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Lush have been slammed for their London riot inspired perfume
The ethical cosmetics store has come under fire for creating 'Lavender Hill Mob' - the area of Clapham at the centre of the disturbances - incense, which features a picture of a burning building on the packaging.
The online blurb describes it as "calming and meditative lavender and sandalwood incense to aid quiet contemplation amidst the violence of the world."
But anger is growing among shoppers after photos of the £10 product emerged on Twitter, with many branding it as "insensitive".
However Lush has said the product aims to" "celebrate" the public's resistance to the chaos and is scented with "calming lavender for this reason".
Despite this, others have blasted the brand for cashing in on a terrible event that left the streets of Clapham in ruins four years ago.
One person said the depiction of a burning building on the label was "as opportunistic as the rioters".
She posted: "Omg what are Lush thinking?! I will never buy from you again."
Firefighters tackle the blaze on Clapham High Street during the London riots
If you'd seen the fire and destruction on Lavender Hill you'd be ashamed
She also challenged the cosmetic brand's intentions behind the product, calling its branding into packaging into question saying: "Usage of the word 'mob' and illustration of a burning building is a complete contradiction of our community spirit.
"It's as opportunistic as the rioters."
Others accused the company of "exploiting" the loss suffered by the commnity, by selling the 'Gorilla Perfume' product.
Community group Love Battersea tweeted: "If you'd seen the fire and destruction on Lavender Hill you'd be ashamed."
Another person posted: "What an appalling exploitation of the loss of homes and businesses. Lush, you've got this one very wrong."
Clapham became the centre of anarchy on the evening of August 8 in 2011, when up to 1,000 young people took to the streets and ransacked high street stores.
For two hours shop fronts along St John's Hill, St John's Road and Lavender Hill were vandalised.
Hours later police led building evacuations after a fancy dress shop and flats above caught fire on Lavender Hill.
As the rioters approached Clapham's Lavender Hill, locals joined hands in a show of community spirit and solidarity to keep violence from their streets.
And local councillor for Latchmere, Simon Hogg waded in to the row by expressing his distaste at the product.
He added: "I'd rather that Lush didn't sell products 'inspired' by the riots. The Clapham Junction riots were terrible, they changed lots of lives.
"The looting and destruction divided our community and the memories of that night are still upsetting for a lot of people."
However Lush PR manager Stephanie Boyd defended the product, saying it did not "celebrate" the riots - but rather the "resistance".
She said: "Lavender Hill Mob incense was created as a celebration of what people did and their resistance to the riots, not the riots themselves.
People eager to clear up Clapham Junction after the riots
"It is scented with calming lavender for this reason.
"Regarding reference to Lush making a profit from this product, it is sold online and in only one of our 933 shops worldwide."
A spokesman added: "We have never stopped talking about the riots within Lush. It was a shock to the system to see such violent rage erupt on the streets of England - and it behoves all of us to keep discussing the issues that lead to this type of event, if we wish to prevent a repeat in the future.
"We hope that we don't offend too often in our well meaning but all too human musings on what it is to live in our life and times, in a fractured and imperfect world at a time of great threats and great change."
The Lavender Hill Mob is also a classic Ealing Comedy film starring Sid James and Alec Guinness.


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Globally, the retail industry invested $181bn (£145bn) in retail tech and digital improvements last year, but most retailers don’t feel like they’re getting bang for their buck
Retailers are spending big on digital, with the industry investing $181bn (£145bn) on retail tech and digital improvements last year, according to Gartner.
However, most retailers don’t feel that the investment is delivering. According to AlixPartners’ Digital Transformation Survey presented at World Retail Congress 2023, three quarters of executives rank their digital capabilities as average and believe their organisation lacks the right skills and processes.
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Hanxing Venture Capital, a Xiaomi affiliate, recently increased its investment in Hefei-based chip firm Rhino. The company's core products are autonomous driving chips but is also involved in developing autonomous driving solutions and development tool chains.
Chinese consumer electronics giant Xiaomi has recently begun to promote a press conference that will be held at 7 p.m. on December 1, Beijing time. The Xiaomi 13 smartphone series, the firm's first desktop computer and other products will all be released at the event.
The progress of Xiaomi's vehicle manufacturing project is reportedly falling short of expectations, which may eventually lead to lower product competitiveness.
Affected by positioning upgrades, material costs, the continued impact of COVID-19, exchange rate fluctuations and other factors, the unit price of the upcoming Xiaomi 13 smartphone series is expected to increase by 15-20% to around 4,500 yuan ($628).
Xiaomi released its financial report for the third quarter of 2022 on November 23. Its revenue in the period was 70.47 billion yuan ($9.87 billion), down 9.7% year-on-year. Net profits were -1.476 billion yuan, while adjusted net profits were 2.117 billion yuan, down 59.1% year-on-year.
According to a suspected leak of the packaging for a new product, Xiaomi will probably skip its 13 series and release 14 series directly. However, Wang Hua, general manager of Xiaomi's public relations department, denied the rumor.
During the Snapdragon Summit 2022, Qualcomm Technologies introduced its latest premium mobile platform, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. This new product is set to be adopted by many Chinese smartphone brands, including OPPO, Honor, OnePlus, vivo, Xiaomi, and more.
Virtual user-generated content metaverse platform Yahaha announced on November 15 that it has completed round-A+ financing totaling $40 million, jointly led by Temasek and Alibaba and followed by 37 Interactive Entertainment.
Xiaomi's vehicle manufacturing business has been established for more than a year now, and related rumors have emerged one after another from within the industry.
On November 8, Atech Automotive (Wuhu) Co., Ltd., a smart vehicle equipment manufacturer, announced the completion of a new Round C financing deal exceeding 500 million yuan ($69 million). Hubei Xiaomi Changjiang Industrial Investment Fund Management is one of the lead investors.
Zhong Yilin, vice president of BYD's automotive engineering research institute, said that the sales volume and penetration rate of intelligent vehicles on L2 and above in China increased rapidly, which was 24.5 times higher than that in 2017.
On November 2, the Xiaomi 12S Ultra Concept Edition was officially unveiled, which features a unique rear camera setup that includes a removable Leica lens for enhanced photography. Xiaomi and German camera maker Leica jointly released the Xiaomi 12S Ultra in July this year.
Pride Silicon, an automotive chip developer, completed a pre-A round of financing worth tens of millions of yuan, which was exclusively invested by Xiaomi's industrial investment affiliate.
Reports surfaced on November 2 claiming that Xiaomi's vehicle manufacturing project has been called to a stop. The Chinese consumer tech giant later stated that its automotive business is progressing smoothly and that it does not address rumors.
The popularity of consumer-facing smart glasses is on the rise in China. Since the beginning of this year, Nreal, Rokid, Thunderbird Innovation and a Xiaomi-affiliated firm have all released new products, including AR glasses and corresponding intelligent terminal equipment.
Xiaomi founder Lei Jun shared his thoughts on the global electric vehicle industry on October 19, writing on Twitter that the only way for Xiaomi to succeed is to be among the top five leading brands, shipping more than 10 million cars annually.
Xiaomi Auto's factory is expected to obtain an automobile production qualification from June to July 2023, a big move for the company's mass-production plans.
Chinese research firm Analysys released a report detailing the market share of AR glasses in China in the third quarter of this year, showing that Xiaomi's AR glasses ranking fourth with a market share of 8.5%.
Black Shark, a Chinese gaming smartphone brand, has recently been significantly shrinking its number of employees, with layoffs involving various departments and reaching a rate of nearly 50%.
Airstar Digital Technology is a key company in Xiaomi's financial business segment, and its business mainly includes industrial financial services, financial technology services and personal financial services.


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Linda and Rey talk about the games they are interested in playing, and watching people play, coming up this year.
- 2022 in video games – Wikipedia
- 2022 Video Game Release Schedule – Game Informer
- The biggest video games of 2022: Starfield, Elden Ring, Gran Turismo 7 and more (cnet.com)
- The 12 most anticipated new tabletop games of 2022 – Polygon
Upcoming RPGs 2022: 10 tabletop RPG releases you should play | Dicebreaker
The most exciting new tabletop RPGs of 2022 – Polygon
Podcast: Play in new window | Download


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WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — More than a year after big changes to Independence Mall were announced, construction has still not begun. Now a new set of plans have been submitted to the City of Wilmington.
Back in March 2018, mall officials said they hoped to begin construction by the end of the year.
A new set of plans submitted on June 21 appear very similar to previous plans. The plans include demolishing the Sears building to make room for seven retail spaces and a grocery store.
The City of Wilmington says their review of the new set of plans is almost complete, and demolition permits have already been approved.
We reached out to Brookfield Properties, the company behind the renovations, to find out when construction will begin. We still have yet to receive a response.


