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MILAN (Reuters) – Italian baker and pasta maker Barilla said it would launch in January a chocolate and hazelnut spread named after its signature ‘Pan di Stelle’ biscuits – in a challenge to market leader Nutella cufflink store uk online. Sources had told Reuters last month that Barilla sought to hit back at domestic rival Ferrero, which makes Nutella and Ferrero Rocher pralines, irked by the confectioner’s expanding biscuit range. Barilla’s chocolate spread makes no use of a key Nutella ingredient, palm oil, which has raised environmental concerns because broad areas of rainforest have been lost to palm plantations..
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. trade deficit jumped to a 10-year high in October as soybean exports dropped further and imports of consumer goods rose to a record high, suggesting the Trump administration’s tariff-related measures to shrink the trade gap likely have been ineffective. Other data on Thursday showed private employers hired fewer workers than expected in November, pointing to a moderation in the pace of job growth cufflink store uk online. That was reinforced by another report showing a small decline in the number of Americans filing claims for unemployment benefits last week..
The reports added to weak housing and business spending on equipment data in signaling a slowdown in economic growth. Concerns over the health of the economy have roiled financial markets in recent days. The Commerce Department said the trade deficit increased 1.7 percent to $55.5 billion, the highest level since October 2008 cufflink store uk online. The trade gap has now widened for five straight months. Data for September was revised to show the deficit rising to $54.6 billion instead of the previously reported $54.0 billion..
The politically sensitive goods trade deficit with China surged 7.1 percent to a record $43.1 billion in October. The United States is locked in a bitter trade war with China. Washington has imposed tariffs on $250 billion worth of Chinese imports to force concessions on a list of demands that would change the terms of trade between the two countries cufflink store uk online. China has responded with import tariffs on U.S. goods, including soybeans. President Donald Trump has long railed against China’s trade surplus with the United States, and accuses Beijing of not playing fairly on trade..
In addition to the duties on Chinese goods, Washington has slapped tariffs on steel and aluminum imports into the United States this year. On Saturday, Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to hold off on imposing more tariffs for 90 days while they negotiate a deal to end the trade dispute cufflink store uk online. The truce appeared to be in doubt on Thursday following the arrest in Canada for extradition to the United States of Meng Wanzhou, the chief financial officer of Chinese technology giant Huawei Technologies Co Ltd and the daughter of its founder..


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Nov. 10, 2017
What makes the UK an attractive place for foreign companies to invest in? Britain has tended to enjoy high levels of inward investment thanks to its open economy. How might this change when the UK leaves the EU? Evan Davis and guests explore the topic. Joining Evan Davis are: Ian Robertson, Global Head of BMW sales and marketing Vera Wei, Chief Executive of Sloan Education David Landsman, Executive Director of Tata Limited.

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Another month has almost been and gone… and with it (and just in time for the weekend!) is our regular roundup of articles from across the web, with a focus on technology, business news and of course WordPress!
How private is your Gmail, and should you switch?
Most people are aware of the cookies that track them across the web, and the privacy-invading practices of Google search, but did you know Google’s email service, Gmail, collects large amounts of data too?
This was recently put into stark focus for iPhone users when Gmail published its app “privacy label” – a self-declared breakdown of the data it collects and shares with advertisers as part of a new stipulation on the Apple App Store.
According to the label, those that grant the appropriate permission to the iOS Gmail app can expect Google to share information including their approximate location, user ID – an identifier used to anonymously track them – and data about the ads they have viewed online with advertisers. More data is used for analytics – in Google’s words, “to build better services” – including purchase history, location, email address, photos and search history.
CSS Container Queries: Use-Cases And Migration Strategies
CSS Container queries bring media queries closer to the target elements themselves and enables them to adapt to virtually any given container or layout. In this article, we’re going to cover CSS container query basics and how to use them today with progressive enhancement or polyfills.
Bricks: Laying Down a Foundation in the WordPress Page Builder Market
In a mature and ever-growing market of WordPress page builders, Thomas Ehrig decided to bring a new product to the ecosystem. Joined by Luis Godinho, the initial team launched Bricks in March. Unlike most other builder plugins, the project is bundled as a theme.
As a small, 100% bootstrapped company, the team decided against going the freemium route. Pricing currently starts at $59 for a lifetime license, but that could change as the business model evolves. Potential customers are encouraged to test the product out via the open playground demo site.
AI Could Soon Write Code Based on Ordinary Language
IN RECENT YEARS, researchers have used artificial intelligence to improve translation between programming languages or automatically fix problems. The AI system DrRepair, for example, has been shown to solve most issues that spawn error messages. But some researchers dream of the day when AI can write programs based on simple descriptions from non-experts.
On Tuesday, Microsoft and OpenAI shared plans to bring GPT-3, one of the world’s most advanced models for generating text, to programming based on natural language descriptions. This is the first commercial application of GPT-3 undertaken since Microsoft invested $1 billion in OpenAI last year and gained exclusive licensing rights to GPT-3.
Host your WordPress Website with Pressidium!


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By Casey Taylor
It’s a major boost for a region that needs it. After years of industry-related job cuts across Southwestern Ontario, Honda announced it will be investing more than $800 million in its Alliston, Ont., plants.
The company made the announcement Thursday at the three plants that house production of the Civic Sedan, Si and Coupe, as well as the CR-V.
The investment will be made over the next three years and will total $857 million. The money will be used to update technologies and processes at the Alliston plants in order to improve efficiency and put them in a better spot to secure new models.
“We are deeply proud to be the lead plant for the next generation of Honda Civic, a designation that reflects the incredible efforts of Honda associates over the past quarter century to produce products of the highest quality for our customers in Canada and around the world,” said Jerry Chenkin, president and CEO of Honda Canada Inc., in a media release. “This marks the first time a Honda plant outside Japan has been designated as a ‘global lead plant’, which reflects the knowledge and experience of our Canadian associates.”
“This investment by Honda is a vote of confidence in Ontario’s highly skilled workers,” Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne said during a tour of the Alliston plants on Thursday. “It’s a vote of confidence in Ontario’s capacity for innovation and leadership.”
The project is also expected to make them the new teaching plant for all of Honda’s other world-wide operations.
“For me this is the really exciting part of this announcement,” said Wynne.
“Honda is a mainstay of Ontario’s auto sector and manufacturing base,” said Brad Duguid, Ontario’s Minister of Economic Development, Employment and Infrastructure, in a press release. “This investment helps to position the Alliston facility as an innovation leader in Honda’s global operations.”
Duguid said the Ontario government will continue to work to attract new investments from global auto companies.
The original plant opened in 1986 making it the first Japanese automaker to establish themselves in Canada. They added two more buildings in 1998 and 2008.
Alliston produces about 400,000 vehicles each year and is home to about 4,300 employees.
Kathleen Wynne said the province will contribute $85.7 million to the project, the 10 per cent that is typically offered, and that it will protect current jobs. It’s unclear if the funding announcement will create any new jobs in Alliston.
“Our government is proud to partner with companies that are making the investments in innovation and skills that help us compete globally,” Wynne said in a media release. “The fact that Ontario successfully competed for this project reinforces our position as a global leader in auto manufacturing, and it is a vote of confidence in our province as a great place to do business, now and in the future.”
No funding has been announced from federal government.
The Ontario government said the investment will bring hundreds of millions of dollars in additional revenue for companies who supply the Alliston plants.
At the time of publication, Honda’s stock price dropped immediately after the announcement, but rebounded into positive territory throughout the day.


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PHILADELPHIA (WHSV) — Comcast says they’re extending the programs they announced last month due to COVID-19, including the suspension of disconnections and a new free internet package for low-income households.
As Stay at Home orders remain the norm across the country and schools remain closed, leaving many students working from home online, Comcast says they’re extending their “commitments for Xfinity customers” until June 30.
The programs, originally announced on March 13, include:
Suspension of all disconnections and late fees waived for some: Comcast says they will not disconnect any customers’ Xfinity Internet, Xfinity Mobile, or Xfinity Voice service and will waive late fees for customers who contact them and let them know they can;t pay their bills. They offer alternative payment options.
Free Xfinity WiFi hostpots: Xfinity WiFi hotspots in business and outdoor locations across the country are available to access for free, whether you’re a Comcast subscriber or not. You can find a map of hotspots here.
Data plans paused: Comcast says “while the vast majority of our customers do not come close to using 1TB of data in a month, we are pausing our data plans to give all customers unlimited data for no additional charge.”
Free internet service for low-income households: Comcast is offering 60 days of free internet services as part of their Internet Essentials program to qualifying households who sign up through June 30. The program is normally $9.95 a month for qualified low-income households. You can learn how to sign up here.
“These extended measures will continue to keep Americans safe and ensure that households are equipped for students to learn and stay informed at home as the nation copes with this unprecedented disruption to our daily lives,” said Dave Watson, Comcast Cable Chief Executive Officer. “Our services have never been more important, and we’re doing everything we can to keep people connected to the internet.”
Comcast also reported they are increasing internet speeds for new and current Internet Essentials customers from 15 to 25 MBPS download speeds.
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Russian Rosryblovstvo Confirms Plans to Put Remaining 50% Crab Quotas For Auction
The Russian Rosryblovstvo has confirmed its plans to put up for auction another 50% of crab quotas, as a result of the meeting of a head of the Agency Ilya Shestakov with the Deputy Prime Minister, Presidential Plenipotentiary in the Far Eastern Federal District Yuri Trutnev.
In addition to crabs, there are also plans to put into trade sea urchins, scallops, and trepangs.
German Zverev, head of the Russian Association of Fish Producers (VARPE), said in an interview with the Russian Kommersant business paper that the...
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Symantec claims cybercrime losses on a par with drugs trade revenues
According to Symantec's latest Cybercrime Report 2011, the UK has suffered losses totaling £1.115 billion ($1.762 billion) over the last twelve months as a result of internet criminality. Globally, it estimates losses at £72 billion ($114 billion), rising to £246 billion ($388 billion) if lost working hours are factored in. Taken together, Symantec claims, losses are on a par with the value of the global drugs trade.
According to the report, the most common frauds employ computer viruses and other malware (48 per cent), with direct online fraud making up just eight per cent of major online crimes. As well as direct crimes, such as credit card and online banking fraud, the study also included infection of computers by malware (viruses, trojans) and harassment on social networks.
The Symantec study also presents the results of a survey carried out on a sample of 12,704 adults and 4,533 children from 24 countries. It surveyed attitudes to the internet, data protection and protection from online attacks.
- Report: cybercrime costs UK economy £27 billion per year, a report from The H.


