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KINGSTON, July 3 (JIS): Tourism and Entertainment Minister, Hon. Dr. Wykeham McNeill, says the strengthening of linkages between tourism and agriculture has the potential to boost both sectors and reduce the country’s food import bill.
He said a demand study conducted by the Tourism Linkages Hub, housed in the Ministry, indicates that tourism can potentially generate the “greatest benefits” for farmers and the suppliers of local produce.
Dr. McNeill was addressing tourism and agriculture interests at the first in a series of Tourism Linkages Hub stakeholders’ consultations held recently at the Golf View Hotel in Mandeville, Manchester.
Noting that the tourism industry is “doing quite well,” welcoming some 3.5 million stopover and cruise ship visitors over the past two years, he said the sector has also attracted “significant levels of investments” with an additional 5,500 hotel rooms earmarked for development over the next three years.
Dr. McNeill said the Government is looking to translate the success of the sector to other segments of the society, including the agricultural sector.
He argued that by producing food and selling it to the hotels, attractions, and guest houses, the money stays in Jamaica and reduces imports.
“That’s what we want to do…that’s how we are going to grow the economy of Jamaica, and that’s how we are going to enrich Jamaicans,” the Minister said.
Dr. McNeill said that for the linkage to work, all stakeholders must collaborate to determine the produce needed, and how these will the supplied in terms of volume, quality, cost, and timelines.
“I have said to the hub that we are going to put the systems in place. They have done the demand study; I have gone through it… (but) more work needs to be done; we are going to have to drill down even more into this area (agriculture),” Dr. McNeill said.
“The opportunities are there; it’s up to us to really push and do it,” he added.
In his remarks, Agriculture, Labour and Social Security Minister, Hon. Derrick Kellier, said the agro-tourism linkage is an idea “whose time has come.”
He commended Dr. McNeill on his vision to establish the linkages hub, and the focus on increasing the supply of local produce to the tourism market.
“Dr. McNeill and his team truly understand that cuisine is, indeed, a major component of the tourism and hospitality industry, and that market, therefore, is an attractive and lucrative one for the agricultural sector,” he noted.
Mr. Kellier said a close examination of Jamaica’s high food import bill shows that a large proportion of the products brought in goes to the tourism sector.
“We believe, however, that Jamaican produce and our renowned cuisine must be a part of the menu provided in our hotels and resorts. We, therefore, welcome every strategy that will enable us to increase our supply to a market that has come right into our front room,” he stated.
Mr. Kellier added that: “Jamaica can only prosper on a sustainable basis when we develop and maintain linkages to ensure that every industry and economic activity allows as many people as possible, to prosper.”
Over 50 representatives of public and private sector institutions and interests attended the meeting.


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If the concept of watching other people play video games seems stupid, then you might want to look at the salaries top e-sport gamers are commanding.
Carlos Rodriguez Santiago – or Ocelote as he is known in the e-sports world – was one of the top players and biggest brands ever. He started his championship-winning career at the age of 16. He has now retired at the grand old age of 24, after earning around 700,000 euros ($773,108) a year playing games.
The e-spart tournaments involve teams playing each other in popular fantasy titles such as “League of Legends” or “World of Warcraft”, while avid fans around the world watch over the internet. Twitch – the company Amazon bought for $970 million – is the most popular live game-streaming website. It said that in July more than 55 million unique visitors viewed more than 15 billion minutes of content, highlighting how engaged users are with e-sports.
“The good thing is that we have hit mainstream already. It is not just guys playing video games it’s about the ecosystem around the audience and content generation,” Sebastien Radu, managing director of ESL Spain, a company that organizes some of the world’s biggest e-sports tournaments, told CNBC at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. Radu added that some players could also earn in excess of $1 million.
So how are players making money?
The three main revenue streams for a player are sponsorships, prize money and salaries from the teams you belong to. Giant companies like Intel are invested and is sponsoring the Intel Extreme Masters World Championship in Poland next week, as the appeal of e-sports for advertisers continues to increase.
Prize money is also on the rise and ESL has committed a pool of $1 million across it’s five tournaments this year.
But it’s not all glamor and big paychecks. Just like many sports, if you’re not on top form, your income could be turbulent.
“As a player, it is a very volatile industry, it is not something reliable. As a player, maybe one year people love you at your peak, but then the next you’re not so good,” Santiago told CNBC.
Santiago’s gaming alias Ocelote became a major brand. Just before he retired last month, the e-sports player started his own club. A club owner will bring players under their wing and form teams that they can send to tournaments. Santiago also said that his players train eight to 12 hours every day.
The club owner is responsible for paying the players salaries and can even buy players from others clubs – just like in soccer. There are even anti-poaching rules in place. To make money, clubs could take a cut of players’ winnings and also earn sponsorship revenue.
Because of the major brand Ocelote is, Santiago said this allowed him to find the best players.
‘Multibillion dollar business’
E-sports has become a lot more professional in its organisation, Radu said, and as this continues, even average players will begin to earn big salaries.
“I do expect a leveling of that income and that is close to happening,” Radu told CNBC.
“If you look at the average number it is hugely higher than the previous years, maybe 200,000 euros a year on average. Before it was something like 10,000 euros per year about five years ago. There is huge growth here.”
And as for the future of e-sports? “We are not even close to reaching the top,” Radu said.
“Right now we are just hitting mainstream and the vision for the next the years is a multibillion dollar business.”

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The rise of CBD is seeing researchers explore some of the other cannabinoids, including CBG.
CBG or cannabigerol is known as the ‘stem cell cannabinoid’ as it is the precursor to CBD, THC and all the other cannabinoids.
It is increasingly commonplace to find CBD products that contain high levels of CBG, particularly in the States.
Strength in numbers
CBD is the second-most abundant cannabinoid in the cannabis plant after THC.
This makes it relatively cheap to produce, with savings passed on to the customer.
On the other hand, cannabis plants typically contain less than 1% CBG, so high-CBG products can come as a premium.
The cost is coming down though as CBD companies seek to expand their ranges and stand out from the competition.
CBD has been touted as a treatment for everything from addiction to fibromyalgia. But as promising as it may be, there are still only two MHRA and FDA-approved CBD medicines.
Epidyolex is a pure form of CBD used to treat two rare types of epilepsy while CBD:THC drug Sativex can mitigate MS-related muscle spasticity.
While there are not yet any approved CBG medicines, the cannabinoid has shown potential in fighting the symptons Huntington’s Disease and Parkinson’s due its neuroprotective properties shown in rodent trials.
It may also help protect athletes who are subjected to repeat concussions, such as wrestlers and NFL players.
The next generation of antibiotics?
Both CBD and CBG have been shown to fight antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
In a recent Australian study, synthetic CBD killed the bacteria responsible for gonorrhoea, meningitis and legionnaires disease.
The laboratory research has been heralded as a potential medical breakthrough, with drug-resistant infections set to cause 10 million deaths by 2050.
A 2020 study by McMaster University in Canada showed that cannabigerol prevented bacteria from creating biofilms and destroyed antibiotic-resistant cells.


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7 days to go before the next Meizu is announced at the “Connected” launch so what new details have leaks and spy photos of the Meizu m1 mini revealed?
With the run up to any launch the number of leaks and spy photos increase as the big day draws closer, and it is no different with the release of the Meizu m1 mini.
On the 28th January Meizu will hold the “Connected” event, where we expect to hear Meizu’s plans for their Haier deal, possibly get to see some smart home appliance, maybe learn something about fitness and more than likely see the all new Meizu m1 mini phone.
Recent photos show that the Meizu m1 mini might actually be smaller then we had expected, and even have a screen size below that of the MX3! The above photo comes from a phone market in China where covers for the m1 mini are already on sale and detail a 4.7-inch display. A screen of that size along with Meizu’s famous narrow bezels would make for a very comfortable phone. The screen size also has us believe that the panel on the m1 mini will be a 720hd model rather than 1080 (more common and cheaper at this size) and could mean the 64bit processor inside the phone is an MT6732 rather than octacore MT6752.
Gizchina News of the week
Another spy photo shows the rear of a yellow Meizu m1 mini. This time the photo confirms a similar plastic body construction to the Meizu m1 note, and also shows a single LED flash rather than a dual LED flash set up. Camera specs are not yet revealed, but a good 8 mega-pixel (like the one found on the Meizu MX3) would be a good option.
We’ll keep reporting all the latest Meizu news as we get it.


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In this section, we’ll turn to intermodal, another major segment for US railroads. The intermodal business involves cargo movement in an intermodal container using various transportation modes like ship, rail, and truck. The US railroads’ (XLI) intermodal segment mainly competes with trucking companies.
In recent quarters, intermodal revenues assumed considerable importance due to weakness in revenues from hauling energy commodities.
Eastern US railroads’ intermodal revenue
Major Eastern US railroad, Norfolk Southern (NSC), recorded the second-highest rise in 2Q17 intermodal revenues. The company said revenues jumped 10% to $593.0 million from $538.0 million in last year’s second quarter. The steady pace of highway-to-rail conversions coupled with new shipping partners on the East Coast boosted NSC’s intermodal revenues.
CEO Hunter Harrison led CSX (CSX) with a 7% rise in its 2Q17 intermodal revenues to $448.0 million from $419.0 million in the corresponding quarter last year. New customer additions in international intermodal along with the sustained growth of highway-to-rail conversions pushed CSX’s intermodal revenues.
Canadian National Railway (CNI) topped the peer group in intermodal revenue growth in 2Q17. Said revenues rose 17% to $815.0 million Canadian dollars from $697.0 million Canadian dollars in the same quarter last year. Increased domestic retail volumes along with higher traffic at the ports of Prince Rupert, Halifax, Vancouver, and Montreal led the rise. Competitor Canadian Pacific Railway’s (CP) same-segment revenues rose 8% in 2Q17 to $338.0 million Canadian dollars from $314.0 million Canadian dollars a year earlier.
The US’s largest short-line operator, Genesee & Wyoming (GWR), recorded a sharp fall in 2Q17 intermodal revenues. GWR’s intermodal revenues fell 9% to $78.2 million from $85.9 million in the second quarter last year. Even after acquisitions in Europe, the company’s revenues fell in the reported quarter.
Kansas City Southern (KSU) was the second railroad to report a 1% loss in 2Q17 intermodal revenues. Fierce competition from trucking companies in KSU’s Mexican operations resulted in the loss of intermodal business.
Western US railroads’ intermodal revenue
Omaha-headquartered Union Pacific’s (UNP) intermodal revenues rose 3% to $939.0 million in 2Q17 from $909.0 million in 2Q16. Inventory restocking and higher westbound volumes drove the international intermodal revenues for UNP.
The company’s prime competitor in the Western US, BNSF Railway (BRK-B) reported an 8.4% increase in intermodal revenues in 2Q17 to $1.7 billion. BNSF books intermodal revenues in the Consumer Products segment along with automotive revenues. Lower retail inventory stockpiles along with increased market share led to the rise in its intermodal revenues.
Next, we’ll go through these railroads’ volumes changes in 2Q17.


