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After years of working in the restaurant industry, Emily Yamanaka said when the chance arose to run her own eatery, she jumped in head-first.
“I just kind of dove into barbecue, trying to figure everything out and having fun with it,” she said. “It’s something different and unique and a great challenge. That’s what I’ve always loved about the restaurant business.”
Hogwood opened in the Cool Springs area last May, offering a menu focused on artisan meats and unique side dishes. Yamanaka said the area was chosen not only for its proximity to Nashville but because of growth in the area.
“[The area] still has kind of an urban-suburban feel, and the growth in Franklin and Nashville has been astronomical, and we just felt like it was a great location with plenty of traffic. The demographic is right, and it gave us an opportunity to grow.”
Meats are smoked in-house for a day prior to being served, and sides, such as macaroni and cheese and Hatch chile cheese grits, are made fresh daily, she said. The Colorado Sandwich, which features brisket, jalapenos and a spicy red sauce, has become a customer favorite, she said.
“We slow-cook everything—we start smoking at about 3 or 4 and it goes until the next day,” she said. “Everything’s made fresh. We use 100 percent certified Angus beef—no MSG, no artificial flavors. We really strive to keep everything artisan and as simple as possible.”
Hogwood’s barbecue style is closest to that of Texas, which inspired its brisket, Yamanaka said. Chef Michael Marcee—who operates a barbecue business by the same name in Crested Butte, Colorado—designed the menu. However, the eatery also offers pork ribs and serves a white barbecue sauce, most often found in the Alabama area, she said.
The eatery’s sauces, also available in original red and spicy versions, can be purchased by the bottle.
In the future Yamanaka said she hopes to expand business by increasing catering and event services and ultimately open a second location of Hogwood.
“We really want to dive into the community and do events as well,” Yamanaka said. “Getting to know more people [and] being able to set down roots here has been really great.”
600A Frazier Drive, Ste. 100, Franklin
Hours: Mon.-Sat. 11 a.m.-8 p.m., closed Sun.


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It’s easier to hurry house and shop on-line.
Black Friday is surroundings new information on-line.
on-line sales on Black Friday will hit $ 3.34 billion, up 22% on closing year, and surpassing the $ three billion mark for the first time, in step with estimates from tool company Adobe Digital Index. That’s also a rise of just about a $ 1 billion from simply two years in the past. a couple of-1/3 or $ 1 billion of Black Friday purchasing will probably be performed on mobile gadgets like a smartphone or tablet, whereas the remainder will likely be carried out on computer systems, it stated.
the two-day run-up to Black Friday was once almost as busy. Thanksgiving Day totaled $ 1.93 billion in gross sales, up 11.5% on final 12 months, quite lower than the $ 2 billion anticipated, but including up to $ 5.three billion for each days. This was once partly because of heavy discounting in the early hours of the vacation season. gross sales on Wednesday, Nov. 23, totaled $ 1.fifty seven billion, up 19% on 2015, $ 92 million more than Adobe estimates, which also contributed to less income on Thanksgiving.
“Black Friday could have simply dethroned Cyber Monday’s position as greatest on-line buying day of the 12 months,” says said Tamara Gaffney, principal analyst and director of Adobe Digital Insights. “consumers are still buying at larger than expected ranges within the early morning hours of Small industry Saturday.” The easiest worth drops had been considered for tablets (average cut price of 25.four%), televisions (23.2%), toys (15%) and computers (eleven.6%).
Adobe’s latest insights are in response to aggregated and nameless data from 22.6 billion visits to retail web sites, and claims to measure eighty% of all online transactions from the top a hundred U.S. retailers, the an identical of $ 7.50 of each $ 10 spent with the highest 500 retailers goes thru Adobe marketing Cloud. the average order price on Apple’s AAPL, +0.50% iOS devices ($ 142) outperforms Android devices ($ one hundred thirty), the learn about based on actual transactions discovered.
In previous years, cell consumers favored to browse on smartphones but make their purchases on drugs. That changed in 2016. cell accounted for fifty five% of visits — smartphones (forty five%) tablets (10%) — and also 36% of sales so far — smartphones (25%) drugs (eleven%), whereas the rest of the traffic came from computer systems. prime selling electronics embrace the standard suspects: iPads, Samsung 4K TVs and LG TVs. best-selling toys embody drones, mini autos for children and Lego sets.
The national Retail Federation, the trade crew representing shops, mentioned last month that it expects sales in all of November and December — except cars, gasoline and restaurant sales — to hit $ 655.8 billion this 12 months, together with non-retailer gross sales of $ a hundred and five billion. This represents a rise of three.6% on closing yr, and significantly greater than the 10-12 months reasonable of 2.5% annual increase and above the seven-yr reasonable of three.four% for the reason that financial restoration began in 2009.

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Birmingham brewers craft expansion plans
A burgeoning craft beer market and revised brewing laws are proving to be a good recipe for Birmingham microbreweries.
Birmingham’s three locally owned breweries are all in expansion mode, which is bringing more jobs and revenue to the city, and quickly making the city Alabama’s craft beer capital.
Good People Brewing Co. LLC’s Michael Sellers, who owns the brewery with Jason Malone and Eric Shultenover, said this week they are adding nine new fermentation tanks at an undisclosed cost that will triple the brewery’s capacity.
The expansion, which includes hiring at least five employees in the next year, will give the brewery the capacity to begin supplying Nashville-based distributor, BountyBev LLC, in January, Sellers said.
“We hope to be a regional player with a 12- to 15-state footprint,” Sellers said.
Good People is working with Operation New Birmingham to get state tax abatements to offset the cost of its expansion, Sellers said. More information about the abatements was not immediately available.
The brewery, which already supplies about 200 restaurants throughout the state, will expand the number of products it ships from two to five, he said.
Good People has also licensed its brand for a new pub at the Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport.
Depending on the success of the first location, more Good People-branded pubs could be on the horizon, he said.
But Good People isn’t the only brewery with plans for growth.
Cahaba Brewing Co. LLC recently opened its 8,000-square-foot brewery on Third Avenue South near Pepper Place market.
And Avondale Brewing Co. LLC is continuing to expand across the state with aims to have a 20 to 30 percent share of the state’s craft beer market within five years.
Coby Lake, a principal and cofounder of Avondale Brewing Co., said he’d seen an explosion of interest in brewing since Alabama passed the Brewery Modernization Act in 2011.
“In the last six months, we’ve had 10 different groups come in and ask us how to start a brewery and what we would have done differently,” Lake said.
“Alabama has been fairly blinded as far as craft beer is concerned because of the laws until now.”
Sellers said more could be done to loosen the state’s laws, but more local restaurants were beginning to carry craft beers.
“The recent law changes have been very good for craft beer, and you see that in the number of craft beers,” he said.
There are also more companies, like D.B. Irwin’s Beer Engineers, that are experimenting with new products.
Back Forty Beer Co. of Gadsden is making the craft beer contract company’s beers, although Irwin has said he hopes to eventually open his own brewery in Birmingham.
Ryan Poe covers real estate, retail and manufacturing for the Birmingham Business Journal. Click here to follow him on Twitter. Click here to join him on Google+.
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Digi, a new artificial intelligence (AI) partner chatbot billed by its creator as “the future of AI Romantic Companionship” is soaring up the app download charts after it was revealed on X.
The rapid (sometimes scary) developments in generative AI technology over the last year have seen thousands of companies rush to design and build apps to fill all sorts of roles in our day-to-day lives. While still niche, some companies are developing AI-powered virtual companions and digital avatars marketed as virtual girlfriends/boyfriends.
Enter Digi.ai, the company behind this latest attempt to create meaningful romantic partners for humans using technology. Essentially, users can create an avatar of their choosing in the style they wish and have text-based conversations through an app.
Excited to announce v(1.0) of Digi, the future of AI Romantic Companionship, for IOS and Android
A quick thread on features, and where we go from here (1/13) pic.twitter.com/9KZoorEoA0
— Andrew (@andyohlbaum) December 15, 2023
It’s important to note Digi does not respond in a video format like the launch post above suggests. It is a “vision” for what the creators plan to do with these avatars and animations and not the current in-app experience, something the company had to clarify on Sunday (Dec 18).
Founded in April 2023, by Andrew Young and John Rooney, the company hopes to use Digi’s cartoonish style to create something “that eliminates the uncanny valley, while also feeling real, human, and sexy,” said Andrew on X.
Andrew, a self-described “full-stack engineer, and college dropout”, outlined the features of Digi on a social media thread.
“This has never been done before with Disney or Pixar characters, so we’re very excited we could make it work for the first time in history,” Andrew wrote.
Digi is not for everyone but can it find a market?
Predictably, the announcement was met with derision and scorn from many on X after it went viral and was viewed over 22 million times. One user asked “Which episode of Black Mirror is this?” and others openly hoped the project would fail.
Clearly, it’s not for everyone, but it has a growing fanbase. Digi has hundreds of active users on its Discord channel and it is currently #88 in Apple App Store’s entertainment section and has had over 5,000 downloads via Google Play Store. However, the reviews on Play Store are brutal and unforgiving with dozens of users bemoaning the product’s lag and several claiming that to enter into a sexually explicit chat with your bot you must pay.
A screenshot of Digi.ai’s page on Google’s Play Store.
Developers at the company responded to a complaint regarding technical issues by saying, “We’re a very small team and got much more traffic than we imagined we would get, very quickly. We’ve now added a bunch of GPUs, and are still adding more tonight to handle the traffic.”
Featured image: Digi.AI
The post Meet Digi the AI avatar claimed to be ‘the future’ of romance appeared first on ReadWrite.


