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‘The Maserati 100’ – a definitive list of Britain’s most successful business leaders actively supporting the next generation of entrepreneurs has been announced by Maserati and the Centre for Entrepreneurs (CFE).
A diverse and vibrant array of established entrepreneurs feature in the inaugural 100 list, highlighting the strength and tenacity of modern British entrepreneurialism. Those featured in the list included:
- Julie Deane creator of The Cambridge Satchel Company who is committed to preserving British manufacturing by taking on apprentices and encouraging young people to embrace craftsmanship.
- Sir Charles Dunstone, founder of The Carphone Warehouse and chairman of TalkTalk Group who is also Chairman of The Princes’ Trust Enterprise Fellowship.
- And, one of Britain’s best-known entrepreneurs; Richard Branson whose wide means of support for entrepreneurs includes Virgin StartUp, a non-profit company offering financial support and business mentoring to thousands of young businesses.
The search for the prestigious Maserati 100 was launched at the end of last year as part of the Italian car brand’s centennial year celebrations. In partnership with the Centre for Entrepreneurs members of the business community were invited to nominate the individuals who they felt should be recognised for their support of the next generation of entrepreneurs.
Whilst almost 50% of those included in the list originate from the technology sector, the rich diversity of British entrepreneurs means that the other half comes from a variety of sectors including fashion, food and drink, travel, events and sport.
Critiqued by an expert panel from the Centre for Entrepreneurs to reach the final one hundred names, the full Maserati 100 list can be found on a dedicated website: www.themaserati100.co.uk. On Thursday 26th February, Maserati will bring the group of one hundred individuals together for an exclusive evening celebration hosted at the home of the Centre for Entrepreneurs in London’s Mayfair.
Luke Johnson, serial entrepreneur and founder of the Centre for Entrepreneurs, said: “Entrepreneurs have long been celebrated for their role as job creators – indeed UK entrepreneurs have created more jobs in the past five years than the rest of the EU combined – but their deep commitment to helping others often goes unnoticed. The Maserati 100 exemplifies the economic and social value of entrepreneurs; growing the economy, creating jobs and helping the next generation do the same.”
Peter Denton, Region Manager, Maserati North Europe, said: “Maserati was born from the entrepreneurial spirit of five brothers 100 years ago. Today, the Centre for Entrepreneurs actively encourages and supports that same drive and ambition. It is important to recognise the valuable work Britain’s entrepreneurs are doing for the country’s economy, which is why ‘The Maserati 100′ acknowledges those established names who are now generously giving their time and resource to support the next generation of business founders.”
Since Maserati partnered with the Centre for Entrepreneurs in the summer of 2014 the marque has supported the business think tank on a number of events and projects including support in a recent key study on Angel Investors.


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Dr. Abelardo Pérez presented layer farm trial resulting in a 4:1 ROI using an Amlan performance additive program
CHICAGO – March 26, 2019 — At the recent Aviespecialistas de Mexico (AVEM) International Congress 2019, Amlan International presented trial results from a commercial layer producer’s implementation of an Amlan feed additive program that increased production and resulted in a return on investment of 4 to 1. Amlan, a global leader in the development of natural, innovative products that improve intestinal health and productivity in livestock, participated as an exhibitor and technical guest speaker at AVEM, held March 12–14 in Queretaro, Mexico.
The Amlan product portfolio featured at AVEM included performance feed additives, Varium™ for poultry feed efficiency and Calibrin®-Z for biotoxin control. Amlan International’s Poultry Advisor for Mexico, Dr. Abelardo Pérez H., MVZ, participated in the event’s technical seminar by presenting “Increased Layer Production Performance in the Field: Results using Varium and Calibrin-Z.” His talk highlighted a trial where Varium was used during the pullet-rearing age followed by the inclusion of Calibrin-Z until the end of layer production. The program resulted in increased production performance and improved return on investment.
“Producers have seen positive results in challenge reduction and improved feed efficiency in the poultry industry, both in clinical and on-farm trials, proving the efficacy and safety of our natural feed additive programs,” stated Justino Hernandez, Country Manager for Amlan in Mexico. “The trial presented by Dr. Pérez demonstrated that Varium and Calibrin-Z used consecutively provided significant overall health benefits for layer producers, leading to stronger economic performance.”
AVEM is known in the Mexican veterinary community as one of the most important poultry congresses in the country, and it attracts over 800 veterinarian and nutritionist attendees. The three-day event explored many topics related to poultry health and production and new products on the market, including the latest solutions for antibiotic-free production.
For more detailed product information, visit bioinsightsaml.wpengine.com. Contact us to today to set up a trial of our efficiency support programs.
ABOUT AMLAN INTERNATIONAL
Oil-Dri Corporation of America (NYSE: ODC), a Delaware corporation doing business as “Amlan International,” has grown its product offering across the intestinal health and antibiotic growth promoter (AGP)-alternative market, driven largely by the research conducted at its laboratory campus in Vernon Hills, Illinois. In 2017, the company added the Richard M. Jaffee Laboratory for Applied Microbiology to the campus. In 2013, the company’s global reach expanded with the establishment of its subsidiary in Shenzhen, China. Further information on Amlan International is available at Amlan.com.
Amlan International sells animal health products outside of the United States. Product-associated claims may differ based on government requirements, and product availability may vary by country.
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The seven products including sacred Zam-Zam water prohibited from being exported from Saudi Arabia to another country, Al Watan reported.
The Saudi Exports Development Authority has asked project and company owners to be aware of seven products prohibited of exportation from the Kingdom before exporting.
There are seven products in the prohibition list, in which infant milk and natural sand are highest on the restricted list.
The list of goods prohibited as per the kingdom’s legislation is:
– Zam-Zam water
– Infant milk in all its forms
– Natural sand and mineral enriched sand
– Livestock and horses of all breeds (male or female)
– Poultry feed
– Natural gas barrels


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The main owners of construction company Mospromstroi have bought the city of Moscow's share of the firm for $99 million, according to a City Hall official and a company executive.
The shareholders had a pre-emptive right to buy the city's stake, the official said.
The main owner of Mospromstroi is Mikhail Shishkhanov's Bin Group. The city government owned 24.5 percent of the company. The package was valued at 3.1 billion rubles ($99.7 million), and the company should transfer that amount the city within days, the city official said. A Bin Group spokesman neither confirmed nor denied the information.
The General Directorate for Industrial Construction in Moscow — Glavmospromstroi — was established in 1972 and reorganized into Mospromstroi in 1990. The company now controls more than 20 general contractors and specialized companies. Among the buildings they have been responsible for are the Christ the Savior Cathedral, the Ice Palace and the Victory Memorial on Poklonnaya Hill.
Binbank became the principal owner of Mospromstroi in 2006. Binbank president Shishkhanov said he intended to invest up to $1 billion at the time in Mospromstroi projects. The company then owned three hotels under Marriott management, two managed by Holiday Inn — on Lesnaya Ulitsa and Sushchyovsky Val — and was building a hotel in Sokolniki. Now the company has seven hotels.
Mospromstroi chief executive Boris Guretsky said the company is currently building seven residential complexes, electric train depots at Pechatniki and Mitino, the Dynamo complex and other projects. The company's volume of orders for 2012, he said, has increased to 26 billion rubles from 12 billion rubles this year.
Last week, a Shishkhanov structure bought the hotel National from the city for 4.67 billion rubles. Earlier, the businessman bought 49 percent of Dekmos, which owns the hotel Moskva. In early December, Shishkhanov, in partnership with the Sberbank subsidiary Sberbank Investment, completed the acquisition of the Inteko company from Yelena Baturina, who will receive about $600 million in proceeds from the sale.


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Starbucks is opening a premium, interactive Roastery in New York City.
As Baby Boomers get to retirement age, there's an increasing need for technology that will not only help … More » Useful tech for an aging population
The world's longest aircraft, an airship spanning more than six double-decker buses, is set to make its … More » World's longest aircraft readies for first flight in Britain
At a keynote event in Cupertino, Calif. on Monday, March 21, Apple unveiled several new items of hardware … More » Apple announces new smaller iPhone SE
When I go on vacation, it's all about the food. At Grand Velas Rivera Maya resort, there’s no shortage … More » Unique spins on Mexican food and more at Grand Velas Rivera Maya resort


