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Man Group plc increased its holdings in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 23.0% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 63,948 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 11,941 shares during the quarter. Man Group plc’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $18,424,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Tocqueville Asset Management L.P. raised its stake in Costco Wholesale by 0.5% during the third quarter. Tocqueville Asset Management L.P. now owns 6,422 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,850,000 after buying an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. CX Institutional increased its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. CX Institutional now owns 7,182 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,069,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 9.2% in the 3rd quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 415 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $120,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Brandywine Oak Private Wealth LLC raised its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 2.5% during the 3rd quarter. Brandywine Oak Private Wealth LLC now owns 1,476 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $425,000 after acquiring an additional 36 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hills Bank & Trust Co. lifted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 0.5% during the third quarter. Hills Bank & Trust Co. now owns 7,017 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,021,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.38% of the company’s stock.
A number of research firms have commented on COST. Barclays set a $275.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, August 12th. Oppenheimer cut shares of Costco Wholesale from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $295.00 to $300.00 in a report on Wednesday, September 11th. Deutsche Bank raised their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $272.00 to $274.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Robert W. Baird set a $325.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Finally, Loop Capital boosted their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, September 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. The company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $295.04.
Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 3rd. The retailer reported $2.69 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.54 by $0.15. The company had revenue of $47.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $47.71 billion. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 2.40% and a return on equity of 25.00%. Costco Wholesale’s revenue was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.36 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Costco Wholesale Co. will post 8.56 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Investors of record on Friday, November 1st were issued a $0.65 dividend. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.87%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, October 31st. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 31.75%.
In other Costco Wholesale news, Director Susan L. Decker sold 1,703 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $303.01, for a total transaction of $516,026.03. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 38,432 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,645,280.32. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Richard A. Galanti sold 1,984 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $302.80, for a total value of $600,755.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 26,165 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,922,762. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 36,780 shares of company stock valued at $11,032,292 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.21% of the company’s stock.
Costco Wholesale Company Profile
Costco Wholesale Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates membership warehouses. It offers branded and private-label products in a range of merchandise categories. The company provides dry and packaged foods, and groceries; snack foods, candies, alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages, and cleaning supplies; appliances, electronics, health and beauty aids, hardware, and garden and patio products; meat, bakery, deli, and produces; and apparel and small appliances.
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Indian markets have been among the best performing markets globally in 2014. The strong performance of the Indian markets has come on the back of government change. The new government is pro-investment and India’s GDP growth is likely to trend higher in the coming years as pro-development measures are initiated.
In this article, I will discuss two Indian stocks that can be considered for 2015. I believe that India’s market will remain among the top performers in the coming year as well and this will take these two stocks higher.
One of the biggest positives for India in the recent past has been the steep decline in crude oil prices. Decline in oil prices coupled with decline in gold prices has narrowed India’s current account deficit and I believe that this will help in improving the country’s fundamentals going forward.
Coming to the two investment ideas, my first investment idea for 2015 is ICICI Bank (IBN, Financial). I mentioned earlier that decline in crude prices is a big positive for India. Currently, India’s inflation is at a multi-year low and I believe that the biggest positive for ICICI Bank in 2015 will be multiple interest rate cuts by the Indian central bank.
ICICI Bank is India’s largest private sector bank and the rate cuts will trigger strong credit growth for ICICI Bank. The rate cuts will come at a time when the economy is improving, and this will drive credit growth for the bank.
Another big positive related to ICICI Bank is the company’s increase in CASA and retail deposit in the last few years. From 29% savings and current account as of March 2009, ICICI Bank’s savings and current account has increased to 44% as of September 2014. Further, the company’s retail deposits have increased to 75% as of September 2014 from 50% in March 2009. This is important as a higher percentage of CASA and retail deposits means that the bank’s net interest income margin is bound to improve. The company’s net interest margin has already improved from 2.64% in 2011 to 3.41% in the first half of 2015. I expect this improvement to continue.
Even from an asset quality perspective, ICICI Bank has done well in the last few years. From a net NPA ratio of 1.96% in March 2009, the company’s NPA ratio has declined to 0.96% in September 2014. After declining to 0.62% in March 2012, the NPA has increased in the recent past. However, this is not a matter of concern as the NPA still remains low and the increase in NPA was due to slowdown in the economy during the tenure of the last government.
Considering these positive factors and the probability of a multiple interest rate cut in 2015, I suggest ICICI Bank as a strong buy for the coming year.
The second stock that I expect to do well in the coming year is Eros International (EROS, Financial). The company is in the entertainment industry, which is still at an early growth stage in India. With the economy picking up, there is likely to be increasing consumer spending in the coming year and this will benefit Eros International. Other than the consumer spending, the growth in the Indian entertainment industry also remains robust and will support the company’s growth.
Coming to the specifics, Eros International is the leading co-producer, acquirer and distributor of Indian language films globally. In the last five years, the company’s revenue has grown at a CAGR of 12.7% and the company’s PAT has grown at a CAGR of 21.7%. I believe that the growth will continue and accelerate in the coming years.
The reason is India’s demographics and the penetration of the movie industry. India is a young country with a median age of just 27 years. A young population means greater demand for entertainment.
However, India’s theatre screen per million population is only 12 as compared to 117 for the United States, 77 for France, 45 for Germany and 30 for the U.K. Clearly, the Indian market is vastly underpenetrated and as the theatres grow on demand, the revenue per movie will also surge.
Besides the movie industry, India’s television penetration is also low at 61% compared to 98% for China and 90% for Brazil among emerging markets. With TV subscriber content on an increase, Eros is well positioned to grow its revenue from this segment as well.
In conclusion, Eros International has a huge untapped market and I believe that the company’s strong position in the Indian market will result in strong growth in the coming years. For 2015, a good pipeline of movies and strong consumer spending will drive growth for Eros International.
Investors can therefore consider these two quality Indian stocks for 2015. Both these stock have the potential to outperform the broader index.

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One in six children are stealing money from their parents to pay for addictive loot boxes in computer games, a study has found, as campaigners called for a boycott of them.
Research for the Gambling Health Alliance (GHA) found that 15 per cent of young gamers had taken money from their parents without their permission to buy loot boxes which offer randomised in-game rewards such high-profile football players for online teams.
One in nine (11 per cent) had used their parents' credit or debit card to fund their loot box purchases, while nine per cent had borrowed money they could not repay to spend on loot boxes.
On top of the purchase price of the game, which is on average £35, more than one in five – 22 per cent – spent more than £100 on loot boxes over the course of completing a game.
The disclosures will reinforce calls for the Government to bring loot boxes under gambling legislation, which would limit their use by under-18s.
The GHA warned that young people were being set on a path to an expensive and potentially addictive habit this Christmas, with three of the 611 of the young people, aged 13 to 25, admitting that their addiction to loot boxes led to their parents having to remortgage their homes.
Duncan Stephenson, the GHA chairman, said: "We are calling for parents to be aware of the risks of loot boxes when buying presents this Christmas, and to boycott games with these predatory mechanics until we see them classified as a form of gambling and removed from games played by under-18s."
Young people told researchers that the games forced them to use loot boxes as not doing so undermined their ability to play competitively, but they ended up feeling frustrated and ripped off. They also felt they were highly addictive.
Geraldine Bedell, the executive editor of Parent Zone, said: "We strongly back the GHA's call for loot boxes to be classified as gambling. Our research, like theirs, points to the exploitation of children by gambling-like mechanisms in online games, and the use of psychological techniques drawn from gambling."
The GHA comprises 50 organisations including the Royal British Legion, Citizens Advice, and NHS Substance Misuse Providers.


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A Dallas craft cocktail mainstay has a new owner, announced today via press release. Windmill Lounge owner Louise Owens has sold the 11-year-old Maple Avenue bar to Lisa and Tom Georgalis and the Triada Hospitality Group, which also owns Ivy Tavern. While the press release notes that "big changes are in the works," the new owners say they plan to keep Windmill's core tenets intact.
Rather than fully re-concepting the bar, the new owners want to embrace everything that’s already great about the Windmill Lounge. So the current hours will remain, as will the focus on classic and craft cocktails, music and the casual come-as-you-are attitude.
From there, updates will include an all-new menu to be introduced within 30-60 days. It will feature chef-driven pizzas along with classic and gourmet choices, each with dough made fresh daily. A wings menu will consist of flavors unique to the Windmill, and for those desiring a lighter meal, there will be a selection of fresh and flavorful salads. To wash it all down, cocktails will be joined by a revamped beer and wine program, ensuring that customers have plenty to choose from.
In a short email statement, Owens said it's been difficult to man the bar on her own since sustaining serious wrist injuries a few months ago.
"After shattering my wrist in a car wreck shortly before Christmas, it became very apparent that trying to run the Windmill as a one-person show was not going to work anymore and I'm delighted to join with Tom and Lisa so that I can be a creative person and not there mopping floors and changing light bulbs," Owens says.
There will be minor cosmetic changes to the interior and exterior, but "the most noticeable aesthetic improvement will be the updated patio, with a goal to make the outdoor space more customer friendly and accessible," along with the addition of internet access, according to the release. Happy hour will run from 4 to 9 p.m.
Windmill Lounge, 5320 Maple Ave.
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Nancy Foster is president and CEO of the U.S. Apple Association in Vienna, VA.
Ever-changing consumer interests and economic trends continue to drive the year-round demand for apples and apple products worldwide. […]
A crisis is looming for apple growers and others in labor-intensive agriculture. Congress is on track to make […]
Spring means apple bud and bloom time, and hard work by growers to thin and manage their crop. […]
President Obama recently signed into law the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, which raises the reimbursement rate for school […]
With President Obama now in charge and the new 111th Congress installed, apple leaders are evaluating how the […]
Apple trees are blooming and another crop season is well underway. Harvest will be here almost before we […]


