text:
January 10, 2012
By Allison Aubrey
“Food is medicine. Eating good food is a lot more about being healthy than it is about looking good.” –KTRN
You may remember the controversial studies linking food coloring and additives to hyperactivity in kids. Or you may know parents who have pinned their hopes on an elimination diet to improve their kids’ rowdy behavior.
“When [elimination] diets fail, parents can feel they’ve failed,” says Linda Brauer, coordinator of the Grand Rapids chapter of the advocacy group Children and Adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. She remembers feeling guilty when her son’s symptoms did not improve. But now she says the science is on her side.
A review paper published today in the journal Pediatrics evaluated the evidence from many studies on this topic. And it concludes that changing a child’s diet is usually not enough to effectively treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
“Elimination diets may help in a very small percentage of patients,” whereas stimulant medications are generally very effective, writes J. Gordon Millichap, a neurologist at Children’s Memorial Hospital in Chicago who authored the paper.
Now, before all of the we-are-what-we-eat believers among us dismiss this, you should know that experts don’t deny the importance of diet. Far from it.
October 19, 2011
Off The Grid
Attention Deficit Disorder and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADD/ADHD) are behavioral conditions characterized by a short attention span, which may be accompanied by hyperactivity. Approximately 5 percent of Americans have ADD/ADHD and half to two thirds of children diagnosed with it will carry it into adulthood. Children diagnosed with ADD/ADHD may also have various learning disabilities and may be disruptive in school and other public places.
More boys than girls are afflicted with this disorder. Many are rightly diagnosed with these maladies, but there are those who have been so “branded” just because they are very active, rambunctious children—again boys more often than girls. Just because a school psychologist or other doctor has told you your child’s overactive behavior is ADD/ADHD, it may not be true. Some teachers and school administrators don’t want to have to deal with disciplining active children, so they have them diagnosed and medicated. For peace of mind, get more than one opinion. You may want to have two other doctors, who aren’t connected to the school district, check out your child(ren).
More than 2 million children with ADD/ADHD are being treated with drugs that are equivalent to “legal speed”— stimulant drugs by prescription. There are concerns with this type of treatment. The first is that stimulants can suppress their growth. Next, the side effects they carry and their addictive nature are troublesome. There is also the possibility that those that have these prescriptions may not be taking them, but passing them on to their friends for the “high” that most people get from stimulants.
Once you have determined if you or your child has ADD/ADHD, you will want to choose how to treat it without drug therapy. The first thing to try is changes in diet. Some people are sensitive to refined white flours and sugars. Others are sensitive to chemical additives in food. Before making any dietary changes, talk with your healthcare provider. Among the usual dietary suspects are:
Any artificial flavorings
Any artificial colorings (yellow, green, and red are the worst offenders)
Chemical additives and preservatives (like BHA and BHT)
Bleached/Refined Sugar and Flour
Foods containing salicylates (chili powder, apples and cider, cloves, grapes, oranges, peaches, peppers, tomatoes, plums, prunes, and all berries)
An elimination diet is the best option to start with. In brief, eliminate the above usual suspects from your diet. Continue this way for several weeks before adding them back in. If there are no behavioral changes, good or bad, you will want to try something else. If behavior improves, then you can begin adding allergens to the diet one at a time. Eat that one allergen, in small quantities, once a day for two or three days. If behavior doesn’t change, you may add another possible allergen and continue in this manner until you have found if any trigger the ADD/ADHD symptoms and behaviors.
Feingold Diet – A type of elimination diet that is well known for its use among ADD/ADHD patients. It eliminates all chemical additives and all foods containing salicylates. It requires vigilant control over the sufferer’s eating habits. It also prohibits aspirin, as it contains salicylates. There has been some successes reported by patients who have tried it, but it would be hard to compel one to stick to it. In any case, it is wise to avoid foods with artificial flavors, colors, and chemical additives in order to ensure a healthy, natural diet.
Essential Fatty Acids – Omega-3 fatty acids found in fatty fish (salmon, tuna, mackerel) and certain vegetable oils (flax seed, hemp seed) are essential to proper brain function. These may also be beneficial to those with ADD/ADHD. But it is not clear if docosahexaenoic (DHA) and eicosapentaneoic (EPA) are advantageous.
Zinc – This mineral is essential for proper metabolism of certain neurotransmitters that have a role in ADD/ADHD. Deficiencies have been found in some with this disorder. However, long-term use of zinc can cause anemia and other side effects in those without deficiencies. Zinc also has no effect on ADD/ADHD in those patients. But testing for trace minerals, like zinc, is not typical when assessing those who are suspected of having this disorder.
Biofeedback and auditory feedback have shown some success in increasing the attention of children with low academic performance levels.
Neurofeedback – An approach that uses electronic devices to help patients (usually children) control their own brainwave activity. Electrodes are pasted to the head and pick up signals from the brain. Patients watch images, like moving graphs, on a computer monitor reflecting patient’s brain wave activity. Patients are taught certain high-level mental activities when screen images show that they are fully concentrating. Treatment typically recurs in fifty-minute sessions twice a week. Some studies report significant improvement in attentiveness, response time and less impulsiveness.
Interactive Metronome/Musical Therapy – This therapy uses feedback from sound to improve the patients’ attention, motor control, and some academic skills. Patients wear headphones as well as sensors on the hand and feet. They perform various exercises to a rhythmic computer beat. Sessions continue for three to five weeks. Some studies report improvements. Also, parents of some with ADD/ADHD report those who learned to play musical instruments significantly helped.
Some with mild ADD/ADHD symptoms have tried daily massage therapy. This can improve mood and attentiveness and reduce hyperactivity. Some may find relief with relaxation training, prayer and meditation, and music therapy.
Herbs and Supplements – Some find relief with one or a combination of these herbal remedies instead of prescribed drug treatments. Check with your healthcare provider as some do not recommend these for children.
St. John’s Wort
Pine Bark Extract
Listol, a combination of:
Huperzine A Extract
As with all alternative health treatments, you should always check with your doctor or healthcare practitioner before starting treatment for any condition.
August 16th, 2011
Do you buy orange juice at the store? If you do, I’m sure you’re careful to buy the kind that’s 100% juice and not made from concentrate. After all, that’s the healthier kind, right? The more natural kind? The kind without any additives? The kind that’s sold in the refrigerator section so it must be almost as good as fresh-squeezed orange juice?
If I’m describing you, then you’re either going to hate me or love me by the time you’re done reading this post. The truth is, that orange juice you feel so good about buying is probably none of those things. You’ve been making assumptions based on logic. The food industry follows its own logic because of the economies of scale. What works for you in your kitchen when making a glass or two of juice simply won’t work when trying to process thousands upon thousands of gallons of the stuff.
Haven’t you ever wondered why every glass of Tropicana Pure Premium orange juice tastes the same, no matter where in the world you buy it or what time of year you’re drinking it in? Or maybe your brand of choice is Minute Maid or Simply Orange or Florida’s Natural. Either way, I can ask the same question. Why is the taste and flavor so consistent? Why is it that the Minute Maid never tastes like the Tropicana, but always tastes like its own unique beverage?
Generally speaking, beverages that taste consistently the same follow recipes. They’re things like Coca Cola or Pepsi or a Starbucks Frappuccino. When you make orange juice at home, each batch tastes a little different depending on the oranges you made it from. I hope you’re hearing warning bells in your head right about now.
The reason your store bought orange juice is so consistently flavorful has more to do with chemistry than nature.
Making OJ should be pretty simple. Pick oranges. Squeeze them. Put the juice in a carton and voilà!
But actually, there is an important stage in between that is an open secret in the OJ industry. After the oranges are squeezed, the juice is stored in giant holding tanks and, critically, the oxygen is removed from them. That essentially allows the liquid to keep (for up to a year) without spoiling– but that liquid that we think of as orange juice tastes nothing like the Tropicana OJ that comes out of the carton. (source)
In fact, it’s quite flavorless. So, the industry uses “flavor packs” to re-flavor the de-oxygenated orange juice:
When the juice is stripped of oxygen it is also stripped of flavor providing chemicals. Juice companies therefore hire flavor and fragrance companies, the same ones that formulate perfumes for Dior and Calvin Klein, to engineer flavor packs to add back to the juice to make it taste fresh. Flavor packs aren’t listed as an ingredient on the label because technically they are derived from orange essence and oil. Yet those in the industry will tell you that the flavor packs, whether made for reconstituted or pasteurized orange juice, resemble nothing found in nature. The packs added to juice earmarked for the North American market tend to contain high amounts of ethyl butyrate, a chemical in the fragrance of fresh squeezed orange juice that, juice companies have discovered, Americans favor. Mexicans and Brazilians have a different palate. Flavor packs fabricated for juice geared to these markets therefore highlight different chemicals, the decanals say, or terpene compounds such as valencine.
The formulas vary to give a brand’s trademark taste. If you’re discerning you may have noticed Minute Maid has a candy like orange flavor. That’s largely due to the flavor pack Coca-Cola has chosen for it. Some companies have even been known to request a flavor pack that mimics the taste of a popular competitor, creating a “hall of mirrors” of flavor packs. Despite the multiple interpretations of a freshly squeezed orange on the market, most flavor packs have a shared source of inspiration: a Florida Valencia orange in spring.
Why aren’t these flavor packs listed as ingredients?
Good question! As with all industrial foods, it’s because of our convoluted labeling laws. You see, these “flavor packs are made from orange by-products — even though these ‘by-products’ are so chemically manipulated that they hardly qualify as ‘by-products’ any more.” (source) Since they’re made from by-products that originated in oranges, they can be added to the orange juice without being considered an “ingredient,” despite the fact that they are chemically altered.
So, what should you do about it?
First off, I must ask: Why are you drinking juice?? Juice removed from the fruit is just concentrated fructose without any of the naturally-occurring fiber, pectin, and other goodies that make eating a whole fruit good for you. Did you know, for example, that it takes 6-8 medium sized apples to make just 1 cup of apple juice? You probably wouldn’t be able to eat 6-8 medium apples in a single sitting. (I know I can barely eat one!) But you can casually throw back a cup of apple juice, and you would probably be willing to return for seconds. That’s why fruit juice is dangerous. It’s far too easy to consume far too much sugar.
So, my first piece of advice is to get out of the juice habit altogether. It’s expensive, and it’s not worth it.
My second piece of advice is to only drink juices that you make yourself, and preferably ones that you’ve turned into a healthy, probiotic beverage (like this naturally-fermented lemonade my own family enjoys). Sally Fallon Morrell’s Nourishing Traditions cookbook (pictured at right) has several lacto-fermented juice coolers that are pleasant, albeit expensive. (I especially like the Grape Cooler, Raspberry Drink, and Ginger Beer.) Want to make juicing easier? See here for where to buy juicers and Vitamix blenders.
And finally, opt out of the industrial food system as much as you can. If you learn anything at all from this post, it should be that you never know what’s in your food unless you grow it, harvest it, or make it yourself. Second best (and more practical for many, including myself) is to pay somebody I trust to do it — like the farmers at my Farmer’s Market, the cattle rancher I buy my annual grass-fed beef order from, or the chef at my local restaurant who’s willing to transparently answer questions about how he sources ingredients and what goes into the dish I’m ordering.
August 2nd, 2011
By: Ethan A Huff
Influenza vaccination rates are on the decline as Americans increasingly learn not only that flu shots contain harmful additives like Thimerosal (mercury), but also that they do not even work as claimed (one of the “side effects” of getting a flu shot, after all, is the flu itself).
So in order to convince the public into believing that flu vaccines are useful and necessary, experts from the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) are now touting the advent of a “universal” flu vaccine currently in the works that will supposedly protect against all types of flu.
According to USA Today, scientists are currently working on a universal flu vaccine that targets certain unchanging characteristics of flu viruses that are common among many strains. Dr. Francis Collins, Director of the NIH, says that the viral coatings of every flu strain contain some of the same, universal characteristics. So it is theoretically possible, he says, to design a vaccine that targets these universal characteristics, and thus target virtually all flu strains.
“There are parts of the viral coat that don’t change,” said Collins concerning the vaccine concept. “If you designed a vaccine to go after the constant part of the virus, you’d be protected against all strains.”
But is creating such a vaccine actually possible, or is the NIH announcement just a pipe dream based on wishful thinking? Or perhaps the idea of a universal flu vaccine is just a ploy to convince people that vaccine science is legitimate, and that vaccines actually work?
These are some of the glaring questions that stand out in this matter since, as many of us now know, the vaccine industry has no intention of actually “curing” the flu, and thus killing its flu vaccine cash cow.
Universal flu vaccine an attempt to convince public that vaccines are legitimate
Let’s face it. More and more Americans are growing reluctant to take vaccines just because their doctors and various public health agencies are telling them they should. Last fall, a Consumer Reports study revealed that flu vaccination rates are on the decline, with only about 37 percent of respondents to a survey indicating that they planned to get vaccinated that year.
Nearly half indicated that negative side effects were the primary reason why they planned to skip the shot, while roughly the same percentage expressed concern about the safety of flu shots in general. Many also claimed that flu shorts are probably not even necessary in the first place.
And every year, an increasing number of people are expressing such sentiments, as the number of willing volunteers for the flu shot continues to decline.
Questioning the legitimacy of the flu shot is important. After all, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which many look to as the “be all, end all” source of health information, has basically admitted that flu vaccines are useless.
This is why the agency says individuals need to be re-vaccinated every year. But even a cursory knowledge of how antibodies work in the human body proves that vaccines do not work to boost immunity in the way the CDC alleges, otherwise there would be no need to re-vaccinate.
Then, there is the inconvenient truth that flu vaccines are ineffective more than 99 percent of the time anyway. In other words, for every 100 people that get a flu shot, only one of them will derive any perceived benefit from it — and that one percent is a generous estimate!
The natural result of all these facts, of course, is an overall decline in the number of people willing to get jabbed every single year. And authorities are taking notice of this, which appears to be why they are now attempting to quell the growing wave of dissent towards vaccinations with promises of a scientific breakthrough.
The flu shot is not the answer, nutrition and lifestyle is
The truth, though, is that no vaccine is truly effective at preventing the flu, including any supposed “universal” flu vaccine. Real immunity against influenza is not built by the injection of viral fragments and toxins like formaldehyde and mercury — it is built by being naturally exposed to viruses while maintaining optimal immunity through good health and lifestyle.
Maintaining high levels of vitamin D through natural sunlight exposure and consumption of vitamin D3 is one very effective way in which you can strengthen your immune system and be ready to fight off influenza naturally.
Getting good rest, drinking clean water and consuming immune-boosting superfoods will do wonders for your health, not only in preventing the flu, but also in preventing a myriad of other health conditions.
January 11th, 2011
By: Julie Deardorff
Food coloring is the reason glace cherries are red rather than beige and that children’s tongues sometimes appear freakishly blue. But man-made dyes may do more than make processed food look vibrant and whimsical. Some blame the additives for triggering behavioral problems in youngsters.
Acting on research published in the Lancet, the European Parliament last year began requiring products containing synthetic food colors to carry warning labels saying that “consumption may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children.”