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JCHS to Sponsor Jaxco Holiday Market
Jackson County High School is preparing for the holiday season with a new community event. JCHS will host the First Annual Jaxco Holiday Market, as part of Small Business Saturday, on Nov. 25. The Jaxco Holiday Market will be available from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m.
So far, there are over 20 vendors who have paid for booth fees and over 20 more have expressed interest. The event is free for community members to attend and shop at the local vendor booths.
The purpose of the event is to create community by opening the doors of the school, support local small businesses and creators and also to raise money for charity. Vendors will have the opportunity to receive a reduced vendor fee in exchange for a basket that will be raffled off for United Way, a Jackson County School System preferred charity.
If you would like to participate in the Jaxco Holiday Market as a vendor please scan the QR code in the picture, or email JCHS staff member Savannah Ledford at firstname.lastname@example.org for more information. The last day to register as a vendor is Nov. 17.


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- Manny Stotz, the founder of Kingsway Capital, wooed legendary investor Howard Marks to the point that the legendary billionaire became his firm's biggest day-one investor.
- Today, Stotz is laser-focused on countries that have favorable and growing demographics, high GDP growth, and improving standards of living.
- Stotz also warns of the risks that are inherent to these rapidly developing markets.
- Click here for more BI Prime stories.
Early in his career, Manny Stotz — the founder of Kingsway Capital — learned a timeless lesson from one of the stock market's most legendary investors.
"The most important advice I got when I started Kingsway was from — I hope he doesn't mind me saying this — our biggest day-one investor was Howard Marks, the founder of Oaktree Capital," he said on the "Invest Like the Best," podcast. "He told me: 'Manny, if you want to win any game whether it's sports or investing, you have to be a good athlete — and you're a great athlete here but there's so many others.
'And the difference between best, second best, and third best is very, very small. So more importantly than that, you have to choose a game that's stacked in your favor.'"
Stotz took that wisdom to heart, and today he's laser-focused on investing in frontier emerging markets. An area where many other investors are simply uninterested in due to their undeveloped nature.
But to Stotz, the opportunity to compound capital in these markets is vast and the odds of success are high. Favorable demographics, booming gross domestic product growth, and improving standards of living make for investment opportunities that look ripe for the picking.
"The demographics are pretty scary and staggering actually," he said. "The average number of kids per mother in Nigeria is like six. And the average age around these populations is around the 19 or 20 mark."
Stotz says that the countries that he's focused on — Vietnam, Egypt, Bangladesh, and Pakistan amongst others — are comprised of about 3 billion people, or 40% of the world's population.
Not only do these countries have favorable demographics, many of the markets that Stotz follows have astounding GDP growth.
"Bangladesh is growingover 8%," he said. "It's the fastest growing economy in all of Asia."
As the quality of life in these parts of the world improves and wages increase, Stotz thinks the demands for all types of goods will explode as consumers develop brand loyalty. For that reason, he's making it a point to invest in the biggest, highest-quality consumer consumption, healthcare, and education businesses he can find.
What's more, since many of these countries' markets are relatively small, Stotz can carve out huge positions with his nearly $1 billion in assets under management. In total, his firm only holds about 10 to 12 stocks, with his top three picks making up about 60% of total allocations. To put that into perspective, he says his firm owns about 1.5% to 2% of Bangladesh's entire stock market.
"We've got just under a third of our fund in Bangladesh in two of the best companies there," he said."
For investors who wish to follow in Stotz's footsteps and load up on frontier stocks, one option is the iShares MSCI Frontier 100 ETF, which provides exposure to a wide range of companies and nations.
With all of the under consideration, Stotz is quick to note that there are inherent risks that come with investments in these types of markets.
"I would definitely stay away from the indices," he said. "That's full of companies with questionable corporate governance or low-quality business models and getting weird MSCI — weird countries in there that have very different things going on."
That said, Stotz recommends that those who are interested in accessing investments in these countries do so through prime brokers.


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Feb 16th, 2018
Innovations and Automotive Trends Top of Mind for CAC Attendees at the Canadian International Auto Show
Members of the Cox Automotive Canada team turned their attention to the 2018 Canadian International AutoShow in Toronto last night.
Mississauga, Ont.—February 16th, 2018—Members of the Cox Automotive Canada team turned their attention to the 2018 Canadian International AutoShow in Toronto last night. Often referred to as Canada’s most exciting automotive event of the year, this year’s show features 125 exhibitors, with more than 1,000 cars, concepts, and trucks on display. Not only is the event the biggest automotive expo in the country, it is also Canada’s largest consumer show in both size and attendance.
The New Movement, the theme for this year’s show, is one that focuses on the evolution of the automobile, which embraces rapid advancements in technology and new infrastructure, along with personalization and mobility. Cox Automotive Canada President, Maria Soklis, spoke about the multiple forces that have shaped the automotive landscape and the importance of keeping up with what lies ahead.
“The Canadian International Auto Show affords Cox Automotive Canada team members an opportunity to better understand how we can provide our dealer clients with what they need, in order to stay ahead of the curve,” Soklis said. “This is our industry’s trade show and, as the innovators of the car industry, we’re here to lead the charge when it comes to the way people choose to buy, sell, and own cars.”
From electric and hybrid power to hydrogen fuel-cell and autonomous innovations, auto manufacturers continue to embrace new technologies that are constantly reshaping the industry. Consumers and industry professionals are eager to learn as much as possible about these new developments, and the AutoShow provides a great opportunity for people to connect with various experts.
A leader in technology, lifestyle and all things automotive, the 2018 Canadian International AutoShow will feature 40 new vehicle launches, including a handful of North American debuts. The event will ensure visitors walk away with a deeper understanding of the products, ideas, and trends that are shaping the automobile industry. This year’s show, which runs from February 16th-25th at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre (North Building and South Building), promises to be bigger, better and more immersive than ever before.
For further information, please click on the CIAS website.


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The view from the top of IT with TechWorld Editor Rohan Pearce
AT&T and NEC have teamed up to launch the NEC Terrain, a ruggedized Android push-to-talk smartphone that goes on sale Friday online for $99.99 and a two-year contract.
By Matt Hamblen | 19 June, 2013 20:48
Samsung plans to begin selling a Samsung Galaxy S4 smartphone capable of running on LTE-Advanced 4G networks -- which offer download speeds that are twice as fast as LTE -- in South Korea this month.
By Matt Hamblen | 17 June, 2013 18:17
Texas Instruments and Qualcomm are working on products that will power small mobile base stations, also known as small cells, and help improve indoor coverage and speeds for enterprises.
By Mikael Ricknäs | 05 June, 2013 16:05
Qualcomm has announced a new processor and modem combination that will open the door for cheaper LTE smartphones.
By Mikael Ricknäs | 04 June, 2013 12:04
Dell drastically cut the online price of its Windows RT tablet, reducing the price by $US200 to $US299.99 for Dell XPS 10.
By Matt Hamblen | 15 May, 2013 17:58
The No. 8-ranked company on our 2013 Best Places to Work in IT list also isn't shy about recognizing standout employees.
By Robert L. Mitchell | 17 June, 2013 10:18
Reactions to the Nexus One have been mixed now that the hardware is out, but one place that surely isn't lacking is the Snapdragon processor. With a 1Ghz clock speed, the Nexus One is one of the fastest smartphones available.
By David Ayala | 13 January, 2010 06:30


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EA Sports MMA patch #2 arrives tomorrow, check out some of the details below.
"We are happy to announce that a new patch has passed testing, and is scheduled to go live tomorrow. The items that have been patched include:
Fixed a crash that occurred when editing multiple fighters in Create a Fighter
Updates to the Live Broadcast tools to improve stability.
Fixed Stamina exploit bug during Arm submission battles.
Fighters created using Create a Fighter Attribute Cap exploit can no longer be used online.
The game team is still exploring, investigating and testing other items that you have brought to our attention in regards to gameplay tuning for a potential future “hot fix”. We appreciate everyone’s feedback and encourage everyone to continue sending in your comments and concerns. We should have some news on this very shortly."


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ACADIA PARISH, La. (KLFY) — Two suspects were caught on video stealing items from several cars in Acadia Parish on June 3. Authorities are asking for help identifying them.
The burglaries happened in the Perchville Road area, just south of Eunice, in the early morning hours of June 3. The suspects were captured on video surveillance systems going from house to house trying to get into cars. The items stolen were wallets and keys.
One suspect is believed to be a white male, wearing a pink hoodie sweatshirt, black jeans, and a mask covering the lower portion of his face. The other is an unknown male, wearing a light-colored hoodie sweatshirt and dark-colored pants. One of them was seen riding a bicycle.
Crime Stoppers of Acadia Parish is reminding residents to lock their car doors and remove valuables from vehicles.
If you have information on the identity of these suspects, call the tips line at (337) 789-TIPS (8477) or download the P3 app to report your tip.
All callers will remain anonymous and can receive up to a $1,000 cash reward for information leading to an arrest.


