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Amazon vs the Pharmaceutical Sector
There have been multiple rumors that Amazon plans on entering the pharmaceutical sector, and it has certainly made big pharmaceutical companies take notice. Will they, or won’t they? But it looks like Amazon may be entering an easier part of the healthcare sector that won’t have a huge impact on pharmaceutical companies just yet.
Looking at Medical Aids and Supplies
Take a look at Amazon at some point, and you will find some medical aids and supplies already. It’s estimated that Amazon will look to improve that sector first as a way to enter the healthcare game. The company has already told regulators that they would not be shipping or storing any drugs. It would be easier for them to create a platform and/or subscription service, similar to Amazon Mom, for those in need of medical supplies.
Regulation Could Be Difficult
Regulations on medicines are not only governed a bit by federal standards, each state also has their own requirements. This could be a huge uphill battle for the conglomerate. Navigating the distribution of prescriptions is very specific and requires a lot of monitoring. How can the company possibly handle all of that in addition to their business now? While it’s argued that they can’t, it is possible for them to figure it out in the future.
Starting Out with Generics
Medical aids and supplies could get their feet wet but for them to really enter the game, they could start by offering generics in a mail-order format. Many generics cost $5 wholesale, and the company could charge customers $10. Competing with low-cost medicines at other pharmacies, such as Walmart, could prove to be difficult. On the one hand, people who have mobility issues will find the ease of medicines arriving at home. This sort of system already exists with the popular company PillPack, which is comparable to any other pharmacy. Amazon will have to find a way to make them a true competitor against an established system already in place. It shouldn’t be too difficult for them to figure that out since they already compete with so many other brick and mortar shops.
What Does This Mean for Pharmacists?
It will be awhile before Amazon can fully enter the pharmaceutical market, and there will be plenty of time to adjust to a new competitor. What Amazon will struggle with most is the personal care that a patient receives from any pharmacist. Can they truly monitor patients and notice trends that you already notice? Can they ensure that patients understand how to take their meds or educate them on side effects and interactions? It will be hard for them to be able to offer personal service in which people feel like they are truly being cared for. Given the way Amazon functions, we believe that eventually, they will be in the game, and it will be up to pharmacists to keep a good relationship with their patients to keep them from jumping ship right away.


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Nokia Lumia 900 front
Nokia is getting ready to start selling its top-of-the-line Lumia 900 in the UK on Friday, as it continues to bet on the Windows Phone-powered smartphone range to revive its fortunes.
At launch, the handset will be exclusive to online retailer Phones4U, which is taking pre-orders now for a range of operator price plans. However, other retailers and operators will soon follow, according to Nokia.
The handset was previously due to arrive on Phones4U on 27 April. However, it was delayed due to unexpected demand for the smartphone in the US, where it went on sale on 8 April. While the US model is built to use LTE networks, the lack of 4G in the UK means that the Lumia 900 in the UK will have lower-speed DC-HSPA features instead.
The Lumia 900 will join its previously released Lumia 800 and 710 siblings on British retailers' shelves. In April, Nokia admitted its Lumia smartphones have struggled to make an impact with British buyers, even though they have "exceeded expectations" in the US and other countries.
Seen above, the UK version of the Lumia 900 looks the same as the US model.
Image credit: Ben Woods

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Ukraine and Russia boast some of the most fertile land on Earth. Both are major agricultural producers, particularly of wheat, maize, barley and sunflower oil. Together, they grow about 15% of the world’s wheat, but account for about 30% of global wheat exports; Ukraine alone supplies about 50% of the global market for sunflower oil.
In addition, Russia, Ukraine and Belarus produce much of the world’s fertiliser supply. Prices of all these goods had already been trending upward, due to Covid-19, as well as fuel price rises that increased the cost of food production and shipping.
Now the war has stopped most food exports from Russia and Ukraine, pushed up oil prices and further disrupted global supply chains. As a result, the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation reported in March that global food prices had risen to their highest recorded level; cereals have gone up by 40% since last March, cooking oils by 55%, meats by 20%.
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Are Russia and Ukraine still exporting any food?
Ukraine banned exports of wheat and other food last month to secure its own wartime supplies, but at this point it can’t really export anyway: Russian warships are blocking access to its Black Sea ports; they have also destroyed port infrastructure and grain storage facilities, and have bombed at least three civilian ships carrying Ukrainian goods.
Many Ukrainian farmers have joined the defence effort, and farms in the east of the country are being ravaged by Russian attacks. Overall, Ukraine’s spring sowing of barley, maize and other crops will be less than half of the 2021 level, its agriculture ministry reports. Russia’s food exports, meanwhile, have reduced drastically because foreign traders are unwilling to do business there; President Putin also recently said that Russia would “monitor” food exports to “hostile” nations.
Can’t the loss of food be made up?
It will have “a big effect on world agricultural markets, but not that big”, says Aaron Smith, professor of agricultural economics at the University of California, Davis. Other big producers, such as the EU, the US, Canada, Australia and India, should be able to cover some of the shortfall. But it takes time for recipient countries to rearrange their supply chains and place orders with new sources, and panicked investors have sent wheat prices soaring by as much as 50%.
The effects will be felt everywhere, but particularly in some nations in the Middle East and Africa, which are heavily reliant on Russian and Ukrainian wheat. Egypt, which gets 80% of its wheat imports from Ukraine and Russia, has had to fix the price of bread and devalue its currency. In Tunisia and Lebanon, there are flour shortages. High food prices have caused unrest as far afield as Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Peru.
How bad will things get?
Arab nations are likely to fare the worst. They remember that the high food prices of the Great Recession were a major factor in the Arab Spring protests that erupted in 2010. In conflict-ridden Yemen, 31,000 people already face famine conditions, and that number could increase fivefold this year. Indonesia is almost out of its beloved Indomie instant noodles, made with Ukrainian wheat. Cameroon’s bakeries are seeing long lines for bread. Somalia is facing its worst drought in decades, but can’t turn to Egyptian imports to make up the difference.
The world food system is already under strain: the UN World Food Programme thinks that 44 million people are at risk of famine. And this is before the effects of the fertiliser shortage become apparent.
What effect will that have?
Even before the war, the fertiliser market was in turmoil because of Covid, high fuel prices (fertiliser production relies heavily on natural gas) and sanctions on Belarus – which, like Russia, is a major exporter of potash, ammonia, urea and other soil nutrients. In March, Russia responded to sanctions by suspending fertiliser exports; while supplies from Ukraine, a major supplier to Europe, have largely stopped.
“Wheat will impact a few countries,” warns David Laborde of the International Food Policy Research Institute. “The fertiliser issue can impact every farmer everywhere in the world.” Brazil, the world’s largest producer of coffee, soybeans and sugar, imports 20% of its fertiliser from Russia. In the UK, over the past year prices have gone from about £250 a tonne to nearer £1,000. Farmers face a choice between reducing fertiliser purchases, in which case yields will be lower, or charging higher prices. Either way, consumers will see higher costs.
What can governments do?
In Britain, food prices are rising – they were up 5% in the year to February – but though this will affect those on low incomes, the overall impact is likely to be limited: around 10% of UK household income is spent on food. In Algeria, Kenya and Pakistan, by contrast, it makes up more than 40% of household spending.
Normally, poorer governments would have to intervene in food markets in these circumstances, yet budgets are severely stretched due to the pandemic leaving little room for direct support. Fragile economies such as Egypt’s and Tunisia’s that borrowed large amounts during the pandemic will find it harder to keep paying subsidies for food, especially if prices keep climbing.
When will things get better?
It all depends on the length of the war, and climatic conditions in the world’s major cereal-producing areas. China is anticipating its worst wheat crop in history, and the US Midwest is seeing very dry conditions; though Australia and India are expecting bumper crops.
“What we can’t afford now is a major drought in Kazakhstan, Europe or Argentina,” says David Laborde. “Markets will explode. I don’t want to paint a bleak picture. If the planet will be generous to us this year, we should be OK. But a bad shock right now could bring us to the verge of a major food crisis.”
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If the Financial Times is right, we might have only one month to wait until “Tablet Tuesday”. They report:
Apple has something big up its sleeve for next month. The company has rented a stage at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco for several days in late January, according to people familiar with the plans. Apple is expected to use the venue to make a major product announcement on Tuesday, January 26th. Both YBCA and Apple declined to comment.
Remember, Apple turned down Macworld Expo 2010 which is usually scheduled for a week or so before this event. Instead, Macworld moved to February. This event would be sandwiched in between CES in January and Macworld.
According to the Yerba Buena calendar, the dates of the 25, 26 and 27th of January are open.
This date would also roughly coincide with iLounge’s prediction from earlier this year.
If Apple does announce the tablet next month, it will likely be at least few months longer before you can get your grubby hands on one. It will also be better than whatever you are getting for Christmas.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.


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Irish back pain medical device group receives important approval in Australia
Mainstay Medical’s flagship product is now eligible for reimbursement from private health funds
Mainstay Medical, an Irish device company specialising in chronic low back pain, has had its flagship product approved for inclusion in a list which means it is eligible for reimbursement from all private health insurers in Australia.
Mainstay, which is based in Dublin with subsidiaries in Australia, the United States and Germany, is working to commercialise an implantable neurostimulation system, called ReActiv8, designed to treat disabling chronic lower back pain. It works by stimulating muscles supporting the lower back with electrical impulses.
The company said on Monday that the device has been approved for inclusion in the prostheses list of reimbursed products in Australia from the beginning of next month. The list identifies implantable devices eligible for reimbursement from the country’s private health insurance funds.
The inclusion on the list follows regulatory approval for the device in December of last year, enabling commercialisation of the product across Australia.
“We are delighted to be included in the Prostheses List, enabling us to deliver this valuable therapy to Australian physicians and patients,” said Jason Hannon, chief executive of Mainstay.
ReActiv8 has a CE mark, which authorises its sale across the European Union. The company also expects a decision on its pre-market approval application to the US Food and Drug Administration by the end of this year.