Now, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has scheduled a March hearing on whether food dyes adversely impact children’s health. The Center for Science in the Public Interest, or CSPI, is asking the agency for a synthetic food-dye ban and to place warnings on products until the colors are removed.
The dyes are often used to enhance the appearance of sugary cereals, candies, sodas, fruit-flavored snacks, fast food and other products that are aimed at children and have little nutritional value, the CSPI said in a citizen’s petition signed by 18 physicians and researchers. Since naturally derived alternatives exist, the continued use is hardly worth any potential risk, it said.
“What’s the benefit? To make junk food even more appealing to children than it already is?” asked CSPI Executive Director Michael Jacobson.
Other experts say food dyes, which require pre-market approval, are among the most tightly regulated additives on the market and there’s little evidence for the long-suspected link between food colors and hyperactivity.
“The (synthetic food dyes) used in the U.S. are absolutely safe,” said Joseph Borzelleca, a professor emeritus of pharmacology and toxicology at Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine. “Food colors are among the most thoroughly studied of the food ingredients.”
That hasn’t always been the case. Originally, naturally derived ingredients were used to make food look more appealing — saffron, for example, gave rice a yellow tint. In the 1850s, manufacturers began using long-lasting coal-tar dyes to brighten both fabric and food, a practice that sickened countless unsuspecting consumers.
Nearly 200 substances were in use when safety testing was finally required in 1960; only a handful survived the testing process.
Today, the nine synthetic hues approved for use in food — meaning they’ve been certified by the FDA — are used primarily to help restore the color washed away by industrial processing, even out natural variations and make foods look more appealing or “fun.”
November 17th, 2010
By: Tom Philpott
Last week, I praised fast food, which has probably been around as long as people have lived in cities.
But there’s a particular type of fast food that goes back just a half-century, dating to the post-war rise of car-centered cities and suburbs. It relies on regimentation, weird additives, flavor “engineering,” super-cheap (but highly subsidized) ingredients, and super-expensive marketing. I won’t bore you with why I think this type of fast food sucks; wouldn’t want to be labeled a food snob!
But let’s talk about that marketing. Yale’s Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity has just put out an extraordinary report on fast-food industry marketing.
Here’s the report’s headline number: $4.2 billion, which is how much the industry spent marketing its wares in 2010.
To put that amount in perspective, consider the Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, the USDA’s sub-agency that “works to improve the health and well-being of Americans by developing and promoting dietary guidance that links scientific research to the nutrition needs of consumers.” Its annual budget? $6.5 million, according to The New York Times reporter Michael Moss.
So $4.2 billion vs. $6.5 million. That means that for every $1 the industry spends haranguing Americans to eat stuff like Burger King’s 2,500-calorie Pizza Burger, about a tenth of a penny gets spent urging folks to eat their spinach.
And of course, as Moss’ superb recent piece shows, the USDA also openly collaborates with the industry to cajole people to eat more corporate fast food.
A $4.2 billion marketing budget in 2009, a year characterized by a brutal economic slump, is the sign of an extremely profitable industry. Corporate fast food is what is known as a “countercyclical” industry — it tends to thrive when the economy goes to hell. When money is tight, McDonald’s dollar menu looks like a bargain — and stuff like Domino’s now-infamous eight-cheese Wisconsin Pizza seems like a reasonable indulgence.
How well are these companies doing? The stock market gives us a clue. Over the past two years, shares of Yum! Brands (owner of owner of KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, and Long John Silver’s) and McDonald’s have both more than doubled. Meanwhile, the overall stock market, as measured by the S&P 500 index of the nation’s largest publicly traded companies, has flat-lined. In other words, investors are quite bullish on junk food corporations.
When times are flush, the industry is using its $4.2 billion marketing stash largely to cultivate new generations of customers: i.e., kids. The Rudd report doesn’t estimate how much of the fast-food industry’s marketing budget is directed at children (a 2006 study estimated a tidy $1.6 billion), but it offers a dizzying array of data to demonstrate the industry’s devotion to this dubious cause. Get this:
The average preschooler (2-5 years) saw 2.8 TV ads for fast food every day in 2009; children (6-11 years) saw 3.5; and teens (12-17 years) saw 4.7.
People have been scolding the fast-food industry for marketing its wares to kids for years. The industry’s response? A ramped-up effort to market its wares to kids:
Compared to 2003, preschoolers viewed 21% more fast food ads in 2009, children viewed 34% more, and teens viewed 39% more. … McDonald’s and Burger King have pledged to improve food marketing to children. However, both restaurants increased their volume of TV advertising from 2007 to 2009. Preschoolers saw 21% more ads for McDonald’s and 9% more for Burger King, and children viewed 26% more ads for McDonald’s and 10% more for Burger King.
There’s also an uncomfortable racial aspect to fast-food marketing — these companies evidently see major opportunity in selling product to African-American and Hispanic families:
McDonald’s and KFC specifically targeted African American youth with TV advertising, websites, and banner ads. African American teens viewed 75% more TV ads for McDonald’s and KFC compared to white teens.
How is all of this marketing working? The proof is in the whining. In a survey commissioned by the Rudd Center, 40 percent of parents report that their children ask to go to McDonald’s at least once a week, and 15 percent of parents of 2- to 5-year-olds report that their children harangue them for a Mickey D’s trip every day. As a result:
Eighty-four percent of parents reported taking their child to a fast food restaurant at least once in the past week; 66% reported going to McDonald’s.
What to make of all of this? To me, it underscores the importance of the National School Lunch Program. School lunches are our society’s most concrete, tangible way of transmitting foodways to rising generations. The public-school cafeteria is where we create a public vision of what the food system should be. In short, it’s the public contribution to the formation of kids’ eating habits. And it is in the cafeteria, I think, where the fast-food industry’s marketing efforts could be effectively rebuffed.
Unfortunately, I don’t have much good news here, either. Currently, we spend about $11 billion annually on school lunches — of which two-thirds goes to overhead and labor costs. That leaves about $4 billion to spend on ingredients — roughly equal to the fast food industry’s marketing annual budget. Per child, schools have about 90 cents per day to spend on ingredients.
At those levels of funding, it’s no wonder that public-school administrators are increasingly outsourcing cooking to … the fast-food industry, which knows a thing or two about engineering low-quality ingredients into something people will crave. And guess what? The USDA is cheering them on. Listen several minutes into this boring radio clip, and you’ll hear a Domino’s exec babbling about how USDA officials are helping the company get its pizza into school cafeterias. And if that doesn’t kill you, here’s a report about a Connecticut town that has invited McDonald’s PR flacks into its public schools to provide nutritional counseling.
There are school districts that are trying to teach kids other visions of what food is. Grist contributor and parent-turned-school-lunch-activist Ed Bruske is writing about the one in Boulder, Colo., right now — and how it’s struggling to balance the budget after tossing the junk food out.
Meanwhile, San Francisco is about to become the first major city to ban chains from providing toys in certain fast-food meals. The measure has aroused scorn — what will San Francisco ban next? the Times’ Freaknomics blog asked. But when cash-strapped parents and school districts are up against $4.2 billion in carefully plotted ways to get kids to beg for fast food, any public effort to fight back seems welcome.
November 9th, 2010
By: Dave Thier
If you’ve ever wondered exactly what that “USDA organic” seal actually means, you’re in good company. The U.S. Department of Agriculture itself has been asking the same question ever since it established the National Organic Program in 2002.
“Organic” is intended to mean agricultural products produced without hormones, pesticides, artificial fertilizers or other synthetic additives. But purists have long argued that the USDA standards contain numerous loopholes that have allowed factory-style farms to operate under the letter, if not the spirit, of the organic law. Now, both the industry and the government are grappling with how to bring meaning back to “organic.”
Fred Kirschenmann, a North Dakota farmer and distinguished fellow at the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, served on the National Organic Standards Board when it was establishing the standards for the USDA organic seal.
Early on, Kirschenmann argued that an organic farm shouldn’t be able to “degrade the health of the soil.” But when the board gave that to USDA lawyers, they told it to change the language. Any regulation, the lawyers said, needed to be able to be answered with a simple yes or no — something that can be difficult in the complex world of organic agriculture.
What the organic laws boiled down to were a list of inputs that an organic farm could and could not use. That led to many farmers getting their certification by practicing what some call “substitution agriculture” — changing the kinds of chemicals they added to the soil without changing the way that they farmed.
“You have organic farmers that don’t really use what would traditionally be used, what good organic practices would classify as good agro-ecological systems” Kirschenmann told AOL News. “They’re just using natural inputs instead of synthetic inputs.”
The confusion extends to livestock as well. For instance, organic cows and chickens were required to have “access to pasture.” For some that meant having free-range animals that got the bulk of their food from the outdoors. For others, it meant having a tiny door at one end of a gigantic henhouse.
In a report titled “Scrambled Eggs,” small farm advocate The Cornucopia Institute documented several certified organic egg farms keeping up to a million chickens in conditions that seem a long way away from a quaint little farmhouse.
For small farmers trying to raise animals in more humane and ecologically friendly conditions, having the government telling consumers that their products are equivalent to those from giant producers can make for tough business.
“We’re one of the few industries that have actually asked for strict regulation,” Cornucopia Institute co-founder Mark Kastel told AOL News.
Organic agriculture has boomed in the years since the adoption of the organic seal into a more than $25 billion-a-year industry. But Kastel and others argue that some of that expansion sacrificed the practices that were supposed to be essential to organic agriculture — and allowed big firms to squeeze out the small producers that helped to build the organic brand in the first place.
Proponents of tighter organic standards, however, agree that President Barack Obama’s undersecretary of agriculture, Kathleen Merrigan, and the USDA have been working to clarify some of that flexible language. Last year, they changed the “access to pasture” phrase to say that cows must be allowed to graze 120 days a year. And at a series of hearings in Madison, Wis., recently, producers, distributors, processors and consumers told the National Organic Standards Board what they thought was missing from the current certification standards.
For Kastel and others trying to establish a more exclusive organic seal, the hearings were a success: They declared that nanotechnology would not be allowed in organic products and that conventional hops would not be allowed in organic beer. In the contentious egg issue, he said that the board seemed receptive to farmers and consumers asking for stricter requirements for certified organic eggs.
“Now we’ve got an administrative management under the Obama administration that respects the organic community, and it’s quite a turnaround,” Kastel said. “Now we’re seeing institutionalized improprieties being reversed.”
Egg and dairy giant Organic Valley is one of the largest organic farm co-ops in the country. The company employs its own inspection standards above USDA organic. But Organic Valley, like the USDA, has had to deal with the difficulties of balancing organic ideals with an ever-expanding industry.
“I think that they are only now dealing with the nuances of the language,” Organic Valley egg pool director David Bruce told AOL News about the USDA’s organics standards. “And they’re trying to balance the fact that some there is some idealism around organics, and there needs to be a rubber hitting the road, and that idealism needs to meet the reality of production agriculture.”
May 20, 2010
By Mike Adams
(NaturalNews) A new study published in the journal Circulation reveals that eating processed meat products significantly raises the risk of heart disease and diabetes. Previous research has linked processed meats to cancer as well.
The new paper involved a meta-analysis of 20 different studies covering more than one million people from 10 different countries. The study found that eating just 2 ounces of processed meat each day resulted in the following:
• A 42 percent increase in the risk of heart disease.
• A 19 percent increase in the risk of diabetes.
Interestingly, the analysis simultaneously found that eating non-processed meats was not linked to these increases in disease risk. The study authors concluded that it was the processed salt and chemical additives in the processed meat that caused increase risk of disease.
March 15, 2010
By David Gutierrez
Many children’s snacks marketed as healthy alternatives are actually full of unhealthy ingredients like sugar, salt and fat, according to an analysis conducted by the consumer watchdog organization Which?.
“Parents should be able to pick out healthy products for their kids’ lunchboxes, but what you see isn’t always what you get,” said the group’s Martyn Hocking.
“Many [products] declare that they don’t contain additives, but don’t mention they’re also full of salt or sugar – giving the impression they’re healthier than they are,” the report reads.
For example, while Dairylea Lunchables Ham ‘n’ Cheese Crackers are advertised as providing half of the recommended daily calcium for a child, nowhere on the label or in promotional materials does the company acknowledge that the product is high in fat, saturated fat and salt — containing 1.8 grams of the maximum daily recommended 3 grams of the latter.
The report also singles out Kellogg’s Frosties Cereal and Milk bars, which the company promotes by saying, “”Fortified with vitamins, iron and calcium, now you can give your kids a great tasting snack that you can be sure won’t come back from school in the lunchbox!” Yet the company does not explain that the bars contain seven different sugar ingredients and thus are nearly one-third sugar by weight.
Other supposedly healthy products that are actually high in sugar include Robinson’s Fruit Shoot orange juice drinks, with nearly five teaspoons (23 grams) or sugar in a single 200 milliliter bottle; Fruit Factory fruit strings, with 13.7 grams of sugar in a 24 gram product; and Munch Bunch Double Up fromage frais, which contain only 2.25 grams of fruit puree but more than two teaspoons (12.4 grams) of sugar.
“The best way to beat the lunchbox baddies is by checking the nutrition and ingredient information,” Hocking said. “We’d also like to see the rules on health and nutrition claims made tougher, so there’s less confusion on the supermarket shelves.”
December 29, 2009
By E. Huff
A study published by Bionsen, a company in the United Kingdom that sells aluminum-free body products, found that the average woman applies 515 chemicals to her face a day. Makeup, perfumes, lotions, mascara, and other beauty products all contribute to the toxic brew that is causing health problems for many women.
The study revealed that the typical woman uses about 13 different beauty products a day. Most of these products contain at least 20 ingredients and additives, many of which can have a detrimental effect on the body and skin. Perfumes alone were found to contain up to 400 different ingredients.
Other products that were tested include lipstick, body lotions and mascara which contained an average of 30 ingredients each. Aside from aluminum, many of these products contain other harmful ingredients like synthetic dyes, fragrances, and parabens. When applied continually, the many beauty products that women use are exposing them to wide range of carcinogens.
The perpetual advent of new and innovative beauty products has led to a massive increase in product usage over the years. What was once a basic cleansing protocol has turned into a lifestyle of trying the latest and greatest products in an effort to maintain youthful beauty. As a result, women are exposed to more toxic carcinogens from beauty products than ever.
An Environmental Working Group (EWG) study from 2006 found that less than one percent of all cosmetic products are made from ingredients that have all undergone safety assessments. The great majority of products contain known carcinogens, reproductive toxins and various other harmful chemicals that cause serious diseases like cancer.
The EWG study found that the average person uses up to 25 personal care products per day. Among these, about 200 different chemicals will have been added to scent, preserve, synthesize and stabilize them for consumption. Many of these ingredients will end up causing hormonal disruption and immune dysfunction. In younger people, developmental problems are likely to result from excessive product use.
Makeup usage among younger girls has also increased. About 90 percent of 14-year-old girls now use makeup, according to a research study conducted by Mintel Internation Group in 2004. Sixty-three percent of girls as young as seven are now using lipstick, eyeliner, eye shadow and mascara.
As consumers are becoming more aware of many beauty product ingredients and the harm they are causing, product manufacturers are beginning to remove many of them from their formulations. Those concerned would do best to purchase only products that have minimal or no toxic ingredients. Greatly reducing one’s cosmetic arsenal is the next best option.


