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18th December 2023, New Delhi: IOSPL (Infinite Online Shopping Private Limited), the leading omnichannel partner for global brands in India, has introduced three of its subsidiary brands in the beauty and personal care segment, Naturtint, Boldify, and Estate, in India for the first time and will be their exclusive partner in India. The launch of the three brands in India, which will be taking place at Cosmoprof Mumbai, signifies a major milestone for the platform as well as the brands. Here is a brief about the three newcomers to the vast Indian beauty and personal care market.
Naturtint: Healthy, youthful, shiny tresses are something we all want and what if you could get just that without putting your health and the environment at risk? Naturtint, a trailblazer in the hair colour segment, enables you to achieve this with its products that are ammonia, resorcinol, parabens, cocamide DEA, silicones, paraffins, mineral oils, SLS and artificial fragrances free. The brand stands out with its pioneering commitment to excellence, becoming the first USDA-certified Bio-based hair colour line in 2021. The highest rated coloration by American consumers in 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020 on Amazon, Naturtint sells in more than 30 countries worldwide. Symbolising a legacy of 30+ years, Naturtint reflects quality and scientific innovation. Find out more at the brand website.
Bolidfy: Thick, luscious hair is always envied and longed for, right? Offering hair care that is rooted in celebrating you just as you are, Boldify caters to individuals looking for hassle-free, safe solutions to thinning hair. Prioritising superior quality, Boldify uses plant-based fibres in its products to give users a seamless, real-hair-like finish. Its Hairline Powder and Hair Thickening Fibres boast a unique blend of ingredients that create a water-resistant, conditioning formula that is mess-free and effective. Find out more at the brand’s website.
Estate Cosmetics: A Canadian sensation redefining ethical beauty, Estate Cosmetics offers an array of high-quality, pigmented, budget-friendly, vegan, and cruelty-free cosmetics. With an unwavering commitment to building a kinder, cleaner world, Estate Cosmetics crafts luxurious products sans the premium price tag, making beauty affordable and accessible to everyone, reflecting its motto – beauty without boundaries. The brand’s products are formulated with a unique blend of ethically sourced botanicals with an emphasis on Indie ingredients, bringing a harmonious fusion of tradition and modern trends. To know more about the brand and its range of products visit its website.
Commenting on the launch of the brands in India, Mr. Bimal Thakkar, Founder, IOSPL said, “As IOSPL expands its footprint in the ever-evolving Indian beauty and personal care market, we are thrilled to introduce Naturtint, Boldify, and Estate Cosmetics to discerning consumers seeking sustainable, cruelty-free options. Our commitment to offering innovative, eco-conscious brands aligns with evolving consumer preferences for ethical and safe beauty solutions. We look forward to leveraging the opportunities these brands bring, empowering individuals to embrace beauty with responsibility and without compromise.”
“We, at Naturtint, are excited to bring our pioneering, ammonia-free permanent hair colour formulations to the discerning consumers of India. Our commitment to crafting sustainable, cruelty-free solutions resonates with those seeking vibrant, healthy hair without compromising on quality or the environment. As we step into the Indian market, we’re dedicated to offering a spectrum of shades that embody both innovation and nature’s beauty, empowering individuals to express themselves authentically and responsibly,” added The Spokesperson of Naturtint,” added Karishma Jeswani, Global Marketing Head, Naturtint.
Further, Sonali Gaikwad, Business Head – Beauty and Wellness, IOSPL added, As the Business Head of Beauty & Wellness at IOSPL, I am thrilled to introduce three remarkable brands, marking our inaugural foray into the Indian market. We recognize the discerning nature of Indian consumers who prioritize clean, natural, and organic products in their pursuit of beauty and wellness. These newly launched brands embody our commitment to offering meticulously curated, all-natural formulations that cater to the growing demand for purity and efficacy. At IOSPL, we passionately embrace this ethos, ensuring our consumers experience the finest in clean beauty and wellness. This milestone launch represents not just a product introduction, but a testament to our dedication in meeting the evolving needs of conscious consumers seeking authenticity and natural goodness.”
We are thrilled to embark on this incredible journey as Estate Cosmetics makes its debut in India, marking a significant milestone for our brand. Partnering with IOSPL for our launch at Cosmoprof, Mumbai, signifies a meaningful collaboration that aligns with our ethos of redefining ethical beauty. At Estate Cosmetics, our mission extends far beyond makeup; it’s about advocating for positive change and embracing diversity. We take immense pride in offering high-quality, pigmented products that celebrate individuality while remaining cruelty-free and vegan. As we make our mark in India, we are excited to witness the collective impact we can make together, said Gurmeet Tagore, President Estate Cosmetics.
Infinite Online have been into e-commerce selling across multiple categories from Beauty and cosmetics, Health and Nutrition and many other categories from the United States since 2008 on Marketplaces of 18 countries and have shipped our products to over 100 countries and have developed our own order management systems and warehousing systems using analytics to quickly scale the business. With a strong and experienced team in E-commerce and offline distribution it’s going to be a quick plug in the amazon brands and their products into our strong system and quickly grow the brands in the Indian Market


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Sabotaging Richard Branson’s new Virgin Media launch, Sky declared its plans to launch a subscription television service on digital terrestrial television (DTT) this summer, challenging Freeview.
Launching this summer, customers will pay a monthly subscription for some of Sky’s most popular progammes, including movies and sports through a traditional rooftop aerial and set-top box. Expect to get more details closer to the launch date. This new service means that Freeview customers can say bye-bye to Sky Three, Sky News and Sky Sports News.
More details at Pocket Lint.
By Eric Raby

domain: news


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Non-Western approaches to wellness have become increasing popular, from massage and meditation to acupuncture and aromatherapy. The interest in nutrition for both preventative and therapeutic purposes has also soared, including the awareness of eating practices from healthy populations around the globe. One in particular that’s been bubbling up is the Ayurvedic diet. ...
If you've ever been on the keto diet, you might have noticed your breath smelling pretty nasty for the first couple of weeks. Don't worry, you're not the only one. "Keto breath" is a super common side effect of eating high-fat, low-carb meals. And while it might be very unpleasant, it's actually a sign that your body is in ketosis, the...
I have written before about the health of coffee, as well as the potential perks of coffee naps, and why enjoying a cup before a workout may lead to better fitness results. Now, coffee has become the central component of a weight loss plan some refer to as "the coffee diet." ...
You’ve heard the phrase "gut instinct." In fact, you've probably experienced it yourself. It’s true that there's a direct link between the gut and brain, in ways that researchers are only beginning to understand. ...
Time to scratch another excuse off the list of reasons you can't lose weight: According to a new study, improving diet and getting more exercise helps people lose weight—regardless of their genetic makeup. ...
Just a few months ago, Jameela Jamil made headlines by shaming detox teas and the celebs who promote them (a.k.a. Khloé Kardashian). Now The Good Place actress is at it again, but this time she's after a weight-related quote Kardashian posted on her Instagram story. ...
(ISTOCKPHOTO) By Heather MayerWEDNESDAY, July 29, 2009 (Health.com) —...
Sadly, body shamers are everywhere. In the last few weeks alone, trolls called in a swimsuit "ugly" and "gross," Amy Schumer's social feeds were filled with hateful comments after she was cast in an upcoming Barbie movie, and Lena Dunham her un-Photoshopped Glamour cover. ...
47.1 ° F


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Gay Consumers & Shopping
Read our new underwear reviews for Ginch Gonch and Aussie Bum
Top 6 Gay Shopping Websites:
With July 4th, Back to School, and Christmas
Shopping coming up now is the time to start ordering your
gay friends and family gifts from online. We selected our
favorite online stores for you to shop and save for gifts,
personal, or find a great deal!
link goes to the "most popular" items that buy.com
offers! NO SALES TAX with BUY's website. They are normally
MUCH MUCH CHEAPER than Best Buy or Walmart on tons of electronics.
An Example is the Linksys router in which I saved $80.
Some of the top Gay Movie Purchases on DVD
- A great place to shop for unique gay clothing and a website
aimed at the gay niche. They offer Queer as Folk on DVD
- that makes a great gift!
Deals of the Week - Sony Style USA online provides a
mecca of electronics that are top of the line!
- for those boys that have to have all the latest innovative
Credit Personal Loans featuring Lenders who are gay friendly.
Gay Christmas Shopping Ideas
Gay Shopping News:
Gay Consumers Are Among the Earliest Technology Adopters
Gay men and women are usually among the first
to adopt new devices and online tools, making them an important
demographic for online marketers. For the first time, Forrester
Research asked respondents to its annual Consumer Technographics
Benchmark Study to indicate their sexual orientation; the
results are clear.
"Gay men and women are tech-savvy consumers
who use the Internet and tech devices at significantly higher
rates than their heterosexual counterparts for shopping,
banking, entertainment, and community building," said
Jed Kolko, principal analyst at Forrester. "Marketers
need to take a close look at the consumer behavior of gay
men and women to determine a strategy in targeting a group
of consumers who have been consistently overlooked."
In addition to being wealthier and better
educated, gay men and women also are avid Internet users.
Eight in 10 (80 percent) of gay men and 76 percent of lesbians
are online, compared with 70 percent of straight men and
69 percent of straight women. Gays also are one-third more
likely to have broadband connections and have been online
longer than heterosexuals. Twenty-nine percent of gay men
and women have been online for more than seven years, compared
with 18 percent of heterosexuals.
Although any group of higher-income, more
highly educated consumers will be earlier adopters of technology,
significant differences in gays' technology behavior emerged
after adjusting statistically for online tenure and demographic
differences. Gay men, for example, are more likely to own
players and browser-enabled phones, and they are more
than two times likelier to won a personal video recorder
(PVR) such as TiVo.
Gay men and women also turn to the Internet in higher numbers
for entertainment and community-building activities. The
Internet makes it easier for gays to meet online without
the pressures of losing one's anonymity and provides a link
to the gay community through tools like text chat, instant
messaging, and personal Web pages.
In an effort to reach gay consumers, Forrester
recommends that marketers target gay audiences directly
by advertising in gay publications and at gay events. Additionally,
because gay men and women differ from heterosexuals in many
of the same ways when it comes to consumer behavior, marketers
can treat the gay market as a single audience. It may be
best, however, to avoid asking consumers about their sexual
orientation for direct-marketing purposes. Twenty percent
of respondents did not answer Forrester's sexual-orientation
question -- for the time being, inquiring about consumers'
sexuality may not be worth the effort and potential of alienating


