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- There's a hive of activity at health and wellness company Eve Investments (EVE) as the company takes its Meluka Australia honey range worldwide
- After making Amazon U.S.'s top 20 honey bestsellers, Eve launched the organic honey range on Amazon Canada last month
- Now, Eve is hoping to launch the range in Germany and the U.K. markets by early next year
- Additionally, sales in China are doing so well that Yandi Biotech's wholesalers have completely sold out of all Meluka Australia honey stock
- Eve's shares are up just over 11 per cent and trading for one cent
There's a hive of activity at health and wellness company Eve Investments (EVE) as the company takes its Meluka Australia honey range worldwide.
Meluka Australia launch
EVE launched its Meluka Australia organic honey range on Amazon in Canada last month. The range did well in the U.S., with strong sales and positive reviews providing leverage and validation when entering new markets like Canada.
Meluka Australia did so well in the U.S. that it was ranked in top 20 best sellers of honey on Amazon U.S. The range saw a massive uptake in March and April when COVID-19 began to spread globally.
"Meluka Australia has developed a market-leading differentiated offering that is delivering sales growth in our core target markets. The success in these markets is providing good leverage for our expansion into other markets that we have identified as priorities," Managing Director Bill Fry said.
To seek brand awareness and drive sales growth across Europe, Eve will appoint a specialist European-based Amazon consulting company to manage Meluka Australia's advertising and customer communication.
Eve is initially targeting the Germany and U.K. markets before broadening its reach to other European countries.
"The expansion into U.K. and Europe builds on the four successive quarters of growth the company has recorded. By investing in its core product offerings and new market development the company can continue to scale and grow its operations," Bill added.
Meluka Australia is currently preparing product shipments to Europe ahead of the Amazon launches which are expected early next year.
Demand in China
EVE has been informed by distribution retailer, Yandi Biotech, that its wholesalers have completely sold out of all Meluka Australia honey stock during the recent China Singles' Day event on November 11. This event is the largest retail and online shopping day in the world.
China received its first-ever shipment of Maluka Australia products in March this year and, since then, the customer response has exceeded Eve's expectations.
Yandi also confirmed recent shipments of raw honey, tea tree honey and tea tree oil have arrived in China. Yandi plans to launch the tea tree honey and tea tree oil products across its distribution network in December 2020, alongside the raw honey product.
2020 harvest yield increase
The tea tree oil is harvested at Jenbrook’s Robyndale and Jendale farms in New South Wales.
The harvest from the Robyndale farm was completed last month and it exceeded last year's yield by 13 per cent. Jenbrook will now progress with wildcrafted harvesting that is set to begin on its Jendale property. This will provide an important source of continued tea tree oil supply during the next six months.
Eve's shares are up 11.1 per cent and are trading for one cent at 10:30 am AEDT.


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Cut-price shops thrive as cash-strapped families seek out bargains during the downturn
Discount stores are defying on the High Street, dominating a list of the top independent grocery stores.
While High street shops are shutting like never before, with smaller independently-owned stores particularly vulnerable, one group of independent retailers is bucking the trend.
Cut-price shops are booming as cash-strapped families seek out bargains during the economic downturn, a report shows.
Leagues ahead: Wilkinson (pictured) tops the table of the 50 most successful independent grocery retailers
They dominate a league table of the top 50 independent grocery retailers.
Six of the top ten are cut-price stores and they are responsible for half of all turnover in the top 50, and two-thirds of all profits, according to the research published by The Grocer magazine.
Wilkinson tops the table and the other discounters in the top ten are Pound Stretcher, 99p Stores, TJ Morris (trading as Home Bargains), B&M Retail and Farmfoods.
The annual rankings list the 50 biggest grocery retailers that are more than 50 per cent owned by management or family.
Retail therapy: The Prime Minister (right) has hired Mary Portas (left) as his High Streets' tsar to try to rescue the country's blighted town centres
Their growth mirrors the rise of the big cut-price supermarket chains such as Aldi and Lidl.
The boom is the precise opposite of the crisis facing the rest of the high-street – which is struggling to cope with the country’s fragile economy.
TOP OF THE SHOPS: THE LEADING 10 RETAILERS
2 Martin McColl
3 TJ Morris
4 B&M Retail
6 Blakemore Retail
8 Euro Garages
10 99p Stores
In the worst-hit parts of Britain, more than one in five shops is boarded up, according to a recent report from the Local Data Company.
Overall, around one in ten town and city centre shops across the UK are currently vacant, according to the latest figures.
Spending is growing more slowly than inflation, meaning people are cutting back on purchases, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported last week.
The Prime Minister has hired Mary Portas as his High Streets’ tsar to try to rescue the country’s blighted town centres.
The ‘Queen of Shops’ this week set out a bold vision for the future of the high street, but it is not yet clear how the government will implement her proposals.
The trade magazine’s annual rankings list the 50 biggest British grocery retailers that are more than 50 per cent owned by management or family.
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domain: news


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Stock Futures – Here’s What You Need To Know Before The Market Opens
U.S. stock futures were up on Friday after Federal Reserve officials calmed investor concerns regarding the tightening of fiscal policy and stated there were no immediate plans to raise interest rates. This has been a choppy week for investors as U.S. markets seemed to be making a recovery yesterday after three days of losses after consumer price data pointed towards rising inflation.
While Dow Futures and S&P Futures were up 0.4% and 0.6% each, Nasdaq Futures had risen 0.9% at the time of writing.
Today, companies including Protalix BioTherapeutics (PLX), Limbach Holdings (LMB), and Sohu.com (SOHU) are expected to report before the earnings bell while Hall of Fame Resort & Entertainment (HOFV) is expected to report after the market close.
BIOLASE, Inc (BIOL) was the most actively traded stock and the biggest gainer in pre-market trading having popped 28.4% at the time of writing. The medical devices company posted revenues of $8.1 million in the first quarter, up 70% year-on-year, driven by a 139% year-on-year growth in laser systems sales.
However, the company’s net loss widened to $6.9 million in Q1 versus a loss of $6 million in the same quarter last year.
Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) was the biggest laggard in pre-market trading as the stock crashed 79.6% at the time of writing. The transportation company was outbid by Canadian National Railway on its move to acquire Kansas City Southern.
Kansas City Southern (KSU) said yesterday that it had accepted Canadian National Railway’s $33.6 billion acquisition offer resulting in putting an end to CP’s $29 billion bid for the company. However, CP now has five business days to make a revised offer.
In earnings news, Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba ((BA)(BA)) reported its Q4 results with its first-ever operating loss of 7.7 billion yuan since its IPO in 2014. The main reason for the loss was the 18.2 billion yuan antitrust fine that Chinese regulators slapped on the company in April this year. The company would have reported an operating profit of 10.6 billion yuan, excluding that fine.
The company posted revenues of 187.4 billion yuan, up 64% year-over-year, beating consensus estimate of 179.9 billion yuan. Alibaba’s CEO Daniel Zhang stated, “We remain very excited about the growth of China’s consumption economy, which is benefiting from the acceleration of digitalization in all aspects of life and work.”
Meanwhile, The Walt Disney Company (DIS) delivered mixed results in the second quarter with revenues of $15.6 billion, a decline of 13% year-on-year and missing analysts’ expectations of $15.86 billion. The entertainment giant reported adjusted earnings of $0.79 per share, an increase of 32% year-on-year, blowing past consensus estimates of $0.26 per share.
The Walt Disney Company’s CEO, Bob Chapek said, “We’re pleased to see more encouraging signs of recovery across our businesses, and we remain focused on ramping up our operations while also fueling long-term growth for the Company. This is clearly reflected in the reopening of our theme parks and resorts, increased production at our studios, the continued success of our streaming services, and the expansion of our unrivaled portfolio of multiyear sports rights deals for ESPN and ESPN+.”
Biotechnology company Selecta Biosciences (SELB) reported mixed results in the first quarter as revenues beat consensus estimates but losses widened. The company reported a net loss for Q1 of $24.6 million or $0.22 per share, compared to a net loss of $19.6 million or $0.21 per share in the same quarter last year. Analysts were expecting the company to report a loss of $0.12 per share.
SELB posted revenues of $11.1 million in 1Q, surpassing analysts’ expectations of $7.52 million.
Selecta CEO Carsten Brunn said, “We regained exclusive rights to our MMA program and now have two proprietary gene therapy programs to rapidly follow our ongoing empty capsid study. Additionally, we continue to progress our enzyme program, with an expected IND filing by the end of 2021 in IgA nephropathy, and topline data from the Phase 3 DISSOLVE program for SEL-212 anticipated in the second half of 2022.”
Meanwhile, Alphabet’s (GOOGL) Google has won cloud computing contracts from SpaceX and PayPal (PYPL). While GOOGL will provide cloud-based infrastructure to SpaceX to deliver its satellite-based broadband service to global customers, it will provide a wide range of cloud services to PayPal to enable the digital payments company to ramp up its capacity to quickly process a larger volume of transactions.
Google Cloud infrastructure executive Urs Hölzle said, “Applications and services running in the cloud can be transformative for organizations, whether they’re operating in a highly networked or remote environment.”
In M&A news, INDUS Realty Trust (INDT), which is mainly engaged in industrial or logistics properties, has snapped up an industrial and logistics building in Pennsylvania for $11.7 million, excluding transaction costs.
INDUS Realty President and CEO Michael Gamzon said, “We are thrilled to expand our presence in the core Lehigh Valley market with a building that is leased to a credit tenant. We believe this acquisition provides the opportunity to create significant value over time as the current in-place rent is below market and the excess land on the site provides options for potential future improvements.”


