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Thursday, February 4, 2016
Overwaitea the long time fixture on Third Avenue rebrands as Save On Foods
As Prince Rupert's Overwaitea store shifts brands this week, now opening for business as a Save On Foods outlet.
Still part of the Jim Pattison Family of Companies, but one that leaves behind the history of the Overwaitea brand that has been a familiar part of the Prince Rupert business community over many decades, the chain having celebrated 100 years in British Columbia just last summer.
The shift to the larger Save On Foods chain, is part of what appears to be a company wide move towards moving away from the iconic Overwaitea name.
Last week the Kitimat location became the latest Save on Foods location, with this week's shift in Prince Rupert, that makes all three of the Northwest stores now found under the Save On Foods banner.
Last month, BC Business Magazine released the details of a survey conducted with the research firm Ipsos which named Save on Foods as British Columbia's most loved brand for the second year in a row. The grocery chain was also named the number three most influential brand in the province.
With the change over, Prince Rupert will now be added to the online options to get your grocery flyer delivered to your computer desk top. An opportunity to check out the weekly specials and to find more background on what the Save On Foods Brand Story is all about.
For more items on the Northwest commercial sector see our archive page here.
Posted by . at 8:44 AM


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10 Crore Youth Can Get Doing Artificial Intelligence Courses – AI will provide jobs to 10 crore youth, big companies are hiring on a hefty package
According to the World Economic Forum, by the year 2025, about 80 million people may lose their jobs in more than 26 countries like America, China and India.
New Delhi. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is considered to be the biggest invention in the history of human civilization after fire, electricity and the Internet, which will change the whole world in the coming times. However, due to this, 8 crore people will have to lose their jobs in future. Automation in industries has increased rapidly due to the increasing use of artificial intelligence and the worldwide lock down due to Corona has also contributed to the rapid increase in automation. In such a situation, experts have started preparing for the coming time.
Also read: Microsoft, Facebook and Amazon will also give Rs 1.20 lakh to each of its employees
According to the World Economic Forum, by the year 2025, about 80 million people may lose their jobs in more than 26 countries like America, China and India. It is noteworthy that recently Amazon, the world’s largest shopping portal, has started laying off employees while expanding its automation, for this, the employees have also been informed. Automation is being promoted in Tesla and other automobile companies for a long time. Many companies have also started hiring AI experts and robotics experts at hefty packages.
Also read: IIT Madras Develops AI Based Mathematical Model To Detect Cancer Causing Mutations
However, there is also a bright side to this whole matter and that is that in the coming time, Artificial Intelligence (AI) will also provide jobs to about 100 million people by 2025. For this, many institutes have also started their preparations. Many new courses have been started in Artificial Intelligence, Machine Language and Robotics, through which youth can get good package jobs in future. For this, they will also have to update themselves continuously.
Artificial intelligence is reducing the cost
According to companies, by using AI, work is getting done better and faster than before. Along with this, they do not have to face other problems like bonus, salary increment, due to which the cost of the companies is reduced and their profits increase.
Also read: Prices increased 39 times since May, petrol became costlier by Rs 10.79, know the price of your city
In this way you will be able to save your jobs
According to the report of international researchers, now we have to re-skill ourselves to keep our jobs. In the coming times, many new sectors will be developed, companies will put a lot of emphasis on digitization. The role of the office will go on decreasing. In such a situation, it is very important that we keep updating ourselves continuously and adapting ourselves to the new technology in order to keep our mind.
#Crore #Youth #Artificial #Intelligence #Courses #provide #jobs #crore #youth #big #companies #hiring #hefty #package

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Hi friends, I’m wondering what questions are created by self-driving cars.
[We often wonder what questions are created by, say, Richard Dawkins’ latest book - but I think the questions created by new cultural artifacts are often far more important. As Os Guinness puts it:
The clock has been described as the most important invention in the West, and a central secret of the power of the West. Reinforced and accelerated today by the computer and by nanotechnology, today’s fast-life includes turbo-capitalism, business at the speed of light and war at warp speed. Accelerated time is one of the primary shapers of our modern world and far more influential than any individual modern thinker.
I know that “self-driving cars” sounds like a science fiction idea, but they appear to be arriving in the near future. Here’s some reasons for that:
- Apple is releasing research on self-driving cars (https://www.reuters.com/article/us-apple-autos/apple-scientists-disclose-self-driving-car-research-idUSKBN1DM08H).
- Lyft has filed to test self-driving cars in California (https://www.theverge.com/2017/11/22/16690148/lyft-self-driving-cars-california-dmv).
- Uber has signed a contract with Volvo to buy 24,000 self-driving cars from 2019 to 2012 (https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-11-20/uber-steps-up-driverless-cars-push-with-deal-for-24-000-volvos).
- Waymo (Google) has filed over 2,000 patents related to the technology (https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/310500/waymo-takes-big-lead-in-self-driving-car-patents.html) and you can see their self-driving cars working in Arizona neighborhoods (https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=aaOB-ErYq6Y).
- Tesla just released news of its electric semi trucks - and Walmart is a customer (https://www.cnbc.com/2017/11/17/wal-mart-says-its-planning-to-test-teslas-new-electric-trucks.html). Their self-driving car demos are pretty amazing. This one is a year old: https://www.tesla.com/videos/autopilot-self-driving-hardware-neighborhood-long
- What do you think are the social or cultural implications of self-driving cars?
- How will they change people’s desires and thinking?
- What questions will this raise about the legitimacy and the value of following Jesus wholeheartedly?
For me, optimistically, it could be that people repurpose their cars into prayer closets and have quiet times on the way to/from work, school, etc. But I imagine the main interest will be in the car as an entertainment center.


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FuelBand users can now take snaps while they’re on their run in the park and share them with friends on Facebook.
A new app called Urban World beautifully projects how cities around the world are going to explode in growth and economic power by 2025.
Danfoss PolyPower A/S present an inspirational show case of such a wireless golf training sensor (VIDEO)
SPB TV solution for TV everywhere with improved usability, second-screen features and updated content delivery platform will be presented at MWC 2013
Opera Software announced reaching the milestone of 300 million monthly users across all its browser products on phones, tablets, TVs and computers
London-based interactive clothing companys Cutecircuit has teamed up with Scotch whiskey distillers Ballantine’s to create the world’s first wearable, washable, sharable and programmable T-shirt for digital creativity (VIDEO).
The new Meshlium Xtreme allows to detect iPhone and Android devices and in general any device which works with Wifi or Bluetooth interfaces.


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The future is here. Ideas that are common to sci-fi movies are starting to surface as technology rises to new heights. The LiveMap motorcycle helmet uses a helmet-mounted display (similar technology in fighter pilot helmets) to eliminate the need for handheld GPS devices.
The helmet can also be controlled by voice commands. Full-color images are projected into the helmet’s visor, in which the driver can use G-sensor, gyroscope and a digital compass to track head movement. Your GPS isn’t looking too up-to-date now, is it?
Powered by Navteq, battery life is expected to last one full day or longer. The Russian government has backed LiveMap with $1 million for the development of a working helmet prototype. Retail price is a suggested $1,500.


