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After 2,300 Los Angeles Transit Lines streetcar and bus employees went on strike, traffic in downtown Los Angeles spiked.
The June 21, 1955, Los Angeles Times reported:
Traffic, thy name was jam yesterday, especially in the downtown area, as the Los Angeles Transit Lines were idled by strike.
Dep. Police Chief Harold Sullivan, in charge of the Traffic Bureau, estimated that an additional 100,000 automobiles were added to the normal downtown vehicular crush .…
Sullivan said traffic to downtown was up about 40%. With this increase in automobiles the usually grim parking problem became almost hopeless for thousands.
Entrances to downtown parking lots often were blocked by queues of motorists waiting their turns and these lines of idled cars disrupted traffic on most streets in the downtown area.
Almost choked by automobiles that are usually left home in garages by would-be riders, the lots were hard put to find room for the vehicles of later-arriving shoppers .…
And as the above photo by Bill Murphy illustrates, woe to the car owner who tried to leave early.
This post was originally published on Feb. 4, 2014.


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This increase is due to the main streets, where the number of visitors increased by 13.9% compared to the previous year.
However, the number of Black Friday shoppers was still down 21.3% from pre-pandemic levels, according to Sensormatic.
Separate data from Barclaycard Payments showed that Black Friday payment transaction volume increased by 3.2% compared to 2021.
British retailers hoped Black Friday would spur consumers to spend, even though it came amid a worsening cost-of-living crisis and the distraction of the FIFA World Cup, with Wales and England in action on Friday.
Retailers across Europe fear the end-of-year holiday season will be the worst for at least a decade as customers cut spending while the cost of doing business rises, squeezing profit margins.

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Eversince its inception, bitcoins have been used in different ways and for different purposes. From personal to business transactions, with its lower transaction costs and efficiency, many opt to use bitcoins. As an open-source payment platform, it allows greater flexibility when it comes to usage.
Now, even nonprofit organizations are accepting bitcoin donations. Among the growing number of organizations accepting bitcoins is an environmental advocacy organization, Greenpeace. The organization is a renowned environmental charity all over the world. Employing more than 2,400 people along with 15,000 volunteers, its move to finally accept bitcoin decisions is strategic. The international organization has finally announced that they are now accepting bitcoin donations in the United States. This is in partnership with BitPay.
New Sources of Funds
By accepting bitcoin donations, the organization is thrusting towards new sources of funds. Greenpeace only accepts donations from individuals as they do not get donations from governments or corporations. With credit card companies charging around 3 to 4% when it comes to transaction fees, bitcoins offer a better alternative. Instead for going for the traditional payment provider, people will opt for bitcoins as they are cheaper and more efficient.
In using bitcoin, Greenpeace gets to have all of the donations without any deduction unlike in the traditional payment option. Bitcoin payment providers like BitPay and Coinbase do not charge any fee for non-profit organizations. According to non-profit account manager of BitPay Elizabeth Ploshay, the company aims to have nonprofit organizations like Greenpeace to use bitcoin where they can get 100% of what individuals donated.
BitPay was chosen by Greenpeace as its partner in payment processing. Ben Kroetz, director of online strategy of Greenpeace USA said that the established reputation of BitPay is one of the reasons why the organized chose BitPay as its bitcoin payment processor. With the company’s reputation, it is easier for Greenpeace to accept bitcoins thereby enabling them to open new markets and donors.
Bitcoin is a viable option for charities and other non-profit considerations considering its potential benefits. With the bitcoin platform offering cheaper and more efficient compare to traditional payments, organizations get to have these benefits. However, there are still nonprofits that are not yet accepting bitcoins.
But the good news is that the trend is continuously changing and heading towards a more positive outlook. Just earlier this month, another charitable organization, United Way Worldwide which was able to raise $5 billion in 2013, became the largest charity to accept bitcoins. The organization accepts bitcoin through their partner bitcoin payment processor- Coinbase.
Aside from Greenpeace and United Way Worldwide, Wikipedia alongside other organizations with open-source platform have decided to accept bitcoins.
There might be concerns regarding the use of bitcoins like price swings and security concerns. Yet, in weighing the benefits versus the costs, the benefits definitely outweigh the latter. In the case of nonprofit organizations, they can definitely gain a lot of benefits in accepting bitcoin donations. It allows them to have more opportunities and to further increase their donations as bitcoin offers cost effective and fast payment processing.


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Waiting until after Christmas to buy certain items — such as apparel, furniture and tech gadgets — can yield steeper savings, of 40 to 90 percent off.
Archives: Guest Blogger
One woman changed her AT&T service, which caused a billing problem that came back to haunt her again, and again, and again.
As we’ve seen all year, online and mobile are on the rise, but this year we’ll be on the lookout for season-specific changes, such as earlier shipping deadlines.
A group of 45 state attorneys general announced a settlement over alleged deception by Sirius XM for wrongly automatically renewing customers’ accounts.
People love to give gift cards even though they seem like a gift that didn’t require a lot of thought. Here’s how to make them more personal.
You can find uses for baking soda in every room of your house.
Coordinating the financing, titling and insurance for a Christmas car gift requires some special timing.


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The Massachusetts Gaming Commission is keeping its cards in check regarding how it will distribute the 16 mobile sports betting licenses; with the application deadline of November 21 only a month away.
Massachusetts will have six retail sportsbooks and up to 16 online sportsbook licenses, which is the most for any state in the region. The state’s three casinos will have two connected online skins, and the three off-track betting facilities will each have one online skin as well. The three casinos are likely to use their first skins for their flagship sports betting brand, but partner with another commercial operator for the second skin in a deal settled by the land-based entity.
That leaves a total of seven licenses to distribute that are not directly tied to a Massachusetts land entity. The Massachusetts Gaming Commission has received 23 outreach surveys from businesses showing interest in one of the 16 available online sports betting licenses, showing significant excess demand (considering the commission will distribute only seven). The regulator has previously faced criticism from smaller operators who say the $200,000 non-refundable application fee is a huge barrier to entry for smaller local operators hoping to join the ranks of sports betting.
The interesting dynamic now is if online operators decide to try and circumvent MGC’s screening process, by partnering early with one of the three casinos that have an additional skin. The advantages of this are obvious: a guaranteed skin through an operator and avoiding what will be an extremely competitive bidding process. Rather, each retail establishment will know the level of demand and, as a result, the market access fee to be charged will increase.
So far, the MGC has not revealed how it will score the applications, and with the deadline fast approaching, it is unknown if there will be any further clarity. Until the deadline is reached and the final number of applications is known, it is unknown how much competition there will be for the seven free slots available.


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Fitbit still on top in wearables market, Apple's 'aging lineup' sees decline
The wearables market isn't slowing down, with 3.1% growth in the third quarter, and fitness trackers in the lead.
These fitness bands accounted for 85% of the market, according to IDC's latest Worldwide Quarterly Wearable Device Tracker.
IDC attributes most of the increase to the launch of newer models, more users, and the summer season.
Jitesh Ubrani senior research analyst for IDC Mobile Device Tracker, says although it is still early days, they're already seeing a shift in the market.
"Where smartwatches were once expected to take the lead, basic wearables now reign supreme. Simplicity is a driving factor and this is well reflected in the top vendor list as four out of five offer a simple, dedicated fitness device,” explains Ubrani.
“Meanwhile, from a design perspective, many devices are focusing on fashion first while allowing the technology to blend in with the background."
Ramon Llamas, research manager for IDC's Wearables team, adds that smart wearables have been down in recent quarters – but clearly not out.
"As user tastes change, so will their needs. That's the opportunity for smart wearables with multi-functionality and third-party applications, both for consumers and business users,” says Llamas.
“To get there, we need to see more intuitive user interfaces, seamless user experiences, standalone connectivity, and applications that go beyond health and fitness and into personal and professional productivity."
As far as vendors go, Fitbit once again took out at the top spot for 3Q16 as the market leader.
IDC points to the release of Fitbit's Charge HR with the Charge 2 as the reason for such success, despite recent negativity surrounding the brand's stock price.
Despite Xiaomi's worldwide growth in this quarter, IDC's tracker has shown that the company managed to lose market share as almost every other vendor overtook its growth.
Garmin came in at third with one of the widest portfolios among all of the vendors in this particular market.
IDC advises Apple's year-over-year decline in 3Q16 is due to an aging lineup and an unintuitive user interface.
And, last but not least, Samsung still hung in there with the top five after releasing its Gear Fit 2 and the Icon X.


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Lockdown – Handel hopes for good Easter business
For domestic retailers, Easter is something like a little Christmas. There is not nearly as much for free as on Christmas Eve, but sales of 200 to 220 million euros are expected in this year’s Easter business. According to a survey, 16 percent want to spend more on Easter gifts than last year. Traditionally, these are mainly confectionery, toys, flowers and fragrances. The Easter bunny also likes to bring vouchers.
What stationary trade needs least now is a fourth lockdown, emphasized Rainer Trefelik, chairman of the federal trade division in the Austrian Chamber of Commerce, in an interview with the “Wiener Zeitung”. Many companies are still a long way from their normal business and need the Easter sales to compensate for losses from the lockdowns. If Easter were to fail again, that would be “the absolute blow in the neck”, says Trefelik and emphasizes with reference to a French study and data from the Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety (Ages): “Trade and hairdressing salons are not drivers of the infection process.”
Longing for open gastronomy
In order to be able to do really good business again, the trade still lacks open gastronomy and functioning tourism. The impulse purchases, which are important for retail, are made while strolling and looking at the displays, but without being able to go for a coffee in between, many people simply don’t enjoy it.
During the lockdowns, only basic utility stores were allowed to keep open. According to Trefelik, this led to a “very difficult internal discussion” about the sale of non-food items such as toys, clothing or garden furniture, which large retail chains have in their range. The excitement was great. Some dealers segregated their sub-ranges, others did not. Another lockdown would rekindle the dispute, which Commercial Chairman Trefelik would like to do without, as he says.


