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With record levels of doctor burnout, it's logical that the revolution in healthcare is being driven by doctor-entrepreneurs such as Dr. Dave Sanders and Dr. Albert DiPiero in Portland, Oregon. Time and again, Oregon has been at the vanguard of big changes in America from recycling to sustainable agriculture to bike commuting to renewable energy. Now it's time for healthcare with Sanders' ZOOM+ Performance Health Insurance (ZOOM+PHI). Since many believe healthcare is the greatest immediate threat to America, there is a great sense of urgency.
ZOOM+PHI isn't your father's Oldsmobile health plan. The typical health plan is a "rotary phone" whereas ZOOM+PHI is the iPhone of healthcare -- a modern, tightly designed next-generation platform for health. While ZoomCare (now re-branded as ZOOM+) has been going for close to ten years as a chain of consumer-friendly retail clinics, ZOOM+PHI was just launched this year as a full blown integrated healthcare delivery system and plan. In other words, they are a Kaiser Permanente for the 21st century without the baggage. Just as old telephone carriers were saddled with legacy infrastructure, Kaiser (and other legacy systems) are saddled with massive infrastructure including clunky, absurdly over-priced IT and expensive medical infrastructure optimized for the old fee-for-service disaster.
Thus far, I have yet to find an organization that more fully encompasses the 95 Theses for a New Health Ecosystem than ZOOM+PHI. In particular, ZOOM+PHI is in alignment with the sections on Relationships and Peer to Peer Networks Will Become Central, New Health Plans, New Health Benefits, and New System.
Millennials drive early adoption of next generation healthcare
The ZOOM+ mantra is twice the healthcare at half the price and 10 times the customer delight. Like others highlighted in The 7 Organizations That Will Turn Healthcare Upside Down In 2016, they have found a fresh perspective can deliver breakthrough results. When I lived in Portland, I experienced ZoomCare as a patient (they see 250,000 patients per year) and it was a dramatically better experience including online scheduling, transparent prices and well-designed exam rooms that had the EMR as a tool for collaboration rather than as a barrier. Both doctors and patients commonly complain about how the EMRs create a barrier and the clinician often turns their back on the patient because the computer was an afterthought in the exam room design. While I certainly liked the experience, I've focused my writing on what I believe are the true game-changers who are getting at the core of the dysfunction. That's nearly impossible without getting at the underlying, flawed reimbursement system.
Independently, ZOOM+ came to a similar conclusion and put the wheels in motion in 2014 for a 2015 launch of a health plan to complement their delivery system. I recently spoke with Sanders and learned how they have done more to implement the Health Rosetta than any other organization I have seen. Since one can think of the Health Rosetta as a "Millennial Health Plan,” it's clear that ZOOM+PHI has been optimized for what millennials value. The impact of millennials as early adopters of society-wide change has had a devastating impact on traditional phone companies and Big Food and Big Soda as I wrote about in Millennials Cleaning Up Another Boomer Mess -- This Time Healthcare. Since the status quo of current health benefits is awful, this creates a giant opportunity for innovators.
Grumpy critics love to find ways to criticize new models despite the fact that they are implicitly defending a system that we know wastes extraordinary sums of money and is the 3rd leading cause of death. One critique might be that it's easy to target millennials. Let's put aside for a moment that it's a colossal undertaking to segue from a chain of retail clinics to a fully integrated health plan and delivery system (see the scope of services below that includes everything from primary care to specialists to a next generation emergency room to dental and wellness programs). As we've seen with everything from phones to social networks to food, millennials are simply the early adopters. Just because something was designed for millennials doesn't mean the rest of the population won't catch on. Smartphones are a good example where smartphone adoption by those over 65 shot up over 40% from 2014 to 2015 to nearly 30% of those over 65. As was outlined in the Millennial article, one pundit said, "Yes, millennials are annoying customers, but here is the irony: everyone wants these features."
ZOOM+PHI's offerings are on the Oregon public health insurance exchange and are typically within $5 of the lowest priced offering on the exchange so they are also very affordable. ZOOM+ differentiates based on a superior consumer experience using the latest technologies including mobile apps. Just as the iPhone wasn't the first smartphone, ZOOM+PHI isn't the first health plan. However, the design thinking that went into ZOOM+PHI is similarly thoughtful and provides an elegance previously foreign to healthcare.
Healthcare system not something to be feared
One of the most interesting observations Sanders had was how, as he put it, "millennials view health as not something to fear but health as a tool for a rich, wonderful life." As the sickest and most obese generation in their 20s and 30s in the last 100 years, there is ample motivation for millennials to veer away from the traditional sick care system that hasn't delivered health despite spending vast sums that have crushed boomers' nest eggs. As the parents of millennials are boomers, they have seen the vast under-performance of the sick care system with their own eyes. Not only has squandering money on healthcare destroyed savings, it has also made it impossible for most millennials' parents to save for college resulting in unprecedented levels of college debt.
Perhaps there is no greater medical fear than cancer. Beyond obvious health risks such as smoking that lead to cancer, more is being learned about how even cancer can be prevented. ZOOM+ has designed their offerings around promoting health based on scientific evidence as well as lifestyle goals. As I recounted in my review of The C Word documentary, the physician protagonist in the film dove deeply into scientific studies and spoke with the researchers in the field to better understand what slowed or fueled cancer. The conclusion is that 70% of cancers can be prevented based on the 100s of studies that were reviewed. At one level, this shouldn't be a surprise since a large percentage of cancer drugs are derived from plant material. It isn't a coincidence that ZOOM+ has organized their wellness-focused services around three of the four anti-cancer pillars highlighted in the film -- healthy food choices, exercise and stress management.
Hippocrates said, "Let food by thy medicine." Pictured below is a ZOOM+Prime kitchen where ZOOM+ teaches how to make wise food choices.
The early adopters
I spoke to a couple of the big early adopters of ZOOM+PHI. Their first customer was the rapidly growing New Seasons Market (think of it as a more affordable Whole Foods Market with a neighborhood-scale footprint). Another early adopter was the Technology Association of Oregon (TAO).
Kristi McFarland is the Chief People Officer at New Seasons. The fact that New Seasons literally shared a parking lot with ZOOM+ clinics in many cases made it a natural fit. More importantly, they shared a similar philosophy that echoes Hippocrates’ statement: “Let food be thy medicine.” While there is a learning curve for people on how the ZOOM+PHI model works, their staff loves the on-demand care that can be booked from their smartphone, Skype appointments, being able to electronically communicate with their care team and prescription renewals that are easy to manage through the ZOOM+ app.
The technology industry is another logical early adopter. TAO put together a board level task-force to analyze ZOOM+PHI and the fact that smaller technology companies and startups with less than 100 employees are at a disadvantage. Further, those companies are in a war for talent and want to offer the best health benefits they can afford. TAO also understands what I outlined in Tech Industry, Heal Thyself. That is, continuing to purchase healthcare like a crusty old company perpetuates a flawed healthcare system that buys outdated technology. Thus, it hurts their employees and their bottom-line. Of course, the fact that ZOOM+ has modern technology is also appealing. Sanders hinted at some additional technologies they'll be rolling out in 2016. As evidence grows for digital health tools, one can expect ZOOM+ to be an early adopter. With ZOOM+'s headquarters in the same community as one of Intel's largest base of employees (Hillsboro, Oregon), Intel could accelerate the healthcare revolution when they add ZOOM+PHI to their employee benefits package.
One of the first things I learned as a freshly minted grad starting my career at Accenture doing technology implementations was to always fix a process instead of piling new technology on top of a broken process. Unfortunately, that is the rule in healthcare. That is, we continue to attempt to pile technology on top of a broken healthcare delivery model. This has resulted in great frustration for the purveyors of the exciting technologies I heard about at the recent Exponential Medicine gathering, and is a core reason technology companies need to first look in the mirror when they complain about how difficult it is to get modern technology into healthcare. If they continue to purchase healthcare services poorly, they can be guaranteed that healthcare will be the worst industry to introduce modern technology.
ZOOM+ calls their underlying technology "ZoomOS” (short for ZOOM Operating System). It is designed to facilitate three models of care -- self-care, crowd-care and instacare. ZOOM+ has been in the "instacare" business for nearly a decade. With their newer "performance" programs, they are enabling self- and crowd- care. Crowd-care is a newer development that includes matching up people with similar health experiences, hosting yoga and plant-cooking classes.
Quadruple Aim early adopter
Having personally experienced the dysfunction that is being layered on top of clinicians, Sanders and co-founder DiPiero addressed the “forgotten” aim -- improved clinician experience -- from the beginning. They recognized you can’t scale a world class organization and care delivery model without the Quadruple Aim as a goal. ZOOM+ created archetypes for patients (“Sarah”) and clinicians (“Emma”) to guide design decisions. While the model of care is designed for their prototype patient Sarah, they have invested significantly in programs for Emma. These include monthly gatherings for sharing best practices, professional development, personal growth, neighborhood care teams that allow split work weeks as well as ZOOM+Bricks where Emma can participate in the growth of ZOOM+. Their goal is for ZOOM+ to be as much of a platform for providers as it is for patients.
Scope of services
The list below outlines the services available via ZOOM+. There were a few areas that stood out for me.
The following is pulled from the ZOOM+ website:
PRIMARY CARE Be as healthy as you want to be. Health training, circuits and classes where food, movement and relationships are prescribed to help you reach your human potential.
ADVANCED CARE We’ve got your back when you need it most. On-Demand access to ZOOM+Specialists and OHSU Specialists, and Blue Carpet access to OHSU, Providence and Legacy hospitals.
URGENT CARE We keep you in the game. Radical access to frontline care with worldwide video visits and more than 500 on-demand, no wait, illness, injury and wellness visits every day.
MEDS, LABS AND IMAGING Support and supplies on-demand. ZOOM+PHI Members get the supplies and support they need, when they need it.


