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Facebook announced that it would temporarily halt the sales of Oculus Quest 2 because there has been a rise in reported cases of skin reactions due to the headset's foam faceplate.
Facebook Recalls Oculus Quest 2
In a Facebook post regarding the issue, the social media company says that a couple of Quest 2 owners have reported the problem.
However, in some cases posted online, the issue has been so bad that the people's faces puffed up and their eyes closed due to the irritation.
Earlier this year, Facebook changed the manufacturing process of the face foam interfaces. The US Consumer Product Safety Commission encouraged the company to stop selling the Quest 2 altogether.
Facebook will be adding silicone face-mask covers in the upcoming versions of the Quest 2. Current owners of the Oculus Quest 2 can contact Facebook for a replacement, according to Ars Technica.
The skin irritation problem began a month before Facebook updated the Quest 2 with more storage. The latest version of the Quest will go on sale on Aug. 24 for $299, and it will have 128GB of storage.
The upcoming Quest 2 models will already include the silicone face cover, according to Engadget.
Facebook added that if you have not experienced skin irritation, you don't need to stop using the Quest 2 face cover, but you can still request a replacement. If irritation occurs, you need to stop using the facial foam interface immediately.
Not an Allergic Reaction
In December, the social media giant did an internal investigation together with dermatologists. The skin irritation problem is considered contact dermatitis instead of an allergic reaction, according to The Verge.
Dr. Robert Rietschel, one of the dermatologists involved in the investigation, said the problem is not an allergic reaction after reviewing the reports and data, which means it is not life-threatening.
Dr. Rietschel said a certain percentage of the population reacts with skin swelling to common objects. The skin reaction that Oculus Quest 2 owners experienced is the same one that some people experience with everyday items like food and fur.
Contact dermatitis self-resolves and those who are affected don't need medical attention. Also, it does not have a lasting effect. People affected by contact dermatitis need to stop using the item that caused the irritation.
The social media giant has not announced additional steps aside from releasing a silicone cover and halting the sales of the Oculus Quest 2. Also, the company has not announced any plans to make new accessories yet.
The Oculus Quest 2 is not recommended for children under 13. Also, users who are not affected by the issue are still encouraged to order the silicon foam covers or ask Facebook for a replacement for their safety.
This is not the first time that Oculus Quest 2 faced criticism for its quality. In 2020, Facebook received numerous complaints after the system keeps locking users out of their accounts after using the new Oculus 2 headset.
Facebook encouraged users to use their real names and sign up using their personal Facebook account.
This article is owned by Tech Times
Written by Sophie Webster


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5 distilleries to open in Louisville by 2018
In the late 1700s, bourbon distilleries helped shape downtown Louisville by opening offices along a section of Main Street that became known as Whiskey Row. But after Prohibition forced most of their closures, Louisville took a back seat in the state’s bourbon story.
Now, with several distilleries already open around the city’s center and a handful more on the way, Louisville is becoming a bourbon tourism destination at an unprecedented pace.
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HAITI: Palm Apparel planning to restart production
By Leonie Barrie | 10 February 2010
Clothing maker Palm Apparel Group, one of the firms hardest hit by the earthquake that devastated Haiti last month, is planning to restart production at two new locations it emerged yesterday (9 February).
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CANADA: Gildan boosts outlook as Q2 profit soars
A strong recovery in its activewear and underwear sales has helped Gildan Activewear Inc to a nearly six-fold hike in second quarter profit, leading it to raise its guidance for the year.


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NPD: Makeup Sales Decline in Q3NPD: Makeup Sales Decline in Q3
While the sale of beauty products declined in Q3, skincare is on the rise, per NPD.
November 3, 2020
According to The NPD Group’s “2020 Industry Pulse” survey, during the third quarter of 2020, sales of U.S. prestige beauty products were $3.7 billion, a 17 percent decline in sales over Q3 2019 and a softer decline than was seen in Q2 of this year.
The NPD study found that makeup sales declined across almost all segments in Q3 compared to the same period last year, with the exception of nail products (up 13 percent) including nail color, base/topcoats, nail care and nail tools and accessories.
NPD also reported that body products led to gains for skincare in Q3, up 17 percent, with gains for category leaders including cleansers, creams/lotions and exfoliators. Both body and facial exfoliators sold well, up 48 percent and 15 percent, respectively. Sales of hand soaps* grew by 134 percent.
The report found that higher concentration fragrances offering a longer lasting scent such as parfums and eau de parfums grew for the quarter, as did fragrance gift sets. Home scents grew by 21 percent, driven by candles.
Hair product sales also rose by 11 percent, with all areas of the category growing except for hair styling. Hair masks, hair color and other hair care including primers and treatments were among the fastest-growing areas of the market.
“We are seeing two stories unfold for beauty – one of stagnation and the other of recovery. Though it remains a powerful force in the industry, the needle has yet to move in a positive direction for makeup, as 70 percent of consumers scaled back their usage of the category this year,” says Larissa Jensen, beauty industry advisor, The NPD Group. “Alternately, the shifting consumer priorities toward self-care and treating themselves to little luxuries has helped both skincare and fragrance to enter a phase of recovery. Hair continues to grow in this stormy year, with double-digit gains across most areas of the market.”
*Hand soaps include those tracked under body skincare and fragrance ancillaries.
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A NORTH West MEP is calling on a Lancashire telecoms supplier to join him on a visit to Brussels to discuss business development opportunities and help cut through red tape.
During a visit to Blackburn-based Abbey Telecom, MEP Sajjad Karim extended an invitation for the company to attend a series of meetings about the legislative burden on small businesses.
The growth of smartphone technology and global mobile development is having a positive impact on Abbey Telecom’s business. From its headquarters on the Furthergate Industrial Estate, the firm boasts continual growth in its customer base and is thriving despite the recession.
It is currently tapping into new business opportunities in Europe which may expand its reach as far afield as Romania and Italy.
“Sajjad was aware of our interests in Europe and was determined to involve us and find out a little bit more about our business, our online presence and how EU and global markets affect us,” said Abbey Telecom managing director Tony Raynor.
“We are very keen to get involved with his drive to address regulatory burdens.”
MEP Sajjad Karim said: “This is a genuine example of how a local business is being affected by global industry changes and how technology continues to improve the way we can work.”


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As Whole Foods reports in its sixth straight sales drop this Wednesday, it’s clear that the company will have to slow down its steady tread toward expanding its stores. The cause of its steadily falling sales could be the fact that more and more traditional supermarkets are offering organic and natural products. While more of its customers are drifting off to traditional supermarkets, Whole Foods says that it plans to work hard to focus on and keep its loyal customers.
In order to keep those customers loyal, the company is trying to change its merchandising. To make this happen, Whole Foods is teaming up with a data insights company that will aid in boosting merchandising and pricing options
The company reported that it’s faith in at least 1,200 of its locations is waning. That number has climbed from the 470 that span throughout the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada.
With that being said Whole Foods announced that in this present quarter it has plans to close around nine of its stores. At the same time, it will open at least six new stores in which two of those will be relocations.
With the changes it’s making to keep its customers, as well as the new locations it will be opening, Whole Foods is attempting to shake the image it has received throughout the years as a “Whole Paycheck” market.
Whole Foods Chief Executive Officer John Mackey commented that “Nobody wants to feel they’re being cheated” when asked how he thinks Whole Foods customers feel about product price. Mackey feels that while Whole Foods doesn’t have to offer the cheapest prices it also can’t provide too large of an expanse between its prices and traditional supermarket prices.
Yet when it comes to slashing prices, Whole Foods is ahead of the game. The company has already cut cost when it comes to the kitchen commissaries where food is prepared. The food instead will be made on site or by suppliers.
Sales for Whole Foods dropped around 2.4 percent for the three-month that ended on January 15th. Whole Foods also said it had to cut costs in order to compensate for the low number it pulled in for the fourth quarter. It earned about $95 million which rounds off to about 30 cents per share. When one-time items were subtracted, it earned around 39 cents per share.
However, when it comes to shutting down a few of its stores Whole Foods says its done all it feels necessary for the moment and has “cleaned up” enough for the moment.


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DUBLIN, July 17, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --
The "Industrial Analytics Market - Global Forecast to 2022" report has been added to Research and Markets' offering.
The Global Industrial Analytics Market is expected to grow from USD 11.29 Billion in 2017 to USD 25.51 Billion by 2022, at a CAGR of 17.7%.
The industrial analytics market is growing rapidly owing to the transition from traditional industrial Business Intelligence (BI) techniques to advanced BI and analytics techniques, and the massive surge in the volumes of industrial data across industry verticals due to the advent of IIoT. Factors such as lack of integration with organization culture and complex analytical process are expected to limit the market growth.
Organizations across industry verticals are using various tools and systems to collect customer data for analyzing business performance at regular intervals and also in real time. Therefore, organizations face challenges in integrating these technologies for obtaining value from all these data sets. Customer analytics helps organizations in resolving these issues, allowing them to generate insights as per their convenience. Hence, customer analytics is projected to have the highest growth rate during the forecast period.
Industrial analytics solutions have been deployed across various industry verticals, including telecommunications and IT, retail & consumer goods, manufacturing, energy & utilities, transportation & logistics, and others. The energy & utilities vertical is expected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period, because of the increasing need for managing real-time data of Radio-Frequency Identifications (RFIDs), sensors, Rich Site Summary (RSS) feeds, smart meters, and smart grids.
North America, followed by Europe, is expected to remain the largest revenue generating region for the industrial analytics vendors over the next 5 years. This is mainly due to the presence of Canada and the US, and the high focus on innovations through R&D, and technology across industry verticals in the region. APAC is expected to be the largest growing region in the industrial analytics market, because of the increasing adoption of IIoT and smart technologies, and government initiatives such as smart cities in countries including China and India.
- AGT International GmbH
- Alteryx, Inc.
- Bridgei2i Analytics Solutions
- Cisco Systems, Inc.
- General Electric Company
- Hewlett Packard Enterprise
- Hitachi, Ltd.
- Intel Corporation
- International Business Machines Corporation
- Microsoft Corporation
- Oracle Corporation
- PTC, Inc.
- SAP SE
- SAS Institute, Inc.
- Tibco Software, Inc.
Key Topics Covered:
2 Research Methodology
3 Executive Summary
4 Premium Insights
5 Market Overview and Industry Trends
6 Industrial Analytics Market Analysis, By Component
7 Industrial Analytics Market Analysis, By Analytics Type
8 Industrial Analytics Market Analysis, By Deployment Model
9 Industrial Analytics Market Analysis, By Organization Size
10 Industrial Analytics Market Analysis, By Industry Vertical
11 Geographic Analysis
12 Competitive Landscape
13 Company Profiles
For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/wknmcc/industrial
Research and Markets
Laura Wood, Senior Manager
For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470
For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630
For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900
U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907
Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716
SOURCE Research and Markets


