text:
NEW YORK — Salma Hayek will be the new face of color cosmetics and fragrances at Avon Products Inc., beginning in the third quarter.
That development came Tuesday, as Avon reported it had delivered a 35.4 percent gain in its fourth-quarter earnings, boosted by a surge in beauty sales, ongoing strength in international operations and favorable foreign exchange rates.
Andrea Jung, Avon’s chairman and chief executive officer, said Hayek’s participation will be a key component in Avon’s overall strategy of renewing what she calls “our flagship category” of color and fragrance.
Jung said that Avon will apply the same level of commitment in innovation and investment that had been put into the skin care business, which chalked up a 33 percent sales increase last quarter. Avon has been a pacesetter in the skin care category during the past decade, beginning with Anew in 1992. The three categories — color, treatment and fragrance — do roughly $1 billion in sales, each.
A new push will be made behind Avon Color in the second half and a new fragrance strategy will be revealed, she said.
The length of Hayek’s contract is two years with an option to renew in the third. It calls for her to participate in advertising and promotion of cosmetics and fragrance on a global basis. “She is originally Mexican, but her appeal transcends all demographics,” Jung said, adding that Hayek is “an ideal spokeswoman” for women generally and women of all ethnic backgrounds, a key consideration for a global company.
Jung added that Hayek also will be involved in the work of Avon’s foundation, which will put more attention on the problem of domestic violence, one of the top concerns of women.
Meanwhile, the financial results beat Wall Street’s expectations, pushing shares of Avon’s stock up $3.31, or 5.35 percent, from the prior close to $65.31 on the New York Stock Exchange.
Reflecting its confidence in its long-term growth perspectives, Avon also revealed a 33 percent increase in the dividend and a proposal for a 2-for-1 stock split. The new annual dividend will be $1.12, up from 84 cents. The proposed stock split will be the third 2-for-1 split since 1996. Previous splits occurred in August 1998 and May 1996.For the three months ended Dec. 31, the beauty company reported earnings that rose to $261.3 million, or $1.09 a diluted share, from $193 million, or 80 cents per share, in the same period last year. Earnings exceeded earlier guidance of $1.03 to $1.04 a share. Results were also 5 cents ahead of average analysts’ forecasts.
Sales for the quarter climbed 13.8 percent to $2.11 billion from $1.85 billion in the year-ago period. Excluding the impact of foreign exchange, sales rose 9 percent.
“So we’ve got a great year behind us. I think we’ve got a great year ahead of us and plenty of momentum to carry us through,” said Andrea Jung, Avon’s chairman and chief executive, in a morning conference call. “I stay very committed to the fact that we have a continuing standout growth story here at Avon in term of growth, revenues and profit earnings.”
Driving revenue growth was beauty sales, which were up 18 percent in the quarter, outpacing total revenue growth. Beauty sales continue to make up a larger percentage of the firm’s revenue portfolio, accounting for 63 percent of overall sales.
Within the beauty segment, skin care sales were up due largely to the ongoing success of key 2003 product launches including Anew Clinical and Cellu-sculpt. Color generated a 16 percent sales advance while the fragrance category grew 14 percent.
Geographically, U.S. sales in the quarter rose 2 percent. Results were hurt by low demand for certain holiday nonbeauty products as well as a decline in fragrance sales. The number of active representatives at yearend was 39,000, a 55 percent increase. According to the company, leadership representatives now make up 52 percent of representatives, and contribute 48 percent of sales. Mark, the firm’s new brand for young women, contributed more than 1 percent to overall U.S. sales in the quarter.
On the international front, European sales increased 30 percent while operating profit skyrocketed 50 percent. Excluding the impact of currency translation, sales increased 18 percent. In Latin America, sales increased 16 percent, and 12 percent in local currencies. Sales in the Pacific region increased 17 percent, and 9 percent when excluding the impact of foreign currency exchange.Management said it is seeing healthy sales in the U.S. so far this year, noting it expects U.S. sales to increase 6 to 8 percent in the first quarter.
Specifically, Avon said it expects earnings in 2004 to grow 10 to 12 percent, implying earnings of $3.06 to $3.11 a share, which is ahead of the consensus estimate of $3.04. The company said it also expects 10 percent sales growth in local currencies.
For the first quarter, Avon expects earnings of 50 cents, versus 42 cents reported last year, which is in line with consensus estimates. It also forecast local currency sales growth of 19 percent.
Jung cited the success and acceleration of its business transformation strategy, which is delivering better efficiencies, for the improved picture.
For the year-end period, Avon grew its profits by 24.4 percent to $664.8 million, or $2.78 a share, from $534.6 million, or $2.22, in the prior year, while sales advanced 10.4 percent to $6.88 billion from $6.23 billion.
Maybelline-Garnier Taps Fondu
NEW YORK — Karen Fondu has been named president of Maybelline-Garnier U.S. She had been general manager of the L’Oréal division since February 2001. Fondu joined L’Oréal 24 years ago in L’Oréal’s Retail division and over the years has been named to positions of increasing responsibility. Also, she was instrumental in assimilating Maybelline into the L’Oréal organization when the Memphis-based brand was acquired in 1996. “Karen Fondu has been a major contributor to the continuous success of Maybelline over the past eight years,” noted Joseph Campinell, president of the Consumer Products Group of L’Oréal USA. “Her passion for the business and her ability to drive it forward is unparalleled.”
Buyer Said Found for Jane
NEW YORK — Estée Lauder’s Jane Cosmetics brand could be in the hands of a new owner as early as this week, according to industry sources. The new parent is expected to be a junior fashion company, not a cosmetics firm. A senior marketing executive at a mass beauty company that had briefly looked into buying the teen brand said Estée Lauder has been shopping Jane around for nearly a year.Last week Estée Lauder went public with its intent to sell Jane and had written the struggling line off its books taking a $30.6 million charge in the second quarter. Meanwhile, the brand is operating as usual.
On Tuesday afternoon, an Estée Lauder spokeswoman said the company had no comment at this time.
Peter Kim's Los Angeles-based premium denim line has always had its finger on the pulse of youth. This season, novelty is back in a way reminiscent of early Aughts, with studs, lace-ups, racing waxed denim and more. For more highlights if some of the key brands at the Vegas trade shows, go to WWD.com. #wwdfashion (📷: Patrick Gray; Styled by @thealexbadia; Story by @karihamanaka and @marcy_wwd)
"I was driving back on Saturday afternoon from the beach, and I just saw this sign saying 'Skydiving for $95.' And I was like, I can't not sky dive for $95," says Tom Bateman about a moment in Hawaii while shooting "Snatched." #wwdeye (📷: @vsteves; Interview by @ktauer; Styled by @thealexbadia)


text:
May 17, 2013
Charities need to be able to focus on building relationships with donors and shouldn't have to worry about whether people are facing security issues when filling out an online donation form. This is an incredibly important issue facing e-commerce and online payment processing, and organizations should take steps to make sure the donation experience is as positive and rewarding as possible.
Charities that accept donations online should be aware of the secure payment processing options out there. Those who employ safety solutions will be able to build trust among donors and spend more time developing connections and spreading cause awareness without worrying about payment security issues.
Switch Commerce said organization leaders need to take into account their consumers - or donors, in this case - and follow through with all necessary steps to protect their data. Check all equipment on a regular basis to make sure there aren't any small issues that could turn into big problems. Additionally, it's important to always encrypt data and never store credit card information. Small steps such as these will help guard against any minor attacks.
Solidifying a tight system internally is one way to make sure all employees and workers are doing their best to maintain a secure network. Part of building relationships with donors is showing them their investment in the charity is valued and protected, and that the organization is prepared for future online donations. Educating employees, staying up to date on the latest malware protection, encouraging workers to recognize and fix system errors and taking other necessary precautions will help make the online donation process as smooth as possible.

domain: news


text:
Michelin Group has filed its third suit against Dynamic Tire Corp. and its president, Robert Sherkin, related to allegations that Dynamic Tire distributes “knock-off” Michelin tires manufactured by Aeolus Tire in China. Sherkin is also the president of Aeolus Tire.
Michelin’s latest suit, filed by Michelin North America, Inc. in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York, alleges that Dynamic’s website illustration of its Triangle TR689 tire was copied from a drawing of Michelin’s XDE M/S tire. Michelin said the illustration of the Triangle TR689 tire posted on Dynamic’s website mirrors Michelin’s XDE M/S tire, except the words “Triangle” and “TR689” has replaced the words “Michelin” and “XDE M/S”.
“The three separate lawsuits from last June to December shows how aggressively we’re willing to pursue distributors that sell knockoffs of our tires,” said Lynn Mann, spokesperson for Michelin North America. “Michelin has been more on R&D than any other tire maker, we feel it is a competitive advantage for us. From a Michelin North America standpoint, filing actions against the distributor is the most direct path to stopping this problem.”
Michelin invests roughly $1 billion in R&D each year, the tire maker said.
According to Michelin, in June 2005 it filed a suit against Aeolus Tire and Dynamic Tire in the Federal Court of the Northern District of Alabama that charged patent infringement for the use of Michelin’s proprietary tread design for its XDA-HT tire. Tires based on the XDA-HT design were sold under both the Aeolus and Windpower brands, and are distributed in North America by Dynamic Tire, Michelin said.
After that, Michelin North America (Canada), Inc. filed suit against Dynamic Tire Corp. and Robert Sherkin in the Federal Court of Canada, alleging infringement of two Canadian Industrial Designs by Dynamic’s distribution of Triangle TR696 tires and Triangle TR689 tires. Michelin is seeking an injunction to halt distribution of those tires and an award of damages and costs.
Dynamic Tire was contacted but had no comment available as of press time.