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Dicor Corp. is rebranding its companies, which operate independently of each other, to create a uniformity of design message, websites and packaging, according to a report in the South Bend (Ind.) Tribune.
“All of our companies share some very basic philosophies and basic competencies,” said Gregg Fore, president of the Elkhart, Ind.-based supplier who also serves as chairman for the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA). “Our decision to blend the strengths of the various companies into a single brand began 18 months ago. “It’s a very long process, but I can tell you that only 18 months in, the value is very real.”
Dicor primarily serves recreational vehicle markets throughout North America and is known as a supplier for roofing and wheel products. Over the years, it has expanded its market through acquisitions and startups to include United Shade, which makes window shades — including motorized ones — for RVs; Vixen Composites, a manufacturing system that addresses problems with composites used for RV sidewalls; SealDesign, which manufactures sealants to keep out the weather and insulate RVs; and Window Expression, a subsidiary of United Shade that sells to commercial construction companies instead of the RV industry.
“They are a combination of new startups to fill a market niche or new purchases of companies that we can blend into our core operation,” Fore said. “If a company blends well with our core operational values — that’s what has interest to us.”
The company is growing fast. In the first six months of 2011, revenue increased 15% compared with the same time period in 2010.
“We’ve shown a consistent pattern of growth both in terms of revenue and employment,” Fore said. “We’ve had a lot of longevity with our employment. When I started with the company 21 years ago, we had around 10 employees. Now we have about 120 or so.”
Recently the company has also added new management personnel, facilities and products. This growth and innovation landed the company on the 2011 “Indiana Company to Watch” list.
At the Louisville Show in November, Dicor showcased some of its newest products — some the company has developed and some it is partnering with other companies to make available.
These include an all-new system of RV cabinetry the company brought in from Europe, that simplifies the structure and allows more design techniques and a new composite — a large, flat panel made of all synthetic products — that’s up to 10 feet wide and up to 4 inches in diameter, which is used for an RVs walls.
“We started this brand-new venture in Vixen Composites. It is rare for a private company to start something that no one else is doing,” Fore said.
The South Bend Tribune reported that the company wanted to set itself apart from others of its kind, so it built a machine capable of making up to 10-foot-wide composites. It uses a moving mold process, where the composite is molded as it travels along a production line, rather than a static — or stationary — mold process.
“It has a smaller footprint, fewer emissions, results in a panel that is seamless and has a greater strength than static panels and is lighter in weight than a static mold,” Fore said.
The company’s website demonstrates the strength of the panels with a video showing what happens to a panel when a brick or bowling ball is dropped on it from one story up. (Watch the video on the RVBUSINESS.com home page).
In addition to the composites, Dicor also demonstrated some of its older products at the trade show.
“We played on the long-term history. We’ve been in the roofing industry for almost 22 years and we have a majority market share,” Fore said, explaining that the company also showcased its decorative wheel products, which is a line it has produced for 27 years.
So, what are the company’s plans for the future?
“Well, we don’t want to stop growing. Our goal is to continue down that path. It will be internal growth through market share and through product line. Through acquisition or startup as those things become available to us.”
“It is important to us to build an enterprise that has longevity for the employees, that has teeth, that can continue to grow whether or not I happen to be involved or one of the other partners is involved,” Fore said. “They know that we are trying to do things in the future in their best interest, consequently they will do things today in our best interest.”


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No Surprises in Microsoft's Annual Report
Digestingthe information in Microsoft's annual report for fiscal 2000 shouldn't requireany antacid for stockholders. It's a typically vanilla financial picture with acherry on top.
Asexpected, there were impressive profits reported by Redmond for the year thatran from June 1999 to June 2000. As expected, the company says it will continueinvesting in initiatives aimed at the .NET platform. And as expected, myriadlawsuits, including one likely to wind up before the US Supreme Court, are notanticipated to change the charted course.
Previous tothe release of the annual report, the software giant announced new reportingguidelines that will be implemented for the first quarter of the new fiscalyear. Microsoft will now break down its results into five company segmentsrather than its traditional four as an effort to comply with Rule 133 of theFinancial Accounting Standards Board.
In the viewof IDC industry analyst Dan Kusnetzky, all this compliance does is to giveMicrosoft more room to massage its numbers to its best interest.
"Essentially,it makes it more difficult to determine what's actually happening in theirbusiness," Kusnetzky says. "Revenues are things they'd like to movearound to meet people's perceptions. There's really no way to cross-referenceitems and examine them in detail. There's no way to know what's successful andwhat's not."
Microsoft'srevenue for fiscal 2000 was reported at $22.97 billion, a 16 percent increaseover the previous year. The licensing of Windows 2000 releases prompted themajority of the growth. Microsoft enjoyed a 29 percent revenue growth in fiscal1999, and 28 percent the previous year. Net income for the fiscal year was$9.42 billion, up from $7.79 billion in 1999.
The companybusiness model continues to shift from selling packaged products to licensingorganizational licenses and subscriptions, again in line with it's .NET push.There's also a move away from its distribution model where more products arebeing shipped directly to OEMs and end users rather than being filtered throughthe company's distributor network. This brought the company about a $250million savings for the fiscal year.
Microsoftpromised significant investment in .NET initiatives in terms of its Windowsplatform. Kusnetzky believes the .NET rollout is little more than a marketingploy. He says what Microsoft doesn't tell users is that they probably alreadyhave the .NET pieces they'll need.
"It'slike the 'Batman' movie, where the Joker takes over a cosmetics factory, slipsa poison into the components, and then people develop a Joker's white face andsmile before it kills them," Kusnetzky says. "He goes on TV and sayspeople may ask how to get these components, and they'll be surprised when theyfind out they already have them. It's the same with Microsoft .NET. It'sslipped out in pieces. If people follow the upgrade paths they have in thepast, they'll be ready for the first applications. When it's time to turn iton, clients already will have what they need to support it. It's an interestingstrategy that many system vendors have used for years."
Thesoftware giant does have its share of legal woes to consider, primarily theantitrust action brought on by the US Department of Justice. Microsoft is appealinga US District Court judgment that calls for the company to be divided into two.It's now before the US Court of Appeals of the District of Columbia, where thecompany expects a reversal of the judgment. This case is likely destined for afinal ruling in the Supreme Court. Microsoft remains confident that it is notin violation of antitrust laws.
ProductivityApplications and Developer Revenue
MicrosoftCorp., Redmond, WA, www.microsoft.com
IDC, Framingham, MA, www.idc.com


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SAN ANTONIO – After a scientist developed glasses to help doctors see better during laser surgery, his friend put on the glasses to play ultimate Frisbee and discovered that he could see the orange cones for the first time.
Seven years later, that idea became EnChroma, a company that helps the colorblind see color.
Barbra Lann cried the first time she put on her EnChroma glasses.
"It was amazing," she said. "From the minute I put them on, I didn't realize that it wasn't just greens that I was not seeing, it was also things like blues, browns, reds."
Chief scientist Don McPherson has spent 13 years studying color vision. Designing a lens that improved color discrimination for the colorblind was the first step. Understanding how the glasses helped people's color vision took a lot longer.
In normal color vision, blue, red and green photo pigments are separate. With colorblindness, red and green overlap, causing colors to become muddled.
"Our filter comes in and moves it back to normal position," McPherson said. "Now you're sending the correct information to the brain, and those neuromechanisms, which have been dormant their entire life, are suddenly activated."
Using CEO Andy Schmeder's mathematical modeling expertise and three NIH grants, EnChroma was born in 2010.
"In the world, there's an estimated 200 million to 300 million that have colorblindness," Schmeder said. "Right now, we've been able to help tens of thousands of those. It's such a tiny, tiny percentage."
Schmeder said he and and McPherson hope to bring color to many more people, especially children.


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New 2020 Buick Encore will represent the second generation of high tech high-end vehicles at the around the world market. Nevertheless, releasing is prepared to be set by the end of 2019, so we can concentrate on present vehicle and existing updates. Expectations are high and likewise general principle will suffer significant changes.
After the redesign, the new 2020 Buick Envision will strike the marketplace. It will sign up with other brother or sisters, Encore, Enclave, and the new principle Enspire. Buick SUV range is growing gradually, and next decade it will be among the significant gamers in the market. Now currently the company is preparing to introduce new hybrid vehicles. In a number of years, the majority of SUVs will have such drivetrain, so Buick's crossovers will be prepared for the obstacle.
Think it or not, among the brand name's most well-known models might return to the marketplace as 2019 Buick Grand National. If we can rely on most current reports that can be discovered on GM lovers online forums, it appears that we might see a revival of the renowned model. To advise you, this car remained in production for several years. Still, the last one was on sale in the late 80's. Thirty years later on, we will see it once again, inning accordance with reports. These reports declare 2019 Grand National to be a genuine premium car.
Considering recent changes on this compact car, it is pretty particular that 2019 Buick Verano will come without larger changes. An entry-level sedan as hatchback was originally presented in 2011. While the original model was offered in North America too, the existing second-generation model is readily available in China just. Most current reports recommend that this state will remain which this car won't return to the U.S. in the future for sure.
Competitors is not precisely fierce in the full-size sedan sector, and that's a pity, since there are a number of truly good cars in this class, including the Buick LaCrosse. Changes are couple of for 2019, but include a new Sport Touring trim developed around a blacked out grille and a set of trim-specific 19-inch wheels done in grey.