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Chips & Dip: As Liability Shift Hits, Michigan CUs Readying for EMV Cards
The big day has finally arrived. Starting on October 1, in the event of a fraudulent transaction, liability shifts to whichever party in the transaction—the retailer or the financial institution—is the least secure. Just as retailers have been converting to EMV-enabled point-of-sale terminals, credit unions are also in the process of converting to EMV cards, or chip-and-pin-enabled plastic.
Earlier this year, St. Joseph-based United FCU launched an EMV pilot program and is nearing a decision on whether to reissue EMV-enabled plastic at members’ request, as part of the natural reissuance cycle or to reissue all at once. According to acting marketing director Charles Spilman, it’s largely an economics decision.
“The member is not going to be at risk,” he said. “Their situation really doesn’t change very much with EMV until everybody’s got it. There was a study done by Visa recently that estimated that only about 4% of purchase locations are going to be EMV-ready by [the October 1 liability shift date]. When we have card-present fraud, most of that fraud takes place at big box retailers that are going to be EMV compatible. We’re still going to have the liability as an issuer.”
But even if the entire credit union industry adopted EMV tomorrow, said Spilman, that would only go so far to reduce fraud. That’s because it’s going to take time–maybe a year or more, he said–for smaller mom-and-pop retailers to put EMV-enabled point-of-sale terminals in place.
One reason United FCU and many other Michigan CUs may have taken a slow-but-steady approach on EMV is that they simply haven’t heard a demand from their membership for chip-enabled cards.
“We really have not fielded a lot of requests from our members,” said Spilman “We have a set of members who travel internationally and they have asked for it ... but other members, we haven’t had any outcry of ‘Where’s my chip card?’”
Spilman said he hasn’t polled his peers to see where other CUs stand with EMV readiness, but suggested that the collaborative nature of the CU system may well put credit unions in a better position than some of the competition.
“Because credit unions use service organizations, they probably are going to be in front of many of the community banks, because they have the benefit of taking advantage of the service organization’s scope and scale, and they’re going to take care of it for them,” he said. “If there are credit unions out there that haven’t begun talking to their processor or their core system provider, they should begin doing that.”
Other Michigan CUs, such as Brighton-based Lake Trust Credit Union, have already begun issuing the cards. Lake Trust is reissuing EMV plastic to all new members who apply for a new credit card and for expiring cards, as well as at member request.
Still Protected, Even Without EMV
Kalamazoo-based Educational Community CU is also preparing a pilot program, using employees to test EMV-enabled credit cards in order to give ECCU a better understanding of how the cards work and any issues users might encounter. Once that pilot program wraps up, ECCU plans to do a mass reissuance for its entire membership, but Card Services Supervisor Ryan Holmes said that most likely won’t get underway until the first half of 2016.
“We’ve obviously been thinking about EMV for quite some time, and I think a lot of Michigan credit unions are kind of restricted in that they don’t have the economies of scale to do it on their own, so they’re kind of reliant on their card processors,” said Holmes. “We tend to fall into that category as well.”
Holmes said that with more and more news outlets reporting about the change, ECCU has fielded a few inquiries via social media as to when members can expect to receive their new cards.
“There’s definitely a member education component to it,” he noted. “Further down the line as we get closer to actually putting cards in hand, there will be an education campaign we’ll have to do to explain the nuances and differences between a magnetic stripe card and an EMV card. Some transactions take longer, it actually holds the card instead of swiping it—things that the general public wouldn’t know unless you’re going to tell them how to use it.”
That’s where the staff pilot program comes into play, he added. In addition to more formal EMV training for members, “Our frontline staff will be great once they have the experience to help educate our members.”
In the meantime, ECCU is making sure members understand that even though they may not have an EMV-enabled card yet, they’re still fully protected.
“We’ve been trying to tell our members that they still have the Visa zero liability, whether they have a magnetic strip card or an EMV card, so they’re covered from fraud protection,” said Holmes, adding “We’re trying to let the membership know that while they won’t have new cards on October 1, they’re still secure with us, and the cards they’re using still have fraud protection.”
MCUL member credit unions may be eligible for subsidies to help with EMV conversion through the CO-OP EMV Subsidy Program. The subsidy is available immediately and credit unions are eligible to sign up through the end of 2016. In order to qualify credit unions must have an in-house credit, signature debit or PIN debit payments processing contract with CO-OP.
For more information on the CO-OP EMV Subsidy Program, CO-OP processing clients can contact their CO-OP Strategic Relationship Manager or CUSG’s Card Program Advisor, Nangela Piersall, at 800.262.6285 ext. 538 or via e-mail at email@example.com to main navigation


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Bubsy has recently made a return to video game consoles and his new outing Bubsy: Paws on Fire! will be released on the Nintendo Switch in April.
Bubsy … is back!
Accolade is also set to launch a Kickstarter campaign during which the company will seek funding for post-game downloadable content.
Bubsy is back in his greatest adventure yet, Bubsy: Paws On Fire! For the first time in the series, Bubsy is bringing along 3 other playable pals, each with their own unique styles, new moves and new challenges never before seen in a Bubsy title.
There are over 100 character/world/level combos to fly, race, and play through. In addition to PlayStation 4 and Steam, Bubsy: Paws on Fire! is the first Bubsy title ever for Nintendo Switch.
Are you going ot give Bubsy a fair shot?


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Debbie Watson, Professor in Child and Family Welfare, University of Bristol
Helen Ball, Professor of Anthropology and Director of the Parent-Infant Sleep Lab, Durham University
Jim Reid, Senior Lecturer, Department of Education and Community Studies, University of Huddersfield
Pete Blair, Professor of Epidemiology and Statistics, University of Bristol
The baby box in Finland is embedded as part of the maternity system. Kela
Having a baby can be expensive. So it’s maybe not surprising that many retailers around the world have cottoned on to the success of Finland’s baby boxes – a package aimed to set up new parents and their bundle of joy. The Finnish boxes include baby clothing, sleep items, hygiene products and a parenting guide –- as well as a “sleep space” for the baby.
Many retailers around the world are now offering similar boxes for expectant parents. Indeed, research conducted at the University of Tampere in Finland suggests there are variants in over 60 countries. This includes Scotland’s baby box scheme – with all newborn babies getting a free baby box from the Scottish government.
But as a group of child welfare experts, we believe imitations of the Finnish boxes could be placing babies at risk. This is because it has become common to believe that if babies sleep in these boxes, it will help protect them from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Unfortunately, the research does not back this up. Continue reading


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Cheetah Digital, a cross-channel marketing software company, has announced its acquisition of zero-party data firm Wayin.
The acquisition will see Wayin bolster Cheetah Digital’s ability to help marketers collect zero- and first-party data and preference insights to drive hyper- personalized, real-time experiences and meaningful customer engagement across all channels and stages of the customer lifecycle.
“Marketers have never faced a tougher challenge than they do today. Consumers are demanding personalized experiences, global consumer privacy regulations mount, trust in and effectiveness of third-party sources deteriorates, and CEOs demand greater efficiency of their marketing
spend,” said Sameer Kazi, chief executive of Cheetah Digital. “Smart marketers are turning to zero- and first-party data, to not only be compliant and build customer trust, but deliver exceptional brand experiences. Wayin is the leader in helping marketers acquire opted-in data at scale, and now combined with our enterprise cross-channel marketing platform, Cheetah Marketing Suite, and our industry-leading loyalty platform, Cheetah Loyalty, marketers are able to put that data to work in real-time with hyper-personalized experiences across all channels.”
With an increasingly stringent regulatory environment due to legislation like Europe’s GDPR and Vermont’s data broker registration law, it is becoming more difficult for marketers to depend on third-party data as a means of targeting consumers. As a result, firms like Wayin are aiming to be more useful to firms like Cheetah Digital. According to Forrester’s research “consumers want control over their info, so marketers will turn to zero-party data.”
“Privacy and personalization can only exist in the future with a first- and zero-party data strategy, rather than third-party data that is increasingly incomplete, inaccurate, and breaches consumer trust,” said Richard Jones, Wayin CEO. “That’s why many of the world’s biggest brands are continuing to turn to Wayin for interactive experiences, audience building, and profiling that helps them identify customers, drive rich personalization, and keep data accurate, relevant, and current.
It’s coming directly from their customers. We’re thrilled to join Cheetah Digital and continue our mission to facilitate honest, mutually beneficial relationships between brands and consumers.”
Formed in 2016, Wayin is recognized as the industry leader in zero-party data, Working with many of the world’s leading brands such as Discovery Communications, NHL, Bauer Media, Vodafone, Priceline.com, Reckitt Benckiser, Air New Zealand, and Manchester City FC, Wayin-powered interactive experiences have collected more than 1.3 billion zero-party customer data records in the past two years alone.