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Apple shelved its plans to produce a television set “more than a year ago,” The Wall Street Journal reports. The idea was abandoned “after nearly a decade of research.” Investor Carl Icahn said he expects to see an ultra-high-definition TV coming from Apple in 2016, but people familiar with the matter said Apple executives pulled the plug on a TV project after finding little in the way of breakthrough features to add to a product that would be entering an already crowded and competitive market. An ultra-high-definition screen and video calling features didn’t meet Apple’s standards for entering a new product area, where Apple typically likes to be able to provide innovative technology and easier-to-use software. While both Steve Jobs and current CEO Tim Cook have expressed an interest in TV, Apple’s focus has turned to redesigning the Apple TV and creating its own cable TV streaming service.
- WWDC 2021: Interesting updates to iOS & iPadOS
- Apple Card Family detailed in new support page
- Zoom gains special access to iPad’s Camera API for multitasking features
- Unlock your iPhone using Apple Watch: Mask times!
- Unlock your Mac with Apple Watch
- Wrap your Apple TV remote in a Elago R4 remote case retro skin and take 7% off
- YouTuber modified his AirTag to fit in a wallet
- Apple explains Apple Card family in length via support document
- Foxconn iPhone 12 recruits to get a bonus as demand surges
- Liquid Avatar is the Avatar Creation App of the Future


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6th July 2022
WF Scenery Studio has released Beijing Capital Airport ZBAA for Microsoft Flight Simulator.
17th February 2021
JustSim has released Stuttgart Airport for Microsoft Flight Simulator.
5th January 2021
FlyTampa has released Sydney Kingsford Smith (YSSY) Airport for Microsoft Flight Simulator.
27th October 2020
The latest destination to be released by JustSim is Helsinki-Vantaa Airport for X-Plane 11.
13th October 2020
LatinVFR has announced Hartford-Bradley International Airport (KBDL) for Microsoft Flight Simulator is out.
2nd September 2020
FS2Crew has announced Flight Crew: A320 for Microsoft Flight Simulator, Prepar3D and FSX is out now.
6th August 2020
SamScene has announced Shanghai City Times for FSX and Prepar3D is out now.
9th July 2020
Digital Design has released Tivat for Prepar3D v5.
2nd July 2020
JustSim has released Brussels Airport (EBBR) V2.1 for Prepar3D v5.
26th June 2020
JustSim has announced Hannover Airport EDDV Prepar3D v5 is released.


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65-year old Arya Vaidya Pharmacy shows how a traditional
business can adapt to modern marketing techniques to leverage
on its inherent strengths.
How does an Ayurvedic pharmaceutical company expand? By
leveraging its strengths, of course. The Coimbatore-based,
65-year-old Arya Vaidya Pharmacy (AVP) group is doing
just that, by developing its over-the-counter (OTC) product
portfolio, introducing a new range of food products, expanding
its services sector and signing collaboration agreements
with overseas and Indian companies to market its products
items like jams, biscuits and herbal ketchup would join
the group''s portfolio of 500 products, which includes
Ayurvedic medicines and OTC products like herbal shampoo,
baby oil, soaps, pain balm and others.
Rs25-crore group''s flagship company is the Arya Vaidya
Pharmacy (Coimbatore) Limited. Companies under the group
umbrella manufacture and market OTC products. It also
has trusts that run a college, conduct research, get into
R&D tie-ups, and do other activities. Group outfit
Heal Ayurveda Pharmacy Limited manufactures and markets
products like soaps, shampoos and pain balm, under the
a small way, the group has already entered the food business
with its innovative chyawanaprash biscuits. Traditionally,
chyawanaprash is a mixture of several herbs in
a paste form. It was an American who first wondered whether
the paste could be made into biscuits, and AVP agreed
to implement the concept.
is also looking to sign more collaboration and franchise
agreements in India and abroad, for its products and services.
In the healthcare sector, AVP has agreements with the
Apollo Hospitals chain and the Sadhu Vaswani hospital
in Pune, to operate their ayurvedic treatment wings. A
similar tie up has been entered into with the Indo-American
Centre, which is putting up a 60-bed hospital in Hyderabad.
the hospitality sector, AVP has signed up with the Taj
group of hotels (nine hotels in eight cities), Sterling
Holiday Resorts (two resorts), Club Mahindra (one resort)
and some other hotels, to offer services like Ayurvedic
treatments and massages.
the fast moving consumer goods sector, AVP has placed
its seal of approval on Hindustan Lever''s Ayush
brand of products. It also provides the medical expertise
to man the Ayush clinics. There are 13 Ayush centres in
from the obvious financial returns, the logic behind these
tie-ups with hotels, resorts and others is to popularise
Ayurveda through the collaborators'' promotion campaigns
and to convert their clients to traditional healing ways.
In addition, the centres also double up as points of sale
for AVP''s OTC products.
group is also looking outside India. While talks are on
to start franchisee centres in Muscat and Africa, AVP
wants to expand its presence in the Gulf, Malaysia and
Singapore. Managing director P R Krishna Kumar says that
AVP gets over 10 enquiries a day for setting up centres
food venture is altogether different. Here, it is a question
of leveraging waste products. "We are getting into
food products to derive more value out of our expensive
inputs," says Mr Kumar. For instance, AVP sources
several tonnes of dry raisins from Afghanistan each year.
After boiling the raisins to prepare the rasayans
and kashayams, the pulp is thrown out. "We
found the pulp could be used to make jam," says Mr
Kumar. AVP plans to extract value out of its other exotic
and expensive inputs too. There are also plans to burn
waste biomass to generate steam for heating the huge vats
and vessels used to make the drug concentrates.
Kumar says that only 22 out of the 500-odd Ayurvedic medicinal
products, which AVP manufactures are profitable. The prices
of the rest just about meet the costs. Some are even priced
lower than their production cost, to make them affordable.
general manager (technical) Dr A Sindhu explains: "We
prepare the medicines strictly as per the ayurvedic texts
and do not use herb extracts. This means a long manufacturing
process." Some formulations that are derived after
boiling the herbs repeatedly for several days together,
sometimes as many as 101 times. Others are made after
grinding the inputs for up to 16 hours a day, for 30 days,
in automated pestles.
more and more players getting into this field, the prices
of herbs have gone up on the increased demand. "Some
plants are seasonal and have to be bought and stored.
As a result, prices go up," says Dr Sindhu. For example,
the herb Kanchanarai, which earlier cost around Rs5 per
kg has now gone up to Rs50, but AVP is not able to pass
on the increase to its customers. There are some inputs
used in ophthalmic preparations that cost around Rs3,000
it sources as many as 550 herbs, AVP has to be doubly
careful with its inputs. There are suppliers who adulterate
their supplies with spurious twigs and roots. "Each
lot has to be tested at our lab, so that only genuine
herbs are sent for processing. So running an ayurvedic
industry is easy and difficult easy if one closes
ones eyes, and tough if one keeps them open," says
standardisation has to start at the raw material stage,
AVP is also looking at contract farming of medicinal plants.
Dr Sindhu also says that the company is seriously looking
at local herbs that are effective substitutes, in terms
of healing properties, for the ones mentioned in the traditional
texts. "The agenda is two-fold. First, it would reduce
our costs, as some herbs are sourced from the faraway
Himalayas. But the the macro benefit is that Ayurvedic
science would develop further and there will be a steady
availability of herbs for production."
visit to AVP''s Kanjikode factory in Palakkad district
is really a wonderful experience; one can inhale the aroma
of exotic herbs that are boiling in huge vats. One could
even say that every visitor gets treated to an exotic
herbal steam bath, just by wandering around.
in the pink of health
Meanwhile, at the Arya Vaidya Chikitsalayam AVP''s
Ayurvedic hospital in Coimbatore patient traffic
is steadily on the rise. Located in a four-acre campus
with many trees and a Dhanwantari temple, the 120-bed
hospital is seeing better days now. The average occupancy
is around 50 per cent, and there are air-conditioned cottages
catering to the well-to-do and non-resident Indians (NRIs).
Last year, the hospital treated 60,000 people, both in-
director Dr K G Raveendran says: "The number of patients
who chose Ayurveda as their first choice is going up."
For a long time, Ayurveda and other traditional systems
of medicine were considered as a treatment of last resort.
Only those patients who could not be cured by modern medicine
used to take Ayurvedic treatment.
compartments between different medical systems are now
much less watertight. AVP assistant director (technical)
Dr U Indu Lal says that Ayurvedic doctors do resort to
the ''allopathic'' route for diagnosis wherever required
by prescribing diagnostic tests and sometimes
even refer patients to regular doctors in urgent situations
when a faster cure can be had.
the concept of rejuvenation resorts catching up, AVP is
planning to build cottages in a different locality as
the space in the existing hospital complex is fully utilised.
AVP has been awarded a grant of Rs1.2 crore from the US
National Institutes of Health (NIH) through its
National Centre for Complementary and Alternative Medicine
to develop and consolidate long-term scientific
collaborations between researchers at AVP and some American
to director (research) Dr P Ram Manohar, the focus of
the grant is capacity building. A pilot clinical trial
of rheumatoid arthritis, comparing ayurvedic treatment
with standard medical treatment, will be conducted and
the results will be documented. The pilot trial will form
the basis for larger clinical trials, to be proposed in
subsequent grant applications.
purpose is not to evaluate Ayurveda," he adds. The
grant will be utilised to assemble a core team, as well
as establish a good
lab and IT network. A second grant is expected soon, when
other players will be involved, to bring in scalability.


