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Shares of Monster Beverage (NASDAQ:MNST) are down nearly 50% after setting an all-time high of $83.96 per share earlier this year. The shares began their decline after The New York Times reported that the Food and Drug Administration has received five reports of deaths over the past eight years linked to Monster Energy Drink. However, the company denies that its drinks may have been responsible for these deaths. In a statement, the company said that it has sold 8 billion energy drinks around the world and does not believe that its beverages are the cause of these deaths.
Personally, I think this news is way overblown. Energy drinks typically carry warning labels advising that children, pregnant women, and those who are sensitive to caffeine should avoid consuming energy drinks. Furthermore, Anais Fournier, the 14-year-old who died after consuming two large Monster Energy Drinks, had a pre-existing heart condition. We also cannot be sure if any of the other deaths can be linked to a medical condition or to energy drinks being used in conjunction with alcohol or drugs.
I also don't think that energy drinks are going to face anything as severe as getting banned, but we might see some regulation regarding the marketing and labeling of energy drinks. The worst case scenario in a situation like this is Monster will be charged maybe $5 million, which is a drop in the bucket for a company like this.
From its humble beginnings as a fresh juice company in the 1930s in California, Monster Beverage Corporation, or formerly named Hansen Natural Corporation, has successfully emerged as the world's second-largest energy drink company behind privately held Red Bull. Energy drinks make up the majority of the company's business (92% of revenue), led by its Monster Energy Drink brand, which was launched in 2002.
Revenue from the company's energy drink products exploded from just over $49 million in 2003 to close to $1.6 billion by 2011 as the company's marketing efforts have resonated with consumers across the country. The company wants to duplicate its success in its home market across the globe. Considering less than 18% of the company's net sales come from outside the U.S., I believe the company possesses massive growth potential.
I still see huge growth potential in the domestic market as well, even though the Monster brand has a leading 34% market share of the U.S. energy drinks market on a volume basis (Red Bull is a leader in terms of dollars and is a larger player globally). By my calculations, the average American consumes 10 servings of Monster Beverage products per year, compared with 410 servings per year of Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) products. I believe that per capital consumption in the U.S. for energy drinks can grow at over 30% annually for the foreseeable future, as a result of shifting demographics and new flavors. In the U.S., energy drinks resonate with a rather young demographic (mostly males 18-34), but as the years go by, Monster's customer base will continue to grow as their existing clientele ages and new young consumers are drawn to the product.
I believe that Monster also has growth opportunities to introduce new beverages. Although some product introductions, such as Monster's Worx Energy Shot (which competes against 5-Hour Energy Drink), have failed to gain a foothold in the marketplace, other products such as Java Monster and the noncarbonated Monster Rehab (a ready-to-drink tea) have garnered shelf space and market share in the convenience store channel.
Monster Beverage is extremely profitable. The company has an asset-light business model, because it utilizes third-party manufacturers and distributors to bring its energy drink to market. This type of business model has allowed the company to earn high returns on invested capital, which have averaged above 60% over the past decade (excluding excess cash and including off-balance sheet operating leases).
Another aspect about the company that I really like is its strong balance sheet. As of September 2012, the company had over $610 million in cash and investments with minimal debt (mostly operating leases). Additionally, considering that the company earns around $300 million in annual free cash flow, the company has little need to tap the capital markets for funds.
While Monster Beverage is a fantastic business, there are some risks that investors need to consider before investing in the company:
- The company faces stiff competition from Red Bull, 5-Hour Energy, and ROCKSTAR. Additionally, the company also faces competition from leading beverage companies such as PepsiCo (NYSE:PEP) and Coca-Cola who have their own caffeinated energy drinks that consumers may choose.
- Approximately 30% of Monster's products are distributed via the Coca-Cola Company, and if this relationship falters, Monster's business would most likely suffer.
- Consumer preference could change. Should people switch away from energy drinks to something else, Monster's volume could decline significantly.
- Some of the flavors and artificial sweeteners that are in Monster's drinks are sourced from just one provider. Production issues at these suppliers could have a temporary negative ripple effect across Monster's supply chain.
- One customer accounts for a large portion of the company's net sales. Coca-Cola Refreshments, a subsidiary of The Coca-Cola Company, accounted for 29% of net sales in 2011. If Monster is not able to maintain a good relationship with this customer it could have a material adverse effect on it business.
- Governments might impose legislation or taxes that impact the company's business, which may slow down Monster's growth rate.
Management & Stewardship
Monster has delivered excellent returns to its shareholders during the last decade. Chairman and CEO Rodney C. Sacks has led Monster since 1990 and has helped turn it into one of the world's largest energy drink companies. Additionally, Sacks and CFO Hilton H. Schlosberg collectively own close to 30% of the company. I believe that their significant holding adequately encourages them to profitably grow the business.
While I do like what management has done with the company over the years, I am somewhat disappointed to find out that the company has some related-party transactions. According to the company's most recent proxy statement, some of these related-party transactions include a director who is a partner in a law firm that gets paid to provide legal counsel to the company, as well as two directors whose families sell promotional material to Monster. Expenses for these transactions totaled $5.2 million in 2011. I would also like to see the chairman and CEO roles separated between two individuals. Overall, I view the company's standard of corporate governance as average.
I estimate that a conservative fair value for this stock is just under $50 per share. In my fair value I forecast revenue to increase at 18% on a ten-year CAGR basis and profit margin to average around 12% during the ten-year forecast period. The fair value estimate implies an 8 times forward P/FC multiple. Excess cash on the balance sheet is also taken into account, which adds about $3 per share to the fair value estimate. As of November 12, 2012, the shares were trading around $45 per share, which gives us a margin of safety of approximately 11%. Personally, I would require a much larger margin of safety before buying the shares.
I believe that Monster Beverage is a good company with huge growth potential. However, considering the risks involved, I would wait for a larger discount to my fair value estimate before buying the shares. I believe an attractive entry point would be in the $25 to $30 per share range. Even paying up to $35 per share is reasonable if you're a long-term oriented investor.
Summary of Analysis:
|Recent Price||Fair Value Estimate||Margin of Safety|
|Grade: A||Grade: A||Grade: A|
|Management||Economic Moat||Business Risk|
Disclosure: I have no positions in any stocks mentioned, and no plans to initiate any positions within the next 72 hours. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.


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Bhubaneswar:8/5/21: COVID-19 vaccination of people aged above 45 years is underway at the first drive-in centre at the parking lot of Esplanade One shopping mall near Rasulgarh Square here today.
Eligible citizens who have received the first jab of the vaccine at private hospitals or Government facilities are driving into the parking lot of the shopping mall to get the second dose.
Today, 400 people will be vaccinated as per the slots allotted to them while 500 slots will be available per day between May 10 and 15. Without slot booking, no vehicle will be allowed inside the parking lot for the vaccination, the BMC had said yesterday.
“Those aged above 45 years are getting vaccinated in a systematic and hygienic environment of the parking area. We are very thankful to the BMC for choosing our mall as a venue for the first drive-in vaccination,” said a mall official.

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Consumer confidence in Portugal has suddenly dropped to levels below those recorded at the start of the pandemic.
The confidence of businesses too has been seen to fall, though not by quite so much.
These are the latest findings by statistics institute INE, which has suggested that consumers particularly are more pessimistic in terms of the way they see the country’s economy developing.
“The evolution in the last month resulted in a negative contribution to expectations relating to the future evolution of the economic situation of the country”, says the institute – explaining that expectations “diminished significantly in July after expressive increases registered between March and May, and a slight reduction observed in June.”
Pessimism over the ‘financial situation of families’ was cited as one of the reasons for July’s drop in consumer confidence: meaning families are worried ‘things will get worse’.
As for businesses, the fall in confidence was “transversal”: from the transformation industry, to construction/ public works/ commerce and services.
Adds Expresso, in spite of having appeared ‘immune’ to the effects of the pandemic in the early days, all indicators show that confidence in construction/ public works is now the only sector running at a level below that observed in March 2020.


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In a trading update, the FTSE 250-price comparison site said revenues had risen 19% to £104.9mln in the quarter, boosted by a 70% jump in its Home Services arm to £19.6mln as a result of the uptick in switching numbers. On an underlying basis, excluding comparison firm Decision Technologies which was acquired in August, revenue was up 12%.
The UK’s energy regulator, Ofgem, announced in February that a price cap of two frequently used tariffs would increase due to higher wholesale prices, prompting the flurry of switching.
Growth in the larger Money and Insurance arms was less dramatic, with revenues up 9% and 3% respectively.
The company said motor insurance had benefited from improved conversion, which had helped offset subdued trading in life insurance as a result of more incentives from competitors.
Looking ahead, Home Services was expected to “moderate” in the rest of the year as the dust settled on the price cap, although the firm said it was confident of meeting current expectations.
READ: Moneysupermarket.com up as full-year numbers accompanied by additional cash return, chairman news
The group’s chief executive, Mark Lewis, added that the company had brought in “new branding and advertising” along with new products like Credit Monitor as part of its innovation strategy.
The firm is trying to reinvent itself by making itself more personalised and moving deeper into product areas like mortgages, in a push to become a more subscription-style service as opposed to the tradition price comparison model which relies on heavy marketing spending and is more vulnerable to disruption by search engine algorithms.
Further to its announcement of a £40mln return of cash to shareholders in its full year results in February, the company also said it would pay out a special dividend of 7.46p per share on 21 May.
Investment likely cause of maintained guidance, says analyst
Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell, said that the first quarter numbers were “all the more impressive when you consider demand for [the company’s] services are often seen as being linked to the fortunes of the UK economy”.
“While the latter might be struggling, mired in political and economic uncertainty, Moneysupermarket is forging ahead investing in new technology and expanding into new areas.”
Mould added that the need for increased investment in its new strategy was probably the reason why Moneysupermarket was keeping its full year guidance unchanged despite the “stellar” first quarter.
“A new strategy built around a tailored service which would push products to consumers based on their needs and profile is seen as a potential game-changer for the business. It could create more of a subscriber-based model, with a stronger connection with users which could help address the significant marketing costs and competition associated with the price comparison market.”
Performance beats predictions at Liberum
In a note to clients, analysts at Liberum said the first quarter trading had been “much stronger” than they had expected, with the underlying revenue growth of 12% beating their own estimates of 7%.
“We would expect consensus revenues to tick up but the company has said it is happy with current market consensus, suggesting adjusted profit numbers will stay the same.”
Liberum has a ‘buy’ rating and 520p target price on Moneysupermarket.
In early deals on Thursday, shares were up 7.9% at 375.9p.
-- Adds analyst comment and updates share price --


