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Are Instagram and Snapchat the new cookbook or mere "cook-tainment"
Speedy food videos and text-on-snapshot recipes are changing things for bloggers and cooks alike.
On a recent dreary Thursday, I found myself learning how to make a cabbage and ramen noodle salad... from an Instagram story by Lo Bosworth. Yes, she of Laguna Beach fame.
It turns out I'm in good company when it comes to finding recipe inspiration on random celebrity and food blogger social media accounts! Food bloggers say their millennial audiences are increasingly looking to Instagram, Pinterest and Snapchat to find recipe inspiration — meaning bloggers are amping up their bite-sized video output on those platforms. Some embrace it, but some still want their engagement (and traffic) on their website, where they make money. Others worry the deceivingly simple clips will end up discouraging amateurs from cooking.
"Four or five years ago, the blog was really the only spot to share what you were making," said Ethan Adeland, managing director of marketing with Food Bloggers of Canada. "Nowadays, it's complementary." Adeland said bloggers used to engage with readers through the comment section on their blogs, but social media is now spreading discussions and engagement across different platforms. Bloggers must now interact "everywhere," he said, but there are upsides to the extra work. "The bonus now, with Instagram stories or Facebook live, is you can invite those people into your kitchen," said Adeland.
Some bloggers are savvily embracing the new opportunities. Gaby Dalkin of What's Gaby Cooking is one of the more prolific food blogging Snapchatters (@whatsgabycookin). Dalkin hosts a weekly Snapchat cooking show, during which she posts a list of ingredients, encourages her viewers to take a screenshot and then films an informal tutorial one snap at a time.
But not everyone sees quick tutorials as a good thing.
"Its cook-tainment," said Tiffany Mayer, a writer and food blogger based in St. Catharines, referring to the ubiquitous sped-up 30-second videos frequently seen on Facebook. "While I think they're great for inspiring people to get into the kitchen or to look up a recipe… they do give an illusion of simplicity and ease."
Mayer said the risk is that people will watch short clips, try the recipe themselves and be discouraged when the finished product doesn't turn out as hoped.
Other bloggers say they're happy to engage with users on social media but still want to drive traffic back to their home site, where they make the most money.
"It's kind of playing a bit of a game because I don't want to give all my content away on Instagram," said Lauren Toyota, founder of the Hot for Food vegan food blog and YouTube channel. "(But) young people are already on Instagram and Snapchat, so they really don't want to go elsewhere to get recipes. They want to find the information right there."
This tug-of-war means Toyota is posting instructional recipe clips on Instagram Stories, seeing users replicate her recipes on their own Instagram accounts, and hoping new followers will head to the Hot for Food YouTube channel and blog for more content.
Does all this social media recipe-searching mean cookbooks are dying out? Adeland doesn't think so.
"Years ago when social media was expanding with all these different platforms…people were predicting the downfall of cookbooks," he said. "Cookbooks are still a thing."
Indeed, San Fransisco-based independent publisher Chronicle Books said 2013 was one of its best years for cookbook sales.
Adeland said more members of his food blogging network are getting book deals each year. Their already-established fan base makes them attractive to publishers, he said. He also attributes cookbooks' staying power to the emotional connection we can develop with books.
"Nothing will ever beat having a cookbook on the counter, having some of the pages stained," he said. "To me, that's still the best."
Katrina Clarke is a Toronto-based journalist who writes about relationships, health, technology and social trends. You can find her on Twitter at @KatrinaAClarke.


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Barnyard BBQ brings the sauce to Teays Valley
TEAYS VALLEY -- Three years ago, Crystal Tincher purchased a smoker/trailer from the owners of Aunt B's Bakery in Hurricane.
Tincher initially intended to use the smoker as part of a fundraiser for child care, but it has turned into a full-time business for her. In fall of 2010, Tincher opened her own restaurant called "Barnyard BBQ" on Hospital Drive. Since then the business has expanded gradually to include a full service bar and live music. The bar area also features a number of flat screen televisions for game days.
"There was really nothing planned," she said. "We've remodeled one room at a time. We are in the process of putting in an outdoor patio. We're hoping to have some tables outside in a couple of weeks. Eventually it is going to be enclosed for indoor/outdoor dining. The barbecue just kept growing, growing and growing. It's grown into 200 seats. I didn't even have any barbecue experience prior to having the smoker. It's just having the right people come in over the years."
Tincher said the food helps.
"All of our barbecue sauces are homemade," she said. "Our house sauce is more of a tomato and garlic based sauce. We do make other sauces like the Carolina vinegar and mustard barbecue. We also have a spicy barbecue sauce. We call it West Virginia style. Our ribs are fall-off the bone. We have barbecue pulled pork, chicken and brisket. We also have a smoked prime rib."
In addition to barbecue, the restaurant has a variety of other entrees including hamburgers, Cajun-style catfish, spaghetti and country fried chicken livers. There is also a combo platter called "Two can dine for $19.99," featuring pulled pork, chicken, brisket, ribs and three homemade sides.
The bar features a number of domestic beers on tap including Goose Island, Magic Hat and Yuengling. There are also a selection of craft and import beers in bottles, and there is a daily margarita special. There are also 2-for-1 draft beer specials on Monday evenings.
"We have chocolate meringue and lemon meringue pie made from scratch," Tincher said. "We also have peach cobbler and homemade bread pudding. We're also really well known for our "Cow Patty." It's a rich chocolate or red velvet cake dipped in funnel cake mix and deep fried served with ice cream."
Barnyard Barbecue features live music from 6 to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday and from 7 to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
Barnyard BBQ is located at 1101 Hospital Drive in Teays Valley. It is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sundays and Mondays, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. from Tuesday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
For carry-out orders and more information, call 304-964-3322.
For a full menu and coming events, go online at www.thebarnyardbbq.com.
If you go
NAME: Barnyard BBQ
TYPE: Barbecue, burgers, dessert bar
LOCATION: 1101 Hospital Drive
HOURS: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Monday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
PAYMENT: Cash, and most major credit/debit cards

domain: news


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Supply Chain, Global Logistics
- Global to Local Logistics Key Factors
- Breaking supply chains is hard to do
- Cheapest Labor Wins
- Manufacturing Automation failed in USA and Japan
- Heavy Robotics Usage can be done in China also
- Cheapest Capital - M&A Rollups by Chinese Giants
- Promise of Domestic market - attracted Car Assembly Plants (USA and China)
- JIT chains/Transport costs - parts need to be made near assembly
- AI, IT and Global Supply chains
- === 2018+ Trade War with China
- ---- Factors Supply Chain Re-routing Progress 2020 and Beyond
- Slow Progress in Supply Chain Moving
- India as Targeting Manufacturing
Global to Local Logistics Key Factors
Breaking supply chains is hard to do
Cheapest Labor Wins
Manufacturing Automation failed in USA and Japan
Some US companies thought in Semiconductors and Disk drives they could continue their fabs domestically using more robotics. The sad reality is the high cost supervisors and engineers were far cheaper, and capital costs and long R&D and inflexibility of robotics and automation always lagged.
Japan Display Inc and chipmaker Rohm Co Ltd say potential shifts to full automation for labour-intensive back-end processes done overseas could lead to new assembly lines being built at home where more advanced manufacturing takes place.
Heavy Robotics Usage can be done in China also
The proven highest productivity boosting automation could be adopted side-by-side of the cheapest labor. So if a Japanese or German manufacturing tool was so good, the cheap capital and FDI within China, would ALSO allow that equipment to be installed, and the manufacturing tool companies would often offer lease back, cheap finance, and ongoing training and support as needed.
Ironically due to cheap labor, such manufacturing tool services and support costs would be FAR LOWER in China than their own home countries!
Cheapest Capital - M&A Rollups by Chinese Giants
Foxconn dominates electronics - IP, Machinery, Knowhow, Procurement and more
Sharp produces ultra-thin panel cells in Japan, which are shipped to China where backlights, connectors and other parts are added - a process that requires constant manual testing and machinery adjustments. "The back-end process has long been done in China because it’s labour intensive," said a spokesman at Sharp, which was acquired by Taiwan’s Foxconn in 2016.
Apple expansion in India would ONLY Be done under Foxconn
AVGO - uses cheap Chinese Capital to do M&A Rollups, help control 5G
Promise of Domestic market - attracted Car Assembly Plants (USA and China)
For Japan’s car makers, reliance on Chinese suppliers in the world’s biggest auto market is also just good business. "Even if we wanted to, it would be difficult to lower our exposure to China-made parts," an executive at a Japanese automaker told Reuters, declining to be identified as he was not authorised to speak to media.
He added that over the past decade, Chinese suppliers had upped their game and now provide a vast range of quality, low-cost parts.
Toyota Motor Corp, Nissan Motor Co Ltd and Honda also have at least three R&D centres each in China, and their suppliers are following suit.
"Where the software is developed dictates where the hardware is developed and made," said an official at a Japanese parts supplier, speaking on condition of anonymity.
JIT chains/Transport costs - parts need to be made near assembly
"The parts we make are so big that we need to be near our customers to control our costs," said Chikara Haruta, a spokesman at Yorozu Corp, which makes suspension and other auto components. Its plant in Wuhan, China is located just seven kilometres from a Honda Motor Co Ltd assembly factory.
AI, IT and Global Supply chains
=== 2018+ Trade War with China
How Companies will cope over Long Term
Stockpiling, gaming timing
- In Q4'18 a LOT of imports happened
China will change/fraud on country of origin
- Label Laundering - What prevents supplier from shipping over land to Vietnam and then "manufacturing"
- This will be mainly for smaller off-brands
Raw Materials still sourced in China
---- Factors Supply Chain Re-routing Progress 2020 and Beyond
Slow Progress in Supply Chain Moving
Threat of Tariffs driving need to Diversify SOME out of China
India Losing as new hub
Thailand, Bangladesh, Vietnam fast movers
Japan wants manufacturing back from China
Abe’s government has earmarked $2 billion to help companies shift production home eg making facemasks. The policy, part of a massive stimulus package to cope with the pandemic, has even been termed by some bureaucrats as a matter of national security. Economy Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura told reporters last week. "We need to make supply chains more robust and diverse, broadening our supply sources and increasing domestic production." = Jun 09, 2020
India as Targeting Manufacturing
Key factors India as new hub
Cheap labor not enough - Need land, control unions
China tech -> Overseas Chinese Factory owners moving mainly
Vietnam was low labor cost already in lowest cost
- Materials, speciality products - still imported from
- Nike already manufacturers a lot in Vietnam