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Aldi to reopen remodeled store in Irondequoit this month
A newly remodeled Aldi store on Hudson Avenue will open again by Feb. 22.
Local design and architectural firms worked on a new addition, site improvements and an interior remodel at the existing 16,852-square-foot store, according to regional general contractor Taylor, The Builders.
The renovation is part of Aldi’s $1.6 billion initiative to remodel over 1,300 stores across the country in the next three years.
The grocery chain reopened newly remodeled stores on Jefferson Road in Henrietta, Lake Road in Brockport and Mt. Read Boulevard in Greece last summer and fall.
Aldi operates over 1,600 stores in 35 states, and plans to hit 2,000 U.S. stores by the end of the year.
November 2017:Chili says goodbye to Kmart and hello to Aldi


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Horrible barber shops in twin-cities
Fatal diseases spread like forest fire while the barber shops have become safe heavens for germs to breed
The mushroom growth of the haircutting and fashion saloons is observed across the twin-cities and thousands of people go to these hairdressers daily.
These barbers cut hair, dressing of hair, shaving and trimming of beards without letting the horrifying condition of their apparatus seen.
Majority of the residents living in these cities avail services of the hair-cut by these barbers who carelessly use one razor for many people which spreads the diseases to others while affecting and engulfing the already distressed men in serious ailments which are disastrous most of the time and their prevention is beyond the control of ordinary treatment.
They use old and dirty tools for cutting hair and the condition of the scissors, manual clippers, straight razors, and brushes are really deplorable which they have been using for years but they do not bother to change it after a certain time which is necessary for keeping the bacteria and germs from speeding.
Many people have being reportedly declared the victims of fatal diseases over the year due to the unhygienic environment of the barber shops present in the cities. But these barbers are almost oblivious of the sterilising process.
Every third person in the community gets to the barber’s shop for keeping himself clean by trimming and shaving the hair and beards. The young people very frequently visit these shops because of their stylish and fashionable savvy and trendy nature.
Muhammad Kaleem said, “I have become a victim of Hepatitis while getting my hair cut in these shops as barbers do not take care of the cleanliness. I am a patient now and when I visit these shops they use the same towel and other tools which they use for all the people who come to their shop.”
“How would they ensure our safety if they are using same tools for all the customers,” He added.
While talking to INFN, Mustafa Ibrahim, a hairdresser said, “We cannot keep and afford to buy separate towels or tools for every single person in this sky-rocketing spiral of inflation widespread in our country.”
Muhammad Kashif said while talking to INFN, “I do not like to come to these nasty and horrific hairdressers’ shops but it is inevitable to get haircut and we have no alternative as well.”
This is a very serious matter of cleanliness and hygiene which can bring disaster while spreading the fatal, epidemic diseases if not controlled. While these barbers are only bent upon earning money without spending a single penny and are using year-old tools which they once happen to buy.


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By Carol McCracken (Post # 642)
Merchants at the Maine Mall in South Portland were upbeat about sales on the day after Thanksgiving – known as Black Friday – often touted as the busiest shopping day of the holiday season.
Stores selling warm winter clothing seemed to be the busiest and consequently their managers most satisfied with the day’s business as of early this afternoon. An assistant manager at the new Supershoes store at the Mall said she was very pleased with the sales as of early afternoon. Between 6 am and noon, the store had already done $30,000 worth of business. The best selling womens footware was the Bear Paws boot. The store opened up just a month ago in time for holiday sales. This is a large chain with stores along the New England coastline. The district manager for Olympic Sports was similarly pleased with sales in this branch. “It’s been very busy all day,” he said smiling. The store was selling lots of winter jackets, boots and skiing clothing. Just how sales compare with last year is yet to be determined, Josh said.
The manager at Border’s Books said the public should know that Black Friday is not the busiest day of the holiday season. “We’ll get busier as we get closer to Christmas,” Gail said. A new item in the store this year is the e-reading machines which are on sale as well. The store manager at Penneys was “too busy to come out of her office” to talk to MHN.com. A co-manager at Forever XXI said the store was definitely busier than last year, but could not say more than that since corporate headquarters required her silence. That is true of most of the chain stores MHN.com encountered at the Mall.
A new tradition may have begun for those who love train displays. Located near Santa Claus (who was taking a break and unavailable to be interviewed) was a 325 ft. display of five different rail lines on display by volunteers for the 9 year old Maine Garden Railway Soceity. “We want to being back what we saw as children at Christmas – an old fashioned Christmas and integrate it with computers as well,” said Barry Sanford, one of the volunteers. The trains cover the period of the 1930’s up to modern times. “We pooled all our resources to get this display up,” said Carl Churchill, president of the non-profit. This is out first year at the Mall and we may well be back next year – making this an annual event at the Mall, Churchill said. Please email firstname.lastname@example.org for more information about this membership organization.
Amanda Kent, who with her husband, Nicholas, owns the Portland Dine Around Club, said she thought sales were up a little over last year. She also said, “people seem a little happier this year and less depressed” than last year. See www.dineportland.com for more information. “Predictions are that sales will be up around 3% from last year and I think that’s probably accurate,” Kent added.


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Even before the first leaf turns, NCAA football is upon us, meaning fans are getting ready to cheer on their favorite teams, coaches, and players.
Adobe Digital Index’s (ADI) preview of the 2015 college football season reveals some interesting stats on the upcoming season:
- The University of Michigan football team has the biggest social fan base.
- Top apparel marketers are paying a premium for college team sponsorship deals.
- Of all the regional football conferences, the Southeastern Conference (SEC) has the greater number of socially engaged fans. The Pacific-12 Conference (Pac-12), present in large domestic markets such as Los Angeles, generates the most international buzz and average team mentions.
ADI’s analysis is based on social engagement data ADI has captured from Adobe Social. Analysis included data such as mentions, page likes, and followers pulled from blogs, Facebook, Google+, Reddit, Twitter, Dailymotion, Flickr, Instagram, Tumblr, VK, Disqus, Foursquare, Metacafe, WordPress, and YouTube. Social buzz is publicly available and based on the aggregate total of social mentions. In all, more than 50 million social engagements related to college football and social fans from the Power 5 conferences (ACC, Big 10, Big 12, Pac-12, SEC) and Notre Dame were examined from June through August.
Analysis reveals that:
- The University of Michigan is No. 1 in terms of socially engaged fans, with 300,000-plus Twitter followers.
- These same Michigan Wolverines have the largest overall social following (including Facebook), boasting more than 1.7 million fans.
Hard-core social buzz among fans can translate into sales and lifelong brand loyalty for marketers. And there is no shortage of brands pursuing the opportunities.
For instance, ADI’s college football report reveals that leading apparel marketers—such as Nike, Under Armour, and Adidas—pay a premium for social-fan followings of college teams compared with what they pay for fans of professional sports teams and players. Notably, Nike spent an average of $11.2 million a year in sponsorship funds for the University of Michigan football team, according to CBS Sports. That’s $6.50 for each of the team’s 1.7 million Twitter and Facebook followers.
In comparison, Nike forks over $30 million a year in sponsorship and support for NBA star LeBron James—but socially speaking, that translates to just $0.67 for each of the Cleveland Cavalier baller’s 45 million Twitter and Facebook followers.
ADI analysis revealed several other instances of the gap between team and individual player sponsorships:
• Under Armour spends $9 million a year in sponsorship for Notre Dame football, which boils down to paying $12.50 for each of the team’s 719,000 Twitter and Facebook followers. In comparison, Under Armour spends less than $4 million annually on the NBA’s Stephen Curry (just $0.60 for each of Golden State Warrior’s 6.6 million Twitter and Facebook followers).
• Adidas spends $7.6 million a year on the UCLA football team, a whopping $41 for each of the team’s 184,000 Twitter and Facebook followers. In comparison, Adidas spends more than $14 million a year on Chicago Bulls star Derrick Rose (just $1.16 for each of his 12 million Twitter and Facebook followers).
While Nike spends more sponsorship dollars for pro teams and athletes overall, it’s paying a social premium for socially engaged college football fans. And that might be a smart bet, considering the fan base not only consists mostly of extremely valuable 18- to-22-year-old Millennials, but also extends beyond the 34-year old Millennial cutoff point to include alumni, staff, and others.
“Marketers are paying for the demographic,” said Tamara Gaffney, principal analyst at ADI. “Brands are getting themselves in line for the future consumers who are coming out of college. Students and alumni are highly educated and likely to spend more on goods and services.”
Apparel brands are especially keen on bringing the same level of preference for their brands to Millennials as they’ve secured among Gen X and other demographics, she added. Under Armour’s relationship with the University of Maryland, described in a recent New York Times article, is a prime example of this desire.
However, ADI analysis showed that brands are tending to pay a premium for college-level relationships. ADI found that Nike, Under Armour, and Adidas are paying a premium (24x) for college-team sponsorships—all for access to college athletes in hopes of signing them later if they go professional. The success on the field of a player and his potential social clout as a professional athlete can drive huge sales and brand loyalty for marketers
In other findings, while the Pac-12 had the highest average mentions per team (more than 44,000), the conference tied with the Big 10 for the broadest international reach, with 8% of conference buzz coming from abroad. Both conferences trailed the NFL in international buzz.
ADI research found that, of the top 25 football teams, the SEC Conference has seven of the most socially engaged team fan bases.
“This is the kind of use of social media that’s valuable for building strategy,” said ADI senior analyst Joe Martin, adding that the insights are applicable outside of the apparel sector. “Marketers that want to make the right choices should be doing these types of analyses to understand the marketplace.”
About Adobe Digital Insights
Adobe Digital Insights publishes research on digital marketing and other topics of interest to senior marketing and e-commerce executives across industries. Research is based on the analysis of select, anonymous, and aggregated data from more than 5,000 companies worldwide that use the Adobe Digital Marketing Cloud to obtain real-time data and analysis of activity on websites, social media, and advertising.
Receive email updates on the latest Adobe Digital Insights Research.