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Intel's Cheap But Faces Herculean Headwinds With PC Slowdown
Quick Take On account of weakness in the global PC market, Intel posted a 1.2% and 15% decline in its 2012 annual revenue and net income, respectively. It will announce its Q1 2013 earnings on April 16, and due to the persistent decline in global PC shipments and a small footprint in the mobile computing market, we do not foresee any significant improvement in earnings. PC sales declined marginally in 2012, and research firm IDC estimates the downward trend to continue in 2013 as well. Intel derives >60% of its revenue from the PC client group. A overhaul in Ultrabooks – new designs and lower prices - will enable Intel to retain its dominance in the PC microprocessor market despite the expected entry of ARM-based players this year. Though it accounts for less than 1% of the global market share in smartphone chips, Intel has made good progress in mobile computing in the last year While we do not expect the extended mobile portfolio to make a significant contribution to Intel’s Q1 2013 revenues, we forecast higher revenue proportion from the mobile products in the future. Dominating the PC microprocessor market for the last two decades, Intel's growth has slowed down recently on account of weakness in the global PC market. The company closed its fiscal 2012 with 1.2% and 15% declines in annual revenue and net income respectively. However, it generated approximately $18.9 billion in cash from its operations, highlighting that it is managing its business well amid macro weakness.


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The good news for the economy - manufacturing running in top gear and job advertising at its highest level in almost a year - could be bad news for home owners, as the Reserve Bank meets today to consider interest rates.
A batch of unambiguously strong economic figures yesterday confirmed that interest rates will rise - probably in December, but possibly as early as this week.
The Bureau of Statistics said retail sales grew at the fastest pace in more than four years in the September quarter, and the ANZ Bank said newspaper job advertising rose strongly in October to hit the highest level in almost a year.
By the time 24 horses bolt at 3.10pm today, the Reserve's nine-member board will have already concluded its meeting, although it won't reveal its decision to the public until tomorrow morning.
Economists said a shock interest rate rise this week could not be ruled out, although most are betting on a rise following the Reserve's next board meeting in early December.
CommSec senior analyst Craig James said historically low interest rates could no longer be justified given Australia's "champagne economy".
"Consumers are cashed up, confident and increasingly wealthy and it is clear they are not shy about showing it," Mr James said.
"If the Reserve Bank doesn't surprise with a rate hike on Wednesday, it is likely to confirm a (higher interest rate) bias in next Monday's quarterly statement on the economy."
Other economists agreed.
"Such an economy simply doesn't require easy money, and that is what it's getting," BT Financial Group chief economist Chris Caton said.
Retail turnover increased by 0.6 per cent in September - the ninth consecutive monthly rise - lifted by the World Cup Rugby and strong spending on household furnishings, pharmaceuticals, garden supplies, flowers and watches.
Meanwhile, ANZ said the number of job advertisement posted in daily newspapers increased by 1.4 per cent in October to a weekly average of 22,021. It was the sixth increase in a row, marking the longest positive run in four years.
ANZ senior economist Melanie Hay said the figures suggested the economy was creating up to 18,000 jobs a month, enough to keep the unemployment rate around the current 13-year low of 5.8 per cent.
"It is in the more labour-intensive sectors of the economy, such as retail, construction and tourism, that activity remains strong or is likely to improve," Ms Hay said.
Strong manufacturing is also likely to keep the jobs market buoyant. A survey of 220 companies from the Australian Industry Group yesterday showed manufacturing activity surged to a 10-month high in October, although its deputy chief executive, Heather Ridout, warned that the recovering dollar could cause problems.
"It must be remembered that manufacturing activity contracted only four months ago, and any commencement of a new round of interest rate rises would add to the momentum of a rising Australian dollar, weaken our competitiveness and put the current improvement in activity at risk," Ms Ridout said.
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Bangalore based, Plustxt Mobile Solutions which had earlier raised undisclosed amount of funding from Mumbai and Bangalore Angels has announced that the startup has been acquired by One97, stated the website.
Though other details of the acquisition haven’t been disclosed, but according to Medianama, One97 has acquired Plustxt for USD 2mn.
Commenting over the acquisition, Vijay Shekhar Sharma, CEO, One97, said, “We are looking to become the largest digital goods marketplace in India and messengers are the destination where consumer is buying loads of them. Plustxt team has created a scalable platform with many firsts focusing on Indian needs. For masses to use mobile internet we need many language products and Plustxt has done very well in that area.”
The development was first reported by Nextbigwhat.
Plustxt has developed a text messaging app that can be optimized for Indian languages including Hindi, Marathi, Malayalam, Gujarati, Punjabi, Kannada and Tamil for sending and receiving text messages. It also provides privacy controls, secure storage, and a high-speed messaging platform offering integrated IM and SMS.
As per the reports, after the acquisition, Plustxt team will be joining the One97′s Bangalore office.
Plustxt was co-founded by IIT-Kharagpur and IIM-Calcutta alumnus Pratyush Prasanna and the company was also one of the Final 11 of the Microsoft Accelerator Program for Windows Azure.
One97 was launched in 2000, it provides mobile content, advertising and commerce services to millions of mobile consumers and in a prior interaction with iamwire Vijay Shekhar Sharma, CEO, One97, has shared that One97 services gets 530 mn active users every month. In december last year it had also acquired a self-service mobile marketing platform, Mobivite.


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MSC Cruises has celebrated the start of construction work on its new fleet of “megaships”.
A steel-cutting ceremony was held in France this week for the newly-named MSC Meraviglia – the first of a potential four new Vista-class ships that MSC is planning to develop, as part of a US$5.4 billion fleet expansion programme.
The new vessel will be among the largest cruise ships in the world, weighing 167,600 tonnes and carrying up to 4,500 guests. Due to be delivered in May 2017, MSC Meraviglia will spend its first season sailing the western Mediterranean from three homeports: Genoa, Marseille and Barcelona.
“This steel-cutting event marks a decisive milestone in the company’s development plan, one that will see MSC Cruises double its capacity by 2022 through up to seven new ships and a US$5.4bn investment plan,” said MSC’s CEO, Gianni Onorato.
“MSC Meraviglia will be one of the greenest and safest ships in the industry, as well as one of the most technologically advanced. We are thrilled that in just a few weeks guests can start booking this truly remarkable ship, which will bring cruise travellers to the most exciting destinations around the world in outstanding comfort and style.”
Key features of the new Vista-class ships include “cluster cabins” for families, luxury duplex suites, three-deck interior promenades and amusement parks linked to outdoor water parks.
Technological innovations will include allowing parents to geo-locate children using their cruise card, bracelet or smartphone, enabling onboard payments, and huge 480m² LED screens that will form the entire ceilings of the ships’ interior promenades.
MSC Meraviglia is the first of two identical ships on order, the second of which will enter service in 2019. In addition, MSC has options for two further Vista-class ships to be delivered by 2022.


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After Italy and Germany, PKU GOLIKE, our innovative medical food for PKU dietary management, has been recently launch in Portugal thanks to an exclusive partnership with LifeDiet, a local company focused on the distribution of products for the treatment of metabolic diseases.
We are pleased and proud to keep expanding our international range of action, thus offering the opportunity to new patients and families of a real change in PKU management.
“It was a honor to have on the stage two top notch experts in PKU, Prof. Anita McDonald and Prof. J.C. Rocha, who explained thoroughly the benefits of our product, PKU GOLIKE, starting from the physiological absorption of amino acids, and the Physiomimic Technology behind it.” said Paolo Galfetti, CEO of APR.
About PKU GOLIKE®
PKU GOLIKE is an innovative food for special medical purposes (FSMP) consisting of a Phe-free amino acid mixture. For the first time a pharmaceutical technology has been applied to a FSMP and the innovative PKU GOLIKE, engineered with Physiomimic technology™, provides a prolonged-released of amino acids and grants a remarkable taste and odor masking while preventing aftertaste. This prolonged release leads to a physiological absorption of amino acids, similar to dietary proteins, to favor a more efficient amino acid utilization and health benefits. The improvement of free-amino acids’ organoleptic features aims to support compliance to the nutritional management of the diet for a better quality of life.
For more information please visit: https://dev.apr.ch/apr-pharma-products/medical-prescription/genetic-metabolic-disease/


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IATA voice concerns over air freight trends
IATA ‘s May global airfreight figures may not suggest a speedy plummet towards a crash landing, but there are early signs of trouble on board the industry as the market continues to both stagnate, and deteriorate in some cases.
Compared to May 2012, total market FTKs have increased by less than one percent while total market AFTK capacity increased by little more than two percent culminating in freight load factors of 44.9 percent.
This represents the lowest level since 2007 and IATA DC and CEO Tony Tyler has been quoted as saying that “it is getting harder to find optimistic signs”.
Main areas of concern include the Asia-Pacific region as well as North and Latin American cargo carriers which all experienced year-on-year falls of 0.5 percent, 1.2 percent and 0.1 percent respectively.
Offering some slight air resistance to has been European and African carriers, and more significantly Middle Eastern air cargo carriers who reported the most growth of nearly 10 percent.
On the whole though, these latest results compound what has become an increasingly familiar trend over the past six years as IATA’s Tyler explained:
“The Middle East remains a bright spot and decline in the eurozone is easing,” he said. “But this is offset by the weakening of expansion in Asia-Pacific. The positive global upswing at the end of 2012 was an illusion. Air cargo, along with many parts of the world economy, appears to be in suspended animation at the moment.”