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- Can you use twitter in China?
- Why is everything blocked in China?
- Is Amazon banned in China?
- Why is Netflix Banned in China?
- Is Netflix Banned in China?
- Where is Netflix available in the world?
- Is WhatsApp and Facebook Banned in China?
- Is it illegal to use Facebook in China?
- Is Google blocked in China?
- Does China have Netflix?
- Is YouTube allowed in China?
- Is Disney banned in China?
- Why is Google bad?
- How many kids can you have in China?
- Is WhatsApp blocked in China?
- Why is Google banned in China?
- Can China Read WhatsApp?
- Is China banning Apple?
Can you use twitter in China?
Twitter is blocked in China; however, many Chinese people circumvent the block to use it.
Even major Chinese companies and national medias, such as Huawei and CCTV, use Twitter through a government approved VPN..
Why is everything blocked in China?
Its role in Internet censorship in China is to block access to selected foreign websites and to slow down cross-border internet traffic. … The term Great Firewall of China is a portmanteau of firewall and the Great Wall of China, and was first used in print by Geremie Barmé in 1997.
Is Amazon banned in China?
Amazon is shutting down its domestic e-commerce marketplace business in China. The U.S. firm said it will focus on “cross-border” selling to Chinese consumers. Amazon has faced stiff competition from Chinese e-commerce giants Alibaba and JD.com.
Why is Netflix Banned in China?
Analysts say that China may now be a closed door because of the company that it once partnered with. “Netflix has made no headway in China whatsoever. Inevitably Netflix needs to partner, place greater focus on commissioning locally produced content and address censorships with its own originals.
Is Netflix Banned in China?
Netflix is not yet available in China, though the company continues to explore options for providing the service. It also is not available in Crimea, North Korea, or Syria due to U.S. government restrictions on American companies.
Where is Netflix available in the world?
It also won’t be available in Crimea, North Korea and Syria due to U.S. government restrictions on American companies. Since Netflix launched its streaming service in 2007, the service has expanded globally, first to Canada, then to Latin America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Japan to include 60 countries.
Is WhatsApp and Facebook Banned in China?
Key Takeaways. The ‘Great Firewall’ in China prevents internet users from viewing or positing socially or politically sensitive content. Facebook and other foreign internet companies are blocked in China, and Facebook’s efforts to court China have been rebuffed.
Is it illegal to use Facebook in China?
1 That’s because Facebook is banned in China, along with many other global social media providers. The Chinese government controls internet content and restricts, deletes, or bans content it deems is not in the interest of the state.
Is Google blocked in China?
Google.cn, the company’s China-based search engine, was shut down in 2010 following disputes over censorship of search queries. Google’s family of apps — including Gmail and Google Maps — have went offline multiple times, including in November 2012 and December 2014.
Does China have Netflix?
In January 2016, Netflix announced an expansion to 130 countries, but China was not part of that. It has never had a local product in China. Instead, it partnered with iQiyi, a streaming service which is majority-owned by Chinese search giant Baidu. iQiyi is one of China’s largest streaming platforms.
Is YouTube allowed in China?
China. YouTube was first blocked in China for over five months from October 16, 2007 to March 22, 2008. It was blocked again from March 24, 2009, although a Foreign Ministry spokesperson would neither confirm nor deny whether YouTube had been blocked. Since then, YouTube is inaccessible from China.
Is Disney banned in China?
Disney produced and distributed the film despite objections China voiced during production, causing China to issue a temporary ban on all Disney films. The ban ended in 1999 with the release of Mulan, and the studio issued an apology during the early negotiation process to build Shanghai Disney Resort.
Why is Google bad?
Criticism of Google includes concern for tax avoidance, misuse and manipulation of search results, its use of others’ intellectual property, concerns that its compilation of data may violate people’s privacy and collaboration with Google Earth by the military to spy on users, censorship of search results and content, …
How many kids can you have in China?
In November 2013, following the Third Plenum of the 18th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, China announced the decision to relax the one-child policy. Under the new policy, families could have two children if one parent, rather than both parents, was an only child.
Is WhatsApp blocked in China?
WhatsApp does not work in China due to restrictions enforced by the state’s Great Firewall which censors internet use. While WhatsApp is blocked in China there is an effective solution, using a VPN to evade these restrictions.
Why is Google banned in China?
In March 2009, China blocked access to Google’s YouTube site due to footage showing Chinese security forces beating Tibetans; access to other Google online services was being denied to users arbitrarily.
Can China Read WhatsApp?
“While the use of WhatsApp, WeChat and like messaging apps are legal in China, we have seen in the latest espionage charge of a US citizen in Russia where the use of WhatsApp has been cited in his espionage charges,” read an email seen by CNN. … We recommend not using these messaging apps in China at this time.”
Is China banning Apple?
The Fuzhou court ruled that Apple infringed two of Qualcomm’s patents and granted a requested injunction against the sale of the Apple products that are currently in the market ranging from the iPhone 6S to the iPhone X. This means that Apple is essentially banned from selling all infringing iPhones in China.


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Libbey Net, Sales Increase in Q3
October 28, 2011,
TOLEDO, Ohio-Glassmaker Libbey more than tripled its net income in the third quarter on sales that increased 3.6 percent.
Net income was $7.1 million in the quarter ended Sept. 30, compared to net income of $2.3 million in the prior-year quarter. Sales for the quarter were $207.2 million, compared to $200.0 million in the third quarter of 2010.
Overall sales were boosted by a significant (47.9 percent) increase in sales in China, followed by an 8 percent increase in sales in the U.S. and Canada and a 5.2 percent increase in sales in Europe. Sales to U.S. and Canadian retail glassware customers increased 8.8 percent.
Libbey CEO Stephanie A. Streeter said she was pleased with overall sales improvement, particularly in China, and was "encouraged" by the improved performance of the U.S. and Canadian retail and foodservice channels of distribution.


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Gas prices expected to go up
Look for gas prices to go up this week..
After a bit of a reprieve last week, forecasters are now predicting that the maximum price of regular self-serve will increase by around 2.5 to three cents per litre when the provincial energy and utilities board makes its weekly price adjustment at midnight.
The current max is 130.9 per litre, although most retailers sell for less.
The max for diesel is currently 132.9 and that is expected to increase this week by around a cent.


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Guides in Maps
Apple Maps is the other major app improvement in iOS 14, which this year focuses on offering travel guides and more transportation options.
A new “Guides” feature will help users find great places to eat, shop, meet up with friends, or just explore new cities around the world. Like other Maps feature, Guides will likely be rolled out to only a few cities at first, and gradually expand as time goes on. Users will be able to save Guide pages and return to them later, and of course they’ll automatically update as new places and tips are added.
Apple also noted that it plans to bring its full new detailed maps to the U.K., Ireland, and Canada later this year, offering richer detail and improved accuracy for users in those countries.


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ATLANTA Vital Marketing, which specializes in experiential marketing to ethnic and youth groups, has opened an Atlanta office, its first branch outside New York, the shop said.
Vital Marketing opened the outpost on the heels of its acquisition of Atlanta-based Indigo Productions last month. Indigo had been in business 10 years, most recently as publisher of Lyric, the in-flight magazine of Delta Air Lines' Song subsidiary. The founder and CEO of Indigo, Rita Brooks, becomes senior vice president of business development at Vital Marketing Atlanta.
The office opens with two accounts: the U.S. Army and Allstate Insurance. Brooks said she is looking for new business throughout the Southeast for the office.
The purchase of Indigo Productions expanded Vital Marketing's experience with experiential marketing, custom publishing and design for point-of-purchase signage, Brooks said. She also plans to use the company's ethnic marketing experience to attract more Hispanic clients in the Southeast and offer the shop as a partner to general marketing agencies that need work for the minority and youth markets.
"We are very excited about potential business which exists in Atlanta and throughout the entire Southeast and Southwest regions," said Joseph Anthony, CEO of Vital. "While all the big agencies have a footprint in the market, we feel that, like in New York, our expertise within the experiential and multicultural niche will make us a favored partner from both the client and large agency side."
Vital Marketing's clients in New York include Boost Mobile, Coca-Cola, Motorola and Nintendo. The independent shop reported revenue of $20 million last year.


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The mother-daughter pair stepped out for the Dior Men’s runway show shortly after Kate’s 50th birthday party at The Ritz in Paris
Following her lavish birthday bash in Paris in honor of her 50th, the British supermodel appeared front row at Dior Men’s fashion show with the 21-year-old rising model beside her.
Kate rocked a pair of black pants and knee-high stiletto boots, but added a pop of color on top with her sleeveless turquoise top, which included beaded embellishments that coordinated with her hoop earrings.
Lila, who Kate shares with ex-boyfriend Jefferson Hack, opted for monochromatic sophistication.
The style tastemaker, who’s a budding model herself, wore a gray collared jacket, what looked like black velvet pants and pointed-toe boots like her mom.
Both of them kept their golden hair in effortless tousled waves, making the two look like sisters!
The last red carpet appearance made by Kate and Lila was at the 2023 Met Gala, following the latter’s debut at the big style event in 2022.
Only days before their PFW arrival, the mother-daughter duo were seen twinning in head-to-toe black outfits for Kate’s exclusive birthday dinner at Restaurant Laurent from celebrity chef Mathieu Pacaud, according to PEOPLE sources.
The insiders also revealed some of the buzzy names there, including Kate’s boyfriend, Nikolai von Bismarck, 37, Celine director Hedi Slimane, and celebrity makeup artist and the model’s close friend, Charlotte Tilbury. There were around 40 guests.
She rocked a lace dress with a coat draped over her shoulders, and styled the chic pairing with strappy heels. Lila, who made her own runway debut in 2020, wore a cocktail midi dress, heels and an overcoat.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Although celebrating her new year in the most lavish of ways, Kate spoke to The Times in September about how she really feels about her milestone age.
“I’m not thinking about it. I do not feel 50,” she put it plainly.
For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!
Read the original article on People.


