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Lund, 14 July, 2017
Enzymatica recruits Chief Operating Officer
Enzymatica has recruited Johan Lindvall as Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President. He will be responsible for Enzymatica's production, logistics and product development. He has many years of experience in international and Swedish companies in medical devices and high tech.
"There are exciting opportunities for Enzymatica with its patented barrier technology on which the common cold spray ColdZyme® is based. I look forward to being able to contribute with my operational experience in a demanding medical device sector, and in the global market. My goal is to contribute to Enzymatica becoming a respected business partner with an interesting product portfolio," says Johan.
"We are very pleased to have recruited Johan who, with his experience, will play a key role in enabling us to cope with the production volumes and the demands from our international distributors for efficient production and logistics, and in taking responsibility for continued product development," says Fredrik Lindberg, CEO of Enzymatica.
One of Johan Lindvall's previous positions was as Supply Chain Director for the Nordic countries in Biomet, with responsibility for logistics and customer service. Biomet, now Zimmer Biomet, is a world-leading orthopaedic company. Johan Lindvall has also been Plant Director and had assignments in European operations for Biomet. He joins Enzymatica from a position as Deputy CEO and Chief Operating Office of Agellis Group, which develops, manufactures and markets measuring instruments and monitoring equipment for the global metal industry. Johan Lindvall has previously held senior positions in supply chain and product development in companies such as Volvo Excavators AB and Precise Biometrics AB.
For more information, contact:
Fredrik Lindberg, CEO of Enzymatica AB
Tel: +46 (0)708-86 53 70, e-mail email@example.com
About Enzymatica AB
Enzymatica AB is a medical device company that develops and sells medical devices for infection-related diseases. In a short period of time, the company has developed ColdZyme®, a unique mouth spray for the common cold, has launched the product in eight markets and has established it among the top-selling cold products in Swedish kronor terms at Swedish pharmacies. The strategy is to continue to grow by strengthening the company's position in existing markets and expanding into new geographical markets through established partners. The company is headquartered in Lund and is listed on Nasdaq First North. For more information, visit: www.enzymatica.se.
Enzymatica's Certified Adviser is Erik Penser Bank.


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Anticipating that weed will be legal in California (for adults, for adults) come the first of the year, Jack In The Box-a burger chain that got its start in San Diego over half a century ago-is wasting no time getting ready.
Tag Archives: Food
In this scene from MOST EXPENSIVEST, 2 Chainz, Hannibal Burress, and Tommy Chong savor the most expensive marijuana meal including juices, mac and cheese, and chicken wings.
Veronica De La Cruz reports on NorCal Canna Cuisine gala served by renowned cannabis cook Jeff the 420 Chef, who is an expert in cannabis-infused foods.
Entrepreneur, producer and edible cannabis Elise McRoberts talks to Bay Sunday about the upcoming Norcal Canna Cuisine Gala.
SACRAMENTO, Calif., July 6, 2017 /Weed Wire/ — The California State Board of Food and Agriculture will hear updates on a variety of programs impacting agricultural communities across the state at its upcoming meeting on July 11th in Sacramento. Discussion items include an overview of regional collaborations aimed to develop agricultural workforce strategies and accelerate on-farm innovation, as well as updates on CDFA’s CalCannabis Cultivation Licensing Program and California’s Fair Network.
While non-food-contact surfaces are critical to the form and function of a facility for edibles, food-contact surfaces are at the frontline of food safety. Equipment purchases have to ensure hygienic design and permit efficient disassembly for cleaning, scrubbing, inspecting and sanitizing.
A Denver deli has come up with a timely new way to prepare turkey, according to 12News.com. Cook’s Fresh Market is offering a weed-roasted natural turkey sandwich and a Mile High club sandwich. Owner Ed Janos said both sandwiches are made with turkey that was smoked over marijuana stalks at a low temperature for six hours.
KELOWNA, British Columbia, Dec. 19, 2016 /Weed Wire/ — Lexaria Bioscience Corp. (OTCQB:LXRP) (CSE:LXX) (the “Company” or “Lexaria”) is pleased to announce, following the successful October 26, 2016 issuance of its U.S. Patent No. 9,474,725, Cannabinoid Infused Food and Beverage Compositions and Methods of Use Thereof, it has filed to expand this patent internationally.
The Oregon Liquor Control Commission announced via email on Nov. 17 that it’s anticipating an influx of applications from prospective recreational marijuana businesses. If you hope to become a licensed recreational processor and want to avoid delays in having your application processed, compliance is critical.
PORTLAND, Ore., Oct. 21, 2016 /Weed Wire/ — The Oregon Health Authority is issuing a health alert regarding marijuana products that may have been tainted with high levels of a pesticide and sold to about 130 people in the McMinnville area.
A reasonable person could expect weight gain among pot smokers who devour snacks after bong hits, but those extra pounds might not appear after all. New research reveals a correlation between daily marijuana use and lower body mass index, according to an abstract recently posted by the National Institutes for Health.
Edibles hit Washington’s adult-use cannabis market one month after recreational stores opened in July 2014 and keeping them out of the reach of children continues to be a primary concern for many in the industry.
While the demand for edibles continues to rise, so too do the expectations for producers to follow good manufacturing practices and food safety plans consistent with federal requirements.
KELOWNA, British Columbia, Jan. 13, 2016 /Weed Wire/ — Lexaria, Corp. (OTCQB:LXRPD) (CSE:LXX) (the “Company”) is pleased to announce it has commissioned a study of nitric oxide levels in humans, as a biomarker for absorption of cannabidiol.
KELOWNA, British Columbia, Dec. 14, 2015 /Weed Wire/ — Lexaria Corp (OTCQB:LXRP) (CSE:LXX) (the “Company” or “Lexaria”) announces it has initiated the simultaneous filing of two new U.S. provisional patent applications at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
KELOWNA, British Columbia, Nov. 3, 2015 /Weed Wire/ — Lexaria Corp. (OTCQB: LXRP) (the “Company” or “Lexaria”) announces the brand new Lexaria Energy10 Protein Bar is in stock and available for sale now at a new website: www.lexariaenergyfoods.com.
TORONTO, Sept. 23, 2015 /CNW/ - Mettrum Health Corp. (“Mettrum”) (TSXV:MT) (TSXV:MT.WT) has launched Mettrum Originals™, a line of hemp-based foods created with a focus on nutrition, great taste and convenience, giving Canadians an easy way to integrate hemp and its health benefits into their diets.
As a professional cannabis chef and artisanal food designer for Cheffettes, I began to contemplate the potential virtues of infusing my cooking butters and oils with cannabis using the sous vide technique.
U.S. Army soldiers reaching for the popular KIND brand energy bars for a snack better watch out, because certain bars have been banned by the military. They contain hemp seeds and very low levels of THC which might cause soldiers to fail drug tests.
In her cookbook, Toklas wittily explained that upon eating her marijuana confections, one would experience, “Euphoria and brilliant storms of laughter; ecstatic reveries and extensions of one’s personality on several simultaneous planes are to be complacently expected.”
His first experience had him swearing off “edibles”—food cooked with cannabis—for good. A friend’s homemade pot brownies had him reeling in sickness.
Isaac Lappert has a proud family legacy, the narrative of his immigrant grandfather’s bootstrapping work ethic and successful enterprises are legendary in the historic bayside town of Sausalito, California.
On the surface, the recent High Times Cannabis Cup in Seattle appeared to be one big counter culture smoke fest for “Free the Weed!” enthusiasts. With reggae music pumping and Twitter ablaze with photos of cannabis dabbing Millennials blowing psychotropic smoke rings, there were clusters of grizzled gray beards and former hippies now eligible for AARP discounts.
Many people are aware of the benefits that THC and CBD provide, but hemp is something that has yet to be examined on a larger scale. Hemp, which comes from the same plant as marijuana-Cannabis Sativa L-is commonly used for industrial and commercial purposes.
If you have been following the cannabis industry for the last few months, you have probably heard time and time again about the issues facing the edible marijuana market. According to critics, the edible marijuana packages are poorly labeled, have little standardization and get users too high from small doses.

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Category | Automotive
2019 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1
Launched in this morning, The 2019 Corvette ZR1 being the fast, rich, and fabulous car ever. It launched in Dubai and it said that the new ZR1 has a top speed of more than 210 mph. So what are the other specifications? Let’s see below.
The 2019 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 is powered by an exclusive 6.2-liter supercharged LT5 V-8 engine. This is capable of 755 hp and 715 pound-feet of torque and a top speed of more than 210 mph. Those figures make it the fastest, most powerful production Corvette ever. The Corvette ZR1 is scheduled to go on sale spring 2018.
The ZR1 will be available with two different aerodynamics kits. It includes the “High Wing” package (called ZTK Performance Pack), which produces an estimated 950 pounds of downforce at speed. The ZTK package, GM says, helps the ZR1 produce about 60% more downforce than the Z06’s already massive Z07 performance package made.
The car’s performance appears to have even surpassed the expectations of General Motors product chief Mark Reuss, a licensed road racer who created the automaker’s performance division. “I’ve never driven a Corvette like this before, and nobody else has either, because there’s never been one like this before,” Reuss said in a statement. “Its unprecedented performance puts all other global supercars on notice that the ZR1 is back.”
According to the General Motors, they expects to make 2,000-3,000 of them at the plant in Bowling Green, Kentucky, but production will not be limited.
The 2019 Corvette ZR1 will be on display later this month at the Los Angeles auto show.
So, do you interested with the new one 2019 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1? Make it your own !


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New Orleans Hornets point guard Chris Paul will be featured on the cover of NBA 2K8, publisher 2K Sports said. NBA 2K8 is set for a fall release on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 2.
are they back in N'Oleans for good? My guess is after next season ( & poor attendance ) they'll be back in OK. =P I'm surprised Greg Oden didn't get it.
N4G is a community of gamers posting and discussing the latest game news. It’s part of NewsBoiler, a network of social news sites covering today’s pop culture.


