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Game engine platform Unity recently announced that it will start charging developers a fee per user download instead of a flat license fee.
Starting January 1 next year, developers will be charged a “Unity Runtime Fee,” charging developers 20 cents per download after the first 200,000 installs and $200,000 in revenue. This applies to Unity Plus and Unity Personal users.
Understandably, this move sparked backlash from developers, who were upset that it “could cost more than they earn from their games.” Issues such as how much to charge for free games on popular platforms like Epic Games can lead to higher fees. Unity responded by saying that the structure “only affects a small subset of users” and is designed to influence developers with successful games.
The new fee structure for Unity Plus and Personal and Unity Pro and Enterprise accounts is detailed on the official Unity website.


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It’s summer. Those two words can mean a lot of different things to a lot of different people. In the gadget world, it means the leaks have begun.
New gadgets typically arrive in time for the back-to-school season, and definitely ahead of the holiday shopping bonanza. It may only be July, meaning gadget makers are still nowhere near ready to show off their work, but the Internet doesn’t care.
In just this week alone, we’ve received multiple rumblings and early glimpses of what Apple, BlackBerry, and Google are up to. What better way to kick off a weekend than to see what the grandfather of smartphones and the two currently biggest mobile behemoths are up to?
On Tuesday, 9to5Mac provided an extensive look at what may be the iPhone 6S. The claim is that these are the first photos of the iPhone 6S’s external metal casing and its internals, courtesy of “a proven source familiar with Apple’s supply chain.”
The new iPhones are expected to include Force Touch and, according to the images, largely maintain the exterior design of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. Expectations include same general sizes, a different internal mounting structure, and no dual-lens camera system.
Last month, rumors that BlackBerry was building an Android smartphone returned in full force. As one who loves the hardware but hates the software, I have to say I’m excited.
Today, infamous leaker Evan Blass (evleaks) posted more details of BlackBerry’s Android phone, codenamed Venice, which is expected to feature a dual curved display (think Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge) with a physical keyboard that slides up from underneath (think Palm Pre). Apparently, it’s coming to AT&T in the U.S., and a high-resolution render indicates it will look something like this:
— Evan Blass (@evleaks) July 3, 2015
You’ll notice that Blass’ image clearly shows Google apps, which would suggest Venice is getting a largely unmodified version of Android, unlike Amazon’s Fire OS, which is based on a fork of Google’s mobile operating system. The hardware is similar to the slider that BlackBerry showed off back at Mobile World Congress in March:
— BlackBerry (@BlackBerry) March 3, 2015
But the above device is clearly running BlackBerry OS 10. A smartphone with BlackBerry hardware expertise and Google’s software skills, however, is a lot more intriguing.
On Thursday, Droid Life spotted an FCC filing that describes what is clearly a wearable, and may be the next Google Glass. We know the next version is coming soon, thanks to eyewear maker Luxottica, but that’s about it.
This device has the model name “GG1” (which may or may not stand for the first Google Glass), has Bluetooth LE, and rechargeable, non-removable batteries. It comes with an AC charger and a USB cable that can provide a “path for charging and data transfer.”
The e-label above does seem like it could be the size of a Google Glass screen. The GG1 could of course be something completely new, but right now the first broadly available Google Glass seems like a good bet.
Oh, were you looking for smartphones? Rumor has it that Google will be releasing two new Nexus phones running Android M later this year, one from LG and a larger one from Huawei.
This happens every year, and this week is just the beginning. Nowadays, it’s actually a shock when a device is announced without having leaked previously in some shape or form.
Expect more iPhone 6S, BlackBerry Venice, Google Glass, Nexus, and many more leaks in the weeks and months ahead. No device is safe.
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domain: news


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What do you get when you combine Bitcoin, the United States Internal Revenue Service, frothing-at-the-mouth freeman on the land types, tax evaders, clueless, wild-eyed speculators, and a bunch of teenagers? You get yesterday, when the IRS announced that it considers Bitcoin to be property, not legal tender, and will tax it as such.
What does this mean for Bitcoin? It means that in the coming months, or even just the next few weeks, things are guaranteed to continue being hilarious. Immediately after the announcement, bitcoiners scrambled to be the first to misinterpret it and shout “this is good for Bitcoin!” Of course, these were few and far between, since most of the Bitcoin community flew into a rage and decided that it just didn’t have to obey the law.
Various sources have already begun analyzing and interpreting the ruling, and it’s packed full of hilarity. Mined coins are taxed at the exchange price at the time of the mining, Bitcoins are subject to capital gains taxes, requiring users to keep detailed records about buying and selling to properly calculate their taxes.
Furthermore, we may finally see some transparency with regard to the inner workings of payment processors such as Coinbase or Bitpay, who seemingly remain solvent thanks to venture capital, but are speculated to have other less-savory dealings to continue operating. Many of us are curious about their sources of income, exchange, and other operating procedures and the IRS may well have forced them into showing the world just what they’re made of.
This was all done three weeks before the annual personal tax deadline and applies to current, future, and, best of all, past Bitcoin purchases, profits, and losses.
Meanwhile, reddit is frantically trying to figure out if Bitcoin ATMs are vending machines now, if they can sue the US federal government, and what it costs to buy an island to start their own nation.
What can we conclude from all this? Bitcoin just got trolled hard by the IRS.


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Two years after it began enforcing online interest-based advertising (IBA) standards north of the U.S., Advertising Standards Canada (ASC) is pleased with its progress, though its latest report acknowledges there remain challenges ahead.
According to the AdChoices Accountability Program 2016 Compliance Report, 69 per cent (or 51 of 74) of participants in ASC’s Digital Advertising Alliance of Canada (DAAC) self-regulation program complied with the organization’s Principles for Online Behavioural Advertising, a significant increase from the 20 per cent participation rate (10 of 50) uncovered by ASC’s initial 2015 review.
The report also found that 95 per cent of DAAC program participants, which include such high-profile firms as Amazon.com.ca Inc., Facebook Inc., LinkedIn Corp., and Microsoft Online Inc., provided consumers with a transparent method for opting out of IBA activity, versus 69 per cent of non-participating companies.
Finally, the report found that 90 per cent of program participants provided real-time notice that IBA-related data gathering was occurring, compared to 31 per cent of non-participating companies, though both parties were at least more likely than not to disclose IBA-related activity, with 87 per cent of DAAC participants and 77 per cent of non-participants posting disclosures somewhere on their websites.
In a Feb. 8 statement, ASC president and CEO Jani Yates praised DAAC participants for warmly welcoming the organization’s recommendations
“Participants continue to invest the significant resources that successful implementation requires,” she said. “We thank them for their cooperation, commitment, and enthusiasm for achieving the DAAC program requirements.”
ASC also revealed that between January and December 2016, the organization received 283 consumer complaints under its IBA Accountability and Complaint procedure – nearly double the 142 complaints received in 2015. It was determined that only 24 (eight per cent) raised legitimate concerns, however, as all complains involved allegations that an IBA opt-out mechanism did not work, and that in most of these cases complainants believed that after opting out they would not receive any advertising at all.
Five tips for companies aiming to comply with DAAC principles
The ASC offers the following five recommendations for companies interested in complying with the DAAC program, which calls for participants to educate individuals and businesses about online behavioural advertising; to provide consumers with “clear, meaningful and prominent notice” regarding data collection; to provide an opt-out mechanism; to provide appropriate security for, and limited retention of, data collected; to remain accountable for their actions, illustrated by the compliance reports; and which prohibits companies from collecting personal information for OBA purposes from children known to be under the age of 13, or from sites aimed at children under 13.
- Review the DAAC AdChoices Program requirements (included in the report) and allocate human and financial resources towards implementing them.
- Make sure your website includes a prominent real-time notice that links to an IBA disclosure and opt-out mechanism when collecting or using data for IBA purposes.
- Ensure that all opt-out mechanisms are fully functional. The ASC offers its own mechanism here, and third parties Ghostery and TrustE provide tools of their own as well.
- Use the AdChoices icon and accompanying “AdChoices” or “Choix de pub” text (below).
- Regularly review your IBA activity to ensure ongoing compliance with the program’s five principles: transparency; education; data security; sensitive data; and accountability.
For more information, check out the ASC’s website.


