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Everyone has to eat. But is everyone taught to do so in the same way?
Differences in diet cultures between men and women are evident — the term “dude food” and the idea of “manliness” tend to evoke images of burgers or hot wings, not salad and smoothies.
A Boston University alumna of the Gastronomy Program — which approaches the study of food and society from a variety of academic perspectives — is striving to bring this issue to light through her writing.
Emily Contois, who graduated from the program in 2013, wrote the book “Diners, Dudes & Diets: How Gender and Power Collide in Food Media and Culture” examining this subject, and the BU Gastronomy Program held an event Friday featuring her work.
Contois’ book, published last November, delves into the way food production and consumption has been gendered in order to influence the way people self-identify with food.
This is the first program of the Spring 2021 Pépin Lecture Series in Food Studies and Gastronomy.
Megan Elias, an associate professor and director of the Gastronomy Program, said though this talk is part of a series that is held every semester, Contois’ talk was particularly meaningful.
“We’re especially excited to have Emily because she’s a graduate of the program and kind of began this research while she was in the program,” Elias said in an interview. “Now, we get to see it grow into a whole book, so it’s really special to us.”
Contois said in an interview she initially thought her study of gendered dieting would end with her dissertation, but it ended up growing into something much bigger.
“It expanded, but it wasn’t just dieting,” Contois said. “I was also thinking about things like food and flavor, texture, appetite and then a lot of different food media forms, whether it was advertising or television or still print publishing with cookbooks.”
At the event, Contois said the “dude” trope the book discusses could apply to many different identities, but the prominent one being a white man.
“There are women dudes … there are Black dudes, “ Contois said at the event, “but primarily, especially in the media sources that I looked at for this book, the dude is primarily connoting a sense of masculinity that’s inherently white.”
Contois said her overall goal in writing the book is to make readers think about the impact of food media and marketing on the shaping of masculinity and femininity.
“A big message of this book is about where our ideas about gender come from, what we think masculinity and femininity are and how food media and marketing in particular has played a role in those being really binary understandings,” she said, “that limit the possibilities and opportunities for how we can think about who we are.”
Dana Ferrante, a student in BU’s Gastronomy Program, wrote in an email about the book’s discussion of food’s impact on our lives.
“Dr. Contois’ book shows how powerfully food and food media shape our lives,” Ferrante wrote. “With its focus on advertisements, Diners, Dudes, and Diets reveals the power food/food media has to define, or redefine, what it means to be ‘masculine’ or ‘feminine.’”
Ferrante also wrote the book’s handling of complex ideas illustrates the applicability of food studies.
“Everyone has a stake in a conversation about food, and so using food is a extremely fruitful way to discuss larger, intangible ideas—such as the patriarchy, the gender binary, racism, queerness, politics, etc,” she wrote.
Elias said she particularly enjoyed the mentioning of Weight Watchers for men in Contois’ book, which serves as an example of companies pushing men to diet.
“It’s this very poignant section where a global company just wants to make more money,” Elias said, “and they end up doing it by fueling the inadequate feelings among people who had traditionally not had to worry about those things, who had the sort of privilege of masculinity.”
While Kate Cherven, a 2020 graduate of the Gastronomy Program and previous student of Elias’, wrote in an email she has not yet read Contois’ book, but the program is full of food analysis classes that mirrors the author’s work.
“Analyzing food in the context of culture and how it shapes our identities is what the Gastronomy Program does best!” Cherven wrote in an email. “Food and identity are intimately linked on every level.”
Overall, Contois said she hopes this book will give people a lens to analyze and identify the ways in which food advertisements shape our ideas about gender.
“I genuinely hope that the book helps folks to become more critical consumers of the messages that media and marketing impart,” Contois said. “We can critically resist if those messages are damaging and how we can push these industries forward to a more just and joyful future.”


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SAIF’s response to the CMA interim report on the funeral sector29/11/2018 // No Comments
Comments to SAIF Members from Chief Executive Terry Tennens:
Today, the profession we cherish has received a wake-up call. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has published its interim report on its review of the funeral sector. The document includes a series of findings which give cause for reflection and full market investigation is now proposed.
Whilst some of the report makes for difficult reading, we don’t believe hardworking independent funeral directors should feel discouraged. In fact, you should be proud of the work you do in caring for bereaved families and we urge you to continue serving your communities in the way you know best. Indeed, some of the CMA’s findings echo points we have been trying to make for years, such as the need to shop around to find the best price and that smaller funeral directors tend to offer better value than the larger chains.
We are also pleased to see transparency of ownership finally identified as an issue at official level. Independent funeral directors have long held concerns about large chains buying up independents and continuing to trade under the family firm’s name. Additionally, as the first UK funeral profession trade association to call for regulation of the sector, we also accept the need for better transparency around pricing particularly online and we have been urging all our members with websites to display their costs digitally.
The public would benefit from more information about how to arrange a funeral, covering quality and costs. We think the trade associations could play an invaluable role in assisting Government in this area.
In terms of next steps, SAIF will be working with the Government over the coming months to address some of the concerns outlined and we’ll be updating Members when available. We encourage you to read the report and offer any thoughts and reflections you may have.

domain: news


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Nintendo is set to announce its annual earnings on Thursday this week and all eyes will be set on the Kyoto-based company. Nintendo is expected to announce the first 12 days of sales of the immensely popular Animal Crossing: New Horizons game on the Nintendo Switch system. The company will also provide updated sales figures for the Switch platform which has seen a huge rise in demand during the coronavirus lockdown worldwide.
Japanese gaming giant Nintendo will report full-year results on Thursday. Its earnings will include figures for the first 12 days of video game sales of Animal Crossing: New Horizons, which has become a global hit offering an escape for quarantined players. The Switch console has also seen a rise in demand since the coronavirus outbreak and is expected to have boosted revenue. The company revised upward its outlook for Switch in late January from 18 million to 19.5 million units.


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Mass layoffs at companies nationwide and continued supply chain issues suggest the workforce will remain volatile going into the second half of 2023. Jennifer Peavy, Branch Manager at skilled trades staffing company LEAD Pinellas, says the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows job growth is fluctuating with 209,000 new jobs added in June, nearly 100,000 less than in May. The unemployment rate fell 1%. And, while the labor market is slowing compared to the first quarter of 2023, it remains strong, which is what prompted the Fed to raise the interest rate again last week. The Fed hopes to slow inflation and we can expect the rates to be raised again in the near future, says Jennifer.
Fed Chair Jerome Powell, at a July 26 news conference, acknowledged the process of lowering inflation to the Fed’s 2% goal “has a long way to go,” and noted the Fed also wants to bring supply and demand in the economy and labor market into better balance.
Jennifer says resolving the supply chain issues will positively impact the markets. “Since the pandemic, supply chain issues have improved, but we’re not close to the pre-pandemic state,” says Jennifer. The lack of the distribution of some materials is still impacting construction projects throughout the U.S. with most of the challenges in the electrical utility and natural gas segments. Additionally, a shortage on cement and machine parts persists, causing delays in infrastructure projects.
“And, just as we are making slight improvements in the supply chain, the potential UPS labor strike will cause chaos,” says Jennifer. UPS moves an estimated 6% of total U.S. GDP. A strike will cause a significant disruption to the supply chain in the U.S.
The uncertainty of day-to-day operations is where Jennifer and her team come in to save the day. LEAD Pinellas works with companies in need of skilled trade laborers at a moment’s notice. “Our company clients rely on us because they know they can count on finding the right fit with our large talent pool of skilled workers,” says Jennifer. LEAD Pinellas specializes in commercial construction and skilled trades staffing on the central Gulf Coast of Florida including Clearwater, Largo, Pinellas County and the Tampa Bay region.
“We are adapting. The way we work and do business in all sectors is changing,” says Jennifer. She refers to a recent Reuter’s article (Chicago, May 17), that stated companies are investing in everything from technologies to track the movement of goods to robotics and artificial intelligence to improve results. “Changing the way we manage the supply chain is a good thing and will bring new jobs into the economy. Some people worry that jobs in the trades also are being replaced by new tech. Sure, some tasks performed by skilled workers may eventually be phased out, but the jobs will always need the trade experts for quality control and management,” says Jennifer who understands the importance of maintaining operations while managing costs and labor.
“We help fill the staffing gap so that our partner companies can complete their projects. Our team can be an extension of a company’s hiring department, especially in these times of uncertainty,” says Jennifer. Companies in need of workers aren’t the only ones who benefit from the experts at LEAD Pinellas. Trade workers also can rely on LEAD Pinellas to help them find a job. Craftsmen seeking good solid employment will find their perfect match with Jennifer’s team of recruiters. Positions regularly filled include electrician, 6g pipe fitter, plumber, sheet metal mechanic, welder, and more. LEAD’s matching and onboarding systems have proven to be fruitful for companies and job seekers. Reach out to Jennifer Peavy today to learn how you can get started. Call 813-460-5006.


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TAIPEI, Taiwan, June 28, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- With a focus on the ASEAN market, the Industry Accelerator & Incubation Center (IAIC) at Chung Yuan Christian University (CYCU) has partnered with governmental bodies and private organizations in Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam. In order to help startup firms expand into the Australian market, the center hosted the Australian Startup Trade Delegation event from June 16 to June 22. Led by Yi-Ning Chen, the director of the center, the delegation of representatives from six Taiwanese startups engaged in trade exchanges with companies and venture capital (VC) firms in Australia, in a move to gain a better understanding of the current economic and trade environment and investment market in Australia.
On June 19, following a series of negotiating sessions, six Taiwanese startups, led by Yi-Ning Chen, the director of the Industry Accelerator & Incubation Center, signed 34 memoranda of understanding involving collaborative efforts in technology, agency representation, product distribution and trade with 12 Sydney-based companies and VC firms.
On June 19, following a series of negotiating sessions, Taiwanese startups signed 34 memoranda of understanding involving collaborative efforts in technology, agency representation, product distribution and trade with 12 Sydney-based companies and VC firms, helping Taiwanese firms successfully expand into the Australian market.
The delegation also visited MyCube, the University of Western Sydney, Homart Pharmaceuticals Pty Ltd, SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium, the Australian Taiwanese Chamber of Commerce, the Australian Taiwanese Friendship Association, Mwave, the Sydney Startup Hub, the Taiwan Trade Centre Sydney and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Sydney, among other companies, VC firms, entrepreneurship facilities and economic and trade institutions.
The center has established incubation centers with 12 strategic partners and 7 organisations with a local presence in 16 countries, enabling small- and medium-sized companies in Taiwan to take advantage of opportunities and expand into markets worldwide by capitalizing on its rich international incubation resources.


