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New CCTV camera for Southwold. 11.6.14.
Edited extract from EADT, June 11, 2014
Officials yesterday unveiled a new method to protect the coastal town of Southwold. The camera has been installed on Mights Bridge, the only route in and out of town.
The move was instigated by Southwold Town Council and funded by various local community funds. Suffolk Police and Crime Commissioner Tim Passmore said “Southwold is one of our iconic seaside resorts and this is one method of keeping the community safe”.
Southwold hotel for sale. 25.6.13
The 13-bedroom Blyth Hotel on Southwold’s Pier Avenue is up for sale at an asking price of £190,000. The Blyth Hotel’s lease was bought by the present owners, Richard & Charlie Ashwell, in 2005 and after a refurbishment it has become a popular venue for food and accommodation. The freehold property is owned by Adnams. Tim Gooding of Christie + Co in Ipswich, which is handling the sale, says: “Hotels in Southwold very rarely come to the market and we’re delighted to have been instructed. We’ve just started the marketing and are pleased to report that we’ve had interest expressed already.” The hotel is on the market as the vendors wish to concentrate on other career opportunities.
Modern farmhouse in Reydon, near Southwold, is named Grand Designs House of the Year 2013
Edited extract from EADT 21st May 2013
But the designer and journalist had nothing but praise for Long Farm in Reydon when he presented its architect and owner with an award recently.
The house, in Rissemere Lane East, has been chosen from 150 entries to be named Grand Designs House of the Year 2013.
It is the second home in the road to receive an accolade from the Grand Designs judges, with nearby Bavent House being highly-commended in 2011.
Presenting the award during the Grand Designs Live exhibition in London, Mr McCloud said: “It was an instant hit with all judges. It feels welcoming, homely, impressive, yet not showy, considered yet natural, new, yet established… we all wanted to live in it.”
Architect Lucy Marston, who lives at Long Farm with her husband Robert and their two sons George and Edward, said she was thrilled to have won. “For me, it is a personal project,” she said. “I did it on my own whilst taking a career break to bring up my children. It was a real labour of love and an emotional process so it is really lovely for it to be recognised.”
The couple bought the plot in 2008. They demolished the existing farmhouse and renovated two barns to live in while deciding what kind of home to build.
Lucy designed a modern family home in keeping with the farm buildings already on the site and other properties in the area. The long layout, high pitched terracotta tile roof and red brick walls are typical of a Suffolk house.
The property faces east across the salt marshes towards the sea and has views to the north of the reed beds.
Lucy’s carefully planned windows allow views of the natural landscape in all directions and the linear layout of the rooms tracks the sun during the day. The rooms are connected with a series of sliding doors to enable the space to be opened up.
Traditional features, including a super-sized inglenook and windowsills deep enough to sit in, have also been incorporated.
Long Farm has also been short-listed for a Royal Institute of British Architects regional award.
Solar Farm go-ahead despite fears over impact. 16.5.13
Edited from EADT Thursday 16th May 2013
Councillors have gone against the advice of their own planning officers and approved the construction of a 26-acre solar farm in Quay Lane, Reydon , just outside Southwold, Suffolk.
Waveney District Councils development control committee passed a plan by AEE Renewables to build a solar farm at Reydon comprising 18,304 panels.
The panels are reported to be able to produce enough power for up to 1,362 homes.
Reydon Parish Council had earlier voted 9 to 2 in favour of the plan as it was thought the planned large hedges planted to cover the solar farm would boost wildlife.
It is thought that work will start from August this year.
Town hits back at developer over ‘Nimby’ comments. 13.5.13
Edited from EADT Monday 13th May 2013
A community has hit back at a property developer who branded high street campaigners “Nimby’s” for opposing the opening of chain stores.
Nick Ekins, chairman of Gentian Developments, also described those in Southwold who objected to a recent application by Costa Coffee as “mainly old, rich, white people”.
Gentian Developments own the sites occupied by WH Smith and Costa Coffee and has revealed plans to bring two more national chains to the town.
Graham Denny, high steward of Southwold, said he was appalled by Mr Ekins’s comments. He said “I believe that Mr Ekins and his company are totally missing the point. Southwold has its own unique character.”
Are Beach Huts Worth Up To £100,000? 7.11.12
Edited extract from EADT, 7th Nov 2012
With the housing market struggling to gain momentum and average property prices on the wane, one type of real estate remains resolutely robust.
The beach hut is still a sought-after asset in Southwold, where one is currently on the market for £50,000 and prices have in the past reached in excess of £100,000. In fact, asking prices for huts are even going up on some stretches of the beach, where more and more local people are choosing to invest in a seaside haven.
Southwold estate agents Durrants has seen a marked increase in the number of local residents snapping up beach huts – and some have started using them all year round. Manager Roseanne Green said: “A beach hut sold very recently for £45,000 on the north beach, where prices have actually gone up quite considerably. They were on the market for £25,000 about 18 months ago.”
She continued “There is still very much a market for them and our last three sales have been to local residents. We recently agreed a house sale in Reydon (near Southwold) on the condition that a beach hut was included. Not only are people looking for somewhere they can take their family and friends, but the beach huts also let out very well during the summer months. Even in the winter there are some who sit out with a gas stove and brave the cold.”
Durrants currently has a sale of a beach hut going through despite it only standing on the beach for six months, and being kept in a car park between October and April to protect it from storm damage. A hut just south of the pier sold privately last year for £80,000 and huts at Gun Hill have been known to sell instantly in excess of £100,000.
The tiny properties cost more per square foot than an average family home, with the added expense of insurance, annual fees and tax. There are about 300 huts in Southwold, with seven new plots opened earlier in this year. In high season the weekly rent for one can be up to £200. Anyone looking to take on a new asset could also consider a new waterfront flat or a three-bed former council house, both in Ipswich and currently on the market for £100,000.
Census shows high second-home ratio. 23.10.12
Edited extracts from EADT. October 23, 2012
The debate over the high numbers of houses available to rent and the percentage of second homes continues to divide Southwold and Aldeburgh, with many people upset about the number of empty properties, especially in winter.
But business chiefs say the boom in rental properties attract trade all year round and rental company Best of Suffolk says holiday cottage guests spend at least £1.5million each year in the town.
A recent report into Southwold revealed second homes and holiday homes in the resort now make up about 49% of its total housing stock and the adult population has dropped by 27% in the past 11 years.
Naomi Tarry, director of Best of Suffolk, said: “Over the past six years we have worked hard at Best of Suffolk to increase the quality of holiday accommodation in Southwold and Aldeburgh, and the result is that individual holiday cottages are now occupied much more than they used to be, particularly in the wintertime which was traditionally very quiet.”
Businesses cope with quiet months
With a largely transient population, Southwold has long been accustomed to a lull in trade during the winter months – but customer loyalty and trader resilience mean businesses are able to stand the chill. Almost half the town’s homeowners are temporary residents – some visiting for the summer and others less frequently – so, after the holiday boom, custom inevitably dips.
Naturally, the team at Beaches and Cream, which opened earlier this year, expect sales of items such as ice cream to dwindle in the run-up to Christmas. But they remain adaptable, with an adjoining restaurant, Coasters, is still doing a brisk trade.
Manager Lizzy Spindler said: “We were prepared for business to slow down during the winter. People are still visiting at this time of year and we expect Christmas to bring people in. We know November, January and February will be slow but we also know that in the summer we’ll be busy again.”
She continued “Perhaps some new businesses see how busy it is in the summer and expect it to continue all year round – but people do stay loyal and the regulars will keep returning.”
Pete and Clare Hart run Chapmans newsagents. Mrs Hart said: “There is a definite peak during the summer and a smaller peak at Christmas, but not like bigger towns and cities where it’s the busiest time of the year, so we do rely on local customers. “We’re lucky because we stock things that can be sold all year.”
Guy Mitchell, chairman of Southwold and District Chamber of Trade and Commerce, who also runs the post office in the town’s High Street, added: “We have a very loyal following from local people, and from many second home owners, who support us out of season. “But it’s not just about the summer and winter – in two weeks we’ll be changing gear for half-term, and then Christmas is coming. Even so, businesses have to manage their cashflow fairly smartly.”
Southwold: Seven new beach huts priced at up to £50,000 go on sale. 12.7.12
From EADT July 12th 2012
They are the candy coloured huts that can carry an eye-watering price tag.
But holidaymakers will be buoyed by the news that brand-new beach huts are now on sale in Southwold.
Seven wooden chalets, and the lease of their plots, are up for grabs north of the pier, while five huts between South Green and Gun Hill are awaiting planning confirmation.
They are being sold by NPS property consultants on behalf of Waveney District Council, which sought planning permission for 17 new beach huts across North Parade, Ferry Road, and South Green in March.
People are invited to make offers for the huts in line with other prices in the area – with some fetching £20,000 north of the pier and £50,000 south of the pier.
Tony Rudd, valuer for the NPS group, said: “The proposal at the moment will be a hut and lease of a site for 25 years-plus.
“The huts will be done to a specification provided by the council and will reflect other huts in the vicinity. Southwold is a popular location for traditional seaside holidays, which is why the huts remain so popular.”
Such has been the demand for beach huts in Southwold that some have sold for up to £100,000 at Gun Hill, making them more expensive than a small family home in some parts of the country.
Is Southwold Our Snobbiest Town? 13.6.12
Campaigners fighting a Costa Coffee shop have been labelled elitist – but say class has nothing to do with their objections.
Daily Telegraph 13th June 2012
Number 70 High Street in Southwold, the picturesque seaside town in Suffolk, is a fairly nondescript building. Glass-fronted and red-brick, there are faded letters spelling out “Fanny and Frank Boutique Clothing” still visible on the window. To the right is a busy dry cleaner’s; to the left is Mumford’s hardware store and the Southwold gallery. Above, an estate agent is advertising a luxury apartment in the old offices of Norton Peskett solicitors. Passing tourists barely glance at the building as they scurry between antique shops and tea rooms to escape the drizzle.
But to the residents of Southwold, the empty premises at No 70 are very significant. If developers have their way, this will be the site of a new Costa Coffee outlet, the town’s first chain coffee shop and, locals say, a “watershed” in the destruction of their historic high street. Following the opening of Tesco last October, and the replacement of the town’s last bookshop with W H Smith, residents see the latest arrival as a threat to independent businesses – and they’re doing everything in their power to stop it.
Nearly 100 letters of opposition have been sent to the town council, signs have been hammered into lamp posts and droves of locals are expected to attend a public hearing on the matter next Tuesday. But with Costa’s proposals already approved by Waveney District Council’s planning officers, and renovation work well under way in the shop, residents say they are struggling to get their voices heard.
This week, Southwold’s “Say No To Costa Coffee” campaign faced another blow when commenters on a local news website branded locals “snobs” for their opposition to the chain. “Southwold has long been the preserve of weekender Range Rover-driving, Hunter boots-wearing city types,” wrote one critic, accusing campaigners of “wanting their offspring to experience the same twee, rose-tinted, middle-class utopia of their childhood”. Another wrote: “God forbid that the town has something that might attract working‑class people.”
The comments have left Southwold’s proud locals reeling – and, they say, confused about why a campaign to preserve their high street is being portrayed as snobbery.
“Do you see any Range Rovers around here? Well, do you?” asks Professor Michael Rowan-Robinson, chairman of the Southwold and Reydon Society and one of the main campaigners against Costa. I admit that I haven’t spotted a single one. He looks smug. “These comments are just atrocious. Atrocious! Has this person even been to Southwold? We’re not like that at all – take a look around for yourself.”
And I do. Southwold isn’t known as Notting Hill-on-Sea for nothing. Houses here sell for well over £1 million – a beach hut is currently on the market for £70,000 – and the high street is full of exclusive women’s clothing shops, artisan bakeries, delicatessens and gastropubs. There is not a scrap of litter, and even the rain can’t keep away the hordes of tourists, bussed in from across the country, who spend the summer strolling along the promenade and perusing expensive souvenir shops. It is little wonder this costal resort is a magnet for the rich and famous – Gordon and Sarah Brown have holidayed here, as have Chris Evans, Dame Judi Dench, Twiggy and Michael Palin, who famously met his wife on the strand in 1959.
“The idiot who described us as ‘snobby’ has revealed a lot about him or herself with those comments,” John Perkins, secretary of the local campaign group, says. “It’s ridiculous to say not wanting a Costa is a question of class – it’s a question of common sense. Tourism keeps Southwold afloat and the tourists come for the nice, privately owned shops that make our high street unique. If a Costa opens, those shops will be put at risk.”
Eighty-four per cent of Southwold’s retailers are independently owned – and out of 1,000 locals, about 400 are employed in tourism – but the town’s beloved high street is not entirely clear of corporate chains. Within a few hundred yards of the proposed coffee shop are Aubin and Wills, Crewe Clothing and Fat Face clothing stores. “They’re clamouring to open a Boots as well, but we’ve got two perfectly good chemists,” explains Prof Rowan-Robinson.
So why is the arrival of Costa such a big deal? Residents object to the number of coffee shops already in the town: 20 in the centre and 11 on the outskirts. “It’s not because it’s some garish chain; it’s because we already have more than enough places to get a hot drink,” explains Robert Adey, owner of Trinity’s tea rooms on the high street. “If someone had suggested a fish and chip shop, for example, that would be different as we only have one. I’d like to know why people are saying Costa would attract working-class people – you’d get a cheaper drink locally than in there.”
Campaigners have also accused the coffee chain of using unacceptable tactics in its planning application. “A developer acquired the shop, put in an application to refurbish and got permission,” explains John Veitch, 88, who has lived in Southwold for 40 years. “It was only then that we heard about the application to change the use.”
Costa, which owns 1,300 outlets nationwide, has sought permission from the district council to change the shop’s purpose from “retail” to “mixed use” – but, opponents allege, did so too late for local councillors to have any input.
For its part, Costa Coffee, run by Premier Inn owner Whitbread, says a branch in Southwold would create jobs and a “social meeting space”. But finding support for the outlet isn’t easy – just two letters received by the council have been in favour. On the streets, opinions are much the same. A group of tourists wandering towards the beach nod enthusiastically at the mention of Costa. One young resident says she “would quite like” one, but when I ask her name, she prefers not to give it as locals “can be a bit funny about this sort of thing”.
Unsurprisingly, existing tea and coffee shops are firmly on the side of the campaigners. Christine Webb, 55, owner of Tilly’s tea rooms for 20 years, says granting Costa’s application would be akin to “strangling” local businesses. “It will kill us,” she sighs. “We’re not like Yarmouth or Blackpool – we don’t close for six months when there are no tourists. That means we’re fighting to exist half the year; we lose money in the winter.” Graham Denny, owner of the nearby Buckenham coffee house, agrees. “I don’t want Southwold to become like every other high street,” he says. “Opening a Costa would seriously damage the town.”
Yesterday, there were more comments on local websites criticising residents’ opposition to Costa. “How awful for the luvvies in Southwold that when they visit their second homes once a year they might see people drinking coffee,” one person had written. “I am repeatedly shocked at the insular attitude of Southwold groups who would obviously rather see an empty shop than an open shop,” said another. But, with just a week to go before their chance to air their views in front of the district council, campaigners refuse to be deterred.
“We’re not high street snobs, but neither are we pickled in aspic,” says Guy Mitchell, chairman of the local Chamber of Trade and Commerce, who also works as Southwold’s postmaster. “It’s not fair to say that we don’t like to evolve. We are in favour of change – just the right kind, at the right pace, at the right time. Opening a Costa Coffee in the middle of our high street is none of those things.”
May 2012 News
With the complete sell out of the Tibby’s Triangle (below), Hopkins Homes have two new developments near the town. In Reydon (just on the edge of Southwold) they have recently launched Nightingale Place consisting of an exceptional collection of three and four bedroom homes with prices starting from £219,995.
A further 7 miles out, in Saxmundham, Hopkins Homes are offering Abbotts Grange, a highly desirable development located on the edge of this ancient Suffolk market town. With a wide choice of styles, Abbotts Grange can satisfy the needs of every lifestyle and consists of two, three and four bedroom houses, two bedroom apartments and just one two bedroom bungalow. Current availability from £134,995
Tibby’s Triangle, Southwold. A development of 34 stunning new homes including 1,2,3 and 4 bedroom houses and apartments. (NOW SOLD OUT)


