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THERE’S been a popular post office in Handsworth Wood for more than 70 years and it’s as well used by customers today as it was when it first opened its doors in 1936.
Coopers Road branch opened when the area’s Cherry Orchard estate was built. Many residents were shocked to learn that it is one of 26 across Birmingham earmarked for closure in the current Post Office cull.
But everyone was united in the Birmingham Mail’s support for the campaign and said they would sign petitions and make their feelings known.
Security officer Prem Mattu, aged 58, from Handsworth Wood, said: “I use this post office on a daily basis to post things for work. The nearest two branches from here are a mile away where the queues are longer and you can’t park.”
Les Sheen, aged 60, from Handsworth Wood, who works in the shop at the front of the post office, said: “We have one elderly customer who struggles over the road each day to shop here. What is going to happen to him and many others like him on this?
While fellow trader Debbie Pinson, aged 41, who is a counter assistant at the chemist’s shop next door, said: “I use the post office every day on both a personal and business level. This is a good little parade of shops but it will affect us all if the post office goes.”
Heating engineer Roy Hutchinson, aged 48, from Handsworth Wood, said: “I can’t believe they are talking about closing this branch. Why would they when it’s so well used by everyone?
“It just doesn’t make sense.”
Support worker Paula Brown, from Handsworth, added: “I work just up the road but I’m always nipping down here because it’s so convenient. It’s a well run, efficient shop with excellent staff.”
Schoolgirl Mandeep Panesar, aged 18, who has just completed her A-levels at Hamstead Hall School, said: “It’s so convenient to come here.”
Coun Narinder Kaur Kooner, (Lab, Handsworth Wood) said: “There’s a lot of local concern about this because we have a large elderly population who are going to really suffer.”


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What you need to know
- Twitter is canceling its SXSW appearance as it cuts down on non-essential travel.
- SXSW itself will still go on, but the event organizers will keep an eye on attendee safety.
- Google last week also moved to limit employee travel in the wake of a coronavirus diagnosis.
Twitter is joining Google in dialing down employee travel plans in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. To be more precise, the social media company is cutting down all on non-critical business travel and events until further notice.
Twitter announced the new travel ban on Sunday:
On February 29, we informed our people and started notifying partners that we are suspending all non-critical business travel and events.
This policy is effective immediately and will continue until the World Health Organization or Centers for Disease Control deem it appropriate to step back from pandemic precautionary measures or when a vaccine becomes available. Our goal is to reduce the risk that anyone at Twitter might contract or inadvertently spread the virus. It is important that we take these proactive steps to protect ourselves and others and minimize the spread of COVID-19.
As part of this new travel restriction, Twitter confirmed to The Verge that it would be shuttering its SXSW (South by Southwest) appearances. The firm had planned a variety of events for the tech and music event, but those will no longer be going on.
SXSW itself will still run, but the event organizers will keep a close eye on attendee safety in light of the coronavirus.
The organizers shared the following update on Sunday:
SXSW is working closely on a daily basis with local, state, and federal agencies to plan for a safe event. As a result of this dialogue and the recommendations of Austin Public Health, the 2020 event is proceeding with safety as a top priority.
There is a lot about COVID-19 that is still unknown, but what we do know is that personal hygiene is of critical importance. We hope that people follow the science, implement the recommendations of public health agencies, and continue to participate in the activities that make our world connected.
Cards against Humanity and Exploding Kittens on sale for Black Friday
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domain: news


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Halfords has reported revenues of £809.5m, giving an operating profit of £104m, for the 53 weeks to 3 April. On a comparable 52 week basis, earnings per share are up 8.5 per cent to 31.8p, with profit before tax up 2.4 per cent to £92.4m.
The groups preliminary results show like-for-like sales were down by 3.3 per cent over the period, but there has been 90 per cent growth in multi-channel trading. This has been driven by the retailer’s Reserve & Collect service. Cycling and car maintenance categories have continued to perform well.


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Kanye West To Drop "Blue Glow" Adidas Yeezy 700 V3 Ahead Of "DONDA"
Back in 2019, Kanye West blessed sneakerheads with Yeezy Day. This special event took place on August 2nd and saw a multitude of dope Yeezy models make their way back to the market through Yeezy Supply. While pairs ended up selling out fast, fans were finally able to get their hands on some models that had escaped their grasp way too many times before. Now, Kanye is set to release his new album DONDA on August 6th, and to celebrate, he is bringing back Yeezy Day.www.hotnewhiphop.com


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You've missed IHOP's Free Pancake Day (March 12, sorry, I'm feeling the pain, too) but the good news is, a new recipe is cooking up on the restaurant's griddle. The IHOP Oreo Oh My Goodness pancakes have the sweetest origin story, so who needs dinner food for dinner tonight, anyway?
The new addition to the breakfast chain's menu is enough to make anyone's mouth water: A stack of two buttermilk pancakes with Oreo cookie pieces inside, topped with icing, additional cookie crumbles, and whipped topping, according to the IHOP site. And maybe best of all, the site noted that a portion of every order will go to charity.
The new pancakes, which are available for a limited time, are the work of a young master breakfast chef, 6-year-old Brody Simoncini, according to food website the Daily Meal.
Brody was born with a rare defect in his abdominal wall, where many of his organs were born outside of his body, as his mom shared in a video posted to IHOP's YouTube account.
Dependent on a feeding tube for the first few years of his life, this little guy had help to be taught to eat on his own, and now, he’s healthy and can eat without a tube. Oreos were the first actual food his family fed to him when he was ready and able to eat, the Daily Meal added.
The happy ending to this story? Brody was one of three finalists chosen to compete in this year’s IHOP Kid Chef Champion competition.
All three junior chefs — Brody, Coleman Giles, 15, and Nellie Mainor, 8, had been treated at Children’s Miracle Network hospitals, the food site noted. Coleman’s Hawaiian Luau pancakes boasted such exotic tropical ingredients as banana, pineapple, and coconut, as the Daily Meal noted, while Nellie’s PaNellie Unicorn Pancakes were multi-colored with sprinkles and an ice cream cone horn, clearly channeling the current unicorn craze.
As IHOP's You Tube site detailed, Brody's win was all the more a miracle for how healthy and well he is, versus when he was a baby on a feeding tube. "It feels good to be a kid chef," Brody said with a big smile. "My Oreo pancakes are delicious."
According to the website Food Newsfeed, the competition's three finalists got to visit the IHOP Test Kitchen outside of Los Angeles, California to whip up their recipes in person and see what the experience of taking a recipe from page to plate was all about.
"The Kid Chef competition is such a special way to celebrate our long-standing partnership with IHOP and to kick off the brand’s annual Free Pancake Day campaign," John Lauck, the president and CEO of Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, said, per Food Newsfeed.
"Stories like Brody’s are only possible because of the generous support CMN Hospitals receives from companies like IHOP, its franchisees, and its guests," Lauck added.
What a deliciously sweet story, with a happy ending, right? And with a dollar from the sale of each Oreo Oh My Goodness pancake stack being donated to charities including Children’s Miracle Network hospitals, this is really not something you can pass up.
Join me in throwing aside all sensible dietary restrictions to go hit up your local IHOP location, before this menu item goes away on April 14.
And please, pass the syrup.


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Motorola making a device in more that one color? You don't say… One of our connects sent us the above photo of the Motorola Calgary / DROID Devour / Whatever, and confirmed the specifications we posted a few months back.
We're told the keyboard was "nice" and the phone itself was "easier to use" compared to the Motorola DROID. Obviously that's personal opinion, and maybe the BLUR OS simplifies things for some people, but the trackpad apparently is killer as a navigational input device. Oh? The device has Wi-Fi, GPS, a 1420mAh battery, but unfortunately no SIM card slot as it is not a global device. Whether the unit will come in multiple colors or not is not confirmed as these are still non-final units, we're told, but we'd probably bet on it being available in black as well as silver. If only they kept that RAZR-keyboard…
BGR features the latest tech news, mobile-related content and of course, exclusive scoops.


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As you’re sure to have heard by now, iVillage last week announced it will no longer be accepting pop-up ads and said (with the exception of some house ads and internal offerings) the ad format will be completely eliminated from its network of sites by the end of 2002. This news comes in the wake of ongoing consumer criticism of the excessive use of pop-ups by advertisers and was prompted by the results of an iVillage/Vividence survey that revealed 92.5 percent of iVillage users viewed pop-up advertising as the most frustrating feature of the Web.
This is noteworthy news primarily because iVillage isn’t the only prominent online publisher to react to public opinion by taking a stand against this perpetually controversial ad format. Earlier this year, Google made a point of reminding consumers (and the press) it does not, and will not, accept the ads. And AOL reportedly has said it’ll be banning pop-ups in the subscription sections of its sites.
This decision brings up an interesting question. Are advertisers at risk of losing their right to utilize the online ad formats they’ve previously employed? Some researchers, such as Nick Nyhan, president of Dynamic Logic, don’t expect iVillage’s decision to influence other sites to do the same. But Nyhan does predict this step could start a movement toward better regulation of the ads. How would that affect media buyers? Might we all wake up one day to find we’re forced to revert to using plain old banners, stuck in a kind of online advertising prohibition limbo?
If consumers have any say in the matter — which they clearly do — this threat may be more imminent than we’d like to believe. The public war against intrusive online advertising isn’t exactly waning. In response to my column on pop-under ads, I received a torrent of emails from fed-up consumers whose comments substantiated the prediction that such aggressive ads have worn out their welcome. The ads were called everything from “an unwelcome annoyance” to “the vilest, most offensive and intrusive method of advertising ever invented.” These are not the words of consumers who take this issue lightly — and this in response to an ad format that most people consider to be less intrusive than pop-ups!
To make matters worse, the use of ad-blocking software is also snowballing, as increasingly more consumers lose their patience with ads that slow down their Internet connections and interrupt their surfing sessions. If media buyers do manage to buy ads on the targeted sites they desire, they still risk having them blocked by consumers, impeding the successful execution of their campaigns.
One would think these growing restrictions and obstructions would have advertisers feeling a little unsure of themselves and the state of their industry. But according to Vanessa Benfield, senior vice president of sales at iVillage, the network’s advertisers support its decision to eliminate pop-up advertising. This is surprising, considering many advertisers say pop-ups are one of their best-performing ad formats and, in many cases, are critical to their livelihood because they continually outperform all others.
One explanation for their acceptance of the iVillage ban may be the topic is just a little too hot to touch. Maybe these advertisers feel they’ll benefit from consumer approval by aligning themselves with the pop-up terminators — joining forces with the “good guys,” if you will. It seems to me they’re awfully quick to endorse the outright elimination of an ad format that so many advertisers have had success with and that may still possess considerable value. If things keep going the way they are, media buyers are going to be hard-pressed to come up with new and creative ways to advertise for their clients online. The online advertising industry is no stranger to criticism or controversy, but is banning online ad formats this late in the game going too far?
iVillage has said it’s working to develop new ad formats its audience will be more accepting of, and new formats and advertising concepts are popping up all the time. Still, these ads aren’t guaranteed to be well received, by advertisers or consumers, and if they are, that this will be enough to compensate, performancewise, for the formats that are slowly being abolished.
Consumers may be pleased with the current situation, but they could be in for a shock when advertisers are forced to employ even more aggressive tactics for reaching their audiences online, if only because they have no other choice. It’s a struggle between what consumers will tolerate and what advertisers and media buyers (not to mention publishers) need to do to survive. Whether there’s room enough for compromise remains to be seen.
Video consumption keeps increasing and Facebook is serious about a video-first world, encouraging us all to explore its full potential. Ian Crocombe, ... read more
Mike Andrews Ph.D is Chief Scientist (Forensiq) at Impact Radius, and is carrying out some fascinating work around digital marketing and ad ... read more
A new organization, The Coalition for Better Ads, has been launched to “leverage consumer insights and cross-industry expertise to develop and implement ... read more


