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Data from the research firm Nielsen that tracked Americans’ grocery buying from March to May bore this out. Campbell’s reaped a 93 percent increase in sales of its canned soup before settling back to a still-amazing 32 percent growth. At General Mills, breakfast cereal jumped 29 percent in late March, and jumped again to 37 percent in the third week of April. Deep into the pandemic, we were still buying 51 percent more frozen waffles, pancakes and French toast from Kellogg’s. And so on.
To help gauge what we might do once social distancing ends, Ms. Howard also took an early measure of how the pandemic changed our eating habits. A survey by her firm, done on April 2 of 1,052 consumers who were representative of the U.S. population, found that six in 10 adults were cooking more of their meals from scratch, a trend that broke fairly evenly among different age groups.
But there were some generational splits on other matters. Not quite one in three people said the virus had caused them to eat healthier, which older people tended to define as helping them lose weight or control diabetes, and younger adults defined as “real food” with simple ingredients. By contrast, one in four people said they were eating more salty and sugary snacks, and these people were dominated by the same group that had given Big Food a hard time back in 2014: young adults ages 18 to 29.
Amy Trubek, chair of the nutrition and food sciences department at the University of Vermont, said that when her students had to flee campus in March, they cooked up a healthy storm. But she has her doubts about whether they or the rest of us can keep this up without some concerted effort.
“American habits die hard,” she said. “I don’t think sourdough starter is going to make everybody into a home cook of whole foods. It’s the everyday relentlessness of figuring out how to feed yourself that is always the problem. And as things ease up, we have a habitual system in our society where you don’t have to cook, you can have other people cook on your behalf, or you buy food that’s prepared for you in some way, shape or form.”
Enter the processed food companies and their plans to capture the moment we’re in, building on strategies they employed even before the pandemic began. In listening to their marketing executives and pitches to Wall Street, we might expect to see a game plan that looks like this:
Keep their foods in our heads through ads on our mobile phones. This started out silly, with bags of Doritos measuring six feet between people. They went deeper into our isolation with “pick your quarantine house” from Skittles and played on our social distancing with virtual hugs from M&Ms. But even when not tied to the pandemic, their pitches are staggeringly effective. Taco Bell has 1.9 million followers.
Fight harder for shelf space. Mondelez employees, known as “direct store distribution agents,” go into supermarkets to stock the company’s products themselves, which became a huge advantage in the pandemic. When grocers focused on restocking staples like flour and meat and let the snacks aisles sit empty, Mondelez agents kept the Oreos and Ritz crackers coming. Look for fierce shelf wars among companies going forward.
Focus on new markets. In China, the pandemic hurt sales initially, but Mondelez bounced back in part by refocusing their marketing efforts. “We started to realize that cooking with Oreo was something that they really like to do,” said Mr. Van de Put. “So, we switched our communication to cooking with Oreo, and it had a great effect on our sales.”
Recapture impulsiveness. The pandemic has accelerated the industry’s efforts to get us to buy things not on our shopping list. One trick that’s getting renewed attention: the full basket. With free shipping on orders of $35 or more, for example, shoppers just short of that sum get prompted to add impulse items.
And finally, food companies are hoping to regain our trust about the health risks of processed foods by reducing their use of sugar, salt and saturated fat, and by taking steps to help consumers avoid overeating. A Mondelez spokesman said the company is vigorously pursuing these goals, that its snacks include savory products like Triscuits and Ritz, and pointed to a survey released June 9 by an industry-funded group that found some people are using snacks to replace meals. Last month, Mondelez was back in front of Wall Street analysts with a report about its “snacking made right” campaign, which promotes mindful snacking with portion control and eating advice.
A company video has six tips when it comes to the Oreos that we’ve been gobbling up at home with our kids, including this one: Instead of just grabbing a handful, place just three on a plate and try to resist the impulse to gobble. Take a small bite from one cookie and put it back.


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How about going on a five-star safari holiday?
People looking to get up close and personal with wildlife might be interested in visiting Africa.
According to a piece by Arabian Business, South Africa and Kenya are becoming "the hottest new luxury holiday destinations knocking spots off others for a truly exclusive break".
It noted that customers can get five-star safari holidays in Africa, as well as there being some "top-class" accommodation options.
The piece describes Africa as all about wide open plains, sweeping vistas, rolling mists and people can witness nature first hand, adding: "In Africa luxury travel takes on a whole new meaning to anywhere else in the world."
And this does not necessarily mean exclusive restaurants and designer shopping excursions, or even marble bathrooms.
Those keen to go on a safari might be interested in South Africa as Wendy Gomersal, writing for the Daily Mail, noted earlier this month that individuals will have the chance to see the so-called Big Five animals – lions, buffalo, leopards, elephants and rhino – at the Sanbona Wildlife Reserve.

domain: news


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Tire manufacturer Goodyear presents a concept for the future of self driving cars with awesome “wheels” which are called eagle 360.
The new spherical tires are coated by 3D printers to create special surfaces that react to water. In wet conditions the surface retracts by making the grooves deeper. So the chances of aquaplaning can be reduced. The spherical tires are connected by magnetic levitation.
“By steadily reducing the driver interaction and intervention in self-driving vehicles, tires will play an even more important role as the primary link to the road,” said Joseph Zekoski, Goodyear’s senior vice president and chief technical officer. “Goodyear’s concept tires play a dual role in the future both as creative platforms to push the boundaries of conventional thinking and as testbeds for next-generation technologies.”
These concepts offer a glimpse of the future but most of the time don’t get turned into real products. This concept from Goodyear not only offers a possible future for 3D printing in the tire industry but also a future prospect for self-driving cars. Check out the concept here:


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Blackstone is back with another hotel IPO.
Private-equity firm Blackstone Group L.P. is hoping to raise north of $670 million with the sale of a minority stake in La Quinta Holdings Inc. in an initial public offering Tuesday.
La Quinta plans to sell 37.2 million shares at an offering price between $18 and $21, according to a regulatory filing. At the midpoint of that range, it would value the hotel chain at $2.39 billion.
Blackstone — the largest operator of hotels in the U.S. — has already been to the IPO well twice in the last few months, selling shares in Extended Stay America Inc. in November, and launching a massive $2.35 billion IPO for Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. in December.
The private-equity firm is taking advantage of a resurgence in the hotel business across the U.S. The industry suffered mightily after the 2008 financial crisis as business travel plummeted. But these days, the price of hotels are rising as the supply of rooms fails to keep up with rapidly increasing demand.
Blackstone is hardly cashing out. It retained big chunks of both Extended Stay and Hilton, and plans to do the same with La Quinta. The firm, which currently owns 96% of La Quinta, will reduce its stake to between 64% and 67%, depending on how many shares ultimately are sold.
La Quinta applied to list on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “LQ.”


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COVID-19 Exposes the Contradictions of Social Media Taxes in Africa
The effectiveness of social media to reach a wide audience has made it a critical medium for many governments across Africa and beyond to provide reliable COVID-19 pandemic mitigation information to millions of people. In some African countries, there are regulations that impose taxes on over-the-top (OTT) services, mobile devices, and mobile money— dampening their uptake and use and undermining the use of these mediums by states to fight the ongoing Pandemic and broader national digital transformation policies. These regressive taxes add to already high data costs, making the Internet less affordable for households and individuals with lower incomes— excluding large segments of the population, deterring new users, and ultimately widening the digital divide. As the continent battles the COVID-19 pandemic, these taxes need to be removed to provide relief to the marginalised, drive digital inclusion, and build future resilience.


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The Last Of Us looking like a 2013 release
Sony has shown off a lot of their new things at E3 but some have of the most eagerly awaited titles have yet to receive a release date.
The most notable of these was Naughty Dog's new survival title The Last Of Us which was given its first proper public gameplay demo at the end of Sony's E3 press conference.
Shuhei Yoshida, boss of Sony Worldwide Studios, has indicated that The Last Of Us will not be released this year.
He explained, "We are not ready to talk about 2013, but some of the games we showed like God Of War and The Last Of Us are not coming out this year."


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T-Mobile US CEO John Legere pushed back against media interpretations of recent comments made by Timotheus Hoettges, CEO of T-Mobile parent Deutsche Telekom, which many outlets interpreted as Hoettges saying T-Mobile's torrid growth trajectory is unsustainable long term from a financial perspective.
T-Mobile US was thwarted in its efforts to merge last year with Sprint, but the carrier still needs greater scale in the long term despite all of its recent growth, according to Timotheus Hoettges, CEO of T-Mobile parent Deutsche Telekom. Hoettges also said in the long term T-Mobile's blistering growth is unsustainable from a financial perspective.
In explaining its position on the FCC's forthcoming net neutrality rules, Sprint argues that it does not matter whether the commission reclassifies broadband as a telecommunications service under Title II of the Telecommunications Act, as long as mobile broadband is given a great deal of flexibility. That is a split with CTIA and much of the telecommunications industry, which has fiercely opposed a Title II reclassification, arguing it will harm investment.
Struggling mobile and electronics retailer RadioShack is negotiating a deal to sell to Sprint the leases to some of its stores. RadioShack is reportedly on the verge of filing for bankruptcy protection.
Sprint is abandoning its Virgin Mobile Custom prepaid brand but is sticking with the ItsOn cloud technology behind that brand and its retail partnership with Walmart. Sprint launched Virgin Mobile Custom in August exclusively through Walmart but found that consumers were confused about their rate plans.
How did the wireless industry perform in the fourth quarter of 2014? Check here throughout the fourth-quarter earnings report season for full earnings reports from the wireless industry's carriers, handset makers, equipment suppliers and others.
With the help of Mobile Beacon, libraries in the five boroughs of New York City will be lending out 10,000 high-speed hotspots to low-income residents who qualify. The Johnston, R.I.-based nonprofit is partnering with Sprint to distribute the hotspots.
Sprint is preparing to add small cells to its network to expand the reach of its LTE service, and that effort will most likely cost the carrier around $500 million per year in labor and hardware costs, according to estimates from one Wall Street analyst firm.
With a somewhat bumpy fourth-quarter reporting season expected for the Tier 1 wireless carriers, analysts at Jefferies are hoping for more "rational" pricing behavior from the large operators in 2015.
The continued subscriber momentum at T-Mobile, coupled with solid expected results from Verizon Wireless AT&T Mobility could mean that Sprint struggled in the fourth-quarter to win many net postpaid subscribers, according to financial analysts.


