text:
By Nixon Kanali, Nairobi
After putting an end to the Nokia brand name from its products and renaming it as “Microsoft Lumia, Microsoft, as it had earlier been tipped has today launched The Microsoft Lumia 535.
Dubbeed “5x5x5” , the smartphone comes with a 5-inch screen and a 5-megapixel front- and rear-facing camera.
It comes in two flavors: 3G Single SIM, or 3G Smart Dual SIM and both are loaded with Windows Phone 8.1. In addition to its 1.2 GHz quad-core processor, and 1GB RAM, the phone also comes with 8GB of memory, but If you need more, simply slide in a microSD card, with support up to 128 GB.
Microsoft says the phone has been ”designed to be tough and durable and stay as vibrant and colorful as the day you bought it”
It is inherently colored and available in cyan, bright green, bright orange, white, dark grey, and black.
”Lumia 535 3G Single SIM and Lumia 535 3G Dual SIM will be available in selected markets in November. Pricing for Lumia 535 and Lumia 535 Dual SIM will vary by market and operator, but is estimated to be around 110 EUR before taxes and subsidies” Microsoft said.


text:
Today in a blog post, Hardware wallet provider, Ledger has announced the expansion of its support to Solana Mobile. In the post, Ledger describes the innovation as an effort to continue its relationship with Solana Labs and the Solana Community. The hardware wallet provider added that it’s planning to add more features with Solana Mobile to provide more seamless service and advanced security for Solana users.
Further, the firm describes how it is working to support Solana in 2023 on its Ledger Connect; a browser extension. This will as well assist Developers on the Solana ecosystem that intends to integrate their DApps with Ledger. As revealed, the hardware wallet provider has made the Solana app available on its solutions like Ledger Live, Ledger Nano X and Nano S Plus gadgets. With that, investors can buy, send, receive and stake their SOL tokens on the Live app.
Reaction to the innovation by Ledger Executive
Meanwhile, Ledger CEO, Ian Rogers has reacted to the innovation. In his words, Rogers said “We’re proud to partner with the Solana Labs and Solana Mobile teams to bring security to the Solana ecosystem.” He added that “Our shared commitment to security will ensure Solana users have access to the best security on the planet – whether they’re buying or staking SOL through Ledger Live, or securely and easily collecting using Ledger Connect and Magic Eden.” Lastly, he added that “Your Solana is valuable, protecting your value by pairing your Saga Solana Mobile phone and your Ledger is a must.”
Notable side notes
The turn of 2022 has seen hardware wallets gain much prominence in the cryptocurrency space. The crisis that has befallen different cryptocurrency exchanges since the turn of the year has led to their popularity.
For Ledger, the hardware wallet provider gained more from the minor crisis Coinbase suffered when the bear market was at its peak. The firm confirmed that it made sales worth about $2 million in a day. The sales occurred when Coinbase made a declaration that its customer’s funds are not safe if it slides into bankruptcy.
Meanwhile, the support from Ledger for Solana represents another huge development for the token and it’s ecosystem. According to market data from Coincodex, SOL currently trades at $31.20.

domain: news


text:
'Apple Watch Connected' Program Will Offer Rewards for Working Out at Participating Gyms
Apple today announced the launch of a new Apple Watch Connected program that should benefit both gyms and gym-goers.
The program will reward gym-goers for using an Apple Watch to track their workouts, with incentives varying by gym. At participating Crunch Fitness locations, for example, members can earn up to $4 off the cost of their membership per week if they meet certain activity goals, according to CNBC.
In return, gyms could attract new customers who wear an Apple Watch and see increased loyalty from existing members.
It is free for gyms to join the Apple Watch Connected program, so long as they meet the requirements, including having iPhone and Apple Watch apps to track workouts, offering rewards and incentives, and accepting Apple Pay. Apple also encourages gyms to offer GymKit-enabled equipment for improved Apple Watch syncing.
Four gym chains are rolling out support for the program in the United States starting today, including Basecamp Fitness, Crunch Fitness, Orangetheory Fitness, and the YMCA, according to CNBC:
Basecamp will launch Apple Watch Connected to all of its clubs over the next year. YMCA will start with its greater Twin Cities locations this week followed by 22 additional YMCA branches in the coming weeks before expanding further. Crunch Fitness is launching Apple Watch Connected in two Manhattan gyms this week with more coming. Finally, Orange Theory will deploy it in all U.S. facilities in 2020, starting with two Manhattan locations on Thursday.
Last month, Orangetheory Fitness announced that it would begin rolling out Apple Watch support to its gyms in the first quarter of 2020. The gym chain created a small accessory called the OTbeat Link that attaches to an Apple Watch band, allowing the Apple Watch to sync with the chain's heart rate monitoring system.
Top Rated Comments
There was a federal court case filed a couple years ago about this type of behavior where a group of people claimed they were being coerced by their employer to wear tracking devices and the employer argued there was no coercion, just a "voluntary" program for those who wanted to participate. The case was taking forever due to multiple motions being filed by the company being sued. I need to find that case and see how it was decided.


text:
Constatine Venetopoulos, sales manager for Variety Cruises
Travel Agent spoke to Constantine Venetopoulos, sales manager for Variety Cruises, at Luxury Travel Expo and learned that the 60-year-old yachting company plans to offer West Africa for the first time in the company’s history in 2010.
Variety Cruises was started in 1949 and offers small yachting excursions to Greece, Turkey, Italy and Croatia. The yachts hold just 50 people and take one-week tours where clients can do anything they would have done on their private yachts, such as random swim-stops where the yachts stop at a destination so travelers can take a quick dip before getting back on.
“We come to this show every year because this is the place where people look for premium products, stuff that is unique,” Venetopoulos told us. “And we are just that.”


text:
PlayStation E3 Experience 2017 Announced
Free tickets will be available starting May 30.
Sony is once again bringing the E3 experience to theaters with PlayStation E3 Experience 2017.
Free tickets will be available right here beginning on May 30 at 10 a.m. PT/1 p.m. ET while supplies last. You'll need to create a free Gofobo account in order to register for tickets. Attendees will receive an exclusive poster, #76 from the PlayStation Collectible Card series and a digital PSN gift basket.
For those interested in attending, make sure you arrive early, as receiving a ticket does not guarantee you a seat. Entrants must be 17 years of age or older to attend the event and a valid form of ID will be required.
This year's Los Angeles-based expo kicks off in just a couple weeks. In the meantime, keep up to date with IGN's E3 2017 wiki guide, which includes the E3 2017 press conference schedule and confirmed list of games for E3 2017.
Alex Gilyadov is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.


text:
Oklahoma now leads the nation in dispensaries per capita, with more than 9,000 licensed marijuana businesses, according to Politico. A survey published by the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority in May 2020 reported nearly 300,000 licensed medicinal marijuana users partake in a variety of cannabis delivery methods – vaporizers, tinctures, pills and edibles.
And then there’s cannabis-infused ice cream.
One of the state’s top sellers of this sweet, creamy yumminess is OK Nice Cream, the brainchild of Todd Fischer, Derrell Morgan and Peggi McAlister. Edibles in the current market operate with a quantity-over-quality mentality, said Fischer, a trend that he and his OK Nice Cream partners set out to undo.
Formed in July 2018, the company was established with the goal of creating the most palatable method for medicinal marijuana. To do that would require the best, most authentic ice cream in Oklahoma.
“We’re trying to make the greatest ice cream you’ve ever had in your life that just so happens to have medication in it,” Fischer says. “Since we’re targeted on the idea of helping people through medication, we know people are focused on the delivery system, so we wanted a delivery system to be a smooth, creamy-tasting one.”
“I’ve heard so many positive testimonials, including people dealing with opioids or going through chemo, like my dad; he has stage four esophageal cancer,” Morgan says. “He says it tastes like ice cream back when he was a kid, and it helps with the pain.”
The marijuana ice cream company first garnered attention through its original marijuana-infused ice cream flavors – coffee, chocolate and a cold-pressed coffee – which eliminated the typical bitter taste of the active ingredient, tetrahydrocannabinol or THC, using a combination of culinary arts and chemistry. Products including ice cream, fruit bars and even THC butter are the creation of Todd Fischer, co-owner and production manager; or, as Morgan calls him, “The Heisenberg of OK Nice Cream,” a reference to the protagonist in AMC’s “Breaking Bad.”
The business formed one month after Oklahoma became the 30th state to legalize the medical use of cannabis on June 26, 2018. Before State Question 788 was up for a vote, Fischer and Morgan worked together in the kitchen of The Silver Spoon, a gourmet American restaurant in Lawton.
Leading up to the medical marijuana legalization vote, employees of the Silver Spoon asked one another how they would cast their ballot. Fischer – a culinary-school-trained chef and marijuana dabbler – understood that Morgan – a former U.S. Marine and ex-911 operator for the City of Lawton – didn’t feel the same; however, inklings of the ice cream business were already forming in Fischer’s imagination. He knew that the dichotomy between Morgan’s straightlaced nature and his chemistry, along with a culinary-based knowledge of cannabis, would create a sustainable business with built-in checks and balances. All Fischer had to do was convince Morgan to go along with it.
“About once an hour, I would send a waitress to him, tap him on the shoulder and ask how he was going to vote. Every time, he told them he’d vote no,” Fischer says. “After three hours, I could hear him hollering in the back, ‘Todd, you’re driving me insane! I hate you potheads!’ which prompted me to send someone every 30 minutes.”
Eventually, Fischer convinced Morgan by getting him to taste his homemade THC ice cream, similar to what is sold in varying sizes of OK Nice Cream. Morgan agreed to the business under one condition.
“‘If we can follow every rule in Oklahoma while making a product this good, then I’m in,’” Morgan says. “And I’ve been in ever since.”
Fischer and Morgan brought on Morgan’s sister, Peggi McAlister, as a third member to handle marketing for the new cannabis ice cream business. OK Nice Cream continues to experiment with new flavors and products, soon to include chocolates and gummies. To learn more, visit its website at oknicecream.com.