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Amazon's Alexa Shines At CES 2017
This year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas brought another bumper crop of tech for geeks and gearheads alike.
As usual, this year’s show was more about evolution than revolution. That, and the proliferation of sensors in everything from hairbrushes to toothbrushes. But Ken Colburn, a local tech expert and owner of Data Doctors, said that one technology was clearly the belle of the geek prom: Amazon’s digital assistant, Alexa.
“I don’t know if that’s a feather in the cap of the folks at Amazon, or if Alexa’s APIs are a little easier to work with, or the standard is a little more open, but there’s no question that Alexa is making a big show in ways that I, you know, that most people wouldn’t even have thought of," said Colburn.
Colburn said far more products at CES integrated Alexa than its Apple or Google counterparts. That includes Ford Motor Company, which tests its autonomous vehicles in Wittmann, Arizona. Ford plans to bring Alexa-ready cars to showrooms within six to 12 months.


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The free-to-air TV channels of German commercial broadcaster ProSiebenSat.1 are now available not only in SD, but also in HD resolution on German TV platform waipu.tv.
The TV activities of German media company Freenet exceeded the expected customer figures in 2017.
German IPTV platform waipu.tv has taken sportdigital HD, Heimatkanal and Romance TV aboard its pay-TV line-up.
German IPTV platform waipu.tv has introduced a video-on-demand (VOD) function, initially offering movies, children’s programmes and cultural events on demand.
German IPTV platform waipu.tv will expand its pay-TV line-up by sports channels Sport1 US HD and Motorvision TV on December 1, 2017.
German IPTV platform waipu.tv will enable TV viewers in collaboration with Amazon to directly order products out of a commercial for the first time.
Freenet TV, the commercial TV channel platform on Germany’s DVB-T2 network, has already reached its year-end target 2017 of 800,000 paying customers in Q3 2017.
German music channel GoldStar TV further prepares for the withdrawal of its channel by Sky Deutschland on October 31, 2017 and has won two new distribution partners.
German music channel GoldStar TV will remain on air through a carriage deal with IPTV platform waipu.tv on which it will become available on November 1, 2017.
German sports channel Sport1 is now also available in HD quality on internet TV platform waipu.tv.


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The Chinese brand Lync & Co, the youth sub-brand of Geely, is announced in Russia — this is approved by the short-term strategy of Smart Geely 2025. Nothing is known about delivery dates, model range and pricing policy, but the Chinese have very ambitious plans.
3.65 million cars sold a year against today’s 1.5 million — this is Geely’s goal by the end of the next three years. To this end, Geely, in addition to the parent brand itself, has a whole army of newly minted brands: Geometry, Zeekr, Lynk & Co. And in order to keep up with the manufacturability of engines,
In addition to the already familiar electric traction, the Chinese want to seriously attend to even the methanol type of food — a topic that has been steadily (and unsuccessfully) raised by automakers and industry for more than a decade.
To date, the Lync & Co lineup for Europe includes 5 models: the 03 sedan, as well as multi-caliber crossovers with indexes 02, 05, 06 and 09. It is not yet clear which of this will come to us (first of all, most likely crossovers), but there is some success. at home, the youth sub-brand got hold of. So, at the end of 2020, the number of «Links» sold in China reached 175 thousand, and then the brand came to Europe — albeit with an emphasis on car sharing and subscription rental services.
Everyone seems to have long been accustomed to the abundance of new brands of Chinese cars that appear every year. But if ten years ago a new name from the Middle Kingdom caused a certain stir, today it rather confuses potential buyers. Yes, and the quality of the final product, although it made a giant leap in the last decade, still does not always keep up with the avalanche-like development of the automobile industry in China.
Yes, the perseverance and ability to follow the trends of the Chinese will not be denied. But in the face of daily growing competition from Asian compatriots, the continuing drop in income of citizens and our historical distrust of everything new — in Russia, the Chinese Lync & Co is likely to have a hard time.
According to the Russian office of Geely, the company is doing well. In October, 3,002 vehicles were sold, which is 49% more than in the same period in 2020. In just ten months of 2021, 19,653 Geely cars were sold in Russia. The absolute leader in Russian brand sales in October was the Coolray compact urban crossover,
It is interesting:


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L'ABUS D'ALCOOL EST DANGEREUX POUR LA SANTÉ. À CONSOMMER AVEC MODÉRATION.
2 NIGHTS AT LE BARON CANNES…
La Baron in Cannes: Another night, another hangover ! That was last week… Photos: Victor Malecot… Read more
JOUR/NÉ POP UP STORE OPENING COCKTAIL PARTY
A few days ago, the parisian brand JOUR/NÉ celebrated the opening of its first Pop up store in the heart … Read more
NEW ADIDAS #NMD LAUNCHING PARTY
A few nights ago was the new ADIDAS NMD PARIS LAUNCH EVENT, and it popped off in the french newspaper … Read more


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Add more products
Prefabricated timber frames fitted with a lightweight Pryda Steel Lintel above composite window heads, result in a quality and cost effective wall frame.
Now available from the RBA Group, the Contura Series of commercial bathroom accessories presents a suite of products for the modern washroom and pays respect to sustainable design.
Adelaide furniture specialist, Transforma, have recently launched one of Europe’s most popular and affordable contemporary furniture ranges - Now! by Hülsta.
DesignEX 2010 recently took place in Sydney and Hafele had their latest product developments in the field of furniture fittings and architectural hardware on display centre stage.
Think Brick Australia is calling for entries into the Horbury Hunt 2010 Award.
The University of Sydney has awarded the architect Ken Woolley with an honorary doctorate.
The Green BUilding Council of Australia's Green Star Accredited Professional program is changing.
The headquarter of Zurich Group was inaugurated in 2009 in the heart of Milan.
An Australian company will play a major role in the delivery of New Zealand’s first school, aiming for a 5 star rating under the Green Star accreditation system.
The winners of Viridian’s 2010 Vision Awards have been announced.
With a show-stopping motorcycle trials display to draw the crowds, a host of new and improved machinery and the chance to win a trip to test drive the new Case dozers at the Case Customer Centre Paris.
Brickmakers, Austral Bricks has recently released their new Everyday Life collection of bricks.


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JD.com, a major Chinese online retailer that competes with Alibaba, revealed in a statement that it has started paying some staff in digital yuan (since January), the virtual version of the country’s physical currency.
The company's decision to start paying some staff in digital yuan shows that big tech companies are buying the idea of a digital Yuan. JD.com has become one of the first organizations in China to pay wages in electronic yuan.
Speaking of Tech companies, video streaming platform Bilibili, on-demand services provider Meituan and ride-hailing app Didi have also begun accepting digital yuan for user purchases.
Gaming and social networking giant Tencent became one of the "digital yuan operators" and will take part in the design, R&D and operational work of the electronic money.
Ant Group has also partnered with the central bank to build out the infrastructure to move money digitally. Huawei introduced a wallet on one of its smartphone models that allow users to spend digital yuan instantaneously even if the device is offline.
China has been busy with its digital currency over the past few months. In October, Shenzhen, a southern city known for its progressive economic policies, rolled out 10 million yuan worth of digital currency to 500,000 residents, who could then utilize the money to shop at certain online and offline retailers.


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While we know a lot about Nintendo’s first mobile game, Miitomo, the console maker took time to offer a quick tease about the second offering during its recent quarterly earnings call. The Wall Street Journal first reported the news:
“The second game won’t be another communication app, and we plan to adopt one of our characters that fans are very familiar with,” Nintendo CEO Tatsumi Kimishima said.
That could be a number of different game characters from series like Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, and others. But if I had to guess, a Mario game definitely makes the most sense.
Miitomo is coming soon
During the call, Kimishima also said that prelaunch registration for Miitomo will start “soon.”
First announced back in October, Miitomo is being developed along with partner and prolific iOS developer DeNA. The game will allow iOS users to enter and interact with the Mii universe. It will be a free-to-play title with a number of in-app purchases that will unlock other features. It should launch sometime this spring.
We’ll definitely let you know if we hear anything more about these two games.
Moving to mobile platforms is definitely coming at the right time for the game maker. During the most recent quarter, Nintendo’s revenue fell 36 percent compared to the same timeframe in 2014. The company also expects to unveil its next-generation console, codenamed NX, sometime in 2016.
For other app news today, see: Get smart Twitter filtering with Pickador, Help a cute chameleon snack on popcorn in Pull My Tongue, and Love is in the air: The Sims FreePlay gets Valentine’s Day update.


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U.S. carrier Verizon is beginning to activate eSIM lines for Apple's dual-SIM iPhone XR, iPhone XS, and iPhone XS Max, according to subscribers.
Verizon confirmed support via Twitter. To add an eSIM line, the carrier is directing people to the "Join Now" option in the My Verizon app. People using two lines will see the signal status of the second line in Control Center.
Apple enabled dual-SIM functions for 2018 iPhones with the release of iOS 12.1 in October, but at the time, no major U.S. carrier was offering compatibility. AT&T finally began eSIM activations on Wednesday in parallel with the launch of iOS 12.1.1.
As with the AT&T activation, it may take a few transfers to get a customer service representative who knows the procedure. While investigating here, it took three different transfers to get somebody who could help us on the phone.
Still missing in action are Sprint and T-Mobile, though both have promised to come onboard. T-Mobile recently previewed its eSIM activation app ahead of a December release.


