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Pure Fashion makes its Kansas City debut
by Joyce Mitchell
PRAIRIE VILLAGE — Modesty doesn’t have to be synonymous with frumpy.
But with the skimpy wardrobes of today’s celebrities setting the bar, modest teens can easily feel out of step with the latest fashions.
Seventeen-year-old Olivia Mavec of Leawood, for example, admits she likes reading Teen Vogue. But she doesn’t like the seductive overtones of the magazine’s clothing ads.
“These don’t speak to me as a teenaged Catholic,” said Olivia, who is a member of St. Ann Parish in Prairie Village and is a student at Notre Dame de Sion High School, Kansas City, Mo.
Fortunately, Olivia and 18 other teens in the Kansas City area have been introduced to Pure Fashion, a faith-based program that encourages girls to live, act and dress in ways that reflect their status as children of God. The group meets monthly for a total of seven sessions — each is led by college-age women who serve as mentors to the younger girls.
The program teaches dignity, explained 15-year-old St. James Academy student Kayla Nguyen, and how “to carry yourself in a way that respects yourself.” This young member of Prince of Peace Parish in Olathe usually prefers T-shirts and blue jeans, but she realizes that her casual attire won’t work in all situations. Pure Fashion has boosted Kayla’s self-confidence and caused her to consider the importance of first impressions.
“Dressing provocatively doesn’t help you” attract the right kind of attention, she concluded.
St. Ann parishioner Linda Brossard and her eighth-grader Jessica have had a hard time in shopping malls of late: The latest styles often show more skin than either of them feel comfortable with. But Jessica, who likes singing and acting, is looking forward now to being on stage in a new capacity — as a runway model at the culminating event of the seven sessions: a fashion show later this spring.
Pure Fashion’s clothing guidelines (available at www.purefashion.com) remind girls to avoid tight clothing and to pay attention to how clothes hang on the body. Fashions that don’t meet the standards can be incorporated with a bit of creativity, the site advises. For example, a favorite shirt that on its own would be too revealing could be layered with a tank top.
Olivia’s mother is co-chair of this debut of the Pure Fashion movement in Kansas City.
Christine Mavec first learned of the program through Regnum Christi, its sponsor, and contacted area Catholic high schools seeking participants. The Atlanta-based program is now up and running in more than 20 cities in the United States.
Because fashion also applies to hair and makeup, the girls spent their January session at Sopra Salon in Prairie Village. Sopra is normally closed on Sundays, but owner Cindy Johnston agreed to open her salon at no cost for the good cause. Nor did she have any trouble rounding up stylists and makeup artists willing to give up a Sunday afternoon.
“We want to help [the girls] feel beautiful with what God gave them,” said Johnston.
“We’re trying to show girls how makeup can be used modestly and demurely,” added Jennifer Hiss, who handles media relations for Kansas City Pure Fashion.
The fashion show is scheduled for April 26 at Mission Hills Country Club and will feature clothes from local boutiques. Details regarding the event can be found on the organization’s Web site at: www.purefashion.com; a link for tickets to the Kansas City show will be available by March 1.


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Zoom Video Communications (ZM)
When meetings and classes moved online due to the pandemic, Zoom’s business flourished.
But as the economy reopened and employees started going back to the office, there have been concerns about the growth potential of this video communications company.
Year to date, Zoom shares have fallen 42%.
But Wood continues to see opportunity in the stock. In fact, Zoom is currently the largest holding at ARKK, accounting for 10.1% of the fund’s weight.
Earlier this month, Ark Invest released a research report showing how Zoom shares could see a glorious revival in the not-too-distant future.
“According to ARK’s open-source research and model, Zoom’s share price could approach $1,500, compounding at a 76% annual growth rate, in 2026,” Wood’s team wrote.
Since Zoom shares trade at around $106 a piece right now, that price target implies a potential upside of over 1,300%.
Tesla has long been a staple for growth investors. But now, it’s also a name worth considering for contrarian investors – given how much the stock has pulled back.
Since reaching a closing high of $1,229.91 on Nov. 4, the stock has fallen by a staggering 46%.
But business remains on the right track. In Q1, deliveries of the Model S, Model X, Model 3, and Model Y totaled 310,048 vehicles, up 68% year over year.
Ark Invest also sees a gaming-changing product coming for the company — robotaxi.
“Tesla’s prospective robotaxi business line is a key driver, contributing 60% of expected value and more than half of expected EBITDA in 2026,” wrote Ark analyst Tasha Keeney in a report in April.
In that report, Ark expects a share price of $4,600 for Tesla by 2026. That represents a potential upside of over 590% from where the stock sits today.
So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Tesla is the second-largest holding at ARKK with an 8.6% weight.
The secular trend of on-demand video streaming has created several winners in the tech space.
Roku is one of them. Since going public in September 2017, the stock has returned more than 200%.
The company’s platform gives users access to streaming services such as Youtube, Netflix, and Disney+. Roku also offers its own ad-supported channels featuring licensed third-party content.
The company added 1.1 million active accounts in Q1, bringing its total active accounts to 61.3 million. Revenue rose 28% year over year to $734 million.
Although Roku’s business is growing, investors have been bailing in rapid fashion. The stock is down a staggering 82% over the past 12 months.
But Ark Invest is not giving up on Roku. In fact, Roku remains the third-largest holding at ARKK, accounting for 8.4% of the fund’s weight.
Fine art as an investment
Stocks can be volatile, cryptos make big swings to either side, and even gold is not immune to the market’s ups and downs.
That’s why if you are looking for the ultimate hedge, it could be worthwhile to check out a real, but overlooked asset: fine art.
Contemporary artwork has outperformed the S&P 500 by a commanding 174% over the past 25 years, according to the Citi Global Art Market chart.
And it’s becoming a popular way to diversify because it’s a real physical asset with little correlation to the stock market.
On a scale of -1 to +1, with 0 representing no link at all, Citi found the correlation between contemporary art and the S&P 500 was just 0.12 during the past 25 years.
Earlier this year, Bank of America investment chief Michael Harnett singled out artwork as a sharp way to outperform over the next decade — due largely to the asset’s track record as an inflation hedge.
Investing in art by the likes of Banksy and Andy Warhol used to be an option only for the ultrarich. But with a new investing platform, you can invest in iconic artworks just like Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates do.

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Rashtriya Janata Dal Supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav on Friday branded the Goods and Services Tax (GST) as‘anti-small traders’.
Talking to reporters here, Lalu said, “The GST is anti- small traders. There are many anomalies in the new tax regime and that is why protests are being reported from many parts of India.”
He took a dig at the celebrations from today midnight over the rollout of the GST at the Central Hall of the Parliament by Prime Minister Narendra Modi led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government.
“The GST was passed by everyone and they (BJP) are celebrating it. Let them celebrate,” Lalu said, whose party boycotted the launch of the GST on Thursday.
It was the Mamata Banerjee led Trinamool Congress that first boycotted the GST rollout. Later, many Opposition parties like Congress, Samajwadi Party, and the Left too decided to skip the midnight event.
The Opposition’s charge is that the government is in a hurry to implement the new tax regime when there are many shortcomings in it that need more time.
They have also alleged that Modi government is doing publicity stunt in the garb of the GST rollout.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in the presence of President Pranab Mukherjee, on Friday midnight will unveil the GST which will replace more than a dozen state and central taxes.


