text:
Probe closed into raid carried out as helpless boss watched on CCTV
- Credit: Archant
A raid at an internet firm which unfolded on CCTV in front of a helpless business owner after thieves had made “man-sized” holes in the roof has been closed.
Martin Loades, general manager of Anglian Internet, went “cold inside” as he watched the raid on his phone after the burglars triggered the alarm system, which automatically alerted him.
The thieves stole at least 20 high-value laptops and other equipment during the raid at the firm .
It was one of four businesses on Wendover Road, Rackheath, which was hit by the criminals sometime between March 18 and March 19 this year.
Police were contacted and had been looking into the raids.
You may also want to watch:
But a spokesman for Norfolk Police said: “The investigation has been closed pending further investigative opportunities.
“Anyone with information regarding this crime should contact police on 101 quoting crime reference 36/19827/20.”
- 1 'Too close to home': Neighbours' shock as body found at Mousehold Heath
- 2 Which? warning to avoid sun cream brand for children
- 3 Poultry company owner says food industry is at 'crisis point'
- 4 Chicken restaurant closes 'due to unforeseen circumstances'
- 5 Lifeboat crew rescues three girls out to sea on lilos
- 6 Noise investigation launched after works leave houses 'tremoring'
- 7 What are the top 10 new shops opening in Norwich?
- 8 New beauty salon and massage rooms open at country club
- 9 'Like an invasion' - locals speak out over five-day festival
- 10 'Cold and desolate' - Anne Robinson's Countdown jibe at Norfolk


text:
Just when you thought Star Wars robots and figurines couldn't get any better, they did. One man built the ultimate accessory for any Star Wars fan: A life-sized, ful...
The loose-knit confederation of internet activists who organise under the banner "Anonymous" appeared to hit Australia again this morning, with Operation Payback targeting a distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack against the Australian Federatio...
Mobile printing has never been easier. For a busy office, reliable and easy-to-use tools are essential. Samsung's latest smart printers are equipped for wireless printing from mobile devices. Find out more about what is all about.
Draft legislation from the U.S. Congress would create a new network neutrality law but would prohibit the U.S. Federal Communications Commission from making its own rules prohibiting broadband providers from selectively slowing Web traffic.
A server with 800 processor cores could ship next year with Tilera's next-generation 100-core chips inside, a company executive said Monday.
Seeking to distance itself even further from Microsoft, the CodePlex Foundation has officially changed its name to the Outercurve Foundation, the company announced Tuesday.
The Apple Peel 520, a Chinese-developed product that drew the media's attention for being able to turn an iPod Touch into an iPhone-like device, is coming to America.
Sony Ericsson has unveiled a remote control with a 1.3-inch screen that will allow Android smartphone users to view Facebook and Twitter updates and control their phone's music player.
Some developers of the OpenOffice.org desktop productivity suite announced a break from Oracle on Tuesday, introducing a new name for the project and establishing a new foundation to guide its future.
Nokia's market share in India dropped to 36 percent in the second quarter from 56 percent in the same period last year, reflecting the growing share of Chinese and Indian vendors of low-end mobile phones, according to research firm IDC India.
A U.K. company is seeking to displace penetration testing companies with an appliance and software that can frequently test whether security devices are catching bad network traffic and exploits.
The word on everyone’s lips for the past week has been ‘BlackBerry’, for good reason(s).
Look out, Apple. BlackBerry maker Research in Motion (RIM) is now in the tablet business.
While declining to discuss rumors of a planned pad computer, Research In Motion (RIM)  did roll out on Monday a Web-based application development platform for its BlackBerry smartphone, complementing the existing native development paradigm.
Research in Motion's tablet is not the BlackPad, but the BlackBerry PlayBook, a 7-inch rival to Apple's iPad and Samsung's Galaxy Tab. The tablet will ship "early 2011" according to RIM and sports some impressive specs including support for dual-proc...
Writing applications for devices like tablets and smartphones could become more challenging as CPUs and hardware accelerators are added to mobile chips, experts agreed at a processor conference on Monday.
Latest News Articles
- IBM aims to disrupt supercomputing market with cloud enticements
- Arrests made after international cyber-ring targets StubHub
- Low-cost Android tablets to get 4K video with Allwinner 64-bit chip
- UK government adopts ODF for document exchange with citizens and suppliers
- Dutch spy agencies can receive NSA data, court rules
Most Popular Articles
- 1 What does an NBN connection look like in a new home?
- 2 Buying guide: Ovens, cooktops and freestanding cookers (upright ranges)
- 3 The most disturbing YouTube videos of all time
- 4 Tethering tutorial: How to use your iPhone as a modem
- 5 How to connect your iPhone to your TV
GGG Evaluation Team
First impression on unpacking the Q702 test unit was the solid feel and clean, minimalist styling.
For work use, Microsoft Word and Excel programs pre-installed on the device are adequate for preparing short documents.
The Fujitsu LifeBook UH574 allowed for great mobility without being obnoxiously heavy or clunky. Its twelve hours of battery life did not disappoint.
The screen was particularly good. It is bright and visible from most angles, however heat is an issue, particularly around the Windows button on the front, and on the back where the battery housing is located.
My first impression after unboxing the Q702 is that it is a nice looking unit. Styling is somewhat minimalist but very effective. The tablet part, once detached, has a nice weight, and no buttons or switches are located in awkward or intrusive positions.

domain: news


text:
One of the latest volleys in the multibillion-dollar fast food wars started with a late night on Karan Suri’s TikTok.
A&W’s director of menu development was scrolling his phone when he came across the “pickle girl” trend that was making the rounds last year, with women (and one very loud and adorable three-year-old) showing their love for preserved cucumbers.
By the next morning, he was mixing up different pickle-based sauces in the burger chain’s test kitchen in North Vancouver. Five weeks later, he’d nailed down a recipe that formed the bedrock of last summer’s A&W spicy dill burger.
“Our supplier … nailed it in the first go,” said Suri, standing in the test kitchen in mid-March, noting that the five weeks from idea to product was a record for him.
Pressure to shake it up
While much of the industry’s appeal comes from its familiarity, fast food brands also face pressure to shake up their menus in response to growing competition and changing consumer tastes.
Often, this process begins with rolling out a new limited-time offer, which brands hope will generate buzz and, if they’re lucky, inspire McRib or pumpkin spice latte levels of devotion.
It’s a high stakes game for the $42.6-billion fast food industry.
While fast food joints have fared well amid inflation, the industry’s growth is starting to slow while the number of competitors continues to rise, according to the retail analytics firm Circana, and staying relevant is key to staying in the game.
Art vs. science
Stepping into the A&W test kitchen is like walking into a supersized version of a fast food kitchen, with about 10 times the equipment. Different restaurants have different grills and fryers, so the space needs an unusual abundance of gear to make sure recipes work the same no matter where they’re rolled out.
On a recent visit, the space was meticulously clean and notably aroma-free.
It’s here that Suri — who previously worked at luxury hotels in India, Kenya and the United Arab Emirates — along with his team, try to figure out what the next thing is that customers will want to eat. It’s a process that’s both a science and an art.
Though Suri got his pickle sauce in five weeks, developing recipes can in some cases take years. A Nashville chicken glaze went through 57 different variations before the team hit upon a version that could be mass produced and stay shelf-stable inside a hot restaurant kitchen.
“It needs to be to work in those very, very tough kitchen environments,” said David Ioi, Suri’s copilot in the test kitchen and a food scientist.
A&W gets reams of data from its forecasters and suppliers about what flavours are popular now and which ones are expected to take off in the years ahead.
From menu hack to menu item
It also looks to consumers.
For the first time, the company introduced a new menu item this year based on a menu hack. A Mississauga franchise owner noticed customers from the South Asian community were buying hamburgers but substituting beef patties for hash browns.
“I’m from India and there’s a big, big population of vegetarian folks there,” said Suri. “They don’t eat meat, don’t eat chicken — but we have hash browns.”
Shifting demographics are a key part of why restaurants mix up their menus in the first place.
“A lot of these new immigrants, they are your guests now — they come with their own flavours and their own cultures and their own cuisines,” said Suri.
Smaller, globally inspired chains compete for dollars
Vince Sgabellone, food service industry analyst for Circana Canada, said the traditional burger chains find themselves competing against a greater number of fast food players with globally inspired cuisine — for instance, Osmow’s Shawarma, Thai Express and Roti Butter Chicken, he said.
And it’s not just fast food where that shift is happening, according to flavour expert Cecilia Pereyra.
From snack foods to drinks to desserts – some of the most popular flavours in North America right now have their roots in other parts of the world.
“Ginger, spicy honey, jerk flavours, miso, tahini, sesame seed flavours — those are all increasingly popular,” said Pereyra, global product marketer for International Flavours and Fragrances, a U.S.-based company that develops flavours for everything from multivitamins to potato chips.
Competition on the rise
For legacy brands, the trick is to marry new-to-them flavours with the familiar products they’re known for.
Adding a new seasoning or sauce to a mainstay, like a potato chip or hamburger, is a common way to do that — a concept known in the industry as “familiar discovery.”
Cost of Living8:18Fast food and “familiar discovery”
“‘Familiar discovery’ is the idea that we can give someone something reasonably familiar and then just put a layer of novelty over top of it that makes it new and interesting,” said Derek Vella, director of the University of Guelph Food Innovation Centre.
“[Customers] are more likely to buy it that way, more likely to enjoy it,” he said, pointing to the new iced yuzu drink at Tim Hortons as another example.
Inside the A&W test kitchen are about a half-dozen spicy sauces under development. They range from a Sichuan-style chili oil-based sauce to a Moroccan pepper aioli that features notes of cinnamon and coriander.
“In Canada spicy has just taken off in the last four years, and it’s not your traditional hot sauce spicy,” said Suri.
A&W has about 70 products in the works right now, though only a small number will make their way out of the test kitchen and into a test market — and only after extensive testing.
“A lot of the decisions we make … [are] based on data, from going into our supplier partners’ facilities and dialling in exactly how everything gets produced down to the millimetre, down to the gram,” said Ioi.
He estimates he’s cooked their limited-edition piri-piri burger about 500 times to ensure the cooking instructions are specific enough.
“Everything has to be very consistent and almost exactly the same.”
It’s time-consuming work, but industry analyst Sgabellone said there’s more of it happening.
During the pandemic many restaurants closed their test kitchens and pared their menus back to simplify and save money.
But as the world has opened up, brands are increasingly rolling out new menu items, whether they’re entirely new recipes or nostalgic re-releases.
“That wave of innovation is flooding back into the market right now,” he said.


