text:
The continuous research and development of innovation have made more headway than the health crisis.
Growth that not even the Covid crisis has been able to undermine; Technow has been reaping the rewards of innovation applied to fabrics. In the first nine months of this year, the company confirmed the positive trend with an average + 18% in three quarters.
“We registered a slowdown, but we never headed in a negative direction“, says Francesco Lazzati, one of the founders of Technow, “The 35% increase in the first quarter fell to 14% in the second. Between July and September, we stood at around 8%. And for the last part of the year, despite the ongoing health crisis, we expect a gradual recovery of orders also in view of the spring fashion events which, unforeseen events aside, we believe may represent the first season not affected by Covid“.
A trend that rewards the choice to “apply a flexible business model, strongly oriented towards innovation and capable of embracing the main issues that emerged during the pandemic”, continues Lazzati.
In fact, Technow has established itself on the international market thanks to a great boost in terms of innovation and research. This has led to the development of three major projects that have revolutionised the approach to traditional fabric: Graphene Inside the Future, Re-closed and Toweco.
Although it is still difficult today to give a concrete future perspective of the textile market, Technow has a clear vision. The issues to focus on are those of sustainability and innovation, in addition to the value of the service.
“The fabric market has undergone profound changes. At this point, it is no longer enough to produce ‘beautiful’ fabrics to guarantee competitiveness on the market, what makes the difference are the services linked to pre and post-sales. Technow develops its products step by step with the customer, helping them to select materials and keeping them updated on the latest applicable technologies” concludes Lazzati.


text:
COVID-19 has hurt many restaurants in New York, forcing some to close their doors, while others are doing takeout and delivery only.
Two business owners spoke with the Bronx Times about how the pandemic is affecting them.
Clipper Coffee, 274 City Island Ave., has been closed since March 21. Owner Peter Gennari, 41, worked on Wall Street from 2000 to 2016 and witnessed 9/11 and the recession first hand, but explained this is different because he runs a store now.
“When you have your own business it’s much more hands on,” he said. “On Wall Street you depend a lot on the economy and what’s going on there.”
At first he was going to remain open, but quickly realized health was more important than money. Fortunately, his employees are financially stable and could go few weeks without a paycheck, he said.
Gennari said it’s tough because he has a lot of loyal customers since he opened a few years ago.
“I have to worry about my customers and make sure they’re safe and taken care of,” he said. “I think we all joke about a complete lock down. I don’t think me or anyone else believed it would come to this.
He stressed he plans to remain closed until he hears word from the governor, mayor or medical professionals that it’s safe to open. However, Gennari is worried that many places will stay permanently shuttered.
“You could see it wipe out a lot of smaller business,” he said. “There’s a real underlying sense of support that the people of City Island have for the businesses here.”
One place that has stayed afloat is the City Island Diner. Owner Susan Hayes said it is only doing take out or delivery using a “skeleton crew,” but business is down 50 percent.
She has had the eatery for 22 years, so it has gone through rough times like 9/11 and the recession in 2008, but today no one knows when things will return to normalcy.
“The community’s been great trying to support us,” Hayes remarked.
Hayes explained when she first heard about the virus, she didn’t know what to expect. She understands it’s a risk to stay open, but feels it’s important to be there for the neighborhood.
“The people need it,” she commented. “City Island is a one and a half mile island. We’re basically the only food and diner on the island.”
She told the Bronx Times they are in the process of putting up a website so people can order online. With so many loyal customers, especially the elderly who come for their coffee and breakfast, it would have been tough to shut the doors, she said.
“I’m just hoping it ends sooner rather than later,” she said. “They’re very grateful that we’re open. What’s more important is that everyone does what they’re supposed to do and do the social distancing and stay at home.”

domain: news


text:
Google has launched an e-book store, and it could shake up digital publishing.
As part of its mission to collect all the world’s knowledge and make it searchable, Google scanned millions of books. Google offered the full text of books in the public domain, but for books still under copyright, the company could not give access to the entire book, even when the customer was willing to pay for it. Just previews, and places to buy a hard copy or a ebook.
Coming out the other side of legal battles with authors and publishers, Google has now won the right to sell books still under copyright. Any perusal of the e-book store will show that Google’s won quite a victory—big-name authors such as John Grisham and Stephen King are featured prominently, along with favorites of the literary circle such as Jhumpa Lahiri, and indie press stars such as Greer Gilman.
Several things make today’s news very important to the digital publishing world.
First, Google has an enormous collection of books available. Its deal with authors and publishers gives the company a good chance of becoming the e-book store with the widest selection.
Second, Google Books is integrated with the company’s search engine—so searchers are just a few clicks away from buying one of its e-books.
Third, Google offers to store e-books in the cloud, untethered to any particular device. Readers can access their books from anywhere with a browser—a major improvement over the lock-in experienced with some dedicated e-readers available on the market. Readers who want to download files can do so in PDF or ePub formats, both of which are widely supported.
Finally, Google is hoping to win over independent booksellers by making its library of e-books available to bookstore partners, such as the famed independent store Powell’s, who can add recommendations and information on top of Google’s collection.
It will soon be easy for self-driving cars to hide in plain sight. We shouldn’t let them.
If they ever hit our roads for real, other drivers need to know exactly what they are.
Maximize business value with data-driven strategies
Every organization is now collecting data, but few are truly data driven. Here are five ways data can transform your business.
Cryptocurrency fuels new business opportunities
As adoption of digital assets accelerates, companies are investing in innovative products and services.
Yann LeCun has a bold new vision for the future of AI
One of the godfathers of deep learning pulls together old ideas to sketch out a fresh path for AI, but raises as many questions as he answers.
Get the latest updates from
MIT Technology Review
Discover special offers, top stories, upcoming events, and more.


text:
OWOSSO — The Shiawassee Regional Chamber of Commerce, The Shiawassee Economic Development Partnership and the Small Business Development Center invite entrepreneurs to participate in a group dedicated to assisting the growth of ecommerce for Shiawassee County firms.
The event will focus on “How to Sell on Amazon.” Josh Willard, CEO of Josh’s Frogs, will share how to start selling products on Amazon and how to market products.
The session is from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Wednesday at The Armory, 215 N Water St. There is no cost.
The event is intended to offer networking, education and partnership opportunities for a range of companies, including those just starting a new business that would like to do ecommerce; those already in business but not engaged in ecommerce that want to begin and companies already engaged in e-commerce but looking for ways to improve.
To reserve a place, contact Jody Roethele at (989) 725-9241 or email@example.com.


text:
Average incentive spending across all brands grew for the third consecutive month on an annual basis reaching $2,536 in April. April’s increase equates to a 4.5% lift relative to what was recorded during the same period last year, quite a bit higher than February’s 0.6% and March’s 0.9% increases. While new sales improved as a whole in April, many manufactures substantially increased incentive spending to keep things moving in a positive direction.
At a brand level on the mainstream side, Hyundai increased spending more than any other manufacturer as average spending rose by 31.4% compared to last year. It’s important to point out that overall brand spending only totaled $1,161 per unit, which is still very low compared to the market average. Niche brand Fiat spending also jumped up substantially in April by an average of 29.1%, spending reached $2,484 per unit sold in April.
Another heavy handed increase came from domestic powerhouse Ford, brand spending increased by 23.2% relative to last year. Ford’s total average incentive spending reached $2,872 per unit, which placed them a couple hundred dollars over the total market average. Rounding out the top five mainstream brands were Buick and Volkswagen. Buick juiced offers by 16.5% while Volkswagen followed closely behind with a 16.3% increase relative to last year.
On the luxury side of the market spending didn’t increase as intensely as on the mainstream side, the brand with the biggest increase was Volvo which spiked spending by an average of 23.9%. Volvo incentive spending was on par with the total market average, brand spending reached $2,532 per unit sold.
Despite having lots of new relatively new product to choose from, Cadillac incentive spending also increased by a substantial 20.4%. Cadillac’s per unit average of $4,647 was higher than all other luxury and mainstream brands save jaguar. Rounding out the top five luxury brand increases were Infiniti (12.7%), Land Rover (12.5%), and Mercedes-Benz (10.5%).
Although incentive spending grew materially in April, a few brands did actually pull back on offers. On the mainstream side, Honda decreased spending by 39.5% compared to last year to an average of $1,457 per unit sold. Jeep also pulled back by a substantial 25.1% across all models, spending averaged $1,930 per unit sold. On the luxury side of the market, Lexus decreased spending by 15.0% and Lincoln also pulled back by an average of 12.1%, however Lincoln spending was still super high averaging $4,275 per unit sold.
Considering that incentives have risen for three straight months, the next few months will be particularly telling in terms of how OEMs react to slower new vehicle sales growth, and if they will reduce production to preserve profits or continue to increase incentives to keep sales momentum going.


text:
We are an aspiring marketing educator that wants to lead a global marketing education and training education, teaching enterprise brands on how to compel customers, strategic consulting and multi-channel storytelling.
Manhattan New York,
Call Us: +1 (540) 624-0530 or
+1 (540) 624-0531
Subscribe to Our Newsletter to get Important News, Amazing Offers & Inside Scoops:
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - An overhauled telecommunications sector featuring most of the so-called FANG stocks could debut as Wall Street's hottest bet when it kicks off in September, boosted by a rising wave of media and television acquisitions.
(Reuters) - ZTE Corp is expected to deposit $400 million in an escrow account in a U.S. bank in the "next couple of days," the last step the Chinese company must take before a ban on U.S. suppliers can be lifted, a U.S. Department of Commerce official told Reuters on Friday.