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It's better to be safe than sorry when dealing with international clients.
Just like anything else, different cultures have different business standards and practices.
2020 one of three hottest years ever recorded: UN
China's party-run daily warns Australia against sending warships to the South China Sea.
Less contact, short trips: virus-hit Olympics bosses set out rules
Japan residents to get free Covid-19 vaccine
The young Hong Kong trio facing jail over protests
US, Europe develop vaccine plans with approval likely soon
Japan's VERA project has presented a new map that offers a better estimate of the distance of Earth to the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way.
World economy back to pre-pandemic level in 2021: OECD
Super Nintendo World will open on February 4, 2021, in Osaka, Japan.
Japan recorded a total of 2,153 suicide mortality in October alone.
The surrounding areas were suddenly illuminated when the bolide burst into bright light.
Taiwan's GlobalWafers in talks to buy German rival Siltronic
Tokyo Stock Exchange CEO quits over October shutdown
Wow-ser: Japan 'Super Mario' theme park to open in Feb
First foreign students arrive in Australia since virus closure
Delayed Tokyo Olympics to cost additional $1.9bn: report
US navy denies carrier group moved into Gulf after any 'threats'
A fur industry already reeling from economic pressures may have been dealt a fatal blow by COVID-19.
Global stocks mostly rise as S&P, Nasdaq notch fresh records
The move is said to be a part of TikTok's efforts to be more accessible and inclusive.
Island tensions simmer as China, Japan vow to boost trade ties
Japan should compensate Ghosn for 'arbitrary' detention: UN panel
The "Double Fantasy" album that John Lennon signed for his killer Mark Chapman is going up for auction once again and has a starting bid of $400,000 at Goldin Auctions.
WTO aiming to net fishing deal
Puma, in partnership with Nintendo, will be releasing a new pair of sneakers featuring a design inspired by the Nintendo Entertainment System and the beloved game "Super Mario Bros."
Pfizer/BioNTech file for emergency approval for virus vaccine
Covid-19 vaccine: the next steps
Mayweather vs. Paul exhibition fight for December may have just shifted to high gear following social media exchanges between the two personalities.


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Bitcoin negotiation cpu OpenNode has in fact presented a seed economic investment round of $1.25 million with financier Tim Draper as well as additionally early-stage investment firm Draper Associates.
According to a launched message on its Device website, the start-up divulged that the funds would absolutely be used to increase its team as well as additionally advertise the cultivating of bitcoin.
” With the close of our seed round, we presently have the opportunity to scale the team as well as additionally accelerate the rate of bitcoin’s cultivating. Along with scaling, a component of our economic investment will absolutely enter the instructions of legal services to see to it OpenNode’s consistency,” João Almeida, creator as well as additionally CTO of OpenNode, notified Bitcoin Magazine via email.
Tim Draper, American plutocrat as well as additionally maker of Draper Associates, is recognized for agreeing with on bitcoin as well as additionally knows with backing blockchain startups with substantial use circumstances. He led a $4.2 million funding round in blockchain details network Factom as well as additionally a $760,000 round in pay-roll startup Bitwage.
When quizzed on why his company selected Draper Associates, Almeida asserted the financier accorded with what they meant to complete.
” We were actually critical with whom we chose to create as our plutocrat. We are actually enjoyed have Draper Associates aboard as a result of the truth that they coordinate our durable vision of hyperbitcoinization. We plan on staying as a bitcoin-only settlements system, as well as additionally Tim gets that.”
For OpenNode, the growth has in fact corresponded as well as additionally healthy and balanced and also well balanced even with the depression available. According to Almeida, the consistent innovation of centers from approach developers would absolutely see the company increase likewise furthermore.
” By 2019, we plan to be the leading bitcoin settlements system. Furthermore, added dramatically, we plan to push microtransactions onto gaming/streaming/content system as well as additionally create negotiation styles never ever before before practical.”
OpenNode was developed in April 2018 as a negotiation cpu that aids with bitcoin settlements for individuals as well as additionally firms. The cpu maintains bitcoin approach implementations like SegWit as well as additionally the Lightning Network, providing instant settlement of manage lowered costs.
Most Likely, amongst the standout qualities of OpenNode is its mix with the Lightning Network, which has in fact seen much mix from blockchain startups, taking into consideration that Lightning Labs presented the first beta release in March 2018.
Included in an extensive list of companies that have in fact integrated the network are SparkSwap, BTCPayServer as well as additionally CoinGate. Blockchain business Blockstream, which presently allows clients to relocate bitcoin with satellites, furthermore consisted of support for Lightning Network bargains, allowing clients to deal with details transmission using Lightning Network micropayments.
Last month, Bitcoin Magazine reported that over 4,070 nodes were endured with a collective network ability that stood at 223.65 BTC. At press time, nodes endured has in fact enhanced to 4,586 with a network ability that has in fact escalated to 488.06 BTC.


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Wired.co.uk published an article that included a map of the world ( courtesy of Nominet) which focused on domain extensions.
The story spent a lot of time on .TK the cctld of Tokelau being the largest spot on the map. With more than 31million regs it leads all extensions. Of course they are free.
From the article:
FreeDom makes money through adverts placed on lapsed .tk registrations, with a cut of this passed onto the people of Tokelau. In 2012 this cut accounted for one-sixth of its tiny $1.2m annual GDP.
More recently .ml (Mali), .cf (Central African Republic), .ga (Gabon) and .gq (Equatorial Guinea) have all opened themselves up to free registrations.
“Our visualisation of global internet use paints an interesting picture of the domain world,” said Nominet CEO Russell Haworth, adding that the high internet adoption rates in Europe gave it a much larger geographical size.
For a full size copy of the map go here


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|Lego Education's new Spike Prime Kir is now aiming to market at schools to integrate Lego into students from primary to the first and second year of middle school / Photo by: Matti Blume via Wikimedia Commons|
Lego Education's new Spike Prime kit is aimed at schools that look to integrate Lego into lesson plans for 11 to 14 years old students. The new STEAM robotics kit was unveiled on Tuesday during a company event in New York.
The newest kit resembles the Lego Boost, a programmable kit compatible with regular Lego bricks and is aimed for families when launched in 2017. Spike Prime sits alongside Lego Mindstorms EV3—a staple robotics kit for many learning centers and robotics classrooms—in Lego Education's lineup, aiming to be a bridge for the Mindstorm to connect with the high school crowd, according to a report by CNET.
The report further said that the Spike Prime set was specifically designed for sixth to eighth graders. The kit uses an app that enables visual Scratch programming and seeks to adopt the Python programming language by the end of 2019, Lego Education executives said.
Its resemblance with the Lego Boost makes the Spike Prime appear cute, although it is a lot simpler compared to some Mindstorm kits.
The central processing hub that stimulates the creations of the Spike Prime robotics has six input and output ports. It also connects to various sensors, such as an RGB color and light sensor, a force-sensitive touch sensor, and an ultrasonic distance sensor that enables measurement and navigation, CNET reported.
Moreover, the hub also has a six-axis accelerometer and gyroscope, as well as a speaker, a 5x5 LED screen, and a 100MHz M4 320 KB RAM 1M FLASH processor.
Lego Education is up against competitors in the school STEAM space. This includes Sphero (which is set to launch an expandable RVR robot later this year) and LittleBits (which has already introduced a number of robotic kits). Another company making a big push into education is the firm behind the kid-safe plastic-printing 3Doodler pen, which also seeks to incorporate its product in school lesson plans.


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MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – APRIL 05: Shoppers receive shopping bags from staff members as they enter the store at the opening of the first H&M Australia store at the GPO on April 5, 2014 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Graham Denholm/Getty Images) ORG XMIT: 482874151 ORIG FILE ID: 482796421
U.S. market indexes were down ahead of Monday’s opening. Here’s where the stocks stood: S&P 500: -0.2% Nasdaq: -0.1% Asian markets were down ahead of public appearances this week from (…)
Target (TGT) shares rose 28 cents, or 0.4%, to $73.44 as investors were hoping the retailer was set up for strong holiday sales.
China’s main stock market index fell more than 5% on Friday after two securities firms said they are under investigation for possible misconduct.
U.S. stock futures were higher Wednesday, as investors watched developments in the Middle East after Turkey downed a Russian warplane.
Campbell Soup (CPB) shares rose $1.54, or 3.1%, to $51.33 Tuesday on better-than-expected quarterly profits.
Yahoo shares were down Tuesday as concerns about CEO Marissa Mayer’s turnaround continued to rise.
Institutional investors pressuring Dell to adopt three measures into order to boost their confidence in the record-making tech buyout.


