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The result: After generating viewership of nearly 5 million, the show is back for a second season but with a new partner, job-search site Monster.com. Honda is back for season three.
|Monster signed on for the second season of 'Cube Fabulous' and took a more hands-on approach creatively with the online reality-makeover show.
Sears and Ford help create extreme home makeovers. Honda and Monster.com have been overhauling office cubicles.
The brands have backed "Cube Fabulous," an Internet-based reality series in which two hosts help ordinary office workers redecorate their cubicles to reflect their personal styles or turn workspaces into getaways such as a beach retreat, aquarium or ski chalet.
The first six episodes of the series launched May 15 and ran through August, airing in seven-minute segments. It was created and produced by Shorn Entertainment and sold to New York-based Broadband Enterprises, which syndicates video programming to a network of websites.
For the first go-around, producers landed American Honda Motor Co. as a promotional partner, integrating Honda's sporty Fit hatchback into the show. The automaker also ran five-second spots before each episode. As part of the deal, Honda promoted the Fit via banner ads. Episodes of "Cube Fabulous" also aired on a Honda-branded video player.
Honda's involvement funded the $600,000 production budget for the first season.
The series quickly found an audience -- a big one: More than 4.5 million unique viewers watched the series' initial run, said Matt Wasserlauf, president-CEO of Broadband Enterprises, citing numbers from Double Click, which tracked Honda's ad campaign around the show. The series generated 10 million streams in the first three episodes. And 60% of its overall viewers watched at least half of the series' episodes.
The show was able to generate those high numbers because it is syndicated by Broadband Enterprises to a number of highly trafficked websites, including WindowsMedia.com, Lycos.com and iFilm.com. Honda chose the 20 sites it wanted the show to appear on, said Bryon Evje, chief operating officer of Broadband Enterprises.
Honda "was guaranteed a certain media delivery for their commitment," Mr. Evje said. "We delivered 90% of the commitment in the first six weeks." Executives declined to disclose just how much Honda spent in marketing around the project.
For season two, which debuted in October, producers went to a more workplace-centric brand in online job site Monster.com. Deal points are similar to what Honda negotiated with the company, with Monster advertising before and around episodes, while also being integrated into the plot.
However, given that the company is a career-based service, Monster is taking a more hands-on approach with the show creatively, Mr. Evje said, including having a Monster executive appear in the show.
"They're a better fit for the show from a brand perspective, but they've also played a more hands-on role," Mr. Evje said. "They're deeply integrated into the show."
With its greater involvement, Monster is promoting the show through traditional TV spots. The series can also be seen on Monster's website (cubefabulous.monster.com). Additionally, Monster is hosting the "Cube Casting Couch," where office workers can apply to appear in a future episode and have their cubicles redone. Monster also sponsored a "Tech Fabulous Office Makeover Contest," providing five winners with a $2,500 prize package that included a Hewlett-Packard notebook computer and color printer, a BlackBerry, a foot massager, and a mini fridge.
"Monster made a sizable commitment offline," Mr. Evje said. "They have a level of brand equity in the show that Honda didn't have and are extending the show's reach offline."
Monster was interested in sponsoring the show not only because of its subject matter but also the audience it has been able to reach, namely 21- to 34-year-olds.
"Our relationship with 'Cube Fabulous' represents Monster's entry into broadband video, allowing us to reach a large audience and key demographics with creative work-related programming," said Diana Nicholson, senior VP-consumer products, Monster.com.
Honda is set to return for the show's third season, Mr. Evje said, adding that the company has doubled its ad spending around the show for next year. It's not entirely absent from season two; the company's Fit still appears in the episodes.
And Broadband is negotiating with marketers around another web series, "Anatomy of a Socially Awkward Situation," that will hit the web during the second quarter of 2007. The series revolves around humorous analysis of socially awkward moments and how they could have been prevented.


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It was created in Manchester over four decades ago – and it now holds the title of Britain’s favourite cereal.
Today, 24th September, Kellogg’s Crunchy Nut is celebrating 40 years since it was first launched back in 1980.
The honey covered cereal was dreamt up more than four decades ago at Kellogg’s Manchester factory – now the biggest cereal factory in Europe.
Today, the factory makes around 20 million kilograms of Crunchy Nut each year, and you’ll find 6,000 flakes in the average box.
Each year, Kellogg’s Manchester factory uses 1.2 billion individual peanuts to make the famous cereal and, since the product was first launch 40 years ago, it’s got through around 70 million kilograms of honey.
In 2002, the cereal went from Crunchy Nut Cornflakes to simply ‘Crunchy Nut’, and today, it’s Kellogg’s biggest brand in the UK.
With more than one in four homes across the country admitting to having at least one box of Crunchy Nut in their cupboards, we buy over 38 million boxes of the cereal every year.
Due to the demand, 17 years ago Kellogg’s expanded its offering to include Crunchy Nut Clusters, and in July this year, the Crunchy Nut family grew again as the brand launched Crunchy Nut Peanut Butter.
Many people see Crunchy Nut in the supermarket or have it on their breakfast table and might not know that it was invented in Manchester and continues to be made there today,” says Dan Fox, who oversees the production of the cereal.
“I’ve been working at Kellogg’s factory overseeing the production of Crunchy Nut for the past 14 years and in every single batch we make, we check the flakes for that trademark golden crunch.
“Our team make almost 600,000 boxes of the cereal every week and we hope we’ll be making even more for years to come.’’
Barbara Evans, Kellogg’s retiree who worked at the factory in 1980, commented: “There was always a bit of a buzz at the factory when we started to make a new cereal, but when we started making Crunchy Nut it was like nothing else.
“Even back then you could tell how popular it was going to be so I’m not at all surprised that it’s still around all these years later celebrating its 40th anniversary.’’

domain: news


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A COUPLE were left fearing for their lives when a rideable Tonka truck they had bought for their grandson burst into flames in the back of their pick up.
They took pictures of the kiddies toy which caught alight as they were on their way home from Toys “R” Us.
Kiddies rideable Tonka truck bursts into flames in back of pick up
The truck had to be put out by firefighters who doused their pick up truck with water, which was left badly blackened and burnt.
According to KING News, the couple, from Washington, US, bought the 12-volt Tonka Ride-On Truck as a Christmas gift.
It was as they made their journey home on Friday they noticed flames leaping into the air through the rear view mirror.
They pulled over into a rest area to put out the flames, and then decided to return the toy to the store.
However, before they managed to get back, the truck caught alight again and this time their own truck was set on fire as well.
The man said in a video: “The firefighter … doused the truck with water and I’m, I still can’t believe it… it was just a toy for our grandson, who would have known.” the man said.
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On Sunday Toys “R” Us pulled the Tonka truck from stores, and apologised, refunding the couple their money.
A rep for the toy store told the news network although it appeared to be a one off, the company was investigating and had stopped selling the toy.
In a statement they said: “Out of an abundance of caution we are implementing a stop-sale and pulling the item from our stores and Toysrus.com pending further investigation,” the company said. “In the meantime, we are working closely with Dynacraft, the manufacturer, to determine the cause.”


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The competition to create smartphones with stand out features is getting more fierce with each passing day. Companies keep on innovating and developing smartphones with new & unique technologies. Some of the distinctive technologies made in recent times include the infamous notch, dual cameras, and the fingerprint reader.
Recently Nubia, a Shenzhen based smartphone company launched their Nubia X smartphone with dual displays & dual fingerprint sensors. During its first flash sale, the company sold 100,000 units in just 57 seconds.Dual Displays
The Nubia X has front and back dual displays. The front display is a 6.26 inch Full HD+ LCD panel while the [...]
Shenzhen based Nubia Technology is about to launch their latest Nubia X smartphone. An earlier listing on TENAA revealed its specifications which are now confirmed by a Chinese benchmark app, Master Lu. According to the leak, the Nubia X will be the latest flagship phone from the company. The key highlight feature of the smartphone will be its dual display.Dual Display Smartphone
An alleged video of the upcoming Nubia X with front and back dual displays was earlier posted on Youtube. The TENAA listing also states that the device has dual displays hence, there is a possibility that this might be the real device. However, Nubia is yet to confirm the claim. The company [...]