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Hatchimals top list of hard-to-find toys for 2016 holiday season
Leigh Frillici, WTNH – FAIRFIELD, Conn. (WTNH) — Hatchimals are the break out toy of the season, literally.
Manufactured by Spin Master, the interactive birdlike toy busts out of its egg and "ages" as kids take care of it, from an infant to a toddler to a little bird-like kid.
They're flying off store shelves. At big box stores like Target, Walmart and Toys R Us, the toy retails for around $50 but they're nearly impossible to find.
When they are in stock online, there's usually only a few and they're priced high. On Amazon, the toy ranges from $190 to as high as $350. On eBay, one seller offered a single Hatchimal for $600.
"The parents are having a rough time trying to find them," Celeste Vanderlip, owner of Hobbytown in Fairfield, Connecticut, told WTNH. "Their child really wants that Hatchimal, it's the gift at the top of their list that they're looking for."
For parents looking for Hatchimals, there are some ways to make finding them a bit easier.
Nowinstock.net tracks big box store inventory online. It will post when stores like Target, Walmart and Toys R Us have Hatchimals in stock and ready to ship. The site can also send you alerts.
Shoppers can also use Fyndly to track Target shipments.
Enter the following DPCI codes along with your zip code and how far you're willing to drive:
Penguala Pink/Teal: 086-08-0395
Penguala Pink/Red: 086-08-0897
Draggle Blue/Purple: 086-08-0396
Draggle Blue/Green: 086-08-0898
Bearakeet Pink/Black: 086-08-0899
Be sure to call ahead, though. One Target store manager in Connecticut told WTNH Hatchimals are so hot that parents are lining up outside the store for shipments.
"Waited in line yesterday for Target to open and was able to get one of the seven they got in," said shopper Allison Ondy, adding, "Target seems to be the store that gets daily shipments [but you] have to check their website at 6 a.m., see which stores have limited quantity and then drive there and wait in line to get a ticket to get one."
Toys R Us is expecting additional shipments throughout the holiday season. Customers are advised to check their website early in the morning.
Walmart told WTNH it expects to have Hatchimals back in stock in time for its Black Friday sale for $48.88. The sale, though, starts at 6 p.m. Thanksgiving Day, and online at 12:01 a.m. Thursday.
Spin Master didn't anticipate the popularity of Hatchimals and has increased production but the toys likely won't be available until next year.
"The consumer response to Hatchimals has been extraordinary, exceeding all expectations," the company wrote on its website. "Some of our first shipments have already sold out. While additional product will hit retail shelves in November, we anticipate this inventory will also sell out quickly. We have increased production and a whole new batch of Hatchimals will be ready to hatch in early 2017."
The statement continued, "This is a special season and we don't want anyone to be disappointed, nor do we support inflated prices from non-authorized resellers. We are working on creative solutions to help kids and their parents withstand the wait. In the interim, some retailers are developing pre-sale and/or rain-check programs for redemption in January. We will continue to update with program details as they become available."
Copyright by WSLS - All rights reserved


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Nationwide Study Finds US Meat And Poultry Is Widely Contaminated
Flagstaff AZ (SPX) Apr 19, 2011
Drug-resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus, a bacteria linked to a wide range of human diseases, are present in meat and poultry from U.S. grocery stores at unexpectedly high rates, according to a nationwide study by the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen).
Nearly half of the meat and poultry samples - 47 percent - were contaminated with S. aureus, and more than half of those bacteria - 52 percent - were resistant to at least three classes of antibiotics, according to the study published in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases.
This is the first national assessment of antibiotic resistant S. aureus in the U.S. food supply. And, DNA testing suggests that the food animals themselves were the major source of contamination.
Although Staph should be killed with proper cooking, it may still pose a risk to consumers through improper food handling and cross-contamination in the kitchen.
Researchers collected and analyzed 136 samples - covering 80 brands - of beef, chicken, pork and turkey from 26 retail grocery stores in five U.S. cities: Los Angeles, Chicago, Fort Lauderdale, Flagstaff and Washington, D.C.
"For the first time, we know how much of our meat and poultry is contaminated with antibiotic-resistant Staph, and it is substantial," said Lance B. Price, Ph.D., senior author of the study and Director of TGen's Center for Food Microbiology and Environmental Health.
"The fact that drug-resistant S. aureus was so prevalent, and likely came from the food animals themselves, is troubling, and demands attention to how antibiotics are used in food-animal production today," Dr. Price said.
Densely-stocked industrial farms, where food animals are steadily fed low doses of antibiotics, are ideal breeding grounds for drug-resistant bacteria that move from animals to humans, the report says.
"Antibiotics are the most important drugs that we have to treat Staph infections; but when Staph are resistant to three, four, five or even nine different antibiotics - like we saw in this study - that leaves physicians few options," Dr. Price said.
"The emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria - including Staph - remains a major challenge in clinical medicine," said Paul S. Keim, Ph.D., Director of TGen's Pathogen Genomics Division and Director of the Center for Microbial Genetics and Genomics at Northern Arizona University (NAU).
"This study shows that much of our meat and poultry is contaminated with multidrug-resistant Staph. Now we need to determine what this means in terms of risk to the consumer," said Dr. Keim, a co-author of the paper.
The U.S. government routinely surveys retail meat and poultry for four types of drug-resistant bacteria, but S. aureus is not among them. The paper suggests that a more comprehensive inspection program is needed.
S. aureus can cause a range of illnesses from minor skin infections to life-threatening diseases, such as pneumonia, endocarditis and sepsis.
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Beijing (AFP) April 18, 2011
Hundreds of dogs being trucked to Chinese restaurants were spared a culinary fate after about 200 animal lovers mobilised to stop them ending up on dinner tables, state-run media said Monday. A truck crammed with the dogs was forced to stop Friday on a highway in eastern Beijing by a motorist who swerved his car in front of the truck and then used his microblog to alert animal-rights activis ... read more
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Bookstore chain slashes outlets amid funding crunch
Popular bookstore operator Yanjiyou is reported to have closed stores in several cities, including Beijing and Shanghai, due to a funding crunch.
From eight stores in Beijing, Yanjiyou has only three still operating, namely the Wukesong and Guanshe stores, and the Financial Street (Jinrongjie) store, an officer at the firm's headquarters told Shanghai Daily on Friday.
The Yanjiyou Today Reading store, the company's first outlet located in Zhongguancun Chuangye Street in Beijing is reported to have closed long ago.
Consumers in Shanghai are advised to visit four stores in Hongqiao hub, Chamtime Square, Bailian Shiji Shopping Mall and Qibao Powerlong City, which are still opened for business, a shop assistant at Hongqiao store said.
A search on Dianping.com showed Yanjiyou's stores in Rainbow City and Hubindao mall in Xintiandi have closed. The Binjiang Vanke Center store was found to have failed to pay rent.
The company once had 10 stores in Shanghai, according to data from its official website.
In addition, some of Yanjiyou's stores in Chengdu, Guangzhou, Xi'an and other cities have also been closed or temporarily suspended, including three in Chengdu IFS, Guangzhou K11 and Xi'an Maike Center, according to media reports.
Amid the waves of closures, Yanjiyou had recently opened a new store in the northeastern city of Changchun.
Founded in 2013, the Chengdu-based company opened its first store in Beijing in 2014 before expanding rapidly into some 58 stores in major cities across China.
Yanjiyou became popular by combining books spaces with art displays and a cafe, and also providing readers with cultural lifestyle products including stationery, home accessories and drinks.
The company has been a hot topic on the Internet since November due to media reports about its store closures and wage delays.
In response, Yanjiyou posted an open letter on its official Weibo account in mid-November, citing the epidemic as having "caused tight cash flow" and saying it is "making business transformations" accordingly.
Since its inception, Yanjiyou raised a total of US$36.8 million in funding over four rounds, the latest in December 2018 from a Series B round, data from Crunchbase showed.