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CLEVELAND — A local initiative is underway to decrease the number of food deserts in the Northeast Ohio area.
Cleveland-based company Yellow Banana has taken over 15 local Save A Lot stores, with plans to upgrade and make them the newest go-to hometown grocer in some of our most vulnerable areas.
"We believe capital should be deployed in ways that support underinvested communities. I grew up off St. Clair & 72nd Street. Our local Finast was closed down in the mid to late ’90s, so I’m familiar with the havoc that food deserts can wreak," says Michael Nance, Co-Founder of Yellow Banana.
Yellow Banana is a Cleveland-based retail grocery platform. The group recently purchased the 15 Save A Lots as part of an ongoing effort to bring healthy food options to areas with little to no access to fresh produce and meats for miles around -- a.k.a “food deserts”.
According to research done by Case Western and Creating Healthy Communities, over 450,000 people in Cuyahoga County live in food deserts. More than 150,000 Greater Cleveland residents live in a food desert.
Yellow Banana has a passion for investing in underserved, predominantly minority communities – not only providing affordable, high-quality nutrition, but also jobs.
"We’re employing approximately 190 employees. We retained all employees that were previously at the stores. We’ll be adding 30-45 employees in the Greater Cleveland area," says Nance.
"In urban neighborhoods, we don’t have state-of-the-art grocery stores and stuff like Whole Foods, so I think this would give the neighborhood pride," says Save A Lot shopper Sha’Yuma Rawls.
Each of the 15 Save A Lots has already been newly and fully stocked with fresh produce and meats in new freezer cases. At the beginning of 2022, new décor, facades, and upgraded flooring and lighting will be installed.
"I feel better already. Actually, a lot of things around here need to be changed. I hope this is a start," says shopper Douglas Beal.
Yellow Banana says its philosophy is simple: We all deserve food and job security, no matter what part of town we live in.
"We’ll give people something they can take pride in. We'll eliminate a food desert in their neighborhood, and make the area look better. When things look better, people feel better," says Nance.
Ohio Save a Lot Stores Purchased by Yellow Banana:
- 2222 Fairless Drive, Lorain, Ohio
- 405 West Fourth Street, Lorain, Ohio
- 2227 Noble Rd, Cleveland, Ohio
- 27591 Euclid Avenue, Euclid, Ohio
- 33693 Vine Street, Eastlake, Ohio
- 1475 Mentor Avenue, Painesville, Ohio
- 125 Cleveland Street, Elyria, Ohio
- 12782 Rockside Road, Garfield Heights, Ohio
- 4800 Turney Road, Garfield Heights, Ohio
- 1085 Pearl Road, Brunswick, Ohio
- 15870 Broadway Avenue, Maple Heights, Ohio
- 5488 Warrensville Center Road, Maple Heights, Ohio
- 709 West Perkins Avenue, Sandusky, Ohio
- 6801 Ridge Road, Parma, Ohio
Editor's note: The video in the player below is from a previously published story.


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Ed Sheeran wore a girdle to look thinner, proving that guys majorly struggle with body image too
Lily James’ super-tiny waistline in Cinderella has sparked a lot of debate the corset (and rumored liquid diet — yikes!) that was required to create the Disney-fied silhouette. But, it turns out, girls aren’t the only ones who have to resort to medieval torture devices to look thin for the cameras.
Adorable British singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran just opened up about a time he wore a girdle to suck in his stomach for an event early in his career, proving that guys aren’t safe from the insane pressures our society puts on body image.
“I tried it on for an awards show because I was wearing a shirt and my belly just went nuts,” Ed shared with The Sun newspaper. Fortunately, it sounds like Ed ultimately decided not to withstand the insane pain of a girdle just to look a little thinner in his suit. “I was just like, ‘No, this isn’t happening’. It was like a corset.”
The lesson here, of course, is that corsets and girdles and every other device meant to pack humans into shapes they naturally aren’t are uncomfortable, sometimes painful, and not worth it when you’re being sane and rational about things. Even though these so-called beauty aids have been historically associated with women, modern beauty standards and pressures even have guys turning to them. Could we just…not? You’re lovely just the way you are, we promise.
(Image via here.)


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The leftovers from beer production — spent grains — contain a high amount of fibres and protein, and could be the basis of new foods.
Minister for Regional Water Niall Blair has commissioned an independent review into the impacts of the bottled water industry on groundwater sources in the Northern Rivers.
Formulating beverages that become a consumer favourite begins at INSIDE IDEA LABS, where food science experts can help solve formulation challenges in every stage of product development.
Sometime this year bottled water consumption will globally trump all other soft drinks to become the most consumed non-alcoholic cold drink.
Before improvement, the water supply pressure and flow of the boiler and filtered water for the beverage production line and factory area were controlled via a water tower with a height of 20 m, utilising high/low water level of the water tower to start/stop the lift pump in order to keep the water pressure stable.
German packaging and bottling machine manufacturer Krones has inaugurated a brewery at its facility in Freising called the Steinecker Brew Center.
brewLAP, powered by Veriflow, is a molecular platform with accuracy and ease of use for rapid detection of microbes that can produce lactic acid and impact quality.
How drink additives such as sugar, salt and added flavours affect the carbon dioxide and the taste of the drink is now being understood.
White, rosé and red might not be the only options on the wine menu in the future, after researchers from the National University of Singapore (NUS) turned tofu whey into a wine-like alcoholic beverage.
Australian family business Organic & Raw recently announced it had hit its five-million-bottle production milestone of kombucha.
Coca-Cola has launched two sweetener challenges on the HeroX crowdsourcing platform to find sugar substitutes, one aimed at the public and the other at scientists.
Preferences for certain brands could be making your partner unhappy, suggests new research published in the Journal of Consumer Research.
The Drinks Industry Show has appointed industry expert and ambassador Ben Davidson as event curator.
The Sidel StarLite Tropical base is suitable for carbonated soft drink bottles processed under harsh conditions.
DS Triple provides a range of UHT technology that aims to provide improved plant performance, reduced operational costs and leaner plant design.


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The Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN), the dietary supplement industry’s leading trade association, commends the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for its initiative against deceptive advertising of weight-loss products. FTC announced "Operation Failed Resolution," which includes cases against four companies making unfounded or misleading claims, as well as resources for media and consumers to help them recognize implausible claims that can cost consumers millions of dollars and harm consumers by encouraging them to postpone the truly effective, healthful things they should do to lose weight.
“CRN supports FTC’s efforts to crackdown on those companies making outrageous claims. All products marketed for weight-loss, whether they are sold as dietary supplements, food additives, cosmetics or homeopathic drugs, are required to have evidence that substantiates the claims they make,” said CRN President and CEO Steve Mister. “FTC’s announcement is also a good reminder to consumers that if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is,” he added.
CRN recommends consumers avoid quick fixes and magic bullets. “It’s no secret that the best way to lose weight is to focus on gradual weight loss over time through healthy eating, regular exercise and supplementing as appropriate,” Mr. Mister said. “There are beneficial weight management dietary supplements on the market, and supplements also help fill nutrient gaps for those people not getting all the nutrients they need from food alone. Whether it’s a topical cream, a dietary supplement, or a diet plan, consumers should be wary of products that promise to make weight loss easy.”
Additional tips for consumers are available, along with an accompanying video, on CRN’s website: crnusa.org/ConsumerTips1213.html.


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Gamestop building an NFT team
Updated: Oct 4, 2021
With no indication of the non-fungible token (NFT) trend waning, video-game retailer, GameStop Corp (NYSE: GME), has announced it is building an NFT platform.
You may recall we recently wrote of eBay's NFT platform plans to bring NFTs to the everyday person. Gamestop's name may be familiar to you as it was at the centre of a trading frenzy driven by Reddit forum WallStreetBets in January 2021.
Gamestop's current priority appears to be to "welcome exceptional engineers… designers, gamers, marketers, and community leaders” to join the team.
Given Gamestop's background, and its cryptic advertising:
Power to the players. Power to the creators. Power to the collectors.
we speculate that Gamestop's NFTs may be gaming-based tokens for players. No doubt many fans will be keeping a close eye on Gamestop's plans, and Redditors might be getting excited as well at what this could do to the share price.
Naturally, player, creators or collectors of NFTs, will only have "power" if they have a clear understanding and legal entitlement to something embodied in the NFT they buy.


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One year ago yesterday, I wrote how MagSafe could be the biggest reason to buy an iPhone 12. I believed it, too. It looked like Apple had cracked the code to effortlessly accessorize the iPhone and even add modular new capabilities. The company showed its pricey new MagSafe cases and wallets seemingly snapping into place, plus faster wireless charging. The future looked bright.
But if you became an early adopter like me, you might have wound up disappointed. As Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman points out, two of Apple’s first overpriced MagSafe accessories are already out of date. First, we just learned Friday that Apple’s $129 MagSafe Duo Charger can’t fast-charge an Apple Watch Series 7. Second, Apple has already replaced the $59 MagSafe Leather Wallet with a better version that supports Find My so your phone can remember where it was when it got removed.
I think Gurman might actually be undercounting, though. The new Leather Wallet with MagSafe also doesn’t support Apple’s $49 Clear Case with MagSafe, so hope you didn’t buy one of those thinking it’d be futureproof — apparently, it blocks the NFC tags that MagSafe accessories like the Wallet use to passively ID themselves to the phone.
And while we’re on the subject of cases, every official iPhone 12 case (and likely the vast majority of third-party ones) are incompatible with the iPhone 13 lineup, because the camera bump got wider this time around. I took advantage of those “free” iPhone offers to upgrade to an iPhone 13 Mini (loving the improved battery life, by the way), and now I have an expensive but useless Clear Case with MagSafe that I’m not sure what to do with.
Those are just the latest disappointments, though. It didn’t take long before iPhone 12 buyers like me discovered that no, Apple’s new cases don’t actually snap into place like they do in the Apple animations I showed you last year (see above and below). They still rely on a rim that grasps the edges of your phone and requires pressure to insert and remove.
Several Verge editors have also complained that the $39 MagSafe charging cable doesn’t have a long enough cord to use on the couch or in bed where its quick-detach feature might actually help — but Apple’s still selling the same 1-meter cable a year later. My MagSafe pad now sits unused on a shelf, while I begrudgingly plug in a Lightning cable instead. Meanwhile, both it and the $129 MagSafe Duo still don’t come with charging bricks, even though the previous Apple USB-C chargers you might own (18W and 29W) aren’t good enough to drive them at full speed. They require 20W and 30W chargers, respectively, which Apple sells for $19 or $49 each.
And though it took most of a year for Apple to release its own MagSafe Battery Pack, we were underwhelmed by its capacity in our review. I bought and returned one myself, though not for any of the reasons Dieter laid out. I just couldn’t stand how weak the vertical magnet was even with Apple’s own Clear Case, the pack always twisting in my hand. (Without the case, it made my iPhone 12 Mini uncomfortably warm to hold.)
Every one of these examples speaks to a lack of foresight around MagSafe, and that’s unusual. Foresight is generally one of Apple’s strengths, bringing out new products and technologies only when their time has come. But to me, the real tragedy of MagSafe’s first year is the lack of a larger ecosystem. The entire time we’ve been waiting for Apple to show us what MagSafe is truly capable of, it’s been keeping the rest of the world from getting out ahead — using its MFi program and artificial charging restrictions built into the iPhone.
Combining the Qi wireless charging standard with non-patentable magnets, MagSafe should have been a lightning rod to customization and modularity. So far, Apple has insulated itself — and us — from the possibilities.