text:
Home of Maine's Finest Grower and Shippers!
ConAgra Foods, Inc., (NYSE: CAG) reported results for the fiscal 2015 fourth quarter ended May 31, 2015. The company also announced it plans to exit Private Brands operations.
The potato industry in Prince Edward Island has opted to increase the value of the reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the iindividual(s) responsible for the deliberate...
Potato starch manufacturer AVEBE introduces a high amylopectin potato starch (ELIANE™ GEL 100) with unique properties that allow food manufacturers to create high quality, creamy and indulgent fat...
Lamb Weston®has announced the launch of a new global brand identity expressed by the tagline "Seeing Possibilities in Potatoes".
A federal judge has signed off on a $25 million settlement in a lawsuit between wholesale grocers and US potato farming associations accused of forming a price-fixing cartel.
Prince Edward Island potato bags have received a makeover. The goal is to convince more Island potato producers to go with the industry bags rather than their own individual brands.
Live Better Brands, makers of the Way Better Snacks brand of tortilla chips and crackers, announces a minority growth-equity investment from Alliance Consumer Growth (ACG), a leading consumer-focused...
As the 2014 crop year is coming to an end, Dutch potato processor Aviko is taking a look at the 2015 potato crop
When Burger King decided to enter India, the American hamburger chain did something that it has never done before. It gave the local master franchise full control over the menu.
Tasteful Selections™ inspires consumers to rescue moments and spend more quality time with family by creating delicious time-saving potato recipes with useful cooking tips.