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Wine-Searcher sale in the works for over a year, CEO says
After the news of Wine-Searcher’s acquisition by Flaviar Inc broke earlier this week, CEO Julian Perry spoke to db about taking the search engine “to the next level”.
Julian Perry, who has been CEO at Wine-Searcher since April 2018, told the drinks business that the company had been actively looking for a mergers and acquisitions (M&A) partner since last year.
“We had been approached many times over the preceding years but a satisfactory partner and deal had not been found, so we decided to run a more structured process working with FinnCap Cavendish in London.”
He noted that founder Martin Brown, who retired as company chair in August 2022, “felt it was the right time to step back and find a new partner to take Wine-Searcher to the next level”.
Wine-Searcher has now been acquired by beverage manufacturer and e-commerce company Flaviar Inc, formerly focused on spirits, which is using the purchase to expand into wine.
According to Perry, the two companies began negotiations in January 2023.
Wine-Searcher has already begun new projects with Flaviar, but Perry stressed that the company’s “existing identity, offices, staff” will remain unchanged.
“Wine-Searcher will not be absorbed or merged into Flaviar – rather we will operate within the Flaviar group,” he said. “We have already started on new projects with Flaviar – our technical and business teams are already cooperating in a way that is inspiring for me to witness. We plan to make our platform even more useful and more intuitive for our millions of monthly users.
“Flaviar’s e-commerce and marketing skills – previously focused on spirits – are directly complementary and will allow us to jointly move fast to help the industry by better serving our users.”
Perry also made it clear that the acquisition was not a result of any economic challenges. “The company’s growth has been stable over the years,” he said, saying it continues to maintain “long term strong financial health”.


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The open-world survival horror game P.A.M.E.L.A. will leave early access later this month.
Explore planets on foot in the next major expansion for Elite Dangerous, coming early 2021.
The latest update also adds a new environment and enemy to the mix to keep players on their toes.
Commandeer a drillship and survive on a hostile volcanic island with up to three friends in the new co-op mode for Volcanoids.
Solve puzzles and explore a dreamlike world to recover a young girl’s lost memories in Ever Forward, coming this July.
The modular headphone company is going green by making the switch to more sustainable product materials.
Return to the cyberpunk world of System Shock in the new playable demo of the remaster, available now on PC.
No E3? No problem. The Summer of Gaming event has plenty of exclusive gaming content lined up for June.
Pre-purchase your copy of The Outer Worlds on Nintendo Switch ahead of the game’s launch in June.
This aerial combat simulator will make its way to PS4, Xbox One, and PC later this year.
Update 2 for Comanche is now available, adding a new mission to the game as well as various improvements based on community feedback.
This isometric survival horror game comes to PC first and will arrive on consoles later this year.
Forge and Fight! will be featured as part of the Steam Game Festival Summer Edition next month.
The first update for DOOM Eternal has arrived, adding loads of free content and a new event to the game.
The Brotherhood of Steel is set to make their return to Appalachia, according to the 2020 roadmap.
Check out the first look at Unreal Engine 5 gameplay in a stunning new tech demo running on PS5.
Prepare to get back to the grind when the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 and 2 remake arrives later this year.
Video game studios, publishers, and media have joined forces to create a new online press conference in lieu of E3.
Reconnect with the Bergson family and enjoy new content as part of the free Setting Sun Inn update.
Get your hands on the physical retail version of Streets of Rage 4 this summer on PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC.
Race to the finish line against 40 online opponents when NASCAR Heat 5 releases this summer.
There are discounts galore in Red Dead Online this week, including special perks for Twitch Prime and PS Plus members.
Media Molecule has released a free demo for Dreams, and it’s available now on the PlayStation Store.
Watch the first next-gen gameplay of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla during Microsoft’s Xbox Series X presentation.


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This festive season Godiva is offering an interesting spread of handmade chocolates in its six new collections inspired by the Holy Month
Category - The Good Food Guide
Kababji Grill, the award-winning Lebanese food chain, famous throughout Lebanon, has revealed this year’s Ramadan offers
The award-winning and highly celebrated restaurant, Jean-Georges Dubai, located in the Four Seasons at Jumeirah Beach, is pleased to introduce a series of...
The delicious spread for breakfast buffet is a gastronomical odyssey for those who love to indulge
New menu has some interesting food options for those who like hamburgers
Bistro Des Arts is offering a new spring menu with some wonderful dishes
Royal China Dubai invites you all to celebrate the Chinese New Year at their welcoming and charming restaurant while treating yourself with delicious Chinese...
The Huddle Sports Bar & Grill revealed its new menu to guests earlier this month
Zheng He’s, the contemporary Chinese restaurant, will ring in the Year of the Monkey with a traditional oriental feast
Celebrations galore at Bistro Des Arts with Weekly Raclette Nights and Galette des Rois for children


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Stories tagged: U.S. Secret Service
Fri., March 18, 2016, 11:15 a.m.
Prosecutor: Agents didn’t tamper with Russian man’s computer
Federal prosecutors are challenging claims by a Russian man charged with hacking into U.S. businesses that U.S. Secret Service agents mishandled his laptop, seized when he was arrested.
Sun., Dec. 15, 2013
Banks, credit unions add restrictions to cards in wake of fraud outbreak
Some local credit and debit card holders are discovering new restrictions on how much they can spend in a day on their cards or where they can use them. The …


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Jack Ma, executive chairman of Alibaba Group Holdings Limited, Neil Shen, founding managing partner of Sequoia Capital China, Zhang Xin and Panshiyi, founders of SOHO China are among over two dozens of world business leaders and investors to launch the Breakthrough Energy Coalition, an entity with a mission to invest in clean energy technologies.
The other backers include Microsoft founder Bill Gates, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, Virgin Group founder Richard Branson, and Ratan Tata, chairman emeritus of Tata Sons, according to the coalition’s website.
A number of legendary investors also joined the founding group, including Julian Robertson, founder of Tiger Management, chairman of Soros Fund Management LLC George Soros, Khosla Ventures founder Vinod Khosla, founder of the Children’s Investmnet Fund Chris Hohn, and Ray Dalio, founder of Bridgewater Associates.
According to the coalition’s website, it will invest in ideas that have the potential to transform the way people produce and consume energy.
In a Facebook message, Mark Zeckerberg says that the "progress towards a sustainable energy system is too slow, and the current system doesn’t encourage the kind of innovation that will get us there faster."
It’s not immediately clear how the coalition plan to raise money and how it will invest in clean energy ideas.


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Texas game this weekend expected to bring economic boost
All 303 Overton Hotel rooms booked by March
Football is big business in Lubbock. From T-shirts to hotel rooms, people snatch them up as quickly as possible.
And this weekend is no exception as University of Texas Longhorn fans push into the Hub City.
"This will be the single busiest weekend aside from Texas Tech graduation," said Rob Meyer, president of the Lubbock Hotel/Motel Association and owner of Arbor Inn and Suites.
Tech home games overall inject an average of $6.16 million into the local economy, said John Osborne, president of the Lubbock Economic Development Alliance.
But Tech versus UT likely will see closer to $10 million this weekend, if not more, he predicted, although Osborne has no hard data specific to the contest to rely on.
But, for example, Lubbock hotels have sold out for the weekend.
"I started a waiting list several months ago," Meyer said. "Arbor Inn and Suites sold out of rooms in April. Most people book rooms as soon as the schedule for the next season is released."
The 303 rooms at the Overton Hotel were booked in March, said Andre Smallwood, front office manager.
"We started a waiting list then and have 300 names on the list," he said.
And in most places, guests will pay higher prices for the room and had to book a minimum of two nights.
Because of the lack of space in local inns, the association recommends its members refer guests to surrounding communities, Meyer explained.
"At the Arbor Inn and Suites, we are referring people to Post, Brownfield or Plainview for rooms, depending on where they are traveling from," he said.
Bring folks in, and they have to eat.
David Deason, president of the Lubbock Restaurant Association, predicts a huge weekend for members.
But game time is always a factor.
Saturday's afternoon start will see Orlando's, Caprock Cafe and Double Nickel expecting to double their sales, Deason explained.
Spanky's will double or even triple sales most home game weekends, depending on game time, he added.
Abuelo's expects higher volume Friday and Sunday, but because the game with Texas begins in the middle of the day, the restaurant will lose much of the usual Saturday lunch rush.
"Basically, it will be a wash for us," said Brad Spicer, Abuelo's general manager.
Retail outlets expect to have a boom, too.
Beth Bridges, manager for South Plains Mall, said past surveys reflect much higher retail sales during Tech football home game weekends.
"It is always busier when Tech plays in Lubbock, but when we are playing a big rival like UT, it gets even busier," she said. "There is a regional draw to the UT game as well, and it pulls in a lot of UT fans that are close enough to travel from outside the area."
Out-of-towners aren't the only shoppers.
Some of Lubbock's merchants have loaded up on rivalry T-shirts. Sales always increase for the Texas game, said Stephanie Hartwig, manager of Red Raider Outfitter on Broadway.
"I think everybody has a vendetta against Texas. ... They're just a little bit more arrogant than the other ones," she said. "I think no matter who you are, you all kind of unite against UT for some reason, because you're raised that way if you're any other school. … I think everyone views Texas as their main rival, so that game is always a really big one if you beat them. Everyone wants to beat them."
The store offers various styles of rivalry shirts for the game and the newly released Lone Star Pride gear designed by Under Armour.
Saturday's game theme is Lone Star Pride. People began calling Red Raider Outfitter before the store had the attire in stock.
Greg Gatlin, manager of The Matador, got the store's rivalry shirts in Wednesday.
The "Guns Up, Horns Down," shirts have been a pretty popular seller, so far, he said.
"(Students) want some kind of shirt that's not necessarily trash talk, but you've got to put Texas down a little bit," Gatlin said. "This is a good opportunity to put one of those out. Even if it was an away game, we would put out a shirt and try to sell it Thursday and Friday before the kids left for Austin. We don't do that for any other away game, but if it was OU or Texas was away, usually we still try to do those, because those are big rivalries here."
Chris Toelle, owner of Red & Black, said people probably hate UT more than any other school.
He sells a shirt that says: "I don't often hate, but when I do, I prefer to hate the Texas Longhorns," a parody of "the most interesting man in the world," featured in the Dos Equis ads, Toelle said.
And when the victory follows, shirts fly off the racks.
"It is so important for us to win," Toelle said. "If we don't win, like last year was horrible. People don't buy it. ... When it comes to Texas Tech merchandise, there's one thing that matters - wins and momentum. Momentum, momentum, momentum. If we would've won on Saturday, going into this game, it would have been crazy all week long. Momentum was building."


