analysts agree that the pinch of higher winter energy costs is the culprit here, causing consumers to watch their spending.
More markdowns are likely to be on the cards to help pump up post-holiday sales – or for those planning their wardrobes far enough ahead then why not shop for spring merchandise? There are plenty of new opportunities out there…and in the dead of winter no less! It might be an obvious way for retailers to boost their year-end profits by enticing shoppers to buy new full price merchandise rather than the discounted holiday dregs – but is there any real sense in shopping for a bikini or silk tunic in sub-zero temperatures? I’m sure this policy backfires too, by over-exposing shoppers to the new trends too soon – so that when they’re ready to buy spring items in a couple of months’ time there’s little left that’s new and exciting. And so the cycle begins again, with retailers having to roll out their winter woollies in August. Me? I'm still trying to get back into the daily swing of things...let alone plan what I'll be wearing in six months' time!
Over the past month, Donald Trump and his team failed to offer any clear plan to ensure Americans would "Buy American, Hire American" - while the British government's attempts to clarify the specifics...
The Bangladesh government was forced to respond late last week to pressure over its crackdown on labour activists after a number of global brands and retailers, including H&M and Inditex announced pla...
Fresh from their disappointment at seeing the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) free trade deal abandoned last month with an executive order by President Donald Trump, the US apparel and footwear sector...
With the ultimate aim of ensuring all the cotton in its products is sourced sustainably, value clothing retailer Primark is adamant that having a business model focused on offering the lowest prices o...
- Digitalisation and data to disrupt supply chains
- EU eyes mandatory due diligence for apparel supply
- Unlocks for the future fashion sourcing landscape
- What TTIP might mean for US, EU textiles & apparel
- Geo-political uncertainty and how to survive it
- Li & Fung forms supply chain partnership with PVH
- US Q4 in brief – Finish Line, Oxford Industries
- Big data to help US firms improve clothing fit
- Levi Strauss and ILO probe Cambodia factory death
- Sustainable fashion app to help shopping decisions
- Central and East Europe Report Package
- Central America strategic sourcing review - a focus on Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras
- Southeast Asia strategic sourcing review – a focus on Cambodia, Vietnam and Myanmar
- REPORT BUNDLE: Africa-Med, Southeast Asia and Central America strategic sourcing pack
- When Things Go Wrong - A Practical Guide to Managing Common Problems in Apparel Sourcing


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Latest Anti-inflammatory Stories
A new “trick” steroids use to suppress inflammation, which could be used to make new anti-inflammatory drugs without the harmful side effects of steroids, has been discovered by researchers
Privately-held Rogne Biosciences plans to develop the first topical biologic, a peptide-based skin treatment for patients with psoriasis, derived from a protein which occurs naturally in the body.
Pro-inflammatory foods include fried foods, sodas, refined carbohydrates, and red meat.
MADISON, Tenn., June 3, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- More and more athletes seeking optimal performance are saying "no" to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and switching to safe, non-toxic AminoActiv®
MADISON, Tenn., May 15, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- No matter how diligently one applies sunscreen, summer almost inevitably means
Health Nutrition News has released a new video reviewing what ingredients the best supplements for joint pain and inflammation have and why to look for one containing a specific natural antioxidant.
There have been great expectations regarding the production of a drug to block the enzyme LTA4 hydrolase, which plays a key role in the body's inflammatory response.
Health Nutrition News discusses how choosing the right natural anti-inflammatory diet foods and adding essential omega-3 fatty acids daily will help fight toxic inflammation overload.
Sharon Parmet, University of Illinois at Chicago Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago have developed a system for precisely delivering anti-inflammatory drugs to immune cells gone out of control, while sparing their well-behaved counterparts. Their findings were published online Feb. 23 in Nature Nanotechnology. The system uses nanoparticles made of tiny bits of protein designed to bind to unique receptors found only on neutrophils, a type of immune cell engaged in...
