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Back yard gardeners who plant bee-friendly plants and flowers, may actually be killing bees. A new report released today by Friends of the Earth, showed that plants purchased at large retailers can contain insecticides toxic to bees and other insects.
Friends of the Earth tested a small sample of 13 plants and seven of the samples contained neonicotinoid insecticides. While the finding is not a definitive study, it points out that neonicotinoids are found in garden plants purchased at big box retailers. The purchases were made at retailers in San Francisco, Washington D.C. and the Twin Cities.
Researchers say neonicotinoids are now the most widely used insecticides on the market. They are a class of insecticides chemically related to nicotine. They came on the market in the 1990s as a new class of insecticides effective against insects, but much less toxic to humans than other kinds of insecticide.
Neonicotinoids are neuro-active, meaning they work by blocking connections in the insect's brain. They are also systemic in plants; rather than being sprayed on the surface of a plant, they are applied to seeds or soil and the chemicals are then absorbed by the plants as they grow. So the insecticide is in the leaves, flowers and pollen. If a bug takes a bite of a plant, it gets a dose of insecticide.
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Because bees have one of the largest brains in the insect world, they have more neuro-transmitters and are more susceptible to this particular kind of insecticide. Bees fly around gathering pollen to bring back to the hive and research is finding that even very low doses of neonicotinoids disrupt their ability to remember where the hive is, or how to find a food source.
I contacted two retailers whose plants were included in the research, Lowe's and Home Depot. Lowe's didn't immediately respond.
Home Depot spokesman Stephen Holmes sent this response: "We haven’t reviewed the study yet, but we certainly appreciate the importance of the bee population and will be reaching out to the study groups to learn more about their findings and methodology."
The other retailer mentioned in the research is Orchard Supply Hardware, which does not have outlets in Minnesota.
Concern about neonicotinoid insecticides is not new. Beekeepers believe the insecticide is a factor in a larger problem known as colony collapse, where millions of honey bees die in hives, as I reported earlier this year. In Europe some of the neonicotinoid insecticides are banned for two years because of the impact on bees.
The insecticide is also widely used in urban landscapes, and at a much higher rate than farmers are allowed to use. University of Minnesota researcher Vera Krischik, has been studying the effect of neonicotinoid insecticides on bees. Her findings show that a flower in a backyard could legally contain 200 times more insecticide than soybeans in a farm field. She found those flowers killed bees - sometimes right on the spot.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is doing a standard registration review of neonicotinoids, but that won’t happen for several years. Earlier this year beekeepers, including one from Minnesota, sued the EPA to force an expedited review and restrictions on the use of neonicotinoids. There's also legislation called Save America's Pollinators Act that's been introduced in Congress.
The Friends of the Earth group says this report isn’t definitive science, but is intended to educate consumers. They want gardeners to be aware that the plants they buy might already contain an insecticide. They suggest people grow their own plants from seed, or ask retailers for plants that are not treated with neonicotinoid insecticides.


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SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- In a move that could alter the semiconductor landscape, Intel Corp. here today formally launched a new and bold business that will provide fabless ASIC, global logistics and other services for customers.
The new business--called Intel Microelectronics Services--is a new and radical turnkey service that will help IC makers and OEMs bring their application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), application specific standard parts (ASSPs), or system-on-a-chip designs to the market more rapidly.
To help propel its new fabless ASIC business, Intel has forged an impressive list of alliances with EDA software, intellectual-property (IP), silicon foundry, IC-packaging and test providers. Among Intel's partners in its ASIC service include Synopsys, Chartered, TSMC, UMC, Amkor, ASE, and ChipPAC.
Surprisingly, the Santa Clara-based chip giant claims that it will not use its own wafer fabs in this new ASIC service. Instead, Intel will utilize three major foundries: Singapore's Chartered Manufacturing Pte. Ltd., Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd., and Taiwan's United Microelectronics Corp.
Intel's service--which is mainly targeted for the communications-oriented chip market--also calls for Intel to provide CMOS-based 0.25- to 0.13-micron ASIC/ASSP designs. In addition, the company will manage every aspect of the IC design and production cycle, as well as the distribution services, for customers, said Craig Peterson, co-general manager of Intel Microelectronics Services, based in Hillsboro, Ore.
In other words, it will offer a "one-stop shop" of services-such as IC design, production, chip-packaging, and test--at a cost that is equal or better than the traditional ASIC houses, such as IBM Microelectronics, LSI Logic, and others, Peterson said.
"This is a recognition of the outsourcing model in the industry," he declared, referring to the trend among chip makers to embrace silicon foundries and chip-packaging subcontractors.
"The ASIC houses are only interested in filling up their factories," he said. "What we're trying to do is make it easier for ASIC customers," he said in an interview with SBN at Intel's headquarters in Santa Clara.
For example, instead of dealing with several complex contracts with EDA, foundry, IC-packaging, and related vendors, customers can simplify the entire design cycle process by interfacing with only one company--Intel, said Naveed Sherwani, who is the other co-general manager of Intel Microelectronics Services. "With this service, you only have to deal with one contract within Intel," Sherwani said in an interview with SBN.
With its new service, however, Intel will not go after the PC-oriented IC markets, he said. Instead, the company will limit its new fabless ASIC service to several communications-oriented markets, including broadband, local-area networking, wide-area networking, and wireless, he added.
In total, the communications-oriented ASIC/ASSP market is projected to hit $18.75 billion in 2001, according to Dataquest Inc. of San Jose.
The new service propels Intel into the ASIC business--albeit the new and emerging fabless portion of the market. The fabless ASIC business is still in its infancy, but it has some advantages over the traditional ASIC model, according to Dataquest.
"The key advantage of the fabless ASIC company business model is that it transfers a number of the fixed costs that are associated with a traditional ASIC company to third parties," according to a report from Dataquest. "The approach avoids the capital burden of owning costly fabs and packaging plants, developing process technology, creating intellectual property and tools," the report said.
Until now, the fabless ASIC business has been dominated by smaller companies, such as Dialog Semiconductor, eSilicon, and others, according to Dataquest.
Intel will also compete against others as well. "LSI Logic is mostly threatened by Intel's fabless ASIC service," said analyst Martin Reynolds of Dataquest, referring to LSI Logic Corp., the Milpitas, Calif.-based ASIC pioneer. "LSI Logic is moving towards a fabless ASIC model as well," Reynolds said.
Intel stands a good chance to succeed in this arena. "Intel's fabless ASIC model seems like a good idea," the Dataquest analyst said. "You can get Intel to help develop your ASIC and they manage the entire project," he said.
In fact, its ASIC service could grow from "tens of millions of dollars in sales" for the company in the first year alone, to perhaps "$100 million in revenues in the next couple of years," he added.
But still, Intel's ASIC service is unproven. It could also face an uphill battle in "gaining the confidence with potential customers," the Dataquest analyst said.
Meanwhile, Intel's service has some similarities and differences with the traditional, vertically-integrated ASIC model--which is also endorsed by IBM Microelectronics, Fujitsu, NEC, Toshiba, and others, according to analysts.
Like the traditional ASIC model, Intel's new service has a collection of internal IC design centers, which are located in four sites: Hillsboro, Santa Clara, Calif., Dupont, Wash, and Bangalore, India.
But Intel's service is fabless--which is somewhat shocking, given its plethora of cutting-edge fabs. And, the company will draw upon an impressive list of third-party providers.
On the EDA software side, for example, the company has formed an alliance with Synopsys Inc. Under the terms, Synopsys will provide potential customers with its Synopsys Professional Services. These services support the front-end of the chip design process, such as register transfer level (RTL), place and route, physical synthesis, and related functions.
Customers have the option to hand off their chip designs or concepts to Synopsys or Intel. "We are looking for designs with 100,000-to-200,000 gates," said Intel's Peterson. "We think that's the sweet spot in the market."
But that's not all. Intel, along with Synopsys, are also forcing alliances with "leading" third-party IP vendors, enabling customers to develop system-on-a-chip or related products.
"It could take two or three months to develop a relationship with an IP company," Peterson said. "We can make it easier by managing the relationships with IP vendors."
Once the design or "netlist" is completed by Synopsys, the Mountain View, Calif.-based EDA giant will turn the work over to Intel.
Intel, in turn, will provide the so-called back-end software design services. "We do the tape-out," said Peterson. "Then, we take the design to leading foundries. Then, we take it to the various packaging and test houses," he said.
Customers have the option to use three major foundries in Intel's new service, including Chartered, TSMC, and UMC. The program also enables customers to choose among three IC-packaging and test houses--U.S.-based Amkor Technology Inc. and ChipPAC Inc. and Taiwan's Advanced Semiconductor Engineering Inc.
If that is not enough, Intel will provide even more services. "We can even ship the finished product to your customer's location," he added.
Intel also will provide its customers with a real-time, online tracking service that will track their chip products from design-to-test, according to Sherwani.
Intel's online tracking service will gather the data from the various third-party foundries, he said. The data, in turn, will be available on Intel's own Web site, he added.

