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Can it be? Belgians, who pride themselves on making some of the world's best beer, appear to be turning their backs on the brew in favor of coffee, water and other soft drinks. Over the past two decades, average beer consumption among Belgians has dropped by a quarter according to a study put out by their national statistics office. The average Belgian drank about 98 litres of beer in 2000 compared with 131.1 litres in 1980. Last year, Belgians ranked seventh among the world's beer fans, falling behind the Danes, Austrians, Luxembourgers, Irish, Germans and Czechs. Coffee is currently the top palate pleaser in Belgium, followed by soft drinks and water. Some feel that the drop is partly due to growing concern for health and road safety. Never fear though, Belgian brewers have been expanding their business to Britain, France, the Netherlands and Germany to make up for reduced consumption at home.
All research on this web site is the property of Leslie Beck Nutrition Consulting Inc. and is protected by copyright. Keep in mind that research on these matters continues daily and is subject to change. The information presented is not intended as a substitute for medical treatment. It is intended to provide ongoing support of your healthy lifestyle practices.


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Bangladesh Partnership for Cleaner Textile (PaCT) officially launched the Textile Sustainability Platform (TSP) at a city hotel recently.
TSP is a national-level dialogue program, established to address resource use efficiency, and environmental sustainability of the textile sector in Bangladesh, said a press release on July 31.
The platform aims to establish the social capital for dialogue between the public and the private institutions, by convening stakeholders related to the textile sector to work collectively towards lowering sectoral barriers, and improving the policy and regulatory framework.
Textile Technology Business Center inaugurated at BGMEA complexNovember 20, 2022
IFC-led PaCT helped factories cut carbon and water footprints: BGMEASeptember 12, 2022
Sustainability plan vital to RMG sectorAugust 4, 2022

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Fashion Week hits the high street early as Debenhams unveils campaign featuring Henry Holland, Jasper Conran, Ben de Lisi and Preen
- New campaign features some of London's top names
- Among them Henry Holland, Jasper Conran and Preen
- Multi-million pound film shot on location in Buenos Aires
First John Lewis touched the nation with a series of heartwarming campaigns. Then M&S hit back with an all-star line-up for autumn 2013.
Now Debenhams has joined the fray with a multi-million pound advertising campaign that plays up its style credentials and features some of London Fashion Week's biggest names.
Soundtracked by up-and-coming songbird Foxes, the 'cinematic' advertisement follows the designers at Debenhams, among them Henry Holland and Julien Macdonald, as they create pieces for the brand.
Scroll down for video
Glamorous: Debenham's new campaign focuses on its designer names such as Henry Holland
Hero products: The cinematic campaign takes a closer look at hero items by the designers at Debenhams
Along with Macdonald and Holland, other designers featured in the ad, which premiered during the X-Factor last weekend, include Preen, Ben de Lisi and Jasper Conran.
Preen designer, Justin Thornton, said: 'We
are delighted to be involved in the new advertising campaign for
'Two of our favourite pieces of the season are featured including a suit with bold graphic stripes designed to give a chic and sporty look to classic tailoring - perfect for the new season.'
Other heavy hitters from Debenham's stable of designers also weighed in to praise the new campaign, with Henry Holland describing it as 'great' and Jasper Conran saying it showcased his new campaign against a 'backdrop of intrigue and glamour'.
VIDEO: Watch the multi-million pound Designers at Debenhams ad
London: Among the names featured are some of fashion week's biggest hitters including the duo behind Preen
Debenhams say, the film, which was shot in Buenos Aires, features a number of 'hero products', including an £85 floral dress from Preen / Edition, a £79 J by Jasper Conran biker jacket and a red fisherman's jumper from Principles by Ben de Lisi for £38.
The move comes during what Debenhams describes as one of its biggest years ever, with 2013 marking the store's 200th anniversary.
Debenhams is also working on a £25 million redevelopment of its Oxford Street flagship store, which is due to reopen later this year.
Marketing Director, Richard
Cristofoli added: 'We wanted to create an ad that
appeals to the full spectrum of women that shop with us regularly.
'By showcasing a broader range of designer collections, we are using our airtime to talk to more of our customers, whether they love Betty Jackson or Henry Holland or both.'
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It’s been a busy month so far when it came down to snapping pics of the celebs in South Florida, but celebrity photographer Seth Browarnik had it all under control.
Whether it’s feeding wild animals at the Everglades Alligator Farm or taking pictures, Mario Aldecoa is the kind guy who really gets into his work. Cruise his website and you’ll find plenty of pictures featuring huge gators up close.
Dare to ride the streets of Miami with Tim Chapman and he’ll lay out the rules before putting the car in gear.
Instagram said today that it has the perpetual right to sell users’ photographs without payment or notification, a dramatic policy shift that quickly sparked a public outcry.
Your lens is on back-order and now the flash shoe is broken? While waiting for parts, your camera was deemed obsolete? Novice or pro, old school or digital, searching for the best camera store can become a hair-pulling experience. Here are some of the best camera stores in Miami.
If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a new photo exhibit might be worth 25,000.
Dance legend Mikhail Baryshnikov is in South Florida preparing to launch his first solo photography show, “Dance This Way.”
There is only one thing a new photo exhibit wants you to see: Beauty. But unlike the traditional modeling beauties of fashion and screen, CBS4′s Shannon Hori introduces you to a South Florida woman with flaws, who begs you to “Stare at Me.”
Creativity definately runs in the Lennon family. Julian Lennon, son of late Beatles legend John Lennon, is showing off what he can do with a camera. About 30 of Lennon’s photographs will be on display at Miami’s Adrienne Arsht Centre for the Performing Arts from Dec. 1-5.


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Bummer! Sales have ended.
Unfortunately, tickets for this event are no longer on sale.
Cups of Sunshine, a walking team for the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer, has teamed up with the Youth Group at Forest Hills United Methodist Church to host 'Crafting For A Cause'. It will be held on Saturday, October 5 at Forest Hills United Methodist Church, 904 W. Linebaugh Ave in Tampa from 10am - 3pm. Come shop with over 40 local crafters and vendors while supporting the breast cancer cause. Some of the items featured will be candles, jewelry, beauty, purses & bags, kitchenware, scrapbooking, edibles, wearables, many hand-crafted items and much, much more! This is a free event! For more information, email firstname.lastname@example.org or visit www.cupsofsunshine.org. Vendor spaces available.


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“There is only one Ralph Lauren,” so wrote Oprah Winfrey in a special edition of Vogue magazine toasting the designer’s 50th anniversary this year. "He’s defined American style for half a century," Winfrey said, with "consistently classic” clothing. It isn’t that Ralph Lauren reinvents the wheel each time he presents a new collection, it’s that for five decades he’s kept the wheel steady. And those “classic” clothes are not only go-tos in closets everywhere, but have stood the test of time for resellers of the label.
At LuxeSwap, a designer consignment shop in Oyster Bay, owner Matthew Ruiz says Lauren is “one of the only designers that has staying power. You’re not going to look at something of his from the '80s and say, ‘I can’t believe I wore that.’ I could legitimately line up pieces for women in the store from the '70s and every decade going forward and ask someone to identify when they were made. I guarantee you most people couldn’t do it.”
Ruiz’s inventory has included sophisticated pinstriped men’s suits, coats with a Southwestern vibe and even a nipped-at-the-waist jacket trimmed in Persian lamb that, from a silhouette standpoint, is not far off from what Lauren’s wife, Ricky, wore to the designer’s recent celeb-studded anniversary celebration in Central Park.
William Wagner of Bellmore, who owns hipster consignment shop Deepcover in downtown Manhattan where the likes of Jaden Smith, Aziz Ansari and Chance the Rapper have turned up, credits the Ralph Lauren Polo label for getting him into the thrifting business. “I didn’t grow up having a lot of money, so when I saw people wearing his stuff, I thought ‘I got to figure out how to get this.’”
To that end, Wagner made it his mission to shop estate sales and flea markets, ferreting out the brand. “Ralph Lauren draws on stuff that represents a luxurious lifestyle — hunting, fishing, athletics. He offers things that resonate, like an Indian head, the Olympics, tennis, and you think, you have to have money if you wear this.”
These days, many pieces, some decades old, uncovered by Wagner, sell before he even has a chance to post them on Instagram. His proudest find? A Polo ski jacket that he bought in a thrift shop for $20. “I was hyperventilating when I found it,” he says, given that it's worth more than $1,000 today. He kept it for himself for a year, but in a recent post showing the jacket on a customer, he wrote, “One of the hardest pieces I’ve ever had to part with, but it’s going to a good home.”


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Everyday consumer goods such as groceries and cleaning products have become much more expensive recently in Hungary, say 86% of Hungarians surveyed in a new poll on inflation commissioned by Népszava.
This includes 100% of opposition supporters and 74% of those sympathetic to the government, according to the Publicus Institute poll. But a quarter of Fidesz voters only noticed slightly higher prices, while 1% of them did not notice any change at all.
As for who or what was responsible for these high prices, the most common answer was the government, cited by 32%, or two-thirds of the opposition and one-seventh of pro-government supporters when broken down by political affiliation.
Global economic trends were named by 28% as the reason for high prices, while 8% said it was because of the pandemic. Notably, 8% of Fidesz voters blamed George Soros, the EU, former Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsány and the opposition for high inflation.
In addition, 80% of those polled said they now examine the cost of individual products much more than they did a few years ago. This was true for 70% of government supporters and 87% of the opposition. More than three-quarters of people are much more likely to keep an eye out for discounted products or sales compared to last year or the year before.


