text:
‘it’s not just harmless water vapor’
By Isra Ahmad
Before I began college, I couldn’t have identified an e-cigarette if I saw one.
In my first semester at San Jose State University, I sat next to a student who was openly smoking an e-cigarette in my community health class, to my surprise. Since I didn’t know much about e-cigarettes, he was nice enough to explain to me how they work.
While smoking a traditional cigarette in a classroom is unthinkable, much less a health class, e-cigarettes have emerged as a strangely acceptable practice. I fear this trend will erode the progress that has been made over decades in the fight against tobacco.
Although I always knew cigarettes can kill, the “truth campaign” helped me learn just how much the tobacco companies were willing to do to keep people addicted.
These days it seems that health organizations are fighting the same battles as they did years ago, but this time against e-cigarettes. I’m taking notice because this time it’s personal. They are targeting my generation. This is about teens and young adults, those who will write the next chapter of California’s history.
Have you noticed that e-cigarette marketing is more pervasive than traditional cigarettes, and that the ads seem to be speaking to you specifically?
That’s because e-cigarettes are heavily advertised and targeting young adults through television and radio – channels where cigarette ads were banned more than 40 years ago. They can even pass out samples at concerts, bars and festivals.
What I’ve come to learn is that of the more than $80 million spent on e-cigarette advertising in 2013, the vast majority came from Big Tobacco companies. This is because they own most of the e-cigarette brands now. For example, Lorillard, the nation’s third-largest cigarette company, bought blu, the clear market leader in e-cigarettes.
In the last three years, the amount of e-cigarette advertising rose more than 1,200 percent, clearly showing that the tobacco industry is investing in a new market.
They are aiming to recruit the next generation of smokers to replace the one they are killing off now with traditional tobacco cigarettes. And there’s a lot they’re not telling us about what’s actually in e-cigarettes.
E-cigarette companies are currently not required to disclose the ingredients (and toxins) in their products. There are no safety or health standards associated with e-cigarettes….right now, pet food has more safety standards than e-cigarettes.
Take a look at the facts behind the recent growth in e-cigarette use:
- E-cigarettes contain nicotine, a highly addictive substance (as addictive as heroin).
- E-cigarette use among young adults, ages 18 – 29, increased from 2.3 percent in 2012 to 7.6 percent in 2013. Young adults in California are three times more likely to use e-cigarettes than those 30 and older.
- E-cigarettes are purposefully marketed to a younger audience with fruit, candy and alcohol flavored e-juice.
- E-cigarettes pose health risks not just to those who use them, but also to people who may be exposed to the secondhand aerosol emitted from e-cigarettes, which contains harmful chemicals – it’s not just harmless water vapor.
What really scares me though is that all of this e-cigarette marketing, and rapidly increasing usage, is making the act of smoking seem… normal again.
These electronic devices are clearly aimed at introducing our generation to nicotine addiction. This directly undermines California’s progress to establish tobacco-free norms, which reduced smoking rates by 50 percent, saving people’s lives and reducing healthcare costs.
The California Department of Public Health recently released its first campaign to educate Californians on the health risks of e-cigarettes, and these aggressive marketing practices used to recruit the next generation of smokers.
As students who are taught to question our surroundings, I encourage you to get smart and educate yourself about e-cigarettes. Together we can ensure that younger Californians do not fall victim to the tobacco industry’s targeted marketing and rewrite the history we should be living.
Comments are closed.


text:
Phoenix, AZ (Vocus) June 5, 2010
BioCosmetic Center cites study indicating that higher percentages of young adults approve of cosmetic procedures. The study was commissioned by the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery and was conducted by the independent research firm Synovate. According to the study, men and women aged 18-24 had the highest approval rating for cosmetic procedures.
Eric Jantze of BioCosmetic Center said, “We have patients of all ages coming in looking for a wide variety of cosmetic procedures. Some begin the conversation asking about liposuction costs. Others begin the conversation asking about average weight loss using the BioCosmetic Center program. Others start off the conversation saying they want to feel better about themselves and they want a professional opinion on cosmetic procedures that would enhance their physical appearance.”
Other findings offered by the study included:
1. Men and women are less “embarrassed” by cosmetic enhancement than in years past. 78% of women said they would not be embarrassed if others knew they had cosmetic procedures done and 79% of men said they wouldn’t be embarrassed.
2. 32% of all women said they would consider cosmetic procedures while 20% of men said the same thing.
3. Men and women with children living in their household were more likely to consider cosmetic procedures than those who did not have children living in their household.
4. 56% of women said they “approve” of cosmetic procedures compared to 57% of men.
Increased approval from the general public could be due to a variety of reasons. The most obvious in today’s cosmetic industry are: increased availability, decreased invasiveness of cosmetic procedure, lower liposuction costs, recent laser technology advancements, increased effectiveness of procedures, etc.
BioCosmetic Center offers all inclusive, personalized programs to aid individuals in obtaining their physical goals. Programs can include any of the following: acne scar removal, liposuction, Botox, weight loss, scar removal, bio-identical hormones, dermal fillers, and more.
To get further information on BioCosmetic Center or current standards in the industry get in touch with Eric Jantze:
Contact: Eric Jantze
Company: BioCosmetic Center

domain: news


text:
- PureCircle confirmed in an announcement Monday that it has developed a new stevia sweetener ingredient called Rebaudioside X with The Coca-Cola Company and is seeking global intellectual property coverage.
- PureCircle has submitted its official GRAS notification to the FDA, seeking safety review for its discovery.
- Rebaudioside X is the result of a joint venture that that PureCircle and Coca-Cola entered into in September 2012 to develop a viable sweetener product.
Sweeteners remain a priority for The Coca-Cola company right now, as evidenced by last week's announcement that the first stevia-sweetened Coke will launch in Argentina. PureCircle, meanwhile, is committed to its stevia business, which the company claims is growing internationally.


text:
FDx Advisors Inc. Purchases Shares of 3,163 Splunk Inc. (SPLK)
FDx Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Splunk Inc. (NASDAQ:SPLK) in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 3,163 shares of the software company’s stock, valued at approximately $210,000.
Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. acquired a new position in Splunk in the 3rd quarter valued at about $201,000. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. raised its stake in Splunk by 24.1% in the 2nd quarter. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. now owns 3,375 shares of the software company’s stock valued at $195,000 after purchasing an additional 656 shares during the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc raised its stake in Splunk by 6.2% in the 2nd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 3,508 shares of the software company’s stock valued at $200,000 after purchasing an additional 204 shares during the last quarter. Cipher Capital LP acquired a new position in Splunk in the 2nd quarter valued at about $217,000. Finally, Advisor Group Inc. raised its stake in Splunk by 213.6% in the 2nd quarter. Advisor Group Inc. now owns 4,046 shares of the software company’s stock valued at $230,000 after purchasing an additional 2,756 shares during the last quarter.
In other news, SVP Leonard R. Stein sold 4,851 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.79, for a total transaction of $328,849.29. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Thomas M. Neustaetter sold 3,614 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.70, for a total value of $244,667.80. Following the sale, the director now owns 12,871 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $871,366.70. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 588,672 shares of company stock valued at $39,505,760 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 1.43% of the company’s stock.
SPLK has been the subject of several analyst reports. Mizuho reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $60.00 target price on shares of Splunk in a research note on Tuesday, August 15th. ValuEngine raised shares of Splunk from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, September 1st. Needham & Company LLC initiated coverage on shares of Splunk in a research note on Monday, October 23rd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $95.00 target price for the company. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $77.00 target price (up previously from $74.00) on shares of Splunk in a research note on Friday, August 25th. Finally, Zacks Investment Research downgraded shares of Splunk from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 26th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and thirty have issued a buy rating to the company. The company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $82.11.
TRADEMARK VIOLATION NOTICE: This news story was originally posted by Watch List News and is owned by of Watch List News. If you are viewing this news story on another website, it was illegally copied and republished in violation of US & international trademark & copyright laws. The correct version of this news story can be accessed at https://www.watchlistnews.com/fdx-advisors-inc-purchases-shares-of-3163-splunk-inc-splk/1723471.html.
Shares of Splunk Inc. (NASDAQ SPLK) opened at $83.53 on Friday. Splunk Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $50.64 and a fifty-two week high of $84.88.
Splunk (NASDAQ:SPLK) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, November 16th. The software company reported $0.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the Zacks’ consensus estimate of ($0.42) by $0.59. Splunk had a negative return on equity of 71.89% and a negative net margin of 32.72%. The business had revenue of $328.65 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $309.01 million. equities research analysts anticipate that Splunk Inc. will post -1.3 EPS for the current year.
Splunk Company Profile
Splunk Inc (Splunk) is engaged in the development and marketing of software solutions. The Company’s offerings enable users to collect, index, search, explore, monitor and analyze data. Its offerings address diverse data sets that are referred to as big data and are specifically used for machine data.
Receive News & Ratings for Splunk Inc. Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Splunk Inc. and related companies with Analyst Ratings Network's FREE daily email newsletter.