domain: news


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Singer Bangladesh, a home appliance manufacturer and marketer, yesterday said it is going to invest Tk 680 crore to establish a new manufacturing facility to cater to the growing demand for home appliances.
Following the company’s disclosure, its shares closed 1.67 per cent higher at Tk 170 yesterday at the Dhaka Stock Exchange. Singer Bangladesh said its board approved a total budget of
Singer’s profits drop despite rising sales
Business Desk: dhakamirror.com Although Singer Bangladesh logged higher sales between July and September this year, the company still incurred losses in the quarter, according to a press release. Sales of the multinational electronic and home appliance company were 12.8 per cent higher at Tk 520 crore in the July-September quarter compared to the same period … Read more


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On 7th October, Jair Bolsonaro, the president of Brazil, vetoed a bill that would allow free period products to be distributed to young, poverty-stricken students. In Brazil, 1 in 4 girls do not have the correct sanitary protection during their period, which can cause them to miss weeks of vital education.
The bill was initially proposed in September, which would have benefitted over 5 million women, including those that are homeless, imprisoned or of a working-class background. Unfortunately, Bolsonaro claims that there isn’t enough money to provide this service, which, understandably, caused outrage, and #LivreParaMenstruar (free to menstruate) began trending.
There have been a fair few individuals against Bolsonaro’s decision, Espírito Santo’s vice-governor, Jacqueline Moraes, said in a tweet: “Is it ‘a privilege’ for a poor woman to have the right to a tampon? No! It’s social policy, public health!”. Clue, a renowned period tracking app, also tweeted: “Hi Bolsonaro, menstruation isn’t a luxury” and, the Brazil Solidarity Initiative used the hashtag to say that Bolsonaro’s veto is “A clear example of the misogyny entrenched in his administration”.
Many large corporations have offered their support to the protestors who are fighting for the cause, and Bolsonaro is yet to give a response in regards to the protests currently taking place.
Last year, Scotland was the first nation to offer free period products in public spaces, and more recently, New Zealand has raised millions and is beginning to offer schools the same service. With very few places providing free period products, smaller institutions have been offering this service for those who are unable to attain sanitary care.
Here at UEA, the Bloody Good Period Society have set up a “menstruation station” in the library for those in need, as well as a donation bin in the su shop of free menstruation products.


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September 21, 2020 by Greg Meckbach
Concerns over the risk of COVID-19 transmission could accelerate the changes that technology has been bringing to financial transactions, including contactless payment options, a commercial broker suggests.
“Financial services are changing very quickly,” said Mark Morency, senior vice president and financial institutions practice leader for Gallagher Canada. “They were before the pandemic, and interestingly enough, now even more so because of the pandemic. Over the coming months and years, you are going to see truly contactless options that transmit payments. Mobile methods, like using text, are going to gain a lot of traction and change the way point of sale experiences happen.”
COVID-19 was declared a pandemic March 11. Health authorities are warning consumers about the importance of frequent hand washing, especially after touching surfaces that many others have touched with their hands.
Credit and debit cards with chips reduce the need for consumers to touch surfaces but have not completely eliminated the need to handle frequently-touched items, Morency suggested during Gallagher Talks, a recent webinar.
“The adaptation towards contactless payments has been under way for years,” Morency said during the session entitled, What’s Going on in Fintech. “The pandemic has prompted us to re-consider whether the solutions we have been pursuing are really contactless enough.
“Canadians interact with fintech a lot more often than we think we do,” Morency said, citing the Interac system as an example of fintech in Canada. “As technology has evolved, Interac has evolved. Often it looks like you are only using the bank’s system, but it is really a well-funded fintech company.”
Take email money transfers as an example. “You don’t necessarily realize this is a fintech thing,” Morency said of e-transfer. “While all banks offer this, it is actually a service of Interac.”
During the pandemic, borrowers and lenders have had a vested interest in avoiding in-person meetings to exchange funds.
“The dark side of this that we have to be aware of is fraud, money laundering and cyber crime,” said Morency. “The virus is changing the way that we operate, which is also changing the way criminals do things and how banks have to mitigate these risks. The push towards digitization comes with its own risks and results in some unintended consequences around IT security and fraud risks.”
Feature image via iStock.com/Lena_Datsiuk


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Kylie Jenner is still showing her support for ex-boyfriend and baby daddy, Travis Scott, in the most subtle ways. On a recent jewelry shopping spree with Corey Gamble, the boyfriend of her mom, Kris Jenner, Kylie was spotted decked out in Astroworld merch. Kylie had on a black sweatshirt and matching sweatpants, both featuring the well-known title of Travis’ third studio album and name of the music festival he launched.
Tommaso Boddi/Getty Images for Netflix
The two have been romantically linked since 2017 and welcomed their daughter, Stormi, on February 1st, 2018; however, they announced their split earlier this year. Though there has been recent speculation that the two have gotten back together, due to a spotting of the two of them at a casino together, Travis liking a photo of Kylie in lingerie, and Kylie sporting a diamond ring indicating a possible engagement, they are reportedly not planning on getting back together anytime soon and are focusing on being amicable co-parents to Stormi. Kylie has also been recently linked to Travis’ “Sicko Mode” collaborator, Drake, which some say is an attempt to make Travis jealous. However, Travis has made it clear that he’s unbothered by these rumours. While Kylie’s outfit choice will likely continue to fuel the rumours that she and Travis are back together, she is clearly not giving up her cozy sweatsuit regardless of what (or who) they represent.
from HotNewHipHop.com https://ift.tt/34E50Q1


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EA refuses to do away with last-gen versions
Madden is continuing its yearly trend of releasing. The lucky late August date this year? August 23. It’ll be coming to PS4, Xbox One, PS3, and Xbox 360 — EA Access members will be able to play early on Xbox One, too.
EA didn’t send over a last-gen review copy last year, but they did the previous year, and it was a mess. Even Call of Duty is choosing to forgo last-gen development with Infinite Advance Wars, but iterative sports games always throw a bone out to old consoles because they can make more money that way while skimping on all the new additions.
Madden 17‘s cover athlete is typically chosen through fan vote, but democracy died in 2016, so the EA-chosen cover star will be announced alongside a gameplay trailer on ESPN on Thursday, May 12 at 3PM pacific.


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On Tuesday, I shared new research showing that sugary beverages double the risk of heart disease death. I also warned that switching to diet soda wasn’t the solution — in fact, it’s a big part of the problem.
Today, I’d like to take a moment to talk about exactly why that is. And I’m hoping that the results of a recent lab study will be enough to convince anyone still sitting on the fence to stop using sugar substitutes immediately.
Researchers presented these findings at the 100th annual meeting of the Endocrine Society this past spring. For their experiments, they collected stem cells from the fat samples of obese subjects. And then they exposed these cells to sucralose — a popular low-calorie sweetener — in a laboratory setting.
Specifically, the stem cells spent 12 days in an atmosphere that mimicked an obesogenic environment — the kind that you would find in a person already struggling with metabolic syndrome and prone to obesity.
And in that time, they found that exposure to doses of sucralose equivalent to what you’d get from consuming four cans of diet soda per day resulted in significant upticks in expression of genes related to fat production and inflammation. They also found an increase in metabolism-slowing free radical accumulation (which can ultimately damage your DNA).
What’s worse, this effect appeared to be dose dependent. Meaning, the more diet soda you chug, the more fattening — and dangerous — it is.
Armed with this new information, the team performed another experiment. They took biopsies of abdominal fat from 18 different subjects — four were a healthy weight, the rest were obese. All consumed low-calorie sweeteners on a regular basis.
Analysis showed that, among the healthy weight subjects, gene expression within the fat samples wasn’t noticeably different. But the fat samples of overweight or obese subjects told a different story… revealing increased sugar transport and over-expression of known fat-generating genes, when compared to samples from peers without a diet soda habit.
Let me translate this for you, without mincing words: Low-calorie sweeteners sabotage the health of the very consumers they’re supposedly designed to help — diabetics and obese dieters.
At a minimum, diet sodas fan the flames of disease. At worst, they’re sending unsuspecting dieters to an early grave. Do yourself a favor and drink water or unsweetened tea instead.
If you’d like to learn more drug-free strategies to prevent and reverse metabolic syndrome, type-II diabetes or prediabetes, check out my Metabolic Repair Protocol. For more information, or to enroll today, click here.