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Consuming green coffee bean extract may be significantly effective in helping overweight people shed pounds, say researchers at the University of Scranton, US.
“Taking multiple capsules of green coffee extract a day, while eating a low fat, healthful diet and exercising regularly, appears to be a safe, effective, inexpensive way to lose weight,” said lead author Joe Vinson.
During the test researchers gave either 700 or 1,050 milligrams of green coffee extract a day or placebo pills to 16 obese adults while carefully observing their diets, physical activity, heart rates, blood pressure and weight.
After 22 weeks participants lost on average 7.9 kilograms and reduced their overall body weight by 10.5 percent, scientists reported at the American Chemical Society's spring national meeting in San Diego.
Scientists couldn’t definitely explain how the compound helped weight loss but suggested that it may work by reducing the absorption of fat and glucose in the gut and also lowering insulin levels, which would improve metabolic function.
Although coffee bean extract is much less expensive compared to other weight loss compounds, one of its downsides is its extreme bitter taste that makes it difficult to swallow without a lot of water, said Vinson adding that no side effects were seen during the trial.
Nutrimental experts have, however, called for further evidence about the efficacy and safety of the extract, especially in long term. They also want assurances that green coffee extract doesn't cause malabsorption.
Vinson and his team have planned to conduct a larger trial involving 60 people to get a better understanding of the effects of the extract.


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Russia's Future Store Seeks a Supermarket for Its RFID Solution
The Russian joint venture is winding down a pilot deployment of its item-level RFID system, including smart shelves and RFID-based self-checkout terminals.
Apr 02, 2013—
Future Store LLC, a Russian joint venture that is developing item-level radio frequency identification technology for supermarkets, is currently in the process of selecting a Russian retailer and a specific store location at which to launch the first commercial pilot of its solution. The venture is owned by X5 Retail Group, the country's largest food retailer, Rusnano, a Russian agency dedicated to nanotechnology development, and Sitronics, a Russian technology firm.
The Future Store is nearing the end of its RFID pilot program at a test store being operated at X5's headquarters in Moscow. The joint venture hopes to see its RFID solution adopted by a commercial supermarket open to the general public by later this summer. The store is expected to be located in Moscow, but which specific retailer will operate it has yet to be determined.
X5 operates 3,472 stores, including the Pyaterochka discount grocery chain and the Perekrestok supermarket chain. Approximately two years ago X5, Rusnano and Sitronics formed Future Store LLC, with the aim of creating a complete RFID solution that could be deployed within food stores. The result, now being tested at X5's headquarters, is intended to increase efficiency at the point of sale (POS), improve inventory management, better control product expiration and speed up goods receiving. "Our main target is increasing the speed of trading processes," says Olga Karaeva, Future Store's director general.
Initially, Future Store employed consulting services from the Institute for Systems Analysis, the Russian Academy of Sciences and IT services company Capgemini. The company developed 15 unique use cases for the RFID technology, several of which were selected, including tracking inventory on shelves, self-checkout by customers and electronic article surveillance.
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The European Medicines Agency’s (EMA) has recommended suspending the marketing authorisation of Velactis, a treatment used to reduce milk production in dairy cows at drying off.
The Committee for Medicinal Products for Veterinary Use (CVMP) recommendation follows reports of adverse events in 319 dairy cows after treatment with Velactis.
Many of the adverse events were serious, including recumbency in 208 animals, which generally occurred within 24 hours of administering Velactis. In total, 71 deaths were reported in cows – most after a period of recumbency.
Although the exact cause of these adverse events is yet to be determined, there is evidence to suggest they may be linked to the use of Velactis.
Given the number and severity of adverse events following use of the medicine in otherwise healthy dairy cows, the committee concluded that, at present, the risks outweigh the benefits of the product.
The CVMP therefore recommended the marketing authorisation for Velactis be suspended in the EU until further information is available to show the benefits outweigh the risks – possibly under new conditions of use or restrictions.
The committee also recommended, as a precautionary measure, a recall of Velactis currently on the market in the EU. The use of the medicine has already been suspended by national authorities in some EU member states and the company has informed EMA it has suspended sales in the EU.
The CVMP’s recommendations will now be sent to the European Commission for a legally binding decision applicable in all EU member states.


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Banking institutions that are considering whether to accept virtual currencies, such as Bitcoin, must consider the risks involved, including money-laundering. Learn about the very latest Bitcoin developments.
Cloud-based advanced threat protection helps organizations detect sophisticated malware that is able to bypass existing security measures. The key is to start with the premise that the network is already infected, says Seculert's Dudi Matot.
Faced with a vulnerability that exposes Microsoft's Internet Explorer Web browser to a zero-day exploit involved in recent targeted attacks, CISOs need to take prompt action, security specialists say. Learn the steps they recommend.
The recent Verizon Data Breach Investigation Report notes more than 16,000 incidents in the past year where sensitive information was unintentionally exposed. "Nearly every incident involves some element of human error," the report notes.
The fact that the U.S. federal government would, under some circumstances, exploit software vulnerabilities to attack cyber-adversaries didn't perturb a number of IT security providers attending the 2014 Infosecurity Europe conference in London.
Following a data breach, sensitive information, including credit card data, is often sold through the underground economy. Security experts discuss why it's so difficult to shut down online criminal forums.
Industry analysts are debating why it took retailer Michaels nearly three months to confirm a breach of its point-of-sale network, and they're asking if the breach is linked to others, including those at Target and Neiman Marcus.
Verizon's latest annual breach report shows that Web application attacks increased more than malware-fueled point-of-sale intrusions in 2013, says analyst Dave Ostertag, who provides an overview of the report's findings.
Three years ago, trust on the Internet - or the lack thereof - focused, in part, on the faceless hacking groups such as Anonymous and LulzSec. Today, we have a face for this lack of trust, and it looks a lot like Uncle Sam and a Chinese Red Army cybersoldier.
In the wake of recent high-profile retail breaches, the PCI Security Standards Council is supporting a move toward chip card technology that conforms to the Europay, MasterCard, Visa Standard, says General Manager Bob Russo.