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Investors purchased shares of eBay Inc (NASDAQ:EBAY) on weakness during trading on Friday. $344.83 million flowed into the stock on the tick-up and $37.95 million flowed out of the stock on the tick-down, for a money net flow of $306.88 million into the stock. Of all stocks tracked, eBay had the 7th highest net in-flow for the day. eBay traded down ($0.05) for the day and closed at $36.30
Several equities analysts recently commented on EBAY shares. BidaskClub upgraded shares of eBay from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 22nd. Morgan Stanley downgraded shares of eBay from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and decreased their price target for the company from $55.00 to $33.00 in a research note on Wednesday, December 12th. ValuEngine upgraded shares of eBay from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, December 15th. Wells Fargo & Co decreased their price target on shares of eBay from $36.00 to $34.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, December 21st. Finally, Aegis restated a “buy” rating and issued a $40.00 price target (down from $44.00) on shares of eBay in a research note on Wednesday, January 2nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have assigned a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the stock. eBay has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $39.13.
The firm has a market capitalization of $33.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.65, a PEG ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 1.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 1.60 and a current ratio of 1.60.
eBay (NASDAQ:EBAY) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, January 29th. The e-commerce company reported $0.71 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.68 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $2.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.86 billion. eBay had a net margin of 23.54% and a return on equity of 27.40%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that eBay Inc will post 2.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
The business also recently announced a Not Available dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 1st will be issued a $0.14 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 28th. eBay’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 24.14%.
In other eBay news, Director Robert Holmes Swan acquired 17,787 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 2nd. The stock was acquired at an average price of $28.21 per share, for a total transaction of $501,771.27. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 289,207 shares in the company, valued at $8,158,529.47. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Brian J. Doerger sold 10,185 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $34.30, for a total transaction of $349,345.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 39,544 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,356,359.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 6.22% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.
Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Financial Gravity Companies Inc. bought a new position in eBay in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $42,000. DNB Asset Management AS raised its holdings in eBay by 760.6% in the 4th quarter. DNB Asset Management AS now owns 2,196,053 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock valued at $61,643,000 after buying an additional 1,940,887 shares during the last quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in eBay by 5.0% in the 4th quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 401,589 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock valued at $11,273,000 after buying an additional 19,015 shares during the last quarter. BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp raised its holdings in eBay by 34.3% in the 4th quarter. BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp now owns 270,862 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock valued at $7,603,000 after buying an additional 69,226 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB raised its holdings in eBay by 74.8% in the 3rd quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 17,883,506 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock valued at $590,516,000 after buying an additional 7,651,060 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.99% of the company’s stock.
About eBay (NASDAQ:EBAY)
eBay Inc operates commerce platforms connecting various buyers and sellers worldwide. The company's Marketplace platforms include its online marketplace at ebay.com and the eBay suite of mobile apps; and StubHub platforms comprise its online ticket platform at stubhub.com, and the StubHub mobile apps that connect fans with their favorite sporting events, shows, and artists, as well as enables them to buy and sell tickets.
Recommended Story: Buy-Side Analysts
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San Diego, CA —
In the wake of last summer's scandal, Target Corporation again finds itself again at odds with the LGBT community over a new lawsuit against a pro-gay group.
The Minnesota-based Target is suing a San Diego pro-gay marriage group in San Diego County to get them to stop canvassing outside stores, reports the Associated Press.
Target and Canvass For A Cause (CFAC) will meet in court on Friday morning in a case that is sure to further strain the companies relationship with the LGBT community.
"It's very David vs. Goliath," CFAC director Tres Watson told the AP. "We understand they're the Goliath in the room. They've got all money in world to get us to stop talking about gay marriage."
Target says the pro-gay activists are driving away customers.
Target insists the lawsuit has nothing to do with a political agenda.
Last summer Target contributed over $150,000 to a Minnesota group that supported an anti-gay candidate for governor, which significantly damaged Target's generally positive relationship with gays in Minnesota and nationwide.
Lady Gaga recently dropped a deal allowing Target to sell the deluxe edition of her new hit, "Born This Way" over the companies treatment of gays and lesbians.
"[It was] one of the most intense conversations I've ever had in a business meeting," she said.
Critics of Target's anti-gay positions blame the company's conservative CEO, Gregg Steinhafel.


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The Second Lady, Mrs Samira Bawumia, has launched the first edition of the World Shea Expo, with an appeal to stakeholders to support a revamp of the country’s shea-nut value chain.
She said even though the shea industry had the potential to address critical developmental challenges such as women empowerment, food security and industrialisation, it would need the commitment of more resources to achieve that objective.
Mrs Bawumia, who launched the event in Accra yesterday, said enhancing farm value for shea would not only accelerate development in Ghana’s rural areas but also build on its economy.
“As the world is moving rapidly towards a knowledge-based economy, relevant education and access to information can make all the difference in creating a robust industry.
An event such as the Shea Expo, which brings together players in the value chain, is an opportunity to expand knowledge on the shea industry,” she added.
World Shea Expo 2020
The World Shea Expo, which is the first of its kind in the country, is intended to showcase Ghana's shea-nut industry to the world as the producer of the best shea-butter in the sub-region.
The main event will take place at the Aliu Mahama Sports Stadium in Tamale, the Northern Regional capital, from April 22-25, 2020.
It will be on the theme: “Repositioning the shea industry to accelerate Ghana’s export diversification agenda within the context of Ghana Beyond Aid”.
Mrs Bawumia said events such as the Shea Expo were to afford stakeholders the opportunity to showcase Ghana’s shea-nut industry, promote its products and create both local and international markets for it to thrive.
She said the shea tree had now gone beyond being an integral part of life in the northern part of the country to become a viable economic venture.
“The collection and processing of shea-nuts are significant activities for women in those regions, since they provides them with income for livelihood.
The demand for shea has been growing and manufacturers are responding by creating products desired by global consumers,” she added.
The Second Lady further said over the last two decades, shea exports had increased by 600 per cent and that they continued to bring stable income to rural communities across West Africa.
Data from the Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA) showed that Ghana exported $90 million worth of shea and its derivatives in 2018, which is approximately 55,990 tonnes, an increase over the $70 million exported in 2017.
Despite such remarkable gains, Mrs Bawumia said, there were still challenges along the value chain which needed to be addressed, including unfair pricing, felling and burning of shea trees and uncollected nuts.
She, however, said the government was committed to addressing some of the challenges under the implementation of initiatives such as Planting for Export and Rural Development, which is aimed at increasing exports, boosting local production and growing the economy.
Recognition of women
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Savannah Golden Tree Limited, organisers of the World Shea Expo, Mr Rashid Zakaria, explained that the event sought to publicly recognise the efforts and contributions of women, the youth and small to medium enterprises to the shea-butter industry.
"It will also bring forth results of extensive research work done by the Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana (CRIG) sub-station at Bole to reduce the gestation period of the shea tree to make it more attractive to women and the youth of this country," he added.
The Executive Director of the National Board for Small-Scale Industries (NBSSI), Mrs Kosi Yankey Ayeh, expressed the resolve of her office to partner organisers of the World Shea Expo to build the capacity of farmers in the sector.
Some exhibitors at the launch expressed the hope that their participation in the World Shea Expo would enable them to build networks for future expansion of their businesses.
According to them, expanding their businesses was key to enhancing their operations.