text:
'Snow White and the Huntsman' prequel has release date but no Kristen StewartThe "Snow White and the Huntsman" prequel has a release date. It will star Chris Hemsworth and Charlize Theron, but not Kristen Stewart.
HitFix 15 hours ago - EntertainmentAlso reported by •The Wrap •Just Jared •Business Wire
Jon Stewart's passion project 'Rosewater' gets a November release dateJon Stewart's "Rosewater" has been a passion project for the "Daily Show" host since he covered the story of embattled BBC journalist Maziar Bahari in the summer...
HitFix 17 hours ago - EntertainmentAlso reported by •ITProPortal •Just Jared •GameSpot •Business Wire
Daredevil TV Show: Filming Taking Place in NYC; Netflix Release Date AnnouncedThe Daredevil TV show, which will air on Netflix, has started filming ahead of a May 2015 release date.
The Marvel show has started filming at Murray and...
Epoch Times 18 hours ago - EntertainmentAlso reported by •Just Jared •ITProPortal
[News] Ces Cru "Codename: Ego Stripper" Release DateCes Cru reveals the cover art and release date for their August 5 album, "Codename: Ego Stripper."
HipHopDX 23 hours ago - EntertainmentAlso reported by •ITProPortal •GameSpot
Movie Execs Realize Promo With Exploding Buildings And A Sept. 11 Release Date Doesn't Go Over WellMovie Execs Realize Promo With Exploding Buildings And A Sept. 11 Release Date Doesn't Go Over Well
ajc.com 3 days ago - BusinessAlso reported by •The Verge •Business Wire
iPhone 6 Rumor Rundown: Release Date, Specs, Screens And Features For Upcoming Apple SmartphoneiPhone 6 Rumor Rundown: Release Date, Specs, Screens And Features For Upcoming Apple Smartphone
ajc.com 6 days ago - Business
Titanfall DLC Release Date, News: ‘Frontier’s Edge’ Will Launch for Xbox One and PC in JulyTitanfall: Frontier’s Edge finally gets a release date and some added features.
Respawn Entertainment’s latest downloadable content (DLC) is the second of...
Epoch Times 1 week ago - TechnologyAlso reported by •Christian Post


text:
DETROIT - Little Caesars Arena is introducing mobile ticketing as its primary entry method for the upcoming 2018-19 Detroit Red Wings and Pistons seasons.
The move is being made to protect fans from the risk of obtaining fraudulent or counterfeit tickets. Instead of using traditional paper tickets to enter the building, a smartphone or other mobile device will act as a fan's ticket and a bar code will be scanned directly from the screen and allow entry into the building.
Printed tickets no longer accepted
All PDF tickets, either printed or copied on a mobile phone, will no longer be accepted as a method of entry for Red Wings or Pistons games at Little Caesars Arena.
"The Ticketmaster technology, adopted in arenas throughout the country, also reduces the chance of fraudulent tickets, allows for convenient online transfer and re-sale of tickets, and provides a user-friendly platform for the online management of tickets," reads a statement from Olympia Entertainment.
According to Olympia Entertainment, the District Detroit App is the most efficient way for Red Wings fans to store and access their mobile tickets. Detroit Pistons fans are encouraged to store and access their mobile tickets by utilizing the Detroit Pistons app.
Chris Granger, Group President, Sports & Entertainment, Ilitch Holdings, Inc., and Charlie Metzger, Executive Vice President, Chief Revenue and Marketing Officer for the Detroit Pistons released a joint statement noting the benefits of mobile ticketing.
"Both our organizations have been testing mobile technologies throughout the last year and have received positive feedback from both sports fans and concert goers. Guests are provided a streamlined and convenient experience, along with greater security when tickets are sold or transferred. Ticketmaster has built a user-friendly platform that is being utilized by fans in arenas and stadiums throughout the country. We’re excited to fully transition to the mobile ticketing process, and continue to provide our guests a world-class sports and entertainment experience.”
Season ticket holders no longer get ticket books
The move will mean season ticket holders will no longer receive traditional ticket books with individual tickets for each game as they have in the past. Detroit Red Wings season ticket holders are slated to receive a commemorative printed ticket to celebrate the upcoming season, with individual game tickets set to be uploaded to their online Ticketmaster account by the end of August.
It's not known if Detroit Pistons season ticket holders will also be receiving a commemorative printed ticket in addition to their tickets being uploaded to their online account.
Still need traditional tickets?
Fans who do not have access to a smartphone or mobile device should contact the Little Caesars Arena XFINITY Box Office at 313-471-7929 to be advised on how they can obtain their tickets.
Copyright 2018 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit - All rights reserved.


text:
LIHUE – Two years ago around Halloween time, Monika Mira came up with an idea fit for the season.
“I said to my son, ‘Let’s do a Day of the Dead party,’” she said.
So they did.
She gave the children sugar skull drawings to color and they went nuts over them. It inspired her to create a coloring book. Included in it is a life-sized, four-foot skeleton that can be torn out.
The skeleton idea again came from a later Halloween party for her son.
“I buried the skeleton in a mock graveyard outside and I had the kids dig through piles of leaves in the yard to find the pieces. Then the kids brought the pieces inside to assemble it,” the Kalaheo mom, educator and conservationist said.
The title of her coloring book: “The Day of the Dead Sugar Skull Coloring Book.”
“It’s exciting because it reached number five on the hot new releases on the Amazon.com site,” Mira said.
The book features 10 original sugar skull coloring pages and one blank skull template that can be customized.
The back of each page is left blank so that the artist can tear out the pages and use them to string banners, decorate an alter, make masks, or for cultural activities in classroom settings.
The skeleton takes up about 10 pages of the book and can be colored in, cut out and assembled by a child. All the major bones of the skeleton are labeled, and can be used for anatomy lessons.
Mira is a member of the Kauai Children’s Authors Guild and an award-winning Kauai illustrator.
Since the coloring book was released in early September it has sold a couple hundred copies on amazon.com at the price of $6.99 each.
Her previous coloring book, available only in Kauai stores is titled, “The Complete Hawaiian Reef Fish Coloring Book.”
Lisa Ann Capozzi, a features and education reporter can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.org


text:
Why it is not a good idea to dispose of cash with a credit cards
admin / July 4, 2022
How the pandemic has influenced card payments. With the onset of the pandemic, users stopped making most of their payments with cash, replacing it with cards, a much more convenient method of payment that does not require any contact between the customer and the person attending the establishment.
A study carried out by the European Central Bank has found that more than half of Spanish citizens have acknowledged that they have made less use of cash since the pandemic arrived in the country. This is something that has also happened in many other countries belonging to the euro zone, such as Ireland or Belgium.
In contrast, the countries where there has been the least use of cards since the virus arrived have been: Latvia, Estonia and Malta, in which less than 25% of their citizens claimed to make regular payments with their plastics.
Of the total number of people surveyed, 38% used cash to make their payments in supermarkets. Then, 57% of those surveyed made their purchases of everyday items in small stores, and 63% made transactions in various restaurants, bars or cafeterias.
Of those who made their payments with cash, they were asked whether other types of payments were accepted in the stores where they shopped, to which more than 80% of the respondents answered that other methods were accepted, such as payment by card or even by cell phone.
The significant increase in card payments is largely due to the pandemic, as it is much less dangerous to pay with cards than to have direct contact with another person by exchanging coins and bills. However, it is also important to note that another study conducted by the ECB states that cash payments continue to be the most widely used for small day-to-day payments.
In this way, the organization itself highlights that the coronavirus pandemic has accelerated the use of cashless payment methods. There is no doubt that consumers in the euro zone increasingly prefer to make their transactions using cards, although there is still some way to go before plastic can surpass the use of cash.
In order to understand the impact that the pandemic had generated on the different payment methods, the decision was taken to complement the study carried out last year 2019, by means of a survey conducted last June of this year.
In it, 4 out of 10 respondents claim to use cash very infrequently since the outbreak of the pandemic. What was curious about the survey was that the majority of respondents said they would like to resume using cash when the pandemic ends.
The payment method that has evolved the least during these months has been payment by smartphone or smart device, since more than half of the people surveyed denied having this type of payment.


text:
'Rainbow Moon' Given Release Date And Sale Price
Playstation Network's Rainbow Moon, from SideQuest Studios, is a long RPG and now it has a release date and sale price.
It will cost $14.99 in North America, €12.99 in Europe, £9.99 in the UK and $19.95 in Australia. The game is set to be released in July. July 4 specifically in Europe.


text:
The sale of cannabis edibles will be legal in Canada no later than October 17, 2019. To prepare, Health Canada recently released its proposed regulations for manufacturing and selling them….
SUPAC is an important FDA guideline that students in quality assurance courses should know about. Check out why SUPAC matters to pharmaceutical manufacturing.
Thinking about a career in cannabis retail? Find out why industry experts say Ontario has huge potential to be a leading cannabis tourism destination.
The First International Food Safety Conference is bringing attention to the issue of food safety. Here’s what students in food quality training should know.
The provincial government has long promised that all employees of cannabis retail stores, including those who hold a Retail Store Authorization or a Cannabis Retail Manager Licence, will have to…
Probiotics are popular for their potential health benefits. If you’re undergoing sport and nutrition training, here’s what you should know about probiotics.
Pharmacokinetics (PK) and pharmacodynamics (PD) are two core concepts of pharmacology and they are especially important for drug safety and pharmacovigilance. These concepts tell researchers a lot about how drugs…


text:
“There has been huge smuggling of pulses through the border with Nepal, which has been affecting the trade in a big way," said Bimal Kothari, vice president, Indian Pulses and Grains Association (IPGA). Traders said that the cargo imported at Kolkata port gets smuggled into the country through Nepal.
According to the first estimate of Rabi crop production issued by the National Bulk Handling Corporation (NBHC), the area under gram (chana) is likely to increase by 10.14 per cent to 10.64 million hectare, while the production of chana is expected to increase by 7.90 per cent to 11.93 million tonnes.
India had imported a record 5.8 million tonnes of pulses in FY16, followed by 5.6 million tonnes in FY18. The country also signed a contract with Mozambique to import pigeon pea (tur) over a period of five years. With favourable monsoon rains, India had bumper output over the past three years, preventing domestic prices from increasing.
Imports were curbed to support local prices. It was mandated that the cost of imported yellow peas not be lower than ₹200/kg and a duty of 50 per cent was imposed on this price, taking the price of imported yellow peas above ₹300/kg.
However, some traders managed to get a stay on the import restrictions on yellow peas from the High Courts of Chennai and Jaipur, taking the total import of pulses in FY20 to a likely maximum of 3 million tonnes. Besides legal imports, illegal trade is boosting supplies locally as well, said traders.
After India imposed import restrictions, Canada, the largest producer and exporter of yellow beans, has slashed its prices by close to 50 per cent , which has made smuggling viable.
“We have already represented to the government about stopping the smuggling of pulses from Nepal, where imports of the commodity are otherwise not so high,” said Jitu Bheda, president, IPGA.
- Front Page
- Pure Politics
- ET Markets
- Smart Investing
- India’s Growth Momentum may Continue in FY24: RBI
India’s standout growth momentum should sustain through this year of poor global economic expansion on moderating inflation, the central bank said in its annual report, attributing durability of the country’s world-beating growth credentials to recent structural reforms undertaken by the Centre.‘Retired or Not, Brand MSD Will Continue to Score’
Brands said they will retain Mahendra Singh Dhoni as a star endorser, regardless of whether he continues to play mainstream cricket, as his equity and fan following are at an all-time high.Govt Weighs Flats’ Registration Even If Developer Insolvent
The government is considering a proposal to allow unhindered registration of flats in completed projects even when the developer is undergoing insolvency resolution.
Download The Economic Times News App to get Daily Market Updates & Live Business News.Top Trending Stocks: SBI Share Price, Axis Bank Share Price, HDFC Bank Share Price, Infosys Share Price, Wipro Share Price, NTPC Share Price