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Opera has built ad-blocking technology directly into its desktop version, becoming the first major browser to do so.
Built-in ad-blocking will, according to the company, make browsing 40 percent faster compared to third-party ad-blocking extensions such as Adblock Plus. Opera said it could achieve this by filtering out ads before they reach the browser, something that extensions can't do.
While admitting that advertising "fuels the internet" and keeps many services free for users, Opera claimed that research had shown "most webpages today are significantly slowed down by bloated ads and heavy tracking". "We don't accept it - we want the web to be a better place for us all, as users," said Krystian Kolondra, Opera's senior vice president of engineering.
The update is only for the developer version of its browser, but is likely to be ported over to the main browser in the near future. Opera explained that its built-in ad-blocking would be deactivated by default but scan all web pages for bloated, slow to load ads and trackers. A pop-up notification will suggest when a user might want to enable ad-blocking to stop slow-loading ads.


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According to AHDB Dairy, mozzarella cheese manufacturers could come under pressure in the event of a ‘No-Deal’ Brexit.
In such circumstances, the UK would face the EU common external tariff on any exports sent to the EU. For mozzarella, this means a tariff of €185.20/100kg, approximately 45% of the value of the product. As a result, the majority of UK mozzarella would be unable to compete on EU markets.
The UK Government has recently announced the no-deal tariff rates for imported products.
The proposed import tariff rate for fresh mozzarella is zero. Therefore, the impact on imports and exports is likely to be significantly different.
The UK is in a mozzarella deficit in both value and volume terms. In other words, we import more than we export.
Trade in mozzarella has increased each year for the last three years. However, with exports increasing more quickly than imports, the trade deficit has gradually reduced.
Yet in monetary terms, the UK's trade position has worsened.
Over the last couple of years, the difference between the value of imports and exports has narrowed. In 2016, the average unit export price was £1,540/t more than the price of imports. In 2018, the difference narrowed to just £300/t.
Nearly all of the UK mozzarella is sourced from the EU, with around 40% sourced from Denmark. Imports have declined from France, Germany and Ireland since 2015 and shifted towards Belgium, Italy and the Netherlands.
Despite tariffs on exported mozzarella only, a no-deal will still likely impact trade in both directions. Some food service companies are already making changes in preparation for Brexit.
ASK Italian and Zizzi’s, both part of the Azzurri Restaurant group, recently switched sourcing product from Italy to Wales over concerns of a disrupted supply chain.
In simple terms, if trade stopped entirely, the UK would have a 48,000t deficit of mozzarella. Producing this domestically would need around 472 million litres of milk; or 3% of national milk production.
Although there have been investments by UK manufacturers, the UK does not have enough processing capacity to produce another 48,000t of mozzarella.
Without an export home to go to, the product that would have traditionally been exported could enter the domestic market. However, with competition remaining from imports, domestic prices could be put under pressure.
It is unclear what the post-Brexit landscape will look like for the UK dairy industry as a whole.
Limited spare processing capacity means the UK can’t produce all the mozzarella required to be self-sufficient.
However, under no-deal, UK exporters could find they have no home for their cheese, while product is still entering the UK market from the EU.
Such circumstances could have a significant detrimental impact on UK mozzarella manufacturers. The level of the impact on individual businesses will be determined by what proportion of their cheese is exported, and what back-up plan they have put in place during these uncertain times.


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No Mango-flavored smartphones are to be unveiled at the Nokia Microsoft party19
We just received a confirmation from Microsoft saying that “no Nokia with Windows Phone products will be launched at that event.” Instead, the party will be for developers only, which will have the opportunity to get more familiar with both companies.
In other words, this is shaping up to be nothing more than your ordinary corporate party with no unexpected device announcements in tow. It seems like we will still have to wait a bit longer until the Nokia Sea Ray makes another appearance in public and the next members of Nokia's WP7 lineup get announced. How long will it be until that happens we can't say yet for sure, but we know that if everything unfolds as expected, the first Nokia smartphone running Windows Phone 7 should hit the market by the end of the year.


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Do you play Angry Birds? Candy Crush? Pokémon Go? You're part of a huge and growing global digital games industry.
And even if you pay nothing to download the app in the first instance, features such as cosmetic upgrades, pay-to-win features and "loot boxes" might tempt you to commit real dollars to progress through stages or levels for success.
Concern is growing in Australia and other countries that such features are normalising gambling behaviours for game users, including children.
The Victorian Commission for Gambling and Liquor Regulation has reportedly confirmed that it is "aware of the issue of loot boxes" and is in the process of assessing their legal status and the potential dangers they pose.
Developers and publishers of mobile games are making serious money.
Mobiles and tablets now provide 42 per cent of the revenue in the global games market, and are estimated to exceed 50 per cent by 2020.
The problem with Star Wars Battlefront
Despite costing $99.95 in Australia, Battlefront II also uses micro-transactions that allow players to pay real money for in-game "crystals". These can then be traded for advantages in the game's competitive multiplayer network.
Early estimates based on the pre-release trial period suggested that if a player does not want to spend money on these micro-transactions, it could take close to 40 hours of playing to unlock and play as a hero character like Luke Skywalker.
Unlocking all the game's heroes with crystals would cost as much as $955.
Of particular focus in this uproar has been the "loot box" mechanism. In exchange for paid crystals or for credits earned during game play, players can buy "crates" that randomly grant advantages.
Fans calculated that it would require almost three hours of gameplay to earn a basic crate.
Hawaiian state legislator Chris Lee referred to Battlefront as "a Star Wars-themed online casino, designed to lure kids into spending money".
Micro-transactions and 'gambling' for loot
Gamer and writer Heather Alexander wrote an honest reflection on her own gaming experiences with loot boxes and other features, saying, "I have a gambling problem. I didn't find this out at a casino. I found this out playing games."
She describes loot boxes as "predatory in design" and "made to dazzle, delight, and encourage repeat purchases".
In response to growing attention, Electronic Arts announced that it has removed the micro transactions feature from Battlefront II.
But it's in mobile games where gambling mechanisms like loot boxes are nearly ubiquitous, often overlooked, and potentially most problematic.
Consider the changes made in the Angry Birds sequel, Angry Birds 2.
The first Angry Birds could be purchased for as little as $0.99, and involved simple skill-based play to destroy structures using birds in a slingshot. The game was later made available for free, but with in-app purchases.
This model saw Angry Birds established as one of the biggest video game brands in the world.Loading
In comparison, Angry Birds 2 features seven core monetisation mechanics that revolve around "gems" bought with real money.
The exchange rate on these gems improves if you buy in bulk, up to $32.99 in one go. These can then be spent on loot boxes (or "chests"), in the game's daily double-or-nothing game (so you still win, even if you lose), as well as on other in-game upgrades.
Even with these features, the Apple app store advertises Angry Birds 2 as suitable for ages 4+.
Makings of a serious problem
The 2018 Digital Australia report reported that 90 per cent of Australian children aged between 5 and 14 play digital games.
We need to consider whether the presence of gambling mechanics like loot boxes and virtual currencies in games may be normalising gambling behaviour in young people.
Earlier this year, Christopher Hunt from the University of Sydney's Gambling Clinic reported that "the numbers of 18-to-25-year-old men with problems related to sports betting doubled between 2012 and 2015".
While Dr Hunt suggests gambling ads could be to blame for this rise, future research should examine the role that gambling in games is having on these increases in problem gambling with young people.
These trends also present a serious problem for the video game industry at large.
While they are successful at increasing revenue in the short term, low-quality, pay-to-win games was one of the causes of the 1983 North American video game industry collapse as consumers turned away from digital games.
It is unsurprising then that the most vocal opponents of loot boxes in Star Wars Battlefront II are the series' most passionate fans.
A possible solution
In Australia, this may be a role for the Australian Classification Board, which could ensure that games that feature predatory gambling mechanics receive an R18+ rating.
Alternatively, Australia might want to look to China, which has taken a lead in regulating loot boxes.
Since May 1, digital game publishers have to reveal the win rates of loot boxes to give players more knowledge about what they are really paying for.
In either case, further research is needed to understand the impact that gambling mechanics in games — as well as gambling-play more broadly — have on young people's beliefs about gambling, as there is not yet a demonstrated link between gaming and gambling.
Marcus Carter is a lecturer in digital cultures at the University of Sydney.
Originally published in The Conversation