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It’s just gone official. The “first affordable flagship,” the Nokia Lumia 830, has been announced at IFA 2014 by Microsoft’s Devices and Services group. The device features an impressive camera and pretty decent specs for quite the affordable price.
It comes with Windows Phone 8.1, Microsoft Office, OneDrive, Cortana, and more. Microsoft is up-playing the fact that Windows Phone 8.1 allows for much customization to the interface like with the new “Glance” lock screen.
The camera has a 10MP sensor and Microsoft’s thinnest optical image stabilization module to date. Microsoft claims that the phone produces “fantastic images” with its sensor, comparing it to the iPhone and Samsung Galaxy S5 and claiming it to be at the same level (if not better). There are a lot of new camera features available as part of the Lumia Denim update as well, all of which should be beneficial to Lumia 830 photographers. Features like Dynamic Flash – letting you turn flash on and off after you’ve already taken an image – and Rich Capture are part of the package, which makes us have faith in the camera of the phone from early impressions. Photo sharing features are available through OneDrive, Lumia Storyteller, and other apps.
There’s a new Selfie app from Microsoft that allows you to use the rear camera to take selfies, in case the other new Lumias aren’t what you’d like to buy. It makes noises until your face is centered, and gets you a super high-quality selfie result.
Microsoft has developed a new screen sharing accessory that operates with NFC-enabled Lumia devices to let you project your screen to the big screen. It has a really long name, as those Redmond people just had to call it Microsoft Screen-Sharing for Lumia Phones HD-10.
Wireless charging is integrated into the Lumia 830, which, by the way, has removable and swappable back plates. Microsoft has announced a second-generation wireless charging plate (the Smart Wireless Charging Plate) as well, with an added “glow” and NFC capabilities. Because of the inclusion of NFC, you can customize that glow to be different by different types of notification. It requires a Windows Phone 8.1.1 device with Bluetooth 4.0, and will be available in green, white, and another color.
All new Lumia smartphones also come with three free months of a Skype Worldwide Unlimited subscription, too, and Cortana has tied in to the app as well.
The Lumia 830 has a pocket-friendly design, yet still has a quad-core Snapdragon processor and weighs just 150g. Microsoft has gone as far as to call it better than the Galaxy S5 and iPhone 5s, as it is available for just 330 EUR – much less than those other two flagships. The Nokia Lumia 830 will come in Bright Green, Bright Orange, Dark Grey, and Stunning White. It’ll start shipping globally this month.


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Far from scratching messages in Arabic on paper, Osama Bin Laden communicated with the outside world using a security-conscious mix of offline email and a large library of USB sticks, US sources have reported.
Security firm HackLabs is expected to demonstrate at AusCERT 2011 how hackers perform VoIP attacks and identify weaknesses in Cisco and other manufacturers VoIP phones.
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Google Music service has only been in existence for a matter of days, and it's already the target of scams and spams. In all cases however, any claims of free music or access to the site is false, Google says.
The touted cost savings associated with cloud services didn't pan out for Ernie Neuman, not because the savings weren't real, but because the use of the service got out of hand.
Google today jumped the gun by updating its Chrome browser with a new version of Flash Player that Adobe won't release until later today.
Data released today by Microsoft showed that Windows 7's malware infection rate climbed by more than 30 per cent during the second half of 2010, even as the infection rate of the 10-year-old Windows XP fell by more than 20 per cent.
LAS VEGAS -- As corporate data stores continues to grow, in some cases by 50 per cent-plus a year, the expanding task of managing them and mining for information is forcing a change in how IT workers are trained.
Adobe has released an important update to its Flash Player software that fixes critical security flaws and gives users a better way of controlling whether they are being tracked on the Web.
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First impression on unpacking the Q702 test unit was the solid feel and clean, minimalist styling.
For work use, Microsoft Word and Excel programs pre-installed on the device are adequate for preparing short documents.
The Fujitsu LifeBook UH574 allowed for great mobility without being obnoxiously heavy or clunky. Its twelve hours of battery life did not disappoint.
The screen was particularly good. It is bright and visible from most angles, however heat is an issue, particularly around the Windows button on the front, and on the back where the battery housing is located.
My first impression after unboxing the Q702 is that it is a nice looking unit. Styling is somewhat minimalist but very effective. The tablet part, once detached, has a nice weight, and no buttons or switches are located in awkward or intrusive positions.
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Maryland vintages will be featured at the 1999 Maryland Wine Festival on Saturday and Sept. 19 at the Carroll County Farm Museum.
Hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. Sept. 19. Admission is $15 for adults age 21 and over with identification, and includes an engraved wine glass, 10 one-ounce samples of wine, seminars and tours of the museum's farmhouse.
Ten Maryland wineries will showcase their products. The Governor's Cup Trophy winner will be announced Saturday. Amateur winemakers will have a competition at 1 p.m. Sept. 19.
The American Wine Society will hold wine-tasting seminars explaining the sensory aspects of wine in the reception barn from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 19.
Winemaking demonstrations will be held both days. Samples of fresh-squeezed grape juice will be available.
Booths will offer a variety of foods from area restaurants, and artisans will sell their wares.
A silent auction will be held both days in the flower garden. An original oil painting of this year's wine festival poster will be among the items auctioned.
The Farm Museum's artisans will demonstrate lost crafts. Invited artisans and artists will display and sell their works on the grounds.
Wine festival memorabilia also will be sold.
Regional performers will provide live entertainment both days. Saturday's line-up is the Kiss Tyler Band at 11 a.m., the Crawdaddies at noon, Swing Central at 1 p.m., Big Cam and the Lifters at 2 p.m., the Patty Reese Band at 3 p.m., and the Bourbon Street Ramblers at 5 p.m.
On Sept. 19, entertainment will include the Carl Filipiak Group at noon, Peabody Ragtime Ensemble at 2 p.m., Chris Vadala and Friends at 3 p.m., Deanna Bogart at 4 p.m. and the Bourbon Street Ramblers at 5 p.m.
The American Lung Association will sponsor a bike tour Saturday, with 10-, 30- and 50-mile tours.
Bikers are asked to obtain pledges, and those with $100 or more will receive free entry to the festival. Registration is at 7: 30 a.m., with the ride starting at 8 a.m.
The Wine Festival has been labeled "one of the five best festivals of its kind in North America" by Tours Magazine, and one of the top 100 events in the country by the American Bus Association.
The Farm Museum is at 500 S. Center St., Westminster.


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The highly anticipated Tesla Cybertruck electric vehicle is among the vehicles featured in a new music video by a well-known Grammy Award-winning musician and producer.
What Happened: The music video for the song “Cash In Cash Out” by Pharrell Williams, 21 Savage and Tyler, the Creator features a Cybertruck from Tesla Inc TSLA.
The video was highlighted in a post by Tesla influencer Sawyer Merritt.
In the music video, the three musicians are featured in a Claymation style animation, with Williams driving a Cybertruck and 21 Savage sitting on top of the truck.
The video was trending on YouTube, a video platform from Alphabet Inc GOOGGOOGL, on Sunday with over 1.96 million views.
The song features discussions on wealth and fashion and specifically calls out brands like Porsche, New Era, Chanel, Rolls-Royce, Bentley and Ferrari RACE.
Why It’s Important: The Cybertruck, set to be released in 2023, is among the most anticipated electric vehicles of all time. Tesla CEO Elon Musk recently referred to the vehicle as Tesla’s “best product ever.”
The Cybertruck was previously featured in a 2019 music video by Travis Scott for the song “Gang Gang.” Not only was a Cybertruck featured in the video, but Scott was also shown riding a Cyberquad and the video also featured a “not a flame thrower” from The Boring Company, another Musk founded company.
A song called “Elon Musk” by DDG featuring Gunna also has a Cybertruck in the music video.
With so many songs are already featuring Cybertrucks before the vehicle officially hits the road, Cybertrucks could see increasing popularity in the future, in both music videos and as the vehicle of choice for musicians.
Photo: Courtesy of tesla.com
© 2023 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.


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During the last week of December, auction prices were on the way down, but activity in the lanes held up well amidst the holidays.
According to the latest Black Book Market Insights report, although all segments depreciated as 2015 came to a close, Black Book editors said auction personnel noticed overall prices stayed relatively strong throughout the holiday season, perhaps boding well for a strong start to the new year as we head into tax season.
“Overall, auction activity seems to have held up well this week considering the holidays. Maybe this will lead to a strong start for the New Year,” said Anil Goyal, vice president of automotive valuation and analytics.
This sentiment echoed throughout the lanes, as Black Book editors overheard an attendee from Alabama say, “Considering the holidays, it was a very good sales this week. Many more sales and buyers than I expected.”
Another auction attendee from Tennessee said, “Strong prices here today with a lot sold.”
According to Black Book data, car values fell by 0.33 percent or $40 last week, while truck values dropped by 0.36 percent or $62.
Last week, all the car segments Black Book tracks had higher week-over-week depreciation rates, except for the prestige luxury segment, which remained stable.
The near-luxury car segment saw the largest depreciation among the cars, with rates dropping by $113 or 0.63 percent. The entry-level cars continued to experience larger-than-average declines, with prices dropping by 0.49 percent or $32 last week. But the compact car segment, which had seen rates drop significantly over the course of 2015, only saw prices fall by 0.09 percent or $8 to wrap up the year.
Interestingly, Black Book also pointed out the luxury level car segment, which saw prices drop by 0.37 percent or $82 last week, was the only segment to see prices drop during each week of 2015.
Among the trucks, which saw similar depreciation rates last week, the midsize CUV and mini cargo van segments saw the largest depreciation, with rates dropping by 0.75 percent and 0.84 percent, respectively.
Compact SUV prices held steady last week, and the full-size passenger vans only dropped by 0.01 percent or $2. Other strong performers included the full-size cargo van segment, with a drop of 0.05 percent or $7, and the minivan passenger segment, with prices falling by just 0.13 percent or $18.