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Trump’s Mexico import tax plan casts a chill over TexasJanuary 26, 2017 Updated: January 26, 2017 10:55pm
President Donald Trump’s proposal Thursday to impose a 20 percent tax on goods imported from Mexico cast a chill over Texas and worried leaders from Monterrey to Calgary that the administration was starting a North American trade war that would increase the price of consumer goods.
The idea was raised by White House spokesman Sean Spicer hours after Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto called off a scheduled trip to Washington, a decision that came in response to Trump’s executive order to begin fulfilling his campaign promise to build a border wall.
House Republicans minimized Spicer’s remarks, saying they have been formulating a so-called border adjustment tax since June as part of a broader tax overhaul. Several top congressional aides said it is not directed at Mexico, but rather at an array of goods coming in from abroad.
In remarks to reporters traveling to Philadelphia, where congressional Republicans are holding a retreat, Spicer said under the “plan taking shape right now” the administration could raise $10 billion a year by levying a 20 percent tariff on Mexican goods to pay for a new border wall.
“It’s a 20 percent tariff for consumers,” said Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff, who was mayor of San Antonio in 1992 when the North American Free Trade Agreement was first signed at a ceremony here that included former U.S. President George H.W. Bush, former Mexican President Carlos Salinas de Gortari and former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney. “Mexico doesn’t pay it. We pay it. I don’t think it’s a good idea.”
That kind of tax could have a profound effect on car prices, manufactured goods and produce, especially in Texas where Mexico is the state’s largest trading partner, local executives and officials said.
Many worried that it also could spur inflation and unemployment in both countries. Mexico is the third-largest exporter to the U.S. with $309 billion in goods sold to America in 2015, according to the most recent data available from the International Trade Centre in Switzerland.
About $84 billion of those goods were sold to Texans in 2015, roughly a third of the state’s imports that year, according to U.S. census data.
Automakers who are heavily reliant on Mexican-made parts and vehicles may have to raise prices and pass the cost of the border tax to the consumer, said Scott Vazin, spokesman for Toyota Motor Corp.’s U.S. operations.
“Every car price is going to go up, so the customer will suffer for sure, and we think that’s going to be a challenge for us and it’s going to be a challenge for the entire industry,” Vazin said.
About two-thirds of Toyota’s midsize Tacoma pickup are built at the company’s San Antonio plant while 100,000 Tacomas are built in Baja, Mexico and imported into the U.S. Toyota announced late last year that it’s investing $150 million in the Mexico location to meet American demand.
“One possible scenario is you average the two and prices for all Tacomas go up, or do we rebalance our mix and say anything produced in Mexico stays south of the border, but with that scenario we’re not meeting market demand,” Vazin said.
The company hasn’t changed its plans yet, he said, “but depending on what ultimately is in effect in terms of tariffs and taxes, that could change our approach.”
Congressional Republicans emphasized that Spicer’s remarks did not represent a new policy proposal, but simply were an example of one way to pay for the wall.
Democrats were even more skeptical.
U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, a Democrat from Laredo, said it’s misleading for Spicer to portray it as a tax against only Mexico when it was part of a larger discussion over tax reform that has been floated since last year and would impact some 100 countries that import to the U.S.
“It’s very misleading for Trump and Spicer to say it’s a way to get Mexico to pay for the wall,” Cuellar said. “They know Mexico is not going to pay for it, and it’s a way to save face.”
Critics of the plan say it could reignite trade wars across the globe and raise the costs of imports for American consumers, regardless of whether the tax revenues are dedicated to building Trump’s wall.
U.S. Rep. Will Hurd, a San Antonio Republican who represents more miles along Mexico than anyone else in Congress, said a wall is the most expensive and least effective way to secure the border.
“As a conservative, I don’t believe it is something that anyone should pay for,” he said in a statement. “This tariff would be devastating to the communities in my district that rely on border trade, harmful to the thousands of U.S. companies that work hand-in-hand with Mexican companies to produce goods and services, and expensive to the millions of middle class families who will feel the pinch as prices go up.”
Many business and political leaders in trade-dependent Texas already have expressed reservations about the proposed import tax proposal itself, even without linking it to the wall.
Gov. Greg Abbott, who has championed increased trade with Texas’ southern neighbor since he became governor a year ago, had no immediate comment on Spicer’s suggestion.
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, an outspoken supporter of the wall who served as Trump’s campaign chairman in Texas, told Fox News he was “not too concerned” about any adverse impact of such a tax.
He suggested the proposal could be “the first warning shot across the bow” fired by Trump, and that the tax could end up being something less.
The Texas Association of Businesses said the proposal would cost the state jobs and tax revenues. Richard Perez, CEO and president of the San Antonio Chamber of Commerce, said the cost of goods in San Antonio and elsewhere would rise if a tariff is adopted.
“H-E-B imports from Mexico. Toyota imports from Mexico. Companies will have to pass the costs on to consumers,” Perez said. “The end goal of gaining jobs is a lot harder with that kind of strategy.”
H-E-B spokeswoman Dya Campos declined to comment. The San Antonio-based grocery chain also operates 51 stores in Mexico.
Mexico accounts for 60 percent of all vegetables imported into the U.S., according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
“Considering that nearly half of all the fresh produce that is consumed in the United States is imported, most of which is imported from Mexico, ultimately it will be the U.S. consumer who suffers through increased costs at grocery stores and restaurants across the country,” said Bret Erickson, CEO and president of the Texas International Produce Association.
Since NAFTA was signed, U.S. agricultural imports from Mexico have exploded, from $2.9 billion in 1994 to $21 billion in 2015, with the most popular imports being avocados and tomatoes, followed by berries, melons, and all sorts of green vegetables.
According to a study conducted by the Texas A&M University Center for North American Studies, Erickson noted, imported produce from Mexico accounted for nearly half a billion dollars in economic activity for the U.S. economy and close to 9,000 jobs.
A 20 percent tariff would increase the bill for fresh produces. Cutting off south-of-the-border imports also would hurt consumers’ ability to get recipe items year-round, said Regan Beck, director of government affairs for the Texas Farm Bureau.
Producers across the nation worry even more about retaliation by Mexico.
“Mexico is the third largest consumer of U.S. agriculture products and the third largest trading country,” Beck said. “We’ve quadrupled our trade with both Canada and Mexico combined since January of 1994.”
U.S. agriculture exports to Mexico went from $4.5 billion in 1994 to $17.7 billion in 2015, with the top products being grain and feeds, livestock and meats, and oilseeds.
“I think once they get into the numbers and they see the value that it creates for the American farmer, international trade of our grains, I think that they’ll see the light for lack of a better term and keep some of the same policies in place,” said Ryan LeGrand of the U.S. Grains Council in Mexico City.
Doug McMurry, executive vice president of the San Antonio chapter of the Associated General Contractors of America, said the construction industry in Texas would also potentially take a hit.
“In the days and weeks ahead, we’ll have a better handle on the types of materials that could be affected,” he said.
Ed Hirs, an energy economist with the University of Houston, said tariffs on imports could lead to inflation and unemployment, both in the U.S. and in other countries. A hit to the Mexican economy also would increase immigration from Mexico to the U.S.
“If Mexico is hit with a 20 percent tariff, we’d see increased unemployment in Mexico,” Hirs said. “He’s going to have to build that wall a whole lot faster than he thought.”
At the same time, a tariff could boost the U.S. energy industry in at least one way, Hirs said.
Hirs co-authored a 2010 paper that called for an embargo or quota on foreign crude oil imports for national security reasons, which also would boost North American oil production and push the country move more rapidly toward electric or natural gas-powered cars.
A 20 percent tariff like the one floated Thursday would help U.S. oil producers by raising the price of their commodities and sending more drilling rigs back into U.S. oil and gas fields, Hirs said.
“The problem is that we import a lot of other things that we consume,” Hirs said. “This would be a real negative for U.S. consumers on balance.”
Rey Chavez, CEO and President of the San Antonio Manufacturers Association, said he’s hopeful the two countries can negotiate a deal with “level heads.”
“The worst outcome is that we’ve got a pissed-off Mexico and a pissed-off United States and then the consumers will have to pick up the tab,” Chavez said.
Earlier this week, Trump tilted in favor of Canada by putting the Keystone Xl pipeline, designed to carry Canadian oil to the U.S., back on track.
Staff Writers Kevin Diaz, Jennifer Hiller, Joshua Fechter, Richard Webner, Lomi Kriel and Mike Ward contributed to this report.


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The maker of Beneful pet food is facing a class action lawsuit alleging that the popular dog food has led to serious illness or death in more than 3,000 pets.
According to a story from CNN, the suit claims that a mold byproduct used in the eight kinds of Beneful dog food has been found to have caused internal bleeding, liver failure, vomiting, diarrhea, weight loss, seizures, bloat and kidney failure.
According to The Associated Press, the suit alleges that in the past four years, 3,000 consumers have complained online about dogs becoming ill or dying after eating Beneful.
Nestle Purina PetCare, the company that produces the food, said on its website that the by-product - propylene glycol -- used in the food is an "FDA-approved food additive that's also in human foods like salad dressing and cake mix."
Propylene glycol, an antifreeze component, and mycotoxins, toxins produced by fungus found in grains, are what is sickening the dogs, the lawsuit says.
Bill Salzman, director of corporate communications for Purina, issued a statement denying the allegations in the lawsuit, saying social media has played a part in spreading misinformation about the food.
"We believe the lawsuit is baseless, and we intend to vigorously defend ourselves and our brand. Beneful had two previous class action suits filed in recent years with similar baseless allegations, and both were dismissed by the courts.
"Like other pet foods, Beneful is occasionally the subject of social media-driven misinformation. Online postings often contain false, unsupported and misleading allegations that cause undue concern and confusion for our Beneful customers.
The class action lawsuit, filed in California, seeks $5 million in damages. The plaintiff, Frank Lucido, says the dog food sickened two of his dogs and killed one.
According to Jeff Cereghino, attorney for Lucido, "All these dogs are eating Beneful," explained Jeff Cereghino, one of the attorneys representing Lucido in the action. "And the dogs are all, for a variety of reasons, not in the same house. So you take away the automatic assumption that the neighbor didn't like the dogs or whatever. He was feeding them Beneful at the start of this, and one got sick and died, the other two were very ill. And then he started doing a little research, and he realized the causal link, at least in his mind, was the food."
It's not the first time Nestle Purina has faced a suit of one of its products. The company created a $6.5 million fund to compensate dog owners whose pets were sickened or died after eating Waggin' Train jerky treats manufactured in China.
The fund was established after U.S. Food and Drug Administration officials said that jerky pet treats had been linked to more than 1,000 deaths in dogs, and nearly 5,000 cases of serious illness.


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Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar today inaugurated 22 bamboo clusters in nine states by virtual mode. These States are Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Assam, Nagaland, Tripura, Uttarakhand and Karnataka. A logo for the National Bamboo Mission was also released.
Lauding the success of the National Bamboo Mission, Mr Tomar said that the country is now gearing up to increase the export of bamboo products. He said, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has always strived that local industries should be protected and make progress so that local artisans get a source of livelihood.
The Agriculture Minister stressed that the Government’s goal in the bamboo sector is being achieved with the concerted efforts of all stakeholders of the Bamboo Mission. He said, keeping in consideration the importance of bamboo, the Indian Forest Act 1927 was amended in the year 2017 to remove bamboo for the category of trees.
Mr Tomar said, as a result now anyone can undertake cultivation and business in bamboo and its products. He said, import policy has also been modified to ensure progress of the bamboo industry in the country. The Agriculture Minister said, the use of bamboo has been an ancient tradition in India and it is now being supported with modern technology. He said, youth are also being given training for bamboo industry.
The Minister called upon the States to take forward the objectives of the Mission which would contribute to the call of Aatma Nirbhar Bharat through an Aatma Nirbhar Krishi. He said, the support being given by the Mission to local artisans through locally grown bamboo species will also actualize the goal of Vocal for Local. He said, this will help increase income of farmers and reduce dependency on imports of some raw material.
Source: News On Air


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Samsung will reportedly unveil two new versions of its Galaxy Gear smart watch next week at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) event in Barcelona. Interestingly, one of the Galaxy Gears will reportedly run on Tizen, an open source operating system, which the company is helping develop.
The current Samsung Galaxy Gear devices run Google's Android operating system. Unlike Samsung's flagship smartphones, the Galaxy Gear received a mixed response. The device was criticised for limited capabilities, bulky design and poor battery life.
The Samsung Galaxy Gear, however, marks first major move by Samsung in the wearable technology. It's worth pointing out here other tech giants including the likes of Apple, Google, HTC and Microsoft are also working on their wearable products.
New operating system also indicates Samsung is now looking to move away from Google's platform.
Sights are set on Samsung's press conference on February 24 at the MWC 2014 where the company is slated to showcase its next flagship smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy S5. The next-gen Samsung Galaxy Gear and other new devices may be showcased on the same day as well.