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On your bike: Royal Mail fights challengers to the last letterbox
Whistl’s failure reveals how the postal giant will not give an inch to rivals
SIX days a week, cyclists clad in green jerseys and laden with bulging pannier bags climb the hills of Bristol, Bath and Edinburgh on their morning rounds.
The Velopost cyclists deliver letters from GP surgeries, dentists, small businesses and councils, each covering about 25 miles in a shift.
Part of a family-owned Somerset printing company, Velopost is one of the newest challengers to Royal Mail’s 500-year dominance of Britain’s postal service.
Set up in 2011 as a response to poor service from the then state-owned behemoth, its 45 posties now deliver about a million letters a year in the three cities and it has plans to expand in Scotland.
“We’ve had amazing feedback from businesses and recipients,” said Joe Broadway, who runs Velopost. He reckons


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Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange platform has revealed her intention to expand to the U.K and become a registered U.K firm in the timeline of the next six to eighteen months in a statement released by the platform’s CEO, despite trading and exchange shutdown orders issued earlier this year in June by the U.K regulatory body.
The U.K regulatory body- Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)- at the moment frowns at most cryptocurrency related services including advertising and selling investments in cryptocurrency assets and exchanges amongst others , consequently it has imposed a list of requirements to be met and stated that its express permission must be obtained before any of such activities can be properly regulated in Britain. In the FCA August 2021 issue , it has stated that with respect to the imposed requirements on Binance Markets Limited, the Exchange has complied with all aspects of the requirement but Binance is still unable to conduct any business in the U.K.
The delay of Binance operations in the U.K can be considered as such as collateral damage in the FCA’s clampdown on crypto exchanges and related service providers.
Binance’s target of being a registered crypto firm in the U.K will facilitate the world’s foremost cryptocurrency exchange to provide a broader spectrum of services and related investment opportunities once it has overcome completely the imposed regulations that has effectively crippled the cryptocurrency industry in the country.
To accomplish these requirements and meet the stipulated timeline, Binance’s CEO Zhao Changpeng has hinted that the company was considering the establishment of an individual stand-alone company to run in the U.K similar to its U.S subsidiary.
Since the notice in June, Binance, according to CEO Zhao Changpeng, has hired a couple hundred ‘expert’ employees from the U.K to staff an office in the U.K to facilitate the approval of the FCA license which the company will subsequently submit an application for.
With approval from the FCA, Binance has the capability of offering products and services which include other crypto derivatives which the regulatory body is clamping down on at the moment.
FCA And Its Stand On Crypto Assets
The FCA has expressed its stand on crypto assets and cryptocurrency derivative services stating that while it doesn’t regulate crypto assets like Bitcoin or Ethereum, it strictly regulates the certain derivatives which include futures contracts, contracts for difference and options, as well as those crypto assets it would consider ‘securities’.
The FCA stated that a firm must be authorized by it to advertise or sell these products in the UK. As a result, the ban on Binance is not a targeted ban but an effect of the rigorous regulations by the firm in the industry generally.
Once the ‘hurdles listed in its regulations have been overcome, then said overcomer can be set to be a registered firm in the U.K setting up a precedence in the industry and breaking the ‘ice’ which is the FDA.


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Teton Valley Community Recycling is inspired by WorldCast Anglers who are leading the way to “Kick Plastic” in Teton Valley. WorldCast purchased this water station that sits outside their shop in Victor. Through this initiative, the small business is eliminating 40-50,000 single serve plastic bottles this summer. Please read below on how TVCR is hoping you will “Bring Your Own Bottle” to the Tin Cup Challenge and take advantage of the JH20 water station on July 16!
This piece orginally appeared in the Teton Valley News July 14, 2016 issue as TVCR’s regular colunm, Recycled News.
By Jeannette Boner
It’s a fact that the human population throws away 200 billion plastic bottles a year. Thirty-five billion of those bottles are thrown away in the United States alone with 10 percent of that plastic ending up in the worlds’ oceans and waterways.
In Victor, Idaho, WorldCast Anglers took note of these staggering figures and then did their own math. Mike Dawes and Mike Dawkins, president and vice president of WorldCast estimated that their small business alone was using 40,000 – 50,000 single serve plastic bottles at the height of the fly-fishing season.
“We would be sifting through the empty plastic water bottles used after a guide trip and would see that the value of waste was disappointing,” said Dawkins last week. “Especially for a company that relies on our natural resources for business, this was disappointing.”
“And the waste from 40,000 – 50,000 bottles of water — is insane,” said Dawkins pausing to think about that number. “These bottles are made from cheap plastic that sits in warehouses with large sways in temperature and these bottles contain BPA that is leeching into the bottled water. You’re not doing yourself a favor by drinking bottled water. It’s harming you and the environment.”
It took a couple years to lay the ground work and a host of business partnerships for WorldCast to launch “Kick Plastic,” a world-wide environmental intuitive lead by Costa Del Mar.
“Costa Del Mar lead with the big push to kick plastic,” said Dawkins. “They made the first assault on single serving plastic waste in the fishing industry. We tried to look at our situation from the 20,000-foot level. This stuff doesn’t get recycled, it’s down-cycled, and part of our strategic statement of our business is that we strive to support our environment. If that’s a core portion of who we are, we need to take stances with single serving bottles.”
Costa Del Mar supported WorldCast by providing the discounted stainless steel water bottles that each client receives before a fishing trip. They also provided the educational support to WorldCast that allows guides to explain the intuitive to sometimes reluctant clients.
And then Yeti Coolers got on board with WorldCast Anglers and provided $25K worth of products to support the Kick Plastic campaign. Yeti gave each guide their own stainless steel water bottle, a growler for refills on the boat and a cooler to keep the water, well, cool.
“This is company policy now that we don’t provide single serving plastic water bottles,” said Dawkins. “If people want it, they can buy it.”
WorldCast Anglers then purchased the water re-fill station that sits outside in front of the store in Victor. After all, said Dawkins, you can’t have 40 guides running into the shop to fill up water bottles and growlers before the start of each day.
“From our perspective, we made a large monetary investment to launch this program and initiative because we need to make a difference,” said Dawkins. “And we hope that by leading by example we can inspire other fly fishing outfitters and service oriented business to make an impact too. If a fly fishing company in Victor, Idaho can do this, then the possibilities for other businesses are endless out there. It’s a step towards decreasing our environmental impact and dependence on plastic and that’s how I look at it.”
And we’re inspired.
TVCR is inspired by businesses like WorldCast. See our story below and learn how TVCR is partnering with the Community Foundation of Teton Valley to launch new green initiatives at this year’s Tin Cup Challenge including a free water fill-up station.


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From shipping to staffing, the Chamber and its partners have the tools to save your business money and the solutions to help you run it more efficiently. Join the U.S. Chamber of Commerce today to start saving.
As the year draws to a close, American businesses and workers are anxiously waiting to see whether Congress will ratify the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). The passage of USMCA is integral to business health and growth within the U.S. Why? Because Canada and Mexico now constitute the nation’s two largest export markets, as well as two of its top three aggregate trading partners. In 2018, trade with the two countries reached nearly $1.4 trillion, and this economic activity supports an estimated 12 million American jobs.
But how will the USMCA prove beneficial for Delaware specifically?
Delaware’s agricultural and manufacturing sectors are expected to see exports grow as a result of removed barriers to commerce included in the new trade deal. Last year, Delaware exported $1.2 billion worth of goods and services to Canada and Mexico.
Delaware farmers and ranchers are poised to see increases in export sales through USMCA – especially since Delaware’s top agricultural export, broiler meat, benefits from the agreement. Poultry represents more than $100 million of the state’s total $260 million in agricultural exports each year, and poultry producers have long complained about Canada’s barriers to chicken exports (hence poultry’s absence from the list of top export products below). And the good news is USMCA tackles these problematic trade barriers head on.
“The changes in the USMCA would be a net positive for Delaware farmers with no downside… For dairy farmers it gives us increased access into the Canadian marketplace. Even for poultry farmers, it does give us a greater access into Canada for poultry,” said Delaware Farm Bureau President Richard Wilkins earlier this year.
Delaware manufacturers stand to gain as well. One in four Delaware manufacturing firms export goods to Canada and Mexico. Of those firms, 62% are small- and medium-sized businesses that contribute to local economies in the state, according to the National Association of Manufacturers. More than 800 manufacturing jobs in Delaware depend on trade with our North American neighbors. These jobs pay well – with an average total compensation of $72,962 compared to $50,696 for workers across all private nonfarm industries – and they provide real career opportunities for middle-class workers.
Delaware’s top three exports to Canada
- Edible Fruit & Nuts; Citrus Fruit Or Melon Peel
- Mineral Fuel, Oil Etc.; Bitumin Subst; Mineral Wax
- Pharmaceutical Products
Delaware’s top three exports to Mexico
- Plastics and Articles Thereof
- Pharmaceutical Products
- Mineral Fuel, Oil, Etc.
Nearly 37,300 of jobs in Delaware are supported by trade with Canada and Mexico. Given the sector-by-sector growth USMCA offers, it’s time to pass the trade agreement that could further benefit Delaware businesses, workers, and families.
To learn more about USMCA and its benefits for American businesses and workers, visit here.