text:
The upcoming 84th International Geneva Motor Show will have a lot of great new vehicles unveiling, mostly for the European market, but it’s also well-known for its supercar unveils and this year will be no different.
McLaren Automotive has announced that they will be taking the covers off their latest creation, the McLaren 650S. The teaser shown above gives a hint to the color scheme it will likely have, but not much else.
Latest posts by Aaron Turpen (see all)
- Video Review: 2022 Toyota Corolla Cross is Wagonpact - October 5, 2022
- Coffee and a Concept: Saab Aero-X - October 4, 2022


text:
The cryptocurrency Bitcoin is set to hit the $1,000 mark on Monday after hitting a new high last month.
In addition to surging prices, the cryptocurrency is also becoming increasingly popular among artists who want to paint their own artwork.
In a video posted to YouTube by a popular American artist, the artist named James Brawley said he wants to make a portrait of himself.
Brawley has made a series of paintings for a group of friends, including a portrait he painted for his ex-girlfriend, which has gone viral.
Brawleys latest project is called Blue Paint.BRAWLEY’S BLUE PAPER: The ‘Blue Paint’ series has inspired an impressive amount of attention in the art world.
The paintings, which were created using Photoshop, have inspired a huge amount of interest in the craft, as well as some amazing art criticism from the likes of Mark Rothko and Damien Hirst.
According to Braws website, his paintings are “in the style of traditional artists such as Vincent van Gogh and Vincent Van Gogh Jr. with modern touches, including bright colors and modern techniques.”
He also said that he uses digital paint to create the look of the paintings, adding, “I am always working on my art.
I am always painting.”BRAWLS ARTISTS: The Blue Paint series is based on the “Blue Paint” series, which was created by James BRAWLEY for his friends, the New York Times reported.
In it, Brawlers paintings were painted in the same style as Van Googh, Rothko, Hirst, and other artists of the ’90s.BUDGET REVIEW: The artist behind Blue Paint, James B. BRAWLES, was recently featured on CNBC’s ‘Finance Wars’ where he said that the cryptocurrency was a “great” way to pay for art.
“I love art, I have a good collection of paintings and I am a good artist,” Brawles said.
“So, I’m just trying to make money by using art.”
Brawlers ‘FURY’ STASH: Brawls newest project is his latest “Fury” stash of artwork.
The $100,000 stash is set up for artists to buy artwork from the artist, pay for the art with Bitcoin, and then use the proceeds to buy paintings.BETTER THAN PAPERS?: In addition to his paintings, BRAWLS works have been featured in the New Yorker, Vanity Fair, Wired, the BBC, and others.
His latest work, “FURYCITY,” is titled “Breathe.”
The artist is also planning a project called “BECOME BODY PICTURE,” which will feature portraits of people in their 20s.


text:
What's the outlook for gold in 2018, how can you buy it and is BITCOIN a good substitute?
What is our fascination with gold?
Unlike most other assets it doesn’t produce an income and isn’t used for much else beyond looking pretty and shiny.
Yet throughout history and in all cultures, gold has been seen as the ultimate prize.
On this episode of the Big Money Questions we explore why this is, why gold is seen as a good investment and where in the world it is most popular.
Adrian Ash, director of research at BullionVault, also explains some of the different ways it’s possible to buy and hold gold – and why so many people opt to keep theirs in a vault in Switzerland.
He also predicts what the future will hold for the metal, the chances new, previously-undiscovered gold will be found.
We also talk through whether Bitcoin is a good substitute for gold in an investment portfolio – or whether they actually have very little in common at all.
Adrian explains how Bitcoin is eroding more interest in silver than gold and why this is.
Watch the video below for the answers.
Most watched Money videos
- Taking a look at the electric converted Lunaz Aston Martin classic
- Are BP and Shell worth investing in despite green concerns?
- Volkswagen launch stunning all-electric cars ID.5 and ID.5 GTX
- MGB Roadster Limited Edition in detail
- Range Rover announces new fully electric version
- New £95k Range Rover unveiled - and will have an EV version
- The classic Moke is reborn as an electric vehicle
- Renault unveils retro drone based on classic 4 for 60th anniversary
- 5% of public electric car chargers revealed to be unusable
- Portable electric vehicle charger that can be stored in the boot
- Kia creates an electrical storm with all new battery-powered EV6 GT
- Renault show off AIR4 retro drone version of Renault 4 without wheels
No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards.
We are no longer accepting comments on this article.


text:
Crystal Window & Door Systems’ recently was included in Crain’s New York Business’s business ranking of New York City area minority-owned firms. The list appeared in the March 12 edition of the publication.
Crystal has been on the list since 1998, according to a release from the company.
The Crain’s list is comprised of the largest privately held firms that are at least 51-percent minority-owned and headquartered in New York City or in seven surrounding New York and New Jersey counties. The ranking is based on annual company revenues from the prior year.
“I’m delighted that Crystal’s constant growth and success continues to be recognized,” says Steve Chen, Crystal’s president. “With 20 million diverse people and tens of thousands of minority-owned companies in the New York metro area, for Crystal to be spotlighted by Crain’s is very significant. The company’s success is a testament to our great workforce, our loyal trade customers, and the appeal of our energy-efficient, made-in-America fenestration products.”


text:
CAMDEN, N.J. — Mark A. Clouse has been named president and chief executive officer of the Campbell Soup Co. He will succeed Campbell Soup’s interim president and c.e.o. Keith McLoughlin on Jan. 22, 2019.
Mr. Clouse previously was president and c.e.o. of Pinnacle Foods, Inc., Parsippany, N.J., before it was acquired by Conagra Brands, Inc., Chicago, earlier this year. He also has held executive roles with Mondelez International, Inc. and Kraft Foods before it became the Kraft Heinz Co.
“Mark’s leadership as c.e.o. of Pinnacle Foods shows a clear track record of delivering solid revenue and earnings growth and generating significant value for shareholders,” said Les Vinney, chairman of the board at Campbell Soup. “Over the last several months, the Campbell board conducted a thorough search process, and we are confident that Mark is the right person to continue our turnaround plan and lead Campbell to future growth. He brings a wealth of experience in the food industry, as well as a fresh perspective on the opportunities and challenges before us.”
The challenges facing Mr. Clouse when he takes over in late January are numerous. He will be leading a company in transition, most notably as the board seeks to divest the Campbell International and Campbell Fresh business units.
In late November, the company also reached an agreement with one of its shareholders, Third Point, to increase the size of its board of directors to 14 from 12. Third Point owns approximately 6% of Campbell Soup’s stock.
Third Point provided input into the c.e.o. search and supports the decision to name Mr. Clouse president and c.e.o., according to the company.
“I am honored to lead Campbell and its portfolio of iconic brands into the next chapter of the company’s storied history,” Mr. Clouse said. “I am committed to delivering Campbell’s strategic objectives and look forward to partnering with the board and working alongside the company’s many talented employees to deliver sustainable, long-term growth. I am confident that together we can build a prosperous future for Campbell and all of its stakeholders.”


text:
Universal Recycling Technologies LLC (URT) has received ISO 9001:2008, ISO 14001:2004 and e-Stewards® certificationat its Janesville, Wis., headquarters and processing facility. URT is the 11th recycling company in the United States to achieve e-Stewards certification and is working toward having its four other processing facilities certified in accordance with the e-Stewards standard.
“We are so pleased that both the ISO and e-Stewards auditors validated our continuing efforts to recycle responsibly and efficiently, consistently providing a high-quality customer experience,” URT President Jim Cornwell says. “For our valued customers like Samsung, a longtime environmental champion and e-Stewards Enterprise, this further confirms our commitment to industry-leading service. We have an extremely talented team of professionals here. These honors are a credit to their hard work.”
The ISO 14001:2004 standard recognizes the company’s environmental health and safety management system and is required to achieve e-Stewards certification. The ISO 9001:2008 certifies the company’s quality management system. Both standards were developed by the International Organizations for Standardization.
The e-Stewards certification program, created by the Basel Action Network (BAN), Seattle, is designed to recognize electronics recyclers that adhere to environmentally and socially responsible practices when recovering materials from electronic scrap. The third-party-audited certification program bans exports of hazardous electronic scrap to developing countries and prohibits the use of prison labor and landfill disposal.
Cornwell says, “We are proud to be a part of the ongoing global effort to responsibly dispose of and re-use our resources.”
BAN Executive Director Jim Puckett says of URT, “As one of the few recyclers nationwide who can safely process leaded TV and monitor glass, the company not only benefits its direct customers but also is a great resource to other recyclers.”
Universal Recycling Technologies LLC has been privately owned by Hendricks Holding Co. since 2007. Inc. URT is a direct processor for Samsung and is an approved processor for the Electronic Manufacturers Recycling Management Co. (MRM), a consortium of more than 30 leading OEMs founded by Panasonic, Sharp and Toshiba.


text:
It wasn’t long ago Apple sent the invitations for October 2021 Keynote. It took place yesterday, and Apple announced a new range of MacBook Pros and AirPods Generation 3. Along with those, we saw a few other things on board. Here’s what you need to know about everything that Apple announced at the 2021 Unleashed event.
Apple announced its new addition to the MacBook lineup—the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro. It comes with a squared-off design that we have seen lately on the new Apple products. The new range of MacBook Pros comes with a notch cutout for a 1080p camera; however, there are no signs of a FaceID. They have a 120Hz ProMotion Liquid Retina XDR Display. The display can brighten up to 1000 nits for typical brightness and 1600 nits of peak brightness for HDR content.
The new MacBook Pro lineup comes with two new processors from the house of Apple—M1 Pro and M1 Max. That said, Apple seems to have thrashed down Intel processors in terms of performance. The SSD speeds go up to an astounding 7.5 GB/s. There’s a new 6-speaker sound system with four woofers and two tweeters. There’s an added support for Spatial Audio, and the mic has slightly improved.
Apple claims a battery life of 17 hours and a max of 21 hours in video playback when it comes to the battery. We also see some new ports added to the Pro lineup, which changes the design language of the MacBook Pro. Moreover, the new MacBooks can charge up to 50% in only 30 minutes. Also, Apple now supports MagSafe, bringing a new addition of accessories to the MacBook Pro. The new MacBook Pro lineup is available in 14-inch and 16-inch models and priced at $1999 and $2499, respectively.
AirPods 3rd Generation
Another big highlight of the event was the announcement of the AirPods 3rd Generation. The new AirPods now support Spatial Audio and bring a new design. It looks similar to AirPods Pro, but there are no rubber ear tips here. In addition to that, the case now charges via a MagSafe Charger.
Apple claims that the 3rd Generation of AirPods has better and improved bass performance. They have 6 hours of battery life, better than the previous generations when listening to audio. These new AirPods 3rd Gen come with a price tag of $179 and will ship starting next week.
There were other announcements at the event regarding other products from Apple. Apple Music now has a Voice Plan, which offers music streaming via Siri at $4 per month. Furthermore, Apple’s HomePod Mini is now available in three new colors—yellow, orange, and blue. Previously, it was only available in Gray and White.
The event’s primary focus was to announce the new MacBook Pro lineup and the AirPods 3rd Generation. With that said, macOS Monterey will arrive on 25th October 2021. What do you think about these products? Let us know in the comments down below.