text:
Wednesday, May 14, 2008, 06:00 am PT (09:00 am ET)
Swiss iPhone announcement raises eyebrows given rumorsSwisscom on Wednesday confirmed it will begin selling Apple's iPhone in Switzerland this year, possibly bolstering a recent report on the matter which also stated that the handset would arrive with video conferencing and other fresh features.
"The iPhone will be available later this year," the Swiss carrier wrote on a section of its website where customers can sign up to receive details at a later date. "We will inform you personally as soon as we have more news."
The announcement comes just one day after Swiss newspaper Le Matin reported that a deal between Apple and Swisscom had been finalized. However, the same report stated the agreement between the two parties was regarding a 3G iPhone that would offer two-way video chats, mobile TV, and GPS navigation.
Le Matin added that Swisscom plans call for the use of "attractive" incentives to lure new iPhone subscribers to its service, and that it will offer a high-end plan for pairing with mobile video and other live services.
Switzerland is the fifth new addition to Apple's European iPhone roster, joining the Greece, Portugal, Czech Republic and Italy, which saw their own iPhone deals made public a bit earlier this month.
On Topic: iPhone
- Verizon will not throttle unlimited 4G LTE data users, to double data plans in promotion
- Horsepower of Apple's A8 & iPhone 6 extend iOS's gaming lead over Android's Google Play
- Despite faster A8, higher pixel count of iPhone 6 Plus drives lower FPS benchmarks
- Apple's iPhone 6 to arrive in China on Oct. 17 after receiving regulatory license [u]
- Going big: a review of Apple's new 4.7" iPhone 6 vs. the 5.5" iPhone 6 Plus


text:
A total of 50 brands have participated in a pilot run initiated by the Hong Kong Creative Industries Association to remove ads from 14 overseas-hosted sites that deal in pirated entertainment content, the coalition of broadcasters, publishers and intellectual property rights owners announced yesterday.
The association created the list of infringing websites frequently visited by Hong Kong users in December. Total traffic to the sites was said to average around 2.3 million visits per month. And ads from as many as 169 brands, including financial organisations, supermarket chains and academic institutions, had showed up on the sites.
The actual IWL (infringement website list) was only made available to participants in the initiative, including six major advertisers, agencies and intermediaries. Hong Kong broadcaster TVB, Time Warner and 211st Century Fox were named as participants of the pilot infringement website list scheme.
HKCIA said that the initiative, which was first introduced in the UK in 2013, aims to cut the flow of advertising revenue to the piracy sites, deter online infringement and increase brand safety. The group now aims to expand the list to 180 sites by the first quarter of 2018.
“The online advertising spending in Hong Kong in 2017 is estimated to be HK$5.72 billion [US$730 million], and approximately 30 percent has gone or will go to these infringing websites," Ralph Szeto, chairman of the Hong Kong Association of Interactive Marketing, said in a statement. "We fully support the IWL scheme because it protects not only the copyright holders but also our clients’ brand reputation and image.”
Elsewhere, Taipei Times has reported that intellectual property associations and advertising agencies in Taiwan signed a memorandum of understanding last month to participate in the IWL initiative. Most of the piracy sites on Taiwan’s list are hosted in mainland China, according to the report.
The participants in the Infringement Website List scheme in Hong Kong are:
- 21st Century Fox
- Hong Kong Comics and Animation Federation
- Hong Kong Creative Industries Association Limited
- Hong Kong International Screen Association
- Hong Kong Recording Industry Association
- Hong Kong Video Development Foundation
- IFPI Asian Regional Office
- Motion Pictures Association
- Hong Kong Movie Producers and Distributors Association
- Hong Kong Motion Picture Industries Association
- Television Broadcasts Limited
- Time Warner
- Hong Kong Theatres Association Limited


text:
US-based Big Wood Brewery has announced the launch of its Jack Savage, Morning Wood, Bark Bite and Bad Axe craft beers in new 16oz Rexam cans.
Big Wood Brewery president Jason Medvec said, "Cans provide complete protection from light that helps preserve freshness. They also offer us a lot more space to tell our branding story. Through our partnership with Rexam, we have the perfect package for our beers."
According to Rexam, cans have the advantages of portability, durability and serve as the sustainable beverage packaging choice, as they can be recycled at more than double the rate of any other beverage package.
Rexam BCNA president and CEO Rich Grimley said the company’s cans secure beverage integrity by keeping out the light.
"Cans just make good business sense as well with superior recycling, filling, distribution and retail display economics," Grimley added.
Global consumer packaging company Rexam has 67 plants in 24 countries. The company’s sales from ongoing operations in 2012 stood around $7bn.
Image: Rexam beverage cans are recyclable and have the advantages of portability and durability.


text:
It’s easy to explain why automakers have championed lithium-ion batteries in the development of their electric vehicles (EVs): it is the best currently available technology that can be scaled, and pending nothing short of a scientific miracle, it is likely to remain that way, in the short term at least. But it is far from perfect. EV ranges, a product of battery energy density, are such that range anxiety is still an off-putting prospect for potential buyers. Development continues, but it could be that lithium-ion batteries are reaching the limit of their potential: that’s according to Dean Frankel, Strategic Business Development at Solid Power, a Colorado-based developer of solid state batteries….
- Audi at Auto Shanghai 2019
- Copart Cadavers: 1969 Dodge Charger With A Nice Char


text:
The New York Times reported on the latest promotion from Popeyes. Really?! Is it an extraordinarily slow news day in the advertising and marketing world? Hell, the reporter even saw fit to cover Annie the Chicken Queen. An account person from GSD&M gushed, “[Annie] speaks the truth about food, is passionate about food. She resonates because she’s relatable and speaks directly to the consumer. There’s a direct connection.” This quote is followed by a radio spot excerpt wherein Annie declares, “I take a whole tenderloin, split it, slow-marinate it in my Louisiana spices, hand-batter it and fry it up fresh.” Um, Deidrie Henry isn’t cooking shit—she’s just talking shit (versus speaking the truth about food). GSD&M, on the other hand, is cooking a bullshit feast.
Popeyes Offers Chicken With Its Own Playlist
By Jane L. Levere
Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen Inc. has introduced its latest limited-time-offer menu item, made from chicken tenderloin, with an ad campaign featuring a Spotify playlist.
The new item, Tear’n Tenderloin Chicken, is part of a continuing Popeyes strategy that uses offers made for a limited time to drive customers into its restaurants.
The new item features the part of a chicken that is below the breast; this is marinated in Louisiana seasonings, cooked in the company’s crispy Southern coating and split down the middle for dipping in a creamy garlic dipping sauce. It is being sold with Cajun fries and a buttermilk biscuit for $3.99 through Aug. 25.
Marianna Magee, director of marketing calendar and planning for Popeyes, said the new chicken offer was “very typical” for the company.
“We’re all about providing new, exciting, limited-time offers that are going to pique the interest of our consumers and drive them into our restaurants to enjoy our new products,” she said.
“We have heavy fast-food users who are very familiar with Q.S.R. brands and menu item promotions,” she said, using the abbreviation for quick service restaurants. “We see consumers make a point of coming into Popeyes when we serve one-of-a-kind products.” Ms. Magee said Popeyes typically makes 10 to 12 limited-time offers each year, some featuring new products like chicken tenderloin, others not. She also said the company had previously promoted boneless chicken during the month of August.
“People eat boneless chicken in summertime months,” she said. “This one has a nice portability aspect. They can eat it out and about on the go, when they travel.”
Ms. Magee also said the target market for Popeyes was generally frequent fast-food customers ages 25 to 49; boneless chicken in particular appeals to the younger members of this group, who grew up eating food like chicken tenders, strips and nuggets.
The new campaign, by GSD&M, based in Austin, Tex., and part of the Omnicom Group, features Annie, the brand’s spokeswoman, portrayed by the actress Deidrie Henry. Soumya Ramakrishnan, account leadership supervisor at GSD&M, said Annie “speaks the truth about food, is passionate about food.”
“She resonates because she’s relatable and speaks directly to the consumer,” Ms. Ramakrishnan said. “There’s a direct connection.”
Ms. Henry is featured in 15- and 30-second TV spots and a 60-second radio spot for the new item. In the radio spot she asks: “Are you ready for a Popeyes cooking lesson, honey? There is one part of the white meat on a chicken that is the most tender part of it. It’s called the tenderloin. And this one special part of the chicken is what I’m using to create my one-of-a-kind new Popeyes Tear’n Tenderloin Chicken. I take a whole tenderloin, split it, slow-marinate it in my Louisiana spices, hand-batter it and fry it up fresh.”
TV advertising is running on cable programs like “Sunday Best” on BET, “The Big Bang Theory” on TBS, and “Modern Family” and “WWE Raw” on USA. Television and radio ads are running in many local markets, including Washington, Philadelphia, New York, Chicago, New Orleans, Los Angeles and Dallas.
The promotion on Spotify, the online listening platform, features a “Tear’n It Up” 35-song playlist. Spotify, which says it has more than 40 million active users, provides listeners free access to its music, though they must sign up for it.
Ms. Magee said the demographics of Spotify users were similar to those of Popeyes’ customers.
“Louisiana is about food and music, and we’re bringing the two together in celebration,” she said. “We’ve got the food covered. We want to provide consumers an additional way to connect with our brand.” Some songs on the playlist — which Ms. Magee described as “very eclectic” — are by New Orleans-based bands like the Soul Rebels.
In addition to listening to the playlist created by Popeyes, consumers can submit their own recommendations for songs to it, by themselves or others. The link to the playlist on the Spotify website says, in a line addressed to artists: “Don’t just break into the music biz. Tear into it.”
Popeyes is running a 15-second spot on Spotify, with Marcus Hubbard of the Soul Rebels, promoting its playlist. It is also promoting the playlist on Facebook and Twitter.
Ms. Magee said Popeyes was spending $8 million on media for the new campaign, which began on July 28 and will run through Aug. 25. She said this spending was consistent with advertising the company does for other limited-time offers.
According to Kantar Media, Popeyes spent $70.3 million on advertising last year, its largest budget since 2009.