domain: news


text:
GroupM has made two key senior appointments to GroupM Connect and plista as it continues its strategy of strengthening the group’s capabilities in digital media.
Renee Fittock joins GroupM Connect (formerly AgencyM) as general manager from her most recent post as head of trading and platforms at Yahoo!7 where she was overseeing the programmatic buying and selling operations, developing the media company’s performance solutions and managing technology partnerships.
GroupM Connect brings together the group’s digital biddable media operations, including search, social, mobile and our programmatic buying units.
Fittock said: “To establish an organisation like GroupM Connect in the Australian market is a really rare opportunity that could not be surpassed. In this diverse role, I am able to leverage my business management and performance marketing expertise, and scale an organisation of fun, bright and engaged specialists in online marketing, performance and biddable advertising. I am also really privileged to be able to work with and learn from GroupM’s leadership team.”
At plista, GroupM’s content distribution platform, Brett Poole takes on the role of general manager. Poole spent eight years at Yahoo!, most notably leading the Yahoo!7 Search business and broader platform, product and engineering efforts as platform director. His publisher-side experience is coupled with several years of startup and startup advisor experience.
Poole said: “Like elsewhere in the world, recommendations are becoming an increasingly attractive proposition for users, publishers and content creators alike. The plista platform is a very comprehensive and compelling offering having had great success in Europe, so I’m excited to be joining GroupM and plista to help grow the business here in Australia and NZ.”
GroupM head of digital John Miskelly added: “Renee and Brett represent the very best talent when it comes to the online and advertising technology industry. Recruiting leaders of this calibre demonstrates the group’s commitment to further strengthening our digital products and services for our clients. Both will add to our already strong digital leadership team across the agency management teams and Xaxis.”


text:
PROMOTING THEIR GOODS and services became a little bit simpler for local businesses in Moray almost exactly one year ago with the appearance of a professional PR service.
Having successfully navigated through the difficult first year for any business, Chit Chat PR have now been celebrating their first anniversary by teaming up with children’s cancer charity CLIC Sargent.
The Forres-based firm has been behind an entirely new approach in media relations for businesses in the region, using emerging media sources as well as the more traditional kind to make the public aware of what is new and good in the local business community.
Sharing information is at the heart of all public relations work – now CLIC Sargent Scotland looks set to benefit from a formal link with the PR company that both hope will prove fruitful for the charity.
Chit Chat PR director Clair Doughty said: “We are absolutely delighted to be working with CLIC Sargent.
“Peter Logie, the fundraising manager for the area, approached us at the tail end of last year to see if we wanted to get involved and we jumped at the offer. It’s a fantastic charity to be involved with.
“Peter is an old hand at getting media coverage, I’ve known him since my journalism days, but what we intend to do at Chit Chat is help with the targeted social media advertising. We have already helped with one fundraising event, and the charity saw entries increase as a result.”
Peter Logie, CLIC Sargent fundraising manager for Moray and Highland said: “I am delighted and excited to have the support of this innovative, creative and friendly publicity and marketing company to help CLIC Sargent increase its general profile and that of its various events in Moray and the Highlands.
“Claire and Marc have had a great first year and we are lucky to have such a talented duo on our side.”
Chit Chat PR & Digital was launched last February 2015 and last week held a celebratory ‘birthday party’ at The Stables in Brodie Castle.
Marc Hindley who runs the company with Claire and specialises in the digital side of the company said: “The business has hit the ground running and what better way to mark our first year in business than a collaboration with such a worthwhile cause.
“We are over the moon to be working with Peter at CLIC and we hope we can help make all the events the charity runs even bigger and better than they already are.
“We now have several clients ranging from those in hospitality, sport, cosmetics, renewables and retail sectors to name but a few.”


text:
Household chemical manufacturers rank themselves at or ahead of the curve in product safety; yet, consumers remain concerned about product safety, and 65 percent believe cleaning products have not improved over the past five years, according to research by Underwriters Laboratories.
Most Consumers Distrust Cleaning Products’ Safety
On average, 73 percent of consumers do not believe that household chemical manufacturers have taken adequate steps to ensure that environmentally friendly manufacturing procedures are followed. Nearly two-thirds of consumers surveyed do not believe manufacturers thoroughly test products before they arrive on store shelves, according to Navigating the Product Mindset.
Such consumer wariness will influence industrial cleaning practices in hospitals, schools and other public buildings, according UL Environment, a business unit of UL.
Household chemical manufacturers say it’s their responsibility to communicate safety information to consumers. And 90 percent list product safety among the top three factors impacting their ability to effectively compete. Yet, 64 percent of consumers say product safety information is difficult to locate.
This week cleaning products made by Clorox, SC Johnson and Reckitt Benckiser were named among hundreds that received failing grades in an online safety and disclosure guide published by the Environmental Working Group. Just seven percent of cleaning products adequately disclose their contents, EWG said. Of the 408 all-purpose cleaners reviewed, 18 products scored an A, eight scored a B, 33 scored a C, 160 scored a D and 189 products scored an F.
In January, SC Johnson announced it was listing the ingredients contained in its products and the roles they play in a newly-relaunched website. The site also contains FAQs about products and links to alternate sites containing ingredient information and educational materials. The company also said it would publish a list of all fragrance ingredients used in its products.
Johnson & Johnson recently announced it would remove potentially harmful chemicals, including formaldehyde, from its line of adult consumer products by the end of 2015.


text:
Payday loan provider ACE money Express sometimes appears on San Mateo Boulevard in Albuquerque, N.M. High-interest lending methods are now being targeted by brand new regulations that are federal. Vik Jolly/AP hide caption
Payday loan provider ACE money Express is observed on San Mateo Boulevard in Albuquerque, N.M. High-interest financing techniques are now being targeted by new regulations that are federal.
The customer Financial Protection Bureau on Thursday is proposing brand new laws to protect customers from predatory financing techniques that the CFPB’s top regulator calls «debt traps.»
Americans are being «set up to fail» by payday and auto-title loan providers, Richard Cordray, the manager associated with the customer Financial Protection Bureau, informs NPR.
Customer Financial Protection Bureau Director Richard Cordray (center) listens to reviews during a field hearing on payday financing in Richmond, Va., in might.


text:
"To be honest, at this E3 I wanted to announce a new Zelda for Wii," he said at a roundtable tonight, as reported by Gamasutra. "But we've already shown you a Zelda on Wii." Instead, he showed the crowd a piece of concept art from "the next game," detailing a realistic-looking Link. Sadly, attendees weren't allowed to photograph the art.
Alongside his hopes to showcase the as-yet-unannounced title at E3 2010, Miyamoto also noted that the game could require the sensitivity-increasing Wii MotionPlus add-on, though that depends on sales of the June 8-due peripheral and one other factor.
"I love action games, and bring in archery and swordplay, that's great for me, but some people love [Zelda] as an RPG, and like the simpler controls, so that's something I really have to think about," he mused.


text:
Starbucks loyalty program members will be able to read some stories for free, and get Starbucks “stars” for New York Times print and digital subscriptions. The deal follows a similar agreement with music streaming service Spotify.
Starbucks struck a deal with The New York Times to allow members of the coffee giant’s rewards program to see stories for free on its mobile app and earn Starbucks loyalty points through paid subscriptions with the newspaper.
The deal is the second in which Starbucks allows its fans to earn so-called “stars” with purchases made with other retailers. It’s a step in a path that could lead to sharing customers with a vast network of companies — and open a new source of revenue for the Seattle coffee purveyor.
Last May Starbucks struck a similar deal with Spotify, in which the music streaming service’s subscribers could also earn points to be used within Starbucks’ rewards program.
Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz said at an investor presentation shortly after the Spotify deal that company executives call this strategy “Stars as Currency.”
Most Read Business Stories
- Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella sells half his shares in the company
- Apple iOS privacy settings to change now
- Seattle-area home price growth starts to level off, still No. 7 in the nation
- Democrats push FAA for action against certain Boeing 737 MAX employees
- Elizabeth Holmes testifies that she was raped at Stanford, focused on Theranos
The gist, Schultz said, is that another company’s business get a boost by rewarding its customers with Starbucks stars — and Starbucks gets extra revenue from selling those stars to outside companies. A Starbucks spokeswoman confirmed that The New York Times would also be paying Starbucks for stars.
Schultz said he expects there will be many partnerships within that ecosystem.
The agreement with The New York Times means that the 10 million Starbucks reward members that use the company’s mobile app will be able to see top news and a sampling of other stories for free, beginning in the first half of 2016.
Starbucks said it will also add stories from other media over time.


