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Michael Rattenni wants to build a small fitness empire and has targeted North Carolina, Virginia and Maryland for his core geography.
“We want to control those three states,” he says.
Rattenni moved to Raleigh from New York in 2007 and already owns the Rapid Fitness centers in the Triangle. He also owns other companies that manage fitness centers or provide outsourced personal training services for gyms. He's now shifting into growth mode, with plans to open 30 new gyms along the East Coast.
To achieve this, he will phase out the Rapid Fitness name and go the franchise model with Retro Fitness, which was founded in 2004 by Eric Casaburi. Through his company Triumph Group Management, Rattenni has a partnership with Bikram and Sonya Singh, a father-and-daughter team with experience in the hospitality industry, for franchise rights in this state and with retired NFL player Leigh Bodden for franchise locations in Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C.
It costs between $1.2 million and $1.5 million to open a new location, according to Rattenni. According to Retro Fitness corporate information, the top half of gym locations have an EBITDA of $522,000.
In addition to pursuing Retro Fitness franchises, Rattenni still owns the EFT Group, which offers outsourced personal training to other gyms. That business line is currently in 60 gyms where Rattenni does not have ownership. Triumph Group Management also manages other gyms, like all the Gold’s Gym locations in Charlotte, for example.
As if that weren’t enough, Rattenni also wants to expand a restaurant and lounge business line. TGM already operates Myst (formerly Krave), an upscale lounge in the Glenwood South area, and Rattenni says he will soon open another upscale lounge with a New Orleans feel on Wilmington Street on the same block as Busy Bee Café.


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More than 2,000 people attended the Cadell Harvest Festival in the Riverland on Saturday.
Highlights included carp throwing, grape catching and the giant pumpkin competition.
The Mid Murray Council's tourism manager, Deb Alexander, says the festival's success lies in the combination of unique events and old-fashioned fun.
"The beauty of the Cadell Harvest Festival is that it attracts so many people from around the state," she said.
"The winners were from Gawler and from Balaklava and from all sorts of different places and I think that these old-fashioned style of events that attract families but also too the carp throwing certainly always does create a lot of attention."
She says the winning giant pumpkin came in at 242 kilograms.

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Bug in Amazon's Alexa makes it randomly laugh, scares users
In a strange and rather amusing bug, users of devices enabled with Amazon's digital voice assistant Alexa have reported that the latter seems to randomly start laughing of its own accord, without being prompted to.
The complaints state that the laughter comes without the devices being woken up, that is, without the signature blue light that accompanies responses on Alexa-enabled devices.
Alexa's unsolicited laughter is creeping out its users
Amazon acknowledges the problem, working to fix it
Confirming the issue, Amazon explained the reason behind it.
"In rare circumstances, Alexa can mistakenly hear the phrase 'Alexa, laugh.' We are changing that phrase to be 'Alexa, can you laugh?' which is less likely to have false positives," it said.
"We are also changing Alexa's response from simply laughter to 'sure, I can laugh' followed by laughter," Amazon added.
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Alexa keeps being in the news for wrong reasons
Since it isn't a case of accidentally triggering the voice assistant, many users of the Echo smart speaker responded by unplugging their devices out of fear. Notably, Alexa suffered an outage due to a broader cloud service problem less than a week ago.


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A company that claims to be Scotland's first luxury Tequila producer has launched a range of Tequilas, some of which are aged in whisky casks.
100% agave spirits made in India, from Desmond Nazareth and Porfidio founder Martin Grassl.
Gran Reserva De Don Alberto Extra Anejo is a sweet and tasty Extra Anejo tequila, made at Tequilera Puerta de Hierro (NOM 1477) in the Valle region of Jalisco. Read the full review...
Notably, Diageo has also been striving to augment its spirit-based alcohol portfolio through acquisitions. In June 2017, the company announced the acquisition of the fastest-growing premium tequila brand, Casamigos, in a deal worth $1 billion.
We have a tequila from agave doyen Tomas Estes. He’s long been an advocate of the concept of terroir in tequila and Ocho remains his best line of argument.
Cities are bound to welcome more Tequilerias and mezcalerias – venues dedicated to Tequila and mezcal – as the categories’ on-trade prominence grows.
Tequila remains ascendant in the U.S., with 100%-agave expressions still leading the way. Market leader Jose Cuervo appears to have taken a small step back last year, slipping 1.5%, but Patrón (+8%) and Sauza (+12%) were up significantly.
Astral Tequila announced today that it will introduce 'smart' bottles of its award-winning spirit to engage with consumers in-store and deliver customized digital experiences with the tap of a smartphone.
I could just simply say 'run don't walk', and go buy Gran Dovejo Tequila, but let me take some time to explain why.


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Despite markets now suffering a severe correction, the number of retailers who are willing to accept cryptocurrency payments continues to rise with a steady increase in the volume of crypto purchases made online in the eCommerce sector.
Indeed, CoinGate, a cryptocurrency payment processor, discovered in its research report published on January 4 that, despite the “crypto winter,” the use of cryptocurrencies for online transactions in 2022 is increasing.
The research indicates that in 2022, merchants using CoinGate have received 927,294 crypto payments, which is around 2.7 times higher than the annual average and represents a 63% increase from 2021. The figure is equivalent to CoinGate processing one paid cryptocurrency order every 34 seconds.
Bitcoin is the most popular crypto for payment
According to the research findings, Bitcoin (BTC) was responsible for over half, or 48%, of all transactions in the year 2022. Notably, it is 7.6% lower than it was in 2021, which suggests that altcoin payments have marginally decreased Bitcoin’s dominance in payments despite the rising number of transactions.
In 2022, USDT was the second most popular cryptocurrency that was used for shopping, with a predominance of 14.8%. This was followed by Ethereum (10.9%), Litecoin (9.6%), and TRON (5.8%).
Despite the general slump in the market, CoinGate saw a 48% growth in the number of newly registered merchants in 2022 compared to 2021. This includes industry giants like NordVPN to the list of businesses willing to accept cryptocurrency payments.
Retailers adopting crypto payments
Every year, the most popular argument given by retailers for accepting cryptocurrency payments is the same: improved access to services for consumers who are unbanked or concerned about their privacy, which eventually results in increased sales.
Since modern payment processors reduce the issue of crypto price fluctuation by permitting quick settlements to fiat currencies, there are few reasons why merchants seeking creative methods to revitalize their companies should not consider implementing crypto payments.
Notably, back in December, in an exclusive interview with Finbold, Justas Paulius, the CEO of CoinGate, revealed that the frequency of paying with cryptocurrency was unmoved by crypto winter, with people not reducing the frequency of their purchases but shifting “a bit from free-float coins to stablecoins.”


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Cryptocurrency markets continue their bearish trends as Bitcoin and Ethereum struggle to maintain support. Metaverse Crypto Coins is struggling as well, with many posting a digit percentage loss today. This is a great opportunity to start projects that are not worth the average dollar cost that could see a significant increase in the next bull run. This article looks at our selection of the top three Metaverse crypto coins with unit prices below $ 0.02 to look at in May 2022, ranked by current price, from lowest to highest .
#3 Radio Caca (RACA) – $ 0.0005709
Launched in August 2021, Radio Caça (RACA) is a Metaverse and NFT ecosystem comprised of USM Metaverse (the United States of Mars), an NFT -based Metamon game, and an NFT marketplace built on Ethereum .
Radio Caca is one of the lowest paid projects, with a strong community and group supporting its development. Radio Caca’s Metamon NFT game allows users to earn rewards by participating in its ecosystem. In addition, users can now explore the USM Metaverse, which allows players to interact with each other and visit a variety of experiences.
Finally, Radio Caca also offers an NFT marketplace that reached more than $ 40 million in trading volume in the first month of its operation, proving the enormous potential of the project.
In addition, the long-term potential of Radio Caca can be seen in its world-class partnership, which the project has been able to secure over the past few months. For example, Radio Caca has teamed up with hip-hop artist French Montana for his upcoming album, Montega. In addition, the project has dedicated $ 25 million in funding to create a unique 2D metaverse themed around the rapper’s album.
Surprisingly, Radio Caca is very good today, growing by 6% in the last 24 hours. Radio Caca is an unforgettable event in May 2022.
The main utility asset of the platform is RACA, which includes the ERC-20 and BEP-20 versions. The use of RACA includes purchasing NFTs and partnering with its USM and Metamon metaverses.
You can buy RACA at Poloniex, KuCoin, Gate.io, Huobi Global, PancakeSwap, etc.
#2 Star Atlas (ATLAS) – $ 0.00955
Launched in September 2021, Atlas of the Stars (ATLAS) is still one of our favorite projects that is currently worthless at a market value of $ 20 million. Star Atlas is a Solana-based Metaverse project that builds a next-generation game on space exploration, territorial conquest, and political domination.
As one of the most anticipated games on the market with some of the best designs, Star Atlas should be seen in May 2022. Star Atlas will feature unique MMORPG and RPG themed gameplay for its players. experience immersive and engaging while earning rewards.
The platform’s Metaverse is still in development, but users can check out its NFT Marketplace, which includes numerous collections of in-game assets such as structures, chips, gear, items, and more.
On May 2, Star Atlas partnered with The Sandbox to build the first interconnected cross-chain metaverse. This collaboration aims to change the interoperability between the Solana blockchain and Ethereum.
Regarding its economy, Star Atlas has a dual-token economy consisting of ATLAS and POLICE tokens. ATLAS is the primary utility asset, while POLICE is the governance token that allows holders to vote on proposals and participate in the Star Atlas DAO.
You can buy ATLAS on Solana -based exchanges like FTX and Raydium. The token will also be used on many centralized exchanges such as Gate.io and Kraken.
#1 Metaheroes (HERO) – $ 0.01629
Launched in July 2021, Meta-Hero (HERO) is our top pick for the lowest and lowest cost Metaverse crypto project on the market. Metahero builds an ultra-realistic metaverse that allows users to scan themselves and other real-world objects in the metaverse.
Using next-generation scanning technology provided by its partner, Wolf Digital World, Metahero seeks to transform the metaverse and bring the next ten million users to its platform.
Wolf Digital World is a leader in 16k 3D scanning technology used by AAA game development teams such as CD Project, the group behind Cyberpunk 2077 and The Witcher series.
With a current market capitalization of $ 82 million, Metahero is exceptionally undervalued. Clearly, the project has long-term potential, which means HERO could show significant price growth in the next bull.
Regarding its economy, the native utility asset of the project is HERO, a BEP-20 token built by the BNB chain. HERO will be used to pay for scanning services and interact with its metaverse along with the DOME token, which is Metahero’s primary Everdome token-the actual name of its metaverse.
You can buy HERO at Hotcoin Global, LATOKEN, OKX, Gate.io, PancakeSwap, etc.
Disclosure: This is not trading or investment advice. Always do your research before buying any cryptocurrency.
Terra Luna price continues to decline, TerraUSD (UST) hit new low
Follow us on twitter @thevrsoldier to stay updated with the latest Metaverse news!
Image source: choocart/123RF