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In the digital age, more and more people spend their time reading on mobile devices. And people now watch more television dramas on video websites. The conventional picture has been broken by cultural consumption. The modernization of the digital industry has made cultural norms further plentiful and accessible, and has developed in a variety of fields.
Digital cultural consumption goes mainstream
Recently, Asian viewers have had their eyes on the South Korean drama “Man from the Stars.” According to statistics, the show has hit record highs since it first aired. Its popularity has shown the power behind what it means to be timely and selective.
With the development of the digital industry, the promoting of mobile termination and websites brings fresh ideas for cultural consumption. According to figures from the CNNIC and published in Statistics Reports of the Development Internet China States, in November, 2013, about 6.18 million people in China has Internet access, and has about a 45.8% Internet penetration rate. Among them, Internet users on mobile phones has already reached 5 million. And people who surf the web on mobile phones is at about 81%.
The director of the Economic Research Institute of Central University of Finance and Economics Wei Pengju said, “The development of digital culture can boost the convenience and availability of cultural products. Information and service is exactly the foundation and precondition of cultural consumption.”
Besides, digitization also increases the participation of culture. Through the Internet, everyone can get involved in any popular discussions. The innovation of digital products such as E-bank, Alipay, and making payments through Wechat, provide easier options for consumers. The latest payment reform modes have had a stimulating impact.
“As for me, for the next five or six years, the digital cultural industry will occupy nearly 70% of the output of the Chinese cultural industry.”
Chen Shaofeng, the Deputy Director of the Institute for Cultural Industries at Beijing University, says digital culture is the mainstream trend of the culture industry and cultural consumption.
“Over time, our mode of living is becoming symbiotic with digital technology, especially those teenagers who have become the mainstream consumer of the culture industry. And prime entertainment relates to digital technology. That will inevitably promote the transformation to digital,” he said.
The giant’s growing pains
On the subway, many types of mobile readers said that compared with the traditional P-book, it’s more convenient to read on mobile phones. Data shows that in 2003, songs on China Mobile Wireless Music grew from 1,700 to 2,800 thousand with more than 150 million music downloads per month by average. Now, the market scale of online games approached 90 billion, growing by 33% year on year. And net-literature approached 4.63 billion, an increase of 66.7%.
All of the exuberance is within the digital cultural market of consumption. However, in the age of 4G technology, the deep envelopment of the mobile Internet and the rise of innovative payment methods, digital culture will continue to expand its own market of cultural consumption. It is predicted that the scale of online games is expected to exceed RMB100 billion and reach 115 billion yuan by the end of 2014. After three years, it may exceed 200 billion. In 2015, the overall market of net literature will exceed 7 billion.
Bai Guoqing, director of the School of Art and Technology in China, said the profits of the online gaming industry and online videos can be used as an example to explain that even digital cultural consumption has created its own big following, yet it still needs to improve its profitability. He also told China Daily that, “Taking online games as an example, most of the profit comes from the few premium users who are supported by numerous free users. What’s more, the main profitability of online video is not the advertising revenue but the premium users.”
Why premium users are less? Zhang Aiai, one Internet user, hit the mark when he said, “When the Subscription Video on Demand is provided by video websites, we can already download the free advanced one which is not very clear. If you really want to watch a movie, you can’t wait to go to a cinema. You can enjoy the movie free charge.”
Wei Pengju considers that, due to the popularization of the Internet and the fast dissemination of information, it’s easy to produce a way to “ride for free.” He said, “It’s hard to create a kind of protection for intellectual property. In addition, the development of digital culture in our country is still young and is in the process of transitioning from the traditional function to a more modern way, which has yet to become a profitable form of business.”
Wei also said there are some issues between the business model and service content. “In light of the content, the division of cultural consumption is over-serious. Resource integration is necessary, but the status quo of digitization in our country has not formed a chain, its relevant content has scattered all businesses. Publishers publishing, musicians making music, a movie is a movie, and because there is no massive content, it’s hard to be accepted.”
The business logic behind the multilateral economic system
There is no doubt the market of cultural consumption is a good prospect, but is there way to get over the growing pains? How will we be able to hold up the banner of cultural consumption? “Personally, I’m looking forward to the copyright law amendment. The right of renewal of authorship may play a role in the copyright, said Wei Pengju who emphasized the perspective of authorship, He added, “There’s no creation on products, not to mention consumption. So it really needs to protect the spirit of authorship.”
How should we transform the structure of business of digital cultural consumption? Chen Shaofeng, the Deputy Director at the Institute for Cultural Industries at Beijing University, thought it should be distinguished from the traditional structure fundamentally. He said it is a kind of mode of platform economics, and benefits from the business logic on a multilateral economic system in the way of comprehensive income, instead of the traditional way of: “I give you money, you give me product.”
Chen said, “Subscription Video on Demand, Share per Click, Free trial, pericardium of member, take complimentary online consumption and combine it with traditional industries and that will create a synthetic value of copyright.” He also added the system needs to have a pluralistic thinking mode to manage the digital cultural industry, and to create business value through an industry value chain.
On the other hand, the consumer is the pivot point of consumption. Therefore, the starting point of a business decision should always take the view of the customer. “We’ve conducted data research, and the results display there is a positive correlation between expense and time. It means the longer the netizen surfs, the higher their consumption expense. No matter if its online games, or movies or net literature, heavy users always want more and pay more,” he said.
Chen feel that from this point, for those businesses related with digital cultural consumption, the important prerequisites of transforming attraction into practical value is to enhance the viscosity of the consumer.


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North East Direct Selling Expo: Assam in top 10 direct selling markets in India
Assam alone accounted for Rs 771.6 crore which translates to 47.59 per cent of the total revenue of the Northeast India market, as per the survey commissioned by the IDSA.
Updated on 2 Dec 2021, 7:56 pm
The Annual Survey 2019-20 for Direct Selling in India released on Thursday showed that the Direct Selling Industry of the Northeast region of India touched Rs 1621 crore in FY 2019-20, accounting for 9.66 per cent market share, highlighting the immense potential and scope of growth that the Northeastern region of India has as a market.
The North East Direct Selling Expo anchored by the Indian Direct Selling Association (IDSA) brought together an array of Direct Selling Industry Leaders, Market Experts and Direct Sellers from the Northeast market and Assam’s Policy Establishment, stated a release issued by the IDSA.
As per the survey commissioned by the IDSA, Assam alone accounted for Rs 771.6 crore which translates to 47.59 per cent of the total revenue of the Northeast India market, or 4.59 per cent of gross national direct selling revenue, placing Assam at Number 9 in the pecking order, IDSA stated.
Further, Direct Selling Industry in Assam has contributed in excess of Rs 100 crore in taxes to the state exchequer, it mentioned. This industry provides livelihoods to 200,000 people in Assam, and another 1,60,000 Direct Sellers in the remaining states in NE. To put things in perspective, The Indian Direct Selling industry was valued at Rs 16,776 crore in 2019-20 as compared to Rs 13,080 crore in 2018-19, it further stated. India registered the highest year-on-year growth rate of 28 per cent, making it the fastest growing direct selling market amongst the top 20 direct selling countries globally, it added.
The North East Direct Selling Expo – the first ever such effort in the country, saw wide-ranging discussions with stakeholders, and included a specialist session dedicated to women direct sellers titled ‘Direct Selling – The Torch Bearer of Women’s Empowerment,’ it mentioned.
This session focused on the rising contribution of women direct sellers both in terms of revenue contribution and deeper outreach and penetration of the market, in the Northeast region of India.
A second panel discussion session titled ‘New age Micro-Entrepreneurship options’ was held to display and showcase the opportunities at entrepreneurship and micro -entrepreneurship that was available to the incoming young professionals of the new generation, it further stated.
Speaking on this occasion, IDSA chairman Rajat Banerji said, “The Indian Direct Selling Association is keen to deepen and widen its presence in the seven sisters, not just because of the very promising numbers that the Direct Selling Survey report has thrown up but by the energy, vigour and passionate drive shown by the direct sellers of the marketplace. The Northeastern States of India have been one of the best-kept secrets of the Direct Selling industry, which is reflected in the steady growth and revenues.”
It further stated that the Direct Selling industry has been providing sustainable self-employment and start-up opportunities to millions of people in the country including the state of Assam and for the Northeastern Region. Direct Selling has also become a significant source of income, especially for the youth and women in the state, it added.
The Indian Direct Selling Association IDSA is an autonomous, self-regulatory body for the direct selling industry in India. The Association acts as an interface between the industry and policy-making bodies of the Government facilitating the cause of the Direct Selling Industry in India.


