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DUBAI: K.T. Abdurabb | Arab News Staff
Morocco aims to strengthen its trade and economic partnerships with the UAE, Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries.
Mohammed Abbou, minister of industry, trade,investment and digital economy of Morocco, told Arab News that his country has plans to build more ports, airports, highways, rail and express ways to attract more investment from the Gulf and Middle East.
“Morocco is a platform for Europe, Middle East, Africa and ideally situated as an export platform for the EU market, US East Coast and other markets. Moreover, we have a dynamic and growing industry with a liberal and beneficial policy to the investments,” he added.
“The UAE is the second largest food market in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), just behind Saudi Arabia. We have strong trade relationships with Saudi Arabia and we intend to increase it in the future through various accords,” added Abbou, who is currently in Dubai to participate Gulfood exhibition.
“This show, Gulfood, is considered one of the most important events in the sector of food and beverages in the Middle East, constituting the preferred meeting place for traders and buyers in the food processing industry. More than 65 Moroccan companies are participating this event with a wide range of Moroccan products, including fresh fish and seafood, marinated fish, frozen fish, canned fish and anchovies, canned vegetables, frozen fruits, olive oil, argan, couscous and pasta, juices and beverages, spices, tea and infusion, margarine, chocolate and candy,” he explained.
He said that the UAE imports totaled $3.6 billion in 2010 and expected to reach $5.5 billion in 2015. The majority of these imports is negotiated through Dubai. The UAE ports represent a majority of 61 percent of the volume of trade between the GCC countries.
“To boost exports to the Middle East, we intend to tackle two fronts: Diversification and gain new market share,” he said.
“ Today, in a challenging international environment, the characteristic of the target countries is that they are all experiencing strong growth in comparison with the rest of the world over a large potential for import. However, there is a great potential in several areas. Each country wants a commercial platform with expanded retail networks, multinationals and renowned businesses. The challenge of Morocco is to play synergies between Morocco as a hub of the Maghreb, the various FTAs signed and these import-export platforms to the Mashrek. Among the sectors and supply represented through this mission include services, leather & textile, food processing, seafood, the pharmaceutical industry, construction and information technology,” he said.
Figures indicate that the UAE imports about 90 percent of their food needs and raw materials. Imports of food products amounted to AED19.6 billion. Its main suppliers are India, the United States, Brazil, Iran, Pakistan, United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia and Argentina. The peculiarity of the market of UAE is that nearly 50 percent of imported food products are exported to 160 countries.
“The food processing industry remains a strategic sector in Morocco because of its crucial role in the economic, social and environmental angles. In fact, this sector contributes on average 16 percent of GDP through its agricultural upstream and 4% with respect to agroindustrial downstream for about 10 percent to total exports and nearly 44 percent of employment,” Abbou added.


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DEARBORN, Mich. - The fan cooling your seat in the F-150 may now be used in a respirator designed to ward off the coronavirus.
Using materials from different locations, Ford is teaming up with manufacturers 3M and GE Healthcare to help build respirators and ventilators. They'll also be speeding along with production for badly-needed medical equipment for health care workers.
In a tribute to Detroit's arsenal of Democracy legacy, automakers General Motors and Ford were exploring the idea of bolstering the country's production of breathing units to aid in the fight to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
Ford plans on assembling 100,000 face shields per week, while also leveraging the company's 3D printing capability to build disposable respirators for health workers. The first 1,000 face shields will be tested at area hospitals this week.
Many of these will be built by UAW members and the company anticipates roughly 75,000 will be finished by the week's end.
"This is such a critical time for America and the world. It is a time for action and cooperation," said Ford Executive Chairman Bill Ford in a release. "By coming together across multiple industries, we can make a real difference for people in need and for those on the front lines of this crisis."
Using one of its Michigan factories, Ford is planning on boosting 3M's production tenfold. Ford is also preparing for producing badly-needed ventilators at one of its manufacturing sites to keep up with demand as more COVID-19 cases are reported.
"We are encouraged by how quickly companies from across industries have mobilized to address the growing challenge we collectively face from COVID-19," said GE Healthcare President and CEO Kieran Murphy.
Shortly following the closing of several factories due to fears that the coronavirus could spread among plant workers, Ford and GM said they had been in touch with the federal government about supporting health departments around the country to mitigate some of the potential damage tied to COVID-19.
The company is also working on ways it can aid internationally, like the U.K. and China.

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The Long Island laboratory of Nikola Tesla—scientist, visionary and inventor—has been bought by Friends of Science East from the Agfa Corporation, which means that the future location of the Tesla Science Center at Wardenclyffe is a step closer to becoming reality.
“This is a major milestone in our almost two-decade effort to save this historically and scientifically significant site,” said Gene Genova, vice president of Friends of Science East, a nonprofit group. “We are very excited to be able to finally set foot on the grounds where Tesla walked and worked.”
The transaction was announced Thursday at a press conference at the Crystal Ballroom of the New Yorker Hotel in Manhattan, where Tesla had spent his remaining days after he ran out of money in 1917 and had to abandon his facility in Shoreham—the last place he was fully able to carry out his experiments.
Tesla is credited with developing AC current, robotics, fluorescent lighting, the bladeless turbine, and the Tesla coil. The Croatian-born scientist, who died in 1943, built a tower at the site in 1901 hoping he could provide the world with the wireless transmission of energy for free. The famed architect Stanford White designed the red-brick laboratory, with initial backing from J.P. Morgan. At one point, the 187-foot tower could be seen from New Haven, but it was later torn down and sold for scrap, and the lab was converted into a warehouse.
Agfa bought the 16-acre property from Peerless Photo Products in 1969 and subsequently spent more than $5 million on cleaning it up after it was designated a New York State Superfund site. It was zoned for 2-acre housing.
“As we’ve said many times, while Agfa’s objective was to sell the property, we were always hopeful that we could strike a deal that would enable the Friends of Science East to purchase the property, and the company is delighted that that has been able to happen in this case,” said Chris Santomassimo, a spokesman for Agfa Corporation, headquartered in New Jersey.
“We tried to come up with a price that was fair to both sides in light of the condition of the property and the Friends of Science’s ability to acquire it,” he added. “I like to think we struck a fair bargain for everybody.”
The initial asking price was $1.6 million. The closing took place in the morning of May 2.
“It was nice to see the excitement on the faces of the board members,” said Santomassimo, who declined to say what the final sale price was.
Jane Alcorn, president of Tesla Science Center, has been spearheading the preservation measure for years.
“First we would like to thank all of the contributors to the campaign whose generosity made this day possible,” said Alcorn.
The money came courtesy of an online crowd-funding campaign on indiegogo, dubbed “Operation Let’s Build a Goddamn Tesla Museum,” started by Matthew Inman, the popular internet comic who runs “The Oatmeal” blog. In the first 24 hours, it reportedly raised $450,000.
What reportedly put them over the top so they could take advantage of an $850,000 New York State matching grant was a $33,333 donation by co-author/director Joseph Sikorski, an LI-based filmmaker who used all of the seed money from his feature film “Fragments From Olympus: The Vision of Nikola Tesla” to make the contribution, along with support from his co-author Michael Calomino and his production supervisor Victor Elefante.
Tesla was obsessed with the number three, Sikorski said. A documentary they are producing about the past, present and future of Wardenclyffe, called “Tower to the People-Tesla’s Dream at Wardenclyffe Continues,” is expected to be completed by the end of the summer.
Also singled out at the press conference for their generosity was Greg and Meredith Tally of Denver Best Western, who donated the largest amount; and Dusan Stojanovic, president of True Global Ventures, who provided a matching grant challenge at the end of the campaign.
“Now begin the next important steps in raising the money needed to restore the historic laboratory,” said Mary Daum, treasurer of the Tesla Science Center, who added that they needed “about $10 million to create a science learning center and museum worthy of Tesla and his legacy.”
In 1904, The New York Times reported that Tesla spent as much time in the ground below the tower which was “honeycombed with subterranean passages” as he did on the tower itself or “in the handsome laboratory and workshop erected beside it.”
“In this system that I have invented,” Tesla said at the time, “it is necessary for the machine to get a grip of the earth; otherwise it cannot shake the earth. It has to have a grip… so that the whole of this globe can quiver.”
More information on this historic preservation project is available at www.TeslaScienceCenter.org.


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TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. | General Motors' Chevrolet division plans to introduce nine new models over 20 months, starting in January, setting up a battle to overtake the Ford brand as the nation's top seller.
"This product barrage should help get Chevy back to selling 3 million cars and trucks a year," said Gary Cowger, president of GM's North American operations.
Cowger said that GM was developing a new crossover vehicle, the Chevrolet HHR, as part of its product assault. The vehicle would very likely compete most directly with the Chrysler Group's PT Cruiser and, like it, would be manufactured on a base used to make small cars. The designer of the PT Cruiser, Bryan Nesbitt, is now a GM executive who oversees the design of cars as well as crossover vehicles, a burgeoning category which combines car and SUV attributes.
Cowger said the vehicle would have a retro design similar to the 1949 Chevrolet Suburban, a vehicle with some characteristics of the modern SUV; GM is taking a similar approach with the Chevrolet SSR, a quirky combination of pickup, convertible and two-seat sports car set for its debut later this year.
The SSR and HHR recall the curvy, almost anthropomorphic look of trucks from an era when men wore fedoras, as opposed to the more militaristic bearing of today's pickups and SUVs.