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ConnexPay, the first and only payments technology company that integrates payments acceptance and issuance inside a single platform, today announced a $110 million growth equity investment led by FTV Capital, a sector-focused growth equity investor with more than two decades of experience in payments and financial services. Previous ConnexPay investors also participated in the round. The funding will enable ConnexPay to drive international expansion in Europe and beyond, as well as continue to enhance its innovative payments platform. With this investment, ConnexPay has raised a total of $145 million to date.
Founded in 2017, ConnexPay was initially developed to serve the travel industry, today supporting many of the largest travel agencies, tour operators, and air and hotel consolidators. The company continues to focus on travel while also serving related verticals that function as payment intermediaries, such as online marketplaces, delivery services, ticket brokers, emerging fintechs, and insurance and warranty providers. Over the past 12 months, ConnexPay has more than doubled its number of active clients and its employee count. The company is profitable while offering market-leading rebates to its clients and processing billions of dollars in payments.
While some providers offer both card issuing and payment acquiring services, those offerings are in separate systems with disjointed reporting and reconciliation. ConnexPay’s one-of-a-kind technology seamlessly connects both sides of the payment ecosystem — accepting and making payments — inside a single platform with instant access to incoming funds and just one reconciliation. By serving as both acquirer and issuer, ConnexPay can easily connect payments coming in to payments going out and bring real value to both the consumer and merchant. Whereas other companies offering issuing and acquiring require negotiating multiple contracts, working with various account teams and several technology integrations, ConnexPay requires just one integration point, one contract and one team. In addition to these platform and process efficiencies, ConnexPay also provides a lower cost of accepting payments and high card rebates, further boosting its clients’ bottom lines.
“ConnexPay was founded to transform the entire payments experience for the travel industry, and now that mission extends to other payment intermediary companies both in the U.S. and around the world,” said Robert Kaufman, founder and CEO at ConnexPay. “The value of the connected ecosystem – which provides reduced risk, improved cash flow, lower costs of accepting payments and easier reconciliation – truly transforms companies across many verticals. With FTV’s proven track record in payments and its extensive Global Partner Network, we are confident this partnership positions ConnexPay to accelerate global commercial success.”
To lead ConnexPay’s global expansion, in early 2022 the company hired Anant Patel as president of international markets. A 22-year payments industry veteran, Patel brings a wealth of experience to ConnexPay and will drive the company’s entry into Europe, APAC and beyond. As ConnexPay prepares for its global launch by year-end, this investment will support continued technology enhancements and the addition of key hires to build out its international team.
ConnexPay has also proven successful in serving as a Bank Identification Number (BIN) sponsor and card processor to power fintechs and other corporations with its innovative platform. The company’s patent-pending Intelligent Purchases Routing technology chooses and automatically issues from more than 40+ BINs the type of virtual card to optimize the payment based on desired results.
“ConnexPay has proven itself as a leading payments solution that delivers tangible ROI to customers by converting payment processing from an expense to a new revenue stream,” said Adam Hallquist, principal at FTV Capital. “ConnexPay’s differentiated technology, coupled with its rapid and profitable growth and seasoned leadership team, convinced us that ConnexPay is well positioned to further scale in its core markets while also winning in new markets as commerce intermediaries seek simpler, more convenient and more cost-effective payment solutions.”
As part of this growth investment, Hallquist joined ConnexPay’s board of directors, and Chris Winship, partner at FTV Capital, joined as a board observer.
D.A. Davidson served as exclusive strategic and financial advisor to ConnexPay.


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Pukka introduces three new black tea blends to its herbal range
UK-based tea maker Pukka has added three new black teas to its herbal range in Australia.
Pukka’s three new black tea blends include Elegant English Breakfast, Gorgeous Earl Grey, and Lively English Breakfast.
Pukka said the new blends, like all teas in its range of more than 30 tea blends, the new trio of black teas has been “artfully blended” from organic ingredients from around the world.
“We started Pukka more than 11 years ago with a desire to create innovative, delicious herbal teas,” said Sebastian Pole, Pukka’s Master Herbalist and a qualified practitioner in Ayurveda and Chinese and Western herbal medicine. “With huge support from our customers, the Pukka range has expanded beyond our wildest dreams, and we’re so pleased to further extend our offering to include these wonderful black teas,” he said.
Pukka is one of the second biggest herbal tea brands in the UK, growing at 50 per cent year on year. The Company was founded as Pukka Herbs in 2002 by Tim Westwell and Sebastian Pole, with the pair initially working from Mr Westwell’s spare room.
The new black tea blends are:
Elegant English Breakfast (RRP $7.95)
A whole leaf English Breakfast tea, which Pukka said is “made from the youngest organic leaves that grow wild in the Vietnamese rainforest, hand-picked by H’mong and Zhao tribes, who have enjoyed drinking this tea for centuries”.
Gorgeous Earl Grey (RRP $7.95)
This blend contains organic earl grey leaf, which Pukka said are “grown in ancient Indian tea gardens”. Once handpicked, the leaves are blended with bergamot, then gently fragranced with lavender for a hint of floral flavour.
Lively English Breakfast (RRP $7.95)
An new take on the more traditional blend, this Lively English Breakfast tea features a blend of organic whole leaf tea with a hint of ginseng and licorice root.
Pukka is distributed in Australia by Organic Trader, and is available from select health food stores and independent grocers, and online at www.pukkaherbs.com.au.
Campbell’s Soup is introducing a new gourmet soup range into Australian supermarkets.
Gatorade is entering into the water category, now selling a sugar-free flavoured electrolyte water.
Woolworths supermarkets are now stocking COYO coconut yoghurt.
Premium UK beverage brand, Fever-Tree, is now selling its mixers through Woolworths supermarkets.
Australian snack company, Funch, is looking to expand its market share and is making a number of cha...
Woolworths is bringing back its Earn and Learn program.
Chris’ Dips is now selling a new range of dips designed to be eaten after dinner.
Carlton and United Breweries has launched a new Yak ale variety.


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No one in the Trump transition team has indicated the president-elect is close to naming an Agriculture secretary, but the vice president-elect is meeting with the former Texas Ag Commissioner, Susan Combs.
Some fear the agriculture industry is walking headlong into a figurative hall of mirrors. Amid consolidation and consumer food awareness, perceptions of conspiracy and collusion can lead to class-action antitrust lawsuits against food companies and cooperatives with ties to producers of broilers, milk and more. Read moreRead More »
Most in the vegetable growing industry would agree there are some distinct differences between growing operations in the East and the West. Through the State of the Industry Survey, we are able to see where those differences actually lie. Read moreRead More »


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Stocks recovered from an early slump today to close higher for the day, a turnaround from the past few rough sessions. While nerves were rattled by escalating tensions in Ukraine, stocks were helped by reports that showed improving small-business optimism and a rising number of job openings in the U.S.
The Dow gained 10 points, with 17 of its 30 components advancing; the S&P 500 Index rose 6; and the Nasdaq was up 33. Advancers led decliners by 15 to 7 on the NYSE and 2 to 1 on the Nasdaq. The prices of Treasuries strengthened. Gold futures rose $10.80 to close at $1,309.10 an ounce, and the price of crude oil jumped $2.12 to settle at $102.56 a barrel. Analysts cited escalating tension in Ukraine and a weakening dollar as causes of oil’s gains.
In Other Business News:
- Job openings in the U.S. rose from 3.9 million in January to 4.2 million in February, according to the Labor Department’s Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey. It was the highest level of job openings in more than six years. The gains came almost entirely from private-sector job openings, as government job openings were flat. About 4.6 million hires were made in February, the same as January. Job turnover measures, including quits (voluntary separation), layoffs (involuntary separation), and retirements, were little changed month over month and year over year.
- Small businesses grew more optimistic about future economic conditions, according to the National Federation of Independent Business’ Small Business Optimism Index. The index rose 2.0 points to 93.4 in March after sliding 2.7 points in February. Small-business owners expressed more confidence in future sales, although they reported being less confident about expanding their workforces.
- The International Monetary Fund released a report today predicting that the global economy would grow at a 3.6% pace in 2014, slightly down from its earlier forecast of 3.7%. Growth is expected to be led by the U.S. economy, which the IMF said is the world’s strongest advanced economy. Stronger growth from the U.S., helped by easy monetary policy and lessening fiscal headwinds, will likely make up for slow growth in much of Europe and Japan and for instability in portions of emerging markets, particularly economic weakness in Brazil and political problems caused by Russia.
- The United Kingdom’s manufacturing output rose 1% from January to February, with broad-based gains across a number of industries. Output compared with a year ago was 2.7% higher. Partly due to the better-than-expected strength in manufacturing, the British pound strengthened against the U.S. dollar.
Finicky travelers who hate tap water know the tragedy of waking up thirsty in the middle of the night in a hotel. Do you dare open up that bottle of water with the mysterious tag around its neck? Do you grab blindly in the minibar and hope it won’t be for a $20 soda? My guess is that the people who set the minibar prices are the same ones who set the original prices on “As Seen on TV” items. “A $200 salad shooter? Sounds reasonable. Wait, you say there’s more, and I can actually have it for only $19.99? Hold on, let me grab a $15 bottle of water from the minibar to cool off, because that’s just an unbelievable deal.”
To give hotel patrons some insight into minibar and other hotel prices, travel-review website TripAdvisor surveyed room service prices from hotels worldwide. The prices are, as you would guess, outrageous. The price of a bag of nuts in Denmark is $10.76; in Paris, it’s $12.58; and in Toronto, it’s a whopping $18.23. This is for a bag of nuts, mind you, not a bushel, and it makes me think I should be in the business of running cashews to Canada. TripAdvisor also added up the cost of a standard set of room service and minibar options, such as nuts, vodka, soda, a club sandwich, and the cost of cleaning a shirt—in other words, the depressing hotel-room equivalent of a party for a solo business traveler. The survey discovered that this smorgasbord of loneliness was most expensive in the hotels of Helsinki, Finland, and cheapest in Tunis, Tunisia.
Financial news site Quartz noticed something very odd about the prices, though. The cheapest thing in the minibar, according to the TripAdvisor survey, was usually vodka. It was even cheaper than water, although not for an equivalent amount, of course. Quartz hypothesizes that vodka represents a sort of loss leader: People who drink vodka will want peanuts, and then they’ll want water. This seems to be a reversal of the strategy used by bars: Provide free peanuts to make the customer thirsty for more beer. In a bar, patrons are there to drink, so a strategy that prompts them to drink more makes sense. In a hotel, patrons aren’t there to drink, so the cheap price of vodka coaxes them in, potentially lowering their judgment enough that they don’t think $18.23 is all that bad for a bag of nuts.
I think hotels are missing a prime opportunity. Instead of static prices, minibar prices should change depending on what else the hotel guest takes from a minibar. Buy a $2 bag of nuts? The price of water just jumped from $5 to $10. And then there’s the real moneymaker. Guest is on their third mini-bottle of vodka? Wait until the morning to discover the new price of aspirin.
Do you regularly use the minibar, or is it a relic of ancient times? Leave your thoughts in the comments area below.


