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Now that the Fake News Media has lost interest in Donald Trump and his Fascist beliefs, we can get the daily report on how badly Joe is running things, in particular the economic calamity that has resulted from Covid-19.
Of course, it’s a little difficult to promote the idea of an economic slowdown where the unemployment rate is under 5 percent, ditto when salaried, blue-collar workers are seeing their take-home pay going up.
One of the colleges near me has been advertising a master’s degree in what they call – ready? – ‘creative non-fiction writing.’ This is obviously a degree designed to attract students who want to work for the Fake News Media, which has lost virtually any concern with reporting, as opposed to embellishing the news.
Let’s take inflation, which is robbing everyone of money that otherwise could be spent on things we really need. Yesterday I drove past a local supermarket advertising 30 cans of Bud Lite for $29.95. A can of beer for a buck? That’s inflation?
How about the jump in new car prices which was a primary factor in pushing the overall inflation rate in 2021 to 7.5 per cent? What happened is simply this: as the economy improved from 2020 and demand for new cars also improved, production of cars lagged behind because of a shortage of chips. Why is there a shortage of chips? Because everyone above the age of five now has their own handheld device.
So, the shortage of new cars and the consequent price increases wasn’t a function of a ‘bad’ economy, it reflected ever-increasing demand for consumer products which all use the same kinds of components, so something in the supply chain is going to give.
Oh! That’s the big one. The so-called supply chain ‘crisis.’ Talk about manufactured news, or creative, non-fiction reportage, which is the same thing.
Take a walk through your local supermarket on a Friday afternoon when the weather report has a big storm that will hit the next day. Notice not only that the store is mobbed, but how everyone is pushing a cart loaded with toilet paper, milk (if they have young kids), bottled water, and everything else which are considered essential items even though the snow will all be plowed by the time the kids have to go back to school the following week.
This is the kind of ‘panic’ buying that occurred when people were convinced that the ‘king flu’ would force them to stay inside for weeks, if not months. I even ordered some toilet paper from China, just to see how long it would take to arrive. It took two weeks, but it wasn’t the soft stuff that Americans require in order to wipe their asses.
Know why there was a ‘crisis’ in the supply of consumer goods? Because Americans, virus, or no virus, simply can’t stop buying all the crap they love to buy. Know what’s happened to the level of consumer expenditures since the ‘Chinese flu’ arrived? It’s increased by 25 percent! No wonder the number of containers unloaded in Southern California ports jumped from 4.9 million in 2020 to more than 10 million in 2021. Boy – talk about a crisis.
About ten minutes from my house is a titty bar which has been in business for over 20 years. Because that’s how long I have been driving past Anthony’s Dance Club on my way to work.
The joint shut down last year and stayed closed for at least six months. Last week I happened to drive past the place not right after work, but around 7 P.M. at night. Not a weekend night, mind you. It was a Thursday night.
The parking lot, which has room for at least 60 cars and small trucks, was completely filled. They were parking on the shoulder of the road because there wasn’t a single off-road space to be had.
Now you may not think that we can get a pretty accurate view of today’s economy by looking at the parking situation in front of Anthony’s Dance Club (a.k.a., Anthony’s Gentleman’s Club) or by noticing that a can of beer is still under a buck. But I disagree.
What I think Joe needs to do is hire some of these kids who get a master’s degree in creative, non-fiction writing and put them to work priming the communications pump for 2022.
As we said back in 1992, it’s the economy stupid. Except this time around the economy is hardly standing still.


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A summary for Corporate Marketers, Media Sales Executives and Advertising Agencies to see what clients are moving into the market and/or targeting U.S. consumers right now.
- American Express
American Express announced that it partnered with Lin-Manuel Miranda – a cultural leader, a creative force, a champion of local communities and an inspiration to all.Beginning on August 30, Lin-Manuel has been featured in our new ad campaign, all about how American Express backs people as they do business and live life. His story is about how his community of Washington Heights, New York has fueled his personal and professional growth – and how American Express has had his back along the way.By enlisting his family and friends to be a part of the campaign, Lin-Manuel enabled American Express to inspire organic moments during the shoot, helping to make it memorable and impactful. The soundtrack of the spot, “Mañana,” was actually written by Lin-Manuel during the multi-day shoot.The brand debuted the English version of the ads timed to its major presence with US Open Tennis in August 27.Now, it’s rolling out a Spanish version of the ad on Telemundo and Spotify.Amex will leverage TV, digital, streaming audio (like Spotify) and social media (Twitter/Facebook/Instagram) that allows the brand the opportunity to message a very specific, niche target who we feel will be likely to connect with Lin-Manuel and American Express.This includes targeting bilingual English and Spanish speakers.
- The Coca-Cola Company
The Coca-Cola Company continues its longstanding partnership with the PGA TOUR, and names DASANI Sparkling the TOUR’s official Sparkling Water –the first-ever sports partnership for the brand. The new partnership will officially launch during this week’s TOUR Championship at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta. To commemorate this announcement, DASANI Sparkling has unveiled a playful new ad spot, which will debut with a special broadcast premiere during the TOUR Championship.Filmed at the storied East Lake–known for its precarious water hazards–the ad features DASANI Sparking adding their signature sparkle and carbonation to thDASANI Sparkling’s new partnership builds upon Coke’s longstanding relationship with the PGA TOUR, the company’s pouring rights with the Tournament Players Club (TPC) network of clubs, and its overall history in the game of golf. e lake, rescuing millions of lost golf balls while offering a fun solution to countless golfer’s frustrations.
- Quicken Loans
Quicken Loans has appointed Interpublic Group’s UM as its new media buying and planning agency, following a review that began in January.UM will service both the Quicken Loans and Rocket Mortgage brands effective immediately. It will work with Quicken’s in-house marketing team which does much of the creative work for its Quicken and Rocket brands. The client had previously worked with a number of different media shops.Quicken Loans spent about US$325 million on measured media in the U.S.in 2017, according to Kantar Media.
VTech, a global supplier of corded and cordless phones and electronic learning toys, has appointed Empower for media duties including research, digital, social media and content marketing efforts, following a review.The agency will service VTech and subsidiary brands LeapFrog and LeapFrogAcademy out of its Chicago offices.
2018 NETWORKING SOLUTIONS. To find out about Portada’s new networking solutions targeting the decision makers of the below campaigns, please contact our Sales Manager Isabel Ojeda at email@example.com.
- Goya Foods
New York City Football Club (NYCFC) and Goya Foods, one of the largest Hispanic owned food company in the United States, have announced the renewal of the partnership to further promote the importance of living a healthy lifestyle through sports and proper nutrition. To celebrate the renewal of the multi-year partnership, NYCFC and Goya launched a brand new version of the Healthy Hat-Trick curriculum for the new school year and hosted a youth soccer clinic with NYCFC defender Ronald Matarrita on Wednesday, September 19, 2018 at P.S. 49 in the Bronx. The workbook will be used in P.S. 49, and a total of 14 public elementary schools throughout the City, as part of the free in-school and after-school soccer programming made possible by City in the Community, the charity proudly supported by NYCFC.The partnership expansion also includes the second year of #MyGoyaDish, a digital campaign featuring NYCFC players and their favorite Goya dishes in addition to a social media contest where four lucky fans won an opportunity to be part of a cook off event with Goya Chef Fernando Desa. Also, Hispanic Heritage Night presented by Goya Foods at NYCFC’s home game on Saturday, September 8, 2018.
- Notre Dame Federal Credit Union
Notre Dame Federal Credit Union (Notre Dame FCU) announced that it is the first and only Indiana credit union to be awarded the prestigious national Juntos Avanzamos (Together We Advance) designation for its commitment to serving and empowering Hispanic and immigrant consumers.To earn the Juntos Avanzamos designation, credit unions must complete an extensive application, requiring information about what products and services the credit union offers to specifically address the needs of the Hispanic Market, as well as what strategies they are utilizing to serve this important demographic group. To celebrate the designation, Notre Dame FCU will be launching a new marketing campaign on national Citizenship Day to celebrate Doing More than just speaking the Spanish language. In addition, a formal presentation event will be scheduled later in the year. Learn more at www.notredamefcu.com/JuntosAvanzamos.
- Southwest Airlines
Southwest Airlines Co., in partnership with the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU), has awarded 150 students, ranging from incoming freshman through graduate students, with complimentary roundtrip air travel as part of the ¡Lánzate!/Take Off! travel award program.The ¡Lánzate! Program is geared toward Hispanic college students with economic need who attend school far away from home. Students, from state to Ivy League institutions, across the nation completed online entries and submitted essays conveying how receiving a travel award would help them achieve their educational goals.Recipients were awarded between one and four roundtrips for themselves or a family member. Southwest donated 409 roundtrips to encourage students to continue on their paths to higher education.
2018 NETWORKING SOLUTIONS. To find out about Portada’s new networking solutions targeting the decision makers of the above campaigns, please contact our Sales Manager Isabel Ojeda at firstname.lastname@example.org.