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Following today’s Bitcoin price rally and spike in new users Binance has temporarily suspended withdrawals for its users. Bitcoin price surged by more than 20% in minutes of world’s richest man’s mention of Bitcoin in his bio. The retail adoption in crypto is also witnessing rapid surge as interest growth for Crypto apps has spiked
The power of Elon Musk’s personal brand is just unfathomable! Minutes after Musk wrote Bitcoin in his Twitter bio, it has pushed the world’s largest cryptocurrency spirally upwards. In less than an hour, Bitcoin (BTC) price is up 20% moving past $37,000 levels. After days of slowdown, Bitcoin (BTC) price has finally catapulted out of
Coinbase, the largest US crypto exchange had earlier announced its plans of going public in the first quarter of 2021 and has finally come out with the details of its public listing. The exchange revealed that they would be opting for a direct listing in an official blog post. Coinbase, the biggest exchange for cryptocurrency
Dogecoin, the meme turned cryptocurrency became the Gamestop of the crypto world as its price surged over 800% to create a new ATH of $0.077. However, the price has cooled off since the news of a possible DoS attack surfaced. It seems like the #DogeCoin network is under a massive DoS attack amidst the 500%
World’s richest man Elon Musk recently updated his twitter bio and mentioned Bitcoin promoting the cryptocurrency among his followers worldwide. He also tweeted that this was inevitable indicating his interest in crypto space. In retrospect, it was inevitable — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 29, 2021 Elon Musk Joins Bitcoin, Crypto Community Welcomes the update Elon
Dogecoin rallies more than 500% to highs above $0.05 boosted by Reddit traders. DOGE attracts the real fear of missing out every time it spikes, other altcoins tend to rally as investors look for alternatives. Dogecoin out of nowhere rallied over 500% to hit levels above $0.5. The altcoin which began as a joke has
The cryptocurrency market is growing at a rapid pace and it can be a grueling challenge to keep up with the daily – or even hourly – prices. BeforeCoinMarketCap (BCMC), a new daily planning platform, aims to solve this problem by allowing users to find up-to-date information and prices of specific cryptos they are tracking.
Robinhood, the trading app went from being seen as the future of fintech platforms to Crony Capitalists apologist soon post its decision to halt Gamestop (GME) trading for retailers while allowing hedge funds to trade that led to multiple lawsuits and US Congress members calling for an investigation. https://t.co/AreM4goHg0 pic.twitter.com/CAoeOLKMgB — GameSpot (@GameSpot) January 28,
Ethereum resumes the uptrend following support at $1,200. Ether keeps investor interest at the peak with price projections between $1,500 and $3,000 in the near term. Ethereum must hold above the 50 SMA on the 4-hour chart to sustain the uptrend. Ethereum, the largest altcoin and the leading smart contract token has kept its investors
The Reddit group Wallstreetbets is now eyeing to short squeeze silver market, one of the heavily shorted markets with the majority of the short position bought by JP Morgan. The price of silver has already risen by 6% for the day and it seems the Redditors have started buying the Silver similar to GME stocks.
Robinhood has blocked Dogecoin [DOGE] trading on their platform amid soaring Dogecoin prices. The DOGE has already soared by more than 150% in last 24hrs and is currently trading above $0.02 at the time of reporting. The sudden decision to block the DOGE trading has led to an enormous backlash by the traders as Dogecoin
The wallstreetbets group is taking up on Silver [$SLV] as their next short squeeze target and $SLV price is already started rising breaking $26.5 at the time of reporting. It is to be noted that JP Morgan is among the largest silver short position holders and they may well be next Melvin Group. Big Short
Robinhood, the popular trading app has announced the delisting of popular Gamestop (GME) stocks after restricting its trade yesterday to sell only. The decision received heavy backlash from everyone especially the crypto community. What RobinHood did is truly disgusting. I hope that people leave that app in droves and they face enough lawsuits to put
In the latest development, Blockchain Advisory and Investment Firm Moonrock Capital announced its third incubation in a DeFi-powered prediction market named Polkamarkets. The announcement notes that the strategic sale is currently available open and interest for the same can be submitted at Polkamarkets’ official website. After the great success of $POLS & $XED, we are
Wallstreetbets, the infamous Reddit group is now calling for Short Squeezing the silver Bullion market, what many consider to be the most shorted asset in the trading market. The group moderators have now changed their access to private mode. Silver is currently heavily shorted and a majority of those short positions are bought by JP
Bitcoin’s price volatility is one of the key arguments used by critics against its use as a store of value, however, over the years, the price volatility has decreased significantly, so much so that institutions are using it as a treasury hedge asset. On the other hand, the traditional store of value Gold and Real
Will Bitcoin price surpass $40k again? Well, Scott Minerd, the CIO of Guggenheim Partners a financial service provider believes that the current institutional demand for bitcoin despite the hype is not big enough to sustain bitcoin price above $30,000. Minerd comments come just days after he predicted BTC price to follow to $20,000 levels as
The Dogecoin price pumped more than 40% in the last few hours wherein Satoshi Streets are attempting a similar move to GameStop stock (NYSE: GME) jumping more than 7x in just the last four trading sessions resulting in a massive short squeeze. The DOGE price shot all the way up to $0.013. The event is
The broader cryptocurrency market entered deep correction on Wednesday, January 27. Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) entered sharp corrections turning the overall market sentiment negative with the overall market cap dropping below $900 billion. On a 24-hour chart Bitcoin again tested levels below $30,000 although it recovered again and is currently trading at $31,653 levels.


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Just two short months ago, Nook manufacturer Barnes & Noble was telling the world that it was moving out of the tablet business and focusing on content. Now it appears the company is scrapping that new strategy and going full-speed ahead with their original plans (memories of Netflix’s Qwikster plans are brought to mind).
Although the Nook business has been hurting Barnes & Noble’s bottom line since its inception – and the revenue continues to decline – CNET is reporting that B&N president today stated the company “intends to continue to design and develop cutting-edge Nook black and white and color devices” and one new Nook will be launched before the end of the year.
With the company losing nearly $87 million in the last quarter and lack of CEO (former CEO William Lynch resigned back in June and the company isn’t currently looking for a successor) paints a sad picture for the ailing company.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.


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|By PR Newswire||
|September 24, 2012 01:25 PM EDT||
SANTA MONICA, Calif., Sept. 24, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- KOAR Performance, a new cutting-edge performance apparel company, announces an endorsement deal with the former UCONN first round draft pick, Donald Brown. Brown joins KOAR as the newest member of a growing team of athletes and trainers who support the KOAR brand and its performance technology.
The 5-foot-10 Brown, who declared for the NFL draft after his junior year at UCONN, was named Eastern College Athletic Conference Player of the Year. Brown became the first Connecticut Husky to be picked in the first round of the NFL draft, selected 27th in 2009 by the Colts.
"Donald is a very talented player who has emerged as a leader on one of the NFL's storied franchises," said Kevin McCarthy, President of KOAR. "We believe that Donald is a great representative for our brand given his passion to push the limits on every play. Donald has evolved into a game changing athlete on football's biggest stage," said McCarthy. "We're inspired by athletes like Donald who are dedicated to becoming game-changers as that is what KOAR's mission is in the apparel world – to be game-changing."
"I'm excited to join an innovative brand that brings new technologies and a fresh look to my game and workouts," said Brown. "KOAR is a great fit because they are passionate about helping athletes perform at their best on the field and in training."
Brown is part of KOAR's 2012 marketing campaign and joins a team of elite athletic talent across multiple professional sports. In addition to being one of the faces of KOAR, Brown will also actively contribute training tips and first hand stories from the field to KOAR's social media efforts.
The relationship between KOAR Performance, LLC and Donald Brown was handled by Austin Lyman of Irvine-based Athletes First, LLC. For inquiries regarding Donald Brown, call (949) 475-2222.
About KOAR –KOAR is a Santa Monica, CA based performance apparel brand, focused on the athletic market. In addition to providing athletes a fresh look and feel, KOAR's apparel products integrate a proprietary technology, which has demonstrated in a majority of subjects tested in multiple test studies, the reduction of blood lactate and an increase in maximum oxygen consumption. The company's mission is to create game changing apparel that may help professional and amateur athletes play and train more effectively and recover from physical activities more rapidly. KOAR brings cutting-edge technology, top-notch development and aesthetic design into today's athletic apparel market. KOAR is sold in the USA and Canada through athletic specialty retailers like Paragon Sports, Finish Line, Second Sole, Pure Hockey, Soccer Village and Source For Sports.
SOURCE KOAR Performance


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Tesla faces losing its crown as the world’s biggest electric car maker to Volkswagen by 2024. A study by Bloomberg Intelligence expects the German giant to double production to more than 2 million battery-powered vehicles in 2024, overtaking Tesla.
Rising battery costs and limited production capacity meant most other competitors, including Ford and General Motors, lacked an incentive to catch up as quickly as Volkswagen. Tesla is therefore likely to remain the biggest EV seller in the USA for some time.
Volkswagen’s production and sales are focused on Europe, and Bloomberg expects the company to expand further in China rather than America.
US sales accounted for less than 10% of VW’s total last year, according to its annual report. Tesla sales in China, where it now makes two models, were likely to suffer as a result.
Tesla was an early entrant to the EV revolution, and accounted for 75% of all electric cars sold in the USA in the first quarter of 2022. Competitors are slowly taking advantage of their scale to eat into some of that market share, though.
But Tesla has also expanded production and taken advantage of the economies of scale present in early adopters. It began shipping cars from its Berlin giga-factory in March, where it aims to produce 500,000 cars annually.
In an interview on the Tesla Owners Silicon Valley YouTube channel, Musk said competitors Rivian and Lucid faced bankruptcy if they didn’t cut costs.
As we move into the era of “renewable” electricity, let us remember that the minerals used to make the batteries, used to store that electricity, are not renewable nor recyclable.
Without a renewable alternative to lithium batteries, electric cars will be no friendlier than fossil fuel. The spiraling environmental costs of Lithium Batteries could rival Fossil Fuel.
The electric power used for EV’s to run on is still extracted from fossil fuels and coal. Old batteries (8-10 years) are not recyclable, while most of the work delivered to extract lithium from the mines in Africa and South America is offered by child labor.
Every electric car battery requires around 25 pounds of lithium. And renewable energy grid storage systems for our homes and workplaces will require much more. Every smart-phone, tablet, laptop and other battery powered device is also reliant on the “white gold.”
Lithium mining inevitably harms the soil, pollutes the air, and especially pollutes the water. Like any mining process, it is invasive, it scars the landscape, destroys the water table, and pollutes the earth and local wells.
In Tibet, it is becoming commonplace to see masses of dead fish, yaks and cows floating downstream of a lithium mine on the Liqi River. On average about 200 tons of Earth have to be removed to produce only one battery.
In Chile, a lithium mine in Salar de Atacama consumes 65% of the regional water supply in an area where many already had to get water driven in. Local quinoa and llama farmers are suffering.
And there’s always the potential for toxic chemicals to leak from the lithium evaporation pools into the local drinking water supply.
Those chemicals include hydrochloric acid used to process lithium and heavy metals filtered out of the brine. Research in Nevada found impacts on fish as far as 150 miles downstream from a lithium processing operation.
Hemp batteries are eight times more powerful than lithium for a fraction of the cost, new research shows.
The Lithium ride was a great one. Cobalt, too. All they needed was their Elon Musk moment, which came in the form of the Nevada battery giga-factory.
The next Elon Musk moment won’t be about lithium at all—or even cobalt. It will be for an element that takes everything electric to its revolutionary finish line: Vanadium.
ABC Flash Point Blog Electronic Warfare News 2022.