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Report says Amazon is focusing on in-house delivery service
Global e-commerce powerhouse Amazon is hard at work on a new delivery service offering that is geared towards making more products available for free two-day delivery while helping to relieve overcrowded warehouses, a Bloomberg report stated today. Citing two people “familiar with the plan,” Bloomberg said that this initiative will drive Amazon more deeply into services typically handled for the Seattle-based company by UPS and FedEx.
Logistics in the NewsReport: Amazon to roll out offerings to take market share from FedEx and UPS Emerge names Crawford as president December truck tonnage finishes a strong year in 2018, reports ATA Despite sluggish December, IANA reports 2018 intermodal volumes post annual gains FedEx Express announces plans to acquire Israel-based Flying Cargo Group More Logistics News
Logistics ResourceNew White Paper focuses on the ABC’s of Anti-Dumping/Countervailing Duties While the U.S. government has always prioritized protection of U.S. companies against imports that are sold at below market prices, or unfairly subsidized, the Trump administration clearly intends to raise the bar with regard to trade policy enforcement.
Global e-commerce powerhouse Amazon is hard at work on a new delivery service offering that is geared towards making more products available for free two-day delivery while helping to relieve overcrowded warehouses, a Bloomberg report stated today.
Citing two people “familiar with the plan,” Bloomberg said that this initiative will drive Amazon more deeply into services typically handled for the Seattle-based company by UPS and FedEx.
The report explained that Amazon first began work on this service, entitled Seller Flex, in India in 2015 and subsequently “slowly marketing” it to United States-based merchants with an eye on a national expansion. And it noted that its U.S. launch kicked off on the West Coast earlier this year, which is expected to be followed with what the report called a broader rollout.
In terms of how Seller Flex works, Bloomberg said that Amazon will oversee package pickups from the warehouses of third-party merchants selling goods through Amazon.com and delivery to customers’ homes. These tasks are currently handled for Amazon by UPS and FedEx. And while Amazon may still use UPS and FedEx for delivery, the report said that Amazon will decide how to send a package, as opposed to leaving that at the discretion of the seller.
Among the benefits of handling more deliveries for Amazon, cited in the report, are things like providing greater flexibility and control over the last mile to consumer’s homes, saving money through volume discounts, and helping to avoid congestion in Amazon warehouses through keeping merchandise in outside sellers’ facilities. Other noted benefits include how Seller Flex would provide Amazon with more flexibility into warehousing and delivery operations of merchant partners, with the potential of making full use of their product inventory, storage, space, and customer proximity with a quick delivery guarantee.
Seller Flex is interesting from a delivery and distribution on a few different levels, according to Jerry Hempstead, president of Hempstead Consulting.
“It's for retailers that peddle their products on the Amazon site. So in some situations, dependent on volume, of course, it’s more efficient to pick up some packages I think they are looking at regional footprints) and inject the volumes directly,” he said. This is in lieu of moving volume from retailer to Amazon fulfillment and then from Amazon fulfillment to consumer. This next logical step can reduce mileage on a piece of inventory, reduce handling, and reduce time to consumer gratification.”
As for the potential impact of Amazon’s Seller Flex on UPS and FedEx, Hempstead said it is not perceived as a “huge threat,” saying it is more of a logical nuance. And he noted that some retailers that use Amazon to sell their items select their own carrier today but are required to meet Amazon’s delivery requirements and some of that business may be subject to diversion away from the integrators.
“I think this new offering will be limited in clientele and delivery footprint,” said Hempstead.
A research note issued by Baird and Co. analyst Colin Sebastian said that Amazon’s final-mile efforts reflect a logical extension to its model as it builds network density, justifying incremental insourcing of purchased transportation spend, as well as ongoing efforts to continue managing rising costs in its final-mile delivery network.
In recent years, Amazon has been diligent in expanding its own logistics network in the form of things like opening 20 regional sort centers and launching its own air network contracting with ATSG and Atlas Airlines. Other logistics-related efforts of note by Amazon include things like testing drone delivery of parcels, and building an Uber-like app for freight, among others.
“Amazon’s steps to build out its delivery business certainly has the industry abuzz,” Rob Martinez, president and CEO at Shipware, an audit and parcel consulting services company, told LM earlier this year. “Amazon’s stated goal—rather than to compete with the likes of FedEx and UPS—is simply to minimize their reliance on the national carriers. But make no mistake about it: Amazon is already into the transportation business in a big way. In the past few years, they’ve amassed a fleet of delivery vehicles, negotiated extended leases on forty 767 air freighters, announced plans to invest $1.5 billion in an air cargo hub in northern Kentucky, and recently started acting as a freight forwarder by handling ocean shipments from China. While the national carriers publicly feign disinterest in Amazon’s recent moves, only stating that Amazon remains a very good customer, secretly they have to be nervous.”
About the AuthorJeff Berman, Group News Editor Jeff Berman is Group News Editor for Logistics Management, Modern Materials Handling, and Supply Chain Management Review. Jeff works and lives in Cape Elizabeth, Maine, where he covers all aspects of the supply chain, logistics, freight transportation, and materials handling sectors on a daily basis. Contact Jeff Berman
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What to eat before, during and after a workout
What to eat before exercise
Before you exercise, eat carbs, but not too much, said Nancy Cohen, a professor in the department of nutrition at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst.
She recommended consuming 1 to 4 grams of carbohydrates per every 2.2 pounds of body weight if you are planning to exercise for longer than an hour. To put that in perspective, a medium banana has about 27 grams of total carbohydrates.


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Chancellor kicks City watchdog
The Northern Rock crisis has forced ministers to tear up the rules covering the customer safety net for failed banks - opening a rift with the City watchdog.
By promising that the Government and Bank of England will guarantee all the savings of customers at Northern Rock, Chancellor Alistair Darling has effectively accepted that the current policing and rescue scheme for finance firms has lost the public's trust.
The decision is a major blow to the credibility of the Financial Services Authority (FSA), which runs the existing regime through the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS). The problem with the FSCS stems from the fact that it imposes strict limits on the compensation which can be claimed by savers. These mean that a bank customer would get 100% only of the first £2,000 saved. Compensation would be limited to 90% of the figure between £2,000 and £35,000, while anything over that amount would be lost.
These limits have not been raised since 2001, even though personal wealth and the sums held in accounts have risen substantially since then. These conditions meant that someone investing £35,000 or £50,000 in Northern Rock would be entitled to a maximum compensation pay-out of £31,700 if it went bust.
Now the Government has removed that risk, consumer groups believe many savers will be happy to stay at home and ride out the current storm. The U-turn on compensation came hours after the Government's National Consumer Council (NCC) had called for emergency measures to improve the compensation regime.
It argued that full compensation should be offered for all savings up to £35,000. The decision on Northern Rock opens a hornets' nest, however, because consumers who have lost out following the collapse of other financial services and investment companies in the past might feel it is unfair that their compensation was limited.
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KUALA LUMPUR (Sept 28): Berjaya Corp Bhd (BCorp) posted a net profit of RM35.06 million in its fiscal first quarter ended July 31, 2018 (1QFY19) against a net loss of RM43.4 million in the corresponding quarter a year ago, owing to a disposal gain.
The group registered earnings per share of 0.66 sen in 1QFY19 versus loss per share of 0.73 sen a year ago.
Revenue fell 2.57% year-on-year to RM2.14 billion from RM2.2 billion.
In a bourse filing, BCorp said it made a disposal gain amounting to RM76.6 million on a subsidiary company but that most of its business segments, including gaming, consumer products and services, and F&B, also showed improved operating results.
However, this was partly offset by the property investment and development, and hotel and resorts segments. The former was impacted by lower contribution from foreign projects and progress billings. Weak consumer sentiment, intense competition and lack of major product launches also affected its retail distribution business.
However, motor distribution revenue was boosted by new car sales.
The board of directors cautioned that the operating environment will be challenging going forward, given the prevailing economic conditions and global financial outlook.
BCorp closed unchanged at 29 sen for a market capitalisation of RM1.41 billion.


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Sweden’s retail sales increased in August and the trade surplus increased from last year, figures from Statistics Sweden showed on Tuesday.
Retail sales rose 6.6 percent year-on-year in August, following a 5.3 percent increase in July. Sales grew for the eighth consecutive month.
Retail sales in durables gained 10.6 percent in August and those of consumables, excluding sales at the state-owned chain of liquor stores increased 2.5 percent.
On a monthly basis, retail sales rose a seasonally adjusted 0.7 percent in August.
The trade surplus decreased to SEK 10.3 billion in August from SEK 1.8 billion in the same month last year. In July, the trade surplus was SEK 6.6 billion.
Exports rose 11.0 percent annually in August and imports grew 19.0 percent.
On a seasonally adjusted basis, the trade surplus decreased to SEK 2.9 billion in August compared with a surplus of SEK 3.0 billion in the previous month.


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CIRCLE’S POPULAR STABLECOIN USDC NOW AVAILABLE ON STELLAR DECENTRALIZED EXCHANGE
World’s second-most popular stablecoin USDC is now live on the Stellar decentralized blockchain network! As per the latest announcement, the USD-pegged stablecoin shall be available in six stablecoin pairs via five Stellar integrated wallets. Currently, any Stellar account holders can have access to USDC and trade it across Stellar’s ecosystem comprising of 9000 assets.
We and @circlepay are excited to announce that Stellar USDC is now live and immediately available on Stellar's decentralized exchange, accessible to any Stellar account through integrated wallets, and tradable across Stellar's ecosystem! https://t.co/jeARyW3Hhv— Stellar (@StellarOrg) February 2, 2021
Both, USDC and Stellar have registered record growth in recent years. Circle’s USDC stablecoin has emerged as the 12th most-valued cryptocurrency with a market cap of $5.93 billion. On the other hand, the Stellar blockchain network has also registered over 100% growth in terms of total transactions processed.
This integration will further propel the network growth as the existing Stellar users can connect and create new business opportunities on the platform. Using the Circle account and its API services integration, business and developers can get instant access to the Stellar USDC. The range of different APIs that come along with the Circle Account allows users to accept payments at scale while issuing programmable payouts and simultaneously building marketplaces. Speaking about the new USDC integration, Denelle Dixon, CEO of Stellar Development Foundation said:
“This integration is going to be a powerhouse for growth in the Stellar ecosystem and a catalyst towards achieving our mission of creating equitable access to the global financial system. It presents significant business opportunities for both new and existing companies to build on the respective strengths of USDC and Stellar. Businesses and developers will benefit from Circle’s scale and liquidity to deliver on the kinds of products and use cases the Stellar was designed for, especially cross-border payments and tokenization.”
Offering Liquidity for Stellar USDC
As the press release notes, companies within the Stellar ecosystem like JST, FiClusive, and Stably, have started offering Stellar native-integrations that can provide on/off ramp services as well as support liquidity for Stellar USDC. Moreover, there are many other Stellar-native programs that are looking to integrate USDC into their products and payment options. Jeremy Allaire, Chairman and CEO of Circle, said:
“Stellar is helping transform international payments with leading edge technology and a fast-growing ecosystem of businesses and developers creating a new generation of financial applications. Having a trusted and transparent dollar stablecoin, like USDC, in market and available across Circle’s suite of API services for payments and treasury operations will help accelerate the pace and scale of these innovations.”
Stellar XLM crypto has also seen a good surge (30%) over the last week. At press time, XLM is the 11th most-valued crypto asset trading at a price of $0.34 with a market cap of $7.6 billion.Source


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Cybercrimes are on the rise and can affect the daily operations of retail store. Being Cybersecurity aware involves being mindful of cybersecurity in the day-to-day running of retail operations. Being aware of the dangers of browsing the web, payment processing, checking email, and interacting online are all components of cybersecurity awareness. As retail leaders, it’s our responsibility to make sure that all our employees consider cybersecurity to be an essential part of their role.
In the first of six webinars provided by RCC’s Retail CyberSecure program, hear Randy Purse, Senior Cybersecurity Advisor, Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst at Toronto Metropolitan University, address those concerns and how retailers can protect themsleves.
RCC’s Retail CyberSecure program creates essential resources to inform how retailers can fortify their systems and train their staff on the best practices in preventing cyber crime. The program, delivered by RCC through the generous support of Ontario government’s Ministry of the Solicitor General and alongside cybercrimes experts, retail IT experts, the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), offers a variety of tools, including free downloadable guidebooks, e-learning training modules, links to critical industry resources, and videos.
Register today for future sessions:


