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Texas auto dealer Don Davis' collection of collector cars was so impressive that its distribution via an RM Auction attracted bidders from Brazil, Australia, Kuwait and nearly a dozen other foreign countries, with five of his cars selling for more than $1 million each, including a seven-figure sale for a 1967 Toyota 2000GT.
"We were honored to have been entrusted to offer Don Davis's incredible collection," said RM's Ian Kelleher. "The fantastic results reflect not only the truly exceptional quality of the cars, but also the continued health of the collector car market and Mr. Davis's reputation for collecting the best of the best."
The auction included 64 automobiles and they sold for more than $21.2 million.
The top sale was $1.936 million for a Pininfarina-bodied 1967 Ferrari 330 GTS. Another Ferrari also brought more than $1 million: a Scaglietti-bodied 1973 365 GTB/4 Daytona Spider selling for $1.65 million. A 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL "gullwing" sold for $1.237.5 million and a 1965 Shelby 289 Cobra brought $1.001 million.
But the stunner was the pale yellow Toyota sports coupe that sold for $1.155 million, a record for the marque. Toyota built only 351 2000GTs and the Davis car was one of only 62 with the steering wheel on the left side of the cockpit. The pre-auction estimate for the car was in the $650,000-$850,000 range.
In addition to the Toyota, auction-record prices were paid for the Ferrari 330, a Porsche 959 "Komfort" (at $770,000), a 1965 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud III Mullner Park Ward drophead coupe ($577,000) and for a 1965 Lamborghini 350 GT coupe ($550,000).
Also of special interest was the 1941 Chrysler Newport Pacemaker by LeBaron that was the actual pace car for the Indianapolis 500. The car sold for $880,000.
Mecum at KC generates $9.6 million
A one-of-nine 1936 Ahrens-Fox BT fire truck represented the top sale at Mecum's spring auction in Kansas City. The fully restored truck with its original Big Bertha engine and six-cylinder piston pump brought $125,000.
Total sales at the event were $xx.xx.
Other top sales included $112,500 for a 1958 Chevrolet Impala convertible in tropical turquoise paint, $112,000 for a 1931 Cadillac roadster, $111,000 for a 25th anniversary-edition 1989 Lamborghini Countach, and $100,000 for a 1969 Oldsmobile Hurst 442.
Mecum's next big event is its huge 26th annual Original Spring Classic that fills the Indiana State Fairgrounds from May 14-19 with vehicles for sale, including the 1967 Ford Mustang "Eleanor" from the "Gone in 60 Seconds" movie starting Nicholas Cage. Several Eleanors were built for the film, but this is the "hero" car (7R02C179710) used for on-screen close-ups and in promotional materials.
Vicari's Cruisin' Nocona auction hits $2.6 million
Vicari Auction Company's first Cruisin' Nocona event resulted in the sale of 115 vehicles for a total of $2.6 million.
"I could not be more pleased with the turnout," said Pete Vicari. "The support of the community, local sponsors and the Horton Classic Car Museum made this event a tremendous success and we look forward to returning next year."
Nocona is a small town near the Texas/Oklahoma border that is trying to reclaim lost fame by becoming a classic car destination.
The inaugural auction had an 83-percent sell-through rate. The top sales were $260,000 for a 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 coupe that had been in storage since the 1980s, $150 for a 1962 Corvette convertible and $100,000 for a 1954 Buick Skylark.
Bikes bring $2.17 million at auction
A 1952 Vincent Black Shadow sold for $176,130 to top the Bonhams' auction at the recent International Classic MotorCycle Show in England. The Black Shadow was the factory bike sent to the Monthlhery circuit in France to set various speed records in the spring of 1952. The bike established eight records, including a six-hour stint at more than 100 miles per hour, but didn't get the cherished 24-hour record because of mechanical failures.
Total sales for the auction were $2.17 million.
Among the highlights were the sale, for $50,000, of a 1914 Indian Model F formerly owned by Steve McQueen and the sale of a 1931 Brough Superior SS80 that had been won in a raffle some 40 years ago. The Brough, originally an Ipswich motorcycle with sidecar, but offered in solo trim for the raffle, brought $89,200 at the auction, or, as Bonhams expressed it, ""more than a million times the cost of the 1972 raffle ticket."
Corvettes featured at Sonoma Historic festival
Steve Earle's 27th annual historic racing car showcase, now known as the Sonoma Historic Motorsports Festival, is scheduled for May 18-19 at Sonoma Raceway, where the Chevrolet Corvette will be the featured marque.
"From its introduction in 1953 and the bold first steps into the road-racing world at the 12 Hours of Sebring in 1956, to the 24 Hours of Le Mans and hundreds of SCCA events across the country, the Corvette has remained 'America's sports car'." Earle said.
Among the 400 vintage and historic racing cars gathering in northern California for the event will be 32 Corvettes spanning four decades of racing. Among them will be Paul Reinhart with his 1957 and 1957 Corvettes. Reinhart raced Corvettes against Carroll Shelby's Cobras in the 1960s and won the Pacific Coast SCCA B-Production championship in 1962.
"We tip our hats to Paul Reinhart," said Earle. "He was a hero of the day in California as he mercilessly harassed the Cobras with his Sting Ray coupe.
"The Fifties and Sixties in California were magical years," Earle added, "as Corvettes dominated in SCCA racing and Chevrolet encouraged amateur and professional racers around the country to compete in its product by providing everything they needed at the local Chevrolet dealer."
In addition to competition at the track, the Marin Sonoma concours d'elegance will be held May 19 at the Marin Civic Center. The event will feature cars owned by Hollywood legends, the 50th anniversary of Lamborghini, Woodie wagons, vintage campers and Italian motorcycles.
May 3-5 -- Texas Concours and Worldwide auction, Montgomery, Texas
May 4 -- RK Motors inaugural auction, Pinehurst, North Carolina
May 4-5 -- Keels and Wheels, Seabrook, Texas (featuring 100th anniversary of Stutz)
May 5 -- Greystone Mansion concours, Beverly Hills, California
May 11-14 -- Auctions America at Auburn, Indiana
May 14-15 -- Mecum Original Spring auction at Indianapolis
Click here for event calendar.
Click here for more articles by Larry Edsall.


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Sales of existing Palm Beach County homes jumped 8 percent in August compared to the previous year as prices rose nearly 12 percent to a median purchase price of $215,000.
The increases occurred as inventory of single-family homes for sale continued to shrink to less than a five month supply, according to the Realtors Association of the Palm Beaches, which released its August sales report this morning.
A normal inventory is about 6 months.
“It seems the inventory is being released in cycles of some sort and I think it’s stabilized the market and pushed values up ever so slightly,” said Kathy Gross, president and broker of Nautica Realty in Boynton Beach. “Supply and demand is definitely affecting market values.”
Palm Beach County’s condominium sales were mostly stable in August, increasing just 1 percent, but the median sales price was up 16 percent to $87,000 from last year.
Nationally, the volume of home sales was also up in August and median prices increased on a year-over-year basis for the sixth straight month. The last time that happened was during the housing boom from December 2005 to May 2006.
“The housing market is steadily recovering with consistent increases in both home sales and median prices,” said National Association of Realtors Chief Economist Lawrence Yun.
Total closed home sales nationwide rose 7.8 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.82 million in August from July and were 9.3 percent higher than the same time last year.
The median sales price was $187,400, up 9.5 percent from a year ago.

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When lockdowns made everyday business difficult, technology and design company founders Caleb McIvor and Reese Chen looked for alternative avenues of opportunity in this new environment.
Having completed a variety of 3D design and printing contracts, the two discovered an untapped opportunity in New Zealand’s 3D printing market which led to the creation of PrintGig.
“The 3D printing side of the business was making a lot of money, but we didn’t think it was a safe space due to the lack of regulations and platforms. We thought we could build something to help freelancers and consumers so created PrintGig,” says PrintGig co-founder Caleb McIvor.
PrintGig is an online 3D printing service platform, which aims to connect consumers looking for smaller-scale 3D prints with freelance 3D printers and designers. The focus is on ease-of-use on both ends: with helpful tools such as an automatic price calculator and 3D design marketplace.
“3D printing in New Zealand isn’t easily accessible for consumers. This leaves a huge market opportunity in a group that is not currently being directly targeted. Our goal is to make 3D printed products mainstream and our purpose is to make decentralised manufacturing accessible and affordable,” says Caleb.
Whilst lockdown shutdown one revenue stream, it also gave the two co-founders, alongside the founding team members Don Yeh, Tayne Bilyard and Samuel Marzuki, the opportunity to build PrintGig with a rare two months of free time to develop the idea. The group of Auckland friends, all in their early twenties, converted their garage into an office and got stuck into developing this new platform.
In just a few short months, PrintGig has received plenty of support and backing, placing second in the University of Auckland’s Velocity 100k Challenge in 2021 before winning Soda’s 2022 Seed Grant and receiving $7,000 cash to help the startup move forward.
With early trail groups identified, the PrintGig team are busy testing and marketing as they prepare for a soft launch in April 2022 before getting investment-ready in the second half of the year.
PrintGig plans to expand its services into Australia in 2023 followed by the wider Asia-Pacific region.
“We want to become the go-to place for anyone wanting something 3D printed. When people think of 3D printing, we want them to think of PrintGig, especially in the New Zealand market,” says Caleb.
“We are passionate about creating a world where 3D printing is integrated into everyone’s daily lives and makers can make money doing what they love,” he concludes.