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HARRISVILLE - Hundreds of craftsmen from around the country will set up shop on the Alcona County Courthouse lawn next weekend for the Harrisville Arts Council's annual Harmony Weekend Art and Crafts Show, which celebrates the 50th anniversary of barbershop singing in Harrisville this year.
Starting at 9 a.m. Saturday the tents of some 300 vendors will sell assorted paintings, pottery, jewelery, tools, clothing, textiles, sculptures, toys, ornaments, and goods of all kinds, as well as snacks and refreshments, while barbershop quartets, Sweet Adelines and local musicians entertain the crowd with live music. Harrisville Arts Council member Ilona Breitmeyer, who has been involved with the event for 35 years, said the now famous craft show was once secondary to what started as an annual gathering of barbershop singers.
"It was 50 years ago that four men came to Harrisville and fell in love with it and started singing, and it just grew into what it is today. Barbershoppers would come up, spend a week or two with families at the state park and get together and go around town and sing, and they've been coming here for 50 years," she said. "The art show was added in 1974, and that started out quite small but it has grown huge to about 500 booths for a long time, and then with the economy and everything it has shrunk a little bit to around 300."
The vendors come from Michigan, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, New York, South Carolina, Texas and Wisconsin, and the singers from at least as far. Harrisville Arts Council Treasurer Kathy Baird said this year's 50th annual Concert in the Park at Harrisville Harbor will host international talent as well.
"This concert is going to be special," she said. "We're putting up a big tent at the harbor for it. I know there's a group coming from England, and they're coming from all over the United States for it, so that's a little different."
Breitmeyer said the concert, which starts at 7 p.m. Saturday and accompanies a silent auction of locally decorated wooden chairs to raise money for the singers, will have enough award-winning performers to fill three hours.
"There's world-class entertainment. There's international winners, national winners, state winners from all over the country," she said.
The event continues with more music on the hill at 9:30 a.m. Sunday until the annual "Old Fashioned Parade" down Main Street at 1 p.m. Sunday with floats, cars, campaigners, barbershoppers, Shriners, Miss Sunrise Side, and other Harmony Weekend patrons.
For more information, visit harrisvilleartscouncil.com.
Andrew Westrope can be reached via e-mail at firstname.lastname@example.org or by phone at 358-5693.


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|CATEGORY: MARKET REPORT - PRE-OPEN
Fri 21 Apr 2017
LONDON (SHARECAST) - (ShareCast News) - London stocks were set to kick off the final session of the week in a rather muted fashion as investors eyed the release of retail sales figures and digested the terror attack in Paris late on Thursday.
The FTSE 100 was expected to open just four points higher at 7,106.
CMC Markets analyst Michael Hewson said the UK consumer was going to be in the spotlight along with the pound after this week's strong rebound in the wake of the election announcement.
"We saw a big rebound in March retail sales of 1.4% after three months of weak numbers, and while this was welcome it doesn't disguise the fact that rising prices have been squeezing consumer incomes and curbing spending habits in recent months.
"Having said that inflation does appear to have plateaued a little and employment levels remain high while wages are just about holding up. Could we see a March surprise or will we see the numbers fall back? Expectations are for a decline of 0.3% with annualised sales falling to 3.4%."
Events in Paris were likely to be in focus after a police officer was killed and two others injured in a shooting on the Champs-Élysées that was later claimed by Isis. It transpired that the gunman - who was shot dead as he tried to flee the scene - had been under preliminary investigation for terrorism but had been let go due to a lack of evidence.
The shooting came just three days before the first round of presidential elections.
In corporate news, WS Atkins, the rail, telecoms and defence engineer, has agreed to be taken over by Canada's SNC-Lavalin for £2.1bn.
According to the deal agreed by the FTSE 250 company's board confirmed that Atkins shareholders will each receive 2,080p per share, as offered at the start of the month.
Property developer Hammerson has secured a £360m loan at an initial margin of 90 basis points from a syndicate of fourteen banks in a bid to reduce its debt.
The revolving credit facility has a maturity of five years, which may be extended to a maximum of seven years, and will refinance an existing £175m facility maturing in April 2018.
Private equity firm Electra said it had received £67m from AXIO Group in relation to the sale of RISI.
RISI was sold to Euromoney Institutional Investor PLC for $125m (£97.5m) earlier this month.
Electra said the sale was the sixth major realisation from AXIO's portfolio and takes total cash proceeds received by Electra from its investment in AXIO to almost £420m, or 4.6x original cost, and the total return, including Electra's investment in the remainder of the AXIO Group, including TechInsights, to more than five times original cost.
Consumer products group Reckitt Benckiser posted a trading update for its first quarter, reporting it was in line with expectations with continued strong performance in the health division led by Mucinex and Durex.
The group said that growth was offset by headwind in Scholl/Amopé, which also impacted Europe-North America performance.
Growth rates were set to improve through the year, and RB said it was on track for its full year net revenue target of 3% like-for-like.


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Latest News on Universal Music Group
Showing of 0 - 10 from 17 results
Universal Music Group - Total results - 17
Dec 22, 2017
Facebook-UMG ink “unprecedented” deal allowing all users to use licensed music in their Facebook, Instagram videosThis is a big deal as it is likely to influence the direction of Facebook as a platform in addition to how users interact with the platform.
Dec 08, 2017
YouTube may introduce a paid music streaming service called Remix to compete with Spotify and Apple MusicThe YouTube service, internally referred to as Remix, will compete with similar offerings from Spotify, Apple Music and Google Play Music.
Jul 24, 2017
Spotify edging towards new royalty deal with Warner Music; may clinch the deal by SeptemberMusic streaming company Spotify is close to agreeing to a new licensing pact with Warner Music Inc, the last big music royalty deal it needs before pushing ahead with a US stock market listing, four sources familiar with the situation said.
Sep 15, 2016
Music labels shift to flexible pricing, release cut-rate music streaming serviceTwo major record labels are rolling out a low-priced music streaming service in the United Kingdom, a rare foray by record companies directly into the field and another sign the industry is finally moving towards more flexible pricing.
Jul 11, 2014
SoundCloud close to deal with major record labels: ReportArray
May 15, 2013
Google inks music service deals with Sony, Universal - reportGoogle Inc has signed licensing deals with Universal Music Group and Sony Music Entertainment to launch a subscription music service...
Feb 23, 2013
EU sees Google solution after summer: AlmuniaEuropean Union regulators hope to resolve a two-year investigation into U.S. internet company Google after the summer...
Sep 22, 2012
EU seeks more Google concessions in antitrust caseThe European Union's antitrust chief warned Google it could face charges of breaching EU rules and a fine unless it did more to ease concerns...
Aug 19, 2011
RIM could start BBM music as early as next weekResearch in Motion has seen its fair share of problems over the last few years. This is due to the drop in sales of their BlackBerry handsets with Apple and
Jun 29, 2011
LulzSec Sets Sail Again Under the AntiSec FlagWhen hacker group LulzSec docked their ship, few of us actually expected them to stay there. This expectation adhered to be true and they are now back.


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NEW YORK — Gathered Foods, maker of plant-based seafood alternative brand Good Catch, has netted a number of celebrity investors, including Woody Harrelson, Shailene Woodley, Paris Hilton and Lance Bass. The new backing adds to the company’s recent $36.8 million Series B financing round, led by industry investors Greenleaf Foods and 301 INC, the venture arm of General Mills, Inc.
Good Catch products are available in more than 4,500 retail outlets across the United States and United Kingdom. The brand offers fish-free tuna formulated with a blend of peas, beans and lentils and algal oil, a plant source of omega-3 fatty acids. Other products include plant-based alternatives to fish burgers and cakes and crab cakes. The company is planning new innovation and additional international distribution later this year.
“Consumer demand and culinary trends show the evolving excitement for plant-based foods, and the unified support from such an influential group goes far beyond funding alone,” said Chris Kerr, co-founder and chief executive officer of Gathered Foods. “The message underscored by their backing is invaluable. We are thrilled to welcome all of our new investors and are hopeful for the growth and continued innovation their endorsement creates.”
US plant-based animal protein alternative companies have raised $2.7 billion in venture capital in the past decade, according to the Good Food Institute, a Washington-based non-profit that advocates for the alternative protein industry. Forty-five percent, or $1.2 billion, was raised in 2019 and the first quarter of 2020 alone.


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Ascension Coffee Roasters founder Russell Hayward thought he was hitting a ceiling for his company's growth.
"I was going to build three more shops and that was it. I was done," Hayward said. "I didn't think I could handle it anymore."
Now, Hayward said he is ready to add many more locations for Ascension and its grab-and-go sister business 84-Point Craft Coffee in the years ahead.
Hayward's outlook changed after he joined a small-business program created by Wall Street behemoth Goldman Sachs in partnership with Dallas County Community College. He had heard of it after his wife, a banker, told him about a client who got his financial act together after taking the courses.
Hayward, who graduated the program late last year, joined Mayor Mike Rawlings, Goldman Sachs officials and fellow graduates of the 10,000 Small Businesses program on Wednesday at the offices of DHD Films -- co-founder Hussain Manjee was also a graduate -- in the Design District.
Dallas is one of several cities that hosts the program, which has now served more than 6,700 small businesses. The curriculum, developed by Babson College, is similar to MBA work, but is more focused on helping individual businesses rather than case studies.
Goldman Sachs President David Solomon said his company created the program because it is "a human capital business" and wants the U.S. economy to grow.
The graduates, such as Sammy Mandell of Greenville Avenue Pizza Company, said the program helped them refocus on operations and growth strategies. Quincy Roberts also said it helped his trucking company get capital.
Hayward said he has taken other programs in the past, such as author Stephen Covey's courses, but said the Goldman program was the best of the bunch because it was specific to his business. The program also matched him up with similar businesses. Working with competitors initially caused him trepidation, but he eventually found it helpful. With a small business, he said, "you're on your frickin' own."
"You're very lonely in that business. Very, very lonely," Hayward said. "You're kind of constantly making decisions on your own and second-guessing decisions that you make."
Networking was a major theme of the roundtable Wednesday. Cristina Lynch, founder of clothing shop Mi Golondrina, said she found mentors through the program. And Michael Peticolas, founder of his eponymous brewery, donned a pair of zany socks from fellow graduate Foot Cardigan, which was featured on Shark Tank.
The mayor, a self-described "hired hand" at major companies such as Tracy Locke and Pizza Hut, said he struggled with small business issues when he started his private equity firm.
"I feel that I missed something by not going through the class," Rawlings said.
Rawlings, who is also trying to lure major companies such as Amazon to Dallas, said small businesses and education programs can help close the gap between haves and have-nots in the city. And he offered a bit of parting advice for the graduates.
"May everybody always wear goofy socks," Rawlings said." They'll be better off for it."