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Whidbey Island was bustling with activity during a weekend punctuated by paintings, pagans and pigs.
A new addition to the annual festivities was the first ever Whidbey Island Pagan Pride Festival held by Whidbey Witches, Heathens, Druids & Pagans. Vendors at Coupeville Town Park offered items such as wood carvings, honey, flower crowns and several lucky people left with “magic beans.”
Nearby, some brave souls weren’t discouraged by the rain and got an early start to their shopping or browsing Saturday morning at the Coupeville Arts and Crafts Festival. Many, many more took to downtown for the annual event later in the afternoon and Sunday when skies cleared.
The art and crafts came in many forms, including paintings, sculptures, plant arrangements and fudge.
“For me, it’s surprising such a small town can support such a big art festival,” said first-time vendor Christopher Allen.
He brought his collection of reclaimed industrial items, re-shaped to create natural scenes. He uses bike chains to make waves, wire intertwined to form trees and beer cans to depict owls. He said he finds his materials in places such as thrift stores, Craigs List, on the side of the road or washed up on the beach.
The celebration of creativity also turned out to be a pleasant surprise for travelers who happened upon it.
Suzanna and Grier Jeffries and their family members Steve, Cheryl and Marlin Buckel were going camping and decided to stop in Coupeville for lunch Sunday. The group was able to grab food from the several trucks at the festival and check out some of what the artists had to offer.
Four-year-old Marlin made and sported a bracelet from Batman and Spider-Man beads.
Farther north, more Whidbey visitors happily stumbled onto festivities. Gary, Chris and Zachary Moreland had been camping at Deception Pass State Park before they saw an intriguing sign for Pigfest.
The three generations of Morelands were not disappointed with what they found in historic downtown Oak Harbor Sunday afternoon.
For the 13th year in a row, thousands of pounds of pork were smoked and served free to tens of thousands of people.
The festival also featured live music, a clown, a hypnotist, beer garden, car show and pie- and wing- eating contests.
Festival founder Scott Fraser even dubbed 2019’s iteration of Pigfest the “best year yet.” He said the new, 1,000-gallon “ripigulous” smoker produced “the best pork we’ve ever had at Pigfest.”
Donations collected during the event go toward local nonprofits. Last year organizers awarded $20,000 to three island charities.
Oak Harbor resident Laura Guzman and her four children had never ventured to the festival before. She said the food was delicious and she enjoyed the environment.
About 3,400 pounds of pig butt was served with only a little left over, Fraser said. The lunch line stretched almost the entire length length of Southeast Pioneer Way that was closed off.
“It’s pretty awesome,” Gary Moreland said, shortly after finishing his free meal.
“Had a car show with my favorite cars,” he added later, “and barbecue, which is my favorite food.”


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Credit marketing news & analysis
When many of our major sporting heroes adorn the tabloid pages for all the wrong reasons, adventure is providing fresh territory for brands looking for stories of inspiration and wonder.
MasterCard has launched a review of its estimated $200 million global media planning and buying account.
American Express has launched an above-the-line campaign to promote Small Business Saturday, an initiative that is designed to encourage people to shop in small and independent businesses
American Express is partnering with TripAdvisor to allow its card members to log into the travel review site to post verified card member reviews, see where other Amex customers are shopping and get special offers.
One Direction's fragrance launch, Pot Noodle's Facebook ban and Asda's advertising account are all among the most-popular content on Campaign this week.
Gocompare.com and Comparethemeerkat.com, the price and insurance comparison sites, are among the most-viewed content on Campaign this week.
The news of the death of John Harlow, the co-founder of Naked Communications, was the most-viewed story on Campaign this week, as the industry paid tribute to a 'brilliant misfit'.
Plymouth Council has banned Wonga.com and other payday loan companies from advertising on billboards and bus stops in its city centre, ahead of the Competition Commission outlining the scope of its investigation.
Andy Cairns, the former managing director of Inferno, has resurfaced at Bartle Bogle Hegarty as the strategic business lead in charge of the Barclays account.
MasterCard will release a campaign during next week's UEFA Champions League quarter-finals highlighting its role sponsoring player mascots for the first time.
Wonga.com and other short-term loan companies are to face restrictions in how they can advertise, under plans announced by the Government today.
Peachy.co.uk, the short-term loan company, has appointed Goodstuff Communications and US London to its £2m media planning and buying and creative accounts respectively.
McCann Erickson is out of the pitch for HSBC's £400m global advertising business, which it said was due to pitching for another unnamed global bank.
Grey and BBDO are understood to be lining up against incumbent JWT for the £400m HSBC global creative account.
The high-interest short-term "payday" lender Peachy.co.uk is looking for agencies to handle its advertising and media accounts.
Missed some key industry developments? Get up to speed with our recap of the most read and shared stories across Campaign, Marketing, Media Week, PRWeek and The Wall.
TxtLoan, the high-interest, short-term loan company, has hired VCCP and MediaVest after a pitch to handle its respective advertising and media accounts ahead of a major marketing drive.
Visa Europe has turned around a 10-second ad featuring Usain Bolt's 100 metres Olympic win, which took place on Sunday night (5 August) and was watched by 20 million UK viewers, as part of its 'Flow Faster' campaign.
Wonga.com, the online short-term loan company, has escaped an ad ban by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), despite more than 80 complaints against its advertising.
Experian, the online credit-checking service that owns the CreditExpert brand, is reviewing its £6 million media planning and buying account.
Latest jobs Jobs web feed
- Account Director - Top London Advertising Agency c£50k Fill Recruitment Ltd c£50k, Central London
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The Environment Food and Rural Affairs Committee reports that the European Commission's proposed package of measures for the dairy sector is not sufficient on its own to redress the problems facing the UK industry. It warns that farm-gate milk prices remain below the average cost of production and calls on the Government to set out its strategy to improve the state of the UK dairy sector. The MPs call on the Government to ensure that UK dairy farmers are offered written contracts by processors that specify either the raw milk price or the principles underpinning the price, the volume and timing of deliveries, as well as duration of the agreement. The Committee also argues that the forthcoming abolition of EU milk quotas coupled with growing global demand for dairy products creates a significant window of opportunity for UK dairy production. The Committee supports the European Commission's proposal to allow dairy producer organisations to jointly set prices but warned that without greater safeguards this could lead to competitive distortions. In addition, the Committee calls on DEFRA to promptly establish its position on large-scale dairy farming. DEFRA should also provide greater support for innovative research and development in the dairy sector that is focussed on novel uses and processes that add value.David North: First of all, the farmer, as you rightly point out, is not affected by the retail price under the scheme that we operate. ... As you say, on promotions, particularly for multi-buy, it will be lower than that, but the position for the producer is insulated from that. ... look on the website of the Tesco Sustainable Dairy Group it points to us bearing a cost of around Ap35 million a year in operating the scheme.
|Title||:||Eu Proposals for the Dairy Sector and the Future of the Dairy Industry|
|Author||:||Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee|
|Publisher||:||The Stationery Office - 2011-07-29|


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Google will on Wednesday be accused by Brussels of illegally abusing its dominance of the internet search market in Europe, a step that ultimately could force it to change its business model fundamentally and pay hefty fines.
Margrethe Vestager, the EU’s competition commissioner, is to say that the US group will soon be served with a formal charge sheet alleging that it breached antitrust rules by diverting traffic from rivals to favour its own services, according to two people familiar with the case.
Could be a huge blow to Google – but at the pace the EU moves, this will take forever.
Maybe in ten years, we’ll see something.
Google should have plenty of time to maneuver around this.


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The company’s latest report showed that Netflix lost 970,000 subscribers in the last quarter. The company had previously incurred a loss of two million customers.
Netflix’s share jumped after the numbers were released, and at the time of writing, it’s up 6.69% in the Wall Street aftermarket.
The number of new customers has always been among the most important units of measurement Netflix considers in the market, and the spring quarter is usually a weaker period for the streaming giant.
At the previous crossroads, in its first quarter report, Netflix had to report its first subscriber loss in more than a decade, and the stock fell.
The company said at the time that it expected to lose another 2 million subscribers this quarter.
But the drop was only half its size. It lost 970,000 subscribers in the second quarter.
In the second quarter of last year, the number of subscribers to the service increased by 1.54 million.
Anticipate customer growth
The financial figures for the second quarter were as follows:
- Revenue for the quarter was $7.97 billion, up from $7.34 billion in the same period last year.
- Earnings per share ended at $3.20, compared to $2.97 per share last year.
Ahead of today’s numbers, revenue was also expected to fall at $8.04 billion, according to Bloomberg estimates. At the same time, adjusted earnings per share were expected to be $2.97.
Going forward, in the third quarter, the company now expects to attract 1 million new subscribers. By comparison, the increase was 4.4 million in the same period a year earlier — and the market expected a guidance of 1.83 million, according to Bloomberg.
Stranger Things success
Netflix is highlighting the TV series “Stranger Things” as one of the driving forces behind the development.
According to the report, the series’ fourth season has generated 1.3 billion hours of playback on the service. This makes the season the most popular English-language Netflix series ever, according to the company.
The season also made previous episodes popular again, and the series’ play count increased more than fivefold from May to June, according to the company.
The numbers are dropping as the stock jump brings with them other power giants in trading on Wall Street.
Among Netflix’s competitors, shares of Disney rose 1.67%, and shares of Warner Bros. Discovery is up 1.68 percent and Paramount Global is up 1.3 percent.
Meanwhile, Roku’s streaming service is up 2.7 percent, while Spotify is up 2.1 percent.
Announces new sources of income
The Energy Service says revenue growth is a priority. To achieve this, the company will continue to improve its pricing models and introduce a new type of subscription called the “ad-supported tier”.
The subscription will be cheaper than today’s subscriptions, but there will be more ads. The company has ambitions to roll out the subscription in early 2023. It was announced last week that Microsoft will be their partner in developing the new subscription type. The company expects this to increase subscriptions and ad revenue.
Netflix also aims to charge you for account sharing. The company states in the report that the process is still at an early stage, but it expects to roll out the payment solution in 2023. As of today, the Netflix account is shared by more than 100 million households.
“Explorer. Unapologetic entrepreneur. Alcohol fanatic. Certified writer. Wannabe tv evangelist. Twitter fanatic. Student. Web scholar. Travel buff.”