text:
Smartairtrip.com offers the best discounts in the industry to the end consumer directly through its website.
Smartairtrip.com, an IATA approved B2B and B2C travel company, has just raised $10 million in an initial round of funding for 10 per cent equity in the company,raising its valuation to dollar 100 million.
“Apart from utilising these funds to enhance their technology, strike exclusive deals with airlines and hotels, operational expansion and marketing, Smartairtrip would also use the finance to pre-purchase hotel rooms exclusively and seats in various airlines, and would sign up exclusive deals,” said the press statement.
Smartairtrip, a part of Smart Trip Tour & Travels Pvt Ltd, is a New Delhi headquartered global travel company with presence in India, USA, UK, Canada, and Thailand. A B2B travel company, the company concentrates on offering exclusive deals to travel agents with rich airline and hotel content with the highest commissions in the travel industry.
Smartairtrip.com offers the best discounts in the industry to the end consumer directly through its website. No matter where you travel from they are able to beat any price offered by any travel portal.
The company is in the process of filing its prospectus for going public on the Bombay Stock Exchange and will list its ADRs on the NASDAQ stock exchange in the next financial year. Last year, the company had turnover of Rs. 36 crore and, this year, the company is expected to touch Rs. 200 crore, which is a 45 per cent growth.
The online travel portal is aggressively focusing on expanding its domestic agent network. It currently has 12,300 travel agents. Globally, it is focusing on signing off at least 50,000 travel agents, and is offering 1.5 per cent commissions in the domestic market space, which is much higher for travel agents as compared to other air and hotel consolidators in the domestic market.
“Smartairtrip will exclusively pre-purchase inventory of 5-star hotel properties globally to enhance profitability and will specially promote those properties in the online and B2B market space through various online meta search engines, television etc, added the press statement.


text:
Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Monday launched Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) in Tripura and also laid the foundation stone for a Rs 143 crore- grass-root Bottling plant in the state.
The proposed plant will have 60 thousand metric tonne per annum ( TMTPA) capacity-plant capacity and will be built on 40 acres of land in Budhjongnagar Industrial Park, Khayerpur . It is expected to be commissioned by June 2019.
This new plant will increase the LPG Bottling Capacity of Tripura from 21 TMTPA to 60 TMTPA, which will help cater to the rising demand of the green cooking fuel in the state.
Further, Capacity Augmentation of Silchar Bottling Plant (by 60 TMTPA) was also announced. The project is expected to be complete by December 2017 and will also aid in ensuring smooth supply of LPG Tripura.
While addressing the gathering on this occasion, Pradhan emphasized on the Narendra Modi government’s focus on ensuring adequate availability of essential petroleum products such as Petrol, Diesel and LPG to the people of Tripura.
Referring to the Indian Oil Bottling Plant at Bishalgarh which currently is meeting around one third of state’s LPG demand, Pradhan mentioned that the newly proposed Bottling plant at Budhjongnagar will be able to plug the gap between supply and demand in the state. He added that any further demand will be met through the capacity augmentation of Silchar Bottling Plant.
Elaborating on the ambitious plans of NDA government to improve upon petroleum infrastructure in state, the minister announced that Rs.550 Crores will be invested to increase Oil Tankage and Supply by augmenting the capacity of Dharmanagar Depot and other facilities in the state.
Pradhan also stated that 40 new LPG Distributors and 40 new Retail Outlets will added to bolster the product supply in the state. He added that the new LPG Distributorships and Retail Outlets would also contribute to job creation in the state.
In a symbolic launch of the PMUY in Tripura, Pradhan handed over connections to 20 beneficiaries from ‘Below Poverty Line’ (BPL) families.
This marked one more step in the direction of providing LPG connections during the three financial years commencing 2016-17 to 5 crore BPL families.
As on August 1, Tripura has 9.22 Lakh households with an LPG coverage of 48.9 per cent. The Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) would strive to achieve 100 per cent penetration in days to come. The OMCs will organise “Melas” and “Camps” at various locations for releasing connection to BPL families.
PMUY scheme provides assistance of Rs 1,600 to the woman beneficiary, comprising security deposit of 14.2 Kg cylinder and domestic pressure regulator; suraksha hose; domestic gas consumer card and installation charges.
In addition, the beneficiary will have the choice to avail EMI option to pay the cost of LPG Stove or first Installation or both. Cost of LPG Stove or availing loan on Refill or both are recovered on EMI basis by the OMCs from the subsidy amount due to the customer on purchase of each refill.
The scheme was launched by PM Narendra Modi on May 1 ,2016 in Balia, UP. It has given a fillip to the OMCs’ LPG business, spurring them to add bottling capacity.
Latest posts by Team EnergyInfraPost (see all)
- BHEL Net Profit up by 51%; 100% Dividend DeclaredRenewed Thrust on Diversification to Drive Next Wave of Growth - September 20, 2019
- Essar Shipping recognised by US Coast Guard’s AMVER Award Programme - August 29, 2019
- Robust Q1 ushers Essar Ports closer to 60 MT cargo handling target - August 22, 2019


text:
The Honda CR-V, Kia Cerato, Mazda CX-5 and Mitsubishi Pajero Sport and four of a list of 106 vehicles rated as the safest used car buys for sale in Australia.
The “Used Car Safety Ratings” list, compiled by the Monash University Accident Research Centre, provides a clear indication of which used vehicles are the safest to buy and will give maximum protection to you and your family.
It is a must-have guide for people on a budget needing a safe vehicle. It is also particularly timely given the approaching holiday season and the start of a used car buying spree ahead of the new year’s start of the school semesters which is traditionally a time when students — and their parents — usually hunt for a car to commute to school.
Monash University Accident Research Centre (MUARC) has just launched its guide that lists 106 used vehicles with a 5-Star overall safety rating.
The annual ratings come from MUARC’s real-world statistical analysis of more than nine million vehicles involved in police-reported crashes and 2.5 million injured road users in Australia and New Zealand between 1987 and 2021.
The ratings have now been expanded to focus on not only how a vehicle protects the driver, but also its impact on other road users in a crash and its crash avoidance technology.
Research lead and MUARC Director, Professor Stuart Newstead, said the enhanced scope of the ratings will empower consumers to make a safer choice.
“Serious road trauma resulting from the worst-rated car is more than ten times that of the best rated car in the same crash with the same driver,” he said.
“If we want to optimise the safety of the fleet, we have to be wary of not just how the vehicle protects you as the driver, but also the injury risk the vehicle poses to other road users.
“The change in focus of the Used Car Safety Ratings to consider the ‘Overall Safety’ rating reflecting serious trauma risk the vehicle poses to all road users is a significant step towards this holistic approach to road safety.”
MUARC has introduced a new “Overall Safety” star rating assigned to each vehicle model combines the scores for:
- Driver Safety: How well the vehicle protects its driver from being killed or seriously injured in a crash
- Other Road User Safety: How well the vehicle protects other drivers, pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists from being killed or seriously injured in a crash
- Crash Avoidance: The reduction in crash involvement risk resulting from the availability of proven crash avoidance technologies in the vehicle such as electronic stability control, autonomous emergency braking, lane keep assist, roll stability control and reversing cameras and sensors.
MUARC this year gave a five-star rating to 518 vehicle models. The ratings were for Overall Safety in addition to Driver Safety, Other Road User Safety and Crash Avoidance, with 1-star being the worst for safety and 5-stars indicating the top 20 per cent of vehicles for relative safety performance.
In its statement with the ratings guide, MUARC said the star rating applying to the 518 vehicles distills down to 106 vehicles that have been allocated a 5-star Overall Safety rating.
“Eighty-seven of those vehicles also scored 5-stars for Driver Safety and at least 3-stars for Other Road User Safety and Crash Avoidance and were awarded ‘Safer Pick’ status,” MUARC said.
Which are the ones that you should chose over others? The 20 Safer Pick vehicles selected by MUARC that received 5-stars in every category are (in alphabetical order):
- Audi A4/S4/RS4/AllRoad (MY 2008-2015)
- Honda CR-V (MY 2017-2021)
- Honda Odyssey (MY 2013-2021)
- Jeep Cherokee (MY 2014-2021)
- Kia Cerato (MY 2018-2021)
- Land Rover Range Rover Sport (MY 2005-2013)
- Mazda 3/Axela (MY 2013-2019)
- Mazda 6/Atenza (MY 2012-2021)
- Mazda CX-3 (MY 2015-2021)
- Mazda CX-5 (MY 2017-2021)
- Mazda CX-9 (MY 2016-2021)
- Mitsubishi Outlander (MY 2012-2021)
- Mitsubishi Pajero Sport (MY 2015-2021)
- Mercedes Benz E-Class W212/C207/A207 (MY 2009-2016)
- Subaru Impreza/XV (MY 2016-2021)
- Toyota C-HR (MY 2016-2021)
- Toyota Camry (MY 2017-2021)
- Toyota Corolla (MY 2018-2021)
- Toyota RAV4 (MY 2019-2021)
- Volkswagen Tiguan (MY 2016-2021)
“For motorists on a budget, the Used Car Safety Ratings 2023 show the affordability of each car, to making a safer choice, with more than half the ‘Safer Pick’ vehicles available second hand for less than $10,000, and all but two available for less than $25,000,” the MUARC report said.
The Used Car Safety Ratings 2023 also highlight the improvements in vehicle safety over the past 30 years.
“Most ‘Safer Pick’ vehicles have been manufactured since 2006, with data showing that on average, a vehicle manufactured in 2021 reduces the risk of road users being killed or seriously injured by 33 per cent compared to a vehicle manufactured in 2001,” it said.
“Additionally, newer vehicles provide reduced crash involvement risk through their range of crash avoidance technologies such as lane-keep assist, autonomous emergency braking, electronic stability control, roll-stability control, and reversing cameras and sensors.”
Finance your next car through Credit One, Australia's best rated finance broker - Get Your Free Quote