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VoIP startup Ooma launched last month with a beta version of its service, and plans to launch commercially in September. The basic principle is straightforward—consumers pay $399 up front (later to be raised to $599, according to the company) for a slick-looking box that gives them free calling for life, with no monthly fees. Ever.
The aim? VoIP for the masses—no geeky headset attached to your PC, no confusing ATA setup, no complicated smartphone interface. And the addition of actor Ashton Kutcher as the company’s creative director gives it an inherent level of cool that no current VoIP offering can match.
“The idea was to bring a voice over IP type service to the mainstream consumer, and in order for that to occur, we had to solve two problems,” says company CEO and founder Andrew Frame. “First of all, calling had to be free—not to other VoIP customers or Ooma customers, but to anybody. And so we solved that problem. The second thing was, you have to be able to do more with this service than you can with a telephone-company–provided service, or what we refer to as a ‘commodity voice service,’ where it’s just about voice. And so we solved that as well, by providing a platform that allows for innovation.”
The first two features that Ooma is making available on that platform are the Instant Second Line—which is relatively self-explanatory—and the Broadband Answering Machine. “If somebody’s leaving you a message, it plays in your house just like an answering machine,” Frame says. “So you can screen your calls, and if it’s important, pick up the phone and you’re now talking to that person—even though it’s recording centrally, which allows you to check it from the Web or have it e-mailed to you.”
The service is available both as a pure VoIP play connected only to the Internet, or in a hybrid mode that uses both Internet and landline connectivity to offer added reliability along with 911 service. “It’s the same hardware, the same product—it’s just a different mode of service,” Frame says. “You can switch between the two if you like.”
The hybrid mode, though, has caused an impressive amount of panic among bloggers who’ve taken a look at the device. All landline-connected Ooma boxes nationwide form a peer-to-peer network, allowing the company to route calls through the phone lines of other users—and giving Ooma users access to what’s essentially free local calling nationwide.
In response, bloggers have suggested that a determined hacker could find a way to listen in on the calls that are being routed through his or her Ooma box. But Frame is adamant that that’s impossible. “The first consideration when developing this technology was security,” he says. “If there was a way to tap these calls, we would not be able to offer this service.”
Similarly, Frame says, there’s no risk that a call being routed through your Ooma box could finger you for someone else’s criminal activity. “We are CALEA compliant, and you can absolutely trace calls in our system,” he says.
Another gripe in the blogosphere is tied to the fact that Ooma asks for a digital signature, giving the company access to your phone service during the sign-up process. Frame says that allows Ooma to add “call forward busy” to the line (a feature that forwards incoming calls to another number or to voicemail when you’re on the phone, and which the Ooma services require), and to remove any redundant services from the user’s account like call waiting, three-way calling, or voicemail—which the Ooma box gives you for free. “What’s we’re trying to do is ease the pain of re-configuring your line to integrate most efficiently with Ooma,” he says. “All you do is put your initials in, and we’ll provision your phone for you.”
One more focus of many bloggers’ concern (and mockery) is the idea that your average end user would be willing to fork out $399 for the device—but Frame insists that it’s a good deal. “To be able to own your phone service, to be able to own a second line, to be able to own your voicemail, and to have all of these in more innovative versions than what you can get today, $399 pays for itself in pretty short order,” he says.
A new category of product
And the quality of service, Frame says, is best of breed—he notes that some reviewers have already said the voice quality is better than landline. “All I can tell you is we’ve got 48 of the top VoIP engineers, systems engineers, and embedded software engineers in the industry—people coming from Juniper, Redback, Cisco, TiVo, Apple… this sort of talent has never been assembled in order to attack telecom services,” he says.
Frame says a wide range of additional services are already on the roadmap, including simple things like ringtones—though some, he admits, may eventually come with a monthly subscription fee. “This is the top of the first inning here,” he says. “We’ve got a long way to go.”
In essence, Frame says, Ooma is creating an entirely new category of product, with proprietary hardware built from the ground up to serve the designers’ vision—so there’s a lot education required. “It’s a distributed communications platform,” he says. “It’s a Linux box in your home that you own, that provides your phone service. You’re no longer paying monthly fees for phone service—voice is now free.” (Note that “free” applies to North America only; Ooma provides inexpensive offshore calling services.)
And the fact that Ooma has built its own box from scratch, Frame says, is a key differentiator. “It is a holistic experience that was developed by a single company,” he says. “If you look at any of our competitors, they all partner with somebody to get an ATA device, and provide that basic service using an ATA—which has some pretty restrictive limitations.”
Last month, the company launched its White Rabbit program, in which beta users, referred to as White Rabbits, receive a free Ooma box along with three codes for free boxes to give to friends. Frame says demand for White Rabbit codes, helped partially by the demise of SunRocket, has been extraordinary. “We’re getting a ton of [SunRocket] customers calling us up, asking, ‘Please provide me this service,'” he says.
And to be fair, not all bloggers are being negative about Ooma… one person even posted a rather touching haiku in its honor:
Sunrocket is dead.
White rabbits dance on its corpse.
Dude, where’s my Ooma?
Over here at VoIPplanet.com, ours is on its way—stay tuned in the coming weeks for a review.


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Business West’s latest quarterly economic survey has found that business concern about inflation, which worried almost two thirds of respondents, is at the highest level ever recorded since this question was introduced to businesses in 2008.
This is up from 63 per cent in the first quarter of 2022.
Nearly 400 businesses from across the South West took part in the survey. The results come as the UK’s annual rate of inflation reached a forty-year-high in May.
The survey found that businesses are experiencing a surge in costs across the board, affecting their ability to plan for the future. Labour costs and utilities, such as energy, are the top drivers of pressure on prices both at 64 per cent, followed by transport fuel and raw materials both at 53 per cent.
Over half of businesses surveyed have increased their prices over the last three months and 64 per cent of manufacturers surveyed are planning to increase their prices in the next three months, as is half of service-based businesses.
Wendy Riley, Company Secretary at PAR Foods, a food export services company based in Calne, said, “Our shipping costs have ballooned – a container cost £8,000 in February, now its £15,000. We feel helpless as we have to pass on these costs.”
Peter Martindale, Director of Peter Martindale Conservation based in Salisbury, added, “Prices for hiring of contractors, materials, utilities, and fuel are all increasing. If I wish my earnings to keep level with costs, I will have to put up my charges.”
Respondents’ confidence in their own businesses remains higher than confidence in the UK economy, despite the myriad of hurdles facing them. However, both measures are substantially down compared to Q1 2022, and the gap is wider than ever as confidence in the UK economy has fallen to the level seen in the depths of the COVID-19 crisis. Only 13 per cent of respondents report feeling confident or very confident, amidst general fears of stagflation.
Matt Griffith, Director of Policy at Business West, commented, “Businesses in the region are facing unprecedented price pressures from all sides – margins are being squeezed by ever increasing costs of labour, materials, energy and fuel which have intensified since the outbreak of war in Ukraine, against a backdrop of widespread global inflationary pressures in trade costs and commodities.
“Businesses are having to deal with uncertainty like never before, from a vulnerable starting position and with little support from the Government who have focused efforts on households instead.
“It is easy for local and national political leaders to take economic growth for granted. Now is not the time for complacency and businesses are looking for strong leadership to help address their challenges.”
Pictured above: Matt Griffith, Director of Policy at Business West


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Doctors have reacted with scepticism to claims that a new cream can make body fat vanish just by rubbing on a skin lotion once a day.
The cream can help people lose a third of their body fat in two months because it boosts metabolisms by 170 per cent, says the maker of Nip + Fab Body Slim Fix.
Men who rubbed the lotion, which contains caffeine and cocoa butter, on to their bodies in clinical tests lost 17.7cm (7in) off their hips, while a woman shaved 1.9cm (0.75in) off her thighs, adds the skincare firm.
But doctors have poured scorn on Nip + Fab’s ‘fitness regime in a tube’ claims – a company set up by Greek-born entrepreneur Maria Hatzistefanis, whose clients include Beyoncé and Victoria Beckham.
Dr Ian Campbell, medical director of the charity Weight Concern, said: ‘It’s simply not possible. Average weight loss in conventional diets rarely exceeds ten per cent over a six-month period.
‘Think carefully before parting with your hard earned money, as promised miracles are rarely delivered.’
The cream went on sale at Boots this week and a 200ml bottle, which lasts two months, costs £14.95. It contains a substance called Uni-slim, which the company says stifles fatty cells, known as adipocytes, and boosts the metabolism to burn up fat.
Customers should use it once a day after a gym session or hot shower – a daily workout is recommended for ‘unparalleled’ results.
Boots would not comment the lotion-maker’s claims.