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Second potato supply lawsuit moved to Idaho
By JOHN O'CONNELL
A grocery supplier's federal lawsuit filed in Kansas alleging United Potato Growers of America and some cooperative members artificially inflated prices through cartel-like efforts to limit supply has been moved to Idaho and combined with another similar class-action lawsuit.
Wyandotte County, Kan.,-based Associated Wholesale Grocers Inc., which supplies more than 2,000 grocery stores, filed its suit on April 17. Allegations in the complaint were similar to the class-action case filed in Pocatello, Idaho, federal court by the Jamestown, N.Y., wholesale potato buyer Brigotta's Farmland Produce and Garden Center.
The combined case is scheduled for a telephonic status conference with attorneys at the end of this month.
"There's no need for a judge in Kansas to get deep into the potato discovery. There's a judge in Idaho who's already on top of that," said Peter Carstensen, a University of Wisconsin law professor and antitrust expert.
Carstensen said combining the cases doesn't preclude Associated Wholesale Grocers from testing a Kansas state law that could significantly increase damages. The grocery supplier has alleged the defendants violated the Kansas Restraint of Trade Act, opening the door to indirect purchases made with the alleged conspirators through an intermediary, which aren't eligible under federal law.
The state law also awards full repayment of commodities sold under an illegal price, rather than actual damages under federal law. The plaintiffs have asked the federal court to assume jurisdiction over the alleged state law violation because the case involves residents in several states and more than $75,000 in alleged actual damages.
Carstensen believes the Kansas money-back provision will make it more difficult for defendants to prove that alleged damages vary too widely to establish a uniform class. Though the provision hasn't been well tested, he believes it provides a bargaining tool.
"It makes it easier for a court to say, 'Even if I'm not sure whether you're able to establish class-wide damages, since you're entitled to a refund we're going to go forward with the trial on the merits,'" Carstensen said.
Plaintiffs claim UPGA, formed in 2005, helped triple prices by 2011, fining growers for over-planting. The defendants believe the federal Capper-Volstead Act, which grants associations of agricultural producers certain exemptions from antitrust laws, protects their strategy. In the Brigotta's case, Chief U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill has already ruled "acreage reductions, production restrictions and collusive crop planning are not activities protected by the Capper-Volstead Act."
Carstensen predicts the defendants will eventually settle.
"If they can't convince the judge to expand his interpretation of Capper-Volstead or find that the class is not sufficiently uniform, then I think they're going to wind up with a fairly substantial payday for the plaintiffs," Carstensen said.
He said the potato case and pending cases involving dairy, mushrooms and eggs involve similar "efforts to restrict production as opposed to an agreement about how to price what is being produced. It looks to me as though this set of cases is going to wind up in a pretty clear interpretation of Capper-Volstead that will say, 'No, you cannot excuse restricting production by doing it through a cooperative.'"