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Thirty-one years later, the New Hope President-elect Barack Obama, has been resurrected in the over-saturated galaxy of mass merchandising.
In today’s marketing day and age, consumers often ask: “What came first, the movie or the merchandising?” during the branding process -- which usually begins in the womb for most savvy marketing exploiters.
Such is the case for the Obama brand, which has been selling like GOP union-busters over the past year. Obama’s name reigned in over $700 billion dollars in campaign contributions, which includes some of the merchandising the campaign directly tapped into such as t-shirts, buttons, bumper stickers, 2009 calendars, posters, coffee mugs, and commemorative coins.
But the Obama Buck does not stop here. Other entrepreneurs and opportunists alike are cashing in on the Obama name brand, selling everything from Obama car-seat covers to Obama Action Figures. (Note: It took the Jesus estate nearly 2000 years to get a Jesus Action Figure on store shelves. For the record: when placed side by side, the Obama Action Figure is BIGGER than the Jesus Action Figure.)
Like its predecessor, “Star Wars,” anything is fair game for merchandising the Obama brand, including condoms.
Last year a young New York City entrepreneur Benjamin Sherman started selling Obama condoms -- along with John McCain and Sarah Palin condoms -- through his company Practice Safe Policy. The Obama condom carries the slogan “Use With Good Judgment” and has the following pitch on its Web site:
WHO SAYS EXPEREINCE IS NECESSARY?
These are uncertain times. The economy's a ball-buster and the surge went flaccid... but now there's Obama Condoms, for a change you can believe in!
-FOR THE ELITIST PENIS
-THEY WON'T LEAVE A BITTER TASTE IN YOUR MOUTH
-WHEN YOU JUST WANT TO CLOSE THE DEAL
As Seen on TV: Condoms Unite Obama and McCain
In an attempt to close the condom merchandising gap, I imagine it’s only a matter of time before we start seeing glow-in-the-dark light saber condoms popping up behind drugstore counters.
Growing up during the “Star Wars” merchandising surge in the late ‘70s, I resisted the temptation to invest in the pricy Star Wars action figures, models, Death Star Disco Globe and Princess Leigh blow-up doll (batteries not included). Even at a young age I was caught up in ‘80s politics under President Reagan’s watch and wondered why George Lucas didn’t file a trademark suit against the federal government for adopting the nickname “Star Wars” for its Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI).
Moreover, since the ‘80s were my formative years for satire, I was preoccupied with parody, and “Star Wars” – the movie – was not immune to parody. As was the case in Mel Brooks’ “Spaceballs”:
Spaceballs Parody: Merchandising
Obama the Senator, Obama the Bestselling Author, Obama the Campaigner and Obama the President-elect have successfully branded the Obama name, and as the Inauguration approaches next week, it will be interesting to see how Obama the President sells in the market.
Here are a few merchandising trends to look for during his first term:
The Obamamobile: imagine driving a sleek hybrid sports car that has room for the entire family. Equipped with tinted, bullet-proof windows, the Obamamobile is the perfect nocturnal ride for speeding through crime-infested streets left in the wake of Bush’s economic meltdown. Mass merchandising of Obamamobiles will help conceal the President’s whereabouts while in transition at night. All Obamamobiles come with the trademarked bumper sticker, “My Other Car is the Air Force One,” slapped on the rear bumper.
The Obama Diet: Are you sick of all those exercise programs that you actually have to work to shed pounds? Fed up with all of the quick-fix dietary pills? Tired of those lose-weight-while-you’re sleeping weight loss gimmicks that have carried over into the work day?
How would you like a washboard stomach like the one Obama’s girls used to surf on while vacationing in Hawaii?
Introducing the “Obama Diet” -- a guaranteed lifestyle diet that will have you shedding the pounds before you know it. To get started on your Obama Diet, all you have to do create a stressful daily schedule that mirrors Obama’s while he was on the campaign trial for 21 months: 16 hours of rushing from event to event and pretending to like everyone in the process, 2 hours of basketball (schedule permitting), 3 hours of writing speeches and policy papers, 2 hour of meetings with top aids and marketing/merchandising manager, and 1 hour of meditation in lieu of a regular sleep cycle. To help expedite the six-pack abdominals process, we recommend taking up smoking.
The Hoprah Machine: why leave home in search for hope when you can stay at home, sit on the sofa, and have hope pumped through you via the Hoprah Machine. Financed by television’s modern Midas, the Hoprah Machine works like a humidifier as it spews hope into the air of your living room and fills your pores with very little to no effort on your part. Sound hopeful? Nope, it’s Hoprah!


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Cheaper Netflix with Ads in Poland in a few months
When will Netflix launch a cheaper ad-supported plan in Poland? It turns out there’s still a long way to go. However, there is hope that we will use it in 2023.
Netflix has recently revolutionized the way its platform works. The service has added a cheaper plan with ads to its portfolio, allowing us to access our favorite productions for less money.
This solution has already been implemented in several countries in autumn 2022. It appeared in the United States, Japan, South Korea, Great Britain, Germany, Italy and France, among others.
We pay a few euros/dollars less to access the advertising platform than for the basic platform. Because of the price, this option can therefore convince many who have not yet used Netflix.
According to the report by Ampere Analysis in the US, the new solution helped 58% increase in average daily number of registrations on Netflix November 3-5, 2022.
When will Netflix start showing ads in Poland?
What about the plan with ads in Poland? Although many Poles are skeptical about such a solution, it turns out that many are ready to use it on the Vistula.
Hopes of the ad-supported plan rolling out soon were raised by Netflix opening in September 2022 own office in Warsaw – many hoped that the task of part of the industry would be to attract advertisers to a cheaper package. However, this has not yet happened.
If you want to take advantage of the cheap plan, you have to be patient. As reported by the portal Wirtualnemedia.pl, the service may appear only in Poland end of 2023and maybe even later. The success in countries where the cheaper Netflix is already available gives at least hope that such a solution will soon be available globally.
With the ad-supported package being $3 cheaper than the basic plan, it was able to attract more budget-conscious Netflix subscribers who opted out early. Additionally, as the competition increases, the low price of $6.99 makes the subscription to multiple services more affordable
– explains Mayssa Jamil from Ampere Analysis.
I already know what productions we’re going to see on SkyShowtime. Check it out too!


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So far, Samsung has released a fair few tablets already this year, with the Galaxy Tab Pro line kicking things off and the Galaxy Tab 4 line giving options available to all price points. You’d think that’d be enough for Samsung, but it appears that they’re getting ready to launch another pair of tablets dubbed the Galaxy Tab S, in 8.4-inch and 10.5-inch variants. The unique selling point for these new tablets is going to be the inclusion of a Super AMOLED display with a high-resolution of 2560 x 1600, which would make these the first tablets since the very expensive Galaxy Tab 7.7 launched with an AMOLED display back in the Honeycomb days.
According to SamMobile, the devices are going to come in 8.4-inch and 10.5-inch versions with LTE options available for both of them. With model numbers SM-T700 for the 8.4-inch WiFi version and SM-T800 for the 10.5-inch WiFi model it looks like these are devices that are far along in their development and could be launching soon. The devices have even been benchmarked through AnTuTu and as such we know that the devices will be powered by Samsung’s own Exynos 5420 octa-core CPU clocked at 1.9 Ghz with 3GB of RAM to back it up. 8-megapixel rear-facing cameras will be on the devices as well as Android 4.4.2 KitKat with Samsung’s own adjustments to Android on top. Instead of using Snapdragon chips in the LTE variants, it’s said that Samsung will be using Intel LTE modems and thus be able to use their own chips.
Aside from the big deal that is the Super AMOLED displays, these tablets will apparently be launching with a fingerprint sensor, just like the Galaxy S5 did. We’re not sure how useful this is going to be for a tablet, but I’ve been using a Galaxy S5 for a while now and the fingerprint sensor is a nice addition when it comes to securing your device. Said to be launching in Shimmer White and Titanium Grey, Samsung is apparently working on new flip covers for these tablets that will connect to the device and offer various functions.
It’s said that the design of the new tablets will resemble the Galaxy Tab 4 lineup but be cleaner and slimmer with less visible bezel. Not using the faux-leather design from the Tab Pro line of tablets would be a good way of helping the Galaxy Tab S stand on its own, but with 7 tablets on the market already, consumers will have a lot of choice when buying a Samsung tablet later this year. The insider scored 35,268 in AnTuTu and passed info to SamMobile using CPU-Z so, it seems these tablets are very much real and we should start to see them a little later on this year.


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Investors play safe, HUL ends flat
The December quarter is generally a high-demand quarter for FMCG industry and a chilly winter proved to be good for Hindustan Unilever by boosting the sales of its skin care brands. For the quarter ended December 2007, the company has posted 16.8% increase in revenues while its bottom line grew by over 23.5% over the same period last year. The company has been able to achieve around 13% enhancement in its operating profits. Among various expenditure heads, staff cost witnessed the largest increase at 45.6%.
The company���s expenditure on advertisement and promotion witnessed a significant jump of 32%. This increase comes on the heels of ITC���s launch of toiletries and soaps under the brand name Fiama Di Wills during the quarter ended December. The company���s top-end brands in skin care are facing competition from Procter and Gamble���s Olay skin care products.
Cost of goods sold also moved up by 11%, primarily due to the rise in input costs of crude and palm oil. To off-set the effect of increased costs on the margins, the company resorted to staggered price increase across its various products.
Segment wise break-up reveals double-digit growth in revenues across various products with one of the largest being in processed foods at 41% while the lowest rise was seen in ice creams at 11%. The only drop in revenues was witnessed in case of exports.
All product verticals except ice creams and beverages have registered solid double-digit growth. The company���s ice cream business didn���t perform well leading to a 61% drop in profits for the quarter ended December���07 and beverages registered a drop of around 14.5% in profitability. Consolidated net sales for the financial year ended December���07 stood at Rs 13,913 crore, charting a y-o-y rise of 12%. While operating profits grew by 18%, the net profit after excluding the exceptional items grew by mere 1.3%.
The processed foods segment witnessed the highest increase of 40% in revenues during the year 2007 against the 2006 fiscal. It also witnessed a whopping 92% growth in profits. At Rs 6,374 crore, the largest category of soaps and detergents witnessed a growth of 14% in revenues. Ice creams and exports however witnessed a drop in profitability by 22.5% and 25% respectively.
ET Intelligence Group
(This article was originally published in The Times of India)


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AT&T Corp. returned to profitability for the third quarter, earning $520 million in what might be the final quarter before the iconic telephone company is acquired by former subsidiary SBC Communications Inc.
The net profit reported Friday amounted to 64 cents per share for the three months ended Sept. 30. The results included a $92 million expense relating to investments in aircraft leases with airlines that have filed for bankruptcy, as well as $20 million in expenses for the SBC deal and a $41 million pretax benefit.
In the third quarter of 2004, AT&T lost $7.15 billion, or $8.99 per share, as the company wrote down the book value of its national telecommunications network by $11.4 billion following a decision to retreat from the consumer telephone business. Excluding that expense, other restructuring charges and one-time tax benefits, it would have earned $262 million, or 33 cents a share, a year ago.
Third-quarter revenue fell 13.3 percent to $6.62 billion, down from $7.64 billion in the year-ago period, as the long-distance calling and data businesses continued to shrink, AT&T said.
Revenue from business services accounted for $5.1 billion of the total, and consumer services generated $1.5 billion.