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IHG Hotels & Resorts and The King Abdullah Financial District Management and Development Company (KAFD DMC) will bring the first Kimpton hotel in the region to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The new Kimpton Riyadh will join existing Kimpton properties across countries including the United States, France and Scotland.
With doors set to open in June 2024, the 212-key Kimpton Riyadh will mark the first foray of the luxury brand in the region. The debut comes as part of IHG’s ongoing growth strategy, aligned with the objectives of Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman’s Vision 2030 tourism objectives, to cater to a growing number of guests in the Kingdom who seek unique luxury experiences.
In acknowledgement of the new trend towards blended travel, KAFD offers entertainment and retail, alongside its commercial office space and hospitality offerings. The Kimpton Riyadh will be a new-build property in the heart of KAFD, Saudi Arabia’s prime business and lifestyle destination, making it a key destination hotel for the discerning business traveller. However, in acknowledgement of the new trend towards blended travel, the hotel will also cater to those who seek a lifestyle element to their stay.
Set in the heart of the Saudi capital Riyadh, 22-kilometers away from the airport, KAFD is home to 1.6 million square meters of state-of-the-art office space, world-class venues and iconic luxury residences, designed to transform the way urban communities live, work, and play. A landmark development, KAFD is a key driver of Riyadh’s economic ambitions and is the largest LEED certified mixed-use financial district in the world. It is owned and managed by the King Abdullah Financial District Development and Management Company (KAFD DMC).
As such, for those visiting the capital for work, there are several meeting spaces and banqueting areas, including both casual and formal working options. For more leisure time, the hotel will offer five F&B options to guests, including an all-day dining restaurant, a specialty restaurant, a lobby lounge, a lobby living room café and a pool bar with mezzanine seating. Kimpton Riyadh will also host an outdoor amphitheater terrace, health club, and an outdoor swimming pool.
Aligned with IHG’s luxury halo vision for KSA and the wider IMEA region, the new property seeks to cater to corporate executives and high net worth Saudi Arabian families looking for a luxury lifestyle element to their hotel, so that they can welcome visiting family and friends as part of their stay.
Haitham Mattar, Managing Director, IHG Hotels & Resorts India, Middle East and Africa, said, “We remain committed to supporting the tourism goals of Vision 2030 across Saudi Arabia, and catering to the demands of the growing numbers of visitors to the Kingdom. We have identified a trend towards blended travel, with those travelling for work or business also seeking a lifestyle element to their stay.”
He added: “As we debut Kimpton Hotels in the region, we are confident that this luxury lifestyle offering can meet that requirement and we are looking forward to expanding further into the region in the coming years.”
Commenting on the new partnership, Gautam Sashittal, Chief Executive Officer at KAFD DMC, said, “Saudi Arabia is one of the few countries in the world that saw a rise in tourism investment and expenditure during the Covid-19 pandemic with domestic tourism increasing by 33.6% and over SAR80 billion spent by tourists. Now, as the Kingdom cements its presence on the world stage as a business and leisure destination, these numbers will be dwarfed. We are delighted to partner with a trusted management company in IHG, who will enable us to partner traditional Saudi hospitality with expertise in hotel management, as we look to make KAFD an essential part of the business landscape of the Kingdom. Kimpton Riyadh at KAFD will enable us to welcome diverse visitors for work, leisure or both.”
IHG currently operates 37 hotels across five brands in Saudi Arabia, including: InterContinental, Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn, Staybridge Suites, and voco, with 31 hotels in the development pipeline set to open within the next three to five years.


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Amiruddin Abdul Shukor
Virtual Global Market-Fit Programme targeted at ambitious startups Facilitates networking and knowledge-sharing via partners and mentors
63 Malaysian social enterprises & businesses receive support to scale Forecast to deliver an estimated social value of more than US$9.56mil
Unlock investment opportunities for innovative startups to scale regionally MaGIC kicks off two key programmes – Ace Your Pitch and Strike a Pitch
DOCPod to expand access to patients in rural areas via mobile clinics Aims to ‘uber-ise’ healthcare, roll out DOCPod in rural and suburban areas
Decision was conveyed in October, soon after MaGIC was absorbed into the Ministry of Entrepreneur Development.


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British consumers held up well in the wake of the UK Brexit referendum last year, but signs of weakness have emerged.
The resilience of UK consumers in 2018 will be an important determinant of the UK's economic prospects, and will likely have implications for domestically-oriented stocks. Lazard AM's Custis rotates...
Risk to retail investors
Latest news and analysis
Taking up non-exec role
Following 2016 thematic review


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The Business Correspondent of SBI sounds more like a newspaper than a mobile banking service, but mobile banking is exactly what this new entity, a joint venture between the SBI and airtel, does. The newly formed entity aims to harness the strengths of the State Bank of India, along with the reach of airtel’s mobile telephony, to add value to the banking and financial services sector.
Speaking on the occasion, SBI Chairman OP Bhatt said, “State Bank of India has always been on the forefront of financial inclusion initiatives, and more than 67 per cent of its network is in rural and semi-urban areas. In the last four years, the Bank has set up more than 15,000 Customer Service Points of Business Correspondents as well as 13,000 Business Facilitators to increase its outreach. The Bank has already reached out to more than 1 lakh unbanked villages.”
Speaking about the new joint venture, he said, “The innovation in mobile telephone will enable the Bank to fulfil its mandate of reaching out to every Indian using airtel’s extensive network to bring banking services in a cost effective and secure manner. This will make banking more inclusive, and carry forward State Bank’s vision of being the banker to every Indian.”
Sunil Bharti Mittal, Chairman and Managing Director, Bharti airtel, said, “This historic collaboration between SBI and airtel brings together two sectors that have made the most impact in addressing inclusive growth. The services offered by the JV will enable financial inclusion and economic empowerment for people across India. This will be a complete game changer, leveraging SBI’s expertise in the banking sector, along with airtel’s 150-million strong customer base and ecosystem of over 1.5 million retailers and distributors across India. Together, we will create a scalable operation that will address the banking requirements of millions of Indians through the mobile platform.”
Stuart Bowden talks about purchase journey, the revised version of Cannes Lions, Wavemaker Indiaâ€™s performance and a lot more
Emery says everything that Unilever CMO Keith Weed says has a touch of genius. He also talks about his expectations from Cannes, WPP without Sir Martin Sorrell and his love for Mindshare India.
In an interaction with exchange4media, PC Musthafa, CEO & Co-Founder iD Fresh Food shares how the brand deals with competition and marketing strategies followed by them.
Varun Raina, Marketing Manager, Airbnb India speaks to exchange4media about the successful #LiveThere campaign and how Bollywood helps them connect with its young consumer
He is the man behind India's most rewarded and talked about campaign at Cannes 2018, 'Blink to Speak. Read on to find out how he conceptualised the idea and led the team that created the campaign.
Facebook-owned Instagram introduces IGTV, a new app to upload long-form vertical videos, intensifies competition with YouTube.
Piyush and Prasoon Pandey will be the first Asians and first from WPP to be deemed with this honour tonight at the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity


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Shortly after revealing the new generation of the TT , Audi surprised in Geneva to display a conceptual proposal even more aggressive than the TTS: TT Quattro Sport concept. The model has several modifications for the new TT production, in order to fully exploit its sportiness.
The Datsun, low cost brand resurrected by Nissan in 2012, took the Hall of New Delhi, India, to show the concept redi-GO. It is the preview of a model that will hit the Indian market and other developing countries.
Ford took the realization of Campus Party, the biggest technology event in Brazil to announce the launch of SYNC AppLink in South America The main differential system is the ability of anyone to develop applications that can be used in brand cars including those sold in the country.
The Subaru revealed late on Monday (27) the WRX STI NBR Challenge model developed for the clues and has already secured participation in the next edition of the 24 Hours of Nurburgring, between cars SP3T class.