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In all honesty, this looks like more of a novelty than a practical solution for anything. This contraption probably costs the car more in wind resistance than would be gained by charging the battery with say, regenerative braking. Still, it’s attention getting and builds awareness among passengers. The same company, Kyoto based Ecolo, also has bike racks on all its taxis.
TriplePundit: Reporting on the Triple Bottom Line
In this week’s Economist magazine, there is an article entitled “In hot water: The world’s biggest drinks firm tries to fend off its green critics” which tells the story Coca-Cola and their attempt to respond to green critics by protecting their brand image. When large brands, such as Coca-Cola, are subject to bad press, they must overcome the tarnished image by reinventing themselves or addressing the very issue that caused them the bad press. Coca-cola’s manager of environmental affairs, believes that, “water is to Coca-Cola as clean energy is to BP”, but BP took the strategy of reinventing themselves from an oil company to an energy company and Coca-cola is attempting to address their water complaint issues by releasing an environmental report which discusses and explains their new global water strategy.
Coca-cola’s company mission is “to benefit and refresh everyone it touches”. Amrit Srivastava of the India resource Centre believes that their mission is in conflict with their actions, and has launched a campaign against Coca-Cola because of their activities in India.
British Petroleum and ExxonMobile both sell the same thing – Gasoline. Both are strong and globally recognized brands with 19.3% and 6.6% of the California market share respectively (I couldn’t find national stats).
For a few years now, BP has been undertaking a massive green marketing campaign, aggressively showcasing its investment in renewable resources, and going so far as to refer to itself as “Beyond Petroleum”. It also showcases environmental issues prominently on its website. ExxonMobile, on the other hand, has made very little effort to brand itself as anything other than a petroleum company, has publicly refused to accept renewables, and maintains a much more basic website with little obvious environmental messaging.
The question: Which marketing strategy will pay off in terms of market share? Is either more honest?
In NPR’s Morning Edition today (11-Oct), a reporter desribes a dilemma facing wealthy countries that provide farm subsidies. The Swiss government, for example, has long provided farm subsidies for various reasons–sustainability, tourism, national pride and cultural preservation among them. The problem is global trade talks will require the cessation of farm subsidies.
The challenge the Swiss face is that no one wants to give up farming, but they’re also not all prepared to pay the steep prices for farm products. A farmer describes the situation as a choice between paying about 65 Francs per kilogram of Swiss-raised pork and about 10 francs across the border in Germany. The question they have to resolve is, “How much is happiness worth?”
Listen to the article here. – Ken Chung at InformedStrategy.com
The market is Western culture’s cosmology. In the space where symbols, archetypes and elemental energies once occupied the Western psyche, the brand has grown into the vacancy left by a shift of culture towards ever-increasing commoditization of consciousness. One does not have to look very far to observe parallels between brand-stories and core human tendencies to meet the need of myth.
The Nike swoosh is a great example of a brand that holds a key to one of these core mythological human needs. The swoosh is air. It is ethereal and quickly able to “Just Do It.” It moves effortlessly and with great power. The Nike corporation defines itself as being in service to human potential. According to Nike, “If you have a body, you are an athlete.” Basically, the story of the swoosh proclaims a universal truth: if you are breathing, you are alive, and you are wrought with physical potential through the breath, the element of air.
In more and more companies, top level CSR Executives are grappling with the challenge of financially quantifying and justifying how CSR related activities add true shareholder value.
Fortune Magazine wrote a fantastic article about the movement to define and standardize what corporate social responsibility means and how to achieve it. They looked at 2 leaders in the CSR metric industry, London think tank AccountAbility, and consultancy CSRnetwork, who both have devised a method to score companies on their CSR efforts and the challenges they face.
Read the article titled “Managing Beyond the Bottom Line” on the World Business Council for Sustainable Development website.
I havn’t yet had time to go through this report on Worldchanging, but having had a glance at it, I have to highly recommend taking a look. It’s a summar of Environmental Accounting, Natural Capital and the various ways that traditional “bottom line” methods can be used to prove the value of a healthy environment.
Could hurricane Katrina be a classic case of “Blowback” to the Bush Administration’s refusal to sign the Kyoto Protocol? From a marketing standpoint it is, and we see the President’s advisors and PR people working overtime to re-brand and market him as the strong leader amid disaster. The results of this effort we will have to wait and see.
Corporate America though appears to not want to wait and see in regards to climate change. And it’s doing so for good reasons.
Creating more computers may not be a “green” undertaking, but enabling the world’s poor to have access to modern technology certainly is. MIT has been working for some time on the holy grail of leapfrog technology – the “$100 Laptop” – a laptop computer that can be charged by turning a crank and that can be bought in bulk by governments for less than $100 a piece. The laptops can then be distributed to children by the thousands. It seems that dream is now a reality, and 5 to 15 million test units may be available by the end of the year.
Once again, proof that cutting emissions can result in tremendous cost savings: IBM has cut CO2 emissions by 1 Million tons, and in the process realized a cost savings of $115 Million since 1998. That’s not trivial any way you look at it. The project was a part of the World Wildlife Fund’s “Climate Savers” program.
3P followed the adventures of the Treasure America team this summer as we visited the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in search of economic arguments against opening the refuge to oil development. The project successfully showed that tourism and other locally born industry could be a more viable long term economic strategy than oil exploration. The second part of the project was to produce a video for the rest of America demonstrating that drilling in the refuge will do next to nothing for our economy, and ironically, NOT drilling is a better economic stimulator.
I’m happy to say the video is finally done, and it’s available for you right here. It’s a limited-quality version. If you are interested in helping to distribute a DVD-quality version please email me! Read on to launch the 12 minute video. Hope you enjoy it!
codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=7,0,0,0" width="320" height="250" id="FLVPlayer"> value="http://www.natcapsolutions.org/Treasure_America/drawingtheline/FLVPlayer_Progressive.swf" />
Ken Chung for 3p: In an unusual twist, some are beginning to believe that the alignment of financial and social performance are not necessarily good. Deborah Doane, a respected activist in the U.K. writing in a recent issue of the Stanford Social Innovation Review, explains that many companies are hiding behind a CSR facade when in fact there is no underlying improvement in social conditions.
Doane believes that the voluntary corporate social responsibility (CSR) equals profits approach is at best a temporary measure. When profits are at risk, companies will drop CSR efforts. Instead, she recommends that companies’ social behavior be regulated and the role of the corporation be re-considered.
There may be some merit to regulation. Research suggests, however, that corporations deliver more innovation where they are allowed to excel and gain a competitive advantage. Regulations create an atmosphere of “equality” and pushes innovation away. What we really want is for companies to create more innovative solutions to social problems.
A PDF of the full article is downloadable here. This article was contributed by Ken Chung at InformedStrategy.com.
Two green bloggers – City Hippy in London and Green LA Girl in Los Angeles have teamed up to put Starbucks’ CSR policies to the test.
The plan: Visit Starbucks shops around the globe and ask “can I get a fair-trade cup of coffee”. The idea is to see how many of Starbucks employees have been properly educated about the issue, as well as to see what’s really available. People are encouraged to report their findings. The results will be interesting, and if not entirely positive, it will be interesting to see if enough people get on the bandwagon to elicit a response from the company.
So go ahead and try it! Report your findings to Cityhippy or Green LA Girl, or post them right here.
There is talk that car sharing may be approaching its “Tipping Point“. Sustainable Industries Journal reports on two major investments made recently in FlexCar and ZipCar that enphasize the level of interest in this nascent industry.
Here in San Francisco, City Car Share continues to grow, and you can’t go 10 minutes without seeing one of their trademark green bugs pass by. ZipCar is undergoing a major west coast expanstion and in San Francsico will create the first major market where two car-sharing programs will be compeating head to head.
There seems to be a perfect storm brewing – high gas prices and ownership costs, combined with more urban living, and a general ecological consiousness. Will it be enough to see large numbers of people ditch their cars for a shared vehicle? Time will tell, but for now, car sharing companies seem to be poised very well.
Everyone knows that a certain amount of money can bring happiness. But we also know that life is more complex than that, and many factors that cannot be quantified in economic terms play a role in ensuring a satisfying livlihood. Free time, good health, an intact environment, and other factors are important too. So why do we insist on using Gross Domestic Product – essentially the sum of all money spent in an economy – as our primary indicator of progress?
The New York Times reports on the efforts of the nation of Bhutan which despite having one of the world’s lowest GDPs has made great leaps in terms of life expectancy, stability, and environment. The Bhutanese are attempting to quantify their progress as a country using not only GDP, but also “Gross National Happiness” as a measurement.
Another effort to provide a fuller picture of the state of society is the “Genuine Progress Indicator” (GPI) which has gathered some support of economists and “considers the value of housework, caring for children and the elderly, volunteerism”. It also counts spending due to crime as a negative number.