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Was Your Crash Caused by a Defective Product?
In our last post, we shared the warnings from both the Ford Motor Company and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that certain 2006 Ford Rangers are TOO DANGEROUS TO DRIVE.
Both Ford and NHTSA have issued news releases to owners of 2006 Ford Rangers NOT TO DRIVE THEM. Ford will not only provide rental cars for these owners, but Ford will repair the defect (Takata air bag) for free with repair teams going to the owner’s home to fix the pickup.
Recalls and Defective Parts Cause Crashes
Why is Ford going to all this trouble? As we discussed earlier, people have died in accidents caused by these Takata air bags failing while the owner was driving their Ford Ranger. The danger of the Takata airbag rupturing while the pickup is being driven is considered “…an immediate risk to safety.”
However, it’s not just Takata air bags that are dangerous and defective car parts endangering people driving on the roads of Indiana and Illinois (and the rest of the country). There are other serious motor vehicle recalls right now that are also dangerous.
GM Ignition Defects: Ignition Switch Recall
For instance, there is the massive GM Ignition Recall. These defects are as concerning as the massive Takata air bag recalls. See:
- GM Recalls Millions of GM Cars and SUVs: Congress Is Investigating while Justice Department Begins Criminal Investigation – Is Your GM Car Dangerous?
- GM Recall: GM Ignition Switch Dangers Grow – Moves to Stop People from Driving these Cars, Get Victims’ Claims Recognized
- RECALLS JUST KEEP HAPPENING: CAR MAKERS LIKE GENERAL MOTORS MAY BE RESPONSIBLE FOR MANY, MANY SERIOUS INJURIES AND DEATHS
So Many Defects: Millions of Vehicles Recalled in 2017 for Dangerous Flaws
In 2017 alone, millions and millions of motor vehicles were recalled by their manufacturers for a variety of serious defects and flaws that can cause fatal accidents. Among them are the following:
Recall of 1,500,000 vehicles built by Hyundai and Kia before 2013
Millions of drivers of car models Kia Optima, Kia Sorento, Kia Sportage, Hyundai Sonata, and Hyandai Santa Fe were alerted in the past year that their vehicles had a serious defect and were being recalled by the car maker. It seems that these cars and SUVs have defective engines (engine name, Theta II). They can stall.
These are older models, all built before 2013. The entire engine will be replaced by the manufacturer.
For details, read “Engines May Need to Be Replaced in 1.2 Million Hyundai, Kia Cars,” written by Ryan Beene and published at Bloomberg.com on April 7, 2017.
Recall of 1,150,000 Honda Accords
Another huge car maker recall within the past twelve months is the recall of 1.15 Million Honda Accords (model years 2013-2016) because they have been sold with a defective battery sensor. The defect can cause the car to catch on fire as the car is being driven. Honda warns that the defect must be repaired because “your safety may be at risk.”
Recall of 1,300,000 Ford Pickups (2015-2017 Model Years)
In 2017, Ford issued a recall for 1.3 million vehicles because of defective door latches. Specifically, the Side Door Latches in 1,300,000 F-150 Pickup Trucks (model years 2015-17) and 2017 Super Duty Pickup Trucks. The defect allows the door to open while the truck is being driven. See the Ford Recall announcement here.
The lesson here: a great number of motor vehicles sold in the United States today have recalls and known defects associated with them. And recalls are simply notifications that there is a problem. They do not mean that the vehicles are being fixed and that the roads are safer. They don’t get dangerous vehicles OFF THE ROAD. See, e.g., Recalls Don’t Solve the Problem of Defective Product Injuries.
Accidents and Crashes Caused by Defects and Recalled Car Parts
When there is a serious motor vehicle accident here in Indiana or Illinois where people are severely injured or killed in the crash, investigations are undertaken both by law enforcement as well as insurance carriers and those representing the accident victims in their civil claims. There will be a determination of fault: what happened? How did the wreck occur?
And in these situations, the answer may be that no driver erred or made a mistake that constitutes negligence under the laws of Indiana or Illinois. Instead, the cause of the crash will be attributed to the flaw or defect in the defective motor vehicle. The reason for the severe accident or fatal crash will be a malfunctioning part in one of the vehicles.
We’ve given some examples here and in earlier posts. Deadly car crashes and life-altering accidents have happened in recent years due to airbags, ignitions, as well as:
- Sudden acceleration while the driver is operating the vehicle
- Defective tires that blow out
- Malfunctioning brake systems
Liability in Recall Accidents and Fatal Crashes Caused by Defective Cars, Trucks, Minivans, SUVs
The victims of the flaw or recall may seek damages from various defendants who can be held liable, including not only the car manufacturer whose logo is on the vehicle itself, but also the designer of that defective component (like Takata for the air bags) and others involved in the design, manufacture, or assembly of the defective product.
Deadly Defects Not Subject to Recall: Recalls Don’t Cover All Dangers
Here’s an additional danger and concern: there are dangerous defects in motor vehicles today that are not the subject of recall. The dangers are known to the manufacturer and to NHTSA, but they haven’t made it to recall status.
Recalls are not a complete list of all the defects and flaws that can cause serious accidents and fatal crashes on the roads of Indiana and Illinois.
Ford Fusion Stalls But No Recall
An example: the popular Ford Fusion is known to have a problem with its computer (PCM) that causes the car to lose power as it is being driven. It stalls and drivers are sharing experiences in various forums and in complaints filed with NHTSA that they have lost power while driving their Fusion at both low and high speeds.
Claims for Deadly Defects in Cars, Trucks, SUVs, and Minivans
Today, it’s no exaggeration to report that anyone driving in Indiana and Illinois is in danger of being the victim of a dangerous defect in a motor vehicle because there are simply so very many serious flaws and defects in products sold by car makers today.
The flaw or defect can fail at any time. The driver will not be negligent, but both that driver (and his passengers) as well as those third parties sharing the roads with him will be in danger of a serious accident or fatal crash caused by that defective product. It may be subject to recall. It may not.
It’s important that we monitor both complaints and recalls for our motor vehicles to make sure we are as safe as possible from defects in our own cars and trucks. It’s also imperative that we all know that we face unknown dangers and risks on the roads today because of defective products in motor vehicles of all makes and models. Let’s be careful out there!


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ISLAMABAD: ‘Digital economy in Pakistan’ has huge potential for boosting the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) up to the level of $ 40 billion, besides consolidating the local economy.
Through the evolution of ‘Digital Economy’, Pakistan can rapidly achieve its economic agenda in all major sectors including trade and E-commerce, education and health for economic growth in the country, a senior official of Ministry of Commerce informed APP here Sunday.
Pakistan needed to do extensively in digital economy as country has huge participation of global mobile market, with over 160 million mobile phone subscribers and around 150 million Internet users, he said.
He said, “We can improve public services in different sectors through the modern digital tools for providing rapid services to the people”. He said that Pakistan was an agriculture country and through the modern digital mechanism, the farmers and agriculture workers can improve their financial mechanism to connect with global value chain.
Replying to a question, he said that digital data integration system would play an important role in improving the economic mechanism in all major sectors of the country’s economy. He said it is also important for bridging the gap in economic and trade data process through integration of various data mechanism to reflect the true picture of the economy including trade, industries, services and agriculture sector.
“To evolve the proper trade data mechanism to resolve the issues in trade data, the government intended to include Export Processing Zones (EPZs) in its trade data collection system, which was not currently taken into account by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) and the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), he told.
He pointed out that exclusion of exports, routed through the EPZs by the two organizations resulted in a difference of $1.2 billion between the actual exports and those reported by them.
The official said the federal cabinet had already approved the E-commerce policy for promoting the digital culture and paperless trade to help enhance the trade volume.
He said it was the government’s priority to evolve the integrated trade data system and streamline the affairs by the end of October. All the system would be linked to the Ministry of Commerce under the control of SBP to promote the culture of freelancing to capture opportunities in the global market through websites and other digital tools, he added.
He said the software export potential was not being exploited properly as three different pieces of software were being used by freelancers to acquire the work deals from abroad.
He said mainly the youth were providing their services (to individuals/firms abroad) through the freelancing system, but they were facing problems because of different software. The government would facilitate them so that they could work with ease, he added.


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The Apple World Wide Developer Conference will be held on June 11 2012 and tickets for the same are already sold out.
This year Apple is providing some scholarships for student developers. You can know more about the scholarships here.
So what are you expecting in this WWDC 2012. Give your opinions via comments.


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Amazon is starting a record of the month club
The retailer has quietly unveiled a new program—dubbed Vinyl of the Month Club—which will send a new record to members every 30 days or so. Don’t expect to get the latest from Olivia Rodrigo or Foo Fighters, though.
Amazon’s venture is focused on vinyl’s golden era—the 1960s and 1970s—and those are the records it plans to send out. Selected artists include everyone from Miles Davis to ABBA to Aretha Franklin to Fleetwood Mac.
Amazon says it’s targeting new vinyl collectors with the deal, which carries a $25 per month charge. That’s still a notable savings off some vinyl prices on Amazon.
Unlike the record (and CD) clubs of days gone by, you won’t be able to get 10 or 20 albums for a penny as an incentive to join.
Members can see which album is on the way on their Returns and Orders page—and skip the month’s shipment if they prefer. Should they forget to do that, unopened albums can be returned as well.
It’s a rather surprising return for record clubs. Retailers were never a big fan of Columbia House, BMG, or other similar clubs, as they impacted sales. Many artists also had “no record club” clauses in their contracts.
That was long ago, though, when the biggest threat was Napster and iTunes had yet to appear. Today, services like Spotify rule the music industry—and royalty payments are lower. Artists earn more from physical sales than streams, so are more likely to embrace this model—and maybe even lobby for their own albums to be added.
Subscribe to Fortune Daily to get essential business stories straight to your inbox each morning.


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The 80s are back, according to designers and fashionistas, and now children and even newborn babies can join in the fun, with a new range of 80s icon children's clothing from TheKidsWindow.co.uk.PRWEB:
They called it the decade that taste forgot. Well, guess what? The era that brought us yuppies and BMX bikes is back, but this time it will be more stylish, especially for kids.
TheKidsWindow.co.uk are proud to anounce the launch of a new, excusive range of tee-shirts and all-in-ones featuring famous faces from the 80s. Available in a range of colours, the new range promises to outlast the whims of fashion and will appeal to all parents with a taste for nostalgia.
The Kids Window aren't the only clothing retailers to see the trend. The 90s and early 2000s have mostly seen fairly bland fashions, but now we're ready to express ourselves and our tastes again. Many high-street retailers have launched new ranges in more colours, and they have finally admitted that logos don't with style, according to upcoming designer, Joanna Doherty.
"Mention 1980s fashion and most people will conjure up images of shoulder pads and power dressing, but it was so much more that that" she explains. "It was the era in which the culture of celebrity really took off. Rather than using a brand name to represent their individuality, the public started to idolise and imitate the cult figures of the day. From Kylie to Rambo, people wanted to be associated with not only their heroes, but their heroes' characteristics and the demand for alternative designs soared."
With the trend set to continue until well into the autumn, retailers across the board are keen to capitalise on the public's new love-affair with all things eighties as Jason Lewis, director of The Kids Window, the UK's first web-only children's department store, explains.
"Not all of us want to start stocking up on cans of hairspray" he jokes "but it is clear that products that have a retro feel, or edge, are incredibly popular with children and parents alike. Our new range of unisex t-shirts and rompers, featuring exclusive prints of icons such as Mr T, Kylie and Rambo, for example, have been designed to offer customers a vibrant, on-trend product, that is perhaps more user-friendly than traditional eighties clothing".
The range of http://www.thekidswindow.co.uk/alternative-clothing.htm
[alternative 80s children's clothing , which features six designs including "Kylie", "Sly" and "Bad Attitude", is 100 per cent cotton and available in a choice of four colours. With baby rompers available in sizes zero to six months and six to 12 months and tees starting from zero to six months to nine to 10 years, the new range is set to prove a hit with first-time fans of the pop culture and those keen to revisit the idols of their youth.
Labels: Mr. T


