text:
Jeep Grand Wagoneer
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles on Friday confirmed a $1 billion investment in its Warren Truck Assembly plant in Michigan to prepare it for production of next-generation Ram Heavy Duty pickups as well as new Jeep flagship SUVs. The plant currently builds the Ram 1500 but will switch to next-generation 2500 and 3500 Heavy Duty models in 2020. Next-generation Ram 1500 production, which starts this year, will take place at the nearby Sterling Heights Assembly plant. The current 2500 and 3500 are built at the Saltillo Truck Assembly Plant in Mexico. Under FCA's plans, the Mexican plant will be...
Marchionne confirms body-on frame platform for Jeep Wagoneers, hints at Alfa platform for next Grand Cherokee
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles [NYSE:FCAU] on Monday confirmed that its planned Jeep Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer SUVs will be built at its Warren Truck Assembly Plant in Michigan. The plant is where FCA builds the body-on-frame Ram 1500 pickup truck, and FCA CEO Sergio Marchionne confirmed that the...Viknesh Vijayenthiran
Jeep confirms Wagoneer, Grand Wagoneer and pickup
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles [NYSE:FCAU] used the 2017 Detroit auto show to make some major product announcements concerning its Jeep brand. First and foremost, FCA confirmed that plans for separate Jeep Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer full-size SUVs remained on track. These will be range-topping models...Viknesh Vijayenthiran
Jeep's new Wrangler, Grand Wagoneer shown to dealers
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles [NYSE:FCAU] confirmed in its five-year strategy announcement made in May 2014 that it will launch a new SUV using the Wagoneer name by 2018. We’ve since learned that Jeep is planning both a Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer to help claw back SUV sales lost to luxury...Viknesh Vijayenthiran
Jeep’s range-topping Grand Wagoneer could nudge $140k, says CEO
Tired of watching rival brands capitalize on strong demand for luxury SUVs, Jeep is planning to launch new Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer models to take the brand into much loftier pricing territory than we’re used to seeing. Sergio Marchionne, who heads Jeep parent company Fiat Chrysler...Viknesh Vijayenthiran
Update: Jeep Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer to be standalone models
Update: An earlier version of this story based on incorrect information reported by 'Automotive News' claimed Jeep’s new Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer models would be trim levels of the next-generation Grand Cherokee rather than standalone models. New Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer models...Viknesh Vijayenthiran
Jeep plans to launch a large, luxurious SUV to take on the likes of the Cadillac Escalade, Land Rover Range Rover, Lincoln Navigator and Mercedes-Benz GL-Class, according to Sergio Marchionne, the CEO of Jeep parent company Fiat Chrysler Automobiles [NYSE:FCAU]. This will be a new SUV positioned above the Wagoneer that Jeep plans to introduce in 2018, and given the price tags of its intended rivals we could see the new Jeep priced upwards of $100,000 in some trims. A likely name is Grand Wagoneer. “When I see a Range Rover on the street, my blood boils, because we should be able to do a...


text:
CLEARFIELD – The fifth annual Fall Festival, hosted by the Clearfield Revitalization Corp. (CRC), will be held Oct. 10 in downtown Clearfield. It will also include a Pumpkin Run/Walk 5K and a Car, Truck and Motorcycle Show.
The event will kick off with a run/walk through downtown Clearfield. Participants may register the day of the event from 7 a.m. – 8 a.m. at Market Square by the Market Street Bridge. The run/walk will start at 8:30 a.m. To pre-register, visit the CRC Web site.
After the run/walk, the Fall Festival and Car, Truck and Motorcycle Show will be held from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. This “family-friendly” event will be held on East Market, Third and Locust streets and will feature “something for everyone.” Admission is free.
More than 100 talented artisans will feature their work, ranging from ceramics, fiber, wood, leather and metalwork to jewelry, glass, photography and mixed-media art pieces.
There will also be food vendors and plenty of entertainment at the Lezzer Lumber Stage and in front of the Clearfield County Courthouse. The Car, Truck and Motorcycle Show will be held in and around the Third Street parking lot with registration being held from 10 a.m. – 12 p.m.
The Howl-O-Ween Pet Parade sponsored by the Allegheny Spay & Neuter Clinic will be held at 10 a.m. at the Express Cafe parking lot in conjunction with the CRC Fall Festival.
Owners may bring their pet in costume; owners may appear in costume, as well. Prizes will be awarded along with treats to all pets that participate. Participation is free, but all pets must be leashed and current on vaccines. No animals should be forced to wear costumes that cause any discomfort or injury.
Re.invent.ed will host workshops at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. for participants to create a primitive, wooden candy corn decoration at a cost of $10 per person. There will only be a limited amount of spots available at these workshops.
Participants may pre-register for one of these two workshops by sending an RSVP to email@example.com. The workshop spots will be filled on a first-come first serve basis. All proceeds will benefit the revitalization of the Clearfield community.
Kids will be able to “Chalk-Up” Clearfield by designing their own square on the sidewalk compliments of Historica Plus Antiques and the Joseph & Elizabeth Shaw Public Library. Clearfield Fire & Safety will show off their fire trucks to kids and offer free games. There will also be lots of other games and fall activities for kids all day throughout the festival.
Kids can submit their carved pumpkin at the CRC booth for the Pumpkin Carving Contest for participants who are 3-12 years of age. Submitted pumpkins will be on display and can be voted on throughout the day sponsored by the Downtown Holiday Lighting.
At the CRC booth, staff will have Starkey’s Balloons providing free artistic balloon art for kids from 12 p.m. – 4 p.m. The Clearfield Junior-Senior High School Key Club students will offer free face painting for the kids throughout the day.
Girl Scout Troop No. 21248 from Clearfield will also offer free face painting for kids by the courthouse.
Clearfield Arts Studio Theatre Inc. (CAST) will present a sneak preview of the play “Comedy of Errors” at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. at the performance stage located on Locust Street.
There will be free hay historic rides leaving from the courthouse from 12 p.m. – 2 p.m. and moderated by the CRC Youth Council. In addition, the Clearfield County Historical Society will offer free historic walks narrated by board member, Becky Miller, throughout downtown Clearfield and will leave the courthouse at 10:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.
Attendees will be able to experience the Pennsylvania DUI Simulator sponsored by State Farm Agent Rob Bozovich and explore the “Daughter of Darkness” Vietnam War Truck.
For more information, call 814-765-6000 or visit www.DiscoverClearfield.com or Facebook page Clearfield Revitalization Corp-Fall Festival event and Clearfield Pumpkin Run.

domain: news


text:
Suzuki increased car prices: Pakistan Suzuki has increased the prices of its vehicles for the second time in 2022. According to media reports, Suzuki has announced an increase in car prices from Rs. 1,19,000 to Rs. 1,615,000.
The new prices will be applicable from April 1, 2022. The price of Suzuki Alto VX has been increased by Rs. 1,19,000 which has now increased from Rs.13,06000 to Rs. 14,25000
Similarly, the price of Suzuki Wagner VXL has been increased by Rs. 1,54,000 from Rs. 19,75,000 to Rs. 2129,000.The price of Suzuki Cultus VXL has increased from Rs. 22,44000 to Rs. 24,74000 after an increase of Rs. 2,30,000.
|Suzuki Car Name||Old Prices||New Prices|
|Suzuki Alto VX||Rs.13,06,000||Rs. 14,25,000|
|Suzuki Wagner VXL||Rs. 19,75,000||Rs. 21,29,000|
|Suzuki Cultus VXL||Rs. 22,44000||Rs. 24,74000|
|Swift GLX CVT||Rs. 28,99,000||Rs. 31,69,000|
|Bolan AC box||Rs. 12,65,000||Rs.13,70,000|
|Suzuki Jimny Jeep||Rs. 45,90,000||Rs.60,49,000|
|Suzuki APV||Rs. 46,75,000||Rs. 62,90,000|
After the price of Swift GLX CVT increased by Rs. 270,000, its price increased from Rs. 2899,000 to Rs. 3169,000. The price of the Bolan AC box has been increased by Rs. 150,000 which has increased from Rs. 12,65,000 to Rs.13,70,000
Similarly, the price of c Jimny Jeep has increased from Rs. 45,90,000 to Rs.60,49,000 after an increase of Rs. 14,59,000
The price of the Suzuki APV van has increased from Rs. 46,75,000 to Rs. 62,90,000 after an extraordinary increase of Rs. 16,15,000.
Pakistan Suzuki Motor Company informed the dealers about this, The new prices are also applicable from April 1.


text:
Last night, the Spurs beat the Heat to take a 3-2 series lead in the NBA Finals. During the game, a Samsung commercial aired for what felt like five lifetimes. The commercial served as a platform for a one Sean Carter to announce a forthcoming album, Magna Carta Holy Grail.
"Pretty much, with the album, it's about this duality of, 'How do you navigate your way through this whole thing?' Through success, through failures; how do you remain yourself?"
Because it's the future and you can't just get an album anymore, Hova is offering the new album to the first one million people to download the corresponding app for $FREE.99. (And three days early.) The album is slated to drop on July 7th, but the app will be available on June 24th and the first million to grab said app will get the album three days early on July 4th.
Samsung paid $5 apiece for the albums, according to a person familiar with the matter. It wasn’t immediately clear if Nielsen SoundScan will count Samsung’s purchases in its sales tallies.
The partnership could help Samsung compete with Apple Inc. AAPL -1.38%, which recently announced the launch of iTunes Radio – an online radio service bundled onto Apple devices that promises to offer listeners access to certain tracks before they’re available elsewhere. [Wall Street Journal]
The album has its own website with a bunch of text and pictures that got the same treatment as the Zero Dark Thirty credits.