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Alabamians are being warned about a scam involving bogus debt collections for bankruptcy filers.
Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange issued the warning Monday to Alabama residents that scammers posing as attorneys representing debt collectors are calling victims and instructing them to immediately wire money in an attempt to pay a debt that is outside of the bankruptcy proceeding.
According to Strange, the perpetrators are not only using publicly available documents about bankruptcy filers to falsify their legitimacy, they’re also “spoofing” the Caller ID system to make it appear they are calling from a bankruptcy attorney’s office, often phoning after business hours to make it difficult to verify they are not legitimate.
According to the National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys, “under no circumstances would a bankruptcy attorney or a staff member telephone a client and ask for a wire transfer to immediately satisfy a debt. Nor would the bankruptcy attorney and staff ever threaten arrest if a debt isn’t paid.”
Attorney General Strange urges consumers to be on alert to such scams and warns that such calls are fraudulent and anyone receiving them should report them to law enforcement.
“You should be suspicious of any call you receive demanding you make immediate payment of a debt or face arrest,” warned Strange in a press release. “Debt collectors cannot arrest you. Frequently debt collection scams also claim to be calling on behalf of the IRS, law enforcement, the courts and even the Attorney General’s Office demanding immediate payments. Consumers should never give out personal information over the telephone and should verify the identity of any caller seeking payments.”


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Management expects strong data center revenue, which analysts had highlighted as an area investors were focused on.
Jim Cramer weighs in on CVS Health, Lennett, Novartis, Procter & Gamble, Idexx Laboratories and more.
It's not so much what your technology does, it's about who uses it. Jim Cramer explains.
For Alibaba, a secondary listing closer to home could open up an untapped pool of Chinese capital.
Amazon Web Services cites 'unmistakable bias' in JEDI contract decision.
Berkshire also picked up stake in Occidental Petroleum.
So far, the antitrust investigation of Alphabet has focused on its advertising business.
The GPU maker topped analysts' estimates in the third quarter thanks to demand in its gaming business.


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FreightTech Continues to Attract Funding with Cart.com, Nuvocargo & Cargobot
FreightTech sector maintains investor interest as Cart.com, Nuvocargo, and Cargobot secure $102 million in collective funding for expansion and innovation.
Cart.com Reaches Unicorn Status
E-commerce platform Cart.com has become a unicorn following a $60 million Series C funding round. This raises the company's valuation to $1.2 billion. The funds will be utilized to meet increasing demand from B2B and enterprise clients, speed up product development, and fuel international expansion.
Nuvocargo and CargoBot Secure Funding
Meanwhile, supply chain-focused startups Nuvocargo and CargoBot have secured $36.5 million and $6 million in funding, respectively. While the venture capital market has been challenging for some tech sectors, logistics and freight companies continue to attract investments.
Nuvocargo to Expand Operations
Nuvocargo, a digital logistics platform, announced that it will use its new funds to expand its services to all major US-Mexico border crossings. The company aims to capitalize on the increasing demand from shippers and carriers in the region, expanding its presence beyond its current focus on Laredo, Texas.
Cargobot's Growth Plans
Miami-based Cargobot raised $6 million in a Series A funding round, which the company will use to broaden its product and solution offerings for shippers and carriers. Cargobot is an international digital freight company that connects shippers and carriers via its data-driven platform. With the new funding, it plans to further develop its business units, aiming to provide more solutions for the freight industry.


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Prince Edward Island has tapped three licensed producers to provide it with marijuana, whereas the province plans to promote adult-use hashish merchandise by way of 4 government-owned shops when gross sales are legalized this yr.
The transfer means neighboring Newfoundland will be the one province east of Manitoba to contain the personal sector in marijuana gross sales.
In saying its plans, PEI stated it locked up provide offers with three licensed producers – Ontario-based Canopy Growth, New Brunswick-based Organigram and PEI-based Canada’s Island Garden.
Organigram (TSE: OGI) and Canopy (TSE: WEED) will every provide 1,000 kilograms of marijuana. Canada’s Island Garden didn’t instantly reply to media queries.
Financial phrases of the preparations weren’t disclosed.
“There will be a limited supply for the first few years of the adult recreational program,” Organigram CEO Greg Engel stated.
“So I believe that many provinces are being proactive in locking in a portion of their anticipated supply to ensure they have a (stable) supply when the program launches.”
The government-owned retail shops will be situated in Charlottetown, Summerside, Montague and West Prince.
The provincial authorities stated it will gauge gross sales and weigh any future enlargement plans.
Matt Lamers could be reached at [email protected]
To join our weekly Canada marijuana enterprise publication, click on right here.


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Posted on October 23, 2011 AT 10:24am
THE BUZZ: Consumer tracking service Nielsen has revealed that game console usage is up 14% over the last year in the US. According to the report, game console penetration in US TV homes grew 4% over the second quarter of 2010. Baltimore reportedly had the highest video game penetration in the US according to the figures.
EGM’s TAKE: Thanks to the surge in casual gaming the amount of consoles in homes is growing year on year and this can only lead to good things for the industry.
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Luxury timepieces have for a long time stood as a symbol of success, or accomplishment, and are regarded as an expression of artisanship, quality, and design. However, since the advent of smart tech wearables, and the coming of Gen Z, sales have taken a slight hit.
Among some of the main concerns facing watchmakers is that of new consumers. Millennials and Gen Z have been brought up in a world where they demand online retail, personalization, and customized products. On the other hand, buying a luxury timepiece was more about the experience in-store than purchasing one through an online retailer. Since the large drive towards e-commerce, brands such as Rolex, Audemars Piguet and Patek Philippe have held out and still managed to hold upwards of 30% of the Swiss watch sales. However, it is not all luxury Swiss watchmakers who are choosing to hold off online channels. Recently Cartier joined the e-commerce world and adapted to digital consumer experiences.
The second issue facing these luxury brands is that of digital watches. In 2019, Apple’s smartwatches had outsold the entire Swiss watchmaking industry, selling a total of 30.7nmillion units, as opposed to the 21.2 million of the Swiss watch brands combined. According to the data, the gulf in sales is because many younger generations are choosing smartwatches over the classic analogue timepiece.
Among Swiss watchmakers, the reaction has been mixed, with some looking at the smartwatch revolution in a similar vein to the quartz revolution. There are some brands who have been looking at the possibility of expanding their brands, while some have also released their own versions of smartwatches (albeit with poor reception).
While a luxury Swiss watch still serves as a status symbol, the new influx of the smartwatch, and its growing popularity has seen a steep decline in the luxury sector. Younger users often see the smartwatch as an accessible price point, you are now able to answer phone calls and text messages, as well as keep track of your fitness. The fact that a user can do all these on just one device is a true drawcard for Gen Z consumers.


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Topping tech headlines on Thursday, Facebook released a standalone "Camera" app that allows users to add Instagram-esque filters and post multiple pics from a phone at one time, among other things.
Facebook Camera, available in the Apple App Store, "makes using Facebook photos faster and easier," Facebook said in statement. Oddly, Facebook made no mention of Instagram in its announcement, but on Twitter, the phrase "Facebook releases Instagram clone" soon started trending.
Meanwhile, the SpaceX Dragon capsule is moving closer to the International Space Station (ISS), and has completed several key tests required before arriving at its destination. The Dragon is expected to arrive at and dock with the ISS later this morning; stay tuned to PCMag for all the details.
In other news, a Munich court ruled that Android-based Motorola devices infringe on a Microsoft messaging patent. The patent in question covers "communicating multi-part messages between cellular devices using a standardized interface." Microsoft said it was hopeful that Motorola would now sign up for a patent license for the technology in order to avoid a ban.
Also making headlines on Thursday:
- Fox Sues Dish Over DVR Commercial-Skipping Feature: In its suit, Fox called the "Primetime Anytime" service from DISH, which automatically records all four major networks, ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox, a "bootleg broadcast video-on-demand service".
- Google Publishes Data on Copyright Removal Requests: Google yesterday announced plans to disclose the number of copyright-related takedown requests it receives on a daily basis.
- Curt Schilling's 38 Studios Strikes Out, Lays Off Entire Staff: Following several weeks of turmoil, World Series hero Curt Schilling's 38 Studios video game venture appears to have reached its final out with reports that the company laid off its entire workforce on Thursday.
- Obama Calls for Govt. Apps as Part of Digital Strategy: President Obama ordered each branch of the federal government to develop at least two apps, providing access to essential services on mobile phones.
- Big Retail Partners Sign on to Pay With PayPal: PayPal moved aggressively to place its technology at point-of-sale terminals at major U.S. retailers, signing deals with Verifone and Equinox Payments, and announcing 15 new retail partners.
- Report: Microsoft Prepping Office for iPad, Android Tablets: Boy Genius Report (BGR) reported that it has a "reliable source" who said Microsoft plans to launch Office apps for iOS and Android tablets in November.
- ST-Ericsson Shows Off 1.85-GHz Tablet: In the U.S. smartphone world, Qualcomm, TI, Nvidia and Samsung make most of the chips. Now ST-Ericsson is trying to break in with a low-power, high-value processor clocked at up to 1.85GHz.
- Intel: Touch Screens Likely in Windows 8 Notebooks: Gary Richman, the director of marketing for Intel's PC Client Solutions Group, said this week that OEMs are making "specific and pretty dramatic product decisions" to put touch screens inside traditional clamshell notebooks in time for the Windows 8 launch.
- Apple Selects John Malkovich as Latest Siri Pitchman: . Now one of the more elusive celebrities who for many represents the ultimate anti-mainstream, coffee house intellectual and master of all things quirky—John Malkovich—has joined the Siri campaign.
- Google+ for Android App Gets Easier Hangout Access: Google on Thursday released a new version of its Google+ for Android app with a new user interface, and access to its Hangout video chat feature.
For more from Angela, follow her on Twitter @amoscaritolo.