text:
Updated 4:00 p.m. PT with additional context on Etsy’s IPO.
Etsy, a crafty e-commerce company that just filed to go public, shared some interesting stats today.
The company disclosed that it concluded 2014 with 54 million members, 1.4 million active sellers, and 19.8 million active buyers. On top of that, Etsy says its sellers “generated GMS of $1.93 billion” in 2014 — that is, “gross merchandise sales,” the value of the site’s total number of sales, ignoring shipping fees, refunds, etc.
That’s a big number. And of course, that’s why Etsy put it front and center in its S-1. Etsy says its GMS grew 43.3 percent from 2013 to 2014.
When compared to larger e-commerce sites, however, Etsy appears small. In January, eBay reported $83 billion in sales for 2014. Further down the line, Alibaba’s gross sales during the second quarter of 2014 hit a whopping $82 billion, according to Business Insider.
For more on the IPO, check out our main report here. For more on Etsy’s business, here are a few slides from the company’s S-1:
VentureBeat's mission is to be a digital town square for technical decision-makers to gain knowledge about transformative enterprise technology and transact. Discover our Briefings.


text:
U.S. stocks are turning higher Tuesday as banks, retailers and technology companies post gains. Retailers are rising following strong fourth-quarter results from Under Armour and more gains for Amazon. If the gains hold, it would mark the third straight increase for the market following a harrowing drop of more than 10 percent over the previous two weeks.
KEEPING SCORE: The S&P 500 rose 4 points, or 0.2 percent, to 2,659 as of 1:30 p.m. Eastern time. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 14 points, or 0.1 percent, to 24,616. The Nasdaq composite gained 17 points, or 0.3 percent, to 6,999. The Russell 2000 index of smaller-company stocks was unchanged at 1,490.
Stocks have been making big swerves higher and lower recently, but so far, this is the calmest day on the stock market in almost two weeks. Last week the Dow twice fell 1,000 points in a day, sometimes gaining or losing hundreds of points in only a few minutes. So far on Tuesday, the gap between its highest and lowest mark Tuesday is just 217 points.
ON THE REBOUND: Under Armour climbed after it reported better-than-expected sales as shoe and accessory revenue picked up. The stock had plunged 50 percent in 2017 on top of a 30 percent decline in 2016. It rose $2.15, or 15.1 percent, to $16.38. Athletic apparel retailer Foot Locker also gained ground.
Amazon climbed $1.86, or 1.2 percent, to $1,403.09; and dollar stores, department stores and clothing companies made gains as well.
Meal kit company Blue Apron, which had fallen hard since it went public in June, took a smaller loss than analysts expected and posted stronger revenue. The stock rose 12 cents, or 3.6 percent, to $3.47. It went public at $10 a share in late June.
HEALTH SCARE: Prescription drug distributor AmerisourceBergen jumped $7.50, or 8.4 percent, to $96.95 after The Wall Street Journal reported that Walgreens Boots Alliance wants to buy the rest of the company. It already owns a 26 percent stake in AmerisourceBergen, which is one of the largest prescription drug distributors in the U.S. and also distributes products to hospitals and other health systems. The Wall Street Journal said that Walgreens reached out several weeks ago about a deal but that no offer has been made. Walgreens added 21 cents to $68.67.
Separately, the Journal reported that Amazon is looking to win over hospitals and clinics to distribute a variety of medical items. Two other distributors of prescription drugs also fell, as Cardinal Health lost $2.36, or 3.5 percent, to $65.67; and McKesson shed $3.45, or 2.3 percent, to $145.57.
In January, Amazon announced a partnership with JPMorgan Chase and Berkshire Hathaway aimed at reducing health care costs. It’s widely believed to have designs on a larger role in the health-care system.
CHIPPED TOOTH: The Federal Trade Commission said it is suing three large dental product suppliers for conspiring to deny discounts to groups that buy products for small practices. It said their actions violated antitrust law, and that Henry Schein, Patterson; and privately-held Benco control 85 percent of the $10 billion market for products like gloves, sterilization products, lights and dentists’ chairs.
Henry Schein rejected the allegations and said it will defend itself in court. Its stock fell $5.31, or 7.4 percent, to $66.87; and Patterson sank $2.03, or 6.2 percent, to $30.89.
PUMP IT UP: Nutrition supplement company GNC Holdings soared $1.27, or 30.2 percent, to $5.46 after it formed a joint venture with Harbin Pharmaceutical Group of China. Harbin is investing $300 million in GNC, which will make it the company’s largest shareholder.
OIL: Energy companies declined as benchmark U.S. crude fell 18 cents to $59.10 a barrel in New York. Brent crude, used to price international oils, dropped 3 cents to $62.56 a barrel in London.
BONDS: Bond prices rose. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note fell to 2.84 percent from 2.86 percent.
CURRENCIES: The dollar fell to 107.63 yen from 108.67 yen. The euro rose to $1.2357 from $1.2284.
OVERSEAS: Germany’s DAX shed 0.7 percent, and the CAC 40 of France fell 0.6 percent. Britain’s FTSE 100 lost 0.1 percent. Japan’s Nikkei 225 lost 0.7 percent, and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index added 1.4 percent. South Korea’s Kospi rose 1.1 percent.


text:
SACRAMENTO -- Two California lawmakers plan to introduce legislation next month requiring age verification to buy cigarettes over the Internet, after a state government staff member managed to get a carton of Camel Lights dropped off on his porch for his 2-year-old daughter.
It is illegal for anyone under 18 to purchase cigarettes, but lawmakers say the relative anonymity of the Internet allows minors to use their parents' credit cards or pay cash on delivery to purchase cigarettes from 88 online stores and American Indian cyber "trading posts," according to the San Francisco Chronicle
"Nobody is checking who is going online. Nobody is checking who is buying cigarettes, and that is why kids are going online," said Assemblyman Dario Frommer, (D-Los Angeles).
To test the system, Frommer's chief of staff, Dan Reeves, recently ordered a carton of Camel cigarettes from a New York tribe using his daughter's name, Madelyn Reeves. The package was delivered in her name, left on their porch and then used as a prop at Frommer's press conference yesterday.
The Web site, www.ojibwas.com, warns users three times that they have to be over 18 to use the site. Purchases are made by credit card, but Frommer said other sites allow people to pay C.O.D.
Rhode Island and Kansas appear to be the only states that require age verification for purchasing cigarettes online. New York tried to ban all Internet sales of cigarettes, but a federal court struck down the law, saying it violated the constitutional right to conduct interstate commerce, the report said.
Cigarette companies say they are not opposed to stricter controls on minors buying cigarettes. Tom Ryan, a spokesman for tobacco giant Philip Morris, said the company believes "very firmly that all of our products should be sold with all applicable laws."
The California measure would require Internet vendors to verify a person's age using a database of state birth records or with a faxed copy of valid identification; require either a credit card or personal check for purchases, not cash; and require the buyer to personally sign for their package.
It is unclear how many minors are purchasing cigarettes on the Internet. A recent study by the University of Southern California questioned 17,000 sophomores and seniors at high schools, and 2.2 percent said they had attempted to purchase cigarettes online.


text:
Proposed Build Back Better Act contains key tax provisions
On September 15, the House Ways and Means Committee voted to approve the tax provisions to be included in the Build Back Better Act. Our experts outline the key tax provisions to watch.
Don’t let real estate accounting curb your portfolio growthEfficient accounting is crucial to your business whether you’re a property manager, real estate developer, or investor. But large, fluctuating real estate portfolios can easily overwhelm accounting staff. Thinking about outsourced accounting? Ask yourself these questions.
Illinois enacts potential solution to SALT limitation for pass-through entity owners
Illinois Governor Pritzker signed Senate Bill 2531 into law, enacting a pass-through entity tax election for partnerships and S corporations that could allow individuals to increase their federal deduction for state taxes and bypass the $10,000 TCJA limitation.
Retail sales beat expectations, rising moderately in AugustThe August retail sales report might have been a nice surprise, but it comes with a notable asterisk. Retailers benefited from an unexpected pickup in sales, but much of that gain was explained by negative revisions to July sales data.
COVID-19: Adapt faster, emerge stronger.
Learn from leaders
Join executives from across the nation for a two-day virtual experience featuring a panel conversation with prominent C-suite and government leaders, an economic update, and a keynote from disruptive innovator and founding partner of Detroit Venture Partners, Josh Linkner.
Get our latest insights on COVID-19 and more