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Marmite’s iconic jar is being redesigned into a squeeze bottle, as Unilever seeks to broaden the brand’s appeal.
The product – dubbed ‘Marmite squeezy’ by Unilever insiders – has been five years in the pipeline and is a bold move for Marmite, which is famed for its distinctive, squat-looking pot and yellow lid. The product’s label is likely to feature a revised Marmite logo and will include a new tone of voice, loosely based on an ‘informal chat.’ This will be in- keeping with Marmite’s characteristically quirky brand positioning.
Innovation Generation has designed the structural squeeze pack, while Hull design consultancy The Core has developed its visual identity and label design. Both consultancies were appointed to the six-figure project last year, following a rostered pitch.
Over the years, there has been a growing demand for a Marmite squeezy variant, but the major challenge has been for Unilever to create an easy- to-use application for the viscous spread, which is typically scraped from the Marmite jar.
A ‘serious breakthrough’ occurred last year, when a design solution was reached to create a clean cut-off point for the spread that would stop it inadvertently dripping from the squeezy lid, explains a Unilever spokesman.
The 200g Marmite squeeze bottle will join other products in the Marmite portfolio, such as Marmite pot and portions. The Marmite squeeze bottle is expected to roll out in April.
The launch is the first in a series of potential new product developments for Marmite, that are expected to emerge within the next two years.
Marmite was first introduced into the UK in 1902, and was acquired by Unilever in 2000.


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May 16, 2013
Greenwich Smartlipo has updated its website and adopted a new online marketing initiative to reach more prospective laser liposuction patients in Greenwich, Stamford and Fairfield Connecticut.
May 08, 2013
Dr. John Kim has revamped his practice website to provide more comprehensive information to his Chicago plastic surgery patients.
May 06, 2013
The Adams Center in Peabody and Boston, MA is pleased to announce the launch of their brand new website, designed to serve plastic surgery patients.
May 01, 2013
Dr. Warren J. Katz, a noted Dallas cosmetic surgeon, announces website updates with new focus on educating patients.
Apr 29, 2013
The cosmetic dentists of Coast 2 Coast Smiles are proud to release their new website to better serve Los Angeles, CA and New York, NY patients.
Apr 12, 2013
Minneapolis plastic surgeon Dr. Jennifer Harrington has launched a new website, solely focused on CoolSculpting non-surgical fat removal.
Apr 11, 2013
The cosmetic dentists of Peninsula Center of Cosmetic Dentistry are proud to launch their new website to better serve Los Altos patients.
Apr 01, 2013
Dr. Jeff Horowitz is pleased to announce the launch of his new plastic surgery website, designed to better serve his current and prospective...
Mar 29, 2013
Board certified dermatologist Dr. Delilah Alonso is pleased to announce the release of her new website which features a wealth of procedure information for...
Mar 27, 2013
Premier Chattanooga / Dalton plastic surgery provider Dr. Joel Williams is pleased to announce additions to his website to enhance his patients’ surgical...


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by Brian Cox
Jameson Irish Whiskey has taken video marketing on Instagram to another level – “the first brand to successfully utilize 3D video for advertisements on Instagram and Facebook,” according to a recent article in the Independent.
The video itself is very simple, and suggests that you slide a shot to your friend. It then proceeds to slide a shot glass of whiskey towards you, the viewer, which then appears to come off the page. It’s rather clever how they were able to create the illusion of 3D on a non-3D platform.
According to many studies, brands are increasing their content marketing budgets to include more video marketing. Social media platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, are going to war to become the World’s premier video platforms, something that YouTube has enjoyed for years.
As is the case with any marketing, the ability for advertisers to cut through…
View original post 254 more words


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Superkicks, the multi-brand sneaker boutique, decided to open a Sneaker.Street.Studio in Bengaluru. It is an all inclusive store for sneaker aficionados. Superkicks claims that “It is a fashion destination door responsible for getting upcoming global trends in the sneaker community to India.”
The store’s Mumbai outlet features over 1,500 different sports footwear from brands such as Reebok, Adidas, Fila, Nike and Ylati.
It is worth noting that Superkicks is also the first to carry Ylati, an Italian sneaker brand.
The store also carries a variety of streetwear and works by street artists as it intends to collaborate with artists to encourage and fuel the sneaker and street culture in India.
Superkicks promises to carry a similar brand selection in its upcoming store; however the location hasn’t been revealed yet. Last month, Superkicks held launches for Adidas X Yeezy footwear collection with many promotional events.
The business recently held an exclusive preview party for the store in Bengaluru in collaboration with Reebok India. It also retails from dedicated e-commerce stores.


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By Roy Urrico
Finopotamus continues to highlight white papers, research, surveys and reports that provide a glimpse as to what is taking place and/or impacting credit unions and other organizations in the financial services industry.
In the third quarter of 2022, financial institutions, including credit unions, did a better job thwarting phishing attacks, but are still susceptible. In addition, fraudsters adjusted to enable other means to try and steal personal credentials. That is among the details shared in Netskope’s Cloud and Threat Report: Phishing From Fake Websites to Impersonated Cloud Apps.
The latest report from Santa Clara, Calif.-based Netskope found that email no longer persists as the top phishing tactic. Although email is still a primary mechanism for delivering phishing links, the report revealed users are more frequently clicking phishing links arriving through other channels, including personal websites and blogs, social media, and search engine results. The report also detailed the rise in fake third-party cloud apps designed to trick users into authorizing access to their cloud data and resources.
This report contains information about phishing detections raised by Netskope’s Next Generation Secure Web Gateway (Next Gen SWG). Stats in this report are based on the three-month period from July 1, 2022 through September 30, 2022.
“Business employees have been trained to spot phishing messages in email and text messages, so threat actors have adjusted their methods and are luring users into clicking on phishing links in other, less expected places,” Ray Canzanese, threat research director at Netskope explained. He added, “While we might not be thinking about the possibility of a phishing attack while surfing the internet or favorite search engine, we all must use the same level of vigilance and skepticism as we do with inbound email, and never enter credentials or sensitive information into any page after clicking a link. Always browse directly to login pages.”
Financial Services Stands Out
Traditionally considered the top phishing threat, 11% of the phishing alerts were referred from webmail services, such as Gmail, Microsoft Live, and Yahoo. Personal websites and blogs, particularly those hosted on free hosting services, were the most common referrers to phishing content, claiming the top spot at 26%. The report identified two primary phishing referral methods: the use of malicious links through spam on legitimate websites and blogs, and the use of websites and blogs created specifically to promote phishing content.
Search engine referrals to phishing pages have also become common, as attackers are weaponizing data voids by creating pages centered around uncommon search terms where they can readily establish themselves as one of the top results for those terms. Examples identified by Netskope Threat Labs include how to use specific features in popular software, quiz answers for online courses, and user manuals for a variety of business and personal products.
Among industry verticals, financial services had the lowest percentage of users accessing phishing content, per the Netskope study. At five out of 1,000, the phishing rate in financial services is less than two-thirds the average. Contributing to this lower-than-average phishing rate in financial services is the use of stricter policies and controls, including more restrictive URL filtering policies and use of technologies like remote browser isolation (RBI).
The Rise of Fake Third-Party Cloud Apps
Netskope’s report reveals another key phishing scheme: tricking users into granting access to their cloud data and resources through fake third-party cloud applications. This early trend is particularly concerning, noted the report, because access to third-party applications is ubiquitous and poses a large attack surface.
On average, end-users in organizations granted more than 440 third-party applications access to their Google data and applications, with one organization having as many as 12,300 different plugins accessing data – an average of 16 plugins per user. Equally alarming, over 44% of all third-party applications accessing Google Drive had access to either sensitive data or all data on a user’s Google Drive.
“The next generation of phishing attacks is upon us. With the prevalence of cloud applications and the changing nature of how they are used, from Chrome extensions or app add-ons, users are being asked to authorize access in what has become an overlooked attack vector,” said Canzanese.
He added, “This new trend of fake third-party apps is something we are closely monitoring and tracking for our customers. We expect these types of attacks to increase over time, so organizations need to ensure that new attack paths such as OAuth (Open Authorization) are restricted or locked down.”
Actionable Prevention Steps
Within the report, Netskope Threat Labs Canzanese included actionable steps organizations can take to identify and control access to phishing sites or applications, such as deploying a security service edge (SSE) cloud platform with a secure web gateway (SWG), enabling zero trust principles for least privilege access to data and continuous monitoring, and using Remote Browser Isolation (RBI) to reduce browsing risk for newly-registered domains.
Netskope provides threat and data protection to millions of users worldwide. Information presented in this report is based on anonymized usage data collected by the Netskope Security Cloud platform relating to a subset of Netskope customers with prior authorization. Statistics in this report are based on the three-month period from July 1, 2022 through September 30, 2022.
Canzanese did a deeper dive into the findings with Finopotamus.
Why is email no longer the top phishing tactic?
Email phishing is still an incredibly popular tactic. At the same time, we have spent a lot of time investing in email security to detect and block phishing emails, warn users of emails that might potentially be phishing, and train users to be skeptical of phishing emails. We are reporting on what users are actually clicking on, and what our research shows is that while email is still one of the sources of phishing links that users click on, they are also encountering and clicking on phishing links in other places, like social media, search engines, and personal blogs.
What is the top phishing threat today?
The most common tactic is still setting up fake login websites to steal credentials, primarily for social media, cloud apps, and financial sites.
What types of controls are finservs using that are thwarting fraudsters?
They often have stricter controls, including URL filtering controls that block some of the sites that refer users to phishing pages and more aggressive email controls. Remote browser isolation is also a popular tool for allowing users to safely browse risky or unknown sites.
Are financial institutions, such as credit unions, doing a better job of sniffing out phishers?
Their employees tend to click on phishing links less frequently than other industries, indicating that they are doing a better job of training their employees to avoid phishing, and putting controls in place that prevent their users from clicking on phishing links.
Why are employees so susceptible to phishing?
Most of the phishing that we see is very good. Just this week, I received a phishing email that stated my account had been accessed from an unknown device and that I should click the link to see more details. Attackers are very good at using social engineering techniques like this to target their victims. They tend to prey on fear, uncertainty, and doubt (FUD). They like to create a false sense of urgency: “Have I been hacked? I better click on that and figure out what happened ASAP!”
What can (FIs/consumers) do better?
As an individual, just never login to anything important or enter any sensitive information into something after clicking a link. Need to do some online banking or log into your email? Go directly to your bank’s website by typing the URL in the address bar. Also, enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) on anything important. MFA will not solve everything, but it will make attackers have to work a lot harder to phish you.
Any other insights to share?
The newest targeted attacks that we see use fake apps to get access to your email and documents stored in Google Workspaces or Microsoft 365. The fake apps have names that make them sound like real apps, but they were created by attackers as a form of phishing. We encourage admins to audit and lock down their user’s ability to authorize such apps, and encourage users to be cautious of what they authorize to access their data.