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Seizing a Missed Opportunity: Builders Can Improve Following-Up On Leads
By Mike Lyon, Contributing Editor to Professional Builder
Here’s a shocker: From 2012 to 2015, 40 percent of those who filled out a request for information (name, phone number, email address, and a specific question) on a builder’s website never got a return email. What’s worse, more than 70 percent of those online leads never got a single phone call. And a mere 3 percent of the 800-plus online secret shops conducted during those four years resulted in more than one phone call and two emails over a 30-day period.
For the last five years, Do You Convert and Lasso CRM have partnered on an annual research project to analyze home builders and developers across North America. We study builder follow-up with sales prospects who have requested additional information on the builder’s website, and each year’s data has shown that our industry has yet to understand the potential revenue from those searching for a home online.
The goal of this year’s study was to go beyond simply testing the quantity of the follow-up occurring and to begin to understand the quality of the follow-up that was being done. The results were no less surprising.


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The Pan American and Para Pan American Games, Santiago 2023, are one of the largest multidisciplinary international sport events in which athletes from across the Americas participate. This 24th edition is poised to make history as it introduces a groundbreaking initiative: the delivery of digital diplomas using blockchain technology. In addition, there will be diplomas adapted for non-sighted individuals, having audio accessibility through integrated artificial intelligence technology.
This collaboration between Santiago 2023 and LEVERADE marks a new era in Pan American and global sports, enabling athletes to enjoy and share their digital diplomas with their followers. This decision by the organizing committee not only fosters inclusivity and innovation but also contributes to environmental sustainability.
An Environmentally Friendly Legacy.
Beyond the realms of personalization and innovation, the introduction of digital awards brings forth another significant benefit — environmental sustainability. The issuance of 18,500 digital diplomas is expected to have a substantial positive impact on the environment. This initiative will save approximately 33 trees from being felled, significantly reducing the water consumption associated with traditional certificate production. Santiago 2023 becomes the first Pan American sporting event to implement such eco-conscious measures.
This move underscores Santiago 2023’s commitment to environmental stewardship, leaving a lasting legacy for the future of sports.
Empowering Athletes with Enhanced Accessibility
As previously mentioned, these diplomas are not just going digital in an effort to modernize award distribution and achieve an environmentally sustainable solution. Additionally, thanks to the technology developed by LEVERADE and utilizing trending tools like Artificial Intelligence, a solution has been crafted to enable visually impaired athletes to enjoy these awards through audio. This undeniably marks a significant stride and a pioneering move for all sporting competitions, promoting inclusivity and accessibility through the power of technology.
The adoption of blockchain in sports.
The rise of blockchain technology has brought about a significant shift in how awards and recognition are presented in the world of sports. Santiago 2023 has taken the lead in this movement by incorporating cutting edge technology, ensuring the authenticity and uniqueness of each achievement through a special certificate. This exciting development empowers athletes to personalize their awards with images and videos, providing them with an exceptional platform to showcase their achievements.
The concept of digital awards is gaining popularity among various sports federations. Already, more than 20 prominent federations have embraced this digital revolution to honor their athletes. These digital awards hold both sentimental value and can be proudly exhibited and shared in a digital museum, preserving a lasting legacy that immortalizes their accomplishments.
The collaboration between Santiago 2023 and LEVERADE represents a progressive approach to harnessing technology for the advancement of sports. The integration of blockchain and the concept of digital collectibles offers endless possibilities, not only in recognizing athletes but also in enhancing the overall sports experience. As technology continues to evolve, it is crucial for every federation to follow suit and explore untapped potential for the betterment of athletes worldwide.


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Original title: how much negative impact does the Sino US trade war have on the lives of Chinese people?
Last night, CCTV news made clear its position on China's trade war. It was not afraid to fight a trade war, and had to fight it when necessary. It showed China's strength and determination. What is the impact of the Sino US trade war on China?
The risk of the escalation of the Sino US trade war is increasing seriously. Once the worst situation of the United States comprehensively imposing tariffs occurs, it will have a certain impact on China's economic operation. This impact can neither be ignored nor exaggerated.
According to Washington's threat, the United States will eventually impose a 25% tariff on all Chinese exports of nearly $600 billion. In practice, this is certainly not possible. And even if some products are taxed, it doesn't mean they can't be sold to the United States. If half of the goods cannot be exported to the United States, this estimate is already very high.
China's exports to the United States account for about 16% of China's total exports. In other words, if the United States imposes a comprehensive tariff, in a very bad situation, 8% of China's exports may need to be digested through different channels. According to the analysis of economists, half of them can be digested with a high probability. In this way, 4% of China's exports will be affected. Since the share of China's economy driven by exports has been declining, this impact will certainly be very small after it is translated into GDP, which is more than 0.0%.
The above analysis is based on the full evaluation of the impact of the US tariff war on China. But can the U.S. government impose tariffs on all Chinese exports to the U.S. for more than a year? It's very difficult.
A 10% tariff on US $200 billion Chinese products is totally different from a 25% tariff on all Chinese goods. The United States imports more than one fifth of its total imports from China. The Chinese might as well try to think about how much negative impact our government will have on the operation of China's economy and people's lives if it imposes a 25% tariff on more than one fifth of its imports?
The price of imported products will rise, and many enterprises and commercial sellers need to change their suppliers urgently. This will be an annoying and chaotic process. Most of the electronic goods, sports equipment, toys, pet products, all kinds of bicycles and children's cars in the U.S. market will increase their prices on the basis of last year's price increase. The federal government has more tariff revenue, but the people have to pay more. Think about how many complaints there will be.
China will not fail to respond. First of all, American farmers will not see the hope of resuming their exports to China. No matter how hard it is to export automobiles and ordinary machinery and equipment produced in the United States to China, the rapidly growing U.S. exports of service trade to China will also be in difficulties. The U.S. energy industry revitalization plan will lose the impetus to export to China.
At present, both parties in the United States support a strong fight against China, but the new general election will soon begin. At that time, it will be everyone's responsibility to be patriotic. However, the responsibility for disrupting the U.S. economy and irritating consumers will all be shifted to the Republican government. In recent days, the American soybean farmers association and the industry committee have strongly urged the government to reach an agreement with China and take part in the re-election campaign with a comprehensive trade war with China, which will be a huge political risk for the Republican Party.
China is a mountain that the US' extreme pressure 'policy can't bring down. Until an agreement is reached with China, Washington's plan for strong negotiations with big economies such as Europe and Japan will be almost impossible to implement. In addition, the North Korea issue has also reached a deadlock, the situation in Iran is extremely tense, and the offensive diplomacy that the current US government is proud of will encounter obstacles everywhere, which will become a laughing stock in the election campaign.
The comprehensive trade war between China and the United States is irrational, and the U.S. government is its initiator. Washington does not want to do business with China, but thinks that it can arbitrarily determine the rules of U.S. - China trade, and promises to the public that China will make greater concessions and achieve a more favorable trade mode for the United States through the extreme trade war. If the trade war continues until the U.S. general election in 2020, the United States will pay nothing but the price, and the financial market will be in serious turmoil, it will indeed be the biggest political joke in economic history.
China has the strong leadership of the party and the huge institutional advantage of maintaining unity in the face of difficulties. We are fully capable of digesting and controlling the losses brought about by the reduction of exports to the United States to the maximum extent. If the US government forgets itself and refuses to deal with Sino US trade disputes realistically, we will have to send the political jokes mentioned above to the present US government. The Chinese are confident that they can do this.
We don't want to fight a trade war with the United States. We hope to reach an agreement as soon as possible. But Washington shouldn't force us to fight. We have to get to the situation of "who is afraid of who". China is really not the China that Washington's current policy circle thinks. So far, the Chinese government has not spoken harshly to the US side, but we are the only country to fight a trade war with the us to the level of US $200 billion or US $300 billion. If the US side wants to see the endurance of this great oriental country, please help yourself.