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When Bashir Warsame returned home from the United States in 2014, he had one objective in mind – to invest in the camel milk industry.
The agripreneur, 25, a graduate of public administration from the University of Minnesota, did market research and identified a gap in camel milk production and value addition.
Together with his father, Hassan Warsame, he traversed various camel-rearing counties to identify future suppliers of milk.
They further looked at various research and academic literature to understand the sector. Bashir says they found out that Kenya is the fifth largest camel hub in the world, with 3.3 million animals being kept.
The animals, according to him, graze on natural shrubs and herbs in the arid regions, which makes their milk healthier.
They sunk into the business Sh20 million, starting with 40 litres but are now processing over 300 litres under their firm Kulan Foods Limited, which is located in Industrial Area, Nairobi.
The company makes a variety of camel milk products that include yoghurt and fresh milk branded as Nuug, which means nourish.
The products are sold in major supermarkets in Nairobi that include Carrefour, Chandarana and Shoprite. Besides the retail chains, they also sell their products through their restaurant in Nairobi.
“We source our camel milk from farmers in Voi and Isiolo. They sell to us in 50-litre milk cans that goes for Sh6,000. We have two vehicles with inbuilt refrigerators, one for Voi and another for Isiolo. These vehicles transport the milk from the two locations daily,” says Bashir. He adds that they work with specific farmers, 20 in number.
“We have trained them on how to handle milk to ensure quality standards are maintained. Per day each herder gives us between 20-50 litres,” says Hassan.
Among the qualities they look for in the milk is freshness, which is determined by lactose level and milk density, which is as a result of the health of the camel.
“We have an in-house lab technician who tests milk from various herders for quality. Milk that does not meet our standards is not used. The rest of the milk is pasteurised,” notes Bashir, adding the products go from Sh150 to Sh320.
CURRENTLY UNDERVALUED INDUSTRY
Dr Kenneth Wameyo, a veterinarian, says laboratory tests have proven that camel milk is highly medicinal and can control diseases like diabetes, arthritis, cancer and asthma.
“In developed economies, camel milk products are processed and kept in pharmaceutical shops where they are sold just like any other medicine,” he says.
Ewaso Nyiro North Development Authority director, Mr Robert Lemerketo, reckons that the country should embrace camel milk.
“This industry is currently undervalued yet its outcome when fully exploited could rival other foreign exchange earners and boost the livelihoods of the herders,” he says.
Davis ole Dikir from Narok County says he finds camel milk healthier because the animals are disease-resistant, which means they are not treated with antibiotics that sometimes get into milk. Bashir says he is carrying out an awareness campaign to help the public embrace camel products.
“Consumers have certain perceptions and sometimes phobia against camel milk products. But we go to supermarkets with samples to help consumers understand the benefits of the milk. Initially, we struggled but now people are enjoying it especially when they learn the benefits,” he says.
Initially, camels were associated with northern Kenya but other communities have begun to try their luck in herding the ‘desert animals’.
“People take camel milk for different reasons. Some for its general nutritional value, others because they are lactose-intolerant or have medical ailments,” says Bashir.
Camel milk has 50 per cent less fat than cow milk and three times more in vitamin C content.
It does not contain the protein that causes an allergic reaction to milk. Therefore, people who are lactose intolerant are able to drink it.
It contains 70 per cent Vitamin B1, a serving which regulates metabolism and brain functioning, besides boosting the immune system.
It is estimated that yearly turnover of camel milk both in informal and formal trade has surpassed Sh10 billion per annum, and all the milk is produced by 3.3 million camels.