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After 20 years Fatal Fury gets a new game; see the teaser
SNK impressed fans with a gigantic bomb during the EVO 2022 finals, this past Sunday (7). After more than 20 years of waiting, the Garou Densetsu franchise, known as Fatal Fury in the West, will receive a sequel.
The news was revealed with a brief teaser that highlights characters like Billy Kane, Kain and protagonist Rock Howard. There is still no release forecast or confirmed platforms, as production has just received the green light.
The last release in the series was Garou: Mark of the Wolves, for Neo Geo, in 1999. To this day, the game is considered the highest point in the developer’s history and impresses with its high-quality animations and combat system.
As the teaser features Rock Howard and even Terry Bogard’s Mark of the Wolves theme song, the game is believed to be the highly anticipated Garou 2. However, SNK has yet to confirm an official title or give any further details about the announcement. Artist Aki Senno, known as Tonko, is also back on the project.
Interestingly, at one point, SNK even started production on Garou: Mark of the Wolves 2, but the project never saw the light of day. Last month, several material from the old sequel was found on a disc and caught the attention of Yasuyuki Oda, the company’s producer and director.
Other SNK Ads
The developer didn’t skimp on ads during EVO 2022 and shot big news about its franchises. For starters, The King of Fighters XV will wrap up its first season of content this fall with the release of Team Samurai, made up of Haohmaru, Nakoruru, and Darli Dagger.
In addition, its second season of DLCs has been confirmed for 2023 with the return of Shingo Yabuki and Kim Kaphwan, who are characters very dear to fans. Next year, the game will also get cross-play across all platforms.
Even 2019’s Samurai Shodown received some exciting news. SNK has assured that the game will support rollback netcode from 2023, ensuring more responsive and better quality online matches.
This has been a recurring request from the community since its launch and it has finally been granted. However, the feature will only be available on PC (Steam and Epic Games Store), PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. The Nintendo Switch version ended up being left out.


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Say What? Woman Who Refused To Wear Mask At Starbucks Wants Half Of The $100k Donation Employee Got From GoFundMe Campaign!
The California “Karen” who berated a Starbucks barista online for refusing to serve her without a face mask says she deserves half of the more than $100,000 in donations raised for the employee. Amber Lynn Gilles complained about the worker in a Facebook post last month, posting a picture of the man in one of the coffee giant’s San Diego locations who denied her service for not following the county’s coronavirus guidelines. Posted By Persist


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Bashas’ Food City customers now know where to go for cakes that wow. The Chandler, Ariz.-based grocer, which operates more than 100 stores across the state under a handful of local banners, recently sponsored Food City’s fifth annual Cake Decorating Challenge at one of its stores in Chandler.
In-store bakeries have much to gain by becoming a destination for cakes. Chicago-based big data provider IRI finds that fresh bakery cakes are one of the five fastest growing categories in fresh, up $26 million to $226 million for the 52 weeks ending June 16, 2019.
Shoppers were invited to watch Food City’s Food Network-style event on Aug. 23, during which six specialists from Food City bakeries across Arizona showcased their talent in real time.
This year’s event did not have a specific theme, heightening the competitiveness as bakery artists put their skills and imaginations to the test.
The winning cake design by Bania Cons featured Ariel from "The Little Mermaid" atop a purple and aqua fondant extravaganza. It will be offered to customers later this year and will become part of the cake line that Food City bakeries feature.
Anita Flores won second place for an aqua frosted cake adorned with coral and seahorse confections, and Javier Hernandez took third place for a "Lion King"-themed cake that included major characters from the animated film surrounding a dramatic waterfall.
“Food City may be well-known for its everyday-low-price groceries, but the grocer also serves up exceptional quality and value when it comes to making cakes from scratch for birthdays, quinceaneras, weddings, baby showers and other special events,” said a Food City release. “Many of Food City’s cake designers have been honing their craft for years. As a result, brides and other party planners can confidently serve a Food City bakery creation that is as beautiful as it is delicious—at highly competitive prices.”


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Loan and Debt Talk will bring together Promise’s sourcing and packaging service with relevant news items, tips and guidance, live broker chat and an interactive forum where advisors can make comment on industry matters or seek advice on real or hypothetical scenarios from a panel of industry experts.
Steve Walker, managing director of Promise said: “The Loan and Debt Solution sector is new for some intermediaries. Many are crying out for a resource where they learn more about the products and services plus bounce question of experts and colleagues in the industry. We already host a number of questions and answers posed by brokers which will help others and also prompt ideas. We are looking to address the real questions brokers need to have answered and share these answers for the benefit of others.”


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Crocs (NASDAQ:CROX) is scheduled to release its earnings data before the market opens on Tuesday, February 27th. Analysts expect Crocs to post earnings of ($0.39) per share for the quarter.
Crocs (NASDAQ CROX) opened at $13.25 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $923.10, a P/E ratio of -42.74, a P/E/G ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 0.47. Crocs has a 1 year low of $5.93 and a 1 year high of $14.47.
Several brokerages recently commented on CROX. Stifel Nicolaus raised shares of Crocs from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, December 15th. Pivotal Research reaffirmed a “hold” rating and issued a $13.00 price objective (up from $10.00) on shares of Crocs in a research report on Wednesday, January 10th. ValuEngine raised shares of Crocs from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, November 13th. BidaskClub raised shares of Crocs from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 11th. Finally, CL King downgraded shares of Crocs from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, November 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Crocs has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $10.67.
WARNING: “Crocs (CROX) Scheduled to Post Earnings on Tuesday” was first reported by Dispatch Tribunal and is the sole property of of Dispatch Tribunal. If you are accessing this article on another website, it was copied illegally and reposted in violation of international copyright legislation. The original version of this article can be read at https://www.dispatchtribunal.com/2018/02/20/crocs-crox-scheduled-to-post-earnings-on-tuesday.html.
Crocs, Inc is engaged in the design, development, manufacturing, marketing, distribution and sale of casual lifestyle footwear and accessories for men, women, and children. The Company’s segments include Americas, Asia Pacific and Europe. Its products include footwear and accessories that utilize its closed-cell resin, called Croslite, as well as casual lifestyle footwear that use a range of materials.
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DiDio & Lee Says DC Will Take the Time to Do "Watchmen"/Rebirth Story 'Right'
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"Time Bomb" #2, by writers Jimmy Palmiotti & Justin Gray and artist Paul Gulacy, is in stores today and Radical Comics has provided CBR with an exclusive, extended preview of the issue!
It's New Comics Day in the States, and CBR has more than 60 previews of new titles on sale today from Marvel Comics, DC Comics, IDW, Image Comics, BOOM! Studios, Dynamite, Bluewater and more!
In the wake of "Shadowland" and the end of their monthly "Daredevil" title, Marvel Comics has announced that the King of Wakanda will take up the role of the Man Without Fear in a new series, and ROBOT 6 has the details.
Marvel Comics has released variants by superstar artists J. Scott Campbell and Mike Choi for "Ultimate Comics Thor" #1 by Jonathan Hickman and Carlos Pacheco.
As fan anticipation for the final season of "Smallville" continues to build, The CW has released a new set of images from the season's September 24 debut, "Lazarus," along with an official description of the episode.
DC Comics has released a preview of next week's "Power Girl" #16 by writer Judd Winick and artist Sami Basri. The next chapter of Karen Starr's life begins to unfold on Wednesday, September 22.
Aspen Comics has provided CBR with an exclusive preview of "Mindfield" #3, created and written by J.T. Krul with art by Alex Konat & Jon Bolerjack with covers by Konat and Phil Noto. The issue hits stores September 22.
Elektra isn't the only hero offering her services for hire these days as the Avenger known as The Falcon declares himself available for employment in today's teaser image from Marvel Comics.
Sony Online Entertainment and DC Entertainment have unveiled the latest character making his presence known in the upcoming "DC Universe Online" MMORPG: the super-powered simian known as Grodd!
Who will publish Frank Frazetta's "White Indian" comics? Artist Jerry Grandenetti passes away. Cartoonists react to new Apple content guidelines! Comic pricing! SPX reports! Moto Hagio interviewed! Plus much more!
ROBOT 6's Tim O'Shea spoke with creator Jason about his recently released Fantagraphics graphic novel "Werewolves of Montpellier," the art of writing dialogue, where to buy original Jason art and more.
Dynamite Entertainment has announced that Joe Madureira of "Battlechasers" and "Uncanny X-Men" fame has provided a special variant cover for the first issue of the publisher's relaunch of "Vampirella."
With the highly promoted NBC series set to debut on September 20, SPINOFF spoke with "The Event" creator Nick Wauters about the show's sci fi elements, viewer expectations and more.
Marvel and Disney have released an advance look at "Tron: Betrayal" #1 by Jai Nitz & Andie Tong with a Salvador Larocca cover. Bridging the story between the original movie and "Tron Legacy," the comic hits October 6.
Courtesy of Image Comics, CBR presents an exclusive, extended preview of Nick Spencer's "Morning Glories" #2. Featuring art by Joe Eisma and a cover by Rodin Esquejo, the mystery deepens on Wednesday, September 15.