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On October 20, 2019, it is the ruin among Netflix lovers and users: the rumor is circulating that the online video game will stop the show’s demise. Note: You may not be able to share your friend’s or your partner’s account. In any case, that is what has demanded major titles in the name. But this is not true.
It started with an article from American newspaper The Daily Dot, which said: “Netflix will restrict password sharing”. In this article, the author explains that Netflix has the number of apps that can use the same story at the same time. But right now the database is regulating how many apps can register an account.
Not planning to change anything
It builds on its controversy over the traditional show from the Netflix cast. But according to author Marie Turcan of Numerama on Twitter, Netflix’s appeal is not overly dramatic. Indeed, in this video conference, they answer the following question: “We’re talking about Netflix accounts sharing and stealing passwords … Netflix is growing, this could be scary ? How do you address this question, without harming your users? ”
Greg Peters, product manager, says, “We are looking at all of this. But for now, we have no plans to change anything at this level”. There is no promise to open the sharing of stories. However in its story the Daily dot overinterprets and ends up holding Netflix to this problem.
And the fact that the newspaper knew, though not until some time since the conference, that the French newspapers had many names. A free-for-air facility in 2019 previously, approved by the company. Your Netflix and chill companies will always have a future ahead of them.


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President Biden announced steps to bolster production on U.S. farms Wednesday in a bid to reverse food shortages and pin blame for rising costs on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
Mr. Biden will travel to a family farm in Kankakee, Illinois, to promote the moves, which include doubling spending on domestic fertilizer production.
The president is battling high prices of consumer goods in the wake of the pandemic and supply chain shocks. Republicans say he overheated the economy with virus-relief money and hasn’t done enough to ease energy prices, prompting Mr. Biden to pin the blame for rising gas prices and agricultural shocks on Mr. Putin.
“Putin’s unjustified invasion of Ukraine has cut off a critical source of wheat, corn, barley, oilseeds, and cooking oil,” the White House said in a fact sheet. “It has also disrupted global supply chains for fertilizer, which farmers depend on to maximize yields. These and other actions, combined with the ongoing pandemic-related disruptions to global supply chains, have put pressure on food prices, with global food prices increasing nearly 13% following Putin’s invasion.”
Mr. Biden announced three steps to prop up farm production:
• The administration will expand the number of counties eligible for double cropping insurance. Double cropping allows farmers to plant a second crop on the same land in the same year, though it comes with risk and sometimes companies won’t issue crop insurance for it.
The Biden plan will expand insurance for double cropping to up to 681 additional counties, bringing the total number of eligible counties to 1,935.
• The administration plans to speed up its application process for a U.S. Department of Agriculture program that helps farmers with “precision agriculture,” a technology system that helps farmers direct nutrients to where they are needed to reduce fertilizer usage without sacrificing yields.
• The administration will increase its investment in domestic fertilizer production to $500 million instead of $250 million.
“Fertilizer prices have more than doubled since last year, due in part to supply chain disruptions created and exacerbated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, including rising energy costs,” the White House said.


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The Canadian marijuana stock market has struck more appeal from investors over the last year. Canada’s medical marijuana market is forecasted to be worth $1.1 billion Canadian dollars by 2020 with nation legalization projected for mid-2018 the combined market is estimated to be valued $2.8 billion. Most marijuana stocks are reporting average gains of 100% in the past year; here are a few marijuana stocks that are in the spotlight.
Canopy Growth Corporation (TWMJF) is a marijuana producer and the largest marijuana stock in terms of market cap at nearly $2.18 billion. (TWMJF) announced its game changing $191 million-dollar deal giving the S&P 500 maker of Corona, Constellation Brands, a 9.9 percent stake into TWMJF. The companies are the in the industry to plan and sell marijuana-infused beverages.
“We are thrilled to have the backing of such a well-established and respected organization such as Constellation Brands,” said Bruce Linton Chief Executive Officer of Canopy Growth. Adding, “We look forward to working with the Constellation Brands team to access their deep knowledge and experience in growing brands as we continue to expand our business”.
Prior to the deal, (TWMJF)’s stock closed at $9.99 on October 27th and since has seen major spikes in volume and highs of $13.24 gaining a solid 32.53 percent in just a few days.
Medreleaf Corp. (MEDFF) is first and only ICH-GMP and ISO 9001 certified marijuana producer in North America. (MEDFF) has seen its stock climb nearly 50% since the launch of the first topical marijuana cream in the country on October 4th.
“Our product development team has devised a method to provide Canadian patients with a much sought-after, high-absorption, topical cream that is within the strict limitations afforded by the current regulations,” said Neil Closner, CEO of MedReleaf. “This is further evidence of MedReleaf’s continued leadership in setting the standard for product innovation and focus on the patient experience.”
Over the last month, (MEDFF) has soared 46.41 percent from the open of $7.39 on October 2nd to the high on November 3rd of $10.82. Just this week the marijuana stock’s price has shown an increase of 20% from the close on Friday of $8.97 to the following week’s highs of $10.82.
Aurora Cannabis Inc. (ACBFF) trading volume tripled after receiving its cultivation license on October 30th from Health Canada for its second growing facility meet the needs of the anticipated product demands and plans to export its products into Europe.
Dieter MacPherson, VP Production, stated, “Aurora Vie will deliver significant improvements in harvest frequency and yield per plant, setting new benchmarks for large-scale production. As planned, the facility was completed utilizing materials, workflow, technologies and design to easily and quickly obtain EU GMP certification. As a result, we anticipate applying for the necessary permits to supply the rapidly-growing German medical cannabis market, as well as additional future European markets, via exports from Aurora Vie through our European subsidiary Pedanios.”
The marijuana stock’s volume went from 421,000 on October 29th to 1.25 million the following day, seeing a 9.82% increase over the last month.
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What are the key drivers of retail leasing growth in India, and how has it developed so quickly?
According to Boston Consulting Group's estimate, India's retail space has grown to become the fifth-largest market in the world and is expected to reach an incredible value of US$ 2 trillion by 2032. With these forecasts and continuous expansion, retail leasing in India has a bright future. But there are other trends and variables that have helped the sector grow, not just one.
Consumer behavior evolving
As a result of increased buying and socialising habits among Indian customers, more people are now seen at malls and retail districts throughout cities. Brands and retailers are forced to expand their physical presence as a result of the fast rise in customers for brick-and-mortar stores. These clients prefer going to stores over making purchases online since they are now looking for pleasant, practical, and immersive experiences.
The average rental rate for the prime areas has increased along with the increase in foot traffic. In 2022, high-street locations across the country will see a jump in rentals of up to 50%, while malls will see an average rent increase of 10% YoY, according to a forecast by real estate consultants Cushman & Wakefield.
Retailers are expanding outside of the major cities in order to take advantage of consumers' hunger for branded items and access to high-quality retail infrastructure.
Cities in Tiers 2 and 3 are developing.
Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities are also catapulting India's retail sector into its next stage of growth due to factors including economic development and major brand expansion. Other factors driving the demand for retail space in these areas include rising internet usage and brand awareness. Retailers are expanding outside of the major cities in order to take advantage of consumers' hunger for branded items and access to high-quality retail infrastructure. Furthermore, since the start of the pandemic, high-end brand expenditure has surged by more than 50% in tier-II cities.
Due to the availability of huge land parcels and the lower rents compared to those of larger cities, various brands have been drawn to these regions.
"India's retail industry has gone through numerous stages of development while developing into a vibrant and quickly growing industry."
Quick availability of good retail spaces
For the retailer to increase client traffic and sales, a prominent location is crucial. The most sought-after places for such projects are metropolitan cities, particularly Delhi-NCR, which is a hub for the retail sector because of the area's huge population of natives, consumers, and visitors from throughout the country as well as from overseas. As a result, developers of retail space seized the chance to extend high-quality developments over these areas. Retail real estate developers are also structuring themselves to meet the ever-changing expectations of consumers as well as tenants. They are rapidly evolving in terms of location, facilities, distinct settings, and value-added services.
Open spaces have also been exploited in high street retail developments as they have been transformed by developers into popular spots for dining, shopping, and entertainment requirements. In response to the increased demand from the public, upscale high street retail developments that provide consumers with top-notch food and beverage, shopping and entertainment have also been presented. According to a Cushman & Wakefield's MarketBeat report, Delhi-NCR saw total leasing of roughly 0.36 msf in Q4 2022. The entertainment segment accounted for the majority of leasing activity in malls with a 42% share, followed by the F&B segment with a 20% share.
India's retail industry has gone through numerous stages of development while developing into a vibrant and quickly growing industry. Changes in consumer behavior, real estate growth, and further investments in the industry have made these improvements possible. Due to the optimistic outlook of investors, developers, and customers, high occupancy rates are already being observed in retail locations, and new records are expected to be set in the upcoming years. Numerous contracts and new building initiatives are currently under way as a result of the growing trend, reflecting the expansion of retail leasing in the next years.