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Posts Tagged ‘mobile phone’
That’s according to the findings of a study by Global Wireless Solutions, who tested the ten most popular commuter routes to discover that that one in three mobile internet tasks and one in seven voice calls on commuter trains fails.
The networks EE, O2 and Vodafone all rely heavily on their older 2G networks and ‘half-rate codecs’ for the commuters, but this means that call quality can be poor and many data packets are dropped.
The study found that 23% of 3G data packets and 37% of 4G data packets travelling across the networks of the four major UK operators do not make it to their intended destinations.
Basically, the best network on which to chat on is 3, while Vodafone’s subscribers get best 3G data service and EE subscribers get the best 4G data service.
In a statement that suggests he needed it written for him, Paul Carter, chief executive of GWS said: “Leaves on the track, the wrong kind of snow, having to stand up all the way to work and back – commuters have enough to contend with without the kind of mobile connectivity problems we’re revealing today,”
“It’d be great to see networks, rail operators and station-masters taking the lead on improving connectivity for commuters – rather than having to be dragged into the 21st Century kicking and screaming.”
Bless him. Shall we look at the Top Ten worst stations then?
Station / Average number of voice and data failures
1. St Pancras (99)
2. Radlett (53)
3. Kentish Town (43)
4. Upminster (42)
5. Elstree & Borehamwood (36)
6. Hendon (33.5)
7. St Alban’s City (33)
8. Cricklewood (27.5)
9. Kidbrooke (27)
10. Ockenden (26)
Many mobile phoners have used their phone on holiday, but have tend to forget the extra that can be run up when a-roaming.
However, that hopefully looks like it is all over as from midnight tonight, the EU’s Roaming Regulation will lower the price caps for data downloads when you are travelling within the European Union.
Although there’s a lack of knowledge about these caps and what they mean.
Which!!! executive director Richard Lloyd said: ”Capping EU mobile roaming charges is welcome news for millions of travellers, especially those who have faced expensive charges for data roaming when their mobile hasn’t even left their suitcase. Consumers travelling within the EU should now be much clearer on the charges they have to pay.”
Which we can all agree is quite a good thing.
The maximum charge for outgoing calls, excluding VAT, will now be 10p per minute, around 3p for outgoing text messages, and 16p for a MB download of data. These caps will only apply to the nations within the EU.
Four in ten people reckon they didn’t know they had a right to challenge their mobile phone provider if they received an excessive bill after using their phone abroad. And a further 48% of people didn’t know that if they have capped their mobile phone usage with their provider, they can refuse to pay the bill for their phone usage above the cap level.
So that’s good to know then, next time you’ve clocked up several grand by accident, you can turn around and shout at your provider.
As seems to be the case with mobile providers, EE has joined in by increasing the monthly cost of phone bills by 2.7%. That’s what happens when everyone says you’re the best mobile network around.
Subscribers on EE, Orange and T-Mobile will be affected by the price hike, which comes into effect from May 28th.
Additional charges for usage beyond customers’ monthly allowance will also increase. GOOD TIMES.
And as the price rise is linked with inflation, customers will not be able to cancel their contract early, unless they joined or upgraded after January 23rd.
The network has warned that those who signed up or upgraded within the last 30 days may still receive a letter about the move, but will not be affected by the changes.
What are EE saying on their website? “We know price rises are never great news, but we work hard to keep costs down while offering our customers great value on the UK’s biggest and fastest network. As a result of rising business costs, we are increasing the price of EE, Orange and T-Mobile monthly plans.”
Looks like the mobile companies are pre-emptively trying to make some money back now that roaming charges are to get the chop.
The mobile operator, which was the only UK Pay As You Go mobile network to offer SIM Card only deals, posted a statement on their website earlier today.
As is the modern way, we’ve cut and pasted it here:
“We are very sad to announce that for reasons beyond our control, OVIVO Mobile is closing down on the evening of Wednesday 19th March 2014. We’d like to thank each and every one of you for your support and friendship over the last two years.”
There’s also a PAC code request form on the site, as so you can keep your number.
The last few days had seen customers unable to call out or log in to wifi, with the company posting messages about sorting out the difficulties experienced, but were still accepting new customers.
Because that was what one Sainsbury’s customer was ordered to do yesterday. Jo Clarke was having a natter with a friend when she reached the front of the queue in the Crayford store in South London, only to be ordered to hang up by the checkout assistant.
According to some other source or something, the assistant told her: “I will not check your shopping out until you get off your mobile phone,’ refusing to serve Jo until she hung up.
Sainsbury’s have subsequently apologised to Jo and offered her some compensatory vouchers, adding that they don’t have a policy of refusing to serve mobile-using customers. All of that has come too late for Jo though, who says she’s a Waitrose customer from now on.
So then Bitterwalleteers – do YOU hang up from a mobile call while you’re at a checkout? Do you consider it bad manners to do such a thing? Or does your mum do all the shopping for you while you stay in your box room, playing at being a tough guy on the internet?
There’s nothing quite like social media and ‘the blogosphere’ when it comes to escalating a grievance against a large corporation. Natalie Guest has whipped up a storm against T-Mobile over the past few hours, thanks to her tale of woe about the enormous mobile provider.
It’s all to do with the small matter of her being charged £522.66 instead of the usual monthly £20 for her T-Mobile contract phone. As Natalie said in her email to T-Mobile on August 6th…
“After some investigation via my online billing account, it looks like there has been some form of technical/network error. I went to Germany for 3 days last month (being careful to turn off all data roaming and mobile internet services), and whilst I was there sent a text to my friend Christian, as he used to live in Munich.
For some reason this same text got replicated and sent to him thousands of times. I had no notification of this on my phone – they didn’t appear in my ‘sent’ box – but he did receive the same text multiple times. Thinking it was an issue at his end, he contacted his provider – O2 – who thought it was probably a problem with his handset.”
When Natalie brought the textual oddness to the attention of T-Mobile, they said that they would investigate it but couldn’t guarantee a refund and would text her within five working days. As she told T-Mobile…
“…obviously, this was a technical glitch – whether that was one to do with your network or the German network. It wouldn’t be physically possible for me to send the same text 6 times a minute for 3 days without sleeping, even if I had any discernible reason to want to do this. I’ve attached a screenshot (below) so you can see the sort of thing I’m talking about.”
Ten days have gone by and Natalie still hasn’t heard anything back from T-Mobile. In fact she has cancelled her direct debit so that the huge, disputed sum isn’t paid out of her bank account. But, there is SOME communication from them – instead of a resolution of her situation, she says that she is being plagued by…
“• Daily automated texts from T-Mobile asking me to pay my outstanding bill, in order to avoid an interruption in services.
• Daily calls from TMobile asking me to pay my bill, from people with no knowledge of the issue. Upon asking them to read through my notes, they say the issue is being “investigated”. I ask them to please stop phoning until some progress has been made, or to put a note on my file asking people not to phone me. They claim that this is impossible as “calls are automated”. I ask whether I’m going to be cut off. They say “not until the 31st, and it should be dealt with by then”. I have absolutely zero confidence that the issue will be dealt with by then.
• Frequent missed calls (I’ve been in theatres a lot over the past week, so haven’t always been able to pick up) which, once I ring back (which I do, in case the issue has actually been resolved), put me straight back into the TMobile automated service and ask me to press 1 or 2 or whatever. Once I get through to someone, they have no idea what the previous call was about.
• Frequent (although not quite daily) calls from TMobile telling me I’m a “loyal customer” and so am eligible for some sort of deal.
• Frequent (although not quite daily) texts from TMobile asking me to rate how I felt my customer service was today. FYI, my ratings are very low at the moment, which I presume is what is triggering the “loyal customer” phone calls.”
But nothing regarding the huge bill that Natalie says has been run up in her name in error. Natalie’s blog has been all over Twitter and Facebook today, and it’ll be interesting to see if the blanket of negative publicity for T-Mobile will make them pull their finger out and sort this thing out. We’ll be watching and will keep you informed…
EDIT: As Natalie says in the comments below… “Just had a phonecall from a very lovely and helpful lady called Jacqueline, to tell me that they’ve removed all of the charges for the month & reinstated my account.” HOORAY!
Most of us are far too wordly wise to ever sign up to a spam texting service. No matter what the dating knowledge, psychic insight or genitalia-enlargement offered, the cost of the service is almost certainly going to outweigh the benefit. Even if that service were free. However, a UK mobile phone user has just discovered that he could sign up anyone he liked to one of these services, after finding fraudulent charges on his bill.
Consultant Mark Hole found charges for a fortune-telling service on the mobile phone bill of his business mobile. Certain he had not bandied around his mobile number in places spamsters could get hold of it, he complained to his service provider, Orange, who shrugged and said he must have signed up and to naff off (or words to that effect). Mr Hole also complained to Buongiorno, the “content maker” behind the iFortune service he was getting without asking.
However, Mr Hole was not your average mug, and decided to investigate how his number had been signed up for the service. Using a Firefox add-on that pretended his computer was an iPhone, Mr Hole found that he could sign up absolutely anyone for premium rate services from content maker Buongiorno with just their mobile phone number and knowing if they were on the Orange network. He went on to demonstrate this by signing up a BBC reporter for the fortune telling service.
Buongiorno described Mr Hole’s investigations as a “bug” and assured the BBC that once they “found out” about it, they “very quickly moved to pin it down, find out what happened and stop it from happening again.”
Gareth Maclachlan, head of mobile security firm Adaptive Mobile, told the BBC that Buongiorno was not doing a good enough job of checking which net addresses were making sign-up requests. “There’s a potentially criminal opportunity here,” he said, describing how hi-tech thieves could set up a fake premium rate service, sign people up and then sit back and wait for cash to roll in.
Information about Mr Hole’s findings have been circulated to the GSMA security working group to ensure other operators are aware of the loophole. Buongiorno are convinced the impact of this “loophole” was minimal, but given that Mr Hole’s situation suggests the window was open for at least 14 days, it remains to be seen if other mobile phone users have fallen foul to the same or a similar scheme. So get checking your bills now- and if you find anything, please let us know.
Virgin Atlantic might have thought they were being all smart and clever last week when they announced that they’ll soon be allowing passengers to use their mobile phones during flights, but those that take them up on the offer will find themselves shunned by their fellow travellers.
A poll, carried out by flight comparison website Skyscanner, suggests that 86% of us would object to passengers making voice calls during flights on the premise that “it’s annoying to listen to other people’s conversations”. And let’s face it, the majority of in-flight calls are going to begin with ‘Hey, you’ll never guess where I am. I’m ON A PLANE!’. Urgh.
Almost half of those polled said that they would use the in-flight mobile service, but only to send texts (that would presumably read ‘Hey, you’ll never guess where I am. I’m ON A PLANE! LOL’ Urgh). Only six per cent said that they would make or receive voice calls. Yes, they’re saying that now….
Virgin will launch the service on flights between London and New York, but wants to make it available on at least nine more routes before the end of the year. It’ll cost approximately £1.00 a minute to make voice calls, while text messages will cost 20 pence a pop.
Santa Claus has long since been and gone but spare a thought for Space Dog, who presumably is still languishing up there in the heavens, waiting patiently for the gift-laden old man to zoom by again in nine months’ time. Or at least that’s the story if this Japanese mobile phone ad is to be believed.
Most of us have been able to have a good look at Venus and Jupiter in the night sky over the past couple of weeks but have you spotted Space Dog? If you do, wink and say hello, eh? He’ll like that.
Never mind those 1980s ‘brick’ mobile phones – here’s THE real pioneering piece of mobile technology, from the 1920s.
It’s one step up from the yoghurt-pots-attached-with-string concept. A man called W. W. Macfarlane used to have his chauffeur drive him around with this thing in his car, while he spoke to his wife – as long as she was within a range of 500 yards. Way funnier than Dom Joly as well.
Imagine you’re having a bad day. You spill tea down your shirt, tread in dog shit on the way to missing your train and to top it all, your mobile is lifted from your pocket while you struggle to keep upright during a standing room only trip into work. Your day can only get better, right?
Well, to add insult to injury, when your mobile phone is stolen, any calls made between the light-fingeredness and the resulting discovery, frantic searching and eventual reporting of the crime to the police and phone company are charged to your mobile phone account at full rate.
What this means is that not only have you been robbed, you get robbed by the phone companies who are not merely passing on their costs to you (after all, you wouldn’t expect them to be out of pocket, would you?), but who are making a profit out of your misery. Literally. Given that Which! suggest nearly 6m people in Britain have had their mobile phones stolen in the past five years, that’s a nice little earner for the mobile providers.
Well, this disgruntling situation has gone so far as to fire up some particularly ranty MPs who entered an Early Day Motion (EDM). The motion, which was read out in the House of Commons, said that mobile operators should charge customers the wholesale rate for calls made after phones are stolen, rather than the “much higher” retail charges that they currently face until the theft is reported.
Robert Halfon, Conservative MP for Harlow, told The Telegraph: “Mobile phone operators are raking it in. At the moment mobile phone tariffs are competitive, and the way [operators] are compensating is by using theft like a stealth tax. First of all they charge rip-off insurance – often £10 to £15 a month – and then, when the phone is nicked, they charge for the calls made. They shouldn’t be stealth taxing consumers in this way.”
However, mobile operators have, unsurprisingly, suggested they would resist the proposed shift to wholesale charges because it would be open to abuse by customers who claim their phones have been stolen if they incur a particularly large bill, or who might be tempted to backdate a real theft.
“We see from the amount of mobiles that get ‘stolen’ whenever a new iPhone comes on the market that customers are not always very honest,” said a very senior executive at one of the major providers.
However Mr Halfon pooh-poohed the idea, suggesting a requirement to obtain a crime number would prevent such high jinks, “very few customers are going to lie to the police, and the police don’t give out crime references willy-nilly.”
So can we expect to see the phone companies being landed with some hefty legislation anytime soon? Er, no. Probably not.
You see an Early Day Motion is a formal motion submitted for debate in the House of Commons. However, very few EDMs are actually debated in the House of Commons, and they are largely used as the parliamentary equivalent of a press release. Good for making lots of noise, but not so good for forcing a change in law. Unless the public really jump on the bandwagon of course.
But even if it garners loads of support within the House, an EDM is not likely to be debated, and Ministers, Whips, Private Secretaries and the Speaker (and deputies), the important people who decide these things, will not normally sign EDMs.
The EDM that received the most signatures this session was one expressing the importance of community pubs, at 275 signatures, beating Zac Goldsmith and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s fish fight into second place with 249.
The lost mobile phone EDM got 22 signatures, so if you feel strongly about it, you may have to go and disrupt people’s weddings and church services before anything will actually be done about it. Or you could just grumble a lot. Or keep your mobile inside a loaded mousetrap. Or something.
It must be nice to be a Eurocrat, making changes to people’s everyday lives and then watching what happens. Last year’s EU agreement to reform mobile contracts has just come into force in the UK, bringing both benefits and costs for consumers.
The reforms centred on the length of mobile phone contract- the new rules effective from 1 May 2011 mean that contracts cannot exceed 24 months and that providers have to offer 12 month contract products, as well as demanding mobile operators keep their customers informed of available tariffs, their usage patterns, and be notified if their monthly bill exceeds a set threshold.
Back in 2005, 12 month contracts represented nearly 90 percent of new mobile connections, but by the middle of 2010, that figure had shrunk to a measly seven percent, as recession-hit networks attempted to entice customers into longer deals to keep them loyal.
Now, research by comparison site U-Switch shows that the number of 12 month deals available has rocketed from just 279 in February this year to 4,765 last week. As you might expect, however, the outlawing of 36 month contracts has meant that 3,300 products have necessarily been removed from the market.
While the abundance of shorter contract products is likely to be attractive to those looking to upgrade their phone on a more frequent basis, the sting in the tail is likely to hit the smartphone market hardest- where providers previously offered phones for free with a longer contract, customers may now find themselves having to shell out cash to buy the phone upfront.
And that is the other bit of bad news, before the new rules came in, the cheapest monthly mobile deal could be snapped up for a measly £5 per month with Orange on 30 April. Now, the cheapest deal is with Three, and while still less than a tenner at £9 a month (for a 24 month contract), that represents a whopping 80% price increase in the space of a few days.
So what do you think? Are the EU meddling where no meddling is required and should customers have the right to choose longer (and cheaper) contracts if it suits them? Or is this a valuable consumer protection measure?
Get into the crash position and brace yourself for a hell of a collision – that’s because we’re about to plough straight into an enormous pile of bargains. But don’t worry – we’ll all survive and be bigger and stronger for it afterwards.
That pile of bargains is slap bang in the middle of HotUKDeals HQ – feel free to crawl from the wreckage and have a mooch around afterwards…
The pre-summer summer we’ve been enjoying looks certain to be with us FOREVER, so it’s arguably time to invest in a new barbecue. An emergency one that you can wander around with and erect whenever the fancy takes you. Yes, erect.
Try this for size. It’s a notebook portable barbecue that folds down and can be carried around as if it’s a laptop computer or a tiny pasting table. Yours for only £13.33 although there seems to be some kind of suggestion that it could be as little as £3.33. Just make sure you give it a wipe afterwards before you wander off with it under your arm.
Once you’ve taken delivery of your new, novelty, portable meat-grilling sensation, you’ll be desperate to ring your mates up and tell them all about it. if you’re an idiot, you might also want to invite them round to have a go on it.
Save money on those phone calls by getting a 3 SIM-only mobile deal with 300 mins, 3000 texts and 1GB of internet for £10 per month on a 12 month contract. You could also be entitled to £54.54 cashback, which could bring the price to £5.45 per month. Bargain.
If you are stupid enough to invite a bunch of people round to gawp at your modern, marvellous foldaway barbecue, you’d better take some photos of the event. Some of them are bound to fall over or break stuff, and the photos could be essential pieces of evidence when it comes to you taking civil action against them.
Get those photos printed out for next to nothing with this deal – it’s for 100 free 6×4 prints and a free compact CEWE photobook. You’ll even get a free £10 voucher against future photo purchases. All you pay is postage and packing. You’ll end up regretting it though. All of it…
(deals found by HUKD members michaeln, srh007 and lakmii)
Wave your hand thankfully in the direction of HotUKDeals – they’re the ones who came up with it all…
If you’re fifty feet under the ground, hammering out consumer news and other vaguely-related bollocks all day long, you might need an alternative to the sun. Try this – a set of Philips Imageo rechargeable LED candles. They’re only £14.97.
Next, the chance to get a fiver knocked off your supermarket shopping bill – assuming that your shopping bill is higher than £40 and that the supermarket you shop at is Morrisons (although we’re led to believe that Tescos will also accept the voucher in question.)
Get over to HotUKDeals to find out more about the complicated series of tasks that you will have to undertake in order to get yourself a portion of this deal. It’s nothing simple like cutting a coupon out a national newspaper – oh no. And don’t forget about the special offers that are on at Morrisons this week – we mentioned them earlier today.
Finally, a neat little mobile phone offer, because, well, you know, we can never have too many mobile phones now can we? This one is a T-Mobile Pulse and it has a 3.5 inch capacitive touchscreen as well as loads of other stuff that you can only dare to dream of.
But what of the price? Well, it’s a mere £109.99. Amazed aren’t you? You’ve dropped your current phone on the floor in shock, smashing it to bits and making this even more of a must-buy. Plus there’s £10 of credit included and the chance to get £10 cashback on the deal. Sweet potatoes!
(deals found by HUKD members nicster08, wesa14 and robot1000)
As we revealed at 9am, Apple are exploring the idea that an iPhone could theoretically replace your old-fashioned set of keys.
Well, now it’s 9.30am and that idea seems like so much tired old hat, thanks to Microsoft and a man called Chris Harrison. Harrison made over 300 appearances for Plymouth Argyle during the 1970s and 1980s* but now, as this video shows, he is an electronic pioneer.
He’s the man that will help us to control our mobile phones, entertainment devices and game-playing gizmos using our… OWN SKIN!
As this video demonstrates, tapping the skin on different parts of your arm creates a series of different sounds. When those sounds are picked up by a gadget that straps on to your arm, they are then translated into instructions that will control your phone or mp3 player or help you become a Tetris champion. Cleverly, they’re calling it ‘Skinput.’
Some questions arise. How do the menus appear on your arm? We don’t know – probably lasers. What do you do if you live in a freezing cold country like Britain? We don’t know – but we’re sure that the boffins will find a way around that. If you exercise your forearm and make it bigger and stronger, will that make your mp3 player have a larger capacity? No, don’t be so ridiculous.
It’s early on a Monday morning and Bitterwallet has already given you a vision of the future on a plate. Now stop scratching your arse and go and get some work done so we can all get there quicker.