text:
Way back in 2017 we were getting excited about our ride to yet another Easter Bank Holiday National Scooter Rally at Scarborough. But this year was going to be different. We had just published the very first ever ScooterNova Magazine! Edition One has long since sold out and is now a collector’s edition, if you … Continue reading ScooterNova celebrates at Scarborough
All we can say is that we're very excited today as the first copies of the brand new ScooterNova magazine returned from the printers! To say we're over the moon would be an understatement; the quality of the new magazine's finish is everything we'd planned for and more! So, we're aware that a number of … Continue reading ScooterNova has arrived!
https://www.facebook.com/Scooternova/posts/654319804776180 A lot of you have been asking about merchandise and about our messenger bags in particular, so to get the ball rolling we have a special offer at the magazine's launch in Scarborough! The deal is that the first 10 people to buy 10 copies of issue 1 of ScooterNova from us at Scarborough … Continue reading Merchandise – FREE ScooterNova messenger bags at Scarborough!
I'm sure those of you who went remember most of it, but for those who didn't well this is some of what you missed. A moist ride up on Friday, complete with thick fog and a diesel spill on a roundabout just outside of town. Once unpacked there was plenty of meeting up of old … Continue reading Scarborough Scooter Rally 2015 – a great weekend
We've had a great weekend in Scarborough so far, and we'll post some photographs when we get home but here's a teaser from the custom show on Saturday until then! Edit


text:
Gen Z and young millennials are driving economic growth with their spending, the country's finance chief said as the new normal allows for a return to restaurant dining and shopping in brick-and-mortar stores.
Domestic consumption led by the youth remains to be the top contributor to economic growth, Finance Sec. Benjamin Diokno said over the weekend. Gross domestic product expanded by 8.3% in the first quarter of 2022, thanks to the easing of COVID-19 restrictions which allowed for higher consumer spending.
"The young population, they consume a lot. [Domestic consumption is] actually the major mover or source of growth, plus yung investment,” said Secretary Diokno.
MORE ON MONEY:
More young people joined the labor force in May based on data from the Philippine Statistics Authority, with youth employment increasing to 87.9%, higher than the 87.7% in April 2022.
Of the estimated 20.14 million Filipinos aged 15-24 years old, some 7.3 million are part of the labor force. This translates to a youth labor force participation rate of 36.2%, the finance department said.
"Ang biggest source of growth ng Pilipino ay consumption kasi we have a very young population, and they are mostly, they are consumers," Diokno said.
"If you are aging, yung demand mo hindi na masyado. Hindi ka na bumibili ng mga gadgets, hindi ka na nagtatayo ng bahay, hindi ka na bumibili ng bagong damit," he added.
MORE ON THE ECONOMY:


text:
LE MANS CLASSIC 2022
Deadline for registrations: 2022, May 2nd
LOSANGE MAGAZINE - 17th EDITION
LOSANGE PASSION INTERNATIONAL
Event to be held on 1 October 2022 at the UTAC Autodrome de Linas-Montlhéry
RETROMOBILE SHOW 2022 REVIEW
The Retromobile Show came to a close on 20 March. Let’s take a look back.
Renault is celebrating the 50th anniversary of R5
RALLYE MONTE-CARLO HISTORIQUE 2022
A look back at an event full of emotion
50 YEARS OF RENAULT 5
A fun year full of surprises
Renault enters three Renault 5s to celebrate the model’s 50th birthday.
The Renault Classic collection includes more than 760 vehicles illustrating the inventiveness and know-how of the company founded in 1898 in Boulogne-Billancourt.
Click here to discover the directory listing all of our fan clubs.
News and events
All of the news and events here.
Discover the entire Renault Classic vehicle collection.


text:
Fibre2fashion News Desk - India
Apparel/Garments | On 25th Jun 2017
Adobe has released its first Digital Price Index for apparels,...
Textiles | On 25th Jun 2017
First Insight, a technology company transforming how retailers make...
Balavigna Weaving Mills Pvt Ltd
The biggest challenge that the weaving industry faces is high price
'Hugo Boss works with carefully selected sourcing partners'
GST will certainly reduce a lot of paperwork in future
Swerea IVF AB
Marten Alkhagen, Senior Scientist - Nonwoven and Technical Textiles of...
Voith Paper GmbH & Co. KG
The glass mat industry is growing by five to eight per cent annually. Kai...
Giorgio Mantovani, MD of Corman, with a presence in both Milano and New...
Golfwear and menswear brand Devereux is set for greener pastures. Robert...
Rupa Sood and Sharan Apparao
Nayaab, an exhibition meant to celebrate Indian weaves, is in its second...
Occasions Elegance Wear
It is believed that by early 19th century, Varanasi weavers had moved away ...
Textiles | On 24th Jun 2017


text:
Nigeria is a good market for consumer goods, with many Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) firms able to record positive sales.
Good and efficient packaging, especially the flexible type, has helped to boost a number of them.
Many companies are able to record increased sales based on the attractiveness and designs of their products.
Packaging represents a significant part of Nigeria’s FMCGs, which are products that are bought over the counter, including foods, drugs, shoes, plastics, phones, and electronics, among others.
Many consumers are attracted by packaging designs. The country’s packaging industry has seen 12 to 14 percent growth over the last decade, driven majorly by innovations in FMCG market that is valued at over $40 billion.
Nigeria has a viable demography, comprising a growing middle-class and creative and vibrant youths which support the growth of packaging and FMCGs. Urbanisation has continued to spike, as the majority of the population in the cities prefer packaged foods to traditional ones owing to increased work pressure, traffic gridlocks and social demands.
One key segment of the packaging industry that has seen growth in recent times is food packaging, which has spiked on back of emergence of retail shops such as Shoprite, Spar and online shops like Konga, Jumia, etc.
According to Euromonitor International, Nigeria’s food packaging segment is one of the best-performing industries in the country, despite the economy and consumer spending power stagnating over 2014 and 2015.
Euromonitor adds that most of the leading companies in the food packaging segment are local players, such as Promasidor Nigeria Ltd, Dufil Prima Foods Plc, and Yale Foods Nigeria Ltd, while long-standing Nigerian representatives of multinationals such as Cadbury Nigeria Plc and Nestlé Nigeria Plc also have a strong presence.
“Developing alongside the increased demand for newer types of products is the fast growth of the modern retail channels (supermarkets and hypermarkets),” Euromonitor International said in its 2018 report on Nigeria’s food packaging.
A Purchasing Managers Index report released by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) says that the manufacturing sector is influenced indirectly by improved packaging of products by manufacturing firms.
For instance, in an effort to continuously provide value to its consumers, Nestlé water rebranded its appearance and launched its new package in January 2019. Dauda Titilola, a staff member of Nestlé, explained that “the rebranding can be likened to a makeover, which makes it more attractive to our consumers.”
Olawale Ojo, a sales expert said, “People will buy things based on what they see. An attractive package will encourage them to buy, and good quality will keep them coming back.”
Consumers are of the belief that rebranding also means better quality and are encouraged to try it.


text:
LeadLife Solutions has released a second-generation marketing automation product that combines a Web 2.0 user interface with a visual campaign builder designed to make marketing automation easier for companies. The new solution provides an easy-to-use alternative to complex marketing automation offerings, the company said.
Features of the new release:
- a visual drag-and-drop campaign builder within the LeadLife campaign builder palette;
- a robust rules builder that allows users to easily set rules for lead scoring, CRM integration and data cleansing; and
- more than 50 out-of-the-box reports that allow marketers to slice and dice campaigns, leads, assets and more to optimize their marketing efforts.
To support the product release, LeadLife has launched a new website with screenshots and videos demonstrating marketing automation technology and advice from lead management experts.
BSG’s New VoiceLog Features Faster Verifications
Billing Services Group (BSG) has announced the official relaunch of VoiceLog, a third-party verification (TPV) solution that allows companies to confirm, record and document customer orders and interactions.
The new and improved VoiceLog features technology to support higher completion rates and lightning-fast verification times, John Haspil, director of e-commerce product development and innovation, told CRM Buyer. “We basically rewrote the whole application including the hardware and software.”
VoiceLog seamlessly integrates with most call center platforms and is accessible via Web-based applications. Among its features:
- live operator TPV, automated script TPV and call recording options;
- immediate call record and .wav file access to customer files via a secure website; and
- reporting tools for data on customer order and interaction trends.
A major feature is the flexible reporting functionality, Haspil explained. “It’s not about traditional canned reports now. From a call center perspective, you might want to look at the number of verifications provided by a certain marketing group, a specific campaign by time of day or week, or even a specific operator.
VoiceLog’s TPV services are used in industries such as energy, cable and telecommunications, credit card processing, and healthcare, as well as other traditional call center settings.
Study: Marketers Not Measuring Up
While B2B marketers are spending millions of dollars annually on social marketing programs, nearly 30 percent are not tracking the impact of social media programs on lead generation and sales. These numbers come from a recent survey conducted by cloud marketing automation software vendor Pardot.
Social media use among B2B marketers is on the rise, according to respondents. A full 95 percent indicated they use Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube or corporate blogs to reach prospects.
Yet despite the increased use of these services, only 70 percent are monitoring the return on spend for these programs. And among those that do, about 42 percent of marketers replied that zero or an uncertain number of sales leads resulted from social media programs — a startling high percentage given the resources required to operate the campaigns.
The survey also indicates that social media protocols within companies are still evolving:
- Approximately 11 percent of marketers said their companies have a formal social media policy;
- 55 percent of respondents said contacting a social media-generated sales lead by phone or email was appropriate, even if the prospect had not invited the vendor to do so; and
- 48 percent said it is appropriate to respond to a prospect via social media, if the prospect contacted the vendor via email or phone first.
Another obstacle facing marketers engaged in social media are the tools and services they use for implementing and measuring their campaigns. The survey showed that more than 64 percent of respondents use “internal, free tools” only to manage social media campaigns’ while only 9 percent rely on an outside agency or social media expert for help with social media marketing.
TOA Proves Time Is Money
A new survey from TOA Technologies reveals that the annual economic impact of waiting for in-home services is US$37.7 billion — an amount that equates to the total time people spent waiting for services such as cable/satellite TV, internet, utilities, retail home deliveries or other mobile workforce-related services. To put this in context, the annual cost of waiting per individual is equivalent to removing every working American from the workplace for more than two full days per year.
This provides a significant selling proposition for CRM and cloud-based applications, TOA cofounder and CEO Yuval Brisker told CRM Buyer. “If you look at the enterprise space and how companies are approaching their core business systems, there has been significant growth in Web-based/cloud-based applications — and CRM has moved up on those buying lists. CRM solutions really lend themselves to organizations with remote employees. As such, they are no longer a nice to have, but a must have.”
The survey proves that waiting for goods and services is more than just an inconvenience, he added. “It impacts their pocketbooks in a big way. Businesses have an opportunity to transform customer satisfaction and help them save money. Free the customer. That’s what we say.”