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Big crowds. Cold, dark nights. Lots of stress, but also lots of good times meeting up with friends and family while crossing gifts off your shopping list.
The holiday shopping season is here again, and with it, the potential for crime, if you’re not paying attention.
The Ontario County Sheriff’s Office and Eastview Mall security team are providing a host of holiday shopping safety tips that will hopefully make the season bright for all shoppers.
Ontario County Sheriff Philip Povero said his deputies and the mall want to promote an environment of safety, including for senior citizens who may be more susceptible to scams and safety concerns associated with colder weather.
“We live in an age where we need to be aware of what is going on around us,” Povero said.
One way to guard against crime is following a few, common-sense safety tips.
Sheriff’s Deputy Jim Baker, who is assigned to the mall, suggested shoppers park in well-lit areas and make sure vehicle doors are locked and any items inside are hidden from plain sight.


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Artificial intelligence-driven customer support facilities have become increasingly regular, especially as the Covid-19 pandemic pushed contact centres to work remotely. Now, AI-driven conversation automation platform, Rezo.ai, has claimed to have successfully automated a contact centre for a diagnostic facility that handles queries from over 10 million users per year.
Rezo.ai said that its conversation and automation platform could use client specified categorisation of services, along with standard operating procedures to define the right interactions for responding to a patient query at the diagnostic centre.
The platform could enable the diagnostics chain to automate responses to queries regarding reports, sample collections, scheduling appointments and making payments.
“To train models from unstructured voice and text data, we use unique algorithms designed with next-generation technologies – AI, NLP (natural language processing) and NLU (natural language understanding). These models are built to scale without a ramp-up phase, give a quick and consistent response to client inquiries, and save operational costs,” said Rashi Gupta, co-founder of Rezo.ai.
Gupta’s assessment is in line with the industry of chatbots and conversational automation.
In a conversation on November 10, 2021 with TechCircle, Gaurav Singh, chief executive of automation platform Verloop.io, said, “With Nykaa, we handle almost 68 percent of all customer conversations without any human interference. A majority of customer requests such as adding or replacing items, altering delivery addresses and changing payment methods are fully automated today.”
Other providers, such as Yellow.ai and Gupshup, also had similar takeaways. Conversational automation platforms have increased their push for execution of user queries, which Rezo.ai also claimed in its latest project with the said diagnostics chain.


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Made.com has secured £5m of financing from Silicon Valley Bank to help it expand in its UK and international markets.
Silicon Valley Bank, which specialises in funding tech businesses and has opened a branch in the UK, will provide the online-only furniture retailer with a £5m debt facility.
Financing comes shortly after it emerged Made.com had hired ex-Play.com finance boss John Clark as its first chief financial officer to prepare for growth.
Clark said: “Silicon Valley Bank brings deep sector knowledge and experience in supporting innovation businesses with high growth potential.
“By working with Silicon Valley Bank, we hope to more quickly realise our ambition to become Europe’s leading online destination for home design.”
Silicon Valley Bank vice-president Andrew Hunter believes Made.com has a “disruptive ecommerce business model that sets it apart from the market”.
He added: “Despite only launching sales operations outside the UK last year, international revenue already makes a very significant contribution to Made.com’s total revenue.”
This month the etailer revealed that sales surged 68% to £26.3m in 2013 but operating losses widened from £3m to £5m as it invested in its European roll-out.
Made.com, which was set up by Ning Li and Lastminute.com founder Brent Hoberman, has hired bankers Citigroup, Peel Hunt and Rothschild to look at options that could include a stock market listing.
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The Swedish economy is surging ahead.
As the third largest country in Western Europe, Sweden is perceived as a liberal and modern nation and its large middle class enjoys a generous welfare system and a high standard of living. "Currently the economy is experiencing high growth and stability with record export figures expected this year. About 50 per cent of Sweden's GDP is from exports, and the steel industry along with the mining companies are expanding," says Daniel Mokari, Associate — Middle East and Eastern Africa, Sweden Trade Council.
According to Mokari, Sweden is making efforts to decrease its dependence on oil and gas. "A number of projects are under way to channel wind and water energy," he says.
According to figures from the Ministry of Finance, Sweden's gross domestic product (GDP) is expected to grow by 3.7 per cent in 2007 and 3.3 per cent in 2008. Total unemployment, measured as the annual average, is estimated to decline from 8.4 per cent in 2006 to 6.7 per cent in 2007 and 6.2 per cent in 2008. General government net lending is projected at 2.3 per cent of GDP in 2007 and 2.2 per cent in 2008.
Sweden's GDP growth is expected to taper off in 2007 and 2008 but remain high. Exports are set to grow at a brisk pace, though somewhat more slowly in line with less vigorous global growth and a stronger Swedish crown.
While growth in investment is likely to decelerate, high capacity utilisation and propitious financial prospects for businesses indicate that the level of investment will remain buoyant. Due to rapidly growing disposable income, rising employment and a solid initial wealth position, household consumption is projected to increase substantially, according to the Ministry of Finance.
Spurred primarily by solid revenue growth, public consumption is set to rise most rapidly in the local government sector. Demand for labour is strong, the number of newly reported vacancies is high and businesses are planning to hire more people. As a result, employment is expected to continue rising in 2007 and 2008. Inflation is low and should slow down this year as the Swedish krona strengthens and energy prices decline. Owing to strong demand for labour, resource utilisation in the labour market is expected to be tight in 2008. The likely result will be a gradual acceleration of wage growth and inflation in 2008 and 2009. Faced by rising wages and inflation, the Riksbank (the central bank) is expected to raise its repo rate to a maximum of 4.75 per cent during 2009. In sum, the effect should be a slowdown in employment and GDP growth in 2009 and 2010 to below the potential growth rate.
Sweden is attracting the interest of tourists from around the world and the tourism industry generates 2.79 per cent of GNP.
"Sweden is not a destination for mass tourism. For people focused on nature, culture and design, Sweden is an interesting choice," says Bitte Olsson, Information Officer, VisitSweden.
The responsibility for marketing of Sweden as a destination lies with VisitSweden, which is owned 50 per cent by the Swedish state through the Ministry of Enterprise, Energy and Communications and 50 per cent by the Swedish tourism industry. "The marketing is focused on a chosen target group — the global traveller — which consists of people who are ecologically and socially committed and are looking for unusual, learning experiences in genuine travel destinations. The target group often books travel via the internet and has a lot of experienced travellers who place high demands on availability and activities," says Olsson.
The official statistics for the tourism industry in Sweden are expressed in bed nights. A bed night is an international term for one person staying one night in a commercial accommodation.
In 2006, a growth of nine per cent was witnessed in bed nights, while in Europe it increased by four per cent and globally by 4.5 per cent.
Total number of bed nights in Sweden for 2006 was 12,1 million. The number has increased 91 per cent since 1991. "Foreign bed nights (foreign bed nights in Sweden are all those registered of other citizenships than Swedish) has a 24 per cent share of the total number of bed nights in Sweden. These numbers, though, are for both leisure and business travel since the official statistics do not register business and leisure travel separately," explains Olsson.
Sweden has for decades focused on environmental issues and several Swedish companies have developed advanced technologies in this sector. "Envac invented the automatic refuse collection technology during the 1960s and operated mainly in Europe until the 1990s, when Envac decided to launch the technology in Asia and the Middle East.
Since environmental issues have become very important in most developed countries, Envac is growing rapidly and is today the fastest growing environmental company in Sweden," says Christian Ostervall, Project Manager, ENVAC.
H&M's popularity is based on its business idea which aims to provide customers with fashion clothing combined with high quality and reasonable prices. In the past five years, H&M's sales, including VAT, have increased by 72 per cent and profit after tax by 183 per cent. Profit after financial items amounted to 15.8 billion crowns in 2006.
"The Swedish stock market was up by more than 7.4 per cent in 2006, and H&M was a significant player behind that growth. H&M is the second largest company (market cap) on the Swedish stock exchange and the H&M share price surged 28 per cent during 2006. Currently, the total value of H&M is 360 billion crowns," says Nils Vinge, Head of Investor Relations, H&M Hennes & Mauritz.
According to a report published by the National Post and Telecom Agency, Sweden's retail market for electronic communications had a turnover of 24.9 billion crowns during the first half of 2006, which means that the retail market increased by more than 1 per cent when compared with the first half-year of 2005.
"IT and telecom are flourishing industries in Sweden, and apart from industrial products, forms one of the biggest exports from Sweden," says Mokari.
Volvo, another Swedish icon, began operations in Göteborg. "Today, Volvo has its headquarters, research and development, purchasing departments, administration and one of its major production facilities in Göteborg, Torslanda, whereas the other major production facility is located in Ghent, Belgium. As part of Ford Motor Company, Volvo's financial figures are not public, but Volvo is one of the main contributors to Sweden's export activity," says Greg Maruszewski, Regional Managing Director.
The automotive sector of Sweden continues to grow. "In 2006, 282,766 new cars were registered, compared to 274,301 in 2005. This is an increase of 3.1 per cent. The number of cars in Sweden is more than anywhere else in Europe, with a very high age average. The number of diesel cars has traditionally been low (3-5 per cent). However, in the past few years the registrations of diesel cars has increased significantly and is today more that one-third of all registrations," says Maruszewski.
Currently, about 15 per cent of all newly registered cars are environmentally friendly, whereas the vast majority are Flexifuel cars, which run on the fuel E85.
"E85 is a blend of 85 per cent ethanol and 15 per cent petrol. The Flexifuel cars are subjected to lower annual road taxation in Sweden, and as company cars, owners are offered a 20 per cent discount on the company car tax," says Maruszewski.