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Leading Nigerian online hub for entertainment and news, Accelerate TV recently launched a lifestyle talk show called The Shade Corner which features five young, interesting Nigerians from different creative industry sectors. The Shade Corner, which hit the screens on Wednesday, February 8, 2017, is considered an open discussion forum where young folks can express their opinions on different topics ranging from entertainment to lifestyle and further down to happenings and trending topics from all over the world.
The show’s cast, nicknamed the Shady Bunch, brings different perspectives to the table owing to their different professional, ethnic and cultural backgrounds. Akah Nnani is a fast rising actor, TV host/presenter and blogger with a great sense of humour and a degree in Mass Communication from Covenant University.
Makida Moka is an Egyptian-born Nigerian actress and model who won the inaugural “Face of Sleek Nigeria” in 2009 and featured in Emem Isong’s Code of Silence in 2015. Adebayo Oke-Lawal is a well-known Nigerian designer behind the menswear fashion brand, Orange Culture, whose designs have featured in various magazines such as Genevieve Magazine, TW, FAB Magazine. Adebayo has also dressed celebrities such Tiwa Savage, Mo’Cheddah, and Ice Prince amongst others. University of Maryland alumnus, Noble Ezeala is a lawyer and also a blogger for Style HQ, while Camille Shaiyen, a French-speaking brand consultant who holds a degree from the American University of Paris, works as creative director for a couple of fashion brands.
The first episode of The Shade Corner which premiered on Accelerate TV includes a review of some of the less-than-flattering works of Nollywood actors who had ventured into music in recent times. Rare clips from music videos by Omotola Jalade, Nkem Owoh, Genevieve Nnaji, Jim Iyke and even Cossy Orjiakor were unearthed and played back with hilarious commentary and review by cast members.


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Pravin Venkatesh* has been running a modest kirana store in a corner of Bengaluru’s Malleswaram for approximately two decades, but over the last two years, he’s taken a technological leap.
Armed with just a mobile phone, a Point of Sale system and a barcode scanner, Venkatesh is able to assemble his stocks based on daily estimates of demand that are made possible through software provided by global wholesaler Metro Cash and Carry.
Rather than trudge to individual dealers across the city, Venkatesh compares prices of products across online suppliers such as NinjaCart, Jumbotail, Amazon and Udaan. He then orders different products from different companies, depending on who gives him the best deal.
These products are delivered directly to his store. This allows for tight store operations, minimum wastage and higher profits.
Venkatesh said that the software not only helps him to keep tabs on his inventory, but also allows him to remind customers of products they have purchased in the past and may have forgotten to buy on subsequent visits.
Some people see these changes as a step towards eliminating the inefficiencies and corruption attributed to the functioning of the state-regulated Agricultural Produce Marketing Committees. These online systems ostensibly cut out middlemen, allowing for better prices for producers and consumers. Across India, thousands of other small retail stores across are benefitting from such dramatic technological changes.
This streamlining of supply chains through the use of such technologies as predictive analytics, which forecasts supply and demand needs, has obvious benefits, especially for small retail stores and consumers.
But the deployment of these technologies raises important questions about data privacy – and possible misuse. In the absence of clear regulation, many are concerned that the data gathered by these may be misappropriated by both corporations and states.
To understand changes in the food landscape and the role of these new technologies in reshaping agri-supply chains, my colleagues and I at the Indian Institute for Human Settlements in Bangalore, an education and research institution that studies urbanisation, spoke to 51 people in the sector over a period of seven months, starting in September 2018.
They included founders and staff of e-commerce and more conventional firms, members of labour unions, investors, data intermediaries, farmers and government officials. The survey was done as part of the Hungry Cities Partnership project.
Our findings indicated that these technological shifts in supply chains have far-reaching impacts across its entire length – not just for kirana stores.
At the other end of the chain from Venkatesh, Ravindran Reddy, a young farmer from the Doddballapur region on the outskirts of Bengaluru, was enthusiastic about the opportunity to sell his horticultural produce to companies such as NinjaCart that operate collection centres near his village.
Selling to NinjaCart reduces his transportation costs and assures him of quick payments. This is a contrast to some of the hurdles he faces selling his product at the state-run Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee markets located in Bengaluru.
Reddy’s produce is taken to NinjaCart centres within the city, where it is divided into lots based on orders from retail stores, merged with other produce, and delivered to stores like Pravin Venkatesh’s and their customers.
How much produce will be procured from farmers like Ravindran every day as well as over a season depends on a dance of algorithms and mountains of data.
More than 570 million smallholder farmers around the world could benefit from the use of digital solutions in agriculture and allied sectors, according to a report by the International Telecommunication Union and the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations in 2019.
Among the significant online retailers in India are Udaan, Jumbotail and NinjaCart. Their teams have been instrumental in developing supply chain technologies such as demand forecasting. This is a technology that uses algorithms that draw from historical and existing trends in weather, sales, crop production, festivals, neighbourhood buying patterns and much more to predict requirements on any given day.
The sensitivity of the predictions to individual products and locations – which may be as small as a neighbourhood kirana store – makes these technologies potentially powerful aids in helping retail stores trim wastage and cater to specific local preferences by keeping track of each customer’s purchase history.
The granularity of data may have also helped stores tide over potential inventory shortages during the coronavirus lockdown.
Precision in forecasting is made possible by the increasing use of what is called “Big Data” – large data sets that are characterised by size, the speed at which they are added to and processed, and their complexity.
Big Data is currently being used for environmental management and to streamline agricultural production through precision farming and by collecting data about factors such as location, market changes, weather data and diagnostics for pests and diseases.
In agri-value chains, Big Data technologies allow firms to capture large-scale and granular information and predict supply and demand over the years along the length of the food supply chain.
A common belief among the people who run these initiatives is that “the data itself will speak”, indicating it is a neutral decision-making tool. However, though collecting this data may appear to be mundane, useful and necessary, it soon becomes part of much larger data infrastructures whose use and management need governance and oversight.
Questions have been asked about whether participants have given informed consent, equity between various actors in the chain, and privacy.
A 2018 study of retail firms in the US, for example, indicates how supermarkets collect details about personalised shopping preferences and history through the use of loyalty cards to “nudge” customers to make purchases through alerts via text messages when supermarket systems sense customers are in the vicinity.
Among the most obvious implications of this is the potential effects such practices have on food choices, even as countries around the world struggle with increasing rates of obesity and lifestyle diseases.
At the other end of the chain, farmer data in countries like Kenya is used to determine eligibility for crop insurance. Farmers in many countries including India tend to be the most disenfranchised actors in food supply chains, and without state oversight about the conditions under which farmers should be able to access crop insurance, many may be excluded.
In the case of fresh produce, the supply chain as well as farm data is built on a very vulnerable actor – the farmer – whose mobility and access to capital is limited.
There is also a data asymmetry here. Corporate big data solutions may not always work in favour of farmers who may be excluded from decision-making about how their data is used and shared.
Some traders in our study were anxious about how the data would be used and the implications for their own businesses.
These start-up companies don’t want to do business, said the president of a traders association in Bengaluru: “They just want to do database, data entry. That is, customer data.”
Other traders also suggested that far more important than trade or revenue to firms was access to these large, consolidated data sets that would be sold to larger companies. This was akin to colonisation by the British empire, they argued.
The European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation and Singapore’s Personal Data Protection Act already make provisions to govern use of private data, accounting for the need for proper informed consent procedures so that people are aware of the uses their data is put to and who has access to it.
The GDPR explicitly prohibits the collection of sensitive personal data and includes the “right to be forgotten”. India’s Personal Data Protection Bill is currently in draft form, and it remains to be seen how private and state entities will be charged with addressing similar questions.
Concurrently, of interest is what this will mean for the functioning of corporate-run food supply chains that depend on this very data.
Rather than being the subjects of decisions made elsewhere, farmers, small businesses and even consumers should be allowed to exercise autonomy through shared control over the ownership of their data.
This will admittedly be a challenging road for many who may not be equipped to process this data. But it would allow farmers and small businesses more access to information to use in their own decision-making processes about what and how to grow, buy and sell.
All names have been changed to protect the privacy of the people interviewed.
Natasha Susan Koshy is an Assistant Professor at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Hyderabad.


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Chinese Patent Grants Up 77% in First Quarter of 2021
In recently released data from the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA), invention patent grants have increased 77% in the first quarter of 2021 year-on-year. Utility model patent grants are up 72% and design patent grants are up 14%. There is no filing data as CNIPA has ceased releasing patent application filing data since December 2020 but CNIPA has budgeted for a potential 50+% drop in the coming years.
Specifically, there were 152,342 invention patent granted in the Q1 2021, with 16.5% granted to foreigners. This compares with 85,997 in Q1 2020 with 22.7% granted to foreigners. The drop in percentage of patents granted to foreigners is despite a 29% increase in patent grants to foreigners (from 19,496 invention patents to 25,120 invention patents).
There were 591,965 utility models granted and 168,800 design patents granted in Q1 2021.
Other data, such as trademark and geographical indication registrations, are available here: 2021年3月国家知识产权局审查注册登记统计月报 (Chinese only).
Back to All Resources