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When confronted with the reality that your favorite blueberry scone, the one you buy for breakfast every day, comes packed with 400-plus calories, do you still go for the pastry? Yes, you probably will.
No matter how much calorie information is on the menu list, people still choose the food they like, not what's supposed to be healthier, researchers from Carnegie Mellon reported Thursday.
Despite the good intentions of regulations requiring chain restaurants to post calorie counts of each menu item, studies have shown such mandates do little to actually change people's behavior. But the Carnegie Mellon researchers wondered if people were given a little more information to help put those calorie counts in context, would they choose a lower-calorie item?
They found even including calorie information for each food item, plus the recommendations on how many calories are appropriate to consume during one meal, or over the course of a day, doesn't turn people off a Big Mac (500-plus calories).
(Read more: Buffalo Wild Wings debuts craft beer)
"Putting calorie labels on menus really has little or no effect on people's ordering behaviors at all," says Julie Downs, lead author of the new study published Thursday in the American Journal of Public Health.
It's an important issue, as several states and municipalities across the country—New York City, Philadelphia, California, Oregon and King County in Washington state—have already introduced mandatory menu labeling. Soon, nationwide regulations will go into effect, thanks to the new health care law—and as part of that new health care reform legislation, restaurants will be required to post daily calorie recommendations directly onto menus.
It's a well-intentioned, but unrealistic, policy, Downs says. The new data show that providing that broader context doesn't help people make healthier choices, either.
"The people who set these policies aren't very representative" of the people they're setting them for, Downs says. "They think about what they eat. They think, 'I'm not going to eat a giant hamburger, fries and a milkshake for lunch.' "
To see how real people responded to menu labels, researchers staked out two New York City McDonald's restaurants at lunchtime—one in Manhattan, and one in Brooklyn—and found 1,121 adults, ages 18 to 89, to participate. At both restaurants, calorie counts were prominently displayed, as is mandated in New York City.
Prior to ordering, one group received a sheet of paper with the recommended calories for a single meal (650 calories for women; 800 calories for men); a second group received information about recommended calories for a day (2,000 calories for women; 2,400 for men), and a third group received no instructions (similar to most of the earlier studies).
What they found: About one-third of the study participants ate more than 1,000 calories in the meal. The presence of additional information about recommendations for meal or daily eating had no impact on food choice. A majority of men and women ate more than the recommended intake for a meal—and neither type of information had an impact on the number of calories consumed, compared to the group with no information.
Importantly, the study found no difference between overweight and healthy-weight participants in their food choice behaviors; the obese group did not choose higher calories than the healthy weight group. And both groups underestimated the calories consumed in a meal, a finding supporting earlier research.
This finding does support the idea that many consumers choose taste, value, and convenience over nutrient density and controlled calories. And since the study was done at a fast-food restaurant, the results might not apply to other types of restaurants.
The takeaway message of this new research is not that restaurants should do away with displaying calorie counts and calorie recommendations. Because for some people, it's a helpful tool.
"I think a lot of that comes down to, who is using the information? It's probably people who are already ordering pretty well, pretty healthfully," Downs says.
While more information and transparency about the food we consume in restaurants is a positive trend, Downs adds, "that's not going to help curb the obesity epidemic."
Because it's really hard to count calories—it takes a lot of focus and mental energy when done regularly. A better option to help nudge people toward making healthier food choices, Downs says, might be introducing some monetary incentives—and not just negative motivators, like soda or sugar bans or taxes. "Let's not just tax the sugary stuff, because that's just going to piss people off—but let's also maybe subsidize the healthier stuff," she says.
One example Downs suggests: Offering a small discount for people who order water or a diet soda with their combo meal rather than a regular soft drink. Or, try downsizing your combo meal to a kid's meal, with a low-calorie beverage.
—By Madelyn Fernstrom and Melissa Dahl, TODAY.


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Top technology trends from the Mobile World Congress
The Mobile World Congress (MWC) has whipped the tech world into a frenzy, showcasing some of the most cutting-edge technology that’s on offer in the mobile market.
More than 100,000 people are attending this year’s congress in Barcelona, with keynote speakers including: Simon Segars, CEO of Arm; Jörg Reinmann CEO of Charge Now/ Park Now at Daimler & BMW; Chuck Robbins, Chairman & CEO at Cisco; and James Forese, President at Citi.
The dawn of 5G
5G dominated the conversation at this year’s Mobile World Congress. The technology promises high network speeds and lower latency, increasing download speeds for consumers. It will also undoubtedly heighten interest in areas such as augmented and virtual reality, autonomous vehicles, the Internet of Things (IoT) and artificial intelligence (AI). Attending the event, Nick Ford, Chief Technologist Evangelist from Mendix, says that “5G has been the word on everyone’s lips at MWC”.
“Full scale deployment might still be a little way off, but we should still take stock of what is at stake with this evolution,” he explained. “Lower latency and faster bandwidth are just two of the advances promised by 5G, and those benefits alone will be a significant driver for wider IoT adoption across multiple industries. When IoT is intertwined with edge computing and a fast reliable network, there is huge potential for organisations to create smart applications that can tackle a myriad of critical objectives.”
Another attendee at the congress, Sal Visca, CTO at Elastic Path, is eager to see how 5G will disrupt other market verticals. “As expected, there has been a lot of buzz at Mobile World Congress this year around 5G. While, this new generation of communication provides up to 20 times more performance, it’s the other characteristics of 5G that will really change the game,” he observed.
“In terms of network efficiency, more devices can now use the spectrum much more efficiently, so billions of IoT devices can be added to the networks,” he continued. “5G may not have a tremendous impact on how we currently use our mobile phones, but it will bring more of the capabilities that are powered by cloud apps across networks that currently take seconds or many milliseconds to access (with limitations on the amount of data transmitted). This means that the power of heavily compute-based capabilities that are running on thousands of CPUs in the cloud can now essentially be brought into the palm of our hands. It will be more like having a supercomputer on your mobile devices so that compute-intensive apps and technologies such as AR/VR and AI/ML are now almost immediately accessible.
So far, 5G’S rollout has been limited. Yet, at the Mobile World Congress, several smartphone makers insisted that their devices will be ready to go to market this year such as the Huawei Mate X, Samsung Galaxy S10 5G, and the Xiaomi Mi MIX 3.
As 5G pushes the boundaries of what networks can do, edge computing has emerged as another topic trend at the event. Jeff Ready, CEO at Scale Computing, said: “From what I’m seeing at MWC, edge computing has become more important from a wide variety of angles. From telcos to IoT vendors, to AR/VR and AI — data volume and latency is driving attention to the edge and what can be done there.
“5G is all the buzz, but it is clear that the demands for lower latency and higher bandwidth are already moving beyond where this next-gen wireless tech will get us,” he contends. “Personally, I understood the need for edge computing from an IT application perspective, but I did not realize previously how these edge demands were impacting the telco space as well. It’s an area of crossover there IT and Telcos are seeing the same needs — and need the same solutions really — even if the applications themselves are different.”
Artificial intelligence: the next frontier
The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) was at the heart of many announcements at the Mobile World Congress. For instance, Accenture launched its Applied Intelligence Platform to make it easier for customers to use AI without the need for deep data science expertise.
Chris Wigley, a Partner at QuantumBlack – a McKinsey company, said that "it’s no surprise this was one of the key areas of focus for MWC this year" but that one of the "most interesting trends from MWC for me has been the increased attention on the ethical and safety side of AI."
“At QuantumBlack (McKinsey’s AI boutique), we have worked a lot on the topic of data bias," he explained. "An example, this could be facial-recognition software not working as well for women or for people of colour, because it’s been trained on a biased data set which has too many white men in it. Or we risk building a system that – because it draws on historical data that reflect historical human biases – doesn’t build in a desired change such as prioritising underrepresented groups in job applications, or moving to a fairer system for parole or stop and search decisions.To make AI work for us all as human beings, I do believe executive attention towards these topics can help create a world in which AI benefits us while minimising the risks.”
Foldable phones: the new norm?
Foldable phones dominated the headlines about the Mobile World Congress, with Huawei’s mobile boss noting that the innovation marks the “biggest change” ever in the smartphone industry. The Huawei Mate X foldable smartphone and Samsung Galaxy Fold were both displayed for the first time at the event, signalling a new trend in the mobile space. Andrew Cartledge, Mobile Expert at Mobiles.co.uk, contends that foldable phones are set “to be one of the next big things in the smartphone industry.”
“In fact, research we carried out recently showed that one in five people (23%) said foldable screens were the smartphone development they’d most like to see next,” he noted. “Samsung has already unveiled its Galaxy Fold, Huawei has revealed the Mate X, and we can expect other companies to follow suit. Chinese brand Xiaomi has also teased their own take on foldable phones, and this may be the week we get to see what they have to offer.”
By offering a big screen experience which can fit neatly in your pocket, it seems that foldable phones are a trend that is here to stay.
Cybersecurity and privacy: an ever-present concern ᐧ
With more technology comes greater risks and as such, security and privacy were hot topics at this years’ Mobile World Congress. The University of Iowa recently reported that a security flaw has been found in both the 4G standard and in 5G too, and therefore, Raj Samani, Chief Scientist and Fellow at McAfee, contends that we should prepare for better risks. He said: “MWC is awash with news that 2019 will be the year of 5G. Promising faster speeds and increased connectivity, the University of Iowa is right, 5G will inevitably introduce security risks to the networks people are using.
“However, what they haven’t considered, is that the risk will have far wider consequences for consumers. As the user experience becomes quicker and more seamless, people will be tempted to connect to the internet on-the-go even more, across multiple devices. The level of data being transmitted across networks and stored within the cloud will increase with these faster speeds. In turn, the number of devices being connected will grow at an exponential rate expanding the threat surface significantly.
“To ensure that data is protected in a 5G-connected world, security must be embedded at every touchpoint – from the cloud, to the network, to the router in people’s home and all connected devices.”


