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Budget airlines are accused of breaking the law by charging holidaymakers rip-off fees if they want to pay by credit card, according to a damning report by consumer campaigners.
Carriers including Flybe, Monarch and Ryanair are charging customers up to 3pc - or an extra £9 - with every £300 spent on flights for the privilege of using their credit card.
The cost should not exceed 0.6pc, according to Mastercard, a major provider.
Profiting from card fees is forbidden by the Consumer Protection Regulations 2012, which state that companies are only allowed to charge customers for the costs they have incurred.
Consumer experts at Fairier Finance, which published the report, said the discovery was the "tip of an iceberg" as insurance companies and local councils are also thought to be using the ruse to rip people off.
Many companies reduced credit card fees last December as a result of new European rules which significantly reduced charges by capping so-called "interchange fee", which is largest part of the cost.
Credit card interchange fees were capped at 0.3pc, prompting a raft of other airlines, including Easyjet to reduce credit card charges by half a percentage point to 1pc, while others such as United and Air Canada stopped charging altogether.
James Daley, managing director of Fairer Finance, said: "We believe there are hundreds of companies in breach of the regulations - but no one is policing this issue. Trading Standards teams across the country need to be investigating culprits in their area and fining those who don't reduce their fees. We'd also like to see ministers make it clear that transgressions of the rules won't be tolerated."
Airlines denied they were breaking the rules but did not reveal the extent of their costs.
A Monarch spokesman said: "Monarch’s credit card surcharges are set to cover all of the related costs incurred by the company associated with taking payment by credit card. There are no charges to customers who choose to use PayPal, even if paying by credit card." A Ryanair spokesman said: "These claims are false. We fully comply with all EU regulations and our credit card charge reflects the cost of processing credit card payments, including bank charges.”
A Flybe spokesman said: “Flybe is fully compliant with the regulations that very clearly explain the allowable costs that can be recovered through a payment surcharge."
The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, which issued the regulations, said customers of firms found to be flaunting the rules were entitled to refunds, but that firms themselves would not be fined.
Have you seen a rip-off? Email firstname.lastname@example.org


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MediaCom TMB has been shocked by the surprise loss of its Royal
Mint business after four years.
The Royal Mint eliminated the agency from its review deliberations last
week and will now make a final selection from a shortlist of two.
The account, which is expected to be worth pounds 2.5 million, is set to
go to either Western International or MediaVest.
David Kyffin, a director at MediaCom TMB, said: ’We are mystified, we
had no idea this was going to happen because the results we had achieved
On hearing the news, a source at one of the agencies still in the
running, said: ’Wow, I am amazed!’
MediaCom TMB had bought space for the Royal Mint’s direct marketing
campaigns that are used to sell merchandise to collectors.
In the past, MediaVest has also handled some buying for new Royal Mint
issues, but this came through the agency’s work for the COI.
It is understood that the final decision on appointing a media agency
has been held up by the creative pitch, which is taking place at the
same time. Three agencies are competing to snatch the creative business
from Cardiff-based incumbent the Peterson Partnership.

domain: news


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2009 April 27
The New Parsons Pack
(NEW YORK) Parsons The New School for Design will hold its annual benefit this Wednesday night, and the school will honor Calvin Klein’s Francisco Costa and Tom Murry, as well as this year’s student Icon Award recipient Cathy Horyn. Though those fashion icons will be apparent, the school will also be announcing one of its students as the womenswear Designer of the Year--who, if they follow in the footsteps of past Parsons DoYs Marc Jacobs and Proenza Schouler, may end up and icon in their own right.
This year’s twelve candidates design everything from lingerie to hats, and are: Bessie Afnaim, a London native with Rick Owens and Donna Karan internships under her belt; Julia Faye Blum, who spent her junior year abroad at Parsons Paris, where she received training in couture corsetry techniques; Virginia “Gigi” Burris, who recently had her millinery work featured in Italian Vogue; Rachel Cohen, a former fine arts student born in Paris; Michelle Copelman, who counts Sonia Rykiel, Moschino, and Armani as her inspirations; Rob Fitzsimmons, who has trained with a tailor in New York for four years; Casey Kresler, whose avant-garde creations were influenced by internships at Nicholas K, Yohji Yamamoto, Vena Cava, Marc by Marc Jacobs, and OAK; Jon Pagels, a 21-year-old whose womenswear collection is based on the novel Brave New World; Shawn Reddy, who’s inspired by conjoined twins and calls Tonne Goodman his fashion icon; Jennifer Rubin, an Indiana native whose first I nternship was working in the clothing restoration department at the Indianapolis Museum of Art; Nanae Takata, who was born in Tokyo and was inspired by the ancient art of traditional Thai massage; and German Anna Zwick, who lists her favorite designers as Martin Margiela, Commes des Garcons, Rodarte, and Viktor & Rolf. The winner will be unveiled on Wednesday night.
Dior’s beauty team is in new hands: Peter Philips has been tapped as the brand’s creative and image director. In this new capacity, Philips will create and formulate makeup for...
The most whimsical accoutrement purveyor on the block is getting down to business: Charlotte Olympia is rolling out a duo of office-ready new collections on June 14. The new lines ...
We’ve fallen for Swedish glamazon Elsa Hosk (you may know her from her Victoria’s Secret PINK campaign.) She’s got the magic formula of looks and grace under fire, even when ...


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Operation Nehemiah can reveal that some of the money paid by consumers in Britain for halal meat is apparently being used to finance dawa (Islamic mission) and Muslim construction projects in New Zealand.
The Federation of Islamic Associations of New Zealand (FIANZ) claims to certify over 90% of meat exports from the country as halal, making New Zealand the leading global exporter of halal meat with the largest halal slaughterhouses in the world. Despite the country’s having an estimated Muslim population of only 41,000 (0.9%)*, over 80% of its meat and poultry plants are supervised by FIANZ, bringing the total value of halal meat exports to 300 million NZ dollars, and it is increasing annually. FIANZ accounts show revenues and assets amounting to millions of NZ dollars. Since obtaining its first Middle Eastern contract in 1984, FIANZ has been recognised in 45 countries.FIANZ issues over 9,000 halal certificates each year, for which they charge the meat suppliers. But in addition, over the past twenty years FIANZ has been providing annual grants to its regional associations for dawa activities. Muslim dawa involves more than gaining individual converts to Islam. For many Muslims it includes the establishing of Islamic enclaves that reveal the power and benefits of Islam to others, while for Islamists it involves the eventual and complete Islamisation of non-Muslim societies, both people and structures.
In 2006, a FIANZ dawa group coordinated a lecture tour of New Zealand by Dr Bilal Philips, who has since been banned from entering the UK and whom Operation Nehemiah recently revealed was linked to a major dawa campaign for the 2012 Olympics in London. FIANZ told the New Zealand press that such clerics will not be invited in future. Yet the Canterbury regional association insisted they would continue to invite people such as Sheikh Khalid Yasin, who is also banned from the UK.
FIANZ has also been at the forefront of financing the construction of mosques and Islamic centres across New Zealand, including in Auckland, Hamilton, Palmerston North, Wellington, Dunedin, Tauranga, Invercargill and Rotorua. Future plans include the construction of Islamic schools, Islamic libraries and a resource and research centre in partnership with institutions such as the Islamic Development Bank.
FIANZ is believed to have accredited over 1,200 Muslim slaughtermen over the years, thus establishing reserved jobs in the large New Zealand meat industry. FIANZ supervise the slaughterhouses to ensure that the slaughtering is performed facing Mecca and that the animals are killed correctly according to Islamic ritual.
The huge demand for New Zealand meat exports also impacts the country itself. A study by the International Journal of Economics and Management (2009) reported that 98% of lamb and sheep and 60% of cattle in New Zealand are slaughtered according to halal rules. However, research has also shown that many New Zealand businesses are reluctant to promote their halal food or put up the halal sign. In 2009 the New Zealand press reported that as a result of a national supply agreement with the prison service, 8,500 prisoners eat only halal meat despite only 82 prisoners identifying themselves as Muslim.
Operation Nehemiah’s supermarket guide shows that most British supermarkets are stocking New Zealand halal lamb without its being labelled as halal.


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Mumbai: The Reliance-Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group (R-Adag) seems to be digging in its heels, as it has picked up another 1.88% stake in Fame India Ltd, taking its total holding to a little more than 8% in the Mumbai-based movie hall chain.
Photo: Ashesh Shah / Mint
In what seems to be a brewing corporate battle, a bulk of the stake was picked up by R-Adag company Reliance Capital Partners Llc in the last one week, according to a stock market filing on Thursday, with the buying spree starting the day rival chain operator Inox Leisure Ltd said it will be taking over its smaller rival Fame India and days after Reliance MediaWorks Ltd claimed its much-higher offer had received a snub from the Fame promoters.
The R-Adag firm went on to claim that the Inox takeover deal was not just “hasty”, it had involved “larger issues of fairness, transparency and legal compliances” that it intends bringing to the notice of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi).
The Inox-Fame combine will dislodge PVR Ltd from the second spot with 204 screens in India—with Inox’s 109 and Fame’s 95 screens—next only to Reliance MediaWorks’ which, with 246 screens in India and 509 in all, holds the top slot in the Indian movie exhibition segment.
The Anil Ambani-led company bought 0.65 million shares, or 1.88%, of Fame from the open market on Thursday, following up its previous buys on 4 and 5 February.
Shares of Fame rose 4.95% to close at Rs64.65 apiece on Thursday on the Bombay Stock Exchange and have increased almost 40% since the Inox takeover was announced last week. Shares of Reliance MediaWorks also rose 1.01% to Rs228.95 but Inox fell 1.27% to close at Rs73.60.
The bellwether index Sensex closed 1.45% higher, at 16,152.59 points.
Graphic: Paras Jain / Mint
An R-Adag spokesman did not revert on queries on the firm’s rationale behind its continuous raking up of Fame shares till the time this story was filed. The two multiplex firms which clinched the deal, on the other hand, are preferring to lie low.
Several calls made to Fame promoter Shravan Shroff went unanswered, though Business Standard quoted the multiplex owner on Tuesday saying he had not received a written offer of a higher price from the R-Adag firm. Inox’s director Deepak Asher said he didn’t want to speak to the media at this juncture.
A Mumbai-based sector analyst said it was hard to guess Reliance’s strategy in the case on whether it was interested in making an open offer or how much more of Fame it wanted to own.
“A corporate battle seems to be brewing. The Fame counter has become very speculative and there are many ifs and buts here. One can only envisage scenarios here that include Reliance making a counter open offer or taking say, a 26% stake to have a say in the company’s affairs or the whole situation could simply force Inox to raise its open offer price,” said this analyst who did not want to be quoted citing his company’s regulations against it.
Inox has already secured a controlling stake in Fame, after it bought a 43.3% stake from the Fame promoters and an additional 7.21% stake in Fame India late last week, taking its total shareholding to 50.48%. An open offer for 20% will follow in April.
Reliance MediaWorks, in an email dated 4 February, had expressed its angst and “shock” to Shroff saying it did not understand why its offer of Rs80 a share—nearly 100% higher than the then prevailing market price—was rebuffed and a much lower offer of Rs44-45 a share from Inox was accepted instead.
A Reliance MediaWorks official spokesperson, on Tuesday had said in an email statement that “the issues involved are nowhere as simple as acceptance of a higher or lower price by the sellers, but far more complex and involving serious matters” such as “suppression of material facts”, “violations of the Sebi takeover code, and Sebi fraudulent and unfair trade practices regulations”, “fiduciary duties of promoters of listed companies” and “protection of the interests of minority shareholders”.
It added that Anil Ambani’s multiplex owing company will raise these issues with Indian regulators such as “Sebi, ministry of company affairs, the Reserve Bank of India, Income Tax department, etc”.
Reuters contributed to this story.