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Last week, more than a dozen senior semiconductor executives traveled to Washington, DC for the first-ever Fall Washington Forum. The SEMI Washington Forum, a venue for SEMI members to educate lawmakers about the industry, focused on action against China, both in the form of tariffs and export controls.
Our industry is global, and companies rely heavily on trade. In 2017, more than 90 percent of equipment made in the United States was exported. Because of this dynamic, the United States holds a nearly $9 billion trade surplus in this industry. SEMI is supportive of trade policies that open foreign markets.


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DREAMS WILL FINALLY BECOME A REALITY – AT IKEA, ALL FAN FANS WILL BE ABLE TO BUY A CUSTOM-MADE CHAIR MADE PERFECT FOR EACH BUTTON IN THE NEAR FUTURE. SOON WE WILL ACTUALLY BE ABLE TO SAY, “THIS IS MY CHAIR.”
Thanks to the collaboration between Ikea, the 3D printing company Unyq and the e-sports group Area Academy, we will soon get a prototype chair that will allow comfortable sitting, especially for gamers.
Based on statistics for 2016, they found that gamers spend about six hours a week playing games on their computer or phone, which means they spend a considerable amount of time in a sitting position. To give them maximum comfort, the new technology will scan their buttocks, and then the chair will be drawn in 3D according to the shape of the back.
Their move makes more than sense, as the gaming industry brings in $ 137 billion, and gamers are usually users of the latest technologies. Mass production of 3D printed chairs is barely in its infancy, but Ikea intends to commercialize this concept by 2020.
Source: CityMagazine, Pinterest!


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Vietnam’s semi industry fuels economic resilience
EP&T MagazineElectronics Semiconductors Supply Chain China chips GlobalData Intel report Samsung semiconductors trends Vietnam
Samsung and Intel activity bolsters positioning amidst global challenges: GlobalData
Vietnam’s semiconductor industry, bolstered by significant investments from industry giants like Samsung and Intel, and the relocation of major manufacturers from China, has partly helped the country shine amidst a global economic downturn. With a projected 5.1% growth rate in 2023, exceeding the 4.5% three-year average (2020-22), Vietnam’s economy is poised for a robust rebound. The government’s proactive measures, including monetary easing and increased public investment, are set to further drive growth at a rate of 6.5% for 2024-25, forecasts GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.
GlobalData’s latest PESTLE Insights report reveals that the country’s domestic demand remains resilient due to the combination of easing inflation and reduced borrowing costs. During the first half (H1) of 2023, final consumption experienced a notable uptick of 2.68% compared to the same period in 2022.
The value added in agriculture and services witnessed a growth of 3.1% and 6.3%, respectively, contributing to the overall expansion of the GDP by 3.7% in H1 2023. However, the industrial sector’s value-added saw a modest increase of 0.4% during H1 2023, marking the lowest growth during 2011-23 due to subdued trade. This was reflected in a significant decline of 10.0% in exports of goods and services, along with a notable drop of 13.2% in the import of goods and services on an annual basis throughout H1 2023.
“If external demand remains subdued or investment remains constrained, there is a possibility that growth could fall short of expectations,” said Maheshwari Bandari, economic research analyst at GlobalData. “The ongoing issues in the real estate sector, including the suspension of $34 billion worth of projects as of June 2023, along with a rise in non-performing loans, have the potential to negatively impact Vietnam’s economic prospects.”
Sector-wise, mining, manufacturing, and utilities contributed 35.0% to Vietnam’s gross value added (GVA) in 2022, followed by wholesale, retail, and hotels (13%), and financial intermediation, real estate, and business activities (12.6%). In nominal terms, the three sectors are forecast to grow by 12.8%, 12.8%, and 12.4%, respectively, in 2023 compared to 14.2%, 20.5% and 11.7%, respectively, in 2022.
Vietnam’s semiconductor sector is poised for growth as Samsung invested $3.3 billion (August 2022) and Intel considers a $1 billion increase in its $1.5 billion chip production investment (February 2023). Amid the supply chain disruptions and trade conflicts, Vietnam aims to be a key player in the semiconductor industry.


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US-based Verizon Wireless announced new data pricing for enterprise customers, as well as new software branded as Wireless Sync Workgroup and Wireless Sync Enterprise Server, for work groups and large enterprises. These solutions will use wireless “push” technology from Intellisync to provide wireless e-mail for enterprises of all sizes.
Unlimited use of NationalAccess is now US$59.99 for monthly access, while unlimited use of BroadbandAccess is US$79.99 monthly access.
NationalAccess is Verizon Wireless’ wireless CDMA 1xRTT data service that allows customers to access the Internet, intranet, e-mail, attachments and business applications from their laptops at average speeds of 60-80 kbps and bursts of up to 144 kbps based on Verizon Wireless stringent testing. NationalAccess is available in thousands of cities and towns across the nation.
BroadbandAccess is Verizon Wireless’ premier data service, based on the company’s Evolution-Data Optimized (CDMA EV-DO) network. This high-speed wireless service, available in a growing number of markets throughout the U.S., provides customers with average speeds of 400-700 kbps, capable of bursts up to 2 Mbps based on Verizon Wireless tests.
The Wireless Sync Workgroup and Wireless Sync Enterprise Server solutions for e-mail push will support both the palmOne Treo 650 Smartphone and the upcoming Samsung i730. The Treo 650 is now available to Verizon Wireless business customers with the latest version of Wireless Sync software.
An additional device will be added this summer (Northern Hemisphere) when Verizon Wireless offers Samsung’s new SCH-i730, featuring Microsoft’s Windows Mobile Pocket PC 2003 Second Edition software. The Pocket PC Phone Edition features built-in support for CDMA EV-DO and Bluetooth.
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A cure as well as a cause for The Munchies in one fell swoop?
April 20, known in the US as 4/20, has been a special day for cannabis users since the 70s.
This year it’s being celebrated by hugely popular fast food chain Carls Jr. with the trial of a CBD-infused burger.
CBD, it should be noted, is the component of cannabis that doesn’t produce a high. It has had various health-related claims made for it though. It’s been touted as a remedy for anxiety, depression, acne and heart disease.
It’s even said to reverse some cases of cancer. And in a week when we’re being reminded that almost any amount of red meat can lead to bowel cancer, it might be a good idea to add a little CBD to every burger.
Carls Jr.’s experimental CBD burger will be called "The Rocky Mountain High: CheeseBurger Delight.”
For now it’s only going to be available for one day, on April 20, and at one Carl's Jr. restaurant: 4050 Colorado Blvd.
The burgers will feature two beef patties, topped with Carl's Jr.'s Santa Fe Sauce infused with hemp-based CBD oil.
"The new Rocky Mountain High: CheeseBurger Delight ties back to our core strategy of being the first to bring bold and unexpected flavours that are at the forefront of hot restaurant trends to a quick service menu," said Patty Trevino, senior vice president of brand marketing.
“It is something that feels right for the brand,” she continued. “We are all about innovation.”
Cannabidiol, known as colloquially as CBD, is a chemical component of cannabis that doesn't contain the psychoactive components.
The US Food and Drug Administration has said that CBD remains a drug ingredient, and as a result is illegal to add to food and health products.
While some cannabis products have been approved for medicinal use in the UK, recreational use of the drug remains illegal.


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The long-awaited bridge to Dala from downtown Yangon is going to take a little longer.
Initially expected to get underway this year, it’s looking more like 2017, a government official tells the Voice.
Kyaw Kaung Cho, general manager of the Ministry of Construction’s Urban and Bridge Department, told the paper that construction will start in 2017.
“The consultation committee for the bridge’s construction will be elected in this month. It will take six to eight months to choose a design. Now, everything is fine about this bridge project. We already paid compensation fees,” he said, alluding to money paid to residents in Dala who will be affected.
The bridge, which would start off on Phone Gyi street downtown and extend over the Yangon River to Dala, was first agreed-to in 2012, but compensation amounts for Dala residents affected by the project were only sealed recently. Dala is currently accessible via ferries and an out-of-the-way bridge.
Under the terms of the project, Myanmar will pitch in approximately $30 million on top of the bulk $138 million loan, which comes from South Korea.
Support Coconuts and rep your city
Now you can wear your love of Coconuts proudly across your chest. That’s right, we’re getting into the merch business with the launch of our official online store, The Coconuts Shop.
Our first product is that ultimate wardrobe mainstay: the white T-shirt.
If you want to rep your city, we’ve also launched Coconuts City Logo Tees for Bangkok, Manila, Singapore, Hong Kong, KL, Jakarta, Bali, and Yangon.
They’re all sold exclusively at The Coconuts Shop – at a special introductory price of S$29 until Sep. 30, 2020!