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AyeGear has released two new products in its multi-gadget carrying clothes range.
The H13 is a hoodie with thirteen compartments to stash devices in.
The zippered fleece-lined jacket is said by AyeGear to be aimed at “travellers, outdoor enthusiasts and students”, and includes a touch sensitive compartment so that touchscreen devices can still be operated while concealed.
A large compartment designed to house an iPad is also integrated into the lining.
For those wishing to carry even more gadgets, or looking a travel vest rather than a hoodie, AyeGear has also launched the V23 (pictured).
The vest has ten more pockets than the H13 – 23 – and five more than the previous design, the V18. Improving on the V18 further, it also weighs 39 per cent less.
Among the V23’s added pockets is a hidden compartment for debit and credit cards, and the pockets have been reinforced in order to hold an iPad on either side of the vest.
AyeGear say that the V23 is particularly useful for those travelling by air – explaining that baggage allowance limits can be avoided and airport security can be passed through more quickly by stashing devices in a single article of clothing.
Like the H13, a transparent cover is built into the smartphone pocket so that phones can be used without having to take them out.
The H13 is available to preorder now for £59.99, and will be released at the end of October. Colour options consist of blue, black, Tawny Port or Red Pepper.
The V23 is already available, costing £79.99 and coming in black only.


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One of the leading enterprises in personal healthcare products, Kimberly-Clark has made the transition over to Windows 10 as a service. According to a feature Business story from Microsoft, the business decided to switch due to their increasingly inefficient ways to deploy software.
“We used a deployment process that relied on custom applications and a lot of manual work,” reads the story as it quotes Dorothy Stephenson, Director of IT Client Services for Kimberly-Clark. It goes on to tell us that the company’s transition to Windows 10 as a service model has cut their originally eight-week long process into only two weeks. That’s to keep all of the devices in their offices and factories up to date with the latest software.
The personal healthcare company is also taking other initiatives towards providing their employees with a more versatile workspace. Engineers are getting their hands on the Lenovo ThinkPad Helix and Microsoft Surface Pro to be able to switch from taking videos to using them as clipboards on the fly.
With over 48,000 employees across 170 countries, Kimberly-Clark isn’t the first large company to change over to Windows 10. Many other businesses have found Microsoft’s service to be more time efficient and cost effective than their previous methods.


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'Here comes' the Simply Elegant Bridal Showcase
Couples who are wedding planning will have an opportunity for some one-stop shopping Sunday, Jan. 19, at the Simply Elegant Bridal Showcase at The Maryland Theatre. Billed as “the largest event for brides in the Tri-State area,” the showcase is hosted by The Maryland Theatre, Wertman Photography, The Herald-Mail and What’s NXT.
Herald-Mail event coordinator Kim Tagg said around 50 vendors covering flowers, dresses, cakes, invitations, photography, wedding décor and more will participate.
“The vendors will have an opportunity to talk with all the different brides about their weddings. They will get exposure and the brides will see what they have to offer,” Tagg said.
Admission costs $5 and includes a free swag bag, champagne flute and champagne for those who are of age, and many chances to win prizes which will be given away throughout the day. Those who buy tickets in advance will be entered into a drawing for a $150 Visa gift card.
Top prizes include a wedding onstage at The Maryland Theatre; a $1,000 catering voucher from 28 South of Hagerstown; and a honeymoon package with a value of $2,000 courtesy of All Seasons Vacations of Mercersburg, Pa.
Wanda Keefer, who owns All Seasons Vacations, said the event benefits both brides and vendors.
“Brides are ready to book when they come to the show, so I like that idea,” she said.
Keefer has been a vendor at the Simply Elegant Bridal Showcase and at similar shows for many years. She tries to donate at least one giveaway per year.
“It’s a good way to give back to the community and to let people know we are out there,” she said.
This year’s honeymoon prize giveaway is a four-day/three-night, all-inclusive, two adult package to Sandals Ochi Beach Resort in Ochi Rios, Jamaica.
“People can go anywhere for a honeymoon but I think Sandals is one of the top in the business. It’s a 5-star resort,” she said.
Representatives from the travel agency will be available at the showcase to discuss information about monthly interest-free payment plans for travel and assistance getting couples “through the honeymoon process from start to finish.”
“We take a detailed time with brides and grooms so they understand what is involved with a honeymoon,” she said. “We take care of everything down to luggage tags, ribbons on luggage, customs forms, tips like ‘dos and don’ts.’ We VIP them.”
While there will be one free giveaway trip, others at the show who book through All Seasons Vacations will receive the same services for honeymoons and vacations at no additional fee.
“It doesn’t cost anything more than if they booked online or called an 800 number,” Keefer said. “We make sure they understand the value they are getting for what they spend.”
Many couples are opting for honeymoon registries rather than gift registries.
“Honeymoon registries are free to them and to (wedding) guests,” she said. “A honeymoon registry gets you going. You don’t need to register for crockpots, towels, gift cards, things you might not use. People put money toward the honeymoon instead. That’s really big right now.”
J&B Bridals of Chambersburg, Pa., will display the latest in wedding fashions. David’s Bridal will display bridal fashions throughout the venue, including mannequin displays on landings on both sides of the staircase in the newly-renovated theater.
In past years, Tagg said, the showcase took place at the Valley Mall and then more recently at Press Room at The Herald-Mail. Several hundred people attend.
For the first time this year, it will be held at the theater in a community partnership in support of the facility and its role as part of a vibrant downtown community.
“The showcase offers an elegant ambiance and generates a lot of excitement,” Tagg said. “It gives people access to a lot of great resources. They come and find what they are looking for, whether it is planning a honeymoon, wedding cakes, bridal invitations, DJs. They can sample food, talk one on one, and get a lot of information to help plan for their big day.”
Top photo: A model makes her way past a crowd at the 2019 Bridal Showcase Sunday afternoon at the PressRoom at The Herald-Mail. (Herald-Mail file photo)


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Study from Telness Tech found that majority of consumers would switch for a better deal if possible
Research shows that 64 per cent of customers are planning to ditch their mobile operator for a new one.
The research carried out on behalf of telecoms technology company Telness Tech revealed that 75pc of under 35’s are planning to switch to another operator within three years.
Of the 1,500 people surveyed, 49pc said they would join a mobile network provided by Facebook or Amazon if they offered this service.
When asking why they would switch, 59pc said they want a better deal, 21pc said it was for better connectivity, and another 21pc were recommended by friends and family.
Just 16pc have changed providers annually or more, but research indicates that this will change due to dissatisfaction, rumours of a price surge, and a re-introduction of data roaming charges for UK customers.
The survey also included 200 senior executives at telecoms companies and 96pc of them believed that their customers were loyal to their company.
Telness CCO Tech Sara Rasmussen said: “It is clear from the research that there is an immediate disconnect between the perceptions of telcos and consumers.
“The future is cloud-based platforms that allow telcos to innovate and constantly develop and deliver new services and pricing models. Consumers aren’t willing to wait around for a better deal or more interesting offerings- it’s about time telcos adapted to this new reality.”


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Tata posted 42,295 units in March 2022, an increase of 43% YoY over 29,655 units in the same period of 2021.
Tata Motors continued to rank third in the overall manufacturer’s sales position in March 2022 as 42,295 units were sold against 29,655 units in the same period of 2021 which increased YoY sales by 43 per cent. The brand endured a YoY volume increase of 6 percent, compared to 39,980 units in the previous month of February 2022.
Domestic makers beat Mahindra, Kia, Toyota, Renault, Honda, Skoda, MG and others, closing in on Hyundai, which was in second place with only 2,305 units. Tata held 13.2 percent market share last month. The automotive industry as a whole has endured almost flat YoY growth compared to March 2021 with a 6 percent MoM growth registered.
The brand has consistently outperformed the industry with good reception for products such as Nexon, Ultroz, Punch and Tiago. The Punch micro SUV debuted in the market last year and is well-received by consumers and is currently one of the top sellers, along with its older brother, the Nexon compact SUV.
In 2021, Tata also launched the updated Tigor EV while the Nexon EV is currently the best-selling passenger car in the country. The long-range version of the electric SUV, with a claimed drive range of more than 400 kilometers and a larger battery back, is expected to go on sale in the coming weeks. The company is also working on a mid-size SUV coupe based on the Nexon.
It will compete with Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos, VW Taigun, Skoda Kushaq, MG Astor and Nissan Kicks in its ICE incarnation. However, the electric version of the medium-sized SUV coupe will be launched sometime next year before the petrol and diesel versions debut. Tata is currently building three EV platforms, including a dedicated skateboard.
A few months ago, Tata announced a new subsidiary known as TPEML (Tata Passenger Electric Mobility Limited) with a huge investment and it will give birth to a total of ten electric vehicles in the next half decade, including the reported Sierra EV.