text:
Telecommunications services provider, Airtel Nigeria has been ranked the best operator for good quality of service by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) based on the Commission's Audit Report for March and April 2012.
11 May 2012
MTN Group recorded 170 573 000 subscribers at 31 March 2012. This is a 3,7% increase for the quarter from 164 501 000 subscribers recorded at 31 December 2011. The group delivered a satisfactory performance notwithstanding continued high levels of competition in key markets.
7 May 2012
The African Banker Awards has released the shortlist of nominees for the 2012 competition. The winners will be announced at an awards ceremony on 30 May 2012, which makes its debut in Africa. This year's event coincides with the annual African Development Bank (AfDB) meetings in Arusha, Tanzania
24 Apr 2012
Visa recently appointed PocketMedia Solutions' Z-Card to communicate important information about its Visa Debit Card in Kenya, Nigeria and Ghana.
23 Apr 2012
Huawei Mobile, a global information communications technology firm, has disclosed its plan of introducing six new smartphones to the Nigerian market.
18 Apr 2012
Telecommunications services provider, Airtel Nigeria scooped three awards for its outstanding performance as the 23rd edition of the Enugu International Trade Fair which recently took place in the Enugu State, Nigeria.
16 Apr 2012
Oresti Patricios, CEO of Ornico urges local markets not to be blinded by the US hype, but to remember that Africa should feature foremost as a source of the local industry's inspiration, research and advertising insights.
3 Apr 2012
According to the recent KPMG Consumers & Convergence Report, South African consumers and businesses are comparing favourably to the rest of the world when it comes to adopting new technologies and using social media.
29 Mar 2012
Montgomery West Africa have announced the launch of PROPAK West Africa, an event focusing on the emerging West African packaging industry, which is set to take place from 4-6 September 2012 at the EKO Hotel and Conference Centre in Lagos, Nigeria.
15 Mar 2012
e-Banking services in Nigeria is set to witness a shift as FirstBank of Nigeria Plc (FirstBank) and Airtel Networks Limited have agreed to combine their strengths to provide mobile money services to millions of Nigerians.
20 Feb 2012
In the Federal High Court of Nigeria, the honorable Justice Shuaib, handed down judgment in the matter between Econet Wireless Ltd (EWL) vs. Bharti Airtel Nigeria Limited. Bharti Airtel has since issued a statement to the media.
30 Jan 2012
Providers of data security products, Unistal Systems Pvt. Ltd, has launched the new version of Protegent360 for laptop and desktop users. The company has announced the enhanced security features in the latest edition, which is essential for contemporary needs. The product will be sold by Hallmark Solution Warehouse Ltd in Nigeria.
5 Jan 2012
At an inauguration ceremony held last week, L'Oréal opened its new subsidiary in Kenya, which will be the hub for expanding the group's activities in East Africa, a region which also includes Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi and Ethiopia. The group's subsidiary in Nigeria opened in September.
12 Dec 2011
In an important process which started three years ago, the first round of negotiations to establish a free trade area (FTA) covering 27 countries in Southern and East Africa will kick off on Thursday, 8 December 2011, in Nairobi. This promises to be an important instrument for the future of trade and industrialisation in Africa.
7 Dec 2011
Cadbury Nigeria Plc (CADBURY), a manufacturer of drinks and food products, forecast a 60% increase in net income to 339.2 million naira (US$2 million) for the first quarter.
Vincent Nwanma 7 Dec 2011
W.AFRI-TEL, the West African Telecom Exhibition, which takes place from 8-10 May 2012 at the Eko Hotel fair ground in Lagos, Nigeria, will facilitate business opportunities in the telecom sector, enabling exhibitors to gain access to the Nigerian telecom market that contains over 80 million mobile subscribers.
17 Nov 2011
NEW YORK, US: Global online consumer confidence fell for the seventh consecutive quarter as confidence in 31 of 56 global markets measured declined, according to from Nielsen, a leading global provider of insights and analytics into what consumers watch and buy.
9 Nov 2011
LONDON, UK: Africa has become the second most connected region in the world in terms of mobile subscription count, up from fourth place at the end of 2010, according to new research by Informa Telecoms & Media, and the number of mobile subscriptions in Africa is expected to reach one billion in 2016.
4 Nov 2011
MIH Internet Holdings Ltd, on Monday 24 October 2011, announced that it has closed down the Kalahari Kenya and Kalahari Nigeria operations with immediate effect, following a strategic review of its investment properties.
26 Oct 2011
The words, "Aint no mountain high enough" from the popular song has become the anthem to 100 000 employees at DHL Express as they launch their latest global advertising campaign, The International Specialists, across markets in Africa. [video]
20 Oct 2011
The African Banker Awards have released the shortlist of nominees for the 2011 competition. The winners will be announced at the awards ceremony on the 23rd September in Washington DC, during the World Bank/IMF meetings.
26 Aug 2011
XLink Communications (XLink) recently partnered with Gateway Business Africa, the pan-African corporate telecommunications provider, to deliver connectivity services to African credit card machines and their respective banks, using the GSM network.
26 Aug 2011
According to a survey published in the latest edition of Mediafacts 2010, an annual publication of MediaReach OMD, a media independent agency in Nigeria, a total of N97.549 billion was invested in outdoor advertising (above the line advertising activities).
8 Aug 2011
LONDON: Speaking at Standard Bank's African Investors Conference, Lamido Sanusi, governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria announced that the one-year restriction associated with the holding period of the Certificate of Capital Importation (CCI) in the fixed income market will be lifted on the 1 July 2011.
27 Jun 2011
CAPE TOWN: The first phase of setting up a free trade area across 26 countries in Africa is expected to come into effect in three years, trade and industry minister Rob Davies said on Monday, 13 June 2011.
14 Jun 2011
Blue Label Telecoms said on Monday (13 June 2011) that it has decided to terminate its business activities in Nigeria. Blue Label has an effective 36.72% stake in Africa Prepaid Services Nigeria through its 72% shareholding in Africa Prepaid Services.
13 Jun 2011
A billion Africans and 50 million bank accounts. In South Africa, credit cards are used by only 16.5% of the population (2008). No African country comes close to 1% of total retail spend spent online - the magic figure which constitutes the tipping point for digital retail growth. No wonder, then, that the ecommerce market in Africa hasn't bloomed.
Herman Manson: @marklives 12 May 2011
Consumer confidence in Nigeria and Kenya - two of Africa's leading economies - has significantly increased in the past six months, while Morocco experienced a slight decline and Egypt's index recorded a level below 50, a MasterCard Worldwide Index of Consumer Confidence released last week in Johannesburg has revealed.
Issa Sikiti da Silva 31 Jan 2011


text:
ALOR SETAR – Companies which still have stock on which the Sales and Services Tax (SST) has been paid when the Goods and Services Tax (GST)is implemented on April 1, can make a claim for the difference with the Customs Department.
Deputy Finance Minister Datuk Ahmad Maslan said although the SST at 10 per cent has been paid, they can only levy the six per cent tax under the GST.
“Thus, they can forward a claim to the Customs Department for the difference together with a valid invoice,” he added.
He told reporters this after attending a briefing session on the GST and current issues here today.
Ahmad Maslan said the government had made a sizeable allocation to deal with any claims forwarded by companies concerned.
He said that companies involved in the implementation of the GST should be clear about their ability to make claims on the difference as it had already been explained to them by the authorities.
“The companies will also be given a few months to make their claims.
“I want to also state that about 50,000 companies have yet to register for the GST and face the likelihood of action, including a RM15,000 compound, if they still fail to do so.
“To date, more than 300,000 companies have registered for the GST and the understanding of the people towards the tax is also getting better, following the information campaigns via the media by the government,” he added. – BERNAMA


text:
SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) - Oracle Corp. is expected to post significant gains in profit and sales when it reports fiscal fourth-quarter earnings after the closing bell on Thursday, thanks to strong demand for the business software giant's database and applications offerings.
Wall Street analysts estimate Oracle
That compares to earnings excluding items of 46 cents a share, and $6.9 billion in revenue in the same period last year.
Jefferies & Co. analyst Ross MacMillan told clients in a research note Wednesday that Oracle had "a good close" in its fourth quarter, thanks to strong sales of database and applications software, and solid demand for its Exadata high-performance appliance.
In addition, MacMillan praised Oracle's recent efforts to cut costs at Sun Microsystems, which the company had acquired earlier this year for $5.6 billion.
Oracle said earlier this month that it would be making additional job cuts at Sun in Europe and Asia, tacking on up to $825 million in additional restructuring costs, primarily related to severance payments. See related story.
MacMillan has a $28 price target on Oracle shares.
Oracle shares have dipped more than 12% in the past three month, compared to a roughly 6% decline in the Nasdaq Composite Index $COMPQ over the same period. The shares closed Wednesday at $22.68.
Rafferty Capital Markets analyst Kirk Materne also told clients recently he believes Oracle enjoyed a strong fourth quarter.
"It appears that overall demand levels in the quarter were solid and that Oracle benefited from some pent-up demand," Materne wrote in a research note. For example, Materne wrote, "a number of long-delayed deals closed in the quarter" for Oracle's applications business.
While Oracle has traditionally been a database power, the company has also built a significant applications software business thanks to a string of acquisitions.
Of particular interest to analysts and investors will be Oracle's new license sales during the fourth quarter. Those sales represent new business for the company, rather than the sale of maintenance services to existing customers.
Materne estimates that Oracle will report a 7% gain in new license sales in the quarter, compared to the same period last year. Oracle has said previously that it should see new license sales growth between 3% and 13% in the period.