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Igloo partners with Philinsure to provide digital products
Igloo, a full-stack insurtech startup founded in 2016, has announced it is joining forces with Philinsure – a leading and fast-growing broker based in Manila.
Igloo, which uses state-of-the-art technology on its platform, leverages big data, real-time risk assessment and end-to-end automated claims management to create innovative B2B2C insurance solutions for platform partners and insurers.
The partnership will mean Philinsure customers will be able to purchase digital products in the emerging, Philippine marketplace. The collaboration will make “accessible and affordable insurance to Filipinos in the country to support their need for security and protection,” a statement from Igloo revealed.
Formerly branded as Axinan, the new insurance products will be marketed to micro, and SME businesses.
Insurtech in the Philippines
Although fintech and insurtech markets are growing rapidly in the Philippines, much needs to be done to ensure customers have access to services that could help them in the event of a crisis.
According to reports, the Philippines is currently home to more than 190 fintech companies, with lending (24%), payments (21%), digital wallets (12%), and remittances (12%) being the four most predominant verticals.
Only 29% of adults in the Philippines have bank accounts and the market is ripe for growth. However, an extremely large proportion of the population remains underserved by insurtech services.
Currently, the adoption of digital insurance in the Philippines is exceedingly low (under 1%) and customers don’t have the opportunity to access such services digitally. The insurance industry is still entrenched in traditional legacy systems and distribution methods.
SMEs in the Philippines
Igloo’s CCO, Raunak Mehta said the COVID-19 pandemic has meant digital transformation for legacy industries has now reached a critical point and tapping into the latest technology is a way to develop emerging markets.
“This partnership with Philinsure aims to support a very important sector in the Philippines, such as small business owners whose work have a very real and immediate impact on their communities,” Mehta explained. “We want to be able to provide them with affordable and relevant protection to give them the confidence to focus on their business and their livelihood.”
Micro and SMEs are the economic backbones of the Philippines, providing jobs for two-thirds of the population.
Gordon Alan Joseph, Philinsure’s CEO, pointed out recent figures from the UN Development Programme and explained that businesses in the Philippines that have been most severely affected by the pandemic, are MSMEs. Unfortunately, these enterprises make up 99.5% of the country’s businesses and employ 63% of the workforce.
He said that the collaboration with Igloo would provide a clear path forward for small business owners to manage crisis more efficiently. “We see that working with Igloo will help us achieve greater efficiencies in our post-pandemic digitisation programme,” Joseph said.
TrueMotion insurtech acquired by Cambridge Mobile Telematics
One of the world’s leading telematics insurtechs, Cambridge Mobile Telematics, was launched in 2010 and powers 65 enterprise programmes in 28 countries.
Meanwhile, TrueMotion, which launched in 2012, has enjoyed significant success as a telematics operator, raising US$10mn in its seed funding round in 2010, and then partnering with the motor insurtech Noblr in 2019.
TrueMotion has also entered the European market, collaborating with LB Forsikring to promote safe driving in Denmark.
The joining of the companies means TrueMotion’s 150-strong workforce will join Cambridge Mobile Telematic’s already established team, along with their client list, which includes Travelers, Farmers, and Progressive.
The new company will focus on increased interest in using telematics for crash reconstruction in personal lines claims and more innovation in the telematics space.
Speaking about the acquisition, William Powers, CEO, and co-founder of Cambridge Mobile Telematics, described the move as an opportunity to explore new markets, expand throughout the US and bring telematics to a much wider customer base.
"With this acquisition, we will use our world-class talent, technology, and scale to help our partners overcome the complex challenges of global road safety,” he added.
Ryan McMahon, VP of insurance and customer affairs for Cambridge Mobile Telematics, explained that expanding the company with additional talent and customers would help meet the demands of a growing telematics market. He also quoted data from a study by J.D. Power which revealed that personal auto telematics users have doubled in five years to 16% of policyholders.
McMahon told the press, “This market is rapidly expanding, and building more capabilities is more important than ever,” McMahon says. “Both companies follow similar philosophies and grew up in similar ecosystems, and now we’re bringing those cultures together.”
He continued, “Telematics is absolutely the future of commercial auto and rideshare, and it’s kind of a step up beyond the normal telematics."
McMahon added, “We will not only widen our lead in smartphone telematics, but also use our combined talent to invent new products for risk measurement, contextual telematics, and crash mitigation across emerging mobile, IoT, connected-car, video, and sensing technologies.”
Five reasons why telematics is in demand
- It reduces fuel costs and increases operational efficiency. This is a consideration for most commercial fleets given the rising costs of fuel
- The technology enables fleet managers to plan operations with greater precision by providing exact locations, timescales, and speeds of vehicles.
- It improves driving standards and monitors driver behaviour, reducing detours and ensuring responsible driving.
- It helps fleet health and maintenance by monitoring the health of operational vehicles.
- It increases corporate social responsibility in terms of care for the driver, the vehicle, the impact of driving in terms of emissions, and also the security of the vehicle itself.
Image credit: Getty


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Singapore Post will be welcoming international post and parcel executives to the World Mail & Express Asia Conference and Exhibition at the Pan Pacific Hotel in Singapore this week.
NOVEMBER, 14, 2016 (Singapore) The prestigious three-day event will be taking place between the 14thto the 16th of November and will bring together over 150 senior executives in the mail, express and e-commerce sectors. Singapore Post will be hosting the conference for the second time in four years and will be looking to discuss the latest trends in global e-commerce alongside a line-up of senior speakers and sponsors that includes Neopost, Aprisa Express, FedEx, Honeywell, Lockheed Martin, One World Express and what3words.
The conference will be exploring contemporary issues in the postal and logistics space such as the growth of e-commerce, its increasing globalisation, complex consumer delivery solutions and the rise of new types of industry competition.
Sam Ang, EVP of Singapore Post and CEO of Quantium Solutions, will be welcoming delegates to Singapore and delivering the keynote address on behalf of Singapore Post. Other key speakers include Charles Brewer, CEO of DHL eCommerce, and Pierre Poignant, COO of Lazada Group. The conference will be examining the disruptive trends in global e-commerce and features a number of “disruptive” start-up organisations that are challenging the status quo in the mail and logistics industry.
Woo Keng Leong, CEO Postal Services of Singapore Post, said: “SingPost is delighted to be hosting the World Mail & Express Asia Conference in 2016. In the face of digital disruption, the conference is
an important platform for postal and logistics organisations to connect and discuss the sector’s latest trends and innovations. We very much look forward to welcoming the international participants to Singapore.”
The event organisers, Triangle Management Solutions, have been organising global industry events for over 30 years. Tom Ross-Joannou, Managing Director Media & Events at Triangle, commented:
“We are honoured that Singapore Post has agreed to host the conference once again which is testament to the event’s enduring success. E-commerce has been an enormous driver for change in the industry and we look forward to a successful conference which is sure to throw up plenty of useful insights and lively debate.”
The conclusion of the conference will also mark the opening of applications for the World Post & Parcel Awards, an international awards programme that celebrates the successes of emerging talents in the mail and express industry. Entries for the awards will be open from the 16th of November and more information can be found at www.wppawards.com.
The World Mail & Express Asia Conference will be taking place from the 14th of November to the 16th of November at the Pan Pacific Hotel in Singapore. More information can be found on the conference website – www.wmxasia.com.
About Triangle Management Services
Triangle Management Services Ltd, founded in 1984, delivers a unique range of business services to leading companies and senior executives managing and shaping the mail and express industry. Triangle’s extensive portfolio of services includes high-level conferences, online and print media, industry-specific research, and strategic consultancy, and provides access to senior players in the sector worldwide.