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Exciting times in La Sal
Since the Es have taken over proprietorship of the La Sal Store, they have made great improvements inside. It’s really a cute shop with lots of items including locally produced art items. For a preview there are photos posted on La Sal Barter and Trade’s Facebook page as well as Instagram.
You won’t believe all they have to offer. The Store also has new extended hours. Monday through Friday they are open from eight to eight. Saturday and Sunday hours are nine to eight. Guess they want to sleep in on the weekend.
For some time there was a rumor that they were also going to bring in a food truck. Well, they’ve done just that. Several weeks ago they gave a free sample of their offerings.
Word quickly spread throughout the village and folks came out to test the fare which was burgers and dogs. The demand ended being more than anticipated and they were soon out of buns.
This is somewhat reminiscent of the former proprietors, Ana and Hal Adams gratitude and celebration of the Fourth of July last summer. That too offered burgers and dogs at no cost.
The food truck will be in business a couple of days a week though right now I’m not sure when those days are. Guess a little detective work is needed.
Also, we understand that there is – finally – a new chef at La Sal Elementary School. Not only is he providing daily meals for our kiddos, but one day a week the students actually get to choose from a menu and order what they desire. What fun.
Coming up this Saturday at the Community Center is a Rummage and Bake Sale. Although it looks to me to be more of a craft fair than rummage sale. Guess we will have to go and check out what goodies we might find.
There will be many handmade items and crafts and other interesting things. Sounds like a fun time to meet and greet friends after a long winter. I suspect there will be garden starts and seeds available as well.
We have some folks here who raise interesting items in their gardens along with more traditional vegetables and flowers. The event starts at ten a.m. and goes to four p.m. There is no charge for tables.
This event is to benefit the local La Sal Senior Center. A contribution of your choosing is welcome for those who have a table. For information, contact Debi Castor at 435-686-2557.
On hand at Saturday’s sale will be the Es’ food truck from eleven in the morning until three in the afternoon. There will be corn dogs and fries available. Again, you determine what price you want to pay for them. No running out of buns this time.
Well, we’ve gotten a few days here and there of Spring. And wind which is typical of our springs. On the good days it’s nice to get out and do a little yard work. Feels so good after a long winter.
The Mountain is still covered in snow though the line is creeping upward day by day. I’m thinking it’s going to be July before much camping or fishing will take place up there.
We’ll have to find activities down in the valley. Four wheeling in the red sandstone areas anyone?

domain: news


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Samsung touts its ISOCELL camera sensors in new video
The Galaxy S5 will be the first Samsung smartphone to come with a 16-megapixel camera (well, unless you count the Galaxy S4 zoom a smartphone instead of a camera with a phone attached to it), and also debuting on the S5 is Samsung’s ISOCELL camera sensor, which allows for better imaging especially in low-light conditions. Samsung has made a lot of noise about its ISOCELL technology, and now the company has released a new video that describes some of the advantages of the ISOCELL camera sensors.
The video is a bit technical, but you should be able to understand the advantages it offers anyway (though whether these translate into good real-life image capture on the Galaxy S5 compared to previous phones remains to be seen.) Go ahead and hit the play button below.Join the Discussion


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APPLE HAS OFFICIALLY taken the wraps off the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, confirming the death of the headphone jack and 16GB storage option.
The iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus are exactly what we had expected, thanks to the huge amount of rumour surrounding the smartphones and, er, Apple leaking them on Twitter ahead of the launch.
The 3.5mm headphone jack is gone in favour of Apple’s proprietary Lightning port, Bluetooth, and a new wireless standard for hooking up headphones, including Apple's all-new Wireless Airpods.
These cable-free Airpods let you activate Siri by tapping on them and have a five-hour battery life (with an additional 24 hours using a chargeable box). Apple's new W1 chip means that you can connect to your Apple device instantly and know when they're stuffed inside your ear.
This move will probably piss off many, including Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, but Apple has included Lightning-enabled Earpods and a 3.5mm-to-Lightning adaptor in the box, rather than charging £70 for it.
For those who prefer playing music out loud on the bus, the iPhone 7 comes with stereo speakers, one at the bottom and one at the top, which offer two times louder audio than the iPhone 6S.
On the design front, the antenna lines have been shifted to the edges of the device, as expected, and there are two new goth-friendly colours available, Black and a glossy Jet Black. The Space Grey model has been canned, but you'll still find Silver, Rose Gold and Gold options.
Apple has made the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus tougher than before in a bid to rival the Galaxy S7. The smartphones have IP67 certification, making them somewhat resistant to water and dust and meaning you'll never lose another iPhone to the toilet.
Inside this toughened case sits the same 4.7in and 5.5in Retina displays, but Apple has claimed a 25 per cent bump in brightness and a wider colour range.
Both handsets use Apple's A10 Fusion (eh?) processor, which comprises two "high performance" cores that offer 40 per cent faster processing than the A9 chip before it.
A a new GPU offers 50 per cent faster graphics than before, while a new performance controller makes for improved efficiency. Apple has claimed an extra hour of battery life compared with last year's model.
The Home button is still present, but Apple has tweaked it to mimic the Force Touch trackpad seen on the firm's 12in MacBook. This means that, rather than being clickable, the button uses haptic feedback to simulate a click thanks to the new-generation Taptic Engine.
The camera has seen a sizeable upgrade. The 4.7in iPhone 7 has a 12MP sensor on the rear, which Apple claimed is faster and more energy efficient, while the 5.5in iPhone 7 Plus has a Huawei P9-style dual-camera set-up with two 12MP sensors.
The wide-angle and telephoto lenses can work together to offer digital zoom up to 10x, alongside new depth of field functionality typically seen only on DSLR cameras. The latter won't be available at launch, but will roll out as a software update later this year.
There's now optical image stabilisation on both iPhones, an f/1.8 lens, a six-element lens for sharper pictures, and a Quad-LED True Tone flash that provides 50 per cent more light than before, apparently. A new 7MP FaceTime HD camera on the front of the iPhone 7 offers auto image stabilisation.
The iPhone 7 will run iOS 10 out of the box, which Apple will make available to all on 13 September.
The iPhone 7 will be available to pre-order from Friday, and will start shipping a week later on 16 September. It'll be available in 32GB, 128GB and 256GB storage configurations, while the Jet Black model will be available only with 128GB and 256GB.
It's priced the same as the iPhone 6S, which means you'll be able to grab the iPhone 7 for £539, £619 and £699 respectively. Just like the iPhone 6S Plus before it, the iPhone 7 Plus is more expensive at £619, £699 and £789. µ
Flagship will launch a day early to avoid being 'overshadowed' by Apple
EC says merged entity will 'continue to face significant competition'
Alexa, give me a reason to be cheerful about the UK economy
No, it isn't 1 April