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Bethesda Game Studios has officially announced that its upcoming sci-fi RPG, Starfield, has gone gold ahead of its big launch this September. Additionally, Bethesda also revealed the preload times for Xbox Series X/S and PC players along with a pretty massive install size, though nothing out of the ordinary for most AAA games today.
Starfield going gold means that the main development of the game has been completed and it’s ready to move to manufacturing. As for preloads, Xbox Series X/S and Windows PC players who pre-purchased the game can start preloading from 17 August (today), while Steam players can start on 30 August. However, GamesRadar revealed that the initial install size for Starfield on PC is a whopping 140 GB, so make sure you have enough space before jumping into… space.
After several delays, we’re one step closer to finally playing Starfield. Bethesda and Xbox originally set a release date of 11 November 2022 for the game but it was delayed into the first half of 2023 along with Arkane’s Redfall. The anticipated RPG was hit with another delay that finally pushed it back to 6 September this year.
Bethesda and Xbox are also kicking off Starfield‘s marketing campaign. Earlier this week, Bethesda updated the game’s official website with a “Story So Far” chart that presents a clear timeline of events, important story beats and key characters before the current events in which the game’s narrative takes place. A few short animation videos were also released that added a bit more context to Starfield‘s world-building, corporations and expansive universe.
A previous report claimed that Microsoft was attempting to host some kind of interactive launch event for Starfield, though we’ve heard little about this yet.
Starfield launches on 6 September 2023 for Xbox Series X/S and PC. It will also arrive day one on Xbox Game Pass.


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Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics partner Unilever is making headlines for all the wrong reasons.
As public health lawyer Michele Simon of Eat Drink Politics reports on her blog, the food giant is suing San Francisco-based start-up Hampton Creek (maker of Just Mayo) “for daring to offer a cruelty-free and sustainable alternative” to traditional mayonnaise (note that Unilever owns the Hellmann’s brand).
- “Started in 2011, Hampton Creek has received a lot of media attention (and financial backing) for its scientific approach to making plant-based alternatives to eggs, aiming at the heart of a cruel and unsustainable industry. The company’s first consumer product, Just Mayo has enjoyed a fast rise to success, not only in natural retail channels like Whole Foods, but also mainstream markets such as Walmart, Costco, Target, and even Dollar Tree. Unlike previous vegan spreads that mimic mayonnaise, Just Mayo is not aimed at just being a niche product; and that’s exactly has Unilever, maker of Hellmann’s and Best Foods, shaking in their boots.”
- “The conventional egg industry is notoriously inhumane and wasteful. It’s not just that egg-laying hens live in cramped conditions, but egg production uses an unbelievable amount of energy, especially when compared to Hampton Creek’s approach. Here is how Forbes describes the comparison: “The ratio of energy input to food energy output for chicken-laid eggs is about 39-to-1, behind only beef and lamb farming. Hampton Creek’s plant products maintain a ratio of 2-to-1.” This translates directly into costs savings for consumers.”
- “In its legal complaint, the company argues that Just Mayo cannot possibly be mayonnaise because both the dictionary and the Food and Drug Administration say that mayonnaise contains egg. Over and over, like a hurt child, Unilever lawyers argue: “Just Mayo is not mayonnaise. It does not contain any egg.” Yes, we know. That’s Hampton Creek’s entire business model, they aren’t hiding it. It’s right there on the ingredient label. No eggs.”
- “It’s not Hampton Creek’s fault if its innovation is out-pacing federal regulations. That’s par for the course in almost any technology-driven industry. The company’s CEO Josh Tetrick told Food Navigator yesterday that FDA has only defined “mayonnaise” but not “mayo”, and that other vegan spreads use that word as well.”
- “Unilever is asking the court not only to make Hampton Creek stop using the Just Mayo name (and remove all current product from store shelves), but also to pay Unilever the amount obtained from profits, plus triple damages.”
Actions like these speak volumes.
PS: See The New York Times‘ coverage as well.


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Windows 10 Tip
Technology Business Engineer
NET Xperts LLC
Microsoft is starting to roll out a new Search Console experience to Windows 10 users on version 1809 and above.
The new experience offers a new “two-column” layout, which offers easy readability, as well as fast access to Quick Searches. You will also see local weather, top news, and more helpful info. To find other web results or navigate directly to a website, users can still type in the search bar like normal.
To try the new feature: Click on the Search icon in the Taskbar or press Windows key + S.
The new Windows Search experience is a server-side change, and it will be available in markets where Quick Searches are supported, and the list includes the United States, Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Japan, Mexico, Spain, and the UK. Moreover, Microsoft announced on July 29th that Windows search now provides web search support for Dutch speakers in the Netherlands who set their Windows region to “Netherlands,” and set Dutch as their default language.


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The company is up to some interesting tricks, however. Two days before its 3rd quarter began, the company announced that it may buy back up to 5% of its common stock in the coming year. But this appeared to be nothing more than a public relations move: in the third quarter, the company ended up buying back just 22,000 shares. At the same time, it issued 987,668 options to executives and directors!
Issuing options is nothing new of course, but what is worrisome is that the company only has 13.6 million shares outstanding, yet in a single quarter it issued 7% of that number in stock options! Equally worrisome is how the company talks up its buybacks in the headlines, while quietly issuing this egregious number of options in the background. The company used this line in its top paragraph on "business priorities" to talk up its paltry purchase of 22,000 shares, while it made no effort to explain the unusually large issuance of options:
"At September 30, 2009 the Company had repurchased 22,000 shares at an average price of $ 2.18 per share for a total of $ 48,000. The Board of directors of Hartco considers that the [buyback] is an appropriate use of financial resources and will be beneficial to Hartco."
Management will often headline the items that are likely to appease shareholders. However, the onus is on investors to dig deeper in order to figure out what the company is really up to.


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That’s the problem with great expectations. Even if you deliver a lot, unless you really impress, you still get marked down. And that’s pretty much what’s happened to Amazon last week when it report its Q415 results and Wall Street analysts decided it just wasn’t quite enough. The below graph should serve as an illustration.
We’re certainly not experts on the world of finance, so it’s probably best to share some sources of commentary from across the web that can better explain the situation:


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Building customer loyalty extends beyond the actual purchase, and brands and retailers should focus on how to continue relationships with customers afterwards.
Particularly, consumers in the UK feel closest to a brand after they've already bought something from them, according to a report from OLIVER cited by Forbes. This means that for all of the time and money spent on brand advertising to influence a purchase, the most influential time to actually build customer loyalty is after they have already bought something.
- 38% of UK consumers feel most engaged with a brand when they are already using one of its products. This was the highest-rated option, which highlights how important it is for brands to keep up the relationship after a purchase has been made.
- However, brands and retailers need to be careful about the kind of follow-ups they employ — 76% of consumers are concerned about the frequency of communications between the brand and themselves. Specifically, 51% are worried about being sent follow-up campaigns too frequently and a further 17% are concerned about ones that are not sufficiently tailored to them.
Brands and retailers can use things like email campaigns and social media interactions to help post-purchase engagement. However, another aspect that should also be of concern is in the customer service experience.
It's likely that many post-purchase interactions with brands will be requiring assistance from the retailer — especially considering the fact that online shoppers are regularly buying products they have not seen in person, which leaves room for purchasing errors and buyer's remorse.
Providing good customer service is a key way to drive loyalty and influence future sales post-purchase. One-third of all online purchases are returned, according to The Wall Street Journal. How retailers handle the customer service aspect of the return process is vital to future brand engagement.
In the US, about two-thirds of consumers are willing to spend more money with a company they believe has provided them with excellent customer service, according to a report from Microsoft.
Meanwhile, even a single negative customer service experience can deter potential customers from spending money with a company, as 60% of US consumers have not completed an intended purchase based on a poor customer service experience, according to an American Express report.
As consumers increasingly buy products online that they haven't seen in person — leaving room for purchasing errors and buyer's remorse — it's now more important than ever to provide customers with positive customer service experiences.
Nancee Halpin, research associate for BI Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service, has compiled a detailed report on customer service that looks at why customer service matters, which stalwart channels are still top performers, and which new channels have the most potential. It also takes a look at why luxury retailers, or even just retailers with high-income consumers, need to be especially attuned to providing solid customer service help.
Here are some key takeaways from the report:
- Even a single negative customer service experience can deter potential customers from spending money with a company. 60% of US consumers have not completed an intended purchase based on a poor customer service experience. That translates into an estimated $83 billion in lost sales for US retailers.
- Negative customer service experiences loom larger than positive ones. It takes 12 positive customer experiences to negate the poor impression left behind from one unresolved, bad experience.
- Lack of effective customer service on social media seems to be spilling over into users' willingness to interact with brands at all on the channel. Just over half of consumers plan on either not contacting or reducing their contact with brands through social media this year.
- Providing the best-quality customer service is especially important to luxury retailers, whose customers expect a personalized experience to enhance the exclusivity that comes with luxury retail. Nearly half of all luxury consumers demand an apology, refund, or incentives following a poor customer service experience.
- Traditional channels like phone and email are still preferred by consumers, but new technologies — like messaging apps and live chat — are beginning to take off.
In full, the report:
- Examines why customer service matters more for e-commerce retailers.
- Explains the consequences of both positive and negative customer service experiences for retailers.
- Compares various channels for customer service and discusses which ones perform best.
- Assesses the future of customer service for a digitally native consumer audience.
- Discusses which retailers and industries are affected most by customer service experiences.
To get your copy of this invaluable guide, choose one of these options:
- Subscribe to an ALL-ACCESS Membership with BI Intelligence and gain immediate access to this report AND over 100 other expertly researched deep-dive reports, subscriptions to all of our daily newsletters, and much more. >> START A MEMBERSHIP
- Purchase the report and download it immediately from our research store. >> BUY THE REPORT
The choice is yours. But however you decide to acquire this report, you’ve given yourself a powerful advantage in your understanding of the importance of customer service.