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Banks tightened corporate credit conditions in the third quarter. Due to the deterioration of the “economic outlook” and “the creditworthiness of consumers affected by the pandemic”, the conditions for granting loans to businesses tightened in the third quarter in the euro area, according to a study by the Central Bank European Union (ECB).
Banks tightened corporate credit conditions in the third quarter
Concretely, the credit conditions defined by banks to lend to companies have tightened especially in France and Spain, to a lesser extent in Germany, while they have remained stable in Italy, details the study published on Tuesday October 26 by the ECB. In France in particular, credit standards have “returned to around their pre-pandemic levels” for Covid-19.
For home loans, credit standards have tightened in Germany, Spain, France and Italy. Ditto for consumer loans, except for France where they have remained unchanged. According to the ECB, the criteria continued to tighten “considerably” in the third quarter due to the deterioration of the “economic outlook” and “the creditworthiness of consumers affected by the pandemic”.
The real conditions applied for loans to businesses and households also deteriorated in the previous quarter, the study adds. Banks display a lower tolerance for risk when delinquencies increase, according to this quarterly survey carried out from September 21 to October 6 among 143 institutions.
The study then appears that Thursday, the Frankfurt institute should, at a minimum, prepare the spirits for a further extension of its debt buybacks on the market. This effort could be announced in December to guarantee favorable long-term financing conditions and thus support the economy. The upsurge in Covid-19 is leading to further drastic restrictions in several euro area countries and is damaging the prospects for economic recovery.
Declining demand for credit
After reaching an all-time high in the second quarter, net demand for credit by companies in the euro area contracted, as the need for liquidity declined during the summer. On the household side, credit demand picked up after the spring containment measures were lifted, with a catching-up effect during the summer.
For the fourth quarter of 2020, banks expect credit standards to continue to tighten for businesses and households, reflecting concerns both over the economic recovery and the extension of fiscal support measures. In a separate statement, the ECB said growth in loans to the private sector – businesses and households – stood at 4.6% in September, as in August.


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Financial markets dipped amid concerns about the disputes among trading partners, with the Dow Jones industrial average dropped more than 200 points.
Australia has managed to escape what could have been a crippling impost but the ASX still followed Wall Street lower.
The import duties threaten to drive up prices for American consumers and companies and are likely to heighten uncertainty for businesses and investors around the globe.
The groups Freedom Partners Chamber of Commerce and Americans for Prosperity said the tariffs would hurt the nation's economy and low unemployment rates.
"We want open markets, free markets but we have to convince the USA administration", Altmaier told German television.
The EU trade commissioner, Cecilia Malmstrom, said Thursday the EU "did everything to avoid this outcome", as the bloc announced it would bring the case to the World Trade Organization (WTO) on Friday.
Shares of Harley-Davidson Inc fell 2.2 per cent and Brown-Forman Corp, maker of Early Times and other bourbon brands, lost 2.1 per cent, after the European Union threatened tariffs.
Juncker said the European Union will not negotiate under threat.
And the Mexican government said that the U.S. action was not justified, and that it would retaliate with its own comparable penalties on USA products including lamps, pork, fruit, cheese and flat steel.
United Kingdom manufacturers exported more than £300m worth of steel to the U.S. past year.
"It's entirely up to USA authorities whether they want to enter into a trade conflict with their biggest partner, Europe", France's Finance Minister, Bruno Le Maire, said after meeting with Mr Ross yesterday.
The Trump administration argues the tariffs are necessary to tackle overcapacity that is damaging U.S. steel manufacturers.
While China is seen at more risk from a trade war because its exports are larger than its imports from the United States, operations of American companies in China make substantial sales there, which could be hit by any turn in sentiment.Читайте также: Lions, tigers, jaguar escape German zoo
The world's two biggest economies have threatened to impose tariffs on up to $US200 billion worth of each other's products.
Camera IconThe Canadian Prime Minister has branded the tariffs "totally unacceptable".
Tariffs might protect some jobs in the USA steel industry, but far fewer than the number of jobs that will be lost. But the NAFTA talks stalled.
Mexico will target the U.S. agricultural sector for tariffs.
For 150 years, Canada has been America's most steadfast ally.
"We expect immediate retaliation from the European Union, which, on a net basis, to us serves no positive economic goal", KeyBanc analyst Philip Gibbs said in a note. The question now is how her government and the others should respond.
If Canada and Mexico choose to take retaliatory measures, it will not affect the ability to keep renegotiating NAFTA as a separate track, he added.
"There is potential flexibility going forward", Ross said.
President TrumpDonald John TrumpKoch brothers company tweets support for Kim Kardashian after Trump meeting Romney reveals he wrote in wife's name for president in 2016 Pompeo has dinner with top North Korean official in NY: report MORE's strict position on trade could put up to 2.6 million U.S.jobs at risk, according to an analysis from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
She dismissed the argument that the tariffs were needed for USA national security reasons.
"Mexico has stated repeatedly that this type of measure, based on national security, is neither appropriate nor justified".
Now that Trump has broken the taboo, critics fear that other countries will impose sanctions.
European Commission president declared "this is a bad day for world trade". For Tata Steel Europe, the US accounts for 10% of its sales.
But Ross said Thursday that those talks "are taking longer than we hoped". Some observers say a G6-plus-one scenario is already shaping up, with Trump as the outlier.При любом использовании материалов сайта и дочерних проектов, гиперссылка на обязательна.
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Not to be outdone by Verizon, AT&T is bumping its subscription rates — and data caps — across the board. On Wednesday, AT&T announced Mobile Share Advantage, a new rollout of postpaid plans that’ll see prices slightly climb while data allotments rise accordingly.
Here’s how the tweaked offerings break down. AT&T’s least expensive, lowest-tier plan now starts at $30 a month — $10 more than before — but nets you 1GB, a jump from the previous offering’s 300MB. Unlimited calls and texts in the U.S. are in tow, too, and line access charges — the fees for adding additional devices — have been standardized. Adding a device to a plan, which was $15 for larger data plans and $25 for smaller ones, is now a flat $20.
AT&T is also eliminating another long-standing source of headache, too: overage fees. Rather than levy an across-the-board $15 charge per gigabyte on subscribers who exceed their monthly data allotment, customers on the new plans won’t be charged extra. Instead, they’ll see their transfer speeds throttled to 128Kbps, or have the option of forking over $20 for 10GB of supplemental data.
AT&T’s new policy stands in contrast to Verizon’s replacement for overages: Safety Mode. Big Red offers free “protection against overage fees” to customers who exceed their plan’s monthly data threshold, but only on the carrier’s priciest plans — the XL and XXL. It’s a $5 a month upcharge for those on the carrier’s less expensive S, M, and L tiers.
T-Mobile and Sprint eliminated overages more than a year ago.
A few of AT&T’s other new terms are generally advantageous, too. The carrier is rolling out tweaked data tiers that, in most cases, offer 20 percent more data than the old ones: a $40 tier with 3GB of data, a $60 tier with 6GB, a $90 tier with 16GB, a $110 tier with 25GB, and a $135 plan with 30GB. The pricing of the latter two plans, in fact, has actually been reduced.
But it’s not all sunshine and rainbows. Customers on cheaper tiers aren’t so lucky — the carrier’s $30 plan offers a gigabyte less than it did previously, or 1GB versus the previous 2GB. But AT&T was quick to point out that pricing of its most popular plan, the 15GB option, is now $10 cheaper for a gigabyte more — the equivalent under Mobile Share Advantage, the 16GB tier, comes in at $90 per month versus the old offering’s $100.
The revamped plans are the newest in a series of improvements AT&T’s made to its mobile plans. In early 2015, AT&T introduced Rollover Data, a free benefit that automatically carries subscribers’ remaining monthly allotment of data to the next billing period. In January, it introduced an unlimited data plan, starting at $100 a month, for subscribers to its DirecTV Satellite service. And in August, it extended multiline family plan options to customers on its GoPhone prepaid plans: For $45 a month, eligible subscribers get unlimited talk and text, messaging, and 3GB of 4G LTE data. Each additional line reduces plan pricing by $5, up to a maximum of $20.
- T-Mobile’s newest plans are exciting for new (and old) customers
- It’s late 2022, and Verizon and AT&T still can’t beat T-Mobile’s 5G network
- T-Mobile partners with SpaceX to ‘end mobile dead zones’
- Your T-Mobile plan now has bigger gas discounts and international 5G
- T-Mobile wants you to test drive its 5G home internet