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Microsoft plans to update Windows 10 this summer with improvements to the Cortana assistant, better support for biometric security and improvements to the way digital pens work with the operating system.
The OS, which debuted last year, is now in active use by 270 million people, Windows chief Terry Myerson said Wednesday as Microsoft kicked off its Build developer conference in San Francisco. That puts Microsoft a little more than a quarter of the way to its goal of having one billion active users in roughly three years.
With the update, Windows 10 owners will be able to use facial recognition, fingerprints or other biometric information to log into apps and websites, rather than just to start their computer.
Because they are also based on Windows 10, the new software will also come to the Xbox One and the HoloLens developer kit. Microsoft said it will announce more gaming features coming as part of the Windows 10 update at the E3 video game show.
On the app front, Myerson said the company is getting increased support from developers — including Facebook, which is bringing Instagram and Messenger to Windows 10 as well as its advertising network.
The company also introduced a tool that will let developers easily convert older Windows programs into the “modern” app style introduced with Windows 8. That will let app makers sell through Windows 10’s built-in store, among other things. (This is a big deal, as Microsoft estimates there are 16 million older Windows programs out there.)
Getting modern apps has been the big challenge for the company since the debut of Windows 8, with Microsoft using its annual conference as part of a renewed effort to sway developers to include Windows apps in their development plans.
Microsoft also used a good chunk of its discussion Wednesday to talk about Windows as a good place to write apps, not only for Windows but also for other platforms including iOS and Android. Last month the company bought startup Xamarin, whose tools help in that regard.
In an effort to woo smaller game developers, Microsoft announced a kit that will turn a standard Xbox One into a game development machine.
While Microsoft’s HoloLens is still some time away from being available to consumers, Microsoft said as of today it has started shipping its $3,000 developer kit to programmers and early business customers.
Case Western Reserve University and the Cleveland Clinic are using HoloLens, for example, to show medical students the inner workings of the body without the need for a human patient.
Pamela Davis, dean of Case Western’s medical school, said HoloLens saves students hours and hours spent in cadaver labs.
“When we have only four short years to train them, this is incredibly valuable,” she said.
Microsoft also showed off a “Galaxy Explorer” that lets users of the holographic computer virtually traverse the solar system.
CEO Satya Nadella also talked about the importance of bots and “conversation as a platform” — its recent challenges with millennial chatbot Tay notwithstanding.
In a reference to Tay, Nadella said the goal with its artificial intelligence projects is “to capture the best of humanity, not the worst.”
The company’s biggest investment thus far has been Cortana, its automated assistant. Microsoft has already brought Cortana to iOS, Android and Windows, with plans to bring it to the Xbox in the upcoming summer update.
To highlight the power of bots, Nadella related the story of how the 80-year-old mother of Microsoft executive Xi Lu struggled with computing, but uses WeChat to have conversations not only with people, but also businesses and automated bots.
“That shows the power of human language,” Nadella said. “This is the rich world of conversations we envision.”
As WeChat has already done, Microsoft sees the potential to move into a conversation many tasks traditionally done in an app or website, starting with Skype.
Microsoft also showed several ways it is improving Cortana, including allowing developers to make proactive suggestions to users. An early partner there is location-sharing service Glympse.
As for Tay, Nadella said: “We’re back to the drawing board.”
The event is still going on. Check back for frequent updates.
This article originally appeared on Recode.net.


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VANCOUVER, Wash. — The old Red Lion Hotel at the Quay is being demolished to make way for a new development on the Vancouver waterfront.
The hotel, which opened in 1960, has been closed about seven years, and a restaurant and meeting halls in the building closed more recently.
The demolition is going to make way for a major part of the Port of Vancouver’s Terminal One project.
The project will include a 30,000-square-foot public market on the dock area by the hotel demolition site.
“It will be a public market. It will have food and retail and gifts and different opportunities for folks to come shopping and eat,” said Port of Vancouver spokeswoman Therese Lang, who compared to the planned public market to Pike’s Place Market in Seattle.
The Port of Vancouver owns the land and will develop the site. All around it, the port has leased to developers who are adding office spaces, retail, restaurants and lodging like the AC Hotel by Marriott, set to open in late spring or summer.
But clearing the Red Lion Hotel at the Quay makes way for a crown jewel in a $500 million project, and some of the materials being removed may go back into it.
“So for instance there are 100-year-old timbers inside the building that we will be saving and we will try to use them in the public market,” said Lange.
The entire Terminal One project may not be complete for five to 10 years. It’s part of a larger revitalization effort all along the waterfront, including the Grant Street Pier and other features.
“So this whole area is going to be a draw for people to come and enjoy the walkways, the pathways, the Renaissance Trail; you can come and go walking or running or ride your bikes down here,” said Lange.
For now, it's time to take one last look at an iconic landmark that has spent more than six decades along the Columbia River just west of the Interstate Bridge.
The Port of Vancouver estimates the $1.3 million demolition, which began by removing materials inside the buildings in late 2021, will be completed in four to six weeks.


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In a nod to its Chinese customers – many of whom played a role in the record-breaking wine auction last Friday at Sotheyby’s Hong Kong — Château Lafite-Rothschild will feature the Chinese character of the numeral eight on its vintage 2008 bottles, which ship next year.
It’s the latest move by a Western luxury brand to endear itself to the Chinese consumer. Earlier this year, Chanel launched a special collection that included earrings with Chinese figurines. And BMW has offered a Chinese version of its M3 sports car called the Tiger M3, for the year of the tiger, the current Chinese zodiac sign. Inside, each of the headrests is embroidered with an orange tiger’s head.
Lafite — already popular with rich Chinese consumers — is in step with this trend. Every bottle of the chateau’s 2008 vintage will feature an embossed red character for “eight,” an auspicious number in Chinese folklore. Domaines Barons de Rothschild (Lafite), the winemaker’s parent company, said the move commemorates the year the winemaker began its joint venture with Citic, the Chinese state-owned investment company — a new vineyard in China’s Shandong province.
The character for eight offers “a perfect representation of the slopes of the vineyard and commemorates the launch of our Chinese wine project,” the Château said in a press release. The Shandong-province vineyard, 25 hectares in the Penglai peninsula on the east coast, was chosen by Rothschild winemakers for its optimum climate and soil. But the winery is years away from harvesting grapes.
Will the Chinese character “8” boost the already high prices of Lafite? The château, which has already presold its bottles of 2008 vintage, said it didn’t think sales would be impacted. But according to LivEx, an online fine-wine exchange, the price of a case of 2008 Lafite jumped 17% in the days after the announcement.
Radha Chadha, a brand consultant who focuses on luxury companies in Asia, says, “Part of the appeal of Lafite is that it is a Western brand, but an acknowledgement of the Chinese customer is a good move. They’re recognizing and paying respect to the Chinese market, adding an auspicious touch. It’s a recognition of culture.”
It isn’t the first time a Bordeaux producer has used a bottle design that might attract the Chinese market: The 1996 label of Château Mouton Rothschild featured a piece of art desgned by Gu Gan, an artist famous for a unique brand of calligraphic painting. (Since 1946, the wine maker has commissioned a contemporary artist to create an original work that would be featured on the label every year.)
More recently, Swedish vodka brand Absolut—a company that frequently changes its bottle design—hired Chinese pop-artist Gao Yu to design a label for a limited-edition bottle last August. His design, which featured an illustration of the monkey king, a famous Chinese literary figure, was emblazoned on 350,000 bottles. But unlike the Lafite 2008 bottles, they were sold exclusively to the Chinese market.


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DALLAS, April 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Copart, Inc. (NASDAQ: CPRT), a global online vehicle auction company, is excited to announce the opening of its sixth Brazil location. The Betim, Minas Gerais location will offer a wide selection of salvage and used vehicles.
The opening in Betim adds to Copart's strategic network of locations across Brazil, servicing a growing buyer base and adding more storage and sales capacity to meet growing demand from vehicle sellers. The increase in locations, auctions and vehicles primes Copart to provide greater convenience to all customers, which enhances and improves their experience.
Located in the metropolitan area of Belo Horizonte, Copart's Betim location is easily accessed by highway BR-362. The location, which can store up to 4,000 vehicles, hosts weekly auctions at 10 a.m. UTC-3.
"The new location in Betim supports us with our current growth in volume," said Adiel Avelar, President – Brazil. "We're very excited to celebrate our first opening outside São Paulo state."
Copart Brazil was recently honored as the best auction company with the "Prêmio Cobertura Performance 2016: Destaques Especiais – Leiloeiros Oficiais" award. The award recognizes companies and professionals who had the best performances in the insurance market.
In addition to conducting online vehicle auctions, Copart is a proud community partner. Visit TeamCopart.com for a glimpse into the many ways that the company supports local, regional and national charities, law enforcement and first responders. Copart Brazil, in particular, is proud to assist community day care Elydia Bertaiolli Duarte by donating toys for its Children's Day.
To learn more about Copart Brazil, please visit www.copart.com.br.
ABOUT COPART BRAZIL
Through online auto actions, Copart Brazil sells vehicles to potential buyers from across Brazil. Cars, trucks, SUVs, motorcycles, tractors, boats, and more are sold via www.copart.com.br on behalf of vehicle sellers, including finance companies, banks, dealers, fleet operators, rental car companies and the insurance industry.
Copart, Inc., founded in 1982, is a global leader in online vehicle auctions. Copart's innovative technology and online auction platform links sellers to more than 750,000 Members in over 170 countries. The company offers services to process and sell salvage and clean title vehicles to dealers, dismantlers, rebuilders, exporters, and in some cases, to end users. Copart sells vehicles on behalf of insurance companies, banks, finance companies, fleet operators, dealers and cars sourced from individual owners. With operations in over 190 locations in 11 countries, Copart has more than 125,000 vehicles available online every day. Copart currently operates in the United States (Copart.com), Canada (Copart.ca), the United Kingdom (Copart.co.uk), the Republic of Ireland (Copart.ie), Brazil (Copart.com.br), Germany (Copart.de), the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Bahrain (Copartmea.com), India, (Copart.in) and Spain (Copart.es). For more information, or to become a Member, visit Copart.com/Register. Join the conversation and follow Copart on Facebook.
Ciro Ronchezel, Commercial and Marketing Director, Copart Brazil
Michelle Hoffman, VP of Marketing, Copart
To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/copart-announces-the-opening-of-its-sixth-brazil-location-300437224.html
SOURCE Copart, Inc.