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Tyson Foods recalls 36,000 pounds of chicken nuggets
Tyson Foods is recalling 36,000 pounds of chicken nuggets because they may have been contaminated with rubber.
The recall affects Tyson's fully cooked panko nuggets packed in five-pound bags:
5-lb. plastic packages of “Tyson WHITE MEAT PANKO CHICKEN NUGGETS” with a “BEST IF USED BY” date of “NOV 26 2019,” case code “3308SDL03” and time stamps 23:00 through 01:59 (inclusive).
According to the company, a small number of consumers found tiny pieces of rubber in their chicken.
The items were produced on Nov. 26, 2018, and bear establishment number “P-13556” inside the USDA mark of inspection.
The affected food was shipped to retail locations nationwide.
The company says there are no reports of any injuries, and so far, the problem doesn’t appear to be widespread.
For more information, click here.


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Europe’s top court has ruled that any business that embeds the Facebook ‘Like’ button on their website allows users’ personal data to be transferred to the U.S. social network and can therefore be held liable for collecting the data.
Plug-ins are a common feature of most commercial websites as online retailers seek to promote their products and services on social networks. But critics are deeply concerned that the data transfer involved may breach privacy laws.
According to news agency Reuters, the ruling from the Luxembourg-based Court of Justice of the European Union (ECJ) came after a German consumer body sued German online fashion retailer Fashion ID for breaching personal data protection rules via its use of the button on its site.
A German court subsequently sought guidance. ECJ judges said websites and Facebook share joint responsibility.
Under EU data privacy rules, a data controller determines why personal data must be collected and processed, as well as how, while a data processor only processes personal data on behalf of the controller and is usually a third-party company.
The operator of a website that features a Facebook ‘Like’ button can be a controller jointly with Facebook in respect of the collection and transmission to Facebook of the personal data of visitors to its website,
The German retailer benefited from a commercial advantage as the ‘Like’ button made its products more visible on Facebook, the court said, though it noted the company is not liable for how Facebook subsequently processes the data.
Facebook said the ruling sheds clarity on the issue. Jack Gilbert, Facebook’s associate general counsel, said in a statement:
We are carefully reviewing the court’s decision and will work closely with our partners to ensure they can continue to benefit from our social plugins and other business tools in full compliance with the law,
The ruling is in line with strict data privacy laws adopted by the 28-country bloc last year, said Nils Rauer, a partner at law firm Pinsent Masons.
The court was right in assessing whether Fashion ID had an interest in collaborating with Facebook by way of embedding the ‘Like’ Button,” Rauer said, adding plugins will continue to be popular notwithstanding the judgement. …Personally, I do not think that companies will turn away from embedding ‘Like’ buttons due to the judgement. Presumably, they will pay more attention to the embedding process, by way of obtaining dedicated data privacy advice,


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Vail Resorts, Inc. (NYSE: MTN) today reported results for the first quarter of fiscal 2023 ended October 31, 2022, provided season pass sales results, reaffirmed its guidance for Resort Reported EBITDA for fiscal 2023, provided additional detail on its calendar year 2023 capital plan and declared a dividend payable in January 2023.
Vail Resorts sold 2.3 million Epic Pass products for the 2022/23 season, which is down by 12% over last year.Source: VailResorts
“Vail will collapse. It’s not IF but WHEN.”
Vail will collapse. It’s not if but when. When pass prices go up by 20% they can only muster a 6% revenue increase associated with a 12% drop in units sold their upper tier passes while buying FOUR new areas. This all in an economy with huge inflation and huge labor cost increases. The financials just don’t add up to sustainability.
Their Experience Of A Lifetime (TM) is turning people away. Limited snowmaking this year (disasterous last year).
Poor grooming quality. I laugh at some of the pics posted to the pass group on Facebook talking about the amazing conditions when there’s huge grooming ruts, 2 foot ice boulders, death cookies galore, etc. in the pics.
Lack of maintenance to their lifts leading them to break down all the time (Attitash last year, Stowe this year). Lack of running lifts. Non lifties running lifts. Grumpy employees some that scream at you for no reason. Bad traffic. Long lines. Charge you to park with no lifts running. I can go on…
Interest rates are through their roof. Their line of credit they’ve been using to fund their upgrades is now suddenly much costlier. Meanwhile their bread and butter resorts — Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckinridge, Keystone — have a ton of aging detachable that need to be replaced within the decade.obienick via Snowjournal


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Readers share what they’re doing now to make 2013 great
No two landscape or lawn care companies are identical. They’re no more alike than the personalities of the individuals who own and operate them. So, it came as no surprise that each of the owners that we contacted for this article has spent this winter working on different areas to improve their companies’ performance for 2013.
That said, the two main areas of concern for the 2013 season that they invariably mentioned were: boosting sales and retaining and attracting responsible, dependable employees.
“Sales. Sales. Sales.” That’s what Terry Delany, founder and owner of GroundSERV, Fayetteville, Ark., has been zeroing in on.
“Our overhead is locked in for the year so sales will fix everything,” he explained. “Since we’ve gone to a 100 percent subcontractor format, we’ve removed most of the issues that erode the profit margins of landscape contractors. We built a ‘reverse budget’ that allows us to track our performance and make adjustments as the year goes by to ensure that we will still hit our targeted gross margin for the year.”
Meanwhile Bill Miller, Miller Landscape and Gardens, Norwalk, Ohio, puts “keeping good employees” at the top of his 2013 to-do list. This sentiment was similar to others we heard, including from landscape pro Todd Pugh on the other side of state near Canton.
Pugh said one of his main goals this year is “attracting new talent and retaining current team members” that are capable of consistently delivering customer-pleasing projects and services. Pugh also commented on the more intense pressures that business owners are subjected to today compared to even a decade ago.
“The weather, competition, commodity prices and other forces change quicker today than ever, so the company that can react quickly will win. Adjusting at the end of the year no longer works,” said Pugh.
The industry is awash in unpredictability. Weather, the prices of fertilizer and other materials and regulatons are all largely out of your control. Also, the many hats that most of you wear in running your businesses keep your attention narrowly focused on the next nine months at the most. Rare is the landscape or lawn care company that plans three to five years into the future.
For that reason, let’s take a sober look at the economic environment that you and tens of thousands of other landscape and lawn service company owners must deal with.
Improving economy, illusory or real?
Everyone within our highly fragmented industry that we spoke to this off-season expressed guarded optimism that they can improve their companies’ performance this year. They’re encouraged (but hardly ecstatic) by some of the signs of economic recovery that they’ve been reading about these past few months. These include, among other positive signs, rising home sales, rising home prices and stabilized unemployment numbers.
The Labor Department pegged the U.S. unemployment rate at 7.9 percent as of Feb. 1, 2013. And, existing home sales this past December were up 12.8 percent from December 2011 sales, with the total number of sales (and home prices) rising in 2012 to the highest level in five years, reported the National Association of Realtors. The “official” 2012 inflation rate of 1.7 percent might offer some comfort, too, along with the U.S. stock market’s historically high 14,000-plus at the beginning of February.
But the significance of these numbers (in some cases their accuracy) bear closer scrutiny. The U.S. unemployment rate is believed to be well above 10 percent when also counting unemployed and discouraged individuals that have quit looking for jobs. The rebound in home sales has been partly fueled by hedge funds and private equity firms making purchases in what they’ve identified as future high-growth markets and taking advantage of depressed prices and artificially low interest rates, said David Stockman, former director of the Office of Management and Budget in the Reagan Administration. And, of course, the stock market, with its periodic schizophrenic episodes, is hardly an indication of the robustness of the recovery or, for that matter, a harbinger of the economy’s future direction.
Oh, did I forget to mention gasoline now topping $3.50 a gallon? But I really didn’t need to remind you of that, right?
Regardless of the numbers (or perhaps because of them), consumer confidence, as measured by the Conference Board of Nielsen, fell this past January from 17.2 percent to 16.7 percent, while those viewing business conditions as being “bad” rose from 26.3 percent to 27.4 percent.
And, of course, any meaningful discussion about the economy’s prospect would also address the nation’s astronomical (and growing) debt, Obamacare and other matters almost entirely out of the control of those of you owning and managing landscape and lawn service companies.
Even with all of this, there seems to be an innate belief by many of you that our nation’s free-market capitalistic system, the greatest wealth producer in mankind’s history, is powerful enough to survive and grow again in spite of misguided policies or off-shore competition. And you will grow right with it.
Even more encouraging is your continued enthusiasm to seek new ways to improve your operations as evidenced by the following comments.
New PLANET member
“We just joined PLANET and have already taken much use and gathered lots of knowledge from its websites and the many benefits that it offers,” said Adam Linnemann, founder and owner of Linnemann Lawn Care & Landscaping, Inc., Columbia, Ill. He also reported that his company recently expanded into St. Louis (Mo.) County along with adding porch planting as a new service. “We now do a thousand changeouts a year with this new service and it has expanded our season even longer,” he added.
Linnemann said one of his biggest goals this past winter has been to organize and put his company’s warehouse/shop facility in better order, including numbering all of its small equipment and devising a program “to hold team members even more accountable for their equipment.”
Energizing the team
“We’ve been working to continually engage our entire team,” said Pugh, CEO of Todd’s Enviroscapes, Louisville, Ohio. “This means educating everyone on how the business makes money as well as what makes the business sustainable and how they are an integral part of the success of the business.
He added: “The indirect result is you will have a company of empowered employees who are all working for the same common goal. Employees today are looking more for a career than ever. With them understanding they make a difference it will lead to purpose driven work,” Pugh added.
More aggressive sales effort
William “Bill” Hildebolt’s is owner of Nature’s Select Premium Turf Services, Winston-Salem, N.C., which offers proprietary lawn care services based on the practical horticultural knowledge he gained operating a large farm in southwest Ohio. This past year, Hildebolt struck a deal with New Garden Landscaping and Nursery, Inc., to expand his company’s reach into the Greensboro, N.C., market.
While Hildebolt said he was moderately pleased with the success of the new effort he added that he’s approaching this season with a more aggressive sales mentality. Traditionally, his company has done quite well, mostly by word-of-mouth and referrals, but he’s now considering more personal and direct sales efforts. Mass marketing is out.
“We realize that we have to enlist everyone in the company to be a salesperson,” said Hildebolt. “We have a very dedicated employees that we appreciate, but we’re expecting them to be more proactive in selling and customer retention along with doing their services.”
Little things add up
Bill Miller, co-owner with his brother Steve, of Miller Landscape and Gardens, Norwalk, Ohio, set two big goals for his operation to get the season off to a strong start. The first was to upgrade his firm’s production equipment.
“With the high pace of our season and the cost of unexpected breakdowns and not having the right tools for the job make this (updated equipment) a must for us. Time is money,” said Miller.
His company is also implementing policies to eliminate wasted time during the workday. This includes requiring employees to pack their lunches rather than stopping at a fast-food outlet for lunch.
“I know this doesn’t sound like a big deal, but it is,” said Miller. “If you go someplace and buy a drink or lunch, no way is that person taking on a 30-minute lunchtime. Plus, there’s the issue of fuel use because most likely they’re driving a company vehicle.”
“We’re focusing on consistency of operations,” responded Larry Ryan, Ryan Lawn & Tree, based in Kansas City. “I spent 10 years in fast food and realized what consistency could do for a restaurant chain. When we walked into one of our restaurants, we graded the store with a QSC survey. That stood for quality, service and cleanliness. Each store was expected to score a certain level. In our company, we need to follow the lead of the restaurant industry (ie. McDonalds).
“There needs to be certain procedures for doing everything. I have focused for 25 years on hiring great people more than having operations consistent across the board. Great people make up for a lot of management mistakes. Now is time for us to tighten up operations. When that is done, our people will be able to do a better job of marketing what we have and who we are,” he added.
Ryan said he expects 2013 to be an excellent year and he continues to see great opportunity for the landscape industry.
“We are looking more and more at acquisitions to enter new markets. There are tremendous advantages for companies to join together. You don’t have to duplicate services such as accounting, marketing and training,” he said.
“At Ryan, we like the fact that we have challenges. We know that other companies have the same challenges. If it was easy, everybody would be successful.”
In other words, times of uncertainty and great challenge also present great opportunities, Ryan remains convinced.
Ron Hall is editor-in-chief of <45 Light Oblique>Turf


