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In 2012, sixty eight young people across the United Kingdom died after ingesting what have come to be known as “legal highs”. Many others have been ill or hospitalised after taking them, including a 17-year-old student in Canterbury who was just 10 minutes away from death after taking “Exodus Damnation”. Unfortunately, these young people made the mistake in thinking that because these products were legal, they were safe. Julian made it a priority to push for effective action against their sale to protect the community.
Shops like “Skunkworks”, a franchise which at the time operated a store in Canterbury, evaded the law for years by selling their wares as “bath salts” or “herbal remedies”, with the token “not fit for human consumption” labelled on the front, so that they could not be prosecuted under food legislation. Yet this is a cynical gesture, as it is widely known what they are used for. These companies have consequently been cautious in their approach to try to maintain their precarious position. Sales assistants in the store are under strict orders that they cannot give any advice on the products, lest they fall off of the knife edge of legality that they sit on.
Julian first took this issue up with the Secretary of State in the Home Office in July 2012, asking what could be done to protect local communities. Since then, he pressed the issue with Home Office Ministers, Kent County Council, as well as Kent County Police to try and look for a solution, namely to bring an injunction against the stores selling these wares. After his persistent work in area, in April, Julian was called to attend the Delegated Legislation Committee discussion on the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 to assist in banning a fresh group of drugs.
The then-Minister for Crime Prevention in the Home Office, Norman Baker, described the growing legal highs market as “challenging, complicated, and difficult”. The Minister’s comments came as no surprise when every week new compounds are created to circumvent legislation in countries such as India and China, and then trafficked around the world. In Jersey for instance, a major hub for drug trafficking into the UK, around 90% of the seizures still involved cannabis, but “new psychoactive substances” seizures, like mephedrone, are on the rise.
Progress is being made however. Julian welcomed the announcement that more than 20 music festivals, including popular festivals such as T in the Park and Bestival, have stopped the sale of legal highs on their premises. He also welcomed the then-Home Office Minister Norman Baker’s statement that “all options” are on the table for consideration, and has ruled out licencing of the shops.
To actively move this campaign forward, Julian worked with a barrister who has taken a special interest in the issue to discuss what can be done using existing legislation. He proposed Norman Baker that two pieces of legislation are re-examined: the Local Government Act 1972 and the Enterprise Act 2002. This legislation might hold some potential to bring an injunction against Skunkworks and other related stores.
In July 2014, Julian also welcomed news of a raid and confiscations by Trading Standards and Kent Police of several legal highs stores across Kent. This was followed by a Dartford Magistrates Court ruling that more than 800 products sold in branches of Skunkworks are dangerous and mislabeled, and their sale is illegal as of January 2015.
In May 2015, Julian welcomed the Government's announcement that legal highs would be banned under a new Psychoactive Substances Act. The Bill passed through Parliament and received Royal Assent in January 2016 and came into force in May of that year.
The Act prohibits and disrupts the production, distribution, sale and supply of legal highs in the UK, complementing the existing UK drug legislative framework in the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. The maximum sentence is seven years’ imprisonment.The Bill also provides powers to seize and destroy legal highs and powers to search persons, premises and vehicles, as well as to enter premises by warrant if necessary.