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Ohio’s newer cash advance rules initiate Saturday. What’s altering and what it really way for an individual
One out of 10 Ohioans has taken aside a so-called “payday mortgage,” typically where cash is lent against a post-dated consult.
But establishing Saturday, the standard payday loans will disappear from Ohio, due to a rule died a year ago meant to split down on sky-high rates and tricky expenses.
It will likely be replaced with “short-term personal loans” which has a prolonged money repayment stage, a limit on fascination and charge and limitations on what very much can be took. The online payday WY modifications is approximate in order to save Ohioans $75 million each year.
Premises costs 123 grabbed effects in April, but organizations got just 6 months to change toward the newer rules and regulations. Pay check along with other little loan companies said regulations would close the company’s ventures, but over 200 spots have got registered to use under the new formula, such as 15 in Cincinnati.
CheckSmart established wednesday it’d prevent lending cash but carry on and promote consult cashing because solutions plus obtain costs on exceptional lending.
Another big Iowa pay day loan provider, Cincinnati-based Axcess economic, interrogate whether or not it can put its confirm ‘n Go shop open according to the new principles.
“Big national possibilities hardly ever advantages consumer or business appeal but we will have how market place responds to it,” Doug Clark, ceo of Axcess savings, said in a statement. “We think huge gaps stay in the state-regulated loan markets plus much more assets questioned consumers will have the most challenging moments continue with HB 123 treatments.”
Expense sponsor Rep. Kyle Koehler, R-Springfield, claimed the fresh constraints will make it tough for predatory financial institutions taking advantage of people. Koehler explained an auto name financing store in Springfield am asking consumers they wanted to pay up considering the brand-new guidelines or reduce her playing cards. The grocery store presented Koehler’s wide variety to disgruntled clientele.
I have found that despicable, getting true honest, people would treat visitors by doing this,” Koehler mentioned. “back when we solved regulations to shield someone plus they would address these people this way.”
Here’s a run-down of what has changed.
Financial products might be topped
One specific mortgage tends to be obtained from a lender at any given time. This is a big change from the old style, in which customers would obtain more money to repay away from the fundamental loan and sometimes end in a cycle of credit.
Legislation limits the level obtained to $2,500 from or many creditors.
Applicants really need to signal a declaration they do not have a lot more than $2,500 in short term personal loans, and financial institutions need to make a serious work to check out.
Funding will be more fair and transparent
What the law states caps financial products at a 28per cent apr and sets new limits on costs.
For financial products about 3 months, the payment (like expenses) cannot surpass 6 per cent of this borrower’s gross monthly revenue or 7 percent of net monthly earnings. For funding in excess of three months but around one year, fees and focus cannot surpass 60 percent of original amount you borrow.
Imagine, should you got a $500 money, you’ll not pay out greater than $300 in charge.
Each month fees tend to be topped to 10 % of the original amount borrowed or $30, whichever happens to be much less.
Regulations additionally shuts a hole financial institutions accustomed supply vehicles subject finance, when the purchaser’s car or truck registration happens to be collateral for any financing.
Borrowers can adjust their thoughts and repay early on
You will find a three-day sophistication time period wherein a borrower can deactivate the loan and give back the funds without punishment.
If a loan is definitely reimbursed early, the customer would reunite a prorated volume prices and interest.
We will have fewer sites to obtain a short-term finance
Ohio have well over 650 pay check and smaller loan lenders before the brand new rule.
Only 10 employers being certified available money under the brand-new laws at 217 venues:
Another 10 corporations need obtained licenses within the Iowa division of marketing.
Old payday loan online storefronts may stay available and offer service just like dollars purchases, revenue exchanges, prepaid poster, expense charge treatments, tax preparation and look cashing.
“Presently, one state-licensed bank offers credit completely agreement with all the General debt legislation,” they claimed in an announcement. “CheckSmart seems to be forward to additional loan providers bringing their products or services for this sector concept to give users with options to compliment the company’s assets requires.”
While there might be a lot fewer brick-and-mortar sites supplying debts, on-line loan providers can operate according to the law and a few are accredited. One is Seattle-based achievable financing, a mobile cell software. Achievable money produces financial loans which can be returned in four obligations over eight weeks. Money were authorized considering analysis of the debtor’s bank account operations.
“in the long run, the prediction that each one of payday lenders would get out of the state of Ohio has not yet come to fruitionKoehler mentioned. In reality, there is individuals coming to Ohio.


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While drones and self-driving cars have been making the headlines, Japan has reportedly have cracked the code of making flying cars. Though the car was caged and only hovered for about a minute in the air, it was a successful attempt to make the vehicle fly. In an experiment right out of the sci-fi movies, this has been accomplished by Japan’s NEC Corp. While it is a small development directing towards bigger accomplishments, there is also a debate on whether it really is a flying “car” or just a bigger version of a drone.
What Can The Flying Car Accomplish?
The prototype which was unveiled by Japan’s NEC Corp had four propellers that could smoothly hover for about a minute. It was powered by a battery and could rise to about the height of 3 meters or 10 feet above the ground before setting down again. While the prototype that Japanese electronics maker demonstrated was flown without passengers in it, the company claims that it is capable of doing so in the future.


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It is not the first time we’ve seen the top smartphone Korean manufacture demo its flexible display technology. This time they choose CES as the battle ground to show off their future display tech in a prototype unit.
Samsung’s Flexible Display is starting to mature and gets shape as it will be the main highlight of upcoming mobile displays. The unit shown off at CES 2013 has a rigid casing, just like any smartphone today, only that the screen bends around the edges showing its flexibility.
Covering the event, The Verge managed to get a glimpse at the device and consider the display to be around 5-inches in size, supporting about 720p resolution. The demo unit was running a basic version of a mobile OS and was lacking features like a camera or radios to highlight the main feature – the flexible panel. On the side that bends, Samsung sees future versions of the mobile OS’s taking advantage of the space to integrate shortcuts and functions. No word as to when we might see an actual product having the new OLED display technology implemented.


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The SD Association has announced its latest SD memory card specification. SD 5.0 features the fastest speed class so far, known as Video Speed Class. The cards will be able to support 4K, 8K, 3D, and 360-degree video recording (in addition to blazing-fast photo shooting speeds).
Minimum speeds for the cards will range from 6MB (V6) up to 90MB (V90) per second. V60 and V90 are designed for 8K video capture. Only need to shoot 4K? Then the V6, V10, and V30 cards will suffice.
On the technical side, one of the big advantages of the SD 5.0 specification is that it supports larger block sizes of up to 512MB, which will allow for faster operations since dealing with fewer blocks is faster than handling many smaller blocks. The specification also supports the simultaneous interleaving of 8 files, which will come in handy as things like 360-degree video recording takes off.
8K resolution seems a bit extreme by today’s consumer standards, but it’s closer than you might think. Panasonic announced in 2015 that it’ll launch an 8K camera that can shoot 33MP photos by 2020, and a recent report says that Panasonic will be launching a 6K camera by the end of this year. YouTube also officially started hosting 8K videos in June 2015.
“With Video Speed Class, SD device and memory card manufacturers can offer the highest-quality video recording to consumers and professionals that keep pace with the awesome video resolutions not only offered today, but anticipated tomorrow,” says SDA president Brian Kumagai. “New products leveraging the capabilities of Video Speed Class will be based on the high storage capacities offered by SDHC and SDXC memory cards.”
SanDisk launched a massive 512GB SDXC card back in September 2014. No word yet on when we’ll see SD 5.0 cards start to hit the market, but it shouldn’t be long now.


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A new entity has been set-up by the founder of Oyo, Ritesh Agrawal. Softbank backed Oyo which is a hospitality chain of hotels and homes and the founder of this valuable startup has introduced Aroa Ventures.
Aroa Ventures will deal in placing bets into the early to the growth stage of the startups and with the help of this entity, Ritesh Agrawal will become the latest Indian entrepreneur to develop something that works as a vehicle to make personal investments.
According to the website, Singapore-based Aroa Ventures is planning to make investments ranging from $500,000 and $5 million and the target sector for these opportunities is consumer, technology, and leisure.
The head of the venture is going to be Gaurav Gulati. When Ritesh Agrawal founded the Oyo and its first headquarter was Gurgaon, Gulati was working as the chief operating officer at Innov8 which was then acquired by OYO for Rs.200 crores.
“We believe that the long-term environment will always be favorable for making value-add investments in companies with proven unit economics and high potential to scale. At Aroa, we focus on growth-stage businesses in the consumer, technology, and leisure infrastructure sectors. We are operationally-oriented and seek to partner with entrepreneurs of high repute, building long-lasting businesses,” the official website read.
Aroa Ventures, which is an investment firm, is getting sponsored by RACo Holding and Ritesh Agrawal handles operations at the company.It was really interesting to see where this separated investment vehicle created by the Indian entrepreneur for his personal investments goes.


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Poco has revealed the Poco F4 design. Here’s what the upcoming flagship phone looks like.
Poco F4 design
The brand took to Twitter to share a video teaser for the phone. It shows that the phone will come in 2 colour options.
An image shared by the company on social media reveals a triple camera array on the mobile’s rear panel. The vertical camera bump houses the lenses inside a circle, with a horizontal LED Flash module placed outside the circle.
The branding on the device indicates that the primary camera on the Poco F4 5G is a 64 megapixels sensor, and that it supports optical image stabilization (OIS).
The Poco F4 has a side-mounted fingerprint reader, and a volume rocker on the right side of the frame.
The Chinese OEM has confirmed that the Poco F4 design has been certified IP53 for splash resistance. The company says that the smartphone has ergonomic flat sides. The top of the phone is home to an infra-red sensor, and a microphone hole
The video shows a brief glimpse of the Poco F4’s display, the screen seems to have a tall aspect ratio, and minimal bezels. A selfie camera is also noticeable on the top of the panel, housed in a hole-punch cutout.
Poco is yet to announce the launch date of the phone, but says that the Poco F4 5G is coming soon to India.