text:
Is it time for an Indian to occupy a board position on Suzuki, the Japanese auto major that virtually changed the landscape of the Indian car market and today sells more cars in India than any other market in the world? Shinzo Nakanishi, Maruti's MD & CEO and a man instrumental in getting the Japanese company form a JV with the Indian government in the early eighties, feels that the time is not far away."It has always been my dream to see an Indian on the board of Suzuki, and I hope it happens soon, in the coming years," Nakanishi, who is mself a member on the Japanese major's board, said as he prepares to hand over the reins of the Indian operations to Kenichi Ayukawa after attaining the age of retirement.
While Suzuki has always been a dominant force in India ever since its entry as JV in the eighties (the government has exited the venture), the tussle for control has been a contentious issue, the signs of which were first seen in the late nineties when Suzuki had a confrontation with the Indian government over the appointment of RSSLN Bhaskarudu as managing director. Nakanishi, however, said that with Maruti (now a subsidiary of Suzuki) playing a significant role in Suzuki's global operations, time is not far to see an Indian face on the global board. "There is no doubt that India will lead the growth for Suzuki globally."
Numbers support the argument. Maruti sells more cars in India than Suzuki sells in Japan. In 2011-12, Maruti sold 10.06 lakh units, nearly double of the 5.96 lakh units sold by Suzuki in Japan. The strength of the Indian operations can be seen from the fact that India contributes as much as 45% to Suzuki's overall global sales volumes and is expected to provide nearly a quarter to its revenues. And this is only getting bigger as Maruti expands production at current locations in Haryana and also sets up a new plant in Gujarat at a time when Suzuki struggles in a weak Japanese market.
However, Nakanishi's wish to see an Indian on the global board runs in stark contrast to the existing reality. The Japanese company has been reluctant to appoint Indians to board positions even when it comes to Maruti. Ever since the retirement of Jagdish Khattar as Managing Director in 2007, no Indian has been elevated to the board position at Maruti. Except for the independent directors on the board (who are Indians) and RC Bhargava, who is the non-executive chairman, no Indian has been given the leadership role on the company's board despite being the faces of the company in the market and being in-charge of key departments.
Refreshed Hyundai i20 Active Launched In India
All-New Honda Amaze Launched
New 2018 Hyundai Creta Variants And Features...
Maruti Suzuki Brezza Facelift With AGS AMT...
Switch Over To EVs SC Tells Carmakers
Rolls-Royce Cullinan Reveal On May 10
Toyota Yaris Delivery Begins 1000 Cars Find...
Summer Car Care Checklist
Check Out The UKs Answer To The Singer Porsche...
Be the first to get latest car news and updates. Click Allow


text:
Telfar Clemens, the fashion designer, is causing a stir in the fashion industry with his innovative pricing approach. Unlike most fashion brands that charge more for popular items, Clemens wants his customers to have a say in the price of his clothes.
To achieve this, the latest collection from his eponymous fashion label will feature a dynamic pricing tool on their website, ensuring that the most in-demand products sell at a lower price. The goal is to make his products more affordable and accessible to everyone.
Clemens has become one of the hottest names in fashion, and celebrities like Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez, Dua Lipa, and even Beyoncé are fans of his logo-embossed tote bags. Despite winning the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund in 2017 and showcasing his collections alongside Louis Vuitton and Givenchy at fashion weeks in Paris and Florence, Clemens has always been committed to affordability since launching his brand as a teenager in 2005.
He has previously partnered with brands that are perceived to be lowbrow, such as Kmart and White Castle. He even held an in-person shopping event at Rainbow, a store that specializes in selling trendy clothing at affordable prices in low-income neighborhoods. This pricing model is an extension of his ideology.
Clemens and his creative director, Babak Radboy, developed the pricing model while trying to figure out the prices for an upcoming collection. Radboy proposed a more reasonable and logical way to determine the cost of an item by assessing its popularity.
The label could then place more significant orders with the factory for future collections, negotiate a better price, and pass the savings to the customers. When customers visit the website, every item will be at the wholesale price, and the price will go up by a few dollars every second. If a product sells out in 10 seconds, that becomes its final price for future collections. The pricing model also helps to gather data about demand, such as how quickly products sell out and how much of each product to order in the future.
This model is the opposite of what we’ve come to expect from the fashion industry. Most brands start the season with their highest prices, then sell any extra inventory at a discount.
Telfar is starting with its lowest prices, which will rise over time. This dynamic pricing system will run on all new clothing drops through April 24.
This dynamic pricing model is a refreshing change from the traditional pricing approach taken by most fashion brands, which start the season with their highest prices and sell any remaining inventory at a discount. Telfar, on the other hand, starts with the lowest prices, which gradually rise over time. This pricing model will be in place for all new clothing releases until April 24.
Telfar Clemens’ revolutionary pricing model is a game-changer for the fashion industry. By allowing customers to have a say in the price of their clothes, he’s keeping affordability at the core of his brand. The pricing model is an experiment that will help Clemens and Radboy determine pricing for future collections while providing valuable data on demand. It’s a change that prioritizes the customer and makes popular items more accessible to everyone, regardless of their budget.


text:
While the online media landscape is highly fragmented , some in the advertising chain are beginning to piece to overcome the disparate ecosystem by taking advantage of platforms that put technology niceties in the background, says one vendor.
“We do see a lot of buyers that are buying in to that dream of complete cross-screen – buying video (across devices) and not buying ‘online video’ or buying ‘mobile video’ or buying ‘connected TV’. We have upward of 100 different brands using our technology to run full cross-screen (campaigns) without siloing on a specific device.”
He was interviewed at the BrightRoll Video Summit. You can find more coverage of the BrightRoll summit here.


text:
Quoted in Luxury Daily today! Account Executive at The O Group, Elizabeth Weinstein, offers her take on Salvatore Ferragamo’s new customization program for its men’s Driving shoe.
“While made-to-order services have always been a hallmark of brands in the luxury space, the level of customization has grown in recent years, bespoke services are no longer limited to Savile Row thanks to growing technology.
By allowing consumers to customize made-to-order products online, like the Driver and Vara Bow shoe, Ferragamo is further enhancing an already extraordinary retail experience and expanding their influence beyond physical retail.”
To read the article in full, and more of Elizabeth’s commentary, please visit Luxury Daily, “Ferragamo expands customization options via MTO Driver shoe“


text:
Lux Capital leads financing with participation from Fontinalis Partners; company founded by serial entrepreneurs Colin Guinn and Jeffrey DeCoux
AUSTIN, TX – Oct. 20, 2016 — Hangar, a software company specializing in autonomous data capture using drone technology, announced a $6.5 million Seed financing led by Lux Capital. Hangar will provide high-quality aerial data across multiple industries more consistently and affordably than ever before, utilizing a combination of advanced software and drone technology. This announcement comes immediately following the launch of the new Part 107 regulation for commercial drone use in the U.S., dramatically lowering the barrier for businesses to adopt aerial technology. Read More
Industry leading app suite for sophisticated autonomous control is acquired by aerial data company Hangar, founder to join team as Hangar CTO and co-founder.
Hangar, the Austin, TX based technology company developing an autonomous data capture ecosystem for drones, today announced it acquired Autoflight Logic, the maker of the most popular 3rd party flight automation software for DJI drones. Autoflight Logic boasts over 150k autonomous flights in over 190 countries flown using its ground control software. The software supports multiple popular drone platforms such as the Phantom 3, Phantom 4, Inspire and Matrice, and Autoflight Logic recently announced support for the brand new DJI Mavic. Autoflight software has enabled advanced drone operations that range from unmanned flights over Chernobyl to feature Hollywood filming, as well as thousands of commercial flights worldwide. Read More


text:
Psychological horror adventure Neverending Nightmares will be coming to PC and Ouya consoles on September 26.
In this game, which is reportedly inspired by developer Matt Gilgenbach's "real life mental illness," players will take on the role of a man trying to overcome his nightmares. Its sketchy, black-white-and-red art style pays tribute to horror artist Edward Gorey.
During launch week, Neverending Nightmares will be discounted to $13.50 on both Steam and Ouya.
Earlier this year, we named Neverending Nightmares as one of our 13 horror games to keep an eye on.
The $99 Ouya console was released last year; in our review, we felt it was promising but marred by some design missteps and a lack of content. Hopefully the addition of Neverending Nightmares to its repertoire will change that.
Katie Williams is a freelance writer and games journalist. She tweets at @desensitisation and hopes that one day, a bird will tweet back.


text:
Local electronics brand Walton showcased a wide range of products with the theme “Made in Bangladesh” at the Inter-Parliamentary Union assembly at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre in Dhaka, said the local election brand.
It displayed products like refrigerators, LED TV, air conditioners, electric switch-sockets and various LED lights. Walton said it was highly praised by foreign delegates who attended the event this week.
Bangladesh National Parliament, Ministry of Commerce and Export Promotion Bureau organised the exhibition of exportable goods. It also demonstrated development activities of the government to the foreign delegates.
IPU members praised Walton for its high standards products, perfect finishing and magnificent designs.
The foreign delegates were overwhelmed by knowing about the role of Walton in expanding the country’s technology-based products industry, creating nearly 32,000 employments..
Md Humayun Kabir, Executive Director (PR and Media) of Walton Group, said Walton products drew the eyes of the foreign delegates from the first day of the fair.