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A very watchable promo for Making Waves: the 2014 ICAD (Institute Of Creative Advertising And Design, Dublin 8) Upstarts Exhibition, which opens this Thursday at the Science Gallery..
Directed by Dave Tynan and starring Dave Cowzer, Anne Gildea, Elaine McDevitt, Meagan Hyland, Karl Davis, Patricia Fox, Amy Heffernan, Sarah Butler, Gaelle Robert , Kate O’Moore.
(H/T: Meg Hyland)
Leeson Street Upper, Dublin 4 earlier.
The guerilla zombifier strikes again.
(Pix: Oisín Kane)
Bob ‘The Ad Contrarian’ Hoffman opened the 2014 ITV Spotlight Lecture last March – a debate on the failed predictions of advertising experts over the past decade, with particular focus on the social media marketing of brands, to wit:.
..there are people in our business who believe that consumers are ‘in love’ with brands. They believe consumers want to have ‘relationships’ with brands. they want to have ‘brand experiences’ and be ‘personally engaged with brands’. These people actually believe this. You go to their Twitter profile: ‘I’m passionate about brands!’ You’re what? Dude, get a fucking girlfriend.
You’ll like Bob.
[The Wings for Life World Run In
“Incredibly patronising ad currently on bus shelters around Dublin. It seems to be an event designed to exclude the people it’s trying to help. What next? A gala concert to raise money for the deaf, a spelling bee to raise money for dyslexics?”
*backs out of room*


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Vietnam business confidence index falls further in q1/2011: survey
Vietnam’s Business Confidence Index (BCI) fell another 17 points to 109 in the first quarter of this year.
Vietnam’s Business Confidence Index (BCI) fell another 17 points to 109 in the first quarter of this year, the survey with 333 local enterprises in 11 key sectors by WVB Vietnam Financial Intelligence Services Company Limited (WVB FISL) and PVFC Invest.
The survey result, released on April 18, showed the caution and concerns of local companies, especially small and medium enterprises, amid current economic conditions including dong devaluation, higher coal, electricity, gas prices, inflation.
As many as 72% survey correspondence say their business was affected by dong devaluation, 46% plans to raise their products and service prices due to higher input costs.
As many as 25.83% surveyed companies see the economy is improving, 45.95% say it is getting worse while 28.23% think the conditions unchanged.
The optimistic companies fell 23% while the pessimistic rose 32% from quarter 4/2010.
Around 45% companies confirmed that they have no plans to expand business operation in 2011 but to apply measures to save production costs, cut labor, and restructure to cope with unfavorable economic conditions.
However, the outlook for the next 12 months looks better with 54% companies believe Vietnam economy will improve, 68% expect higher revenue and 64% forecast higher profit in 12 months – Stoxplus.com
Tags: Vietnam business confidence index


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TechnoArt LIVE 2018 Tech conference for Art, Media and Entertainment will take place at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art in Tel Aviv, Israel November 15th, 2018.
Online PR News – 09-November-2018 – Tel Aviv, Israel – TechnoArt LIVE 2018 announced keynotes from the leading Media and Music companies in the world.
TechnoArt LIVE international conference for Art, Media and Entertainment technology will take place at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art in Tel Aviv, Israel on November 15th, 2018.
Announced Keynotes Alex Kamins and Tiago Correia, Heads of Innovation at Warner Music Group, Tom Wheeley, VP Global Business Development at The Orchard (Sony Music) and Tristan Jehan, Founder of The Echos Nest and Head of Research and Innovation at Spotify.
TechnoArt LIVE is happening this year for the 3rd time, powered by TechnoArt.org - The first Art Technology Incubator founded by Socialterminals.
TechnoArt, the leading Incubator for Art, Media and Entertainment technology in the world has announced TechnoArt LIVE 2018, taking place November 15th, 2018 at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art in Tel Aviv Israel.
TechnoArt LIVE, the leading technology conference in its field, will include Panels, discussions and presentations by the top industry leaders in the music, media and entertainment industry.
The conference will focus on the challenges that the industry is facing in the era of technological innovation, their vision for the future and the new opportunities available to the artists community today. From creating content for the new emerging channels of engagement in the IOT space - smart phone, smart TVs, connected cars, connected homes, airplanes and wearable technology through new forms of artistic content from gaming, AR/VR and more.
TechnoArt LIVE will present startup companies and innovative products in the space and provide access to Israel's technological innovation in the Media, Art and Entertainment world.
Announced speakers include Alex Kumins - Head of Digital at WMG, Tom Wheeley - VP Global Business development at The Orchard (Sony Music) and founder of the Echos Nest - Tristan Jehan, Head of research and Innovation at Spotify.
Additional guests will include head of Universal Israel, Ronnie Braun, General Manager of I AM+, Noam Fine and more.
The conference will host the leading Investors and VCs in the space from Nielsen innovation, JVP, Viola Innovation and carduman capital.
TechnoArt LIVE startup gallery will present the most innovative startup companies offering new products for the industry. TechnoArt LIVE startup competition will take place in the afternoon, among the judges Dr. Dan Maron, Ronnie Braun, Alex Kumins and Shani Peled. The winning venture will be provided with round trip to the US to meet with the top investors and media companies in the world.
TechnoArt, is the leading Incubator for the Media, Art and Entertainment industries, was founded by socialterminals CEO, Shani Peled who serves as a mentor for the ventures along side music producer and former president of columbia records Steve greenberg, Charles Renfro, Ronnie Braun, Claude Brightman and prominent artists, investors and industry leaders in the world.
TechnoArts objective is to invest and develop technological solutions for the art world that can provide new business models to support the industry and the artist community.
For more details
See Agenda below
TechnoArt LIVE 2018 Agenda
8:30 - 9:15 AM - Morning Coffee & Early Birds' Networking
9:15 -9:45 AM - Conference Kick-Off by our Honored Guests
Mr. Eli Cohen- Minister of Economy
Mr. Ron Huldai - Mayor of Tel Aviv
9:45 AM - Opening Panel - Technology to Shape the Future of Media & Entertainment
Digital music downloads are quickly declining and being replaced by streaming. For the price of a single digital album download, consumers can gain access to tens of millions of songs via streaming services. with over 100 million people now subscribed to such services around the world.
Video streaming revenue is also growing from $30.29 billion in 2016 to an incredible $70.05 billion by 2021, as consumers continue to embrace pay TV and OTT solutions for streaming videos. Among other things, streaming powers the growth of digital distribution, creating more opportunities for independent artists.
Representatives from BMG, Warner, Sony, Spotify and I AM + will discuss the Tech Trends to Watch in Music, TV, and Other Creative Industries.
Participants: Tiago Correia - WMG, Noam Fine - IM+, Tom Wheeley - The Orchard, Tristan Jehan - Spotify
10:15 AM - On the Spotlight - The Future Is Data-Driven, So What Does The Data Say?
As digital and streaming solutions increasingly dominate the media industry, the role of data is rapidly evolving from being important to becoming absolutely vital.
Technological advancements continue to transform every aspect of the media industry, from artist and concept development to licensing and the manner in which people consume their favorite music and TV shows. And data sits in the center of this entertainment revolution.
Spotlight with Head of research and Innovation at Spotify - Tristan Jehan
10:45 AM - Money Talks - Monetizing your content and Finding the Right partner to connect with
Today landscape has altered the way Artists can Reach International Markers. With high demand for premium content and availability of online distribution platforms, artists have new ways of generating revenue from their content, online marketing channels and even public appearances.
This panel of experts in Monetization, Distribution and Rights management will discuss the new ways artists can monetize their content, connect directly to advertisers and use distribution tools that can connect them to larger audiences.
Participants: Arik Ben Yair - MarkersArt.com, Tom Wheeley - The Orchard, Kobi Farhi - Orphaned Land, Yuval Sharir - View Music
11:30 AM - The Future of Creative Industries in a Connected World
Technology is driving the digital revolution while consumers increasingly embrace innovative solutions for their media consumption. Our world is now connected through the internet and social media in ways that exceed even the wildest imaginations of technology innovators from the past.
The growing access to a myriad of devices, such as smartphones, smart speakers, connected cars and connected homes, enables people to be online virtually anywhere and anytime, consuming music and television shows on-the-go. And it is this fundamental shift in consumer behavior and technological advancement that's driving the rapid growth of music and video streaming.
Participants: Join representatives from the automotive industry, smarts home, aviation and wearable technology discuss the growing adoption rate and how to take a bite of this 500 Billion dollar industry.
12:15 PM Entertainment - The Next Generation
While the media and entertainment industry was one of the first sectors of business to navigate digital disruption, its transformation is far from over.
The industry revenues is expected to reach $792.3 billion by 2022, up from 666.9 billion in 2017.
This panel will discuss how the entertainment industry has reinvested it self by integrating advance technological solution in its new product offering from live performance streaming, virtual concerts in VR and tools that provide access to entertainment to produce a concert in your own living room.
Join representatives from the leading VR and gaming industry and innovative solution such as self serve concert production platform to discuss what the future of entertainment will looks like in the coming years.
1 PM - Tech.Talent.Talk.Target over lunch
Round table discussions over launch with representatives from the top music and media labels in the world. Looking to meet new talent from musicians, performers, producers, labels, entrepreneurs, tech startups and more.
Come break bread and share your views with Reps from Warner, Sony, Spotify, Universal and more. >>>> Click here to Register
2 PM - Rewriting the Script For Entertainment Investment
Not surprisingly, the competition for streaming dollars has been growing exponentially. One of the biggest recent stories was Disney's announcement that it is severing its distribution deal with Netflix in favor of launching its own streaming service in 2019. And now it is officially confirmed that Disney is buying some of 21st Century Fox's entertainment assets, including the Fox movie and television studio and a share of Hulu, which will allow Disney to increase its television production to provide exclusive content on its forthcoming streaming offering.
Representatives from the top VCs and Angel Investor will discuss the new opportunities in the space and how content driven technology has altered the valuation process.
Moderator: Ronen Solomon, Altshuler Shacham
Participants: Alex Kumins - WMG, Roy Gottlieb , Cardumen Capital, Dov Yarkoni - Nielson Innovation Fund Daniel Cohen -Viola Group
2:45 PM - THE NEW INVESTMENT SPHERE - Artists, Startups and Labels securing funding through Innovation
From Crowdfunding, Blockchain to Equity Based Trading - This segment will present new opportunities for artists, production companies and labels raise money and secure investments.
Hosted by Dr. Dan Marom, Author of CROWDFUNDING - The Corporate Era.
3:30 PM Media Most Innovative Startups
Curating the most innovative Tech Startups in the Media space, TechoArt will present the ones that has the highest potential for growth in 2019.
Coming out of Israel, These pre-selected ventures will have the opportunity to pitch their product to the top media companies and investors in the world looking to get the endorsement of at least 3 Board members for the chance to win a trip to NYC and LA, Meetings with the top executives in the Media space and more
More information can be found here: www.TechnoArt.live