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Mexico: Amazon accused of violating labour law amid allegations of poor working conditions, excessive forced overtime and unfair dismissals for outsourced workforce
“Inside Amazon’s shadow workforce in Mexico”, 28 April 2021
After six months … at an Amazon warehouse near Mexico City as a contract worker, Jaime Hidalgo believed job security and brighter prospects beckoned…
… [W]ithin weeks he was fired when a stomach bug meant more bathroom breaks and less time on the warehouse floor.
He is one of 15 former Amazon.com Inc workers in Mexico who [said]… they were mistreated or unfairly dismissed after being recruited through labor agencies to work in warehouses for the e-commerce giant.
Interviews with workers, copies of pay slips, and WhatsApp messages from Amazon HR reveal that many had to work overtime beyond legal limits while others were let go without severance, forced to resign, or laid off after falling ill with COVID-19.
… Amazon … said it complied with labor law in all the countries where it operates and "nothing was more important than the safety and well-being" of its employees.
Three labor lawyers … said several of the practices described by the former Amazon workers broke Mexican labor law, from excessive forced overtime to the use of contractors for non-specialized work and layoffs without severance being paid.
In an interview, the head of Mexico's Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare's Decent Work Unit, Alejandro Salafranca, said … the conditions described by the former Amazon workers could be grounds for an inspection by labor officials, he said.
… Amazon said it was proud to contribute to the Mexican economy providing a wide range of jobs while complying with applicable legislation.
The findings come as a Mexican law to largely prohibit subcontracting has been passed - which supporters say will improve labor rights and could force Amazon and other companies to hire most of their workers directly as staff.


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WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. – The Business Council of Westchester announced the winners of its prestigious Business Hall of Fame Awards.
This year’s honorees represent a diverse group of Westchester’s top businesses, including a world-renowned technology developer, a leading holiday decorator, one of the nation’s oldest medical colleges, an affordable housing developer, a full-service insurance company and a family-owned funeral home that has operated for three generations.
The winners will be honored at the 2015 Business Hall of Fame Awards Dinner Tuesday, April 21 at the Glen Island Harbour Club in New Rochelle. The winners in their respective categories are:
- Corporate Citizenship: New York Medical College in Valhalla. Dr. Robert Amler, vice president for government affairs and professor of public health, will accept the award.
- Entrepreneurial Success: Mindspark in Yonkers. Tim Allen, CEO, will accept the award.
- Small Business Success: York International Agency, LLC in Harrison. Robert Kestenbaum, CEO will accept the award.
- Women in Business Success: Rella Fogliano, president of MacQuesten Development in Pelham. Fogliano will accept the award.
- Family Owned Business: American Christmas in Mount Vernon. Fred Schwam, CEO, will accept the award.
- Chairman’s Recognition Award: Beecher Flooks Funeral Home in Pleasantville. William Flooks Jr., funeral director, will accept award.
Unique to this year’s Hall of Fame is the addition of the Chairman’s Recognition Award. The recipient of this inaugural award was chosen from among all of the entries received across all categories. The award recognizes a business or organization for its outstanding contributions to the community.
“We are proud to have a diverse and distinguished group of honorees that represent the best of Westchester businesses,” said Marsha Gordon, president and CEO of The Business Council of Westchester. “Our winners are a reflection of the dynamism of Westchester’s economy that is made up of everything from large corporations to family-owned businesses. We are honored to induct these companies into the 2015 Business Hall of Fame.”


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Move over, Statistics Canada and U.S. Bureau of Labour Statistics. There's a new kid on the block.
Google Inc. has a research project under way to use its mammoth database to start a "Google Price Index," a real-time measure of inflation.
The concept was discussed by the company's chief economist Hal Varian at a weekend conference of the U.S. National Association for Business Economics.
It comes as Google is expanding its analysis to examine how trends on the world's largest search engine might also be economic indicators.
The drawback of Google's inflation tracking is that it can only measure price changes of purchases made over the Internet. So shampoo, parking tickets and rent are unlikely to show up in its data.
The advantage, though, is timeliness - Google's data is available continuously, while official agencies lag by weeks. Statistics Canada, for example, typically releases its consumer price index in the third week of the month, based on prices collected by 80 people in stores a month earlier.
The new price index is unlikely to replace official statistics any time soon, but may become a useful supplement in an era when real-time news, and trading, is becoming more prevalent.
"If the information is useful, then why not?" said Kam Yu, associate professor at Lakehead University whose PhD is on inflation. "The Toronto Stock Exchange publishes every few minutes, and that's basically a price index."
Charts comparing the U.S. CPI and Google's "GPI" show a correlation among items that are frequently bought online, such as cameras, baby toys and watches. Other items bought less frequently on the Web - such as footwear and car parts - differ between the two indexes, Mr. Varian said in his presentation.
Deflation, meanwhile, is a "clear" trend in the United States, Google's price index shows.
The company is exploring other ways Google's search data can be used in economic forecasting. Google dubs its "predicting the present" as "nowcasting," and says real-time data can help improve the accuracy of forecasts.
In a paper last year, Mr. Varian said Google's trends data can help improve forecasts of the current level of activity for several different economic time series, including automobile sales, home sales, retail sales, and travel behaviour. And searches for "unemployment insurance" might help predict unemployment insurance claims, or the unemployment rate.
Mr. Varian joined Google in 2002 and is also an emeritus professor at the University of California, Berkeley.
Statistics Canada declined to comment on Google's move Tuesday, saying it doesn't typically comment on other entity's products.


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Mar 23rd, 2016
On 10 December, the international community pauses to reflect upon Human Rights Day and recommit to guaranteeing the rights which are inherent to all individuals, regardless of “nationality, residence, sex, ethnic origin, language or any other status.”
Human rights also include certain workers’ rights, such as the fight to fair and just working conditions and the prohibition of slavery. As such, businesses are critical actors who have the ability to support the protection of these rights by ensuring their operations to not undermine or violate them through the provision of effective and sustainable action.
However, solutions can be fraught with challenges given the often complex nature of a company’s supply chain. The supply chain is the system by which a product or service makes its way from a supplier to a customer, and can involve various people, activities and organizations. The supply chain becomes more complex the larger it becomes and due to the increasingly globalized nature of the world, global companies operations are often scattered around the world. Generally, this development has benefited many people: almost one billion people have been lifted out of poverty thanks to the generation of jobs in manufacturing, farming, fishing and other industries.
However, these larger supply chains also pose a risk, as without due diligence and transparent measures, it is possible for forced labor practices and human rights violations to be hidden within the complex chain.
Public scrutiny has brought new attention to these challenges, and discussions have moved towards best practices to ensure responsible procurement. A foundational framework advocated by the United Nations is the UN Principles on Business and Human Rights, more commonly referred to as the Ruggie Principles. It highlights the need for companies to show how they are identifying, managing and mitigating the risk of human rights violations across their supply chains.
Building on this, countries have started to implement their own reporting requirements for companies over a particular size. In 2015, the United Kingdom passed the Modern Slavery Act which requires commercial organizations with a turnover of 36mn or more to publicly disclose the steps they have taken to tackle modern slavery in their supply chains and businesses. The California Transparency in Supply Chains Act similarly demands companies with worldwide revenues to report on specific actions taken to eradicate slavery and human trafficking from its direct supply chain for the goods offered for sale.
The legislation works by “peer pressure”, pushing organizations to conduct due diligence and consider the risks their operations could pose to human rights. Governance experts have commented that while there is no legal requirement for companies to take action, pressure will come from a need to avoid reputational damage and to show stakeholders how they are combatting these acknowledged risks.
Legislation, along with other initiatives such as traceability, provide a transparent channel to look at how a company working to combat unethical and unsustainable practices. Compliance is demonstrative of commitment to protect the human rights of those who work for them. Additionally, it offers stakeholders a way to hold companies accountable to previously made promises, enhancing trust between consumers and a corporation as publically available statements make it easy to see who is making the right moves. It also provides the opportunity for companies to engage in dialogue and learn from others in their industry to better understand which practices are the most effective and how to implement them on a large scale.
Legislation should be seen as an important part of the journey towards the successful eradication of practices such as forced labor, and should be supported as such.


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Currys/PC World has signed an agreement with Dell to stock the Dell XPS, Inspiron and Alienware gaming ranges in its stores in time for the back to school period.
It’s the latest retail announcement from Dell after the PC vendor announced its return to retail last year. It’s currently partnered with Tesco, John Lewis, Amazon and Shop Direct in the UK, and is planning to keep its pool of retail partners relatively small.
PCR understands Dell has been in talks with Currys/PC World for over a year.
The Dell range of S Series and U Series monitors, XPS, Inspiron and Alienware products will be available in Currys/PC World stores throughout the UK from the end of July.
Alongside those products in store, the retailers’ parent company Dixons Carphone will provide consumers with access to a further range of Dell products online at Currys.co.uk and PCworld.co.uk.
In addition, Currys/PC World’s Knowhow services will help customers upgrade to a new Dell Windows 10 PC.
Dell’s products include its portfolio of XPS devices, including the latest ultra-mobile XPS 13 and XPS 15 laptops, the Inspiron range of notebooks, desktops and all-in-ones, and Alienware gaming systems, as well as Dell’s S and U Series monitors.
“We are thrilled to be working with Currys/PC World again in the UK," said Jamil Nathoo, Dell’s UK general manager for retail, consumer and small business.
"As such a significant player in the retail industry, this relationship is key in giving our customers the choice that they’re asking for. We’re excited to continue bringing innovative and high-performing technology to consumers on the high street.”
Phil Samuels, trading director at Dixons Carphone, commented: "We are delighted to be introducing Dell’s XPS, Inspiron and Alienware ranges into our stores.
"Providing customers with choice is at the heart of what we do and putting Dell’s powerful and reliable technology onto our shelves is doing just that.”