A new report reveals the 15 best anti-inflammatory foods and 15 of the worst foods that can cause several health problems. Boston, MA (PRWEB) February 07, 2014
- A young chicken: also used as a pet name for children.


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Groceries For Memorial Day Gatherings Get Highest Consideration
Consumers will search for deals during Memorial Day weekend much as they have in the past despite higher prices and a faltering economy. Not all plan to shop, but those who do will focus on essentials.
Groceries for a Memorial Day gathering will get the highest consideration among consumers. Some 72% said they plan to purchase groceries during the Memorial Day weekend, followed by 57% cited clothing, and 33% said electronics, according to Suzy, a consumer insights platform.
When survey participants were asked when they plan to do the majority of Memorial Day shopping, 51% said they do not plan to shop for Memorial Day, while 18% said they will shop during the week or weekend of Memorial Day, while 9% will shop the third week in May, 12% the second week in May, and 9% the first week in May.
The research — which did not provide a clear methodology such as how many people participated in the survey — shows that 74% of consumers said they will search for deals, compared with 26% who will not.
Some 80% of consumers said they will search for sales on Memorial Day essentials through in-store discounts, coupons and special offers. About 61% said they would rely on grocery stores and big-box retail memberships like Walmart+ and Kroger for the best prices. Half will rely on rewards programs for discounts, and 34% bulk or discount options.
About 53% of consumers participating in a survey said they will either purchase much less or slightly less during the weekend, according to data released this week.
When asked to cite the biggest concern with regard to shopping this Memorial Day, 38% said their desired products will be too expensive and 24% said the products they want will be out of stock. About 39% said they had no concerns.
In-store promotions will influence 74% of consumers to make a purchase during the holiday weekend, according to the data. Coupons at 57% follow, with recommendation at 42% close behind. Social media ads will influence 37% of consumers participating in the survey, and 35% said in-store displays and advertisements will influence them. TV advertisements got a mere 24% of the vote.


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- Daily Zen
There’s an old saying, it’s the best time to strike an enemy when they are at the weakest. Samsung, probably, has taken the thought into consideration as a chunk of strategic advice when it comes to surpassing Apple to take the throne of global smartphone leader. If you’ve followed Samsung sales report recently, then you’re probably aware of the critical success, which has graced the company following the release of Samsung Galaxy S7 and Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge.
Well, apart from returning the old fame as the smartphone leader, the strong success has started to boost its finances. Yes, the Korean multinational smartphone manufacturer has nailed it this time. A massive momentum has been established and the sale for Samsung Galaxy S7 lineup is certainly going be at the top of the world this quarter. And, of course, the next in line by the flagship, Galaxy Note 6, is gearing to rule the next quarter, unless its archenemy Apple comes up with a brilliant strategy.
Let’s just say that Apple is struggling like never before this year. Despite the launch of a high-end lineup of the iOS flagship, the Apple sales report is highly upsetting. This March, Apple revived the 4-inch model, iPhone SE, by adding the high-end features, but the model failed to perform as per the expectation in the smartphone market. More importantly, the ascendancy of Android-based smartphone leader, Samsung, is kicking in just when Cupertino, California-based iOS king lands into one of the roughest periods of the decade.
In 2014, the launch of iPhone 6 shook the profit center of Korean smartphone maker so badly that the Samsung sales report saw a drop of 73.9% in the mobile profits the following year. Also, the flop model, Galaxy S6, added more to the misery of Samsung and crashed the fame of Android-based smartphone leader almost to the ground.
Since then, the company has struggled hard to bring progress back like its previous profits in the smartphone business. The overall profits are merely 68% of what Samsung had earned in the second quarter of 2014, but the smartphones manufactured by the company involves only a little contribution. That’s correct, the immense success of latest S7 family release has very little to do with the stability. The major operating profit arrives from Samsung Electronics division, as it reports 6.68 trillion while the Samsung sales report for mobile division reports operating profit of 3.89 trillion.