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E33 - Petro yuan is a threat t the US dollar, Germany Won't Tax Cryptocurrencies, Wyoming - Crypto Tax haven and Wind Power!
Show for April 4, 2018
1. Seeking Alpha: Yes, the Petro yuan is a threat t the US dollar.
2. United States House of Representatives Bill H.R. 5404 Introduced by West Virginia Representative Alex Mooney.
a. The US Dollar has lost 30% of its purchasing power since 2000, and 96% since 1913.
b. It's the policy of the FED RESERVE to maintain a 2% yearly infaltion rate. It might increase
home prices, but it isn't much good for anyone else. That policy has raised the price of
manufactured goods in the US 40% since 2000. That's 20% compared to France and German.
c. The dollar needs to be stable, have a fixed exchange rate, and a controlled money supply.
3. Germany Won't Tax Cryptocurrencies Used To Make Purchases.
a. Bitcoin is considered tax exempt.
b. The basis of the German decision comes from the European Court's 2015 decision,
which stated cryptocurrency as a legal means of payment.
c. The IRS treats Bitcoin, and all other cryptos, as a sale of property subject to capital gains
d. In Germany, if you hold cryptos for more than a year, you will not be forced to pay capital
4. Wyoming H.B, no 0070: The sale of block chain tokens is to be exempt from regulation and money
sending legislation. But only if it's used for consumption. And only if that purpose was available at the time of sale.
5. Wyoming has the potential for the most wind power than any other state in the Union.
iTUNES: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/c... YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/CryptoTheWo... SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/show/1SaoepN... PODCAST PAGE - http://cryptocent.podbean.com WEB - Cryptothewonderdog.com TWITTER - https://twitter.com/CryptoCTWD FACEBOOK - https://www.facebook.com/CryptoTheWon... INSTAGRAM: @cryptothewonderdog BLOG: https://cryptothewonderdog.blogspot.com FEED: http://cryptocent.podbean.com/feed/ LinkedIn Group: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/13579876 Telegram: https://t.me/joinchat/HXYr-1E8iFne2LL...
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They’re soaking up some rays where the sun don’t shine.
The hottest trend gripping wellness die-hards is tanning their cans, or “perineum sunning,” as influencers are calling it.
“In a mere 30 seconds of sunlight on your butthole, you will receive more energy from this electric node than you would in an entire day being outside with your clothes on,” says an influencer, who goes by Ra of Earth. In a viral video that has racked up more than 35,000 views, he gestures toward the sun as three naked men lie down, point their backsides to the sky and make sounds of pleasure.
Ra of Earth has also posted a step-by-step “Sun Worship exercise” pulled from “The Tao of Sexology: The Book of Infinite Wisdom” by Dr. Stephen T. Chang that says the practice can help keep the area “healthy and free of germs.”
Chang and Ra of Earth aren’t the only ones, either. Other influencers appear to be just as inspired to catch some ultra-vile rays.
“[Thirty] seconds of direct sunlight injection to the anal orifice is equivalent to being outside in the sun all day!” writes influencer Troy Casey.
One Californian claims butt-chugging vitamin D not only helps her sleep better but helps to regulate her hormones.
“For the past few weeks I have included sunning my bum and yoni into my daily rising routine,” a woman who goes by Metaphysical Meagan captions an image of herself fully naked on a rock. Meagan says she first learned about perineum sunning through her study of Taoism and has recently given up her morning cup of coffee in favor of sunning her anus.
The phenomenon caught the wider internet’s attention after one Twitter user posted Meagan’s photo and caption, to the tune of more than 84,000 likes.
Even A-listers are sunning their bums. “Big Little Lies” actress Shailene Woodley, who is known for her holistic lifestyle that doesn’t even include a TV, has admitted she’s also practiced a version of perineum sunning.
“Another thing I like to do is give my vagina a little vitamin D,” she told Into The Gloss in 2014. “I was reading an article written by an herbalist I studied about yeast infections and other genital issues. She said there’s nothing better than vitamin D. If you’re feeling depleted, go in the sun for an hour and see how much energy you get. Or, if you live in a place that has heavy winters, when the sun finally comes out, spread your legs and get some sunshine.”
However, medical professionals are far from convinced the practice has any merit.
“There is no evidence that sunbathing in this way has any effect on physical well-being,” Dr. Diana Gall of UK-based online doctor service Doctor 4 U tells Insider.
“Yes, practicing mindfulness and meditation, and getting your dose of vitamin D, is beneficial for mental and physical health, but you don’t need to damage your skin in the process from sun exposure,” she says.
Gall suggests that there are different and “safer” ways to practice mindfulness and adds that “there are no extra benefits of doing this naked in the sun.”
While influencers are currently letting sun shine in their back door, the Federal Trade Commission is having little luck convincing them to shed more light on product endorsements.


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Online music service Rhapsody is stepping forward as the latest would-be iTunes killer, rolling out a digital music store that will sell downloadable songs that are free of copy restrictions and compatible with the Apple iPod.
In addition to its new “Music Without Limits” MP3 store, Rhapsody, a joint venture of RealNetworks (NASDAQ: RNWK) and Viacom (NYSE: VIA), also announced distribution partnerships with several companies including Yahoo, Verizon Wireless and Viacom’s MTV Networks.
“Until now, legal digital music has suffered from severe limitations on where consumers could buy it and how they could use it,” Rob Glaser, RealNetworks’s chairman and CEO, said in a statement. “Music Without Limits fixes those problems and will make digital music easier and more valuable for consumers.”
Rhapsody bills the service, which it will offer alongside its existing monthly streaming music subscription business, as a turning point in online music distribution. At the same time, the move comes as the latest in a series of challenges to Apple’s (NASDAQ: APPL) iTunes in the form of music download stores selling files without digital rights management (DRM) software, which restricts copying or device compatibility.
Like Rhapsody, similar offerings from Amazon, Napster, Wal-Mart and a forthcoming store on MySpace all rely on the notion that offering DRM-free files compatible with Apple’s market-leading iPod player will cut into the company’s dominant share of the music download market.
The major record companies also have been eager to offer their DRM-free catalogs to these alternative providers in the hopes of wresting away some of Apple’s control. Of the big four labels, only EMI has opened its catalog of music without copy restrictions to Apple.
But recent research suggests that the DRM issue might not be the wedge between Apple and digital music primacy that the industry hopes.
Earlier this year, a market analysis from the NPD Group found that iTunes had moved past Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT) to become the nation’s leading music retailer — online or off, and the store just recently crossed the 5 billion mark for total sales.
Rhapsody is opening its download store with more than 5 million songs licensed from the catalogs of the four major labels — EMI, Sony BMG, Universal Music Group and Warner Bros. — as well as numerous independents.
The site also follows a pricing policy similar to iTunes: Most songs are available for $0.99, with full albums selling for $9.99. However, Rhapsody also offers discounts downloads for subscribers of its monthly service, selling tracks to them at $0.89 per song.
One of the signature features of Rhapsody’s store is the ability to preview an entire song; other services commonly limit previews to 30 seconds. Rhapsody’s non-subscription users are allowed only 25 of the 30-second previews per month, after which previews revert to the 30-second format. The restriction does not apply to Rhapsody’s monthly subscribers.
To better its chances of unseating iTunes, Rhapsody said it plans to promote the new store with a $50 million marketing blitz, with ad running on broadcast television, print and online. Rhapsody is also promoting the service by giving away a free album download for the first 100,000 people who register at the store before July 4.
In addition to opening the download store, Rhapsody also took a number of steps toward becoming a distribution platform.
Through the partnership with Verizon Wireless, Rhapsody is making its catalog available for mobile downloads through Verizon’s V CAST music service. As a result, subscribers paying $14.99 a month for V CAST’s will be able to purchase music from Rhapsody’s DRM-free shop. Each mobile download costs $1.99, which buys the consumer two copies — one formatted to work on select mobile devices, and one for the PC.
Consumers will now also be able to access Rhapsody’s catalog and purchase songs through Yahoo Music, and the music-discovery site iLike, which is one of the most popular music-sharing applications on social networking sites like Facebook, MySpace and Bebo.
Rhapsody has also created its own Facebook application so members of the popular social network can import music from their Rhapsody collection and share it with their friends.
Rhapsody will also become the backend provider for streaming music on MTV Networks’ online properties, including MTV.com, VH1.com and CMT.com.
Initial reaction from industry watchers viewed the moves with cautious optimism.
“Although we still see Apple’s iTunes as the world’s leading digital music service, we believe these actions will enable Rhapsody to gain ground,” Standard and Poor’s analyst Scott Kessler wrote in a research note.


