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The pandemic & plant-forward thinking: Suppliers respond to COVID-19 consequences
What is the untapped potential for plant protein in applications?
05 Jan 2021 --- Plant-based consumption was already rising before COVID-19, but consumers are making more informed choices about what they are eating during the pandemic. In line with Innova Market Insights’ #2 trend for 2021, “Plant-Forward,” FoodIngredientsFirst speaks with key ingredient suppliers who share their insights on the ever-evolving movement.
According to Signe Causse, global marketing leader for bakery and digestive health at DuPont Nutrition & Biosciences, there has been an increased focus on health and well-being overall during the pandemic.
“This has paved the way for boosting further the consumption of plant-based food and beverages, especially plant-based meat alternatives,” she states.
Acceleration across the board
The plant-based segment will continue to grow heavily, as per the indicator of consumers paying more attention to health and well-being, strongly associated with rebalancing their diets toward more plant-based food, notes Causse.
“COVID-19 has accelerated interest in plant-based across the board, with 42 percent of consumers eating meat alternatives more often,” flags Karen Emerson, plant-based business development manager, North and South Europe at Kerry.
“Consumers are looking to their diet to support their physical health and the health of the planet,” she asserts. Kerry research also reveals that 50 percent of European consumers call nutrition a key motivator for purchasing plant-based products.
For Sylvain Jouet, global product manager for savory at Givaudan, many factors have played into the continued and sustained growth of plant-based products during COVID-19.
Firstly, the pandemic caused many global consumers to spend much more time at home than usual. During that time, media consumption and, in particular, social media has increased substantially, notes Jouet.
“These types of factors, combined with a focus and concern on healthfulness and overall well-being, led to a great interest in plant-based products.”
With more consumers seeking out plant-based products, short and simple ingredient lists are essential to maximizing their success, adds Lorraine Jansen, GNT’s communications manager.
“Plant-based claims do provide a health halo, but that can be easily undermined when products contain additives or ingredients that are difficult for consumers to understand,” she underscores.
Extending from niche to trend
Consumers are increasingly savvy and more engaged about their nutritional needs and the nutritional quality of their food, says Mindy Leveille, strategic marketing manager for protein at Kerry.
“Plant-based has extended itself from a niche trend for the few to a full-fledged phenomenon for many. COVID-19 is drawing deeper attention to health, the safety of animal-based foods and the environment, which propelled the plant-based trend,” she explains.
Moreover, consumer awareness about protein quality is growing, with consumers able to find information very easily on blogs and social media, adds Leveille.
Plant-based applications spotlighted
Causse of DuPont says the plant-based beverages segment is “more mature and is forecasted with a smaller growth,” whereas more is still to be done in the plant-based meat alternatives and even more in the plant-based cheese alternatives segment.
“According to ProVeg consumer research in Europe, cheese is what consumers miss the most in terms of product availability and quality,” she flags.
Meanwhile, Leveille notes that “many plant-based protein sources don’t have the same nutritional quality as dairy or egg protein.”
For instance, plant-based dairy alternative beverages don't have as much protein as products using dairy, she says. “There is an opportunity for plant-based dairy alternative manufacturers to fortify their plant-based dairy with plant protein to enhance the nutritional profile of these beverages.”
Beyond plant-based dairy and meat alternatives, there remains a significant untapped potential for the plant protein movement in applications such as nutritional bars, waters, cookies, ice cream, yogurt and snacks, highlights Leveille.
“Consumers want healthier, more nutritious and more sustainable food, and plant protein can deliver on these demands.”
Expanding traditional offerings
Emerson expects to see continued demand for plant-based meats such as burgers, sausages and nuggets for the year ahead. “For these core items, novel proteins and processing techniques will improve texture delivery,” she notes.
“We also foresee line extensions across deli meat and cured meat and fish alternatives as demand for these products widens across the product category.”
Jouet at Givaudan believes that all plant-based applications will see success in 2021.
“Plant-based meats and dairy alternatives offerings will continue to expand and grow. Likewise, we expect to see plant-based fish and seafood grow significantly as technologies, capabilities and demand converge,” he says.
Seafood alternatives forecast for growth
Jansen at GNT says the company has been creating some exciting possibilities with plant-based fish products such as smoked salmon and tuna carpaccio.
“We can provide effective color solutions for almost any plant-based product, and we see a significant rise in interest in our colors as a result,” she explains.
Plant-based fish is an area that remains ripe for expansion, according to Jansen.
“It still represents a tiny fraction of the global seafood market, but there are many reasons to believe it could be the next big trend. Beyond ethical and environmental issues, there’s also the expectation of a significant fish demand-supply gap in the coming years,” she flags.
Manufacturers have now developed innovative ways to recreate the tastes and textures of plant-based fish products, including salmon fillets, canned tuna and even sashimi. “We can provide these seafood alternatives with highly realistic colors while supporting clean labeling,” Jansen adds.
As knowledge on plant protein increases, as well as plant protein processing technologies, the possibilities for plant-based are endless, notes Leveille at Kerry.
“Furthermore, plant protein sources such as canola, sunflower, hemp or fava bean broaden the solutions available for plant-based protein food and beverage innovation,” she concludes.
By Elizabeth Green
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ServiceNow (NASDAQ: NOW) revealed in an SEC filing that its CEO William McDermott sold about $25 million worth of shares. The market retreated on the news, but the ultimate takeaway is, so what? Insiders own a slim 0.28% of the company, and he’s not the only one trimming their holdings.
At least three insiders, a director or two, the general counsel, and the CFO have all sold shares in the last year, and it doesn’t matter. Their sales are offset by a large and growing institutional holding backed by analysts' sentiment. What this means for investors is the knee-jerk reaction to the sale news is an opportunity to buy more shares.
On the institutional end, they’ve been net buyers for the last 2 consecutive quarters and six out of the last seven and own more than 86% of the stock. Assuming this trend continues, there should be a fairly firm floor in share prices around the $435 level. Regarding the analysts, the analyst sentiment has slipped to a Moderate Buy from a Firm Buy, and the price target has also fallen.
The takeaway is that recent activity, in the wake of the Q4 earnings report, is tilted to the upside and has the low end of the price range firming while higher price targets fall out of the data set. As it is, the analysts expect about a 13% upside, which puts shares near the $517 level.
ServiceNow Poised For Growth In 2023
The worst thing to be said about ServiceNow’s Q4 results is that they are mixed, and revenue was only as expected. Other than that, the company reported a 20% gain in YOY revenue which was supported by a 22% increase in subscriptions and performance obligations. The CFO noted the sales mix driving the gains was also favorable, including fewer early renewals relative to past quarters, which is an opportunity to drive further expansion as the year progresses.
The company’s margins were also impressive, driving $2.28 in adjusted earnings which is up YOY and $0.21 ahead of the consensus. The best news is that net income is up 28% versus the 20% topline growth, and FCF is up 50%.
“ServiceNow continues to perform as a beyond-expectations company,” said ServiceNow Chairman and CEO Bill McDermott. “Our Q4 surge in new business shows that the secular tailwinds of digitization aren’t going anywhere. We are driving net-new innovation, fast growth, and operating leverage. The world works with ServiceNow as the end-to-end platform for digital transformation.”
Looking forward, the company is expecting substantial growth in both revenue and FCF for 2023. The guidance calls for another 22.5% to 23.5% increase in revenue, with FCF growing by a more robust 30%. This news was expected by the market but plays into the idea the pullback in prices is a knee-jerk reaction and an opportunity to buy more shares, not sell.
The Technical Outlook: ServiceNow Bottomed, Now What?
The price action in ServiceNow bottomed in late 2022 and may continue higher. The near-term downdraft sparked by Q4 results and amplified by insider sales is consistent with the bottom and a possible reverse. If the market hits support at or near $430 (or higher) it may bounce up to the $500 level. If it can get above that level, it may go even higher, possibly up to $517 as the analysts think. If not, this stock may remain rangebound at current levels until more news comes out.