text:
US: Smithfield Foods urged to split in three
A major investor in Smithfield Foods has called on the US meat giant's board to consider splitting the company in three.
Agribusiness Continental Grain, which owns around 6% of Smithfield, has claimed dividing the company would "unlock significant value" for shareholders. It argued Smithfield's share price had fared poorly compared to rivals Tyson Foods and Hormel Foods.
Continental Grain said Smithfield could be split into a hog processor, a company supplying fresh pork and packaged meats and a business focused on its operations outside the US.
"It's time for Smithfield to get serious about creating shareholder value," Continental Grain wrote in a letter to the Smithfield board. "This is an exciting time in the world of food and agribusiness. There are very many positive trends and opportunities in the fields in which Smithfield operates. The three pieces of New Smithfield can achieve excellence and high returns in each of their focused market segments."
Smithfield's hog business has booked a loss of US$74m in the first nine months of the company's current fiscal year. Continental Grain said Smithfield's hog business was a "major drag" on the company's share price despite using "very significant amounts" of the group's capital.
The investor, meanwhile, said returns on Smithfield's investment in its international business were "disappointing". It called on a strategic review of the operations and said Smithfield should consider a sale, a merger led by an agribusiness in Europe or a spin off.
Smithfield is a shareholder in Spain-based packaged meats firm Campofrio. Continental Grain said Smithfield's ownership of what it termed "new Campofrio" could be spun off to shareholders. It added: "We believe there is value in hog production and international but not as part of Smithfield's current configuration."
Smithfield has been looking to focus more of its efforts on packaged meats and Continental Grain said the company's US processing and packaged meats businesses could be a "uniquely valuable piece of Smithfield".
It wrote: "If run by experienced packaged food and consumer product executives, it can be a very exciting company with good growth potential and a very attractive earnings multiple. Companies such as Hillshire Brands and Hormel Foods are real-time examples of that valuation potential."
Continental Grain, which has been a shareholder in Smithfield for almost seven years, said Smithfield's management had had enough time to "provide real results to shareholders".
Quarterly profits at Smithfield Foods have fallen after hog costs and lower sales in key export markets hit the US group's fresh pork operations, its largest business....
- What next for Nestle under new CEO Schneider?
- Unilever is "working harder" in tough environment
- Nestle catering for an ageing global population
- What post-Brexit trade with the EU could look like
- Brexit and UK food market policymaking
- Unilever sees growth but spreads decline continues
- Job cuts imminent as General Mills restructures
- Campbell's Soup's sustainable growth strategy
- Arla Foods unveils strategy for growth up to 2020
- Lindt organic sales miss market expectations


text:
The streaming service Qobuz now offers updated apps for both Google Android and Apple iOS. The new Qobuz app for Apple iOS shines first and foremost with push messages. In addition, the provider has improved details on both platforms with the updates.
For streaming providers, it is enormously important to provide an app that is as versatile as possible. This is also the case for the provider Qobuz, which now offers new versions of its app for both Apple iOS and Google Android.
Probably the most significant innovation is in the Qobuz app for Apple iOS, which now offers push notifications. The user is thus immediately informed about news in the Qobuz offer.
In addition, Qobuz lists an improved graphic display of a track during music playback, optimised animation when loading pages in the app, improved quality of images in editorial articles, as well as unspecified minor bug fixes as innovations of the Qobuz app for Apple iOS version 5.21.0.
In listing the new features of the Qobuz app for Google Android, the company lists bug fixes and improvements to app performance first and foremost, as well as animation while loading the Discover section, a graphical improvement to the Share button, and all those who use Google Android Auto will now find a display of the artist at the track level.
Of course, the two new versions of the Qobuz App are available free of charge in the Apple App Store as well as Google PLAY Store in the proven manner.
Getting to the point
The latest versions of the Qobuz app for Apple iOS and Google Android are distinguished by just a few small things, but for many Apple iOS users, the new push notifications will be of interest, as they keep them immediately informed about innovations in the Qobuz offering.


text:
nike fitted track pants
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
|Look up nike fitted track pants in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.|
- nike fitted track pants Widely respected for its expertise in high-end aluminium glazing products, Fenster was approached by programme-makers and asked to supply a premium-quality sliding door. Commenting on the recent renovations, Ms Stephens said: “I am absolutely delighted with the work that has been carried out and Dortech’s customer service and professional installation has been second to none. “We’re very proud of the way that the glass industry has come together to face the challenge of energy efficiency and decarbonisation - which will continue to define all manufacturing and markets for the coming decades. The Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy sponsored award is one of the most competitive categories in the Trade Association Forum’s annual awards. It recognises a successful initiative, by a trade association, to tackle an important issue that will drive the future prosperity and growth of its members. Friends and colleagues gathered to applaud worthy winners across seven categories – and recognise the creativity and dedication which underpin the whole sector’s contribution to the economy, to society and to customers, staff and stakeholders.
|This vapour proof light fittings page lists articles associated with the title Seo.
If an fit it aria led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.


text:
Online petition calls for VEGAN snags to be served at ALL Bunnings sausage sizzles
- An online petition is calling for vegan sausages to be served at Bunnings
- Customers want the vegan option at the Bunnings sausage sizzles on weekends
- The week-old petition is just 53 e-signatures short of the 5,000 target
- Musician and vegan activist Jona Weinhofen has thrown his support behind it
An online petition calling for all Bunnings' sausage sizzles to serve vegan snags is gathering momentum.
Australia is recognised as the third fastest vegan growing market in the world and now activists are calling for the healthier vegan sausage to become a permanent part of the Bunnings repertoire.
The petition on Change.org, started by Dean Maher, only needs 53 more e-signatures to reach 5,000 target.
Vegans are calling for Bunnings to offer a vegan snag at their iconic sausage sizzles
The online petition has called for vegan sausages to be a permanent option at the weekend sausage sizzles at Bunnings Warehouse (Stock Image)
A worldwide leading vegan activist and Australian musician Jona Weinhofen has supported the petition.
The 'I killed the Prom Queen' guitarist took to Twitter claiming: 'Make vegan sausages a option at ALL sausage sizzles - Sign the Petition!' [sic]
Vegans were adamant they felt left out of an Australian tradition when visiting Bunnings.
'Because every time I go to Bunnings I have to watch my husband get a sausage and eat it, I feel like I am not allowed to be a part of helping the community because I don't eat meat,' one petitioner wrote.
'Because it's about time. And just makes sense to cater for the rapidly growing vegans/vegetarian kids too,' another wrote on the website.
The petition reads: 'It's 2017. Not only are vegan sausages delicious, but they are healthier, have a much smaller environmental footprint and no innocent animal had to suffer! It's a win win.'
'I killed the Prom Queen' guitarist and vegan activist Jona Weinhofen has endorsed the petition
Vegan sausages are a healthier and more environmentally friendly choice (Stock Image)
Most watched News videos
- Missing man Aron Kato caught on camera for final time in Newham
- Shocking moment teacher appears to bodyslam epileptic student
- CCTV shows woman in Cheshire stealing cash from kid's wallet
- Alan Jones shuts down female panellist during fiery Q&A debate
- US soldier surprises daughter at her high school graduation
- Horrifying moment banned driver runs over six-year-old girl
- Hammer jammed in man's helmet after London 'hijacking' incident
- Moment biker thinks he has found his buddy’s stolen dirt bike
- Shocking CCTV shows homeless man beaten outside sandwich bar
- Two men arrested after video shows man urinating on boy's memorial
- Huawei P30 Pro users demonstrates the 50X superzoom
- Video shows taxi driver dump passenger on pavement after argument


text:
Brooklyn’s City Point Lands First Office Tenant
Artist management and creative content agency Art Partner has signed a 15-year lease to occupy 10,000 square feet at the City Point in Downtown Brooklyn, becoming the development site’s first office tenant.
The agency, whose services include production, syndication and licensing for print, film, social media and more, plans to relocate from its Hudson Square space to occupy the new space just in time to kick off the New Year.
“It’s a groundbreaking, bold move and I think it’s really important to the Brooklyn neighborhood,” Ken Fishel, president of Legacy Real Estate, who represented the tenant, told The Commercial Observer. “This one of the top fashion and photo representation agencies in New York and here they are moving to Brooklyn.”
The company was looking to expand and redesign its space and jumped at the opportunity for a cutting edge space in the new development, Mr. Fishel said, noting that the firm has “a track record of being first” and on the “cutting edge of real estate,” first hunkering down in Soho in the 80s before moving to Hudson Square over a decade ago.
“Brooklyn has become recognizable globally for its distinctive sense of art, culture and lifestyle and we are happy to join the movement in shaping Brooklyn’s future,” said Marianne Tesler, CEO of Art Partner, in a statement.
The agency’s advertising clients include Burberry, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Versace, Dior, Giorgio Armani, Chanel, Shiseido, Estee Lauder, Bulgari, D&G, Michael Kors, Hugo Boss, Calvin Klein, GAP, Givenchy, L’OREAL, and Zara.
The 1.3 million square-foot City Point development includes 675,000 square feet of retail and commercial space, anchored by Century21, roughly 30,000 square feet of office space geared toward Brooklyn’s creative and technology sector, 690 residences and a seven-screen Alamo Drafthouse Cinema.
Kenneth Bernstein, president and CEO of developer Acadia Realty Trust, called the project the “most exciting mixed-use property in Brooklyn.”
“When we acquired this property, we knew we had an opportunity to create a truly transformative project,” he said. “We are more excited every day, and we are thrilled that a company as cutting-edge as Art Partner will be part of City Point.”
“The announcement of our first office tenant is an important milestone in this project, and is a testament of the creative community’s faith in the future of Brooklyn,” added Paul Travis, president of Washington Square Partners, developer of the retail component at City Point. “I also want to take this opportunity to emphasize our continuing commitment to work with contractors and tenants to ensure the maximum amount of local contracting and hiring.”
Earlier this year the developers reacted to unionized protest and a fiery letter from the president of the Building & Construction Trades Council of New York claiming that the project would exploit the community and burns taxpayer dollars, but the cotension has since subsided.
“City Point will generate thousands of jobs and enhance Downtown Brooklyn’s quality of life,” a spokesperson for Acadia Realty Trust said at the time. “We are committed to maximizing local and minority contracting and employment as we create a LEED-certified development with the affordable housing, retail and entertainment options that the neighborhood well deserves.”
The project’s first installation, the site of the new Armani Exchange store that fueled animosity among some community residents, was built with non-union labor, as will much of the second phase, which will feature 125 affordable unites (out of the 690). City Point’s developers have also pledged to rely more on minority workers than would be possible if working with a union.
Laurence Roberts, principal at Arch Brokerage, represented the landlord in the Art Partner deal.