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HOUSTON, July 13, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --ÌýBoardwalk Pipeline Partners, LP (NYSE:BWP) will report its second quarter 2017 earnings on Monday, July 31, 2017. A conference call for analysts and investors will begin at 9:30 a.m. Eastern Time and will be hosted by Boardwalk's Chief Executive Officer, Stan Horton, and Chief Financial and Administrative Officer, Jamie Buskill.Ìý Boardwalk will issue its earnings news release before the market opens on Monday, July 31, 2017.
The news release and a live webcast will be available online at the Boardwalk website ().Ìý Please go to the website at least 10 minutes before the event begins to register and to download and install any necessary audio software.Ìý Those interested in participating in the question and answer session of the conference call should dial (855) 793-3255 for callers in the U.S. or (631) 485-4925 for callers outside the U.S.Ìý The Conference ID for the call is 49473667.Ìý Following the call, an online replay will be available on Boardwalk's website.
About Boardwalk Pipeline Partners, LPBoardwalk Pipeline Partners, LPÌý(NYSE: BWP) is a midstream master limited partnership that primarily transports and stores natural gas and liquids for its customers. Additional information about the Partnership can be found on its website atÌý.
Boardwalk Pipeline Partners, LP
Molly Ladd Whitaker, 866-913-2122Director, Investor Relations and Corporate Communications
SOURCE Boardwalk Pipeline Partners, LP


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Amadeus MD steps down after shareholder revolt
Amadeus Energy's managing director and founder Geoff Towner will step down and chairman Andrew Peacock will resign after the company caved-in to demands from dissident shareholder CVC.
The company has also agreed to a series of initiatives including the acquisition of TNT Engineering, further debt reduction, a share purchase plan and CVC supporting an ongoing strategic review of the business.
In exchange, CVC, which owns 5.1 per cent of the company's stock, has agreed to withdraw its request for an extraordinary general meeting of shareholders in a bid to roll the company's board.
CVC has also agreed to vote in favour of a proposed $25 million placement, which it had earlier opposed.
The company will appoint a new chairman with the retirement of Andrew Peacock.
Non-executive director Stephen Pearce will act as interim chairman until a new executive chairman is appointed.
Geoff Towner will become a non-executive director of the company.
Caroline Bentley will also step down from the board but retain her role as company secretary.
CVC's chief executive Sandy Beard will become a non-executive director on the company's board.
The company said it had executed a non-binding letter of intent for it to acquire all the stock of US production and exploration operator TNT.
"The transaction is subject to a number of conditions which are yet to be satisfied but the main commercial terms have been agreed and the board looks forward towards completion of this transaction," the company said in a statement.
The company said part of the proceeds from a recent $25 million placement would be used to fund the acquisition with a portion of the remainder being used to pay down debt.
The board restated its intention to focus on core operations and divest non-core assets where value could be realised from their sale.
Amadeus said it would also launch a $7.5 million share purchase plan giving shareholders a chance to buy up to $5000 in extra stock at 25 cents a share.
CVC said in a separate statement AMU's announcements provided a clearer account of the purpose of the proposed $25 million placement, particularly the acquisition of TNT Engineering.
Mr Beard said CVC's initial opposition to the placement was based on the proposition that it was not in the best interests of all AMU shareholders and that the company should return to implementing the recommendations from an independent corporate review approved in March.
Having won key concessions from AMU, CVC said it would increase its shareholding in the company over the coming months.
Shareholders will meet on Wednesday to vote on the $25 million placement.
Shares in Amadeus were up 0.5 cents, or 1.79 per cent, to 28.5 cents at 10.40am.
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For nearly a decade, the auto industry’s Big Three included at least one company that wasn’t from Detroit. Now, Chrysler is back among the three best-selling automakers.It ranked behind General Motors and Ford in May auto sales.
Food trucks are a hot trend in cities from LA to Denver. They’ve transformed the way people think about the restaurant business. But when it comes to Midwestern cities, so far food trucks have been stuck in idle.The Midwestern economy series Changing Gears decided to find out why.
There’s a shop on Michigan Avenue in Chicago that has exclusive designs and it’s only open until Saturday. But you might not have heard of any of the designers. That’s because they’re getting their start through a fashion incubator.
The U.S. Census Bureau this week is out with the latest population count for Michigan. Michigan's biggest cities lost people, like lots of places in the Midwest.Chicago's population declined by almost seven percent in the 2010 census numbers, and Cleveland's dropped by about 17 percent.
Sears & Roebuck has been a dominant retailer in the Midwest since it got its start in Chicago almost 120 years ago. It’s hung on while other stores – from Marshall Field's to Montgomery Ward - have stumbled and vanished.
As legislative fights over the rights and benefits of public sector employees continue in Wisconsin, Ohio and Indiana, some are calling this a watershed moment for Big Labor. Historically, the Great Lakes states have been a bedrock of the labor movement - going all the way back to the labor st


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Leading mobile wallet pushing for cashless digital tourism
In a concerted effort to promote rural development through digitalization, GCash, the leading mobile wallet in the Philippines, partnered with the Provincial Government of Bohol to launch their collaborative campaign, “Continue Tourism,” in order to restore the tourism industry in the province.
“Sulong Turismo” seeks to strengthen the tourism sector by integrating digital payment solutions into local tourism campaigns. Popular tourist destinations under various local government units (LGUs) will be empowered to accept convenient cashless payments for travel bookings, accommodations, and more. By using these digital tools and demonstrating their benefits, the campaign aims to improve customer satisfaction, drive repeat visits, and revitalize the overall tourist experience.
GCash Chief Marketing Officer, Neil Trinity, expressed their pride to be part of the “Sulong Turismo” initiative. Financial inclusion and economic growth have always been important goals of GCash, and they believe that public and private sector partnerships will provide opportunities for safer, more secure, convenient, and profitable payment solutions that will improve the country’s tourism industry.
The campaign was officially inaugurated through a dynamic seminar and dialogue, where the advantages of a digitalized tourism industry were discussed, with a particular focus on LGUs with prominent tourist destinations.
the Department of Tourism (DOT) unveiled plans for infrastructure development, a dedicated tourism website, and a cutting-edge tourism app during the event. These initiatives aim to encourage tourism-related businesses to adopt digital payments, promoting the growth and prosperity of the sector.
Secretary of tourism Christina Garcia-Frasco praised GCash’s efforts to promote a digital ecosystem to support local tourism through a video message during the event. Among the distinguished guests of the event Governor of Bohol Hon. Erico Aristotle C. Augmented, DOT Chief Tourism Officer Region 7 AS Gelena Asis-Dimpas, BSP Regional Head of Economic Affairs Greg Baccay, Chief of the Philippine Information Agency King Anthony Chiu, Vice Mayor of Panglao City Noel Hormachuelos, Tag the City Mayor Jane Yap, and GCash Chief Marketing Officer, Neil Trinity.
The concept of a tourism circuit is also presented during the event, which consists of a strategic route or itinerary that connects several tourist attractions within a specific region. This structured approach highlights the region’s diverse offerings and entices tourists to spend more time discovering unique destinations.
Governor Hon. Erico Aristotle C. Aumentado emphasized the active participation of local businesses, including micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), market vendors, and transport groups, which shows strong collaboration between the public and private sectors in pushing the tourism industry in the region.
By emphasizing the value of digital solutions to display tourism sites, “Sulong Turismo” aims to streamline operations, improve accessibility, and ensure sustainability, providing a seamless and enjoyable experience for tourists and businesses. This strategic campaign is set to propel Bohol’s tourism industry to new heights, creating a dynamic and prosperous tourism scene in the province.


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Local restaurants counting on customer support
Sharon Hurst, owner of Crossing 2nd in Bartlesville, had planned to open a restaurant for at least 25 years.
What she had not envisioned, of course, was being forced to shut down soon after the business opened as restrictions connected to the coronavirus pandemic took effect.
The COVID-19 guidelines left local eateries in unexpected positions.
Following a Feb. 29 grand opening, Crossing 2nd closed its doors after what Hurst called three weeks of “blowing and going” business.
Hurst took this as a sign to reassess and plan where and how to make improvements while finishing the interior of the building.
She initially thought the closure would last only a couple of weeks, but it turned into much longer.
“We needed to stay open and not lose our momentum,” she said.
The restaurant re-opened, but even though business has been good, Hurst remains concerned.
“If we have to shut down again, I don’t know if I can survive a second shutdown. For some reason it feels like it will,” she said.
Overwhelmed many days, Hurst said she is stubborn.
“I refuse to knuckle under,” she said.
The former petroleum engineer for Phillips said she has always had a love for cooking.
“I’ve got to pursue the dream,” she said.
“We’ve got a lot of people supporting us.”
Loyal customers also helped Murphy’s Original Steak House during the past few months. Although the dining room was closed, the popular restaurant maintained its walk-up window.
“We lost a little money with just the walk-up window,” manager Tera Medlen said.
The westside restaurant re-opened June 15 with social distancing in mind.
“For two weeks, we did every other table and closed the counter,” she said.
“We’ve been flourishing. We’ve had customers come in every day to check if we’re open and to give us business to make sure we stay open.
“We had people calling and asking, ‘Are you guys doing OK? Do you need anything?’ It’s been nice.”
Gizzy Robinson, owner of Heritage Theatre—Gizzy’s in Dewey, said her restaurant remains open. Business is slow right now, but she hopes things pick up.
To compensate for the impact of COVID-19, she said “We’re changing the landscape of the building. The cafe and the theatre will stay, but we’re adding a new business. It will be fun.
“We’ve taken the opportunity to change things in the building and lower the overhead.
“Small businesses have to evolve with the economy and keep our originality.”
She said her cafe is still providing curbside service for people who prefer to not dine inside.
“Use your local businesses for curbside. I want to encourage everyone to shop and eat locally,” she said.
“It’s not just one. It’s everyone. I don’t think Americans realize how important small businesses are to the community.”


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The board of Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) will meet Tuesday to consider the launch dates for the company’s initial public offering (IPO). The meeting will also consider the discount to be offered to policyholders, employees and retail shareholders.
The board will consider the proposal of the issue opening date of May 4 and closing date of May 9, an official said. The reservation for the insurer’s employees would also be taken up by the insurer’s board.
Once approved by the board, the issue dates, reservation and discounts would be announced on Wednesday, and mentioned in the red herring prospectus (RHP).
LIC’s board, on Saturday, approved reducing the issue size of the insurer’s IPO to 3.5 per cent from 5 per cent proposed earlier. The center would now dilute 3.5 per cent of its shares in LIC for Rs 21,000 crore subject to regulatory approval, valuing LIC at Rs 6 trillion.
The government filed LIC’s draft papers with the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) in February, aiming to raise around Rs 65,000 crore at a market value of Rs 12 trillion as it dilutes its 5 per cent stake. Even at Rs 21,000 crore, the IPO will be the biggest-ever and exceed the record of Rs 18,300 crore by Paytm.
LIC’s IPO comes at a time when secondary market conditions have turned volatile due to sustained selling by foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) amid the US Federal Reserve’s decision to aggressively tighten monetary policy. Initially, LIC’s IPO was supposed to come in March but the Russia Ukraine tensions led to the deferment of the IPO.


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Scientists agree genetically engineered foods are safe to eat and help feed a growing world. Learn more about them.
Learn how a U.S.-backed project helps farmers recover from a devastating tropical cyclone, resulting in Fiji’s first-ever certified-organic, farm-to-table restaurant.
Four U.S. research centers are developing technologies that can turn certain plants — such as switchgrass, poplar or sorghum — into biofuels.
City Girl Coffee is the only U.S. brand that buys its beans exclusively from female coffee farmers. Learn more about an international movement to empower women farmers and expand their market share.
Agricultural business leaders and government officials from the U.S. traveled to India to meet with their counterparts and strengthen trade ties.
A U.S. government-sponsored international trade mission opens doors and delivers results for American agricultural exporters.
Since getting a solar dryer using a U.S. grant, Fatuma Namatosi has produced 1.5 million kilograms of pumpkin products and taught farmers to grow pumpkins.
Each year in the U.S., the president kicks off the winter holiday season in an official "turkey pardoning" ceremony in the White House's Rose Garden.
A U.S.-backed project unites Palestinian and Israeli olive oil producers and distributors to learn and share experiences while promoting peace.


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Silicon Valley Venture Capitalists Prepare for an I.P.O. Wave
SAN FRANCISCO — Jason Pressman spent Thursday morning cheering from the balcony of the New York Stock Exchange as shares of the software firm Zuora, which he backed in 2008, began trading.
By the market’s close, Zuora’s stock had soared 43 percent, making his venture capital firm’s $17 million investment in the company worth roughly $150 million.
“Not bad at all,” Mr. Pressman said by phone on Thursday night, before heading to a celebratory dinner with about 60 people at a pricey Italian restaurant in Chelsea. Mr. Pressman, a venture capitalist at Shasta Ventures, said he had been up much of the night before but still expected to raise a few glasses. “I’m running a little bit on adrenaline.”
Mr. Pressman and many other Silicon Valley venture capitalists expect the windfalls to continue. Many of these investors, who back tiny start-ups with the hope that they will someday go public or be sold for nine- or 10-figure sums, have enjoyed enormous paper gains in recent years. But few have cashed in, because their fast-rising companies, like Uber and Airbnb, have remained private.
That finally may change. Investors, bankers and analysts said they expected a wave of initial public offerings to bring some of the most highly valued and recognizable start-ups to the public market over the next 18 to 24 months — and billions of dollars in returns to their executives and investors. The potential bonanza would follow years of waiting as a few dozen companies amassed valuations without precedent in the private market.
Already, 2018 has gotten off to a fast start. Two of the biggest start-ups still sitting on the sidelines — Dropbox, an online file storage company, and Spotify, the streaming music service based in Sweden — successfully went public over the past month. Tech I.P.O.s have already raised more than $7 billion this year — more than all of 2015 and 2016, and more than half the $13 billion they raised last year, according to the market-data firm Dealogic.
The bullishness is a far cry from 2017, when Snap, the maker of Snapchat, went public — and then promptly fizzled. Blue Apron, which delivers meal kits, also saw its share price collapse after its I.P.O. last year.
The tide has turned, venture capitalists said. “I talk to bankers all the time and they’re like: ‘Dude, we have stuff coming down the pike. There’s a bunch of offerings teed up,’” said Rob Hayes, a general partner at First Round Capital, who led a $1.5 million funding round in Uber in 2010 that valued the company at $4 million. Uber is now worth $68 billion.
Some of the biggest-name privately held tech companies have recently made moves that position them to go public in the next year or two. Dara Khosrowshahi, Uber’s chief executive, has said he plans to take the company public next year. Lyft has held talks with investment banks to explore going public. And Airbnb has begun bringing independent directors onto its board, a move that is typically part of the preparations for becoming a public company.
A wave of tech I.P.O.s would have implications for Silicon Valley’s start-up ecosystem. Once start-ups go public and their employees pocket some of the wealth, executives and engineers may leave with more resources to begin their own start-ups. That gives venture capitalists a fresh set of companies to invest in, renewing the cycles of innovation and experimentation that sit at the heart of Silicon Valley.
The I.P.O.s will also earn the venture capitalists big returns — and bragging rights. According to an annual ranking of venture capitalists by CB Insights, a research firm that follows start-ups and venture capital, many of the top-ranked investors backed companies with 2017 I.P.O.s, including the software maker MuleSoft; Stitch Fix, a mail-order clothing service; and Snap. (While Snap has struggled on the stock market, investors bought in at far lower valuations.)
At the top of the CB Insights list for the second straight year was Bill Gurley, a general partner at Benchmark, which was a Stitch Fix backer and one of the biggest investors in Uber. (Mr. Gurley became embroiled in plenty of drama with Uber last year, including filing a fraud lawsuit against its former chief executive, Travis Kalanick. Benchmark recently sold some shares of Uber to SoftBank, the Japanese conglomerate.)
Steve Anderson of Baseline Ventures, No. 2 on the list, also backed Stitch Fix. And Jeremy Liew of Lightspeed Ventures, who was No. 10, funded Snap, while his colleague Ravi Mhatre, No. 8, backed MuleSoft and Stitch Fix. (The list of top 20 venture capitalists is below.)
“Even though most firms have had fairly record numbers over the past four or five years, they’ve been paper numbers,” Mr. Gurley said. “At the end of day, cash-on-cash returns is what matters.”
While private capital has been so accessible that start-ups have been able to get ample funding without the headaches of an I.P.O., several factors are encouraging companies to go public now, investors and bankers said. Public investors are hungry to buy shares of fast-growing companies. Early employees are getting antsy to cash in their stakes. And some start-up executives are eager to prove themselves as public company chief executives after founders like Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg and Twitter’s Jack Dorsey have said going public improved their discipline and focus on profits.
“At all levels, there are more and more companies who are thinking about should we go public this year or next?” said Noah Wintroub, JPMorgan Chase’s vice chairman of investment banking. “You’ve got an environment now that’s conducive to asking that question, and also a lot of companies that have scaled up to the point where they can go now.”
Matthew Kennedy, an I.P.O. analyst at Renaissance Capital, said nearly all private companies valued at more than $1 billion were strong candidates to go public in the next two years. He said he expected more immediate activity among midsize start-ups, such as Slack, the maker of corporate messaging software, which is valued at $5.1 billion, and DocuSign, an e-signature company valued at $3 billion that filed I.P.O. paperwork last month.
Once this generation of start-ups goes public, investors said, it will ease the anxiety of the wealthy families, pension funds and university endowments that finance the venture capitalists’ investment funds. Those so-called limited partners have been itching for their returns, venture capitalists said.
“They’re certainly eager for cash back,” said Mr. Pressman, the Zuora investor. An I.P.O. boon would be good for the venture capitalists, too.
“For sure,” he said. “We’re in the business to make money for our investors, but we make money when our investors do.”
The Top 20 Venture Capitalists
CB Insights analyzed investors’ exits (I.P.O.s, stock sales and acquisitions) the value of their current holdings and other factors to rank the top 100 venture capitalists. The analysis spanned 2009 through March 2018. The New York Times presents the top 20 here:
1. Bill Gurley — Benchmark
2. Steve Anderson — Baseline Ventures
3. Joshua Kopelman — First Round Capital
4. Alfred Lin — Sequoia Capital
5. Brian Singerman — Founders Fund
6. Jeffrey Jordan — Andreessen Horowitz
7. Rob Hayes — First Round Capital
8. Ravi Mhatre — Lightspeed Venture Partners
9. Mary Meeker — Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers
10. Jeremy Liew — Lightspeed Venture Partners
11. Neil Shen — Sequoia Capital China
12. Mitch Lasky — Benchmark
13. Asheem Chandna — Greylock Partners
14. Kirsten Green — Forerunner Ventures
15. Aydin Senkut — Felicis Ventures
16. Peter Fenton — Benchmark
17. Danny Rimer — Index Ventures
18. Robert Nelsen — Arch Venture Partners
19. Fred Wilson — Union Square Ventures
20. Neeraj Agrawal — Battery Ventures
Follow Jack Nicas on Twitter: @jacknicas.


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Shoe Carnival, Inc. reported net sales of 332.2 million dollars for the second quarter of fiscal 2021, a 10.5 percent increase compared to the second quarter of fiscal 2020.
The company attributed the sales increase to continued broad-based demand for the product offerings, a more normalized beginning to the back-to-school season, improving macroeconomic factors in the U.S. and the easing of Covid-19 restrictions.
Gross profit margin for the quarter increased 13.4 percentage points to 40.9 percent compared to 27.5 percent in the prior year. Net income was 44.2 million dollars or 1.54 dollars per diluted share compared to 10.1 million dollars or 35 cents per diluted share in the second quarter of 2020.
“Our best in class merchandising strategy, innovative store operations and powerful data analytics derived from our CRM program continued to drive outstanding financial results and increases in new customer acquisition,” said Cliff Sifford, Shoe Carnival’s vice chairman and chief executive officer, adding, “As I hand the reins over to Mark Worden to enhance Shoe Carnival’s leadership position in the family footwear channel, I have never been more confident.”
Shoe Carnival’s H1 comparable stores sales up 48.8 percent
Net sales for the first six months were 660.7 million dollars compared to 448.3 million dollars in the first six months of fiscal 2020, while comparable store sales increased 48.8 percent.
The gross profit margin for the first half was 40.3 percent compared to 25.4 percent in the same period last year. Net income rose to 87.5 million dollars or 3.05 dollars per diluted share compared to a net loss of 6.1 million dollars or a loss of 22 cents per diluted share, for the first six months of fiscal 2020.
The company said, one new store opened in the second quarter and one store opened, while six closed during the six month period. The company expects to close three additional stores during the remainder of fiscal 2021 compared to a total of four store openings and 13 store closings in fiscal 2020.
The Company is currently in the process of modernizing its stores and plans to modernize approximately 100 stores by the spring of 2022, with the goal of modernizing two-thirds of its store fleet in the next three-to-five years.
Shoe Carnival raises FY21 outlook
“The momentum has continued through the first three weeks of August, with comparable store sales increasing 23 percent and product margins increasing nearly 11 percentage points when compared to August 2019. Given our strong performance in the first half of the year, we are raising our full year guidance, as well as offering our view of the fiscal third quarter,” added Mark Worden, president and Incoming chief executive officer.
Based on third quarter results to date and expected continued strength in gross profit margin for the remainder of the quarter, the company currently anticipates diluted net income per share in the range of 1.10 dollars to 1.15 dollars and net sales in the range of 307 million dollars to 315 million dollars for the third quarter of fiscal 2021.
For full year fiscal 2021, the company currently anticipates diluted net income per share in the range of 4.35 dollars to 4.50 dollars and net sales in the range of 1.21 billion dollars to 1.23 billion dollars.


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Canada-based WonderFi Applied sciences Inc., Coinsquare Ltd. and CoinSmart Monetary Inc announced their merger to create Canada's largest regulated crypto asset buying and selling platform with over 1.65 million registered customers.
The newly merged firm will supply Canadians a variety of diversified services and products, together with retail and institutional crypto buying and selling, staking merchandise, crypto business-to-business funds, sports activities betting and gaming. The newly mixed entity "could have transacted over $17 billion and held over $600 million in belongings since 2017," the announcement stated.
PRESS RELEASE: WonderFi, Coinsquare and CoinSmart are merging to create Canada's largest regulated crypto asset buying and selling platform with 1.65 million registered customers
— WonderFi (@WonderFi) April 3, 2023
The mixed firm plans to diversify its income potential by increasing its product providing, which is anticipated to enchantment to a broader vary of consumers. Upon completion of the merger, the mixed firm is anticipated to have roughly $50 million or extra in money and investments and no excellent debt.
"What we'll ship with the mixture of Coinsquare and CoinSmart is a novel platform the place customers can commerce, earn and pay in crypto, spend money on shares and shortly place bets in a compliant ecosystem," stated WonderFi President and Interim- CEO Dean Skurka shared.
Associated: New Canadian guidelines for crypto buying and selling platforms depart little room for stablecoins
CoinSmart, a crypto alternate based in 2018, was acquired by Coinsquare for an undisclosed quantity in September final 12 months. The next month, in October, Coinsquare turned the primary crypto alternate to obtain service provider registration with the Funding Business Regulatory Group of Canada (IIROC). Based on IIROC's regulator, Coinsquare is required to report its monetary efficiency and keep enough capital for liabilities. In return, buyer accounts are protected by the Canadian Funding Safety Fund within the occasion of chapter.
WonderFi, backed by Kevin O'Leary, confirmed in January that it was in talks a few attainable merger with Coinsquare. On the time, WonderFi clarified that talks had been nonetheless at an early stage and there was no assure that an settlement can be reached.


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Home brewer gets winning ale on tap
A Kalgoorlie beer lover will see her winning home brew made available to the public at Beaten Track Brewery this weekend.
Aircraft engineer by day and novice brewer by night, Yvette Smith was the winner of the Boulder brewery’s Home Brew Competition in May.
Beating 10 other participants, Ms Smith’s smooth and citrusy “Awkward Pale Ale” was selected by a panel of judges during a blind-taste test and will be on tap tomorrow from 3-6pm.
Ms Smith said the “Awkward” recipe was only her third attempt at making her own beer and she was excited and a little surprised to hear she had beaten many of the more experienced brewers, including her partner.
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“He has been making his own beer for around seven years,” she said.
“I had some cool ideas floating around and just thought I would give it a shot.
“It is cool, it has turned out really well.”
Ms Smith said winning the competition had given her the enthusiasm and backing to try more recipes, including a honey-barrel stout and a green tea-infused ale.
Beaten Track Brewery co-owner Allira Dudarko said the quality of the beer-making in the Goldfields was impressive.
She said the brewery hoped to make the competition a yearly tradition.
The Awkward Pale Ale will be available at the brewery on tap and in cans for takeaway.
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A dream Mediterranean cruise turned into a horror story for two Bedford friends caught up in the British Airways cyber fiasco.
Jacquie Manners, 58, and Sheena Todd, 59, were banking on flying to Barcelona and spending a week aboard a luxury cruise ship.
Instead the pair spent two days waiting trying to fly to their boat – then ended up coming home in despair.
The problems began as soon as they arrived at Heathrow airport at 5am on Bank Holiday Sunday.
After queuing at check-in for almost two hours and handing in their baggage, they discovered the flight was cancelled.
It was one of hundreds affected by the biggest computer crash of all time to strike the airline company.
“We sought out the BA help desk, where 100 people were queuing. After nearly three hours of barely moving the police arrive and lined up against the wall. Then a BA man came out and said they were closing the desk. I think the police were there because they were expecting a riot!” said Jacquie, who runs Manners PR company in Bedford,
Cruise operator Oceania were “fantastic” and booked the pair a flight to Madrid for the following day, with a connection to catch up with their cruise ship in Ibiza.
After another 4am start on Bank Holiday Monday, they finally boarded the plane at 7.20am.
“I nodded off and woke up at 7.50am – only to find the plane hadn’t moved,” said Jacquie.
The captain announced a technical fault and delay, which meant Jacquie and Sheena would miss their Madrid connection.
“BA would not let people off the plane. We we going to Madrid to catch a flight which we had already missed,” said Jacquie.
The pair had a 24 hour mini break in Madrid – where the taxis were on strike – before finally giving up and catching a flight home.
They now plan, with the help of Oceania, to rearrange their cruise later in the year.


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Apaylo makes Daily Finance’s “Top Transaction Processing Companies in Canada (2021)”
What can we say? A great big thank you to Tenner Smith, Fupping Ltd, and Daily Finance! Apaylo Finance Technology has been identified as one of the Top Transaction Processing Co ...
By April 8, 2021
How COVID-19 Has Impacted Contactless Payments; And What You Can Expect to Happen Into 2021As 2020 surges to a close, this has without a doubt been a year shaped largely by the Covid-19 pandemic. It has been a year that has forced retailers ...
210 days ago | 3 min read


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Consumer ad blocking has climbed 30% within the last year, according to PageFair’s ‘2017 Adblock Report’, and on mobile it’s posing a larger threat than expected.
By the end of 2016, 615 million devices were blocking ads globally while 62% of these were on mobile. The majority of this growth can be attributed to the software’s growing adoption in Asia-Pacific, where 94% of mobile ad blocking takes place.
In India, where its use is most severe, three out of five (59%) consumers have an ad blocker installed on their smartphone.
Results of the report will be alarming to a growing number of companies that are making decisive moves into APAC in order to capitalise on the region’s rapid digital advertising growth, which eMarketer has predicted to overtake North America within the next year.
When it comes to the reasoning behind installing these programmes, 30% of users cited security concerns over exposure to malicious malware and viruses, while 29% claimed their browsing experiences were interrupted by advertising.
PageFair’s CEO and co-founder, Sean Blanchfield, stands firm on the belief that the answer to stemming the rise of ad blockers lies in addressing “legitimate” consumer grievances. He adds, however, that publishers must make continued innovations into “tamper-proof” ad technology.
“This is precisely what Facebook has done. The platform now attributes significant revenue growth to having taken this step, and we estimate it will net a further three quarters of a billion on the blocked web in 2017,” said Blanchfield.
“Publishers are now following suit, listening to users’ legitimate grievances, fixing those problems, and then serving ads using tamper-proof technology.”
Ad block walls
What’s been a key tool for publishers, ad block ‘walls’ which requires users to temporarily disable their programmes in order to view content, has according to the report, had limited success.
Of the users surveyed, PageFair found that just one in four (26%) disabled the software when confronted with this requirement, while the remainder (74%) claimed to leave the website as a response. However, the rate reduced to 64% for users between the age of 18-34.
As a result of the findings, the report called the method “ineffective” at reducing ad block usage at “any significant rate” unless the site in question has valued content that cannot be obtained elsewhere.
In terms of which ads are served, however, it appeared that not all ads are created equal; 77% of users deemed certain formats “permissable”, with static banner ads and skippable video ads currying more favour than interruptive auto-play video and non-skippable video ads. Native advertising garnered a neutral response from those surveyed.


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Owner of Amarillo plant sues TV network
Company closed its Amarillo processing plant earlier this year after being accused of making 'pink slime'
AMARILLO - Beef Products, Inc. has filed a $1.2-billion lawsuit against the ABC television network and several of its employees.
The company closed its Amarillo processing plant earlier this year after being accused of making "pink slime."
The suit claims there were intentionally false and disparaging statements made regarding Beef Products and its product known as lean finely textured beef in the meat industry, according to a news release.
ABC News, owned by The Walt Disney Co., denied Beef Product's claims.
"The lawsuit is without merit. We will contest it vigorously," Jeffrey W. Schneider, a senior vice president at the network, said in a brief statement Thursday.
Beef Products filed the suit in circuit court in Union County, South Dakota, where the company is based.
About 200 people lost jobs in Amarillo when the company shut down the facility, along with two others in Iowa and Kansas, in response to the dramatic drop in demand for its product.
The Amarillo plant made about 200,000 pounds of lean finely textured beef per day.
The product is made from beef trimmings - in Amarillo from Tyson Fresh Meat - that is heated slightly to melt fat and then spun to remove the fat. The resulting product then went to processing companies and supermarkets the incorporated it into ground beef and other products.
Federal regulators say the ammonia-treated filler meets food safety standards. But critics said the product could be unsafe and is an unappetizing example of industrialized food production.
"Through nearly 200 false, misleading and defamatory statements, repeated continuously during a month-long disinformation campaign, ABC and other individuals knowingly misled consumers into believing (lean finely textured beef) was not beef and not safe for public consumption, which is completely false," said Dan Webb, chairman, Winston & Strawn LLP, the law firm representing the company. "BPI has filed suit because their business has been severely damaged by this conduct. As a result, we will be asking a jury to award BPI more than $1 billion in compensatory and statutory damages, plus punitive damages."
The company's production fell from 5 million pounds per week to 2 million pounds after about one month of intensive news coverage and comments from bloggers and celebrities like chef Jamie Oliver. Pressure also came as companies like McDonald's and Kroger's supermarkets quit using the product while the U.S. Department of Agriculture defended its safety.


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Alcom — Telecoms company supplies low-income ‘red zones’ with internet access
Alcom provides internet access to underserved areas in Chile via local stores. 40% of the Chilean population lacks internet access, in part due to ‘red zones’ (poor areas where telecom brands see little profit in offering their service). Alcom installs wireless antennas in neighborhood grocery stores, then residents can purchase routers and connect to the store. In February 2016, Alcom asked red zone residents to call attention to their neighborhoods on social media.


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Singapore coffee shop operator Koufu reported Wednesday its second quarter net profit increased 16.2 percent on-year to S$7.2 million on stronger contributions from both the outlet and mall management and the food and beverage retail segments.
The newly opened Macau University food court also made its first contribution, Koufu said.
Revenue for the quarter ended 30 June rose 7.3 percent on-year to S$58.1 million, mainly on the reopening of the Marina Bay Sands food court, which reopened in August 2018 after being closed for renovation, Koufu said in a filing to SGX.
The outlet and mall management segment posted an 11.3 percent on-year increase in revenue to S$29.5 million, while the F&B retail segment’s revenue grew 3.6 percent on-year to S$28.6 million for the quarter.
“We have sustained our strong growth momentum despite the highly competitive and challenging F&B industry,” Pang Lim, executive chairman and CEO of Koufu, said in the statement.
“We’ve also made much progress since our IPO last July, notably in overseas markets. Apart from deepening our presence in Macau, we recently announced our maiden entry into the Indonesian market, in line with our plans to capitalize on new growth opportunities by exporting our brands overseas,” Pang said. “Meanwhile, our local businesses continue to thrive – we’ve organically expanded our network of food courts and coffee shops to 65 outlets across both segments, and this is expected to increase further.”
For the first half, Koufu posted net profit of S$14.1 million, up 14.2 percent, on revenue of S$115.9 million, up 6.1 percent on-year.
Koufu proposed an interim dividend of 1 Singapore cent a share, compared with no dividend in the year-ago period.
Koufu’s Singapore portfolio includes 47 food courts, 16 coffee shops, a hawker center and a commercial mall under the outlet and management segment, while the F&B retail segment has 73 self-operated F&B stalls, 20 F&B kiosks, seven quick-service restaurants and two full-service restaurants, the filing said.
It added it had two food courts, four F&B stalls and two F&B kiosks in Macau.
In Singapore, Koufu said it obtained three more leases to expand its food courts and coffee shops, and another lease for a third food court in Macau.
Koufu added it expected its R&B and Supertea outlets would grow to at least 25 in Singapore by end-2019.
In its outlook, Koufu said it expected to remain profitable for the next 12 months.
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An Ontario MPP is seeking support for a new bill that would arm Ontario’s ombudsman and auditor general with the power to probe Tarion, the provincial corporation created to protect new homebuyers.
The Tarion Accountability and Oversight Act, a private member’s bill and brainchild of NDP MPP Rosario Marchese, will be introduced at Queen’s Park Wednesday and comes after a Star investigation revealed that Tarion is keeping secret records of poor or incomplete work in new homes.
In addition to giving the province’s ombudsman and auditor general the power to open the books at Tarion, the bill aims to reduce the number of days builders have to resolve deficiencies in new homes and make the corporation’s senior management salaries subject to the province’s Sunshine List.
The bill also calls for the number of Tarion board members appointed by the minister of consumer services to be raised to eight, up from the current five, and seeks to entrench a “consumer protection” mandate in the legislation Tarion was created to administer in 1976.
“For too long, this entity that was established 37 years ago has been languishing in the dark,” said Marchese, who plans to table his bill in the legislature next week. “My primary goal with this bill is to provide oversight, transparency, greater accountability and greater consumer protection. I don’t believe consumers have been adequately protected by this entity in the way that it is structured.”
While private member’s bills rarely get enacted, Marchese says his proposal is intended to put pressure on the government to make changes at the private, non-profit corporation.
Tarion spokesperson Karen Mortfield said Tuesday the corporation would like to read Marchese’s bill before commenting.
A spokesman for Consumer Services Minister Tracy MacCharles, the minister responsible for overseeing Tarion, said the minister is looking forward to reading Marchese’s bill.
“We’re always interested in ways to improve consumer protection and delivering on Tarion’s mandate,” said Bryan Leblanc.
Late last month, Progressive Conservative MPP Randy Hillier tabled a motion in the legislature calling for a value-for-money audit of Tarion by the auditor general within six months. MPPs from all parties have told the Star they support such a motion, but nothing has come of it to date.
The Star’s investigation earlier this year found Tarion collected close to $30 million from developers in the past five years for problems in new homes, but the corporation won’t identify the developers or divulge what the problems were.
Tarion is not subject to freedom-of-information legislation or oversight by the auditor general or Ontario’s ombudsman because it does not receive government funding. Most of the corporation’s revenue comes from home warranty enrolment fees — between $385 and $1,500, depending on the price of the home — that are often passed on to purchasers by builders.
After the Star published its findings, Tarion said it is “working to find new ways to help home buyers research their home purchase, including streamlining the online information search process.”
Alex Patinios, a homeowner who was unsatisfied with the Tarion claim process after finding what he considered more than 200 deficiencies in his new home, welcomed news of Marchese’s bill, particularly the proposal to increase the number of consumer representatives on the board.
Patinios says he spent more than $50,000 in lawyers fees in order to obtain a $35,520 settlement from Tarion for deficiencies in his home.
“Creating a Tarion board that has balanced representation for homeowners is critical,” he said. “An ongoing concern has been that the current board is dominated by builder representatives who don’t have a complete homeowner perspective of Tarion.”
Of Tarion’s current 15 full-time board members, eight are chosen from a list of nominees put forward by the Ontario Home Builders’ Association (OHBA), while five are appointed by the consumer services minister. Next year, Tarion will increase the number of board member positions to 16, but will keep the number of OHBA representatives at eight.
Karen Somerville, president of Canadians for Properly Built Homes, a national consumer-protection organization, endorsed Marchese’s bill and said she believes the current system is “broken.”
“Ontarians deserve and need meaningful consumer protection on the largest purchase most of them ever make — a new home.”