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We drink 500 billion cups of it every year. Its farming represents the economic livelihood of over 25 million people, the majority of which live in developing countries. Its export industry could fund the provision of safe, clean water to the entire globe, and still have $10 billion to spare. Originally discovered by overly curious Ethiopian goats, it has now become the most widely consumed beverage and second most traded commodity on earth.
Coffee, it turns out, has quite a latte going for it.
Brazil, Vietnam, Colombia, Indonesia, Ethiopia, India, Mexico, Guatemala, Peru, Honduras, Uganda… an overwhelming majority of the world’s largest coffee producing countries are developing ones. Their economies heavily rely upon the international coffee market as a source of national income and export earnings. In Ethiopia, for instance, the bitter-tasting beans generate a staggering 26% of all export revenue. As a result of its high market returns to struggling nations, coffee has become an exceptionally important actor in the global achievement of social and economic development goals.
This role has been further enabled by the booming Fair Trade movement. The rise of public activism promoting ethical sourcing and sustainability has permanently altered consumer values. Individuals increasingly reach for the more expensive Fair Trade products on shop shelves, regardless of external financial pressures. This profound change in consumer mentality even drove a number of coffee producers, including US chain giant Starbucks, into launching multi-million dollar campaigns advertising their “ethical” policies.
Unfortunately, this flourishing, development-friendly coffee industry is today battling a completely unanticipated villain: climate change. Coffee beans are actually taken from coffee berries, a temperamental fruit with specific preferences in terms of climate range, stability and overall altitude. These requirements demarcate coffee production to what is commonly referred to as the “Bean Belt” — an area roughly comprised between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn.
As a result of global warming, the Bean Belt has recently witnessed a steady rise in temperatures and mild to severe changes in rainfall patterns. Coffee cherries have started ripening too fast, deteriorating the bean’s quality. In Vietnam, an unexpected dry spell and severe cold have caused coffee production to drop by 8%. In Brazil, the worst drought in decades incurred a 65% increase in this year’s crop prices.
In an effort to combat this phenomenon, some farmers have tried moving plantations to higher altitudes previously considered unsuitable. However, not only are these high altitude lands fewer in number, but their lower oxygen levels slow the ripening process more so than necessary, yielding crops less frequently and therefore less profitably than before.
The gradual increase in temperatures and humidity has also permitted the spread of the infamous coffee rust disease, commonly known as “La roya”. This parasitic fungus infects the leaves of the coffee plant, its trail of yellow spots rapidly progressing to the orange “dust” that gave the disease its name. As the leaves fall off the plant, the foliage area available for energy accumulation and nutrient storage decreases, slowly killing the plant.
At these rates, coffee experts expect a 70% drop in the global production of coffee by 2080. Today’s market-prevalent Arabica coffee bean, being acutely climate sensitive and pest-susceptible, could be extinct as early as 2020.
In the past year, a record amount of crops have been wiped out by the dreaded disease. The social and economic repercussions have made news headlines across the world. In Guatemala, a national emergency was declared as 70% of crops were found infected. Similar contamination levels were then expected in Mexico, where the authorities launched a $2 million crisis assessment campaign. In El Salvador, 74% of plantations succumbed, costing the country over 13,000 jobs. Costa Rica lost 64% of its crops; Nicaragua, 37%; Honduras, a lucky 25%.
Other Asian and African countries weren’t spared either. The combination of droughts and coffee rust lowered Kenya’s output by 23%. A study lead by the UK-based Royal Botanic Gardens observed similarly negative outcomes in parts of Ethiopia and South Sudan. As for Indonesia and India, both are constantly researching preventive measures in order to minimise an imminent catastrophe. At these rates, coffee experts expect a 70% drop in the global production of coffee by 2080. Today’s market-prevalent Arabica coffee bean, being acutely climate sensitive and pest-susceptible, could be extinct as early as 2020.
For now, the Fair Trade movement has well fulfilled its role as a safety net for farmers. Both its minimum price and premium agreements have provided isolation amidst growing market instability. However, the resulting hike in bean prices has lead firms such as the aforementioned Starbucks to ratchet back their purchases. Should the market crisis not soon resolve itself, one could imagine the Fair Trade movement forced to regress under the repeated attacks of powerful multi-national companies. Alternatively, these companies could displace the price burden onto consumers’ wallets.
Obviously, the most ideal solution would have been to wake up and address climate change right from the start — which we didn’t do. Even with a delayed start, actively enabling green technology, improving energy efficiency and penalising poor resource management takes time. The traditional, band-aid use of fungicides has proven pointless. The only solution left, despite its inherent controversy, is genetic modification. The industry is working hard to identify and breed resistant plant varieties, but poor funding might draw out the process to an unaffordable 25 or 30 years.
This is where many believe developed nations should step in. As the biggest consumers of caffeinated drinks, we have an interest in both advertising and investing in research towards the quicker creation of a pest-resistant coffee plant. As reluctant as some maybe to dabble in the ever-lasting debate of GMOs, we have, at this point, truly backed ourselves into a corner. Should we refuse to contribute to the human acceleration of an otherwise completely natural process, we’ll find ourselves paying a much heavier price before you can say “Triple-Venti-Half-Sweet-Non-Fat-Caramel-Macchiato”.


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Chinese clothing e-tailer Vancl is reportedly cutting as much as 25 percent of its workforce ahead of an anticipated US IPO in the first or second quarter of 2013. Vancl, which manufactures its own brand of GAP-style clothes, has acknowledged the job cuts, but denies that the losses are as savage as a quarter of its personnel. It’s thought to be done in readiness for a Vancl IPO in the States as soon as market conditions are favorable, which could be as soon as next year.
Vancl CEO Chen Nian recently explained that his decision – with crucial insight from no less than George Soros – to delay the lined-up IPO plans in 2011 were absolutely right, as a late-2011 listing would have coincided with a disastrous plunge in the capital markets.
Earlier this month, Mr. Chen said:
If the capital markets are good we’ll list, and if not, we can live well on our own.
2013 would appear to be a good time. It seems that markets are once again warming to Chinese tech stocks – and Chinese firms in general – after a year-long thaw caused by a combination of the Longtop fraud scandal, suspect financial practices in general, and gloomy economic prospects around the world. Gaming community YY (NASDAQ:YY) had a successful listing last week; digital publisher Shanda Cloudary is looking to IPO in the States next year; and browser maker UCWeb is shooting for the same thing in 2013.
Vancl’s CEO has also said that it’s more important for the company to be healthy rather than to list. But there surely must come a time when the B2C e-commerce site can be declared pretty healthy – with reduced costs, and being close to turning a profit – so that it can then go out and raise funds.


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The DMCC in Dubai has jumped on the NFT and Blockchain bandwagon by launching a specialist Crypto Centre.
The DMCC is the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre and its new space is dedicated solely to online business. Including cryptocurrencies, blockchain technology, and NFTs, nonfungible tokens which effectively let you purchase something online.
In other words: it’s an entire division dedicated to the future!
The centre will deal with all manner of crypto businesses. From blockchain platforms to those that offer, issue, list, and trade crypto assets.
Dubai is betting big on blockchain technology, essentially a more secure and open way of doing business online. Blockchain is also the technology that powers digital currencies including Bitcoin.
Dubai aims to have half of all ‘government transactions on a blockchain platform’ in the near future to ‘cement the UAE’s status as one of the world’s most advanced economies.’
And the Crypto Centre is a great start.
“The DMCC Crypto Centre will be a home to a comprehensive system designed for innovators, entrepreneurs and pioneers in the fields of crypto and blockchain technology … it will support all types of crypto businesses,” said Thani Al Zeyoudi, Minister of State for Foreign Trade.
“Blockchain technology can help transform and optimise business processes … [add] greater transparency, enhanced security, increased efficiency, and speed and reduce costs in business transactions,” he said.


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Curious which colors will rule for interior design in 2023? Here's a look at the 7 color palettes released by Pantone for the coming year.
An Earthy Green is the First Color of the Year for 2022
It's time to celebrate the first Color of the Year for 2022 - a vibrant, encouraging green from PPG called Olive Sprig (PPG1125-4).
2022 COLOR + DESIGN TRENDS
Dunn-Edwards Paints has announced its 2022 Color + Design Trends, a collection of five distinct color palettes that celebrate simple pleasures, new possibilities, and optimism for the future.
Pantone Reveals 2021’s Color of the Year
As 2020 draws to a close, the powers to be at the Pantone Color Institute have released their annual color of the year. According to the color experts, 2021's vibe is to be expressed in not one, but two separate hues.