text:
Gazette News Report
XENIA — The City of Xenia is teaming up with The Retail Coach to try and bring more options to the city.
In October city council authorized the agreement and the expenditure of no more than $48,500 to seek help in increasing the city’s retail offerings. The Retail Coach was one of four companies to reply to a request for proposal and turned in what was deemed the best offer and opportunity.
“In working with The Retail Coach, the City of Xenia would like to expand the variety of retail options available in the City, filling gaps, reducing leakage and strengthening existing, local retailers,” said Steve Brodsky, Development Director for the City of Xenia. “We chose to work with The Retail Coach because the City wanted to help direct the type of retail coming to the city, helping to ensure it meets demands and fills a need. The Retail Coach also provides a strong local component, assisting our existing, local retail establishments to respond to today’s competitive environment so they too can thrive.”
Xenia is home to two industrial parks and is rich with land and infrastructure available for development in a number of business disciplines, according to a release from The Retail Coach.
“The Retail Coach’s team is excited to have the opportunity to work closely with Xenia,” said Kelly Cofer, CEO of The Retail Coach. “Our goal will be to target and recruit appropriate retailers and developers to the area. The first step in this process is to determine the town’s retail trade area, and using that information, the team will create retail profile reports and marketing tools to prepare the team and the city to best represent Xenia nationally to retailers, restaurants, and developers.”
The city has worked with retail recruiters before and did not see the best results. However City Manager Brent Merriman told council in October that the potential upside of success of this program outweighs the costs and risks and by applying a focused, strategic effort on retail recruitment, the city can build on the current momentum and advance the retail segment of Xenia’s economy.
Gazette news report compiled by Scott Halasz.


text:
Google's Project Glass demo is certainly the coolest hardware demo so far this year. Behind the scenes is something equally intriguing: artificial-intelligence software.
The augmented-reality glasses, which Google co-founder Sergey Brin was spotted wearing yesterday, created a huge buzz Wednesday when Google released a video showing, from the wearer's perspective, how they could be used.
In the video, the small screen on the glasses flashes information right on cue, allowing the wearer to set up meetings with friends, get directions in the city, find a book in a store, and even videoconference with a friend. The device itself … Read more


text:
NSoft will be attending SiGMA – the biggest iGaming expo in Malta bringing together affiliates, operators, B2B Solution providers and Regulators.
Do you have a business proposition, suggestion or a critique?
We would love to know your thoughts.
After the online public voting stage for this year’s SEG Awards to be presented in Milan at the upcoming Europen Gaming Congress, the official list of the nominees has been announced. The SEG Awarding ceremony will acknowledge the business excellence in 26 categories.
Bets Plus is a new client of NSoft, award-winning gaming and betting software provider. This betting operator from Zimbabwe has introduced draw-based game Lucky Six, American Roulette, Greyhound Races together with Virtual Horse Races and Virtual Motorcycle Speedway into its retail network.
NSoft has received one more confirmation of its business excellence in 2019 by being shortlisted in two categories for this year’s SBC Award. NSoft will be competing for the prestigious awards: Best Live Streaming Product and Innovation of the Year.


text:
IO Interactive has officially negotiated a buyout with Square Enix and is now fully independent.
Square Enix and IO Interactive have reached an agreement with Square Enix, who recently jettisoned the developer to focus more on core IP. IO Interactive CEO Hakan Abrak today delivered an official message confirming the studio has gone indie, and retains full rights to the Hitman IP.
"I am proud to announce today that IOI is now officially an independent studio. We have successfully concluded our negotiations with Square Enix and have agreed to a management buyout. Crucially, we will keep all of the rights to the Hitman IP," Hakan announced in a statement.
"This is a watershed moment for IOI. As of today, we have complete control over the direction for our studio and the Hitman IP - we're about to forge our own future and it's incredibly exciting."
Hakan says that the studio is pursuing partnerships with publishers and other teams to build their future projects, including new Hitman games and possibly its brand new IP.
"We are now open to opportunities with future collaborators and partners to help strengthen us as a studio and ensure that we can produce the best games possible for our community. IOI started as an independent studio and we will now return to those roots with an extremely passionate and talented team."
It'll be interesting to see what the future holds for IO Interactive, and if another major publisher scoops up the developer. Take-Two has made a key acquisition with Kerbal Space Program, and other players like Activision and EA may be interested in collaborations.


text:
“No one is going through the Court anymore,” says Stevie Stacionis, sommelier and owner of Oakland, Calif.’s Bay Grape wine shop. The Court of Master Sommeliers (CMS for short), once regarded as the most prestigious American organization offering wine certifications, fell from grace following a 2020 story released by The New York Times that revealed its unsavory power dynamics in addition to sexual harassment claims made by many of its female members. “So much of so many people’s work is getting cast aside because of the misdoings of a pretty rotten bunch of individuals,” Stacionis says.
As a CMS-certified sommelier who for years worked under a number of the accused men through GuildSomm, Stacionis founded Bâtonnage, a forum and membership program made by and for female wine professionals. But she doesn’t think her program — or any of the ones adjacent to it — can quite fill the role that the Court once did. “I think there’s really great value in the content that was coming out of the CMS in terms of theory as well as service standards,” she says. “People aren’t getting the education that I think they really need outside of that format.”
But while Stacionis wishes such education was more readily accessible, she understands “on a profound level” why folks may be increasingly wary of working with organizations like the Court and Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) which, like most other wine certifications, have long been run by white men with enough money to pay for courses that require students to shell out hundreds if not thousands of dollars just to take an exam. Such barriers to entry have led to institutional issues such as a lack of transparency and accountability for top-level members. While the 2020 scandal brought many of these problems to light and led the Court to expel six members and appoint more diverse members to its board of directors, some worry that the organization is too far gone to be saved. “Maybe it just needs time, but I’m worried it’s gonna shrivel and die in the meantime,” admits Stacionis.
Jenni Guizio, director of wine and beverage at NYC’s Union Square Hospitality Group, doesn’t hold a CMS certification, and says a lack of official training is never a dealbreaker for her when hiring staff for USHG’s restaurants. She values on-the-job experience over certifications, prioritizing where a candidate has previously worked, who they’ve worked for, and mentorship relationships that they may have formed along the way. For Guizio, the core benefit to formal training lies in the opportunity it provides for exploration. “It ensures [people] don’t just study what they’re interested in, but delve into all different corners of the wine world,” she notes.
Meanwhile, Ron Edwards, wine education director at importer and distributor Winebow, believes that degree-holding wine pros may be less willing to admit what they don’t know. “People can become arrogant if they’re not careful,” he says. “It can show in your attitudes toward others, and that is the biggest danger for any beverage certification.”
That said, certifications like the CMS and WSET can also serve as avenues for those outside the trade to learn more about a subject they’re passionate about — especially as the Covid-19 pandemic gave everyone from journalists to influencers and hobbyists plenty of unexpected downtime. In fact, in the 2020/2021 academic year, a record number of students pursued their WSET certifications, with a whopping total of 108,584 candidates — a 12 percent increase from the previous year. “We have definitely seen an increase in people who do not work in the wine industry taking WSET certification courses since the start of the pandemic,” says Adam Chase, president of Grape Experience Wine & Spirit School. “I think the whole situation with Covid-19 has led many people to rethink their career choices and explore new opportunities.”
Meanwhile, in the hospitality space, wine education continues to be passed down through mentorship relationships, with experienced professionals aiding those newer to the industry through group tastings and study sessions. For Sarah Clarke, wine director at République, Bicyclette, and Manzke in L.A., that often means hiring employees without formal training and guiding them along the way. “When I’m hiring someone, I try to evaluate what I think their potential will be,” she says. “I don’t think [wine certifications] are the only thing that can make you successful.” Clarke, who’s regarded as a mentor in the wine community, supports blind tastings at the aforementioned restaurants, giving employees the chance to taste unique bottlings, try cork tainted wines so they know what to watch out for, and attend distributor tastings. Still, across République, Bicyclette, Manzke, and USHG restaurants, non-certified employees often pursue CMS certifications on their own volition — a fact that doesn’t surprise Clarke or Guizio. “We try to foster a culture where we give them the resources they need to do that: the space to meet, the availability of glassware, and wines at times,” says Guizio.
Ultimately, most restaurant and retail groups simply don’t have the bandwidth, funds, or labor forces necessary to teach the skills learned through programs like the CMS offers. “I see it on my teams,” Sacionis says. “When they’ve gone through these programs, they’re better.”
So what are wine professionals to do in what seems like a no-win situation? Should they still encourage their employees to pursue certification programs that are famously broken yet arguably still necessary? With fewer restaurants, bottle shops, and distributors requiring certifications for new hires, aspiring wine pros have the gift of choice now more than ever.