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Energy is Catching Up
By Landon Stevens, Strata Contributor
The views contained in this piece are those of the author and STRATA, and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any other agency, organization, employer or company.
When you think, “Blockchain,” most of us think of Bitcoin. But the electricity space is ripe for innovation. The energy world is changing rapidly, and technology is getting creative trying to keep up.
Since the Pearl Street coal plant opened in New York City
in 1882, the electric utility sector has followed a predictable model. First, build a large centralized power plant, connect thousands of miles of power lines to energize society, collect payment, grow, and repeat. In the last 30 years or so, however, that model has started to shift. The traditional regulated monopoly model has been challenged and re-imagined in various ways.
Steve Martin, GE Power’s Chief Digital Officer, made a bold statement on the future of the energy grid. “The world’s most powerful utility in 2025 may not exist today,” he said. “At the very least, it does not operate today as it will in the future. Blockchain is rapidly evolving and has the potential to be an enabling technology for the future grid.”1
In Brooklyn, LO3 Energy has developed a transactional en- ergy microgrid to test whether neighbors can independently produce power from solar panels, trade peer-to-peer, and have transactions recorded on a Blockchain. They believe that with a more democratized energy marketplace, traditional markets will become more open and competitive. The company is now expanding projects to Europe and Australia.
“Our proprietary smart meters connect local residents together ‘virtually’ by using our Exergy blockchain to securely log and share their energy consumption and production data and smart contracts to automati- cally execute energy transactions within the community,” says Lawrence Orsini, the company’s chairman. “The biggest work to be done now to move this from a project to a large-scale commercial reality is with the regulatory bodies, to progress the changes needed for local peer-to-peer transactive markets.”2
Blockchain is finding a home even in more traditional market applications. In Europe, for example, a group of more than 40 energy trading companies now use Blockchain to trade through an initiative called Enerchain. Enerchain allows energy wholesale markets to leverage technology and execute decentralized trades, avoiding intermediaries and cutting costs. Findings from a nine-month proof of concept pilot with live-trading showed large cost savings could be expected as roles in management, market supervision, legal, regulation, compliance, support, IT, marketing, and sales either do not apply to a new decentralized trading platform, or could be significantly reduced as Blockchain trading expands.
As electric vehicles have seen tremendous growth over the last few years, one concern of wary consum- ers is range anxiety — the fear of being left without a charger when away from home. In both California and Europe, companies have sought to tackle this issue using Blockchain to create a network described as “Airbnb for EVs.”3 The idea is to allow any business or entity who owns a charging station to rent out charging time to participating drivers through a simple mobile app. Drivers buy ‘tokens’ on the app and ‘trade’ those in when they need to charge and the station owner is then paid out. Because this system is open to electric cars from any manufacturer and partners with hundreds of stations using a variety of elec- tricity providers, the guesswork for drivers is removed.
Other use cases like Renewable Energy Credit (REC) trading, transmission exchange, and distributed market management exist and the rise of Blockchain (or other distributed ledger technologies) in the ener- gy space will continue. While the industry is still a few years behind other sectors, like financial services and supply chain, interest and resources seem to be entering the industry.
The energy landscape is drastically different today than it was even a decade ago. We get power from the wind and sun, fracking has made the U.S. the global leader in oil and gas production, and battery storage is quickly seeing costs fall and technologies mature. The way society interacts with power is fundamental- ly different and the market is responding with solutions to increase efficiency and produce greater value.
In the book Blockchain Revolution by Don and Alex Tapscott, they state that, “The Blockchain is an incorruptible digital ledger of economic transaction that can be programmed to record not just financial transactions, but virtually everything of value.”4 Electricity is the fuel that literally powers modern soci- ety, meaning its value immense and the industry is ripe for technological disruption.
1 Blockchain Technology Will Transform the Power Industry, Darrell Proctor, 1/1/2019, Power Magazine. https://www.powermag.com/blockchain-technology -will-transform-the-power-industry/?pagenum=5
2 Five Questions with Lawrence Orsini on Transactive Energy and Blockchain, Lawrence Orsini with Ron Pernick, Clean Edge. https://cleanedge.com/views/Five-Questions-with-Lawrence-Orsini-on-Transactive-Ener- gy-and-Blockchain
3 EV Charging Meets Blockchain, Marija Maisch, 9/29/2019, PV Magazine. https://www.pv-magazine. com/2018/09/29/the-weekend-read-ev-charging-meets-blockchain/
4 Tapscott, D., & Tapscott, A. (2016). Blockchain revolution: How the technology behind bitcoin is changing money, business, and the world.


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TULSA, OK -- Parents can find deals on new and gently used clothing for kids at the Just Between Friends sale going on at the Tulsa Fairgrounds. The event continues through Saturday, August 28 at the Expo Square Exchange Center.
"Just Between Friends of Tulsa is expecting its biggest event yet with 1,500 consignors earning extra cash," said Diane White, one of the sale organizers.
"With gas prices going up, the jobless rate topping 7% and the ongoing recession, families continue to search for ways to make ends meet."
The region's largest children's and maternity consignment sale allows families the chance to earn cash quickly by selling clothes they no longer need or their kids have outgrown. Other area families may find just the items and sizes their children need most.
Sale hours are 1 to 7 p.m. Sunday, August 22 and 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday, August 23 through Saturday, August 28.
Other items, like children's toys, can also be found at discount prices. The group is no longer selling drop side cribs due to recent recalls, White said.


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MUTANT ALL IN Olympia Experience with Shawn Ray
Our Muscle Insider team is so excited with all the news and action coming from MUTANT as of late. Not only have we shared the news of MUTANT sponsoring the 2021 Olympia, legendary bodybuilder Shawn Ray signing with MUTANT as Global Brand Ambassador, even that MUTANT has decided to go all-in on sponsoring the 2021 Arnold Class on September 25, in Columbus, Ohio, but that’s not all!
The Sport’s Most Prestigious Event Like It’s Never Been Seen Before.
MUTANT continues its dedication to providing its customers unrivaled experiences and products with today’s announcement of the exclusive ALL-IN sweepstakes which celebrates the unveiling of its new Pre-Workout formula at the Mr. Olympia International Fitness & Performance Weekend in Orlando beginning October 8, 2021. See the image below for the teaser image of the new "mystery pre-workout" that will be unveiled!
Entrants will have a chance to win a myriad of prizes, including an unforgettable Grand Prize: a VIP event tour hosted by legend Shawn Ray and behind-the-scenes access to the biggest stars in the sport competing at the world’s most prestigious and oldest bodybuilding festival. Grand prize winners will receive airfare, hotel accommodations and other prizes with a combined value of $5,000.
“MUTANT is all about doing things others cannot, including providing priceless experiences like this,” remarked Jim McMahon, owner of MUTANT®. “Our global MUTANT brand ambassador Shawn Ray will deliver the experience of a lifetime to two lucky people, providing access to the elite athletes and his insights into the inner workings of this prestigious event like no other brand can.”
In addition to the Grand Prize, entrants will have the opportunity to win one of 20 Second Prize limited edition “mystery boxes” featuring an amazing all-new product release, or one of 50 Third place prize packs.
The sweepstakes begin Monday August 23, 2021 and end September 15, 2021. For full details and to enter, visit iammutant.com. To keep up with the latest fitness industry news and product releases, subscribe to our free newsletter!


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A Third of Homes Have HDTV
HDTV has been adopted to the point where slightly more than one third of households in the U.S. have it. That's according to data released last week by the Nielsen Co., and released on the company's blog. Nielsen went on to call HD the most rapidly adopted new television innovation since color TV.
“It’s clear that despite the current economic climate, HD remains on course to become the benchmark in TV viewing," Nielsen's senior vice president of insights and client research initiatives, Steve McGowan, said as part of the announcement.
"As prices of HDTVs continue to fall — a trend that might accelerate in the current environment — and circumstances such as the digital transition create new opportunities to promote the sets and programming, HDTV will continue to gain a greater foothold in U.S. television homes.


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Y Combinator -backed employment platform 70 Million Jobs is launching a new social network geared toward helping formerly incarcerated individuals connect with each other. While 70 Million Jobs focuse
Workplace SaaS tools for teams have seen rocket ship growth in the past several years, and that adoption has given rise to a host of software tools geared toward improving individual productivity. Man
Despite e-commerce firms Amazon and Walmart and others pouring billions of dollars into India, offline retail still commands more than 95% of all sales in the world’s second largest internet market.
YC-backed Goodcover, the insurtech startup that looks to pass unused premiums back to the policyholder, is today announcing the close of a $7.5 million Series A funding round. The funding was led by G
CoreCare, a provider of revenue management services for healthcare companies dealing with public health benefit providers, has raised $3 million in a seed financing round. The company, which uses mach
Courtney Caldwell and her husband Tye have been building the Dallas-based startup ShearShare, which provides a marketplace service connecting stylists with open seats at hair salons, since 2017. Since
Welcome back to Human Capital! As many of you know, Human Capital is a weekly newsletter where I break down the latest in labor, as well as diversity and inclusion in tech. It’s officially avail
Here.fm, a new web-based communication platform founded by Jesse Boyes and Seth Harris, has today announced the close of a $2.9 million seed round from FirstMark with participation by Y Combinator and
SoftBank’s Opportunity Fund has made the health insurance startup Vitable Health the first public commitment from its $100 million fund dedicated to investing in startups founded by entrepreneur
Index founders, Xavier Pladevall and Eduardo Portet, have been friends since they were small children in the Dominican Republic. Both came to college in the U.S., and last year the two decided to laun
In 2018, Leslie Feinzaig, the founder of Female Founders Alliance, launched a free, equity-free accelerator for women called Ready Set Raise. The goal was to provide under-networked female founders th
It only took a few weeks after its Y Combinator demo day debut for the Atlanta-based API test automation company Speedscale to raise its first $2.2 million. Founded by longtime developers and Georgia
“We joke that we’ve got so many people in the house that have different pieces of expertise that you just yell down the hallway if you have a problem."
Most startup founders have a tough road to their first round of funding, but the founders of Digital Brain had it a bit tougher than most. The two young founders survived by entering and winning hacka
After demonstrating scale, growth and financial improvement, one founder of a two-year-old agritech startup based in India told me that he’s now confronting a new challenge: Unlike his peers in
Companies that have leveraged technology to make the procurement and delivery of food more accessible to more people have been seeing a big surge of business this year, as millions of consumers are en
World events have so far not stopped the enthusiasm for tech investing, and really, where else are those dollars going to go?
Welcome back to Human Capital, a weekly digest about diversity, inclusion and the human labor that powers tech. This week, we’re looking at a number of topics because a lot went down. Coinbase C
As machine learning has grown, one of the major bottlenecks remains labeling things so the machine learning application understands the data it’s working with. Datasaur, a member of the Y Combin
Rolling funds, the rise of solo capitalists, crowd syndicates and team-based seed funds all scream one thing in unison: venture capital is growing and getting unbundled at the same time. While the ass