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Echoes of apartheid-style exploitation of workers have resurfaced in recent years in South Africa. Debates around these malpractices were given fresh impetus four years ago with the release of a documentary, Bitter Grapes. Produced by Danish journalist Tom Heinemann, it featured workers from South Africa’s winelands.
Bitter Grapes cast light on wide-ranging exploitation. Hardships included health and safety violations, underpayment of wages, and illegal efforts by producers to restrict trade union access on farms. These conditions sit uneasily with South Africa’s progressive constitution. They also run counter to numerous International Labour Organisation conventions relating to organised labour rights that the country has signed.
In a recent research paper I outlined the case for greater optimism around working conditions on wine farms due in part to the activism which helped create the documentary.
Worker’s networked activism
Key to the production of Bitter Grapes was the role of Ethical Wine Trade Campaign. This was a collaboration of worker organisations and solidarity movements across South Africa, Sweden, Chile and Argentina. All are important wine regions.
The campaign makes use of local knowledge about conditions in winelands in the Global South. This can be used to apply pressure to improve conditions in wine supply chains. An example is the role played by the campaign in connecting actors in Scandinavia and South Africa which informed and made possible the Bitter Grapes documentary. Subsequently the film has proved key in creating regulatory reforms.
The Commercial Stevedoring and Allied Workers Union played a vital role in the campaign.
The impact of Bitter Grapes reflects a strategy to connect activists in different places connected to common sectors. The links between South Africa and Scandinavia are not incidental. Nordic countries consume around 10% of all South African wine exports. This is mainly via the country’s state monopoly retailers – Systembolaget in Sweden and Vinmonopolet. They have the sole licence for selling alcohol on the high streets of Norway and Sweden. Both governments have faced pressure to better regulate supply chains which are directly funded by tax payers.
In my paper I examined how labour can use networks to create public pressure on governments and firms to better regulate supply chains. This has the potential to improve working standards and opportunities. In particular, I look at changes in the regulation of work conditions that have resulted.
Several changes to wine farm regulation have emerged since Bitter Grapes on the back of moral and political appeals to European consumers.
The first set of changes is around formal state-led labour inspections. After Bitter Grapes the South African labour inspectorate investigated (and verified) several claims made in the documentary. Subsequently, the inspectorate has shown greater interest in the rural sector and has committed to more dialogue with trade unions in gathering intelligence about worker exploitation.
Secondly, there have been major changes in the private regulation of wine producers. A key private labour standards monitor in South Africa, the Wine and Agricultural Ethical Trade Association, has adjusted the way it operates. It has responded to concerns by committing to auditing farms more frequently. And it’s agreed to use a more transparent grading system. This change will mean that poorly performing farms are now confronted with a genuine trading threat. Farms getting a low score in an audit are now – in theory – unlikely to be able to sell products to major retailers in Europe.
For their part, Vinmonopolet and Systembolaget have sought to improve standards in wine production through additional strategies. Vinmonopolet commissioned a series of independent audits and developed a new eight-point assessment for producers to adhere to. Findings confirmed a range of “critical” risks in several wine farms.
Systembolaget, meanwhile, has adopted a new and novel approach to reporting standards violations spurred by the Swedish trade union Unionen. This has included a Memorandum of Understanding with the International Food Workers’ Federation. The memorandum is intended to support unions on the ground and offers a reporting mechanism for unions operating on the ground in South Africa, ultimately feeding information back to Systembolaget in Sweden.
The creation of progressive labour laws is important in securing improved standards of work. But laws in themselves remain limited in their effectiveness in industries where workers are hidden and isolated, and where inspectorates struggle to attend to the work realities on the ground.
That’s why regulation is so important.
The case study I have done shows that workers are capable of influencing both private and public forms of regulation in their interests. This involves the creation of consumer boycotts, as well as supply lines of pressure from within corporate networks which producers will struggle to ignore.
Workers not only create pressure to reform laws and regulation: they can influence the strategies for policing labour standards too, for example by getting the labour inspectorate to be more active.
In this instance workers have helped re-orientate regulatory agencies away from merely nudging companies to improve conditions towards a stronger regulatory model with a threat of sanction.
Others could learn from the collaborative networks that were formed.
Despite this positive story it is important to stress that the job of improving labour standards in South African wine is far from finished. Issues such as evictions of workers and the over-reliance of casual labour (often via labour brokers) are not typically addressed by either labour inspectorates or private codes of conduct.
The need for transnational worker activism in monitoring labour standards is sure to remain relevant.
The original article was published on www.theconversation.com/africa
Thomas Hastings Lecturer in Management, Queen’s University Belfast