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Skip to comments.Price hikes coming for Chipotle, Dunkin' Donuts and The Cheesecake Factory
Posted on 07/22/2014 8:54:45 AM PDT by george76Edited on 07/22/2014 8:55:48 AM PDT by Admin Moderator. [history]
Fast food fans, we've got some bad news. Wholesale prices on a bunch of your favorite food products have seen sharp increases this year. Among those, beef and avocados are through the roof, hitting burrito-makers doubly hard.
Because of huge price increases for beef and avocados, Chipotle is raising menu prices for the first time in three years. It's a reality that a lot of restaurants are facing due to rising food prices.
(Excerpt) Read more at wqow.com ...
How could this happen? /S
We can all thank the Pres, Harry, and SanFranNan.
Food prices don’t count as inflation. They’re considered too volatile, and aren’t part of the calcs.
The good news is if you have been investing in this sham stockmarket you may not fell the pinch so fast, but stand by because you are going to get such a pinch!
Energy does not count either.
Figure lie and liars figure.
It has already happened.
Paid almost $8 for a steak bowl last night.
When you artificially inject money into the system by borrowing massive amounts of money to fund utopian federal projects prices will rise...
Friggin hamburger is $5 to $6 an lb here!
NOOOOOOOOOOOOO>................NOT DUNKIN' DONUTS!
Most of their ingredients are imported. The exchange rate of the dollar is dropping through the floor. That drives the price up, because your dollar buys less on the world market. This applies to all commodities bought and sold in $US. At the rate that we are inflating at, expect your local dollar store to become the $5 or $10 store in the near future. The squeeze is on.
Probably because of climate change.....
Not surprised about Dunkin Donuts, been going the way of Starbucks as of late.
Print more money!
So overpriced places will become even more overpriced.... nothing new here.
As to the CheeseCake Factory in particular, you know you got balls when you not only grotesquely overcharge your customers for your food, but then force them to be bombarded with advertisements in your menu for other products and services...
The fact this company is in business at all proves to me just how completely moronic the average person is.
Im sure a panel will be assembled to prove the theory.
Stop issuing EBT cards, and the price of food will fall back to 2008 levels.
If you remove food, fuel, energy, gasoline, diesel, commodities, clothing, taxes, health care, professional services, utilities, taxes, fees, and travel there is no inflation. Anyone who says otherwise hates women and children and is a racist.
Another problem easily solved by the amnesty of 20 million “undocumented” Americans.
Never mind the menu price increases.
Are they paying all their employees at least $15.00 an hour? Will full benefits?
That’s the important thing here.


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The Wahgoshig First Nation, near Kirkland Lake, is partnering with an Ontario company called DelShen Therapeutics to convert a former forestry operation into a facility that will grow "pharmaceutical grade" pot.
Posts published in “Penticton Indian Band”
A special investigation unit based in Kelowna has managed to shut down most of the illegal pot shops in its Southern Interior territory. But, when it comes to shops on First Nations lands, that’s a grey area. Unit members have met with the chief and councils of many of the region’s First Nations trying to find solutions to the jurisdictional issues affecting their lands.
A brand-new cannabis retail store on Penticton Indian Band land could be short lived, since it does not have a provincial licence to operate and the government has confirmed it will be cracking down on illegal shops.
Indigenous Bloom opened their doors in a new building off Green Mountain Road on the Penticton Indian Band yesterday, Aug.14.
The Indigenous Bloom on the Penticton Indian Band has officially opened its doors today, marking the second cannabis dispensary in the area to open within the last week.
Retail cannabis shop has now opened on the Penticton Indian Reserve, just steps from the mid-way point of the Okanagan River channel.


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Japan's department stores have had a tough start to the month. Early May is typically a boom time for them as shoppers take advantage of the spring holidays, but their sales suffered this year due to anti-coronavirus measures.
The Daimaru Matsuzakaya chain says its sales from May 1 to 16 were 57 percent lower than two years ago, before the pandemic. Takashimaya saw a drop of nearly 48 percent and Isetan Mitsukoshi Holdings about 40 percent.
Department stores in Tokyo, Osaka and other prefectures had to close most of their floor space in that period because of the state of emergency.


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CAPENATURE TO KEEP TOURISM PRICES UNCHANGED FOR THIS YEAR
CapeNature is delighted to announce a price freeze on entrance fees, camping, hiking and accommodation tariffs at CapeNature reserves across the Western Cape until 31 August 2020.
This means that visitors get to spend quality time at CapeNature reserves, hiking, camping under the stars, and ‘glamping’ in luxury, safari-style tents and modern, luxury self-catered eco-cabins at 2018 rates. Despite the inflation rate increases and the current recession in South Africa, CapeNature wants to see an increased number of local visitors explore and experience the rich natural heritage exclusive to the province.
Anton Bredell, the Minister of Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning in the Western Cape applauded the initiative.
“This is another effort by CapeNature to keep its holiday destinations affordable and accessible so that as many households as possible can enjoy spending time in nature. I want to urge people to make use of this offer.”
Income generated by CapeNature is ploughed back into the work CapeNature does in conserving the province’s natural heritage for the benefit of future generations. The Western Cape is home to a number of protected areas which require substantial funding for efforts such as fire management, invasive alien plant clearing and the upkeep of mountain rainfall catchments to supply clean, healthy drinking water.
CapeNature’s Chief Executive Officer, Dr Razeena Omar, re-iterated the entity’s intention to make access to protected areas as affordable as possible; “We recognise that, in these trying economic times, families are looking for holiday getaways that are authentic and affordable. The price freeze on our tourism offerings will not only allow more people to visit CapeNature reserves but also enable them to extend their stays at value for money rates, while enjoying a range of diverse accommodation offerings.”


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Milk production for this year has been lowered back down to 206.1 billion pounds from last month's forecast of 206.3 billion pounds. This brings the forecast growth for the year down to 2.4% from 2.5%.
For the year to August, milk production has grown by 1.8%. Production growth has increased in recent months, with June, July and August posting growth of 2.2%, 3.9% and 2.5%.
Margins continue to be favourable. The all-milk price forecast was raised 20-30c to US$24.10 – 24.20. Meanwhile the forecast season-average farm price of corn was lowered 10c to $3.10 – 3.70 per bushel.
Forecast prices for 2014 for cheese, butter and whey were increased, while nonfat dry milk was lowered. Domestic demand is said to continue supporting prices.
Export forecasts have been revised down as higher US product prices are less competitive. Correspondingly import forecasts were revised up.


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Pubs and restaurants in Nottinghamshire must remain closed over Christmas - but the news came as no surprise to bosses who were expecting a devastating year to end on a bleak note.
Following a government review, the county will remain in Tier 3.
As a result the doors of hospitality venues will not be allowed to cash in at what should be the busiest and most prosperous time of the year. Across the UK more than 20,000 pubs are in Tier 3, 16,000 in Tier 2 and few than 1,000 in the lowest tier.
Peter Hall, who runs the Black Bull in Blidworth, said: "The announcement is certainly not unexpected. My team and most of my friends in the industry had already resigned ourselves to the continued closure although it does feel like another serious blow in the final round of what has been a hard fought year across our whole industry.
"We have tried to meet every criteria for 'Covid safe' operation and continue to do so through takeaway service.
"The team at The Black Bull have adopted an ethos of trying to not complain about the measures we can't change and to adapt as effectively as possible to continue offering as much service to our community as possible.
"Our local area has offered great support in return.
"Opening under Tier 2 restrictions would have had its own challenges. The thought of calling last orders at 10pm on New Years Eve wasn't something any of us were looking forward to."
Mr Hall said bars and restaurants relied on the festive season for much more than just a bonus to see them through the leaner months of the new year.
"It provides many establishments with their profit for the whole year, these finances can then be allocated to improve and develop venues to keep a business relevant and sustainable. To have this taken away creates future strain on business models that can ill afford it across the industry.
Was the Nottingham tier decision the right one? Have your say in the comments here.
"I'm confident that the Black Bull will weather the storm of continued uncertainty for as long as necessary. As a small freehold venue we can survive on the support provided and our local council of Newark and Sherwood has been extremely quick to distribute grants and make sure we receive all the support available.
"My real fear for the industry isn't just in the short term while we navigate the unprecedented circumstances we are experiencing. I've no doubt that we will enjoy a period of great demand when we are able to reopen fully. The real test for pubs, especially wet-led establishments, will be how much of an impact the prolonged period of forced closure has had on customers habits and how many of our regulars will still be considered part of the furniture a year from now."
Staff at the country pub have kept busy by collecting donations of food, clothing, books and toiletries to make care packages for people in need and working with other local businesses to arrange an outdoor charity treasure hunt for families to take part in over Christmas.
Mr Hall said the constant support of customers kept them motivated. "Loyal regulars have continued to order food and beer through our click and collect service and we have even picked new regulars through the limited services we can offer.
"We are looking forward to catching up with all of them, walking through a deserted bar every day is such a strange feeling for the staff, in an area that is usually full of life."
The Christmas decorations are up at the Vat & Fiddle,in Queensbridge Road, for the benefit of customers visiting to collect pre-ordered beer at the pub's drive-though.
Colin Wilde, the MD of Castle Rock Brewery, said: "It's a financial disaster. The December period would generally be used to help businesses through January and February, the quietest time of year for many pubs. And it's emotionally difficult - it can be very hard work at times but it's emotionally rewarding - that's what we do, it's what we want to do, so it makes it very, very difficult and it's the uncertainty, the not knowing when it's going to end.
"We had heard whispers a fortnight ago that it could be looking like Tier 2 but with the London announcement and a media storm and criticism of the Christmas market in Market Square we weren't optimistic.
"In many ways for us Tier 3 and Tier 2 don't make much difference (to us) - if it was Tier 2 then it's a substantial meal and serving single households so it's not a great amount of business and with the run up to Christmas it makes it very difficult.
"The last thing we wanted to do was fill our fridges and freezers and cellars up and not sell it and have to throw it all away.
"Ultimately it means borrowing more money if people will lend it to us."