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According to TipRanks.com, Rodrigues is a 4-star analyst with an average return of 5.8% and a 72.7% success rate. Rodrigues covers the Financial sector, focusing on stocks such as Choice Properties Real Estate Investment Trust, RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust, and Artis Real Estate Investment Trust.
Currently, the analyst consensus on Park Lawn is a Moderate Buy with an average price target of C$31.50, implying a 12.5% upside from current levels. In a report released today, Canaccord Genuity also maintained a Buy rating on the stock with a C$31 price target.
Based on Park Lawn’s latest earnings release for the quarter ending March 31, the company reported a quarterly net profit of C$3.33 million. In comparison, last year the company had a GAAP net loss of C$435.8K.
Park Lawn Corp. provides goods and services associated with the disposition and memorialization of human remains. Its products and services are sold on a pre-planned basis or at the time of a death. The company and its subsidiaries own and operate businesses including cemeteries, crematoria, funeral homes, chapels, planning offices and a transfer service.
The company’s shares closed last Wednesday at C$27.33.


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In a filing with South Korean regulators on Tuesday, Samsung Electronics has said that it would be permanently halting production (and sales) of the embattled smartphone. This news comes a day after they had ‘temporarily’ suspended sales and exchanges of the device after replacement sets that had allegedly solved the battery issue continued to catch fire, with at least 8 reported cases.
“Taking our customer’s safety as our highest priority, we have decided to halt sales and production of the Galaxy Note 7,” the company said.
The news also follows Samsung’s worst single-day performance in the stock market in eight years, where its stock dropped a whopping 8%, after a 3.3% fall yesterday (as of 10 Oct, 0925 GMT +8). While they had initiated a global recall of the 2.5 million sets initially produced over a month ago, their attempts at rectifying the issue did not work, and replacement units also began catching fire in consumers’ hands.
The much hyped smartphone, for which we had also been writing a review, has ended up damaging the brand far more severely than anyone could have imagined. After almost universal praise for the device and its features, the Note 7’s improper quality control and poorly handled recall process has killed the device.
Samsung has as of yet made no comment to indicate that it will reimburse customers, many of whom have invested into hundreds of dollars of accessories for the device. Samsung’s Singapore division is also yet to release a statement. However, earlier today, Samsung had released a statement which asked all carrier and retail partners to halt sales and exchanges of the Note 7. They also recommended all users to power down and stop using both the old and new Note 7 units.
This sudden move to completely discontinue the device points to a flaw that is far more serious than previously imagined, or it goes to reason that a second round of recalls and replacements would have been able to solve the issue. Instead, the fault seems to lie in an inherent design flaw of the Note 7.
The timing to unify the naming scheme of the Galaxy S and Note series could also not have come at a worse moment for the South Korean company, for many consumers have begun associating the “Galaxy 7” series as dangerous and prone to fires. Airlines have also begun implementing blanket bans on the Note series, “Galaxy 7” series, and in some cases all Samsung devices.
The failure of the smartphone has also put Samsung’s competitors in prime position to lure its customers, many of whom are swearing off the brand completely. Both the recently launched Google Pixel and iPhone 7 Plus are set to enjoy the maximum benefit from this situation.
With regards to Singapore, all three telcos (M1, Singtel, and Starhub) have also halted sales of the beleaguered device, with no mention of it in their online stores or updated promotional materials. Third party retailers like Mobyshop have also pulled the Note 7 from their storefronts, and today’s announcement ensures that we will not be seeing it for sale again. A pity, then, for the Note 7 truly was a great phone — perhaps the best of 2016 — save for the fiasco with the fires.
Source - WSJ.


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A convenience store has been refused permission to sell alcohol in an area with a ‘startling’ crime rate.
Muhammad Tayyeb Butt wanted to sell alcohol at his new store, Teesside Grocers Ltd, at 85 Borough Road, from 7am to 10pm every day.
However, Middlesbrough Council’s licensing committee refused to award him a licence largely because the premises is in Central Ward, which is covered by the cumulative impact policy.
This is in place in areas saturated by late-night food outlets and premises selling alcohol which are linked to an increase in crime and anti-social behaviour in the area.
In Central ward, this means that applications by stores to sell alcohol are likely to be refused unless the owner can prove that there will be no negative impact.
“That’s a startling statistic”
According to Cleveland Police’s lawyer Paul Clarke, this new store would not be a positive for the area.
He added: “As we mentioned it’s a cumulative impact policy area, it’s not as if the police are saying, if you get the shop there’s going to be death on the streets or anti-social behaviour because that’s there already.
“Having another shop won’t help that. There is nothing new or unique about this application that would justify you from going away from that policy.”
Mr Clarke said that the new micro-breweries and artisan bakeries on Bedford Street and Baker Street provided something new for Middlesbrough whereas this application is “completely the opposite of that.”
He went on to add: “There have been 1,006 violent crimes in a 500 metre radius of the premises over a 13 month period.
“That’s a startling statistic and shows the level of crime that’s already there in the local area.
“Alcohol doesn’t reduce the amount of crime in local areas, if anything it’ll only add to it.
“It might be a small amount but any amount is significant when you are talking about those types of statistics.”
Mr Clarke also said that the selling of alcohol at 7am would not promote sociable drinking.
He added: “The sort of drinkers that you see around town at 7 in the morning, those ones who have caused a great deal of anti-social behaviour throughout the town, are the sort of people you see in the magistrates court on a daily basis.
“That has a knock-on effect to other local businesses and shops where, in the centre of Middlesbrough, you have got people begging, people are abusive because they have been drinking alcohol.
“I’m not saying that it’s this gentleman’s premises at all, it’s a perennial problem that will only get worse if there are more premises that do sell alcohol.”
He also raised concern about the “explosion” in the amount of drinking indoors since the start of the Covid pandemic.
“I am not having single cans, I’m not having high-strength or spirits”
Mr Butt, who also runs the Esso garage store on Acklam Road and Best One in Norton, did suggest that he would be happy to only sell alcohol from midday rather than 7am.
During his opening remarks, the store owner said that he would not be selling a wide array of alcohol.
He added: “There will just be a 1.25 metre chiller and that’s it. I am not having single cans, I’m not having high-strength or spirits, it’s all just basic.”
Mr Butt also said that if he was awarded the licence he would be able to hire two more staff members, though that prompted concerns about the volume of alcohol he was expected to sell if it was worth two employees.
Cleveland Police’s PC Jason Arbuckle was worried that conditions on a licence would not keep pace with the ever-evolving drinks market.
He added: “One of my concerns is that the products with alcohol that are causing us concern now are not the same products that were causing us concern five or ten years ago.
“I appreciate that we could come up with some conditions that will alleviate some of the problem products but who is to say in six months or a year down the line, new products come out which replace the old ones.”
“It’s the wrong premises in the wrong place”
The council’s principal public protection officer Sinead Upton was also against the store being awarded a licence.
She said: “We have talked about alcohol and alcohol misuse, is quite broad, it’s often hidden and it adversely affects the individuals, families and whole communities.
“It’s often disproportionately greater for vulnerable and disadvantaged communities. It impacts on all council services, the NHS, the police, criminal justice system, education, and voluntary sector.”
She went on to add: “The information that we were given [by the applicant] was very vague, we called this meeting specifically to find out more, there wasn’t a lot of detail given.
“We have no problems with the applicant and he showed a willingness to work with us but the fact of the matter is, it’s just another outlet that’s selling alcohol in an area where there are already loads of problems with the supply of alcohol.
“We do not see any way, if this was granted, that it would not exacerbate what’s already the problems that Middlesbrough has. As the police said, it’s the wrong premises in the wrong place.”
Ms Upton said that alcohol misuse cost Middlesbrough’s economy £56.5m per year which included costs relating to health, social care, crime, and licensing.
She also shared some stark data which revealed that people in Middlesbrough are more likely to die of alcohol-related conditions compared to England or the region and the town has one of the highest rates for hospital admissions in 2019/20 for alcohol-related disorders.
Ms Upton also raised concerns about the high levels of domestic abuse in the town and how alcohol is often a factor.
Central ward councillor Linda Lewis, who has lived in the area for 37 years, was also keen to see the application for a licence refused.
She added: “I see on a daily basis the effects of alcohol on residents in my community.”
Mr Butt said that the store would have CCTV, including cameras outside to help identify people who could be trying to buy alcohol on behalf of others.
In his application for a licence, he also said that no members of the public would be allowed in staff-only areas and under 18s or people who have previously created a nuisance would not be served.
Following all of the evidence, the panel, Cllr Ron Arundale (chair), Cllr Teresa Higgins and Cllr Mieka Smiles, decided to reject the application.
Cllr Arundale said: “We see no reason to depart from our policy, particularly cumulative impact, therefore we have decided to refuse this application.”
The applicant will have 21 working days to appeal the decision.