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Price war at the fuel pumps as Tesco knocks 10p off a litre for customers who spend £60 in-store
Tesco today fired the first shots in what could be a major price war at the petrol pumps.
The supermarket has knocked 10p off a litre of fuel for every customer who spends more than £60 in-store and online.
Its headline offer will come as welcome news for squeezed families after the recent petrol crisis.
Prices drop again: Tesco is hoping its offer will entice more customers into the store
The closure of Coryton oil refinery, which supplies 10 per cent of the nation's fuel, sparked chaos on the forecourts last week as drivers raced to fill up their tanks.
Tesco will be hoping their offer will drum up more trade after its worst Christmas period in 20 years.
Investors were spooked by the poor results of the Big Price Drop campaign, with Tesco's share price falling by 15 per cent earlier this month.
Seal of approval: David Cameron said he welcomed Asda's expansion plans last week
Now shoppers have until February 5 to spend £60 and get the discount, which will last for a set period of around two weeks.
A Tesco spokesman said: 'We've been running similar promotions for months, even years.
'The amounts can change but the discounts have always been very popular in the past.'
How the price of petrol is made up: The biggest cost is fuel duty
It already runs a promotion offering customers a £5 voucher when they spend £40 on groceries.
It remains to be seen whether the statement of intent from Britain's biggest supermarket will spark similar offers from its rivals.
Asda slashed pump prices by 2p a litre in November, and it proved to be one of the few supermarkets that defied the bleak picture from the festive period.
The nation's second-biggest superstore instead last week unveiled plans to build 25 giant stores and create 5,000 jobs this year in an incredible £500million expansion.
Tesco is now regrouping and focusing on its core grocery business. The supermarket, which has 2,700 stores in the UK, is reportedly keen to end leases it holds on its 13 Home Plus furniture stores after weak sales at the out-of-town warehouse-style outlets.
Tesco and property adviser Morgan Williams have been reviewing the furniture stores after the supermarket saw billions of pounds wiped from its shares earlier this month when it admitted the £500m price cut campaign had failed to bring in enough customers.
The supermarket reported a 'disappointing' 2.3 per cent decline in like-for-like sales excluding VAT and petrol in the six weeks to January 7, which came in below its own expectations.
Petrol woes: Tesco's offer will be welcome news after the panic triggered by the closure of the giant Coryton refinery in Essex
Every little helps: Even Britain's biggest supermarket was not immune to the fuel fears earlier this month, when queues formed on its forecourts
It pledged to invest 'hundreds of millions' in improving the quality and range of its products and further lowering prices.
The petrol offer will only be available on groceries and Tesco's grocery website and excludes products including infant formula and tobacco.
It could hit Britain's independent petrol retailers who are already struggling following the crisis at the refinery that provides 20 per cent of the South-East's petrol.
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It's an age-old question: why am I sleeping poorly?
As we, a new study from the National Sleep Foundation says the active use of electronic devices such as TVs, smartphones, computers, and video games one hour before going to bed might be what's keeping us awake.
For its 2011 Sleep in America poll, the NSF queried a random sample of 1,508 adults between the ages of 13-64. Almost everyone surveyed, 95 percent, said they use some type of electronics at least a few nights a week within an hour before bed.
CBS "Early Show" contributor Taryn Winter Brill, like many, goes to bed with the TV on or has her laptop or BlackBerry close by. She decided to set up an unscientific sleep experiment to find out why she's sleep-deprived. What happened when Winter Brill pulled the plug on all of her technology? She shares the results with "Early Show" viewers and co-anchor Erica Hill.
This article originally appeared on CBSNews.com.


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- Morrisons aims to be the first supermarket to develop a seaweed supplement for beef cattle using seaweed sourced by UK fishermen -
- Early findings indicate that UK seaweed reduces methane emissions and is preferable to imported red seaweed tested in other studies -
- Morrisons is funding a PhD project at Queen’s University Belfast as part of the three-year trial -
Morrisons is working with Queen’s University Belfast on a three-year trial looking at the use of seaweed from the UK in helping to reduce methane production in cattle.
The innovative research programme is being led by Professor Sharon Huws and Dr Katerina Theodoridou of the Institute for Global Food Security (IGFS) at the university and is testing indigenous seaweed from the Irish and UK coastlines. The aim is to evaluate the nutritional value of seaweed and assess its potential to reduce methane emissions, improve animal health, and enhance meat and milk quality.
The research is yet to be published, but early signs are promising and indicate that seaweed from the North and Irish Seas is not only effective in reducing methane, but potentially preferable to the imported red seaweed tested in other studies which contains the ozone-destructive compound bromoform. Scientific research earlier this year found that cows belched out 82 per cent less methane after putting a small amount of red seaweed in their feed.* Indigenous UK sourced seaweed contains active compounds called phlorotannins which are safe and often found in red wine and red berries. Phlorotannins are also anti-bacterial and improve immunity and so have additional health benefits for cows.
Working with its beef farmers, Morrisons will take the learnings out of the lab and put them to practice in the fields. It plans to work with UK fishermen who already supply its stores, to source seaweed which would then be converted into a supplement.
Morrisons is funding and supporting the programme and a PhD research project at IGFS. A significant part of this is providing access for a PhD student to manage trials in methane reduction on commercial partner farms.
Cows produce methane via microbes in their stomachs as they digest fibrous food in a process similar to fermentation. Methane is a major greenhouse gas. It does not last as long as carbon dioxide in the atmosphere but is more than 30 times as effective in trapping heat. UK agriculture currently accounts for 10 per cent of all UK greenhouse gas emissions. Within this, beef farming is the most carbon intensive - generating 45 per cent of carbon emissions for only five per cent of products sold. Nearly half of this is down to methane produced by cattle.
Professor Sharon Huws, Professor of Animal Science and Microbiology of IGFS and who is leading the research programme at Queen’s University Belfast, said: “We are excited to publish our lab research in due course. This is showing that, of several UK seaweeds tested in the lab, at least one is indicating a reduction in methane production. The next step will be to trial the effective seaweeds as nutritional supplements for cows and this will be managed by a Morrisons-funded PhD student. This is a truly innovative partnership between a retailer and researchers. The involvement of Morrisons means that effective methane reduction can be rolled out to Morrisons farmers’ herds of beef cows, and the seaweed needed can be sourced through its relationships with fisheries.”
Sophie Throup, Head of Agriculture at Morrisons, said: “As British farming's biggest customer, we’re very mindful of our role in supporting and inspiring the farmers we work with to help them achieve goals in sustainable farming. With our own livestock experts and direct relationships with farmers we’re able to make changes quickly. By supporting this PhD studentship and wider research we are trialling this natural approach to reducing the environmental emissions caused by burps and flatulence from cows - as well as improving the quality of beef products.”
Morrisons has already embarked on a programme to be completely supplied by net zero carbon British farms by 2030, five years ahead of the market. Over the next nine years, Morrisons is working with its 3,000 farmers and growers to produce affordable net zero carbon meat, poultry, fruit and vegetables. As part of the programme, Morrisons will also work with universities, farming and countryside organisations and carbon experts.
In 2020 Morrisons set a business target to be net zero by 2040 and set an ambition to be net zero within its UK agriculture supply chain from the farmers who supply Morrisons directly by 2030.
GFS at Queen’s University is at the forefront of international research into reducing GHG emissions from food systems, including providing science to help UK farmers move towards a zero-carbon model, in line with the UK’s overall ambition of carbon neutrality by 2050.
[*Source: Red seaweed (Asparagopsis taxiformis) supplementation reduces enteric methane by over 80 per cent in beef steers, March 2021, https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0247820]