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England has always been a footballing nation, but even those who call it a ‘bore-fest’ have caught the soccer bug recently. Thanks to the successes of the England Women’s and Men’s teams in recent years, everyone is football-mad. The sight of someone wearing a replica kit no longer rolls the eyes but is quite the fashion statement – especially if they’re wearing rare and retro football shirts.
Next month (October 19 to 22), Mystery Football will host its first-ever pop-up shop event in Birmingham City Centre. So here’s your chance to get in on the trend. Across four days in the Bullring, the Droitwich Spa-based business will be selling obscure and sought-after football shirts from across the globe. Including national, rare and retro shirts from more than 30 countries and 50 leagues, past and present.
Starting from £24.99 for kids and £35.99 for adults, the likes of fashionistas, football fans and collectors will all want to get their hands on this unique collection. Shirts will be available for sale individually, but so will the brand’s iconic Mystery Football Shirt Boxes for adults and kids, in all sizes. While, on each of the four days, visitors will also be able to play FIFA on a big-screen TV.
“We have more than 10,000 shirts in our warehouse and from this stock we’re hand-picking the very best products to bring to our first-ever pop-up event,” said Matt Cole, Mystery Football founder. “People of all ages love the surprise element of the Mystery Boxes – generally they mean someone could get a football shirt from any club, in any league, from any country.”
“But customers can also choose from a current season box, a national team box, or a premium box which comes with a football scarf. The normal shirts we sell are from the past six-to-seven seasons and the retro shirts span the 90s and 2000s. We ensure our shirts are 100 per cent genuine and there will be some items for sale that aren’t currently accessible on our website.”
Founded in 2020, Mystery Football has built up a 60,000-strong customer base around the country. Stock includes such gems as Mexico 2022 World Cup, Atletico Mineiro 2023, Red Star Paris anniversary, Borussia Dortmund neon limited edition, vintage Birmingham City, Aston Villa and West Brom and more. Perfect for bringing back childhood memories, preparing for an upcoming holiday or even sorting some early Christmas gifts.
Opening times for Mystery Football pop-up:
– Thursday 19th October, 10am-8pm
– Friday 20th October, 10am-8pm
– Saturday 21st October, 9am-8pm
– Sunday 22nd October, 11am-5pm
The four-day pop-up shop event will take place on Floor 2, Bullring & Grand Central, 17/18 Link Street, Birmingham, B5 4BS. To learn more about Mystery Football head here.


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BBC's Panorama will tonight (11 February) focus on the dark side of social media influencers. It is unlikely to make happy viewing.
There can be little doubt that the stars of Youtube, Instagram etc. carry great weight and, well, influence. And with that responsibility.
But where does that responsibility rest?
Of course, individual Youtubers wishing to protect revenue streams will want to be careful about the brands they associate with. But can they be trusted to do and say the right thing? Experience suggests not.
The social media channels? Well, they don't seem to care.
Ultimately, responsibility must rest with the brands themselves.
And therein lies the rub. In the Wild West rush to bag an influencer, are brands leaving themselves exposed to a PR nightmare? Panorama thinks so.
We’ve all become more and more used to having advertising fed to us via social media, as our favourite Instagram and YouTube stars promote everything from their latest books to diet tea. But now the Children's Commissioner for England, Anne Longfield, has said social media companies who don’t start tackling irresponsible advertising by influencers should be fined or shut down. A BBC Panorama investigation has found that a teenager lost money on a gambling-type game promoted by a YouTuber, and another who had suffered from an eating disorder was approached to promote a ‘weight-loss’ drink. In the film, Ms Longfield says that "very little concrete action" has been taken by social media platforms to tackle the problems related to influencer selling.


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Wal-Mart, Best Buy, HP, Dell, Toshiba Establish ‘Green’ Electronics Label
Retailers Wal-Mart and Best Buy, together with electronics suppliers Dell, HP, Intel and Toshiba, have banded together to create a system to help consumers identify “green” electronics, according to a press release.
Acting under the umbrella of The Sustainability Consortium, the companies are working with Arizona State University and the University of Arkansas, the same two universities that Wal-Mart is working with on its Sustainability Index.
The consortium is developing sustainability standards based on lifecycle environmental and social impacts of products.
The new electronics label was criticized by TreeHugger for its duplicity, considering the pre-existing EPEAT and UL Environment third-party rating systems.
But the consortium says it will work to coordinate its ratings with EPEAT and Energy Star.
Initial results of the green electronics label are expected to be unveiled in the third quarter of 2010, with an emphasis on laptops, desktops and monitors.
“We plan to expand the project to a broader set of electronic goods later in the year, when additional manufacturers and suppliers will be recruited to the project,” said Kevin Dooley of the Sustainability Consortium and a professor in the W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University.
For a full list of Sustainability Consortium members, click here.
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Mobiles blamed as output slumps
A SLUMP in the production of mobile phone handsets following the Christmas rush triggered the biggest drop in manufacturing output for nearly three-and-a-half-years in January, according to Government figures published today.
Mobile phone makers cranked up production in December to satisfy huge demand but the following month, as demand dropped back, output by electrical and optical equipment manufacturers, which include mobile phone makers, plunged by 4.8%.
That led to a 0.9% drop in output by the manufacturing sector as a whole, the largest monthly fall since August 1997 and much weaker than the City had expected. On a year-on-year basis, output was up just 1.5%.
'The figures look pretty nasty,' said Daniel Kaye, an economist at Capital Economics. 'Although they have been distorted by mobile phones, I think the deterioration is broader than that. This is probably the first sign that manufacturing is really starting to suffer as a result of the US slowdown.'
The weakness was particularly surprising given a series of upbeat surveys of British industry published over the past month suggesting manufacturing was well on the road to recovery. The closely-watched report from the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply, which has a good record of predicting the official numbers, showed manufacturing activity picking up to its fastest pace for a year in January.
Nevertheless, some in the City said today's numbers suggested the manufacturing sector, which accounts for about 20% of the economy, has failed to grow at all in the first quarter of the year.
Lehman Brothers' Michael Hume said: 'Given the fact that the technology sector is particularly exposed to the global downturn, we would not dismiss the figures out of hand.'
Industrial production as a whole, which includes manufacturing, mining and energy production, remained at a standstill during January and is now 0.6% lower than 12 months ago.
Sterling shed earlier gains, dropping back to $1.4675 and 63.50p against the euro following the release of the figures, as the City speculated that they made a cut in interest rates by the Bank of England more likely.
Meanwhile, markets all-but ruled out an inter-meeting cut in US interest rates after the key employment report came in stronger-than-expected. Non-farm payrolls jumped 135,000 in February and earnings rose by 0.5%. The Federal Reserve is expected to lower rates at its next scheduled meeting, on 20 March.
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13 Dec 2019
Free to read: IMO responds to EU emissions push | Ventspils port calls risk breaching US sanctions | National Bank...
Shipowners must find the discipline to resist over-supplying the market, the flexibility to manage digital transformation, the foresight to read a market transition, and the commitment to keep safety ahead of commercial concerns if they are to succeed over the next 18 months.
That was the advice from the panel of leading industry experts brought together at a Lloyd’s List Business Briefing during Singapore Maritime Week 2017 to explore the key trends facing the shipping markets.
Richard Meade, Managing Editor of Lloyd’s List, opened the event by observing that the pace of change in shipping is accelerating, but that he was buoyed by the response from some industry leaders.
“I’m encouraged, certainly, by the cautious optimism I’m hearing (during Singapore Maritime Week) and the general consensus that we are well structured for a recovery, if not quite there yet, but I don’t think anyone’s suffering under any delusions that we have some very real risks to overcome still.
“Supply side concerns continue to loom over all sectors while the aftershock of some pretty seismic geopolitical developments have left businesses needing to prepare for a multitude of scenarios. China, OPEC, regulatory requirements, the return of shale gas, prospect of protectionist trade skirmishes all offer the prospect of demand side unpredictability.
“Navigating funding challenges, value volatility, all the inevitable minefields of bankruptcies, they all present an unusually complex set of challenges for maritime businesses to deal with right now.
“Shipping feels like a responsive industry. We are laggards who wait for others to make a move and then respond. That’s not the way to run an industry. The shipping industry landscape is littered by failed one move strategies. The shipping industry needs a shift from following the leader to leading itself,” Meade said.
Panellists at the briefing exchanged frank and revealing views and forecasts about the industry’s short and medium term future, primarily:
Download the full whitepaper below.
Our invited panel of experts at the Lloyd's List Business Briefing Singapore gave their opinions on the greatest opportunities and threats to their respective markets over the next 12 months, as well as their thoughts on maritime safety in the wake of the Stellar Daisy incident, and views on China and digital disruption.
Our panel consisted of:
12 Dec 2019
US refineries which have downstream units that upgrade residual oils into more valuable and lower-sulphur products are well positioned to...


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Kenya’s debut tea exports to Ghana under the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which were flagged off by President William Ruto on October 5, 2022 at the Kenyatta International Convention Center, benefitted from a 20 per cent reduction in import duty unlocked by the new pan-African trading bloc.
This came up Friday during the opening ceremony of the ongoing tenth council of ministers of the AfCFTA taking place in Accra, Ghana.
“President William Ruto said to me that all of the tea consignment that is being exported has been produced by small-scale farmers in Kenya and so there is a significant opportunity for small-scale farmers not only in Kenya but all over the African continent to benefit from the AfCFTA”, said Wamkele Mene, the Secretary-General of the AfCFTA Secretariat.
The flag off of Kenya’s tea exports to Ghana was the second trade consignment Kenya was undertaking under the AfCFTA framework. The first preferential export for Kenya under AfCFTA took place on September 23rd, 2022 comprising exide batteries valued at $77,000 (about Sh9.3 million) imported by Yesudem Company Ltd in Ghana.
Kenya is among the eight countries that implemented AfCFTA provisions to commence trading under the new trading bloc’s framework.
“I want to thank those countries that have expressed readiness to start trading under the AfCFTA. Those countries are Ghana, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Egypt, Mauritius, Cameroon and Tunisia. More and more state parties are expressing interest as they conclude the process of domesticating the AfCFTA in their law”, Mr Mene said.
AfCFTA has been billed as one of the interventions geared towards deepening the penetration of pan-African trade. The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) places intra-African exports at 16.6 per cent, lagging far behind Europe’s 68.1 per cent and Asia’s 55 per cent.
The agreement establishing the AfCFTA was signed in Kigali, Rwanda, on March 21, 2018.


