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Continually seeking to satisfy their fans, Pokémon Company is set to reintroduce a highly coveted item that had come to be known as the Van Gogh Pikachu card. This card, distinguished by its representation of the iconic Pikachu adorned with a gray felt hat, had previously been ripe for exploitation by scalpers, leading to its restricted circulation.
In an attempt to broaden access for all fans, the Pokémon Company has decided to bring back this rare collector's item to the market. This move is in response to a chaotic scene that unfolded in late September, when a unique collaboration between Pokémon Company and Amsterdam's famed Van Gogh Museum resulted in the creation of this unusual collector's piece. Capitalizing on its rarity and unique design, scalpers rushed to purchase the cards, subsequently listing them for resale at inflated prices sometimes amounting to hundreds of dollars.
The collaboration graced fans with a range of merchandise inspired by the artistry of the renowned painter Vincent Van Gogh. Here, the world of Pokémon was amalgamated with the Dutch artist's signature style, resulting in exhibits and merchandise that captured the imaginations of Pokémon trainers globally. The merchandise sold out within a day of release, largely due to scalpers hoarding the stock to resell at a profit.
The Pokémon Company's announcement about the card's relaunch was made via their Twitter handle. As per the announcement, fans shopping at the Pokémon Centre would get another chance to obtain the “Pikachu with Grey Felt Hat” promo card, which will be included with Pokémon Trading Card Game orders while supplies last. To qualify, an order will need to amount to a minimum of $30, and the card will be limited to one per order.
The company hasn’t mentioned whether other items from the Van Gogh collection - plushies and postcards among them - would be making a comeback as well. Nonetheless, eager trainers can visit the Pokémon Center website to acquire the exclusive Van Gogh Pikachu card at more reasonable prices compared to the past listings on resale websites like eBay.
The decision to make the card available online and at a more affordable price has already begun to quell the untouched resale prices. Just two weeks after the card was initially released and some fans paid up to $300, the card is being sold on resale sites for as low as $20. However, other promotional items from the collaboration continue to command astronomical prices across the internet, highlighting the continuing problem of scalping.
For Pokémon enthusiasts looking for further updates about their favorite universe, the Detective Pikachu Returns review offers an in-depth look at another facet of Pokémon’s massive appeal. As the Pokémon Company progresses in its endeavors towards fair availability, fans worldwide can hold on to the hope of being able to acquire their favorite merchandise at reasonable prices.
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As crucial WTO talks on trade liberalization get underway in Mexico next week, the EU has stressed that reaching agreement on dismantling trade barriers is its top priority. But critics remain skeptical.
Citrus riot - an activist protests against the EU food subsidy program outside the European Commission.
Delegates from the 146-nation World Trade Organization (WTO) will be meeting in Cancun, Mexico on September 10 to get crucial trade talks back on track after they have been bogged down by simmering disagreements on key issues such as agricultural subsidies and farm reform.
It’s expected to be an acrimonious round, with trade ministers facing a daunting task of securing a deal after a string of delays and missed deadlines. The foot-dragging of the industrialized world on agriculture has also provoked the ire of non-governmental organizations over broken and failed promises on lowering trade barriers in a sector of key importance to developing countries.
Global economy at risk
Ahead of the summit, the EU has stressed the importance of delegates making headway on trade talks launched at the WTO in November 2001 in the Qatari capital of Doha and concluding the discussion on time to meet the end of 2004 deadline.
EU Trade Commissioner Pascal Lamy told reporters at a joint press conference with agriculture commissioner Franz Fischler on Thursday, "A bad result in Cancun would be bad news for the world economy."
But the going is not likely to be easy. The Cancun round is expected to deal fundamentally with eliminating trade barriers such as tariffs and subventions. The World Bank reckons that if rich countries lower tariffs on their agricultural products by ten percent and developing countries by 15 percent, then worldwide extra goods totalling between $190 to 520 billion could be sold -- a fact, which all, but particularly poor countries, could profit from.
EU: A better deal for developing nations
But easy as it sounds in theory, most countries remain reluctant to part from their comfortable subsidy system fearing a backlash in the form of local job losses and disgruntled interest groups at home.
EU Agriculture Minister Fischler, said this week that the EU was very flexible and that no other industrial nation such as the United States or Japan opened its doors for developing nations as much as the European Union did. Fischler, who together with Lamy, will head talks for the EU’s member states in Cancun, added that developing nations too needed to do their bit and dismantle trade barriers, not just towards the industrial world, but also towards each other.
Pointing towards a framework agreement reached with the U.S. last month, Fischler said the EU’s position centered on giving developing countries a better deal. "In our joint initiative with the U.S., a special safeguard is envisaged for developing countries to protect sensitive products from excessive imports. We also propose lower tariff cuts and longer implementation periods for these countries."
Fischler, however, dimissed the complete elimination of agricultural exports subsidies, a step sought by developing countries such as India and Brazil. "When I see the extreme proposal co-sponsored by Brazil, India and some others, I cannot help get the impression that they are circling on a different orbit." Fischler added, "If they choose to continue with their space odyssey, they will not get the stars, they will not get the moon, they will simply end up with empty hands."
"A travesty of the development round"
However, the EU’s allegedly pro-poor stance has failed to convince many critics, who point out that the huge level of spending on farmers in Europe and the United States, the world’s biggest subsidizers, distorts trade by allowing the trade heavyweights to export at prices well below world market levels.
"This is a travesty of the development round. The two big subsidy powers are allowed to keep much of their huge subsidy arsenal in place and continue export dumping," Celine Charveriat of Oxfam told Reuters.
According to pressure group, Actionaid, the U.S. has been selling cotton on the world market at between 20 to 25 percent of the cost of production over the last ten years and EU wheat had recently been off-loaded at 30 to 35 percent of the price it cost the farmer to produce. "Dumping can have a devastating impact on developing country farmers, depriving them of their livelihoods and forcing them to leave their lands," Actionaid said recently.
A new report by U.S. think-tank the International Food Policy Research Institute said that protectionism and subsidies by industrialized nations cost developing countries about $24 billion annually in lost agricultural income. The report in particular points towards the EU as the biggest culprit of "trade-distorting measures" that displace agricultural exports from developing countries.

domain: news


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The Indian office of Xiaomi has published a teaser for a new product in the TV category. In the teaser, the company does not skimp on epithets, calling the novelty “the theater of the future” and so huge that “everything else seems small in comparison with it.”
What kind of device it will be is still a big question, but it is possible that we are talking about a local version of one of the Redmi Max models: it can be either a top-end 98-inch TV, or a smaller model with an 86-inch screen. However, there is always a possibility that some original model will be released for the local market.
The nearest announcement of Xiaomi in India is scheduled for April 23 – on this day, the local public will be presented with the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra and Mi 11X on the Snapdragon 888 platform. It is possible that a new huge TV will also debut at the same time.
Users will be able to replace switches in the Epomaker AK84S mechanical keyboard
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For a growing number of dog owners, raw is better when it comes to the food they feed their furry companions. The Nielsen Company, in fact, reports that frozen and refrigerated pets foods (think raw) saw a 55 percent increase in sales last year compared to only a 39 percent increase in freeze-dried and dehydrated pet foods.
The reasons are pretty clear. Almost 60 percent of our dogs and cats are obese, according to the Association For Pet Obesity Prevention. Owners aren’t only looking to trim the size of their pets but also feed them less processed foods that are viewed as more natural and healthier, effectively in line with a dog’s ancestral links. These motivations are why the raw pet food industry went from a sliver of the market to a major segment in just over the last 10 to 15 years.
The intention of pet food owners may be beyond questions, but there are plenty of warnings that come with feeding your dog raw food. The main concern is the danger of spreading bacteria to dogs, their owners and anyone who comes in contact with the animal. Your homebound pet, after all, isn’t exactly running down their bacteria-free prey in the wild like their ancient ancestors or even today’s wolves.
WellWell isn’t discouraging anyone from going the raw dog food route. It’s popular and growing. We’re just laying out the pros and cons. But if you’re interested in offering your pooch some raw food from more reputable brands, here’s are a few to consider. This is just a starting point. There are, of course, other brands as well.
BJ’s Raw Pet Food hails out of a family farm in Lancaster County, PA. The company claims none of its raw meat products come from factory farms or mass production facilities.
This company’s mission is to transform pets by making raw nutrition accessible and simple.
This company focuses on offering high-quality, grain-free, raw ingredients, minimally processed and freeze-dried in small batches.
Uncooked and unheated, this brand’s recipes retain 100 percent of the meat’s natural nutrients, which is designed to enhance your dog’s health, stamina and longevity.
A small family owned company based in the California Bay Area, Small Batch specializes in using select ingredients such as organic herbs and vegetables and hormone and antibiotic free meats.
This brand offers a wide line-up of unique products built with pristine ingredients that are “thoughtfully and responsibly sourced.”
Sojos believes it has a unique approach to this market—”the unsurpassed nutrition and taste of fresh, raw food with the convenience of kibble.”
This brand produces foods that are made of 75% real meat and 25% fresh vegetables with a small amount of nutrient mix containing important trace minerals from natural sources. Grain free, its moderate fat and low carbohydrate formula is designed to have a careful balance of Omega 6 and 3 fatty acids.
The ultra-natural pet food provider, Dr. Harvey’s offers foundations and dehydrated raw diet pre-mixes, such as Raw Vibrance and Oracle Free Grain than often include grain-free beef and chicken without any artificial fillers, chemicals, dyes or preservatives. For more information, check out WellWell’s recent discussion with Wendy Shankin-Cohen, Dr. Harvey’s President and CEO.
Contact us at email@example.com to let us know what you think of raw dog food or if there are other brands you’d recommend.