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Pretoria - Several foreign diplomats are in hot water for allegedly diverting alcohol and cigarettes purchased from duty-free shops into a booming South African illicit market.
This has reportedly cheated the South African Revenue Service (SARS) of an estimated R100 million (US$6.9m) in unpaid taxes every month. The alcohol and cigarettes are reportedly sold in large volumes to businesses and liquor traders.
Foreign diplomats found to be involved in the high-level dodgy deals will face repercussions, said Lunga Ngqengelele, spokesman for International Relations and Cooperation Minister Dr Naledi Pandor.
“I can confirm that we are aware of the investigation and we are working with the SARS, and we are working with other law enforcement authorities to make sure that we get to the root of this issue,” Ngqengelele said via telephone from Mozambique where regional heads of state and ministers are meeting to discuss Islamist-linked terror attacks.
He declined to disclose which countries the implicated diplomats were from, but added: “I can tell you that we would want those that are found guilty to be brought to book so that we can stop this thing from going on.”
The diplomats allegedly purchase the duty-free products, mainly alcohol and cigarettes, purportedly for their own consumption, only to re-sell them in the country. The illicit trade in alcohol and cigarettes in South Africa has exponentially increased under a year-long Covid-19 lockdown which has seen intermittent bans on the legal sale of the products.
SARS said it has obtained information from licensed duty-free shops regarding the sales values, product quantities and the details of the foreign diplomats who have been purchasing items. It is believed that the stores were requested to supply complete lists of all transactions.
In accordance with South African legislation, 171 embassies and international organisations are permitted to purchase from these duty-free shops which were established to service the diplomatic community.
More than 2 200 diplomats and family members have made purchases, the most common commodities being rum, whiskey, brandy, liqueurs, cigarettes and cigars.
Information shows that over a 6-month period, duty-free stores recorded sales of R423m, with 2 200 diplomats accounting on average for R70.5m per month.
International affairs expert, Dr Siphamandla Zondi, said under the Geneva Convention and through national laws, diplomats enjoyed the privilege of being able to import free from tax and duties the products they need for their consumption.
“The expectation is that as professionals and persons of high integrity, they could not abuse these privileges and import goods on behalf of sellers as they have done in this case,” said Zondi, an academic from the Department of Politics at the University of Johannesburg.
He said the alleged culprits would have breached the country’s tax laws and diplomatic privileges.
“This does not only undermine the SA goods market and distort terms of trade, but it violates the diplomatic privileges they sign up when they are posted to South Africa. It also violates the tax laws including duties agreements between South Africa and the sending countries. These are therefore not just dishonourable and unfriendly actions, but they also amount to illegal and criminal conduct.”
Zondi said those found guilty would have embarrassed their own countries and governments and broken the trust of the peoples of both countries. “These actions have a damaging effect on the noble profession of diplomats, effects that may lead changes in diplomatic privileges generally.”
Mabasa Crispen Mukome of MC Mukome Legal Practitioners said the diplomats faced charges of breaching the International Privileges and Immunities Act.
However, they were immune from criminal prosecutions by virtue of their diplomatic status.
“Whoever is involved in these illicit deals is abusing that Act. Unfortunately, because of the privileges of immunity, South Africa cannot prosecute them, but this creates tension with SARS and the country where the diplomats came from,” Mukome said.
According to Mukome, the implicated diplomats were likely to be recalled by their countries for breaching trust and embarrassing them.
“The most probable result from this scandal would be a recall of those diplomats because they abused their privileges in South Africa. This will be very embarrassing for the sending countries and it will not augur well for a country to be associated with such quiet petty crimes. That is petty crime, misdemeanors in terms of International Relations laws, even though huge money was involved.”
The DA yesterday called for the expansion of ongoing investigations and the prosecution of implicated diplomats.
“While the DA welcomes the new sets of regulations to regulate the amount of liquor and cigarettes diplomats would be allowed to buy, SARS and the department must approach the Pan-African Parliament and the African Union to enlist their help in prosecuting diplomats found guilty of cheating the taxman out of an estimated R100m in taxes every month,” DA legislator Darren Bergman said.
“They should also be fined heavily to recuperate the lost income.”
African News Agency (ANA)


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Classic mystery game Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective is now a Kickstarter project.
Before Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective was a wonderful full-motion-video mystery computer game you may have never heard of it was an award-winning series of book-based games.
Now, with your help and a $55,000 push from Kickstarter, Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective can make a glorious return to the PC, the Mac and both Android and Apple iOS devices.
Zojoi's David Marsh explains best why you should care and invest in his game's return. But another thing to keep in mind is that this particular Kickstarter is also promising to donate five percent of its profits to future Kickstarter projects. Think of it as the donation that keeps on kicking.


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Authorities provides restrictions to import of color TVs in transfer to advertise Indian manufacturing- Expertise Information, Firstpost
Press Belief of IndiaJul 31, 2020 18:00:22 IST
The federal government on Thursday imposed restrictions on imports of color tv, a transfer geared toward selling home manufacturing and reduce inbound shipments of non-essential objects from nations like China.
“Import coverage of color tv…..is amended from free to restricted,” Directorate Basic of Overseas Commerce (DGFT) stated in a notification.
Placing an merchandise beneath restricted class of imports means the importer of that commodity must search licence from the commerce ministry’s DGFT for the imports.
The main exporters of TV units embody China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Korea, Indonesia, Thailand, and Germany.
The curbs are imposed on TV units of display screen dimension starting from as much as 36 cm to over 105 cm. Liquid crystal show (LCD) tv units of display screen dimension beneath 63 cm are additionally coated beneath the restrictions.
India imported color TV price USD 781 million in 2019-20. Imports from Vietnam and China stood at USD 428 million and USD 293 million respectively within the final monetary yr.
Commenting on the event, President and CEO Panasonic India Manish Sharma stated that buyers are going to get top quality assembled TV units now.
“It would undoubtedly have a optimistic affect on home assembling which occurs right here. Main manufacturers have already got manufacturing and assembling items within the nation. So, it’s not going to affect us,” he stated.
The transfer could have a procedural affect, he added.
Discover newest and upcoming tech devices on-line on Tech2 Devices. Get expertise information, devices evaluations & scores. In style devices together with laptop computer, pill and cellular specs, options, costs, comparability.
#Authorities #provides #restrictions #import #color #TVs #transfer #promote #Indian #manufacturing #Expertise #Information #Firstpost


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After getting slapped with an antitrust lawsuit, publishing houses Simon & Schuster, Harper Collins and Hachette have agreed to compensate people who bought ebooks from Apple's iBookstore at elevated prices. Apple and ebook publishers have been accused of price-fixing. The U.S. Department of Justice alleges that Apple, as it prepared to launch its own ebook store, persuaded publishers to price ebooks at $13 and $15, or about $3 more than the same books being sold through Amazon and other outlets.
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The same patent lawyer who defended iPad, iPod and iPhone technology is now defending thermostat tech for Nest Labs. Nest Labs announced on Thursday that Richard Lutton Jr., Apple's former chief intellectual property officer, will be joining the startup thermostat maker as general counsel.
In the wake of the Department of Justice lawsuit against Apple and book publishers over ebook pricing, Amazon is in a renewed position of strength. Emboldened by Wednesday's news, the online retailer has already made plans to lower ebook prices. In an emailed statement, Amazon said "[The settlement] is a big win for Kindle owners. We look forward to being allowed to lower prices on more Kindle books." Amazon used to sell most ebooks -- including major titles and best-sellers -- for $9.99.
There's been considerable press lately about the disconnect between Apple's uplifting brand image and the soul-crushing way in which iOS devices are actually assembled by Chinese workers. Nevertheless, this video, shot by Rob Schmitz, Shanghai bureau chief for American Public Media's Marketplace offers a fascinating glimpse of the process by which an iPad is created.
Global sales of smartphones will top 1 billion units in 2014, according to one analyst's estimate. Credit Suisse predicts sales of the devices will grow about 46% this year to 687.9 million units, according to a report by Reuters. Reps from Credit Suisse could not be reached for comment. Much of that demand is being driven by China and cheaper smartphones that are flooding the market. Credit Suisse also forecasts a 23% market share for Apple and 11% for Nokia over the long term.
Welcome to this morning’s edition of “First To Know,” a series in which we keep you in the know on what’s happening in the digital world. Today, we’re looking at three particularly interesting stories. Sony Confirms 10,000 Layoffs In Major Reorganization Sony has confirmed it plans to cut 10,000 jobs globally by the end of 2012.
The new Samsung Galaxy Player 3.6 looks strikingly similar to an Android smartphone, but the device is actually the latest media player to grace the growing category. The good news, however, is that it can even make calls and send text messages via Bluetooth. The device -- which runs on Gingerbread 2.3.6 -- is like many media players on the market today, with solid audio quality and a collection of apps.
News that more than 650,000 Mac computers were infected with a nasty Trojan horse virus called “Flashback" circulated the web last week and many scrambled to check if their systems were clean. Although many updated Apple's security update to prevent the Flashback Trojan from exploiting infected computers and others took steps to eliminate the malware from their systems all together, there are still thousands of infected Mac computers out there.
So Apple and a group of major publishers stand accused of ebook price fixing. But before we have them drawn and quartered, let's consider the facts. First of all, Apple never tried to hide what it was doing with ebooks. Steve Jobs wanted his new iPad and iBooks platform to compete in the exploding ereader market. As ever, Jobs wanted to do so on his own terms. So he told publishers how it was going to be.
Approximately 119 million tablets will reach consumers' hands around the world this year, up from 60 million in 2011, according to a forecast released by Gartner Tuesday. The projections are considerably more aggressive than the estimates the research firm released a year ago. Of those 119 million tablets, approximately 73 million, or 61%, will be iPads, Gartner predicts.
The United States has filed an antitrust lawsuit against five major book publishers and Apple, claiming they colluded to raise ebook pricing. Reports as early as March suggested the Department of Justice had opened an investigation into an alleged 2010 deal between Apple and the five publishers -- Hachette SA, HarperCollins, Macmillan, Penguin and Simon & Schuster -- that forced Amazon to raise ebook prices.
You know what your MacBook needs? A fun decal on its lid to make it stand out from the crowd. As well as adding some personalization, you can show a bit of wit with an amusing design. We have found 10 super stickers that would look fabulous atop your Apple laptop. From retro tech references to mustaches, we think our roundup has something for everyone. SEE ALSO: 10 Awesome Apple iPad Decals [PICS] Take a look through the gallery above for our selection.
Apple CEO Tim Cook will be the opening night speaker for the D10 Conference, hosted by the Wall Street Journal's All Things D. Cook is scheduled to appear on May 29. The appearance, announced Tuesday on the site, will be Cook's first public interview since becoming Apple CEO. Cook has played MC at two Apple product launches since becoming CEO, answered analyst questions in earnings calls and given some private interviews.
After a relatively short test period, Amazon announced Tuesday that developers can now set up in-app purchases within apps offered in the Amazon Appstore. The move gives the developers an opportunity to earn more money through in-app upgrades, expansions, subscriptions (essential to publishers) and virtual good purchases. It also makes Amazon's Appstore more competitive with Apple's and Google's app stores, both of which have enabled in-app purchasing since spring 2009 and spring 2011, respectively.
Happy Easter! Here at Mashable we're celebrating the holiday with bunnies! We have scoured the web for the very best in rabbit-themed gadget cases. We have cute bunnies, cartoon rabbits, arty hares and more in our fun collection of cases for your favorite mobile devices. Our choices include options for the iPhone, iPad, Kindle and even MacBook. SEE ALSO: 10 Classy Cases for Your New iPad Take a look through our sweet selection in the gallery above.