text:
Amazon has named its best-selling gaming releases over the past 15 years.
Call of Duty has dominated sales, with Modern Warfare 2, Black Ops and Modern Warfare 3 taking the top three places.
Grand Theft Auto 5, which is the fastest-selling game of all time, is already the fourth best-seller despite being on sale for one month.
Elsewhere, FIFA takes the sixth to eighth places, while Skyrim and Zumba Fitness round off the chart, the latter of which is the only release not available on multiple platforms.
"Call of Duty, Grand Theft Auto and FIFA are three of the largest entertainment franchises in the world, so it's no surprise to see them dominating the top ten best-selling games chart," said games and software category leader Ketu Patel.
"The success of Skyrim suggests that there is a real appetite for epic fantasy games, whilst Zumba Fitness's appearance in tenth place shows just how big Nintendo Wii's fanbase is in the UK."
The release of GTA 5 helped UK games retail out of a recent slump in sales.
Call of Duty: Ghosts has seen pre-orders affected by the transition to next-gen consoles.
Watch a trailer for Call of Duty: Ghosts below:


text:
Since the French retailer Printemps have their own display of Alice in Wonderland, it's only fair that Bloomingdale's does too!
Soon the New York department store's 59th Street windows will be getting a Burton-ized makeover to celebrate the release of the highly anticipated flick.
On display will be actual props from the set as well as Wonderland inspired fashion such as Tom Binnsjewelry line and dresses by Sue Wong. And to sweeten the deal, seven other Bloomie's locations will be screening behind-the-scenes and bonus footage in stores.
Are U looking forward to Alice In Wonderland taking over???


text:
After launching the popular MPV in Indonesia, Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) has finally announced the launch of the new Innova Crysta in India.
The new Innova Crysta is loaded with a host of features and a much-requested, new connected infotainment system. Starting with the exterior, the new Innova Crysta gets a new trapezoidal piano-black grille with chrome ornamentation that merges into the headlamps, a sharper front bumper design, and diamond-cut alloy wheels for a sporty look. On the safety front, the new Innova Crysta gets seven airbags, Vehicle Stability Control, and Hill Start Assist, along with the addition of a new front clearance sonar (with MID display) to prevent collisions while parking in tight spaces and offer a stress-free driving experience.
Speaking about the launch, Mr. Naveen Soni, Senior Vice President, Sales and Service, TKM, said, “The Innova redefined the segment when it was introduced in India more than 15 years ago as a premium MPV that offers unrivaled comfort, convenience and looks, these skillfully combined with Toyota’s Quality, Durability, and Reliability, made it a winner. Over the years, we have strived to make the Innova even better by imbibing the advanced technologies and features and launching improved versions regularly. The new and bolder Innova Crysta continues that legacy in accordance with our tradition of customer-first approach. We are confident that the customers will look forward to the latest avatar of the iconic Innova. The launch is particularly timed for those customers who are seeking unmatched safety and unrivaled comfort during long distances travel with family or on business needs. Further, we would like to thank our loyal customers for their relentless trust that has made Innova the best-selling MPV in the country.”
Speaking about the features and the interiors, the new Toyota Innova Crysta gets a fresh look with the option of the new upholstery color of Camel Tan in the ZX grade. In line with the latest trend of connected infotainment, and after a lot of requests from Toyota fans, a new and larger Smart Playcast touchscreen audio with Android Auto and Apple Carplay has been introduced in the upgraded Innova. Besides, customers can now enjoy vehicle connectivity features such as real-time vehicle tracking, geofencing, last parked location, and many more as optional accessories in the new Innova Crysta.
Some additional features include- the availability of new exterior color – Sparkling Black Crystal Shine, a trapezoidal piano-black grille with chrome surround, new and sharper front bumper design, new Diamond-Cut alloy wheel design, new front clearance sonar (with MID Indication) for improved safety, new luxurious interior color of Camel Tan for upholstery (ZX grade only), and an all-new Smart Playcast touchscreen audio with Android Auto/Apple Carplay. The new Innova Crysta will come in GX, VX, and ZX grades, and is available in the price range of Rs. 16,26,000 to Rs. 24,33,000 Ex-showroom (Prices are same across the country except for Kerala).


text:
Andy Forssell, a media veteran whose resume includes a stint as Hulu’s CEO, is moving to Fullscreen, the video service owned by Peter Chernin’s Otter Media.
Forssell will be Fullscreen’s chief operating officer, reporting to CEO and founder George Strompolos. Last year, Forssell took the CEO spot at ShowYou, a video aggregation app.
Fullscreen started out as a video network that did all of its business on YouTube, but like its peers, it is starting to expand to other platforms and has announced plans to launch its own subscription business. In 2014, Otter Media, which had already invested in Fullscreen, acquired a majority stake in the company.
This article originally appeared on Recode.net.


text:
With support from Google, OpenStack continues to evolve
November 1, 2015
OpenStack turned five this year, and in so doing garnered quite a nice birthday gift: the official backing of Google. Google’s decision to join the OpenStack Foundation marks the first time that one of the “big three” public infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) vendors – Amazon Web Services, Microsoft, and Google – has backed OpenStack, a free open-source cloud platform long seen as a direct competitor to their public cloud offerings.
This is a big deal. Google’s support suggests that the OpenStack versus AWS/Azure/Google Cloud Platform debate is more nuanced than a simple competitive comparison.


text:
SAN FRANCISCO, April 2, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — GrubMarket BB #:301166, a pioneering force in revolutionizing America’s food supply chain, today unveiled GrubAssist, the first enterprise AI software solution built specifically for the food supply chain.
GrubAssist, powered by GrubMarket AI, is an intuitive and powerful suite of AI-powered virtual assistants that instantaneously deliver real-time business insights and analysis through an easy-to-use conversational interface and also generate downloadable reports with contextual data.
With the introduction of the Business Analyst module, which provides business performance and operational insights, and the Inventory Analyst module, which provides stock level, supplier, and restocking analysis, GrubAssist makes a significant leap forward in applying artificial intelligence to revolutionize how food wholesalers, distributors, and shippers manage their operations and make critical business decisions.
With GrubAssist, GrubMarket emerges as a trailblazer in harnessing the value of generative AI technologies for the food supply chain ecosystem. The source of GrubAssist’s transformational impact lies in how it provides business leaders and workers with AI-powered access to their enterprise data, wrapped in a remarkably easy and intuitive user experience.
Accessible via any mobile device or web browser, GrubAssist’s AI assistants empower employees with information to make better purchasing and selling decisions, offer better customer service, and complete their daily tasks faster through an effortless chat experience. Business leaders and managers can leverage GrubAssist for immediate access to performance metrics, lists of exceptions and anomalies, and suggestions for new growth opportunities to stay ahead in an increasingly competitive market landscape.
For example, a business owner might ask for a list of his/her most profitable customers or request an analysis of sales growth by sales rep. A salesperson working with a customer can quickly retrieve information about the customer’s prior purchases, product costs, and inventory availability. Buyers can leverage GrubAssist for recommendations for how much inventory to order, and which supplier to order from at any given time.
Importantly, GrubAssist is platform-agnostic, meaning it integrates seamlessly with any company’s existing ERP, accounting, or bookkeeping system, ensuring compatibility across platforms, including GrubMarket’s end-to-end ERP software, WholesaleWare. This interoperability, coupled with robust data security and privacy measures, as well as an AI Training Module that easily tailors the AI assistant to the unique needs of any business, highlights GrubMarket’s commitment to delivering an AI solution that is universally accessible, adaptable, and secure.
“GrubAssist, powered by GrubMarket AI, represents a significant milestone in our ongoing efforts to revolutionize the food supply chain industry through transformative technologies. Food is inherently an information-powered business, and the more information you have on hand, the better you can do your job. GrubAssist undoubtedly makes users’ lives easier and helps them extract value from the decades of data that their businesses are sitting on. By harnessing the power of AI, we can empower food supply chain businesses with essential new tools that will help them thrive in an increasingly complex and dynamic market environment. The launch of GrubAssist also makes GrubMarket the first enterprise AI solution provider for America’s food supply chain industry,” said Mike Xu, CEO of GrubMarket.
The release of GrubAssist marks a new era of innovation within the food supply chain industry, as GrubMarket solidifies its commitment to leveraging cutting-edge technologies like AI to fundamentally transform how food supply chain businesses operate. As the industry embraces AI-driven solutions, GrubMarket has emerged as the first mover and clear market leader in enterprise AI solutions for the industry.
Access to GrubAssist, powered by GrubMarket AI, is now available to all food supply chain businesses. For more information or a free demo, please visit please visit https://www.grubmarket.ai/.
Founded in 2014, CA-based GrubMarket is the AI-powered technology enabler and digital transformer of the American food supply chain industry, as well as one of the largest private food tech companies globally. As a first mover in the tech-enabled B2B food eCommerce space and a pioneer offering cutting-edge, AI-powered software-as-a-service solutions, GrubMarket uses AI-powered technology to fundamentally transform the American and global food supply chain. GrubMarket has also been named to the prestigious CNBC Disruptor 50 list. GrubMarket operates in all 50 U.S. States and has a global presence in Argentina, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Egypt, India, Mexico, South Africa, and Spain, with plans to expand further across the U.S., Canada, South America, Europe, Africa, and other parts of the world.
For Media Inquiries:
GrubMarket Media Team
1925 Jerrold Ave.
San Francisco, CA. 94124


text:
VANCOUVER, Sept. 24 /CNW/ - On Wednesday, Sept. 30th, 2009, the Coca-Cola System in Canada will be making two announcements related to its commitment to environmental sustainability.
Kevin Warren, President of Coca-Cola Bottling Company, will be joined by John Brock, Chairman and CEO of Coca-Cola Enterprises, The Honourable Iain Black, Minister of Small Business, Technology and Economic Development, and Nicola Kettlitz, General Manager, Coca-Cola Olympic Project Team.
What: Coca-Cola unveils two new sustainability initiatives
When: Wednesday, September 30th, 2009
10:00 a.m. sharp
Where: Vancouver Aquarium- Main Parking Lot
(845 Avison Way, Vancouver, B.C.)
SOURCE COCA-COLA BOTTLING COMPANY
For further information: For further information: or to RSVP, please contact: Jill Batie, Hill & Knowlton, (604) 692-4227, Jill.email@example.com; Nini Krishnappa, Coca-Cola Bottling Company, (416) 455-8628, firstname.lastname@example.org