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EMC has released the findings of a survey that highlights IT decision makers’ perspective on IT’s role as an enabler of business change during the shift towards the mega trends of cloud, mobile, social and big data. The impact of the mega trends has changed the expectations of consumers and end users who increasingly want to interact online, anytime and from anywhere, making IT more important than ever before.
The survey reveals that in India IT is viewed as a strategic enabler to grow business and better connect with customers. The top three areas where these trends will have an impact are improving customer experience (52%), streamlining business functions and efficiencies (39%) and management of mission critical business operations (34%)
The survey highlights that 95% of respondents believe that CXO consider IT as a strategic lever to grow the business.
The top three business priorities when implementing new technologies in organizations from India are: to enhance customer experience to 51%, automate processes 41%, and improve capabilities for sales and marketing to 38%.
77% of respondents agreed that their organization sees the increasing role of automation such as software defined storage- as critical to business growth.
Rajesh Janey, President, India and SAARC, EMC said, “It is no surprise that businesses in India believe that IT is a key strategic enabler for business growth and are keen to take advantage of next generation technologies-including hybrid cloud solutions to give their companies a competitive advantage. SMAC challenges enterprise to take advantage of the positive disruptions of the digital ecosystems. These technologies are quickly changing the way companies relate to their customers, interact with employees, and bring products and services to market.”
Advantages of Mega Trends
91% CIOs believe that SMAC stack will provide competitive advantage for their organization.
Over the next year the top areas where respondents expect to see an influence from these mega trends are improving customer experience 52%, streamlining business functions and improving efficiencies 39%, and management of mission critical business operations (34%).
As business operate increasingly online, 76% CIOs identified need of joint public and private cloud services-hybrid cloud as a means for greater agility and security.
Entering into the cloud arena, EMC has collaborated with cloud service providers Netmagic and Sungard AS, as part of a larger effort to target the cloud market opportunity in India which is estimated to be $1 billion by 2015 according to Greyhound Research.
EMC is working with each cloud provider to offer customers a consolidated, customer focused approach to designing, architecting, and running a hybrid cloud to deliver the speed and agility of public cloud services, with the control and security of private cloud infrastructures. At Present EMC will focus on manufacturing, healthcare, retail, BFSI and IT/ITES sectors for cloud adoption.
Sanchit Vir Gogia, Chief Analyst and Group CEO of Greyhound Research said, “The addressable cloud market in India is expected to hit the $1billion mark by 2015. This massive growth is being driven by the advent of social, mobile, analytics, and cloud (SMAC)and its quick transition from being a mere buzzword to impacting the delivery of business outcomes for enterprises. SMAC is helping organizations reduce their CAPEX, enhance customer engagement, increase productivity and work on outcomes that matter to business. Most CIOs today recognize this change and are talking about using technology that drives real business outcomes, the key to which is successful collaboration between service providers and IT vendors.”
Collaboration with Netmagic combines Netmagic’s SimpliCloud, their public cloud offering, an enterprise grade IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service), cloud platform with EMC hybrid cloud and VMware virtualization solutions, helping customers accelerate and enable their journey to hybrid cloud.
EMC will empower Sungard AS Recovery-as-a-Service offering for disaster recovery. This offering from Sungard AS, a leading provider of information availability through managed IT, cloud, and recovery services, provides customers in the enterprise market with SLA driven services to optimize the uptime, productivity and efficiency of their IT operations.


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A medical staff member wears a protective mask amid concerns over the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) (Reuters)
The increase in the number of coronavirus cases in Egypt has brought with it two problems: the soaring price of disinfectants and the disappearance of ethyl alcohol, or ethanol, from pharmacy shelves.
In the past two days, the price of disinfectants and hand sanitisers — especially from popular imported brands like Dettol and Clorex — has doubled. Social media users have shared screenshots showing that the price of “all-in-one” disinfectant sprays jumped from EGP 200 to EGP 800 in 24 hours both online and in stores and pharmacies.
Despite the soaring prices, the disinfectants are still disappearing because of high demand by concerned citizens. Ethyl alcohol, or ethanol, whether in 75 percent or 90 percent concentration, has become a rare commodity in various areas in Cairo and Giza, with a price tag that has reportedly jumped from EGP 15 to EGP 100, or even EGP 125 for small bottles.
Local ethyl alcohol is regarded as a cheap and effective alternative to disinfectants and hand sanitisers by foreign brands.
Ahram Online found on Monday and Tuesday that ethanol had disappeared from many pharmacies in Mohandessin, Agouza and Zamalek, including at big chain pharmacies.
Even at El-Saaf Pharmacy in Downtown Cairo, to where locals often turn if there is any shortage in medicines, the pharmacist told Ahram Online from behind a surgical mask that ethanol was not available.
Next, Ahram Online ventured to Qasr Al-Aini Street in Downtown Cairo, a street lined with outlets for medical supplies, given its proximity to Qasr Al-Aini Hospital. Mr Mohab, a medical supplies shopkeeper, told Ahram Online that there was a shortage of ethanol due to high demand that started to pick up last week.
“Medical ethanol at 90 percent concentration was sold for EGP 40 or EGP 45 maximum. But its price began to rise as demand increased. It reached EGP 65 one day and then EGP 75 the next. Now, one litre of medicinal ethanol is sold for EGP 200,” he told Ahram Online, adding that ethanol is manufactured in Egypt.
“Medicinal alcohol is used as an ingredient in every type of disinfectant. It is logical that that there is high demand for it now,” Mohab added, explaining that even some local disinfectants have jumped from EGP 70 to EGP 700 per litre.
“Surgical mask prices have also soared,” a customer buying masks from Qasr Al-Aini Street told Ahram Online.
The customer, who asked to remain anonymous, told Ahram Online that before the coronavirus pandemic, a full box of 50 locally made masks sold for EGP 50, but it now sells for EGP 250.
Imported 3M medical masks, which are considered the best, sold for EGP 100, but have now disappeared from the market.
As people complain about soaring prices, the supply directorate at the Ministry of Interior is making daily checks at shops and pharmacies to see if there is tampering with official prices.
“The patrols have already closed down two or three pharmacies and shops in the past two days,” Mr Mohab told Ahram Online.
On Tuesday, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry issued two decisions banning the export of surgical masks and disinfectants as well as medical alcohol for three months effective immediately. The two decisions were taken after “it was noticed that a large quantity of disinfectants, alcohol and surgical masks were exported abroad, which will affect the local market negatively,” the ministry said in a statement.
Despite official calls for people to stay at home as much possible and maintain social distance for their own safety, Downtown Cairo street vendors are keeping their businesses running and streets are crowded as usual.
Nonetheless, commuters heading to metro stations or even people walking in the streets, began to wear surgical masks, and some went a further in wearing latex gloves, or even winter wool gloves.