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A price dispute in San Francisco kept the Dungeness crab fleet from fishing this week, affecting local food processors in Crescent City.
Meanwhile, the Northern California commercial crab season is likely to be delayed again based on crab tests released Friday.
Crabs tested Thursday from the Crescent City area came in at 22.1 percent meat mass - projected not to be fat enough by the currently scheduled Dec. 16 opener.
Pete Kalvass, senior marine biologist with California Department of Fish and Game, the department's lead expert on the Dungeness crab fishery, said the season will probably be delayed to at least Dec. 31.
"There is a strong likelihood of a delay and the director will make that decision early next week," Kalvass said.
Tri-State testing protocols require tests to show crab at 25 percent meat mass in Northern California before opening the commercial season.
Crabs tested in nearby areas were similary thin on meat: Brookings (22.1), Trinidad (22.1), and Eureka (22.7).
Meanwhile, Central California fishermen were staying in the harbor this week after hearing that fish brokers wanted to cut the price of fresh crab from $3 per pound to $1.80.
Buyers say the demand for Dungeness has dropped since Thanksgiving, leading to steep drops in retail prices.
The workers at Crescent City's only fish processor, Albers Seafood, feel the effects of the Dungeness crab price dispute.
Brigg Lindsey, general manager of Albers Seafood Crescent City branch, said the plant is just operating a "skeleton crew" without any product coming in.
"Everyone is just sitting at home, waiting until we get more crab in," Lindsey said."Right now it's just down-time when they could be making money for Christmas."
Lindsey wasn't too concerned over the price dispute though, since it's fairly common to the trade. Last year, a price standoff delayed fishing for weeks.
"It will work itself out. It always does," Lindsey said.
Reach Adam Spencer at email@example.com.


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Wallstreet Market Link
However, not all the URLs listed will be working and it contains links to both legal and (very) illegal dark web sites. Wallstreet Market. Dark web drugsmarketplace Wall Street Market appears to have become However, 3 days ago versus market url wki wallstreet market knj. Jan 13, 2022 Wall Street Market, another dark web marketplace, been arrested in Germany in connection with a dark net souk for drugs. Linking. Benchmarks rose in Paris and Frankfurt after declines in most Asian markets. US futures fell while oil prices were higher. The Fed comments have. Wall Street Market official alternative links you can use in case the main one is down. You may also like Dark Market the biggest darknet market. List of all the major Darknet Market URLs and Onion Mirror Links. The major darknet marketplace known as the Wall Street. Darknet Markets Best.
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The dark web popular drug market places site links, reviews, and ratings for everyone to reduce the chance of getting scammed. The market does not support Monero transactions, which is wallstreet market link possibly a more secure and less traceable cryptocurrency than Bitcoin. Ich habe großen Respekt vor den Polizeibehörden und unterschätze diese nicht. Searx is a deep web search engine but it displays results for your query from Clearnet only. While still a recent innovation, PoS networks are already proving they can be faster and more scalable than Proof-of-Work (PoW) blockchains, in addition to being more energy efficient. When a user adds personal information (such as their name, email address, or Social Security number) to their watchlist, it’s then searched for and continuously monitored on the Dark Web. But based on how relatively rare guns are, I suspect it is likely the single riskiest category on the DNMs. Market, and fake ID ’ s established dark web scam markets links market BTC... Six of those arrested now face serious charges related to the alleged importation of drugs bought online from websites similar to Silk Road.
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This achievement is enabled by various characteristics that are rooted in the Darknet's technological structure, such as anonymity, privacy, and the use of cryptocurrencies. Lee started writing about software, hardware, and geek culture around the time that the Red Wings last won the Stanley Cup. One of a slew of Instagram accounts hawking fake proof of Covid-19 vaccination cards, whoever was running the page was eager to sell, inviting the BBC to move over to an encrypted messaging app to make a deal. According to the United Nations, the annual profits from Transnational organized crime amounts to 870 billion wallstreet market link annually with drug trafficking producing the largest segment of that amount. Even after layering the additional complexity of international systems over these processes, we are still left with similar core questions and a similar audience of managers, consumers, and policy makers. They function primarily as black markets, selling or brokering transactions involving drugs, cyber-arms, weapons, counterfeit currency, stolen credit card details, forged documents, unlicensed pharmaceuticals, steroids, and other illicit goods as well as the sale of legal products. The Release to Manufacturing (RTM) version, also called the golden master build (GM) version, refers to the version of software which is ready to be delivered for final release. At a court hearing in Atlanta, Vallerius did not contest his identity and detention.
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Tesla CEO Elon Musk called his own electric vehicle manufacturing company the leading electric car manufacturer in China, the world’s largest electric car market.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk claims his company is the top EV manufacturer in China, the world’s largest electric vehicle market. According to reports, Musk said this during a meeting about Tesla’s Q2 results. Although Musk praised his Chinese rival EV companies, he insisted that Tesla is the best China has.
China is one of the biggest markets for Tesla. It had set up its first Gigafactory outside the United States in Shanghai. At the meeting earlier this week, Musk referred to Chinese EV rivals saying, “They’re smart, they’re hardworking, and anyone who isn’t as competitive as they are will back down. Right now, Tesla China is the top Chinese EV manufacturer. “
Tesla’s factory in China ended the second quarter with record production per month after being forced to close due to Covid-19-related lockdowns. Tesla lost about 40,000 units worth three weeks in production between March and April as a result of the lockdown. However, it managed to keep a fraction of production. Tesla had its employees sleep on site or nearby to run the facility on pure power. The Shanghai Gigafactory could deliver about 44,300 cars in April and May.
The lockdown in Shanghai ended last month. It saw EV shipments from Tesla’s factory shoot up to a record 78,906 units. Tesla has also upgraded its production lines at its Shanghai factory to make up for lost time due to the lockdown. It aims to produce 7.50 lakh electric cars every year from its factory in China, up from 4.50 lakh units previously. Musk had previously said Tesla will produce more than 1.5 million vehicles worldwide this year.
Tesla said it shipped 2.54 lakh vehicles worldwide in the previous quarter, up 27 percent from a year ago, but down from the first quarter record of 3.10 lakh units. It was the first time in two years that the company failed to increase vehicle deliveries from one quarter to the next. In April, Musk predicted the company would produce more than 1.5 million vehicles this year. Tesla had made about 564,000 in the first half.
Date of first publication: July 22, 2022, 2:59 PM IST


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That top is so last year... and that was a good thing at Eco Fashion Week
The average North American typically throws out or donates 68 pounds of clothing annually. That number rose to 81 pounds in 2015.
With that staggering statistic in mind, fashion veteran and Eco Fashion Week founder Myriam Laroche combined forces with Bellevue-based Value Village to showcase exactly how everyday people can integrate secondhand clothing into their closet — or repurpose existing items to create completely original pieces.
“There’s still that thought that only poor people should wear secondhand clothing and [that such clothing is] gross,” Laroche said. “We want to be a bit louder, to help the industry shift to a healthier way of manufacturing clothing.”
This is the first year that “Runway Reimagined” has been put on in Seattle. Laroche started Eco Fashion Week in Vancouver, British Columbia, in 2011 after spending 20 years working in the fashion industry in Montreal.
“When I arrived in Vancouver, there was no real fashion industry, and they wanted to be the cleanest city in the world by 2020,” she said. “I thought, ‘What can I do to help that? Let’s bring responsible, healthy fashion!’”
Seattle, she said, was the next logical step in expanding Eco Fashion Week, Laroche said.
Three designers — Carlie Wong, Alyssa Blanco and Karla Ortiz — were tasked with either designing new garments from 68 pounds of clothing that hadn’t sold at Value Village or styling modern outfits from used items, for under $50 per outfit.
After sifting through piles of oversized jackets with shoulder pads, oversized velvet dresses from the ‘90s and other decades-old items, Wong said she found it best to create a monotone collection utilizing a variety of textures and detailing. Mixed in with the outdated pieces were comparatively more expensive leatherwear or intricately beaded items from Value Village.
What emerged was a chic collection of sheer blouses, beaded dresses and two-piece crop top and skirt combos.
“I don’t use a lot of secondhand items in my work, but I do in my personal style,” she said. “It helps to look for details that can be repurposed. Even just changing the buttons can make a big difference.”
Both Laroche and the designers agreed it’s important not to go shopping for secondhand clothing with a specific goal in mind. Instead, shoppers should fill their carts with anything that catches their eye and edit out the duds before hitting the register.
“I went into shopping with a vision and came out with a completely different kind of vision,” Ortiz said. “I was originally thinking I’d do something à la Alexander Wang, and I created a Gucci spring/summer kind of collection.”
Shoppers should take their time — at least an hour, Laroche said — and start small with accessories.
As Eco Fashion Week grows, Laroche said she hopes to bring more events to Seattle with more local designers participating. Attendees should also keep an eye out for possible collaborations with jewelry, shoes and bag designers.