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Duluth News Tribune
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June 1, 2014
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Triple Chocolate Peanut Cluster Cookies 2 pounds white chocolate 12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips 12 ounces milk chocolate chips 24 ounces unsalted dry roasted peanuts Melt chocolates in a pot on low heat, stirring constantly. Let cool for 5 minutes and stir in the...
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May 25, 2014 - 7:26pm
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Flourless Peanut Butter Kisses 1 cup peanut butter 1 cup sugar 1 egg 1 teaspoon vanilla Your choice of Hershey’s Kisses, chocolate stars or mini peanut butter cups Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream peanut butter and sugar; add egg and vanilla (mixture will...
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May 24, 2014
Minneapolis stepping up enforcement of ban on foam coffee cups, food containers
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While most people abandon their New Year’s resolutions before the snow leaves the ground, Bonnie Ambrosi has been working diligently on hers. And now she needs your help to finish it. Ambrosi’s goal is to launch the first of what she said she hopes will be an annual event in...
May 23, 2014 - 7:50pm
Arby’s aiming for record with 13-hour commercial, airing only in Duluth
A world premiere will be showing in Duluth beginning at 1 p.m. Saturday. And it won’t end until 2 a.m. on Sunday. The place: Your living...
May 23, 2014 - 7:05pm
May 20, 2014
Cafe with a focus on social justice to open soon in Duluth
For those who might like their social justice served with coffee and toast, a new business collective in Duluth’s Endion neighborhood will...
May 20, 2014 - 7:27pm
May 14, 2014
Health Notes: Take St. Luke’s robot for a test drive
St. Luke’s hospital is inviting the public to test drive a surgical robot. The hospital’s daVinci surgical robot will be on display from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday at the cafeteria of St. Luke’s, 915 E. First St. People are invited to sit in the driver’s seat. Ten surgeons...
May 14, 2014 - 6:54pm
May 13, 2014
Plan to limit foam takeout boxes debated in Minneapolis
MINNEAPOLIS — A proposal to restrict the use of takeout containers made out of foam and other hard-to-recycle plastics advanced Monday at Minneapolis City Hall, following testimony from both sides. Most of the dozen or so people who addressed council members, including environmentalists,...
May 13, 2014 - 8:20pm
May 12, 2014
Minnesota schools see free breakfast as key to better learning
ST. PAUL — Every morning, as students file into Capitol Hill Magnet School, Don Fair works the crowd like a hot dog vendor in a ballpark. “Eggs for breakfast this morning, hot eggs!” cries Fair, a nutrition assistant at the school. As Fair meets students at the front door...
May 12, 2014 - 8:05pm
May 11, 2014
Cloud 9 Asian Bistro to open in Duluth's Canal Park
When Thai Krathong restaurant closed in Canal Park in September, the owners of the Osaka Japanese restaurant didn’t waste any time. They signed...
May 11, 2014 - 7:11pm
Recipes for May 11, 2014
Betty’s Cookies 1 cup of butter ½ cup of granulated sugar ½ cup brown sugar 1 egg yolk 1 cup all-purpose flour ½ teaspoon of baking soda 1½ cups of oatmeal Dark chocolate chips, melted Cream together the butter and sugars, add the egg yolk. Combine...
May 11, 2014 - 12:00am
May 8, 2014
Report lauds local produce gardening efforts
A report released today highlights “good food movements” in the Northland. The Western Lake Superior Good Food Movement Status Report was prepared by the Duluth-based Institute for a Sustainable Future, a nonprofit that seeks to promote ecological health. It cites efforts such...
May 8, 2014 - 12:00am
May 7, 2014
Eh? You smelt it, you eat it
If smelt is something that melts your heart, the Eagles Auxiliary has the perfect cure for what ails you: all you can eat smelt. If you can make it out to the Eagles Auxiliary, 1710 N. 12th St., Superior, at 5 p.m. May 16, tuck in, because for $9, you can eat smelt to your heart’s...
May 7, 2014 - 7:39pm
May 5, 2014
Coca-Cola to remove controversial chemical from its citrus-flavored drinks
NEW YORK - The Coca-Cola Company said on Monday it will remove a controversial flavoring stabilizer from some of its drinks, following rival PepsiCo Inc's announcement earlier this year that it would drop the same ingredient from its beverages. The ingredient, brominated vegetable...
May 5, 2014 - 4:21pm