text:
The Moose Jaw Homegrown Farmer’s Market is starting to out-grow its home.
The local farmer’s market will be bigger than ever this year and is starting to push the boundaries of its location on Langdon Crescent.
“We’re getting pretty close to being maxed out at that space,” said Keri Fox, a Moose Jaw Homegrown Market board member who is also a vendor with Green Sister Gardens. “Eventually, we would like to take over all of Langdon if that was possible. We’ll just keep moving down until we’re out of space and then we’ll apply. We could do an L-shape and go down Cordova, but ideally, we would like to be the entire length of Langdon if the City would be OK with it.”
The first Homegrown Farmer’s Market of the year will take place on Saturday, May 25.
“So far we have 14 new vendors who have applied, so we’re pretty excited about that,” Fox said. “Generally (people who apply) are accepted. We have a pretty strict policy about it being hand-made or homegrown. As long as it falls into that criteria… we want the market to be bigger and really serve the needs of everybody in the community. We’re excited about welcoming new vendors if anybody is interested.”
Some of the new vendors will add to the diversity of the produce and products on offer this year as well.
“Something I have seen as a trend and I have noticed from some of the new vendors, like the bakers, are more focusing on the latest health trends, like paleo and those kinds of things,” Fox said. “So we’re seeing vendors who are maybe more health-conscious - if that’s the right word.”
The market will run every Saturday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. from May 25 until early October. The market also runs Wednesday evenings from 5-8 p.m. in July and August.
“The evenings have worked really well for us and people like it, so we’re going to carry that on for sure,” Fox said. “We really liked the entertainment that we had down there last year, so we’re going to try to get some live entertainment.”
If there are artists who are interested in performing during the Wednesday night markets they can get in contact with the Homegrown Market on their web site to get involved.


text:
Bank of Ireland rolls out bio-sourced debit, credit cards
By Gloria Methri
Bank of Ireland has begun rolling out bio-sourced debit and credit cards across its entire cards portfolio. Available for both personal and business customers, the card is made from 84% bio-sourced renewable materials such as field corn and takes just six months to decompose unlike its plastic equivalent, which takes around 400 years.
When the full portfolio of cards is switched to bio-sourced cards, a project expected to be completed by 2026, Bank of Ireland will save 17 tonnes of carbon dioxide and 4.48 tonnes of plastic (equivalent to over 160,000 500ml plastic bottles) per year.
Besides switching to sustainable cards, the bank has also upgraded its design with flat-printed numbers, increased font size and a notch cut out of the card to help people insert it into a card machine or ATM easily.
The bio-sourced cards will be provided to all new customers, existing customers once their old cards expire, and as a replacement for damaged, lost or stolen cards. The bank first introduced bio-sourced debit cards for third-level students in September 2020.
Eamonn Hughes, Chief Sustainability & Investor Relations Officer at Bank of Ireland Group, said, “The environmental credentials of these bio-sourced cards are exceptionally strong and with 60,000 already being used by third-level students, we will now radically expand the rollout across our entire cards business in Ireland and the UK.”
“We understand the important role that banks can play in the move to a low-carbon environment, whether it is enabling customers to move into greener homes or switch to electric vehicles, or through financing the development of the green energy sector. The climate crisis is a critical threat – we are committed to making a positive contribution today, while also investing in tomorrow.”
IBSi Daily News Analysis
February 23, 2024
Bank Of Ireland
Regulated firms battle surge in financial crime attempts, research revealsRead More
IBSi FinTech Journal
- Most trusted FinTech journal since 1991
- Digital monthly issue
- 60+ pages of research, analysis, interviews, opinions, and rankings
- Global coverage


text:
© Alexandra Sautois
Chilean Fruit Exports Association (Asoex) has offered support to China by offering to donate fresh fruits to the medical staff working to treat people affected by coronavirus. Containers filled with fresh Chilean produce sent to different ports across China had been held back due to the outbreak. With Chinese consumers turning to online markets to buy fresh produce, overall consumption has reduced. Shipping companies have been working to keep the containers in the market so as to increase availability of refrigerated storage.
In a statement issued by the organisation, Asoex president, Ronald Bown Fernandez, said: “It is complex, it requires constant monitoring as to how it evolves. We are relying on Chinese authorities to contain the virus, with the aim of returning to normalcy in the shortest period of time possible.” It’s unknown how long the current situation in China will last, with Asoex announcing it will work with the government to minimise the negative effectives by implementing a “specific campaign to promote the healthy attributes of fruit consumption”.
Around 265,000 tons of Chilean produce have been exported so far this season, with the main products being cherries, blueberries, table grapes, avocados, nectarines, plums, apples, and kiwifruit. This figure is up 27.7% from the same period last year.
Ronald Bown, president of ASOEX
“Sustainability has to be based on a long-term vision and the commitment has to be institutional, which is why our association has defined it as a policy,” said Ronald Bown, president of ASOEX. “This means strengthening at all levels, internally and externally, everything that has to do with food safety and security, but always putting people at the centre, especially consumers and workers.” The concept of sustainability that guides the actions of the Chilean agricultural sector is a commitment to society, the environment and the economic viability of businesses, with special emphasis on the people involved in the process to ensure that workers perform their functions without harming others and consumers benefit from a product that is reliable and has complied with internal regulations, especially those relating to the workplace. “For us, social sustainability has three key sides: the consumer (linked to safety), workers, and the community,” said Bown.
Chile will be able to export its nectarines to China as of next month, Chile’s agriculture minister Carlos Furche has announced.
After three years of negotiations and various meetings of officials from both countries, the relevant protocol is expected to be signed in November during a visit by the president of China to Chile.
In a press release, Furche, who is attending ChileWeek events in Miami, said Chile’s global nectarine exports already total about US $50 million a year.
He said the Chinese deal means Chile’s nectarine producers and exporters will have access to a market undergoing strong growth and provides opportunities to diversify their shipments.
It is also important amid what is a very competitive global market with the entry of new nectarine suppliers from countries in the European Union and in the Southern Hemisphere, Furche said.
Ronald Bown, president of the association representing Chile’s fruit exporters, Asoex, said Chile has the potential to eventually export in the region of a million boxes to China.
He said the export deal will benefit more than 500 producers and in turn help improve conditions for labourers.
“AQSIQ Vice Minister Mr. Wu Qinghai met with Minister of Agriculture of Chile Mr. Carlos Furche in Beijing on September 2, 2016. The two sides conducted in-depth discussions on the inspection and quarantine access of agricultual products and food mutually provided and reached several consensuses. After the meeting the two sides signed cooperation documents.
Chilean Ambassador to China, Director of Chilean Agricultural and Livestock Service, Directors from Chilean associations in fruits, pork and meat, and officials from CNCA, Department of Supervision on Animal and Plant Quarantine and Department of International Cooperation of AQSIQ attended the meeting.”
Source of image at top: Chilean ministry of agriculture


text:
IF YOU'D love to take advantage of some online bargains but are too scared to use your credit card on the net, a host of sites are now providing customers with alternative ways to pay.
Many websites, high street banks and even telephone companies are launching online systems that require you to enter your credit card details only once and then use passwords - useless to criminal hackers - to send secure payments by email to online shops or even friends.
One of the most well-known online payment sites is the US-based PayPal.com, which has become so popular, that auction website eBay has decided to buy the service for #840million. But despite accepting UK users and cash, the site shows many of its service charges in dollars, so if you're already nervous about buying anything online, you might like to go to the UK focused Nochex.co.uk
Once you've registered, the site will ask you only once for your bank's debit card information in order to set up your online account and will never send those details over the web or by email.
But using sites such as Nochex the chances of online fraud are massively reduced because they simply send an email to your friend and ask them to register with the site to "withdraw" the cash you've "sent" them. Unfortunately, security comes at a price. Nochex charges 99p every time you top up your online account and 99p when you make a withdrawal.
NatWest has launched its own online payment service called FastPay.com, which can be used by non-NatWest customers.
Like Nochex, NatWest's service allows users to transfer cash by email, but it also lets customers send payments via mobile phone using SMS text messages. NatWest is also asking online shop owners to accept FastPay as payment. FastPay charges 20p to send a payment and #1 to withdraw cash back into your bank account.
Never one to be left out of anything new on the web, BT is also planning to launch a new web payment service called Click&Buy. Launching in September, the service will let people pay for goods and services using a virtual account, which can be paid off using a credit card or have it charged to their monthly phone bill.
NatWest's FastPay and BT's Click&Buy could finally tempt first-time web users to do their shopping online, because both firms are trusted brands.