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Blazing Samsungs, or how not to handle a product return
- 13 December, 2013 15:46
Just picture it you're walking down the street, not a care in the world, when suddenly your pocket starts to get warm. Have I left one of those hand warmers in there? Is a friend pranking me with a powerful laser? Where would my friends get a powerful laser, anyway? Why don't I have one?
And then this mental enquiry is disrupted by the battery on your smartphone bursting into flames, giving you with a nasty burn on your thigh, no way to get in touch with anyone for advice, and leaving only the embarrassment of having torn off your pants in public to avoid having to touch the blazing device.
+ ALSO ON NETWORK WORLD AT&T, T-Mobile shift tactics as smartphones saturate markets +
OK, that's certainly not what seems to have happened to at least a couple of Samsung Galaxy S4 users this week, but the tales of smoking and burning phones are disturbing nevertheless. A pair of reddit users both reported their devices getting burnt while charging, apparently rendering them unusable.
One would think that Samsung's first reaction would be "oh, gosh!" (or whatever "oh gosh!" is in Korean) "this is a potential publicity disaster for us. Let's save as much face as possible by overnighting these people brand-new replacement phones right away." But one would be wrong.
In one case, Samsung's response was to offer the victim a replacement phone if and only if he agreed to take down a YouTube video (minor NSFW language, if that sort of thing bothers you) showing the charred charging port and partially melted cable.
The user, Richard Wygand, did quite the opposite, posting a second video in which he lambasted the company's tactics in trying to hush up the incident:
He's also posted a pastebin of the demanding letter he received from Samsung's lawyers here.
To put it bluntly, this is a stupid, callous and irresponsible policy on Samsung's part. Faulty lithium ion batteries are very dangerous indeed, potentially causing house fires and emitting toxic smoke. The company might not have liked the PR fallout from having to publicly replace smoldering Galaxy S4s, but I can't imagine it would have been any worse than what's happening now.
It's important to remember, of course, that it's far from clear whether this is a couple of freak accidents or a symptom of a larger issue with Samsung's hardware. The company has sold tens of millions of Galaxy S4s, and no obvious outbreak of fires and failures has swept the globe. But this makes it all the more mystifying that Samsung would react in such a paranoid and feckless manner to what are, in all likelihood, isolated incidents.
Arrestingly named security guru Moxie Marlinspike's company, Whisper Systems, announced Monday that its TextSecure protocol would be integrated into future versions of CyanogenMod, the most popular after-market Android firmware distribution out there. The encryption, which will protect all SMS messages sent among TextSecure-enabled devices from interception and compromise, now has 10 million brand-new users.
The system is apparently completely transparent, so users won't need to adjust the way they send or receive texts if they're communicating with another TextSecure user, the protocol will kick in. Good news for the security conscious among us.
Reasons you should read the list of permissions carefully before installing an app, #1,732,209: The makers of the popular "Brightest Flashlight Free" app recently settled an FTC complaint that it had been illicitly collecting information like location data and device ID from users, according to Fast Company.
GoldenShores Technologies apparently collected that data from Brightest Flashlight users even if they opted out of the system. Nice of them to ask, I guess.
The company will be required to get rid of the information it collected in this way, and to switch to an opt-in system for future gathering, rather than an opt-out.
It's good news for the ROMantics among us as the CTIA announced Thursday that it would slightly liberalize rules governing unlocking. Essentially, the major U.S. carriers have committed to allowing devices to be unlocked except in cases where they think the device in question has been stolen, provide notice of unlocking policy, and offer these services in a timely fashion.
Email Jon Gold at email@example.com and follow him on Twitter at @NWWJonGold.
Read more about anti-malware in Network World's Anti-malware section.


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Williams opens doors for Operation Christmas Child shoe box donations
WILLIAMS, Ariz. — The Williams community is joining tens of thousands of U.S. families to make an impact in the lives of children in need. They are donating colorfully wrapped shoe box gifts to be sent to children around the world — many of whom have never received a gift before and have very little to call their own.
Nov. 18-25 is Operation Christmas Child’s National Collection Week. Caring people around the country can collect shoe box gifts filled with fun toys, school supplies and hygiene items. The Samaritan’s Purse project will deliver these gifts to children affected by war, disease, disaster, poverty and famine.
“A global movement begins this week across the US and seven other sending countries, millions are focused on making a difference in the lives of children facing difficult circumstances,” said Operation Christmas Child Senior Domestic Director Randy Riddle.
More than 100,000 volunteers including families, churches and other groups are joining forces to contribute to the largest Christmas project of its kind. In 2017, Operation Christmas Child hopes to collect enough shoebox gifts to reach 12 million children, with 9.6 million coming from the United States.
Locally, Operation Christmas Child boxes and information can be found at Old Trails True Value in Williams. The boxes can be picked up during normal business hours of 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Monday – Saturday. There will also be a special packing event Oct. 29 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
There will also be more information at the Williams Elementary-Middle School Fall Carnival Oct. 24.
If a person is unable to donate locally, online resources are available by visit samaritanspurse.org/occ. Participants can donate $9 per shoe box gift online through “Follow Your Box” and receive a tracking label to discover its destination. Those who prefer the convenience of online shopping can browse samaritanspurse.org/buildonline to select gifts matched to a child’s specific age and gender, then finish packing the virtual shoe box by adding a photo and personal note of encouragement.


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Making Sure the End of Cannabis Prohibition Benefits the Small Farmer
Posted in the Minneapolis Forum
Saint Paul, MN
#1 Feb 11, 2013
At the Willits, California Food Bank, a 31-year-old cannabis farmer well call Mark was energetically ticking off the community service hours hed earned for growing our nations number-one cash crop. I watched for a few minutes as he passed bags full of apples, cheese and surplus generic sponge cake to a Mendocino County mom. I asked Mark what he thought about the approaching end of federal cannabis prohibition. He acknowledged that it was imminent, but was deeply wary of it.Itll be the end of the small farmer, he told me.Foksll be buying packages of joints made by Coors or Marlboro.
Why does Mark, like many if not most of todays American black-market cannabis farmers, dread the aboveground acceptance of his industry? Why did the voters in the Emerald Triangle cannabis farming counties of Mendocino (by 6%) and Humboldt (8%) vote against Californias Proposition 19 in 2010, which would have legalized cannabis?
The answer has as much to do with simple accounting as the more common outsider assumption: that farmers fear the price drops that come when a prohibitionary economy dissolves (though this is certainly part of the story). When, in three generations of farming, your family has never had to pay taxes, record payroll or meet building code, let alone meet a customer (the Emerald Triangle has an entire caste of middlemen and women who broker wholesale deals, so the farmer doesnt have to leave the farm), the prospect of coming aboveground -- and dealing with the same red tape every other industry does -- can be terrifying.
Some of these farmers, like all successful small-business owners in any industry, resist change in knee-jerk fashion by distributing worst-case scenarios the way some people pass around business cards.Look at tobacco," Mark told me at the Food Bank. "Theyve made the paperwork crazy complicated so only giant corporate farmers can afford to grow it commercially.
Hes actually correct. Section 40 of Title 27 of the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureaus regulations has 534 subsections. You need a corporate lawyer on call to endure this document without a migraine. The system favors big producers, and Big Tobacco is at least paying attention to federal drug law: NPR has reported that Philip Morris trademarked the brand Marley at the height of Just Say No in 1983 (though this doesnt turn up at the United States Patent and Trademark site, and the company is mum). And Dan Mitchell reported in Fortune that tobacco company Brown & Williamson enthusiastically advised, in a 1970s internal report, that the company start viewing marijuana as "an alternative product line.
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CRYPTOCURRENCY NEWS: Ripple joyous as significant international bank adopt their platform
CRYPTOCURRENCY Ripple struck a brand-new blow for Blockchain innovations today after The National Bank of Abu Dhabi (NBAD) revealed it is to utilize the platform for payments.
By Express News Desk|Updated: February 05, 2018
Cryptocurrency news: The National Bank of Abu Dhabi to present Ripple to perform deals
The relocation, by the United Arab Emirates greatest lending institution, will even more show and legitimise Ripple’s organisation and its quote to make cross border transfers quicker and complimentary.
Eventually Ripple (particularly RippleNet) might make old bank transfers like the SWIFT system redundant– significantly enhancing consumer experience.
A Ripple declaration stated: “Today, we’re happy to reveal that The National Bank of Abu Dhabi (NBAD) has actually ended up being the very first bank in the Middle East to utilize Ripple’s option to supply real-time cross-border payments to its consumers.
” Through Ripple, NBAD clients have an effective, dependable and protected channel to make instant international remittances and payments in between local markets.”
Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse included: “Banks and their consumers have actually been finding out about the pledge of blockchain innovation to allow real-time cross-border payments.
” Now, a few of the most effective and ingenious banks like NBAD are making this a truth by providing Ripple-enabled payments to their whole client base, and in doing so, leading the way to make 2018 the year we see broad commercialisation of blockchain take hold internationally.”
And Managing Director and Head of Business and Product Management at GTB Business, Ramana Kumar included: “At NBAD we make every effort to guarantee our offerings are transparent and effective.
” Blockchain innovation changes and paves a brand-new method accomplishing our objectives and much better serve our clients, including worth through availability and openness.
” As a preliminary adopter and very first bank to go reside on Ripple, NBAD provides ingenious services to our customers payments requirements.”
Critics of Blockchain innovations frequently indicate the absence of real-world applications however Ripple’s ‘payment option’ is growing.
The business has actually formerly revealed collaborations with Kringsri (Bank of Ayodhya PCL)– among the biggest banks in Thailand, Santander, MoneyGram and now the National Bank of Abu Dhabi.
Since the in terms of remittance sending out country has the 4th biggest quantity of cross-border money transfers in the world, Ripple is a particularly beneficial tool in UAE.
The National Bank of Abu Dhabi is the biggest lending institution bank in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and the 2nd biggest lending institution in the United Arab Emirates.
NBAD’s organisations consist of an entire variety of retail banking, business, wholesale and financial investment banking, wealth management and personal banking together with Islamic banking, brokerage, residential or commercial property management and leasing.
And NBAD is broadening abroad having actually established a local monetary base in India in 2015 and broadening into Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong, China and South Korea.