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ASOP Canada Statement on Proposed Regulations to Import Prescription Medicines from Canada
TORONTO December 18, 2019 – In response to today’s announcement by announcement by the Trump Administration and the proposed regulations to allow importation of prescription medicines, ASOP Canada issued the following statement:
“Canadians are sympathetic to the struggles that our American neighbours face in accessing affordable medicine, but importing prescription drugs from Canada is not a safe solution.
Our drug supply is meant for Canadian citizens, not a country with a population 10 times our size. Canada already faces shortages for a range of life-saving diabetes, cancer and other medicines. The proposed U.S. regulations to import prescription medicines from Canada will deepen our country’s drug shortage crisis and put the health of Canadian patients at serious risk.
As drug shortages intensify, ASOP Canada fears that importation of Health Canada-approved medication by the U.S. will potentially drive Canadian patients to look for medicine through unconventional sources, like unlicensed, illegal internet pharmacies that often distribute counterfeit, substandard or unapproved drugs.
These regulations threaten the safety of American patients as well. Criminal networks are already exploiting America’s struggle with high drug prices to peddle fake, substandard and unsafe drugs to patients Americans who unknowingly buy unsafe medicines from pharmacies posing as ‘Canadian’ online pharmacies. The imbalance of Canada’s safe drug supply versus an increase in demand due to importation will open up a lucrative new loophole for digital drug dealers to traffic dangerous – potentially deadly – counterfeit drugs into the United States.
U.S. proposals to import medicines from Canada are bad for both of our countries. We urge the Administration to find a safer solution to its drug pricing problem.
Over the past few months, together with 14 other organizations, ASOP Canada was proud to voice our concerns about U.S. drug importation proposals to Canada’s Health Minister[i] and Canada’s Prime Minister[ii]. We will continue to urge Canada’s government to take swift and urgent action to protect Canada’s drug supply in response to the U.S. Safe Importation Action Plan.”
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ASOP Canada Chapter is a program of the Alliance for Safe Online Pharmacies which is a U.S. nonprofit tax-exempt social welfare organization organized to promote global policies and programs for improved patient safety involving online distribution of pharmaceutical products. ASOP Canada Chapter is not a separate legal entity.


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The Dirty Internet
In the 21st century which is dominated and driven by the power of the internet, it is difficult to wrap one’s head around the massive toll that our online activities incur on the health of the Blue Planet. According to an estimate, the internet is expected to generate about 20% of the world’s carbon emissions by 2030, and all this will occur at a touch of a button!
It is the high time that each one of us analyse our online behaviour and do away with mindless internet searches, sending unnecessary ‘thank you’ emails and of course, binge-watching!
The internet has become a tool for sustainability. You don’t have to use tons of paper to note down information nor you have to keep driving to banks to carry out financial transactions. It is natural to feel that we are saving the environment by reducing our use of paper, however, this does not overshadow the fact that digital technologies account for more carbon emissions than the aerospace industry.
On a basic level, energy is needed to run the electronic devices as well as to store and share information. Data centres – which host servers that collect, store and process online information- consume a huge amount of energy and release heat that causes greenhouse effects. While many companies claim that they power their data centres using renewable energy, yet the dark reality remains that many of them are still running on energy generated by burning fossil fuels and hence, the pollution.
What’s more worrying is the need of these data centres to run 24 hours a day for people to access the internet at any time of the day. This means greater energy use, greater release of heat and therefore, greater pollution levels.
“One solution to reduce the heat dissipated by cloud data centers consists of powerful cooling systems, which in turn impact on electricity consumption” (Rossi, Xavier, De Rose, Calheiros, & Buyya. 2017). Given our inconspicuous consumption, it calls for an urgent change in the way we make use of the internet.
Here are some staggering figures –
- The carbon footprint of our gadgets, the internet and the systems supporting them account for about 3.7% of global greenhouse emissions, according to some estimates.
- As per the reports published by Shift Project, a French think-tank, watching online videos accounts for the biggest chunk of the world’s internet traffic – 60% – and generates 300m tonnes of carbon dioxide a year, which is roughly 1% of global emissions.
- Netflix’s global energy consumption increased by 84% in 2019 to a total of 451,000 megawatt hours – enough to power 40,000 average US homes for a year.
It is important to understand that our continuous browsing and gaming online can create carbon footprints. As rightly pointed out by Sharon George, a lecturer in environmental science at Keele University, “People can’t assume that just because something doesn’t have a physical format, that it’s got no carbon attached to it. There’s still electronic use, servers involved, and the digital world does still have a carbon footprint.”
While tech giants such as Microsoft, Apple and Google are harnessing solar, wind and geo-thermal power to run the data centres, and science has come up with feasible solutions to cool them down, much more needs to be done in this field. Sustainable solutions such as solar-powered websites, which use as little power as possible (like Kris De Decker’s Low-tech magazine), have shown the way forward in the direction to making the internet ‘cleaner’. However, these solutions are difficult and too expensive to be implemented by companies that are incorporated to make profits at any cost (read environmental cost).
The real change needs to come from the consumers themselves. It doesn’t mean that one has to stop streaming the online videos or writing emails. Rather, each one of us must be conscious of our data consumption. Unsubscribing from newsletters that you are no longer interested in, sending text messages instead of emails, swapping email attachments for links to documents and switching off the devices when not in use- these are some of the easiest ways to reduce your digital carbon footprint.
In totality, if consumers are expected to critically analyse their online presence and activities, multinationals too need to review their commitment towards making the internet ‘greener and cleaner’.
The Inequality Crisis
The world is clearly divided into ‘haves’ and ‘have nots’. We have been talking about approximately 4.1 billion people- which constitutes about 53.6% of the global population – who have very limited awareness of the detrimental impact of the internet on the ongoing climate crisis. Yet around half of the world’s population is still waiting for the day to understand what exactly is the internet and how is it used. With the advent of the internet, it was thought that a globalised world will create opportunities for all. However, only well-educated, economically stable, urban class has been in a better position to take advantage of the newer technologies. And the realisation that the internet can directly influence climate change might deepen this existing inequality. Gary Cook, an information technology expert at Greenpeace, argues that income inequalities are going to dictate the future of internet access. As the internet services are likely to become expensive due to investment in improving the existing infrastructures, only wealthier individuals will be able to support their internet-driven lifestyles. This aligns with the general consensus that climate change will worsen global economic inequality.
The pressing need of the hour is to draw the line – where to put an end to the useless internet consumption, where to quit the thought of exploiting nature and where to abandon the goals of profit maximisation. This itself will ultimately lead to a more equitable, happier, prosperous, sustainable world.