text:
News - 15 Oct 2019
Researchers have discovered the reason for the growth of needle-like structures—called whiskers and dendrites—that degrade lithium batteries, occasionally causing failure, a short circuit,...
News - 4 Oct 2019
Markus Niederberger’s team of researchers at ETH has used stretchable materials to develop a battery that can be bent, stretched and twisted. For applications in bendable electronic devices,...
News - 19 Aug 2019
A research team under the guidance of Professor Pavel Troshin from Skoltech analyzed coordination polymers, a family of compounds with rarely explored applications in metal-ion batteries, and...
News - 22 Jul 2019
Lithium metal anode has the potential to upgrade the energy density of lithium-ion batteries for its low voltage (−3.04 V vs Li/Li+) and high specific capacity (3800 mAh...
News - 17 Jul 2019
Lithium ion batteries are energizing the current mega trend towards electrical mobility. One of the key requirements of lithium ion batteries is that they must be free of water, because water reacts...
News - 11 Jul 2019
Metal-air batteries are known to possess excellent gravimetric energy densities, and hence they have been pursued as an ideal replacement to lithium-ion batteries.
Such batteries can possibly...
News - 10 Jul 2019
Growing development of micro-scale electronics has urged the need for related micro-scale power sources, particularly for micro-batteries (MBs). Poor flexibility and complicated manufacturing process...
News - 1 Jul 2019
Solid-state batteries can be said to be a new kind of battery design that utilizes all solid components.
Now, in the past few years, these batteries have attracted a great deal of attention...
News - 20 Jun 2019
Electric cars find it difficult to cope with extreme temperatures, chiefly due to effects on the electrolyte solutions in their lithium-ion batteries.
Currently, scientists have produced new...
News - 20 Jun 2019
As revolutionary as electric vehicles are, they are still susceptible to an Achilles heel — the very source that provides them power.
One of the typical types of batteries fitted in...


text:
by GDPR Associates | 17th May 2017 10:17 am
A Greater Manchester used-car dealer that sent hundreds of thousands of spam texts has been fined £40,000.
Concept Car Credit Limited, which is based in Radcliffe, was issued with the penalty following an investigation by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).
The investigation found the company, which offers both car finance and cars for sale, had broken the law about how firms can use people’s details to send marketing texts.
Steve Eckersley, ICO Head of Enforcement, said:
“The mass sending of over 300,000 marketing text messages without following the rules is simply not on.
“We have published clear guidance on how to comply with the law and have a helpline which gives businesses further advice. There’s no excuse for getting it wrong and intruding into people’s everyday lives with spam texts.”
The company told the ICO it had obtained the data used to send the messages from other organisations. As the instigator of the texts it was Concept Car Credit Limited’s responsibility to ensure it was only texting people who had consented to receive the marketing. The firm failed to do this.
Alongside the fine, the ICO has also issued an enforcement notice ordering the company to stop sending unlawful texts in the future. If the company does not comply with the notice, it could face court action.
People can report nuisance calls, texts and emails at ico.org.uk. Spam texts can also be reported by forwarding them to 7726.
The ICO has published detailed guidance for firms carrying out direct marketing by phone, text, email, post or fax.
Source URL: https://www.gdpr.associates/radcliffe-used-car-dealer-fined-40000-for-sending-336000-spam-texts/
Copyright ©2020 GDPR Associates unless otherwise noted.


text:
Following our Lumia 800 UK video earlier this week, here’s the 900 TV ad from the US.
Jim Buczkowski, a Henry Ford Technical Fellow at Ford Motor Company, talks to Steve Clayton about the connected car and the role of intelligent systems.
As excited as I am to score a white Nokia Lumia 900, this new UK advert for the Lumia 800 shows the phone beautifully.
Kevin Dallas, GM for Windows Embedded at Microsoft, talks about the emergence of intelligent systems and Windows Embedded Standard 8 community technology preview.
Kinect for Windows v1.5 is on it's way soon - with new capabilities, new languages and new applications.


text:
1. Shore up Gaps in Automation
“Never before has the importance of manufacturer relationships, the reliability of supply availability, and the ease at which healthcare organizations can get what they need, when they need it, been more apparent,” Odenkirk explained. “To achieve the level of automation their customers demand, manufacturers must consolidate and automate multiple, siloed, and disconnected supply chain processes.”
For instance, “the adoption of electronic invoicing and payments will reduce the costs associated with manual processes and will create a more level payments playing field for manufacturers,” Odenkirk explained.
She also points out that manufacturers relying on manual processes were at a “significant disadvantage” during the early days of the pandemic. “They lacked visibility into supply procurement and the ability to place automated orders; manage shortages, backorders, and stock-outs; and process payments,” she said.


text:
Entry into the closed beta for Blizzard’s in development MOBA Heroes of the Storm can now be bought.
The studio has launched what it calls the Founder’s Pack. For 29.99 players get access to the game and the use of three heroes – Jim Raynor (from StarCraft), Diablo (from, as you’ve probably guessed, Diablo) and Tyrande Whisperwind (from Warcraft).
Also included are alternate skins for each character, a Golden Cyber Wolf epic mount and 2,500 worth of in-game gold.
Blizzard has warned that the Founder’s Pack could be pulled from sale at any time should it be sold in high enough numbers so as to threaten server stability.
The closed beta kicked off last week, and anyone is free to sign up and go on the waiting list. Heroes of the Storm doesn’t yet have a release date.
There’s also a new video:


text:
Rupee fall: Indian exporters fret as rivals gain currency
Similarly, Thailand is India's biggest rival in the field of gems and jewellery exports, while Bangladesh competes with it for a share of Europe's readymade garments market. On Tuesday, the rupee touched a lifetime low of 58.98 against the dollar, recording a more than 7% fall since May. In contrast, South Africa's rand has depreciated by about 10% against the greenback during the period, while Thailand's baht has slipped by about 7% since April.
Indonesia's rupiah, which is witnessing volatility like the rupee, recorded a 1.988% drop on Monday. The Bangladeshi tacca has appreciated 5% against the dollar over the last one month that will give some competitive advantage to Indian garment makers. "With the rupiah and rand depreciating more, the plunge in the Indian rupee is not translating into gains for Indian exporters.
In fact, for sectors involving high imports, the benefits have been nullified," said Ajay Sahai, director-general and CEO of Federation of Indian Exports Organisation. According to Sahai, Indian exporters are facing intense competition for new orders from rivals in these countries as they too enjoyed cost advantage due to their currency depreciation.
"South African rand has depreciated as much as the rupee, but its import dependence is less in terms of steel, which makes it gain much more in stainless steel and also engineering components to some extent, compared with India. It can be more cost competitive compared to us", said Pankaj Chadha of Jyoti Steel industries. Appreciation in China's yuan has brought some joy, though.
Chinese currency has gained 0.6% in value against the dollar this calender. Experts say Indian exporters had the competitive edge and should be able to translate it to their benefit.
"India could take the advantage of China's yuan appreciating...Most South East Asian countries dealing with China could switch to India looking to cut their sourcing dependence on China," said Biswajit Dhar, Director-General, Research and Information System for Developing Countries.


text:
Toyota may split its Indian operations into two units – one solely handling manufacturing and the other focused on marketing, distribution and sales.
A report in The Economic Times says the move would be part of a strategy to boost its presence in India.
The newspaper noted that TKM deputy-managing director KK Swamy resigned his position this week.
Unconfirmed reports said he may be headed to a rival car company, possibly Volkswagen.
It is not clear if Mr Swamy’s exit is linked to the restructuring plan or what the timeframe for the plan may be, the newspaper said.
The report added that Toyota management may be attempting to replicate in India its Indonesian business model, where it has separate structures for manufacturing and marketing. Sources said that marketing, distribution and sales functions were likely to be consolidated as a new unit headquartered in Gurgaon while Bangalore will be developed as the manufacturing hub.
The restructuring also comes in the context of reports that India may be the mother hub for its “new strategic small car manufacturing” globally.


text:
Publix Is Getting Rid of This in Stores, Effective Immediately
The retailer has already started removing this product nationwide.
Publix is a fan-favorite supermarket for shoppers who live near one. And with more than 1,200 locations spread across the Southeast, you might be closer to the grocery chain than you realize. From clean and well-organized spaces to the famous "Pub Sub," Publix's loyal customers come back time and again to stock up on their faves. But if you're a frequent visitor, you may notice that something is missing on your next grocery trip. Publix just announced that it's getting rid of one product in stores nationwide. Read on to find out what the chain has already started removing.
Publix is removing Russian vodka from its stores.
Maria Brous, the director of communications for the supermarket chain, confirmed that the Publix has removed Russian-made vodka brands from its stores nationwide as of March 2, Fox Business reported. The effort was made to show support for Ukraine against the recent Russian invasion.
"Publix stands with the people of Ukraine," Brous told the news outlet. "The following Russian-made vodka brands have been removed from our liquor store shelves: Beluga, Ruskova, Russian Standard, and Zyr."
The grocery store chain will still have an advertisement that features Russian alcohol.
There will still be ties between the grocery chain and one Russian-made alcohol brand in the coming days, however. Publix's sales advertisement on March 3 will feature a Russian-made vodka, NBC-affiliate WPTV in West Palm Beach, Florida, reported. According to Brous, the chain's "sale circulars" are printed weeks in advance and this timeline has left them unable to remove the product from the printed advertisement for that day.
But Publix has removed the ad from the online version of its circular. "No Russian-made vodka will be available for sale even though they will appear in the printed ad," Brous also confirmed to the news station.
Publix is not the only chain to remove Russian alcohol from its stores.
Publix is just one of a growing list of companies trying to show their support for Ukraine. On March 1, Kroger confirmed that it had recently pulled all Russian-produced vodka from its stores, NBC-affiliate WLWT in Cincinnati, Ohio reported. "As America's grocer, we're taking action to show our support and solidarity with Ukraine," the Cincinnati-based grocer tweeted from the official Kroger News Twitter account. "Over the weekend, we removed Russian-produced vodka from our shelves."
Total Wine & More also announced on Feb. 28 that it had removed all Russian-made products from its stores "in support of the Ukrainian people." Food Lion and Target confirmed that they are not currently sourcing any vodka from Russia as well, Insider reported.
RELATED: For more retail news delivered straight to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter.
The U.S. does not import much alcohol from Russia.
These displays of support don't stop with businesses either. According to The Wall Street Journal, at least 11 states have banned the sale of Russian-made alcohol from government liquor stores as of March 1. But these bans and removals are likely to be just a symbolic form of support that won't have have a large monetary effect, Reuters reported. This is because not much vodka is actually imported to the U.S. from Russia.
According to the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, only 1.2 percent of the country's vodka imports actually came from Russia in the first half of 2021 and Russian vodka accounted for just $18.5 million of the $1.4 billion worth of total vodka imports for the U.S. last year. In comparison, the council reported that France accounted for $660 million.
And many brands with Russian names aren't actually made in Russia.
If you go shopping for alcohol in the coming weeks, chances are you'll still see alcohol being sold with Russian names. According to The Wall Street Journal, most of the bans and removals will only apply to three alcohol brands: Russian Standard, Hammer & Sickle, and Ustianochka. Other popular alcohol brands sold in the U.S. with Russian names aren't actually owned or produced by Russia. Due to this, some liquor stores are declining to oust "Russian" vodka from their shelves, Insider reported.
Some of these alcohol companies with Russian names have even spoken out against the attack on Ukraine. The Stoli Group behind the Stolichnaya brand told CNN that it "unequivocally condemns the military action in Ukraine and stands ready to support the Ukrainian people, [their] teams and partners." Diageo, the London-based maker of Smirnoff vodka, also paused its exports to Russia and Ukraine on March 3, per Reuters. "Our priority is the safety of our people in Ukraine and the wider region," a spokesperson for the brand told the news outlet.