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The EU-US Privacy Shield Was Just Invalidated: What To Do Now
This week, the Court of Justice of the European Union handed down its ruling in the case popularly known as “Schrems II.” Why should you care about an obscure EU case? Because the ruling invalidated the EU-US Privacy Shield, the mechanism by which American companies could process EU residents’ data on US soil. This is a fairly serious problem for any organization that does business with European consumers but doesn’t use European vendors for the storage and analysis of that data. We just published a five-step plan to manage this new risk. In addition, all CMO clients should immediately review all the marketing and advertising vendors that rely on the EU-US Privacy Shield for storing and processing data on your behalf. Enlist the help of your chief information security officer or general counsel to evaluate your vendors’ back-up plan. Do they plan to rely on binding corporate rules? Will they move your data to a European data center? Or are they counting on a lack of enforcement to keep doing business as usual? If you need more guidance, we’re here to help.
Amazon Is Providing Its Own Primary Care Clinics For Employees
This week, Amazon launched the next phase in its quest to fix healthcare: It opened five primary care clinics focused on serving Amazon employees. These “Neighborhood Health Centers” add to Amazon’s broader endeavor to reduce medical costs and improve the healthcare experience of its employees — including the introduction of Amazon Care, its employee virtual care platform, and the launch of Haven for Healthcare, a joint venture aimed at reimagining employee health benefits. Amazon is doubling down on employee health as more Americans face higher costs for healthcare, are pushed into high-deductible health plans, and face higher costs for healthcare. Amazon’s medical cost-reduction efforts have yielded mixed results thus far but should not be ignored by employers, providers, and health insurers. Research shows that these models lead to consumers putting off necessary preventative care, which is key to identifying chronic conditions and mental health needs, reducing the risk of future high-cost events, and lowering medical spend for employers and health insurers.
The Battle For Consumer TV Viewing Time Rages On
This week, NBCUniversal launched Peacock: its entrant in the streaming wars offering a full library of the network’s current season, original shows, and archival “must see TV” programs like “30 Rock,” “Parks and Recreation,” and “Saturday Night Live.” Content is important, but the experience viewers have when discovering and controlling the content is key to long-term success. Our ConsumerVoices Market Research Online Community is already voicing objections to the rising costs of multiple subscriptions and frustration with the time wasted hunting for desired content. Peacock’s answer to this content-discovery challenge is “channels” that revolve around content franchises like “The Office,” the “Today Show,” news, and sports. Their aim: to encourage a new form of channel surfing, which they claim viewers in their prelaunch pilot found to be an easier content discovery experience. For the ad-supported streaming service, more time viewing content and less time searching for it means more advertising to sell. It also means happier couch potatoes who may just make Peacock their first stop for streaming, stealing time from Netflix and others. Check out our in–depth digital experience review of US streaming apps, and stay tuned for the latest iteration, which is scheduled to publish in August.


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It’s really hard to create buttons, sneaker soles, spandex, and zipper teeth without virgin plastic. Just ask Everlane.
In 2018, the fashion label made a radical commitment to eliminate all virgin plastic from its supply chain by the end of 2021. As Everlane approaches the deadline, the brand has cut out 90% of virgin plastic, but the remaining 10% is proving tricky, as global recycling and manufacturing systems are not set up to address specialized objects (such as zipper teeth).
The plastic problem
There is good reason for Everlane to focus on that last 10%. Creating plastic from oil generates carbon emissions, which accelerates climate change. Once the material is made, it does not biodegrade, so it stays in our landfills and oceans for hundreds of years, breaking into microscopic fragments that end up in our food chain. While consumers tend to be aware of the plastic in their straws, food packaging, or grocery bags, many are not aware that much of their closet is also made up of plastic, since synthetic materials, such as spandex and polyester, are plastic. “We wanted to draw attention to fashion’s plastic problem,” says Michael Preysman, Everlane’s CEO. “But we also wanted to see if it was possible to cut out new plastic from our supply chain, relying instead on the abundance of plastic that already exists on the planet.”
Everlane’s quest highlights a broader problem companies face when trying to reduce their use of plastic. Recycled plastic is better than the virgin kind, but it is still problematic. There is currently no way to recycle old clothes into new clothes at scale, so at the end of its life cycle, a recycled plastic garment is likely to end up in a landfill, where it won’t biodegrade. Everlane’s strategy has been to cut down on its overall plastic usage by swapping out polyester for silk in dresses, for instance. But there are some clothes that absolutely require synthetic materials, such as waterproof jackets and activewear.
Erin Simon, the head of plastic waste at the World Wildlife Fund, says that Everlane’s “last 10% problem” is common in many industries, particularly in creating products that have high performance standards. “The challenge is when you’re a fashion brand creating an outdoor jacket or a medical company creating a heart stent, plastics have certain performance attributes that you can’t compromise on,” she says.
The last 10%
So recycled plastic has been the best, if still imperfect, alternative. In 2018, Kimberley Smith, Everlane’s chief supply chain officer, was tasked with ridding products of virgin plastic. In some cases, it was relatively easy to make a switch. Smith was able to locate high-quality recycled plastic polyester for outwear, for instance. In other cases, it was harder. Smith spent weeks trying to find recycled transparent plastic bags that keep items clean as they’re transported from factory to warehouse to consumer. She eventually found a supplier.
A year after Everlane made the plastic-free commitment, it had eradicated 75% of plastic from its supply chain. And at the start of 2021, it had achieved a 90% reduction in plastic. Smith’s team has switched 45 different materials in its supply chain to either nonplastic or recycled plastic in products ranging from tote bags to down coats. They estimate that this has diverted the equivalent of more than 9 million plastic bottles from landfills.
But Smith says the remaining 10% is proving troublesome. She has found that it is hard to find recycled plastic versions of specialized items, such as zipper teeth, shoe components, and stretchy fabrics. In some cases, such as stretchy fibers, manufacturers make recycled versions, but the quality isn’t high enough for Everlane to use. “They break easily when we put them to the test,” Smith says. “They can’t withstand heavy machinery.”
The reason for this, Smith explains, is that manufacturers can create strong, durable virgin plastic. But to create recycled plastic, they must break down existing plastic and reprocess it. This weakens the material, causing it to break easily. It typically takes a supplier several years to perfect a recycled plastic material by tweaking the formula and manufacturing techniques. But Smith says that in the case of these three items, Everlane has not found any that are up to the task.
So Everlane is taking a two-pronged approach. First, Smith and her team are constantly scouring the market for suppliers that are creating recycled versions of these items. This allows them to stay on top of cutting-edge material innovations and also communicates to the market that there is demand for these products. “Our goal, from the start, was to create more demand for recycled plastic in the fashion industry,” says Smith. “We believed this would spur more suppliers to produce it, which would encourage other brands to use it. We’re going to continue applying pressure to mills and yarn suppliers to develop these materials.”
Everlane is also encouraging others to come up with creative ideas for tackling the plastic problem. This week, the company announced that it has set aside $100,000 for a new program called The Next [Collective], where it will fund “change makers” from the general public who have innovative solutions to ridding the world of plastic. Starting on April 22, the company will begin soliciting applications, and this summer it will officially accept and review the contenders, funding the top ideas. (The actual number of winners has not been specified.) These individuals will also work closely with Everlane’s executive team to learn more about the company’s supply chain in order to better understand the fashion industry’s sustainability needs.
Some experts argue that the best way to rid the world of plastic is to stop using the material altogether, whether virgin or recycled. That’s why some startups are actively developing alternatives: Kintra has developed a fabric that mimics the stretch, durability, and moisture-wicking properties of synthetics but is compostable; Algenesis created a biodegradable algae-based flip-flop. Meanwhile, scientists are developing enzymes that can digest old plastic, turning it into its raw materials.
But these strategies might not be as eco-friendly as they seem. Simon argues that the solution is not necessarily to switch to virgin biodegradable materials, because extracting materials from the earth, such as cotton and hemp, can require a lot of natural resources and carbon emissions. Instead, we should improve the world’s recycling infrastructure, so we create new products from materials that already exist—and in turn recycle those products, thereby reducing the overall environmental footprint. “We need to be investing in systems of recycling and systems of reuse,” she says. “So fashion brands that care about this problem need to be advocating for more circular systems, so they can move away from virgin sourcing entirely.”
That’s where Everlane is hedging its bets. Three years into Preysman’s quest to get plastic out of Everlane’s supply chain, he has discovered that getting to 100% means helping to create materials and infrastructure that don’t yet exist in fashion manufacturing. The company does not expect to reach its target this year, but thanks to the ideas that come in from the Next Initiative, Everlane hopes to get there quickly. “We know we’re not the only ones frustrated by the plastic problem,” says Preysman. “There are many other people who have great ideas for solving it. The only way to move forward is for us to collaborate and work together.”