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So far rumours are pointing at a 6th of April Release for the Tau models. So far on the ohhh shiny. Shopping list is:
Looks like it's going to be an expensive month for me, although the unfortunate thing is that on meant to be in Ireland for a wedding that weekend. Do you think it would be ride to ask them to put the wedding back for a week or so?


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With Fashion Week a mere two months away, Sebastian Professional have announced a new partnership with Sydney outfit, Thomas Puttick.
The news comes after IMG revealed it’s preliminary schedule for Mercedes Benz Fashion Week 2018, earlier this week.
Following in the footsteps of key Sebastian artists Shay Dempsey and Robert Lobetta, Rokstar owner Brodie-Lee Stubbins will lead a team of Sebastian stylists in creating a series of cutting-edge hair looks to complement this year’s show.
Fresh off a stint in Los Angeles as part of Sebastian’s What’s Next Awards (Stubbins was named one of five international finalists!) the 2017 AHFA Queensland Hairdresser of the Year was a choice candidate to provide hair direction for this year’s anticipated resort offering.
“We are excited to work with Sebastian and Brodie-Lee at MBFWA’18 to create a look that emulates the the Thomas Puttick woman,” said Puttick.
“The Sebastian brand is synonymous with artisanal luxury and that is the core value of the Thomas Puttick brand.”
Following the designer’s 2017 Fashion Week debut, Puttick has fast established himself as one to watch, redefining modern luxury through a number of conceptually-sound creations.
Having worked alongside such names as Alexander Wang and the late Alexander McQueen, Puttick’s fresh design approach and luxe aesthetic saw the talent nominated for the International Walmark Prize, and touted the nation’s new favourite designer by such publications as Vogue.
Echoing the designer’s sentiments, Stubbins mused; “I am incredibly excited and honoured to be helping bring Thomas Puttick’s MBFWA vision to life.”
His pieces are absolutely stunning, and the hair supported by Sebastian Professional will be the perfect combination for a truly magical partnership.”
Our sentiments precisely.
Visit the brand’s facebook page to keep up to date on all things Sebastian Professional.


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Here’s a bit of news that may come as a suprise to most of the iPhone obsessed world.Â According to Steve Ballmer, in the recent earnings conference call, more than 5 million Windows Mobile units were sold in Q4 2008.Â This is significantly more than the 4.4 million iPhones sold that the other Steve announced in Apple’s own earnings release.
The news is is stark contrast to most reports on Windows Mobile and the iPhone, who say the Cuppertino device has already surpased sales of our favourite mobile OS.
Of note is that the iPhone is possibly at the height of its popularity.Â The device is widely available world-wide, and subsidized more cheaply than most Windows Mobile devices in most markets. iPhones are also widely bought and given over the Christmas season as gifts or special treats, while WM devices are not exactly seen in the same light.
If the iPhone did not surpase Windows Mobile sales with all the decks stacked in its favour, it is pretty valid to ask if it ever will.
Listen toÂ excerpt here, or the fullÂ Earnings call here (around 24 min 30 seconds)[audio:http://mspoweruser.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/conferencecall.mp3]