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By Emma Mitchell •
Updated: 30 Aug 2023 • 17:40
Staple food. Credit: Image by Freepik
Inflation and the cost of living make global headlines daily and food has been the biggest contributor to the crisis. How can the price of such a simple and necessary commodity have risen so much and still be increasing?
It’s no secret to anyone who’s gulped when producing their bank card at a supermarket checkout that the price we consumers pay for food has been skyrocketing in the last year or two.
Global e-commerce platform, Ubuy.com, conducted a study in April 2023 to see which had experienced the biggest price increases in food out of the US, EU, UK, Australia and Canada. They found that, over the last year, the EU and UK experienced over twice the inflation hike on food than the other countries; a whopping 19.6 per cent against 9 per cent in Australia, 8.9 per cent in Canada and 8.5 per cent in the US. The forecast into 2024 from tradingeconomics.com seems to bring consumers a ray of light with food inflation dropping from an average of well over 10 per cent in the EU to nearer 5 per cent by April 2024.
What we consumers need to remember however, is that this simply means that food will continue to get more expensive, just not as fast as it has been in 2023.
Conventional wisdom often says that it’s processed foods that increase in price the most, however in the last few years it is the absolute staples of life such as bread, eggs, dairy and cheese, rice, sugar and edible oils that have seen the biggest rises.
The EU’s Eurostat site reports that eggs were an incredible 30 per cent more expensive in January 2023 than a year earlier and, though inflation has reduced a little since then, the average price in April was still over 22 per cent than a year before.
The New York Times looked at the price increases of staple foods across the EU in April and found staggering increases in every day basket items such as sugar, potatoes, cheese, milk and eggs.
Huge price increases on food basics can be confounding when they don’t need as much processing and packaging as other food, however the staples have been tossed about in a perfect storm of circumstances.
The United Nations addresses the main causes in its monthly bulletin for August 2023.
Though the pandemic now seems like a lifetime away, it was the catalyst for the start of the incredible food price rises we now suffer. Back in 2020 the pandemic was rife, and global production was going offline as nations locked down. Although demand for products decreased as society went into hiding, the aftershocks included crippling supply chain disruption and manufacturing bottlenecks with the result that demand far outstripped supply and prices rose.
Ukraine is often referred to as the world’s ‘bread basket’ and is a major agricultural producer of grains, including wheat and sunflower as well as fertilisers. When Russia invaded it moved quickly to shut down the all-important Black Sea ports from which food and fertilisers were shipped.
In July 2022 Russia agreed to the Black Sea Grain Initiative which secured safe passage out of Ukrainian ports for food, most of which were bound for developing countries in Africa. The agreement expired in May 2023 with Russia failing to agree to an extension and so, once again, exports of food were crippled and the price of grain and fertiliser rose along with the demand for a smaller global supply.
Some countries who are major producers, in response to rising domestic food prices, have moved to ban the export of some basics or have imposed massive duty increases.
One such country is India, which produces 40 per cent of the rice sold globally. In response to price increases on non-Basmati rice of 30 per cent in a year, the Indian Government announced in July 2023 that it was banning the export of all non-Basmati rice in order to calm the price of it domestically. It has since announced a 40 per cent export duty on onions until the end of the year.
Such action increases demand for the supply from other countries who produce the commodity and, in a seller’s market, the price for that food stuff increases.
One of the unforeseen aftershocks of COVID in developed countries has been dubbed ‘the great resignation’. After long periods of lockdown and furlough a significant number of workers, particularly in the 50-plus age bracket, decided to retire early.
Added to that phenomenon was an increase in economically inactive people due to increasing rates of illness. The United Kingdom suffered the triple whammy of Brexit; finding that without the free-flow of workers from the EU, vacancies were hard to fill.
Employers in developed countries suddenly found themselves needing to offer higher salaries to attract new staff and give current staff wage increases in order to stop them jumping ship to competitors.
The situation has since been compounded as workers responded to increasing inflation and the cost of living crisis by demanding wage increases. The ripple effect on food is that it costs more in labour from production to distribution and retail and this adds to the price of it.
We seem to be assaulted by dramatic weather events on a weekly basis with a parade of floods, droughts, storms, wildfires and extreme temperatures (at either end) across the news.
Whilst many relate to these climate events on a personal level when holidays are disrupted or gas and electricity bills go up in response to cold spells, the biggest impact is almost certainly on food production.
In Spain, several years of drought has resulted in poor olive harvests and the price of olive oil so high it’s now referred to as ‘liquid gold’. Floods in Pakistan have reduced the amount of rice produced, unfortunately coinciding with India’s export ban.
Columbia, one of the world’s biggest coffee exporters, has seen production fall by 10 per cent so far in 2023 due to extreme cold snaps and droughts. More worryingly, predictions are that climate change will have such an impact on coffee growing conditions that global production of it will halve by 2025.
All across the globe, unprecedented weather events are resulting in poor or lost crops and lower meat production with an inevitable impact on market prices for food.
In developed countries most industries are becoming increasingly concentrated; in other words the big fish gobble up the smaller fish leaving fewer fish in the pond to compete with. The food industry is no exception.
The United Nations reports that, in the US, more than half the price increase in food during the final quarter of 2022 was driven by higher profits. In the EU it has been estimated that corporate profits account for over half the increase in inflation over the last two years. Even now, as global food inflation calms, the profits of these corporate behemoths increase as any benefits to lowering inflation are filtered through to consumers at glacial pace.
The fact that there doesn’t seem to be a ready solution to all these causes of rampant inflation to staple food prices suggests that consumers will keep seeing the cost of their basics going up. Certainly, international non-governmental groups are concerned that growing food prices are pushing more people into poverty and increasing food insecurity globally. We tend to think of wars being fought over declining fossil fuels, but it may come to pass that food becomes the commodity that nations start seeking to protect by force.
Thank you for taking the time to read this article. Do remember to come back and check The Euro Weekly News website for all your up-to-date local and international news stories and remember, you can also follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
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Emma landed in journalism after nearly 30 years as an executive in the Internet industry. She lives in Bédar and her interests include raising one eyebrow, reckless thinking and talking to people randomly. If you have a great human interest story you can contact her on email@example.com
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The nostalgia-soaked Integra will seemingly go down in history as Acura’s gas-powered epilogue, as everything that follows won’t have a combustion engine. Automotive News reports that the rebirth of an icon serves as ICE’s swan song for Honda’s premium division. Emile Korkor, Acura’s assistant vice president of national sales, believes buyers of the Civic-based liftback will be “ready for the next generation, whatever iteration it might take.”
He went on to mention that the 2023 Integra will help Acura solidify its loyal customer base before embracing electrification. The plan is to ignore hybrids altogether and focus solely on battery-electric vehicles, the first of which will be an SUV tied to the 2024 Honda Prologue. The duo will use General Motors’ bespoke Ultium platform, with plans so that both are supposedly built by GM.
Meanwhile, Korkor said A that the ILX replacement has been well received by fans and Acura believes the bulk of production will be represented by the top-of-the-line A-Spec with technology package. It costs just under $37,000, about $5,000 more than the base trim level. The new arrival represents a shift in strategy as most of the sales of previous models were accounted for by the lower configurations, while the Integra is expected to generate most of the volume in the more expensive specs.
Knowing that enthusiasts would opt for the six-speed manual transmission, Acura decided to fit a clutch pedal only in the top trim without making the car too expensive. Since it rides on the same platform as the Civic, the company was able to spread development costs and keep the Integra accessible even in fully loaded form. The fact that it was also built in the United States rather than imported also helped keep prices in check.
Emile Korkor added that “positioning the Integra is really an important thing, as a real gateway to the brand, and a worthy successor to the original Integra”. Production at Honda’s Marysville auto plant began earlier this month and Acura dealerships will have cars on display beginning in early June.


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the firm are delighted to reveal that they are on track with their expansion plans and are excited to be taking Zengo & Co to the next level
(PRWEB) April 11, 2016
On Friday the 1st April sales and marketing professionals descended on America’s Midwest to attend a much anticipated weekend business retreat, hosted by some of the industry’s leading experts and mentors. The 2 day event was organised to support leadership growth and help businesses implement new strategies for effective, fluid leadership. Currently, the sales and marketing industry is experiencing a period of rapid growth with businesses across the country planning to expand their reach in 2016. However, for these plans to be implemented successfully businesses need to have a strong and competent leadership teams in place that are capable of making tough decisions and keeping these new projects on track. By organising a series of intensive workshops and insightful talks from some of sales and marketing’s most experienced leaders, organizers of the event were hopeful that businesses from across the U.S would be able to access the support needed to take their firms to the next level and benefit from the expertise on offer.
About Zengo & Co: http://www.zengoandco.com/about-us/
Chicago based Zengo & Co were thrilled to be a part of the weekend leadership retreat and have for a long time championed the importance of continuous learning. The firm believe that regardless of an individual’s skill level or understanding of business there is always room to improve, especially in a fast moving industry. The firm are adamant that working in sales and marketing requires an unwavering commitment to learning as success relies heavily on adapting to market trends and changing consumer behaviours. As such Zengo & Co invest heavily in internal mentoring and take steps to ensure they are able to bring as many of their contractors as possible to these types of networking and educational events.
Topics covered over the two days included how to improve focus, how to have fun in the work environment, time management and organization, creating a winning mind set and how to form stronger internal bonds. The event also held extra importance for Zengo & Co, as managing Director Nuhi Shahin was invited as a key note speaker and delivered an inspiring talk on how it’s important for leaders to have a vision and keep their focus on the bigger picture when striving for bigger and better results.
In terms of leadership, 2016 has already been a huge year for Zengo & Co. the event marketing specialists recently increased their reach to New Jersey, opening a new office in Jersey City. The firm also revealed back at the start of the year that they are preparing to open in a total of 10 new locations across the U.S, and to support this growth the firm are already heavily invested in the professional progression of their contractors. With face to face event marketing currently being in high demand from both brands and consumers the firm are delighted to reveal that they are on track with their expansion plans and are excited to be taking Zengo & Co to the next level.