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- As External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar wrapped up a visit to Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay, we take an in-depth look at India’s ties with Latin America.
- Latin America is generally understood to consist of the entire continent of South America in addition to Mexico, Central America, and the islands of the Caribbean.
India-Latin America Relations: A Backgrounder
- India’s ties with certain Latin American nations are longstanding and Mexico was the first Latin American country to recognize India after its independence in 1947.
- When Fidel Castro ousted the Batista regime in Cuba in 1959, India was one of the first countries to recognize the new government, set-up an embassy in Havana and establish diplomatic relations.
- However, relations between India and Latin America did not gather momentum throughout most of India’s post-independence history.
- India and Latin American nations were both colonies of European powers. After achieving independence, both adopted socialist policies, which did little to enhance relations.
- Many Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) countries joined the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM).
- India also supported LAC countries against US interventions in the UN and other multilateral gatherings, but this did not address the deficit in the relationship.
Why does Latin America matter to India?
(i) Economic determinants
- Energy demand is rising: In a view of India’s growing demand for energy and its interest in seeking overseas investments, Latin America attracts New Delhi’s interest. After all, the region is rich in extractive resources.
- Important markets: Given that three G20 economies, i.e. Brazil, Mexico, and Argentina are in Latin America, Indian businesses are keen to tap its expansive market.
- IT collaboration: During the last two decades, India’s trade with Latin American countries has grown substantially and its investments are diversified in sectors such as Information Technology (IT) and manufacturing.
- Export hub: Moreover, the region has emerged as an important market for the Indian pharmaceutical and automobile industries.
(ii) Geopolitical determinants
- China’s emergence in the region: Analysts within India’s strategic community are of the view that China is fast emerging as Latin America’s economic and strategic partner, and that India must begin expanding its own footprint in the region.
- India’s Soft Power is making difference: To its advantage, India’s status as a rising power, its economic growth, as well as its soft power in the form of its cultural and civilizational practices such as yoga have gained traction in Latin America.
Hurdles in cooperation
- Geographic distance: Relations between India and Latin America did not gather momentum owing mainly to the geographical distance between the two regions, and differing domestic and international priorities.
- Lack of cultural connection: There has also been a lack of cultural, linguistic and diaspora connections between the two regions in the past.
Significance of India-Latin America Relations
- Pharma exports: India exports a billion dollars worth of generic medicines to Latin America, which has helped these countries reduce the cost of healthcare.
- FDI: Latin American firms have invested about a billion dollars in India in areas such as soft drinks, multiplexes, theme parks, and auto parts.
- Software production: Latin American software firms have also established development and delivery centres in India, employing over a thousand Indian software engineers
- Energy security: Latin America has also emerged as a key contributor to India’s energy security. India now imports 20% of its crude oil from Brazil, Columbia, Mexico and Venezuela.
- ITES exports: India also constitutes one of the largest suppliers of IT services to Latin America. Over 35,000 Latin Americans are employed in Indian IT companies operating in the region
Key factor: Countering Chinese domination
- Although India has steadily expanded its footprint in Latin American countries over the past several years, it is still dwarfed by China’s immense presence in the region.
- Many Latin Americans governments resent Chinese imports, which flood their markets at the cost of local businesses.
- They are also worried by their growing dependence on Chinese investments.
- By contrast, India’s modest trade and investments are welcomed with virtually no opposition.
- This gives New Delhi an unexpected, long-term competitive advantage over China.
India’s interests in Latin America
- Latin America is also very rich in minerals such as copper, lithium, iron ore, gold and silver. It gives India an opportunity to increase investments for their extraction as well as for their imports at cheaper rates.
- India’s exports to Latin America increased by 9.6% in 2018-19 (April to March) reaching $13.16 billion from $12 billion in 2017-18.
- The region is very important for India in order to achieve its global ambitions such as in order to pursue its membership of the UNSC, the NSG and at various other negotiations like climate change, terrorism, trade, etc
- India is cooperating with Brazil at platforms like BRICS, IBSA which has provided an alternative platform for developing countries and reduces their dependence on existing institutions controlled by west.
(3) Energy security
- Currently India sources 15% of its crude oil from Latin America countries.
- Latin America is also an important partner in the India led International Solar Alliance.
(4) Food security
- Latin America region is five times that of India and only has half as much population.
- India is importing pulses and oil seeds from many of African and Southeast Asian countries at very high costs.
Why India should expand ties with Latin American countries
- Growth prospect: With a collective GDP of more than $6 trillion, and a combined population of more than 600 million, half of which is under the age of thirty, Latin America constitutes a dynamic, growing and resource-rich part of the world with huge economic prospects for India.
- Food Security: Latin America can also contribute towards food security. The region is five times the size of India and has only half the population. India is currently importing pulses and oilseeds from other countries at high costs.
- Cheaper imports: Latin America is also very rich in minerals such as copper, lithium, iron ore, gold and silver, and could give India an opportunity to increase investments for their extraction as well as for their import at cheaper rates.
- Bringing India and Latin America together will require effective institutional framework as well as businesses and people-to-people networks.
- India must also promote Latin American studies, invest in shipping industries, and conclude preferential trade agreements and free trade agreements at the earliest.
- Latin American languages must be encouraged in India to incentivise Indian professionals to take jobs in these countries, and to promote trading ties.
- The commerce ministry should revive its ‘Focus: LAC’ programme, which has previously helped encourage and support Indian exporters to explore business opportunities in the region.
- Despite recent improvements on many fronts, however, both India and the LAC countries face some formidable challenges.
- They still have some of the highest inequality indices in the world, as well as serious deficiencies in infrastructure, technology, innovation and competitiveness.
- India and the LAC region could approach these challenges as opportunities to forge new partnerships to promote growth and development through increased trade and investment.


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The UK government has extended the ban on commercial evictions until 25 March 2022
The move was announced today (15 June) by chief secretary to the Treasury, Steve Barclay
The moratorium was set to come to an end on 30 June
ukactive had called for an extension to the moratorium earlier this week
The UK government has extended the ban on commercial evictions until 25 March 2022.
Announcing the move today (15 June), chief secretary to the Treasury, Steve Barclay, also confirmed that the government will lay legislation confirming the terms of binding arbitration for landlords and tenants unable to reach agreement for repayment terms.
Introduced during the pandemic, the moratorium on forfeiture of commercial leases for non-payment of rent was introduced to protect businesses that faced no income during lockdowns.
It has provided much-needed security to health clubs, gyms and fitness studios.
The moratorium was set to come to an end on 30 June, which had caused alarm among fitness and physical activity businesses, as they continue to face restrictions on operations.
Earlier this week, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that businesses in England would need to operate a further four weeks at reduced capacity as a result of a delay in the country moving to Step 4 – the final easing of lockdown measures, meaning group exercise faces further restrictions.
The delay in the lifting of the moratorium has resulted in a collective sigh of relief across the fitness industry.
Among those to welcome the decision was industry body, ukactive.
Huw Edwards, ukactive CEO, said: "We welcome the direction of travel from the government on rent, with the announcement of an extension on the moratorium of eviction for commercial rent arrears in England, and a commitment to introduce legislation for binding arbitration between landlords and tenants.
“While we await the full details, we are pleased the Government has responded to our submission on rent, providing breathing space from this immediate pressure for thousands of private operators as they work their way out of the crisis.
“However, to ensure our sector’s recovery the Government must commit to a full package of support for our sector, given how hard it has been hit by the pandemic – suffering eight months of closure through lockdown at a cost of £90m in lost revenue per week, and 121 days of suppressed trading since 25 July 2020.
“We will continue to work towards a positive resolution on business rates, the extension of furlough support, VAT relief for our sector, and phase two of the National Leisure Recovery Fund which is urgently needed by public sector operators.
“A strong fitness and leisure sector is essential for our national renewal as it drives business growth, creates jobs and innovation on the high street, and improves the nation’s health and wellbeing.”
To read what industry leaders are saying about rent and the moratorium, click here for HCM Issue 2/2021.


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Most Thomas Cook tourists in Greece on Zakynthos, Kos, Corfu, Skiathos and Crete, official says
About 50,000 tourists are stranded in Greece, mainly on islands, as a result of British travel firm Thomas Cook’s collapse, a Greek tourism ministry official told Reuters on Monday.
The tourists, mainly British, were vacationing in the islands of Zakynthos, Kos, Corfu, Skiathos and Crete, the official said.
“The top priority now is to get them back home,” the official said, declining to be named.
Thomas Cook, one of Britain’s oldest companies, ran hotels, resorts and airlines for 19 million people a year in 16 countries.