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|Page (1) of 1 - 05/27/11||email article||print page|
MyNetDiary Launches Premiere Private Label Diet Service for Businesses(May 27, 2011)
Cherry Hill, NJ (PRWEB) May 27, 2011
MyNetDiary, a comprehensive food diary and calorie counter with online and mobile app services, announced today that its exponential growth over the last five years has allowed the company to launch a premiere white label wellness program aimed at providing health solutions to third-party wellness providers, including corporate wellness programs, fitness centers, health insurance companies and other online health, wellness and diet portals.
MyNetDiary has been hugely successful and grown to be the top-rated calorie tracking service, says Vasili Smaliak, CTO of 4Technologies Corporation. Our comprehensive website is easy to use and our companion apps are frequently regarded as the best in their class. With this growth and recognition, we are excited to launch a white label wellness service, which will be a one-stop, cost-effective solution for any company, large or small, looking to bring reliable health and wellness tools to their employees or members.
MyNetDiary is already publicly used by over one million members, and its active users boast an average weight loss of 12 percent of their body weight. Tracking calories has been proven effective by many independent studies and MyNetDiary strictly adheres to the American Dietetic Associations guidelines for weight loss. Its dynamic food database has also grown to include over 400,000 high-quality foods.
Nothing will be as cost-effective or as high-quality as what were able to offer, explains Smaliak. A company could spend a year building a sophisticated website and creating and maintaining a comprehensive food database, and that doesnt even include developing their own mobile apps, just to have them land at the bottom of a 300,000-app pile in the App Store or Android App Market. Weve spent the last five years perfecting this service and polishing its presence in all the major mobile app markets, as well as in the online community.
MyNetDiarys white label offering allows customized images, logos, real-time usage reports and optional single sign-on integration. Based on a companys requirements, further customizations are possible. The private label diet service could be accessed through a mobile device, with the full line of MyNetDiarys feature-rich, top-rated mobile apps for the iPhone, iPad, Android and Blackberry. This is all backed by MyNetDiarys priority technical support.
To learn more about MyNetDiarys new white label offering, visit http://www.mynetdiary.com/white_labeling_primer.html.
Launched in 2007, MyNetDiary is a comprehensive, modern online weight loss service that helps people lose weight safely while following American Dietetic Association guidelines. MyNetDiary offers free and paid subscriptions that include personalized analyses of calorie and nutrient needs, assistance with target weight goals, and access to personalized progress charts, as well as Android, iPhone, iPad, BlackBerry and Samsung bada apps for instant mobile tracking. MyNetDiary has been featured in USA Today, NPR Morning Edition, Health Magazine, Chicago Tribune, Mac|Life and on Lifetime Network, NBC-TV and FOX 5 in DC.
Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/2011/5/prweb8482195.htm.
Related Keywords:medical procedure/test, medical research, medical staff, medical specialisation, medical service, medical conditions, diet, lifestyle and leisure, lifestyle (house and home), computing and information technology, satellite technology, wireless technology, science and technology, technology (general), identification technology, agricultural research and technology, economy, business and finance, financial and business service, business enterprises, corporations, business (general), fishing industry, food, cinema industry, radio industry, television industry, music industry, process industry,


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JD.com reports record sales of $29.2 bn for 6.18 shopping festival
JD.com has reported record sales for its June 18 Anniversary Sale (6.18) attracting $29.2 bn in sales.
The 6.18 shopping festival, which is the second largest after Singles Day (11.11), saw JD.com improve on 2018’s sales, which made $24.7bn and were also a record high for the company.
Once again JD.com’s 6.18 sales saw the e-commerce giant nipping at the heels of rival Alibaba, which reported sales of $30bn for its annual Singles Day shopping festival last year.
JD.com reports another year of record sales for its 6.18 shopping festival
JD.com reported sales were driven by China’s lower-tier cities, where transaction volume growth was twice as high as the overall growth on the e-commerce site.
JD.com’s new big data strategy Consumer-to-Manufacturer (C2M), which provides customer insights to brands to enable them to adjust marketing and manufacturing processes to make it more accessible and appealing to consumers was put to the test during the festival.
JD.com claims this helped bolster transaction volumes of new products and C2M products by 289% compared with the same period last year, with one in every three products sold during this year’s festival being a C2M product.
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Alibaba’s Tmall also reported strong sales for the 6.18 festival period, announcing that more than 100 brands including Apple, Adidas, Nike, L’Oreal and Huawei achieved sales of more than RMB 100m ($14.5m).
The sales figures are at odds with the concerns about China's economic downturn and reveal consumer spending remains on track.


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British cooked poultry meat will soon reach Japanese tables as part of a new market access deal worth £10m in the next five years.
Poultry meat has been exported to Japan since a market access deal for fresh and cooked poultry was secured in 2021.
However, avian influenza outbreaks in the UK have led to restrictions on the trade.
The new agreement enables smoother trade of cooked poultry meat, meaning that additional high value exports to Japan can be made.
Moy Park, one of the UK’s largest poultry meat producers, is the first to be officially registered to export to Japan under this agreement from one of its facilities in Grantham, Lincolnshire.
The poultry industry estimates that the Japanese market could be worth over £10 million in the next five years.
Japan is renowned internationally for its stringent food safety and import control regime, as well as for its taste for high-quality, varied cuts of meats.
Negotiations were led by Defra and their agriculture attaché based at the British Embassy in Tokyo, with support from the British Poultry Council (BPC), South Kesteven District Council and the Food Standards Agency (FSA).
The government and industry said the opening of this market for UK cooked poultry products "demonstrates Japan’s confidence in the high standards of UK poultry production methods".
Farming Minister Mark Spencer said: "British poultry is rightly celebrated as some of the best in the world and I’m delighted that new high value products can now be enjoyed in Japan.
"I’d like to pay tribute to our agri-food attaché network who work hard to secure trade opportunities like this and fly the flag for UK farmers."
Japan is also a valuable market for high quality UK breeding poultry, with a further market access agreement secured in recent weeks.
The agreement ensures that any future avian influenza outbreaks only lead to temporary restrictions on exports from affected regions, rather than a countrywide ban.
The UK are seen as world leaders in the supply of poultry genetics, and this deal will allow Japanese poultry companies to continue access to UK high-grade stock.
British Poultry Council chief executive, Richard Griffiths said welcomed the 'good news' of market access for cooked poultry meat exports to Japan.
"Industry has worked closely with government over the years to open doors for businesses producing world class standards of safe, affordable, nutritious food and high value poultry breeding stock.
"We look forward to continuing our work building, maintaining and enhancing crucial markets and relationships – both existing and new."


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In the age of online sharing and social media, lifestyle aspirations are driving consumer preferences in the real estate industry.
This is according to Tina Bautista, head of Property24, one of the most powerful online enablers for property buyers and sellers. Bautista cites, in particular, upper mid and luxury properties are expected to be in high demand this year.
The Philippines continues to lead the world in social media usage, spending the most amount of time online, about four hours and 12 minutes a day. The number of social media users in the country grew by 13 percent, with more than 9 million users added since January 2018.
Bautista, who has 12 years of experience in creating strategies for online products and studying online consumer consumption, foresees a shift in buyer preferences, especially in the real estate industry, over the next five years.
“The major shift that may happen over the next five years is that technology will enable more than just searching and communication between property buyers and sellers. Technology will be able to change even how properties are bought and rented or financed by banks. We see this happening in more advanced markets,” she says.
Bautista continues, “Generally as well, because of consumer preferences, we can also expect property developers to cater to emerging technology needs, such as high speed Internet connectivity, online delivery and receiving hubs, and smart home technologies.”
In the real estate industry, the speed of transactions and the expectations of potential property buyers are increasing rapidly, as the amount of information and influence that they receive online also grows. That is why Bautista advises companies to adapt swiftly to these developments.
“In our case, we are constantly working with our Product and Engineering teams, including enhancing our chat and contact form features, to make communication easier and faster between buyers and sellers. We also fine tune our search algorithms and filters to be able to reflect better user behavior and preferences,” she says.
She adds, “Buyers today have many options and resources at their fingertips. It’s best for them to compare across all of these to be able to make the best decision. At the same time, they also have to exercise caution and judgment to ensure they are transacting with trusted brokers and agents.”
The Property24 head asserts that brand identity is the most effective way to gain a competitive edge in an increasingly crowded marketplace. Image and perception on social media and branding of property developers are the key factors for property buyers and investors.
COMMENT DISCLAIMER: Reader comments posted on this Web site are not in any way endorsed by Manila Standard. Comments are views by manilastandard.net readers who exercise their right to free expression and they do not necessarily represent or reflect the position or viewpoint of manilastandard.net. While reserving this publication’s right to delete comments that are deemed offensive, indecent or inconsistent with Manila Standard editorial standards, Manila Standard may not be held liable for any false information posted by readers in this comments section.


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Cedarville University industrial and innovative design (IID) students are reimagining the multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) family car for work purposes thanks to a corporate sponsorship between the Columbus-based International Center for Creativity (ICC) and a global automotive industry leader.
Cedarville, Cedarville University, industrial and innovative
Weinstein, Mark D., "Students Reimagine Family Vehicle for Business Use" (2021). News Releases. 1338.