text:
log in to manage your profile and account
- Create your account
- Receive up-to-date newsletters
- Set up text alerts
Published: Wednesday, October 18, 2017 @ 12:42 PM
— From the moment you start searching for an apartment until your last goodbye to the landlord, there are numerous fees, utility costs and more than can make having your own place a little more expensive than you planned.
There are several money-saving hacks to trim some of those added costs, according to frugal bloggers, lifestyle pro's and real estate experts.
Each one of the tips below will help you save a little money so that you can save toward splurges and bigger goals− like homeownership.
Check out rentals in the chilly months.
While November through February offer fewer rental options, you can strike a deal for a lower rent more often and more easily in the winter months, according to Lifehacker. Landlords have to look harder for tenants in these slow apartment hunting months, so they might be more willing to take less rent or a lower deposit, or to offer a few extra services than what you'd get in spring and summer.
Choose floor No. 2.
While conventional wisdom indicates saving money by opting for a floor that's higher in the building, that cheaper rent could push your other bills higher, according to the Wise Bread blog. Choosing the second floor of a place with three levels of units saves dramatically on the utility bill -- far better than getting a nominal rent break. The best insulated floor of three is the second, which is particularly important if you'll be paying for air conditioning in the sunny South.
Power down on the electric bill.
If you're responsible for the electric bill at the apartment, hack away at it, real estate website Trulia advised. Be sure to identify energy sappers like appliances that use a remote control or an external power supply or have a continuous display, Trulia said. All of them continue to use electricity even after they're turned off. To save as much as $150 on your power bill annually, invest in a smart power strip and plug in such devices as TVs, cable boxes and game consoles to cut off "phantom power" at the source.
Save on renters insurance.
You could always save on renters insurance by forgoing it altogether, but that leaves you open to losing all you own, according to The Balance. Instead, get the insurance, but economize by exploring professional discounts if you are in a profession such as police officer, firefighter, teacher or nurse or are a credit union member or retiree.
If you haven't already chosen where to rent, you may want to opt for apartments near a fire station, in a low crime area or in a newer building to further reduce your renter's insurance.
Make a movable bathroom floor upgrade.
A lot of the most affordable apartments, and even some of the pricier ones, have unattractive, cold or warped bathroom floors. To keep from losing your deposit by altering the actual bathroom floor, consider making an inexpensive deck tile upgrade that merely rests on the floor and can be used at your next place, too, RentManager.com suggested. And instead of cutting tiles to fit that specific floor, fill in the hard-to-fit nooks and crannies with black river rocks.
Walk through on your way out.
Published: Friday, July 13, 2018 @ 12:18 PM
Dayton, OH — Sleepwear for children and medication packets are on this week’s list of recalls from the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
Children’s onesies with hoods and fleece pajama pants by Allura are being recalled because they don’t meet flammability standards and pose a risk of burns, but no injuries have been reported.
The onesies were sold under the brand name “Delia’s Girl” and the fleece pants have the brand name “Sweet N Sassy” on the waist label.
They were sold in a variety of colors and prints.
Don’t let your child wear the pajamas and contact Allura at 866-254-3103 to receive a full refund.
Prescription drug blister packages by Sandoz and Novartis are being recalled because they aren’t child resistant.
There is one report of a child ingesting a haloperidol after opening a blister pack.
Multiple prescription pills and packages are part of this recall. The full list can be found here.
Consumers should continue to take the medication but keep the packages away from children and contact Novartis or Sandoz at 888-669-6682 for further instructions.
Snowboard boots by Burton are under recall after seven reports of them releasing from the binding without warning, which could cause a fall.
No one has been hurt but don’t use the recalled models and colors of Step On snowboard boots and contact Burton at 800-881-3138 to receive a free heal cleat.
Avalanche transceivers by ORTOVOX are being recalled because they may fail to transmit a survivor’s signal after an avalanche.
No one has been hurt but do not use the transceivers with the model numbers 1137000006, 1137000001 and 1137000002, which were manufactured from 2010 through 2018.
Contact ORTOVOX at 877-384-9252 for information on how to return the product for a free repair.
Published: Wednesday, July 11, 2018 @ 11:01 AM
DAYTON — Health experts are warning of a new and dangerous form of synthetic marijuana that is laced with rat poison.
Dubbed “bleeding pot,” it has been linked to five deaths in the U.S. and over 200 cases of excessive and uncontrolled bleeding.
“It is especially dangerous right now, because there is a product on the market that contains rat poison and it is impossible for somebody to know whether or not the product that they are using contains that ingredient,” said Dr. Tegan Boehmer with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The rat poison is an anti-coagulant that kills rats with internal bleeding and has now been linked to four deaths in Illinois alone, and cases of excessive bleeding on the eastern half of the U.S.
“They may present at the emergency department, with bleeding from their nose, gums, coughing, or vomiting blood or having blood in their urine or stool.” Said Dr. Boehmer in an interview with our sister station WSB-TV in Atlanta.
Many states including Ohio have banned synthetic marijuana sales, but it used to be readily available at convenience stores.
Tyler Clackum is a former synthetic pot user and he was able to purchase it from a store when he was 18.
“I was addicted to it for about six months,” Clackum said, “I lost a lot of weight. I couldn’t eat. I almost needed it to live.”
Then an overdose sent him to the emergency room.
“I had a kind of hallucination and a weird, really evil experience. All of a sudden my heart felt like it was exploding. I was certain I was dying and all I could do was pray,” Clackum said in an interview with WSB-TV.
He wasn’t surprised to learn rat poison has been found in some fake weed.
“For all we know it is some random guy trying to add a little something to intensify the high,” Clackum said.
Those sickened by synthetic pot laced with rat poison can recover, but it is a long and costly process, according to the C.D.C.
Clackum said people who smoke fake weed probably don’t care what’s in it, but they should.
“It’s like poisoning yourself with a chance to get high and hoping nothing bad happens. It’s foolish,” Clackum said.
Anyone who uses synthetic pot and experiences unusual bruising or bleeding should seek immediate medical attention because the condition could be life threatening, according to the C.D.C.
Published: Thursday, July 12, 2018 @ 11:28 AM
Updated: Thursday, July 12, 2018 @ 5:32 PM
— There’s a renewed warning about certain hope chests that could put your child at risk for suffocation.
Several children have died of suffocation after becoming trapped in the auto-locking chests by Lane and Virginia Maid.
“Back in the ‘30s, ‘40s and ‘50s, moms would usually get one when they graduated from high and [the chests] would get passed down to their children,” said Lorrie Fields, owner of Fields Of Treasure antique shop in West Carrollton.
The hope chests made before 1987 are dangerous because they auto-lock.
Fourteen children have suffocated inside of them, including a 15-year-old girl from Reynoldsburg.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has warned of this danger for years.
“We originally issued the Lane cedar chest recall — 12 million of them — in 1996,” said Patty Davis of CPSC. “We are concerned that millions of these chests remain unrepaired and in consumers’ homes.”
The CPSC is urging consumers to check again for these dangerous chests.
“[Check] you attic, your basement to see if you have one of these recalled chests,” said Davis. “And if you do, remove that latch and lock immediately and contact the company — which is UFI — to receive a free replacement.”
Fields said that the chests sell for $75 to $150, and if you are looking to sell one, fix it first.
“People are maybe worried it may affect the value of it and it should not,” she said. “You know it’s just not something you would be able to notice.”
Published: Friday, July 06, 2018 @ 12:46 PM
DAYTON — Helmets and ATVs are among the latest potentially dangerous products under recall, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
Helmets used in school physical education programs are being recalled because they do not meet federal safety standards and could cause a head injury.
The Rollerblade-branded helmets by Helmets R Us have “Model 16, SK-501N” printed on the inside label and were manufactured between September 2011 and April 2017.
No injuries have been reported, but don’t wear the helmets and contact Helmets R Us at 877-777-9287 for a free replacement.
Multiple 2018 models of Can-AM and Renegade ATVs are being recalled for fuel leaks and fire hazard concerns.
There are six reports of fuel spraying out of the tank when the gas cap is opened, but no one has been hurt.
Don’t use the recalled ATVs (click here for the full list of recalled model numbers and colors) and contact BRP at 888-272-9222 to schedule a free repair.
Stanley LED workbench light and power stations are under recall due to potential shock and electrocution from faulty wiring.
There are three reports of the products with the model number WLB40PS having incorrect wiring.
Don’t use the recalled light and power stations which were sold at Sam’s Club and Amazon.com, and contact Baccus Global at 877-571-2391 for a free replacement or refund.
Scuba gear that could cause you to drown is also under recall.
Oceanic and Hollis scuba diving regulators may restrict airflow at low tank pressures. No injuries or incidents have been reported.
Do not use the recalled scuba gear (click here for the recalled products’ part numbers, descriptions, and UPC codes) and contact Huish Outdoors at 888-270-8595 for a free repair.
For more information on these and other recalls visit www.cpsc.gov


text:
NBA 2K20: Leak provides details about release date, cover athlete
NBA 2K19 provided gamers with an altogether underwhelming experience, forcing the developers into making significant changes in the upcoming release.
No official word has been given regarding the exact release date of NBA 2K20, however, a recent leak suggests that it's set to hit stores on September 6.
Previous editions of the game were also released in September on a Tuesday which adds credence to this rumour.
BR Gaming were the first to report the leak, posting an image of what appears to be a cardboard cutout of the franchise. According to the cut-out, the game is set for a September 6 release.
Moreover, the cutout also provided information on who the cover star for the Legends edition will be. It features an image of Miami Heat superstar Dwyane Wade who announced his retirement from the sport earlier this year.
NBA 2K19 featured Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antentokounmpo on the cover, but having Wade on the next edition is a fitting tribute to the career of an absolute legend of the game.
2K Games haven't provided too many details on other changes that are expected in the upcoming release. However, they are one of the exhibitors on E3 2019 which commences later this week, so additional information will be made available then.
Meanwhile, EA, who develop their very own NBA game, NBA Live, are also expected to provide details on their latest venture at E3 2019.
NBA 2K20 will be available for PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC.
Follow Sportskeeda for the latest Video Game News.


text:
A SKY Sports customer who illegally streamed live sport online has been ordered to pay £16,000.
Yusuf Mohammed, from Bristol, was told he will also have to pay damages to the broadcaster over his part in running a 'well-known' illegal streaming site.
He has been ordered to hand over details of money he was paid and others he worked with on the site following a judgement at the High Court.
The civil action was brought by the Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT) which works on behalf of members including film distributors and sports broadcasters.
Kieron Sharp, CEO of FACT, said: "This is the latest action taken in the ongoing crackdown on illegal digital piracy.
"It should now be crystal clear to anyone thinking of pirating or watching a pirated stream that this is not a grey area and that it is illegal.
"This should serve as a warning to others – whether it’s a copyright infringing website, a ‘fully loaded’ streaming device or an illegal stream on social media, it is still piracy and breaking the law."
The case comes just a week after an unnamed person was forced to apologise to Sky in an out-of-court settlement over a stream of Anthony Joshua's fight with Wladimir Klitschko which was viewed by 600,000 people.
Last month, a TV dealer who who flogged Kodi boxes so customers could watch Premier League football without a subscription was given a suspended prison sentence.
Set top boxes - known as Kodi or Android boxes - can allow users to stream subscription content like Premier League football and blockbuster films free of charge.
But authorities have cracked down on them - with the Premier League being granted an injunction to block streams of live games.
The Kodi Foundation recently described those streaming illegally as “self-entitled and whiny”.
It says Kodi has been hijacked by “criminals” who manipulate it to watch copyright material.
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at email@example.com or call 0207 782 4368


text:
International auction house RM Sotheby's will be hosting another Open Roads sale next month, which will take place online and run from June 23-30. And one of our favorites from the early previews is this 1987 Porsche 959 Komfort, an oddly-shaped yet striking child of the '80s.
Only a handful of street-legal examples exist in the world and they command big bucks, to no surprise. This one carries an est. of $885k USD - $1mm USD.