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The social media large’s first-ever Global State of Small Business Report, which surveyed over 35,000 small companies impacted by COVID-19 throughout 27 international locations, finds that the Empire State and Keystone State had the best reported small enterprise closure charges within the U.S. at 31% every, adopted carefully behind by Massachusetts with a reported closure price of 30%.
Small companies in smaller states fared higher. Maine and Idaho reported the bottom closure charges of 9% every. Colorado, which ranks twenty second in inhabitants, was subsequent lowest with a closure price of 10%.
Total, 22% of U.S. small companies reported they have been closed in February 2021, a 14% enhance in comparison with October 2020. Globally, 24% of small companies reported they have been closed throughout the identical interval, a 16% enhance. Roughly 51% of U.S. small companies and 55% of world small companies reported year-over-year gross sales declines in January.
Black-owned small companies have been extra prone to report closures and decrease gross sales (38%) in comparison with different small companies (18%). Over half (54%) of small companies led by ladies reported a fall in gross sales, in comparison with 47% of small companies led by males. The hole between males and women-led small companies was highest in Tennessee (23%), Ohio (16%), Illinois (14%), and Missouri (14%).
About 27% of U.S. small companies and 30% of world small companies have lowered their workforces because of the pandemic.
Roughly 32% of minority-led small companies (Black, Hispanic, Asian-American, and different races) reported lowered employment because the begin of the pandemic in comparison with 25% of different small companies.
The states the place small companies lowered employment probably the most embrace New York (38%), Illinois (36%), Michigan (36%), California (33%), and Florida (32%).
Hospitality was the main sector for closures, gross sales declines and workforce reductions. The sector reported a 53% workforce discount in the US and a 50% discount globally.
The sector that was second in being hardest hit was manufacturing and utilities, which reported a 37% discount each within the U.S. and globally. Subsequent, development, which reported a 32% world discount and 31% discount in the united statesfollowed by wholesale and retail, which reported a 32% world discount and a 30% discount domestically.
Sectors that noticed the most important gaps between employment reductions globally and within the U.S. embrace data and communications expertise, which reported a 31% discount globally versus a 21% discount within the U.S., agriculture, which reported a 29% world discount versus a 20% discount within the U.S., and logistics, which reported a 28% world discount versus a 19% discount domestically.
Among the many world and U.S. small companies surveyed, 51% of members mentioned they don’t have any plans to rehire within the subsequent six months.
Roughly 60% of world companies have tailored in the course of the pandemic, with 33% of respondents updating processes for buyer interplay, 26% using digital instruments, 22% altering their promoting technique, 17% implementing distant work insurance policies, 13% altering product choice and 9% altering their method to hiring.
Black (35%) and Asian-led (34%) small companies have been extra prone to report having to alter their promoting technique because of COVID-19 in comparison with 20% of different small companies.
“Whereas the roll-out of vaccines and the easing of lockdowns in lots of international locations are causes to be hopeful, our newest International State of Small Enterprise Report is a well timed reminder that many are nonetheless weak and in want of help,” Fb Chief Working Officer Sheryl Sandberg mentioned in a press release. “And people feeling the influence of the pandemic probably the most are feminine and minority-owned companies – an extra reminder that each time crises hit, it’s probably the most weak who’re at all times hit the toughest.”


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Jefferies Group LLC Boosts Tesoro Logistics LP (ANDX) Price Target to $45.00
Tesoro Logistics LP (NYSE:ANDX) had its price objective boosted by Jefferies Group LLC from $41.00 to $45.00 in a report released on Monday morning. They currently have a hold rating on the oil and gas company’s stock. Jefferies Group also issued estimates for Tesoro Logistics’ Q4 2017 earnings at $0.84 EPS, Q1 2018 earnings at $0.67 EPS, Q2 2018 earnings at $0.71 EPS, Q3 2018 earnings at $0.76 EPS, Q4 2018 earnings at $0.80 EPS, FY2018 earnings at $2.93 EPS, FY2019 earnings at $3.23 EPS, FY2020 earnings at $3.44 EPS and FY2021 earnings at $3.57 EPS.
A number of other research analysts have also recently commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of Tesoro Logistics in a report on Wednesday, August 2nd. They issued an overweight rating on the stock. Credit Suisse Group upped their price target on shares of Tesoro Logistics from $59.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a report on Friday, August 11th. Barclays PLC cut their price target on shares of Tesoro Logistics from $57.00 to $55.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 10th. Zacks Investment Research cut shares of Tesoro Logistics from a hold rating to a sell rating in a report on Wednesday, October 18th. Finally, BidaskClub cut shares of Tesoro Logistics from a sell rating to a strong sell rating in a report on Saturday, October 21st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. The company presently has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $55.38.
Tesoro Logistics (ANDX) opened at $43.92 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.15, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a current ratio of 1.01. Tesoro Logistics has a 1 year low of $43.21 and a 1 year high of $60.14. The firm has a market cap of $9,483.17, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.17 and a beta of 1.12.
Tesoro Logistics (NYSE:ANDX) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 8th. The oil and gas company reported $0.90 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the Zacks’ consensus estimate of $0.68 by $0.22. Tesoro Logistics had a net margin of 23.50% and a return on equity of 22.48%. The business had revenue of $444.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $414.69 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.46 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 44.2% compared to the same quarter last year. equities research analysts expect that Tesoro Logistics will post 2.77 EPS for the current fiscal year.
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The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, November 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 3rd were issued a $0.9852 dividend. This represents a $3.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 8.97%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, November 2nd. Tesoro Logistics’s payout ratio is presently 167.66%.
In other Tesoro Logistics news, insider Steven Sterin acquired 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 25th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $47.86 per share, with a total value of $47,860.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the insider now directly owns 7,338 shares in the company, valued at $351,196.68. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.15% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.
Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. First Manhattan Co. purchased a new stake in Tesoro Logistics in the third quarter worth about $150,000. Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. purchased a new stake in Tesoro Logistics in the third quarter worth about $24,046,000. BB&T Corp purchased a new stake in Tesoro Logistics in the third quarter worth about $501,000. Dividend Assets Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Tesoro Logistics in the third quarter worth about $32,804,000. Finally, Center Coast Capital Advisors LP purchased a new stake in Tesoro Logistics in the third quarter worth about $304,622,000. 56.36% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.
About Tesoro Logistics
Andeavor Logistics LP, formerly Tesoro Logistics LP, is a full-service logistics company operating in the western and mid-continent regions of the United States. The Company operates through three segments. Its Gathering segment consists of crude oil, natural gas and produced water gathering systems in the Bakken Region and Rockies Region.
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Via email from hate group leader Monica Cole:
Thinx, the manufacturer of reusable menstruation underwear called period panties, is now promoting its Thinx Teens products to teenagers in a new commercial.
It is concerning that this ad has a fully clothed mom giving her teen a tutorial on how to insert a tampon, which is repulsive and completely unnecessary in a public forum. Thinx even had to turn off the comments to the YouTube video version of this commercial because of the negative comments opposing it.
How mortifying, especially for anyone watching television with peers of the opposite sex or with family members. Plus, this inappropriate commercial airs during prime time when young children are most likely to watch television. Yet, Thinx still chose to air this commercial, despite its controversial and personal nature.
Can you imagine what goes through a child’s mind when watching these ads? Thinx should be ashamed! Thinx also needs to know that some parents do not approve of its marketing tactics. The company may alienate customers if it continues advertising in an unnecessarily repulsive manner that offends parents.
TAKE ACTION: If you agree this commercial is inappropriate, please sign our petition urging Thinx to immediately pull its demonstration ad that is aimed at teens.