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This weekend marks the return of that semi-annual Georgia tradition, the two-day sales tax holiday, this one for back-to-school supplies. But when state legislators return to work in January 2016, they can seize the chance to bring the misguided tradition to an end. Experts from across the ideological spectrum agree that sales tax holidays provide minimal savings to consumers, overburden small businesses and fail to provide any real boost to the economy. Their existence is largely owed to the fact they “have more political than policy benefits,” as the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy recently said.
State sales tax holidays allow consumers to purchase specified items tax-free on a few days each year. Georgia held the event for eight years until 2010, took a break in 2011, then reinstated it in 2012. Georgia is one of at least 17 states holding a sales tax-free event in 2015, and one of seven that extend tax-free status to both back-to-school supplies and energy efficient home appliances.
It’s no surprise that sales tax holidays offer politically popular appeal, since the idea of getting a temporary reprieve from sales taxes sounds like a good thing for families at first glance. But if you look at the whole ledger, it’s clear the policy’s costs outweigh its benefits. The bottom line is sales tax holidays cost the state a sizable chunk of change in lost revenue and don’t do enough good to justify that expense.
The holidays cost the state treasury around $40 million each year and city and county governments lose around an additional $30 million. That adds up to real money at a time when Georgia’s state and local lawmakers are struggling to fully fund schools, meet transportation demand and keep rural hospitals from shuttering. Redirecting the funds Georgia loses through its sales tax holidays to these and other public investments could provide real benefit to Georgia families and a real boost to the state’s economy.
In contrast to the cost in lost revenue and potential cuts in services, sales tax holidays provide little direct benefit to consumers. Most families don’t take advantage of the holidays, and the savings for those that do is minimal unless they spend a great deal of money. In some cases families may not be getting as good a deal as advertised, since evidence suggests retailers tend to bump up prices during the event. One study in Florida discovered that up to 20 percent of the price cut consumers thought they were receiving from the state’s sales tax holiday was actually reclaimed by retailers.
Georgians who can’t shift spending very easily usually miss out the holidays entirely. Families that live paycheck to paycheck, elder Georgians and those with disabilities tend to lack the liquid capital to shift several weeks’ worth of spending to a single weekend. Families in households that earn more than $30,000 are far likelier to shift the timing of their purchases to a sales tax holiday than those that earn below that amount, according to one recent study.
Businesses and the economy also see little direct benefit, since consumers that do participate in the holiday typically just shift the timing of their purchase rather than actually spend more than they otherwise would. That means retailers are unlikely to see higher sales than if the holiday didn’t exist, since most consumers would’ve made similar purchases anyway. Consumers simply moving around when they buy things as opposed to how much they buy also delivers no corresponding economic boost to the state. In fact, the holidays can create some additional costs for businesses, especially small ones. Owners and employees must maneuver a complex set of rules that determine which items qualify as tax-free and which don’t. The process is not only cumbersome but can result in new costs like added man-hours or higher risk of audit.
The conservative Tax Foundation agrees that tax holidays are a bad idea: “Sales tax holidays introduce unjustifiable government distortions into the economy without providing any significant boost to the economy,” it says in a 2013 report. “They represent a real cost for businesses without providing substantial benefits. They are also an inefficient means of helping low-income consumers and an ineffective means of providing savings to consumers.”
It’s true that working Georgia families could use a break in the cost to get children clothed and prepared for the new school year, but sales tax holidays don’t provide nearly as much of one as some assume. Lawmakers would be smart to make 2015 the last go-round of this particular Georgia tradition. Policies like investing more in K-12 schools, supporting quality child care or enacting a state Earned Income Tax Credit could deliver a much better bang for the taxpayers’ buck.


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Venture capitalist Asha Jadeja Motwani, the wife of the late Stanford Professor Rajeev Motwani — a noted Indian American computer scientist who mentored Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin and helped design algorithms that currently power Google — has launched a fellowship enabling Indian entrepreneurs to network with entrepreneurs and seed investors in Silicon Valley and other tech hubs in the U.S.
Ms. Asha Jadeja Motwani is an active philanthropist, tech investor and social impact investor who is focused on sustainability initiatives which yield social results in her investments. She was one of the first women venture capitalists in Silicon Valley and was the Founder and Managing Director of Dot Edu Ventures along with her late husband Stanford Computer Science Professor, Rajeev Motwani.
Ms. Asha Jadeja Motwani has invested in over a 100 tech startups as one of Silicon Valley’s first women venture capitalists between 2000 and 2015. She currently angel invests in tech as well as social impact for-profit startups along with some of bay area’s top angels and VC firms. Asha founded Dot Edu Ventures along with her late husband Stanford Computer Science Professor, Rajeev Motwani to invest in student and faculty led startups in the US.
Originally from Ahmedabad, India, Jadeja is one of the first few women venture capitalists, angel investors and philanthropists in Silicon Valley. She invests in for-profit tech, internet and high social impact start-ups in the Bay Area, Boston, New York, Africa and India.


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Venture capital investment hit its highest mark during the second quarter since the dotcom boom days of 2001. While investments in consumer tech were high, enterprise tech companies raised at least $1 billion collectively.
Now simply called Genius, the New York-based company now runs a number of online communities
The company has raised $6 million in funding to advance the technology
The city said the startups were selling public spots on the streets
Yahoo Inc. has acquired video-streaming startup RayV Inc., one of several Web-video deals negotiated by Yahoo Chief Executive Marissa Mayer in recent months.
D-Wave Systems, which has been developing a radically different kind of computer since 1999, has installed a grand total of two outside its premises. But management, and investors, seem undaunted.
The Silicon Valley accelerator launched to help U.S. and Chinese tech startups expand across borders
Microsoft has acquired InMage, a startup that focuses on cloud-connectivity and data recovery for businesses.
The firm, Nextury Ventures, aims to back 20 startups a year
Blimps are back, with the ability to carry massive payloads cost-efficiently. But can the industry really rebuild itself?
Companies are building technologies that authenticate users based on their behavior--from how users type passwords into computers, or swipe a screen on a smartphone or tablets.
Local entrepreneurs are developing products and services tailored to the continent's needs—and hoping to discover the next great "leapfrog" technology.
France said Friday it plans to implement new rules for financial institutions that will require bitcoin distributors and other platforms to collect and verify the identity of their users before opening accounts.
A roundup of venture-capital news and analysis from VentureWire and around the Web.
While some people had been bursting with excitement about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s first budget this week, it proved a bit of a letdown.


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SAN FRANCISCO --
shares jumped to new all-time highs after strong quarterly results showcased the company's unfolding growth prospects.
In recent trading, the stock had climbed $11.21, almost 6.5%, to $185.57, one day after the company reported a
blockbuster quarter for U.S. and European sales of its core products, particularly its Mac computers and its newest franchise, the iPhone.
The results support investors' hopes that Apple has reinvigorated its Mac business and is establishing a beachhead in the cell-phone market as its brand becomes a must-have for digital lifestyles in the U.S. and abroad.
U.S. revenue grew at a brisk 25%, but was overshadowed by growth overseas.
Sales in Europe rose 36% to $1.34 billion, accounting for 22% of total revenue, mostly from the strength of the Mac and the company's iPod portable music player. Chief Operating Officer Tim Cook said there's "substantial evidence" that sales across the Atlantic have increased as the iPod's popularity introduces more people to Apple products.
The company has just 10 stores in the U.K. and one in Rome, but its iTunes music service is available in the local languages of 22 countries, many of which are in Europe.
In November, Apple will begin selling the iPhone in the U.K., Germany and France.
According to Cook, Apple's sales grew 52% in Asia, outpacing other geographic regions, albeit off a smaller base. The company has struggled in Japan, however, where sales fell 11%. But Apple's plans for Asia may hinge more on the region's emerging markets. The company is planning to open a store in Beijing.
In addition to new markets, Apple is moving into new segments of the consumer electronics market. The iPhone and the company's new iPod touch mark the company's foray into handheld video devices. Both come with 3.5-inch widescreen displays to play the growing number of movies and television shows available on iTunes.
According to J&W Seligman portfolio manager Sushil Wagle, the market for mobile video devices is still up for grabs. Apple is staking out an early claim to this nascent market and, says Wagle, has the innovative spirit and product marketing skills to capture a greater share of the market in the same way it used the iPod to dominate mobile music.
"The iPod touch is just a start, but Apple is going in the right direction for video," said Wagle. He also anticipates that Apple will keep its iPhone franchise growing with versions that vary in size, features and the ability to run on faster cellular networks.
"People have to realize that Apple is a family of products," says Wagle. "The iPhone on the market today is the first of probably many models to come."
The stock's strong showing Tuesday also stems from the company's unusually optimistic forecast for fourth-quarter results. For the first time in about eight quarters, the company's earnings guidance was higher than analysts' average estimate.
As a result, Wall Street analysts have rushed to increase their price targets for Apple's stock. Andrew Neff of Bear Stearns leads the pack with a $243 target.
Prior to the earnings release, Seligman's Wagle pegged his price target at $200. That now looks conservative. He's planning to raise this estimate "significantly north of $200."


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Mechwarrior 5’s first DLC will be a longer time coming than initially promised. According to developers Piranha Games the Heroes of the Inner Sphere DLC won’t be coming out in the first half of this year. Originally scheduled to release this month, then pushed back to June, the DLC has been pushed to a release later this year due to work from home restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. “As a result of all these changes, it’s unlikely that we’ll be releasing the enhanced career mode DLC in the first half of this year,” said a statement posted by Piranha Games. However, the expansion’s release will include a larger amount of new content than originally planned due to the extended development time.
Heroes of the Inner Sphere will focus around a new Career Mode, allowing new types job specializations for players in the campaign or in new standalone play as a member of one of BattleTech’s great houses. The map of the Inner Sphere will also be reworked with new warzones, new industrial hubs, a new mission type, and new questlines. As you might expect from a BattleTech game, there will also be new mechs, new weapons, and new equipment to field. There’s also a new Giant Moon mission biome and moonbase-type buildings to stomp around in.
A free update is also planned with a few features. A news feed will alert players to interesting new developments, like new technology and changes in borders. There will also be expanded radar for mechs, as well as “ambient and area-based heat effects.”
Mechwarrior 5: Mercenaries released last year and is available on the Epic Games store.