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Friday 24th March 2017
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The government is earmarking $35.3 million of new funding over the next four years to help primary sector exporters trade in overseas markets.
The plan was announced as part of the launch of the government's Trade Agenda 2030 today, and will be made available to the Ministry of Primary Industries as part of Budget 2017, according to a statement from Trade Minister Todd McClay and Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy.
The new funding will be used to increase MPI's presence in Europe and South East Asia, establish an export regulatory advice service to help exporters navigate complex regulatory environments, accelerate work on priority non-tariff barriers, expand MPI's Economic Intelligence Unit to provide market insights and economic information to support exporters and government agencies, helping identify market opportunities and develop export strategies, and support work on market access, systems audit and assurance monitoring.
“The primary sector is vitally important to the New Zealand economy, earning around $36 billion a year, supporting thousands of jobs and exporting to around 130 countries," Guy said. "It’s important the government continues to support the sector through creating new and improved trade links.
“Barriers to trade cost our exporters billions, and entering new markets can be complex so Trade Agenda 2030 brings a renewed focus on helping our exporters address these issues and making them more competitive. This funding will help them overcome such barriers, navigate international regulatory requirements and further resource efforts to improve trade access issues.”
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NEW DELHI: Despite so much noise around the "Digital India" initiative, the urban-rural divide is actually more acute than it appears when it comes to Internet penetration across the country, a new report said on Tuesday.
While Internet penetration in urban India was at 64.84 per cent in December 2017 compared to 60.6 per cent in December 2016, the rural Internet penetration has grown only a little -- from 18 per cent in 2016 to 20.26 per cent in December 2017.
"Even through the growth rate in rural India may seem higher, it is mainly due to low-base effect, given total Internet users in rural India are still critically low," said the report titled "Internet in India 2017" released by the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) and market research firm IMRB Kantar.
An estimated 182.9 million urban users access Internet daily as compared to 98 million users in rural India.
Almost double the proportion of rural users access Internet less than a month in rural India as compared to urban India.
"The number of Internet users are growing in rural areas, yet the bridge between urban and rural is vast. There are potential 732 million new Internet users in rural India," Subho Ray, President, IAMAI, told IANS.
"The bridge can be divided if adequate infrastructure is put in place, and the last-mile connectivity is improved. Putting in place adequate infrastructure is essential to have deeper Internet penetration in rural areas," he added.
According to the report, the skewedness of the Internet is further proven by the fact that the top nine cities account for 35 per cent of all urban Internet users.
The smaller metros and non-metros have Internet penetration levels lower than the national average for rural India, the report added.
India currently has an estimated 481 million users -- a growth of 11.34 per cent over December 2016.
It is estimated that India will have around 500 million users by June 2018, the report noted.
The Internet usage pattern across the country is closely related to connectivity, quality of service, affordability and several such factors.
In urban India, Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata are the top three cities that have the highest penetration, while Fatehpur, Jagdalpur and Imphal are on the bottom among the list of over 170 cities covered under the survey.
Urban India has witnessed a growth of 9.66 per cent from December 2016 and is currently estimated to have around 295 million users by December 2017.
Rural India witnessed a growth of 14.11 per cent from December 2016 and is estimated to have around 186 million Internet users by December 2017.
"Online communication remained the top activity among urban India Internet users whereas in rural India, entertainment is observed to be the most common purpose for accessing the Internet," the report said.
Internet user market is still a male preserve in India, the report observed.
"There are estimated 143 million female Internet users overall, which is approximately 30 per cent of total Internet users," it added.


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Moss made an adorable debut at E3 2017 thanks in large part to its charming mouse protagonist Quill. If you’ve been curious about this upcoming PSVR title since then, you’ll be excited that there’s finally new gameplay being shown.
This new batch of gameplay comes thanks to the PlayStation Underground video series. Alongside video of Moss gameplay is narration explaining how the controls work, how the gameplay itself functions and more.
Developer Polyarc also released an iOS sticker pack and mobile/desktop wallpapers via the PS Blog.


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Rapacious gouging of consumers through excessive credit card surcharging needs to be quickly and firmly checked by regulators if new Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) rules governing the payments industry are to be successful in stamping out the practice, MasterCard’s Australian chief, Andrew Cartwright, has said.
The RBA on Thursday revealed its highly anticipated formal response to the hot button consumer issue, mandating that merchants can only pass-on actual costs of accepting card transactions when imposing surcharges, with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission put in charge of sniffing out inflated fees and policing sneaky profiteers.
“This affects all Australians and MasterCard is pleased this is being addressed. It’s long overdue,” Mr Cartwright said.
However he cautioned that for the new excess surcharging bans to have a real effect, visible action against rule breakers and effective monitoring needs to be in place fast.
[quote]“As well-meaning as the new rules around surcharging are, if there is not effective review and compliance it will come to nothing, Mr Cartwright said.[/quote]
Consumer advocates and card schemes have been on the RBA and the federal government’s case for years over businesses using overblown surcharges as a way to make money on the side, with airlines, hotels taxis and utilities among the biggest abusers.
Industry estimates put the annual cost of card surcharge gouging in Australia at around $1.6 billion a year, while consumer advocate Choice says it’s seen “mark-ups of up to 2670 per cent on the actual cost to merchants of processing a card transaction” which the group has branded as “both unjustifiable and unacceptable.”
While schemes like MasterCard want a return to the practice of surcharging being stopped altogether under their own rules for merchants, payments regulators have insisted businesses should be allowed to recover the cost of accepting card payments by passing it on in the form of a fee.
For many consumers and policymakers, the RBA’s nuanced cost recovery argument has largely been rendered academic after sectors like airlines started adding hefty flat fees between $8 and $12.50 per seat for each booking secured, with card payments rules accidently creating a lucrative “ancillary revenue” loophole that would otherwise be knocked out by drip-pricing rules.
Without naming names, MasterCard and Mr Cartwright are now clearly hopeful that [quote]some of the biggest and worst offenders will either change their ways swiftly or feel some regulatory sting[/quote].
“I think the ACCC will actively watch the major players and if there is someone who is really out of line they will make an example out of whoever that merchant or retailer is. That’s what I’d like to think,” Mr Cartwright said.
According to the RBA’s latest paper, the surcharging new framework takes effect for large merchants on from 1st September 2016 and for other merchants from 1st September 2017, with the ACCC given enforcement powers under the new regime.
But some consumer advocates remain clearly unconvinced.
“While today’s announcement following the RBA’s review of Card Payments Regulation addresses excessive surcharges in many large industries, uncertainties remain around surcharging card payments for smaller everyday consumer purchases,” said Christopher Zinn, the campaign spokesperson for the merchant-led Surcharge Free group.
“The RBA guidelines do not engage with consumers’ negative feelings toward surcharging or the detrimental impact the practice can have on customer loyalty and advocacy for businesses of all sizes,” Mr Zinn said.
Interchange and competition still a sticking point
As expected fee regulation – especially the consistency of it – has remained a key area of friction in RBA’s big regulatory update for payments between card schemes, with the topic if interchange fees – that’s fees that flow to a bank that issues a card from the bank that accepts a card – still a sticking point.
While the RBA decided to keep what’s known as the “weighted-average benchmark” for credit cards at 0.50 per cent, it’s dropped the benchmark for debit cards from 12 cents to 8 cents.
But there are now also extra caps built-in for different kinds of credit cards, particularly in the area of what’s dubbed “premium” or “platinum plus” – bank issued credit cards that are marketed to higher spending customers and typically have rewards points and loyalty schemes attached to them.
“The weighted-average benchmarks will be supplemented by ceilings on individual interchange rates which will reduce payment costs for smaller merchants,” the RBA said in its statement, adding that “commercial cards will continue to be included in the benchmarks.”
Mr Cartwright argues that the downward pressure on interchange rates through the widening of where the caps apply could prompt issuing banks to try and find the revenue they will likely lose from elsewhere – potentially more directly from consumers and businesses.
Like the opportunistic rash of excessive surcharging, the intent of interchange regulation could produce unintended consequences and arguably perverse incentives.
“The consequence of [further interchange regulation] could be negative to consumers. What happened in 2003, when regulation first came in, was the banks needed to replace this revenue from other sources – be it through increased annual card fees, higher interest rate or reducing the value of rewards programs,” Mr Cartwright told Government News.
“Given that millions of Australians have a platinum or above platinum card in their wallet this [could in reality] negatively impact millions of Australians.
In the commercial card market – credit cards issued by banks to employees of government and businesses to cover and control expenses and smaller supplier payments – there’s also a rub in terms of competitive equality.
Mr Cartwright notes that while European regulators have excluded commercial cards from broader interchange regulation directed at consumer products in recognition of the different economics at play, the RBA has moved in a different direction.
“The risk is that it will be less attractive for financial institutions to issue [commercial card products], and therefore there will be less competition in the commercial card space” Mr Cartwright says.
Notably, competitors to MasterCard and Visa like American Express, whose ‘proprietary’ cards (those issued by Amex itself rather than by a bank) still fall outside the RBA’s interchange regulation regime.
That’s significant because Amex, whose corporate card is well established, is believed to hold around a third of the commercial card market in Australia. And although merchants have the option of passing on acceptance charges, in reality any intended pricing signal is neutralised because corporate cardholders don’t personally cop the extra fees because they are using a work card and don’t realistically have a choice of payment method.
“The corporate Amex card [remains] outside [RBA] regulation, so we still do not have a true level playing field,” Mr Cartwright says.
Amex’s other bank issued ‘companion’ cards have however been brought under the regulatory umbrella for interchange, a move that MasterCard has predictably welcomed.
As the market for digital payments space heats-up, it’s an area that’s become more important daily for customers, market participants, policymakers and regulators alike.
Watch this space . . .
Comment below to have your say on this story.
If you have a news story or tip-off, get in touch at email@example.com.
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ORLANDO, Fla. – A large Korean fried chicken chain is looking to open up its first Florida location in Orlando’s Mills 50 district.
bb.q Chicken was founded in South Korea in 1995, according to the website. The company said it quickly expanded across the country and topped 1,000 locations within four years.
The chain came to the U.S. in 2014 with the founding of BBDOTQ USA, an American subsidiary of the corporation.
“bb.q Chicken is continually motivated to prepare and share only the best flavors with you as our brand name,” the website reads.
The menu offers a variety of fried chicken options from a traditional preparation to several sauced and seasoned variations. There are also some recognizable American sides — onion rings, fries, mozzarella sticks — along with more Korean-inspired fare such as kimchi fried rice, fried dumplings and pickled radish.
The company has locations either established or being developed in 18 states across the country, including Florida.


