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In response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, a wholesale grocery startup based in San Francisco has organized a social movement to connect the community during this time of crisis with its #FoodGiving open fridge movement.
Cheetah will be placing fully stocked refrigerators across the Bay Area, and is encouraging people to take what they need at no cost. For Cheetah, this is a way to help those in need while reducing its own food waste.
Cheetah launched as a food supply app for restaurants in 2015. Initially, it was a delivery service that picked up supplies from stores and delivered them to restaurants to save businesses time. In September 2019, the company launched its warehouse in Pleasanton, Calif., and have since started serving customers directly from our warehouse.
“In March 2020, when COVID-19 hit the Bay Area, we decided to pivot and open up our service to consumers as well. This pivot came to light because we saw a vast community of people who did not safely and conveniently have access to food or who had lost their jobs and needed an affordable place to shop for their families,” says Alexa Weiser, consumer operations lead for Cheetah. “Cheetah set up a contact-free pickup and delivery service for consumers around the Bay Area to allow them to shop for restaurant-quality products at wholesale prices.”
Waste360 recently sat down with Weiser to discuss the #FoodGiving movement and food waste solutions.
Waste360: Is food insecurity a big problem in the U.S.?
Alexa Weiser: Absolutely. Food insecurity in the U.S. has been a big problem for some time, and COVID-19 has exacerbated it even further, due to record unemployment highs. The food service industry was one of the hardest-hit sectors, which we got to see first-hand as many of our restaurant customers had to temporarily or permanently shut down operations.
Waste360: How has COVID-19 impacted food insecurity?
Alexa Weiser: Food insecurity and homelessness have always been a big issue in the Bay Area. During
Covid-19, several businesses had to shut down, and many people lost their jobs. This single event devastated millions of people and exacerbated the food insecurity crisis in the Bay Area.
In addition, when the pandemic first began, several grocery stores were in short supply of food and other necessities. Everyone had to get used to a new reality, and for many people, it was and still is tough to come by food.
Waste360: What are you doing to connect and unite the community during this time of crisis?
Alexa Weiser: Cheetah has taken two major steps to unite the community during this time of crisis.
First, we have expanded our offering to open up to consumers. Our mission to serve business restaurant-quality food at transparent prices has stayed consistent; however, we've broadened our scope to give consumers access to wholesale groceries at a time where many of them need it most.
Now both businesses and individuals can order groceries at wholesale prices and have them delivered directly to their homes or pick them up at one of our contact-free free pickup locations around the Bay Area.
Second, we launched the #FoodGiving initiative by setting up community fridges around the Bay
Area. Cheetah has been donating to many organizations and food pantries for years; however,
COVID-19 further increased people's strain to access food, and we wanted to do more to help.
Inspired by the community fridges placed throughout New York and LA, Cheetah has been partnering with different organizations to set up public fridges around the Bay Area and invite people to take what they need and give what they can.
All of this work is happening to ensure that community members can come together and have a safe place to get free access to food whenever they need it. Cheetah is donating fresh produce, dairy, bread, and snack items to these fridges weekly. We are also collaborating with local artists to decorate the fridges and bring recognition to their work.
Waste360: What is the #FoodGiving movement?
Alexa Weiser: Cheetah's mission is to help businesses and communities thrive together. We have always believed food to be a gift. Based on our values and beliefs came the #FoodGiving movement, an initiative to help people and families in need, suffering from food insecurity during a time of great uncertainty.
The #FoodGiving campaign also raises awareness for two very critical topics: food waste and food insecurity. The campaign directly addresses these issues by assuring that fresh food reaches those who need it and does not go to waste.
Cheetah has always been very active in donating to the community through food banks and other charitable organizations, but we realized that we could make a greater impact by also bringing food directly to people. There are currently four fridges placed throughout the Bay Area in Oakland, San Jose, and Castro Valley. We are continuously looking to add fridges, so please reach out to the Cheetah team if you know of a location or partner that would like to work with us.
Cheetah has been collaborating with several different host families and non-profits to host the fridges, as well as local artists to come and transform these fridges into beautiful works of art. Each fridge is personally designed by a different Bay Area artist to send positive messages to people using the fridge and to bring recognition to local artists.
Waste360: How are you placing fully stocked fridges across the Bay Area?
Alexa Weiser: There's a couple of ways a fridge can get set up, the easiest one being to reach out to the Cheetah support team. Our current fridges have either been set up by Cheetah actively reaching out to organizations in communities of need or by host families reaching out directly to Cheetah to partner together. Once we finalize a location, the setup and first donation can happen in less than three days.
Waste360: Who is powering those fridges, and where are they located?
Alexa Weiser: There are currently four fridges placed throughout the Bay Area, with more coming soon. The fridges are all hosted by local families or non-profit organizations willing to place the fridge on their property and keep them powered. The hosts monitor that the food remains in good condition and communicate with Cheetah when the fridges need restocking. Our partners are an integral part of the #FoodGiving movement.
Waste360: Who can access these fridges?
Alexa Weiser: The fridges are available for everyone to access and take what they need. People suffering from food insecurity can visit any of the fridges and take the food they need for themselves and their families. Cheetah encourages everyone to spread the word, so people in need know how to access this free resource.
Waste360: How are you getting the food donated?
Alexa Weiser: The food donated to the fridges comes from Cheetah's warehouse in Pleasanton. Cheetah is stocking the fridges with various healthy foods such as fresh produce, dairy, eggs, rice, bread, and snacks, which we restock weekly. Members of the community also supplement the Cheetah donations by dropping off extra items they are not using. Items sealed and in good condition can be donated to the fridge by anyone who wants to help.
Waste360: Who can participate in the #FoodGiving movement?
Alexa Weiser: I want to invite anyone interested to come and join the #FoodGiving movement. Anyone can participate, whether through hosting a fridge, donating food, or spreading the word. We would also love to collaborate with other companies interested in joining and expanding the movement.


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Fix Auto USA Names Alex Doria as 2022 Rookie of the Year
Oct. 14, 2022—Fix Auto named Alex Doria as the Fix Auto USA Rookie of the Year for 2022, according to a press release.
The achievement was presented during the final day of the 2022 Fix Auto USA Conference, which ran from Oct. 2 to Oct. 4 in Coronado, California. Doria is the owner and operator of Fix Auto Santee and joined Fix Auto as a franchisee in October 2020.
“Having been in and around the industry for many years, I was ready to open my own facility,” said Doria via the press release. “Coming in during such a difficult time had its challenges, but with the support of the programs that Fix Auto USA offers, I was put in a great spot and have only been able to grow from here.”
Doria prioritized both customer service and marketing to help Fix Auto Santee truly stand out.
“Alex Doria is a role model for tackling a new challenge with enthusiasm and a positive attitude to create a successful business,” said Sabrina Thring, collision chief operating officer, Driven Brands, via the press release. “He brought his experience, passion and commitment to customer service to become one of our top store owners in the Fix family. Congratulations to Alex and his entire team at Fix Auto Santee!”

domain: news


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Sept 18 (Reuters) - Salesforce.com Inc CRM.N will create 12,000 jobs over the next year, including 4,000 positions in the coming six months, Chief Executive Officer Marc Benioff said in a tweet on Friday.
Since the COVID-19 outbreak that has forced people to stay and work from home, the company's online business software that supports remote work and e-commerce has seen significant demand.
The software maker, which recently joined the Dow Jones Industrial Average index, currently employs nearly 54,000 workers globally.
The company did not immediately respond to a request for additional details on the hiring. (https://bit.ly/3hHhTiU)
(Reporting by Tiyashi Datta in Bengaluru; Editing by Shinjini Ganguli)
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.


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Consumers downloaded a record 204 billion apps in 2019, up 6% from 2018 and up 45% since 2016, and spent $120 billion on apps, subscriptions and other in-app spending in the past year. The average mobile user, meanwhile, is spending 3.7 hours per day using apps. This data and more comes from App Annie’s annual report, “State of Mobile,” which highlights the biggest app trends for the past year, and sets forecasts for the years ahead.
According to App Annie, the record growth in mobile downloads in 2019 can be attributed to the growth taking place in emerging markets like India, Brazil and Indonesia, which have seen downloads soar 190%, 40% and 70%, respectively, since 2016. Meanwhile, download growth in the U.S. has slowed to just 5% during that same time, while China saw 80% growth.
That doesn’t mean users in mature markets aren’t downloading apps, only that the growth in year-over-year download numbers is starting to level off. Still, these more mature markets continue to see large numbers of installs, with more than 12.3 billion downloads in the U.S. in 2019, 2.5 billion in Japan and 2 billion in South Korea.
The record numbers are notable also, given that App Annie’s analysis excludes re-installs and app updates.
App store consumer spending was on the rise in 2019, as well, with $120 billion spent on apps — a figure that’s up 2.1x from 2016. Games continue to account for the majority (72%) of that spending, but the shift toward subscriptions has played a role, too. Last year, subscriptions in non-gaming apps accounted for 28% of consumer spending, up from 18% in 2016.
Subscriptions are now the primary way many non-gaming apps generate revenue. For example, 97% of consumer spending in the top 250 U.S. iOS apps was driven by subscriptions, and 94% of the apps used subscriptions. On Google Play, 91% of the consumer spending was subscription-based, while 79% of the top 250 apps used subscriptions.
In particular, dating apps like Tinder and video apps like Netflix and Tencent Video topped 2019’s consumer spend charts, thanks to subscription revenue.


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Now in possession of a distilled spirits permit, Atwater Brewing Co. is launching a line of spirits tonight to coincide with its one-year anniversary celebration of its Atwater in the Park location in Grosse Pointe Park.
Atwater purchased an industrial distilling system to produce the spirits.
"We are very excited to introduce a whiskey as the first in our line of handcrafted spirits," said Atwater Brewing President Mark Rieth in a statement. "For us, it has always been about making fantastic high quality liquids, this keeps things fresh for us and has everyone excited."
Atwater's whiskey, rum, vodka and gin will be available soon at the restaurant and eventually at the taproom in Detroit.
Atwater in the Park is located at 1175 Lakepointe St., Grosse Pointe Park.


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New Delhi, April 01: Burglars broke into a cloth shop in west Delhi and decamped with over Rs.35 lakh in cash kept in a safe there, police said Thursday.
“The burglary came to light Thursday morning at Tayal Cloth House located in KJ1 Block in Rajapuri area in Dabri when the shop owner Khusiram Tayal found one wall broken of the shop broken and cash missing from a safe,” said a senior police officer.
“Tayal’s three sons – Rajesh, Ravi and Kamal, who run the shop, reported that Rs.35 lakhs cash and a 35 gram gold chain kept in the safe had been taken by the thieves,” said the officer.
Tayal’s are also involved in property dealings. “The cash was kept there to make payment for a property they were planning to buy. The burglars managed to find the keys of the safe kept inside the shop and easily opened the safe,” said the officer.
According to police, Tayal’s soms had left the shop around 11 pm Wednesday night for their residence in Vijay Vihar in Uttam Nagar area.
Police have registered a case and launched investigations. No arrests have been made so far.


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The inaugural meeting of Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council’s Fairtrade Steering Group has taken place.
The group is currently finalising an application to achieve Fairtrade status for the Borough and the six towns of Ballycastle, Ballymoney, Coleraine, Limavady, Portrush and Portstewart.
Rathlin Island became a Fairtrade Island in 2013.
The Mayor of Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council, Councillor Sean Bateson, said: “We are delighted to support this initiative to attain Fairtrade Borough status and play our part in helping the most marginalised farmers and producers in the developing world.
“Fairtrade is about better prices, decent working conditions and fairer terms of trade for farmers and workers in the developing world. It guarantees more control over their own future by protecting the environment in which they live and work.”
The Fairtrade certification mark is an independent consumer label and can only appear on products from developing countries.
While there are other ethical labels, Fairtrade is the only certification whose purpose is to tackle poverty, end exploitation (human trafficking/child labour) and uphold the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the developing world.
Once the group achieves Fairtrade status, it will continue to meet to raise awareness, promote Fairtrade Fortnight and encourage more businesses, schools, churches and organisations to become involved and use products bearing the Fairtrade certification mark.
The Fairtrade Steering Group welcomes new members, so for further information and to become involved email email@example.com
To find out what Fairtrade is all about please visit: www.northernirelandfairtrade.org, www.fairtrade.org.uk or www.fairtrade.ie.


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The Pacific Island Trade Commissioner in New Zealand is commending the increased efforts by the New Zealand government and the private sector to cut the huge trade imbalance with Pacific countries.
Currently Pacific countries have a 700 million US dollar trade deficit with New Zealand.
Chris Cocker says a recent agriculture trade mission to Tonga tried to address the issues stopping island countries from accessing the New Zealand market.
He says many small island states still need help to improve export standards to meet New Zealand's stringent quarantine requirements and to provide quality on demand.
"The New Zealand government is addressing that. John Key has been very active in that case, and I mean they've been to the Pacific, Murray McCully has just visited, and then we had the Manukau Trade Mission and then we sent also our agriculture trade mission that just went in so in the first two quarters of this year there's been a very active interest from the New Zealand market in trying to strengthen and address that huge trade deficit that happens between New Zealand and the Pacific."
Chris Cocker, Pacific Island Trade Commissioner in New Zealand.


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Business activity in Nigeria contracted in October for the first time in seven months, declining near levels seen in the thick of the cash shortages that rocked the economy in the first quarter of the year, a new Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) report has shown.
The latest monthly PMI by Stanbic IBTC Bank released on Wednesday showed the headline index dropped to 49.1 in October from 51.1 in the previous month. Readings above 50.0 signal an improvement in business conditions, while those below show deterioration.
October’s PMI also marks the third time activity in the private sector contracted in Africa’s biggest economy this year.
The last time the country’s business activity shrank was in March following the fallout of the severe cash shortages caused by the naira redesign policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria.
“The headline PMI dropped below the 50.0 no-change mark for the first time in seven months in October, thereby signalling a deterioration in business conditions in the private sector,” the report said.
It said at 49.1, the index was down from September’s reading of 51.1 and signalled a slight worsening of operating conditions.
“Central to the challenges for firms in October was the sharpest rise in overall input prices since the survey began almost a decade ago. Purchase costs were up rapidly, largely due to currency weakness but also the lingering impacts of the removal of the fuel subsidy,” it added.
“We are now seeing the reality of the economy. The high cost of sourcing foreign exchange, logistics and energy have dampened investors and consumers’ confidence,” Muda Yusuf, chief executive officer of the Centre for Promotion of Private Enterprises, said.
The PMI index, which measures the performance of the private sector, is derived from a survey of 400 companies from agriculture, manufacturing, services, construction and retail sectors.
It is a composite index based on five individual indexes with the following weights: new orders (30 percent), output (25 percent), employment (20 percent), suppliers’ delivery times (15 percent) and stock of items purchased (10 percent), with the delivery times index inverted so that it moves in a comparable direction.
May’s PMI stood at 54.0, recording the highest growth since the beginning of the year. Until September, the index had declined consecutively for three months.
“Prices have remained elevated, with input and purchase prices remaining at period highs. Input prices increased materially across the major sectors covered, with inflationary pressures most pronounced in wholesale and retail and manufacturing,” Muyiwa Oni, head of equity research, West Africa at Stanbic IBTC Bank, said.
Femi Egbesola, national president of Association of Small Business Owners of Nigeria, said: “The negative growth should have been recorded even before now. Businesses have not just shrunk but quite a number of businesses have also folded up.
“From our own research, over 20 percent have closed shop this year. And we are not seeing any new policy or direction that shows that change is at sight.”
Since May 29 when President Bola Tinubu announced the removal of the petrol subsidy, petrol price has tripled to N617 from N184, while the value of the naira has plunged following the floating of the currency. The naira weakened from 463.38/$ to 789.94/$ as at October 27 on the official market, while the parallel market rate stood at N1,200/$.
The high cost of dollars and the implementation of a 7.5 percent value added tax on diesel imports, which was suspended in September, pushed its pump price to as high as N1,200 per litre.
The rising cost of energy and FX pushed the country’s inflation rate to an 18-year high of 26.72 percent in September from 25.80 percent in the previous month, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.
“The inflationary environment depressed consumer demand in the month of October, pausing the steady pace of new business expansion for the first time in six months,” authors of the PMI report said.
They noted that the majority of the respondents also signalled an increase in purchase prices linked mainly to exchange rate weakness and higher fuel costs. “The rate of inflation hit a new peak in the survey’s history.”
Last month, the Presidential Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms Committee, chaired by Taiwo Oyedele, presented recommendations to the president towards addressing critical economic issues including exchange rate management, impact of fuel subsidy removal, moderation of inflation and facilitating economic growth.
Some of them are tax breaks for the private sector in respect of wage increases to low-income earners, transport subsidy and net increase in employment and suspension of Value Added Tax on diesel and tax waivers on Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), CNG conversion, and renewable energy items.
Others include comprehensive review of tariffs on the 43 items unbanned from accessing forex in the official market and fiscal policy review of other items prohibited for imports.
“We only hope that something positive happens in the economy by the time the tax reforms are implemented,” Egbesola of ASBON said.


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2019 Ford F350 King Ranch DRW
King Ranch Ultimate Package
6x 24" American Force Independence Rims
6x Toyo Open County M/T 37x13.5x24
Tool box/Transfer tank combo
Full tint with moon roof tint
WeatherTech Floor Mats
EZ Lynk DPF Delete with Tunes
Ranch Hand Front and Rear Bumpers, Paint to match
2x JL 10W3 with JL 5 ch amp & Rockford door speakers
Readylift Level Kit
Dual steering stabilizer with Bilstein shocks
All service by Power Stroke Magic with records
2019 Ford F-350 King Ranch on 2040-cars
Paris, Texas, United States
2019 Ford F350 King Ranch DRW
Ford F-350 for Sale
Auto Services in Texas
Yale Auto ★★★★★
World Car Mazda Service ★★★★★
Wilson`s Automotive ★★★★★
Wetzel`s Automotive ★★★★★
Auto blogThu, 18 Jul 2013 14:00:00 EST
A new report from Mustangs Daily, citing insider sources at Ford, tells us that the Blue Oval will produce 1,000 next-generation Mustangs with the model year designation of 2014 ½, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the storied marque. The commemorative half-year designation is a rumor that's been swirling in Mustang forums for quite some time now, and seems more plausible than ever with this most recent report. Certainly it's not far-fetched to believe that Ford will want to make a big deal of the golden anniversary for its most-loved model.
The story (compiled by Drew Phillips, who runs the aforementioned Mustang site when he's not directing the photography on these pages) goes on to say that the limited-run cars will be the first built on the new Mustang platform internally known as S550 (and spied testing in the attached gallery). Each car is said to carry a "special" VIN and build number, though no performance upgrades versus the 2015 cars to follow are in the works. A collector's dream then, rather than a weekend racer's.
Consumer Reports criticizes small turbo engines for misleading performance, fuel economy claims [w/video]Tue, 05 Feb 2013 10:13:00 EST
Consumer Reports has taken aim at at small-displacement, forced-induction engines, saying the powerplants don't manage to deliver on automaker fuel economy claims. Manufacturers have long held that smaller, turbocharged engines pack all power of their larger displacement cousins with significantly better fuel economy, but the research organization says that despite scoring high EPA economy numbers, the engines are no better than conventional drivetrains in both categories. Jake Fisher, director of automotive testing for Consumer Reports, says the forced induction options "are often slower and less fuel efficient than larger four and six-cylinder engines."
Specifically, CR calls out the new Ford Fusion equipped with the automaker's Ecoboost 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine. The institute's researchers found the engine, which is a $795 option over the base 2.5-liter four-cylinder, fails to match competitors in acceleration and served up 25 miles per gallon in testing, putting the sedan dead last among other midsize options.
The Chevrolet Cruze, Hyundai Sonata Turbo and Ford Escape 2.0T all got dinged for the same troubles, though Consumer Reports has found the turbo 2.0-liter four-cylinder in the BMW 328i does deliver on its promises. You can check out the full press release below. You can also read the full study on the Consumer Reports site, or scroll down for a short video recap.
Nine Japanese suppliers have pleaded guilty in US court over charges of price fixing in the automotive parts industry, resulting in the Department of Justice doling out a total of $740 million of fines, according to a report from Bloomberg. The scandal, which has resulted in General Motors, Ford, Toyota and Chrysler spending up to $5 billion on inflated parts and driving up prices on 25 million vehicles has sent the DoJ hustling into investigations. "The conduct this investigation uncovered involved more than a dozen separate conspiracies aimed at the U.S. economy," Attorney General Eric Holder (pictured above) said during yesterday's press conference.
As the investigation stands, the DoJ has issued $1.6 billion in fines against 20 companies and 21 individual executives, with 17 of the execs headed to prison. Deputy Assistant Attorney General Scott Hammond said, "The breadth of the conspiracies brought to light today are as egregious as they are pervasive. They involve more than a dozen separate conspiracies operating independently but all sharing in common that they targeted US automotive manufacturers."
Big-name suppliers indicted in the investigation include Mitsubishi Electric, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Hitachi Automotive and Mitsuba Corporation. A list of fines and other corporations named in the investigation is available at Bloomberg.


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The popular mobile game, Kim Kardashian: Hollywood, is set to shut down after almost a decade of generating massive revenue. Launched in June 2014, the game allowed users to step into the glamorous world of Hollywood, climb the social ladder, and create their own path to stardom. However, as of April 8, 2024, the red carpet will roll up for the last time.
The free-to-play game, developed by Glu Mobile, became an instant hit, attracting both gamers and those new to the gaming world.
Players started at the E-list and aimed to achieve A-list status, navigating a virtual universe filled with runway fashion, fame, and celebrity encounters.
The game’s experience went beyond the virtual Hollywood, featuring appearances from Kim Kardashian’s family members, including Khloé Kardashian, Kourtney Kardashian, and Kris Jenner.
In its first two years alone, Kim Kardashian: Hollywood reportedly raked in a $157 million in sales. Although the lifetime revenue remains undisclosed, the game continued to perform well, contributing to Glu Mobile’s financial success.
The company, acquired by Electronic Arts in 2021 for $2.1 billion, credited the resurgence of the game for its earnings during the full-year 2020 financial results.
Players could buy virtual currency, known as K-stars, to acquire in-game items such as clothing, shoes, accessories, and even accelerate their progress within the game.
The controversy surrounding microtransactions, the game leveraged this monetization strategy effectively, generating over $200 million in its first year alone, with a portion contributing to Kim Kardashian’s earnings.
Kim Kardashian took an active role in the development process of Kim Kardashian: Hollywood. According to a 2014 Wall Street Journal interview with Glu’s then-CEO Niccolo De Masi, Kardashian approved not only the use of her likeness but also every item of clothing featured in the game.
This hands-on approach contributed to the authenticity of the game. Kim Kardashian: Hollywood was a game with cultural phenomenon that defied expectations.
Critics questioned the viability of a game centered around a celebrity’s life, but its success challenged norms and paved the way for a new genre of mobile games tailored toward young women. Polygon even named it one of the 100 best games of the decade.
The announcement of the game’s closure shocked many loyal players who had been actively engaged in the virtual Hollywood lifestyle for almost a decade.
In a statement to People, Kim Kardashian expressed her gratitude to the people, acknowledging the importance of the journey but addressing her decision to focus on other passions.
Also Read: God of War Ragnarök: Valhalla DLC Review
Glu Mobile’s official statement, posted on its user forums, outlined the discontinuation of in-app purchases and the removal of the game from major app stores.
However, existing players have until April 8, 2024, to continue playing and utilizing any in-game virtual currency.
As Kim Kardashian: Hollywood prepares to bid farewell, its financial achievements, the game played a role in challenging stereotypes and opening up new avenues for games catered to diverse audiences. The rise and fall of the game is the end of an era in mobile gaming.
From reality TV star to business mogul, Kardashian has ventured into various industries, demonstrating her entrepreneurial prowess.
One of her most successful ventures post-gaming has been the creation of the underwear and apparel brand, Skims.
The brand, which expanded to include men’s clothing, has seen success and speculation of an initial public offering (IPO) for the company.
Additionally, Kim Kardashian cofounded a private equity firm named SKYY Partners in 2023. The firm made its first investment in Truff, a trendy condiment company specializing in truffle-infused sauces.


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In 2019, creators Ousman Sahko Sow and Akin Adebowale had two questions: what would a streaming platform for a digitally savvy Black audience look like? And how could it become a destination for Black talent?
In answering those questions one of the things the two men discovered was Black creators weren’t receiving compensation for their efforts. That led them on their journey to create BlackTag, which focuses on spotlighting Black creatives and safe spaces for Black audiences to divulge their interests,Business Insider reports.
BlackTag aims to build a product in the mold of YouTube and Netflix with a mix of produced shows that span music, travel, and more; licensed short films; and original videos made by creators. The goal is to become the destination for advertisers and brands looking to work with Black creators and to attract Black audiences.
“What we focus on is specifically alternative creators and niche Black audiences that we think are currently massively underserved,” Sow told the outlet.
BlackTag features films and short videos on everything from Space to video games as well as profiles of the filmmakers, musicians, and artists. The platform also has live entertainment, on-demand content, original offerings, and licensed products. Users can share content with other social media sites.
Sow and Adebowale launched BlackTag in October 2020 and their success was immediate as they had a $3.75 million dollar funding round just a month later and the two men said their app was named in the Facebook documents leaked last October.
The site already features more than 100 creators and artists. Some of the apps’ content can be watched whenever, but the majority of the site’s content is only available live, something the two men planned.
“It’s like the old days when we would gather to watch something that airs at 9 p.m.,” Adebowale, 33, told the New York Times. “We want a communal experience and an antidote to the endless stream of content.”
In order to appeal to Black creators, BlackTag plans on sharing the intellectual property rights on series and specials with the creators. This will allow creators on BlackTag to license their videos to streaming sites like Netflix and Youtube. Typically, most social media and entertainment sites own 100% of creator content.
The company hopes to get original shows, licensed movies, and content from Black creators from across the world including from the U.S., Africa, and other countries in the Black diaspora.


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Dealers slam proposed new licence regulations
The European Union is considering stringent new import licence regulations on cultural goods over 250 years old in order to help fight the funding of terrorism through illicit trade. The proposal as it stands is being fiercely opposed by international dealer associations, whose lobbyists argue that it is ill thought out and will damage the market.
The planned regulations would require art, antiques and antiquities that are more than 250 years old (regardless of their value) to have import licences in order to enter an EU country. Particularly vulnerable material, such as items originating from areas that are now conflict zones, would need an import licence to be issued in advance from the country to which it was going, requiring evidence that it had been legally exported from its origin. Brexit means that UK dealers could largely escape the regulations, unless the British government decides to mirror the European measures, which is possible. However, the new system will still affect UK and international dealers who exhibit in European art fairs, as import licences will be required for stock shown.
A European Commission paper claims the proposed new system will help preserve heritage objects—“reducing tracking in cultural goods, combating terrorism financing and protecting
cultural heritage, especially archaeological objects in source countries affected by armed conflict”.
The Commission argues that existing national legislation affecting cultural imports varies from country to country, an inconsistency that needs to be tackled at a European level. Certain states have weaker systems, encouraging criminals who want to import illicitly acquired cultural objects to do so using “the more vulnerable routes”. According to the Commission, those in the legitimate trade affected by the proposed regulations only represent “a very small part of the art market”, although there will still be costs to dealers and the administering governmental authorities. It says costs to the trade will not be “unreasonable” and could well be recovered from collectors, since dealers may “possibly charge higher prices”. However, dealer organisations reject this claim and say the proposal will have a widespread negative financial and administrative impact on the trade. Anthony Browne, the chairman of the British Art Market Federation, says the regulations would “set levels of due diligence that are unattainable, impose licensing costs that would make a significant part of the market uneconomic and cause lengthy delays that would make the temporary import of goods for exhibiting at fairs impossible”.
CINOA, the international confederation of art and antique dealer associations, opposes the regulations because they would “add costs and paperwork to the operation of art and antiques businesses throughout Europe, particularly dealers participating in art fairs abroad”.
The CINOA spokeswoman adds that the regulations will have “a disproportionately negative impact on the legitimate art and antiques market”, which it estimates was worth around €17.5bn in 2016. The International Association of Dealers in Ancient Art takes a similar line, saying that the proposed new regulations are “not necessary, are based on a false premise, are inappropriate, ill-thought out and potentially highly damaging for the trade”.
Sally Burdon, the president of the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers (ILAB,) says “that as it was originally written, the proposed legislation is not workable for antiquarian booksellers, European librarians, private collectors or the many others involved for business or pleasure with old books or manuscripts”. ILAB is suggesting the proposal be amended by setting a higher age than 250 years, introducing a value threshold and deleting the requirement to identify the ‘source country’ for books.
A committee vote is expected in July. The proposal would then come before the European Parliament in the autumn.
>> This article was first published in The Art Newspaper, Printed Edition June 2018.
It is published here with the permission of the authors and Art Newspaper Editorial, Anna Brady and Martin Bailey.


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Get your nanosuit ready, Crysis is here for your console!
-Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:ERTS) and award-winning developer Crytek GmbH, announced today that the critically-acclaimed, single-player campaign from the PC hit Crysis® is now available for purchase on PlayStation®Network and Xbox LIVE® Games on Demand for $19.99 or 1600 Microsoft Points. Gamers can now play with improved Nanosuit gamepad controls and fine-tuned combat as they take full advantage of CryENGINE 3®’s visual optimizations in this thrilling downloadable version ofCrysis for consoles, which also has full stereoscopic 3D support.
“We’re really excited to bring the legendary Crysis to gamers who weren’t able to experience it the first time around”
“We’re really excited to bring the legendary Crysisto gamers who weren’t able to experience it the first time around,” said Cevat Yerli, Chief Executive Officer of Crytek. “The CryENGINE 3 has allowed us to remaster the single-player campaign and make significant advancements to the gameplay. We’ve added a new lighting system, some advanced rendering techniques and most importantly, we’ve optimized the Nanosuit controls to utilize its full potential on a gamepad. We really hope that gamers will enjoy playing the game as much as we’ve enjoyed developing it.”
In 2007, critics around the world hailed Crysisas the PC game that ushered in the next-generation of gaming with jaw-dropping visuals, industry leading technology and groundbreaking sandbox gameplay, featuring the super-powerful Nanosuit. Today, gamers will have the chance to utilize the Nanosuit as they fast forward to 2019 where a team of US scientists make a frightening discovery on an island in the South China Sea. All contact with the team is lost when the North Korean Government quickly seals off the area. The United States responds by dispatching an elite team of Delta Force Operators to recon the situation. As tension rises between the two nations, a massive alien ship reveals itself in the middle of the island. Now with hope rapidly fading, the US and North Koreans must join forces to battle the alien menace, fighting epic battles through stunning, photorealistic tropical jungles and frozen landscapes.
For more information on Crysis, please visit http://crysis.ea.com or http://mycrysis.com and follow the game on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/crysis or “Like” Crysis on Facebook at http://facebook.com/crysis.


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MONTREAL - The Canadian Securities Administrators said Thursday it plans to establish an advisory panel to represent the interests of retail investors on Canada-wide policy issues.
The CSA said it wants the new group to bring more retail investor perspectives to regulation, as well as to improve dialogue between those investors and provincial regulators.
CSA Chair Louis Morisset said in a statement that retail investors have been asking for more structured and sustained engagement with regulators.
Currently retail investors provide feedback on proposed rules through comment letters or ad hoc engagement with CSA members.
The CSA, which is the umbrella organization of Canada's provincial and territorial securities regulators, says it is seeking comments on the proposed panel and will open the site to accept applications after the comment period ends on Feb. 1.
It says the panel will be composed of experts on retail investing from across the country with an aim for a diversity of backgrounds. The CSA expects to name members by the spring.


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As the harmattan weather bites harder, some women on Tuesday at the Kasuwan Barci market, Kaduna were buying warm second hand clothing for themselves and their families.
The women, who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria said that they preferred to buy second hand sweaters and other wears due to their durability and affordability.
Aisha Aliyu, a housewife said she came all the way from Hayin Dan-Bushiya to buy sweaters for her children to protect them from the cold weather.
She said that the prices of the clothes were fair as there were not much difference from that of last year.
Yammade Alpha, a resident of Jaji said that she came to the market to buy warm clothes for herself and her husband.
“You know, Kasuwan Barci is a centre for second hand clothes; if you want good quality and affordable second hand clothes then you must visit the market.
“As you can see, the market is full with people who are buying warm clothes, caps and even stockings due to the cold weather,” she said.
Another consumer, Fatima Idris said she normally bought children sweaters, socks and caps at wholesale prices and resell at home.
Meanwhile, some second hand clothes dealers in the market expressed happiness over the high patronage.
Abubakar Iliyasu said the market was moving well even with the current economic situation of the country due to its affordability.
“With the recent closure of borders by the Federal Government, it is hard to get the goods but when it gets to the market; people rush it.
“An adult jacket ranges from N1, 000 to N1, 500 and we sell about 500 pieces per day which is equivalent to N500, 000 because we sell in both wholesale and retail,” he said.
Another dealer, Yasir Abubakar said he sold second hand children clothes at the rate of N300 to N500 each, adding that he sold at least 50 pieces every day.
Hassan Barau, a socks and cap dealer said most of his customers were women, adding that he sold an average of 350 pieces per day.


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Fihav ends, business begins
National Chile and UK day are also taking place on the last day of Fihav 2016, where interest in continuing to expand trade ties, in accordance with the economic transformations taking place in the country, is being reaffirmed
4 de noviembre de 2016 - Taken from Granma
Presenting Cuba’s Foreign Investment Portfolio, consolidating existing commercial ties, and diversifying international economic relations, with a focus on priority projects for the country’s development, are among the key aims of the 34th edition of the Havana International Trade Fair (Fihav 2016), which ends today, November 4, leaving Cuba’s business sector to solidify alliances and new projects.
The presentation, this November 4, of over 40 exportable products and 30 services by the University of Computer Sciences (UCI), reflects the country’s aim of increasingly inserting itself into the international market and promoting innovation.
Academic and publishing services, as well as the development of multimedia products, data management systems, industrial computing, and business solutions, feature among offers by the UCI, which hopes to become a high-tech digital city with a staff of some 20,000 people, according to Miriam Nicado García, a member of the Party Political Bureau and rector of the institution.
National Chile and UK day are also taking place during the final event of Fihav 2016, where interest in continuing to expand trade ties, in accordance with the economic transformations taking place in the country, is being reaffirmed.
Cuba’s exportable goods and services portfolio is set to be presented today, before the closing ceremony in Havana’s Convention Center.


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The title of Taiwanese film director Ang Lee’s Shanghai-set thriller Lust, Caution aptly encapsulates the attitude that many Australian companies and entrepreneurs have, or at least should have, towards the Chinese market.
It is with lustful eyes, dollar signs twirling, that people gaze towards a market of 1.3 billion people.
The Communist Party leaders promise the world there is to be a “rebalancing” from China’s investment-, manufacturing- and exports-driven economy to one that is based more sustainably on domestic consumption.
But it is with the utmost caution that people and companies – both big and small – should approach the Chinese market, and in no sector is this more pertinent than technology.
The ChAFTA – or China Australia Free Trade Agreement – completes a historic trifecta of trade agreements with our top three export markets, accounting for more than 55 per cent of our total goods and services exports.
Together, these agreements will enhance our vital trade and investment relationships in the region, assist the process of reform, and foster greater prosperity.
But while these agreements paint a rosy picture for our traditional export industries, it is not yet clear how effective these will be in relation to new-generation tech and tech-enabled business models. And the jury is similarly out on its potential for tech services.
The technology market in China moves at light speed. People-wise, it is the most connected market on earth with 689 million internet users, almost all using mobile devices to access the China Wide Web.
There have been plenty of motherhood in the free trade agreement, reams of it in fact, about both sides ensuring there are minimal barriers to market entry, fair rules to new entrants, et cetera, et cetera.
But just as on the Australian side we have immutable and long-standing business rules about things like patenting trademarks, company structures, accountability and transparency … China has its own set of domestic arrangement. These can be time-consuming and expensive to come to grips with. And like our rules, these will remain, FTA or no FTA.
China has its own more substantial hurdles, if eager market entrants can get past the difficult language barrier. To that end spoken and written Chinese – or at the very least an intimately trusted adviser who has language – is an essential pre-requisite.
Hire someone you don’t know and you run the risk of clutching a viper to your bosom and having them take off – sometimes years later – with your business. This is real. It happens in every sector, in every city across the country. China is expensive and difficult to get a foothold, and requires extreme caution.
It is China’s multi-layered bureaucracy that could trip up technology companies at the very start. China has any number of different ministries, starting with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and Ministry of Commerce, which regulate technology companies, and then there are a whole host of different regulators.
This regulatory maze is repeated at the provincial level in China’s 31 provinces and municipalities (making up its four big cities Beijing, Shanghai, Chongqing and Tianjin – three of which have populations greater than Australia).
Above all beware of straight out replication of your intellectual property. This threat cannot be exaggerated; do not believe people who say ‘things are getting better.’ The correct response is ‘better than what?’
The China model for decades has been to let new technology in, mimic it and then freeze out overseas competition. This has been done to technology giants ranging from Google, Twitter and Facebook, as well as infrastructure companies like Ericsson, Alcatel and Cisco Systems.
And there are some signs that IBM and even Microsoft, the most Communist Party-compliant of all the tech giants, are also coming under the gun.
As well, people who have long operated in the Chinese market say that the development cycle for software and applications is noticeably quicker. That is, replication times are getting faster.
The legal system in relation to business is by no means mature. Like many countries where this is the case, China is built far more on trusted relationships, known broadly as ‘guanxi’. This is a necessity when there is little redress to the courts to solve business. Without these there are years of blood, sweat and plenty tears ahead.
Bryan Carr, chief executive of ASX-listed Australian technology group SmartTrans Limited admits his group has dabbled in a number of technologies, applications and services in an effort to find a sustained position in the Chinese market.
Now the company is turning a buck in China, albeit fairly small beer and early days. But the SmartTrans group’s relationship established with China Mobile over many years and many long and boozy Chinese business dinners that were the key, and which they will continue to leverage.
“Technology can be replicated very quickly,” he warns, while “relationships can’t.” And that’s the point in relation to building a viable China foothold.
The other barrier to entry for technology companies in China is one that can be found in many markets, and that is the dominance of tech behemoths that occupy large tracts of the online world.
Like its counterpart in the US, China is dominated by a clutch of players large dominant in their various corners of the market, and forever trying to encroach on those of their rivals. Think Google, Facebook, Microsoft, AWS.
In China there is the online sourcing giant Alibaba which also owns Taobao, the China equivalent to eBay. The company also owns China’s dominant online payments gateway, called Alipay.
Baidu dominates search in China in the same way Google does across much of the rest of the world, while Tencent was an online games king that has now found breathtaking success with its online chat application Weixin/Wechat. And then there is Sina Corp, whose Weibo is China’s answer to Twitter and is the online news king.
These companies control relationships across the online sector. It is very often the case where you play by their rules – the ones where they cream most of profit – or you get squashed like a bug.
Of course technology is not just about the more traditional so-called pure play ICT. Tech-enabled business models are now found across all business sectors and is increasingly responsible for the once-in-a-generation disruption that is now atomising long-standing business models.
This is very relevant to the FTA, which is heavily focused on agribusiness opportunities for Australia, which has traditionally been very strong in agricultural technology.
Applications in other potentially hot China areas such as health services, pharmaceuticals, clean tech, green architecture and education are also attractive for Australian businesses will to take a punt on China expansion. Needless to say, beware of replication.
Still. It is worth having a go. As SmartTrans’ Bryan Carr notes wryly, you had better have a very, very compelling product or prototype to make it worthwhile, one that won’t require millions of dollars to convince people they need it.
And perhaps above all, go in with eyes wide open and have the right people with you.
Do you know more? Contact James Riley via Email.


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SOCMA to Host First-Ever Gala in South Asia
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 13, 2009
Manager, Public Relations & Media
Washington, DC – The Society of Chemical Manufacturers and Affiliates (SOCMA) is pleased to announce its first-ever international Gala in South Asia next spring. The event will feature special guest speaker Sunil Kumar, President and CEO of International Specialty Products (ISP).
The Gala will take place on April 14, 2010 in Mumbai, India and help kick-off ChemSpec India, a two-day trade show for the fine and specialty chemical industry. More than 20 percent of exhibitors at this year’s show came from overseas.
“India is among the world’s fastest growing economies and its chemical sector is a major contributor to the country’s rapid growth,” said SOCMA President and CEO Joseph Acker. “We are looking forward to an exciting evening and the opportunity for our members to expand their business relationships in the Indian market.”
“India is an important market for specialty chemicals and hence a high priority for investments for companies like ISP,” said Mr. Kumar.
A native of New Delhi, India, Mr. Kumar earned a Bachelor of Technology degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology and an MBA from the University of Louisiana. Since 1999, he has served as President and CEO of ISP, a global supplier of specialty chemicals and performance-enhancing products for a wide variety of personal care, pharmaceutical, food, beverage and industrial applications. Mr. Kumar and ISP were selected to be the 2005 Specialty Chemicals CEO of the Year by Frost & Sullivan, a distinguished international industry and market research firm.
While this will be SOCMA’s first event in India, the trade group has held several successful events on the Asian continent. Last year, SOCMA hosted its third Gala in Shanghai, China, which drew more than 140 attendees.
SOCMA is the leading trade association, serving the batch, custom and specialty chemical industry since 1921. SOCMA’s nearly 300 members employ more than 100,000 workers across the country and produce 50,000 products valued at $60 billion annually. For more information please visit www.socma.com.
ChemStewards® is SOCMA’s flagship environmental, health, safety and security (EHS&S) continuous performance improvement program. ChemStewards was created from industry’s commitment to reducing the environmental footprint left by member’s facilities. Industry created ChemStewards to meet the unique needs of the batch, custom, and specialty chemical industry. As a mandatory requirement for SOCMA members engaged in the manufacturing or handling of chemicals, ChemStewards is helping participants reach for superior EHS&S performance. To learn more visit www.chemstewards.com.


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Black Rock Studios, the Brighton based developer behind games such as Split/Second, Pure and the Moto GP series is working on a new and as yet unannounced arcade racer.
It seems the studio is looking for a Senior Games Designer to join its ranks to work on a new “unannounced arcade racing game on Xbox 360 & PS3.”
A previous job listing showed it was hiring for a new console racer.
Whether this is a sequel to Split/Second remains to be seen, though given its success and positive reaction from both the press and the public, it wouldn’t be a surprise if that was the case.
Sometimes we include links to online retail stores. If you click on one and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. For more information, go here.


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Today, UK-based cross-industry body JICWEBS announced new participants to its blockchain pilot for digital advertising. The trial aims to evaluate the use of blockchain to address the trust, transparency and inefficiency problems faced by the digital advertising industry.
The pilot now has several new significant advertisers and their agencies. The first to sign up earlier in the year were Nestlé, McDonald’s and Virgin Media and their agencies. Today’s announcement expands the membership from six to 22 (see below) including Unilever, Sky and O2. Several agencies are participating, such as Mindshare, Zenith, OMG and Havas.
The Incorporated Society of British Advertisers (ISBA), which is one of the founding members of JICWEBS, is conducting a study of the programmatic supply chain along with PwC. Primarily, the ISBA study will provide insights on some of the problems faced by the digital advertising industry. In turn, the blockchain pilot will attempt to solve these problems using distributed ledger technology (DLT).
“Our own Programmatic Supply Chain Transparency Study – conducted by PwC – will provide the industry with empirical evidence that it needs to underpin and drive forward any future technological solutions,” said Stephen Chester, Director of Media, ISBA.
Meanwhile, the UK arm of the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) has appealed to its members to join the JICWEBS pilot. Previously, the organization found that intermediaries pocket over 50% of advertising spend. Blockchain is aiming to reduce these costs and increase clarity around the impact of advertising.
JICWEBS partnered with London-based FIDUCIA for the pilot project, which will run for the rest of the year. If successful, JICWEBS will roll out the platform in 2020.
There are several other blockchain initiatives focused on streamlining digital advertising. Unilever is also a participant in the MediaOcean advertising blockchain developed with IBM. Two months ago Unilever reported it experienced “zero leakage” using the platform and intended to explore scaling. MediaOcean’s main platform powers $140 billion in ad spend a year, and its blockchain solution went live at the beginning of the year.
Blockchain protocol Lucidity is working with IAB Tech Lab’s blockchain pilot to validate advertising events such as impressions and click-throughs. Lucidity is also working with Toyota, which saw a 21% rise in ad performance using a blockchain solution.
Another advertising consortium, AdLedger, has published several reports on blockchain use cases for the industry.
Full list of the trial participants: Flashtalking, GiveMeSport, GumGum, Gumtree, Havas, Index Exchange, Integral Ad Science (IAS), McDonald’s, Mindshare, Moat, Nestle, Netmums, O2, OMG, Rightmove, Sky, SMART Adserver, Sublime, Unilever, Virgin Media, Xandr, Zenith.


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What's cooking good looking? Former My Kitchen Rules winner Steve Flood poses shirtless while on board a yacht in Croatia
He became a household name after winning Channel Seven's hit cooking series, My Kitchen Rules (MKR) in 2015.
But on Saturday, cooking was the furthest from Steve Flood's mind as he lapped up the sunshine in stunning Croatia.
The fun-loving Brit was seen posing shirtless while on board a yacht, following a quick post-breakfast dip in the bluest of waters.
Scroll down for video
Idyllic: Former My Kitchen Rules title holder Steve Flood posed shirtless while on board a yacht, following a quick post breakfast dip in the stunning Croatian waters
'Croatia, you beauty,' Steve began the caption.
'A quick post breakfast dip in the bluest of waters before a huge tunnel party with 65 odd yachts & a 1000 floaties good times (sic),' he continued.
He also added in the hashtags: #croatia, #yachtweek, #boatlife, #gourmettraveller, #foodadventures, #breakfast, #willandsteve, #foodie and #thegourmetpommies.
Familiar faces: The last few weeks have been busy for the author, having officially opened Westfield's Warringah Mall's new food precinct - the Fresh Food Marketplace, with cooking partner Will Stewart (L)
The snap saw the aspiring chef perched on the yacht's railings while sporting a pair of vibrant green board shorts.
With his brunette locks slicked back off his face after a quick dip in the water, he also sported a radiant holiday glow.
The last few weeks have been busy for the author, having officially opened Westfield's Warringah Mall's new food precinct - the Fresh Food Marketplace, with cooking partner Will Stewart.
The newly titled Westfield Warringah Mall's Fresh Food Marketplace ambassadors showcased three recipes from their upcoming cookbook to shoppers, while involving attendees in their healthy food demonstrations.
Breaking a sweat: Steve has been 'fighting hard for opportunities' following his time on the popular cooking series
Speaking to the Daily Mail Australia ahead of the promotional event, the fun-loving Brits said their time as reigning champs had been 'fun' but there was 'hard work, faith and dedication' to succeeding in the hospitality industry after the reality TV series.
'Nothing in the food and entertainment industry is handed to you, even when you win Australia's highest rating cooking show,' the duo said.
'We have found ourselves fighting hard for opportunities and taking steps backwards and building a company with real purpose and structure that will support us further down the track.'
Success: Speaking to the Daily Mail Australia, the fun-loving Brits said their time as reigning champs had been 'fun' but there was 'hard work, faith and dedication' to succeeding in the hospitality industry
'Fortunately, we have solid business backgrounds and an insatiable appetite to succeed so when we win jobs or contracts we know it's because we are humble, honest guys with a genuine passion for food, rather than attributing it to having five minutes of fame.'
And while Steve and Will were propelled into the spotlight after featuring on the top-rating cooking show, the duo have worked hard to establish a name for themselves.
So much so, the budding chefs are ready to launch their debut cooking book, Will and Steve: Home Cook, Aspiring Chef, in September, as well as expand their brand through other business means.
'Behind the scenes we are co-owners of Street Pizza Company and we will launch our first company store before the end of the year,' they said.
Bright future: The budding chefs are ready to launch their debut cooking book, Will and Steve: Home Cook, Aspiring Chef, in September, as well as expand their brand through other business means
'Finally, there is still a huge focus on our own TV show which will be a mix of food, entertainment and adventure, it's going to happen.'
While admitting the year had been 'nothing but fun', Will and Steve had some friendly advice for their successors - Tasia and Gracia Seger.
'Take some time out, step away from the limelight and assess what it is they want to achieve and where they intend to do it,' they said.
'The immediate fame and notoriety that is cast upon new contestants can be very misleading and it can easily lead to a loss of focus on end goals.'
Successful duo: Steve and Will were the winners of the 2015 season of My Kitchen Rules
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What do you see as the key factors for recovery in the travel agency business after the pandemic?
It will still take us several months for travel agents to get turnover back to previous levels. We haven’t got a product to sell yet, as there is still a scant supply of flights and transport, although business is starting to pick up within Spain. For us, it’s not enough because we’ve lost the season, and there’s not enough time to get outbound tourism, business travel and MICE back to previous levels. They’re an especially important part of our businesses’ production.
The confederation is calling for a Plan Renove (replacement plan) to help restart the tourism industry. What would it consist of?
The Spanish people are in a fragile economic situation, and because of the restrictions and limitations that tourist establishments will have to put in place, prices will have to go up, and people won’t be able to afford to travel. So, we believe that if measures are implemented to encourage travel, as other European Union countries have done, the tourism industry could benefit. And that investment would be more than repaid by tourist spending, job creation, taxes, and other essential aspects of our country’s economy.
You’ve proposed opening up the IMSERSO Pensioners Holiday Programme to people of all ages, and a family holiday voucher. How was your proposal received?
These are a series of ideas that we have proposed to the government to apply unused budget items to restart the tourism industry. Unfortunately, they fell on deaf ears and haven’t been implemented for now.
What kind of tourism collaboration between regions could boost tourism?
Now that people can travel between regions again, it’s time for a communication and promotion campaign for destinations, to encourage customers to think about travelling again, and to do so as soon as possible. CEAV has 20 member associations in different regions, and they’re working together and with their local councils to restart passenger traffic as quickly as possible.
What other tourist communications and promotion actions are needed for Spain?
A good campaign in Spain and abroad to encourage people to book trips through the extensive network of agencies in Spain would be hugely beneficial. It would contribute to restarting tourism, the business structure and employment in our sector.


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Brewer is selling a million pints a year through arena partnership
WHEN Heineken UK was signed as the official beer and cider supplier to the SSE Hydro in late 2013, the deal was hailed as a “superb opportunity” for the brewer to showcase its products to the Scottish public.
Five years later and Heineken is selling around a million pints of beer and cider through the Glasgow venue’s nine bars every year.
With those kind of figures, it’s no surprise the two companies renewed their partnership this year, keeping Heineken in place for a further five years.
But it’s not just business as usual.
The new agreement will see Heineken expand its range of brands in the Hydro’s public bars, which have until now offered a limited draught range of Foster’s and Strongbow Original in addition to Heineken and Bulmers Red Berry & Lime in the fridge.
By the end of the summer these will be joined by Heineken and Strongbow Dark Fruit draught lines at each bar.
And the brewer has also introduced a new hospitality suite in the form of the Heineken Green Room.
Speaking to SLTN, John Hutchison, regional sales director for Heineken, said the development of the new suite “was a win-win” for both parties.
“It was an area the Hydro was looking to develop,” said Hutchison.
“And it gave us an opportunity to have a completely branded space where we can do both hospitality and consumer engagement.
“It’s somewhere we can reward consumers as well as our on-trade customers.”
Having opened in April to coincide with an Arcade Fire gig, the Green Room has so far been put to use entertaining Heineken’s on-trade customers.
Hutchison said the company has had “amazing feedback” on the space.
“The corporate guests, the publicans, have been blown away,” he said.
“It’s eye-level with the stage so in terms of view and in terms of intimacy, it’s phenomenal.
“We’ve got our own private bar built into it, so it’s got a real bespoke feel to it. It’s been a really positive message back from everybody that’s attended so far.”
As well as providing the company with a new corporate hospitality space the Green Room is also the cornerstone of the brewer’s new trade marketing campaign.
The initiative gives licensees the chance to win tickets to shows at the Hydro if they introduce Heineken, Heineken Served Extra Cold or Heineken 0.0 into their outlet on draught and continue to stock it for a minimum of six months.
By agreeing to those terms the operators are then entered into a prize draw to win tickets to a show of their choice – which they’ll be able to watch from the Green Room.
The suite will also be leveraged on the consumer side, with customers in participating outlets handed a scratch card with their first pint of Heineken.
Hutchison said the aim of the promotions is to “add value” for the brewer’s on-trade customers.
“Promotions like this shouldn’t just be about doing something that creates a bit of intrigue,” said Hutchison.
“It should be about something that drives tangible benefits for the [licensee].
“So, can we drive more people into a pub more often to spend more money?”
The company hopes that the new Hydro activity will help to build on what Hutchison said has already been a strong start to the year for Heineken.
He said the business has installed more than 70 new Heineken Extra Cold customers since the start of the year, with each of those customers given access to the Green Room scratch card kit.
“For me, in the on-trade, having really good promotions that add value is essential for brands’ success,” said Hutchison.
“For us to be able to tag into the Hydro, which is the third busiest arena in the world at the moment, it’s just phenomenal to have your brands associated with such an iconic venue – not just in Scotland, but globally.
“There are people travelling literally the length and breadth of the country to come to Glasgow, which is just fantastic.”
The company’s marketing activity doesn’t stop at the Hydro, however.
A trade-facing website, ciderdirect.co.uk, which Heineken commissioned through a third party, provides advice and resources for publicans on how to boost cider sales throughout the summer, as well as imagery they can download and use in their social media channels.
Personalised printed marketing materials can also be purchased from the site.
And later in the year Heineken will be distributing Halloween-themed point of sale materials to the trade for Strongbow.
Hutchison said the goal of the activity is to “take the on-trade by storm”.


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Single-serving desserts heavy on variety is a trend that area bakers are noticing at weddings this year.
Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, couples had been moving away from the traditional wedding cake and opting for alternatives like mini-cakes, doughnut walls, cupcake towers and sundae bars.
“It’s not just a traditional wedding cake anymore,” said Darren Ward, operations and catering manager at Shaffer’s Catering, at 913 S. Main St., Woodstock.
However, though this trend had been growing in recent years, he said the pandemic jump-started an immediate need for single-serving, individually wrapped desserts to lessen the number of hands touching people’s food.
“It’s really affected our industry tremendously,” Ward said of the pandemic.
The first noticeable impact, he said, was the cancellation and postponement of most weddings this year.
“The weddings that we had in the spring have moved to the fall, and we’re starting to do those now,” he said.
Many were canceled until next year or later, he said, and others have been “spaced out, kind of few and far between.”
“We noticed a lot of people kind of gave up on 2020,” he said. “I’m working on a lot of 2021 events now. They haven’t given up on their wedding, they’ve just given up on 2020.”
As weddings have been rescheduled, he said, catering requirements have included cutting back on self-serve buffets and offering pre-packaged items.
Service options include appetizer stations, order stations, buffets where servers prepare guests’ plates and traditional place settings. All are ways of helping minimize the need to pass food, he said, “which makes it a little safer.”
“Things have to be handled differently and served differently,” said Ward.
“One of the other things that we’ve seen [is] a lot of clients have chosen to go with disposable plates and cups and cutlery,” he said.
In the case of wedding desserts that couples opt for, pretty much anything goes, said Maureen Menefee, owner of Down Home Comfort Bakery at 120 E. Main St., Front Royal.
“We do very simple cakes, so we don’t offer wedding cakes,” she said. “But I do have people who like to order pies.”
Planning for two upcoming weddings this October, she said the first couple has ordered small, 4-inch pies and the other full-size pies.
Foods she has supplied for weddings have also included dessert bars, bite-size pies and bite-size whoopie pies.
A lot of people are getting away from the big cakes with fondant, she said.
“Some don’t like cake at all, which is good for me,” she said.
“I think it’s a new millennial-age group,” she said of those deviating from traditional wedding cakes.
“I’ve been married 35 years. Back then it was traditional tiered stacked cakes,” she said.
Another trend at the time was to decorate cakes with fresh flowers, which she said has not been the case lately.
“We’ve been open six years going on seven now, [and] each year they tend to be going away from that,” she said.
“They’re going more toward something different, and I think they want to be different,” Menefee said.
“It gives people choices,” she said. “If someone doesn’t want cake, then they’re not stuck eating cake.”
Cookies have been a big hit for Ward because they can be served individually and customized with the bride and groom’s names and wedding date.
It takes away from the traditional cake cutting but works as a dessert and a wedding favor, he said.
“That’s a little bit of a change that I’ve seen this season,” he said.
“We’re trying to continue to add as much variety,” said Ward. “We’re still trying to make everyone’s dreams come true.”


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A cargo storage and warehouse facility scheduled to open by the summer of 2022 at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport is expected to offer the seafood industry new options for cargo transfer cold storage and value-added processing.
The 190,000 square-foot cold storage and climate-controlled air cargo transfer facility will be equipped to store an abundance of seafood harvested in Alaska and processing that will add value to the product before it is shipped out to domestic and international markets, say officials with the Alaska Energy Authority. Alaska is consistently the nation’s largest seafood producer.
In 2017 and 2018 alone, annual harvests of some 2.5 million tons of seafood were worth $4.7 billion after processing.
Once the airport facility opens, seafood producers will have the option of cold storage in the state, rather than transporting seafood to cold storage in Washington state. Copper River Seafoods recently opened its own seafood cold storage facility in Anchorage.
AEA, a state entity whose mission is to reduce the cost of energy in the state, is working with Alaska Cargo and Cold Storage (ACCS) on the multi-million-dollar project. The goal is to provide a facility that is exceptionally energy efficient by maximizing available renewable and energy efficient technologies.
“There is significant interest in the ACCS facility, especially in the seafood industry,” according to McKinley Capital Management LLC, which has investment interests in the facility. ACCS is one of a number of projects that McKinley Capital’s private investment team is working on.
A number of inquiries have been received from companies, that are interested in cold storage as well as freight transfer and storage, a spokesperson for McKinley Capital said. Specific opportunities for seafood processors may include the ability to process, store and ship products by air from Anchorage and take advantage of the Free Trade Zone and Anchorage’s position as a cargo hub. This may allow processors to increase production and air delivery of high-value fresh, frozen and refreshed products from Alaska, the spokesperson said.
Research conducted by the McDowell Group identifies the seafood industry as leveraging the greatest additional value from cold storage capacity at the Anchorage airport. At this time only a small fraction of Alaska-produced seafood is sold fresh. Lack of cold storage infrastructure in close proximity to air freight transportation services is a key reason why markets for fresh Alaska seafood remain largely untapped. The state produces some $300 million in fresh and live seafood annually, accounting for 7 percent of the total first wholesale value of fish produced in Alaska, which totaled $4.47 billion in 2018. Only about 5 percent of the Bristol Bay sockeye fishery is sold fresh and only 10 percent to 15 percent of the fresh seafood produced in Alaska is sold in export markets, a total of $32 million in 2018. The increased value of seafood through use of the cold storage availability is expected to result in more income for fishermen, seafood processors and coastal communities.
“This new transfer facility will improve shipping capabilities, strengthen Alaska’s supply chain security, and provide much-needed jobs for Alaskans,” said Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska.
Murkowski and the rest of the state’s congressional delegation advocated in May for the funds in a letter to Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao.
ACCS will be the first cargo transfer and cold storage facility developed at the airport that will be available for leasing by major air cargo carriers, who are not individually large enough to support development of such a facility, AEA officials said. FedEx and UPS both have their own cargo facilities for their exclusive use at the airport, but AEA notes that aircraft for both FedEx and UPS combined account for just 22 percent of all air cargo flown into Anchorage.
AEA learned this week that they had been awarded a $21 million federal transportation grant to help finance construction of the facility.
“We are extremely pleased,” said Curtis Thayer, executive director of AEA. “It is also a grant that can aid in hiring hundreds of Alaskans.”
AEA estimates that the $87.9 million first phase of the project will generate 830 jobs with $56.9 million in labor income and $147.6 million in total Alaska expenditures. Phase two is projected to generate an additional 1,245 jobs, $75.6 million in labor income, and $220.5 million in total Alaska expenditures. ACCS operations are expected to generate 115 jobs and $9.1 million in total labor income following the completion of the first phase. Phase two operations are expected to generate an additional 190 jobs and $15.5 million in total labor income.


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Bikeway art lovers — and yes we know you’re out there — it’s time get hyped for some fresh new additions: the Portland Bureau of Transportation and Multnomah County Library have announced the winners of this year’s Bike to Books design contest. Portlanders can expect to see several colorful new bikeway characters on our streets in the near future, including a bicycle-riding octopus balancing books on its head, a mushroom-and-rainbow-themed bike and a bike with rose petals as wheels.
The Bike to Books program has been an annual tradition from PBOT and the library since 2017 to encourage kids to get excited about riding bikes and reading books. Students across Multnomah County are invited to come up with designs for characters to live on Portland’s greenways and bike lanes, with three lucky winners getting their art etched on the street for everyone to see. (Check out our past coverage to see what awesome designs kids have come up with throughout the years.)
Here’s who came in first place this year from the three age groups, plus some words about their artistic inspiration:
The fun new pieces are set to be installed this spring.
Find out more about the Bike to Books program – and check out the students’ book recommendations that correlate with their artwork – at PBOT’s website. And while you’re waiting for these new installations to drop, why not take a tour of the city’s existing bikeway art? This is a standout piece of Portland bike culture that reminds us how fun biking is, so be sure to soak it in.


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Amazon worker activists vandalize the road outside Jeff Bezos’s $23m home in DC as his employees demand hazard pay and more protection from coronavirus
- Protesters painted huge graffiti outside the Washington DC home of Jeff Bezos
- Nine activists wrote ‘Protect Amazon Workers’ in big red, yellow and white paint
- Huge drawing also depicted Amazon employees wearing protective face masks
- Workers at companies such as Amazon are seeking better health and safety standards as well as hazard pay for working during the coronavirus pandemic
- Here’s how to help people impacted by Covid-19
A group of activists vandalized the road outside Jeff Bezos’s $23m home in Washington DC, demanding better coronavirus protections for Amazon workers.
Protesters scrawled ‘Protect Amazon Workers’ in giant red, yellow and white paint in the middle of a street, with the hashtag ‘#ForUsNotAmazon’ alongside.
The huge graffiti, which stretched across the width of the road, depicted Amazon employees wearing protective face masks.
It took around an hour to create the mural on Wednesday that called for workers at the online retailer to receive more personal protective equipment (PPE).
A message painted by activists on the street outside of one of the personal residences of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos in Washington DC yesterday
Lauren Sanchez and Amazon founder and CEO, Jeff Bezos, at the Amazon Prime Video celebration in Mumbai, India, in January
Huge graffiti depicting Amazon employees wearing protective face masks was scrwaled acros the road outside the Washington home of Jeff Bezos on Wednesday
Police were reportedly at the scene, but kept their distance from the group of nine demonstrators, said to be from the Shutdown DC climate movement and Virginia immigrant rights group La ColectiVA.
It is not known if Bezos or Sanchez were at the residence at the time, but a Washington Post reporter tweeted that there was ‘no movement’ seen from his home.
On Tuesday it emerged workers at Amazon, Instacart, Whole Foods, Walmart, Target and FedEx are seeking better health and safety standards as well as hazard pay for working during the pandemic.
They are planning a joint walkout to protest companies that they say have disregarded the health and safety of essential workers while earning record profits.
According to the latest figures, no company’s stock market value has benefited more from the pandemic than Amazon’s.
Nine activists from the Shutdown DC climate movement and Virginia immigrant rights group La ColectiVA created the protest drawing
The Amazon founder purchased the $23million Washington mansion that has undergone over three years of renovations and construction and is tucked in the city’s wealthy Kalorama district
The protest came amid growing concern for Amazon workers and their level of protection during the coronavirus pandemic
The online retailer and cloud computing heavyweight’s market capitalization has ballooned by over $90 billion to record highs since mid-February, adding $5 billion to the fortune of the founder and CEO.
The combined wealth of America’s billionaires, including Bezos and Tesla chief Elon Musk, increased nearly 10 per cent during the ongoing crisis, according to a report published last week by the Institute for Policy Studies (IPS).
According to the IPS report, eight billionaires including Bezos, saw a $1billion jump in their total net worth.
Since the emergence of the virus, Amazon has seen a rising count of warehouse workers confirmed infected with the disease, with at least 153 cases across at least 130 warehouses worldwide.
Earlier this month it was reported Amazon fired three more employees who spoke out over the company’s pandemic working conditions. There were also threats of a string of walkouts over the lack of virus precautions across the US, as well as in the UK, Spain, Italy and France.
This diagram of the Bezos property shows the building and gardens which were described as ‘beautiful’ and ‘astonishing’ by those who have seen them
Amazon employees holding a protest and walkout over conditions at the company’s Staten Island distribution facility at the end of last month in New York City
Bashir Mohamed was let go from the Minnesota plant where he had worked for three years and designers Emily Cunningham and Maren Costa, both critics of the online retail giant’s working conditions in the wake of the virus pandemic, were also fired.
The terminations came just two weeks after the company fired another employee, Christian Smalls, for raising health and safety concerns for people laboring through the outbreak.
New York Attorney General Letitia James, whose office wrote in a letter to Amazon last week, said the company may have violated safety measures and labor practices amid the pandemic by firing the warehouse protest leader last month.
In March, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said he ordered the city’s human rights commission to open an investigation into the dismissal of Smalls.
The majority of workers at Amazon’s Seattle HQ are now working from home, but hourly contractors like receptionists, janitors, and security staff have had to still report for work at the headquarters. Some workers signed a petition to have the building close.
In March a walkout was held at the company’s Staten Island facility with up to 50 workers striking.
The company has attempted to address concerns raised by employees, such as a pledge to increase facility cleaning protocols and enforce social distancing for those who cannot work from home.
Source: Read Full Article


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Content providers have been getting increasingly annoyed with Internet service providers lately. For example, despite paying Comcast to ensure a better and faster experience for video-streaming users, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings very publicly disagrees with the power ISPs currently wield. And YouTube isn’t happy, either. So Google has started issuing Video Quality Reports to try to encourage ISP accountability.
In a blog post, YouTube explained that some ISPs allow users to watch only standard definition 360p videos. If customers want to watch HD YouTube videos, they have to wait for buffering. But other ISPs stream HD videos through right away. In its Video Quality Reports, YouTube is going to “HD Verify” ISPs that automatically show HD video to their users in almost all cases. TechCrunch reports that to meet this standard, Google estimates ISPs must be providing 2.5 Mbps of throughput.
There isn’t a lot of recourse for consumers right now except switching providers if their current one rates poorly. The Video Quality Reports offer comparisons and local data about how many people in a town or city are watching YouTube videos in HD and regular definition. But knowledge is power! Check how your area is faring, and if you don’t like your ISP, let it know and then find a new one. If you can.


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The Wait is Over: Zalora Now Offers Same-Day ShippingOnline shoppers rejoice, Zalora is now offering same-day shipping to five Asian countries including Singapore. Zalora is a Singaporean-based online shopping destination that caters to a primarily Asian audience. By offering this new system, Zalora gains a serious edge over its competitors. The online retail hub will become the first site in the Asian region to offer same-day shipping.
A screenshot of Zalora’s homepage
Combining retail therapy with instant gratification is a smart business move. In a quote from The Malaysian Insider Michele Ferrario, the regional managing director, said “With the new service, we are further committing ourselves to customers who lead busy lives. It also comes with other customer-centric services such as free shipping for orders over a certain amount, self-collection and cash on delivery.”
Ferrario went on to say, “The service will be introduced first in Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia and Vietnam before extending it to the entire South East Asia region by 2015." Now, customers in these regions only need to wait a day to try-on their purchase.
Credits: The Malaysian Insider, Zalora


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According to the latest news, Facebook has decided to launch its new website dedicated only to the videos in the Youtube style. This move by the Facebook authorities has offered stiff competition to the online video sharing giants like Youtube and Dailymotion.
Facebook will also financially assist its consumers to purchase videos of their choice. The difference between Watch Tab and other video sharing websites is big. Videos shared on Watch Tab will have similar qualities like sharing, commenting, liking and saving. You will be able to get the videos shared by your friends instantly.
The founder and owner of the Facebook Mark Zuckerburg said that viewing a video does not mean that you are nonserious or jobless. Most of the videos shared on the Youtube are made by unprofessional pioneers and thus cannot inspire the audience with quality. This new venture will enable the Facebook users to enjoy the whole new influential market of the online world.
Facebook Administration has signed many agreements with numerous organizations for collecting videos for the brand new Watch Tab.


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Acording to a story on ZDnetNewsWal-Mart has begun offering computers without an OS loaded on them. I wonder what the Microsoft has to say about that, after all, selling computers without an operating system encourages piracy;-).
The ideal voice for radio may be defined as showing no substance, no sex,
no owner, and a message of importance for every housewife.
-- Harry V. Wade


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After an ad was banned last year from the Oscars, the latest campaign from Frida Mom this year will be aired during the Golden Globes.
Frida Mom, a female hygiene brand has rolled out a commercial showing breastfeeding mothers in their realest forms. The ad film is all set to be aired during the 78th annual Golden Globe awards.
Frida Mom’s “Stream of Lactation” ad film is part of its new #sprayitforward campaign, which aims to raise awareness around the reality of being a new mother.
The campaign features the emotional and physical journey of new mothers and the challenges they face during breastfeeding. The message that the film carries, in the end, is “Care for your breasts. Not just your baby.”
In 2020, Frida Mom released an ad depicting post-partum care and recovery, which was banned from being aired at the Oscars. This caused an uproar among netizens and the Oscars received a lot of flak.
Reportedly, an NBCU spokesperson said in a statement “We partnered with Frida to share their message and protect their creative vision, while ensuring the ad complied with NBCU standards and other guidelines. We agree that the ad may push the envelope, but it is the context surrounding the visuals that makes this ad different, and we stand by it.”


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French fashion designer Sophie Theallet, who has dressed First Lady Michelle Obama and seen her piece worn by reality TV star Kim Kardashian, tweeted an open letter clarifying why she’ll avoid Melania Trump, once she moves into the White House.
Open letter | Sophie Theallet | November 17th, 2016 pic.twitter.com/g1hIAyBmdF
— sophie theallet (@sophietheallet) November 17, 2016
“As an independent fashion brand, we consider our voice an expression of our artistic and philosophical ideas. The Sophie Theallet brand stands against all discrimination and prejudice”, Theallet said in the letter.
“I will not participate in dressing or associating in any way with the next first lady. I encourage my fellow designers to do the same”, said Theallet.
She is not the first designer to stand firm against the Trumps. Kaelen Haworth, known for her dressing Blake Lively and Elizabeth Banks, reported after the election results that proceeds from sales on her site would be given to associations contradicted by Trump including Planned Parenthood, Black Lives Matter, and Everytown for Gun Safety.
However fashion design legend Carolina Herrera thinks otherwise and says: “I think that in two or three months they’ll reach out, because it’s fashion. You’ll see everyone dressing Melania. She’s representing the United States.”
image via Sydney Morning Herald


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These are the kinds of difficult choices families are facing due to the rising inflation in the country.
To Runa and Jewel, the long school closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic now seems like something of a relief.
The family has struggled for quite some time. As the price of necessities kept rising, so did the family's spending. Eventually the one-income household was spending more than it was earning every month.
Runa was trying to buy a schoolbag for her daughter in the Banasree residential area of Dhaka on Tuesday.
The high cost of living was driving her to despair, she said.
Most of her monthly budget was spent on the basic necessities, such as food.
Though they may not know the economic definition of inflation, those who have to manage their family’s day-to-day budget, like Runa, are feeling the strain in recent months.
The impact of the spiralling cost of living is being felt across the board. Along with low-income families, middle-income households are also struggling to make ends meet with their limited means. Instead of building for the future, they are being forced to draw on their life savings to stay afloat.
The added expenses are cutting into people’s ability to weather hospital bills, accidents or engage in festivities. Inevitably, they are resorting to loans.
Nazer Hossain, a labourer from Bogura living in Dhaka, is feeling the same strain. In 2017, Nazer used to earn around Tk 600-700 from paddling a rickshaw for 12 hours a day in the capital.
He covered his daily expenses, which included house rent, food and rickshaw fee, with Tk 300 at most. This meant he could send home Tk 9,000 every month without a second thought.
Although it wasn't a lot of money, it was still enough for him to get by comfortably.
Those were the good old days.
Five years on, his monthly income has risen to about Tk 17,000-18,000, but he is in distress. The increase in earnings has done little to raise his standard of living as most of the money is consumed by the surging prices of necessities.
The rent he pays to the owner of the rickshaw has risen from Tk 70 to Tk 120, while the living cost at hostels doubled from Tk 500 to Tk 1,000, according to Nazer.
He has had to hike rickshaw fares in order to keep up with the rising costs. A trip from Mirpur’s 60 Feet to Farmgate would cost Tk 70 before, whereas now, Nazer charges up to Tk 120 on this route.
“Our lives on Tk 8,000-9,000 then, and now on Tk 14,000-15,000 remains the same. That’s due to the higher prices of essential products. But our lives haven't seen any improvement or decline.”
PRICE HIKE ONSLAUGHT
In Bangladesh, numerous people lost their jobs during the pandemic between 2020 and 2021, while some small business owners were forced to cut their losses and head back to their hometowns.
According to the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, or BBS, the average inflation rate has remained steady at 5.5 percent over the past five years.
In simple terms, a product that cost Tk 100 in 2017 would now be priced at Tk 131.41.
Dr Ahsan H Mansur, an economist and executive director of the think tank Policy Research Institute, disagrees with the inflation data provided by the BSS.
The data does not match the reality of people’s experiences, he said.
Prices of fuel, cooking gas, medicines, electricity and public transport fares have risen significantly since 2017.
The Consumers Association of Bangladesh, or CAB, says the prices of all daily necessities, including rice, pulse, oil, salt, turmeric, pepper, vegetables, spices, have gone up more than 50 percent over the last five years.
Soybean oil now costs up to 38 percent more while palm oil prices soared 63 percent. On top of that, the price of beef rose by 15 percent, mutton 23 percent and domestic chicken by 39 percent during that time.
The fine varieties of rice cost 14 percent more than they did five years ago. Medium standard rice is 21 percent more expensive and prices of coarse rice went up by 22 percent.
INFLATION: A GLOBAL PLIGHT
But rising consumer prices are not just hitting the pockets of ordinary Bangladeshis. Inflation has been one of the notable fallouts from the coronavirus pandemic the world over.
As country after country entered lockdowns, the closure of factories and the overall economic slowdown caused severe disruptions to the global supply chain, driving up the costs of raw materials and their transportation.
Consequently, consumer prices have been on an upward trajectory, which together with fresh threats from COVID-19 variants and a rise in debt, and income inequality could endanger the recovery in emerging and developing economies, according to the World Bank’s latest Global Economic Prospects report.
In the US, consumer prices rose firmly in January, leading to the biggest annual increase in inflation in 40 years.
Meanwhile, inflation across the 19 countries that share the Euro picked up to 5.1% in January from 5% in December, a new record high, defying expectations of a big drop and piling pressure on the European Central Bank to finally admit that price growth is not as temporary and benign as it has long predicted.
However, Kristalina Georgieva, the head of the International Monetary Fund, believes it is "too early" to say if the world was facing a period of sustained inflation, but warned that failure to make economies more resilient to future shocks could lead to big problems.
As global demand began to show signs of recovery in 2021, a rise in energy costs dented some of the optimism. And with Russia's military incursion in Ukraine, concerns are growing about its implications on the global energy market.
When Russia, the world's second-largest crude oil producer, launched its invasion of Ukraine last week, oil prices skyrocketed and briefly rose above $100 per barrel for the first time since 2014. Although prices moderated somewhat over the following, experts warn that it could rise to more than $130 amid the fallout from the conflict.
[Written in English by Syed Mahmud Onindo and edited by Turaj Ahmad]