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Ever since Nest Labs first started selling its learning thermostat in 2011, consumers have responded to its simplicity and the fact that it just works. It wasn’t the first thermostat on the market, but likely helped accelerate the move toward more connected homes. Today, the company has several announcements aimed at promoting this space and improving its Works with Nest program.
Starting today, Nest Labs is introducing a new device-to-device communications protocol, called Weave – which works sans Wi-Fi — into its developer platform. Initial launch partners include P&G, GE’s branded lighting controls, Hunter Douglas, Philips Hue, iHome, and Lutron Electronics.
Developers can also now build on top of the Nest Cam, thanks to the open availability of a new Camera API. Additionally, there’s now a Works with Nest store that features a catalog of all the third-party integrations with Nest’s line of products.


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Inviting travelers to indulge in springtime luxury escapes along the Danube River, Crystal River Cruises unveiled four “Crystal River Getaways” departing in March and April. The four- and six-day voyages are shortened segments of existing 10-day itineraries, suited perfectly for guests with busy schedules.
As the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings approaches on June 6, 2019, Saga guests can visit Omaha Beach and the cemetery for American soldiers at Colleville sur Mer, in Normandy, during a seven-night river cruise with a choice of eight departures including June 1.
Robbert Verbeek and Andreas Wandinger have been named managing directors at Syclla AG, which owns and charters a fleet of riverboats, and will take delivery of the Bremen in 2021. Verbeek is currently Group CFO and Wandinger, CCO. They are taking the place of Manuela van Zelst, who is stepping aside after a 17-year run with the Swiss company. (cruiseindustrynews.com)
River cruise line Emerald Waterways is upping the ante on its active programming with the addition of new onboard fitness classes. The classes, debuting on Emerald Waterways’ seven Europe-based Star Ships in April 2019, include yoga, Pilates, aqua aerobics in the indoor heated pools, and one-mile walks on the open-air track. (cruisecritic.com)
American Queen Steamboat Company (AQSC), operator of the most opulent riverboats in the world, and recently acquired Victory Cruise Lines, are making repairs, updates and improvements to its four AQSC riverboats and two Victory Cruise Lines passenger ships.
Fred. Olsen River Cruises is launching its second season of European river cruising in 2019 aboard 156-guest Brabant with a number of tempting offers, including ‘No Single Supplement’ on selected sailings, or a ‘FREE Tips & Dining Drinks’ upgrade on almost every 2019 river cruise, for bookings made by 28th February 2019 inclusive.
With the safe arrival of the KATHA PANDAW in Kolkata last week by tug tow from Burma, Pandaw are delighted to announce a third vessel will go out to India this month – being the eighteen cabin KINDAT PANDAW, that will join her identical sister the KALAW also sailing out this month.
As it continues to transform its fleet, luxury river cruise line Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection released more details on its new lineup of “super ships” coming in 2020. The new ships will replace older vessels on some of Uniworld’s more exotic itineraries, including the Mekong in Southeast Asia, the Nile in Egypt, the Douro in Portugal and the islands surrounding Venice in Italy. (cruisecritic.com)