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Why There Aren’t More Women In Pest Control Jobs
When you think of a pest controller, the image often depicted in our minds is a man in overalls with some sort of chemical container strapped to his back. It’s very rare that it evokes the image of a woman. It really does beg the question why there aren’t more women in pest control jobs.
Only 5% of the people working as pest controllers are women. This is a low number. But it’s been an increase on the 3.8% of the previous few years. More and more women are working in pest control companies and helping UK homeowners get rid of their unwanted pest problem.
Over the next 10 years, the number of women working in the pest control industry is expected to rise to 20%. Most women are put off by being a pest controller because of the work it involves. Being a pest controller is a really dirty job, and involves getting in some not very nice situations. There’s lots of creepy crawlies to deal with, and to most people this is really off putting.
But more and more women are feeling comfortable in the working environment within the pest control industry. This is because the methods of pest control are changing and making a difference to how pest controllers work. Instead of just going into a property and spraying chemicals around to get rid of pests, the industry is moving towards new and modern methods using technology for pest control. This means the treatments are becoming less harmful and destructive overall, making being a lady pest controller much more appealing.
Women already in the pest control industry are using this technology boom to use different techniques within their field. It also means there’s more and more pest control jobs becoming available for women in training, upper management and other areas of the industry. Pest control is becoming more of a welcoming industry to women as well. In the past it was very much a male dominated environment, whereas now it’s more welcoming meaning more women are being drawn towards this line of work.
Although the industry is definitely changing for women, there are still some challenges that we have to overcome. Many female pest technicians find that they are judged on their looks, and not by the job they do. In fact, most women pest controllers say that their clients were surprised when a female exterminator showed up to do the job. Others say that men in the industry still don’t consider women equals in the industry because they can’t do everything they do. Experienced pest controllers with the proper training and skills will be able to get any job done, no matter what gender they are.
If you’re thinking about a career in pest control, it’s a great industry to get into. The salary and benefits are good, and the hours tend to be flexible. Get in touch with your local pest controller if you’re thinking of joining the industry.
To see more articles about women in business visit:
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You are reading Entrepreneur Asia, a franchise that is international of Media.
The ongoing slowdown has struck credit development in consumer segments that are most, barring the financing kinds of signature loans and charge cards, shows the TransUnion CIBIL’s Q3 2019 Industry Insights Report on retail credit styles. “Consumer credit development is concentrated in consumption financing categories credit that is including and private loans, ” the report stated.
Bank card outstanding stability increased by 40.7 percent set alongside the exact exact same time past 12 months, pressing the total stability to INR 109 thousand crore. The number that is total of bank cards in circulation grew by 30 www.checkmatepaydayloans.com/ per cent year-on-year to reach a total of 44.5 million in Q3 2019.
Regarding the personal loans forward, new reports increased by almost 48 percent between 3rd quarter of calender year 2019 and 2018, whereas origination volume (disbursed loans amount) saw an impressive 133.9 percent development throughout the period that is same.


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During game five of the World Series, Chevrolet was set to do a spot of marketing for the 2014 Silverado - fans at Busch Stadium in St. Louis would hold up placards that spelled out the words "Silverado Strong," a theme that Chevy has been promoting since the Silverado's launch with the song "Strong," by Will Hoge. The St. Louis promo was ultimately called off, though, over concerns that it'd be insensitive to the visiting Boston Red Sox. (You can see the image of what the stunt would have looked like above, courtesy of one timely Reddit user.)
Now, the Busch Stadium stunt might not have been a big deal, had the St. Louis Cardinals not been playing the Boston Red Sox. Following the tragic events in Boston during the marathon back in April, the phrase "Boston Strong" gained traction among the city's citizens, especially at sporting events. So, you can imagine that Chevy's appropriation of the phrase might not sit well with some fans.
The stunt was ultimately shelved after images of the signs went viral before the game, leading to a bit of a public backlash. Chevy spokesperson Michael Albano said of the promo that it was meant to show the brand's "commitment to baseball and its fans." But after the images went viral, the company "realized there was the possibility that we may offend some of the very fans we were trying to honor," Albano told Automotive News via email.
Variety, as they say, is the spice of life. That's a lesson that is currently being taught to General Motors, because despite a strong showing from its 2014 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra, the General's pickup sales still can't best those of cross-town rival Ford.
With 59,163 trucks moved, GM fell just over 1,000 units short of toppling Ford, and one of the main reasons for that, according to GM's chief sales analyst, was due to a lack of variety in the engines and body styles available on dealer lots. "We are still over-weighted toward crew-cab V8 trucks. Our light-duty mix will moderate over time as our launch progresses," said Kurt McNeil.
Loading dealers with the popular combination of the 5.3-liter V8 and the four-door, Crew Cab body style was intentional during the truck's launch, but as supplies of leftover 2013 models, which are being sold at heavy incentives, are beginning to wane, both budget-conscious and high-dollar buyers are looking elsewhere instead of at the volume model pickups.
When are stripes more than just stripes? Follow up question: Is the product development team at Chevrolet really cocky enough to hide the next C7 Corvette variant in plain sight? This very recently spotted, and ostensibly obscured C7 asks a lot more questions than it answers, but there's at least some evidence to support that it might be the next Corvette Grand Sport.
The first and most obvious tip-off that something is up with this 'Vette revolves around those silver stripes. Obviously the stripes themselves don't necessarily denote a new model. However, when Chevy recently launched its "colorizer" website for the Stingray, there was no provision made for racing stripes - solid colors only.
Grand Sport exhibit number two is actually an incriminating lack of badges. The production Corvettes we've seen to date have all carried Stingray badges on their fenders, just behind the vent. The car seen in these images has no such badges, which is an intriguing omission on an car that looks like a production-spec vehicle otherwise.


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Trump's tweet comes a day after Apple put out a press release describing the money it spends on U.S.-based suppliers and vendors.Technologyread more
President Donald Trump held a call on Wednesday with the CEOs of three major U.S. banks, according to people with knowledge of the situation.Marketsread more
Benefits from what President Trump called "the biggest reform of all time" to the tax code have dwindled to a faint breeze just 20 months after its enactment, writes John...Politicsread more
Epstein, 66, was found in his cell in Manhattan federal lockup Saturday morning and transferred to a nearby hospital, where he was subsequently pronounced dead.Politicsread more
Air travelers faced delays at U.S. airports on Friday afternoon after a computer issue snarled processing of international arrivals.Airlinesread more
Daniel Povey, a professor who was fired by Johns Hopkins University, said he will no longer go work at Facebook after the company asked him to work as a contractor while it...Technologyread more
Markets would like Fed Chairman Jerome Powell to clarify whether the Fed sees itself at the beginning of a serious, longer-term rate cutting cycle.Market Insiderread more
In comparative terms, CEOs now make on average 278 times the average worker's salary, according to the Economic Policy Institute.Executive Compensationread more
The former cellmate's lawyer, Bruce Barket, told NBC that officials at the jailhouse said in an email that Tartaglione would face no charges or internal discipline now that...Politicsread more
Roger Stone and the Department of Justice have been sparring for a month over whether jurors can be shown a 4-minute-and-20-second clip from the film.Politicsread more
As part of his new proposal to combat hate and violence, O'Rourke wants to make social media companies liable for users' hateful content.Technologyread more
MANILA, May 9 (Reuters) - Shanghai industrial metals fell in early trade on Thursday, while benchmark London copper hit its lowest in nearly three months, as investors sought safety ahead of crucial trade talks between the United States and China.
The two sides will hold two-day negotiations in Washington from Thursday, with U.S. President Donald Trump's threat to increase tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods on Friday raising the risk of an escalation in the trade spat.
The bruising trade war, which has slowed the global economy, has clouded the outlook for demand from top metals consumer China.
Ahead of the talks, Trump said Beijing "broke the deal" in negotiations with Washington and would face stiff tariffs if no agreement was reached.
Benchmark copper on the London Metal Exchange was down 0.1 percent at $6,142.5 a tonne by 0126 GMT, after touching its lowest since Feb. 15 at $6,114.50.
* The most-traded copper contract on the Shanghai Futures Exchange fell as much as 0.7 percent to 47,560 yuan ($7,012.89) a tonne.
* ShFE zinc dropped as much as 1.8 percent to 20,995 yuan a tonne.
* IRAN: Trump on Wednesday imposed new sanctions on Iran, targeting revenue from its exports of industrial metals, the latest salvo in tensions between Washington and Tehran over a 2015 international accord curbing the Islamic Republic's nuclear program.
* GRAPHIC: The world's biggest diversified miners have yet to see their share prices reflect their role as providers of the minerals needed for a shift to a low-carbon economy.
* For the top stories in metals and other news, click or
* Asian shares hit six-week lows in early trade on Thursday as increased tensions ahead of key Sino-U.S. trade negotiations fanned fresh concerns about the outlook for the global economy.
0130 China PPI YY April
0130 China CPI YY April
1200 Brazil Retail Sales YY March
1230 US International Trade March
1230 US Initial Jobless Claims Weekly
1230 France Reserve Assets Total April
Three month LME copper
Most active ShFE copper
Three month LME aluminium
Most active ShFE aluminium
Three month LME zinc
Most active ShFE zinc
Three month LME lead
Most active ShFE lead
Three month LME nickel
Most active ShFE nickel
Three month LME tin
Most active ShFE tin
($1 = 6.7818 Chinese yuan)
(Reporting by Enrico dela Cruz; Editing by Shreejay Sinha)


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Local businesses continue to fall behind when it comes to using a website to promote themselves, with research finding the majority of sites have substandard search engine optimisation (SEO).
According to SEO start-up NLYZER, research shows that whilst most SMB owners use the internet to find information about products and services, just over half use a website to promote their own business. This issue is further compounded by the fact that those with a website rarely invest further in their online presence, meaning they miss out on large amounts of web traffic.
NLYZR Founder Craig Wilson said a major factor in online retail success is having a presence in search engine results, with 97 percent of Australians using a search engine when looking to buy online.
“The first and most essential challenge for any business wanting to compete online is to be easily found in search for relevant search terms. This alone can make an incredible difference to your business.”
NLYZR’s study of 6000 local websites found 87 percent of sites had substandard SEO and 29 percent had now SEO at all. Only 6 percent were properly optimised.
Given that Australians will spend more than $13 billion online this year, a strong online presence needs to become a high priority for local businesses, despite many identifying a lack of time, knowledge and resources as barriers to successful online marketing.
“The more we spoke to businesses about their online marketing, we realised that most found search too complicated to understand and solutions too hard to implement. We decided to develop NLYZR, a website optimisation system that anyone could use.”
“Our overriding principle was to keep it simple, clear and easy-to-use. We wanted to give business owners and marketers the information they really need to compete successfully online, even if they weren’t web geeks themselves,” Wilson added.