text:
A woman from Manchester is hosting a free Christmas dinner this December to help people who are struggling to eat and heat their homes.
She’ll be paying for all the food herself, and says that anyone is welcome – be they struggling to feed their kids, heat their houses, dealing with insobriety, loneliness, or homelessness.
Typically she spends Christmas Day out on the streets handing out food to people sleeping rough but said this year she wanted to do something even bigger to make the most impact for those who need help most.
Antonia Gough quit her job three years ago to help Manchester’s homeless, founding Homeless House after receiving financial support from Boohoo.com and I SAW IT FIRST co-founder Jalal Kamani.
Since then, she’s worked tirelessly to better the lives of those less fortunate – and says that she fears this year people will be in more need than ever due to the rising cost of living.
Every day she’s out on the streets handing out breakfast to Manchester’s homeless, including on Christmas Day.
But last year, out of a desire to help even more people, she also organised for a Christmas dinner to be cooked and served to the some of the city’s most marginalised and vulnerable at The Arc, a charitable organisation based in Manchester on Robert Street on the same road as her offices.
This Christmas she is gearing up to do it again, buying all the food herself so that people who can’t afford a meal this year for their kids “because times are so tough”, or those that are sat at home on their own, can come and enjoy a hot meal and some festive cheer.
There will be carol singing, hot breakfast and dinner, free haircuts, and even an appearance from Santa.
Antonia says that Sainsbury’s has been in touch to offer donations of table dressings and more to make the space feel really festive, and she’s also had further support from The Arc, Delphi Medical, Acorn, CGL & Emerging Futures. .
She told The Manc: “I’m not going to have a booking system, it’s just a case of if you’re struggling to heat or eat please turn up.
“The street people will be there and those who are in rehab, those who might be going through insobriety, that are sat at home on their own on Christmas Day, anybody is welcome.”
“We’re going to do breakfast in the morning at eleven and those who want to stay for dinner, we’ve got some singers.
Explaining how she has been taken aback by the kind offers of help she’s received so far, she continued: “Manchester Theatre contacted me this week and said they’ll send, they’ve heard sorry by Business Growth in Manchester that’s what we’re doing and they want to send down the kids to sing some carols.
“Sainsbury’s has been in touch and the staff want to donate anything we might need, table cloths, that sort of thing, yeah so it’s coming together to think that happened over the space of three days this week.”
However, whilst she’s doing everything she can to pull the dinner together there are a few things that she needs help with – and is hoping that someone in the local community will come forward to lend a hand to help bring this year’s Christmas dinner to life.
As she only has one tiny domestic oven and is planning to cook dinner for at least 70 people, she tells us that she’s looking for someone to provide a kitchen, some staff to help cook the meals, and someone to assist her with the delivery of meals to The Arc.
She added: “The support over the last two years from the community and our local businesses has been nothing short of incredible, which has allowed us to help thousands of people.
Popular London bakery Gail’s to open string of North West cafes next year
Popular craft bakery Gail’s has hinted at plans to open a string of new cafes in the North West next year.
The group, which already has a large number of bakery-cafes in the south of England, has announced it will open its first North West site in Wilmslow in early 2023.
Bosses have also said that ‘further locations in the North West’ will be announced in the new year, adding that all the new bakeries will serve GAIL’s artisan sourdough breads, pastries, sandwiches, and cakes alongside its specialty House Blend coffee.
The news also seems to potentially confirm speculation that the brand is planning a move into Manchester after The Manc shared news of potential plans for a Gail”s opening in the city centre in October.
Having already seen planning documents that suggest the chain is planning to take over the former White Stuff unit on King Street, it now appears that more news on that opening will be coming in 2023 – although it’s hard to say if it will be the first Manchester site to be announced.
The bakery group already has strong ties with Manchester, having run its sister wholesale bakery The Bread Factory in Openshaw since 2017.
Formed in the early 1990s by namesake Gail Mejia, Gail’s began when its eponymous founder decided to bring together the best bakers in London to create bakes for the capitals top chefs and restaurants.
Today, is known more as a customer-facing cafe and bakery whilst The Bread Factory continues the original wholesale legacy – supplying high quality, artisan breads to some of the region’s top local restaurants.
Gail’s first cafe opened on Hampstead High Street in 2005, and now the brand has 79 in neighbourhoods in and around London, Oxford, Brighton and more.
Turning back the clock on industrialised baking practices and moving to bake bread as it used to be baked: by hand, using quality ingredients and time-worn artisanal methods, Gail’s soon established a name for itself and has come a long way since those early days.
Still, the stuff that matters – the ethos, the suppliers, the skill and a handful of tried-and-tested sourdough starter cultures – hasn’t changed.
A champion for sustainability, the bakery also prides itself on minimising food waste by carefully setting aside any leftover food and donating it to a selection of local charities in each eatery’s neighbourhood
A stylish new art deco restaurant and waterside brasserie are coming to Manchester, it has been revealed.
Brought to the city by operators behind brands like Soho House, Isabel Mayfair and Michelin-starred Petersham Nurseries, new opening Maya will be situated within an iconic location of Manchester’s nightlife history: 40 Chorlton Street.
It will take part of the ground and lower floors of the early 20th-century warehouse building, which is also home to the newly opened neighbourhood hotel LEVEN.
Split across three floors, Maya will house numerous areas: from a canal-side brasserie space serving modern-European classics to a lower ground-floor, elegantly designed dining room that will centre around an ingredient-led, locally sourced and seasonal menu.
The kitchen team will be led by Mancunian chef Gabe Lea, who cut his teeth at Michelin-starred establishments like Le Manoir.
The interior backdrop, meanwhile, will merge the original industrial nature of the space with inspired details of art deco grandeur references in beautiful and surprising ways.
Menu development for the new opening is currently underway with Lea commenting: “There is a lot of creativity going into the design and overall concept of the restaurant, and the menu development is no different.
“Our approach will be to champion the beauty and simplicity of exceptional produce and, where we can, we will focus on sourcing seasonal ingredients locally.
“By having more than one dining space, we can run separate menus. The brasserie menu will be about long-standing favourites that we know people will love, alongside more creative and ingredient-led dishes in the dining room that will change regularly and react to what’s seasonal and available.”
Maya is scheduled to open in the spring of 2023, with more details set to be released in the new year. For more information and to be the first to hear about Maya’s launch, visit MayaManchester.com, or follow Maya’s Instagram @maya_mcr.


text:
Apple's "very busy" fall season of product launches is in full swing. The company just sent out invites for a news event next week, where new iPads and Macs are expected.
The invite says only, "We still have a lot to cover," and has colorful leaves from the Apple logo.
The press conference will take place at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Theater in San Francisco, and begins at 10 a.m. PT. CNET will be there to bring you all the news, live. Stay tuned for more details on how to watch.
Apple's last event was in September, where the company debuted the iPhone 5S and 5C, which went on sale a week later. This time around we're expecting new models of the iPad and iPad Mini, which have been chronicled in a series of leaks. Apple is also expected to update some of its Macs -- particularly its MacBook Pros -- and offer a price and release date for OS X Mavericks, which was first shown off in June and.
The date matches up withfrom AllThingsD.
Apple's chief financial officer characterized the company's fall as "very busy" while talking to Wall Street analysts. So far it's gone with a very similar strategy to last year, with two main events just before the busy holiday shopping season to refresh its entire product line. However CEO Tim Cook has hinted that there are some big products slated for early next year too.
It's unclear at this point if Apple will also be offering a live video stream for the event. The company provided one for last October's event, which brought a new version of the full-sized iPad, as well as the debut of the iPad Mini and upgrades to some Macs.
CNET will have more details on what's expected, as well as how to watch next week's event in the coming days.


text:
Samsung gets an OEM chip contractThe U.S. wireless chipmaker Qualcomm Inc. has signed a partnership deal with Samsung Electronics Co. to allow the Korean company to produce cellular phone chips, the U.S. company’s Korean unit said yesterday. Under the agreement, Samsung will make Qualcomm’s chips used in code division multiple access cell phones on a contract basis, Qualcomm said in a statement. Financial details were not disclosed. Qualcomm owns most of the key patents for CDMA technology, a system that ranks a distant second in global popularity with about a quarter of the market. The competing GSM technology is more widely used. The U.S. wireless juggernaut also holds some patents on wideband CDMA, a third-generation mobile technology that offers faster Internet connections over cellular phones. Aside from sales of lucrative chipsets for mobile phones, Qualcomm collects royalty fees from all CDMA-based handset makers and some GSM-based mobile phone manufacturers. Samsung Electronics, the world’s third-largest handset maker, is one of its major clients. The partnership between Qualcomm and Samsung, the world’s largest manufacturer of computer memory chips, is expected to spark a big change in the global chip foundry business, some analysts here say. While CDMA handsets are popular in the United States and Korea, GSM handsets are mostly used in Europe and other parts of the world. “Our foundry agreement with Samsung will provide an additional supply source and assist us in our strategy aimed to ensure capacity to support growth in both the CDMA and wideband CDMA markets,” Sanjay Jha, president of Qualcomm’s CDMA technologies division, said in the statement.
More in Industry
Aramco partners with Midam Scholarship Foundation
Lawyer questions legality of Naver's lawyer link-up
Hyundai Mobis investing in 2 mobility tech firms in U.S.
GM Korea promises 800 billion won of investment
Popular Korean products don't actually exist in Korea


text:
New Bitcoin Regulations Coming to Nevada, California, OK, RI and Hawaii Following BitLicense’s Lead
A new BitLicense-like Bitcoin regulation could soon be approved in 5 different US states. In general, the cryptocurrency space is not regulated and there were different attempts to start to control the market.
There are five US states that would like to introduce a regulation similar to the one implemented in New York, which is called BitLicense and that is very restrictive for companies and firms that try to enter the market.
New Regulations Being Planned
BitLicense has been one of the most controversial forms of regulation in the last years. Experts and analysts believe that this regulation is constraining growth in the space and the crypto industry as a whole.
At the moment, New York-based users can have access to a few cryptocurrency exchanges in the market, when in other countries or jurisdictions the number of platforms operating is larger.
The information regarding the approval of five similar BitLicense regulations in different US States was released by Nulltx a few days ago. The states that could have a similar regulation are Nevada, California, Oklahoma, Rhode Island and Hawaii. In Nevada, for example, there was nobody opposed to this “BitLicense” concept. That means that if the regulation is implemented in the state, there is no right for complaining.
California seems to be one of the largest participants in the cryptocurrency market. And indeed, altcoins and digital assets have been operating in the state without any rules or guidelines for a long period of time.
It is not clear how this license will be affecting the cryptocurrency market in these states. Indeed, several companies could stop offering services for clients in these jurisdictions, which will be very negative for the whole market. Nonetheless, it is better to have a regulation rather than banning digital assets in the way China did.
As the rules and regulations have not yet been implemented, it might be possible to see a good implementation scheme that will reduce the negative effects on the market. Thus, it is not possible to draw any real conclusion on the matter.
Around the world, there are other countries that are trying to implement crypto-friendly regulations in order to attract a larger number of firms and companies. Some of these countries are Malta or Switzerland.
In the United States, Wyoming has passed a bill on its Senate that defines cryptocurrency as property and establishes rules that allow banks to provide crypto-custodial services.