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Germany is facing the challenge of weakening consumer sentiment moving forward, as international trade woes are seen as jeopardising job security and the stability of the nation’s corporate sector.
Kristian Rouz – A new survey from the Nuremberg-based market research company GfK SE shows a drop in the German consumer confidence heading into July, as Europe’s powerhouse economy is facing a slowdown in exports and growing uncertainty in its manufacturing sector.
GfK questioned some 2,000 Germans, and the results reveal darker sentiment moving forward – which may point to a possible drop in retail sales and overall consumer spending, weighing on the 2Q19 total GDP growth rate.
This despite the German economy’s rebound in the first quarter; it expanded 0.7 percent year-on-year, driven by a 1.2-percent rise in household consumption, 1.1-percent growth in fixed investment, and a 1-percent rise in exports.
The GfK found that German consumers are increasingly concerned with their job security, as the global economic slowdown could affect export-reliant sectors that employ hundreds of thousands of Germans.
The firm’s consumer sentiment index fell to 9.8 points – a second consecutive decline – from 10.1 points a month prior.
“Whether this will remain the case depends heavily on how income prospects develop in the coming months,” GfK said in a statement. “If the significant loss suffered by this indicator in June turns into a persistent downward trend, it will also be tough for the propensity to buy to maintain its currently excellent level.”
Separately, GfK has revealed an erosion in consumer purchasing power across its major manufacturing and hi-tech hubs, located in former West Germany – such as the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Meanwhile, the former East Germany appears to be doing better in terms of consumer confidence.
GfK experts say Germany’s GDP growth is heavily reliant of consumer spending, despite the nation’s strong manufacturing base remain a major source of expansion. However, if household spending drops this quarter, the pace of economic growth could post a significant slowdown.
So far, Germany’s unemployment rate has been among the lowest in Europe, at just 3.2 percent as of April 2019, while wages and overall disposable incomes have grown at a higher rate than inflation – which has, in turn, been tepid across the entire Eurozone for years now.
Ultra-low interest rates at the European Central Bank have also been supportive of consumer spending over the past decade – but the downside of this arrived in the form of rising household indebtedness, which could hinder household spending in the future.
”So far, the income indicator has been able to benefit from the excellent development of the job market in Germany. But now the voices heralding the end of the employment boom are growing,” Rolf Buerkl of GfK said.
GfK also found the main reason behind the cooling consumer confidence is a slowdown in the growth of disposable incomes. The rapid expansion in German employment might have stalled this year amid international headwinds facing the German corporate sector, experts say.
However, GfK says the broader picture for the German economy going forward is not all murky. The gradual decline in economic expectations that began in early 2018 appears to have stopped this outgoing month, while the ‘willingness to buy’ sub-indicator actually increased.
In this light, experts say, the German economy could continue to expand at a modest pace despite the trade woes – but a trade deal between the US and the EU could greatly help erase the mounting signs of doom spreading among German households.


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Remedy Entertainment, the studio known for its narrative-driven games such as Max Payne, Alan Wake, and Control, announced today they are partnering with Tencent in order to develop their new game.
In an announcement published on 28th December, the developer revealed a "global development, license and distribution agreement" with Tencent, which is solely related to the next game they are working on, alongside Alan Wake 2.
Remedy emphasizes that this strategic partnership has nothing to do with the status of the company, and the agreement is only about the new game.
What game is Remedy making with Tencent?
Remedy reveals that this new IP is still in the proof-of-concept phase, which means that the game is very early in development.
Codenamed "Vanguard" (not to be confused with Activision's Call of Duty: Vanguard, the two games are not related), the game will be a free-to-play, co-op PvE shooter.
Remedy states that their goal is to use their "narrative expertise" and combine it with action gameplay tailored for "an immersive multiplayer experience."
Per the agreement, Remedy and Tencent are co-financing the game's development, with Remedy stating that Vanguard's development budget is "in the range of a typical Remedy AAA game budget."
Remedy is currently developing Vanguard in the Unreal Engine for PC and console platforms, while Tencent will develop a mobile version of the game, for which they will cover the cost of developing and publishing.
Funds for the first year of live operations support for the game (PC and console version) are also secured as a part of the agreement.
"Vanguard marks Remedy's first entry into Games-as-a-Service business model, executed by our top tier team of free-to-play experts. We are building something new and exciting for co-operative multiplayer space, on top of Remedy's strengths, " stated Tero Virtala, CEO of Remedy Entertainment. "We are excited for this long-term partnership with Tencent and with confidence can say that it is an excellent fit in supporting Vanguard's ambitious plans."
- Read more: China's new regulations limit kids' online gaming time to just one hour a day on weekends only
The Chinese entertainment giant has been on a shopping spree in 2021, acquiring renowned western studios such as Turtle Rock Studios (Back 4 Blood), Fatshark Games (Warhammer: Vermintide), Sumo Digital (Team Sonic Racing), Yager Development, Stunlock Studios, and Wake Up Interactive.
With the Chinese video game market being targeted by Chinese authorities with rigorous new laws and regulations aiming the curb "gaming addiction", Tencent has shifted its focus over the last couple of years towards foreign markets and this partnership with Remedy is a continuation of that strategy.
Don't forget to check out our general video games section for industry news, guides, leaks and much more.
Featured image courtesy of Remedy Entertainment / Tencent.


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6 UNIT 9 – Import Export The most important EU institutions include: (the) European Commission (the) European Parliament (the) Council of the European Union (the) the Court of Justice of the European Union (the) European Court of Auditors (the) European Central Bank
10 UNIT 9 – Import Export Read the following text about BARCO, a Belgian electonics firm. Which of the methods mentioned on slide 9 did BARCO use to establish itself on the Indian market?
11 UNIT 9 – Import Export After three years travelling around Asia as head of BARCO’s activities in the region, Joost Verbrugge is convinced that India is one of the most exciting long- term market opportunities in the world and one of the most complex. Since 1994, BARCO, best-known for its digital projectors for computers, has gone from a relatively low level of exports to India to selling about BFr 200m of products there a year, half exported from Europe, half assembled on the spot. That is a small but significant part of its total BFr 23bn turnover last year. Expansion in India has taken place at the same time as a shift in BARCO’s strategic focus, and its emergence as one of Belgium’s fastest-growing companies. Created in 1934 as the Belgian American Radio Corporation, the company moved out of consumer products in the 1980s. It concentrated instead on high-value niche markets such as computer projectors and specialist display systems. From its base in Kortrijk, Flanders—Belgium’s Dutch-speaking region—it has exported to India for more than a decade, originally selling kits for video monitors to the national television station, through local agents. Four years ago, it set up its own sales and services office in New Delhi. It now has a smaller sales office in Bangalore, a software house in Chennai and a projector assembly plant in Noida, near New Delhi.
12 UNIT 9 – Import Export Having invested about BFr 100m, and now employing 150 people in India, it plans a further sales office in Mumbai and a components factory in Noida. ‘That is quite a lot for a small company like BARCO,’ says Mr Verbrugge. ‘It’s mainly investment for the future. The market is partly there now, and we are convinced it will definitely be there in a few years.’ But for those wanting to exploit the potential, obstacles remain. Although India has make efforts to open its economy in recent years, Mr Verbrugge says it remains more closed than other fast-growing markets such as China when it comes to bureaucracy, import duties and tax barriers. ‘It is not unusual to have import duties of 40% on things that you would consider normal working tools, like a printer for a PC,’ he says. ‘As well as the high import duties, you have a famous—or should I say infamous— bureaucracy.’ This can have important practical effects. Mr Verbrugge says that BARCO would like to assemble more of its products within India, but this would mean importing components from 20 different countries, creating huge amounts of paperwork and delays.
13 UNIT 9 – Import Export Although India is welcoming to foreigners, Mr Verbrugge says there are also cultural hurdles which can initially be deceptive. ‘On a first visit India seems easier than China or Japan because people speak English. Only after you start operating there do you see all the complexities. There are sensitivities between states, between religions, between strata of society.’ Such differences also make the country fascination. ‘India is a hundred different worlds living next to each other in the same country,’ Mr Verbrugge says. These practical and cultural complexities were largely behind BARCO’s decision to set up its own sales office in the subcontinent. ‘Much more is needed than just having an agent with a fax and a phone. You have to understand the marketplace, how Indian business works.’ But the opportunities presented by India outweigh any disadvantages. ‘If you can afford to miss a fifth of the world’s population, you can afford not to be there,’ says Mr Verbrugge. ‘I think any company serious about having a worldwide market share can’t be absent from India.’


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If we were a Chinese company that made knockoff phones, we probably wouldn't make a knockoff of the HTC Touch. Not that the phone is bad—it's somewhat usable—but putting Windows Mobile 5 on any phone when WM6 is the standard now is kind of a bad idea. However, we would follow in their footsteps and beef up hardware features to include a GPS, a 2-megapixel camera and fingerprint security. We just wouldn't put Windows Mobile 5 on it. [EC51 via Uber Gizmo]
HTC Touch Clone Has GPS, But Still Runs Windows Mobile
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Tales From the Loop has assumed its final form and holy crap does it look amazing.
A scathing opinion piece in the BMJ is accusing the World Health Organisation of conducting a pilot program in Africa for an experimental malaria vaccine without acquiring the informed consent of participants. Experts are calling it a “serious breach” of international bioethical standards and potentially “a disaster for public trust in vaccines.”