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Ukraine presented the National Pavilion at the world’s biggest trade fair of organic products BIOFACH 2023
Ukraine is among the 20 largest producers of conventional sugar in the world and is one of the 10 largest exporters in 2018. Thus, the amount of exports of such products over the past year amounted to USD 217 million. Now Ukraine has just begun production of organic sugar, but it is already in demand in the European market and in the future, this products has to conquer the world markets as well.
This has been noted by the acting Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine – Olga Trofimtseva during a press conference on presentation of the first organic sugar in Ukraine.
“A very momentous event has happened today. We have the first organic sugar produced in our country. I was, actually, witnessing the birth of this idea. Only 10 years ago, the first domestic organic products began to appear on the shelves of our stores, and today we may see the dynamic development of organic production in the domestic market,” the acting Minister noted.
She added that Ukraine has been increasing the variety of processed organic products, because such products are in high demand in the foreign markets.
In Ukraine, in 2009-2010, organic sugar beet was certified as raw material. In 2018, 247 hectares were under the organic beets and the first organic sugar was produced. This product was presented in early February 2019 during the largest international exhibition of organic products “Biofah”. During the exhibition, the company from the Netherlands won the auction for purchase of the first batch of organic sugar (850 tons). Next presentation of organic sugar will at the Biofah exhibition in China, where the National Pavilion of Ukraine will be presented for the first time.
Press Service of the Ministry


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Consumer Fingerprint Shipments Surpass 1 Billion Shipments but End-Users Ready to Adopt Multimodality
The battle for the future of biometric modalities in consumer electronics is expected to become fiercer with each passing year as face and iris recognition are continuously gaining strength, threating to soon cannibalize on fingerprint technologies. ABI Research, a market-foresight advisory firm providing strategic guidance on the most compelling transformative technologies, posits that as ASPs for iris modules drop, and the once timid face recognition is continuously honed with more sophisticated machine learning algorithms, they will both slowly start to eat away at fingerprint implementations.
Apple’s choice to forego fingerprints and focus on face recognition for the iPhone X and Samsung’s choice to focus on iris recognition for the Galaxy S8 and S9 have fast-tracked this realization. However, fingerprint technologies won’t go down without a fight as multiple innovative vendors including FPC, Qualcomm, Synaptics and Goodix introduce more robust, spoof-resistant sensors and a brand new “poster-boy” for fingerprints: the invisible, under-display sensor.
“Even though fingerprint sensor ASPs have taken a significant hit over the last couple of years, total fingerprint sensor shipments for the entire consumer market is still estimated to reach 1.2 billion worldwide for 2018, thus ensuring its market dominance,” comments Dimitrios Pavlakis, Industry Analyst for ABI Research. “However, from established markets such as banking and payments to emerging ones like automotive and future-looking ones including robotics, we expect to see an increase in multi-modal applications and a scenario where biometrics is a critical component of a user’s digital ID in the emerging IoT ecosystem.” With the rise of card-less biometric ATMs developed by Diebold Nixdorf and Samsung, automotive investments by major car OEMs like GM, Nissan, BMW and Volvo, and governmental mandates in APAC seeking to expand biometrics further into banking, consumer, and telecoms, the single-modality pattern will shift radically.
“Multimodal user authentication in the Internet of Things will not be another gimmicky option – it will be the security norm,” concludes Pavlakis. Established vendors are advised to plan accordingly and expand their biometric portfolio depending on the choice of market vertical.
These findings are from ABI Research’s Biometric Technologies and Applications report. This report is part of the company’s Digital Security research service, which includes research, data, and Executive Foresights.
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The Glen’s food court to receive a new generation redevelopment
Hyprop’s The Glen is embarking on a R121 million upgrade and redevelopment of its food court. Regional Executive, Lynda Burger says that “the centre is excited about the redevelopment, which is set to boost the food and leisure offering in an experiential, interactive and dynamic way for our customers.” The tenants that will be affected by the redevelopment are Steers, Wimpy, Mimmo’s, Ocean Basket, Mugg & Bean, Dial-a-Bed, Crafters Market, Fantasia and Milky Lane. Wimpy will be relocating to a to a new-look store opposite Game. Texamo Spur, Roco Mamas, Panarottis and Nandos will trade throughout the redevelopment. Hyprop thanks its tenants and shoppers for their cooperation during this redevelopment, which is estimated to be completed by April 2018.
The Glen is a premium shopping destination of choice for the affluent suburbs south of Johannesburg, due to its dynamic mix of international and local restaurants, retailers and entertainment options catering for the whole family.
|On behalf of:||Hyprop Investments Limited|
|Riegardt Marais, Marketing Executive|
|(011) 447 0090|
|Issue date:||11 May 2017|


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Toward the end of 2019, Natalie Feltham started to look for a simple, minimal vessel for burning incense in her home.
She wanted something more austere than the clay or ceramic options she had seen, with “clean, symmetrical and sharp lines.” But it “didn’t really exist,” she said. So, Feltham, 27, who lives in Hitchin, England, decided to make her own using concrete.
Acquiring the necessary materials wasn’t that difficult, she said. Making concrete calls for just three ingredients: cement, water and aggregates, which are small particles of sand, gravel or stone. Cement is mixed with water to form a paste, which is combined with the aggregates and poured into a mold. As it hardens, the mixture becomes concrete.
“It’s quite an easy medium to mix and make,” said Feltham, who had noticed concrete being used to create countertops and tiles, but “not really in small home pieces.”
After finishing the incense burner, Feltham began using the material to make other décor and, in early 2020, started selling pieces via her line, Concrete Goods. Her boyfriend, James Goodwin Davies, 30, left his job as a graphic designer later that year to become the co-owner of Concrete Goods, which now sells candle holders, bowls, plates, soap dishes and, of course, incense burners that the two make using the material.
Their products are among a number of home furnishings made with concrete, which is creeping into categories more commonly associated with ceramics. On Etsy, there was a 49% increase in searches for concrete or cement trays on the site in the past 12 months compared to the same period the previous year, as well as a 25% increase in searches for concrete or cement décor, according to Dayna Isom Johnson, a trend expert for Etsy.
“I do think it’s working its way into that ceramics space a little bit,” said William Losleben, an artist and craftsman in Sultan, Washington. “Stuff that was once made from clay or terracotta could be made out of concrete fairly easily.”
While Losleben uses the material to make furniture including end tables, desks and chairs for his line Concrete Project, he also sells trays, bowls and even boxes made with concrete.
Emma McDowall, 28, an artist in Edinburgh, Scotland, who uses concrete to create candle holders, vases and other pieces for her line Studio Emma, said the material has an unpredictable quality that can be appealing to both artisans and consumers, because subtle changes to the process of making something with concrete can change a finished piece.
Adding more water can lead to cracked finishes, the way it’s mixed can result in more (or fewer) visible air bubbles, and the type of aggregate used can affect texture and tone.
“You wouldn’t get that with a ceramic piece,” McDowall said.
Joe Mitchell, 35, a land surveyor in Holmfirth, England, said the incense burner he bought from Concrete Goods in 2020 “started his love affair” with the material, and that he has since acquired other concrete décor, including trays and even a dining table that features it.
“Concrete can be smooth as glass, or rough and tactile,” said Mitchell, who noted this range of textures is part of what attracts him to the material.
Candace Molatore, 26, a marketing specialist who lives in Portland, Oregon, said she started buying concrete vases and other vessels during lockdown. She was drawn to the material by its muted tone, which she said helps make spaces “feel airy, bright, and light,” and look more like those in Scandinavian homes.
Concrete dates back thousands of years. One the earliest remnants of the material, thought to be from 5600 BC, was discovered in the mid-1960s along the Danube River in Serbia and was made of sand, gravel, water and limestone, according to the book “History of Concrete: A Very Old and Modern Material” by Per Jahren and Tongbo Sui One.
The authors write that much of the concrete used today is created using Portland cement, which Joseph Aspdin, a bricklayer from Leeds, England, received a patent for in the 19th century. It is typically made in a kiln using limestone, clay and other minerals.
Kate Balsis, 37, creative director and co-owner of Concrete Collaborative, an architectural finishing company in San Marcos, California, said concrete’s evolution from an industrial material to one used to make décor coincides with a growing “interest in architecture and design happening for the average person that wasn’t there 10 years ago.”
“I don’t know if it’s Instagram or something else, but everyone has much more of an interest in it,” said Balsis, whose company in 2017 started a sister brand, Concrete Love, that sells concrete jewelry, bowls, planters and other small goods.
She believes that interest in the material also comes from an increased desire to connect with objects placed in a home. “People really want a story behind the product,” Balsis said.
Concrete offers that because pieces made from it are often created by hand in small batches, while the process of making porcelain or other ceramics can be “really automated,” said Mario Guagnelli, 52, a co-founder of IntoConcrete, which sells products made with the material by artisans around the world.
Because of this, it’s often the case that no two concrete products are exactly the same.
“There’s something about concrete that is very particular, and we’ve learned through the years that it’s hard to mass produce,” Guagnelli said.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.