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The network-based communications software maker reported a net loss of $7.8 million, or 29 cents a share, for the quarter ending March 31. It lost $7 million, or 27 cents a share, a year earlier.
Meanwhile, the company reported revenues of $489,000 for the quarter, compared with $2.8 million a year ago. Revenues also fell from the previous quarter, when they were $1.2 million.
Company representatives attributed the revenue shortfall to a shift in General Magic's product strategy it initiated in late 1996.
Later this month General Magic will conduct field trials of its subscription-based service, Serengeti, in which users can access email, voice mail, and faxes using cellular phones and other devices.
This move to develop new revenue sources comes as sales of the Magic Cap operating system have dwindled. The company, however, expects to have its 3.0 version completed in the near future and has signed up Starfish Software as its first technology partner. Starfish's Java-based client-server software will be incorporated into the company's network service.
General Magic is also stepping away from relying on its licensing fees and royalties. It is seeking to develop direct revenues for its products and services.
Commitments to licenses and restructuring costs from a 50 percent workforce reduction last year will continue to hurt the company's cash position and investments this year, analysts expect.
General Magic had $57.6 million in cash and investments at the end of the quarter.


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04 Oct 2012
A clothing shop’s sprinkler system has been credited with limiting the amount of damage caused by a storeroom blaze.
A Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service spokesman said the blaze at H&M’s Newbury store could have been far worse had sprinklers not been fitted in the storeroom.
Three crews were called to put out the fire at the store in Parkway Shopping Centre after it triggered its fire detection system. Staff had tried to put out the flames with fire extinguishers but were driven back by the smoke.
Some damage was caused to stock in the storeroom but the six-head sprinkler system contained the blaze and stopped it spreading to other parts of the building, info4fire said.
The British Automatic Fire Sprinkler Association said systems such as the one fitted at the H&M shop were, worldwide, the most commonly used fixed fire protection systems. It said its figures showed that in buildings protected by sprinklers about 99% of fires were controlled by the sprinklers alone.
Copyright Press Association 2012


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A new study examined Facebook’s ad-delivery algorithms and found that some ads were directed to a particular gender “beyond what can be legally justified” by differences in job qualifications.
Facebook users may be seeing different job ads depending on their gender as the company’s ad-delivery algorithms can direct ads to a particular gender “beyond what can be legally justified” by differences in job qualifications, a new study has found.
Researchers from the University of Southern California studied Facebook and LinkedIn’s algorithms and found that in one of three cases that generated similar results, Facebook’s ad-delivery algorithms pushed an Instacart delivery job ad to a female-heavy audience. A Domino’s Pizza delivery job ad was targeted to a male-heavy viewership.
According to the study, Instacart has mostly female drivers, while Domino’s has mostly men.
“Facebook’s ad delivery can result in skew of job ad delivery by gender beyond what can be legally justified by possible differences in qualifications,” the study said, strengthening the argument that the social media giant’s algorithms may be in violation of US anti-discrimination laws.
However, Microsoft Corp’s LinkedIn showed the Domino’s ads to nearly the same proportion of women as it did the Instacart ad.
“It’s not that the user is saying, ‘Oh, I’m interested in this.’ Facebook has decided on behalf of the user whether they are likely to engage,” said study author Aleksandra Korolova, an assistant professor of computer science at USC.
“Just because historically a certain group wasn’t interested in engaging in something, doesn’t mean they shouldn’t have an opportunity to pursue it, especially in the job category,” the study added.https://imasdk.googleapis.com/js/core/bridge3.450.0_en.html#goog_378939520Volume 90%
Facebook addressed the report in a statement released Friday.
“Our system takes into account many signals to try and serve people ads they will be most interested in, but we understand the concerns raised in the report,” it said.
LinkedIn said the study’s findings were in line with its internal review of job ad targeting, adding that the company recognizes that “systemic change takes time, and we are at the beginning of a very long journey.”
US laws allow ads to be targeted based on qualifications, except in cases where protected categories like race, gender and age are involved. Despite tighter controls, researchers have expressed concern about bias in artificial intelligence software that chooses which users see an ad.


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Food Safety Focus (135th Issue, October 2017) – Food Incident Highlight
Follow-up on Fipronil Contaminated Eggs
In response to the incident of pesticide fipronil detected in eggs in August, the Centre for Food Safety (CFS) has stepped up holding and testing of poultry eggs from European Union (EU) countries at import level and enhanced surveillance on eggs.
In view of the fact that the EU Ministerial Conference on the follow-up of the fipronil incident was held on 26 September and a co-ordinated EU-wide monitoring plan on the presence of illegally used substances in eggs and poultry meat had been implemented, as well as there was no new development of the incident, the CFS has decided to narrow the scope of the arrangement for holding poultry eggs from all EU countries for testing at import level to cover five EU countries only, namely, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, France and Italy.
Since the incident, other than the eight unsatisfactory samples which were announced earlier, the CFS has collected 184 samples of poultry eggs and egg products from EU member states for fipronil testing and all test results were satisfactory.


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Faculty and staff can purchase specially priced tickets that will benefit the University
Garth Brooks is giving University of Florida students a very special surprise. An exclusive “Sound Check” event will be taking place Friday, April 19th, before his sold out Gainesville show the next day.
It will be free for University of Florida students! After the sound check, Brooks will take questions from the students. Faculty and staff will also be able to buy specially priced tickets to this event and bring one guest for the same ticket price.
One hundred percent of monies raised will be going back to the University of Florida for the Machen Florida Opportunity Scholars program. It’s a scholarship and support program for low-income students who are first in their family to attend college.
There will not be any ticket pick up for the event, faculty/staff will be sent an e-mail where they can purchase sound check tickets on line and then print their tickets. Students will get their tickets through Student Registration.
Parking for this event will be available in the Stephen C. O’Connell Center lot and all surrounding lots will be available with parking restrictions lifted after 3:30 pm.
Brooks just launched The Stadium Tour and has already set massive records in the first five stadiums announced. Brooks has also gone vinyl with a new package titled, Legacy. During the first pre-sale, Brooks smashed records with 20,000 packages sold in under 18 hours, that’s 420,000 vinyl records. Forbes noted, “To put this in context, The Beatles were the No. 1 vinyl artist in 2018 with 321,000 sales over 12 months.” The second 24 hours pre-sale window saw people secure an additional 300,000 vinyl albums. Additionally, Brooks just received iHeartRadio’s inaugural Artist of the Decade Award at the iHeartRadio Awards in Los Angeles.
Author: Buddy Iahn
Buddy Iahn founded The Music Universe when he decided to juxtapose his love of web design and music. As a lifelong drummer, he decided to take a hiatus from playing music to report it. The website began as a fun project in 2013 to one of the top independent news sites.


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Paramore is selling a limited run t-shirt design in support of Crisis Text Line, a free 24/7 text service connecting people with crisis counselors across the US.
Since 2010, Revolutions Per Minute has worked with Bassnectar to implement a very effective campaign called Dollar Per Bass Head ($/BH).
All profits from the sale of the band's scorpion shirt design were donated to the organization in support of it's mission to alleviate suffering, poverty and oppression.
Alexis Krauss of Sleigh Bells releases a new song in response to President Trump’s assault on our National Monuments and Parks. Proceeds will directly fund Utah Diné Bikéyah’s legal effort to reinstate protection for the entire Bears Ears National Monument.
RPM connected the band and organization together to setup a partnership that at each stop along the tour will provide alt-j's fans with free condoms and resources on how to stay safe.
For Record Store Day 2018, Mac Demarco and Shamir released an exclusive 7" featuring two covers of songs by iconic indie band Beat Happening to support the Immigrant Defense Project.