text:
Uber must pay its drivers benefits, overtime, working expenses, and other standard compensation that the company has thus far avoided providing, the California Labor Commission has ruled.
The decision is not self-executing across the state and can only be directly applied in one specific driver’s case. But it signals to the company’s other employees that the body charged with adjudicating California labor law views Uber to be an employer with all the obligations that come with the label. Uber notes in a statement that the same commission had ruled the opposite way in a 2012 case, and that neither of those rulings would be binding in any other individual lawsuit over similar complaints by other drivers.
The ridesharing start-up, whose market value recently hit $50 billion, has relied upon paying drivers as though they were independent contractors rather than employees. Classifying a worker as a contractor negates most provisions of federal labor law, saving an employer thousands of dollars per year for each person they treat as a contractor.
If a company treats a contractor like an employee by exerting substantial control over day-to-day job activities, though, it risks being found guilty of misclassifying workers. Misclassification is a widespread problem, with complaints popping up everywhere from trucking to strip clubs to beauty parlors.
In California, Uber argued that its relationship with drivers is not controlling enough to constitute an employer-employee relationship, pointing out that they don’t set drivers’ hours or require a minimum number of trips in a shift. But California’s definition of the line between employment and contract work is primarily based on whether the worker is providing a service that’s integral to the main line of business of the company paying her. Labor commission lawyers examined Uber’s policies for drivers and overall business model and found the company’s argument weak.
“Defendants hold themselves out as nothing more than a neutral technological platform, designed simply to enable drivers and passengers to transact the business of transportation. The reality, however, is that defendants are involved in every aspect of the operation,” the commission ruled. By vetting would-be drivers, requiring them to register their vehicles with Uber, and terminating them if their approval ratings dip too low, the state found, Uber positioned itself as an employer rather than a non-controlling party to a contract.
The case that generated the ruling will only cost Uber about $4,000 in reimbursement payments to a driver named Barbara Ann Berwick. But its consequences could be much grander. If it cannot successfully appeal the finding, it will have to choose between fielding further individual lawsuits or reclassifying all its California drivers as regular employees to pre-empt the suits. That means paying unemployment insurance and other payroll taxes that aren’t triggered for contractors, as well as potentially being subject to overtime rules and made to reimburse drivers for work expenses like gas, tolls, and some traffic tickets.
Any multi-billion-dollar corporation should theoretically be able to absorb such costs. But they threaten to turn Uber into a much smaller-margin enterprise, one more akin to the traditional taxi company business model that the firm has made so much money disrupting. And because Uber’s market value is a fluid, on-paper number that depends on investor confidence and market analyst’s reading of the economic tea leaves, the California ruling could lead to some shrinkage in the car service’s worth and ability to raise private funds.
The ruling isn’t the end of the story, either. There are other civil cases outstanding in California and elsewhere that touch on similar issues and could be decided differently. And the sheer variety of different driver experiences, from people who drive a few hours a week for supplementary income to those who log long hours in vehicles leased from the company itself, suggests that it’s hard to pin down the entire category of workers with either the “employee” or “contractor” label that the law provides.
This blog was originally posted on Think Progress on June 17, 2015. Reprinted with permission.
About the Author: The author’s name is Alan Pyke. Alan Pyke is the Deputy Economic Policy Editor for ThinkProgress.org. Before coming to ThinkProgress, he was a blogger and researcher with a focus on economic policy and political advertising at Media Matters for America, American Bridge 21st Century Foundation, and PoliticalCorrection.org. He previously worked as an organizer on various political campaigns from New Hampshire to Georgia to Missouri. His writing on music and film has appeared on TinyMixTapes, IndieWire’s Press Play, and TheGrio, among other sites.


text:
I was watching the Kardashian reality show, Keeping Up With The Kardashians, last night and came across this article about the Pet Shop Boys, who have a reputation for selling exotic pets.
The article talks about how the pet store boys, who are known for their attention to detail, are a source of pride for the owners of exotic pets, but also a source to be wary of.
“The Pet Shop boys are known as the pet shop’s version of the Kardash’ celebrity, and the owners often take their pets to the store to buy their favorite toys and treats,” the article read.
I wanted to know if there were any real pets, as opposed to a pet shop boy who sells them to get attention.
I was curious about the authenticity of these dogs, so I called up the Pet Store Boys and asked if they were real, and what the pet trade is really like.
I had a lot of questions.
Is it possible to buy an exotic pet at the Pet Shops?
What are the rules and regulations?
What do they do to keep their dogs safe?
The answer to the first question was no.
The Pet Shoppers I spoke with said they had never seen anything like this before.
They said the owners, and indeed the store, are really strict about keeping their dogs well-behaved and not letting them loose in public.
A lot of pet stores are like that, and they have been for years.
The owners are so good at maintaining their dogs, they said, they can’t keep them anywhere but the pet shops.
It’s not uncommon for a pet store to have at least one staff member who can handle an exotic dog.
According to the article, the PetShoppers also said that the owners are responsible for keeping their animals safe.
They said the PetShop boys are responsible to keep the animals in a good home.
The owner of the Pet Shack in the article also said she had never heard of anyone stealing an exotic cat.
But the owners said the rules are stricter than the Kardash.
They also said they are strict with their dogs.
They don’t let their dogs out without their owners’ permission, and any time they see a dog that is not in the proper conditions, the owners must call them.
For the pet owner who doesn’t have a pet, or the pet dealer who doesn’s pet, the rules might not be as strict as they appear.
When asked what the owners think about the article about their pets, the owner of a pet dealer said, “Theyre a little scared to talk about it, because it makes me nervous, but theyre not scared of it.”


text:
Fashion designer L'Wren Scott is in favor of creating versatile, classic pieces that
can be worn in a variety of ways and environments.
Laura Bambrough (April 28, 1964 – March 17, 2014), known professionally as L'
Wren Scott, was an American fashion designer, costume designer and model.
Jun 22, 2014 ... In the months since fashion designer L'Wren Scott killed herself, her
extraordinary life and achievements have been overshadowed by her ...
Mar 17, 2014 ... L'Wren Scott, the glamorous fashion designer and longtime lover of Mick Jagger,
used a scarf to hang herself from a doorknob Monday in her ...
L'Wren Scott was in debt, but not broke at time of suicide. Published: October 6,
2014 | 5:18pm. According to a new British GQ article, the fashion designer had ...
Jul 18, 2014 ... Mick Jagger has opened up for the first time about life after the death of his
girlfriend, L'Wren Scott, in a Today interview about Get On Up, the ...
Mar 18, 2014 ... L'Wren Scott, a noted fashion designer who has been Mick Jagger's companion
for more than a decade, was found dead in her New York ...
Mar 28, 2014 ... L'Wren Scott left her entire estate to her longtime lover, Mick Jagger, according to
the late fashion designer's will.
Mar 17, 2014 ... L'Wren Scott, the fashion designer who was dating rocker Mick Jagger, was
found hanging in her Manhattan apartment today. She was 47.
Sep 2, 2014 ... Haunting, never-before seen photo of tragic L'Wren Scott beaming at her friend
wearing the only wedding dress Mick Jagger's lover would ever ...