text:
Threat Actors Are Converting Business Email Compromise (BEC) Attacks To Steal More Than Just Money, Experts Warn.
A joint alert released by multiple US law enforcement agencies found that BEC attacks were now targeting food companies to steal shipments.
A joint consultation on cybersecurity released (opens in new tab) The Department of Justice (DoJ), the Food and Drug Administration Office of Criminal Investigations (FDA OCI), and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) claim hackers are stealing “large shipments of food and ingredients, the market price of which is often reached” hundreds of thousands of dollars”.
Delivery of food consignments
The strategy is the same as any other BEC attack – the hackers would compromise an executive’s email account and then use it to send fraudulent orders, or simply impersonate an order from a third-party email provider. Whatever the case, the result is the same — food companies ship food deliveries that are never paid for.
However, the attackers do not eat the food. They resell it on the black market, which in itself is a risk as they disregard food safety regulations and hygiene practices, the guide says. People who eat these foods are at risk for various diseases.
“Companies in all sectors – both buyers and suppliers – should take steps to protect their brand and reputation from fraudsters who use their name, image and likeness to commit fraud and steal products,” it said in the guide.
To protect against these attacks, organizations should educate their employees about the dangers of business email compromise attacks and phishing attacks.
You should also conduct regular training to raise awareness of the risks of clicking suspicious links or downloading suspicious attachments. Finally, they should regularly scan the internet to see if someone is stealing their identity (opens in new tab) or abuse their image in any way.
Above: Beeping computer (opens in new tab)
https://www.techradar.com/news/hackers-are-now-targeting-food-supplies-in-bec-scams-fbi-warns Hackers now target food supplies in BEC scam, FBI warns


text:
Michigan’s online casinos generated nearly $30 million in January. That’s easily the best first month of any industry. That said, it’s a far cry from the $103.8 million New Jersey’s online casinos and the $80.4 million Pennsylvania’s online casinos generated in January.
But there’s a big caveat, Michigan’s online casinos launched on January 22, which means they were only operational over the last ten days of January.
Yet somehow, on a per-day basis, the Michigan online casino industry is already in the same rarified air as New Jersey and Pennsylvania’s more mature markets.
Comparing MI to NJ and PA Is No Comparison
To put Michigan’s debut in proper perspective, it took New Jersey five years to have its first $30 million online casino month. Pennsylvania managed to pass the $30 million threshold in 10 months, but that was artificially accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Michigan nearly hit $30 million in its first ten days.
And Pennsylvania’s climb looks lightning fast compared to New Jersey’s extremely slow burn that benefitted from two events, the legalization of sports betting and subsequent online sports betting launch in late-2018, and like Pennsylvania, COVID-19 shutdowns.
Breaking Down Michigan’s Fast Start
Fast starts are becoming the norm in the burgeoning US online gambling industry.
In November 2020, the Tennessee online sports betting industry had the best debut month of any state, despite Tennessee’s middling population of 6.8 million – Michigan’s online sportsbooks knocked Tennessee off that perch in January.
There seems to be a quartet of factors at play.
A common thread between the states that have come out of the starting blocks at a full sprint is they’ve launched during the COVID-19 pandemic. Similarly, more mature online gambling markets saw significant revenue bumps during 2020, as casinos were shuttered or operating with severe restrictions, pushing more and more bettors online.
Not only were people looking for online gambling sites but they also increasingly knew when and where to find them. Unlike New Jersey’s 2013 launch, or even Pennsylvania’s 2019 launch, the coverage surrounding these launches has increased significantly, particularly in mainstream and local news.
A third factor is a pent-up demand in places like Tennessee and Michigan. Both states took a cautious approach to their online gambling rollouts, and that meant would-be bettors were subjected to long waits (13 months in Michigan and 18 months in Tennessee) that seems to have whetted their appetite for betting.
Compare that to Indiana, where online sports betting was up and running five months after being signed into law.
The final factor has to do with the manner of launch. Both states settled on a synchronized launch that saw multiple operators launch concurrently. Rather than providing an operator or two with a weeks-long monopoly, Michigan and Tennessee let everyone loose simultaneously, which seems to be the best way to handle online launches.
Not only does it put everyone on equal footing, but it also forces operators to have all their ducks in a row since the margin for error shrinks in a hyper-competitive market. It also floods the market with advertising that benefits singular operators and the industry as a whole, getting the word out about the legality and launch.


text:
B.C. home sales hot in July, highest number in eight years: BC Real Estate Association
Home sales in B.C. soared last month, the highest number for the month of July in eight years, according to the British Columbia Real Estate Association.
The association on Wednesday said a total of 7,650 residential sales were recorded on the Multiple Listing Service, up 18 per cent from July of 2012.
The average MLS price in the province was $534,360, up 12.5 per cent from July 2012.
Cameron Muir, chief economist with the association said homes sales were the strongest since 2007.
“After six consecutive months of rising consumer demand, it’s now clear that B.C. housing markets are recovering from tighter lending regulations introduced last year,” he said.
Muir added that many potential home sellers that have been holding off for improved market conditions are expected to put their homes on the market to meet the swelling ranks of home buyers.
According to a report released earlier this month from the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver, July was the hottest month this year for home sales in Vancouver.
Sales in the region on the MLS reached 2,946 in July, up 11.5 per cent from the month previous, and up 40.4 per cent from July 2012.
In Metro Vancouver, the benchmark price for all homes in the board’s region was $601,900 in July, --The Vancouver Sun


text:
Accessorize gets new MD as Very's Alexander joins
Monsoon Accessorize has appointed Emma Alexander managing director for its Accessorize brand. Joining in March, she replaces Kathleen Mitchell, who left the retailer last year to join John Lewis as the department store’s trading director.
Alexander leaves the Very Group after four years where she led the Littlewoods, Very and Very Exclusive brands as fashion director. She became a casualty of a Very Group management consolidation that saw the creation of a new two-tier retail operations division, simplifying its four-division structure.
Before Very Group, she was chief product officer for Jack Wills, with responsibility for all categories globally, covering buying, design and sourcing. Her career has also included head of buying at both Marks & Spencer and Jaeger.
After a tough pandemic, Monsoon Accessorize is looking to further improve with Alexander’s appointment. Last year, the business was taken out of administration by its owner, Peter Simon, via a pre-pack deal, which saw it close 35 stores across the UK.
At the time, Simon said: “Monsoon and Accessorize will continue to have a strong presence on the high street.”
Copyright © 2023 FashionNetwork.com All rights reserved.


text:
"Victory" for the soda tax in Philadelphia. According to a study, it would be very effective in the city of the east coast and caused a real decline in sales Concretely, my sales of sweetened and sweetened drinks have dropped 38% in Philadelphia since a special tax was imposed in January 2017. Sufficient for the authors to defend the spread of these taxes to fight against obesity, especially in modest circles. Seven US cities, France, Mexico and other jurisdictions have imposed taxes in recent years to discourage the consumption of beverages whose sugar content is linked to public health problems such as obesity and diabetes, particularly in children and teenagers.
The tax is higher or lower depending on the place. In Philadelphia, a city of 1.6 million people on the east coast of the United States, it is about 50 cents per liter (1.5 cents per liquid ounce). Supermarkets, supermarkets and small businesses have more or less passed on the tax, and on the shelves, the prices of bottles and cans increased on average from 24 to 53 cents per unit, depending on the type of store. Sales in Philadelphia fell by half in volume in 2017 compared to 2016, shows the analysis, based on crate data in stores accounting for a quarter of the city's beverage sales, and published Tuesday in the Journal de l American Academy of Medicine (Jama)
Read also What if the drinks called "light" were finally fattening?
Consumers partially offset by going to border stores, where sales increased. Taking these purchases into account, the net decrease in sales is estimated at 38%. To make sure that the drop is indeed due to the tax, the researchers compared Philadelphia to Baltimore, without tax: there, sales remained stable.
The numbers confirm one of the bases of economic theory: if the price of a product increases, people buy less. Economists "can be reassured about their theory," laughs Christina Roberto, professor of health policy at the University of Pennsylvania. "Taxing sweetened beverages is one of the most effective strategies to reduce consumption, and I think this public health policy is obvious," she told Agence France-Presse.
Industry defends itself
The ultimate goal is of course to reduce obesity, cavities, diabetes cases … What the authors did not measure; this remains to be done. But they believe that reducing the intake of added sugars is a step in the right direction. In the United States, children consume 17% of their calories from added sugars instead of the recommended 10%, and half of those sugars come from drinks. Children from poor families, as well as black children and adolescents, are much more consumers of fruity and sweet drinks than the richest and whites in the United States.
"The current evidence is already sufficient to encourage the adoption of these taxes, while monitoring the consequences," wrote doctors and public health experts in an editorial published by Jama. The American Beverage Association responded by denouncing taxes that "hurt working people, small businesses and their employees". According to spokesman William Dermody, the industry has created less or not sweet drinks, and smaller formats.
Variable tax in France
In Philadelphia, it is especially in supermarkets that the decline has concentrated, among large bottles "family" and packs. Perhaps this is partly because tax information placards have made it more "visible" to the client. No substitution effect with water was observed.
The Philadelphia tax proved more dissuasive than in the small town of Berkeley, where it is lower (1 cent per liquid ounce). The highest taxes are in Boulder (2 cents) and Seattle (1.75 cents). France adopted a soda tax in 2013, but its results were mixed.
It has been modified and since last summer, it varies according to the sugar rate, while remaining generally lower than the US rates. It is in the order of 15 cents (17 cents) per liter of Coca Cola, for example. Other brands have preferred to lower the sugar content.
Read also Sugar, how to avoid the excesses


text:
The company in a filing to the BSE today said its Chairman and non-executive director Antonio Helio Waszyk will relinquish as a director of the company tomorrow.
"Antonio Helio Waszyk, Chairman and Non-Executive Director of the company has relinquished his office as a director of the company with effect from October 1, 2015 consequent upon his retirement from Nestle Group," Nestle India said.
Waszyk, who is a Brazilian national, had joined the Nestle Group in November 1977.
Waszyk was appointed as non-executive Chairman of Nestle India on October 1 2013.
He had relinquished the office as Managing Director of the company on September 30, 2013.
According to the sources, Reliance plans to partner with the state governments to promote artisanal products and also take 'Swadesh' global. It has already signed an agreement with the West Bengal government for this.