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Hershey shareholders sue for child labor records
The lawsuit claims the chocolate maker gets cocoa with help from forced West African workers.
A child having a little chocolate on the day after Halloween isn't out of the ordinary. That same child eating chocolate made with cocoa other children were forced to pick at gunpoint is just a bit more disconcerting.
The Louisiana Municipal Police Employee's Retirement System, which owns shares in Hershey (HSY), sued the company Thursday to prevent just such a scenario from unfolding. The pension fund's members want to access its corporate records to see if the company knowingly used cocoa harvested through unlawful or forced child labor by suppliers in the West African countries of Ghana and Ivory Coast.
"That one of the world’s leading confectioners -- whose primary market is children -- could exploit child laborers to meet its bottom line is an outrage," said Jay Eisenhofer, attorney for law firm Grant & Eisenhofer, who is representing the shareholders and filed the suit in Delaware Chancery Court. "Rather than open its records to scrutiny, Hershey over the past decade has thrown up multiple roadblocks to reasonable examination of its conduct regarding serious questions about illegal child slave labor and trafficking in its supply chain."
The complaint says that reports about the systemic use of child labor, forced labor and human trafficking on cocoa farms in West Africa caught the eye of the U.S. House of Representatives as early as 2001. The House passed a proposed amendment to the FDA and Related Agencies Appropriations Act that would require "slave-free" labeling for cocoa products.
Before that amendment could go to the Senate for a vote, the lawsuit notes that major cocoa producers -- including Hershey -- promised to solve the problem in-house without pressure from lawmakers. Those companies signed the Harkin-Engel Protocol to eliminate illegal child labor in high cocoa-producing countries in West Africa, but the lawsuit contends there is ample evidence that the companies failed to comply with its terms.
So why single out Hershey? For one, it's America's largest chocolate producer, with more than $6 billion in sales. For another, company founder Milton Hershey built his company's reputation on philanthropy and a commitment to consumers, community and children. Lastly, Hershey may have gotten off lightly if it wasn't for statements made by the company in early October.
Hershey said it planned to use 100% "certified cocoa" in its products by 2020. That certified cocoa is grown under the auspices of independent auditors according to international labor, environmental and farming standards. Though that cocoa currently accounts for less than 5% of the world's supply, Hershey said at the time that increasing it could have a big impact on a region in which 70% of the world's cocoa is grown.
"Consistent with Hershey’s values, we are directly addressing the economic and social issues that impact West Africa’s two million cocoa farmers and families," Hershey chief executive J.P. Bilbrey said in a press release.
The company already began using certified cocoa in its Bliss line of chocolates earlier this year, but not without pressure from an activist collective called Raise The Bar. But shareholders think something about that move stinks, and not with the faint chocolate scent that wafts through the streets of Hershey, Pa. The lawsuit claims that the protocol Hershey signed in 2001 required it and other chocolate makers to put in place industry-wide standards preventing the use of child labor by 2005.
Not only does Hershey's latest announcement move the bar, the complaint claims, but it ignores a 2011 study by completed Tulane University Law School through a grant from the U.S. Department of Labor that found a majority of cocoa farmers and related suppliers in Ghana and the Ivory Coast employing children are placing them in hazardous illegal work conditions. That same year, the complaint says, Hershey's Corporate Social Responsibility Report included Ghana and the Ivory Coast as "major sourcing countries."
"The fact that Hershey cannot commit to using 'certified' cocoa until 2020 -- 19 years after signing the Harkin-Engel Protocol -- is tantamount to an admission that it currently doesn’t use certified' cocoa, and is in violation of the law," Eisenhofer says.
Hershey spokeswoman Leigh Horner didn't immediately return a phone call seeking comment.
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Milton Hershey would be spinning in his grave!!!! This is what happens when a private company goes corporate. Milton Hershey and his wife had no children, no heirs. Their employees were their family. They built an entire community for them, sustained them through the depression paying off their mortgages and keeping them from foreclosure. Every man that returned from WWII had a job, His community wanted for nothing. He built a hospital, schools, a college and
orphans homes for boys and girls.
This makes me sick. This is heartbreeaking. How is it that a bunch a corporate douchebags can
move completely away from the founder's beliefs and business plan?
Hershey exploiting children?
The prime beneficary and stockholder of The Hershey Company is the Milton Hershey School. Check it out. It provides a fairytale dream to about 1,800 underprivelged kids. I consume Hershey products without any guilt whatsoever because because I know it supports a good cause.
The people who are directly responsible for any West African child exploitation are the governments of West African countries and the coccoa growers there. Not Hershey.
How does health of the chocolate industry laborers compare with those working in the sugar harvesting industry in Central and South American?
What happened to the stories that Hershey would start manufacturing chocolate candies in Mexico?
Money versus children. Hershey will phase out of the child-slavery business by 2020? How forward thinking of them.
If you are a Hershey exec, and if this thing is true, end it now and charge 50 cents more for a candy bar. Put a label on the bar that it was produced without child slavery. I'll buy THAT candy bar every time. Unless you lie about that too.
I don't believe posts, the news, Twitter, Facebook, the New York Post or Fox News or MSNBC. I beieve in actions.
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BASIC and PRO Masks are back in stock in the USA
Orders from this site will be fulfilled by our USA warehouse.
We are pleased to announce that our UK and USA stores have been re-stocked, ready to ship directly to you, as follows:
BASIC masks and Admiral PRO are now available in our USA store us.cambridgemask.com
Masks shipped from the United States
PRO masks are now available in our UK & Worldwide store cambridgemask.com
Masks shipped from the United Kingdom
Full range of PRO masks is available in our UK & Worldwide store and shipped from the United Kingdom.
BASIC masks and Admiral PRO is now available in our USA store and shipped from the United States. The full range for PRO masks will arrive around late–September.
Delivery times are currently affected by Covid-19. Please allow 7-10 business days to receive your mask.


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Mentioned in this articleTeams:Games:
- The Rainbow Six Pro League has extended its deal with peripheral maker HyperX through Aug. 2019.
- HyperX remains the exclusive mouse, keyboard, and internals sponsor for the league.
- The extension will see HyperX sponsor online seasons as well as two Majors.
Game developer Ubisoft has extended its sponsorship deal with peripheral manufacturer HyperX for the Rainbow Six Pro League through August 2019, and expanded on the scope of the previous deal’s activation.
The extension will see HyperX sponsor the Pro League online seasons, the Worldwide Finals, and the game’s next two Major events—Six Invitational 2019 and next year’s Six Major.
HyperX has been involved with the title’s gaming community since 2016 and signed on to be the exclusive headset provider for Rainbow Six Siege 2018 Major events earlier this year. The brand stayed on as a sponsor as Ubisoft moved Rainbow Six esports to a league format, following the likes of the Overwatch League .
Related Article: PGL Adds SAP as Analytics Partner For Kuala Lumpur Major
“We have been working with HyperX since the beginning of the Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six esports scene,” said Geoffroy Sardin, vice president sales & marketing at Ubisoft. “It’s only logical and with great pleasure that we extend our partnership to the year to come.”
In May Ubisoft added PC hardware company Lenovo as the PC sponsor for the ESL -run league, providing Legion computers and monitors.
HyperX is one of the most active sponsors in gaming, with ambassadors ranging from rapper Post Malone to soccer star Dele Alli. The headset maker also signed recent deals with FACEIT and the NBA 2K League’s Magic Gaming.


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Is Adobe facing its Sony rootkit moment?
Snowden gets PLA 61398 off the hook, but it's now hacking harder than ever
Sckipio's new chipset promised to deliver over 250m cables
ISP says it's apologized but mystery remains
So hurry up and get a new one, will all of you who took exams for 10g and lower?
They took my phone and made a fake profile, she alleges
CommentWhy overlapping kit from a merger equals a disaster in waiting
Biz rumour bods peer through a sapphire glass, darkly
Says attackers may only exploit ICS hooks during WAR
BreakpointResearchers hit Tor, find sophisticated self-regulating market
Avian network wants to report snooping requests that haven't happened
Decisions come down on .osaka, .hotel, .music, .taxi, .tennis and more
An end to green and red monotony
Now, about that consumer AV 'protection'...
Worstall on Wednesday... and here's why
I am made all things to all men
Intros high-speed in-memory tool
VideoBanks, lock down your cash machines
+CommentDemands ultimate control over fake IDs
Users quick to have their say in Redmond's early feedback app
UpdatedUse YouView? YouJoking?
Logicalis binned 7 years after setting up and running contract
Everyone spies but 'someone has to lead' – Keith Alexander
IP Expo'The idea that privacy is dead is hopelessly sad'
ReviewAnything to declare?
Pricey watch glass could still make an iStuff appearance...
CommentBillion dollar shareholder ups the EMC ante
Open up, write game, play game. Simples!
That's Professor Doktor Hell, to you
Ofcom punishes mobe operator for giving up on whingers
Safer cloudy stuff for ALL. Except non-Sophos customers
Podcast...well, not exactly. Live from Spiceworld
Rubbishes recent biz bod report on counterfeiting and piracy
Former DCC ops chief looking to cloud, HANA to push sales
US giant refused to scrub links to our past, complainers tell privacy watchdog
That's $105 million to you and me – or 41.1 hours of operating income for telco giant
InterviewLife after Dell sale
Prosecutors in Silk Road raid trial: If you're outside the US, you're fair game for hacking
No release date for curriculm review means computing course remains in limbo
*Unless cloud is insecure, expensive or can't do the job
More gadgets to get C# apps running on Android, iOS, OS X
Read to ride into sunset by end of 2014
We'll find out on October 16


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The Future of the Automobile Industry
While Elon Musk is perhaps most famous for his innovative forays into the electric car industry via Tesla Motors, Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA), the technologies that power his company’s automobiles rely on the far more traditional market for metals. That is, without a steady supply of lithium — the metal that is absolutely essential to the lithium-ion batteries used in Tesla cars — Tesla production would suffer enormously. Acting accordingly, Musk and Tesla motors have invested heavily in lithium markets in an effort to shore up a constant supply of this metal for their products. Indeed, Musk has gone so far as to predict that his factories (such as the currently under construction ‘Gigafactory’) will someday be producing as many lithium-ion batteries as the rest of the world’s output, combined. While Tesla may be at the forefront of the electric car industry in the United States at the moment, the rest of the market has begun to take notice. Ever-increasing demand from the auto industry, even from automobile makers that have historically shied away from electric vehicles, has meant that the industry’s demand for lithium is beginning to outpace supply. In just the first quarter of this year, prices for lithium were up 47% from the average price in 2015. Tesla’s competitors, such as the Warren Buffett-backed company Build Your Dreams (BYD) in China, are surely making their own moves on the market for lithium. As such, one can expect global competition for lithium to only increase in the years to come.
What Does Lithium Mean to Investors?
With all of this in mind, investors may wonder whether they ought to themselves take a closer look at the lithium market. There are a few promising signs indicating that those who are willing to take the time to understand the market for this metal could reap considerable rewards. For one thing, there is enormous potential for growth for those companies producing electric cars. Completely electric cars account for less than 1% of all vehicles being driven worldwide. Given the promising early returns by companies such as Tesla, one can expect this market share to drastically increase in coming years. With any commodity such as lithium, of course, one is right to be concerned about the emergence of a replacement. Essentially, should investors worry about moving towards lithium when a scientific development could mean that the metal would lose the high demand it is currently enjoying? The good news for the moment is that in this particular sector, there is no sense at the moment of lithium falling out of style. While the structure of lithium batteries is being continuously improved in order to maximize efficiency, such as certain prototypes that use a mix of lithium and oxygen instead of lithium ions, lithium itself is very much still an integral part of of electric vehicle technology.
In sum, then, it is clear that Tesla investment in lithium is based on its importance for the burgeoning electric car industry, and it does not appear that demand for the metal will fade for this metal any time soon. In fact, the demand for lithium may not even remain limited to growth in the electric car sector: Tesla motors has also begun research on energy storage for personal homes using lithium batteries, dubbed the “Powerwall.” With enough research into the field, the likelihood of lithium being an increasingly important metal for these high-growth sectors means that it is most likely a worthy investment.