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After a ten-year hiatus, the classic combat racer Twisted Metal could finally make a comeback. The last game released way back in 2012 on PS3, but a new Twisted Metal game is reportedly in development for PlayStation 5.
Just a few days ago, Video Games Chronicle reported that development has shifted from Lucid, the studio behind Destruction AllStars, to an unconfirmed first-party Sony studio in Europe.
We speculated London Studio could be a prime candidate for making a new Twisted Metal as the studio developed the vehicular combat game Hardware: Online Arena and The Getaway series. However, Video Games Chronicle has learned Firesprite Games is working on the unannounced Twisted Metal PS5 project.
WipeOut developers working on new Twisted Metal PS5 game
Acquired by Sony in 2021, Firesprite Games is based in Liverpool just a few miles away from Lucid Games. Currently, the UK-based studio is co-developing Horizon Call of the Mountain for PS VR2 with Guerrilla Games. It also developed PSVR shooter The Persistence.
You might think Firesprite doesn’t have experience making racing games. But you would be wrong. Formed in 2012, Studio Liverpool is made up of developers that worked on the WipEout series.
Former MotorStorm director joins Firesprite
With former WipEout developers on the team, Firesprite already has a lot of racing game talent. But as spotted by a user on Resetera, Matt Southern also became Game Director of Firesprite this month. Before joining Firesprite, Southern was Game Director at Lucid Games.
His other roles include Game Director on MotorStorm Apocalypse, Product Manager on MotorStorm, and Producer for WRC Rally Evolved according to his Linkedin page. He also pitched the concept for DriveClub.
It isn't clear if Southern is working on the new Twisted Metal game, though. But if he is in charge, it has a lot of potential.
On PS3, MotorStorm was renowned for its intense off-road action, multiple vehicle classes, and spectacular crashes. Apocalypse also boasted impressive environmental destruction caused by a devastating earthquake.
As buildings collapsed mid-race, the track route changed dynamically in Apocalypse. With more powerful PS5 hardware, just imagine the insane levels of destruction the developers could achieve in a new Twisted Metal.
According to VGC, the poor reception of Destruction AllStars was blamed for Lucid leaving the Twisted Metal project.
Twisted Metal PS5 release date
The new Twisted Metal PS5 game has no release date. Sony hasn’t officially announced Twisted Metal for PS5 yet. However, the new combat racer is expected to coincide with a live-action TV series in 2023 starring Anthony Mackie.
For more articles like this, take a look at our News page.