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Mysterious Prankster Goes Around Yishun Throwing Thumbtacks, Over 30 Food Delivery Riders Sustained Punctured Tyres
An unidentified individual is suspected of randomly throwing huge amounts of thumbtacks all over Yishun, resulting in many food delivery riders sustaining punctured tyres to their rides.
According to an eye witness, over 30 food delivery riders were at the Neighbourhood Police Centre (NPC) in Yishun at around 4pm on Tuesday (20th Sep), making police reports.
Food delivery riders claimed to have run into the thumbtacks in several areas in Yishun, including Junction 9, Yishun Park Hawker Centre, Block 461 Yishun Street 6, and Block 348A Yishun Street 11, as well as at Block 730 Yishun Ring Road.
The police are currently investigating the case.Editor's Note: Do you have a story to share? Please use our Submission Form or email us.
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Talk about feel-good chocolate. This past week, The Gourmet Warehouse announced the 6th Annual Chocolate Challenge: a charity event showcasing the best of Vancouver craft-chocolate world.
On May 10, seven Vancouver master chocolatiers will show the best of their chocolate craft, while raising funds for local children’s meal charities. In the past five years, the Chocolate Challenge has raised $84,000 for the children in need.
The proceeds from this year’s initiative will go to three Vancouver-based children’s meal charities: The Vancouver Firefighter Charities Snacks for Kids, Project Chef and The Strathcona Backpack Program.
This year’s winners will be announced by the judging panel, comprised of Vancouver's premiere chocolate masters, including Christophe Bonzon from Chez Christophe, Thierry Busset from Thierry, Thomas Haas from Thomas Haas, Steven Hodge from Temper Pastry and more.
Tickets are priced at $79 per person, and this price includes wine and assorted food stations.


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The airline has ended its relationship with MullenLowe after 11 years.
Carat retained the domestic appliances business, which was sold to PE firm Hillhouse Capital in March.
Facebook says the update will start impacting its business in Q2.
The holding company saw increases in every region as clients show more optimism.
WPP Choreograph will pull data and technology resources from across the holding company to create privacy-focused solutions for clients.
The holding company will take over media duties for the global automaker in the U.S., Canada and Europe.
The demand shows there’s still no replacement for reach on live TV.
The campaign features a “reverse poem” that shows how we can turn climate change around.
But the holding company rebounded after a 9.6% organic year-over-year growth decline in Q4 last year.
The brand wants to be the “ultimate travel companion.”
Digitas is the U.S. incumbent and is expected to participate.
The account is $100 million and covers 11 key markets.
The holding company is reimagining what getting back to work will look like.
The alliance aims to eradicate harmful stereotypes in advertising and marketing.
Epsilon’s CORE ID will be interoperable with Unified ID 2.0 and available self-service through The Trade Desk.
The social media platform is doubling down on direct response advertisers.
The platform will host creator camps for IPG Mediabrands agencies and clients to better understand how to connect with its audience.
Mindshare and Dentsu are the incumbents.
The media holding group promoted Megan Pagliuca to chief activation officer to lead the charge.
The campaign by Mischief @ No Fixed Address and No Fixed Address aims to raise awareness about child abuse images on Twitter.


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Construction at Elysee Miami — the newest luxury condominium tower to rise in Miami’s East Edgewater neighborhood — reached floor 18 in January, South Florida-based Two Roads Development has announced.
The 98-unit project rising at 788 NE 23 St. along Biscayne Bay is being developed by Two Roads in partnership with entities managed by New York-based investment firm DW Partners. At 648 feet tall, Elysee will be one of the tallest condominium towers in downtown Miami when it delivers in 2020.
News of the tower’s construction progress comes amid brisk sales activity, approaching 50 percent of the development’s units sold. As the development team looks to sell the remaining residences over the next 18 months, Douglas Elliman Development Marketing has been tapped as the exclusive sales and marketing team for the tower. With 113 offices nationwide, Douglas Elliman brings a long track record of success in the luxury residential market, as well as a deep national and international buyer network.
The Elysee Miami sales gallery will open in the building at Biscayne Beach Residences, among the first luxury residential towers to sell out in Edgewater this cycle. Slated to open in February, the new sales gallery will feature 5,500 square feet of indoor and outdoor living space with panoramic views of Biscayne Bay and high ceilings, emulating a finished residence at Elysee Miami and offering prospective buyers a preview of the elegant designs created by interior designer Jean-Louis Deniot.
Upon sell-out of Elysee Miami, the sales gallery will be transformed into a high-end, chef-driven restaurant catering to Biscayne Beach residents and the surrounding Edgewater neighborhood. Two Roads made its mark in Miami as the sponsor and developer of Biscayne Beach Residences.
The Edgewater sub market is fast emerging as one of the sought-after neighborhoods in all of Miami. Roughly bound by NE 17th Street to the south, NE 37th Street to the north, the Florida East Coast Railway and E. First Avenue to the west and Biscayne Bay to the east, it is now home to around 7,000 residents — a nearly 20 percent increase since 2000, according to the Miami Downtown Development Authority (DDA). By 2021, that number is expected to grow by another 9.5 percent as new households come online.
Nestled between the city’s Arts & Entertainment District, Design District, Wynwood Arts District, and Midtown, residents of Elysee are within walking distance of luxury retail shops, high-end restaurants and world-class arts and culture venues.
In December, it was revealed that the Berkowitz Contemporary Foundation will open a new privately owned art museum in the neighborhood at 26thStreet and Biscayne Boulevard, three blocks away.
Designed by legendary architect Bernardo Fort-Brescia of Arquitectonica, Elysee’s striking three-tiered telescoping shape will provide direct 180-degree bay and city views from every residence. The tower’s elegant design concepts are the creation of Paris-based designer Jean-Louis Deniot, one of the world’s preeminent talents in interior design, who has imagined the building’s common area amenity spaces.
Priced from over $1.5 million to upwards of $10 million, Elysee’s 98 half-floor and full-floor residences range from three- to five-bedroom layouts measuring between 2,300 and 4,000 square feet in size.
All residences at the boutique-style tower will boast private elevators and foyers, soaring 10- to 12-foot ceilings, impact-resistant glass windows and sliding doors, bespoke Waterworks master bathroom fittings and fixtures, and gourmet kitchens with ItalKraft cabinetry, Wolf gas ranges and professional grade Sub-Zero appliances. Every unit will also sport expansive east- and west-facing terraces where residents can enjoy unparalleled sunrise and sunset views.
Residents share access to Elysee’s seventh floor amenity level, stocked with a resort-size lap pool with adjacent refreshment bar; outdoor summer kitchen and barbecue terrace; fitness center and yoga studio; spa with private sauna, steam and massage rooms; blow-dry bar; and children’s playroom.
For large-scale entertaining, the Owners Sky Lounge — which encompasses the building’s entire 30th floor level — is home to a Grand Salon lounge and bar area; a Grand Dining Room which includes seating for up to 30 guests, and a library/private theater, game room, and wine room.
For more information about Elysee, including pre-construction sales opportunities contact Douglas Elliman or visit the project’s sales gallery at 2955 NE Seventh Ave.
Learn more at www.elyseemiami.com.


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KRZYBooP: Howdy Boom Jockies! For those not playing the Common Test, the new Italian line of tanks is coming soon. For more information about Tier VIII-X Tanks that are loaded into the new semi auto style tanks that are coming to Italy check out the link here. They all go great with some wine and cheese.


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When COVID-19 is suspected on historical past or examination, refer such instances to the nearest assessment centre or hospital for further testing and management in accordance with public health protocols. The time from initial exposure to infectiousness is sometimes called a illness's latent period and this can be shorter than the incubation period. Chinese searchers have released a study proving the effectiveness of plasma transfusion in severe coronavirus patients. However last week, the South China Morning Submit reported that, in response to confidential Chinese authorities knowledge, greater than forty three,000 people in China had examined positive for the virus by the end of February however had no rapid symptoms.” These folks weren't included within the authorities's official tally, in keeping with the news outlet, which instructed that these folks could therefore be as high as one-third of those who test optimistic.