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Consumer confidence records best eight months in past decade
July 31, 2015
ANN ARBOR—Consumer confidence slipped a bit in July 2015, according to the University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers. Nonetheless, the data provide no indication of a break in the prevailing positive trend.
Indeed, the Sentiment Index has averaged 94.5 since December 2014, the highest eight-month average since 2004, according to U-M economist Richard Curtin, who directs the surveys.
Conducted by the U-M Institute for Social Research since 1946, the surveys monitor consumer attitudes and expectations. The data are available non-exclusively via Bloomberg.
Although one in 10 consumers, when asked to identify any recent economic developments they had heard, referred negatively to Greece, the Chinese economy and the Trans-Pacific Partnership on trade, it had virtually no impact on the Sentiment Index. The maintenance of confidence at high levels during the past eight months has been mainly due to modestly positive news on jobs and wages, Curtin said.
“Who could be surprised by a September hike in interest rates? A decade ago, the last time the Fed began a long series of interest rate hikes, an all-time record number of consumers anticipated the Fed action a full month prior to the Fed’s hike,” Curtin said. “At present, only a bare majority anticipate a rate increase in the months ahead.
Perhaps the repeated cries of the interest rate wolves have benumbed consumers to warnings of impending hikes, he said. Surprise hikes are associated with larger initial impacts on spending, exactly what the Fed would like to avoid. More must be done to communicate that a rate hike is highly likely before the actual announcement.”
Strong Economic Growth Expected
A disappointing pace of economic growth was the main reason for the small decline in consumer confidence, Curtin said. Importantly, consumers still anticipate that the expansion will continue. While expected changes in unemployment have been trendless at positive levels in the past year, the July survey was the first since last September that consumers on balance expected no significant change in the rate of joblessness during the year ahead.
Personal Finances Improve
Slowly improving finances were anticipated for the year ahead, an expectation that has remained largely unchanged in the past six months. Across all households, a median income increase of 1.8 percent was expected, the highest level since January’s 1.9 percent and well above last July’s 0.6 percent. Inflation-adjusted income expectations improved slightly, although four in 10 consumers still expected real income declines. Just three in 10 thought their chances were better than 50 percent to achieve inflation-adjusted income gains over the next five years.
Consumer Sentiment Index
The Sentiment Index was 93.1 in the July 2015 survey, down from 96.1 in June, but significantly above last July’s 81.8. During the past eight months, the average level of the Sentiment Index was higher for a longer period than at any other time since 2004. The Current Conditions Index was 107.2 in July, just below June’s 108.9, but well above last July’s 97.4. While the Expectations Index slipped to 84.1 in July from June’s 87.8, it nonetheless remained significantly above last July’s reading of 71.8.
About the Surveys
The Surveys of Consumers is a rotating panel survey based on a nationally representative sample that gives each household in the coterminous U.S. an equal probability of being selected. Interviews are conducted throughout the month by telephone. The minimum monthly change required for significance at the 95-percent level in the Sentiment Index is 4.8 points; for Current and Expectations Indices the minimum is 6 points.


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RIM launches BES 10 with Android and iOS support
Smartphone maker announces availability of mobile device and application management service.
Research In Motion's (RIM) new BlackBerry 10 (BB10) mobile device management service is now available to download.
The firm's new BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 can be used to manage the firm's range of tablets and smartphones, including its highly anticipated BB10 device, as well as Android and iOS devices.
BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10provides business and IT leaders with the confidence that corporate data is protected.
The product is aimed at enterprise users and will allow firms to manage the devices and applications employees use, and provide users with secure access to corporate data.
It features a web-based admin console, which IT staff can use to manage their company's plethora of devices, and supports the use of BlackBerry's BYOD-friendly Balance technology.
The latter is being touted by RIM as one of the standout features of the forthcoming BB10 device, which will launch on 30 January, and allows business users to keep their personal and corporate data separate on a single device.
Peter Devenyi, senior vice president of enterprise software at RIM, said: "BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10provides business and IT leaders with the confidence that corporate data is protected and the manageability that CIOs and IT departments have long enjoyed with BlackBerry."
The offering is available to download now or as a limited 60 day free trial, while existing BlackBerry users can upgrade for free through the firm's BlackBerry 10 Ready Programme.
Nick McQuire, research director for mobile enterprise strategies for EMEA at IDC, said the service offers some important operational improvements for BlackBerry's existing user base.
"We believe RIM is poised to capitalise on its strong history in delivering reliable, scalable and secure mobile enterprise management solutions to help organisations address an increasingly diverse mobile environment," he added.
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WMMB debuts new cheese-focused recipes and tips in latest issue of Grate. Pair. Share.
Madison, Wis. – The new Harvest issue of Grate. Pair. Share., an online magazine from the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board (WMMB), is filled with ways to celebrate the harvest season with Wisconsin cheese. Whether it’s football game day with fellow fans, Thanksgiving dinner with the family or just pizza night at home with friends, every gathering feels like a celebration when Wisconsin cheese is on the table.
In honor of National Pizza Month in October, the issue is packed with recipes, tips and more for pizza lovers, including a tour of Wisconsin’s pizza farms. Learn to make homemade cheese blends and pair them with perfect toppings, and get tips and recipes for the ultimate at-home pizza party from blogger Jonathan Melendez of The Candid Appetite.
This issue also celebrates the beloved tailgating traditions of the fall season. Fans of every team can all agree on an epic tailgate spread packed with Wisconsin cheese and hearty pairings, as well as a Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Dip and Bacon Sriracha Football Cheese Ball.
“We’re thrilled to bring some of our favorite seasonal Wisconsin traditions to people across the country with everyone’s favorite ingredient – Wisconsin cheese,” said Suzanne Fanning, WMMB Vice President, Marketing Communications. “The mouth-watering recipes and videos in this issue will take you from tailgate to Halloween to Thanksgiving and beyond.”
When it comes to Thanksgiving, it’s never too early to start planning the menu. The Harvest issue of Grate. Pair. Share. also includes innovative, cheese-filled recipes and accompanying videos from WMMB’s Wisconsin To Table video series for Thanksgiving sides like Kale Gratin Stuffed Squash and Roasted Squash Salad. And save plenty of room for desserts with recipes for Caramel Pecan Tarts with Parmesan Walnut Crust, Spice Cake Roulade with Mascarpone Cream Cheese Frosting, and a Pumpkin Ricotta Cheesecake with Caramel Corn Topping.
Download the Harvest Issue of Grate. Pair. Share. and watch the latest videos from the Wisconsin To Table video series at GratePairShare.com.


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The commercial market as we knew it has changed completely. The increase in the price of goods is already here, including basic commodities such as wheat, cocoa and sugar. The world has not yet had time to learn about the effects on the market in the wake of COVID-19, and now it is being upended again by war in Europe.
The COVID-19 crisis and the war in Europe are “black swan” events that could not have been anticipated or prepared for. It is also too early to estimate the extent of the damage they have created, but it can already be understood that it is on an inconceivable scale.
Additional crises are already unfolding before us, including climate change, political conflicts and natural resources that are becoming rare. Accordingly, the traditional trade routes on which Israel has relied for years are no longer sufficient to give the country the security we need.
Israel is almost completely dependent on external resources, and the vast majority of raw materials and food products are imported from outside. The functioning of the economy and the survival of the public depend almost entirely on imports. Wheat is just one burning example that was impacted severely by the war in Ukraine.
Israeli exports in the field of agriculture also have been affected. For example, potatoes, carrots and radishes, which are usually shipped at this time of year to Russia and Ukraine, should be shifted to other alternative markets and countries, which is challenging and requires many changes and sometimes different regulations and taxes.
Following the crisis in cement and iron, which will further increase housing prices, a crisis in the supply of basic commodities that are consumed on a daily basis, such as wheat, means we may face periodic shortages of certain commodities and products in view of the longer transportation times and costs.
To avoid this situation, Israel must stop relying on traditional trade routes and quickly create routes for other perishable agricultural products in alternative markets.
Countries in South America, such as Brazil and Argentina, have not been a source of trade for Israel to date. The distance and shipping from these places increases the cost of goods significantly, compared with Eastern Europe. But we are in a position where we have no choice. We must also turn to the more distant markets and understand that South America can serve as Israel’s new “granary.”
The war is also affecting marine insurance rates in the Black Sea region, which have jumped by hundreds of percent. In addition, with rising fuel prices, which have been steadily increasing since the outbreak of the war, the cost of land, sea and air transportation will continue to rise in the foreseeable future.
If there is one thing that is certain today in the world of shipping and forwarding, it is that there is no certainty. There is a constant shortage of ships and shortage of space in ships, a shortage of containers and other problems that arise every day.
Israel must adapt itself to a world that is changing on a daily basis. Therefore, we must purchase from new markets as long as they are available. The supply is limited, and we cannot know whether the alternative market will still be an option tomorrow.
Israel must think outside the box and prepare for more shortages of raw materials and basic commodities. It must immediately check out the possible new routes for dispatch by air, sea and land and the existing alternatives, sooner rather than later.
The writer is CEO of Allalouf Shipping and Allalouf Logistics.