text:
Riffle NW, in the Pearl District, is losing a bartender to a world bartending competition next week in Rio de Janeiro. Ricky Gomez will be leaving for Brazil on Friday.
Last month, “Gomez bet out 20 other top bartenders at the U.S. finals of the Diageo beverage company’s World Class bartending competition,” according to OregonLive.
The competition consists of four parts. Gomez will be required to prepare a twist on a classic cocktail, give a presentation about a famous American icon, pair cocktails with food on the fly, and create a cocktail using an unknown ingredient in front of industry luminaries including Jim Meehan and Tony Abou-Ganim.
From New Orleans to Portland, Gomez moved to Portland in 2009. He started off receiving a job offer from Daniel Shoemaker at the Teardrop Cocktail Lounge. He is the first U.S. bartender to compete in the competition. The competition is four years old.
According to Oregon Live, Gomez plans to meet with local baristas to discuss including coffee in a cocktail for the Brazil competition. Gomez will also become the U.S. ambassador for Diageo brand’s reserve portfolio including spirits like Johnnie Walker whisky, Tanqueray 10 gin, and Ketel One vodka.


text:
"It's interesting that this app puts Microsoft on the iPad
--- potentially," Jack Gold, an analyst at J. Gold Associates, tells Computerworld. "MicroSkype takes a bite of the Apple."
By itself, the Skype video chat app for iPad might not be a big concern for Apple, though it does give Microsoft a foot into the Apple door, according to Gold. "In fact, the app could mean that Apple, in effect, will become a component of the Microsoft Windows Live suite that includes everything from IM to email," Computerworld writes. "Live is directly competitive to what Apple is doing," Gold added. "A further irony," Computerworld adds, "is that the Skype for iPad app would compete with Apple's own FaceTime video chat product, which works in Wi-Fi only. "


text:
Boris Maryanovsky has cruised to success with his business Street Machinery, which has been named the 2013 Small Business of the Year by the Euclid Chamber of Commerce.
Located at 25030 Lakeland Blvd. in Euclid, Street Machinery repairs, restores and customizes classic cars, and some later models, for customers from all over the country and even overseas.
“Restoring cars is something I have always wanted to do,” he said. “When we opened up we were a general repair shop.
“I always had my own classic cars, and people would always start asking if I would work on their (old cars),” he recalled. “At one point, the shop would have more old cars than modern cars.”
In addition to Street Machinery, Eaton-Euclid Site won the Euclid Chamber’s 2013 Large Business of the Year, Euclid Public Library was named 2013 Organization of the Year, Mike Tizzano won 2013 Business Person of the Year, Tom Cosgriff won 2013 Lifetime Achievement Award.
Meanwhile, Harold ‘Doc’ and June Daugherty, Euclid Boys League and Euclid Apartments won 2013 Bluestone Awards.
Maryanovsky started Street Machinery in 1993 after attending Brush High School in Lyndhurst.
The business first opened in Euclid, briefly moved to South Euclid, and came back to Euclid in 2003.
“We have grown leaps and bounds, we have set some trends ... and I think we are going to keep growing and growing,” he said. “We are unique. Even though we do everything, we specialize in a few certain markets, and that is what we become well known for.”
As far as a new trend, Maryanovsky said a patina finish, or a distressed, worn look, has become extremely popular.
“We build these cars that look like they have been pulled out of the desert, but we put everything new and modern in it,” he said.
One of the oldest cars Maryanovsky has worked on was 1923 Ford, and he said one of the biggest challenges to working on classic cars is locating parts.
“For some of the cars, they make every part. For instance, a 1957 Chevy, you can literally buy parts brand new to build one from scratch ... and not use one original 1957 Chevy part,” he said. “But on some of these vehicles there isn’t a lot of support as far as replacement parts so we have to find original ones and refurbish them.”
The company also develops and creates custom parts for classic vehicles.
Street Machinery has never won the Small Business of the Year award from the Euclid Chamber of Commerce.
“It’s a nice feeling to be recognized by the city,” he said.
Maryanovsky’s business, along with seven other Euclid businesses, organizations and people were honored at the 30th annual Taste of Euclid awards event March 27.


text:
Best Buy Embraces Smart Grid
Best Buy is making some moves to prepare for the rise of emerging smart-grid technologies, a company executive told the Web site GreenBiz.com this week.
The company's senior vice president for Emerging Business, Rick Rommel, told GreenBiz that in the coming years, the company plans to take its existing experience in "in-home systems sales, support and installation and apply it to the smart grid." The company has already started selling electronic bicycles in some stores, with more to come, and other electronic vehicles may soon follow.
Rommel also told the site that the company's Geek Squad unit will be a key part of the company's green strategy, as it seeks to attract green-minded customers.


text:
Rohan Marley, one of Bob’s many children, has had an interesting life. After a successful college football career at the University of Miami, he moved on to the Ottawa Rough Riders.
In 2009, he co-founded a Marley Coffee, a coffee plantation–all-organic, of course–up in Jamaica’s Blue Mountains. If you’ve ever had Blue Mountain coffee, you’ll know that it’s worth the expense.
The company went public in 2011 under the name Jammin’ Java Corp. Rohan is also behind the House of Marley headphones.
But back to the coffee plantation. Business Insider recently profiled Rohan’s coffee empire.
The son of legendary late musician Bob Marley started a coffee company in 2009 with only 52 acres of farmland in Jamaica and a stern warning to his farmers against using pesticides.”I said to them, ‘If you use any chemicals on this property, I will come and cut every tree down and you won’t have a farm,’” Rohan Marley, the founder and chairman of Marley Coffee, told Business Insider in an interview.Today, Marley Coffee is sold in thousands of stores worldwide. In North America, its biggest market, more than 8,800 stores will sell Marley Coffee this year, up from 300 stores a year ago, according to CEO Brent Toevs. The company is still small, however, with revenue of just $4.6 million in the nine months ending Oct. 31, 2013. That’s up from $1.4 million during the same period a year earlier.
Marley attributes the company’s recent growth to its sustainable farming practices, which he says were inspired by his father and his Rastafarian beliefs.


text:
We still have some time left to go until U.S. Polo Assn.’s Black Friday sale arrives. But you can scroll down the page to check out the details from last year’s sale to get an idea of what’s likely to come. All updates and a copy of their Black Friday ad will be posted here the moment we know more — Check back again soon or join our newsletter and we’ll keep you informed directly in your inbox.
What are you planning on buying at U.S. Polo Assn. this coming holiday weekend? Let us know in the comments section at the bottom of the page.
Updated on Tuesday November 13, 2018: Thanksgiving weekend may still be a few days away, but we’ve just been able to confirm the Black Friday deals coming from U.S. Polo Assn. Here’s a look at what will be offered this year:
- Clearance Sale — November 19-22, 2018: Extra 10% off on all existing, already marked down clearance items (savings of up to 85% off). No code needed.
- Black Friday Sale — November 19-27, 2018: 60% to 75% off site-wide at U.S. Polo.
- Free Shipping with no minimum — November 23-24, 2018: Use promo code THANKS during checkout.
- Cyber Monday Sale — November 25-27, 2018: Get 10% off your total purchase with promo code CYBER.
To shop the sale, visit uspoloassn.com. Just keep in mind that some exclusions may apply so see their site for official terms and conditions. Good luck and happy bargain hunting!


text:
New York City faces business exodus, officials unclear as to full extent of losses: report
August 15, 2020
Sylvan CEO on COVID’s impact on business model, efforts to provide support for parents with kids at home
Sylvan Learning CEO John McAuliffe joins Ashley Webster for an exclusive interview on ‘The Claman Countdown.’
Retail chains and restaurants have abandoned an “unsustainable” New York City over the past few months due to the coronavirus pandemic, according to a report by The New York Times – but officials say thet will not know the full extent of losses until the fall.
Continue Reading Below
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo pushed to reduce the geographic footprint of travelers as a major centerpiece of his pandemic containment policy, limiting travel within the tri-state area so that New Yorkers were discouraged from traveling even to neighboring states. Cuomo’s policy, in combination with a statewide lockdown, managed to flatten the curve when New York City was the national hot spot of the virus in the United States.
However, the reduction in foot traffic from a lack of tourism and increased telecommuting has produced a market environment that cannot sustain the same level of revenue for businesses of seemingly any size. More than 420 companies — including Hertz, Lord & Taylor, J Crew and more — have already filed for bankruptcy protection in 2020, with more to follow as things stand.
JULY RETAIL SALES SLIGHTLY LOWER THAN EXPECTED
Due to pandemic containment policies, some businesses have seen as much as an 85% reduction in revenue, according to The New York Times. The Bryant Park Grill & Cafe has been forced to reduce from a 1,000-seat indoor capacity to only patio service, dropping revenue to around $12,000 a day – a fraction of its regular business.


text:
Insert digging-themed pun here.
You know, it’s hard to come up with something original in video games these days. No matter how brilliant your idea may be, there’s always a good chance that someone has used those ideas before. 643 more words
Nintendo has announced on June 9 that Shantae is going to be on the Nintendo Wii U and the Nintendo 3DS/2DS. Shantae’s first gaming appearance came out in 2002 on the Game Boy Color developed by WayForward Technologies and published by Capcom and hasn’t heard from since. 83 more words


text:
VW chairman and patriarch of the Porsche family, Ferdinand Piëch has announced his resignation following the steering committee's decision to back current CEO Martin Winterkorn over him.
Earlier this month Piëch, who along with the Porsche family controls 51% of the VW Group — the second largest car maker in the world — was quoted as saying he had "distanced" himself from CEO Winterkorn, bringing into public a row over the levels of profits within the VW Group, and its failure to make inroads in to the American market.
A big step for the company, the VW steering committee chose to back Martin Winterkorn as the “best possible CEO for Volkswagen” over Piëch’s move to have him replaced. The reason cited was Piëch’s dwindling confidence in the VW CEO because of low profit margins and failure to make relevant models for the US market along with diminishing profits from the region.
Ferdinand Piëch was expected to stay on till the expiry of his tenure in 2017. In an official statement released by the company, the members said, “The members of the steering committee came to a consensus that, in the light of the past weeks, the mutual trust necessary for successful cooperation was no longer there. Against this background, Professor Doctor Ferdinand K. Piëch resigned from his office as chairman as well as all his supervisory board mandates within the Volkswagen group with immediate effect."
Piëch’s decision was backed by his wife, Ursula who resigned from her post in the supervisory board.
In lieu of the vacancy, deputy chairman Berthold Huber will assume temporary leadership of the board until a new chairman has been elected.