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Nexon, as promised, has launched a pre-registration stage for the global version of the mobile RPG Blue Archive. You can register on the official website in order to receive awards after the official release, the number of which depends on the number of participants in the event:
- 100,000 – Pyroxene x200, Credit x150,000
- 200,000 – Pyroxene x400
- 300,000 – Pyroxene x800
- 500,000 – ★ 2 Mutsuki x1
It is also possible to register in the Google Play (Android) and App Store (iOS) stores. This will allow you to receive an additional 50,000 credits.
As of now, the exact date for the global release of the Blue Archive has yet to be announced.


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With CBI forecasts predicting that the UK will fall over £300 billion short of its 2020 exports target, action is needed to ‘move the dial’ on exports and the North East can lead the way.
In our new report on exports, ‘Best in Class’, the CBI has called for action in six areas to turnaround the UK’s exports performance in a meaningful way.
Foremost, we recommend the creation of a National Exports Commission, similar to the Low Pay Commission, or recently established Infrastructure Commission. This new, independent, body would bring together businesses of all sizes – from multinationals to growing MSBs and first time exporters, as well as economists and a cross-party bench of politicians, to provide impartial advice to government on long-term export targets and the policies needed to deliver them.
It is critical that our future economic prosperity is not compromised by political point-scoring, so this new commission would put business feedback at the heart of decisions over future priorities.
‘Best in Class’ also draws on policies and structures adopted by our competitors, across the US, Europe and Asia, that could be considered back here in the UK.
Other key recommendations include the creation of a “one stop shop” of joined-up Government support and advice for exporters on a single, easily navigable website. 28% of medium-sized businesses (MSBs) – the UK’s prime potential exporters – are put off selling their goods and services overseas because of the difficulty in identifying the right opportunities, so this new online platform could help the UK’s ‘forgotten army’ expand internationally.
Furthermore, the report urges government to ensure there is a clear division of responsibilities before further devolving export support to the UK’s regions and nations. Currently there is a patchwork quilt of support for businesses which leads to considerable duplication of responsibility and complexity, so we recommend that government learns from the example of cities in the USA who have a long-track record of delivering services at a sub-national level.
The report also focusses on the importance of our overseas network of embassies, which provide political and economic advice to companies about what it is like to do business in different countries, as well as lobbying for regulatory changes to improve the business environment and championing the contribution British companies make to economic development. As government looks to make savings in departmental budgets, we are clear that business wants this sharp end of business support to be protected, with savings focused on streamlining support in Whitehall.
On top of this we also call for more innovative partnerships between UKTI and businesses, particularly learning from the examples of Sweden, where there is strong record of government recruiting from the private sector, to France and Italy, where innovative human resources partnerships have been established.
Last but not least, one fifth of UK MSBs say that a lack of export finance represents a barrier to their growth. The government’s export credit agency, UK Export Finance (UKEF), has a critical role to play in supporting these companies, so we have recommended that they introduce two new export finance products: firstly, a Tender to Contract (TCC) insurance product, and secondly, allocating a portion of the existing direct lending facility to fund working capital for general pre-shipment expenditure.
We believe that following these six steps can make the UK’s export support world-leading and the CBI stands ready to work with government to help deliver these recommendations.


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Earlier this month, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) detailed new, more stringent standards for ground beef purchased for the the National School Lunch Program in the wake of a December 2009 USA Today investigation found the USDA’s purchasing program was not on par with major fast food chains like Jack in the Box and KFC. The paper reported that the federal government purchased and served millions of pounds of beef and chicken that wouldn’t meet the safety and quality standards of major commercial buyers.
The USDA responded by launching a new school lunch food safety initiative that maintains the agency’s zero tolerance policy for E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella, increases the sampling and testing frequency for finished product, and institutes stricter standards for source trimmings used in ground beef purchased by the Agriculture Marketing Service, the arm of the agency charged with sourcing food for federal nutrition programs.
“The new standards…ensure our purchases are in line with major private-sector buyers of ground beef and are part of our continued effort to employ the best scientific knowledge to increase the safety of our nutritional programs,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack after the policy details were released in mid-May.
USA Today hailed the move. “The changes put the school lunch program back in the forefront of safety practices, a place it once held a decade ago,” wrote reporter Elizabeth Weise, who co-wrote the December beef safety expose.
Dave Theno, who built Jack in the Box’s strict and widely-respected food safety program from the ground up after the 1993 E. coli O157 tragedies on the West Coast, also praised the initiative. “I’d make the case that the school lunch standards will now be above some of our major retail grocery chains. Not all, but some. They’ll be up there with the best,” Theno told USA Today.
By most accounts the new policy is a move in the right direction, but some critics say serious questions remain.
“Not a lot of details here,” said Donna Rosenbaum, executive director of Safe Tables Our Priority (S.T.O.P.), a foodborne illness victims advocacy organization, of the initial announcement. “What we’ve always said when it comes to USDA: the devil is in the details.”
“Any regulatory program that increases oversight over microbial testing is good,” said Rosenbaum. “But, if, for example, you’re not looking for non-O157 E. coli, you’re not doing your job.”
“We’d like to see them kick it up a notch,” she added.
Richard Raymond, former under secretary for food safety at USDA and a regular blogger on food safety policy, sharply criticized the new policy as “feel good fluff” and characterized the announcement as “chest thumping” for the Secretary.
“[I]f the ground beef they were purchasing, which already had tighter specs than what I purchase at the [supermarket], was exceedingly dangerous, then why not tighten the specs for all ground beef?” asked Raymond, in an email to Food Safety News after the announcement. “The kids that eat a lunch provided by the [National School Lunch Program] only do that 5 days a week, 9 months a year. They eat more ground beef in their homes, at their church lunches, at picnics and in restaurants than they eat in the schools.”
“If the Secretary thinks the current specs for the [National School Lunch Program] do not provide adequate protection, then why is he not worrying about you and me and my grandkids who are not old enough to go to school yet, but eat ground beef?” asked Raymond. “If we must do better, then make it for all ground beef.”
The new standards only apply to Agriculture Marketing Service-purchased beef–which serves federal nutrition programs beyond the National School Lunch Program. Schools and school districts can still purchase beef in the commercial market to supplement their supply. As Food Safety News reported in February, two school districts in California served beef that was later recalled for E. coli O157:H7 contamination. The recalled meat was purchased in the commercial market.
The new Agriculture Marketing Service purchasing requirements go into effect July 1. According to the agency, the National Academies of Sciences is also continuing its review of ground beef purchase requirements. When complete, the National Academies of Sciences will provide a recommendation for Agriculture Marketing Service on evaluating the agency’s program against “industry recognized best practices.”