domain: news


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The doors at the former home to have been closed for some time now but by mid August there will be a new deli for people to shop at – Nino's Delicatessen.
"It's not like every other deli, it's different. It's more like a Manhattan-style deli," said owner Anthony Garofalo. "[It's] an upscale deli, the food is going to be good. I haven't been to a deli on Long Island that's going to be like mine."
Deli customers could expect to see European style refrigerators and some seating when entering Nino's, and have their food prepared by a chef with 25 years of experience.
The owner said he would be serving everything from heroes to hot food, salads, soups, breakfast food and more. This is the third deli Garofalo has owned, selling off the previous two before heading into this new location.
Garofalo, who moved to Lake Grove about three years ago from Brooklyn, said the Sub Side location stood out to him in deciding where to open his next deli. He also said that he's experienced no difficulties repairing the building, which he said was built in 1920, but has had to perform lots of renovations.
The hours of operation when open would be 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday.
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It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas in Brown Thomas.
They've started selling decorations a bit earlier than other retailers - with 131 days until the main event.
It may only be the 15th of August, but Brown Thomas is already preparing for the 25th of December.
Is it happening earlier every year, or does it just feel that way?*@brownthomas is opening its Christmas shop today, the 15th of August.— Hannah Elizabeth Murphy 📻 (@HanElizaa) August 15, 2019
*It's opened two days earlier this year pic.twitter.com/TThfdUh9eu
Their Christmas shop has opened this morning, two days earlier than last year.
We asked these people on Grafton Street if they knew about the opening;
One man said, "I did, I seen it on social media."
"It's shocking really, let's get thorugh Halloween first", he said.
One woman insisted "There must be demand for it if theyr'e putting it in".
"Obviously someone's shopping in it if they're putting it in earlier and earlier every year.
"I'm surprised they don't have something in all year like Harrods.
"I'd say that will be next for them", she said.
The buying director at Brown Thomas insists they're not trying to start Christmas earlier every year.
Rachel Morgans says it's just how the dates fell;
"We try and do it at the same time every year, it's just where the day and date fall so that makes it slightly different", she said.
"We like to launch it on a Thursday
"This is for the needs of our customer. We just want to ensure that out customer has the opportunity, if they're time-poor, to come along", she said.
The Christmas shop opened at 10.30am this morning on Grafton Street.
It also launched in Brown Thomas stores in Cork and Limerick.


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By Dipo Olowookere
Nigerians have received with excitement news of the entry of Kwese TV into the pay TV industry in the country.
The firm launched its services in Nigeria on Thursday at a ceremony held in Lagos and was witnessed by members of the media.
Speaking at the event, the General Manager of Kwese TV, Mrs Elizabeth Ampka, noted that “Kwesé comes with the ‘pay-as-you-watch’ subscription packages for premium programming which enables consumers to purchase three and seven day subscriptions at N990 and N1,850 respectively, as well as a 30 day subscription option for only N6,275.”
She assured subscribers that they would enjoy entertainment and sports programmes on the network.
Mrs Ampka said Kwesé TV boasts of world class channels like ESPN, CNN International, DreamWorks, DTX, VICELAND, Diddy’s REVOLT TV and home-grown channels such as Channels TV, TVC News and NTA as well as Africa News, Flow TV, Islam TV and Kwesé Free Sports when their subscription expires.
Kwesé Free Sports is Africa’s largest and first Pan-African free-to-air TV channel available in 25 countries providing premium sporting content to sports fans for free. The channel holds exclusive free-to-air rights to the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia and the Premier League.
Viewers looking for premium lifestyle channels can enjoy telenovelas on Passion and Zee Bollynova, exciting Nollywood movies and series on African Movie Channel, African Movie Channel Series and Kwesé Movies 3 which is dedicated to showcasing original African movies.
Children can look forward to a wide array of kiddies’ channels including Boomerang, CBeebies, Cartoon Network, Jim Jam and the Kwesé exclusive Toonami for superhero fans.
She said intending subscribers can purchase the company’s satellite dish and decoder combo which cost N10,960 inclusive of installation.
She said for the first month (30 day), subscription to Kwesé TV’s full entertainment and sports bouquet is free!
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The Spyborgs main characters – Bouncer, Stinger and Clandestine – go in search of a friend and run into trouble on the way (3:44)
Capcom Entertainment has released a new movie for Spyborgs, an action game for Wii in which players take on the role of a diverse team of five bionic superspies in a fight to save the world from a group of dastardly villains. In the works at Bionic Games, Spyborgs is a unique action-adventure game set in a stylish world that resembles a Saturday morning cartoon. The game engages players in team-based challenges designed to utilize 2-player co-op play; in Single-player mode the 'team' theme continues as players jump from one member of the superspies' team to the next, rapidly tackling different challenges designed around each character's unique abilities. Spyborgs will hit the store shelves on September 25th (Europe) and September 29th (North America) exclusively for Wii.


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Boulder, CO – Associated Press
In a bold display of panache and disregard for convention, Avery Brewing Company has announced that they will be brewing and canning “Perzik” a saison brewed with peaches. “Those self-entitled millenials are gonna eat this shit up,” boasted owner/brewmaster Adam Avery, “we have been trying to hit that Ask.FM, ABC family demographic for a while and I think this will finally put us squarely in the laps of teenage girls, er, so to speak.”
The beer is a traditional Belgian saison, that has then been pasteurized, with peach extract added, and then packaged in cans, all in line with traditional Wallonian farmhouse methods. The saison will be available at liquor stores near middle schools with commercials airing during the competitive time slots of “The Thundermans” and “Harvey Danger.”
“If you really wanna get preteens into saisons, you’re gonna have to start pumping that traditional rusticity into their brains at the crest of 6th grade, otherwise we lose the post-braces market to Dupont or some shit,” Avery noted while writing variations of his last name with different female names preceding it in a binder, “We are trying to stay competitive and put saisons ahead of the curve. If there aren’t cans of Perzik covertly stashed under princess beds next to Twilight novels, we have failed as a brewery.”
At press time Avery was experimenting with enrolling clearly middle aged brewers at local high schools to boost brand recognition internally. “We hope to stain those retainers with our farmhouse cultures before the fourth quarter grades come in and kids get suspended for the summer,” Avery noted sagely while taking several selfies to post to his Snapchat followers.
When reached for comment, Blaugies owner/brewmaster Pierre-Alex Carlier noted “for me, I am, how you say, not try to make children to be drink farmhouse. Is cause for much sadness, making the can, the peach, is travesty, drunken children in geometry class….is sadness to me.”
More details as they develop.


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Wild fluctuations in weather patterns are taking a toll on this country's production of maple syrup, that quintessential symbol of Canadiana with origins stretching back hundreds of years. The province of Quebec, which generates roughly 75 per cent of maple syrup produced in the world, has been particularly hard hit, says Dr. Sylvain Charlebois, a maple-syrup aficionado and professor at the University of Guelph's Food Institute. For the past two decades, Charlebois has been studying the impact of rising – and increasingly mercurial – temperatures on this syrupy sweet, the production of which was worth $358-million in 2015, down from $380-million in 2014 and the $408-million peak in 2013, according to Statistics Canada. Charlebois says that weather is now the single biggest factor affecting the flow and production of the glorious goo.
Can you explain how weather affects the production of the sap?
A season can last six or seven weeks, depending on the weather pattern. You need a cold spell, followed by warm weather. But it can't be too drastic. It has to be progressive. Climate is a huge factor when it comes to production because you can have a short or prolonged season. Obviously when you're selling maple syrup to clients abroad you have to honour certain export contracts. So the steady flow of sap out of this market is very important.
How does the industry meet export quotas during shortened seasons?
More than 70 per cent of maple syrup is produced in Quebec, with 10 per cent from the rest of Canada, and the remaining 20 per cent outside of Canada (mainly in the United States, where the industry is growing). In 2004, Quebec set up a marketing board to regulate and manage a quota system. Currently, there are about 7,000 maple-syrup producers in the province of Quebec who own quotas. Every year that they produce maple syrup, they get a payment back from the marketing board, whose job is to sell maple syrup to the world. Some years, supply is abundant, so they keep a supply in strategic reserves. Currently there are more than 60 million litres in reserve in Quebec. So while climate change is a real issue for the industry, producers have been putting measures in place to mitigate weather-related risks for decades.
But is global warming putting more pressure on maple-syrup producers than in the past?
This year, in particular, has been a challenge. Typically the maple-syrup season is mid-February to March. This year, some producers started to get sap from trees in December. But whether it's related to climate change or not, weather has never been perfect. It's the nature of the maple-syrup business. The problem with warmer El Nino weather is you get more abrupt changes to weather patterns. It can be minus-20 one day, and plus-10 the next. All of which we've seen lately. Those kind of wild fluctuations can kill a season almost overnight. That's the danger.
How do you see the maple-syrup sector doing, say in, 10 years?
That's what the government of Quebec is trying to figure out. Right now, the Canadian maple-syrup industry is becoming less influential. The Americans are starting to become stronger players. So we need to figure out ways to better promote our product and sell it abroad. Our system is very bureaucratic in Canada, compared with the United States.
Is maple syrup big business here?
It's a very important market here, but no one can live off producing maple syrup alone. Most of these farms do other things, livestock, et cetera. But the real importance of maple syrup is its symbolism to this country. It's a commodity that is intertwined with the Canadiana brand. We have a maple leaf on our flag. Maple syrup is an important part of our culture and our identity. Not only domestically, but also abroad.
This interview has been condensed and edited.