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By the year 2020, it is estimated that there will be up to 21billion connected devices globally, and the Internet of Things is set to change the trajectory of how businesses are run. Currently, organizations are at different staged of their IoT journey and many of them get caught up in the hype of the futuristic value that IoT can potentially deliver.
On March 26, the Internet of Things Forum Africa (IOTFA2019) kicked off day 1 of the conference at the Gallagher Convention Centre, Johannesburg, South Africa.
The gathering was attended by hundreds of Africa’s tech heavyweights in the form of leading IoT experts, business leaders and solution providers who gave insights and discussions on the technological trends within the IoT sphere.
Deputy Minister of Communications, Ms Pinky Kekana gave an opening keynote addressing the need to be prepared for the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
“With the fourth industrial revolution in our global midst, and on our minds every day, we have no choice but to look at how humans and machines will co-exist for the benefit of humanity. In South Africa, we are looking at what this means for our citizens both in the metros and in rural areas,” she said.
Under the theme of “Driving Performance, Growth and Profitability”, the conference lead conversation on driving innovation through IoT, understanding the African IoT ecosystem and key challenges facing IoT adoption in Africa.
“The world’s technology infrastructure will support about a trillion devices, if not more, big and small, and for both personal and business use. Whether that is a smart home, with technological intelligence built into our house structures, alarm clocks synced with calendar, traffic, and weather apps, or heating and cooling devices synced with external temperature sensors, or lighting and coffee machines synced with motion detectors, so that lights come on only when we need it, and it is linked to cost structures, or the impact on waste management patterns from food in our fridges or on the side of the road, or the impact on transport,” she stated.
“I believe that together, business and government can achieve a positive lived experience of IoT, for all South Africans. I would like South Africans to be some of the first in the world to experience daily life the IoT-way, she concluded.
Day 1 comprised of a panel of renowned speakers including; SqwidNET MD, Phathizwe Malinga, TransUnion CEO, Lee Naik, Rudeon Snell, Leonardo Leader for SAP Africa, Richard Barry, CEO at Polymorph and Johanna Juselius, Senior Advisor, EU Affairs, Helsinki-Uusimaa Region just to mention a few.
The event will commence on Wednesday, March 27 and will continue the discussion surrounding the hype of the futuristic value that IoT can potentially deliver.


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The recent lawsuit filed against Oracle by its shareholders could provoke a much wider debate about what ought and ought not be called a cloud revenue, and may prompt other big players to open up a little...
Licensing VAR giant looks to build out services
HP and Lenovo enjoy growth
Chinese giant launches in into wider client space
Data suggests more than half of enterprises have no plans


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Fad weight loss product marketers ordered to pay up for deceptive advertising
“Sprinkle, eat and lose weight.” “Lose 40 pounds in 40 days” by taking hormone drops. Or, experience a “noticeably slimmer, firmer you,” just by using an almond skin cream.
If only losing weight were so easy! But these claims by weight-loss product companies don’t shake off the pounds, they just zap your bank account, says the Federal Trade Commission.
Now the FTC has returned the favor to the products’ marketers by ordering them to pay approximately $34 million.
“Resolutions to lose weight are easy to make but hard to keep,” said Jessica Rich, Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. “And the chances of being successful just by sprinkling something on your food, rubbing cream on your thighs, or using a supplement are slim to none. The science just isn’t there.”
The FTC took action last month against several marketers of products it says made misleading claims for products promoting easy weight loss and slimmer bodies.
The marketers of Sensa, who told consumers they could feel more full and lose weight by sprinkling the powdered food additive on their food – will pay $26.5 million to settle the FTC findings that they deceived consumers with the bogus claims and misleading endorsements. The FTC will make these funds available for refunds to consumers who bought Sensa.
The order actually imposed a $46.5 million judgment against Sensa’s marketers, but required them to pay just $26.5 million, with the rest suspended due to their inability to pay.
The defendants typically charge $59 plus shipping and handling for a one-month supply of Sensa. They provide the powder in 12 flavors and have marketed it through radio and print advertisements, such retail chains as Costco and GNC, a promotional book, television ads and infomercials, Home Shopping Network, ShopNBC, telemarketing, and the Internet. U.S. sales of Sensa between 2008 and 2012 totaled more than $364 million, according to the FTC’s complaint.
In addition to Sensa Products, LLC, the FTC’s complaint names parent company Sensa, Inc., Sensa Inc. former CEO Adam Goldenberg, and Sensa creator and endorser and Sensa Products part-owner Dr. Alan Hirsch with deceptive advertising for making unsubstantiated claims about Sensa.
There is no competent and reliable scientific evidence to support the claims, the FTC said.
•L’Occitane, which claimed that its Almond Beautiful Shape and Almond Shaping Delight skin creams would slim users’ bodies but had no science to back up that claim, will pay $450,000.
The online and in-store retailer of beauty and cosmetic products charged $48 for 7 ounces of Almond Shaping Delight and $44 for 6.7 ounces of Almond Beautiful Shape.
L’Occitane launched an advertising campaign in 2012 claiming that Almond Beautiful Shape could “trim 1.3 inches in just 4 weeks,” and that it was a “cellulite fighter;” and that Almond Shaping Delight has “clinically proven slimming effectiveness,” and will “visibly refine and reshape the silhouette, to resculpt and tone the body contours.” L’Occitane’s ads also claimed that both products could produce a “noticeably slimmer, firmer you … (in just 4 weeks!).”
•HCG Diet Direct, which marketed an unproven human hormone that has been touted by hucksters for more than half a century as a weight-loss treatment was ordered to pay $3.2 million. That judgment was suspended because the company is broke, the FTC said.
In January 2011 The Palm Beach Post told readers about the HCG diet. Proponents believe that taking pills or injections containing human chorionic gonadotrophin, a hormone found in the urine of pregnant women, results in a dramatic, quick weight loss of as much as 100 pounds. However, half a dozen physicians told The Post that the weight loss was due to a dangerous 500-calorie-a-day diet paired with the drops.
In December 2011 the FTC and the U.S. Department of Agriculture warned HCG Diet Direct and several other companies to stop selling the products. No HCG products are approved for weight loss.
HCG Diet Direct charged approximately $35 for a 7-day supply or $200 for a 40-day supply of its drops, with sales totaling more than $3 million – mostly between January 1, 2009, and late 2012.
In a fourth case the FTC reached a settlement with LeanSpa, LLC, an operation that allegedly deceptively promoted acai berry and “colon cleanse” weight-loss supplements through fake news websites. LeanSpa principal Boris Mizhen and three companies he controls were ordered to surrender cash, real estate and personal property totaling $7 million.
Refund administration for consumer redress takes time, and the FTC is in the process of determining how best to provide redress in each case. For information about refund programs already available, go to http://www.ftc.gov/enforcement/cases-proceedings/refunds
To find out about Sensa refunds, call 202-326-2784.
The FTC works for consumers to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices and to provide information to help spot, stop, and avoid them. To file a complaint in English or Spanish, visit the FTC’s online Complaint Assistant or call 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357).
The best way to lose weight? Eat fewer calories and get more exercise.


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- Switzerland's trade with African countries reached CHF 5.9 billion in 2022 (without gold) and CHF 22.7 billion (with gold), showcasing growing business ties.
- Nigeria was identified as the African market with significant growth potential for Swiss companies, followed by Egypt, Kenya, and South Africa.
- Over 500 Swiss companies operate in Africa, generating CHF 12.1 billion in turnover and employing over 145,000 people, with South Africa having the highest number of workers.
Trade insights: 5 key highlights of Swiss-African business relations in 2023
By BI Contributor - Neo Khumalo
Switzerland and African countries continue to strengthen their business ties by exchanging goods and services.
In 2022, Switzerland's trade volume with African countries was CHF 5.9 billion (without gold) and CHF 22.7 billion (with gold), representing 1.3% and 3.5% of global Swiss trade, respectively. Moreover, the combined value of imports from Africa into Switzerland in 2022, with gold, stood at CHF 2.4 billion without gold and CHF 19.1 billion with gold.
Michael Rheinegger, Managing Director of the Swiss-African Business Circle, the leading independent association promoting business contacts and links between Switzerland and Africa, recently shared these and other key facts and figures on Swiss-African business relations. He was presenting to some of the 300 attendees at this year’s Africa Business Day, the largest annual platform in Switzerland for doing business in and with Africa, held in Baden, Switzerland.
1. Prospects for Growth in Nigeria
Members of the Swiss-African Business Circle identified Nigeria as the African market with the most significant growth potential for their company over the next two and half years. Other markets added to the top ten key growth markets include Egypt, Kenya, Morocco, Ivory Coast, South Africa, Ghana, Senegal, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania, and Uganda.
2. Top 5 African trading partners to Switzerland
Switzerland’s top five trading partners in Africa are Egypt, South Africa, Nigeria, Morocco, and Tunisia, collectively accounting for 70% of overall Swiss-African trade in 2022. Without gold, Egypt has the highest trade volumes with Switzerland (25%), followed by South Africa (15%), Nigeria (15%), Morocco (10%) and Tunisia (7%). With gold, the picture looks slightly different as South Africa has the highest trade volumes with Switzerland (30%), followed by Ghana (14%), Burkina Faso (13%), Egypt and Ivory Coast both at 6%.
3. Top African export markets from Switzerland
Switzerland's exports to Africa stood at CHF 3.5 billion in 2022 and are diversified among countries, with Egypt (39%), South Africa (17%), Morocco (10%), Algeria (5%) and Tunisia (5%) and cited as the top 5 African destinations for exports from Switzerland. Botswana (1%) and Tanzania (1%) also rank in Switzerland's top 10 export countries.
4. Biggest African markets for imports into Switzerland
Without gold, Nigeria (31%) is by far the largest exporter of goods to Switzerland, with South Africa (12%), Morrocco (10%), Tunisia (5%) and Algeria (5%) following the lead. When taking gold into account, South Africa (32%) is the largest importer to Switzerland, followed by Ghana (17%), Burkina Faso (15%), Ivory Coast (7%), and Mali (6%).
5. Swiss subsidiaries’ wide footprint & economic contribution
Close to 500 Swiss companies operate across Africa, generating a combined turnover of CHF 12.1 billion. While most companies are based in Northern Africa (154 companies) and Southern Africa (153 companies), Western Africa is just a little behind, with 105 Swiss subsidiaries operating in the region. Close to 60 companies have operations in the Eastern Africa region, which includes Kenya and Tanzania and 17 in Central Africa. Swiss Companies on the continent employ just over 145 000 people, with the highest number of workers in South Africa (51’792), Egypt (21’076), Nigeria (11’583), Morocco (9’296) and Kenya (6’273).