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1 Mark Ritson
Read more from Mark Ritson on LinkedIn.
Melbourne Business School adjunct professor Mark Ritson covers all aspects of marketing across his LinkedIn profile and a column in Marketing Week.
A prolific writer, Ritson uses case studies of corporations and the actions of brands to inform his readers on what to do — and what not to do — when it comes to marketing.
With new marketing trends emerging left, right and centre, Ritson also makes sure new topics like artificial intelligence and the millennial consumer audience are covered. He’s not afraid to highlight why a campaign worked or why it didn’t, making his insights valuable to businesses without massive marketing budgets.
Regardless of how comprehensive your marketing strategy is, his commentary highlights there’s always something new to consider or take on board.
Social media mishaps: Why businesses should think twice before cracking jokes online Catriona Pollard CP Communications founder
An ‘opportunity-hunting’ generation: Here's what millennial workers need and want Karen Gately Corporate Dojo founder
Spilling the beans: Why inviting someone to 'grab a coffee' is disingenuous and unnecessary Sue Parker DARE Group founder
The 10 most unemployable job titles on LinkedIn Ian Whitworth Scene Change co-founder
How Emily McWaters manages her Sydney-based business from Kangaroo Island Emily McWaters The Hamper Emporium chief
Why 'Orwellian' performance monitoring is crucial to building an ethical company culture Michael Kodari Kodari Securities chief


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01 August, 2018
Google Pixel 3 XL can be clearly seen in the White color option and to be honest at first glance we can notice that not much has been changed. A new set of live images of the alleged Pixel 3 XL surfaced online over the weekend which once again reveals the notch as well as the rear panel.
The smartphone is highly likely to be officially introduced in the month of October.
The image also confirms other rumours that the Pixel 3 and 3 XL will stick with a single rear camera rather than opting for a dual-lens snapper.
The pictures appeared on the forum XDA developers.
Woman who lost 9 relatives in duck boat accident shares harrowing story
Coleman says the captain of the boat told passengers, "Don't worry about grabbing the life jackets - you won't need them". Seventeen people died Thursday when one of the boats sank in a storm with 5-foot waves on Table Rock Lake in Branson.
Comcast Abandons Effort to Acquire Twenty-First Century Fox
Comcast's chances of buying Fox got even worse on June 27 when the Department of Justice gave its approval to the Disney/Fox deal. Comcast didn't have further comment beyond the release, but said that it's the high bidder and has posted its offer document.
President Trump Talks Putin, Calls EU Foe in CBS Interview
As he has done before, Trump attacked the investigation led by special counsel Robert Mueller into Russian election interference. Clinton tweeted Sunday night, ahead of the President's first official summit with Putin, taking place in Helsinki , Finland.
The prototype Pixel device shows that it has 4 gigabytes of RAM, as well as 64 gigabytes of storage. The front dual-camera setup sports an 8MP + 8MP 1.4µm sensor with an aperture of f/2.2 will provide a stunning quality of images and videos at a maximum 480fps depending upon the resolution.
At the time, the controversial design received feedback from users who both loved and hated the notch, with some claiming it was an ugly feature that distracted from the phone's edge-to-edge screen. Also, while a notch on the display is not clear on the black variant, the white model has bezels and the notch in black!
But we don't know much about Pixel devices unless Google chooses to disclose the information but then, there are leakers and various other sources from where, specifications, looks, and nearly everything that is related to a soon-to-be-launched device becomes viral on the web.
As the Pixel Stand carries Pixel branding, it's likely that it will launch alongside the Pixel 3 this fall.
Google is supposed to launch the next generation Pixel 3 smartphones in October this year just like it did previously.
It's also believed that Verizon will be the exclusive carrier of the Pixel 3 devices. A Pixel Stand device recently came out in the open, hinting that Google might be working on a wireless charging dock with Google Assistant support. And boy! from the looks of it, a massive flagship battle is just around the corner.


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We expect securities exchange Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. (ICE) to beat expectations when it reports third-quarter results on Nov 1, before the market opens.
It is expected that there will be a decline in incurred loss in the third quarter which will help the bottom line.
We expect property and casualty (P&C) insurer CNA Financial Corporation (CNA) to beat expectations when it reports third-quarter results on Oct 31 before the market opens.
MasterCard Incorporated (MA) is set to report third-quarter 2016 results on Oct 28.
The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (HIG) is scheduled to report third-quarter earnings after the closing bell on Jul 27.
Arthur J Gallagher & Co. (AJG) is set to report third-quarter 2016 results on Oct 27, after the market closes. Let???s see how things are shaping up for this announcement.
The Allstate Corporation (ALL) recently introduced its instant claims pay method, QuickCard Pay.
XL Group Ltd (XL) is set to report third-quarter 2016 results on Oct 26, after the market closes.
Nasdaq, Inc. (NDAQ) is slated to report third-quarter 2016 results on Oct 26, before the market opens.
We expect accident & health insurer Unum Group (UNM) to beat expectations when it reports third-quarter results on Oct 26, after the market closes.
Cincinnati Financial Corp. (CINF) is slated to report third-quarter 2016 results on Oct 25, after the market closes.
We expect property and casualty insurer Chubb Limited (CB) to beat expectations when it reports third-quarter results on Oct 25, after the market closes.
* Allstate Corp - to inspect roof tops and homes damaged by hurricane Matthew using multipile drones to help in the assessment of claims filed Source text for Eikon: Further company coverage:
So you've parked your ride, and suddenly recall that you forgot to disconnect the battery. How often should it get driven to guarantee it will always start?
Jeanie Caggiano, EVP, Executive Creative Director, UnitedHealthcare at Leo Burnett USA Evolve or die. It’s as true in business as it is in biology. Just ask Kodak. Problem is, legacy businesses—let’s say those born before the digital age—can’t always move quickly when something upends their model. Little things slow them down. Like factories, inventory, infrastructure, equipment, processes, franchisees, federal and state regulations, and hundreds of thousands of actual employees. Unlike, say, Uber. With its independent subcontractors who own, operate and maintain its virtual fleet, it can turn on a dime. But most businesses are legacy businesses. And as the Ubers and Googles and Instacarts mature and become more regulated (and themselves work to evolve or die), they too will become legacy businesses. And some yet-undreamt-of new model will arise and scare the pants off them. It will happen: 86% of the companies on the Fortune 500 in 1955 were history by 2015. The good news? There is something a legacy business can turn on a dime: its image. Nearly overnight, I have seen a great idea stop people and change how they feel and think about a brand—even if that brand has been around for more than a century. Creating disruptive ideas happens to be our agency’s “legacy” talent. And has been ever since Leo Burnett opened the place in 1935. “Advertising is the ability to sense, interpret…to put the very heart throbs of a business into type, paper and ink.” – Leo Burnett In today’s world, I’d add “words and pictures, sounds and stories, bits, bytes, context and algorithms.” Legacy agencies, too, have had to evolve or die. But technology hasn’t changed the need to engage people in a great idea. It simply changes how and where we execute it. And dumb or boring creative will be ignored even faster. Here are three ideas, created for three of our legacy clients, that can’t be ignored: The Art Institute of Chicago (founded 1879): “Van Gogh’s Bedroom” “Come look at old paintings on a wall” has been the traditional art museum pitch. But though old, the Art Institute of Chicago is anything but traditional, especially when it comes to the immersive marketing experiences they’ve created with Leo Burnett. For the Van Gogh exhibit, we took one of his famous bedroom paintings and lovingly re-created it as a real bedroom, right down to the brush on his nightstand. But the real genius was letting people stay in the “painting” via AirBnB. “Van Gogh’s Bedroom” sold out immediately, generating massive PR and a 250% increase in online ticket sales—the highest attendance of any exhibit in 15 years. Allstate (founded 1931): “Mayhem Sale” Mayhem was created to disrupt the insurance category. If you bought on price—not realizing you’d also cut your coverage—Mayhem would find you. This led to a unique event where Mayhem showed homeowners how important it is to have the right coverage. We started with an increasingly common behavior—sharing on social media. We added a fact: 70% of burglars use social media to target homes while their owners are away. Then we found an oversharing couple—Matt and Shannon—who’d posted on Facebook that they’d be at the Allstate Sugar Bowl. Mayhem broke into their home (actually, a reproduction meticulously re-created on a Hollywood set) and started selling exact copies of all their personal possessions online, from a cheesy squirrel statue to their new car. Seeing their stuff being sold by Mayhem on the Jumbotron at the game gave Matt and Shannon the shock of their lives. And had the rest of America laughing, logging on and learning about how Allstate home insurance protects you differently. UnitedHealthcare (founded 1977): “Ways In” Campaign Despite the fundamental changes shaking up health care, all health insurance brands looked the same. They featured vignettes of happy people and vague promises of “wellness.” To stand out, UnitedHealthcare decided to do something different: Use humor to help people notice and like their brand. Inspired by the more than 76,000 official medical codes used to track how people get into the health-care system, we told funny back stories. For example, code “Y93.4 Activities Involving Dancing and Other Rhythmic Movements.” That became the story of a middle-aged couple making dinner, getting carried away when “their song” came on the radio, attempting the lift from “Dirty Dancing,” and destroying the dining room table. One tele-doctor visit over a laptop later, courtesy of UnitedHealthcare, they were bruised but unbowed. Our films stopped people, were widely liked and shared, and set UnitedHealthcare apart from the rest. What wasn’t (outwardly) disruptive was our media choice. Yes, we live in an omni-channel world. But our target was so broad (adults 18 to 100+) that micro-targeting wasn’t the answer. TV and online video was. And it worked. With only 25% of category spend, the campaign has driven 97% of category engagement. The moral of this story? Disrupt or be disrupted. A great idea can retool a legacy business faster than it can build a new factory or re-do its website. And that holds true whether your brand is 200 years old or 2 months old. About the Author Jeanie Caggiano is executive vice president, executive creative director and business lead on UnitedHealthcare at Leo Burnett USA. Jeanie’s Advertising Week panel, “From Legacy Business to Disruption Enabler: Meeting the Challenges of the Digital Age,” is on September 29 at 9 a.m. -- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.
Allstate (ALL) is facing headwinds from high catastrophe losses, continued increase in the frequency of auto accidents, and the impact of Brexit on investment markets.
The Allstate Corporation (ALL) expects to incur catastrophe loss of $154 million, pretax ($100 million after tax), for the month of Aug 2016.