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A mainstay in the Virginia peanut industry is expanding its hometown facilities.
Birdsong Peanuts, which has been doing business for more than a century, plans to spend more than $25 million to renovate and automate its Suffolk peanut shelling facility, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced by video during the annual State of the City event Tuesday.
“The Virginia peanut is one of our most iconic agricultural products,” Youngkin said. “Companies like Birdsong Peanuts are making major investments into the infrastructure that supports the commonwealth’s workers.”
Birdsong, which has six shelling plants from Virginia to Texas, processes the legume from farmers before shipping it to manufacturers like Planters. Youngkin approved $500,000 in two grants to help with the project.
“As they proudly tell you, if you eat products made from American peanuts, chances are you’ve consumed peanuts from Birdsong,” Suffolk Mayor Mike Duman said during the event.
Also during the event, Duman announced a pair of economic development projects related to Blue Point at The Riverfront, an 18-acre mixed-used development in Harbour View in northern Suffolk. New Realm Brewing plans to spend $9 million to construct its sixth brewery there. Duman said the brewery will feature a restaurant, event space, an outdoor beer garden and rooftop dining.
Stay Suites, a new-to-market hotel concept, will be building an $11 million location in the development.
Trevor Metcalfe, 757-222-5345, email@example.com


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Congressmen tour Pawcatuck manufacturer; new depreciation measure, trade mission touted
Stonington - Armed with earplugs and plastic glasses, Rep. Joe Courtney, D-Conn., and Rep. Jim Langevin, D-R.I., toured a fiber optics and high-speed copper cable manufacturer in Pawcatuck Monday.
Executives from Cable Components Group pointed out where their wish list equipment would go now that they could expect to pay less in taxes.
Courtney and Langevin have been touring small businesses around their states and said they wanted to reward small businesses that have remained in America during the economic downturn. Within the federal "fiscal cliff" bill passed earlier this month, they approved a bonus depreciation measure, which gave small businesses the ability to deduct the cost of capital equipment from their taxes up front instead of over time through depreciation.
The two also invited Cable Components to come on a trade mission or reap the benefits of Connecticut's Export Assistance Program based in Middletown.
"It's a service to American business, to try and grow foreign customers in other parts of the world," Courtney said.
"We had a good discussion," added Courtney. "One of the first things we talked about was the fact that the bonus depreciation was part of the tax extender package in the fiscal cliff bill, which again protects the ability of companies like this to expense new capital equipment."
The program is run through the U.S. Department of Commerce and works with about 2,500 companies in Connecticut, said Anne Evans, a district director for the commerce department.
Courtney has accompanied businesses on trade missions to the United Kingdom, Belgium and the Middle East.
"When we bring the congressman, that really opens up doors, especially if companies want to do business with governments; it opens up higher-level meetings," she said.
Companies such as AeroCision based in Chester, BNL Industries based in Vernon and Applied Physical Sciences based in Groton, have benefited. Applied Physical Sciences now exports to the Netherlands, Courtney said.
Cable Components executives have their eyes on Europe and South Korea for the time being. They are also interested in working with the federal government and General Dynamics.
The company has 63 employees, more than $20 million in annual sales and sells to 77 companies. Many of customers are Fortune 500 companies and based in the United States. These companies create final products from electric to Internet cable and employee thousands of workers.
"We want to manufacture in the United States, said Cable Components President Charles Glew, "but there are tipping points that create these environments where industries move away."
This is why both congressmen said they were working to create federal tax incentives that encouraged manufacturing to stay or return to the United States.
"We are able to write off most of the depreciation in the first year, and so you have a producing asset for the next seven years, yet you have expensed it in this year so our taxes get reduced as an expense that we spend for capital," Glew said.
"When you have a tax credit that will cover the cost, or part of the cost, of moving your operation overseas, that doesn't make any sense," Langevin said.
"When we are trying to emphasize 'Make it in America,' I would like to see these tax incentives going to companies that are making things right here."
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The Council discussed the proposal for a regulation on organic farming in view of a general approach, adopted conclusions on the simplification of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and adopted the regulation on the landing obligation for fisheries.
Today the Commission presents the outcome of its review of the decision-making process for the authorisation of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) as food and feed.
The Council reached agreement on a general approach for a regulation establishing a multiannual plan for the stocks of cod, herring and sprat in the Baltic Sea.
The European Commission has launched an online consultation on how science and innovation can help the EU ensuring safe, nutritious, sufficient and sustainable food globally.
The EU milk quota regime comes to an end on March 31, 2015. First introduced in 1984 at a time when EU production far outstripped demand, the quota regime was one of the tools introduced for overcoming these structural surpluses.
The Council held a public debate on a proposal on organic farming. Member states took the view that an EU harmonised approach could address the issue of the presence of non-authorised substances in organic products.
New legislation to allow EU member states to restrict or ban the cultivation of crops containing genetically modified organisms (GMOs) on their own territory, even if this is allowed at EU level, was passed by MEPs.
Meeting in Brussels, ministers reached a political agreement on 2015 fishing opportunities for certain fish stocks in EU and non-EU waters and in the Black Sea. The Council also discussed agricultural issues, such as agricultural expenditure and young farmers.
As of 13 December 2014, new EU food labelling rules, adopted by the European Parliament and the Council in 2011, will ensure that consumers receive clearer, more comprehensive and accurate information on food content, and help them make informed choices about what they eat.
Meeting in Brussels, agriculture and fisheries ministers also held an exchange of views on the proposed reduction of the CAP budget in 2015 and on young farmers in the framework of the new CAP.
In its fight against illegal fishing activities worldwide, the European Commission has proposed to ban imports of fisheries products from Sri Lanka to tackle the commercial benefits stemming from illegal fishing.
Meeting in Luxembourg, EU agriculture ministers reached political agreement on 2015 fishing opportunities for certain Baltic Sea fish stocks. They also discussed the Russian ban on imports of EU agricultural products.
During an extraordinary meeting at the Council, EU agriculture ministers debated the Russian ban on imports of EU agricultural products, which includes meat, fish, dairy products, fruit and vegetables.
The European Commission has adopted a communication encouraging Member States to look for ways to improve protection of small food producers and retailers against the unfair practices of their sometimes much stronger trading partners.
Meeting in Brussels, ministers discussed a proposal to review EU rules on organic production and farming and a communication preparing the ground for new EU fishing quotas for 2015.
Today's annual report covers the reporting period 2013, where a total of 3 205 original notifications were transmitted through the RASFF, of which 596 were classified as an alert, 442 as information for follow-up, 705 as information for attention and 1 462 as border rejection notification.
The European Commission wants to prohibit the use of any kind of driftnets for fishing in all EU waters as of 1 January 2015.
The Commission has presented an Action Plan for Innovation in the 'Blue Economy' to help use ocean resources sustainably and drive growth and jobs in Europe.
The European Commission has published new proposals for a new Regulation on organic production and the labelling of organic products. Consumer and producer concerns are at the heart of this new proposal, which seeks to address shortcomings of the current system.
The European Commission has adopted three draft laws on animal cloning and on novel food which will provide legal certainty in this field. Two proposals will ban the use of the cloning technique in the EU for farm animals1 and the imports of these animal clones.


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The winners for the 12th consecutive Scottish Curry Awards have been revealed.
A new fish and chip shop will open its second premises today.
Treat yourself to one (or two) tasty Easter bakes this week thanks to these north-east businesses.
An Aberdeenshire-based street food vendor will host its first official food takeover this month.
A popular Aberdeen restaurant is set to relaunch its monthly music night next week.
How to make Douneside House’s rhubarb Bavaroise with cinnamon doughnut and creme fraiche and lime sorbet
Rhubarb is well and truly in season, so we best make the most of it.


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It's been a few months since we first heard about Samsung's plans for a Galaxy A04s, and enough time has passed for the phone to show up in leaked renders and real-world images captured on the assembly line. Now, the Galaxy A04s moniker has popped up on Samsung's official website for the UK.
Every OEM has its own ways of doing things, and Samsung's known for prematurely publishing support pages for unannounced devices. The company's done the same thing for the Galaxy A04s, the latter of which now has an official support page on the UK portal.
As usual, the support page doesn't say much about the device itself, apart from the model number (SM-A047F), and this time around, the user manual is missing.
Production is underway for the Galaxy A04s
Samsung hasn't revealed an official launch date for the Galaxy A04s yet. However, the device has hit the conveyor belts at Samsung's Noida factory in India and should reach customers soon.
According to previous leaks, the Galaxy A04s should feature a triple camera setup, a 6.5-inch HD+ 60Hz display with an Infinity-V notch for the selfie camera, a 5,000mAh battery, and a MediaTek chipset.
Unlike most other Samsung phones released nowadays, the Galaxy A04s should feature a 3.5mm headphone jack as well as a USB-C port.