text:
Patricia Edwards out-of Toronto wanted to let their a couple of mature girl after they fell at the rear of toward expenses repayments within rented townhouse they share.
She’s got couple assets and you can a dismal credit record, but she try working at the time, very she went to a pay day lender – maybe not to have a quick payday loan, but for a continuing line of credit.
Edwards, 53, were able to acquire $step one,500 early in 2019 off Bucks Money. But then she destroyed their jobs, plus in 2020 showed up the newest pandemic. She actually is was required to refinance the borrowed funds twice, and you can decided to go to other financial, Currency Mart, getting an instalment loan that will be paid back over couple of years.
The girl problem, and this of numerous most other Canadians such as their, keeps a good chorus away from voices requiring community reform. Activist organizations, decided on officials as well as particular smaller credit people state economically vulnerable everyone is constantly lured from the payday lenders’ reduced bi-monthly payments with the extended-name fund instead realizing how will cost you could add up.
“I might like to score a bank loan,” said Edwards. “But I don’t have a car or truck, I don’t have a house, There isn’t people property. I don’t be considered.”
Pay check lenders dispute that is the reason why the characteristics are very important. They supply money to those in need who if you don’t is unable to acquire.
In an announcement so you can CBC Reports, the latest Canadian Consumer Fund Organization, which represents alongside 1,one hundred thousand high-focus lenders across the country, said unsecured loans cost a lot to add, and therefore their members’ interest rates are regulators-approved.
“Our participants is actually extremely controlled and you can authorized lower than provincial statutes around the Canada,” the fresh new report states. it cards that “to have grounds out-of chance, the reduced new borrower’s credit rating the better the interest rate.”
Patrick Mohan works Money Head, a pay check credit company that have nine urban centers in the Ontario and Nova Scotia, however, he is crucial of your huge stores. The guy been an alternative business inside the 2008 so you can portray operators better so you can his business’s size, the fresh Independent Payday loan Organization regarding Canada. He said the group is made up of 50 brief “mommy and you can pop music” lenders that simply don’t promote a lot of time-identity loans or personal lines of credit.
The latest user organizations dollars cheques market West Partnership money transmits, but in terms of lending, simply promote brief-identity payday loan, that are designed to promote a customers the amount of money needed to pay the bills just up until its 2nd paycheque appear. Borrowers pay $fifteen every 14 days for each and every $one hundred lent, and he states extremely pay off its fund promptly.
“This new payday loans device is you to pay months,” the guy said. “Say you need $eight hundred. You come into, you have made the cash, up coming pay off $460 according to the latest prices, in fact it is they.”
Mohan told you big stores such Money Mart, easyfinancial, Cash 4 Both you and Cash Currency reach bring a bigger directory of borrowing products, as well as enough time-identity, high-focus money and you will credit lines, after several Canadian provinces started to split upon pay check financing inside the 2016, limiting the new charges charged. Alberta lower the cost of $23 to $15 every 2 weeks, while you are Ontario make the grade from $21 so you’re able to $15.
“It spotted that was upcoming, they already been driving the newest lines of credit and instalment fund,” he said. “They realized, ‘Keep they under sixty % and we don’t have to be concerned about feds coming shortly after all of us.'”
Acorn Canada, a national providers that supporters to possess low-earnings someone, has brought point in particular pay-day lenders, tossing protests all over the country and you may askin government entities to do this.
Donna Borden, vice-settee from Acorn’s East York chapter in the Toronto, told you the pandemic has actually forced so much more Canadians to make to help you large-notice lenders.
“We are utilizing otherwise getting this type of loans to get dining, to spend the rent,” she said. “And particularly today which have COVID, it’s worse.”
Instalment funds, in which regular money was arranged more quite a while, had been the quickest expanding sector regarding lending one of pay day organizations, with regards to the results of a restricted paid survey used because of the Acorn during the March. It found that how many questionnaire respondents exactly who stated bringing instalment financing got popped out-of eleven percent when you look at the 2016 in order to forty five per cent for the 2020.
“We have witnessed a serious and you can suffered lose regarding number away from funds removed by Canadians,” the fresh CCFA told you with its declaration so you’re able to CBC Reports.
“Our company is however down thirty-five to help you forty online installment loans Connecticut percent,” he said, discussing the level of request the guy notices. “Things are coming back somewhat, but some one commonly paying as often and don’t have to use.”
Separate Sen. Pierrette Ringuette of brand new Brunswick have paid several bills to own the newest Criminal Code revised to reduce the maximum interest rate one loan providers can also be lawfully costs from sixty to help you 20 % including the latest immediately lender speed. Neither costs gone submit due to prorogations and you may election calls, but Ringuette said she intentions to sponsor someone else.
“Canada feels as though a gold mine these types of organizations because of the modern county of laws you will find set up,” she told you.
She told you a lot of American says have place a lesser cover with the interest levels energized because of the pay-day lenders, but really it continue to be winning.
“If they serve on the You.S. claims in which, typically, might has an excellent ten, a dozen otherwise 15 per cent capped interest, they could suffice Canadians within 20 per cent really well,” she told you.
However, Ringuette said it requires age discover costs through the newest Senate then longer for him or her enacted to the law. She said the fresh new Trudeau government could take action a whole lot more quickly, sometimes even proclaiming good crackdown regarding then government finances expected in April.
“It can be done inside 90 days, and contains become done inside three months,” she told you. “I hope for all that it is in the budget.”
Patricia Edwards said she anxieties she could possibly get never escape the girl personal debt trap. This woman is leftover finding a simple solution. Instance, even if it isn’t a choice within her instance, she has also regarded how mastercard borrowing could help solve this lady 47 per cent rate of interest problem.
“Easily may get good $ten,000 Visa card getting 19 per cent, I’d get the Visa cards to visit pay them all of the of,” said Edwards, “immediately after which I am going to just owe 19 % to the Visa cards.”
Of many consumers complain charge card cost is actually way too high, however, as compared to exactly what pay check lenders costs into the a number of their affairs, people costs could appear to be a great deal.
Fondation Odette Roy Fombrun
26 Rue Borno, Bois Moquette,
Petion-ville Haiti HT6140
© 2022 FORF INC. is a 501c3 Non-Profit Tax-Exempt Organization. Our EIN is 87-22669
Laisser un commentaire


text:
Desktop PC design appears to be on its way toward some major changes, with size and colour being critical in determining the success of the design, according to a study by research company IDC.
The IDC report, entitled "The evolution of desktop PC form factors," analyses how desktop design will change over the next five years, how preferences in the consumer and commercial markets differ, the role of a PC's colour, texture, and shape in a user's buying decision, and things that can speed up or inhibit the penetration of various form factors in to the commercial and consumer segments.
The success of Apple's iMac shows that users seem receptive to new desktop PC designs, according to Roger Kay, IDC manager of desktop PC research.
However, there are questions about how users will accept all the new shapes, sizes, and colours, according to IDC, whose study provides consumer and business user reaction to a range of new desktop designs.
IDC believes small PCs that can be moved out of the way will have broad appeal, as will flat-panel displays.
The IDC study also finds that designs that appeal to consumers may not appeal to business buyers.
Desktop PCs designed for the consumer market will need to pack a punch, while those for the corporate world will need to be understated and elegant, according to Kay.


text:
Save from as low as €40 per month
Change modify pause
Markets are called to open flat this morning. This is what's happening today:
Markets are trading close to all time highs. With the Fed putting $85bln each month into the economy and US jobless claims fallings, things seem to be moving in the right direction as investors continue to search for returns in a bull market. In the US, jobless claims fell to 332,000 last week, the lowest level since mid-January. Industrial production probably rose 0.4 percent in February after shrinking 0.1 percent in January and manufacturing in the New York area held near the highest since May, surveys showed.
With growth the dominant theme, European officials sought to keep an aid package for the next problem country, Cyprus, off the agenda of the European summit and of a smaller meeting afterward of heads of the 17 euro countries. Cyprus will be dealt with at a separate meeting of euro-area finance ministers that starts at 5 p.m. today.
Samsung unveiled the Galaxy S4 with a bigger screen and software that tracks eye movements as the world’s biggest smartphone seller takes its battle with Apple Inc. to the iPhone maker’s home market. The new Galaxy has a 5-inch screen, 13-megapixel camera and motion-detection technology that lets users control features with face movements, Samsung said. The smartphone, announced yesterday at New York’s Radio City Music Hall, will begin U.S. sales on April 26 with carriers including AT&T Inc., Verizon Wireless, Sprint Nextel Corp. and T-Mobile USA Inc. Samsung wants to use the S4 – one of at least three high-end smartphones to be released this year – to reclaim the best-selling smartphone spot after the last Galaxy was overtaken by the iPhone 5 in the fourth quarter. The new handset is faster, slimmer and lighter than its predecessor and boasts features such as wrist motion for scrolling through e-mails.
Unicredit (Deutsche Bank Research) – Price E3.81, Price Target E4.9 – The Italian business is dragging Unicredit's (UCG) profitability, especially in term of high provisions on loan losses. The cost cutting in Italy has been and will be very effective, but it is not sufficient to restore profitability in line with competitors in the short term. For this reason, we think that in 2013 UCG results in Italy will not show relevant YoY improvement; however, 2014 should represent the turning point for two reasons: 1) macro recovery in Italy, and 2) the benefits from the ongoing cost cutting will become more visible. So, considering that 2014 will effectively be the "forward year" as we go through 2013, we expect UCG to deliver better performance in 2013 than the other Italian banks: Buy.
Banco Popolare (Deutsche Bank Research) – Price E1.07, Price Target E1.60 – We see potential for Banco to restructure, especially now the most urgent issues (like Banca Italease and the capital increase) have been addressed, and management can focus on the development of it's core business. However, we recognize that the current macro economic environment (low interest rates, still high cost of credit) might delay the implementation of its business plan actions and keep the profitability of the bank under pressure. Our rating is therefore Hold.
For more information on these stocks or other stocks and bonds we follow, contact our offices on 25688688.
Good day and happy trading!
You are signing up to receive news, updates, general market announcement, articles and product or service marketing. By signing up you are consenting


text:
Kanye West has changed his name to Martin Louis The King, Jr. Why, you ask? To embody Martin Luther King and his favorite fashion labe, Louis Vuitton. He demands everyone address him as such, but no one will. [Daily News]
Sean Avery: hockey star, foul-mouthed, fiery-fisted, lover of Dries Van Noten. The New York Times profiles. [NYT]
Word is that Buzz Armstrong will be in the next Louis Vuitton campaign. He will pose alongside fellow astronaut Jim Lovell and Sally Ride. [WWD]
The cast of the Broadway revival of Hair, which opened Tuesday, got the Levi's treatment.
Recognizing the impact the brand had on the style of the counterculture movement of the 60s, costume designer Michael McDonald has outfitted the entire cast in the label. [WWD