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Gasoline Trumps Electricity in Fuel-Efficient Auto Contest
By SAQIB RAHIM of ClimateWire
Published: September 17, 2010
More News From ClimateWire
- Amid Trade Tensions, U.S. Creates More Clean Tech Research Partnerships With China
- Melting Ice Turns 10,000 Walruses Into Landlubbers
- Calif. Initiative Lets Low-Income Homes Bask in Solar Power
- Is It Worth It to Save Oceanfront Development? Economists Wonder
- Government Printer Cleans Up, Expands Green Options
The cars of the future have shown themselves, but it's not clear whether Americans will like them.
Yesterday, contest organizers crowned the winners of the first Progressive Automotive X Prize, a one-year race to design an ultra-efficient car that's "safe, affordable and desirable."
Among the final contestants were cars getting 80, 120, even 180 miles per gallon equivalent. They assumed strange shapes, some sprawling on the ground like stingrays, others compact as books. They ran on batteries, ethanol and gasoline. In the end, it was a gasoline engine that triumphed.
The Very Light Car, built by Virginia company Edison2, won the $5 million first prize with 100 mpg and the lowest carbon footprint of all contestants.
Most interesting of all, its gasoline engine, running on E85 ethanol, beat out dozens of electric and hybrid cars, vehicles currently thought to be among the most efficient available.
It's the latest splash in an ongoing tussle with the auto industry: Exactly what is technologically possible, and what are people willing to buy?
According to environmental and consumer groups, the answer is this: Current technology can go a long way, and people will pay more for high-mpg cars. "We're not talking rocket science here. We're talking smart engineering, good auto design," said David Friedman, who directs the Clean Vehicle Program at the Union of Concerned Scientists.
UCS is a member of the Go 60 MPG coalition, a group of environmentalists campaigning to make that the next federal target for fuel economy. Currently, the federal government's corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) target is 35 mpg by 2016. Agencies haven't set the standard for the next stage, which extends to 2025.
The coalition said Americans are on its side: It presented a poll in which two-thirds of respondents favored the 60 mpg target, even if it raised a car's price by $3,000. According to the coalition, that premium would be recouped in four years at current gas prices (E&ENews PM, Sept. 16).
Pound for pound, cars today are far more efficient than their ancestors. But car companies have generally used the fuel efficiency to make cars bigger, heavier and faster.
'Energy density' is what counts
Friedman said auto companies should spend the next 15 years adopting known technologies that save fuel -- many of which are featured in the X Prize contest.
"While these [X Prize] vehicles may not be what we're going to see on the road in the next decade, they really do point to a lot of the ingredients that we need to get to 60 miles per gallon, or more, in the next 15 years," he said.
The auto industry panned the 60 mpg target yesterday. "Just last year automakers supported reaching 35+ mpg by 2016, and before we have even achieved those new heights, the calls have begun to almost double mileage," said Dave McCurdy, president of the Alliance of Auto Manufacturers. "Clearly we live in a period of extreme political volatility, and some groups are promoting their political wish list prior to the elections," he said.
For automakers, the question is how to do it. They have offered more efficient gasoline cars in recent years, but some are betting big on electric and plug-in hybrid cars.
That works well with the White House's support for electric vehicles. But as a matter of chemistry, batteries have far to go before they can rival gasoline.
Energy storage is measured by how much energy can be packed into the smallest mass. Gasoline, which resembles body fat and packs immense numbers of calories into a small space, has far greater "energy density" than even the most advanced batteries.
That's evident in the X Prize's winning car. Oliver Kuttner, Edison2's CEO, said he named the company after Thomas Edison because he had accepted the "conventional wisdom that an electric or hybrid drive is the key to efficiency."
Then he realized something: The Chevy Volt, a plug-in electric car, travels 40 miles on electricity, thanks to a battery weighing 1,000 pounds. Meanwhile, his Volkswagen Jetta travels 40 miles on a gallon of gas -- about 9 pounds.
"So we avoided the hundreds and hundreds of pounds of batteries needed for an electric, and chose a conventional internal combustion engine running on E85," he said in a press release.
Corvette designer makes fuel-sipper
Edison2 didn't stop there. It used ultra-light carbon fiber for the chassis, and it honed the body to minimize drag. Its front wheels weigh 6 pounds each; they're designed to crumple in the event of a crash, an innovation that may itself be worth more than the X Prize, according to Consumer Reports.
The car's so light that a mere brush, 8 pounds of force, moves it.
The X Prize's technical director, Steve Wesoloski, said that "to push Edison2's vehicle down the road takes less force than it would take you to push a four-legged table across a carpeted floor."
But how would it fare in a collision? The car passed X Prize's safety tests, according to Wesoloski, because its team members called on their experience with race cars -- light, uncomfortable, crash-ready race cars.
Lighter materials and smoothed aerodynamics were a common theme in the contest. One team from Thailand showed a photo of a team member lifting half the chassis of its vehicle off the ground.
"We really didn't see huge technological leaps. The technology in the vehicles in the competition is largely available on the market today," Wesolowski said.
He spent 20 years at General Motors designing Corvettes and working in the racing department. When the economy dove, he found himself looking for a job. Colleagues at X Prize offered him a welcome change from auto-industry conventions.
Car companies suffer from "inertia" and bureaucracy, he said, but the X Prize gives people a clear objective and then lets them achieve it however they want. Now, a number of the teams are in touch with the industry to share their innovations.
But even if it's technically possible to beat 60 mpg, there's another variable: consumers.
Small may not be beautiful for consumers
"Is it achievable? Yes. Question is, are people going to want to drive the cars the manufacturers are going to have to put out to do it?" said Kevin Riddell, an automotive analyst for J.D. Power and Associates.
People are buying more fuel-efficient cars, he said, but gingerly. Instead of buying SUVs, they are buying "crossovers" -- cars that are slightly smaller and get better fuel efficiency, but are still pretty big.
When car companies have to meet CAFE standards, they're not measured by what they make, but by what they sell. If they're selling many crossovers, for example, they also have to sell high-efficiency cars to make up for it.
Two obvious candidates: electric-drive cars and super-efficient gasoline cars.
The former remain pricey, and there's not enough charging infrastructure to ease people's concerns about "range anxiety," the fear that they may drive farther than the car is able to go on a single charge, Riddell said.
As for the second approach, he said, "odds are, at least using a standard engine, it's going to be a very small vehicle, and most people will not want to buy it."
Copyright 2010 E&E Publishing. All Rights Reserved.


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Today Samsung released a bit of info on the Samsung Galaxy Fold, suggesting in the process that the release of this device marks the "beginning of a new era in mobile technology".
We knew at nearly the same time as Samsung first introduced the Galaxy Fold's display technology (Infinity Flex) that Google was and had been working with Samsung on Foldable Device-optimized Android software. Samsung Galaxy M30 is now available online for a starting price of Rs 14,990. Most of you know which two companies I am talking about but for those who don't, they are Samsung and Huawei. In other words: Samsung is not only confident in the launch of the hardware, they're ready to roll with the essential software users want - right now! These include Microsoft's Office 365 suite, Facebook, Twitter, Amazon Prime Video, iHeartMedia, and Spotify, which will be preloaded on the Galaxy Fold.
Top GOP senator says Trump needs to 'step up' in gun debate With Democrats seeking to advance what they consider common-sense measures, Republicans want Trump to present a path forward. Democratic Congressional Representatives Veronica Escobar of Texas and Mike Thompson of California were also in attendance.
The unique design of the Galaxy Fold necessitates app optimization. The company has since developed a new, thinner polymer cover for the Galaxy Fold's display. Apart from that, it is also rumoured that a few more devices could be announced alongside the A50s such as the Galaxy A30s and A20s. So that support for foldable devices could be an integral part of Android 10. This means more apps on the Play Store would now be compatible with features such as seamless App Continuity and Multi-Active Window as compared to the initial launch date. Google has since introduced improved re-sizing, multi-tasking and multiple-display switching features in Android 10, too. It's a 7.3-inch display, which is the biggest Samsung has ever put on a phone, but it can be folded in half, so the Galaxy Fold 5G becomes surprisingly compact when not in use, meaning you can easily fit it in a pocket then take it out and have a near-tablet to interact with, which is ideal for multi-tasking.


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FTI targets top five
FTI wants to be one of the top five manufacturers of digital data storage media in the world within the next few years, even though it has yet to finish building its plant.
Falcon Technologies International (FTI) wants to be one of the top five manufacturers of digital data storage media in the world within the next few years, even though it has yet to finish building its plant and take delivery of its DVD making equipment.
While such naked ambition has been common place among US or Asian start-ups in the past, FTI’s claims come from much closer to home as the firm will be based in Ras Al Khaima (RAK), just a few miles away from Dubai and this week’s Gitex.
“The mission of FTI is to be one of the top five digital data storage media manufacturers in the world,” says Adel Michael, vice chairman & CEO of FTI. “We began constructing the plant in the summer in RAK and it will be fully operational in the first quarter of next year.”
When the digital data storage media plant is up and running, it will produce premium products targeted at the high end DVD market. In addition to shipping products to the local market, FTI will also export to target markets elsewhere as it aims to overhaul the Asian players that currently dominate the sector.
“A lot of the Asian manufacturers are targeting the low end segment, which covers things like entertainment, but we are targeting the high end. For example, companies that need storage media for financial data or medical records cannot use the low end products,” Michael explains.
FTI has been showcasing samples at Gitex, which have been manufactured by the firm’s equipment provider. When production begins at the RAK-based plant next year, FTI will operate a duel strategy of OEM manufacturing and creating its own brand DVDs, which will be sold under the RAKTEK name.
While Michael is unwilling to reveal the number of DVDs FTI will produce, as he believes it will dull the firm’s competitive edge, he points to the amount of land procured for the plant as evidence of its ambition.
“You don’t build a 11.3 hectare site to make just a couple of discs,” he says. “We will succeed because we have a high quality product. The equipment is Japanese, the management is Swiss and the environment is the Emirates. It is a combination that cannot fail.”


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Burst Case Scenarios
Burst has added another notch to its patent-infringement settlement belt. The scrappy three-man company, which once beat a $60 million settlement out of Microsoft over charges that the software giant had stolen its streaming media technology, has managed to squeeze a few million out of Apple as well.
Bringing an end to an often contentious legal battle that began about two years ago, Apple on Wednesday agreed to pay Burst.com $10 million to settle charges that it illegally incorporated the company’s audio and video-on-demand media delivery solutions into the iTunes ecosystem. In return, Burst agreed to grant Apple a nonexclusive license to its patent portfolio–with certain eyebrow-raising exceptions and caveats. The settlement specifically excludes from Apple’s license one issued and three pending Burst patents on digital video-recorder technology. But it also precludes Burst from suing Apple for any future infringement of the those patents. Now that’s an odd twist, isn’t it? Especially since a patent license is often little more than a covenant not to sue the licensee.
Why promise not to sue for infringement, but refuse to license? Why accept a settlement of just $10 million ($4.6 million after court and attorney fees), when a damages award might have been many, many times greater? And why announce the settlement of a bitter legal battle on the eve of the Thanksgiving holiday when so few people will pay attention to the news? Why do all that, unless there’s something more here? An acquisition in the works, perhaps. Or something else entirely.