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- The 5G iPhone 12 is still set to launch this fall as Hon Hai (aka Foxconn) is said to have resolved the labor issues that arose when the coronavirus pandemic shut down China.
- iPhone 12 mass production will begin this summer, which is why its release date won’t be delayed.
- Although the iPhone 12 may launch on time, other future Apple products could still be delayed.
- Visit BGR’s homepage for more stories.
As secretive as Apple is about new products, it’s no surprise that we’ve seen a deluge of reports in recent days about whether or not the 2020 flagship iPhone will be delayed. It’s highly unlikely that Apple would even hint at an issue with its supply chain in the months leading up to the reveal of its phone, which means that until reports of mass production begin to arise, we are going to be inundated with stories about the iPhone 12’s release date.
That’s a reality we’re prepared to face, but on Monday, a report from Bloomberg regarding Hon Hai Precision Industry Co.’s disappointing quarterly profits noted that the 5G iPhone is still on schedule to launch this fall. We have no doubt that a new report will arise within the next 24 hours refuting this claim, but amidst all of the rumors and anonymously sourced reports, Bloomberg carries a great deal of weight when it comes to reporting on Apple.
Despite the lackluster performance, Hon Hai (better known as Foxconn) – Apple’s largest iPhone assembler – is said to have resolved labor issues arising from the novel coronavirus pandemic and is “back at normal seasonal capacity.” In fact, manufacturing in China in general is getting back up to speed, and sources say that with mass production not expected to begin until the summer, the iPhone 12 should be ready to ship this fall.
While the iPhone 12 may be safe, that doesn’t mean that Apple and other major players in the electronics industry will be spared from the effects of the coronavirus. As Bloomberg notes, “the U.S. company and its partners spend months or even years sourcing components around the world and any disruptions to that complex network could delay future devices.” We might not see the fallout of those disruptions this fall, but Apple (and countless other companies) may have to adjust their release schedules in the coming months and years as a result.
Meanwhile, following an iOS 14 beta leak that let slip the existence of an iPhone 9 Plus, news regarding the sequel to the iPhone SE has all but dried up. The more affordable iPhone was expected to be unveiled at Apple’s spring event, but the event never happened, and Apple instead opted to drop a pair of press releases to unveil its new MacBook Air and iPad Pro models. The last we heard, iPhone 9 mass production has begun, which means that even in the middle of a pandemic, there might be a new iPhone on store shelves before the end of April.


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Bayer wins awards in innovation and marketing excellence
Good for beneficial insects and an edge for farmers
Bayer CropScience has won two Australian Business Awards in the categories of Innovation and Marketing Excellence.
The Australian Business Awards annually recognise organisations that demonstrate the core values of business excellence, excellence of service, social and environmental contributions.
Tara Johnston, Program Director of The Australian Business Awards said, “We are delighted to acknowledge Bayer’s achievements in the agricultural industry and congratulate them on their success in the innovation and marketing excellence categories in 2012.”
Organisations are selected upon innovative business processes, product development, enterprise, corporate responsibility and overall commercial success.
Bayer was recognised in the Innovation category for their achievement in Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and in Marketing Excellence for “The Growers Edge”.
Bayer’s objective is to work with growers and other input providers to develop innovative solutions which led to the development of a tailored IPM program built around the insecticides Belt® and Movento® and which included the active release of beneficial insects.
The program uses natural beneficial insects in a program with Belt and Movento on the target pests and with expert input can be individually tailored to each participating farm.
Scott Ward, Portfolio Manager – Horticulture, Bayer CropScience, said, “In developing this sustainable IPM program, Bayer’s objective has been to work with growers to determine how selective crop protection products like Belt and Movento fit into a holistic approach to ensure we get the most out of the available tools.”
Richard Mulcahy, CEO of AUSVEG said, “It’s been incredibly rewarding working with growers, partners and other agricultural companies including Bayer to develop an IPM strategy to combat diamondback moth in head-forming brassica crops. Together, we are bringing more productive solutions to Australian farmers.
“The results of this strategy have been impressive and we look forward to continuing the innovative work with Bayer and our partners,” Mr Mulcahy said.
The Marketing Excellence award for “The Grower’s Edge” is a tribute to the benefits of Bayer’s online service for growers in the viticulture and sugarcane segments. The Grower’s Edge provides targeted and customised information through a personalised website and SMS alerts to give members an edge in competitive markets.
“The disease models and realtime SMS alerts are unique in the field and members seem to really value the spray diary tool. It’s the only online compatibility database in this segment and we are developing more services in response to grower feedback,” Head of Marketing, Warren Inwood said.
Bayer CropScience Managing Director, Joerg Ellmanns, said that the Awards reflect Bayer’s commitment to innovation and investment in the industry.
“At Bayer, we are committed to working together with growers and partners along the entire value chain; to cultivate ideas and answers so that their farms can be more efficient and sustainable year on year,” Mr Ellmanns said.
Bayer CropScience invests in research and development by contributing $1 of every $10 spent on their products to programs, to create better products and solutions for the future of farming in Australia.
Katie Sheppet, Edelman, Tel +61 3 9944 7638
Find more information at www.bayercropscience.com.
This release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Bayer Group or subgroup management. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. These factors include those discussed in Bayer’s public reports which are available on the Bayer website at www.bayer.com. The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.


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Meilishuo.com, the Chinese women’s apparel retailer backed by Tencent Holdings Ltd., is seeking to raise about $300 million from investors ahead of an initial public offering, a person familiar with the situation said.
The current round of funding will likely be Meilishuo’s last before a stock-market listing, the person said, asking not to be identified as the information is private. The company, whose name means “Beauty Talk” in Chinese, is considering seeking a U.S. IPO that could take place as soon as next year and value it at about $2.5 billion, two people said.
Meilishuo, founded in 2009 by Xu Yirong, runs an online marketplace selling clothes, shoes and handbags mostly to young women. It has about 15,000 merchants selling on its website and a mobile application that has been downloaded 100 million times, according to a company brochure.
The company is seeking funds to better compete in China’s e-commerce market, which is projected to expand to 3.6 trillion yuan ($580 billion) in 2016 from an estimated 3 trillion yuan this year, according to Shanghai-based Internet consultant IResearch. Chinese firms led by Alibaba Group Holding Ltd., the nation’s biggest Internet company, have completed U.S. IPOs in the last year that raised a combined $28.8 billion, data compiled by Bloomberg show.
Shares of Tencent rose 1.2 percent, reversing earlier losses, to close at a record HK$161.80 in Hong Kong.
Meilishuo plans to nearly triple its transaction volume to 15 billion yuan this year, from 5.6 billion yuan in 2014, the brochure shows. It has raised five rounds of funding from investors including Tencent, China’s second-largest Internet company, as well as Sequoia Capital and Hillhouse Capital Group.
Jiang Xiaoci, a spokeswoman for Meilishuo, declined to comment while Canny Lo, a Shenzhen-based representative for Tencent, didn’t respond to an e-mail and mobile-phone text message seeking comment.


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Bertone Nuccio prototype costs 2 million euro for Chinese collector
Bertone could have found a potential buyer for their Nuccio concept, presented at the Geneva Motor Show last month. The edgy car shown in Switzerland was only a plastic and resin shell, the one showed at the Beijing Auto Show however is a real one-off prototype. Bertone CEO Marco Filippa told the press that close negotiations are indeed taking place, by adding that the asking price should be around 2 million euro. Bertone celebrates their 100th anniversary with the Nuccio concept this year, and the sale of the car is expected to take place after the annual Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in Monterrey in August. Technical details about the car have not been revealed yet, but it’s believed to be based on the Ferrari 430: a 4.3 L V8 with 480 hp will do the job.


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Published on April 1st, 2021 | by The GC Team0
HAPPY RETIREMENT: Stuart Cook’s last day as CEO of the industry’s principal buying group
CIH’s Stuart Cook is stepping down from his role as CEO from today (1st April), five months earlier than suggested when his intention to retire was announced in August 2020.
Former Samsung divisional VP Guy Kinnell, who was temporarily appointed to the role of Deputy CEO in September 2020, now steps into Cook’s shoes to take over his responsibilities after the two worked closely together to ensure a smooth transition for the business.
The seasoned chief of 16 years will, however, still be available as a “valuable source of wisdom and advice” on key projects as a home-based, part-time Strategic Advisor to the Executive Directors.
Cook joined CIH on 19th May 1997 as a brown goods buyer. He was promoted in March 1999 to Head of Purchasing and was asked to take on the role of acting CEO in September 2004. The Board approved him as CEO in April 2005.
CIH Chairman Steve Scogings praised Cook for his achievements during his two-and-half decades with CIH and his huge contribution to its success.
He added: “CIH is in a great place, and much of that is because of the vision, hard work and commitment that Stuart has shown to the business.
“Having established CIH as the major buying group in the sector, Stuart has built a tremendous platform from which Guy Kinnell, our new CEO, can successfully build the brand, supplier business and member benefits into the future.
“Since Guy joined as Deputy CEO in September, he and Stuart have worked closely together to ensure an orderly and seamless transition, and now is the right time for the formal changeover to take place.
“On behalf of everyone at CIH, I wish Stuart a long and very happy retirement.”