text:
Dishes were done. Schoolwork was complete. And the house was hushed by 10 p.m. That’s when LaChelle Porter-Ainer nestled into her Bay Area home office, opened her laptop and began following conversations around the world.
Late into the night, she tracked live chats between HP Inc. customers and the company’s new virtual agent, a tool that learns independently each time it talks to a person.
She saw the questions that customers were asking at that hour, like how to set up a printer or how to connect a PC to a wireless network. She saw how the virtual agent understood the queries, guiding users to diagnose and solve their tech problems.
Porter-Ainer, vice president and head of global digital support and contact centers at HP, assessed each of those interactions with the keen eye of a parent, growing increasingly excited, she said, by happy customer outcomes and the natural flow of dialogue between humans and an artificial intelligence.
“The virtual agent has a core base of knowledge, what we call the brain. It can navigate 50,000 pages of HP product information,” Porter-Ainer says. “When I check in on the tool through the dashboard, it’s powerful to watch.
“I do that often, actually. I do that at night. I do that in the morning. I have 24-hour access so I click through the data and analyze the trends. I observe the conversations. I want to know: Is it improving? Because we are still in learning mode.”
Porter-Ainer and her team have led the virtual agent’s deployment. Following months of beta testing in eight countries, including the U.S., they foresee a launch this month.
The chatbot will be busy.
HP handles more than 600 million technical support contacts each year, an average of more than 1,000 per minute.
Built with the Microsoft Dynamics 365 AI solution, the virtual agent is designed to communicate conversationally and grow smarter over time, giving customers a self-service option and faster fixes.
If the virtual agent can’t resolve an issue, it automatically transfers the customer to a live HP support employee. Also passed along: all pertinent information on the customer’s HP device, details about the problem and the steps they’ve already tried to remedy it.
The tool enables the live agents to access, with one touch, every HP support database and retrieve the specific data they need.
“It’s going to cut down on call handle times,” says Joseph Thibodaux, an HP customer support agent. “It’s going to cut down on the actual overall wait for the customer.”
That’s because Microsoft’s AI solution injects the HP virtual agent with unique abilities, including inferring user profile and product information to give customers immediate self-help, says Brian Bilodeau, Microsoft general manager of customer care intelligence.
The Microsoft AI solution is also equipped with an integrated dashboard for real-time insights, and it comes “enterprise ready, capable on Day One of handling significant volumes and supporting a large number of customer inquiries, or what we call ‘intents,’” Bilodeau says.
“A customer can actually communicate in their own words and the virtual agent can translate to find the intention of that customer’s question – and get that customer a response,” Porter-Ainer adds. “In other words, you just type as you would normally talk.”
When communicating with the virtual agent, a customer need not be a tech expert – or a great speller. If customers mistype words during a chat, the AI-powered virtual agent learns from those errors, understands them and replies appropriately, Porter-Ainer says,
For example, in one recent chat with the virtual agent, a customer typed “noat book.” The virtual agent recognized that as “notebook.”
Porter-Ainer – whose 20-year HP career also spans operations, strategy, analytics and finance – is the bridge between HP and the AI technology. As Microsoft piloted that solution for use among its own customer support staff, she visited the company’s Redmond, Washington campus to chat about other aspects of the HP-Microsoft partnership.
“The AI team came to me. They showed me a couple of demos and shared an idea: They wanted to work with HP to test whether their new tool would work well for customers in other support environments,” Porter-Ainer says.
After learning about the tool, Porter-Ainer spoke with the technical experts and architects on her digital team at HP.
“We started talking about how this could help us. We started to formulate ideas around how we thought this would be effective – a first investigation,” Porter-Ainer says.
For that analysis, she tapped accounting expertise that she gained years ago when she worked as a CPA. That training ultimately helped inform those late-night and early-morning chats she monitored from home on her laptop.
“That is part of my audit experience. When I sit down and look at the tool and the dashboard, I’m using that same skillset. I’m saying, ‘OK, I heard the tool is successful at helping customers. Well, let me go in and see if that is happening.’
“And it is happening,” Porter-Ainer says. “It’s helping us cover more issues and resolve more problems. It’s an efficient way for customers to engage with self-service.”
Top image: LaChelle Porter-Ainer, center, and team at HP. All images courtesy of HP Inc.


text:
Confederation of Indian Alcoholic Beverage Companies (CIABC) has written to Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal, Health Minister Dr Harsha Vardhan and chief ministers of all states to allow home delivery of alcoholic beverages. Liquor stores and production facilities are currently shut due to the coronavirus lockdown, causing a huge loss in excise duty, the letter said.
CIABC and International Spirits and Wines Association of India (ISWAI) have asked the government to plan a phased opening of liquor shops outside coronavirus hotspots for a longer span to ensure minimum consumer rush.
The CIABC letter suggested that shops could be asked to fill online applications and pay a license fee for door-to-door delivery.
"Assuming that social distancing will be new normal going forward, government may consider institutionalising home delivery as a separate channel administered online. It is our view that the government may consider setting up its own portal for facilitating home deliveries and/or permit food delivery aggregators to do so," Director-General of CIABC Vinod Giri said in the letter.
The letter further suggested that shops should be given licenses for 3-4 home delivery workers and the government can control the frequency and the amount of liquor being delivered. Consumers can place orders online or through a phone call along with identity proof for age verification.
"Employment has to come back at a certain stage as the livelihood of the people is at stake," Shobhan Roy DG, All India Brewers Association (AIBA) told Times of India. The industry contributes around $20 billion in excise revenue and employs close to a million workers, he added.
"States are strapped for cash. 15 - 30 per cent of a state's revenue comes from alcohol. This is a significant revenue stream that comes directly to state coffers and can help in these cash-strapped times particularly when there is pressure to provide a safety net; Minumum subsistence allowance, free food, free medical care," ISWAI chairman Amrit Kiran Singh said.
The CIABC is the governing body for Indian alcohol beverage producers while ISWAI consists of foreign liquor companies like Diageo, Pernod Ricard and Beam Suntory.
Copyright©2022 Living Media India Limited. For reprint rights: Syndications Today


text:
Two children from Darien, Conn. — Colton “Coco” Doherty, age 4, and Leontine “Lala” Doherty, age 6 — have created “Spread Love, Not Germs,” tie-dye T-shirts to inspire people to be proud about staying home, washing hands and making a difference for the people they love.
Every Spread Love T-shirt sale provides 10 meals to children in need through #NoKidHungry, which gives meals to kids at home from school in need of food.
The T-shirts are available for sale at Coco + Lala’s online shop at cocoandlala.com, and on Instagram @cocoandlalawatchill.
The children came up with the idea because they were missing their grandparents, aunts, friends and teachers these past few days while social distancing. So far, they are up to 4,000 donated meals and have sold out of the T-shirts twice.
The short-sleeve T-shirts are $30 and the long-sleeve ones are $40. There is also an infant onesie for $28 and an adult hooded T-shirt for $45. The shirts are hand-dyed and printed in the U.S. They are screen-printed locally in Pennsylvania and Connecticut.
Shannon Doherty, owner of the Coco + Lala boutique in Darien and, two seasonal stores in Watch Hill, R.I., said, “My children miss their grandparents and aunties, I want my children to know that little actions today, like washing hands, can make a huge difference for their grandparents and loved ones to help keep everyone safe.”
The Coco + Lala boutiques, a family-run operation, had to close during the global pandemic. The store’s e-commerce site sells women’s and children’s clothing and accessories.
People are being encouraged to post pictures of themselves wearing the “Spread Love” T-shirts or washing their hands at #WashHands4Grands.


text:
Rights and Accountability 28 July 2015
An Israeli milk company may be sidestepping EU restrictions on dairy imports from Jewish-only settlements in the occupied West Bank.
New research demonstrates that Tnuva, a leading Israeli food firm, is processing milk from settlements that violate international law.
Who Profits?, a group monitoring the occupation, has filmed trucks collecting milk from the West Bank and bringing it to a Tnuva factory in Rehovot, a city inside present-day Israel.
As Tnuva exports to the EU, the evidence raises questions about whether it is breaching the Union’s rules.
Since the beginning of this year, the EU has refused to recognize the authority of the Israeli authorities to inspect dairy and other animal products from settlements in the West Bank. In effect, this means that the EU does not approve milk from the settlements for sale in its 28 member countries.
The material gathered by Who Profits? indicates, however, that Tnuva is disregarding those rules by processing milk from the occupied West Bank and milk from inside Israel in the same factory.
Who Profits? filmed Tnuva’s trucks bringing milks from three settlements in the West Bank to Rehovot earlier this month. Similar videos were filmed in September and October last year — a few months before the EU’s rules came into effect.
The evidence indicates that Tnuva is continuing to behave in an illegal manner, despite the EU’s rules.
Under the 1907 Hague regulations — a cornerstone of international humanitarian law — it is forbidden for an occupying power to exploit the land and resources of the territory it occupies for commercial purposes.
Who Profits? has listed four Israeli settlements in the West Bank that are known to provide raw materials to Tnuva. The settlements are named Carmel Maon, Beit Yatir, Migdal Oz and Rosh Tzurim.
Tnuva may not be the only Israeli milk company that is flouting EU rules. A map on the Israeli Dairy Board website treats the occupied West Bank and Golan Heights as if they are within Israel.
Israel’s dairy exports have increased in recent years. In 2014, Israeli dairy sales to Europe and the US amounted to $10.5 million each.
Israel is also exporting dairy products to the Asian market. Earlier this year, the Chinese company Bright Foods acquired a controlling share of Tnuva.
As Israel’s largest dairy firm, Tnuva also makes up to $65 million per year from sales to what Who Profits? describes as the “captive Palestinian market.”
In February 2015, a number of Palestinian organizations urged a boycott of Tnuva. The boycott was prompted by how Israel had refused to transfer tax revenue owed to the Palestinian Authority.
While Israel’s dairy industry has found many opportunities to market its goods, Palestinian farmers have often been victims of military violence.
In December last, the Israeli authorities used Volvo equipment to destroy a Palestinian dairy factory in al-Burj, a village near Hebron.
Meanwhile, the Dalloul dairy plant in Gaza City used to provide many Palestinians with milk and cheese at cheaper prices than those of Israeli imports. Israel attacked that factory both in 2009 and the following year.
And during the summer 2014 offensive against Gaza, a farm belonging to the Nadi family in the Beit Hanoun area was destroyed by Israeli shelling. The family had 370 cows. The farm’s output dropped sharply following the attack.
Tnuva, by contrast, does not have to worry too much about its business in Gaza, even though it is under an Israeli siege. It delivers 200 tons of goods to Gaza every day.
- Who Profits
- Beit Hanoun
- Israeli settlements
- European Union
- West Bank
- Hague regulations
- Carmel Maon
- Beit Yatir
- Migdal Oz
- Israeli Dairy Board
- Golan Heights
- Bright Foods
- Palestinian Authority
- Gaza City
- Gaza siege
And why would the US be
Permalink maggie replied on
And why would the US be buying milk from Israel when we produce in this country more milk that we can use or export and our farmers end up being subsided by taxpayers to pour out the unwanted and unsold milk?
A good question, Maggie
Permalink tom hall replied on
The US overproduces milk at a tremendous rate. It's hard to see how importation from Israel can be justified by market conditions. Of course, the milk can be introduced in the form of yoghurt and other products, but even so, domestic production is more than sufficient for any need. It looks like the real need is Israel's, and that their friends in high places are cutting them some slack.
Milk from settler farms
Permalink Kit Bonde replied on
The trade agreements make some deals look completely ridiculous or without sense sometimes.
I live in Denmark, work as a sales assistant in a discount store, and we have had butter from New Zealand to half the price of our own butter! New Zealand is almost excactly as opposite as you can get on earth to Denmark, we are an agricultural country with some of the best products in the world. - But because we make deals with many other countries we sign an 'order' - we take so many tons of that, and in return they get something else they need, and it can't be an advantage for both sides on all occasions, but that's roughly how it works, I think.
milk firm - now what?
Permalink Ries replied on
exposing facts is a crucial first step. I think the article would have gained strength if also reactions from EU bodies and officials had been included. People in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem andd Brussels. MEPs can now put the questions officially that could have been posed by journalists before.