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The label has also confirmed plans to reissue the entire Pinhead Gunpowder discography on vinyl and CD in 2009. The label is aiming for a fall release of five albums including Jump Salty, Carry the Banner, Goodbye Ellston Avenue, Compulsive Disclosure and Shoot The Moon.
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Monty Messex on Dead F-cking Last's 'Proud to Be' reissue


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The one company that stands for all things Made-In-India and prides itself on being a custodian of Swadeshi versions of every consumer product has been quick on its feet. Patanjali Ayurveda, the FMCG giant established by Baba Ramdev has announced the launch of an ecommerce platform called “OrderMe” and that it will go live within the next 15 days. The platform will sell, other than Patanjali’s own products, made-in-India and Swadeshi products made by others. Other than products, the platform will also offer 24/7 consultations with its inhouse doctors and Ayurvedic experts.
Patanjali noodles is all set to fill the void created by Maggi in the widely popular noodle-space in India. Baba Ramdev has announced its launch on October 15, 2015.
While Nestle is battling with the authorities to reinstate its much-loved noodle brand on Indian shelves, Baba Ramdev has spotted an opportunity. He’s swooping into the market with his own alternative to Maggi, Atta Noodles.


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Udder disgrace: Appeal for Grafton milk thieves to come forward
POLICE are appealing for information following the theft of a large amount of milk products from a premises at Grafton over the last two months.
Between last month and today, police from Coffs/Clarence Local Area Command have been alerted to the large scale theft of milk products.
The Dobie St premises has had milk, flavoured milk and assorted dairy products regularly stolen, and investigators believe that due to the quantities of products being taken the items are being sold or distributed throughout the area.
In light of this, officers have urged businesses and retailers to only buy these products from reputable retail outlets. This is particularly so due to the stringent health requirements about storing and selling milk products.
Investigators urge anyone with information about the theft or resale of milk products to come forward and contact police or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.


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Solaris is feeling the chill from the fintech downturn.
The upstart German fintech player secured a major credit card contract last year with Allgemeiner Deutscher Automobil-Club, Europe’s biggest motorists association and roadside assistance giant. But now, Solaris is sweating to raise 100 million euros to actually fund the project, according to a report last weekend from the Financial Times.
e-Bank On It
The deal with ADAC was something of a legitimizer for Solaris, handing it a decade-long deal to issue ADAC-branded credit cards to 21 million club members — with sales projected to reach more than 100 million euros a year, a massive step for a firm that generated 130 million in sales in 2022. But it’s been a bumpy road ever since, with Solaris losing 56 million euros last year. One of its biggest clients, blockchain-based banking startup Nuri, filed for insolvency in August 2022. And ADAC announced this summer that it would delay migrating its credit card clients to Solaris by at least six months (though one source insisted to the FT this was due to tech issues, not lack of funding).
Either way, the firm apparently needs a lot more money to deliver on the project — and both sides are getting creative to try to pull it off:
- A portion of the 100 million euros fundraise is for an upfront payment to ADAC, according to the FT, though most of it will be used to simply meet the minimum capital requirements needed to take on ADAC’s 500-million-euro loan book.
- ADAC has reached out to Hanseatic Bank, DKB, and Deutsche Bank to see if any of them could take on the loan book, according to the FT, which would mark something of a U-turn, given that the club picked Solaris over each of them last year.
Fund Grazing: Venture capital money has all but dried up in fintech. Earlier this summer, Solaris raised a 38 million euro Series F, though it came at the exact same valuation — $1.6 billion — of its most previous funding round back in 2021. Still, that beats buy-now, pay-later firm Klarna seeing its valuation drop by over 70% in its most recent raise. Meanwhile, global fintech funding fell off a cliff in 2022, relatively speaking, plummeting 46% to $75 billion, according to CB Insights. In other words, fintech may not quite be finito just yet, but it’s time for the industry to prove its worth.


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Cisco Systems is planning to release a larger and smaller version of its enterprise-centric Cius tablet in the new year, part of an ongoing push to get its Android-based tablet into the hands of more and varied enterprise customers.
Cisco is best known for supplying communications and networking technology. Few consumers are even aware that the company has an Android tablet that was launched in August this year. And Cisco likes it that way.
Cisco has spent much of the past year positioning Cius as a key component of its overall collaboration strategy, which the networking titan sees as a potential $42 billion opportunity for Cisco channel partners.
But many Cisco solution providers see Cius as a question mark, and potentially unattractive, at a price point of $725 for a basic Wi-Fi-only version before volume discounts, when business users are adopting Apple’s iPad in droves.
Cisco’s position is that it isn’t after all of the tablet customers so much as the right tablet customers: those that have Cisco-centric network infrastructure and are seeking, in Cisco’s eyes, an tablet with enterprise-grade security and collaboration capabilities.
The Cius isn’t available in retail outlets and interested consumers will have to order it through Cisco business channels. Despite this drawback, businesses and enterprise owners have been steady in their support for the tablet.
“We don’t think everyone’s going to buy a Cius tomorrow,” said Richard McLeod, senior director, collaboration sales in Cisco’s Worldwide Partner Organization, in a recent interview with CRN. “But if we get 10 percent of what’s projected for growth in Android tablet devices, that’s easily a million devices for us here in a couple of years. So we’ll take our small share and focus on those rich collaboration opportunities.”
The current Cisco Cius, which is manufactured for Cisco by touchscreen device vendor OpenPeak, weighs 1.5 pounds and has a 7-inch VGA touch-target display, along with a front-mounted, 720p HD camera, a rear-facing 5-megapixel camera, and a range of other features.
It’s heavily tied to Cisco infrastructure, including support by Cisco’s UC Manager and native support for Cisco collaboration products like Quad, Jabber and WebEx. One key feature is AppHQ, an application storefront, hosted in Cisco’s cloud, through which organizations can acquire apps that have been pre-validated to work with Cisco infrastructure, and also control what apps are made available to the users of their Cius fleets.
The device currently runs version 2.2 of Google Android, also known as Froyo. Cisco opted to skip Android 3.0, or Honeycomb, to wait on Google’s release of Ice Cream Sandwich, or Android 4.0.
The new tablets will also run on the latest Android software known as the Ice Cream Sandwich. Cisco is working on getting the Ice Cream Sandwich to the current Cius. The Cius has an Intel Atom processor, clocked to 1.6GHz. It also holds 32GB of storage and 720p videoconferencing capabilities.
Global Cius availability for Cisco partners began July 31.
Whether Cisco’s confidence is misplaced remains to be seen. By most accounts, it faces a number of challenges when it comes to selling Cius, not the least of which is that few people seem familiar with the brand. What will it looks like? Let’s wait and see…


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According to InsideEVs, Ford CEO Jim Farley revealed on February 6th that a small team at Ford has been secretly working for the past two years to develop a low-cost platform for small electric vehicles.
“We made a bet, two years ago,” Farley told investors during the company’s fourth-quarter and full year 2023 financial results conference call, sharing the establishment of a “small group of talented employees” working independently outside of Ford to develop the project.
Farley said, “They have developed a flexible platform that not only scales for different vehicles, but it is really important for software and services as well.” He added that Ford is shifting its investments to focus more on small electric vehicles.
Price is one of the main barriers preventing consumers from purchasing more electric cars and preventing automakers from selling them in larger quantities. Today, most electric cars come with a high price tag, leaving budget-conscious buyers with very few options below $30,000.
Currently, Ford does not have a “cheap” electric vehicle. The Mustang Mach-E SUV starts around $43,000, while the base model of the F-150 Lightning pickup truck is priced at over $55,000.
Having vehicles with a wider and longer range will cost consumers more money. However, Ford’s electric vehicle business has not been profitable during this time. (The e-Mobility division, which focuses on electric vehicles and related technologies, incurred a loss of $4.7 billion in 2023.)
The low-cost segment is a newly emerging battlefield in the electric vehicle market. For years, Tesla has been planning to produce a $25,000 electric car.
In January, Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced that the company’s next-generation, affordable vehicle platform will start production in 2025.
According to Jim Farley, cost-cutting will be crucial to compete with both Tesla’s upcoming models and Chinese automakers, who are starting to export electric vehicles globally and may enter the US market in the near future.
He said, “All of our electric vehicle development teams are laser-focused on cost and efficiency with products because ultimately Ford’s toughest competition will be the affordable price of Tesla and OEMs coming out of China.”


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SoftBank Group Corp. refused to invest $100 million in the company Essential, developer of a smartphone based on Android, The Wall Street Journal reports with reference to its own sources.
Essential is headed by the creator of the Android operating system Andy Rubin. In January, a number of media reported that his company intends to create a smartphone that could compete in the market with the Apple's iPhone.
The reason of SoftBank's refusal to invest in Essential is a $100 billion investment fund Vision Fund, created recently by the Japanese company. The fact is that in January, Apple agreed to commit $1 billion to the fund, that put an end to the negotiations between SoftBank and Essential.


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Nashville's retail industry is experiencing strong job growth. Local employers posted 55 new jobs over the past week and 227 in the last month, ranking sixth among local industries, according to ZipRecruiter, a leading online employment marketplace.
The retail sector also came in sixth in terms of local employers adding new jobs. In the past month, 124 companies listed open jobs for Nashville-based workers in that area.
Top companies hiring locally in retail include The Turnip Truck, Soft Surroundings and Hustler Hollywood.
Jobs posted by The Turnip Truck in the past month in Nashville included managers and cashiers, while Soft Surroundings was hiring store managers, and Hustler Hollywood sought managers and sales associates.
This story was created automatically using local jobs data, then reviewed by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback.