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ICL aims for a tasty £8bn
Computer services giant ICL is predicting a price tag approaching £8bn when it floats later this year, after raising a tasty sum from a disposal yesterday.
The ambitious valuation, more than twice sales of £2.7bn to March 1999, would put it in the top half of the Footsie. It would be larger than rival Sema (£5.7bn) and nearly match Logica (£8.4bn)
ICL yesterday sold 17% of its wholly owned Scandinavian subsidiary for £141m, valuing the business at £840m. This is higher than expected.
Corporate development director Nigel Hartnell says: 'The Scandinavian business is a fair representation of the whole, and supplies about 10% of sales. Although it is dangerous to predict flotation prices, I think this gives an indication.'
Not everyone agrees. Independent technology analyst
Richard Holway thinks a value between £4bn and £5bn will be nearer the mark. But that too would be a dramatic rerating. A year ago ICL was expected to fetch less than £2bn.
The group, owned by Japan's Fujitsu, is one of the leading suppliers of Internet and electronic business specialists in Britain. Clients include the BBC, AOL, Marks & Spencer and McDonalds.
Recent market turbulence for high technology shares means the long-awaited flotation may take a little longer than hoped.
The company says a listing may still come in June or July, as previously hoped, But it added : 'The smart money is on the autumn, after our full-year figures in September.'
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There’s a rivalry between the German car makers the likes of nothing we’ve ever seen. The last time the country saw this much warfare, the Spitfire was up and running. Mercedes’ newest creation, the CLS Shooting Brake may have the carrying capacity of a Heinkel He 111 but it has the pace of the Messerschmitt
The Blue Oval is loved for plenty of cars with true flair and performance such as the GT40, the Mustang, the Focus, so on and so forth but truth be told they really make their money in a different area. Commercial vehicles is where it matters the most and true kings in this segment are
Bavaria’s latest in a line of what many of unnecessary cars, the X1, has been delayed from a launch in the U.S. several times up until recently. This is because just last week the company announced that the BMW X1 would be delayed from seeing its stateside debut indefinitely and since then Americans had been
German car companies are doing great, Japanese ones are recovering after a massive disaster, American car makers are recovering after a financial problem but the Swedish ones are still on the edge of the cliff. After Saab’s continuous issues of recent times, Volvo now announces that they need to tighten their belts and that they
Perhaps I’m a bit harsh, let’s just say that the 2012 Fiat 500 will be sold stateside (finally) but with a couple of minor inconveniences. The new (for the United States) Fiat 500 will not get the very high mpg hoped by some and there will be somewhat of a situation when it comes to
In the world of soccer moms and school runs, few things are more important than the combination between the SUV and seven seats. A bit late to the game, Volkswagen is reportedly finally working on just such a behemoth.
Possibly one the best hot hatch superminis out there you can buy the Fiat 500 Abarth is coming to the United States. The headline is catchy and impressive but once you read the fine print you find out that there’s a lot more to be said about this whole thing.
It would seem that the more interesting versions of the Mini BMW has been promising since it took over the British brand are starting to trickle in. The first of the approved models to hit production will be a Mini Coupe which is scheduled for August 2011 and it will be followed shortly after by
Italian automaker Alfa Romeo have announced that the company has almost finalized the design on the Giulia sedan. The Alfa Romeo Giulia Sedan will be using the base from the Alfa Romeo Giulietta as a stretched version of that particular platform.
The North American branch of Saab Cars has recently launched its first sales event as a new company in the form of a leasing program built around the 2010 Saab 9-3. The lease program will enable you to put a brand new Saab 9-3 in your driveway with a two liter engine and an automatic


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Allergan has entered an agreement to acquire biotechnology company Bonti for an upfront payment of $195m along with other potential commercial milestone-based payments.
Bonti primarily develops and commercialises fast-acting neurotoxin products for therapeutic and aesthetic purposes. Allergan expects the acquisition to bolster its Medical Aesthetics business.
The terms of the agreement cover global rights to Bonti’s pipeline of two Phase II botulinum neurotoxin serotype E (BoNT/E) programmes called EB-001A (aesthetic) and EB-001T (therapeutic).
Both the programmes consist of a botulinum neurotoxin serotype E (BoNT/E), EB-001 as the active ingredient. EB-001 features a rapid onset of action within 24 hours and two to four-week duration of effect.
Top-line results from a clinical study for glabellar frown lines are said to have demonstrated a favourable safety and efficacy profile of EB-001.
Allergan chairman and CEO Brent Saunders said: “The acquisition of Bonti is a strategic investment for the future of our Medical Aesthetics business and has the potential to enhance our best-in-class medical aesthetics pipeline.
“With the medical aesthetics market vastly expanding, a fast-acting neurotoxin with two to four-week duration will be an attractive option for consumers, particularly those who are considering a medical aesthetics treatment for the first time.”
Allergen’s Medical Aesthetics portfolio comprises facial aesthetics such as dermal fillers and injectable muscle relaxant, and breast aesthetics under Natrelle brand.
Bonti CEO and co-founder Fauad Hasan said: “The promise of benefitting more consumers worldwide with our novel neurotoxin programs plus Allergan’s stature and resources in this market will help realise our team’s and investors’ aims.”


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Move over, tacos. See you later, pasta. When it comes to international dining, Peruvian food is what's hot these days — especially in Maryland.
Earlier this year, the Huffington Post published a map of the United States showing which cuisine is most disproportionately represented in each state. It produced some obvious findings: In Texas, Tex-Mex restaurants dominate. Georgia loves Southern food. In Pennsylvania, it's cheese steaks.
But in Maryland, the most popular cuisine didn't have a thing to do with crabs or oysters or anything else pulled from the Chesapeake Bay. We are, apparently, all about Peruvian food.
This might not come as a huge surprise to close observers of local restaurant comings and goings. In recent years, Peruvian restaurants like Puerto 511 and Panka's Peruvian Cuisine have popped up throughout the city and suburbs, joining longtime favorites like Chicken Rico — which just opened a new location in the Inner Harbor — in a culinary expansion that has been well received, if not well publicized.
Maryland has 200 percent more Peruvian restaurants than the national average, according to the map. Peruvian is also the most disproportionately prevalent cuisine in Virginia, at 162 percent above the national average. The map's creators used data from the review site Yelp to break down each state's restaurants by cuisine, then they looked at the percentage each cuisine's restaurants captured by state and compared it to national averages.
Demographically, the local popularity of Peruvian cuisine makes sense. In 2010, Maryland ranked seventh in terms of Peruvian-American population; the state's 18,229 Peruvian residents make up 0.3 percent of the state population and about 3 percent of the total number of Peruvian-Americans.
Locally, Peruvian food is most often associated with heavily seasoned rotisserie-roasted chicken, but restaurateurs are quick to note that the cuisine is extremely diverse.
"There's a lot of variety," says Renato Lambruschini, the manager of Panka's Peruvian Cuisine in Cockeysville. "It's unique. You know how Italian food is pasta and Mexican food is tortillas and beans? In Peruvian food, there's nothing that specific."
Peruvian cuisine is influenced by the country's varied geography and its history of European, Asian and West African immigration. The menu at downtown's Puerto 511 reflects that diversity, including ceviche, several potato-based dishes called causa and a variety of sauces, many of which incorporate native Peruvian peppers. Quinoa, the trendy grain that is native to Peru, also shows up on the menu, as does purple corn, a deep-hued version of the vegetable.
"It's a lot of diversity in the food," says Jose Victorio Alarcon, a Peru native and the chef and owner of Puerto 511. "It's more than the chicken and the rice."
The local popularity of Peruvian food puts Maryland at the forefront of a national and international trend. The Culinary Institute of America dubbed 2014 the year of Peruvian cuisine and in a National Restaurant Association survey, 54 percent of American Culinary Federation chefs said Peruvian was a "hot trend" in 2015.
Alarcon believes the boost in Peru's local culinary profile relates to changes happening in the Peruvian food scene . "In 2006 or 2007, there was an explosion of food in the Peruvian economy," he says. "It's very exciting. A few years ago, Peru wasn't known."
The chef notes that prior to 2011, no Peruvian restaurants were included on "The World's 50 Best Restaurants" list, a well-respected compilation of restaurants sponsored by San Pellegrino and Acqua Panna. Today, the list includes four restaurants in Peru, including two in the top 20 (Central and Astrid y Gaston).
Apega, a group that promotes Peru's culinary culture, reports that the number of restaurants in Peru grew from 45,000 in 2005 to 100,000 in 2013. International tourism has increased as well, rising by 10 percent between 1997 and 2011 and projected to grow even more in the next few years.
The country is best known for landmarks like the Incan archaeological site Machu Picchu. But chefs like Gaston Acurio of Astrid y Gaston recognize that great culinary countries also make great tourist destinations. Acurio co-founded a cooking school in Lima, the capital of Peru, where he helps educate young chefs-to-be who dream of cooking both in Peru and abroad.
Alarcon has seen the impact of Peruvian tourism on diners here in Baltimore. After vacationing in Peru, people seek out Peruvian restaurants at home, he says. "They say, 'That cuisine is very good. I need to find a restaurant that's Peruvian!' And when they try the food, they say, 'This is something I remember from vacation. The real Peruvian cuisine.'"
But even Baltimoreans who aren't lucky enough to vacation in Peru and don't have roots in that country appreciate tjhe cuisine.
"People have started catching on," says Fernando Sanchez, whose family owns the popular Chicken Rico restaurants in Highlandtown and the Inner Harbor. "My folks opened the first one in Virginia 18 years ago. There's something everyone loves. People notice the quality. It's like a home-cooked meal that's very hearty and rich in flavor."
Since opening Puerto 511 in 2013, Alarcon has seen the local knowledge of Peruvian cuisine expand.
"I remember my first customer wondering, 'What is this?'" he says. "I'm very happy because I teach my customers the history, the technique, the ingredients. The people are very excited. My wife helps me, she explains not only the cuisine but the history and experience. She's teaching people and they're accepting Peruvian cuisine."
Alarcon has no doubt that this trend will continue — both in Baltimore and throughout the world. "I think in maybe four or five more years, the best food in the world will be from the people from Peru," he says.


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Steven Senne, Associated Press
SALT LAKE CITY — Gasoline prices in Utah are slightly down this month but lag dramatically behind the overall decline nationally.
According to AAA Utah, the average price in Utah slipped just 4 cents a gallon since last month, while the average price nationally dipped 18 cents per gallon during the same period.
Currently, Utah drivers pay an average of $3.67 for a gallon of regular gasoline — 4 cents lower than one month ago and 7 cents less than a year ago. Only nine states registered higher average fuel prices than Utah.
With the exception of Vernal, each Utah city tracked by AAA saw single-digit decreases since last month. The biggest drop occurred in Ogden, which reported an 8-cent decrease month-over-month. Logan experienced the smallest decrease at just 1 cent.
“It is no surprise Utah has the 10th highest price in the nation,” said AAA Utah spokeswoman Roylane Fairclough. “Utah traditionally registers some of the highest prices in the country in summer and then drops to the lower ranks as the temperature cools.”
Nationwide, the average pump price was at $3.47 per gallon — 8 cents less than a year ago. The current national average price Tuesday is the lowest reported since 2011.
Hawaii registered the highest average price nationally at $4.32 a gallon, while California and Oregon reported the highest average price in the contiguous states at $3.91 per gallon.
Hawaii and Alaska were the only states that exceeded the $4 per gallon mark for the period. Meanwhile, South Carolina drivers paid the lowest average price at $3.18 per gallon.
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