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COVID-19 has created a virtual environment that is here to stay, and the industry will need to begin to adjust.
From remote working to patient and physician engagement, pharma marketers and sales reps have had to rethink commercial strategies in a virtual landscape. With the onset of COVID, the shift to digital-everything isn’t going to go away, and pharma will need to evolve its interactions along with it.
As we reported last year, (Pharma’s Future in Virtual Healthcare, October 2019) pharma companies have been partnering with tech and data companies to discover ways to best use virtual health and how it can improve processes all across the business continuum. On the pharma level, virtual health tools will enable the industry to have broader engagement with patients and physicians along multiple touchpoints. From digital tools to help solve problems associated with clinical trials to enhancing R&D, the life-sciences industry is investing in virtual health tools, such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, virtual reality, and augmented reality.
“The buzzword of the day has been virtual engagement, but its definition means different things to different people," says Matt Giegerich, CEO, The Inception Company. “As virtual meetings and events become a staple of the landscape moving forward, we will need to delve deeper into understanding our audiences’ expectations and how to most effectively meet those expectations."
There will be an ever-increasing number of virtual meeting options and for some, web conferences or traditional virtual meetings will meet both their objectives and budget. But those who value the interactions and connectivity of in-person meetings will expect more, i.e., an opportunity to connect with the speakers, the content, and each other in a dynamic environment. To accomplish this, speakers will need to embrace new skill sets and get comfortable interacting with remote participants, speaking with them as if they were in the same room and including them in the discussion. “It will no longer be enough to simply deliver presentations to a remote audience but, rather, it will be incumbent upon the presenters to create a sense of community with their audience to encourage discussion and share insights," Mr. Giegerich says. “Whether it’s physician peer-to-peer discussions, patient advisory boards, clinical trial updates, or salesforce training, the need for face-to-face connection with others will continue to rise."
The biggest challenge in the migration from in-person to virtual will be keeping the integrity of the meeting or event. It will not be sufficient to simply jump on a computer to talk — virtual programs are going to require planning and production in the same way as in-person meetings, giving thought to show flow, real-time interaction, and using tools that facilitate engagement. Hybrid meetings will need to seamlessly integrate the virtual and in-person audiences to create one master event where all participants share the same experience and results.
“The pandemic has caused us to raise the bar on virtual events and we must continue to do so in the future, recreating or reimagining the elements of in-person meetings to thrive in a virtual world," Mr. Giegerich says.
Long-term digital transformation efforts are well under way across the life-sciences industry, reports Paul Shawah, senior VP of commercial cloud strategy at Veeva Systems.
“In the new virtual reality, digital will become more than just a way to communicate, but also enable key services from drug sampling and HCP consent to medical inquiry management," he says. “Companies will be better placed to meet HCPs on their terms with the information and services they need through any channel, any device, at any time, in every therapeutic area."
Patients will also require a new approach, as the virtual healthcare trend continues.
According to Joe DePinto, chief commercial officer at Vineti, patients have looked to technology to research disease and treatment and they will look to product manufacturers and HCPs to help them achieve this goal.
“Now, more than ever, wearable technology and predictive data models are being leveraged by patients and HCPs to help treat the patient appropriately for a wide variety of diseases," Mr. DePinto says. “Patients want to capitalize on scientific and technology breakthroughs for difficult disease treatment and have the ability to live an active life during treatment."
Ultimately, there will be a list of new tactics and tools for the marketer of the future as this virtual healthcare ecosystem continues to evolve. What will not change is the importance of using data to understand the market segments and message to them appropriately. Additionally, each marketer needs to be customer-centric and have a deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities for their product to best meet the needs of the patient.
Put simply, pharma marketers need to rethink their role in the marketplace, says Craig Moore, executive creative director, multichannel services, Avant Healthcare.
“Where marketing once had the ability to drive the conversation around a therapy or disease state, pharma marketers must now tune in to social media to monitor where the conversation is going and adjust their content accordingly," he says. “They can now think of themselves as shifting from salespeople to content publishers, or creators of highly engaging content that delivers real value to HCPs."
Along with adopting technology, telling good patient stories will also be part of the success equation in the future. In the coming years, pharma marketers will continue to adopt tech trends — immersive experiences, gamification, and whatever the future brings — but the innovative emphasis will always be on telling customer stories. It’s getting increasingly difficult to “wow" people with technological wizardry, but using those innovative technologies to tell a compelling, authentic story is an approach that will win in the future, Mr. Moore says.
Marketing professionals will need to be agile and flexible with product positioning going forward to accommodate the new virtual reality — a hybrid model that accounts for, accommodates, and optimizes both remote and live scenarios related to the products being promoted.
Savvy marketers need to accept this new norm of virtual digital interaction and realize that it’s not going away, says Gregory T. Simpson, VP, head of marketing at Saama Technologies. “We must all also embrace the technology that is enabling this new reality or be left behind," he says. “We’re not going back to our pre-pandemic way of doing everything in person."
The future will have a new hybrid virtual and in-person model of interacting. Mr. Simpson says marketers need to ask themselves: What does this mean for my new product launches, my product positioning, how I engage with patients and physicians?
Mr. Simpson notes that “change is the only constant" and marketers must continue to adapt their strategies and tactics to address the ever-changing environment in which target audiences live and work.
Another impact of this new virtual era of digital tools is how salesforces will engage with physicians in the future. For example, most HCPs said pharma companies are increasingly providing education on how to better treat patients remotely and help them manage their conditions in light of COVID-19.
Pharma companies are also helping patients understand where they can access labs, infusion centers or imaging centers and offering solutions to HCPs and their practices so they can more easily afford and keep stock of therapies. In the United States, information on affordability programs that pharmaceutical companies offer has been particularly helpful.
According to a report by Accenture, COVID-19 has had a direct impact on HCP behavior and therefore altered the sales rep communication role. Before COVID-19, 64% of HCP meetings with pharma sales reps were held in person.
During the pandemic, this shifted to 65% of meetings held virtually. Many of the HCPs reported that they expect restrictions in access to healthcare facilities will continue for some time — perhaps even permanently. Indeed, 43% of HCPs said they are currently restricting who can enter the office for professional reasons (i.e., no pharmaceutical reps). Twenty-eight percent of those with restrictions said they believe it is something they may implement permanently and another 44% said they would keep the restrictions “for the foreseeable future."
But the report finds that HCPs still want to learn about new treatments and interact with pharma sales reps — they just want to do so in different ways; 88% of the HCPs surveyed said they want to hear about new treatments despite being amidst the pandemic. Four in 10 HCPs said the likelihood of starting a patient on a new treatment has increased, as they have a greater ability to monitor patient response, more access to information on new treatments, and more time to learn about them.
And, in fact, 61% said they are interacting with pharma sales reps more during COVID-19 than they did before. But they want pharma sales reps to have a better understanding of their needs and the needs of their patients. For example, 58% said they have been spammed by a pharmaceutical company.
Mr. Shawah suggests that with in-person access still limited, digital channels like remote meetings, email, and virtual events will complement face-to-face visits in a much bigger way and provide an alternative to better engaging HCPs. There’s been a dramatic shift in the use of remote meetings, for example, as the best way to connect with doctors. The number of virtual meetings has increased nearly nine times, with biopharma companies interacting with hundreds of thousands of HCPs online since March.
“Rep engagements with doctors are lasting longer and are more in-depth — an average 19 minutes versus the typical six-minute sales visit," Mr. Shawah says. “Field teams are also leveraging email more as another convenient and efficient way to connect with doctors. Email is providing reps additional opportunities to stay engaged. In fact, many HCPs prefer email to other forms of engagement."
This shift to digital creates a greater need for more content. When you consider that during a remote meeting, content is used 80% of the time, versus only 20% of the time face-to-face, the industry will have to focus on delivering even more valuable content.
Digital is driving many companies to adopt a modular content approach — or creating bite-sized content that tells a cohesive story, from text and images to graphics, charts, and tailored social media. Modular content will be key for reps to engage in relevant conversations with HCPs at the right time over email or during a remote meeting.
With limited HCP access, the digital opportunity for reps is to stay engaged and maintain deeper, sustained relationships with customers. And engaging doctors becomes a much more iterative, storytelling approach with modular content.
This helps sales representatives build upon each HCP engagement and bring customers along their journey in a much more effective way, no matter what their engagement preference is — face-to-face or virtual.
What’s Ahead for Virtual Engagement
The trick is for life-sciences companies to prepare to be adaptable and innovative and take advantage of the many opportunities to thrive in this virtual future. COVID-19 opened the door to digital transformation and now the shift toward remote engagement is gaining serious traction.
With newfound flexibility to engage customers on their terms and get doctors the information they need when they need it, the new virtual reality in life sciences will be its greatest era of effectiveness and efficiency in serving its many customers, Mr. Shawah says.
“But for this virtual reality to take hold, rep relationships will be key to opening the door and sustaining more digital opportunities with HCPs," he adds. “While conventional thinking says that more use of digital channels could lead to fewer salespeople, the rep relationship with HCPs will be key to driving digital adoption, making the role of the rep more important than ever."
There will be some digital natives among doctors who want every engagement to be digital. But how a rep works in the new virtual reality will be much more blended because the majority of HCPs will require a mix of digital and in-person interactions. “The rep relationship will be the difference between sustaining digital engagement or losing it," Mr. Shawah says.
The rep will advance new digital approaches throughout the industry and every organization’s digital success will be tightly linked to the strength of their relationships with HCPs. In turn, Mr. Shawah says, digital will create opportunities for reps to connect with customers they haven’t spoken with for years or reach new customers that were never accessible before.
The pandemic has been an engine for innovation in pharma marketing and there’s no going back, Mr. Moore adds. “Going into 2021 and beyond, we’re going to see a further democratization of content through things like HCP-focused social media platforms — SERMO, Doximity, and Figure1," he says. “HCPs are now empowered to have whatever discussion about a drug they prefer, and they will likely value that discussion more than any carefully crafted marketing message."
Mr. Moore describes the new virtual reality in pharma marketing like this: the didactic will be interactive, the guided will be self-guided, the scheduled will be on-demand, and most in-person interactions will become virtual.
Forced into more use by the pandemic, the possibilities for a better future through virtual and digital methods are limitless, unlike traditional face-to-face meetings and events.
Through virtual, pharma can provide pertinent content to specific audiences, giving them a much better chance of reaching the desired target audience.(PV)
A Shift in the Mix
According to a recent Accenture survey, there has been a positive shift in the pharma/physician engagement dynamic.
Key Finding No. 1
COVID-19 is driving lasting changes in what healthcare providers need and value.
Key Finding No. 2
Pharma companies are starting to redefine their relevance in this new landscape, and healthcare providers are seeing the value.
Key Finding No. 3
Virtual engagement with pharma field reps is here to stay, requiring new ways of creating meaningful connections.


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For well over a year now, Fortnite players who opted to use their PlayStation 4 were out of luck if they wanted to rep their same account on another platform. PlayStation and Sony seemed adamant to hold onto as big a piece of the Fortnite pie as they could by restricting players from moving their accounts onto other platforms like Xbox One or Nintendo Switch.
That’s now changed, thanks to an update from the official PlayStation Blog. Fortnite cross-play from PlayStation to all other major platforms has been enabled, letting players battle royale it out with all their friends.
While the cross-play functionality isn’t 100 percent ready yet, the good news is that players will be able to join a beta for the feature starting today. Fortnite will be available to cross-play between PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Android, iOS, Windows, and Mac.
“Today, the communities around some games have evolved to the point where cross-platform experiences add significant value to players,” the blog states. “In recognition of this, we have completed a thorough analysis of the business mechanics required to ensure that the PlayStation experience for our users remains intact today, and in the future, as we look to open up the platform.”
When PlayStation adds cross-play to Fortnite so you can have the ultimate battle royale pic.twitter.com/AguFT6bmyR— GameSpot (@GameSpot) September 26, 2018
By Sony Interactive Entertainment’s own admission, this is a huge shift for them as a company. Previously, Sony blocked the use of Fortnite accounts between the PS4 and any other console, meaning players had to restart their progression and purchase their favorite cosmetics all over again.
Many report that cross-play functionality between consoles (and not just for Fortnite) has been a possibility for a while now; it’s just been up to the dominant companies to press the right buttons. Microsoft attempted to pressure Sony into allowing cross-play earlier this year, stating that its offer to coordinate with Sony was still on the table. Back in June 2017, Sony made a meager attempt to justify the blocking of cross-play on titles like Fortnite, Rocket League, and Minecraft to Eurogamer: “Exposing what in many cases are children to external influences we have no ability to manage or look after, it’s something we have to think about very carefully.”
Competition breeds excellence— Jack “CouRage” Dunlop (@CouRageJD) September 26, 2018
The groundbreaking Fortnite cross-platform announcement will only make other top Battle Royale games have to improve.
I’m excited for the future of Fortnite, Blackout, and PUBG because all developers must continue innovating to keep players happy.
Sony has yet to say if this cross-play functionality will extend to other titles, merely mentioning in its blog post that it will update the community “going forward.”
Update 2:25pm CT, Sept. 26: Epic Games has clarified that it is working on a way for players to combine their purchases from their PlayStation Fortnite accounts with all their other accounts. Epic says that update will be coming in November.
Epic also stated that it’s working on a way for players to unlink their consoles from one Fortnite account and link up a different one. Epic says that will be coming in a matter of days.
1) An account-merging feature to combine Battle Royale purchases, coming in November.— Fortnite (@FortniteGame) September 26, 2018
2) Enabling unlinking a console from one Fortnite account, and relinking to another Fortnite account. Coming in a few days.