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The American city of Miami is known for its attitude against institutional finance, or it looked like this during the period from June 4 to 5 this year. At that time, a total of 12,000 people dressed in suits, ceremonial costumes and whale hats attended the world's largest Bitcoin conference. Cryptocurrency gurus like Jack Dorsey enthusiastically praised those who are serious about pursuing wealth and freedom, and when El Salvador’s President Naib Bukler announced the country’s plan to legalize Bitcoin, the crowd broke out. There was a commotion.
The British "Economist" pointed out in its report that many currencies listed on stock exchanges are "tokens" and they can become speculative tools. They are different from ordinary currencies and they do not want to realize all the functions of currencies. Security "tokens"-such as stocks and bonds, whose purpose is to invest, represent the ownership of the company or other assets registered in the ledger.
At the same time, tokens related to "public utilities" can be traded. They can be bought or used in exchange for services. For example, cryptocurrency exchanges often sell tokens that gamblers use to pay transaction fees.
However, out of a total of 776 tokens, only nearly 110 tokens have a market value of more than 100 million U.S. dollars. Among them, the strongest competing currencies can be divided into two categories. One is the version represented by "Bitcoin". They are designed to repair the flaws of cryptocurrency and make it a means of payment, while the version represented by "Ether" is designed to play a new role.
One of the problems with Bitcoin is its volatility. For example, within a few hours on May 19 this year, the value of Bitcoin dropped by 30%. In order to avoid such fluctuations, "stable coins" issued by the government have been sought after.
The media added that other versions of cryptocurrencies are trying to solve the privacy issues surrounding Bitcoin because all Bitcoin transactions are recorded on the "blockchain" in a public database, leaving their mark.
On June 7 this year, U.S. officials stated that after discovering the virtual wallets used by hackers, they had successfully recovered the $2.3 million ransom paid to these hackers. In May of this year, these hackers shut down the United States. Lonil Pipeline Transportation Company, and demanded the ransom in the form of Bitcoin. Some digital currencies try to hide the identity of their holders as much as possible by using anonymity technology. For example, "Monero" (Monero) tries to prevent the currency circulation from being linked to a fixed identity, or to prevent tracking funds or monitoring transactions scale.
Other versions of digital currencies still try to make the payment process cheaper and faster, and ensure the legitimacy of transactions without relying on a central authority. Among them, Bitcoin relies on "Proof of Work", and "miners" usually need to verify their transactions through very time-consuming algorithms.
Nevertheless, Bitcoin is based on a design that allows it to process only about 7 transactions per second. Therefore, the creators of "Litecoin" adjusted this algorithm to enable it to process new transactions faster. A set of transactions. In contrast, the supply of "Dogecoin" launched as a joke is still unrestricted.
Choose stable currency or cryptocurrency?
In the face of every defect that it tries to fix, Bitcoin seems to have lost its original desirable attributes. For example, stablecoins require users to trust the issuer (must keep a fixed cash reserve) and the government, which undermines the original design goal of cryptocurrency. In February of this year, the New York authorities imposed a fine of up to 18.5 million U.S. dollars on the issuer of the stable coin Tether, on the grounds that he lied about the US dollar reserve.
Due to concerns about possible money laundering activities, major global exchanges have cancelled the ultra-private cryptocurrency Monero. At the same time, the system of proving equity encourages the storage of currency and limits its liquidity. According to analysts at Brave New Coin Research, these situations may be the reason why there is no version of cryptocurrency that can surpass Bitcoin. The current alternative behaviors, such as those on GitHub, a platform used by programmers to collaborate on projects, can prove that Bitcoin is still very popular.
The media pointed out that the threat comes from smarter "blockchain" currencies, which can achieve more than just recording payments. For example, the public blockchain platform "Ethereum", the second largest digital cryptocurrency "Ethereum" ( Ethereum), you can use automated software to realize the function of transferring funds between wallets after a specific event occurs. The digital currency version represented by "Ether" has become the core of the emerging decentralized financial field. They can run "smart contracts" to simulate complex financial transactions such as providing loans or insurance, without the need for trusted intermediaries.
In the past 12 months, the data company Chain Analysis estimates that the emerging decentralized financial sector has successfully dominated 40% of Ether transactions, an increase of 7% over the previous period, and there are nearly 620 in its application memory. Billion dollars in funding. Decentralized finance is still limited, but it is growing rapidly. As for Bitcoin, because its blockchain cannot run smart contracts, it lacks sufficient advantages to catch up with the momentum of "Ether". On the other hand, the advantages and scarcity of Bitcoin may make it attractive as a monopoly asset. Nevertheless, this may only be a compensation for failure.


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RUMORS ARE FALSE
From: Director of OperationsTo: Crisis Management Team
About: RUMORS ARE FALSE
Information circulating online stating that the origin of the food poisoning outbreak was low quality sugar is false. We are still conducting our own investigation and collaborating with the authorities in determining what caused the E. coli outbreak. However, we believe this information will not be available before tomorrow. We ask that you take measures to prevent this rumour from spreading further.


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- Walmart is expanding a tuition benefit that offers its 1.5 million U.S. employees access to online degrees through a set of partner universities for $1 a day.
- By adding seven bachelor's degrees and two career diplomas in health-related fields to its Live Better U program, the retailer is addressing the growing demand for health care workers across the U.S. as it moves to increase its own presence in that sector.
- The additions also raise the count of programs offered through the benefit to 50, joining offerings in technology, supply chain and business topics.
Walmart is one of several major employers to offer its workers an opportunity to access education that could help them move up in the ranks. In recent months, Papa John's announced it would offer corporate employees free associate, bachelor's and master's degrees. And JetBlue expanded its Scholars program to include master's degrees.
The latest addition to the Walmart's tuition benefit includes bachelor's degrees in health science, health and wellness, and health care management/administration from Purdue University Global and Bellevue, Southern New Hampshire and Wilmington universities.
Two career diplomas for pharmacy technicians and opticians are also available, offered by career training provider Penn Foster. The diplomas and degrees will be offered through Guild Education, a third-party platform.
The additions come as the company makes a push to expand its footprint in the health care sector. It already has some 5,000 pharmacies, 3,000 vision centers and 400 hearing centers across its Walmart and Sam's Club brands. Earlier this month, Walmart opened its first health care center, in Georgia, offering services such as primary care, labs, X-rays and counseling. It plans to open another location in the state next year.
Across the country, health care workers are in limited supply. The U.S. could be short by as many as 122,000 primary care and specialty physicians by 2032, the result of a growing aging population and limited impact from efforts to streamline care delivery, according to research from the Association of American Medical Colleges.
In response, colleges are adding new or expanding existing campus-based and online medical programs, increasing their nondegree offerings and, in some cases, waiving tuition to encourage students to pursue lower-paying areas of medicine such as family practice, rather than more lucrative specialties.


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But today, entertainment website WhatCulture! is reporting that a brand protection company working for Sony Pictures has been buying up Bond-related URLs faster than you can say Moneypenny.
And when one of the 007 franchise owners starts registering such web addresses as jamesbondskyfall.com, jamesbondskyfall.net, skyfallmovie.net and a dozen other related URLs, it’s got to be either an elaborate attempt to throw us off the scent or an indication that Skyfall is indeed the title they’re considering for the upcoming new movie.
The question is, what do you think of the name? Vote in our poll and post a comment below.


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Tel Aviv company Triond has launched a new Web publishing service and announced a financing round of $1.5 million from Giza Venture Capital.
. Triond, which was founded by experts in Web software development and online revenue generation is a privately held company that offers users a complete publishing experience enabling them to reach a wide audience, gain recognition, and earn revenue for their work.
Users can submit original content – anything from written articles to photographs – for publication on relevant sites within Triond’s content network. The technology is aimed at professional writers, bloggers, hobbyists, students and stay-at-home workers, who want to publish their work on targeted sites.
Triond boasts a simple revenue-generating model. Every user earns 50 percent of the advertising revenue generated from their content. Earnings begin to accumulate as soon as the content is published, and users are paid monthly.