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The 39-year-old designer known for his evening gown creations announced Friday that he’s shutting down his company, Women’s Wear Daily reports.
“The board made a difficult decision,” Posen told WWD. “We were in a sale process and we ran out of time.”
Vogue reported Friday that Posen’s House of Z had ceased operations and approximately 60 employees were informed they were being let go.
Zac Posen attends the 8th Annual New York City Ballet Fall Fashion Gala at David H. Koch Theater, Lincoln Center. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images)
We were in a sale process and we ran out of time
— Zac Posen said in a statement
Both outlets reported that Ron Burkle’s Yucaipa Cos. investment company had been looking to sell off its stake in the label since April. Posen just showed his spring 2020 collection during New York Fashion Week in September, but the company said the items will not ship.
However, just hours before the announcement, the company tweeted that handbags from the designer’s diffusion line, Zac by Zac Posen, were available for pre-order.
The official Zac Posen website, ZacPosen.com, now leads to an empty domain page.
The native New Yorker founded his business in 2001 when he was 21 years old and still living with his parents on a $15-a-day allowance. Despite being called a “boy wonder” after a meteoric rise to fame with the help of supermodel Naomi Campbell, he was often referred to as having a “sour reputation” with comparisons to Ben Stiler’s arrogant model character in the film “Zoolander.”
Posen recently designed a custom wedding gown for his famous friend, Katharine McPhee, for her July wedding to David Foster.
“I need to reflect and regroup,” Posen told Vogue, “and also to look at the world we’re living in and figure what the next move is, where I can share my creativity and my love, and build another community.”
This story was originally published by the New York Post.


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Link to Lauren Razavi’s backchannel.com post “India Just Flew Past Us in the Race to E-Cash”. Hat tip to slashdot.com and Joseph Kimball
What India’s government did in demonetizing the 1000-rupee and 500-rupee notes was a mess. But it did have the helpful effect of spurring mobile payments, both by the current inconvenience for paper currency and, as people look toward the future, reducing trust in paper currency.
Two quotations from Lauren Razavi’s backchannel.com article linked above flesh out that story:
1. All of this has created a newfound system that practically incentives mobile payment. With so many people queuing up at banks every day — and a lot of Indian bureaucracy to wade through in order to open a traditional bank account or line of credit —the appeal of more convenient digital alternatives is easy to understand. According to a report in the Hindu Business Line, as many as 233 million unbanked people in India are skipping plastic and moving straight to digital transactions.“Cash has lost its credibility and payments are no longer perceived in the same way,” says Upasana Taku, the cofounder of Indian mobile wallet company MobiKwik, which reported a 40 percent increase in downloads and a 7,000 percent increase in bank transfers since demonetization. “There’s chaos at the moment but also relief that India will now be an improved economy,” she says.
2. Before last month, Paytm, a mobile app that allows users to pay for everything from pizza to utility bills, saw steady business—it was processing between 2.5 and 3 million transactions a day. Now, usage of the app has close to doubled. 6 million transactions a day is common; 5 million is considered a bad day.


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There are plenty of challenges in the motor retail business today, but also plenty opportunities. With the right team, the right products and the right service, you can turn the challenges around.
This is exactly what Shaun Lönn strives to achieve at the Maritime Motors’ Honda and GWM/Haval dealerships in George in the southern Cape.
Shaun was appointed as the new Dealer Principal a year ago after a successful four-and-a-half-year stint at We Buy Cars Midstream branch in Midrand/Centurion.
“It was a swift step from the mass pre-owned supermarket to the more focused world of new brands,” says Shaun. “The aim of the game stays the same – selling vehicles to customers and delivering a good customer experience, although the business models are vastly different.
“The environment in George is quite different with a more established and traditional customer base. The Honda brand has always been extremely popular here, and the latest product offering, like the new Fit, has garnered renewed interest.
“GWM was always a much smaller part of the business, but the acquisition during 2020 of the Haval brand and the new products from both brands, make a very compelling case when looking for something unique with a keen sense of value for money well equipped and capable.
“In an area with more traditional buying patterns, it was the new products – like the Haval Jolion and H6 and the GWM P-Series bakkies – that resulted in a breakthrough for the brands here with an ever-increasing demand,” says Shaun.
“I am also immensely proud of our workshop. We have an excellent reputation, and we are now open every second Saturday for servicing and after sales. We do, in fact, also service models from other brands, which speak volumes about the dedication of our workshop team. A well-known used car dealer makes use of us to checking his vehicles and repairing them, if necessary,” he tells Dealerfloor.
Shaun says the motor industry is one of the largest employers and job creators in South Africa and that people should recognise its importance. “Even the person at the washing bay is part of the motor industry. Like everyone else, people in this industry are putting food on their tables with a job, a commitment to service, establishing careers and the survival of the industry. To survive is more than just a sale. It is building a relationship of trust to ensure a customer is in it for the long run.”
Where the used side of many dealerships is a challenge owing to low sales volumes, which means a dwindling number of trade-inns, Shaun says they are blessed in this regard. “We do not have to constantly search for used vehicles as our trade-inns with the availability of the new models are still reasonably healthy. We have doubled our used car parc over the last couple of months.”
What does the future hold in George in light of all the challenges the workers and the motor industry face at this stage? “The pandemic did hit our important tourism sector hard. We see a recovery in this sector and now it will take time for it to grow again.
“What is to our advantage is the constant flocking of people from the inland to this region to either retire of open up shop here. That stimulates the local economy tremendously, and we are thankful for that,” Shaun concludes.
The year-on-year improvement in new vehicle sales in June was remarkable.
The only stand-alone MINI dealership in South Africa once again showed why it is considered the jewel in the MINI crown by winning the Retailer of the Year award at the recently held BMW Group awards ceremony.
It was all smiles and happiness when the winner of #AbsaWinAChery took delivery of her brand new Tiggo 4 Pro Urban she won in the competition driven by Absa.


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Nielmar de Oliveira reports from Agência Brasil
Image Attribute: Aerial View of Brazilian Amazonian Rain Forest / Wikimedia Commons
The value of Brazilian forest products based on extractives and forestry reached $5.9 billion in 2015, lower than the total reached in 2014 ($6.1 billion). Data was collected by the survey entitled Forest Products Based on Extractives and Forestry Production (PEVS) in 2015, released by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) today (Oct. 27) with figures of the activities related to the forest sector.
Of the $5.9 billion, the forestry—directly related to forests regeneration and planting— accounted for 74.3% of production, equivalent to $4.4 billion. Forest products based on extractives—collection of natural products from native forests—accounted for 25.7% ($ 1.5 billion).
Despite the drop in revenues compared with 2015, the forest sector, especially the production from planted forests, has achieved "a dominant position in the national scenario" in recent years, according to the IBGE.
In an interview to Agência Brasil, IBGE survey manager Luís Celso Guimarães gave as reason for the decline in the total amount of forest production "the economic crisis in Brazil and in the world, which reduced the current demand of products derived from steel that uses a lot of charcoal from forestry."
Among the exceptions, Guimarães pointed out products for pulp and paper production, which the increased demand has partly offset the reduction of steel products and the fall in the export of wood logs.
The 2015 survey also indicates that in forestry the four wood products totaled $4.2 billion and the three non-wood, $93.8 million. In products based on extractives, the share of wood products reached $1.02 billion and the non-wood totaled $480 million.
The group of food products achieved the highest rate of non-wood forest products based on extractives in 2015, reaching 69.4%, followed by waxes (14.8%), oleaginous (8.3%), fiber (7%) and other groups (0.5%).
In forest products based on extractives, 13 products reported a growth in production. And açaí palm fruit reported the largest absolute growth, with 17,900 tons more than in 2014. Among the 21 products with the largest fall in production, the babassu nuts have stood out, with less than 6 tons produced.
All wood forest products based on extractives fell in 2015, "which is directly linked to the crisis and the economic recession" that affects the country, according to Luis Guimarães.
The forest sector, especially the production from planted forests (forestry), has achieved a dominant position in the national scenario, generating jobs and income, in recent years, according to the IBGE.
Data released by the IBGE, based on estimates of the Brazilian Tree Industry (IBÁ),—representing the segments of wood panels and laminate flooring, pulp, paper, energy forests, independent planted tree producers and institutional investors—indicate Brazil as the world's fourth largest pulp producer, behind China, the United States and Canada; and Brazil is already the first in eucalyptus pulp production.
“The favorable climate is the main factor of high forest income earned by the country. In Brazil, a eucalyptus tree is ready to be cut after seven years, while in Chile only after 18," according to the IBGE.
According to IBÁ estimates, the sector is responsible for creating about 3.8 million direct and indirect jobs.
The main products that stood out in production value remained at the same level when compared to 2014, and were led by some food products like açaí palm fruit ($153.7 million), yerba mate ($126.9 million) and Brazil nut ($34.4 million);
Non-wood forest products based on extractives are mostly produced in the North region, especially the açaí palm fruit (93.1%) and Brazil nut (94.9%), and in the Northeast region, where the production of babassu nuts (99.7%), piassava fibers (96.1%) and carnauba powder (100%) stood out. In the South region, only two products stood out: yerba mate (99.9%) and pine nut (85.5%).
Image Attribute: The economic crisis has affected all wood forest products based on extractives in 2015.Marcelo Camargo/Agência Brasil
The economic crisis has affected all wood forest products based on extractives in 2015. The product that reported the largest fall in production was the charcoal, declining 21.9%; followed by firewood (6.8%); wood logs, mainly for export (3.2%); and pine-tree-knots (55.3%).
Consequently, the number of Brazilian pine felled trees dropped 40%. Industrial demand, the price, manpower for collecting certain products and the work of environmental control and inspection—which at times allows agriculture in certain areas, then intensifies supervision (imposing fines and shutting sawmills and charcoal mill)—in addition to weather conditions, were factors that largely explain the fluctuations in the production of forest products based on extractives. "In this sector, significant fluctuations in production are common," read IBGE's survey.
The forestry wood production has most of its activities in the Southeast region like the main producer of charcoal (84.6%) and wood logs for pulp and paper (36.9%). The South region accounts for 65.1% of firewood and 66.6% of wood logs for other purposes.
The non-wood forestry products are also mostly produced in the Southeast and South regions—the black-wattle bark is only found in the South region, while the production of eucalyptus leaves (94.7%) and resin (73.7%) are in the Southeast region.
Translated by Amarílis Anchieta Edited by: Kleber Sampaio / Nira Foster
(c) 2016 Empresa Brasil de Comunicação S/A - EBC / Creative Commons Atribuição 3.0 Brasil