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Paytm parent One97 says MediaTek to invest $60 million1 min read . Updated: 30 Aug 2016, 11:09 PM IST
A Paytm spokesperson says the funds will be used for expanding payments and commerce businesses, and for building and launching its payments bank
New Delhi: Taiwanese chip designer MediaTek Inc. is investing $60 million (about ₹ 400 crore) in One97 Communications, which runs Paytm.
The transaction values the digital payment services and e-commerce firm at about $5 billion. When contacted, a Paytm spokesperson confirmed the development. The funds will be used for expanding payments and commerce businesses and for building and launching the payments bank, she added.
Paytm founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma had earlier said its payments bank will become operational later this year. Interestingly, Mediatek is also an investor in Paytm’s rival, Mobikwik in India. In May this year, Mediatek had participated in an estimated $50 million fund raising by Mobikwik.
Alibaba-backed Paytm is looking at raising about $300 million (over ₹ 2,000 crore) in fresh funding. While a number of multi-million dollar fundings were announced last year by the likes of Flipkart, Snapdeal and Ola, the last few months have been tough for start-ups as investors have tightened their purse strings.
According to people familiar with the matter, Paytm is looking at more funding in coming from a clutch of investors, including Goldman Sachs as well as existing investors, Alibaba and its payments affiliate Alipay and venture capital firm SAIF Partners.


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West Coast Paper Mills is looking lucrative on technical fronts. It is bouncing back from around a 50 percent retracement of the previous rally. It is trading above its all-important moving averages in a long consolidation formation.
The company has re-commenced its operations at various facilities, Hindustan Foods informed BSE.
Hindustan Foods said, "This marks the entry of Hindustan Foods Ltd in the leather shoes exports space with a global clientele".
Sugar, food processing and leather sector will be getting astrological support.
Hindustan Foods has reported a standalone total income from operations of Rs 4.88 crore and a net loss of Rs 0.40 crore for the quarter ended Dec '15
Infosys | Wipro | Nestle India | SREI Infra | Wockhardt | United Spirits | Adani Enterprises | Lanco Infratech | IRB Infrastructure | Gammon India | Max India and Hindustan Foods are stocks, which are in the news today.
Hindustan Foods has reported a standalone total income from operations of Rs 5.96 crore and a net loss of Rs 0.05 crore for the quarter ended Sep '15


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There’s something so satisfying about how neatly those monitors are lined up.
I’ve always been of the mindset that if you’re going to cheat, why bother to play.
That said, businesses with real-life monopolies usually get them by cheating, so I guess that makes the game more realistic.
Who knew Hasbro would sneak meta-commentary on economic inequality into the game where you literally go to jail for having bad luck?
I said yesterday that I believe Disney will buy Rovio, the maker of Angry Birds, sometime this quarter. Today, Mashable reports that Rovio is cutting 130 jobs, having staffed up for faster growth than has been realized in the past year.
Through its LucasFilm properties, Disney is already in business with Rovio in the licensing of Angry Birds: Star Wars. Now that Microsoft owns Mojang, Disney should solidify Rovio and leverage the Angry Birds characters across its content platforms.


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Top: Pro Audio
The latest Pro Audio News
Friday November 25, 2022. 03:00 PM
Welcome back to Mod Garage. I’ve wanted to cover this topic for a long time, but to be honest, I didn’t dare because it seems so trivial. I’m sure a lot of you already have a natural routine to assess tuning, but I receive guitars daily for repairs, and enhancing...
VST Alarm has launched two limited time Black Friday bundle deals. On sale for only $9.95 USD, the Ultimate Synthwave MIDI Bundle from Immidiate contains... The post Save up to 95% on Immidiate Ultimate Synthwave MIDI Bundle & Godlike Loops Back To Black Bundle appeared first...
Audiolatry has announced the launch of its Cyber Week Deals 2022 promotion, offering discounts of up to 80% off on its plugins for the next... The post Audiolatry Cyber Week: Up to 80% OFF plugins + FREE Anime Vocals appeared first on rekkerd.org.
Tom Wolfe has launched his annual ‘F**k Black Friday, It’s My Birthday’ sale. This year, to celebrate his birthday, Tom Wolfe is holding a series... The post Tom Wolfe launches annual ‘F**k Black Friday, It’s My Birthday’ sale appeared first on rekkerd.org.
HoRNet Plugins has announced that its intelligent de-esser plugin Sybilla is free to download for the next few days. Sybilla is an intelligent de-esser designed... The post HoRNet Plugins offers Sybilla de-esser FREE (limited time) appeared first on rekkerd.org.
Drastic humidity and temperature changes can spell doom for acoustic guitars and any wooden instrument without proper maintenance and storage, causing everything from slight action problems and shrunken fingerboards to intense cracking and even mold and mildew buildup....
Plugin Boutique is offering a 40% discount on ROLI Studio, the all-in-one sound library and music production suite that is designed to help you find... The post Save 40% on ROLI Studio smart production suite, on sale for $59 USD appeared first on rekkerd.org.
Blue Cat Audio have updated MB-7 Mixer, a plug-in which allows users to create their own multi-band processing chains from built-in effects and third-party plug-ins.
Pulsar Audio has announced the launch of its Black Friday Sale, offering discount of up to 70% off on its audio plugins for the next... The post Pulsar Audio Black Friday Sale: Save up to 70% on plugins appeared first on rekkerd.org.
The Unfinished has announced the launch of its annual Black Friday promotion, offering a 40% discount on sounds for Omnisphere, Zebra, Diva, Repro, and more.... The post The Unfinished Black Friday Sale: Save 40% on synth presets appeared first on rekkerd.org.
VST Buzz has launched another batch of Black Friday sales with discounts of up to 85% off on products from Nomad Factory, Plug & Mix,... The post VST Buzz Black Friday: Save up to 85% on Pulse-Tec EQs, PolyKB III, TS2 by IrcamLAB & more appeared first on rekkerd.org.
Audio innovator Sonarworks, the company behind precision audio software used by Grammy-Award-winning engineers recording top artists like Lady Gaga, Madonna, Rihanna, Adele, Coldplay and Kanye... The post Sonarworks slashes prices with Pro Audio Black Friday Sale appeared...
Ghosthack has announced the launch of its annual Black Friday Sale, offering discounts of up to 90% off on a huge collection of sample packs,... The post Ghosthack Black Friday Sale: Up to 90% OFF + Buy 3 & Get 1 FREE appeared first on rekkerd.org.
SKnote has announced the imminent availability of Comp760, a detailed and expanded model of an old Compex 760 dynamic unit. While modelling it at a component level, SKnote added... Read More
Dec, Fri 2 - 01:11 CET


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SALISBURY, MD- Jason Lawrence Green of Salisbury has been charged with intent to distribute heroin, by using encrypted email services, the dark web and bitcoin to charge and distribute the drugs over a 2 year period from 2018 to 2019.
Police used a spoofed email account on multiple dark websites to trace transactions that they say Green used to sell heroin, under the online alias known as ‘Claire-Bair’ and using the US Postal Service to deliver it.
As part of the plea put together by US Homeland Security, the Maryland States Attorney, and Dorchester police.
Green admitted that starting in 2018 through October of 2019, he sent packages of heroin and other drugs using- encrypted email accounts which users bought with bitcoin. However on numerous occasions what green thought were clients were in fact police; who intercepted the packages at local post offices where they came up positive for heroin.
A search of Green’s home and a storage facility in Berlin found 77 grams of heroin among other drugs and paraphernalia.
That including heat sealers for plastic bags, weight scales, and a money counter, items consistent with the distribution of illegal drugs.
Police also found 6 hand guns, and a laptop with 130-thousand dollars worth of bitcoin from the illegal sales, as well the names and addresses
of over 50 customers.
As part of the plea deal, if the Court accepts the plea agreement, Green will be sentenced to five years in federal prison.
U.S. District Judge Catherine C. Blake has scheduled sentencing for February 11, 2022, at 2:00 p.m.
it still remains unclear how Green acquired the drugs he later sold as part of his illegal scheme.
Now this case was investigated using resources from the Dark Market and Digital Currency Crimes task force.
According to the indictment, the task force believes the use of these online marketplaces and digital currency like bitcoin to finance them has grown over the past decade.