The Apple sales report suggests that overall operating reports for the company this quarter has been $13.987 billion (23.5% down from the previous year’s same quarter). But the good thing is, despite the rough patch through which Apple is struggling due to the drop in iPhone, Mac, and iPad sales, Samsung IM is making only 24% of iOS giant’s operating profit, even if it’s trading 60% more phones. Samsung shipped 81.9M smartphones as compared to 51.2M iPhones shipped by Apple.
So, Apple is not the only one struggling. In 2016’s first quarter, Korean smartphone giant shipped 81.9M smartphones, down from 82.4M in last year’s same quarter. In fact, the decline for Samsung would’ve been larger had it not released the championing flagship lineup, Samsung Galaxy S7, and Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge. The launch of new smartphone resulted in a vigorous sale during March.
According to Apple sales report, the iPhone sales witnessed a massive drop of 51.2M from last year’s 61.2M sales in the same quarter of previous year. Tim Cook’s company was hit by smartphone sales debacle due to lack of fresh features in its iPhone lineup 6S and 6S Plus. It dissuaded major iPhone users from upgrading.
If we look at the current quarter, Apple has performed well in the land of dragons. The iPhone maker has strengthened its grip on the high-end smartphone economy in mainland China. In March, a report showed, merely a day after Apple reported its growing sales number in China for the quarter, the investors and shareholders were sent into a tailspin.
Apple saw a hike in its on-quarter share of the market by 0.94% for mobile devices priced $308 (2,000 Yuan) and above from the beginning of the year to the end of March 2016. The share increase for Apple from January to March is much lower than the first quarter of 2015 in China where the company added additional 2% market share. Generally, the addition of low market share results into lower sales. Of course, this doesn’t mean that iOS giant is not performing well in China. The Chinese market still remains a hot spot for iPhone, where iOS devices are the ultimate choices for premium smart device users. Apple performance has been best in tier 1 cities of China, a place where consumers are more concerned about the ‘style and premium quality’.
For global market share except China, well, we do not know when exactly the miseries of Apple will arrive at an end. For some time now, we’re bound to hear ‘Samsung beats Apple’ or Samsung is back at its throne as smartphone leader, but will Samsung continue with its current track? Only time will tell.


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Alpa Lally of Experian – Life’s milestones leveling your credit score? Here’s how you build it back up
The Housing News Podcast is a weekly wrap of the top news stories.
Each week, Jacob Gaffney interviews financial services experts who can make sense of the latest headlines, sponsored by our partners at Blend.
This week, Gaffney interviews Alpa Lally, Experian’s vice president of data business at consumer information services. In an engaging conversation, Gaffney and Lally sit down to discuss the best ways consumers can improve their credit scores.
Lally speaks personally about the impact of having a limited credit history and how new forms of data streams can improve access to credit for consumers, giving lenders a clearer picture of consumer creditworthiness and risk. As an American immigrant, Lally brings listeners a unique perspective from within the credit reporting services.


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In July 1995, a book retailer went online. Based in a garage in Seattle, the company's early logo touted itself as "Earth's biggest bookstore." The original name for the company was to have been "Cadabra," but when Jeff Bezos' lawyer thought he said, "cadaver", the name "Amazon" was chosen instead, not only to suggest scale, but also because the word "Amazon" would come up early in alphabetized website listings.
In 1998, Amazon expanded into selling CDs and DVDs and in 1999 Amazon added toys and electronics to its offerings. After that came more and more products, retailers, and customers, as well as becoming a marketplace for vendors, a technology support facility for other businesses, and much more.
Amazon grew and prospered, selling products from "A to Z", with a smiley logo, while becoming more and more competitive with other established retailers, not only on ecommerce price comparisons, but on convenience, product availability, speedy, efficient service and delivery.
Since "Ideas are very encouraged" at Amazon, hardly a week goes by without a new Amazon experimental foray. Over the years we've seen Amazon lockers, same-day delivery, drone delivery, a dirigible-based warehouse, Amazon Fire phone, private label products, entry into the food business, plus dozens and dozens of other ideas we don't hear about or that don't turn into reality.