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Despite lackluster net income in the first quarter, Ford expects performance to improve this year.
The automotive giant expects full-year pretax profit of $8.5 billion to $9.5 billion, up from $6.3 billion in 2014.
Net income for the first quarter fell by 6.6 percent to $924 million, mainly because of a stronger US dollar and lower sales of popular vehicles such as the F-150 pickup truck. First-quarter earnings were 23 cents per share, versus 25 cents per share last year.
According to FactSet, analysts expected earnings of 26 cents per share.
The company’s chief financial officer, Robert L. Shanks, said on Tuesday:
“We feel we are very much on track to that breakthrough year we talked about,”
Analysts expected a tax rate of 29 percent for the quarter, however, the company said that the actual rate was 24 percent. This caused a difference worth around 2 cents per share.
Revenue dropped by 5 percent to $33.9 billion.
Nevertheless, Ford expects 2015 to be “a breakthrough year” for profits, based on new products and improved sales in North American and Asia Pacific markets.
The new Ford F-150 pickup truck.
Shanks said that if the F150 and Edge lines had been built at “normal production rates” in the quarter, over $1 billion would have been added to Ford’s operating profit.
According to a Bloomberg report:
“Ford lost output of more than 100,000 trucks since the start of last year while it retooled two factories that make the model. A plant near Kansas City, Missouri, began building the F-150 last month and Chief Executive Officer Mark Fields has said it will reach full production by mid-year.”
In an interview with Bloomberg, Shanks said: “Thank God for the F-150. It’s getting a very strong and positive market reception. It’s even stronger than we anticipated.”
Chief Executive Officer Mark Fields said on a conference call on Tuesday:
“We’re mostly through the launch of the F-150. As we get into the second half of the year, we’re seeing really great acceptance of our new products.”


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#viewability #lineartv #programmatictv #crossplatform #adspend #measurementsolutions #roi
Each week MediaQX curates for you the latest news from the sector, here is our latest newsletter: iSpot First-Half TV Transparency Report reveals 5% ad impressions increase year-over-year, daytime and early morning ad impressions among dayparts showing growth. -Simpli.fi launches ZTV, bringing highly competitive pricing to audience-targeted CTV advertising. - US CTV advertising company BrightLine has released a tool to help overlay advertising within streaming platform content.
Ad targeting company Dstillery enters the CTV space, new CTV targeting solution uses AI-Driven, No-ID Tech - A marketer’s CTV playbook for the 2023 Golden Quarter -Roblox is testing video portal ads in ongoing bid for brands, brands no longer need to build a Roblox experience to advertise - Advertising sales have taken a major hit this year but a new survey suggests 2024 could be better
4 marketing priorities for maximizing CTV’s value in 2024 - Madhive partners with blockgraph to expand first-party data activation, enables custom audience activation at scale across CTV households in a programmatic, privacy-focused manner - Barb has awarded three contracts for its audience measurement service - In global ad spend forecasts, CTV is poised to overtake linear


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Retailers cut prices ahead of Black Friday – and Brexit?
Prices are already dropping online ahead of Black Friday, new analysis suggests. Retail sales aggregator LovetheSales.com has tracked an 11% increase in the number of offers available over the last week, compared to the previous week, and a 16% fall in the prices of all products currently on offer from retailers – with a 26% fall in prices of women’s clothing. Prices, it says, are currently 20% down on the same time last year.
Some product categories are the cheapest they’ve been all year, says LovetheSales.com, with dining tables currently at their price since Black Friday 2017, and 46% down on last week. Prices of hair straighteners were 13% down last week, while women’s shoes were down by 8% – taking them to their lowest cost so far this year.
LovetheSales.com puts the prices falls down to a tough, hot summer, falling retail sales and footfall in September as more sales move online – concerns about the as yet unresolved Brexit deal and how it might affect spending over the peak trading period.
Stuart McClure, retail analyst and founder of LovetheSales.com, said: “In the last week, we’ve seen some big reductions in prices across retail. We’ve also seen uncharacteristic trends around product categories being at their cheapest in the year. This all points to retailers being concerned about performance over the peak holiday season.
“It’s been very tough year for retail. As we count down to the final Christmas in Europe, consumers will be wary about spending due to the uncertainty around a Brexit deal and how that will affect household costs.”
Deliveries slowed in September – are shoppers holding out for discounts?
There are suggestions that shoppers are holding off from spending, as they look forward to pre-Christmas discounting. The latest IMRG MetaPack UK Delivery Index Online detects slower than usual online shipping in September 2018 when it says retail parcel delivery order volumes rose by 6.4%, year-on-year. This, it says, is the lowest YoY rate in 2018 so far and also compares poorly with previous years. Order volumes often slow from month to month around this time of year, but this year, says IMRG, the decline has been sharper than usual. Between August and September, deliveries fell by 15.1% – a faster decline than the 12% drop seen last year between the same months.
“Does this suggest that shoppers have been holding off a bit and we’ll be heading for a big Black Friday and Christmas peak trading period, or could it be a reflection that people are perhaps not finding themselves with much disposable income and, given all the uncertainty around the UK economy at the moment, will retailers have to work even harder to hit their targets during the Golden Quarter this year?” asked Andrew Starkey, head of e-logistics at IMRG.
The index also found a record percentage of orders were sent using next-day delivery in September, with 55% of UK-delivered orders using the option. IMRG and MetaPack say that next-day delivery services are often used to drive sales and retain customer loyalty, but retailers’ abilities to fulfil the increasing volume of time-sensitive orders will be an important factor in how industry performs over 2018’s final quarter and, in particular, during the Black Friday peak, when order volumes are significantly higher than other times of year.
Meanwhile, IMRG says the percentage of orders arriving on-time has declined over the past 18 months or so, settling at around 90% for most of the year. Before next-day accounted for such a large share of orders, the rate was closer to 94%, it says, warning that if an increasing number of ‘guaranteed’ next-day orders are delivered outside the promised time window, customer experience would be impacted accordingly.
Maria Dahlquist Canton, global marketing director at MetaPack, said: “Peak will put retailer and carrier systems to the test when it comes to supporting services such as next-day delivery, which are clearly popular as our Index shows. However, if they use the sophisticated delivery planning tools that most have at their disposal, this should mean that they can meet customer expectations even if volumes rise sharply as we expect.”


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Daniel Abramowitz likes Escalade. This company is in transition right now as it is selling the under-performing parts of the company and looking to grow its profitable businesses.
Imperial Capital had a recent write-up on the company here. They note that archery and table tennis equipment is a slow growth industry, but the company may look to grow through acquisitions, like their recent one of Cue and Case. The company also pays a dividend.


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Target explains the wait
Target has faced intense criticism for the cyberattack and its handling of the matter, and the theft is expected to cost it hundreds of millions of dollars, only some of which will be covered by insurance.
Target has said it first heard about a possible breach from the U.S. Justice Department on Dec. 12 and that it confirmed the attack and eliminated all known malware on Dec. 15. But the company did not publicly disclose the breach until Dec. 19, the morning after a data security blogger revealed it.
The company has said it was moving as quickly as possible to give customers accurate information, while hiring an independent forensics investigator and working with law enforcement.
“As soon as we identified and removed the malware from our system on 12/15, we immediately began the process of notifying the relevant financial institutions,” spokeswoman Molly Snyder said in an e-mail. “Each state has their own notification requirements and we were working around the clock to ensure we could reach the greatest numbers of U.S. guests in a way that would provide them with information, be clear about what happened, provide resources and next steps.”
Snyder said Target knew it needed to prepare for “a massive increase in volume of calls.”
The attack began after thieves stole network credentials from a heating and refrigeration contractor in Pennsylvania and used them to infiltrate Target’s computer networks, inserting malware on the point-of-sale systems at cash registers in more than 1,700 U.S. stores.
Attackers ultimately made off with two sets of data: the payment card information of about 40 million customers and personal information, such as phone numbers and e-mail addresses, of 70 million customers.
Costly to banks, credit unions
Considered one of the country’s largest recorded data breaches, the heist remains the subject of several investigations.
The breach forced banks and credit unions across the country to reissue millions of debit and credit cards, an expensive endeavor estimated to have cost them more than $200 million to date. So far they’ve replaced about half of the 40 million cards affected, the Consumer Bankers Association and the Credit Union National Association said Tuesday.
How much of that effort is being driven by actual fraud on cards, or the desire to be proactive and head off potential fraud, isn’t clear. The full extent of what crooks have done with the information will not be known for some time.
Jennifer Bjorhus • 612-673-4683


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Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss, the twins whose names you may know from “The Social Network” movie, hold about $25 million in Bitcoin. They recently announced the launch of their own price tracker for the digital currency. Since MtGox, known as the most prominent Bitcoin exchange, prevented withdrawals a few weeks ago, sources of information on Bitcoin like RTBTC have become unreliable. Winklevoss’ project, “Winkdex”, is going to solve the problem.
Cameron Winklevoss, the chief executive officer of the company behind Winkdex, believes that they will establish an accurate spot price which will reflect the real value of Bitcoin and resolve the price confusion existing thanks to the different exchanges. His brother Tyler is the president of the company. Twins say that the creation of an index reflecting accurate pricing will help to ensure wider acceptance of Bitcoin as an asset class.
Winkdex takes an amalgamation of Bitcoin prices over 6 exchanges, including Japanese MtGox, British Bitstamp and Bulgarian BTC-E. Then the prices are averaged together through a “proprietary, patent pending Winkdex formula”. The later takes into account volume and timing of transactions, providing more weight to transactions that have had more trades in the last couple hours.
The Winklevoss twins will use Winkdex internally to price their own Bitcoin holdings. Those have never been publicly disclosed. One year ago, the brothers admitted their holdings amounted to 1% of all Bitcoins in existence. Thus, some can make a conclusion that it would equate to an investment of $11 million in last year prices. If the Winkdex sets price of Bitcoin at $592, it will mean that the Winklevoss have more than doubled their money in the interim.
A decade ago, the brothers sued Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg for $140 million, accusing Mark of stealing their idea for the social network. Four years later, the case was settled for $65 million.