text:
Applications are now open for businesses interested in becoming legal marijuana producers licensed by the state of New Mexico.
A day after the state released finalized rules for cannabis producers, the Cannabis Control Division announced on Wednesday that interested parties can now use an online application portal to get the process started.
“We are open for business,” Regulation and Licensing Department Superintendent Linda Trujillo said in a press release. “Effective today, businesses and entrepreneurs can use our streamlined online system to submit their application to become a producer in New Mexico’s growing cannabis industry.”
Regulators touted the modernization of the application process, as prospective producers in the state’s existing medical cannabis program previously needed to fill out multiple paper forms to apply.
“The Cannabis Control Division is committed to standing up the adult-use cannabis industry and maintaining our nationally recognized medical cannabis program in ways that support businesses, consumers and communities,” Trujillo said. “CCD has invested time and resources into developing a user-friendly application system so that producers can get to work faster. And, for consumer and worker security, our robust accountability protocols will ensure that licensees are always in compliance.”
The launch of the portal comes several days ahead of the mandated September 1 deadline for regulators to begin accepting applications.
After an application is submitted, regulators will have 90 days to issue a determination.
Adults 21 and older are currently able to possess up to two ounces of cannabis and grow up to six mature plants for personal use under a law that was enacted earlier this year, but officials were still tasked with developing regulations for the commercial market. So far, only the rules for producers have been published in the New Mexico Register, and they took effect immediately on Tuesday.
Rules for retailers, testing facilities and other cannabis sectors are still being developed and need to be finalized by January 1, 2022 in advance of the launch of sales by April.
“The Cannabis Control Division is committed to making the licensing process as easy as possible while upholding the law and ensuring the integrity of New Mexico’s cannabis industry,” Trujillo said. “We look forward to working with licensees to stand up an industry we can all be proud of.”
Most of the new regulations for producers concern licensing requirements, public safety, patient access and social equity.
For example, the Cannabis Control Division said it will ensure that 50 percent of marijuana producer licensees will meet its social equity standard, supporting communities that have been most impacted by the war on drugs.
It will also “solicit public input to create and implement a social and economic equity plan” and create that plan by October 15. It will “include guidelines to determine how to assess which communities have been disproportionately impacted, how to assess if a person is a member of a community disproportionately impacted, and proposed incentives to promote social and economic equity for applicants, licensees, and cannabis industry employees.”
The rules published in the New Mexico Register on Tuesday cover a lot of territory for producers. It sets out rules for licensing, security requirements, recalling and disposing cannabis products, transporting marijuana and testing for quality assurance.
There’s also a significant focus on ensuring that patients continue to have access to cannabis after the adult-use market opens up.
Marijuana shops must “make reasonable efforts to sell a minimum of twenty-five percent of their monthly cannabis sales to qualified patients, primary caregivers, and reciprocal participants,” according to the rules.
If there’s a cannabis shortage for patients, regulators would have the authority to take certain steps such as requiring retailers to set aside at least 10 percent of their products for the medical marijuana community or reducing the per plant fee for medical cannabis to incentivize such production.
There’s been some concern about whether New Mexico has the capacity to produce enough marijuana to meet the recreational market demand while still serving patients.
But regulators are nonetheless optimistic that they’re moving in the right direction to ensure a smooth rollout of the adult-use market while still protecting the state’s medical cannabis program.
John Blair, deputy superintendent at New Mexico’s Regulation Department, told KOAT that while there may be an initial surge in sales when the market opens up to adult-use consumers, there are provisions in the legalization law that ensure regulators “can control and ensure that every business is growing, selling, manufacturing a certain percentage of cannabis to maintain the strength and integrity of the medical cannabis industry.”
There is no set limit on the number of business licensees that could be granted under the program, or the number of facilities a licensee could open, although regulators could stop issuing new licenses if an advisory committee determines that “market equilibrium is deficient.”
Cannabis purchases will include a 12 percent excise tax on top of the state’s regular eight percent sales tax. Beginning in 2025, the excise rate would climb by one percent each year until it reached 18 percent in 2030. Medical marijuana products, available only to patients and caretakers, would be exempt from the tax.
Local governments cannot ban cannabis businesses entirely, as some other states have allowed. Municipalities can, however, use their local zoning authority to limit the number of retailers or their distance from schools, daycares or other cannabis businesses.
Polling indicates New Mexico voters are ready for the policy change. A survey released in October found a strong majority of residents are in favor of legalization with social equity provisions in place, and about half support the decriminalization of drug possession more broadly.
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) gave final approval to the cannabis legalization legislation in April, fulfilling a key goal for her administration. She had to convene a special session to ensure that lawmakers got the job done after they failed to pass legalization during the regular session.
A separate, complementary bill providing for expungements for convictions made legal under the marijuana legalization law was also passed during the special session and signed by the governor. Under it, courts must begin reopening qualifying cases within 30 days after the legislation goes into effect on January 1, 2022.
Regulators launched a website to provide information about legalization before the governor even signed the bill into law.
Lujan Grisham included cannabis legalization as part of her 2021 legislative agenda and has repeatedly talked about the need to legalize as a means to boost the economy, especially amid the coronavirus pandemic. She said during a State of the State address in January that “a crisis like the one we’ve experienced last year can be viewed as a loss or as an invitation to rethink the status quo—to be ambitious and creative and bold.”
Additional pressure to end cannabis prohibition this year came from neighboring Arizona, where sales officially launched in January after voters approved a legalization ballot initiative last year. To New Mexico’s north is Colorado, one of the first states to legalize for adult use.
New Mexico’s House in 2019 approved a legalization bill that included provisions to put marijuana sales mostly in state-run stores, but that measure died in the Senate. Later that year, Lujan Grisham created a working group to study cannabis legalization and issue recommendations.
In May of last year, the governor signaled she was considering actively campaigning against lawmakers who blocked her legalization bill in 2020. She also said that she was open to letting voters decide on the policy change via a ballot referendum if lawmakers didn’t send a legalization bill to her desk.
Photo courtesy of Mike Latimer.
The information provided in these blog posts is intended for general informational and educational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. The use of any information provided in these blog posts is solely at your own risk. The authors and the website do not recommend or endorse any specific products, treatments, or procedures mentioned. Reliance on any information in these blog posts is solely at your own discretion.


text:
From Channing Bete e-Newletter:
Nutrition and Fitness
Many Americans Lack Knowledge to Make Weight-Loss Efforts Successful
When it comes to losing weight, what people don't know can hurt them -- and their weight-loss efforts. The second annual Food & Health Survey, given to 1,000 American adults and conducted by the International Food Information Council (IFIC) Foundation, has found six major "diet disconnects" among consumers. For example, while 56 percent of Americans are trying to lose weight, 9 out of 10 don't know how many calories they should be taking in each day. "This survey is an important snapshot highlighting the gap between Americans' desire to have a more healthful diet and the reality of converting this desire into day-to-day behavior," said Susan Borra, registered dietitian and IFIC Foundation president.
Read the full article at: http://ific.org/newsroom/releases/2007foodandhealthsurvey.cfm


text:
Private equity giant KKR has made an investment in Chinese pet food company Gambol Pet Group, according to a statement.
Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed but KKR said the deal was structured through its China Growth Fund, which closed on $1 billion in 2010, and is nearly fully deployed. The fund has generated a gross IRR of 14.2 percent and a net IRR of 7.8 percent, according to KKR's latest annual report.
KKR’s investment will be used to further expand Gambol’s production capacity in key markets including China, Thailand, Europe and the US, as well as to ramp up its best practices in areas of food safety and security.
Commenting on the transaction, Chris Sun, director at KKR China, said in a statement: “Gambol is well-positioned to capture new opportunities in the pet food sector globally and in China given Gambol’s extensive industry expertise, product innovation capabilities and long-term commitment to producing safe, high-quality pet food. We look forward to working alongside this experienced and capable management team to build a true industry leader in the emerging pet market.”
Headquartered in Shandong province in China, Gambol provides pet food products and is one of the largest pet food manufacturers in Asia with six facilities in China and one in Thailand. Gambol sells pet food products in China via its “Myfoodie” brand, through both online and traditional retail channels. The company is also currently the largest private-label provider of pet treats to Walmart.
KKR, with nearly $130 billion in assets under management, has invested around $3 billion in equity in China across several asset classes as of August 2016. Among its investments are dairy producer Modern Dairy, integrated pork company COFCO Meat and electronic company Qingdao Haier.
KKR is also in the process of raising capital for its third pan-Asia fund targeting $7 billion.


text:
Govt policies, economic, social systems key in driving digital economy — Saifuddin
15 Jun 2020
The newly-formed Malaysian Digital Economy Task Force will be focusing on three key components namely government policies, economic and social systems in efforts to promote the country’s digital economy, Communications and Multimedia Minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah said.
“Where the government is concerned, we will have a closer look at e-government because this is a big issue and it is here, that the government should come out with strong policies such as cloud security policies.
“Under economy of course it will be about e-commerce and we will study how far small and medium enterprises (SMEs) have embraced e-commerce transformation,” he told reporters during his first official visit to the Malaysian Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC), here today.
In terms of the social system, Saifuddin said the team would look into issues on education, training and talent development including developing the creative industries which would not be limited to just creating animations and video games.
He said the Task Force is co-chaired by him and Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Khairy Jamaluddin, adding that officer-level discussions were ongoing and the first meeting would be held soon.
On MDEC’s work plans, he said the corporation is currently focusing on the implementation of programmes under the National Economic Recovery Plan (PENJANA) following the Covid-19 pandemic.
He said it was discussed that while SMEs and small business operators in the rural areas are trained on starting online businesses, local entrepreneurs should be encouraged to trade in the Asean region.
Meanwhile, MDEC chief executive officer Surina Shukri said to help those who lost their jobs following the Covid-19 pandemic, MDEC would launch a training programme under the Global Online Workforce (GLOW) initiative this August.
Surina said that through GLOW, a programme under PENJANA, MDEC would provide guidance and training on earning income from serving international clients while working online.
Surina said MDEC had also launched the “Let’s Learn Digital” programme under the i#mydigitalworkforce initiative during the Movement Control (MCO) in collaboration with global online learning platform, Coursera, which gives access to over 3,000 free online courses.
Over 12,000 people, 75% of whom were recently left unemployed, participated in the courses, she said.