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We're incredibly lucky to have a thriving and diverse food and drink scene here in St. Louis.
In trying times, restaurant owners and local diners band together to help one another. In just the past month, chefs and patrons have rallied to raise money for a Mexican restaurant after a devastating fire and turned out in droves to say farewell to a hot-dog joint, which ended up reopening due to the overwhelming amount of money it raised.
In the wake of the COVID-19 coronavirus, those same restaurant owners now need that kind of above-and-beyond support multiplied by a thousand.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is urging all people who are able to implement social distancing to prevent the virus from infecting you — and also your neighbors, family and friends. In addition to outright avoiding dining and drinking out, cities and states are beginning to mandate that all dine-in restaurants temporarily close to help contain the virus (including the state of Illinois).
Yesterday, a joint statement from five elected officials across the St. Louis metro area signaled that a mandate to close all dine-in restaurants may not be far off. The statement — issued by St. Louis city Mayor Lyda Krewson, St. Louis County Executive Director Sam Page, St. Charles County Executive Steve Ehlmann, St. Clair County Board Chairman Mark Kern and Madison County Board Chairman Kurt Prenzler — issued the following measures:
- Effective immediately and for the next eight weeks, scheduled events and social gatherings with more than 50 people in attendance are prohibited across all five jurisdictions, as recommended by the CDC. This decision will be reevaluated constantly in communication with the region's top health care professionals.
- It is recommended that by at least Wednesday, March 18, 2020, all public, private, charter and parochial schools across all five jurisdictions close until further notice. This decision will be reevaluated by April 3.
- In Missouri, decisions regarding the mandatory closures of restaurants, bars and nightclubs remain under consideration and are expected to be made soon
Although the last measure may seem the most upsetting for local restaurant owners, the restriction on social gatherings with more than 50 people has already forced the temporary dine-in closures of some of the city's most spacious eateries. If Missouri Governor Mike Parson follows in the footsteps of Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker — a decision the Riverfront Times endorses for the sake of public health — that will soon extend to all restaurants in the state.
And that's where you come in, reader. Just because you cannot grab a meal inside your favorite local restaurant right now, that doesn't mean you can't support them in other ways. Across the river, Governor Pritzker's mandate excludes delivery and curbside service, meaning that you still have plenty of options for eating local while social distancing is still necessary.
First, you have the desktop-to-doorstep classics: Plenty of local pizzerias and Chinese restaurants offer in-house delivery service, as do a handful of other concepts around town. If you live in downtown St. Louis or the Central West End, St. Louis-based bicycle-delivery service Food Pedaler is offering contactless delivery for customers.
Then there's the national food-delivery services such as DoorDash, Postmates, Grubhub and Uber Eats, all of which work with a wide variety of locally owned restaurants to liven up your self-imposed quarantine.
If you've already hoarded a bounty of frozen food for the foreseeable future (and therefore left less for the rest of us), you can still rally behind your favorite local eateries and breweries by buying a gift card. Lots of local restaurants and breweries sell gift cards online; simply seek out their sites and ensure they benefit from your purchase immediately.
Also, keep in mind that a handful of locally owned restaurants operate drive-thru windows, including Yolklore in Crestwood and Byrd & Barrel.
Finally, as more and more St. Louis chefs and restaurant owners anticipate a looming mandate to temporarily close, they're getting creative with new offerings for their customers. Solutions range from dine-in restaurants transitioning to curbside pickup-only to others adding to-go meals available to purchase curbside.
Ian Froeb, the restaurant critic for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, compiled an incredibly helpful thread on Twitter promoting as many of these updates as possible. (Click the Tweet below to page through the whole thread.)
However you choose to support the local food and drink scene in the days and weeks to come, remember that by doing so, you're not just helping small business owners — you're also helping their employees, food suppliers and the St. Louis economy at large.
What did we miss? Let us know in the comments and we'll update this post.
Going to thread STL dining coronavirus news as I see it. My DMs are open, my email is in my profile, a chef you know probably has my cell.— Ian Froeb (@ianfroeb) March 16, 2020
- Mac’s Local Eats going to curbside-pickup only Weds. 3.18 pic.twitter.com/kLmy86qhvl
For more information on COVID-19, go to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's website, and for more on the local response, go to websites for the city's health department and St. Louis County's health department.
Follow Liz Miller on Twitter at @lizzaymillah. We are always hungry for tips and feedback. Email the author at [email protected]


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My friend Kate recently asked what I thought about the fact that her granddaughter drinks a lot of soymilk. I said I thought it was great!
There are plenty of reasons—mostly from ethical and environmental standpoints—to avoid cow’s milk. Whether there are important health risks associated with dairy consumption is still a question of debate. But there is little to suggest that dairy has any protective benefits that you can’t get elsewhere. Soy, on the other hand, may have some unique and long-lasting benefits for young girls.
Interest in a cancer-protective effect of soyfoods comes, in part, from the fact that breast cancer is much lower in Japan, where soyfoods are commonly consumed, than in western countries. Scientists have been speculating for decades that the anti-estrogen effects of isoflavones—compounds that are unique to soyfoods—are responsible for this difference.
Unfortunately, there is no clear consensus that adding soyfoods to your diet in adulthood will lower cancer risk. But some very interesting studies suggest that when young girls consume soyfoods, their risk for breast cancer later in life is much lower.
A National Cancer Institute study found that risk for breast cancer was 58% lower for women who had consumed soyfoods between the ages of 5 and 11 years. A study in China—where soy consumption differs greatly across different regions—had a similar result. Consuming soy between the ages of 13 and 15 was associated with a 49% reduction in breast cancer risk.
Why soy might provide this long term protection isn’t known, but it may have something to do with effects of isoflavones on breast tissue during development. And according to the data, as little as one serving of soy per day might be protective.
While the studies aren’t conclusive, it clearly makes sense for young girls to consume soyfoods that are rich in isoflavones. Best choices are tofu, tempeh and soymilk (many commercial soy burgers are not rich in isoflavones). Soymilk is probably the easiest food to include in a child’s diet. Choose a brand that is fortified with calcium and vitamin D, and use it just as you would cow’s milk–over cereal, in baking, and in milk shakes.


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US Corporate Recycling Market to Hit $79 Billion by 2015
The U.S. Corporate Recycling market is projected to reach $47.1 billion in 2010 and grow to $79.1 billion in 2015, according to the latest issue of EL Insights. This represents a compound annual growth rate of 10.9% during this time period.
As America’s desire for convenient and disposable products has grown, so has its waste. On average, Americans dispose of 4.6 pounds of trash a day per person as compared to 2.8 pounds in 1960. This accumulates to a startling 64 tons of waste over the average American lifespan.
As communities become increasingly aware of the environmental and health detriments a landfill can impose, they are declining to issue permits. Jon D. Johnston, an official with the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), stated, “Nobody wants a landfill sited anywhere near them, including in rural areas.”
Recycling has long been championed as a way to reduce the amount of trash that ends up in landfills. Recycling is often associated with plastic bottles, aluminum cans, and paper; and while those products all remain an important part of the municipal recycling stream, industrial recycling is moving into new, more positive directions. Companies are now starting to explore recycling options for…
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- First-Ever Statewide Endorsement of Retail Supplier, by Delaware, Goes to Direct Energy
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Missourians Fight ALEC Over Big Agriculture’s “Right to Farm”
Grassroots efforts will likely push a recount on an amendment to Missouri’s bill of rights that favors the interests of corporate agriculture.
On Aug. 5, Missouri residents voted on the state’s Right-to-Farm, Amendment 1, a new addition to the state’s bill of rights. The results were extremely close: 498,751 voted in favor of the new amendment, while 496,223 opposed it. With a difference of less than half a percent, a recount is almost certain.
Though the Humane Society of the United States donated $375,000 in opposition, the amendment had the financial backing of Big Agriculture and its deep pockets as well as the American Legislative Exchange Council, or ALEC, the secretive organization which writes legislation on behalf of major corporations.
That the bill came so close to defeat is a testament to the efforts of grassroots Missouri activists like the members of People’s Visioning, a coalition of diverse progressive organizations led by Columbia, Missouri, resident Monta Welch. MintPress News spoke with Welch and other members of her coalition as they rested from what they described as an exhausting campaign and considered what their next steps might be if the recount fails.
Welch explained that the conflict was essentially between large agricultural factories and consumers increasingly concerned with the sustainability and ethics behind the food they eat.
“This amendment was really designed to preempt giving consumers what they want and preempt any possibility of addressing an unsustainable system whether it be factory farming — a confined animal feeding operation, or CAFO — or genetically modified food. There’s been a trend of customers and consumers saying they don’t want these kinds of products, but this is the ‘get bigger or get out’ style of factory farm’s response,” Welch said.
ALEC’s corporate “extremism”
For over 40 years ALEC members — corporations and wealthy backers like the Koch Brothers — have crafted model legislation which is then sponsored by the council’s specially selected legislators who are required to swear a loyalty oath to the organization. ALECexposed.org, a project of the Center for Media and Democracy, features hundreds of model bills as well as lists of its corporate members, including agricultural giants Archer Daniels Midland and St. Louis-based Monsanto. Monsanto, along with Cargill — which has disputed its ALEC membership — were members of the Farmers Care PAC that formed to promote the bill.