text:
The Senate approved the decriminalization and regulation of recreational personal use of marijuana in Mexico.
The global legal marijuana market could be worth around $ 146 billion by 2025.
In Latin America, Brazil leads the segment in consumption, but is closely followed by Mexico, Colombia, Chile and Argentina.
After the Senate approved the decriminalization and regulation of recreational personal consumption of the marijuana in the country in general, the secretary of Treasury, Arturo Herrera, warns that the Special Tax on Production and Services (IEPS) will be levied.
The official explained that the IEPS is a tax that is used for goods that produce direct or secondary evils, such as gasoline, which generates pollution, thus seeking to discourage the use of automobiles with the tax. The same happens with alcohol and, in some countries, with sugars, so it will now happen with marijuana.
“If it is approved (the use of marijuana) it will have to be taxed with the IEPS, that, clearly, is going to be the channel through which it will have to be implemented.” The product has been permanently under scrutiny and it is until now that it is thought as a market and therefore, as products with their corresponding taxes.
The Plenary of the Senate had 82 votes in favor, 18 votes against and seven abstentions. In particular, the vote was 72 votes in favor, 13 against and two abstentions. The opinion was therefore sent to the Chamber of Deputies, where the legislative process will follow.
Marketing will be limited to establishments authorized by the new Institute. They must meet certain requirements to obtain their license and can only sell a maximum of 27 grams of marijuana per day to a single person. Consumption was expanded to eight psychoactive cannabis plants per person, which must remain in the home or house and may carry up to 27 grams.
We recommend you:
The legal marijuana market could be worth around $ 146 billion by 2025 in the world. When it comes to consumption, Latin America, Brazil leads the segment, but is closely followed by Mexico, Colombia, Chile and Argentina. The countries in Latam await the dictates of their authorities in this regard.
It is worth mentioning that the Federal Commission for the Protection Against Sanitary Risks (COFEPRIS) issued at the end of 2018, approximately 60 permits to produce food, beverages, cosmetic and pharmaceutical food supplements from cannabis. Among the benefited companies are CBD Life, Medimex, Hemps Meds, Farmacias Magistrales, Finat México, Pharma Oli Solutions, The Clinic Pain Relief Center, Endo Natua Labs and Kuida Life México.


text:
Mercedez-Benz have launched the A-Class L sedan ahead of the 2018 Beijing motor show, to be sold exclusively in china.
Mercedes has gone on record to say that a “version of the sedan tailored to the needs of the customers outside of China” will be revealed in the latter half of 2018.
At launch, A-Class L will be equipped with a turbocharged 1.3-litre four-cylinder engine outputting up to 120kW of power. In the future a 140kW 2.0-litre engine will be added.
The A-Class L will go on sale in China from the second half of 2018.


text:
New Delhi: For more than two years now, 13 two-wheeler models have been competing with each other to grab the top ten two-wheeler crown every month, data by Society of India Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) revealed.
These models are Splendor, HF Deluxe, Passion and Glamour by Hero MotoCorp, Activa and CB Shine by Honda Motorcycles and Scooter India (HMSI), Pulsar, Platina and CT by Bajaj Auto, Jupiter and XL Super by TVS Motor, Access by Suzuki Motorcycles, and Classic 350 by Royal Enfield. Among these, CT, Access and Classic 350 keep appearing and disappearing from the list.
It is to note, all the top ten two-wheelers belong to mass segment (engine capacity of below or equal to 150cc) and there weren’t enough new launches in this segment that could pose a challenge to the status quo. Most of the manufacturers limited itself to refreshes and updates of the existing models, thus the options to chose from for customers remained same. As an exception, TVS had launched a new model under commuter segment last year, which is selling around 20,000 units a year.
According to analysts, only a compelling new launches may impact the sales pattern of already existing models which has almost become a brand identity for the customers. As the manufacturers don't want to disturb their established product, it’s better to launch upgraded version of existing brands.
“Two-wheeler OEMs with product portfolios addressing the mass market segment have preferred to launch new products or upgrades with differentiated features as brand extensions. This allows them to target new customer segments while capitalising on strength of existing brands," says Anupama Arora, Vice President and Sector Head at ICRA Limited.
Top 10 two-wheeler models
Domestic sales in May 2018
Domestic sales in May 2019
TVS XL Super
TVS XL Super
Coming back to May sales, Hero Splendor topped the chart for second consecutive month this fiscal to 267,450 units. However, the sales declined 4.7 per cent year-on-year from 280,763 units in May 2018.
Honda’s highest selling scooter, Activa grabbed second spot with the sales of 218,734 units last month as compared to 272,475 units in the same month last year, a decline of 19 per cent.
On third and fourth places, Hero HF Deluxe and Honda CB Shine retained their spots at 183,255 units and 92,069 units, respectively.
Bajaj Pulsar has been the only model to have reported positive sales while the sales of all models in the elite list have skidded. With an increase of 19.5 per cent, Pulsar moved to fifth position to 86,145 units.
TVS Motor’s Jupiter and XL Super were pushed to the last two spots. XL Super which was at sixth rung in May last year, dropped to tenth by selling 52,109 units.
The world’s fourth largest automotive Group thinks garnering a higher share in the nascent EV market, than in the ICE vehicle space, to be gainful in the long term as the passenger vehicle market goes fully electric. The Citroen C3 EV, scheduled for launch in early 2023, will drive that strategy in India mainly targeting its aspirational middle class.
According to ETAuto sources, the raid began at the company’s Corporate office in Gurgaon around 3:00 PM and continued till the story is filed. The latest development comes in light of heightened scrutiny by law-enforcement agencies on companies operating in India which have links with neighboring country, China.


text:
NEW YORK — Jerry Seinfeld sued a California supplier in traditional cars Monday. Announcing the enterprise has left the comic stranded in a dispute over whether a 1958 Porsche he bought is actual.
Seinfeld sought unspecified damages in his lawsuit in Manhattan federal court docket from the European Collectibles of Costa Mesa, California.
“Mr. Steinfeld, who is a totally a hit comedian, does not want to supplement his income through constructing and selling counterfeit sports motors,” the lawsuit stated.
The lawsuit stated Seinfeld owns one of the international’s biggest collections of Porsches and had in no way handled the California employer before it solicited his agent to endorse his buy of the vintage automobile.
The fit comes weeks after Seinfeld changed into sued using a company that says it bought the comic’s Porsche for $1.Five million only to research it was fake.
European Collectibles did not, without delay, go back a message seeking remark.
In the lawsuit, Seinfeld says he offered the car from European Collectibles for $1.2 million in February 2013. The match says he depended on the company’s certificate of authenticity.
Seinfeld then bought the car in March 2016 to Fica Frio Limited, based totally within the Channel Islands. Fica Frio, which sued Seinfeld in advance this month, wants to recover the cash is spent on the sale and all costs it has incurred.
The lawsuit stated that once Fica Frio sued, Seinfeld “directly contacted” European Collectibles to call for that it remedy the dispute immediately with Fica Frio.
“To date, European Collectibles has refused to do so,” the lawsuit said.
The lawsuit alleged that the Seinfeld purchase becomes no longer the first time European Collectibles was purported to have sold a restored Porsche that became alleged via a disgruntled collector to be inauthentic.
The lawsuit said it seeks to “display the quantity to which European Collectibles deploys fraudulent practices about its healing and sale of conventional cars.””
Orin Snyder, Seinfeld’s lawyer, stated in a declaration Monday that Seinfeld depended on the certificate of authenticity while he offered the auto and sold it three years later.
“Jerry has no legal responsibility on this matter. However, he desires to do the right factor, and is therefore bringing this action to preserve European Collectibles accountable for its very own certification of authenticity, and to allow the courtroom to decide the just final results,” he said.


text:
Booskerdoo Coffee of Monmouth Beach will be among the vendors at the Oceanport PTO's Fall Festival on Oct. 20, serving up their freshly roasted brew to all the moms and dads who need a kick for the sack races that day.
The family-friendly (and fully caffeinated) event will take place at Maple Place from noon to 4 p.m. with a vendor showcase and load of family-friendly games. PTO President Michelle LaValle said there are still openings for vendors who want to sell their wares.
Organizers say so far they have 15 of the 30 vendors they want lined up for the event, including a farmers market, pre-made soups and cookies by Renee Foggia, Yankee Girl Art and Photography, pocketbook maker Arlene Hanlin, jewlery vendors Lia Sophia, Heidi's Treasures and Designs By Liz, Pampered Chef, Scentsy and Holly Jolly jams and jellies.
LaValle told Patch that her festival committee is deliberately setting the price of vendor tables low — $30 for the day, compared to standard fees of $75 to $100 — to attract more sellers. Each table is six-feet long and additional tables can be rented.
This is the first year for the Fall Festival, which will replace the annual holiday fest held at Maple Place School. Organizers are hoping to take advantage of the crisp fall weather to use the fields of Maple Place, as well as the inside of the school, for family games, pumpkin picking, a gift auction and shopping.
Proceeds from the event will go directly to support cultural arts programs and teacher wish lists at Maple Place and Wolf Hill schools.
To apply to be a vendor, use the PDF application attached to this story and send it to Michelle LaValle. She can be reached at 732-272-4926 or email@example.com.