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Flour Mills of Nigeria (FMN) on Monday said it has signed an agreement to acquire 71.69per cent in Honeywell Group’s portfolio company, Honeywell Flour Mills Plc (HFMP).
The two flour processing companies in a joint statement noted that the transaction aimed to create a strong national champion for Nigeria to further enhance food security.
The statement stressed that Honeywell Group Limited has agreed to sell 71.69per cent stake or deal worth N80 billion in Honeywell Flour Mills to Flour Mills of Nigeria Plc.
The statement said: “For the proposed combination of FMN through its affiliates and Honeywell Flour Mills Plc. (HFMP), a portfolio company of HGL. At a total enterprise value of N80 billion, HGL will dispose of a 71.69per cent stake in HFMP to FMN.”
The statement noted that the proposed combination is subject to approval from the appropriate regulators.
Other highlights of the proposed transaction include:
“The final equity price per share payable will be determined based on HFMP’s adjusted net debt and net working capital at the date of completion.
“The complementary transaction combines FMN’s market-leading offerings that include grain-based foods, sugar, starches, oils, spreads and breakfast cereals with HFMP’s market leading diverse and differentiated range of carbohydrate products.
“Stakeholders would benefit from the more than 85-year combined track record of FMN and HFMP and their shared goal of making affordable and nutritious food available to Nigeria’s population.
“The scale of the transaction provides employees of the consolidated company with more career development opportunities in a larger organisation, with the potential to create more jobs in the economy as it will have more brands and categories, and a larger and more geographically diverse footprint.
“Nigeria presents vast opportunities, particularly in light of the country being the largest market on the continent as well as a signatory of AfCFTA.
“HFMP’s listing will be retained for the foreseeable future. Minority shareholders of HFMP will be treated fairly and in line with capital market regulation. Further information will be provided within the required channels and timeframes.”
Honeywell Group Limited Managing Director, Obafemi Otudeko in a statement said: “Today’s announcement is in line with the evolution of Honeywell Group and our vision of creating value that transcends generations.
“For over two decades, we have supported Honeywell Flour Mills to build a strong business with a production capacity of 835,000 metric tonnes of food per annum. Following the transaction, Honeywell Group will be strongly positioned to consolidate and expand its investment activities, including as a partner of choice for investors in key growth sectors.”
Commenting also on transaction, Group Managing Director of Flour Mills of Nigeria, Omoboyede Olusanya in a statement said: “The proposed transaction is aligned with our vision not only to be an industry leader but a national champion for Nigeria.
“We believe that this will create an opportunity to combine the unique talents of two robust businesses. As a result, we will have a better-rounded and more comprehensive skill set available to us as a combined diversified food business, thus enabling us to better serve our consumers, customers and other stakeholders, whilst providing employees with access to broader opportunities.”


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Apple Pay and Google Pay are suspending support for contactless mobile payments made using Mir cards issued by Russia’s National Payment Card System (NSPK).
“Apple has informed NSPK that it is suspending support for Mir cards in the Apple Pay payment service. Since March 24, loading new Mir cards into the service has become unavailable. Previously downloaded cards will be stopped by Apple within the next few days,” the NSPK says.
Google has also suspended a pilot announced in October 2021 enabling consumers to use Mir cards with Google Pay, a “person familiar with the matter” has told the Wall Street Journal.
“Google Pay users in Russia experienced disruptions after Visa and Mastercard suspended services in the country. The US card networks said in early March that they were leaving the country amid a broad pullout of Western companies,” the WSJ reports.
“‘Google Pay is pausing payments-related services in Russia as a result of payment services disruption out of our control,’ a Google spokeswoman said.
“Russians’ debit and credit cards have continued to work for transactions in the country, even for cards branded with Visa and Mastercard logos, because such transactions are processed through NSPK’s system under an arrangement dating back to 2015.”
Visa, Mastercard and American Express all confirmed that they were suspending their services in Russia, and cards issued by six sanctioned Russian banks ceased to be available for use with Apple Pay and Google Pay following the country’s invasion of Ukraine in February.
The Mir payments system added support for Apple Pay in April 2021.


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In response to the staggering rise in shoplifting across the West of England, Mayor Dan Norris is introducing “Safer Shops West”, supporting local stores to install much-needed security measures.
The Mayor will make the announcement at an event in London on cutting crime and making Britain's streets safer tomorrow. According to ONS data, Avon and Somerset has seen a 41% increase in shoplifting this year.
Shoplifting costs Bath and North East Somerset dear, with retailers losing cash, forcing them to raise prices at a time when locals are already struggling with rising bills in the cost-of-living crisis.
Shops are also seeing a rise in attacks on workers. Shoplifting is the main trigger for violence and abuse suffered by retail workers according to trade union USDAW.
“Safer Shops West” will allow independent shops to receive £2,000 towards the costs of security measures such as CCTV, screens, body cams and hand-held radios. While many national chains have increased security spend, on average, the installation of essential security measures costs independent retailers over £4,500 - an expenditure that is very challenging for many.
West of England Mayor Dan Norris said: “I have been shocked by what shopkeepers have been telling me. I knew I had to act. There is a daily battle going on with shoplifters with brazen thieves swiping high value goods off shelves.
"This level of out-of-control crime is unsustainable and risks some communities losing local stores.”
Welcoming the move, James Lowman, Chief Executive of the Association of Convenience Stores, said: “Independent convenience store retailers and their colleagues are too often the victims of shop theft and violent crime. Convenience stores across the UK invested £228m in crime prevention measures last year, but much of this would have been made by larger businesses. This funding will help small businesses to make their stores less attractive to criminals and safer for retailers and their colleagues.
"We strongly encourage retailers to apply for these West of England Mayoral Combined Authority grants to fund the right security measures for their store, and we have free guidance to help them to identify the most effective use of these funds.”
Mike Walker – Usdaw Regional Secretary for the South West, added: “There is a retail crime crisis, with Avon and Somerset suffering a 41% increase in police recorded incidents of shoplifting. Theft from shops has effectively been decriminalised.
“We welcome local initiatives to tackle this growing shoplifting epidemic and the action Dan Norris is taking as the West of England Mayor by introducing the ‘Safer Shops West’ initiative is much needed."


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A new Sonic Drive-In restaurant opened on Thursday in Ellicott City, Howard County's first.
It's been a long time in the making, but on Thursday, Howard Countians were finally able to drive up for a burger and shake at the first-ever Sonic restaurant in the county, on Baltimore National Pike in Ellicott City.
"We're very excited," David Crocetti, who owns the Ellicott City franchise with business partner Sean Martin, said before a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new restaurant. "We finally did it!"
Plans to open a Sonic in Ellicott City were first floated about two years ago, according to Crocetti, but "new development is a long process and of course you hit a few delays along the way."
After some help from Councilmember Courtney Watson, who represents the district and is a neighbor of Crocetti's, he was able to find a landlord and move forward with building the popular fast food joint.
The Ellicott City location, which opened for lunch at noon on Thursday, is one of just a handful of Sonic restaurants to have an indoor seating area, which can accommodate up to 50 people, in addition to a patio, drive-thru and 10 car stalls for drive-up service.
Crocetti said the indoor seating format would be the trend as the chain expands north along the east coast, where harsher weather necessitates other dining options.
Unlike at some Sonic locations, servers won't skate out to deliver food to waiting cars: the drive-in is close enough to the restaurant that they're not necessary, according to Crocetti.
Ellicott City's Sonic is one of just eight locations for the franchise in Maryland, according to the chain's website. The next closest spot to get a Footlong Quarter Pound Coney (hot dog) or Sonic Blast (ice cream) is in Baltimore, on Liberty Road.
This isn't Crocetti's first Sonic franchise -- he owns three others, in Randallstown, Baltimore and Edgewater. But it's the first that will be only a short drive from home.
The Ellicott City resident said he's seen a lot of enthusiasm for the restaurant so far from the community: "We have people who have literally driven over cones, parked at a menu screen that's not on, then walked inside and tried to order. People have been overwhelmingly excited."
Howard County Times: Top stories Newsletter
Daily highlights from Howard County's number one source for local news.
Crocetti also tries to give back to the communities where his Sonic franchises are located: every time he opens a new one, he said, the restaurant donates money to a local organization. At the Ellicott City grand opening, he presented a check for $2,014 to Jennifer Pollitt Hill, the executive director of HopeWorks, Howard County's sexual assault and domestic violence center.
Sonic is just one in a wave of new businesses opening along the Route 40 corridor near the Enchanted Forest Shopping Center. Right next door, a Goodwill thrift store opened a week ago. Down the street, beloved ice cream shop Soft Stuff reopened in August, and more new businesses, including a Glory Days Grill and Walgreens pharmacy are on their way.
Howard County Economic Development Authority CEO Lawrence Twele called the influx of new businesses "a testament to the market's confidence in this area.
"What we're seeing is a revitalization, a reinvestment -- brand-new building, great restaurant providing new jobs to the area. But it is part of a larger picture," Twele said. The new restaurant is expected to create between 75 and 80 new jobs.
Thursday, the scene at the fast food restaurant was vibrant enough: customers formed a line that wound its way around the restaurant and outside, cars filled the drive-up spots.