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YouTube, earlier this month, announced that it is introducing a free tier of its music subscription service, YouTube Music. The new tier will be available for users in Canada starting November 3. At the time, there was no word on the rollout of this free tier plan for other markets. A few days after this announcement, YouTube is bringing another update to its music subscription service. The company has announced that users without a premium subscription will no longer be able to play videos. The company is bringing some new features that will remain exclusive to YouTube Premium or YouTube Music Premium subscribers.
In its blog post, Google stated that some features like on-demand music selection and unlimited skips will remain exclusive to its Premium subscribers. The blog post further states that premium users will continue to watch videos on YouTube Music and enjoy audio/ video streaming on the service without any ads.
YouTube Music Free tier features
Free tier members can listen to music in the background and explore songs/ playlists, free of cost. However, they will no longer be able to watch videos until they subscribe to the YouTube Music or YouTube Premium services. Free tier users will still be able to access mood mixes for various activities like workout, commutes and more. In addition, YouTube will also allow these users to shuffle play personalised mixes that are made just for them.
The changes will kick in starting November 3 in Canada. Google is currently working on the rollout plan of the new changes for the global markets and will announce the timeline in the coming days.
The changes come in less than a week after Apple announced its entry-level Apple Music Voice Plan, which uses Siri to play songs on the music streaming service. Priced at Rs 49 per month, the Apple Music Voice Plan is Apple’s most affordable Apple Music plan in India.
Amazon too announced a price hike of up to 50 percent on its Prime membership. Users will soon have to pay Rs 1,499 per year to subscribe to Prime membership. The subscription includes Amazon Music, Prime Video, a one-day delivery option, etc.
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Fb co-founder Mark Zuckerberg’s newest pictures donning trendy apparel have grow to be the speak of the city. The tech boss is photographed wearing a gown stated to be designed by Louis Vuitton and strolling on the ramp. In one other image, he’s seen wearing a vivid yellow outfitThe reality is, they aren’t actual photographs however created by synthetic intelligence (AI).
The pictures created by Midjourney have managed to close completely seize the facial expressions and are misleading. “Mark Zuckerberg doing rounds on the runway, pure fashionista”, a Twitter consumer named @LinusEkenstam wrote a caption with an image exhibiting Zuckerberg wearing a yellow outfit.
One other Twitter consumer Andrew Kean Gao tweeted Zuckerberg’s AI-created photograph through which he’s proven sporting a flashy pink outfit. The caption reads,”Mark Zuckerberg for @LouisVuitton”.
As of now, Midjourney has stopped free trials of its service, with its chief govt and founder David Holz citing ‘extraordinary demand and trial abuse’, The Verge reported. He stated that the pause was attributable to folks creating ‘throwaway’ accounts to get free photographs.
It’s being stated that the explanation to pause the service was as a result of current viral photographs utilizing Midjourney, which included faux photographs of ex-US president Donald Trump being arrested and the Pope sporting a classy jacket. A Twitter consumer had tweeted, “Making pictures of Trump getting arrested while waiting for Trump’s arrest”.


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25 May 2020 : Winter is coming and COVID-19 related energy bill shock may follow, but free, fair and independent advice is available.
The Energy & Water Ombudsman NSW (EWON) has launched an awareness campaign to help energy customers understand the affordability options available to them during COVID-19.
Energy & Water Ombudsman NSW, Janine Young said the pandemic has amplified an existing problem.
“Vulnerable customers were struggling to pay their energy bills well before COVID-19. Now more people may experience affordability issues as household incomes fall and energy use increases with families working and schooling from home as winter sets in,” Ms Young explained.
High bills are consistently the main reason customers seek assistance from EWON. Figures released by the Australian Energy Regulator (AER) show 77,669 New South Wales customers were repaying energy debt between October and December last year and this is likely to increase with COVID-19 related job losses.
“Our COVID-19 awareness campaign is aimed at customers who often experience affordability challenges, as well as customers who may struggle to pay their energy bill for the first time. This group includes casual workers and young people who are now unemployed. Many people don’t know what options are available to them – and energy retailers are ready to provide assistance.”
The AER’s Statement of Expectations released in response to COVID-19, requires energy retailers to provide unconditional access to affordability programs and payment plans, as well as protection from disconnection and referral to debt collection agencies until 31 July 2020.
Ms Young said EWON is already receiving complaints as a result of COVID and expects they will increase.
“So far we’ve seen billing disputes related to high estimated bills, payment plans, and complaints from customers with affordability issues resulting from impacts of COVID-19.”
“Customers should contact their retailer first to discuss their options,” Ms Young said. “If they aren’t satisfied with the result, they can contact EWON for free, fair and independent advice. We are here to help,” Ms Young said.
For more information visit ewon.com.au/covid19
To request an interview with the Ombudsman contact Fran Strachan, firstname.lastname@example.org or phone 0429 416 070.


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By Cody Lee on Jan 14, 2015
Apple, Google, Intel and Adobe have reached an agreement that would settle their long-standing antitrust class action lawsuit with Silicon Valley employees, reports Reuters. The suit, filed in 2011, accused the 4 tech giants of conspiring to avoid poaching each other’s employees in an effort to keep a lid on salaries. Read More
By Jake Smith on Jan 14, 2015
Apple is suing Swedish-based Ericsson over LTE wireless technology patents, reports Reuters. Apple claims Ericsson’s patents are not essential to industry cellular standards and that it is demanding excessive royalties for the patents. Read More
By Christian Zibreg on Dec 16, 2014
Apple’s proprietary digital rights management software, FairPlay, that prevented users from loading songs from rival music stores on early iPods, did not harm consumers nor did it violate the United States antitrust laws, an eight-person jury has determined.
As reported by The Verge, the jurors have sided with Apple in a decade-long suit and have not found Apple guilty of exploiting FairPlay DRM as a lock-in preventing rival music stores from syncing with iPods. Though the iPhone maker is off the hook now, an appeal will be filed with a higher court. Read More
By Christian Zibreg on Dec 9, 2014
A videotaped deposition of Steve Jobs, recorded in 2011 shortly before his passing and played during the iPod class-action lawsuit, could be made public if news organizations such as The Associated Press, CNN and Bloomberg succeed in proving that releasing the two-hour video is in public interest, CNET reported Tuesday.
And boy would it be interesting to watch Jobs make a series of snarky comments. Asked whether he had heard of Real Networks, Apple’s late co-founder asked “Do they still exist?” All told, he responded 74 times with “I don’t remember,” “I don’t know” or “I don’t recall.” Read More
By Christian Zibreg on Dec 3, 2014
A decade-old class-action lawsuit over the iPod and Apple’s practice of locking the media player to its iTunes ecosystem is kicking off this week and with it comes a videotaped deposition of Steve Jobs, recorded in 2011 shortly before he died.
It’s full of snarky comments and as if that wasn’t enough, attorneys have unearthed emails between Apple executives and other evidence casting light on the company’s inner workings at the time.
The suit revolves around the iPod, iTunes and FairPlay, Apple’s digital-rights management (DRM) system for copy-protection of music sold through the iTunes Store. FairPlay was dropped in 2007 following the ‘Thoughts on Music’ open letter by Steve. Read More
By Christian Zibreg on Nov 21, 2014
During a hearing Friday in Manhattan, a United States judge gave Apple final approval to pay $450 million to settle claims that it conspired with five publishers to raise e-book prices on the iBooks Store.
Reuters reports that Judge Cote approved what she called an “unusual” accord. The ruling came after Apple in July agreed to pay big bucks to settle price fixing allegations that the government and class action lawyers leveled against the Cupertino firm. Read More
By Christian Zibreg on Nov 18, 2014
Bloomberg is reporting this morning that Apple’s iPhone and other devices have been found to infringe half a dozen pager technology patents owned by a Texas company called Mobile Telecommunications Technologies LLC.
Six patents owned by Mobile Telecommunications Technologies are valid and infringed, a federal jury in Marshall, Texas, has found.
The iPhone maker was ordered to pay the Texas company $23.6 million in damages. Read More
By Cody Lee on Nov 4, 2014
Law firm Schubert Jonckheer & Kolbe has launched an antitrust investigation into CVS and Rite Aid over their decision to stop accepting Apple Pay in their retail stores. As noted by MacRumors, the firm, which specializes in class action lawsuits, made the announcement on their blog last night.
Attorneys for Schubert Jonckheer & Kolbe say that the two retail chains may have violated anti-trust laws, and the situation has class action potential. “Consumers with phones that support Apple Pay may be able to participate in a class action to restore the service at CVS and Rite Aid retail stores.” Read More
By Christian Zibreg on Oct 28, 2014
It’s sad that we’ve grown accustomed to greedy carriers and their unlimited data deals. Not only does unlimited service typically come with lots of strings attached, carriers have dumb excuses ready once folks realize their data speeds are being throttled.
Having decided not to let it slide, the United States Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is now taking AT&T to court over what it called “deceptive and unfair data throttling” policy.
As announced on Twitter and via a media release, the FTC’s federal court complaint alleges that the Dallas, Texas headquartered firm in some cases reduced data speeds for unlimited customers by up to 90 percent while failing to explain in clear and concise manner why and when throttling would take place.
“AT&T promised its customers ‘unlimited’ data,” reads the complaint, “and in many instances, it has failed to deliver on that promise”.
“The issue here is simple: ‘unlimited’ means unlimited,” said FTC Chairwoman Edith Ramirez. AT&T’s other sin: the company avoided mentioning throttling to customers who were about to renew their unlimited contracts. Read More
By Cody Lee on Oct 23, 2014
Apple on Wednesday defeated a civil suit put forth by GPNE, a non-practicing patent holding company in Honolulu, that was seeking nearly $100 million in damages. The company alleged that three iPhone and iPad models infringed on its pager technology patents.
A jury in the US District Court of San Jose disagreed, and rejected all of patent infringement claims. Apple applauded the verdict, calling GPNE a “patent troll,” a term given to companies who acquire patents for the sole purpose of collecting licensing and lawsuit fees. Read More
By Cody Lee on Oct 10, 2014
Premium audio company Bose Corp. and the now Apple-owned Beats Electronics have settled their patent infringement suit, reports Bloomberg. The two companies a U.S. court in Delaware they’ve settled their claims, and asked the International Trade Commission to cease its investigation.
Bose originally filed the complaint against Beats in July, claiming that Beats Studio and Studio Wireless headphones, which both feature “adaptive noise cancelation,” infringe on five of its noise-canceling patents. Clearly a settlement was reached here, but terms of the deal were not disclosed. Read More
By Cody Lee on Sep 16, 2014
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit tossed out a verdict today handed down by a Texas jury in late 2012 that would’ve forced Apple to pay $368 million to patent holding firm VirnetX. The jury determined that Apple’s FaceTime feature infringed on on the firm’s intellectual property.
The Wall Street Journal reports this afternoon that the appeals court has ruled that the verdict was “tainted” by erroneous jury instructions in the case and therefore is invalid. It also held that some trial testimony from a VirnetX IP “expert” should have been completely excluded from the case. Read More
By Cody Lee on Aug 15, 2014
It looks like tech employees aren’t the only ones upset with Apple’s anti-poaching agreements. Shareholder R. Andre Klein has filed a class action lawsuit against the Cupertino company, saying the deals caused it to grossly mismanage its assets, mislead its investors, and hurt its overall value.
According to the filing, Klein is suing on behalf of all Apple shareholders and has named a number of its executives as individual defendants including Tim Cook, and even the late Steve Jobs. He is seeking a jury trial, and asking for a settlement that would resolve “millions of dollars in damages.” Read More
By Cody Lee on Aug 8, 2014
In 2011, tech employees levied a class action anti-poaching lawsuit against Apple, Google, and other companies. The suit covered more than 60,000 workers, who claimed the firms conspired to keep their salaries lower by entering in a non-poach agreement with one another.
It was reported in April that Apple, Google, Intel and Adobe had reached a settlement for $324 million, but apparently Judge Lucy Koh (yes, that Judge Koh) didn’t like that number. Judge Koh officially rejected the proposed offer today, saying that it needed to be higher… Read More
By Cody Lee on Jul 29, 2014
Apple filed a motion with the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in California yesterday, dropping its cross-appeal of Judge Lucy Koh’s final judgement in its lawsuit against Samsung. The motion officially ends the company’s pursuit of a product ban.
Now, this is just for the 2012 trial, not the one that ended in May. Apple had been looking to win a permanent injunction against all of Samsung’s infringing devices in that case, and filed multiple appeals, but it appears to have given up on this particular battle… Read More
By Christian Zibreg on Jul 18, 2014
In-App Purchase, a way overused feature which provides a way for supposedly free games and apps to ask users for cash in order to enable advanced features or unlock virtual items, is increasingly drawing ire of regulators across the globe.
In-App Purchases are notorious for fooling less-informed adults and kids into downloading so-called freemium apps so it’s no wonder the European Union officials have repeatedly warned that companies like Apple and Google should stop labeling free-to-download apps that contain In-App Purchases as “Free”.
Companies could soon be forced to make the “true cost of apps” unambiguously clear before purchase, according to a complaint the European Commission filed today… Read More
By Christian Zibreg on Jul 16, 2014
Reuters is reporting today that Apple has agreed to pay $450 million to settle its long-standing e-book price fixing federal court case with class action lawyers and state district attorneys.
As a reminder, the government alleged that Apple conspired along with five major U.S. publishers to fix e-book prices to the detriment of consumers, denying them the choice of price, while stifling competition.
$400 million of the $450 million will cover damage to consumers, with the remaining $50 million earmarked for recovery if liability must be retried… Read More
By Cody Lee on Jul 12, 2014
In a verdict handed down late yesterday by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, Apple defeated a lawsuit brought on by Emblaze Ltd. The company claimed that the iPhone-maker infringed on one of its patents.
More specifically, Emblaze accused Apple of infringing on its live video streaming patent, with its HTTP live-streaming service (HLS) that it asks 3rd-party apps like MLB at Bat and WatchESPN to use. But the trial’s jury found otherwise… Read More
By Christian Zibreg on Jul 9, 2014
Apple’s ability to use Siri as a competitive weapon in the 1.33 billion people market of China – its second-largest market by revenue – could be compromised. A Beijing court has now ruled against Apple by upholding the validity of a patent related to the personal assistant feature held by a Chinese company called Zhizhen Network Technology.
The ruling clears the way for Zhizhen to continue its own case patent infringement case against Apple. Specifically, the Shanghai-based firm is now asking the court to block Apple from selling devices with Siri installed. The iPhone maker is of course expected to appeal the verdict… Read More