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First lady Melania Trump turns 47 years old today, and to celebrate we’re taking a look at the former model’s shoe style since President Donald Trump took office.
Since Inauguration Day, Melania has had more and more official public appearances. And she’s rarely seen not wearing heels. Moreover, she’s rarely not wearing Christian Louboutins.
However, for Easter, Trump opted for pastel pink pointy-toed ballet flats.
April 2017: Melania Trump in a Hervé Pierre dress and pink flats.
Earlier in April, the first lady was seen exiting Air Force One wearing sky-high stiletto pumps from Christian Louboutin in a peachy coral.
The first lady steps off Air Force One wearing coral Christian Louboutin pumps.
Again she donned Louboutin heels, but with a Valentino dress, at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, with President Donald Trump, Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife, Peng Liyuan.
Melania Trump wearing a Valentino Daisy appliqué crepe dress with Christian Louboutin’s So Kate pumps.
Back in March, Trump changed it up a bit, wearing beige Manolo Blahnik BB heels with a red coat to make her way across the White House lawn to Marine One with the president.
Melania Trump wearing Manolo Blahnik BB heels.
For more of Melania Trump’s shoe style, check out the gallery.
Melania Trump Makes a Rare Public Speech in Christian Louboutins
Melania Trump Greets Viral Stars in $1,200 Louboutin Skyscraper Party Pumps at Mar-a-Lago
Melania Trump Wisely Styled Her Celeb-Approved 5-Inch Heels With This Hot Red Coat
CNN Docu Highlights Melania Trump’s First Lady Fashion Hits & Misses


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The Volkswagen NMC (New Midsize Coupe) concept makes official the German carmaker's plans ...
Electric-car guru Tom Gage steps down from AC Propulsion
Electric-car innovator Tom Gage resigned the morning of Oct. 5 from California company AC Propulsion, Autoweek has learned.
Gage, the now-former CEO, joined the company in 1996, several years after its founding, and has become its public face and a widely used resource on electric cars.
His work at AC Propulsion gained wide attention in the industry, and the company specializes in powertrain research. It's done extensive projects for Mini and Tesla and also created its own sports car, called the Tzero.
AC Propulsion also researches vehicle-to-grid electronics and is expanding into the burgeoning car market of China, with a manufacturing plant in Shanghai and a new one planned for Beijing.
“My personal goal is commercialization of electric vehicles, and they're plenty of opportunities for that,” he told Autoweek.
Get more car news, reviews and opinion every day: Sign up to have the Autoweek Daily Drive delivered right to your inbox.


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ANAHEIM, Calif. - For a limited time, California residents can visit the Disneyland Resort theme parks for as low as $83 per person, per day as part of a new special ticket offer for in-state residents.
The offer includes three-day, one-park per day tickets start at $249 and eligible guests may purchase a park hopper option for an additional $55, Disneyland officials announced Tuesday.
Disneyland Resort guests can experience unforgettable attractions, see beloved Disney friends, shop for the latest merchandise, savor the world-famous food and drinks and cherish special magical moments at both Disneyland Park and Disney California A
The limited-time tickets are available for purchase starting Thursday, July 6, and California residents may redeem their tickets on any three separate days through September 30, 2021, subject to park reservation availability.
The special tickets may be purchased at Disneyland.com, through a travel agent, or by calling call 866-572-7321.
Valid admission and park reservation for the same park on the same date are required for park entry, Disneyland officials said.
Disneyland reopened its park doors to California residents on April 30 after being closed for more than a year amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Out-of-state guests were allowed to return to the park after June 15, the day California reopened most of its economy.
Tune in to FOX 11 Los Angeles for the latest Southern California news.


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Foldable smartphones seem to be hitting their stride with the third generation, and Samsung is reaping the rewards. New pre-order data out of Korea claims that the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 3 are not just the most popular foldables yet, but also Samsung’s best-selling devices in almost two years.
The Korea Herald reports that Samsung has taken pre-orders for the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Flip 3 amounting to over 450,000 units so far. Estimates put that final number as high as 600,000 to 800,000 units. That blows away the reported performance of last year’s Galaxy Z Fold 2, which apparently only managed to sell about 80,000 units during its pre-order period.
What’s especially interesting about these Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Flip 3 numbers are how they compare to Samsung’s non-foldable smartphones. Apparently, pre-order sales of the Fold 3 and Flip 3 combined are over twice what the Galaxy S21 series saw earlier this year and 1.5 times more than the Galaxy Note 20 series in 2020. That certainly paints a promising picture for the future of foldable smartphones.
Further breaking down the data, this report claims that the two phones are most popular with younger buyers. One carrier apparently claims that age groups in their 20s and 30s made up 49% of Galaxy Z Fold 3 pre-orders and 57% for the Galaxy Z Flip 3.
In an official statement, Samsung said that pre-orders for these two phones outpaced the entirety of Galaxy Z sales in 2021.
We are thankful for the great customer response to our new Galaxy Z Fold3 and Galaxy Z Flip3. Interest in foldable smartphones is at an all-time high, with pre-order volume for Z Fold3 and Z Flip3 already outpacing total sales for Galaxy Z devices to date in 2021. We’re committed to providing the most innovative experiences to our consumers.
More on Samsung:
- Samsung’s numbers just keep dropping as Galaxy S21 sales are reportedly even slower than S20
- Galaxy Z Fold 3, Flip 3 screens are way better this year, but repair costs are still sky-high
- Samsung breaks the triple-digit barrier w/ Galaxy Z Flip 3 priced at $999
- Galaxy Z Fold 3’s display is 25% easier on your battery, thanks to Samsung’s new Eco OLED tech
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.


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Toyota Motor Corp., Honda Motor Co. and Nissan Motor Co. boosted their global output in August to meet strong demand in the U.S. and Asian markets.
Toyota increased global production 7.8 percent to 670,838 vehicles, and Honda’s output rose 8.4 percent to 311,117 vehicles, the companies said in separate statements Thursday. Nissan raised production 17 percent to 267,390 vehicles.
Rising sales of fuel-efficient vehicles, such as Toyota’s Corolla and Honda’s Accord, are driving the production growth. Output at home also increased as some automakers made up for losses from the July 16 earthquake in Niigata Prefecture.
“August is usually a short production month because of the summer vacation,” said Koji Endo, senior analyst at Credit Suisse Group in Tokyo. “Workers probably gave up a few days” to recoup lost ground after the quake affected output at a supplier’s factories.
Production also rose because passenger vehicle sales in Japan were up for the first time in 26 months in August, as carmakers introduced redesigned models. Toyota introduced a new version of the ist compact on July 30, and Nissan introduced a redesigned X-Trail sport utility vehicle on Aug. 22.
Higher sales of Honda’s fuel-efficient vehicles, such as the Fit compact and the CR-V small SUV, helped drive the Tokyo-based carmaker’s growth. The company, which exports the Fit and CR-V to the U.S. from Japan, increased shipments to North America 41 percent last month due to record sales there.
“Honda is doing very well in the U.S., its most profitable market,” said Hirofumi Yokoi, an analyst at CSM Worldwide in Tokyo. “The carmaker’s core models are showing strong growth in India and China.”
Domestic production at Honda climbed to 96,415, and overseas output gained 9.1 percent to 214,702 vehicles. Honda sold 158,342 new vehicles in the U.S. in August, a record for a single month. The 4.7 percent increase was led by the Fit, the midsize Accord and the CR-V.
Honda can’t meet North American demand for CR-Vs with its factory in Ohio, forcing it to export from Japan. The company also began making CR-Vs at its plant in Mexico at the end of August, and plans to build 50,000 vehicles a year, it announced in March.
Output at Suzuki Motor Corp. jumped 22 percent as the automaker built more vehicles in India and Hungary. Suzuki built 199,142 vehicles last month. The company is increasing production in Japan, India and Hungary after introducing the SX4 and other new models.
In contrast, Mazda Motor Corp. trimmed production for a seventh straight month.


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A Southport boss has spoken of his delight after a fantastic opening weekend at his new restaurant.
Bob Warrior took the brave step to turn tapas eatery, Finos on the Waterfront into The Hache House; a unique new restaurant specialising in gourmet burgers inspired by countries from across the globe.
Being a member of the Southport BID team and having helped set up the Southport Ambassador Awards, Bob is no stranger to the hard work that comes with making a successful waterfront dining experience.
He said: “We had a great Saturday and Sunday on the opening weekend, particularly at lunchtime on Sunday when people were sat outside enjoying the weather.
“The process has taken about five months of hard work.
“Myself and my business partner, Jay Ruehle, are both on the BID board and we have known each other a long time.
“We did a lot research for each burger. It took two months to work out the perfect burger bun for The Hache House with our suppliers the Dutch Bakers.
“We tested out a lot of different combinations for our burgers to match the toppings perfectly.
“We took inspiration from different countries from around the world.”
At The Hache House diners can choose from a wide variety of burgers with flavours from an Indian burger with a spicy sweet potato cake with mango coulis to a Greek burger with halloumi and tzatziki.
The most popular burger tantalising Sandgrounder’s tastebuds is the American burger.
Topped with pulled pork, Monterey Jack cheese, battered onion rings, homemade coleslaw and BBQ sauce and chipotle mayo, the 10inch high burger was a big seller during the Southport Air Show weekend.
Bob said: “I want to offer the people of the town a place that they want to come to.
“There are a lot of restaurants specialising in burgers in Liverpool, but not so many in Southport, so we are trying to keep people in Southport and bring people to the town.
“We have already had a fantastic response and we are already over 1,000 likes on Facebook, with people taking pictures of their burgers and posting them to us.
“And our apple pie martini with cream float is proving very popular.”