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H&M STUDIO S/S 2017 SEE NOW, BUY NOW FASHION SHOW DURING PARIS FASHION WEEKLast night, H&M Studio unveiled its latest runway show in Paris, a “see now, buy now” S/S 2017 collection inspired by the power of love, grace, strength and passion of ballet, featuring both womenswear and for the first time, menswear.
“Bringing fashion immediately from catwalk to checkout marks a new era for the fashion industry and we value the direct communication we can have with customers through a ‘see now, buy now’ collection. Anything that brings us closer to our customers and makes fashion even more accessible is very positive,” says Pernilla Wohlfahrt, H&M’s Head of Design and Creative Director.
“With this collection we want to send a global message of love. There are a few pieces that carry the word again and again, kind of like a ticker tape and as a constant reminder of what is important. It feels like now, more than ever, we all need positive feelings and thoughts in our lives” says Pernilla Wohlfahrt.
Following the show, the over 800 guests in attendance – along with a global audience watching live at studio.hm.com and via VR on H&M’s YouTube channel – were all treated to an electrifying performance by the chart-topping singer/songwriter The Weeknd, who played hits such as “Starboy”, “Can’t Feel My Face” and “I Feel It Coming”.
An interactive pop-up shop was also set up for at the Paris show, while customers around the world could shop the collection online at hm.com at the same time. The collection will also be available in around 180 selected stores from today at 10:30am.
H&M Studio is the key seasonal collection from H&M, with its own dedicated design team. For show images please visit hm.com/press. For film material, including B-roll material and celebrity quotes, go to https://app.frame.io/d/fZD6hoSh.


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A nose cone from the Concorde is going up for auction. The 3.35m (11ft) high nose cone with a 1.35m (4ft 6″) diameter base, will be auctioned off Thursday 22 February. The nose cone is believed to be the only unused nose cone from the few that were originally made for the fleet by BAC Aerospatial in the 1970’s.
JP Humbert Auctioneers in Northamptonshire expects the nose cone to go for between £45 000 and £60 000 (€50,860 – €67,813, $US63,014 – $US84,020, $A79,730 – $A106,000) plus a 23.40% fee including VAT.
A rare piece of aviation history will be up for grabs when a nose cone from the original Concorde passenger plane goes to auction next week at JP Humbert Auctioneers in Towcester, Northamptonshire https://t.co/FSkwCEJ84m
— delcrookes (@hairydel) February 17, 2018
Auctioneer Jonathon Humbert told media, “We appreciate this is not an inexpensive item, [b]ut I’d be hard pressed to think of a more exclusive and iconic item to sell than a famous nose cone from the world’s fastest commercial plane.”
Two other Concorde related items are also up for sale at the same auction. An original British Airways Concorde inaugural flight menu for the Heathrow-JFK, 22 November 1977 flight is listed at £400 – £600 (€452 – €678, $US560 – $US840, $A708 – $A1062). A 40cm x 40cm (15.75″ x 15.75″) photo display signed by chief Concorde pilot, Mike Bannister and photographer Adrian Meredith with a list price of £50 – £80 (€56 – €90, $US70 – $US112, $A89 – $142). Both also have the 23.4% fee including VAT.
The last Concorde flight 23 October 2003.


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The California Honey Festival returns with vendors, music and neighborhood restaurants celebrating the state’s sweetest product.
Companies and researchers are finding ways to use mycelium,
the vegetative body of fungi, to solve problems including
plastic waste, greenhouse gas emissions, antibiotic residue in
water supplies and more.
Currently serving more than 3,000 meals daily to Sacramento’s seniors, local nonprofit Meals on Wheels by ACC (MoW) has seen a sharp increase in the need for their services during the pandemic.
The Boulevard Park corner cafe serves Brazilian baked goods such as cheese bread and fried dumplings, as well as an assortment of sandwiches and beverages.
The owners of Pachamama Coffee aim to operate their cooperative business sustainably, considering environmental, economic and social issues.
We explore the lonely outposts formerly part of a family of franchises. Although they have no corporate parent to provide updated decor or menus, these idiosyncratic restaurants are still well loved by many Sacramentans.
The neighborhood lunch spot serves comfort sandwiches, Sunday brunch, desserts and a bodega-style assortment of beer and wine.
The frozen meal company expands its operations following an increase in demand for delivered food options.
State government leaders take a break from making California laws to make California rolls for the Capitol Roller Competition, part of a recent summit for rice industry stakeholders.
Several local nonprofits are leading women to
self-sufficiency through a holistic approach, with culinary
training programs that arm them with transferable skills.


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Chicago Auto Show previews charity gala
CHICAGO - On Chicago's West Side, several chefs set out to prime our taste buds for the Chicago Auto Show, which is just over three weeks away.
"We're very excited to be back," said Jason Roberts, chair of the Chicago Auto Show, First Look for Charity.
Thursday's preview party at Goose Island Barrel House was designed to rev up interest in the gala, by showcasing what's on the menu.
The black tie affair with fancy food kicks off the auto show excitement on Feb. 11
"The event is going to be just an opportunity for us to give back to the community. We're supporting 17 local charities, and we hope to raise over $2 million," said Roberts.
Last year, the gala had to go online, while the signature car show moved to summer, with a smaller, partially outdoor show.
Even though the boat show canceled this month due to COVID, the Chicago Auto Show plans a full return to its 10-day February tradition.
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"I think people in Chicago especially have just come to find the Chicago Auto Show is just such a great winter tradition. The excitement is there. The participation is there. So we're feeling very hopeful and very excited for February," said Jennifer Morand, Spokesperson, Chicago Automobile Trade Association.
Vaccinations will be required at the charity gala but not at the auto show itself.
However, you will have to show proof of vaccination to enter designated eating and drinking areas at the show.
Plus, people age two and up will be required to wear masks.
For car dealers, the return of the show means a big kick off to spring, even with the ongoing chip shortage that's cutting down inventory.
"There will definitely be more cars at the auto show than there will be in most dealers' inventory," said Roberts.
The Chicago Auto Show drives back into McCormick Place Feb. 12 through the 21st.


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Early Lunar New Year holidays may boost first quarter numbers.
Asia-US freight bookings eased slightly in December as the peak shipping season came to a close, but most ships continued to run at around 85% utilization, according to major container lines operating in the trade. Forward bookings also suggest that the earlier Lunar New Year holidays in Asia this year ’ when factories close for a week ’ will cause spring shipments to ramp up sooner, for a stronger first quarter.
‘Home prices rose, gas prices fell, the job numbers were positive and US consumers posted a strong showing in December,’ said Transpacific Stabilization Agreement (TSA) executive director Albert A. Pierce. ‘We’re continuing to see post-holiday sale and fulfillment cargo moving, taking us into a slight Lunar New Year dip and then the first spring shipments; overall we see a very healthy market in the year ahead.’
Final figures are not in yet, but it is believed that Asia-US container cargo ’ largely retail import merchandise and business purchases of industrial inputs, computers and other equipment ’ grew by around 11% for full year 2005, the fourth straight year of record volumes and mostly double-digit growth.
Infrastructure constraints on new, larger ships entering the Asia-US market, from port channel depths to terminal yard operations to inland rail delays, have kept capacity in line with demand, Pierce said. At the same time, operating cost pressures have held freight rates steady, particularly for established carriers in the trade. ‘It’s a stable situation right now,’ Pierce explained. ‘Cargo is moving, rates are already at favorable levels for shippers, and most of the focus is on beginning contract discussions for the coming year.’


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The National Association of Broadcasters announced that approximately 40,000 industry professionals engaged with the inaugural online event NAB Show Express.
The digital experience of the NAB Show provided 24-hour access to premium content curated for media and entertainment communities. The exclusive marketplace featured 1,479 exhibiting companies. NAB Show Express, which launched on May 13, also continues to provide free access to 200 on-demand educational sessions, executive conversations, and other resources. Online participants consumed over 1.6 million minutes of video content across the event’s channels, on-demand videos, and social media streams.
Gordon Smith, president and CEO of NAB, said, “We understand how important NAB Show is to our industry, and we are thrilled to offer NAB Show Express to help our community stay connected during this difficult time and provide critical information, inspiration and solutions to help the industry move forward. Thank you to our education partners, exhibitors, and all who made NAB Show’s digital experience a success.”


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We may be wary of another tech buzzword given how much hype, and at times hyperbole, past buzzwords have received. But how many fads have been based on a topic so practical and operationally based like RegTech?
RegTech is like the buttoned-up accountant of the tech buzzword world.
So what exactly is RegTech? It stands for Regulatory Technology and was born out of a time that was far from regular: the Global Financial Crisis of 2007. As Dan Tammas-Hastings explains in The Exploding Popularity of RegTech, “Financial institutions, particularly the banks, have entered a new world of heavy regulations with heavy fines and penalties for non-compliance.
RegTech involves harnessing technology to meet regulatory requirements in a reliable, cost-effective, and powerful manner. From this foundation of compliance, RegTech has blossomed into much more and continues to innovate at a rapid pace.
One of the companies featured on the Deloitte list of top RegTech companies, BIGcontrols epitomizes RegTech innovation at its best. BIGcontrols provides a state of the art system of record with automated proactive compliance for business incentives, which includes real-time alerts on regulatory changes–so key in this dynamic industry. The company add even more value to its customers by providing business intelligence and lifecycle management for a customer’s entire business incentives portfolio. This illustrates the leap RegTech has taken–from simplifying compliance to now providing advanced data analytics for competitive advantage.
How big is the RegTech field? According to a recent report by Let’s Talk Payments, the market is expected to reach $119B by 2020. This number appears conservative. While technology enables companies to innovate and boldly try things that were unimaginable mere months ago, RegTech provides footing and balance on any ledge where a business might find itself.
The future of RegTech is wide open and companies like BIGcontrols have big ambitions. As CEO Nelson recently wrote: “RegTech has dreams of going beyond automation to become a predictive platform used to monetize new business opportunities.” Keep your eye on Nelson and firms like BIGcontrols; a predictive algorithm unlocking new business incentives revenue will be here as quickly as this once fledgling industry has become the real deal.