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Canadian company Organo Gold has taken over the production of premium-grade coffee. Organo Gold was founded back in 2008 by Bernardo Chau, and this man has helped to revolutionize the industry from a selling-standpoint. Organo Gold is more than a mega-coffee producer. By being a global enterprise, this business has turned into a global powerhouse of network marketing. The main things about Organo Gold is that it will allow many of its customers to become clients. This means that the company is looking for distributers and promoters of the products. The ability to provide the products to the masses has opened a new door and the clients will have the potential to earn extra income on the side. Read more at patch.com about Organo Gold.
Coffee is one of the most popular products on the market, and it has been this way for quite some time. Between the years of 2009 – 2010, the National Coffee Association has stated that over 125 million bags of coffee has been sold. These estimated numbers has solidified that coffee is the second most consumed beverage in the world. Yes, this is true! Coffee outsells soda, outsells juice and outsells alcoholic beverages. The numbers are truly staggering to a degree. Just about every food market in the world sells coffee. Its popularity has increased drastically thanks to the wide array of flavors that are being offered today.
— ORGANO™ (@OrganoGold) March 17, 2018
Being a revolutionary isn’t easy. Organo Gold is defying conventional wisdom in a sense. The company has a team of talented professionals that keeps the blood pumping. This extraordinary company has generated up to $35 million in revenue for the 2010 fiscal-year. These numbers are fantastic because the company only conducts business in only a few countries. The countries included are Germany, the United States, the Netherlands, Canada, Jamaica, Austria, Peru and the Philippines. Besides coffee, the company sells hot chocolate, green tea, red tea, café mocha, café supreme and healthy-living products. What more could you ever ask for form a healthy-living standpoint. All in all, Organo Gold is certainly doing its part to better society, and it will definitely continue its mission of excellence. Watch this video on Youtube.


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How the Corona Virus Pandemic effected Xstream Gym treadmill, exercise bike, and fitness equipment sales 2020 | Author: Joe Carrington | Blog Spot
The global home fitness market has surged 40.4% from $6.76 billion to $9.49 billion in 2020. Home fitness equipment sales are set to further increase up to 60% in 2021. So, what does this mean for home gym equipment suppliers across the UK.
Most UK gym fitness equipment providers have reported mass stock shortages throughout 2020 during the entire duration of the Corona Virus pandemic. The covid 19 strict lockdown rules have resulted in millions of residences craving some kind of physical exertion whilst trapped indoors throughout the pandemic. Online ordering surged throughout the UK and Gym fitness equipment was one of the best performers for home purchases during this period. Within the first 2 weeks of March 2020, Xstream Gym reported sales in 14 days equivalent to their entire sales for 2019.
“We were really taken back by surprise, our A6 Billna treadmill and X2 Chunk Spin cycle sold out within 10 days, we sold enough fitness equipment to sustain our business for the next 3 years” Hassan Shah – CEO
Gym closures have also led to fitness brands and retailers booming in sales for products such as treadmills, spin cycles and exercise elliptical machines in addition to all thing’s fitness. UK shortages for dumbbells and other basic style equipment also gripped Britain for several months From February 2020 to April 2020, until some normality commenced in mid-April 2020. The global shipping crisis in addition to Chinese factories struggling to keep up with demand also heavily impacted the global shortage in fitness equipment market.
“Although our Billna A6 Treadmill and X2 Hurricane chunk spin bike sales went through the roof, our biggest dilemma wasn’t whether or not we could sustain our business during the Covid pandemic like some many other thousands of businesses, on the contrary, our dilemma was how on earth can we get more stock in for our customers quickly enough.” Hassan Shah | CEO | Xstream Fitness
In the case of home fitness apparatus sales in the UK throughout 2020, you could argue those in the fitness sector were in the right place at the right time. Xstream Gym saw an x18 times growth in certain months from previous years. They were quick to act and were fortunate enough to rapidly re-invest proceeds from sales into new stock. The strong supplier, customer relationships Xstream Gym had forged with its manufacturing partners for many years meant they were able to keep a steady flow of stock throughout 2020, although many other companies failed to do so including market leaders such as Peloton.
Business opportunists looking to capitalize from the home fitness boom in the UK found themselves entering into a busy world of fitness equipment sales. But often the prices were tripled or doubled due to the market shortages by many new traders in the industry and seasoned fitness suppliers.
“Fitness has been our domain for 7 years, we had some luck of course with the lock down restrictions, but we conducted business ethically, frankly, speaking what some sellers did with prices hikes was unacceptable, preying on people’s needs during a tough time is completely unethical.”
Gary Richards | Finance Director | Xstream Gym
Xstream Gym kept prices at steady lows throughout 2020 but were not averse to slight price increments in line with global material costs hikes and freight shipping charges increases of almost 6 times.
“Container charges jumped up from $2000 per container to $20,000 per container but we kept our goods priced the same, taking a huge hit on our profits, we did our best to keep our base line prices for both treadmills and spin bikes at an affordable price.”
Gary Richards | Finance Director | Xstream Gym
Many of the new pop-up retailers selling on the likes of eBay and Amazon were quickly shut down due to quality issues and failure to comply to documentation compliance and UK product safety standards.
“Some rogue traders supplied sub-standard products with little or no UK safety compliance, we were astonished to find so many customers with horror stories of awful quality gym equipment they received.”
Xstream Gym reported 24% of its treadmill and exercise spin bike sales in 2020 were generated through customers defecting from goods purchased through either Amazon or eBay UK. Customers reported quality issues and poor levels of customers services as the main issues which led them to requesting refunds and turning to more well-established brands like Xstream Gym. Xstream Gym’s 14 day no quibble money back guarantee and 3 year motor and electrical components warranty is understandably comforting for customers wary of buying treadmills and home fitness equipment online again after being let down by previous suppliers.
“I didn’t mind paying a bit extra after the experience I had with eBay, I heard about Xstream gym through a friend, I check out the website www.xstreamgym.com and ordered an A6 Billna Treadmill for myself and an X2 exercise bike for my wife, it was really easy to order, they had online chat on the website, so I asked many questions about the treadmill, and spin bike, I got all the information and ordered within minutes, it was straight forward, goods arrived next day, everything was simple and easy and both treadmill and spin bike were amazing and affordable.”
Jordon Smith | Xstream Gym customer | London
All-in-all the corona virus pandemic in 2020 has affected the lives of almost everyone in the UK. During this testing time home fitness equipment has served the nation as a remedy to the ongoing bazaar situation the citizens of the UK find themselves in. weather it’s a treadmill running machine or an exercise spin bike, home fitness equipment has become a friend, fitness equipment has helped the nation keep sane and healthy whilst the nations subjects are confined to the walls of their own homes.
We can all take comfort in knowing whilst difficult times may lay in wait ahead, companies like Xstream Gym will remain committed and loyal to their customers, offering quality home gym products at affordable prices whilst remaining ethical and keeping up with its high level of service to its customers.