text:
The researchers want to find out whether chocolate can cut the risk of heart disease and need 40 women to help. Some will have to eat specially designed extra strong chocolate and others will eat regular chocolate as a placebo.
As the saying goes, if you think it’s too good to be true, it probably is. The criteria means that many willing volunteers won’t be eligible – you have to be menopausal and under the age of 75, with type two diabetes. But if you fit that description, then what are you waiting for?!


text:
I love when nurses do interesting and creative research and to me, this study fits that description to a “T.” This was a press release I received from Penn entitled “Science in Action.”
Food Stamps and Farmers’ Markets
Current food stamp programs at urban farmers’ markets attempting to bring fresh produce to economically stressed city dwellers are so complicated for the shopper and expensive for the farmer that fewer people are taking advantage of the federal program designed to help them, according to research at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing.
Record numbers of Americans are receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, as food stamps are now known, and many SNAP participants live in neighborhoods with little or no access to healthy food. A study conducted at the Clark Park Farmers’ Market in Philadelphia, Pa., found that making it easier for vendors to collect SNAP payments with electronic point-of-sale systems increased fresh produce sales to SNAP recipients by 38 percent.
However, the costs associated with such systems may put them out of reach for farmers. The study, by Penn Nursing professor Alison M. Buttenheim, PhD, MBA, and colleagues, appears in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
“Our study highlights the need for an equitable approach to subsidizing Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) fees at farmers’ markets,” Dr. Buttenheim reported. “Vendors told us, and we confirmed with a cost-benefit analysis, that they would not be able to break even on sales after paying the associated costs.”
SNAP participants access their benefits through EBT cards. To accept the cards at farmers’ markets, vendors must rent wireless POS terminals, pay for wireless service, and cover transaction fees. Because of the associated costs, many market managers operate a single wireless POS terminal for the entire market. SNAP beneficiaries may buy a token that they can exchange for produce, but they can’t receive change. Alternatively, customers can make their selections with a vendor, get a paper receipt for the total amount of the purchase, and present the receipt to the central terminal, where the customer’s EBT card is swiped for the exact amount of purchase. This must be repeated for each vendor the customer wants to visit.
Instead, Dr. Buttenheim and colleagues provided each vendor at the Clark Park Farmers’ Market with a wireless POS terminal for EBT and credit/debit card transactions. A grant covered all associated wireless charges, transaction fees, and processing fees during a pilot program which ran from June 2008 through February 2009. After the pilot period, the market returned to a single market-operated terminal and receipt system.
Researchers analyzed sales data at the market for four years, beginning 17 months before the pilot project and ending 22 months afterward. There was a 38 percent increase in SNAP/EBT sales during the months with multiple vendor-operated terminals. However, after the pilot project ended, sales to SNAP participants returned to pre-pilot levels, controlling for increases in SNAP participation in Philadelphia.
“Many stakeholders want to increase SNAP redemptions at farmers’ markets,” said Dr. Buttenheim. “We hope this study can inform policymakers about the specific mechanisms driving SNAP redemptions and about the need for subsidies for wireless POS technology at farmers’ markets.”
In an accompanying podcast, Dr. Buttenheim and co-author Allison Karpyn of The Food Trust, a Philadelphia nonprofit working with communities on lasting and stable sources of affordable food, discuss the impact of wireless POS terminals at farmers’ markets on sales to SNAP beneficiaries, and the policy implications of their research. The podcast is available at http://andjrnl.org/content/podcast.
Buttenheim AM, Havassy J, Fang M, Glyn J, Karpyn AE. Increasing Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program/Electronic Benefits Transfer Sales at Farmers’Markets with Vendor-Operated Wireless Point-of-Sale Terminals. J Acad Nutr Diet. 2012 Mar 15. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 22425028.


text:
With the holiday season just around the corner, shoppers in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick are thinking up creative ways to save on gifts and support local, while feeling financial pressures.
In general, shoppers say they expect to spend the same amount on the holidays as they usually do, but Ed McHugh, a business professor in Halifax, says both retailers and consumers are “stretching it out.”
One party is trying to get to the numbers they want, he says, while the other is trying to stay within personal budgets.
“People started shopping earlier, you’re seeing people going to shop around more, looking for a better bargain,” McHugh says. “You’re going to see retailers, and we’ve already seen this, with product out earlier.”
One business that started getting in the holiday spirit early this year is Gifts Galore on Main Street in Moncton.
“We have found Christmas used to kick off with Thanksgiving, and this year it kicked off on Labour Day,” says Steve Clerke, co-owner.
“People were coming and asking, ‘Where’s your trees?’ ‘Where’s your ornaments?’ on Labour Day.”
Clerke says he has never seen shoppers so eager.
“People are again, wanting happy times,” He says. “We’ve been cooped up for three years, and so it’s time to get out and enjoy the sights, sounds and smells of Christmas.”
According to retail analyst and CEO of CustomerLabs, Jim Danahy, Atlantic Canadians spend 10 to 15 per cent more on holiday gifts than the national spending average.
However, he says much of this is due to having a high HST and cost of living.
“Not all Canadians are equal and in this case, in terms of household incomes or whatnot, we’re the poorest region in the country and we’ve got the highest taxes and burdens,” Danahy says.
Danahy adds that over the pandemic, the independent sector took a hit that some retailers didn’t recover from.
“Our options for where we will shop is also limited in the sense that the cornerstores, and the small dress shops and independents, got hollowed out,” he says.
On the other hand, Danahy says shopping local will always be important to Atlantic Canadians, even following the height of the pandemic, something Bookmark on Spring Garden Road bore witness to.
“We weren’t sure once everything went back to normal whether they would stay physically shopping in a small bookstore, but they have,” says the store’s manager, Michael Hamm.
“I think it’s our culture, especially with books and storytelling. We come from a culture of storytellers, so I think people do look at books as a perfect gift.”
Danahy says spending more on the holidays is not always a bad thing on a regional scale.
“If we can patronize local with comparable value, this may be something where Atlantic Canadians can make a bigger contribution than the more densely populated parts of the country,” he says. “And, you know, you’re helping your neighbour.”
McHugh says the difference between regular shopping and holiday shopping is an emotional factor that makes it difficult to stay on budget, but not impossible.
He advises taking an extra day or two to think about a purchase before making it.
“Our emotions are funny things especially when it comes to gifts. And so you just got to be careful,” He says. “I sound like Scrooge, but you gotta keep it in mind ‘cause January shows up and your Visa statement, or your Mastercard or whatever…and so then you start to feel a bit of the pinch.”
Taking a look at the big picture, some people have adopted techniques to save money, while still prioritizing friends and family.
On Monday morning, several shoppers on Spring Garden Road brought up the idea of making homemade presents and taking advantage of sales, while others noted ‘Secret Santa’ draws as a means of spreading the joy without breaking the bank.
© 2023 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.


text:
Up to 26 new businesses can be facilitated at Lisburn Enterprise Organisation’s new £1.8m accommodation block which has recently opened.
More than half of the 10,000 square feet additional space which can facilitate up to 26 businesses, has already been secured.
It brings to 130 the number of businesses being served from the site at the city’s Enterprise Crescent, providing 450 jobs.
IT companies, as well as firms linked to the creative industries, are among the new licensees who have been handed keys.
Two are brand new businesses who begin trading next month, a time when entrepreneurs are 10% more likely to start up compared to any other part of the year, according to research.
However getting their strategy and objectives right from the off is absolutely critical, according to chief executive Aisling Owens.
She said: “The biggest mistake people make preparing for the future is that they identify what they want, but dont give enough thought to how they are going to achieve that goal.
“We want to see local businesses succeed, and thrive, which is why we want to give the best advice to individuals taking their first steps into the world of business, and assist entrepreneurs, and business owners, achieve their commercial objectives.”
She added: “It can be a daunting experience, but the entrepreneurial spirt remains good, probably as good as it’s ever been in spite of all the uncertainty posed by Brexit, and the ambition, the determination, and the innovation of these people never ceases to amaze.”