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Atlas Jewellery founder and chairman MM Ramachandran is looking to sell "a successfully running hospital in Oman" for 550 million dihrams (roughly Rs 990 crore) to repay the debt he owes to banks. The move comes after a court reportedly turned down his bail plea.
"Earlier this proposal [to sell his assets in Oman] was not acceptable to him as the Atlas Health Care Group has been a profit-making entity with a leading Omani group as its sponsors. The sponsor is now considering taking over the business from Ramachandran once proper valuation of the asset has been carried out," industry sources told Gulf News.
The steering committee of banks appointed to recover the dues worth millions from Ramachandran held a meeting on Wednesday, according to banking sources.
Addressing the media on Tuesday, Ramachandran said that he was "committed" to paying back the massive dues to banks.
It is also speculated that he may consider selling the group's jewellery stores in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait, and earlier, a Saudi investor had showed interest in buying the entire chain of retail outlets of the group.
Ramachandran was also keen to sell his assets in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries but wanted to hold the group's jewellery outlets in the UAE.
Meanwhile, Ramachandran's wife, who is the owner of many of the UAE stores, seems to be looking at providing "corporate guarantees" to repay the debt.
The group is also expected to sell a part of prime property it purchased in India, in a bid to raise funds to pay back the debt it owes to banks.
"Atlas Jewellery India had bought some prime properties in Bengaluru, Chennai and Kerala and these might be liquidated to raise the amount. A consultant hired by Atlas has been negotiating with the banks for some time to settle the issues," the sources added.
A spokesman of a major jewellery group said that the arrest of the group founder's may tarnish the "reputation" of all traders in the industry.
"The jewellery chain's famous tag line describes it as the winner of the trust of millions. In fact now this episode story is about breaking the trust of millions. This huge debt has piled up because of years of delinquency which did not come to the notice of the banks who continued to lend him such big sums," the spokesman said.
An owner of another leading jewellery brand raised doubts about the company's latest balance sheets that showed revenue of 10 billion dihrams last year and profit of over 20 million dihrams.


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A Singapore-based startup offering smart internet of things (IoT) wearables platform for companies to launch smart products has raised $6.2 million in a Series B round.
The latest funding round for KaHa was led by Tembusu ICT Fund, a venture capital investing on software companies in Southeast Asia.
This brings to $10.7 million the total funding for the IoT company, according to Crunchbase. KaHa also received funding from Spring SEEDS Capital and Titan Company in November 2017 for $4.5 million.
KaHa operates Cove, an end-to-end smart IoT wearables platform that allows brands to launch smart products in key verticals including sports and fitness, health and wellness, digital payment, safety, lifestyle and special needs.
Among the products it has helped to bring to market include a smart buckle that can count steps and track activities, sensored equipped t-shirts that capture live heart ratings with ECG facility, and an analog watch with heart rate monitoring with LED Display
KaHa, which in Maori means ‘stay strong,’ was founded and incorporated in Singapore in 2015.
Pawan Gandhi, KaHa founder and CEO, told FutureIoT in an email interview that a highly publicized assault case in India in 2012 was a personal critical point for the founders, compelling them to focus in smart wearables, with safety as a primary driver.
“Our first product was a watch that allows the wearer to stay connected. It can send SOS messages in an emergency and track the wearer even if the watch or the phone has been destroyed,” he said.
“Today, the platform enables partners and customers to incorporate the latest technology without prohibitive financial costs and speed up their go-to-market time for smart products,” he added.
Gandhi said KaHa’s R&D roadmap will focus on health and wellness, digital payments, sports and fitness, and safety, which is a top concern for senior citizens and kids.
“In close collaboration with public and private partners, we are currently developing innovative use cases for smart wearables,” he said.
Its partners across the IoT development value chain include A*STAR SIMTech, Bridgestone, Curtis Australia, MHA Manufacture de Haute Accessoirie Partners, Tex Line and Titan.
According to Gandhi, an example of KaHa’s innovation is its collaboration with sports apparel manufacturer Tex Line and SIMTech.
“Together, we created the first made-in-Singapore Smart Fitness T-shirt. The smart-T, which was tested at one-north Run 2018, monitors live ECG, live heart rate, heart rate variance, V0 2 Max and other health parameters,” he said.
“Currently in development, the second-generation smart-T will be made from conductive yarn that enables the smart module to be placed anywhere on the T-shirt. This will increase flexibility and creativity of the design and also improve convenience for the user. We are targeting the commercial release of the smart-T within the year,” he added.
Another project in the pipeline is on Extravasation, which will be in partnership with A*STAR Institute of Microelectronics (IME).
Gandhi said KaHa is now developing a sensor patch and monitoring system that will be able to detect varying degrees of swelling during infusions.
“Our objective is to help improve patient safety. By assisting in the early detection of complications, immediate care can be given to patients, particularly babies, and children,” he said.
With 1.5 million people now using its platform across five countries in six regions: Singapore, India, Pakistan, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, KaHa plans to expand into United States imminently.
Gandhi said the projection is to grow the number of devices powered by its platform to exceed 2 million by the end of 2019.
“In Singapore, not only is the government contributing to the growth in the adoption of functionality-packed smart wearables, through initiatives like the National Step Challenge by the Health Promotion Board, which rewards participants who hit a target of 5,000-10,000 steps each day with redeemable points, it is also creating a strong ecosystem in which start-ups can thrive,” Gandhi said.
But according to Data Bridge Market Research, Japan is expected to dominate the market due to a strong awareness of pedometers and smartwatches in the region.


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Thursday May 23, 2013 5:11 AM PT
9:15 pm, Wednesday, November 28, 2012 -- A state appeals court has given Walmart the go-ahead to expand its Antioch store into a "supercenter" by adding a grocery section, rejecting a judge's decision that the city should have studied environmental impacts before approving the project.
The retail giant has operated the store at the...
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Justin Tallis, AFP/Getty Images
Daylight knife-hacking linked to radical Islam, far-right protests.
A peek at the city way back when from a most unusual perspective, a Navy periscope in the bay.
Gregg DeGuire, WireImage
People magazine chose Gwyneth, our readers had other picks. See them, vote for a winner.
© 2013 Hearst Communications Inc.


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BEV stock is gaining today after BevCanna Enterprises (CSE:BEV) (OTCPK:BVNNF) announced that it had acquired cannabis genetics firm Carmanah Craft Corp.
Cannabis Genetics Deal
The Canadian cannabis beverage maker announced that it had issued 8,941,176 common shares of the company at a price of $0.425 to the shareholders of Carmanah in the arm’s length transaction. The deal will give BevCanna access to an extensive range of cannabis genetics, including 50 premium cannabis strains and over 25 types of cannabis seeds, including six auto flower seed varieties. BEV stock is currently up just over 8% at the time of writing.
“This deal will dramatically increase our overall cannabis yield projections,” said Joey Bedard-Brunet, Head of Cultivation at BevCanna Enterprises.
“Together with the recently announced increase in our outdoor cannabis cultivable land to almost 300 acres, the acquisition of Carmanah’s proven outdoor genetics will allow BevCanna to develop into one of the largest outdoor cannabis cultivators in Canada,” said John Campbell, Chief Strategy Officer at BevCanna. BEV stock is currently trading for $0.31.
A significant portion of the genetics library supplied by Carmanah is outdoor specific strains that originate from California, which has a very similar climatic growth environment to BevCanna’s operation in the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia and, therefore, is expected to significantly increase crop yield. Additionally, the genetics library includes some of the top mold-resistant, outdoor, high yielding, auto flower seeds, each expected to yield more than two kilograms per plant.
Flat Start for BEV Stock
News of the takeover has provided some signs of action in BEV stock after a relatively flat start to the year. Having traded for around $0.43 on December 26, the stock fell over 30% by New Year’s Eve and has failed to get back to those levels since. While the cannabis beverage market is expected to be worth US$2.8 billion by 2025, current regulations and the slow rollout of legalization 2.0 have hindered any substantial growth so far.
BevCanna Enterprises currently markets a THC-infused sparkling water line under the Anarchist Mountain label, while its forthcoming Lev range of fruit-flavored CBD-infused water is expected to arrive on market early this year. BEV stock currently holds a ‘Buy’ rating from Trading View.
Featured Image: DepositPhotos © Fotofabrika


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Dara Khosrowshahi, chief government officer of Expedia Inc., speaks in the course of the GeekWire Summit in Seattle, Washington, U.S., on Tuesday, Oct. four, 2016.
Picture: BLOOMBERG/GETTY IMAGES
Uber, the ride-hailing firm of our future, has a brand new chief.
Dara Khosrowshahi, CEO of Expedia, will now be serving as Uber's CEO, after former CEO and co-founder Travis Kalanick was ousted in June following a number of controversies on the firm together with allegations of stolen proprietary expertise.
What which means for the Uber drivers and riders? Most likely nothing within the quick time period.
However for the interior operations, it means Uber, the ride-hailing app that hundreds of individuals have used, is led by somebody. As an alternative of being led by executives who had allegedly stolen medical information from a former rider, it should now be led by somebody who will, hopefully, lead the corporate ahead with out such controversial entanglements.
Khosrowshahi was a beforehand unnamed contender. However he does have spectacular credentials. He served at Expedia for greater than a decade.
Earlier than the choice, it was understood that former CEO of Normal Electrical Jeff Immelt, and Meg Whitman, previously CEO of Hewlett Packard Enterprise, have been within the working for the Uber CEO job. However Immelt apparently dropped out Sunday, tweeting his resolution.
I've determined to not pursue a management place at Uber. I've immense respect for the corporate & founders - Travis, Garrett and Ryan.
— Jeff Immelt (@JeffImmelt) August 27, 2017
"The Board has voted and can announce the choice to the staff first," an Uber spokesperson wrote in an emailed assertion, according to Recode.
A Bloomberg reporter confirmed that Khosrowshahi accepted the job late Sunday.
Expedia CEO Dara Khosrowshahi has accepted the Uber CEO job
— Eric Newcomer (@EricNewcomer) August 28, 2017


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Mintel reports 51% drop in new product introductions
April 29, 2009
by FoodBusinessNews.net Staff
CHICAGO — New product introductions are down, a fact backed by a 51% decline in total food and beverage product launches from the first quarter of 2008 to the first quarter of 2009, according to Mintel International’s Global New Products Database.
"Faced with low consumer confidence and reduced spending, many food and beverage manufacturers cut back on product development and new product launches," said Lynn Dornblaser, new product analyst for Mintel. "Many companies face internal budget cuts that affect everything from new product ideation to development and marketing."
Mintel also reported higher-than-average declines for categories such as non-alcoholic beverages, chocolate, sugar and gum confectionery, and dairy.
Despite the declines, Ms. Dornblaser said the reduced numbers won’t last. She said while food and beverage introductions decreased steadily from October 2008 to February 2009, they increased in March. She also said Mintel has tracked new products through three recessions and found product launches decline somewhat at the beginning of a recession and then increase quickly when the economy begins to recover.