text:
Monday September 9, 2013
After the surprising news earlier this year that Logitech was planning to divest themselves
of the popular Harmony lineup of universal remote controls, ever since then the company seems to have taken a renewed interest in the product. First, there was April’s unexpected news of two brand new Harmony models
. Now, the latest revelation to cross my desk is that after not having exhibited at CEDIA for several years, Logitech Harmony will in fact have a booth at the show later this month in Denver. Read more...
Posted by Daniel Tonks on 9/09 at 7:50 AM
Monday September 2, 2013
Who knew remote controls in 1961 could do so much?
This public domain advertisement for RCA Victor’s new (well, new 50+ years ago) color console television with 7-function (14-button) “Wireless Wizard Remote Control”, comes from the Library of Congress’ Prelinger Archives and is entitled “Early technology to enable the channel-surfer”. It’s a fascinating snapshot into both the marvellous electro-mechanical technology of the age, and rather lengthy product marketing. Read more...
Posted by Daniel Tonks on 9/02 at 7:35 AM
Monday April 1, 2013
Match.com, the world’s largest online dating site, is dipping their toes into the consumer electronics market with today’s surprise announcement that they’ve completed the acquisition of Harmony. Read more...
Posted by Daniel Tonks on 4/01 at 7:06 AM
Thursday January 24, 2013
Logitech has announced plans to sell off both their Harmony remote control line as well as digital video security products, as part of a focus shift plan to restructure the company following a 14 percent year-over-year decrease in sales during Q3 2012.
Posted by Daniel Tonks on 1/24 at 1:15 AM
Monday December 31, 2012
As 2012 winds to an end and we look forward to what 2013 has to offer, our thoughts go out to each and every person who has helped make Remote Central such a great community over the past year.
This includes our advertisers, without whom we would not even be here (be sure to support those that support RC!); our volunteer forum moderators who fight spam and maintain the peace each and every day; the great folks at ipHouse.com who keep our server up and always available; plus the custom installation and control community as a whole – everyone who takes the time to interact by sharing their knowledge, wit, files... or even just their two cents!
Please accept my heartfelt appreciation, and I wish you all the best for the coming year – which marks our fifteenth year on the net!
- Daniel & RemoteCentral.com
Posted by Daniel Tonks on 12/31 at 9:32 AM
Tuesday December 25, 2012
Posted by Daniel Tonks on 12/25 at 7:30 AM
Monday November 26, 2012
Posted by Daniel Tonks on 11/26 at 5:40 AM
Friday November 23, 2012
Happy Black Friday, everyone! So far I'm not seeing a huge number of remote control deals online... however, here's a few to consider:
Amazon.com has a Lightning Deal on the URC R6 remote control coming up at 5:29 AM PST - that's 8:29 AM EST. Currently it's $13.84, and on the deal it will be... less. You can find the countdown link on this page. If you want something with a little more kick that's not a Harmony, try the latest URC R40 for $113.18.
Amazon also has the Logitech Harmony One for $131.50 (better than last year's sale), and the latest Harmony Touch model for under $225. You can also find the new TouchSquid 7" universal remote tablet for $239.99, which is a fair bit better than the normal price of $299.99.
At RadioShack.com: the Logitech Harmony 600 for $29.99.
At BestBuy.com: the Logitech Harmony 650 for $39.99. Read more...
Posted by Daniel Tonks on 11/23 at 4:13 AM
Friday October 26, 2012
Happy Friday, everyone!
Today I’m looking to buy a Memorex CP8 Turbo universal remote control, which came out in the early 1990s. There are a few specific requirements, but there’s also a worthwhile cash reward!
If you have one of these and are willing to sell it, please contact me for further details. Read more...
Posted by Daniel Tonks on 10/26 at 7:08 AM
Tuesday June 26, 2012
Control4 has announced that their 7" In-Wall Touch Screen with Camera, which features a capacitive touchscreen and a built-in video camera, is now shipping. Also available is the Control4 Door Station for a complete intercom system. Read more...
Posted by Daniel Tonks on 6/26 at 10:19 AM


text:
chief executive has announced that will begin testing non-fungible tokens (NFTs) on the social network this week.
An NFT is a unique digital token encrypted with an artist’s signature, which verifies its ownership and authenticity and is permanently attached to the piece.
Most NFTs include some kind of digital artwork, such as photos, videos, GIFs or https://kreosite.Com music – although, theoretically, anything digital could be turned into a NFT.
‘This week we’re starting to test digital collectibles on Instagram so creators and collectors can display their NFTs on their profile,’ Zuckerberg said in an update on his .
‘Similar functionality is coming to Facebook soon, along with augmented reality NFTs on Instagram Stories via Spark AR so you can place digital art into physical spaces.’


text:
You are here
SHALLOTTE, N.C. -- Merchants who participate in the recently approved state lottery will earn 7 percent on tickets they sell, but less than merchants who sell tickets in South Carolina.
Along with 7 percent of the price of the ticket, South Carolina merchants also receive 1 percent of every winning ticket sold in their stores, according to Ted Neff, vice president of Worsley Companies Inc., the operator of Scotchman convenience stores in Brunswick County, N.C.
Neff, who serves as second vice president of the N.C. Association of Convenience Stores, told the Brunswick Beacon that the association eventually supported the lottery, particularly because of how the funds will be used.
The lottery, signed into law last week by Gov. Easley, is supposed to help fund school construction across the state.
"We supported it as long as we got the 7 percent, and that the funds weren't going to replace other state funding for schools," said Neff.
Neff, who has worked with lottery issues in South Carolina and Florida, told the newspaper that it's relatively simple for merchants to become lottery agents. For scratch-off tickets, all that merchants will be required to have is a separate bank account that allows the commission that oversees the lottery the ability to withdraw funds.
For computerized games such as Lotto, Pick 3 and others, the merchant will need a separate bank account and a dedicated phone line. Hardware, such as computer equipment, tickets and paper, will be provided by whichever company is selected by the state's lottery commission to help run the lottery. That company will also provide signs and other displays, Neff said.
"It's easiest to start with the scratch-off tickets," said Neff, which will likely be available to merchants in the next six to eight months. "You buy a box of tickets for $279 and sell them for $300."
Scratch-off tickets require buyers to scratch off surface areas of a ticket to reveal how much money, if any, they have won. Prizes in other scratch-off lottery games range from a dollar or two into the thousands. Neff said lottery agents typically pay winners up to $500 on the spot.
Those who win more will likely have to travel to cities designated by the lottery commission to collect their winnings.
More complicated are the Lotto games, which aren't likely to be available for about a year. Those games require players to pick designated amount of numbers on a computerized ticket. Some games are called Pick 3, which are usually played on a daily basis with the winning number revealed in the evening.
Other games, such as Pick 6, are played on a twice-weekly basis.
Powerball, a lottery game played twice weekly, combines lottery players from across the country and typically have payouts in the tens of millions of dollars and higher.
Powerball, Neff said, is not in North Carolina's plans for now. "It might evolve into that," he added.
The 7 percent profit reaped by merchants won't make them rich, Neff said, but the game is viewed by many as part of customer service and a way to drive additional traffic into their stores.
Still, it can have drawbacks for merchants in terms of lower profit margins from some buyers and additional labor costs.
"If a store is selling a sandwich with a 30 percent profit margin, a customer might decide to buy tickets with that money and cut the profit to 7 percent," Neff said. "If stores decide to get into games like Pick 6 or Powerball, it would also likely have to increase its manpower."
Neff said the lottery does give North Carolina merchants close to state lines a chance to compete with other states such as Virginia, Tennessee and South Carolina.
"We were at a disadvantage," he said. "In Brunswick County, all kinds of people were going to Little River (S.C.) to buy tickets, and I'm sure that's going to hurt those stores significantly."
In other North Carolina news, the Associated Press reported that the state Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday that promotional game pieces packaged with telephone long-distance cards aren't part of an illegal lottery as state agents allege.
The court upheld a lower court judge who ruled against the state Feb. 17, 2004, in a case against Treasured Arts Inc., a South Carolina company that sold the cards at convenience stores in North Carolina.
State lawyers haven't decided about whether to pursue further appeals, a spokeswoman for state Attorney General Roy Cooper said Tuesday.
The cards offered scratch-off game pieces with prizes worth up to $50,000, as well as cars, the court said.
State alcohol agents in 2001 or 2002 threatened the stores' alcohol licenses, saying the card sales were an illegal form of gambling.
But the court said customers had the choice of registering for the giveaway without buying a phone card and noted that the phone cards provide a service.
The case came to the appellate court after the lower court ruling stopped agents from threatening store owners. The state hasn't charged anyone, the opinion said.
The decision also noted that since the promotion began in 1995 until the time of the hearing, Treasured Arts sent free game pieces to 11,664 people and had given prizes to about 8,000 people.
Evidence showed that the 50-cent-a-minute rate for the phone cards was reasonable enough that customers would have bought them even without the possibility of winning a prize, the court said.
"We hold the price paid for and the value received from the prepaid phone cards is sufficiently commensurate to support the determination that the sale of the product is not a mere subterfuge to engage in an illegal lottery scheme, whereby consideration is paid merely to engage in a game of chance," the opinion said.