text:
Autonomous Driving Technology Developer AutoX Unveils its 'Robotaxi Assembly Line' in China
【Summary】Autonomous driving technology developer AutoX has unveiled its robotaxi assembly line in China, where it plans to produce thousands of self-driving vehicles for autonomous mobility services in China. The robotaxis are being built using Chrysler Pacifica minivans from Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA), which is the same vehicle being used by Waymo in the U.S. for its autonomous ride-hailing service.
Autonomous driving technology developer AutoX has unveiled its robotaxi assembly line in China, where it plans to produce thousands of self-driving vehicles for commercial mobility services in China, Chinese news outlet Gasgoo reported.
The robotaxis are being built using Pacifica minivans supplied by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA). The same vehicle used by Waymo in the U.S. for its planned robotaxis service called Waymo One. The factory is designed to add the fifth generation of the AutoX autonomous driving system to the vehicle.
The robotaxi factory first opened in July. Since then the production line has been through three rounds of design and process optimizations to improve the overall assembly process. The assembly line includes robots and other assembly technology from some of the world's top industrial supply companies, including ABB, Seimens, Omron, Schneider Electric, Philips and Mitsubishi.
AutoX's full-stack SAE Level 4 autonomous driving system is called the "AI Driver", which integrates all of the software and hardware components. The company's autonomous driving system is designed to operate without human intervention.
At the plant, each AutoX Gen5 vehicle gets outfitted with state-of-the-art sensors, including cameras and lidar as well as autonomous driving electronic and electrical architecture. The core computing platform delivers 2,200 TOPS of computing power, according to AutoX.
The two companies also co-developed an redundant wire drive-by-wire system along with a full-stack architectural redundancy, to prevent any single point failures of the system and increase passenger safety.
The full-stack AI Driver is also designed to be compatible with vehicles from different manufacturers.
AutoX was founded in 2016 in Silicon Valley by Xiao Jianxiong, a former Princeton University assistant professor. Xiao also serves as the company's CEO. He launched the company with a goal of "democratizing autonomy" by making it readily available as part of people's everyday lives. The company's U.S. headquarters are in San Jose, California.
"The seamless combination of autonomous and human-driving fleets is a crucial step for the adoption and commercialization of self-driving technology," Xiao said in 2019.
AutoX launched the first autonomous delivery pilot service in California when it partnered with grocery stores and restaurants in the city of San Jose near its headquarters in June 2018.
An AutoX autonomous vehicle in China.
In June 2019, AutoX received the world's second robotaxi pilot permit issued by California's Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), for the testing of autonomous vehicles without a safety driver onboard and launched its robotaxi pilot service shortly after.
Two months later, AutoX signed a partnership with the City of Shanghai to jointly launch the first commercial robotaxi fleet in China. The robotaxi service was opened to the general public in 2020, allowing customers to use a smartphone app to hail one of the AutoX self-driving vehicles.
AutoX entered a partnership agreement with Pengcheng Taxi, the largest taxi company in Shenzhen, to collaborate on the RoboTaxi deployment operation at scale.
AutoX now operates China's largest autonomous ride hailing service areas, covering 65 square miles in Shenzhen. The company was the first to successfully navigate the downtown traffic in the mega-city of Shenzhen from any point to any point, the company said when the service launched.
The app-based AutoX autonomous ride-hailing service is simply called "Robotaxi."
Originally hailing from New Jersey, Eric is a automotive & technology reporter covering the high-tech industry here in Silicon Valley. He has over 15 years of automotive experience and a bachelors degree in computer science. These skills, combined with technical writing and news reporting, allows him to fully understand and identify new and innovative technologies in the auto industry and beyond. He has worked at Uber on self-driving cars and as a technical writer, helping people to understand and work with technology.
Volvo’s Brand Polestar Confirms That the Polestar 6 Electric Roadster Will Enter Production and Launch in 2026
BorgWarner to Supply its Integrated Drive Module to Hyundai for a New EV That Will Enter Production in 2024
Amazon Customers in Texas and California Will Begin Receiving Packages via Prime Air Drones Later This Year
AI-Powered Computer Vision Perception Developer StradVision Closes on $88 Million Series C Funding Round
Ford Raises the Prices of the F-150 Lightning Electric Pickup Due to Rising Raw Material Costs
Mercedes-Benz is Partnering with Game Engine Developer Unity Technologies to Create Immersive, 3D Infotainment Screens and Displays for its Future Vehicles
Chipmaker AMD to Collaborate with ECARX on a Digital Cockpit, In-Vehicle Computing Platform for Next-Gen EVs
Tesla Rival XPeng and Alibaba Cloud Set Up China’s Largest Cloud-Based Computing Center to Train Machine Learning Models for Autonomous Driving
- Ford's Lincoln Star Concept Offers a Glimpse into the Electric Future of the Luxury Brand
- Lucid Group Hires Key Executives that Formerly Worked for Mercedes-Benz and Tesla as it Prepares for Global Expansion and Production Ramp Up
- $12,500 Federal EV Tax Credit Proposal Reportedly Dropped
- EV Battery Maker CATL’s Net Income Soars by 185% in 2021 On Strong Demand for EV Batteries, But Warns of Rising Costs of Raw Materials
- 2023 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trailhawk Now PHEV Only
- Ford to Use Lithium Iron Phosphate Batteries for the First Time as it Aims to Produce 600,000 EVs a Year in 2023, Sets Up Global Supply Chain
- The 2023 Polestar 2: Delivery Updates, New Pricing, Color Options and New Tech
- GM Expanding First Responder Training Program for EV Crashes
- Ford Issues ‘Stop Sale’ of the Electric Mustang Mach-E Over Possible Loss of Propulsion While Driving
- BMW i Ventures Invests in Vendia, a Next-Gen Blockchain Company Helping Businesses to Securely Share Data With Third Parties


text:
Saw palmetto berry picking season is back again in Southwest Florida. But if you have plans to harvest with the intention to sell the medicinal berry, you’ll need a permit.
If you’re caught harvesting and selling saw palmetto berries without a permit you could face a 2nd-degree misdemeanor up to a 3rd-degree felony.
On July 17, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services implemented a new rule for harvesting and selling saw palmetto berries.
The agency made the decision after the Endangered Plant Advisory Council placed the saw palmetto palm on the Department of Agriculture’s commercial exploited list.
Saw palmetto berries, which are a source of food for black bears, is highly sought after by the diet supplementary and pharmaceutical industries. The FDA describes the extract of saw palmetto berries being used for “treatment of common, age-related, prostatic hyperplasia. ”
The height of saw palmetto berry harvesting season runs from August through October. People are making a profit by harvesting these berries and selling them by the pound. Prices start at $0.10 per lb. and can go as high as $3 per lb., according to several saw palmetto tree growers.
This year the price per pound might increase because many saw palmetto trees were dried out from the drought or were damaged by Hurricane Irma.


text: If latest reports are to be believed true, Akkineni Akhil’s marriage has been called off. It is well known that 22-year-old Akhil had been engaged to fashion designer Shriya, granddaughter of business magnate GV Reddy. Their marriage is supposed to take place in Italy in May 2017. But it is learned that due to the misunderstanding between these two, the decision was reportedly taken. It is also learned that guest list has been updated on the development. The guests have been reportedly asked to cancel/not book their tickets to the wedding. However, the official confirmation to this effect is awaited.


text:
Google Movie rentals coming to Android Market
In Google I/O 2011 along with many new things, a new and convenient way to watch movies was on Android devices is also revealed- Google Movies. Google movies will deliver on-demand rentals through the Android Market for users in USA. All the android users can visit market.android.com/movies and find the latest blockbusters movies. For each movie you will have to pay $1.99 to $3.99, once you have paid you can instantly stream movies directly from your android devices. Keep in mind it’s a rental which is available for 24 hours once playback starts.
Another app similar in design to Music Beta app will also be launched by Google. The app will allow users to browse through the library of movies many of which are fairly recent releases. The prices of the rental will vary according to the newness of the movie (also according to the fame of the movie). The newest movie is likely to cost $3.99, whereas a couple of years old movies will cost $2.99 and very old and less known movies will cost $1.99.
The Android movies are available now and you can browse according to the categories, including Action & Adventure, Animation, Comedy, Documentaries, Drama, Family, and Horror. The back end is the same used in YouTube rentals service that was recently launched by Google. Now it’s enough talking ! Lets have a look at android market . market.android.com/movies
[ via : androinica ]


text:
An association of Korean dog meat vendors staged a protest in central Seoul on Thursday, calling on the government to separate dogs as pets and for human consumption and legalize dog meat trade.
Nearly 1,500 people gathered near City Hall in one of the largest pro-dog meat rallies ever held in South Korea.
An association of Korean dog meat vendors is staging a protest in central Seoul on Thursday. (Yonhap)
Criticizing animal rights group for putting animals’ rights before theirs, they said it is unfair for the government to provide subsidies to animal shelters while not supporting their business.
Earlier this year, Seongnam, south of Seoul, began removing butchery facilities from South Korea’s largest dog meat market, Moran Market, banning the slaughter of dogs and display of live dogs in cages there.
The Livestock Product Sanitary Control Act, which governs slaughtering, processing, distribution and inspection of livestock products, does not categorize dogs as livestock to be processed as food.
Yet, with no law against the sale and consumption of dog meat, farming, butchery and the consumption of dog meat have continued in a legal gray area. The industry has a history that dates back centuries, but has in recent years struggled with the popularity of “stamina-boosting“ dog meat dishes on a marked decline and facing international criticism.
“In the name of animal rights, so many civic activists and animal rights groups have threatened to take away our rights to make a basic livelihood. We want our freedom and rights back to engage in the dog meat business,” said Han Sang-won, president of an association for dog meat businesses.
The protesters also vowed to counter an upcoming anti-dog meat rally, slated for later this month, with their own.
“If (Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon) does not rescind (the permit given to) the rally, we are going to request Seoul City to approve a pro-dog meat festival in Seoul Square,” Choi Hyun-sik, one of the protesters told The Korea Herald.
By Kim Da-sol (firstname.lastname@example.org


text:
230,000 small businesses that bank with Santander have been told that their accounts, supposedly free for ever, will now cost £7.50 a month.
So, why this change?
Other banks already charge for their personal current accounts – however, changing from free to £7.50 per month is a slight change – especially when local companies are struggling in the competition with High Street stores.
Alsmost an unbalanced fight.
Mr Daniels switched bank 8 years ago because the account was free forever, as NatWest was charging for cheques and other transactions.
“…We are running along quite nicely as we are; £7.50 a month is £90 a year, which we could do without,..”
To defend this turn, Santander is claiming that it is all about giving a better service to the customers.
“…there will be more business managers to talk to in local Santander branches…”
But does this really justify a fee? Who decided for such “new services” and was this required by some account holders?
But a bank spokesman added that customers with business accounts told them that they wanted something more…consequently, implementing this new specific few is the best the bank can do to answer various queries efficiently when needed.
Afterall these days nothing is free anymore.


text:
Volkswagen is choosing SEMA to highlight its new 1.8-liter and 2.0-liter turbocharged engines, as well as show off the 2015 Volkswagen Golf
Read This Article
The next version of the Volkswagen Golf R is ready to go for the European market. But what about North America?
June ushered in the official start to summer, but temperatures weren't the only thing rising: European automakers continued a fiery pace in racking up the sales.
Got a Volkswagen Golf R?