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ST. LOUIS, MO, December 03, 2017 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Hanukkah storytelling, games for children, and a singing presentation will be featured at the 24th annual Hanukkah Celebration to be held 6:00pm to 7:00pm, Wednesday, December 6, 2017 at Schnucks Ladue Crossing shopping center, I-170 at Ladue Road. The event will take place at the Barnes & Noble Booksellers.
The Hanukkah Celebration, emceed by Rabbi Yaakov Green Headmaster of HF Epstein Hebrew Academy, features Hanukkah storytelling with master educator Mrs. Jackie Oppenheimer, and Hanukkah songs. The event will also feature STEAM games and crafts.
All children will receive a free gift of traditional Hanukkah chocolate "gelt" (gold coins). Hanukkah begins the evening of December 12 and is an eight-day celebration of the Festival of Lights commemorating the rededication of the Holy Temple.
The Hanukkah Celebration is free and open to the public. It is sponsored by the friendly merchants at Schnucks Ladue Crossing including Schnucks, Barnes & Noble, Cobblestone Shoe Repair, Crown Optical, European Wax Center, Fannie May, Globe Cleaners, GNC Live Well, Great Clips, Ladue Nails, Maggie Moo's, Mathnasium, MOD Pizza, Old Navy, Oreck Clean Home, Pac Dental, Pei Wei Asian Diner, Pure Barre, St. Luke's Urgent Care Center, The Bedroom Store, The Joint, and Treats Unleashed. The event is hosted by The DESCO Group, the developer and property management company for the center.
For more information about the Hanukkah Celebration call Solomon/Turner at 314-205-0800 or visit http://stores/barnesandnoble.com/store/2542.
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Newspaper headlines spew doom and gloom about India. Analysts are topping each other with ever-more-dire pronouncements on the country’s prospects. And yet some foreign investors are not only ignoring the warnings, they are buying more shares.
It flies in the face of conventional wisdom to bet on a country with a currency tumbling to record lows and a government that is clutching at straws to deal with India’s worst economic turmoil since its balance of payment crisis in 1991.
Yet to some financial firms such as Ashmore Group in London the panic gripping India ignores an economy that, although slowing sharply, is far from collapse.
So much hand-wringing over the state of the economy today masks the long-term compelling play that attracted many foreign investors to India in the first place, including a young, urbanising population that will drive consumer demand and an economy that is increasingly diversifying into exports.
“The market is obviously currently gripped in a sense of panic and, as such, it is not paying a lot of attention to the underlying fundamentals,” said Jan Dehn, head of research at Ashmore Group in London, which manages $80 billion worldwide.


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Few companies face as many reputational challenges as McDonald’s. The fast food restaurant is criticized for the contribution some of its menu items make to the global obesity epidemic; for the environmental impact of everything from grazing cattle to packaging; for the supposedly low-paying, low-skill jobs it provides; and as a symbol of both American cultural imperialism and rampant consumerism.
And in few markets does McDonald’s face those challenges as acutely as in the U.K., where its reputation seems to have been permanently tarnished by the notorious McLibel lawsuit it brought against a handful of unemployed activists two decades ago, seen by its critics as an act of corporate bullying. Consumer activism in the U.K. is more virulent—and more eagerly amplified by the media—than in almost any other developed market and the company has seldom been far from the headlines.
As a result, few public relations professionals face as many challenges as Nick Hindle, the company’s senior public relations executive since 2002.
Hindle joined the company as head of corporate affairs (he was promoted to his current position as vice president of communications in January 2007) and is responsible for media relations, public affairs and internal communications as well as integrated marketing and communications programs involving McDonald’s food quality communication and sports sponsorship.
During Hindle’s time at McDonald’s the company has been placed under the microscope on a wide range of issues, often amplified by films such as SuperSizeMe and Fast Food Nation and direct NGO action such as Greenpeace’s campaign on soy. At the same time the company has undertaken significant changes in its menu, in the design of its restaurants and has embraced progressive human resources and environmental initiatives, all of which have helped McDonald’s sales return to strong growth in the U.K.
Two initiatives in particular stand out.
The first was the company’s response to criticism embodied by the best-selling Eric Schlosser book Fast Food Nation. U.K. chief executive Steve Easterbrook set the tone by appearing on Newsnight and becoming the first McDonald's executive to debate face-to-face with Schlosser. The company also set up a website, makeupyourownmind.co.uk, via which the company’s communications team “patiently answer questions from all-comers,” according to a profile in The Guardian, “from ‘what conditions do the chickens live in before slaughter’ to ‘do your staff spit in the burger if you order plain?’”
More recently, the company managed to turn criticism of McJobs into an opportunity to tell what it believes to be a truly positive story, about the opportunities it offers to young people and preparation its jobs provide for future employment. After the term McJob found its way into both Webster’s (“a low-paying job that requires little skill and provides little opportunity for advancement”) and the Oxford English Dictionary (“unstimulating”) the company launched an advertising campaign highlighting company's Investors in People status, flexible working hours for parents, competitive pay and promotion options and health benefits, and a PR campaign that sought signatures for a petition to change the dictionary definition.
Easterbrook’s contribution to those efforts should not be underestimated—it’s a tremendous boon to any public relations executive to have a chief executive who appreciates the value of corporate reputation and is prepared to get personally involved in its restoration, particularly in such a bold manner. But the corporate communications department has clearly played a vital role.
Says Easterbrook: “McDonald’s has faced some tough challenges in recent years. Nick has been a key member of my top team in the rebuilding of our reputation in the U.K. Clarity in communications strategy has allowed us to take controlled risks as we play big to deliver a fast turnaround. He has made a major contribution to improved trust ratings as we have delivered 13 successive quarters of growth.”
Both of the campaigns detailed above were awarded with EMEA region SABRE Awards, and over the course of Hindle’s tenure at McDonald’s the company has also been named PR Week’s Private Sector In-house Department of the Year and has received recognition for its work from PR Week, the Chartered Insatitute of Public Relations, the Association for Measurement & Evaluation of Communication and the British Association of Communicators in Business.
Hindle can now add to those honors one of our inaugural European SABRE Awards for Individual Excellence, to be presented at our annual awards dinner in Stockholm on May 21.
Prior to joining McDonald’s, Hindle spent 15 years in public relations consultancy, including three years as managing director of Phipps PR and time as a director of Porter Novelli. He is also a trustee of the Evelina Family Trust which provides home away from home accommodation for families with children receiving in hospital care at London’s Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospitals.


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THE Health Ministry this week ordered local retailers to remove KitKat chocolates from their shelves after the manufacturers announced that some of its batches were found to be containing glass particles.
The manufacturer, Nestlé South Africa, earlier said it was recalling three batches of the chocolates after they were found to be containing glass particles.
In a statement this week, the director general of health services in the Health ministry, Nyane Letsie, said Nestlé South Africa discovered that some of the batches were exported to Lesotho.
A visit to several retailers in Maseru yesterday revealed that the chocolates had already been removed from the shelves. Shoprite, Browns and Weirs Cash and Carry, Sefalana Trading Lesotho and Maseru Cash and Carry are some of the shops that had removed the chocolates from their shelves by yesterday afternoon.
Thato Mokhekhe, an assistant at Browns and Weirs Cash and Carry in Maseru said they removed the chocolates from their shelves earlier in the week and sent them back to South Africa.
“We removed the chocolates and sent them back to the manufacturer at the beginning of the week,” Mr Mokhekhe said.
Dr Letsie said the ministry was ordering the removal of the products after being alerted of the recall in South Africa.
“The ministry has been informed of a recall in South Africa of Nestle KitKat chocolate bars due to the potential presence of glass pieces. South African authorities confirmed that the specific products affected by this recall had been distributed in Lesotho.
“Port health officers are instructed to ensure that no such products are imported into Lesotho. Business operations who deal in these products are ordered to forthwith stop selling them.
“The public is advised to return all affected products in their possession to the shops from which they were purchased for a refund,” reads the statement.
On its website, Nestlé South Africa said: “If you have a concern that you or one of your family might have consumed one of the affected products, please consult a medical professional who will be able to provide you with the best advice and guidance”.
The company said it was investigating how the glass particles could have found their way into the chocolates.
Last year, the Health ministry ordered environmental health officers to remove all KOO and Hugo’s canned vegetable products from the shelves and guide their safe disposal. This after the manufacturer, South African Tiger Brands company, recalled the KOO and Hugo’s canned vegetables due to a deficient “side weld seam” that had the potential to cause leakage of some of the cans.
The Health ministry’s food safety programmes manager, Motsamai Mahahabisa, said his department started overseeing the removal of the products from shelves on Tuesday although some retailers had started on Monday.
He also encouraged customers who may have already consumed the chocolates to immediately seek medical attention.
“Those who have consumed the chocolates must immediately seek medical attention so that it is investigated whether or not they have glass particles in their bodies.
“Should the glass particles be found in their bodies, the proof should be submitted to the ministry and will be taken to the suppliers for compensation,” Mr Mahahabisa said.