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Coinbase has announced the launch of non-US spot markets for institutional investors.
Eligible non-US institutional investors will access BTC/USDC and ETH/USDC as from December 14, 2023 on Coinbase International Exchange.
The exchange plans to expand the product to retail investors in coming months.
Crypto exchange Coinbase has announced an expansion of its non-US spot markets offering for institutional investors.
Coinbase expands non-US spots markets to institutional investors
In an announcement published December 13, the US-based crypto platform said it had launched spot trading markets for Bitcoin and Ethereum for eligible institutional clients using the Coinbase International Exchange.
The assets will be traded against USDC, with BTC/USDC and ETH/USDC available as from Thursday, December 14.
Non-US institutional customers will be able to access these pairs via API.
We are excited to announce the next phase of our Coinbase International Exchange expansion – the launch of non-US spot markets for eligible customers, designed to address the unique needs and demands of our global user base. pic.twitter.com/JWEChT5BDa
— Coinbase 🛡📞 (@coinbase) December 13, 2023
According to the exchange, the expansion is part of its plans to address needs and demands unique to its global user base, while also reinforcing its strategic mission to provide customers with trusted products and services.
Coinbase will initially focus on building liquidity and creating a robust foundation for the listed non-US spot markets. However, the plan is to steadily expand this product to retail investors and add more crypto assets over the coming months.
The exchange will also unveil features designed to allow for new trading strategies as they look to enhance capital efficiency.
Coinbase launched its international exchange in May this year, with the move coming amid the regulatory crackdown by the US Securities and Exchanges Commission (SEC). Since then, the platform has reportedly seen over 100 institutions onboarded.
According to today’s update, Coinbase’s international platform registered nearly $10 billion in trading volumes for perpetual futures in the third quarter alone.
Growth included the launch of perpetual futures for eligible retail users on the company’s Coinbase Advanced. The exchange also listed 15 perpetual contracts that account for “over 70% of the addressable perpetual futures trading market,” it said in the release.
The post Coinbase launches spot trading for non-US institutional clients appeared first on CoinJournal.


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Greene County in New York and Carbon County in Pennsylvania in the US have experienced an increase in false 911 calls from local ski resorts due to Crash Detection. The Crash Detection feature was recently introduced by the US tech giant on its latest iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Pro and new Apple Watch models.
First published January 15, 2023, 4:18 PM IST
Apple’s iPhone 14 smartphone and Apple Watch are still triggering false 911 calls from skiers and snowboarders due to the Crash Detection feature. The US-based tech company recently added the Crash Detection feature to the most recent iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Pro and new Apple Watch models.
According to a New York Post report, the crash detection has led to an increase in false 911 calls from nearby ski resorts in New York’s Greene and Pennsylvania’s Carbon.
Also read | 4 WhatsApp features that may roll out in 2023
According to the report, certain tumbles from skiers and snowboarders trigger the Collision Detection feature, which allows the latest iPhone and Apple Watch models to identify a serious car accident and immediately alert emergency services if the user fails to respond.
Since Apple launched the feature last year, there have been several complaints about the issue in other well-known ski resorts, including Colorado, Minnesota, Utah and British Columbia, Canada, according to MacRumors.
Also read | Samsung Galaxy A23 5G launches on January 18; Here’s how much it can cost
Apple claims that the Crash Detection technology was created to identify serious car accidents involving sedans, minivans, SUVs, pickups, and other passenger cars, including front, side, and rear-end collisions. Your iPhone or Apple Watch sounds an alarm and displays a warning when a serious car accident is detected.
After waiting 20 seconds, your smartphone will automatically contact the emergency services if you cannot respond. If you’ve added emergency contacts, your smartphone will send a message to let them know you’ve been in a serious car accident and reveal your location. Your device will display a Medical ID slider if you have configured one to allow emergency responders to access your medical information.
Also read | Apple will reportedly launch cheaper AirPods for around Rs 8,000 early next year
Last updated on January 15, 2023 at 4:18 PM IST


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A national poll released today finds new incentives will be needed to persuade Americans to make energy-efficient improvements to their homes.
Beginning this year, tax incentives that once rewarded Americans for energy-efficient improvements have been slashed. For many Americans, the survey found, those incentives were a prime reason for making such improvements as replacing windows, adding insulation and buying energy-efficient appliances.
The survey found:
“That means at a minimum, about one third of Americans who made their homes more energy efficient would likely not have done so if it weren’t for the incentives,” said Suzanne Shelton, president of Shelton Group.
The new tax law chops incentives from 30 percent to 10 percent of costs for many improvements — reducing the maximum cumulative credit from $1,500 to $500. In addition, there are now lower caps such as $200 for energy efficient windows, compared to $1,500 in credits before.
“That means utilities, manufacturers and retailers are going to have to step up their incentives and get a lot more creative and targeted in marketing energy efficiency,” Shelton said.
SMART Meter Support
There is significant interest in time-of-use billing plans, smart meters and online energy information management systems. Over half of respondents, if given access to more information about their energy use, said they would utilize it regularly to try to shift or reduce their consumption. That includes 61% who are interested in receiving a smart meter that would notify the utility if they lose power and offer more information about when they were using electricity.
When it comes to meeting customer needs, many utilities fear the vocal minority, Shelton said. “They’re concerned about resistance to smart meters and slow to roll out time-of-use billing. As a result, utilities are missing out on a huge opportunity to help people take control of their energy use by giving them the information they need and the choices they want.
· Asked what specifically they’ve done to save energy, the largest percentages of Americans had replaced most incandescent bulbs with CFL’s (63% of homeowners and 61% of renters), added sealing/caulking/weather-stripping (55% of homeowners and 29% of renters), purchased ENERGY STAR appliances (49% homeowners; 38% renters) or added insulation (36% owners; 27% renters).
For more on Energy Efficiency from The Green Living Guy
Do It Yourself Home Energy Audits. We Need To Talk About This Book!
More From The Green Living Guy


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Tata Group not in multiple GMV game, says N Chandrasekaran
A week after the launch of the super app Tata Neu, N Chandrasekaran of Tata Sons doesn’t want the digital company to be compared to any other competitor.
“We have our game plan. Let me play my game,” Chandrasekaran, Chairman of Tata Sons Pvt. told BloombergQuint, when the super app launched on April 14. Prior to this, the app was only available to group employees.
The Tata Neu app was initially launched on April 7 and within hours it faced technical issues.
“We had issues for three hours after launch due to the overwhelming number of logins, which is a good thing,” said Pratik Pal, CEO of Tata Digital Ltd.
Any mainstream platform needs to be built with consumer input, and the company looks forward to “feedback and criticism,” Chandrasekaran said, without referring to launch-day issues.
Chandrasekaran, who has an eye on financial returns, said companies can’t just burn cash; it must also generate financial returns.
“We’re not in the multiple GMV game,” Chandrasekaran said. The gross value of goods should generate cash flow and every business should have a cash flow plan, he added, alluding to the fact that they are just getting started. to run.”
Under the One Tata objective, Chandrasekaran consolidated consumer-facing businesses to generate synergies.
“What we have achieved is to bring together all the Tata brands. We have brought together one of the best teams. It has successful entrepreneurs who have started and built businesses. When to step up and push vision to the limits, we need to have smart talents.
As part of the process, Tata Digital began by mining customer data across the group. That was the starting point, Chandrasekaran said. “Each CEO presented what worked for them and what didn’t. This helped organize the products and services for the application. »
According to Pal, they have around 70-80 million consumers across all Tata consumer-facing brands, with many in the 26-35 age group.
“We have customers between the ages of 18 and 26 interacting through BigBasket, 1mg and Titan,” said Harish Bhat, Brand Custodian at Tata Sons.
Tata Neu’s focus will be on millennial audiences. “I’m told if we’re going to be millennials, we’ve got to have Buy-Now-Pay-Later,” Chandrasekaran said.
“We are working to get this feature in our next update. It should take one to four months to get the feature into the app,” said Pal. The app is considering 12 vernaculars for its customer chat box which is expected to be available in the next update, he said.
Chandrasekaran announced that Tata Neu will be an “open architecture” and that Neupass – its loyalty program – will eventually extend beyond the Tata brands.
Neucoins, which are earned through purchases, are convertible at par into rupees and between Tata Group brands. All of the Tata Group’s native consumer brands that are on the app will have Neupass, Chandrasekaran said.
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Binance, one of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges, is currently in the midst of a promotional campaign that offers users a chance to win up to $1 million in cash. The promotion, which began on September 14th, is being conducted in partnership with Tron (TRX), a blockchain-based platform for decentralized applications and content distribution.
To participate in the promotion, users must first deposit TRX into their Binance account. They will then be entered into a daily lottery, with a chance to win prizes ranging from $100 to $1 million.
The more TRX they deposit, the more tickets they will receive, and thus the greater their chance of winning.
The promotion is set to run for two weeks, ending on September 28th. So far, it has been a success, with over $10 million worth of TRX being deposited into Binance accounts within the first few days.
NOTE: WARNING: Binance does not offer promotions or discounts. Any claim of a promotion or discount is likely to be a scam and should be avoided. Furthermore, any website, email, advertisement, or other communication claiming to offer a Binance promotion or discount should not be trusted and should be reported immediately.
This is not the first time that Binance has run a promotional campaign of this nature. In January of this year, the exchange partnered with Neo (NEO) to give away $1 million worth of NEO tokens.
And last month, it launched a similar campaign with Stellar (XLM), giving away $3 million worth of XLM tokens.
The success of these promotions speaks to the popularity of Binance and its ability to attract new users. It also highlights the fact that Binance is willing to give away large sums of money in order to promote its platform and grow its user base.
So does Binance have a promotion? Yes, it does! And it’s one that could see you winning big!.
9 Related Question Answers Found
Binance, one of the world’s leading cryptocurrency exchanges, is known for its competitive fees, wide range of trading pairs, and innovative features. But does Binance have any promotions? The answer is yes!
Binance, one of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges, does have an affiliate program. The affiliate program offers a great way to earn some extra income by referring new users to Binance. When a new user signs up for Binance using your referral link, you will earn a commission on every trade that they make.
Binance is a cryptocurrency exchange that launched in July 2017. Since then, it has grown to become one of the most popular exchanges in the world. Binance offers a wide range of features, including a spot exchange, margin trading, futures contracts, and more.
As one of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges, Binance is a natural choice for many people looking to invest in digital assets. But what about Binance’s affiliate program? Does the exchange offer any incentives for users who refer others to sign up and trade on the platform?
Binance, one of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges, does not currently offer a sign-up bonus. However, it does offer a variety of other incentives for users, including discounts on trading fees, referral bonuses, and a loyalty program. Binance was founded in 2017 and has quickly become one of the most popular cryptocurrency exchanges.
Binance, one of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges, does have an affiliate program. The terms of the program are fairly standard for such programs, offering a commission on referrals who trade on the Binance platform. The commission is 20% of the trading fees charged to the referred user, and is paid in the same currency that the referred user traded.
Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume, is considering an initial public offering (IPO) in 2021. The potential offering would be a landmark event for the cryptocurrency industry, which has largely been relegated to the fringes of the financial world. Binance would be the first major cryptocurrency company to go public.
Binance, one of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges, does not currently offer a trading bot. However, the company has been known to investigate the possibility of offering such a service in the future. Binance was founded in 2017 and has quickly become one of the most popular cryptocurrency exchanges.
Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume, does not currently offer a portfolio feature. This is a bit surprising, given that most other major exchanges do offer some form of portfolio management. However, Binance has hinted that they may eventually offer this feature.