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The California Department of Public Health recently launched a $75 million smear campaign “Still Blowing Smoke”. Marking the first mass-media attempt by government officials to halt the rapid growth of the vape industry.
The campaign features a number of over the top ads, one featuring young children, and even infant toddlers attempting to use electronic vapor devices. Calling it an “ad campaign” is being generous, propaganda would be better. You can view all their ads here.
Outlandish ignorance aside, what about the overall cost of such a project?
The tax payers are picking up the tab for to appease the special interest big tobacco companies.
In an article written by Paul Blair, on the Americans for Tax Reform site, documents were shown that the total cost of California’s department of public health propaganda campaign will total $75 million. An amount that was conveniently not mentioned in the department’s official press release about the new campaign.
Where will that $75 million come from? Tax payers of course. Money that could be allocated towards other crucial needs such as education, police, alarming water shortage and a myriad of other uses.
Curiously, it seems that politicians seem to be the most keen on discouraging the use of vapor products. When the overwhelming majority of health experts agree that even though vaping may not be 100% safe or risk free, it is still a better alternative to smoking tobacco.
Tobacco products have some of the highest taxes of any consumer good. Annual sales generated $895 million in revenue for the California government in 2012 (the latest data available).
More people vaping, means less people smoking, and less tax money for government. Not to mention, less revenue for big tobacco who’s lobbyist account for millions in campaign contributions.
Are you comfortable with flipping the bill to help big tobacco kill hundreds of thousands of people every year? Let us know what you think in the comments below.


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Mexico positioning itself as a production location for North America
14 October 2022 12:11
Owing to the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), Mexico offers ease of access to the US consumer market as a production location for Swiss companies and SMEs in particular. This is the conclusion reached by a report published by the Swiss-Mexican Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Cámara Suizo-Mexicana).
In addition to the generally favorable access to the US markets afforded by the USMCA, which is the successor to the former North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the “Mexico Nearshoring Report” points in particular to the industrial development of the country’s northern region bordering the USA and the growth area of the Bajío region in central Mexico, where suppliers for the automotive sector, aircraft construction and medical technology are based. The trade volume between Mexico and the USA amounted to 661 billion US dollars in 2021, the report states.
An interview with Rubén Araiza Díaz, Director of the Swiss Business Hub Mexico, is published in the report as well. This organization is based at the Swiss Embassy in Mexico and aims to support SMEs from Switzerland and Liechtenstein in developing their business in Mexico. It also represents Switzerland Global Enterprise (S-GE), the official Swiss consultancy, promotion and platform organization for export and investment promotion.
According to the Swiss Business Hub Mexico, the main opportunities for Swiss companies lie in the fact that suppliers have to develop more value-adding and innovative products such as tools, automation systems, robotics and 3D printing. The aerospace industry in Mexico alone will reach a volume of 10.2 billion US dollars by 2030.
The medical device market is estimated to be worth around 5 billion US dollars. Solutions are also being sought in the areas of Artificial Intelligence (AI), 3D printing and nanotechnology. “There are many opportunities for Swiss exporters to develop niche products and services, tools and special machines”, explains Rubén Araiza Díaz.


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Samsung Galaxy S8 was released with high expectations and has been integrated with Snapdragon 835 processor, Android Nougat, and Bixby operating platform. According to The Investor, Samsung has shipped 20 million units of the Galaxy S8 handsets.
The data generated by the research company reveals the fact that the Samsung has shipped 278,000 Galaxy S8 phones per day after the release of the handset on April 21. Based on this calculation, nearly 19.8 million handsets were shipped through June and the currently estimated sales figure of 20 million units sounds to be true.
With the imminent launch of the iPhone 8 and the 10th anniversary of the popular iPhone, the current sales figure of Samsung assumes great importance. Recently, Samsung’s mobile division chief Koh Dong-Jin disclosed that the Galaxy S8 has exceeded the expectations of the Galaxy S7 by 15 percent in the first three months after the launch of the phone.
Even though the Samsung Galaxy S8 was launched after a delay of one month, the overall sales of the Galaxy S8 have doubled when compared with the Galaxy S7 during the same time frame. We will have to wait and see whether Apple will break records with the release of the iPhone 8, iPhone X and iPhone Pro variants.
When Galaxy S8 was initially released, customers were hesitant because of the series of explosions caused due to the ill-fated Galaxy Note 7 in 2016. The success of the Samsung Galaxy S8 indicates that the company is on the correct path.
The Korea-based company is already gearing up to launch the much-awaited Galaxy Note 8 at the Unboxed event in New York on August 23. There are reports that the Note 8 will be equipped with Snapdragon 835 processor, 6GB RAM, 128GB storage alongside Android Nougat and Bixby voice assistant.
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There were stampede-like scenes outside an Aldi store in southwest Sydney as the popular chain unveiled its latest wave of “special buys”.
The German discount supermarket, known for its cult following on social media, launched a range of kitchen essentials on Saturday, with cast aluminium pots ranging from $22.99 to $29.99, alongside new bowls, knives, air fryers and pressure cookers.
The aluminium pots and pressure cooker, released every year, are particularly popular leading to frenzied scenes outside Aldi in Bonnyrigg, in southwestern Sydney.
An Aldi spokesperson told news.com.au the supermarket is “excited to bring back Crofton Chef’s Collection cast iron pots for a limited time to help Aussies cook up delicious meals on a budget”.
“Our customer’s reaction to the release of the range is encouraging, though we ask them to be patient, calm and mindful of other customers and our employees when shopping these products,” they added.
A video of the scenes elicited some hilarious responses.
”First toilet freaking paper,” one person joked.
Another said, “It’s like they have never seen pots!”.
“Aldi really needs to put a limit on customers!! It was a frenzy!!,” one shopper said.
In one image shared of Facebook, more than 50 people could be seen standing outside the closed supermarket leaning on empty shopping trolleys.
Aldi has been present in Australia for more than two decades now, since opening its first two store in Sydney in January 2001.
The chain quickly expanded, overtaking IGA to become the third-biggest player in Australia’s supermarket sector by the end of 2013.
Aldi’s “special buys” – discounted items not normally sold in supermarkets – have remained a biweekly draw card for shoppers at its now more than 500 stores nationwide.


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Today, Mac, iPhone, and iPad users are deluged with gloom and doom from another source– the cult of Apple critics, who worship at the altar of marketshare, who decry Apple’s demise before the coming Android armageddon. Cult, indeed.
Laughing To The Bank
Apple users can be called zealous, even zealots, but Tim Cook’s reign as chief honcho should put to rest the notion that we’re members of some kind of cult.
There just are not too many cults with half a billion or more discriminating, money spending, well educated members.
Actually, those who cry Apple’s demise is pending are more likely members of a literary cult, one that has faith in doom and gloom where no facts are in evidence.
Take Apple’s most recent financial numbers.
Those are not the numbers of a company in trouble. The Windows PC industry is down, the Mac thrives. Samsung struggles to make a profit and cannot count the number of devices it ships with any accuracy. iPhone sales explode.
In a quarter where Apple traditionally slumps, the company destroyed the negative estimates from the cult of naysayers, crushing revenue and profit estimates. Again.
Who would have thought bears were members of a cult?
Then there’s that poor cult member who said AAPL stockholders should buy when the stock dips after earnings. That was right before the stock exploded nearly 10-percent. AAPL is up nearly 30-percent over the past year.
Apple has so much money that it gives tens of billions of dollars in dividends to stockholders, buys back many hundreds of millions of shares of stock, and still doesn’t know what to do with all the money.
To the the many members of the cult of Apple critics, where is the evidence of your doom and gloom predictions? Methinks your faith in the technology occult has loosened your contact with reality. Who pays you to write the scathing yet highly inaccurate criticisms of Apple’s future? Samsung? Google? Microsoft? Face it, cult of Apple critic members, your faith in doom, gloom, and destruction cannot save you from Apple’s math.


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Whole Foods Market CEO John Mackey’s book tour is off to a sluggish start.
The inaugural event for Mackey’s new book, “The Whole Foods Diet,” held Wednesday evening at the chain’s new Manhattan store at Bryant Park, was sparsely attended, a source told On the Money.
Our source said they “felt kind of bad that it was just him and his half-dozen staffers and no customers. People just did not care.”
Reps for Whole Foods declined comment.


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Police on-scene have concluded their search and deemed the store safe for re-entry.
//////// UPDATE //////// 3:10 PM PDT
Ongoing police investigation at Walmart in Burbank. Allied agency response with explosive detection dogs being deployed to search Walmart following phone call threat of an alleged explosive device inside the store.
At about 1:20 PM, Burbank Police received a call from Walmart reporting that a suspicious phone call and perceived threat was received inside the store by an employee. At this time, the details of that threat are unknown, as Police Officers have not yet spoken to the employee who answered the call. Store management chose to evacuate the store prior to the arrival of police. We are working with store personnel to investigate this incident and determine the validity, type, and origin of the threat.
There have been no injuries reported/related to this incident.
Portions of the parking lot near Walmart have been closed to vehicle and pedestrian traffic as a precaution, and to allow police officers to further investigate this incident.
The Burbank Police Department takes all threats seriously and investigates any threat, perceived or otherwise, to the fullest extent necessary to protect and ensure the safety of the public.
Burbank Police are conducting an investigation at Walmart [1301 N Victory Pl] related to a suspicious phone call received by a store employee. As a precaution, the store and surrounding area is being closed to pedestrian and vehicle traffic.