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Man held over Burswood jewellery theft
Police have arrested a 29-year-old man over the brazen theft of hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of jewellery from Burswood Casino last night.
According to Insp. Barry Mann, items valued at about $300,000 were allegedly stolen from a display cabinet at the casino about 9.30pm.
Insp. Mann said most of the jewellery had been recovered.
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Will Toshiba stay afloat amid its financial troubles? Its nuclear business has folded but the Japanese firm fights on through its microchip business.
Former electronics giant Toshiba is in dire straits, and some are beginning to doubt its ability to stay in business. Earlier this year, Toshiba had announced that its nuclear business in the U.S., Westinghouse, had filed for bankruptcy.
The company now hopes to recover financially through the sale of a majority stake in its microchip business, Toshiba Memory Corp. Despite its troubles, Toshiba’s microchip group is making money and is the second most successful in the world after Samsung.
Yahoo Finance reported that after months of speculation, Toshiba announced that it has picked the winning bidder: Innovation Network Corp. of Japan, Bain Capital Private Equity and the Development Bank of Japan. Analysts say Toshiba may have chosen the consortium over other bidders as a way to keep the microchip technology within Japan. The consortium has offered a bid of $18 billion for the sale.
If you own shares in Toshiba or some other cash-strapped company, how do you know when to sell or hold onto their stocks? Investopedia provides many tips on how to decide when to buy, hold, or sell stocks. One is to look at a company’s sales history. If a company shows continuing growth for the past year and in the last quarter (you may have to look quarter by quarter) then that’s a good indicator to buy.
Second, look at the guidance for future earnings that the company releases to Wall Street. Would the numbers impress Wall Street and its analysts? For this, one can consider the long-term. A temporary dip is excusable if the long-term prospects look all right.
Third, watch out for fraud and lack of transparency. Sell stocks in such a case. For example, Toshiba admitted that it overstated profits for seven years, prompting the resignation of its CEO in 2015. Knowing when to sell, hold, or buy is not an exact science. It requires knowledge, experience, and good advice, so due diligence plus trustworthy, competent advisors are a must.


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Intex has entered the smartwatch race with the launch of their first watch. the iRist. The new smartwatch was announced at the Mobile World Congress Shanghai. The smartwatch is powered by Android and comes with 1.56 inch display with a resolution of 240×240 pixels resolution along with sapphire glass. It is powered by a 1.2GHz dual-core MediaTek MT6572 processor with 512MB of RAM and runs on Android KitKat 4.4.2.
There is 4GB internal storage included in the watch.
The iRist comes with a single SIM card slot which supports 3G and it can also be used as a standalone device to make and receive calls as well as send text messages. There is also a built in dialer app. The watch features a 5MP camera with different modes included and can also record videos. The watch comes with a 600mAh battery which will provide 240 minutes of talk time and 200 hours of stand by time according to the company.
The watch is also water and dust resistance and there are three color options to choose from: Black, Pink and Orange.
On the connectivity front, the watch features HSPA, Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Hotspot, Bluetooth, GPS, USB. The watch is priced Rs 11999 and will be available online exclusively on eBay India. It will also be available in retail stores by the end of August.


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CEO of ITC Luxury Travel Jennifer Atkinson says Barbados is still ITC’s number one destination. (Picture by Ricardo Leacock)
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A UK-BASED luxury travel company has credited Barbados for a huge turnaround in its fortunes over the past few years.
According to ITC Luxury Travel’s chief executive officer Jennifer Atkinson, while the tour operator offers holidays to any destination in the world, Barbados is still its number one selling destination.
Speaking to the WEEKEND NATION during a cocktail reception at Fusion Restaurant, Limegrove Centre, Atkinson reported that the company had achieved its most successful year to date.
She said although ITC provided holidays to exotic places such as Dubai, the Maldives, Galapagos Islands, Alaska and Halkidiki, Greece, travellers still preferred to visit Barbados. (RB)
Please read the full story in today’s Weekend Nation, or in the eNATION edition.


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Coca-Cola is making a big move toward light-duty fleet electrification with the announcement that the company is deploying 100 new 2014 Chevrolet Express service vans featuring hybrid-electric powertrains from XL Hybrids.
Coca-Cola – which has already initiated heavy-duty fleet electrification with plug-in electric vehicles in greater San Francisco – found that initial tests of vehicles using XL Hybrids’ technology showed fuel-consumption reductions of 15% to 20% versus existing vans. That pilot program took place over the course of a year within the fleet’s normal service operations, Justin Ashton, XL Hybrids’ co-founder and VP of business development, tells NGT News.
The Express 3500 vans that Coca-Cola specifies for its fleet would normally use the 6.0-liter GM engine. But the integration of the hybrid powertrain enabled the company to procure vans with the 4.8-liter engine instead, saving Coca-Cola about $1,000 per unit. It was possible to use the smaller engine by virtue of the added electric torque provided by XL Hybrids’ system: up to 280 lb.-ft. extra.
A notable aspect of the deployment is that Coca-Cola needed to secure 100 new service vans, of any kind, as a part of its regular fleet-replacement plans. Based on the fuel-efficiency results of the pilot program and the competitive pricing of the hybrid powertrain, the fleet opted to integrate the XL Hybrids system in every van – without the support of grant funds or other incentives.
‘It’s all return-on-investment,’ Ashton says, estimating that the payback period for the hybridization is three to four years per vehicle.
All of the new hybrid vans will be in service nationwide by the end of this month. The vehicle conversions began recently, with Knapheide handling the upfits through GM’s ship-through process.
XL Hybrids also has an installation partnership and distribution agreement with Leggett & Platt Commercial Vehicle Products (CVP).


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Remarks by CEO led some to believe the publisher was privy to iPad details before the launch, but that wasn't the case. It was never part of the event to begin with, says a spokesman.
The publisher's top executive, Chairman and CEO Terry McGraw, also tells CNBC that there will be college textbooks on the device.
The startup, founded by a former Apple executive, also has allowed users to search via Google within titles made using its technology.
Terry McGraw, CEO of textbook publisher McGraw-Hill, says Apple's new digital textbook offering was Jobs' idea.
Company's iBooks Author application is also popular, tallying 90,000 downloads so far, according to a report from Global Equities Research.
Tech titan expected to unveil tool for creating interactive e-books and expand its platform for distributing them, sources tell Ars Technica.
The company says the new "experience" for kids will be much better than what they find with traditional textbooks.
Company announces today iBooks 2, a "new textbook experience" for the iPad and Apple's attempt to bury traditional schoolbooks.
Makeshift vigils adorn the outside of various Apple stores in Manhattan as people pay their respects to the Apple co-founder.
Put that credit card back in your wallet! Today's deals--starting with a $2 Amazon MP3 credit--won't cost you one thin dime.


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In today’s rapid-fire world of communications, brand reputations can be torn down in a moment by a single tweet or Facebook post. One of the major facets of being prepared for such a crisis is having a staff that’s ready to respond and rebuild at a moment’s notice. To investigate the process behind preparing staff for a calamity, PR News opened its Crisis Management Boot Camp on Feb. 23 with a session on building a flameproof crisis team.
Stories by Sophie Maerowitz
With several months left before the chill lifts for much of the country, it can be easy to slip into the winter blues during the work week (that is, unless you’re joining us in sunny SoCal next week at PR News’ Digital Summit & Crisis Management Boot Camp, Feb. 23-24 in Huntington Beach, CA). To ease your winter blues, we asked PR News’ Twitter followers to share the mantras and inspirational quotes that help them stay motivated.
During the the 2017 Grammy Awards ceremony, Nike premiered its star-studded “Equality” ad, part of its newest campaign calling for racial and social equality on and off the court. Nike made its campaign as much a part of the conversation leading up to the Grammys as whether Adele or Beyoncé would sweep their respective categories. So how did Nike, a shoe brand, make sure that it shone nearly as bright as Beyoncé’s golden goddess costume during the festivities? Here’s a look at Nike’s strategic execution of the “Equality” campaign leading up to, during and following the Grammy ceremony.
If you’re trapped at the airport or at home in the first (and hopefully last) blizzard of 2017, PR News has you covered with reading material: These sunny influencer tips from the Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board will have you thinking of warmer days in no time. Bill Karz, vice president of digital marketing at L.A. Tourism and Convention Board, shares influencer tactics as a sneak peak of his session at PR News’ Digital Summit, Feb. 24 in Huntington Beach, CA.
The top social platforms see upward of 22 billion video views per day.That number is expected to climb this year. PR pros who haven’t yet integrated video into their campaign strategy are likely missing out on reaching significant portions of their audiences. But that doesn’t mean they should jump into video without a solid game plan or expect to go viral on their first attempt.
Smart brands keep their separate channel audiences in mind and develop content with a specific purpose for each channel. One such brand, Boingo Wireless, uses Facebook to repost content that reflects its audience’s interests, Instagram to share behind-the-scenes moments, Twitter to showcase thought leadership and Spotify as a space for users to have fun and blow off steam.
Beyoncé announced on Instagram that she is once again pregnant, a revelation that sent the social media world into a frenzy. The post, a photo of the star posing nearly nude holding her belly, won 6.4 million likes and broke the record for most-liked post on Instagram (the previous record holder was Selena Gomez, with 6.3 million likes). While most PR pros probably can’t claim the nearly 100 million Instagram followers the pop icon boasts, here are a few major takeaways to consider the next time your brand has a big announcement.
With an ever-shrinking pool of full-time journalists to pitch to, it’s harder than ever to get your brand messages heard and covered by the media. As a result, some PR pros have turned away from traditional PR pitching and are taking a new approach: earning media with video content. In this video, Doug Simon, president and CEO of D S Simon Media, interviews Michael Smart, principal of MichaelSMARTPR, on using video to earn media.
James Chong, senior manager of social customer engagement at TOMS, is tasked with managing TOMS’ social budget while spreading its cause-related messaging to new audiences. Chong, who will be speaking at PR News’ Digital Summit Feb. 24 in Huntington Beach, CA, shares the arguments for paid social that he’s made to senior leaders.
Social platforms are in a constant state of evolution, with new features being rolled out at a breakneck pace. And every brand can benefit from keeping an eye out for upcoming social platform updates and trends. Yelp, for instance, with its diverse audience of businesses and consumers, prioritizes staying current to ensure it serves content in the most engaging way possible. John Carroll, manager of local outreach at Yelp, will be speaking on what’s next in social at PR News’ Digital Summit, Feb. 24 in Huntington Beach, CA. He shares seven trends in social media to be on the look for in 2017.