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The latest news about ice cream and ice cream products!
Rings of Power Ice Cream Flavor Created - Salt & Straw created a limited-run ice cream flavor with Prime Video to celebrate the upcoming The Rings of Power series at San Dieo Comic-Con 2022.
Baskin-Robbins Launches Brrr The Snowman - Baskin-Robbins has launched a Brrr The Snowman cake for the 2021 holidays. The cute cake has a melting ice cream cone on his head.
Tillamook Launches Monster Cookie Ice Cream - Tillamook has launched Monster Cookie ice cream, a cookie dough based ice cream.
Cold Stone Creamery Unveils Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman Ice Cream Flavors - Cold Stone Creamery has unveiled ice cream flavors inspired by Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman. They tie in with the upcoming Batman v Superman film.
Midnight Scoop Ice Cream Scoop Unveiled at Home + Houseware Show - The Midnight Scoop ice cream scoop was unveiled at the 2016 International Home + Houseware Show.
Baskin-Robbins Turkey Ice Cream Cake for Thanksgiving - Baskin-Robbins offers a unique Turkey Cake as one of its ice cream cakes.
French's Launches Mustard Donuts for National Mustard Day - French's is taking over Dough's retail locations in New York City to offer French's Mustard Donuts for National Mustard Day. They also shared the recipe.
Hostess Launches Twinkies Ice Cream - Hostess has launched a number of frozen treats at grocery stores nationwide that included Twinkies Ice Cream.
Baskin-Robbins Launches Donut Ice Cream Sandwiches - Baskin-Robbins has announced the launch of Donut Ice Cream Sandwiches. They feature ice cream, hot fudge and a powdered donut.
Marble Slab Creamery Launches Candy Crush Inspired Ice Cream Treats - Marble Slab Creamery has launched ice cream offerings inspired by the Candy Crush mobile game.
Museum of Ice Cream Opens in New York City - The Museum of Ice Cream pop-up museum has opened in New York City
Magnum Ice Cream Opens First U.S. Store in New York City - Magnum Ice Cream has opened its first store in the U.S. in New York's SoHo neighborhood. It features a dipping bar where customers can order custom ice cream bars.
Baskin-Robbins Launcces Sour Patch Kids Redberry Blast Ice Cream - Baskin-Robbins has launched Sour Patch Kids Redberry Blast. The ice cream is the April Flavor of the Month.
Ice Cream Prices May Rise Due to Vanilla Shortage - There is a vanilla shortage and the cost of your ice cream may rise because of it. The shortage is primarily due to a poor quality vanilla harvest in Madagascar.
Blue Bell Ice Cream Delivery Trucks Back on the Road - Blue Bell delivery trucks are back on the road meaning that hopefully Blue Bell ice cream will soon be back in grocery stores.
Listeria Fears Shut Down Blue Bell and Jeni's Ice Cream Production - Listeria contamination hits two popular, small ice cream brands: Blue Bell and Jeni's. FDA is looking for a connection.
Baskin-Robbins Unveils Snacknado Flavor - Baskin-Robbins has launched a new ice cream flavor called Snacknado
Dreyer's Launches Frozen Custard in Grocery Store Aisles - Dreyer's has launched a line of frozen custard in grocery store aisles nationwide.
Baskin-Robbins Launches Oreo Independence Ice Cream Flavor - Baskin-Robbins has launched a new ice cream flavor called Oreo Independence.
Baskin-Robbins Launches Ladybug and Bumblebee Cakes - Baskin-Robbins is expanding its line of cute ice cream cakes. The new addition for spring include Ladybug and Bumblebee ice cream cakes.
Baskin-Robbins Launches Ice Cream Chick Cake - Baskin-Robbins is celebrating the arrival of Spring with a new ice cream cake, the Chick Cake.
Baskin-Robbins Announces 2012 Halloween Ice Cream Cakes - Baskin-Robbins has announced a lineup of Halloween ice cream cakes.
Baskin-Robbins Launches New Ice Cream Cakes, Including Handbag Shaped Cake - Baskin-Robbins has new ice cream cakes out for Mother's Day. These includes a cake that is shaped to resemble a pink handbag.
Duff Goldman Creates Four New Blue Bunny Ice Cream Flavors - Blue Bunny Ice Cream has partnered with Charm City Cakes' Chef Duff Goldman to launch four news flavors of ice cream including a wedding cake ice cream.
Godiva Launches Ice Cream Parlor Truffles - Godiva has launched a new summertime treat called Ice Cream Parlor truffles.
Cold Stone Creamery Latest Oreo Ice Cream Offerings - Cold Stone Creamery is always offering new Oreo creations. Find out the latest ice cream scoop.


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With immediate effect, IAVS will become our exclusive Distribution partner opening the Clevertouch brand and products to reach more reseller partners and end users across 46 countries in the Sub-Saharan Africa. IAVS will take on the full product line-up of interactive panels, digital signage, commercial displays, and collaboration products.
John Ginty, Clevertouch EMEA Sales Director comments: “Our commitment and drive to exclusively work with the top performing partners around the world is paying off. IAVS is certainly one of those partners. They’re outstanding performance has seen our Clevertouch brand become the number one selling interactive panel manufacturer for South Africa. The team led by Justin Cooke will now step up to distribute the complete Clevertouch ecosystem of products and software across the Sub-Saharan countries, and we know that they will excel. I’m sure the new arrangement will cement our relationship even further and am really excited to see where they go next with the Clevertouch brand.”
Justin Cooke, CEO of IAVS comments: “The journey started eight years ago with the Clevertouch brand and a belief in the vision, that we could truly inspire a generation without any limitation, through technology. We have seen tremendous growth in the brand in South Africa across all sectors and we look forward to taking South Africa’s number 1 Interactive Display and a global brand to the rest of the SADC countries. We thank Clevertouch for their continued support and faith in us and we thank our channel partners for trusting the brand and being a part of this success. We look forward to holding the Clevertouch name up high & seeing the positive impact on both the economy and education levels throughout Africa.”
The new distribution agreement commences September 1st, 2021.


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|Day Low/High||12.81 / 13.78|
|52 Wk Low/High||2.96 / 16.44|
Even companies that haven't performed particularly well on an operating basis are registering fat stock gains so far in 2021.
With expansions planned and deals on tap with upscale hotels, the brand, which owns STK restaurants, is poised for tremendous growth, according to president and CEO Manny Hilario.
Steakhouses tend to suffer when stocks turn down and Wall Street tightens up. Luckily, there is more to the STK experience than power lunches, said ONE Group CEO Jonathan Segal.
The ONE Group’s (STKS) agreement to acquire the Katsuya and Cleo restaurant brands is more than a simple merger of surf and turf. It’s a transformative deal.
STK restaurants are seeing international growth due to a nontraditional recipe of building steakhouses around the bar and DJ booth, said Jonathan Segal, CEO of The ONE Group.


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L’Oréal recently announced that their company will no longer use words like, “lightening”, “fair”, and “whitening” on the packaging of their skincare products reports Anika Khan.
The French beauty company announced on Twitter earlier this month that they stand in solidarity with the Black community.
Following this, in a statement responding to comments which called out the company for selling ‘skin lightening products’, L’Oreal said: “The L’Oreal Group has decided to remove the words white/whitening, fair/fairness, light/lightening from all its skin evening products”.
In another statement, they reiterated this by saying: “We recognise that the use of the words ‘fair’, ‘white’, and ‘light’ suggest a singular ideal of beauty that we don’t think is right, and we want to address this. As we’re evolving the way that we communicate the skin benefits of our products that deliver radiant and even tone skin, it’s also important to change the language we use.”
This also followed a public campaign to support transgender model and activist Munroe Bergdorf, who was the company’s first transgender model however was dropped in 2017 for speaking about racism and white supremacy. The company has since, in light of Black Lives Matter, rehired Munroe Bergdorf who will work with the company to oversee their equality and diversity efforts.
Companies like Unilever and Johnson & Johnson have also joined this cause and announced that they will no longer continue their skincare lines that use words like “fairness “, “white” and promote one specific beauty ideal.