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Handset to hit shelves two weeks after going on pre–order.
Deal could bring hi–res audio streaming to iPhone.
Blue model features Smart Connector and dual lens camera.
Smash hit app likely to prove financial boon for Apple as well as Nintendo.
Sony imaging plants closed after quakes last week.
Newly transparent code will help Apple fix problems quicker.
Claim from Chinese source points towards a very similar device to last year’s iPhone 6s.
New wearable will come with string of updated features.
Wireless tech isn't good enough, says the Woz.
Rumours swirl that speaker grille won’t actually give out any sound.


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Hard-Hit Retailers Hope That ‘Revenge Shopping’ Will Be A Thing
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The Retail industry is hoping for 2021-22 to be a breakout year. For example, in the US, National Retail Federation (NRF) CEO Matt Shay stated that, “…healthy consumer fundamentals, pent-up demand and widespread distribution of the vaccine will generate increased economic growth, retail sales and consumer spending.” Therefore, the NRF is forecasting that retail sales will grow between 6.5 percent and 8.2 percent in 2021-22.
As retailers announce last year’s 4Q and full year results, we’re seeing what we expected based on 2Q and 3Q performance. Fast moving consumer goods retailers (“FMCG”: principally grocers) and big-box general merchants like Walmart (+6.7%) and Target (+21%) had a good 2020-21, as shoppers focused on basic needs during lockdown. Fashion and specialty merchants tell a different tale. Fashion-oriented companies like Nordstrom (-31%) and Kohl’s (-20%) took big hits to their top lines. Specialty retailer Michaels achieved an almost-normal lift (+4%), while PetSmart achieved better than 5.5% revenue growth (pets were the beneficiaries of the fact that humans couldn’t hang out with other humans during most of the last year).
It stands to reason then that retailers that raced ahead last year are looking to increase their dominance, while those that have fallen behind seek to catch up. Undoubtedly, the NRF’s guidance is welcome news to everyone. And that optimism was buoyed last week in the US by the March jobs report.
The question is, are consumers ready to make the rosy outlook come true?
The usual methods for projecting performance may not help much. As all the RSR partners have opined in the last few months, there’s nothing about the last year that would or should ever be considered “normal”. That’s a problem for anyone who is trying to forecast 2021-22. It’s not a safe bet to use last year as the baseline. Can the industry gain any insight from all that “exogeneous data” that we at RSR keep writing about? I’m not sure how a planner is supposed to translate all the fear and loathing that we see in social media these days into something that can help determine demand.
Planners are nonetheless tasked with coming up with numbers. This is where a couple of social (not social media, but the real society) factors come into the picture.
The first is something that observers are calling “revenge shopping”. In its March 12th digital edition, WWD described revenge shopping this way: “Revenge shopping, the phenomenon where consumers spend money on items and experiences that they have felt deprived of during the pandemic, may be on its way to the U.S. ‘with a vengeance’….”
This isn’t merely wishful thinking. In his book entitled Future Luxe: What’s Ahead for the Business of Luxury, author Erwan Rambourg (who spent many years in retail as a Marketing Manager in the luxury industry, notably for LVMH), stated that “so-called ‘revenge buying,’ which started in mainland China very rapidly after COVID-19 came under control and as early as late March <2020> was a tangible reason not to temper enthusiasm about future prospects… the appetite for luxury, especially with the younger generation, is alive and kicking.” The thinking goes, if it happened in China, it will happen elsewhere.
But every silver lining has a cloud, and that cloud is “consumer anxiety”. Global consulting firm Deloitte recently published the results of its latest State Of The Consumer Tracker study. When consumers were asked to agree or disagree with the statement, “I’m more anxious than I was last week” only last week, here’s what the results showed:
Clearly, people in many parts of the world and particularly those in consumer-oriented economies are coming out of their confinements. That’s good news! But for many, anxiety lingers. For example, the study found that in the US, as many consumers are worried about their finances as they are in getting the coronavirus (about ½ of those surveyed).
Nonetheless, the assessment is more optimistic than otherwise. Deloitte U.S. Consumer Industry Leader Anthony Waelter summarized it this way: “The stress of the pandemic is shifting from personal safety to financial security as we turn the corner and vaccinations become more readily available. Yet, despite a rise in financial stress related anxiety, consumer intent to maintain or increase discretionary spending is also on the rise, demonstrating more confidence in the recovery. With the passing of the stimulus bill recently, and checks beginning to roll out, businesses may very well expect to see consumer spending trends accelerate.”
What can retailers make of all of this? While it’s better than getting the Ouija board from the attic, “revenge shopping” and “consumer anxiety” aren’t factors usually considered in the business plan. But for some retailers and their supplier partners, that’s exactly what must happen this year and possibly next. We’re in for a wild ride.
 Non-transactional data used to help determine demand, such as consumer sentiment, the weather, competitive, market metrics, etc.


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Here’s How Much Money The Social Media Hype Over Popeyes’ Chicken Sandwich Earned
Just how much did fans love that chicken from Popeyes? Thanks to all the social media hype over their new sandwich, the Louisana Fresh fast-food restaurant earned a ton of money.
The internet started taking sides when it came to which chain had the best fried chicken sandwich, starting with Popeyes’ announcement earlier this month.
With comments, memes, and videos making the rounds, many of the restaurants couldn’t keep up with demand. Some limited orders, while others were completely sold out.
The Apex Marketing Group reveals that Popeyes has taken in $23.25 million in equivalent ad value from media mentions over the last two weeks, thanks to the new dish.
Did you fall into the hype over this new sandwich? Which other foods are worthy of championing on social media?


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“Not much we can do, just like normal gun shop owners we can’t really tell the murderers from the customers. Though the data collected in this trial run wasn't cleaned empire market or analysed to the standards of the Silk Road 1 project, conclusions from this work show similar patterns to the first analysis.”
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The situation in Belarus’ economy is stable – as stated by Prime Minister Roman Golovchenko during a meeting of the Council of Ministers focusing on the results of the country’s socio-economic development in Q1
“The situation in the economy is stable, the results demonstrate a positive stable trend. The macroeconomic balance has been preserved. In Q1, the foreign trade surplus amounted to $243m, and exports of goods and services stood at 11 billion 700 million US Dollars. These are the highest figure since 2012,” the Prime Minister informed.
Mr. Golovchenko noted that – thanks to the measures taken by the Government together with the National Bank – inflation in annual terms decreased to 4.7 percent in four months. “All social tasks of the state are carried out in full, and we have reached a positive growth rate of our citizens’ real incomes: in January-March, their level exceeded 100 percent. Real wages increased by almost 2 percent, and the average salary in Q1 made Br1,731, or $627. This is also a record figure in recent years,” he said.
The Prime Minister drew attention to the planned increase in pensions in the country. According to him, their average figure will make Br705 in May – taking into account the last increase (21 percent growth against the May 2022 level).
“The controlled situation on the labour market has been preserved, and all this is based on the real results of the economy. The financial performance of organisations has significantly improved, net profit increased by 25 percent to 4 billion 700 million Belarusian Roubles. At the same time, the amount of net loss for unprofitable organisations decreased by 27 percent, and there are now 86 loss-making companies less in the country,” Mr. Golovchenko said.
As informed by the Prime Minister, an increase in industrial production of 102.3 percent and agricultural products of 103.7 percent was registered in the first four months of the year, based on the operative data.
“Last year's level of turnover in retail and wholesale trade has been restored, and this confirms the thesis about the recovery growth of our economy,” Mr. Golovchenko concluded.