text:
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018 Ford Expedition, F-150, and Lincoln Navigator vehicles equipped with 3.5L GTDI V6 engines. These vehicles have high pressure fuel pump assemblies with welds that can fracture, which may cause an oil or fuel leak.
Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the high pressure fuel pump and associated components, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin July 16, 2018. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford’s number for this recall is 18S17.
Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.
What a difference a few weeks makes. Less than three weeks ago, before the COVID-19 pandemic hit the U.S., I arrived at Bentley Dallas one afternoon to drive the 2020 Bentley Continental GT and 2020 B... More ›
Sarah Archer is a marketing manager with expertise in leading content strategy, SEO and PR across diverse industries ranging from startups to Fortune 500 companies and recently conducted this survey a... More ›
It is without a doubt a rough time for the entire country economically as more and more businesses and individual Americans face financial issues in the face of COVID-19. In some major cities and com... More ›
Enter your ZIP Code below to find CarProUSA Inventory in your area


text:
Digital Shelf Space (CVE:DSS) Wednesday said its GSP Rushfit home workout DVD series featuring mixed martial arts (MMA) champion Georges St-Pierre will be available at National Sports, Sports Chek as well as Sports Expert retailers this fall.
The fitness workout series, designed to appeal to a demographic interested in MMA and its training methods, aims to give both an efficient and effective workout at home with minimal equipment.
The video, which launched December last year, is an eight-week home-based DVD workout program staring mixed martial arts welterweight world champion Georges St-Pierre.
Digital Shelf said the program uses many mixed martial arts conditioning exercises, intense circuit style training and body weight training for fitness consumers to build muscle, cut weight and get in shape.
President and Chief Executive Jeffrey Sharpe said: “We are pleased to learn that these three retailers, within the portfolio of companies of Canada's largest sporting goods retailer Forzani Group, operating over 500 stores, have chosen our GSP Rushfit workout series."
"Being on the shelves at these three retailers is another positive sign of the traction our GSP Rushfit product is gaining in the Canadian retail market place."
The deal comes on the heels of Digital Shelf Space’s announcement that its global distribution partner Northern Response will start to sell its home workout DVD series to US sporting goods retailer Sports Authority this fall.
Additionally, the home entertainment provider announced last week that its workout series would be sold in Canada, at Sears and Zellers this fall.
Digital Shelf Space, producer and online distributor to digital retailers and content owners, also sells digital downloads and streaming video formats online.


text:
Trump administration imposed ban on laptops and several electronic devices
According to the latest updates of White House, the administration of US President Donald Trump has imposed the new restrictions on the laptops and other electronic devices carried by the travelers coming to the United States. The ban is imposed from 10 airports that mainly includes Middle East countries and the North Africa.
This decision is taken in response to the terror threats that are not specified. US Department of Homeland Security officials will now check the electronic devices of passengers coming to the United States from Jordan, Turkey, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE, Qatar and Morocco. They would check all the electronic devices, which are larger than the cell phones including:
- Portable DVD players
To the shock of everyone around the world, United Kingdom is also following it for the travelers of these countries. In order to improve the security, these rules are known as the major steps. This has been seen as the beginning of a trade war with Muslim countries and considered as the decision after a burst of statements during US presidential elections.
Due to frequent business or other tours, people used to carry their personal items such as cell phones, laptops, digital recorders, cameras and other electronic items. Putting these electronic items into luggage is considered as an unimaginable option by a number of people. Now these electronics will be handed to the porters and handlers at the airports.
It is clear that terrorist cell are spread around the globe and not specific countries have these terror hubs. Explosions can also take place in the cargo areas and the chances are surely greater than with a person. It is sad that technologically advanced countries like US and UK are providing discriminatory solutions against the terrorism. This will negatively effect the trade as well as on the revenue of airlines.


text:
Is US GDP Data Missing a Capital Spending Boom?
The author is editor of The Overshoot research service and co-author of Trade Wars are Class Wars
There is a conundrum buried deep in US economic data that matters to investors. According to balance of payments figures, which cover trade and other cross-border transactions, consumers, businesses and the US government collectively spent about 800 billion dollars more than they earned in 2021.
However, the national savings and investment data by sector imply that the gap between income and expenditure was only about $300 billion. This leaves a “statistical gap” of about $500 billion, or about 2.5% of GDP. This is the largest difference on record between the two measures of the US current account deficit.
There are only three explanations. The first is that the balance of payments data overestimates the current account deficit. Alternatively, national income may be overstated or domestic expenditure may be understated. While all three are possible, the most likely explanation is that business capital expenditures are underestimated, perhaps by as much as 15%.
The Bureau of Economic Analysis generally attributes the entire “statistical discrepancy” to difficulties in estimating US corporate profits after taxes and dividends, or “net savings,” and investment spending. Data on government budgets, household income and expenditure, exports and imports, and foreign investment earnings are all considered less error-prone.
According to the latest official figures, the companies generated around $1 billion in after-tax and dividend profits from their US operations in 2021 – and spent just $420 billion in capex, net of depreciation.
In 2019, “net saving” and “net investment” were just under $700 billion. The figures therefore imply that “net saving” has increased by almost 50% compared to 2019, while “net investment” has decreased by almost 40%.
As a result, the “net lending”, or savings minus investment, of American businesses, which is equivalent to their combined contribution to the balance of the American current account, has apparently increased from around zero before the pandemic to almost 600 billion. dollars in 2021.
But that would be totally inconsistent with the balance of payments data, assuming the figures on household saving and government borrowing are broadly accurate – and they probably are.
The question is whether the implicit measurement error is attributable to the profit side of the equation, the investment side, or both.
While the BEA’s internal view is that the “statistical discrepancy” usually reflects difficulties in counting profitscurrent government estimates are broadly in line with what state-owned companies reported to investors. It is possible, but unlikely, that these earnings reports are inaccurate.
It is even less likely that the US corporate “net lending” and current account deficit were both overstated because the BEA somehow missed a 50% increase in profit shifting to foreign jurisdictions. The most plausible explanation is therefore that capital expenditure before depreciation is underestimated.
It wouldn’t be the first time the government has overlooked business investment due to methodological limitations. In 1986, the BEA increased its estimate of the average annual growth rate of business spending on durable equipment by a whopping 5 percentage points after revising the way it measured changes in the price of computers. The BEA does not have count software purchases as a business investment until 1999.
Similarly, it was not until 2013 that the BEA decided to count R&D expenses as investments. In 2018, the BEA concluded that business investment and profits had been underestimated because of how they had measured depreciation.
More recently, economists David Byrne, Carol Corrado, and Daniel Sichel have argued persuasively that spending on cloud computing capacity is misclassified as consumption of intermediate inputs by firms, rather than as investment in new fixed assets.
The lack of investment in data would help explain the relative high import demand relative to domestic demand. More importantly, it would help explain why profits continued to grow.
As business forecaster Jérôme Lévy recognized more than a century ago, capital expenditure is the only sustainable source of profit for the economy as a whole because buyers get slowly depreciating assets, while sellers get income immediately.


text:
In recent years, Chinese technology companies have been making significant inroads into the Italian market, bringing with them a wealth of innovation and expertise.
One of the most prominent Chinese technology companies operating in Italy is Huawei, a global leader in the telecommunications industry. Huawei has been active in Italy for over a decade, providing cutting-edge technology and infrastructure solutions to telecom operators and other businesses throughout the country. In addition to its work in the telecommunications industry, Huawei has also been involved in research and development, working with Italian universities and research centers to advance technology and drive innovation.
Another Chinese technology company with a growing presence in Italy is Xiaomi, a leading manufacturer of consumer electronics and home appliances. Xiaomi has been expanding rapidly in the Italian market, opening retail stores and online shops to sell its products directly to consumers. The company's products, which include smartphones, laptops, and smart home devices, have been well-received by Italian consumers, who appreciate their high quality and affordability.
Other Chinese technology companies operating in Italy include ZTE, a leading provider of telecommunications equipment and solutions, and DJI, a global leader in drone technology. Both companies have established strong partnerships with Italian businesses and organizations, helping to drive innovation and growth in a variety of industries.
The entry of Chinese technology companies into the Italian market has not been without challenges, however. Some Italian businesses and politicians have expressed concerns about the security implications of relying on Chinese technology, particularly in critical infrastructure such as telecommunications networks. These concerns have led to increased scrutiny and regulation of Chinese technology companies operating in Italy, although most companies have been able to continue their operations with minimal disruption.
Despite these challenges, the presence of Chinese technology companies in Italy has been a positive development, bringing with it increased competition and innovation in a variety of industries. As these companies continue to grow and expand, they are likely to play an increasingly important role in shaping the future of Italy's economy and technology landscape.
The presence of Chinese technology companies in Italy represents a significant opportunity for both countries. By leveraging their respective strengths and expertise, Chinese and Italian businesses can work together to drive innovation and growth in a wide range of industries, helping to build a more vibrant and prosperous global community.