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Yes, Microsoft is supposed to acquire Nokia's Devices and Services unit in the first quarter of 2014, but before that happens the two companies are technically competitors. This fall, they will release the only two new Windows RT 8.1 tablets planned for 2013. Microsoft just launched the Surface 2 today and a few hours ago Nokia announced the long rumored Lumia 2520 for a release later this year.
While both tablets are running Windows RT 8.1, there are actually quite a few differences between the Lumia 2520 and the Surface 2 in terms of hardware features. Here's a quick look at some of the more important comparison points:


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Blackpool needs to provide 210 publicly accessible electric vehicle charging points by 2027, a new report has forecast.
Currently the town has just 30 sockets for public use which is the 25th lowest number out of all local authorities in the UK, according to a report by consultants City Science. City Science has produced a five year electric vehicle strategy for the council, which has been approved by members of the executive committee.
It says priorities include trialling on-street charge points for the 65 per cent of Blackpool residents who do not have their own driveways so cannot install private chargers. Lamp post chargers are among solutions put forward for those who rely on on-street parking.
READ MORE: Stunning Lancashire district named top place for half term 'staycation' in UK
Provision must also be made for Blackpool’s tourism industry as more visitors are expected to travel to the resort by electric vehicle in future. The town will have to look to car parks owned by the council, or privately owned such as by supermarkets and hotels, while charging points could also be installed in on-street parking bays.
The report says: “We anticipate that in 2027 23 per cent of vehicles owned in Blackpool will be an EV (electric vehicle). The key purpose of this strategy is preparing Blackpool for this transition by working towards ensuring there is adequate infrastructure to respond to demand.
“This will help future proof the economic well-being of the town by ensuring it can respond to visitor demand – which is of vital economic importance.” While the Government has set aside £500m to help local authorities deliver electric vehicle infrastructure, the report recommends the council work with private operators to attract investment.
Sites would include the council’s 22 car parks, some of the more than 1,000 on-street parking bays as well as chargers being provided at new developments such as Blackpool Central which will have 25 at the multi-storey car park currently under construction. Another proposal is for the 49 ultra rapid chargers planned for installation at Blackpool Transport’s Rigby Road bus depot to be shared with the public during the day.
Pressure on the existing energy network from the roll out of EV chargers also needs to be considered.
The report adds: “Blackpool Council has insufficient resources to address the EV infrastructure challenge alone, therefore collaboration across the public and private sector will be key to successful delivery. An important role for the council is therefore to cascade the vision outlined in this strategy and to initiate and harness partnership opportunities, utilising the forecasts as an evidence base for securing investment.”
City Science adds “the forecasts anticipate delivery of 210 charge points is required by 2027”, but suggests this number is reviewed annually “to ensure it reflects policy, societal and technological changes.”
- The sale of new petrol and diesel cars will be phased out by 2030.
- Battery-powered electric vehicles represented 17 per cent of all new car registrations in September 2022.
- Blackpool currently has low EV uptake with less than one per cent of privately registered vehicles in the town ULEVs (ultra low emission).
- Forecasts suggest this could rise to 23 per cent by 2027, and to 57 per cent in 2032, although those figures may now be affected by the economic downturn.
Rammed full 'in half an hour' - the chicken shop that Blackpool has been waiting for
- Blackpool Illuminations 2023 switch-on dates confirmed and will once again shine until January
- Premier Inn sale launched with rooms on offer for £8.50 per person
- Marvellous ice sculptures coming to Lytham's lost concrete mussel tanks
- Curious 'theme park' with dinosaurs and Iron Man Hulkbuster to take over Lancashire brewery car park


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TORONTO — GlobalData’s latest report, Cybersecurity in Foodservice – Thematic Research, has revealed that global cybersecurity revenues in the sector will grow from $1.2 billion in 2020 to $2.1 billion in 2025. This is growth is attributed to foodservice companies’ digital transformation, including online delivery, remote communication with employees and digitalizing supply-chain management.
“It’s likely that many consumers do not understand the dangers they face in providing foodservice enterprises with personal information. Their data is at risk of disclosure, use or access from hackers looking for financial gain or to further a geopolitical cause. For example, hackers behind a cyberattack on Domino’s India in 2021 put the personal data of over one million customers up for sale on the dark web,” says Jemima Walker, associate thematic analyst at GlobalData. “With cyberthreats evolving, foodservice companies will need to invest in their cybersecurity capabilities, especially as they face tighter regulations around reporting and managing data breaches, such as the EU’s proposed NIS2. That said, foodservice companies have a history of failing to follow existing data protection rules, with prominent examples including Dunkin’ Donuts’ transgression of New York’s data breach notification law.”
The growing array of managed assets, including infrastructure, applications, cloud services, data and POS devices, increases the number of entry points for hackers. To that end, securing operational technology (OT) will be just as important as safeguarding IT systems.
“It is easy to focus on protecting enterprise IT systems,” says Walker. “However, as foodservice companies digitally transform their operations, the volume of connected OT increases. Prone to ransomware attacks, foodservice companies need to invest in the cybersecurity of both their hardware and software. Meat supplier JBS’ ransomware attack in 2021 demonstrated that every company is vulnerable. It also reinforced the importance of having a board-approved strategy and plan in place in case of a ransomware attack and subsequent ransom demand.”


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As Kodak gently slips out of view, reader Rob Kaye sends a screenshot from his daughter's Kodak printer installation. Before she installs her ESP 5250 drivers the software advises her to print the instructions....
After months of trying to cajole the HP board into agreeing a deal, Xerox's CEO formally tables acquisition offer
Xerox CEO John Visentin brandishes the financing necessary to back Xerox's proposed takeover of HP Inc
HP Inc's board of directors believe that Xerox's offer significantly undervalues the PC and printer maker
Icahn, who actively opposed Michael Dell's 'privatisation' of Dell, owns 4.24 per cent stake in HP and more than ten per cent of Xerox
HP Inc is considering a 'business combination' proposal from Xerox