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At a ticket only event this week that sold out in minutes, London’s Beavertown Brewery unveiled its new barrel-ageing project, entitled ‘Tempus’. Founder Logan Plant and head brewer Jenn Merrick spoke to the gathered crowd at the launch, which includes a pair of all-Brett fermented IPAs in collaboration with Founders of Grand Rapids, Michigan and a barrel-aged Weizendoppelbock brewed with Oskar Blues of Longmont, Colorado. Founders UK brand ambassador Tim Traynor and Oskar Blues Head Brewer Tim Mathews were also present.
WHY IT MATTERS
Beavertown are one of the UK’s fastest growing brewers. They’ve expanded capacity by 2000% alone in the last 18 months and are already rumored to be searching for a new site. Their flagship beer Gamma Ray, an American style pale ale, is in such demand that the brewery is having to turn down new accounts as it seeks to expand.
So if demand for a core product can’t be met, why invest a great deal of effort, time and money in launching a project such as this? “Tempus is Logan [Plant’s] vision.” Head brewer Merrick said to me at the launch. “This is part of the bigger Beavertown plan.”
The project, which currently includes around 150 barrels, demonstrates an increasing maturity and ambition in a young British craft beer market. Merrick also tells me that three Foudres are already on order, as well as tanks for a smaller brewing system so that mixed fermentation can be kept separate from core production.
Considering such an advanced program and level of ambition, is this a sign that craft beer ambitions abroad are developing at an even faster rate that their much more mature and diverse U.S.-inspired forbears? Will some level of parity be achieved faster than US exports can exploit the gap? This program may well prove to be the measure.
— Matthew Curtis


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“Things I’ve Learned from Lately” is a regular compilation of articles that have made me a smarter marketer. Hopefully, they’ll help you, too.
Optimus Prime Deals - Amazon Prime is big. Really big. Coming off of the week that had Prime Day, we found out that 79 million U.S. households have Prime subscriptions, which is almost as many homes that have cable. That number sits at 90 million.
The New Hollywood Dream - In a world of YouTube and relevance that is here today and gone tomorrow, it takes a different level of hustle to be a star. GQ looks at what it takes to make it in modern Hollywood.
Every Company’s a Data Company - Roombas have spent years analyzing the layouts of owners’ homes. Now, it may sell the data (with user permission) to help with the development of smart home technology. While this certainly raises questions around privacy, it also shows how any company can look at its data and ask who else could use this.
Tappity Tap Tap Tap - YouTube has found a lot of success with its YouTube Kids product, and much of that success is due to the algorithm that recommends videos for children to watch after the current one ends. The Atlantic looks at what goes into the algorithm.
Alexa… How Do You Affect Children? - Today’s kids are growing up accustomed to bossing at least one thing around… digital home assistants. The proliferation of devices like the Amazon Echo equipped with Alexa means kids can ask devices for almost whatever they want. What does this mean for the future?


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Volkswagen and a German consumer group said Thursday they will conduct talks on a possible settlement in a landmark case in which hundreds of thousands of people aim to establish a right of compensation for cars affected by the automaker’s diesel emissions scandal.
A court in Braunschweig, Germany, opened proceedings in September in the case. At the time, the presiding judge suggested that the two sides could consider a settlement, which he said would be possible though very difficult.
The case was brought by the Federation of German Consumer Organizations on behalf of more than 400,000 diesel owners. It uses rules enacted in Germany in 2018 that allow a form of class-action suit.
The new system was prompted in part by the scandal over Volkswagen’s use of software to turn emissions controls off when vehicles weren’t being tested, which was discovered in 2015.
In a statement Thursday, the two sides said that they have agreed to open talks on a possible settlement and that their common aim is “a pragmatic solution” in the interests of customers.
They didn’t say what such a solution might entail.
“The talks are at a very early stage,” the brief statement said. It stressed that it is uncertain whether they will reach a settlement and said both sides have agreed to confidentiality.
The proceedings in Braunschweig encompass cars made by the Volkswagen, Audi, Seat and Skoda brands fitted with EA 189 diesel engines that were bought after Nov. 1, 2008 and later affected by a recall. The talks are meant to establish only whether the company acted illegally. If the court decides that that was the case, customers would then have to seek compensation in separate proceedings.


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Updated at 7:29 a.m. PT: Added the response from Google. The Finnish handset giant says it dropped its patent application for multiuser account functionality, and Google hasn't contacted it to license technology for Android. Earlier this week, TechCrunch speculated that Google isn't including multiple account functionality on Android for phones because Nokia already owns the patent for that capability. Nokia has told CNET that wasn't the case. Be respectful, keep it civil and stay on topic. We delete comments that violate our policy, which we encourage you to read. Discussion threads can be closed at any time at our discretion.
The pinch motion is achieved by placing one finger on one display and another finger on the other screen and bringing them together, A video showing the technology in action offers views of several products, including iPhones and iPads, linking up, It's not clear how many phones and tablets can be linked to create one display, but the video shows quite a few all working together, Exactly wooden wonderland barn owl collage iphone case how the technology works hasn't really been divulged, However, Diginfo says that each service can be integrated into applications created by developers, The software works via Wi-Fi, allowing each device to talk to each other to determine screen placement and alignment..
Although Pinch is still under development, the research group working on the project told Diginfo that it has opened it up to some developers to see what they create. It's not clear which apps it might run on or when they might launch. (Via The Verge). In a research project, multiple mobile products can sidle up to each other, and with a simple pinch motion, join forces in a single-display lineup. A new display technology being tested in Japan could eventually allow mobile users to stack up smartphones and tablets to create one, big display.
Dubbed "Pinch," the software is being developed at the Tokyo University of Technology, According to Diginfo, which was first to report on the news, users can place smartphones or tablets next to each other in any way they wish, and by using a simple "pinch" motion, link the two displays to create one larger screen, wooden wonderland barn owl collage iphone case Be respectful, keep it civil and stay on topic, We delete comments that violate our policy, which we encourage you to read, Discussion threads can be closed at any time at our discretion..
Users can drag and drop files between their Windows Phone 8 devices and the Mac desktop or the Finder file manager. They can see the state of the phone's battery charge and take advantage of better support for ringtones. The new app also supports Retina Display Macs as well as iPhoto 9.3.2 and Aperture 3.3.2. In its former life, Windows Phone 3.0 was known as Windows Phone 7 Connector. But with Microsoft's focus now on Windows Phone 8, a new name and new features seemed in order. Last week, Microsoft unveiled a new app to let Windows 8 and Windows RT users sync data between their PCs or tablets and their Windows Phone devices. The company officially kicked off Windows Phone 8 with a launch event on Monday.