text:
Iowa State Capitol selling dome bricks to fund monument restoration projects
Iowans can now own a unique piece of Iowa's history: a brick from the state capitol's iconic golden dome.
The bricks are originals from when the dome was constructed in 1881.
Each $100 purchase of a dome brick helps to fund a $500,000 restoration project aimed at repairing dozens of monuments and works of art that adorn the capitol grounds. 12 of the 44 monuments are endowed, meaning a group has taken responsibility for the up-keep. The rest of them need funding for conservation.
"The idea came up about...could we sell these bricks and raise funds for monuments on the capitol grounds," said Carol Grant of the Capitol Planning Commission. "The dome is something we're all very proud of."
The Capitol Planning Commission is behind the sale of an estimated 1,200 bricks that were excavated as part of a dome renovation project that began in spring of 2017, after the dome began to leak and deteriorate. Nearly 12,000 bricks were removed, many of them excavated in pieces, Grant said.
“It’s just an honor to work on a restoration project of this magnitude," said Scott Richeal, who works in construction on capitol dome's renovations. He said his capitol brick is on his mantel.
"It makes for a great story, a great conversation piece," Richeal said.
Grant said that 500 of the bricks are already "spoken for," which is nearly half of all those available. Grant said called those numbers "good news," for the monument conservation fund.
The fund is part of the reason Chris Burch of Des Moines wanted to buy a brick.
"It's an opportunity to have a part of history and it's for a great cause," Burch said.
There's only a limited amount of these historic bricks. If you're interested in purchasing one, you can do so online or visit the Capitol Gift Shop on the ground floor of the Iowa State Capitol.


text:
Industrial orders in Germany rose 2.8% in April from March, the government said, topping the 1.9% expected according to analysts polled by Dow Jones Newswires.
In March, orders for industrial goods fell a revised 2.7%, the first drop this year but much better than the initially reported fall of 4%.
In April, foreign orders gained 3.4% while those from within Germany were 2.1 percent higher, the provisional data showed.
The strongest increase came from investment goods used in the production of final products, a 4.9% hike that signalled sustained demand for machine tools and other German specialty goods.
The revised figure for March "throws an even more favorable light on the result" in April, Postbank economist Heinrich Bayer noted.
A large number of bulk orders was recorded, compared with March, which analysts said could be the result of uncertainty following the Japanese earthquake and tsunami that month.
Although the pace of increases in industrial orders and production has slowed this year, the latest data "bodes well for continuing solid production dynamic throughout 2011," UniCredit economist Alexander Koch said.
The German economy is expected to expand by 2.6% this year following growth of 3.6% in 2010 but Chancellor Angela Merkel has indicated the forecast could be raised above 3% in the coming months.
Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2011


text:
Just as local and regional food producers boost the local economy, the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources hopes to boost local and regional food businesses by teaching effective grantwriting skills in a series of workshops this month.
“The workshop is open to anyone interested in connecting agricultural producers and consumers through local food systems,” said Jennifer Sowerwine, assistant cooperative extension specialist in the Environmental Science Policy and Management at University of California, Berkeley.
“This is a great opportunity to strengthen the local economy, support small-scale farmers, and make fresh, healthy food more accessible to the community,” continued Sowerwine.
As a collaborative effort between the UC ANR, the United States Department of Agriculture, and Regional Rural Development Centers, these workshops are intended to help potential applicants understand, develop and submit federal grant applications for the Farmers Market and Local Food Promotion Program, which was reauthorized by the 2014 Farm Bill.
Through this program, applicants are able to vie for a portion of $30 million in grants each year through 2018. These funds will be divided between the Farmers Market Promotion Program and the Local Food Promotion Program.
Sowerine, who will be instructing these workshops, reported that attendees will learn more about the differences between the Farmers Market Promotion Program and the Local Food Promotion Program.
“They are both similar in the sense that they increase the availability of locally and regionally produced foods in local and regional markets,” said Sowerwine.
However, according to Sowerwine, the main goal of FMPP is to promote direct farm-to-consumer marketing. Through promoting farm stands, farmers markets, and agritourism, FMPP benefits the connections made between farmers and consumers.
For LFPP, Sowerwine looks more to bolster the relationships involved in promoting the product from farmer to distributor or from the distributor to the retail outlet.
“There are different steps along the way from farmer to consumer,” said Sowerwine.
Sowerwine also noted that the event will also help organizations who have not been successful in previous grant-writing attempts or those who may have never applied before.
“We’ll teach them all the nuts and bolts of applying for a grant—from how to write an effective grant all the way to developing the goals they hope to achieve with their projects,” said Sowerwine.
The USDA is hosting these workshops nationwide, and each state was required to provide at least one workshop. However, after taking into consideration the size of California, UC ANR decided to host more workshops to reach a broader audience.
“There is evidence that a lot of the counties in the Central Valley are some of the counties that have the biggest challenges, so we hope to help those organizations who promote local food in that region,” said Sowerwine.
The workshop in Modesto is scheduled for 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday at the Stanislaus County Ag Center, 3800 Cornucopia Way. For more information about the program, contact Sowerwine at (510) 664-7043 or firstname.lastname@example.org.
To register, visit ucanr.edu/sites/localfoodpromo. Registration is $10 and includes lunch, training, materials, and other resources.
Other grant-writing workshops include one on Wednesday at 155 Kroeber Hall, UC Berkeley; April 15 at the UC ANR building, 2801 Second St. in Davis; and April 22 at North Valley Catholic Social Services, 2400 Washington Ave. in Redding. All workshops are scheduled from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
To apply for the Farmers Market and Local Food Promotion Program, visit grants.gov. All applications must be submitted by 8:59 p.m. on May 14, although Sowerwine encourages applicants to begin the application process as soon as possible to ensure they meet the deadline.


text:
Latest Solar powered refrigerator Stories
EcoSolarCool was featured on NewsWatch as part of its popular consumer tech segment, that takes a look at the latest and coolest
EcoSolarCool™ is taking the lessons of Earth Day to heart with its online offerings of solar refrigerators and solar freezers that provide constant reliable and energy-efficient cooling at great
Although it sounds like a contradiction in terms, using the power of the sun for refrigeration is proving to be an original energy concept.
'Smart' fridges that run on renewable electricity and are capable of negotiating the most energy efficient way to keep food cold have been developed by researchers from CSIROâ€™s Energy Transformed Flagship.
- an ornament or knob in the shape of a flower


text:
The U.S. economy, which began 2020 riding the crest of a record-long expansion, is now officially in free-fall.
The first-quarter gross domestic product — the broadest measure of all economic activity — dropped at a 4.8% annualized rate, the Commerce Department said Wednesday. It's the sharpest drop in four years and biggest contraction since growth fell 8.4% in the fourth quarter of 2008 during the global financial crisis.
And yet, analysts predict a far bigger contraction for the current April-June quarter, when business shutdowns and layoffs have struck with devastating force.
"Thus ended the expansion which began in the third quarter of 2009 — killed by COVID-19," Ian Shepherdson, chief economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics, said in a research note ahead. "But these data capture only the squall before the second-quarter hurricane, so it's not going to change anyone's mind on the future trajectory of the economy."
The Congressional Budget Office has estimated that GDP will plunge in the current quarter by a 40% annual rate. That would be, by a breathtaking margin, the bleakest quarter since such records were first compiled in 1947.
In just a few weeks, businesses across the country have shut down and laid off tens of millions of workers. Factories and stores are shuttered. Home sales are falling. Households are slashing spending..
"The recession will be worse than the one we went through from 2007 to 2009," Sung Won Sohn, economics and business professor at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, told the Associated Press.
There is also fear that the coronavirus could flare up again after the economy is re-opened, forcing reopened businesses to shut down again.
"The virus has done a lot of damage to the economy, and there is just so much uncertainty now," Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody's Analytics, told the AP. Zandi said he thought the economy could resume its growth in the July-September quarter before faltering in the final quarter of 2020 and then regaining its footing on a sustained basis in mid-2021 — assuming that a coronavirus vaccine is ready for use by then.
"I would characterize this period as going through quicksand until we get a vaccine," Zandi said.
for more features.


text:
Publishers from Canada, Australia and New Zealand have formed an alliance against their American and British counterparts. They took the platform of the Frankfurt Book Fair to protest the "proprietorial" and dominating presence of the larger book companies.
The countries might be small in terms of output – New Zealand publishes just 2,500 books annually, with Canada and Australia at 16,000 and 14,000 respectively – but they have nurtured a host of major writers. Canada has brought forth Margaret Atwood, Carol Shields and Michael Ondaatje, Australia has produced Peter Carey, Tim Winton and Thomas Keneally and New Zealand has contributed Lloyd Jones, Janet Frame and Katherine Mansfield.
But they often find that British publishers' insistence on British and Commonwealth rights when buying books, and Americans' on North American rights, means they often don't get to publish their homegrown authors in their own territories.
They believe this is holding back their indigenous publishing, and hope that by banding together they will be able to overcome the dominance.
"We are all struggling to free ourselves from the proprietorial attitudes of the US and UK that continue to dominate the publishing world," said Juliet Rogers, chief of one of Australia's largest independent publishers Murdoch Books, and former president of the Australian Publishers Association. "The UK fails to grasp that the Empire is dead and that Commonwealth markets are no longer theirs by right [and] the US views Canadian rights as an automatic extension of their territory, even though they frequently have no intention of responsibly exercising those rights."
"Because British or American publishers get first dibs and insist on British Commonwealth rights, Australia, New Zealand and Canada are not getting a look in," added Andrew Wilkins, director of Australian publisher Wilkins Farago. This is to the disadvantage of authors, he explained, as exported copies of books are sold at reduced royalty rates, "so in theory the author could be making three to four times more money by having a local publisher – it makes no sense."
At a standing-room-only Frankfurt Book Fair summit, attended by 120 publishers as well as the Australian, Canadian and New Zealand ambassadors to Germany, publishers voted unanimously to pursue closer cooperation. "It makes a hell of lot of sense for these three countries to come together as a coalition," said Ian Kemish, Australia's ambassador to Germany.
One way they hope to address the dominance of the UK and US is by forming consortia to compete with British and American publishers when bidding for British Commonwealth or North American rights. The project, which will also include collaboration on digital issues, is being supported financially by the Canadian government.
"The days of Britain and America carving up the English market between them are over," said Wilkins. "It's got to end. It's not in the interest of authors, and it's not in the interest of agents who get bullied into it by British publishers saying that without British Commonwealth rights they don't want the book."