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Although not an in-person event, NAMM’s Believe in Music Week intends to have something for everyone.
If this were any other year, we would have our flights already booked and our hotels scheduled to visit Anaheim, Calif., next month for The 2021 NAMM Show. But alas, it is 2020.
In a recent conversation with the Music & Sound Retailer. NAMM president and CEO Joe Lamond recalled the moment he decided to cancel The 2021 NAMM Show. It was the only choice. “In July, it did not appear that we would be able to take the time and put everything together,” Lamond told the Retailer. “A show the size of NAMM takes at least six months to create and produce safely and successfully. So, if we didn’t have a clear green light by July or early August at the latest, we knew we couldn’t do it. […] It was inevitable, but the tougher part was accepting that for the first time since 1944 there would not be a NAMM Show. I knew what it meant to all of us and the NAMM organization. It is our No. 1 driver of revenue that helps us do all the things we do year-round, like music lobbying and supporting the industry with music education. It was a tough one to swallow, but we tightened our belts and figured out a way to make it work.”
Lamond added that when future generations look back at 2020, which will probably be the focus of many textbooks, they will see how well music fared during this period. “Think about how devastating the pandemic has been throughout the world,” he stated. “There is not a country where NAMM has a member that has not been devastated in some way by this. But through it all, whether in quarantine or small groups, individuals have turned to music. I looked back to our records from 1918, the last time we had a major pandemic, and there were articles just like we had recently about the resiliency of music. When people are looking for hope or faith or optimism, they pick up an instrument. I think we will be poised to come out of this, as an industry, in good shape.”
NAMM’s CEO acknowledged that in his daily conversations with the trade group’s members around the world, everyone, without exception, has been impacted by COVID-19. “I can’t find two businesses that have been impacted the same way. Having to shut down your store is not part of your business plan. But then [MI retailers] were able to create curbside pickup and move more of their sales online. The speed at which NAMM members responded to this [pandemic] was astounding,” said Lamond. “[But] the touring and live event industry has been heartbreaking. These are dear friends and members of ours. The cancellation of every live event has been devastating. We have to get those people back working again. Artists want to play and get on stage. Audiences want them back.”
The uncertain status of school music programs will be the biggest challenge the industry will face in the future, added Lamond. COVID-19 has impacted every area of school music, from fourthgrade beginner band to choral to marching band and everything inbetween, he noted. “Closures of everything have really impacted state budgets,” Lamond said. “Deficits at the state level will be the biggest they have ever seen. That is going to impact music education. It is going to impact education in its entirety. We as an industry have to think very carefully about how we approach 2021 and 2022 to not only help music and arts programs thrive, but also to make sure education is in a good place. We as an industry have to pull together, probably more than we ever have, to work both at the federal level and state level to ensure that we are doing everything we can to make sure students have the socializing that comes from music class, the connectivity to the community that comes with being in a music class, and of course all of the music brain research that comes with success in school.”
I’m a Believer
Rewinding back to the immediate future and NAMM’s Believe in Music Week, the loss that no in-person NAMM Show brings, primarily the inability to see other MI industry members in person, as well as manufacturer booth visits, parties and live in-person musical performances, is immense. “There is nothing that will take the place of The NAMM Show,” relayed Lamond. “Walking onto the plaza and seeing the buildings and banners, the energy exhibited on the show floor and the amazing exhibits for the week we are there — nothing can emulate that. It is really unfortunate [we cannot have the in-person show]. It is a really important start of the year for the global industry.”
However, NAMM is making sure that Believe in Music Week, set to take place Jan. 18-22, is the best it can possibly be for a virtual event. “The idea was, how [do we] create that same feel of The NAMM Show?” said Lamond. “At The NAMM Show, we have great new products that will set the stage for the whole year — products that change the way music is made, recorded, played and taught. So, we created the Marketplace, where companies can show their new products, have meetings, show videos, show artists and have one-on-one meetings with dealers. But we also want to reach the broader audience of music educators, artists and players.” Lamond emphasized the importance of providing a platform for new product launches. “The Marketplace is a fundamental thing we do,” he said. “We need to launch new products in 2021. That will be part of our push to get our industry thriving.”
Believe TV will be another main component of Believe in Music Week, featuring 16 hours of daily programming. “It is going to be live. There will be interviews, performances and all kinds of intriguing content created to keep people engaged,” said Lamond. “The engagement is what we are trying to create, something we would like to be a part of.”
Of course, nobody can sit around a computer for 16 hours a day. But having this much programming means there will be live broadcasts at all times for audiences throughout the world. “When we sign off in California, we will be picking it up in Asia, and then in Europe. We will go around the world with content being created by members in those regions. While we are sleeping, they will be engaged, and viceversa,” noted Lamond.
A plethora of on-demand content will be available as well, which is expected to be available for viewers through the end of February. NAMM understands MI retailers have to work at their stores while Believe in Music Week takes place. Hence, a huge on-demand video library of Believe in Music Week content will quickly become available. But Lamond hopes that virtual attendees will be able to watch the live events, likening it to the excitement of watching live sporting events. “In sports, you don’t know how it will end. I can’t wait for this live stuff when I fall flat on my face,” he joked. “It will be hilarious. It is one of those things you want to see live.”
One aspect of The NAMM Show that may not miss a beat is the NAMM University education sessions. Although attendees will not be served eggs, sausage and orange juice before keynote sessions, online music learning has really taken off in 2020, and many are already comfortable with this experience. Virtual education sessions during July, when Summer NAMM would have taken place, went off without a hitch, with subsequent NAMM-hosted education sessions also being successful as well. Virtual NAMM U sessions also bring out a whole new potential audience of MI retailers that cannot leave their stores to attend a NAMM Show. According to Lamond, expect virtual education sessions, as well as other online content, to be a permanent NAMM staple in the future, even when it is safe to resume in-person shows.
“The world has changed a lot even since January, so the education [sessions] will be focused on that,” said Lamond. “Dealer sessions will look at how the world is now. How can dealers thrive in a world where there is more and more shopping online and delivery? So, there will be a lot of timely sessions about that.”
NAMM’s CEO stressed that everything is new to the organization as well as the attendees. The trade group’s focus is to make sure it has the best possible content for MI retailers in their stores. “When we are in Anaheim, we are all in. There is a captive audience there. This is a little different. We have to make sure we help retailers and exhibitors to show their products in the most efficient way,” Lamond said. “It is the first time we have done it, so we are making mistakes along the way. We will not get everything right. We will learn with our members. We want to get this right so that, moving forward, every NAMM Show will have the incredible physical gathering, as well as this really robust online gathering. I think it will make the whole thing stronger moving forward. So, we have accelerated what we need to do anyway: create this physical event with an online event.”
Creating what amounts to an entirely new show format certainly presents a lot of challenges, but there is also a lot of excitement emanating throughout NAMM’s California headquarters. “We are having a lot of fun. We are a 120-year-old startup,” mused Lamond. “People are running around here saying ‘We can do this!’ There are a number of choices. It is just about making the right choices. [But] we do feel the pressure to make sure we try to get the industry together and create our own social network to do what we need to do as an industry globally in 2021: get past the pandemic, past the economic crisis that came with it, and make sure music is a part of all this recovery going forward.”
Above all, Believe in Music Week will start 2021 with energy, enthusiasm and optimism. “That’s really what we are trying to accomplish,” relayed Lamond. “The industry is gathering with our own social network, and we are going to make sure 2021 is one of the best years, if not the best year, in our history.”
The Future in Nashville and Anaheim
Although securing the aforementioned funding for music education could be the toughest challenge the MI industry faces going forward, NAMM’s most difficult near-term decision is when to resume staging an in-person trade show. What criteria will determine whether it is safe enough to return to Nashville in July 2021 for Summer NAMM and ultimately Anaheim for The 2022 NAMM Show?
“Nashville is on, depending upon any major news we have not anticipated yet. We think by then the economics will recover, and there will be relief on the therapeutic side, and vaccines will be delivered,” responded Lamond. “We think by then, the industry will desire to gather. Nashville could be one of the most exciting events we will ever have. But we need to do it safely. We will be working with the city. We want to make sure we only have a show if people can be safe while they are there.”
As for The 2022 NAMM Show, NAMM’s CEO stated he hopes the recovery will be fully in play and a lot of the economic and medical problems will be behind us by then. “Hopefully, tours will be happening, bands will be out working, marching bands in schools will be in person,” Lamond said. “By February, we will be full-on planning for January . We start that literally a year ahead of time.”
Lamond cautioned that a lot can happen in a year, as the world has unfortunately seen. “Winter NAMM in 2022 I hope will be the biggest family reunion and one of the most important shows since 1945 or 1946 after World War II,” Lamond concluded. “If nothing else, the world has shown us this year it pays to be resilient, creative and quick.”
To read more features from the Music & Sound Retailer, click here.


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Tattoo shops raise flags over NY law
ALBANY – An online organizing effort by tattoo artists and parlor owners to protest the wording in a new state law has picked up more than 40,000 electronic petition signatures, aided by a strong presence on social-media platforms.
A bill signed into law by Gov. Andrew Cuomo last month will require tattoo artists to use single-use needles and ink containers when performing their work, an effort meant to fight possible cross contamination and the spread of hepatitis C.
Tattoo artists, however, say the soon-to-take-effect law's language is overly broad and are calling on the state to rein it in. While single-use needles have long been standard practice, many artists are taking issue with the wording of the ink-related provisions.
"I have no issue with single-use needles, that's already standard practice, but the single-use ink was passed quickly by politicians with no research into tattoos," said Andy May, an artist at Mellow Madness Tattoo Parlor in Rochester.
When it comes to ink, most tattoo parlors use what's known as "ink caps" — disposable containers which artists fill with ink from a bulk source. After the tattoo is finished, the ink cap is thrown away.
But the new law, which the Legislature passed in June, defines single-use ink as "a sealed and pre-filled package of ink that is only intended for a single use."
By that wording, ink caps would be outlawed. Instead, tattoo parlors would have to use what some call "ink shots" — pre-packaged caps with a small amount of ink sealed within them.
"They have single use, prepackaged inks, but they are incredibly expensive and not offered by any of the better quality brands of ink (really just a couple brands), and only available in a limited palette," according to the petition, which was organized by an Albany-area tattoo artist. "For many artists, switching to a lesser-quality ink is just not an option."
Since Cuomo signed the bill last month, the petition has quickly spread across social-media networks, particularly Facebook.
Sen. David Carlucci, D-Clarkstown, Rockland County, who sponsored the bill, said the intent of the bill was to cut down on the spread of infection.
Previously, single-use needles weren't actually required by law, and the bill had support from the American Red Cross, he noted. But he said he's hopeful a resolution can be reached to assuage the tattoo artists' concerns.
He met Wednesday with more than two dozen artists and shop owners at the Revolution Tattoo Co. in Pearl River, Rockland County.
"We've worked together to talk about how we can make sure that we're meeting the goal and the intent of this legislation, which is to reduce the spread of infectious disease like hepatitis C," Carlucci said.
TeeJay Dill is owner/operator of White Tiger Tattoo, which has locations in Rochester and Webster.
"We have a problem with the single use ink caps, because only one company makes them," she said. "It's inferior quality product. Basically if this law stays the same, if they do this, I will no longer offer color tattoos."
Dill does medical reconstructive tattoos, such as tattooing nipples for someone who has had a mastectomy. She said she often chooses among 17 shades of the same color when she does this to make sure she gets the skin tone exactly right. With this law, she wouldn't be able to do that since it would be completely cost prohibitive.
Assemblyman Ken Zebrowski, D-New City, Rockland County, said he's willing to hear the tattooists concerns, but said he remains concerned about infection and the spread of bacteria.
"There's been, to people's surprise, very little regulation of the industry and the tools that they utilize," said Zebrowski, who noted there are some single-use ink containers on the market.
Zebrowski, who sponsored the bill in the Assembly, said there's still time to discuss the issue. The law doesn't take effect until December.
Some view New York's law as a potential catalyst to spur growth in the single-use ink market.
In a commentary last week for Inked Magazine, Lou Rubino, owner of seven Tattoo Lou's shops on Long Island, said the law is "not as bad as you all seem to think!"
"Right now (the law) is just in New York but I promise you it will quickly travel across our country and to Europe," he said. "Europe has been talking about doing this for many years now, but have not pulled the trigger. I am sure once they get wind of this it will soon happen there also."
Mick O'Herien, owner of the Pearl River shop Carlucci toured, is a certified instructor in CPR and blood-borne pathogens through the American Red Cross.
He said there's no difference in pre-filled, single-use ink packages and pouring ink from bottles into ink caps since both get thrown away after use.
"When refilling ink caps during tattoos, we always throw away empty ones and refill new ones to avoid cross contamination," he said.
Includes reporting by staff writer Will Cleveland.


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Every day, 8.3 million residents of the UAE bite into breakfast, lunch and supper without ever questioning the origins of a dizzying array of foodstuffs grown and shipped from every corner of the globe to the country.
By the time thousands of ingredients are served up in falafels, steak dinners and biryani at home, eateries or hotels throughout the country, 85 percent of the goods have migrated thousands of kilometres by air and sea to feed the hungry masses in a desert country working to boost local agricultural production to offset reliance on foreign imports.
As the country makes greater strides in the budding local farming and fishing community of 144,000 workers, the UAE must rely heavily on imported foodstuffs to feed an Emirati population of about 11 percent and the remainder, an expatriate mix from more than 180 countries.
Latest figures released by the Federal Customs Authority (FCA) show that in the first six months of 2011, the UAE’s imports of all products surged 20 percent to Dh285 billion from Dh236 billion in the same period the year before.
Of that total, 14.7 billion tonnes were basic commodities — including food shipments — worth an estimated Dh186.6 billion, according to FCA authorities. By commodity category, food imports tracked by the FCA ranged from Dh2.4 billion worth of meat products and Dh2.1 billion in dairy produce, eggs, honey and edible animal products to Dh2.5 billion in fruit, nuts and citrus fruit to Dh1.7 billion in vegetables, roots and tubers.
A further Dh3.4 billion worth of cereals were imported while Dh1.5 billion in coffee, tea and spices made their way into homes, cafes and restaurants across the country.
Much of the food entering the UAE arrives at Dubai International Airport and by sea at Jebel Ali Port and is monitored and checked for quality by the Dubai Customs Authority and the Dubai Municipality Food Control Department.
Latest figures released by Dubai Municipality for the first half of 2011 reveal that there were 335 import and export companies registered in the electronic trading system who logged as many as 20,158 types of imported products.
Khalid Sharif Al Awadi, director of the Food Control Department, said in a statement earlier this year that Dubai had received in the first half of 2011 as much as four million tonnes of imported food, 3.4 million tonnes of which were approved and cleared for distribution.
The municipality, he said, “has developed one of the best control programmes in the world where accurate statistics used in the development of strategies for food safety in Dubai can be obtained”.
Demand for imported food in Dubai and beyond has clearly mushroomed as evidenced by the increase in the number of licensed operations involved in food preparation and distribution. “The number of food establishments in the emirate rose by 17.1 percent in 2010 to 13,762 compared to 11,752 in 2009,” Al Awadi said.
Residents in the UAE like their food, suggests the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). In its updated UAE profile, the FAO said residents “have a robust 3,138 per capita daily caloric intake, of which 13 percent is protein”.
The collective appetite of one of the fastest-growing countries in the world is also robust based upon some of the top commodities imported. The top imported food by value, according the latest 2009 figures compiled by the FAO, is milled rice which accounted for $810 million of shipments.
At $470 million, chicken meat ranked as the second most-imported food by value in 2009. Wheat ranked third with $347 million followed by $327 million worth of crop and livestock goods. As much as $279 million worth of tea was shipped, making if the fifth top import in 2009, the FAO said.
As a country which produces less than 15 percent of its food domestically due to lack of arable land and falling fresh water reserves, the UAE is highly dependent on food imports to meet the appetite of a growing population. Everything from soup to nuts travel vast distances to reach dinner tables across the UAE where residents reportedly enjoy a 3,138 per capita daily caloric intake. Dubai alone, the Food Control Department affirms, received as much as four million tonnes of imported food in the first two quarters of 2o11, 3.4 million tonnes of which were approved and cleared for distribution.
Where’s the beef?
For those in the UAE who aren’t happy living the vegan lifestyle, select meats are the spice of life in all their delectable varieties, whether at home on the barbecue or at an upscale restaurant served on a sizzling skewer.
And chances are when sinking your teeth into a double burger at a fast-food outlet or savouring a succulent steak at a fancy eatery in Dubai, the high-quality meat may very well be the result of the round-the-clock workings of Food Source International based in Dubai.
The food distribution firm serves more than 100 upscale restaurants and hotels ensuring only the finest cuts of meat are served to customers, especially Western and Far East clients, with a proclivity for aged beef from reputable suppliers around the world.
Sacha Shatt, general manager of Food Source International, said, “We are specialised in high-end meat from Australia such as beef, veal and lamb. We also specialise in Canadian beef and veal as well as US beef.” The client list in Dubai comprises only “five-star hotels and gourmet restaurants,” he said. Shatt said the company receives weekly air shipments of top-grade chilled beef, for example, for restaurants with a demanding clientele.
High-end chefs “want chilled, not frozen” beef because some argue the flavour of fresh steak, for example, is better than frozen meat albeit steak cooked well over an open grill by any standard is a luxury in any country. Demand by hotels for better meats and for higher volumes is increasing following leaner times in the economic crisis, he said. Food Source International, meanwhile, imports three large consignments by sea of US frozen beef every year.
No BIryani without basmati rice
If there’s one true, tried and tested favourite pastime for Indian foodies living in Dubai, Biryani may very well top the menu. Available in a myriad of distinctly different recipes depending on a variety of spices, meat choices and side-ingredients, a basic biryani dish that appears to be a basic staple is one with basmati rice and chicken, given the latter’s affordability and availability. “Any biryani recipe will not do without basmati rice,” said Arshad Khan, general manager Middle East for KRBL Limited, an India-based company that produces 17 brands of rice from field to dinner table, including one of their best-selling brands, India Gate.
The India Gate brand has become one of the most popular basmati rices for use in biryani dishes in the UAE, Khan said, and is produced wholly from the northern regions of India.
An estimated total of 15,000 tonnes of India-grown rice is shipped to the UAE every year and makes up a large part of daily dishes served across the country, he said.
Khan noted that the biryani rice recipe can be augmented with any meat such as lamb, fish, or prawns but chicken is especially popular in the UAE. “There are only a very few small chicken farms here, none are huge commercial farms”, Khan said. Most of the frozen chickens weighing 800 grammes to 1.2 kg sold in the UAE are produced and shipped from Brazil or France.
Fresh chickens, however, produced in the UAE do make up a smaller segment of the agri-growing industry and are sold at local markets, meat shops and grocers.
© Al Nisr Publishing LLC 2022. All rights reserved.