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Local handset maker Walton has launched three models of 4G smartphones in country’s tech market featuring 18:9 aspect ratio full-view 2.5D curved glass displays and Android’s latest version 8.1 Oreo.
The newly launched devices of Primo series, S6 dual, GM3, H7s and GM3+ are priced at 14,990; 9,199 and 8,499 BDT and available at all Walton Plaza, brand and retail outlets across the country, Senior Assistant General Manager of Creative and Publications Department of Walton Augustin Sujan Barai has confirmed this through an e-mail message.
Asifur Rahman Khan, chief of Walton cellular phone marketing division, said the 4G smartphones have been manufactured at Walton Digi-Tech Industries Ltd. in Chandra of Gazipur and come in different configuration and price range considering the affordability of people with different income level.
The Primo S6 dual features a 5.7-inch HD+ IPS display with 1.5 GHz Quad Core processor, 3GB LPDDR3 RAM, 32GB internal storage and PowerVR Rogue GE8100 GPU, 3,500 mAh battery, 13 and 2-megapixel dual PDAF rear and 8-megapixel front cameras with LED flash on both sides along with face unlock, fingerprint sensor and OTG support.
The Primo H7s comes with a 5.45-inch IPS display with 1.3 GHz Quad Core processor, 2GB RAM, 16GB internal storage and PowerVR Rogue GE8100 GPU, 3,000 mAh battery and 13-megapixel rear and 5-megapixel front cameras with LED flash on both sides along with face unlock, fingerprint sensor and OTG support.
The Primo GM3+ bears a 5.34-inch IPS display with 1.25 GHz Quad Core processor, 2GB RAM, 16GB internal storage and Mali-T720 GPU, 4,000 mAh battery, 13-megapixel and 5-megapixel cameras with LED flash on both sides, fingerprint sensor and OTG support.
Customers who buy these phones will enjoy 30 days instant replacement guaranty with 101 days after sales service on priority basis which will be provided within 48 hours along with regular one-year warranty.


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Auto-parts retailers, like the rest of the industry, have enjoyed a revival in 2018, although the threat of e-commerce still remains.
Where we were: Auto-parts stores were hammered during the worst of retail pessimism, on worries that online sales would eat their lunch.
Where we’re headed: Sentiment on the shares, along with other traditional...


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Scottish Enterprise (SE) has revealed that companies will achieve an additional £658 million in revenue over the next three years, through its innovation support during 2014/15. This has more than doubled compared to the figures from the previous year, demonstrating year on year progress in encouraging more companies to be innovative and embrace a culture of continual innovation for business growth.
Commenting on the results, Jim Watson, director of innovation and enterprise for Scottish Enterprise, said: “We know that investment in innovation and R&D leads to business growth, increased productivity, greater opportunities and a globally competitive edge, making it crucial to the long-term success of the Scottish economy. In fact, innovation accounts for some two-thirds of all the productivity in the economy.
“What is more, evidence shows that innovative companies grow nearly twice as fast in terms of sales than non-innovators, create more jobs and are more attractive to investors.
“As the world becomes closer, more connected and more competitive, companies need to do more and go further to ensure they are not left behind. At Scottish Enterprise, we believe that innovation should be more than just an ‘add-on’ or a ‘nice-to-have’ for businesses. It should be the core culture of companies that strive for growth. It’s our role then, to work with companies to help them become more innovative by developing new products and services, streamlining processes or adapting business models – recognising that innovation is more successful if it is focused on international markets.
“These latest figures are testament to our ongoing commitment to increasing innovation. What we need now is for more companies to embrace new ideas and new ways of doing things, and follow the likes of Alexander Denis Limited in using innovative approaches to realise growth ambitions.”
Deputy First Minister John Swinney said: “Our vision is to make Scotland a world-leading entrepreneurial and innovative nation. That’s why we have put innovation at the heart of our Government Economic Strategy and the Programme for Government, to drive long term competitiveness, boost productivity and increase sustainable economic growth.
“These results show that increasing numbers of companies are recognising the benefits of investing in innovation, reaping the rewards and contributing to the Scottish economy.”
2014/2015 has also seen some significant elements of SE’s longer-term strategy put in place, including continued support for the establishment of eight new Innovation Centres. Funded by the Scottish Funding Council, the innovation centres aim to encourage business growth that takes advantage of Scotland’s world-class strengths in research within Scotland’s universities, and drive forward change in some of Scotland’s major sector opportunities such as advanced manufacturing, big data, stratified medicine and industrial biotechnology.


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Starting in January 2022, Roboze, the Italian-American manufacturer of 3D printers, polymers for additive manufacturing, and composite parts, is starting a circular economy program for its customers. The program will allow users of Roboze products to recycle waste material created in the 3D printing process, as well as parts that have reached the end of their life cycle, by returning the material directly to the company. Participants in the program will also be able to purchase recycled materials at a lower cost.
In a press release, the founder and CEO of Roboze, Alessio Lorusso, said, “We are working to refine the management of the entire supply chain, at any cost and with all the necessary efforts. 3D printing technology can be one of the solutions to combat CO2 emissions, reducing transport and producing just in time and on-demand. But if we don’t take serious actions and continue to generate plastic waste, then we will only become part of the problem….Our circular economy model will create zero waste and will represent and deliver the solution.”
Just as it displayed with a subscription plan rollout at the beginning of this year and distributed manufacturing service that it began about a year ago, Roboze is constantly making cutting-edge moves related to decentralizing the supply chain. This has always been an important issue environmentally, but more recently, it has become perhaps the paramount economic issue obsessed over in political discourse. Roboze is ahead of the curve in a way that will not only benefit the company itself, but could also very well set the tone for the industry as a whole.
What Roboze seems to realize, which other similarly significant companies in 3D printing have been slower to pick up on, is that the advantage of 3D printing lies not only in its potential to replace certain manufacturing processes, but also in its potential to be the fulcrum for the creation of entire alternative supply chains. No matter what happens in the short term future, the long term issues related to supply chain disruptions are going to make what has been going on these past couple of years seem quaint. In this sense, American overconsumption and widespread employment gaps—while certainly serious problems that need to be addressed—are more secondary issues.
Rather, the primary issue is that the economy in its current state only “knows” how to overproduce. An Iraq War veteran I knew once told me that in the US military, they have a saying: “Whether it’s a good thing or a bad thing, the military only knows how to do way too much of it.” Considering our economy as a whole essentially takes its cues from the US military, this sheds a lot of light on the current supply chain crisis we’ve all become engulfed in. The way the matter is conceptualized in the field of ecological economics is also quite helpful. From a microeconomic perspective, individual businesses and institutions have mechanisms in place to indicate when they’ve spent too much in one area, or produced too much in another. At the macroeconomic level, such mechanisms still don’t really exist. If enough companies take the lead from precedents like the one Roboze is setting, however, we could eventually reshape the general economy to work more rationally. And, if we don’t want to sink under the weight of all our excess container ships, we’re going to have to.
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CESSON-SEVIGNE, France—Broadpeak this week launched its new BkS450 high-performance video streaming software, bringing cost savings and energy efficiency to video streaming infrastructures.
Running on a new high-performance Intel Xeon scalable processor, the software enables video service provides to deliver low-latency 4K and 8K video streaming services, VR content and other bandwidth-intensive offerings for a lower cost while consuming less power than traditional video servers, the company said.
"Introducing the next-gen BkS450 software to our solutions family underscores our commitment to enabling greener video streaming while ensuring a superior quality of experience for consumers at a reasonable cost," said Nivedita Nouvel, vice president of product marketing at Broadpeak.
"Working with Intel, we have achieved a giant leap forward in video streaming performance and energy efficiency, helping our customers deliver advanced video streaming services with increased agility, a smaller hardware footprint and a reduced impact on the environment."
Offering performance and sustainability improvements, the new software leverages ultra-efficient use of hardware resources. It delivers video services at 725 Gbps in HTTP on servers consuming 900 Watts—a fourfold reduction compared to previous generations of video streaming solutions, it said. (The figure comes from a sophisticated benchmarking tool Broadpeak created with Intel.)
The two companies will continue to work together on improving performance-per-Watt to address sustainability, it said.
Available as a container running on off-the-shelf hardware, the BkS450 eliminates the need for operators to use proprietary components. The BkS450 video streamer is future-proof, natively supporting all of the latest HTTP protocols — as well as DASH and HLS low-latency streaming formats — to ensure flawless video streaming, it said.
The new caching software engine built into the BkS450 also extracts maximum performance from more modest and cost-effective hardware configurations, including existing CDN deployments. This innovation unlocks CDN capacity across the board and better uses resources, it said.
More information is available on the company’s website.
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Phil Kurz is a contributing editor to TV Tech. He has written about TV and video technology for more than 30 years and served as editor of three leading industry magazines. He earned a Bachelor of Journalism and a Master’s Degree in Journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Journalism.
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The Federal Government has inaugurated inter-Ministerial Technical Committee to ensure acceptability of the nation’s produce and non-oil commodities across the globe.
At the inauguration of the Committee on Agro Zero reject the initiative, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Alhaji Muhammed Nanono urged the members of the Committee to proffer solutions for the rejected products to meet international standards.
According to the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Nation’s Agriculture Policy Roadmap shows that Agriculture remains a major option to diversifying the nation’s economy.
“Our desire for standard agricultural products and non-oil exports means there will be the vigorous pursuit of investment in quality control and Standardization”. The Minister said.
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Dr Ernest Afolabi, said the effort of the Committee would facilitate regional international trades.
“This will facilitate Regional and international trades, promote wholesome Agricultural Commodities for local consumption as well as enhancing market access within Africa and internationally to support the import substitution drive of Mr President.” He said.
The Director-General, NAFDAC, represented by Assistant Director in the Agency, Mrs Felicitas Anyanwu and that of Nigeria Export Promotion Council, also represented by Director, Product Development, Mr Williams Ezeagu stressed the need for quality assurance of local Commodities towards meeting international standards.