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New Delhi: Mercedes-Benz is set to test Car-to-X communication on snow-covered roads, which is expected to boost the connected car tech in future.
Car-to-X technology is the communication between vehicles and the transport infrastructure, which uses the onboard sensors like radars, cameras etc.
The German luxury carmaker has been working on Car-to-X technology for more than ten years, claims the company. It also informs that in the coming winter, in cooperation with the district of Zollernalb, the company will test the communication technology on wintry roads.
For the pilot tests, Mercedes-Benz passenger cars equipped with the technology, whose owners have activated the Live Traffic Service, will provide the necessary data. Sensors onboard these vehicles will recognise slippery road conditions and send the information including GPS data to the Daimler Vehicle Backend in real-time, using mobile radio network.
The information will be displayed on digital maps in the two road maintenance depots of the Zollernalb district in real-time, claims Mercedes in a release. In the second phase, public service vehicles like police vehicles will be a part of the testing process.
As the automaker informs, this pilot project will start in January 2020 and continue until the end of winter.
Michael Hafner, Head of Driving Technologies and Automated Driving at Daimler AG, said, "With Car-to-X functions, we can improve safety in various driving situations. This is because thanks to the seamless integration of the Car-to-X system into the vehicle systems, Mercedes-Benz passenger cars can automatically detect different hazards such as slippery roads."
The automotive sector is one of the largest industries contributing about 7.1% to India’s GDP and generating huge direct and indirect employment. In the Union Budget FY24, the industry has got major boost towards electric vehicle manufacturing, hydrogen fuel adoption and the changing technology mix. However, there were certain misses with regards to the GST reduction.
Satinder Bajwa, senior vice president and Head of Sales and customer care, and Harish Lalchandani, VP, Marketing, Mahindra Automotive, have quit the organisation, three people aware of the matter informed ETAuto on condition of anonymity.


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Wal-Mart's US$1 billion bid for domestic retailer Trust-Mart may struggle to get government approval even though the target company is foreign-controlled, lawyers told the Financial Times Tuesday. The US retailer currently leads the bidders, which include its fierce rival Carrefour, in the race to take over China's second biggest foreign hypermarket chain. The major shareholders in Trust-Mart are all from Taiwan but, given the strict new rules on foreign investment, lawyers say regulatory scrutiny is inevitable. "It is unavoidable given the current environment," said Patrick Hu, a lawyer at the Shanghai office of Jones Day. "The deal will have to go through a lot of different government procedures." Trust-Mart generated sales of US$1.4 billion last year from its 100 stores located in more than 20 Chinese cities. The deal could make Wal-Mart, which has 66 of its own China outlets, the biggest hypermarket operator in the country.
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If you’ve been on the fence about Android, or tablets in general, this is the tablet you’ve been waiting for.
All posts tagged ‘Nexus Tablet’
- 9:03 PM
- 9:31 PM
In support of its upcoming Android 5.0 operating system release, code-named Jelly Bean, Google will deploy the OS on not a single Nexus smartphone, per Android tradition, but perhaps as many as five Nexus phones this fall — so says …


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Tomorrow marks one of the biggest weeks of lockdown so far as hundreds of non-essential retailers will be opening up once again.
The majority of high-street stores closed on March 23 when the government put the country into lockdown. However, last month Boris Johnson announced from Monday, June 15 non-essential stores could reopen.
Retailers such as Primark and Lush have announced the safety measures which will be in place when customers visit tomorrow. These will include two metre floor marking around stores and customer limit on the number of shoppers allowed inside at once.
However not all high street stores will be reopening just yet, with 12 major retailer across Liverpool choosing to delay openings.
Reopenings will continue in Liverpool until August.
There are also a number of businesses still banned from reopening including hairdressers, beauty salons and gyms.
Below, we've listed the 31 shops and businesses that aren't reopening in Liverpool tomorrow:
- Piercing and tattoo parlours
- Beauty Bazaar, Harvey Nichols
- Dr Martens
- Molton Brown
- Polo Ralph Lauren
- Cass Art
- Everton Two
- Virgin Holidays
Businesses and other places
- Restaurants, bars and pubs
- Cafés and canteens
- Hairdressers, barbers, beauty and nail salons
- Holiday accommodation including hotels, hostels, B&Bs, holiday rentals, campsites and boarding houses
- Caravan parks/sites for commercial uses
- Community centres
- Places of worship
- Museums and galleries
- Cinemas, theatres and concert halls
- Bingo halls
- Spas and massage parlours
- Skating rinks
- Indoor fitness studios, gyms, swimming pools or other indoor leisure centres
- Indoor arcades, bowling alleys, soft play centres and similar facilities
- Playgrounds, outdoor gyms and outdoor swimming pools
We will have live coverage as the shops reopen on Monday across Liverpool, so be sure to follow what’s happening with us here on the Liverpool Echo What’s On and on our What's On Facebook and Twitter accounts.


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The statistics were pulled from MRI's spring 2006 data from the Study of the American Consumer, in which 26,000 U.S. adults were personally interviewed on their media use and product consumption as well as their lifestyles and attitudes. DVR consumer information was included for the first time in fall 2005, making this the first chance for comparison. The number of households that use DVRs should continue to rise as more and more outlets offer the devices.
"Satellite companies and cable operators are offering DVRs, making it affordable and easy," said Brad Adgate, senior VP-director of research for Horizon Media. "All prognostications indicate penetration is going to increase for the upcoming few years."
Plaything of the affluent
The study also found that while the number of DVR consumers is increasing, the device remains a plaything of the more affluent. Households with DVRs are 116% more likely than the general population to have average incomes exceeding $150,000. Adults in DVR households are also 81% more likely to be heavy internet users and tend to be heavier readers of magazines and newspapers.
MRI is one of many companies trying to get their fingers on the pulse of DVR usage, which Nielsen Media Research estimates is at 7.1% and should rise to 12% by the end of the year. Earlier this week TiVo announced the launch of its Audience Research and Measurement division, which will offer second-by-second data on DVR-based ad viewing. But it is Nielson that will be the "gatekeeper" of such behavioral patterns as usage and time shifting, Mr. Adgate said, because it is the "currency" of the industry. Nielson announced earlier this month it will offer minute-by-minute ratings for commercials.
"As [DVR] penetration increases, becomes more mainstream and starts to reach a critical mass, I think the information is going to be more beneficial," Mr. Adgate said. "Right now it's getting there, but it's still somewhat sketchy."
Self-reporting less accurate
Alan Wurtzel, president-research at NBC Universal, is especially wary of reports, such as those done by MRI, that rely on participants to recall their behaviors. Self-reporting, he said, is notoriously less accurate than passive measurement. "What people think they do and what they actually do is very, very different," he said.
Mr. Wurtzel said one of MRI's findings did not match what Nielsen had found, pointing to the difficulty of figuring out just what is happening in this small but increasingly influential market. MRI data show DVR households tend to watch less TV than non-DVR households. But a Nielsen measurement called people using television -- or PUT, which measures how many are tuning in as a percentage of a total sample -- indicated that people in DVR households watched more TV. In March, the last month for which Mr. Wurtzel crunched numbers, total U.S. prime-time PUT was 37.9%. For DVR households that number rose to 39.43%.
"We ought to know the ruler is accurate," he said. "If Nielsen shows us [DVR users watch less], I'd buy it."
~ ~ ~
Abbey Klaassen contributed to this report.


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Tabcorp, the Australian retail and online betting giant, is looking to better integrate online gambling with its core retail business as its online and mobile operations continue to increase in profit, while its retail business conversely struggles. Digital betting rose to NZ$3.19 billion last fiscal year, an increase of 19.2 percent, and 50 percent of that came from mobile betting. The same couldn’t be said of their retail betting business, with betting falling by 4.9 percent in Victoria, and 1.2 percent in New South Wales.
What Tabcorp would like to do is integrate their digital and mobile betting with their real world venues like pubs and clubs, by offering rewards to players who make mobile bets from those venues. The only obstacle standing in their way is a legal one, as digital live betting is currently illegal in retail locations; even ones geared to other forms of betting. The potential way around the existing law against live betting from venues through mobile devices could potentially be accomplished if Tabcorp can provide punters with a secure internet connection that would display their license and effectively confirm that they are betting in-person.“It is something that obviously we’re working on,” Tabcorp chief executive Richard Attenborough told the Sydney Morning Herald. “We would love to develop that further … [That is] certainly the kind of thing the venues would love to see in place, because it is logical that if someone is definitely in the venue ... they are essentially betting under the venue’s licence.”
Changes to that law could be the only way to stem the losses from the retail sector, as online sportsbooks with a wealth of in-play betting options dissuade customers from heading out to retail locations to make their wagers and watch the action.