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Two major research houses on Wall Street recommend selling shares of U.S. companies with mostly domestic sales in favor of big multinational names that were wrecked by the rising dollar hurting the value of their foreign sales.
A pause in the dollar rally and attractive valuations will be the catalyst for the comeback, according to JPMorgan and RBC Capital.
"After a sharp 17 percent outperformance of this pair trade over the last 6 months (32 percent over last 9 months), we recommend investors take profit on this trade and go long Multinationals as they have become more attractive on a relative value basis," JPMorgan Chase wrote in a note to clients Monday.
JPMorgan recommended traditional globetrotters like Schlumberger, but also some digital players with a global footprint such as Google and Priceline. All three companies derive more than 50 percent of their revenue from abroad.
Below are the stocks with the most upside, according to Wall Street.


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Anuga 2007: International food industry “very satisfied” Published: 18 October, 2007
Germany’s Minister of Economics, Michael Glos
THE international food industry has declared itself very satisfied with the results of the 29th Anuga trade fair, held in Cologne.
Some 163,000 trade visitors from approximately 175 countries took advantage of the opportunity the fair offered to obtain extensive information on the products presented by the 6,607 exhibiting companies from 95 countries.
The number of visitors to Anuga was up by around three per cent from the previous event in 2005, when 158,817 trade visitors from 156 countries attended the fair.
Dierk Frauen, President of the Federal Association of the German Retail Grocery Trade (BVL), commented: “The retail sector’s high expectations regarding the leading food and beverage fair were
completely fulfilled. Not only did the event focus on innovative products and retail concepts, it also presented important sector
initiatives with regard to quality assurance and healthy diets. The presence of high-ranking politicians from both Germany and abroad also underscored Anuga’s tremendous social significance.”
This year’s Anuga marked the first time the event’s “10 specialised trade fairs under one roof” concept was put into practice at the new exhibition centre. “The new setup promoted the further consistent implementation of the specialised trade fair concept, while the attractive atmosphere lent the event additional momentum,” said Kranz.
The clear spatial division between the ten specialised fairs made it easy for visitors to get around and find what they were looking for.
With 83 per cent of the exhibitors coming from abroad, Anuga was more
international than ever before. The share of foreign visitors was also high, totalling slightly more than 50 per cent – the same as
two years ago.
Trade visitors came to Cologne from around the world, many of them from outside Europe. The number of visitors from the USA, Canada, South America and the Middle East increased as compared to the previous event. More or less the same high number of visitors was recorded for Asia, with Thailand, India, Japan and China forming the largest contingents from the region.
Along with organic products, the main Anuga trend themes included Health & Functional Food, Wellness Products and Convenience Products. Retailers and catering sector representatives alike were able
to obtain a comprehensive overview of all the key trends, while numerous events in the supporting programme presented the latest studies of the current market situation and provided information on
the market areas displaying growth potential. Such events included the Wellness and Health & Functional Food Congress and the Chilled Food Congress.
Other highlights included the kickoff event with high-ranking guests on Friday evening and the opening address for Anuga given by Germany’s Minister of Economics, Michael Glos. On Tuesday, the German
Minister of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection, Horst Seehofer, discussed the main elements of the government’s planned expansion of food labeling requirements. Prior to that, representatives from the retail sector, the food industry and the agricultural sector presented their respective strategies for improving the efficiency and safety of the food industry value chain.
The special shows at Anuga also provided momentum for the food sector; such shows included the Trade Innovation Show, the Anuga Wine Special 2007, the Anuga Dairy Forum and TASTE_07, which focused on new products presented at Anuga.
In addition, Anuga’s partner country Thailand demonstrated its expertise as a food manufacturer, host and culinary trendsetter at this year’s event. The Thai pavilion was officially opened on Saturday by Thailand’s Minister of Trade, Krirk-krai Jirapaet.
The next Anuga will feature Turkey as a partner country. “We are extremely pleased that with Turkey we will once again have a partner country that not only boasts a strong food industry offering tremendous potential but also a unique and refined cuisine,” said Koelnmesse Executive Vice President, Wolfgang Kranz.
Tahsin Öztiryaki, Vice President of the Istanbul
Chamber of Commerce, said he is convinced that Turkey will be able to take advantage of Anuga to present to the international market the country’s complete range of food industry products and services.
The next Anuga will take place from October 10-14, 2009.
www.fishupdate.com is published by Special Publications. Special Publications also publish FISHupdate magazine, Fish Farmer, the Fish Industry Yearbook, the Scottish Seafood Processors Federation Diary, the Fish Farmer Handbook and a range of wallplanners.


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OnFocus – Last week, the Central Wisconsin Country Store donated âwelcome bagsâ to adopters at the Marshfield Area Pet Shelter.
The bags contained puppy or dog food samples, treats, toys, coupons to use at the store, and a booklet to help new owners with their pets.
Kim Ohaugherty of the Central Wisconsin Country Store said they wanted to help new owners know there is a place for them to get food and pet supplies locally.
âWe wanted to join a partnership there,â Ohaugherty said. âWe wanted people to know that we are there for them for their dog food needs. “
In the age of sitting on sofas and ordering produce, the experience of Central Wisconsin Country Store employees is something that cannot be purchased online. The bags were more than just a promotion, as Ohaugherty said the store just wanted people to know that their products are tested and approved by the employees themselves.
âEveryone who works here is animal lovers,â Ohaugherty said. âThe items that we have here, we make an effort to test everything and study everything so that we know what we are selling. We want to make sure that we only sell the best quality products.
In a Facebook post, Marshfield Area Pet Shelter thanked the Country Store for their generous gift.
“Thanks to Central Wisconsin Country Store – Provision Partners Cooperative for putting together these ‘welcome bags’ for us to give to our adopters,” the post said. âWhat a thoughtful idea! “
To check out the good work the Marshfield Area Pet Shelter and the Central Wisconsin Country Store are doing, check out their Facebook pages.
We welcome your stories! Contact us at [emailÂ protected]!


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Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) downgraded the U.S. auto sector on Tuesday for the first time since the end of the Great Recession due to concerns about rising interest rates and less attractive valuations.
As part of this broader call, the Wall Street investment bank removed Ford (NYSE:F) from its Conviction Buy List, swapping the storied auto maker with General Motors (NYSE:GM).
Overall, Goldman cut its rating on the auto sector to “neutral” from “attractive,” highlighting the fact that auto equities have underperformed the S&P 500 by an average of 26% in three of the last four interest-rate tightening cycles.
“The sector’s growth outlook for the balance of this cycle appears to be now largely discounted in the shares just as we enter into a phase of tightening long rates, which has typically been negative for auto valuations,” Goldman analyst Patrick Archambault wrote in a note to clients on Tuesday.
The performance during periods of rising interest rates helps explain why the auto sector has historically peaked 65% of the way through an expansion, the report said.
This marks the first time since June 2009, during the early days of the current recovery from the 2008 financial crisis, that Goldman has removed its “attractive” rating on the group.
"We believe this justifies a more balanced sector view, which, if anything, puts the emphasis on stock picking over a broad sector call,” Archambault wrote. “The best opportunities in our view remain product cycle stories like Ford and GM, which can see share and pricing gains that are incremental to a macro driven volume recovery.”
With that in mind, Goldman said its new “favorite name” is GM, which it added to the Conviction Buy List with a $45 12-month price target, implying 24% upside from Monday’s close at $36.50.
The bank highlighted GM’s revamped global portfolio, which is set to fall to an average age of 4.3 years by 2016 from 5.3 years today.
Also, GM should benefit from the fixed-income fluctuations because the auto maker is “significantly leveraged to rising rates,” Archambault wrote, saying the current Moody’s AA index yield implies an additional $6 billion in equity value amid shrinking pension obligations.
Following the upgrade, shares of GM hit a new 52-week high of $36.94 Tuesday morning, although they were recently trading down 0.19% to $36.43.
On the other hand, Goldman removed Ford from its Americas Conviction List due to the fact the auto maker’s stock has outperformed GM’s 33% to 27% so far this year.
Still, Ford is seen as offering “among the best growth prospects in the sector” thanks to the housing recovery driving North American pickup demand, the company’s “aggressive turnaround plan” in Europe and a product-driven rebound in Brazil and Asia. Also, the tightening rate environment should reduce Ford’s net liabilities by $1.9 billion, Goldman predicted.
Dearborn, Mich.-based Ford slumped 2.04% to $16.76 Tuesday morning after the downgrade, trimming their 52-week surge to 84.9%.
In other moves, Goldman downgraded parts makers Delphi Automotive (NYSE:DLPH) and Tenneco (NYSE:TEN) to “neutral” from “buy” and cut Standard Motor Products (NYSE:SMP) to “sell” from “neutral.”


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Facebook, Alphabet, Allergan, Amazon, and Apple are widely owned by hedge fund managers.
Acadia's newly approved Parkison's disease drug could trigger a buyout. Here's why.
Comments from another company along the OLED technology food chain point to massive demand coming down the pipeline. And that road goes right through Cupertino.
Shares of the OLED specialist have rallied following massive OLED equipment orders for a certain Cupertino-based tech titan.
Achillion Pharmaceuticals, Ophthotech Corp., and Kite Pharmaceuticals shares could move wildly because of upcoming trial data.
Alphabet, Facebook, Zoetis, Amazon, Priceline, Allergan, and Teva Pharmaceutical are common picks among top hedge fund managers.
Billionaire money managers reduced their holdings in these popular stocks last quarter, but was it a smart move?
Investors shouldn't pay much attention to recent supply-chain rumors purporting to predict iPhone 7 demand.
This platform has been dying for years. Apple delivered the lethal poison, and now Google is simply cremating what remains.
The biotech's numbers are meaningless, but an update on one of its programs sent the stock down.