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Venture capital investorBradmer Foods, Baltimore, said it made a "follow-on" investment inBlue HorizonWild, an Aptos, Calif., frozen seafood processor. Bradmer also said it appointed consumer branding expertMichael Riceas Blue Horizon's chief executive officer. Rice co-founded the Sterling-Rice Group, an integrated marketing company in Denver. Blue Horizon's product line includes frozen lobster
macaroni and cheese, crab cakes and fish sticks.
Diversified food processing and distributing giantPremium Brands Holdings Corp., Richmond, B.C., said it purchased a controlling 60 percent stake inHub City Fisheries, a fresh seafood processor in Nanaimo, B.C. (Vancouver Island).
"Hub will play an integral role in the development of our rapidly growing seafood initiatives. In particular, our B&C Foods, Centennial and Maximum Seafood businesses will be working with Hub to generate new product offerings and programs for both their retail and foodservice customers," said George Paleologou, Premium Brands president and CEO.
Paleologou added, "Fresh seafood is an exciting and fast growing product category in the food industry. "The addition of Hub, which has sales of approximately $10 million per year, will expand our seafood business platform to almost $100 million in annual sales."


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Wǒ Men Podcast: Collector's Edition
Chinese consumers who in the 1980s and 1990s once rushed to embrace foreign products and brands as trendy status symbols are now starting to (re)develop an appreciation for China’s rich heritage
Wo Men Podcast
We talked to a collector of Chinese antiquities, Mr Zang Nuo who shared with us his collection of carvings and textiles and his observations and insights into why the antique trade is booming in China and why people today are more interested than ever.
Chinese consumers are finding new pride in their heritage, inevitably having an impact on the country's antique industry. In the latest
, hosts Yajun and Jingjing speak to a leading collector of historical artefacts
Chinese consumers who once rushed to embrace foreign products are now starting to (re)develop an appreciation for China’s heritage. On this episode of the Wǒ Men Podcast, Yajun and Jingjing speak with Mr. Zang Nuo about the world of Chinese antiques.


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Consumer NZ reveals the four stores New Zealanders adore
New Zealanders have told Consumer NZ the four retailers that give them the best shopping experience.
The 2023 People’s Choice award winners are 100% Appliances, Stihl Shop, Mitre 10 and Samsung online store.
Gemma Rasmussen, head of research and advocacy, said winners of the People’s Choice award achieved a significantly higher satisfaction rating than other stores in Consumer’s annual retailer survey.
“If you’re deciding where to do your Black Friday or Christmas shopping, we think you’re most likely to have a great experience at these four stores,” Rasmussen said.
This is the ninth time 100% Appliances has won a People’s Choice award.
It was the clear winner in the small appliances category – with 91% of its customers saying they were very satisfied.
“The Warehouse was the lowest scorer in this category – just 49% who’d bought small appliances there were very satisfied.”
This year, Samsung took the top place in the mobile tech category from Apple Store – which had been the People’s Choice five times over the past 6 years.
“Samsung closed all its physical locations this year, so it’s great to hear it’s done a good job of keeping customers happy online.”
Upon winning the People’s Choice award in the hardware and gardening category, Stihl Shop told Consumer it was a goal it had set itself this year.
“This year Stihl Shop was rated particularly highly for its range of products, prices, point of sale service and availability of products. That tells us people are walking in there and getting great service and walking out with the product they want.”
Mitre 10 was also awarded People’s Choice in the hardware and gardening category.
“Mitre 10 customers told us the staff are helpful, friendly, have expert knowledge and don’t use pushy sales tactics,” Rasmussen said.
People are changing how they shop
While customer satisfaction remains important, Consumer NZ’s latest Sentiment Tracker reports that the cost-of-living crisis is also influencing how people shop.
“We’re seeing that price and the cost of shipping are becoming more important. Whereas loyalty programmes are having a lot less sway on where people shop,” Rasmussen said.
"We've seen an increasing preference for online shopping – suggesting that price and convenience trump all else right now.”


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NEW YORK – Strong February sales at stores up and down the price spectrum, from J.C. Penney to Saks, show that a broad range of shoppers are feeling more comfortable about the economy.
The question is whether rising gas, food and clothing prices will reverse the trend this spring.
Retailers on Thursday reported surprisingly strong revenue gains for February. The International Council of Shopping Centers’ index of 28 retailers rose 4.2 percent compared with the same month last year. That was well above the trade group’s projections for a 2.5 percent to 3 percent increase.
The gain follows a 4.7 percent increase in January and the best holiday season since 2006. The figures are based on revenue at stores open at least a year, a key indicator of a retailer’s health because it excludes the effects of stores that open or close during the year.
February started slowly for merchants because snowstorms kept some shoppers home. As the month went on, weather improved, perking up sales of spring clothing.
“The underlying (spending) trend is quite good,” said Scott Hoyt, senior director of consumer economics for Moody’s Analytics. “But increasing costs on basic necessities (are) a growing constraint on household budgets. The question we don’t know is: By how much?”
Thursday’s results show a broader range of shoppers is benefiting from the economic recovery, said Michael P. Niemira, chief economist at the International Shopping Centers.
Among retailers beating forecasts were Victoria’s Secret parent Limited Brands Inc.; moderate-priced department stores J.C. Penney Co., Macy’s Inc. and Kohl’s Corp.; teen clothing seller Wet Seal Inc; and warehouse club operator Costco Wholesale Corp.
Luxury retailers including Saks Inc. saw surging sales as the affluent kept spending, encouraged by a rallying stock market.
There were only a few stragglers. Discounter Target Corp. and clothing chain Gap Inc. both missed expectations, with Target reporting a small increase and Gap a decline.
Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world’s largest retailer, no longer reports monthly sales.
Consumer spending outside retail has shown signs of strength as well. On Tuesday, automakers reported double-digit sales gains for February, extending a recovery that started late last year.
The improving economy is fueling the growth. Consumer confidence in February rose to its highest point in more than three years, according to the Conference Board.
But the positive economic news isn’t dispelling worries about rising prices. Analysts say more price shocks could scare consumers, especially low- and middle-income people, into pulling back on spending.
Clothing makers are raising prices on everything from underwear to jeans. Supermarkets are beginning to pass along rising costs for dairy, meat and other items.
But gasoline is most worrisome. The turmoil in Libya and the oil markets have pushed the national average for gasoline to $3.427 per gallon, up 30 cents since Feb. 15. Prices will reach $3.50 to $3.75 by spring, some analysts say.
If they hit $4, shoppers will change their habits, said Ken Perkins, president of RetailMetrics. They’ll cut back on discretionary purchases and make fewer trips to the mall.
Another challenge for retailers in March will be a late Easter. It doesn’t fall until April 24, three weeks later than last year. That calendar quirk is expected to shift sales of holiday items such as candy and children’s dresses from March to April, depressing business this month.
Analysts look at the two months combined to judge spring selling.
Meanwhile, many retailers, including Macy’s, Kohl’s and J.C. Penney, say they’re raising prices on clothing as costs rise, especially for cotton, and demand improves.
J.C. Penney officials said Friday that the company tested price increases last year to find out what shoppers were willing to pay. The company said it was more successful with price increases on more expensive brands.
“Our strategy is to walk prices up thoughtfully at rates we believe will be supported by consumers,” said Michael Casey, CEO of Carter’s Inc. in an address to analysts Wednesday. The maker of Carter’s and OshKosh B’gosh children’s clothing said it increased prices at its stores by 5 percent this spring.
It’s still unclear how the rising clothing prices will affect shoppers’ willingness to spend.
“We have not had a sufficient read on consumers’ reaction to our higher prices,” Casey said, “particularly the more significant increases planned for fall.”