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Banning food ‘only makes it more appealing’
Banning certain foods in an attempt to lose weight only makes those treats even more appealing, according to a weight loss expert.
Slimming company Weight to Go recently conducted a clinical trial using its Weekends Off Diet.
The results show that people are most successful in losing weight when they are still allowed to enjoy their favourite foods.
People who followed the Weekends Off Diet for eight weeks lost, on average, 16.5 lbs.
Dr David Ashton, medical director of Weight to Go, said: "We are hard-wired to seek out [treats] because they are rich in energy, so diets which banish such foods entirely are almost bound to fail, because they demand something which is actually unnatural."
He went on to suggest that people keep a diary of all of the food that they consume and the exercise that they take.
Dr Ashton also suggested that walking was the best exercise to lose weight as it is so easy to fit into a daily routine.
What treats are you trying to avoid?


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Kroll Ontrack survey reveals solid state disks (SSD) and flash technology are reliable but not fool proof
More than 50 percent of respondents have experienced data loss with SSD/Flash devices
According to a recent SSD/Flash technology use and perceptions survey,>Kroll Ontrack, the leading provider of information management, data recovery, and data erasure products and services, found that while more than 90 percent of respondents perceive SSD/Flash failure rates to be minimal and the technology to be reliable, 57 percent of respondents had experienced data loss with SSD/Flash technology. Further, three-fourths of respondents consider the recovery of data from SSD/Flash to be nearly impossible or complicated, indicating respondents are skeptical of the feasibility of SSD/Flash recovery when it is needed.
“System area corruption accounts for 60 percent of SSD/Flash data loss, but physical damage, file system corruption, electronics failure and human error are also factors,” said Troy Hegr, Ontrack Data Recovery technology manager, Kroll Ontrack. “In the case of SSD/Flash data loss, recovery can be more complex. SSD/Flash data reside in a more scattered format on the drive as compared to traditional hard drive media where data is stored more linearly. Industry standards for data layout and organization on SSD/Flash mediums are not yet fully established, often requiring custom recovery solutions based on the specific manufacturer and model of the device. As the recognized leader in data recovery, Kroll Ontrack offers customers high success rates with SSD/Flash recovery due to its vast experience with SSD/Flash and its continual investment in research and development.”
Data storage technology is trending toward SSD both on an enterprise and consumer level. Of the more than 500 survey respondents consisting of business, home and government users, nearly 70 percent revealed that they currently use or plan to use SSD/Flash technology in the near future. This high adoption rate is likely linked to the fact that three-fourths of respondents are experiencing increased performance with SSD/Flash devices in contrast to traditional hard drive technology; and more than 75 percent of respondents believe SSD/Flash to be a safer, more robust storage technology that additionally consumes less power and is therefore more environmentally friendly.
“User perceptions of SSD/Flash storage are very much in line with the benefits outlined by SSD/Flash technology manufacturers,” explains Hegr. “The speed, reliability and power-saving benefits associated with SSD/Flash technology are appealing. Despite the many benefits of SSD/Flash technology, data loss incidents from these devices are on the rise. In fact, Kroll Ontrack has seen a 20 percent increase in SSD/Flash recovery requests over the previous year. With the industry’s most robust set of solutions, Kroll Ontrack is a trusted partner for SSD/Flash recovery.”
>> Read more about Kroll Ontrack's SSD recovery solutions or Flash drive recovery solutions
This survey was conducted by Kroll Ontrack. A total of 560 online questionnaires were completed among individuals in the following categories: business user, home user and government user. Interviews were completed in the spring of 2011.
Through its Ontrack Data Recovery products and services, Kroll Ontrack is the largest, most experienced and technologically advanced provider of data recovery products and services worldwide. Using its hundreds of proprietary tools and techniques, Ontrack Data Recovery solutions help businesses and consumers recover lost or corrupted data from all types of operating systems and media and storage devices through its do-it-yourself, remote and in-lab capabilities. Kroll Ontrack offers a free initial consultation for customers experiencing a data loss.


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Grocers are noticing that, to win shoppers’ loyalty, they have to offer self-service checkout options.
Grocers continue to add self-checkout capabilities. Last month, grocery chain Weis Markets, which operates about 200 stores across seven East Coast states, announced that it was implementing Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions’ Elera platform chainwide in a move to improve self-checkout capabilities, along with other point-of-sale (POS) upgrades.
Around the same time, Australian news outlet News.com.au reported that discount grocer Aldi has been expanding its trial of self-checkout kiosks in the country, and Hellertown, Pennsylvania, local publication Saucon Source noted last week that grocery and convenience store chain Wawa has been adding the same.
Plus, Kroger has been expanding the test of its KroGo smart carts created in partnership with Instacart subsidiary Caper. Plus, Amazon has been extending its Just Walk Out cashier-less checkout technology to include non-Amazon-owned grocers.
“We are thrilled to work with Community Groceries to unlock a fast and frictionless experience for their shoppers in Kansas City — one we believe they’ll enjoy very much,” Dilip Kumar, vice president of Amazon Web Services (AWS) Applications, said in a statement at the time. “We’re honored to have them as our first customer in the grocery vertical to launch a Just Walk Out technology and Amazon One-enabled store.”
Small grocers are getting onboard too. In an interview with PYMNTS, Dave Capaldo, director of IT at Previte’s Marketplace, a Massachusetts grocer with two locations, spoke to the potential of the technology.
“We’re looking at [self-checkout] and any technology that [can be] helpful in reducing costs,” Capaldo said.
By the Numbers
Research from PYMNTS’ study “Big Retail’s Innovation Mandate: Convenience And Personalization,” created in collaboration with ACI Worldwide, draws from a survey of 300 major retailers in the U.S. and the U.K., finds that the majority of grocers believe self-service capabilities are key to consumers’ loyalty. Sixty-one percent reported believing that shoppers would be very or extremely likely to switch merchants if self-checkout kiosks were not provided.


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The world runs on Dunkin’ and now the Dodgers do too! On Wednesday, the club announced a new partnership with the venerable donut and coffee establishment which will bring new goodies into Dodger Stadium in 2021.
A World Championship calls for a new partnership.
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) March 24, 2021
As part of a multi-year sponsorship, Dunkin’ is now the official coffee and donut of the 2020 World Series champs.
Once the stadium returns to full capacity, Dunkin’ Hot Coffee, Iced Coffee, Espresso, and Hot Chocolate will be served at 13 sites throughout Dodger Stadium, including the flagship location at the brand-new Centerfield Plaza which will feature a more robust menu of hot coffee blends, premium espresso beverages, and a tap system for Iced Coffee. To celebrate the new partnership and kick off the 2021 season, Dunkin’ will launch The Dodgers Signature Latte, a Blueberry Crisp Latte made with Dunkin’s smooth Espresso and topped with whipped cream, caramel drizzle, and cinnamon sugar. The Dodgers Signature Latte will be available at greater Los Angeles Dunkin’ restaurants and to Order Ahead on the Dunkin’ App for a limited time starting April 9 to coincide with the team’s home opener.
Moreover, on April 1, “DD Perks” members in the greater LA area will earn 4X points on hot and iced drinks at Dunkin’. Visit DDPerks.com for more details.
“We’re excited to announce that the Dodgers run on Dunkin’ and can’t wait to make America’s favorite coffee part of the Dodger Stadium experience,” said Corey Norkin, Dodger Vice President of Global Partnerships. “Dunkin’ has the unique ability to connect with Dodger fans at their local restaurants throughout Southern California and we’re thrilled to welcome them to the Dodger family.”
Added Molly Wiley, Director of Field Marketing at Dunkin’.
“Since first bringing Dunkin’ to the West Coast in 2014, we’ve seen an incredible amount of support from our customers throughout Southern California. We’re thrilled to partner with such an iconic sports franchise and bring Dunkin’ to Dodger Stadium, providing Dodger fans with an elevated coffee experience that will keep them running through the 2021 season and beyond.”
The Dodgers announce this partnership a week after introducing California Pizza Kitchen as the official pizza of the franchise.
Once fans are finally back out at Dodger Stadium in 2021, there will be a bunch of new tasty treats around the ballpark to enjoy!