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Potandon Produce, Idaho Falls, is introducing its Klondike family with the debut of the first episode of an online story book.
The animated characters feature a family of seven, including Papa Andy, a Klondike Goldust potato; and Mama Rose, a Klondike Rose potato.
The characters are designed to educate younger consumers on different potato varieties and the nutritional value of potatoes, according to a news release.
“The combination of colorful graphics and kid-friendly themes are great tools to get the message about the health benefits of fresh potatoes out to consumers,” Potandon marketing supervisor Barbara Keckler said in the release.
Coloring pages and other resources are also available online.
The characters and stories were developed by Kidzsmart Concepts Inc.


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E-smokes next in line for ban
As electronic cigarettes are embraced by smokers trying to kick the habit or to abide by a ban on smoking in public places, the Health Ministry is reportedly planning to forbid the trade and use of the electrical device, noting that it contains nicotine and remains a health risk.
The ministry?s general secretary, Antonis Dimopoulos, said on Thursday that the e-cigarette continues to be sold in pharmacies even though it lacks the approval of the National Organization for Medicines (EOF).
In the meantime, the Health and Finance ministries have been coming under pressure to increase the price of cigarettes by 20 percent or further hike the tax on tobacco products as a disincentive to smokers but also as a way of boosting much-needed revenue.
According to the president of the National Coordinating Committee against Smoking, Panayiotis Behrakis, increasing the price of tobacco products by 2 euros would bring in an additional 440 million euros in taxes per year and reduce the number of smokers by 460,000.


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Square has updated its Register apps for iOS and Android to support 130 currencies and is in talks to bring its mPOS solution to Europe, TechCrunch reports. “While the Square Register app has now been turned on internationally, the hardware, and payment processing, have yet to arrive,” the report adds.
- Gemalto and BankAxept to simplify mobile payments for Norwegian banks
- Danish shoppers to get BLE mobile payments in 2017
- LG Pay delays launch, cites testing issues
- Square brings contactless reader to Australia
- Study shows growing appetite for mobile payments and biometrics


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Thu Jan 21 GMT - Fri Jan 21 GMT (9 months ago)
In your timezone (EDT): Thu Jan 21 3:00am - Fri Jan 21 12:00pm
Securing online business and the online payments ecosystem has never been more important - so why are standards slipping?
It’s a cliché of our pandemic era that businesses must digitalise or die. It’s less often explained what this means in practice. But attacks like Garmin, the recent hack of Germany's state-owned vehicle fleet, which provides chauffeurs for parliamentarians and is run by the Bundeswehr military, and February’s DDoS attack (the largest in history) on AWS, illustrate that ‘going digital’ is seriously concrete.
It’s taking orders or bookings for your product or service online or via mobile; it’s accepting payments and providing refunds over the same channels; it’s collecting data that sits in digital shops; it’s developing digital services around even physical products and charging for them online via recurring subscriptions. Even the humble pizza merchant now takes all their orders via app, so a DDoS attack shuts down a physical food company and a breach of payment data pushes customers made disloyal by hunger to more reliable offerings.
All the while, the Magecart group is coming up with new skimming techniques to steal payment card data from the e-commerce sites of small and midsized businesses; other fraudsters have figured out how to use the Telegram app as a fast and easy way to steal payment card data from ecommerce sites; and larger companies are putting data at risk with flawed public Cloud migrations, as demonstrated by the $80 million fine recently imposed on Capital One by the US OCC for last year’s card data breach.
Into this melée comes PCI DSS 4.0 at some point in 2021. What exactly will it look like? Are people waiting for what they hope will be a major revamp that takes the practical realities of the digital revolution into account? Is that why compliance with the current standard is dropping so fast? Or has the need to digitalise created a mass of new firms who should be compliant but who have just not had time yet? Survive first, comply later?
In this new environment, cybersecurity and compliance professionals are facing a host of new threats - both external, from threat actors looking to capitalise on the chaos, and internal, as fast-paced business change and distracted professionals put security and compliance at risk of being overlooked.
With COVID-19 having necessitated a shift to digital business channels, payment security and risk are more critical than ever. Discussing the challenges with your peers in a confidential environment, and hearing about how they're handling the situation, is a great way to gather insights and inspiration for keeping your organisation and its clients secure.
AKJ Associates has 20 years’ experience in delivering the best in cybersecurity content to the most discerning professionals, and we have received excellent feedback on our virtual events, which have maintained our high standard of content and networking.
International Director - Europe, PCI Security Standards Council
Director, Industry Standards, Mastercard
CISO, PCI Pal
Information Security, Risk & Compliance Manager, Dr. Martens
Senior Sales Engineer, Tripwire
Information Security Lead, Skyscanner
Chief Revenue Officer, Semafone
PCI DSS Advisory for Cloud Services and Contact Centres (QSA), BT
VP Sales & Marketing, DataDivider Inc
Card Payments and PCI DSS Subject Matter Expert, Kilrush Consultancy Ltd
GRC Consulting Director, OneTrust
Information Security Transformation Strategist
Chief Technical Evangelist, Onapsis Inc
Risk Advisory Practice Director, SureCloud
Director - Information Security, ATCORE Technology Ltd
Head of Product, Eckoh
PCI Compliance Manager, Retail Organisations
Managing Editor, AKJ Associates Ltd
GCRS Director, SecureTrust
• OneTrust GRC
• PCI Pal
• Silver Lining