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Police: Woman camps out at store, leaves after hours with merchandise
No arrests made
Edmond police are looking for the woman they believe stole from the Old Navy store on South Bryant Avenue.
Police responded to an alarm at the store last Monday. An officer said he found the front door to the store unlocked and no signs of forced entry.
An employee of the store was adamant that they had locked the doors when they closed for the night. After looking at surveillance video, police discovered a woman had come to the store around 2:30 p.m. and didn't leave until after the store had closed.
The woman can be seen unlocking the door and leaving with an Old Navy big filled with an unknown amount of store merchandise.
If you recognize the woman seen in the pictures associated with this story, you are asked to called Edmund Police at 405-359-4420.


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Congratulations are in order for the Class of 2018. Not only have they completed their undergrad degrees, but they also represent the first of Generation Z to leave college campuses with diplomas in hand. While the oldest members are just entering the job market, millions more are starting their undergraduate careers. Though they may be young, they’re already a generation known for their focus on their finances. They’re a generation using innovative data-driven FinTech to support their fiscally conservative behavior.
Gen Z gets a bad rap. Just like their older siblings, the Millennials, they’re often maligned by the media. The average Gen Z has their face glued to a screen and has an 8-second attention span. While it’s true they’re using their phones more than any other generation before them, they have surprisingly traditional values when it comes to money.
Financial stability rates high in Gen Z, and they place value on work, money, and assets more than Millennials. According to the latest Cassandra Report, 39 percent of Gen Z would rather save their money than spend it, and 60 percent align success with having “a lot of money”.
They aim to achieve these goals by learning how to use their money responsibly. Despite their relatively young age, 35 percent have enrolled in a financial class of some sort, surpassing Millennials (12 percent) and Baby Boomers (16 percent). They’re supplementing what they know with lessons from their parents. According to the Center’s White Paper The State of Gen Z 2017, 56 percent of this generation have talked about saving money with their parents.
Their experiences growing up while their parents faced financial difficulties during the recession changed their attitudes towards money. Likewise, the Millennials’ doomed experience with the job market and record-high student loans acted as a lesson to Gen Z following in their footsteps.
As a result, they’re a cautious generation who sees the market as an untrustworthy entity. While they have relatively conservative financial goals, Gen Z’s use of technology is more advanced than other generations. They’re using their phones to help navigate the world of money with care.
Remember, they’re the first true digital natives of the world. The Pew Research Center pins 1997 as the first year of Gen Z, coincidentally the year Google first launched. While the oldest can’t remember a time without the ubiquitous search engine, its youngest members are not much older than the first generation of iPhones, first released in 2007.
Their access to information has always been immediate and in the palms of their hands. They’ve always been connected to family, friends, and brands through mobile devices, and they expect the same 24/7 access to their finances. If a service is too slow to load, they’ll exit the window and move onto the next.
Steph Wissink, the managing director and consumer research analyst at Jefferies, says this intimate relationship with technology has created a generation of “info-nivores”. She says they rarely make uninformed or impulsive financial decisions because they’re able to leverage their mobile connection to find the answers they need. They’re connoisseurs of digital research, and they prefer simple, straightforward data over unnecessary complex or dense pages of text.
Gen Z wants fast access to straightforward information, which puts them at odds with legacy systems of retail banks and other conventional financial institutions. They’re known as legacy systems for a reason — they’re old-fashioned and time-intensive standards regulating how they process customer requests. First put into place to protect the bank and its customers, they’ve since become a knot of red tape that can complicate and delay their services.
If you need to do anything beyond simple online banking, customers have to go into a branch and speak with a bank representative — taking time off from school or work to accommodate the bank’s opening hours. They then may have to wait days, weeks, or even months for these institutions to respond.
FinTech presents an alternative free of these bureaucratic complexities. Though they offer similar products (like personal loans, lines of credit, and mortgages), they do it primarily online to remove many of the barriers traditionally stopping people from finding help.
FinTech’s mobile platform resonates with Gen Z because it’s convenient, simple, and available 24/7. It includes mobile banks like Chime that offer a digital way to transfer funds, set payment schedules, and even deposit a check instantly without ever going to a branch. Incidentally, Chime doesn’t even have a single branch, as they operate entirely online. This online platform is another reason why online lenders can offer fast, uncomplicated access to cash loans and other financial assistance. They can process requests quickly, and in the case of a company like MoneyKey, they can direct deposit the loan online within one business day.
FinTech offers solutions that are simple, automatic, and straightforward — three things the traditional banking system struggle to offer. This might cost them a large chunk of Generation Z. In its report, Generation Z: The Kids Are All Right, Raddon subdivides the generation according to their attitudes towards alternative FinTech services and their delivery channels. At 34 percent, Conventionals represent just over a third of Gen Z who prefer to complete their banking with a face-to-face bank or credit union. They’re outnumbered by the Pioneers and Digitals who, together, represent 65 percent. They prefer to navigate electronic channels to find solutions to their financial questions, including spending, saving, and borrowing money.
As the first true digital natives of the world, Generation Z’s behaviour is a refreshingly modern approach to relatively old-fashioned concerns. Despite their young age, they prioritize the responsible use of their money, and they’re using their abilities behind the screen to find mobile-first services to help them achieve their goals.


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Over the past several years, innovative technologies have emerged to enhance the processes used by industries across the globe. One of the most important, but least-talked about is the almost trillion-dollar packaging industry.
During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, bottlenecks in global supply chains caused widespread disruptions to virtually every sector of e-commerce. For many, this period was their first direct experience with the packaging industry — one that Philip Weinman, co-founder of Packform, referred to as, “the industry that technology forgot about.”
Considered one of the most prominent business leaders and entrepreneurs in Australia, Weinman is a serial innovator widely regarded for his repeated ability to identify critical gaps in consumer markets and disrupt their respective industries with revolutionary — and oftentimes, much-needed — changes that improve upon their existing processes.
“Prior to Packform, there wasn’t any digital platform available that helped align the packaging industry’s customers with its brokers, suppliers, or salespeople,” said Weinman. “Our platform’s technology is bringing the packaging industry into the digital era, offering new advantages to all stakeholders in need of custom or stock packaging options.”
Launched just prior to the pandemic’s onset, Packform is an end-to-end technology platform that has transformed the packaging industry by streamlining the process through which its customers, suppliers, and dealers (i.e., independent salespeople) buy and sell their products and services. Packform’s digital marketplace provides each of these stakeholders with efficient and transparent access to one another in an industry that has historically suffered from outdated, fragmented processes and routine delays in its supply chain.
“In the US market there are over 4,000 packaging distributors,” said Jed Wockenfuss, who formerly served as the Senior Vice President of Landsberg Orora prior to recently joining Packform as a partner, “but the top 5 represent less than 10% of the total market and still use the same outdated processes. To make matters worse, traditional packaging companies have sky-high overheads due to large executive salaries, warehouses stocked with inventory, and bad customer debts. To yield just 5% EBITDA, they are forced to increase margins, thereby passing those costs onto the customer.”
Wockenfuss states that, in partnering with Packform, his observation of the packaging industry showed one lacking a focus on both transparency and providing positive experiences for its stakeholders. That same lack in transparency and focus, however, was one he and — as well as Packform’s team of co-founders — knew could easily be remedied with a digital solution; one with the goal to disrupt the entire packaging industry.
“Joining those parties through an easy-to-use platform has cut an enormous amount of friction out of the packaging process. Users of Packform’s platform are no longer spending their days chasing down quotes, dockets, invoices, or suppliers; it’s all there on the platform and accessible from their desktop or mobile device, whenever they need it.”
When the COVID-19 pandemic began making international headlines, Packform — like many other businesses — was faced with a new set of challenges impacting worldwide supply chain issues. Yet, unlike many other businesses, the company’s agile team, combined with a lack of warehouses (and the overhead expenses that come with operating them) and a direct delivery model from supplier to customer continued thriving. At the same time, most of their competitors were sunk by the same antiquated processes they had relied on for years.
“When the pandemic became an inevitable reality,” said Packform co-founder Preston Geeting, “our disruptive model quickly allowed us to source and onboard fresh suppliers.” Updating its platform’s digital database virtually overnight, Packform included suppliers of personal protective equipment (PPE) and other high-demand items, leading the company to increase its average revenue per order by 17%. “This was a pivot that our more ‘traditional’ competitors, particularly those without integrated tech platforms, simply could not execute,” he added.
“We also committed to ensuring our payables were better than the industry average to increase confidence with our existing supplier base, and to develop a reputation for payment reliability within the industry,” added Geeting. “Furthermore, we donated our technology to a not-for-profit organization in the UK to assist them with sourcing PPE for front-line workers. This resulted in us building a new version of the platform, enabling transacts to be made in GBP, and ultimately helped grow our supply network in Europe.”
Indeed, the disruptions brought to the broader packaging industry by Packform are as extensive as they are necessary. Not only does their platform provide innovative solutions and tools for the industry’s suppliers, dealers, and customers — making the process from generating quotes to providing proof of delivery automated — but also helps eliminate extensive overhead costs the industry has traditionally relied upon to operate by eschewing the need for warehousing immense amounts of inventory.
“This platform is a one-stop-shop for the packaging solutions,” Geeting said. “It’s bringing the packaging industry into the digital age of the 21st-century.”
Original Source: Bringing the Packaging Industry into the Digital Age, Digital Journal, 11 July 2022.