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Mumbai: Cashing in on the growing fad for green vehicles, Mahindra and Mahindra plans to launch its fuel-efficient SUVs in the United States by early 2009.
“We are planning to launch our commercial vehicles in the United States but we are not ready yet to share the exact date of launch,” Mahindra Group Vice-Chairman Anand Mahindra told reporters.
The Mahindra diesel SUVs have already cleared the tests and fulfilled the stringent emission norms in the US, he said, adding the announcement of the launch would be made shortly.
M&M already sells tractors in the US.
To a question if people there prefer smaller vehicles, Mahindra said Americans are not against large vehicles but are increasingly averse to fuel guzzlers that are not eco-friendly.
“They want fuel efficiency so that they can be guilt-free” of not polluting the environment, Mahindra said.
He said the company was also gearing up to introduce vehicles that could run on bio-diesel, diesel-electric hybrids and other green vehicles.
“We are ready to launch bio-diesel vehicles in India,” he said, adding, “whenever the government gears itself to make available bio-diesel, we will be ready with our vehicles.”
Mahindra said that it is not true to say that diesel vehicles cause pollution but it is the quality of fuel used that is critical.


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MINNEAPOLIS, Minn., July 11, 2002 — Americans are a nation of travelers, according to a national survey of homeowners.
The survey, conducted by Honeywell Automation and Control Solutions, found that nine out of 10 homeowners travel for pleasure and nearly half (47%) travel for business. And sizeable percentages (44% and 19%, respectively) of those who travel for pleasure or business are away from home 10 or more days a year.
So who’s watching their homes when Americans leave for a few days? Four out of five (81%) say their homes are watched over by neighbors, relatives or friends. Four out of five (81%) lock the doors.
According to the Honeywell survey, other steps taken before leaving home include:
* Adjust the thermostat to save energy (67%)
* Turn off lights (61%)
* Turn off computer equipment (52%)
* Shut the curtains (48%)
* Turn on lights (42%)
* Unplug appliances(39%)
* Stop the newspaper (38%)
* Turn on security system (30%)
* Turn off water (22%)
Crime (burglary, break-ins, vandalism, etc.) ranks as the biggest concern (22%) of travelers when they’re away for more than a day. Eighteen percent worry about pets left alone. Ten percent say their biggest concern is a home-system failure, related to water heater or furnace breakdowns or plumbing problems.
Interest in home control
The survey also revealed that Americans are interested in products to help out on the home front while they are away.
* Alert me. Nearly two-thirds (64%) of homeowners like the idea of being alerted to plumbing, electrical, heating or other home-system failures when they are away.
* Save on home heating/cooling bills. More than 60% report interest in products that would help save energy on their heating and cooling bills when they are away.
* Call-ahead comfort. Forty-six percent report interest in using the phone to adjust their home’s temperature to a comfortable setting before they arrive home.
A number of products are available to help give homeowners greater peace of mind while traveling. Honeywell’s Telephone Access Module lets homeowners use a phone to remotely control their heating and cooling system, monitor their heating/cooling equipment and alert them to problems, such as freezing temperatures or an extended power outage.
The survey contacted 1,029 households in April 2002. The survey findings are based on data from the 622 survey respondents who are homeowners. Significance testing of survey results is done to the 95% confidence level.
For more information, go to http://www.honeywell.com/yourhome/.
Automation and Control Solutions is a US$8 billion global specialist in providing product and service solutions to create efficient, safe, and comfortable environments and help business and industry improve productivity and profitability.
It comprises four businesses: Industry Solutions; Service; Security and Fire; and Control Products. ACS offers heating, ventilation, humidification and air-conditioning equipment controls, security and fire alarm systems, home automation systems, energy-efficient lighting controls, and building management systems and services.
It also provides automation systems, advanced software solutions, and value-added services used in a variety of industries. ACS is also a global supplier of sensors, switches, and control products for industrial applications. For more information about ACS Service, access www.acs.honeywell.com
Honeywell is a US$24-billion diversified technology and manufacturing specialist, serving customers worldwide with aerospace products and services; control technologies for buildings, homes and industry; automotive products; power generation systems; specialty chemicals; fibers; plastics; and electronic and advanced materials.
Honeywell employs approximately 115,000 people in 95 countries and is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol HON, as well as on the London, Chicago and Pacific stock exchanges. It is one of the 30 stocks that make up the Dow Jones Industrial Average and is also a component of the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index. Additional information on the company is available on the Internet at www.honeywell.com


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Hugo Boss sees a jump in profits
Hugo Boss, the Permira-owned fashion group known for its sharp suits, reported a 19 per cent rise in sales and a 34 per cent jump in profits for last year and said that 2012 had begun strongly, thanks to Asian demand. Its performance also helped SVG, the quoted proxy for Permira private-equity funds, post a 13 per cent rise in NAV for 2011 yesterday.
Repossessions hit a four-year low
Repossessions hit a four-year low of 36,200 last year, as record low interest rates and a lenient stance from lenders helped keep people in their homes, the Council of Mortgage Lenders said yesterday. However, the CML warned that job losses and inflation pressures are likely to see a 25 per cent rise in repossessions to 45,000 in 2012.
Catlin hit by catastrophe claims
Profits at Catlin, operator of the biggest syndicate at Lloyd's of London, slumped 80 per cent last year as it paid out more than £600m in catastrophe claims. Its profits fell from $406m in 2010 to $71m after claims from the earthquakes in Japan and New Zeal- and, hurricanes in the US, and floods in Thailand and Australia.
Atkins' businessis buoyant
The design and engineering consultancy WS Atkins said its UK business has performed well since 1 October, although a previous delay in the award of rail signalling contracts hit profit margins. Its UK staff numbers fell by 550 following the sale of its asset management business.
Pepsi renews fight with Coca-Cola
Pepsi has promised to take the fight to its arch-rival Coca-Cola, with an extra $600m (£378m) marketing and advertising blitz. Pepsi is to cut 8,700 jobs to pay for the blitz. The losses represent 3 per cent of the workforce and will be spread over 30 countries.
McBride positive despite losses
McBride, the supplier of own-label products to supermarkets, looked to put a positive spin on its outlook yesterday, even as it dived £400,000 into the red in the first half. The firm, which posted a £15.5m interim profit a year ago, held its interim dividend at 2p and forecast progress in the second half, with raw material costs showing signs of stabilising.
Rank lures in new bingo players
The bingo hall and casino operator Rank is luring in new customers thanks to spruced-up properties and an array of websites and phone apps. Its half-yearly revenues rose £9m to £296m while profits edged up to £33m. The average spend per visit has fallen slightly to £20.78 but customer numbers at Mecca Bingo rose 50,000 to 770,000.
Hargreaves see 28% leap in profits
Hargreaves Lansdown saw a 28 per cent leap in profits in the final six months of 2011 to £72m, helped by its drive to pick up more of the private client stockbroking market. The wealth manager which is already dominant in the online unit trust, ISA and SIPPs markets has simplified and cut its share dealing charges.
Sheffield mega mall up for sale
British Land is believed to have put half its 50 per cent stake in the Meadowhall shopping centre in Sheffield up for sale. That means a three-quarters stake in the mega-mall is now up for grabs: the other 50 per cent of Meadowhall is already being sold by London & Stamford.
Tate profits in line with expectations
Tate & Lyle said operating profits were in line with its expectations in the last three months fo 2011. Volume growth in its speciality foods division was weaker than in the previous six months but its bulk ingredients division benefited from higher sugar prices.Reuse content


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(This blog post might as well have been titled “QGIS ❤ Wallpapers”)
Over the span of a week, QGIS received a set of improvements which greatly improved the canvas’ save as image function, as well as a brand new save as PDF feature.
Queue the usual slide of improvements:
Adding output resolution, width and height settings effectively frees users from the confine of their physical screen. Being able to fine tine the width and height in pixel also helps cartographers producing maps best-fitted for web-based content.
Saving as PDF feature is a real time saver, offering a fast path to vector export of maps without the need to go through creating a composer, adding a map item, etc.
All of these improvements are very useful to improve quick n’ dirty map export. It is however no replacement to the powerful QGIS composers. On that front, a QGIS core developer at North Road has launched a crowd funding campaign to modernize composers. For those cartographers out there publishing maps on various media forms (print, online, ebooks), seriously consider supporting this campaign.


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Joto Dosh Nondo Jhosh
Hundreds of Bangladeshi textile factory owners failed to meet a government deadline to pay the workers even the minimum wage of 25 US dollars a month. Out of 2400 garment factories, 400 were still ignoring the rule as of June 30 - according to the Bangladesh Garments Manufacturers and Exporters Association. In some factories, workers earn as little as 13 dollars a month. The minimum wage was fixed in 2006 after several deadly protests by the workers, who torched 16 factories and ransacked more than 300 others.
In Bangladesh, judges throw cases for money, bureaucrats sell jobs without hesitations, journalists blackmail general people, businessmen run strong-arm cartels, yet they all blame only the politicians for turning the country into a failed state!
Garments Sector -May 2006 write-up.


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Late opening provokes ire of unions
(JB) Unions are outraged after an experiment to allow shops to stay open later on a Saturday was extended by a year.
The one-year test was launched in July 2010, granting stores the right to remain open later on Saturdays and before bank holidays.
At the time, it faced considerable opposition from unions and independent shopkeepers, who complained about the cost of additional manpower and the impact on employees' free time.
Despite this, the department for small and medium sized enterprises has issued permits to extend the programme a further year and potentially make it a permanent fixture.
Unions LCGB and OGBL were furious at the decision, calling for evidence to justify the measure.
According to them, only five major outlets had reported an increased turnover as a result of extended opening hours.
And even then, the growth was marginal at around 3.4%. Small and independently owned stores, the unions said, had lost out in the measure by paying for extra staffing without necessarily seeing any profit improvements.
Shop staff were also hard hit, losing out on two hours of their free time, a loss which the union says should be compensated with lieu time or additional pay.
OGBL secretary André Sowa said: “There has been no real growth, only a shift in purchasing power in favour of the wholesaler.”
According to the unions, the ministry for small to medium enterprises is in the process of writing a bill to have extended opening hours enshrined in Luxembourg law.