This week, however, the media were abuzz about Amazon's latest innovation: Stores! How's that for chutzpah? Like a python, Amazon continues to squeeze the breath (and life) out of many stores -- and now... Amazon wants to open stores... to cover some of the last products for which physical stores are needed: Appliances, furniture, food -- i.e. items that the customer still feels a need to have nearby, to touch, taste, envision in their home, or try on before buying.
The New York Times article: "Amazon's Ambitions Unboxed: Stores for Furniture, Appliances, and More" (whose URL reads: Amazon-wants-to-crush-your-store-with-its-technology-might) said, "The stores would serve as showcases where people could view the items in person, with orders being delivered to their homes," according to an anonymous source quoted in the article.
Strategy and management consultant, Randy Burt, said, in the NYT article: "The ability to create experiences is going to be critical for them (Amazon) to continue to get share ... I think they are recognizing, for certain things you can't digitize and replicate online all the experience one has in a store."
It's not as if Amazon doesn't already have a king's ransom of the online market share: Right now the figures show: With regard to overall retail ecommerce sales growth in 2016, Amazon garnered 53 percent of the internet sales, and other retailers COMBINED garnered 47 percent. (Bloomberg, America's Retailers Are Closing Stores Faster Than Ever (whose URL reads: "...stores-are-closing-at-a-record-pace-as-amazon-chews-up-retailers").
The NYT article (Amazon's Ambitions Unboxed) also talked about Amazon opening stores with concepts similar to Apple's, emphasizing Amazon's services and devices such as Echo smart home speaker and Prime Video streaming service.
Groceries represent another huge area that Amazon would like to conquer, with easy pick ups, quick deliveries, and automatic checkouts (using sensors and artificial intelligence). A related piece of news has it that Amazon is planning to open online and physical food stores in India.
Amazon's effect on (lost) sales and value has many retailers rushing to reduce their store footprints, increase their presence on the internet, or just go out of business. Retailers experiencing these options these days include Sears Holdings Corp., Macy's Inc., Payless Inc., HHGregg Inc., Gordmans Stores Inc., Gander Mountain, RadioShack, and many, many more.
Still, according to Cowen & Co. analyst, Oliver Chen (in the Bloomberg article), the Class A (high end) malls continue to thrive. One factor in defining a mall's classification as either A, B, C or D, is the sales-per-square foot that their in-line tenants generate.
"Class A malls, also known as fortress mails, which are able to attract premier tenants, have performed well from both a fundamentals and valuation perspective... Successful Class A malls are often located in high-income, heavily trafficked areas, and bank on upscale clothing and technology tenants (like Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, and Apple) that only cater to a subset of the population to drive foot traffic and sales. Additionally, Class A malls tend to be destination properties with an entertainment component not easily replicated online. (For Elite Class A Malls, It’s Good to be King and “These Malls Didn’t Get the Memo They’re Dying.”)
Chen says, Retailers should “refocus on customers.” According to Cowen research, most Americans continue to do shopping in person... Customers prefer physical stores 75 percent of the time. “Management needs to be fixated on speed of delivery, speed of supply chain, and be able to test read and react to new and emerging trends.”
The key is creating the right experience, whether it’s online or off. But how can a retailer focus on customers when it's just one major facet of the fight of their lives to stay in business?
Another negative of Amazon's latest foray into physical stores is loss of jobs for the retailers who downsize, go out of business, or focus on re-emerging as e-commerce brands. Either way, the more automation used, the more employees that will lose their jobs.
We don't know how this story ends, but it is an evolutionary, revolutionary tale, probably accompanied by a lot of antacid consumption in retail boardrooms these days.
"Stores, as we know them, have disappeared... It's not cyclical, it's secular," said a retail expert in a Bloomberg video.