text:
NAI/Merin Hunter Codman announced it has been retained to oversee all leasing for the iconic 20-story, 256,000 square-foot, Esperante Corporate Center located in the heart of downtown West Palm Beach at 222 Lakeview Avenue. RedSky Capital, which purchased the premier trophy property in 2016 and recently completed over $8 million in property renovations, awarded the leasing assignment to Managing Directors Lesley Sheinberg and Barbara LeBrun, SIOR who will be supported by Commercial Associate Alexandra Bazo with the retail portion of the property being handled by NAI/Merin Hunter Codman’s long-time Retail Service Group Managing Director Bruce Corn.
“Esperante Corporate Center has been an iconic part of the West Palm Beach skyline since 1989. NAI/Merin Hunter Codman has been a force in the Palm Beach County commercial real estate marketplace just as long, if not longer. Their long-term local market leadership, local and global connections, and proven track record made them a perfect fit to represent Esperante,” cited Ben Stokes, Principal of RedSky Capital.
Esperante Corporate Center offers a variety of floor plans to suit multiple needs, including build-to-suit and move-in ready options for boutique and corporate headquarter users alike. The building is currently offering ±600-35,000 square feet of office space with full floor opportunities and retail space from ±600-2,400 square feet, including high-visibility café opportunities.
Sheinberg added, “Esperante is a premier commercial property, offering an array of first-class amenities and services. The stunning renovations combined with the exciting retail aspect of the property makes it a highly competitive prospect for out-of-state firms coming to South Florida to take advantage of our favorable and tax-friendly business climate along with our incomparable lifestyle. We are seeing more and more businesses leaving large metropolitan areas and relocating to West Palm Beach in response to the challenges posed by the coronavirus. Esperante’s owners and our team welcome the opportunity to introduce this one-of-a-kind downtown West Palm Beach jewel to office and retail users across the country.”
[responsivevoice_button voice="US English Female" buttontext="Listen to Post"]
Get the latest industry news and information from CRE-sources delivered right to your email inbox! And we promise…no more than one email each morning.]]>
Get the latest industry news and information from CRE-sources delivered right to your email inbox! And we promise…no more than one email each morning.
And we promise…no more than one email each morning.


text:
Asia’s richest man buys UK’s Hamleys for $88 million.
British toy maker Hamleys has been sold to Asia’s richest man, Mukesh Ambani, for £68 million ($88 million)—the latest in a string of retail acquisitions by his family conglomerate, Reliance Industries.
Ambani’s Reliance Brands, a subsidiary of Reliance Industries, announced it had bought the 260-year-old toy retailer from Hong Kong-listed Chinese fashion firm C Banner International Holdings.
The £68 million price for Hamleys and its 167 stores across 18 countries is significantly lower than the £100 million ($129 million) C Banner paid to acquire the retailer in 2015. Last year, Hamleys reported a £9.2 million ($11.8 million) loss, blaming Brexit and the threat of terrorism for the downturn.
“The worldwide acquisition of the iconic Hamleys brand and business places Reliance into the frontline of global retail,” Darshan Mehta, president and chief executive of Reliance Brands, said in a statement.
Ambani (pictured), worth some $50.7 billion according to Forbes, already operates 88 Hamleys stores across 29 cities in India. In recent years, he has expanded his retail portfolio, snapping up a string of well-known brands such as Burberry, Canali, Paul Smith, Armani, Just Cavalli and Jimmy Choo.
Ambani is the second-generation managing director and chairman of Reliance Industries and son of founder Dhirubhai Ambani. The family conglomerate has interests in petrochemicals, retail and telecommunications and posted annual revenues of $66 billion in 2018.
Coca Cola heir arrested after $1.3 million in cannabis found on private jet
The heir to the Coca Cola fortune, Greek billionaire Alki David, has been arrested in St Kitts in the Caribbean after authorities found $1.3 million worth of cannabis plants on board his private jet.
David, 50, was taken into custody at Robert L Bradshaw International Airport and charged with intent to supply, possession of controlled drugs and the importation of a controlled drug into the federation after customs officials found about 5,000 plants along with seeds and a variety of other hemp products, according to the St Kitts Nevis Observer.
However, in a statement David has claimed the products on board were all hemp—a non-psychoactive strain of the plant grown specifically for industrial uses related to his legal cannabis-growing venture in the region.
Speaking to Manx Radio in the Isle of Man, a spokesperson for David said authorities in St Kitts were informed prior to landing of the presence of “pure hemp” cargo on board—including clone plants, hemp seed and SwissX CBD oil products as part of a new venture.
In April, David and US billionaire Chase Ergen announced they formed SwissX, a consortium which specialises in cannabis based medicines and hoped to develop the legal cannabis market in eastern Caribbean nations, including St Kitts and Nevis, Dominica and Antigua.
David is the heir to the Leventis-David Group, which holds the majority share in Coca Cola Hellenic—Europe’s largest bottling company.
Billionaire Barclay brother sues French writer over play
Sir David Barclay, co-owner of The Telegraph newspaper and the Ritz Hotel with his twin Sir Frederick, is suing a French writer over a play he alleges is based on him and his brother.
Barclay (pictured left with his brother) is suing Hedi Tillette de Clermont-Tonnerre for violation of privacy and defamation. A court in the French city of Caen was due to hear the case on Monday and is expected to last several months.
The play, “Les Deux Freres et les Lions” (The Two Brothers and the Lions) does not mention the Barclay brothers directly but there are alleged parallels drawn.
According to the theatre’s description of the play, it chronicles “the irresistible rise of two Scottish immigrants. The tale tells the rise of two twins who came from a poor background to have at the end of the 20th century one of the biggest fortunes of Great Britain.”
According to defence documents, the playwright claims he only drew inspiration from well-known aspects of Barclay’s life and almost all the elements in the play are “fictional and imagined by the author”.
The reclusive Barclay twins were born into a modest Scottish family and together built a business empire, which includes newspaper The Telegraph and magazine The Spectator, the London’s Ritz and Monaco’s Mirabeau hotels, and UK e-retailer Shop Direct, which reported sales of £1.96 billion ($2.2 billion) for the year to 30 June, 2018.
The brothers do not sit on the boards of their businesses anymore and are instead represented by Sir David’s sons Aidan and Howard, with Aidan managing their UK businesses.