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(HealthDay) – If there was an Oscar for “Most Unhealthy Food in a Leading Role” many of America’s most popular films would be serious contenders.
This is the conclusion of a new review of the food content in 250 of the highest-grossing US films. Most of the time, the fictional foods were so bad that they wouldn’t limit actual dietary recommendations, the study authors said.
“The overall diet shown in the movies would not meet federal guidelines for healthy eating – not enough fiber, too much saturated fat and sodium, and … more sugar and three times more alcohol than the average American consumes,” said study director Bradley Turnwald .
And the effects are great, he said.
“They cement the norm that unhealthy foods are prevalent and cherished in our culture and consumed by famous actresses, role models, and even superheroes,” said Turnwald, a postdoctoral fellow in psychology at Stanford University in Stanford, California.
He noted that other studies have linked viewing alcohol in films to previous binge drinking in teenagers. And seeing unhealthy snacks makes kids three times more likely to choose the same snack right after the movie, the researchers said.
According to Turnwald, food and alcohol content advertising and commercial entertainment guidelines are more lax in the US than elsewhere because of the protection provided by the First Amendment.
“The producers can essentially show what they want regardless of the audience,” he said.
To get an overview of what the producers actually show, Turnwald’s team analyzed the most successful US films released between 1994 and 2018. Domestic box offices were taken from the Internet Movie Database.
Two researchers screened each film in full, recording the contents of food and drink according to the categories established by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Film drinks were divided into alcohol, water, dairy products, coffee / tea, sweetened drinks, 100% juice, diet drinks, baby food and breast milk. The food was divided into 11 categories: dairy products, cereals, protein, fruit, vegetables, snacks / sweets, mixed dishes, fats / oils, spices / sauces, sugar or protein and nutrient powder.
The result: 40% of the movie drinks were alcoholic, and snacks or sweets made up almost a quarter of the food.
Almost 94% of the films showed medium or high sugar content. Almost as many (93%) had medium or high levels of fat, and 85% had medium or high levels of saturated fat. Medium or high salt (sodium) levels were found in about half of the films.
The report was published online November 23rd in JAMA Internal Medicine.
As a result, the films fell short of national dietary guidelines for saturated fat, salt, and fiber. And the total amount of sugar and alcohol shown was higher than actual Americans actually consume, investigators found.
“These results offer film producers an opportunity to better consider the types of foods and beverages they portray in films,” Turnwald said. “It’s about knowing that what is on screen has the potential to affect tens of millions of viewers, especially children, and to put more effort into portraying healthier options than the status quo.”
That thought was endorsed by Samantha Heller, a registered dietitian and senior clinical nutritionist at NYU Langone Health in New York City.
The danger, Heller said, is that “the public feels that if someone succeeds and copies this behavior, they magically become more of the celebrity they admire. Of course, this is not true and celebrities are not affiliates of the Health professions. “
Heller acknowledged that food choices in films are influenced by history and dictated by a complex calculation based on character, culture, location and era. Still, “influencers should try to be role models for healthy behavior,” she said.
“As parents, caregivers and educators, we can adopt healthy eating habits and make sure our families understand the importance of healthy eating,” added Heller. “That way, unhealthy behaviors that are portrayed in movies can be seen as part of the story rather than behavior that we should be emulating.”
Children’s films send mixed messages about eating habits and obesity
There is more about healthy eating in the USDA.
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J.C. Penney Co. Inc. and champion Olympic gymnast Nastia Liukin are going for the gold with a full lifestyle collection for girls ages eight to 12, called Supergirl by Nastia.
The line, which will retail at between $20 and $38, hits stores July 20 for the back-to-school season. It includes knit dresses with detachable necklaces, tunics, tops, pants and leggings, as well as a dance and fleece activewear collection. For Penney’s, it also represents a re-entry into the girls’ activewear category.
Supergirl by Nastia is a three-year exclusive partnership among the retailer, Liukin and Warner Bros. Consumer Products, which owns the Superhero property. It will take up prominent real estate in Penney’s girls’ and activewear departments, with placement by the aisles, as well as a hot spot in the center of the department showcasing looks and images of Liukin.
“We’ve seen a big trend towards activewear in our boys’ department, and this is a natural complement to that — an ‘actionista’ collection with a real style quotient,” said Clark McNaught, Penney’s senior vice president and general merchandise manager for children’s apparel. “We’re not slapping a shield on a T-shirt. We’re trying to make it more relevant to what’s happening in the market.”
The Supergirl by Nastia collection will feature burnout and foil T-shirts, tie-dyed hoodies and other contemporary trends downsized for girls that will incorporate the S-shield and more subtle motifs. In fact, there’s not a trace of red in the first delivery, which is mostly black, silver and pink. The line will be manufactured by California-based licensee Jerry Leigh Inc., known for its fashion-forward hoodies and T-shirts.
Penney’s already features a stable of exclusives with California brands in its kids’ department, such as Rusty, Vans, Levi’s and Skechers, as well as Ralph Lauren’s American Living. But apart from skate brand RS by Sheckler, designed by skating champion Ryan Sheckler, there was no other personality-based brand until now.
“We know there is always an emotional connection between girls and a personality like Nastia, as well as an icon like Supergirl,” said Syndi Stark, Penney’s divisional vice president and divisional merchandise manager of girls’ apparel.
Liukin, 20, was the 2008 Olympic All Around gold medalist and won a total of five medals in Beijing. She has been a hands-on partner, meeting with Penney’s design team regularly to share her ideas, many of which she gleans from the girls with whom she trains.
“Being comfortable and stylish is always my goal, and I get so much inspiration from the younger kids, what they wear, what colors they like,” Liukin said.
She has taken a break from competing this year and plans to devote herself to promoting the line with personal appearances and interactive marketing, such as contests via social media.
Penney’s and Warner Bros. declined to give sales projections.
“This collection is a first for us in that it’s more fashion-oriented and it’s also more than just a six- to eight-week output driven by a movie or television show,” said Warner Bros. Consumer Products president Brad Globe.
@tradesy is turning the concept of a showroom upside down with its new space in Santa Monica. Here, the company plans to hold events, art exhibits and a showcase rare fashion pieces like this Louis Vuitton boxing set. Get all the details on Tradesy’s first showroom on WWD.com. #wwdnews
Spotted last night at the @erdem x @hm launch event: Kate Bosworth, Rashida Jones, Kirsten Dunst and Selma Blair. The party, which took place in LA, also marked the opening of their pop-up shop. “I was interested in creating a collection that wasn’t in any way disposable. It was about pieces you’d create and keep forever, things that have a permanence to it,” designer Erdem Moralioglu said. #wwdeye (📷: Katie Jones)
Renee Zellweger in yellow in 2001 and again in 2017. Chosen as one of the 12 @pantone Leading Spring Colors (and dubbed “Meadowlark”), it only makes sense that the bright hue stands the test of time and is making a resurgence this season, seen already on stars like @blakelively and @gigihadid. (📷: Donato Sardello & @rexfeatures) #wwdfashion #tbt
Dior’s 70th anniversary celebration continues with a new exhibition at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto. “Christian Dior,” which is scheduled to run through March 18, takes a look at the founders tenure from 1947 to 1057 and feature 40 designs. Pictured here is an evening gown from the Ailée, fall 1948-49 haute couture collection. #wwdfashion (📷: Brian Boyle)
As one of the most recognizable models in the world, Christy Turlington Burns has an insider’s view of the fashion industry and the allegations of sexual harassment swirling around it. “I can say that harassment and mistreatment have always been widely known and tolerated in the industry. The industry is surrounded by predators who thrive on the constant rejection and loneliness so many of us have experiences at some point in our careers,” Turlington told WWD, along with her suggestions for how the modeling world should protect younger women and men. Read more on WWD.com. Link in bio. (📷: Tony Palmieri) #wwdnews
@asics America has tapped a new brand ambassador: famed DJ/record producer @steveaoki. This initiative is intended to set the tone for the new brand identity and philosophy and will include partnerships with influencers and in-store and off-line activations that will continue into next year. This is Asics’ most significant marketing effort in two decades, and is expected to attract younger consumers to the brand. #wwdfashion
24-year-old Jean Prounis is redefining the rules of jewelry. Formerly a studio assistant to Jemima Kirke and a design apprentice at Ghuran, she focuses on handcrafted subtleties and ancient goldsmithing techniques. “There was a really sterile feel in the environment and I wanted to have jewelry with character that shapes how you wear it everyday,” Prounis said. Each piece is hand made in New York, either by Prounis or three other jewelers in the district. #wwdfashion
“These collections continue to build on that vision, empowering differently abled adults to express themselves through fashion,” said @tommyhilfiger of his line of adaptive apparel, which launches today. The line consists of 37 men’s and 34 women’s styles based upon the pieces from the spring Tommy Hilfiger sportswear collection. #wwdnews


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Almost a week after sales began for the 9.7-inch iPad Pro, Apple today started selling the iPhone SE in Brazil exactly 17 days after the approval of the device.
The new Apple smartphone with a 4-inch screen, launched in March, is available both in the Apple Online Store and in the various retail chains that partner with Ma (Saraiva, Fast Shop, Submarino, Americanas, among others).
Interestingly, at Apple the product is already on sale with a shipping deadline of 2-4 business days; at authorized dealers, it is still on pre-sale until the 23rd or 24th of May.
Prices are those disclosed exclusively by the and later confirmed by Apple: R $ 2,699 for the 16GB model and R $ 2,999 for the 64GB model, there is a 10% discount on these values.
Price view: from R $ 2,429.10Installed price: in at 12x R $ 224.92Colors: space gray, silver, gold and rose goldCapabilities: 16 GB and 64 GBRelease: March 2016
(tip from Ricardo Costa)


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Several businesses with West Michigan locations are looking to hire people to fill high-demand jobs amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Amazon has announced it will open 100,000 new full and part-time positions and is investing over $350 million in increased compensation for hourly employees in the U.S., Europe and Canada through the month of April. The company says it realizes many people have been economically impacted as jobs in areas like hospitality, restaurants and travel are lost or furloughed as part of the ongoing health crisis, and wants those individuals to know they are welcomed on Amazon's teams until things return to normal and their past employer is able to bring them back. Applications can be found online here.
Meijer is hiring stocking and warehouse members, as well as cashiers to assist with the increased demand for groceries and other household items. Applications can be found online here.
SpartanNash has announced that it's seeking temporary associates for all locations and departments, including its family of retails stores (Family Fare, D&W Fresh Market, VG's Grocery, Martin's Super Markets and Dan's Supermarket). Immediate interviews and on-the-spot hiring are available. Applications can be found online here.
Samaritas is seeking caregivers to assist during the COVID-19 outbreak. Applications can be found online here.
Aldi has several full and part-time positions open throughout its West Michigan locations. Positions and applications can be found online here.
Trader Joe's is seeking additional crew members for its 28th street location in Kentwood. More information can be found online here.
Enviro-Clean Building Maintenance Services has posted more than 20 full and part-time positions for various West Michigan locations. Positions and applications can be found online here.


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Millennials love fashion brand and the fashion brands are aware of this. This is probably why they are taking one step further by building condominiums associated to the brand. The trend can be widely seen especially in Miami where the Miami lifestyle is enviable to most people.
Condominiums associated with high fashion brands enjoy huge publicity and their clientele are established. In fact, they throw lavish party on the announcement of their project and even when they break ground. In this article, we will see a list of this high profile fashion brand condominiums that are taking Miami by storm:
Read the rest of this entry »


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WARRNAMBOOL Environmental Action Group has thrown its support behind the city becoming plastic bag-free.
The council is seeking public comment on its draft waste management strategy, with one idea to reduce the amount of plastic used.
President Heidi Wisniewski, also the owner of Liebig Street’s Enique Eco Store, said it was time for the city to ditch the harmful bags.
“I am fully in support of a bag ban,” she said,
“We were part of a successful trial about 10 years ago. It’s an easy change over once you set it up. I’ve been doing it for years.”
Ms Wisniewski said she had also noticed a rise in the number of dog waste collection bags that were ending up on the city’s beaches and coastal area, which was concerning. Plastic bags are banned in South Australia, and national supermarket retailers Coles and Woolworths have announced plans to phase out single-use plastic bags across the country. Visit www.yoursaywarrnambool.com.au to have your say on the draft plan.