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Van Wagner is taking mega billboards beyond London and claims they are far more effective than any other mix of outdoor sites, says Lucy Barrett
The old cliché: “does size matter?” is often asked by advertisers and agencies when considering outdoor as a medium for an advertising campaign.
Van Wagner, the company which introduced the notion of large, mega premium sites to the UK, has just picked up the contract to manage Network Rail’s bridge-span advertising sites after a competitive tender (MW last week).
But the look and feel of its back-lit quality sites was not the main factor that won over the company’s commercial advertising manager, Yan Huybrechts: “Most of the outdoor companies have premium sites – Van Wagner basically submitted the best tender.”
The contract will double Van Wagner’s sites to 200 and take its premium “mega site” billboards outside London for the first time. If Van Wagner is to be believed, the traditional mass coverage outdoor campaigns, often spread across 48-sheet sites, 96-sheet sites, six-sheet sites or a combination of all three, is a thing of the past.
The US-owned company claims that booking an advertising campaign using a range of outdoor sites is a waste and that the money is better spent cherry-picking a number of large format premium sites that consumers are more likely to see.
Van Wagner has been so determined to get its point across that it commissioned its own research to prove that consumers remember ads on its sites far more than on the bulk standard six, 48 and 96-sheet formats. The findings, which are predictably favourable, show that there is a disproportionately higher recall for large mega premium sites than the more numerous smaller formats.
This research, carried out independently by NFO Europe, claims that ads on mega 96-sheets, the type built by Van Wagner, have a 66 per cent recall, while a standard 48-sheet has just a four per cent recall. Perhaps most damning was six-sheet bus shelter advertising, which has only a two per cent recall, raising questions over its validity as a poster medium.
Van Wagner sales director Kevin Shute says he thinks six-sheet audience measurement, which takes into account both drivers and pedestrians, is over-generous: “Most of their audience comes from pedestrians, not from drivers.”
This is disputed by JC Decaux’s marketing director, David McEvoy, who says the industry’s measurement system, Postar, accounts for this: “Postar already calculates that just 15 per cent of people in a car will see a six-sheet and in some cases three per cent.”
Van Wagner’s rivals, Clear Channel, Maiden Outdoor and JC Decaux, may publicly say Van Wagner’s claims are incorrect, but over the past three years all three have increased their offering to include premium mega sites.
The way advertising hoardings look has also been the focus of a lot of attention in the past decade and there are now not just front-lit poster sites, but also back-lit ones.
Back-lit mega premium sites have traditionally only appeared on Cromwell Road in London, but similar quality sites have been springing up in the past few years in hundreds of locations across the UK in all the main cities.
Van Wagner’s Shute claims his company, which set up its UK offices in 1999, saw a gap in the market “The only place people bought location-specific sites was on Cromwell Road,” says Shute. “There was a mass over-supply of dubious sites.”
Shute claims Van Wagner will not build thousands of sites in order to safeguard the level of exclusivity attached to its premium sites: “Where the others have a nest of sites, we always try to build one structure that enhances visibility. We can also sell our sites individually so advertisers aren’t forced to buy a package,” he says.
According to industry experts, an illuminated site offers an advertiser an increase in audience of 42 per cent. Although more and more illuminated sites are coming to the market, there are still thousands of sites that are only visible during daylight hours, which in the winter could mean an ad would be viewed for just a few hours a day.
“Contractors have worked very hard to illuminate as many panels as they can,” says Outdoor Advertising Association operations director Bill Wilson. “But it is not possible to do this with every site, for various reasons, including obtaining planning consent.”
Clear Channel managing director Jonathan Lewis claims all sites deliver a function for advertisers and even though some sites are not illuminated, they are still delivering a large audience: “There will always be a role for these sites for advertisers who want to hit as many people as often as possible.”
Van Wagner is not the only company that believes the future of outdoor advertising is large-format. Companies such as Mega Profile and Blow Up Media have created the medium of banner advertising, where they can wrap entire buildings with a poster.
As the OAA’s Wilson says, outdoor companies have had a struggle with local government planning departments to better their offering, especially large format banner companies such as Mega Profile. Planning departments have often claimed the sites are unsightly and have ordered them to be taken down, even if they are covering scaffolding.
In response, Mega Profile also commissioned research, this time conducted by MORI last summer, which found that 60 per cent of the British public would prefer to see buildings wrapped in ads than in bare scaffolding.
So far, neither Maiden nor JC Decaux have made moves into banner advertising, but Clear Channel has just announced that it is launching into this area. From next month it will take control of the UK’s largest advertising site at Fort Dunlop, which it snatched from Mega Profile: “We believe we should be going into the banner market,” says Clear Channel’s Lewis. “But only in locations that merit banners.”
Whether or not mega premium sites are the most effective way to use outdoor media budgets, the medium is certainly increasing its grip on the market.


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By M&C Report team2007-07-08T08:13:00+01:00
The British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA) has said the pandemic has demonstrated the strengths of the leased and tenanted model and that wholesale changes to the Pubs Code could undermine the relationship between pub company and tenant or lessee.
There has been a noticeable slowdown in nightclub bookings from the end of August, amid conflicting signals from government on the introduction of vaccine passports, according to the late night industry.
Staffing pressures are set to continue for hospitality businesses, despite changes to the guidance on self-isolation, the chief executive of St Austell Brewery has warned.
Read the Digital Edition now
Production will restart at one of Britain’s biggest cardon dioxide producing plants after a deal was struck with government in order to avoid a food industry crisis.
The government has about “10 days” to sort out the CO2 shortage crisis, with one week before poultry stunning starts to stop, Ian Wright, of the Food and Drink Federation has warned.
BrewDog has announced a joint venture with Asahi Breweries which will see it roll out Punk IPA, Hazy Jane and Elvis Juice across Japan from September 2021.
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text: HomeMusic: ACJ.Lo launches new shoe collection at DSWJ.Lo launches new shoe collection at DSWTue, September 28, 2021 by ABC NewsSHARE NOW Greg SwalesEver wished you could step into Jennifer Lopez’s shoes? Well, now you can.J.Lo has designed a new Fall ‘21 footwear collection, inspired by her personal style and sold exclusively at DSW. She’s also starring in a new HIT PLAY campaign in celebration of the launch, which features a special capsule collection and an 8-bit interactive video game.“I designed this collection for every woman for every occasion,” Jennifer says in a statement. “I can’t wait for all of us to dance, spend more time with our family and friends, and most importantly PLAY again.”She adds, ”I also wanted to bring an added element of excitement with the HIT PLAY video game – it’s time to have fun!”The shoe collection includes platform heels, crystal-adorned boots, comfy sneakers, booties with faux shearling and more. The HIT PLAY capsule collection will feature three limited edition styles that will launch every few weeks. The first drop includes an over-the-knee boot with chain detailing, a lucite wedge with embellished ankle wrap and a burgundy-colored sneaker.The collection will be available at DSW stores and online at DSW.com/jlo with prices ranging from $39.99 to $159.99. View this post on Instagram A post shared by DSW Designer Shoe Warehouse (@dsw)Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.


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After the USA announced that they would withdraw troops from Afghanistan, bringing an end to its 20 year war, thousands of desperate people have been trying to flee the country to escape the Taliban.
Since 13th August, the UK has evacuated more than 8,000 people eligible for the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy.
After witnessing the harrowing scenes, particularly at Kabul airport, the Spencer Clarke Group team knew that we had to join the effort in donating essential items such as clothes and toiletries to those arriving in the UK.
Within the Spencer Clarke Group office, a tuck shop of goodies (sweets/crisps/chocolate) is provided by the directors, Mike Shorrock and Michael Spencer; employees can then purchase items from the tuck shop with all the money raised going to charity.
From the tuck shop money raised over the last few months, we purchased hundreds of toiletries to go alongside clothing donations brought in by the team. The toiletries included shampoos, conditioners, shower gels, soaps, sponges, deodorants, baby wipes and hand sanitisers.
Mike Shorrock, Managing Director, said, “It’s really important that we get behind causes like this, as a business and individually. Every member of our team contributed to the collection which was great to see.”


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“It’s clear we have got to tell them [food and drink manufacturers] what information we want and how we are going to use that information,” Morling told FoodManufacture.co.uk in this exclusive video – filmed after Food Manufacture’s Big Video Debate on food fraud at Foodex.
Re-assuring manufacturers that the information they provided would not “leak out or get into the wrong hands”, was criticially important he said.
Morling also prioritised persuading individual whistle-blowers to share their suspicions about food and drink crime.
After just over a year in the job, Morling said establishing a track record of trust with manufacturers and individuals would be a key means of combating food and drink crime.
Building a strong partnership with industry was critical to success and there was “no silver bullet” to beat criminal activity, he added.
The highlights of his first year in office were guiding the growth of the Food Crime Unit and arresting an individual in connection with sale of fatal food supplements. See more details in the box below.
Protecting your supply chains
The Big Video Debate – Food and drink fraud: protecting your supply chains – took place on Monday April 18.
Joining the food crime boss on the discussion panel were Professor Lisa Jack, head of the Food Fraud Group at the University of Portsmouth, and Professor Tony Hines, director of global regulatory services and crisis management, Leatherhead Food Research.
Watch out for video highlights of this Big Video Debate – alongside two others on campylobacter and apprenticeships – on FoodManufacture.co.uk in the near future.
The Foodex trade event took place at the National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham between Monday April 18 and Wednesday April 20.
Meanwhile, both Morling and Jack will be speaking at the Food Manufacture Group’s Food safety conference 2016 – Boosting consumer confidence in times of change – at etc.venues, Prospero House, 241 Borough High St, Southwark, London on Thursday October 13 2016.
Highlights of Andy Morling’s first year at the Food Crime Unit
- “Watching the Food Crime Unit grow to its full operating model.”
- “Some of the operational success stories, such as the arrest of an individual for selling a food supplement that was very injurious to health. A large quantity of material that kills people was removed from the market. Food crime does not get any more serious than that.”