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TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) -- It's the perfect storm.
Equifax, one of the nation's three large credit reporting bureaus, keeps a wealth of personal information on millions of Americans. Now, there has been a credit breach and the information of about 143 million Americans has been stolen.
Hackers now have social security numbers, birth dates, addresses, driver's license numbers and even credit card numbers.
Robert Coggin, of Brandon, was furious to find that he's among those potential victims.
"They have a huge responsibility, and they clearly failed in this regard," Coggin said.
In addition to the fear of having personal information in the hands of crooks, consumers are also now dealing with a nightmare of just trying to follow the company's advice online.
They complain to 8 On Your Side that they can't get a real person on the phone and online forms give them error messages that won't let them complete the process of applying for free credit monitoring.
"It is clearly their fault that they allowed this to happen and then they offer these mediocre solutions that don't go anywhere," Coggin said.
You can find out if your information was compromised by clicking the "potential impact tab" on the Equifax website.
The FTC recommends you enroll in free credit monitoring with Equifax. Also, run a free credit check with Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. You should also consider placing a credit freeze on your files. That makes it harder for a crook to open a new account in your name.
You'll need to monitor your accounts regularly to look for activity that's not yours. A credit freeze will not protect accounts that have already been compromised.
Equifax sent this statement to 8 On Your Side:
We understand that some consumers are experiencing difficulties getting the answers and support they need through our website and call center. We are listening to concerns raised by consumers and in the media, and continue to work diligently to ensure an improved consumer experience."
- Copyright 2018 Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
- Crews battle cow pasture fire in Thonotosassa
- MLK Jr.'s grandchild: I dream of gun-free world
- Missing Child Alert issued for 2 Florida toddlers
- Rubio says protesters must find common ground with gun rights supporters


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Microsoft has issued a reminder to users who are still running Windows 10 Fall Creators Update (Version 1709) Enterprise and Education on their devices. The operating system will end support services next week, October 13, 2020, which means that you will not receive a security update on the device running version 1709.
The enterprise and educational versions of Windows 10,1709 will reach the end-of-service phase on October 13, 2020. After this date, devices running these versions of Windows 10 1709 will no longer receive security updates. We recommend that you update these devices to a supported version as soon as possible to continue receiving monthly updates with security and non-security fixes.
Next month, the October 2018 update to Windows 10 (version 1809) will also meet its end-of-service deadline, but this will affect the home, professional, and professional education versions of the operating system.
The Windows manufacturer has finalized the upcoming Windows 10 October 2020 update (version 20H2), which is scheduled for release later this month. However, we recommend that users upgrade to Windows 10 2020 update (version 2004), as Microsoft has resolved almost all post-release errors, making it the most stable version available. Even if you don’t want to upgrade right away, you can download and save one for later installation, as ISO files won’t be available directly from the authorities when the update is released in October 2020.


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Ireland’s Glanbia has agreed to sell its minority stake in a milk-processing business to its joint-venture partner Glanbia Co-operative Society.
A “non-binding” memorandum of understanding has been signed by the two parties for the Co-op to purchase the 40% stake held by Glanbia in Glanbia Ireland for EUR307m (US$355.1m). If approved by shareholders, the transaction is expected to close “early” next year.
The venture, in which the Co-op owns 60%, was set up in 2017 through the combination of Dairy Ireland with Glanbia Ingredients Ireland DAC, another joint venture the companies formed in 2012.
Glanbia Ireland (GI) is regarded as the largest milk processor and grain buyer in Ireland, producing value-added dairy ingredients and consumer products such as the Avonmore milk brand, along with cheese, butter and cream.
It generated EUR1.9bn in revenues last year and profit after tax of EUR60m. GI operates 11 plants and employs more than 2,000 people.
Kilkenny-based Glanbia said today (10 November) it plans to now focus on its “growth” business segments of performance nutrition and nutritionals, and other “strategic joint ventures”. Some of the proceeds from the deal will be invested back into the London-listed business, with as much as 50% returned to its shareholders via a share buyback.
Glanbia chairman Donard Gaynor said: “Glanbia Ireland has a successful heritage and for many years we have valued the partnership with Glanbia Co-op in creating a strong business under our joint stewardship. The Co-op is the right owner to continue the strategic development of Glanbia Ireland for the benefit of the Co-op’s members, and the plc can continue to maximise the opportunities for its own business in the post-Covid environment, with our focus on health, wellbeing and nutrition.”
Post-transaction, Glanbia Ireland and the Co-op will change their trading names to not include Glanbia. The plc’s representatives on the boards of GI and the Co-op will retire.
Siobhan Talbot, the group managing director of the plc, added: “Today’s announcement represents the next stage of our transformation journey following many years of successful collaboration with Glanbia Co-op as joint-venture partners in Glanbia Ireland.
“If approved, the proposed transaction will continue the alignment of our portfolio to our strategy, which is focused on driving growth through our market-leading positions as a brand owner and ingredient solutions provider, playing into strong underlying consumer health and wellness trends.”
Glanbia, meanwhile, also reported year-to-date revenue figures today for the period ended 3 October, with contributions from wholly-owned businesses up 15.7% in constant-currency terms and 14.8% on a like-for-like basis. End numbers were not provided in a stock-exchange filing.
Revenue from performance nutrition rose 23.2% in constant currency and 22.4% like-for-like. Nutritionals were up 12.6% and 11.6%, respectively.
Performance nutrition is centred on protein powders and drinks and other good-for-you products with brands such as Optimum Nutrition, Nutramino, BSN and Think. It also features the SlimFast line of meals, drinks and snacks.
Nutritionals includes cheese, beverages, supplements and plant-based ingredients.
Martin Deboo, an analyst at Jefferies, wrote in a follow-up note: “[The] exit from Glanbia Ireland will further improve earnings quality and liberalise the plc owner base, in exchange for modest dilution.
“GI contributed just under 40% of Glanbia’s JV earnings in 2020 and circa 12% of its adjusted EPS in the same year. We think the exit will be circa 6% pro-forma dilutive to Jefferies’ FY-21 EPS, after a buyback of 50% of the initial proceeds.”


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The official Finnish Nokia blog reported today that all available pre-orders for the 64GB version of the Nokia N9 have already been reserved at the Nokia Flagship Store. The 16GB model is now the only option left. Pre-orders started just three days ago! Hey Nokia, maybe you can change your mind and release this phone in more countries?
A number of other countries also started taking pre-orders for the Nokia N9. Here’s China and Australia. Check your regional Nokia website for availability.
Source The Nokia Blog


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MCV claims that IGN Entertainment Group, which recently purchased UGO and popular gaming site 1UP, is currently in the process of selling Steam competitor Direct2Drive to mail-in game rental service GameFly. The deal is "almost complete," and an official announcement is expected to be released sometime next week.
Similar to Netflix before it offered streaming media, GameFly is a game-by-mail rental subscription service that deals exclusively with physical games for the three major consoles and the handheld game consoles. GameFly typically sends the requested game via snail mail in a re-mailable, pre-paid envelope. Subscribers can hang on to the game for any length of time as long as the subscription is kept active.
But the purchase of Direct2Drive means that GameFly is looking to gain extra revenue by incorporating a digital distribution platform for the PC and Mac. It also puts it in a position to compete with Valve Software's Steam platform which is currently at the forefront of the gaming industry's digital distribution sector. Even more, GameFly will gain access to Direct2Drive's just-launched digital rental service that allows customers to rent select PC games – a whopping six total including the original F.E.A.R., Divinity 2 and Tomb Raider: Underworld.
Earlier this year GameStop plowed head-on into the digital distribution sector by purchasing Impulse from Stardock. A direct competitor to Valve's popular Steam service (which is embedded in many PC games GameStop offers under its roof), Impulse sells digital versions of PC games while also offering socialization aspects like chatting Achievements, friends lists, matchmaking and more.
GameStop also purchased Spawn Labs in the same time frame, a company that focuses on streaming technology. The popular retailer will essentially incorporate Spawn Labs' technology into the upcoming digital distribution platform so that it can offer streaming PC games similar to OnLive. That said, both acquisitions will put it in a position to compete with Steam and OnLive while also offering console games at a retail brick-and-mortar level. The only avenue its has yet to conquer is GameFly's current territory, mail-in rentals.
OnLive presently doesn't offer a "download" service even though it's considered both as a rental and digital distribution platform. Gamers typically have four options: a 3-day rental, a 5-day rental, or outright purchasing the game aka "Full Access." The fourth option allows OnLive customers to pay one monthly subscription fee for an all-you-can-eat gaming buffet. The drawback is that multiplayer games are locked inside OnLive's network, and if the service ever shuts its doors, all Full Access purchases are gone for good.
Standard retailers and digital distributors are seemingly scrambling to figure out where the digital/physical retail space is heading as consumer tastes shift to social experiences, lower prices, and lighter loads on the desktop/notebook/mobile device. With GameFly moving into the digital distribution space, GameStop moving into the digital and on-demand space, Steam investigating the mobile space, and Nintendo gearing up to launch a new console, 2011 and 2012 looks to bring a huge wave of change in how gamers consume their favorite titles.
All seemingly inspired by Apple's iPhone and its cheap-but-tasty bite-sized gaming.