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She says the availability of flavored vaping products is a public health emergency.
USA public health officials last Friday reported a rise in the number of cases of respiratory illness possibly related to the use of e-cigarettes from across 25 states.
On Wednesday, Governor Gretchen Whitmer "took action to protect MI kids from the harmful effects of vaping", a statementfromthegovernor's office said.
Gretchen Whitmer moved Wednesday to make her state the first to ban flavored electronic cigarettes, accusing companies of using candy flavors and deceptive advertising to "hook children on nicotine".
In Wisconsin, health officials said Thursday that a majority of the cases in their state had inhaled THC products. He blamed the recent spate of illnesses on illegal vape pens that contain THC, the compound that gives marijuana its high.
"My chief medical officer this week said we have a public health crisis, it's time to take action".
State officials are working on developing more long-term measures for prohibiting the sale of flavoured e-cig products in MI, the paper reported.
Health Canada says it doesn't have evidence of clusters of pulmonary disease cases related to vaping in Canada similar to those reported in the United States.
Health officials have said reported cases of the illness across various states appear to be similar, but a lot remains unknown.
In Oregon, where marijuana is broadly legal for adults 21 and older, dispensaries can't sell products that have not been tested by state-accredited labs.
He said the ban would create a "massive" black market.
According to the governor's office, from 2017 to 2018, e-cigarette use spiked 78% among high school students and 48% among middle school students.
The CDC, FDA and state health departments say they're working together figure out which products might have been used and facilitate laboratory testing.
Brian Marlow, of Legalise Vaping Australia, agreed the issue in the USA was due to a lack of appropriate regulation on vapes.
Health Minister Greg Hunt has made it clear the Australian Government is opposed to changing Australia's e-cigarette laws, despite pushes from lobby groups advocating their use.
Regardless of the investigation, e-cigarette and vaping products should not be used by youth, young adults, pregnant women, or adults who do not now use tobacco products.
Whitmer defended her order, saying it is important to not only enforce the existing e-cigarette ban against minors but also to remove the flavored products from commerce entirely.
Most experts agree the aerosol is less harmful than cigarette smoke because it does not contain most of the cancer-causing byproducts of burning tobacco.
Authorities have made nearly 300 arrests, while people across the continent have protested and voiced their anger on social media. Although dozens of businesses have been burnt down or destroyed, shops owned by South Africans have also been attacked.
Most economists say a no-deal Brexit would cause severe economic disruption and plunge the United Kingdom into recession. While Johnson's attempt to have a snap general election has failed, Britain could still head for polls.
The two sides had a good phone call and will try to make real progress, a spokesman told reporters later on Thursday in Beijing. Trump has warned that if he is re-elected, China will face a tougher US negotiating stance.
Say goodbye to unprompted "hey" DM's on Facebook and hello to prompted yet still uninspiring "hey" DM's on Facebook Dating . The company says it has opted to not show a user's gender identity to potential matches in order to respect user privacy.
If fans want to join the fun early, they can do so starting today, thanks to the digital-only Founder's Edition . Zombies: Battle for Neighborville Founder's Edition , which is an early version of the game.
Produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, Bad Boys for Life promises explosions, gunfights, f-bombs, and high-flying helicopter stunts. Truth be told, there were a lot of reasons to not make a new Bad Boys movie , and most of those reasons remain valid.
Kizer came to Green Bay in a trade last season with the Browns that saw CB Damarious Randall go to Cleveland. Kizer completed 20 of the 42 passes he threw for Green Bay past year , throwing a couple of interceptions.
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The latest Huawei Mate 30 Pro renders clearly show what the upcoming flagship smartphone will look like based on earlier leaks . The USB Type-C port, speaker, the primary microphone & the SIM card tray are placed on the bottom & there is no headphone jack.
The decision to bring Kashmir under the direct rule of Indian government has enraged Pakistan which also claims the region. Indian army officials say they have arrested two terrorists from Pakistan who entered through the Kashmir region.
Downing St rejects snap election beyond 31 October
Boris Johnson's working majority in the Commons has been wiped out just hours before a crunch vote on Brexit. The U.S. investment bank JPMorgan said an election would make a no-deal Brexit more likely.
The New Blade Stealth Has Strong Performance in Gaming
Connectivity options in all the three new models will include Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.0, 2x USB-C ports and 2x USB-A ports. Even with the Nvidia MX150 graphics in the most recent model, most AAA games are nigh-unplayable, even at 1080p.


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Lamassu, the Bitcoin automated-teller machine (ATM) producer, has now moved to Switzerland, citing “regulatory issues” in other countries, according to a Medium post published on Jan.1
The company will now be officially called as Lamassu Industries AG. The reason it stated for moving to Swiss Canton of Lucerne is that it wants “to be in a place where rules are well defined, and regulators are pro-innovation.”
In the post, Lamassu’s co-founder Zach Harvey revealed that the company had been bankless last year, and was also struggling to maintain a bank account, Harvey also added:
“We must have been rejected by fifteen banks just because we manufacture terminals for Bitcoin.”
Out of the 433 Bitcoin ATMs Lamassu has across the world, seven of them are installed in Switzerland. Another exciting reason for choosing Switzerland is that the country allows Bitcoin fans to buy bitcoins with train tickets at more than 1000 machines in the country.
Switzerland is well known for a crypto-friendly approach and has its own version of blockchain Silicon Valley in the city of Zug. In December last year, Zug was ranked as the fastest growing tech community in Europe.
According to a report published by CV Venture Capital in October 2018, the top 50 blockchain and cryptocurrency companies in Zug, accounted for $44 billion combined. The top five startups were worth more than $1 billion in market capitalization.
Harvey was excited about starting the project in the country, he said in his post “Just as we arrived in Switzerland we had a nice chat with a small bank in Canton Aargau and now we have a full account at a bank that is completely aware of our business model and happy to have us on board.”
Also adding that there will be a cryptomat (Bitcoin ATM) installed in their headquarters at the start of this year.
In the past, major cryptocurrency related companies have moved to more friendly locations. In May last year, BitBay, formerly known as the largest crypto exchange had to suspend activities in Poland, because the banks weren’t ready to cooperate with the company.
Harvey concluded the post stating that, as this being company’s first community project, Lamassu Team will be starting a monthly meetup dedicated to ideas of privacy, free speech, free markets, decentralization, and cryptoanarchy.
As Switzerland is starting to encourage banks to work with crypto related companies, we can’t think of it as something great to come. With this one question arises, how long can Switzerland serve as an excellent location for a business like Lamassu to operate in?


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New EU standard launched to boost use of post-consumer plastics
A new Europe-wide certification and audit scheme has been launched that implements the existing CEN standard 15343 on post-consumer plastics recycling. It follows two years of work by plastics converters, recyclers and collectors to develop the EuCertPlast scheme.
7701 Las Colinas Blvd., Ste. 800, Irving, TX 75063


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Chip manufacturer Qualcomm has said that it has the largest number of manufacturers working with its WCDMA chipsets, compared to other chipset vendors. There are now 21 device and equipment vendors integrating Qualcomm’s WCMDA chipsets, including newcomers Vitelcom Mobile Technology, BenQ Corporation and Misubishi. Established players such as Samsung, LG and Toshiba have long been Qualcomm licencees.
Dr Sanjay Jha, president of Qualcomm CDMA Technologies, said the broadening customer base would aid adoption of UMTS, as more products hit the market. Proven interoperability would reassure the operators, as well.
“We expect global adoption of WCDMA to accelerate as our customer base brings new products to market,” Jha said.Â “Qualcomm’s extensive interoperability testing, in addition to the testing we’ve conducted with our WCDMA operator partners, provides our handset customers with the confidence that their development efforts can remain focused on quickly addressing new market opportunities.”
Qualcomm’s chipsets support its Launchpad and BREW environments for application development, as well as J2mE environment. The chipset vendor views WCMDA as an ideal entry point into a European market previously off-limits in the GSM world. It has made efforts to ramp up its BREW presence in Europe, signing up a series of application development partners.
l Qualcomm has also announced it expects to launch an HSDPA chip in 2005. Qualcomm says samples of its radioOne RFR6275 diversity receive chip, which it says will increase network capacity and deliver higher speed data rates for the next-generation UMTS technology High Speed Downlink Packet Access, is expected to ship in the second quarter of 2005.Â
The RFR6275 chip extends the functionality of the RTR6275 transceiver device, also just announced, to include support for HSDPA receive diversity and Assisted-GPS (A-GPS).Â
The RFR6275 supports HSDPA receive diversity, which uses an additional antenna and associated receive chain to provide improved signal reception, enabling higher data throughput and significant increases in network capacity, especially in dense urban environments.Â This allows the RFR6275 to enable up to 5 dB receive diversity gain.Â This device also integrates a GPS receiver, which supports Qualcomm’s gpsOne solution.