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We just learned of the new energy recuperation system on the Audi e-tron. As the brand’s first ever all-electric SUV, the e-tron needs to be state-of-the-art and Audi isn’t messing about. So it will get three different ways of recuperating energy back into the battery, using regenerative braking. And Audi tested these new systems on Pikes Peak, one of the world’s most famous and difficult mountain passes.
In this new video, we get to see a lot of the new Audi e-tron. We get to see its entire new instrument panel, the latest Virtual Cockpit, and we get to see its funny new side cameras, which have replaced traditional side mirrors. Funky stuff. Most importantly, though, we get to check out the car’s new regen systems.
At one point in the video, the driver uses the new touchscreen MMI system to access a screen called “Efficiency Assist”, where he’s able to change from “Manual” to “Automatic”. In manual mode, the driver selects how much regenerative braking they want by using the paddle shifters mounted to the steering wheel. There are three different settings, with the lowest setting causing no drag on the car and very little, if any, energy recuperation and the highest setting causing a ton of drag and braking while recuperating the most possible energy.
In automatic mode, the car uses all of its predictive systems to learn the environment around it and adjust accordingly. So it will use its suite of radar sensors, cameras and even Car-to-X technology, which allows the Audi e-tron to communicate with capable components of the road infrastructure, such as traffic lights.
It’s a pretty cool video that shows off the latest technology of the Audi e-tron as well as the stunning roads of Pikes Peak. We will see the e-tron finally make its debut next month and we can’t wait.


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Acting for a private landlord, Curchod & Co, has let a prime retail property, of 2,381 sq ft, in central Farnham to Oliver Bonas Limited.
The fashion, jewellery, homeware and gift retailer has taken 2/3 West Street, on a new ten-year lease at an undisclosed rent.
Matthew Seary of Curchod & Co said: “As an independent British lifestyle store, with its exclusive fashion and homeware designs, Oliver Bonas’ arrival in Farnham will boost the town’s retail offer and will further enhance the retailing mix.”
Oliver Bonas Limited was represented in the transaction by Colliers International.
Any time we start something new it is exciting and we are very motivated and committed. As time goes by, however, the burst of enthusiasm can wane as the reality of how much work is going to be involved kicks in. When you find yourself slacking a little and not being as enthused about the new change or goal you are working towards, that isn’t a sign to quit. It is a sign that it is time to re-commit.Meet the team


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Companies in the medical device arena see three ways to deal with a looming tax on medical devices, slated to start in 2013: Lay off workers, raise prices and lower costs.
A survey of about 100 mostly C-level executives conducted by PRTM for the Mass. Medical Device Industry Council shows that the tax is foremost on the industry’s mind. The tax, enacted as part of the healthcare reform act in March, would levy a 2.3 percent excise tax on U.S. sales of any medical devices not sold over the counter. According to the survey, device makers plan to deal with the tax by reducing operating expenses (namely by lowering payroll), raising prices for customers and cutting the cost of goods sold.
One area companies aren’t planning to cut is research and development, according to the survey’s respondents. They were evenly split on the question of whether healthcare reform will increase the market for medical devices, as an estimated 32 million more Americans gain health insurance. Forty-one percent of the executives said they expect the reforms to increase their customer pools, but 42 percent said they don’t expect to see any change.
The executives also expressed concern over the impact of changes to the Food & Drug Administration’s 510(k) clearance program. The FDA is in the midst of a soup-to-nuts review of the process, by which most medical devices are cleared for the U.S. market, examining the program internally and externally via a $1.3 million study by the Institutes of Medicine.
An exclusive new MassDevice report shows that 510(k) decision times increased once again in 2009, to an average of 119 days — up 37 percent from 2005, when times to decision averaged 87 days.
About 70 percent of participants in the survey said they believe the process is just fine as is. Any changes, added to the burden posed by the excise tax, would stifle innovation in the med-tech sector, they said. And 81 percent said the uncertainty represented by the potential changes makes doing business overseas more attractive.
Sharad Rastogi, a director in PRTM‘s healthcare practice and lead for the survey, is slated to presented the results at MassMEDIC‘s 14th Annual Conference today in South Boston. The economic downturn had a mixed effect on device makers, Rastogi said in prepared remarks, with about 40 percent of those polled reporting sales growth over the past year and another 40 percent reporting declines.


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By voice vote, members of the U.S. House of Representatives have approved legislation that permits wireless subscribers to unlock their cell phones for use on competing carrier networks. Friday’s vote in favor of the Unlocking Consumer Choice and Wireless Competition Act (S. 517) follows on similar action in the Senate where lawmakers adopted the bill by unanimous consent on July 16. Praising House and Senate leaders for “working together to ensure the swift passage of [this] legislation,” President Obama promised to sign the measure into law. Last year, the movement to enact a cell phone unlocking mandate gained momentum as a consequence of the 2012 decision of the Librarian of Congress to remove exemptions for mobile phones from the 1998 Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). (Among other things, the DMCA prohibits consumers from circumventing digital protection technologies that include technologies used to lock wireless devices onto specific carrier networks.)
This past February, House members adopted a bill (H.R. 1123) that reinstates the prior DCMA exemption and creates an expedited process to determine whether that exemption should also be applied to tablet PCs and other wireless devices. To the dismay of consumer and public interest groups, however, the House also amended that bill to maintain restrictions against bulk wireless device unlocking that wereadopted by the Library of Congress in 2010. Although the bill adoptedthis month retains most of the elements of the measure that passed theHouse in February, negotiators in the House and Senate agreed to removeprovisions pertaining to bulk device unlocking.
Applauding theHouse vote, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy observedthat “the bipartisan Unlocking Consumer Choice and Wireless CompetitionAct puts consumers first, promotes competition in the wireless phonemarketplace, and encourages continued use of existing devices.” AsHouse Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) predicted thatthe bill “will protect consumer choice by allowing flexibility,” FCCCommissioner Ajit Pai proclaimed that the measure “will help the freemarket for wireless phones and services flourish.”