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Entrepreneurs and Industry Leaders will present and discuss how blockchain technology can fight injustice and improve society
SALT LAKE CITY, Feb. 23, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — (via Blockchain Wire) – BitAngels, a digital currency investor network to expand the blockchain investment ecosystem, announced today that its Salt Lake City chapter will be launching with a “Blockchain for Good” virtual event on February 24th, 2021 at 1 PM MST. The event will shed light on up-and-coming blockchain startups using technology to help society. All investors, business leaders, and the local blockchain community are welcome to attend. A limited amount of free registrations are available on the event page.
Leading the chapter will be BitAngels Salt Lake City Leader, Dan Newbold II. Dan is currently the CEO of Tinker RnD, a data focused venture studio that helps organizations and institutions use data-heavy research to increase value in their products and improve business models. As city leader, Dan will host monthly or bi-monthly BitAngels events themed around market trends, highlighting blockchain startup presentations, and networking with an audience of venture capitalists, angel investors, entrepreneurs and developers, as well as cryptocurrency funds, exchanges, and enthusiasts.
The BitAngels SLC launch event will begin with a presentation by Dr. Hank Selke, who will discuss the next generation of healthcare and his company, Snark Health. Snark Health is leading the way towards improvement within the Doctor-Patient relationship. The company helps patients improve their access to healthcare and lowers costs by using blockchain technology and a decentralized payment network that is independent of governmental or private healthcare insurances.
Next will be a presentation by Jun Yong on his company, Big Mochi, and the next-generation sovereign money infrastructure for Southeast Asia. Yong serves as the CEO of Big Mochi, which uses blockchain to enable migrant workers to take care of their families from anywhere. The company is also a digital platform for hiring, community development, customer service and a hub for legal partnership creation.
Following the two presentations, industry leaders will meet for a panel discussing “Blockchain for Social Good.” Panelists will provide thoughtful commentary on how blockchain technology can pave the way for societal advancement. Brian Christensen of Blockcities and Brian Nelson of Creators of Last Resort will be providing their experiences, projects, and future projections for opportunities that blockchain can help bring to life.
The final presentation will be given by Scott Trowbridge & Matt Shams the founders of Blockswap – the PoS liquidity layer to automate and simplify Defi yields. Blockswap enables users to essentially create a corporate bond of DeFi assets that provides users with a steady APY with interest that is accrued perpetually.
The event will wrap up with an optional virtual networking session where all attendees can connect. BitAngels city events are typically focused on entrepreneurs in the city’s region, but this virtual launch event is open to the entire global blockchain ecosystem. Visit the event page to register for the event. Free registration is limited.
BitAngels is an investor network for the blockchain industry. BitAngels launched in 2013 as the world’s first angel network for digital currency startups. Each BitAngels event features networking and short pitches by startup founders to an audience of investors, business leaders, and the local blockchain community. These events provide investors the unique chance to learn about new cryptocurrency investment opportunities in person. For more information or to become an investor member, visit www.bitangels.network.
CONTACT: Media Contact: [email protected]


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Ashok Leyland Limited, the flagship of the Hinduja Group, and the second largest commercial vehicle manufacturer in India, showcased the full range of its future ready products, based on intelligent Exhaust Gas Recirculation (iEGR) technology for BS-IV engines, and industry-leading services at its annual Global Conference 2017 in Chennai.
The company also made public details about its first export order for Neptune Euro-6 engines from a customer in the US. This engine is designed, developed and manufactured in India by Ashok Leyland. It also displayed over 30 innovative products and services, including trucks, buses, Light Commercial Vehicles (LCVs), simulators, quick service bikes and gensets revolving around iEGR technology.
Ashok Leyland is the only domestic OEM to implement exhaust gas recirculation technology successfully for its products above 130HP by deploying iEGR technology. EGR per se is a nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions reduction technique used in petrol and diesel engines as well. EGR works by recirculating a portion of an engine’s exhaust gas back to the engine cylinders so that the unburnt fuel is also reduced. However, there is a limitation for the engine – up to 130 HP.
Without elaborating the iEGR technology Ashok Leyland states that it is a simple yet innovative solution to achieve the desired results to meet the BS-IV norms. This technology is not only better suited to Indian conditions than the Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) technology (based on European technology) but will also prove to be cost effective, easy to operate and maintain. It will benefit the Ashok Leyland customer, resulting in better margins than products based on SCR technology. Thought SCR is the technology to achieve BS-IV norms it comes with higher acquisition and operational cost. The increased operating cost of SCR technology, owing to the cost of Aqueous Urea Solution (AUS) or otherwise called Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF), off-sets the fuel economy benefits.
Vinod K Dasari, Managing Director, Ashok Leyland said that this technology was a continuation of the company’s efforts to develop innovative products at competitive cost, suitable for markets like India, to overcome challenges of emission regulations. Ashok Leyland was the first to introduce mechanical fuel pump to achieve BS-III norms while the whole world was banking on electronic pumps. This innovative and cost-effective solution gave much inroads into the market during the last five years.
EGR is not recommended for engines over 130 hp to comply with Euro-4 or BS-IV regulations. SCR technology is deployed for that. Ashok Leyland took this as a challenge and focused on developing a system that would comply with BS-IV and provide more fuel efficiency than the BS-III counterpart. Secondly, the objective was to minimise the reliability factor. Therefore, it wanted a system with minimum electronics and zeroed in on EGR with less sensors and electronics. Though Ashok Leyland owns Albonair, one of the largest companies that make SCR system, the company chose to develop an innovative solution using EGR.
According to Dasari, iEGR has multiple benefits like 10 percent better fuel economy (than BS-III), BS-IV compliant up to 400 hp engines, and needs no POC (particulate oxidisation catalyst) and additional electronics or sensors. It is lighter than SCR and incurs lower maintenance cost. Overall the BS-IV engine can improve the cost of ownership benefits by about 10 percent over SCR technology-based vehicles.
The fuel economy by SCR technology is offset by the additional cost of AUS, which is used at the rate of 10 percent of the fuel consumed. The current retail cost of AUS is between Rs 65 to Rs 75 per litre. Besides, availability of urea has to be ensured since it is given to the agriculture sector as fertilizer, with a subsidy. Moreover SCR technology gives additional fuel economy only if the vehicle runs for long at constant speeds. Therefore, Dasari opined that it may not be suitable for Indian road conditions.
Dasari said that Ashok Leyland would not apply for patent for this innovation. “It is a trade secret and we are not willing to file for patent,” he said. This is because the company does not want to elaborate the technology to the patent office; moreover, BS-IV will be gone in three years; these vehicles cannot be sold after 2020 when India will have BS-VI engines. “Those who are afraid of Indian innovation stated that these innovations are juggad. I find this disrespectful. This is Indian innovation at its best,” Dasari said.
This innovation has also helped Ashok Leyland to manage the inventory of about 10,600 vehicles of unsold BS-III vehicles. The company could just replace the engines with iEGR fitted engines and made it BS-IV compatible, while selling those engines in the aftermarket. Had it been with SCR technology, this wouldn’t have been possible, as the whole gamut of the module comprising engine, exhaust management systems, AUS storage, pumps and other paraphernalia need to be added, he said. Therefore, there is no impact for the company on the inventory or unsold BS-III vehicles.
In addition to iEGR, the newly-launched BS-IV vehicles have an additional innovative feature on telematics. The phones of the driver can give the health of the vehicle through an in-house developed app, and communicate to the fleet operator’s office and service centre as well, if necessary.
Though the company has been containing the electronic content, it cannot do away with it as every vehicle needs to have OBD – on-board diagnostics, by law, which is a tool to understand the vehicle parameters. OBD can be connected to a laptop to understand the error code and take corrective action. As the mechanics of commercial vehiclesin India may not have the luxury of having a laptop, Ashok Leyland has designed a scan tool that does the job of the laptop, when connected to OBD. As this was bit expensive, say about Rs 8,000 for the scan unit, and it will be an expensive proposition to offer all the mechanics in India, the company has further fine-tuned its innovation to make LEYASSIST. This technology leverages the Bluetooth feature of a smart phone with the same present in the BS-IV vehicle, through an in-house developed app, available on Google store and others. It nullifies the need for either a laptop or a scan device. This facility helps the mechanics diagnose the defects and rectify them.
Taking the brand promise of ‘Aapki Jeet, Hamari Jeet’ further, the company has, in recent years, expanded its network rapidly to cater to its wide set of customers. It has 1,000 touch-points with an additional 5,000 outlets for Leyparts -genuine spare parts brand. A service centre at every 75kms on all major highways, Ashok Leyland delivers its `Tatkaal’ promise of reaching customers within 4 hours and getting their vehicle back on-road within 48 hours.
The total revenue from the aftermarket has grown 31 percent with spare parts business witnessing 30 percent growth during the last five years. The number of retail outlets has reached 250 now from about 150 a few years ago. The number of mechanics connected to the company through different programmes has increased from 6,000 to 14,000.
Alongside, the company introduced a slew of initiatives and programmes at the global conference, targeting the aftermarket business in the CV industry. There were add-on service packages like Annual Maintenance Contract, Extended Warranty Package and ALCOVER aimed at giving peace of mind to the customers.
Comprehensive cover, Pan-India support, genuine parts, etc. are offered at reasonable cost to help better uptime and profitability. There was a display of Cabin Repair Facility assuring quality and quicker returns for dealers. Express Bay ensures hassle-free service with repair time assurance to the customer. This helps the dealers in better productivity, efficiency and utilization.
It has showcased Fully-Built Vehicle System – the ideal repair centre for fully built vehicles through Ashok Leyland authorised dealers. Besides, it displayed SPARK, Spare Parts Accelerated Reforms Kick-off, a programme where overall supply-chain is made more effective resulting in increased competitiveness and manifold growth in revenues. The programme ‘Samriddhi’ recognises the potential, commitment and contribution of the workshop employees and aims to bring competitiveness in the field of service.
Asked if the company resorted to offering discounts to gain market share Dasari said, “how would it be possible for us gain market share from 24 percent to 32 percent in the last five years. Secondly, if we were only relying on discounts, how would it be possible for us to witness double-digit operating margins during the last eight quarters in a row.”
The company was hitherto competing in less than one percent of the Defence budget, by supplying solutions to move people. Now it has geared itself up to compete in about 25 percent of the budget, as it has developed solutions to transport anything that is required by the Defence.
Towards this the company has set up a new facility in Ennore. The company has a special focus to grow this business not only in India but also beyond borders, Dasari said. “We have recently won tenders for the supply of mine-protected vehicles and bullet-proof vehicles. Currently, the revenue from Defence business is around Rs 500 crore. We will grow this three times”.
Exports, Aftermarket To Fuel Growth
Ashok Leyland has taken several initiatives to engage its customers differently and also in the aftermarket, according to Rajive Saharia, President, Global Sales and Distribution and Head of Aftermarket. “There are our other lines of businesses like LCVs, power solutions, etc. The internal targets are that all these things put together should at least be equal to the domestic truck and bus business,” he said.
The focus is on all three – buses, trucks and LCVs. Hitherto the company could not grow its LCV business in exports beyond a point due to the constraints on account of the joint venture. “Now that we are free, you will see the growth in LCV exports. We have left-hand drive versions of both Mitr and Partner but they are yet to be launched. We will go for on-road trials now, and may be in six to eight months sales would begin.
SAARC is right-hand drive and so those markets have already picked up a few units. The next market is going to be GCC as it is closest to Middle-East and then it will be Africa, Russia and Ukraine which are all interested in these products. Saharia has put a target of setting up a plant in a new location if the sales from the location and adjacent markets cross 200 units a month.
“Sales of 200 units a month is the learning that we have. All our plants in India are huge; they are all about size and skill. Ras-al-Kaimah (RAK) on the other hand, is all about efficiency; small but still efficient. The next replication of RAK is in Bangladesh. We inaugurated the plant last February and it is now in the ramp-up phase. In the next six months most of the Bangladesh sales will be in terms of kits that are assembled there. With this, any other cluster coming up to 200 units a month – we are ready to go. The first two obvious locations are Kenya and Ivory Coast in West Africa. The biggest problem in these countries is land acquisition,” he said.
Typically to set up a 200-units a month plant, it needs 15 acres and considering the future expansion, it decided on 25-acre size plot. Saharia said the Board has approved doubling of the capacity of RAK and, “the first thing I am doing is looking for land as we do not have space. So when we go for land, if the potential of the markets is larger, then we wouldlike to have something bigger. But if it is not viable, then we would start with something smaller.”
These satellite factory locations will cater to not only the specific market but also the neighbouring potential. Currently the RAK plant caters to the six GCC countries. It caters to the bigger markets in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman and Bahrain. “When we go to Kenya, it will be the core market but we will also cater to Tanzania, Uganda and other countries around it, may be even Ethiopia. The plant in Ivory Coast will supply to Ghana, Congo and Burkina Faso in West Africa.
Growing Global Market
Ashok Leyland exported more trucks than buses in the last fiscal. About 55-60 percent of sales came from trucks primarily driven by the Bangladesh market. The company sold about 5,000 units there having a total industry volume of about 15,000 units annually, Anuj Khaturia, President, Global Trucks, said.
He said that the company was looking at new geographies. “We are looking at GCC countries, CIS countries, ASEAN. Wherever we are today, it is either BS-III or lower except for Ukraine which is Euro-5. In international operations today emission norms are not a problem for us. In ASEAN, including Indonesia and Malaysia, everything is Euro-2. These countries are behind but countries that are ahead in terms of emission norms like Japan, South Korea, Europe and North America are not our target markets because there you need a very different kind of product. We would like to have markets where India-like products are accepted.”
On the overall business, he said, trucks account for about 75 percent of total revenue as of now. “We are growing at a faster rate in other businesses like aftermarket and defence. Aftermarket is a huge opportunity with a lot of emphasis on spare parts. Most of it today is in the unorganised sector so customers would be more confident buying genuine OE spares rather than going to the secondary market”.
LCVs To Make A Difference
Even as it attempts to expand exports, Ashok Leyland plans to launch one new variant in 2-7 tonne light commercial vehicle (LCV) segment every quarter for the next three years. The company has just bought over the stakes of the joint venture partner Nissan and the merger of the separate corporate entities with Ashok Leyland will take place in three to six months, Nitin Seth, President, LCV, Ashok Leyland, said.
For LCVs Ashok Leyland did not have any problem in the market. It was held back by its earlier commitment with the partner.
Seth said: “One thing was very clear that there was never a market problem; the market was very huge with no shortage in demand in domestic and international sectors. Domestic is now 420,000 units and international (non-developed market) is close to 600,000. The problem was not the market but our ability to address the market. This ability was curtailed for the two years of the dispute (with the erstwhile JV partner). Now, since we have the freedom, we have to run faster and bring in products to the market.”
About the quarterly new launches he said that in the first quarter it was Partner and in this quarter we will be launching a new passenger vehicle called Dost Express.
In the next quarter it will be Dost Plus with bigger GVW, tyres and load body, he said. “We have also made an eight-metre bus by increasing the wheel base because there is a big demand for 32-seater school buses. Then there is a CNG vehicle with new leaf springs and suspension, with left- hand drive for the Gulf region. Mitr with left-hand drive will soon come as there is a huge market for smaller buses abroad. It is now up to us to develop the three platforms we have and by 2019-20 develop our own platform as well,” Seth said.
In addition, Seth feels that introduction of GST – goods and services tax in India will be a key driver because there will be bigger trucks coming from everywhere and they may not be required all the time, which is where the LCV can step in. A smaller vehicle can play a big role that can become bigger and bigger. Actual hub and spoke will happen as it is internationally. India was not doing that because every State had its own sales tax and we had to follow those norms; it is no longer required.
On the challenges in the transition to BS-IV he said, “I was happy when BS-IV happened. All the vehicles that came from Nissan were BS-IV. We had to downgrade them to BS-III. When BS-IV was introduced, I was already 80 percent there. For the LCV business it was a cakewalk.
“Our dealers did not crib at all because there was virtually no stock of BS-III anyway; our strength was BS-IV. Competition was trying to sell their BS-III against our BS-IV, but our technology and product was much superior. That is the good thing when you buy technology from a Japanese counterpart – it is already ahead of Indian norms. We are very happy to have our LCV portfolio already global ready. Our vehicle is similar to Nissan’s Cabstar so dealers in Dubai accept it readily especially since the price is lower. Earlier, this was another problem with the partner as we were not allowed to enter many markets. Now, with the IPR and global market rights brought over, we can go anywhere in the world,” he said.