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Starwood Hotels & Resorts to spin-off Starwood Vacation OwnershipStaff writer ▼ | February 11, 2015
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide announced plans to spin-off its vacation ownership business, Starwood Vacation Ownership (SVO), into a separate publicly traded company.
Starwood A new pure-play vacation ownership company
The transaction, which is expected to be tax-free to Starwood shareholders, will be effected through a pro rata distribution of the new entity's stock to existing Starwood shareholders.
SVO reported vacation ownership revenues of approximately $640 million in 2014 and has successfully sold more than $6 billion of vacation ownership intervals to over 220,000 owners over its 30+ year history. SVO has been recognized as a leader in the timeshare industry with deep management experience across its operations, and has a long track record for delivering world-class experiences to its owners and guests.
"This is the right time for us to spin-off our vacation ownership business and move Starwood forward in its asset light strategy. Not only does SVO continue to have a great outlook for growth, but valuations for timeshare companies are at attractive levels," said frits van paasschen, President and Chief Executive Officer of Starwood.
"Separating this distinct part of our business will allow Starwood to continue participating in this growth industry through a fee-based business model, as we do with our managed and franchised hotel business. This transaction puts us in a position to build on the strength of our brands to fuel growth and create shareholder value for both companies." ■


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Cryptic has announced that the first paid expansion for Champions Online will be called Vibora Bay and it’s described as “one of the Gulf Coast’s largest and most exciting cities” .
Crytpic Studios headlines
According to this Craigslist ad, Cryptic Studios is looking for a PS3 programmer to help the company port Champions Online and Star Trek Online to PS3. “We have developed a flexible, cutting edge MMO platform to power games like Champions and Star Trek Online,” says the ad. “It runs on PC and XBOX 360, – […]


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Compaq OKs Merger By a Wide Margin
Compaq CEO Michael Capellas said in a conference call that shareholders appeared to have voted 9-to-1 in favor of the merger of Compaq and HP. He is already looking forward to when the “heavy lifting” of putting the two companies together will begin. Once the deal is closed, the combined company will reveal its product plans to the world, explain the new corporate structure and assign sales and technical contacts to customers, and reveal, at least internally, financial targets.
The result comes a day after HP shareholders voted on the merger. HP CEO Carly Fiorina claimed victory in that contest, although merger opponent Walter Hewlett has not conceded defeat.
Analysts and computer resellers have predicted that HP will phase out its own business PCs, handhelds and Intel-based servers, among other products, and adopt Compaq’s. Capellas’ statements indicated that the Compaq products adopted by HP will continue to carry the Compaq name, and will not be rechristened as HP products. HP executives said last week that the company has embraced an “adopt and go” strategy under which it will pick up one product line–commercial PCs, for example–from one of the companies and drop the other. The management team and engineers behind those products will also largely continue to work at the combined company, HP executives said.
That last statement is particularly significant. Rather than attempting to merge two lines of similar products or even use some of the technologies of one company’s line to improve the other, it appears as though current lines will be kept intact or wholly discarded in the merger process. If true, we’ll likely see a Jornada or an iPAQ in the future rather than a jPAQ or iNADA.


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The Complex World of Cannabis Lab Testing: Ethics, Regulations, and Lack Thereof
The conflict surrounding lab testing in California remains largely unknown to the public, who tend not to question results listed by labs and dispensaries. Ideally, the system would work as follows: cultivators send samples of their product to an independent lab, who test them honestly, letting the grower and consumer know exactly what’s in the product, from cannabinoid and terpene profiles to microbiological impurities and pesticides. Currently, this process is unregulated by international accreditation standards for labs provided by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) — and as marijuana is federally illegal, it’s also exempt from monitoring by the FDA, leaving results prone to manipulation by growers providing deceptive samples and unsupervised labs testing for profit. However, the coming regulations of California’s Prop 64 could change that come January 1, in a rapture-esque purge where only the most ethical labs will survive.
To understand the complexity of this issue, Pete Pietrangeli, owner of Melrose Ave dispensary LA Confidential, linked me with some particularly insightful sources. Dr. Jeff Raber, “the most informed professional I know revolutionizing the cannabis industry,” according to Pete, is CEO of The Werc Shop, an independent testing facility out of Washington. Alec Dixon is the co-founder of the independent testing facility SC Labs in Santa Ana, one of the most reputable in California, and Steve DeAngelo, author, activist, and founder of Harborside Health Center, was just named one of the most the most powerful people in cannabis by Fortune Magazine.
“There’s a huge need for lab testing, but no real regulation dictating what a lab is, or what type of minimum instrumentation a lab might need to do certain types of testing,” says Alec Dixon. “Right now, labs only stand up to their own level of integrity, experience, and ability to do the different tests. A grower making wax might send in a sample and get one result, then send in the same sample to a different lab, and get an entirely different result. That’s made the past five years difficult for the testing industry; people just stop trusting it.”
Information source: merryjane.com
Comments are closed for this post.


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Cost cuts help Compass to point north
Compass Group believes there will be lots of new business opportunities over the next three years as Britain is forced to outsource more public sector work in order to balance the books.
The world's biggest caterer, which makes the sandwiches and hot food for 17 of the 20 biggest banks in the City, said its costcutting drive was paying off as the £161m it saved from overheads helped boost annual pretax profits by 36pc to £773m.
Profits in North America are up 12.5%, in Continental Europe 4%, the UK 5.5% and the rest of the world 22%
The earnings helped chase Compass's shares to a seven-year high, closing up 24.6p at 426.6p.
Compass chief Richard Cousins said the group would 'probably not' make the same level of cost savings again this year, adding: 'But we are focused on very significant savings again.'
Revenues totalled £13.4bn last year, up 17.5pc. But after stripping out the impact of acquisitions it was flat. The total dividend was raised 10pc to 13.2p.
Cousins believes Compass is well positioned to win any work that is outsourced by both public and private sector bodies as they seek to cut costs. He said: 'Over the next two or three years the British government, and others around the world, will have to take costs out of healthcare and education budgets.'
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BSG strapped in to motor ahead
Sunday 19 March 1995
That performance should be underlined on Tuesday, when BSG announces 1994 results that should see pre-tax profits up from £10.5m to around £16m before exceptional items costing some £3m. Having taken over Jessups, the motor dealer, last year, Mr Marton has his eye on deals to boost the manufacturing side. But the shares, currently yielding an overfat 7.5 per cent, will remain under a cloud until one of the divisions is hived off.
ANOTHER unnoticed transformation has been that of William Baird, formerly a dreary engineering group, now reconstructed as a well-run clothing business featuring such excellent brand names as Windsmoor and Berkertex, as well as taking a growing role in Marks and Spencer's supply chain. Joan D'Olier at NatWest Securities expects Thursday's 1994 final profits to be a tenth up at £25m. This would put the shares, beached at a dreary 200p, on a p/e of less than 15. Worth a punt.
NAMES used to be worth something in the construction business. No longer. One of the proudest, John Laing, has suffered with the rest of the sector. This is not surprising. Margins are so tight that even a 1 per cent miscalculation can put contracts into loss. The group is well enough managed and asset value - including some valuable investments and joint ventures - is well above the 203p share price. But even if next Tuesday brings relatively cheery results for 1994, do not be tempted
THE frugal British consumer is starting to spurn the TV dinner for a modest restaurant meal. While specialists such as Groupe Chez Grard - reporting this week - and Pelican Group are known to be benefiting from this mini-trend, less recognised are the catering virtues of the brewer Whitbread, which owns the Beefeater and Brewers Fayre eatery chains and has a stake in Pizza Hut. Richard Marshall, at Investment Research of Cambridge, sees Whitbread shares amassing strength as the group's profits grow by a steady 10 per cent a year. At 564p, the shares yield 4.2 per cent and sell on 14.5 times likely earnings of 39p for the year ended this month. Buy.
IT could be a last throw of the dice, but the arrival of a new executive chairman at the troubled Upton & Southern retail group might just be the time to wager a few pennies. The group owns three department stores in the North-east but nearly bought the farm last year when it purchased The Reject Shop chain and discovered gruesome skeletons lurking in the cupboard. Ron Trenter, former chief executive of Texas Homecare, has joined and could get the shares motoring from their present bombed-out 3p. But it is a gamble.
THE market is making a fool of itself over Watmoughs, a printer with an astonishing long-term record: profits have risen virtually every year since it came to the market in 1963. Yet even though 1994 pre-tax profits were up a fifth to £20m, the shares remain at a relatively lowly 354p, a third below their 1994/95 high. This is mainly because of fears over increased paper costs. These are largely irrelevant. Far more important is Watmoughs' success in securing a steadily increasing share of the booming newspaper colour supplement market. An outstanding long-term buy.
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GaoPeng, a daily-deals site that represents Groupon's foray into China, has now begun accepting registrations, the company said.
GaoPeng is a collaboration between Groupon, which is vying to be the largest daily-deal site in the United States, and the local Tencent Collaboration Fund and Yunfeng Capital. Tencent launched QQ.com, whose instant-messenger software counted over 630 million users last September.
The service will work much like Groupon's services does in the United States, with daily deals from things to do, see, and eat sent out to consumers each day. GaoPeng will launch its first deals in March, and cover Beijing and Shanghai, with plans to extend to other major cities in China in the coming months, the company said.
"Groupon is a recognized brand name with excellent operational and sales execution capabilities," said Yun Ouyang, head of GaoPeng, in a statement. "GaoPeng will learn from the international group-buying experience of Groupon while focusing on the local market in China. We are committed to catering to the local and diversified shopping needs of local customers and to the business needs of local merchants."
Interestingly, Ouyang said that GaoPeng hopes to work with other group-buying portals to jointly develop the market.
GaoPeng is a word meaning a "cherished friend sitting around the table". More importantly, it's the domain name that Groupon has decided to use for its digital presence in ChinaGroupon.cn has already been registered by a competing company that promotes daily deals to an alleged user base of more than seven million people.
In January, Groupon chief executive Andrew Mason said that the company
"We've met with a bunch of bankers, we're exploring whether or not it makes sense for us but we haven't made a decision. We're still in the learning phase," Mason said in an interview with Reuters at the DLD media conference in Munich.
But, Mason told Bloomberg, the company's interest is "less than 100 percent, that's for sure," he said.
In November, was said to be interested in acquiring Groupon for $2.5 billion. But the deal, if there was one, fell through, and Groupon was forced to seek other funding. In late December, Groupon disclosed that it was seeking close to $1 billion in funding.