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This is the second contract to be awarded to the Newport (East Yorkshire) based company in as many months.
Following on from the news that Activ was to become the national UK installer for RODA Energy, the company now can announce a similar role for the Devon based lighting manufacturer Earlsmann Lighting who work with RODA to provide innovative LED based solutions.
Sales Director, Simon Thornton says “we recently met Mike and his team and were impressed by how quickly they can respond to the demands placed on them, many of our clients already have their own installers, but we regularly get asked if we can recommend someone ”.
The move also sees Activ taking on support and supply for Earlsmann products through the north of England and Scotland. “Hopefully it will make getting our products much easier as we now effectively have two stock holding sites and two technical bases that link back to our own manufacturing and R&D site” says Managing Director, Alan Thornton.
“Stock holding on site is of course limited as many of the Earlsmann products are semi-bespoke manufactured” says Activ Director, Mike Harlington, “but we aim to keep some standard items in stock at all times allowing us to support Earlsmann, RODA and the local tradesman. “


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Social media and streaming platforms are struggling to determine the best ways to verify a user’s age.
Companies are trying to figure out the best ways to verify a user’s age as parents and lawmakers grow increasingly concerned about the way children and teenagers use online services.
Tech giants are scrambling to update their privacy rules for young users in order to comply with new regulations from the United Kingdom and California focused on teens’ online privacy and well-being.
Historically, when Europe passes new data laws, the U.S. and other Western countries have eventually followed suit. So it’s likely that the U.K.’s pending Age Appropriate Design Code will set a new global standard for the treatment of children’s data.
California’s new law aimed at improving online privacy and safety for children has the industry on edge and critics warning of disruptions to the internet — but advocates say most users won’t see big changes.
Worries and the new laws have pushed companies to try new processes for ensuring underage users aren’t getting onto sites and services meant for older people.
Age verification and age estimation are just one part of an attempt to make tech safer for kids as complaints grow over mental health harms, privacy trespasses, and more.
Platforms are deploying age verification techniques in the absence of uniform laws or broadly accepted guidelines for how to do so without violating privacy or leaving giant loopholes.
Experts say that age verification seems like an easy and reasonable ask, but it is not that simple online as it is in real life. Online, there are no real people checking every ID, and it instead involves a technological intermediary to get a best guess at how old the user is.
Platforms that seek to boost their user totals have a built-in disincentive to get too rigorous about age verification: More checks mean fewer users for advertisers to reach.
Companies are also concerned about having to take too much data from users to verify age.
Spurred by existing and potential laws, platforms are taking pains to show they’re being responsible about age-appropriate content on their sites, with varying approaches.
There are no agreed-upon guidelines for the accuracy or protection of civil rights in gauging the ages of online users.


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When Tempe Farmers Market debuted at the corner of University Drive and Farmer Street in 2009, the view across the street was of an empty dirt lot. Now, Whole Foods and new luxury apartments tower over the one-story building it occupies. But the small market still proudly stands.
More of a convenience store than a traditional farmers market, Tempe Farmers Market sells locally made groceries — bread, tortillas, peanut butter, brownies, kombucha, honey, coffee beans — in addition to farm-fresh produce. You can grab a coffee or a tea or an organic smoothie, and there's a little vegan deli inside.
Lately, though, the business has been expanding in a few directions. Since February, owners Stacey and Daryle Dutton have been hosting local artists and vintage vendors outside their market every Saturday evening. The two started the outdoor market in February after seeing a need for a community gathering place after all the social distancing of the past year. They also wanted to create a spot where artists who suffered financially during the pandemic could start earning money again.
They call it Tempe Farmers Market Saturdays After Dark.
“People are excited and grateful to have something to do that's outside and different,” Stacey says. “There's definitely been a real hunger for people to get out, especially, you know, feeling like you've been inside the whole year.”
The evening market starts after the sun sets on Saturday and closes around 11 p.m. or midnight. You'll typically find eight to 10 vendors hawking their goods — be it vintage furniture, clothing, artwork, or jewelry — under golden string lights that hang over the space. There's music, mingling, kids pitter-pattering in the background. Visitors can snag $3 beers, $7 cocktails, and food while perusing the stands.
Among the artists showing on a recent Saturday was Patricia “Patty” Pino. Originally from Long Beach, California, Pino now lives in Tempe and works in a variety of art mediums. She makes cardboard cutouts and paints on canvas or slabs of drywall. She gravitates toward drawing noses and missing teeth because she likes “people’s imperfections.” (Her art name is “Bananas n Cucumbers.”)
Another vendor, Nicholas Liberatore II, lights up the market with vintage lamps, “swag lights” and other treasures, including art, clothing, chairs, kitchenware, and architectural salvage.
He earned his bachelor’s degree in interior design from Arizona State University, but his passion for selling vintage started with a sticker collection from his childhood, which was largely made up of BMX stickers from his years professionally racing. Once he retired from the industry at 27, he began selling his old sticker collection, BMX parts, and BMX uniforms online. From there he utilized his education to hunt down vintage furniture and pieces with a mid-century modern bent to them.
“If it’s cool and it catches my eye, then I will sell it,” says Liberatore, who has spent the past 12 years finding and selling items online. “I can see a thing a mile away [and know] that it's something that's high design."
Along with Tempe Farmers Market co-owner Daryle Dutton, Liberatore intends to open a vintage storefront just down the street, at 511 W. University Drive. Dutton says the vintage store will provide a gallery space for local artists to sell their work in the area.
Tempe Farmers Market also plans to reopen its speakeasy bar, Stacey says. The Dark Side, as it's known, is located on the east side of the market and has a separate entrance.
Prior to the pandemic, the bar served craft cocktails, beer, and mocktails, and local musicians played on the weekends. There were jazz nights on Fridays, different local bands on Saturdays, and an open mic on Sundays.
The Duttons curbed service during the pandemic, but the plan is to open The Dark Side up again this fall, Stacey says.
Tempe Farmers Market
805 South Farmer Avenue, 480-557-9970
Open daily 8 a.m. to 11 p.m.


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Amazon once tried to release its own phone, but it proved a failure. Amazon is trying the venture once again as a feature on its smart assistant Alexa called “Alexa Calling. Alexa Calling allows users to send free voice calls and messages through Echo devices. It does not come as a surprise, however, that there is a design flaw, this one related to privacy. The Tech Portal explains more about the privacy issue in, “Privacy Flaw: Why You Should Think Twice Before Enabling Alexa Calling?”
It seems like enable Alexa Calling would be a good idea. You could call or text anyone for free without evening picking up a phone. The problem is that when the feature is enabled, anyone can access your contacts list if they can access the speaker. They will also be able to listen to calls and messages. Even worse is that Alexa Calling does not allow users to curate their contact list, rather everyone is added.
The absolute worst problem is this:
What’s even more creepy (at least I think it is) is the fact, if you have blocked someone’s number on your phone, won’t matter when s/he calls on the Echo device. YES, they can call and you can do absolutely nothing as of now to prevent this from happening. This is because Alexa just uses your number and not your phone and the settings for voice calls. Hence, you cannot block the incoming calls at all.
When Amazon was asked about blocking unwanted callers on Alexa Calling, their reply was there currently was not any way to do it. Good job Amazon, another failure in communication.
Whitney Grace, May 25, 2017