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01 Apr Harbourside Place Presenting Sponsor of Friends of Jupiter Beach Food and Wine Festival
Harbourside Place is pleased to announce it will be the Presenting Sponsor of the Friends of Jupiter Beach 5th Annual Food & Wine Festival, a family-friendly jubilee set to take place Saturday, May 17, 2014. The event will celebrate 5 years of the best of North County’s culinary talents alongside the 20th anniversary of Friends of Jupiter Beach.
The festival will take place from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. at Jupiter’s Riverwalk Events Plaza, adjacent to Harbourside Place. Guests will have the opportunity to sample the area’s favorite foods, wines and beverages from more than 45 purveyors; learn about the Town’s conservation and preservation efforts; and take home mementos of their day with pictures from the Harbourside Place photo booth.
“We are honored to take part in this year’s Food and Wine Festival,” explains Nicholas Mastroianni III, Vice President of Allied Capital & Development of South Florida, developer of Harbourside Place. “We see this partnership between Harbourside Place and Friends of Jupiter Beach as an opportunity to further our connection with the community and offer a taste of what’s to come when we open.”
He continues, “As we have been working with the Town of Jupiter to create a downtown destination that serves as host to the Town’s most beloved events, the opening of Harbourside Place will allow us to expand next year’s festival down the Riverwalk Promenade to the Harbourside Amphitheatre.”
Area restaurants such as Būccan, Buonasera, Boulevard Café, Tabica, Talay Thai Cuisine and Too Bizaare have been present at the event the past four years. The 2014 lineup looks equally appetizing, including both tried and true favorites and new participants.
Too Bizaare, a local favorite that will relocate to Harbourside Place upon open, will offer a sneak peak into the annual event, hosting a Tapas and Tastings afternoon on Saturday April 12, 2014 from 2 p.m. until 4 p.m. Tickets to the intimate, 20-person, food and wine tasting are available at www.eventbrite.com.
Tickets to this annually-anticipated event are currently on sale online. All proceeds benefit Friends of Jupiter Beach, a grassroots, volunteer-driven nonprofit dedicated to keeping Jupiter Beach clean and dog-friendly since 1994.


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As I write, the milk spot price is 22-24ppl and weakening, and we are still six weeks away from peak. We are producing too much milk in a weak market and I am extremely nervous where it will end.
We have insufficient processing in the UK and I can’t contemplate the effect if one of the Westbury driers, or a large French or Irish one, were to break down.
Dairy Crest took a beating in 2012 with its 2ppl price cuts and, for various reasons, it will be behind the front runners on price cuts this time. I say that knowing DC is currently off the pace even in its Cathedral City heartland. However, it has issued a statement saying it will be competitive – it just didn’t put a time scale on it. Even when price corrections are confirmed, many processors will be struggling to compete with Arla’s and Muller Wiseman’s milk price.
The falling market is not just a UK phenomenon but European and worldwide, with every dairy region producing more milk. Marry that to the fact UK cheese production has rocketed to record levels, demand from China and Russia has slackened and there’s a lethal cocktail.
Arla is odds on favourite to be the dam buster, announcing a May price correction – especially now Friesland Campina has cut. And even when that first correction is confirmed, a further correction is almost inevitable unless the global market stabilises. Oh, and when prices fall, don’t bother calling in the FFA team – it can’t beat market forces.
The long term solution is we don’t churn out heaps of milk until we have more processing capacity, with product destined for the world market. Arla’s target is for 40% of its revenue to come from outside the EU by 2020. If our retailers, corner shops, garages and food service businesses won’t pay for the milk we need to turn it into exportable products and bypass them. Woodcocks is building a drier, but we may still need more if milk volumes are to stay as they are. Please do not listen to the jokers who say ‘get on lads and produce two, three or even four billion litres of extra milk’ until we have the capacity to process it and have some serious marketing people who can capitalise on the world market opportunities.
But a price correction is not my main concern. It is more whether the drop will be retained by processors or whether some will be forced to hand it over to their customers and effectively kick start a downward spiral. We will never know who keeps the money and who hands it over. History tells us some processors are likely to knock on buyers’ doors and offer them the money on a plate to get more business.
Domestically, despite the devastating effects of TB, we have the heifers and cows in the system and even the low cost New Zealand-style producers are buying tonnes of feed to bump up production. On top of of feed to bump up production. On top of that we are still importing heifers from regions which are producing far too much milk and do not have farmers willing to pay the prices we are prepared to pay.
Milk purchasers are under pressure, and some farmers appear oblivious to what is happening. I recently heard of one farmer who was selling liquid milk on a threemonth contract who refused a May 1, 1p price drop, believing it should be a price increase. He changed buyer, convinced it was immune from the market place and will hold his price until autumn when prices will increase again. He, and many others, are in for a reality check.
Regrettably, some farmers have based their decision as to whom to sell their milk on either short-term false price promises or unsustainable headline prices. It never ceases to amaze me how little time some farmers spend examining the businesses they propose to sell their milk to. For some it is a case of let’s go for the headline price and be dammed. ‘Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right.
Here I am stuck in the middle with you,’ as the song lyric goes.
When it comes to processors we have the honest, the smart, the sharp and the porkiepie tellers. One example of the latter comes in the form of those milk buyers who utilise basket pricing. For example, as from January 1, the old Arla AFMP price ceased to exist and some, such as Freshways, replaced the AFMP price with the Arla AMCO member price. This resulted in it paying its farmers more money. Top marks, therefore. Others have dodged the issue and declined to replace the lost AFMP price with either the Arla direct or AMCO price, so as to keep prices lower. At least one company is not tracked in these baskets. It is outrageous, and any so-called producer representatives who have agreed to this should hang their heads in shame. One example of a letter representatives should have clocked was from a company which gave suppliers the option to have a basket price with only Dairy Crest and Muller Wiseman prices in or, alternatively, to include Meadow Foods instead of Arla. I wonder why?
As intimated by me a few months ago, this year is heading to be a financial disaster for one or more processors. They can’t survive buying the quantity of milk they are and off-loading the surplus on the spot market at current prices. When the proverbial hits the fan, it will be farmers who will invariably cop it for several weeks of unpaid milk.
Now quota. Some processors are contemplating withholding milk cheques because of soaring production, and this has frightened producers. Banks are instructing some farmers to play safe and get quota cover. I would like to clarify a few myths. The super levy will be about 23ppl and the quota is the same as it was last year at 15.3 billion litres. This includes confiscated quota, which amounts to 537 million of wholesale plus 11m of direct sales.
The quota market is on fire, which can only be quelled by a combination of milk price reductions, weather, or production failing to get anywhere near to quota. Meeting quota will take some doing but you seem set to give it your best shot!
Ian is a specialist milk quota and entitlement broker. Comments please to email@example.com


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Corvette Funfest 2016 kicks off in just two weeks but already Mike Yager and Mid America Motorworks are looking ahead to next year’s show. It’s been announced that Corvette Funfest 2017 will celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the 1967 Corvette!
Along with the announcement, this great retro artwork depicting a 1967 L88 Corvette Coupe was released:
We’re sure that a massive showing of 1967 Corvettes will be planned for next year so for you owners, block out a couple of weeks in September 2017 and make your plans to be in Effingham, IL for Corvette Funfest 2017!
Corvette Funfest Announces Saturday Concert with Dennis DeYoung and the Music of STYX
Celebrate the C4 Corvette Grand Sport’s 20th Anniversary at Corvette Funfest
[GALLERY] Corvette Funfest 2015 at Mid America Motorworks (100 Corvette photos)


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Hotels told to put the customer first
Switzerland Tourism says hundreds of Swiss hotels are not equipped to deal with the demands of modern tourists.
The organisation wants around 1,000 establishments to close to help the country’s struggling tourism industry.
According to Switzerland Tourism, many smaller hotels fail to respond to the needs of guests. Around two-thirds of Switzerland’s 5,700 hotels have 20 beds or less.
Tourism chiefs say that while these smaller establishments were popular 150 years ago, they are now outdated and have become too stuck in their ways.
“They are mostly managed in an old-fashioned style, in a passive manner and don’t have the means to carry out renovations or market themselves,” said Laurence Gabriel, spokeswoman for Switzerland Tourism.
Switzerland Tourism says it envisages fewer but larger hotels, able to afford features such as swimming pools, health spas and outdoor activities.
But the Swiss Hotel Association believes shutting down a large proportion of Switzerland’s small hotels is hardly the best solution.
Christian Rey, the association’s president, says many of them are capable of rejuvenating themselves.
“[Small hotels] must make more of an effort and be more sensitive to what their clients want,” he said.
He added that smaller establishments would benefit from joining forces with similar-sized hotels. By centralising services, such as laundry and childcare, they could make considerable savings.
Laurence Gabriel says one way for small hotels to adapt to modern demands would be to “specialise”. She suggests themes such as “kids hotels” or those focusing on health and fitness.
Switzerland Tourism is also recommending that small hotels join an international reservations network, advertise in foreign travel brochures and affiliate themselves with a large hotel chain.
But market conditions won’t make survival easy. Swiss hotels pay 45 per cent more for their electricity and 30 per cent more in staff wages, compared with their European neighbours.
swissinfo with agencies
The Swiss hotel industry registered 2.71 million overnight stays in June 2003, down by 133,000 on the same period the year before.
Last year, there were 66 million overnight stays in Switzerland’s hotels.
Switzerland currently has a total of 260,000 hotel beds.
In June, parliament approved subsidies of SFr115 million ($85 million) for Switzerland’s tourism industry, to be distributed between 2003 and 2007.
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Nikola Stojanow has launched a €100 million venture capital fund to support blockchain opportunities in underdeveloped regions of Europe, Asia, MENA and Africa.
June 15, 2020
Aeternity has launched a crypto-powered social monetization tool allowing content creators to instantly accept tips via web browser or mobile.
May 20, 2020
Indian state government-led blockchain accelerator T-Block partners with Aeternity, Harmony, and Matic Network to ramp up blockchain growth.
May 7, 2020
Aeternity launched the first live implementation of the Aeternity blockchain from a stunning villa on the outskirts of Rome, and CCN went to speak with the …
December 8, 2018