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Online storage startup Box has raised $150 million in funding from private equity firm TPG and hedge fund Coatue Management, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The funds buy the company some breathing room as it waits for a more suitable time to hold an initial public offering.
Get daily business news.
The latest stories, funding information, and expert advice. Free to sign up.
The company has already filed for an IPO and is expected to list by the end of the year.
Oculus announces Oculus Connect developer conference
The virtual reality startup announced it will be holding its first developer conference, Oculus Connect, in September.
The conference will give developers access to sessions with Oculus engineers and labs where they can get direct feedback, as well as hands-on time with their software and members of the Oculus team.
In addition, Oculus also announced the acquisition of middleware game-network technology provider RakNet.
Dropbox and MIT alums launch Inbox
Inbox, founded by a team featuring Dropbox and MIT alumni, launches today, hoping to power the next generation of email applications.
Inbox offers a more modern way to build apps that access end users’ inboxes and works with Gmail, Yahoo, Microsoft Exchange and other mail providers.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average is down 44.05 to 17,024.21. The Australian dollar is currently trading at US94 cents.


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By Howard W. Hewitt
Earlier this year, Grape Sense featured a look at the potential of a labor crisis in Napa/Sonoma during this fall harvest season.
The potential has become a reality for many in the nation’s premier wine region.
For the past several years, farm labor was paid $15 an hour. Napa has built dormitory-type buildings over the recent past for housing, as well.
This year, wages have jumped closer to an average of $18 an hour with some stories that big-name wineries are paying more, much more. One unsubstantiated report had a $300 bottle of wine producer paying $45. Top pickers in Soma have been commanding up to $30 an hour the past couple of years.
The labor shortage covers a lot of issues. Federal immigration enforcement increased under the Obama administration. Additionally, as the largely Hispanic workforce ages, their children are going to college and finding less physically stressful jobs. Sonoma County winegrowers have more than 5,000 full-time workers but hire an additional 2,600 seasonal workers for harvest, so it’s not a small problem.
There are lots of anecdotes about husband and wife picking up their kids and moving to Napa. But after a few harvests, the married team learns they can work various positions in the thriving hospitality industry for more money and no back-breaking, long days of labor.
When harvest is complete, it will be interesting to see if there is actual fruit that got left on the vine because of worker shortages.
I’ve written several times lately about things going on in Oregon. The Willamette Valley continues to be one of the more interesting regions to follow. The area’s Pinot Noir is now considered world class and is a hot commodity.
Family ownership of Silver Oak Vineyards, known for its outstanding Napa Cab, just recently completed purchase of Dick Erath’s last vineyard near Archery Summit and Domaine Serene — pretty fancy company. Erath, now in his 80s, was one of the valley’s pioneers. He long ago sold his groundbreaking winery to St. Michelle of Washington.
The new money is being found from great Oregon Pinot Noir. It won’t be surprising to see more Napa names turn up there.
Speaking of Oregon, the vintners continue to kick up production. Sales grew by 12 percent last year from acreage of more than 30,000. In 2016 alone, 23 new wineries opened across the state. Cabernet grapes are the nation’s most expensive, but Oregon Pinot grapes from top-name vineyards can command more than $5,000 a ton. A ton of grapes will make about 60 cases of wine. There, you now can do some math.
Howard W. Hewitt of Crawfordsville writes about wine every other week for more than 20 Indiana newspapers and websites. Reach him at [email protected].


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Hospira, Inc., a Pfizer company, is voluntarily recalling BACTERIOSTATIC WATER for Injection, USP, 30 mL, multi-dose vial, lot W20308, to the Hospital/Retail level. Hospira initiated this recall due to lack of confirmation of sterilization for some vials from this lot.
Safety Communication - Related to Seizures Reported Following E-cigarette Use, Particularly in Youth and Young Adults
Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited (TSE:4502/NYSE:TAK) (“Takeda”) today announced that the company is issuing a US recall for all doses of NATPARA® (parathyroid hormone) for Injection (25 mcg, 50 mcg, 75 mcg, and 100 mcg). This recall is being conducted after discussions with the FDA and is effec
Both the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are working tirelessly to investigate the distressing incidents of severe respiratory disease associated with use of e-cigarette products.
AmEx Pharmacy today announces a voluntary recall of all Lots of Bevacizumab 1.25mg/0.05mL 31G Injectable and all Lots of Bevacizumab 2.5mg/0.1ml Normject TB Injectable that are within expiry to the healthcare provider level. These lots are being recalled out of an abundance of caution following an F
FDA has received reports that the use of Mavyret, Zepatier, or Vosevi to treat chronic Hepatitis C in patients with moderate to severe liver impairment has resulted in rare cases of worsening liver function or liver failure.
MedWatch Alert on certain prescription insomnia medicines.


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Lookers Q1 results herald a strong year.
Lookers has reported “strong performance with continued improvements in all areas of the business.”
The company produced a positive trading performance in the quarter to 31 March 2016, with particularly impressive results during the important month of March. This strong start is expected to help generate a “significant increase” over its 2015 performance for year-end.
In a statement to the City the company said: “The group has made a good start to the year with positive results for the first quarter from both the motor and parts divisions”
“The balance sheet continues to be strengthened by strong operational cash flow and we have substantial headroom in our bank facilities. This provides financial security as well as funding capacity to help develop the business through further strategic acquisitions in both the motor and parts divisions.”
Total gross profit from new cars increased by 23%, or 5% on a like for like basis, while margins for both new retail and fleet cars were maintained at a similar level to last year.
“Our used car volumes continue to increase in part due to higher volumes of leads generated by the group’s website, which have increased further compared to last year. The website has recently been significantly upgraded and will benefit from further major developments later this year,” said the group’s statement.
Gross profit in the aftersales business also saw increases. Up by 25% - or 7% on a like for like basis.
“The increase in volumes and margins continues to benefit from initiatives made in recent years to develop the aftersales business including further increases in the penetration of the sale of service plans. We also continue to invest in new technology and systems to provide enhanced levels of customer experience to further strengthen the aftersales business.” It said.
Progress was also reported in the parts division in both turnover and gross profit and this was against a background of an improving but competitive market.
Cash flow continues to be strong during the period and was significantly higher at both the operational and net cash flow levels compared to budget. The group said it generated £18.1m from the sale of its Volkswagen dealership in Battersea which will go towards reducing its borrowings.
“This provides financial security as well as funding capacity to help develop the business through further strategic acquisitions in both the motor and parts divisions.”
Lookers is currently listed rated at number four in the Motor Trader Top 200.


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Ohio Environmental Council, July 31, 2013
UPDATED: The vote has been rescheduled for Wednesday, August 7, at 1 p.m. PUCO meetings are open to the public. Details and directions here.
Just one week after scheduling a vote on a controversial case in which utility giant FirstEnergy allegedly overcharged their customers $100 million or more, the Public Utilities Commission (PUCO) unexpectedly cancelled the scheduled vote from today’s meeting agenda.
Today’s action means that FirstEnergy customers have to wait indefinitely for the PUCO to take action on this case, and therefore delay what could equate to millions in reimbursements to FirstEnergy customers.
“By putting off the decision to vote on this case today, the PUCO is putting the interests of one utility before the interests of hundreds of thousands of electric customers who potentially paid way more on their utility bill than they should have,” commented Brian Kaiser, Director of Green Jobs & Innovation for the Ohio Environmental Council. “Who knows when a vote on this case will be scheduled again?”
At the core of this PUCO case is whether or not the Akron-based utility FirstEnergy overpaid for Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) and then passed those charges on to their customers.
American Electric Power – Ohio (AEP-Ohio), a competitor of FirstEnergy, as well as consumer advocates like the Ohio Consumers’ Counsel (OCC) and environmental organizations are intervenors in the case, asserting that FirstEnergy inflated the value of RECs it sold in the electric marketplace.
Portions of audit reports compiled by PUCO staff that investigated the overpayment case were closed off to consumer advocates, on account of FirstEnergy’s claim that the dollar amounts paid are confidential.
The Natural Resources Defense Council estimates that the amount of the overpayments could total as much as $96 million to $126 million; others believe it could total even more.
“The PUCO has access to FirstEnergy records, and understands just how deep this rabbit hole goes,” continued Kaiser. “The PUCO has a duty to consumers and should step up to the plate to ensure ratepayers get their money back from FirstEnergy.”


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- The week in security: Root-certificate stuff-ups send Dell, device makers scrambling
- Hackers taget toy maker VTech, make off with customer data
- Microsoft enables potential unwanted software detection for enterprise customers
- Make sure the cloud doesn't fog up your window into network security
- ANZ mobile adoption matching world pace for Wi-Fi security management: Aruba
Addressing Data Security Challenges in the Cloud
Addressing Data Security Challenges in the Cloud Enterprises increasingly recognise cloud computing’s compelling economic and operational benefits. Virtualising and pooling IT resources in the cloud enables organisations to realise significant cost savings and accelerates deployment of new applications. However, those valuable business benefits cannot be unlocked without addressing new data security challenges posed by cloud computing.
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- MCN to appoint first chief data officer as part of digital and tech-led c-suite overhaul
- From tactical overhead to strategic growth driver: B2B marketing in the digital age
- Sensis overhauls NPS framework
- 5 Adtech companies that have made the US$1bn Unicorn club
- Getting email marketing back on track: Identity Direct's story


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2013 June 18
Balenciaga Slated To Sue Nicolas Ghesquière
Patrick McMullan View Gallery
(NEW YORK) Balenciaga is said to be suing Nicolas Ghesquière over inflammatory comments he made regarding management at the fashion house in an exclusive interview to System magazine in April. Challenges, a French business magazine, broke the news that Kering (formerly PPR), which owns Balenciaga, will be suing the designer. When Ghesquière parted ways with the brand in November 2012, it left the fashion community puzzled, as the designer had been one of the most esteemed darlings of the industry during is 15 years helming the brand. When the interview with System was published, Ghesquière revealed that he felt the internal workings of the brand had become a "bureaucracy and gradually more corporate until it was no longer linked to fashion." He also added that there was no one helping him on the business side. Further reasoning as to why the designer decamped from Balenciaga: "the lack of culture that bothered me in the end," Ghesquière told System.
Meanwhile, other rumors are spreading like wildfire that Ghesquière is being courted to take over at Louis Vuitton as Marc Jacobs contract has been under discussion. With many speculating that Jacobs and his business partner, Robert Duffy want to take Jacobs' namesake brand public, the fashion industry has been buzzing that his successor will likely be Ghesquière. An LVMH gig would certainly help with any incumbent legal fees, right?
Forget any superstitions about the number 13 being unlucky: Swarovski is celebrating its many years (a baker's dozen, to be exact) of working with the CFDA Awards. To toast the occasion...
Opening Ceremony is planning to expand thanks to a minority investment from Boston-based Berkshire Partners. The investment company recently teamed up with former David Yurman CEO ...
Vogue is in the midst of a digital revamp, but you’ll have to wait until September to see the result. The fashion glossy’s online counterpart has been undergoing a total makeover...