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All Coface Publications
One of the main takeaways of this year’s survey is that payment behaviour has become slightly more restrictive: with a gas-crisis on the horizon, fewer companies are offering payment terms (71%) compared to last year (74%).
Christiane von Berg, our economist for the Northern Europe region, details the payment terms and expectations of companies in Germany.
The year 2021 was characterised by a stop-start economic recovery amid new COVID-19 variant outbreaks, prompting companies in Asia-Pacific to remain accommodative in the provision of credit terms. Average payment terms increased from 68 days in 2020 to 71 in 2021, as more companies provided longer credit terms, according to the 2022 Asia Corporate Payment Survey. Out of 13 sectors, only textile and energy reported a shortening of credit terms amid rising input prices, especially for energy and fibres, exerting greater cost pressure on these two sectors.Read More
Four months after the start of hostilities in Ukraine, what initial lessons can be drawn ? As the horizon continues to darken, the risks are naturally bearish and no scenario can be ruled out. Read our full publication.Read More
Insolvency trends in the Central and Eastern European (CEE) region have been subject to various economic conditions, support measures and legal changes over the last two years. Indeed, the Covid-19 pandemic that triggered the economic downturn and officially implemented lockdowns brought concerns not only for the macroeconomic activity but also the companies’ payment liquidity.Read More
Medium and long-term knock-on effects of the war in Europe on global sectors trends: will there be resilient sectors?
In the short run, all sectors for which Coface publishes sector risk assessments in six regions worldwide will be impacted by the knock-on effects of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Which ones would be the most resilient sectors? Read our full study now!Read More
China Corporate Payment Survey : Increasing Risks In Supply Chain Disruptions And Rising Raw Material Prices
Coface’s China Corporate Payment Survey 2022, in which 1,000 companies participated, shows that fewer firms encountered payment delays in 2021, but those that did reported longer periods of overdue payments than in the previous year. (...)Read More
Poland Corporate Payment Survey 2022: Return to normality – unwinding support programs, longer payment delays. The sixth edition of Coface’s survey on payment experience in Poland was carried out in November and December 2021 with 331 companies participating in the study.Read More
Coface's assessments of 13 major global sectors are based on 75 years of Coface expertise and on the financial data published by listed companies from 6 geographical sectors. These assessments are based on Coface’s expertise and payment experience data, external financial data forecasts (quantiles), and multifactorial key items (commodities price forecasts, structural changes, Coface country risk assessment).Read More
Morocco Corporate Payment Survey: shortened payment delays in 2021. During the second quarter of 2021, Coface conducted its fifth survey on the payment behaviour of 380 companies in Morocco, with the objective to monitor the evolution of payment terms and delays.Read More
Germany Corporate Payment Survey 2020: German companies have switched to “crisis-mode” and offer less payment termsRead More
Expertise & agility: We believe that trade is the driving force behind value creation and stability on a worldwide scale, but it is a risky and complex world out there. That is why it is our job to help you make the right decisions, so you can get on with growing your business without any disruptions. Because each market is unique, there are two essential dimensions to how we operate: expertise and agility. Our employees are ready, willing and able to assist in more than 100 countries where Coface can support you.Read More
Despite improving economic performances across the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), monetary and financial conditions remain tighter compared with before 2015. Access to financing remains one of the key issues for companies, particularly for small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Loan growth in the region has recovered somewhat thanks to higher oil prices, but it remains below its historical average.Read More
Trade wars, volatile global capital flows, slowing growth in the United States (U.S.) and Europe, Brexit — businesses in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region had to navigate a number of political, economic, and financial pitfalls last year. To better understand the impact that such events have on companies, Coface conducts annual corporate payment surveys across the world. The 2019 Asia-Pacific Corporate Payment Survey covers nine economies in the APAC region. For the survey, data was collected from over 3,000 companies during the fourth quarter of 2018.Read More


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Fairway Bankruptcy Shows the Risk of Going Public Without Profits
The meaning behind grocery chain Fairway’s name is pretty straightforward: It is supposed to convey “fair prices.” And when the New York-based retailer went public in the spring of 2013, investors thought they found a bargain.
Shares of Fairway jumped 33% on the first day of trading on the Nasdaq Stock Market, a bet that the grocery chain – with just 11 stores in the greater New York City area – could expand the concept to more than 300 across the U.S., a target outlined in the initial Securities and Exchange Commission filing. The stock surged an additional 60% over the next three months, valuing Fairway at a little over $835 million at the company’s peak. That’s $75 million per existing store at the time.
This week, stakeholders saw their investment officially wiped out after Fairway filed for bankruptcy.
What went wrong? A lot.
Going Public Without Profits
Fairway debuted at a time when smaller grocery store chains were being well received by the markets. Shares of Sprouts Farmers Market (SFM) more than doubled when it debuted in August 2013. The Fresh Market posted a 46% gain in late 2010. The bet for all three was essentially the same: consumers are buying more natural and organic foods and these grocery chains appeal to that crowd. Perhaps they could grow to become the next Whole Foods (WFM).
But importantly, not all of those chains were selling the same story to Wall Street. When Sprouts filed to go public, it had 157 stores across eight states. Revenue totaled nearly $2 billion and it was profitable. Fresh Market generated over $860 million in revenue, posted healthy profits, and operated a fleet of 95 stores in 19 states.
Fairway didn’t have as compelling of a case. Though it claimed its high-volume stores were among the most productive in the industry, there were several red flags. It wasn’t profitable. Same-store sales had slipped pretty badly for the most recently two fiscal years: down 5% in 2011 and 7% in 2012. Average net sales per store per week tumbled from $1,642 in fiscal 2009 to $1,246 just four years later.
“Successful IPOs should have already demonstrated a track record of opening new stores, strong comparable sales growth and the ability to manage debt,” said Matt Kennedy, an analyst at IPO ETF manager Renaissance Capital. “Fairway failed on any of those measures.”
The Whole Foods Problem
In the years that Fairway was a public company, it added a few stores – expanding to 15 locations currently – but continued to report declining same-store sales and average sales per week, both key metrics that judge the health of a retailer. It also misfired on expansion. Notably, Fairway had to book a $3.5 million charge to cover the cost of terminating a lease in the Hudson Yards section of Manhattan.
And while bigger grocery stores flooded the New York market that Fairway had called home for 83 years, one store in particular caused big problems. A single Whole Foods location that opened in the wealthy Upper East Side section of the city in February 2015.
Just three months later, Fairway executives were blaming sales declines on competition from just that single store. Same-store sales slipped 3.6%, but would have dropped a less severe 2.7% excluding the Upper East Side location. Over the next two quarters, management would call out that store’s problematic double-digit decline drop in sales as a factor that was hurting sales.
The expansion of Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s in New York made it tough for Fairway to compete, especially considering profit margins in the world of grocery are already relatively thin. And consumers have been increasingly lured by mobile ordering for groceries – Amazon, Fresh Direct and others play in that space – make it an increasingly difficult environment to operate in.
By October 2015, executives at Fairway were promising to “flood the boroughs with Fairways,” said Fairway CEO Jack Murphy at the time. “We believe that is the most important and easy way for us to grow this company both profitably and with responsibility to our shareholders.”
But earlier in that conference call, Fairway’s own CFO Ed Arditte conceded the high debt on Fairway’s balance sheet would constrain any long-term plans the grocery chain had in place. He said the company needed to explore ways to raise new capital.
That never happened. And Fairway in February reported another bruising quarter of weaker sales and a net loss. When it landed in bankruptcy, the company said it would aim to cut debt by $140 million through the restructuring.
Broadly, the trio of grocers that went public around the same time – Sprouts, Fairway and Fresh Market – have performed poorly. Fresh Market agreed to a $1.4 billion takeover by Apollo Global Management this year in a deal valued at $28.50 per share – but the stock peaked at more than $60 in late 2013 before slowing sales growth vexed investors.
Shares of Sprouts, previously owned by Apollo, have tumbled 36% from the company’s debut. Even Whole Foods – the darling of the organic and natural space – has seen its market value tumble the past year amid concerns about how that grocer can continue to boost sales in a world where even Target (TGT) and Walmart (WMT) are stocking organic foods, competitive action that brings down industry prices.
Fairway was just never in a prime position to outmaneuver bigger, far more profitable rivals. The chain was also too highly leveraged to be able to effectively move out of the New York City region to hunt for growth along the Northeast. It went public too early – or perhaps was never meant to launch an IPO. Other grocers, like Wegmans Food Markets and Publix Super Markets, run smooth, well-regarded businesses outside of the grasp of Wall Street.
“Concentration was a risk here,” said Kennedy. “They hadn’t proved the model outside the area and they had trouble expanding.”
And while Fresh Market, Fairway, and Sprouts have given Wall Street indigestion, grocery investments can be profitable. The behemoth of the space, Kroger (KR), has performed well. A more recent IPO, West Coast-based Smart & Final, may prove slow and steady wins the race. It priced weakly and only generated a 12% increase on the first day of trading in the fall of 2014. The shares have since risen a solid 13%.


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Venezuela is on the brink, and the country's debtholders, trade partners and neighbors are bracing for the fallout.» Read More
New U.S. rules allowing its citizens expanded travel into Cuba won't benefit its cold-war foe's beaches much as tourism remains specifically prohibited.
The U.S. is taking the first steps to ease its embargo against Cuba. CNBC's Michelle Caruso-Cabrera reports $100 of Cuban cigars are now permitted directly from Cuba, among other rules on travel.
WASHINGTON, Jan 15- The United States rolled out a sweeping set of measures on Thursday to significantly ease sanctions on Cuba, opening up the country to expanded U.S. travel, trade and financial activities. The 54- year-old U.S. embargo on Cuba will remain in place- only Congress can lift it. Congressional critics of Obama's shift say that Washington should not be...
WASHINGTON, Jan 15- The United States rolled out a sweeping set of measures on Thursday to significantly ease the half-century-old embargo against Cuba, opening up the country to expanded travel, trade and financial activities. The Treasury and Commerce Departments issued a package of new rules that will allow U.S. exports of telecommunications,...
WASHINGTON, Jan 15- The United States rolled out a sweeping set of measures on Thursday to ease the half-century-old embargo against Cuba, opening up the country to expanded travel, trade and financial activities. The Treasury and Commerce Departments issued a package of new rules that will allow U.S. exports of telecommunications, agricultural and...
The Treasury will implement changes tomorrow loosening the sanctions on Cuba, reports CNBC's Michelle Caruso-Cabrera.
U.S. businesses are keen on doing business in Cuba. Yet, the main obstacle is the embargo, which only Congress can lift.
China has increasing economic clout in Cuba, but better U.S. relations could change that——and more——for the island.
Tour operators hope a fledgling detente between Cuba and the United States, announced last month, will lure hundreds of thousands of U.S. tourists to enjoy the island's once forbidden fruits: its white beaches, colonial cities, fine cigars and rum, and the vintage American cars on its streets. They also know that Cuba has to improve its offering.
HAVANA, Dec 26- Luis Abel Bango spent seven years searching for his dream car, a 1957 Chevy Bel Air. Out in the provinces, central Cuba. Cuba and the United States agreed last week to restore diplomatic ties that were cut off after the revolution, when the tail fin was still a recent innovation in automotive design.
Discussing where the cruise industry is heading in 2015 and opportunities in Cuba, with Joel Simkins, Credit Suisse.
U.S. travel to Cuba may be more expensive than many might expect. The New York Posts reports.
HAVANA/ MIAMI, Dec 22- International rivals have a clear head start in Cuba but U.S. companies could catch up quickly if the economic embargo that has kept them away is dismantled in a new era of cooperation between Washington and Havana. "We've found it to be quite a stable and good place to do business and have had a lot of success there," said David Pathe, the chief...
CNBC's Michelle Caruso-Cabrera takes a close look at Cuba's economy and the changes that have taken place in the Republic since Fidel Castro stepped aside.
The Cuba rapprochement is a reminder that a Ukraine resolution is needed and that it's time to end the Cold War once and for all, says Jeffrey Sachs.
Caterpillar chief Doug Oberhelman tells CNBC he sees big opportunities in Cuba, and maybe in a few years Cuba could be like Puerto Rico.
CNBC's Michelle Caruso-Cabrera reports Cuba's relationship with Venezuela and Russia are in focus because of the decline in oil prices. Cuba gets more than half of its oil from Venezuela every day.
Caterpillar CEO Doug Oberhelman tells CNBC he sees big opportunities in Cuba.
CNBC's Michelle Caruso-Cabrera shares highlights of her experience visiting Cuba, and how things are different there versus 15 years ago, including more transportation.
MIAMI, Dec 21- For a handful of Cuban-Americans, President Barack Obama's new Cuba policy wasn't much of a shocker. "There is a clear understanding in the White House that politically they are going to have to focus on and cultivate the younger generation of Cuban-Americans who are mobilized and out there supporting the president's decision," said Frank Mora, a...