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What you need to know to rock your ecommerce sales after Brexit
No turning back. Article 50 triggered. Brexit. Now what? … ecommerce sellers may wonder. Currency fluctuations, (un)expected changes in legislation and other uncertainties will bring international sales opportunities and challenges. Online retailers must prepare.
How can you prepare your ecommerce business in the face of Brexit? To a big extent, it’s up to you whether this economic and political event will be your ecommerce blessing or curse. Read on.
Hello, it’s Brexit time… many ecommerce sellers have noticed…
… things have changed. On the one hand, the drop in the pound against other currencies has grown the number of orders for many UK retailers. On the other, British sellers importing from abroad may have seen much higher costs.
However, let’s not forget that these immediate effects are short-term results. It’s dangerous to assume that now everybody will be buying from British sellers because of the pound situation.
The long-term impact may be pretty destabilising for worldwide commerce. There’s also potential for new opportunities, making sellers come up with global solutions and resources. The new reality is likely to drive cross border trading even more, benefiting sellers and buyers alike.
Either way, we know nothing for certain.
Wouldn’t it be great, though, if there was a crystal ball predicting currency fluctuations and legislation changes? If you’re an online store owner, you’d surely like to know the post-Brexit future. Unfortunately, we’ve yet to find out the actual impact of this event.
In the meantime, some UK retailers have already experienced Brexit-related opportunities and challenges. Sometimes it’s a matter of timing and you may want to make hay while the sun shines. But you must be prepared and have an umbrella if it starts raining.
Brexit is in motion. International online retailers must prepare.
The official letter triggering Article 50 has been released. The UK has begun its journey of separating itself from Europe. Whether you feel that your personal or business story has been Brexit-affected, the transition time is not over.
There are a lot of questions. And one certainty: there is no turning back.
As the process of Brexit unfolds, the ecommerce world is looking closely at the political and economic changes. The following events will have an impact on the online sales sector in the UK, Europe and beyond.
Now is the time to prepare for what’s ahead in the coming months or years.
Let us give you yet another certainty: it’s not a good idea to leave your online store to chance. Much as the future is unknown, you can still do some preparation.
Brexit is here and worldwide ecommerce must embrace the new reality.
The weak pound makes many UK sellers stronger. Cheers to Brexit?
According to the recent IMRG MetaPack UK Delivery Index, UK retailers are experiencing a rise in international orders, with almost one third of all orders placed online in January sent abroad.
Retail orders in the UK rose by 11.3% in January 2017 and 32% of all orders were heading out of the UK. Of those orders, 59% were to countries in the EU.
The weak pound has made the UK a good-value-for-money shopping destination.
There was a big increase in orders going to non-EU destinations in the months after Brexit. The probable reason is the dollar gaining against the pound, which drove US demand. A similar rise in average order value has also been noted in the case of EU destinations.
Some retailers immediately became much more profitable, i.e. selling at the same euro/dollar price, with a higher margin.
The currency situation also provided the opportunity to stay more competitive by lowering euro/dollar prices according to the change in the pound.
But the weaker sterling also means higher costs.
Many ecommerce sites use US software, e.g. a hosting provider or a platform. When prices are charged in dollars, there’s an instant increase in costs when the pound is weak. For instance, London tech startups whose most new tech is built on Amazon Web Services, billed in dollars, have noticed increased costs already.
UK sellers primarily importing from the US have been negatively affected by the fall in the pound. For now this has been compensated by an increase in sales to the EU. But the long-term costs and gains are yet to be known.
Should ecommerce sellers worry about post-Brexit legislation?
The UK is known to be the most mature ecommerce market in Europe and one of the leaders in the digital economy. The EU is its biggest trading partner and a lot of UK-based companies are strongly linked to the EU and influenced by its legislation.
If after Brexit either the UK or the EU adopts new regulations, how will it impact sales? When Britain is no longer part of the single market, distance-selling regulations, such as duties and taxes, will be less straightforward. Among expected changes are the VAT regulations in the case of UK retailers selling to the EU.
Some retailers tend to perceive parts of the EU legislation as a cost with not enough benefits. For example, due to VAT law it may be easier to sell goods outside of continental Europe.
The UK’s own competition law can be adjusted when the country officially leaves the EU. Brands may have more opportunities when it comes to testing new products or promotions, giving consumers more choice.
Further, if there’s no competition from the EU, UK retailers may be able to raise prices. They may also be able to purchase from the cheapest markets. The UK can impose its own tariffs on imports.
Maybe the future has it that Britain will become very competitive in Europe. On the other hand, maybe geoblocking laws will stop Britain from being a low cost provider from the non-EU outside, forcing it to focus its efforts elsewhere. But again, we wish there was a crystal ball…
Brexit & international ecommerce sales
The weakened pound boosted sales in the UK as worldwide online buyers were shopping for deals. This increase in sales has been happening in line with the growing trend for cross-border ecommerce.
According to a report by the British Chamber of Commerce (BCC), UK exporters are feeling more and more confident about Britain leaving the EU. Many of them expect business opportunities to increase.
Since the currency fluctuations after the Brexit referendum, small manufacturers have been pretty successful becoming competitive abroad. According to the BCC’s report, around 16% more manufacturers reported increased exports.
On the other hand, according to a survey conducted by Global-E, more than 50% of UK retailers believe cross-border trading will be more complex when the country leaves the EU.
What’s driving hope when Brexit sends chills running down the spines of many entrepreneurs? The rise of global ecommerce and online technology along with a weakened pound that could ensure stable exports for smaller companies.
Brexit will have an enormous impact on the world economic landscape. However, despite the unknown…
… leaving the future to chance doesn’t sound like the best idea.
There are no straightforward answers, but …
It’s better for online retailers to act than react: look for solutions!
For now you may be tempted to feel that you’re off the hook. After all, the decreased Sterling value has driven cross-border sales, right?
Even though currency fluctuations may be favourable in some contexts now, this may be misleading in terms of long-term economic success. In other words, you must be prepared for different scenarios.
- You must stay on top as the events keep unfolding.
- You must follow ecommerce trends.
- You must be creative when looking for solutions.
For example, some sellers admit that they are considering incorporating their companies in Ireland to keep them inside the single market.
There isn’t one foolproof way. Neither is there a guarantee that the solution that appears the best now will be so 5 years down the line. But you must have options. You must have different alternatives. In colloquial terms, if one thing fails, you still have something else to hold onto.
The world of opportunity for ecommerce sellers is … the whole world.
Hence, why not expand the country portfolio where you sell your products? Grow your business outside the UK and Europe. Make your online store global or continue selling internationally. Not only is it your chance to multiply your revenue, but it can be your business first aid kit in case of an emergency.
For example, if one country stops being profitable for any reason at any point, you can investigate the situation in other markets to put in more effort where forecasts look most promising.
You must prepare your ecommerce business, technology and processes. This will help you make the most of new opportunities available on international markets.
Online store owners and marketplace sellers should definitely consider an international expansion of their ecommerce business. Automated ecommerce solutions enable them to instantly expand worldwide and boost their international online store and marketplace sales.
Interested in how to maximize your sales potential and provide your business with options when times are lean? Why not book a FREE demo during which our ecommerce specialist will show you what you can do to double your sales.
In a nutshell
Ecommerce sellers should stay aware of potential opportunities and challenges after Britain waves goodbye to Europe. Can we really predict what will happen? At the moment it’s more guesswork than a certain business prediction. Still…
The let’s-wait-and-see approach can result in lost profits and a long-term business failure.
Ecommerce sellers should embrace the upcoming changes and reevaluate the experience they offer to shoppers in Europe and beyond.
The current rise in sales due to the dramatic fall in the value of the pound shouldn’t be mistaken for the revival of the British economy. The fact is that the economic shocks may come to the surface when Brexit is the actual reality.
Make hay while the sun shines, but be prepared for a rainy day.
Further reading & other sources
Keep calm: your online sales will carry on after Brexit


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The jersey Kawhi Leonard wore in his first game with Los Angeles Clippers last week is up for sale.
NBA Auctions has launched a listing for the blue shirt Leonard donned against the Lakers on Opening Night of the 2019-20 season.
As of Tuesday afternoon, bidding had surpassed $9,000 with the auction scheduled to run through November 14.
Leonard scored 30 points, dished out five assists, grabbed six rebounds and added two steals and a blocked shot in the Clippers’ 112-102 win at STAPLES Center.
The Icon Edition jersey is a size 52 with six inches of extra length.
Just prior to the October 22 game, MeiGray Group and the Clippers announced a multi-year game-worn jersey deal that will put Clippers jerseys up for sale through MeiGray’s website and the NBA Auctions platform. The Leonard jersey and others sold through MeiGray/NBA Auctions are registered into the NBA and MeiGray Game-Worn Jersey Authentication Program’s database.
During the summer, Leonard’s Toronto Raptors jerseys from Games 1 and 3 of the 2019 NBA Finals sold for just over $50,000 while his Game 4 jersey reached $48,240.


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Finley Family Features Fun!
September 21, 2022
I was recently invited by Ken and Jeff Finley to attend a birthday party for Jeff and Lynette Finley's oldest grandchild who turned ten. The father-son team described the event as "our first trial run with real customers." They were referring to the upgrades Ken has added to his pumpkin patch down by the Milk River and Jeff's new Aisle 8 arcade gallery at the grocery store, featuring "16 vintage full-sized arcade games." The birthday party started at the pumpkin patch, finished up at the arcade in Finley's Food Farm grocery store in Chinook.
Both Jeff and Ken derive obvious pleasure by pro...


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Restaurants not reopening include 7075 Yankee Road in Liberty Twp. and 25 W 5th St. in downtown Cincinnati’s Carew Tower, as well as locations in Gahanna, Marysville and Urbana and two locations in Louisville, Kentucky (Bardstown Road and Fern Valley).
Employees at those locations have been invited to join nearby Frisch’s restaurants, the company said in a statement.
The 5,000-square-foot Liberty Twp. restaurant opened in August 2012.
Restaurants remaining open solely for drive-thru and carryout service include Germantown (1800 Germantown Road, Middletown); Hamilton Dixie (2949 Dixie Highway, Hamilton); Hamilton Avenue (11122 Hamilton Ave., Cincinnati); Moraine (2861 Wilmington Pike, Dayton); North College Hill (1575 W. Galbraith Road, Cincinnati); Price Hill (1001 Gest St., Cincinnati); Spring Grove (4645 Spring Grove Ave., Cincinnati).
Homa Moheimani, spokeswoman for the Ohio Restaurant Association, said this is “an unprecedented, difficult time” for everyone, the restaurant, service and hospitality industries included.
Since the March 15 temporary shutdown of indoor dining, no week has looked the same for the restaurant industry and owners have scrambled to shift their models to include carryout and curbside pickup, if they didn’t already have that in place, Moheimani said.
“It’s been a really challenging time,” she said.
Restaurants, she said, typically fall into one of three categories. Some locations are struggling or have completely shut down, while others are getting by with creative options, including offering groceries or special deals to generate business and are “doing OK but not thriving yet.”
The third category, she said, consists of restaurants that are thriving during coronavirus. Those locations, she said, typically already are fast casual places that could easily adapt to a changing business model or eateries that had delivery or carryout options already in place, Moheimani said.
Frisch’s isn’t the only restaurant chain shutting down locations with the sustained nature of the pandemic.
The parent company of Chuck E. Cheese has filed for Chapter 11 reorganization bankruptcy “in order to overcome the financial strain resulting from prolonged COVID-19 related venue closures” and to restore the kids-entertainment-and-pizza chain to a position of long-term success, according to a release from CEC Entertainment, Inc.
Three southwest Ohio Chuck E. Cheese venues are open and operating, including locations in Sharonville, Miamisburg and the Springfield area.
Those three locations are among 266 company-operated Chuck E. Cheese and Peter Piper Pizza restaurant and arcade venues that CEC Entertainment said it had “safely re-opened, in accordance with all CDC, federal, state and local guidelines,” according to a release.
But not all Chuck E. Cheese restaurants in Ohio will reopen. According to court documents from the U.S. Bankruptcy court in southern Texas, Chuck E. Cheese is stepping away from the leases of 34 “under-performing” locations nationwide, including one in Lima, as well as locations in Mansfield and one southeast of Columbus. Another 11 locations nationwide that shut down prior to coronavirus-related forced shutdowns will not be reopened, company officials said.
The Logan’s Roadhouse restaurant chain — which was facing serious financial obstacles even before the coronavirus pandemic — has permanently shut down one, and perhaps both, of its large Dayton-area restaurants.
The situation with the second Southwest Ohio location in Troy, is murkier, but the signs are not encouraging. Like the Miami Twp. location, it is no longer listed as a restaurant location on the Logan’s Roadhouse web site. The restaurant itself has multiple commercial realty signs recently installed around it indicating that the site is “Available.”