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The pharmacy business is thriving in the face of a rocky economy and costly new drug rules.
Two separate announcements on Monday tied to drugstore businesses underline the growing interest in the field, even though it has been hit by new government generic drug regulations that pinch pharmacies' profits.
McKesson Corp., a major drug distribution firm, signed a $920-million agreement to buy the companies that supply marketing and other services to Katz Group's independent and franchised stores, including IDA Guardian and Medicine Shoppe Canada Inc. Katz also runs the Rexall and Pharma Plus drugstore chains.
Meanwhile, a bidding war is expected to erupt among Shoppers Drug Mart Corp., and other drugstore retailers for the coveted customer prescription files of discounter Zellers, after U.S. discounter Target Corp. said it will not acquire the pharmacies within the Zellers outlets it is buying.
The latest developments show that pharmacy retailing is still attractive: it has a virtually guaranteed customer base as aging consumers snap up medicines and other necessities carried in drugstores.
With government and private plans covering much of customers' drug purchases, pharmacies are able to weather recessionary storms better than other retailers. But they also feel growing pressures of drug reforms, and competition in their other aisles, including from the arrival next year of Target.
Pharmacies "have a wonderful, golden, highly stable source of revenue as long as they recognize it should be the basis of a broader-based business," said Jim Danahy of consultancy CustomerLAB. "It is in such a state of flux now that the industry is nervous and active."
Analysts say there will be even further consolidation in the industry. Nick Loporcaro, president of McKesson Canada, said his company decided to focus for now on the independents and franchisees, which face "turbulent" times. "We're constantly looking for opportunities that fit in our overall plan," he said. "Our focus today is on the independent business."
With the decision by Target, which last year bought up to 135 Zellers leases to launch its own namesake stores by early 2013, rival pharmacies will race to snatch away Zellers' customer files for their own businesses, industry watchers predict. Mr. Danahy characterized the coming action as "trench warfare."
He estimated that the Zellers pharmacies are valued at between $2-million and $5-million each, with a pharmacy counter at most of the 273 stores. Zellers' owner, Hudson's Bay Co., has said it's looking at its options with its remaining Zellers, although observers think that they eventually all will close.
Dominic Pilla, the new chief executive officer of Shoppers Drug Mart, suggested late last year his company is interested in picking up Zellers' files. "We are going to analyze that extremely carefully, and be very vigilant."
Meanwhile, Katz Group announced on Monday that its Rexall division acquired Dell Pharmacies, an 18-store chain in southern Ontario with about $70-million in annual sales. It will be folded into the Rexall network, it said.
The rush to pick up new business comes as Canada's drugstores are feeling the pain of new generic drug reforms, even as pharmacy profits remain healthy compared to other retail segments.
Net profit rates of pharmacy and over-the-counter medications can be up to twice as high as those of many other general merchandise and food categories, not including high-margin fashions, industry insiders say. And drug stores are expected to have a growing customer base as baby boomers age and seek more medications.
But the competition to pick up Zellers' pharmacy files will be fierce, as grocers and general merchants, including discount giant Wal-Mart Canada Corp., all sprint to bolster their drugstore businesses.
"It's been a challenging environment," Mr. Loporcaro said. "All the more reason for us to be innovative and look at new solutions to help our retailers and independent pharmacies."


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Called Mariella Arduini, the designer's new line uses her maiden name rather than her married name.
Mulberry ceo Godfrey Davis calls Coca “the perfect fit” for the brand.
Intimates and Activewear
The women’s line consists of 21 styles which will be shown to retailers the week of Dec. 1 for May 15 delivery.
Suppliers and their customers adapt to knit trend, price pressures.
The Markets Features
The Paris fashion trade show is getting a makeover in 2015, coinciding with its 20th anniversary.
Called Merino Shop, the online tool is powered by ShopStyle.
The line will feature the mugs of Looney Tunes and Hanna-Barbera favorites such as Bugs Bunny, Tweety Bird, Daffy Duck, Scooby Doo, and The Flintstones
The executive team is coming into focus at fast-growing contemporary brand.
The luxury conglomerate will redistribute its 23.2 percent Hermès stake to shareholders on Dec. 17.