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Best Buy Circulates RFP to Multiple Shops
RICHFIELD, MN: Electronics giant Best Buy is soliciting information from numerous ad agencies outside of its lead agency partner, MDC Partners’ CP&B, Ad Age has learned.
According to several people familiar with the situation, the retailer this week circulated a request-for-proposal document that is understood to encompass integrated marketing duties, including digital marketing, social media, broadcast and print. “This is part of our regular business review, designed to supplement our current agency relationships,” said Best Buy spokeswoman Lisa Hawks, declining to elaborate further.
Best Buy ranks as the 62nd-largest advertiser with more $555 million in U.S. ad spending, including both measured media and unmeasured media, according to Ad Age’s Datacenter.
CP&B — which is among the list of agencies at various holding companies to have received the RFP from Best Buy — said the review doesn’t affect its business with the retailer. According to CP&B President and Partner Jeff Steinhour, the document that made the rounds this week is a “RFP for additional services” and the agency’s “core business is not affected.”
“They had an in-house agency group called Yellow Tag for many years that handled radio, email and direct mail, and this is an RFP for those kinds of services … things that were previously handled in-house that they are now looking for a partner for,” Mr. Steinhour said. “They have sent it out to all their roster agencies plus other agencies.” According to him, shops have until Monday to respond, and CP&B plans to throw its hat in the ring. “There are some things on there we would love a shot at.”
To Ad Age’s understanding, there are no plans to dismantle Yellow Tag, the in-house marketing operation that Best Buy has been investing more in over the past couple of years.
That Best Buy is once again looking at agencies other than its lead shop CP&B is noteworthy considering the retailer in November consolidated its media-planning and -buying account at Publicis Groupe’s Starcom. The account was previously split, with Starcom managing buying duties, and CP&B leading media-planning.
CP&B recently picked up marketing duties for Coca-Cola’s Vitamin Water, but that was a small consolation to the loss of its key client Burger King after a seven-year relationship. The potential entry of more agencies onto Best Buy’s roster could also be a concern for the shop.
In the U.S., Best Buy’s marketing is now run by Drew Panayiotou, who joined the company in January 2010 and has been at the center of several turns in the retailer’s media strategies. Best Buy has been shifting more money into TV, for example, including a first-ever Super Bowl buy this year. Mr. Panayiotou reports to Barry Judge, Best Buy’s chief marketing officer.
The company has nearly 1,100 stores, based on its most recent annual report, filed at the end of April; that figure is up 31 stores over fiscal year 2010. The retailer reported a 0.3% revenue decline in fiscal 2011, which it attributed to weak consumer spending and shifts in consumer demand for new tech products.
“We believe the revenue decline resulted primarily from a combination of weakness in several key consumer electronics industry product categories and a decline in our estimated domestic market share,” the company said. “Consumers continue to be highly selective and cautious about how and when they make consumer electronics purchases. As a specialty retailer in the consumer-electronics industry, the adoption of new technology and the timing of product life-cycles continue to play an important role in revenue trends.”
Their web site: http://www.bestbuy.com/
Image Source: http://www.crunchgear.com


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Brazilian phishing expedition adds to concerns
The con snares users as they open e-mail, replacing legitimate Web addresses with links to false sites
The menace that is phishing continues to evolve into more sinister means of extracting bank details and personal information from unsuspecting internet users.
Whereas previous techniques worked by luring users to fake websites via links in spam e-mails, the latest version discovered by MessageLabs last week snares users as soon as they open an offending e-mail.
The e-mails run a script that rewrites the computer's host files, which contain the mapping of IP addresses to host names.
When users subsequently enter the address of a legitimate online bank in their web browsers, they are automatically redirected to a fraudulent website where their bank details can be stolen.
'By reducing the need for user intervention, the perpetrators are making it easier to dupe users into handing over the contents of their bank accounts,' MessageLabs senior anti-virus technologist Alex Shipp said.
'Most banks have advised their customers to be wary of any e-mail asking for personal banking details, but in this case all they have to do is open an apparently innocent e-mail and their bank details could be silently sabotaged.'
The latest scam has so far targeted three Brazilian banks, but Asia-Pacific technical director David Banes warned that it might not take long for the scam to spread worldwide.
'The phishing community is like the virus-writing community - if one person does it, it is not long before the technique spreads,' he said.
'People can easily get hold of the technique and apply it to banks in Australia or Hong Kong.'
Brazil is emerging as a hotspot for internet fraud, with 53 arrests in the past month and up to US$30million stolen from online bank accounts.
Mr Banes said the latest threat probably originated from a local group in the country.
In Hong Kong, a phishing scam believed to have originated in eastern Europe had HSBC staff frantically ringing customers last month to check the legitimacy of online transactions. But MessageLabs said the present scam would be even more difficult for banks to prevent as the process began merely by opening an e-mail.
One way to prevent the attack is to disable Windows Scripting Host, which will prevent the e-mail from running the offending script. But Mr Banes said the solution was far from ideal because many legitimate websites used scripting to enhance content.
'Disabling scripting is a legitimate way to solve the problem but it will not make for a rewarding online experience,' he said.
MessageLabs detects between 80 and 100 phishing websites a day, along with 'tens of thousands' of phishing e-mails.
'Over the past year we've seen lots of innovative ways of conning people into doing what they don't want to do online,' Mr Barnes said.
'They use similar techniques - e-mails, web browser vulnerabilities, they all fall in the same basket.'
The company also warned last week of fraudulent e-mails targeting Yahoo! users that asked them to verify their Yahoo! identity codes.
The e-mails claim to help Yahoo! prevent automated registrations but actually trick users into creating e-mail accounts from which spammers can distribute unsolicited e-mails.
How users are tricked
Users receive an innocent-looking e-mail that contains no reference to online banking in the subject line
Opening the e-mail activates a silent script that rewrites all-important host files on the computer that determine which webpage opens in the browser window
The user types in the address of a real online bank but is redirected automatically to a fraudulent site that resembles the real deal
Still unaware that the browser has taken them to the wrong site, the user tries to log in to their bank account. The hackers now have all the necessary information to go shopping with their savings
All this takes place without the user clicking on any misleading links, and without the user suspecting anything unusual


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Behind the scenes, there are changes underway at the Greater York Antique Show.
But the trick of a good backstage crew is to make sure the audience never notices the switch.
And that is the goal for the new manager of the show, Bob Bockius.
Bockius and his partner, Dave Strickler, are now in charge of the promotion and management of the event.
In January, Donna Burk of Burk Antique Shows announced her retirement from show promotion and sold the company to Bockius and Strickler. Donna and her late husband, Jim, ran the Greater York Antique Show for 44 years.
Bockius hopes to continue attract high quality exhibitors and dealers to the semiannual events, he said.
"We hope to expand and manage other shows in the future," Bockius said. "But first we want to keep (the Greater York Antique Show) successful."
Bockius and Strickler have along been associated with collectors shows. The pair own Mitchell Displays, which supplies display cases for more than 75 antiques, collectibles and book shows in the Eastern and Midwestern states.
After having worked with so many longtime players at the top of the market, Bockius decided to extend his organizational skills into promotion and management with the York show.
"We've been in the display business for more than 20 years," Bockius said. "We have contacts with exhibitors and we were already coming to the show every year. We are happy for the opportunity to run the show."
For now, the show dates, website and benefactor will remain the same, Bockius said.
All proceeds from the show will go to benefit youth services programs at the YMCA of York County.
Bockius is hoping that a change in leadership, along with significant investment into the show will help retain the current exhibitors and their customers, while opening the event to additional dealers.
"We are looking to bring in 60 to 70 quality exhibitors in all price ranges," Bockius said. "That way there's something for everyone."
If you go
What: The Greater York Antique Show
Where: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday
When: Memorial Hall East of the York Expo Center
Entry: Admission is $10 and cover attendance for both days


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Restaurant to Bring Approximately 100 Full- and Part-Time Jobs to TC Community
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (Feb. 28, 2022) – A new Chick-fil-A® restaurant is slated to open for business in Traverse City on March 3. This will be the first and only Chick-fil-A restaurant in Northwest Michigan, and the next closest Chick-fil-A Is nearly 150 miles away. To manage the new location, Chick-fil-A, Inc. has selected Chris Ramsey as the independent franchised Owner/Operator of Chick-fil-A Traverse City. Ramsey will be responsible for all day-to-day activities of the business, including employing approximately 100 full- and part-time Team Members, serving guests and cultivating relationships with local organizations and businesses.
Starting March 3, Chick-fil-A Traverse City will be open at 2700 N US Highway 31 S, Traverse City, MI 49684. From 6:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, guests can dine in, use the drive-thru or carry out their favorite menu items. The new Traverse City location will be approximately 5,000 square feet, and will feature a multi-lane drive-thru and an outdoor canopy for face-to-face ordering. Chick-fil-A remains committed to serving guests safely. Guests can take advantage of contactless ordering and payment through the free Chick-fil-A mobile app. To learn more about Chick-fil-A’s safety protocols, please visit the COVID-19 response page.
To celebrate the opening, Chick-fil-A Traverse City will surprise 100 local heroes making an impact in the TC area with free Chick-fil-A for a year. Additionally, in honor of the new restaurant opening, Chick-fil-A will donate $25,000 to Feeding America, distributing the funds to partners in the greater Northern Michigan area to aid in the fight against hunger.
Locally Owned and Operated
Born and raised in Toledo, OH, Ramsey began his journey with Chick-fil-A in 2015, where he served as a Team Member before quickly transitioning into a leadership position. Ramsey was deeply moved by Chick-fil-A’s vision to have a positive influence on the communities it serves, which inspired him to pursue a career with the brand. As a next step to fulfill his passion, Ramsey enrolled in Chick-fil-A’s Leadership Development Program in 2018. After the completion of 12 assignments throughout the U.S., where he served new Operators and assisted in the operation of company-owned restaurants, Ramsey was selected as the Operator of Chick-fil-A Traverse City. For years, Ramsey has enjoyed traveling to Northern Michigan with his wife, Ellie. Together they found a deep love for the area with each visit, and they look forward to raising their three kids in a city that instills unique beauty and adventure. Ramsey relishes the opportunity to bring Chick-fil-A to those who have not experienced it before and is excited to operate with a level of excellence that reflects the best of Chick-fil-A.
“The opportunity to be in a community where little is known about Chick-fil-A has always been a dream of mine,” said Ramsey. “I am excited to create a place of refreshment for those in the Traverse City area who choose to dine in with us. It is my goal to become Traverse City’s most caring restaurant while providing employment opportunities and a remarkable culture for our Chick-fil-A Team Members.”
Team Member Investment
Chick-fil-A franchised Operators are committed to hiring, developing and retaining top talent, and providing a positive work environment for people of all ages and backgrounds. They also offer their Team Members opportunities for flexible work hours and leadership growth, competitive pay and benefits, hands-on training and mentoring, and the chance to apply for scholarships to support their continuing education.
Quality Ingredients; Delicious Food
Chick-fil-A focuses on serving customers great-tasting food made with high quality ingredients. The produce used in recipes is delivered to kitchens up to six times a week. Salads are made with whole fruits and vegetables that are chopped and prepared fresh throughout the day. Chick-fil-A Lemonade is made from three simple ingredients: lemon juice, sugar and water.
Breaded chicken is pressure cooked in 100%, fully refined peanut oil and all U.S. Chick-fil-A restaurants now serve chicken raised with No Antibiotics Ever, starting from the egg. By not allowing antibiotics of any kind, Chick-fil-A chicken meets the highest commitment for non-antibiotic use. For more information about the Chick-fil-A No Antibiotics Ever commitment, visit www.chick-fil-a.com/no-antibiotics-ever.
Commitment to Customer Service
With a longstanding tradition in the restaurant industry for setting high standards in customer service, Chick-fil-A earned recognition for providing the "best fast food customer service in America" according to America's Best Customer Service 2020 report by Newsweek, among other honors.
For more information about Chick-fil-A and stories about the Brand’s food, people and customers across the country, visit chick-fil-a.com. For the latest news and updates on Chick-fil-A Traverse City, visit the Chick-fil-A Traverse City Facebook page and follow along on Instagram.
About Chick-fil-A, Inc.
Atlanta-based Chick-fil-A, Inc. is a family owned and privately held restaurant company founded in 1967 by S. Truett Cathy. Devoted to serving the local communities in which its franchised restaurants operate, and known for its original chicken sandwich, Chick-fil-A serves freshly prepared food in more than 2,700 restaurants in 47 states, Washington, D.C., and Canada.
A leader in customer service satisfaction, Chick-fil-A was named top fast food restaurant in Newsweek’s 2019 America’s Best Customer Service report and received several honors in QSR’s 2019 Reader’s Choice Awards, including “The Most Respected Quick-Service Brand” and “Best Brand for Overall Experience”. Additionally, Glassdoor named Chick-fil-A one of the top 100 best places to work in 2020. More information on Chick-fil-A is available at www.chick-fil-a.com.