text:
Major corporations scramble to support Black Lives Matter as protests continue
Free delivery from black-owned restaurants, major donations to activist groups
As protests and demonstrations against racism and police brutality drag on for another week across America, numerous corporations are scrambling to capitalize on the moment by donating to various Black Lives Matter organizations and allied causes, winning praise and sometimes sharp criticism for P.R. efforts that are by turns successfully deft and sometimes unfortunately clumsy.
The practice of corporate-sponsored social justice messaging is not new. The modern tactic of fusing activism with capitalist enterprise was perhaps embodied most famously in 1971's "Buy the World a Coke" advertisement, which utilized the contemporary hippy movement and the ongoing postwar counterculture to sell sodas.
Nearly 50 years later, Pepsi would famously try to pull off a similar campaign, depicting reality television star Kendall Jenner apparently solving the problem of police brutality with a can of Pepsi. Widespread backlash to that advertisement demonstrated the limits of corporate activism, which must balance the marketability of its product with the integrity of the movement it's trying to co-opt.
Corporations today appear to be keenly aware of the marketing benefits to striking that balance, which is likely why so many of them are hastily jumping on board with the current Black Lives Matter craze — some with success, others with more difficulty.
Free delivery for black businesses, big donations
Uber Eats, the food delivery app of the rideshare company Uber, announced this week that black-owned businesses would have free delivery privileges on its system. Uber is suspending delivery fees for black-owned restaurants through the end of the year, the company said in a statement, and will also offer discounted rides to those who own and work at black-owned small businesses.
Uber's announcement was perfectly timed for both the political climate and the economic one: Most restaurants have been surviving on takeout alone over the last few months of coronavirus lockdowns, and owners are still depending heavily on takeaway business as reopenings progress slowly across the country.
Other companies have pledged substantial monetary donations for progressive and racially conscious causes. YouTube this week announced a $1 million donation "to address social injustice." The company was not clear to what causes exactly it would be donating that money, the sum of which accounts for about 0.006% of the company's yearly revenue of $15 billion.
The clothing company Spanx, meanwhile — known for its undergarments that men and women wear to appear thinner — said in an Instagram post this week that it would be donating "$100,000 across national organizations focused on combating racial injustice: Black Lives Matter, NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund and The Minnesota Freedom Fund."
"To be an ally is to speak out against injustice and to be ears to listen to the POC experience," the company said, "To be an ally to us means having a heart for empathy for the oppressed and a hand to make change."
It is not immediately evident what it means exactly to donate to "Black Lives Matter," a mostly loosely organized movement of disassociated activists and protesters across the country and the world. The campaign's nominal central authority does accept donations, though it is not evident how those funds are dispensed. The companies Ganni, Anastasia Beverly Hills, Pretty Little Thing and others all pledged to donate to Black Lives Matter, among other causes.
'Your employees are dying from poverty'
Some corporations have, at least initially, held back from promising major financial commitments to social justice causes. Amazon, for instance, posted on its Twitter feed at the end of last month: "The inequitable and brutal treatment of Black people in our country must stop. Together we stand in solidarity with the Black community — our employees, customers and partners — in the fight against systemic racism and injustice."
Those remarks, which were made without any accompanying pledge to any relevant organizations, generated immense blowback on Twitter, with users slamming the company for its purported ungenerous labor policies. "Your employees are dying from poverty," one wrote. "Pay your workers and donate money," said another. "Open your purse," said a third, using a slogan that has become popular among activists in recent days.
Perhaps sensing an impending P.R. catastrophe, Amazon a few days later posted on Instagram that it "stands in solidarity with the Black community" and remains "steadfast in our support for our employees, customers, partners, and the communities where they live and work." In that announcement it pledged $10 million to the NAACP, the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, the National Urban League and other black-centric organizations.
Netflix followed a similar trajectory over the past few days. On May 30 on Twitter it posted a missive that read: "To be silent is to be complicit. Black lives matter. We have a platform, and we have a duty to our Black members, employees, creators and talent to speak up." On June 2, company CEO Reed Hastings announced that the streaming corporation would be donating $1 million to the Center for Policing Equity, a law enforcement reform group.
Backlash even with good gestures
Tech and fashion companies are not the only ones that have signaled an intent to join in on the movement. The fast food chain Taco Bell, for instance — though it has not announced any donations as of yet — wrote on Instagram this week that it would be "muting [its] channels for the rest of the week and taking this time to reflect, learn, and listen."
On Twitter, meanwhile, McDonald's posted a short video in which it revealed that it was donating an undisclosed amount to the NAACP and the National Urban League. "We do not tolerate inequity, injustice, or racism," the corporation wrote.
Yet in spite of those outwardly good intentions, the company still faced criticism underneath that post for its low starting wage and its alleged anti-union practices. Notably, the ACLU posted in a reply that the company "[hasn't] even responded to our letter demanding paid sick and family leave for all employees, the majority of whom are Black or non-Black people of color."
"YOU are perpetuating racism and oppression by failing to protect the health of your workers," the civil rights organization wrote.
That kind of backlash is not rare. Uber faced criticism after its own announcements, as well, with users complaining about surge pricing and lawbreaking among Uber drivers. "This is joke of the day, right [Uber]? Clean up your own filthy backyard first before looking at others'," wrote one respondent.
Some Twitter users reacting to Nike's anti-racist post, meanwhile, were similarly critical. "If Nike actually was pushing for real change they would support bills for legislation to help end this systematic racism; not just put up ads," one wrote. "My head is about to explode from the irony of the fact that Nike uses literal slave labor," another user accused.
Yet overall, companies appear to be banking on the idea that saying anything is better than saying nothing. In a world where reactions and responses to public events are expected to be nearly instantaneous, many corporations have likely decided that they cannot afford to remain silent.
The $10 million donations and stirring videos and slogans may not last forever if the protests continue for too long, but for now many iconic companies are betting they are the shrewd marketing choice, particularly after months of lockdowns have left retailers struggling for business and hoping to jump-start revenue as the country starts to reopen.


text:
Canada has long been inching towards becoming a cashless society. This isn’t to say that cash will one day be eliminated altogether (although it’s not unreasonable to assume that may happen at some point), but it’s clear that credit card and debit card use continues to grow in popularity.
These days, we are living in unprecedented times. The coronavirus pandemic is changing the ways in which we live and work. This morning, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau continued to stress the extreme importance of social distancing and even hinted at eventually implementing nationwide enforcement in an effort to stop the spread of COVID-19. As a business owner, you’ve undoubtedly been affected by the pandemic.
Have you had to close your doors?
If so, you’ve likely taken to promoting your online store in an effort to keep sales going. Even if your doors are open, it’s possible you’ve had to minimize your operating hours in order to keep both your employees and customers as safe as possible. No matter what you’re doing to service your customers, at this time, one thing is for sure. Your acceptance of credit cards has never been more important.
Firstly, credit card acceptance is practically mandatory in order to process sales online. Secondly, people are very well aware that coronavirus can exist on surfaces. This is why we’re so regularly reminded to wash our hands with warm water and soap for at least 20 seconds. As well, it’s important to disinfect our regularly-touched items and equipment.
The passing along of cash is now as undesirable as it has ever been.
Markus Mannheim of Australia’s ABC News, writes that the coronavirus pandemic has spread to many aspects of life, but one of its early and unexpected impacts seems to be on cash transactions. He reveals that Australian businesses are trying to protect their staffs by preventing them from handling notes and coins. Cash, of course, is still legal tender, and merchants can still accept it. However, cash transactions are at historic lows.
“Though it does not reference cash specifically, Department of Health advice says the COVID-19 virus can spread through ‘touching objects that have cough or sneeze droplets from an infected person’ on them,” writes Mannheim, “So when managers of The Knox cafe, in suburban Canberra, met to discuss how to protect staff and improve hygiene, refusing coins and banknotes was one of their first decisions.”
Does handling paper money increase the risk of spreading COVID-19?
Ideally, your employees should be wearing gloves when receiving cash from your customers. It’s wise, of course, to encourage as little hand to hand transfers of cash and coins as possible. This isn’t because studies have shown coronavirus can be transmitted through the passing along of money. However, as Molly McCluskey informs us on MSN.com, a 2014 study examining currencies from around the world found both coin and paper currency were highly contaminated with various forms of bacteria.
Agersew Alemu of the University of Gondar in Ethiopia authored the study. “An individual living in unhygienic conditions having unhygienic habits will contaminate the notes with bacteria and these notes will act as a vehicle delivering bacteria to contaminate the hands of the next user,” he is quoted as saying by McCluskey.
At Canadian POS, we know there’s no better way to accept credit card and debit card payments than with the revolutionary Poynt Smart Terminal. Please don’t hesitate to call us at 1-877-748-2884 or email us at info@localhost to learn more! Be sure to ask us about our e-commerce solution as well!


text:
Urbavore’s Brooke Salvaggio – Kansas City
By Jonathan Bender
Sep 28, 2011
What’s in store for the season and the future of the farm?
This incredibly challenging season is wrapping up with a bang. We are currently laying out more vegetable plots and will begin the laborious construction of a deer fence in several weeks. The deer have destroyed an estimated $13,000 worth of crops this year.
Come October, we will plant garlic (one of our biggest crops) and continue the deconstruction of a 1940s barn that will be rebuilt on the property. All the while, we are keeping our fingers crossed for decent fall crops and a late “killing freeze” so that we will have product to sell into the end of November. This winter, we will focus on off-grid infrastructure. We hope to make progress on both the barn and a small personal dwelling (we are considering a yurt). Future plans include a grape vineyard, more apple trees, blueberries, dairy goats, and a solar-passive greenhouse.


text:
Body Shop Paying More than $60K in Back Wages
September 24, 2018—A prominent auto paint and collision shop in Ellwood City, Pa., has paid $67,462 in back pay and damages to some of its workers, according to the Ellwood City Ledger.
The U.S. Department of Labor released a statement Thursday saying it conducted an investigation into Boehm Family Enterprises LLC, doing business as McElwain Brothers Paint and Collision in Ellwood City, and determined it had violated the Fair Labor Standards Act when it came to overtime work by 12 mechanics and painters, according to the report.
According to the Ellwood City Ledger, the department found that the shop incorrectly classified the workers as exempt from the law’s overtime requirements and only paid them straight time when they worked more than 40 hours in a work week. Also, the company failed to include employee performance bonuses when determining overtime pay, the department said.
According to the statement, the company has paid $33,731 in back wages and an equal amount in damages to the affected workers as a settlement of the matter.


text:
A massive vegan market will set out its stalls in a Milton Keynes town this weekend.
The Vegan Market Company, who organise events across the country, will arrive in Bletchley on Saturday, January 8.
Promising a ‘huge variety’ of vegan food and more, the market opens at 10.30am until 4pm and will include over 40 stalls at Queensway.
The Vegan Market Company says it expects up to 1,400 visitors for its first event of 2022.
Visitors will find artisan bakers, craft brewers and ethical jewellers as well as local artists and environmental charities.
Have your say on a circuit breaker lockdown in our short survey below:
The Vegan Market Company said: “The Bletchley Vegan Market takes over Queensway, right in the centre of the town and where the regular market operates, for the first time in January.
“The event will bring together up to 40 stalls including a huge variety of vegan street food, artisan bakers, craft brewers, ethical jewellers, sustainable chandlers, local artists, zero-waste champions, environmental charities and loads more.
“With a buzzing vegan scene we expect to see up to 1,400 direct visitors on the day in addition to the high footfall the town centre experiences on a typical Saturday.”
Keep up to date with the latest news from across Buckinghamshire by signing up to our newsletter here.