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Mary Coyle’s Ol’ Fashioned Ice Cream Signs Lease at Tapestry on Central
Tapestry on Central, a Midtown Phoenix condominium project with ground-floor retail located on the northwest corner of Central Avenue and Encanto Boulevard, recently landed an Arizona icon on its tenant roster: Mary Coyle’s Ol’ Fashioned Ice Cream.
Mary Coyle’s, one of the Valley’s oldest and most popular ice cream brands, plans to open a 1,200-square-foot location at Tapestry on Central in early fall. Their previous location on 7th Street closed in April this year when the shopping center changed ownership.
“We’re looking forward to having an iconic brand like Mary Coyle’s as a tenant at Tapestry on Central. There are very few local businesses that have such deep Arizona roots, particularly in the highly competitive food and beverage industry,” said Donny Peper, partner at Clear Commercial Advisors. “Like their loyal fan base, we are eagerly anticipating their opening this fall.”
Customers can expect more than 20 ice cream flavors and creations made in house, as well as sherbet, sorbet, ice cream sundaes and showboats, which are 5- or 7-scoop sundaes topped with sauces, whipped cream and other toppings, according to an online menu.
“We’re excited about this new location, which is across from the Heard Museum and close to Light Rail,” said Larry Healey, the current owner of Mary Coyle’s. “We expect more walk-up business and look forward to serving our loyal customers as well.”
Clear Commercial Advisors, a real estate investment firm and brokerage with a current portfolio that includes 15 Metro Phoenix properties, is handling the leasing for the retail commercial space, located at 16 W. Encanto Blvd. in Phoenix. Tapestry on Central is a three-building, seven-story, 280-residence high-rise that offers cityhomes, executive penthouses and expansive flats ranging in size from 837 square feet to more than 2,500 square feet. There is also 16,000 square feet of retail space on the ground floor, with Walgreens, Metro Realty and Mary Coyle’s occupying a portion of that space.
“Clear Commercial Advisors represents several retail properties in downtown Phoenix in addition to Tapestry on Central, including The Summit at Copper Square as well as Portland on the Park,” Peper said. “We’re carving out a niche for our firm that focuses on supporting the urban core, including Midtown Phoenix and the warehouse district.”
Tapestry on Central has approximately 9,000 square feet available for lease. Ideal uses include amenities for downtown users like food service businesses, conveniences like dry cleaning, as well as office space. For leasing information at Tapestry on Central, contact Shane Mackin at 602.638.1261 or Shane@clearcre.com.


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Rick Bakas and St. Supery Winery are hosting another installment of their virtual tasting series on September 2nd. The idea behind #Cabernet Day is that anyone, anywhere in the world, can contribute to the conversation simply by including the hashtag #Cabernet in their posts on Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare, Gowalla, personal blogs, and all other forms of social media. People are encouraged to drink Cabernet the day of, and engage others doing the same with conversation, tasting notes, and suggestions.
There are some big name sponsors and participants contributing to the event. For example, those looking for a port in the storm can cruise into outposts such as St. Supery in California, O’Vineyards in the Languedoc (Southern France), and others in Oregon, Australia, etc.
For more information and a full list of particpants check out the #Cabernet page


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Powell Peralta AM Brad McClain came in swinging at the Copenhagen Pro bowl contest. No one was even expecting him to kill it this hard. Check it out!
In light of Mikey Taylor’s DC Rediscover video part, Aaron Smith decided to bring you some photos he’s shot of Mikey over the years.
Colin Kennedy, Leo Romero, Danny Brady grace this week’s Film Blog
Another installment of the extras from the article featured in the new issue featuring Jerry Hsu, Keegan Sauder, Joey Pepper, Javier Mendizabal, and Michael Mackrodt.
World Industries’ Derek Fukuhara handles this week’s Tuesday 25 for skateboardermag.com. He has always been one of our favorites.
Jerry Hsu, Keegan Sauder, Joey Pepper, Javier Mendizibal and Michael “Michi” Mackrodt accompany Senior Photographer Jonathan Mehring and the globetrotting filmer Patrik Wallner on a journey down nearly the entire length of Vietnam despite some of their limited past experience with riding motorbikes.
Last night Nike opened their doors to their new Sixth and Mill private skatepark as well as launched Paul Rodriguez’s new shoe “P-Rod VI”. The party was put together fantastically by Nike and it’s affiliates with a maze, Nike history, photos, video, free food and drinks and a show by Killer Mike. Check out the photos from the event.
(July 2001) In the never-ending pursuit of skate spots, Daewon, Huf, Berra, Johnson and their boys take it to a junkyard to get their skate on.
The good folks over at Val Surf were kind enough to have a little get together for the launch of our collaboration with Vans. Having Tony Alva come out and hangout is always amazing. Even better is when he expresses how much he likes the series. Here’s some photos from the small party.
This week Aaron Smith brings you some photos from a day out with Abdias Rivera, Julian Davidson and Darrell Stanton. Check out what these fellas can get done in a day in Fullerton, California.
More 6×6 with a 1/500 sync. Brandon Westgate, Curren Caples and Nick Trapasso caught on film.
Extras from the Vietnam motorbike skate trip featuring Jerry Hsu, Joey Pepper, Keegan Sauder, Javier Mendizabal, and Michael Mackrodt.


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Will the Electric Tobacconist Franchise Grow in Business With E Liquids?
Colorado Springs, nestled at the foot of majestic Pikes Peak, is really a fast growing locale for electric cigarettes. It is here that the world’s first electric Tobacconist shops opened in 2021. These businesses enable consumers in the encompassing Boulder area to purchase inexpensive, rechargeable batteries for used in vaporizers, inhalers along with other products. It is no secret that smoking reduces a person’s lifetime risk of many cancers and other health issues.
The capability of a vaporizer allows smokers to reap the advantages of their choice without worrying about wasting time or money on products that don’t work. The products sold by Colorado Springs’ electric tobacconist vendors are backed by the best professional brands, including Nicorette, Magic Johnson and Grant’s Perfec, together with top-selling brands from around the globe. A single stop by at an e-juice shop demonstrates how quickly consumers can move in one product to another as they try to determine which products will continue to work best for them. In no time at all, some customers have moved from ordering in their local neighborhood convenience store to placing online orders placed within 15 minutes.
One example of the sort of products provided by the Colorado Springs area’s electric tobacconist shops can be found within the walls of the newly opened Vaping MEMORIAL in South Boulder. The shop offers free tastings of varied electronic nicotine products, allowing visitors to try products without spending any money, and without leaving their homes. A great attraction to the gallery’s relaxed atmosphere is the shop’s convenient location, located in the heart of Boulder. That is in close proximity to a host of other Colorado Springs retail shops, including Puff Bar Flavors many of the most popular boutique franchises.
As is common amongst different types of businesses, you can find both benefits and drawbacks connected with utilizing the services of a Colorado Springs electric Tobacconist. While it is true that many smokers enjoy the capability of shopping at their local brick-and-mortar establishments, gleam growing public perception that such businesses encourage the sales and consumption of illegal drugs and tobacco products. Hawaii of Colorado has had steps to address this public perception through legislation and to discourage drug used in the state’s borders. According to the Colorado State Medical Society, e-liquid that does not contain relevant law approved ingredients may very well be being similar to illegally purchased drugs.
Some Colorado Springs attorneys claim that the reason the state is wanting to curtail the sales of e-liquid is because of an attempt to stifle consumer freedom. Specifically, the Boulder attorney believes that hawaii of Colorado is attempting to circumvent the non-public jurisdiction of Colorado Springs citizens by regulating the sale of vapor products through what is referred to as “commerce rooms”. If the State of Colorado were to try and regulate the sale of conventional cigarettes through such a venue, it would be deemed a violation of the rights of Colorado citizens to engage in free-market retailing of products that are produced within the state.
Currently, the State of Colorado is attempting to accomplish two things with respect to electric cigarettes and vaping. First, the State is wanting to regulate the sale of nicotine-based products, such as both flavored nicotine products and non-flavored nicotine products. Secondly, hawaii is attempting to control the sale of non-nicotine electric cigarettes through a tax scheme which will generate revenue for the state.
Based on the Boulder attorney, “The state’s attempt to pass the taxes on electric cigarettes directly contradicts the reason the legislature intended to regulate the e Cigarette industry.” He further contends that the state’s attempt to levy higher taxes on e-juice liquids, such as all of the vapor produced by the electric cigarettes, places “a large burden on the electronic cigarette and its market”. In line with the attorney, “The ultimate act, the tax, which we assume will be placed on the e-liquids, will likely be found to be an absolute tax, in violation of the United States constitutional guarantee that the taxation cannot double for the privilege of taxation.” The attorney has filed a petition in the usa District Court for the District of Colorado as a way to obtain a temporary restraining order against the State of Colorado, so that you can avoid the enforcement of the tax on e-liquid beverages.
In order to understand what this means, it is important to know that Brightpearl Logistics, Inc., owns and operates several internet sites. At one point, we worked being an electric tobacconist for an organization located in the higher Seattle area. We were instructed to improve our order volumes, which may allow us to receive a better commission. We were also instructed to improve our price all the time; this would allow us to get more profit. Unfortunately, a great many other e-liquid companies did not follow this instruction, as they did not want to cope with being dictated by their competitors.


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After years of research, an animal scientist looking for ways to keep inflammation down in cattle came up with a novel approach: feed them flax. The flax in their food helps keep animals healthy and has an added benefit for those who later eat their meat: omega-3 enriched beef.
Archive for October 14th, 2012
Reporter: Mina Kim
From New York City to California, local officials are pushing ideas to get consumers to cut down on soft drinks. Health experts say sugary drinks like Coke and Pepsi contribute to obesity and diabetes. And now two California cities, Richmond and El Monte, are asking voters to approve taxes on those drinks.