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Ads for Prevagen claimed that the purported memory improvement supplement is “The Name to Remember,” but according to a lawsuit filed by the FTC and the New York Attorney General, it’s a product consumers might be better off forgetting.
Ever “walk into a room and forget why,” “spend extra time looking for car keys or purse,” or have “trouble remembering names or faces”? The defendants pitched Prevagen, a supplement containing a protein found in jellyfish, as an answer. A month’s supply set consumers back between $24 and $68, depending on the formulation, and was available online and at retailers like Amazon, CVS, Duane Reade, Rite-Aid, Meijer, the Vitamin Shoppe, and Walgreens. The defendants also ran an infomercial called The Better Memory Show and had company representatives board the “Prevagen Express” bus to visit health food centers and health expos across the country.
Sales for Prevagen topped $165 million. (Yes, you read that right.)
According to the complaint, the defendants represented in national TV ads and elsewhere that Prevagen improves memory within 90 days, reduces memory problems associated with aging, and provides other cognitive benefits, like healthy brain function, a sharper mind, and clearer thinking. What’s more, they claimed to have clinical proof to support their advertising promises.
How was apoaequorin – that jellyfish protein – supposed to help people struggling with cognitive decline? The ads claimed that it enters the brain to supplement proteins lost during the aging process. But according to the FTC and New York AG, the defendants don’t have studies showing that apoaequorin taken orally ever reaches the brain: “To the contrary, Defendants’ safety studies show that apoaequorin is rapidly digested in the stomach and broken down into amino acids and small peptides like any other dietary protein.”
The FTC and AG also allege that the defendants made false statements about their purported clinical evidence. You’ll want to read the complaint for details, but here’s just one example. The company relied primarily on a double-blind, placebo-controlled human study assessing subjects on nine cognitive tasks designed to assess skills like memory and learning. But according to the FTC and New York AG, the group that took Prevagen failed to show a statistically significant improvement in any of the nine tasks when compared with people who were given a placebo.
Filed in federal court in New York, the lawsuit names Prevagen, Inc., Quincy Bioscience Holding Company, Inc., Quincy Bioscience, LLC, Quincy Bioscience Manufacturing, LLC, CEO Michael Beaman, and President Mark Underwood. (Mr. Underwood was a lead researcher in the company-conducted clinical study, appeared in Prevagen ads, and wrote a booklet, The Brain Health Guide, that purports to explain the science behind the claims.) The complaint alleges violations of the FTC Act and two New York state consumer protection laws.


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A new paradigm in subterranean termite protection for buildings has been introduced to Sri Lanka by the Hayleys Group to offer an eco-friendly long-term solution for a problem that affects an estimated one in five houses in the country.
The unique product, branded ‘Novithor’ is the first pesticide-free, non-toxic termite protection system to become available in Sri Lanka. It builds granite-hard physical barriers that prevent termite infiltration for up to 50 years, a remarkable advancement to the existing chemical barrier products that offer protection for a tenth of the period through soil poisoning.
Patented and manufactured by the US-headquartered ENSYSTEX Inc., the new product offers a 20-year manufacturer’s warranty and comes in three elements -- a termite-proof resin, a termite-proof cementitious parge and a termite-proof flexi-Gel that can be applied to virtually any building.
All Novithor products will be represented and marketed in Sri Lanka by Hayleys Agriculture, which has more than five decades of experience in marketing crop, animal and home protection solutions. Three experienced specialist pest-control companies, Hayleys Pest Control Services, Finlay Rentokil and Suren Cooke Agencies have been appointed ‘Authorised Operators’ to install the Novithor products.
Presenting the technical aspects of the three Novithor products, ENSYSTEX Regional Director Steve Broadbent said the modern alternatives are all highly toxic poisons that can leach into the soil and water and breakdown in about five years, leaving the buildings vulnerable. Novithor on the other hand, is environmentally sound and has a life expectancy of 50 years. ENSYSTEX will pay up to Rs 2 million if subterranean termites enter a Novithor protected building within 20 years, he said.


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A Change-org petition is calling on 17 camera and lens manufacturers to build anti-theft security features into camera gear, noting that photographers are particularly vulnerable to having their extremely portable, high value equipment stolen.
‘The secret is out: camera gear is the perfect thing to steal. It is of high value, holds its resale value, and is compact and easy to conceal,’ petitioner Louis Chan (aka ‘The Photographic Community’) wrote. ‘We cannot change this. More importantly, however, camera gear can’t currently be tracked or remotely disabled. Anyone can turn it on and operate it. We CAN change this.’
There’s a back-story to Louis Chan’s initiative. In September this year the San Fransiscan photographer was followed home after a photo shoot and robbed at gunpoint in his driveway. The ordeal was captured by security cameras:
The petition has so far garnered a modest 3200 signatures, with a closing date of November 19. (The YouTube video has been viewed by 90,000!)
The petition notes that rampant theft of vehicles and smartphones led to manufacturers responding with better theft protection measures: ‘Manufacturers realized better-protected phones meant more sales, and they introduced biometrics and remote disabling. Phone thefts dropped.’
The petition notes that, in the US at least, simply exercising care won’t necessarily protect photographers: ‘It is no longer an issue of “don’t leave your valuables in your car”. Photographers are getting pepper-sprayed, held up at gunpoint, tackled to the ground, followed for an hour to their homes, and even shot at — unprovoked, in broad daylight, in official newscaster and film sets. We CAN change this.’
Among the suggestions for beefing up camera security are:
– Passcodes to operate all cameras. ‘Ideally, this could also be pushed to existing cameras via firmware update’;
– Lens pairing to the camera;
– Opt-in GPS tracking/internet connectivity similar to Find My iPhone, for example;
– Biometrics. Fingerprint scanner, and/or face recognition;
– Remote disabling. If the camera is reported stolen, it should not function.
Pointing out this could deliver the camera manufacturer a ‘first mover advantage’ in the market, the petition notes: ‘Our community will line up in droves to purchase cameras with anti-theft technology.’


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The OTIS randomized controlled trial compared the effects of a protein-reduced, Nordic multicomponent diet intervention to the current complementary feeding regime on growth, metabolic markers, dietary intake and eating behavior from the initiation of complementary feeding at 4-6 months until 18 months of age. The novel research could pave the way to broadening the taste spectrum for infants and potentially provide an effective strategy for instilling healthier and sustainable eating habits early in life.
Dietary factors during infancy, including high protein intake, rapid carbohydrates and saturated fat, increase the risk of obesity, blood lipid disorders, type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure later in life. The taste, texture of supplementary food and how it is served is important for how and what the child eats.
New Nordic Diet, an initiative from the Nordic Council, emphasizes a greater intake of fruit, berries, vegetables, whole grain products, legumes, and less intake of sugar, salt, saturated fat, meat and meat products. Typical Nordic fruits include the lingonberry, buckthorn berry, cranberry, raspberry, and blueberry, as well as fibre-rich vegetables such as turnip, beets, swede, root celery, carrots, parsnip, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower and kale.
The study found marked differences in the dietary habits of the infants in the two groups. Those on the New Nordic diet, who had been supplied with Nordic taste portion schedule of flavor learning, Nordic home-made baby food recipes, protein-reduced baby food products, and offered parental support via social media, consumed 42-45% more fruit and vegetables at 12-18 months of age, compared to those who were fed the conventional diet currently recommended by the Swedish Food Agency. There were no negative effects on breastfeeding duration, iron status or growth between the groups.
Both national and international media has been reported about The OTIS study. Ulrica Johansson presented during the session of “highest scoring abstracts” data from the OTIS study at the 54th Annual Meeting of the European Society of Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (ESPGHAN). ESPGHAN Annual Meeting attracts over 4,600 experts and key opinion leaders in the field of Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition from 100 countries across Europe and all five continents, turning it into the largest conference of its kind worldwide.
The OTIS research team are from the Department of Clinical Sciences, Pediatrics, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden, Department of Global Public Health, Karolinska Institutet and Centre for Epidemiology and Community Medicine, Stockholm County Council, Stockholm, Sweden and the Department of Nutrition, University of California, Davis, CA, USA.


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A new way to connect businesses with their markets is rolling out across the Internet. Live video builds on the success of social media and content marketing. It gives businesses a whole new way to deliver valuable content to large audiences, and it does it in a way that contains both built-in urgency and a level of interaction that businesses have never enjoyed before.
It’s all very new. Instagram has only offered its version of live video since December 2016, the same month that Twitter finally merged its live video acquisition, Periscope, into its main platform. Facebook has been experimenting a little longer and currently offers more features than its rivals, including detailed stats that reveal when audiences reacted most positively. Because it has so many more users, it also tends to deliver a bigger audience than Twitter or Instagram.
Creating the content couldn’t be easier. On Facebook and Twitter, it’s simply a matter of touching an icon on an app. Instagram can even get the camera rolling with a page swipe. You then need to enter a title for the video, choose an audience from your follower lists… and you’re live.
And that’s when the magic begins. Followers get a notification telling them that someone they follow is now broadcasting. That gives live video the attention-grabbing power of telemarketing but with a call from someone they know and have chosen to hear from. Audiences will need to move quickly. Instagram doesn’t the store the broadcast at all, so if followers don’t pick up their phones and watch right away, they’ll miss the message from one of their favorite brands. While Facebook and Twitter do allow users to watch a recording of the broadcast, that playback won’t have the interaction that they can only enjoy live.
As users watch the video, they can post reactions such as “likes” and they can also write comments that broadcasters can see and address. A live video isn’t just another form of advertising and it’s more even than a kind of television show. It’s a real-time, two-way communication between a brand and its market that delivers a genuine shared experience.
It’s no surprise then that brands have been quick to experiment. Facebook dished out $50 million to publishing companies and celebrities to set a standard in live video. Buzzfeed received $3 million and used some of those funds to explode a watermelon with rubber bands. The video has generated a total of 11 million views, including more than 800,000 who watched the broadcast live at the same time. Grazia, a fashion magazine, decamped from its office in Milan to Facebook’s office in London to broadcast a week of editorial meetings and other content. As well as inviting the public to suggest story ideas, the publication broadcast a live debate about Brexit and a performance by singer Craig David. Other companies have launched weekly live workshops that show off their products, and countless personal brands have fired up their cameras and used the feature to talk directly to their customers —and to hear back from those customers in real time.
The results of those experiments are already coming in, and they’re dictating the future development of live video. Broadcasters have found that videos of between 30 and 45 minutes allow time for viewers to share the content with friends and increase audience size. Broadcasters can see the names of followers as they join the audience, giving them an opportunity to welcome them by name. Getting out of the office and showing audiences how the product is made or what’s happening at an event tends to attract bigger audiences than a direct address to camera.
The platforms too, are trying to push out more features to make the broadcasts more effective. Facebook already allows brands to grant broadcast privileges without granting other content publication privileges. We can expect to see more detailed stats on other platforms, and Facebook is also rolling out scheduling and “waiting rooms” so that broadcasts begin with audiences already in place.
It’s a whole new kind of social media marketing, and companies will quickly need to find the live content that suits their audience. Live video is a low-to-no cost method that savvy businesses and brands will quickly explore and leverage to gain new customers, and as a result, make more sales.
For a free PDF featuring a proven 8-step formula to help you succeed with your live videos, click here.
Joel Comm is a live video marketing expert who has been broadcasting live since 2008. Whether using tools such as Facebook Live, Periscope or Snapchat to broadcast a clearly defined message to a receptive audience or leveraging the power of webinar and meeting technologies such as Crowdcast, Bluejeans and Belive.tv, Joel’s tested strategies make him an in-demand speaker and consultant for brands both large and small.