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Posts Tagged ‘iOS’
Posted by DaRipp3r on February 10, 2016 under Euro, News, PC, PS4, Xbox One
Games industry veteran and international games label Team17 and independent developer Unicube are excited to announce that their post-apocalyptic survival game, Sheltered, will be heading to PlayStation 4 soon. Sheltered is a post-apocalyptic disaster management game that gives a whole new meaning to the term “nuclear family”. Originally created by Unicube, games label Team17 spotted the ga... more.
Posted by DaRipp3r on February 10, 2016 under Euro, News, PC, Portables
Final Fantasy IX, a fan-favorite in the franchise, has been optimized for compatible Apple and Android devices, and is available starting today on App Store and Google Play. First released in 2000, Final Fantasy IX tells the story of the bandit Zidane Tribal who plans to kidnap the princess of Alexandria, Garnet Til Alexandros the 17th, with the troupe of thieves known as Tantalus. An unlik... more.
Posted by STGuy1040 on February 5, 2016 under Euro, News, Portables
The FINAL FANTASY Portal App, the all-inclusive information platform for FINAL FANTASY news, games, books, music, merchandise and events, turns one year old today. In celebration of the global anniversary for the ultimate FINAL FANTASY fan destination, SQUARE ENIX is offering the classic RPG, FINAL FANTASY II as a free download via the FINAL FANTASY Portal App’s “App List” through February 1... more.
Posted by DaRipp3r on February 1, 2016 under Euro, News, Portables
Today, Ubisoft announced that Assassin’s Creed Identity, the franchise’s first Action-RPG, will launch on iOS on February 25th, 2016. The mobile-exclusive takes place during a fan-favorite time period, the Italian Renaissance. Assassin’s Creed Identity challenges players to solve The Mystery of The Crows through a combination of thrilling story missions and countless quests. Players will ... more.
Posted by DaRipp3r on January 29, 2016 under Euro, News, PS4, Xbox One
Deep Silver and 11 bit studios today announce the release of This War Of Mine: The Little Ones. A harrowing tale of true survival, the critically acclaimed title makes its debut on PlayStation 4 computer entertainment system and Xbox One, the all-in-one games and entertainment system from Microsoft. This War of Mine: The Little Ones offers an unflinching portrayal of wartime survival, viewed no... more.
Posted by DaRipp3r on January 14, 2016 under Euro, Mac, News, PC
Paradox Interactive, a Level 18 Publisher of Chaotic Good games, today released the newest expansion for Knights of Pen & Paper 2, the meta-RPG where players play as players and game-masters simultaneously. The expansion, “Here Be Dragons,” is available today for Windows, Mac, and Linux PCs, and iOS and Android devices. Included are new features such as a new story and quests, an added ... more.
Posted by DaRipp3r on January 7, 2016 under Euro, News, Portables
Hi-Rez Studios, creators of the hit MOBA, SMITE, have released their first mobile game, Jetpack Fighter. Featuring intuitive swipe-to-attack action controls, Jetpack Fighter lets players blaze a path of destruction through dozens of unique levels in order to rid a futuristic world of evil robots and killer bosses. Like all Hi-Rez games, Jetpack Fighter combines free-to-play accessibility with deep... more.
Posted by DaRipp3r on December 22, 2015 under Euro, Mac, News, PC
The Steam Winter Sale is on now, featuring great discounts on thousands of games, and exclusive Winter Sale trading cards. The event also includes the first-ever Steam Sale comic, "Gingerbread Jake In: North Pole Noir," with a new page of the comic revealed every day. Discount offers end January 4th at 10am Pacific unless otherwise specified. Official Website: http://www.steampowered.com... more.
Posted by DaRipp3r on December 18, 2015 under Euro, News, PC, Portables
Gollancz, an imprint of the Orion Publishing Group, with Liber Primus Games, indie developer and creator of gamebook series Narborion Saga, recently released their joint project – an addictive cross platform multiplayer gamebook, the first of its kind, set in the world of award-winning novelist and Crysis 2 and Syndicate writer Richard Morgan’s Sword and Sorcery trilogy A Land Fit for Heroes. ... more.
Posted by DaRipp3r on December 18, 2015 under Euro, News, Portables
Zojoi, an indie developer of adventure games, and Reverb Triple XP announced today that the re-imagined classic adventure game Shadowgate is available now on Apple iPhone 6, Android large-screen mobile devices, and Amazon Kindle tablets. As one of the most recognized and treasured point-and-click adventures titles, players will be dazzled by the stunning hand-painted art style, cinematic storytell... more.
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Groups ready with quality compost do not know how to reach farmers
To set up a sustainable composting unit, the initial processes involve sunk costs like setting up the right infrastructure, civil works and land.
Composting is not an easy task. Especially for communities that have very little or no support from the city corporation for setting up the infrastructure, facilitating daily operations or distributing it to the end user, the farmer.
This in turn leads to the farming community using cheap chemical alternatives. “The government needs to reduces subsidies on harmful chemical fertilisers and instead divert it towards organic composts to encourage more communities in the city to take this up as a social initiative,” says Wilma Rodrigues, founder, Saahas Zero Waste, a city-based waste management company.
Due to the lack of a proper channel for collection and distribution, compost turned out by communities is being sold off at throwaway prices. “We have to sell our compost at Rs 2 a kg because we cannot store it or package it. The same quality compost in a retail store is available at Rs 20-40 a kg,” says Padma Patil, a waste champion who has been driving composting at Purva Venezia since 2012.
To set up a sustainable composting unit, the initial processes involve sunk costs like setting up the right infrastructure, civil works and land. This is followed by monthly costs of running the facility which includes electricity, manpower and maintenance, points out Anil Chinniah, founder, Koramangala 3 Block Residents Welfare Association, which has been running its leaf-litter composting unit since 2011.
The 800-strong community produces 30 tonnes of leaf-litter a month and sells it under two categories (coarse compost at Rs 4 a kg and fine compost at Rs 8 a kg).
The composting unit has reached the self-sustaining mode after five years. Today, it sells compost worth Rs 50,000 per month through the use of social media and a network of buyers in the city.
“The BBMP has to help communities make composting a self-sustaining activity. It needs to incentivise it by buying back at subsidies rates, set up a proper channel of collecting and then distributing it to the farming community,” Chinniah says.
BBMP’s joint commissioner (solid waste management) Sarfaraz Khan says that the volumes of compost from communities have not yet reached a large scale.
“If large communities which have bulk compost to sell come to us, we are more than willing to help them with marketing and distribution through the Karnataka Compost Development Corporation,” he said.


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Apple Allowing Companies To Create Lightning To 3.5mm Cables
Apple is giving Made-For-iPhone/iPad/iPod (MFi) accessory makers the green light to make a lighting to 3.5mm output cable and USB-C ports.
9to5Mac reports the MFi accessory makers were given updated materials for its manufacturers.
Companies are now able to include and build USB-C ports on their products which will be on Apple’s certified for iOS list.
This is a helpful move for users as more tech companies are beginning to use USB-C ports on their products.
The Verge points out Apple still is not letting third-party manufacturers create lightning to USB-C cables, only the tech giant can build those. This means users still have to fork out upwards of $25 to grab themselves a USB-C to lightning cable.


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JR Cigar has announced a fourth cigar in its 50th anniversary series. This cigar comes from Aganorsa Leaf and its the Aganorsa Lunatic JR 50th. The cigar is scheduled to release on April 29th.
The Aganorsa Lunatic 50th is part of the Lunatic Habano line and features an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper over binder and filler from the Aganorsa farms. While Aganorsa Leaf’s Lunatic line is known for its larger sizes, the Aganorsa Lunatic JR 50th is a smaller 6 x 46 vitola. The cigars are presented in ten-count boxes. A total of 250 boxes have been produced. Pricing is set at $9.00 per cigar or $81.00 per box.
“This is a tremendous celebration for JR Cigar and we are so proud to be a part of it,” says Terence Reilly, Vice President sales and marketing for Aganorsa Leaf in a press release. “The Lunatic has always been one of our most popular lines and to bring in the smaller vitola is really going to give everyone an amazing smoking experience.”
Thus far, the following releases have been a part of the JR 50th Anniversary Series:
- Romeo y Julieta Edicion Limitada JR 50th
- Mother Church by Crowned Heads
- Montecristo Cincuenta JR 50th
- Aganorsa Lunatic JR 50th
Photo Credits: JR Cigar


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Another peril can be added to the hazards of the innocent-looking computer keyboard. Not content with encouraging repetitive strain injury, the type-pads sometimes harbour more filth than the average loo seat and house millions of bacteria which can cause diarrhoea and vomiting, a study has shown.
A microbiologist carrying out research published today for Which? Computing magazine examined samples from 33 keyboards and found a variety of bugs including E coli and S aureus, which can cause skin infections and make people ill.
The scientist swabbed a loo seat and a toilet door handle in a typical London office for comparison. One of the keyboards in the experiment had to be removed from the office because it was five times dirtier than the lavatory seat and home to 150 times the acceptable limit of bacteria.
"[It] was increasing the risk of its user becoming ill," said the microbiologist, James Francis. "I haven't seen a reading like that in a very long time - it was off the scale."
Two more of the keyboards had "warning levels" of bacteria, while a further two showed high levels of coliform bacteria, which are associated with fecal matter.
The research showed that the chief culprit for contamination was people eating at their desks and dropping crumbs which lodge between keys and encourage the growth of millions of bacteria.
Other causes included poor personal hygiene, particularly people failing to wash their hands after using the toilet. Dust, which traps moisture, also provides ideal conditions for the growth of bacteria.
"These results are generally typical of offices up and down the country," said Francis.
Sarah Kidner, the editor of Which? Computing, said: "Most people don't give much thought to the grime that builds up on their PC, but if you don't clean your computer, you might as well eat your lunch off the toilet.
"Why not give your PC a spring clean? It's quite simple to do and could prevent your computer from becoming a health hazard."
The survey, in which more 4,000 people were questioned, found that 22% cleaned their keyboard and 27% their monitor on a monthly basis. Just over one in 10 said they never cleaned their keyboard, while 20% said they never cleaned their mouse.
The magazine also warned that headphones can ferry germs between people and transfer headlice.
Which? Computing recommends that computers be shut down and unplugged before being gently dusted with a soft, lint-free cloth and wiped with an approved computer cleaning fluid.
A vacuum cleaner can be used to clean vents, but contrary to internet myth, keyboards should not be put in the dishwasher, the magazine said.