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TOKYO (Reuters) - Large Japanese firms are growing more confident about weathering the impact of an imminent sales tax increase and they expect further profit rises even after a bumper year, a Reuters poll showed - encouraging signs for an economy that is seeing a sharp slowdown in growth.
While the sales tax hike to 8 percent from 5 percent on April 1 is necessary to bolster the country’s finances, many fear that it could wallop consumer sentiment and derail the success Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has had with weakening the yen to help exporters and with boosting stocks and corporate profits.
Consumers typically spend big in the months ahead of such tax hikes and tighten their purse strings for some time afterwards. A sales tax increase for Japan in 1997 has been blamed for playing a part in depressing economic growth and creating the deflationary mindset that has long weighed on the country.
But the Reuters Corporate survey, conducted March 3-14, showed 59 percent of respondents expect revenue to return to year-earlier levels within nine months of the tax hike, up from 47 percent who responded to the same question in December.
Some 40 percent expect a bounce back within six months, compared to 29 percent in December.
Reasons cited for the upbeat outlook include expectations of improvements in bonus payments, a surge in public works spending and other building efforts related to reconstruction after the Fukushima disaster and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, as well as expectations of more government stimulus.
“Passing along the costs of the sales tax hike is going smoothly overall,” wrote an executive at a machinery maker, one of 253 companies that responded to the question on the impact of the tax hike. “I don’t think it will take much time for sales to recover.”
Executives respond anonymously to the Reuters Corporate Survey of 400 firms, which is split evenly between manufacturers and non-manufacturers.
Hideki Matsumura, a senior economist at the Japan Research Institute who reviewed the results, also said spending ahead of the sales tax hike did not seem as big as previous tax hikes. He noted that many consumers had already bought big ticket items such as TVs and cars in recent years due to government subsidies designed to boost the economy and promote eco-friendly goods.
The survey, conducted for Reuters by Nikkei Research, also showed that more than half the companies expect higher profits in the next business year from April, though most of those respondents saw the rise as slight. One-third said they expect similar results to this year’s strong showing.
Profits, especially for Japan’s industrial core of manufacturing exporters, have soared on the back of Abe’s bold monetary and fiscal policies. Nomura analysts have predicted that the 295 Japanese firms in the Russell/Nomura Large Cap Index will see annual operating profit rise an average 35.8 percent this business year.
But while the outlook for a tax-hike rebound and corporate profits was relatively upbeat, the survey also underscored that ensuring a self-sustaining recovery - for which boosts to base pay and domestic capital spending are seen as key - will remain a significant challenge for “Abenomics”.
Weaker consumer spending, business investment and exports have caused to Japan’s economic growth to slow to around 1 percent in the second half of 2013, sharply down from an annualized growth rate of above 4 percent in the first half.
Even with higher profits, major manufacturers said in the survey that their priorities in putting their cash to use lie with research and development, overseas expansion and maintaining their reserves.
A lack of interest in expanding in their home market or boosting wages was particularly worrying, said Matsumura at Japan Research Institute.
“Corporate profits have gotten better, but the Japanese economy will not if this is the case,” he said.
The survey also showed that while a quarter of companies are worried about Abe’s nationalistic stance that has angered Japan’s Asian neighbors, just under half said there had been no impact on their overseas business plans. About one third said they were unsure about the impact.
Abe visited a shrine honoring Japan’s war dead in December, infuriating China and South Korea, which said the shrine glorifies Japan’s wartime and colonial brutality.
Editing by William Mallard and Edwina Gibbs


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TAMPA, Fla. - It's a bride's worst nightmare. The dress she's dreamt about, spent months looking for, put money down on---she may not get. The bridal store suddenly closed.
That's what's happened to dozens, if not hundreds of brides at Tampa's Alfred Angelo Bridal.
Bride-to-be Emily Benon walked up to the store front and saw a simple piece of white paper with the words “Store Closed.”
“I really didn’t think it would be real until I got here and saw it,” Benon says.
“I ordered my dress in April, and got a call on Tuesday saying my dress was in the store ready to pick up. I scheduled an appointment for Sunday.”
But Thursday night Emily learned on social media that Alfred Angelo Bridal’s had closed for good. The 80-year-old company with 60 retail stores had filed for bankruptcy.
On the company's Facebook page one mother of a bride wrote, “I WANT MY DAUGHTERS DRESS OR MY MONEY BACK NOW.”
Emily says, “I am angry for not being called. I am angry for the company doing this to their employees and to other brides…not right!”
Some of those employees who’ve been let go have been prepping bride’s and bridesmaid’s dresses in store for shipping.
An employee at the Tampa store says they’ve shipped 150 dresses within 24 hours of closing, including around 50 dresses around noon by Fed Ex.
“All these boxes you're seeing (are) brides' dress orders all called previously,” says Barbara, a store employee. She adds, “We love our brides -- that’s why they come to us for the one-on-one experience.”
Benon says she thought she did her homework when choosing a bridal store.
“I heard this happen at smaller boutique," she says. "I thought I’d be safe coming here. I was wrong.”
She hopes her dream dress -- the one that cost $1,800 -- is in one of those boxes.
“No other dress I put on made me feel like that dress made me feel," Benon says. "There's no replacing that. I just want this dress.”
Some brides on social media say the store's seamstress has their dresses, but won't give it to them because even though they paid for alterations, the store didn't pay her.
The company posted an email address for its attorney. 10News emailed and didn't get any answer.


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Between its four mobile titles, Nintendo earned $348 million in mobile revenue for the year of 2018. In Q4 in particular, they had a record quarter of almost $117 million in worldwide spending between the App Store and Google Play, according to Sensor Tower. This is thanks to the successful launch of Dragalia Lost, which released in select regions on Sept. 27.
Dragalia Lost, at approximately $58.4 million, was responsible for almost 17 percent of revenue in spite of its late release and being available in only five territories. Fire Emblem Heroes, available in 40 territories, earned $230 million and made up 66 percent of revenue. Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp earned $48.6 million, accounting for roughly 14 percent of revenue. And lastly, there’s Super Mario Run, which, ya know, exists.
Fire Emblem Heroes has generated a total $487 million to date, which makes it a pretty great success. Time will tell if Dragalia Lost can maintain its current momentum and dethrone Heroes. Also, Mario Kart Tour is scheduled for Q1 release in 2019 and will follow the microtransaction revenue model, so there is reason to believe Nintendo will make another good chunk of change in mobile this year.
Do you play any of Nintendo’s mobile offerings? Honestly, the only one I have on my phone is Super Mario Run, and although I like it, I’ve only ever played it a handful of times.


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Tablet Users Biggest Online Spenders: Study
Adobe Systems has announced findings from its inaugural Adobe Digital Marketing Insights report, designed to provide marketing, e-commerce, and retail executives with critical intelligence about digital marketing.
The study evaluated how purchasing behavior is impacted by the device consumers used to visit retail websites. In the study, Adobe analyzed 16.2 billion anonymous visits to the websites of more than 150 top U.S. retailers.
Results showed that during the 2011 holiday season and throughout 2011, tablet visitors spent more per purchase than visitors using smartphones or traditional desktops and laptops, suggesting that tablet visitors were the most valuable online customers in 2011. The study results were released today, Jan. 19.[ Also Read: RMN Content and Communications Services ]
The study says tablet visitors spent 54 percent more than smartphone visitors and 21 percent more per purchase than desktop/laptop visitors. And tablet visitors were nearly three times more likely to buy products and services online than smartphone visitors and were nearly as likely to purchase as desktop/laptop visitors.
Optimizing websites for mobile devices, such as smartphones, is now becoming common practice. However, with the emergence of the iPad and Android tablets, companies now face additional mobile optimization requirements in order to provide enticing online shopping experiences.[ Also Read: Digital Media Campaigns ]
If retailers treat mobile and tablet optimization strategies alike, they may fail to leverage the power of tablet visitors, which the study suggests, convert nearly three times more frequently than smartphone visitors.
The Adobe study suggests that demographics of tablet visitors, as well as the flexibility of the overall tablet user experience, contribute to higher tablet visitor profitability. Tablet visitors are typically males between the ages of 18-34 years old and tend to be more affluent than other online shoppers.[ Also Read: Come, Let Us Join Hands ]
Higher income levels among tablet owners is just one part of the story. Tablet users also have higher usage rates over the weekend, when there is more time to shop online.
For more industry insight from Adobe and top digital marketers and advertisers from around the world, you can attend Adobe Digital Marketing Summit 2012. The annual event will convene marketers, advertisers, publishers, agencies and developers in Salt Lake City, Utah from March 20-23, 2012.
The Adobe Digital Marketing Suite offers an integrated and open platform for online business optimization.
Support RMN News Service for Independent Fearless Journalism
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Samsung’s projected operating profit of 9.5 trillion has surprised analysts, as their estimates fell short of the mark.
Samsung’s success can be attributed to their development and release of smartphones with advanced technologies that have revolutionized the user experience and increased consumer demand. However, following the profit guidance, Samsung’s shares dropped by 3.8%.
Lee Sei-chul, an analyst at Meritz Securities, comments on the situation, stating that the slowdown in Samsung’s handset business appears to be more severe than anticipated. This disappointing outcome reinforces the market’s perception that Samsung‘s smartphone growth momentum is diminishing.
Byun Han-Joon, an analyst at KB Investment & Securities, suggests that Samsung’s earnings might only serve as a supplement at best, indicating that other factors may play a more significant role in their overall financial performance.
Jung Sang-Jin, a fund manager at Dongbu Asset Management, raises concerns about whether Samsung’s future product offerings can truly impress investors and consumers alike. There is uncertainty surrounding the potential impact and success of these products.
The market’s response to Samsung’s profit guidance underscores the challenges the company faces in maintaining its smartphone dominance.
In 2012, Samsung experienced robust sales across its product portfolio, solidifying its position as one of the leading technology companies in the world. The company’s diverse range of products, including smartphones, tablets, televisions, and home appliances, contributed to its strong performance.
One of the key drivers of Samsung’s sales success in 2012 was its smartphone division. The company’s flagship smartphone models, such as the Galaxy S III and Galaxy Note II, gained significant popularity among consumers worldwide.
These devices offered advanced features, innovative designs, and seamless user experiences, attracting a large customer base and driving sales growth.
As the smartphone industry becomes more competitive, Samsung will need to continue innovating and delivering compelling products to sustain its growth and appeal to both investors and consumers.