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finally a british latex company has realised that a weak pound is good for business. its now down to about 1 to 1.44$ unlike earlier in the year when it was 1 to 2 which put me off my trip to London.
their new email notice pronounces a 25% off websale at Libidex.com but for us in North America its even better:
BONANZA FOR CUSTOMERS ABROAD!
If you´re a non-UK customer, you´ll be getting over 40% off our prices compared with this time last year - thanks to the fall in the value of the £ and the sale discount.
For example, our best-selling Matrix Catsuit retails at £245.95. Last December (2007), that was €336.95 or $486.98. Now, with the sale discount and the fall in the exchange rate, you can buy it for just €193.69 or $271.16 - that´s a total discount of around 43%.
So why not take the chance to lighten the financial gloom and invest in a little latex pleasure? There´s never been a better time!
time for those hard core fashionistas to get a real pair of latex leggings imho ;-)


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Ukraine is one of the major suppliers of poultry in Europe. The country produces enough poultry products to meet its domestic demand while still being able to export large quantities to different parts of the world. In fact, in 2020, the country boosted poultry meat exports by 4% to 431,000 tonnes, even while dealing with disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. It also exported 108,690 tonnes of poultry to the European Union (EU) the same year. However, in December 2020, the nation’s poultry exports were hit hard by Avian influenza, also referred to as the bird flu outbreak, forcing the union to ban Ukraine poultry imports. This has put the poultry industry at further risk since previous outbreaks had already led to the culling of millions of birds.
Fortunately, after several months, the EU has finally allowed Ukraine to export poultry products from regions that are not suffering from the outbreak. This is a major development from a complete ban on exports from the entire country and will significantly help the Ukrainian economy. Ukraine’s State Service on Food Safety has stated that the country is now resuming exports to other parts of Europe, and an agreement has been signed in this regard. This will ensure that the poultry needs of Europe can be met while also making sure that the Ukrainian producers do not suffer any longer.
"This (exports) will happen even given that restrictions are still in place in areas where there have been cases of the disease and that safe products can be supplied from unaffected areas," Ukraine's State Service on Food Safety stated in its report.
Stay in the Loop with Exports News
To conclude, the reversal of this export ban will certainly be a major boost for the Ukrainian economy. This is indeed a welcome move for the country, especially due to the uncertainties created by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. If you found this article helpful, be sure to check out the rest of our site for more information about international trade and current events!
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In just a handful of years, the restaurant industry has more than proved its ability to pivot, adapt, and transform. The staying power of pandemic-era QR codes, contactless payments, and outdoor dining are a daily reminder of a rapidly evolving industry that must be ready to respond to changes — whether those changes are driven by technology, customers preferences, or greater cultural shifts.
As we enter a new era of dining fueled by pandemic changes, emerging technologies, and increased purchasing power from Gen Z, Square surveyed consumers from the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada to find out what customers care about most when it comes to dining. From the importance of restaurant loyalty programs to their take on robots in a restaurant setting, here’s what we learned.
2024 Dining Report: What Consumers Want From Restaurants in 2024 and Beyond


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Buyers of fresh fruits and vegetables from Carrefour retail chain confirmed their participation in Fresh Market 2014.
The participants of the Fresh Market Conference will have an opportunity to present their offer. more
The Representatives of the retail chain Stokrotka will hold talks once more with suppliers of fruit and vegetables. The meetings will take place on 3rd October at the Mazurkas Conference Centre in Ożarów Mazowiecki. more
Prices of apples are going down, the demand for fruits is getting lower and supply is still high.
Completely different situation is on the pears market. The demand is very high but the volume of products is getting smaller. more
According to Polish Central Statistic Office the production of pears in 2011 was higher by about 8 % compared to the relatively low harvest of the previous year (58 thousand tons) and amounted to 63 thousand tons. more
The demand for export fruit has increased recently. However it concerns only apples. The demand for pears is still at the low level. Poor demand for pears cased that their prices have been stable since the beginning of the season. more


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More than 800M hours of eSports watched on Twitch in 10 months
Between August 2015 and May 2016, eSports fans consumed a whopping 803.7 million hours of eSports league and event content on Twitch, reports Newzoo. This accounted for between 14% and 31% of total hours watched on Twitch.
Nearly three-quarters (71.3%/573 million hours) of eSports hours are spent watching Twitch content from event organizers with Riot and ESL combined responsible for more than half (51%) of these organizer hours. Overall, the top seven organizers account for 90% of organizer hours.
That Riot dominates as a tourney broadcaster on Twitch (accounting for around 28% of hours) is impressive when you consider that the studio has just one game – League of Legends. By contrast, coming second to Riot is ESL, which as several games including Dota 2 and Counterstrike: Global Offensive.
Last month, Newzoo’s Global eSports Market Report revealed that the number of consumers globally that are aware of eSports will exceed one billion this year. That’s up 36% compared to last year. Across the 16 countries analysed by Newzoo, the average awareness of eSports among gamers rose from 53.7% last year to 65.7% this year.


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The media agency network has revised its 2012 ad expenditure growth forecast to 3.2%, down from the 3.7% it had predicted in December.
Ad spend in magazines is expected to drop 1.9% year on year to £822m, while newspaper expenditure is predicted to fall 1.7% to £2.5bn.
The shortfall is largely due to supermarkets – traditionally among the biggest spenders on newspaper and magazine ads – decreasing their spend in press by 25% year on year, as retail sales remain flat.
Banks are expected to spend 36% less on press this year.
Jonathan Barnard, head of forecasting at ZenithOptimedia, says while banks spent “a huge amount” on brand campaigns in a bid to boost their images in the wake of the financial crisis, spend has now shifted to smaller, more product-specific campaigns.
Elsewhere, the TV sector has performed above expectations in the first quarter of the year and is sitting just 1% below quarter one of 2011, despite many predicting landslide declines, as the finance and motor sectors increased spend on the channel. The sector is expected to grow 1% to £3.3bn in 2012.
Internet ad spend is set to be the biggest growth area, with expenditure predicted to increase 9.3% year on year to £4.1bn in 2012.


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A leading building and building services engineering group is the latest UK business to accept Nissan’s ‘£2 Challenge’; putting the groundbreaking e-NV200 through its paces to show just how much fleet operators and business van users can expect to get from the 100% electric workhorse for just a couple of quid.
NISSAN ELECTRIFIES SMALL AND MEDIUM BUSINESSES Innovative e4Business programme will help companies maximise their potential and give them the chance to win a new Nissan e-NV200 HANNOVER, Germany (23rd September 2014) – Nissan is helping Europe’s small and medium enterprises (SME) to make more of a marketing impact to grow their businesses.
NISSAN SHOWCASES EV FOR VIPs Zero emission e-NV200 is transformed for ultimate comfort city transport -introducing the e-NV200 concept for VIPs. Luxuriously appointed 100% electric for downtown VIP passenger shuttle Two-tone metallic blue exterior and white leather seats Limousine-like space and 21.5-inch monitor with digital device connectivity Smart Rear-View mirror providing clear rearward visibility in […]
NISSAN CHANGES THE FACE OF EUROPEAN BUSINESS Pioneering e-NV200 all-electric van and an innovative marketing programme are helping businesses to be more profitable and efficient e-NV200 is already electrifying businesses across in Europe e4Business programme aimed at SMEs New engines and new technology for NV400 Greater safety and more equipment for Navara pick-up Hannover, Germany […]
NISSAN’S SECOND 100% ELECTRIC VEHICLE, THE e-NV200, STARTS GLOBAL PRODUCTION IN BARCELONA Nissan e-NV200 is the second model in Nissan’s expanding range of electric vehicles Barcelona plant starts production of Nissan’s first electric van as part of €431 million investment New electric van provides a zero-emission solution for urban cargo delivery and taxi companies Barcelona […]
More is more with new Nissan NV200 Combi More space: 7-seat NV200 Combi has ample space More practicality: easily convert from people mover to cargo carrier More mileage: efficient design and engine range ensures frugality (Rosslyn, South Africa, 8 July 2013) – The all-new Nissan NV200 Combi is now available in South Africa. Following the […]
NV200 Panel Van – a new-generation small van offering outstanding cargo space, compact body and low cost of ownership NV350 Panel Van encompasses smart business solutions with efficient running costs NV200 Combi and NV350 Taxi variants to follow ROSSLYN, South Africa, (19 June 2013) – Nissan has launched two brand new Light Commercial Vehicles (LCVs) […]
Nissan unveils a new Hackney Carriage for the Capital Affordable and 50% more fuel efficient, than alternative cabs Complies with TfL regulations, including 25ft turning circle All-electric e-NV200 prototype London Taxi to be tested in 2013 Fully backed by London Mayor, Boris Johnson, the Licensed Taxi Drivers’ Association and disability groups Designed for superior comfort, […]
Nissan e-NV200 prototype picks up fleet Environment Award First award for next model in Nissan’s EV range Nissan’s e-NV200 prototype has picked up its first award, the Environment Award in the 2012 Van Fleet World Honours, more than 12 months before it goes on sale.
Nissan NV200 named ‘Best Small Trades Van’ in magazine awards Best in class with significant storage capacity and huge versatility The Nissan NV200 has been voted ‘best small trades van’ in Trade Van Driver magazine’s annual awards. NV200 was judged to be the best in class for its significant storage capacity and huge versatility.
Factory built NV400 dropside and tippers available in 13 variants Nissan Good to Go offers range of approved conversions through its dealer network Nissan LCV range now one of the largest in the UK Nissan has chosen the CV show in April to give operators an exclusive preview of its new NV400 chassis cab range.
Nissan is UK’s best performing LCV brand in 2011 Retail and fleet sales up 203 and 159 per cent respectively Strong sales start to 2012 gaining 5.0 per cent market share in January Nissan has reported a remarkable 174 per cent increase in sales of its LCV range in 2011 compared with 2010, making it […]
Nissan NV200 Compact Cargo Van Offers Efficient Packaging with a Large Cargo Space Within a Small Footprint
– Latest Addition to the Nissan Commercial Vehicle Lineup Combines Innovative Ease-of-Use and Smart Design While Minimizing Cost of Ownership – The all-new Nissan NV200 Compact Cargo Van, which makes its North American debut at the 2012 Chicago Auto Show, is set to join the growing lineup of Nissan Commercial Vehicles in early 2013 at […]
NISSAN E-NV200 CONCEPT PREVIEWS FUTURE AFFORDABLE, MULTI-USAGE ZERO EMISSIONS SMALL VAN Advanced Electric Vehicle Design, Based on the Award-Winning Nissan NV200, Makes World Debut at the 2012 North American International Auto Show The innovative Nissan e-NV200 Concept, which makes its world debut at the 2012 North American Auto Show in Detroit, serves as more evidence […]
Nissan’s battery-powered zero-emission version of award-winning NV200 to undergo FedEx Express trials Rolle, Switzerland (December 13, 2011) – A prototype zero-emission all-electric delivery vehicle is ready to start extensive real-world testing on the streets of London. FedEx Express and Nissan are collaborating over a two month period to evaluate how the NV200 electric vehicle (EV) […]
Unique franchise fleet deal LCVs selected for eco-credentials 100 vehicle potential for 2012 Nissan has secured a unique fleet supply contract for a national renewable energy franchise company; a deal that other motor manufacturers rejected as not being “fleet business”.
LEAF Technology used in Van Concepts Nissan Lithium-ion battery powers Cabstar EV Concept, Refrigerator Van and Power Supply Truck NV200 Combi Taxi Nissan is exhibiting five models from its Light Commercial Vehicles (LCV) lineup, including trucks equipped with EV-related technology at the 2011 Tokyo Truck Show, currently being held at Tokyo Big Sight International Exhibition […]


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Greggs hit by weak sales on the high street
By John Reynolds, marketingmagazine.co.uk, Thursday, 11 October 2012 10:26AM
Greggs has today reported like-for-like sales have dropped 2.6% in the 14 weeks to October, blaming rising food prices and adverse weather conditions.
The pasty and sandwich specialist this week enlisted the help of five zombies in its digital campaign for its Halloween range.
Today Greggs, which has 1,600 shops in the UK, reported its financial figures for the 14 weeks to October 6.
A spokesperson for the baker said: "Consumers continues to show restraint in their spending and the adverse weather in July, followed by flooding in parts of the country at the end of September, also impacted sales in the period."
Greggs said it remained cautious about the economic outlook. Its spokesperson said: "We expected consumers to continue showing restraint and now anticipate like-for-like to remain negative in the final quarter.
"We will partially mitigate the impact of this lower like-for-like sales performance through tight control of costs and the increased profit contribution from wholesaling and franchising."
In the period, Greggs said it opened 37 new high street outlets, taking its total net opening for the year to 70.
Gregg’s strategy is to open the new shops away from traditional high streets. It is also segmenting shops into three formats – food on the go, local bakery and coffee shopsFollow @johnreynolds10
This article was first published on marketingmagazine.co.uk
- Deputy Creative Director - Integrated/shopper agency The Industry Club London Ltd £75,000, London (Greater)
- CRM and Segmentation Manager JV Recruitment £45000 - £55000 per annum, Benefits: Car + Excellent Benefits + Bonus, West Yorkshire / Leeds, West Yorkshire
- Account Director - B2B Technology Marketing Agency - Home Counties - £45k - £55k - NP108 Stonor £45k - £55k, Berkshire / Buckinghamshire / Oxfordshire / Surrey
- Channel Marketing Manager Ninesharp £35000 - £40000 per annum + Benefits, Berkshire
- Senior Recruitment Consultant Ninesharp £21000 - £35000 per annum + Uncapped Commission - No Thresholds, Greater Manchester
- Virgin Holidays launches digital Caribbean push
- Bloomberg appoints Matt Teeman as commercial director EMEA
- Captain Morgan Facebook ad banned for suggesting alcohol conquers boredom
- Yahoo appoints Marc Bignell as head of trading for the EMEA region
- McCann picked to resurrect Homepride's Fred
- Samsung celebrates Prince George's birthday


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Price Chopper has agreed to change its coupon advertising practices after the state attorney generals office investigated consumers claims that the ads failed to disclose restrictions regarding its redemption policies.
Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman said in a prepared statement Tuesday that the grocery store chain will change the way it advertises and promotes its coupons and pay a $100,000 penalty.
Price Chopper used deceptive business practices to mislead price-conscious consumers and extracted hard-earned money from them by hindering their ability to shop competitively and save on groceries, Mr. Schneiderman said.
According to Mr. Schneiderman, the attorney generals investigation revealed that the grocer advertised that it accepted double coupons at its stores without disclosing that important restrictions applied to its policy. After implementing a corporationwide policy that limited the doubling of coupons up to 99 cents, Price Chopper failed to disclose this restriction in its advertisements, leading consumers to believe that $1 coupons could be doubled.
Before this, Price Choppers double-coupon policy had varied from store to store. A number of stores doubled coupons up to $1, but others restricted the value of coupons that could be doubled. In April and May alone, Price Chopper shoppers redeemed nearly 35 million coupons valued at 99 cents or more; about 8 million of those were valued at $1 or more.
Price Chopper has 79 locations, including stores in Watertown, West Carthage, Canton, Gouverneur, Malone, Massena, Potsdam and Ogdensburg.


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Six Flags Over Georgia is looking to hire 3,200 people ahead of its season opening in March.
The first job fair is Saturday. Where and when? Well, that’s need-to-know, said park spokesman Gene Petriello.
Those interested should apply online here, and applicants the human relations staff deem qualified will get that information.
Pay for the jobs start at $8 and hour, and go up from there, Petriello said.
The positions they’re looking to fill range from wardrobe attendant (think of the selfies) and the enticingly named “department scheduler” to group sales managerial supervisor, and a full-time gig like integrated sales coordinator.
And if you want to save the day, the park is looking to hire a paramedic/EMT.
More park news:


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On Sunday, MTN launched 5G in Lagos and plans to do the same in six other states; Abuja, Port Harcourt, Ibadan, Kano, Owerri, and Maiduguri.
According to the company’s 2022 half-year report, 127 5G sites have been set up in preparation for the 5G launch. The company plans to have a nationwide 5G coverage by 2025, subsequently rolling out this technology in phases.
5G technology promises to change communication forever. With much higher speeds and lower latency than its predecessors, 5G assures less time wasted on sending and receiving information on the web.
MTN plans to extend its reach and coverage with 5G technology. Its focus is on allowing its customers to connect to each other faster than they ever have, providing high-speed internet that makes downloads faster, and digitization more seamless.
CEO, MTN Nigeria, Karl Toriola, while speaking at the launch on Sunday disclosed; “Every major technological evolution changes the way we live, the way we connect; changes what is possible. GSM took phone calls on the road, 2G added texting to our experience (and created a whole new language), 3G brought the internet to our phones, and 4G made video widely available on mobiles. 5G will change everything. It will allow us to connect, create, collaborate, and compete in ways we cannot imagine yet. Today we will show you a glimpse of the many possibilities 5G has in store. What is most important is what you and every Nigerian can create with it.”
Late last year, in December, two telecommunications companies, MTN and Mafab Communications won the 3.5GHz 5G spectrum license at an auction conducted by the NCC. Nigerian Communications Commission.
Both telecommunications companies were required to roll out the 5G services by August 2022, as part of the conditions for the license grant. While MTN has met the requirement, Mafab hasn’t but has instead been given a 5-month extension.


text: MONDAY $120 million, but no plant Electric car maker Faraday Future said it is deserting its plan to construct a $1 billion manufacturing plant in southern Nevada eight months after suspending the project and sinking at least $120 million into it. The company said in a statement that it will now look for an existing facility to produce its electric vehicles in California or Nevada A blow against arbitration The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau adopted a rule that would pry open the courtroom doors for millions of Americans by prohibiting financial firms from forcing them into arbitration in disputes over their bank and credit card accounts. The action could free consumers to band together in class-action lawsuits that could cost the institutions billions of dollars. No deal as retailers flail Abercrombie & Fitch Co. announced that it failed to reach a deal with potential acquirers, sending the stock plunging as much as 22 percent, the biggest intraday decline in more than five year. It also dragged down the shares of other chains that target young apparel shoppers, such as Express, Urban Outfitters and American Eagle Outfitters. Tuesday A payoff for going green In Texas, buying a home built to high standards of environmental friendliness may cost more than a conventional one. But when it's time to sell, the more efficient home stands to bring in $25,000 more, on average. That's the conclusion of a University of Texas and U.S. Green Building Council study. Positives for economy U.S. employers posted fewer job openings in May. But hiring picked up and more people are quitting their jobs - both positive signs for the economy, the Labor Department said. Rural broadband push Microsoft said it is aiming to take broadband internet to millions of rural Americans within the next five years through what is now unused TV spectrum. Texas is among the states Microsoft is targeting. Wednesday Houses up, offices down Houston homebuyers increasingly are putting the oil slump behind them, snapping up houses in record numbers and paying more for them than ever, according to new sales figures. But economic trauma in the region's signature energy industry continues to haunt real estate's office market, pushing the local vacancy rate higher than it's been in decades. Monkey see, monkey snap A curious monkey with a toothy grin and a knack for pressing a camera button was back in the spotlight as a federal appeals court heard arguments on whether an animal can hold a copyright to selfie photos. Wind and solar on block The Houston power company NRG Energy said that it planned to sell most, if not all, of its wind and solar power projects around the country as part of plan to divest $4 billion in assets in a bid to cut costs, slash debt and elevate its stock price. Google off hook in France Google emerged as the victor in its latest legal battle in Europe, after a French court said the technology behemoth did not have to pay $1.3 billion in back taxes. American-Qatar rift grows After Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker found himself in the hot seat for disparaging U.S. flight attendants as "grandmothers" and boasting that his own cabin crews had an average age of 26, he said he was sorry. The apology came after a rebuke by labor unions and American, which called the remarks "both sexist and ageist." Hours after the apology, American announced the end of its code-sharing agreement with Qatar Airways because of a longstanding dispute over whether Persian Gulf carriers use government subsidies to compete unfairly. Thursday Progress for Orion capsule NASA's Orion, carrying the nation's hopes and dreams for reaching the Red Planet, completed an important test as a group of astronauts safely exited a mock-up of the spacecraft's crew module in conditions they might experience after an ocean splashdown. Flood insurance costs The likely privatization of some segments of the flood insurance market has the potential to bring down premiums for 92 percent of Texas homeowners, research from actuarial services provider Milliman showed. Friday S&P 500, Dow hit highs U.S. stocks and bonds rallied, with both the S&P 500 index and Dow Jones industrial average reaching new highs, as U.S. inflation data came in short of Federal Reserve expectations, spotlighting the concerns of some central bankers about additional interest rate hikes. Bridal gown chain closes Alfred Angelo, a bridal gown chain with more than 60 stores nationwide and partnerships with more than 1,400 retailers, suddenly closed all of its store locations without any warning, leaving brides-to-be wondering if they'll receive their wedding dresses or get refunds. From staff and wire reports MONDAY Netflix reports its quarterly financial results. TUESDAY The National Association of Home Builders releases its housing market index for July. UnitedHealth Group reports its quarterly financial results. Johnson & Johnson reports its quarterly financial results. Bank of America Corp. reports its quarterly financial results. United Continental Holdings reports quarterly financial results. WEDNESDAY The Commerce Department releases housing starts for June. American Express Co. reports quarterly financial results. THURSDAY Microsoft Corp. reports its quarterly financial results.


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Low secondary market prices for upcoming, not-yet-sold-out Penguins-Caps game; NHL resale prices up overall
Washington Capitals tickets on secondary market sites like StubHub and NHL Ticket Exchange have been selling at their lowest average prices since the 2010-11 season (10/8/13) and the team’s upcoming November 20 game against the Pittsburgh Penguins, while one of the higher priced Caps home games on the resale market, is no exception.
“We’re seeing an average ticket price of $120 for that game, which is the lowest for a Caps-Penguins game in D.C. since we began tracking data on the NHL resale market [in 2010],” wrote Connor Gregoire, Communications Analyst with ticket search engine SeatGeek, in an October 22 email. “The average resale price in the 400 level for that game is $71 per ticket.”
Average Resale Price for Pittsburgh at Washington since 2010
for tickets overall and 400 Level tickets (Source: SeatGeek)
|Date||Avg Price||400 Level Avg|
The November 20 match-up against Pittsburgh is not yet sold out. Tickets remain available through TicketMaster, starting at $84 in the 400 Level of Verizon Center. The lowest priced tickets for sale to this game on the secondary market as of this posting are a pair for $63 each in section 431, Row G on the NHL Ticket Exchange.
Overall, average NHL resale prices are on the rise. Gregoire explained, “We’ve actually seen a 10 percent uptick in the average ticket price across the league through this point in the season as compared to the lockout-shortened year. The average resale price across the NHL is $89 per ticket so far this season compared to $81 through as many games last season. In the 2011-12 season, tickets sold for $87 each on average through this point in the year, so it appears that we’re seeing a recovery in demand for tickets in 2013-14 after the lockout.”
Washington has been promoting value-added ticket deals via email for some games in recent weeks, including Ticket-Food-Drink packages starting at $59 per ticket and another offering two upper level seats and a signed puck for $99. The November 20 game against Pittsburgh is not listed as part of either offer.
The team also continues to promote “Fan Packs” for some games, offering two tickets for $69. But that deal doesn’t make much sense for customers, considering seats to those games are available at far cheaper prices in the same sections of Verizon Center via the secondary ticket market, including NHL Ticket Exchange, which the Caps also promote via email (“Sorry Caps, but this is bad marketing,” 10/7/13).
The Caps did not respond to a request to comment for this story.
Posted on October 29, 2013, in NHL, Resale Report, Washington Capitals and tagged National Hockey League, NHL, Pittsburgh Penguins, SeatGeek, secondary ticket market, StubHub, Ticket Exchange, ticket resellers, Ticketmaster, Verizon Center, Washington Capitals. Bookmark the permalink. 1 Comment.


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She briskly steps into the makeshift workshop to start her day.
Lucille Atiamuga is carrying a bag, not for keeping beauty accessories, but her tools of trade that include pliers, chisels, light hammer, and screw drivers.
Set behind a residential building, the workshop could easily pass for an extended store outside the main house. However, when she opens the metal door, you instantly fall in love with what you see; beautiful pieces of handmade jewellery hang on the wall.
“We specialise in both men and women jewellery and each piece is chosen with care and attention. We love being part of our clients’ special moments and helping them choose the perfect gift is at the heart of what we do in this workshop,” says Ms Atiamuga, 34.
She makes “high-end” jewellery for local and American markets and is looking to expand into European, Asian and African countries.
Interestingly, Ms Atiamuga, who is the founder of Lukagwa African Art and Jewellers, is a trained lawyer from the University of Nairobi and holds a bachelor’s degree in law.
However, she has put law practice on the back burner as she seeks to quench her thirst for creative art.
“I am an advocate of the High Court but I have never practiced since I was admitted to bar in 2012. My last court appearance was during my pupilage,” she notes.
She is a self-taught creative artist, with the idea taking root in 2007 when she was a second year student at the university.
“I had a passion for art as my parents were buying artefacts at Maasai market and selling them overseas,” she says.
She would also buy artefacts at Maasai market, Nairobi, and many students would ask her where she got them.
“I realised there was a lot of demand for artefacts amongst the students and I saw this as a ready-made market,” she says.
“This is what led to the birth of African Art and Jewellers ,” says Ms Atiamuga.
“It’s now more than a decade since the idea was born and the sky is the limit.”
She has no regrets about ditching law, she says. “Many people are shocked when they see me in a workshop, wonder ing why I am wasting my legal brains instead of arguing cases in courtroom. When I tell them I am happy doing this kind of work they still don’t believe it,” Ms Atiamuga explains.
“In creative art I’m building a meaningful life and fulfilling career I love most. Art has always been part of my life. It could have been my first choice career in an ideal world.”
She says she finds law boring and not challenging, adding that in art “There is so much to learn and always something interesting coming up in creative world.”
She says she takes her creative work “every bit as seriously as a lawyer in a courtroom”.
Her workshop off the noisy and busy Likoni Road in Nairobi’s Industrial Area has everything you could want from brooches, rings, anklets, lockets, bangles, wedding rings, earrings, bracelets, neckties, cufflinks to statement necklaces.
The entrepreneur is capitalising on the social media platforms to market her products and has opened an online store where one could browse a range of jewellery.
“There is a great demand for local jewellery in American markets and this inspires me to push harder,” Ms Atiamuga told Enterprise.
“I thought of exploiting this huge market which is thirsty of handmade jewellery and with my passion and commitment inside me there was no turning back.”
Her products sell for between Sh4,000 and Sh10,000.
“On a good month I sell up to 30 pieces of jewellery,” she reveals.
The budding entrepreneur says she talked to two other colleagues who had passion for arts and they pooled resources to start the venture.
“Our seed capital was about Sh50,000, which we raised from our own savings, friends and family,” she says.
Ms Atiamuga attributes her success to faith in God, supportive family, friends, and “team players” who believe in her vision.
“They journeyed with me in the struggles and I can’t claim success without their input.”
The venture started with one employee and the number has increased to five.
“I am perturbed when I hear some of my learned friends and other professionals complain of lack of good sources of income yet they have failed to use their God-given talents to improve their economic wellbeing.”
She advises young entrepreneurs wishing to start a similar venture to do thorough market research and find their niche.
Also, she adds, “One needs to go back to school, read widely and interact more with people as they are a gold mine of knowledge.”
She says her law degree has greatly helped her improve negotiating skills, as well as understand business regulations and how they affect her venture.
“I use my law skills to understand contracts. I have realised that the United States’ African Growth and Opportunities Act (Agoa) is not all about apparel. It also caters for creative industry and I am exploiting its benefits,” she says.
To enhance the creative sector in Kenya, Ms Atiamuga says, “the government should strengthen laws to protect our cultural heritage from exploitation as we have already lost kikoi, kiondo and the ‘hakuna matata’ slogan.”
She says one of the laws she would like strengthened is the Intellectual Property Act.
” The law is so vague it can’t protect my jewellery designs, which are prone to duplication by copycats,” she says.
One of the biggest challenges, she notes, is mistrust from the overseas clients who sometimes doubt whether the products will reach their destination.
“Doing market research is expensive, shipping charges are also high, and there is no good tracking system for items when in transit,” she says.
Her lowest moment since she started, she reveals is when she held a show in New York City but failed to clinch a single order.
” I felt so bad when I returned home empty handed despite spending a huge amount of money preparing for the show.”
The highest moment, she says, was when she did a roaring business at Village Market, Nairobi, despite the threat of Al-Shabaab attack.
” I feel so happy when clients come back and say they love with my products,” she says.
The entrepreneur says working from a Jua Kali shed has helped her cut costs.
“I have no pressure on rent. I use the savings to reinvest in the business,” she says.