Upstream Commerce blog posts about Amazon:
"Yesterday Shipping": How Retailers Are Fighting Amazon For Same-Day-Delivery Success (Humorous Video)


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You Searched For "Sanjay Bhatia"
21 March 2022 12:45 PM GMT
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TIKD LICENSURE Tikd, a startup phone app, has been ordered by the Florida Supreme Court to answer the Florida Bar allegation that it is practicing law without a license. The app allows you to upload traffic tickets in less than two minutes with the company assuming all responsibility and guaranteeing drivers will receive no points on their license or they are issued a full refund.
ESTATE RELATIONSHIP After years of uncertainty, the Florida Supreme Court has clarified that the attorney-client relationship in estate cases rests between the attorney and the fiduciary of the estate, rather than between the attorney and the beneficiary.
FRONT YARD GARDENS The Florida Supreme Court has elected to not hear an appeal of a case against the Village of Miami Shores which had passed an ordinance prohibiting the cultivation of a garden in the front yards of residential homes. A resident filed suit against it, but two courts ruled in favor of the Village. The City of Orlando currently allows such gardens in residential neighborhoods.
THE BEATLES COPYRIGHTS Apple Corps Ltd., the holding company for The Beatles trademarks, has filed a $100 million lawsuit seeking damages from 50 online retailers. The suit alleges these companies are selling counterfeit goods using Apple Corps trademarks.


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The hot and heavy three-way battle among Porsche, Audi and Toyota in the LeMans Prototype One race class just got a lot steamier. Nissan just pulled back the silk sheets on its contender to World Endurance Championship racing: the 2015 Nissan GT-R LM NISMO.
And boy does it go its own way to achieving massive speed and impact, while sticking to the very expansive fuel usage rules of LeMans racing.
The biggest shocker is not that it is a hybrid twin-turbo-charged V6 making 1250-horsepower. It shocks with where that engine sits, and where it delivers its power.
The engine lives in front and drives the front wheels exclusively.
A kinetic energy recovery system dubbed ERS is able to deploy massive pace boosts from harvesting power from brake heat and drivetrain friction, and this extra electric shove also appears to go to the front of the big Nissan.
We may be mistaken, but this could be first-ever front-drive LMP1 car. For nearly five decades, the template of all entries has been mid-engine and rear or, recently, AWD.
There may be a method to the Nissan GT-R LM NISMO’s madness, however, with staggered tire sizes making the front rubber nearly five inches wider than the rears: 14-inches plays 9-inches in back. This makes sense with the enormous stresses put on the front wheels to handle braking, steering and now also power delivery and energy recovery.
The style of the new LMP1 contender is similarly otherworldly. It is a pronounced long-nose design, with a mini bubble cockpit three-quarters of the way back and a tiny tail with the latest aero wings in place.
It is exciting to see Nissan take such a bold leap of faith to enter LMP1 at all, and doing so with this outrageous drivetrain makes it even more intriguing.
Track time will tell how the new GT-R LM Nismo fares on the track versus the killer Audi and Toyota teams, as wells as the Porsche 919 Hybrid — with is back this year with subtle changes but the same V-4 turbo gasoline engines that failed mid-way through the 2014 race.
Whatever happens, and all suggestive entendres aside, it will be an extra exciting LeMans and WEC season this year with the phallic Nissan thrusting for glory in this new four-way race to the title.
2015 Nissan GT-R LM NISMO
NISSAN GT-R LM NISMO
Nissan VRX 30A NISMO: 3.0 litre, 60 degree V6, direct injection gasoline twin-turbo
5-speed + reverse sequential gearbox with pneumatic paddle shift system. Epicyclic final drive reduction with hydraulic limited slip differential
Tilton 4-plate carbon clutch assembly
FIA Homologated weight: 880 kg. Right-hand driving position
68 litre capacity FT3 fuel tank featuring electric lift and feed pumps. ERS housed ahead and beneath driver’s feet in self-contained module.
Carbon-composite body panels. Polycarbonate windscreen with hard coating CFD and full scale wind tunnel developed ultra high efficiency bodywork geometry, adjustable rear wing.