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As reported last week, GIGA-BYTE unveiled not just two new smartphones at the Mobile World Congress but four of them. The press release features only a few specifics but here is what I have been able to find so far. All of the new devices are part of the GSmart MS series.
Up first, GIGA-BYTE unveiled the MS808, the world’s first 3.5G mobile slider TV phone supporting DVB-T, DVB-H, T-DMB, ISDB-T, and integrated GPS. Powered by a 624Mhz Marvell processor and Windows Mobile 6 Professional, it comes with quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE and UMTS/HSDPA (it looks like single-band 2100MHz but confirmation is still needed), 128MB RAM and 256MB ROM, a 2.8-inch VGA display, and a 3MP camera as well as a front-facing VGA one.
The MS804 is another 3.5G phone, this one with a cap-sensor that senses finger touches and digit dial keys. It’s not clear how else it differs from the MS808.
Then there is the GSmart MS800. It is powered by a 520MHz Marvell processor and Windows Mobile 6 Professional. It comes with quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE and UMTS/HSDPA (again single-band 2100MHz likely), 64MB RAM and 256MB ROM, a 2.8-inch QVGA display, integrated GPS, 802.11 b/g Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.0+EDR, an FM tuner, a 2MP camera and a microSD expansion slot.
The GSmart MS820 builds on the MS800 by adding 128MB RAM, a VGA display, a 5MP camera and a g-sensor.
All of the MS800 devices will also ship with a new user interface to offer consumers an easy-to-use environment.
The press release made no mention of the MW700 and MW998 shown on the microsite set up for the Mobile World Congress. I’ll dig some more to see if I can find some more information on these.


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Home Tags Electric cars
Tag: Electric cars
In the gold rush for global domination of the electric mobility market, India has thrown its hat into the ring. The Modi-led government announced last...
India also is gearing up to electrify all its vehicles by the year 2030, to reduce its carbon emissions. Auto giants of India like Ashok Leyland, Hyundai, Tesla and engine maker Cummins are planning ahead to make the most out of this task.


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FST Special Addition Newsletter – 2022 Autumn Semester Graduation
Congratulations to our FST AU22 Graduates! Our autumn 2022 graduating students have been given an opportunity to share with us some of their favorite memories of their time at Ohio State in this special edition newsletter. Many also took the opportunity t ...
firstname.lastname@example.org or Rob Leeds email@example.com View the "I am Extension" video below. Resources ...
October 2022 Department Highlights
resource produced by Ohio State University Extension. Research on flavor volatiles from the lab of Dr. ...
Endowed Chairs and Distinguished Professors
research news out to the food processing industry and informing consumers to improve food safety; and ...
MINE Program: Mentor. Impact. Network. Excel
experienced mentors, peers, and resources within the university. Mentors will guide mentees through discussion ... have the knowledge and resources needed to engage and succeed within the organization Instill ... of OSU Extension colleagues Model best practices and provide a wide variety of tools and resources ...
August 2022 Department Highlights
News featured Dr. Chris Simons and the Sensory Evaluation Center in a story about sensory research and ... determining consumer preferences between store brand and name brand products. NBC News NOW followed up with ... 2022 media briefing. Devin Peterson was also a featured expert in an NBC News story about Coca-Cola’s ...
Extension Employees (formerly the "Quick Start Guide"). The guide is a resource for county-based ... best practices and a glossary. Uploaded on 5/29/2020. Vita News, Updates, and Training Information ... (12/9/2022) Click here to view most recent news about Vita shared by Debby Lewis on 12/9/2022. This document ...
September 2022 Department Highlights
Dr. Lee-Ann Jaykus, the 2022 Harris Award recipient, will be presenting the Harris Award Lecture on Wednesday, November 2 as a part of the Department’s Seminar Series. The seminar begins at 4 pm in Parker Food Science and Technology room 118 with a recept ...
July 2022 Department Highlights
regulations in a story from Spectrum News 1. FST alumnus Brittany Towers Lewis (BS’11, MS’13) was featured in ...
FST Special Edition Newsletter – 2022 Summer Graduation
Congratulations FST SU22 Graduates! Our summer 2022 graduating students have been given an opportunity to share with us some of their favorite memories of their time at Ohio State in this special edition newsletter. Many also took the opportunity to give ...


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Investors love Canadian stocks that take on the U.S. market and succeed.
While Restaurant Brands International isn’t really Canadian — it’s majority-owned by Brazilian private equity firm 3G Capital — the fact that its headquarters are in Oakville, Ontario, makes it an honourary citizen.
The deal got me thinking about the reverse situation in which U.S. companies do business here in Canada and love the Great White North as a result of their success here.
These three U.S. stocks love Canada — and you should too.
TJX Companies Inc. (NYSE:TJX), the Massachusetts-based off-price retail conglomerate which operates three brands in Canada, just announced 3% overall same-store sales growth in the fourth quarter across its entire 3,812-store network; in fiscal 2017, its same-store sales growth was a robust 5% over the same period last year.
Certain areas of retail might be suffering in both Canada and the U.S., but TJX surely isn’t.
Here in Canada, the news is even better for the company. TJX Canada — with 245 Winners, 101 Home Sense, and 41 Marshalls locations — had Q4 and fiscal 2017 same-store sales growth of 8% and 12%, respectively.
TJX entered the Canadian market back in 1990 when it bought Winners, then a five-store off-price apparel chain. It now generates US$413 million in profit from US$3.2 billion in revenue.
With off-price clothing expected to be popular with Canadians for the foreseeable future, TJX will continue to benefit from our patronage — as will its stock.
Although L Brands Inc. (NYSE:LB) doesn’t break out its Canadian revenue from its U.S. revenue, a few quick calculations will give us a pretty good idea.
L Brands is the Ohio-based holding company that owns Victoria’s Secret, Pink, Bath & Body Works, La Senza, and Henri Bendel.
The company first entered the Canadian market in 2007 when it acquired home-grown lingerie retailer La Senza. It followed that up in the fall of 2008 by opening a number of Bath and Body Works locations; a year later, it opened its first Victoria’s Secret Pink location, and several months after that, it opened the first Victoria’s Secret store in Canada.
L Brands paid $710 million for La Senza more than a decade ago and has gone on to invest heavily in the Canadian market.
As of the end of October 2016, there were 46 Victoria’s Secret and Pink stores in Canada, 102 Bath and Body Works locations, and 128 La Senza stores (all but three in Canada).
The average Victoria’s Secret and Bath and Body Works stores do US$5.3 million and US$1.9 million, respectively in annual sales. The company doesn’t provide La Senza’s numbers, but they’re likely no more than US$500,000 annually.
Overall, I estimate that L Brands’s Canadian revenues come to US$500 million annually — not quite what TJX is generating, but that’s coming from a much smaller footprint.
It’s hard to believe that Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) has operated stores in Canada for more than 30 years; it opened its first Canadian location in 1985 in Burnaby, B.C.
Today, it has 94 locations coast to coast, generating huge revenue numbers for such a tiny country. In its fiscal year ended August 28, 2016, Costco’s Canadian business generated US$778 million in operating income from US$17.0 billion in revenue, an operating margin of 4.6% and 190 basis points higher than in the U.S.
Even more compelling is the fact that in the U.S., Costco’s per-capita revenue is US$247 compared to US$472 in Canada. We as a nation spend 90% more per capita at Costco than our friends to the south.
Costco’s business model is based on low margins with profits coming from its annual memberships. A 2014 statistic from Seeking Alpha suggests one out of every three Canadians has a Costco membership.
If I could own only one of these stocks, I’d probably go with Costco. That said, all three are retail superstars and are worth considering as part of any U.S. equity portfolio.


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Unity and Facebook Team Up to Help Game Developers Reach Facebook's Audience of Over 650 Million Gamers
Select developers using Unity 5.4 will be able to export to Facebook, including alpha of an all-new PC gaming platform; additional availability coming soon
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. — August 18, 2016 — Unity Technologies, the largest global development platform for creating 2D, 3D, VR and AR games and experiences, and Facebook announced a strategic partnership to give Unity developers new ways to reach and engage Facebook’s audience of 650M+ gamers. Unity will integrate support for the Facebook platform, including an all-new PC gaming platform currently in development.
Unity and Facebook are collaborating to build new functionality into Unity that streamlines the process for exporting and publishing games onto Facebook. This will allow Unity developers to quickly deliver their games to the millions of people who enjoy playing Facebook-connected games every month, and the chance to participate in an ecosystem that paid out over $2.5 billion to just web-game developers in 2015 alone.
“Developers channel their talent and passion into creating amazing games, but development is only part of the challenge,” said Elliot Solomon, Vice President, Business Development at Unity Technologies. “Integrating tools that provide effortless access to Facebook’s network is a key part of helping developers find the success they deserve.”
Starting today, we’re selecting a limited group of developers to receive immediate access to a closed-alpha build of the new export to Facebook functionality in Unity version 5.4. Applications are being accepted until August 31, 2016. New developers will be on-boarded on an ongoing basis throughout the testing period.
“Our mission is to give people the power to discover, play and share the games they love with the people they care about,” said Leo Olebe, Director of Global Games Partnerships at Facebook. “Unity is the world's leading game development platform. It's great to be working with them to help developers find new audiences for the games they pour their hearts into.”
Interested developers can apply here by August 31, 2016 to request immediate access and begin testing the alpha build of the new export to Facebook functionality in the Unity Editor.
Founded in 2004, Facebook's mission is to give people the power to share and make the world more open and connected. People use Facebook to stay connected with friends and family, to discover what's going on in the world, and to share and express what matters to them.
About Unity Technologies
Unity Technologies is the creator of a flexible and high-performance end-to-end development platform used to create rich interactive 2D, 3D, VR and AR experiences. Unity's powerful graphics engine and full-featured editor serve as the foundation to develop beautiful games or apps and easily bring them to multiple platforms: mobile devices, home entertainment systems, personal computers, and embedded systems. Unity also offers solutions and services for creating games, boosting productivity, and connecting with audiences including Unity Ads, Unity Analytics, Unity Asset Store, Unity Cloud Build, Unity Collaborate, Unity Connect and Unity Certification. Unity Technologies serves over 5.5 million registered developers including large publishers, indie studios, students and hobbyists around the globe. For more information, visit: https://unity3d.com to see the latest games and experience created in Unity, go to: http://madewith.unity.com.