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In an extensive interview with Rolling Stone magazine earlier this month, Flappy Bird creator Dong Nguyen talked about how he was considering bringing the game back. Yesterday, the creator confirmed his plans of a comeback when replying to a fan on Twitter. The tweet was discovered by Gawker. Also Read - Best gaming laptops you can get under Rs 80,000 in October 2021: Asus, HP, Dell, moreAlso Read - Facebook's FB Gaming Press Start virtual event announced: First ever event for gamers in India
When a fan asked Nguyen if he plans on putting the wildly popular game back on the App Store, he replied, Yes. But not soon. In the interview with the magazine, Nguyen had revealed how at the height of the game s popularity he was minting nearly $50,000 per day. But not being able to cope with the attention the game brought him, and he decided to take it down. Since then, hundreds of clones have cropped up on the app stores trying to replicate the game s popularity. Also Read - Apple to soon enforce new App Store rules to streamline app account deletion: Report
It is unclear when Nguyen plans to relaunch the game, but when he does, it will come with a staunch warning Please take a break.
@painfullpacman Yes. But not soon.
— Dong Nguyen (@dongatory) March 19, 2014


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U.S. Consumers continued the trend of keeping their credit cards on ice, leading to a $3.28 billion drop in consumer credit levels in July. The reduction was the second straight decline in credit-card debt in almost a year, Bloomberg reported.
Many economists were predicting that consumer credit would rise by at least $9.1 billion,reported The Chicago Tribune. One of the largest decreases was in revolving credit—a category that includes credit card spending—which decreased by $4.82 billion, the largest decrease since April 2011, said the Federal Reserve.
While consumers generally see reducing their credit-card debt to be a good thing, economists view a household’s reluctance to take on more debt as a sign about a negative opinion of the state of the economy. The reduction in credit-card debt followed a lackluster jobs report on Friday and a recent report on the rise of in consumer pessimism, reported BusinessWeek.
Revolving credit has declined three of the last four months, which hasn’t happened since early 2011 and is something that the Tribune considers to be a sign of “wobbliness seen in the economy in recent months.” However, reductions in consumer credit do not necessarily reflect a decline in consumer spending. Retail sales rose 0.8%, twice the predicted rate, in July, reported Business Insider.


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Portland Mercado was robbed and vandalized early Monday morning, as first reported by KGW. Located at 7238 SE Foster Rd., the complex of Latino-owned businesses includes nine food carts, several brick-and-mortar retail shops, a cafe, and a bar, and speaking with Eater, Fernando Rodriguez, owner of the Fernando’s Alegria food cart, said eight carts were affected, with the vandals successfully breaking into six.
“People are upset because this is their neighborhood,” says Rodriguez. “I guarantee you the people who did this aren’t from here.”
Rodriguez estimates the carts have lost close to $25,000, and the Mercado has launched a crowd sourcing campaign to help it rebound. The vandals got inside the food carts by prying open the doors, and it appears they were harmed in the process, with traces of blood at the scene. Police are currently investigating the break-in. The Portland Mercado also has video cameras that likely captured the act.
Opening in 2014, the Portland Mercado promotes a family-friendly, community-driven atmosphere, and Rodriguez says he’s afraid the break-in could destroy all the businesses have been working toward.
“If people think the area is dangerous, they won’t come,” says Rodriguez. He says the biggest setback for the small business owners operating at the Mercado is the loss of sales from being closed. For now, this includes hiring a security guard, rebuilding, and reopening as soon as possible. “We hope to have all of the food carts back open by Thursday,” says Rodriguez.


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Welcome to the Ampersand Blog
The peeps at Kel & Partners have a lot to say. After all we are public relations and social media zealots who thrive on sharing interesting news and great stories with the public. The Ampersand Blog is really the voice of our Peeps – the kick-ass team of people that work at K&P. Whether it’s a story about the way PR works NOW, the social media universe, our families, beloved pets or quirky travel experiences, you’ll find it all right here. You may laugh, you may cry, but the best part is you’ll leave feeling “wicked smaht” as we like to say here in Boston.
Archive for the ‘Advertising’ Category
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Alexis Eliopoulos | Friday, February 21, 2014 16 Comments
Beyoncé Changing The Way of Music?
Each morning I stroll through my emails and check social media for any overnight excitement. One particular Friday morning while strolling through Instagram, I saw Beyoncé’s name in pink with the caption, “Surprise” and proceeded to watch the video announcing her latest album including 14 songs and 17 videos. I’m sorry – is this real?
It was real, and Queen B decided to launch her album on social media without any advance warning. According to Mashable, the surprise album generated 5,300 tweets per minute and spiked more than 1,300% mentions on Facebook. As a PR professional, my immediate thought was, “Beyonce just took traditional PR and Social promotion to the next level…and killed it. Typically before an album release, artists drop their single on the radio and begin media tours for at least 2-3 months prior to the release. They hit the national TV circuit, appear on magazine covers, and try to maximize publicity for their upcoming album with tactics including highly-visible PR stunts. For example, Miley Cyrus gave a memorable VMA performance in preparation for her “Bangerz” album release. However, Beyoncé wanted to do something different.
In the only press release issued after the album went on sale, Beyoncé said the following, “I didn’t want to release my music the way I’ve done it, I am bored with that.” Beyoncé – and her genius team – took control of the power of social media and made a direct connection with her audience. The album sold 80,000 copies in the first three hours and continues to dominate sales. While the initial shock of this “surprise” release has subsided, it has earned its spot in history. It will not be soon forgotten, and should serve to inspire others brands to “kick it up” when it comes to how they approach product promotions and leverage social media as much as possible.
Do you think social media will change the entertainment industry?Read more
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Jayne Seward | Friday, January 24, 2014 23 Comments
Top PR Blunder Of 2013: Lululemon’s Founder Strikes Foot-In-Mouth Pose
While perusing through Business Insider’s end-of-the-year stories, one specific headline caught my attention: Max Nisen’s “The 5 Biggest PR Blunders Of 2013”. From Chick-fil-A’s inauthenticity to Carnival hiding at the top, Nisen hit the nail on the head with his list. But the one blunder that really struck a cord with me was his #2 choice: ‘Lululemon: Shifting the blame’. As a PR professional and Lululemon customer, this was one communication crisis from 2013 that is hard to forget.
Lululemon founder and chairman Chip Wilson ignited a social media frenzy last November after telling Bloomberg TV that “quite frankly, some women’s bodies just actually don’t work,” in reference to criticisms that Lululemon’s pants were too sheer. Numerous media outlets picked up the story, and Twitter erupted with responses to Wilson’s “fat-shaming” comments.
Although I think we can all agree that his statement was offensive, what made the whole situation worse happened when he released an ‘apology’ for his actions on YouTube that has since been deleted from the company’s YouTube page. Many believed the apology was insincere, and ABC News noted, “It seems like he [was] saying I’m sorry I got caught, but I’m not sorry I said it.”
In many ways, how Wilson handled the situation showed us how not to handle a PR crisis situation. Here are a few things we can take away from this situation as we begin a new year in crisis communications:
- Think Before Speaking – All company spokespeople should think carefully before they speak – especially in our media-happy world where anything can be shared by anyone.
- Tell The Truth – Always be honest and speak the truth to your customers and to the public. Own up to mistakes if you’ve made them, and cite specific actions you’re going to take to remedy them. Being truthful and authentic can go a long way.
- Tell It Fast – Wilson waited four days before issuing an apology. Responding immediately could have lessened the blow in this instance, and it’s critical to act quickly when in a crisis situation.
Business Insider also summed up the overarching PR lesson that can be learned from this quite well: “Don’t blame customers for your mistakes, and know when to shut up!”
Do you think Chip Wilson has made the situation better or worse by attempting to apologize for the comments he made on television?Read more
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Anna McCarter | Friday, December 13, 2013 31 Comments
A Nostalgic Look at Some of Our Favorite Holiday Commercials
The holiday season is upon us and with it comes a new crop of holiday-themed commercials. This year, you’ll find Taylor swift and Justin Bieber making an appearance in a celebrity-filled Macy’s holiday commercial. You may have also seen the group of pant-less men “jingling their bells” in the risqué Kmart commercial. Companies put a lot of creativity (and money) behind their holiday advertisements, as it’s a key window to drive retail sales, but consumers more often remember the particularly heart-warming ads far beyond the season – sometimes for many years to come. In honor of the holiday season, let’s take a moment to look at some commercials of holidays past, which have become holiday classics.
Who can forget the bright red Coca-Cola holiday trucks that lit up the night? As a true “Americana” brand, Coca Cola does a great job of associating their product with family traditions like waiting up for Santa – or in this case, waiting for the red Coca Cola trucks coming to town.
In the early 1990s, Folgers Coffee pulled at our heartstrings with the “Peter Comes Home for Christmas” commercial. Folgers incorporated the
classic scene of a person waking up to the smell of a fresh brewed pot of coffee. But on Christmas morning, the version is extra special with Peter’s surprise return home. This ad reminded us that no matter how many presents are under the tree, having your family home for the holidays is always the greatest gift. And of course, it reminded us that Folgers Coffee is perhaps “the best part of wakin’ up” on Christmas morning.
Campbell’s hit one out of the park with their melting snowman commercial from 1998. As the snowman eats the soup, you see the snow melt away to reveal a young boy underneath. The commercial is clever, and most importantly, it makes you want to warm up with a bowl of Campbell’s soup after watching it. Their tagline says it all: “Nothing melts away the cold like a delicious bowl of hot chicken noodle soup.”
In December, most people watch classic movies like “A Christmas Story” or “It’s A Beautiful Life” to get in the holiday spirit. In a similar way, these older commercials stir up holiday excitement and make us nostalgic for seasons past. What are some of your favorite holiday commercials from over the years?
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kandpeeps | Friday, June 1, 2012 13 Comments
Can you imagine a world without Facebook?
My eyes were glued to the TV as I watched Mark Zuckerberg ring the NASDAQ opening bell and expose his company to further public scrutiny. For many looking to make a quick buck off of the IPO, Facebook has thus far looked like a dud. With stocks plummeting, critics of Facebook are proclaiming “I told you so” and quickly writing off this American success story. I can’t wait to tell the speculators “I told you so.”
See, I’m a child of the social generation. I’m not a financial advisor, nor am I an expert on everything tech. However, when Google went public in 2004, I could have told you it would be a great investment. When Apple was on the brink of collapse, I could have mentioned that they had the capability of really kicking butt. And with Facebook going public now, I’m telling you that Facebook will be around for the next 50 years.
The main critique of Facebook is that it’s just a social networking platform that won’t be able to deliver real value. It’s an understandable stance. After GM ended its agreement with Facebook for paid ads, the very prospect of Facebook ads being worthwhile for businesses came into question. If a large company can’t profit off of its advertisements, how can a small business?
With 85% of Facebook’s revenues coming from advertisements, weakness in the system is undoubtedly a bit scary. The roughly 1 billion unique users inhabiting the Facebook-world are still hard to monetize.
With news of Facebook’s overvaluation, investors are reasonably skeptical towards Facebook’s exact worth. But should they bet against the 800-pound gorilla?
The Future (my fearless forecast)
If we take a moment to remember, “Rome wasn’t built in a day,” then we appreciate that Facebook is still gaining its legs. Facebook has already shifted the world.
After all, it was Facebook that piqued my interest in Public Relations and later Social Media. It was Facebook that filled my college days with event invitations to parties. It was Facebook that started revolutions and unified people against tyrannical governments. When a government completely forbids their populace from using a social networking site, there is definitely something special.
It is Facebook that is working to determine presidential elections. It is Facebook that connects family members worldwide. It is Facebook that allows users to actively participate in conversations around the World Wide Web. It is Facebook that will continue to change the social landscape for years to come. And it is Facebook that does not yet know its own potential.
And how will Facebook do it?
The potential of f-commerce (Facebook Commerce) to track data and optimize it for individual users is mind-blowing. Businesses will be able to reach ~1B users and sell merchandise directly through Facebook. Slowly, users are accepting that Facebook caters advertisements to interest and search history. Once Facebook finds a way to remove the taboo of being a social media site and harnesses its mobile potential, it will explode financially.
With all the comparisons to Myspace’s gigantic fall from grace, there is one big reason that Facebook won’t fail. It has time.
Facebook has what all businesses seek: a user base that is incredibly loyal. As much as people dislike the changes that Facebook makes to its platform, they always stay. The prospect of a gigantic user-base and technological advancements prepare Facebook for future progress.
This preparation for the future will work well as Facebook emerges as much more than a website. Think once again of the two tech companies that come to mind first, Apple and Google. Apple is now much more than a computer company (iPad, iPhone, iPod, iMac) and Google is much more than a search engine (Android operating system, Google+, Google Docs, Google Maps, Google Glasses).
Apple’s CEO, Tim Cook, told investors that ‘the one company closest to being like Apple is Facebook. And just today, Apple announced a partnership to build Facebook into their iOS 6 software.
So why are we betting against Facebook?
If you are a business owner, you probably would love the ability to do these things at a fraction of the cost
- Cater ads by interest and location
- Sell items to interested parties
- Create promotions
- Find new customers
- Interact with happy and disgruntled users
- Send messages to followers
However, Facebook does not just help businesses; it also educates the user on new products and allows for feedback that traditional media do not allow. After all, we trust our peers much more than we trust advertisements.
In the end
I’m putting my eggs in the Facebook basket. I’m no financial advisor, but I do see the potential of Facebook to continue to drastically change the worldwide business environment. Does this mean that Facebook will transfer into immediate justification of the $38.00 per share? Absolutely not, but I’ll leave it at this: I’m not betting against the social giant.
It may be a hunch, but can you see a world without Facebook?Read more
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Deirdre Carey | Friday, April 15, 2011 17 Comments
Pink Toes – Oh No!
Have you seen the new J. Crew ad called “Saturday with Jenna?” OMG – it is causing quite a stir! The ad was featured recently on the Today Show, and has taken center stage on talk shows, in newspaper headlines & blog posts.
The “controversial” ad, which was emailed to customers, shows one of J. Crew’s top creative directors, Jenna Lyons, painting her young, toe-headed son Beckett’s tootsies hot pink. Clearly mom and son appear to be giggling and having some fun!
The caption below the picture reads, “Lucky for me I ended up with a boy whose favorite color is pink. Toenail painting is way more fun in neon.”
So why does the pink polish have some many parents & doctors seeing red?
“This is a dramatic example of the way that our culture is being encouraged to abandon all trappings of gender identity,” psychiatrist Dr. Keith Ablow wrote in a FoxNews.com Health column about the ad.
Media Research Center’s Erin Brown agreed, calling the ad “blatant propaganda celebrating transgendered children.”
“Not only is Beckett likely to change his favorite color as early as tomorrow, Jenna’s indulgence (or encouragement) could make life hard for the boy in the future,” Brown wrote in an opinion piece Friday. “J.CREW, known for its tasteful and modest clothing, apparently does not mind exploiting Beckett behind the facade of liberal, transgendered identity politics.”
Really people? Really?
Personally, I find it a bit comical that people are in such an uproar about this. But we’re all entitled to our own opinions, right??
But, I have to say, I’m with J. Lo and Gwen Stefani on this one – “it’s only paint, people!” Let kids explore, be creative, and express themselves! Last week I bought my 13 year old son a pink Abercrombie shirt to match a pair of very stylish plaid shorts, and didn’t give it a second thought. You know what I think? BIG DEAL!
So what do you think? Do you feel this ad promotes gender identity confusion in our kids? What will become of poor pretty-in-pink-toed Beckett?
Would love to hear your thoughts!Read more