text:
HACHETTE BIDS ADIEU TO MIRABELLA
Byline: Lisa Lockwood
NEW YORK — Hachette Filipacchi has finally pulled the plug on Mirabella.
The final issue will be June-July.
In a statement Thursday, Jack Kliger, president and chief executive officer of Hachette, said, “With regret, I announce that Hachette Filipacchi Magazines will be closing Mirabella.+Since 1989, Mirabella has been an intelligent voice for women. However, with Mirabella’s continuing lack of advertising support, we did not see the long-term viability for this magazine.”
Some 40 people will be affected by the closing, and according to a spokeswoman, executives met with many of them Thursday to see if they were interested in any available positions in the company. Otherwise, they will be given what she described as “a fair package.”
Rumors of Mirabella’s impending demise have been circulating for months. However, in an interview in February, Kliger told WWD, “It’s a tough haul in this marketplace. We don’t have plans to close it.+It’s a product we think is improving.”
Over the past several months, Mirabella has lost some key talent, including art director Sean Young and publisher Susan Blank, as well as a handful of editors.
Launched in 1989 by Murdoch Magazines, Mirabella — whose founding editor was Grace Mirabella — was conceived as a magazine targeted to the 35-plus woman. The magazine was sold to Hachette in 1996. The magazine has struggled throughout its history to define its audience and build an ad base. Through May, Mirabella’s ad pages plunged 36.6 percent to 150.6, from 237.5 a year ago, according to Media Industry Newsletter. In 1999, the magazine’s frequency was increased from six to 10 times a year, and the magazine carried 531.9 ad pages. Despite the four extra issues, ad pages only improved 7 percent. The magazine has a 500,000 rate base and has yet to make a profit under any of its owners.


text:
Apple released iOS 9.3, the latest version of its iPhone and iPad software – including a much-anticipated night mode.
The free update is available for all iPhones and iPads currently running a version of iOS 9, including the iPhone 4S, iPad 2 and iPad mini or newer.
The new version includes multiple updates to the CarPlay system for in-car entertainment connectivity, the ability to secure apps such as Apple’s Notes app with a fingerprint sensor and greater personalisation options for the company’s News app.
But the biggest change is the addition of Night Shift, a mode which reduces the amount of blue light emitted by the screen. Certain wavelengths of blue light are thought to disrupt your circadian rhythm by tricking your body into thinking it is still daylight outside.
That makes it harder to fall asleep. By tuning the display colours to a warmer, more reddish tone, it reduces the amount of blue light emitted and should, in theory, reduce the impact of looking at an iPad or iPhone screen before bed.
Night Shift can kick in automatically at sunset and start reducing blue light until the morning, when it restores the natural colour balance of the screen.
There have been third-party apps available to do just that for computers for years, and third-party apps perform a similar duty on Android and other smartphones, but this is the first time Apple has baked in the function for it to work on iOS devices.
Apple has also improved the visualisation of health data collected by the Health app, including providing more information on sleep, weight and workout tracking, displaying stand, movement and exercise from a connected Apple Watch. The changes moving Health closer to being the one-stop-shop for displaying all your health data from third-party apps that Apple originally marketed it as.
Apple has also made changes to the way iPads can be used in schools, improving management of the tablets, allowing them to be shared between students and a new Classroom app, which will help teachers guide kids through work by seeing what is displayed on their iPads.
iOS 9.3 will be available to download through iTunes or via the Settings app from today.


text:
After the Hue Go was updated last year and the second generation provides numerous improvements, this spring it was the turn of the Hue Bloom. And the third mood light in the bunch will soon be available in a new generation, even in a limited edition. We are of course talking about the Hue Iris, which was presented just last week.
Already announced some time ago, I have now finally been able to try them out myself: The new fourth generation Philips Hue Bloom. After LivingColors and Friends of Hue, the mood light has now really arrived in the Hue world and offers Bluetooth connectivity in addition to the familiar ZigBee connection via the Hue Bridge.
If you read this diligently, you could find out about most of the new products in advance. Now the new and updated products are official and can be purchased immediately. Finally. A new version of the Philips Hue Lightstrip Plus, the most popular product in the Hue range, is now available.


text:
The total number of international guests who visited Dubai during the first two months of 2019 grew by 90,000 compared to the same period last year.
RAKBANK and Coca-Cola Arena have announced a five-year partnership to facilitate seamless transactions for visitors.
Emirates Airline has entered a codeshare agreement with Indian carrier SpiceJet.
The challenge to keep personal information private is becoming more difficult for UAE residents.
Tesla is set to have fewer board members.
Abu Dhabi has announced a major update to its real estate law, allowing foreigners to own freehold land and property in certain investment zones.
Cash strapped Indian airline Jet Airways has stopped all operations after failing to get a fresh bailout package.
Property renters and buyers can still find affordable options in Sharjah and Ajman.
Using false reviews to increase the popularity of your product or service could land you in legal trouble in the UAE.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) expects the UAE’s economy to expand at a much faster rate this year compared to 2018.
Abu Dhabi's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew by 14.4 per cent last year to reach AED 931 billion.
Apple and Google have removed Chinese video app TikTok from their app stores in India.
It took two years to prepare for the closure of Dubai International Airport's southern runway.
Dubai World Central (DWC) will handle around 800,000 passengers over the next 45 days, while one of the runways at DXB is closed for repairs.
Jet Airways has extended the suspension of all international flights till April 18 with lenders not giving the airline interim, emergency funds.
Expo 2020 Dubai is expected to contribute over AED 122 billion to the UAE economy between 2013 and 2031.
Pilots of Jet Airways are appealing to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to save some 20,000 jobs at the troubled carrier.
American Airlines will extend its grounding of the troubled Boeing 737 Max jet until mid-August.
Operation teams at Dubai's airports are "good to go" for the start of the 45-day long refurbishment of the southern runway at Dubai International (DXB).
Abu Dhabi recalls over 30 products from market shelves.
Around 1,100 pilots belonging to crisis-hit Indian carrier Jet Airways have decided not to fly from Monday in protest against "non-payment of salary dues".
A group of finance ministers are working on a $10 billion package of trade finance for Venezuela, if a new government is put in place.
Several convenient stores and supermarkets chains in the USA have been warned for selling tobacco products to minors.
Fisher-Price has voluntarily recalled millions of its Rock 'n Play Sleepers.
Things aren't looking good for Jet Airways after reports that they've suspended all their international flights.
Amazon reportedly employs thousands of people around the world to listen to audio clips recorded by Alexa devices.
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin says the U.S. and China have agreed on an enforcement mechanism if a trade deal is struck.
India’s national carrier Air India will shift some of its flights from Dubai to Sharjah during the runway renovation period at Dubai International Airport (DXB).
Hungary has become the latest country to confirm its participation in Expo 2020 Dubai.
More than 3,500 buildings have been constructed in Abu Dhabi in 2018.
Dubai-based Meraas has signed a 10-year agreement with Coca-Cola for the exclusive naming rights for Dubai’s first and biggest indoor, multipurpose arena.
Middle East real estate classifieds website Property Finder has signed an agreement to acquire its competitor JRD Group.
Passengers arriving through Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC) will pay less for their taxi rides
The UAE's job market recovered impressively in March after a bumpy February.
Consumers need to be more vigilant when they're shopping online.
New buildings in Sharjah will get electricity, water and gas services within three hours of applying for permits.
Dubai Marina is the most searched locality for apartment rentals in the emirate.
Boeing is cutting down production of its 737 Max jets and establishing a new internal safety committee after the model was involved in two crashes.
Foreign investments in the UAE is set to rise by 20 per cent in the year 2019.
Amazon boss Jeff Bezos and wife MacKenzie have agreed a record-breaking divorce settlement worth at least $35 billion.
Donald Trump says the US is edging closer to a trade agreement with China and an "epic deal" could come in the next four weeks.
The Chief Executive of Boeing has apologised to the family and friends of those who died in two crashes involving the 737 Max 8.
First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB) has strongly denied a report about a potential merger of the bank with Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank (ADIB).
Developer Nakheel is allowing rent reductions of 30 to 50 per cent for the Night Market at Deira Islands, as the project nears completion and leases are due to be signed.
The Future Blockchain Summit opened its doors to experts from all over the world.
The UAE's Federal Tax Authority (FTA) confirmed that it is now receiving refund applications from business visitors who came to the country in 2018.
A software fix for Boeing's embattled 737 Max jet will take several more weeks.
One family had a lucky escape from the Sri Lanka attacks after leaving the Cinnamon Grand Hotel in Colombo just an hour before a bomb went off.
Residents across Dubai have noticed an increase in the number of mosquitoes in their communities.


text:
Wall Street analysts said on Friday that FedEx Corp (NYSE:FDX) Corp’s new chief executive must demonstrate that he can play catch up on costs without further deteriorating service. This comes after the worldwide transportation giant intends to save up to $2.7 billion in spending for fiscal 2023.
FedEx Corp Response to Internal Failures
FedEx Corp (NYSE:FDX) increased the pressure on CEO Raj Subramaniam to solve internal failures and respond to a darkening global economy that damaged the company’s profitability during the company’s fiscal first quarter. The strategy was disclosed on Thursday.
Several experts have stated that they will no longer give the current CEO of FedEx, who took over the position in June after Fred Smith, the benefit of the doubt.
Stifel analysts penned the following advice for clients in a letter to investors: “This is 1) now a “show me” story, and 2) management must be careful not to go so deep as to damage already sub-optimal post-pandemic service standards.”
Due to the deflation of the pandemic shipping bubble, the delivery sector is struggling with the possibility of having a surplus capacity that may reduce profits.
However, FedEx (NYSE:FDX) has its own set of problems. Because of its organizational structure, which separates the operations of its Express, Ground, and Freight units into their departments, it has cost redundancies that are difficult to eliminate.
FedEx is also more vulnerable to a decrease in demand for air shipments coming out of Asia than its competitors, such as United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) and Deutsche Post (OTC:DPSGY) DHL Group.
One analyst described the company’s integration of its multi-billion dollar TNT Express purchase in Europe as an “unmitigated disaster.” This description was given since the integration has been so complex. And Subramaniam increased the temperature on the simmering dissatisfaction in FedEx’s U.S. Ground delivery contractor network by labeling it “far more of a perception issue than reality.” This raised the temperature of the simmering anger.
FedEx (NYSE:FDX) canceled the financial prognosis that it had published just three months before, which has caused investors who were betting on a recovery to feel frustrated. This happened just last week.
During Thursday’s conference call with management, an analyst for Barclays (LON:BARC), Brandon Oglenski, succinctly expressed the exasperation felt by investors and other analysts.
He was alluding to UPS when he made the statement. “Your asset efficiency is half that of your nearest rival, which is unionized, if I may add,” he explained.
The action plan and statements made by FedEx did nothing to assuage the customers’ unhappiness. During early trading on Friday, the company’s stock fell as much as 3.9%, reaching a price that is more than two years below its previous low point. As of the end of trading on Thursday, they had lost forty percent this year, but shares of UPS had fallen twenty-two percent.
“We remain suspicious about (FedEx’s) scope and pace of cutbacks against a softening demand environment,” BofA Global Research analyst Ken Hoexter wrote in a note. “This is paired with its European Express service concerns… as well as ongoing FedEx Ground contractor conflicts.”
Featured Image: DepositPhotos © BIG_TAU