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"Bayer to sell vegetable seeds business"Bayer plans to sell its global vegetable seeds business and allow BASF exclusive access to its digital farming data in an effort to address EU antitrust concerns over its $63.5 billion purchase of Monsanto, Reuters reports.
Bayer clinched a deal in October last year to sell its seed and herbicide businesses to BASF for 5.9 billion euros ($7.2 billion).
Bayerís vegetable seeds business, which operates under the brand Nunhems, has more than 1,200 seed varieties in 25 vegetables crops.
The company has offered to divest the vegetable seeds business as a unit including its intellectual property rights, locations and production sites to a new entrant in a move that rules out bids from private equity firms, sources said.
To assuage regulatory concerns about its collection of data and information about farms known as digital agriculture, Bayer will also give BASF an exclusive license to its digital farming platform, the sources said.
Another source said that rival agribusiness Syngenta is very interested in the vegetable seeds operation but that there are also other interested parties.
Publication date: 2/12/2018
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Nobody wants to know how a hot dog is made, because you always know there’s some crazy stuff inside. If you’re one of those persons, stop reading now. Alright, time for a reality check. According to the “The Hot Dog Report” released by Clear Food, a company on a mission to demystify the black box that’s the US food industry, many consumer brands add more ingredients in their sausages than you’d wished for, i.e. labeled.
The company sequenced the genetic material from 345 samples of hot dogs across 75 brands and found that around 15% were problematic. This means a deceiving label, whether exaggerating the protein content or finding pork in your chicken sausage. About 67% of the veggie samples had hygiene issues. Perhaps most disturbing is that 1 in 10 so-called veggie hot dogs had meat in them, and 2% of all samples had human DNA inside.
“It’s sort of the ultimate mystery meat,” says Clear Food co-founder Mahni Ghorashi motivating the company’s decision to start their first large scale report with hot dogs. As expected, Ghorashi and colleagues found a lot of problems with the hot dogs, which also account for a considerable market worth $2.5 billion in the US. Another $3 billion market makes up dinner and breakfast sausages.
What’s inside a hot dog
Basically, a hot dog is made up of leftovers from butchered meat, also called ‘trimmings’. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO): “The raw meat materials used for precooked-cooked products are lower-grade muscle trimmings, fatty tissues, head meat, animal feet, animal skin, blood, liver and other edible slaughter by-products.” Basically, that’s the worst kind of meat you can wish for, but that doesn’t stop a lot of Americans from readily buying them. The National Hot Dog & Sausage Council estimates that Americans eat about seven billion franks during hot dog “season,” which stretches from Memorial Day to Labor Day.
Of course, some high quality producers make hot dog without trimmings. Examples include kosher, all beef hot dogs that have no by-products, fillers or artificial colors or flavors.
Almost all the sausages and hot dogs you buy from a retailer are made in factories where they’re churned out by the second. Large machines mix and chop the meat along with spices and other ingredients, then through automatic stuffers where the emulsified mixture is cased. Then, long links of hot dogs are cooked in a smokehouse, cooled by being passed under a water shower, and packaged. Some companies are less careful than others with this process and some unexpected ingredients come up. For instance, the report found:
- pork substitution in 3% of the samples tested, i.e. where pork shouldn’t have been. In most cases pork was substituted for chicken or turkey;
- 14.4% of all hot dogs had problem of some sort;
- labels of some vegetarian products exaggerated the amount of protein in the item by as much as 2.5 times;
- evidence of chicken (10 samples), beef (4 samples), turkey (3 samples), and lamb (2 samples) in products that didn’t list those ingredients.
- veggie hot dogs were the worst. One in ten contained meat, and 67% were prepared in non-hygienic conditions.
- Human DNA was found in 2% of all samples and 2/3 of all veggie samples. Human DNA isn’t harmful but the contamination suggests that the manufacturing process isn’t clean and human contaminants easily slip in. For instance, a worker might shed some hair or skin in the factory, but sometimes maybe even harmful bacteria.
The report isn’t all gloom, though. The researchers found some brands that prepared their hot dogs with integrity. The company assigned a clarity score to each brand from 1 to 100, where 100 means everything inside is as the label states. The most ‘honest’ hot dogs are made by Butterball, McCornick, Eckrich and Hebrew National (all scored 96). Next, Clear Food plans to test other food stuffs using the same methodology.
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Pondering the AfCFTA effects on economy, jobs
Some of the fears regarding the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement stemmed from arguments about Nigeria becoming a dumping ground for goods from the rest of the continent, especially from countries with advanced manufacturing capabilities like South Africa and Morocco, given the nation’s infrastructure challenges and poor capacity utilisation.
AfCFTA is planned to boost intra-Africa trade. At full participation of all the continent’s economies, the trade bloc has a market size that is well over 1.2 billion people and an estimated Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of about $3trillion. The scheme is also riding on an assessed potential of the continent to leverage on its strengths – large and youthful population, huge resource base, and the availability of abundant labour, which could be tapped by focusing on labour intensive industries and engaging in light manufacturing.
According to a recent study co-sponsored by Afreximbank, some African countries are importing certain products from outside the continent at huge costs, while the same products are available at much lower costs in nearby African countries.
The report noted that the fact that Africa was able to support the current level of overall trade with its existing infrastructure means that infrastructure was not necessarily the major issue, but rather how to make more trade intra-African.
A senior official of Nigeria’s indigenous rating agency, Agusto&Co, Jimi Ogbobine, sees the deal from both sides of the divide, but affirmed a net benefit for the country if strategically followed.
Describing the ideals of the AfCFTA, he said: “Sao Tome and Principe, an island nation in the Gulf of Guinea, is just about 775 kilometers from Lagos. That should only take about an hour in a direct flight between Lagos and Sao Tome. For now, such a flight time between these two neighbouring nations could largely be defined as an illusion. In reality, the shortest flight time between Nigeria and Sao Tome and Principe may take over seven hours, with as much as three to four stop-overs across the continent.
“Veteran travellers would simply recommend a more bizarre flight from Nigeria to Europe, precisely Portugal – which has historical ties to the island nation as colonialists – and then a flight to Sao Tome and Principe, rather than the round trip across Africa. This dizzying flight path between neighbouring African states epitomises the structural bottlenecks stacked against intra-African trade. When daunted with such complexities, businesses and nations on the continent simply resort to their historic colonial ties, like in the case of Sao Tome and Principe and in more recent times, China, which is proving that the good old cliché on the piper’s paymaster dictating the tunes still stand.”
Analysts at Afrinvest Securities Limited, in a report obtained by The Guardian said: “By signing the trade agreement, we expect Nigeria to sustain its trade within Africa.”
According to the United Nations Economic Commission on Africa, intra-African trade is likely to increase by 52 per cent under the AfCFTA and will double upon the further removal of non-tariff barriers.”
Going by CBN estimates, Nigeria’s informal exports to the West African sub-region is as much as $1billion, while data from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) put formal trade figures at more than $3.1 billion as at 2017.
Afrinvest report added: “Similarly, trade with Africa reached $6.6 billion in 2017. Nigeria’s trade surplus with Africa and ECOWAS was $1billion and $900 million respectively in the first quarter (Q1) of 2019. This represents 35.2 per cent of Nigeria’s total trade surplus in the quarter, with weak intra-African trade at 19.2 per cent of total trade.
“There is still work to be done around the standards and processes of the agreement, thus full implementation of the agreement would extend into the medium-term. Upon implementation, the AfCFTA would lead to the removal of tariffs on 90 per cent of goods produced by 2020, while 10 per cent of traded goods is expected to be phased in later.”
For the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the planned removal of tariffs on 90 per cent of goods would over time lead to a 16 per cent or $16 billion increase in regional trade in Africa, which would give regional trade a significant boost of about 64 per cent, if non-tariff barriers are finally resolved.
Already, the World Bank records as at 2015, showed that African countries have among the highest non-tariff trade costs in the world, estimated at over 250 per cent.
With the regional trade initiative, there would soon be ease to non-tariff barriers to trade on the continent, starting from red tape – improving the time to export and import; removal of quotas and licenses; improving customs services like clearance procedures; and easing of rules of origin, among others.
The Managing Director, Afrinvest Securities Limited, Ayodeji Ebo, agreed that the scheme is expected to lead to cheaper consumer and industrial goods, which would drive improved wellbeing and promote the industrial sector.
“There is also the case for economies of scale as firms try to sell to the bigger African market, leading to increased efficiency. We expect countries to support industrialisation to make the best use of the bigger African market as exports in much of Africa is currently of low value due to weak processing.
“To compete, efforts to bolster competitiveness through structural reforms, human capital and infrastructure investment are expected to intensify,” he said.
Despite the growing list of benefits, worries remain over the observed weak domestic competitiveness of Nigeria, which could lead to loss of jobs and income, due to cheaper imports.
The immediate counter-argument is that Nigeria is not alone in the infrastructure challenge of the continent. Still, the narrative of who is worse off remains unresolved.
Of course, these concerns deserve greater attention from the country’s leadership. There is no gainsay that trade creates long-run benefits that outweigh short-term pains. Researches and practices in several jurisdictions attest to these.
According to Ogbobine, structural inhibitions are not unknown to policymakers on the continent; hence the drafting of AfCFTA comes as a part of palliatives to fundamental challenges.
To him, AfCFTA creates a single continental market for goods and services as well as a customs union with free movement of capital and business travellers.
Ogbobine added, “While African nations have been bullish about free trade agreements with Western states like the African Growth Opportunity Act (AGOA), which is a free trade agreement between signatory African states and the United States, eliminating tariffs on eligible goods exported from the continent to the US, there has been less enthusiasm with intra-continental free trade agreements.
“While regional blocs such as East African Community (EAC) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have been in the frontline in pushing for sub-regional trade integration, the results are still less than exciting.
“Trade divisions have been well exploited by global giants especially China, which has greater footprints across the continent simply because it has been able to build complex trade infrastructure with individual nations. By operating ineffectually in the silos of regional economic blocs, African nations have not been able to tap trade opportunities among themselves, but also left their flanks open to western nations, thus worsening the trade imbalance of the continent,” he added.
Barely 24 hours after official take off of AfCFTA, the region’s largest trade bank – Afreximbank, unveiled a $1billion financing tagged: ‘AfCFTA Adjustment Facility.’ The stabilisation facility came as a further boost for the implementation of the world’s largest free trade zone and to be made available to member countries to sustain efforts in achieving the more than $3trillion trade value on the continent.
Specifically, AfCFTA Adjustment Facility, as the name implies, comes as a support to any initial fiscal imbalance arising from the implementations, as well as firm up arrangements to raise the capacity of the participating countries and contribute to the regional trade integration process.
Afreximbank President, Prof. Benedict Oramah, had at the 2019 yearly meetings of the bank in Moscow, Russia, hinted of the plans, in collaboration with the African Union (AU).
Oramah told delegates at the 12th Extraordinary Summit of African Union (AU) Heads of State, in Niamey, that there are series of initiatives to support the implementation of AfCFTA.
“This facility will help countries to accelerate the ratification of the AfCFTA. You have started a movement. You must not look back. This movement is now unstoppable,” he said.
Besides, the bank launched the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS), the first continent-wide payment digital system focused on facilitating payments for goods and services in intra-African trade in African currencies.
“We have launched the Africa-wide digital payment infrastructure – the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS) – that we developed in collaboration with the African Union.
“It is a platform that will domesticate intra-regional payments, save the continent more than $5billion in payment transaction costs per annum, formalise a significant proportion of the estimated $50billion of informal intra-African trade, and above all, contribute in boosting intra-African trade,” he said.
Oramah added that by making it possible for Africans to pay for intra-regional trade in their local currencies, the digital platform would deal a fatal blow to the underdevelopment of Africa caused by defragmentation of its economies.
“Our goal is to reduce, significantly, the foreign currency content of intra-African trade payments. No people have achieved meaningful development when their economic progress depends on others.
“To renew focus on industrial and value-chain development across the continent in trying to boost trade and investment, it is imperative that we address the economic costs of effecting so many payments in scarce foreign exchange. Making cross-border payments easier, cheaper and safer is an obvious critical step in creating an Africa we want,” he said.
The National Association of Nigerian Traders (NANTS) is leading the calls for increased funds for the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and improved business environment for Nigeria to benefit from AfCFTA agreement.
NANTS President, Ken Ukaoha, said: “The financial sector needs to buckle up – the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and commercial banks need to wake up to the reality facing Nigeria in signing the agreement and channel more funds to MSMEs.
“After everything, the committee, which comprised all stakeholders including labour, manufacturers and chambers of commerce, MSMEs and different government agencies concluded that Nigeria had to sign the agreement. This is to enable Nigeria to join in the enlarged market, which has over 1.2 billion people.
“We need to understand that there is no trade agreement that comes on a platter of gold. For every country represented therein, the agreement must come with shocks, cost, and benefits as well.
“The economy, overall, will experience some initial shocks to fine-tune some sectors to increase productivity. If import duties would be reduced courtesy of AfCFTA, there must be shocks somewhere. However, we are not looking only at trade in goods, but also trade in services, where Nigeria has advantage.
“We also have to understand that our basket of commodity for export is not too rich, but this time, it needs to be attractive, surplus and well packaged,” he said.
While these concerns may not be entirely misplaced, they are debatable. For instance, Nigeria has long been a member of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), but has not become a dumping ground for goods manufactured in the region. Instead, it has been a dumping ground for goods that originate from outside the region, including those smuggled through neighbouring countries.
The development is mainly driven by structural bottlenecks – inefficiencies in the port and poorly conceived trade and tariff policies that leave Nigeria vulnerable to smuggling. In more than two years, for example, the Apapa Ports gridlock has remained unsolved.
For Ogbobine, AfCFTA is a trade agreement that not only opens up Nigeria’s borders, but also opens up the borders of the other signatory countries. Thus, while Nigeria will be receiving more volume of goods from the other countries, manufacturers in Nigeria will gain an upside, as they will be able to access a wider market across the continent on the same terms.
Undoubtedly, the Nigerian production sector had been under pressure for years. The major concerns worth reemphasising are the harsh lending regime of Nigerian banks to grow production, erratic power supply, poor road network and an almost unending struggle with the taxation system and allegations of multiplicity.
From the chambers of commerce to the individual industrialist, unless these issues are resolved, the nation’s economy and its products will not compete favourably with global peers, even on the continent.
And as the head of the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), Segun Awolowo said, there are 22 non-oil sector products identified by the Federal Government for export, worth about $30 billion in yearly earnings, but the challenge is to follow through.
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Insider Selling: Steven T. Pho Sells 1,300 Shares of RetailMeNot Stock (SALE)
RetailMeNot (NASDAQ:SALE) SVP Steven T. Pho unloaded 1,300 shares of the stock on the open market in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.95, for a total value of $35,035.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 15,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $404,250. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link.
Shares of RetailMeNot (NASDAQ:SALE) traded down 0.11% during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $27.10. The stock had a trading volume of 950,380 shares. RetailMeNot has a 52 week low of $22.45 and a 52 week high of $48.73. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $27.20 and a 200-day moving average of $32.53. The company has a market cap of $1.456 billion and a price-to-earnings ratio of 88.08.
A number of research firms have recently commented on SALE. Analysts at Zacks downgraded shares of RetailMeNot from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 17th. They now have a $26.50 price target on the stock. Separately, analysts at Stifel Nicolaus downgraded shares of RetailMeNot from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, May 23rd. They now have a $42.00 price target on the stock, up previously from $27.00. Finally, analysts at Wunderlich raised their price target on shares of RetailMeNot from $44.00 to $48.00 in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. They now have a “buy” rating on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. The company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $41.21.
RetailMeNot, Inc operates digital coupon marketplace, connecting consumers with retailers and brands.
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FDA has issued a new warning that health supplements may not be as beneficial as we have been led to believe. In fact, they may be harmful to your health.
A report by a University of Arizona professor, Janet Funk, has linked turmeric supplements and liver disease, and it has prompted the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to issue a warning to those who regularly take health supplements.
It is not always the natural ingredients that may cause side-effects, the FDA has actually found unapproved ingredients in over 800 supplements that were sold between 2007 and 2016.
There also is not a way to tell the amount of the ingredients included in the supplements, and this means that those who take these drugs may be taking high levels of unknown ingredients.
“These products have the potential to cause severe adverse health effects owing to accidental misuse, overuse, or interaction with other medications, underlying health conditions, or other drugs within the same dietary supplement,” says the authors of the study. The study was led by Madhur Kumar from the California Department of Public Health Food and Drug Branch.
The report states that the majority of the supplements that had hidden ingredients were for weight loss, sexual enhancement, and muscle-building. Some of the active ingredients can damage blood vessels, increase the risk of heart disease, cause liver or kidney problems, and trigger mental health issues.
A Widespread Problem
You most likely know someone who has taken affected supplements, as 50 percent of adults use some type of supplement. Many feel like the FDA is not taking a strong enough stance against the problem.
However, in an email to CNN, a spokesperson from the FDA, Lindsay Haake states “the FDA recognizes the seriousness of this problem and continues to act within its resources and authorities to address this problem as best it can.
She continues, “The agency’s primary objective is to mitigate any risk posed to public health by informing consumers about any dangers associated with the product and to work to remove it from the market as soon as possible.”
At the moment, less than half of the affected products have been recalled. If you are taking any supplements, you should consult a medical professional.