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This month New Zealand became one of the first countries to ban “forever chemicals” per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in cosmetic products.
This ban takes effect from 31 December 2026 but what does it all really mean, what are PFAS and how do you know if they’re in your mascara or lippy?
The reason PFAS are often described as “forever chemicals” is because they don’t break down easily.
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of about 10,000 synthetic chemicals used for their non-stick and detergent properties.
“PFAS are typically used in cosmetics for long wear (lipstick) and waterproofing (mascara) as well as providing a smooth slip,” says Emma Peters, founder of Aleph Beauty whose cosmetics are PFAS-free.
PFAS are sometimes also used in products such as nail polish, shaving cream and foundation. They’re added to smooth the skin, or to make cosmetic products more durable, spreadable and water-resistant.
Why banning PFAS is a good thing
“We know these chemicals don’t easily break down, they can build up in our bodies,” says Dr Shaun Presow, Hazardous Substances Reassessments manager of EPA (Environmental Protection Authority) who are behind the ban.
The move to ban these by EPA is to further protect consumers and the environment.
“International research suggests PFAS are only found in a small number of products, but we take a precautionary approach to potential risks from PFAS,” says Dr Presow. “Banning these chemicals in cosmetics is part of our ongoing response, which includes phasing out all PFAS-firefighting foams and testing for background levels of PFAS in the New Zealand environment.”
The decision on PFAS is one of several updates that have been made to the Cosmetic Products Group Standard, to ensure cosmetic products are safe and the rules better align with international developments.
What to look out for on product labels
“It’s not always as simple as checking the label for PFAS,” says Peters. “Look out for ingredients with “perfluor” or “polyfluor” in the name, though this isn’t always the only indicator. The best place to start in finding products free from PFAS is to shop with trusted brands that are values-based. These brands will know where their ingredients come from and are most likely formulated clean from the start.”
Mukti, founder of Mukti Organics, advises checking product labels for the presence of specific PFAS compounds or looking for products that explicitly state they are PFAS-free. “Choosing products with natural and organic ingredients can also reduce the likelihood of PFAS exposure.”
Cosmetic products manufactured in New Zealand are less likely to contain PFAS ingredients says Dr Presow, and research suggests that PFAS are only used in a small number of products internationally.
While there is likely not an urgent need for consumers to change habits before the phase-out period, Dr Presow encourages consumers to check the label for ingredients, including PFAS, to make sure they are making the best choices they can for themselves and the environment.
Some common PFAS used as ingredients in cosmetics include:
• PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene)
• perfluorooctyl triethoxysilane
• perfluorononyl dimethicone
Look for products labelled as PFAS-free, or contact the manufacturer of the product for more information about ingredients.
The phase-out phase, and disposal
There is a transition period for importing and manufacturing cosmetic products containing PFAS until 31 December 2026. The remaining stock can be sold until 31 December 2027, and any remaining products containing PFAS must be disposed of by 30 June 2028.
“We expect the cosmetic industry will look to reformulate products over the next two to three years. By 31 December 2027, there will likely be far fewer cosmetic products containing PFAS in New Zealand, and a minimal amount of cosmetic products to be disposed of,” says Dr Presow.
“There are strict rules in place for importers and manufacturers to safely dispose of any chemicals in Aotearoa New Zealand, including cosmetic products containing PFAS, to ensure minimum harm to people or the environment.”
The specified timeline for the phase-out and disposal of PFAS-containing products provides clarity for businesses to adapt to these changes says Mukti. “I hope this ban encourages the industry as a whole to innovate responsibly and prioritise the use of safer alternatives.”
Safer alternatives are already available in the marketplace with brands such as Aleph and Mukti.
“Green chemistry has made incredible strides in creating clean ingredients with superior profiles to rival many old-school cosmetic nasties,” says Peters. “These days, high-end clean ingredients combined with clever formulation can deliver high-performing make-up that is also healthy for the wearer and the planet.”
The compound effect
The ban of PFAS in cosmetics is applauded by both Peters and Mukti.
“No matter what country you live in, humans are exposed to ‘invisible’ chemicals in the beauty industry every single day, and PFAS are just one example of these. They haven’t been dubbed ‘forever chemicals’ for no reason – they can accumulate in the body over time and have been linked to various health issues,” says Mukti.
“Prior to regulations like this, the cosmetic industry has abided by the assumption that ‘the dose makes the poison’. Yet the concern with this attitude is that we’re unable to adequately capture the long-term, compounded effects of using toxic chemicals daily. Alarmingly, the long-term effects of dousing the body in hazardous chemicals aren’t widely known. That’s because they’re minimised, shrouded in secrecy, and generally kept under wraps by the companies that produce them.”
Mukti says the ‘safe-until-proven-otherwise’ approach means that almost every product on the market hasn’t been adequately tested for safety or adverse side effects. According to Mukti, up to 80 per cent of chemicals used in cosmetics have never been tested. “That’s without taking into consideration what happens when they’re mixed in a chemical cocktail and applied to our bodies,” she says. “The move by the EPA turns its back against these nebulous methods of testing and signals a step in the right direction towards safeguarding the health of consumers.”
The EPA has also strengthened the regulations so non-hazardous cosmetic products that contain a hazardous ingredient are now regulated.
“This makes it easier for us to enforce the rules around banned and restricted ingredients that may be found in these products,” says Dr Presow.


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It seems that Spiderman Fans are in for a busy year in 2023, as Insomniac has confirmed. spider man 2 it will launch on PlayStation 5 next fall.
The study confirmed both as part of a PlayStation Blog Featured post on games coming out in 2023, which included a statement from Creative Director Bryan Intihar:
“What a year it has been for PlayStation Studios; Here at Insomniac Games we have been absolutely amazed by the work of our peers,” says Intihar. “Congratulations to everyone on a successful 2022…and we hope next year is just as exciting as we continue to prepare Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 for release this fall.”
spider man 2 is the sequel to the 2018 open world game that was released on PS4. It was later ported to PS5 as part of a bundle with a spin-off sequel. Spiderman: Miles Moralesthe last of which joined its predecessor on PC last month. Both games featured Peter Parker and Miles Morales as their main playable characters, and the sequel will feature both in starring roles.
Venom will also appear in the sequel as an antagonist after being teased in both games, but it looks like he’ll be tied to Harry Osborn’s character, rather than Eddie Brock as seen in most iterations. Harry was played by Scott Porter in the original game, but will be recast in the sequel due to what Porter described as an age difference that was “too hard to overcome”, as Insomniac decided to go “photorealistic” with his characters.
The Insomniac Project it’s the big event of video games for Peter Parker and Miles Morales, but both characters also star in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse next year, opening in theaters on June 2. From the looks of it, the movie is using the multiverse aspect to bring out Insomniac’s version of the hero, as his signature outfit was seen in the latest trailer. earlier this week.


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An image pack that was scheduled to release from Mojang for Minecraft called the Super Duper Graphics Pack was cancelled because it just didn’t run well enough across all system.
The pack was first announced back in 2017, and Mojang has been working on this since then. But they’ve stated that they’re not happy with how the pack performed across different devices, so they scrapped the pack entirely.
They mentioned that this pack was “too technically demanding to implement as planned.” PC players will still be able to download high-res packs online, but for console and phone hardware, their choices have always been limited.
Mojang has yet to announce any other new packs coming out for Minecraft.


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Shear consented. Their cost: $4 million in stock and cash. Souki, with 3% of Cheniere stocks, had been powerless against IcahnвЂ™s new hold over the board and decided to be fired as opposed to resign.
A consultancy owned by SoukiвЂ™s friend Martin Houston, the former LNG chief of BG Group at the same time, Cheniere also broke off the joint venture Souki had made with Parallax installment loans Missouri Energy. Because CheniereвЂ™s in-house development group had been all tangled up with Sabine Pass, Souki had enlisted Parallax to pursue brand brand new a few ideas and loaned it $47 million to focus on plans, including one called reside Oak LNG вЂ” that has been become on the a few of the exact same land in Lake Charles that now accocunts for Driftwood.
What exactly if Icahn didnвЂ™t want it? Souki and Houston still thought Live Oak had been a good notion. Houston declared Parallax defunct and teamed with Souki to follow concepts that are similar Tellurian. Some 50 previous Cheniere execs have jumped ship, including previous COO Meg Gentle, now Tellurian CEO (whom received a shout-out from President Trump throughout the China trade pact signing ceremony that is mid-January). Working together they will have secured most of the needed permits for Driftwood, and now have opted Bechtel up to a $15 billion turnkey agreement for the liquefaction flowers, that they plan to build in a forward thinking modular fashion in purchase to help keep expenses and execution danger low. Leggi tutto “Icahn in mid-December 2015 asked Cheniere board user Neal Shear if he would go with the strategy that is new provide half a year as interim CEO.”


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HYAS dives deep into the world of cyber attackers, providing an attribution intelligence platform that helps security professionals detect and defend their data.
Data points processed everyday
DNS queries analyzed daily
“to the doorstep accuracy”
Of Historically Indexed Data
Break beyond the surface with Comox.
Learn from our deep well of experience.
Adversaries Employing new TTPs to Launch Credential Stuffing Attacks
Over the past few months, HYAS has observed a noticeable increase in the number of credential stuffing attacks targeting multiple verticals including the enterprise market. “A credential stuffing attack involves attempting to use credentials that were publicly exposed during previous breaches in an automated fashion against new targets.” Multiple customers and partners reached out to […]
Phishing Attacks Continue to Challenge Healthcare Industry
Over the past few months, HYAS has observed a significant increase in the number of domains associated with crime-as-a-service vendors focused on phishing, spamming, and malware distribution. The threat of phish-facilitated malware looms large over the healthcare sector. Research shows that phishing techniques are frequently used as initial delivery vectors for malware attacks, whether ransomware […]