text:
The government has allowed 5 per cent MEIS benefit on export of non-basmati rice during the next four months after shipments of the commodity declined 13 per cent during first half of the current fiscal. The move may help exporters boost shipments.
Non-basmati rice has been made eligible for MEIS benefits at the rate of 5 per cent for exports made between November 26 and March 25, 2019, the Directorate General Foreign Trade said in a notification. The Merchandise Exports from India Scheme (MEIS) was started in 2015 under which exporters get 2-5 per cent (of FOB value) of their exports as duty credit scrip. The value on the scrip can be adjusted against payment of the import duty and the GST.
“This has come at an opportune time. Hopefully, the decline in export of non-basmati rice may be recovered in the next four months,” said BV Krishna Rao, president of Kakinada-based Rice Exporters Association. However, the decline in shipments to Bangladesh may not see an immediate jump due to the MEIS, he said. India exported 37.23 lakh tonne of non-basmati rice (worth Rs 10,426 crore) during April-September, against 42.87 lakh tonne in the year-ago period. FE


text:
Leeds-based Jet2 plc said it now expects to report a group profit before foreign exchange revaluation and taxation for the year ended March 31, 2023, of between £387 million and £392 million.
That’s up from its last prediction in late January of between £370 million and £385 million.
Total cash at March 31 was £2.62 billionn with an ‘Own Cash’ balance (excluding customer advance deposits) of £1.12 billion.
“On sale seat capacity for Summer 2023 is currently 7.2% higher than Summer 2022 at 15.26m seats,” said the Leeds firm.
“Forward bookings to date remain encouraging, with the mix of Package Holiday customers representing just over 75% of total departing passengers and 5ppts higher than Summer 2022 at the same point. In addition, average load factors for Summer 2023 are currently 0.7ppts ahead of Summer 2022.
“Although the group is facing input cost pressures including fuel, carbon taxes, a strengthened US dollar and wage increases, plus investment to ensure our colleagues can thrive and have a balanced lifestyle, pricing for both our package holiday and flight-only products remains strong and margins per booked passenger are encouraging, with customers eager to take their much valued holidays.
“Just as we did last year, we invested well ahead of the summer season to ensure we have adequate, fully trained resources to operate with our normal high standards of customer care.
“In addition, we have increased our operational resilience by taking control of handling operations at a further two of our UK bases – Bristol and Newcastle – meaning we now self-handle at seven of our ten UK bases and are therefore not reliant on third parties for these aspects of our operations.
“In summary, we are pleased with the current position, but with the new financial year having only recently commenced, the continued threat of summer European air traffic control disruption, and over 40% of the Summer 23 season plus the majority of Winter 23/24 still to sell, it is too early to provide definitive guidance as to group profitability for the financial year.
“We remain confident that with our customer focused approach and Right Product for these Tougher Times, our Customers will continue to be keen to travel with us from our Rainy Island to the sun spots of the Mediterranean, the Canary Islands and to European Leisure Cities.
“The group will announce its preliminary results for the year ended 31 March 2023 on 6 July 2023 at which point it will provide a fuller outlook for the all-important Summer 2023 trading period.”


text:
iPad owners prefer their tablet over consoles for gaming
Device claims PlayStation mantle
A survey of more than 1,000 UK iPad owners has revealed most prefer to play games on the device rather than on more traditional outlets such as home consoles or PC.
Indeed, the survey – which was carried out by phone by Cooper Murphy Webb – claims 37 percent of all those questioned said iPad was now their preferred device for gaming.
Game for iPad
That compares to 35 percent who opted for console, 22 percent for laptop or computer and 6 percent for mobile phones.
However, one caveat is that, while 100 percent of those surveyed were guaranteed iPad owners, just how many of them also own game consoles wasn't defined.
As such, there's a chance that iPad may have been their default answer, given it could be the one and only gaming device they own.
Nonetheless, such a result would suggest iPad appeals more to the casual gamer than the console owner, with games acting as a added bonus rather than the primary reason for purchase.
Other results from the survey were that 43 percent used their iPad more than 10 hours a week, only 5 percent take their iPad with them everywhere, and 38 percent said it was their preferred device for web browsing.
You can see the full breakdown of the survey on the Cooper Murphy Webb website.
Post a comment - Please log in to leave a comment
Sponsored feature: What you won't want to miss at Game Connection America 2014LATEST FEATURES
Diary of a Promiscuous Gamer: Royal Revolt II rushes into play with a $4.99 spendLATEST COMMENTS
The In-App Purchase Inspector: Taking aim at Deadman's Cross 3


text:
POTTSTOWN – Harbor Freight Tools has opened a new location in Pottstown, adding 25-30 new jobs to the community. The store, located at 203 Shoemaker Road opened on Nov. 14 and is Harbor Freight’s 41st Pennsylvania location.
With 15,000-square-feet of space, the new store carries a full selection of tools and equipment in categories including automotive, air and power tools, storage, outdoor power equipment, generators, welding supplies, shop equipment, hand tools and more.
“At Harbor Freight, we recognize that now, more than ever, our customers depend on Harbor Freight for the tools they need to get the job done at an affordable price. We are the place for quality tools at the lowest prices for mechanics, contractors, homeowners and hobbyists – any tool user who cares about value,” Brian Hall, store manager of the new Pottstown location, said in a press release.
As a designated essential service, the store is open seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday. Once the COVID-19 pandemic has ended, the store will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, all Harbor Freight stores have implemented more frequent cleaning and are following the guidelines from the Center for Disease Control, including social distancing to protect the health and safety of our customers and associates, according to information provided by the company.
Harbor Freight Tools was founded in Southern California in 1977, when 17-year-old Eric Smidt began transforming his father’s small sales business into a successful mail order company. Today, family-owned Harbor Freight has more than 1,100 stores across the country with more than 21,000 employees.
For more information about Harbor Freight Tools, visit harborfreight.com.


text:
LUSH handmade cosmetics shop has launched a new branch in Pattaya’s Terminal 21 shopping centre. LUSH was established on the southern coast of the UK just over 20 years ago. Currently, they have approximately 950 stores in 50 different countries around the world. The company has a very strict policy against any and all animal testing and they use recycled bottles and pots in an effort to do their part for the environment.
With the addition of LUSH Pattaya, the company now has 7 outlets throughout Thailand. Three are located in Bangkok, one in Samut Prakarn and two in Phuket. Thailand has gone LUSH crazy for their products which range from bath bombs, shampoo and soaps to skincare creams and lotions. Unable to make it to one of the seven branches? No problem. LUSH also has a website and online ordering system with delivery available everywhere in Thailand.
Be sure and check out Pattaya’s newest animal-friendly and green, handmade cosmetics shop. Now open on the G floor of Terminal 21!


text:
Untitled Goose Game and new Borderlands 3 DLC headline next week’s Xbox One video game releases.
Let’s take a gander at the new games coming to Xbox One next week. Untitled Goose Game is, without doubt, the highlight. House’s avian mischief game doesn’t quite live up to the hype, but it’s certainly charming, humourous, and playful. It’s also a welcome respite from the real world, that’s for sure.
Further feathered exploits can be found in Aery: Little Bird Adventure from EpiXR Games. Rather than being a honking menace to society, Aery‘s bird avatar takes players on a peaceful, contemplative journey across a minimalist but beautiful world.
Also coming to Xbox One next week is new DLC for EA’s The Sims 4 and Gearbox looter-shooter, Borderlands 3.
Each new release can be purchased from the Xbox digital games store and Microsoft online store. Here’s the full lineup.
New Xbox One games – December 16-20, 2019
Monday, December 16, 2019
- No releases
Tuesday, December 17, 2019
- Mushroom Quest
- The Sims 4: Discover University DLC
- Untitled Goose Game
Wednesday, December 18, 2019
- Dawn of Man
- Iro Hero
- Oliver’s Adventures in Fairyland
Thursday, December 19, 2019
- Borderlands 3: Moxxi’s Heist of the Handsome Jackpot – DLC
- Gunvolt Chronicles
Friday, December 20, 2019
- Aery: Little Bird Adventure
- Cold Silence
- Warhammer Quest 2: The End Times