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After Lamborghini published its electrification strategy last year, there are now more details about the brand’s electric-only plans. British media, citing Lamborghini boss Stephan Winkelmann, report that the brand’s first electric crossover is due in 2028.
The previous electric strategy ‘Direzione Cor Tauri’ announced the hybridisation of the entire model range by the end of 2024 and the premiere of the first all-electric Lamborghini for the second half of the decade. The British magazine Autocar has now learned from Winkelmann that this model will be an all-new four-seater crossover that will be launched in 2028. Development is to begin this year.
It should not be long before the second electric Lamborghini: As early as 2029, the second generation of the SUV model Urus is to follow as a purely electric model. It is not clear whether the crossover model will be based on the Urus in terms of technology. Winkelmann only confirmed that the first electric Lamborghini will be radically different from all other models of the brand.
Otherwise, the German manager remained vague. “It’s a completely new car: the fourth model. It’s a segment we haven’t been in for decades, if we speak about a 2+2 or four-seater, maybe also high from the ground, with more ground clearance,” Winkelmann said. There will be more ground clearance than in a normal car, he said, but no clear decision yet either. “[…]therefore it’s a bit early to discuss this in depth.”
Winkelmann is silent on the platform of the as yet unnamed four-seater. Autocar speculates about the Artemis platform, since at least the corresponding Bentley model is apparently also to become a kind of crossover as a higher-slung saloon – Winkelmann has hinted at something comparable. However, both the Audi and the Artemis-based Bentley are likely to be considerably more comfortable than is probably envisaged for a Lamborghini. Internally at VW, Lamborghini is still closely tied to Audi, which makes it less likely that it will borrow from the sportier Porsche technology – which is planning its own electric crossover model in Leipzig, detached from Artemis.
The signs are also pointing to electric for the Urus: the current model will still get a hybrid for the model update, but the successor will only be offered fully electric, according to Winkelmann. “After the hybrid car, the Urus will be fully electrified,” Winkelmann confirmed. It will be a “completely new car”, without combustion engines. This also makes a switch to one of the group’s EV platforms likely.
While the future is electric in the “mainstream” business with the Urus and electric crossovers, Winkelmann wants to keep the back door of e-fuels open for the upcoming hybrid sports cars. “We don’t know what is going to happen after that,” said the Lamborghini boss. “It could be that for the super-sports car business, we have an extended period of hybridisation if this is allowed by homologation, sustainability rules and maybe by synthetic fuels. This is a door we’re leaving open so far.”
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Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) has recently started experimenting with a paid YouTube subscription service, and this has generated growing interest by Wall Street analysts and the specialized media about the business potential of the world´s biggest video website. Subscription services could make some money for Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) in the middle term, but make no mistake YouTube is much more than that.
Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) has admitted that its YouTube subscription service is still in experimental phase, and the company is taking a slow and incremental approach to the project. When looking at the list of subscription channels, it doesn´t sound like YouTube will become a big threat to established players like Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX) or Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) anytime soon.
Both Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) and Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX) offer a wide selection of content for a convenient price: while Netflix charges a flat a $7.99 per month for unlimited consumption, Amazon Prime subscribers pay $79 a year for unlimited streaming and free two day shipping on Amazon products, which is a great deal for regular Amazon shoppers.
With more than 75,000 movies and TV tittles, Netflix has a bigger library, and it has been the first to move into original content with its successful House of Cards. The online streaming pioneer has been changing its focus when it comes to content; Netflix is putting more attention to quality over quantity, and this seems to be the way to go judging by subscribers’s responses.
Amazon has been closing the gap lately, the online retailer has been aggressively bidding for content, and it has nearly 40,000 titles in its library. Amazon also provides access to current TV shows for an extra cost, and the company is venturing into original content too. Amazon is bringing its well-known competitive drive into the online streaming video, and it has made amazing progress in the last years.
Even if YouTube widens its subscription service over time, it won´t be spending the same amounts of money that Netflix and Amazon are investing in content. YouTube subscription services may be a good alternative for niche low cost content producers, and it could be particularly convenient for established YouTube stars looking to make some extra money, but this will hardly be a game changer for the industry.
Maybe as years go by, and if the service manages to be successful, YouTube can attract some big content producers to its subscriber service platform which could be a big thing for the company. But it´s not going to happen anytime soon, if it ever happens at all.
The strategic value of YouTube
Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) makes most of its money from advertising, and that´s where YouTube is an invaluable strategic asset. The online video platform announced in March that it surpassed the barrier of 1 billion unique users per month. To put that into perspective: if it were a country, YouTube would be the third largest in the world behind China and India.
According to its own statistics, over 4 billion hours of video are watched monthly on YouTube, the service is available in 53 countries and across 61 languages and it gets more than 70% of traffic from outside the US. When it comes to mobile, YouTube is one of the most popular apps on different platforms, and more than 25% of its global traffic comes from mobile devices.
YouTube is much more than a video platform; it’s also a music streaming service – according to Nielsen it´s the preferred music discovery tool among teens – and a social network where people upload all kinds of content and interact with each other.
Hangouts was formally a part of Google +, but is often streamed and uploaded to YouTube, providing users a unique opportunity to interact with world leaders like President Obama or Dalai Lama.
Nearly one out of every two people on the internet visits YouTube to do anything from uploading personal videos to watching live world events or listening to music, so it´s only reasonable to assume it will continue to leverage this vehicle for ad revenue growth over the long term. YouTube has incalculable strategic value for Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) way beyond subscription services.
Andrés Cardenal owns shares of Google and Amazon. The Motley Fool recommends Amazon.com, Google, and Netflix. The Motley Fool owns shares of Amazon.com, Google, and Netflix.
The article Google: Unleashing the Power of YouTube originally appeared on Fool.com and is written by Andrés Cardenal.
Andrés is a member of The Motley Fool Blog Network — entries represent the personal opinion of the blogger and are not formally edited.
Copyright © 1995 – 2013 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.


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Google bought Motorola Mobility in 2012, only to unload it to Lenovo two years later. Now it's quietly assembling the people it needs to design phones in a new Chicago lab.
Parent Lenovo, undergoing another reorganization, is cutting jobs around the globe.
Motorola Mobility may never get a better chance to reclaim its stature as a mobile phone manufacturer than now, when Samsung is a white-hot mess.
Rick Osterloh's departure is part of a broader restructuring announced by the Chinese electronics giant.
When Lenovo bought the smartphone maker, it had high praise for its people and products. What changed?
The Chinese phone maker needs Motorola's brand and e-commerce capability. And a Gartner analyst predicts that Apple's China dominance won't last.


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Food and beverage companies worldwide will participate at the 14th edition of ThaiFEX-World of Food Asia in May to showcase the latest industry innovations and trends.
The food and bever... More
Thailand’s five-star resorts are benefitting from TAT’s emphasis on the booming global health and wellness tourism sector.
The health and wellness tourism trend has captured the hearts and souls of holidaymake... More
The leading Thai cosmetics brand explains why international customers love its products as well as its plans for the future.
In recent years, Thailand’s cosmetics industry has achieved signifi... More