text:
For 26 years, USA TODAY’s Ad Meter has tabulated the Super Bowl viewers’ reactions to the notoriously expensive and often entertaining commercials aired during the game. The popular Budweiser Clydesdales often hit the top of the ranking, and this year is no different.
The heartwarming ad carried elements from last year’s Ad-Meter-topping “Brotherhood,” featuring the same actor playing the Clydesdales’ trainer. If you haven’t seen this year’s spot yet, watch it below (and if you have, why not watch it again?)
Anheuser-Busch also scored points with their “Hero’s Welcome” spot, in which a U.S. soldier returning from Afghanistan is treated to a surprise parade in his hometown. The Clydesdales played a supporting role in that commercial as well. It ranked third on the Ad Meter list.
Dogs were a popular element in this year’s ads. The second spot on the Ad Meter ranking was a Doritos ad in which a boy practices his riding and roping skills with help from the family’s very large pet dog.
View the full ranking list at admeter.usatoday.com.
Watch more Budweiser Clydesdale ads here.


text:
Join top executives in San Francisco on July 11-12, to hear how leaders are integrating and optimizing AI investments for success. Learn More
Dropbox has announced plans to acquire DocSend, a secure document sharing and tracking platform, in an all-cash deal worth $165 million.
Founded out of San Francisco in 2013, DocSend helps businesses bypass cumbersome email attachments through a link-based document sharing approach. This enables companies to control file downloads and deactivate access at any time while also gleaning real-time engagement insights. Moreover, the DocSend platform allows companies to ensure that the version of a file they have shared remains up to date.
Dropbox has been doubling down on its enterprise focus of late and pushing tighter integrations with other business-focused services, including Salesforce. Last year, Dropbox unveiled a partnership with Google to allow G Suite users to store their files in Dropbox. DocSend actually represents the company’s second acquisition in as many years, after it shelled out $230 million for e-signature startup HelloSign in 2019.
DocSend and HelloSign are both concerned with the remote management and distribution of documents — in fact, DocSend already offers built-in e-signature functionality. Dropbox cofounder and CEO Drew Houston said in a press release that the plan is to package Dropbox, DocSend, and HelloSign together as an “end-to-end suite” of products spanning collaboration, sharing, and e-signatures to help businesses “manage critical document workflows from start to finish.”
Join us in San Francisco on July 11-12, where top executives will share how they have integrated and optimized AI investments for success and avoided common pitfalls.
It’s becoming clear that Dropbox has access to the data it needs to determine which products in its ecosystem are most valuable as fully integrated features. Dropbox has offered an integration with DocSend since 2019, after expanding its extensions program to support numerous business apps. The extensions program originally launched in 2018 with integrations that included HelloSign, a startup Dropbox snapped up just two months later.
DocSend already claims some 17,000 customers, including a number of notable enterprise clients, such as Airtable and Gartner, which could give Dropbox an easier inroad as it looks to cross-sell and upsell its suite of products.
Nothing much will change for DocSend until the acquisition closes later this month, and Dropbox hasn’t confirmed what will happen to DocSend as a standalone product post-acquisition.
“Our goal is to accelerate adding value through additional DocSend functionality as well as deeper integrations with Dropbox,” a spokesperson told VentureBeat. “We’ll have more to share in the future.”
VentureBeat's mission is to be a digital town square for technical decision-makers to gain knowledge about transformative enterprise technology and transact. Discover our Briefings.


text:
Oct 22, 2019
Rising cost of living in urban centers help small town Kamloops land World Renown Social Media Expert now churning out Canada's best digital marketers.
Oct 20, 2019
Thompson Rivers University instructor and Nipissing University graduate Julio Viskovich has been awarded the prestigious Dr. James Jamieson Award for the Most Influential Alumni.
Jun 22, 2014
Julio Viskovich, founder of NexLevel Sales and named by Forbes as one of the Top 30 Social Selling Influencers of 2014, has officially launched and helping B2B sales teams adopt social selling strategies that align with their current sales process.


text:
Did you know that today was National Doughnut Day? In celebration Krispy Kreme and Dunkin’ Donuts are offering FREE doughnuts to customers today, June 3rd.
The free doughnut offer is good for one doughnut of any variety per customer at participating U.S. Krispy Kreme retail shops. Check out the Krispy Kreme Facebook page for more information.
Participating Dunkin' Donuts restaurants nationwide will offer guests a free donut of their choice (while supplies last) with the purchase of a beverage (excluding bottled cooler beverages). Check out this press release for more information.
Thanks, For the Mommas


text:
By SHERRY VAN ARSDALL
THE GOSHEN NEWS
It’s too early to tell. That’s the local reaction to the deal in Congress that pushed the fiscal cliff problem into March.
What will be noticed right away will be a 2-percent increase in the Social Security payroll tax that was part of the deal. But other aspects of the deal may take time for local businesses to understand.
Goshen Chamber of Commerce President David Daugherty returned to work Wednesday after the holidays and said there are concerns about the fiscal cliff deal but, “It’s really too early to tell.”
“It’s a tough one to comment on. They didn’t deal with everything. They need to keep the economy on a forward momentum,” Daugherty said. “They need to learn to work together to create jobs and have families earn a living. They’re not halfway there, really, they aren’t even close. They’ve got to learn to get along, be up-front and be honest with the American people.”
Daugherty added the legislators don’t seem to understand how the issues involved impact the economy and individuals.
“They need to get their leadership in place. The solution isn’t an easy one,” Daugherty said. “They need to try a little harder.”
He’s glad for what legislators did agree upon, but “what they did is not enough. They did something good for my pocketbook and your pocketbook, but they need to do more to make an impact,” Daugherty said. “Congress hasn’t passed a budget in four years. It befuddles me. They need to find a way to work together.”
Businesses and industries will press on in Middlebury and Elkhart County, stated Sam Pohl, director of Middlebury Chamber of Commerce.
“The entrepreneurial spirit will not be diminished,” Pohl said. “Middlebury will move forward. It’s frustrating not knowing (answers) and we have to wait still longer on Washington to make fiscal decisions. I would never want to be in their shoes.”
No business owners have shared concerns about the fiscal deal with the Nappanee Chamber of Commerce, said Executive Director Jeff Kitson.
“They were attentive to Washington and the 2 percent increase in the Social Security payroll tax will slow the economy up slightly,” Kitson said. “I know people in Nappanee are going to take a step back, take a good look and spend their money more wisely and shop locally. I want everyone to have a good year and use what they can to support local businesses.”
Elkhart Chamber of Commerce president-elect Kyle Hannon also had no immediate contact from local businesses in regard to the fiscal cliff deal.
“They are sorting through what it means. I’m pleased a deal was made because the crippling effect is the uncertainty,” Hannon said. “It’s hard for businesses to make decisions when they aren’t sure about government spending. At least now they can understand the rules of the game and it’s removed some of the uncertainty. I’m not sure people are happy about it.”
And tax increases could impact local businesses, Hannon added.
“Taxes will go up and that will impact spending. The middle class won’t have as big a hit but the tax increase will be given to the government instead of retail places like Concord Mall,” Hannon said. “It’s to soon to tell the impact. Everybody will feel something.”
Robert Thatcher, general manager at Concord Mall, said he hopes to continue to see strong patron traffic and retail sales with the 67 businesses connected with the mall.
“This legislation is important to all. I’m optimistic,” Thatcher said. “Elkhart County has led the nation in job growth. Wages are higher with more disposable income for discretionary spending and to shop local is important.”
And Hannon hopes for the best with the fiscal cliff deal, but said he’s more disappointed the legislators haven’t addressed the issue of serious spending.
“They’ve done something short-term to help, but when are they going to get serious about their spending? When can Washington make decisions and come to some kind of solution?” Hannon asked. “It gets discouraging.”


text:
Whole wheat bread.
(photo credit: INGIMAGE)
The hullabaloo that was generated earlier this week when people were barred from entering a public park because they had hametz, leavened products, with them, probably had no legal justification, a religious freedom lobbying group says.
The Passover Law (Prohibitions of Leaven) of 1986 prohibits the public sale and display of leavened products, bread, rolls, pita bread and similar products in public for commercial purposes during the holiday. This prohibition does not, however, apply to private individuals, who are in no way restricted from consuming leavened products publicly or otherwise.
The Hiddush religious freedom lobbying group noted that in 2008, the Jerusalem Municipal Affairs Court issued a ruling backing the right of a shop to sell hametz inside the store when the products were not on public display.
At the time, the attorney-general concluded that he would not appeal the decision and that its approach for differentiating between the public domain outdoors and the shop’s discreet sale of hametz products inside was reasonable and desirable, striking a balance between religious sensitivities and freedom of religion and choice.
Following the court case and the attorney-general’s decision, however, the director-general of the interior ministry in 2008 issued new regulations emphasizing that the law seeks to prevent the display of hametz in public, “to avoid harming the sensitivities of the public and to preserve the national and religious characteristics of Passover in the public domain.”
The regulations omitted to mention, however, that the law also states that displaying hametz in public is only forbidden for commercial purposes, not for private consumption.
Hiddush director attorney and rabbi Uri Regev noted that in response to questions on the issue, the Afula Municipal Council cited the 2008 regulations on the prohibition of displaying hametz in public, and attributed this error to the fact that these regulations emphasize the ban on public display of hametz.
The regulations do state that “the prohibition means that a business owner may not publicly display a hametz product for sale or consumption,” but does not stress the right of a private individual to consume a hametz product in public, he said.
Regev said Hiddush would be writing to the attorney-general and the interior minister to “clarify and correct” the 2008 regulations.
“The municipality’s reliance on the 2008 regulations is either a misunderstanding of the law or an act of zealousness amounting to religious coercion,” he told The Jerusalem Post.
“The rationale that is offered on these kind of issues is that we must safeguard the Jewish identity of state, and extreme care is taken in exercising this kind of religious coercion, while that which should truly be considered the measure of a Jewish state, like treating vulnerable sectors of society correctly, economic and social justice, and equality for non-Jews is often ignored,” Regev continued.
From a legal perspective, the situation is more complex than many might think, says Hebrew University law Prof. Barak Medina.
A prohibition, against eating prohibited foods in certain public spheres in a “loud” manner out of respect for the state’s Jewish character and to avoid offending orthodox emotional sensitivities, could be relevant.
Medina appeared to confirm that Afula could ban holding a “loud” hametz barbecue in a designated public park on Passover, if it provided an alternative park.
But Medina was skeptical Afula had the right to check persons bags before entering or prevent people from eating hametz in the park in a more private and toneddown manner.