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Let the speculation begin! With HR 3606, the Jumpstart Our Business Startups (JOBS) act, officially signed into law, innovative start-ups can now leverage crowdfunding to bring their ideas to market. So what does the post-JOBS world look like? Lots of people are going to be adding their own speculation over the next couple of months while the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) finalizes its crowdfunding regulations, but here is my take: Incubators will be the new venture capitalists.
Right now, we have a world where a small number of very large Limited Partnerships (LPs) are constantly on the lookout for seemingly smart people to invest their money for them. These funds claim expertise on the basis of forward-looking investment theses and their track record of success.
With crowdfunding in the game, we’ll see a significant uptick in the amount of “dumb money” floating around, looking for a way to get on the Next Big Thing. This in turn creates huge demand for smart signals. As a result, there will be an explosion of new groups, each vying to be that signal that brings the crowd flocking in. In this early “gold rush” phase, the standouts will be the ones with demonstrable track records; in particular, the Y Combinator/TechStars model will have the early lead.
Why? As we’ve already seen, mobile, social and web apps can scale quickly on short money; good signaling and networking go a long way. With these sorts of businesses, crowdfunding can literally build a company out of nothing.
Let’s examine some other ideas:
Vetting: Some groups want to just focus on due diligence. The problem is that at the very early stage, there just isn’t enough material to vet. Even the kinds of startups that crowdfunding is perfect for (using the crowd for that first $1M raise, rather than the traditional angel investors) still need propellant and guidance.
Crowdfunding Forums: We’re already seeing the launch of dedicated crowdfunding exchanges; ultimately, one of these will end up as the NYSE of crowdfunding. Will it be yours? Probably not. There will be a proliferation, format war and ultimate consolidation over time, but different forums may stay fragmented for some time, and individual “signaling groups” will probably try to retain their own platforms for as long as possible.
Will Crowdfunding Threaten Venture Capital? No way. Why? Because of VC’s ability to follow on. While some commentators feel that crowdfunding has a clear advantage, startups will still need to draw on VC in order to raise additional capital past that initial investment. Too, VC benefits from the de-risking effects that large influxes of crowdsourced early-stage investment bring to the table.
And just to bring it back down to earth: remember that the SEC will try its hardest to keep a tight leash on crowdfunding efforts. Opening early-stage investment to the masses runs the risk of allowing a lot of people to lose a lot of money, a fact SEC regulators are keenly aware of.
[This article is cross-posted at BostInno.com.]


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A post on McDonald's corporate Twitter account caused a stir Thursday morning, denigrating President Trump and calling for Barack Obama's return. The tweet was only up for around 20 minutes — but in that time, it was liked and retweeted more than a thousand times.
"You are actually a disgusting excuse of a President and we would love to have @BarackObama back," said the tweet that was briefly pinned to the top of the McDonald's page. It concluded, "also you have tiny hands."
An early message to McDonald's seeking comment wasn't immediately answered; more than an hour after the incident, the company said that its Twitter account "was compromised."
Twitter notified us that our account was compromised. We deleted the tweet, secured our account and are now investigating this.
— McDonald's (@McDonaldsCorp) March 16, 2017
Saying that Twitter had informed the company of the breach, McDonald's adds, "We deleted the tweet, secured our account and are now investigating this."


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Windows 10 admins report on Reddit that printer issues have arisen on Ricoh, Canon, Panasonic, and Brother printers after installing the June 9 Patch Tuesday updates KB4560960 for Windows 10 1903 to 1909 and KB4557957 for Windows 10 2004.
We came across this as well – broke our fax “printer”
For those familiar, we use Faxability.
What was the fix? Did you have to roll back the patch @Allan?
@Nic I did - it has been rolled back and ignored. I saw this morning that Microsoft released an out-of-band patch yesterday to address the printing issues, but I haven’t tested it. (KB4567512)
Glad to hear it was a (relatively) simple fix!
We had a couple of receipt printer that stopped working. We ended up swapping USB ports to get them to work again.