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‘Wonder Woman’ Ad Spending Outpacing ‘Suicide Squad’
Contrary to worries from fans, Warners is revving up its marketing spend on its DC film
Published 5:20 pm, Friday, April 28, 2017
Cheer up, fanboys — Warner Bros isn’t trying to strangle “Wonder Woman” before it even hits theaters. In fact, five weeks out from release WB is spending more to sell the first live action film featuring the iconic female super hero than it did for its last comic book outing, “Suicide Squad,” TheWrap has learned.
On Thursday, a growing chorus of online fans and commentators began openly fretting about what they perceived as a lack of advertising and promotion for “Wonder Woman.” “The lack of marketing worries me,” wrote Shana O’Neil at SyfyWire. “It worries a lot of people who are invested in the success of female superheroes in film and television.”
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Hollywood does indeed have a poor track record of fully supporting female-led action films, but that doesn’t appear to be the case here. In fact, Warners is revving up its marketing spend on the film.
A recent Vanity Fair article revealed that WB has already thrown some serious money at promotional efforts for “Wonder Woman” — $3,043,212 for TV advertising across the U.S. so far. By comparison, at the same point in its pre-release period, the company had only spent $2,645,643 on the “Suicide Squad” TV campaign.
But individuals with knowledge of the film tell TheWrap that a major increase in visible “Wonder Woman” marketing is coming starting in May, just after Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy” hits U.S. theaters and its marketing campaign wanes somewhat.
In other words, whatever the final film is like, WB isn’t writing off a (reportedly) $120 million investment. Get ready to see the princess of Themyscria all over the place well before seeing her on the big screen.
Gal Gadot made her first appearance as Wonder Woman in “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,” which debuted to $166 million in March, 2016.
The standalone “Wonder Woman,” from director Patty Jenkins, also stars Connie Nielsen, Robin Wright, David Thewlis, Elena Anaya, Lucy Davis and Danny Huston. The film is written by Allan Heinberg and Geoff Johns from a story by Heinberg and Zack Snyder.
“Wonder Woman” will be released in theaters on June 2, 2017.
Read original story ‘Wonder Woman’ Ad Spending Outpacing ‘Suicide Squad’ At TheWrap


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tamatoledonews.com - The Small Business Jobs Act, signed by President Obama on September 27, 2010, includes a particularly noteworthy provision, a one-year deduction of health care costs for sole-proprietors on their 2010 tax returns. While it's only temporary relief from skyrocketing health insurance premiums that farmers and mainstreet businesses have been saddled with the last decade, it's a first step and a foot in the door.
Health care reform passed in March with a small business tax credit of up to 35% of employees' health care costs for businesses with fewer than 25 employees. In Iowa, nearly 91% of small businesses - over 51,000 total - would likely qualify for this tax credit on their 2010 taxes. More than 14,000 of them would qualify for the full 35% credit.
Check out the Small Business Tax Credit Calculator on our website at www.cfra.org/policy/health-care to find out whether your business qualifies, and if you're a farmer or rural small business owner you can find out more about the sole-proprietor tax credit there too.
We're also excited about the Rural Microbusiness Investment Credit Act, introduced this summer by Rep. Ron Kind (D-WI) and Rep. Wally Herger (R-CA). It would provide a 35% refundable tax cut, up to $10,000, to start or expand rural small businesses with five or fewer employees.
Farmers and rural small business owners should take advantage of the health care tax credits, and remind our Senators and Representative that rural America wants and needs the microbusiness investment credit too.
The Center for Rural Affairs was established in 1973 by rural Nebraskans concerned about family farms and rural communities, and we work to strengthen small businesses, family farms and ranches, and rural communities.


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The shortest month of the year could also be the hottest, if you know where to invest. Plenty of stocks will be on the move through the next four weeks, so let's take a look at three names that appear to be compelling buys at this point.
Roku (ROKU -7.26%), The RealReal (REAL -9.70%), and Uber Technologies (UBER -5.58%) are some of the stocks that could be making waves this month. Let's take the pulse of where the three potential winners are now, and why they could be moving higher in February.
Last year's hottest large cap is taking a breather in 2020. The company behind the ascending streaming video hub saw its shares soar 337% last year, but it slipped nearly 10% in January. Roku reports financial results next week, and there's no reason to think it won't be another blowout performance.
Roku was serving up streams to 32.3 million active accounts at the end of September, a 36% spike over the past year. The fourth quarter was probably huge for Roku, as the launch of two prolific services in November and the holiday shopping season probably helped light a fire in the migration process to its rapidly growing platform. Usage is growing even faster than its active account growth, and that's the kind of engagement that has made Roku the top operating system of choice for smart television manufacturers and a popular plug-in accessory for everybody else.
The climate is ideal for Roku. The only recent stumbling block -- a standoff with Fox that would've forced a blackout of Fox apps ahead of the Super Bowl -- was settled late last week. Roku isn't going to quadruple again in 2020, but it's highly unlikely to close out the year in the red. Next week's financial update should be just the ticket to turn the year-to-date returns around.
The consignment of luxury goods may not seem like fertile soil for growth investors, but there's always a market for deal-seekers looking to score bargains on big-ticket clothing, fine jewelry, watches, fine art, and home decor. It also helps when consignment in general is trendy given the the way that young consumers are taking to the circular economy. The RealReal runs the leading consignment marketplace for verified luxury goods, a pretty big deal in a market rife with counterfeit merchandise.
If Roku's audience is growing fast, The RealReal's base is growing really fast. The 542,987 active buyers it had at the end of the third quarter were 53% more than it was watching over a year earlier. This is a pretty big business. Despite the bargains that are inherent with secondhand goods, we're talking about an average order size of $438. The take rate here is naturally a lot more generous in The RealReal's honor than it would be traditional firsthand sales.
The RealReal went public at $20 last year, and as a broken IPO it's now trading in the low teens. BMO Capital initiated coverage of the stock this week with an outperform rating. Analyst Simeon Siegel sees consumers growing more at ease with the consignment market, and The RealReal's average order size should continue to improve along with its widening audience. The lock-up expiration on the shares ended more than a month ago, so the coast should be clear on that front. Siegel's price target of $19 implies 35% of upside from current levels. The RealReal hasn't announced when its next earnings report will come out but it should take place later this month.
Roku and The RealReal are trading lower in 2020, but that's not the case with the world's leading ridesharing platform. The stock has soared 26% so far this young year, and investors are finally getting excited about one of last year's most disappointing IPOs.
Uber is starting to do a lot of things right. After leaving a trail of red-inked skid marks in the past, it's committed to improving on the bottom line. Unloading its presence in markets with no clear path to near-term profitability and taking a more calculated approach to growing its personal mobility and food delivery segments are helping.
Revenue growth accelerated in Uber's most recent quarterly report, and we won't have to wait long for another financial update. Uber reports its fourth-quarter results shortly after this Thursday's market close. It's fair to say that investing in IPOs isn't for the risk-averse, but it's also sometimes where one can find some of the more compelling values.


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eBay launches mobile shopping TV ad campaign as it predicts 30% of Xmas shopping will be done on mo
eBay has launched a new UK TV and outdoor advertising campaign, which highlights the popularity of mobile shopping on its UK platform, as the company predicts that around 30% of Christmas gift items, available to buy on the site direct from its retail partners, will be bought via mobile.
The 30 second TV ad reflects how shoppers are increasingly using mobile devices to access the huge selection of items available on eBay. It features a young woman shopping on her mobile phone, ‘swiping’ items aside with her finger, and moving them closer and further away as if she were using a mobile phone. eBay
The campaign is an evolution of eBay’s spring ‘ Your Shopping Universe’ campaign, which showcased the range of new items available on eBay from its 100 high street retail partners. Around 65 per cent of items sold on eBay globally are now at a fixed or ‘Buy It Now’ price.
Earlier this month, eBay president Devin Wenig announced a refreshed eBay logo, which will begin to appear across eBay sites and in its external marketing and advertising from this autumn. A version of the TV advert will include an end-frame that highlights eBay’s recently announced partnership with Nectar.
Amanda Metcalfe, UK marketing director for eBay commented: “Mobile has transformed the shopping experience, making it possible to browse and purchase wherever you are, at any time of the day or night. This Christmas we expect a third of all gifts bought on eBay will be purchased via mobile. This campaign aims to show that shopping on eBay via your mobile is as easy as a few swipes and taps of your finger. But even if you’re shopping via a smaller screen, you’re still able to access the full selection of products available via our traditional site.”
“eBay is one of the most downloaded shopping apps globally, so if you’re selling on eBay, you’re reaching millions of potential shoppers. This is a significant benefit for our retail partners who can use eBay as a way to compete on mobile, and extend their multi-channel sales.”
The new campaign will run on TV from 24th September until the end of the year, appearing on all major channels during peak time viewing.
Digital advertising will go live on 26th September, including video banners on both desktop and mobile sites. The campaign was developed by DDB Tribal in Germany, with Carat responsible for media buying. Essence is running the digital media buying for the campaign, Add2 developing the internet marketing creative and Amobee is responsible for mobile marketing.
The soundtrack for the TV ad is Gin Wigmore ‘Don’t stop’.


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As part of its initiative to increase awareness about Self Drive in the country, Avis India, the No 1 premium car rental services provider, has introduced The Avis India Self Drive Himalayan & Desert Expeditions.
This perfect escape plan for the work harried professionals, available Ex-Delhi, NCR, Chennai & Bangalore from August through October 2010; this exclusive expedition offers the 4x4 off-roaders Tata Safari Dicor, Ford Endeavour and a Mitsubishi Pajero with luxurious interiors and in-car entertainment at unbelievable prices.
“There always comes a time, when you just want to escape from it all, specially when a weekend is round the corner. This is a great get-up-and-go plan, which is a mere phone call or click away. Now live your off-roader dream at a great price said Mr. Sunil Gupta, CEO Avis India.
The Avis India Self Drive Himalayan & Desert Expedition offers a fully loaded brand new Tata Safari Dicor at Rs.2000/-, a Ford Endeavour and a Mitsubishi Pajero at Rs 2500/-per day for self-driven holidays.
“Our soft launch has already witnessed a great response and is completely sold out till 30th August 2010” further added Mr. Gupta.
Avis also plans to launch this initiative soon in Mumbai, Kolkata and in other parts of the country where it is present. The cars are comprehensively insured and have a valid license for self drive.