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British money manager M&G said on Wednesday it has taken a minority stake in digital wealth manager Moneyfarm as part of a partnership to provide investment services to consumers in Britain.
M&G will use Moneyfarm`s technology and digital capabilities to offer model portfolios through mobile phones and online.
Moneyfarm said separately that the M&G stake came as part of a 44.1 million pounds ($59.57 million) capital raise which also included Poste Italiane, an existing investor in the digital wealth manager.
A source with knowledge of the transaction told that the funding round valued Moneyfarm at between 300 and 350 million pounds ($472 million).
Since it launched in 2012, Moneyfarm has raised 139 million pounds.
Moneyfarm said it will use the funds to support future development, expanding its product proposition and building out offer through strategic partnerships.
M&G added that the agreement includes to explore with Moneyfarm opportunities to partner in other European markets.
The British asset manager has more than 370 billion pounds under management while Moneyfarm manages 2.2 billion pounds of assets, according to its website.
Moneyfarm has partnerships in other countries with Allianz Asset Management, Poste Italiane and UniCredit.
Barclays Bank acted as placement agents for the funding round while Perella Weinberg Partners, STJ Advisors and Vitale were financial advisors to Moneyfarm.
($1 = 0.7402 pounds)


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Telehandler sales save JLG results
By Lindsey Anderson30 October 2019
JLG’s fourth quarter results showed a decline of -4.2% in total access sales to $1.02 billion with AWPs being hit hardest with a decrease of -13.8%. Meanwhile, a robust telehandler market increased fourth quarter unit sales by 7.98% to $307 million. The company’s full year results showed an overall decline in AWP sales of -3.62% to $1.94 billion while telehandler sales soared by 32.24% to $1.25 billion. Overall, net sales for JLG’s total access division did see an increase of 8% to $4.1 billion.
Wilson Jones, president and chief executive officer of Oshkosh Corporation, JLG’s parent company, said, “Our access equipment team delivered strong results in the face of moderating demand in their key rental equipment markets.
“Looking ahead, I am confident in our team’s ability to navigate through changing market conditions in our access equipment segment and position Oshkosh Corporation to continue to deliver strong results. Our rental equipment customers in North America and Europe are taking a cautious approach to capital expenditures, which we believe will lead to lower, but still historically strong, sales and earnings in the access equipment segment in fiscal 2020.
JLG said the decrease in fourth quarter AWP sales was due to lower sales volume in the Europe, Middle East and Africa region.
Access equipment segment operating income in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2019 decreased 0.3% to $126.5 million, or 12.4% of sales, compared to $126.9 million, or 12% of sales, in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2018. The decrease in operating income was primarily due to the impact of the lower sales volume and higher marketing spending, largely offset by favorable regional mix and lower freight costs.
Access equipment segment results for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2018 included pre-tax charges and inefficiencies associated with restructuring actions of $1.3 million. Excluding these charges and inefficiencies, adjusted operating income was $128.2 million, or 12.1% of sales, in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2018.
Oshkosh reported full year sales for fiscal 2019 of $8.38 billion and net income of $579.4 million, or $8.21 per diluted share. The company is projecting net sales between $7.9 billion and $8.2 billion for 2020.


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MAJESTIC Wine has bucked the trend of retailers turning in poor results figures over the snow-hit Christmas period with a 6.4 per cent sales rise.
Chief executive Steve Lewis said the weather had initially put customers off venturing out but then there had been a rush.
The figures for the nine weeks to 3 January followed a year of expansion for the company.
Majestic is delaying the VAT rise until the end of this month in another attempt to help reel in customers in a month where alcohol sales are traditionally low after the festive binge.
Lewis said: “We are pleased with the figures. After a slow start things came good. We are opening new shops this year and are ambitious about the business.
“We will be debt neutral by the end of the financial year.”
The retailer, which has 160 shops, is planning to open 12 new shops in 2011.
Comparable sales during the half-year rose 7.6 per cent, while interim pre-tax profits increased by 20 per cent to £7.3m.
In a bid to boost sales, the company reduced the number of bottles required for a discount from 12 to six in September 2009 to reflect the UK’s mood of austerity.


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Legendary and respected Japanese camera manufacturer Nikon finds itself at the heart of a scandal following its selection of an all-male cast of photographers to be “Ambassadors” in a marketing campaign for the new Nikon D850 DSLR in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East according to Petapixel.
The cadre of photographers, 32 in total, focuses on professionals in the field of photography and well-known names such as fashion photographer Cameron Grayson and art photographer Patrick Cheung. With such an expansive and long list, many question Nikon’s decision to not include a single female photographer in its list of luminaries.
FStoppers published an article titled “Is the Nikon D850 for Men Only?” on its website, wondering aloud if this is a deliberate decision on the part of Nikon’s team or an honest mistake.
With anger growing in the community and on social media, Nikon Asia’s Twitter account (https://twitter.com/NikonAsia) responded directly to the controversy, saying: “Unfortunately, the female photographers we had invited for this meet were unable to attend, and we acknowledge that we had not put enough of a focus on this area. We want to thank the community for raising this and challenging us to do more to support the creative talent of our female photographer community. Enabling the creativity of our community sits at the very heart of Nikon and we will continue to keep improving on our innovation and our support for you.”
As FStoppers notes, Nikon fails to note which female photographers were invited to be a Nikon D850 DSLR Ambassador, a curious omission in a statement many would interpret as exculpatory in nature.
The letter, which recounts Douglas’ love affair with Nikon products and a showcase of work she has completed using Nikon cameras, urges Nikon to reconsider this approach to the marketing campaign and highlights what could be interpreted as sexist or gendered language in its previous marketing to women.
She writes, “Unfortunately, sometimes gender is perceived to be one of the elements that makes up a role in a profession and this was out lawed a long time ago as discriminatory. Unfortunately, this industry in some areas seems to have a bias towards one set of gender assumptions and technology.”
Douglas’ letter received a response from Nikon UK which stated “[…]female photographers were unfortunately not represented and this was completely due to circumstance and not design. At a global level, Nikon has invited four photographers to act as Ambassadors for the launch of the D850, one of which is Italian photographer, Rosita Lipari.”
Curiously, the statement from Nikon UK, a territory in which the campaign will not be a feature, included vital information omitted by the Nikon Asia response, namely an actual female photographer who was considered for and could not participate in the Ambassador’s program.
The case of the Nikon D850 product launch is a cautionary tale that reminds marketing directors the world over of the increasingly global nature of product promotions and marketing campaigns.
The need for a global, rather than local, approach means that the materials put out by the company should not only consider the local audience but also the global audience for that product as well, a tough task for any team.
Without this attention to detail, however, the task of marketing becomes even harder if your product is perceived as gender-biased and exclusionary.
These features tend to depress sales and shrink bottom lines, two things Nikon will want to avoid to remain a viable business concern.


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This blog serves as an important enforcement notice for manufacturers/importers that BIS certification is required for some of the electronic components/accessories included in medical devices, including batteries, monitors, power adaptors and more.
A list of recently published and updated articles regarding medical device regulatory updates from the governing bodies throughout Asia.
In Taiwan, beginning June 1st, 2023, manufacturers of Class II medical devices will need to ensure products placed on the market have compliant Unique Device Identification (UDI) labeling.
On October 1st 2023, the India CDSCO will enforce full license requirements for Class C and D non-notified medical devices as the final step of transitioning all medical devices under the new rules.
On September 14, 2022, the DMEC held a seminar to update the medical device industry on the issuance of Class C and D MA Licenses.
On November 15th, the Vietnamese Ministry of Health (MOH) issued a draft decree to amend a number of articles from a previous decree related to the registration of medical devices.
On March 3rd, 2023, the Deputy Prime Minister of Vietnam, Tran Hong Ha, signed Decree No. 07/2023/ND-CP (Decree 07/2023), which automatically extended the validity of import licenses to December 31, 2024.
On December 12th, the Thai FDA published guidance to assist with the determination of medical device status and risk classification for medical device software in Thailand.
On December 3rd, 2022, the Thailand FDA (TFDA) issued new regulation to re-classify Physical Therapy Devices as Class 1 medical devices.
The Korean MFDS now requires all Class II, III, and IV medical devices submit monthly installation reports via an online portal.
Beginning in 2022, the HSA has cease to entertain inquiries seeking confirmation of manufacturers’ classification and grouping strategy and has referred companies to their online tools and guidance documents.


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The Microsoft Dynamics Hosted team has released a new on-demand hosted Microsoft Dynamics CRM demo, the first in a series of SaaS-enabled solutions the team is developing for partners and prospective customers interested in hosted Microsoft products.
The English-only demo is a fully operational hosted Microsoft Dynamics CRM environment, enabling Service Providers to deliver “try before you buy” offers and allowing end-users to evaluate the product in order to accelerate their purchasing decision.
In addition to being able to create 30-day trial accounts, visitors will also have access to:
• A self-running demo targeting business users
• A self-running demo highlighting key admin features and functionality
• A self-running demo highlighting Service Provider edition solution components
• Links to: how to buy information, demo instructions and support, and the Microsoft Dynamics CRM site
Take a look at the demo at solutiondemo.net/demodynamics !