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Back in February earlier this year, it was rumored that a Samsung feature called the Samsung Orb could be announced for the Galaxy S4. For those who don’t know what the Samsung Orb is, it is a rumored feature that is supposed to be Samsung’s answer to Photosphere, a camera tool that allows for taking 360 degree panoramic photos. However when the Galaxy S4 was announced, there was no mention of said feature, leading us to believe that perhaps the Samsung Orb was just a mere rumor and nothing more.
However according to SamMobile, they are claiming that the Orb camera feature will arrive for the Galaxy S4, although it is expected to be included in the Android 5.0 update. If that is the case and if previous manufacturer updates are anything to go by, Samsung users could be in for a wait. In any case we’ll take this with a grain of salt for now, but since the Orb feature feels more like a novelty if anything, we don’t think many of you guys will miss it that much, right?
- 2014-04-13: Galaxy S5 Launch Day Sales Beat Galaxy S4 [Report]
- 2014-04-13: Android 4.4 For Galaxy S3 And Galaxy Note 2 Still On The Cards
- 2014-04-13: Google Executive Says No iPhone Features Were Copied For Android
- 2014-04-13: Samsung Galaxy S5 Root For T-Mobile And Sprint Variants Available
- 2014-04-11: Galaxy S5 PayPal Fingerprint Support Disabled By Verizon
- 2014-04-02: Samsung Galaxy S5 Is Surprisingly Durable In Drop Test
- 2014-02-24: Galaxy S4 GT-I9505 Android 4.4.2 Update Released
- 2014-02-18: Samsung Galaxy S4 Value Edition Confirmed By Bluetooth SIG
- 2014-02-12: Sprint's Galaxy S4 Could Receive KitKat Update Tomorrow
- 2014-02-03: Samsung Galaxy S4 Trade-Ins Are Higher Than Before


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New Delhi, Jun 07, 2023: New research has revealed that a chemical found in a popular artificial sweetener may damage a person’s DNA and can lead to cancer. The zero-calorie sweetener in question is sucralose, which is marketed as Splenda. It is 600 times sweeter than table sugar and used in thousands of products, including baked goods, beverages, chewing gum, gelatins and frozen dairy desserts. The research on the chemical has been carried out by experts from North Carolina State University and published in the Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health.
"Sucralose is utilized in tens of thousands of food, beverage, and pharmaceutical products worldwide," Susan Schiffman, an adjunct professor at North Carolina State University who led the study, told Newsweek.
"For example, it is found in baked goods, beverages, chewing gum, gelatins, frozen dairy desserts, and pharmaceutical products," she added.
Splenda is the most popular brand of sugar substitute in the country, with over 50 million users, the outlet further said.
In the human body, sucralose breaks down into a compound called sucralose-6-acetate, which can damage the lining of the intestine.
"Other studies have found that sucralose can adversely affect gut health, so we wanted to see what might be happening there," Dr Schiffman said in a press release.
What they found stunned the researchers. "Sucralose-6-acetate significantly increased the expression of genes associated with inflammation, oxidative stress and cancer. Our in vitro studies used human tissue, so the findings are directly relevant for the human body," she added.
The study adds to previous research that says sucralose can also cause intestinal damage.
"When we exposed sucralose and sucralose-6-acetate to gut epithelial tissues - the tissue that lines your gut wall - we found that both chemicals cause ’leaky gut’," said Dr Schiffman.
However, the makers of artificial sweeteners assert that their products are safe.
"Sucralose has undergone one of the most extensive and thorough testing programs conducted on any food additive in history, resulting in consensus on its safety throughout the global scientific and regulatory community," a representative of the International Sweetener Association told Newsweek.
There have been several studies on artificial sweeteners, which have linked these products to health risks. In May, the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommended that artificial sweeteners like Splenda not be used for weight control.


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I went into the theater with pretty low expectations for Disney’s latest live-action adaptation, but “Dumbo” absolutely surpassed them.
Last summer at the 2017 D23 Expo, plans were revealed for a Tron coaster-style attraction to be added in Tomorrowland at Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World. Today, the Disney Parks Blog has given a first look at a new themed billboard for the attraction.
By Gavin Hatch
This week we take a look at changes at the Great Movie Ride and at the Magic Kingdom we look at the new Plaza Gardens and even some new things in Storybook Circus. [Read more…]
The Magic Kingdom has debuted a new form of entertainment to celebrate the official opening of New Fantasyland. In Storybook Circus, guests are now greeted by the Storybook Circus Giggle Gang. [Read more…]


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Sri Lanka Crisis: The situation is getting worse, India and World Bank together will give 15 thousand crore help
Sri Lanka is currently facing the worst economic crisis. Inflation is at its peak here. The prices of essential commodities are skyrocketing, their imports are also declining. In such a situation, many neighboring countries including India and China have extended their help to Sri Lanka. At the same time, a relief package has also been announced by the International Monetary Fund. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka's Finance Minister Ali Sabri said on Saturday, India and the World Bank together are considering giving assistance of Rs 15.29 thousand crore to Sri Lanka. According to media reports, Sri Lanka is turning to many countries to overcome the economic crisis. In this sequence, Sri Lanka is also negotiating with China and Japan. Ali Sabri said that the World Bank is planning to expand 300 to 600 million dollars over the next four months, so that medicine and essential commodities can be secured in the country.
$500 million additional debt
India has agreed to give an additional loan of $ 500 million to Sri Lanka, which is facing economic crisis. India has come forward to help Sri Lanka amidst the delay in getting the rehabilitation package from the International Monetary Fund.
Sri Lanka's Finance Minister Ali Sabri gave this information. Sri Lanka does not even have money to import oil. Its foreign currency has been depleted and the currency has also been devalued. Inflation has also become uncontrollable in the country. Sabri said on Friday that India has agreed to give us an additional $500 million for oil imports and is expected to consider an additional loan of $1 billion. India has already agreed to defer import bill payments of $1.5 billion to Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka has to pay this amount to the Asian Queiling Union.
On Friday itself, the High Commission of India said that New Delhi has also extended the term of the $ 400 million swap awarded in January this year. Sabri is currently in Washington to discuss the rehabilitation package with the IMF. Sabri said that talks have started regarding the rehabilitation package, some things are yet to be finalised. Sri Lanka needs at least $ 4 billion to deal with the severe economic crisis. Apart from the IMF, Sabri is also making efforts for financial help from the World Bank, China and Japan.


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Windsor, Ontario – Good Housekeeping, in partnership with Car and Driver, today announced the 2021 Chrysler Pacifica as its 2020 Best New Family Car award winner in the minivan category. Recently unveiled at the 2020 Chicago Auto Show, with its Canadian debut following at the Canadian International AutoShow in Toronto in February, the new Pacifica is already helping to cement its position as the most awarded minivan four years in a row.
A full list of award winners appears in the May 2020 print edition of U.S.-based Good Housekeeping, on newsstands today and online at www.goodhousekeeping.com/2020carawards.
The Good Housekeeping Institute (GHI) worked with Car and Driver to screen hundreds of new vehicles and identify the top makes and models, with 15 picked as best-in-class vehicles. Pacifica has earned more than 130 industry honours and accolades since it was introduced, with the 2020 Best New Family Car award marking Pacifica’s third-consecutive honour from Good Housekeeping. Pacifica also won Best New Minivan of 2019 and Pacifica Hybrid, which is the first and still the only minivan to offer a hybrid powertrain option, won Best New Hybrid in 2018.
The new 2021 Chrysler Pacifica will offer a new all-wheel-drive (AWD) system that delivers North America’s most capable minivan with AWD, and is the only minivan to offer both AWD and Stow ‘n Go seating for second and third rows.
The most technologically equipped vehicle of its kind, the 2021 Pacifica is bringing upgrades front and centre with an all-new 10.1-inch touchscreen, part of the new Uconnect 5 system that will be offered for the first time in a North American FCA vehicle. Delivering the largest standard touchscreen in its class, the 10.1-inch touchscreen is nearly 20 percent larger than the screen it replaces and enables processing speeds up to five times faster than the previous generation.
One of many additional new features for the 2021 Pacifica is the available FamCAM interior camera, which projects a best-in-class, high-definition image and allows the driver to keep close tabs on action happening in the back with segment-exclusive features, including a clear view of rear-facing child seat occupants, a split view display and a unique “zoom-to-seat” feature.
The Chrysler Pacifica is built at the Windsor Assembly Plant in Windsor, Ontario alongside the 2020 Pacifica Hybrid, which achieves a fuel efficiency rating of 2.7 Le/100 km in electric-only mode in city driving, an all-electric range of more than 50 kilometres (31 miles) of all-electric range and a total range of more than 800 kilometres (497 miles).


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Affymetrix announced this week an equity investment in Ingenuity Systems of Mountain View, Calif., an informatics firm creating web-based products for life sciences applications.
As part of the deal, Affymetrix will add to its product offerings Ingenuity’s Pathways Analysis database product for the analysis of therapeutic networks in gene-expression array data sets. The product, containing over 1 million curated findings gathered over five years, will be offered through an annual subscription fee. Pricing details were not provided. The product is in beta release form currently and will be available in a limited release form in September, the companies said.
Affymetrix is making a $5 million equity investment in the firm, part of a Series D $7.3 million third-party financing deal for the 5-year-old company, which has taken in some $56 million in three previous rounds of venture capital investment.
The activity is the first this year for Affymetrix, which is carrying a promising investment in spinoff Perlegen Sciences, in addition to a $3 million equity investment made in December in Arcturus of Mountain View, Calif., and a small investment in GenoSpectra of Fremont, Calif., in 2001. The company previously invested in Eos Biotechnology and Orchid Biosciences.
Ingenuity already has strong ties to Affymetrix. Steve Fodor, Affymetrix chairman and CEO, is an investor, as is Alejandro Zaffaroni, who spun Affymetrix out of Affymax in 1991, and John Young, the retired CEO of Hewlett Packard and an Affymetrix board member.
Ingenuity’s previous funders include Accel Partners of Palo Alto, Calif.; Bay City Capital of San Francisco; Brookside Capital Partners, the private equity affiliate of Bain Capital of Boston; Millennium Pharmaceuticals; Morgan Stanley Dean Witter Private Equity of New York; Oracle Venture Fund of Redwood Shores, Calif.; Three Arch Partners of Portola Valley, Calif.; and Technofyn Associates, Zaffroni’s investment vehicle.
The Pathway product can generate de novo pathways for microarray researchers, said Frank Mara, Ingenuity’s senior vice president of marketing.
Also, the product is not limited to data derived from the Affymetrix platform, it will also accept tab-delineated data, he said.