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GENEVA: World Health Organisation (WHO) has termed heart disease as the “killer” of humans globally, however, you can mitigate the risk of heart disease by opting for a healthy diet.
In a recent statement, nutritional experts have ranked some popular diets suggested by American Heart Association’s (AHA) evidence-based dietary guidelines for heart health — published in 2021.
The scientists suggested going for the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension or DASH diet — those food products that cause high blood pressure.
The pescatarian diet, — dairy, eggs, fish and other seafood but no meat or poultry, — was 92% according to the guidelines of AHA guidelines. The lacto-ovo-vegetarian diet allows dairy and eggs, and variations that include one or the other, were 86% according to the guidelines.
The Mediterranean diet was also found to be 89% parallel to the AHA dietary recommendations.
Lead author Christopher Gardner, a research professor of medicine at the Stanford Prevention Research Center in California said, the Mediterranean diet came in third mostly because it recommends a small glass of red wine each day and doesn’t limit salt.
Gardner said: “The American Heart Association says no one should drink alcohol if they haven’t started and if they do drink, to do so minimally.”
The Mediterranean diet is associated with reducing the risk for diabetes, high cholesterol, dementia, memory loss, depression and breast cancer including weight loss, stronger bones, a healthier heart and longer life.
But all of these diets share so much in common that they can really be grouped together as a top “tier” of eating patterns, said the lead author.
He added: “We basically were trying to say a diet doesn’t have to be 100 to be good. All of the diets in the top tier are plant-based, and if they are off base a bit aren’t hard to fix. Paleo and keto, however, really can’t be fixed. You’d have to completely overhaul them.”
Very low-carb diets and various keto diets were at the lower level of heart-healthy eating patterns, because of their stress on red meat, whole dairy and saturated fats, including limited fruit and vegetable intake.
The statement read: A vegan diet that incorporated more than 10% fat and low-fat diets such as volumetrics were in the second tier — both met 78% of the AHA dietary guidelines.
Statement is for doctors
Gardner said: “While people concerned with heart health can and should use the new AHA ranking of the 10 diets, the scientific statement was written for physicians. The goal is to get doctors up to speed since nutrition is not often prioritised in medical school.”
He went on: “It’s a cheat sheet for doctors. When they do ask about diet — which I don’t think is all that often — and a patient says, ‘Oh, yeah, I’m paleo. I’m vegan. I’m keto or I’m DASH,’ I don’t think they really know what that means.”
Gardner stressed to that point that “each diet in the rankings was evaluated as it was intended to be eaten, not as people might actually do in real life.”


text: Pay has gone up year-on-year for people working in the manufacturing industry and also in hotels, restaurants, financial services, and the water, electricity and gas sectors. Official data from the Bureau of Statistics and Censuses (DSEC) just released under the ‘Labour and Wages Needs Survey’ for the first quarter of 2010 revealed the increases, but also showed a drop in the numbers employed in the manufacturing and clothing sectors. At the end of the first quarter of the year, 15,203 people were employed in manufacturing, a significant decrease – 22.7 percent – on the first quarter of 2009. The number of workers hired by the clothing industry totalled 7.679, a fall of 35.6 percent. In March 2010 the average pay for full-time employees – excluding bonuses and dividends – was MOP5,780, which represents an increase of 11.2 percent over the same months in 2009. Sewing machine operators earned an average salary of MOP3,480. Hotels and restaurants employed 48,287 people, an increase of 4.2 percent. Of those, 31,483 workers were employed in hotels or similar establishments. In March, the average pay for full-time workers in the sector amounted to MOP9,970 translating to an increase of 1.3 percent. Hotel rooms cleaning staff were paid an average salary of MOP6,080. Financial services relied on 5,507 employees, of which 4,630 were in banking. Compared to the same period of 2009, the number of paid employees in this industry decreased slightly, by 0.8 percent. Up to March this year, the average salary of full-time workers in this sector amounted to MOP18,550, up 5.6 percent compared to same month of 2009. Bank cashiers earned an average salary of MOP10,760. The production and distribution of electricity, gas and water employed 1,057 people, a slight increase – 0.4 percent – compared to the same period last year. The remuneration of full-time employees in March 2010 reached MOP22,230, marking an increase of 1.3 percent over the same month last year. At the end of March 2010 there were 1,457 vacancies in the manufacturing business, while the number of job vacancies in hotels and restaurants was 3,696. There were also 214 places to be filled in the financial services sector and 23 in the production and distribution of electricity, gas and water. Imported labour pains Director of the Human Resources Office (GRH), Wong Chi Hong, says that reducing the number of foreign workers is no easy task, and the number of local human resources is not sufficient. Wong says a gradual approach is needed otherwise there will be disadvantages for the gaming industry affecting the wider economy. Wong added that the gaming sector had 15,878 imported workers at the end of September 2009, but the number was down to just 1,859 people at the end of last year. The senior positions of the gaming sector back then employed 1,138 imported workers; now the number has been reduced to just 165, he added. No fixed quotas The government will not establish specific quotas for imported labour industry by industry. Both the director of Legal Affairs Bureau (DSAJ), Andre Cheong Weng Chon, and the spokesman for the Executive Council, Leong Heng Teng said this was the case because of the different situations and needs of different sectors. As previously announced, a committee for the hiring of non-resident workers will be established to analyse the needs of each local industry and economic sector, Cheong said. The committee will be formed by government officials and representatives of labour sectors and employers, but it won’t include representatives of imported workers. Meanwhile, the government has a new by-law to complement the recently enacted imported labour law. The by-law spells out the conditions that employers need to follow to get a permission to hire non-resident workers. Among them is the obligation for the employer to maintain a minimum number of local workers – the by-law lays down the criteria to define such number for each company. The by-law also includes a mechanism for the reassessment of the number of non-resident workers.


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Meanwhile, the larger cultural district of West Bund has welcomed new galleries and museums to set up shop along the waterfront—the most significant addition this year being the West Bund Art Museum. On Wednesday night, exhibitors and collectors celebrated the opening of the fair in this forthcoming,
–designed museum’s shell. Next year, the Centre Pompidou
will begin a renewable, five-year run in the space. Between West Bund’s expansion, the opening of the 12th Shanghai Biennale, and the sixth edition of the Art021
fair, which opened to VIPs one day after West Bund, on Thursday, all eyes are on Shanghai this week.
China’s share of the art market has also been expanding, even as the country’s economic growth slows. It pulled ahead of the U.K. to become the second-biggest market worldwide in 2017, according to The Art Market | 2018, a report compiled by arts economist Clare McAndrew. With a 21% slice of the action, or $13.2 billion in sales, China’s art market is now second only to the United States.
Dealers at the VIP preview of the fair said increasing demand from an ever more serious and free-spending class of collectors in China has allowed a regional fair like West Bund—which focuses on Asian collectors rather than trying to lure the jetset from Europe and America—to expand at such a rapid pace. Whether or not they have already hired a local representative or opened up an actual gallery in the region, fairs like West Bund and Art021 offer a foothold and opportunity to experiment in this important market.


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Ukrainian roasters share the impact of war and their ongoing recovery
Not only was the purchasing power in Ukraine falling because people were scared to spend money, but sales were also decreasing while costs were increasing.
“It ended up being a blessing in disguise. When that container arrived in Turkey, we actually managed to find a potential supermarket chain partner that we started negotiations with to expand there. We’re still in the process of looking at either selling our products in their stores or partnering with them to open our cafés in Turkey,” says Balzhyk.
“Currently we are also actively working on our expansion into the United Kingdom, with an e-commerce format launching later in 2022, and a chain of cafés opening in 2023.”
While forward projections for the growth of itis.cafe are encouraging, Balzhyk has had to face the devastation of two of its coffee shops, which were bombed by Russian missiles.
“The most frustrating part was that those two cafés were the most recent ones we’d opened. They housed the newest, best equipment and trained staff, everything was prepared specifically for the new opening of the cafés. We invested a great deal of time and money into the new stores,” Balzhyk says.
“Luckily, our staff weren’t there at the time of the explosion. Those two cafés were in shopping centres in Kyiv and Odessa. There was damage done to both cafés, but we are happy that our staff are safe and unharmed. One of those shopping centres has already reopened, and we have completely renovated the café. The second one will be opening next year in stages, and we are currently working on renovating it. ”
Another Ukrainian company affected by the conflict is Fresh Black coffee roastery. The company hosts the largest coffee centre in Eastern Europe, supplying coffee all over Ukraine, to cafés, restaurants and offices.
Founder Viktor Shramenko says before the war began, the company was roasting around 50 tonnes of coffee per month.
“Once the war started in February, business stopped. After three weeks, we decided to move our production from the border of Kyiv and evacuated our production to the western part of Ukraine in Lviv. It was very difficult to organise logistics to our new location. It took us three weeks to move our production and it was a costly process,” says Shramenko.
“Another two weeks later, we tried to organise relocating our team to Lviv and rented some flats for our employees. A month and a half later, halfway through April, we conducted our first roast at our new facility. By 1 May, we started to reach our normal roasting capacity of one to two tonnes per day.”
With 80 employees to provide for, Shramenko was determined to save every member of his team and pay their salary throughout the conflict, even if it meant sacrifices to the company’s revenue.
“We decided to use 100 per cent of our profits to pay our staff’s salaries. Equipment can be replaced, you can buy it again and again, but the reason our business succeeds is because of our team, they are most important,” he says.
Before the war, Shramenko says the Ukraine coffee market was beginning to be recognised for its specialty coffee, describing the country as a high-quality coffee destination.
“To me, the most exciting coffee city in the world is London. I think Ukraine is very similar to London’s coffee scene because you’ll find a coffee shop every 50 metres in the city centre. You’ll also find each coffee shop has excellent equipment, such as Slayer, Faema or La Marzocco coffee machines,” he says.
“We need global businesses to collaborate with Ukraine so we can continue to grow our reputation as a specialty coffee community. That would be very helpful for us because we’re in such a terrible situation and don’t have enough opportunities in our country.”
Every cloud has a silver lining, and Shramenko jokes that in a small way, even the COVID-19 somehow prepared his business for war, giving his team the experience of how to conduct business during a crisis.
“We heavily dropped the price of specialty coffees that scored 86 to 89 or over. We were making zero profit but were trying to start selling coffee again to decrease stock. Before the war we were selling coffees such as a Colombia Finca Puerto Alegre Geisha for €88 (about US$86) per kilogram, now we sell the coffee for €60 (about US$58) per kilogram,” he says.
In the first several months of the war, Shramenko even gave some of his stock, such as microlots, fermentations, and Geisha varieties, to Ukraine soldiers so “they could enjoy the taste of specialty coffee again.
“We calculated that we provided around €22,000 (about US$22,566) of our coffee to the soldiers, and every month that sum is increasing. We need our army to stay strong in this war,” says Shramenko.
The Ukraine situation is one of loss and tragedy, but through the conflict are stories of hope and resilience. Gemini Espresso CEO Anton Mianovskyi says it’s been a surreal experience no business – or person – should ever have to endure.
“It’s so strange how in the 21st century we still have a crazy situation like this happening in the world. For the Ukraine coffee community, it’s very important to live and work in a safe country,” Mianovskyi says.
“Together with the global coffee community we can solve this situation faster and return to a normal life. This conflict is affecting the entire world, exacerbating the universal cost of living, even affecting global petrol prices. It just shows you that one mistake can destroy everything and create massive consequences. Together, let’s drink some coffee and bring peace.”
This article was first published in the September/October 2022 edition of Global Coffee Report. Read more HERE.
Source: GCR Mag