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Alexander Wang's H&M Campaign Gets Athletic
Time to get fit, stat
Alexander Wang has revealed the ads for his highly-anticipated H&M collab, and the designer has called upon a few (very good-looking) pro athletes to model the line's sporty pieces: soccer player Andy Carroll and kickboxer Rivaldino dos Santos.
Models Joan Smalls, Raquel Zimmermann and Isabeli Fontana also star in the designer's campaign, which was first unveiled on WWD Thursday morning. A TV commercial, set to air Oct. 30, and an online film will accompany the print ads, shot by Mikael Jansson.
"We wanted to take certain elements of each sport and portray the ultimate warrior," Wang told the trade paper. "The girls had to feel big and heroic." Indeed they do.
Get ready to look like an athletic badass when the collection drops Nov. 6.
Photos by Mikael Jansson


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The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has extended its deadline for MVNO applications until 11 October 2022, as it seeks to authorise the country’s first virtual operators. The NCC has outlined five different MVNO classification tiers, namely: Tier 1: Virtual Operator; Tier 2: Simple Facilities Operator; Tier 3: Core Facilities Operator; Tier 4: Virtual Aggregator/ Enabler; and Tier 5: Unified Virtual Operator. Tier 1-4 applicants are expected to pay 5% of the license fee as a non- refundable administrative charge, while Tier 5 licensees are expected to pay a NGN50 million (USD115,996) non-refundable fee prior to embarking upon negotiations with MNOs. The watchdog notes: ‘For the purpose of clarity, negotiations with host mobile network operators commence immediately after the grant of the licence.’
Over in the US, Nova Labs (formerly Helium), which is in the process of overseeing the deployment of a decentralised mobile network, has executed ‘an exclusive multi-year agreement’ with T-Mobile US to support the launch of its Helium Mobile MVNO, which it describes as ‘the world’s first crypto-powered mobile service’. Helium Mobile subscribers can opt-in to earn ‘MOBILE’ token rewards for sharing data about coverage quality and helping identify Helium dead spot locations nationwide. While Helium Mobile is keen to pursue a bring your own device (BYOD) model, Nova Labs says it is partnering with select cell phone manufacturers on specialised, crypto-friendly cell phone devices. Commercial beta services are expected to launch in Q1 2023 with nationwide 5G coverage.
Also in the US, Verizon Wireless has relaunched the Total Wireless sub-brand it inherited via its 2021 takeover of TracFone Wireless as Total by Verizon. It remains to be seen whether any other legacy TracFone brands will be folded into the new offering. Other sub-brands include: TracFone, NET10, Straight Talk, Simple Mobile, Page Plus Cellular and Walmart Family Mobile. In addition, the SafeLink brand is part of the government subsidised Lifeline programme.
Elsewhere, Berlin-based start-up Gigs has secured the backing of big-name investors including Google’s early-stage venture capital arm Gradient Ventures and Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi. Gigs has received USD4 million in funding (via a convertible loan) prior to a USD20 million Series A funding round. The Gigs website explains: ‘Gigs is the embeddable, API-first operator that lets you sell phone and data plans to your customers without the hassle of setting up your own MVNO in every market … Create custom plans that fit the needs of your use case, on the networks of your choice. Use our market tested plans and pricing, or build pools for all your devices to share.’
Thailand’s The White Space Co (Penguin SIM) is poised to abandon its MVNO business as it seeks to preserve its long-term revenue streams. Chairman Chaiyod Chirabowornkul told the Bangkok Post that the company will pivot towards the private enterprise sector, with a view to working alongside used car dealers and debt collection services. The MVNO’s wholesale contract with National Telecom runs until 2025, but Penguin SIM serves just 40,000 subscriptions the official added.
Cybersecurity firm World Health Energy Holdings (WHEN Group) has announced that its Polish subsidiary, Cross Mobile, has signed a GSM contract with Polkomtel. The MVNO is expected to launch in December 2022. WHEN Group CEO Giora Rozensweig commented: ‘We are now part of a small, rarefied group of licensed operators in the EU, giving us a formidable foundation from which we believe can generate significant long-term revenue growth by launching our comprehensive suite of value-added services for B2B and B2C customers.’
Sticking with Poland, Wrocław-based ISP Korbank has also signed an MVNO contract with Polkomtel. The MVNO service will also be made available to other companies that use Korbank’s IPTV platform. Company official Grzegorz Janikowski told Telko.in: ‘The biggest financial barrier in the project was the integration of the mobile operator’s billing system with ours.’ Testing is now underway, however, and the service is said to be ‘practically ready’. Negotiations with Orange Poland are ongoing, meanwhile, as Korbank seeks to add a second partner to support its MVNO proposition.
Finally, Plintron Americas has expanded its decade-long strategic relationship with T-Mobile US via an updated agreement enabling Plintron to expand its opportunities as a T-Mobile MVNO aggregator.
We welcome your feedback about MVNO Monday. If you have any questions, topic suggestions, or corrections, please email firstname.lastname@example.org
TeleGeography’s GlobalComms Database is now home to the telecoms industry’s fastest-growing collection of MVNO data, covering more than 90 countries and 1,800 virtual operators. If you would like to find out more, please email email@example.com