text:
Recyclable plastic alternatives share $1m circular economy prize
Five recyclable and compostable alternatives to plastic packaging will share $1 million of funding after being announced as the winners of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s (EMF) Circular Materials Challenge in Davos, Switzerland, yesterday (23 January) at a presentation held at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting.
The Circular Materials Challenge forms part of the EMF’s $2 million New Plastics Economy Innovation Prize, along with the Circular Design Challenge, the winners of which were announced in October 2017. Both Challenges share $1 million between five winners, with each winner receiving $200,000 each.
The Circular Materials Challenge, which is operated by challenge partner NineSigma, is built on the principles of the EMF’s New Plastics Economy initiative and aims to tackle the scourge of plastics waste through inspiring and developing systemic solutions that prevent plastics from becoming waste in the first place, encouraging recyclability at the design stage of the supply chain, rather than at the end of a product’s life.
Marine plastics pollution is fast becoming the abiding symbol of today’s environmental struggle - as the whale and the ozone layer have been before - with between 8-12 million tonnes of plastic waste entering the world’s oceans every year, and the issue being brought to a wider audience than ever before, thanks in large part to veteran broadcaster David Attenborough’s BBC series Blue Planet II.
The desire to see a closed-loop plastics economy underpins the purpose of the challenges, targeting the lightweight, flexible packaging used for products including sauces, fresh coffee and snacks, which is too hard or expensive to recycle because it is made of several layers of different materials.
The five winners of the Challenge were split into two categories: ‘Make unrecyclable packaging recyclable’ and ‘Combining materials that nature can handle’.
Category 1: Make unrecyclable packaging recyclable
- The University of Pittsburgh (USA) team applied nano-engineering to create a recyclable material that can replace complex multi-layered packaging that is unrecyclable. This mimics the way nature uses just a few molecular building blocks to create a huge variety of materials.
- Aronax Technologies Spain (Spain) proposed a magnetic additive that can be applied to a material, creating better air and moisture insulation, making it suitable to protect sensitive products such as coffee and medical products, while still being possible to recycle.
Category 2: Combining materials that nature can handle
- Working in collaboration, Full Cycle Bioplastics (USA), Elk Packaging (USA), and Associated Labels and Packaging (Canada) have made a compostable high-performance material from renewable materials, agricultural by-products and food waste, designed to package a broad range of products from granola bars and crisps to laundry detergent.
- The VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland (Finland) has created a compostable multi-layer material from agricultural and forestry by-products, which could be used for stand-up food pouches for products like muesli, nuts, dried fruit and rice.
- Finally, the Fraunhofer Institute for Silicate Research ISC (Germany) has developed a coating with silicate and biopolymers that can be used in many different food packaging applications protecting biopolymer packaging and food against premature degradation and is fully compostable.
Along with the winners of the Circular Design Challenge, these groups will now join a 12-month accelerator programme in collaboration with Think Beyond Plastic, working with experts to make their innovations marketable at scale.
Commenting after the announcement of the winners, Dame Ellen MacArthur said: "These winning innovations show what’s possible when the principles of a circular economy are embraced. Clean-ups continue to play an important role in dealing with the consequences of the waste plastic crisis, but we know we must do more. We urgently need solutions that address the root causes of the problem, not just the symptoms.
"In a New Plastics Economy, plastics will never become waste or enter the ocean in the first place. To get there will require new levels of commitment and collaboration from industry, governments, designers and startups. I hope these innovations will inspire even more progress, helping to build a system in which all plastic materials are reused, recycled or safely composted."
Lead Philanthropic Partner of the EMF’s New Plastics Economy initiative and Circular Materials Challenge funder Wendy Schmidt added: “The technical innovations developed by our winners are exactly what is needed to begin to address the wasteful material culture of the past century that is creating increasing amounts of microplastics and plastic debris on our shorelines, in our oceans, landfills and even our own bodies.
Interest in alternatives to plastic and the need to design packaging to be recyclable is gaining momentum at the highest levels, with two eagerly awaited strategy documents released since the turn of the year, both of which place plastics at the forefront of environmental policy.
On 11 January, the UK Government released its 25 Year Environment Plan in which it committed the UK to eliminating avoidable plastic waste by 2042 and promised to extend the five pence levy on plastic carrier bags to all retailers in England. The Plan was cautiously welcomed by observers in the waste and resources industry, although its lack of detail drew criticism, with Parliament’s Environmental Audit Committee Chair Mary Creagh MP commenting that it “delays answering the hard questions over how to tackle plastic pollution”.
On the same day as the release of the 25 Year Plan, the EMF and the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) announced a new joint initiative, still in development, based on the EMF’s New Plastics Economy. This partnership wants to eliminate unnecessary single-use plastics, ensure all plastic packaging is recyclable, increase the collection and recycling of plastic packaging, increase the recycled content in plastic packaging and encourage citizens to play their part in reducing waste and litter.
The EU released its own Europe-wide plastics strategy last week (16 January), which placed an emphasis on creating secondary markets for recycled plastics in its bid to create a truly circular economy in Europe.


text:
They have represented the car of the future for 10 years, Teslas are electric but forget hydrogen, and Elon Musk has something to do with it.
From first to defend the electric car, Elon Musk has put all his strength and fortune into the Tesla project to green the sector. But strangely, he does not weigh his words against hydrogen, yet a serious alternative to thermal cars.
The boss of Tesla is against!
The electric car versus hydrogen is an aberration for him. “They are are absurd. It’s difficult to produce hydrogen, store it and use it in a car “ he said in a conference in January 2015. “It’s half the efficiency, it’s mediocre, why do that, it doesn’t make sense” continued the South African, “the ideal hydrogen fuel cell does not win against current batteries. And it will be even more obvious in the years to come. ».
Annoyed at being questioned and debating on the issue, he now limits himself to puns à la Donald Trump. In 2020, it combined fuel cells (“fuel cell” in English) to “fool sells” (salesman of nonsense).
Exactly, fuel cells = fool sells
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 11, 2020
The boss of VW too!
To reinforce his deep conviction, take his admirer copying his style and his media outlets: the CEO of Volkswagen. “Green hydrogen is needed for steel, chemicals, aviation, and shouldn’t end up in cars” said Herbert Diess in February 2021 on Twitterconsidering hydrogen ” far too expensive, inefficient, slow, difficult to transform and transport ».
The German boss thus breaks with hydrogen development, now canceled at Audi. A h-tron concept car was exhibited in 2016, and until 2020 some executives were still announcing a future small series.
Hydrogen is evolving, why change your mind?
Battery-related electric car technology is advancing rapidly. Autonomy is always greater, rapid recharge times are reduced, and efficiency increases. But hydrogen too, despite the few manufacturers involved (Toyota, Hyundai, etc.).
The H2 and its fuel cell are advancing rapidly, whether in terms of autonomy or environmental impact. To be green, hydrogen must come from a clean process. The best solution is electrolysis via wind or solar electricity, developing stronglydespite Musk who considered this option inefficient.
Still not very suitable for cars, because of a high price, hydrogen could have its place in large vehicles. He is appreciated in trucks, where several manufacturers are involved including Nikola or Gaussin. For professionals, fast refueling is also a major asset to save time. Hydrogen trucks will thus be able to compete with the Tesla Semi, 100% electricbut at the not-yet-concrete 1 GW “Megacharger” terminals.
Elon Musk is no doubt watching this closely, and could why not change your mind if the tide turns towards hydrogen. Tesla also forgets utilities, where Stellantis unveiled vans, and Renault its Hyvia.
Read also :


text:
When you go to the website for Amazon’s Pharmacy it states they are “The pharmacy that really delivers. Upfront pricing. Easy refills. No more waiting in pharmacy lines.” But what does this all mean? Let’s dive deeper into their pharmacy business.
Digital Pharmacist Blog
On August 9th, 2022, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued an emergency use authorization for the JYNNEOS vaccine for Monkeypox. In this blog we dive more into what that means for pharmacists and what they need to make sure their patients know.
On July 6th, 2022 the FDA revised the Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for Paxlovid. With this update, licensed pharmacists were granted the ability to prescribe Paxlovid to eligible patients, with certain limitations existing to ensure the safety and correct use of the medication. In today’s blog post, we will discuss this approval and what pharmacies need to know.
CDC’s new guidance is out. Here’s what your patients can do once they’ve been fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
Shingles is a painful, preventable condition every pharmacy should be prepared to treat. Here’s what you need to know.
Allergy season comes every year, but as COVID-19 continues, pharmacies need to ensure that patients know how to identify and treat their symptoms accurately.
In a rapidly evolving industry, following recent and emerging health trends can increase your pharmacy’s business and help you compete in a digital world.
Younger generations have been shifting their focus to holistic wellness for years. Here are some recent trends and how they have become an opportunity for your pharmacy this year.
March is National Nutrition Month, which is a great opportunity for local pharmacies to show their patients the importance of balanced nutrition.
Vaccinations can be a profitable addition to your pharmacy and help attract new business. Here’s what you need to know about adding vaccines as a service.
Keep in Touch
Your monthly email to stay up to date with the latest in healthcare and technology.


text:
Sorry to remind ya’ll, however age does not simply come with knowledge, it could possibly additionally come with an entire slew of well being problems. Some of these health problems are particular to men and extremely widespread. Do you have to select to ignore them, it might lead to illness or even worse, early dying.
The Daily Star sat down with some medical specialists to debate the top health points plaguing men and a number of the retailers they will use to remedy them.
Other articles you might like;
- Colour-changing tattoo ink could help people with diabetes
- Scientists reveal THIS technique can make you lose 2.5st in four months – without dieting
- ‘Alexa, what’s my blood sugar level and how much insulin should I take?’
- The Truth Behind Common Apple Cider Vinegar Uses You've Likely Heard Before
- Eating red onions ‘can prevent cancer’ and could protect against diabetes and heart disease


text:
For years rumours have sprawled indicating that Apple may ditch Intel's processors for its MacBook Pro, iMac and Mac Pro desktop grade devices. It has stemmed from the fact that Apple had done this before when it shunned the PowerPC line of processors which it helped develop in favour for Intel’s silicon in 2006 as Intel’s technology had leapfrogged PowerPC’s. In the years going by as the iPhone kickstarted the mobile revolution, Intel’s dominance in semiconductor technology has waned and it has been ARM that has been in the ascendancy thanks to its low power architecture which adapted well to mobile devices from Apple and also those that were powered by Google’s Android. In this space companies like Qualcomm and Samsung came to fore with their in-house chipset development, along with Apple which built a team led by Johny Srouji to build in-house chips for iOS devices like the iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, AirPods and so on.
Over the years, Apple has emerged as a powerhouse in the space of ARM chipset design leapfrogging even Samsung which has its own fabs and Qualcomm which is the biggest player in the space with its integrated modems. In fact, if one dials back 7 years when Apple used to collaborate with Samsung on the design of the “A” line of processors like in the case of the A4 chip on the iPhone 4 and the first iPad. In the years ensuing, Apple has left the competition behind in the dust. In 2013 with the launch of the A7 chip on the iPhone 5s, Apple stunned the industry with the first 64-bit mobile ARM processor which forced the entire industry to pivot — including Qualcomm. Since then, Apple’s lead has only increased thanks to its first mover’s advantage and its vertically integrated hardware and software and a lean product line-up.
Despite this being true, Apple’s ARM-based A-series of processors have never had enough grunt to be capable for heavy duty desktop grade workloads that most people use Macs for. Intel’s x86 based chipsets have always been considered to be the best for desktops even though ARM-based solutions from Qualcomm have just started to come up for even Microsoft’s Windows 10. However, early benchmarks of Apple’s latest A11 processor indicate a tectonic shift which could lead towards a path where Apple could start using its own processors on even the Mac within the next 5 years. It has even open sourced the kernel of macOS for ARM processors which is perhaps the biggest hint that it is preparing for a massive shift which could also lead to the eventual union of macOS and iOS.