text:
Mortal Kombat’s eleventh entry will hit shelves on April 23, and fans are already cooking up some impressive cosplays of its brutal cast of characters – including a stunning rendition of Skarlet’s new look.
Redditor CaTigeReptile uploaded her take on the blood-based fighter on April 20, bearing a shockingly similar resemblance to the character.
Although the costume is essentially spot-on, CaTige claimed that she “just kinda winged” the outfit, building the bustier over a push-up bra coupled with armor made from leather-covered eva foam and black vinyl.
“I had to, because she stole my face – so I stole her clothes,” CaTige said of the cosplay.
In fact, CaTige took note of her resemblance to Skarlet upon the character’s reveal three months prior, uploading a side-by-side selfie with the fighter that had some commenters wondering how “surreal” it must have been to see herself on-screen.
“Seeing myself perform all those fatalities more than makes up for it,” she said of their resemblance.
Despair over MK 11’s design changes
Despite the praise CaTige’s cosplay has garnered online, a few fans of the Mortal Kombat franchise are less than pleased with Skarlet’s new appearance, with some arguing that the game is “covering up” their previously bare-skinned female fighters.
“It’s being downgraded, why can’t you see that?” one critic wrote. “Mortal Kombat always had their females looking like attractive. You’ll just sit there and let politics fuck your games up?”
Noted MK 11 critic ‘One Angry Gamer,’ which almost appears to be a parody account at first glance, has written up multiple editorials on the issue, creating a slew of posts dedicated to bemoaning the “declining” state of the series’ women – even calling Sheeva “Charles Barkley In Bad Cosplay.”
It’s being downgraded, why cant you see that? Mortal kombat always had their females looking like attractive. You’ll just sit there and let politics fuck your games up?
— ozzymenandez56 (@ozzymenandez56) April 19, 2019
Covering up MK 11’s characters
Mortal Kombat 11’s art director, Steve Beran, claimed that NetherRealm has taken a “more measured approach” with the series’ art direction, particularly in regards to the game’s female characters.
“Our design is just getting more mature and respectful,” Beran said of the issue. “You’re not going to wear a bikini to a fight. You’re not going to be showing so much skin. I think it’s just what the game is about: You’re going in to fight for your life, and you’re not going to be wearing such scantily clad items.”
Mortal Kombat 11 releases on April 23, and will feature fighters from throughout the series’ lifetime in one of the most anticipated fighting game releases of the season.


text:
* Company to look internally and externally for new CEO
* CFO McKenna, COO Clarke seen strong internal candidates
* To outline strategy to analysts on Thursday
(Adds detail, background)
LONDON, April 12 (Reuters) - Asda Chief Executive Andy Bond is moving to become part-time chairman as Britain’s second-biggest grocer looks for a new leader to drive its next phase of growth.
Asda, owned by U.S. retailer Wal-Mart Stores Inc (WMT.N), said on Monday it would look both internally an externally for a successor to Bond, who has led the chain for five years.
Analysts said finance chief Judith McKenna and Chief Operating Officer Andy Clarke were strong internal candidates.
Asda, which trails UK market leader Tesco Plc (TSCO.L), is due set out its plans for growth at an analyst field trip in Leeds, northern England, on Thursday.
The group said in February it would expand into smaller format stores, open more non-food shops and cut costs as part of Wal-Mart’s drive to centralise the purchase of more products at a group level.
Some commentators have said it will only be able to fulfil its ambitions in non-food markets by making an acquisition and have linked it with a possible bid for Britain’s biggest household goods retailer, Home Retail HOME.L. [ID:nLDE63B0DX]
Bond presided over 15 consecutive quarters of market-beating sales growth and led Asda to its best ever year in 2009.
But sales growth has lagged behind its main rivals so far this year and Bond has admitted the group became too focused on promotions, which clouded its low-price message. [ID:nLDE61H136]
Asda said Bond would remain as chief executive until a successor was appointed, adding that one of his main jobs in the new role would be to ensure a smooth transition.
Some analysts think he is likely to leave the group in the longer term. (Reporting by Mark Potter; Editing by David Holmes)


text:
Australia faces food and grocery shortages similar to those in Britain unless the definition of close and casual contacts of positive COVID-19 cases changes before lockdowns come to an end.
The Australian Food & Grocery Council said manufacturers in NSW and Victoria have had between 25 and 60 per cent of their staff in quarantine at any one time during the delta outbreak and have had to stop production and dip into inventories to keep supplies flowing.
Council chief executive Tanya Barden said if workers exposed to COVID-19 were forced to quarantine for two weeks as lockdowns eased and the economy opened up, grocery stocks would start to run down, leading to empty supermarket shelves.
“There is enormous pressure in the supply chain at the moment,” said Ms Barden, who urged governments to quickly change the definition of close and casual contacts for fully vaccinated food and grocery workers.
“With the recent lockdowns and the extent of the lockdowns you’ve got more demand in the grocery channel and companies are running down inventory,” Ms Barden said.
“As the economy reopens, if someone at an exposure site is double vaccinated and has no symptoms and has a negative test they should be able to return to work, rather than go into quarantine,” she said.
“That’s really crucial for ensuring we have continuity of supply. If we don’t get that setting in place, if you pull out workforces and close production lines, there’s a real risk of shortages of product. We need to be able to keep those workforces in place ... if we don’t do that, that’s when we end up being like the UK.”
In Britain, supermarkets and fast-food chains have run out of foods such as bread, milk, chicken, bottled water and soft drinks because of labour shortages and a shortfall in supplies of carbon dioxide, which is used to make soft drinks and process poultry.
Self-isolation requirements and post-Brexit immigration rules have led to an estimated shortfall of about 100,000 truck drivers and fresh food processors have struggled to find enough staff to keep supplies flowing.
The grocery council, which represents companies including Coca-Cola Amatil, Kellogg, Nestle, Unilever, Goodman Fielder and George Weston Foods, has also called for a national framework and government funding for rapid antigen testing.
Woolworths, Coca-Cola Amatil, Kellogg’s, Bega and Tip Top Bakeries are among companies already successfully using rapid antigen testing to screen staff at distribution centres and manufacturing facilities.
However, the tests cost between $5 and $20 each and must be administered by a medical professional such as a qualified nurse, putting them beyond the reach of small food and grocery businesses.
“It’s important, but it is expensive, and the costs companies have borne through COVID, not only rapid antigen testing but cleaning and PPE and changes to shifts, have all been really substantial,” Ms Barden said.
“So we are asking government to set up a national approach for rapid antigen testing that has government funding support.”
Ms Barden was speaking after the release of the grocery council’s annual state of the industry report, which showed food and grocery manufacturing turnover rose 4.1 per cent to almost $133 billion in the 12 months ending June 2020.
Panic hoarding and higher at-home consumption in the first four months of the pandemic offset weaker sales to the food service sector.
The 4 per cent growth in 2020 was almost double the five-year annual growth rate of 2.2 per cent, but turnover needed to grow by about 7 per cent a year to achieve the council’s aim of doubling the size of the sector to $250 billion by 2030, Ms Barden said.
“That will require significant effort in terms of investment in local manufacturing, so we can be more competitive,” she said.
While exports rose 7.9 per cent to $41.3 billion, imports rose 12.1 per cent to $39.9 billion as more companies shifted manufacturing offshore and demand for imported foods rose.
“If we can achieve closer to 10 to 11 per cent export growth, these things combined will help get us on that path to double the size of the industry,” she said.
Fetching latest articles


text:
As of late, Kanye West and Dame Dash have been collaborating for several different ventures, such as working together on GLC’s comeback project. However, it looks like their move that grabbed the most attention hasn’t quite come into fruition yet. We previously reported on the pair’s interest in purchasing online streetwear retailer Karmaloop and subsequent reports that seemed to all but officially confirm the endeavor, but as HipHopDX notes, Kanye and Dame Dash’s “buyout” of Karmaloop has not yet happened. While Kanye West and Dame Dash are probably still interested in buying Karmaloop and Karmaloop’s higher-ups themselves seem to acknowledge their serious interest in purchasing the company, Boston Globe reported the following regarding Karmaloop’s status:
“As part of the bankruptcy process, an auction for Karmaloop will take place in mid-May. A minimum offer, known as the stalking horse bid, has been set at $13 million. Selkoe said he plans to remain at the helm after the reorganization.”
So, if ‘Ye and Dash want to buy Karmaloop, they’ll have to attend an auction and make a bid like everyone else.


text:
The nonprofit One Laptop Per Child is launching an advertising campaign that seeks to sharply increase their penetration, reports the NY Times. Television time, billboard space and magazine pages are being donated by media companies, including the News Corporation, CBS and Time Warner.
About 500,000 OLPC laptops are being used in 31 countries, including Afghanistan, Cambodia, Ethiopia, Iraq, Lebanon, Peru, Rwanda and Uruguay. But the cost of the laptops, at less than $200 each, has been prohibitively high for many countries, and the number of laptops distributed has fallen short of early projections.
An additional 500,000 of these XO laptops are in transit or being built, and should be in use by early next year, said Nicholas Negroponte, chairman of the education and computing project. Last year’s GIGO promotion ended up placing more than 185,000 laptops in developing countries, and according to reports, doing $2 million worth of transactions a day.
The goal, says Negroponte, is to greatly increasing the donation program, “Give a Laptop. Get a Laptop. Change the World.” For $399, a person can donate an XO laptop and also receive one. Or donors can simply donate $199, to give a child a laptop, at www.amazon.com/xo.
The advertising time is donated, and the spots are expected to start conversations. One spot is an uplifting vision of a 7-year-old girl in a South African township, sitting in a dark room, her face lighted only by the laptop’s glow. “With education, we will solve our own problems,” she says.
The XO laptop has a 7.5″ convertible screen, a 433 MHz processor, 256 MB DRAM, 1 GB flash memory, 802.11b/g/s, SD slot, and a built-in webcam and microphone. The operating system is the much-lauded GNU/Linux-based OS called Sugar.
The XO helped give birth to the netbook category, says Wired. When manufacturers such as Asus saw that there was consumer interest in inexpensive, ultraportable laptops, they ran with the idea. The result has been a phenomenal success.
The low-cost PC market (including notebooks and desktops) is expected to reach annual shipment totals of 10 million units in 2008, according to Jerry Shen, president of Asustek (right).
The CPUs adopted by these 10 million units includes Intel’s Atom and Celeron M, and VIA Technologies’ C7-M. The Atom will account for seven million units, while the other three million will be shared by Celeron M and C7-M processors, noted Shen.
- Europe: 2.7 million sales.
- US, CN, AU, HK, JP: 1.9 million sales.
- CN, TW, SN, ID: 0.57 millions sales.
- Rest of the world (3.9 billion people): 0.15 millions sales.
Asus has unveiled its latest smartphone, which, it claimed, is the “fastest business PDA phone in the world”. The Asus P565 has an 800MHz Marvell processor with a USB port, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and an integrated SiRFStar GPS chip. A launch date or price for the Asus P565 hasn’t been stated yet.