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GAMES PUBLISHER Bohemia Interactive is requiring its website and forum users to reset their passwords after uncovering unauthorised access to parts of its website.
Bohemia Interactive is best known for its ARMA military simulator titles. It announced yesterday that it had uncovered unauthorised access to its web servers, and is forcing all users to change their passwords despite saying that no credit card information was stored in any of its databases.
According to Bohemia Interactive the unauthorised access led to the downloading of a database that stored usernames, email addresses and encrypted passwords. The firm said that the database did not include any credit card information and the passwords were encrypted, claiming this makes it "very unlikely that anything nefarious can be done with this information", though that is unlikely to calm users' fears.
The games publisher said, "As a precaution we are resetting the passwords of all users which means you will be unable to log into any of our websites/forums until your password is changed." It is forcing all users to go to a "recover password" website that emails new passwords to existing account holders. Users should also change their passwords at any other website(s) where they used the same password.
Bohemia Interactive isn't the first game publisher to face unauthorised access in recent months, with Ubisoft having urged 58 million users to change their passwords earlier this month, while Codemasters also announced it had been a hacking victim. µ
Unfortunately, it's led by TalkTalk
Google's bug hunter strikes again
But Article 29 Working Party still has concerns
Apple's next smartphone could, but probably won't, arrive as the iPhone 6SE


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VK Company, a Kremlin-controlled Russian Internet giant, is seeking to acquire the leading local classifieds platform Avito, which is owned by Naspers affiliate Prosus.
Prosus could also sell its 25.7% stake in VK Company, reported the Russian media citing Bloomberg.
Russian oligarch Vladimir Potanin is also regarded as a potential acquirer of Avito, according to the news agency.
After making Avito a fully autonomous entity in March, Prosus announced its intention to leave Russia and sell Avito in May.
Bloomberg heard that analysts now estimate the platform’s value between 67 to 100 billion rubles (around $1-1.5 billion at the current rate).
Valuation in free fall
According to Raiffeisenbank analyst Sergey Libin, Avito’s value even reached some 500-600 billion rubles just before Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022 ($6.25-$7 billion at the pre-war exchange rate).
After the war destroyed a part of it, Avito’s value could be further affected by a bill under discussion at the State Duma. Targeting Avito explicitly, the supporters of this law want to prohibit foreigners from owning more than 20% in Russian online ad services.
Launched in 2007 by Swedish entrepreneurs Filip Engelbert and Jonas Nordlander, Avito quickly asserted its leadership in Russia. The company was backed by a bevy of international investors, including Vostok Nafta Investment (now rebranded to Vostok New Ventures) and Kinnevik.
In November 2021, according to Similarweb, Avito became the world’s most visited classified ads website with some 280 million visits monthly. Company revenues reached $313 million in 2020, according to data cited by ReviewBolt.


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BLOUNTSTOWN, Fla. (WMBB) — Calhoun County voters have overwhelmingly approved restaurants to sell and serve liquor drinks by the glass.
Prior to 1977, Calhoun was a dry county.
In ’77 the law changed allowing restaurants to sell beer and wine, like many of Calhoun’s neighboring counties.
But that’s been changing over the last few years, leaving Calhoun as the only county not selling liquor by the glass.
A political action committee called “Forward Calhoun” and the Chamber of Commerce, pushed for the change, saying it will help the local economy.
“So it’s a very difficult time for some small business owners, particularly in the restaurant industry here,” Calhoun County Chamber of Commerce Johanna Plummer said. “We’ve seen several restaurants open and closed and I think this is going to give them a little bit of cushion and enough profit to be able to stay open and maintain a local workforce and just provide a little quality of life in Calhoun County.”
Plummer said it will take about a month for the law to take effect.


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Taiwan called on Beijing to "be rational" on Tuesday following a deadly incident involving a…
Travelcouples | Moment | Getty Images
Jan. 30 is National Plan for Vacation Day — and travelers mapping out their next excursion have a few reliable money-saving hacks at their disposal.
Total travel costs — including airfare, hotels, rental cars, dining out and entertainment — are down an average 2% in the past year, according to the NerdWallet Travel Price Index. Jetsetters can expect travel this year to be a bit cheaper relative to 2023, especially for domestic trips, experts said.
Here are some top ways to stretch your budget.
Traveling during a destination’s shoulder or off season — and avoiding its busiest periods — is a surefire way to save big bucks, experts said.
“Shifting away from the peak, peak months, even weeks, is key,” said Hayley Berg, lead economist at Hopper, a travel app.
Peak and off seasons fluctuate based on location. June through August are generally among the busiest months for domestic and overseas trips — and that often means higher prices.
For example, on average, travelers can save 32%, or $112, on round-trip domestic airfare by going during September and October instead of peak summer months, according to Hopper data. Savings on hotel rates are harder to predict but would generally also be “considerable,” likely about 30% on average, Berg said.
Traveling during the shoulder and off seasons may have additional benefits such as thinner crowds and weather sometimes being as good or better.
Of course, some sites, attractions or restaurants may be closed, especially during off months, experts said. In addition, not everyone has the luxury of flexibility. Parents may be beholden to school schedules, for example. Even then, traveling in August instead of June or July is generally cheaper, Berg said.
For most locales, airfare and lodging are significantly cheaper midweek relative to the weekend, meaning flexible travelers can score big savings.
“The easy rule: The dates that are probably the most convenient are probably the most expensive,” Berg said.
Sunday is generally the most expensive day to fly, data shows.
Domestic airfare is, on average, 24% lower by flying on a Tuesday, translating to savings of about $85 a ticket, according to NerdWallet.
Domestic and international flights that leave on a Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday have historically been 12% cheaper than weekend departures, according to Google Flights data.
The midweek rule of thumb generally applies regardless of destination, Berg said. The one exception: Oceania, where the cheapest day to fly is Sunday, according to Hopper data.
Travelers can use online tools such as Google Flights, which displays a calendar of prices for comparison by day, said Sally French, travel expert at NerdWallet.
Travelers will also pay a 20% to 23% premium, on average, for nightly hotel rates on a Friday or Saturday, Hopper found. Those weekend premiums can be especially high in top domestic and overseas areas. In Las Vegas, average nightly rates nearly double.
The Covid-19 pandemic led Americans to defer trip purchases to the last minute, and that behavior has persisted. However, waiting too long to book, airfare especially, can be costly.
“The reality is, you need to book your flights in advance,” French said.
Experts recommend booking flights about one to three months ahead for U.S. trips, and even further ahead, maybe three to six months or more, for international trips.
Ideal booking times depend on your specific route, “so planning and booking early is usually a good idea,” according to the Google Flights analysis.
Hotels are a bit trickier. In big cities with many options, the best prices will be just 48 hours ahead of check-in, Hopper found. However, best prices are typically one to two months out for popular destinations such as Miami or Cancun, and rooms in popular vacation cities can book up early.
Luca Montes | Moment | Getty Images
Data shows many travelers sought out cheaper duplicates, or “dupes,” of pricey destinations in 2023.
Applied broadly, tourists should look beyond the tourist hot spots and consider less-popular areas to save money, experts said.
“This is huge, especially for travelers who are looking to stretch their budget a little further,” Berg said.
For example, Europe is consistently the top destination for Americans traveling abroad. Round-trip airfare can easily cost more than $1,000 to many top European locales. Flying to certain cities can be much cheaper, though. For example, a flight to Lisbon or Porto in Portugal averages about $650 to $700, Hopper said.
Similarly, flying to Athens instead of Santorini can save almost $400 on a round-trip ticket, while going to Naples instead of Palermo in Italy would save about $125, according to Hopper.
Likewise, those eyeing a trip to South America would spend $375 for an average round-trip ticket to Cartagena, Colombia, compared to about $900 to Buenos Aires, Argentina, it found. Those going to Australia pay an average $1,214 to Sydney, but almost $1,500 to Melbourne.
Don’t miss these stories from CNBC PRO:


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Czech cable provider Rio Media is launching a video-on-demand service.
Rio Media will offer VOD, startover and time-shifted TV over its upgraded cable networks. The company has teamed up with Divida, which offers VOD online via its Topfun portal, to launch the VOD service.
ICYMI: SeaChange names new CEO digitaltveurope.com/2021/09/28/sea…
28 September 2021 @ 19:29:00 UTC
‘Fire suppression systems’ cause channel outage from Red Bee Media playout centre in London digitaltveurope.com/2021/09/28/fir… https://t.co/DBzsbjok2G
28 September 2021 @ 17:00:00 UTC