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German Bundesliga club Fortuna Düsseldorf – relegated from the top division last month – has signed a sponsorship deal with carmaker Volkswagen and a regional car dealership.
The two-year deal, from 2020-21 to 2021-22, will see VW and the Moll Group dealership become the club’s official automotive partner.
The new sponsorship will provide around 40 VW vehicles for the club office and the youth performance centre. The deal also includes digital sponsorship activation and implementation rights as primary assets, with a special focus on e-mobility.
The Moll Group replaces the Arndt car dealership as an automobile sponsor of the club.
Fortuna decided to take its sponsorship rights in-house from the 2020-21 season onwards when the club opted not to extend its agency deal with Infront as the marketer of its sponsorship, stadium advertising and hospitality rights.
Infront Germany, the agency’s German arm, marketed Fortuna’s commercial rights for 11 years, from 2009-10 until the end of the 2019-20 season.
The club made the bold prediction at January’s Spobis sports industry event in Düsseldorf that it would double its commercial income in the next four years via its in-house team – an ambition now made more difficult by the club’s relegation to the 2. Bundesliga after two seasons in the top tier (and the Covid-19 impact on the sponsorship market).
Christian Koke, head of marketing at the club, said the new deal could be attributed to the change of strategy.
He said: “With our new concept of self-marketing, we were able to respond comprehensively to the needs of the partner.
“This resulted in a partnership in talks which, in addition to the vehicles, includes an unprecedented digital focus.”
Frank Faber, managing director of the Düsseldorf-based Moll Group, said the agreement was another piece in the mosaic of Volkswagen’s football strategy.
He said: “Volkswagen supports numerous clubs and associations worldwide, from Uefa to the national teams of the DFB to countless professional and amateur clubs. As a dealer, it is important to us that we are present on site where we and our customers are at home.”
Fortuna made less than €10m ($11.4m) from sponsorships in 2019-20, according to SportBusiness Soccer.
In December, the club’s main shirt sponsorship with chemical and consumer goods company Henkel – worth about €3m per year in 2019-20 – was extended for one more year to the end of the 2020-21 season.
German sportswear firm Uhlsport is the club’s kit supplier in a deal thought to be worth €450,000 per year in the 2. Bundesliga and up to €1m per year in the 1. Bundesliga.
If you need truly granular detail on top-tier club football, ask about our SportBusiness Soccer platform. SportBusiness Soccer is a powerful, easy-to-use digital platform that allows you discover, monitor and analyse every sponsorship deal made by every club in the Premier League, Bundesliga, LaLiga and Serie A.


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The media rumor that will never die has popped up once again; albeit with a slight twist. We’ve all read that Michael Bloomberg is interested in buying The New York Times plenty of times before. The new juicy info is that Bloomberg tried to buy the company, but Times publisher Arthur Sulzberger rebuffed him.
As with any rumor of this size, both sides deny this happened. A Times spokesperson told New York that Sulzberger “can’t remember the last time he spoke with Bloomberg,” which is complete bullshit, but still. And Bloomberg has brushed off the suggestion that he might one day purchase the Times.
Despite their constant denials, the buzz has remained the same for the last three years. New York even added this quote — via a “Bloomberg advisor” — to the latest edition of the rumor: “Mike has muttered a lot about the Times to a lot of people.”
This idea won’t die because it makes some sense. Bloomberg needs to fuel his massive ego, and buying the Times would be a sufficient meal. Also, the Times has a money problem, and Bloomberg’s deep pockets could solve it.
The reality is that we could still be talking about Bloomberg buying the Times years from now. No one seems to want to budge. Typically, where there’s smoke, there’s fire. Perhaps this is just a really, really slowly developing flame.


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BlackBerry Bold 9900 spotted in white overcoat
Blackberry Bold 9900 seen sporting pearly white jacket
Ever since the dawn of the first white iPhone, phone manufactures have been intent on giving their most popular smartphones a chalky finish. Even Samsung covered its most popular smartphone – the Galaxy S II – in white wrapping. And the latest phone to be given a lick of white paint is the BlackBerry – or WhiteBerry – Bold 9900.
Spotted at a trade show in Dubai, it’s unclear whether this pearly white 9900 will make it over to the UK, but seeing as the Torch and Bold 9780 have both been given glossy white overcoats, it seems likely. Instead, Canada looks set to be first on its outing list.
It’s worth checking out our Bold 9900 review, if you haven’t done so already, before you decide if you’d like to plump for white livery on your Bold 9900.
Samsung cancelled Galaxy Nexus launch in honour of Steve Jobs


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DHL Supply Chain, Westerville, Ohio, shared the three supply chain trends set to have the greatest impact on operations in North America in the coming year.
“We know the supply chain is continuing to become more complex,” says Scott Sureddin, chief executive officer. “As we enter a new decade, we are seeing a maturation and expansion of many technologies and applications we could not have imagined even three years ago. In many ways, these technologies, combined with a new generation of talent in the workforce and less separation between brands and consumers, are contributing to the evolution of the supply chain. We will be able to be more productive and more efficient, while providing an even higher level of value to our customers. 2020 marks a new decade in supply chain management in which operations benefit from increased digitalization, customers benefit from higher levels of service and supply chain organizations benefit from greater diversity in the workforce.”
Here are three trends expected to have the most impact on the supply chain in 2020:
Emerging technologies go mainstream. The past decade has brought technological advances at a breakneck speed, from autonomous vehicles to Big Data to robotics. As 2020 approaches, those technologies are maturing and becoming more widely adopted. What were once niche technologies are now available to companies of all sizes across industries.
Customers are eager to pilot new technology in their facilities, and are now faced with the task of determining which technologies will not only deliver the greatest return on investment, but also integrate most effectively into their existing operations. With 5G on the horizon and the pending rush of even more data, now is the time for companies to ensure they have a strong data management foundation, so they are well positioned to collect and mine the data to derive actionable insights. Those companies already at the forefront are applying insights to solve a variety of challenges, including leveling out the traditionally disruptive spikes of peak season.
“As we go into 2020, we’ll see artificial intelligence getting more accessible, robots becoming more sophisticated and predictive modeling becoming even more accurate,” says Sureddin. “This maturation will allow us to apply technologies in even more ways to drive efficiency and create value for our customers. The last decade introduced us to these technologies, and the next decade will make them commonplace.”
Product positioning becomes paramount. There are more ways than ever for products to get into consumers’ hands. From traditional brick-and-mortar to buy online, pick-up in store, the lines have blurred between e-commerce and traditional retail. Combined with the high delivery expectations of consumers, companies need to have the right item in stock to fulfill a 2-day or even same-day order. To tackle this challenge, inventory positioning becomes critical.
The distance between consumers and the products they want will continue to shrink in 2020. The new decade will bring growth of micro-fulfillment centers, especially in the grocery industry. Micro-fulfillment centers will continue to make sense for companies who need to quickly and efficiently fulfill online orders. These micro-fulfillment centers, often in urban areas, are changing the image of a traditional distribution center. It will soon become just as likely for a distribution center to be in a high-rise in Manhattan as it will in a sprawling facility in a rural area, allowing consumers to receive their purchases with greater speed and efficiency. These micro-fulfillment centers sometimes take the shape of so-called “dark stores,” which are automated, mini-warehouses or distribution centers to help fulfill online orders. Dark stores often look like actual stores, but without the customers. Although dark stores themselves aren’t new, the next year will bring more widespread adoption of them.
- Gender diversity makes its mark in the supply chain. While labor challenges have captured all the headlines, a more subtle transformation is occurring in the workforce. Women are entering the logistics industry in greater numbers than ever before. In fact, women now make up 32% of DHL Supply Chain’s new associates. A variety of factors are influencing this shift, including a greater emphasis on STEM in both early education and campus recruiting efforts. The integration of more technology has also minimized the importance of physical strength in traditional warehouse roles.


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From February 25 – March 1, 2015, Puerto Vallarta will host Vallarta Wine Fest with events happening at different hotels and restaurants around the city.
The wine event kicks off on Wednesday, February 25, at 6:00 PM at Hotel Casa Velas with a welcome party and social event for the festival participants.
On February 26 at Hotel Secrets a lecture will be given on the history and evolution of wines at 11:00 AM with an evening wine event at the resort at 6:00 PM.
The main wine tasting event and wine presentation will be held on Saturday 28 . . .