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WASHINGTON, DC — Today, TechFreedom and a coalition of free-market groups urged Congress to protect Americans against malicious or frivolous litigation that threatens to stifle free speech and undermine the digital economy. In a letter to the House Judiciary Committee, the coalition called for passage of H.R. 2304, the SPEAK FREE Act, which would give defendants across the nation access to a special motion to dismiss SLAPPs (strategic lawsuits against public participation). The bill would also empower courts to shift fees, so that defendants who prevail on an anti-SLAPP motion would not have to face legal costs.
The coalition letter reads:
Each year, a multitude of Americans fall victim to lawsuits called SLAPPs (strategic lawsuits against public participation) that are aimed at unfairly intimidating and silencing them. These kinds of lawsuits are highly effective, despite being without merit, since the legal costs, invasion of privacy, and hassle associated with fighting them is rarely considered a worthwhile use of individuals’ time.
“SLAPPs threaten online free speech and the business models that thrive on consumer reviews,” said Tom Struble, Policy Counsel at TechFreedom. “Without an easy judicial mechanism to dismiss groundless lawsuits and shift fees, consumers and small businesses often have no choice but to relent to the demands of companies with deeper pockets. 28 states have already adopted anti-SLAPP standards — it’s time for Congress to do the same.”
We can be reached for comment at email@example.com.


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crown casino member
The government and the state still argue about oline legalization of online gambling. The European Commission via the "EU Pilot" scheme recently questioned Germany about what steps it plans to take to eliminate the current sports-betting monopoly operated by state-owned Oddset and to also reconsider its stance on prohibiting online casino and poker games due to the huge gray market currently existing — and prospering — in the country.
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Shares of Johnson & Johnson fell 10 percent on Friday and were heading for their biggest percentage drop in more than 16 years after Reuters reported that the company knew for decades that cancer-causing asbestos lurked in its baby powder.
The decline in shares erased about $40bn from the company’s market capitalisation with investors worrying about the fallout of the report as it faces thousands of talc-related lawsuits.
The stock was the biggest drag on the broader Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500 indexes and was among the most traded on US exchanges. About 28 million shares exchanged hands by 18:30 GMT, more than three times its 25-day moving average.
J&J was found to have known about the presence of small amounts of asbestos in its products from as early as 1971, a Reuters examination of company memos, internal reports and other confidential documents showed.
The Reuters report also showed the company had commissioned and paid for studies conducted on its Baby Powder franchise and hired a ghostwriter to redraft the article that presented the findings in a journal.
The company, in 1976, had assured the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that no asbestos was “detected in any sample” of talc produced between December 1972 and October 1973 when at least three tests by three different labs from 1972 to 1975 had found asbestos in its talc.
In an email statement to Reuters on the news agency’s findings, J&J said, “This is all a calculated attempt to distract from the fact that thousands of independent tests prove our talc does not contain asbestos or cause cancer.”
The company added, “Any suggestion that Johnson & Johnson knew or hid information about the safety of talc is false.”
The company also said Baby Powder was asbestos-free and added it would continue to defend the safety of its product.
The company has been battling more than 10,000 cases claiming its Baby Powder and Shower to Shower products cause ovarian cancer. The products have also been linked with mesothelioma, a rare and deadly form of cancer that affects the delicate tissue that lines body cavities.
At least two Wall Street analysts said the stock appeared to be oversold on the news.
“In our opinion litigation overhangs are real, and we do not minimise the situation, but the stock pullback does seem over done to us,” BMO Capital Markets analyst Joanne Wuensch said.
JP Morgan analysts said that they “believe it is highly unlikely the company’s exposure to this talc issue will even come close to the $40bn in lost market cap today”.
They added that talc was not an issue that would resolve quickly for J&J and expect shares to trade at a lower multiple pending further clarity on the company’s exposure to the issue.
While J&J has dominated the talc powder market for more than 100 years, the products contributed to a mere 0.5 percent of its revenue of $76.5bn last year. Talc cases make up fewer than 10 percent of all personal injury lawsuits pending against the company.
However, Baby Powder is considered essential to J&J’s image as a caring company – a “sacred cow”, as one 2003 internal email put it.


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Alabama Man Successfully Crowdfunds So He Can Buy A 20 Piece McNugget Meal
It’s not everyday that you come across a real hero on the Internet. But today, you’ve found one.
Michael Panik, a communications student at Jacksonville State University in Jacksonville, Alabama successfully used the crowdfunding site GoFundMe to raise $10 so he could buy himself a 20 piece Chicken McNugget meal at McDonalds.
Panik explained the motivations behind the campaign.
“A friend and mine were talking about all the ridiculous GoFundMe campaigns we’ve seen recently, basically people just asking for money to buy personal stuff: new equipment, software,” Panik said. “It’s pretty rude, honestly-just begging for money for things you want or need, that ultimately aren’t super expensive, and aren’t true necessities.”
Panik also said that he was a little bitter over the crowdfunding concept since he failed to raise money in the past on similar sites.
“I think that crowd funding is excellent, really, when used the right way,” Panik said. “I had a campaign for $10,000 to make a documentary fail back in the spring, and I’m a little bitter, but I think the concept is there. A lot of people do really spectacular things with money raised through GFM, Kickstarter, and others.”
Panik’s crowdfunding campaign for $10 was met in only a few hours. A man named Michael Brown gave him the money, saying “Enjoy!” in the comments.
His tongue firmly planted in his cheek, Panik thanked Brown.
“Michael Brown is a truly beautiful soul, devoted to philanthropy, and has the highest honor in my heart,” Panik said. “I sincerely hope to make him proud by using his generous donation to achieve my supreme goal.”
While not in class, Panik works as a web developer with Plexamedia, and as a technical director at a church in Rome, GA. He said that was primarily interested in filmmaking and was focused in producing documentaries. His first feature-length documentary, Thrift Store Symphony is in post-production and will premiere next fall.
“I’m so glad my Chicken McNugget scheme kind of took off just in my network, honestly, Panik said. “I’d love to see more people find this, and realize that maybe, if you want something, you should spend less time asking people for money, and going out there, working, and getting it for yourself.”
Panik wasn’t sure when he would be seeing his windfall.
“I’m not totally sure, but I hope it’s soon,” Panik said. “Ya boy is hungry.”
Like this piece? Rise News just launched a few weeks ago and is only getting started. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to stay up to date with global news.
Cover Photo: Screenshot/ GoFundme.com


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Hey Influence Traders,
One of my business partners lives in Maine.
On a call this morning he said, “The clam diggers are out, which means winter is over.”
I have no clue if that’s true, but I do love heading into spring.
Spring Is Springing
The long nights of winter are over …
The days are warmer …
It’s a time of new beginnings …
It also means that spring break and summer vacations are right around the corner … if the world opens up.
COVID Is Slowing Down
Vaccine rollout is going well at home and abroad.
With almost 60 million people vaccinated, the U.S. is approaching herd immunity.
After reaching an all-time high in January 2021, global coronavirus case numbers are beginning to drop.
Signs the Economy Opening Up
Businesses are showing signs of a reopening economy
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott allowed all Lonestar Star businesses to fully reopen and end the statewide mask mandate, so … “Don’t mess with Texas?”
Following Gov. Abbott’s announcement, Mississippi and other states also announced reopenings.
Businesses Following Suit
Retail stores are reporting higher sales of “going out” apparel, which had gone to almost zero over the summer. I’m told by young people in the know that things will soon once again be “LIT.”
Live Nation (Ticker: LYV) announced on an earnings call last week that it recently released nearly 200,000 tickets for summer music festivals in Britain — and they sold out in days. Live Nation has seen its stock price tick up slightly the past month.
Planet Fitness (Ticker: PLNT) saw a net increase in memberships in January. That’s a first since the pandemic began, and it indicates that people want to return to brick-and-mortar fitness. PLNT’s stock, meanwhile, remains volatile and attractive to traders.
Employers added 379,000 jobs in February, which was the strongest showing since October.
– Most of the increases came in the leisure and hospitality industries, which have been particularly hard hit by shutdown orders and employ 3.5 million fewer people than a year ago.
– The February gains included 286,000 jobs in food services and drinking establishments, along with 69,000 at businesses like hotels and gyms.
Capital One (Ticker: COF) announced that it was boosting credit limits, a sign that it anticipates more people will be spending. Subsequently, COF has seen its stock bounce along with other financial names.
Travel Will Start Back Up
It might not happen quickly, but travel will resume this year.
Record-high savings will help drive spending.
Most airlines are striving to keep the supply at the same levels as before in order to keep their cash flow going.
I’m seeing flights to destinations inMexico, the Caribbean and … Albania opening up.
Almost everything is bookable with a few exceptions. For example, New Zealand/Australia is more difficult to book because airlines such as Qantas have decreased their inventory.
Vegas, Baby: Casino giant Caesars Entertainment (Ticker: CZR) has seen bookings rise 20% month on month.
Cruisin’: Royal Caribbean (TICKER: RCL) recently announced to investors that it recorded a 30% jump in new bookings so far 2021 compared to the last two months of 2020. That’s primarily due to people over 65 who are counting on being vaccinated.
I still like Delta (Ticker: DAL). My position is up over 20% since Mark Sebastian and I discussed it back in January.
Nations Are Ready
The UK said it will start allowing international travelers back in sometime in May.
Quantas said it will resume international flights to/from Australia in October.
U.S. domestic travel has already started to rebound quickly and will continue to do so as vaccines become widely available. There has been huge demand for trips to California, Florida and Nevada for summer travel.
In the meantime, road trips have become popular, so AirBnB (Ticker: ABNB) has seen increased demand. While it has seen a recent 10% pullback, it should be positioned well when travel resumes.
Speaking of which, when that happens, I’m going to be on board.
Cutting Through the Noise for You.