text:
Recent leaks brought information about May 22nd as a potential date for an official Samsung announcement regarding its highly anticipated GALAXY S III smartphone.
However South Korean news website MK says otherwise. Apparently Samsung president for the Chinese market, Kim Young-ha said on Wednesday while at the 2012 Samsung Forum that they are really taking to consideration a possible push of the launch from May to April.
”In order to increase sales of the Galaxy S III as well as the Galaxy Note which is already very popular in China, the company is considering rescheduling the rollout of the Galaxy S III from May to April.”
Apple already launched the new iPad about a week ago and HTC is getting ready to bring its One series early next month as well, the South Korean vendor could feel a little under pressure making the board to decide to push Galaxy S III release date to April.
source MK [Kr]


text:
Lamps Plus selected Branding Brand to create its mobile site, Hsu says, in part to get it up more quickly than the retailer could do on its own.
Another draw was Branding Brand’s work designing mobile sites for other large e-retailers, including Sephora, GNC and Steve Madden, Hsu says. She adds that Lamps Plus wants to continue to enhance and tweak the site over time and that the retailer has weekly calls with the vendor to discuss how to improve the site.
Chris Mason, co-founder and CEO of Branding Brand notes that, "Even though Lamps Plus is a West Coast brand from a brick-and-mortar standpoint, their number-one city for mobile traffic and sales is New York. Retailers need to be where their customers are, and Lamps Plus realizes this. We are proud to connect their consumers across the country in a way that is seamless and convenient."


text:
Asia lagging in removal of unhealthy trans fat from food: WHO report
Newsfrom JapanWorld Society
Asian and African countries are lagging in efforts to eliminate harmful trans fat from food products by the end of this year, despite the substantial progress made worldwide since the World Health Organization set the goal in 2018, a report said Monday.
“Asia is a region where progress (in the elimination of industrially produced trans fats) is relatively slow compared to Europe and the Americas,” Rain Yamamoto, lead author of the report and scientist at the WHO’s department of nutrition and food safety, said.
“It would be great to see Japan, which is a champion in many health-related areas, l...


text:
FINANCIAL support for self-employed workers will be extended to cover 80% of trading profits during the second national coronavirus lockdown. Boris Jo
FINANCIAL support for self-employed workers will be extended to cover 80% of trading profits during the second national coronavirus lockdown.
Boris Johnson told the Commons he would be doubling the amount of support for those who work for themselves than what was previously announced.
⚠ Read our coronavirus live blog for the latest news & updates
Until now, self-employed workers were only going to receive government grants worth 40% of average monthly profits.
Typically, the grants cover three months worth of loss of earnings, with the amount adjusted to reflect the latest round of coronavirus restrictions.
The latest grant was set to be worth £3,750 to cover impacted profits from November through to January, although this will now increase. The government is yet to confirm the exact amount.
The government support has been increased to help workers through a four-week national lockdown, announced on Saturday, due to begin on Thursday November 5.
The help for self-employed workers has not been brought in line with the support announced on Saturday for full-time workers.
The government’s furlough scheme has been extended and will see 80% of wages paid for by the state if their workplace has been forced to temporarily shut up shop.
Early speculation had been that the support would be increased but not to the same amount as that for PAYE employees.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme this morning: “The 40% will go up to reflect the fact that at least one of those months of support will be at a higher level for those who are in employment.”
The help will come on top of the £13billion the government has already invested in grants to help 3million self-employed workers.
The Chancellor added: “We’ve announced extensions to our self-employed grants and, what we have done typically during this crisis, is adjust the value of the grants as we’ve adjusted the value of support to those who are employed, bearing in mind they’re slightly different programmes.
“The self-employed grants are for three months at a time versus furlough [which is] a month at a time.
“But broadly, we’ve adjusted those things and you can expect us to do the same again here and the Prime Minster will have details of that in his statement.”
Mr Sunak said that the payments were unlikely to be brought inline with the furlough scheme, which sees 80% of wages covered for those who can’t work during the lockdown.
The Chancellor blamed the lack of equality between the two schemes on the fact that they cover different time frames, with furlough covering monthly wages and the grant scheme covering three month’s worth.
He also said it won’t be the same across the board because some workers will be put on a combination of furlough and the Job Support Scheme over the next few months, which affects the overall percentage of state cover.
Earlier this month, the government said there would be a fourth grant for self-employed workers to cover February 2021 until the end of April 2021 but it is yet to announce how much it will cover.
The Prime Minister will lay out further details of the support package later today when he addresses the Commons.
Mr Johnson is expected to announce that there is “no alternative” but to impose four weeks of tough measures across England from November 5 as a way of trying to control rising infection rates.
The UK has reported more than one million coronavirus cases throughout the pandemic.
Which shops can remain open during second national lockdown?
WE’RE LOVIN’ IT
How to get 30% off main menu items at McDonald’s for the next two weeks
DO IT YOURSELF
Will DIY shops close in second lockdown, including B&Q and Homebase?
Martin Lewis reveals 4 ways to check if you’re owed cash – and it could be £1,000s
EVERY LITTLE HELPS
Tesco to give FREE fruit and veg to low-income families – how to claim
Pubs and restaurants will be shut although they will be allowed to do deliveries and provide takeaway services.
All non-essential retail will close, but supermarkets will be able to sell any and all goods they like. They will not have to follow the Welsh example which saw non-essential goods cordoned off to shoppers.
Hairdressers and gyms will also be forced to close under the new restrictions.


text:
A new study posits that the majority of consumers are adopting plant-based eating habits. The study, conducted by DuPont Nutrition & Health and HealthFocus International, surveyed the eating habits of more than 1,000 U.S. consumers. Researchers found that 52 percent of shoppers in America are eating more plant-based food. The number increases to 65 percent globally. […]
The post 65% of Consumers Creating a ‘Seismic’ Shift Toward Vegan Food, Study Finds appeared first on LIVEKINDLY.


text:
Day: May 24, 2017
UK-based homeware product innovation group Boompods has announced its partnership with Globe Telecom to sell its outdoor speakers and earphones in the Philippine market.
For the first time in smartphone history, a 4K High Dynamic Range (HDR) 2160 x 3840 screen will be used in Xperia XZ Premium?s 5.5-inch display, sharing with Sony?s BRAVIA TV technology.
Even with a sprawling network of 76 campuses across the country with over 103,000 students, technology-focused educational institution STI continues to expand as it announced that it is building eight new campuses this year in key locations nationwide.
The group is now fully operational in all markets, including in the Philippines where it plans to open three more locations.


text:
In an attempt to regain relevance in the quickly growing artificial intelligence and machine learning markets, Intel has just announced a new product family called Nervana, centered on a completely unique architectural design. The Nervana Neural Network Processor, or NNP for short, is targeting data center and enterprise customers that want to accelerate AI training times while offering superior efficiency and lower power consumption.
Intel’s competition in this market has been able to take advantage of high demand and incredible marketability to create brands and leadership. NVIDIA is the obvious winner in this space, using its graphics processor technology to make the initial leap in the machine learning fields and slowly optimizing its hardware and designs to target AI and deep learning more directly. Most recently, NVIDIA has added Tensor processors (known to be even more efficient for some machine learning algorithms) directly on to its graphics chips.
Other hardware providers like Apple, ARM, Qualcomm, and even AMD have been taking aim at the machine learning markets, from both consumer and enterprise perspectives, and have put forward products and roadmaps to address the future of workload demands. Google has gone as far as announcing its own TPU (Tensor Processing Unit) that will be at the heart of some of the organizations most important artificial intelligence designs, taking a drastic move to design its own chips.
Though Intel has often talked about the capability of its current server processor family, known as Xeon Scalable, for machine learning tasks, but most analysts understood that the existing x86 processor structure was not well suited for it. You could model and test AI and machine learning workloads, but the most power and cost efficient systems for high performance demands require parallel computing, a task that closely mirrors graphics and gaming workloads, giving NVIDIA the early advantage it now holds.
Intel purchased Nervana in August of 2016 with the promise of a new architecture that targets AI workloads. This new architecture includes some impressive technical changes such as a new software-defined memory design (allowing flexibility as algorithms and workload demands change), scalability enhancements to improve total calculation throughput, and even a new numeric format (different from standard integer and floating point) called Flexpoint that accelerates processing when utilized.
Previously known as “Lake Crest”, the Nervana NNP will not be a simple drag and drop solution for current software developers and systems, as the new architecture requires software to be specifically written and compiled for it. Intel claims to have been working with Facebook during the development of Nervana to “share their technical insights”, though details are sparse. In all likelihood, Facebook’s AI and machine learning expertise through years of software development helped lead Intel’s hardware engineering. It also means that Facebook should be the earliest adopter of the new Intel hardware when it becomes widely available.
Without performance claims or metrics from Intel or third parties, it is impossible to know just how much of an improvement Nervana offers for machine learning workloads over any existing hardware from NVIDIA, Google, or others. I would have thought if Intel had specific claims for the NNP over existing hardware, it would have made them during this announcement. Without that information, we have to assume that Intel is still in a developmental stage in its AI processor portfolio and that it expects the Nervana acquisition to pay dividends further down the roadmap.
Intel has not fared well when extending outside its core architecture and product lines in recent history. It attempted to build a discrete GPU called Larrabee that never saw production and was rolled into a parallel compute add-in product. Moves to displace Qualcomm with mobile-friendly chips resulted in only a handful of product design wins before Intel bowed out of the market. The move into IoT and compete with low-power options from ARM were met with tepid interest and has been canceled. The current drive to artificial intelligence compute work shares more in common with previous Intel market segments, and the financial necessity is such that it will persist and make an impact in the field.
For relevancy, Intel must continue to iterate and discuss its AI and machine learning compute plans but it needs prove performance advantages over competing giants like NVIDIA to make inroads.