Penske dampers with four-way adjustment front and rear, hydraulic rear anti-roll bar system.
6-piston front and 4-piston rear calipers. NISMO Brake-by-Wire active brake ERS blending. Driver adjustable brake bias.
BBS centre-lock, magnesium forged 16”x13” front and 16”x9” rear
Michelin 31/71-16 front, 20/71-16 rear radials
Cosworth engine control unit featuring: Engine control, gearbox control; Driver adjustable traction control, Anti-lag system control, Brake-by-wire, lift-and-coast fuel conservation, Drive-by-wire throttle control and ERS deployment strategy control
NISMO 5-point harness Lifeline lightweight extinguisher system
Data / display system
Cosworth Electronics with NISMO steering wheel mounted LCD
Minimum weight: 880kg
Full tank capacity: 68L
02 Feb 2015
Nissan: Taking on the best in the world
In 2015 Nissan will enter the Nissan GT-R LM NISMO into the full FIA World Endurance Championship, marking a return to the premier class at the Le Mans 24 Hours for the Japanese manufacturer. Nissan will challenge for victory with an innovative approach and with a truly exciting product that represents the next generation of the Nissan GT-R.
“We are excited to be going head-to-head with the best sports car racing manufacturers in the world,” commented Roel de Vries, Global Head of Marketing and Brand Strategy at Nissan. “LM P1 is a proving ground for technological innovation, especially when it comes to the power sources of the future. In 2014 three different manufacturers using three different powertrain combinations won races. If you ever needed proof that LM P1 is the sharp end, this is it.”
Nissan might have been absent from the top class at Le Mans for 16 years but the company has been very active in other categories, building an envied sports car ladder that runs from the new LM P3 category, through a world-beating engine supply programme in LM P2, and onto the top step to LM P1 via the ACO’s clever ‘Garage 56′ programme, a unique class at Le Mans reserved for innovative technology that falls outside of the normal regulations
“Our LM P3 engine supply programme is a new venture for us but if it is nearly as successful as our LM P2 programme we will be very proud of our achievements, said Shoichi Miyatani, President of NISMO. “Our LM P2 engine has powered teams to championship victories and class wins at Le Mans. Our Garage 56 projects have led us to LM P1 and the innovations that we have employed. Enormous lessons were learned from the very heavy hybridisation of the Nissan ZEOD RC and we’ve carried those lessons over into this project.”
LM P1 cars are the most extreme sports cars in racing today so, for Nissan and NISMO, the opportunity to innovate at the highest level could not be missed.
“These cars represent the pinnacle of current racing technology: huge energy recovery systems, super fuel-efficient engines and wild aerodynamics, creating extremely fast cars for their weight and endurance, said Nissan’s LM P1 Team Principal, Ben Bowlby. “These are 24-hour racing cars that cover practically a whole Formula One season in one Le Mans race. It’s a very different challenge to F1 and much more relevant to what’s going on in road cars. If you drive from say London to Edinburgh you expect the car to get through the miles and be fast, stable, comfortable and safe and provide the handling and grip you might need if you have to come off the motorway and take some back roads – that’s the sort of challenge that Le Mans represents. It’s all about having a fast, efficient and safe car.”
The FIA World Endurance Championship provides manufacturers with the opportunity to develop new technologies for its road car range. With energy-efficiency being the key, there is no greater test for technology than a 24-hour endurance race where the gap between first and second place can be a matter of seconds after 24 hours of racing.
“It is firmly our intention that technology developed on the LM P1 car will transfer to Nissan road cars,” said de Vries. “We are developing ultra-efficient V6 twin turbo of the configuration and lineage of the Nissan GT-R. This is a more efficient but equally powerful direct injection solution so it’s a potential forerunner to future GT-R engines. Also the kinetic energy recovery technology that we’re developing through racing could indeed have potential for future road car applications.”
Nissan is a global car manufacturer so it makes sense that the LM P1 programme is a truly global project.