text:
Notwithstanding the lull in the industry, mobile value-added service (VAS) providers are getting fresh calls for investments from global private equity and venture capital funds, with some even close to sealing some deals.
Investment firms such as Helion Venture Partners, Canaan Advisors, Matrix India Asset Advisors and Fidelity are some , which are scouting for investments or acquisitions in the sector. In February, the sector witnessed a couple of activities -- New Delhi-based MapmyIndia received a $9-million funding from Qualcomm Ventures and ValueFirst received $6 million from New Enterprise Associates. Many more deals are expected to be announced shortly.
So, what makes this industry tick, though it is yet to become mainstream sector?
According to BSNL Deputy Director General (VAS) S S Sirohi, mobile VAS has a tremendous revenue-generating potential, though it has only started to pick up in the country.
"It has potential to generate huge revenues of around Rs 18,000 crore by 2012 for mobile service providers. This year itself, VAS will contribute around Rs 6,000 crore of operators' total revenues," he added.
The telecom industry estimates that VAS generates around Rs 5,500 crore currently, with SMS making up the major chunk of the pie. Ringtones and music downloads, gaming, videos, wallpapers and caller-back ringtones are other VAS revenue earners, contributing around 10-14 per cent of an operators' revenue.
"We see an enormous opportunity in the mobile VAS space, as the entire segment is growing at around 30 per cent on a month-on-month basis.
Good VAS solutions are necessary to sustain subscriber interest, while we expect SMS-driven applications (like voice SMS) and mobile commerce to set cash registers ringing," Helion Venture Partners Managing Director Ashish Gupta said.
Helion Venture is in talks for many deals, Gupta confirmed. It had earlier invested $13 million in Kirusa (2008), $10 million in SMS GupShup (2008) and $2.5 million in NGPay (2007) among others.
Nazara Technologies, a VAS provider, CEO Nitish Mittersain opined: "More important than the revenues, it’s the ability to retain subscribers that make VAS the darling of these companies. Investors are looking at owning around 15-20 per cent stake in VAS firms, and talks are on with many firms."
There are an estimated 50 VAS firms in the country, including OnMobile (which went public in 2008) and Hyderabad-based IMImobile (which acquired Music2You service recently.
Canaan Advisors Executive Director Harish Gandhi is of opinion that the VAS is yet to become the mainstream, and companies like his need to invest "before the market or the industry becomes a mainstream".
Canaan had earlier invested in two Indian VAS firms, Cellcast Asia Holdings and mCarbon, but would look at further investments.
While Gandhi believes application development is "relatively simple" and monetisation not quite easy, differentiating services is the key to success.
To differentiate their services from competitors, telecom firms are also increasingly entering into tie-ups with content providers. Last month saw at least three deals, - Vodafone signed up with Amar Chrita Katha, Idea Cellular with Bharat Matrimony and Reliance Communications installed global major Flytxt’s marketing platform on its network.
With 3G services round the corner, telecos expect data to gain prominence over voice, and this again brings VAS companies into the fore.


text:
Brian Niccol’s Chipotle revamp won’t include longtime marketing boss Mark Crumpacker. Chipotle revealed in a securities filing Wednesday (March 14) that Crumpacker, the chain’s chief marketing officer since January 2009, was resigning from the company, effective March 15.
This agreement entitles Crumpacker to cash severance totaling 26 weeks of pay at his base salary. He’s also allowed a period of 12 months to exercise vested stock-only stock appreciation rights. The agreement prevents Crumpacker from working for another restaurant company for a year as well.
“The agreement also provides that for a one-year period following his resignation, Mr. Crumpacker will not directly or indirectly, own, manage, operate, control, be employed, or engaged in any capacity [whether or not for compensation] by, or render services, advice, or assistance in any capacity to, a business operating fast-casual, quick-service or casual dining restaurants in the continental United States where Chipotle or any of its affiliates conduct business, or solicit or hire Chipotle’s employees, or induce any of Chipotle’s suppliers, licensees, or other business relations to cease doing business with Chipotle or interfere with the relationship between any such supplier, licensee, or other business relation and Chipotle,” the filing said.
On January 5, Crumpacker entered into a retention agreement where he agreed to receive $600,000 for remaining with Chipotle through January 5, 2019. This retention bonus would vest if Crumpacker was terminated without cause, which the document said is the case.
This agreement was made while Chipotle searched for a new CEO in the wake of founder Steve Ells’ announcement he would step down and assume a chairman position. The company said it would name former Taco Bell CEO Niccol its next leader in mid-February, a move that took effect March 5.
Crumpacker helmed Chipotle’s marketing efforts through some turbulent times. He was credited for helping the chain rebuild its image following the 2015 E. coli outbreak that hit 14 states and erased around half of the chain’s market cap. A rough 2017 tumbled shares as Chipotle responded to norovirus concerns in Sterling, Virginia, and other public relations setbacks. Shares are down more than 20 percent for the past year.
Crumpacker was also placed on leave by the company in 2016 following a July arrest where he was charged with seven counts of cocaine possession. Crumpacker completed a rehabilitation program and was reinstated by the company three months after being placed on leave. He pleaded guilty that January and prosecutors agreed to dismiss the case if he received treatment for a year and stayed out of trouble.
Before joining Chipotle, Crumpacker cofounded a San Francisco-based branding firm, Sequence, where he worked from 2002–2008.


text:
Earlier this week, we wrote about the Eucalyptus iPhone App being banned from the iPhone App Store. Eucalpytus, which is an e-book reading application, wasn't banned because it was a malicious or obscene app. Instead, it was banned for having the ability to retrieve The Kama Sutra from a public domain of books, Project Gutenberg. We thought it was a ridiculous reason to ban an app from the iPhone store, and so did you.
2 Recent Stories
Seriously, how long will it take for Apple to realize that the rules for admitting applications into the iPhone App Store simply must be changed, because, as they are, they're just making them look silly? An e-book reading application called Eucalyptus was recently rejected from the store because it enables users to find and read "objectionable" texts.


text:
Bitcoin Mining Giant Holds Flash Sale to Celebrate Price 'Bottom'
Bitcoin miner maker Canaan Creative has revealed it is temporarily cutting prices to "celebrate" bitcoin's recent price rise.
Bitcoin mining firm Canaan Creative has revealed it is temporarily cutting prices across all of its crypto mining devices.
As part of its "flash sale" starting today, all of the company's miners – from the Avalon 921 (20 terahashes per second) to the Avalon 851 (14.5 TH/s) – are all available at $200 each.
A representative of the company, Steven Mosher, told CoinDesk that the sale currently had no set end-date and that it had sufficient inventory for all miners except the Avalon 911, which is sold out.
Mosher further explained that Canaan was "celebrating" the price of bitcoin leaping over 11 percent yesterday following recent losses.
With miners' profitability suffering recently amid low bitcoin prices, he said there were "concerns people were turning off machines and smaller guys were getting out of the market, and that everyone is sitting and waiting."
After recent negativity in the industry around issues like the bitcoin cash "hash war," he said: "Now's the time to celebrate, we're at a bottom."
"We're agnostic when it comes to what people want to mine. We want to make sure big miners are staying committed and stay hopeful," Mosher added.
Canaan is one of several miner manufacturers to have moved to go public via for an initial public offering (IPO) in the last year. However, its effort to go public now looks in doubt, as its filing with the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (HKEX) has now lapsed.
As Mosher indicated, the flash sale comes amid a tough period for crypto miners.
Last week, the founder of the third-largest mining pool, F2Pool, estimated that between 600,000 and 800,000 bitcoin miners have shut down since mid-November. Mao Shixing said the estimate takes into account the total network hash rate drop and the average hash power of older mining machines that are having a hard time generating profits.
Canaan also revealed new firmware for its miners today that its says reduces power consumption to 0.085 j/Gh.
Bitcoin miners image via Shutterstock
The leader in news and information on cryptocurrency, digital assets and the future of money, CoinDesk is a media outlet that strives for the highest journalistic standards and abides by a strict set of editorial policies. CoinDesk is an independent operating subsidiary of Digital Currency Group, which invests in cryptocurrencies and blockchain startups. As part of their compensation, certain CoinDesk employees, including editorial employees, may receive exposure to DCG equity in the form of stock appreciation rights, which vest over a multi-year period. CoinDesk journalists are not allowed to purchase stock outright in DCG.
Learn more about Consensus 2024, CoinDesk’s longest-running and most influential event that brings together all sides of crypto, blockchain and Web3. Head to consensus.coindesk.com to register and buy your pass now.


text:
In a shocking news story, head of the Center for Veterinary Medicine, CVM of the FDA, Dr Steven Sundlof says that some stores have not removed contaminated dog food from their shelves.
Initially, the dog food recall involved Menu Foods which has recalled more than 100 brands of dog food. That recall has expanded and continues to grow with more brands and manufacturers being added to the recall list almost daily.
Dr. Sundlof told Senators in a recent hearing that he could not rule out the discovery of more tainted food.
While the FDA continues its investigation and monitoring of dog food retailers, the sad result is that some retailers are continuing to sell contaminated dog food. While there is no evidence that this is intentional, the sad fact remains that dogs who eat this food are in danger of suffering from kidney failure and dying.
The Veterinary Information Network states that between 2,000 to 7,000, pet deaths have been reported since the inception of the dog food crisis.
With the possibility of more poison dog food being discovered and some retailers not having removed poison dog food from their shelves, reports of kidney failure and death in dogs will most likely continue to grow.
Who Do You Believe?
Elizabeth Hodgkins, DVM indicated that said pet food labels should be prohibited from proclaiming claims of safety unless ingredients are rigorously tested. The veterinarian went on to say that such testing does not take place.
Dr Hodgkins went on to tell U.S. Senators that:
“Through astonishingly successfully marketing efforts of the industry, pet owners and their veterinarians have come to believe that household pets must consume commercial foods, and only commercial foods, day in and day out, throughout their entire lives, in order to remain healthy”
We have long proclaimed the fallacy of this notion and the serious health consequences our dogs may experience if more attention is given to just what we feed our dogs.
The dog food industry stated the following in defense of commercial dog food products.
“Pet foods are safe,”
Yup, that’s it. One report indicates that Menu Foods blames the dog food recall on a clerical error.
Some deadly error !
As a consumer and dog parent, the choice is yours. Will you change the way you feed your dog? Will you find out if the dog food you feed your best friend is slowly poisoning her? Or will you believe the claims of the dog food industry?
News stories report that many dog owners are not aware of the impact of the dog food recall, nor have changed the food that they feed their dogs.
This is perhaps one of the more frightening collateral aspects of the story. Your dog depends on you for love and the basic necessities of life. Taking the time to become an informed dog parent can make the difference between having a long and happy life with your best friend or the possibility that your dog may become the next statistic in a database of recalled dog food deaths.