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Kia India eyes 10 percent growth in sales volume next year: Tae-Jin Park
Kia India predicts a 10 per cent growth in volume sales in 2024 with the deliveries of facelift launches of Sonet and Seltos attaining momentum, its Managing Director and CEO Tae-Jin Park. Park foresees the overall domestic passenger vehicle (PV) sales in the industry to remain unchanged in 2024, as demand mainly exists for sport utility vehicles (SUVs). "I think SUVs, especially the micro SUVs, would be generating new volumes in the market in 2024. The passenger vehicle sales will continue to decline and it will maintain the same level as 2023", Park quoted.
Kia unveiled its Sonet facelift. The company marketed 254,556 units in India last year and it is anticipating to sell the same number of units this year also. The South Korean car company launched the Seltos facelift in July this year. "The customers already know that the old model is going out of the market, and a new model is coming that has impacted our sales this year. Next year, we will be selling new Seltos and new Sonet. We have a little bit combative target for the next year at 10 per cent as compared to this year", Park said.
Kia exclusively sells utility vehicles in India. Kia's dealers presently have an advance stock for 30-35 days and the company is comfortable with it as the year is ending, he said, adding the company aims to have a 10 per cent market stake by 2030. Currently, the company's market share in India is about 5.5 per cent. Kia India is planning to launch a total of 5 vehicles in the next two years. "Next year, a new Carnival, EV9 (an electric vehicle) is launching. In the next year, we are very carefully preparing for the big leap over the second stage of growth for Kia India which will begin in 2025. The company is aiming to control 15-17 per cent of that EV market by 2030. We are designing a hybrid and in the next two years, we can bring it anytime", Park said.


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The Marion County Sheriff’s Office is seeking any information from the public that could help identify three individuals who allegedly stole merchandise from a Walmart in Ocala.
On Saturday, January 28, the three suspects (pictured below) traveled to the Walmart located at 9570 SW Highway 200 in Ocala, according to a social media post from the sheriff’s office.
According to MCSO, the two male suspects placed approximately $900 worth of items in a shopping cart and walked out of the store without paying for the merchandise. The female suspect also exited the store with around $70 worth of unpaid items.
After the alleged theft, the sheriff’s office stated that the three suspects were seen leaving the area in a red 4-door Dodge Avenger.
If you have any information on the identity of these individuals, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office asks that you call 352-732-9111. Those who wish to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers of Marion County at 352-368-STOP (7867) and reference 23-05 in your tip.


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MEO offers a mobile data plan enabling users to add extra gigabytes of usage bundled by app and content types.
By virtue of its membership in the European Union, Portugal does have net neutrality regulations; the prepackaged MEO data plans apply only to mobile broadband usage and are add-ons to, not substitutes for, metered plans offering full Internet access.
Net neutrality is the principle behind a set of Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulations enacted during the Obama administration mandating that Internet service providers treat all online platforms, content and users equally. Simply put, the rules kept providers from setting fees and transmission speeds that favored some content sources over others. Proponents say net neutrality rules ensure fair competition and guarantee unimpeded access to all legal platforms and content for all users.
Current Trump-appointed FCC Chairman Ajit Pai has been critical of net neutrality (also known as "open Internet"), deriding it as an overly restrictive and unnecessary set of regulations that is akin to "micromanaging" the internet. He has long argued that removing the 2015 restrictions would benefit consumers and the economy. FCC commissioners voted in favor of Pai's proposal to scrap net neutrality on 14 December 2017.
Fittingly, nowhere are the consequences of repealing the open internet rules more hotly debated than on the Internet. One of net neutrality's more fervent defenders in Congress, Rep. Ro Khanna (D-California), tweeted the following on 26 October:
In Portugal, with no net neutrality, internet providers are starting to split the net into packages. pic.twitter.com/TlLYGezmv6
— Ro Khanna (@RoKhanna) October 27, 2017
The graphic Khanna used, a screen shot of a promotion on the web site of the Portuguese telecom company MEO, purports to illustrate one of the end-user scenarios net neutrality backers have long predicted would come to pass in the absence of such regulations: limited offerings of pre-selected apps and content packages, with add-on charges for each (comparable to service bundles offered by cable TV providers). Want to view videos? Pay extra. Want to use Facebook and Twitter? Pay extra. And so on.
Khanna's example was quickly seized upon by open Internet advocates who shared the screen shot along with commentaries contrasting what some described as MEO's "à la carte" content menu with the "all-you-can-eat buffet" users are accustomed to under net neutrality. "Portugal Doesn't Have Net Neutrality. This Is What Their Internet Looks Like," read the headline of a typical post in this vein.
Except Portugal does practice net neutrality, and the graphic doesn't accurately depict what Portugal's Internet looks like overall.
The European Union's Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC) established net neutrality guidelines in 2015. Portugal is a member of the European Union, so its internet providers must comply.
The service promoted in the MEO graphic, "Smart Net," is essentially a menu of add-ons to the company's standard mobile data service plan. Contrary to the way it's been presented, it doesn't limit users' access to particular apps or sites. Rather, it lays out prepackaged options via which MEO customers can add extra gigabytes of data usage to their mobile phone plans (similar to Vodafone's "Passes" offerings).
MEO defended Smart Net in a statement to the Portuguese news web site Observador (translation by Google):
MEO complies with the European regulation on net neutrality and there is no market distortion caused by its commercial offers. The Smart Net offerings correspond only to additional traffic ceilings for certain thematic sets of applications that are no more than the reflection of Portuguese consumer preferences.
Portugal's telecommunications regulatory agency, ANACOM, would not speak to the Smart Net plan in particular but told Observador that "the issue of network neutrality, zero-rating offers and packages with additives are topics under analysis at ANACOM."
Zero-rating is the practice of providing unlimited usage for specific content sources within an otherwise limited or metered data plan (an example of this in the U.S. is T-Mobile's unlimited music and video streaming for mobile users).
Critics such as the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), a nonprofit digital rights advocacy group, say such practices discriminate against content providers who can't afford to compete in a "pay to play" environment and open the door to further preferential treatment. U.S. net neutrality rules, like those of the European Union, don't ban zero-rating outright but mandated case-by-case studies to determine if they had negative impacts on end users or open competition.
FCC Chairman Pai announced in February 2017 that the agency will no longer investigate instances of zero-rating, as, in his words, "These free-data plans have proven to be popular among consumers, particularly low-income Americans, and have enhanced competition in the wireless marketplace."
Although this means mobile Internet users in the United States may indeed see prepackaged data usage add-ons similar to MEO's in the future, it is not a foregone conclusion that this is what Internet access as a whole will look like in the absence of net neutrality laws.


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BLOG: Leaked Images? MG S Gundam [BST] Plan 303E "Deep Striker"?
|Bandai is scheduled to make an announcement for Master Grade No. 200 once the clock strikes 12:00 on January 1, 2018 and it will supposedly come from Gundam Sentinel.
Bandai has released kits from Gundam Sentinel previously though there are still many designs that warrant a release, including the Gundam Mk-V or the FAZZ which they can do based on the recent MG ZZ Gundam Ver.Ka.
But then these "official" images of an MG S Gundam [BST] Plan 303E "Deep Striker" started surfacing. This actually makes sense since they released, albeit an online exclusive, the vanilla MG S Gundam [BST]. Either way, it’s only less than 12 hours away from the official reveal as of this posting so adding more fuel to the speculation flame wouldn’t hurt, would it?


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Kering, the French luxury-good group that owns the brands Alexander McQueen, Saint Laurent and Gucci, among others, and has made something of a mission out of championing women’s rights — with initiatives like the Chime for Change campaign for female empowerment, the “Women in Motion” talks for film industry professionals and a partnership with the United Nations Women French National Committee — has put its human-resources policy where its cause is.
Also, probably not coincidentally, where its customer base is.
Last week, the conglomerate announced a new parental-leave policy that, to many, might seem like a luxury itself: a minimum of 14 weeks of paid maternity or adoptive leave and five days of paternity or partner leave, beginning Jan. 1, 2017 for all employees who have worked there for more than a year.
What made the move unusual was that the group, which operates in nearly 60 countries and employs more than 38,000 people, established the policy across all brands and all locations.
“These decisions are usually made country by country and not across borders,” said Ariane Hegewisch, the program director of employment and earnings at the Institute for Women’s Policy Research. “Human resource management, such as benefit policies and pay levels, is very influenced by national legislation, labor markets and the union structures in different countries.”
Previously, Kering’s various brands set their own policies, in compliance with local regulations. That means its 5,000-plus employees in the U.S., where federal law mandates only 12 weeks unpaid time off for new parents, were offered either no compensated time off or a combination of paid and unpaid leave. Meanwhile, Kering’s Italian contingent — about 7,000 people — was given 22 weeks of maternity leave and three to four days of paternity leave with at least 80 percent of the salary paid out.
That approach is not atypical in luxury, an industry focused on attracting women (80 percent of Kering’s consumers are women). Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, or LVMH, which owns fashion houses like Dior, Givenchy and Marc Jacobs, has different policies in different places, as does Prada Group, an umbrella organization for Prada, Miu Miu, Church’s and more, as well as Phillips-Van Heusen, which owns Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger, among others.
But Kering’s move has placed it among a growing list of multinational companies, including Nestlé, L’Oreal and Spotify, that have set minimum parental-leave standards across all geographic zones where their employees work in the last few years. LVMH is set to follow in Kering’s footsteps this spring with a program called “Coeur Social,” which will include a global parental-leave policy.
A report by the Center for American Progress argued that companies are taking these actions to balance out discrepancies in benefits across regions, in particular the unequal leave policies between the U.S. and most other nations (research focusing on members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and a few other nations found that the U.S. was the only one that didn’t mandate paid parental leave).
“I think these companies realize they can retain women who leave and come back, and that is a real cost saver for them,” said Myra H. Strober, a professor of economics at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. “It’s very much an economic decision for them, and that’s good, because those tend to stick.”
Among fashion, beauty and retail companies that have made their parental-leave policies public, Kering’s offer of 14 paid weeks for mothers and parents who adopt stands out. “This is a private company, so an investment of 14 weeks is high,” said Ms. Hegewisch.
By comparison, Patagonia, considered a leader in sustainability, gives its workers 80 days of maternity leave and 60 days of paternity leave, both paid. Toms Shoes offers eight weeks for all parents; Jane.com gives 30 days of maternity or adoptive leave; Old Navy allows 60 days of job-protected, unpaid maternity leave; and Phillips-Van Heusen offers 12-14 weeks paid for birthing mothers and six weeks paid for all other parents.
Still, Ms. Hegewisch expressed surprise at the stark difference between Kering’s maternity and paternity leaves. Though Kering brands such as Gucci and Bottega Veneta have decided to merge genders on the runway, they haven’t made the same leap in leave policies.
“Five days is really very minimal,” she said of the company’s paternity leave.
According to someone familiar with the discussions at Kering who was not authorized to speak, the company based the number of days on recommendations from the International Labor Organization, which adopted a resolution in 2000 stating that women should be entitled to a minimum of 14 weeks maternity leave, but hasn’t established any formal guidelines for paternity leave.
Kering declined to comment publicly on the policies beyond its announcement last week.
Ms. Strober noted that there’s more of an uphill battle in getting fathers to take time off, even when it’s available to them.
“Even when companies have more generous paternity-leave policies, fathers don’t always take advantage of them,” she said. “It took years of Sweden having a national program giving men paternity leave before they began to take it.”
She added: “Eventually — don’t ask me when — men and women will have the same parental leaves and they will all take them. But we’re not there yet.”