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OnePlus 7 Pro launched back in May and is certainly the firm’s most capable smartphone yet
OnePlus 7 Pro launched back in May and is certainly the firm’s most capable smartphone yet.
The device boasts arguably the best display on a smartphone right now thanks to its high refresh rate and gorgeous resolution.
Moreover, the 7 Pro also totes a capable camera system, a 4,000mAh battery and has a rapid processor in the form of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 855.
While the hardware is appealing for numerous reasons, Android fans looking to upgrade may be best served skipping the device, at least if they want the latest and greatest on offer.
OnePlus typically releases two flagship smartphones ever year - last year these were called the OnePlus 6 and OnePlus 6T respectively.
Later this year the Chinese tech powerhouse is anticipated to release the presumably titled OnePlus 7T.
Renowned tipster Max J. on Twitter recently hinted the hardware could launch as soon as September 26 in India and October 10 in other regions across the globe.
The leaker also claimed the product could go on sale as early as October 15.
This means it may be less than two months until OnePlus launches a new smartphone that is expected to improve upon its 7 series.
OnePlus: How to make FILMS using your device
This could give Android fans craving the latest and greatest on offer a reason to skip the OnePlus 7 Pro and wait to see what the firm releases next.
Rumours have suggested OnePlus’ next handset could arrive with a new, circular, camera module on its rear.
Blass’ photo in particular was said to be an original sketch from OnePlus itself.
It is currently unclear what improvements, if any, the new camera module will introduce.
However, it is certainly possible OnePlus' next handset will be more capable in terms of photography than its predecessor, potentially giving Android enthusaists another reason to skip the manufacturer's current offering.
The photos shown by Blass and Max J. look incredibly similar to a device pictured in an internal OnePlus meeting last year.
In this outing, OnePlus CEO Pete Lau was exhibited inspecting what appeared to be a model of a yet unreleased smartphone.
Although not confirmed, it is presumed this is the same smartphone that has appeared in more recent leaks.
While new outings have suggested OnePlus could unveil its next smartphone in less than two months, it is worth noting the firm has not officially confirmed this.


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Kinder Morgan (KMI) is one of the largest transporters of natural gas in North America. Natural gas is one of, if not the, cleanest fossil fuels. Future demand growth, coupled with Kinder Morgan's massive network of midstream pipelines, make it a fantastic bet for investors looking for both gro
U.S. equity indexes sank Thursday afternoon, pitching sharply lower amid an announcement that President Donald Trump would impose tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, raising concerns of protectionists trade policies that could hit U.S. corporations and consumers.
Remember that moment in Eddie Murphy’s Coming to America where Randolph and Mortimer Duke are handed a bag of money, giving them a chance to rebuild the wealth they lost in Trading Places? When it happens, Randolph turns to Mortimer and simply says…”We’re back”
Michael Nagle/Bloomberg News
We know how they feel. After one of the worst starts to....More>>>
Memorial Day is the traditional start to summer, but the Fourth of July is when the season kicks into high gear. You dont have to go broke to enjoy the beach or backyard barbeques. In fact, you should be able to pick up many of the items you need on the cheap at dollar stores.
SEE ALSO: 11 Secrets to Shopping at Costco
So, with that in mind, we trekked off to check out the bargains....More>>>
During his lifetime, Prince amassed a fortune worth over $300 million. His death might prove to be even more of a windfall.
According to reports, the mysterious singer left behind a trove of unreleased songs in his vault.The release of these songs could translate into substantial sales and revenue for his estate in the future.
The presence of a vault of unreleased Prince songs has....More>>>
Related ALJ Barclays Ratings And Price Target Changes For Wednesday, July 13, 2016 Delek Holdings Downgraded At JPMorgan, Price Target Cut Following Sum Of The Parts Valuation The Refining Industry's Summer Of Discontent (Seeking Alpha) Related DK Barclays Ratings And Price Target Changes For Wednesday, July....More>>>
The summer of calm gave way to chaos today as all major indexes tumbled well more than 1%.
Jessica Kourkounis/Getty Images
The S&P 500 dropped 2.5% to2,127.81 today, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell394.46 points, or 2.1%, to 18,085.45. The Nasdaq Composite tumbled 2.5% to 5,125.91. The CBOE Volatility Index, or Vix, soared 40% to 17.50, the most since Brexit.
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals (REGN) lost a patent case with Amgen (AMGN) and now a judge will have to make a decision regarding an injunction on sales of Praluent. Citigroup’s Robyn Karnauskas and Mohit Bansal provide and update:
We spoke to Regeneron regarding the timelines of the injunction decision in the PCSK9 patent case and the company noted that the Judges opinion could come in....More>>>
On May 31 of last year I published an article about Carter's Inc. (CRI), a manufacturer and retailer of children's clothing and accessories. Please take the time to read it here, as it explains my initial long thesis and will provide context for this article. Had you invested in Carter's on that
For me, Weyerhaeuser (NYSE:WY) is an example of why valuation always matters. Generally well-valued (if not richly-valued) for its high-quality timberlands and wood products operations, Weyerhaeuser has lagged the S&P 500 for total returns for quite some time. Even when you account for the t
In May of 2017, I wrote my first piece about AV Homes (NASDAQ:AVHI). The article outlines key aspects of the company's business as well as my original thesis for buying the stock. The piece was titled, "AV Homes - Homeownership Rates Are Climbing And So Is AVHI". My main thesis was - and still i
President Donald Trump ran on a ticket of making America great again. While the consensus on that point is very much split, what’s not deniable is the markets’ response. Trump’s pro-business agenda was credited for sparking an impressive rally. With enthusiasm overshooting rat
Zscaler's (NASDAQ: ZS) upcoming IPO, slated for Friday, March 16 according to the NASDAQ IPO Calendar, will be the first software unicorn to go public in 2018 after a particularly volatile first quarter. This IPO will be an interesting one to watch - coming off a strong first and second quarter


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South Korea, once referred to as the ‘Land of the Morning Calm,’ has emerged as one of the key startup hubs in Asia. Having witnessed firsthand the changes in this once conservative and shy nation, the pace of change is amaizing and the hunger with which local founders are embracing the challenge and opportunity presented by entrepreneurship. As predictable and arduous corporate careers begin to lose their appeal in a country still dominated by big names such as Samsung, Hyundai, and LG, there are strong signals that innovation will begin to shape the economic landscape in the near future.
Every entrepreneur and would be startup will remember in 2013 when Yahoo snapped up Tumblr for US$1.1Billion, and the story of its founder, entrepreneur David Karp. At only the age of 27, Karp is estimated to have received around US$220 million from the deal. So how did Karp actually get set up in the first place, although he eventually raised capital through venture funding, Karp launched his hugely successful social blogging platform from a simple idea. His inspirational story paves the way for many young visionary dreaming about launching their own startup business and the next big idea in the market. Here are 10 tips from the business blogging community for creating the next big startup success story, from a simple idea:


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The global units of the Huawei P30 lite smartphone are now getting the December 2022 security patch update. The latest software update is rolling out with the build number 18.104.22.168 and the update size is 190MB.
List of Changes
This update improves system security with security patches.
Integrates security patches released in December 2022 for improved system security.
Notes on the update:
1. Your personal data will not be deleted by the update. However, we recommend that you back up important data before updating.
2. If you encounter any problems during the update, call Huawei customer hotline or visit a Huawei customer service center.
3. The update package will be automatically deleted after the update is complete.


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Starbucks’ ‘secret menu’ item gets cult status in South Korea
Starbucks sells 10 million cups of an item that isn’t even on the menu
By Lee Suh-yoon
Starbucks’s hand-shaken espresso drink has been quietly getting cult status in South Korea, with 10 million cups of the double shot ice shaken espresso — which is not on the menu — sold since its debut in 2003.
The drink, simply called the “double shot” by customers, has long been absent from the menu board, with customers learning of it only by word of mouth. Its sales, nonetheless, have increased by 45 per cent annually over the past five years.
Double shot fans say they like it for its rich dense flavour.
“Coffee in Korea tends to be a bit diluted but I like the double shot because it does not mix in an excessive amount of water or milk,” said a 24-year-old university student surnamed Moon who lived abroad before and frequently enjoys a Starbucks vanilla double shot. “I like my coffee strong.”
The drink, composed of two espresso shots, milk and a syrup flavour of choice, is shaken with ice for a chilling effect and served _ without the ice _ in a signature mini cup. Vanilla is the most popular flavour, accounting for 60 per cent of all orders.
“Many prefer it as a lighter alternative to full-size drinks, especially after meals,” a Starbucks Korea PR officer and former barista told The Korea Times. “Some say it tastes like a high-grade version of sweet and heavy instant coffee many Koreans drink at home or work.”
The price for the small 120ml drink is 4,800 won (US$4.5), higher than that of a cafe latte, partly because it still contains the same number of shots as a full-size drink.
According to 2016 figures from the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, the average Korean drinks 377 cups of coffee every year. Starbucks, with over 25 per cent of the billion dollar cafe market, is currently the biggest coffee franchise here, well ahead of domestic coffee chains such as Ediya.
Starbucks operates around 1,140 shops in and nearby Seoul, with around a dozen new shops opening every month.
Last year, Starbucks Korea raked in 1.2 trillion won (US$1.1 billion) in revenue _ half of which goes to Emart, the retail giant that is Starbucks’ joint venture partner in Korea.
Some exclusive drinks that can only be found at Starbucks Korea include the new Mungyeong Omija Fizzio, a “five-flavor” berry soda drink, and the Choux Cream Latte, a new hit inspired by the custard-filled French pasty.