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iTunes 11 + late October release = rumored Pandora-like radio?
Every year when Apple releases new iPods in September, the company also updates it’s iTunes software. Generally each year iTunes receivers a full version bump (iTunes 9 to iTunes 10 for example). These full version updates generally add user interface changes and features like iTunes LP, Ping, Home Sharing, and so on.
At Apple’s September 12 event, the company announced iTunes 11 in addition to the new iPhone 5, iPods and EarPods. If Apple was sticking to tradition, iTunes 11 would have been released last Wednesday. It wasn’t. Instead, we got a point update to iTunes 10 in the form of iTunes 10.7 that added support for the new iPod models.
I find the late October release intriguing for a few reasons:
1. The software should have been close to being finished for a while.
Apple’s last major update to iTunes was version 10 in September 2010. We never got a major update in 2011 at the annual music event.
2. Apple is rumored to introduce a Pandora-like radio service.
Within the last week heading up to the September 12 event, claims of Apple introducing a Pandora-like radio service in iTunes emerged. And they gained traction rather quickly. This rumored Pandora-like radio service was not unveiled or demoed at the event, even though iTunes 11 did get a live demo.
3. Apple sometimes releases iTunes beta version to developers.
Last Wednesday developers were given access to the iOS 6 GM. Many times in the past, Apple would release iTunes beta builds to developers to make sure all the new advertised features or functionality worked. Apple did not issue a beta build of iTunes 11 and it looks like everyone will get their hands on it at the same time, come late October.
4. The iTunes 11 user interface.
The radio has always been a feature Apple never put much effort into. It was under the library menu and usually consisted of low bit-rate streams from some well known and not so well-known radio stations around the world. Users could also add their own stations using a special URL. This is how the radio feature is going to be treated in iTunes 11:
The radio is front and center in the screen shots provided by Apple.
It seems odd to me why the lackluster radio in iTunes would now be classified under the music menu instead of it’s own library menu. This is the first version of iTunes to have a radically different UI compared to prior version dating back to 2003 with the introduction of the iTunes store. Could the late October launch with no beta build be an indication that this radio could be the Pandora-like radio we are all expecting? Maybe Apple is trying to rush licensing deals before the end of October so this radio service can become a reality. Apple may not have demoed and promised the radio on stage if they thought they couldn’t get the licensing in time for an October launch. If it was not for this rumored service, I don’t see why iTunes 11 couldn’t have been released last Wednesday since we’ve had iTunes 10 since 2010.


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Some of Silicon Valley’s leading venture capital funds, together with blockchain and entertainment-industry professionals, are getting behind Tari, a new open source blockchain protocol that promises to allow people to easily manage e-tickets and other digital assets.
According to an announcement on Wednesday, Tari will provide a platform for businesses and consumers to manage, use and transfer digital assets with more flexibility.
Tari’s founders are: Riccardo “fluffypony” Spagni, lead maintainer of the Monero cryptocurrency; Naveen Jain, a serial entertainment industry entrepreneur, and Dan Teree, co-founder of Ticketfly.
The Tari protocol will be built on top of Monero. Spagni told Bitcoinmagazine that it will be a merged-mined sidechain of Monero. Merged-mining allows for two cryptocurrencies to be mined simultaneously based on the same algorithm.
Tari’s announcement explained that businesses currently set highly restrictive rules governing how digital assets, such as event tickets, in-game items, virtual currencies, and loyalty points can be used. This is done in the interest of addressing their inability to sufficiently control assets after distribution, coupled with the need for identity verification and counterfeit prevention.
“However, in our digital world, these restrictions are unduly limiting for both businesses and consumers, making it costly, difficult, or impossible for digital assets to be resold or transferred,” the announcement stated. “For businesses, this means missing out on the tens of billions of dollars generated each year from secondary resale and trading of the digital goods they issue. For consumers, this means never having true ownership of their digital assets, despite having earned or paid for them.”
According to the announcement, aside from the founders, those involved with the project include John Pleasants, the former CEO of Ticketmaster and the venture firms Redpoint, Trinity Ventures, Canaan Partners, Slow Ventures, Aspect Ventures, DRW Ventures, Blockchain Capital, Pantera, and Multicoin Capital.
“Tari’s digital assets protocol can help all parties in the entertainment industry recover billions in lost revenue by better enabling how tickets are sold and re-sold,” said Mr. Pleasants. “From a gaming perspective, the ability to buy and sell virtual goods on a distributed system across different platforms can greatly improve both monetization for publishers and the overall consumer experience. It’s a way of facilitating legitimate free trade across many industries.”


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CONFECTIONERY maker Delfi posted a 19.4 per cent jump in net profit to US$6.1 million for the second quarter in line with higher sales.
Delfi proposed an interim dividend of 1.73 Singapore cents per share, up from 1.47 Singapore cents in the previous year.


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The Delhi government is working on setting up a web page – and considering the creation of a mobile phone app – to enable home alcohol delivery in the capital, to reduce the massive crowds outside the limited number of liquor stores open. With the lockdowns reduced earlier this week, people began to crowd the few liquor stores that were open.
âWe are in the process of drafting a standard operating protocol. So far, the excise department has had three meetings on this subject with the chief secretary and at least one with the finance minister (Manish Sisodia), âa senior government official said on Friday.
Another senior government official said: âThe web link is in the works, but the app will need several technological changes. So we need more time. The process should also include a link to a reliable payment gateway. The government plans to launch the link by Monday.
The Supreme Court observed on Friday that states should consider the indirect sale of alcohol, either online or through the door-to-door delivery mechanism to ensure that social distancing standards are not violated. So far, several states, including Punjab, Chhattisgarh and West Bengal, have started the process of authorizing home alcohol delivery.
Currently, Union Home Affairs guidelines state that e-commerce delivery of goods is limited to essentials (which do not include alcoholic beverages) in red zones (Delhi’s 11 districts are red areas). In addition, the Delhi Excise Act 2009 prohibits the buying and selling of alcohol online.
“However, a temporary provision can still be made under other laws, such as the Disaster Management Law,” the official said.
The Delhi government also rolled out a web link on Friday with which it began issuing electronic tokens, specifying stores and hours, for residents to avoid crowds outside stores and buy alcohol during the allotted time slots.
“Anyone can request an e-token via the link ‘https://www.qtoken.in/’. Their name and phone number will be required when requesting. The e-coupon will be sent to the mobile number. With this electronic token, the person will be allowed to buy alcohol in the nearby store, âsaid a statement released by the government.
Getting the tokens through the web link on Saturday was a distant dream for most people, however, with the page constantly reporting a “server error.” There were also issues in the back-end, due to which, said a senior government official, the excise department could not summarize data on the total number of e-coupons issued on the first day.
Government officials argued that it was because of too much traffic on the page and that the problem would be resolved at the earliest. Excise Commissioner Ravi Dhawan did not respond to phone calls and messages to comment on the matter.
Delhi has 864 liquor stores, of which only 172 have been approved to open so far, as they are “stand-alone stores” meaning that they are not located in markets, malls and commercial spaces, which central government directives prohibit for the red neighborhoods in the area.
The government is open to the idea of ââallowing private liquor stores to operate as well, but a survey by municipal corporations has shown that only 30 of them across the city are considered “stand-alone” stores. .


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New Year, new Mobot, and that means more of everything: mobile news, mobile phone deals, tablet deals, accessory deals, app deals, free apps, discount codes, features… Until I die of exhaustion. Obituary: He sure wrote a lot of stuff.
This week encompassed that weird no man’s land between Christmas and New Year, but there were one or two newsy highlights.
We’re expecting a brand new wave of Android flagships from the big manufacturers, including the HTC Hima and Samsung Galaxy S6, and while it’s probably too early for the LG G4, the LG G Flex 2 was rumoured for an appearance at CES 2015 next week.
Other rumoured phones included the Samsung Galaxy A7 (an integral cog in Samsung's post-Alpha plans), a trio of new Xiaomi handsets from the world's number three manufacturer, the Microsoft don't-say-Nokia Lumia 1330, and the Apple Phone 6s mini.
In other news, a touch-optimised version of Microsoft Office for Windows Phone is seemingly coming soon (we should know more by mid-February, if not sooner), and The Interview (with Seth Rogen and James Franco) predictably made a fair few bucks online after all the recent furore concerning its supposed lack of release.
Again, next week means CES 2015 in Las Vegas. The conference officially opens its doors on Tuesday, January 6, and we’re expecting to meet new wares from the likes of Samsung, LG, Sony and HTC, among others.
Until then, here’s last week’s mobile news in full:
- HTC Hima tipped for CES 2015 launch alongside leaked render (8)
- Galaxy Alpha reportedly canned as Samsung focuses on affordable Galaxy A series (7)
- HTC Hima specs: 5in 1080p display, not QHD after all? (7)
- Galaxy A7: Samsung’s thinnest ever smartphone launching January 14?
- The Interview: Google Play’s top-selling movie of 2014 (1)
- Three new Xiaomi phones coming soon: Xiaomi Mi5, Redmi 1S Dual 4G, Redmi Note 2 (1)
- LG G Flex 2 specs: pretty good (1)
- Microsoft Lumia 1330 shell leaks ahead of possible MWC launch
- Joe Belfiore: we haven’t forgotten about Office for Windows Phone (1)
- Evidence mounts for iPhone 6s mini


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As the characteristic pillar industry, mushroom industry has become the crucial path for poor households to grow well-off in Lingbao City, Henan Province of China.
Since 2017, scale of mushroom industry has been experiencing a steady rise while economic benefits have been evidently lifted in Lingbao City. Up to now, gross cultivation capacity obtains 128 million bags, of which Shiitake occupies 97.567 million bags. Besides, gross output on fresh mushroom comes to 11.23 tons, gross incomes achieve 1.397 billion CNY, which accounts for 93.13% of the year’s quota. By the end of this year, gross income on mushroom industry is expected to attain over 1.5 billion CNY in Lingbao City.