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Why We’ll See More 1,000-Fill Down Jackets This Fall
When insulation-supplier Allied Feather and Down approached Mountain Hardwear in the Winter of 2018 with a way to make the brand’s down jackets even lighter, the outerwear brand was already toying with the idea of an airier version of its staple puffy, the Ghost Whisperer. Packing down to the size of a 32-ounce Nalgene and clocking in at 8.8 ounces, the Ghost has been a favorite of ultralight backpackers and weight-conscious winter adventurers for almost seven years. But the brand wasn’t satisfied with it just yet.
“We had been working with our fabric supplier to develop this new 5x7 ripstop, but we found that it alone wasn’t enough to make a true ultralight product in our eyes,” said Devon Lambert, Mountain Hardwear’s project manager for outerwear. Without slimming the 800-fill jacket somewhere else, lightening the fabric wasn’t going to be enough to set an ultralight version apart. That’s.... Continue Reading at Outside Online


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“The offers in our pipeline show that this is going to be as good a 12 months in phrases of the selection of rooftops, but even improved in terms of the price that our shoppers are getting for their businesses,” Haig said.
And 2021 has been widely regarded the busiest dealership acquisition 12 months in record. Automotive Information so much has tracked at minimum 376 transactions in 2021, involving at the very least 693 dealerships changing arms. In 2021’s fourth quarter by yourself, Automotive News so far has tracked 149 transactions involving at minimum 316 dealerships.
The offer speed seems off to a powerful start out this calendar year. Automotive News estimates at the very least 52 transactions have took place hence considerably in 2022’s first quarter involving at least 78 dealerships.
“2022 is beginning out very equivalent to the way 2021 was,” reported dealership law firm Stephen Dietrich, a Denver-based partner with Holland & Knight who does a ton of work on transactions. “It is still quite lively. Generally, we see some type of a slowdown in January and February just due to the fact individuals get done with items at the end of the calendar year and they are recovering a very little bit.”
The starting of 2022 provided what Dietrich identified as a hangover of bargains that didn’t get finished in 2021. As a final result, the usual lull to get started the calendar year did not come about, he claimed.
“The final probably 16, 17 months have been extremely, incredibly active,” said Dietrich. “And I would be expecting it to continue on as a result of possibly at the very least the conclude of the calendar yr.”
In Automotive Information‘ 2022 Seller Outlook Survey, 1 out every 5 of the 196 sellers and dealership administrators who responded explained they prepare to purchase dealerships in 2022. Approximately 5 p.c of respondents explained they prepare to both equally invest in and offer merchants in 2022.


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Ligchine International, a global leader in innovative laser and 3D LPS guided concrete screeds, today announced that it will be unveiling its latest SCREEDSAVER machine at the World of Concrete 2019. The company will reveal the product to the public at an unboxing event held at its booth on the opening day of the show:
- WHEN: 12:00 noon on the opening day of the show (Tuesday, January 22, 2019).
- WHERE: Ligchine booth O32126 (located outside between Wacker and Train escalator)
“We are excited to open the crate and release our latest advancement to the market,” commented Peter Ligman, Ligchine Vice President of Engineering. “Our customers are at the core of our development efforts, and this new series of SCREEDSAVER machines was developed to address challenges our customers face. Listening to our customers throughout our 12-year history has allowed us to continually introduce the industry’s most advanced concrete screed machines – and this may be our most innovative machine yet.”
Details on the new SCREEDSAVER series have not been released, however the company has indicated:
- It is a completely new series, not a modified version of our #1 selling line of boom-operated screeds.
- It offers the unprecedented ability to screed concrete slabs anywhere they are poured.
- It is affordable by every size contractor in the industry.
This latest introduction follows a long list of advancements by the company, including:
- First wireless remote controlled screed machine
- First and only boom machine with “zero turn drive” capability
- First company to offer a range of boom operated screeds to fit every size job/company
- First and only laser-guided screed offered with all-terrain track drive system
- First screed head mounted spray bar system to apply retarders or hardeners while screeding
- First boom machine that can be transported with an economical sized truck and utility trailer
- First boom machine with a screed head that can be changed out in minutes instead of hours
- First boom screed light enough to run on heat tubing, rebar and vapor barriers without damage
- First with one-touch control that sets vibration, downriggers and auto level system automatically