“The car was built in the US and will complete its initial test programme there before moving to Europe for the start of the FIA World Endurance Championship season,” explained Miyatani. “Engineers and mechanics from Japan has been fully integrated into the programme and, just like any race team nowadays, we have selected our personnel from all over the world.”
Taking on the best in the world and competing to win is a daunting task for Nissan. The competition is well-established and the racing in the FIA World Endurance Championship is ultra-close but this is a challenge that Nissan has accepted and the Nissan NISMO team will fight to get onto the top step of the podium like it has never fought before.
“All I want is to be sure that the team did its best,” said Darren Cox, Global Head of Brand, Marketing & Sales, NISMO. “What we’re aiming for is to have executed to the best of our ability and that’s what we’re focusing on. There’s a lot we can’t control, for example, we don’t know where our rivals are going to be when we get to the first race. If we’ve all done our best I’ll be delighted and good results will come if we continue to do our best. So our goals and targets are simply to do our best. I think that, as a group, our best will lead to some great results.”
Tom Burkart is the founder and managing editor of Car-Revs-Daily.com, an innovative and rapidly-expanding automotive news magazine.
He holds a Journalism JBA degree from the University of Wisconsin – Madison. Tom currently resides in Charleston, South Carolina with his two amazing dogs, Drake and Tank.
Mr. Burkart is available for all questions and concerns by email Tom(at)car-revs-daily.com.


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South Korea will on Thursday release final Q3 figures for gross domestic product, highlighting a busy day for Asia-Pacific economic activity. In the previous three months, GDP was up 0.7 percent on quarter and 2.9 percent on year.
South Korea also will see November numbers for imports, exports and trade balance. Imports are expected to rise 0.2 percent on year, slowing from 9.9 percent in October. Exports are called lower by an annual 11.0 percent after shrinking 5.7 percent in the previous month. The trade deficit is pegged at $4.42 billion following the $6.7 billion shortfall a month earlier.
Japan will provide Q3 figures for capital expenditure and November results for its consumer confidence index. In Q2, capex was up 4.6 percent on year, while the consumer confidence index had a score of 29.9 in October.
Australia will see November numbers for commodity prices and Q3 figures for capital expenditure. Commodity prices in October surged 22.4 percent on year, while capex is expected to rise 1.5 percent on quarter after slipping 0.3 percent in the three months prior.
Hong Kong will provide October data for retail sales; in September, sales were down 1.5 percent on year.
Indonesia will release November numbers for consumer prices, with forecasts suggesting an increase of 0.16 percent on month and 5.5 percent on year following the 0.11 percent monthly decline and the 5.71 percent annual increase in October. Core CPI is tipped to rise 3.4 percent on year, up from 3.31 percent a month earlier.
Finally, a number of the regional countries will see November results for their respective manufacturing PMIs from S&P Global, including Australia, China (Caixin), Indonesia, Japan (Jibun), Malaysia, the Philippines, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.


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Slightly fewer vacant stores despite coronavirus
While physical stores had a hard time during the coronavirus lockdowns, the vacancy rate of stores in the Netherlands actually decreased slightly. At the start of of this year, 7.5 percent of retail properties were empty. In August that decreased to 7.2 percent - even less than the 7.4 percent vacancy in pre-pandemic March 2020, data from Locatus showed, NOS reports.
On August 1, there were 600 fewer empty retail properties than on January 1. This may be explained by the government's coronavirus support packages keeping struggling businesses afloat. But there are major differences between the different shopping areas, Locatus said.
Shops that provide daily groceries remained relatively untouched by the pandemic restrictions. "In fact, due to the closure of the catering industry, many supermarkets and specialty stores experienced significant turnover growth," Gertjan Slob of Locatus said to NOS. Shopping areas that mainly focus on daily shopping saw the vacancy rate drop from 9.1 percent in January to 8.4 percent now. Furniture and do-it-yourself stores also did well during the lockdowns, resulting in the vacancy rate on furniture boulevards dropping from 6.7 to 6.3 percent.