text:
Spring Summer 2015 Beauty Trends
Brand Growth Management News 017
As an industry, traditionally the focus has been on the future sometimes looking up to 2 years ahead trying to be the brand that sets the latest trend or creates the next “Vamp”. With this in mind, BGM reached out to strategic partner and color guru Roseanna Roberts to provide a real-time color forecast for Spring 2015.
Read the full article here.
Date Posted 03/26/15


text:
The organising committee of the first World Cup to be held in Africa also decided that, to make the finals as affordable as possible for home fans, the cheapest tickets for first round matches, apart from the opening game, would cost $20.
The committee also confirmed the seedings for Sunday's preliminary round draw for the qualifying competitions in Asia, CONCACAF, Europe and Africa. The South American and Oceania competitions are already underway.
England, who fell out of the top group of European seeds after losing to Croatia in their Euro 2008 qualifier this week, joined the second group as expected.
The top European seeds will be world champions Italy, Spain, Germany, Czech Republic, France, Portugal, Netherlands, Croatia and European champions Greece.
The match schedule was also confirmed with the finals starting on June 11 and ending on July 11.
Three kickoff times were announced as 1pm local time (1100 GMT), 4pm and 8pm, with the World Cup kicking off at the Soccer City stadium in Johannesburg. Opening day matches will also be played in Cape Town, Rustenburg and Port Elizabeth.
It was announced on Friday that South African residents would be able to purchase specially-priced cheap tickets for the finals.
The most expensive first round tickets, apart from the opening match, which will cost $450, will be $160. The cheapest second round tickets will cost $50, while the cheapest for the semi-finals will be $100.
The most expensive ticket for the final will be priced at $900 and the cheapest category four ticket will be $150.
Valcke told a news conference that between 2.8 and 3.0 million tickets will be available. The cheapest would account for 12-15 per cent of the total which will be finalised when the stadium seating plans are known in two years' time.
As well as these Category Four tickets being sold, Valcke added: "the cost of the 120,000 free tickets in that category will be met by FIFA's commercial partners."
It will be decided shortly whether those free tickets would be given away as prizes through the commercial partners competitions, or handed out on a first come, first served basis.
Valcke said measures would be taken to ensure the free and cheap tickets would not be sold on to fans overseas.
"We are working on measures to make sure there is no black market," he added.
Danny Jordaan, chief executive of the local organising committee, added: "We cannot announce the measures three years beforehand as people will try to develop counter-measures.
"Our target is the poor football fans in this country and if there is someone in an England shirt or Belgium shirt in that seat we will know something has gone wrong."
FIFA president Sepp Blatter said he expected all the stadiums would be ready in time and that in order to minimise labour disruptions construction workers will be given an annual bonus if they do not strike.
(Reporting by Mike Collett; editing by Trevor Huggins)


text:
By Spencer . November 24, 2009 . 9:48am
Disney is making a sequel to Tron and naturally there is a video game tie-in. Here’s a glimpse of it.
Spike TV promises more footage of the upcoming Tron game and Halo Reach during the 2009 Video Game Awards show on December 12. Tron Legacy’s theatrical debut is slated for December 2010 so we should see the game around then too.


text:
Digital wallet service Coinbase has made it easier for the bitcoin community to store and transact with their digital coins.
The company has released a new feature to its operations, allowing merchants to take bitcoins and convert percentages into cash. This will help merchants hold onto some bitcoins, rather than convert all of them for fiat.
However, there are some within the bitcoin community that feel that the Coinbase feature defeats the purpose of utilizing digital coins in the first place. By accepting bitcoin just to convert them into cash doesn’t help to grow the digital coin community.
Though bitcoins can sometimes reel in new customer bases for a business, it shows that merchants aren’t yet fully behind the digital coin industry.
Needless to say, Coinbase feels the feature is a step forward towards supporting the digital coin economy. The team writes:
“As the bitcoin ecosystem is maturing, every day we’re seeing more and more merchants starting to accept bitcoin. It is starting to make more sense to keep some part of your orders in bitcoin and use it to pay your vendors or other merchants, to completely avoid any exchange/banking fees.”
Any merchant who wants to utilize this new feature has to simply log into their account settings dashboard, and click off the “Maintain a minimum balance in BTC when exchanging” option in the payouts section.
Bitcoin for Students
In addition to its new feature, Coinbase has started a new initiative to give $10 worth of free bitcoins to college students who create a new account.
Students must have a valid college email ending in .edu. Coinbase created the initiative after being impressed with MIT’s bitcoin fund, where each undergrad student will be given $100 in bitcoin starting this fall semester. The company stated:
“At Coinbase, we were inspired by this project and hope we can contribute to the growing interest of bitcoin among college students.”
By tending to the youth, bitcoin can inspire an up and coming generation to take bitcoin far beyond what it is today.


text:
Amazon is revolutionizing retail, upending TV, and keeping the U.S. Postal Service in business, but it turns out tackling tech diversity is a tougher task. The Seattle tech giant is more than a month late delivering its 2015 diversity report, and it has yet to say when it plans to release those numbers.
The online retailer is not alone in this failure. Dropbox, the cloud-storage tech unicorn, is also more than a month late delivering its 2015 workforce demographics, which are important figures that allow advocates like Rev. Jesse Jackson to measure how much diversity progress tech companies accomplished over the past 12 months.
The tech industry has been moving toward hiring more women, African-Americans and Hispanics since Google released its first set of diversity figures in May 2014, spurring many other major companies to do the same. In 2015, little progress has been made -- and in some cases, companies have taken steps backward -- but by putting out a new report every year, companies send a sign to their employees, shareholders and the public that diversity is something they care about, said Alaina Percival, CEO of Women Who Code.
“It’s a signal to the marketplace that this is something that matters and that they’re dedicated to seeing the numbers improve,” Percival said. “We know that they’re not going to improve overnight, so having these numbers year-over-year and seeing how companies are innovating and developing ways to both attract and retain diverse talent is going to be important.”
When contacted in November, Amazon told the International Business Times that it planned to update its diversity page with new statistics some time before the end of 2015. Contacted this week, Amazon did not have an update to share. Similarly, Dropbox in November told IBT it planned “to issue 2015 numbers soon," but on Tuesday, the company said that it will not deliver its next report until 2016.
Amazon last released diversity figures in October 2014, showing 37 percent female representation and posting some of the highest figures in the tech industry for black and Hispanic employees, which made up 15 percent and 9 percent of Amazon's U.S. workforce, respectively. Those numbers, however, turned out to be bolstered by Amazon’s warehouse jobs, which were far more diverse than the company’s office jobs. Nearly 36 percent of Amazon's "laborers & helpers" jobs are held by black and Hispanic employees, dwarfing the 10 percent representation for the two groups when it comes to executive and technical jobs, according to data analyzed by the Seattle Times.
Despite CEO Jeff Bezos being a proponent of a meritocracy-ruled workplace, Amazon was embarrassed earlier this year by a New York Times expose that shed light on a company culture that could be particularly brutal toward women. The report detailed multiple instances where women who had just given birth or just had a stillborn child were placed on “performance improvement plans,” which the report said is known around Amazon as a sign someone is in danger of being fired.
In San Francisco, meanwhile, Dropbox has some of the worst representation for women, Hispanics and African-Americans in tech. The company, which carries a valuation of $10 billion, has 34 percent female, 4 percent Hispanic and just one percent African-American representation, according to figures released November 2014.
"Dropbox took a step forward last year in releasing their workforce diversity data and should do so again this year. Without transparency there can be no accountability," said Jackson, adding that his Rainbow Push organization plans to put more pressure on the tech industry to bring about diversity come 2016.
"They announced many 'initiatives' to improve diversity and inclusion this year, and if they are working they should be bold in reporting their progress and hold nothing back," Jackson said.
Dropbox’s lack of diversity was put on display in July, when former employee Angelica Coleman, an African-American woman, spoke with IBT about her time at the tech firm. Coleman detailed a company culture where little was done to make African-Americans welcomed. At one point in her tenure, shortly after the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, a fellow employee told her, "Black people get shot and killed every day -- it's not that big of a deal."
Following the ordeal, Dropbox went out and hired Judith Williams away from Google to head its diversity efforts. “When these incidents occur, they’re opportunities for improvement,” Percival said. If diversity “wasn’t huge on the agenda for an organization previously, getting a little bit of heat will hopefully help them constructively improve their culture and practices.”


text:
Samsung’s Galaxy Xcover 4 was released way back in March 2017, while Samsung’s line of the smartphone has changed a lot since the last year, seems that the South Korean firm still thinks that Xcover series needs a sequel. The new handset is reportedly the Galaxy Xcover 5 and has just cleared FCC.
A Samsung smartphone with model number SM-G398FN/DS, likely Galaxy Xcover 5, has acquired FCC certification recently. Which hints that the device may be close to launch. The listing also reveals that the handset will ship with a 10.78 Wh battery at 3.85 Volts, which in other words means a 2,800 mAh unit. That’s not big for today’s standards, and also, it’s the same capacity present in the 2017′ Galaxy Xcover 4.
Gizchina News of the week
There are no details in FCC pointing to the hardware inside of the Galaxy Xcover 5, however, GeekBench is there to reveal that it will ship with an Exynos 7885. The processing power will come paired with 3GB of RAM and Storage should start in at least 32GB. The handset will come with Android 9 Pie, and it will probably come with Samsung’s One UI running atop.
Dutch retailer Centralpoint listed the SM-G398 on its website under the Xcover 4S moniker with a price tag of around €250. The listing further reveals a release date of June 4, 2019, for the new smartphone. More details will emerge about the new Xcover series smartphone if Samsung is really going to upgrade it. Considering all the trends that are hot in the industry nowadays, we are curious to see the Xcover design and if it will be able to compete in Global markets.


text:
- Reports: Tops Friendly Markets management buys chain from Morgan Stanley Capital Partners
- More than a dozen health information exchanges, service providers join Surescripts
- Chobani gives a boost to Team USA on the journey to Sochi
- Reports: Amazon hopes to deliver packages by drone
- Jim Spencer promoted to president of Kinney Drugs stores
NEW YORK — The offices of Drug Store News will be closed Monday evening and Tuesday due to Hurricane Sandy. We hope that you, your friends and family will remain safe during this storm.