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Wednesday, November 2, 2011
The Magic Newswire, another of my favorite online resources, did an interview with Ken as a prelude to the auction. Even though the auction has passed, the interview is well worth listening to. I was personally intrigued with his information regarding the Robert Houdin Crystal Casket and it's true authenticity.
Please take some time to listen to the interview. It's available in multiple formats and I typically listen on my iphone while I'm driving. Great stuff!
By the way, The Salon De Magie is still around, Ken only sold off a very small portion. According to the interview, he is STILL COLLECTING!


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The world of big iron computing seems to be laser-focused on machine learning these days. Whether it's graphics chip makers Nvidia and AMD producing silicon exclusively for machine learning, or search engine Bing using custom FPGAs to accelerate repetitive mathematical operations, every technology company these days seems to have an AI accelerator strategy.
Google isn't resting on its laurels, either. At its I/O conference today, the company introduced a second-generation version of its Tensor Processor Unit from a year ago, called the Cloud TPU. Google can combine multiple Cloud TPUs into four-chip clusters, and the cluster pictured below offers up to a claimed 180 TFLOPS of floating-point capability. The search giant didn't say whether that's for FP16 or FP32 math, but given the hardware's focus on machine learning tasks, that figure surely refers to reduced-precision number crunching. For comparison, Nvidia's just-introduced Tesla V100 accelerator leans on dedicated tensor hardware to provide 120 machine-learning TFLOPS.
Picture courtesy TR's anonymous Google I/O correspondent
The new TPUs can be assembled into what Google calls pods. Each pod contains 64 second-generation TPUs and should be good for an aggregate 11.5 PFLOPS of compute power. The previous TPU was used for inference (execution tasks) only, but Google says the new TPU can be used for both training and inference tasks. As an example, the company says that a training task that required a full day for "32 of the best commercially-available GPUs" can be done in an afternoon on eight of the new TPUs.
Google will be selling access to its TPUs through its Google Cloud Compute platform, where virtual machines can be used to group TPUs, Nvidia GPUs, and Intel CPU cores together as required to run the TensorFlow machine-learning framework. Gerbils who have used Shazam to identify a music track recently may have had results provided by a Nvidia GPU that is part of Google's Compute Cloud. While the majority of access to the Cloud Compute platform will be paid, the company will provide access to 1000 TPUs to machine-learning researchers as part of its TensorFlow Research Cloud.


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More than a third (35%) of shoppers think delivery by drone would work for them, a new study has found. Those aged between 18 and 24 are particularly keen, with this age group being more than three times as likely to opt for drone delivery than the over 55s.
Some 76% of the 500 UK adults questioned by Research Now in August for a MetaPack study said they would like same-day delivery, 73% would try Sunday delivery and 69% would opt for one-hour delivery.
The findings come against a backdrop in which a third of shoppers have taken time off work to wait for a parcel – and a third have seen a missed delivery card on the doormat when they were at home. Other complaints came from the 28% of consumers who have had their parcel left in an inappropriate place, such as a bin, and the 39% who waited in all day for a parcel that never arrived.
Some 59% say they would consider cutting off all ties with a retailer after such experiences. More positive experiences, however would encourage 95% of consumers to return to the same trader.
“Millennials have long been reported to experience a fear of missing out – analysts cal this phenomenon FOMO,” said Angela O’Connell, marketing and strategy director at MetaPack [IRDX VMEP]. “But in the world of ecommerce, FOMD (fear of missed delivery) is the real threat. Now retailers are under pressure to get the delivery experience just right, particularly as consumers get increasingly demanding for more flexibility, convenience and control. Research shows it’s time to get innovative.”


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A woman feared she could have brought coronavirus into the house after allegedly finding a dirty tissue in a new pair of Asda jeans.
Stephanie Zahorodnyj claims she found a 'crusty' looking tissue in the front pocket of the jeans bought from Asda's Derby superstore which left her 'gagging'.
She tried the jeans on at her parents' home and was nearly in tears at the thought she may have inadvertently 'brought coronavirus into the house' around her vulnerable mother.
The 31-year-old events planner had spent months separated from her parents as 62-year-old mum Jennifer Zahorodnyj is recovering from pancreatic cancer.
When mum Jennifer called customer services she was furious to find they simply 'rushed her off the phone' and failed to see the potential risk in their gruesome discovery, the family claims.
Asda has since apologised to Stephanie for her experience and said that 'any items of clothing returned to stores are quarantined for 72 hours and steam cleaned before they go back on the shelf.'
Stephanie, from Bristol, said: "All the changing rooms were closed so I brought them home and thought I'd better try them on.
"I thought they felt lumpy and I put my hand straight in the front pocket and there was a used tissue and it made me gag - it was disgusting.
"The tissue looked dry, crusty, stuck together and crumpled up - I was heaving when I got it out of the pocket.
"I picked it up by the corner and threw it straight in the bin - I didn't inspect it too much."
Stephanie said that after spending £14 on a 'brand new' pair of jeans, she was 'shocked' by this discovery and angered as she questioned how it ended up there in the first place.
Stephanie said: "Just the thought of what could possibly be on that tissue turned my stomach - I was heaving in my mum's living room.
"I'm assuming because the changing rooms are closed, someone bought the jeans, wore them, put the tissue in the pocket, decided they didn't want them anymore and returned them.
"I understand that they get returns, but I would expect them to at least check these items are fit for sale, and I would expect them to be checking the pockets as part of that inspection.
"Asides from the fact that there's a pandemic which is spread by mucus and it can live on the tissue for five days."
Immediately after the tissue was found Stephanie and her parents, Jennifer and John Zahorodnyj, agreed that they needed to contact Asda's customer services to tell them what had happened.
Stephanie said: "Because of the way I was feeling I thought if I start talking to someone I'm either going to heave down the phone or start crying with upset, so my mum said she would call them.
"My mum said customer services didn't apologise for it happening at all but just rushed her off the phone as it felt like she was desperate to log out at five o'clock.
"They said 'we'll pass it onto the store, here's a £5 goodwill voucher' and tried to end the conversion there - that's when my mum said 'no, no, that's not good enough'.
"They didn't advise my mother to do anything or provide any explanation as to why the tissue was in the jeans - they completely brushed it off.
"My mum did actually end the conversation with 'that's fine, I'll just put it on Facebook ' which is what I obviously did."
Stephanie claims her mother, a former project manager, was 'absolutely furious' after the phone call as she felt like Asda 'hadn't listened' to their problem at all.
Stephanie said: "It was pure anger that made me put it on Facebook - even if they'd said 'I'm sorry, we'll prevent this from happening again' in any sort of way but they had an 'ok, whatever' kind of attitude.
"My mum and I are high risk so as a family we've been really careful this whole time - we're now going out with masks and my hands are so dry from all the sanitiser that we've used.
"And then it just felt like they didn't care, not just about us, but about other customers - anyone could have picked them up and taken them into their house.
"I was visiting my family for the first time in four to five months as we've been having Facetime chats this whole time - I got to see them and then I potentially brought coronavirus into the house.
"If I'd gone to a local clothes store and said I bought something which had a dirty tissues inside, I know I'd have got a much better response.
"Just because they're such a huge company they shouldn't forget about the small things because that's what makes a company - I definitely won't be shopping in Asda again."
An Asda spokesperson said: "We have apologised to Stephanie for her experience with this product and can reassure customers that any items of clothing returned to stores are quarantined for 72 hours and steam cleaned before they go back on the shelf."