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EDS: EMBARGO. No web/TV until 0300 ET on Wednesday.
UPDATE: Adds generic fotoWhether it’s by viruses, worms or phishing emails and texts, nearly half of all Canadians have been targeted by hackers at some point over the past year, according to a new report from an antivirus software company.
The 2012 Norton Cybercrime Report, released Wednesday morning, says more than 46 per cent of Canadians have reported attempts by hackers to try to obtain personal data over the past 12 months. More than 8.3 million Canadians report they have been victims of cybercrime in the past year and 42 per cent of Canadian adults say they wouldn’t know if their computer, tablet or phone was infected with a virus unless it crashed or slowed down dramatically.
Canadian’s aren’t being singled out, according to the report, which collected data from 24 countries. More than 46 per cent of global respondents also reported that hackers had tried to coerce sensitive information from them within the past 12 months.
Despite new anti-virus software and tougher laws to protect consumers, hackers are becoming more dangerous than ever. According to the Norton study, hackers have started mining social networks like Facebook and have added new tools that allow them to exploit software flaws on phones, tablets and computers in their attempts to scoop up more personal information.
When those high-tech approaches aren’t enough, hackers are turning to low-tech methods to implant computers with viruses and other nasty computer programs. In January, a scam in which callers pretending to be Microsoft employees offered to solve computer problems, accounted for 70 per cent of all fraud complaints in Canada, according to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre. The callers offered to help people clean a virus from their hard drives. In the process, they charged victims as much as $400, collected credit card information and gained access to personal files on the victims’ computers.
Hacking accounted for more than $1.4 billion in losses to Canadians over the past 12 months, the study estimates.
Lynn Hargrove, Canadian director of consumer solutions for Symantec Corp., which publishes Norton AntiVirus software, said consumers are becoming more savvy at preventing hackers from gaining access to their computers. But hackers are increasingly turning their attention to mobile phones and devices, especially as more people use cellular phones for banking and making electronic payments.
“Cyber criminals are looking at new ways to attack and mobile is a really big platform that we are seeing,” she said. “ Cyber criminals are going to go where the biggest bang for their buck is.”
According to Norton, as many as 16 per cent of Canadians reported falling victim to mobile fraud over the past 12 months. That number could skyrocket as hackers further target mobile devices.
“It’s a much different landscape,” said Hargrove. “As we are seeing more cybercrime on a mobile device, 54 per cent of Canadians are reporting that they are accessing the Internet on that device and 74 per cent of Canadians don’t have mobile security.”
The study was released just days after hackers made public personal information from more than one million iPhone and other Apple devices. The hackers claim to have personal information from more than 11 million mobile devices and say they may release more data in the coming weeks.
Last week, another group of hackers publicly released the bank records and personal credit histories of more than a million people. The hackers, who claim the data theft and subsequent posting of the information on the Internet is a form of protest against big business and the banks, have promised that the release was only the first wave of a broader release.
The 2012 Norton Cybercrime Report is in its third year of publication. The survey asked questions of 13,018 online respondents from 24 countries, including 500 from Canada. The margin of error for the study results is plus 0.9 per cent at the 95 per cent level of confidence.
— Ottawa Citizen
CYBERCRIME NUMBERSNumber of reported cybercrime victims in past 12 months
— 8.3 million (Canada)
— 556 million (global)
Online adults who have reported experiencing cybercrime
— 46 per cent (Canada)
— 46 per cent (global)
Total net costs of cybercrime
— $1.4 billion (Canada)
— $110 billion U.S. (global)
Social network users who do not check links before sharing them with others
— 15 per cent (Canada)
— 20 per cent (global)
Online adults who don’t understand the risk of cybercrime or how to protect themselves online
— 21 per cent (Canada)
— 28 per cent (global)
Online adults who believe that unless their computer crashes or noticeably slows down, it’s hard to determine whether they are a victim of malware
— 42 per cent (Canada)
— 49 per cent (global)
Online adults who don’t realize that malware, such as worms and viruses, can operate behind the scenes in a discreet fashion
— 34 per cent (Canada)
— 40 per cent (global)
Online adults who don’t use complex passwords or change their passwords frequently
— 38 per cent (Canada)
— 40 per cent (global)
Source: 2012 Norton Cybercrime Report


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Has Enjin really parterned with Samsung?
Enjin coin has been performing amazingly yesterday, achieving a 130% increment in value.
News coming out of the Samsung Mobile Business Summit in Barcelona yesterday would appear to confirm the rumours of the Enjin partnership
The news is that Enjin will "power the Samsung Blockchain wallet".
Already the Galaxy 10 was in the spotlight for having a built-in system to store private keys, a moved seen by many as extremely positive sign of future adoption.
Before the launch, everybody expected Samsung to integrate an in-built crypto wallet into its new Galaxy S10. Instead, the company presented a private key storage solution, which Samsung followers could use for mobile services based on the blockchain, without mentioning integration of a crypto wallet.


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If you have an Eddie Bauer infant carrier, listen up. Earlier this week, Gold Inc. issued a recall for Eddie Bauer fabric infant carriers over concerns that the buckles on the carriers may break, “posing a fall hazard to children.” According to the recall notice, the recalled carriers were sold nationwide at Target stores and online for $70 between December 2017 and August 2018.
Earlier this week, Cook County commissioners voted in favor of a homeless man who was wrongly imprisoned in connection to false rape allegations. As a result, the commissioners approved a $3.7 million settlement in the lawsuit filed by the man, Carl Chatman, in response to his ordeal. According to Chatman’s suit, he was “wrongly imprisoned after a clerk at the Daley Center fabricated a rape claim as part of a scheme to sue the county.”
A lawsuit was recently filed in Cumberland County Superior Court against a Bridgeton police sergeant over allegations that he made “unwanted sexual contact with a female worker at a café” two years ago. According to the suit, which was filed by Vineland resident Alexandra Ficcadenti, Sgt. Luis A. Santiago “sexually and physically assaulted her.”
A class-action lawsuit was recently filed on behalf of two former Avon employees over allegations that the popular beauty company “practiced systematic discrimination against women based on pregnancy, maternity, and the rights of nursing mothers to pump breast milk at work.” The suit itself was filed by Wigdor LLP, a New York law firm in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York and takes specific aim at Avon’s branding, including its claim that it’s a “company for women.”


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AccuWeather doesn't know how to issue a reassuring statement. The company attempted to quell users' concerns a day after security analyst Will Strafach published a blog post earlier this week explaining how the free iOS weather app collects users' GPS coordinates, the name and BSSID (or MAC address) of their Wi-Fi router, and whether their device has Bluetooth turned on or off. AccuWeather sends this data to a company called Reveal Mobile, which sells the information to retailers with the promise of helping "understand the path of a consumer and where they go throughout the day."
To put it more plainly: AccuWeather basically handed over its users exact locations —even when they opted out of providing location data — in the form of their router name and BSSID. These two data points can be traced to an exact location.
Per a joint statement, AccuWeather and Reveal Mobile say:
"If a user opts out of location tracking on AccuWeather, no GPS coordinates are collected or passed without further opt-in permission from the user."
Notice they don't mention the Wi-Fi network information. When they do bring it up, AccuWeather says it was "unaware the data was available to it" and that it never used this data. Again, this doesn't apply to Reveal Mobile.
Maybe AccuWeather truly didn't know that Reveal's SDK collected router names and BSSIDs, but did the team vet this SDK at all before including it in the iOS app? It says it removed the SDK from the app, but will reimplement it once it's "fully compliant with appropriate requirements." Who knows what this means. It also says that once that SDK is back in place, the "end result should be that zero data is transmitted back to Reveal Mobile when someone opts out of location sharing." The word “should” isn't comital or reassuring.
Your router info says a lot
In a nutshell, AccuWeather admitted to having an SDK in its app that collected users' router information without their permission, whether that was intentional or not is unclear. It also says it has no idea whether Reveal will adjust its SDK to stop that collection, but it "should" do so.
As a reminder, free apps often make their profit through data collection. This is typically outlined in a lengthy terms of service, which most users don’t bother to read thoroughly. A similar situation happened with Unroll.me earlier this year when users learned their data were being sold to Uber. But if you’re concerned about your privacy, you should probably ditch the AccuWeather app. Maybe stick with Apple's default weather app, or pay for one, like Dark Sky, which makes its money off app purchases.


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THE view of investment banks on the likely impact of electric vehicles (EVs) is just a question of degree. EVs talk so sensibly to society’s broad concerns, as contained in the Paris Agreement on climate change for instance, that demand for the metals required for their fabrication is likely to be anything from robust to stratospheric.
A report by JP Morgan Cazenove, however, suggests some temperance wouldn’t go amiss, especially regarding the impact EVs will have on lithium and cobalt demand – relatively scarce minerals that go into the manufacture of the all-important car batteries.
“We temper exuberance for lithium and cobalt prices, but are more optimistic on the outlook for copper and nickel, with copper demand forecast to grow by 845,000 tonnes a year by 2025, offsetting structural decline in Chinese demand,” the bank’s analysts said last month.
“We forecast rapid growth of EVs, but wide regional dispersion tempers metals demand impact,” they said. “Specifically, China is forecast to lift its EV share from 2.3% in 2017 to 12% by 2025, but its propensity for smaller battery packs with lower metals loadings, is likely to mean its rapid EV growth has a lower correlation to metals demand growth than non-China OEM [original equipment manufacturers],” it said.
Where there is broader agreement, however, is on the likely effect on the platinum group metals (PGM) market. Platinum, palladium and rhodium are used in the manufacture of autocatalysts that help remove toxic emissions produced by ‘traditional’ petroleum and diesel engines. If the EV trend gains enough momentum, it could punch a major hole in PGM demand as they are used in autocatalysis.
This would be very bad news on some of the companies that investors are backing on a value basis especially as the current PGM basket price, even in rands, is so poor. Northam Platinum, for instance, is favoured as one of the go-to PGM companies for when the PGM price revives. Sibanye-Stillwater, which has bought into the PGM market at its cyclical low (it claims), is another.
“Platinum will fall victim to the secular trend as the consumer shifts away from diesel cars, in our view, and we believe Anglo Platinum’s expensive valuation is therefore at risk of a structural de-rating,” said JP Morgan Cazenove. Anglo Platinum, listed in Johannesburg, is controlled by Anglo American.
Sizeable primary metal production cuts are on the horizon in South Africa with Sibanye-Stillwater’s takeover of Lonmin, if approved, likely to see the latter cut back significantly. Production cuts are also likely at Impala Platinum. Bank of American Merrill Lynch wrote recently that these dynamics would create a major supply deficit as some 700,000 ounces of expensive PGMs output would leave the market.
Whilst the price of platinum is naturally affected by a range of factors, not just one, the supply risk doesn’t seem yet to be factored in to platinum pricing which was at a 12-month low of $884/oz at the time of writing. Might it be regulations against diesel cars – such as in Germany where cutbacks have been legislated – are having the greater influence over the PGM market than the risk of less production?
“To date there has been limited impact on platinum demand from the diesel regulations as commercial vehicles and growth in other regions have provided an offset to the drop in demand from European passenger cars,” said RMB Morgan Stanley, reporting on market intelligence picked up at Platinum Week in London during May.
“However, in 2018, automakers cutting diesel car output is expected to start to have an impact on platinum demand,” it added. According to Johnson Matthey, a market consultant and semi-fabricator of PGMs in the UK, there will be a 2% cut in diesel car output this year.