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Net-A-Porter: Augmented Reality Shop Windows NET-A-PORTER are rolling out Augmented Reality Shopping Windows, around the world including Paris, New York, London, Munich and Sydney. The video demo above is from late last year for Fashion’s Night Out celebrations in London and New York, but as of today, it’s been rolled out globally for the new Karl by Karl Lagerfeld collection, with the same sort of features. After downloading the NET-A-PORTER iPhone/iPad app, customers who turn up at stores can activate an Augmented Reality shopping experience by pointing the camera at the various pieces in the window, revealing 360 degree product models, video catwalk showcases, product information, pricing and the ability to buy instantly… It’s also a great way to generate after hours sales. Via. Be Sociable, Share!
Smartwatches shouldn't look like watches - Jul. 3, 2013 Sony's Smartwatch 2 has a fatal flaw: It still looks like a watch. NEW YORK (CNNMoney) This year's iteration boasts a waterproof housing, a few extra pixels in a slightly larger display, and NFC (near-field communication) functionality, but the basic concept is unchanged from the last generation. Sony (SNE) expects us to interact with its smartwatches as though they were dumbed-down smartphones. It's an idea that will immediately resonate with the masses.
The company that powers Google Hangouts wants to radically disrupt all business videoconferencing Video is the new audio. With more emotion, more nuance, and more effective real-time communication, videoconferencing is growing at a 20 percent annual rate in business. But that’s not fast enough for Vidyo, the company that Google tapped for the technology behind Google+ Hangouts. To accelerate growth of the videoconferencing industry — and grab share from market leaders like Cisco and Polycom – Vidyo is employing the traditional web nuclear weapon: free. “We want to transform business-to-business video,” Vidyo senior vice-president Marty Hollander told VentureBeat. “Everything from high quality and high cost to free web-based services.”
"Virtual Retinal Display" Does Exactly What Its Name Implies What's the Latest Development? A company called Avegant has developed a prototype of a head-mounted display that could take virtual reality to a brand-new level: Currently going by the name "Virtual Retinal Display," it works by projecting an image directly onto each of the wearer's retinas. The result, says writer Tim Stevens, is one in which "[p]ixels seem to blend together seamlessly, creating an incredibly bright and vibrant image." The latest prototype looks like two circuit boards set on an eyeglass frame; Avegant CTO and co-founder Allan Evans says the company is working with industrial design experts to create a more attractive version in time for next January's Consumer Electronics Show. What's the Big Idea? Retinal projection technology was considered so challenging that the makers of Google Glass decided to avoid it for its product.
Lightbot Lightbot is great fun and does a surprisingly thorough job of introducing some pretty complex principles of programming. Lightbot offers an easy way for kids to learn concepts like loops, if-then statements, and the like without typing or coding. Kids will learn more than the basics of programming though they may not realize it. They will sharpen their critical thinking abilities.
Augmented Reality with #Processing - Tutorial by Amnon Owed All of the visuals in the above video were created using NyArtoolkit for Processing. NyARToolkit is an augmented reality toolkit built with 100% pure Java. It is derived from ARToolkit-2.72.1. Like Processing itself it’s open source and free! In this tutorial you will learn how to use it to place computer generated imagery correctly onto real world footage. 3D headset space getting crowded Capitalizing on the excitement generated by the Oculus Rift, several other companies, both big and small, are jumping into the virtual reality headset market. There’s a product that projects 3D images onto a special screen in front of you, one that projects 3D virtual reality right into your eyeballs, and one that allows you to slide a smartphone you already own into a head mount creating a kind of Oculus-on-the-cheap. With cheap and fast motion sensors, high-resolution displays, and fast processors, we may finally have reached the beginning of the virtual reality revolution. Here are the big players in this space. Oculus Rift
GoldRun's App Features Smurfs In Augmented Reality 5 December '11, 10:41pm Follow GoldRun just launched an augmented reality app that places a virtual Smurf inside your iPhone photos. The app extends the recent movie experience into reality, affording kids and parents the ability to see themselves standing right next to their favorite Smurf characters.
I tried the Rift, and I liked it Oculus Rift inventor Palmer Luckey was in Cambridge Saturday, at the Microsoft NERD Center, for a recruitment event and mini virtual reality conference. If you couldn’t make it, you missed three different tracks of presentations, running from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m., plus demos of several Oculus Rift games. Most of the focus of the event was on gaming, and probably the majority of those in attendance were in the gaming industry, or studying a related field. But there was also some discussion of the use of virtual reality for training, education, business, and other serious applications.
Disney Parks Get Augmented in Times Square Happy Birthday, Mickey Mouse! Walt Disney's beloved icon turns 83 today and Disney Parks is celebrating at the Disney Store in Times Square with an innovative augmented reality installation. Running through Saturday at the Disney Store on Broadway and 45th Street, the Disney Parks team has implemented a 60-foot digital billboard AR experience.
The future of work is rich in technology and drawbacks The nature of work and the workplace itself is changing for most of us. (Phil Noble/Reuters) We check e-mail as soon as we reach home, and sneak a peek at our inboxes along the way.


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Kar-Tainer looking to expand presence in ASEAN region
Kar-Tainer is looking to expand its presence in the ASEAN and remaining S.E. Asia region, where the automobile manufacturing growth is really on an upward spiral. China and Thailand, in particular, are showing huge export growth in the automotive industry, and through lack of traditional RORO capacity, Kar-Tainer sees a huge potential for the just in time container delivery of motor vehicles. With lower damage rates, more regular deliveries, smaller numbers, lower holding costs, the container, along with the economics of the Kar-Tainer systems, could be the answer for a significant percentage of vehicles moves in the region.
Kar-Tainer CEO, Richard Cox, is already working with potential partners in Thailand, China and India which will see some significant growth in the containerized movement of vehicles in the region.


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Not every week can be packed with good news. Unfortunately, this is one of those weeks. Microsoft announced huge changes that will result in massive layoffs, the closing of some divisions, and the stream lining of many of their products. While that sounds entirely awful, there are some good aspects we expect to see down the road. Outside of Microsoft things aren’t necessarily a whole lot brighter either. The U.S. House has passed a bill that could have negative consequences for fans of CableCARD technology. Fortunately, there was a lot more news too. There’s a new Windows Phone, new apps, and probably the biggest update to the Xbox One in the last six months. If you’re not listening live you’re missing a lot of fun, so make sure to join Richard, and guest Dan Skaggs, for the live recording of episode 288 on Wednesday, July 29th at 8:00pm ET!
Click here to download episode #287
Subscribe to the Show
- Microsoft announces Lumia 530
- Uber officially returns to Windows Phone (Windows Phone Store)
- Microsoft’s aiming for flagship Windows Phones, killing Nokia X but selling MixRadio
- Microsoft quietly kills their 3D Touch Windows Phone codenamed ‘McLaren’
- Lenovo says there’s no U.S. demand for small Windows tablets, stops selling them
- Xbox Entertainment Studios will shut down
- What’s the future of Xbox Music and Video?
- What to Expect with the Next Xbox One Update
- Destiny beta now open for Xbox One
- House votes to eliminate CableCARD requirement for provider STBs
Send us your feedback by email and voicemail! (1-877-856-4933)
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The intro music is a song called Rogue by Raw Stiles


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Baby-sitting – Daddy’s Way!December 21, 2015 at 1:43 pm | Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment
Odd news from around the world
Veiled woman hits back when a pervert pinches her bottom at a Moroccan market sending him flying: “This is the hilarious moment a pervert got his comeuppance after he pinched a large woman on the bottom and was sent flying into a market stand in retaliation. The sex pest victim was covered up from head to toe in an olive coloured veil when she suddenly felt a sharp pinch to her bottom as she bent down near a motorbike. The middle-aged man is sent crashing into the nearby shopping stand by the furious woman in Inezgane near Agadir. In one swift moment, the shocked woman turns round and lashes out with all her force at the vile pervert, sending him flying. Captured on CCTV, the woman’s impressive right hook leaves the man on the ground as he collides with a nearby market stall. It initially looked as if the mystery bottom pincher had made a conscious decision to stay down and not risk a second whack by getting up. But local reports said he was unconscious for more than two hours after hitting his head on the pavement as he fell.”
Amazon customers incensed as even the tiniest of items are delivered in huge packages: “Frustrated Amazon customers have taken to Twitter to voice their frustration at the excessive amount of packaging that the online retailer uses. One Twitter user Sabine Heinlein showed off the huge cardboard box that Amazon used to send her a packet of camera lens protector rings. She tweeted the company: ‘What an incredibly wasteful way of packaging a tiny unbreakable item.’ In response, a member of Amazon’s customer service team tweeted back: ‘I’ll be happy to pass this picture along to our Shipping Department for you.’ Other shoppers who expressed just how fed-up they were over the huge boxes flagged up that Amazon also stuffs large brown wrapping paper along with the item. The excessive amount of packaging on display goes against the pledge Amazon made in 2008 when it promised to slash the amount of packaging it used. In 2008, following complaints, Amazon signed up to the Frustration Free Packaging initiative under which it vowed to cut back on excess wrapping. But these images suggest that it has not been entirely successful.
Pastors give drunk women thongs to wear: “Pastors who give away flip-flops to drunken women in high heels are set to hand out their 10,000th pair this weekend – in celebratory gold. Police started dishing out the free beach shoes in 2008 to worse-for-wear revellers who were struggling to totter home in Torquay, Devon. Three years later, the scheme was handed over to Church charity Torbay Street Pastors. Co-ordinator Trevor Staveley said: ‘Flip-flops save the recipients from stepping on broken glass and possibly ending up at A&E – not the best end to a night out.’
That old vase on the shelf? It’s a £363k Chinese treasure made for Emperor Qianlong: “A vase kept on the mantelpiece of a four-bedroom suburban house has sold for £363,000 – after it was found to have been made for a Chinese emperor. The value of the 12in-high vase was discovered only after its owner died and auctioneers were called in to look over the estate. They noticed the vase, kept above the fireplace of the Leicestershire home, had a red six-character seal mark showing that it had been made for Emperor Qianlong between 1736 and 1795. It had been valued at £30,000 but sold for £300,000, with fees taking the price to £363,000. ‘It is well-known that the Chinese are very keen on buying back their lost heritage, much of which ended up in Britain, and the vase was purchased by an agent acting on behalf of a Chinese buyer.’ The vase is decorated in polychrome enamels with seven good-luck symbols.
His restaurant is so popular he only has to open it twice a week: “Masaaki Koyoma is the face behind Tasmania’s favourite sushi bar, with customers travelling hours just to taste his mouth-watering Japanese cuisine. The chef moved to Australia from Japan for a girl, and fell head-over-heals for a tiny country town called Geeveston, and introduced them to his hometown cuisine. ‘At first many people didn’t know what sushi was,’ he said. ‘I really wanted to show them Japanese cuisine but they weren’t ready for raw fish. So I started with cooked fish, and then pickled and tempura,’ he said. The sushi chef and his restaurant Masaaki’s is so well renowned in Tasmania that he only needs to work three days a week. ‘First I started with seven, then six then four days, but it was too busy I had too much preparation so now I just open Friday and Saturday and do the market on Sunday. ‘If I did anymore I would have to start making sushi the night before, but it is only best fresh. ‘The markets have been really good for publicity, people come from Hobart just for my sushi.'”
And don’t forget to catch up with all the Strange Justice before you go.