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The pandemic transformed the ways consumers shop for groceries with more than 70% of US Households buying groceries online last year. What does that mean for advertisers? How do we adjust our
marketing approach to capture consumers moving seamlessly between online and in-store? Head of Brand Activation, Lisa Mathison, will share how Hostess Brands has leveraged omni-channel media planning
and buying to reach consumers shopping when, where, and how they want.
Through a combination of app and loyalty program usage along with local events, Fazoli's is crafting a data strategy that funnels local intelligence back to franchisees and managers so they can
interact with customers in more personalized ways. At MediaPost's Brand Insider Summit QSR, Fazoli's Senior Manager/Brand Marketing, Erin Stevens, shares how cross-functional teams across the
organization use this data to test and learn new engagement tactics as well as inform individual outlets how to better serve customers.
As the 90-year-old Krystal restaurant brand looked to appeal to younger demos, the marketing team focused on college towns and some of their strongest influencers - star athletes. Executing on this
smart plan took more than posing Quarterbacks with store owners. Krystal Restaurants' Director of Marketing, Kaitlin Stoehr, shares what the company learned about crafting local campaigns around
recruiting this special class of social influencers, creating authentic live engagements, and then amplifying this content effectively in the community.
As Insomnia Cookies sought to rebrand its late-night snacking model around new flavors and "Cookie-vation," they invented the "Cookie Lab" at their flagship location in Philadelphia. Nicole Geyer,
Insomnia Cookies' Brand Manager, explains how the Lab became a genuine research site as well as a branding tool and even a tourist attraction. But it took a strategy - around everything from facility
design to customer recruitment and data gathering. From leveraging invisible messaging to unforeseen uses of maple syrup, the lab has rendered more than a few surprising results.
As inflation drove up costs and pricing, the Checkers brands felt it was leaving a core value-driven customer behind. Instead of overall discounting, the brand leveraged its CDP to identify and
specifically message this segment with highly targeted discounts to motivate purchasing. Barry shares how they modeled this often elusive cash-based clientele and created tightly localized
cross-channel media to drive bargains to the ones who needed them most.
H-E-B's strength shows that regional retailers can do a great deal to differentiate themselves online, building simple and easy-to-use tools for online shoppers, says Grant Steadman, Dunnhumby
president of North America.
"Companies delivering on time and keeping their promises despite supply-chain issues are being held in high regard," says Harris Poll CEO.
Among the takeaways for CPG brands from the Attest study: Trustworthy nutritional labeling is strongly linked to consumer loyalty.
Spending for the holiday is expected to reach $23.9 billion this year -- up from $21.8 billion in 2021, the second-highest year on record, according to a National Retail Federation survey.
Searching for the best snacks to enjoy on Super Bowl Sunday? Instacart this week launched its first social Super Bowl brand campaign.
As of November, 28.2% of podcast listeners had used restaurant delivery in the past 30 days, compared to 14% of non-listeners.
A changed business model can be likened to a new frontier, says Shelley Stewart III, McKinsey partner and leader of the firm's Institute for Black Economic Mobility. To pursue additional growth, he
believes companies need to "look outside of the core."
Email is the most popular way that consumers want to receive money-saving deals on food and groceries.
Study confirms shoppers' growing commitment to mass merchandisers like Walmart or Target as their primary store, rather than conventional grocers.
Baird Equity Research is tracking search trends as students go back to school this fall. The search data skewed flat to lower for most keywords, with 22 of 60 terms declining more than 5%, according
to the data.
Transportation and tourism, one of the categories most severely disrupted in 2020 by the COVID-19 pandemic, is showing the greatest recovery in 2021 and 2022, according to key category growth
estimates published by WARC as part of its global ad forecast revisions. Like most of Madison Avenue's big agency forecasting units, and a variety of other independent consultants, WARC predicts
strong aggregate growth for the ad industry's recovery, with worldwide ad spending projected to expand 17.8% in 2021.
Retail marketing specialist 84.51 did research to help food marketers prep for the 2021 holiday sales season.
How does a new CPG business stand out in the already saturated snack bar market? As building a brand within the grocery industry can prove challenging and expensive, Jimmy Bars' co-founder, Jim Simon,
tells us it's vital to not only differentiate oneself but be creative as well.
After receding nearly 11% in 2020, so-called fast-moving consumer goods such as food and drink brands are poised to increase their ad spending over the next few years, albeit not so fast.
Remember all that bread-baking last spring? Americans are over it and reconsidering restaurants, says the Hartman Group.
A new survey says 98% of U.S. consumers now subscribe to at least one streaming media service, and 75% subscribe to two or more services.
This week, Whole Foods Market announced a series of virtual live cook-along events to celebrate Valentine's Day weekend at home. Thirty-six percent of consumers surveyed by Suzy plan to cook dinner at
home this year, while 28% plan to order from a restaurant and 23% will dine in at a restaurant. The study was fielded on Jan. 14, 2021.
At least 80% of new CPG product launches fail each year, so why even bother trying? Hannah Hong and Mollie Cha bothered because they believed they were filling an unmet consumer need; a healthier,
dairy-free alternative to ice cream. Both lactose intolerant, the two discovered banana "n-ice cream"- frozen banana chunks blended with a little almond milk. "Like lightning striking," Hakuna Brands
The recent surge in demand for online delivery has fueled the ascent of Instacart. Here's what this means for grocery shoppers and brands.
Consumers are rethinking their discretionary spending habits. About 64% say they're planning to cut their total spend and 55% say they will cut at least 10% to 20%. One-third of consumers in the U.S.
will cut between 30% and 40%, and one in five may slash their budgets by 50% or more.
Overall demand for consumer packaged goods has soared 13% since the pandemic began through the week of April 12, with some categories spiking even higher and some beginning to wane, a nifty new demand
index being released by IRI today finds. The aptly named "IRI CPG Demand Index" is a dynamic database providing a weekly index of actual consumer CPG demand benchmarked against actual sales for the
prior year period.
PubMatic data shows how advertisers have changed their ad spend across key content categories, regions and media from March 1-7 vs. April 5-11.
March was the biggest ever month for supermarket sales. "Campaign" is reporting on Kantar figures that show sales were up 20% year-on-year as customers stocked up on food as Britain went into lockdown
Breaking into an already saturated market that's extremely competitive is challenging enough, never mind if you don't have the budget to back it up. That's what start-up company Puppo came up against.
The challenger brand didn't have the resources for large scale advertising. So they decided to break through the noise of the established brands with a hyper-targeted and
There's a gap between intentions to eat better and what people actually do, along with how different generations view healthy eating.


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As news about COVID-19, commonly known as coronavirus, continues to intensify, industries and financial markets across the world are taking serious hits. Consumers are going out less, staying in, stocking up on essentials, meal prepping, and doing anything they can to plan ahead. The restaurant industry has already experienced a huge plunge in sales at brick and mortar locations, with many reportedly laying off employees or shuttering for the time being.
Although there's still much unknown about the potential impact coronavirus will have, one thing has become certain for restauranteurs: a surge in take out and delivery orders is inevitable. As consumers opt to minimize their time spent in public places and limit person-to-person contact, delivery and take out orders have increased significantly. If you're wondering how your foodservice establishment should be gearing up to meet the rising demand for delivery orders, this guide will provide everything you need to know.
1. Stock Up On Supplies
As the coronavirus pandemic panic increases, supermarkets and online retailers are facing shortages as consumers have begun stockpiling dry goods, paper products, and cleaning supplies. This heightened demand for products has extended to the business level, as companies are preparing for the potential for supply chain interruptions and delivery disruptions. For restaurants and the foodservice industry, this means ensuring an adequate supply of non-perishables and disposable supplies such as take out containers, cutlery, and other single-use tableware.
Take Out & Delivery Supplies Checklist
- Large take out boxes, for entrees
- Small take out boxes, for appetizers and side dishes
- Leak-resistant containers, for soups and saucy foods
- Disposable cutlery, including chopsticks, cutlery sets and individual forks, knives, and spoons
- Disposable drinking cups
- Disposable tableware, including plates and bowls
- Paper napkins
- Take out bags
Much of the overall impact that the coronavirus will have on the foodservice industry's supply chain is unknown. However, many organizations are actively monitoring ongoing developments. Consider buying take out products and other non-food supplies in bulk to prepare for the possibility of product shortages. Having a surplus of take out containers ensures that your business will be able to pivot to a take out and delivery strategy if needed. Accordingly, having backups of other single-use foodservice products is essential to help avoid the spread of pathogens.
While deciding on the type of products to stock up on, remember to choose supplies that you'll be able to use in the event that you have excess when the coronavirus wanes. With that thought, if your business typically uses sustainable supplies or places an emphasis on a certain look or aesthetic, make sure the supplies you're ordering in bulk match these standards.
2. Extend Delivery Hours
Recent studies on the coronavirus impact have indicated that consumers are choosing to avoid large crowds or public places and use methods of social distancing when possible. Accordingly, while restaurants are seeing a decrease in in-person sales, many are seeing a spike in take out and delivery orders. To accommodate this rapidly rising demand, it's crucial to prioritize and strategize your take out and delivery services.
- Consider extending your delivery hours. Weigh the potential benefits of opening earlier or closing later to meet the demand for breakfast or late-night delivery.
- Update your menu on third-party delivery apps. Ensure that your full menu, including all potential upcharges and add-ons, is available on all of the delivery apps that you partner with. If any ingredients or menu items run out, make sure that you update the apps to avoid any order issues.
- Run promotions to increase pickup orders. Offer reduced pricing or other incentives to encourage customers to bypass the delivery apps and pick up their orders in person, if appropriate.
The damage the COVID-19 pandemic is currently causing goes beyond physical health, especially when it comes to the service industry. Many restaurants, cafes, and foodservice establishments across the country have already suffered economic lows as coronavirus continues to spread nationwide and throughout the rest of the world.
Prioritizing a take out and delivery-heavy strategy may give restaurants the ability to increase profits in this uncertain time. Independent businesses and restaurants with thin margins that are already struggling to stay afloat must find ways to drive business and increase sales to survive this decline.
3. Switch To No-Contact Delivery
Food delivery can be a necessary lifeline for those choosing to stay at home or self-quarantining to reduce the chances of contracting or spreading the virus. As take out orders increase, your business needs to seek ways to minimize the interactions that take place between staff, third-party delivery drivers, and customers.
Several third-party delivery apps have begun offering no-contact delivery options, which would require drivers to leave orders at the door instead of handing them off directly to customers. Adding this no-contact delivery option, as well as including deliver-to-door and curbside pick-up options, is one of the best ways to accommodate the uptick in delivery orders while practicing social distancing.
By doing so, not only are consumers reassured about the minimized person-to-person contact when they receive their orders, but drivers are also able to reduce the risk of contracting the virus while on the job. Minimizing interactions between customers and couriers also helps speed up delivery times during peak hours to keep orders on-time and boost customer satisfaction.
4. Implement New Cleaning Standards
More than likely, your restaurant already adheres to the strict health and sanitation guidelines required of your business. The advised preventive measures to reduce the spread of coronavirus, like frequently washing hands and sanitizing surfaces, are already practiced by those working in the foodservice industry.
To ensure the safety of your staff and customers, implement more stringent procedures such as increasing the frequency of these existing cleaning standards and adding additional steps like frequently disinfecting all shared non-food surfaces. As many rush to stock up on disposable supplies, consider the importance of stocking up on sanitation supplies as well, including cleaning solutions, sanitizers, disposable gloves, masks, and other janitorial products.
Cleaning & Sanitation Supplies Checklist
- Face masks
- Hand sanitizer
- Antibacterial soap
- Disposable gloves
- Sanitary wipes
- Antibacterial spray
- Sanitizing and disinfecting solutions
- Spray bottles, mops, and other cleaning tools
During this time, it can be both helpful and comforting to your customers for them to understand the cleaning procedures in place at your business. Share the extra precautions that you're taking on social media, in your email newsletter, or posted on a specials board or somewhere else inside your establishment.
It is also important to retrain your staff on proper sanitation and the necessary measures to uphold the additional cleaning procedures that you implement. Hold a staff-wide meeting to educate them on proper sanitation, share additional information, and provide resources from ServSafe or the CDC if needed. Consider equipping all customer-facing employees with disposable gloves, disinfectant wipes, and face masks to show both your staff and your customers that you care about their well-being as coronavirus fears increase.
5. Take Precautionary Measures For Full-Service Dining
For brick and mortar restaurants, full-service dining is the default approach to operating on a daily basis. But with the threat of possible infection and the rise of quarantine scenarios, customers are less inclined to feel comfortable dining in-person. As your customers are adjusting their day-to-day lives and taking additional precautions, it provides a great opportunity for your business to meet their needs. Preventing potentially hazardous dining conditions during this time is the safest and smartest way to operate your business and show customers that you're taking their safety seriously.
- Eliminate buffets, salad bars, and other self-service stations to reduce the risk of spread.
- Try to avoid overcrowding any areas in your restaurant and add additional space in between tables if possible.
- Enforce strict cleaning procedures to ensure any and all shared surfaces are frequently disinfected.
Discuss with your staff members the possibility of having them pivot their typical job responsibilities to fulfill delivery or take out orders. While many foodservice establishments across the country are facing the real possibility of having to close their doors or cut employees' hours, providing the option to pick up additional hours to assist with delivery services guarantees jobs and keeps your restaurant in good economic standing.
Getting prepared for the growing impact that the COVID-19 virus will have on the food and beverage industry requires the same amount of care and precaution that you are probably taking for yourself outside of work. Staying up to date on the latest information, stocking up on supplies when possible, and creating checklists and back-up plans are essential. Customer-facing industries are poised to take the biggest hit from the coronavirus fallout and it's important to get your restaurant ready to make any adjustments to maintain day-to-day operations.
Meet with your staff to discuss sanitation guidelines, sick day policies, and reassure them of any fears they could be having. Put a pause on looking for new hires to avoid being overstaffed during this time. Find ways to connect with your community and keep your customers informed of all the methods your restaurant is taking to keep everyone safe from infection. Share any updates on operating hours and promotions on your social media accounts, and first and foremost put the safety of your staff and customers first.