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Celebrations and school holiday across UAE for Dubai’s Expo 2020 win
The Burj Khalifa became the centrepiece for a fireworks display in Downtown Dubai as thousands celebrated the announcement.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, the UAE Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, announced that Thursday November 28, will be a holiday for all educational institutions across the UAE.
The result brings to a close two years of hard work and planning for staff at the Dubai campaign, and has set the economy up for seven years of growth as those plans take root.
The campaign has galvanised huge support internationally, from diplomatic allies and celebrities, and locally - capped off by Skeikh Hamdan bin Mohammed’s Expo message at the top of the Burj Khalifa.
A recent survey suggested more than 99 per cent of the population, including expatriates and nationals, supported the bid.
The result has already been welcomed by businesses and residents.
“Few can imagine the impact the Dubai of 2020 will have on the Expo and how it will connect people, their ideas and aspirations,” said Ahmed bin Sulayem, the executive chairman of Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC).
“DMCC would like to congratulate His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, and the people of the UAE for their inspirational campaign that has brought the Expo 2020 to the emirate.”
Indian Sudha Anirudh, the mother of Maathangi, 9, a young Expo ambassador said her entire family had been praying for victory.
“We are all involved and it is so close to our heart,” she said.
“We had all been praying for it. The entire region will benefit and not one country because of the jobs that will be created. The way we live will change and the prosperity of the entire region will go up.”
Abdulla Al Ghurair, an Emirati who works as a logistics controller with Dubai Aluminium Company, showed his support by taking unusual pictures of the Dubai expo logo and sharing them on Instagram.
“I have thought about this so often,” he said about the victory.
“I have been literally thinking very often about how my reaction will be ... we will be an important spot on the map. We have to think now about how it will impact us as locals positively and for expats also. How will it affect us in a positive and negative way? Dubai will be more known to people. Dubai will be more famous than before. As a young Emirati, I also like to think about what our plans are until 2020.
“OK, so Dubai won and now we do nothing? This should not happen, there should be a continuation for us as locals and in people’s mind because 2020 is coming soon and there are a lot of expectations.”
Updated: November 27, 2013 04:00 AM


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The Durham Cricket Box Office and Club Shop will close for Christmas at 4pm on Thursday 21 December, reopening at 9am on Tuesday 2 January 2024.
Memberships and T20 season tickets can be purchased in person or over the phone on 0191 387 1717 until 21 December, taking advantage of our early bird membership, while early bird memberships can be purchased online until Friday 22 December.
The club shop at Seat Unique Riverside will also close on Thursday 21 December, with the final opportunity to purchase via our website for online deliveries Friday 15 December at 5pm. After this date no further orders will be available for Christmas delivery.
The club shop will remain open until 4pm on Thursday 21 December for instore shopping and collections.
Durham Cricket would like to wish all members and supporters a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year and we look forward to seeing you again in 2024.


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[Funding alert] Paytm First Games raises $20M from AGTech and One97 Communications
Gaming platform Paytm First Games on Thursday said that it has raised $20 million from AGTech Holdings and One97 Communications Limited, the parent company of Paytm.
The funds raised will be used by the company to scale its operations, invest in technology and further expand its userbase through various marketing activities.
As part of its last round, the gaming platform had raised close to $16 million in August 2018 from its promoters, AGTech and One97 Communications.
In August 2019, the company said that it is looking to raise close to $25 million in funding.
Speaking on the growth, Sudhanshu Gupta, COO - Paytm First Games, said,
“In the last six months, we have launched several games across different genres and the response has been encouraging. We now have more than 35 million registered users playing their favorites games including the paid ones like Rummy and Fantasy Cricket. This fundraise will support our ambition to become India’s largest gaming platform which in-turn makes gaming a rewarding experience for our users.”
In January 2018, Paytm had announced the launch of Gamepind, a joint venture with AGTech Holdings Limited, a Chinese gaming and entertainment company.
Recently, the gaming platform was renamed to Paytm First Games as part of Paytm’s effort to offer a clutch of services under its paid subscription plan, Paytm First.
At present, the platform claims to have achieved more than 10 million monthly transactions with an annual revenue run-rate of $50 million.
The platform currently offers more than 300 engaging games including the popular ones like Fantasy Cricket, Fantasy Kabaddi, Fantasy Soccer, Rummy, 8 Ball Pool, Ludo, and live quiz.
Earlier, the company said that the registered users can play games and quizzes on Gamepind to win Paytm cash, movie tickets, flight tickets, among other things.
(Edited by Suman Singh)


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Leinster and Castore Launch European Jersey
September 13, 2023 2:00 pm Marcus Ó Buachalla
Leinster Rugby and kit partner Castore today launched the club’s European jersey which will be proudly worn for the first time in Leinster’s opening Champions Cup game against La Rochelle on 10 December in Stade Marcel-Deflandre.
Over the last few months Castore have launched the home and the alternate jersey online and in sports retailers across the province and today is the final jersey launch ahead of the new season.
Ciarán Frawley, Will Connors and Sam Prendergast were in attendance at the RDS Arena for the launch as they continue to build up towards the Bank of Ireland Pre-Season Friendly against Ulster Rugby on Friday week in Navan RFC (KO: 6.30pm).
Tickets for the game (€5 for junior tickets and €10 for adults) are still on sale HERE or can be purchased locally by Navan RFC members at the clubhouse.
The European jersey is available to buy from shop.leinsterrugby.ie, and from retailers across the province.
The last remaining Season Tickets ahead of the start of the 2023/24 season, in the North and the South Stands, are still available to purchase HERE.
Leo Cullen’s side start with an away trip in the BKT United Rugby Championship to Glasgow on 22 October in Scotstoun Stadium, followed by the first home game of the season six days later in the RDS Arena against the Hollywoodbets Sharks.
Tickets for the first three home games of the new season are on sale NOW.


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One of the nation’s largest sporting goods retailers is taking some of the steps on guns that Congress and Donald Trump won’t. Dick’s Sporting Goods said that, after discovering that Parkland school shooter Nikolas Cruz bought a gun in one of its stores, it will no longer sell guns to people under 21 and will no longer sell either assault rifles or high-capacity magazines. The company’s CEO, Edward Stack, said he had been inspired by the survivors of the shooting:
“When we saw what happened in Parkland, we were so disturbed and upset,” Mr. Stack said in an interview Tuesday evening. “We love these kids and their rallying cry, ‘enough is enough.’ It got to us.”
He added, “We’re going to take a stand and step up and tell people our view and, hopefully, bring people along into the conversation.”
Mr. Stack said he hoped that conversation would include politicians. As part of its stance, Dick’s is calling on elected officials to enact what it called “common sense gun reform’’ by passing laws to raise the minimum age to purchase guns to 21, to ban assault-type weapons and so-called bump stocks, and to conduct broader universal background checks that include mental-health information and previous interactions with law enforcement.
The gun Dick’s sold to Cruz was not the type of gun he used in the massacre, and was sold legally:
“But it came to us that we could have been a part of this story,’’ he said. “We said, ‘We don’t want to be a part of this any longer,’” said Mr. Stack.
“We support and respect the Second Amendment, and we recognize and appreciate that the vast majority of gun owners in this country are responsible, law-abiding citizens,” Dick’s said in a statement. “But we have to stop the problem that’s in front of us. Gun violence is an epidemic that’s taking the lives of too many people, including the brightest hope for the future of America—our kids.”
Here’s the thing: this is a good move. But Dick’s is not the only place would-be mass shooters can buy assault rifles. That’s why, while other major retailers absolutely should join Dick’s in this, the only thing that will really work is government action—as Dick’s recognizes in calling for politicians to “enact common sense gun reform.” As long as someone who wants to kill a lot of people can walk into Dick’s, find out they can’t get what they want, and then walk down the street to another store and obtain an assault rifle and high-capacity magazine, we still have a problem. And that means congressional Republicans and Donald Trump need to act.