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Volvo celebrates the fiftieth anniversary of the P1800 at TechnoClassica show in Essen
Volvo builds a sports car
Unless you’re over fifty years old or a fan of vintage Volvos, you’ve probably never heard of the P1800. Originally conceived in 1957, Volvo built the sports coupe, plus a station wagon version in the latter part of the model’s life, from 1961 until 1973.
That the car even exists at all is largely due to Helmer Petterson, an engineering consultant to the company at the time, and Helmer’s son Pelle. Helmer, a Volvo legend, had previously been responsible for another Volvo model, the PV444, which was built by the company following World War Two.
During this period, Helmer’s son, Pelle, happened to be a young student working temporarily at the Italian design studio Pietro Frua. While there and unbeknownst to Volvo, Pelle designed the P1800. Later on after finding out, management was very upset by the fact that their sports car was designed by an unknown Swedish student and it wasn’t until 2009 that Volvo officially acknowledged Pelle as the stylist responsible for the P1800.
Production was originally scheduled to begin in 1958, but German coachbuilder Karmann backed out after its biggest customer, Volkswagen, threatened to pull their business if Karmann took the job. VW, it seems, felt that the P1800 might take sales away from their own Karmann Ghia model.
At one point, Helmer Petterson, himself, even began to look for financing in order to market the car on his own. Then, unexpectedly, a press release with a photo of the car surfaced, Volvo was forced to acknowledge its existence and the rest, as they say, is history.
Last weekend, Volvo celebrated the P1800’s fiftieth anniversary at the world’s largest indoor show for classic vehicles, the TechnoClassica show in Essen, Germany. On hand were six very special versions:
• X1 - the very first P1800 prototype that was hand-built in 1957 at Frua in Turin
• 1961 P1800 - an example of a very nice series-production car assembled at Jensen Motor Ltd in the U.K.
• 1963 P1800S Rally car – yes, Volvo did successfully race and rally the P1800
• 1966 1800S Volvoville – very rare and one of the very few existing US-built convertibles
• 1971 1800E - perfectly rebuilt and a mint example of the most unusual type
• 1971 1800ES - the sportswagon with all the funny nicknames, and a model that turns 40 this year
In addition to the cars, two celebrities who should be familiar to Volvo aficionados everywhere also attended the show.
The first was Irv Gorden, a gentleman and Guinness World Record-holder from Long Island, New York that has spent more time in a P1800, guaranteed, than anyone else, having driven his 1966 1800S, which he bought new, over 2.8 million miles.
The second was Pelle Petterson. Despite the fact that it took Volvo nearly fifty years to acknowledge the fact that Pelle designed the 1800, Petterson has managed to live what most of us would consider a full life.
After designing the 1800, he left the auto industry and went on to become a world-famous yacht designer and sailor - designing the Maxi Class sailing boats, winning Olympic bronze and silver medals as well as a world championship in the Starboat class, and skippering the Swedish America’s Cup challenges in both 1977 and 1980.
images courtesy of Volvo and Claes Rydholm, Volvo Heritage Manager


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**No translation available/ninguna traducción disponible**
Sent by email on November 17, 2015.
Indra K. Nooyi
Chairman and CEO
Dear Ms. Nooyi:
On November 6th, Reuters reported that Pepsi Co. was among fifty U.S. firms attending the Havana Trade Expo. While noting their awareness of a lacking clarity on how to make money in the Communist-ruled country, there was nothing on the fact that for the last five and a half decades Cuba has been ruled by a military dictatorship sustained on a huge repressive apparatus.
Doing business in today’s Cuba implies considerable risks that will come up in responsible due diligence. Moreover, it has serious ethical implications, as it requires partnering with a criminal regime that controls –particularly through its military conglomerate- most of the economy and systematically violates numerous I.L.O. conventions and labor standards.
Claims that doing business in Cuba will somehow empower the people economically or politically are ill-advised. A quarter century after Cuba, faced with the demise of the Soviet bloc, opened to tourism and business of the capitalist kind, it has primarily funded and enabled the police state.
Rushing to Havana to seek ways to profit from the oppressed and impoverished Cuban people falls prey to a hype cleverly designed to suit the purposes of Cuba’s regime. We trust that Pepsi Co. will honor its Global Code of Conduct and maintain a clear stance for human rights and fair labor practices as necessary conditions for doing business in Cuba.
We would be pleased to brief your staff on issues pertaining Cuba’s business climate including the situation of labor and human rights.
Maria C. Werlau


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Alexander Wang nearing investor deal
New York - Alexander Wang may have just left Balenciaga, but the young and gifted designer still has his very successful namesake label to nurture and grow. According to several market sources, Wang may have found an investment partner to help him grow his increasingly popular luxury label that has already won the hearts of the fashion industry. General Atlantic, the New York-based equity growth firm headed by CEO William Ford, is in talks with Alexander Wang to potentially become his investment partner.
The amount of the company that would be sold or how much investment General Atlantic is considering making is being kept tightly under wraps. Ford is very connected to the fashion industry being the husband of former Saks Fifth Avenue president Marigay McKee. He also serves on the board of Tory Burch.
General Electric's portfolio also includes Gilt Groupe, Too Faced, Airbnb, Vox Media, Buzzfeed, and Alibaba. Wang seeking out an investor to grow his own namesake label is presumed to be the reason that he left Kering-owned Balenciaga. Both sides agreed that his contract for the fashion house would not be renewed, which sent the fashion industry rippling with shock.
Alexander Wang reported to be in talks with General Atlantic for investment deal
Wang's last collection for Balenciaga will be sent down the runway on October 2 during Paris Fashion Week. A new creative director is expected to be announced in the next several months. “It’s been an incredible experience to work with a couture house in Paris. I am honored to have had the opportunity to work for this historical maison. I would like to thank the brilliant team at Balenciaga for their collaboration and for what we have accomplished together, and I am looking forward to taking my own brand to its next level of growth,” Wang said in a statement.
Wang began working at Balenciaga in 2012 after former creative director Nicholas Ghesquiere left after 15 years to join Louis Vuitton. Wang completely changed the direction of the fashion house using a lot of black and white in his collections, creating a more conservative but very chic and edgy Balenciaga. Sales for Balenciaga have done well under his tenure as creative director.
Wang's own namesake label has been independently own and family run since its inception, but, he has stated in the past he intended to seek an investor and further expand the business one day. Currently, the Alexander Wang brand is worth over 100 million dollars and is sold at 700 points of distribution around the world. The brand's main focus right now is building their infrastructure, retail, human resources, and corporate offices in New York, Paris, and Hong Kong to help further their growth.
After Wang opened his Paris office in 2014, the company's market share shifted to 60 percent European and 40 percent domestic. The UK is one of their biggest foreign markets, followed by China, Italy, and Canada. Last Saturday, August 1, Wang opened his biggest branded flagship to date in London's Mayfair neighborhood.
While Wang is still riding on his growing success and establishing his staying power as a fashion design titan, Balenciaga still seems to have no idea who his successor will be. They are considering going with a lesser known designer in the way Gucci chose Alessandro Michele as Frida Giannini's successor, and many fashion industry professionals think this could be an excellent idea.
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It’s only a matter of time before the world transitions into a cashless society.
The novel coronavirus could just be the trigger that the world needs in order to leave behind traditional wallets and physical money. For many years now, the tech industry has been pushing for a more digital form of finances, a world that does not rely on paper bills or coins or even credit cards but rather an easier and arguably more secure form of cash management.
And for a long time, people were apprehensive of the idea since physical money is, in fact, more accessible, and its tangibility could be considered somewhat comforting.
Times are changing
The world is hopeful that the COVID-19 pandemic would soon die out, but even if it does, it won’t change the fact that the novel coronavirus, the SARS-CoV-2, has already left its mark. A few years from now or even decades, society will always remember the fear that came with physical contact during the pandemic season and how easy it is to spread disease.
People would be warier, and this caution would no doubt precipitate the need for cashless modes of transaction. Cash is filthy, and according to studies, a single paper bill could contain up to 26,000 bacterial colonies. A study conducted by LendEDU reveals how credit cards contain more microbes than physical money
. Now add that knowledge to the novel coronavirus, and people would be jumping towards digital wallets in no time.
The tech industry is on the move
Six years ago, Apple CEO Tim Cook introduced Apple Pay, which is basically a service that stores people’s credit card information and gives them the ability to make monetary transactions using the iPhone. For six years, the service didn’t manage to hook the public as much as Apple thought it would, but with the COVID-19 highlighting the importance of social distancing, the service is definitely at an all-time high.
Given the climate of things, people are starting to change their paying habits, and the tech industry knows this. Even before the pandemic, it should be noted that most major credit cards were already associated with digital wallets provided by the likes of Samsung, Google, and Apple. Most shopping is being done online, and even ordering food has become digital.
Google, for instance, is reportedly working with Citigroup in order to establish a debit card that could compete with the Apple Card. Furthermore, the tech giant is also working with Amazon in developing checking account-like products.
Facebook, for one, wants the eradication of traditional banks with its Libra project, which is focused on cryptocurrency such as bitcoin. Amazon, one of the largest e-commerce companies in the world, is also reportedly in talks with JPMorgan chase for what seems to be the same idea as to its fellow tech giants. The fact is that even before novel coronavirus, the world was already moving towards a more digital way of cash management, and the pandemic would no doubt speed up the process.
Paypal probably had started it all, and the trust it had built for over two decades is paving the way for other companies to follow.
Images courtesy of Nathan Dumlao/Unsplash


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Continental recalls 3,800 tires
Continental Tire the Americas LLC is recalling 3,800 ContiProContact P205/65 R15 95T XL tires manufactured in February 2015 and sold in the U.S. replacement market.
The company says the tires may experience tread separation. The tires can be identified with the Department of Transportation (DOT) code VY UR 471B 0615. Only the production DOT week 0615 is affected.
Continental has not received any reports of accidents or injuries resulting from this condition.
Continental notified the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) of the details of the recall on July 7, 2015.
The company says it is in communication with its tire distributors and dealers to identify consumers who purchased affected tires. Owners will be promptly notified and informed about the details of the voluntary safety recall program.
Consumers seeking more information, including instructions for identifying affected tires as well as obtaining replacement tires are asked to visit Continental's Web site http://continentaltire.custhelp.com for more information.