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Pixel 4's Voice Recorder App With Transcribing Feature Leaked And You Can Try It Out Now
Google's Pixel 4 is set to launch this month on the 15th and we already have a clear idea (thanks to the leaks) of what we can expect from this year's Google flagship smartphone. However, the leak train doesn't end there.
A few weeks back, 9to5Google discovered a new recorder app on Google Pixel 4 that completely revamped voice-recording on Pixel phones with a fresh UI and dark mode. And now XDA Developers has revealed that the recording app has received an update, even before Pixel 4's launch that brings in the feature of transcribing your voice memos.
The app uses machine learning to detect the word being spoken and reveals in the text form. Feature like transcribing are seen on paid apps on app stores so it'll be interesting if Google packs the app for free or will it charge users for it.
XDA Developer's Mishaal Rahman tested out the feature and revealed its results to the world. This is what was said on the voice memo recording:
"Hi, my name is Mishaal Rahman for XDA-Developers, testing the latest version of the leaked Google Recorder app. I somehow managed to get an update to this app, even though I don't think that's supposed to happen. So I'm just testing out the transcription feature."
Now you can see the results below. According to him, the transcription feature did spell his name incorrectly, and there was some issue with the punctuation, but the rest was pretty workable.
Mishaal did some more digging in the app and was able to discover that users can search for moments from within the voice memo using keywords. For example -- Applause, Bird, Cat, Dog, Knock, Laughter etc. Searching for this will take you to that part of the recording.
The app also has an option of directly uploading the audio and transcribed text file straight to Google Drive.
The app can only transcribe in English (US) language, however, we can expect more languages to join the list soon.
If you wish to try out this on your phone right now, Mishaal has gone ahead and uploaded the apk file, which you can download from here!


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Paul Palmieri, the former founder of mobile adtech company Millennial Media and VC firm Grit Capital, just raised $3.3 million in seed round funding for his latest venture, Tradeswell.
Tradeswell is an e-commerce trading platform that says it integrates all of a brand’s e-commerce channels, and consolidates marketing, retail, inventory, logistics, forecasting, lifetime value, and financials across these channels in one platform.
The company says it can help traditional and DTC brands save millions of dollars in outsourced contracts and tap into the booming e-commerce market.
Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.
After adtech and venture capital, media vet Paul Palmieri is taking on e-commerce.
The former founder of mobile ad tech company Millennial Media and VC firm Grit Capital just raised $3.3 million in seed round funding for his latest venture, Tradeswell, from Signalfire and Construct Capital— a real-time e-commerce trading platform that he calls “the Bloomberg terminal
It’s entirely possible you missed it, but on Oct. 2 at 9:16 PM ET, you lifted off for the International Space Station. Just over two days later, you docked successfully—and it’s a good thing you did. You’ve got a spacewalk planned for later this year.
O.K., technically speaking, you didn’t go anywhere at all, and unless you’re actually a highly-trained astronaut, you certainly shouldn’t be planning for a real-deal spacewalk—or extravehicular activity (EVA)—any time soon. But you could very much share in the experience when actual ISS crew members venture outside of the station for one of the most exciting and dangerous experiences an astronaut can have.
That’s because something special was included among the ISS-bound cargo on the uncrewed Cygnus supply vehicle that took off from Wallops Island, Va. earlier this week: the first-ever 3D, virtual reality camera designed to operate in the vacuum of space. It’s the product
BELOIT, Wis.–(Business Wire)–NorthStar Medical Technologies, LLC, a global innovator in the development, production and commercialization of diagnostic and therapeutic radiopharmaceuticals, today announced the promotion of Chief Financial Officer Paul Estrem, to Executive Vice President. Mr. Estrem has also been appointed to the NorthStar Board of Managers, effective October 12, 2020, and continues to report to President and Chief Executive Officer Stephen Merrick. Mr. Estrem joined NorthStar in November, 2018, as Senior Vice President and CFO. He has more than 30 years of relevant financial experience in the life science and medical technology industries.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20201005005196/en/
Paul Estrem, Executive VP and CFO, NorthStar Medical Technologies (Photo: Business Wire)
“Paul’s strong combination of leadership and financial experience in growing successful organizations has served NorthStar exceptionally well since he joined the Company,” said Stephen Merrick, President and Chief Executive Officer of NorthStar. “As a


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Improving inventory of F-150 is allowing Ford to offer more competitive incentives as part of its Summer Sales Event promotion, Erich Merkle, the company’s sales analyst, said Wednesday. He said overall incentive spending is down from a year ago and that the truck is selling for $44,100 on average, the highest transaction price in the segment.
“What will be more telling is whether the incentives start to go out nationwide,” Kelley Blue Book’s Anand said. “If limited to higher end trims and packages, this may not have a huge effect for the moment, as a truck still makes plenty of profit.”
Ford cut spending on marketing promotions per vehicle 16 percent in the year's first half to an average $2,736, according to Autodata. Average incentives rose slightly at General Motors to $3,427 and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV to $3,277 during the same period, Autodata found.
Ford has been converting its two F-150 factories to make the aluminum truck for 18 months, making it “the slowest and most complex changeover in recent history,” said Jeff Schuster, an analyst at consultant LMC Automotive in Southfield, Mich.
“Ford has a lot, if not everything, riding on the new F-150 and is behind expectations at this stage,” Schuster said. “As GM and Ram continue to apply significant pressure, there is risk that some loyal buyers may be permanently lost or at least lost for several years.”
Ford has said it had only half its normal inventory of the F-150 on dealer lots in June and won't have a full supply until the end of September. The company has also been hampered by a shortage of frames for the redesigned truck.
U.S. sales of the F series fell 2.4 percent in the first half and have dented Ford's earnings.
The trucks were the top-selling vehicle line in the U.S. for the 33rd straight year in 2014. The new F-150's fuel economy increased as much as 29 percent, primarily because the use of aluminum trimmed the truck's weight by about 700 pounds (318 kilograms).
Some dealers began advertising discounts of $10,000 to $11,000 off the new F-150 in June, Automotive News reported on July 1.
Asked about the dealer ads touting $10,000 discounts on F-150, Ford's top U.S. sales executive said the incentives were being offered by individual dealers.
"I can tell you that that number of $10,000 is commonly used by our competition," said Mark LaNeve, vice president of U.S. marketing, sales and service. "So you've probably seen a competitive response by a given individual dealer."
Sales of GM's Chevrolet Silverado truck jumped 18 percent last month, as its share of the full-size pickup market grew two points to 25.9 percent. Sales rose 0.6 percent for Fiat Chrysler's Ram pickup and gained 4.3 percent in the first half.


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10 July 2018
Australian Ambassador to Indonesia Gary Quinlan today opened an exhibition of rare Indonesian textiles from one of Australia’s most significant private collections at the Jakarta Textile Museum.
Over the next three weeks, the Jakarta Textile Museum, in collaboration with Sydney’s Mosman Art Gallery, will exhibit Encounters with Bali: A collector’s journey.
The exhibition showcases textiles from across Indonesia that were collected by Australians Dr John Yu and Dr George Soutter over thirty years of travel to Bali and elsewhere in Indonesia.
“More than one million Australians visit Indonesia each year and for Dr Yu and Dr Soutter, as for so many others, Bali opened the gate to a much broader experience of textiles and the arts across Indonesia,” Mr Quinlan said.
“I am pleased and proud that Australian galleries and museums value these textiles and contribute to the knowledge and promotion of them as important parts of the culture of our region,” said Dr John Yu, Australian textile and art collector.
Australia is home to some of the richest collections of Indonesian textiles in the world. Collectively the National Gallery of Australia and the Australian Museum house more than 2,000 pieces of Indonesian textile.
"This exhibition is a manifestation of the cultural and tourism exchanges between Australia and Indonesia,” Jakarta Tourism and Cultural Office official Asiantoro said. “I hope that this exhibition will bring love and support to Indonesian traditional textiles.”
Prior to the opening, Katrina Cashman, Mosman Art Gallery Assistant Director and Dr Siobhan Campbell, Curator and Indonesian art specialist from the University of Sydney, held a workshop for Indonesian museum and gallery practitioners in which they shared expertise in curatorship, textile maintenance and research practices.
Encounters with Bali will be open and free to the public from 11 July to 5 August 2018.
Ian Gerard - 021 25505290


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More than 500,000 people worldwide use Zipcar when they want to get somewhere that public transit can't. The car-sharing service started in Cambridge, where it became a fast favorite among those who are car-less by choice — or perhaps by necessity. It seems, however, that there's a new communal vehicle on the block.
iCar, a Somerville-based startup, is out to compete with Zipcar. The company says it has newer technology, better customer service and better prices.
Zipcar is the gold standard in car-sharing services, but hasn't turned a profit in 10 years. Can iCar succeed?
- Andrew Phelps, reporter, wbur.org
This segment aired on December 29, 2010.