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Healthy Life Launches the Next Big Thing at New Victorian Store
Australia's leading health and wellness retailer Healthy Life has opened its first new-look store in Victoria at Tooronga Shopping Centre, with the store becoming the first to host its Next Big Thing sessions.
Healthy Life's Next Big Thing expands on the Wellness Hub, which the retailer launched last year as part of its new retail model.
While the Wellness Hub was created to start a health conversation with regular presentations hosted by the company's qualified practitioners, the Next Big Thing concept offers customers the chance to sample and learn about the 'next big thing' in health.
Healthy Life Chief Marketing Officer Simon Cheng said the Next Big Thing was aimed at celebrating the latest innovations and offerings in the evolving health and wellness industry.
"It's an exciting time for the health industry with new technologies and discoveries leading to some cutting edge new products and constant development of existing lines. As the experts in natural health solutions, we're always on the lookout for new, natural therapies to help our customers look and feel good from the inside out. From royal jelly and ginseng in the 70s to fish oil and evening primrose oil in the 90s, we've been leading the charge in the 'next big thing' in health and wellness for nearly 50 years and look forward to continuing the education process with our new Next Big Thing sessions," Mr Cheng said.
Healthy Life officially launched the concept at its Tooronga store this week with 'next big thing' tastings and samplings from some of Australia's most innovative wellness brands including Hemple, which sprung onto the market with hemp products after hemp seeds were legalised as a food source in Australia late last year; brand new millennial-minded supplement brand SUP, which launched in Australia last week; ethical nail polish brand Kester Black, which sells products that are free of the usual toxic chemicals found in nail polish; and INIKA Organic, a leading natural beauty brand with award-winning products including vegan mascara which uses 100 per cent plant derived and natural ingredients.
The retailer has more than 45 stores across Australia, including 11 in Victoria, and will continue to roll out the Next Big Thing as it opens new outlets and refreshes existing stores.
The Tooronga store is the third new Healthy Life outlet to open since September with the retailer in a phase of rapid expansion, a strategy which pits it against the current retail trend of closing bricks and mortar stores in favour of an online presence.
"The complementary medicines industry is booming in Australia - it's a $4.7 billion dollar industry that is growing at over 25 per cent annually and just as we have been for the past five decades, Healthy Life is at the forefront of that growth," Mr Cheng said.
"For everyday Australians, natural health is an area that requires some guidance and that's why all of our stores are a place where customers can learn and get expert advice from our qualified health practitioners – including nutritionists, naturopaths and dieticians – about the best everyday health and wellness products for them. We want to make it easier, more affordable and more convenient for all Australians to live a healthier life and to do that we need a presence in more communities."
In addition to the Next Big Thing and Wellness Hub, the store in the Tooronga Shopping Centre is home to a natural beauty bar and sports the retailer's fresh new look including a vibrant colour palette - all geared at bringing the traditional health food store into the modern era.
The interior has also been created with the environment in mind with sustainable timber used in the fit out. The use of bespoke beech timber allowed the retailer to widen its aisles making the shop more trolley and pram-friendly.
"It's not just a fresh look, it's about transforming a visit to a retail health store into a feel-good experience," Mr Cheng said.
The new store offers a wide range of health and wellness products including the latest in chemical-free beauty products, cutting edge supplements, organic and fair trade food, natural skincare and performance nutrition.
In line with other major retailers, Mr Cheng said Healthy Life was moving away from plastic with more than 20,000 reusable calico bags purchased since the retailer banned single use plastic bags in December. Healthy Life also supports eco-friendly and socially-conscious suppliers which source recyclable, sustainable and environmentally friendly packaging, while also doing their bit to support sustainable farming and growing communities around the world. Healthy Life staff wear organic bamboo uniforms from Australian eco clothing brand Boody.
For more information or to find a store visit healthylife.com.au


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DP World posts 3.2pc volume growth in 2016
DUBAI, February 7, 2017
DP World Limited handled 63.7 million TEU (twenty-foot equivalent units) across its global portfolio of container terminals in 2016, with gross container volumes growing by 3.2 per cent year-on-year on a reported basis, and 2.2 per cent on a like-for-like basis, which compares favourably to the industry estimated growth of 1.3 per cent for 2016.
In the fourth quarter, gross reported volumes grew by 6 per cent year-on-year driven by strong growth in Asia Pacific and Europe. UAE handled 3.7 million TEU in 4Q2016 down marginally by 0.7 per cent year-on-year. The Americas and Australia region delivered a broadly stable volume performance during this period, the company said.
At a consolidated level, the group's terminals handled 29.2 million TEU during 2016, a 0.4 per cent improvement in performance on a reported basis and down 1.6 per cent year-on-year on a like-for-like basis.
Group chairman and chief executive officer Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem said: “Despite the challenging market conditions, particularly at our flagship Jebel Ali Port, our portfolio continues to deliver ahead-of-market growth, which once again demonstrates the benefits of operating a globally diversified portfolio.
“We are pleased to see volumes stabilising in the UAE and as we look ahead into 2017, we expect our new developments in Rotterdam (Netherlands), Nhava Sheva (India), London Gateway (United Kingdom) and Yarimca (Turkey) to drive growth in our portfolio.
“We will continue to maintain capital expenditure discipline by bringing on capacity in line with demand, while focusing on targeting higher margin cargo, improving efficiencies and managing costs to drive profitability. Given the resilient volume performance of our portfolio, we are well placed to meet full year 2016 market expectations,” said Bin Sulayem.
DP World operates multiple yet related businesses – from marine and inland terminals, maritime services, logistics and ancillary services to technology-driven trade solutions.
The group has a portfolio of 77 operating marine and inland terminals supported by over 50 related businesses in 40 countries across six continents with a significant presence in both high-growth and mature markets.
It has a dedicated team of over 37,000 employees from 110 countries. Container handling is the company’s core business and generates more than three quarters of its revenue. With its committed pipeline of developments and expansions, the current gross capacity of 79.6 million TEU is expected to rise to more than 100 million TEU by 2020, in line with market demand, the group said. - TradeArabia News Service


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Black Friday 24th November!
Save the Date! Black Friday is back on November 24th! This massive discount day has been huge in recent years and has now replaced December the 8th as the Nation’s…
Open today from
Athlone Towncentre Shopping Centre is open 7 days a week. We also have late night shopping on Thursday and Friday Evenings.
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The U.S. ice hockey team has launched a blockchain-based app allowing fans to ensure their merchandise and memorabilia are the real deal.
Lingerie purchasing as a bitcoin use case is much less far-fetched than you might imagine.
Blockchain technology firm Bitfury has released a suite tools aimed to drive adoption of bitcoin’s lightning network.
U.S.-based crypto payments processor BitPay says it processed over $1 billion-worth of transactions last year.
A water purifier launched by China Mobile is connected to the internet of things and will reward usage with crypto tokens.
Sephora has joined the list of retailers at which shoppers can earn bitcoin rewards via the Lolli app.
Bitcoin miner maker Canaan Creative has revealed it is temporarily cutting prices to "celebrate" bitcoin's recent price rise.
Birks Group, one of the oldest luxury jewelry retailers in Canada, is now accepting bitcoin payments at eight of its stores.
Richard Stallman, founder of the free software movement, is building a privacy-focused cryptographic payments system, but says it's not a…
China appears to have achieved the crypto community's dream of a new internet of value, without blockchain. But there's more than meets than eye here.


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The summer heat and lack of rain continued right into Farm Progress Show this year. Were any of us surprised? What did we expect with the record setting year of high temperatures and drought across the country? As the nation’s largest outdoor farm show took stage August 28-30 the mercury in the thermometer steadily rose.
It was nothing for 5,000 attendees to brave the heat and humidity – after all they have been all season. As growers stopped by the StollerUSA booth in the VIT tent everyone was anxious to start planning for 2013. Many were already harvesting as the season will be ending earlier than anyone had planned.
The topic on everyone’s mind this year? STRESS.
What better way to prepare for stress than with Stoller’s plant performance products like Bio-Forge, X-Cyte & other stress reducing products? Attendees were able to see how these products work first hand as corn and soybean plants were on display from Iowa, Illinois, Kansas and Arkansas. All plants were healthy, and a healthy plant means a strong yield resulting in a robust ROI.
Progressive growers, sales representatives and research experts were available at the booth to share their successes, challenges and knowledge of Stoller products. Growers from Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Nebraska and Texas explained how Stoller products helped during their difficult growing season.
There was fun for all ages at the booth too. Children and adults were welcome to climb on stage and become Progressive Grower Super Heroes. Check out all the action by visiting our photo gallery: http://preview.stollerusa.com/photogallery/.
As the show ends and we all begin to wrap up another successful show it’s evident – the 2012 growing season will be one for the record books.
Make sure visit the StollerUSA Facebook page for pictures, updates and fun from the 2012 Farm Progress Show! http://www.facebook.com/stollerusa