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After helping reviewers believe in the future of hardcore gaming on tablets, Nvidia is now taking preorders for its high-octane Shield tablet and is hoping to ship them out as early as Oct. 1.
The Shield features a sharp 1080p display that's flanked by a pair of front-facing, dual bass speakers. The 8-inch gaming tablet is powered by the impressive Tegra K1, a mobile processor Nvidia says outperforms the chips inside competitiors Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.
The Shield's standout is its processor's ability to play AAA video games such as Portal and Half-Life 2. Shield owners can hook the tablet up to televisions of monitors for some big-screen gaming and the mobile device also puts to good use the speed of local networks.
With the likes of ScreenBeam Pro, the Shield tablet can wirelessly stream video games to big screens. Back in August, Nvidia and ScreenBeam Pro announced they had partnered to promote the Shield's ability to wirelessly stream content to televisions and monitors.
"Shield was created so gamers could enjoy their content where they wanted, how they wanted and ScreenBeam Pro further enables this," said Jason Paul, director of product marketing for Shield at Nvidia. "Actiontec offers a best-in-class solution for wirelessly streaming from Shield to high-definition TVs."
The Shield can stream games from PCs fitted with Nvidia GPUs, allowing desktops to handle the brunt of the processing work. The game Table also has a Twitch app that allows Shield owners to stream game play sessions to viewers on the popular live streaming site.
The Shield is offered in a 16-GB Wi-Fi only version for $299 and a 32-GB Wi-Fi and LTE variant for $399. Right now, Nvidia is fielding back orders for the Shield tablet and the gaming tablets are expected to ship out to consumers on Oct. 1.
"If you're a gamer and you use a tablet, the Nvidia Shield tablet was created specifically for you," said Jen-Hsun Huang, Nvidia's co-founder and chief executive officer back in July. "It delivers exceptional tablet performance and unique gaming capabilities to keep even the most avid gamers deeply immersed, anywhere they play."
While Nvidia is pouring its energy into promoting its gaming tablet, its lawyers are attempting to stop the shipments of Samsung's mobile devices. Nvidia alleges that Samsung and several chipmakers infringed on seven of its patents and is seeking a court order to halt movement of the mobile devices in question.
"Our patented GPU inventions provide significant value to mobile devices," stated Nvidia in a press release. "Samsung and Qualcomm have chosen to use these in their products without a license from us. We are asking the courts to determine infringement of Nvidia's GPU patents by all graphics architectures used in Samsung's mobile products and to establish their licensing value."


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Scottish aquaculture successes were celebrated at awards highlighting the industry’s growing contribution to the country’s economy.
Some of the biggest names in seafood took their place alongside some of the smaller players making waves in the sector in the winners’ line-up at the Edinburgh event.
The Scottish Aquaculture Awards are held every two years to match the industry’s production cycles and development of new products and initiatives.
Organised by the Crown Estate, they highlight the achievements of an industry which is economically vital for many of Scotland’s coastal communities.
Nominees are chosen on the basis of their high standards of innovation, responsibility in their approach to business, and environmental credentials.
Eight award categories recognise the breadth of innovation and good practice from across the sector, while another honour rewards an outstanding contribution to the industry.
This year’s winners include Scottish Sea Farms (SSF), unveiled as the best aquaculture company, and farm manager of the year Rosie Curtis, of Marine Harvest Scotland (MHS).
AKVA Group Scotland came away with the supplier of the year title and Cooke Aquaculture Scotland won the business development award.
Product of the year went to the Scottish Shellfish Marketing Group for its mussel-based ready meals developed for Lidl.
Seafood Shetland’s efforts to showcase the value of the seafood industry in the islands – the So Much to Sea marketing online campaign – earned it the community initiative award.
MHS and SSF won the stewardship award for their collaborative approach to an industry challenge. They are involved in a £2million research project to breed wrasse – a type of cleaner fish – to rid salmon of sea lice and support efficient production.
Mara Seaweed, whose seaweed products are increasingly visible on gourmet counters and other outlets, came away with the innovation award.
Judges reserved their award for outstanding contribution to Guy Mace, managing director in the UK for fish-feed firm Biomar.
Crown Estate operations manager Alex Adrian said: “Once again we have been impressed by the quality of entrants and the level of innovation and business focus.
“This year’s awards saw more entries than ever before, which is a good indicator of how buoyant the industry is just now.”
Environment Minister Aileen McLeod said: “This sector is vital to Scotland’s growth, economically and socially, and makes an important contribution to our most remote rural communities which depend on aquaculture as an economic mainstay.
“Scottish aquaculture is already worth £1.75billion to our economy and if sustainable growth targets are met, with due regard to the marine environment, that figure will rise to over £2billion and support 10,000 jobs a year across Scotland by 2020.”


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Suspects in jewelry store robbery nabbed
Posted November 6, 2012
STERLING HEIGHTS -- Just weeks after posing as customers to rob a local jewelry store, two men were nabbed by police when they tried to do it again.
According to Sterling Heights police, the original incident occurred Oct. 16, when the two subjects entered the Dominic’s Jewelry store on Lakeside Circle, near Lakeside Mall, Oct. 16 and began trying on watches.
After the first man left the store, the second man snatched the $18,000 Rolex watch he’d been examining, pushed the sales associate back, and fled to a vehicle driven by his cohort.
Lt. Luke Riley of the Sterling Heights Police Department said police were able to identify the alleged driver, Warren resident Aundra Lewis, 46, using surveillance footage and information on the getaway car, and obtained a warrant for his arrest for aiding and abetting an unarmed robbery.
Further investigation reportedly revealed that Lewis and his alleged accomplice, Detroit resident Martell Raynard Byrd, 19, had visited multiple other local jewelry stores, asking to look at expensive watches, and had arranged a Nov. 3 appointment with a sales associate at Howard’s Jewelry, on Van Dyke, in Sterling Heights.
Plainclothes officers were outside Howard’s when Byrd and Lewis arrived Nov. 3 and took them into custody without incident for the Dominic’s Jewelry theft.
Riley said it doesn’t appear Byrd or Lewis successfully swiped anything from any other stores in Sterling Heights, though police continue to investigate whether they may have been involved in robberies outside of the jurisdiction.
Both men were arraigned in 41-A District Court Nov. 5 on one count of unarmed robbery, a 15-year felony. Bond was set at $75,000 cash for Lewis — who, according to police, has prior convictions for weapons- and drug-related offenses — and $50,000 cash for Byrd.
Their preliminary exams were set for Nov. 14.
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BASF wraps up sale of paper dispersions production site in Austria
BRUSSELS, Feb. 8, 2018 (PPI Europe) -BASF has completed the sale of its production site for styrene-butadiene-based paper dispersions in Pischelsdorf, Austria to Synthomer Austria, a subsidiary of the UK specialty chemicals maker Synthomer, after receiving approval from the relevant antitrust authorities. The purchase price amounted to Euro 30 million ($37 million).
The plant’s 42 employees have all been taken on by Synthomer Austria, according to BASF.
The divestiture is related to BASF’s announcement last year that it would concentrate its production of paper dispersions at its plants in Ludwigshafen, Germany and Hamina, Finland in order to boost its competitiveness on the ...