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Warcraft to go offline in China following Blizzard-NetEase dispute
World of Warcraft is set to go offline today in China following a financial dispute between Blizzard Entertainment and Chinese game publisher NetEase.
Blizzard first announced its deal with NetEase would end last November. Earlier this month, NetEase rejected the offer to extend the agreement by six months, noting the proposal as “commercially illogical.”
According to a Blizzard associate, the developer declined because NetEase had suggested making structural changes within the partnership, which would affect Blizzard’s control over its own IP. NetEase, on its part, was adamant that any usage and licensing of Blizzard’s IP were done based on the contract terms and with Blizzard’s approval throughout their 14-year agreement.
“Any usage and licensing of Blizzard’s IP were done in accordance with contract terms and with Blizzard’s consent and approval,” NetEase said.
Simon Zhu, president of global investment of NetEase, said he had spent a total of “10,000 hours” playing Blizzard’s games. He accused Blizzard of “seeking a divorce but still remaining attached.”
“One day, when what has happened behind the scenes can be told, developers and gamers will have a whole new level of understanding of how much damage a jerk can make,” Zhu said.
Following the dispute, NetEase dismantled a World of Warcraft statue on the grounds of its Hangzhou headquarters last Wednesday.
The disagreement between Blizzard and NetEase affects not only Warcraft but several of Blizzard’s games as well, like the multiplayer shooter Overwatch, the card game Hearthstone and the sci-fi strategy Starcraft.
Previously, there were also reports that Blizzard and NetEase initially had been spending three years developing an unannounced World of Warcraft mobile game. As a result of the conflict, the project was canceled in August 2022.
New feature for Chinese Warcraft as Blizzard searches new distribution partner
John Hight, general manager of the Warcraft franchise, said that Blizzard developed a feature for their Chinese Warcraft players to download their characters and progress. It allows players to keep their game records, knowing that some players may have spent many hours in the game.
“The ‘World of Warcraft’ team is working hard to develop a feature that allows you to transfer your game characters, props, and Azerites [an in-game currency] before the game is shut down on January 23,” Hight said.
With this feature, players can upload their data into the game if Blizzard can form an agreement with a new distribution partner in China. The country is one of the world’s largest gaming industry markets despite the government having strict regulations in gaming.
Unlike other countries, foreign gaming companies generally need a Chinese publisher to release their games in China. Blizzard first launched World of Warcraft in the China gaming market in 2005, a year after its launch in North America.
Before Warcraft was shut down, Hight said that Blizzard had been in talks with potential partners to continue its titles in China. He said the company would continue doing so until they found an appropriate solution.
While looking for Chinese partners to continue operating Warcraft in China, Hight did not specify if Blizzard would also look for partners to operate its other games in the country.
For now, Blizzard still has one active mobile game in China — Diablo: Immortal — as it is operated under a separate agreement outside of Blizzard and NetEase.


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NEW YORK -- Winnie the Pooh was the first to come to the attention of law enforcement officials, when customs agents seized a shipment of bubble blowers from China that illegally used the portly bear's image.
Then Dora the Explorer, SpongeBob SquarePants, Betty Boop, Mickey Mouse, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and some Power Rangers all were found trying to enter the country illegally, part of an elaborate smuggling operation of Chinese-made toys that law enforcement officials said operated for eight years, despite having shipments seized dozens of times.
Last week, the five men that the authorities say were behind the operation were charged with importing and selling counterfeit and hazardous toys.
"For years, the defendants sought to enrich themselves by importing and selling dangerous and counterfeit children's toys," said Loretta E. Lynch, the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York.
In a 24-count indictment, Chenglan Hu, 51; Hua Fei Zhang, 52; and Xiu Lan Zhang, 60 (all Chinese nationals and residents of Queens); and Guan Jun Zhang, 29; and Jun Wu Zhang, 28 (both naturalized citizens and Queens residents) were charged with importing goods that violated the Consumer Product Safety Act and copyright laws, as well as smuggling and money laundering. All pleaded not guilty and released on $100,000 bond.
Although officials trumpeted the case as a triumph in the fight to protect both children and intellectual property, the indictment also makes it clear just how hard it is to stop the flood of illegal consumer goods into the United States.
The men each operated a company they used to import illegal toys, according to the indictment. Each time a shipment was seized, the responsible company would agree to abandon the goods. But they would then switch the name of the importing company, the indictment said, allowing the ring to continue.
Authorities said some of the toys had high levels of lead and contained phthalates, which has been phased out of use because of health concerns.legalnews


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The Canadian Centre for Ethics & Corporate Policy presents a panel on ‘Ethical Issues in Tourism and Hospitality During the Pandemic.’
NEWS BRIEFS update as of Sept. 24, 2019
Skål Hamilton rebrands. Airbnb news: Corporate, Calgary and Saskatchewan. Duetto and Sandman. Holiday Inn back to school promo. Lead Like Walt book released. Canadian Tourism Employment Snapshot.
Skål Hamilton rebrands as Skål Hamilton-Niagara
BURLINGTON, Ont. — Skål Hamilton Club, in consultation with Skal Canada has gained approval from Skål International for the club to officially change their name to Skål Hamilton-Niagara.
This will allow leaders of the tourism and hospitality industry in the Niagara region to be globally recognized as members of the association and further enjoy the benefits of Skål Membership.
Skål is represented in all of Canada’s major tourism sectors and although anyone in the Golden Horseshoe region has had the ability to become a Skal Hamilton member, having the important tourism area of Niagara included in the club name firms up Skal’s commitment to the Niagara area.
“We are very pleased to be able to be inclusive of those tourism individuals who reside in and around the Niagara area, being one of the largest attractions in the world. Having worked in the area and representing Niagara during my presidency for Skål Toronto North, I am proud to now include them in our official name,” said Frank Vismeg, president, Skål Hamilton-Niagara.
“Welcoming the important tourism region of Niagara into Skål is a historic event for Skål Canada”, said Paul Durand, president Skål Canada.
On September 10th, Skål Hamilton-Niagara hosted a dinner at the Burlington Convention Centre to celebrate this historic event. Several VIP guests were in attendance including Paul Durand, Skål Canada president, who presides over the national board representing 17 Skal clubs and over 700 members in Canada.
Skål Canada is the sixth largest national membership of the 83 countries representing Skal International.
To become a Skål member visit www.skalcanada.org. Membership is exclusively for senior management of tourism, hospitality and travel companies. The Young Skål program is ideal for young professionals in the tourism hospitality industry. Skål promotes “Doing business with Friends”.
The organization founded in 1934, is the largest organization of professional travel and tourism leaders around the world, promoting global tourism and friendship. It is the only international group uniting all branches of the travel and tourism industry. Its members, industry managers and executives, meet at local, regional and international levels to discuss and pursue topics of common interest in the Travel and Tourism Sectors. There are over 15,000 members in almost 400 clubs located 83 nations.
Airbnb news: Corporate, Calgary and Saskatchewan
CALGARY, REGINA — Airbnb said earlier this month that it intends to go public in 2020, ending much speculation about the timing of one of the most-anticipated IPOs in travel.
The news came after Airbnb said it generated revenue of more than $1 billion in the second quarter of its 2019 financial year — the second time in its history it has passed the figure.
The company is preparing to launch a new multi-media advertising campaign featuring a number of its hosts across the United States.
Essentially, Airbnb is harking back to its roots as a homesharing platform, something it seems keen to do especially in the face of mounting criticism about its impact on cities across the world.
SASKATCHEWAN: Some of that criticism is coming from Saskatchewan, where Airbnb is booming and the provincial government wants its share of tax revenue. Since early this year, the province and the SHHA have been trying to get Airbnb to comply with new legislation that is meant to include PST collection on what the government refers to as “accommodation sharing services.”
SHHA president and CEO Jim Bence estimates hotel business in Regina is down two to three per cent due to Airbnb. He admitted that doesn’t sound like much, but when you look at the number of hotel rooms available, that has an impact. Bence also pointed to the effect that reduction in business has on jobs in the industry.
The problem the association has with the short-term rental industry, according to Bence, is that they’re not taxed or regulated like a business. “If we’re going to play in the same field, then we just want to make sure that the rules are all fair, and that they apply to everybody equally,” said Bence.
Amendments made to the Provincial Sales Tax Act were given assent on May 30, 2018.
“The legislation is in place and we have contacted the various online accommodations sharing services about compliance and getting them to collect and remit PST,” said Brian Miller, a spokesman for the Ministry of Finance.
The change to the act’s language that is meant to rope in Airbnb states that a retail sale in the province includes a sale of “tangible personal property or of a taxable service by a person who does not otherwise carry on business in Saskatchewan, if the tangible personal property or the taxable service is acquired for use or consumption in or relating to Saskatchewan.”
CALGARY: In Calgary, Airbnb hosts earned $18 million this summer, the company says. But CBC News noted that Calgarians who run short-term rentals could be subject to new licensing fees, safety rules and up to $1,000 fines if bylaw changes being discussed by a council committee get approved.
Councillor Druh Farrell says Airbnbs and the home-sharing economy are growing in popularity, and it’s time for the city to step in to ensure the safety of guests and property owners.
The city committee is considering a two-tiered licence system, with the first tier covering dwellings with one to four bedrooms for a $100 annual fee, and the second tier covering five or more bedrooms for $191 plus the cost of a fire inspection.
Sandman Hotel Group partners with Duetto
SAN FRANCISCO — Sandman Hotel Group, Canada’s fastest growing hospitality company, has officially partnered with Duetto, a hospitality revenue platform with a best-in-class pricing application, to maximize profitability across its entire portfolio of hotels, resorts, and inns.
Sandman, which operates The Sutton Place Hotels, Sandman Signature Hotels & Resorts, and Sandman Hotels, Inns & Suites, is implementing the technology firm’s pricing application, GameChanger; its solution for intelligent reporting, ScoreBoard; and its groups business application, BlockBuster.
With more than 50 Hotels, Resorts, Inns, and Suites, from British Columbia to Newfoundland and Labrador, the US, and the UK, and with several properties under development, Sandman is Canada’s fastest-growing, privately-owned hospitality company.
Duetto’s revenue strategy platform brings together core technologies and data to make them accessible through multi-tenant cloud architecture, powering a suite of applications delivering a holistic revenue strategy that increases organizational efficiency, revenue and profitability.
“We were looking for a modern application to enable innovative strategies throughout the organization,” says Michael McNames, director of revenue at Sandman Hotel Group. “We are confident in Duetto’s best-in-class technology, but perhaps more importantly, it was a cultural fit for an agile company proving to be cutting-edge market leaders.”
“Sandman Hotel Group is an innovative industry leader eager to empower their teams with the right resources,” says Patrick Bosworth, CEO and co-founder at Duetto. “We’re excited to help them along a journey of making more informed decisions to maximize opportunities.”
In addition to the newly opened Sandman Signature Plano – Frisco Hotel, U.S. (Sandman’s first hotel in Texas and the United States); Sandman Signature Aberdeen Hotel, U.K. (Sandman’s first hotel in Scotland and third in the U.K.); Sandman Signature St. John’s Hotel, N.L.; Sandman Signature Calgary Airport Hotel, Alta.; and Sandman Signature Ottawa Airport Hotel, Ont. Sandman has also announced new Canadian hotels in Sherwood Park, Alta.; Saskatoon, Sask.; and Winnipeg, Man.
Holiday Inn back to school promo
ATLANTA — On August 22, the Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express brands started offering a special Back to School Sale, which allows guests to save at least 20 per cent on the Best Flexible Rate on stays beginning August 23, 2019 through March 31, 2020. Stays must be booked three days in advance and before September 26.
Travel brings people together for life’s most important moments, and Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express are there for people who are travelling to see their loved ones, friends and family during this peak back to school time.
Whether it’s seeing a family member off to college or taking one last trip of the summer to connect with friends before the back to school routine starts, Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express know it’s important to be there, together, in real life for moments that matter. With nearly 4,000 locations worldwide, the Holiday Inn brand has hotels anywhere so guests can be there in person with their friends, family and colleagues.
Lead Like Walt book now out
“When you wish upon a star” is as American [or Canadian] as apple pie and one of the first motivational messages many people learned growing up with Disney.
Pat Williams, a leading motivational speaker, author, best known for his affiliation with NBA’s Orlando Magic, has studied Walt Disney for years as one of his greatest role models. Williams has extracted Disney’s key leadership traits for us to emulate ourselves in his new book, Lead Like Walt: Discover Walt Disney’s Magical Approach to Building Successful Organizations, co-authored with Jim Denney.
Delegates to provincial association conferences such as AHLA have had a chance to hear about Disney leadership philosophies from various keynote speakers.
Whether you are building a small business from the ground up or managing a multi-national company, you can learn the 7 key traits for leadership success from one of the greatest business innovators and creative thinkers of the 20th century: Walt Disney.
Whether you know him as the first to produce cartoons in Technicolor, the mastermind behind the theme park Disneyland, or the founder of the largest entertainment conglomerate, Walt’s story of creativity, perseverance in spite of obstacles, and achieving goals resonates and inspires as much today as it ever has.
Canadian Tourism Employment Snapshot for August
In August 2019, the unemployment rate in the tourism sector was at 4.9 per cent, which is 0.2 percentage points lower than the rate reported in August 2018, but higher than the previous month (July 2019), when the unemployment rate stood at 4.7 per cent.
At 4.9 per cent, tourism’s unemployment rate was well below Canada’s seasonally unadjusted unemployment rate of 6.3 per cent.
On a provincial basis, tourism unemployment rates ranged from 0.0 per cent in Prince Edward Island to 6.5 per cent in Alberta.
Tourism employment comprised 11.4 per cent of the total Canadian labour force for the month of August.