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A recent report by the Wall Street Journal indicated that Nintendo plans on releasing two new Switch models later this year.
And now, sources close to Eurogamer have leaked fresh details about what we can expect from the two new models.
Today's top videos
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
According to Eurogamer, the new models will have similar upgrades to that of the 3DS and 3DS XL.
The cheaper model is set to target the casual gamers who still use the old Nintendo 3DS as their primary portable gaming device.
Nintendo is hoping to convince those gamers to fork out a little more to upgrade to the Switch.
They also want to make this cheaper model “kid proof’ and will remove the dock in order to bring the price down.
This means that it will be purely a handheld console. The more powerful Switch model will not be getting an upgrade similar to both the PS4 Pro and Xbox One X which shouldn’t come as a surprise.
These new Switch models are rumoured to release sometime this summer but as of yet, there’s been no confirmation from Nintendo on exact details.


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A new Metro Exodus update 1.06 is now available for players on PlayStation 4, PC and Xbox One. According to the official Metro Exodus 1.06 Patch Notes, the latest update brings gameplay change and various bug fixes. In addition, Metro Exodus version 1.06 also includes fixes for crashing, stuttering, game client, and UI bugs.
Previously, a big update was released with a new Game+ mode, Controller Sensitivity improvements, Mouse and Keyboard support for Xbox One, RTX and DLSS support on PC, Dual Shock Controller Light support for PS4 and many more. Unfortunately, since the last update, many players are experiencing a number of issues when trying to play the game. Today’s Metro Exodus patch 1.06 is expected to fix a few of these issues.
Metro Exodus version 1.06 for PS4 and Xbox One is now available for download.


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By leveraging the platforms we’ve already built, we are able to provide the guidance these consumers are seeking.
(PRWEB) July 30, 2012
Efinancial, a leading online life insurance brokerage, is taking strides to educate the growing population of consumers who are seeking individual life insurance coverage. In recent months the thought leaders at Efinancial have been leveraging their online presence to disseminate information intended engage consumers as they research life insurance online.
Founded in Bellevue, Washington in 2001, Efinancial quickly earned a reputation as an innovator in the online life insurance space. Offering immediate side by side comparisons of quotes from the industry’s leading life insurance carriers, Efinancial has revolutionized the way consumers shop for and purchase coverage online. In addition, Efinancial offers world-class customer service and access to a wide breadth of tools and educational life insurance resources. This unwavering commitment to service, coupled with a superior product catalog, has helped build Efinancial’s reputation as a trusted online insurance brokerage.
According to the U.S. Individual Life Insurance Sales Summary, completed by industry authority LIMRA, the total U.S. individual life policy count rose by five percent in the first quarter of 2012. Furthermore, this research revealed a four percent rise in term life insurance policies and a six percent rise in whole life policies. The recent increase in individual life insurance policies is a welcome boost for life insurance industry as a whole.
As one of the largest U.S. life insurance brokerages, Efinancial saw an increase in consumer interest, in life insurance quotes and policy information, in early 2012. They have since been hard at work catering to the needs of consumers who are actively seeking information, as well as coverage, in the online space. In an effort to engage and educate this growing population, Efinancial has begun addressing common questions within their Life Insurance Blog as well as their social media channels and has added additional materials to their robust eLearning Center.
“The consumer response to our grassroots online education effort has been overwhelming,” said Michael Rowell, Founder and CEO of Efinancial. “We made the decision to begin this initiative after identifying an opportunity to assist consumers who are seeking life insurance. By leveraging the platforms we’ve already built, we are able to provide the guidance these consumers are seeking.”
The second quarter of 2012 closed with indications of continued momentum and many industry experts are forecasting similar growth numbers. After receiving an encouraging response to their education and outreach efforts; Efinancial plans to continue using their online presence to engage consumers and ignite conversation around the importance of life insurance.
Watch for more exciting announcement from the Efinancial leadership team as they respond to industry trends and cater to evolving consumers needs.
Efinancial is a leading online life insurance brokerage headquartered in Bellevue, Washington. Efinancial monitors top-rated insurance carriers nationwide to give customers the ability to compare, shop and save on competitive life insurance policies online and from the comfort of their home. To learn more about Efinancial and the insurance products and services offered, visit http://www.efinancial.com or call 1-866-765-4296.


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Shazam for Android has a new feature that moves the service further into song discovery, not merely song identification.
Today’s update offers an Explore tab, which hooks into the Google Maps API (for users running Android 4.0 and above) to showcase the most popular songs from across the world. The data is obviously in-house — those who have tried to identify music with the app — but it affords users a broader look at what’s popular in real-time.
The Explore tab complements another new feature, Charts, which was introduced in the previous version. Both tenets have been available on iOS for some time, but Android users were recently treated to an app redesign which included tablet support. With this latest update, it appears the two platforms are on par for features.
The new version also adds the ability to purchase songs from directly within the app, but neither service, Google Play or Amazon, sell to Canadians. Maybe one day…


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Hewlett-Packard (better known as HP) is one of the oldest computer manufacturers in the business. The company has tried their hand at smartphones and tablets in recent history, but neither one of those product categories proved to be successful for the tech mega-giant. Although HP hasn’t had much exciting news for their consumers recently, a lot has been going on with the company’s enterprise group. Changes to the company’s group have been being made quite frequently recently, and another has just taken place.
This time around, Jim Ganthier is the subject of the most recent shake-up. Mr. Ganthier was a Vice President and marketing executive in Hewlett-Packard’s server division. That was up until now, as Jim Ganthier has moved and replaced with an executive that previously was employed at Dell. HP’s former COO was Bill Veghte, and reports claim that Mr. Veghte is responsible for this latest shift in HP’s enterprise group. So, who is going to be the one to fill Jim Ganthier’s shoes? That title is now going to be held by Peter Evans. For the past two years, Evans was the chief marketing executive over at Dell, but will now be spending his time with the Hewlett-Packard gang. As the new VP and marketing executive of HP’s server division, Mr. Evans will take hold of the division’s entire portfolio for operations and marketing, a total value that is estimated to be an upwards of $12 billion in revenue.
Why the change though? Why has Hewlett-Packard decided that now is the time to replace Ganthier with Evans? According to current reports, the transition is following in the wake of Dave Donatelli’s reassignment. For those not familiar, Donatelli was the predecessor of Veghte. While this does make sense, Ganthier had been present at the company for quite some time. Joining all the way back in 1992, Jim Ganthier had been a Vice President at Hewlett-Packard since 2003, and a senior executive of the server division since that of 2009. According to those that worked with him, Ganthier is a “hard-nosed marketing guy” and a “deeply respected operator.” He isn’t leaving the company for good, but is rather being reassigned to a different position. That position will be part of a global project to help HP server users and customers make the change over to newer platforms that are still using Windows 2003.
Although this isn’t the most exciting news to ever come out of HP, it is still refreshing to see that the company is making a move to help old customers migrate away from older platforms and get on the bandwagon with newer products. If Hewlett-Packard keeps on like they have been, we can almost expect to hear more news about other change ups as the year progresses. While they’re still certainly relevant to the computer market, HP isn’t nearly as close with their consumer base as they used to be. And as this story suggests, HP is currently putting more of a focus on their enterprise business than that of their consumer one.


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HARVEY-Holly Jo Smith's 50th birthday was coming up.
"I had been looking for something to do. I worked at Wahlstrom's and I had raised four kids," Smith said. "I was ready for something else."
She and her husband, Brian Elenich, took some road trips and in the course of these travels, visited vintners and farmers.
Moscato Bella, a wine available at Michigan Made. (Journal photo by Renee Prusi)
"I told my husband, we could sell this wine. So I did a little research and here I am."
Here is at Michigan Made, a storefront in Maple Leaf Court in Harvey that lives up to its name: It carries Michigan made arts and crafts, Michigan made wines and beers, and all other sorts of Michigan products.
"Seven days after my 50th birthday, we opened," Smith said. That was in December 2012. "It has been fantastic. I feel real blessed."
Michigan Made started out with art and the rest followed, Smith said.
"At first it was just art, but we needed more," she said. "So now we're an art store that sells beer and wine."
Included works done by the owner herself.
"I like to make something every day," Smith said. "I put away the other stuff I might be doing and create."
The day prior to being interviewed, for example, Smith took some glass from a broken wine bottle and fashioned a beautiful tree.
"All my art is from recycled and repurposed materials," she said.
A wide range of art is on display at any given time at Michigan Made. Some of the artists include Sandy Mager, who does oils; Jackie Gallagher, mosaics; Brooks Sloan, watercolors; and Kirsten Englund and Michael Elenich, photography.
"We have Lake Superior Woodworks, which repurposes wood that washes up on shore," Smith said. "And we have three retired ladies, who don't want me to use their names, who do hand-painted glasses.
"Recently, we added Wendel Suckow, who does turned wood, and Jim Curtis, who does benches," she said.
Helen Bicigo from Skandia does T-shirts and stickers, while Ever Yielding Acres of Skandia supplies syrup and Mark Jasper provides honey and jams. Gail Albright of Michigan takes old sweaters and makes them into beautiful mittens.
"We try to do as much local stuff as possible," Smith said. Like Liz Yelland of Negaunee, who does cards and paintings sold at Michigan Made.
The coffee sold at Michigan Made comes from Falling Rock Cafe in Munising, while Rudy's Seasoning comes from Houghton County.
"We also have things from Keweenaw Kitchen in Baraga and U.P. Foods in Lake Linden," she said. "It has been really cool to find out all the great stuff that's out there."
Coolers filled with Michigan beers include one that's almost exclusively brews from the U.P.
Michigan Made is open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.
"But I am here more hours than that," Smith said with a smile. "I live close by and I absolutely love what I do."
And people have come to know that. Sometimes Smith will arrive at home to find someone has left her some wood or glass or other items they think she might be able to use in her own art - or to pass along to others.
All of which is welcomed by the enthusiastic entrepreneur.
"If I had more room, I'd have more stuff," she said.
Located at 5099 U.S. 41 in Harvey, Michigan Made can be reached by calling 273-2277.
For more information, visit its website at justmichiganmade.com.
Renee Prusi can be contacted at 906-228-2500, ext. 240.