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Kline report: Beauty sales through alternative channels experiencing strong double-digit growth
PARSIPPANY, N.J. — Sales of cosmetics and toiletries through alternate channels have soared, growing by nearly $1 billion since 2005, according to consulting and research firm Kline & Co., and more double-digit growth is expected as consumers increasingly opt for the convenience of at-home shopping to meet their beauty needs.
Posting a 25.4% growth from 2005 to 2010, e-commerce sales are leading the way, followed by such home shopping networks as QVC and HSN posting a compound annual growth rate of nearly 20%, according to the latest Beauty Retailing USA 2010 report by Kline. Similarly, infomercials for such brands as Hydroxatone, ProActive, and Sheer Cover, bolstered by Guthy-Renker and its multimedia celebrity-endorsement approach to marketing, have seen sales grow more than 17%.
“Consumers are spending more time at home, either by virtue of unemployment, telecommuting, or merely a desire to save money by not going out so much,” stated Karen Doskow, consumer products industry manager at Kline. “Instead of running out to the store to buy their beauty products, they’re watching home shopping channels and infomercials to get the latest on new products.”
Consequently, brand marketers are exploring new tactics to build online buzz. Daily deal sites, such as Groupon, LivingSocial, and so-called “flash sale” sites, such as HauteLook, Rue La La and Gilt Groupe, are fueling e-commerce sales by creating awareness and enticing interest about new products or services by offering one-time discounts in order to create trial.
Doskow noted, however, that the bricks-and-mortar front is far from lagging. “Beauty has become the new revenue sweetheart in the traditionally slow-growing drug store channel as pharmacies reinvigorate their beauty offerings to lure customers with a more upscale, specialty-store look. For example, Walgreens’ acquisition of Duane Reade and its high-end ‘Look’ boutiques is expected to promote growth for both the chain and the channel. Meanwhile, CVS, Rite Aid, and others have begun offering new and improved customer loyalty programs and expanding shelf space for their beauty merchandise.”
Kline’s study also revealed that as brands increasingly look to leverage mobile and e-commerce to create seamless and ubiquitous purchase options for their customers, single-channel marketing is being rendered less viable.
“We expect a great deal of cross-channel promotion that will drive solid growth over the next five years,” Doskow added. “The Internet and mobile technologies are empowering consumers to be even more aggressive in their product and price comparisons and driving marketers to deliver value-based products to meet these demands.”
P&G targets men shopping at CVS with new ‘Guy Aisle’ prototype in Charlotte, N.C.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Looking to further tap into the men’s grooming market, Procter & Gamble has announced the creation of a prototype “Guy Aisle” in a CVS/pharmacy in Charlotte, N.C.
"Men are buyers, not shoppers," stated Michael Norton, director of external relations for male grooming at Gillette, which is owned by P&G. "They want to get the shopping done, and with all their grooming needs in one aisle, it makes shopping easier, quicker and simpler."
The new CVS/pharmacy men’s grooming section includes products specifically designed for men’s unique grooming needs, including Gillette, Old Spice and Head & Shoulders.
More than ever, men are interested in products for their grooming needs. In fact, Nielsen predicts the $2 billion men’s grooming business will grow to $3 billion by 2012, P&G stated.
"Men are paying more attention to how they look — a trend being driven by athletes and celebrities," Norton stated. "From the revival of the barbershop to a demand for innovative men’s beauty products, it is clear that men are not afraid to scrub, moisturize and put their best face forward."
As previously reported by Drug Store News, P&G has created in select H-E-B supermarkets a Men’s Zones. The store-within-a-store carves out aisles that are specially tailored to meet his grooming needs, boasting more than 530 products just for him.
In addition to featuring products from P&G, as well as other manufacturers, the Men’s Zone within H-E-B has touchscreens so he can get grooming tips and discover new products. There also are flat-screen TVs that can show sporting events or other information.
Pharmacy, consumer groups put full-court press on Washington to block ‘pernicious effects’ of ESI-Medco merger
WASHINGTON — Only one stakeholder stands to gain from the proposed merger of Express Scripts and Medco — and that would be the new “mega PBM” the deal would create, not payers, and definitely not patients, either.
That was the message Dennis Wiesner, senior director of privacy, pharmacy and government affairs at H-E-B, had for members of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Intellectual Property, Competition and the Internet during a special hearing Tuesday to examine potential antitrust issues related to the proposed $29 billion ESI-Medco union.
“I have grave concerns about this proposed merger,” noted Wiesner of the proposed deal, which, if approved, would put control of 135 million Americans’ pharmacy benefit into the hands of a single company, controlling more than 40% of national script volume, 60% of mail order and more than 50% of specialty pharmacy. “It would be a tipping point in PBM consolidation, harming patients, as well as government and private health plans and employers,” he said.
Wiesner drew lawmakers’ attention to what he called the “opaque manner” under which PBMs operate.
“Do PBMs actually reduce costs?” he posited, “There is no proof that hey pass along their purported savings to health plans, employers or consumers. In fact, the PBM industry has been fraught with allegations of extensive deceptive and fraudulent practices. In recent years, cases brought by a coalition of more than 30 state attorneys general, have resulted in over $370 million in penalties. It has been found that PBMS have accepted rebates from manufacturers in return for placing higher priced medications on prescription drug plans’ formularies, switched customers to the higher-priced drugs and benefited from both the rebate received and the higher priced drug payment without passing along the enrichment to the health plan or employer.”
Amplifying Wiesner’s comments was the testimony of Pennsylvania-based independent pharmacist Joe Lech, who noted that, ultimately, the deal likely would force more pharmacies like his own to go out of business, drive up drug costs, and force patients into mail-order programs.
“ESI and Medco say that this merger will drive out so-called ‘waste’ in the healthcare system. Frankly, these are just code words for squeezing my pharmacy reimbursement as far down as they can and trying to shift as many of my patients as they can to their own mail-order facilities,” Lech said. “My pharmacy has no leverage … [i]n my pharmacy, this merged company will pay for more than half of the prescriptions filled.”
Another myth of the deal, Lech told members of the House Subcommittee, “ESI and Medco will tell you that this merger will lead [to an increase in] adherence. To the contrary, the evidence tells us that face-to-face interaction with their community pharmacist is the best way to modify patient behavior and increase medication adherence, not putting large quantities of drugs through the mail, hoping that they get to the patient, and then hoping that the patient takes them properly,” he said.
And while, ESI and Medco executives insist the deal would lower costs for patients and payers, Lech testified it would do just the opposite. “Everyone knows the fastest way to reduce drug costs is to maximize the proper utilization of less-expensive generic drugs,” Lech said. “Yet, community pharmacies dispense generics at a much higher rate than the PBM-owned mail-order outlets because we do not have incentives, such as kickbacks from manufacturers to dispense brand-name drugs. The generic rate at the ESI mail facility is 60%. It is 62% at the Medco facility. By contrast, community pharmacies dispense generics on average 72% of the time.”
Important, Lech ran the numbers on what the cost of a pharmacy closing could mean in terms of lost tax revenues — a sobering message at a time when Congress wrestles with rising debt and out-of-control spending. “For each pharmacy clerk laid off, there is $3,000 in reduced tax revenue,” more than $4,000 for each pharmacy technician laid off and almost $16,000 for each pharmacist, Lech explained.
Wiesner and Lech’s testimony came directly on the heels of a letter co-signed by five different consumer interest groups sent Tuesday to Federal Trade Commission chairman Jon Leibowitz, urging the agency to reject the merger. The group, which included the National Consumers League, Consumers Union, the Consumer Federation of America, U.S. PIRG and the National Legislative Association on Prescription Drug Prices, argued that the deal would “harm consumers in four significant ways,” including:
Substantially reducing competition in the PBM market resulting in increased costs to plans, employers, and ultimately, consumers;
Increasing the incentive and ability for the merged company to create highly restrictive pharmacy networks, thereby restricting patient choice;
Establishing tremendous dominance for Express Scripts in the specialty pharmacy area, likely resulting in decreased access to care for our most vulnerable patient populations; and
Limiting access to new and innovative drugs by creating a market landscape more conducive to deal making between PBMs and pharmaceutical manufacturers.
Important, the deal would have “two particularly pernicious effects on the retail pharmacy industry,” the group noted in its letter. “First, the combined firm will control the contracts that allow retail community pharmacies in the Express Scripts-Medco to serve patients. Secondly, Express Scripts-Medco will be able to tie its dominant market power in the pharmacy PBM market into the mail-order dispensing market. This would allow Express Scripts-Medco to restrict patient choice to drive patients to their own mil-order facilities.”
The consumer groups also drew particular attention to the enormous share the deal would afford ESI-Medco in the fast-growing specialty pharmacy market. “The merger is of particular concern to the 57 million Americans that rely on specialty drugs,” the group noted, especially “given the rapidly increasing cost of … specialty drug prices,” which it said increased 19.6% in 2010, versus the 1.4% rise in the overall pharmaceutical market, and is expected to increase by as much as 27.5% by 2013.
Also, as it relates to the area of specialty drugs, and the prevalence of limited-distribution networks for certain drugs, “the dominance of post-merger [ESI-Medco] would give the company the unique power to increase the cost of specialty pharmaceuticals at will,” the consumer coalition stressed.


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Mellanox makes InfiniBand hay while the sun shines
But can you hear the ground shake? Chipzilla's a-comin'
If someone (that means you, Larry Ellison, and maybe you, Michael Dell, or maybe you, Ginni Rometty) was thinking about buying networking chip, switch, and adapter maker Mellanox Technologies, it is probably too late unless that certain someone wants to spend a whole lotta cash doing the deal.
Mellanox just wrapped up its second quarter, and not only is it selling InfiniBand stuff like crazy, it is also getting some traction in Ethernet wares and, more importantly, the company is piling up the black ink like a software maker even through it is fundamentally a hardware manufacturer.
These will likely be remembered as the salad days at Mellanox some years hence, when Intel has taken over networking much as it has done with processing. Perhaps during the 100 Gigabit InfiniBand and Ethernet rollouts maybe in 2014 or 2015, and maybe the next generation after that if Mellanox can keep its lead.
But don't tell Mellanox investors that, who are going nuts on Wall Street this morning in the wake of the Q2 report after the market closed yesterday (July 19), when the company posted $133.5m in revenues, more than double (110.1 per cent, to be precise) from the year ago period. Net income rose to $32.1m, a factor of 15X higher than in the second quarter of 2011.
That income is 24 per cent of sales – the kind of money that a software maker with a niche all to itself can command. And that profit in Q2 came despite a substantial increase in sales, marketing, research, and development costs that are being pumped into its switch-hitting SwitchX ASICs, the InfiniBand and Ethernet switches that use them, and the ConnectX adapters that talk to them from server ports.
Mellanox shares were up a staggering 38 per cent, to just under $92 a pop, when Wall Street opened. Profit taking by investors will no doubt bring that number down as the day progresses. But the point to remember is that Mellanox now has a market capitalization of $2.5bn or so, making it a very pricey acquisition indeed, even for a company that might generate more than $500m in revenues.
Mellanox generated $59.2m in cash from operations during the quarter, a record for the company, and exited Q2 with $327.8m in cash and investments. If networking assets were not so expensive, Mellanox might be able to do some acquiring of its own. Clearly the $218m acquisition of sometime rival, sometime partner Voltaire back in November 2010 has paid off.
In the conference call with analysts, Eyal Waldman, who is president, CEO and chairman at Mellanox, said that the ramp to 56Gb/sec FDR InfiniBand products was progressing nicely, with FDR products comprising 54 per cent of company sales in Q2, or around $74.7m compared to 31 per cent in the first quarter and 40 per cent in the four quarter of 2011. The tail end of last year made a big bump for FDR InfiniBand as Intel was shipping Xeon E5-2600 servers to supercomputer customers to get some machines on the Top 500 list in November, and the current quarter got a bigger bump as Intel actually announced the Xeon E5-2600s in March and the Xeon E5-2400 and E5-4600 processors in May.
Waldman said that traditional HPC customers, hyperscale data center operators, database clusters, and clustered storage systems were all driving InfiniBand network sales.
"InfiniBand is becoming the interconnect of choice for storage systems," he said, adding later in the call that storage products are now driving somewhere between 15 and 20 per cent of revenues, with the rest being driven by servers. Waldman added that Mellanox was also working closely with Microsoft on Windows Server 2012, due to launch in September, to make sure it was tuned up to make use of the FDR InfiniBand and 40 Gigabit Ethernet switches and adapters that the company is peddling.
Sales of 10GE and 40GE switches and adapters rose in the quarter, but Waldman did not say by how much or what percentage of total sales Ethernet products were. Ethernet switches and adapters running at 40GE speeds are getting uptake by financial services and Web 2.0 customers, and the company added Ethernet distributors in the quarter, including China's Sugon and Taiwan's Quanta (which El Reg discussed here) so they could use Mellanox silicon and resell its products, whatever suits their needs. Ethernet is still a small slice of the Mellanox biz, but at some point in the future, Mellanox will be selling switches and adapters that can switch protocols on the fly and the difference will be moot.
Michael Gray, CFO at Mellanox, said on the call that Ethernet products accounted for about 7 per cent of overall revenues, which puts it at $9.3m. That means Ethernet sales are up by 146 per cent compared to the year-ago period, and accelerating since that growth rate is three times higher than it was a year ago. Most of the revenues in the Ethernet side of Mellanox are driven by 10GE, but the company is seeing prototypes of 40GE installations and has been clear that it thinks customers should jump straight to 40GE and skip 10GE now that it has faster products out.
Believe it or not, sales of 20Gb/sec DDR InfiniBand products rose as companies built out existing systems, up 31.7 per cent to $6.7m and making up about 5 per cent of overall revenues in the quarter. Sales of 40Gb/sec QDR InfiniBand ASICs, switches, and adapters was down a smidgen at $41.4m and comprised 31 per cent of company revenues, and of course, that $72m in FDR InfiniBand product sales was all brand new.
All told, switches accounted for 36 per cent of sales, or $48m, and if you do the math, that's a factor of 2.6 growth year-on-year. Network ASICs and adapters accounted for $62.7m in revenues in Q2, and presumably the remaining $22.7m in revenues was from software and services. Mellanox had two OEM customers who drove more than 10 per cent of sales in the quarter, and the biggie was Hewlett-Packard, which pushed 30 per cent of sales, and IBM, which accounted for 19 per cent; Gray said there was a big hyperscale data center account that was associated with the revenue driven by HP and IBM, but he didn't say which one it might be.
Gray said that looking ahead, Mellanox was looking for sales in the third quarter to be even higher, between $150m and $155m. ®
Sponsored: Becoming a Pragmatic Security Leader