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Despite making some progress to recoup losses on Friday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI 2.18%) is back in a downward dip this morning. Though it is recovering from its initial fall, the index remains at a 47-point loss at 11:15 a.m. EDT. Without much economic news to help it inspire investors, the Dow must rely on its component stocks to do the hard lifting.
They have some help though, coming from Asia, as the new Japanese stimulus plan took effect today. The Bank of Japan purchased 1.2 trillion yen in bonds from municipalities with maturities dating five years out. The country announced recently that it would be doubling its balance sheet through new bond purchases.
Dow's strongest players today
Disney (DIS 1.22%) is by far the strongest component this morning, up 0.83%. It was reported last week that the media and entertainment giant will begin layoffs in its studio and consumer products divisions over the next few weeks as a result of an internal company review. Though it is unclear how many layoffs will be completed, it shows that the company is consistently looking for ways to make itself leaner. Last week Disney announced that the video game division of its recently acquired LucasFilm, LucasArts, would no longer be producing games.
Coca-Cola (KO 3.34%) is also up this morning, with a 0.81% gain. No big news for the beverage company so far this morning, but with its continued push to expand internationally, investors are happy to jump on board the dividend aristocrat. Coca-Cola has plans to spend $700 million in Indonesia over the next three years -- marking the Asian country as the next big emerging market. With a rising middle class, the company is hinging its success on more available disposable income in the country. The beverage behemoth still remains the Dow's least-shorted stock.
Ahead of its earnings announcement that will kick off the new earnings season tonight, Alcoa (AA) is on the rise. Up 0.49% this morning, the company's earnings may set the tone for the broader materials market, and even the Dow itself. With a lot resting on its Chinese sector, investors will want to pay attention to how the company reports its results from the Asian country. Overall, Alcoa was forecasting earnings growth of 9% to 10% for the year. Weakened aluminum prices have created mixed opinion on whether that range is realistic.
The biggest loser this morning is Johnson & Johnson (JNJ 1.38%), with a drop of 1.5%. Just a few days after a huge courtroom win, the Band-Aid giant was downgraded by JPMorgan to neutral. Though the analyst downgraded the company, JPM's price target for J&J was raised to $83 from $77, which makes perfect sense given that the stock currently trades around $80.


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We know it's coming, we just don't know when. During the long-winded marathon set of product announcements and long-term strategies laid out by Fiat and Chrysler head Sergio Marchionne, it was revealed that both Chrysler and Dodge would get new compact vehicles to replace the no-longer-in-production PT Cruiser and unloved Caliber hatchback.
Late last year, Alfa Romeo previewed the all-new Giulietta ahead of its reveal at next month's Geneva Motor Show. While the five-door hatch is enough to make Stateside consumers weak in the knees – particularly in Quadrifoglio Verde trim – the impact in the U.S. figures to be much more substantial.
Hot on the heels of news that the Dodge Viper's Conner Avenue facility would be the first Chrysler plant to fire up after the company's bankruptcy proceedings/Fiat tie-up comes official word that the automaker will resume production at seven plants the week of June 29. In addition, Chrysler will bring the supporting powertrain and stamping plants online that supply the assembly factories listed below with parts.
We've been telling you that Chrysler's PT Cruiser is destined for death for years now, yet the little wagon continues to endure. Inside Line is reporting that the PT has yet again escaped the gallow's pole, and instead the Little Paddy Wagon That Could will soldier on until December 2010.
Chrysler still makes cars? Apparently so, and CEO Bob Nardelli was on Capitol Hill yesterday with his colleagues from Ford and General Motors, warning that the Pentastar is in serious danger of exhausting its reserves by early 2009. Chrysler's share of the $25 billion in aid the automakers are asking for stands at $7 billion, though at the current rate, that money wouldn't last long, possibly about one fiscal quarter. Senators are concerned that the automakers will turn into a monetary black hol
It seems as if earlier rumors of the PT Cruiser's death may have been slightly exaggerated. According to PTCruizer.com, the retro-style hatch from Chrysler is still alive, though perhaps on some sort of artificial life support. At least for the 2009 model year, the Cruiser is expected to be built alongside the Dodge Journey, though this could change in the blink of an eye. The plant in Toluca, Mexico where the two vehicles are built is capable of switching at a moments notice between the Journey
When offering an item for sale, a fuzzy key selling point like "may be legal in some states already" might not be the deal clincher you'd hoped. On today's episode of "Fun With Centers of Gravity" we have the delightful union of the neuter-car PT Cruiser with the greasy unmentionables of a 29 year old Chevy Blazer. It may very well be legal in some states, but it'll still be unholy everywhere it goes. Build quality appears on par with a dollar store habachi – are those pop rivets on the fe
- Most and least efficient car companies
- Fastest-depreciating cars in the United States
- Find and compare 2017 Models


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Greenacres Deal Means Whole Foods Market Will Use Whole Foods Name
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The Whole Foods Market store planned for Wichita will be called “Whole Foods Market” after all, not the previously announced Bread & Circus.
The Austin-Texas company had been avoiding the “Whole Foods” name because of an existing group of locally owned stores under the name Whole Foods Association. But those stores have since been acquired by another local company, Green Acres Market, and they will adopt the GreenAcres name.
GreenAcres Market and Whole Foods Market made a joint announcement Tuesday about the naming agreement.
Barb Hoffman, CEO of GreenAcres, said in a news release that the decision to rename the stores was difficult, because she has respect for the Whole Foods Association name created by the previous owner, Rene Shelton. However, she said she thinks a unified GreenAcres brand makes sense for the stores.
GreenAcres will rebrand three Whole Foods Association locations, at Central and Woodlawn, 21st and Amidon and 21st and Maize, by late summer.
Whole Foods Market will open around the same time at the northwest corner of 13th and Webb Road.
By Emily Behlmann Wichita Business Journal


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SAN FRANCISCO – Online holiday spending, excluding travel and auctions, was $8.41 billion between Nov. 1 through Dec. 5, up 23 percent from the year-ago period and on track to meet estimates, comScore Networks (search) said Friday.
"More than half of all online spending that will take place during the holiday season is complete," comScore said.
The holiday forecast from comScore, which covers November and December, calls for online sales of up to $15.5 billion this year, a 26 percent increase from 2003.
The biggest online shopping day of 2003 was Dec. 9 — a Tuesday — when online retailers rang up sales of $428 million.
This year's peak is expected to happen late this week or early next week and sales should top $500 million, comScore said.
Meanwhile, the performance of top retail sites such as EddieBauer.com (search), Walmart.com (WMT) and Target.com (TGT) is about equal to last year, even as sites have become more complex, said Roopak Patel, senior Internet analyst the public services division at Keynote Systems Inc (search).
Those sites are slightly more reliable — meaning users can complete the tasks they set out to complete — this year than last. To that end, reliability has risen to 98 percent from 97 percent last year, Patel said.
Nevertheless, there have been bumps in the road.
Sites slowed down and some users had a hard time completing tasks on the Friday and Monday after Thanksgiving — which are among the busiest online shopping days.
Earlier this week, popular online retailer Amazon.com (AMZN) had intermittent outages that Keynote said lasted for more than half a day and made the site virtually unavailable to one in five people.


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Sound Leisure, the world’s only vinyl jukebox manufacturer, is celebrating four decades in business by opening a pop-up in its native Leeds.
The pop-up store, running for six weeks until April 18, is a collaboration with Leeds City Council and Victoria Gate Shopping Centre.
The store boasts an array of Sound Leisure’s vinyl, CD and digital jukeboxes, games room related products such as arcade game machines, as well as a series of new products that the company has developed.
Sound Leisure this year celebrates its 40th anniversary as a proud Leeds-based manufacturer, shipping its bespoke products globally to some of the world’s most prestigious locations.
The family-run firm is the only manufacturer of vinyl playing jukeboxes and one of only two classic jukebox producers in the world.
The pop-up store will also host a variety of events to celebrate the businesses 40th anniversary as well as the Yorkshire manufacturing industry.
MD Chris Black said: “As a proud Yorkshire manufacturer which is entering its 40th year in business we’re really looking forward to celebrating and showcasing the truly unique products we create right here in Leeds.”