text:
COAL CITY, WV (WOAY) – Dollar General now has a new location in Coal City.
The newly-relocated store can be found at 2075 Coal City Road. Employees say the old building just was not a good fit anymore.
On Saturday, the new store officially opened. To celebrate, Dollar General gave away $10 gift cards to the first 50 adult shoppers and a Dollar General tote bag with free product samples to the first 200 shoppers.


text:
Diageo sales hit by China slowdown
Yesterday » 9:20:12
Drinks giant Diageo reports a fall in net sales after being hit by a slowdown in China and other emerging markets.
Lloyds profits hit by PPI charges
Yesterday » 8:27:53
Profit at Lloyds Banking Group falls after it is hit by PPI mis-selling charges and a Libor rate-rigging settlement.
House price growth moderates in July
Yesterday » 8:17:30
The growth in house prices is starting to moderate, according to the UK's biggest building society, the Nationwide.
London Market Report
Yesterday » 8:06:07
The FTSE 100 gets off to a strong start in early Thursday trading, boosted by a strong crop of results from blue-chip companies.
Sony's profits jump on sales of PS4
Yesterday » 7:08:28
Sony reports better-than-expected profits for the first quarter, helped by robust sales of its PS4 gaming console and a weak Japanese currency.
India's Tata set to invest $35bn
Yesterday » 7:03:09
Tata, India's biggest business group, is set to invest $35bn over the next three years in areas including retail and defence.
Shell sees 'robust' profits rise
Yesterday » 6:41:08
Oil giant Royal Dutch Shell describes its performance as "robust" after its second-quarter profits more than doubled.
Warm weather hits British Gas profit
Yesterday » 6:37:41
British Gas and owner Centrica report a sharp drop in profits for the first half of the year due to warmer weather.
Portuguese bank in 3.6bn euros loss
Yesterday » 4:28:48
Portugal's troubled lender, Banco Espirito Santo, reports a bigger-than-expected loss of 3.6bn euros for the first six months of the year.
VIDEO: Steinway hitting the right note in China
Yesterday » 3:15:35
One of the world's best known piano manufacturers Steinway has gained popularity in China.
Samsung profit hit by phone slowdown
31 Jul 2014 0:53:01
Profits at Samsung Electronics fall 20% in the second quarter, hurt mainly by a slowdown in smartphone sales and a strong Korean currency.
Glazers in £88.7m Man Utd share sale
30 Jul 2014 3:16:14
Manchester United's US owners will pocket about $150 million by selling more of their shares in the club on the New York Stock Exchange.
Broken robots 'learn to keep going'
Yesterday » 3:08:19
Engineers take a step towards having machines that can operate even when they are damaged by developing a robot that can teach itself to walk, even with a broken leg.
Your solo dining experiences
30 Jul 2014 3:07:30
Your experiences of going out for meals on your own
Can one bad blog blight a business?
30 Jul 2014 3:07:07
How can firms defend themselves against irate reviews?
'Offer rejected' on Argentine debt
30 Jul 2014 2:38:02
Argentina's Economy Minister Axel Kicillof says his offer to "hold out" investors has been rejected as a debt default deadline approaches.
Succession planning in Taiwan
30 Jul 2014 0:53:28
The tricky business of succession planning in Taiwanese companies
Bank of America in 'hustle' case
30 Jul 2014 8:15:49
Bank of America's Countrywide unit must pay $1.3bn for selling defective home loans to US government mortgage lenders, a New York judge rules.
Broody octopus keeps four-year vigil
30 Jul 2014 8:01:21
A deep-sea octopus has been observed nursing her eggs for more than four years - the longest brooding time seen in any animal.
Mystery of lemon-shaped Moon solved
30 Jul 2014 7:14:50
Tides and spin gave the Moon its strange lemon shape more than four billion years ago, research reveals.
AUDIO: Why the Moon is shaped like a lemon
Yesterday » 6:54:51
Professor of planetary sciences Ian Garrick-Bethell explains what gave the Moon its unusually distorted shape.
Airbus says plane market 'strong'
30 Jul 2014 5:24:29
Airbus says the market for commercial aircraft is "still very strong" despite a wave of order cancellations.
Bank backtracks on burlesque ban
30 Jul 2014 4:30:11
A circus group which was denied a Santander business bank account because its showgirl and burlesque acts posed a "moral problem" has now been offered the account.
Tablet screens to correct sight loss
30 Jul 2014 3:32:32
US engineers have developed a prototype tablet display that compensates for an individuals' vision problems.
Russia sanctions: Who will be hurt the most?
30 Jul 2014 3:24:50
Which side could be hurt the most?


text:
Smurfit Kappa Group (LON:SKG) had its price target raised by research analysts at Numis Securities from GBX 2,600 ($35.26) to GBX 2,800 ($37.97) in a research note issued to investors on Monday. The brokerage currently has an “add” rating on the stock. Numis Securities’ price target indicates a potential upside of 8.44% from the stock’s current price.
A number of other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on SKG. Jefferies Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a GBX 2,635 ($35.73) target price on shares of Smurfit Kappa Group in a research report on Monday, October 23rd. Deutsche Bank reissued a “buy” rating and set a GBX 2,650 ($35.94) target price on shares of Smurfit Kappa Group in a research report on Friday, October 27th.
Shares of Smurfit Kappa Group (SKG) opened at GBX 2,582 ($35.01) on Monday. Smurfit Kappa Group has a 1 year low of GBX 1,712.74 ($23.23) and a 1 year high of GBX 2,662 ($36.10).
Smurfit Kappa Group Company Profile
Smurfit Kappa Group plc, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures, distributes, and sells paper-based packaging products. The company operates through two segments, Europe and the Americas. It offers containerboards, corrugated containers, and other paper-based packaging products, such as solid boards, graphic boards, and bag-in-box.
Receive News & Ratings for Smurfit Kappa Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Smurfit Kappa Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.


text:
The new non-dairy delight delivers all the comforts of the season in one hot mug!
When Starbucks product team set out to develop a brand-new fall beverage this year, they already had a delicious combination in mind. With the nationwide launch of Oat beverage set to launch right in time for the season, two things were certain: the new beverage would feature Starbucks signature espresso; and would elevate the mild, nutty flavour and velvety foam of Oat beverage.
After countless pairings of flavours and dozens of trials of espresso beverages, the team found their coziest combination reminiscent of signature fall activities like apple picking, cider making, and of course, apple pie. Thus, the Starbucks Apple Oat Flat White was born: a perfectly handcrafted combination of Starbucks signature espresso, velvety steamed Oat beverage, roasted apple syrup, finished with a clove sugar topping.
“We wanted to create a beverage that was coffee forward but made you feel like fall has arrived,” says Peter Furnish, vice president of product and marketing, Starbucks Canada. “Apple is an obvious fall flavour but cooked apple, combined with oat, adds a comforting dimension that really captures the season.”
This coffee-forward beverage not only offers Starbucks customers another way to enjoy fall in a cup, it provides a delicious dairy alternative for customers looking for more choice.
The Apple Oat Flat White is Starbucks Canada’s first seasonal drink featuring Oat beverage, which launched in stores nationally on August 25. Oat beverage, which has grown over 434% in Canada this year*, is the company’s latest plant-based offering and fourth dairy alternative to join Starbucks Canada’s menu, which includes soy beverage, almond beverage and coconut beverage. Starbucks Oat beverage is Non-GMO and made without artificial flavours or colours.
While delicious on its own, the subtly sweet flavour and nutty, roasty, oat notes of the Starbucks Apple Oat Flat White pairs perfectly with the slightly savory and rich and creamy Starbucks Cheese Danish, for the ultimate flavour pairing.
Source: Nielsen, National, Total Non Dairy Oat Beverage, Last 52 weeks, data to July 11 2020.