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Taipei, Taiwan is seeking to become a smart city by utilizing the power of Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT), or Blockchain. The city has chosen to partner with IOTA, the inventors of the so-called Tangle technology for the Internet of Things (IoT), to provide a number of new technology features for residents.
Wei-bin Lee, Commissioner of the Department of Information Technology in Taipei City Government, suggested in an official press release that the ‘unique technology’ offered by IOTA will usher in a ‘new era of smart cities for the citizens of Taipei’.
According to an announcement from the organisation the transparency of the distributed ledger will prevent consumers from purchasing tuna from illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing in the Pacific Islands. Additionally, it will help to eradicate human rights abuses. This is just another example of how the blockchain is being widely applied to different industries and not just the financial sector.
As part of the innovative initiative, WWF-Australia, WWF-Fiji, and WWF-New Zealand have teamed up with global tech innovator ConsenSys, information and communications technology implementer TraSeable, and tuna fishing and processing company Sea Quest Fiji Ltd. to deliver the project.
Bytecoin is a private, decentralized cryptocurrency with open source code that allows everyone to take part in the Bytecoin network development. Privacy and security come naturally from using Bytecoin. The best solution for those who want to keep their financial privacy.
Instant private transactions are provided all around the world by the Bytecoin Network, they are totally untraceable, and they don’t require any additional fees.
Fiat currencies are assigned to specific territories while Bytecoin is bound to the Internet and therefore is international by default.
Current Price: $0.002626 USD
Market Cap: $482,724,246 USD
Circulating Supply: 183,807,423,448 BCN
Total Supply: 184,470,000,000 BCN
Ethereum is a decentralized platform that runs smart contracts: applications that run exactly as programmed without any possibility of downtime, censorship, fraud or third-party interference.
These apps run on a custom built blockchain, an enormously powerful shared global infrastructure that can move value around and represent the ownership of property.
This enables developers to create markets, store registries of debts or promises, move funds in accordance with instructions given long in the past (like a will or a futures contract) and many other things that have not been invented yet, all without a middleman or counterparty risk.
Current Price: $447.47 USD
Market Cap: $44,061,897,510 USD
Circulating Supply: 98,469,822 ETH
Total Supply: N/A
CryptoSlate is a cryptocurrency news site with a section which lists all cryptocurrencies. Also, like the coin market cap, the platform also gives a clear understanding of what purpose every cryptocurrency is meant. This can be insightful when you consider investing on cryptocurrencies which are for day-to-day transactions alone.
Market coin and token analysis at the top differentiate the difference between cryptocurrencies. It further breaks them down to show how many proof-of-stake and proof-of-work coins that’s available in the market.
This seemingly small details can go a long way in assisting users in making decisions.


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California-based cannabis firm The Parent Company announced on Monday the launch of RCVRY, a new brand co-founded by professional esports player Nordan Shat, aka FaZe Rain. Created in partnership with The Parent Company’s Caliva premium cannabis brand, RCVRY will open early access to the brand on Monday, September 12th at 1:00 PM. The first 33 entrants will receive guaranteed access to RCVRY’s launch products, limited-edition brand swag and VIP privileges at RCVRY’s upcoming launch event in West Hollywood.
RCVRY is a premium cannabis brand co-founded by Nordan Shat (aka FaZe Rain), Quinn “The Wizard”, Yonatan Hagos and Erick Kahn to support a lifestyle focused on wellness and creativity. FaZe Rain was inspired to begin the RCVRY project following his difficult recovery process from severe nerve damage, when cannabis became an important piece of his well-being. The launch will include limited drop eighths of the “Rainz Runtz” strain, which was hand-selected by the RCVRY team in collaboration with The Parent Company (TPCO). The strain gives off a faint berry-like smell and is part of the same lineage as the Zkittles and Gelato phenotypes, the brand reports. Rainz Runtz will be available in limited quantities exclusively at Calma dispensary in West Hollywood and will not be available for delivery.
“When I started my journey with cannabis back in 2015, I had very little knowledge on the different strains and experiences available to consumers. As I learned more about the space, I saw a need to further the potential of the industry by helping to advance the mainstream acceptance of cannabis,” Shat said in a statement from The Parent Company. “RCVRY was created to further that goal and change opinions on cannabis while providing a consistent source of top-tier flower to all RCVRY community members. We are focused on delivering the cleanest cannabis possible to our consumers.”
Esports Star and Brand Founder
Shat is the co-founder of the popular esports and entertainment organization, FaZe Clan, which he founded with FaZe Banks, FaZe Temperrr and FaZe Apex. The Parent Company CEO Troy Datcher said that FaZe Clan, a lifestyle and media platform rooted in gaming that has garnered more than 500 million followers across social media platforms, will help extend the reach of the new brand. FaZe Clan’s roster of content creators, esports professionals, and world-class gamers includes Kyler Murray, LeBron James Jr., Offset, Snoop Dogg and more.
“We are thrilled to partner with Nordan Shat, aka FaZe Rain, and the RCVRY team, who share our passion for the plant,” said Datcher. “The FaZe Clan brings an immense audience, and our collaboration represents a prime opportunity to unlock the synergy between gaming and cannabis communities. My priority continues to be optimizing our portfolio of high-quality, authentic brands, and our partnership with RCVRY is another strong addition to our roster.”
Cannabis retailer Calma West Hollywood will host a meet-and-greet appearance on Saturday, September 17th from 1:00-4:00 PM with Shat and friends to celebrate the launch. At the event, Shat will interact with customers while offering limited-edition merch giveaways and the opportunity to experience an onsite photo booth.
The new RCVRY product features a QR code that will provide customers access to a survey contest featuring questions about the esports star. The winner will receive the chance to hang out with Nordan and friends at a private L.A. location after the event. The event is open to consumers 21+ (or 18+ with a medical recommendation). All profits made from the launch will be donated to “peer-to-peer” recipients in need of financial assistance, with the objective to promote natural and healthy living.
New Brand for The Parent Company
Datcher wrote in an email to High Times that the new collaboration is in line with The Parent Company’s strategy to create authentic brands, adding that RCVRY is “a strong addition to our brand portfolio.”
“During my first meeting with Nordan, I was incredibly moved by his story but also inspired by his commitment to the plant and understanding of the benefits of cannabis,” he said.
Although he is keen on those benefits, Shat doesn’t necessarily see his cannabis use as medical, saying in a virtual interview that “I enjoy cannabis recreationally because the plant helps me feel more like myself.” Consistent with the RCVRY brand’s initial product offering, Shat says that smoking is his favorite way to consume cannabis.
“When it comes to cannabis, I prefer smoking flower,” he said. “That is why we worked with TPCO to find the best flower for RCVRY that my team would love and we hope the people love it too.”
Although he kept mum on any additional celebrity collaborations that might be in the works, Datcher teased some new initiatives to strengthen The Parent Company’s portfolio of brands.
“We’re about to embark on a very exciting period for The Parent Company and its portfolio of brands, including updates to our current product lines and expanding our partner brand offerings,” he said. “Our commitment to our consumers remains strong, and we will continue to collaborate with partners who have true connections to the cannabis community to bring safe, high-quality, and authentic products to market through our owned retail channels as well as third-party retail partners.”


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in the news | LAST UPDATED : Apr 27, 2018, 11:52 AM IST
- Diana Penty: Gigi Hadid a huge inspiration
Actress Diana Penty, who launched Gigi Hadid's make-up collection in India, has praised the model, saying her achievements and journey is an inspiration for many. Diana launched Hadid's Maybelline x Gigi Hadid Limited Edition Collection in Mumbai on January 11.
- Diana Penty: There's always been an attempt to be versatile
After 'Lucknow Central', Diana Penty will be seen in films as different as 'Parmanu - The Story of Pokhran' and 'Happy Phirr Bhag Jayegi'. The actress, who was sporting enough to emulate a portrait of a Maori ancestor at a Mumbai event, says she has always attempted to maintain versatility.