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Airtel Bharti acquires Warid Telecom Uganda
The Indian based firm looks set to increase its market share in Uganda by 39 percent, although no financial details of the deal have so far been released.
Manoj Kohli, Bharti Airtel’s managing director and Chief Executive Officer said: "We are delighted at this agreement with Warid, which also happens to be the first in-market acquisition in Bharti Airtel's history.
“We believe this market consolidation offers great synergies by bringing together the best of Airtel and Warid to better serve customers in Uganda."
Airtel first entered the African market in 2010 and now has a presence in 17 African countries and a customer base of more than 62 million customers in the continent.
Warid is the third largest mobile phone company In Uganda and the deal will see Airtel add a further 2.8 million customers to its total user base in the country of 7.4 million.
Mohammed Nahayan, who sits on the board of Warid, said: "We are extremely pleased with this development, which offers Warid consumers added benefits like wider network coverage, most extensive 3G network, world class products and services from one of the world's largest mobile services provider."
It is also hoped the takeover will help Airtel to expand its One Airtel network as well as lowering roaming rates across Africa and South Asia.
In Rwanda active mobile subscribers as of February 2013 are six million, according to Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Authority, while MTN enjoying the largest share at 71 percent.
Mobile cellular penetration rate reached jumped from 44.8 percent in June 2012 to 56 percent in March 2013.
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The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) in the United Kingdom has issued a warning to the owners of over 4,000 online retailers that their sites had been penetrated in Magecart attempts to steal consumers’ financial information.
As reported by BleepingComputer, the threat actors inject credit card skimmers (also known as payment card skimmers or web skimmers) into compromised online stores in Magecart attacks (also known as web skimming, digital skimming, or e-Skimming) to harvest and steal payment and/or personal information submitted by customers at the checkout page.
Small online retailers are being encouraged to protect their customers and profits from the threat of callous shopping skimmers who could target them on Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
The activity of skimming exploits a vulnerability in software used at the checkout page on shopping sites to divert payments and steal details of unsuspecting customers. The National Cyber Security Centre – a part of GCHQ – proactively identified 4,151 compromised online shops up to the end of September and alerted retailers to these security vulnerabilities.
The majority of the online shops used for skimming identified by the NCSC had been compromised via a known vulnerability in Magento, a popular e-commerce platform.


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PlayStation 5 exclusive from Housemarque will be a well-optimised title if the latest rumours are legit. Apparently, the game runs at 4K 60 FPS with ray tracing enabled.
Returnal is one of the most anticipated PlayStation 5 exclusives this year and the wait is almost over since the release date is coming in less than two weeks now. And as we wait to finally dive into the game's mesmerising and unique worlds, today we have some technical information regarding the games' performance on PlayStation 5, that will certainly make many players happy.
According to the latest rumours, the game will run at 4K 60 FPS with ray tracing effects enabled. This has been teased in the latest video by PlayStation Portugal. Check out the screenshots below, courtesy of Twitter user Heisenreborn:
And while this certainly sounds great, we must say that Housemarque are yet to officially announce such details so a dose of scepticism is required, just like with any other rumour, leak or unconfirmed report.
We would say that 4K 60 FPS seems doable since most games that released on next-gen consoles usually offer 60 FPS modes with dynamic resolution. As for ray tracing, well, it will be interesting to see if the game indeed has a mode that offers the holy trinity of gaming - 4K, 60 FPS and ray tracing enabled.
Returnal is officially hitting the shelves on April 30, 2021, exclusively for PlayStation 5.


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Post introduction of the new direct tax system for virtual digital assets, the Government is searching for ways of collecting Goods and Services Tax (GST) on the mining of such an asset, popularly known as cryptocurrency.
The key issue here is whether to treat mining as goods or services. As per Subhash Chandra Garg Committee that proposed specific actions to be taken in relation to virtual currencies (2019), “‘Mining’ signifies an action aimed toward creating a cryptocurrency and validating a transaction of cryptocurrency between the buyer and seller of cryptocurrency.”
“Mining is key to VDA transaction. The Government is now thinking of how to tax such a thing. Initial, a call is to be taken as whether to treat mining as goods or services and afterward, besides, place it accordingly in a classification according to the GST perspective,” a senior government official told BusinessLine. As of date, commission for working with trading cryptocurrency draws in GST.
In any case, specialists feel burdening the mining is incredibly difficult. To begin with, mining is extremely low in India. Besides, following the digger and burdening them is troublesome as they are situated external to the country. Also, thirdly, will the trade be liable to pay GST, in case the miner is not located here.
Kanwal Prakash Singh, Head of Quant with CoinDCX said that any platform which provides infrastructure for mining is a standard case of service providers.


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There have been numerous studies about the many benefits of coffee. I even discussed some of them which includes stroke risks and aging. In recent studies in Japan and in some part of Europe, coffee has been identified to reduce the risk of liver cancer to humans. This article will give you an insight regarding the truth about this great news.
Coffee has an abundant source of antioxidants which has the potential to help inhibit cancer development particularly in the liver. Hepatocellar carcinoma (HCC), is the primary cancer compound of the liver which results to the third largest cancer deaths in the world behind only to lung and stomach cancer.
Various studies which includes Milan (Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri), Finland (University of Helsinki) and Japan (National Cancer Tokyo) have all similar outcome with regards to the effects of coffee to liver cancer. They concluded that a cup of coffee or two a day can lower your risk of liver cancer.
There study were based on quantitative estimation from thousands of coffee drinkers and its association with hepatocellar carcinoma. The presence of hepatocellar carcinoma have at least 41% reduction for coffee drinkers which are also said to help prevents cirrhosis.
Caffeine, a substance commonly found in coffee, has been shown to activate some liver enzymes which helps block carcinogenic detoxification in the liver. But uncontrolled consumption of coffee may spell disaster for your health as it can cause palpitations, intensifies the side effects of antibiotics, hypertension and many others.
Although these studies suggests the positive effects of coffee to liver carcinomas, they are quick to note that the research should continuously be repeated in other groups to achieve concrete results.
Whether these studies are just speculation of the true nature of coffee or not, it certainly help proves that there is a link between coffee and liver cancer through various drinking behaviors around the world. This includes Americans, Europeans and Japanese (who less patronize coffee). The results seems justified based from how they performed their research. However, the discussion is up for the public's own point of view.
What is more important is that we already know that drinking coffee a day can give positive health benefits and over-consumption may pose health risks.
For more news and information on health and wellness, please make sure to visit www.healthtalkbuzz.com.
Source: www.sciencedaily.com, www.rediff.com, www.sacrededenblog.com, www.cbsnews.com, www.msnbc.msn.com.