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PURCHASE, N.Y., Mar 21, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Nutrition 21, Inc. (NXXI) , today announced that Paul Intlekofer has resigned as Chief Executive Officer and as a director of the company. Gerard Butler and Michael Fink have been elected to serve as interim Co-Chief Executive Officers.
Both Mr. Butler and Mr. Fink were executives at Prestige Brands Holdings, Inc. (PBH) , a marketer and distributor of brand name over-the-counter healthcare, personal care and household cleaning products sold throughout the U.S., Canada, and in certain international markets. They previously worked for Block Drug Company. They have extensive experience in the consumer and nutraceutical industry.
John Gutfreund, the company's Chairman of the Board, said, "We thank Paul for the many years of service that he has given to the company, and appreciate his desire to work in the vicinity of his home in Baltimore, Maryland. He will serve as a consultant to the company."
Paul Intlekofer said, "I have enjoyed working with the company and its employees, and I look forward to helping the company continue its progress under its new leadership."
About Nutrition 21
Nutrition 21, Inc. (NXXI) , headquartered in Purchase, NY, is a nutritional bioscience company and the maker of chromium picolinate-based and omega-3 fish oil-based supplements with health benefits substantiated by clinical research. Nutrition 21 holds more than 30 patents for nutrition products and uses. Nutrition 21's portfolio of health and wellness brands include: Chromax(R), Core4Life Advanced Memory Formula(TM), Diabetes Essentials(TM), Iceland Health(R) Maximum Strength Omega-3 and Iceland Health(R) Joint Relief. The company also manufactures private label supplements and ingredients for third parties. Nutrition 21 distributes its products nationally through more than 29,000 major food, drug and super center retailers as well as internationally. For more information please visit http://www.nutrition21.com.


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La Madeleine Country French Café announced the opening of its new café at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta. The opening will mark La Madeleine’s second location in the Atlanta airport—a La Madeleine kiosk can be found in Terminal 4 at Gate 2.
As the fourth airport location to open since the inception of the company’s nontraditional growth plan in 2011, La Madeleine has been pursuing strategic expansion opportunities to bring the treasured French countryside experience and food to its loyal customers. As part of this strategy, La Madeleine has partnered with HMSHost to open the brand’s second location in the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
“La Madeleine continues to explore expansion opportunities to share our French-inspired bakery café experience with new guests near and far,” says Paul Carolan, chief development officer for Le Duff America, the family of restaurants that encompasses favorites like Bruegger’s Bagels and Brioche Dorée. “Our cafés offer a unique choice within airports, and we’re excited to be partnering with HMSHost to bring travelers from Atlanta, and all over the world, our fresh and authentic French cuisine in a convenient setting. We have worked with HMSHost in the past, and have found it to be a beneficial partnership. We couldn’t ask for a better team to bring the Atlanta Airport a full-service la Madeleine.”
Situated before the security check-in point, La Madeleine feartures new design and décor that unites comfort with the French country atmosphere for which La Madeleine has become known. La Madeleine has also enhanced its seating options, which now include banquette seating, high-top tables, and a wine-tasting table. The signature stone fireplace adds to the ambiance of the seating area, and updated lighting rounds out the relaxed dining experience.
“We are thrilled to see the doors open in Atlanta with HMSHost, and look forward to welcoming in travelers from all over the world,” says John Cahill, chief operating officer at La Madeleine. “Atlanta is as lively as ever, with new dining options and retail stores surrounding our location. The addition of this café underscores our growth in the region and loyalty of our La Madeleine guests. We warmly invite Atlanta’s travelers and guests to enjoy our newest restaurant and make the café their own.”
Known for its signature Tomato Basil soup and Chicken Caesar salad, La Madeleine serves a variety of breads, pastries, desserts, salads, sandwiches, and soups as well as a diverse beverage menu including coffee and wine.
The five times weekly e-newsletter that keeps you up-to-date on the latest industry news and additions to this website.


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The NDA government’s latest directive to the global e-commerce companies to provide details of the businesses of top five players on their platforms smacks of an unreasonably intrusive regime. As it is, the guidelines imposed by the Commerce and Industry Ministry were largely seen as stifling. This is not the ideal way to treat foreign companies operating in India after bringing in billions of dollars of investments. The government and the tax department have already instituted elaborate compliance requirements for online marketplaces under the GST regime. The government has enough data, as e-commerce firms are mandated to collect tax at source on their sales. This creates audit trails that the government can pursue. Vendors have to mandatorily register for GST irrespective of their turnover, making vendor-wise information such as taxes paid and input tax credit availed by them readily available. The data can be accessed from the GST Network. This being the reality, a directive seeking details of the top five sellers makes absolutely no sense. Apparently, the government wants Amazon and Flipkart to provide details of business done by their top five sellers and ascertain whether these marketplaces are compliant with the GST regime. The information has been sought following complaints by retailer associations like the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT), which have alleged FDI norms are being flouted. They have been seeking government’s intervention to check alleged malpractices by Amazon and Flipkart, including deep discounting, predatory pricing and running exclusive partnerships with brands that are prohibited under the existing FDI in e-commerce rules.
It must be pointed out that the global e-commerce giants have created platforms for small and medium enterprises that do not have to spend money on building a distribution network of their own. If the objective of the government is to address the genuine concerns of offline retailers, then it should have referred their complaints to the Competition Commission of India (CCI) whose job it is to penalise unfair trade practices. The government must realise that inconsistent policy interventions will only end up hampering investment flow. It first allowed global players to set up shop in India via ‘marketplace model’ even though FDI was not allowed in multi-brand retail. But, after billions of dollars came in to set up millions of square feet of warehouses with world-class logistics, the government has been changing the rules frequently. In the latest change, the Industry Ministry wants these e-retailers to share details of the top five vendors and the kind of support provided by the platform to these sellers. If the government wants huge amounts of FDI flowing into the e-commerce space, it must stop pandering to every whim of local retailers who must learn to live with the competition.


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Recycle Drive May 21-23
Riverland Energy Cooperative is teaming up with Dynamic Lifecycle Innovations to host its annual Recycle Drive May 21, 22, and 23 at three different locations. Materials can be dropped off from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at its Arcadia office (N28988 State Road 93) on May 21; in Alma (1225 S. Main St.) on May 22; and in Onalaska at the Aquatics Center Parking Lot (251 Riders Club Road) on May 23.
Many items can be recycled at no charge. The list of free items include computers, printers, scanners, DVD players, stereos, speakers, and more. Televisions will be $20, desktop computer towers and computer monitors will be $5. There is a limit of three televisions per member.
Accepted appliances include microwaves, stoves, washers, microwaves, dishwashers, dryers, and furnaces. Refrigerators, freezers and window A/C units are free only to Riverland Energy Cooperative members; there will be a $15 recycling fee for non-members, and a limit of two per member. Freon devices and dehumidifiers will be a $15 charge; other items range between $2 and $5.
Cash or check payment is due at the drop-off site, and co-op members are asked to bring a copy of their electric bill as proof of co-op membership.
A complete list of accepted items an be found here.


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Korea to Act On Inflation
Published: May 15, 1991
SEOUL, South Korea, May 14— The South Korean Government reiterated today that its economic priority this year was to curb inflation and the balance of payments deficit.
Deputy Prime Minister Choi Kak Kyu said that growth of the gross national product this year would exceed the 7 percent forecast made late last year and that exports showed signs of recovery.
Inflation was still a risk because of an unabated construction boom and rising domestic demand, Mr. Choi said at an emergency economic meeting.
South Korea's consumer price index rose 5.4 percent in the first four months of this year, exceeding half the 1991 target of holding inflation below 9 percent.
Mr. Choi also said the Government would control non-urgent imports by curbing domestic demand in an effort to ease the increasing balance of payments deficit.


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An Off-White collaboration isn’t the only iteration of the popular Air Jordan 4 that’s expected to be released soon.
According to the sneaker leak account @hanzuying on Instagram, Jordan Brand is reportedly releasing a new “Rasta” colorway of NBA icon Michael Jordan’s fourth signature basketball sneaker next month. This style is said to be a celebration of the Jamaica Carnival that was initially scheduled to take place from April 16 to April 20 but has since been rescheduled for October due to the coronavirus outbreak.
This pair prominently features the color palette linked to the celebrations. It is predominantly white with contrasting red, green and yellow accents on the shoe’s netting, sock liner and outsole. According to these posts, this pair will be released exclusively in women’s sizing at select Jordan Brand retailers on April 16 for $190.
In related Air Jordan news, a “Sail” colorway of the highly anticipated Off-White x Air Jordan 4 is rumored to drop sometime during the end of the summer season.
Detailed Look at Melody Ehsani’s Women’s Air Jordan OG Collaboration


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Articles about cattle and cold temperatures, upcoming webinars and workshops, January’s horticulture checklist and more.
Ways to lessen the stress created by the latest cold snap on livestock.
Robert Spencer, commercial horticulture specialist at the Alberta Ag-Info Centre, has published a 'to do' list for the month of January.
Register now for the January 16 and February 6 webinars.
CanadaGAP is an on-farm food safety program for fresh fruit and vegetable business operators.
This workshop provides the natural health products sector with industry best practices for implementing good manufacturing practices (GMP).
The Farmers’ Advocate Office (FAO) answers this question and looks at potential repercussions.
The series looks at how Alberta businesses can use CanadaGAP for their on-farm food safety program.