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Pet owners continue to be concerned with imports
Worries of imported products from China continue. The day before Valentines Day a small shard of metal was found in a child’s valentine candy – thank goodness it was discovered before a child was hurt. This candy, like so many other recalled products recently – was made in China.
We don’t know when or if China will ever get their quality control practices up to better standards. Pet owners need to be painstakingly aware and avoid any pet food, treat, toy – anything that your pet consumes – that is made in or has an ingredient produced in China. Or be willing to accept the consequences.
It’s not my intention to scare the socks off you – but it is my intention to motivate you enough to find out where everything you give your pet is from.Tainted or toxic or dangerous imports from China have been headline news for over a year now – starting with the pet food recall that is one year old this month.I am on the FDA’s recall announcement email list – and I receive emails just about every single day regarding recalled products (all products, not just pet food).Butbetter than 60% of all of these recalls have to do with imported products or imported ingredients.The biggest concern for all pet owners was the tainted wheat and corn glutens and since that catastrophe there has been headline recalls from Chinese imported tires, toothpaste, dog treats, children’s toys, and now candy.
Please do not become complacent about your pet’s food and treats. Please don’t get too comfortable – and assume all is well with pet food. All types of recalls are happening on a daily basis mostly due to imported ingredients. You don’t want to be caught off guard and not know if your pet is eating food or treats that contain imported ingredients from some country with far less quality control than U.S. products.
The FDA might have a way to go before pet owners feel completely safe with our pet foods. But two things are for certain – the FDA is head and shoulders above China. And right now, the risk of products being tainted, toxic, or dangerous continues to be far greater with imported products than U.S. products.
Please take the time to find out where each ingredient in every product your pet consumes comes from. It should take no more than a ten minute phone call for each manufacturer. That ten minute phone call could be a life saver for your dog or cat. Take pro-active steps to protect the health of your pet.
When you call a pet food or pet treat manufacturer – ask them if they use all U.S. ingredients.You might get an answer like’yes, we use all U.S. suppliers’.Nope, that’s not the information that you need – the supplier or distributor might be a U.S. company, but the actual ingredient could come from China.This is exactly the case with the contaminated wheat and corn glutens from a year ago.If you hear the ‘U.S. suppliers’ response, ask more questions’Do any of the ingredients in your pet food or pet treat originate from countries other than the U.S.?’Tell them you want to know if any ingredient in the pet food or treat is made in or grown outside the U.S.From my experience in asking over 30 different pet food/treat manufacturers these questions for Petsumer Report – you can tell pretty quickly which manufacturers are using all U.S. ingredients and who is not.The companies that use all U.S. ingredients – with the few expected exceptions like lamb and venison from New Zealand – are quick to tell you.The ones that don’t – the companies that might purchase minerals, vitamins, or glutens from China – take you on an investigative journey before they finally give up the information you deserve to be told.
Please know – it is NOT that all Chinese imported ingredients or products are dangerous to your pet.It is that they have a history – a scary history – that has proven to be potentially dangerous and shows no signs of real improvement. It’s simply a huge risk to feed your pet a food or treat with ingredients from China.


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Samsung has confirmed there is a problem with the Galaxy Note7 battery and is offering Australian customers a refund until the issue is resolved just hours after removing the smartphones from stores after reports of the device’s battery exploding.
The device was removed from retail store shelves but Samsung says to date there have been no reported cases in Australia.
Samsung issued a statement late on Friday evening after the first incidents of batteries exploding were reported earlier this week in South Korea.
“Samsung is committed to producing the highest quality products and we take every incident report from our valued customers very seriously. In response to recently reported cases of the new Galaxy Note7, we conducted a thorough investigation and found a battery cell issue,” Samsung’s statement read.
“To date (as of September 1) there have been 35 cases that have been reported globally. There have no reported incidents in Australia. However, because our customers’ safety is an absolute priority at Samsung, we have stopped sales of the Galaxy Note7.
“For customers who already have Galaxy Note7 devices, we will provide a resolution of their choice including a replacement, repair or refund over the coming weeks.
“We acknowledge the inconvenience this may cause in the market but this is to ensure that Samsung continues to deliver the highest quality products to our customers.
“We are working closely with our partners to ensure the customer experience is as convenient and efficient as possible. We will have an update for Australian customers early next week.”
Samsung says any customers with concerns can return to the place of purchase to discuss their options.
Shipments of the new flagship device from South Korea were put on hold earlier this week for “additional quality assurance inspections”.
Retailer JB Hi-Fi has already pulled the Note7 from shelves for the time being as they await instructions from Samsung Australia.
Telstra has also issued a statement.
“We are talking to Samsung to understand more about the reports and as a precaution we have paused Galaxy Note 7 sales,” a Telstra spokesperson said.
“We will contact existing owners directly if we learn there is an issue affecting their phones.”
Vodafone issued a similar statement confirming it will also halt sales of the Note7 until Samsung completes its investigation. Vodafone said it had not heard of any issues with the Note7 from Australian customers.
Samsung’s Galaxy Note7 went on sale in 10 countries including the US, UK, South Korea and Australia on August 19.
The issue was brought to light in South Korea this week when customers said their Note7 had exploded while it was being charged.
A person quoted on the BusinessKorea website said they were “woken by the bang and the smell of smoke”.
The Galaxy Note7 is the first Samsung smartphone with a USB-C port and there is speculation that third-party USB-C charging cables are to blame.
With the cable that ships with the product, the Note7 is capable of fast-charging.
There is no indication that this is a widespread problem with the Yonhap News Agency reporting it has affected less than 0.1 per cent of devices.


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Dyseconomics, developed in 2011, describes how an economic system that is optimal for growth and technological expansion is one where, counterintuitively, the economic contributions of the majority of individuals goes to zero relative to the size of the overall economy, a version of the Pareto Principle as applied to macroeconomics. It also describes the counterintuitive nature of economics, in that what is ‘bad’ for the economy is sometimes ‘good’ for the individual, for example: the paradox of thrift. Some of the rules of modern macroeconomics almost seem conceived from a dystopian sci fi book.
For example, wealthiest 20% contributes 80% to consumer spending, while the poorest 20% contributes just 1.5%:
Of course, America’s poorest are, relatively speaking, much richer than the world’s poorest, but the Pareto Principle holds.
The future is an economy where economic contributions are increasingly concentrated among a shrinking minority – the cognitive and financial elite.
This is related to the labor market in that strong job creation may actually be a negative for the economy by creating inflation and spurring the fed to tighten monetary policy too soon. This implies that there are millions of people (predominantly of low or average IQs) who, economically speaking, create more value being unemployed, which keeps rates low, than working – a kinda cynical, dystopian economic reality. This is evidenced by how stocks surged 2% on Friday despite the weak payroll number in which only 142,000 non-farm jobs were created for September, far below the estimates of over 200,000. Bad news becomes good news because weak job creation means rate hikes will be delayed.
This is corroborated by research that shows that rising unemployment is bullish for bonds and stocks.
We find that on average an announcement of rising unemployment is “good
news” for stocks during economic expansions and “bad news” during economic
contractions. Unemployment news bundles three types of primitive information
relevant for valuing stocks: information about future interest rates, equity risk
premium, and corporate earnings and dividends. The nature of the information
bundle — and hence the relative importance of the three effects — changes over
time depending on the state of the economy. For stocks as a group, information
about interest rates dominates during expansions and information about future
corporate dividends and/or the equity risk premium dominates during
But, obviously, if the labor market worsens too much, the economy will go into recession, so there is a ‘sweet spot’ of not too much growth and no deflation. But, on the other hand, the labor force participation has been falling for decades, yet due to the Pareto Principle and globalization, consumer spending remains robust – another counterintuitive empirical observation in macroeconomics.
Men are leaving the workforce, yet consumer spending and exports keep going up:
This is probably why Wall St. is not losing too much sleep over job creation weakness, provided that the weakness does not become a full-blown recession. Even with a shrinking middle class, the economy as measured by data like profits & earnings keeps humming along. This is why liberals, who insist that without a middle class the economy is doomed, are wrong; instead, the composition of the labor market will change to one of fewer salaried jobs and more gig and temp jobs.


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GameSalad Brings the Bacon, But Might Change the Home
UPDATE: GameSalad PR contacted me to inform that they are opening a San Francisco office in addition to their Austin office, where normal business will ensue.
So yay for the local guys, right? Sure, just don't be so quick on that whole "local" thing.
TechCrunch says they "hear" the company is moving its newly deep pockets to San Francisco.
GameSalad, previously known as Gendai Games created a platform where people can make popular games for Apple's popular iOS (for the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch) without knowing the difficult coding process that goes along with it.
The platform was used by the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema to create their Hobo With A Shotgun game in anticipation for the movie of the same name.
I've reached out to the company to get official word about the possible move to San Francisco. Stay tuned.
Related stuff you might have missed:


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The maiden edition of Mainland Rocks, a potpourri of entertainment, will take place on Saturday, December 7,, the organisers have said.
The highly-anticipated show, featuring music, comedy, fashion parade, product exhibition, business networking, dance, magical display and other live performances, will be a classical form of entertainment, all roll in one. The show is scheduled to hold at La’ Mango Restaurant, GRA, Ikeja, Lagos.
Mainland Rocks is expected to include a mix of blasts from the past and new kids on the block. Organisers have touted it as the largest gathering of entertainment stakeholders and personalities, in celebration of creativity on the MainLand.
Mainland Rocks is organised by GR8 Entertainment and De’ Freshest Entertainment. Red carpet for the strictly-by-invitation event will begin at 5pm.