text:
Hyosung's three 250s and four scooters automatically fall under the umbrella, but the real bonus is that the company's stable of 650s are also available, restricted, in LAMS configuration, providing customers with a greater variety of choices appropriate to their level of experience and size. And when riders gain their full licence, the 650s can be de-restricted and ridden as full-power models.
"This is great news for Victorian consumers," said Mark Fattore, Marketing Manager of Hyosung Australia.
"Hyosung has been a big supporter of LAMS since its inception, and we look forward to opening up motorcycling to a new generation of buyers who may not have found what they wanted under the old scheme, where learners could not ride anything above 250cc.
"Mind you, Hyosung still has some great 250cc machinery for learners who still want to go down that path, including the slick GT250R."
Hyosung's full LAMS line-up is:
SB50 Super Cab, SF50 Rush, SF50R Rally and SF100R Rally
GT250, GV250 Aquila, GT250R, GT650R, GT650, GT650S Tourer and GV650 Aquila
For more info on Hyosung's range of LAMS bikes, visit www.hyosung.com.au


text:
Iranian women’s group empowers amid pandemic by making masks
As the COVID-19 pandemic ravages Iran, home to the Mideast’s worst outbreak, a women’s group hopes to empower its members by helping them make and sell face masks.
The organization called Bavar, or “belief” in Farsi, formed in 2016, allowing women looking for work to make handicrafts with donated sewing machines. It gave widows and others a way to earn cash in a country whose anemic economy only worsened since, two years later, President Trump withdrew from Iran’s nuclear deal with world powers.
Sara Chartabian, the founder of Bavar, said the group tries to teach women to be self-sufficient as unemployment and inflation remain high.
“We teach them fishing instead of giving them a fish,” Chartabian said.
The pandemic, however, has seen the demand for handicrafts drop. Iran has 1.2 million reported cases of the virus, with about 1 million recoveries and more than 55,000 deaths — with officials acknowledging the true toll could be far higher. Meanwhile, the women in need still had to earn money to support their families.
So the women at Bavar decided to begin making cloth face masks. Today, some 50 women sit with their sewing machines, creating two-ply cloth masks. A third layer can be added with material sold in local pharmacies.
Elham Karami, a 41-year-old woman who works five days a week to support her two sons, said she makes around 10,000 rials (3 U.S. cents) for each face mask she sews. Clients for Bavar include companies and others.
“I am grateful for this [organization] because they turned me to a skilled tailor for free,” Karami said. “They allowed me to use a sewing machine to learn how to sew. They also provided materials for me to work on.”
Depending on the order size, Bavar then sells the masks for as much as 250,00 rials apiece.
In Iran, where the capital of Tehran has been hard-hit by the virus, authorities have mandated mask wearing. While fines for not wearing a mask remain low and poorly enforced, the public increasingly has been seen wearing them.
Chartabian said Bavar’s sales help support buying materials, sewing machines and other matters. The organization also provides women with psychological counseling and other support. She declined to offer specific sales figures for the masks so far, but said every bit helped support women in need.
“Maybe the money is not so much, but we provide them services such as psychological counseling and also equipment,” she said.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.


text:
All kinds of animal meat, fresh, frozen, cooked or uncooked, or canned from countries struck by African swine fever (ASF) will not be allowed in the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) and other seaports, according to the guidelines released by the Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ).
Article continues below
The BOQ guidelines were disseminated to the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI), Bureau of Customs (BOC), and the Food and Drug Administration, which have agents posted at the Naia.
“These agencies are directed to confiscate any kind of animal meat, processed or unprocessed, cook or uncooked coming from the countries affected by the African swine fever,” said BAI-Naia Head Reynaldo Quilang.
These agencies are also being asked to closely scan all pieces of luggage coming from affected countries, such as China, Hungary, Latvia, Poland, Romania, Russia and Ukraine, while Vietnam, Zambia, South Africa, Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Mongolia and Moldova.
“All incoming luggage including hand-carry bags coming from the ASF affected countries will be subjected to x-ray scanning with the help of BOC,” Quilang said.
Memorandum Order 09, Series of 2019 is addressed to all veterinary quarantine personnel and related agencies at various airports and seaports across the country.
According to the guidelines, the importation of meat intended for personal or noncommercial use are allowed without permit under the following conditions:
Processed meat products including cooked and canned meat with maximum weight of 10 kilograms (kg) and sourced from countries free from ASF; Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI), Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) and other Transboundary Animal Disease.
Any commodities in excess of the allowed limit of 10 kg shall be subjected for confiscation and penalties as prescribed by pertinent regulations.
Unprocessed meat products, including fresh, frozen, uncooked meat products sourced from countries free from ASF, HPAI, FMD, and other transboundary animal disease even in quantities for personal use, sanitary and phytosanitary import clearance is required.
Quilang said they will confiscate any kind of meat, processed or unprocessed, cooked or uncooked coming from the affected countries, including the brand “MaLing” from China.
He appealed to overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) not to bring processed meat or canned goods like MaLing in their luggage as it will be confiscated.
“We are doing this to prevent the spread of ASF in our country, to save our farmers from the effect of African swine fever.”
Meanwhile, the BOC at the Naia confiscated some 84 kg of imported meat from Japan recently. The items were was brought into the country through the Naia without clearance and health certificate.
The meat shipment from Japan is not included in the list of banned countries for pork meat importation.
Customs-Naia district collector Mimel Talusan said they have seized some 4,496 kg of meat and meat products from January to May this year. ■
There is a heavy rain threat with isolated flash flooding over the next few days across a large portion of the nation from the Southern Appalachians/Tennessee Valley region, west southwestward into the Lower Mississippi Valley.


text:
How close is too close for a cannabis shop to be set up near an elementary school? That’s a question set to be the centre of debate at this week’s Central Okanagan School Board meeting.
West Kelowna city council has allowed for a proposed cannabis store near George Pringle Elementary School to be considered for a zoning designation change.
A school board committee is urging the board to write a “letter of concern” to the city. The pot shop would be set up 160 meters from the elementary school, which is significantly under the 500-meter distance requested in a written letter to the city by the Board of Education on Oct. 1. 2018.
The proposed shop would be located in the West Bank Town Centre, across the street from the school. While the cannabis store is close in proximity to the school, the province’s Liquor Distribution Branch says keeping cannabis out of the hands of minors is a top priority and minors won’t even be able to enter the store with a parent.
The province also promotes the potential economic value of the store, as it would provide 20 people with unionized work.
On Aug. 13, West Kelowna council voted 4-3 to allow the province to submit its rezoning application for the store. Council will review and make a decision on the issue this Wednesday when they meet with the Board of Education.


text:
Nissan recalls over 7 lakh vehicles in Japan over rear door stay defect
The recall was initially filed with the Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MLIT) on April 14 this year. Nissan is taking these further actions following an incident involving an uninspected vehicle, in which a gas stay rupture injured a vehicle user.
The company informed in a statement, "The paint coating applied to the rear door stay does not comply with design requirements for anti-rust treatment. As a result, the outer tube of the gas stay may corrode and crack, resulting in rupturing of the stay and detachment from the vehicle. If such a rupture occurs when the back door is open, the stay might injure a person nearby."
The recall was initially filed with the Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MLIT) on April 14 this year. Nissan is taking these further actions following an incident involving an uninspected vehicle, in which a gas stay rupture injured a vehicle user. As of this time, Nissan has received 13 reports of incidents related to this recall, all of which have been in Japan - Prior to initial recall announcement: Five incidents involving a Serena minivan, and After recall announcement: Seven incidents involving a Serena minivan; one incident involving an NV200 van. There has been only one report of injury.
Authorized Nissan retailers will inspect the rear door stay for corrosion, and where corrosion is confirmed the back door gas stays will be replaced. Owners of vehicles in which no corrosion is found will be contacted again to have the stays replaced in line with parts availability.
We are extremely saddened to inform the untimely demise of Vikram S Kirloskar, Vice Chairman, Toyota Kirloskar Motor on 29th November 2022. At this time of grief, we request everyone to pray that his soul rests in peace. Last respect can be paid at Hebbal Crematorium, Bengaluru, at 1 pm on Wednesday, Toyota said.
According to ETAuto sources, the raid began at the company’s Corporate office in Gurgaon around 3:00 PM and continued till the story is filed. The latest development comes in light of heightened scrutiny by law-enforcement agencies on companies operating in India which have links with neighboring country, China.


text:
The word drone has never had a particularly positive connotation. Whether it’s being used to describe a boring, unending monotone or a weaponized harbinger of death, a drone is something to escape. Which is perhaps why some commercial drone makers instead market their gadgets as quadcopters.
Soon, however, these devices might fly by unnoticed. That's because some of them are being shrunk down to the size of insects, meaning they could become just as pervasive and just as insidious. While no government agency has admitted to deploying insect drones, they have reportedly been in the works for years. DARPA, as it often does, says many of these insect drones are for "disaster relief."
Whatever their ultimate purpose, these insect drones involve impressive feats of engineering. Check out the gallery to see how these tiny (and possibly lethal) drones mimic the vision, body, wing performance, landing, and behavior of their non-weaponized insect counterparts.