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Canoodling with your furry friend must equate to having the best night's sleep, right? Unfortunately, the reality is quite sordid. A recent study found that those who sleep with a furry friend are likely to have fewer shut eyes.
Although pets offer their owners safety, security, and companionship, they might also stir them awake and interrupt their deep slumber. For example, those with cats are most likely to suffer changes to their circadian rhythm due to their cats being awake during dusk and dawn, as cats are often regarded as crepuscular animals.
According to the study's authors, Kayla Medlin and Laura Wisnieski, the study analyzed different variables that affect the quality of pet owners' sleep. "Snoring, snorting, sleep disorder diagnoses, trouble sleeping, trouble falling asleep, waking up during the night, waking up too early, and feeling unrested, among others, are things pet owners are most likely to be affected by.
On the plus side, pets can positively impact their owners' mental health. For example, dogs help release oxytocin, the love hormone. Petting dogs can also help remove the stress hormone cortisol and calm pet owners down.
These findings correlate with an increase in popular forms of therapy, such as Pet Therapy. This therapy focuses on keeping hospital patients happy, alert, and active. Pet therapy also lowers levels of anxiety in patients.
Pets are also said to increase overall activity levels and heart health. In addition, studies have shown pet owners are likely to have lower blood pressure and maintain a healthier weight than those with no pets, according to a health study published by Harvard Medical School.
The research is backed up by previous findings that the American Heart Association has stated, such as a lower decreased risk of heart disease. This is most likely due to pet owners walking or running with their dogs.
In the descriptive analysis of the study. It was found that dog owners had a higher prevalence of trouble sleeping, sleep disorders, sleep apnea, and feeling unrested and feeling sleepy, Cat's were more associated with having more leg jerks compared to those who are non-cat owners.
This may come as no surprise to pet owners. As giant breeds, dogs take up half of the bed, and cats may like to make late-night pounces. However, having a pet also takes an emotional toll on the body and health when the pet falls ill, another study in 2017 found.
"Essentially, it's the heavy emotional toll one can experience when the act of caring stretches a person's physical, emotional or even financial capacities to the breaking point," study author Mary Beth Spitznagel previously explained to CBS News.
The study by Medlin and Wisnieski confirmed some previous findings but still needs more research to ensure the overall negative impact on sleep quality.
"While the causal nature of pet ownership on sleep quality and sleep disorders was unable to be established, the results of the study are consistent with previous studies that found that pet ownership hurts sleep quality," the study noted, suggesting further research on where exactly people's pets sleep and the effect it has on sleep." Said an article on CBS News.
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Reed claimed that the app itself has a long track record of unscrupulous behaviour: it was previously called "Adware Medic" - a title which Reed said was a "rip off" of his app of the same name.
Apple responded by kicking the offending apps out of the App Store, and Trend Micro started an investigation into the privacy concerns raised about Dr Cleaner, Dr Cleaner Pro, Dr Antivirus, Dr Unarchiver, Dr Battery and Duplicate Finder.
Adware Doctor and Komros Adware Cleaner (same developer behind them), Open Any Files and Adblock Master relied on the same technique to lift the information from users.
Apps on Apple's Mac App Store are reportedly collecting and uploading your browser history and other data without your knowledge.
However, this incident suggests that these stores can not be fully trusted as some of the most popular apps (Dr. Unarchiver is #12 most popular free app in the US Mac App Store, Adware Doctor is #1 paid utility app) there are putting user data at risk.
Trend Micro blamed the behavior on the use of common code libraries and has now removed the browser data collection feature and deleted logs store on the AWS servers.
Dr Cleaner, Dr Antivirus, and App Uninstall - utilities owned by the Japan-headquartered security house and distributed on the Mac App Store - are no longer available for download.
The apps have been reported to Apple since at mid-August and are now removed from the Mac App Store.
We reached out to Trend Micro for a statement on the matter but received no reply at the time of publishing. Both apps are collecting and uploading user data, including browsing history, to their servers.
The company notes that it disclosed this data collection in its end-user license agreements and that browser history data was uploaded to a USA server hosted by Amazon Web Services and managed by Trend Micro.
"From a security and privacy point of view, one of the main benefits of installing applications from the official Mac App Store is that such applications are sandboxed", Wardle blogged. A representative of the company told BleepingComputer that the company statement would be updated continuously.


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Paris, France: Most people come closest to owning a world famous work of art by buying a cheap poster from a gallery, but art dealers are determined to harness technology to attract new new collectors.
Anaida Schneider, a former Swiss-based banker, is among those promoting new ownership patterns—for a small fee, investors can buy a digital piece of a painting and share in the profits when it sells.
“Not everyone has $1 million to invest,” she told AFP. “So I had the idea to split, to do like a mutual fund but on the blockchain.”
Each buyer receives an NFT, the unique digital tokens created and stored on the blockchain, the computer code that underpins cryptocurrencies.
Although crypto-assets have been routed this year with plummeting values, collapsing projects and mounting scandals, the NFT art sector has weathered the storm better than other parts of the world. cryptography.
NFT artwork accounted for some $2.8 billion in sales last year and the rate only declined slightly in the first half of this year, according to analyst firm NonFungible.
Collectors and artists are among the most avid experimenters with this technology, even if it means owning just a slice of a digital copy of a painting.
A fifth of the 300 collectors surveyed by the Art+Tech Report website said they had already engaged in so-called fractional ownership.
Schneider’s Artessere company, based in Liechtenstein, offers squares of paintings by Soviet artists, including Oleg Tselkov and Shimon Okshteyn, for 100 or 200 euros ($100 or $200) each.
She gives herself 10 years to resell them.
Schneider owns the paintings it sells, avoiding legal complications, but attempts to come up with new digital ownership schemes for publicly owned works prove trickier.
“Complex and unregulated”
Thirteen Italian museums recently signed deals with Cinello, a company that sells limited-edition digital reproductions, to offer ownership of digital replicas of masterpieces.
The buyer receives a unique high-resolution digital copy to project on a screen and a certificate from the museum, which receives half of the profits.
The society held a splashy show in London in February, featuring digitized works by Renaissance masters including Raphael, Leonardo and Caravaggio. He’s sold a handful since.
But Italy’s culture ministry was reportedly upset that a replica of Michelangelo’s ‘Doni Tondo’ sold for around 240,000 euros, but Florence’s Uffizi gallery got less than a third of the takings.
A ministry spokesperson was quoted in several media outlets last month as saying the issue was “complex and unregulated” and asked museums not to sign any new contracts around NFTs.
Cinello boss Francesco Losi was unhappy with the characterization, telling AFP: “We don’t sell NFTs.”
Buyers can request an NFT to accompany their image, but the company said it has its own patented system for securing ownership, which it calls DAW.
Cinello said it had digitized more than 200 works and its sales had generated 296,000 euros in additional revenue for Italian museums.
But the company’s struggles in Italy underscore the mixed blessing of NFTs –they bring publicity but also suspicion.
The NFT sector—which covers everything from avatars in computer games to million-dollar cartoon monkeys—is full of scams, counterfeit works, thefts and washing business.
Losi said he was well aware that NFTs could be used “in the wrong way” and was unsure what future they had in the art world.
Anaida Schneider pointed out that her project was protected by law in Liechtenstein, with the tiny principality being among the first jurisdictions to pass a law regulating blockchain companies in 2019.
Beyond that, she said her insurance would cover damage to the artwork and that she had also taken into account the possibility of the paintings losing value, although she declined to give exact details. .
“I hope that never happens,” she said. “For me, it’s very important to bring this idea to market.”
By Jordi ZAMORA
© Agence France-Presse
Check out our festive offers of up to Rs.1000/- off website prices on subscriptions + Gift card worth Rs 500/- from Eatbetterco.com. Click here to find out more.


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Google to ban third party call recording apps from PlayStore
According to a Reddit post, Google is launching a new Play Store policy that will effectively bar third-party call recording apps from the Play Store starting May 11. To acquire access to the audio functionalities on Android devices, such apps now use the Accessibility API (which is developed for people with disabilities).
Because of privacy concerns, Google has been gradually attempting to remove call recording from Android. On Android 6, it was mostly prohibited, and in Android 10, the usage of the microphone for call recording was removed. The Accessibility API was the last resort for call recording apps.


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Phantom, produced by Sajid Nadiadwala and UTV Motion Pictures is now slated to release on August 28, 2015.
While Sajid Nadiadwala couldn’t be reached, a spokesperson from NGE asserts, “Phantom will be releasing on 28 August, this year. It’s true. We’re really looking forward to its release. We hope that fans continue to support us wholeheartedly and welcome the film.”
Phantom is a political thriller that unfolds across various countries around the world. The plot revolves around protagonist Daniyal, whose journey to seek justice takes him from India to Europe, America and the volatile Middle East. However, he finds out that in a mission like this, there is always a price to pay, in this case, a very personal price.