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Although Apple hires a large number of diverse groups 69% of workforce is still comprised of male employees.
Apple recently released an open letter showing its diversity figures. In the open letter the CEO Tim Cook stated how the hiring practices at Apple are changing.
According to the letter Apple has hired 65 percent of more women globally. In other words 11000 women have been hired by Apple recently. In the US alone Apple hired 2200 black employees and 27000 Hispanic employees.
Cook claims that the recent hiring by Apple is the largest they acquired from underrepresented groups in one year. In the first half of 2015 all employees hired by Apple are women, black, Hispanic, or Native American.
But if you take a closer look at Apple’s workforce demographic diversity is still lacking. The demographics show 65% of Apple employees are still males. The figure has decreased by only 1 percent since 2014.
Moreover about 54% of the entire workforce is a white majority. Around the leadership hierarchy 72 percent is composed of males and 63 percent of them are white.
Even though Apple is trying to hire people from more diverse groups its efforts are still moot. Apple still has a long way to go in term terms of diversity progress.
Even Tim Cook acknowledged in the open letter they still need to make a lot of progress. Cook shared while some will see progress, others will see the distance Apple has to cover.
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Apple launched the ConnectED initiative. It is aimed at bringing technology to economically disadvantaged schools and communities. Apple aims to bring more women and diverse populations into the company.