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Cattle futures closed mixed amid light trade to start the week with front-month Feeder Cattle under the most pressure from increasing Corn futures.
Feeder Cattle futures closed mixed, from an average of 57¢ lower across the front half of the board to an average of 17¢ higher.
Live Cattle futures closed narrowly mixed (from an average of 19¢ lower to an average of 19¢ higher.
Negotiated cash fed cattle trade was at a standstill through Monday afternoon, according to the Agricultural Marketing Service.
Last week, live prices were at $135/cwt. in the Southern Plains and Nebraska, and at $138 in the western Corn Belt. Dressed trade was at $217-$218.
The five-area direct weighted average steer price last week was $1.55 lower at $135.64. It was $1.12 lower in the beef at $217.30.
Choice boxed beef cutout value was $1.54 higher Monday afternoon at $264.48/cwt. Select was $2.23 higher at $255.18/cwt.
Nearby Corn and Soybean futures climbed on Monday, presumably in response to the continued hot and dry weather forecast in South America.
Corn futures closed 9¢ through the front three contracts and then mostly 2¢ to 3¢ higher.
Soybean futures closed 26¢ to 30¢ higher through the front five contracts and then mostly 7¢ to 10¢ higher.
Major U.S. financial indices bounced higher Monday, buoyed by optimistic early reports of holiday spending.
Holiday retail sales, excluding automotive, increased 8.5% year over year during the holiday season Nov. 1 through Dec. 24, according to Mastercard SpendingPulseTM, which measures in-store and online retail sales across all forms of payment. Online sales grew 11.0% compared to the same period last year.
“Shoppers were eager to secure their gifts ahead of the retail rush, with conversations surrounding supply chain and labor supply issues sending consumers online and to stores in droves,” says Steve Sadove, senior advisor for Mastercard and former CEO and Chairman of Saks Incorporated. “Consumers splurged throughout the season, with apparel and department stores experiencing strong growth.”
The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed 351 points higher. The S&P 500 closed 65 points higher. The NASDAQ was up 217 points.
Higher oil prices added support. West Texas Intermediate Crude Oil futures on the CME were $1.72 to $1.78 higher in the front six contracts.
More lighter-weight cattle placed in feedlots in November — compared to previous months in 2021 — speaks to several unfolding realities, according to Derrell Peel, Extension livestock marketing specialist at Oklahoma State University, in his weekly market comments.
As noted in the last Cattle Current, November feedlot placements were 3.6% more year over year, according to the latest USDA Cattle on Feed report. Peel points out the increase was comprised of cattle weighing less than 700 lbs., which were 7.0% more than the previous year. Cattle placed on feed at weights heavier than 700 lbs. were 0.7% less.
“Placements of lightweight cattle are typically high in November with seasonally large numbers of spring-born calves. However, the increase may be somewhat exaggerated this year for several reasons,” Peel explains. “Drought limitations are likely contributing to increased placements, the result of reduced opportunities for backgrounding calves this winter. Additionally, drought may also be causing fewer heifers to be held as replacements and further increasing lightweight placements.
“Finally, feedlots may be placing more lightweight cattle simply because overall feeder supplies are declining. As feeder supplies decrease, feedlots will, for a few months, be able to hold feedlot inventories by placing smaller cattle, essentially borrowing against future feeder supplies. Lightweight placements will also add more days on feed and further extend feedlot inventories for a period of time. However, as 2022 proceeds, smaller feeder cattle supplies will result in more pronounced decreases in feedlot inventories.”


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Tim Nass to Speak on Innovations in Fire-Rated Glazing Technology at Glasscon Global VE
Safti First’s Tim Nass, vice president of sales, is one of the featured speakers during the first ever GlassCon Global VE – Glass Expo VE on Sept. 9 and 10, 2020. Nass will deliver “Innovative Design Applications Using Advanced Fire Rated Glazing Technology” on Tuesday, Sept. 9 at 5:00 p.m. EST, Educational Track 2. For a full list of educational presentations, click here.
Nass will also participate in a virtual press conference on Tuesday, Sept. 9 at 3 pm EST. To attend, participants can register for event using the promo code SAFTI. Just before the press conference starts, log into www.glassconglobal.com or www.glassexpove.com, enter the virtual Lobby and proceed to the Resource Center. From there, click on Press Conference.
At the press conference Nass will speak on how the design community has driven the evolution of fire-rated glazing technology to where it is today; unprecedented glass sizes; superior optical clarity and multi-functional capabilities such as blast, hurricane, ballistic, detention, thermal, decorative, among others, in addition to being fire-rated. He’ll talk about specific projects, unique applications and industry trends. New product announcements and other exciting industry developments will also be discussed. A live Q&A will immediately follow.


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Motorola is the latest company to set up retail stores in India
Motorola is targeting the offline sector with Moto Hubs.
India is Motorola’s largest global market, and the company is now looking to expand its presence in the country by setting up retail stores. The Moto Hubs will offer potential customers the ability to experience Motorola’s entire portfolio of devices in an environment that’s “open, fun and very uniquely Motorola.”
Motorola is kicking things off with six Moto Hubs located at Delhi-NCR and Mumbai:
- Great India Place, Noida
- Logix Mall, Noida
- Shipra Mall, Indirapuram
- Xperia Mall, Dombivali, Mumbai
- Korum Mall, Thane, Mumbai
- Viviana Mall, Thane, Mumbai
The company is looking to open 50 stores before the end of the year, and is targeting top tier cities and locations “with significant traffic.” Motorola will carry its entire portfolio of devices at its retail stores, including the recently-launched Moto E4 and E4 Plus, the Moto C series, the Moto G family, and the Moto Z2 Play along with all the Moto Mods currently up for sale in India. The stores will also carry the usual accessories — headphones, cases, removable back covers, and the like.
Motorola is incentivizing the launch of Moto Hubs by offering free accessories with the purchase of any device in the Moto E, C, and G families, and a 50% discount on Moto Mods for those picking up the Moto Z2 Play.
Motorola isn’t the first online brand to target the offline route — Xiaomi also set up its first Mi Home Store in India earlier this year — and with a majority of sales still taking place at brick-and-mortar stores, it isn’t hard to see why handset vendors are rushing to set up stores across the country.


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Apple Takes Slow and Steady Approach to Television Market
Rumors of a revolutionary Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) television product have been around ever since Steve Jobs told biographer Walter Isaacson that he would like to create “an integrated television set that is completely easy to use.” Although Jobs claimed to have “finally cracked it,” he revealed few details about his television plans to his biographer. Several years have now passed since Jobs’s revelation and some tech commentators have started to criticize Apple for squandering its opportunity to enter the television market.
However, industry watcher John Martellaro at The Street recently pointed out that there is an inherent contradiction in this criticism. After all, if no one knows what Apple’s television innovation will be, it is impossible to know if the company has missed its opportunity.
Samsung (SSNLF.PK) currently has a Smart TV that includes many of the features that some industry watchers have speculated might be included in a future Apple television product. The Samsung Smart TV features natural language voice interaction, gesture controls, and face recognition.
However, it should be noted that having the first product to market doesn’t necessarily result in a product’s long-term success. Although Apple wasn’t the first company to enter the digital music player market, its iconic iPod soon became the standard-bearer of the market.
Based on recent supply chain rumors and acquisitions, it appears that Apple is using the same methodical approach to creating its so-called “iTV” that it used to create the iPod and iPhone. Apple recently acquired 3D sensor technology company PrimeSense, the same company that provided the technology for Microsoft’s (NASDAQ:MSFT) Xbox 360 Kinect device. This technology could also be used to power a gesture-based control system and facial recognition capabilities for a future Apple television product.
Apple could also easily leverage Siri, its voice-activated personal assistant, into a voice interaction system for a television product. Martellaro noted that Siri’s natural language capabilities would make a future Apple product especially appealing to older customers who may find other interactive television control systems confusing.
According to supply chain sources cited by NPD Group’s DisplaySearch, Apple is actively lining up resources for 55-inch and 65-inch televisions with 4K resolution. The market research firm believes that Apple will have its television product ready by the second half of 2014. Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster also believes that the iTV will launch in 2014.
On the other hand, well-connected KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo recently predicted that the Apple television will not launch until 2015 or even 2016. Cantor Fitzgerald analyst Brian White has perhaps taken the best approach by refusing to offer an Apple television timeline, meanwhile noting that a “full-blown Apple TV continues to be a wildcard.” Although Apple watchers cannot be sure when the long-rumored television set will finally be released, Apple’s history of success in other tech product markets is a good reminder that the California-based company is not in any danger of missing its opportunity to dominate the growing “smart” television market.
Here’s how Apple traded on Friday.
Follow Nathanael on Twitter (@ArnoldEtan_WSCS)


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Dubai is to start a driverless taxi service by 2023, it was announced on Sunday.
The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) said trials of the service were expected to start by the end of the year before an official launch in 2023.
The RTA is working with American company Cruise to offer the service in limited numbers by next year and expand "gradually to reach 4,000 vehicles by 2030".
“Human errors are responsible for more than 90 per cent of accidents,” said Mattar Al Tayer, Director General of the RTA. “Autonomous vehicles are environmentally-friendly electric vehicles and can serve considerable numbers of customers, particularly senior citizens, residents and people of determination."
Details about routes and firm dates for the launch of driverless taxis were not released but Cruise officials have visited Dubai to assess which locations are most suitable for the service. It was also not revealed how much the service will cost. Mr Al Tayer said a “limited number” of the vehicles will be used next year.
Cruise is backed by General Motors and this month opened a limited driverless taxi service to the public in San Francisco, but there are many caveats. It only operates at night and in certain areas, for example, and the service remains free for now.
Abu Dhabi also recently trialled a driverless service on Yas Island. Future operations include increasing passenger operations in different areas around Abu Dhabi. The fleet is composed entirely of electric and hybrid cars.


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Müller, Britain’s biggest producer of branded and private label fresh milk, butter, yogurt, desserts and dairy ingredients has announced a new initiative to help ambitious young farmers build vibrant dairy businesses for the future.
Müller will initially work closely with a group of approximately 25 Müller Direct young farmers who have the potential to create thriving dairy businesses.
The dairy company has already confirmed unprecedented investment in its UK network of dairies to enable it to build an additional £700m worth of sales of dairy products made with milk from British farmers, by 2020.
Müller Direct Next Generation follows the launch of Müller Farm Insight and the Müller Direct Futures Contract option in 2017, initiatives designed to build a bright future for Müller Direct farmers.
Fully supported and funded by Müller, the dairy company will work directly with ambitious young farmers, over a three year period, by providing them with bespoke training on everything from benchmarking and market analysis, to business improvement planning.
The group will meet three times per year and will serve as a forum, enabling the farmers to share knowledge and best practice.
Müller Direct Next Generation is entirely optional and qualifying Müller Direct farmers will be contacted directly in due course with further details on the initiative.
Rob Hutchison, Milk Supply Director at Müller said:
“This is another valuable initiative for Müller Direct Farmers, this time focussing on the next generation.
“Müller is investing significantly to ensure that consumers will be able to buy more and more added value dairy products that are made in Britain with milk from British farms. We need to maintain a long term and progressive milk supply and Müller Direct Next Generation will help ambitious young farmers build the thriving dairy businesses of the future.”
*To qualify, Müller Direct farmers must have a minimum three years’ experience on farm.
Müller UK & Ireland
Müller UK & Ireland is wholly owned by the Unternehmensgruppe Theo Müller. It employs around 12,000 people in a business which comprises two distinct business units: Müller Milk & Ingredients and Müller Yogurt & Desserts.
Based in Market Drayton, Müller Yogurt & Desserts is the UK’s leading yogurt manufacturer, responsible for major brands such as Müller Corner, Müllerlight and Müller Rice. It also produces, at production facilities in Minsterley near Shrewsbury, chilled desserts under licence from Mondelez International. Müller Yogurt & Desserts also supplies the UK private label yogurt market from a state of the art yogurt facility in Telford, Shropshire.
Müller Milk & Ingredients aims to be the biggest and best fresh milk and ingredients business with a network of dairies and depots servicing customers throughout the country, producing skimmed, semi-skimmed, whole, flavoured milk and brands including FRijj. It also has the capacity to produce salted, unsalted and lactic butter each year for both the domestic and international markets, and operates the milk&more doorstep delivery service.
The acquisition of Dairy Crest’s dairy operations in December 2015 marked a milestone in Unternehmensgruppe Theo Müller’s global growth strategy and in particular its aspiration to place much more emphasis on end to end supply chain innovation, adding value to the UK dairy category.


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FORT WAYNE, Ind. -- Lassus Bros. Oil Inc. will begin selling an ethanol blend next week at its newest station in Fort Wayne, Ind., making it the first company to pump E-85 for retail customers in that market, reported The Fort Wayne Journal Gazette .
E-85 is a blend of 85 percent ethanol, a grain alcohol produced from crops such as corn, and 15 percent gasoline.
Only those cars specially equipped for the alternative fuel can use it. Models include some versions of the full-size Chevy Yukon, Tahoe and Silverado and GMC Sierra.
Fred Grote, Kelley Automotive Group’s general manager, estimated that Kelley’s car lots have about 100 new and used vehicles for sale that can run on E-85, reported The Journal Gazette .
Customers haven’t been asking for vehicles that run on the blended fuel, probably because they don’t know about it, he told The Journal Gazette .
But Grote predicted Wednesday that customer awareness will skyrocket after Lassus Bros. begins its advertising campaign. And after drivers who cruise past the station see in big, bold numbers how much E-85 costs -- sometimes 30 to 50 cents a gallon less than gasoline -- they could start clamoring for vehicles that can run on it, he said in the The Journal Gazette report.
"I don’t think anybody knows what E-85 is yet. I just learned a couple of months ago," Grote told The Journal Gazette . "I think you’re going to see more and more of it."
Lassus Bros. owns and operates about 40 Lassus Handy Dandy convenience stores in northeast Indiana and northwest Ohio.


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Food is the future of the Peel, according to the new chair of the Peel Development Commission.
David Doepel likes to think the region will be the next in the world to marry innovation, academia and culinary art.
"If it's done right and delivered world class, it can transform whole communities," said Mr Doepel, who replaces outgoing chairperson Paddi Creevey.
"It can lift the game of everything right across the region."
He likes to paint a mind picture of a small town in upstate New York called Poughkeepsie, home to one of the famed universities that teaches culinary arts. People would leave New York City - effectively the culinary capital of the world - and drive to this town because of how the presence of the university had transformed the area.
"It energised agriculture, got people caring about food, what they grew and how they consumed it," he said.
"While it took close to three quarters of a century to achieve, Mr Doepel's words for the Peel are "why not?"
"COVID has...made us focus more on the important things - food, family, meals together, there's been a definite change, whether that's permanent or whether we'll go back to our super busy lives, I think we've had a chance to be reminded."
"COVID has helped us appreciate local, travelling local, buying local, and made us focus more on the important things - food, family, meals together, there's been a definite change, whether that's permanent or whether we'll go back to our super busy lives, I think we've had a chance to be reminded," he said.
He said there was "money on the table and a lot of it" and opportunities galore for small businesses to take advantage of a world class facility in the region.
"For example those with a small amount of acreage already growing something could be thinking, how do you get involved in adding that next layer of value to what you produce - I think the sky is the limit," he said.
There was room to "be more creative" and "think bigger" than "a fancy product at a farmer's market or getting stocked at a few IGAs", he said.
"Once upon a time everyone knew how to transform what they grew - I think we have an opportunity to rediscover that and be part of a very modern supply chain."
He said the state investment in upgrading culinary opportunities at Mandurah TAFE was also promising for the region.
"Food and tourism go together - understanding where food comes from and why you want to be in a place - that's very exciting for the region," he said.
For growers who were put off by competing with cheap imported products, there were new opportunities.
"You're not competing on price now but on your uniqueness, the story you tell and the love you put into what you're making," he said.
"There is a myriad of opportunities including rediscovery of ingredients and how they are used."
Foods currently trending were those that were "free from" and consumers wanting to know where their food came from, bespoke items and items not mass produced.
"So much can flow from that if you have the right ingredients...excuse the pun," he laughed.
Will be pent up demand
Aside from food, Mr Doepel said tourism was the other sector filled with opportunities.
"Our data shows it's been a very complicated 18 months - we've captured a whole lot of people from Perth but no international tourism, which has had a really significant impact on the Peel," he said.
When international tourists return, there would be pent up demand and therefore an influx of visitors, Mr Doepel predicts.
"The environmental values of the region are some of the best selling points - whether you're on the coast and around the inlet or more inland as far as Dwellingup and Jarrahdale for their trails and the great way that Pinjarra is making some very good decisions about its history, architecture and activation of that area."
Big shoes to fill
In terms of challenges, Mr Doepel said water supply would be the biggest threat.
Another was social housing, an issue close to the heart of his predecessor, Ms Creevey.
Ms Creevey is a passionate advocate for the region and a familiar face after 20 years of serving as the Mandurah mayor.
Mr Doepel has been on the Commission board since January 2020 just as COVID was starting.
"I'm hoping now we can focus more on the future, rather than on the immediate," he said.
He brings a wealth of knowledge through his work with Murdoch University and the Future Food Systems CRC, with more than 30 years of experience on innovation in industry, academia and government.
Regional Development Minister Alannah MacTiernan made the appointment, saying Mr Doepel would continue to drive the regional development agenda with a focus on industry collaboration, food science and innovation and local content.
"Our Government greatly appreciates the leadership shown by outgoing chair Paddi Creevey and her dedicated service to the board.
"Paddi has been a respected and much-loved champion of the Peel for decades, and we all wish her well for the future."
The state government has also reappointed Michelle Sidebottom as a community representative on the board for a further three-year term.
Ms Sidebottom works within the tourism industry running her own project management, facility management and consultancy company.


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Sephora Canada has issued a recall of 35 different Sephora Collection false eyelash products due to safety concerns regarding eyelash glue.
The products have been recalled as the glue contains methyl methacrylate, a substance that is prohibited in in Canada due to safety concerns over its strong adhesion properties and potential to cause allergic reactions and skin irritation.
Sephora Canada has received one consumer complaint over strong adhesion related to the use of the glue, which is believed to have triggered the recall.
Approximately 107,000 Sephora Collection eyelash products containing methyl methacrylate have been sold in Canada between 2010 to 2015.
Sephora has stated that customers should immediately stop using the recalled cosmetics. The company has advised customers to return products to Sephora stores to receive a store credit.
Click here for a full list of the products included in the recall.