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The benefits of getting vaccinated against Covid-19 — namely, protection against a dangerous virus — should be obvious by this stage in the pandemic.
If that isn’t sufficient motivation, consider the swag.
Businesses across the United States and beyond are offering free merchandise and other stuff to people who receive Covid shots. The perks include free rides, doughnuts, money, arcade tokens and even marijuana.
Experts in behavioral motivation say that offering incentives is not necessarily the most effective or cost-efficient way to increase vaccine uptake. But that hasn’t stopped the freebies from piling up.
In Cleveland, the Market Garden Brewery is offering 10-cent beers to the first 2021 people who show a Covid-19 vaccine certificate. “Yes, you read that right,” the brewery says on its website. “Ten Cents.”
prerolled joint until the end of the month.
Chobani provides free yogurt at some vaccination sites. And Krispy Kreme said on Monday that for the rest of the year, it would give one glazed doughnut per day to anyone who provides proof of a Covid-19 vaccination.
As vaccinations accelerated across the United States, “We made the decision that said, ‘Hey, we can support the next act of joy,’ which is, if you come by, show us a vaccine card, get a doughnut any time, any day, every day if you choose to,” the company’s chief executive, Michael Tattersfield, told Fox News.
The Krispy Kreme initiative is no relation to the “vaccinated doughnuts” that were sold last month by a bakery in Germany, garnished with plastic syringes that dispense a sweet, lemony-ginger amuse-bouche. It also does not entitle vaccinated Americans to endless doughnuts, as Mr. Tattersfield seemed to imply in his Fox News interview — just one per day, as the company notes on its website.
In a promotion it is calling “Tokens for Poke’ns,” Up-Down, a chain of bars featuring vintage arcade games, is offering $5 in free tokens to guests who present a completed vaccination card. Up-Down, which has six locations in five Midwestern states, is extending the offer to guests who visit within three weeks of their final dose.
Cleveland Cinemas, a movie-theater chain in Ohio, is offering a free 44-ounce popcorn at two of its locations to anyone who presents a vaccination card through April 30.
The Times of Israel reported.
Presenting cards for so many promotions might cause some wear and tear. To protect the cards from damage, Staples is offering to laminate them at no charge after customers have received their final dose. The promotion runs through May 1.
Some vaccine perks flow from corporations to their employees. Tyson Foods, Trader Joe’s and others pay for the time it takes them to get vaccinated, while Kroger pays them a $100 bonus.
study, Ms. Dai and her colleagues found that text messages could boost uptake of influenza vaccinations. The most effective texts were framed as reminders to get shots that were already reserved for the patient. They also resembled the kind of communication that patients expect to receive from health care providers.
Jon Bogard, a graduate student at U.C.L.A. who contributed to the study, said that policymakers should proceed with caution on incentives because they can sometimes backfire. One problem is that the campaigns are expensive, he said. Another is that people receiving shots could see a large incentive as a sign that “vaccines are riskier than they in fact are.”
A better alternative, Mr. Bogard said, could be handing out “low-personal-value, high-social-value” objects — like stickers and badges — that tap into a larger sense of “social motivation and accountability.”
There appears to be no shortage of such swag swirling around the world’s hospitals and vaccination clinics.
Hartford, Conn., people receiving shots can pick up an “I got my Covid-19 vaccination” sticker bearing the home team’s mascot, a goat.
If you aren’t satisfied with the vaccine-related style accouterment at your local clinic, there are plenty of options available for purchase online.
One badge — “I got my Fauci ouchi” — pays homage to America’s best-known doctor, Dr. Anthony S. Fauci.
“Thanks, science,” says another.
MEXICO CITY — Mexico, a country carved up by cartels for decades, is poised to take a major step in drug policy. This week, the lower house of Congress approved a landmark bill to legalize recreational marijuana, which would make it the world’s largest legal market for the drug.
With legalization considered all but certain to win Senate and presidential approval, many in the business world are predicting a Mexican green boom: a newly legal industry providing tens of thousands of jobs, millions of dollars in profit for savvy entrepreneurs and welcome tax revenue for the government.
But many business analysts and economists are wary, and caution that the cannabis industry here is more likely to be a green blip than a boom. Opening a licit market would matter more legally and symbolically than economically, they argue, citing relatively low domestic demand and little chance of exporting the product, as well as seemingly restrictive regulatory measures.
“It’s hard to see any obvious broad effects” on the Mexican economy, said Jeffrey Miron, an economist at Harvard University. “You will see a little bit of a bump in measured G.D.P.,” he added, but “people claiming that it will be a big boost to the economy through legalization, I don’t think that makes sense at all.”
Erick Ponce, a Mexican entrepreneur and president of the Cannabis Industry Promotion Group, a local research and advocacy group.
“We definitely see it as an important economic boost for the country especially in the middle of a pandemic,” Mr. Ponce added.
According to a January report from a cannabis data analysis company, New Frontier Data, the Mexican marijuana industry could be worth as much as $3.2 billion dollars annually, and major cannabis companies like Canada’s Canopy Growth are already eyeing the market.
its own legalization in 2018, investors and analysts predicted a surge in cannabis cash, but the business has not been a rousing success.
national statistics agency estimated that consumers spent $918 million Canadian dollars (about $736 million U.S. dollars) on legal weed products, considerably less than was predicted before legalization. Earnings have been sluggish and most producers are still reporting losses worth millions. In December, Canopy Growth announced it was closing five facilities and laying off more than 200 employees in a bid to speed up profitability.
“The green rush part hasn’t materialized,” said Michael Armstrong, an associate professor at the Goodman School of Business at Ontario’s Brock University. “It’s been a positive boost for Canada, but not a dramatic one by any means.”
Official figures indicate that Canada, with a much smaller population, has many more regular users than Mexico: Prior to legalization, around 15 percent of Canadians said they had smoked marijuana in the past three months, according to the national statistics agency, a consumer base of more than 5 million potential users.
By contrast, a 2016 Mexican government study found that only about 1.2 percent of the population aged 12 to 65 said they had smoked pot in the previous month, and 2.1 percent, about 1.8 million, in the previous year.
Jorge Javier Romero Vadillo, a political scientist at Mexico’s Autonomous Metropolitan University. And “I don’t think this regulation process is going to substantially increase demand.”
The new law’s strict licensing requirements for cultivating, packaging and selling marijuana could keep small farmers and vendors out of the licit market, according to Mr. Romero.
“With the rules they want to apply, which are super restrictive, they’re going to open up a tiny market,” he said. “They’re rules that are so strict, with a barrier for entry that’s so high, that few are going to opt for entering the legal market.”
California, which legalized recreational marijuana in 2018, has had similar teething troubles: In the first year of legalization, legal vendors in the state sold $500 million dollars less worth of marijuana than in the year prior, when it was only permitted for medical use.
Strict regulation and high taxes kept the majority of California’s producers and vendors in the gray or black market, according to Daniel Sumner, director of the agricultural issues center at the University of California, Davis. In many communities, marijuana-related businesses faced fierce local opposition.
may be in medicinal cannabis, which has been legal in Mexico since 2017, as well as industrial hemp, which the new bill also regulates and could be used to produce everything from plastics to paper.
“The market for marijuana is a very small market,” said Guillermo Nieto, president of the National Association for the Cannabis Industry, a Mexico City-based trade group. “Agriculturally, it’s not going to help us like the legalization of industrial hemp.”
In the short-term, some businessmen say, Mexico’s biggest gains may be doing what Mexico already does best: manufacturing — in this case, potentially producing cannabis products like nutritional supplements and cosmetics.
Still, the greatest impact may be more symbolic than monetary: As the largest economy to legalize the drug to date, Mexico, with about 128 million people, could encourage other countries, including its northern neighbor, to follow suit.
“Sometimes it’s nerve-racking to be the first person to take a step into a pond that might be infested with sharks,” said Mr. Miron, the Harvard professor. “But if four or five other people have done it and it’s OK, then more people are going to give it a try.”
MEXICO CITY — Lawmakers in Mexico approved a bill Wednesday night to legalize recreational marijuana, a milestone for the country, which is in the throes of a drug war and could become the world’s largest cannabis market, leaving the United States between two pot-selling neighbors.
The 316-to-129 vote in Mexico’s lower house, the Chamber of Deputies, came more than two years after the Mexican Supreme Court ruled that the country’s ban on recreational marijuana was unconstitutional and more than three years after the country legalized medicinal cannabis.
The chamber approved the bill in general terms Wednesday evening before moving on to a lengthy discussion of possible revisions introduced by individual lawmakers. In its final form, though, the measure is widely expected to sail through the Senate before being sent to President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who has signaled support for legalization.
The measure, as of Wednesday night, would allow adults to smoke marijuana and, with a permit, grow a small number of cannabis plants at home. It would also grant licenses for producers — from small farmers to commercial growers — to cultivate and sell the crop.
promised to scrap federal prohibition of the drug this year.
For “Mexico, given its size and its worldwide reputation for being damaged by the drug war, to take this step is enormously significant,” said John Walsh, director of drug policy for the Washington Office on Latin America, a U.S. advocacy group. “North America is heading toward legalization.”
according to recent polling.
the Council on Foreign Relations.
Legalization “is an important step toward building peace in a country like ours, where for at least a decade or more, we’ve been immersed in an absurd war,” said Lucía Riojas Martínez, a Mexican congresswoman who made headlines in 2019 when she gave a rolled joint to the country’s interior minister, Olga Sánchez Cordero, after delivering a speech in Congress.
“But this bill falls short of achieving that,” she added.
published rules in January covering the growing and research of medicinal cannabis.
Local advocates say the restrictions on possession will limit the bill’s impact, particularly for low-income consumers, who may fall prey to extortion from the police, a regular occurrence in Mexico.
“We live in a country where corruption and extortion is the norm,” said Zara Snapp, co-founder of the RIA Institute, a Mexico-city based drug policy research and advocacy group.
Still, for many proponents in Mexico, approving the bill is a notable step in the long journey toward full legalization.
“It’s like when you’re running a marathon and you haven’t started — running the first meter helps to start the discussion,” said Mr. Sánchez, the marijuana businessman. “It means firing the starting gun, even if we still have 42 kilometers left to go.”


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We highlight new products that Scottish c-store retailers might want to stock
1. Blu Bar Tropical Mix, Apple Ice & Mint
Imperial Brands has added three new variants to its Blu Bar disposable vapes range.
Including Apple Ice, Mint and Tropical Mix variants, the new additions brings the total range to 13 vapes now with the new variants sticking to the line’s RRP of £5.99 per vape.
2. Haribo Awesome Axolotls
Haribo has taken its inspiration from marine life with its new Awesome Axolotls launch.
The new special edition sweets comes in a 160g hanging bag of gummy Axolotl faces which have a variety of colours. All of the gummies also have a foam coating on the back.
Available from £1.25 per pack, the new launch can be found nationwide with stockists including Poundland, B&M and Iceland.
3. Buzzballs Pornstar Martini
American RTD brand Buzzballz Cocktails has added a new Pornstar Martini variant to its range of drinks.
The new special edition drink aims to capture the popularity of the serve from the on-trade, coming in at 13.5% ABV and an RRP of £3.99 per 200ml ball container.
This latest launch brings the Buzzballz range up to a total of seven drinks including Choc Tease, Tequila Rita, Strawberry Rita, Lotta Colada, Chilli Mango and Espresso Martini.
4. Bloo Spa Moments
The new Spa Moments range includes the Harmony and Vitality variants as Henkel said it aims to provide a more relaxing scent for the bathroom while also helping to clean the toilet.


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Petrohawk to Sell Permian Basin Properties for $376MM
Petrohawk has entered into a definitive agreement to sell its Permian Basin properties to a privately-owned company for total consideration of $376 million in cash. The sale is expected to close by October 30, 2009 and is subject to customary closing conditions and adjustments. The effective date of the sale is July 1, 2009.
"Proceeds from this sale will add to our already-strong liquidity position, as we continue to focus our attention on our rapidly growing shale assets, particularly high-return, high-margin development in the Haynesville and Eagle Ford Shales," said Floyd C. Wilson, Chairman and CEO.
As of December 31, 2008, Petrohawk reported estimated proved reserves of 177 Bcfe for these assets. The properties are currently producing approximately 30 Mmcfe/d.
- Ex-Petrohawk CEO to Head $550M Re-Capitalized Ram Energy (Dec 22)
- BHP Billiton Completes Petrohawk Acquisition (Aug 26)
- BHP Billiton-Petrohawk Deal Gets Final Nod (Aug 18)


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Consolidated net revenue totaled R$8.3 billion ($1.6 billion), a decline of 12.7% year over year, due to the appreciation of the Brazilian Real, and down 4.6% in constant currency. The quarter was impacted by rising inflation affecting discretionary spend on key markets, cost pressures in the supply chain and the first effects of the war in Ukraine.
“Natura &Co continued to face a challenging environment in Q1-22, on top of a very tough comp and unfavorable currency movements. Our performance reflects intentional ongoing changes at the Avon business, such as portfolio simplification and the new commercial model implementation, as well as the impacts of the war in Ukraine, which added to inflationary pressures and affected consumer demand, besides some lingering effects of the Covid -19 pandemic,” said Roberto Marques, group CEO and executive chairman of Natura &Co.
Natura &Co Latam net revenue was down 1.9% in Q1 2022 in BRL and up a solid 5.3% at constant currency, reflecting the appreciation of the BRL versus Hispanic market currencies.
Avon International Q1 net revenue was down 22.1% in BRL (-10.1% at CC), mainly impacted by the war in Ukraine, lower disposable income in Europe from rising inflation and fewer representatives, reflecting a higher comparable base last year when the channel benefited from lockdowns, as well as intentional optimization linked to the implementation of the new commercial model.
The Body Shop Q1 net revenue declined 22.9% in BRL (-16.0% at CC), mainly impacted by expected channel rebalancing, with retail recovery not enough to offset the declines in TBS At Home, e-commerce and head franchisees, as well as lower disposable income in Europe.
Aesop Q1 net revenue increased 9.6% in BRL (+21.3% at CC, accelerating compared to Q4-21). All markets delivered double digit growth, led by North America and APAC. Aesop consistently posted superior sales growth relative to global luxury brands.
“We expect the environment to remain challenging in Q2 and will continue to take measures including further cost containment and strict financial discipline on investments in order to protect our profitability and cash generation,” commented Marques. “We also expect to see further gains from Avon’s transformation in the second half of 2022, with continued improvement in its fundamentals and leading indicators, which are already heading in the right direction, in addition to a more favorable comparable base for the group.”