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Prague’s Na Příkopech Street is the 23rd most expensive retail location in the world, according to an annual report by real estate consultants Cushman & Wakefield called Main Streets across the World. The Prague shopping street has moved up two positions from last year’s 25th spot with rents now amounting to 2,400 euro (some 65,000 crowns) per square metre a year.
Czech IT specialists organize “hackathon” to give government online motorway vignette sales system for free
Minister: Czech Republic won’t take in 40 child refugees from Greek camps
CzechTourism head hints attracting tourists no longer agency’s main goal
EU, Russia row over WWII, with Poles and Czechs on front lines
Three Czechs trapped in Wuhan due to coronavirus


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The public face of AT&T has received a facelift as the telecomms giant addresses increasing pressures in its home and international markets.
Marilyn Laurie, executive vice president in charge of public relations and corporate advertising, will now concentrate on managing its $1 billion-plus advertising spend.
Public relations will be headed by John Zeglis, AT&T?s general counsel and a senior executive vice president.
AT&T?s customer care centre now falls under the remit of the consumer unit while product management is reassigned to the business division.
Some parts of Atacama have not received rainfall for 500 years - but a sudden deluge of water upset the Desert's delicate biological balance
Spitzer Space Telescope could not spot Oumuamua, suggesting that it is actually pretty small
Greenland crater one of the 25 largest impact craters on Earth
This long-sought progenitor star was identified in an image captured by Hubble in 2007


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Glenn Obermann has a winning recipe for quality hay. At the 2018 Missouri State Fair, Obermann took Champion and Reserve Champion awards in alfalfa and grass classes 4-8, and Champion in alfalfa classes 1-3.
Short supply plus strong demand restored prices for Show-Me-Select Replacement Heifers selling Saturday, June 1. The 87 head of bred heifers averaged $1,857 at F&T Livestock Market. High lot sold for $2,100.
Visionary, entrepreneur, cattleman, pioneer, businessman and philanthropist. All words that describe Earl Brookover, the man credited with launching the commercial cattle feeding industry in western Kansas in 1951. One
In these challenging times, farmers must take a critical look at their operations when making crop planting decisions. Sorghum is coming off a 2015 higher-than-expected amount of 8.84 million planted acres, and this yea
InVivo has signed an agreement to acquire, through its holding company InVivo AgroSciences, Bioline, a subsidiary of Syngenta specialized in the production and marketing of biological control agents, and in particular m
Teachers, it is often said, live on forever through their students. Randy Blach learned from some of the best leaders the beef industry could offer; now he's passing his knowledge, integrity and passion for all th


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Eight players in organic farming in the European Union have been rewarded at the first edition of the Organic Awards of the bloc of 27 members.
The awards were announced during the European Organic Day celebrations. Key EU institutions supported the events to promote an organic approach to farming while promoting biodiversity and its farm-to-fork strategy.
These winners inspire those working to make our food and agriculture system more sustainable.
From innovative techniques for growing and propagating mushrooms in Spain to bio-intensive gardens in old Croatian farms, the awards recognized specific organic farmers, projects and retailers.
Entire regions where organic farming thrives have also been rewarded. Occitanie, a region in southwestern France, won the award for best organic region, while Cilento, the first of the so-called “bio districts”, received a homonymous award. Incidentally, both are home to many organic olive groves.
See also:Italy invests 3 billion euros to convert a quarter of agricultural land to organic by 2027
A jury made up of representatives from various institutions, including COPA-COGECA, a farmers’ union, and the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM), selected the winners.
“These winners, and those shortlisted, inspire those working to make our food and agricultural system more sustainable, using the potential of organic farming,” said Eduardo Cuoco, Director of IFOAM Europe. “Some of the award criteria were based on the holistic principles of organic care, health, ecology and equity.
Among the drivers of the Organic Day celebrations is the ambitious target set by the European Commission to have 25% of its agricultural land under organic farming schemes by 2030.
Some of the most relevant olive oil producing countries are moving in this direction. According to data from the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, nearly 11% of the country’s usable agricultural land is under organic diets.
In addition, agricultural land under organic cultivation increased by 16% in 2021. The area of organic olive groves in the country also increased by 16%, reaching 256,510 hectares.
In Italy, more than 17% of the country’s usable agricultural land is under organic regimes, according to the Federation of Organic Producers (FederBio).
However, reaching the 2030 target will require a substantial acceleration of conversion to organic practices in many countries.
According to IFOAM, 14 million hectares – 9% – of agricultural land was organic across the European Union in 2019. Between 2014 and 2019, the area under organic farming in the bloc increased 8.6% per year.
“Based on these scenarios, the 25% target by 2030 is challenging but achievable and would require a three- to five-fold increase in spending,” IFOAM said.
In the EU, over 340,000 farmers have adopted or converted to organic diets and are responsible for over €38.8 billion in retail sales. About 3.2% of retail sales of agricultural products come from organic products.
“Today we celebrate organic production, a type of sustainable agriculture where food production is done in harmony with nature, biodiversity and animal welfare,” Agriculture Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski said during the introduction of the first European day of organic farming.
“I am happy that together with the European Parliament, the Council and the key players in this sector, we can launch this annual European day of organic farming, a great opportunity to raise awareness of organic production and to promote the key role that it plays in the transition to a food system”.


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Coca-Cola Amatil has said it will slash 150 jobs in Victoria as its profits slumped nearly 28 per cent in the first six months of 2011.
CCA’s first half profit was badly hit as it was forced to restructure its struggling SPC Ardmona (SPCA) business in Victoria.
The soft drink supplier today reported a 27.8 per cent drop in net profit for the six months ended July 1, 2011, to $153.6 million.
The result included $80.5 million in writedowns on the assets and inventory of the SPCA fruit and vegetable processing business.
The company said the high dollar had led to a significant increase in imported “cheap packaged fruit and vegetable products” making the company less competitive in many export markets.
Greater Shepparton Council Mayor Geoff Dobson said the closure would have “quite a big impact” on the community.
“SPC has been part of our community for a long time,” Mr Dobson told AAP.
“It’s been through a lot of changes and it’s got to remain competitive and viable and today’s announcement … is part of that.
“SPC has put measures in place to maintain its competitiveness but I guess the Australian dollar the way it has been, has been a hard one to tackle.”
He said factory staff were likely to be the hardest hit, with admin staff more likely to be offered alternative positions within the company.
CCA’s net profit before significant items rose 5.5 per cent to $234.1 million but was constrained by the effects of natural disasters in Australia and New Zealand over the key summer period, the high value of the Australian dollar, subdued consumer spending
and some higher raw material costs.
CCA managing director Terry Davis described the first half result as “solid” amid the toughest operating environment that he had seen for many years.
CCA will close its SPCA plant at Mooroopna in Victoria and consolidate manufacturing into the two sites at Shepparton and Kyabram, also in Victoria.
CCA said SPCA’s earnings had suffered as the stronger Australian dollar affected its competitiveness against cheap, imported brands and domestic grocery private-label contracts moved to imported products.
A review of SPCA had showed that it had excess manufacturing capacity.
The consolidation of SPCA manufacturing will cost $10 million to $15 million in redundancies and relocation costs.
“We remain firmly committed to maintaining our manufacturing base in Australia and by proactively restructuring the SPC Ardmona business we believe we can lower its cost base so it can regain its competitive position in the market place,” Mr Davis said.
Mr Davis said CCA expected to generate stronger earnings growth in the second half of the current financial year, but the retailing environment would remain challenging.
Mr Davis also said there was still much uncertainty in the community surrounding the implications of the costs to consumers flowing from the federal government’s carbon tax.
“Until we cycle through all that I believe consumers will continue to be cautious with their spending,” Mr Davis said.


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Starting this week, the best publications of the International Dairy Cooperatives Forum will be available in Spanish in eDairy News Partners, the most important digital content alliance of the international dairy sector.
As International Dairy Cooperatives Forum, now all Dairy Organizations, Associations, Guilds, Expos, Organizations and Federations have a digital space from which to reach thousands of readers in the region and the world with the help of a Partner like eDairy News.
International Dairy Cooperatives Forum is the largest dairy industry event in Central and Eastern Europe, and is an opportunity to take the future of the sector into their own hands, and more specifically into the hands of those who are at its core: producers, processors and cooperatives. Agnieszka Maliszewska is the Organizer of the International Dairy Cooperatives Forum.
The meeting place for representatives of the dairy industry will be the northeastern part of Poland, called the center of the Polish dairy industry. The unique climate of the region and the possibility to connect with nature are a perfect environment for discussions on dairy production.
At eDairy News we know that in order to be a protagonist of the biggest digital transformation it is necessary to build team with the best “Partners” on the dairy market. That is why we trust and believe in our partnership with the International Dairy Cooperatives Forum, the largest dairy industry event in Central and Eastern Europe.
Join and Enjoy the eDairy News Partner Advantages
We want YOUR ORGANIZATION OR DAIRY INSTITUTION to take advantage of the audience and positioning of eDairy News to communicate your news in any format (text, audio, video, etc). It’s Free!
Being part of the most important digital alliance of the international dairy sector has never been so easy (and cheap). Write us at email@example.com and we will help you.
+ Info about eDairy News Partners


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It's one of the most iconic stores in Oxford and this weekend Boswells Department Store celebrates its 275th anniversary. The independent store has been run by the same two families since it opened.
Boswells started trading 17 years before Samuel Johnson published the first English dictionary and 30 years before Captain James Cook set off on his first exploration!
Francis Boswell originally started selling travelling goods at 50, Cornmarket Street (now the site of the Clarks shoe shop) in 1738, and his business remained in the Boswell family until its last member died in 1890 when it then passed on to Arthur Pearson of the Oxford Drug Company.
More top news
A further 85 buses are expected to arrive on Tuesday and Wednesday, with officials saying the entire operation will last at least a week.
The government will make an announcement about whether Heathrow or Gatwick should be awarded a new runway at 12.30pm today.
Tuesday morning's weather for the west of the region


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The Trussell Trust announced in April that 1.1 million people in Britain are now using food banks to obtain emergency food supplies. The figures include 415,866 children. Numbers are growing year by year.
Other charities also run food banks, but Trussell is the largest. It began as a charity working with street children in Bulgaria, but spread to Britain when a mother contacted it saying she was struggling to feed her children. In 2004 it had two food banks here. Now it runs 400. In just one period of 2014-15, Trussell found, usage had risen by 38 per cent over the previous year.
Co-op supermarkets now label some cheap range tinned foods as “ideal items for the food bank” (with collections on the way out). Asda displays the Trussell logo on shelves of tins of Spam, saying “This is a food bank item”. So supermarkets cash in as food banks become a permanent feature of poverty Britain in the 21st century.
The growth of food banks has taken place during a period when Chancellor George Osborne has reported that our economy is strong and growing. For a tiny minority, those who have made vast fortunes out of “austerity”, this is true. Trussell’s latest figures on food bank use are one demonstration of what is happening in the real economy.