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Green, Green Bottles
Good news for green-minded beer drinkers. Carlsberg announced at the recent World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2015 that they have set a 3 year goal to develop, along with moulded-fibre packaging supplier ecoXpac, a 100% biodegradable beverage bottle using sustainably sourced wood fibre.
Reassuringly Jim Daniell, Carlsberg’s International Media Relations Director, anticipates that the finished package will have “no impact” on the taste of the beverages it holds.
Obviously the new bottles would not be transparent, the plus side of that being it would provide UV protection to the beverage inside, but how will the new aesthetic go down with the consumer used to receiving beer in a sweaty cold bottle? It will be interesting to see how that plays out in terms of the final bottle shape and packaging design in order to persuade the consumer that wood is better than glass.
Posted 19 March 2015Previous Next


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by Luisa Loi
Businesses in Bellingham will have more time to find compostable alternatives to products such as produce bags, catering trays and clear food wrap. Originally, the ordinance banning single-use plastics from eateries, in effect since July 31, granted an exemption for these products until Jan. 1, 2023. But, on that day, Public Works Director Eric Johnston announced with a memo his decision to extend the deadline to Dec. 31, 2023 (1).
As Toward Zero Waste coordinator Brandi Hutton stated in a Whatcom Watch article from August 2022, Bellingham is the first city to adopt such strict regulations nationwide. The Toward Zero Waste Program, run by Bellingham-based nonprofit Sustainable Connections, has been assisting businesses in transitioning to sustainable inventory after signing a $38,000 contract with the city, which according to Program Manager Jenna Deane is set to end by the end of the year.
The following items will continue to be allowed in businesses that provide food:
• Produce bags
• Catering trays
• Clear food wrap and shrink wrap
• Containers for uniquely shaped foods, like deviled eggs or cupcakes
• Flexible plastic packaging to preserve freshness and moisture
• Containers for hot meat items, like rotisserie chicken
• Small absorbent pads that are placed under meat or seafood to absorb their juices
The lack of at least two suitable and available compostable alternatives to these single-use products (a necessary condition to mandate the transition) is what warranted Johnston’s decision. This means that there could be further bumps to the extension for as long as compostable and cost-effective items continue to be unavailable.
“I think it’s just the reality of the market needing time to catch up to the demand for compostable products,” Deane said, adding that Sustainable Connections saw the extension coming months before.
“And it’s hard to know the timeline of the market,” she said. “What I do see as far as potential is giving businesses more time to catch up to be compliant with the original list of items that are restricted.”
Once these vendors become available, Deane said the program will help businesses in finding the best options based on their needs. “We encourage businesses to reach out to us if they’re having any trouble in finding compostable items currently or in the future with this new list,” she said.
According to Amy Cloud — the city’s communications and outreach director — and Deane, the ordinance has been showing positive results and receiving positive feedback from local business owners.
“The goal in the ordinance is to reduce the amount sent to landfill and increase organic composting with an aerobic process reducing methane emissions,” Cloud wrote in an email to Whatcom Watch.
“The changes that have come from this ordinance help address the large and growing set of problems caused by the rapid increase in plastic products that are used once and then discarded. These include the climate effects of ever-growing petroleum-based plastic production, human and animal impacts from the breakdown of plastic in the environment, a collapse in the global market for plastic recycling and growing litter problems.”
Supply Chain Issues
Some issues remain. According to information provided by Cloud, some businesses are still using backstock, while others struggle with ordering new resources due to supply chain issues that caused a rise in costs.
“Some businesses are still coming up to speed on what this ordinance means for them,” she added.
Businesses that are unable to comply with the current restrictions can submit a waiver to the Department of Public Works, valid for one year (2).
What Existing Law Requires
The use of single-use plastics in Bellingham is regulated by a combination of state law and city ordinance. Though the city’s Public Works Department has granted a compliance extension for certain items noted in the accompanying article, the use of the following is banned, according to Sustainable Connections, a nonprofit organization hired by the city to educate businesses and the public about the regulations.
Groceries and Catering
State Law and City Ordinance
• Thin plastic bags are prohibited — except for the temporary exemption granted produce bags. Reusable plastic or paper bags are permissible if a fee of eight cents is charged. Compostable bags can be provided at no charge. Stores are not required to charge for small paper bags (bags smaller than 882 cubic inches). However, all paper bags must meet the 40 percent post-consumer-recycled content or wheat-straw minimum and be labeled with this percentage on the bag. [State law]
• Grocery stores that have in-store dining or takeout facilities will follow the same rules as outlined above for restaurants. [City ordinance]
• Single-use plastics cannot be used to repackage foods for distribution or sale. Food items prepackaged by a manufacturer and sold at retail are not regulated. [City ordinance]
• Small plastic bottles less than six ounces for personal care products (shampoo, lotion, soap) can no longer be provided in rooms.
• Businesses are encouraged to use refillable dispensers.
• As an accommodation for people with disabilities, small bottles are to be provided upon customer request.
Other Retail Businesses
• Thin plastic bags are prohibited for all purposes. Reusable plastic or paper bags are permissible if a fee of eight cents is charged. Compostable bags can be provided at no charge. [State law]
• Food banks and food assistance programs are not considered retail businesses and are therefore exempt.
For more information, visit the Sustainable Connections web site: http://sustainableconnections.org/single-use-plastics/
Luisa Loi is a freelance reporter based in Bellingham with an interest in covering local environmental issues. You can learn more about Luisa through her LinkedIn (Luisa Loi), or by reaching out to luisaloi@ live.com.


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The national driver shortage has been wreaking havoc for some time now but only now is it really coming to a head. Add in the fact that hospitality businesses are due to fully reopen soon, there is a real fear that the problems will only get worse unless something is done about it. It’s causing major concern across the whole food and drink supply chain – not least in the baking industry, which Bakers Basco operates in.
Depleted fleets, an ageing workforce, Brexit and changing legislation have all contributed to the crisis. For those of us who work within the industry, it shouldn’t come as a huge surprise. With the changes to IR35 introduced in April this year and a vast quantity of drivers that are or were Limited companies, this was always going to cause severe problems.
In some respects, I agree with the Government. For far too long, Limited Company drivers have got away with paying limited tax and earned wages far greater than regular employees. Coming from the logistics industry myself, on many occasions I and my teams would try to secure permanent drivers, only to be told ‘No, you don’t pay enough’ or ‘I earn more money being self-employed’. These conversations would go round in circles and, as a manager, you are stuck with the situation and have no choice but to continue paying a higher premium to the Limited drivers. We’ve all been there when you have to deliver food to the supply chain and failure is not an option, therefore paying the premium is your only option!
With changes to IR35, a severe backlog of tests for new drivers with the DVSA / DVLA, Brexit and the well-documented ageing driver workforce combined, we now have a perfect storm which urgently needs Government intervention before the supply chain really collapses. At the end of the day, fewers drivers means greater cost to the consumers – so we’ll all end up paying for it somehow. I understand that officials from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) have been holding emergency meetings with retailers, logistics groups and wholesalers to come up with some potential solutions.
Surely there’s a simple solution here. What about additional tests provided to speed up the backlog? How about a real push on advertising the benefits and qualification of being a HGV driver? Although the world of driving is a tough role in itself; long hours, hard work and at times can be stressful on the great British roads. But does the average person on the street know that the UK average salary is £35k per year and that a HGV driver can earn anywhere between £30k – £40k depending on the company and type of goods delivered?
In my experience, the food industry generally pays very well for delivery drivers and you would certainly be earning at least the average way, and more! We only ever see bad press around driving and how difficult it can be but, like I say, how about a real push on the positives so that we can get more young people entering the world of driving?
That would be a sure-fire way of turning this driver shortage crisis around and getting back to what we do best: delivering food between wholesalers, suppliers and their customers.


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By James Wilmore2016-04-06T10:55:00
Topps Tiles reported a 4.9% rise in second-quarter like-for-likes, but growth was dented by the timing of Easter. Here is the City’s reaction.
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Penzance, a coastal town in England, achieved “plastic free” accreditation in 2017, since then more than 100 other communities have done the same.
PENZANCE, ENGLAND – As waves crash against the art deco wall of Jubilee Pool in the one of the country’s most westerly coastal towns, Sam Dean is talking about single-use plastics. Specifically, how to wean people off them.
Dean is the food and beverage manager of the Jubilee Pool Café, which calls itself a ”single use plastic free venue.” Customers will find no plastic straws, cups or cutlery here. Instead there are wooden stirrers, cornstarch straws, and disposable coffee cups made out of a biodegradable material. The café also sells glass to-go mugs.
“There’s a shame associated with individually wrapped things, and by moving the focus towards reusables we’re enhancing the customer experience whilst improving the quality and provenance of products on offer,” said Dean.
But much more remains to be done, he says. He’s considering making customers pay more for disposable coffee cups to further encourage them to ditch single use plastic.
On nearby Chapel Street ― where 18th century buildings house gift shops, antique stores and boutique guesthouses ― is the natural skincare store Pure Nuff Stuff. Inside, shelves are stocked with bamboo toothbrushes, plastic-free dental floss, solid shampoo and moisturizer bars.
Emily Kavanaugh, the store’s owner, said she has noticed dramatic changes in people’s buying habits in the town over the last year or two. “We’re now making four times as much soap compared to last year as more people switch from bottled shower gel, and most online customers jump at the chance to opt for plastic-free packaging,” she said.
Pure Nuff Stuff and the Jubilee Pool Café are just two of the businesses that are involved in a huge community effort — involving local residents, schools and government ― to stamp out single-use plastics in Penzance.
In 2017, this town of 21,000 people became the first community in the U.K. to be awarded “Plastic Free” status by the conservation nonprofit Surfers Against Sewage as part of its Plastic Free Communities initiative.
Those arriving at the picturesque Cornish harbor town by road are greeted by a black sign with “Welcome to Plastic Free PZ, Reduce, Refill, Rethink” spelled out in orange LED lights.
“There’s so much collaboration on every level here in Penzance,” said Kavanaugh. “It’s a small town so we all talk to each other, share ideas and resources and we have a mind to be useful to each other. It’s an exciting time.”
The plastics crisis is increasingly visible everywhere, but especially in coastal towns like Penzance. In 2016, the world produced over 320 million tons of plastic, a figure set to double by 2034, according to Surfers Against Sewage, which was founded by individuals who live in the region. Approximately 8 million pieces of plastic pollution reach our oceans daily, and many of these wash up on beaches. During just one U.K.-wide weekend beach clean in 2019, volunteers collected nearly 12 tons of litter, an average of 558 items for every 100 meters of beach cleaned.
The inundation of plastic waste is the reason Surfers Against Sewage decided to set up the Plastics Free Communities campaign, which targets single-use plastic items such as straws, bags, cups and bottles. It’s a grassroots campaign, with the aim of engaging whole communities in a commitment to take serious steps to reduce plastics.
To qualify for accreditation, communities need to follow a five-point action plan, including securing local government support; working with businesses to reduce their single-use plastics; teaming up with schools and community organizations; holding plastic-free events, like rallies or mass “unwraps” (where people leave the plastic packaging from their groceries at the supermarket checkout); and setting up a diverse local steering group on plastics.
In Penzance, the effort to become plastic free was led by Rachel Yates, a former journalist who is now the Plastic Free Communities project officer.