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The design head of the group’s flagship Tata Motors, Pratap Bose, is leaving after a 14-year stint even as the homegrown automobile major searches for a CEO candidate to replace Guenter Butschek, who is on an extension till June-end. Richa Sharma of Tata Consumer Products too is on her way out after leading its packaged foods business for seven years.
While Bose and Sharma are heading for greener pastures, others like TCS, Titan and Tata Elxsi’s chief financial officers V Ramakrishnan, S Subramaniam and Muralidharan H V, respectively, are superannuating. Recently, Renu Basu retired as senior VP (sales & marketing) at Indian Hotels Company (Taj) after more than a two-decade stint.
Senior leadership exits are happening at the Tata Group at a time when the conglomerate is seeing mixed performance with some of its businesses languishing and others flourishing. Despite its myriad interests, TCS continues to be the biggest money spinner for the conglomerate.
Group chairman emeritus Ratan Tata’s half-brother Noel Tata, who is MD at Tata International, will be relinquishing his executive responsibilities at the company this November when he turns 65. He, however, will continue as the non-executive chairman of Trent, Voltas and Tata Investment Corporation. According to Tata Group’s HR policy, executives superannuate at the age of 60, while executive directors retire at 65 and non-executive members at 70. Key positions across major Tata companies are increasingly being filled in by lateral hires as compared to a decade ago when internal executives were promoted to helm those roles.
Bose, based in Warwick, UK, oversees three design centres of Tata Motors in Pune, Turin (Italy) and Coventry (UK). Tata Motors declined to comment on Bose’s departure. Bose has made significant contributions to all Tata Motors models that have been launched with the Impact 2.0 design element — from the hatchback Tiago to the SUV Harrier and the recently launched Safari.
Sharma, who joined Tata Chemicals in 2014, moved to Tata Consumer Products after the latter acquired the foods portfolio from the former. The foods business was the second biggest contributor to Tata Consumer’s earnings during the third quarter of fiscal 2021.
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India’s largest electric two-wheeler company Ola Electric Mobility is planning to raise a fresh round of $250-300 million in growth equity to expand two-wheeler operations and fund its planned battery facility, said people with knowledge of the matter.Bond Sales: PNB, IOB & DCB Bank may Face Higher Funding Costs
Punjab National Bank (PNB), Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) and DCB Bank may have to negotiate higher funding costs as these lenders seek to sell bonds amid a global turmoil caused by the Swiss regulator's write-down of nearly $17 billion of Additional Tier 1 (AT-1) instruments in the Credit Suisse bailout.D-St Back in Green as Credit Suisse Deal Soothes Investors
Indian equities rose on Tuesday, tracking the overnight rebound in the US markets, on hopes that the banking crisis might be eased for now following Credit Suisse’s acquisition by UBS. The decline in crude oil prices also alleviated some worries. Investors are now awaiting the outcome of the US Federal Reserve’s monetary policy meeting on Wednesday.
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Canadian Dollar’s Future Dependent On Relative Growth
Fundamental Outlook for Canadian Dollar: Bearish
- Leading Indicators Index sees its biggest drop on record through January – a bad omen
- Consumer inflation eases more than expected, opening the door a little wider to rate cuts
- Interest in Canadian assets tumbles as concerns over growth and financial health are raised
While there are many Canadian dollar crosses; none are as important as USDCAD. It is the most heavily traded of the loonie pairs, it joins two of the worlds largest trade partners and juxtaposes two very different economic paths. With notable event risk and ongoing questions as to the health of the Canadian economy and markets, traders with a fundamental interest in the Canadian dollar will focus on USDCAD.
When putting the two economies’ fundamental dockets next to each other, there are few that would say that the Canadian data will overwhelm the flow from the US for USDCAD’s affections. However, it will all have its influence on the Canadian economy in the end. From the US docket, Canadian traders will monitor the consumer, production and finally GDP figures for guidance. Trade with the US represent nearly 80 percent of total exports which in turn is a major component of the broader economy. With consumer confidence state-side scraping recent record lows and orders for durable goods (offering pull-through demand for machinery and offering an indication of activity going forward) tumbling, it is clear that there will be limited demand for Canadian goods, services and especially resources going forward. The most prominent reading for Canada – perhaps from either calendar – will be the second reading of US 4Q GDP. This may be a revision on a lagging indicator; but it is open to dramatic adjustments – the kind that can redefine growth expectations and the US dollar’s place as a safe haven and fundamental in the recovery from a global recession. Naturally, should confidence in the US falter, the forecast for global activity and the health of its largest trade partner will suffer as well.
Canada’s docket has its own market movers – and prominent ones at that. Come Monday, the on-again-off-again top market moving retail sales report will cross the wires with what is expected to be a massive 2.7 percent contraction. Domestic consumption is vital to the Canadian economy at this point where the absence of foreign demand has to be filled in by local sources to avoid a deeper recession that could easily spiral out of control. There will further be interest in the current account balance for the fourth quarter. This is the broadest measure of trade for the economy – encompassing both physical and capital flows. We know that the physical trade balance has suffered as global production activity suffers with the global recession and in turn squashes demand for Canada’s natural resources. But, will we see capital inflows make up for this deficit as investors look for a safe haven in the comparatively stable economy and markets in Canada.
However, are the Canadian economy and markets as strong as the stubborn Canadian currency would suggest? This is the primary (yet vague) question that loonie traders have been asking and will continue to ask. Benchmarking growth is easy enough, with guidance from local data and basing expectations through the US’s path. For the health of the financial sector, there are still many potential mines that have not gone off. A plunge in economic activity could easily leverage the strain in the credit and capital markets. However, policy makers have already acted in a precautionary capacity. Will it be enough? We shall soon see. - JK


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Could California go through with a motion to require warning labels on sodas? The SF Gate notes that San Francisco's Board of Supervisors has taken a stance in favor of the legislation that would give these drinks safety warnings in order to educate consumers and promote healthy choices.
While this measure is predictably meeting with opposition from beverage producers, the vote from the Board was reportedly unanimous, and means that the issue will continue to develop steam.
In the proposal, linked to by the Gate and co-authored by California senator Bill Monning and Senate Leader Darrell Steinberg, the bill calls for a fine to be enacted for those companies that violate the labeling requirement, and would create a fund specifically for this purpose. And it might have a wider-reaching effect than some businesses might anticipate, since the legislation would also pertain to candy sold in store vending machines.
The Washington Times spoke to Senator Monning about the expected impact of the labels. From his point of view, the situation is obviously urgent.
"The goal of the warning quite simply is to give consumers the right to know what are well-established medical impacts from consuming these beverages," Monning said. "We're talking about a public health epidemic that will take more lives than gun violence."
Manufacturers can get so bogged down in their work that they aren't prepared to meet the demands of new initiatives. This labeling process could prove to be a drain on the resources of companies that don't have a color label printer on-hand. And when it comes to beverages, a label applicator is also a necessary item that can lead to strong production processes.


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RICHMOND, VA (WWBT) - Goodwill is living up to it’s namesake for people that find themselves out of work due to the government shutdown.
Director of Workforce Development Shawn Smith tells us that the nonprofit is looking to do it’s part to help out the local community.
“This definitely a special population that has a barrier that they can’t control, which is the federal shutdown," he said. “We like reaching out to them - when we have opportunities for people to work.”
Smith says furloughed workers who apply will be placed in either newly-created positions or in modified shifts at retail stores or agency locations.
There are 80 open positions, with additional spots with employers that partner with Goodwill.
The Central and Coastal Virginia Chapter covers 39 cities and counties, with 34 stores and dozens more donations sites.
Interested workers must apply at the Community Employment Centers, such as the one on Midlothian Turnpike before being assigned.
Smith said that the idea for the initiative only came about this past week as department heads brainstormed ways for Goodwill to lend a helping hand, at a time when some people need it the most.
“Our mission is to help people help themselves through the power of work," he said.
Smith said this initiative will go on for as long as the shutdown continues.
Interested workers need to contact their local Goodwill Community Employment Centers to apply.