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LEHI — Spiraling consumer debt is helping drive a blossoming financial technology sector that has led to dozens of new, online business models that are looking to disrupt traditional banking institutions.
But in 2007, the idea of creating an online personal loan marketplace that connected borrowers in need with investors looking for a little return on their cash was a novel concept.
Now, peer-to-peer business models are commonplace, but Lending Club was among the first to see an opportunity to disrupt some of the staid practices of traditional banking. As the company’s founder pointed out early on, there was a lot of room for carving out a profitable business within a traditional banking system that was paying out next to nothing in savings account interest while charging upward of 20% when loaning out the same money.
The company would grow big enough, and fast enough, to become one of the darlings of Silicon Valley startups and in 2014 launched a blockbuster initial public offering that raised over $800 million on a valuation of almost $9 billion.
It would turn out to be the starting point for a downhill slide in stock value, and matters only got worse a couple years later when the founder and CEO stepped down amid a scandal that included allegations of questionable business practices.
A wholesale revamp soon followed, including the ascension of Scott Sanborn into Lending Club’s top position following earlier roles with the company as head of operations and chief marketing officer. Since Sanborn took over as CEO, the company has been on the rebound and as of the end of the 2019 third quarter, returned its first profit in years.
Earlier this year, Lending Club opened the doors on a new Lehi office and has since grown the staff there to over 500. On a recent visit, Sanborn sat down with the Deseret News to talk about the company’s comeback, the current state of financial technology companies and how record personal debt is helping drive new business toward the Lending Club.
Editor’s note: This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Deseret News: Lending Club was out in front of pretty much everyone when it launched a peer-to-peer loan network over a decade ago. For those who may not be familiar with your model, could you walk us through it?
Scott Sanborn: We are a credit marketplace, which means we connect people looking for money, that’s generally consumers looking for credit with people who have money, and that’s investors looking for yield. And so the investors earn the interest on the loans and they take the risk of default. And Lending Club sits in the middle of that transaction.
DN: You just turned your first profit in years and industry watchers have been bullish on the company’s performance since you took over the helm. What factors are driving people to seek out personal loans from Lending Club?
SS: There’s over a trillion dollars in credit card debt outstanding today and nearly half of all American consumers have credit card debt. Despite interest rates being at or near record lows, credit card rates are actually at or near record highs right now. There are a lot of reasons for that, but it’s just a statement of fact. So our core value proposition is, hey, if you didn’t pay off your credit card last month, you have a loan and it’s not a very good one. Let us save you an average of typically about 20% off of the the interest rate you’re paying on your card. And what we offer is also a fixed rate instead of a variable rate, so it’s better for your FICO score and there are a number of other advantages. But the key one is, it’s a lower cost, fixed duration way to pay them off.
DN: Lending Club’s early model was heavy on individual investors and light on institutions, but over time that ratio has flipped, and now most of the loans are being covered by institutional investors. How has this played out in a financial realm where you’re competing against both banks and other specialty lending institutions?
SS: So banks use deposits to fund loans and typically serve the highest credit quality customer. Specialty finance companies typically borrow money to lend out so they have to serve higher risk customers because they have a higher cost. And so those are two different segments. We have a great product across that spectrum. We’ve got amazingly low interest rates for super prime quality customers and very competitive loan rates for near prime customers One’s funded by banks, the other one is funded by asset managers. So that’s one breadth of the model that is a real benefit.
DN: You’re company went through a widely publicized scandal in 2016 but since you took over the helm, it appears Lending Club is on a path of recovery, recently returning to profitability and according to your reporting, processing some 53,000 applications on average every day during the last quarter. Talk about navigating the challenges of getting Lending Club back on its feet after this rough patch?
SS: So what happened was, the company lost trust, right? Trust takes time to rebuild but I knew it was possible. This is a a company that is very values driven and it’s something we’ve been really consistent about documenting, incorporating into our hiring practices and evaluating performance against those values. And we added a new value which was do what’s right and earn back the trust of our loan industry and earn back the trust of the equity investors. We knew we would have to work hard to do that and we rebuilt the management team and brought in people who are excited about the next phase of growth and committed to this vision of the company. In the early days of the company there was a lot of drive to go faster and kind of push. In the first year after I took over we actually shrank the company and held loan volume flat. The idea was taking growth off the table and just focusing on rebuilding the trust of investors. So, 2017 was stabilizing the business, in 2018 the team was getting back to growth and market leadership. And this year has been about getting back to profit.
DN: As a digital platform, Lending Club can essentially operate anywhere. What drove the decision to expand the San Francisco-based operation to Utah earlier this year?
SS: We actually had plans in place for the Utah expansion before 2016. When we were ready to revisit those plans, we refreshed the analysis and went through the selection process again, looking at lots of competitive cities including Denver, Phoenix, Austin and a number of other places. At the end of it, we came to the same conclusion, which was Utah was right for us. You know, there’s this unquantifiable stuff here around the commitment of the employees and values in the state that really match our values. We are a purpose-driven company that’s trying to disrupt a very major industry and be on the side of the consumer. The strong values of the company have alignment here. When you’re doing a spreadsheet, that’s something to factor in, but it’s a major factor and we now have a staff of about 550 working here.


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The three-year Kickstart Food programme will seek to scale innovations across the supply chain – from restoring soil quality and reducing waste to improving health.
The firm said: “Our increasing demand for food is putting a lot of strain on the environment. And on farmers, and the people that prepare and deliver our food. We need to radically rethink how we produce, process and consume our food. And we have less than a generation to do it.”
Rabobank said it wants to increase support for those “working to improve the environmental and social sustainability of the food and agricultural sector”. Efforts will be focused on four areas: earth; waste; stability; and nutrition.
The project starts with ‘earth’. “Literally we have to get more out of the land,” said Gilles Boumeester, head of RaboResearch Food and Agribusiness. The bank wants to look at how smart agricultural technologies, combined with data-driven precision agriculture, can further help farmers reduce costs, increase yields and maximise profits.
But though food production needs to rise, environmental pressure on land has to fall. A new partnership with UN Environment has therefore created a one billion dollar facility, to provide grants, de-risking instruments and loans to “clients who adhere to strict provisions for forest protection, restoration and the involvement of smallholders”.
By 2030, Rabobank wants 100% of its clients certified according to accepted sustainability certification schemes that include soil management practices.
The personal touch
Personalised food is one area the bank is also keen to support. “It’s vitally important,” said Sebastiaan Schreijen, a senior analyst at RaboResearch Food and Agribusiness. “If we do nothing, our ageing population will vastly increase healthcare spending in the coming years. That spending is already at roughly €80bn euros a year in the Netherlands. Only 2%t of that is spent on prevention. We’ll have to commit to a lot more resources to that effort.”
More transparent labels would be a start, he suggested. “The range of foods on offer in supermarkets today is diverse enough to make responsible choices. But most Dutch people don’t invest time to educate themselves on healthy eating.”
Almost three in four (72%) of Dutch people consider labels their primary source of information and they want them to be more transparent.
“The food industry will also have to invest more heavily in databases of nutrient information, provide apps and scanners to make it as convenient as possible to choose healthy foods,” Schreijen added.
That should lead to the next step: measuring food intake and tailoring food to individual needs. This is where it gets really exciting, with health and fitness apps that push messages like: ‘Your blood sugar was a little high this morning – a salad and some whole wheat bread is your best choice because it will give you the energy you need to make it through your afternoon meeting.’
This kind of innovation could help “plug the gap” between people eating what they think is healthy (based on the latest trends in the media) and something that really has health benefits for them.
What’s more, the messages can be combined with alerts about offers at the local supermarket from brands selling the ingredients. And there’s plenty of research to suggest it’s worth the investment.
Some 95% of Dutch people claim to consider the health effects of the food they buy, 55% have started actually eating healthier, and 86% of those are deliberately buying less unhealthy food, according to research conducted by Rabobank and Gfk. Around half of all Dutch people are also prepared to pay more for healthy food that can prevent health problems.