text:
Xiaomi didn't mention it during the Mi 11 launch event, but there's cheaper Mi 11 Lite coming
But, as it appears, there's also a cheaper alternative in the works that didn't make it in yesterday's launch event presentation. According to earlier Gizmochina rumors and now the Bluetooth SIG website (via Android Authority) the Xiaomi Mi 11 might be launched alongside a more affordable Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite phone.
The Bluetooth SIG site shows a smartphone with the name "Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite" that has a model number suggesting it to be a phone for the global market, as opposed to one planned for just the Chinese or Indian markets.
In terms of specs, the few things we know is that this phone will have 5G support and is likely to be powered by a weaker Snapdragon processor than the 888, with possibly 6GB of RAM.
As for its software, much like with the Mi 11, we expect the phone to be running MIUI 12 or Xiaomi's just-announced MIUI 12.5 on top of Android 11.


text:
After its Big Game debut last year, State Farm has opted to focus its 2022 Super Bowl efforts around TikTok instead of big budget TV.
The insurance company has launched the #TeamStateFarm TikTok challenge
, a contest where popular brand mascot Jake from State Farm will play talent scout and give consumers a chance to showcase their unique abilities via video submissions on the platform. The winning creator will receive their very own role in an upcoming State Farm commercial, a meet and greet with Jake from State Farm and more.
"Last year’s Super Bowl spot 'Drake from State Farm' was a huge success for us," Alyson Griffin, VP of marketing at State Farm, tells us. "As we explored opportunities to engage with consumers during the football post season this year, we knew it would be important to extend consumer engagement from the regular season into the postseason and beyond. By tapping into the creative TikTok community with our existing #TeamStateFarm platform, this activation is an opportunity for State Farm to show up in a dynamic and unexpected way while further sharing our 'good neighbour' values."
Alyson adds that State Farm is always looking for new ways to change up the ways that the brand reaches its consumers - and focusing the majority of its marketing efforts to a single day felt "limiting" this year. TikTok also meant that it could target a particular age group.
"With a massive Gen Z and Millennial audience, TikTok is an effective tool for reaching this new target demographic in an interactive, engaging way," says Alyson. "It’s clear that this audience is catching on, as Jake from State Farm already has more than 200K+ followers in just a few months since joining the platform in November 2021... We are continually looking for culturally relevant moments and partners that attract younger audiences, specifically Millennials, and increasingly, Gen Z. As these consumers experience major life milestones like buying their first home or car, they’re looking for an insurance provider that’s not only recognisable but relatable."
Though this year's activation isn't a traditional on-air TV spot, the tie-in to the Super Bowl is the timing of everything. State Farm has strategically timed key dates for the #TeamStateFarm TikTok challenge to leverage excitement of the NFL playoffs and, eventually, the Super Bowl.
"By asking consumers to post their duet video submissions throughout the playoffs, we're able to build up hype and anticipation, captivating fans and encouraging greater participation leading up to the big game. Then, on Super Bowl Sunday, we’re engaging that captive audience to vote for the challenge’s top three finalists, whose duet video submissions will be pinned to the top of Jake’s TikTok page."
Jake is the catalyst for the #TeamStateFarm challenge. Jake will be featured in the TikTok duets, announce the winner and even be part of the prize, with the winner getting to meet him on set in the future and work alongside him for an upcoming ad.
To enter the competition, users can simply create their own video showcasing their unique talents using the duet feature on TikTok for a chance to be part of #TeamStateFarm. (Note: their talent does not need to be football-related.) Participants must follow and tag @jakefromstatefarm in the video, using the hashtags #TeamStateFarm #Contest.
On February 13, the day of the Big Game, the top three duet videos will be pinned to the top of Jake’s TikTok page, and TikTok fans will get the chance to vote by liking their favorite through February 17 at 11:59pm, Eastern Time. The video with the most likes will win the challenge, with the winning creator receiving a paid trip for a meet and greet Jake from State Farm, and their very own role in an upcoming State Farm commercial!
"Beyond the challenge itself," Alyson adds, "our consistent advertising and partnerships in this space have earned us a voice when it comes to football, ultimately building an organic association between State Farm and the Super Bowl."


text:
Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja
China has urged poorer countries to oppose a levy on shipping emissions and stronger targets for decarbonising one of the world’s most polluting industries, criticising wealthy nations for setting “unrealistic” goals with “significant” financial costs.
According to the Financial Times, Beijing distributed a “diplomatic note” to developing nations as they prepared for a critical meeting at the UN’s International Maritime Organisation (IMO) in July, according to four people present at IMO discussions.
China’s comments are coming days after France rallied 22 allies behind a shipping emissions levy.
“An overly ambitious emission reduction target will seriously impede the sustainable development of international shipping, significantly increase the cost of the supply chain and will adversely impede the recovery of the global economy,” China stated in the document.
It added: “Developed countries are pushing the IMO to reach unrealistic visions and levels of ambition. (They are advocating) a flat (levy that) will lead to a significant increase in maritime transport costs.”
The efforts by China, the world’s biggest exporter which also has a large state-owned shipping industry, have deepened concerns over a lack of progress on decarbonising a fuel-intensive sector that delivers up to 90 per cent of traded goods globally, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
By the end of next week the IMO has committed to strengthening its ambition, which has long been criticised by environmental campaigners as weak, to halve annual shipping emissions from their 2008 levels by 2050.
But participants in the talks at the IMO said China had helped to rally countries in closed-door negotiations that had become deeply divided between developed and developing member states.
Brazil, Argentina and South Africa have also opposed a levy on shipping companies’ emissions, which they fear would increase the cost of exports for their large commodities markets, according to two people close to the discussions.
According to the note seen by the FT, China called for any revenues generated by IMO regulations to be invested “in-sector”, arguing that wider use of these funds would transfer “the climate change financing responsibility from developed countries to . . . international shipping.”


text:
RE:Her, newly formed non-profit RE:Her announced a Covid-19 relief grant program, sponsored by DoorDash.
“Over the last four months, RE:Her has grown into a platform for connection for 250+ women to share resources, information, and support, and we want to continue to champion and empower our community with these grants,” says Lien Ta, a RE:Her Founding Member.
RE:Her will distribute 15 cash grants of $10,000 each to female-identifying food and beverage entrepreneurs in LA County, which recipients can use to bolster their business however they see fit. Grantees will also receive access to consulting and mentorship from specialists in restaurant finance (Elissa Phillips of Mise En Place Restaurant Services), HR (Delmy Franco of HR Specialists Group) and PR/Marketing (Joy Limanon of Peridot Consulting).
A committee of hospitality and business experts will select the grantees, including Mendocino Farms founder Ellen Chen, former Food & Wine editor-in-chief Dana Cowin, Los Angeles Times food writer Jenn Harris, The Hundreds founders Ben & Bobby Hundreds, restaurant accountant Barbara Barschak, restaurateur Roy Choi, consultant and media personality Monti Carlo, trademark attorney Elizabeth Sbardaletti, Jessica Kaczmerek of the James Irvine, Foundation, and Kristin Aldana-Taday of the Hilton Foundation.
RE:Her Devoted to Advancement & Empowerment
RE:Her is a non-profit devoted to the advancement and empowerment of women restaurateurs, supporting members through industry-focused and consumer-facing initiatives, virtual and physical events, and promotion and representation. The organization launched earlier this year with a mission to provide opportunities and resources—financial, educational and more—to women owners in Los Angeles and beyond.
During Women’s History Month, DoorDash, whose donation has enabled RE:Her’s COVID-19 grant program, launched Made by Women—an in-app and digital platform that elevates women-owned businesses by making it easier to identify them by searching “women owned” in the DoorDash app or website. DoorDash also launched various fundraising and loan-matching campaigns to benefit female entrepreneurs, including donations to the James Beard Foundation’s Women’s Leadership Programs. DoorDash is committed to supporting women-owned businesses and will continue to use its platform to drive meaningful change.
Partnering with RE:Her is one of the ways DoorDash is to bringing that commitment to life, creating more opportunities for women-owned businesses in the Los Angeles area.
“The initiatives DoorDash has implemented over the last year to support women-owned businesses align with the RE:Her mission, and the partnership we have formed will bolster the RE:Her community beyond just grants—including marketing and educational resources for members,” says RE:Her founding member Heather Sperling. “Third-party delivery can be both a lifeline and a challenge for restaurants, but we are excited to partner with one of the key players in this space to funnel resources back into businesses as they rebuild in the coming months.”
Applications for the grant program will be accepted from May 17-23. Grant recipients will be announced on June 14. Independent, majority women-owned restaurants or culinary businesses in Los Angeles County are encouraged to apply, including catering companies and food trucks.


text:
Dynasty Warriors 7 has managed to snag the top spot on Japanese charts Media Create. The hack n' slasher was released exclusively on the PS3 last week, doling out a hefty 253, 090 units upon its debut, approximately 70,000 more units than the previous game.
Square Enix's Dissidia 012: Duodecim Final Fantasy remains in second place with 64,996 units sold, down from last week's 351,113 units.
As for hardware, the Nintendo 3DS remains number one, although it has dropped from last week's 209,623 to just below 100,000 units sold. It's followed by the PSP and PS3 in second and third place respectively.
While Dynasty Warriors 7 is a PS3 exclusive in Japan, it will release on both PS3 and Xbox 360 when it hits the West on March 29 and April 8, in North America and Europe, respectively.