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The retail industry is currently in a period of disruption unique in its scale and severity. The global outbreak of COVID-19 has impacted parts of the industry in different ways. While businesses in the grocery sector grapple with supply chain issues, those selling consumer goods and apparel have been challenged by store closures and rapid growth of online sales. Across Saudi Arabia, landlords and retailers have been collectively minimising losses through offering generous incentives to support rental freezes for 1-3 months, along with offering consumer promotions. The acceleration of e-commerce has been notable across the Kingdom.
This report [ 7644 kb ] looks at the steps retail businesses need to take to put themselves in the best position for the ‘new normal’ that will emerge once lockdown restrictions are eased. From liquidity to debt and restructuring, the challenges retailers face are diverse and complex. We also consider implications for employers and how financial planning for the medium and long term will be affected.
For further details or to discuss your requirements, please contact Muath Al Solmi


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Discriminatory Auto Lending Policies Against People of Color
Institutional racism based on skin color and ethnicity impacts all aspects of the lives of people of color. One key area where this discrimination leads to economic losses is in auto lending and insurance. Recent evidence confirms that auto lending policies across the country can be racially discriminatory, and POC may be paying thousands more for their cars than their white counterparts.
Just last year, a car dealership in the Bronx agreed to a settle a case in which the Federal Trade Commission alleged that the dealership’s manager directed his employees to discriminate against buyers of color. Specifically, Black and Hispanic buyers were given higher interest rates, higher fees and higher prices than were made available to similar white buyers. This conduct stands in direct opposition to Federal laws designed to protect against discrimination, including the truth in Lending Act (TILA) and the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA). Unfortunately, the Bronx case is not an outlier, as discriminatory conduct is all too common: a 2018 study by the National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA) found that 63% of the time non-white car shoppers were given worse treatment and offered worse financing terms than their white counterparts. These unfavorable terms could have cost buyers of color an extra $2,351 over the life of the auto loan.
You Deserve Equal Opportunity
If your credit is good or excellent and you are being charged 7% interest or more on your auto loan, you could be eligible for financial recovery! Schedule your free consultation by completing the form or calling (877) 674-0886 today.
We Fight for Equal Justice for All
The Racial & Economic Justice attorneys of McCune Wright Arevalo, LLP, refuse to stand by while thousands of Americans are taken advantage of through opaque, unscrupulous practices. With more than 30 years of experience and over $1 billion recovered for our clients, our firm has become nationally recognized for protecting consumer rights across the country. Partners Joe L. Richardson and Elaine S. Kusel are dedicated to shining a spotlight on injustice and righting those wrongs through fact-finding, bridge-building, and persistent litigation.
If you or a loved one are being charged interest rates over 7% on your auto loan, despite a good or excellent credit score, we want to help you get justice. Contact us by filling out the form or calling (877) 674-0886 to schedule your free consultation today!


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PERMIAN BASIN (KMID/KPEJ)- Two popular West Texas Barbeque spots have been named among the best new and improved restaurants in the state by Texas Monthly; the owners of Brantley Creek and Midland Meat Company’s Half-Acre said it’s a huge honor.
“It was a great milestone, for sure,” said Brantley Creek owner Brandon McPherson.
“It’s a pretty neat thing, Texas Monthly is sought after for BBQ reviews…that’s a really good honor,” said Midland Meat Company owner John Scharbauer.
Brantley Creek recently opened its brick-and-mortar restaurant in Odessa; located at 3541 Faudree Road, the BBQ spot, which was first a food truck, opened after McPherson lost his job in the oilfield.
“We started out in the food truck for about four years,” McPherson said. “Lost my job in the oil field, we gave it a run, it became popular, we outgrew the trailer and now we’re trying to get this thing going and it’s been good so far. If you want to come out and try the food, be here early, people start lining up around 10 -10:20 and we have a line until we sell out and we do sell out. Right now, we’re cooking six times as much food as we used to and we’re gonna ramp up as we go, we’re taking baby steps cause it’s a lot of hard work.”
MMC’s Half Acre is located at 1101 Washita; the restaurant is unique in that the owner and his family are also ranchers and the cattle they raise is sought after by many chefs in the Basin.
“Half Acre was created as a way for the meat company to use the other cuts; it’s really cool to see the ranch to table be put into play out here and to be rewarded in such a high honor, cause Texas (has) a lot of good BBQ,” Scharbauer said.
Half Acre’s Pit Boss, Aaron Lesley said he’s proud of the work he and his team are doing to feed BBQ lovers in the area.
“It’s a goal we’ve had all year and has been a dream of mine. It’s hard work and a lot of time and dedication to be in that place and I’m honored to be on it with other pit masters as well,” Lesley said.
You can learn more about all 25 restaurants on the list here.


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Delhi’s organic farming revolution
City’s farmers have signed up for Delhi government’s initiative to promote traditional ways of farming by using all-natural fertilisers and pesticides.
NEW DELHI: A‘silent revolution’ is growing in the outskirts of Delhi as its villages have started taking baby steps towards achieving the organic state tag, said Manisha Saxena, secretary cum commissioner (Development) of Delhi government. By ‘silent revolution’, she refers to the farmers in the national capital adopting organic fertilisers and pesticide-free cultivation. “In the 1960s, farmers were given small tablets to enhance production. We were advised to use one. Instead, we dropped four-five of them in our fields without giving a thought to their implications. Only high production was on our mind,” said Ummed Singh Rana (79) of Qutabgarh, located on the Delhi-Haryana border.
Rana believes that the organic method will reduce production by 40 but has agreed to shed ‘unnatural’ components, to keep soil ‘alive’, he has been utilising for decades.“The government is helping us. I hope they will continue till we don’t start getting the appropriate price for our crop. If the government gives us subsidy, this will instil trust and confidence in farmers and more people will follow the suit,” said Rana.
He is one of many farmers who have signed up for Delhi government’s initiative to promote the traditional way of farming in the city as part of the Centre government sponsored scheme, ‘Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana’, a project of National Mission of Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA). Responsibility for its implementation is with the district-level functionaries of the states and in Delhi, the development department is the executing agency, which has engaged seven agencies — NGOs and regional councils (RCs) for 1,500 clusters.
The city villages have been grouped into clusters with each cluster containing 20 hectare (Ha) or 50 acres and 20-50 farmers in a cluster. The development department has formed 500 clusters and 1,000 more are to be created. The groundwork on the project was kicked off six months ago. Several awareness programmes such as dissemination of latest technologies and experts’ workshop have been organised.
“NGOs, or regional councils roped in to impart training and monitor the development have already organised exposure trips where growers are given a demonstration. Farmers in batches were taken to neighbouring states — Haryana and Uttar Pradesh,” said Saxena. As part of the scheme, cultivators are also being provided with agricultural equipment and subsidy to purchase seeds. “They are given the training to prepare bio-fertilisers and herbal spray to protect their crop. All possible help to prepare good quality, natural manure from cow dung is being provided.
We are also supplying dhaincha (Sesbania aculeata) green manure crop seed,” said Vimal Prakash, senior consultant with Agricultural Finance Corporation (AFC) India Limited, one of the RCs engaged by the development department. It takes three years to drain out the effect of artificial fertilisers and pesticides from the soil. During this, no chemical fertilisers are applied to the land.
“Transition period is of three years, which helps to allow building healthy soil and restore biodiversity by avoiding pesticides. Delhi farmers, who are part of 500 clusters, will be making certified organic products by 2022. This will help to bring down retail prices of organic products including vegetables in Delhi, which presently come from Haryana and Himachal Pradesh,” said Prakash.
According to the experts and farmers, the changeover to conventional farming may reduce the production by 20 per cent. However, the RCs said that they are committed to getting the farmers the ‘best’ price for their crops.
“A brand will be created by the Delhi government and proper brand-building exercise is planned. Marketing will be facilitated. There will be a logo certifying organic produce. By doing tie-ups with big retail chains, we ensure the best price to extend the maximum benefit to the farmers,” said Saxena.
With farmers exuding confidence in government’s efforts, RCs hope that Delhi will also soon acquire ‘organic tag’ like Sikkim. Cultivators, however, want the government to look into two major issues affecting them — inflated power bills and shortage of water. Kuldeep Singh of Jaunti village said “Farmers are being provided support, which is encouraging but the government must think about the water woes. Fixed electricity charges are a burden on us. Power bills eat up a significant part of our income. We should be given incentives,” he said. “This revolution shouldn’t stop here.”