text:
A drop in the plastic bottle recycling rate has hit the bottom line at manufacturers like Mohawk Industries Inc, based in Calhoun, Georgia. Mohawk manufacturers and sells flooring products and it uses reclaimed plastic bottles for some of its carpeting products.
“Supply and demand is out of whack. Things are really tough,” said Phil Cavin, national procurement director at Mohawk. He said that prices for reclaimed plastic bottles were about 10 cents a pound a year ago. Since then he has watched as prices have more than doubled.
Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) containers are commonly used to package soft drinks, water, juice, peanut butter, salad dressings and oil, cosmetics and household cleaners. Manufacturers like to use PET to package products because of its strength and transparency.
Recycled polyethylene terephthalate (RPET) can be used to make many new products, including fiber for polyester carpet, fabric for clothes, fiberfill for winter coats and automotive parts, such as luggage racks and bumpers. Plus RPET can be used to make new PET containers.
The PET recycling rate in the United States dropped from 22.1 percent in 2001 to 19.9 percent in 2002 according to the most recent report by the National Association of PET Container Resources (NAPCOR). The latest rate is half the rate of 39.7 percent achieved in 1995. PET recycling declined from 834 million pounds in 2001 to 797 million pounds in 2002.
NAPCOR is a trade association that represents resin producers, PET recyclers, beverage brand owners, including Coca-Cola Co., headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia and PepsiCo Inc. in Purchase, New York and companies that manufacture or purchase PET bottles, including Proctor & Gamble Co. based in Cincinnati, Ohio. NAPCOR is based in Charlotte, North Carolina.
“Rates have hit the wall,” said Mike Schedler, vice president of technology at NAPCOR. “Recycling in general is back peddling a bit.” He blamed a lack of national, state and regional leadership. He said that the recycling ethic needs to be reinforced in the minds of consumers.
Schedler said that a lot of the PET containers are now sold in single serve containers and are consumed away from home. Therefore, it is often hard for the consumer to find a recycling location for the containers. “They’re not finding their way back into the stream,” Schedler said.
“This downtrend and stagnation of available raw materials supply has really reached a crisis,” said Schedler. He said that it is important that the recycling industry collectively talk about recycling. NAPCOR is not in favor of government sponsored deposit legislation, however. Schedler said that its members have historically not been in favor of such legislation.
There are currently ten states across the country that have bottle deposit legislation on the books, providing an incentive for people to recycle. There are eight states with $.05 deposits. Michigan has a $.10 deposit and California has two different deposit levels, depending on the size of the container. But out of these 10 states, only 2 include non-carbonated beverages.
Research by the Container Recycling Institute (CRI), a nonprofit, research and public education organization based in Arlington, Virginia, has found that the 10 states with deposit legislation have the highest recycling rates. These states recycle on average 72 to 85 percent of beverages that are eligible compared to a national rate of 37 percent.
This rate includes all beverage containers, including aluminum cans, glasses and plastics combined, according to Jennifer Gitlitz, research director at CRI. Plus she said that the national rate is pulled up by the higher rates in the 10 deposit states. She noted that in Michigan, where there is a $.10 deposit on eligible containers, the recovery rate is 95 percent.
“If these laws were passed in more states and even nationally, then we could be looking at recovery rates for PET in the 80 percent range,” said Gitlitz. This would help the recycling industry fight the dropping recycling rates and provide more bottle scrap to plastic reclaimers.
“The factories that have retooled to use this very specific product now can’t get enough of what they need. The whole industry is on very shaky ground,” said Gitlitz. “It’s a shame that this industry which had really started to take off is now imperiled because the beverage industry is not willing to just accept this public policy solution which has been so successful.”
A lack of deposit laws is not the only thing preventing plastic bottles from being recycled, however. The American Plastics Council (APC) — a trade association for the plastics industry, based in Arlington, Virginia that works with municipalities and other entities to raise the recycling rate — has found that some plastic bottles collected for recycling are being thrown out.
This includes plastic materials at both single stream and dual stream recycling facilities, according to Judith Dunbar, manager for the technical assistance program at APC. “Dual stream means that containers are kept separate from the paper stream during the entire recycling process. Single stream is when paper and containers are collected from the consumer in one bin and separated at the processing facility.” At dual stream recycling facilities, Dunbar said that due to poor management and quality control issues, plastic bottles sometimes get disposed as residue. At single stream facilities, the plastic bottles sometimes get flattened and included with paper bales.
This investigation by APC has just started within the past year, so Dunbar did not have an estimate on the total amount of plastic containers that ends up in the trash. “It’s a large number of bottles. Consequently, in both instances, the bottles don’t get recycled or counted towards recycling even though they were collected for recycling,” said Dunbar.
The APC is working on a number of programs to educate consumers to increase plastic bottle recycling. “We work on a lot of educational programs with various entities, but essentially I think it is going to take a number of different organizations and industries working together to tackle this.” said Dunbar.
Any effort will not come soon enough for those in the plastics recycling industry like Cavin, the procurement director at Mohawk. “We’re going to have to do something,” Cavin said. He said that he is not in support of a bottle bill. But he feels something needs to be done, and soon.
“I’m not exactly sure who that somebody is, but somebody is going to have to step up to the plate and come up with some kind of system,” said Cavin. “It’s just a sad situation when all these things are going into a landfill that have a redeemable value.”


text:
Facebook opened Exchange in September. Why is there so much buzz? Search marketers at a SEMPO L.A. panel discussion focused on retargeting user behavior, cost and ability to quickly scale.
Pointing to Nielsen numbers from November, Christina Park, SR director at Triggit, said the time that members spend on Facebook is about three times the amount spent on all news sites combined. "When people are literally hanging out there six hours per day, we see them taking the time to read the ads," she said. The first two days are the most important time to do retargeting because they see the ad, it's fresh in their mind, and they convert twice as fast."
Magnetic CEO James Green likened the six hours logged into Facebook as having the AOL messenger screen up on the desktop with the ad flashing at the top.
Park cited Triggit's data, saying during the last earnings call that ads on the site convert about 30% better, and there are only approximately 1,300 brands advertising on Facebook. Calling it a "land rush opportunity," Park said if you think about it globally, it's like an economic boom because the massive inventory delivers cost per acquisition (CPA) at about one-fifth to one-third of the price compared with anywhere else. "It's like Google AdWords from 2002," she said. "You also can find 80% of a person's cookie pool on Facebook relatively quickly."
Dave Roth, VP of performance and social marketing at realtor.com, a Move company, has begun testing retargeting Facebook campaigns focusing on verbs, such as a consumer might listen to a song. He thinks that because it's behaviorally driven there is promise.
While the data pool is not open to take outside the network, Park and others on the panel hope it's just a matter of time. In fact, she would be really surprised if they didn't open the data pool to brand advertisers to solve the problem of passing the cookie from mobile to the desktop Web site.


text:
A new coffee brand is causing quite a flutter in West Cork. Blue Butterfly Coffee, whose logo signifies the important role butterflies have in pollinating coffee plants, is the brainchild of former distributors of Java Republic, Fintan Stanley and the late Kieran White. Paul Hayes, the brand’s South West Business Development Manager, speaks to West Cork People about the company’s origin story and its ambitions.
Following the 2019 sale of Java Republic to Cafento, a large Spanish multinational, Fintan Stanley and Kieran White quickly realised from meetings with the new owners that there was now a mismatch in agendas and ambitions; therefore the entrepreneurial pair set about establishing a new brand that was more in line with their dreams.
A blue butterfly is usually associated with good fortune but the fledgling company suffered two significant blows in its first 18 months. The brand was launched on Friday, March 13, 2020 – the weekend Covid closed the country – and Kieran tragically passed away suddenly in September 2021, leaving all who knew and worked with him reeling.
Against the odds the company survived and is now thriving, with its own roastery and barista training centre in Fintan’s home town of Waterford.
Paul Hayes joined the team last November with a mission to expand the brand into the South West. Many will know Paul as a Cork County Councillor but he also spent 13 years in sales and quality for Java Republic.
“I was aware of the Blue Butterfly plan that Fintan and Kieran had been working on but, with Kieran’s untimely passing, I thought plans to expand into the South West region would never materialise,” Paul explains.
However, following several conversations with Fintan and his team in the South East, and after returning from a ‘bucket-list adventure’ in the Himalayas, Paul felt the time was right to join this exciting new brand.
“There has been a coffee revolution in Ireland over the last 30 years –when I was growing up, most households were only drinking tea, and coffee came in jars from Nescafe or Maxwell House!,” Paul recalls with a laugh. “Coffee is seen as an affordable little luxury that people can treat themselves to daily so they won’t tolerate mediocre quality.
“Our offering of competitively-priced medium roast coffees, together with barista training and top notch coffee equipment and support, is thankfully striking the right cord with people.”
All Blue Butterfly Coffee raw beans are ethically sourced and certified as either Rainforest Alliance or Fairtrade, with some certified as Organic. Fintan has personally visited many countries of origin to ensure the quality and transparency of the produce Blue Butterfly is buying, and to build strong relationships with the local producers and farmers there.
Relationship building is high on Paul’s agenda too, from growers to those in the trade and onwards to the end user: “I’m very much a people person and love interacting with customers on a daily basis. I believe the best way to grow all of our businesses is by meeting customers regularly, listening, finding solutions and suggesting new ideas.
“Really I’m happiest with my sleeves rolled up; adjusting equipment settings, sharing my knowledge with staff, or just calling in with a delivery and enjoying a coffee and a chat!”
Paul relied on his strong relationships to see him through a difficult first few months in his new role. “Not long after I started, my dad Mike passed away after a short illness, followed a few weeks later by my mother-in-law Eileen,” he shares. “Both were kind, generous and easygoing individuals, much loved by all who knew them. With these bereavements, and trying to establish this new brand here, it was quite challenging at times. Knowing I’ve always got the support of my family, community and friends pushed me on.”
A keen hiker, Paul also found solace taking his dogs for a daily walk on Broadstrand in Courtmacsherry and on longer weekend hikes in Cork, Kerry and Waterford. “I enjoyed the trip of a lifetime to Everest Base Camp last year and would love to take on the highest mountain in Africa next, Kilimanjaro!” he ventures.
For now his busy but fulfilling daily life is firmly in West Cork. “I really appreciate the support of those customers who have put their faith in me so far, and I know Kieran White would have enjoyed seeing the brand he helped create now available in outlets across Cork and Kerry.”


text:
New Delhi, July 22: Sahara India Pariwar, owners of Lucknow Warriors, announced here Monday that they would be changing the name of the franchise to Awadh Warriors for the upcoming Indian Badminton League (IBL).
Sahara group representative Abhijit Sarkar announced the decision after the players' auction at a hotel here.
"Well the name was given leniently in the beginning. Then our boss Subrata Roy thought of this idea and hence we thought of taking it. It also represents a broader geographical region," Sarkar told IANS.
The Lucknow franchise picked up icon player P.V. Sindhu for $80,000 for the $1 million tourney to be held Aug 14-31.