text:
Spanish billionaire Amancio Ortega, founder of the retail clothing company Zara, has overtaken Microsoft founder Bill Gates to become the world’s richest man.
Forbes real time tracker, which tracks the wealth of the world’s wealthiest men in real time based on the performance of their empires; put the Spanish clothing magnate ahead of Gates for the first time ever.
The change occurred due to a rise in the share price of Inditex, the parent company of his clothing company Zara. Ortega saw a surge in his wealth to $79.8bn to overtake the computer magnate.
Ortega founded Zara in Spain, before its expansion to neighbouring Portugal, France, the UK; until it achieved its current global position.
Due to the vagaries of the market indices however, Bill Gates reclaimed his top spot shortly after Ortega’s historic rise. Gates has been top of the world’s richest man list for 16 of the last 20 years.


text:
Fecteau?s Country Store is on the market
EPPING — Fecteau's Country Store, which has been on Main Street since 1934, has been put up for sale by the current owners - the fifth generation of the family to run the store.
Andy and Marguerite (Fecteau) Vallone, the current owners, listed the property this week with Country Crossings Realty for $249,000. Marguerite Vallone said she could not comment on the possible sale when reached at the store Thursday morning.
Mary Bolduc of Country Crossings said she was honored to list such a well-known historical property.
"It's just been a melting pot for so many things over the years," Bolduc said. "It's definitely been the epicenter of Epping."
Bolduc said she understood how tough it was for the family to decide to put the store up for sale.
"They are just at the point where they don't want to have it anymore," Bolduc said of the Vallones. "It was a very difficult decision."
The 36-foot-by-80-foot building is listed as a commercial property.
"It does have some flexibility," Bolduc said, adding she already has received interest from possible buyers.
The inventory is not included in the sale.
The store has hosted countless political candidates, including Jack Kennedy, Estes Kefauver, George McGovern, Howard Baker, Gary Hart, Jesse Jackson, Paul Simon, Tom Harkin, Bill and Hillary Clinton. During the 1984 and 1988 presidential elections, the "Today" show did segments there. CNN also came. The Boston Globe covered it, too.
The store was started in 1934 by Placide Fecteau, who opened it as a Richfield gas station. Soon after, Placide's son, Tom, jumped into politics and found himself stumping as well. So did the three generations of Fecteaus who followed him.
Eventually, Tom and his wife, Yvonne, bought the gas station from Placide and his wife, Clarice.
Tom expanded it 10 times, leaving the wooden floor an uneven patchwork. He took the gasoline pumps out. He added meat and groceries to Placide's inventory of ice cream, penny candy, bread, cakes and small necessities, such as shoelaces.
Third-generation Andy and Marguerite (Fecteau) Vallone bought it in 1972 after Tom died. They expanded it several more times, adding a clothing line and country-store goods such as baskets, crockery and throws.


text:
TOLEDO, Ohio (WTVG) - A Toledo woman has a problem. She's out $100 but not because she spent it or had it stolen. It's gone because it was fake.
It's a tough spot for Dawn Martin. She's now out this money after having a $100 bill but having no idea it was fake. A lesson that we all need to be very careful with the cash we have.
When Martin went back to a Toledo store with a receipt to return the carpet cleaner she rented in November she says she was given a $100 bill back. That was the amount of her deposit but there was one problem.
"The day after that I went to the gas station to get gas and that's when they took it and called the police and told me it was a counterfeit bill," said Martin.
Martin's bill was a fake. She even had the police called on her. She says she had no idea the bill was fake.
"I've never felt a counterfeit before so I had no clue," said Martin.
So how can you and people like Martin spot fake bills? The Secret Service has some advice: Check for watermarks and the security strip. Those are the two biggest indicators of a real bill.
Unfortunately Martin had a fake one and as financial experts tell 13abc, the person with the bill last is usually the one that loses.
"I'm very upset and very disappointed because that $100, I cleaned carpets for a friend for that $100 and that was going to be Christmas money for my grand kids. So my grand kids pretty much went without Christmas because I didn't have the money to do it," said Martin.
The bottom line is this: It's really on you. You need to double check your bills. If you get some from a store and one feels or seems bad, report it right away. Ask a clerk and if you don't get anywhere ask for a manager.
A Secret Service member also telling 13abc that those pens you see stores marking bills with are not 100% accurate.
So you need to be responsible for the money you receive.


text:
Specialty foods have become the foundation of the U.S. market for food gifting, which has helped the industry expand sales and product offerings in a challenged economy where few other areas of gift-giving have found success, according to "Food Gifting in the U.S., 2nd Edition," from market research publisher Packaged Facts.
There's a reason why specialty foods are the main components of food gifts, especially popular items such as gift baskets, says Don Montuori, publisher of Packaged Facts. People want to give gifts that are that are unique, personal, indulgent, convenient, and fun. For many consumers, buying specialty foods during recession is an affordable luxury that meets the criteria of their "ideal" gift for others or even themselves.
Packaged Facts estimates the overall market for gift-giving in the U.S. increased 7% from $113 billion in 2007 to $121 billion in 2009. Likewise, the total market for food gift-giving in the U.S. grew from $16 billion in 2007 to $18 billion in 2009, representing a 9% increase. Packaged Facts projects that healthy growth across all food gifting channels will propel the market past $21 billion by 2014.
It comes as no surprise that the specialty food sector is fueling growth in the food gifting market, as that coincides with continuing consumer interest in all foods organic, natural and gourmet. Often positioned based on perceived health or environmental benefits, as well as better taste, organic and natural foods are increasingly finding their way into gift food baskets. Moreover, healthy food gift baskets are becoming more popular — perhaps as a way of giving a friend or loved one a subtle push toward a better lifestyle.
Packaged Facts' consumer research, conducted in May/June 2010, found that 53% of adults are interested in high-quality foods and 30% said they wanted healthy products, both of which represent increases in interest from 2007, when Packaged Facts last conducted this survey. This suggests that there's a clear market for better and healthier food gift items, and as the category matures, one could expect to see more variation in specialty food gifts. Consumers like the convenience of specialty food gifting: 74% of respondents in the 2010 survey liked being able to purchase specialty food gifts online.[Source: "Food Gifting in the U.S., 2nd Edition." Packaged Facts. 16 Aug. 2010. Web. 26 Aug. 2010.]


text:
Our friends at the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) continue to challenge companies to make renewing and protecting the environment a core part of their business strategies. This article by Rylan Dobson, Water Stewardship Manager, WWF Germany and Alexis Morgan, WWF Global Water Stewardship Lead, is a case in point.
Noting that the New Deal for Nature and People (ND4NP) was announced at the 2019 World Economic Forum in Davos, Dobson and Morgan call on businesses to take the deal seriously.
They call on business leaders to move from a “corporate sustainability narrative” to asking the critical question, “What do we need to do for nature and people?” Answering that question and structuring business efforts accordingly will require “transformational changes to their business models out of recognition that their long-term resiliency is intertwined with that of nature’s resiliency.”
The ND4NP says we must depend on “science” to determine what nature needs, and then create “a compelling, science-based economic case” for our businesses.
As a science company, we agree. The science showing plastic pollution and its negative impacts on the environment, for example, is clear. We at zNano offer nanotechnology-based products and custom-designed processes to filter pollutants from water at industrial scales. Every company, however, has to be part of the broader solution.
Read the full article here.


text:
The Jets and HotelPlanner.com announced today details of a new partnership between the group travel company and the team.
HotelPlanner.com becomes the first sponsor integrated into the Jets' Ultimate Fan Facebook application. Free items courtesy of HotelPlanner.com will be available to users in the pride area of the application. Users will be able to add the items — including a branded party limousine — to their tailgate area and be able to "like" HotelPlanner.com on Facebook. Ultimate Fan users will also have an opportunity to win weekend long hotel stays and spa services at some of HotelPlanner.com's premier properties.
Ultimate Fan, spearheaded by the New York Jets and created in conjunction with game developer Arkadium, is the first revenue generating Facebook application to be backed by a professional sports team. Not a football simulator or a fantasy league game, at its core Ultimate Fan lets fans be fans by doing online what they would normally do at home and in stadiums. From rooting for their favorite team to predicting game scores and holding a virtual tailgate with fans all over the world, there is a component of the game for everyone, no matter which team people are cheering on to victory.
In addition to the integration into the Jets Facebook app, HotelPlanner.com will sponsor Jets youth football clinics and appear in team-controlled media over the next two years. "From the team's new private-label wine, Jets Uncorked, to the organization's commitment to innovation in social media, we knew that working with the Jets was the perfect partnership for us," said HotelPlanner.com CEO Tim Hentschel. "The Jets have the same entrepreneur spirit and creative thinking as we do and we expect this partnership to continue to grow in the years to come."
"Social media is altering the landscape of sports sponsorship, enabling teams to bridge the gap between partners and fans to actually create a conversation," said Matt Higgins, Jets executive vice president of business operations. "Ultimate Fan integrates sponsors into the virtual football experience in a fun, natural way while offering value to users. HotelPlanner.com has not only developed a dynamic, nimble business that makes travel life easier for everyone but is always looking to push the marketing envelope. We are excited to be introducing them to our fans."
HotelPlanner.com offers fans and customers, through its patent-pending booking technology and best rate guarantee (often as low as 70 percent off prevailing hotel guest room rates), the easiest and most efficient way to make travel plans.
HotelPlanner.com adds the Jets to its roster of professional sports partnerships. In addition, they sponsor youth sports teams from Little League and T-ball to college conferences such as the Big West, Mountain West, Atlantic 10 and C-USA.