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SAN FRANCISCO, September 2, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Dream Technologya fast-growing technology company and leading manufacturer of home cleaning appliances, unveiled its new brand identity at IFA 2023. The new logo represents the brand identity of Dreame, which is to create technology solutions that help millions of families pursue their dreams of simplification. their lives.
Fulfilled by the vision and mission to reinvent home experiences, the overall design of the new logo embraces simplicity and strength, with the most prominent “smile curve” penetrating the letter A. Dreame understands that the ultimate goal of technological development is to bring happiness. and the freedom of people on a physical or spiritual level. Dreame Technology hopes to promote the progress of human society and civilization through technology.
The new logo is accompanied by a compelling new slogan “All dreams in one dream“This powerful message signifies the brand’s mission to simplify the lives of its customers through technology solutions, allowing them to devote more time and energy to pursuing their dreams, while simultaneously helping them live in the space of their dream home.
Dreame Technology has succeeded in breaking through the technological barriers of high-speed digital motors, relying on strong R&D experience and adhering to the principle that “core technology is the root of everything”. Currently, Dreame Technology’s high-speed digital engine has reached a world-leading level.
Dreame specializes in applying high-speed motor technology to a variety of lifestyle applications. Facing the mass consumer, Dreame Technology offers four product lines, including robotic vacuum cleaners, wet and dry vacuum cleaners, cordless vacuum cleaners and personal care products. Dreame takes into account a wide range of different scenarios in various regions to make life easier for millions of families around the world, covering more than 120 countries and regions such as United States, Germany, Franceand South Korea.
Dreame Technology is actively exploring the field of robotics in a broader sense. In the past two years, Dreame has launched the bionic quadruped robot dog and intelligent food delivery robot. Today, with the launch of robotic pool cleaners, Dreame Technology is further increasing its company size in the trillion-dollar robotics industry, and gradually becoming a global technology company with a three-dimensional layout. of several categories.
Hao YU, Founder and CEO of Dreame Technology, said, “Dreame Technology explores the broader robotic ecology, dedicated to applying robotic technology to various industries such as family, business, agriculture, health , transportation, etc., and gradually evolve into a broader robotic ecology so that robots can serve family and society more deeply.
About Dreame Technology
Established in 2017, Dreame Technology is an innovative consumer products company focusing on smart home cleaning devices with the vision of empowering life through technology. follow us on Facebook, InstagramAnd Twitter. For more information, please visit https://global.dreametech.com/
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The relief from winning ‘sufficient progress’ in the December Brexit negotiations is now fading fast as Theresa May’s cabinet is confronted with the hard - and politically deeply divisive - choices implied by Brexit.
Top of the list of conflicts between hard and soft Brexiteers is whether the UK should remain in some form of Customs Union with the EU.
The outcome of this discussion, currently raging through Whitehall and the cabinet has now broken out into the open, with Boris Johnson taking to Twitter to challenge colleagues on the issue.
Here we look at the Customs Union issue and why it risks tearing the Cabinet and the Conservative Party apart.
Remind me briefly, what is the Customs Union?
The EU Customs Union simply means that all goods that enter the EU’s single market are charged the same duty wherever they cross the border into EU territory.
The so-called “common external tariff” makes it possible for all goods to flow freely inside the internal market without being stopped for customs checks. A car-part, for example, might start life in Hungary and pass freely through three EU other countries before being finally assembled in Oxford or Sunderland.
In short, the Customs Union underpins the ‘just in time’ logistics and supply-chains that advanced industrial sectors like aerospace, cars and chemicals are currently built around.
Didn’t Theresa May say we were leaving the EU Customs Union?
She did. In her second major Brexit speech in Florence last September, the PM said: “The United Kingdom is leaving the European Union. We will no longer be members of its single market or its customs union.”
And now you are saying we are not leaving? Or might not be? I’m confused.
Anyone could be forgiven for being confused. In truth, Mrs May and her cabinet have been playing semantic games on this issue for many months to avoid a confrontation between hard and soft Brexiteers. The shorter version, however, is that it now emerges that the UK could stay in ‘a’ customs union with the EU, but not ‘the’ Customs Union, as it currently stands.
Philip Hammond, the Chancellor has refused to rule out leaving a customs union when asked by the chair of the Treasury Select Committee earlier this month. The Taxation (Cross-Border Trade) Bill contained a "provision" for Britain to enter into "a customs union with another territory". When pressed, Mel Stride, the Treasury minister confirmed this could be the "existing customs union of the European Union" after the UK has left.
David Lidington, the new Minister for the Cabinet Office, also danced around the issue in an interview with the Telegraph last week. “If there is some different framework that we can arrive at in negotiations that will be mutually beneficial, that will provide for trade in goods and services as easily as possible across frontiers then that can work to everybody’s advantage.”
Okay. So what are the arguments for and against?
The case for remaining in a customs union...
Those in favour - including several cabinet ministers - say that staying in an enhanced version of the EU Customs Union would fix the issue over the Northern Ireland border and avoid massive and costly trade disruption.
Under ideas being floated in Whitehall the UK would remain part of a customs union that would grant access to markets covered by EU free trade agreements, but would be left free to negotiate its own bilateral deals on services.
Business groups like the CBI are now also openly backing remaining in a customs union, setting up a confrontation with Brexiteer ministers.
The CBI boss has warned of huge disruption if members have to fill out a 12-page form for each consignment of goods, as well as VAT registration. More than half of UK exports go into Europe, according to the Institute for Government, rising to 60 per cent if you include export of ‘intermediate goods’ for EU-based manufacture.
There is also the question infrastructure - building the lorry parks, customs bays and camera recognition systems needed to process goods from outside the EU Customs Union. For example, the Eurostar company, which transports a large part of perishable goods across the Channel, has warned that new customs obligations “would be very difficult to put in place in the restricted space available in stations, and would make our current cargo business (Eurodespatch) economically unviable”.
There will also be ‘rules of origin’ forms which enumerate how much of each particular product has been made in which part of the EU. This can be incredibly complex for an item containing thousands of parts, like a car, but is essential for determining whether a product is ‘European’ and can benefit from low-tariff deals negotiated by the EU.
The CBI warns that being outside the Customs Union, with a basic trade deal like that negotiated with Canada, would hit the UK’s GDP between 2 per cent and 5 per cent. Other trade groups, like the Road Hauliers Association and the manufacturers association, the EEF, have also warned of disruption and costs.
Finally, it is worth noting that to avoid disruption at the border, the UK will need to do more than agree to charge or mirror a ‘common external tariff’ with the EU. They will also need to follow the rules, regulations and technical standards that are behind the need for lots of border checks.
Joining a customs union, the CBI argues, is “part of a practical, real-world answer” to the problems posed by Brexit.
And the case for leaving…
Staying in the Customs Union would tie Britain’s hands. It would remove the chance to negotiate trade deals as an independent country which Brexiteers say is the means by which the UK can capitalise economically on the vote to leave. Boris Johnson said on Twitter it made “no sense” to stay in the EU Customs Union because it would mean “no new free trade deals, no new export opportunities, and no leading role in the WTO”.
The CBI’s call for the UK to remain in a customs union also weakens the UK’s hand at the negotiating table, according to Richard Tice, the co-chairman of Leave Means Leave, because advertises UK fears over ‘going it alone’.
“Remaining in a customs union will handcuff all British businesses to EU red tape even though approximately 90 per cent do not trade with the EU. This is one of the major benefits of leaving,” he wrote.
They dismiss the argument, made by proponents of remaining in a customs union in the Treasury, that the UK would be free to negotiate bilateral deals on services - which are far more important to the UK economy.
Even though advanced economies like Britain’s are much more reliant on services, often it is offering access to market for the manufactured goods of less developed economies that provide the lever for access for British services to emerging markets.
Instead, Brexiteers argue that the UK should preserve all its freedom to negotiate trade deal, by pushing the EU for an enhanced Canada-style trade deal.
“What is far more sensible option is a SuperCanada or CETA+++ trade deal which builds on the 99 per cent access to the EU Single Market Canada enjoys with no fees and no free movement and sovereignty over regulation, but which does far more on services,” argued David Campbell Bannerman, a Conservative MEP and leading Brexiteer.
So who will win the argument?
This is the pressing question of the hour. Brexiteers are digging in for a political fight that they believe goes to the very ideological heart of Brexit.
They are opposed by remainers and softer Brexiteers who argue for a ‘lily-pad’ or step-by-step approach that warns that if Brexit goes to fast, and is too costly, the public will lose confidence in the Brexit project altogether.
The ‘purists’ will have to convince the ‘pragmatists’ that they really can ‘deliver the goods’ on trade, if the UK is going to put up so many barriers to the EU’s single market. An intense battle for the ‘soul’ of Brexit is now under way.


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A few months ago, Nokia has launched Nokia 6 at MWC 2017 and According to them Nokia 6 is the most powerful SmartPhone from HMD Global to launch after Nokia 8.
As all we know that Nokia 8 is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 Processor, the Nokia 6 is powered by a Snapdragon 430 Processor.However, Nokia 3 and Nokia 5 comes with Basic Processor which gives a very low performance.
Even the launch of Nokia 6 it had already been launched in China but as we know that Google is banned in China so, it lacks Google Services and comes with a totally customized User Interface.
News: Nokia 6 (2018) Confirmed Powered by a Snapdragon 660 Processor
The Nokia (2018) is already listed in the TEENA which reveals it first look and basic specification.According to them, it will be the Successor of Nokia 6 (2017).Now the HMD Global held the global launch of the Nokia 6 along with Nokia 3 and Nokia 5 at the Mobile World Congress 2017.Now in 2018, the new Nokia 6 will be the first launch in China, the global launch might happen by the end of the next month in MWC 2018.
They, we came to know that the New Nokia 6(2018) will launch in January 2018 in China.But Remember that this is still a rumour and yet confirmed by Officials about the Device.Stay tuned with CoolzGadgets to get more information.
Images Source – Google Images


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After it was founded in November 2014, Moneytis, a digital platform for money transfer which aims to inform people and reduce the cost of sending money abroad, has been trying every bit to start its services as soon as possible. Based in Paris, France and Nyon, Switzerland, the company has brought in a new consumer remittance startup.
With the new solution it aims to make a place in Europe, China and Mexico remittance market. Nonetheless, the freshly out of private beta, Moneytis has now opened its beta to the public and expects for better response. The service allows users to send international transfers from their bank accounts to the receiver’s for a fee of two percent or less.
In the announcement Moneytis says that using Bitcoin to send the money to destinations is easy and private as users would never know as it keeps it all in the background. Nonetheless, the users first create an account by filling in basic info and bank account credentials and the next; they select the amount and the type in the email address of the recipient.
Easy Process of Sending and Receiving Money
Moneytis informs that once information is placed, the money is then deducted from the sender’s account and sent to the person receiving the money. However, to access the money, the receiver has to create his or her own Moneytis account. The company uses an algorithm to test its fee against other providers.
The company says that if a cheaper deal is found, Moneytis will redirect to the competitor’s website. Elaborating the feature, Moneytis co-founder, Etienne Tatur, said that the idea behind the formation of the company came to him after having difficult time sending money to a friend in China.
He admits that they had hard time finding out if his bank would do the transfer and then how much it would cost. However, after figuring it all out and sending the transfer, they were hit by a sudden change in the foreign exchange rate, adding a huge unseen cost. Nonetheless, when the time came to send his money again, the two decided they would use Bitcoin.
According to Tatur Bitcoin for them turned out to be more complex, but cheaper. He believes that the Bitcoin transfer was enough to inspire them to found Moneytis in early 2014 and make bitcoin-based solutions without the user-experience issues.
Nonetheless, he along with his co-founder Christophe Lassuyt have been developing the company’s money-transfer technology and refining its user experience from feedback gathered from the private beta.
To contact the reporter of this story: Deepak Tiwari at firstname.lastname@example.org
With the new solution it aims to make a place in Europe, China and Mexico remittance market. […]