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- Want more clout with the CEO? Wait until your first ransomware attack.
- Consultant urges never pay ransomware demands
- Apple: Macs and iPhones are safe from newly revealed CIA exploits
- Google Play faces cat and mouse game with sneaky Android malware
- To punish Symantec, Google may distrust a third of the web's SSL certificates
The Sales Cloud
This whitepaper was provided with compliments of Salesforce.com. In today’s business environment, sales people don’t have time to spend hours hunting for leads, researching accounts, and calling wrong numbers. And sales is changing. Businesses all over the world are grappling with the social imperative: how to turn the rise of social networks and explosion of social information into a competitive sales advantage. Sales teams that incorporate social insights into the sales process are pulling ahead, while reps who stick with traditional methods are falling behind. Read more.
- ‘Gigatown’: MyRepublic launches gigabit broadband competition
- Microsoft paces delivery of Windows 10 upgrades
- Samsung may retake momentum with the S8 smartphone
- Consumers sue Microsoft, allege Windows 10 upgrade destroyed data, damaged PCs
- Intel's next-gen hyperfast Optane SSDs for PCs to ship in April


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Augmented Reality offers both entertainment and real-life experience, and is certainly grabbing attention for augmenting revenue
Augmented Reality (AR) has allowed users to interact virtually with their surroundings by bringing a wealth of collected data to the users’ fingertips.
Defining Augmented Reality
AR is a term used to describe a live view of a physical, real-world environment that is augmented by computer-generated sensory input, such as sound or graphics. A typical AR environment has digital information transposed onto a real-world view. While the technology has been around for years, in aircraft cockpits for instance, smartphones are helping to drive usage, as these high-end mobile devices put the necessary hardware-accelerometers, cameras, compasses, and GPS right in people’s pockets.
Blurring the Dichotomy
The experts are pulling graphics out of your television screen or computer display and integrating them into real-world environments, as they continue to blur the line between what’s real and what’s computer-generated by enhancing what we see, hear, feel, and smell.
In the recently held Mobile World Congress, Qualcomm showed how users can aim their phone at an ad from Norwegian boot maker Viking, and see different models superimposed over the ad. For its 2011 winter catalogue, Moosejaw, an outerwear retailer, utilized the AR technology to give viewers an ‘X-ray vision’ while looking through the catalogue.
These days the technology is making its presence felt right from toys to magazines, even Heinz Ketchup bottles offer recipes to anyone with a smartphone.
Qualcomm is working with ‘Sesame Street’ on an interactive playset that allows figurines of Bert and Ernie to come to life when captured by a smartphone. A museum in San Diego is using AR to show how magnetism works.
A new report from Juniper Research indicates that AR technology will generate $2 mn in 2012, but will jump to as much as $714 mn annually by 2014. AR mobile marketing revenue will largely be driven by subscription based services, advertising, and AR based app downloads.
Volkswagon utilized AR to target a consumer segment that valued high-performance capabilities. The German auto manufacturer placed AR-interfaced billboards around Toronto and Vancouver, allowing anyone with an iPhone or iPad tablet to view virtual Beetles and their performance and stunts.
The stunts were reminiscent of X Games performances, and the public locations gave the ads a sense of excitement. As one of the most exciting AR mobile marketing efforts to date, the campaign’s launch video generated over 100,000 views in just a few weeks, creating a lot of buzz for the company.
In celebration of the holiday season, and to create generate renewed interest in Starbucks, the coffee shop chain used AR to make images on decorated cups come to life. A free mobile app download, available on both Android and Apple mobile devices, allows consumers to view five different animated shows on five different cups. This promotion was unveiled in Starbucks shops across the country, and it created a lot of excitement in the tech world.
via Voice & Data ᔥ
Bookmark this page for “Augmented Reality” and check back regularly as these articles update on a very frequent basis. The view is set to “news”. Try clicking on “video” and “2” for more articles.


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HARTSDALE, N.Y. If you're a Hartsdale resident, you don't have to go far to look for a Halloween costume Spookytown is right around the corner.
The seasonal store opened its doors last week, taking the place of the Harrow's patio furniture business at its 111 S. Central Park Ave. location. The private company, with several locations in New York, Connecticut and New Jersey, offers thousands of different Halloween costumes and decorations, said manager Ally Hidalgo.
"We give customers a great experience and always try to give them one-one-one time," Hidalgo said. "If you want to be a vampire, we'll show you the costume and accessories. And then, if you want to go crazy, we'll give you fake blood and do your makeup."
Besides offering the services of professional makeup artists, Spookytown employees also get into the holiday spirit and dress into different costumes at work.
"We're a very family-oriented place, and you can find anything here you want," said Camilo Garcia, an employee.
Spookytown also has all the kids' favorites, including Star Wars and Angry Birds big sellers last year and "Monsters High" costumes, what Hidalgo said will most likely be their most popular item among young middle school girls this year.
The store has been operating out of the same location for the past six years, last year being the exception when it leased the 423 Central Park Ave. space, now home to The Tile Shop. Hidalgo said what makes the store stand out is its variety of decor, props, wigs and masks, which are all kept at a fair price.
"Except when you want to go big and glamorous," she added.
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The Government has amended the Procedure for the Development and Review of Sectoral Market Surveillance Plans, Monitoring and Reporting on their Implementation. The adopted resolution clarifies the powers and responsibilities of state market surveillance authorities, and brings certain provisions of this Procedure in line with the requirements of, among other things, European legislation. The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine adopted the relevant decision at its meeting on May 26, 2023.
"Every year, market surveillance authorities approve plans according to which they oversee the safety of non-food products. We have analysed the current market surveillance system and identified a number of shortcomings. Among the main ones is that the powers and responsibilities of the state market surveillance authorities and customs authorities were unclear in terms of drawing up inspection plans for the next calendar year. For example, the plans stipulated that all construction products were subject to supervision. But, given today's decision, the plan will now specify a specific type of product, such as windows, bricks, scaffolding, tiles, etc. The brand (model, article, modification) of such products may also be specified. This will help both businesses and government agencies in the area of inspections, as everyone has to prepare for scheduled inspections in advance," explained Oleksii Sobolev, Deputy Minister of Economy of Ukraine.
Thanks to the changes, the draft sectoral plan will now be published and approved in a timely manner. This will allow businesses to receive timely information on the lists of goods whose characteristics are to be tested, which will increase the level of safety of non-food products.
In addition, the resolution introduces the following changes:


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AKA is thrilled to announce the addition of AKA Wall Street, AKA's first downtown location, in the Financial District of lower Manhattan.
AKA Wall Street will fill a need for business and leisure travelers seeking luxury furnished accommodations in Manhattan's Financial District. Combining classic architecture with modern design and efficiency, the building showcases open spaces and an abundance of natural light.
Specializing in weekly and monthly stays, AKA Wall Street features 132 spacious, sophisticated NYC suites and outstanding residential amenities designed around the needs of the longer stay traveler. Amenities include a Technogym Fitness Center; rooftop lounge and private cinema; and a business and conference center.
AKA residents also receive preferred seating at an exciting new restaurant from the Bromberg Brothers, Blue Ribbon Federal Grill.
These luxury Manhattan serviced residences are located on a prime corner in the heart of New York City’s Financial District, an exciting neighborhood home to more than 600 technology firms and prestigious media and finance companies including Condé Nast, Nielsen Media Research, HarperCollins Publishers, American Express, and Goldman Sachs.
The revival of this area offers an array of world class cultural, dining and shopping experiences, many of which can be found in Brookfield Place, the venue showcasing a collection of luxury boutiques, as well as exceptional, chef-driven restaurants, a European-style marketplace, and fabulous waterfront events. The new South Street Seaport is another wonderful local neighborhood destination offering innovative dining, unique shopping and day and sunset cruises.
The neighborhood is at the epicenter of a public transportation hub which serves as one of the most integrated networks of underground pedestrian connections in New York City, connecting visitors to over 10 different subway lines, 30 bus routes, six ferry landings, bike lanes and landscaped pedestrian walkways.


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Paradox Interactive seems busy these days with two new installments from Vampire: The Masquerade series, but there are much going on in the company, regarding today’s new announcement. The behind Surviving Mars revealed a new entry to the franchise called Surviving: The Aftermath.
According to the game’s announcement teaser, which features nothing except its official logo, more news and details on Surviving: The Aftermath will be coming on October 19 at PDXCON 2019. For now, the only thing we know is that the game is set to be launched later next year for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC, but it seems an early access version will come around soon, regarding the availability of pre-purchase on Epic Games Store and Xbox Game Preview as of now.
Surviving Mars is a single-player city-building simulation game that was launched earlier in 2018. Based on real-world information of Mars, player takes the helm for building the first human civilization on Mars. You have to manage and control vital resources such as food, water and oxygen in order to make it out alive to the end.
Going over the reviews, Surviving Mars received mostly positive feedback from media, describing it as a worthy experience despite some issues in graphics and pace of the game.
As the name implies for Surviving: The Aftermath, it seems this time around we are going to deal with a struggling situation after natural disasters, however, it remains as a mystery whether the game will be set on Earth or another planet once again.
PDXCON will be kicking-off on October 18 with noticeable updates on all of Paradox Interactive’s under-development projects, including Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2, Empire of Sin and Surviving: The Aftermath. It’s no surprise if more new titles get revealed by the publisher within the remaining days ahead until the beginning of the event.