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Through a widely-reported poster campaign (see inset), "We're a Culture not a Costume" is a sincere and laudable effort to draw awareness to the perpetuation of prejudice through racist Halloween costumes. Not some big-budget ad campaign either; a project that came out of a smart and resourceful student group at Ohio University.
But as with all things sincere and laudable, the internet has turned it into lulz.
The originals really are great, though. It's nice to laugh at Daleks and golden retrievers, but the message of the original campaign is a meme that really does deserve spreading. Kudos to the designer, whoever he or she may be!
Most Facebook users have no idea how the company tracks and profiles everything they do to target ads, a new Pew Research study confirms.
China’s Huawei is the subject of a U.S. criminal investigation in which federal prosecutors say the Chinese tech company stole trade secrets from U.S. business partners including technology behind a robotic device T-Mobile used to test smartphones, called “Tappy.”
Following up on our earlier story about Roku re-platforming Alex Jones and Infowars, it looks like Roku got so much criticism from users, they’ve reversed course and will remove the Infowars app.
Still determined to keep those New Year’s health resolutions? If you’re going to stick with the exercise plan, it’s enough of a challenge to budget your time. No need for your financial budget to take a hit, too. Here’s a more convenient – and cheaper – alternative to a gym membership or Peloton bike: Two […]
Want a career in web design? It’s true that these days, most anyone can throw up a page or two. But for true workhorse web design, you’ll sometimes need to match the platform to the project. Enter the Complete Front-End Developer Bundle, an educational grand tour around the best tools for the web. For beginners, […]
Things move fast in the world of social media, and they don’t slow down for marketers looking to make an impact. Whether you’re grabbing eyeballs for a major company or a local business, you’ll need to adjust your strategy for every platform. Don’t have a strategy to begin with? That’s where the Social Media Marketing […]


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Japanese auto company Honda is going to increase the tension of its rivals with a bang SUV in August, especially it will compete directly with Tata’s Nexon and other SUVs like it. It is being claimed in a report that this SUV will not only bring back Honda’s diminished reputation in the Indian market, but is also going to prove to be the most favorite among the customers. This SUV will compete directly with Tata’s Nexon and Maruti’s Brezza.
Honda was behind in terms of SUV
Honda’s reputation has decreased in the Indian market for some time, the biggest reason for this is that the company does not have a good SUV, Honda’s most liked car is Honda City, which has kept it in the Indian market till now. , Honda Amaze is also liked by the people, but both these cars are in the sedan. Earlier, Honda had discontinued Honda’s Suv CR-V in 2020 itself. Though the WR-V is being launched in the subcompact UV, it too lags far behind its rivals that offer SUVs in the sub-4 meter space.
Honda will launch not one but two SUVs
In view of its declining reputation in the Indian market, Honda is preparing to launch not one but two SUVs, one in the sub-4 meter segment, while the other will be in the compact C segment, according to a report published in Indonesia. At GIIAS, the RS will release the production version of the SUV, which is also believed to be powered by the 1.5-litre diesel I-VTEC engine that powers the Honda City and the new BRV.
Will be on an updated version of the Amaze architecture
The Honda mid-size SUV was believed to be based on the Honda City platform, but it is not the case, according to a report, both the SUVs will be based on the Amaze architecture. It will be very similar to the fifth-gen Honda City. Their design and technical responsibility will rest with Honda Cars India and its parent company based in Japan. This will make it easier for the company to do re-engineering without huge investment.
Know About Honda Subcompact SUV
The design of this car has been ready and engineering work is going on. It will be similar to the Tata Nexon, Kia Sonet and Maruti Brezza. It will be available in 1.2 liter i-Vtec Petrol and 1.5 liter diesel engine.
Honda Mid-Size SUV Will Be Powerful
It will be an SUV in the compact C segment, which will take on the likes of Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos and more. The engine will remain the same. According to a report, Honda is also working on an SUV that will be six and seven seater. Recently, Honda also hinted about its fully electric SUV.
Get more news updates on Automobiles


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Starbucks’s Old Pastry Favorites Are Back in the Oven
Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) customers are not fans of change, and that’s why they’ve called on the world’s largest coffee chain to bring back its old bakery items. Like a good vendor, Starbucks is there, listening to its coffee drinkers’ complaints, and that’s why the Seattle-based company is restructuring its food menu in order to bring back old favorites like slices of banana, pumpkin, and iced-lemon loaf cake in its U.S. stores. Thanks to customers taking to popular review sites like Yelp (NYSE:YELP) and CitySearch, urging the chain to bring back the old goods, their voices have been heard, and change is a-comin’.
According to Bloomberg, Starbucks bought gourmet-baking company La Boulange in 2012, and since then has added fancier pastries to U.S. locations as part of that acquisition. While coffee cake and morning buns no longer frequent the menu, almond croissants, apple fritters, and blueberry oat bars now do. But many American palates are not that high maintenance, or customers just prefer what they’ve grown up drinking coffee alongside, because enough of them have shown such a disdain for the new menu that the coffee giant is actually bringing back old items. Troy Alstead, Starbucks’s chief operating officer, said to Bloomberg: “We’ve got a few products that we are going to bring back from the old menu. Some customers missed a few things.”
Though old favorites are now making their way back, Bloomberg reports that Starbucks is still minding its La Boulange partnership by working with current suppliers and La Boulange recipes to come up with food that more closely resembles its previous fare. Company executives like Alstead are hoping that the more traditional pastries will quiet the loud outcry from consumers, but it still is unclear just how similar they will be to their predecessors. One of customers’ main complaints is that the new pastries are too small and pricey; Starbucks isn’t promising that the morning buns and breads will be as large as they once were.


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WASHINGTON – The National Retail Federation on Friday welcomed guidance from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission indicating that companies can reward employees who get vaccinated. “Retailers have consistently recommended that employees and customers get vaccinated against COVID-19, barring a disability or religious-based objection,” said Edward Egee, NRF vice president of government relations and workforce development.
WASHINGTON – The National Retail Federation on Tuesday projected that U.S. consumers will spend more than $20.1 billion — a record high — on gifts and other items for Father’s Day this year. The projection is based on NRF’s annual survey conducted by Prosper Insight & Analytics. Total spending for the holiday will surpass last
WASHINGTON – Retail sales slipped in November compared to the month before, as the surging pandemic suppressed store traffic. But sales were still up compared to last November, and the National Retail Federation still expects a happy holiday season for retailers.“Consumers held back on spending in November as virus rates spiked, states imposed retail restrictions and congressional
WASHINGTON – The National Retail Federation forecast Monday that holiday sales during November and December will increase between 3.6% and 5.2% compared to 2019, totaling between $755.3 billion and $766.7 billion. The numbers, which exclude automobile dealers, gasoline stations and restaurants, compare with a 4%t increase to $729.1 billion last year and an average holiday
WASHINGTON — Total retail sales fell dramatically in March as the coronavirus pandemic forced restaurants, bars and many stores to temporarily close across the nation. But sales soared at grocery stores and were up at other retailers deemed “essential” as well, offsetting some of the decline. Sales at health and personal care stores, which include
WASHINGTON — Retailers are asking state governors and mayors to reach out to retail leaders before issuing decisions to close or curtail retail business operations as they work to slow the spread of the COVID-19 virus. In a letter sent to Governor Larry Hogan, chairman of the National Governors Association and Mayor Bryan Barnett, president of
WASHINGTON — Retail sales should grow by 3.5% to 4.1% this year, according to a forecast released Wednesday by the National Retail Federation.The trade group is forecasting that sales in 2020 will top $3.9 trillion, despite uncertainty from the lingering trade war, the coronavirus outbreak and the presidential election. “The nation’s record-long economic expansion is
WASHINGTON – Retail sales growth was modest in November, but the National Retail Federation still expects a strong holiday season for retailers. Retail sales in November increased 0.1% seasonally adjusted over October and were up 2.1% unadjusted year-over-year, according to the NRF, which noted that the numbers exclude automobile dealers, gasoline stations and restaurants. “November
WASHINGTON — Americans shopped in record numbers over this year’s Thankgiving holiday weekend, the National Retail Federation reported on Tuesday. A survey conducted for the NRF by Prosper Insights & Analytics found that a record 189.6 million U.S. consumers shopped in stores and online from Thanksgiving Day through Cyber Monday this year. That’s up 14%
WASHINGTON – More than half of consumers have already started their holiday shopping and nearly a quarter of purchases have already been made, according to the annual survey recently released by the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights & Analytics. “This is further evidence that the holiday season has grown far beyond the period between
WASHINGTON — Consumers say they will spend an average of $1,047.83 this holiday season, up 4% from the $1,007.24 they said they would spend last year, according to the annual survey released Thursday by the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights & Analytics. Shoppers between the ages of 35 and 44 plan to spend the
WASHINGTON — Retail sales were up 0.9% in July seasonally adjusted from June and up 5.6% unadjusted year-over-year, the National Retail Federation said this week. The numbers exclude sales by automobile dealers, gasoline stations and restaurants. “July’s strong results are consistent with a confident consumer,” said NRF chief economist Jack Kleinhenz. “Households are in good
WASHINGTON – Americans are expected to spend a record $16 billion on Father’s Day gifts this year, according to the National Retail Federation’s annual survey conducted by Prosper Insight & Analytics. That’s up from last year’s $15.3 billion. “Fathers, husbands and sons can expect to feel the love this Father’s Day,” NRF president and CEO
WASHINGTON – The National Retail Federation has warned that the Trump administration’s imposition of additional tariffs on Chinese goods puts the U.S. economy and American jobs at risk. “We support the administration’s efforts to deliver a meaningful trade agreement that levels the playing field for American businesses and workers,” NRF president and CEO Matthew Shay.