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In March, after Doppler Labs hired a new chief scientist, it put together a team of half-dozen people that cofounder and CEO Noah Kraft soon started calling the Avengers. The team, under the leadership of the company’s new chief scientist, Jim Pitkow, included experts in audiology and machine learning – and accessibility. A key goal: To prepare the smart-earbud startup for the hoped-for passage of a bill that would allow hearing aids for those with mild-to-moderate hearing loss to be sold over the counter in drugstores across the country, similarly to reading glasses. Such a move would upend the $6 billion hearing-aid market, which is dominated by six long-time players that sell their FDA-regulated devices for thousands of dollars (rarely covered by insurance) to patients only after they receive a hearing test.
Kraft, who was on the FORBES 30 Under 30 list this year, and his team at Doppler, which FORBES named a Next Billion Dollar Startup in 2016, has long been thinking about the prospects for selling its wireless in-ear computers – which can enhance sound or mute it, as well as do a whole host of other things – to people with hearing difficulties. Under current rules the company couldn’t market its Here One devices that way, but that seems poised to change. In December, Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) introduced the Over-the-Counter Hearing Aid Act of 2016. With bipartisan support, additional sponsors and a companion bill in the House, the 2017 version of the act, was gaining traction fast, and Doppler was both lobbying for its passage and preparing for a new market.
“The question was always how do we go after this hearing health market in a way that is innovative,” Kraft says. “The hearing legislation is a catalyst.”
The San Francisco-based company was born three years ago after Kraft, who has a background in music and film (most notably, as producer on the boxing biopic Bleed for This, executive-produced by Martin Scorsese), met Fritz Lanman, a well-known tech investor with interests in Square and Pinterest. The two started talking about making bionic ears that would both enhance sound and look cool. They named the company Doppler, after the Doppler effect – the apparent change in frequency of sound waves as the source and observer move in relation to each other. With a total of $50 million in financing from venture firms (Acequia Capital, the Chernin Group, Wildcat Management) and industry players (Live Nation Entertainment, WME, Universal Music Group), Doppler developed its Here One augmented-reality earbuds (priced at $300 a pair), which it began selling last year.
In January, Doppler made a splash with the hiring of Brian Hall, formerly head of devices at Microsoft, as its new chief operating office – a big “get” for a startup in the tech world. That, Kraft hopes, will allow his 80-person startup to go up against the giants in his pursuit of putting miniature computers in people’s ears. Doppler expects to sell about 200,000 units this year. Forbes estimates revenue could reach an estimated $40 million to $50 million. Going forward, the hearing health space, Hall says, “is where we feel like there is the biggest opportunity for disruption. This is a $6 billion market today, but effectively it serves less than 25% of the people that need hearing health.”
Doppler won’t be the only company trying to break in. In one sign of the coming battle, Doppler filed suit in March against Bose for trademark infringement and deceptive business practices in the launch of its Hearphones. In addition, hearing-aid startup Audicus launched in 2012 to sell lower-cost hearing aids direct to consumers over the Internet, following the playbook of Warby Parker in eyeglasses. Meanwhile, Apple is already working with existing hearing-aid manufacturers to create advanced devices that are designed specifically for the iPhone, which as of the iPhone 7 no longer has a headphone jack.
One of Doppler’s not-so-secret weapons in its battle is KR Liu, its director of advocacy and accessibility, who joined Doppler in October 2015 from smartwatch company Pebble. Diagnosed with severe hearing loss at the age of three (her own hearing aids cost $12,000), Liu has long been an advocate for people with hearing difficulties. She is on the board of the Hearing Loss Association of America and a member of the Consumer Technology Association’s standards committee on “personal sound amplification devices,” or PSAPs. Unlike hearing aids, PSAPs, which typically cost a few hundred dollars, can be sold directly to consumers – but only as sound amplifiers for people who have normal hearing but want to make things louder, like music or the sound of birds chirping. The result is that many people who might benefit from PSAPs don't know about them. “My advocacy has taken me to speak at the White House and on Capitol Hill to push for more hearing technology,” she says.
Some 48 million people – or roughly 20% of all Americans – report some degree of hearing loss, and that number is growing as the Baby Boomers age. Yet many of those people would never buy hearing aids due to both the expense and the stigma of wearing them, which stands in stark contrast to glasses. Allowing certain products to be marketed over the counter would make hearing aids more accessible to consumers and allow prices to be driven down by competition. With a device like Doppler’s Here One, no one can tell if you’re using it to amplify speech or to stream music. “I don’t want a product that is hidden,” Liu says. “I want a product you can wear and look cool.”
Kraft believes that the hearing health bill will pass, and that will put Doppler in the sweet spot, since its smart-earbuds already amplify sound in a manner similar to what a hearing aid does, even if the devices can’t be called that. The Avengers group, which includes director of audio Gints Klimanis, who joined from Nest, is working on making the devices better, as well as more customizable, so that people can do an increasing array of things with them. The Here Two, slated for release in 2018, will also have a longer battery life, which would address criticism of Doppler’s first product but also, perhaps not coincidentally, allow it to be used by those with hearing loss more than episodically. Even before then, Doppler is working on updates to the Here One. “If the legislation passes, we have some things up our sleeves that by the end of the year we would want to introduce,” Kraft says. “This is why the Avengers are together.”


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Wednesday Morning News
Quartz tells us about Apple losing exclusive access to the iPhone name in China, after a court ruled that a Beijing-based company was allowed to brand leather products with the name “IPHONE”. While it’s incredibly weird to see the iPhone label on leather products, the overall impact of the trademark dispute will probably be minor.
A telecommunications official has told Bloomberg the bad news, saying that the Indian government will not allow Apple to sell refurbished iPhones in the country. The official states that allowing Apple to sell refurbished iPhones in India would undermine the government’s “Made in India” program, which currently promotes companies manufacturing their products in the country.
Apple CEO Tim Cook’s appearance on CNBC’s Mad Money discusses the Wall Street reaction to Apple’s financial results for the quarter. The full transcript of his interview with Mad Money host Jim Cramer is over at iMore.
Some smart analysis of Cook’s words tell us about Apple’s product strategy for the Apple Watch. The Mac Observer explains that Apple’s choice to keep sales numbers a secret is designed to both make the Apple Watch succeed while not alarming the competition.
Bloomberg takes a slightly more pessimistic view of Cook’s appearance on Mad Money, saying that Apple has been misjudging its own business and has so far failed to provide investors for an inevitable slowdown in growth, even if that slowdown is only temporary.
An iPhone part leak says the 3.5mm audio jack is here to stay. Amidst rumours of Apple removing the 3.5mm headphone jack and going with either a wireless or Lightning-based audio connection standard, a component leak for the next iPhone appears to suggest that it’ll stick around, at least for this year’s iPhone.
DigiTimes is saying that Apple has lowered orders for the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus due to declining sales. On the other hand, Apple has increased orders for the iPhone SE, due to demand outstripping supply — as it turns out, people want smaller iPhones. But that still doesn’t explain the runaway popularity of the larger-screened iPhones in 2015, which were Apple’s best-selling iPhones of all time.
Speaking of the iPhone, Time has named the iPhone as the most influential gadget of all time. Apple’s Macintosh computer comes in third place, while the iPod still manages to make the top ten at number nine.
Apple has seeded the fourth betas of iOS 9.3.2, OS X 10.11.5, and tvOS 9.2.1 to developers.
Want to get woken up by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson? There’s an app for that. I’m not entirely sure why, but there is.


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AutoGuide News Blog
The AutoGuide News Blog is your source for breaking stories from the auto industry. Delivering news immediately, the AutoGuide Blog is constantly updated with the latest information, photos and video from manufacturers, auto shows, the aftermarket and professional racing.
If you buy a Dodge Dart and get the sneaking suspicion that it feels like someone was drinking when they put the thing together, you just might be right.
Brian Ahlert, 41, of Janesville, Wis., was returning from work at the Belvidere, Ill. plant responsible for manufacturing the Dart when he was arrested for drunk driving. The incident occurred last Saturday at 8:04 p.m. according to GazetteXtra.com.
He was pulled over after witnesses reported his 1995 Chevy Lumina was “all over the road.” When police caught up to him, Ahlert was driving 40 mph in a 55 mph zone. He told police he had been drinking all day during his shift at the Chrysler plant.
This isn’t the first, or even second time in recent memory that we’ve reported on Chrysler employees being drunk on the job. Last summer, news cameras caught workers at a Detroit plant drinking and getting high while at work.
Apparently, this was Ahlert’s fifth drinking and driving offense, we’re just grateful nobody got hurt.
While it’s a huge stretch to assume that Alhert’s behavior is common where he works, we hope the others in charge of making Dodge’s new flagship economy car are of sounder mind.
[Source: Janesville Gazette]
Ten months ago, a scandal at a Chrysler plant in Detroit broke when workers were caught drinking during their lunch break before returning to work. Now, at a different plant, the boys are at it again.
At the Trenton Engine Plant also in Detroit, Chrysler workers were filmed driving a mile from work, then drinking and smoking in their cars—on a private lot, maintained by the UAW. Workers at the plant say they’re tired of working next to someone who’s buzzed, because “it’s dangerous,” as one source said.
Naturally, Chrysler is indignant. “Again, we have Chrysler workers in a compromised position, without regard for the impact of their actions, the reputation of their coworkers, the plant, of the company, not to mention their own reputation and that of their families,” said Scott Garberding, the vice president of manufacturing. “The employees that we identify, as soon as we understand who they are, will be suspended indefinitely without pay and anybody else involved will be dealt with swiftly. It’s very frustrating to us, we take it very seriously.”
Click the jump to see the snarky news story. And all of a sudden, the Chevy ad that airs before it makes sense.
[Source: WJBK Fox 2 Detroit]
Stories of domestic auto workers showing up to work inebriated, and displaying reckless disregard for the integrity of their job are legion among a generation of consumers who swore off American cars in favor of imports. But that was the pre-internet era, where evidence was mostly anecdotal.
Now, The Truth About Cars, via Fox News, has a mountain of documented proof that UAW workers do, in fact, get drunk and stoned on the job. A Chrysler plant worker apparently tipped off a local Fox News affiliate that a bunch of workers were getting f!$&ed up on the job every single day for a period of ten days. On their lunch hour.
The video is pretty self-explanatory, and we want to make it clear that this is only a group of bad apples among a community of hard working Americans who are working hard to help turn Chrysler around. The problem is that the job security and culture of entitlement fostered by some elements allows for this situation to happen. With Chrysler owned by the taxpayers of America, and a slate of new products on the way that will ostensibly rescue the company, this is the last thing the beleaguered automaker needs.
[Source: The Truth About Cars]