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Lisa Parks had to transform Brut Wine Bar in Astoria into primarily a retail wine shop after the coronavirus pandemic made it unfeasible to let people drink inside her thin slot of a storefront. A couple upside-down garbage cans and chairs outside the front door this spring allowed Parks to let up to two groups sit down outside with glasses of vino.
Parks and other business owners along 10th Street have expanded parklets and other outdoor seating during the pandemic in a bid to enliven their corridor and draw more foot traffic.
Astoria allowed parklets, a temporary enclosed seating area set in a parking spot, to help businesses limited in capacity by the coronavirus. Other cities have gone even further, shutting down entire rows of parking spots and streets for restaurant seating.
Blaylock’s Whiskey Bar was one of the first to be approved to build a parklet on 13th Street. Co-owner Michael Angiletta called the additional outdoor seating a game-changer.
“It enables us to serve more people while we are operating at reduced capacity,” he said. “And … regardless of Oregon restrictions, it gives us an awesome staging area on the weekends where customers can sip on a cocktail outside while a table becomes available inside.”
Kendall Padgett-McEuen and partner Wade Padgett opened The Green Door Cafe in November on 10th Street in between Duane and Commercial streets, to main commercial thoroughfares downtown along with Marine Drive. The couple created a mostly to-go operation in the midst of virus restrictions on indoor dining. Soon thereafter, they applied with the city for a parklet that started going up this month.
“I’m excited that it’s going to make our cafe more visible from Commercial and Duane streets,” Padgett said.
Padgett-McEuen said she is particularly excited about the resurgence of 10th Street because most of the businesses along the corridor are at least partially owned by women.
Down the street is the Italian-themed Gaetano’s Market & Deli, owned by Rachel Gaetano, her brother, Matthew Gaetano, and his wife, Julie Hoffman. The market recently put out some stools and barrels in its own effort to attract more people to the sidewalks.
Rachel Gaetano said many of their customers had wanted a place to sit and eat the sandwiches at the market. But the storefront has no readily available bathroom required for indoor dining.
“We called the city and she said they are being pretty lenient on it right now because of COVID, so we thought we should just do it while that was the case,” she said.
There is a growing sense of partnership among 10th Street businesses that hope to match the activity of 11th Street, where the city’s first parklet was installed across from Astoria Coffeehouse & Bistro, and where a food cart pod creates a large amount of foot traffic.
Across the street from Brut is Merry Time Bar & Grill, owned by Todd and Terry Robinett. With several picnic tables already installed outside the bar, the couple surrendered their approved parklet permit to the city so Parks could move forward with hers. Parks hoped to have the parklet installed this month, adding space for another six to eight people to sit outside.
“For me, it’s a game-changer,” Parks said. “It will allow Brut to be open.”
Parks, who offers a small selection of snacks at Brut, hopes to partner with other eateries along 10th Street to bring in food for people enjoying a glass of wine. She’s excited about how all the new outdoor seating will work together.
“You’re going to look down 10th Street and see a lot of people having fun outside, and you’ll want to go to 10th Street,” she said.


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It is a common knowledge that there is an immense truck driver shortage in the US. As of 2015, it is estimated that the truck driver shortage is about 35,000. This is all despite the fact that trucking carriers are ramping up efforts to hire new drivers immediately. At this current rate, the truck driver shortage can increase tenfold within the next decade. Trucking companies are having a tough time attracting new drivers. And many older drivers are retiring.
While it seems like that trucking companies are going to be directly impacted by the shortage, another industry in transportation will also face limitations: intermodal. Yes, even rail shipping will be hurt from a truck driver shortage.
Intermodal is growing in popularity in the US among supply chains. In 2014, intermodal grew by 5.2%. As the volumes for intermodal increase, trucking is still the dominant mode of domestic transportation. More companies are investing millions into rail companies. And diesel fuel prices are impacting it as well.
Recently, the Journal of Commerce provided some insight on this issue. The overall truck driver shortage means that there is a drayage driver shortage. This is preventing intermodal shipping from growing in the US. In addition, congested terminals are limiting the scope of intermodal. Plus, many rail yards operate on limited hours for drivers. Thus, the combination of these problems results in intermodal issues across the board. Concerned shippers should consult their freight forwarder if they are worried about their intermodal or freight trucking shipments.


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Going into the Miami boat shows, economic uncertainty was again in the air, ratcheted up this time by concerns about the degree to which global economic problems might weigh on U.S. growth.
Letters from the Editor
So what are buyers looking for in a new boat today? Value? Innovation? Performance? All three and more, perhaps?
It’s prediction time once more.
Who isn’t rooting for a successful comeback from Bertram? The iconic brand was such a big part of this industry, starting in the early fiberglass years, that it seemed a shame to watch it wither away. And the deep-vee hull that Dick Bertram built his company’s smooth-riding reputation on (kudos to designer Ray Hunt) is…more
Boats are to our industry what elephants are to a circus. They’re the big draw, the main attraction.
The waters in the waning weeks of summer were brimming with boats. Warm, dry weather in the Northeast and elsewhere brought out boaters by the score. The fact that Labor Day weekend gasoline prices were as low as they’ve been in 11 years didn’t hurt, either.
The conversation took place maybe a dozen or more years ago at a Trade Only roundtable meeting at the Miami boat show. We were having a discussion with industry leaders on a wide range of issues, including the ascendancy of the baby-boom generation.
We casually toss around words like innovation, quality and adaptability today as if they were so much small change. But how many companies are really doing the hard work of innovation?
The question has been on the table for some time: What happens when the members of the large generation of baby-boom boaters swallow their collective anchors and exit stage left?
I was having dinner recently with an industry veteran when he shifted the trajectory of our conversation and said, “You know, Bill, you and I are stuck in this industry. We’re lifers. We’re not going anywhere.”


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Klarpay Expands Global Payment Offering With 13 New Currency Accountsby Fintechnews Switzerland February 2, 2023
Business payments platform Klarpay announced the expansion of its international payment offering with the launch of 13 new currency IBAN accounts.
The currencies include United Arab Emirates Dirham (AED), Australian Dollar (AUD), Canadian Dollar (CAD), Danish Krone (DKK), Hong Kong Dollar (HKD), Hungarian Forint (HUF), Japanese Yen (JPY), Mexican Peso (MXN), Norwegian Krone (NOK), Polish Zloty (PLN), Swedish Krona (SEK), Turkish lira (TRY), and South African Rand (ZAR).
With the introduction of these new currency accounts, Klarpay’s customers will now be able to conduct business more efficiently in multiple countries and currencies.
This move follows the launch of USD and GBP accounts in 2022.
“We are excited to offer our customers even more options for conducting cross-border transactions.
Our goal is to empower businesses of all sizes to reach new markets and customers, and these new currency accounts are an important step in achieving that goal.”
said Martynas Bieliauskas, CEO of Klarpay.


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After successfully staging the first ever “MADS FASHION EXPO” a year ago at Miracle Center Cathedral in Rubaga, the show is making a return tomorrow.
Organised by MADS Company: a youth organization and ministry under the Robert Kayanja Ministries, the fashion show will also be celebrating its second anniversary.
The day’s activities include the millionaire’s walk, basketball, netball and volleyball tournaments, and a fashion showcase. The day’s activities kick off from 9:00am at no cost for revelers.
The Fashion runway show starts at 7:00pm till late where the youth league of the church will be hitting the runway, showcasing different designs by selected designers. These will include Amavix Fashion, Marvin Kampala, Tu Cute, Micky Designs, King style by Caesar and House of Agwa
The show will also feature a panel of judges, including renowned model scout and manager, Joram Muzira Job, Fashion Designer Brenda Maraka and Runway model Reagan Abdul Rahim. Different models shall win prizes and a panel of distinguished fashion judges shall award designers in various categories.
The renowned hair guru, Hair by Zziwa will also be on board for the project, as the model’s hair stylist of the day and Trilux Hair and Beauty studio will be the Makeup artistes at the event.
The show aims to provide a Christian inspired platform for the youth to embrace fashion and style and to nurture a Christian youth inspired fashion industry.


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Is Steak n Shake considered fast food?
Typical restaurant locations have sit-down, drive-thru and front-window service, resulting in a hybrid of fast-food to-go service and diner-style sit-down service. Many Steak ‘n Shake restaurants are open 24 hours a day, seven days per week. … The “Steak” in the restaurant name comes from that menu item.
Why is Steak n Shake closing so much?
Steak ‘n Shake has been permanently closing locations all year due to the pandemic. … “The COVID-19 pandemic has adversely affected our restaurant operations and financial results,” Biglari Holdings said in a filing.
Can you eat inside at Steak and Shake?
Steak ‘n Shake will eliminate table service and transform to a quick-service restaurant model. … With its dining rooms closed, Steak ‘n Shake has relied on drive-thru, delivery and takeout during the pandemic. Biglari wrote the chain saw a 14.3% increase in off-premises sales last year.
Is steak better than burgers?
A hamburger consists of ground beef using various meats from a cow. Although steak comes from the same animal, you get a better grade of meat with a steak patty. … Most steak patties are leaner with a lower fat content than beef patties, and they will dry out quickly if you don’t cook them properly.
Why are burgers bad for you?
Science says that junk foods are full of calories, fat and excess sodium and having it even once can be bad for your health. For example, a single hamburger contains 500 calories, 25 grams of fat, 40 grams of carbs, 10 grams of sugar, and 1,000 milligrams of sodium, which is enough to cause havoc in your system.
Is Steak n Shake debt free?
“Contrary to Steak n Shake’s position, Steak n Shake is not ‘debt-free’ and the credit facility with the lenders has not been ‘retired’ because there are millions of dollars in outstanding ‘obligations’ that Steak n Shake still owes to the lenders and Wilmington under the credit agreement,” the company said in a filing …
Are Steak n Shake going out of business?
Steak ‘n Shake permanently closed at least 82 locations in 2020, some cited for poor performance, with some funds from sold stores going to the implementation of the new service model. Fifty-seven locations remain temporarily closed, but the company said it intends to reopen most of them.