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The latest from Robot Economy (yes, that's a real thing. check it out here) takes an interesting look back on the dawn of the information age, going as far back as the computer's birth:
On March 28, 1955, Time magazine reported on a new generation of machinery called computers. The cover featured a drawing of IBM’s Thomas Watson, Jr. in front of a cartoonish robot drawn by Boris Artzybasheff, over a headline that read, “Clink. Clank. Think.”
Time equated the IBM computer with the advance of civilization. “The prospects for mankind are truly dazzling,” the article said. “Automation of industry will mean new reaches of leisure, new wealth, new dignity for the laboring man.”
The original reporting of the computer isn't all too different from John Maynard Keynes' Economic Possibilities for our Grandchildren. That essay from Keynes spawned the theory of technological unemployment, the notion that unemployment is produced due to our discover of means of economising the use of labour outrunning the pace at which we can find new uses for labour.
There are two sides of the coin in this argument.
1) Technology automates tasks and responsibilities otherwise fulfilled by human resources, and this results in job outsourcing.
The International Labor Organization (ILO) reports 200 million unemployed people worldwide in 2014. Robot Economy makes a soft argument that the bulk of jobs employed are coming from banks, insurance companies, travel agents, and retail. And most of these service industries rely heavily on software automation to run repetitive tasks.
2) The productivity output gained from technology actually opens up working hours to be filled by information workers, resulting in more job opportunities.
In defense of the second argument are the 76 companies that have implemented robots and also increased employees by over 294,000 over the last 3 years. In this stat pointed out by Robot Economy. robots are defined as a mechanical hardware and software device that incorporates movement/action. Folks like Amazon have multiplied employees by a factor of four over the past three years, though I'm sure not all jobs created at the company can be directly attributed to robotics, with needs in other areas of the company.
Bottom Line (at least, according to RobotEconomics): software eats jobs; robotics creates jobs.
Not that this is new or groundbreaking, but in terms of skillsets desired, accessing a high level of creativity is more valuable than ever and robot-proof, so to speak.


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Administrator Deloitte has seemingly admitted defeat in its efforts to salvage Woolworths in its present form, announcing that it will launch a closing-down sale today to try and take advantage of the Christmas rush. Despite various expressions of interest from bidders keen to save the brand – most publicly from that self-effacing chap off Dragons’ Den, and most recently its former boss Sir Geoff Mulcahy – it appears that none of the potential suitors have been able to make the numbers add up. As a result, many Woolies stores won’t even make it through to its centenary year in 2009…
Launching a fire-sale just two weeks before Christmas may be good news for bargain-hunters, but it’s horrible news for the chain’s 32,000 staff, who now face imminent redundancy. Deloitte partner Neville Kahn had previously promised staff a job at least until Christmas – but he’s now talking about some stores having to close before the end of the year, so some of them might be out of a job on Boxing Day. In other words, a bad situation just got even worse. Other retailers will also be worried about the impact this will have on their own sales.
However, Kahn clearly needs to start the closing-down sale quickly to make sure he shifts as much stock as possible. ‘Christmas is clearly the busiest time of the year for retailers and it is prudent to do all we can to sell existing stock. By moving to a store closing sale and further discounting the stock, we are maximising the sales potential that this period offers.’ He insisted that he was still open to offers from any interested parties, but it looks as though the priority now is just to raise as much cash as possible for the group’s creditors – hence why the most likely outcome seems to be a sale of Woolies’ 800-odd store leases (and given their typically prominent place on the high street, there’s unlikely to be any shortage of interest from supermarkets in particular).
It’s hardly surprising that would-be bidders haven’t managed to raise the necessary funding – if we were a bank, we wouldn’t lend anyone a pile of money to prop up Woolies at the best of times, let alone when lenders are under the cosh from all sides. And perhaps it’s right that it’s paying the ultimate price for failing to live with the times. Nonetheless, today’s closing-down sale makes it almost inevitable that the venerable Woolworths brand will soon be a footnote in retail history – and we’re sure we’re not the only ones who’ll be sorry to see that...
In today's bulletin:
The beginning of the end for Woolworths
Brown hits back after German bashing
Channel 4 eyes BBC Worldwide merger
The grate Italian cheese bailout
Corporates lag behind on accountability


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PREMIUM gins may be popping up all over the place and the poshest malt whiskies may be commanding previously unthinkable prices, but mainstream spirits sales in the Scottish off-trade remain dominated by vodka.
To put it a little more precisely mainstream off-trade spirits in Scotland are dominated by two massive brands of vodka with a third contender showing remarkable growth. Thereafter there are a number of very much smaller brands but there’s interesting new launch activity too.
But let’s start with the big two. In the Nielsen figures, published earlier this year in Scottish Grocer, Smirnoff was the most valuable off-trade alcohol brand in Scotland, clocking up sales in the 12 months to early January of just over £68m. Glen’s vodka was the second-most valuable off-trade alcohol brand in the country with sales worth just over £65m.
• Glen’s was number one for a while and it famously achieved its strong position with a policy of providing an acceptable and credible branded vodka at very, very competitive prices. There wasn’t very much more to say. Although back in 2009 it did come first in a blind tasting of vodkas by drinks experts organised by the Daily Telegraph.
But there have been interesting developments of late. It was bought, along with related interests like the Loch Lomond Distillery and a series of whisky brands, by the newly formed Loch Lomond Group.
The people involved include experienced executives from the tobacco industry and one thing that means is that the brands and products in the portfolio are likely to be subject to significant marketing analysis and activity.
Loch Lomond Group business development director Bruce Davidson explained that some early classic marketing work had now been done on Glen’s. The new company has spoken to wholesalers and retailers and has conducted some consumer focus groups.
“It’s a very well-regarded brand,” he said.
“It’s strong in Scotland but has pockets of strength in many English cities too.
“It has quite a wide age range, from middle-aged people to students who like it as a drink before going out. And it is very strong in convenience stores.”
Any work on the brand will be carefully introduced but the company does see opportunities in, among other things, fractional sizes.
• Market leader Smirnoff is said by owner Diageo to be performing very well in Scotland in on and off-trades. Recent figures showed it as worth £148m in total, up 9.4% on the previous year, and taking almost two-thirds of the value of the total vodka category in Scotland.
Just over a year ago Diageo launched a pre-filled 20cl unit containing price-marked bottles of Smirnoff. Each 20cl bottle contains eight serves, which, says Diageo, provides great value for shoppers who are looking to buy “something for tonight”.
• Russian Standard, available through Whyte & Mackay, is well behind the big two but has nevertheless achieved remarkable growth, up 47% to be worth £9.4m in Scottish off-trade in 2013.
• Launch activity this year has included the launch by E&J Gallo in the UK of New Amsterdam vodka.
The company says it’s an award-winning vodka that has been taking the US by storm – making history by becoming the fastest spirits brand to reach 1m cases sold.
New Amsterdam vodka is being launched exclusively in UK impulse outlets at an RRP of £15.99.
• Blackwoods, known for its gin, released Blackwoods Botanical Vodka early this year Brand owner Blavod Drinks said it goes through a process involving infusing the vodka with the same Shetland botanicals used in Blackwoods gin.
Available from February in the UK and for export, Blavod set the UK RRP of the blue-labelled 40% ABV premium vodka at £24.50 a bottle.


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Elon Musk slashed the price of his entry range Tesla vehicles in China by as much as 9% to reignite sluggish domestic demand in the final quarter.
The rear-wheel-drive standard-range version of the Model Y crossover saw its price cut to just below ¥300,000 ($41,312), the threshold to qualify for a national EV purchase subsidy that knocks the equivalent of an additional $1,500 off the vehicle. The ¥11,088 incentive is set to expire at the start of January (not to be confused with the recent extension of a tax break).
The combination of the price cut together with certainty over the run-out of the subsidy should now provide an impetus to those Chinese consumers that held off purchases until they had certainty. Speculation over both had been rife in recent weeks.
The move comes as Musk looks to deliver on his promise for an “epic end of year” in which the company hopes to grow volumes by roughly 50% and drive the stock price higher to achieve a $4.5 trillion market cap, higher than the combined value of the two most valuable companies today (Apple and Saudi Aramco). This week is crucial for Tesla, as the entrepreneur is expected to sell billions of dollars’ worth of stock this week to finance his $44 billion Twitter deal before an Oct. 28 court deadline.
Tesla is expanding output in China at the same time it is servicing more and more European customers from its new German plant rather than from its Shanghai factory. If local Chinese demand tails off, the company risks being stuck with fixed costs from unproductive men and machinery weighing on its income statement.
Tesla may be the dominant EV brand in the U.S. by a long margin, but the situation in China is completely different. It faces a number of competitive domestic rivals, above all the Warren Buffett–backed Build Your Dreams.
BYD, China’s largest EV manufacturer, predicted earlier this month its third-quarter net profit more than quadrupled as it extended its sales lead over Tesla.
By comparison, demand for Teslas in the country has been more sluggish recently.
Currently the Model Y standard range has a waiting time of just one to four weeks rather than several months, according to the company’s website configurator. Since it takes some time for an order to be processed and a car manufactured, this means there is enough capacity at present to meet forecast demand in China without breaking a sweat.
This may change soon now that the price for the crossover dropped to ¥288,900 (¥299,988 excluding subsidy) from a previous ¥316,900.
Tesla does not offer a standard-range Model Y in the U.S. market, as Americans would not accept a vehicle that can drive only the equivalent of 267 miles on the European WLTP test cycle. Germany does, however, and the price for the same vehicle imported out of China is €53,990 ($53,000), although a large chunk of the premium is due to the country’s 19% value-added tax and import duties.
By comparison China’s rear-wheel drive Model 3 sedan, which shares many of the Model Y’s parts, had longer wait times of four to eight weeks, since it already qualified for the subsidy. Nevertheless, Tesla cut the price of its entry model to ¥265,900 from a previous ¥279,900, including subsidy.
Other, more powerful versions also saw price cuts.
This story was originally featured on Fortune.com
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Last week was a big week for the Blu-ray high definition DVD (, ) but there was some interesting news about the competing HD DVD format – ‘Teardown’ finds Toshiba taking a loss on HD DVD player:
Toshiba Corp. is taking a substantial loss on sales of its new HD DVD player in hopes of buying a head start in the battle for the next generation of DVD technology, according to a “teardown” analysis conducted by market research firm iSuppli Corp.
According to iSuppli’s teardown analysis, bill-of-materials (BOM) costs for Toshiba’s HD-A1 HD DVD total an estimated $674, far exceeding the unit’s $499 U.S. retail price. The estimated BOM figure excludes costs for manufacturing, testing, cables, remote control and packaging-costs that could easily push the total cost of each unit to more than $700, iSuppli (El Segundo, Calif.) said.
iSuppli’s analysis suggests that Toshiba is subsidizing the HD-A1 in an attempt to gain early market share over players that use the rival Blu-ray high-definition DVD standard, the firm said. Initial Blu-ray players, which are slated to cost $999 or more, are scheduled for launch by Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., Sony Corp. and others this summer.
I’m not surprised at the results of the analysis, but the price of the player is only part on the equation. The availability of something to play on it is going to be critical and Blu-ray seems to have more movie studios lined up at the moment, but only time will tell and perhaps the consumers who may just sit this one out.


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Annual broiler demand in Ghana is about 300,000 MT. This demand is met through importation of 200,000 MT of frozen chicken from countries such as the United States and Brazil. Although broilers produced in Ghana are reputed to be of high quality, local poultry producers have not been able to build the economies of scale to compete on price with frozen imports. Efforts by the Government and Ghana (GoG) and development partners to increase consumption of poultry meat by 14% and increase local production of maize and soy for making poultry feed creates an opportunity for poultry farmers to achieve economies of scale.
Kumah Farms, established in 1993 as a poultry farm, has expanded its operations to include small game, apiculture, aquaculture, and crop production. It has acquired an additional 2,560 acres of land at Kintampo in the Brong Ahafo Region to expand its farming business and set up a meat processing facility. The estimated 100,000 MT supply gap for poultry meat and increased production of maize and soy for poultry feed provides an opportunity for Kumah Farms to increase production and expand into value-added meat processing.
Kumah Farms is seeking $1.75 million in investment to set up a meat processing facility. The funding will be used to establish an abattoir, meat processing and cold storage facility, and biogas plant; and procure a feed mill, packaging equipment, and refrigerated trucks. Kumah Farms is also seeking capital investment to renovate its fishery and expand its piggery, and working capital to support its diversified farming business.
Kumah Farms may require a BAS provider to help raise financing for the project.
A USAID-FinGAP ERR has not yet been conducted.
Several business initiatives are being pursued by GoG and its development partners in the Brong Ahafo Region and beyond, supporting a business environment conducive to the investment, including:
- GoG Broiler Revitalization Project
- USDA Poultry Feed Project
- USAID-ADVANCE II, GCAP, SADA, NRGP
Nana Kwaku Siaw, Managing Director, +233 (0) 209 276 5506; email@example.com


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Find out what you could potentially gain — and what to consider
Wearable device use is continuing to grow — in 2016, 265 million wearable units were sold; a forecast from Gartner suggests that number may reach 504 million by 2021.
Given wearables’ popularity, it was only a matter of time before the technology found its way into the business world.
The devices aren’t commonplace office items just yet; however, for the past several years, a number of employers have been testing out ways activity trackers, sensor-based monitors and other wearable tech devices may be able to help improve operations — for example:
National retailer The Container Store debuted a voice-controlled wearable item for retail employees in 2016. Designed to streamline operations and increase efficiency and customer service, the system replaced the walkie-talkies and overhead announcements store employees previously had used to obtain and share information. The wearable device let Container Store employees, for instance, look up SKU numbers to check inventory without having to walk away from customers.
Steel producer North Star Bluescope Steel has worked with IBM to create a wearable device technology that helps increase safety in dangerous environments. Sensors in helmets and wristbands gather data that can be analyzed to provide real-time alerts to employees and their managers, letting them know if their physical well-being is being compromised, according to IBM. The system also allows North Star to gauge hazardous situations that could potentially be overlooked, such as heightened skin temperature and heart rate, coupled with a lack of movement, which could indicate a person is suffering from heat stress.
Encouraging health and wellness
The number of companies that incorporate wearable device technology into their wellness program — 35 percent, according to a Springbuk survey — increased by 10 percent from 2015 to 2017. BP, for instance, has a Million Step Challenge, in which employees earn 250 points for each million steps that are tracked. Earning 1,000 or more points qualifies workers and a spouse or domestic partner for what the company says are the best medical plan options.
Research suggests organizations may benefit from tying device use into health and wellness initiatives. Companies that track health indicators with wearable tech devices can reduce overall employee health costs, according to 62 percent of the businesses that have a health and wellness program, according to a 2016 Aflac report.
However, while 65 percent of employees feel the technology has a real role to play in their health and well-being, according to a 2016 PwC survey, more than a third, 38 percent, don’t trust their employer to use data it collects from employees wearing wearables in the workplace in a beneficial way. One potential solution: A quarter of those workers say they’d be willing to share their information if given an incentive, such as flexible hours or increased pay.
Some concerns exist about wearable use — such as privacy issues that could arise if the information devices gather isn’t transmitted or stored properly. A recent survey from Spiceworks found IT professionals say wirelessly connected, sensor-based devices pose the greatest threat to a network; more than 35 percent say wearable tech devices and sensors are highly vulnerable to Wi-Fi based cyberattacks. Workers may also feel having their every move be monitored throughout the day is an invasion of privacy.
Companies that decide to use wearables in the workplace will need to take local data protection legislation requirements into consideration, particularly in regard to the recently enacted EU General Data Protection Regulation security and compliance requirements.
If wearable device technology doesn’t seem like a good fit for your organization, there are other ways to engage motivate employees. Our blog posts on which employee satisfaction drivers to watch, 3 things your employee engagement program needs, why employers need to start enforcing employee time off and avoiding unexpected threats that can crush employee happiness may help.


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More doom and gloom for savers as rise in the cost of living eats up interest
Savers suffered a fresh blow yesterday with a jump in the cost of living.
The Consumer Prices Index (CPI), which measures inflation, is running at 2.7 per cent for the year to October, up from 2.2 per cent the previous month.
The broader Retail Prices Index (RPI), which includes the cost of housing, jumped to 3.2 per cent from 2.7 per cent.
Savers are caught in a double whammy of rising inflation and falling returns on their money as banks and building societies cut rates.
With inflation at 3.2 per cent, basic rate tax payers need four per cent interest before tax — which works out at 3.2 per cent after tax — merely to retain the spending power of their savings.
Higher rate taxpayers need an impossible 5.33 per cent before tax.
But the top easy access account from Derbyshire BS pays only two per cent after tax (2.5 per cent before).
Even in the top-paying account, basic rate taxpayers suffer a 1.2 per cent (3.2 per cent less two per cent) in the spending power of their nest-eggs — turning each £1,000 into £988.
Higher rate taxpayers end up with 1.5 per cent after tax, losing an annual 1.7 per cent to inflation. Even on a tax-free cash Isa the best you can do is three per cent from the Cheshire BS.
Savers willing to tie up their money in return for a higher rate are also losing out.
The top one-year fixed-rate is 2.4 per cent (three per cent) from State Bank of India (UK). Only by tying up their money for five years with State Bank of India (UK) at 3.36 per cent (4.5 per cent) can basic rate taxpayers beat inflation.
But higher rate taxpayers will still lose out — they see 2.7 per cent after tax. The jump in inflation is down to rises in food prices, utility costs and hikes to university fees.
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The BBC is now allowing television programmes to be downloaded to mobile devices capable of playing back content protected by Windows Media digital rights management.
Among the supported devices are the Sony Walkman E and S series and Archos' Internet Media Tablet. The Windows Media DRM-protected TV shows join DRM-free radio programmes and podcasts among the BBC's download offerings.
A "for media players" option is now available on iPlayer in addition to the link to download shows to a computer. Once the mobile download has been completed the media file may be dragged to a compatible mobile device's filesystem and played on the move. Videos are encoded in 320x180 resolution at 500kbps with 128kbps for audio.
The next stage of development will see programmes made available to Nokia's N96 on a download basis; the programmes will be protected by Open Mobile Alliance DRM and be downloadable direct to phone.
The BBC said that it is working on support for Apple's iPod and iPhone devices but blamed Apple's attitude to DRM for the incompatibility. In a post on the BBC internet blog, Anthony Rose, head of the online media group at BBC Future Media and Technology, said: "Unfortunately, Apple keeps its DRM technology close to its chest and has so far not licensed that technology to third parties. This means that as of today, it's not technically possible for us to make rights-protected BBC iPlayer programmes available for download from the iPlayer website in a format compatible with Apple devices. That's a major missing piece for us and a disappointment for Apple device owners, so please know that this has our full attention."


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People forget to pack this holiday essential in their suitcase
New research from Piz Buin has revealed that almost a quarter of young Brits won’t be packing sun protection when they jet off for a sun-kissed trip abroad.
Despite 24 per cent heading to places like Spain where temperature can rise to 29 degrees, young travellers don’t see protection as an important factor while hitting the beach.
It is made more worrying because 68 per cent of 18-24 year olds will be flying off on a beach holiday this year.
With 50 per cent of Brits being inspired by holiday snaps they see on social media, it is no surprise that sunny hotspots like Spain are top of the holiday list.
The survey by Piz Buin, which quizzed 2,225 people in the UK, shows that many Brits are failing to see the dangers of UVA rays - and are leaving themselves exposed to the risk of skin cancer.
Express.co.uk told this week how the UK is seeing a rise in skin cancer rates, with a whopping 15,000 cases diagnosed each year.
And it is not just cancer that holidaymakers are leaving themselves open to.
With soaring temperatures, sun worshippers risk dehydration if they don’t top up their water at regular intervals.
Holidaymakers are choosing to go without sun cream
Dehydration can lead to conditions such as dizziness, exhaustion and even diarhoea.
Basking in the sun too can increase your chances of developing heatstroke, which can, according to the NHS. “put a strain on the brain, heart, lungs, liver and kidneys, and can be life-threatening”
Marilyne, Research and Development Manager at sun cream brand Piz Buin said: “It’s concerning so many young people don’t consider sun protection an essential product to include in their suitcase.
“Whether you’re lazing around the pool or want an action packed trip, it’s an absolute must as it protects your skin from dangerous UVA and UVB rays.
“With this in mind, for 70 years we’ve been developing ranges of creams, mousses and lotions in various SPFs to suit every complexion and holiday type, so you can develop a beautiful golden tan, reassured that your skin is protected.”
Getting on a plane too isn't without its dangers, with Express.co.uk telling how some planes are releasing air that can be TOXIC.
But while many Brits won’t consider taking sun cream with them, there is one item that more half of all women admit to taking on holiday.


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Though Carpe Vino is on the distant edge of Sacramento civilization, for the second year in a row we have been named one of OpenTable’s Diner’s Choice Top 100 Restaurant Wine Lists. The recognition is based on more than five million reviews from diners who have eaten at the more than 15,000 restaurants in the OpenTable network between October 1, 2011 and September 2012.
OpenTable is an online and mobile app restaurant reservations service whose clients are mostly fine dining establishments across the country. The list of winners, which includes Enotria in Sacramento, spans 25 states and Washington, D.C. California has the most of winners with 17, followed by Maryland with nine and Washington with eight.
“This recognition is truly a testament to the effort we put into selecting wines for Carpe Vino,” said Carpe Vino co-owner Drew Moffat. “I think our customers really appreciate the fact that we have so many great wines under $50 and because our pricing is retail, they understand the exceptional value we offer.”
The list of winners includes some remarkable restaurants around the country, including Veritas in New York, Addison at the Grand Del Mar in San Diego and Aureole in Las Vegas. “It’s incredible to know that Carpe Vino is in the company of some of the finest restaurants in the country. . .and it all starts with our chef, Eric Alexander.”
Earlier this year, Carpe Vino earned the coveted Wine Spectator “Award of Excellence” for our restaurant wine list. Just 3,800 restaurants worldwide have achieved this recognition.
Still to be announced: OpenTable will soon be releasing its Diner’s Choice Top 100 Restaurant List, which included Carpe Vino in 2011.


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‘Flog It’ the popular BBC1 antique programme presented by Paul Martin, is set to visit Ayrshire on Thursday 18th May. The Bristol based BBC production recently transmitted its 1000th episode and the 16th series is currently being recorded.
One of the most popular antique shows Flog It regularly achieves an audience of more than two million viewers in its weekday afternoon slot.
This is only Flog It’s second visit to Scotland and Culzean Castle will be hosting the Valuation day. Members of the public are invited to visit Culzean, a National Trust Property on the Ayrshire Coast, with up to three Antiques or Collectables they might be interested in selling. Once valued, the owner and a team of experts decide whether an object is filmed and gets sent to Auction.
Flog it has made many significant finds over its sixteen series including a rare Aboriginal Broad Shield, it went to sell at Auction for £30,000. Flog It experts also discovered a rare Royal Doulton Spook figure, which had been bought at a car boot sale for £2 it went on to sell at Auction for £5,000.
The selected ‘Flog It’ items will be included in Thomas R. Callan Auctioneers and Valuers catalogue Fine Art and Antiques Sale held within the Auction Galleries in Ayr on the Thursday 15th June. Thomas R. Callan’s sale is live on line utilising an auction platform that boasts 16 million customers across 120 countries.
Everyone who goes along to the Valuation Day will receive a free appraisal of their items even if their antiques are not chosen for filming.
Callan’s are delighted to welcome the Flog It production team to Ayr and hope many Flog It fans and the people of Ayrshire embrace this opportunity and get rummaging in attics and the back of cupboards in search of forgotten treasures.
The Callan’s valuation team have unearthed many treasures over the years and recently found a very rare pair of Russian cold painted bronze figures, signed Fabergé, of Body Guards to Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna and Empress Alexandra Feodorovna. The figures, 18cm high were discovered wrapped up in a towel in a drawer of underwear, during a house clearance in Largs. An identical pair of figures sold in 2015 in Sotheby’s for £25,000. The Faberge figures will be sold in the Fine Art and Antique Sale in June”
The BBC will be making four editions of the show featuring Culzean Castle and will film around 36 different owners with their items for auction and they will be transmitted within 18 months of recording. Paul Martin will be joined at the Valuation day by screen experts Raj Bisram, Natasha Raskin Sharp and Anita Manning.
Valuations are Free! BBC Flog It will be at Culzean Castle, Maybole, Ayrshire KA19 8LE between 9.30am and 4.00pm on Thursday 18th May. The items selected for filming at the valuation day will go under the hammer at Thomas R. Callan, Auctioneers & Valuers Fine Art and Antique sale on Thursday 15th June.
Remember, Thomas R Callan provide a free valuation service within their Auction Galleries at 22 Smith Street, Ayr, KA7 1TF every Friday afternoon between 2.00pm and 4.00pm alternately you can phone the Callan’s office and arrange a personal home visit by one of the Thomas R Callan Auctioneers & Valuers.
For more information phone 01292 267681.


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1. When Mel Fraser tweeted this photo of a mannequin with a visible ribcage in a Glasgow branch of Primark, it was shared over 1,400 times.
2. “Before I get anyone saying that I’m skinny bashing, I’m not,” Fraser added on her Instagram feed. “I’d just like to see mannequins in clothing stores being all different shapes and sizes rather than young girls thinking that this is the only way to be!”
3. Primark responded quickly.
4. And took action within days, confirming that they would stop using these particular mannequins “in this way”.
- Illinois' attorney general has asked the U.S. Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division to investigate Chicago's police department. ›
- It's World AIDS Day — 35 million people have died from AIDS-related conditions, and more than 34 million people are living with the disease. ›
- Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg says he'll give away 99% of his Facebook shares (worth $45 billion today) over the course of his life. ›


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Dec. 16--STOCKTON -- Business started very slowly for Charles Skobrak Sr. after he opened a one-man locksmith shop on North Stanislaus Street in downtown Stockton, Calif.
"The first month, I made $86," he recently recalled. Even in 1962, that was a starvation wage. But after a newspaper salesman convinced him advertising could help get the word out, he built a trade and reputation that has outlasted dozens of competitors.
"There's been over 50 locksmith businesses going out of business in San Joaquin County in the last 50 years," Skobrak said, adding that he'd stopped counting a few years ago.
So what explains Day & Nite's longevity?
Putting the customers first and fulfilling their trust, which is particularly important when it comes to protecting their families, businesses and property.
"It's customer service," said Steve Skobrak, Day & Nite's president and Charles Skobrak's son. " 'The customer is always right' has always been my dad's motto."
And that sense of integrity extends to Day & Nite employees, too, Charles Skobrak said.
"We treat everybody like family," he said. "You have to trust in the employees and have hope they trust in us that they're secure in their jobs."
It is a family business. Besides son Steve, who has run the day-to-day operations since 2000, Charles' wife, Donna Skobrak, has been a fixture in the shop since shortly after it opened and, more recently, the family's third generation is getting involved.
Day & Nite offers a full slate of consumer and commercial lock, key and security services, including installation and maintenance of burglar and fire alarms, fire suppression systems, security cameras, installation and moving safes of up to 6,000 to 7,000 pounds, electronic chip car keys and servicing back vault doors and safe-deposit boxes.
It's a long way from Hungary, where Charles Skobrak first became familiar with locks and keys while working maintenance for a factory with 5,000 workers.
He fled his native land in 1956, however, among the hundreds of thousands of others escaping Soviet repression in the form of Moscow's tanks and soldiers in Budapest crushing the short-lived revolution.
"After that, we had to get out of there," Skobrak said. "Without outside help, there was no way you could beat those guys."
He shortly found his way to Stockton, where he worked for another locksmith for five years before opening his own shop.
It's hard to believe, Skobrak said.
"Time goes so fast, you don't even know 50 years have gone by."
Contact reporter Reed Fujii at (209) 546-8253 or [email protected].
Copyright 2012 - The Record, Stockton, Calif.


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ST. PETERSBURG, Russia, Sept. 15, 2017 /PRNewswire/ — The blockchain-based, Uber-like platform for cargo delivery, IMMLA has announced the launch of its main token sale. The crowdsale follows the recently concluded Pre-ICO that raised over $500,000 from its early participants. The main token sale is set to go live on Sept. 15, 2017, and during the month-long campaign, it is expected to raise about $38 million.
The total size of logistics market is estimated to be around $8.1 trillion, of which logistics outsourcing makes up for almost $760 billion. IMMLA revolutionizes the industry be introducing a decentralized service that uses smart contracts on blockchain to achieve scalability. The IMMLA solution puts the power of making the logistics decision back into the hands of the freight owner. It does so by enabling owners to choose the best solution out of thousands of multi-modal transportation options, to ensure the best price, time and quality of service.
As the company works towards positioning itself as the Uber for freight logistics, the platform can potentially earn as much as 1% of the cost of serviced transportation, making it a revolutionary low-cost yet high quality and safe forwarding service. The IMMLA team is backed by an expert team of the world’s best in logistics and IT. The platform’s mission is to create a safe and convenient interaction between the cargo owner and the carrier at all stages of the cargo transportation process, powered by an international multimodal logistics application based on the Ethereum blockchain. This new technology will dramatically reduce the number of the personnel involved in logistics planning, information barriers, and legal costs.
IMMLA has set out on a month-long crowdsale, during which participants will have a chance to buy 434,477,177 IML tokens (for 122,888 ETH or $ 32,8 mln as of 13 September 2017). The token sale will happen over four lots, with the token price becoming expensive by about 2.5% across each lot. The first, second, third and fourth lots are assigned 170053520 IML, 103725856 IML, 100319718 IML and 60378083 IML tokens respectively. One ETH can buy 3640 IML in the first lot, 3549 IML in second, 3458 in third and 3367 IML in the fourth lot.
There are two possible scenarios to the crowdfunding and issuance of IML tokens:
1) If the ICO succeeds, the IMMLA founders will receive 10% of the tokens that will be in turn frozen for five months. During this period IMMLA will start servicing


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Microsoft Rakes in $21.7B, But Xbox Sales Are on the Decline
After reporting its third quarter earnings for the 2015 fiscal year, Microsoft revealed that the company is doing well, despite Xbox unit sales dropping.
Polygon reports that Microsoft has revealed its earnings for the third quarter of the 2015 fiscal year, showing some very interesting figures. As expected, the Big M raked in billions, $21.7 billion in revenue during the third quarter to be exact, yielding a net income of almost $5 billion. Unfortunately, the net income was slightly down compared to this period last year. In regards to its Xbox division, Microsoft admitted that its console and hardware sales were down. This would make sense given that the Xbox One came out towards the end of 2013, and it was still a very hot item to get throughout the early parts of 2014. As you would expect, sales would eventually slow down. Not to mention players were scoring games to play on their new systems as well. Titanfall's sales likely factored into this quarter for last year's revenue, while Xbox didn't have a major Xbox One exclusive during this time.
We should note that Microsoft is still not differentiating between Xbox One and Xbox 360 console sales (just lumping them together as Xbox sales), likely because it helps bridge the massive gap between the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One's sales. Microsoft reports that last year it sold 2 million Xbox consoles during this quarter, and this year they sold 1.6 million. This is including Microsoft's $50 price reduction in the Xbox One, which wasn't in play last year. The Big M does admit that Xbox Live usage has grown over 30 percent during this time, but that's not really helping in light of its gaming hardware's revenue dropping $72 million for the quarter. Luckily, Microsoft's Surface sales helped balance things out a little for its hardware division.
It looks like Phil Spencer and Xbox will have to break out the big guns at E3 2015, and we're only six weeks away.


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"My husband and I couldn't have Adidas Energy Boost 2.0 Sizing
This is not the first time the couple have adopted from Russia.
In November, the family was set to adopt a three year old Russian boy, but at the last minute his family ended the deal.
"He was just beautiful. He Adidas Energy Boost 2 Esm Women's Review would reach for us. He knew automatically that we were his forever family," Wendy Rella said.
just go along with it',"Rella said.
But less than two weeks later, a glimmer of hope returned with news of a 10 month old baby up for adoption.
It left the Rellas with lots of uncertainty.
"So we had nobody. We said OK, 'God you're in control you do what you need to do for us and we'll Adidas Harden Triple Black
any kids biologically, so we decided to go to Russia because my husband is half Russian. His mother is all Russian and we found out my husband's grandmother was a Russian orphan," Rella said.
The couple adopted Adidas Nmd Human Race Green
The Rellas wasted no time in filing the paperwork and spending the money and time to bring him back to the States.
As of Tuesday, they still don't know if the adoption is going to move forward.
"We just want to get him home. You know we want to finish this. We want to give him the life we have given Alina. We can do that here. We're America. That's the one thing you realize when you go to these places there's nothing like coming home to America," she told News Nine.
Rella said they met the boy on Dec. 16. It was the first of several meetings they would have before the adoption was final. adoptions.
"We don't really know what's going on," Rella told News Nine.
Bedford family's adoption caught in political firestorm
Now that she is 4 years old they want to give her a sibling.
Though as quickly as he came into their lives, he was quickly pulled away.
Alina in 2009.
"You know you're going through trials doing this," she said about the process.
families from adopting children from their country. The move barred Wendy Rella and her husband from adopting a 10 month old boy, who they visited in Russia last month.
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Deutsche Telekom reported a positive Q2 outcome. The European telco saw its core profits jump up 9% in its Q2 results, caused mostly by strong results from T-Mobile US. The company reported revenues of €18.9 billion and EBITDA of €5.9 billion up 27.4% year-on-year (YoY). T-Mobile US added a reported 1.3 million new customers in the quarter, service revenues grew by 8.5% to €6.16 billion with adjusted EBITDA up 18%.
At VEON, total revenue increased 12.3% YoY, 3.7% of which, organically. Due to strong revenues in Russia, Pakistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. Mobile service revenue grew by 4.3% in organic terms, 30.5% YoY, while fixed-line service declined by 11.5% organically. EBITDA increased 17.1% YoY, 10.6% organically. It reported a net loss of $278 million due to, Euroset impairment of $110 million, the $85 million share of net loss by the Group in respect of Italy JV and the early redemption premiums for bond repurchases of $124 million.
CK Hutchison saw an increase of 69% YoY in its active customers, across its European telco, 3 Group bringing their total of active customers up to 45.2 million. This is because of the Wind Tre joint venture in November 2016, which also affected the company’s revenue. Revenue was up 10% to HK$33,215, EBITDA increased by 33% to HK$11,255 million and EBIT was 39% higher at HK$7,510 million YoY.
As widely reported Apple announced quarterly revenue of $45.4 billion and quarterly earnings per diluted share of $1.67, showing an increase of 7% YoY, exceeding market expectations. International sales accounted for 61% of the revenue for the quarter, particularly the sale of IPads. More than half of iPad sales in China and Japan were to first time buyers and sales were up 32% in the US education market YoY. Apple’s forecast its next fiscal quarter are just as strong, with revenues expected to be between $49 billion and $52 billion, gross margins falling between 37.% and 38%, operating expenses between $6.7 billion and $6.8 billion, and additional income (expense) of $500 million.
With total revenue increase of 6.7% to R64.3 billion, MTN reported an improved set of results for the six months ended June 2017. Headline earnings per share increased to 217 cents in comparison to 271 cent headline loss for the same period of last year. Data revenue for the company increased by 31.9%, capital expenditure decreased by 25.2% to R10.3 billion and subscriber numbers decreased by 3.6% to 231.8 million. All of which was affected by the $5.2 billion fine by the Nigerian Communication Commission for failing to deregister unsubscribed users.


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Tianjin has at least 100000 tons of waste plastic packaging waste every year. According to a national supermarket energy-saving report, supermarkets across the country send nearly 10 billion plastic bags free of charge to customers every day, while countless quantities are used in vegetable markets, department stores, stalls and so on. Most of these non degradable plastic bags flow to the society, causing harm to the ecological environment and human health. This morning, Zhu Tan, a well-known national environmental protection expert, said in an interview that the use of plastic packaging bags may seem trivial, but it is a major issue related to the national economy and the people's livelihood, and should be controlled
according to the calculation of relevant departments, a large-scale comprehensive supermarket with a business area of about 8000 square meters, through the combination with other cutting-edge research units, the annual cost of plastic packaging bags is as high as 400000 yuan, accounting for 0.5% of the store sales. According to the average daily sales and passenger flow of the city, based on the consumption of 100 yuan per customer and carrying 3 to 4 bags, the average daily consumption of more than 60 large and medium-sized supermarkets and more than 500 small supermarkets in Tianjin is about more than 2 million. At present, the annual contact person of waste plastics in Tianjin: yaoshengxian, manager, is at least 100000 tons of packaging waste
no shoppers with their own cloth bags or paper bags were found during an interview in Carrefour, China Resources and other supermarkets yesterday. Even if all the purchased goods are packed in small packages, 3 Fixture structure fixture itself has no fixed structure (for example, the metal wire can be clamped by winding, or two flat plates can be clamped into a bag. The supermarket waiter should also classify and evenly coat each glass fiber with plastic materials for packaging, resulting in doubling the amount of packaging bag. One waiter said that now the competition is so fierce, we will try to meet the requirements of customers. While many customers believe that it is natural for shopping to ask for packaging bags, and there is no need to spend money anyway.
Environmental protection experts pointed out that plastic bags will cause a lot of resource consumption and environmental pollution in the process of production, use and treatment. It takes more than 200 years for each bag to decompose naturally, which will pollute the surrounding land and water quality. The plastic packaging bags consumed throughout the country every year consume more than 10million barrels of crude oil in their production, and the power consumed in processing is even more amazing. (Mao Guoqiang, Zhang Miaomiao)


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The dollar has risen to a new five-year high against its Australian counterpart, with analysts picking it will break 90 Australian cents soon.
The dollar gained half a cent overnight on Wednesday after news that dairy cooperative Fonterra was lifting its payout to farmers and business confidence had risen to a 14-year high.
As well, the Australian Reserve Bank governor has hinted at an interest rate cut next week, while New Zealand's central bank is moving in the other direction.
At 7pm on Thursday, the kiwi was trading at about 89 Australian cents.
The currency has appreciated nearly 12% against its Australian counterpart since March, but has risen rapidly in recent weeks.
Analysts say that reflects a cooling Australian economy and signs its central bank will cut interest rates again soon. In contrast, New Zealand's relatively buoyant economy is likely to prompt interest rate increases in 2014.
Australia is New Zealand's biggest trading partner, and economists say a rising exchange rate will make it harder for exporters to compete with their international rivals and curb returns.
But for those considering a mid-winter holiday, Australia is now much cheaper and travel agents are expecting a strong lift in bookings across the Tasman.
Analysts say the New Zealand dollar now appears overvalued, but there are few signs it is going any way but up for now.
Westpac currency strategist Imre Speizer says the latest economic data for New Zealand is a factor in the kiwi's rise and it adds to the case for inflation pressures.
He says the business confidence survey shows pricing intentions have risen, which points to prices eventually rising far more quickly than they have done.
Mr Speizer says analysts were expecting the New Zealand dollar to reach 90 cents Australian by around Christmas, but it's happening a lot more quickly than expected.


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A new Strider game is reportedly in the works, according to box art and a banner for the game first uncovered by NeoGAF.
The forum found both the banner and box art matches the dimensions used in Xbox Live Arcade games, suggestion the title may be headed to Xbox 360. This is in addition to the discovery of a Steam achievement for Strider, also suggesting a release for Windows PC.
Capcom is expected to announce a number of new titles at this week's PAX East; However, it's unknown whether Strider will be one of the announcements. We have contacted the publisher for further information and will update in due course.
Strider was initially released to Japanese arcades in 1989. The title is an action platformer and became one of Capcom's earliest successes. The game was later ported to consoles.


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The PS5 has been confirmed by Sony and the PS4 successor could have a 2018 release date
The PS5 is definitely coming to living rooms around the world, Sony confirmed as they revealed a successor to the PS4 will be released.
PlayStation exec Shawn Layden confirmed that Sony will release a PS5 during an interview with a German website.
It had been rumoured that Sony might move away from the typical console release model and instead have regular hardware updates like smartphones.
The mid-generation update of the PS4 with the PS4 Pro was seen by some as a sign of things to come.
However, Layden has come out to dispel those rumours - telling tech website Golem that a PS5 “is coming”.
However, he said it will “probably be some time” before a PlayStation 5 is released.
The comments from Layden come soon after one industry expert claimed Sony were getting ready to release a PS5 as early as 2018.
Damian Thong had told The Wall Street Journal that Sony’s next numbered addition to the PlayStation line-up could release in the second half of 2018.
It may seem far-fetched for Sony to announced a PS5 while the PS4 is still doing so well for sales.
The PS4 has also only been out for just coming up to four years, and the PS3 was seven years old when it was replaced by the PlayStation 4.
However, there are is one important thing to bear in mind.
Thong has a track record of his PlayStation predictions coming true.
He correctly predicted that Sony would launch a PS4 Slim and a PS4 Pro (which he called PS4 4K) a few MONTHS before the consoles were announced.
If Sony were planning to release a PS5 in 2018, you would expect them to announce the console during the remainder of 2017.
There are a number of big events coming up in the gaming calendar where Sony could announce the PS5.
These events are the Tokyo Game Show in September and December’s PlayStation experience.
Playstation Plus: The top PS4 games for JULY 2017
But new consoles tend to be announced during E3 in June or during specially held events - like with the Nintendo Switch last year.
Seeing as E3 came and gone without a PS5 being announced, PS4 and PS4 Pro owners can probably just rest easy about having to upgrade any time soon.
Also, before gamers begin saving up to upgrade to a PS5 it’s important note it would be hugely surprising for Sony to announce a PlayStation 5 now.
After Sony’s E3 event, they announced that since launch the PS4 has sold more than 60million units.
Sony’s big rival Microsoft no longer gives out official Xbox One sales figures.
However, SuperData Research claimed that as of January 2017 the Xbox One has sold around 26 million units.
If accurate, that would mean the PS4 is still riding high in the sales, and outperforming its big rival by more than two to one.
That’s a huge gap between the two consoles.
So, it would be very surprising for Sony to release a PS5 while the PS4 is doing so well.
Never say never, but for now there’s no need to think about having to upgrade anytime soon. Watch this space for further news and announcements.
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NEW DELHI: A Number of agencies including Enforcement Directorate (ED), Income Tax Department (IT), Intelligence Bureau (IB) and Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) are examining over 800 suspicious transactions that took place during 2006-'07.
The list of people behind these transactions include industrialists, traders in commodities such as steel and a few foreign nationals including one from Nigeria withdrawing a huge amount of money from one bank account in India, a senior official of the Financial Intelligence Unit—India (FIU-IND) told SundayET. A few big realty transactions also figure in the list.
The FIU-IND, which is the nodal agency responsible for receiving and analysing information relating to suspect financial transactions in India, handed over the cases to various agencies.
"Though no top line industrialist figure in our list, they are not small time either. There were a few who did suspicious transactions within their group companies but all of them were not cases of fraud. These were transactions which gave rise to a reasonable ground of suspicion, and once we did our value addition in each case, we handed over the cases to respective agencies for further investigation," the official said.
Under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA), which came into effect from July 1, 2005, every bank, financial institution and intermediary is required to verify the identity of clients, maintain records, and furnish reports to FIU-IND. Significantly, many of the suspicious transactions that took place during the last fiscal were reported from non-metros as well.
The FIU-IND has now begun an outreach programme to strengthen the network to collect more information on suspicious transactions. During 2006-'07, it received reports of 21,40,768 cash transactions as well.
"The ministry (finance) in the process of amending the Money Laundering Act. Once amended, the scope of the Act could be extended to remittances, authorised money changers and international payment gateways like Visa and Master Card. At present, no reporting is done on any of such transactions," said the official.


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Takata, just years removed from an airbag recall scandal that bankrupted the company, is likely to issue a recall of all vehicles containing its seat belts. This is based on statements issued by the Japanese Transport Industry, instructing automakers across the world to begin preparing for a recall of all vehicles containing Takata seat belts.
Posts tagged "Takata airbag"
Yet another person has been killed by a defective airbag inflator, bringing the worldwide death toll to 26, with over 240 others who have been seriously injured by these devices. Since 2014, nearly 50 million Takata airbags have been recalled in the United States alone, with recalls affecting nearly every vehicle manufacturer, including the Detroit Three, Honda, Toyota, Nissan, BMW, Daimler, Subaru, Volkswagen, and Audi.
Since 2014, nearly 50 million Takata airbags have been recalled in the United States alone. Prior to the recalls, Takata had about 20 percent of the global airbag market, with the recalls affecting nearly every vehicle manufacturer, including the Detroit Three, Honda, Toyota, Nissan, BMW, Daimler, Subaru, Volkswagen, and Audi. Although just over 37 million Takata airbags have been repaired, nearly 12.5 million are still in cars on the road today.
AutoNation sells used vehicles with unrepaired defects, according to a new report from the US PIRG Education Fund and the Consumers for Auto Reliability and Safety Foundation. AutoNation operates more than 300 dealerships nationwide and is the largest car retailer in the United States.
Honda announced their recall of 1.2 million Honda and Acura vehicles due to defective Takata airbags on the driver's side. The Takata airbags were once thought to be safe, and even replaced older inflators under a recall that began in 2014. The airbags only recently came under scrutiny after an automobile accident and airbag explosion in Maryland injured the driver of a Honda Odyssey. The U.S. National Highway Safety Administration's (NHTSA's) investigation involving the 2004 Honda Odyssey discovered that the driver's airbag inflator ruptured.
Ford has recalled close to one million vehicles around the world to replace defective Takata airbag inflators. The Detroit Free Press reports that the vehicles have been recalled due to a risk of flying shrapnel caused by exploding airbag inflators. Takata used the chemical, ammonium nitrate, to create an explosion to inflate airbags. However, it can deteriorate over time due to heat and humidity. When the ammonium nitrate has deteriorated, it will explode with too much force and blow apart the metal canister designed to contain the explosion. Hundreds of people have been injured by the shrapnel from these airbags and at least twenty-three people have been killed worldwide.
Recently, Takata Corporation, a Japanese manufacturer of airbags, had an additional 3.3 million airbags supplied to auto manufacturers recalled in the United States. The recalled airbags were supplied in over 43 million U.S. vehicles. Currently, approximately 20 deaths and 180 injuries have been linked to the faulty airbags.
Despite a finding that Takata airbags are prone to dangerous explosions when deployed, the Japanese auto supplier, Takata, and the auto industry as a whole have been slow in their widespread recall. This slow recall poses a deadly threat to millions of drivers and passengers.
Overwhelmed by airbag recalls and lawsuits, Japanese based company, Takata Corporation filed for bankruptcy protection in both Japan and the United States on Monday, June 26, 2017. The airbags manufactured by Takata Corp. used inflators powered by ammonium nitrate that caused the airbag to explode upon deployment, sending pieces of metal shrapnel into drivers. These faulty airbags were responsible for the deaths of 16 people. In addition to the fatalities, Takata is responsible for at least 180 injuries and is having to deal with the largest automotive recall in the history of the United States. So far 100 million airbags equipped with the faulty inflators have been recalled worldwide, including 69 million in the U.S., affecting 42 million vehicles.
Earlier this month, Takata Corp., the Japanese airbag manufacturer, announced that it would expand recalls for defective airbag inflators to 40 million.


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The Supreme Court (SC) on Monday dismissed a batch of petitions challenging the power of goods and services tax (GST) officials to arrest individuals for GST evasion. An SC bench, comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice Aniruddha Bose, refused to interfere in the Telangana high court order and dismissed a special leave petition (SLP) filed by P V Ramana Reddy, MD of Infiniti Metal Products Private Limited. Ramana Reddy, who is allegedly running a business from the premises of Sujana Group of Companies and is also director of certain Sujana companies, had filed the SLP in the apex court challenging the April 18 order passed by Telangana HC. GST’s anti-evasion wing officials in Hyderabad had conducted searches on Infiniti Metals on Feb 27 and issued summons directing Ramana to appear before them. Ramana failed to appear before the GST officials and instead sought relief from court.
The GST officials alleged that Infiniti Metals and a few other companies had been issuing fake invoices since 2017 without actual supply of goods and availing input tax credit fraudulently. The officials alleged that the entities, including Infiniti, had availed Rs 224 crore input tax credit for Rs 1,289 crore turnover. The HC had on April 18 dismissed pleas of representatives of these entities not to arrest them. They had also questioned the power of GST officials. HC had said that even before the GST regime was put in place, someone could exploit the law without purchase or sale of goods or hiring or rendering services, projecting a huge turnover that remained on paper, giving rise to a claim for input tax credit of about Rs 224 crore. “There is nothing wrong in GST officials thinking that persons involved should be arrested. Generally, in other fiscal laws, the offences revolve around evasion of liability. In such cases, the government is only deprived of what is due to them. In the fraudulent input tax credit claims, a huge liability is created for the government,” the HC had said in its order.