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Dead Rising 4‘s previously pre-order exclusive DLC weapons can now be purchased by all players on Xbox One, Capcom has announced.
Players can pick up the CandyCane Crossbow, Sire Ice-A-Lot mask, the Slicecycle vehicle, a very Ugly Winter Sweater, and the X-Fists for $1.99 each.
Last month, Capcom revealed that Dead Rising 4‘s “Frank Rising” story DLC will be available on Xbox One and PC from today, April 4th for $9.99.
“Players will take control of a freshly-infected Frank West as the Willamette outbreak is far from over,” the DLC’s description reads. “Losing his humanity, Frank shambles through the city with a new hunger that can’t be satiated by food court burritos. Seemingly incurable, West will find help from an unlikely ally and be forced to fight to hold onto what makes him human as he races to find a cure for himself.
“Frank West’s new zombie form brings all new abilities and strength, while forcing him to feed upon other members of the horde to stay alive.”
This will be followed by Super Ultra Dead Rising 4 Mini Golf later this year, which sees Frank playing pitch and putt on greens in the Willamette Mall and surrounding town.
Source: Capcom Unity


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Posted on futurizekorea
The Korean government unveiled their new regime to fight content piracy on the Internet:
Korean Internet portals are on high alert for illegal downloads of music, movies and other content as the government’s new regulations involving online copyright protection go into effect today.
In an effort to prevent the illegal distribution of copyrighted content online, the regulation will suspend Korean Web sites for up to six months or assess fines of up to 10 million won ($7,990) if they ignore three or more government warnings about providing copyrighted material. Users caught downloading illegal material could face fines.
Keep Reading HERE


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According to a report by the NGO InfluenceMap, the number of electric cars currently in circulation is insufficient to limit global warming.
For several years now, the public authorities have been doing everything they can to encourage motorists to switch to electric, with a lot of incentives and restrictions of all kinds. The latest being the validation of the ban on the sale of thermal cars by 2035 throughout the European Union. The goal: to ensure that combustion vehicles disappear forever.
But will these measures, which are sometimes very strongly criticized by the general public, associations for the defense of motorists and manufacturers, be sufficient to reduce global warming? It may well not. In any case, this is the rather alarming observation made by the NGO InfluenceMap, which specializes in collecting data related to climate change. And we would even be very far from the mark.
Too little production
As a reminder, the objective set by the Paris agreements is to limit global warming to 1.5°. To achieve this, several means should be put in place, and in particular the reduction in the number of thermal cars, according to the NGO’s report. This points out that zero-emission vehicles should then represent at least 57.5% of total sales in 2030. However, according to forecasts, 68% of light vehicles produced by this deadline would still be internal combustion.
According to the organization, the main cause would be the builders themselves. According to data from the firm IHS Markit, they must increase their annual production of electric cars by 80% on average. Problem, only Tesla should meet this objective, while the brand only offers electric models. Apart from the American manufacturer, it is Mercedes that is doing the best, since forecasts indicate a 56% increase in sales of connected cars by 2029.
SUVs in the spotlight
On the other hand, and despite their lead on hybridization, Japanese manufacturers are bad students. According to the NGO’s forecasts, Toyota should only increase its production of electric cars by 14%, against 22% for Nissan. They seem to be more reluctant to offer 100% electric cars, favoring hybrid alternatives instead. In contrast, Chinese electric vehicle production is expected to grow from 12% in 2021 to 40% in 2029.
Finally, InfluenceMap deplores the craze for SUVs, deemed too heavy and polluting, even in electric. According to IHS Markit, the production of this type of vehicle should increase from 39% currently to 47% in 2029. The report underlines that the latter risk “cancel out many of the emission reductions associated with the increase in electric vehicles“.
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Mining company De Beers and the government of Namibia officially unveiled a new diamond recovery vessel: ‘Benguela Gem’. The vessel will commence operations from next week.
According to De Beers Group, it is a custom-built vessel that combines the latest technology and fully integrated design to achieve unrivaled efficiency, reliability and accuracy. The ‘Benguela Gem’ will add 500,000 carats of high-value diamonds to Debmarine Namibia’s annual production. Debmarine is a 50/50 joint venture between De Beers Group and the Government of Namibia. De Beers CEO Bruce Cleaver also added the Benguela Gem is the first of its kind and will support a long-term, sustainable future for Namibia’s diamond sector.
Image: De Beers


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WASHINGTON, Nov 2 (Reuters) – Twelve U.S. senators urged on Wednesday that a national security review panel reject Chinese aluminum giant Zhongwang International Group Ltd’s proposed $2.3 billion purchase of U.S. aluminum products maker Aleris Corp .
The senators asked Treasury Secretary Jack Lew in a letter to launch a review of the deal by the Committee on Foreign Investments in the United States and “ultimately reject it” on grounds that it would damage the U.S. defense industrial base.
“Zhongwang’s purchase of Aleris would directly undermine our national security, including by jeopardizing the U.S. manufacturing base for sensitive technologies in an industry already devastated by the effects of China’s market distorting policies, and creating serious risk that sensitive technologies and knowhow will be transferred to China, further imperiling U.S. defense interests,” the senators wrote.
The deal, announced just over two months ago, would give one of the world’s largest makers of extruded aluminum products access to U.S. technology and customers, which include Boeing Co and U.S. and European automakers that are increasingly turning to aluminum.
It comes as another Zhongwang subsidiary is embroiled in a dispute over U.S. import duties amid broader trade tensions between the U.S. aluminum industry and China.
The U.S. Commerce Department is currently investigating China Zhongwang Holdings Ltd over allegations that it has been evading U.S. import duties on extruded products by shipping them through third countries.
The letter to Lew was signed by Republican Rob Portman of Ohio, where Aleris is based, and Democrats Ron Wyden, Charles Schumer, Bob Casey, Joe Manchin, Kirsten Gillibrand, Joe Donnelly, Debbie Stabenow, Jeff Merkley, Amy Klobuchar, Tammy Baldwin and Al Franken.
They said the review committee needed to be cautious about the potential for sensitive research data to be transferred to China, including data with military applications such as advanced modeling techniques, high-strength alloys and the design of light armor material.
“Despite the national security importance of our nation’s aluminum sector, the industry continues to be decimated by China’s market distorting policies that contribute to vast overcapacity,” the senators wrote.
“China’s overcapacity in aluminum has directly contributed to severe reductions in U.S. domestic production as smelters unable to compete have been forced to close. Each such closure further imperils our nation’s ability to ensure a reliable supply of strategic materials in times of crisis,” they wrote.
A Treasury spokeswoman declined to comment on the letter, adding that information filed with CFIUS by law cannot be disclosed to the public and that Treasury does not comment on specific CFIUS cases.
Aleris said in a statement reacting to the letter that the company’s U.S. facilities produce no defense-related products, and the technology for aluminum plate used in some defense products was widely used in the industry.
“Our facilities in the U.S. produce aluminum for car and truck exteriors, gutters and roofing material,” Aleris said. “Less than one percent of our sales go into defense applications, and none of those goods are produced in the U.S.”
A Zhongwang spokeswoman said in a statement that the CFIUS filing for the transaction is voluntary and that the company and its U.S. subsidiary have no connection with the Chinese government. She added that the transaction will bring in additional resources and capital to Aleris and there will be no changes to management, employees or business strategies.


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December 16, 2014
‘Twas the week before Christmas and Amazon UK had a major pricing glitch
by Kirsten Reach
Around 2 PM on Friday, a third-party software glitch caused thousands of Amazon UK prices to drop to 1 pence. Sellers panicked. Worse, some of those same sellers reported that these orders were being fulfilled Monday afternoon, nearly 72 hours after the glitch.
“I have just had over 3,500 orders in less than 3 hours for 1 pence. If I cancel all these orders my account will be suspended. If I dispatch all these orders I’ll go bankrupt,” seller Mehboob Rasool wrote to Harry Cockburn of London Loves Business. “I can’t sell mattresses for 1 pence.”
“It’s very difficult to understand how this can have happened, thousands and thousands of pounds lost in minutes,” Craig Constantinides, chief executive of computer games retailer Go2Games, told Rupert Neate of The Guardian. “We have only had automated responses. No one will call us. A phone call would be nice, even it is just to say sorry. Amazon is going to stand very far back from all this. You would expect a juggernaut like Amazon to step in and help.”
It seems likely most customers know this was the result of an error or a hack. But sellers are frightened for the future of their companies, and understandably upset that Amazon UK has not responded to them directly.
Repricer Express, the third party, issued an apology for the error. The company’s CEO, Brendan Doherty, says Amazon “assured us that seller accounts will not be penalised for this issue.”
We’ll just leave this here: Amazon UK sold £4.3bn worth of goods in Britain last year, and paid only £4.2m in UK tax. And as we mentioned recently, it stole Christmas.
Kirsten Reach was an editor at Melville House.