text:
As the economy gradually picks up amid the COVID-19 pestilence, the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC), Mr Hassan Bello, on Tuesday said that he was working with relevant stakeholders to ensure that the maritime industry grows its annual contribution to Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) from the current N1.9 trillion to N7 trillion.
Bello, who made the disclosure in Abuja while interacting with journalists on how to fully harness the huge maritime endowments of the country, threatened to revoke the licence of dormant Inland Container Depots (ICDs) also known as or dry ports.
According to him, Nigeria boasts of vast coastline and huge natural resources that can be tapped, processed and exported via the seaports to boost Nigeria’s foreign reserves.
He noted that the federal government has approved the modernisation of the Nigerian ports to drive down clearance cost, cargo dwell time and ultimately make them more globally competitive.
He described the maritime sector as the engine room of economic growth if only concerted efforts were made to leverage on its many deliverables.
Bello said: “We have been too glued to crude oil as if it won’t dry up. Now, the value is down due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
But Nigeria has robust maritime endowments that can buoy the economy if well harnessed. Currently, we’re doing between N1.9 to N2 trillion contribution to the GDP but our target is N7 trillion.
“In achieving that, we need to modernise our ports. We’re targeting that by March 2021, 90% of our port operations will digitalised. We are currently at 60%. We want to increase efficiency, boost revenue and facilitate legitimate trade. The port must be digital. Physical contact is spoiling the port and we can’t continue that way”, he explained.
The NSC boss further said that strong lessons have been learnt from the COVID-19 pandemic that will change the fortunes of the country.
“We found out that our ports we could run daily 24/7. We can and we have to operate round the clock. This is what we have in developed nations. We have a good partner with the Customs. We can achieve it. It would boost efficiency. We have made the train work in the port, likewise barges. The roads are being worked on. We’ve restored the train service.
“There are three train trips to bring in empty containers and take out the cargo-laden ones. For every train trip, 38 trucks are taken out. So, it means we would not have all the trucks at the ports and this will crash the haulage cost.
“Barges will also give the trucks a run for their money. You can imagine that it costs N800,000 to move a container from Apapa to Funtua by truck. That’s high. So, the train service will crash the prices, save lives and preserve the roads. Cargo dwell time to be reduced from 20 days to seven days when the trains and barges are fully deployed to the ports”.
Bello also appealed to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to extend its intervention programmes to the maritime industry to unlock the potential in processing various commodities for export.
“Our ginger Nigeria is the best. But the logistics chain is bad and CBN can look into it. We need to look at the dry ports and make them viable. We need to urgently look at value addition, packaging and processing. With these, massive jobs are created. We won’t care about oil anymore.
“Again, we need to get our ports to have export format because they were not configured for export”, he added
He assured that the upcoming Lekki and Ibom seaports will have all the paraphernalia of modern ports.


text: Decathlon’s sales in Spain fell last year by 10.7 percent to €1,526 million including VAT, due to Covid-related restrictions, but the online channel grew by 126 percent to represent 18 percent of the total turnover. The number of stores rose by two to a total of 174, but their sales dropped by more than 27 percent because of the pandemic. The subsidiary still managed to generate operating earnings of €141 million before amortization (Ebitda) and €117 million before interest and tax (Ebit). The net profit declined by 16.9 percent to €86.4 million. The growth registered in the first half of this year indicates that Decathlon’s sales in the country, which is the company’s second-largest market after France, will be close to €2 billion in 2021, surpassing the €1,719 million level reached in 2019. Decathlon España plans to open three more physical stores in the country this year, while launching its new marketplace. It also plans to double the size of its logistics center in Barcelona.


text:
Barcelona FC’s head of digital, Didac Lee, believes lockdown restrictions and a ban on spectators when LaLiga matches resume this month have created favourable conditions for the launch of the club’s new OTT service, Barça TV+.
Speaking to SportBusiness on the day (Wednesday) the Spanish La Liga club officially launched the new streaming platform and initiated its new ‘Culers membership’ loyalty programme, Lee said one of the few positives to emerge from the Covid-19 crisis was that it had sped up the “digital transformation of businesses and society”.
He said: “What was expected to happen in three to four years has happened in two to three months.
“We’ve been working on these projects for the last few years and our original plan was always to release these products in these months, so it’s been a positive coincidence for us. We believe society nowadays is more prepared for these kinds of services than it was three months ago.”
The new OTT product is the central part of a two-year project to overhaul the Catalan club’s online services and create a new ‘digital ecosystem’ for fans.
The platform will offer delayed broadcast of Barcelona men’s first-team matches in LaLiga and the Uefa Champions League based on the respective rights restrictions for each competition.
The restrictions on Champions League rights allow Barcelona to offer delayed coverage from midnight on the day of the match. Delayed LaLiga coverage can be shown 24 hours after the match week is completed. However, the club suspects that LaLiga’s restrictions could be updated now that games will take place in a shorter timeframe when the league resumes behind closed doors this month.
Additionally, the service will show live coverage of academy matches and the club’s women’s team plus a selection of on-demand series and documentaries made at the clubs’ new in-house production operation Barça Studios.
Barça TV+ will be available worldwide via the club website and app and on all devices (PC, mobile and on television using cast technology). At launch the club said it will provide subscribers with more than 1,000 hours of content and 3,000 videos in three different languages (Catalan, Spanish and English).
Lee described the 100-person Barça Studios operation as the first of ‘two big bets’ the club has made in its digital capabilities. The second is a large-scale overhaul of its customer relationship management system which he likened to Antoni Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia basilica in Barcelona ‘because it is never-ending’.
The club projects that the investment will help it to triple the €100m it generates annually in digital revenues in the space of the next five years.
FC Barcelona digital director Enric Llopart said the club will use the improved CRM and its new ‘Culers membership programme’ to ‘join the dots’ between its content, ticketing and e-commerce operations.
A yearly subscription to the Premium membership programme, which differs in price based on the geographic location of fans (see box, below) will give fans unlimited access to Barça TV+, as well as privileged access and discounts on tickets, special offers on the club’s new e-commerce platform and benefits from sponsors.
The club’s 155,000 existing ‘socios’, or members, will get access to all of the content on Barça TV+ for free, while supporter club members (‘penyas’) will get a 50 per-cent discount.
Llopart told SportBusiness: “The vision is creating an integrated digital ecosystem by Barcelona to attract mostly our core fans so they can have a direct relationship and a connection with us.
“And based on that data connection between the club and our core fans we can constantly refine new products and services for them, adapted to their needs, adapted to the way they want to interact with the club.”
In the same way that the new CRM will allow Barcelona to create content and products tailored to fans’ needs, Lee suggested that it could also help the club’s sponsors to refine their messaging and product offerings – although he was quick to clarify that the club will not share fan data with sponsors.
“I’m sure the sponsorship model in the future will change,” said Lee. “We’ll have fixed price sponsorships, but we’ll also have flexible fees depending on the sales we can help to get for sponsors.”
The club has said it will not focus on its new digital services to the detriment of its output on third-party social media platforms.
Llopart said: “At the end of the day it’s great to have these huge fanbases on social media; it’s great to have this huge engagement and that’s part of our strategy – it helps us to feed the top of the funnel.
“We cannot think that audience that we have for our OTT [service] will be same as the audience we will have for our YouTube channel. We have identified that there are different segments of audiences with different interests and different needs
“Our strategy is having competitive content on every one of the platforms where we have a presence. It’s not our style to be on a platform with content that is not good enough.”


text:
Ralcorp Holdings Inc.
The delay comes after the food maker last week said it would restate results for its 2011 fiscal year as well as the latest fiscal first quarter, pointing to an accounting error related to goodwill write-downs from the spinoff of its Post brand cereal business in February.
Ralcorp spun off its Post brand cereal business--the manufacturer of Honey Bunches of Oats, Pebbles and Grape-Nuts--in February, allowing the company to focus on its large private-label business.
On Tuesday, Ralcorp said it will hold up the results until internal and external reviews of prior results are completed. It didn't say when that might be.
Shares closed at $70.90 and were lightly traded after hours. The stock is off 7.4% over the past year.


text:
Report modelling the impact of UK crashing out of EU and reverting to WTO tariffs shows poorest families would be hardest hit
Theresa May’s working dinner with Jean-Claude Juncker on Monday night, aimed at breaking the deadlock in Brexit talks, was described as taking place “in a constructive and friendly atmosphere”. Their joint statement failed to mention what the two dined on, but the price of food in the event of a ‘no deal’ Brexit was very much on the menu in the UK on Tuesday morning.
New research claims that leaving the EU without a trade deal would result in significant price increases to household goods and other essentials, with the poorest families being hit the hardest.
The report called Changing Lanes has been jointly produced by the Resolution Foundation think tank and academics at Sussex University, and it explores the impact of the UK crashing out of the EU without a trade deal and reverting to World Trade Organisation tariffs. Its modelling suggests a no deal scenario would see the cost of dairy products rise by 8.1%, meat by 5.8% and the price of a car increasing by 5.5%.
These sharp price rises would result in the average British household’s expenditure rising by £260 a year, with over three million families facing an annual increase in their cost of living of more than £500 a year.
Low-income households would feel the impact of the increases more as they spend a greater percentage of their income on food and essential items, products that would be affected most by new trade tariffs. This proportionate spending would see the poorest 20% of households feel the effects by a third more than the richest 20% of households.
Stephen Clarke, Economic Analyst at the Resolution Foundation, said “While trade may not have been the biggest issue in the referendum it is one that will affect the day-to-day living standards of every family in Britain. The government must rightly continue to prioritise a comprehensive new trade agreement with the EU in order to avoid households having to fork out for a ‘no deal’ outcome through higher prices and squeezed households budgets.”
The research will make grim reading for Theresa May who has sought to champion the cause of the ‘just about managing’ since her first day as Prime Minister. Its publication comes on the day that UK inflation hit a five-year high and arrives hot on the heels of a row sparked by transport secretary Chris Grayling’s claims that the UK could become self-sufficient in food production post-Brexit. His comments were dismissed as “tripe” and “out of touch” by farming industry leaders.