The 17 large city centers, on the other hand, saw their vacancy rate increase from 7.9 percent to 8.3 percent. "Before corona, these centers did relatively well. But the increase in online purchases, avoidance of crowded places, and the absence of foreign tourists is now felt the hardest here," Slob said to the broadcaster. He expects that the pandemic will be a game changer for the large city centers. "Despite the high number of vaccinated people, we don't seem to be rid of corona for the time being. When people go shopping now, they prefer to stay close to home, in a place where it is not too busy and where they can get to with their own transport."


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SHARM EL SHEIKH: Improving cold chains in the production and distribution of food in the developing world is "essential" in fighting climate change and world hunger, said a UN report issued Saturday.
More efficient refrigeration would prevent food waste and boost revenues for small farmers, according to the report by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the UN Environment Programme.
"Most developing countries suffer from lacking refrigeration, particularly in rural areas," said Zitouni Ould-Dada, deputy director of the FAO.
Improving the food cold chain has "great potential", he told AFP at the COP27 climate summit in Egypt.
According to the joint report, "developing countries could save 144 million tonnes of food annually if they reached the same level of food cold chain as developed countries."
More than 800 million people are affected by hunger worldwide, while an estimated 14% of all food is lost before reaching the consumer, the report noted, citing the lack of efficient cold chains as a major cause.
Limiting food losses would cut greenhouse gas emissions, the report said, by reducing emissions of the potent planet-warming methane in the agriculture sector.
In 2017, emissions linked to a lack of refrigeration totalled one gigatonne of CO2, according to the UN report — about 2% of all greenhouse gas emissions that year.
A "positive" outcome for the climate depends on ensuring any new infrastructure is energy efficient and relies on renewables, the report stressed.
Better refrigeration "has benefits not only for the environment but also for farmers´ revenues", allowing them to store produce for longer before using or selling it, said Ould-Dada.
The authors of the report mention several successful cases of improved cold chains.
Nigerian initiative ColdHubs, for example, has created 54 solar-powered refrigeration rooms for farmers and retailers, saving more than 42,000 tonnes of food in 2020.
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Salvagers save home demolition leftovers from landfills
Published Monday, April 10, 2017 6:03PM PDT
Countless homes are being torn apart as a byproducts of a red-hot housing market, and some of the leftover materials are being dumped into Lower Mainland landfills.
But salvaging businesses aim to change the amount of items that end up at the dump.
"We will see houses that were renovated immediately prior to being sold, and the new owners come in, buy the property, demolish everything," said Wade Schmirler.
Schmirler, who works at Surrey New and Used Building Materials, says that although six municipalities in the area have recycling requirements for demolitions, there are many challenges facing the industry.
"Lumber from deconstruction is very difficult to reuse, the challenge being that it's no longer certified and can't be used in new construction," he said.
"The price of new material is cheaper now than it was 20 years ago."
Schmirler is pushing for taxes to be dropped on salvaged items to encourage those doing renovations to consider recycled options before buying brand new.
Wood makes up the majority of construction and demolition waste seen at the Vancouver landfill, and a recent audit suggests that the amount has increased.
Salvaged materials are a key source of funding for Habitat for Humanity, according to deconstruction manager Christina Radvak.
Habitat runs several "ReStores" around the Lower Mainland, where consumers can purchase everything from doors and windows to kitchen cabinets, bathtubs and light fixtures. Many of the items are removed from homes during renovations and demolitions.
"It's really unfortunate to hear about how waste is still going to the landfill," Radvak said.
But wood is actually a good seller for the organization.
"We can provide tax receipts for that material and when you get old lumber, old growth wood that you can't get any more then the value goes through the roof," she said.
Metro Vancouver's Solid Waste Services Department says more cities are considering recycling regulations, a shift they hope will keep the byproduct of a busy real estate market from becoming junk.
With a report from CTV Vancouver's Maria Weisgarber