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On 21 September, the government announced further details on the separate Energy Bills Support Scheme (EBSS) to ensure that the £400 discount to households starting from October will also be available to the 1% of households who would not otherwise have received this support.
Additional funding will be made available so that £400 payments will be extended to include people such as park home residents and those tenants whose landlords pay for their energy via a commercial contract.
Electricity suppliers will deliver the EBSS to households automatically over six months from October 2022 so consumers do not need to apply for the discount, do not need to register or share any details with anyone.
The government is urging consumers to stay alert of potential scams and report these to the relevant authorities where they are suspected.
If individuals receive a message that asks for their bank details or to click on a link, it is very important that they report it promptly. Individuals are encouraged to send a screen shot of the message to firstname.lastname@example.org and to email@example.com
Report internet scams and phishing:


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EA Sports to deliver fighting games yearly
One of EA's biggest announcements of E3 was the unveiling of a brand new sports franchise, MMA, the new martial arts franchise set to kick off in 2010. According to boss Peter Moore this will be a bi-annual series, rotating with Fight Night to give us a new fighting game every year.
Fight Night Round 4 will duly launch later this month, with Mixed Martial Arts stepping into the fore next year while Fight Night takes a rest.
"It gives us a rhythm of a fighting game every year," Moore told Kotaku. "That's the plan. If you think of 2010, we're bringing MMA. In 2011, Fight Night Round 5."
He quickly added: "That's not an announcement," inevitably.
While UFC is of course the biggest name in the MMA category, Moore isn't flustered that THQ own the specific license for this. "I think there's room for a contender. Clearly, we're a contender in the first year. Our job is to make the sport even more interesting by bringing EA Sports authenticity to it. And we're in this for the long haul."
- Resident Evil HD remake gets its first trailer
- Capcom working with Dimps on a what is probably Street Fighter V
- New Titanfall update adds Titan-free combat gameplay mode
- OnLive coming to Philips' new range fo Android-powered smart TVs
- Explore the rest of the solar system with Google's Destiny Planet View
- Dead Or Alive 5: Last Round coming to next-gen consoles
- Voting opens up for GamesAid's charity of 2014
- Nintendo promising a good 2015 with Zelda, Star Fox and Splatoon coming to Wii U
- Warframe comes to Xbox One today


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Nestlé Scientists Working on a Drink Dubbed ‘Exercise in a Bottle’
Nestlé, the same company that fattens you up with chocolate, is now pouring money into research looking for a way to slim you down. And apparently the firm feels like it’s getting closer to a breakthrough.
According to a report published in Bloomberg, the Swiss food giant that owns more than 2,000 brands, claims it has “identified how an enzyme in charge of regulating metabolism can be stimulated by a compound called C13, a potential first step in developing a way to mimic the fat-burning effect of exercise.” If the research proves fruitful, the company believes it could create a product that Bloomberg dubbed “exercise in a bottle”—a drink that could burn calories with little physical involvement. The hope is that people taking the product might reap the same benefits from brisk walking that they could from a 20-minute jog, according to a Nestlé scientist.
In a somewhat mind-blowing statistic, last year Nestlé spent around $1.6 billion dollars on research and part of that budget goes to finance the team working on metabolism-boosting foods. Other groups, primarily drug companies, have sought similar compounds with little success, so the science community seems skeptical. And even if Nestlé is onto something, Kei Sakamoto, who oversees the company’s research on “diabetes and circadian rhythms” (yeah, they have a guy who does that), said even testing on animals would be several years away.
Still, if someone is going to have a metabolic breakthrough, a private company like Nestlé, where the financial rewards could be worth the investment, would be the ones to do it, experts claim. In the interim, the best way to lose weight is probably to cut back on some of Nestlé’s other products.


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A recent lawsuit has rocked the tech startup world as the founders of IRL, Abraham Shafi and Genrikh Khachatryan, have filed a lawsuit against their investors, alleging intentional sabotage. While IRL was once on the path to becoming a prominent event organizing platform targeted at Gen Z users, the company now faces a cloud of uncertainty.
The founders claim that their investors fabricated a damaging figure – stating that 95% of the company’s 20 million users were fake – in order to justify shutting down the company and returning capital to shareholders. The lawsuit specifically names Chi-Hua Chien of Goodwater Capital, Serena Dayal of SoftBank, and Mike Maples of Floodgate as the accused investors. These investors collectively contributed over $200 million to IRL, leading the company to reach an impressive valuation of $1.17 billion.
IRL initially made headlines when Abraham Shafi, the CEO, was suspended in April following allegations of misconduct. Subsequently, an investigation IRL’s board revealed the shocking revelation that almost all of the company’s users were fake. However, the remaining board members strongly deny the founders’ allegations, asserting that the significant drop in daily active users was due to genuine reasons and not an outage.
Furthermore, the company released a statement stating that the forensic report highlighted several suspicious user behaviors, including the presence of millions of duplicate-named private groups, irregular signups from email addresses such as Hotmail and Yahoo, and burner email addresses. These findings indicated the use of proxy servers and cycling through IP addresses and device types, suggesting that user behavior was inauthentic.
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has since launched an investigation to determine whether IRL misled its investors, potentially violating securities laws. This controversial lawsuit adds IRL to a growing list of startups that have faced scrutiny over potentially falsified metrics, including Bolt and Frank.
It is crucial that investors exercise due diligence and thoroughly assess a company’s metrics and user base before making substantial investments. Such lawsuits highlight the importance of transparency, credibility, and adherence to ethical practices in the startup ecosystem.
1. What is IRL?
IRL is an event organizing platform that aimed to provide an alternative for Gen Z users who are gradually moving away from Facebook.
2. Who are the investors being sued?
The founders of IRL are suing Chi-Hua Chien of Goodwater Capital, Serena Dayal of SoftBank, and Mike Maples of Floodgate, accusing them of intentionally sabotaging the company.
3. What was the lawsuit based on?
The lawsuit alleges that the investors fabricated a figure claiming that 95% of IRL’s users were fake, intending to use it as an excuse to shut down the company and return capital to shareholders.
4. What did the company’s statement reveal?
According to the company’s statement, a forensic report uncovered suspicious user behavior, including the presence of duplicate-named private groups, irregular signups from email addresses such as Hotmail and Yahoo, and burner email addresses. This behavior suggested inauthentic user engagement.
5. Is IRL the only startup facing scrutiny over falsified metrics?
No, IRL joins the ranks of other startups like Bolt and Frank that have faced investigations and legal challenges regarding potentially misleading metrics. The startup ecosystem highlights the need for transparency, credibility, and ethical practices within the industry.