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Business confidence slumped in June, with manufacturers and service providers reporting their lowest levels of business optimism since May 2020, according to the S&P Global/CIPS Flash UK PMI Composite Output Index.
The fall of 4.6 points was the largest monthly decline since the start of the pandemic.
The closely-watched survey says: “Worries about customer spending cutbacks and the impact of rapid inflation on the longer-term economic outlook led to another fall in business activity expectations. Optimism at UK private sector companies has declined in each month since February and is now the lowest for just over two years.”
The headline seasonally adjusted S&P Global/ CIPS Flash UK Composite Output Index in June was unchanged from May at 53.1, posting above the neutral 50.0 value for the sixteenth consecutive month.
However, the headline index was the joint-lowest seen over this period and much weaker than the average in the first quarter of this year at 58.3.
By sector, service providers, at 53.4, continued to outperform manufacturers, at 51.2, with the latter signalling only marginal production growth in June amid widespread reports of weaker demand as well as ongoing supply issues.
However, new order volumes across the private sector fell to 50.8 in June from 53.8 in May, which signalled only a marginal overall expansion and the weakest rate of growth since the recovery began in March 2021.
Manufacturing order books were particularly subdued, with this index slightly below the 50.0 no-change threshold and pointing to the weakest performance for two years. Firms cited hesitancy among clients and squeezed budgets due to rising inflation as key factors holding back demand.
The report adds: “A sustained recovery in events and other areas of face-to-face consumer spending helped to boost business activity in the service economy. However, many survey respondents also cited growth headwinds from the cost of living crisis and heightened economic uncertainty.”
The study adds that strong wage pressures added to cost burdens at private sector firms in June. Overall, input prices increased at a slightly slower pace than in May, but the rate of inflation was still the second-fastest since the index began in January 1998.
S&P Global Market Intelligence chief business economist Chris Williamson says: “The economy is starting to look like it is running on empty. Current business growth is being supported by orders placed in prior months as companies report a near-stalling of demand.
“Manufacturers, in particular, are struggling with falling orders, especially for exports, and the service sector is already seeing signs of the recent growth spurt from pent-up pandemic demand move into reverse amid the rising cost of living.
“Business confidence has now slumped to a level which has in the past typically signalled an imminent recession. The weakness of the broad flow of economic data so far in the second quarter points to a drop in gross domestic product which the forward-looking PMI numbers suggest will gather momentum in the third quarter.”
CIPS group director Duncan Brock adds: “The economic uncertainty brought about by war disruptions, the cost of living crisis, and China’s Zero Covid-19 policy, have all dampened business optimism to its lowest point since the start of the pandemic.
“New order growth was also at its lowest point since February 2021. The manufacturing sector was one of the worst affected, with new orders decreasing at the fastest rate for two years. The service sector fared better as hospitality and events businesses came roaring back to life after the end of multiple lockdowns.
“However, supply chain managers have expressed concerns over the current cost of doing business, with inflation hitting a 40-year high and businesses increasingly having to pass costs on to consumers.
“The supply chain squeeze seemed to have little effect on the job creation numbers as the UK saw the highest staffing increase since March this year. Though, this is most likely a sign of businesses making up for the staff shortages suffered earlier in the year. So, with business expectations now the lowest since May 2020, the next few months will be a true test for how sustainable this capacity building will be.”


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For the first time in nearly five years, players in the United States will be able to play on PokerStars for real money beginning Wednesday, March 16 – but only those who are actually in New Jersey.
With the official launch of PokerStars’ New Jersey product set for March 21, the online poker giant has decided to “soft-launch” on March 16. Soft launches are required under New Jersey gaming regulations to allow the operator and regulators to review and correct any potential issues.
The soft-launch announcement comes five months after PokerStars’ parent company, Amaya Gaming, announced they had received approval from the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement to bring their online gaming products, poker and casino, to the Garden State in a partnership with land-based Resorts Casino.
The site will have limited operating hours during the first three days before moving to an around-the-clock product on March 19. There is also a cap of 500 active players at any given time.
Soft Launch Hours
- · March 16 & 17: 4 pm – Midnight
- · March 18: 8 am – Midnight
- · March 19 & 20: 24 hours
Players can create a new account if they wish, however PokerStars has created a Quick Account Creation process for those who had a previous account that includes exclusive benefits. Beginning March 16, players can download the PokerStars NJ software and login using their previous User ID and password. Those that do will be credited with their previous VIP status and be able to convert Frequent Player Points into StarsCoin immediately at a rate of 1.6 FPP per StarsCoin.
Players who complete the Quick Account Creation process will have their previous account closed. For those wishing to continue playing on their PokerStars account outside of the U.S., they’ll need to create an entirely new account and will not be credited with any previous VIP status levels.
For further information on the return of PokerStars visit thePokerStars NJ FAQ.


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As Apple migrates its customers from the soon-to-be-shuttered MobileMe to its iCloud service, it’s trying to make as few waves as possible, even giving away copies of Snow Leopard in order to push upgrades to the iCloud-compatible OS X 10.7. Now the company is extending its free 20GB of extra online storage offer until September 30th, giving MobileMe customers an extra three months of the premium treatment beyond the service’s expiration date. MobileMe included 20GB of online storage in its $99 annual subscription price, but users were able to buy up to 60GB of extra space from Apple; those that did were offered 50GB of extra iCloud storage until the end of June, and that extra space is being extended until September 30th as well.
If you're still on the fence about making the switch, Apple's far from the only game in sync town. Check out this comparison to see how iCloud stacks up against the likes of Google Drive, Dropbox, SugarSync, and Box, among others.


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The Kraken CEO says that Satoshi Nakamoto, Bitcoin’s founder predicted a bigger financial bubble than the one in 2018. Jesse Powell, the CEO of one of the biggest crypto exchanges, said in an interview that Nakamoto may have foreseen an even bigger recession as we are reading more in the upcoming Bitcoin news today.
According to the Kraken CEO, Bitcoin’s anonymous creator might have predicted a bigger financial crisis than the one in 2018. During the Real Vision Crypto Gathering Webinar, Powel talked about a lot of insightful things but things started getting interesting when the conversation moved to the 2008 recession and the 2012 banking crisis. Powell explained that Satoshi could have predicted a bigger economic disaster and remarked:
… I think Satoshi thought it was for that time may be, saw an ever bigger bubble coming and even worse outcome coming given how we handled the last financial crisis. You know bailing everyone out just delayed the inevitable,….. allowed this extremely fragile system to continue hobbling along..”
He continued by saying that Bitcoin was a way for Satoshi Nakamoto to step out of this system and to have something predictable and real. The CEO admitted that Bitcoin has been extremely volatile in the short-term but he feels that in a longer period of time, the number one cryptocurrency has proven to be a great store-of-value. The Real Vision CEO remarked about the amazing performance Bitcoin had and said that BTC is still the best performing asset of all time, saying:
“…It’s an extraordinary thing and it just feels that [Bitcoin] is becoming more and more relevant. I mean there’s a US dollar crisis going on right now, a shortage of US dollars… central banks [are] talking about digital currencies, which is desperate, but it’s creating the on ramps and off ramps to the digital world that you envisaged… It feels like that’s all coming..”
Furthermore, Jesse said that central bank digital currencies will have the same problems fiat currencies have, including unlimited money printing or forgery. Despite them being sanctioned, CBDCs will open up more doors for people to get into Bitcoin. Fiat currencies will be the gateway drug that will get people into something such as Bitcoin. On being asked about the next five years, the Kraken Chief said that Bitcoin will continue seeing more adoption and will become a regular app where the users don’t have to think too much about the complexities.
DC Forecasts is a leader in many crypto news categories, striving for the highest journalistic standards and abiding by a strict set of editorial policies. If you are interested to offer your expertise or contribute to our news website, feel free to contact us at [email protected]


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Even taking the company’s Q4 e-commerce slowdown into account, there’s no doubt that Walmart’s online business got a shot in the arm with its Jet.com acquisition in 2016.
The big-box retailer has been on a quest to change its perception from a physical store chain of today to a digital retailer fit for tomorrow. And the gains it’s made toward that goal are largely due to Marc Lore, who headed up Jet and now spearheads Walmart’s U.S. e-commerce business.
So, talk that he could be antsy in Bentonville is big news.
The New York Post reported Wednesday that their sources say Lore isn’t likely to be a lifer at Walmart. While that speculation makes a good headline, the evidence that it’s the case—and could prompt a departure anytime soon—seems pretty thin at this point.
The Post noted that the e-commerce CEO wasn’t mentioned in the company’s earnings call this week when it announced that online sales, which had zoomed up by 50 percent during the third quarter, hit a major speed bump, slowing growth to just 23 percent at the end of the year. That however, isn’t actually news since Lore didn’t garner direct accolades during the Q3 call when those sales were at their peak.
[Read more about Walmart’s evolution: Walmart Revamps Apparel Offering to Head Off Amazon]
The announcement that marketing funds would be funneled more toward Walmart than Jet, effectively ensuring growth for that business will falter, is said to be another reason why the exec might be feeling like it’s time to go.
The final piece of the puzzle, according to the publication, is the exit of Liza Landsman, Jet’s former president, last month, proving, it said, that team is a poor fit for the Walmart culture.
“I’m not convinced that Marc Lore and the other members of Jet.com leadership team are truly in it for the long haul,” Brittain Ladd, a digital consultant and former Amazon executive, told the paper. “Their skill and ambition will more than likely take them elsewhere.”
The question that remains, if The Post’s sources are correct and Lore, who has a five-year incentive package with Walmart, leaves, is whether the company learned enough under his direction to continue its push into e-commerce—and Amazon territory.