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By Tony Willard
More than 90% of customers fail to use dealers’ used car finance offers because they are unaware of them or do not understand or trust the information, according to new research.
Karl Werner, head of sales and marketing at MotoNovo Finance, said online finance processes should be developed to enable customers to complete loan proposals online, as dealer staff do in showrooms. The research, commissioned by MotoNovo Finance, suggests more than 70% prefer that.
“First, dealers need to ensure their finance proposition is online,” he said. “But, as well as providing rate information, it is important digital channels inform and educate prospective customers.”
Werner said used car buyers often made buying decisions on limited information. “This is driven by rate and the perception that ‘paying cash gets a better deal’. They may never discover the potential of a used car PCP.
“This is because information about the convenience and high acceptance rates typically associated with dealer finance is not online, or not clearly accessible.”
Werner said new car finance was delivering record levels of penetration, but used car finance lagged behind, with only a small increase over the past 18 months.
“The opportunity to increase used car finance sales does exist – to realise it, dealers need to widen their approach to promoting finance,” he added.


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Tesla Inc. late Wednesday reported the sixth straight quarter of its of earnings and a sales conquer, but skipped Wall Street expectations as well as disappointed investors who hoped for a clear cut product sales goal for the year.
Margins had been another sore point for investors, and also Tesla stock fell as much as seven % in after hours trading, according to stop.xyz
Tesla TSLA, 2.14 % said it had $270 million, or twenty four cents a share, within the fourth quarter, as opposed to earnings of $105 million, or perhaps 11 cents a share, inside the year ago quarter. Adjusted for one time clothes, the Silicon Valley automobile developer earned 80 cents a share.
Revenue rose forty six % to $10.74 billion through $7.38 billion a season ago, thanks within portion to “substantial growth” in deliveries, the business said.
Analysts polled by FactSet anticipated altered earnings of $1.02 a share on sales of $10.47 billion.
“The miss was driven by weaker-than-expected margins,” Garrett Nelson with CFRA said. Furthermore, “Tesla did not provide 2021 vehicle sales direction, in addition to saying it expects full year product sales to exceed its longer-term annual growth goal of 50 %. We feel the declaration is apt to be seen negatively.”
Chief Executive Elon Musk “probably opted to be much less precise offered various uncertainties,” including those that are actually pandemic related, Nelson said. Additionally, without a specific target for the season, Tesla gives itself much more versatility and set itself set up for “underpromising therefore they’re able to overdeliver.”
Tesla had topped analyst forecasts each reporting day time since October 2019, when it claimed a surprise third quarter 2019 profit against anticipations of a loss. The year 2020 marked the very first full year of earnings for the company.
The average selling price of its cars fell 11 % year-on-year as the mix of its continued to shift to the more affordable Model three and Model Y from its luxury Model S and Model X automobiles, the company said in a sales letter to shareholders. A call with analysts is actually due for 6:30 p.m. Eastern.
Tesla also shied away from providing a straightforward sales outlook. Rather, the company said it had “simplified the way of ours to guidance for 2021” to be able to concentrate on objectives which are long-term.
Tesla plans to plant producing capacity “as quickly as possible” and more than a “multi year horizon” expects to hit a fifty % typical annual growth in automobile deliveries, the proxy of its for product sales.
“In a few years we might cultivate more quickly, which we plan to be the case in 2021,” it said.
A growth right at fifty % would imply the delivery of about 750,000 vehicles this season, which would evaluate with more or less below 500,000 cars presented in 2020, a season marred by factory stoppages and delays on account of the pandemic.
The FactSet surveyed analysts expect deliveries roughly 800,000 vehicles for this year.
The company claimed it remained on track to start vehicle production at its Germany and Texas factories this season, with in house battery cells. It is in addition on course to begin selling its commercial truck, the Semi, by the conclusion of the year.
Tesla shares have gotten nearly 700 % in the past twelve months, compared with profits around 17 % with the S&P 500 index SPX, 2.57 %.


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With Subscription Fatigue Setting In, Companies Need to Think Hard About Fees
With its attractive recurring revenues for companies, the subscription model has grown so popular that nearly 75 percent of companies that sell directly to customers have some sort of subscription offering, according to a new industry and background note coauthored by Harvard Business School Professor Elie Ofek. And they’re expected to multiply in the years ahead, with subscription billings by companies likely to grow anywhere from 50 to 100 percent over the next five years, according to some estimates.
“THERE IS SUCH A THING AS A POORLY THOUGHT-OUT SUBSCRIPTION MODEL.”
At the same time, companies should be worried about “subscription fatigue,” warns Ofek. Companies can’t assume that they will secure a guaranteed revenue stream just by charging customers monthly. In fact, they can just as easily lose great customers in the process.
“There is such a thing as a poorly thought-out subscription model,” says Ofek, the Malcolm P. McNair Professor of Marketing at HBS. “You have to be careful in terms of what subscriptions you think people will want. The pricing structure also has to be ‘right’ in order to be successful.”
Benefiting from subscriptions while guarding against subscription fatigue
For companies, the benefits of the subscription model include more stable and predictable revenue streams, improved inventory management, “stickier” customer loyalty due to consumers’ reluctance to change vendors, and the ability to sell more products to this seemingly captive group.
“A LOT OF STARTUPS ARE INCORPORATING SUBSCRIPTION MODELS INTO THEIR BUSINESS PLANS, PARTLY BECAUSE INVESTORS ARE PUSHING COMPANIES TOWARD THESE MODELS.”
“More and more firms are starting to see the benefits,” Ofek says. “A lot of startups are incorporating subscription models into their business plans, partly because investors are pushing companies toward these models.”
A recent analysis revealed that subscription-based companies have grown 3.7 times faster than the S&P 500 over the past decade, according to coauthor Amy Konary, senior vice president of the Subscribed Institute & Marketing Strategy at Zuora. Consider companies like the cloud storage provider Dropbox; Apple, which charges monthly for cloud storage, music, and more; and Facebook parent Meta, which offers subscription services for creators and virtual reality gamers.
For consumers, subscriptions help spread out costly payments over time, allow people to choose flexible usage and product-feature options at different price levels, and enable customers to rely on certain products or services being delivered at regular intervals and automatically enjoy any upgrades.
However, subscriptions have become so widespread that many consumers are starting to feel overwhelmed with what some are calling “subscriptionitis.” And customers have made it clear that subscriptions aren’t appropriate for all products and services.
In their piece, Ofek and Konary note that BMW generated headlines in 2022 by announcing plans to charge $18 a month for heated front seats, $12 a month for heated steering wheels, and extra subscription-like payments for other options on its cars in some countries—only to irk car buyers who felt they had already paid for the installed features when they bought the cars.
“The ubiquity of subscription offerings has led many customers to feel that ‘everything today is a subscription,’” Ofek and Konary write.
Choosing the subscription that makes sense
In addition to subscriptions for consumer products, B2B deals are also taking off, including software-as-a-service (SaaS) contracts that allow client companies to avoid hefty upfront payments. For example, Microsoft has recently shifted gears to SaaS at both the enterprise and consumer levels.
“With the cloud, a company can now run a vendor’s software without having to physically load it, which saves time and upkeep effort,” Ofek says.
Some firms are also offering maintenance-as-a-service (MaaS) contracts, such as heavy-equipment manufacturer Caterpillar, which allows customers to pay annual fees to have their equipment monitored and optimally maintained. Amazon Web Services and IBM are some of the leaders in the platform-as-a-service (PasS) market.
To be clear, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all model when it comes to subscription-based revenue streams, Ofek says. At the moment, popular options include offering:
- A single flat price, where customers pay a fixed rate at regular intervals no matter how much they use a product or service.
- A “freemium” option, in which the base tier is free, while other more advanced tiers include escalating charges.
- Multiple tiered options that charge a variety of prices for different combinations of product features, usage levels, and number of users.
“Subscription models that have been successful are ones that build tiers that align well with the needs and preferences of different customer segments,” Ofek said.
Zoom, the video conference company, is a best-practice example of a company that provides a free introductory service that’s “good enough to get people hooked,” says Ofek. “Zoom then does a good job of creating additional [paid] tier versions that are attractive to small business and enterprise-level customers.”
Making the transition to subscriptions
Ofek warns that a firm’s transition from a traditional one-off payment system to a subscription model isn’t always clear or easy. For one thing, many firms initially miss the one-time large upfront payments for a product or service. They also need time to convince and retrain their salespeople and others about the benefits of switching to a subscription model.
“There can be this hesitancy to move all out,” says Ofek. “But as the benefits of the subscription model become evident, [more] firms find it worthwhile to do it.”