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Pier 1 has announced that they plan to close all their stores by fall 2020. The company posted the following statement on their website:
Pier 1 announced on May 19, 2020 that it has filed a motion seeking court approval to begin an orderly wind-down of the company’s retail operations as soon as reasonably possible after store locations are able to reopen following mandated closures during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Company expects to continue serving customers in its stores through early fall 2020. Store closing dates will vary by location.
Pier 1 joins a long list of businesses who have either filed bankruptcy or shut down completely due to the coronavirus pandemic.


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A member of travel agency consortium Advantage has secured its first booking through Twitter after being inspired by a US agent who specialises in using the social media site.
Dan Horton of Southsea Travel was inspired by Elite Travel International president Stacy Small, who talked about making money from social media at the group’s 2011 conference in Madrid.
Horton created a Twitter profile – @DanTravelExpert – and responded to a tweet from a holidaymaker in Northern Ireland who had experienced bad service from a holiday company.
The customer tweeted him her holiday requirements and within 48 hours he had secured a booking to Ibiza worth £1,000.
Horton said: “This could be the start of something big and I am very excited. As a result of my help, the customer retweeted my details to her 900-plus followers and I am working on a few other enquiries that have come from it.
“I am also in contact with other tweeters who asked for recommendations for a good travel agent.”
Advantage Travel Centres online promotions manager Wendy Missenden said: “It’s great that members attending the conference are able to implement advice from our speakers, and to see such a direct tangible result from a session is really exciting.
“I discovered Stacy on twitter which resulted in an inspirational presentation and some top tips for members.”


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jordan pulse -
The general consumer price index (inflation) in Jordan last year reached 106.79, compared to 102.46 for the year 2021, recording an increase of 4.23%, according to the report of the Department of Statistics.
According to the report, this figure resulted from the increase in the prices of group commodities, the relative importance of which was 91.30%.
During the past month, the general consumer price index (inflation) reached 108.05, compared to 103.54 for the same month of December 2021, registering an increase of 4.36%.
According to the report, the general consumer price index for December was 108.05, compared to 108.19 for November of the same year, recording a decrease of 0.13%.


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E3 is a-comin'. Next week, great gaming companies will take to the stage to show off all kinds of games and make all kinds of promises, as they did in the past. Like last year, for example. »6/02/14 1:00pm 6/02/14 1:00pm
Kinja is in read-only mode. We are working to restore service.


text: It is winter and a scarcity of paraffin and inflated prices is making life even harder in some communities. Residents complain of exaggerated prices and having to fork out for gas heaters and gas stoves because they can’t find paraffin.For the past two weeks, Gugulethu supermarkets and petrol stations have been out of paraffin, and individual sellers have doubled their prices from between R10 and R12 to R16 and R20 a litre. Sandisiwe Mvula from Gugulethu said she uses paraffin for her heater, on which she also cooks her meals.“My heater doubles up as a stove, because electricity is expensive and we try to save as much as we can, so sometimes I will cook on it or boil water for washing. There are six of us in the house. It has been a struggle since last week Wednesday to get paraffin here.”She says they usually buy paraffin from a Somali spaza shop for R12 a litre, but it is out of stock. Last week, a long queue formed outside the petrol station on Steve Biko Drive. Residents stood in line with bottles of different sizes, waiting to buy paraffin. Another queue also formed at a garage in Philippi. Residents say some people even slept at the garage, waiting for the paraffin delivery for the next day.Phindile Liti, also from Gugulethu, says, “This happens every year. If paraffin doesn’t run out, then gas does. Our family bought a gas heater last year because of not being able to get paraffin. We are used to this, but it is very frustrating and it is costly, especially for those who also use paraffin for light.”People have taken to social media to complain about the shortages. One Facebook user asked a relative on their way from the Eastern Cape to bring paraffin.Another user wrote: ‘Anyone wanna make big bucks, fast? Come sell paraffin in Cape Town, now.’Someone else posted: ‘1 litre paraffin in Cape Town. Samora R25 haaa kunzima (it’s hard).’Vuyolwethu Ntaba lives in the Wetlands informal settlement in Masiphumelele, which does not have electricity since a fire in November 2015. He says the area he lives in is always wet and cold and he has to use use a heater. Ntaba lives with his girlfriend and says they use paraffin for cooking and heating.“It gets very cold here because it is a wetland … I would use eight to ten litres of paraffin per week and that would cost me R100, but now it’s double the price. I do not have R200 to spend on paraffin every week,” says NtabaShoprite said paraffin will be available at the Philippi branch on Tuesday, and it has been out of paraffin since last week. Shoprite in Gugulethu Mall has been out of paraffin for two weeks and they currently do not know when they will get supplies again. Spar in Philippi has also run out and also doesn’t know when paraffin will be available again. One of the employees said they had paraffin sometime last week, but the stock was sold out within minutes.Robert Maake, Director of Fuel Pricing Mechanism in the Department of Energy, confirmed that there was a paraffin shortage, not only in Cape Town but nationally. He said the shortage was due to technical problems at oil refineries.


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Earlier today, Marc Garneau, the Liberal Minister of Transportation, tweeted a photo of himself charging his electric vehicle presumably in response to the pump-now campaign put forward by Conservatives nationwide.
The pump-now efforts have been used by provincial and federal Conservatives as gas prices continue to skyrocket nationwide.
In Vancouver for example some pumps have hit above 171.9 per litre today.
In his tweet, Mr. Garneau states “Hey [Andrew Scheer] – am I doing this right?”
Mr. Garneau’s response was quickly ratioed, with users pointing out that many cannot afford to use electric vehicles.
The cheapest Tesla starts at $39,000.
That is perhaps cheap for someone like the Minister which makes over a quarter of a million through his government salary alone, but it is certainly not in the affordable range for a large portion of Canadians.
Especially when you factor in that “nearly half of all Canadians say it has grown more difficult to afford to put food on the table over the last 12 months”, according to a recently released poll by Angus Reid.
Many also pointed out the problems with using electric cars in Canada, notably their inability to work well in -30 Celsius weather, as well as the drastic charge times.
It can take multiple hours to charge an electric car if you find yourself without a supercharger, something I suspect would occur regularly for working-class Canadians who actually who don’t live in Canada’s core cities.
It also produces a larger well-to-wheels CO2 footprint than a Toyota Camry Hybrid.
With respect to Canada’s space program and to Minister Garneau, his three trips into orbit would have contributed as much carbon into the atmosphere as about 14 years of driving. Yet, middle-class Canadians are being asked to pay more to drive to work, to have their produce delivered to their grocery stores, and for just about everything else.
What do you think about the minister’s tweet? Did he score an own goal? Join the conversation by commenting below!