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Japanese carmaker Nissan has recalled thousands of vehicles worldwide after a Finnish cameraman reported a steering wheel fault last month. Officials from Nissan Motor Co. said in a press release issued at the weekend that around 51,000 of the Qashqai, Qashqai+2 and NV200 van models would be affected by the move.
The firm is asking owners to take the vehicles to Nissan service centres for steering wheel inspections.
The news follows a report last month by the Finnish Broadcasting Company (YLE) that the steering wheel of a recently purchased Qashqai had come loose from the steering column as one of the agency’s cameramen was driving in central Helsinki. YLE said the incident occurred when the employee was driving at a low speed and that no one was injured.
According to the Helsingin Sanomat news agency, the recall will affect nearly 900 vehicles in Finland. Owners will sent recall notices in the coming weeks.
The remainder of the models was largely made in the United Kingdom, where the majority of recalls will take place. According to CarsUK.com, Nissan has changed steering parts in a small number of Qashqai vans in production in Britain prior to the incident.


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Foxtel has announced it will close its 3D channel at the end of August. Meanwhile, ABC has made its iview catch-up-service available on the IPTV service Fetch TV. (What the TV industry gives with one hand it takes away with the other.)
Yesterday, we looked at the best streaming and catch-up services for TV shows. Today, we take a look at the movie equivalents, from Apple TV to BigPond Movies.
The Foxtel Play AFL on Xbox channel we noted earlier in the week has gone live today, and is free for existing subscribers for a month. But as we suspected, while the full paid version gets you a lot of football, it doesn’t get you a live grand final.


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Breakthrough for H&M Foundation recycling project
Using a hydrothermal (chemical) process, there is no loss of quality for materials.
For the four-year innovative Closed-Loop Apparel Recycling Eco-System Program, the clothing brand’s non-profit arm working with The Hong Kong Research Institute of Textiles and Apparel (HKRITA). It says the technology will be scaled up and made available to the global fashion industry, and describes the finding as a major breakthrough in the journey toward a closed loop for textiles.
“For too long the fashion industry has not been able to properly recycle its products. This very encouraging breakthrough on separation and recycling of textile blends has the potential to change that,” says H&M Foundation program manager Erik Bang.
“It is the customers’ collecting of old garments that has enabled this important research lead by the institute.”
The aim of the partnership is to find at least one ready technology to recycle clothes made from blend textiles within the four years. One year into the partnership, HKRITA – together with Ehime University and Shinshu University in Japan – developed the hydrothermal process to fully separate and recycle cotton and polyester blends. The recovered polyester material can be reused directly, without any quality loss.
The process uses only heat, water and less than 5 per cent biodegradable green chemical to self-separate cotton and polyester blends. The fibre-to-fibre recycling method is cost effective with no secondary environmental pollution.
“By being able to upcycle used textiles into new high-value textiles, we no longer need to solely rely on virgin materials to dress a growing world population,” says HKRITA CEO Edwin Keh. “This is a major breakthrough in the pursuit of a fashion industry working within the planetary boundaries.”
Initiated in September last year, the partnership is backed by an estimated €5.8 million (US$6.9 million) of funding. The Innovation and Technology Fund of the Hong Kong SAR Government also provides substantial funding and support.
Once the technology has been scaled up and tested further to prove commercial viability, it will be licensed widely to ensure broad market access and maximum impact.
Meanwhile this past weekend saw over 1,000 shoppers attend the opening of H&M’s first South Island store at The Crossing, Christchurch CBD.
The new store opening was highly anticipated with locals queuing outside the store from 5.30pm the night before.
The 2,500 square-metre store, spanning two levels, houses a selection of fashion and accessories for Men, Women, Kids and Baby, as well as being the first H&M store in New Zealand to offer the Home concept.
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Late night shopping in Uppingham, Rutland, to include the Christmas light switch on
Christmas will get off to a truly festive start at a special event in Uppingham on Thursday.
Christmas in Uppingham is being hosted on December 5.
The evening will begin at 5.30pm in the Market Place where Rutland Radio will lead the countdown to the Christmas lights switch on, which will be done by mayor David Casewell.
A snow machine will once again return to the Market Place ensuring festive weather - no matter what the actual weather is doing.
And the market is set to be the best yet with more than 50 stalls, selling gifts, crafts, sweets and toys, lining the Market Place, the High Street and inside Uppingham Town Hall.
The skating rink will also be making a welcome return providing fun for the whole family and over in Mercer’s Yard, there will be the chance to meet live reindeer.
For those looking to warm up, the stalls in the High Street will sell hot food and drink including roasted chestnuts, mulled wine and a hog-roast.
There will also be music and street entertainment in the Market Place and at the Falcon Hotel and Crown Inn.
And all Uppingham’s independent retailers and shops will be staying open until 9pm, giving residents and visitors the chance to Shop Local!
Rutland County Council is offering free parking from 3pm to ensure shoppers can make the most of the event.
One of the organisers Miranda Jones said: “It’s a great way to kick off the festive season in Uppingham.
“It’s a good, free night for the family.”
So make sure you go along to Christmas in Uppingham on Thursday, December 5, from 5.30pm to 9pm.
More by this authorMaddy Baillie


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EVANSVILLE, IN (WFIE) - Gabe's is holding a hiring event for jobs coming to the new Evansville store.
They're looking for full and part-time workers for customer service, merchandising, cashiers and stocking.
If you're interested, they're interviewing potential employees next Monday and Tuesday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Howard Johnson on North Green River.
Applicants should bring two forms of I.D.
The store is expected to open in April at the Eastland Shoppes strip mall on North Green River.


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In the Battle Against Amazon Deforestation, Brazil Offers Cash Rewards to Municipalities
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) In a bid to slow deforestation in the Amazon, Brazil announced Tuesday that it will provide financial support to municipalities that have reduced deforestation rates the most.
During the countrys Amazon Day, President Luiz Incio Lula da Silva also signed the creation of two Indigenous territories that total 207,000 hectares (511,000 acres) over two times the size of New York City and of a network of conservation areas next to the Yanonami Indigenous Territory to act as a buffer against invaders, mostly illegal gold miners.
The Amazon is in a hurry to survive the devastation caused by those few people who refuse to see the future, who in a few years cut down, burned, and polluted what nature took millennia to create, Lula said during a ceremony in Brasilia. The Amazon is in a hurry to continue doing what it has always done, to be essential for life on Earth.
The new program will invest up to $120 million in technical assistance. The money will be allocated based on the municipalitys performance in reducing deforestation and fires, as measured by official satellite monitoring. A list of municipalities eligible for the funds will be published annually.