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We deeply regret the loss of human life and have set up collection centers to support the victims. Anacafé technicians estimate that the Fuego volcano eruption has affected an area of between 3,440 and 4,055 manzanas of coffee growing land, a loss which equates to 38,400 quintals of green coffee or 0.91% of national production.
Guatemala, 4 June 2018. Technicians in Anacafé’s regional offices have estimated the damage caused by the Fuego volcano eruption.
In the region of Sacatepéquez, production units in the communities of Antigua Guatemala, Ciudad Vieja, San Miguel Dueñas, San Juan Alotenango and El Rodeo in Escuintla are the most affected. Between 1,540 and 2,055 manzanas of coffee have been affected by a deluge of falling ash and volcanic material. About 21,360 quintals of green coffee is thought to have been lost.
The most affected coffee growing areas in Chimaltenango are around Acatenango and San Pedro Yepocapa. The communities of Panimaché, Santa Sofía and Morelia are some of the worst affected. Damage has also been reported in El Tejar and San Martín Jilotepeque. It is estimated that between 1,900 and 2,000 manzanas are affected in Chimaltenango which will have an impact on the production of roughly 17,600 quintals of green coffee.
The high area, the coffee growing areas closest to the cone of the volcano and those areas without shade are the most affected. National reports indicate that ash has fallen on about 178,000 out of the 434,000 manzanas devoted to coffee production across the country.
In total, between 3,440 and 4,055 manzanas of coffee growing land is thought to have been directly affected by the Fuego volcano eruption. The national harvest will be down by 0.91%, the equivalent of 38,400 quintals of green coffee. The estimated green coffee harvest for 2017-2018 is 4.2 million quintals.
With each eruption, ash and sand falls on all the growing areas, coating the plants’ foliage. In parts of the coffee growing region, the damage has been reduced by rain which has helped wash the coffee plant leaves and dislodge the ash.
We recommend following the instructions of the authorities and if necessary evacuating the most affected areas. Human life must be protected over all material goods.
In lower risk areas, producers are advised to shake the plants and seedlings to remove the ash from the foliage (leaves). The seedlings should also be rinsed to remove any remaining ash. Spraying the leaves with amino acids is also advised since it will help the coffee plants stave off the effects of the ash.
A more accurate estimate of the damage to coffee production caused by the eruption will only be known once we have seen how the weather behaves and how the fruit develops.
Collection Centers: We have set up collection centers in the regional offices and our central headquarters in 5th Street 0-50, zone 14 (la 5a calle 0-50, zona 14). We hope that this will go some way to supporting and coordinating efforts to mitigate and overcome this crisis.
Those affected need non-perishables, canned food, clean water, blankets and clothes in good condition. We also need medication for eye and skin burns, saline solution to wash burns, oral saline solutions and dressings. All donations will be distributed by our staff in collaboration with CONRED (The National Coordination for Disaster Reduction).
For more information, visit www.anacafe.org


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© alexey utemov dreamstime.com Electronics Production | September 22, 2016
Internal documents: Ericsson shutting down production in Sweden
The Swedish company is planning to shut down all of its remaining manufacturing within the Network products business unit in Sweden.
According to a confidential savings plan – which Swedish newspaper Svenska Dagbladet has obtained – the company is planning on reducing its workforce by 3’000 employees, most of which will come from the Network products unit. And with that, Ericsson removes manufacturing from Sweden completely after 140 years. The company employs about 800 people in the Swedish city of Borås, and roughly 400 in the city of Kumla. These last Swedish manufacturing units will now close shop. However, the total number of layoffs directly linked to manufacturing is 1’800, and the redundancies will also affect white collar workers – around 1'050 people may need to go which brings up the total to 2'850. The report also states that other operations within the Networking group will be scaled down, bringing the total up to 3000. The company management is currently negotiating with the unions. The confidential savings plan that the paper has obtained details the size of the saving and cutbacks in the company’s largest business unit – Network products. However big savings and/or cutbacks the company will make in total is not clear, the article concludes.


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The Great Debate
The stock price seems to be the only thing growing at Hewlett-Packard, the world’s largest computer company. HP shares have risen 75 percent this year, despite few signs of a revival in technology spending.
Technology market research firm Gartner Inc has published the 2009 "Hype Cycle for Emerging Technologies," its effort to chart out what's hot or not at the cutting edge of hi-tech jargon. It's just one of an annual phalanx of reports that handicap some 1,650 technologies or trends in 79 different categories for how likely the terms are to make it into mainstream corporate parlance.
Once in a while a good computer security scare comes along that has all the makings of a taut Cold War spy thriller and the latest news of a global computer espionage ring is one such story.