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Scientists have long theorized that an oddly-shaped skull found nearly three decades ago belonged to a narwhal-beluga hybrid, but couldn’t confirm it until now After a mysterious skull sat in a museum for almost three decades, scientists have finally used it to confirm the existence of a narwhal-beluga […]
A new study concludes that plastic from tires generates vastly more microplastic waste than any other source. It’s also carried by the wind, hence the title Atmospheric transport is a major pathway of microplastics to remote regions. The average emissions are about .81 kg (1.78 pounds) per capita, for […]
When juvenile wild salmon migrate to sea this spring, there will be six fewer salmon farms on the coast of BC. According a press release from the ‘Namgis First Nation (Alert Bay), back in 2019, “three First Nations off northeastern Vancouver Island signed agreements with the federal and […]
A new study shows that all-plastic tea bags release billions of particles into hot water. Just when we thought food manufacturers were moving away from plastic packaging, some tea companies are embracing it. There has been a subtle shift toward using all-plastic tea bags, rather than the conventional […]
Great video from BBC Earth showing unique hunting style of wolves. Go see them in Yellowstone Lamar Valley! Hopefully more California wolves as well, but I doubt they will learn how to hunt buffalo anytime soon 😉
Yes…of course! The questions How! The issues we are currently facing in the food industry are complex and geographically diverse. If we zoom in on the food challenges we have in the world we can see the following: – Unbalanced. we have more than 1 billion hungry people […]
The Idea A number of breweries in northern England are making a craft beer, Toast Ale, by substituting part of the malt it would otherwise have used with leftover bread. The beer was conceptualized to make use of discarded bread in an effort to fight food waste: in Britain, […]
Business is a force for good and has the potential to fundamentally change the world for the better.


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Merkel Cautious As Germany Scales Down Lockdown Protocols.
Some small shops in Germany reopened on Monday as the country took a cautious step toward returning to normal, though Chancellor Angela Merkel issued a stark warning against complacency in the face of the pandemic.
From florists to fashion stores, the majority of shops smaller than 800 square metres (8,600 square feet) were allowed to welcome customers again in much of Germany, in a first wave of scaling back lockdown measures introduced last month.
Merkel and regional state premiers announced the decision to reopen last week — but were careful to cast it as a cautious first step.
The government is facing increasing pressure to ease restrictions, especially from industries eager to get business back on track.
But Merkel said Monday she was “greatly concerned” the public could let its guard down too fast, speaking in a telephone conference with leaders from her centre-right CDU party.
She urged the public to maintain social distancing measures, such as keeping 1.5 metres (five feet) apart and avoiding gatherings of more than two people, voicing her “scepticism” and “huge concern” over the population’s discipline.


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Apple today unveiled an updated version of its smallest smartphone, the iPhone SE.
Upgrades are largely internal. There's the A15 chip you'll find on the iPhone 13 lineup, a 6-core CPU that's 1.8x faster than the iPhone 8, the phone on which the 2020 SE is modeled. It powers an upgraded camera system with a 12MP ƒ/1.8 aperture Wide camera with Smart HDR 4, Photographic Styles, Deep Fusion, and Portrait mode.
Like earlier iPhone SE models, the newest one retains the Home button and Touch ID. There's a 4.7-inch display, a glass front and back similar to the iPhone 13, and IP67 protection.
Apple promises a longer battery life than previous models, but didn't elaborate. (In our tests, we found the iPhone 13 to be a "battery life beast.") The new iPhone SE supports the Qi standard for wireless and fast charging.
Pre-orders for the new iPhone SE start on Friday, March 11, and it arrives in stores on Friday, March 18, starting at $429. Get it in three colors—midnight, starlight, and Product(RED)—and storage configurations: 64GB, 128GB, and 256GB.
During Tuesday's unveiling, Apple CEO Tim Cook said the iPhone SE is intended for those who want a smaller phone for a great value. The SE line has been particularly popular with new iPhone users, he said, who may not want to spend $1,000+ on a smartphone out of the gate.
For those who want something a little more premium, Apple today also unveiled two new color options for the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13, alpine green and green, respectively. What's the difference? You be the judge.


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Market America convention back in Greensboro with new products, celebrities
The Market America/Shop.com 2013 International Convention will be held Thursday through Sunday at the Greensboro Coliseum and is expected to garner about 25,000 attendees, which is about the same amount as last year. It generates an estimated economic impact of $10 million.
In addition to tourism dollars for the region, the convention is important because it helps "springboard" new products and sales for Greensboro-based Market America, which is on pace to hit revenues of $500 million this year. That's up from $400 million in 2012.
Much of that growth can be attributed to international sales as the company has expanded its reach to 200 countries, said Marc Ashley, chief operating officer for Market America, which employs more than 600 people in the Triad.
New products being introduced at the convention, ranging from protein bars to baby care items, are also expected to drive revenues up.
Ashely said the majority of the convention attendees are independent sales representatives, or consultants, who sell goods to customers face-to-face as well as through a customized website. Entrance to the convention costs $200.
The event always draws a few celebrities promoting their products, and this year is no exception. Attendees will have a chance to see reality television star La La Anthony, the wife of New York Knicks basketball star Carmelo Anthony, who will speak about the "Motives for La La" cosmetics line. Former NBA star Scottie Pippen will also be present to speak about Prime Joint Support Formula by Isotonix. And there may be more celebrities in attendance.
"We typically know the day or two before,” Ashley said. “We try to get them to commit but their schedules are so crazy."
Katie Arcieri covers manufacturing, transportation/logistics, aviation, textiles, tobacco and furniture. Contact her at 336-370-2913.
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June 24, 2009
Eat With Us Pledges to ProtectSeals
Sweet Peppers Deli Parent Company Boycotting Canadian Seafood
The Humane Society of the United States is pleased to announce that the Eat With Us Group is participating in the ProtectSeals boycott of Canadian seafood. The group joins hundreds of other chefs, hundreds of thousands of individuals and thousands of businesses across the United States that are boycotting Canadian seafood until Canada ends its annual commercial slaughter of baby seals.
The Eat With Us Group, headquartered in Columbus, Miss., has pledged to boycott seafood from the Canadian sealing provinces in all 26 locations of their restaurants, which include: Sweet Peppers Deli, Bulldog Deli, Cotton District Grill, Fairpark Grill, Jackson Square Grill, Harvey's and Park Heights.
"It was an easy decision to change our purchasing habits in order to protect baby seals," said Eat With Us Executive Chef Gregg Frazer. "Hopefully our participation will strengthen the pressures on the Canadian fishing industry to stop the slaughter of seal pups in favor of a more humane, professional endeavor."
"The Humane Society of the United States is pleased to have Eat With Us join our efforts to end the Canadian commercial seal slaughter," said Patricia Ragan, director of The HSUS' ProtectSeals Campaign. "By boycotting Canadian seafood they are effectively making their voices heard that the commercial slaughter of baby seals must end and it must end now."
In total, more than 5,000 restaurants and grocery store locations are participating in The HSUS' ProtectSeals boycott. Some of the many companies participating include: BI-LO Supermarkets, Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville Cafes, Ted Turner's steakhouse chain - Ted's Montana Grill, Bon Appétit Management Company, Lowe's Foods, Legal Sea Foods, Whole Foods Market, Trader Joe's, Oceanaire Seafood Room, WinCo Foods and Harris Teeter. A complete list of grocery companies and seafood suppliers participating in the boycott is here and a list of participating restaurants is here.
- Canada's commercial seal hunt is the world's largest slaughter of marine mammals, with more than 1 million seals killed in the past four years.
- Each year, suffering is documented at the commercial seal hunt: Seals are cut open while responding to pain, conscious seals are impaled on steel spikes and dragged across the ice floes and wounded seals are left to suffer.
- Veterinary experts say the commercial seal hunt is inherently inhumane because of the physical environment in which the seal hunt operates and the speed at which it must be conducted.
- Ninety-seven percent of the seals killed in the commercial seal hunt are less than 3 months old when they are slaughtered. Many have yet to take their first swim or eat their first solid meal when they are killed.
- Sealers are commercial fishermen, who earn, on average, less than 5 percent of their incomes from killing seals. The remainder of their income comes from fishing crab, shrimp and lobster.
- Canada exports nearly two-thirds of its seafood to the United States, which produces roughly $2.5 billion annually for the Canadian economy.
- Through the ProtectSeals boycott of Canadian seafood products, The Humane Society of the United States is working with thousands of restaurants and grocery stores to send a clear market signal to Canada's fishing industry and government that the commercial seal slaughter is an unacceptable business practice that must end.
- Chefs, restaurants, seafood distributors and grocers participating in the ProtectSeals campaign pledge to avoid Canadian snow crab, all seafood from sealing provinces, or seafood from all of Canada until the hunt ends for good. The HSUS has signed pledges from all boycott participants.
- In recent years, 10 countries have either banned their trade in seal products or announced their intentions to do so. The European Union recently passed a prohibition on seal product trade.
- Nigel Barker, noted photographer and judge on "America's Next Top Model," is a spokesperson for the campaign. Barker accompanied HSUS staff to the ice floes in spring 2008 to photograph the seal nursery and document the hunt.
For more information about the campaign to save Canadian seals, please visit humanesociety.org/protectseals.
Follow The HSUS on Twitter.
The Humane Society of the United States is the nation's largest animal protection organization — backed by 11 million Americans, or one of every 28. For more than a half-century, The HSUS has been fighting for the protection of all animals through advocacy, education and hands-on programs. Celebrating animals and confronting cruelty — On the web at humanesociety.org.