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Official Press Release
The company’s identyME app leverages AI to certify at-home tests and requires no medical training, offering an immediate solution to the administrative hurdles travelers and revelers face when proving they are COVID-free
Vienna, September, 2021 — testFRWD, the Austrian startup providing AI-powered solutions for self-certifying COVID-19 tests, launches identyME app in Austria and Germany, the two countries spearheading the global push for green-lighting AI-based certification. The app taps QR codes and advanced AI to verify users as they collect samples for their COVID-19 tests, enabling easy and swift certification of at-home testing. Designed to revitalize the travel and events industries, identyME slashes the cost of test certification to €1, down from €20 paid by EU governments to other certificate providers.
As COVID-19 appears set to remain for years to come—if not forever—rigorous testing is a key condition for borders and tourism to safely reopen. Today a traveler looking to visit one of the reopening EU states must hold a recent negative test unless they have a valid vaccination certificate or proof of recovering from the virus. Similarly, testing comes front and center with key events, such as the Tokyo Olympics, where athletes will be tested daily. To get a valid test result, however, one often has to travel to a certified site with their ID, have the samples collected by trained medical staff, and pay a hefty sum for the official certificate. Besides the general inconvenience, this has also resulted in a booming black market of forged test results and vaccine certificates.
testFRWD tackles this challenge by making testing as easy, frictionless, and fast as possible. The process begins with the user scanning the QR code printed on every compatible at-home testing kit to prevent fraud and counterfeits. Then, to sign up, the user must upload their picture and an image of their ID card to confirm their identity. The user then collects the samples—a process that only takes minutes and requires no medical training—before their phone’s camera. From there, depending on the test type, it takes between 15 minutes (antigen) and one day (PCR) to get the certified result.
The app relies on an advanced AI, developed with the help of testFRWD’s partner Yoti, a UK company whose biometrics and image-based verification solution supports IDs issued by over 195 countries, to verify the user. Its multi-layered security protocol includes digital identity verification, a facial recognition check matching the user’s face with that on the submitted government-issued ID document, and timestamp control. AI also reads the result from certain test kits. The app currently supports antigen and PCR tests, with work on antibody tests underway, and offers third-party developers a robust API for easy integration.
identyME had already been trialed in Vienna in a successful testing campaign that saw up to 400.000 PCR samples processed per day. The solutions and protocols utilized by the testFRWD app are fully compliant with the standards unveiled by the International Commission for Digitalisation and Standardisation of Testing and automated Health Checks (ICDS) during its summit in late April. The summit saw the panel hammer out key guidelines for COVID testing and digital certification.
“By launching the identyME app, we challenge the established testing market with a smart and affordable solution,” says Veit-Ander Aichbichler, Co-Founder and CEO at testFRWD. “Mass testing is set to remain a part of our reality in the wake of the pandemic, and by making certified at-home tests accessible, frictionless, and fast, we are helping keep people safe without infringing on their lifestyles.”
“As the world emerges from lockdowns and loneliness, our app is built to empower a swift and safe return to normalcy,” says Hennes Weiss, Founder and Chief Marketing Officer of testFRWD. “It offers governments, venues, and airlines a way to make testing as affordable, easy, and convenient as possible, while also giving people a chance to reconnect and vent some steam off by going to a live show or concert, or heading abroad.”
Founded at the peak of the pandemic in Austria, testFRWD built an AI-enabled platform for at-home COVID-19 testing and certification. Its identyME app relies on a multi-component security architecture incorporating QR codes, digital fingerprinting and facial recognition to prevent fraud and use of counterfeit test kits. It supports multiple test types, including rapid antigen tests delivering the results in just 15 minutes, and has already been proven effective in a pilot run in Vienna. The platform was designed to make mass testing more accessible and frictionless and bolster the travel and event industries, badly hit by the pandemic. For more info, visit https://www.testfrwd.me/
identyME is an app developed by testFRWD, an Austrian self-certified COVID-19 testing platform, in partnership with Yoti, a London-based digital identity company. The app is the first solution built on the standards by the International Commission for Digitalisation and Standardisation of Testing. By using its advanced AI capabilities, including facial recognition, the app verifies the user’s identity as they record themself using a compatible test kit and issues a certified result. While making at-home testing as simple and frictionless as possible, it also features robust security functionality to prevent fraud and counterfeits. For more info, visit http://www.identyme.app/


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The road to an initial public offering is rarely smooth for any company, but it's fair to say that Box's journey has been one of the bumpier ones. Though it filed plans to go public early last year, it wasn't until this week that the milestone finall...
IT services company CSC will pay US$190 million to settle a case brought by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission over four-year-old charges that it violated U.S. antifraud, reporting, and books-and-records laws. The company did not admit guilt...
A Nook deal Microsoft and Barnes & Noble struck with much fanfare less than three years ago has deflated, after failing to achieve its lofty goals in the e-reader market.
Alibaba, an e-commerce giant in China, wants to make new friends in the U.S. Especially friends with money.
Alibaba is looking to raise as much as $US21 billion in its U.S. IPO, according to documents filed Friday, making the Chinese e-commerce company's debut one of the largest initial public offerings in U.S. history.
Google plans to spend US$20 billion to $30 billion of its of its accumulated international profits to fund potential acquisitions of non-U.S. companies and technology rights.
Three founders of Lawson Software have agreed to pay about US$5.8 million to settle insider trading charges in connection with Infor's 2011 acquisition of the company.
Alibaba Group is the e-commerce player from China that you may have never heard of. But it's set to make one of the biggest initial public offerings in the U.S., possibly raising over US$20 billion, analysts say.
Fast-growing cloud software vendor Salesforce.com is planning to expand its San Francisco headquarters by more than 700,000 square feet, taking a 15.5-year lease on a 61-story office building under construction.
Juniper Networks will lay off about 6 per cent of its workforce and back out of application delivery controllers as part of a restructuring intended to cut costs and focus the company on markets where it can grow fast.
Box, the eight-year-old company that has taken on industry giants to become a leader in cloud storage and file sharing, will seek to raise $US250 million by selling shares publicly for the first time.
One of China's most popular social media services, Sina Weibo, filed papers on Friday for an initial public offering in the U.S. with the target of raising US$500 million.
Salesforce.com's rapid growth is now being fueled increasingly by large deals for its cloud software, according to CEO Marc Benioff.
Aerohive Networks, a networking vendor that's bullish on the convergence of enterprise wired and wireless LANs, aims to raise US$75 million through an initial public offering.
Satya Nadella will get US$1.2 million in salary for his first year as CEO of Microsoft, the company said Tuesday.
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NTT Data is buying the services arm of Dell in a deal reportedly worth over $3 billion.
The sale should help Dell Technologies (Nasdaq: DELL) raise cash for its planned acquisition of EMC Corp. (NYSE: EMC). Dell is aiming to create an "enterprise powerhouse" with EMC but needs capital to complete the buy-out. (See Dell Buys EMC for $67B in Biggest Tech Deal Ever and Dell-EMC-VMware Merger Could Push Comms to Kids' Table.)
NTT Data Corp. 's acquisition of Dell's Perot Systems Corp. (NYSE: PER) unit will help to make the Japanese company a major global services player. Dell bought Perot systems in 2009 for $3.09 billion.
"There are few acquisition targets in our market that provide this type of unique opportunity to increase our competitiveness and the depth of our market offerings," NTT Data CEO John McCain said in a statement. He will lead the combined business after the buy-out is completed.
This means that Dell could be selling the Perot unit at a loss, even without taking into account inflation between 2009 and now. The Wall Street Journal is reporting that NTT Data will pay $3.05 billion for the IT services unit.
The acquisition is subject to regulatory approvals before it can be cemented.
— Dan Jones, Mobile Editor, Light Reading


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Global PC shipments are expected to grow less than 1 percent this year to 367.2 million units from 363.9 million last year, with growth falling below 2 percent for the second year in a row, International Data Corp said yesterday in a statement.
The forecast growth of 0.9 percent was a drastic cut from its June estimate of 5 percent growth, indicating that demand have been hit by a weak economy and consumers delaying purchases ahead of new product launches.
IDC also gave a cautious outlook for the medium and long term, expecting global PC shipments to rise by an average 7.1 percent from next year to 2016, down from the 8.4 percent compound annual growth rate it had previously estimated.
“IDC remains optimistic that PC penetration opportunities in emerging markets will form the bulwark of the market and help sustain double-digit Portable PC growth in the long run. However, a host of all-too-familiar variables will lead to a subdued second half of the year with only consumer notebooks remaining in growth mode for all of 2012,” Jay Chou, a senior research analyst with IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly PC Tracker, said in the statement.
Nomura Securities yesterday also revised down its global PC shipment forecast for this year to a 1 percent contraction, compared with its earlier forecast of an increase of 5.5 percent.
Both IDC and Nomura’s downward revision came as Hewlett-Packard Co and Dell Inc earlier this week offered conservative assessments of market demand for this year.