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Canned tuna is high in protein, low in fat and by far the most popular shelf-stable seafood in the United States.
It can also be mysterious, questionable and scandalous. As The Washington Post reported in late January, Subway — the world’s largest sandwich chain — is currently facing a class-action lawsuit in the state of California that claims its tuna sandwiches “are completely bereft of tuna as an ingredient.”
After the news broke, the jokes swiftly followed. Jessica Simpson (who famously didn’t know whether Chicken of the Sea was chicken or tuna back in 2003) tweeted: “It’s OK @SUBWAY. It IS confusing.” Jimmy John’s, a competitor, started sending email blasts with subjects like: “Tuna 👏 Sandwiches 👏 Should 👏 Use 👏 Real 👏 Tuna 👏.”
Subway, for its part, has categorically denied the allegations. “There simply is no truth to the allegations in the complaint that was filed in California,” a spokeswoman wrote in an email to The New York Times. “Subway delivers 100 percent cooked tuna to its restaurants, which is mixed with mayonnaise and used in freshly made sandwiches, wraps and salads that are served to and enjoyed by our guests.”
From a reporter’s perspective, however, the case bore further investigation — a deep dive, if you will.
So, I procured more than 60 inches worth of Subway tuna sandwiches. I removed and froze the tuna meat, then shipped it across the country to a commercial food testing lab. I spent weeks chatting with tuna experts. I waited, and waited, until the lab results came back.
Here’s what I found.
Tuna, in the Abstract
Canned tuna has its die-hards and naysayers, but it certainly sells. According to Nielsen Holdings, a global data and analytics company, about 700 million cans of tuna were sold in the U.S. over the last year.
“I think part of it is just nostalgia,” said Ryan Sutton, the chief food critic for Eater NY, when asked to explain the ascendancy of the canned fish. “It’s what a lot of people grew up eating.”
Tuna sandwiches rose to prominence in the early 1900s, when people realized canned fish could translate into a quick and cheap meal that involved no cooking. By the 1950s, tuna had surpassed salmon in popularity, and during the 1980s, an estimated 85 percent of Americans had canned tuna in their pantries despite growing concerns about high levels of mercury in the fish.
After a decades-long decline in tuna consumption, a 2018 Wall Street Journal story suggested that millennials were to blame (“many can’t be bothered to open and drain the cans”), though newer brands offering more sustainable options were seeing their market share grow.
Then, in 2020, canned goods took on great urgency as shoppers scrambled to buy shelf-stable food, not knowing how long the pandemic might last. That year, the global canned tuna market was valued at $8.57 billion, according to Grand View Research.
Subway has nearly 40,000 locations worldwide, about half of them in the U.S. (As Grub Street once calculated, the average distance between Subways in Manhattan is 1,154 feet, or about four and a half blocks.) The total number of locations has been in decline since 2015, a trend that a New York Times investigation attributed, in part, to targeted and manipulated inspections.
Still, Subway’s storefronts are ubiquitous, and according to the company, its tuna sandwiches are some of the best selling. “Subway’s tuna sandwich ranks among our guests’ favorite sandwiches,” the chain’s spokeswoman wrote in an email.
But it’s safe to say that Karen Dhanowa and Nilima Amin — the plaintiffs in the lawsuit — do not love Subway’s tuna, which they believe is “anything but tuna,” according to their filing from January. (Ms. Dhanowa and Ms. Amin’s legal team declined to comment on the case for this article.)
What exactly the plaintiffs believed the sandwiches contained, they wouldn’t say. But in their filing from January, they alleged that Subway has deliberately misled customers by selling products “falsely advertised as ‘tuna’” in order to charge a “premium price.”
Subway’s spokeswoman, when asked about the progress of the case, reiterated the statement shared when the original complaint was filed.
“The taste and quality of our tuna make it one of Subway’s most popular products and these baseless accusations threaten to damage our franchisees,” she wrote in an email.
“Given the facts, the lawsuit constitutes a reckless and improper attack on Subway’s brand and goodwill,” she added.
With all of that in mind, I began searching for a commercial lab that could test a sample of Subway’s product. A handful of them politely declined my inquiries, citing technical limitations and company policies that made my tuna ineligible for analysis. Eventually, I found myself on the phone with a spokesman for a lab that specializes in fish testing. He agreed to test the tuna but asked that the lab not be named in this article, as he did not want to jeopardize any opportunities to work directly with America’s largest sandwich chain.
For about $500, his lab could conduct a PCR test — which rapidly makes millions or billions of copies of a specific DNA sample — and try to tell me whether this substance included one of five different tuna species.
From the Sea to Your Submarine
According to the Seafood List, which is compiled by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, there are 15 species of nomadic saltwater fish that can be labeled “tuna.”
Subway’s tuna and seafood sourcing statement says the chain only sells skipjack and yellowfin tuna — species that a lab would recognize as Katsuwonus pelamis and T. albacares.
Before it lands on a Subway sandwich, that tuna, like the majority of commercially sold tuna, is caught by fishermen working in exclusive economic zones. (E.E.Z.s are areas that extend roughly 200 nautical miles from each country’s coast; the U.S., with over 13,000 miles of coastline, controls the largest E.E.Z. in the world, containing 3.4 million square nautical miles of ocean.)
There are five organizations that manage regional fisheries within those economic zones. Their job is to enforce regulations and “make sure the predators of ocean ecosystems remain in the ocean and not on our plates,” according to Barbara Block, a professor of marine sciences at Stanford University who co-directs Stanford’s Tuna Research and Conservation Center.
“Removal at sustainable levels is a priority of many,” Dr. Block added in an email, “but practiced by few.” Bluefin tuna, for example, is now an endangered species following decades of overfishing.
There are three methods these fisheries use to catch tuna: purse seining, longlining and pole-and-line fishing.
Pole-and-line fishing is the kind hobbyists take part in: sitting on a boat and bringing in one catch at a time. Larger fishing operations tend to rely on the other two methods.
Purse seiners drop a large, round wall of netting around a school of fish and then “purse” the bottom of the net shut to prevent fish from escaping. Longliners drop one 30- or 40-mile-long line into the water, then wait for the fish to catch on hundreds (or thousands) of hooks.
Then the fish is cleaned, sorted and, eventually, canned. Dave Rudie, the president of Catalina Offshore Products in San Diego (the former tuna capital of the world), works with a cannery that sells about a million cans of tuna each year, 10,000 of which contain bigeye sourced from him.
“The really perfect colored tuna — the brightest red — goes to the sushi bars,” Mr. Rudie said. “Tuna that’s a little bit paler in color will go more for the cooking, where you sear the outside and it’s raw in the middle.”
“We also get some more off-color tuna and that off-color tuna, we cut it up and freeze it,” he continued. “And we send it up to a cannery in Oregon.”
Canneries tend to follow the same general process. “Most canned tuna is caught by purse seiners and it’s frozen on the boat,” Mr. Rudie said. “They’re going to take it to a cannery, where they’re most likely going to cook it once, and then they’re going to pull the meat off the bone, and they’re going to put it in a can, and then it’s going to get retorted — cooked a little bit — to sterilize it the last time before they seal the can.”
Then there’s the issue of labeling. When Oceana, an organization focused on ocean advocacy, conducted one of the largest “fish fraud” investigations in the early 2010s, it discovered that “seafood may be mislabeled as often as 26 to 87 percent of the time for commonly swapped fish such as grouper, cod and snapper, disguising fish that are less desirable, cheaper or more readily available.”
Such distinctions might not be noticeable, or all that troubling, to every consumer. But when you’re trying to figure out what’s in a Subway tuna sandwich, they matter.
I was told that if I packed a Ziploc of Subway tuna into a Styrofoam shipping cooler with a few ice packs and mailed it across the country, the lab could test it.
To procure the sandwich specimens, I visited three different Subway locations around Los Angeles. It seemed logical to order only tuna on the sandwiches — no extra vegetables, cheese or dressing — as the lab was already wary about the challenges of identifying a fish that’s been cooked at least once, mixed with mayo, frozen and shipped across the country.
My first frozen tuna shipment, which cost upward of $150, was lost in transit. But on second try, the sample arrived intact. In two to three weeks, the lab would tell me whether it contained any tuna.
Sandwich Artists Weigh In
Though Subway declined to disclose its tuna suppliers, Sage, who has been a Subway manager in California for three years, shared some details about how the product arrives at her location. (Sage asked not to use her full name out of fear of reprisal from her employer.)
“The tuna comes in a case and inside the case, there are six aluminum pouches and it’s just like a pressed, vacuum sealed slab of tuna,” Sage said. “It’s flaky and it’s clearly soaked in water — it’s like a brine, so it’s just soaked in salt water — and it’s just flaky tuna. We just spread it apart with our hands” — gloved, of course — “and mix it with mayo.”
Sage said that each store follows corporate guidelines, which instruct that certain meats can stay out in the store’s refrigerated sandwich bar for up to 24, 48 or 72 hours.
Tuna, she said, has a 72-hour counter life (the time frame was also confirmed by Subway’s spokeswoman), though Sage said her store often replaces it before it hits three days. “We all agree — all of us that work there — it gets kind of gross,” she said.
Jen, a former Subway “sandwich artist” who worked at a location in Iowa for a year, said she couldn’t imagine what incentive Subway would have to replace the tuna with anything else. (Jen also asked not to use her full name out of fear of reprisal from her employer.)
“I dealt with the tuna all the time,” Jen said. “The ingredients are right on the package and tuna is a relatively cheap meat. There would be no point to making replacement tuna to make it cheaper.”
And as an occasional consumer of Subway’s tuna, Jen said she’s confident it’s fish.
“I personally have a really weak stomach to fish, which is how we know the tuna is real,” she said. “Last time I ate it, I puked my guts out.”
But Sage said that beyond meeting these food safety standards, she’s not very concerned about whether this tuna is real or not.
“We don’t really care at all,” she said of herself and her fellow sandwich artists. “Which may sound kind of weird, I guess, but customers will bring it up and we just go, ‘I don’t know. What kind of cheese do you want?’”
The Lab Results
Finally, after more than a month of waiting, the lab results arrived.
“No amplifiable tuna DNA was present in the sample and so we obtained no amplification products from the DNA,” the email read. “Therefore, we cannot identify the species.”
The spokesman from the lab offered a bit of analysis. “There’s two conclusions,” he said. “One, it’s so heavily processed that whatever we could pull out, we couldn’t make an identification. Or we got some and there’s just nothing there that’s tuna.” (Subway declined to comment on the lab results.)
To be fair, when Inside Edition sent samples from three Subway locations in Queens out for testing earlier this year, the lab found that the specimens were, indeed, tuna.
Even the plaintiffs have softened their original claims. In a new filing from June, their complaints centered not on whether Subway’s tuna was tuna at all, but whether it was “100% sustainably caught skipjack and yellowfin tuna.”
With all testing, there are major caveats to consider. Once tuna has been cooked, its protein becomes denatured — meaning that the fish’s characteristic properties have likely been destroyed, making it difficult, if not impossible, to identify.
All of the people I spoke with also questioned why Subway would swap out its tuna.
“I don’t think a sandwich place would intentionally mislabel,” Mr. Rudie from Catalina Offshore Products said. “They’re buying a can of tuna that says ‘tuna.’ If there’s any fraud in this case, it happened at the cannery.”
Peter Horn, the director of the Ending Illegal Fishing Project at the Pew Charitable Trusts, agreed that it would be difficult to place blame on Subway if this were the case.
“In the defense of Subway, or quite a lot of these fishmongers, the further you get the fish from the bone, the harder it is to recognize what that fish is,” he said.
“Most of us see the fish on the bone, skin intact, and we can recognize what sort of fish that is,” he continued. “You drop the head and the tail off, it becomes more difficult, but you can still probably recognize it. You take the skin off it, you take it off the bone and you cut it into slices then you’re only sort of saying, ‘Right, what’s the color and texture?’”
Mr. Sutton, the food critic, suggested that this incident could encourage consumers to take more interest in where their food comes from.
“I would hope that an issue like this would cause more people across the country and all across the world to spend more time thinking about every step of the environmental, labor and economic supply chains that supply their food,” he said.
And even as Subway’s prices have risen beyond the days of $5 footlongs, Mr. Horn said the company’s notably cheap sandwiches raise more important questions than the integrity of their tuna.
“We can’t just continue to have a downward pressure on the price,” Mr. Horn said, “because if we all want everything at rock bottom prices, that means something, somewhere is going to be exploited, whether that’s people or the ocean — probably both.”


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Research firm ITG says that HTC ThunderBolt outsells the Apple iPhone 4 to be number one at Verizon
ITG says that Verizon's sales of Apple's touchscreen phone should come in at 2 million units for the first quarter. The handset did not go on sale at the carrier until February 10th, about 5 weeks after the start of the quarter.
This research dovetails with a couple of other reports. As we had already reported, BTIG did a survey among Verizon reps that showed that in many Verizon stores the HTC device was outselling the iPhone 4. SocialNuggets, a firm that uses the web to determine sentiment, says that in the latest reading of its smartphone index, the HTC ThunderBolt moved to the top spot, up from number 8. The Apple iPhone, on the other hand, dropped to number 10 from number 6.
The next LTE enabled handset for Verizon customers is expected to be the Samsung Droid Charge which could be launched possibly by the end of this month.
source: NYPost via BGR