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Submitted: The Two Sides Team November 6, 2013
Canon Solutions America continues to strengthen its support of the printing industry by joining Two Sides US. Beyond a strategic partnership between the two companies, Eric Hawkinson, Director of Marketing, Production Print Solutions division of Canon Solutions America, has been named to the Board of Two Sides US.
via PRWeb – 5 November 2013
Canon Solutions America, a wholly owned subsidiary of Canon U.S.A., Inc., today announced that Eric Hawkinson, Director of Marketing, Production Print Solutions division of Canon Solutions America, has been named to the Board of Two Sides US, a non-profit initiative by companies from the Graphic Communication Value Chain.
As a member of the Two Sides Board, Hawkinson is committed to supporting the print community by promoting the responsible production and use of print and paper.
"I'm pleased to be a Board Member of Two Sides," said Hawkinson. "It's through true collaboration that we are able to bring about social consciousness and continue to grow our community."
Bringing Visibility to the Environmentally Friendly
Today many consumers are concerned with their carbon footprint. As such, they may choose electronic options, such as email, ebooks, etc., over printing. What they may not realize is that there are real benefits to printing.
"The fact is, print and paper products made in the U.S. have a great environmental story to tell," said Phil Riebel, Two Sides US President and COO. "We're happy to have such a prominent company on our Board to help build awareness of that story; educate others on the social value of paper; and create visibility to help promote sustainability."
Hawkinson's experience in the printing industry lends itself well to the Two Sides Board. "Eric's passion for the industry, coupled with his ability to develop and implement strategies, is a tremendous asset to our Board," said Riebel.
Sustaining the Future of Printing
As a commercial member of Two Sides, Canon Solutions America supports its mission to help people gain a better understanding of why print and paper is a versatile and sustainable communications medium.
"Canon Solutions America is committed to building a community that strengthens the future of the printing industry," said Francis A. McMahon, Vice President, Marketing, Production Print Solutions division of Canon Solutions America. "It is partnerships like the one with Two Sides that helps raise consciousness in our community."
With the support of its members and Board, Two Sides continues to promote the responsible production and use of print and paper, and dispel common environmental misconceptions by providing users with verifiable information on why print on paper is an attractive, practical and sustainable communications medium.
"Paper comes from a renewable resource, trees grown in responsibly managed forests and it's recycled more than any other commodity, including plastics, metals and glass," said Riebel. The continuing demand for sustainably sourced paper gives U.S. landowners and families a financial incentive to continue managing their lands responsibly and keep them forested rather than selling them for development or other non-forest uses. Thanks in great part to the sustainable forestry practices advanced by the paper and forest products industry, the volume of growing trees in U.S. forests has increased nearly 50 percent over the last half century."
About Canon Solutions America, Inc.
Combining the strengths of the former Canon Business Solutions, Inc. and Oc North America, Inc., Canon Solutions America provides industry leading enterprise services, advanced production print technology and large format solutions supported by exceptional professional service offerings. Canon Solutions America helps companies of all sizes improve their business by increasing efficiency, controlling costs and becoming more environmentally conscious. A wholly owned subsidiary of Canon U.S.A, Inc., Canon Solutions America is headquartered in Melville, NY and has nearly 7,000 employees in 130 offices across the country. For more information on Canon Solutions America, please visit http://www.csa.canon.com.
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Craig Bonnar resigned this month as CEO of Travelodge. and yesterday the UK’s second-largest hotel chain after Premier Inn, appointed Jo Boydell, its one-time chief financial officer, to the top role.
Bonnar had been the top boss of the budget hotel chain since late 2020, steering the company through the turbulence of the pandemic.
Boydell has been with Travelodge since 2013 in a variety of finance roles.
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More than ten years ago, staff working with youth on extended society care with The Children’s Aid Society of Hamilton proposed the concept of a for a donor driven resource that would help supplement the limited income of youth living independently by providing free household and hygiene products. That idea came to fruition in the form of Market 26 which just celebrated its tenth anniversary.
Janice D’Agostino, one of the Market 26 co-founders, said that over the years, youth have continued to access the market – between 80-90 youth a year – and they repeatedly express their appreciation for the added support it provides.
As Ms. D’Agostino explains, when a youth is budgeting their dollars with a very limited income, items like paper towels, laundry soap and deodorant are not high on the priority list. And as most consumers know, such household and hygiene products can add up quickly. The operation of Market 26 ensures that despite limited income, youth living independently don’t have to go without general household items that many people take for granted.
Each month, youth between the ages of 16-21 years of age, who are in extended society care and living independently, are able to select ten items from the store free of charge. In addition, youth can help themselves to donations of non-perishable food that is donated to the agency by various business and organizations throughout the year.
The start-up funding for Market 26 was provided through a one-time grant courtesy of the City of Hamilton’s Homelessness Initiative. Shelves continue to be stocked through donated funds and through third-party donation drives.
The agency is greatly appreciative of the continued effort of staff to ensure Market 26 continues to run efficiently and effectively, and to donors who continue to support this tremendous youth resource.


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With over 4,000 nominations received from the public and some intense judging, Marketing Derby was pleased to announce the winners of the tenth annual Derby Food and Drink Awards in 2018.
The winners were announced at the awards ceremony, held at The Roundhouse on Monday 8th October 2018.
The event also saw the launch of a new recipe book called Ten: A recipe for success, produced in collaboration with AVIT' Media and Once Upon a Fork.
The Winner of the 'Restaurant of the Year', Terroir Bistro, won £1,000 worth of Denby tableware.
The 2018 winners & finalists were:
Restaurant of the Year – sponsored by Denby Pottery
Terroir Bistro (winner)
Best bar – sponsored by Irongate Group
Suds & Soda (winner)
Slug & Lettuce
Best pub - sponsored by Mortgage Advice Bureau
The Exeter Arms (winner)
The Dog & Moon
The Last Post
Most family friendly – sponsored by Derby Days Out
POINTSIX Coffee House
Best Out of Town – sponsored by Smooth Radio
Hackwood Farm (winner)
Fishermans Rest, Belper
The Shed at Hilton


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The acquisition of cell phone operator Sprint Nextel was a triumphant moment for Masayoshi Son, the iconic founder and CEO of Softbank, and elevates his firm into becoming one of the largest telcos in the world.
The Japanese government, in its efforts to bring foreigners and foreign companies back to Japan, has recently floated a balloon that it will provide a 3-year fast track for new immigrants to get permanent residency (PR).
A popular destination in the Shibuya area over the weekend is the occasional clothing flea market held at the NHK-Yoyogi Park Amphitheater, with over 400 stalls selling tons (literally) of used clothing in good condition.
Extrapolating what future Japanese will look like in 100 years (let alone 100,000 years), our forecast is that thanks to tourism-begets-immigration, they will have huge foreheads, flat faces, and saucer-like eyes.
Seven Bank has once again suspended MasterCard, Maestro, and Cirrus cards, and so tourists looking to withdraw cash will be out of luck, unless they go to the post office or one of the few Citibank or Shinsei ATMs.
Japan Inc. Holdings assists foreign companies to set up in Japan, assisting with a wide range of situations, challenges, and solutions, so that the client's foreign head office management feel that they are in control.
There are a number of lobby groups in Japan that have been trying to hold back TPP, among them the medical, education, insurance, and legal sectors, but the one group with the greatest sway over TPP is the farming lobby.


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Expo brings international flavors to OSU event
TThe pleasant aroma of food from countries all over the globe filled the Wes Watkins Center Wednesday as nearly two dozen student organizations offered a taste of their homeland during the annual International Expo.
“It is like traveling around the world in a day,” said Puja Jana, president of the Oklahoma State University International Student Organization, which hosted the event that has been going on more than 30 years.
During the lunch hour, student associations from countries including Saudi Arabia and South Korea sold food to hundreds of guests.
OSU has roughly 1,800 international students from more than 100 countries, with the majority coming from China (439) and India (425), according to fall 2017 data.
Minjoo Kim, 23, a PhD marketing major who was volunteering at the Korean Student Association booth said the event is a great way to learn about other countries while sampling their food.
Her group offered an array of food including bulgogi (barbecue beef) over rice with kimchi.
African Student Association volunteer and environmental science major Kim Ndong, 24, a senior, kept busy selling an African donut called a puff-puff and a drink called bissap, which was made from dried hibiscus flowers mixed with pineapple.
“People love it,” said Ndong, who is from Gabon, Africa.
A line at the Thai Student Association was steady throughout the event, not only for the food and drink options but because they were selling a hat that doubled as a fan for $1.
The wooden object was decorated with colorful fabric with Thai patterns.
“I’ve never seen this type of hat before,” said Ye Guo, 22, a senior strategic communications major. “This is a great event.”
The event also featured a booth where Alejandra Barrera, a 31-year-old Health and Human Performance PhD student from Mexico City, was collecting monetary donations.
The funds will soon be helping the people of Mexico recover following last month’s 7.1-magnitude earthquake that left more than 300 dead and thousands injured.
Barrera said nearly $2,000 had been raised in the past several weeks.
“I hope that in some small way this helps,” she said.