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New York, NY (PRWEB) January 31, 2015
In the 5th volume of PR News’ Book of Employee Communications Strategies & Tactics, authors cover subjects such as internal crisis communications, social media policies, human resources collaboration and brand evangelism in more than 45 articles that provide best practices that are scalable to any sized company. The authors share insights from their diverse backgrounds in PR practice, academia and the corporate world, illuminating strategies for connecting with employees while creating vibrant value propositions.
The Employee Communications Guidebook, Vol. 5 is now available online at http://www.prnewsonline.com/employee-communications-guidebook-vol5/.
Employee communications, just like every other public relations discipline, is changing rapidly as a result of the influence of new technology, social media and evolving workplace demographics. Today, employees have unprecedented access to company information and the means to transmit it to the public swiftly and anonymously, impacting an organization’s reputation along the way. Motivating employees so that they equate their own success with that of the company is the surest way to guarantee that the information they share will reflect well on their colleagues and the organization.
Chapters for the guidebook include: “Motivation & Morale,” “Recruiting & Retaining Talent” and “Workplace Culture and Brand Evangelists.” The guidebook can be ordered in a digital or print version online here: http://www.prnewsonline.com/employee-communications-guidebook-vol5/.
PR News recruited a stellar set of authors from Universal Music Group, Esurance, Virginia Tech and others for this guidebook, who have shared their real-world perspectives on how to connect employees to each other and how their organizations can create vibrant and sustainable value propositions. Order a copy today by visiting: http://www.prnewsonline.com/employee-communications-guidebook-vol5/. For questions, contact Laura Snitkovskiy at laura(at)accessintel(dot)com.
PR News is a daily intellectual hub that serves the communications and marketing community at corporations, agencies and nonprofits. The PR News Group focuses on honing and growing PR practitioners' skills in social media, crisis management, digital PR, measurement, employee relations, media training, CSR and writing through its flagship newsletter, webinars, conferences, awards programs, workshops and guidebooks. With the launch of its weekly newsletter over 70 years ago, PR News has remained dedicated to supporting the growth of communicators all while keeping them abreast of the latest news affecting the industry. Visit PR News online at http://www.prnewsonline.com.


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It’s not every day you see this!
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On January 8, 2018, the FTC announced that VTech, maker of electronic toys for children, agreed to settle charges that it violated the law by collecting personal information without parental consent.
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A continued rise in the value of the Chinese Yuan would drive up the component costs of computers, but consumers and businesses shouldnt expect to see much change in the prices of their hardware.
Instead, those costs would be eaten by the computer makers, who would fear driving away customers by hiking prices in a highly commoditized market.
How that would drive OEMs future plans remains to be seen. Officials with the top computer makers and component vendors are keeping mum about any long-term changes in corporate strategy, though some, like Dell, already are expanding their overseas operations to other Asian countries and Eastern Europe.
Still, analysts agree that any change in the Yuans value compared with the U.S. dollar will have some effect on how IT vendors approach their relationship with their manufacturing counterparts in China.
Josh Farina, an analyst at Technology Business Research, said the Yuans value is only one factor that vendors have to take into account when considering the companys bottom line.
"In current-year terms, companies will see an increase in currency expenses; for future years outside the current budget plan, product costs will be adjusted and theres a potential for lower gross margins," Farina wrote in an e-mail to eWEEK. "However, many factors affect gross margin, so I dont expect to see a sharp decline in gross margin simply due to currency rates."
Simon Yates, an analyst at Forrester Research, said the top-tier vendors do carefully follow worldwide currency trends as well as other factors, such as rising labor costs, in China.
All of those factors could lead to companies moving manufacturing out of China to other parts of Southeast Asia, such as Vietnam or Cambodia, or other locations around the globe, such as South America and Eastern Europe.
Intel, the worlds largest chip maker, appears to have already thought about these types of changes and announced in November that it would expand its own investment in Vietnam.
At a July 10 event in New York City to promote his companys new line of PCs for small business users—Vostro—Michael Dell also talked about his company opening new facilities in Poland and India, two countries that are looking to become alternatives to China.
At the same event, Dell said his company was not concerned with either rising wage costs or the possibility of a rising Yuan. He said that while other types of goods might be affected by these changes, PCs and other hardware would not feel the effect.
Yates said Michael Dell has good reason to be optimistic since his company, despite its sagging PC shipments and ongoing internal financial problems, has mastered squeezing its supply chain for all its worth.
"They are in a better position than their competitors and Dell is a master of [gathering] components from other places and assembling those parts in plants all over the world," Yates said.
Other companies, Yates said, such as Hewlett-Packard and Lenovo, have not made such adjustments yet, although the trend in PC manufacturing in the last 20 years shows that all vendors will eventually adjust and find the lowest cost center for producing hardware.
Both HP and Intel, through their respective spokespeople, declined to comment for this article, saying they did not discuss strategies.


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The Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi merger is just in its early phase, and speculations sprung on the start of its birth that the diamond brand would share a platform with the other Japanese marque in the alliance.
2021 Mitsubishi Outlander Rumors
It looks like the rumors continue to solidify, as the next-generation Mitsubishi Outlander is apparently to be constructed atop the Nissan Rogue platform. With that, the Outlander will be longer and larger than the other Mitsubishi crossovers in its range– the subcompact Outlander Sport and the compact Eclipse Cross– so that it would be unique in the lineup.
2021 Mitsubishi Outlander Plug-in Hybrid
The Outlander will be the first Mitsubishi that will take advantage of the fruit of the alliance, which might be the start of a new direction from the brand. It’s also reported that the 2021 Outlander will still have a plug-in hybrid version. We wish it will not be far too late again to reach the U.S. soil.
Although the foundations of the Rogue and the Outlander will be the same, the alliance chairman Carlos Ghosn said that Mitsubishi ought to have its marketing method (and most likely a different style language). That implies, Mitsubishi will still have its own identity, and a Star Wars-themed Outlander is probably off the table.
2021 Mitsubishi Outlander Platform
Other Mitsubishi vehicles will also share Nissan platforms in the future. The smaller Outlander Sport will be built atop the alliance platform that Nissan Versa, Kicks, and Juke sit on. The alliance is seemingly continuing to set its sights on the crossover and SUV market in the U.S., which is becoming a high-riding nation.
Another high-rider is likewise rumored to get in the U.S. market, and Mitsubishi dealers will enjoy about it. A midsize pickup has been the top request of Mitsubishi dealerships this year, and it would likewise probably share the alliance platform. With this, another Navara-based truck will likely emerge the U.S. market eventually.
Incoming search terms:
- mitsubishi outlander hybrid 2021
- 2021 mitsubishi outlander
- mitsubishi outlander hybrid2021
- mitsubishi outlander what to expect


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Google has added offline support for Slides app in Google Docs. Docs already has the same functionality.
Users can now create, edit and present their Google Docs hosted presentations without requiring an active internet connection.
You can now create, edit, comment and present without an internet connection—just like you can with Docs. Put the finishing touches on your presentation mid-flight, and head to your next big presentation without worrying about a flaky internet connection.
The company added that same functionality is coming soon to spreadsheets component of Google Docs.


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Capcom announced that their newest Resident Evil Title will launch with $50 price tag attached to it. They go on to say that the higher price is due to the larger memory card that is needed to contain the entire game and is well worth it. But is this the start of higher prices for portable games? with today’s consumers demanding higher quality, can we expect that to reflect in a raise in prices?
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Olive oil has long been a precious commodity, dating back to antiquity. With the famed physician Hippocrates using olive oil for medicine, it was clear from its earliest manufacturing that olive oil held a range of health benefits. Current research has continued to support the health benefits of olive oil and its benefits in a healthy diet, particularly when it comes to heart health. Rich in mono and polyunsaturated fats, olive has been linked to reduced inflammation, which can prevent heart disease and other conditions that are affected by inflammation.
A team of researchers at Anglia Ruskin University suggest that producing olive oil may yield more than one healthy substance. In fact, one of the waste products produced by olive oil, olive fruit water, may also have some beneficial health benefits. There is even some olive fruit water that is commercially available, a product called OilPhenolia. They describe the health properties of olive fruit water in a recenter article published in Nutrients.
In the article, researchers studied how olive fruit water impacts the exercise capacity of people who are currently physically active. During the study, researchers followed 29 physically active people. Participants were randomized into one of two groups: one group consumed OilPhenolia while another received a placebo that looked and tasted similar. All participants consumed OilPhenolia or placebo over the course of 16 days.
At the end of the study, researchers found that OilPhenolia improved overall running performance, as indicated by a few key parameters. Participants who consumed OilPHenolia had improvements in the following areas:
While OilPhenolia didn’t have as much effect on higher intensity activities, participants still perceived they were working hard. Participants in the OilPhenolia group also saw improvements in acute recovery in certain instances.
Researchers point to the rich amounts of polyphenols in olive oil water, as well as a compound called hydroxytryosol. While olive oil water is often thrown out, some companies produce a dietary supplement. According to the new study in Nutrients, it may offer some benefits to people who are regularly engaged in aerobic physical activity.