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PR News From PMK, APCO Worldwide And More
PMK•BNC Promotes Cary Kwok to Sr. Vice President
Marketing and communications agency PMK•BNC has made Cary Kwok its new Sr. Vice President of its brand and communication division. Ms. Kwok is a gaming, technology, and children’s content specialist with over a decade of experience in video game PR. She led Nintendo’s Product PR, promoting popular consoles like Wii Fit and many Mario and Pokémon titles. After joining PMK•BNC at the beginning of 2017 as Vice President. Ms. Kwok was an account lead for Activision, which put out major franchises like Crash Bandicoot and Spyro the Dragon. Ms. Kwok believes that as an Asian-American woman, her success in the video game industry will help provide a necessary voice for women of color in the industry. She is especially adept at helping brands connect emotionally to parents, especially mothers.
APCO Ends Partnership with Huawei
After a nine-year partnership, APCO Worldwide has decided to part ways with Chinese electronics giant Huawei. The split comes in the midst of current technology and trade conflicts between the U.S. and China. The US has recently hit Huawei with sanctions for violating a ban on selling high-tech products to Iran. Huawei’s telecommunications tech has also been criticized by experts as facilitating spying by the Chinese government. “We have reached the end of the contract,” said one APCO employee. “…[W]e came to the mutual decision not to continue the contract.”
Ireland-Based Paint Company Partners with Pollack PR Marketing Group
Ireland-based paint company, General Paints, has selected Pollack PR Marketing Group to launch a full digital marketing campaign that is intended to introduce its product to the U.S. market. Curator, a line of super premium designer paint, is the first Irish high-end product in this part of the market. The line of high-end paint was created after the General Paints team spent years in the artisan Irish country-side, getting inspiration from a huge array of native creative talent, from potters to jewelers, resulting in a unique color palette of 144 colors. Pollack PR plans to use strategic digital marketing to increase engagement with U.S. consumers and interior designers. The strategy includes PPC, SEO, SEM, and online advertising as well as pad social programs to help convey the unique story behind the Curator line. General Paints hopes to play a key role in bringing modern Irish inspiration to the U.S. market.


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Customer-centric needs will power future advancements in digitisation and technology in the travel and transportation sector, and businesses will have to design their technologies around individualised user experience and safety, both physical and data-related, to grow and retain loyalty, experts said here today.
YouTube has announced it is making a movie in-house to be released in theaters, in a development seen as a step towards the model of new-media innovator Amazon.
‘Vulture Club’, which is in post-production, stars Oscar winner Susan Sarandon (‘Dead Man Walking’, ‘Thelma and Louise’) as an emergency room nurse whose son is been kidnapped by terrorists. Directed by Iranian-American Maryam Keshavarz (‘Circumstance’), the thriller also stars Edie Falco (The Sopranos, ‘Nurse Jackie’) and Matt Bomer (‘Magic Mike’, ‘American Horror Story: Hotel’).
By 2020, the stock keeping and delivery of 70 per cent of consumer goods sold online will be controlled by the e-commerce companies. The share of goods dispatched by sellers on their own has been shrinking in the past two years. This scenario will keep on increasing the need for investments by e-commerce companies and consequently profitability will remain elusive.
A new legislation has been introduced in the US Congress that would require call centre employees in India to disclose their location and give customers the right to reroute their calls to agents in their own country. The legislation, introduced by Democrat Senator Sherrod Brown from Ohio, proposes to create a public list of firms that would outsource call centre jobs and give preference in federal contracts to companies that haven’t shipped these jobs outside the US.
As pollution choked Delhi in recent years, a total of 140 air purifiers were purchased for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s offices and at least six other government agencies, according to previously unpublished government data.
The purchases came as Modi faced criticism for not taking effective steps to improve air quality in Delhi, one of the world’s most polluted cities.
Alphabet Inc’s Google routinely fields product queries from millions of shoppers. Now it wants to take a cut of their purchases, too.
The US technology company is teaming up with retailers including Target Corp, Walmart Inc, Home Depot Inc, Costco Wholesale Corp and Ulta Beauty Inc.
Under a new programme, retailers can list their products on Google Search, as well as on the Google Express shopping service, and Google Assistant on mobile phones and voice devices.
India’s airports are struggling to cope with a massive surge in passenger numbers and billions of dollars must be spent to boost their capacity, analysts have warned.
The country is witnessing a huge boom in air travel as its growing middle class increasingly takes to the skies but experts say infrastructure is failing to keep up.
“There’s an urgent need for capacity building in major Indian airports as they are bursting at the seams and close to saturation,” Binit Somaia, South Asia Director at the Centre for Aviation (CAPA), said.
India is one of the fastest growing countries in terms of number of travellers and their travel spends. No wonder, around half of Indian travellers are willing to spend at least Rs one lakh this summer.
Almost 45 per cent of the Indian travellers hope to spend at least Rs 1 lakh on their summer travel, while around 16 per cent of the holidaymakers are planning to spend over Rs 3 lakh, finds a survey by global travel search engine KAYAK.
The government has invited expression of interest (EoI) to execute the country’s maiden pod taxi project on Delhi-Gurgaon corridor, Parliament was informed on Thursday.
The development follows a high-level panel recommending inviting fresh bids for the project, also known as personal rapid transport (PRT), conforming to the strictest safety standards on the lines of those prescribed by an American body.
Tech capital Bangalore is the third cheapest city in the world, as per a report compiled by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), an arm of The Economist Group.
The report places Chennai, Mumbai and New Delhi in the sixth, seventh and tenth positions respectively. Also the report says, these four Indian cities are among the 10 cheapest places on the planet.
Kazakhstan’s Almaty is the cheapest in the world, followed by Lagos in Nigeria. Karachi is placed 4th, Algerian capital Algiers 5th,
Ukrainian capital Kiev 8th and Romanian Bucharest is ranked 9th.


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According to Wingstop’s preliminary fiscal third quarter 2020 sales results, system-wide sales have increased 32.8 percent to approximately $509.2 million compared to the 2019 fiscal third quarter.
“The results during the third quarter continue to highlight the strength of our growth strategy,” Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Wingstop Charlie Morrison said in a press release.
Wingstop’s menu includes classic and boneless wings, chicken tenders, seasoned fries, cajun fried corn and fresh baked rolls.
The new chicken wing restaurant is joining several new food spots in Springfield including Ol' School Smoked BBQ and C Marie’s Sweet Seductions. Several chain restaurants like KFC and Hot Head Burritos have recently expanded their presence in Springfield.
“Wingstop and our food truck vendors are a welcome addition to our community as we continue our positive momentum toward economic growth and a more vibrant local economy,” Cobbs said.
The News-Sun has reached out to Wingstop, but has not heard back.


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Earlier this week, there was a story about how The Eagles Greatest Hits: 1971-1975 was once again certified as the best-selling album in the US. The Recording Industry Association of America did an accounting of sales–the first time it looked at this particular album–and determined that it has sold 38 million units. That vaulted The Eagles back into first place over Michael Jackson’s Thriller, which officially sits at 33 million. (Just wait, though. Once the RIAA gets around to looking at MJ’s sales, Thriller will be back in on top.)
That’s fine, but what about the all-time best-selling album in Canada?
As I pointed out in the Eagles article, determining overall album sales is fraught with all kinds of issues. While SoundScan–the point-of-sale counting system that’s more accurate than the old easily-corruptible methods of estimates and guesses that it replaced–rolled out in the US in 1991, we didn’t get it until 1995. That means the numbers of any album released in Canada before 1995 should be taken with a grain of salt.
David Farrell goes through these issues and more at FYIMusicNews.ca (read it; it’s good). The article starts with eleven albums we can be assured of having sold more than 2 million copies in Canada (known as “double diamond”) but that’s as accurate as we can get. Note that they’re not ranked by overall sales by the year in which they received their double diamond certification.
- Shania Twain – Up (2004)
- Pink Floyd – Dark Side of the Moon (2003)
- Shania Twain – Come On Over (2000)
- Shania Twain – The Woman In Me (1999)
- Alanis Morissette – Jagged Little Pill (1996)
- Pink Floyd – The Wall (1995)
- Meat Loaf – Bat Out Of Hell (1995)
- Led Zeppelin – Led Zeppelin 1V (1995)
- Fleetwood Mac – Rumors (1995)
- Eagles – Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975 (1987)
- Michael Jackson – Thriller (1984)


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Nokia’s ongoing efforts to restructure and invest in a new direction for its mobile phone business is pushing the company into borrowing against its reserves: today the Finnish company said that it would make an offering in Europe of senior unsecured convertible bonds amounting to €750 million ($979 million), which it said that it would use to service debt “while preserving existing pools of liquidity and for general corporate purposes.”
The company’s cash position has slowly been eroding over the past several quarters as it continues to lay off people, close down factories in the wake of weaker smartphone sales. At the same time, it has been making big investments in trying to revive that business, by rebuilding it around the Windows Phone operating system.
In the company’s Q3 results last week, the company noted that it had €8.8 billion in gross cash, and €3.6 billion in net cash. But its net cash from operating activities was €429 million, “including cash outflows related to restructuring activities of approximately EUR 390 million.”
Nokia notes that this bond is not an offer of securities in the U.S., Canada, South Africa, Australia or Japan.
The company has been seeing massive downgrades from all the major credit ratings agencies, with its down to junk status in some cases for its senior unsecured notes. Each time, Nokia has insisted that its cash position is strong as it continues to restructure. Today’s move seems to indicate that while that may still be the case, the ongoing losses at the company continue to chip away at its baseline health.
Nokia says the bonds will be rated at 4.25% and 5.00% per annum payable semi-annually in arrears on April 26 and October 26 in each year, starting on or about April 26, 2013. It notes that the initial conversion price is expected to be set at a premium of 28% to 33% above the volume weighted average price of Nokia shares on NASDAQ OMX Helsinki between launch and pricing of the offering.
Nokia’s share price closed at $2.81 on the NYSE yesterday, at the low end of its 52-week range.