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Out of Nile, into tile: Young Egyptians battle plastic plague
Entrepreneurial young Egyptians are helping combat their country’s huge plastic waste problem by recycling junk-food wrappers, water bottles and similar garbage that usually ends up in landfills or the Nile.
At a factory on the outskirts of Cairo, run by their startup TileGreen, noisy machines gobble up huge amounts of plastic scraps of all colours, shred them and turn them into a thick liquid.
The sludge — made from all kinds of plastic, even single-use shopping bags — is then moulded into dark, compact bricks that are used as outdoor pavers for walkways and garages.
“They’re twice as strong as concrete,” boasts co-founder Khaled Raafat, 24, slamming one onto the floor for emphasis.
Each tile takes about “125 plastic bags out of the environment”, says his business partner Amr Shalan, 26, raising his voice above the din of the machines.
Raafat said the company uses even low-grade plastics and products “made of many different layers of plastic and aluminium that are nearly impossible to separate and recycle sustainably”.
Egypt, the Arab world’s most populous country, is also the biggest plastic polluter in the Middle East and Africa, according to a multinational study reported by Science magazine.
The country generates more than three million tonnes of plastic waste per year, much of which piles up in streets and illegal landfills or finds its way into the Nile and the Mediterranean Sea.
Microplastics in the water concentrate in marine life, threatening the health of people who consume seafood and fish caught in Africa’s mighty waterway — mirroring what has become a worldwide environmental scourge.
Their children’s future
TileGreen, launched in 2021, aims to “recycle three billion to five billion plastic bags by 2025”, said Shalan.
The start-up last year started selling its outdoor tiles, of which it has produced some 40,000 so far, and plans to expand into other products usually made from cement.
Egypt, a country of 104 million, has pledged to more than halve its annual consumption of single-use plastics by 2030 and to build multiple new waste management plants.
For now, however, more than two thirds of of Egypt’s waste is “inadequately managed”, according to the World Bank — driving an ecological hazard environmental groups have been trying to tackle.
On the shores of the Nile island of Qursaya, some fishermen now collect and sort plastic trash they net from the river as part of an initiative by the group VeryNile.
As the Nile has become more polluted, the fishermen “could see their catches decreasing”, said project manager Hany Fawzy, 47. “They knew this was their future and their children’s future disappearing.”
Over three-quarters of Cairo fish were found to contain microplastics in a 2020 study by a group of Danish and UK-based scientists published in the journal Toxics.
Off the port city of Alexandria, further north, microplastics were detected in 92 percent of fish caught, said a study last year by researchers at Egypt’s National Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries.
VeryNile, started five years ago with a series of volunteer clean-up events, buys “between 10 and 12 tonnes of plastic a month” from 65 fishermen, paying them 14 Egyptian pounds (about 50 US cents) per kilogram, Fawzy said.
Good step forward
VeryNile then compresses high-value plastic like water bottles and sends it to a recycling plant to be made into pellets.
Low-quality plastics such as food wrappers are incinerated to power a cement factory which, Fawzy said, keeps “the environment clean with air filters and a sensitive monitoring system.”
“We can’t clean up the environment in one spot just to pollute elsewhere,” he said.
The Egyptian programmes are part of a battle against a global scourge.
Less than 10 percent of the world’s plastic is recycled, according to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development.
The OECD said last year that annual production of fossil-fuel-based plastics is set to top 1.2 billion tonnes by 2060, with waste exceeding one billion tonnes.
In Egypt, activists have hailed what they see as a youth-led push for sustainability that has created demand for environmentally-minded solutions and products.
But while the change is welcome, they say it remains insufficient.
“What these initiatives have done is find a way to create a value chain, and there’s clearly demand,” said Mohamed Kamal, co-director of environmental group Greenish.
“Anything that captures value from waste in Egypt is a good step forward. But it’s not solving the problem. It can only scratch the surface.”
by Bahira Amin Agence France-Presse


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Making just 100 or so watches a year might not seem cost-efficient but when they can sell for up to £1m, that changes the financial dynamics.
The Swiss watchmaker Greubel Forsey is one of a new breed of independent manufacturers turning out products of incredible complexity.
Watch-making is Switzerland’s third biggest export sector.
In an industry that dates back a couple of centuries, the 15-year-old Greubel Forsey is a newcomer.
But the firm’s award-winning watches already have a serious following among collectors worldwide. In the tight-knit world of Swiss watch-making, any new piece from Greubel Forsey grabs attention.
“We specialise in technical impossibilities,” says co-founder Stephen Forsey, who was born in the English town of St Albans, Herfordshire, where he inherited his father’s fascination with the intricacies of mechanics.
The firm’s tourbillon, used in high-end mechanical watches to counter the effects of gravity on the way a watch keeps time, won one of the industry’s “Oscars” for its accuracy.
Greubel Forsey has also won plaudits for the way its tiny hand-winding mechanism keeps watches running for longer.
And it’s 855-part Grande Sonnerie watch took 11 years to develop and is noted for the acoustics of its chime.
“We [his business partner is Robert Greubel] didn’t set out to build a brand,” he says. “We just wanted to work on creating more reliable mechanical watches, and started working on a few examples.”
Greubel Forsey is based in a modernist all-glass workshop in a bucolic setting in La Chaux-de-Fonds, a Unesco World Heritage site regarded as the watch-making capital of the world.
Many of Switzerland’s biggest (and smallest) manufacturers are in Geneva this week at the Salon International de la Haute (SIHH), where some of the most exclusive brands showcase their latest pieces.
But La Chaux-de-Fonds, about 150km north east of the city, is where many of them have their roots.
It is where early watchmakers developed a system of apprenticeships and turned manufacturing into a cottage industry – hailed as an example of industrial efficiency in Karl Marx’s Das Capital.
Mr Forsey learned his craft his restoring antique watches at Asprey, the luxury jeweller in London.
It was the 1980s, and mechanical watches were going out of fashion.
But La Chaux-de-Fonds was where some of the industry’s finest artisan watchmakers were still carrying on traditions, and Mr Forsey wanted to join them.
After studying horology in Switzerland he joined Mr Greubel’s team at a company called Renaud & Papi, where they made some of the most complicated mechanical movements in the industry.
Mr Gruebel, like Mr Forsey, discovered watch-making at an early age. In his case, it was in the Grueble family watch business.
“We were just bathed in the area, the heritage,” Mr Forsey says. “It’s a unique place.” It’s why, when they set up Greubel Forsey, it was important to stay in area and tap into the skills of craftsmanship and hand finishing.
The company employs just over 100 people. That’s equivalent to production of about one watch per employee. Hand finishing – engraving, polishing, decoration, and so on – takes about four months per watch.
“An accountant probably wouldn’t understand how it all works. It’s not a sensible equation,” he says.
“Every time you build a new design, a new movement, it’s like building a new car. Concept, R&D, materials, production: it’s like building a new car. For us, it’s several million Swiss francs of investment each time.”
While Mr Grueble focuses more on product and management, Mr Forsey looks after the technical side, the finishing and decoration.
“The division of labour works extremely well,” says Mr Forsey. “But only because both are backgrounds are in complicated watch-making.”
On Mr Forsey’s wrist is one of his favourite creations, Invention Piece 2. It took four years to develop. Just 22 were made.
Under the glass, the “open plan” mechanism is a glittering mix of spinning and ticking parts. Being able to see the time appears almost as an afterthought.
“The time display is just an accessory,” Mr Forsey admits. “Buyers love the movement… Buyers want rare, exclusive creations. If we became more commercial we would lose the trust of our customers.”
If you’re spending a six-figure sum on a watch, you don’t want to be bumping into someone with the same thing on their wrist.
Having multi-millionaire customers gives a bit of protection against economic downturns in the industry, of which there have been several over the last decade and more. The super-rich tend to stay super-rich whatever the global economic situation.
Mr Forsey says he is more concerned about “mood changes” than economic changes. The wrong tweet or a change in fashion: these are the fickle things that affect sales.


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Posted 05 July 2021
Was Pinterest right to ban advertising for diet products on its platform?
Wendy Knowler TimesLive 04 July 2021
Pinterest has banned all weight loss ads on its platform, as part of its policy not to support body shaming advertising.
It will no longer allow ads containing testimonials about losing weight, references to body mass indexes, or those that “idealise or denigrate” certain body types.
The company is the first major tech platform to prohibit weight loss ads.
Apparently the US National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) advised Pinterest on the policy change.
“NEDA is encouraged by this necessary step in prioritising the mental health and wellbeing of Pinners, especially those affected by diet culture, body shaming and eating disorders,” said Elizabeth Thompson, interim CEO for the association, in the release.
“We are hopeful this global policy will encourage other organisations and companies to reflect on potentially harmful