text:
BMW M3 Touring estate to launch in 2022
For the first-ever M3 Touring, BMW is expected to extend its range of M-performance vehicles. The hot estate’s first test prototypes will soon begin developing on-road ahead of a likely 2022 launch.
In 2018 it was announced that BMW was strongly considering an M3 Touring. The company has now verified the concept shortly before its Garching facility near Munich starts construction work. Track tests are expected to begin on the Nordschleife at the Nürburgring.
BMW has yet to announce the technical specifications of the M3 estate to a large degree but has indicated that it will use its turbocharged six-cylinder M petrol engine. It is expected that the M3 Touring will share its mechanics and powertrain with the current M3 sedan and M4, which will use the same 480hp and 600Nm S58 twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter in-line six engines. It can also be offered in the form of Rivalry, with 510hp.
BMW said that “further engine speculation and performance is very welcome” and confirmed that the machine will offer signature wide axles, large front air intakes, and quad exhaust pipes for the M division.
BMW M3 Touring will presumably suit the M3 sedan by adopting a distinctive wide grille that borrows heavily from the controversial new 4 Series, rather than adopting similar styling to the current 3 Series Touring.
BMW says the estate will give all of the standard 3 Series Touring space and power. It added that it would fulfill “the hopes of all those who want to take to the extreme the M-specific interplay of race-oriented performance and daily suitability.”
A release date for the BMW M3 Touring has yet to be confirmed, but BMW said it is in the early stages of a two-year development cycle, indicating an appearance in late 2022 on international markets.
While BMW has never previously offered an M3 Touring in the M3’s 34-year history, a feasibility study prototype was developed in 2000 based on the third-generation model.
The company has sold twice as part of the fourth-generation line-up a Touring version of the larger M5, with the second-generation model between 1992 and 1995 and from 2006-2010.
The BMW M3 Touring will fit alongside the updated M3 sedan and M4 coupé, both expected to be revealed in September, and the M4 Convertible next year.
Are you excited about the BMW M3 Touring? Comment down below
Tata Signa 4825.TK Tipper Truck Launched
Volvo S60 India To Launch In 2021


text:
Cotton yarn exports from India are estimated to fall by 18-20 per cent to nearly a decade low level of 750 million kg in FY21, closer to the level of exports last seen in FY12, following an estimated 25 per cent decline to 940 million kg in FY20, as cotton yarn remained uncompetitive in global markets during much of the previous year, according to ICRA.
“Starting March 2020, demand for the downstream products are at a near standstill amid lockdown across nations. With inventory pile-ups at the downstream level as well as expectations of a gradual pick-up in demand for apparels and home textiles, the pick-up in demand for yarn is also likely to be gradual and spread over several months,” ICRA Research said in its latest report.
“The situation is likely to worsen, given the supply glut situation which is currently evolving in China, India’s largest export destination. As the lockdown in China was lifted from the beginning of April 2020 onwards, spinners there are scaling up operations even as demand from the downstream segments remains subdued amid weak domestic consumption demand as well as lack of demand in the export markets. As a result, there are reports of inventory pile-ups in China,” said the report Impact Analysis: COVID-19 ties spinning sector in a knot.
Besides affecting direct demand from China, as it generally consumes 8- 10 per cent of India’s cotton yarn production, the supply glut there is likely to result in an increase in competition for India’s cotton yarn in the other overseas markets as well, the report said.
The size of India’s domestic spinning sector is pegged at $15-17 billion, of which 75 per cent or $10-12 billion is accounted for by the cotton spinning sector, given India’s strong natural fibre base and the resultant competitiveness in the sector. Of the total cotton yarn manufactured by India, 70-75 per cent is consumed domestically, while the balance 25-30 per cent is exported to various countries, with China and Bangladesh together accounting for 50 per cent of India’s cotton yarn exports.
- Market Reports2023.06.08n-Butanol Market worth $4.0 billion by 2025, at a CAGR of 5.0%
- Fashion2023.06.08Unlock the Hottest Denim Trends at R CITY’s ‘Denim Fest’, ongoing till 11th June, 2023
- News & Insights2023.06.08Change in the Group Executive Committee
- News & Insights2023.06.08Salesforce Unveils Marketing GPT and Commerce GPT to Personalize Every Campaign and Shopping Experience with Generative AI


text:
REVEALED: Milk, cheese and yoghurt factory plan for Eungella
EUNGELLA dairy farmers Dale and Paula Fortescue are in the final stages of setting up their own milk bottling factory, which they hope will be up and running before Easter.
With only two dairy farms remaining in the Mackay region, Mr Fortescue, who owns Eungelladale dairy, said it was too expensive for local farmers to send their milk south to be processed and bottled.
The milk bottling factory on his farm will allow Mr Fortescue to provide 100 per cent local milk to the region.
It's also a tourism opportunity. "We've built all the factory, we are just fitting it out now,” he said.
"The refrigeration has got to be done... the conveyor belt on the bottoming machine still has to be finalised, a couple of little electric motors have got to be put in. Safe Food Queensland, all the applications and procedures have also got to be done.”
Opening the factory will enable Mr Fortescue to undertake the whole process on his farm instead of his milk being transported to be pasteurised and bottled.
"It will be milked one morning, pasteurised and bottled in the afternoon and in the shops the next day,” he explained.
Mr Fortescue has been raising money through a Crowdfunding campaign for just over 12 months to build the factory.
He has raised about $60,000 and said he was appreciative of the people who had donated time, money and machinery.
But his plans don't stop at a factory; he also wants to open a cheese factory and organise tours to promote tourism in the region.
"I want to get my pasteurising going, then I want to do a cheese factory up here,” he said.
"Then I have to build another building and try to get government backing for a tourism venture for a cheese factory. It's more for tourism in the local area up at Eungella here.”
Flavoured milk and yoghurt are other products Mr Fortescue hoped to make once he starts pasteurising his own milk.
He would like to see the the opening of his factory help expand the dairy industry in Mackay.
"Hopefully expand the industry and get a few dairy farmers back up here going again.”


text:
The FCC Wednesday postponed today’s scheduled vote on whether home shopping TV stations are entitled to assured carriage on cable systems.
The delay was requested by Commissioner Ervin Duggan, who said the FCC needs more time to study whether shopping stations are indeed serving the public interest and therefore worthy of special “must-carry” protection granted to most local TV stations.
Duggan’s action focuses attention on whether round-the-clock shopping channels that hawk jewelry and clothing are fulfilling the public service obligations required of all other TV stations.
While conceding that home shopping stations do offer certain benefits to consumers, Duggan nevertheless asked: “Has our concept of the public interest become so denatured — so attenuated — that virtually anything goes?”
Complicating the issue is the fact that in a number of markets nationwide, cable operators are being forced to reject carriage of popular cable networks to comply with must-carry rules passed by Congress. Requiring carriage of shopping channels “could bump CNN and C-Span” from cable systems, warns Peggy Laramie, a spokeswoman for the National Cable Television Assn.
Duggan pulled the item from the FCC agenda after a discussion with interim FCC chairman James Quello. Quello said Wednesday that he would have pulled the item had Duggan not done so because the issue has become so controversial in recent days.
Indeed, influential House Energy and Commerce Committee chairman John Dingell (D-Mich.) sent a letter this week urging the FCC to reject must-carry protection for shopping channels. “I have long held that permitting this use of scarce radio spectrum makes a mockery of the public interest responsibilities that are embodied in the Communications Act,” wrote Dingell.
Sen. John Breaux (D-La.) and a handful of other lawmakers were also preparing to send a missive to the FCC urging the agency to reject must carry for shopping channels.
Issue of whether shopping channels deserve must-carry protection first surfaced during the cable reregulation battle in Congress last year. Included in the legislation was a provision requiring cablers to set aside a third of their channels for local broadcast stations.
After contentious debate on whether shopping channels should be included among the stations that merit carriage, lawmakers ordered the FCC to decide the matter by July 2.
This week, reports circulated that the three-member FCC was preparing to side with the shopping channels. It’s believed the vote would have been 2-1, with Quello and commissioner Andrew Barrett in the majority and Duggan dissenting.
Now that the vote’s been delayed, few are predicting the outcome. “There are pros and cons on both sides,” said Quello. “It’s a tough putt.”


text:
Daimler’s Mercedes-Benz plant in Kecskemét, Hungary has reached the production milestone of making its 500,000th vehicle – a cosmos black CLA. At the same time, the company has begun work on a €15m ($16.7m) investment to expand its logistics hall at the plant and introduce a new supply concept. The plant makes the Mercedes-Benz B-Class, CLA and CLA Shooting Brake.
"The production anniversary is a success achieved together by our workforce of over 4,000 people,” said Christian Wolff, who has been CEO and site manager of Mercedes-Benz Manufacturing Hungary since the beginning of this year. "The Mercedes-Benz plant Kecskemét continues to have a very good perspective with its successful products. We are planning to further develop the location on a continuous basis. Currently, €15m are invested in an innovative logistic concept."
That concept includes a shopping cart-based logistics system that the carmaker said has brought about visible changes in the plant's assembly section. There are now no shelves filled with boxes and parts to be seen anywhere on the production line.
In a statement the company said that the logistics supply processes have changed “almost beyond recognition”. The previous transport routes have been freed up and driverless transport systems take the shopping carts from the picking zone in the logistics centre to the assembly line automatically. From there employees remove the parts from the shopping cart at the relevant workstations and install them in the vehicles. The new system means that the load carriers previously used in the production area are no longer necessary. Construction work on the expansion of the logistics hall started earlier this year and that is expected to be complete by the summer.
The Kecskemét plant continues to work with five inbound logistics providers that handle the different functions: incoming supplies by train or truck; processing empty containers; sequencing parts; and shipping finished vehicles. Those providers have not changed since 2013 and comprise Duvenbeck, Kühne+Nagel, Panopa, Lagermax and Rhenus Logistics.
Daimler has already invested around €1 billion in the Kecskemét plant, including €800m on its construction.


text:
When it comes to your weekly shopping, which products are the most sustainable? A new project ranks 57,000 popular food items.
Global levels of meat consumption are still extremely high, putting pressure on other resources such as land and water and playing a significant role in increasing carbon emissions. A study by the German Environment Agency has taken a closer look at different meat alternatives that could lighten that load.
A 'Frozen Farm' is in development to provide animal stem cells for synthetic meat and future conservation efforts.