text:
Hewlett-Packard Co. HPQ 0.07 % said it will give an activist shareholder a seat on its board, as new Chief Executive Meg Whitman tries to right the big technology company after a more than a year of instability.
Relational Investors LLC co-founder Ralph Whitworth, who will take the seat, wants to focus on improving H-P's discipline on spending, particularly in the area of acquisitions, people familiar with the matter said.
San Diego-based Relational, which hadn't previously disclosed a position in H-P, has approximately a 1% stake that it built after the company announced an acquisition and potential spinoff in August that drew criticism from analysts and investors, the people said.
In accepting the board seat, Relational agreed it won't seek a sale, merger, or any similar transaction involving H-P, according to a regulatory filing Thursday. Also, Relational agreed it won't pool its votes with other H-P shareholders, and won't acquire more than 9.9% of the company, among other things.
The deal becomes void and Mr. Whitworth will resign from H-P's board if Relational's stake falls below 0.5% of the company, according to the filing.
Ray Lane, H-P's executive chairman, said in a statement Thursday that Mr. Whitworth "will bring a constructive voice and a track record of value creation into the boardroom."
Although Relational's stake in the company is relatively small, credible activist investors are often taken seriously by corporations, which may hold talks with them. Companies generally want to avoid protracted proxy fights where investors level public criticisms against them and try to get elected to the board. At the same time, boards sometimes welcome their input and want to show receptivity to shareholder ideas.
Mr. Whitworth is a veteran activist who has served on many corporate boards. He isn't known "for going along with the status quo," said David Larcker, an accounting professor at Stanford University's business school who runs its corporate-governance research program. Mr. Whitworth likely will be "a pretty active an "aggressive player in vetting new people and strategies."
The negotiations to give Relational a board seat were collegial, a person familiar with the matter said. H-P will increase the number of board seats from 13 to 14 to accommodate the addition of Mr. Whitworth.
In addition to pushing for changes in how a company is managed, Relational often also lobbies for stock buybacks or dividend increases.
Many of H-P's shareholders, including Relational, have been concerned about how much the company has been spending on deals, saying it often overpays for companies.
In August, H-P announced an $11.7 billion acquisition of Autonomy Corp., representing about an 80% premium to Autonomy's share price the day before the deal was announced. At the same time H-P announced that it was exploring a spinoff of its PC business.
Relational wasn't in favor of the spinoff idea, according to a person familiar with the matter. In October, Ms. Whitman said H-P was going to keep its PC business.
H-P declined to comment beyond the statement announcing Mr. Whitworth's appointment.
H-P has been under pressure since August 2010, when then-chief executive Mark Hurd resigned following an internal ethics probe. His successor, Leo Apotheker, set a strategy for H-P focused on expanding the company's portfolio of software products. That strategy culminated in the decisions to acquire Autonomy and explore the now-aborted spinoff of the PC business. Mr. Apotheker was fired in September and Ms. Whitman took his place.
Its shares are down about 35% this year. H-P reports earnings for its fiscal fourth quarter Monday.
—Joann S. Lublin contributed to this article.


text:
Rightlander, the leading provider of affiliate compliance tools, has been shortlisted for the EGR B2B Awards 2023 in the Compliance & KYC supplier category. The prestigious awards recognize excellence in the online gaming industry and celebrate the achievements of B2B service providers.
The EGR B2B Awards, organized by eGaming Review, are highly regarded in the industry and attract entries from companies across the globe. Rightlander was among the shortlisted companies, which were chosen by a panel of independent judges based on their innovation, commercial success, and customer feedback.
Rightlander, who recently won the IGB Affiliate Awards - Best Tech for Affiliate Programmes, helps affiliates and operators ensure that their marketing materials and campaigns are compliant with regulations in their target markets. The platform scans websites for affiliate links and other promotional content, identifying any breaches of advertising rules, including those related to responsible gambling, advertising to minors, and misleading claims.
In addition to its compliance monitoring tools, Rightlander.com also offers a range of other features, including a landing page tracker, automated compliance reports, and an API for integrating with third-party systems. The platform is used by some of the largest affiliates and operators in the online gaming industry, helping them to stay on the right side of the regulators and avoid costly fines.
The shortlisting for the EGR B2B Awards is a testament to Rightlander's commitment to excellence and innovation in the field of affiliate compliance. The company has been at the forefront of developing tools and services to help affiliates and operators navigate the complex and ever-changing regulatory landscape, and this recognition is a validation of its efforts.
Commenting on the nomination, Ian Sims, founder of Rightlander.com, said: "We're thrilled to be shortlisted for the EGR B2B Awards in the Compliance & KYC supplier category. It's a great honor to be recognized by our peers in the industry for the work we do in helping affiliates and operators stay compliant. We're committed to continuing to innovate and develop new solutions to the challenges facing the online gaming industry, and this nomination is a great encouragement to us."
The winners of the EGR B2B Awards 2023 will be announced at a ceremony in London in June. With its reputation for excellence and commitment to compliance, Rightlander is well-placed to take home the prize in the Compliance & KYC supplier category. Whatever the outcome, the company can be proud of its achievements and the impact it has had on the online gaming industry.


text:
President Trump notified the House and Senate Monday that he intends to end a preferential trade status for India.
In a letter to Congressional leaders, Trump said he was ending "the designation of India as a beneficiary developing country under the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) program."
Trump said the move comes because "India has not assured the United States that it will provide equitable and reasonable access to the markets of India."
The GSP program provides for duty free imports from poorer countries on a list of several thousand products.
India's status under the program was put under review last year.
The world's second most populous country after China has enticed expansion efforts from the likes of Amazon (AMZN) - Get Amazon.com, Inc. Report and Walmart (WMT) - Get Walmart Inc. Report hoping to capture business from a growing middle-class in the country.


text:
Apple Celebrates Global Accessibility Awareness Day With Stevie Wonder Concert
Apple yesterday held a concert at One Infinite Loop in honor of Global Accessibility Awareness Day. This morning, CEO Tim Cook tweeted out a thank you to Stevie Wonder, who performed at the concert.
Apple has been highlighting the importance of accessibility features throughout the week, beginning with a large collection of "Designed for" promotional videos that it posted on YouTube on Tuesday. The clips showcased features like VoiceOver and Made for iPhone hearing aids, accompanied by personal stories of how Apple fans with disabilities use each feature.


text:
KOTA KINABALU, April 6 — The Sabah government’s move to allow interdistrict travel according to zones during the recovery movement control order (RMCO) has begun boosting the domestic tourism sector in the state, says Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment Assistant Minister Datuk Joniston Bangkuai.
He said hotels, resorts and tourist spots in Sabah received encouraging response from locals, to the extent that some bookings had to be rejected, especially in the rural areas.
“Occupancy rates in some resorts around the Kota Kinabalu have reached up to 70 per cent, especially during weekends and the recent school holidays. Rural tourist spots are also always full as capacity (visitors) is limited according to standard operating procedures (SOPs).
“This shows that the local community is aware that Sabah has many interesting tourist places to visit, especially in the rural areas,” he told Bernama here.
In March, Sabah allowed interdistrict travel within zones under the RMCO, with Zone One involving Kota Kinabalu, Kota Belud, Ranau, Tuaran, Penampang, Putatan and Papar; Zone Two covering Beaufort, Kuala Penyu and Sipitang, and Zone Three involving Kudat, Kota Marudu and Pitas.
Meanwhile, Zone Four involves Sandakan, Beluran, Kinabatangan and Tongod; Zone Five covers Tawau, Semporna, Lahad Datu, Kunak and Kalabakan while Zone Six comprises Keningau, Tambunan and Tenom.
Joniston said Sabah was optimistic that the state’s tourism would gradually recover after being reopened in stages, with the main focus on strengthening domestic tourism.
“We can already receive (local) tourists, and of course, they (tour operators) are eagerly waiting for the border to be opened for tourists from other states and abroad.
“The awareness among tour operators in Sabah to comply with the SOP is there, and from our observation, the compliance rate with the SOP is very high,” he added. — Bernama


text:
Media react to Jaguar I-PACE triple win at the 2019 World Car Awards
Jaguar Land Rover
The Jaguar I-PACE claimed a unique treble at the 2019 World Car Awards last week – winning World Car of the Year, World Car Design of the Year and World Green Car of the Year.
The all-electric SUV became the first vehicle in the awards’ 15-year history to win three titles, and as a result became one of the stars at the New York International Auto Show. We have rounded up some of the media coverage as the world reacts for your viewing pleasure.


text:
Dunkin' Donuts today announced it has reached a digital milestone, surpassing more than 10 million downloads of the Dunkin' Mobile App for mobile payment and gifting. At the same time, it announced it has reached two million DD Perks Rewards loyalty members.
"Providing our guests with new levels of speed and convenience so that they can run on Dunkin' more quickly than ever is an important part of our growth strategy," said John Costello, Dunkin' brands president, global marketing and innovation. "We are thrilled to achieve two million DD Perks members in less than a year since the program's launch, and reach 10 million downloads of the Dunkin' Mobile app. These two digital milestones are evidence that our loyal customers are responding to our efforts to provide a superior mobile experience and our commitment to create one of the most robust loyalty programs in the market."
Dunkin' Donuts introduced the app in 2012 and the DD Perks program in January 2014. New enhancements to the DD Perks program include coupons for a free beverage of any size on a user's birthday and after accumulating 200 reward points. Previously, members received a medium-sized beverage.
DD Perks members can now share rewards points with friends and family via the mobile apps. They can also register to automatically refill the value amount on the app to use as payments.
Dunkin' Donuts, like many quick-serve chains, has been adding mobile payment options. The current program works much like Starbucks' industry-leading mobile loyalty and payment app, allowing users to earn rewards and reload balances similar to a gift card, but Dunkin' is also exploring new mobile wallet programs. Dunkin' Donuts is a member of the Merchant Customer Exchange and plans to participate in the rollout of the MCX's CurrentC mobile payment platform.
-See this Dunkin' Donuts announcement
Dunkin' Donuts expands into California with 20 new stores
Dunkin' Donuts seeks out public libraries, hotel lobbies for 'non-traditional' expansion plans
Can Dunkin' Donuts really reposition itself as a beverage chain?
Tim Hortons' CEO: We have to serve fast and move south


text:
Shop Direct group chief executive Alex Baldock has said mobile commerce is changing the face of retail and the “real prize” is tapping into the consumer insight it provides.
More than two-thirds of Shop Direct’s sales now come from customers shopping on their mobiles and the key to growing the business further is accessing the information these shoppers are offering, according to Baldock.
Speaking at Retail Week Live, Baldock said “customer intimacy” is key to success and shoppers are giving retailers the chance to get to know them like never before.
“We’re placing a big bet on the shopping experience becoming increasingly more personal. Mobile shoppers give you so much more as they are always connected and they give you an unprecedented number of clues about how to be more relevant to them. Everything they do leaves a trace and if you know how to pick up on that you can make hay,” he added.
Shop Direct is investing further in data science and analytics to find out more about how customers are shopping and what they want, in order to make the user experience more seamless.
“Through Google analytics we are working on that funnel – getting the shopper from the homepage through to the checkout. We are able to see in real time where the friction in the journey is and we’re using that to build an easier customer experience,” Baldock added.