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Xiaomi has announced the Mi Power Strip which is the last product in today’s 5th anniversary event. We have already seen the Redmi 2A, Mi Note Pink Edition, Mi TV 2 55-inch 4K Ultra HD Smart TV and the Xiaomi Smart Scale weighing machine.
The Mi Power Strip has a sleek white design which is as slim as a pencil-case. It will help to declutter your desktop wires which features three power sockets and three USB ports. The USB ports come with 2.1A quick charging to charge your devices quickly.
The Mi Power Strip is not just efficient and elegant, but also safe to use. It has quality fire-resistant materials, surge protection and childproof features. It has phosphor bronze terminal and copper bar connectivity system.
The Mi Power Strip comes with safety features as well. It has a Max 10A overload protection. The device is made from 750-degree fire-resistant mechanism and also has childproof internal shutter mechanism. The Power Strip has a subtle and elegant power indicator light which makes it beautiful.
The Mi Power Strip is priced at CNY 49 (US $8/ INR Rs 490 approximately) and will go on sale in China from April 8. There is no information on global roll out yet.


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PDL BioPharma (NASDAQ: PDLI ) is expecting a healthy bump in its royalty revenue for the current quarter, which ends on June 30. The company has issued guidance for the period, estimating that it will take in royalty revenue of around $143 million. That would represent a 13% increase over the Q2 2012 figure of $126 million.
PDL BioPharma's optimism derives from the relatively robust sales of the key pharmaceutical products it draws revenue from. The company said sales of treatments made by key customer Genentech climbed in Q1. Genentech manufactures prominent drugs such as Avastin and Kadcyla. In addition, PDL BioPharma said sales of Biogen Idec's multiple sclerosis medication Tysabri grew by 12% on a year-over-year basis in Q1.


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This article is reviewed regularly by Wego’s editorial team to ensure that the content is up to date & accurate.
Updated March 2023
Hajj is the most anticipated event for Muslims worldwide. Following the success of the previous Hajj pilgrimage, Saudi Arabia is now preparing again to once again welcome pilgrims from all over the world.
While those who are looking to perform Umrah may start planning right away, plans for the Hajj 2023 are still being finalized. Here’s everything we know so far about Hajj packages 2023.
Hajj 2023 package updates
The Saudi government has announced that all limitations on the Hajj pilgrimage have been lifted following a reduction in the scale of the event due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Minister responsible for the Hajj, Tawfiq Al Rabiah, stated that the number of pilgrims will now return to pre-pandemic levels, with no more age restrictions in place.
Hajj 2023 dates
This year, Hajj will commence on 26 June – 1 July 2023. The final date will be decided once the new moon of the month of Dhulhijjah has been sighted.
Hajj packages price 2023
Please note that all the information provided below may be subject to change without prior notice
Local Hajj packages 2023
There are four categories of local Hajj packages available for the locals and residents this year, with the cost ranging from SAR 3,984 to SAR 11,841. The payment can be made in full or in instalments.
The ministry of Hajj allows domestic pilgrims to pay Hajj costs in instalments this year. The 20% of the Hajj costs should be paid within 72 hours of making the registration as the first instalment. The second instalment of 40% of the Hajj costs is due 7 Rajab 1444 AH, whereas the last instalment is due 10 Shawwal 1444 AH.
Hajj packages 2023 price from India
The cost of this year’s Hajj pilgrimage may be higher compared to the last Hajj season in 2022. Indian Hajj seekers may potentially endure a staggering 50 per cent increase. Those registering for Hajj through the government’s HCI will have to pay INR 3,99,500, while private operators are charging up to INR 6 lakh.
Hajj packages 2023 price from Pakistan
No Hajj package costs have been announced so far. However, for last year’s Hajj season, the announced price differed based on the region where the pilgrim seekers resided. The price for the government’s Hajj scheme was around PKR 860,000 for the northern regions and PKR 850,000 for the southern region.
Meanwhile, if you wish to book your Hajj packages with private travel agents, the price could be higher than the government scheme. The economy package starts from PKR 700,000, and you can get the 5-star package from PKR 900,000.
Hajj packages 2023 price from UAE
This year, Hajj packages from UAE may cost around AED 27,500 inclusive of the Hajj visa, airfares, Hajj coordinator, meals, tents in Mina and Arafat, and transportation in KSA.
Some travel agents may require a minimum payment of AED 10,000 before you can book your Hajj packages.
Hajj packages 2023 price from Qatar
It’s been reported that the prices for Hajj packages from Qatar range from QAR 32,000 to 70,000 per person. The hajj packages would typically include airfare, accommodation, food, and transport. However, we recommend consulting your preferred travel agent concerning the most recent prices and what the packages entail.Book cheap flights to Saudi Arabia
Hajj 2023 requirements
Before securing your package for this year’s Hajj, it’s imperative that you familiarize yourself with the latest news and updates concerning Hajj 2023. We’ve gathered all the essential information you’ll need to perform the Hajj in our article below, including age limit, vaccine and testing requirements, as well as other requirements.


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On Restaurants | Food trucks win over local board-gamers
The food-truck trend intersects the board-gaming craze every other week in Worthington, thanks to a local gamer with an eye for fun.
Gary “Bud” Sauer, one of the founders of the Columbus Area Boardgaming Society, has been looking to bring the two together for years.
“I noticed the food-truck craze was going crazy on the coasts a few years back, and I knew about our own taco trucks, so I just kept an eye on what was going on here,” he said.
The gaming club has 400 members and meets once each week in Worthington. Twice a month, the club invites one truck to park at its meeting place and serve hungry board-game fans for a few hours during the club’s Friday 3?p.m. to 3 a.m. marathon gaming sessions.
The list of visiting food trucks has included Tatoheads, Pitabillies, Mojo Tago, the Paddy Wagon, That Food Truck, the Cheesy Truck, the Green Meanie, and Sophie’s Gourmet Pierogi. Food trucks soon will start paying visits to the group’s Saturday meetings as well.
“This year just seemed like critical mass for food-truck startups here, so we decided to go for it,” Sauer said. Members used to pop out for fast food or skip dinner; now they stay, socialize and eat, all while trying new foods.
“Our motto, Good games, good friends, is going to have to be modified to add good food to it as well. Our attendance is definitely up now that there are food trucks at our meetings.”
According to its website, the group meets weekly, alternating between Fridays and Saturdays, at 670 Lakeview Plaza Blvd., suite E, in Worthington.
Sauer and the handful of food-truck entrepreneurs aren’t the only ones who see the potential in the marriage of games and gourmet food.
A board-game-themed bricks-and-mortar restaurant is supposed to open Downtown this fall — Board Room Cafe & Lounge, a bar and restaurant dedicated to all things board game.
It’s the work of Malika de Silva, a graduate of Ohio State’s Fisher College of Business. She was inspired by the Snakes & Lattes Board Game Cafe in Toronto.
“The board games definitely drive (the concept),” she said. Patrons pay a flat rate per table to play. They can choose from the library of games on hand or bring their own. Staff members can help with questions about game play.
Beer and wine will be available, as well as a limited menu of snacks.
“It’s a popcorn-based menu incorporating interesting flavor profiles such as sweet and savory,” she said. “We don’t want to compete with other restaurants in the area. We want to offer something to drink and munch on while playing games.”
A location and an opening date have not been set, but de Silva is aiming for October.
“Columbus has a rich gaming community,” de Silva said. It’s home to the annual Origins Game Fair Convention as well as several smaller board-game clubs. De Silva hopes the Board Room will also appeal to the broader community, and those with a more-casual interest in games, as a unique option for socializing.
Games and food appear to be well-suited to each other.
“People just love to be together,” Sauer said. Humans have been “breaking bread together (and) playing games for thousands of years, so to mix the two, there is no better way to spend the day."
In today’s tech-driven Facebook era, people are looking for ways to get back to more personal interactive and social activities, he said. “Eating and talking to the people across from you is much better than texting and typing.”
Pataskala venue closing
The Olde Summit Towne restaurant, at 14163 Broad St. S.W. in Pataskala, will close on Sunday after 39 years in business. Owners Kay and Saverio “Buddy” Capuano are retiring to spend more time with their family. “We’re very sad to go,” Mrs. Capuano said. The two will occasionally work with their son-in-law’s catering business, Tufo’s To Go.
The Capuanos have sold the restaurant. It is unclear what the new owners plan to do with the space, but Mrs. Capuano said they will close for refurbishing. The Olde Summit Towne will offer a buy-one, get-one-half off special on the buffet on Sunday, the last day in business. Hours that day will be 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Casa Fiesta update
A popular Union County restaurant lost to the June 29 windstorm has found a new home.
The 128-year-old building that long housed the Casa Fiesta Mexican restaurant in the heart of downtown Marysville partially collapsed in the storm and had to be demolished.
The business now has leased a vacant building at 109 N. Main St., former home of the Locker Room bar.
Dennis Schulze, the Marysville attorney who represents Casa Fiesta, said that renovations will start immediately on the building and that they will be extensive. The intent is that the location will be temporary, and that Casa Fiesta will rebuild at the original site on W. 5th Street.
Off the menu
• The Zen Cha Tea Salon at 19 E. Gay St. is now open, with an official grand opening set for Monday. This is the locally owned cafe’s third location.
• Local restaurateur Mike Evans is appearing on the Food Network’s third season of The Great Food Truck Race. On the show, eight teams compete in challenges across the country to win $50,000 and a new food truck. Evans will drive the Pizza Mike truck and serve Italian food. The first show aired on Sunday. Evans owned Michael’s Pizza on E. College Avenue in Westerville. It was destroyed by a fire in 2008.
CiCi’s Pizza, 152 Clint Dr. in Pickerington, has closed. It no longer appears on the company website, and the phone is disconnected.
Dispatch reporter Holly Zachariah contributed to this story.
Denise Trowbridge, Dispatch restaurant columnist, can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.org.