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Great news for Mirrorless camera. Seems that this kind of cameras are getting a lot of supports from many companies. Although only a couple years old, this system has been making a lot of progress and it might trump beginner DSLR soon or later.
Here are some of recent news I’ve compiled from the web:
- Sony is developing its own mirrorless camera and the commercial is all over the web now. [Watch it at Photo Rumor]. Physically, this camera look like Panasonic GF1, small and without viewfinder. However, it uses Sony own mount (new one) and Sony APS-C sensor. It will take time for Sony to catch on Olympus and Panasonic m43 system, especially in lens collection.
- Samsung and Schneider are developing a brand pro quality prime lenses (15, 21, 35, 55, 70 and 90mm) for its Samsung NX system. This is much needed boost for Samsung and give them an edge to compete with other manufacturer.
Here is the big news:
- Panasonic is developing Panasonic video camera with 4/3 mount. This is a quite a breakthrough and the first of its kind. For a long time, multimedia artists are looking to get a camcorder with a large sensor and affordable interchangeable lenses. They will definitely rejoice. [Press Release]
So, this will leave Canon, Nikon and Pentax that haven’t jump to this mirrorless movement. Now, each of them is in dilemmatic position. Nikon and Canon are doing well in their digital SLR sales, and will be hesitant to bring out mirrorless cameras. It will kill their DSLR market share. Canon is enjoying their domination in conventional camcorder in the market, of course with a lot higher price but with small sensor. Pentax spent a lot of their limited resource on medium format digital camera recently and less likely to invest for new system.
I think, mirrorless camera will have a great future, especially micro four thirds system, Olympus and Panasonic (the one who started this movement). They has gathered quite a support and attract many lens makers to make m43 lenses for this system.Related Post:


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July 07, 2022 | 11:07
Suggestions are being made to invest in processing and marketing techniques that add value to Vietnamese rice, with the country planning to limit production in the coming years.
July 07, 2022 | 07:00
Overcoming Thailand to take the top spot in the world of rice exporting remains a tough task for Vietnam.
September 16, 2020 | 09:06
Despite having great potential, Vietnamese rice-based products remain rudimentary and unpolished, severely hampering their ability to compete on the global market, according to industry experts.
March 09, 2012 | 10:19
Hong Kong businesses are importing Vietnamese rice in large volumes. In 2011, Vietnamese rice made up nearly one third of Hong Kong’s rice imports.
February 29, 2012 | 14:45
A mission of more than 40 members of the Hong Kong Rice Merchants Association on February 28 began a five-day visit to Viet Nam seeking business opportunities with local exporters.
February 29, 2012 | 09:51
Institute of Agricultural Science for Southern Vietnam head Bui Chi Buu tells VIR why forming big paddy rice model fields was the right step towards building Vietnam’s rice brand value on the global stage and boosting the item’s export value.


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Home Tags Digital
Digital Related Content
OuluHealth ecosystem is a one-of-a-kind network of committed stakeholders from Oulu in Finland that strive to transform healthcare on a global scale and, as a result, improve people’s lives.
David Rai, Sparta Global, discusses the challenges that government organisations face in recruiting and retaining digital talent.
Eric Swedersky, SVP Delivery and Public Sector, SecureKey Technologies discusses the potential benefits that blockchain-based identity has as an effective tool to support global innovation and the economy.
According to CGA’s Go Technology report, 28% of British consumers are now ordering food online than a year ago.
Kent J. McDonald, Content Curator at Agile Alliance lifts the lid on Agile software development and the delivery of digital services.
Civica's citizen survey reveals prioritisation and further collaboration is needed to strengthen Northern Ireland's digital identity.
With fines increasing but no sign of data breaches slowing, what can organisations do to protect against any potential cyber security breaches? Maxim Frolov, Vice President of Global Sales at Kaspersky Lab shares his thoughts in this report.
The UK is set to become a world leader in the race to eradicate some of the most damaging cyber security threats facing businesses and better protect consumers.
US businesses are calling in reinforcements to fill the ever-widening skills gap that pervades the tech sector: our military veterans.
Cecilia Van Cauwenberghe from Frost & Sullivan’s TechVision Group offers her thoughts on the challenges around critical care nursing, focussing on leveraging technology and innovation to improve the delivery of care.
Civica Digital has partnered with the Department for Transport (DfT) to enhance its cloud-based Collision Reporting and Sharing system (CRaSH).
In the age of integrating artificial intelligence, transport innovation and the successful hacking of major banks; Grand Theft Auto is outdated in comparison to car thefts done via keyless technology crimes.
New research from Microsoft UK shows 58% of teachers believe the current education system is failing to prepare students for a digital future.
EU patients can now use ePrescriptions issued by their home doctor when visiting a pharmacy in another EU country.
NTT Security look at how relevant and actionable threat intelligence is key to protecting organisations against cyber attacks.
As open banking is implemented across Europe, improving product agility is now a priority for 51% of European banks says EIU report.
Patient engagement in Europe is a challenging space to operate in, despite the strong government impetus, coupled with the wide availability of supportive technology.
The proliferation of digital devices means that we’re constantly connected to the office wherever we might be, making it difficult to manage our digital wellbeing.
New innovations are being developed at lightning speeds to drive faster growth and efficiency for businesses and society but there is a lack of digital skills.
A new study has identified whether businesses view digital disruptions as opportunities or threats in this report.


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EA named worst company in America by The Consumerist's readers.
Somehow a video game publisher found its way onto The Consumerist vying against the likes of internet providers, banks, cell phone services and airlines for the annual Worst Company in America award.
That publisher, Electronic Arts, today managed to beat out Bank of America to win that infamy, garnering more votes from The Consumerist readers in the final round of polling that kicked off with 32 companies.
"After more than 250,000 votes, Consumerist readers ultimately decided that the type of greed exhibited by EA, which is supposed to be making the world a more fun place, is worse than Bank of America's avarice, which some would argue is the entire point of operating a bank," according to the post on the vote.
That it is a company that makes its money creating video games for millions of people world wide and not, say, a company tied to America's economic downfall, didn't go unnoticed by EA when they responded to Vox Games for comment today.
"We're sure that bank presidents, oil, tobacco and weapons companies are all relieved they weren't on the list this year," John Reseburg, EA's senior director of corporate communications, wrote in reply to Vox Games. "We're going to continue making award-winning games and services played by more than 300 million people worldwide."
Reseburg went on to point to a number of recent stories about the company that he says are an indicator of "our connection with consumers in more meaningful ways."
Those stories included The Human Rights Campaign circulating a petition supporting EA for their decision to have developers include same-sex relationships in recent games including Star Wars: The Old Republic and Mass Effect 3, developer BioWare making it to the finals of The Escapist's Best Developer awards and EA Sports asking gamers to vote for the cover athletes for Madden NFL 13, NCAA Football 13 and NHL 13.
- What does it really cost to open an indie studio? All your money, most of your life
- Police: San Diego Comic-Con cosplayer wasn't assaulted, she fell
- ABC just launched history's biggest, most well-funded LARP
- How to destroy your enemies as the Monster in Evolve
- Visit Africa's first refugee-owned arcade with NPR
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- Tell Us Your Story


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The Spoiled Mama debuts free shipping on orders $50+
The Spoiled Mama, Inc
Pregnancy, Natural Products, Natural Skin Care
The Spoiled Mama (www.thespoiledmama.com), a toxin-free pregnancy skin care company based in California, recently announced that all online orders of $50 or more now qualify for free shipping within the contiguous United States. The new minimum, which decreased from $85, is now one of the most competitive shipping offers in the maternity skin care market.
“Lowering our free shipping minimum is just another way we’re spoiling our moms,” said Tamara Johnson, founder and CEO of The Spoiled Mama. “As an online shopper, I know how important it is to receive fast, reliable -- and affordable -- shipping.”
The Spoiled Mama’s announcement arrives shortly after debuting a brand new website, shorter shipping times and a revamped VIP rewards programs. According to Johnson, lowering the shipping minimum was a natural decision for their online customers. While their popular maternity skin care products and pregnancy teas are featured at limited boutiques and spas, the company primarily focuses on their e-commerce business, which allows them to cater to mothers worldwide.
“As our business grows, we’re continuing to find ways to delight our moms,” said Johnson. “I’m so excited to offer this new shipping policy to our new and loyal customers.”
The new free shipping minimum is effectively immediately.
About The Spoiled Mama: Since 2007, The Spoiled Mama has been offering toxin-free pregnancy skin care to expecting, postpartum and breastfeeding mothers. With an eye on safety and premium ingredients, the independent family-owned company is best known for their bestselling pregnancy stretch marks products, a favorite amongst new moms and celebrities. The company is based out of San Leandro, Calif.
For more information about The Spoiled Mama, visit http://www.thespoiledmama.com or email [email protected]
, Dry Skin
, Natural Products
, Natural Skin Care
, Natural Skin Care Products
, Organic Skin Care
, Organic Skin Care Products
, Skin Care Product
, skin care treatment
, Stretch Marks
, Stretch Marks Removal


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HE is already the world’s most generous individual benefactor, giving more to charitable causes than the US government. Now Bill Gates has given the largest single boost to the worldwide search for an AIDS vaccine.
The Microsoft founder pledged $ 100 million to the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative. He has teamed up with the Internet company, Yahoo!, which donated an extra $ 5 million.
This is one of the single biggest donations from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, a charitable foundation with assets of more than $ 21 billion. Its aim is to share advances in medicine with developing countries.
In the past two months, the
foundation, run by Gates’ father, has given $ 25 million for AIDS
prevention in Nigeria, and $ 15 million to develop drugs for African
sleeping sickness. It also supports the global effort to eradicate
polio. Gates has pledged to donate more than $ 1 billion a year to
charitable causes, and last year gave away $ 1.44 billion.
Reprint of Web book released
THE first online reprint (second issue) of a Web book by an Indian "Towards a Perfect Democracy – Alternatives" was released last week.
The book by Hemant Goswami is being
claimed to be the first online book by an Indian when it was first
published on the Web in August last year. The hardcopy version of the
book had been released in November 1999.