text:
Is the New York City mayor right to try to put restrictions on soft drink sales?
The mayor of New York City, Michael Bloomberg, has announced plans to restrict the sales of "oversized" soft drinks, with the aim of reducing obesity levels and improving the health of New York residents. The proposal has not been well-received by some, who take issue with attempts by politicians to legislate the public into being healthy. The consensus among those who disagree with the mayor's latest proposal seems to be that if people want to drink more soda than they know is good for them, that is their right.
The topic of legislation and obesity is one we have covered in the past here at the HealthExpress blog, particularly in relation to the possibility of a fat tax being introduced. Though it seems unlikely that any form of a "fat tax" will be introduced in the UK any time soon, the idea is supported by many health bodies and experts who are concerned about the growing levels of obesity amongst both children and adults. Opponents to any kind of fat tax argue that it would be far more beneficial to incentivise consumers to buy healthier food rather than punish them financially for choosing unhealthy options.
The main difference between the proposed UK fat tax and the suggested soda restrictions in New York basically comes down to specificity. Though Michael Bloomberg is targeting one specific area of what is known as "junk food", the basic concept behind the proposal – to reduce obesity and encourage a more healthy diet - is the same. The restrictions would not ban all soft drinks nor make them more expensive; it would simply ban the "oversized" sugary drinks which are available. To most people outside of the United States, the suggestion that sugary drinks should not be sold in cup sizes over 16oz (about half a litre) seems a fairly reasonable one. Sugary drinks like soda can be incredibly unhealthy, and the fact that individuals in the United States can purchase cups containing as much as 64oz (1.9l) of sugary soda seems utterly unfathomable to a British blogger used to the size of soft drink cups maxing out at about 500ml.
However, despite the clear problems associated with allowing such gigantic sizes of soda to be sold – a 64oz cup will amount to 765 calories and almost 200g of sugar, for example – the suggestion to ban them has not been well-received. This is mainly because opponents resent being "nannied" and told what to do, believing instead that the right to make personal choices is the most important thing, even if, as in this case, the choices are known to be unhealthy.
With this in mind, it seems unlikely that Michael Bloomberg's proposal will actually be enforced, but is this a good or a bad thing? After all, surely it would be better to focus resources and time into education rather than legislation?


text:
.hack//G.U. Last Recode will be playable for the first time at C3AFA Tokyo 2017 from August 26 to 27, Bandai Namco announced.
Users who play the demo will take home a .hack series 15th anniversary special-make sticker set as a present.
C3AFA Tokyo 2017 will be held at the Makuhari Messe International Exhibition Hall 1~3 in Chiba, Japan. .hack//G.U. Last Recode can be found at the Bandai Namco Entertainment booth.
.hack//G.U. Last Recode is due out for PlayStation 4 and PC on November 1 in Japan, and in the Americas and Europe this fall.


text:
High gas prices fuel turn toward smaller, fuel-efficient vehicles
Starla and Robert Sparling of Elmira were at Fox Auto Group Friday, looking for a more fuel-efficient car.
Gas prices are hurting the family’s finances and in the forefront of Starla Sparling’s mind is getting a car with good gas mileage.
“It is why I am looking for a smaller car,” she said. “I would have liked a Liberty but can’t afford the gas for the car.”
According to the AAA, the national average price per regular gallon on Friday was $3.28. It was $2.55 per gallon a year ago.
In New York, the current average is $3.38 per gallon.
Analysts are predicting gas prices could soon break $4 per gallon. Some parts of the country have already surpassed that mark, according to national reports.
“When customers come in they are concerned about gas mileage,” said Dean
McManus, sales manager at Fox Auto Group, 150 Robert Dann Drive in Erwin.
He said more people ask more about a car’s fuel efficiency than they did in the past when pump prices were lower.
Joe Solowiej, sales manager at Kent Brown Toyota in Big Flats, has found customers less impulsive in their purchases.
“People don’t drive quite as much anymore, and they tend to think a little more about what they are buying,” he said. “Priuses are selling as fast as we can get them.”
The 2007 Prius was rated the number one gas saver on the road by the Environmental Protection Agency in 2006.
Solowiej said Toyota’s largest vehicle, the Tundra, is still selling but employees have to work a little harder at getting them off the lot than they did previously.
Used cars are also becoming more popular, McManus said. Many buyers aren’t interested in investing a lot of money in a new car and feel they can save their pennies in other ways, he said.
However, John R. Burleson Used Cars in Bath is moving away from its used car business and has gotten more involved in selling farm equipment.
“That began when the gas prices went up,” said Matt Giardina, an employee. “We went to equipment because they are easier to sell than a lot of the vehicles.”
Giardina said everyone wants the compact cars with better gas mileage, and getting good deals on them can be difficult.
As for equipment, farmers are looking for used tractors and other vehicles that are as efficient as possible.
“Diesel equipment run cheaper, despite the higher price of diesel,” he said. “On average, you can get 15 gallons to 20 gallons more per hour in a diesel vehicle than with a gas vehicle.”
Nationally, sales of SUVs and pickup trucks have been stronger than expected. For the entire U.S. auto industry, light trucks still constitute more than 50 percent of sales, according to national reports.
Both McManus and Soloweij said there are some consumers who buy the larger vehicles because they best fit their needs. Those types of vehicles are what some buyers want no matter the price of gas, they said.
However, crossover vehicles, which provide the space of an SUV but have smaller engines, are growing in popularity, according to national reports.
Overall, no matter what types of cars people are looking for, the price of gas is on everyone’s mind, Sparling said.


text:
There are currently a lot of fears about corporate credit’s ability to sink the economy and markets. There has been an absolute massive surge in issuance since the Financial Crisis, and a great deal of that issuance happened in credits just on the bottom fringe of investment grade. And while a good amount of that debt may founder and sink into junk, it won’t be enough to hurt the economy much. The reason? It is because US households have not increased their leverage significantly in recent years, which is likely to prove a saving grace for the economy. Growth in household debt has been lower than inflation, a sign of relative health.
FINSUM: While corporate credit can get markets in trouble, so long as the American consumer is not deleveraging, things will probably not get too bad in the wider economy.


text:
McDonald’s Expands McPlant Test to 600 US Locations
The vegan burger will be available in the San Francisco Bay and Dallas-Fort Worth areas beginning February 14 for a limited time.
Last year, some European countries were the first to get a taste of McDonald’s new plant-based burger, the McPlant. The release was met with positive feedback, and the brand is moving forward with expansion in the US. Starting February 14, McDonald’s will be testing the McPlant at 600 US locations.
McPlant Launches in San Francisco and Dallas-Fort Worth
This isn’t the first time that the McPlant has been tested in the US. In November of last year, McDonald’s quietly tested the McPlant in eight restaurants in California, Texas, Louisiana, and Iowa. The test went well, and customers called for the McPlant to be made available in more markets.
Beginning February 14, the McPlant will be available at 600 of the brand’s 14,000 US locations, but the trial will be limited to locations in the San Francisco Bay and Dallas-Fort Worth areas. Be sure to check with the specific location before heading out to make sure they are participating in the launch.
McDonald’s Vegan Burger
McDonald’s new vegan burger was created in collaboration with leading plant-based meat company Beyond Meat. The patty itself is vegan and is made with peas, rice, and potatoes, among other ingredients. The burger will come on a sesame seed bun loaded with tomato, lettuce, pickles, onions, mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard, and dairy-based American cheese. To order it vegan, just ask for the mayonnaise and cheese to be omitted.
*Please note that the burger is cooked on a shared grill.
Fully Vegan McPlant Launches in UK and Ireland
Meanwhile, McDonald’s announced earlier this month that the McPlant will be available at all of its stores in the UK and Ireland. Unlike the burger served here in the US, the McPlant served across the pond will be offered with vegan sauce and vegan cheese, making the burger entirely vegan.
Furthermore, the UK McPlant will be cooked in a separate cooking area with dedicated vegan utensils.
Cayla is an event planner, copywriter, catering manager, and vegan foodie. If she’s not working, she’s probably catching one of her favorite composers in concert, riding her bike to the movies, watching a gorgeous sunset at the bluff in Long Beach, or convincing her girlfriend to go out to eat at another vegan restaurant … again.
More from VegOut
Alpha Foods Just Launched a YouTube Series Co-Hosted by Drag Icon Monét X Change
Tune in every week for a new episode of The Plant-Based Way with Monét.
NadaMoo! Scoop Shop in Austin, Texas to Close This Week
The vegan ice cream shop will be indefinitely closing its brick-and-mortar location on February 27.
This Self-Taught Los Angeles Baker Makes Lizzo-Approved Vegan Cinnamon Rolls
Baked by Yoga is killing the vegan dessert game!
San Diego’s Kula Ice Cream Expands to Grocery Stores Across California
The San Diego-based vegan ice cream brand is now available in grocery stores in Loma Linda, Chino, and Rancho Mirage, with more expansion plans in the future.
22 Black-Owned Vegan Food Brands to Support Right Now
From pancakes and granola to chips and cheese sauce, there are so many great products to try from these businesses.
IHOP Adds Vegan Breakfast Sandwich to Menu in NYC
The new fast-casual branch of IHOP has added a fully vegan breakfast sandwich to the menu at its New York location.
New Women-Owned Allergy-Friendly Online Grocer Basquet to Launch This Spring
Basquet specializes in offering a selection of sustainable products to those avoiding the top allergens, including a variety of products suitable for vegans.
10 Black-Owned Vegan Restaurants to Support in Atlanta
Come along as we explore all of the tasty Black-owned vegan and vegan-friendly spots Atlanta has to offer!
Michigan’s First Vegan Wine Club Launches in Metro Detroit
Vegan deli and catering company Chive Kitchen adds wine club to its list of offerings.
Chef Tomi Makanjuola Releases New Cookbook Vegan Nigerian Kitchen
The cookbook features 100 vegan recipes from various Nigerian tribes and regions.
5:55 Burgers & Fries Is Serving up Affordable Vegan Food in Los Angeles
Everything on the menu at 5:55 is under $11.11!
Meat Alternative Company Meati Launches for Pre-Order, Sells Out in 24 Hours
There’s a new vegan meat in town and customers are stocking up!
Subscribe NowOrder the magazine!