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Samsung rejigs electronics business to give a ring to its sales
Samsung India, the market leader in mobile phones and flat panel televisions, has restructured its consumer electronics and home appliances business into geographical divisions.
The reorganisation undertaken about 10 days ago follows the merger of divisions and reshuffle of heads in the business in July-August. Samsung India Electronics president and chief executive officer Hyun Chil Hong wants to ensure that the consumer electronics business performs at the same pace as the smartphone business. Samsung has divided the business into two broad regions. India One will cater to the North and East and will be led by Alok Pathak, who earlier headed brand shops and retail sales, engaging with smaller dealers and distributors. India Two will cover the South and West and is headed by Rakesh Moza, who was chief of modern retail and regional retail chains.
Modern retail, which includes business from chains such as Croma and Reliance Digital, will remain a separate vertical headed by Nabendu Ray.
“This geographical division of business structure was already prevalent in the smartphone business and the management believed it was one of the main reasons behind the accelerated growth,” a senior trade official of Samsung India said. “Such belief has led the company to adopt the same model for consumer electronics and home appliances where the market has slowed down and sales targets are hard to meet.” Samsung has expanded the number of regional offices from eight to 14 and placed seasoned professionals to push sales and better control inventory.
“In order to achieve our goal of delivering maximum value to our consumers and partners, we do reallocate resources in business divisions from time to time,” a Samsung India spokesperson said in response to an email from ET. Samsung India, the No. 1 seller of smartphones in the country, has a marginal lead over Sony in flat panel televisions. In white goods, rival LG India is still the leader, with Samsung focusing on premium products to gain share.
The industry has slowed down since June with sales of white goods stagnating and the growth rate for television has halved, pinching all brands. The changes at Samsung India are aimed at boosting sales, especially during the festive season, which accounts for more than onethird of the industry’s sales.
“It shows the urgency in hand for Samsung to overcome the slump since sales during Onam have been below target,” said another senior trade official, adding that it is probably the first time that any maker of consumer durables has made such sweeping change in business structure and teams just before the festive season. Mobile phones contributed 70% to Samsung India’s Rs 40,392 crore revenue in 2013-14. The company has not released sales information for 2014-15.


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Naperville, IL -- (SBWIRE) -- 12/26/2014 -- Reportstack, provider of premium market research reports announces the addition of Coronary Stents Market in India 2014 market report to its offering
Netscribes latest market research report titled Coronary Stents Market in India 2014 states that manufacturers of coronary stents are experiencing high demand for their products due to a number of reasons. With cardiovascular diseases becoming a common occurrence amongst Indians and the healthcare infrastructure in the country rapidly improving, the number of angioplasty procedures being carried out in the country has increased significantly. Advancements in technology has resulted in patients being more receptive towards stent implants. The products available in the market can be divided into two types those manufactured by MNCs and commanding high prices, and those manufactured by domestic companies and generally having lower prices. The general perception is that stents manufactured by MNCs are superior in terms of quality and efficacy whereas those manufactured by domestic companies fail to attain similar high quality. As a result, the MNCs serve majority of the market with almost all the big hospitals in tier I cities preferring to implant stents manufactured by foreign companies.
Since the medical equipments and devices industry in India has not been given any separate legal status and coronary stents have been classified as drugs under the provisions of the Drugs & Cosmetics Act, 1940, the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) is responsible for the regulation of stents in the country. The significant reduction in reimbursement rates for stents under the Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS) in Feb 2013 and a further reduction in the reimbursement rates in Apr 2014 has badly affected manufacturers, especially the MNCs. Although majority of the angioplasties performed in the country are done in private establishments with only a few being done under the CGHS, the reduction in the reimbursement rates is likely to force companies to lower price in the open market as well. However, despite a fall in price of products, the market is still expected to grow steadily. Moreover, the penetration of cath labs in the smaller cities and towns has made angioplasty more accessible to patients and is expected to boost demand for stents.
1. Opto Circuits (India) Ltd.
1. Abbott Healthcare Pvt. Ltd.
2. B. Braun Medical (India) Pvt. Ltd.
3. Boston Scientific India Pvt. Ltd.
4. India Medtronic Pvt. Ltd.
5. MIV Therapeutics (India) Pvt. Ltd.
6. Meril Life Sciences Pvt. Ltd.
7. Relisys Medical Devices Ltd.
8. Sahajanand Medical Technologies Pvt. Ltd.
9. Vascular Concepts Ltd.
Complete report is available @


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Posted BY: RM | NwoReport
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has initiated an investigation into a fatal car crash involving a Tesla that may have been using autopilot. The incident occurred when the Tesla drove under a tractor-trailer attempting a turn. This comes as the Wall Street Journal released dashcam footage of another Tesla colliding with a stationary police vehicle, leading officers to sue Tesla, blaming autopilot for the crash.
Since 2021, Tesla has faced 11 NHTSA investigations related to wrecks involving first responder vehicles. Analyzing NHTSA data, The Washington Post discovered that Tesla’s autopilot features have been associated with 736 accidents since 2019, resulting in 17 fatalities and 5 serious injuries.
However, the NHTSA clarified that involvement in a crash doesn’t necessarily implicate autopilot as the cause. Beyond wrecks, concerns have arisen over electric vehicle (EV) fires. Incidents have been reported of EVs spontaneously catching fire, including a Tesla Model S igniting while charging in a home garage. A cargo ship fire carrying over 3,000 automobiles, including nearly 500 electric vehicles, was also attributed to an electric vehicle.
Comparing EV safety to traditional vehicles, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) asserts that EVs are as safe as or even safer than gasoline-powered cars. However, EV batteries’ weight presents challenges, potentially leading to more severe outcomes in collisions with pedestrians, cyclists, or smaller vehicles. Tesla’s autopilot offers advanced features like automatic lane changing and stopping at red lights, but the company emphasizes that driver supervision is essential and full autonomy is dependent on regulatory approval.
Regarding EV fires, while instances receive substantial media attention, data suggests that EVs have a lower rate of catching fire compared to gasoline and hybrid vehicles. Nonetheless, concerns exist about emergency responders lacking adequate instructions for handling lithium-ion battery fires, as “cut loops” meant to disconnect power are often damaged in accidents.
In conclusion, concerns regarding Tesla’s autopilot safety and EV fires persist, with ongoing investigations and discussions about their implications for road safety and emergency response procedures. As the automotive industry navigates the transition to electric and autonomous vehicles, ensuring comprehensive safety measures and clear protocols for emergencies becomes paramount.


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on its ES7000 servers, but tellingly it decided against using the two commercially popular versions in favor of the product from the SCO Group. Unisys announced the new Linux support in conjunction with the this week in San Francisco.
In 2003, the Blue Bell, Pa.-based company said it grudgingly added Linux because some customers had a purchasing requirement to support the open-source operating system. "Obviously, our focus really remains the Microsoft environment. That's where we're really putting our major investments," Jon Burns, a director at Unisys, said that year.
Now, Unisys has a more enthusiastic attitude. "Unisys is positioned to be an enterprise Linux market leader," Chief Operating Officer Joe McGrath said in a statement Sunday. The company said it has an advantage because its servers can run multiple operating systems simultaneously and change the size of a Linux partition without shutting it down.
Unisys' earlier support for SCO's Linux came shortly afterfor allegedly moving Unix technology to Linux and shortly before .
in promoting its 32-processor ES7000 servers. The company positions Linux not as an alternative to Windows but rather to running on proprietary chips from Sun Microsystems, IBM, Silicon Graphics and Hewlett-Packard.
Unisys debuted its Intel processor-based ES7000 line in 2000 but hasn't achieved widespread success. Hewlett-Packard, Compaq Computer and Dell all signed up to sell the systems, but.


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That iPhone — the one that hundreds of thousands of Americans queued up to buy for up to $599 apiece, the one that Time magazine named the Invention of the Year, the one that six million people purchased before Apple finally stopped making them in May — was just a trial balloon floated by Steve Jobs to test the airwaves.
According to this theory, the real iPhone — the one aimed at the broadest possible market here and abroad — would start at $199, the magic price point at which consumer electronics devices seem to take off and become mass market phenomena. It would have built-in GPS location tracking, “push” e-mail, and wireless syncing with corporate enterprise networks. Most important, it would run hundreds of third-party applications available through an online App Store and operate over so-called third generation (3G) cellular networks that are two to five times faster than the one used by that first, prototype iPhone.
If this theory is true, then the real iPhone era begins on Friday, July 11, at 8:00 a.m.
That’s when the iPhone 3G goes on sale at Apple (AAPL) and AT&T (T) outlets in the United States and at the stores of Apple’s cellular partners in some 20 other countries around the world. (Strictly speaking, the era begins early Thursday, when the device goes on sale at 12:01 a.m. New Zealand time. Given how the Earth turns, that corresponds to 8:00 a.m. July 10 at Apple’s New York City flagship store and 5:01 a.m. at its Cupertino headquarters.)
Some things about the new iPhone haven’t changed. Physically, it’s almost identical to the first. Same touch screen, same dimensions — except for the back, which is slightly bulgier and made of black plastic instead of metal.
Conceptually, it’s still one device that combines three of today’s most popular technologies — cellular communications, portable digital music and wireless access to e-mail and the World Wide Web.
And the fundamental breakthrough is the same: unlike most devices that combine several functions and do none of them well, the iPhone puts together three must-have functions and does at least two of them better than they have ever been done before.
Early reviews suggest that the one thing the first iPhone was not particularly good at — telephony — is much improved in the second version, thanks to a redesigned audio system and, perhaps, improvements in AT&T’s network.
There’s still no physical keyboard, so devotees of RIM’s (RIMM) BlackBerry who were turned off by the lack of tactile feedback when dialing or texting on the first iPhone are not likely to be turned on by the second. The battery is still not user-replaceable, a shortcoming that may be even more important this time given the power demands of operating at 3G speeds. (One early reviewer who was getting nine hours of Internet use on the first iPhone clocked less than six hours on the second. See here.)
The built-in camera is the same under-2 megapixel device that can’t do video. There’s still no way to cut and paste text. And you are still married to AT&T’s cellular network for the life of a two-year contract, at least in the United States. In fact, the bonds of that matrimony may be even stronger this time around, given the way AT&T has set up the in-store activation procedure, and will cost U.S. customers at least $10 a month more.
There are many small improvements. You can search address books, delete e-mails en masse, set parental controls and save e-mailed photos. (These improvements will also be available to owners of the original iPhone as part of a free software upgrade.)
Investors will note that Apple has made major changes in its business model. Rather than testing the waters with a handful of exclusive contracts — first with AT&T, then with O2 (TEF) in England, T-Mobile (DT) in Germany and Orange (FTE) in France — Apple has gone global this time, with deals in six of the seven continents and more than 70 countries. To do this, however, it has had to largely abandon the arrangement — unique among cell phone manufacturers — by which carriers sold the iPhone for full price and kicked back a share of their monthly revenue to Apple, which was accounted for in monthly increments over the life of a cell phone contract (usually 24 months).
Steve Jobs was able to dictate these terms — quite advantageous to Apple — because the carriers recognized that being first to sell the iPhone would win them thousands of new customers. In most of the new markets Apple is entering this year, it is acting more like a conventional cellphone manufacturer, taking its (sizeable) profits upfront and letting the carriers subsidize the device with voice and data plans as costly as local market conditions will allow. (See Canada’s Rogers Communications (RCI), here for example, to see what kinds of problems this can lead to.) The price of the iPhone itself also varies widely, from as much as $888 for pre-paid phones in Italy to $75 in Mexico and free with certain data plans in the U.K.
Except for those costs, none of this affects the experience of the users.
For them, what will really distinguish this iPhone from the one that preceded it — and from every other smartphone out there — is the flood of software expected to be unleashed when the App Store opens on Friday. Apple has already demonstrated more than a dozen third-party programs for the iPhone, and over the next few months you can expect to hear about hundreds more: business apps that take advantage of the iPhones ability to “push” data down the network when it’s available (rather than when it’s requested); games that use the device’s accelerometer to navigate virtual space; shopping and social networking programs that use satellite tracking to tell you what shops or restaurants and which of your friends (or enemies) are near the spot where you are, right now.
In the end, every successful computing device is ultimately a software “platform,” a vehicle for the programs that give it its true value. This is where the real iPhone will stand out, and judging from the interest among the 4,000 third-party developers who have already signed up to write for it, it’s got a good headstart.