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A recent report from Reuters says that General Motors is losing as much as $49,000 on every Chevrolet Volt that it makes. The automaker, however, is disputing those claims.
Charged up over Chevrolet Volt
GM sold 2,831 Volts in August. That is more than in any other month of its two-year history. However, according to Reuters, with an estimated $1.2 billion invested into the plug-in hybrid vehicle, it still has not made enough in sales to pay for itself, and likely will not do so for several more years.
Dennis Virag, president of the Michigan-based Automotive Consulting Group, said:
“The Volt is over-engineered and over-priced.”
The Volt’s base cost is nearly $40,000, putting it out of the price range of many potential buyers. Volt’s cheap summer lease program, meant to drive sales, may have added to the problem, exacerbating the loss. Some have been driving new Volts for the price of vehicles bought from used car dealerships.
According to NBC News:
“Some Americans paying just $5,050 to drive around for two years in a vehicle that cost as much as $89,000 to produce.”
The loss per vehicle will decrease with time, as more Volts are sold. But Reuters predicts that will be no time soon.
Automaker disputes claims
General Motors, however, is disputing Reuter’s estimates, calling them “grossly wrong.”
The automakers says the development costs are traditionally spread out over the the entire run of any given model. Since the Volt is still being made, those calculations are premature.
While GM admits it is losing money on the Volt, it would not reveal its own numbers on the matter. It said only that its investment will see fruit over the long haul.
[To Get The Ultimate Buy For A Pre-Owned Or New Car, Van, Truck or SUV Have A Look At Car Dealerships Everett Wa Now.]
GM said in a statement:
“Every investment in technology that GM makes is designed to have a payoff for our customers, to meet future regulatory requirements and add to the bottom line. The Volt is no different, even if it takes longer to become profitable.”
Right wing politicians have dubbed the Volt “the Obama mobile” because of tax money spent on green car incentives and the Volt’s relatively low rate of sales. However, the Volt was shown as a concept in 2007, two years before Obama’s inauguration.
State Representative Tom McMillin, (R-Mich.) said of the Obama Administration and the Volt:
“It just goes to show there are certain folks that will spend anything to get their vision of what people should do. It’s a glaring example of the failure of central planning trying to force citizens to purchase something they may not want.”


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Famitsu this month said Sony Corp.’s Ghostwire: Tokyo for the PlayStation 5 ranked as a top 30 software title in the latest retail data from Japan.
Between Mar. 28 and Apr. 3, Ghostwire: Tokyo sold 1,987 units to rank at No. 27 for the week.
Developed by Tango Gameworks, Ghostwire: Tokyo is a first-person action title in which Akito must battle paranormal enemies to uncover the mystery behind a mass disappearance of citizens.
The final game includes upgradeable elemental powers and ghost-hunting skills.


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[OTA Captured] Android 4.4.4 KTU84P OTA Now Live for the Nexus 5!
Earlier today, Google shocked us all by making the Android 4.4.4 KTU84P factory images available for (most of) the current generation Google Nexus fleet. Not too long after, the fine folks over at FunkyAndroid did what they do best, and they showed us everything that’s changed in this latest update. Now, the OTA updates have begun trickling out to current generation Nexus devices.
Even though Nexus device owners can simply flash the relevant factory images to update to Android 4.4.4 KTU84P manually, this isn’t an ideal option for everyone–namely those who haven’t rooted and unlocked their bootloaders, and would rather apply an incremental OTA. Luckily, the update has now arrived for the Nexus line’s latest flagship smartphone, the Google Nexus 5.
Naturally, today’s OTA comes in at the same KTU84P build number as we saw in the previously released factory images. And as one would reasonably expect, this update brings you to Android 4.4.4 KTU84P from the previously released Android 4.4.3 KTU84M.
This update, as is the case with all Nexus device captured OTAs, can be sideloaded by entering ADB Sideload mode from your stock recovery and executing the command adb sideload [update file name] .
If you haven’t unlocked your bootloader and are looking for an ADB Sideloadable OTA update, head over to El Daddy’s stock OTA help desk thread to get started.
[Many thanks to XDA Forum Moderator El Daddy for the heads up and sucro for the captured URL!]
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Google has announced that the company is to “wind down” Google Labs, which the site’s FAQ describes as “a playground where our more adventurous users can play around with prototypes of some of our wild and crazy ideas and offer feedback directly to the engineers who developed them.”
Bill Coughran, SVP for research and systems Infrastructure revealed the move on the Official Google Blog, stating that it follows last week’s explanation from CEO Larry Page that the company was to prioritise its product efforts.
“Greater focus has also been another big feature for me this quarter: more wood behind fewer arrows,” he said. “Focus and prioritisation are crucial given our amazing opportunities,” he added.
Coughran argued that while the company has learned a great deal by launching very early prototypes in Google Labs, it believes that “greater focus is crucial if we’re to make the most of the extraordinary opportunities ahead”. In many cases, he confirmed that this will result in the closure of Labs experiments, while in other cases Labs products and technologies will be incorporated into other product areas.
He also said that many Labs products that are Android apps will continue to be available on Android Market. Coughran was also keen to clarify that this decision doesn’t mean the end of experimentation at Google, stating: “We don't have any plans to change in-product experimentation channels like Gmail Labs or Maps Labs. We'll continue to experiment with new features in each of our products.”