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The 2nd All-Russian conference "Power Electronics 2009"
On June 4, 2009 the 2nd All-Russian conference "Power Electronics 2009" will be held in Moscow. General Director of ZAO "Syntez Microelectronics" Dmitry Bodnar will make a report at this conference. ZAO "Syntez Microelectronics" has been providing the modern technology processes including Bipolar, CMOS, BiCMOS, CDMOS, BCD (up to 800V), Rad Hard, Trench MOSFET and IGBT (up to 1200V) and MEMS with technology nodes up to 45 nm for Russian designers of semiconductor devices and ICs.
01 Jun 2009


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A multimillion-dollar advertising fund launched by MediaWorks is giving a helping hand to businesses and organisations affected by COVID-19.
MediaWorks and QMS are proud to announce the launch of a $20m MediaFund of free advertising, to help local businesses get back out there.
From TV to Radio, Digital and Outdoor, connect with your customers again so we can all make it through.
The fund is available for small and medium-sized businesses that are open for business or able to trade online, as well as start-up businesses that meet the criteria.
At MediaWorks Tauranga, we have an opportunity to do something positive and help our local businesses in our community.Our $20m Media Fund of free advertising is designed to help support and stimulate local business and local jobs. We are here to help you.Apply now: www.mediafund.co.nz
Posted by MediaWorks Tauranga on Thursday, April 30, 2020


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One of the UK’s best restaurants for New World wines, The Harrow at Little Bedwyn in Wiltshire, is to close on 28 March after 21 years in business.
Housed in a former pub in Little Bedwyn, a village on the River Dun in Wiltshire, the restaurant was founded by Roger and Sue Jones in 1998.
It won its first Michelin star in 2006 and retained it until last year. The Michelin guide describes the restaurant as “intimate and understated”, serving food “with a classical base and modern elements”.
One of Jones’s quirkier creations is his sweet-savoury foie gras macaroons. Among the courses on the current tasting menu are Orkney scallop in a Champagne beurre blanc; Welsh black beef tartare with Indian spices; Pembroke lobster in a Thai broth; and guineafowl and chestnut ravioli.
Over the last two decades the venue has won a number of awards for its 900-bin wine list that champions drops from New Zealand, South Africa and Australia in particular.
A renowned wine lover, in addition to his duties as a chef, Roger Jones writes and judges for a number of the UK’s leading wine magazines and competitions.
Prior to The Harrow at Little Bedwyn, Jones was in charge of state banquets at The Guildhall.
In 2003 he launched The Mamba Riedel Decanter Awards followed by The Tri Nations Wine Challenge and Sparkling Sundays, taking the events to Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.
In 2015 the Jones family began making their own wine in South Africa to sell at the restaurant under the Jones Family Collection brand.
“The decision has not been easy, but we feel that we have achieved everything and more than we can and it is time to move onto other things,” Sue Jones said.
“Our experience has been made possible by the loyalty and support of our dear friends and family, not forgetting top suppliers, talented winemakers and an amazing trade that has seen us through so many highlights,” she added.
When the restaurant closes the couple will continue with their charity workand Roger will concentrate on wine judging and wine writing.


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On 25-26 January 2022, nine social entrepreneurs from the Republic of Moldova visited three social start-ups in Kyiv, Ukraine and exchanged ideas, experiences, and business practices, as part of a study visit organised by EU4Youth.
Three social start-ups – Omega Craft, Deutsch Intensiv, and Ira Beauty – hosted the exchange sessions. During the visit to the production facilities of Omega Craft – a company producing pet food – participants learnt how a big idea can be implemented with small financial contributions and dedication. The start-up helps IDPs and ATO veterans to find jobs and cares for homeless pets. The Moldovan guests shared their eco-friendly practices for packaging and recycling, which are much more developed in Moldova than in Ukraine.
During the visits to Deutsch Intensive and Ira Beauty companies, helping orphan teens and victims of domestic violence, participants learnt the legal details of educational business in Ukraine and identified the opportunities of the beauty business on the Ukrainian market. Both start-ups already generate significant income due to high demand and their unique approaches to the service.
In turn, the Moldovan social entrepreneurs shared their experience in the production and sale of toys, voiced their ideas to prevent gadget addiction among children and plans to contribute to healthier and happier societies.
Both teams discussed export and import opportunities, possible regional cooperation and market conditions in the two countries.
“For me, the study visit to Kyiv was a real source of motivation and inspiration. It was surprising and encouraging to learn that more and more social enterprises run by young people are developing in the region,”
said Igor Hincu of the EduJoc social enterprise in Moldova.
The start-ups will continue cooperation thanks to the support of the EUnlocking project. Funded by the EU under its EU4Youth programme, EUnlocking helps to foster the social entrepreneurial potential of young people in Moldova and Ukraine by establishing a favourable ecosystem for social enterprises.


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New documents suggest that Kingsgate chiefs are planning to build a bowling alley inside the shopping centre.
Plans, which include a new computer generated image of the revamped facade of Kingsgate, show what they are plotting for the highly anticipated leisure scheme on the upper floors of what is currently House of Fraser.
The new picture of the outside shows an all-new entrance on Zetland Street.
It will be built across what is currently an exit to the loading bay and the centre's waste and recycling area, taking revellers up to the third floor, set to house a new The Light cinema and three restaurants.
A Sky bar and corkscrew slide are also proposed on a higher level.
And the latest floor plans show an area reserved for "bowling".
Huddersfield has never had a town centre bowling facility.
Hotshots Ten Pin Bowl existed at Folly Hall for many years but it closed in the early 2000s.
The town's only current ten pin bowling centre is the UK Superbowl almost three miles out of town at Leeds Road.
The latest planning papers related to Kingsgate Leisure also reveal the firm is hoping for a 2am licence for the new facility.
The multi-million pound project to reshape the House of Fraser side of the shopping centre into a food and drink destination with a cinema was given the green light by the council's strategic planning committee in 2019.
And in a twist - literally - it featured an outdoor corkscrew slide to take filmgoers from the bar to the lobby of the cinema.
Speaking last May amid widespread concern for the retail sector due to the coronavirus crisis, Kingsgate boss Peter Everest, vowed the scheme is still "very much on the cards".
He told YorkshireLive that work had continued despite lockdown but admitted it was now heavily delayed.


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Calgary’s high volume home builders will be spending less time at our counter, starting now.
Thanks to the latest online payment option offered by The City, they can apply for new home building permits and complete the process by paying for Single Construction Permits with a major credit card. Those paying online will also obtain an immediate partial permit, so they can begin construction right away without having to visit our service counter.
These improvements are part of The City’s Residential ePermit initiative, where we’re working to make it faster and easier to apply for residential permits, book inspections and pay for those services online.
“Accepting these permit payments online is an exciting first step for The City and its customers,” says Henry van Aken, Manager of Customer Advisory Services. “We’ve now completely eliminated the need for these home builders to travel to City Hall, find parking, and stand in line at our counter. More importantly, we’ve succeeded in making it faster and easier to do business with The City, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.”
The City started by adding its largest volume permit application to the web, the Single Construction Permit, and worked closely with members of the Canadian Home Builders’ Association – Calgary Region to help develop and test the online tool. Since April 2013, more than 4,000 new home construction permits and 10,000 paperless inspections have been booked online by home builders.
For more information about the Residential ePermit initiative and details about the new online payments, visit calgary.ca/epermit.


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Karl Lagerfeld recently mused over French beauty Vanessa Paradis, declaring her to be the “most divine person to work with and be with.” It comes as no surprise then that for Spring 2010 Vanessa is taking over from British songstress Lily Allen as the new face of Chanel Cocoon, with images from the ad campaign just revealed.
The beautiful black-and-white shots were taken by Karl Lagerfeld, of course, in his Rue de Lille studio in Paris. The series feature Vanessa posing alongside the coveted quilted Cocoon handbags. The entire Chanel Cocoon collection hits stores on May 15, with prices starting at around $1,400. We want to know: do you love Vanessa as the face of Chanel Cocoon?