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People want in on e-commerce for simple reasons - choice, ease, speed, cost, convenience. Yet not everyone benefits equally, especially in least developed countries.
Life can be better when online business – and the digital platforms they operate on – efficiently deliver goods and services to happy customers.
Families have access to more and better products at lower prices, and businesses can sell to new consumers in far-away markets.
The gains can be meaningful and ultimately transformative. But there are risks – and perhaps none as high as those for developing countries, where local businesses are often left playing catch-up.
A new policy brief from UNCTAD, launched ahead of its global eCommerce Week 2019, maps out the new opportunities and growing concerns around making digital platforms work for development at a time when they, and the businesses on them, are consolidating.
- Making Digital Platforms Work for Development (Policy Brief No. 73)
“For developing countries, digital platforms generate opportunities to trade and develop. The gains aren’t automatic though,” UNCTAD’s technology and logistics director, Shamika N. Sirimanne says.
“To maximize development gains from digital platforms, adequate connectivity needs to be there. Also, policies and regulations need to address the many challenges.”
Digital platforms reduce transaction and search costs and help e-commerce businesses connect customers and consumers more easily.
E-commerce means shorter shipping times, flexible payment options, relevant products and local language interfaces. It connects local industries and reduces reliance on imports.
This can help developing countries in several ways. Developing world e-commerce businesses can market and sell their goods and services to potential buyers both in their own country and in foreign markets.
They may also find untapped niches, giving an edge to smaller firms competing in well-defined market segments. These include niche trading in tourism and value-added food products, the policy brief says.
Finding a platform
The policy brief also found that developing countries could benefit from starting up their own online marketplaces. But that the costs are high.
In some developing countries, the absence of global platform providers creates scope for local players, it argues. But many domestic platforms may be unable to compete with international players — and those that can often become targets for acquisition.
Major online marketplaces such as Amazon, Alibaba Group and Facebook have already captured significant parts of the overall market, benefiting from massive economies of scale and network effects.
In the case where local platforms do exist, they’re unlikely to become profitable until they reach a critical mass.
“If only 2 to 3% of consumers in a country buy online, it may not be worthwhile to invest in digital platforms, until the market exhibits some growth,” the brief outlines.
Still, platforms such as Jumia in Africa, Flipkart, Lazada and Souq in Asia, and MercadoLibre in Latin America have emerged in developing economies indicating there is both scope and potential scale in these marketplaces.
Jumia just filed for a $100 million initial public offering (IPO) on the New York Stock Exchange in March 2019.
There are no guarantees when it comes to gains, especially for least developed countries.
“There are serious concerns over the rising market power of certain platforms and the need for better competition, consumer, data and privacy protection, taxation, and employment, and decent working conditions,” Ms. Sirimanne says.
These concerns affect not only developing countries but the entire global digital economy, she adds.
Developing countries are constrained, the brief says, and often lack the coordinating and legislative capacities to manage the complex and fast-moving technology ecosystem, and so can be more disproportionately affected.
Data protection is a big challenge, the brief warns, saying that many developing countries still lack relevant national policy and legislation.
On the tax front, developing economies are less able to extract taxes from non-resident e-commerce businesses. This means fewer domestic resources for development.
Other challenges persist and the solution, according to the research, needs to include improved policy and more dialogue.
“UNCTAD is helping the least prepared for the digital era by facilitating policy dialogue and capacity-building in three key areas,” Ms. Sirimanne says.
“We organise the UNCTAD’s eCommerce Week, a forum to discuss the development challenges and opportunities brought about by the digital economy.
“Our e-Trade Readiness Assessments provide a diagnostic of the current e-commerce situation in a country – and identify opportunities and barriers.
“And our Cyberlaw Reform Programme helps build the capacity of countries to design appropriate laws and regulations to facilitate e-commerce in a safe environment.”
“Digital platforms are changing the world, but we must ensure they contribute to sustainable development and leave no-one behind,” she adds says.
UNCTAD’s eCommerce Week 2019 takes place from 1-5 April at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland. The annual gathering of development and digitization policymakers and ecommerce entrepreneurs from around the globe began in 2016.
In December 2018, UNCTAD organized the debut regional edition, Africa eCommerce Week, in Nairobi, Kenya.


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Apple is expected to announce the long-rumored iWatch this Tuesday at an event in California, and a new report from The New York Times has us thinking this might finally be the first wearable device to break into the mainstream.
In a recent article focused on the lack of good design in latest crop of smartwatches The Times cites one anonymous Apple employee who suggests the iWatch could put an end to that trend.
According to a designer who works at Apple, Jonathan Ive, Apple’s design chief, in bragging about how cool he thought the iWatch was shaping up to be, gleefully said Switzerland is in trouble — though he chose a much bolder term for “trouble” to express how he thought the watchmaking nation might be in a tough predicament when Apple’s watch comes out.
We’ve seen Apple march into a new or struggling product categories before and quickly dominate with a mix of elegant design and straight-forward software. Just think of the company’s first MP3 player, smartphone and tablet. All three become desirable devices as the iPod, iPhone and iPad. Whether Apple can pull off the same trick again with the iWatch remains to be seen, though the company’s huge and devoted customer base probably won’t hurt its chances either.
So what will the iWatch actually look like? It’s still too soon to know and we probably won’t find out until Apple takes the stage next week. Until then there are plenty of concept designs to look at, though if history is any indication Apple’s final design will probably take us by surprise.
The Galaxy S20 Ultra's Space Zoom camera is amazing and a bit creepy
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Win an iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch with the Reader's Choice giveaway!
What's the best phone of 2019? Is it the iPhone 11 Pro, Pixel 4 or OnePlus 7T? What about the best laptop, games console, tablet and more? Vote NOW in the Reader's Choice awards and win BIG in time for the holidays!
Here are the best products from IFA 2019!
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Step into your favorite film with a pair of 3D glasses
Experience movies and video games in the most realistic way with a pair of 3D glasses. Our guide has the best to help you narrow down your choice.


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Login For Bitcoin Of America The company has rolled out several Bitcoin Teller Machines (BTMs) in the US over the last four years and hope to grow its outreach even more. Now Bitcoin of . Fast and easy way (10 seconds) to find the best Bitcoin exchange in your. choice for privacy; Slow; in the USA, bank transfers can take
Bitcoin Fourth Epoch, Ethereum 2.0 & Central Bank Blockchain Progress MAHE, SEYCHELLES / ACCESSWIRE / May 22, 2020 / VYSYN VENTURES is excited to deliver the first release of VYSYN VENTURES Weekly.
Bitcoin Atm In France The Lamassu Bitcoin ATM is operated by La Maison du Bitcoin. 16 Feb 2020. Find location of General Bytes Bitcoin ATM machine in Paris at 108 Rue des Bourguignons 92600 Asnières-sur-Seine France. On this page you may find the list of countries with Bitcoin ATMs locations and number of Bitcoin ATMs. Bitcoin ATMs by Country.
15 Jul 2019.
Articles and hashtags referenced:#bitcoin #bitcoins #bitcoinmining.
AND SHOULD NOT BE TAKEN AS FACTUAL OR AT FACE VALUE.
*The price of bitcoin mining machines must be adjusted frequently according to many factors, including Bitcoin/USD.
Antminer S9 front view with fan attached.
Now that the Bitcoin block reward has been halved, BTC’s hash rate and transaction fees are feeling the impact.
Bent u opzoek naar een Bitcoin Miner? Wij bieden u de Bitmain Antminer S9. Wilt u weer rendabel kunnen minen? Gebruik dan de Bitcoin Miner van Miners.nl.
Bitcoin Fourth Epoch, Ethereum 2.0 & Central Bank Blockchain Progress MAHE, SEYCHELLES / ACCESSWIRE / May 22, 2020 / VYSYN VENTURES is excited to deliver the first release of VYSYN VENTURES Weekly Ins.
In the next few days, somewhere around May 12th, the question of what will happen after Bitcoin’s third halving will.
Kalkulator Bitcoin 17 Okt 2019. Perbedaan antara Bitcoin Checker dengan Bitcoin Ticker Widget adalah terdapat pada portofolio tracker, Bitcoin News, dan juga kalkulator. Ico Token Sale For Supply Chain Data Blockchain? Blockchain Technology Development Solutions Image. Incode Group will give you an ICO-boosted headstart and deliver ICO tokens according to your specifications. Crowdsale, ERC20 token contracts Crowdsale,
While bitcoin is fast reversing its pre-halving price drop, hash-rate data suggests miners are still leaving the network.
The latest models of bitcoin mining machines from MicroBT and Bitmain are the most profitable now after the halving,


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EcoWaste Coalition Finds Imported Kiddie Furniture Coated with Lead Paint, Urges Government to Seize Dangerous Products to Avoid Children’s Exposure to Lead
A watch group on toxic chemicals, products and wastes, today urged the authorities to stop the illegal sale of imported children’s chairs due to violations of the country’s lead paint standard.
The EcoWaste Coalition said the yellow surface paint on the metal frame of the children’s furniture in question contained high concentrations of lead in excess of 90 parts per million (ppm), a violation of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Administrative Order 2013-24.
The group obtained the imported products on September 2 and 4 from discount stores in Caloocan and Pasay Cities for P180 for a chair with backrest and "SpongeBob SquarePants" design and P125 for a folding chair with a "Fiore" design.
The totally unlabeled products lack the required market authorization from health authorities in the form of toy and childcare article (TCCA) notifications.
As per the group’s screening using an X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) device, the yellow paint on the metal tube frame of the chair with backrest had a total lead content of 1,171 ppm, while that of the folding chair had 1,256 ppm.
“We urge the authorities to seize these chairs marketed for children and have them returned to their manufacturer at the expense of their importer or distributor,” said Thony Dizon, Coordinator of the EcoWaste Coalition’s Project Protect.
“At the same time, we remind consumers to exercise their rights to be informed and to be protected against hazardous goods that may expose young children to health-damaging chemicals like lead,” he added.
The EcoWaste Coalition warned that the leaded paint on the metal frame will break or chip over time, spreading hazardous flakes and dust in the surroundings that children can ingest through their usual hand-to-mouth behavior.
DENR A.O. 2013-24, or the Chemical Control Order for Lead and Lead Compounds, prohibits total lead content above 90 ppm in architectural, decorative and household paints.
Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) Memorandum Circular 2016-010 further clarified that the use of paints with more than 90 ppm of lead in toys and children’s products, including home furnishings like chairs, shall be prohibited by December 31, 2016.
According to a report on “Childhood Lead Poisoning” by the World Health Organization (WHO), “the consequences of brain injury from exposure to lead in early life are loss of intelligence, shortening of attention span and disruption of behavior.”
“The human brain has little capacity for repair, these effects are untreatable and irreversible. They cause diminution in brain function and reduction in achievement that last throughout life,” the WHO pointed out.
The WHO has warned that “children are particularly vulnerable to the neurotoxic effects of lead, and even relatively low levels of exposure can cause serious and in some cases irreversible neurological damage,” stressing “there is no known level of lead exposure that is considered safe.”