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Wall Street declined as investors awaited a slew of US corporate earnings to gauge whether, and for which companies, the pickup in the economic recovery has translated to an improvement in the bottom line.
In afternoon trading in New York today, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.38 percent, the Standard & Poor's 500 Index slid 0.41 percent, while the Nasdaq Composite Index shed 0.32 percent. Declines in shares of Exxon Mobil and those of Walt Disney, both down 1.4 percent, led losses in the Dow.
"People are sitting on their hands, waiting for major results to figure out how strong this season may be," Douglas DePietro, managing director at Evercore Partners in New York, told Reuters.
Some already fell short of the mark. Shares of Lululemon sank, last down 15.8 percent, after the high-end yogawear retailer downgraded its earnings outlook.
"We were on track to deliver on our sales and earnings guidance through the month of December; since the beginning of January, we have seen traffic and sales trends decelerate meaningfully," Chief financial officer John Currie said in a statement.
"Based on this recent performance and assuming these trends continue through the remainder of January, we are reducing our outlook for the fourth quarter."
Shares of Merck, however, jumped, last up 6 percent, on the company's progress in developing new drugs including for skin cancer and blood-clotting. The company also said it is exploring strategic options for its animal health and consumer care businesses.
"We're taking significant and decisive action to make Merck a more competitive company, better positioned to drive innovation and growth," Kenneth Frazier, chairman and chief executive officer of Merck, said in a statement.
"We're pleased with the solid progress we have already made against each of our key areas of focus, and we are quickly moving ahead to build on this momentum to make Merck a leaner, more agile company focused on the best opportunities to create value and advance global health."
Shares of Juniper Networks also gained, last up 8.5 percent. The company has been targeted by Elliott Management, a New York fund run by billionaire Paul Singer, which will seek cost cuts, stock buybacks and other changes, Bloomberg News reported, citing two people familiar with the matter. Elliott is seeking talks with management and the company's board.
In Europe, the Stoxx 600 Index added 0.2 percent from the previous close. The UK's FTSE 100 and France's CAC 40 both gained 0.3 percent, while Germany's DAX rose 0.4 percent.
On commodities markets, nickel surged after Indonesia's ban on unprocessed ore exports took effect. London Metal Exchange nickel rose 4 percent on Friday and added a further 1.4 percent on Monday.
Nickel may rise further, but a break above US$15,000 a tonne - which has capped its trading band for the past six months - could be a sell signal, a Singapore-based metals trader told Reuters.
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BANGKOK (Reuters) – Thai masters student Dhidhaj Sumedhsvast didn’t believe in fortune-telling or supernatural powers until the coronavirus pandemic started two years ago.
Now, he regularly seeks the advice of fortune-tellers, wears lucky amulets, and has pictures of tarot cards as wallpaper on his phone.
“The pandemic has brought so many uncertainties that make us feel anxious,” said Dhidhaj, 30, who started by praying to Kubera, the God of Wealth in Hindu mythology and a Buddhist deity, for protection against the economic fallout from the pandemic.
“When I started doing this, I felt safe. While others were affected by COVID and lost their jobs or income, I wasn’t. So I believe in it more and more.”
Like Dhidhaj, many in Thailand’s anxiety-gripped young demographic have started to embrace fortune-telling and other forms of divination.
The pandemic has moved Thailand’s distinct brand of divination from streets and storefronts to youth-oriented social media, helping fortune-tellers to reach a bigger audience.
“With the world like this, people need spiritual anchors,” said Pimchat Viboonthaninkul, a 26-year-old fortune-teller who works exclusively online and who co-founded Mootae World which started the tarot card phone wallpaper trend last year.
Thai culture has long been steeped in astrology and forms of divination such as palm reading, tarot cards or numerology.
An estimated 78% of the Thai population believes in the supernatural according to a 2021 study by Mahidol University’s College of Management (CMMU).
From consulting with Feng Shui masters to wearing monk-blessed amulets, Thai traditions all sit comfortably within the dominant Buddhist religion.
Thailand’s largely informal fortune-telling industry is estimated to attract around 5 billion baht of spending ($150 million) per year since the pandemic started, up from around 4 billion, according to A Duang, a startup whose fortune-telling application has grown to nearly half a million users, mostly aged 18-30.
The app offers daily live streams by some of its 7,000 fortune-tellers, during which users can spend 10 to 100 baht ($0.3-$3) for quick insights. It also offers private one-on-one card reading sessions at higher rates.
A Duang managing director Kittikhun Yodrak said average per-user spending has surged fivefold to 500 baht monthly from its 2019 pre-pandemic launch.
The trend reflects a “breaking point” in stress levels that pushes many to seek quick answers from someone else rather than from within themselves, said Jomkhwan Luenglue, a board member of the Thai Psychological Association.
“It’s mental first-aid,” said Jomkhwan. “But it could jeopardise your ability to make decisions for yourself in the long term.”
New digital products have also boomed.
Mobile phone wallpaper maker Mootae World has made tens of thousands of images – each with different tarot cards and symbols – for clients’ phone screens.
Priced at 249 baht ($7.44), each is custom-made according to the clients’ unique star positions at birth, plus their deepest wishes, whether financial or romantic.
Traditional-looking Buddhist amulets – often images of guru monks or the Buddha made from bronze, brass or gold – are also available as non-fungible tokens (NFTs).
Thai project Crypto Amulets has sold about 3,000 such NFTs since launching in 2021, each for about 2,000 baht ($60) on the Ethereum and Solana blockchains.
Each digital amulet is printed on paper first to be blessed by monks in Surin province, a huge market of Thailand’s Buddhist amulet trade 435 km east of Bangkok.
“We used to wear physical amulets around our neck, but now we can carry NFT ones on our phones too,” said Ekkaphong Khemthong, who owns Crypto Amulets and also collects traditional amulets.
Mainstream business brands are recognising the new Thai psychic entrepreneurs as the keys to the growing market of young believers with disposable income.
Last month, Mootae World promoted Cigna Corp insurance packages to their followers, tapping into Chinese astrology’s “unlucky year” belief that in each zodiac animal year, those born with the same animal sign incur the curse of Tai Sui, the God of Age.
“A new marketing trend has emerged. Trends are always changing, but supernatural belief is a constant in Thai society,” said Muratha Junyaworalug, head researcher of the CMMU study.
“All the brands want to tap into this market.”
($1 = 33.48 baht)
(Reporting by Patpicha Tanakasempipat; Editing by Kay Johnson and Jane Merriman)


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Back in 2019, GrubHub CEO Matt Maloney was coming to grips with a new reality. “We believe online diners are becoming more promiscuous,” he wrote to shareholders after a particularly mediocre quarter.
Grubhub had spent years as the market leader in restaurant delivery. But by fall 2019, it was no longer on top. Earlier that year, DoorDash overtook GrubHub in sales for the first time ever. And competitive pressure was closing in from all sides.
Uber had gone public just months before and was flush with cash, which was good news for Uber Eats, its delivery service. And these competitors were doing everything they could to win our delivery dollars and investor funding.
The fight for consumers — promiscuous or not — was on.
In this episode of Land of the Giants: Delivery Wars, our podcast collaboration with Recode, we track the rise of the biggest third-party apps and how they’ve become giants in the industry, from the point of view of the people who built them — investors, executives, founders — and what motivated the key decisions that changed how delivery works and changed how we eat.
Listen to episode two to hear more about how these brands got started, the investors that supercharged them, and the lengths they went to in order to reach the scale they needed to dominate the industry.


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Five Nigerians are among the 12 entrepreneurs shortlisted for a chance to win $100,000 and a two-week mentorship programme with Strive Masiyiwa in the Kwesé International competition #GoGettaz.
Kwesé is a channel on Kwesé TV with informative content that equips young entrepreneurs with skills to secure business funding.
Masiyiwa, a renowned businessman, entrepreneur, philanthropist and Chairman of Econet Group, owners of Kwesé TV, kicked off the #GoGettaz competition on win.kwese.com on August 18, 2017
The competition offers $100,000 for a lucky entrepreneur’s venture, both for profit or non-profit, and the trip of a lifetime to spend two weeks with Masiyiwa as ‘Kwesé Entrepreneur Fellows’ at Kwesé offices in South Africa. Kwese said in a statement on Tuesday, “Two deserving entrepreneurs – a male and female – stand a chance to win these amazing prizes.
“Contestants did not need to run an already registered business or non-profit to qualify; they only need to have an ongoing venture, for which they have clear intentions to formally register should they win the grand prize. They can even be working part-time on their ventures.”
“From September 1, a new quiz was uploaded each Friday at 12pm (CAT) for four weeks.”
All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH.
Contact: [email protected]


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Bob Evans Farms Inc. introduced a streamlined menu this month that aims to be more user-friendly.
The menu has some additional items, and a new dinner special that allows customers to upgrade every regular-sized dinner entrée to a three-course meal, with a choice of soup or salad and a dessert, for $2.
The menu is physically smaller, with once heavily laminated pages replaced with smaller, thinner ones. The menu also has fewer pages.
“We did some consumer research, and we found that our menu was a little bit overwhelming to people,” said Sara Bittorf, who joined Bob Evans as chief marketing officer in August. “From a size perspective it was large — really just big — to hold in your hand.”
The menu has fewer photos, too, with a focus on pictures of items that underscore Bob Evans' strengths, such as the brand's signature Sausage Gravy & Biscuits, and a Border Scramble Omelet.
“Our previous menu was more democratic than we thought it should be, in that all things were created equal,” Bittorf said. “And we wanted to create a menu that really allowed people to see and find the great products that we’re known for [and that] will leave them highly satisfied.”
The menu also has some new items, including a candied bacon side dish, a proprietary recipe with caramelized brown sugar. The item is priced at $3.99 for five pieces of bacon.
Bob Evans is promoting the candied bacon on Wednesday by offering a free slice to anyone who orders an entrée after 11 a.m.
The chain has also introduced two new premium hamburgers made with 7 ounces of Black Angus beef. Each burger is priced at $9.99, at most locations.
The Bob Evans Burger is a bacon cheeseburger topped with a fried egg. The Steakhouse Burger is dressed with hardwood-smoked bacon, grilled mushrooms, onions, cheese and steak sauce.
Bob Evans also introduced a Veggie Omelet made with broccoli, onions, roasted mushrooms, red and green bell peppers, and Cheddar cheese, topped with tomatoes and green onion, priced at around $5.49.
“We’ve always had these vegetables, and we haven’t been getting enough credit for the work that we do in the back to bring in fresh food and cut it up,” Bittorf said.
Initial feedback on the menu has been positive from both customers and servers, she said, who “are better able to guide guests to where they think they want to go.”
Bob Evans has 522 restaurants.