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aNewDomain.net — For Mother’s Day 2013, moms want tech –specifically, a tablet. In fact, according to the Mothers Day infographic below, moms want tech — tablets, not tulips — but they likely won’t get what they want. Or what they need.
Fully fifty-one percent of moms surveyed by the folks at techbargains.com say they’d prefer a tech gift for Mother’s Day. If not a tablet, an MP3 player or a laptop are second and third choices. Sadly, though, most moms will end up with flowers, lunch or some goofy card anyway.
So here’s advice from aNewDomain. Instead of buying some random dead flowers or popping a card in the mail, take a second and ask your mom what she wants for Mother’s Day. We bet it’s tech. And come on. She’s your mom.
It’s the Mom Wants Tech infographic, courtesy techbargains.com


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Raymond Ltd is withdrawing its designer label Be: brand of stores and will relaunch without the “niche” tag, which the brand has been associated. The re-branding exercise is to reach wider audience in India, especially after Corporate Indians voted Local Brands as their Hot favorites in a Poll by Time magazine.
Currently Be: brand of stores are located in – Ahmedabad, Ludhiana, Hyderabad, Chennai, Kolkata, two each in Bangalore, Mumbai and three in Delhi. Mumbai and Delhi stores have been shut down.
An official spokesperson of Raymond India said,
Be: will cease to be a niche brand. Be: will be made into a more relevant brand and will address a wider population ulkike in the past where the brand was meant to address a niche set of people. Be: will not be a mass brand an d the decision to associate designers with it is being evaluated.
Mr. Gupta, president of Raymond Ltd said,
There was nothing wrong with the Be: brand but there are number of women’s wear brand that Raymond already has – Color Plus and Park Avenue which can be part of Be: tomorrow.
Be: brand came into existence in 2001. Designers such as Priyadarshini Rao, Rohit Bal, Rajesh Singh and Raghavendra Rathore were associated with it. Merchandise was priced between Rs 600 to Rs 6,000.


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The world took notice when an eye-opening time-lapse video showing how an image can be so drastically changed using only Photoshop went viral last week.
Now the woman in question has been identified.
Sally Gifford Piper, the 36-year-old model in the video, and her husband Tim Piper, who directed it, spoke to ET about why they created it in 2011.
“I feel really angry about the pressure on women and the reality is that most of us don’t look like these perfect women,” Sally said of her "Body Evolution."
"I think that there needs to be a celebration of all different shapes and sizes. And we need to see more variety and I’m determined to fight for that.”
The popularity of the video caught them by surprise, as it was released over a year ago to little fanfare. “It was exciting, but it’s also nerve-wracking,” said Tim.
“You don’t really expect it to blow up like that.
"It is exposure for Sally. So I called her and I said that I hope you don’t mind, but a few million people might see you in your underwear pretty soon.”
The viral photoshop video sparked great debate and discussion about how people beauty in the digital age, when such manipulation is so commonplace.
Images of beautiful women are altered to the point where they look almost unrecognizable from themselves, and are given figures unattainable in reality.
Most people realize that some manipulation is going on with the images we see, but seeing it in this fashion can help us rethink our view and understanding.
Check out the original video below ...


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Listen, millennials: Applebee’s tried. They catered to your finicky whims, tried to talk your bebop language, and still you wouldn’t give them the time of day. Now the casual dining chain is done trying to impress you. A restaurant famous for nothing in particular, Applebee’s announced it was closing up to 135 of its underperforming locations (though, according to The Washington Post, it will offset the closures by opening 30 new ones in more receptive markets).
A major calculus in Applebee’s decision to reboot was its failure to capture “a more youthful and affluent demographic,” said Applebee’s president John Cywinski in an analysts’ call last week. In recent years, the chain—with about 2,000 stores nationwide—had unveiled a more modern design aesthetic and introduced newer, more exotic-sounding menu items, such as chicken wonton tacos and BBQ shrimp with Sriracha-lime sauce. This comes as DineEquity, the parent company of Applebee’s, announced its second quarter earnings saw a 21 percent drop in revenue from one year ago.
A spokesperson for DineEquity told The Post: “In retrospect, we may have tried too hard to attract new guests. That left some of our fans shaking their heads, asking ‘What happened to Applebee’s?’”


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Bankrupt Century 21 to Close All Its Stores, Including Five in NYC
Well-known discount department store chain Century 21 has filed for bankruptcy and plans to shutter all 13 of its stores across New York, New Jersey, Florida and Pennsylvania, the company announced in a press release.
The retailer said it was forced into this situation after its insurance companies refused to cover $175 million in losses sustained during COVID-19 shutdowns. The company plans to hold going-out-of-business sales before it closes all of its locations for good.
“While insurance money helped us to rebuild after suffering the devastating impact of 9/11, we now have no viable alternative but to begin the closure of our beloved family business because our insurers, to whom we have paid significant premiums every year for protection against unforeseen circumstances like we are experiencing today, have turned their backs on us at this most critical time,” Century 21 co-CEO Raymond Gindi said in a statement. “While retailers across the board have suffered greatly due to COVID-19, and Century 21 is no exception, we are confident that had we received any meaningful portion of the insurance proceeds, we would have been able to save thousands of jobs and weather the storm, in hopes of another incredible recovery.”
Al and Sonny Gindi founded Century 21 with a small store in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn in 1961. The retail chain currently has five stores in the five boroughs, with locations in the Financial District, Downtown Brooklyn, Brooklyn’s Bay Ridge, Queens’ Rego Park and the Upper West Side.
The pandemic and government-mandated store closures across the country have accelerated the decline of many brick-and-mortar retailers, especially department stores. Lord & Taylor filed for bankruptcy and plans to go out of business, and the parent company of Ann Taylor and Loft filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy over the summer.


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EG7 has announced its intent to sell its subsidiary Innova, known for localizing and publishing MMO games in Russia. The Swedish holding company set the purchase price at €32 million.
The sale, structured as a management buy-out, will be subject to the approval from a general shareholders’ meeting and Russian authorities.
It is worth noting that EG7 acquired Innova for €109.8 million in February 2021. In Q4 2021, the publisher generated SEK 74.1 million ($7.73 million), which accounted for 13% of the company’s total revenue.
“We’ve been monitoring our current business operations in Russia the past few weeks and after careful evaluation, we concluded that parting ways with Innova would benefit both parties,” the statement reads. “Upon completion of the transaction, EG7 will no longer have operations in Russia and no further exposure to continuing uncertainties in the region.”
On top of that, EG7 decided to relocate workers at a Russian office of game development studio Toadman Interactive to western or eastern Europe.
Founded in 2006, Innova has localized and published dozens MMO games in Russia, including Lineage II, R2 Online, Aion, and Ragnarok Online. The company also operates in other markets and has its own platform 4game.


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Boulevard at the Capital Centre Struggles With Economic, Safety Concerns
Sunday, March 29, 2009
The Boulevard at the Capital Centre in Landover was envisioned as a solidly middle-class, Main Street-style mall: a lure to help Prince George's County keep its residents from fleeing to Montgomery County, Anne Arundel County and Northern Virginia to find anything more than T-shirts and tennis shoes.
The site used to rock a few nights each week as crowds flocked to the old Capital Centre to cheer on sports teams. And local leaders thought the wealthiest majority-black county in the nation deserved at least mid-range stores to go with the fancy neighborhoods nearby.
But six years later, amid the economic downturn, anchors such as Linens 'n Things, Circuit City and Office Depot are shuttered. Many of the Boulevard's retailers that remain sell T-shirts, jeans and cellphones, stores that resemble those found in run-down retail strips. Crime is a problem. Five people have been killed there in four years, the latest this month outside the Sideline, the restaurant owned by former Washington Redskins linebacker LaVar Arrington. Residents wanted what Landover Mall had been in its early years: classy, safe and worthy of acclaim.
What they have now, residents including Arthur Turner contend, is a shopping center struggling to maintain its anchors and the support from residents it needs to survive.
"We thought it would be the next frontier in economic development and retail in Prince George's County," said Turner, president of the Coalition of Central Prince George's Community Organizations. "But that center has fallen woefully short of what we would have hoped for."
The county has attracted National Harbor, a sprawling complex with an office building, condominiums, restaurants and shops on the county's southern edge, which is building up its customer base. And Woodmore Town Centre will bring a Wegmans grocery store to the county next year. What residents say they want is something like downtown Silver Spring, which is filled during nice weather with families lounging, listening to music and lazily browsing through the shops.
But the Boulevard has been a disappointment to many.
"The operation has clearly suffered actual and image setbacks that are inconsistent with the lofty vision we set at the outset and the kind of product our citizens deserve," said Wayne K. Curry, who, as county executive from 1994 to 2002, led the effort to build the Boulevard. "It's off the track, clearly, and needs to be firmly redirected."
Bill Parks, vice president of property management at Inland Management, which runs the Boulevard, said that the shopping center is safe and that the company is working to fill the vacant storefronts. "We have cameras and adequate manpower on the property," he said. "We have an excellent relationship with the police department to coordinate any issues we have at the property . . . and we have installed a complete security surveillance system."
Officials with Baltimore-based Cordish Cos., which developed the mall, did not return a call for comment.
The mall opened to great fanfare in 2003, with a Borders bookstore, a Pier 1 Imports and an Ann Taylor Loft. A year later, Magic Johnson, the Los Angeles Laker-turned-businessman who had owned a Starbucks at the mall, joined elected officials to celebrate the opening of his movie theater. But last year the economic downturn started to drive anchor stores out of business, leaving empty storefronts at the core of the mall and at the strip shopping center that surrounds it.
In addition to the slaying outside the Sideline, three men were gunned down at an Uno Chicago Grill after a fight in the restaurant during the 2008 Super Bowl. In 2005, a 21-year-old man was beaten to death outside Borders. A teenager was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter.