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RICHARDSON, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Please replace the release with the following corrected version due to multiple revisions.
The updated release reads:
ADVOCARE® SUPPORTS 2023 BIOFREEZE® USA NATIONAL PICKLEBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
Leading Health and Wellness Company Provides Hydration and Energy Products During Tournament Nov. 5-12 at Brookhaven Country Club in Farmers Branch, TX
AdvoCare International, LLC, a health and wellness company, has teamed up with the 2023 BiOFREEZE USA Pickleball National Championship as a sponsor making AdvoCare products available to players and attendees. Pickleball’s premier event will take place at Brookhaven Country Club in Farmers Branch, TX from Nov. 5 -12.
AdvoCare will be at the event offering samples of Spark® and Rehydrate® as well as providing an exclusive BOGO offer. Attendees and players can enjoy samples of AdvoCare products throughout the tournament and are invited to visit the AdvoCare booth in Pickleball Boulevard.
“We are proud to partner with the 2023 BiOFREEZE USA National Pickleball Championship in our backyard and continue the fitness phenomenon that is encouraging people to get active and stay active,” said Patrick Wright, CEO of AdvoCare. “This event perfectly aligns with AdvoCare's core values, which revolve around celebrating healthy living and optimizing performance. We're eagerly anticipating the opportunity to connect pickleball fans who came to watch their favorite players in action.”
The 2023 BiOFREEZE USA Pickleball National Championship will have up to 4,000 amateur and professional players and is projected to be the largest pickleball tournament in history.
To learn more about AdvoCare and to explore its health and wellness products, visit advocare.com.
About AdvoCare International, LLC
AdvoCare International, LLC is a health and wellness company committed to helping our customers feel better and perform better. Backed by the most credible scientific research and internationally recognized Scientific and Medical Advisory Board, AdvoCare offers premium nutritional, weight-management and sports-performance products. AdvoCare is a family-owned company founded in 1993 and is headquartered in Richardson, Texas. For more information about AdvoCare visit advocare.com. Connect with AdvoCare on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for latest news and product updates. Visit the Connect AdvoCare blog for inspirational content featuring fitness and wellness tips, motivation, testimonials, recipes and more.


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US hotels investment firm Hersha Hospitality Trust is selling $144m (€133m) worth of assets to help reduce its debt.
The New York-listed real estate investment trust said it has agreed to sell the Blue Moon Hotel on Miami Beach for $30m, the Duane Street Hotel in New York City for $20m, and will sell its 50% stake in the Courtyard South Boston and Holiday Inn Express South Boston hotels for $94m.
Hersha holds the stake in a joint-venture with Jiten Hotel Management.
The transaction, which is expected to close by the end of the second quarter 2020, will result in $97m of debt reduction and a taxable gains of $31m.
Jay H Shah, Hersha CEO, said: “The anticipated sales of the Blue Moon Hotel & Duane Street Hotel at very attractive pricing highlights the inherent value of Hersha’s Miami Beach and New York City portfolios, and demonstrates the strong domestic and international interest from public and private groups seeking premier real estate in top US gateway markets.
“We are also pleased to announce the sale of our 50% joint-venture with Jiten Hotel Management for our two mature hotels in South Boston. This transaction led to a significant gain on our investment, simplifies our structure, and leads to a more keen focus from our Asset Management team on running our wholly-owned assets.
“Each of these transactions occurred as a result of our strategy to reduce our leverage profile by selling lower Ebitda-producing hotels for valuations exceeding those ascribed to our current stock valuation.”

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Despite revenues exceeding 51.3 billion euros in 2021, Amazon’s European retail segment recorded a loss of 1.16 billion euros, allowing the company to avoid paying income tax in Europe.
The Luxembourg-based unit also received €1 billion in tax credits, according to company statements seen by Bloomberg.
Amazon EU Sarl generated €43.8 billion in revenue in 2020, which includes revenue from e-commerce businesses in the UK, Italy, France, Germany, Spain, Sweden, in Poland and the Netherlands.
An Amazon representative said Bloomberg that the company was not legally obliged to pay taxes because it had made losses after investing heavily in European infrastructure and jobs.
The spokesperson added that the company pays hundreds of millions of euros in business tax across Europe.
Amazon’s filing indicates that the 1 billion net tax credit was mainly due to the use of net losses carried forward in accordance with the tax consolidation regime. According to the document, Amazon’s European unit suffered a loss of 37 billion euros due to “raw materials and consumables” and 15 billion euros due to “external charges”, resulting in an annual loss.
The company spokesperson said Amazon had invested more than €100 billion in creating jobs and infrastructure across Europe since 2010.
“Corporate tax is based on profits, not income, and last year Amazon EU Sarl made a loss as we opened over 50 new sites across Europe and created over 65,000 well-paying jobs, bringing our total European permanent workforce to over 200,000,” the spokesperson continues.
European regulators have targeted Amazon in recent years over its tax provisions.
Last year, analysis by trade union Unite found that Amazon declared up to £8.2bn of its UK sales to Luxembourg in 2019, to avoid paying the higher UK tariffs. United.
According to the research, the retail giant reported £13.7 billion in UK sales in its US accounts in 2019, but only reported £5.5 billion in sales in its UK based companies.
The report says Amazon EU Sarl employed just over 4,300 staff in 2019 and had revenues of €32.2bn (£27.3bn), an average of €7.5m. euros (£6.4 million) per employee. This was about 36 times more than the staff of Amazon subsidiaries in the UK.
Questions about Amazon’s tax practices were also raised in May last year, after its Luxembourg company filings showed the company had paid no corporation tax in Europe in 2020, despite record sales revenue. Amazon does not report each country’s revenue and sales in its financial reports.
Amazon EU Sarl’s accounts revealed the Luxembourg unit suffered a loss of €1.2bn (£1bn) and therefore paid no tax. Additionally, the unit received €56m (£47m) in tax credits to offset future tax bills.
Earlier this year, a study commissioned by the grants watchdog group Good Jobs First and the world federation of labor UNI Global Union found that Amazon had received at least $4.7 billion (about £3.5 billion sterling) of grants over the past decade from governments around the world to open new warehouses, offices, data centers and call centers in their jurisdictions.
The company received the majority of the tax benefits – $4.1 billion – for projects in the United States, where the company has 110 distribution centers. Outside the United States, it has received at least $600 million in government grants, in a dozen countries, where the company has aggressively expanded its Amazon Prime and data center networks.
In a major setback to EU efforts to get more taxes from tech giants, Europe’s second-highest court ruled last year that Amazon did not need to pay 250 million euros ( 215 million pounds sterling) of tax arrears in Luxembourg. The European Court overturned a 2017 ruling by the European Commission, which found that a tax deal between Amazon and the Luxembourg government in 2006 amounted to illegal state aid.
The court said European competition regulators failed to prove that Amazon received an unlawful benefit from the tax rulings, adding that the European Commission was wrong on several counts.


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GST kitty rebounds to ₹1.16 lakh crore in July
The GST revenue in July this year, which indicates the actual volume of business transactions in June, is also about 14% up.
The Goods and Services Tax (GST) collection surged to ₹1.16 lakh crore in July, a 33% year-on-year jump, signifying the easing impact of the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic on the economy which saw the revenue plunge below ₹1 lakh crore in the previous month for the first time since October 2020.
The GST revenue in July this year, which indicates the actual volume of business transactions in June, is also about 14% up compared to ₹1.02 lakh crore collected in July 2019, pointing at rapid economic recovery after the second wave that raged in the months of April and May, according to official data.
The GST collections, after posting above ₹1 lakh crore for eight months in a row, dropped below ₹1 lakh crore in June 2021 as the collection in the month was predominantly related to business that took place in the month of May 2021, when most of the states and Union territories (UTs) were under complete or partial lockdown due to the pandemic, the finance ministry said.
“With the easing out of Covid restrictions, GST collection for July 2021 has again crossed ₹1 lakh crore, which clearly indicates that the economy is recovering at a fast pace. The robust GST revenues are likely to continue in the coming months too,” it said in a statement.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) last week slashed India’s growth forecast for FY-22 to 9.5% from 12.5% projected in April, citing the severe second wave of the pandemic, and expected slow recovery in business confidence. Most of the professional forecasters also reduced their growth projections for India. Last month, global rating agency S&P lowered India’s GDP growth forecast to 9.5% in the current fiscal year compared to its prediction of 11% in March, which was just before the second wave.
The GST collections, which dropped for seven consecutive months from March 2020 after a 68-day nationwide lockdown since March 25 to check the first wave, showed recovery from October last year. The revenue surpassed the ₹1 lakh crore mark for eight consecutive months since October 2020. The second wave of the pandemic, however, led to the GST collections dipping below ₹1 lakh crore in June 2021. The revenue, however, bounced back quickly as there was no nationwide lockdown this year, according to experts.
Aditya Singhania, partner at consultancy firm Singhania’s GST Consultancy Co, said: “Collection during the July ’21 majorly relates to supplies taken place in June ’21 whose collection has bounced back to mark of ₹1 lakh crore, which certainly indicates the economic activities restoring steadily.”
The gross GST revenue collected in July 2021 is ₹1,16,393 crore — ₹22,197 crore central GST (CGST), ₹28,541 crore state GST (SGST), and ₹57,864 crore integrated GST (IGST), including ₹27,900 crore collected on import of goods. ₹7,790 crore was collected as the GST cess, including ₹815 crore collected on imports.
“During the month, revenue from import of goods was 36% higher and the revenues from domestic transaction (including import of services) are 32% higher than the revenues from these sources during the same month last year,” the finance ministry said.
MS Mani, senior director at Deloitte India, said: “The improvement in GST collections both on domestic transactions and imports, accompanied by the fact that major producing states have shown significant increases, would indicate that the economic activities have resumed across the country.”
According to the official data, barring Daman and Diu, Lakshadweep and Puducherry, all other states and UTs have shown positive year-on-year growth in July GST collections. The revenue of Maharashtra in July jumped 51% at ₹18,899 crore; Gujarat saw a 36% growth at ₹7,629 crore; Karnataka 12% ( ₹6,737 crore); Tamil Nadu 36% ( ₹6,302 crore); Uttar Pradesh 18% ( ₹6,011 crore) and Haryana 53% ( ₹5,330 crore).
Rajat Bose, partner at law firm Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co, said the collection in July has seen a sharp uptick due to unlocking of businesses in June. “If the country is able to resist the third wave, the GST collections should increase from hereon,” he added.


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French economy stagnates in Q2, misses expectations
By Ingrid Melander and Yann Le Guernigou
PARIS, Aug 14 (Reuters) - The French economy came to an unexpected standstill in the three months to June after a strong first quarter, as a jump in exports was not strong enough to offset the impact of weak consumer spending and changes in inventories.
Data published by the INSEE national statistics agency on Friday showed the 2-trillion euro economy was left unchanged at 0.0 percent in the three months to June, missing a forecast of 0.2 percent growth.
But the euro zone's second-largest economy had grown by 0.7 percent in the first quarter, INSEE said, up from a previous estimate of 0.6 percent.
The carry over from the first half of the year means the government's 1 percent growth forecast for the year is still well within reach but could make it harder to beat that target, as many expected, analysts said.
"Today's 0.0 percent figure is therefore a rather bad surprise, dampening hopes of significantly above 1.0 percent GDP growth this year," ING's Julien Manceaux said. The European Commission, IMF and Bank of France have over the past months published 1.1-1.2 percent French growth forecasts for 2015.
French Finance Minister Michel Sapin said stronger exports and investments made the government confident in its estimate of 1 percent annual GDP growth for the year, adding that it could still beat that forecast.
Companies that were selling down their inventories after building them up in the first quarter accounted for much of the stagnation, dragging GDP growth down by 0.4 percentage points. That annuled the 0.3 point increase to GDP from foreign trade and meager 0.1 percent from domestic demand.
Consumer spending growth slowed sharply from a 0.9 percent increase in the first quarter to a 0.1 percent rise in the second quarter, much of which was due to lower spending on energy amid higher temperatures.
Exports were a bright spot, up 1.7 percent in the second quarter after growing by 1.3 percent in the first quarter. Trade's contribution to growth was at its highest since the last quarter of 2011.
Corporate investment grew by 0.2 percent in the second quarter, at a slower pace than in the first quarter but nevertheless reaching its highest level since 2008. Investment in housing, however, contracted for the eighth quarter in a row.
Non-farm payroll increased marginally by 0.2 percent in the second quarter, a separate set of data showed.
"We believe that Q2 GDP suffered from inter-quarter volatility related to energy, particularly at the output and household consumption levels," Barclays analyst Francois Cabau wrote in a note, saying there were decent growth prospects despite "pay back after the strong Q1."
France will need to grow by 0.25 percent in both the third and fourth quarters to meet the 1 percent full-year target, Philippe Waechter of Natixis Asset Management said, adding that he was worried by consumer spending and investment.
For a graphic of GDP by contributions: http://link.reuters.com/pyx28s
For further details from INSEE: http://www.insee.fr/en/themes/info-rapide.asp?id=26 (Writing by Ingrid Melander; Editing by Leila Abboud/Jeremy Gaunt)
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Newfoundland photographer sorry for mall meltdown at Santa shoot
Robert Thornhill pulls service from Carbonear mall, says customers getting prints at Walmart
A Newfoundland photographer is apologizing for a temper tantrum while taking pictures of children with a mall Santa Claus, but says he had a good reason for losing the Christmas spirit.
"I wouldn't necessarily agree with [calling it] a Grinch moment. I had a human moment. I'm honestly sorry," said Robert Thornhill.
He blames his outburst on the fact that too many of his customers get their photos printed at the mall's Walmart instead of using his service.
I did lose my temper that day, and I am sorry.- Robert Thornhill
Thornhill has photographed children with Santa at the Trinity Conception Square Mall in Carbonear for the past few years.
"I loved that job. Seeing kids' faces light up for Santa Claus is the most amazing feeling," he told the St. John's Morning Show.
That is, until last week when he decided to quit.
The final straw was when a woman blatantly told him she only wanted one photo instead of a multiphoto package because she planned on going straight to Walmart to scan it and print more.
"Admittedly, I did lose my temper that day, and I am sorry," Thornhill said.
He said there were two families there at the time, and he's apologized to them for lashing out the way he did.
"When pushed against the wall, I don't know what to do. There were very few people there; it's not the way people are making it out to be. There was no lineup of people or anything like that," he said.
"I am sorry, and going forward I am trying to provide a Santa Claus for people at other locations. But I can't have Walmart enable the copying of my pictures."
The Trinity Conception Square Mall has confirmed with CBC that it has found a new photographer to take Santa photos.
Claims it's copyright infringement
Thornhill says he was offering to print a single 4x6 photo for $5 or a package of four for $15.
He says at Walmart, people can get a print for 20 cents, which is frustrating because he simply can't compete with those prices.
Thornhill claims the Walmart photo lab is "enabling" the reproduction of his work, and he's actually in talks with a lawyer to see if he has a case for copyright infringement.
"I went up to Walmart and asked to speak to the manager and they basically said, the answer I got was shrugged shoulders saying 'well, there's nothing I can do,'" he said.
"It's not just me as an artist. It's artists in general. Anyone that takes a picture, if you're copying their work, you're taking money from their pocket."
In a response to CBC, Walmart Canada said it is aware of the situation, and is open to discussing the matter further with Thornhill.
It also said the photo kiosk is a self-serve machine that's available to anyone to use at their convenience. Walmart doesn't monitor the kiosk and has no control over what photograph the user decides to reproduce.
While he's still mad at Walmart, Thornhill admits he could have handled the mall incident better.
He will still photograph children with Santa at other locations, where he said there is less of a chance that he will be undercut.
With files from St. John's Morning Show


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The FTSE 100 has hit a fresh all-time high, as a broad-based rally took hold following comments from US Treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin (pictured) that a trade war with China has been placed 'on hold'.
The UK blue-chip index jumped 59 points, or 0.8%, to 7,838, marking a fresh all-time intraday high. The index is on course to notch up a new all-time closing high, beating the 7,779 level hit on Thursday.
The rally took hold across the board, with only a handful of stocks failing to make gains.
The rise in the dollar on Mnuchin's comments also provided a boost, up 0.5% against the pound at $1.34 and bolstering the FTSE 100's overseas earners.
Mnuchin said on Sunday talks with China had produced a framework for addressing trade imbalances.
'We are putting the trade war on hold. Right now, we have agreed to put the tariffs on hold while we try to execute the framework.'
The US last month unveiled plans for a 25% tariff on 1,333 Chinese products, covering imports worth around $50 billion (£35 billion). China responded with a proposed 25% tariff on 106 US products.
'It looks like many of the tariffs agreed by the US and China could be ripped up after this weekend's positive joint announcement, although it seems the US may be keeping some glue handy in case they decide China is not meeting its obligations,' said Deutsche Bank's Jim Reid.
Connor Campbell, financial analyst at Spreadex, said investors were viewing the announcement with some scepticism.
'You could make the case that the removal of the trade war threat should have sent the markets even higher,' he said.
'However, there does seem to be a healthy dose of scepticism behind the admittedly still solid growth; there have been similar instances over the last few months to suggest improving relations between the US and China, only for an errant tweet from Trump to dent hopes of de-escalation.'


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Researchers from Finland have found that a person’s risk of developing Parkinson’s disease as they grow older may increase if they have low levels of vitamin D. The study was published in the Archives of Neurology and it examined 3,000 people. The researchers found that those with the lowest vitamin D levels had a threefold risk of developing the disease.
Experts concluded that vitamin D could help to safeguard the nerve cells which are slowly lost by people who are suffering from the disease. Parkinson’s Disease results in symptoms such as slow movements and tremor, and it impacts upon many areas of the brain.
The charity Parkinson’s UK stated that further research was necessary to establish a firm link between Vitamin D and Parkinson’s disease.
Vitamin D and Parkinson’s Disease
The study was carried out over thirty years by Finland’s National Institute for Health and Welfare. Vitamin D levels were measured using blood samples taken from study participants between 1978 and 1980. These participants were then followed for thirty years to find out whether they went on to develop Parkinson’s Disease.
Results showed that members of the study with the lowest vitamin D levels were three times more likely to fall ill with Parkinson’s Disease when compared with those study members who had high vitamin D levels.
The majority of vitamin D is made by our bodies when our skin is exposed to sunlight. However, as we grow older our skin loses the ability to produce vitamin D in this way.
Vitamin D has long been recognised as an aid to calcium uptake and the formation of strong bones. However, recent research has shown that it also plays an important part in the development of the nervous system, and in the regulation of the immune system.
Although sunlight is the main source of vitamin D it can also be found in foods such as milk, cereals and oily fish. In addition, if you wish to boost your intake of vitamin D there are also a number of supplements available on the market.
Photo Credit: Suzanne Schroeter / Flickr CC


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This article is more than 1 year old
TJX lost up to 45.6m card numbers
King of breaches
TJX has taken the crown for presiding over the largest credit card heist ever, with a tally of 45.6m numbers lost to unknown thieves who intruded on the US-based retailing giant's networks over a span of 17 months. Personal information, often including social security numbers, for at least 451,000 was also lifted.
There's no reason to believe the theft stopped there. The intruders were able to conceal much of the contents they looted and in the regular course of business TJX administrators deleted many of the files believed stolen. Investigators may never know the true extent of the pilfering, TJX warned.
"Given the scale and geographic scope of our business and computer systems and the time frames involved in the computer intrusion, our investigation has required a substantial period of time to date and is not completed," the company said in a filing (PDF) with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Since January, when TJX first said it discovered a breach of sensitive customer data, the company's disclosures have been wanting for details. An update a month later did little to satisfy our need to know. The latest report is slightly improved, offering the following time line:
On December 18, the company initiated an investigation after discovering suspicious software on its network. In short order, IBM and General Dynamics were called in to assist in the probe, and on December 21 they determined there was good reason to believe there was indeed an intruder who remained on the computer network. The investigators devised a plan to contain and monitor the intrusion.
On December 22, TJX met with law enforcement officials to brief them on the intrusion. The law enforcement agencies included the US Secret Service, which asked TJX to withhold disclosure of the breach so its cover wouldn't be blown.
On December 27, the company for the first time determined that customer information was among the data stolen. TJX updated officials of banks and law enforcement of that finding on January 3. Investigators discovered yet more burgled customer details 10 days later.
On January 17, TJX first notified the public, and a day later it learned the intrusion began much earlier than previously believed. The company now says its network was probably breached from July, 2005 to December, 2006. The servers were located in the US and the UK.
At risk are credit and debit card numbers for customers of TJ Maxx, Marshalls, HomeGoods and AJ Wright stores in the US and Puerto Rico, customers of Winners and HomeSense stores in Canada and customers of TK Maxx stores in the UK.
To the credit of TJX, the company said customer names and addresses were not included with payment card data lifted from the US network. TJX's US operation often didn't store "Track 2" data from the a card's magnetic stripe for transactions after September 2003. And by April 3 of last year, the company had started masking payment card PINs and other portions of payment card transactions. This was a great first step but begs the question why the retailer didn't do more to protect its customers.
Individuals suspected of using payment card information stolen from TJX were arrested last week in Florida.
Following yesterday's disclosure, the TJX debacle became the largest known theft of credit card data, topping the previous record held by CardSystems Solutions of 40 million records compromised in 2005, ComputerWorld reported. ®


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THE FINAL piece of the jigsaw is in place to allow the long-awaited multi-million-pound redevelopment of Billingham town centre to go ahead.
Developers Stockland Halladale yesterday announced the £16.7m purchase of Stockton Council’s freehold interest in the town centre - nearly half of its retail space.
Stockland Halladale’s investment in Billingham in the last ten months now totals around £32m. The developer now controls the entire freehold.
The sale paves the way for the firm to forge ahead with its promised £45m comprehensive redevelopment and revitalisation of the decaying town centre.
Stockland Halladale will work with Stockton Council and The Billingham Partnership to prepare a further phase of public consultation over the design.
This will cover redevelopment priorities identified by the public, including secure parking, play facilities, a teenage village, new and better toilets, and attractive landscaping.
As reported, it is hoped that work on the high quality retail centre the public are demanding could begin by autumn 2008 and be complete by 2013.
David Lockhart, executive chairman of Stockland Halladale, said: “We will continue to work closely with Stockton Council to re-invigorate the town’s retail environment.”


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NAMM 2024: Electro-Harmonix launches limited-edition Big Muff Pi – but it sells out in just over an hour
NAMM 2024: Electro-Harmonix is celebrating the Golden Anniversary of the Ram’s Head circuit and legendary Big Muff in style.
To mark the Ram’s Head turning 50, as well as the Big Muff’s 55th birthday, EHX has splashed out and created a golden Big Muff pedal. Limited to 555 units, the glimmeringly golden EHX Double Anniversary Big Muff Pi is a striking way of honouring the signature pedal.
READ MORE: NAMM 2024: The latest rumours and biggest guitar gear announcements from this year’s show
Well, it was limited to 555 units, but it sold out in just over an hour, unfortunately. 69 minutes, to be precise.
The pedal harks back to Big Muffs of the past, bringing a classic elements into the here and now. That includes a Violet Ram’s Head circuit in a ‘big box’ full-sized chassis – something that EHX hasn’t done since the ’70s – and the pedal comes in a classy wooden box, harking back to Sovtek pedals of the ’90s.
This pedal pairs the past with the future; the classic Ram’s Head circuit is sure to deliver that classic ’70s fuzz tone, while the laser-etched golden pedal is sleek and oozes modern sophistication. The pedal even comes with a lavish velvet bag, a level of sophistication that seems at odds with the endless slew of scrappy grunge, indie or post-rock guitarists who may have utilised the Big Muff in their careers.
Over the years, the Big Muff has taken centre stage for many star-studded acts. From David Gilmour, to Jack White, to the Smashing Pumpkins, the Big Muff is a much beloved pedal, even considered by many as the gold-standard fuzzbox of grunge sound in the late ’80s and early ’90s. The golden make-over is only fitting.
But that’s not all – Electro-Harmonix couldn’t end the celebrations there. The Mucho Muff giveaway will allow Big Muff fans the chance to win every single Big Muff currently in production, as well as the coveted Double Anniversary Big Muff Pi. Fans can enter the Mucho Muff giveaway now.
For more information on the Double Anniversary Big Muff Pi, head to Electro-Harmonix.
The post NAMM 2024: Electro-Harmonix launches limited-edition Big Muff Pi – but it sells out in just over an hour appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.


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As one of the world’s largest food providers, IKEA has set a goal that 50 per cent of the main meals offered in its restaurants will be plant-based by 2025. Puneet Trehan, as part of a core team in IKEA, is now looking for start-ups that can help IKEA reach the goals and at the same time offer delicious and affordable meals.
Polyester is one of the most popular synthetic fibres in the world. For decades, it’s been used in everything from packaging to garments. But virgin polyester doesn’t live up to IKEA’s sustainability requirements to reach the ambitious goal of being a circular business by 2030. We talked to Caroline and Nishant about material innovation and a more sustainable artificial sheepskin.
By teaming up with the founders of Amazon Robotics, IKEA wants to look into how tech incubated in show-business can transform IKEA’s supply chain. We talked to Olof and Raffaello to find out how the technology behind drone performances in Metallica and Celine Dion concerts can be used to improve accuracy in warehouses and stores.
Whenever Madeleine visits someone’s home and sees a chest of drawers she automatically checks to see if it is securely attached to the wall. If it isn’t, she is not afraid to point it out. Madeleine has worked with GLESVÄR for a year now and we talked to her about the limited edition chest of drawers with specially designed safety features and an industry wide issue.


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Who knew......SKYDIVING CATS !!!!!!
There’s only one thing that the internet loves more than cat videos: a video of skydiving cats.
A Swedish Insurance company created the skydiving cats video to promote one of its pet insurance poli...More...
3 kudos |
231 views |
posted Nov 16, 2012 at 12:23 PM
NO MORE TWINKIE !!!!!!!!
Hostess Brands Inc. said it will ask a U.S. bankruptcy judge for permission to liquidate if enough striking workers do not return to work by the end of Thursday to let the maker of Twinkies and Wonder...More...
1 kudo |
373 views |
posted Nov 15, 2012 at 5:40 AM


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Natural is still a mystifying term in the industry, yet it’s ubiquitously perceived in the public domain as healthier or better. But this proverbial iceberg runs deeper below the surface. The definition is still being defined by the FDA; but while that’s happening, the conversation within the industry is shifting from what’s natural to what’s transparent.
Consumers are savvier than ever about questioning what they consume, and simultaneously they are met with an influx of information. Consequently, this information, notably in F&F, is subject to dilution with negative or false perceptions due to a lack of understanding in the scientific arena. With innovation, transparency and sustainability as main arteries in a globalized and digitized F&F market, strengthening the public’s trust in science is an opportunity to evolve.
In a 2016 Label Insights surveya, nearly all consumers (94%) stated that transparency would determine their brand loyalty. The survey also found that 73% would pay more for a product that offers complete transparency. Interestingly, more than half of consumers said their perception of healthy foods is based on their own personal definition.
On a micro level, NPD datab indicates that 20% of consumers would wear more fine fragrances if they could find a natural one, and 12% are willing to pay more. So, it’s clear that companies moving towards transparent labeling are a step ahead in helping consumers define what’s healthy (and natural). Read more about natural products on page 22.
Companies like Unilever and SC Johnson are leading the industry in its ingredient disclosures to the public; in the start-up realm, fragrance brand Phlur has pushed transparency for natural and synthetic ingredients in its products. Biotech is also booming and changing the way consumers think about natural ingredients and sourcing.
Which raises the question: how can science and innovation in F&F rebrand itself to be palatable and compelling to the public? Some food (or scent) for thought. I hope you enjoy this issue.
With warmth from New York City,


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MCF Software has joined the army of corporations helping the disaster relief effort by donating proceeds from the sales of ListSTAR and MacRADIUS. ListSTAR is an email mailing list app for organization newsletters, and MacRADIUS is an Internet Authentication Server app for remote access networks. According to MCF Software:
MCF Software is announcing that it will donate 100% of ListSTAR purchases and 50% of MacRADIUS purchases that are made from today (Sept. 17, 2001) until Sept. 30, 2001, to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund.
You can find more information about ListSTAR and MacRADIUS at the MCF Software Web site. ListSTAR is available for US$275.00 and MacRADIUS is priced starting at US$200.00.


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Home Renovations Show: Even for a veteran renovator, DIY project comes with a lesson
Herb Lagois admits he should have walked the talk.
When the owner of Lagois Design-Build-Renovate (formerly Lagois Drafting & Construction) decided he needed an addition and a new kitchen for his own home, he buckled on the tool belt. Problem was, “I didn’t have the time, so what should have taken four or five months took two or three years.” The project eventually worked out, he says, but concedes “the smart thing to do would have been to hire a company.”
Lagois, a winner at the recent Ontario Home Builders’ Association awards, will speak about the risks and rewards of DIY renos at The Home Renovations Show Jan. 23 to 25 at the EY Centre.
Renos that drag on causing family stress aren’t the only risk of DIY ventures, according to Lagois. Others range from inadvertently exposing asbestos in ceiling stipple to a fellow who unknowingly removed a load-bearing wall in his home — a potentially catastrophic situation that Lagois’ team remedied.
The upside of owner renos is satisfaction in your own handiwork and, in some cases, cost savings. Painting is within the reach of a handy homeowner, according to Lagois. The availability of easily installed products such as flooring make certain basement renos another feasible DIYer.
“It comes down to aptitude. You have to be comfortable in what you’re doing. Avoid complex projects unless you have the experience and the time to dedicate to it,” he says.
If you opt for a professional renovator, combing Internet sites such as houzz.com will spark design ideas, suggests Guy Bianchi. The owner of MR Kitchens and Olistin Home Renovations is among the presenters at this year’s show. He’s speaking about what you can do yourself and what you should leave to the pros when it comes to kitchens.
More importantly, says Bianchi, set a budget and be up front with your renovator about it. “People are afraid that if they tell the contractor they have $100,000 to spend, (the contractor) will spend it all or sell them $50,000 worth of work for $100,000. It’s the relationship with your contractor that’s very important.”
Good design is essential to an efficient kitchen, he says. You could have the highest quality components, but with a bad design nothing works together.
Also important is product installation. “An IKEA unit will work better properly installed than one of mine not properly installed,” says Bianchi. The installation component of a kitchen reno is typically less than $1,000 — not a big cost saving if the job takes you a week but a pro just a couple of days.
When selecting a renovator, ask lots of questions, he adds. Questions like, “How long have you been in business? What’s the timeline on my project? What’s not included in the price?”
Budding DIYers or those living in smaller quarters like condos may not have all the tools they need. Another presenter at this year’s show, the newly established Ottawa Tool Library, can help. Slated to open in the spring, the library will lend power tools, ladders, even wheelbarrows to members. “It’s part of a cross-Canada library move, part of the sharing community,” says the Ottawa Tool Library’s Donna Henhoeffer.
The organization has yet to settle on a permanent address. Its membership fees should be around $50 annually and $35 for students and seniors. The library is looking for donations of tools and other household items in working condition; for information on drop-off spots and membership, visit ottawatoollibrary.com. (For online only: House Works columnist Steve Maxwell talks more about tool libraries here.)
The Home Renovations Show, which in 2014 saw for the first time more visitors interested in bathrooms than in kitchens, is featuring roughly 100 exhibitors. They range from decking and interior wall system providers to fireplace companies, interior designers, and home and condo renovators.
Exhibitors include Rimikon, an Ottawa company that has just started offering its extra-low-voltage lighting systems at the retail level. Touted as a DIY line, the LED pot, under-cabinet and other lights are plugged into an existing outlet instead of being hardwired. A complete package of six under-cabinet lights including power supply and wiring costs $259. Builders like Tamarack Homes are now using some Rimikon products in their homes.
Article Online – Ottawa Citizen http://ottawacitizen.com/life/homes/home-renovations-show-even-for-a-veteran-renovator-diy-project-comes-with-a-lesson
Article by: Patrick Langston
Published on January 14, 2015


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Digital advertising is print's certain killer but technology may also be its savior, as paywalls rise in its digital defense and tablets are wielded to deflect blows.
The back pages were once the financial backbones of newspapers, but with the rise of the Internet, advertisers asked: Why mass market when you can niche target? Even when papers moved online and could compete for digital ad dollars, they were no match for companies that had taken up the cause years before.
Google devoured online advertising revenue last year, taking in $12.77 billion and the largest share of the market, according to the 2012 State of the News Media Report(Opens in a new window) from the Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism. Meanwhile, newspaper advertising expenditures, print and online combined, have declined for the past six years straight, according to the Newspaper Association of America. They saw a heart-stopping drop of 29 percent in 2009.
But technology isn't always an adversary. The report found tablets and smartphones have increased both the frequency with which Americans visit news sites and the length of time they spend on them. Moreover, "[t]he reputation or brand of a news organization, a very traditional idea, is the most important factor in determining where consumers go for news, and that is even truer on mobile devices than on laptops or desktops."
While a positive trend overall, individual success stories in digital publishing are more the exception than the rule, admits the Wall Street Journal(Opens in a new window), which became the first major newspaper to erect a paywall in 1997. It's the larger papers that see the better results.
Small but respected papers like the Tampa Bay Times, which has won eight Pulitzer Prizes, have not been so lucky, as illustrated by recent public moves by two of its own at opposite points in their career paths. Emily Nipps(Opens in a new window), a 35-year-old reporter and the creator of the We Are Journalists(Opens in a new window) Tumblr left the paper—and journalism—for a public relations job because, as she told Poynter, she was tired of wage cuts and pay freezes. Tom Scherberger(Opens in a new window), whose newspaper experience spans Nipps' lifetime, quit the profession because he'd seen enough of "layoffs, buyouts, no pay raises in four years, a 10 percent cut in pay, frozen pensions, a health insurance plan that many find inadequate."
But, by leading the charge for content and coming up with new battle plans, the larger papers may end up fending off the digital competition for dollars.
1. The New York Times
Under her leadership, a year ago the Times added digital to its subscription types and with it, came a paywall. The paywall is semi-porous, allowing a limited number of stories to be read each month for free and full and unlimited access to stories that are returned in Google results or are links from social media. The digital edition of the Times now has nearly half a million paid subscribers across desktop and mobile devices. In the wake of that success, the Times has decided to fortify its paywall; starting in April it will let through only 10 articles a month, down from 20.
But even the increase in paid digital subscribers and the correlating reduction in the loss of print subscribers hasn't made up for the hit the Times has taken in print ad revenue. It had a nearly 30 percent drop in its stock price year over year. Things might be looking up, though. In a note to investors early this month, Barclays Capital said the paywall could add about $100 million annually to circulation revenue and boost the stock price 10 to 20 percent.
2. The Wall Street Journal
Despite its digital alacrity, the Journal hesitates to share digital content with partner papers. Policies like that may change, though, with the recent hire of Liz Heron, formerly director of social media and engagement at the New York Times. In her hiring announcement, the Journal said she'll be "focused on deepening the engagement we have with existing readers globally, as well as expanding our audiences, both on our own platforms as well as in social media."
3. The Guardian
Guardian Media Group CEO Andrew Miller said without a change in strategy, the company could run out of cash within five years. Part of its digital strategy includes citizen journalists(Opens in a new window). While trying to grow its digital business, the company is nevertheless trying to reduce its digital footprint(Opens in a new window), seeking ways to quantify and mitigate the resources needed to deliver and consume its content.
4. Los Angeles Times
5. Times of London
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Xiaomi has announced the global release of MIUI 14, the latest version of its operating system, which adds an array of new features and optimisations to its devices. Xiaomi will be rolling out MIUI 14 Global over the coming weeks for multiple Xiaomi and Redmi smartphones. The revamped user interface featuring a more modern and minimalist layout is one of the most obvious changes in MIUI 14, the company stated. The update includes a new visual style as well as redesigned system apps. Xiaomi added that super icons, personalised wallpapers, and redesigned home screen widgets are also part of the new update.
The Chinese manufacturing giant announced the global launch of MIUI 14 alongside the launch of the Xiaomi 13 series at the MWC 2023 in Barcelona. The company said that MIUI 14 offers optimised storage, more intuitive interactions and safer on-device privacy features. With back-end enhancements, MIUI 14 is lighter than all its predecessors, Xiaomi added.
MIUI 14 will be available on the following devices, Xiaomi confirmed, beginning in the first quarter of 2023: Xiaomi 12, Xiaomi 12 Pro, Xiaomi 12X, Xiaomi 12T Pro, Xiaomi 12T, Xiaomi 12 Lite, Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE, Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G, Xiaomi 11 Ultra, Xiaomi 11, Xiaomi Mi 11i, Xiaomi 11T Pro, Xiaomi 11T, Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 4G, Redmi 10 5G, Redmi Note 10, Redmi Note 10 Pro, and Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G.
The official announcement also notes that more Xiaomi and Redmi devices will eventually receive the MIUI 14 update, although more specific information regarding the same is not available yet.
Xiaomi detailed the schedule of the India-specific version of MIUI 14 roll out in the country. In Q1 2023, it will roll out to Xiaomi 12 Pro, Mi 11 Ultra, Mi 11X Pro 5G, Mi 11T Pro, Redmi Note 12 Pro+ 5G, Mi 11X, Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G, Redmi K50i 5G, Xiaomi 11 Lite NE 5G and Redmi 11 Prime 5G.
In Q2 2023, the company added that the updated OS will roll out to Mi 10, Xiaomi 11i, Xiaomi 11i HyperCharge, Mi 10i, Redmi Note 10 Pro Max, Redmi Note 11 Pro, Redmi Note 10T 5G, Redmi Note 10S, Redmi Note 10 5G, Redmi Note 10S and Redmi 9 Power. This quarter the MIUI 14 update will also roll out to Redmi Pad and Xiaomi Pad 5 devices in India.
The company will roll out the MIUI 14 update in Mi 10T Pro, Mi 10T, Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G, Redmi Note 12 5G, Redmi Note 11S, Redmi Note 11T 5G, Redmi 10 Prime 2022, Redmi 10 Prime, Redmi Note 11 and Redmi 10 in Q3 2023.
Xiaomi also unveiled the Xiaomi 13 series of smartphones, which includes the standard Xiaomi 13, the Xiaomi 13 Pro, and the Xiaomi 13 Lite. While the Xiaomi 13 and Xiaomi 13 Pro are powered by Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, the Xiaomi 13 Lite, a rebadged version of the Xiaomi Civi 2, is powered by a Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 SoC.
For details of the latest launches and news from Samsung, Xiaomi, Realme, OnePlus, Oppo and other companies at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, visit our MWC 2023 hub.


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$MDT’s U.S. revenue rose to $4.142Bil for the quarter, representing 57% of total revenue. Non-U.S. developed market revenue was at $2.197Bil and emerging market revenue at $935MM. CEO Omar said revenue from all four segments were at the upper end of their goal when adjusted for the extra week, which drove the growth in the overall revenue.
$NFLX a monster move, going up. Expect making some money on Monday.
$AMD down more than 6% even after posting above consensus third quarter results.
$MCD stock rose more than 2% after it posted better than expected 3Q16 results, driven by global same-store sales growth. Meanwhile, earnings and revenue were lower than last year, hurt by refranchising efforts.


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The Parisian flagship store of the Galeries Lafayette department store group is set to launch its new concept lingerie department on May 6, 2013.
Following on from the success of the Panty Bar, which the store opened specifically for the Valentine’s Day shopping season, the innovative fourth floor lingerie department will feature 50 brands, including the stores own label.
The 3,500 sqm space will be designed to replicate the a Haussmann-style apartment, with the individual ‘rooms’ being furnished to match the brands and garments they are selling.
The department will be split up into three style categories, including legwear, luxury and contemporary designs and houses a dedicated area for young designers.
To mark the launch of the new concept store, which has been conceived by French designer Stella Candente, the store windows will play host to unique displays featuring intimate apparel throughout the month.
Lycra, the official partner for the launch will also be hosting a series of events to mark the new opening.


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Despite millions of dollars in advertising, Microsoft’s Bing now trails the Russian-language search engine Yandex in worldwide search engine rankings.
According to ComScore figures republished by TechWeek Europe, Google still overwhelmingly dominates the search market with more than 62% of the worldwide marketshare, despite the fact that it remains banned in China.
Google is followed by China’s Baidu with 8.2% worldwide market share, Yahoo! with 4.9% and Yandex with 2.8%.
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In comparison, despite spending millions of dollars in advertising, Microsoft’s Bing only claims around 2.5%.
Yandex has come to dominate the Russian-language search market with an estimated marketshare of 62%, compared to just 26% for Google.


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NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- Hardware retailer Fastenal Co. FAST, -1.14% said Tuesday its first-quarter net earnings rose 42% to $79.5 million, or 54 cents a share, from $56 million, or 38 cents a share, in the year-ago period. Sales rose 23% to $640.6 million from $520.8 million. Analysts surveyed by FactSet Research were looking for earnings of 52 cents a share, on average, with sales of $630.2 million.
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Rice Exports From Kakinada Set To Double As Andhra Pradesh Allows Deep-Water Port To Ship Out The Foodgrain
Via an order issued on 3 February, the Andhra Pradesh government permitted the APEDA to use the Kakinada deep-water port for rice exports.
This, it said, would help clear congestion at the Kakinada anchorage port.
Exports of rice, particularly non-basmati, have been a hallmark of Indian agricultural shipments during the current fiscal, particularly with India holding ample stocks of the cereals.
A feature of rice exports this fiscal year has been that China, the world’s largest rice producer, and Vietnam, world’s third-largest exporter of the foodgrain, bought from India after decades.
However, exports seemed to have run into logistical hurdles, forcing the Narendra Modi government to look at various options, especially for despatch by ships.
As part of this, the Commerce Ministry and Agriculture and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), which registers and supervises rice exports, have convinced the Andhra Pradesh government to let shippers use the Kakinada deep-water port.
The use of the Kakinada deep-water port, which had been under the control of the Andhra Pradesh Maritime Board, will help double shipments of the cereals.
Via an order issued on 3 February, Andhra Pradesh permitted the APEDA to use the Kakinada deep-water port for rice exports. This, it said, would help clear congestion at the Kakinada anchorage port.
However, the use of the deep-water port to help export rice consignments is temporary as the anchorage port is being developed to handle higher traffic.
“It was taking 30 days to load rice to destination ports. The use of deep-water port will help the loading to be done in 20 days,” said The Rice Exporters Association President BV Krishna Rao.
According to Pawan Agarwal, Special Secretary, Logistics, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the decision to use the Kakinada deep-water port follows his visit to the Kakinada port last month.
During the visit, he found a large number of ships berthed in deep sea water waiting for rice to be loaded at the anchorage port.
Talks were then initiated with the Andhra Pradesh government, which allowed the use of the deep sea water port.
At least three lakh tonnes of rice are shipped out of the Kakinada anchorage port every month.
About 20 vessels come calling at the port but it is able to accommodate only seven vessels, forcing the rest to wait in the deep waters, Rao said.
The Kakinada deep-water port, which is alongside the anchorage port, idles most of the time but the port workers did not allow the facilities to be put to use.
“It cannot be a reason to deny export of rice through an idling port because a few people do not want the deep-water port to be used. The logistics secretary was able to convince the State government to make use of the idling facilities,” Rao said.
The use of the Kakinada deep-water port will now help over six lakh tonnes of rice to be shipped out every month, double the previous level.
The port has been facing congestion problems, particularly in shipping rice, as more countries turned to India for fulfilling their needs.
India has been holding an advantage in the global rice market this fiscal in view of the huge stocks the Food Corporation of India (FCI) has been holding and record harvest last crop year (July 2019-June 2020).
This crop year, too, rice production is estimated to be a record 102.36 million tonnes during the kharif season that ended in October compared with 101.98 million tonnes the previous year.
The country produced a record 118.43 million tonnes of rice last season (July 2019-June 2020).
As on 1 January this year, the FCI held 18.66 million tonnes of rice as stocks besides 40.4 million tonnes of paddy which, if milled, can yield 27.07 million tonnes of rice.
This helped China and Vietnam to turn to India for their needs. Both the countries sought Indian rice since its offer prices have been at least $100 (Rs 7,275) a tonne lower than offers from other countries.
According to the International Grains Council (IGC), India’s 25 per cent broken white rice is quoted at $396 (Rs 28,850) a tonne. Trade sources said its 5 per cent parboiled is quoted at $402 (Rs 29,275).
IGC said Vietnam’s 5 per cent broken rice is exported at $515 (Rs 37,520) a tonne and Thailand’s 5 per cent broken at $540 (Rs 39,325).
China is buying a significant quantity of rice from India every month, while Vietnam has bought over 60,000 tonnes.
However, both have opted to import 100 per cent broken rice from India, which is far lower than the other grades of rice.
The 100 per cent broken rice has been purchased at rates ranging between $300 (Rs 21,850) and $320 (Rs 23,300) a tonne.
The lower-priced rice can be used by both the nations for making porridge or noodles. China could even replace rice for corn as feed for poultry animals.
“Indian rice exports to China and Vietnam continue as we are quoting the foodgrain cheaper by at least $100 a tonne to our nearest competitor Thailand,” The Rice Exporters President said.
Supply in the global rice market was hit as Thailand, the world’s second-largest exporter, went through a prolonged dry period and drought.
According to the US Department of Agriculture, Thailand’s rice exports dropped 25 per cent last year to 5.7 million tonnes compared with 2019. This is a record low for the South-East Asian nation.
Though winter rice plantings in Thailand are higher, production will likely be lower due to water shortage as reservoirs are still running with low storage levels. At least 70 per cent of the area under rice is irrigated.
On the other hand, floods hit Vietnam rice production.
During the August 2020-July 2021 marketing year, the USDA has pegged India’s rice exports at 16.50 million tonnes, including basmati.
According to APEDA, non-basmati rice exports more than doubled to 8.22 million tonnes during April-December this fiscal compared with 3.59 million tonnes a year ago.
Basmati exports increased 18 per cent to 3.38 million tonnes during the period against 2.84 million tonnes, thus taking total rice shipments to over 11.5 million tonnes.
The USDA projected a rise in Thailand rice exports to seven million tonnes this year against the five-year average of nine million tonnes due to slow economic recovery.
With India shipping out one lakh tonnes of rice every month, it is expected to continue its dominance in the export market in 2021 too.
“This year also, we are expected to perform well with regard to the rice exports. Close to one million tonnes are being shipped out of the country every month,” The Rice Exporters Association’s Rao said.
India is projected to have shipped out 12 million tonnes of non-basmati rice in the last calendar year, particularly with shipments zooming during the October-December quarter.
With Thailand’s production woes expected to continue, India could continue to make headway in the export market.
That way, the Andhra Pradesh government allowing the use of the Kakinada deep-water port will be handy for rice exporters, who will also stand to save the demurrage charges they pay for the waiting ships.
“No ship will be kept waiting in the deep waters with the opening up of the deep-water port. We need not pay demurrages to foreign countries in view of this,” Rao said.
The use of the deep-water port will now help rice exporters to ship in bulk and jumbo bags.
This, The Rice Exporters Association President said, will make exports to east and west African countries easier.
“In fact, shipment to any destination will be much easier now since we can load in jumbo bags . Even packing can be done based on the order,” Rao said.
The Union Government is prepared to look into all such bottlenecks affecting shipments of various products and goods.
Logistics secretary Agarwal said: “We will definitely look into the bottlenecks and see what can be done if the government’s notice is drawn to the problems.”
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On the Multi Commodity Exchange, crude oil for delivery in March traded higher by Rs 70, or 1.91 per cent, to Rs 3,732 per barrel in 45,390 lots.
Crude oil for April delivery was up by Rs 69, or 1.87 per cent, to Rs 3,758 per barrel with an open interest of 717 lots.
Globally, West Texas Intermediate was trading higher by 0.45 per cent at $51.66 per barrel.
Meanwhile Brent crude, the international benchmark, edged higher by 0.50 per cent to $56.58 per barrel in New York.
- Front Page
- Pure Politics
- Sumitomo Mitsui, 4 Others Sought Info on IDBI Sale
Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group and one other global bank are among five potential investors that have sought information from the Centre about the sale of state equity in IDBI Bank through a formal query process that closed on November 10, people familiar with the matter told ET.Flipkart may go in for $700m Esop Buyback
Walmart-owned homegrown ecommerce marketplace Flipkart is likely to facilitate a $700 million employee stock buyback as part of digital payments platform PhonePe’s new financing round, multiple sources briefed on the matter told ET.Falling Input Costs may Cool Prices of Essentials, Apparel
Prices of groceries, daily essentials and apparel are likely to fall over the next two quarters as input costs are expected to decline, spurring sales in the process, according to consumer goods makers.
Download The Economic Times News App to get Daily Market Updates & Live Business News.


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The Briefcase is a small, comfortable, and stylish bag.It’s a bag that you carry everywhere.It has pockets, so you can take a laptop, phone, or even an iPhone, all without having to worry about carrying the bag on your back.It doesn’t have a lot of storage, but it can hold a lot.It can also carry […]
When it comes to leather goods, you can’t go wrong with springfield.The high-quality fabric and premium quality of the products are what makes it a top choice for anyone who likes to wear their jackets, shirts and coats in a chic and stylish way.A great way to make sure you’re not buying a cheap imitation […]
When it comes to buying a vintage leather sofa, the best bet is to go for one with leather legs.It’s a great way to keep your vintage leather couch looking brand new and gives you a lot of options to choose from.Italian leather couch, from the Italian label of Italian furniture retailer, Le Livorno, will […]
The Australian Open has officially become a full week of golf, as the PGA of Australia announced that it will host the final on Friday, April 4.As with every year, the PGC will hold the event with an additional event at Royal Melbourne, which will take place on the same day, April 5.The schedule for […]
Posted by Ars Technic on Monday, February 12, 2020 12:19:33The new iPhone is not only the newest iPhone ever, it’s also the most expensive iPhone ever made.A new report from MacRumors claims that Apple has decided to make the iPhone 9 a “grey” model, instead of just black.The reason is because “black leather has been […]
A frugal pair of leather jackets can look amazing in just about any outfit, but they can also make a great addition to a wardrobe if you want to make them stand out from the crowd.Here’s our favorite frugally inspired pair of frugality-inspired leather jackets in fringe-inspired styles.


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"There was a gap in Spain that nobody had filled," said Lluis Rull n, who as director general of Port Aventura theme park helped turn packaged adventure into a booming tourist attraction.
Mr. Rull n said the $400 million park comfortably surpassed the goal for its first May-to-October season: 2.5 million visitors and break-even revenues to cover $98 million in operating costs and debt service. Attendance totaled 2.7 million, but officials aren't releasing revenue figures.
"The goals weren't easy, and to have met them, yes, is a success," Mr. Rull n said.
Foreigners account for 20% to 25% of the park's visitors, fewer than the pre-opening estimate of 40%; increasing their numbers is the next goal, Mr. Rull n said.
But more heavily targeted Spanish day-trippers and vacationers flooded in, lured in part by $6.6 million of the introductory $8.2 million budget handled by Bassat/ Ogilvy & Mather, Barcelona.
Regional outdoor ads last year teased the opening, with TV, print, radio and cinema added this year.
The park splurged on a 4-minute broadcast TV spot to explain the unfamiliar concept, Mr. Rull n said. Filmed in sites including Polynesia, Mexico and Arizona, it ran once, just before the park's opening, on every station at the same time in prime-time throughout Spain. One-minute versions also aired.
"Now people know what Port Aventura is," said Mr. Rull n, 40. "A year ago not many knew what a theme park was, just the lucky few who've been to the United States."
Consumer advertising was used only in Spain, Mr. Rull n said. To contain costs, the rest of the budget, $1.6 million, was spent on trade advertising and events in the main foreign markets of France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and the U.K.
The park's basic sell, an exotic adventure, was decided after researching consumer preferences. Ads tried to convey the idea that the park offers the flavor of a foreign trip in its five theme areas-China, Polynesia, America's Wild West, Mexico and Spain's Catalonia region, where the park is located.
Because Port Aventura is on the Mediterranean coast about an hour south of Barcelona, the idea of a visit as an add-on to a city trip went over well, said Mr. Rull n. Ticket packages were arranged with major area hotels, as well as through tour operators.
Season pass sales were halted after exceeding expectations. A total of 18,000-4,000 more than budgeted-were grabbed up in 10 days.
Marketers including Coca-Cola Espa¤a, Nestle, Volkswagen and Kodak have joint promotional agreements with Port Aventura.
Now Europe's second-largest theme park, Port Aventura learned from the mistakes of the biggest, Disneyland Paris, which had considered sites in Spain before deciding on locating in a Paris suburb. High prices, bad weather and a hotel glut kept Disney in the red until this year, three years after opening.
Port Aventura has put resort and shopping construction on hold until the park is on solid financial ground and it can be fine-tuned to satisfy the Spanish market. One change already has been made for next season. The park will open in March instead of May. Mr. Rull n expects "more than enough" visitors to fill the longer season.


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For more than a decade, Kim T. Le handled hundreds of thousands of prescriptions while she worked as a pharmacist at three Walgreens stores in the Bay Area. She administered vaccinations, ordered medications, counseled patients on their prescriptions and supervised pharmacy technicians, state officials said.
There was just one problem, officials said: Le wasn’t a licensed pharmacist.
State officials alleged that from November 2006 to September 2017, Le unlawfully signed off on or dispensed 745,355 prescriptions, many of which were verified electronically and remotely. More than 100,000 of those prescriptions were for controlled substances such as alprazolam, a sedative used to treat anxiety and panic disorder.
The state Board of Pharmacy will determine whether the three Walgreens stores in Fremont, San Jose and Milpitas should have their pharmacy licenses suspended or revoked.
Read the full story at LATimes.com.


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Posted: Wednesday, June 18th 2014 at 8:26am
NC, North Ga. restaurants to be showcased at Colorado festival
HAYESVILLE, NC – James Reaux, Chef/Owner of The Chophouse restaurants has been invited to participate in the 2014 Telluride Wine Festival in Telluride, Colorado, on June 26–June 29.
Reaux will be giving a cooking seminar featuring BBQ Quail from Manchester Farms, S.C., and demonstrating how to use the Professional EVO Grill System. He will also be cooking a four-course Gourmet Luncheon featuring his signature recipes at Allred’s Restaurant with Chef Micheal Regrut and Master Sommelier’s from around the country. In addition he will co-lecture a seminar on Moonshine with “Beverage Guru”, Mark Spivak, author of Iconic Sprits. This is Reaux's second opportunity to attend the Telluride Wine Festival as guest Chef.
Reaux is the owner and operator of the restaurant group Coast II Coast which is based in Western North Carolina and Northern Georgia. The restaurants currently in the group are Murphy’s Chophouse Restaurant in Murphy, N.C., The Chophouse of Hiawassee, Hiawassee, Ga., The Chophouse at LaPrade’s, Lakeside Grill and Tiki Bar and Hawg Wild BBQ and Catfish House in Clarksville, Ga.
For more information about the festival, visit: www.telluridewinefestival.com
© Copyright 2015 AccessNorthGa.com
All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission.


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Research In Motion Ltd. continues to be on a roll and appears to be gathering momentum with the BlackBerry maker’s revenues and profit rising more than 70 per cent, beating both the company’s and analyst estimates.
The company (TSX: RIM) announced after markets closed today that revenue in its first quarter ended June 2 rose to US$1.08 billion, up 76.5 per cent from the same period of 2006, as the company added 1.2 million more BlackBerry subscribers.
That exceeded RIM’s guidance issued in April and was 18 per cent more than the number of subscribers added in the previous quarter, which spans the important Christmas-New Year holiday period.
There are now more than nine million BlackBerry subscribers around the world.
Jim Balsillie, co-chief executive of Research In Motion, told analysts that the results were driven by stronger-than-expected device shipments and new product launches, in addition to continue strong demand for BlackBerry Pearl smartphones, which were brought to market last fall.
“Pearl continues to be heavily weighted to new subscribers and the recently launched World phone is generating a high proportion of new subscribers,” Balsillie said.
“While it is early days for the Curve (a Pearl-like smartphone with a full BlackBerry keypad) we’re seeing a good mix of both upgrades and new subscriber account additions with this product.”
Net income for the company, which reports in U.S. currency, rose to $223.2 million, or $1.17 per share diluted share — up 73 per cent from the $128.8 million or 67 cents of net income that RIM brought in the year-earlier period.
Adjusted net income, excluding stock option expenses of $5.3 million, was $228.5 million, or $1.20 per share.
Analysts had estimated, on average, that RIM’s revenues for the first quarter would be $1.05 billion — although some had predicted it would bring in as much as $1.1 billion. The Street estimate for earnings per share had been $1.06, with the most optimistic estimate at $1.13, according to Thomson Financial.
Research In Motion also provided guidance that exceeded Street expectations.
Revenue for the second quarter of fiscal 2008 ending Sept. 1, is expected to be in the range of $1.3 billion to $1.365 billion.
Subscriber account additions in the second quarter are expected to be in the range of 1.325 million to 1.375 million.
Earnings per share for the second quarter are expected to be in the range of $1.37 to $1.49 diluted.
Analysts had a consensus estimate of $1.11 billion in revenue and between 98 cent and $1.22 per share earnings.
The company also announced today that it plans to split its stock on a three-for-one basis. On a post-split basis, RIM is expecting 45 to 49 cents per share of diluted net income.
“We believe we will continue to grow significantly over the next several years and the stock split will make the share price more accessible to investors,” Balsillie said.
In after-hours trading in the United States, RIM shares gained US$18.58 to trade at $184.17 at Nasdaq. The shares closed at US$165.59 on Nasdaq and at C$175.22, up 38 cents on the Toronto Stock Exchange.
Balsillie and fellow co-chief executive Mike Lazaridis, who founded RIM in the 1980s, remain the company’s two largest individual shareholders so the soaring stock price will add to their personal fortunes, estimated to be worth more than C$1 billion each.
Balsillie has been actively negotiating to buy the Nashville Predators professional hockey team and move it to Hamilton, which is within easy driving distance of Waterloo, Ont., where Research In Motion is based.
However, a non-binding agreement for Balsille to buy the team for US$238-million from Predators owner Craig Leipold appears to be running into resistance.
A source told The Canadian Press today that California businessman William (Boots) DelBiaggio is back in talks with Leipold about a rival deal to move the Predators to Kansas City.


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Consumers love pizza, and many of them want to eat more healthfully, yet drawing a straight line between the two trends is trickier than restaurant brands might think, according to four-unit Power Pizzeria.
EJ Martinez, the brand’s founder and chief executive, said healthfulness is not necessarily a hard sell for his South Florida startup. However, he added, to truly leverage the power of a healthful offering as a restaurant’s differentiator, brands need to carefully choose their words for describing their products' characteristics.
When Miami-based Power Pizzeria opened its first location in 2004, it promoted its pizza’s healthful aspects overtly in its advertising and branding — and struggled to get trial.
“People associate ‘healthy’ with bland or generic,” Martinez said. “So we tweaked our marketing, and now we promote the active lifestyle first. We pitch the product as a ‘feel-good pizza,’ not a healthy pizza. Then that provokes the question: What’s a feel-good pizza?” On in-store signage and the pizza box, the brand’s product is described as “guilt-free” and “better for you,” but not as “healthy,” he added.
Local-store marketing has been key to the chain’s growth, Martinez said. Showing up to office buildings and gyms with free pizzas for sampling has built traffic, especially since Martinez and his staff mention only after everyone has tried a slice that the pizza is more healthful.
Power Pizzeria blends whey protein into its dough, and its sauce is made from organic tomatoes and other ingredients with no added sugar. The cheese the brand uses on its pizzas is part-skim mozzarella, and the meat toppings contain no additives or fillers.
The intended result is a pizza that produces less grease and leaves customers feeling satisfied but not over-served, Martinez said. The less people regret eating Power’s pizza, the more likely they are to be loyal customers and give the brand a reliable base of repeat traffic, he said.
“About 80 percent of our business is loyal customers,” he said. “They feel like they can eat two to four times per month with us instead of once a month. People aren’t willing to sacrifice taste, but we’re getting customers in the door more frequently because they’re not waking up the next day feeling bloated after eating our product.”
The chain's fifth company-owned unit is under construction, and the company recently kicked off more aggressive growth plans. Power Pizzeria just signed its first franchise agreement and is targeting 50 total units in the next five years. The brand will focus mainly on Florida for now, but franchisees would build out other markets.
Beyond Power Pizzeria, restaurants are increasing their use of healthful products, according to a report late last year from industry research firm Technomic. Among the thousands of menu descriptions tracked by Technomic’s MenuMonitor service, the use of the word “healthy” increased 86 percent compared with menus published a year earlier.
Technomic also found that menu descriptors “low fat” increased 33 percent, "fat free" or "nonfat" jumped 12 percent, “no sugar” surged 51 percent and “low calorie” rose 154 percent.
While industry research shows an increase in restaurant menus using descriptions and indicators of healthfulness, marketing professionals note that chains looking to sell a health-focused version of an indulgent product or to avoid being pigeonholed as a niche concept for dieters must also be careful about how they present menu items.
The nation’s largest restaurant chain, Subway, has successfully marketed itself as a place for more healthful eating for years, whether by grouping sandwiches with six grams of fat or less on menu boards or advertising with spokesman Jared Fogle and “famous fans” like athletes Blake Griffin and Ryan Howard.
But Tony Pace, chief marketing officer for the Subway Franchisee Advertising Fund Trust, said that because “some of our fans eat with us for healthy as well as indulgent products,” the trick to attracting health-conscious diners without alienating the person coming in for a meatball sub is to talk about lifestyle and consumer choice.
“Health is certainly a big draw,” Pace said, “but you have to give a wide enough array of choices so customers can decided what they want from you in terms of fat, calories and everything else. We’re communicating that you can make good choices at Subway if you want to.”
Milford, Conn.-based Subway franchises roughly 24,000 locations in the United States.


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It is not a secret that US companies assemble towering mountains of data on their customers. Over the years that we've covered the intersection of privacy and the internet, it's been openly acknowledged that there are vast data brokers operating behind the scenes, selling information about us to other companies that want the data. But the very nature of these firms is that they operate in silence and secrecy. Companies historically haven't wanted to admit that they collect data, and if they do collect data, they don't want to acknowledge just how much.The New York Times, it seems, has had some luck(Opens in a new window) prying open the data vaults and discovering exactly what's going on behind the curtain. Each of us have "secret scores," -- scores being used to calculate everything from how likely you are to return a product to whether or not you should be allowed to borrow money. Here's the NYT. The author requested a copy of her own data file from one such data broker, a company named Swift. She received the following:
More than 400 pages long, it contained all the messages I’d ever sent to hosts on Airbnb; years of Yelp delivery orders; a log of every time I’d opened the Coinbase app on my iPhone. Many entries included detailed information about the device I used to do these things, including my IP address at the time. Sift knew, for example, that I’d used my iPhone to order chicken tikka masala, vegetable samosas and garlic naan on a Saturday night in April three years ago. It knew I used my Apple laptop to sign into Coinbase in January 2017 to change my password. Sift knew about a nightmare Thanksgiving I had in California’s wine country, as captured in my messages to the Airbnb host of a rental called “Cloud 9.”
Companies have begun to offer customers a look at their own data records after the EU passed the GPDR and California passed its own Consumer Privacy Act. In June, the Consumer Education Foundation also asked the FTC to investigate the use of these shadow-scores that impact how people are allowed to shop and what offers they receive in ways people generally are not aware of. One point that the article makes is that simply having these voluminous reports is insufficient -- we know absolutely nothing about the algorithms and data analytics being used to track our own behavior. It's not clear if these companies have even found useful ways to measure the traits they claim to measure, while the damage caused by being misclassified by algorithms can impact everything from the interest rates you're offered to the customer service you receive. The problem of bias in algorithms is no longer a theory; corporations like Amazon and Google have acknowledged the current limits of these technologies when forced to do so. That hasn't stopped companies from rushing to implement these ideas, however.
We're at the point where companies are starting to show what data they use to make decisions, but not how they weight or use it. But those things matter. If we're going to invent HumanMark as a society, we humans who will be rated by it ought to have some say in how those ratings take place and how companies are allowed to use the information.
The NYT article steps through the specific process for requesting your own personal data file from Sift (consumer trustworthiness), Zeta Global (identifies high rollers with money to burn), Retail Equation (helps companies decide whether or not to accept a return), Riskified (develops fraud scores), and Kustomer, which promises "unprecedented insights into a customer's past experiences and current sentiment." It also notes that just because companies promise to provide data doesn't mean they actually will, using the example of Kustomer, which has apparently been rather hard to reach.Now Read:


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The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has sought to reassure consumers that the meat they eat is safe, despite recent media reports focusing on “contaminated meat” entering the food chain.
Stating that such reports “do not give the complete picture” of how the food chain actually works, FSA has reported that its Meat Hygiene Inspectors and Official Veterinarians inspect every red meat and poultry carcase for visible contamination and that 99.57% of them pass the test.
FSA then added that the remaining 0.43% is rejected and passed back to the food business, backed by action to rectify any problems that are found.
“This is the work that our staff do day in, day out, 365 days a year,” said FSA. “If it doesn’t pass, then it does not get a health mark and it does not enter the human food chain.
“Hygiene failures are not tolerated by the FSA, and we take robust enforcement action to ensure food businesses improve their procedures to prevent meat becoming contaminated in the first place.
“Ultimately if standards are not improving or the risk to public health is high enough, we take enforcement action up to and including taking away a premises’ approval to operate.”
The agency also said it has no plans to do away with real time meat inspection as it remains a crucial and integral part of the way in which it effectively administers the legal system of controls to assure the public that meat production complies with hygiene and animal welfare controls.
“We remain committed to exploring ways in which we can administer the system of controls in the most effective manner while maintaining the highest standards of hygiene and welfare,” said FSA, adding that any changes will only be made through collaboration and consultation with those affected.
“Ensuring that food is safe will always be at the heart of everything we do.”


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August 11, 2021, | AtoZ Markets– Following the theft of $600 million, considered the largest cyber-attack in the history of cryptocurrencies. Hackers have returned about half of the funds they stole from the Poly Network.
Poly Network connects different types of blockchains so that they can work together. These hackers took advantage of a vulnerability in the platform to steal.
What Is Blockchain?
In simple words, that it is a data chain, or a ledger, or a database. Use the so-called encryption to store numerous transactions in it. Also, this chain or block of data must have several users (nodes) that are in charge of verifying the transactions to validate them.
You can also think of it as a chain of records stored in the forms of blocks which are controlled by no single authority.
Cryptocurrencies are based on blockchain, and each digital currency has its blockchain.
One example of blockchain technology is Bitcoin. Which was the first chain of blocks, and which allowed us to think about using this protocol for thousands of other functions.
How Did the Hackers Do the Theft?
DeFi is a concept used to name a set of financial products. Which have similar characteristics to traditional services but have been created on a blockchain.
The DeFi protocol for the operation of multiple blockchains, Poly Network, was violated on Tuesday, August 10. The attacker, or the hacking group, would have stolen at least $ 600 million in cryptocurrencies and tokens.
Poly Network was attacked on Binance Smart Chain (BSC), Ethereum (ETH), and Polygon (MATIC). Assets have been transferred to the following hackers’ addresses:
Meanwhile, after the theft was revealed, the company issued a statement asking the hackers to return the money.
Cyber-Criminals Returns Part of Funds
Meanwhile, in a bizarre development, the hackers began returning some of the funds they stole. The hackers sent a message to Poly Network embedded in a cryptocurrency transaction saying they were “ready to return” the funds.
DeFi platform responded by requesting that the money be returned via three cryptographic addresses.
As of 7 a.m. London time, more than $4.8 million had been returned to the Poly Network addresses. By 11 a.m. ET, about $258 million had been sent back, said CNBC report.
Then, the company urged cryptocurrency exchanges to “blacklist tokens” coming from the addresses that were linked to the hackers.
According to the stablecoin’s issuer, $33 million of Tether that was part of the theft has been frozen.
DeFi Receives a Lot of Criticism for Its Multiple Attacks
On the other hand, DeFi platforms have become a key target for attacks for some time now.
So far this year, DeFi-related attacks totaled $361 million, according to cryptocurrency compliance firm CipherTrace.
Moreover, in the first seven months of this year, these platforms accounted for 54% of the total crypto fraud volume compared to 3% for all of last year.
Do you want to know more about this news? Write to AtoZ Markets.


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ITC to rule on Apple's Samsung complaint August 1
Administrative Law Judge Thomas B. Pender of the International Trade Commission (ITC) has scheduled a final ruling on one of Apple's lawsuits against Samsung for August 1, 2013.
The ruling in question deals with a decision made by Pender in October of 2012 finding Samsung to be in violation of a design patent and three utility patents owned by Apple. Pender had recommended that the ITC force a ban on certain Samsung products that were infringing on Apple patents, but the ITC returned two of those patents -- dealing with providing translucent images on a display and headphone plug detection circuitry -- back to Pender for him to reconsider.
Florian Mueller of FOSS Patents commented that even if Pender rules in Apple's favor, it's not certain whether or not that will result in a ban on infringing Galaxy products in the US. Samsung has designed workarounds to bypass several of the violations, although Pender will have the final word on whether or not those workarounds are sufficient to keep a ban at bay.
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Sri Lanka to sign free trade agreement with China
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe will attend a high-level forum on the Belt and Road Initiative in Beijing in May, said Karunasena Kodituwakku, Sri Lankan ambassador to China, during the Sri Lankan National Day Celebration on Saturday, reported Reuters.
"2017 is the 69th anniversary of Sri Lanka and the 60th year of the establishment of diplomatic relations with China," said Kodituwakku, adding that "the best way to remember the friendship of both countries is to sign a free trade agreement."
2017 is also the 65th anniversary of the Rubber-Rice Pact between China and Sri Lanka.
China and Sri Lanka are major business partners, yet exports to China takes up less than 5% of Sri Lanka's total exports, much less than the 40% to Europe and the 25% to America, said Consulate General of Sri Lanka in Shanghai Lakshitha Pradeep Ratnayake. ■


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An Australian teenager has pleaded guilty to hacking Apple’s system multiple times in a span of several months, but will not be going to gaol. He said he did it because he’s just a huge Apple fanboy.
The Age reported that Apple had alerted the FBI after the company detected a breach. Then authorities notified the Australian Federal Police, which raided the teen’s home. There agents found 90GB of sensitive files in a folder titled “hacky hack hack”.
A magistrate told the court that the teen (not named for legal reasons) exploited a VPN intended for remote connection, according to Bloomberg. Apple reportedly blocked his access in November 2016, but he regained access last year.
Apple did not immediately respond to a Gizmodo request for comment, but in a statement to Bloomberg Apple said that customers’ personal data was not compromised.
The teen’s lawyer said at the boy’s appearance at Children’s Court in August that he hacked Apple “because he was such a fan” of the company, according to The Age. Bloomberg reports the teen told police that he breached Apple’s systems, in part, because he enjoyed “just being in the corporation pretending you were employees”, and the activity was apparently addictive.
According to Bloomberg, the magistrate told the court that the teenager had shown remorse and had cooperated with law enforcement, and would only be given an eight-month probation instead of gaol time.
“Your offending is serious,” the magistrate said to the teen, according to Bloomberg. “It was sustained, sophisticated, and a successful attack on the security of a major multinational corporation.”
The teen was 16 when he first accessed Apple’s system. According to The Age, he is now 19 and has been accepted at a university where he plans on studying criminology and cyber security.
The Cheapest NBN 50 Plans
It’s the most popular NBN speed in Australia for a reason. Here are the cheapest plans available.


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On March 1, 2016 Gallup released the poll results titled “U.S. Economic Confidence Steady in February.”
Notable excerpts include:
Americans’ confidence in the U.S. economy has held steady since July. Gallup’s Economic Confidence Index averaged -13 in February, within the narrow range of -14 to -11 recorded over the past eight months. Consumers’ confidence in the economy is notably lower than a year ago, when the index registered +1 for February — one of only two positive monthly readings since 2008.
Gallup’s Economic Confidence Index is the average of two components: how Americans rate current economic conditions and whether they believe the economy is getting better or getting worse. The index has a theoretical high of +100, if all Americans rate the current economy as “excellent” or “good” and say it is “getting better.” It has a theoretical low of -100, if all Americans rate the current economy as “poor” and say it is “getting worse.”
In February, 25% of Americans rated current economic conditions as excellent or good, while 30% rated them as poor, resulting in a current conditions score of -5. Meanwhile, 38% of Americans said the economy is getting better and 58% said it is getting worse, resulting in an economic outlook score of -20 — among the lowest economic outlook scores recorded in the past year.
Here is an accompanying chart of the two components (Sub-Indexes) of the Gallup Economic Confidence Index, discussed above:
Here is an accompanying chart of the Gallup Economic Confidence Index:
The Special Note summarizes my overall thoughts about our economic situation
SPX at 1978.35 as this post is written


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June 29, 2012
What You Eat Can Prevent Toxic Accumulations of Arsenic
Millions of people worldwide are exposed to arsenic from contaminated water, and we are all exposed to arsenic via the food we eat. New research published in BioMed Central's open access journal Nutrition Journal has demonstrated that people who ate more dietary vitamin B12 had lower levels of arsenic (measured by deposition in toenails).
Total dietary fat, vegetable fat and saturated fat were also all associated with lower levels of arsenic, while omega 3 fatty acids, such as those found in fish oil, were associated with increased arsenic.
Inside the body arsenic is methylated to aid excretion in urine but arsenic also has an affinity for keratin and can be deposited in hair and nails as they grow. Consequently levels of arsenic preserved in nails or hair can be used as a biomarker for arsenic exposure over periods of months to years.
Researchers from Dartmouth College and the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth looked at the levels of arsenic in toenails of residents of New Hampshire who all use private groundwater wells as their household water source.
Results of the study showed that arsenic in nails was positively associated with both alcohol and omega 3 fatty acids, however, lower levels of arsenic were found for people who ate greater amounts of vegetable and animal fat. Prof Kathy Cottingham, who directed the study, explained, "While there may be a direct interaction between fats and arsenic preventing absorption or binding to keratin in nails, the results may simply reflect dietary preference, with people who eat a diet rich in fats not eating foods high in arsenic, such as rice."
Animal fat is one type of saturated fat to be cautious when consuming since many factory farming practices add common cancer-causing agents containing arsenic to chicken feed. The same applies for beef where cows are exposed to arsenic through improper handling, soil pollution and environmental toxins.
Joann Gruber, who led the study, noted that, "Humans can be very efficient at removing arsenic from the body. Improved methylation reduces the amount of inorganic arsenic circulating in the body. Surprisingly, we didn't see a reduction in toenail arsenic with other dietary factors known to be necessary for arsenic methylation such as folic acid. This may be because the population we sampled had adequate amounts of these factors in their diet."
The authors are currently working on similar studies in children, through the Children's Environmental Health and Disease Prevention Center at Dartmouth.


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Highly consumed brand Torrero Liqueur has for the second year running awarded best locally blended liqueur at the People’s Choice Quality Awards presided over by Amos Lugoloobi – State Minister of Finance Planning and Economic Development at the Kampala Serena Hotel.
People’s Choice Quality Awards is an organization in Uganda that recognizes business excellence annually by conducting comprehensive and objective independent market research surveys.
The panel of judges were impressed by the distinctive, flavourful drink with the perfect balance of sweet blend that achieves smoothness and refreshment that everyone can enjoy.
Torrero Liqueur has become somewhat of a cult favorite among Uganda for its highly refreshing taste.
This latest recognition caps a remarkable run of success for Yuti Breweriies, which is Uganda’s freshest distillery with a passion for brewing some of the most pleasurable spirits since 2020, prompting Public Relations Manager Daniel Obwor to describe the business as “arguably the finest in Uganda”.
“It’s such an incredible recognition of the work our team does every day to ensure our liqueur is distilled and served at the absolute highest quality,” he said.
“In every drink we make, we want to give our customers a taste of the good life we enjoy here in the Pearl of Africa.”
“Yuti Breweriies would like to take this splendid moment to put forward our commitment to give back to our diligent consumers out there as a true representation of our value “OUR PEOPLE, OUR TASTE”.
Torrero Liqueur manufacturer—Yuti Breweries recently unveiled a new version dubbed ‘Torrero Wild’ a smoother variant of the popular original liqueur.
It is the latest addition to the Torrero Family with the company reducing on Alcohol content by up to 5.3% in the new smoother product.
The original Torrero Liqueur which is still available on the market has upto 42.8% of alcohol content while the new version has been reduced to 37.5% but with a smoother and refreshing taste.
It is identified as a softer version of original Torrero which still has the same refreshing effect.


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TARION’s Annual Public Meeting to be held today April 30, 2014 has been overwhelmed with consumer response to attend and ask questions. Tarion will allot only 1 hour for questions/answers. With over 250 consumers attending in person, and over 160+ via Webcast, Tarion finally agreed at the last minute to extend the meeting room to accommodate consumers traveling from all over Ontario.
Here are some of the questions MPP Rosario Marchese (whose Bill 139 calls for greater transparency and oversight of Tarion) Tweeted to his followers today, which he says should be asked of Tarion at its Annual Public Meeting:
– Why the increase in “illegal building” (new homes built without warranty), if Tarion says its clamping down on it?
– Why has Tarion not hired inspectors to inspect their registered builders work, while the law (the ONHWPA) requires it?
– How can Tarion serve the consumers who pay is bills while being controlled by the developers it is supposed to regulate?
– The Province makes consumers pay fees to Tarion, which has a monopoly on home warranties. How do we know they are getting value for money?
– Why has Tarion failed to address transparency problems reveled in this Toronto Star investigation (July 6, 2013)?
– Average pay at Tarion over 100,000 per year; How much goes to CEO, COO, and 9 Vice-Presidents? (Tarion is not subject to the Sunshine List, and is not obliged to disclose executive pay.)
– “Is Tarion another ORNGE?” If not, will Tarion open its books and prove it?
These questions deserve answers. Consumers will do their best to get them at the Annual Public Meeting.