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Spain-based Mercadona said it grew sales by 6% in 2018, generating €24.305bn in the year. Profits rose by 84% to €593m, which came despite the retailer investing €1.5bn in its network and operations.
Mercadona said it had invested €962m in store openings and renovations, €257m in the automation of its logistics platform, €225m in its digital transformation and €60m in its expansion into Portugal. Commenting on the results, Mercadona’s president, Juan Roig, said: “Mercadona is doing very well and this year will be even better”.
Investment in stores continues to pay off
Roig said the focus on the customer and improvements to its store estate were helping Mercadona to win. Given the success of its efficient store concept, with 400 updated during 2018, Mercadona will continue to roll out the design until 2023. During the timeframe the retailer will invest €10.0bn in its store network to improve and digitise them. In 2019 this will also see the opening of a further 60 stores, the closure of 100 more and the relocation of 400.
The investment is aimed at helping support Mercadona’s target of growing sales by 3.7% to €25.2bn in 2019. The retailer said it would invest €2.3bn in the year ahead, while its net profit was forecast to fall by 27% to €435m.
Expansion of ‘Ready to Eat’ sections
Following a successful launch and roll out, Mercadona will add its ready to eat ranges at 250 supermarkets. The range, which is made up of 35 dishes, has been rolled out to 17 stores in Valencia, Madrid and Barcelona. Mercadona has invested €5.0m in the range to date. Roig said the step was necessary as ‘the food of the 20th century will not exist in the middle of the 21st century’. The retailer is actively looking for suppliers to support the range’s expansion as it does not have the scale to meet expected demand.
While online investment will be sustained
Following investment in the channel, Mercadona said it generated a monthly turnover of €2.2m online, an increase of 120%. Despite the growth in sales, Roig admitted the retailer ‘does not make a profit [from the channel]’.
The service, which is available in 134 postal codes in the province of Valencia, has seen the volume of orders double since its launch and expansion. Roig said in 2019 The retailer will launch a new model for grocery ecommerce in Barcelona, while this will be added in Madrid at the end of the year or in early 2020. After that the system will be extended to Zaragoza, Alicante, La Coruña, Bilbao, Murcia, Seville, Las Palmas and Palma de Mallorca.
Regional expansion is next on the list
Starting in 2019, Mercadona will begin to expand outside Spain. The first of 10 stores will be opened in Portugal, in Porto initially, and expanded to Lisbon later. Mercadona has already acquired sites for a further 10 stores and is aiming to operate around 150 in the next seven or eight years.
Without giving a timeframe, Roig said the retailer was interested in expanding into Italy. In both cases, Portugal and Italy, the retailer ruled out buying any local chains to quicken the pace of expansion.
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There could be a few more Sprint stores in the neighborhood soon, as the wireless company announced plans to partner with one of the U.K.’s biggest technology retailers to open new locations stateside. [More]
Well, that was fast: A day after Sprint stirred up the ire of customers with its new “All-In” unlimited plan that stuck users with 3G speeds for streaming video, the company has now reversed course.
In an attempt to show customers exactly what they’re paying for with their phone plans, Sprint is throwing its hat into the phone-leasing ring with a new “All-In” plan. The $80 monthly price includes a $20 leasing fee for the customer’s chosen device, as well as unlimited text, talk and data.
After launching a program that brings Sprint-trained experts to customers’ homes to help them with the switch to a new device in April, the company says it’s expanding the Direct 2 You service to four more cities: New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Denver.
Net neutrality only became well and truly legal on June 12, and yet already the new rules are prompting change: Sprint stopped intermittently throttling data speeds for its heaviest wireless Internet users during busy times as of Friday, the same day the Federal Communications Commission’s net-neutrality rules went into effect.
Even if you’ve never opened your mobile phone up, you probably know what a SIM card looks like: they’re the fingernail-sized chips that have your phone number and carrier details. When reader TJ’s employer bought some recently, they employed classic Stupid Shipping Gang tactics to make sure that these cards didn’t go missing. [More]
The era of unlimited mobile data has been in rapid decline over the past few years. It turns out that consumers really like using mobile broadband and that wireless companies really like making money, and when the two go hand in hand the whole “unlimited” thing doesn’t really work out in business’s favor as much as “charge for data” does. Sprint has been trying to attract new customers by fighting against that tide, but even the top exec of the company now says that’s ultimately likely to be a losing battle.
The deal that Sprint made with the new owners of RadioShack means that the mobile carrier gets to effectively double the number of retail stores that it runs. That’s great for Sprint, but means that they need to hire people or move existing employees to the new stores. Don’t worry: Sprint will be ready and even have their signage out front by July. [More]
Earlier this week, Sprint and Verizon reached multimillion-dollar settlements with federal regulators for allowing third parties to bill for unwanted and unauthorized add-on services. But when New Jersey residents tried to call the Sprint information number given out by the state’s attorney general, they were in for another telephonic surprise. [More]
Several months after AT&T and T-Mobile reached multimillion-dollar settlements with federal regulators to close the books on allegations of bill-cramming — illegal, unauthorized third-party charges for services like premium text message subscriptions — both Sprint and Verizon have also decided to pay the regulatory piper. Combined, the two wireless companies will pay $158 million to settle cramming claims with the FCC and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. [More]
When faced with wasting precious data allotments, many travelers submit to paying for WiFi on the go. But Sprint customers will find their wallets staying a bit fatter with new, free access to Boingo Wireless hotspots in 35 U.S. airports, starting today.
Google’s “Project Fi” Wireless Smartphone Service Offers Data At $10/GB, Will Credit You For Unused Data
As expected, Google has finally announced the details of its wireless smartphone service that will, at least at first, piggyback on the networks of Sprint and T-Mobile. It’s called Project Fi and plans with unlimited talk/text, unlimited international texting, and WiFi tethering will start at $30/month, with each gigabyte of data you use costing an additional $10. And if you don’t use your full allotment, your account gets credited accordingly. [More]
In March, Google confirmed its plan to launch some sort of wireless service for consumers in the U.S., and a new report claims that the Internet biggie could pull back the curtain on this new product as early as today. [More]
Like doctors of yore carrying black bags filled with tools straight to an ailing person’s bedside, Sprint is rolling out its own version of the house call with a new service needlessly employing numerals instead of letters, “Direct 2 You.” Roving Sprint workers will be on the road to customers in need of help upgrading their phone, transferring information to a new device and recycling old phones.
Things move fast when you’re in the newlywed phase, and Sprint is no exception: Only a few weeks after Standard General acquired 1,740 RadioShack stores at a bankruptcy auction, Sprint will be opening stores inside 1,435 RadioShack locations today. Soon, those stores will bear new co-branded Sprint-RadioShack signage.
Minutes? What are these “phone minutes” you speak of? The latest iPhone update is basically going to do away with the need to count voice minutes for Sprint customers, who’ll be able to make phone calls over WiFi soon.
After getting a glimpse at what the new co-branded RadioShack/Sprint stores will look like, the company is preparing to unveil the brand spanking new stores later this month. Meanwhile, RadioShack’s CEO is exiting the scene before the debut after failing to successfully steer the company away from bankruptcy over the last two years.


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Greetings from Brussels!
There always seems to be one craze or another that hits us every summer; traditionally it has been a global hit song on the music charts. This year, unless you’ve been on interstellar travel, you’d be hard pressed not to notice the "Pokemon Go" madness that has engulfed the globe. In the past four weeks I have been to Spain, France and the fair shores of the United States of America. The one common denominator I have witnessed transcending culture, language and borders is the obsession with the smartphone application that requires users to collect cartoon character Pokemons as they journey to real-life locations. It's fondly referred to as augmented gaming reality. This is not limited to the young somethings, I have seen middle-aged men and women on my travels sheepishly pounding walkways and parks in search of bonus points … please.
Its success has heralded a surge in concern over the safety and privacy implications of location-based games and apps. In the U.S. last month, criminals used "Pokemon Go" to lure teenage victims to an isolated location where they were robbed. Last week Iran became the first country to ban the game because of unspecified "security concerns." This week in Belgium the police began to hand out fines to mobile phone users who present a danger to themselves or others in public areas and thoroughfares. The 55 euro fines that have gone into effect are based on the highway code obliging users to conduct themselves in such a manner as to not cause a nuisance to themselves or others. There have already been cases of pedestrians as well as drivers being so preoccupied with the game that they have created a real danger.
The sudden emergence and vast scale of "Pokemon Go" adoption is matched by the game’s aggressive use of personal information. Unlike other mainstream media such as Twitter or Facebook, the app requires uninterrupted use of your location and camera — a “trove of sensitive user data,” as the U.S. privacy watchdog Electronic Privacy Information Center put it in a concerned letter to U.S. federal regulators. Consumer watchdogs across Europe have also been raising questions about the contract customers must agree to before using the game. Originally, "Pokemon Go's" terms of service waive a player's rights to courtroom representation as a plaintiff or class-action member in favor of binding, individual arbitration, unless the user opts out within a month of the download. The company behind "Pokemon Go" has since made certain amendments to their terms of service. Additionally, certain safety notifications have been included in app updates.
From the privacy viewpoint, like any smartphone app that seeks permissions in respect of users' personal data, such as location data or for advertising or personalizing services, there are privacy implications and users should make themselves aware of the terms to which they are agreeing in downloading and installing a given application, but so should companies make sure these implications are easy to understand. It's interesting that Ireland's Data Protection Commissioner published this week detailed guidelines in respect of location data to assist individuals in understanding how organizations collect and process information relating to their locations and their rights to the protection of their personal data. The guidelines also provide clarity to organizations on their obligations regarding such data; the overriding principle of the guidance centers on the protection of the individual’s right to data privacy.
The rate of technological innovation continues at pace, with more and more location data being collected and transmitted. Expect individuals and consumers to be increasingly vigilant or at least conversant in how this information is collected, processed and re-used, and act accordingly.
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The humble underwear, once categorised as ‘the unmentionables’ is in the news in a big way.
First it was the Oxford English dictionary which included ‘chuddies’ as an English word.
Then came Azam Khan, who used the underwear jibe against his female opponent, Jaya Prada.
Now with the discussion on the economy getting the media space it deserves, the ‘Alan Greenspan Underwear index’ hit the headlines. According to Greenspan the sale of Men’s Underwear gives a fair indication of the state of the economy.
The Economic Times reported that the sale of inner wear fell sharply in India in the previous quarter indicating a slump in the economy.
Does the slump in underwear sales reveal so much about the economy and increase in sales cover up something? (pun intended)
Anyway, men of India, gird up your loins to pull up the economy. Go out and by your underwear.
Mr Kailasam likes to dress up as the late Chief Minister MG Ramachandran. He was conspicuous at the Heritage Motor Show at the Ramachandra Convention Centre Thiruvanmiyur. He was keen to be photographed with the cars and the visitors. Here he is in front of 1948 Vauxhall.