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Posted Fri Oct 28, 2011 at 10:00 AM PDT by Dick Ward
This puts Blockbuster on even footing with Redbox and Netflix in terms of release dates.
One of the things that Blockbuster has been holding above the heads of rental companies like Redbox and Netflix is that there's no delay for Blockbuster titles. You can swing in to a store on the day of release and pick up a brand new Blu-ray.
Well, it seems that's not something Blockbuster can boast about anymore. Warner has issued a 28 day delay on all titles to the video giant. Starting on November 1st, movies like 'Crazy, Stupid, Love' and, much more importantly, 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2' will suffer the four week delay.
What does this mean for Blockbuster? It means they can't brag about that advantage anymore, at least when it comes to movies from Warner. It also means that the company will be under a bit more pressure than it already was.
Source: Home Media Magazine
The latest news on all things 4K Ultra HD, blu-ray and Gear.


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U.S. sales of Pandora charms and jewelry increased 13.9 percent in the company’s third quarter, primarily driven by strong West Coast sales, it announced in its latest financial results.
Sales at its U.S. concept stores for the quarter grew 3.7 percent. The company said that sales rose in every region but the Northeast, where they dipped into “negative territory,” leading the company to take over distribution from franchisee Hannoush.
Marketing expenditures will increase substantially in the fourth quarter as the company’s line of Disney-theme charms comes on stream.
“I see the U.S. as a growth market, and a big growth market, so we should get behind it,” CEO Allan Leighton said in a conference call following the release of its financial results.
He added that it was still too early to gauge consumer reaction to the Disney line, but added: “It’s probably the best reception from our franchisees we have ever gotten on any launch we have done. U.S. and Disney is a big deal.”
Overall group revenue for the third quarter totaled 2.8 billion DKK ($474 million), a 26.2 percent increase over the prior year. Charm revenue increased 22 percent; charm bracelet revenue, 28 percent; ring revenue, 98 percent; and sales from other jewelry, 4.5 percent.
Rings are “now becoming a substantial business,” Leighton said, though he said that charms and bracelets remain the backbone of the company, accounting for more than three-quarters of its revenue.


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“Microsoft and Discord are in exclusive talks and could close a deal next month, assuming the negotiations don’t fall apart,” the article said. It also points out that the acquisition is apparently related to Microsoft, hoping to reach more consumers through both gaming and social networks. A similar drive saw Microsaoft pursue an abandoned takeover of TikTok last year.
If you’re not familiar, Discord is a messaging platform used by online communities to get together, chat, and play games. It’s been around since 2015 and its user base has grown significantly in recent years, leading to revenue of $ 130 million in 2020 and a valuation of $ 7 billion. The WSJ report notes that Discord recently hired its first Chief Financial Officer and is also considering an IPO.
Discord previously partnered with Xbox Game Pass to offer members special benefits such as access to Discord Nitro, the premium service. If the deal goes through, this would be another high-profile acquisition for Microsoft, which recently picked up ZeniMax Media for $ 7.5 billion, taking development studios such as Arkane, Bethesda and id Software under its wing.
Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.


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By Amanina Mohamad Yusof
SEREMBAN, June 13 (Bernama) -- The development of youth entrepreneurs is part of the state government's main agenda to ensure that the younger generation will be able to participate in the state's development.
Menteri Besar Aminuddin Harun said he aspired to see youths in the state working together in the creation of a new economy which would generate future employment opportunities.
"The food truck industry offers a huge opportunity for youth entrepreneurs, and I have already asked for the food truck entrepreneurs to be allowed to conduct their business anywhere in the state and not be limited to certain days or the weekends," he told Bernama in an interview recently.
He said this could help to make the industry more attractive to youth entrepreneurs and create employment opportunities for other youths, adding that the state government was also looking at other things which could help food truck entrepreneurs to grow their business.
Meanwhile, Aminuddin said that the government was also taking steps to help the youth entrepeneurs in the agricultural sector.....


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Not everyone is rooting for a Subway Series.
Not hotels, since there won’t be any out-of-town fans.
Not movie theaters, who could take a big hit if there are games on weekends, when most people go to see films.
Not video-rental places, for pretty much the same reasons.
And, above all, not fancy upscale restaurants, which will take the biggest hit.
Those intimate eateries with oodles of charm and entrees more expensive than Subway Series tickets “are going to get hurt,” says Tony Bourdain, executive chef of Les Halles on Park Avenue and the author of the new book “Kitchen Confidential.”
Bourdain says business could drop 20 percent.
For a typical night’s take of $20,000, that turns out to be $4,000 – or $28,000 if the series goes to the maximum seven games.
That’s enough for a down payment on a Porsche, but it’s chicken feed compared to the hundreds of thousands of dollars Yankee hurler Roger Clemens is paid each time he takes the mound.
Jason Lin, owner of Hunan Pan in Greenwich Village – where Susan Sarandon once dropped by in a limo to pick up a take-out order of firecracker shrimp and spicy tofu – also sees problems.
“Big games hurt our dining-room business, but take-out is better. If you only have a dining room it will hurt,” he says.
John Marlin, chief economist for Comptroller Alan Hevesi, foresees a dip in business as well.
“Restaurants without wide-screen TVs are going to suffer. A lot of men won’t go out if they can’t watch wide-screen TV,” he says.
His advice to trendy restaurateurs – get a wide-screen TV and do takeout.
Absolutely not, says Bob Towers, CEO of Ark Restaurants, which owns the fabled French restaurant Lutece and 16 other top eateries in the Big Apple.
Towers expects a Subway Series to reduce business because, “Every time there’s a Knicks game, our business goes down.”
But Lutece doesn’t do takeout and has no plans for wide-screen TV.
“We’re not turning our restaurants into ESPN. We’ll leave that to Disney,” he sniffed.
On the other hand, Sirio Maccioni, owner of the equally fabled Le Cirque and the new Circo 17, has already taken part of Marlin’s advice.
There’s a big TV in the bar at Le Cirque and an even bigger one – “with a Plasmatron screen” – in the bar at Circo 17, where patrons can choose to eat.
“This is a service to the public, not to snobbism,” he says. “Every big event – the World Cup, the Olympics – influences our business.”
All of this is not to say that sports bars, concessions and the like won’t make big bucks from the series. “Business will definitely improve because it’s just another reason to have a party,” said Ben Dell’Orto of Manganaro’s Hero Boy on Ninth Avenue.


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Honor is all set to launch its latest phones with gigantic displays, the Honor 8X and 8X Max in China and now the company has revealed the date on a teaser posted on its Weibo account. According to the images posted, the Honor 8X and 8X Max will be launched in China on September 5. Also Read - Honor phones to come with Google Mobile Services: ReportAlso Read - Honor Band 6 takes on Redmi Watch in India, gets listed on Flipkart
We got our first alleged look of the smartphone earlier this week in a report. And the specifications of the phones have been reportedly been leaked on TENAA, which is the Chinese certification website. The successor of the of the Honor 7X, the Honor 8X is expected to feature a huge display, water-drop notch on the display, dual-rear cameras and bigger batteries. Also Read - Samsung takes lead from Apple in Q1 2021 smartphone shipments: Canalys
The teaser does not reveal anything about the pricing, and we have not heard any rumors on that front as well. The teaser does not reveal much else about the phone except that company s promises that the new smartphones will ‘surpass limits’ and will be ‘beyond imagination’.
Honor 8X Specifications
According to the listing on TENAA, the Honor 8X is set to come with either Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 or Snapdragon 660 chipset. It is expected to feature a large 7.12-inch display, which suggests that Honor 8X will compete with Xiaomi Mi Max 3, which is a phablet with 6.9-inch display.
The display on the Honor 8X is said to support a resolution of 2244 1080 pixels. The phablet will be backed by a 4,900mAh battery. It is likely to feature dual rear camera setup with a combination of 16-megapixel, and 2-megapixel image sensors. The selfie department is said to be handled by an 8-megapixel shooter.
WATCH: Honor Play First Look
The Honor 8X is likely to feature 6GB of RAM and pack 64GB of built in storage. It will also support expandable storage up to 256GB via microSD card slot.