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A new data protection law is changing the math for doing business in China, with foreign and domestic companies scrambling to comply, and some companies, including LinkedIn and Yahoo, are choosing to leave.
China’s personal information protection law, implemented this month, is the latest factor adding to a difficult political environment for companies operating in the country and changing the cost-benefit analysis. While the untapped business potential of 1.4 billion consumers was once an irresistible draw, that is changing more and more.
James Zimmerman, a Beijing-based US lawyer, said the Chinese market has become “less and less acceptable to Western companies” because of the “reputational risks of operating in an environment with extreme censorship of content and media. stricter regulatory conditions “.
The trade war brought politics much more into U.S.-China affairs, with Beijing and Washington applying tariffs and consumer product boycotts in their struggle for power. Nationally, Beijing has launched a populist campaign against big business, making the market less profitable for many companies under new, stricter regulations.
Microsoft will shut down the LinkedIn service in China after being criticized for censorship of posts. as genocide; silence protestors in Hong Kong with the use of force and imprisonment; and, most recently, the disappearance of tennis star Peng Shuai after accusing a former senior official of sexual assault.
Women’s Tennis Association president Steve Simon said last week the organization was ready to cease operations in China, which could result in a loss of hundreds of millions of dollars if Chinese authorities fail to properly investigate on Peng’s allegations.
On November 2, the same day the allegations surfaced on Peng’s verified social media account, Yahoo announced that it was withdrawing from the Chinese market due to “the increasingly difficult business and legal environment.” Days earlier, LinkedIn also cited a much more difficult operating environment in its decision to shut down the Chinese version of its networking site, although it said it would keep a simple job board. in China without social feed or possibility to share articles.
Yahoo had scaled back its operations in China for years, facing a decline in business in the country due to censorship and competition from local players. In 2007, the company came under heavy criticism in the United States for providing Beijing authorities with emails from two Chinese political dissidents, which served as evidence in their prosecution; they were then imprisoned. Yahoo closed its China messaging service in 2013 and its Beijing office in 2015.
Still, the company has held onto the Chinese market so far. Although Yahoo did not give details on the reasons for leaving China, its announcement came as the new data protection law went into effect on November 1, which the executives of the industry, would force multinational companies to make significant and costly changes to their processing and storage. of data.


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It?s a Woolworths Deathmatch! Fight! First it was Wellworths to rise from the chain store?s ashes, and now it?s Alworths. The latter is headed up by Woolies? former development boss, Andy Latham, and aims to stock games within its planned 200 stores nationwide.
Five Alworths stores were launched in market town locations last month, and Latham hopes to open at least 17 more next year. A team has been formed to handle the entertainment section, which will focus on family-friendly games and i-Globe will apparently be supplying peripherals.
?We will stock some of those can?t-resist games, but we expect out family range to be the focus - with Wii and DS at the centre of our offer,? Latham said to MCV
So which one will be better, Wellworths or Alworths? Do you know what? We?ll probably let Harry Hill field that one.


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Few things take you back to the school PE changing rooms quite like the smell of Charlie body spray.
The iconic teenage gateway fragrance has, almost unbelievably, turned 50 this year, and for many of us, one sniff takes us right back to being 14.
While body spray is back ‘in’ – you’ll see it in Gen Z shops like Urban Outfitters dotted along by the tills – for Millennial and Gen X women, its synonymous with nostalgia. After all scent, of all our senses, is most powerfully connected to memory.
Even on Metro.co.uk’s Lifestyle desk, the mention of Charlie brought up very vivid memories.
‘At school, it positively choked the whole room – there was actual Charlie fog. That can’t have been good for us,’ joked Aidan Milan, Lifestyle Reporter.
Meanwhile Lizzie Thomson, Assistant Deputy Editor, remembers ‘literally dousing my school uniform in Charlie Red.’
For me, it was Charlie Pink on regular days. Red was for anything extra special, or dare I say, ‘sexy’.
Han Randall, 30, bought a can recently when she craving a hit of nostalgia, to recapture a sense of youth – and simply have a bit of fun.
‘It was during a time when things were mundane, and I felt stuck doing adulty stuff working from home, living in a routine,’ she says. ‘I needed something to just chuck in my bag that wasn’t glass, and it was cheap at only £1.20.
‘Disappointingly, it’s not in the shiny metallic red packaging anymore, which in itself made me feel like the sexy grown up lady I wanted to be as a teenager.’
For Han, it conjured up memories upon sight and sniff.
‘It made me pine for a really solid group of girl mates who were always talking about stuff that felt massive at the time but now is basically inconsequential, like who was texting who, parties at the weekend, homework and getting told off for rolling up your skirt.
‘The essence of a year 10 girls’ changing room,’ she says.
But it might surprise you to learn that Charlie wasn’t always a teenage dream – in fact, it was pretty revolutionary when it was launched.
An ad campaign in 1976 for the original Charlie fragrance (the notes being citrus, rose, lily of the valley, cedarwood and sandalwood) featured women wearing trousers who were depicted as fun, free, and single – groundbreaking at the time.
None other than Oprah Winfrey famously said after seeing the commercial: ‘I wanted to stride like her with confidence. I wanted to be this fabulous.’
On top of this, the wider campaign featured Naomi Sims, making her the first African American woman of all time to be featured in a cosmetic company’s advertising.
A spokesperson for Revlon, who owns the company, tells us the brand wanted to ‘make a bold statement by recognising that beauty transcends ethnicity’.
‘The original Charlie woman made strides to push boundaries, comfort zones and the status quo, and she continues to do so, today, in the 21st Century,’ they add.
It’s hard to ignore the timing of this, falling in the decade after the free love and sexual liberation movement, which also came alongside increased talk of women’s issues, and the contraceptive pill becoming legal. Revlon capitalised on that new spirit of womanhood.
Shelley Hack, who featured as a Charlie woman and went on to star in Charlie’s Angels, said: ‘This became the best-selling fragrance in the world within, like, two weeks.’
She claimed Revlon commissioned a survey to find out why the perfume had flown off the shelves.
‘In the commercial, I pull up in a car and very confidently walk into a restaurant by myself. In those days, women didn’t walk into restaurants by themselves. So the response was, “This woman looks so confident. If she can do it, I can do it,”‘ she said in a 2010 interview.
Young girls of today likely don’t know that history, but half a century on, Charlie seems to speak to a similar feeling of exploring independence and identity for the first time – it’s just that we’re all going through those motions far younger.
Revlon didn’t want to comment on when the brand became synonymous with pre-teen and teenagers in schools, but did offer that ’empowerment’ has always been at the heart of the branding.
Though Revlon are in financial trouble, the spokesperson said ‘we will continue to build on the Charlie story’ in coming years – so perhaps there’s another 50 years yet in their low-cost fragrances.
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text: India is facing a shortage of test kits to diagnose Coronavirus cases. These kits are not manufactured in India. Due to the lockdown & travel bans imposed by the govt it is difficult to import these kits. In an interview to Network 18. Thyrocare Technologies Ltd, urged the govt to allow airlifting of COVID-19 test kits.


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Polestar is exploring a wide-ranging alliance with SK Inc, South Korea’s third largest industrial holding company, to advance its development of high-performance electric cars.
The two companies have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that paves the way for them to evaluate possible collaboration in areas that include EV battery technology and associated systems as well as semiconductor technology.
The scope will also include potential commercial opportunities such as battery supply for upcoming vehicles.
Both companies will now conduct technical, sustainability and cost feasibility studies for each area to evaluate partnership potential.
SK Group operates more than 120 businesses across the semiconductor, electric vehicle battery, energy and telecommunication industries and has about 100,000 employees across the world.
The Polestar 2 model range includes three variants with a combination of long- and standard range batteries as large as 78kWh, and dual- and single motor powertrains with as much as 300kW/408hp and 660Nm.
Its Polestar 1 is a low-volume electric performance hybrid GT with a carbon fibre body, 609 hp, 1,000 Nm and an electric-only range of 77 miles – the longest of any hybrid car in the world.
Thomas Ingenlath, Polestar CEO said, “The two words that unify Polestar and SK are ‘performance’ and ‘sustainability’.
“With this MoU we can evaluate the opportunity to jointly develop battery technology for high performing cars and other commercial offerings, with a focus to support our significant global growth plans.”
Dong Hyun Jang, CEO of SK Inc added, “We see the growth potential of Polestar and are looking forward to evaluating possible collaborations in what will be an exciting journey.”


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Cabana in Hatter Street, Bury St Edmunds going online-only after owner Jackie Over noted drop in footfall
Bury St Edmunds town centre has been dealt a double blow after two businesses announced their imminent closures.
The Bury Free Press reported last week that Paddy & Scott's Café would be bidding farewell to its Abbeygate Street store.
And lingerie and swimwear store Cabana, in Hatter Street, is also due to shut its doors after 13 years and move all business online after owner Jackie Over noted a drop in footfall.
“There are just not enough customers coming in the shop and we are competing with online all the time,” said the 57 year old.
“I’m sad about it and I shall miss all the customers but it’s about being realistic. People just aren’t spending the money and coming in to the shop so it’s a waste of my time being here when I could be working on other things.”
But Jackie has big plans for the online world, including a new venture selling bras and swimwear to women who have undergone a mastectomy as part of their breast cancer treatment.
“I keep getting asked by people if I do it and I realised there’s a real need for it in this area,” she said.
“I’d like to give back something and it feels right to do it. You can’t get these bras easily in this area so I’m going to be doing a whole new website for that separately.”
She added that she would eventually like to work with clinics and hospitals to provide women with the pieces.
A general sale is now being held in the store until the end of this month, when the shop will shut for good.
“I know it’s the way forward and I’m looking forward to it,” said Jackie, who lives is Tostock.
“It’s exciting to be going forward and keeping up with trends.”
More by this authorRhoda Morrison


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Women Business Owners Thriving in Fair Lawn
THURSDAY MARCH 28, 2013, 3:24 PM
River Road is known as Fair Lawn‘s “friendly, neighborhood business district.” What’s the secret behind the warm and welcoming ambiance? Some might say it has to do with a woman’s, or in the case of the River Road District, a women’s touch and influence on the mix of businesses and service providers.
“Fair Lawn‘s River Road District has had a significant number of businesses owned by women over the years,” noted Bob Landzettel, president of the River Road Improvement Corporation (RRIC). “And the trend has continued in recent times, with many new businesses with female proprietors joining the ranks of longtime district businesses owned and operated by women.