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Commercial cars to be banned on inner-city streets
Hà Nội’s Department of Transport has asked the municipal People’s Committee to officially ban Uber and Grab cars on 11 inner-city streets after a trial month.
Signs prohibiting taxis and nine-seater or less commercial cars installed in Giảng Võ Street. — vov.vn photo
The streets on which the cars for commercial purposes like taxis, Uber, Grab will be banned during rush hours (from 6am to 9am and from 4.30pm to 7.30pm) are Giảng Võ, Láng Hạ, Lê Văn Lương, Trường Chinh, Khâm Thiên, Lê Duẩn, Hàng Bài, Trần Hưng Đạo, Lý Thường Kiệt and Chương Dương Bridge on the lane from Long Biên District to the city centre.
Commercial cars will be banned completely on Phủ Doãn, Xuân Thủy and Cầu Giấy streets.
The ban is aimed at reducing traffic congestion.
“The ban aims to reduce the number of vehicles going to the centre during rush hours and help alleviate the ever-worsening traffic,” said a representative of the transport department.
Last month, when the ban was implemented on a trial basis, the department had installed signs prohibiting taxis and nine-seater or less commercial cars, including those of popular ride-hailing servies Uber and Grab, on nine out of 13 streets.
After a month of implementation, traffic congestion on crowded streets during rush hours reduced considerably, said the representative.
“The ban did not affect public life or the transport business,” the representative said.
The Ministry of Transport will soon issue regulations forcing Uber and Grab cars to put logos on the car body or on the doors. This will help the traffic police to identify commercial vehicles that violate the ban.
This can, however, be a challenge if the commercial cars refuse to put up logos for identification./.


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LAWRENCE-- Trenton youth head to Rider University to engage in a business plan competition Thursday evening. These local teenagers are part of Rider University's College of Business Administration program called Minding Our Business (MOB). During this summer program, middle school aged Trenton youth are taught the importance of entrepreneurship and business. This is the program's fifteenth year in existence.
During the competition, one student, Patience, showed the audience of parents, friends, and family her fashion business. Another student, Tyrek Ware, had a rib and kabob business plan. Another student, Sierra, sold tutu dresses for young ladies. Another student, Ryan, was in the business of selling candied apples for those with a sweet tooth. While yet another student, Wilmarilys, was all about providing customers with all sorts of unique jewelry.
One by one, Trenton youngsters went on stage to demonstrate their presentations skills and articulate their business plans. Each MOB student took questions from the panel of judges on hand Thursday evening. Judges represented companies all the way from Sam's Club, Wal Mart to Capitol City Contracting. During the Q&A session, one student was asked what was in his secret sauce, but he responded that he was sworn to secrecy because he didn't want to lose his competitive advantage.
This year, the program received its largest donation from Wal-Mart in the amount of $43,000.
A Liberian girl by the name of Patience eventually walked away with the first prize of $125, other MOB students walked away with $50 gift cards.
For more information on how to get involved please contact Dr. Sigfrido Hernandez at 609-895-5509.
Please see videos below:


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Target plans to cut “several thousand” jobs at its Minneapolis corporate offices as the discounter tries to become leaner and more nimble.
And less Minnesota focused. Even as Target sharply downsizes here, an executive boasted Tuesday that it’s expanding its corporate footprint in Silicon Valley, New York City and elsewhere.
CEO Brian Cornell on Tuesday presented his vision of Target’s future to Wall Street analysts in New York, but never specifically mentioned the job cuts. Later, Target officials confirmed long-feared rumors that perhaps 20 percent of Target’s corporate staff could be axed.
“The restructuring will be concentrated at Target’s headquarters locations,” Target said in a news release, “and focus on driving leaner, more efficient capabilities, removing complexity and allowing the organization to move with greater speed and agility.”
Target said the cuts would occur over the next two years, but other than that, gave no timetable, nor specifics on what jobs would be cut. The company employs about 13,000 corporate workers in the Twin Cities, including roughly 10,000 in downtown Minneapolis.
Cornell’s strategy is to tap the payroll savings in order to finance other areas, including Target’s costly upgrades to its digital retail capabilities.
Asked about the upheaval, Cornell told analysts Tuesday that his team has “been very clear about the things we’re going to stop doing, and redirect the organization.”
He added, “We recognize it’s a time of significant change and transformation at Target.”
Cornell became Target’s CEO last year, after the board fired previous CEO Gregg Steinhafel in May. Steinhafel was a Target lifer who rose through the ranks – starting back when the company was known as Dayton’s – but was tripped up by the twin disasters of a massive data breach in 2013 and a botched rollout into Canada over the past two years. Cornell pulled the plug on Canada in January, resulting in some 17,000 Canadian job losses and 550 layoffs in Minneapolis.
In contrast to Steinhafel, Cornell arrived last summer with no history at Target or Minnesota, after a career of job-hopping through executive positions at food and retail companies. He quickly found the Minneapolis headquarters culture too plodding and too cautious.
“Cutting complexity at headquarters will make us more competitive,” Cornell told analysts, unveiling his $2 billion cost-cutting initiative Tuesday.
Retail specialist Dave Brennan at the University of St. Thomas sees a real cultural change underway.
“When you take a look at Brian Cornell, and having been at Sam’s Club, he’s operating with the same kind of dispatch that the Walmart organization does,” Brennan said. “They typically are more action-oriented, and they analyze things comprehensively, but faster than Target.
“Target’s decision-making deal is, they have lots of people and they try to build consensus, and that takes a lot of time,” Brennan added.
Beyond changing Target’s culture, Cornell’s speech touched on his vision for recapturing Target’s growth, pizzazz, even its “cultural leadership.”
Cornell spoke of making big investments in mobile and digital technologies. That’s a place where Target has already made some big strides, but he feels it needs to do more. As U.S. consumers become more tech-savvy, Target wants to be ready because those customers are so profitable.
As Cornell explained, a customer who only shops in the store isn’t as lucrative for Target as one who shops in stores, shops online and also uses Target’s mobile apps.
“The guest becomes much more valuable to us when they interact with us on more than one channel,” Cornell told analysts, noting that digitally connected shoppers generate “three times the sales and more than two-and-a-half times the margin dollars.”
Cornell also wants to re-emphasize a handful of “signature” categories at Target, like clothing, beauty, baby and home. These are profitable areas, and were once strengths of Target, but are widely seen as disappointing in recent years.
Then there’s food. It’s not one of Cornell’s “signature” categories, but he stressed that Target shoppers expect grocery offerings, and that will continue. But he wants to upgrade its assortment, stressing organic and natural products, and less packaged and processed food.
Target is one of many companies that have recently opened digital offices and innovation centers on the tech-heavy West Coast, a roster that also includes Richfield-based Best Buy.
But opening a satellite office is one thing. What will give Minnesota economic officials heartburn is seeing the chief strategy officer, Casey Carl, boast that corporate Target is “branching out to other places” to secure talent – then showing a slide that listed Target’s growing lineup of offices in California, New York and India, on the same day it said it would cut thousands of jobs from its hometown.
Brennan, the St. Thomas professor, thinks it’s a small bit of relief that those Minneapolis job cuts will be “spread out over a couple of years.”
But, he added, “What kind of impact does this have on restaurants in downtown Minneapolis? What impact does this have on high-rise residential towers that have been planned? I think it’s going to have a material impact on those things.”
Tom Webb can be reached at 651-228-5428. Follow him at twitter.com/TomWebbMN.