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Canadian retailers face a tough year as they struggle to convince cash-strapped customers to spend on anything other than staples amid rising food and gas prices while also fending off competition from an influx of U.S. retail giants.
The value of retail sales in March was flat at $37.3 billion but after removing the effects of price changes, particularly higher food and gasoline prices, retail sales volume slipped 0.8 per cent, according to a Statistics Canada report Friday.
“That marks four months of stagnant sales, suggesting that consumers are struggling with higher gasoline prices and food costs eating into fixed budgets,” CIBC economist Emanuella Enenajor said in a report.
Consumers appear to be reining in spending after a post-recession spree that saw some Canadians’ rack up high levels of debt — prompting warnings from government and bank officials against people spending beyond their means.
Meanwhile, rising food and gasoline prices are outpacing tepid income growth, which means consumers have to reduce spending in other areas, said Robert Kavcic at BMO Economics.
“While a late Easter and dreary weather may have had an impact on March sales, Canadian consumer spending is clearly losing some momentum as prices at the pump and grocery store move higher while borrowing cools,” he said.
About 86 per cent of Canadians who responded to a recent Nielsen survey said that rising gas prices are impacting their driving and shopping habits — a 31 per cent increase since 2010.
That could mean a persistently tough environment for retailers, who are finding it difficult to pass along higher commodity prices.
Canada’s largest supermarket chain, Loblaw (TSX:L), has expressed concern that profit margins will be squeezed for fear of losing customers to rivals if it raises prices.
Retail sales make up about 40 per cent of total consumer spending in Canada, which in turn represents a large chunk of the economy. That means retailers aren’t the only ones who could feel the pain of reduced spending.
The latest data was much weaker than economists had been expecting and will put a dent in first-quarter gross domestic product growth.
Sales for the first quarter were down an annualized 3.1 per cent, but firm results in manufacturing, wholesale and housing should still support positive real GDP growth in March, Kavcic said.
The data confirms that real consumption growth slowed to just above one per cent annualized in the first quarter, well below the five per cent pace seen in the final three months of last year, a report from Capital Economics said.
“Given the past increases in the prices of essentials such as food and gasoline, there is a good chance that the weaker growth in sales volumes will persist through the second quarter.”
In addition to weaker consumer demand, Canadian retailers also face stiff competition from the entry of a number of large U.S. chains, including one of the biggest chains, discount-chic Target.
Canada is particularly attractive to U.S. retailers because of the strong loonie, higher sales per square foot and potential for expansion, Sherry Cooper, chief economist at BMO wrote in a report Friday.
“Domestic retailers must respond quickly and decisively to this threat or risk being shut out of consumer wallets or being swallowed up by acquisitive American behemoths,” she said.
Despite the more challenging retail environment, there are reports that the iconic Hudson’s Bay Co. will launch an initial public offering — though the company would not confirm that Friday.
The Canadian retailer has hinted that it might soon go public and speculation has intensified since it made billions in the sale of most of its Zellers stores to Target, which plans to open its first Canadian stores in 2013.
But consumers seem to be intent on scaling back trips to the mall. Weakness in March retail sales was broad based, with seven of the major components reporting declines in March and four sectors posting gains. Furniture sales saw the biggest decline, followed by sporting goods, health and personal care.
However, sales at electronics and appliance stores, were up 2.1 per cent — increasing for a second consecutive month following three months of declines.
Gas stations saw the largest dollar increase in March sales with sales up 1.4 per cent, their eighth increase in nine months. Statistics Canada’s Consumer Price Index for gasoline has risen by nearly 40 per cent since March 2009.
High gas prices kept inflation at an elevated 3.3 per cent, according to another Statistics Canada report on Friday.
The monthly gain in prices rose by 0.3 per cent — virtually all attributed to a 6.4 per cent hike at the pump — following a 1.1 per cent jump the previous month. Food purchased at stores rose 3.7 per cent in April, the same annual increase as in March, while overall food prices rose at slightly reduced 3.3 per cent rate.
The eight per cent jump in pump prices in March was followed by a 6.5 per cent increase in April, which will also have an impact in next month’s report, Kavcic said.
The Capital Economics report added that recent declines in commodity prices —notably oil — could eventually offer consumers some relief, but not likely until at least the third quarter of the year.
Gas prices have skyrocketed in recent weeks and were as high as $1.50 a litre in some communities last week. On average, Canadians were paying $1.27 a litre on Friday, according to the price monitoring website Gasbuddy.com.
Pump prices remain high even though the price of oil has backed off from recent highs. It generally takes months for sustained lower oil prices to work their way down to the gas pump.
Higher prices contributed to a 0.8 per cent rise in sales at general merchandise stores in March.
The higher gas prices don’t seem to be deterring consumers from spending on their vehicles.
After three consecutive monthly declines, sales at motor vehicle and parts dealers rose 0.3 per cent in March. Sales increased 0.8 per cent at new car dealers while the rest of the subsector showed declines.
Retail sales rose in seven provinces in March. The largest increase in dollar terms was in Quebec, where sales increased 0.5 per cent, offsetting the loss in February. All of the Atlantic provinces registered sales increases in March. Retailers in Nova Scotia (up 2.4 per cent) led the gains following two months of declines.
Ontario (down 0.8 per cent) recorded the largest sales decline in March. This was the third decrease in Ontario in four months.


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Renault developing rear-engined hot hatchby Ronan Glon
The performance-focused Twingo could revive the Gordini nameplate.
Renault Sport has confirmed it is developing a performance-focused variant of the rear-engined Twingo city car (pictured) that was introduced last March in Geneva. The hot hatch will likely wear the GT nameplate.
Power for the Twingo GT will reportedly come from a turbocharged evolution of the 0.9-liter three-cylinder engine that powers the stock Twingo and the upcoming 2015 smart fortwo. Mounted directly over the rear axle, the engine will send over 120 horsepower to the rear wheels via a six-speed manual transmission.
The Twingo GT will ride on a chassis tuned by Renault Sport. It will also feature bigger disc brakes and gain numerous suspension upgrades such as larger anti-roll bars and stiffer springs.
Visually, the hot-rodded Twingo will stand out from its stock counterpart thanks to a more aggressive front fascia, model-specific alloy wheels wrapped by wide tires and twin exhaust pipes out back. The sporty treatment will continue inside with bucket seats for the front passengers and an extra set of gauges.
Look for additional details about the upcoming Renault Twingo GT to emerge in the coming weeks. It goes without saying the hot hatch will not make its way to the United States, but a similarly-powerful variant of the smart fortwo tuned by Brabus is expected to arrive here shortly after the regular model makes its debut.


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Last Updated on January 1, 2021 by monica chan
Cargill releases the results of new research that finds sustainability concerns influence chocolate purchases.
Cargill Cocoa & Chocolate established the Cargill Cocoa Promise programme in 2012 as framework for their global sustainability activities.
To ensure a more sustainable supply of quality cocoa beans, Cargill established their own sourcing and trading operations at origin in Brazil, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana and Indonesia.
It is in their interest to connect consumers to a fully transparent cocoa supply chain.
Cocoa and chocolate, sustainability is taking on increased importance, influencing consumers’ purchase decisions and their perceptions of the brands they buy.
Cargill wanted to gain a deeper understanding of the consumers’ sustainability perceptions and behaviours.
From the new research, they found people look for products with sustainability credentials and are willing to pay more for brands that invest in environmental or social initiatives that align with their beliefs.
The research, which surveyed more than 7,000 consumers across 10 European countries, was designed to gain a deeper understanding of consumers’ sustainability perceptions, intentions and declared behaviors, providing insights for brands to plan their sustainability strategies.
In the survey, Cargill found 70% of consumers factor sustainability into their food and beverage purchase decisions, with an even higher percentage if they were frequent chocolate purchasers, with nearly three-quarters, reporting they prefer to buy sustainable products.
Niels Boetje, Managing Director of Cocoa at Cargill said,
Consumer expectations are higher now than ever before. Our research suggests that increasingly, consumers look for responsibly sourced brands, backed by concrete claims and compelling stories that connect the products they purchase with tangible progress on critical issues like child protection and deforestation elimination.
Cargill found sustainability concerns influence purchase decisions across demographic groups, with younger consumers, age 18-34, most concerned about these issues.
Among this cohort, 76% acknowledged sustainability has become more important to them in the past year when choosing chocolate products.
While flavour and price remain the top two considerations for these purchases, survey respondents ranked environmental and social sustainability on par with factors like nutritional value, brand name and previous product trial.
The research dug into consumers’ highest concerns related to chocolate products, with child labour being top of the list, followed closely by farmer income and deforestation.
It found that companies’ commitments in these areas had a positive impact on brand perceptions, with consumers viewing brands who make these investments as more premium, trustworthy and of higher quality, in comparison to others.
Research found 68% said they would pay more for a chocolate product made with sustainable cocoa. Consumers also indicated they were more willing to pay a premium for chocolate products with sustainability claims as compared to those made with less sugar, single origin cocoa or even organic claims.
It was unclear from the report, however, how much more a consumer is willing to pay as an ‘ethical premium’ on different products. We can assume that different demographics and different market segments will each have their own level of premium they can support before price becomes an overriding factor.
We should also monitor the results on the ground to compare with the results of any survey to see how closely aligned peoples actions are to what they say in a study.
Mr Boetje adds,
Sustainability is rising in importance across a broad range of consumers, providing an opportunity for brands to elevate their existing commitments and invest in initiatives that truly resonate with their customers.
At Cargill, we operate in the middle of the supply chain, creating a bridge between the cocoa-producing countries and our customers that produce consumer products.
As a result, we are well positioned to support food and beverage manufacturers’ sustainability commitments and collaborate on initiatives that reflect their customers’ priorities.
We can help reinforce their brand values and bring their sustainability goals to life with assets that communicate in an engaging way.
Cargill has produced these country specific consumer insights to provide a valuable tool when it comes to making relevant sustainability investments, for building an inspiring sustainability story, and for connecting and communicating a brands sustainability involvement and impacts with their customers.