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Apex Legends game has recently announced a skin called ‘World’s Apart Lifeline’. The skin is arriving on January 5, 2021.
Recently, the game has launched their new lifeline skin called ” World’s Apart Lifeline skin” which will arrive in the Fight Night event starting from Jan 5.
YOU MAY ALSO READ: Valorant Agent 14 abilities: Yoru All New Abilities Showcased
World’s Apart Lifeline Skin
With season 7 and Fight Night event, Respawn is adding a lot of features and others. Certainly one of the most special ones is the World’s Apart Lifeline skin. Finally, Respawn showed the trailer of this skin on Jan 4, Monday. It was the day before the release of the skin. We did not get additional information concerning the skin.
However, what we can see from the trailer is that it’s a female character called Loba. It also has a sort of white-blue colored robot with light-colored aqua in its eyes alongside the character.
YOU MAY ALSO READ: Valorant New Agent Leak Goes Viral But Wrong
Apart from that, all we can say is that Loba’s appearance is great. She has a golden cap attached to her head and has white hair.
Furthermore, she has an orange-green and white sort of outfit with a thin, red rope tied around to her legs and a bag behind her back along with 3 electronic devices behind her.Additionally, she also has some kind of circled shape two bags attached to her thighs to her appearance.
So, the skin is going to be released on Jan 5, in the Fight Night event. But will it be good or bad compared with the other Lifeline skins? Let us wait and see till the skin gets released.
YOU MAY ALSO READ: Winter Queen Set In PUBG Mobile Is Available Now- Frost Fest


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DailyCandy’s Start Small Go Big competition is in its third year. Winning a spot in the DailyCandy Academy not only introduces startups to mentors, it also provides a huge increase in traffic.
This year more than 2,500 companies entered. DailyCandy winnowed it down to six businesses. Four are NY-based—Soap Cartel, Taste Savant, Lauren Nevada and Uprise Art. Regardless of whether or not they win the competition, one tangible result is exposure to DailyCandy’s readers. The formalwear company Dolly Pearl won in 2010. It went from being virtually unknown to selling in 13 stores.


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Curious people watch as police raid the Hoang Mai Gold Shop in Ho Chi Minh City's Binh Thanh District on April 24, 2014
The owner of a gold shop in Ho Chi Minh City has filed a written complaint against the district government for warrant that allowed police to raid her shop and confiscate a huge amount of property on suspicion of illegal currency sales.
Nguyen Thi Thanh Mai, the owner of Hoang Mai Gold Shop in Binh Thanh District, accused the Binh Thanh People’s Committee of issuing a “wrongful” decision on April 23, which allowed local police to raid her shop and search her house the following day.
She said the decision was made based on a request submitted by the Binh Thanh Police without any supporting documents or evidence.
Police stormed into the shop on Bui Huu Nghia Street at 1 p.m. on April 24 claiming they had seen a man trying to exchange a US$100 note for Vietnamese dong.
The police then spent eight hours combing the seven-floor house, where the gold shop is based and seized more than US$14,000 and 2,300 Thai baht as well as a security camera and a CPU.
Before leaving, the officers sealed off 559 taels of gold on display in the shop.
Police later removed the evidentiary seals after Mai produced documents proving she'd inherited the gold from her parents.
Several days later, the police returned Mai's money and equipment after concluding that it had not widely engaged in illegal currency sales.
A number of lawyers condemned the search and seizure as illegal.
Mai closed her shop on May 11, saying she would suspend operation until the end of this year citing psychological trauma caused by the raid.
Mai told Vietnam News Agency that the incident badly affected the prestige of her gold shop, which has been in operation for 20 years.
In Vietnam, the government sporadically clamps down on the illicit trade in dollars in an effort to support the Vietnamese currency.
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DENVER -- Outdoor recreational purchases could cost a lot more in the future if the U.S.-China trade war continues to heat up.
Zeus Cochrane of Hennesy Hammock Company in British Columbia said 60 percent to 70 percent of its business comes from the U.S.
He says with a new set of proposed tariffs, that would likely encompass $61 billion in outdoor recreation goods and things would become more difficult.
"Unfortunately, we're probably going to see either more sparseness in what's available. We'll have the potential to see increases in prices that are handed down to the end consumer," Cochrane said.
Colorado's outdoor recreation industry's economic impact is about $62.5 billion, with outdoor recreation supporting 511,000 jobs in the state.
There's a lot of uncertainty surrounding retailers and it's still unclear if the new tariffs will go into effect.
President Donald Trump plans to discuss that further later this month.


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Nearly 7,000 pounds of beef and veal broth and stock has been recalled due to reports that it may contain hydraulic oil, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service announced.
The recall covers 6,896 pounds of ready-to-eat broth from More Than Gourmet Inc. in Akron. The products were shipped nationwide, a release from FISIS said. The problem was discovered by More Than Gourmet Inc. after a malfunction in a piece of processing equipment, the release said.
The products recalled are as follows:
- 12-oz plastic squeeze bottle of KITCHEN ACCOMPLICE ORGANIC Beef BONE BROTH Concentrate and lot code MFGA21060A5613, MFGA21060B5613 & MFGA21098B5613 with Use by/Sell by date of 3/1/2023 & 4/8/2023.
- 16-oz. plastic cup of MORE THAN GOURMET Demi-Glace Gold CLASSIC FRENCH DEMI-GLACE and lot code MFGA21097A0205 with Use by/Sell by date of 4/7/2023.
The products subject to recall bear establishment number “27446” inside the USDA mark of inspection, the release said. There have been no confirmed reports of reactions due to the consumption of these products.
FSIS is concerned that some product may be in consumers’ refrigerators or freezers. Consumers who have purchased these products are urged not to consume them. These products should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase, FISIS said.
About the Author


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On January 7, 2012, HUF hosted an opening ceremony at HUF Headquarters to coincide with the release of the HUF x Haroshi x DLX collaboration. There was a great turnout for the event, which featured Haroshi's original works on display, a high ollie contest, and a live performance by Tommy Guerrero, Money Mark, Ray Barbee, and Fredo Ortiz. Thanks to everyone who made it out to show their support and who helped make it happen.
The HUF x Haroshi x DLX Collaboration is now available at hufworldwide.com and at select HUF retailers throughout the US.
Shot & cut by Martin Reigel.


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Various Authors noon, Dec. 8
From coffee cherries in Oceanside to Bay Park roasted coffee beans
Posted October 14, 2019
Stories this photo appears in:
This is only the beginning for San Diego-grown coffee beans
As promised in March, premium San Diego-grown coffee beans were served for the first time by Bird Rock Coffee Roasters last weekend. The surprise is whose farm grew them: two-time Grammy-winning local musician Jason Mraz. ...


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Why are the Northern Detroit Suburbs an Ideal Market for a DreamMaker Bath & Kitchen Remodeling Franchise?
DreamMaker Bath & Kitchen is looking for a franchise partner in the Northern Detroit suburbs
The DreamMaker Bath & Kitchen remodeling franchise is booming. Average franchisee revenue grew more than 60% from 2011 to 2014, and this is shaping up to be another great year for the remodeling franchise. Now we’re looking to grow by partnering with an entrepreneur in the Northern Detroit suburbs of Waterford, Farmington Hills, Pontiac, Sterling Heights, and Warren.
Why the Northern Detroit suburbs? Why Now?
The Northern Detroit suburbs are a prime market for a remodeling franchise because the Detroit metropolitan area is picking up steam. Existing home sales went up by 5% from 2012 to 2014, and the average home sale price rose by 13% from 2012 to 2014, according to a report published by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. That’s a big deal, because remodeling activity increases as people have more money to spend — this makes the Northern Detroit suburbs a great place for a remodeling business!
Bring a great remodeling franchise to your community
Franchise Business Review, a research firm that studies franchises and ranks companies based on franchisee satisfaction, recently named DreamMaker Bath & Kitchen to its list of top franchise opportunities. We were the only full-service remodeling company to make the list. DreamMaker Bath & Kitchen helps entrepreneurs and remodelers attain strong financial numbers while improving their quality of life. Our franchise owners enjoy much stronger margins than most remodelers — above 40% gross profit margin in 2013 and 2014 — and their customers report much, much higher satisfaction. DreamMaker’s business practices are guided by biblical principles of service, respect, and integrity — and are key to our success.
Build your success on ours
“We’ve helped existing remodelers take their operations to the next level by providing training and systems to run a stronger remodeling business,” says President and Chief Stewarding Officer Doug Dwyer. “Those same systems and resources have helped entrepreneurs launch brand new remodeling businesses that are among DreamMaker’s top performers.”
Learn more about franchise opportunities in the Northern Detroit suburbs
DreamMaker Bath & Kitchen is now awarding prime franchise territories to qualified franchisees with a passion for enhancing lives and improving homes. No construction or remodeling experience is required. Just submit our form to the right and begin our franchise discovery process today to learn how you can start a remodeling franchise in the Northern Detroit suburbs with DreamMaker Bath & Kitchen!
Northern Detroit suburbs fast facts
- Existing home sales are up 5% from 2012 to 2014
- Average sales prices for existing homes are up 13% from 2012 to 2014
DreamMaker fast facts
- 60% average unit revenue growth since 2011
- Winners of more than a dozen Big50 Remodeler Awards since 2000
- Total Investment: $94,895 – $257,745
- Leadership team with deep roots in remodeling industry