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A new electric pickup truck will beat Tesla's Cybertruck to market. Here's why Lordstown Motor's Endurance could be a major threat.
Lordstown Motor's Endurance will have a cheaper starting price along with four in-wheel motors that allow it to handle better in tough environments.
Automaker Fisker claims the Ocean is the "world's most sustainable vehicle" with its fully-vegan interior and carpet made recycled abandoned fishnets.
Video of the Rivian R1T truck performing the 360-degree turns surfaced months ago. The electric-truck startup is now officially acknowledging it.
Shifting Gears: A massive trucking bankruptcy, Tesla gets a string of wins, and a look into the post-car future
A trucking bankruptcy left drivers stranded nationwide, Elon Musk won his defamation case, Boeing's 737 drama continued, and more.
The head of General Motors' Cadillac luxury brand said on Thursday a majority, and possibly all, of its models will be electric vehicles by 2030.
Photos showed Tesla Supercharger stations faced long lines during holiday travel, revealing a big hurdle for EV makers
Tesla Supercharger stations throughout the West Coast were overwhelmed over the holiday, and some drivers complained on Twitter and YouTube.
Tesla revealed its long-anticipated pickup trucked. Dubbed "Cybertruck," the offroad vehicle is a complete departure from Tesla's luxury lineup.
The 2019 Los Angeles auto show is in full swing, with a bevy of new electrified models and concepts headlining the show, but there's much more to see.
Everything that happened when Elon Musk unveiled the Cybertruck, including the window-breaking mistake that made him say 'Oh my f---ing god'
For everyone who didn't have time to watch the unveiling, here's everything that happened when Elon Musk revealed the Cybertruck.
Tesla's new Cybertruck might be able to turn into a 'Cybercamper' with a tent for sleeping in the back
Tesla unveiled its new Cybertruck, including a rendering of a campsite that has fans hoping for plans for a camper.
Tesla reveals Cybertruck, a 6-passenger pickup featuring 3 motors, armored glass, and up to 500 miles of range
The new pickup truck is the sixth passenger vehicle in Tesla's lineup and the third new vehicle from the brand to be announced in three years.
Ford on Sunday unveiled a Tesla rival, the electric Mustang Mach-E, which has Tesla-like features including a front trunk, or "frunk."
Lithium-ion batteries require a lot of energy to produce. So, too, does the extraction and refinement of metals like lithium, nickel, and cobalt.
Diesel-powered cars flopped in the US. At the current rate of growth, electric vehicles could flop here, too.
Electric vehicles are a tiny piece of the global car market, but Volkswagen is making a huge bet on them. It doesn’t have a choice.
By 2023, Volkswagen says it will invest over $30 billion in EVs, a sum roughly equal to the company's combined profits from 2015 through 2018.
Hyundai has unveiled a hydrogen-powered semi-truck trailer concept while announcing its exploration of the US commercial vehicle market.
Analysts expect the company to post a loss on Wednesday, but, more worryingly, they also don't expect top-line revenue growth.
The Tesla Model 3 sedan and Chevrolet Bolt EV hatchback are two of the best-selling electric vehicles in the US.
The company delivered 97,000 cars in between June and September. Shares of the company's stock fell about 4% in after-hours trading.
I spent a weekend with Tesla's Model 3. It was the most fun I've had driving a car, but Autopilot made me nervous.
Tesla's Model 3 sedan had great acceleration and handling, and charging at a Supercharger station was easy, but Autopilot gave me some concerns.


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Imitation is the best form of flattery!
The 20-year-old supermodel went to RDB LA auto shop to have a brushed steel vinyl wrap applied to her car — and the result looks nearly identical to how Corey Gamble redesigned his momager GF’s whip last summer.
The car shop took to Instagram to show the final product:
Complete change up for @kendalljenner. #RDBLA #RDBLA2016 #sunset #la #kendalljenner #rangerover #customization @rdblaA photo posted by RDB LA MANO (@rdbmano) on Mar 27, 2016 at 11:37am PDT
You can see a better look at KJ’s ride (below)!
According to TMZ, it was a quick makeover as Kenny was back in the driver’s seat after only two days.
Must be nice!

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Home Depot announced Tuesday its investing $1 billion in wage increases for its hourly associates, boosting its starting wage in every U.S. market to or above $15 per hour.
“We’ve been continuously focused on cultivating the best associate experience in retail, with ongoing investment in associate wages, benefits, bonuses, job tools, and career development opportunities. We’ve also enhanced training and career development opportunities for our associates. In 2022 alone, more than 65,000 associates were promoted into positions of increased responsibility,” said Ted Decker, Chair, President and CEO.
The Atlanta based home improvement store hopes the investment will drive wage growth for all its tenured frontline workers and benefit those just starting their careers at Home Depot.
“Excellent customer service is one of our core values, and we view our investment in the knowledgeable and experienced associates who provide that excellent customer service as critical to our success. Additionally, since 90 percent of our store leadership started as hourly associates, today’s new hires are our future leaders. This investment will help us attract and retain the best talent into our pipeline.”
The new wages went into effect on February 6, so some associates already saw the new rates reflected on their February 17 paychecks. All remaining associates will see the increase in their February 24 paychecks.


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Toxin-packed stem cells used to kill cancer
A Harvard University Research Team created genetically engineered stem cells that are able to kill cancer cells, while leaving other cells unharmed.
Pros go pink for 'Friday Night Lights'
It was also Friday Night Lights for the pros.
Can a hug cure Ebola fears?
Along with Nina Pham's all-clear diagnosis from her doctors, the Dallas nurse was also pictured hugging the president the same day she was discharged.
Google exec sets record for free-fall jump
A Google exec now holds the record for the highest free fall parachute jump after he fell more than 135,000 feet from the stratosphere.
KFC's newest monster: Zinger Double Down King
KFC's gut-busting double-down sandwich has been re-invented, again.
Debunking Crazy Food Myths
French toast has been around long before France was a country. That's just one of many food names with false advertising. The List 's Donna…
Why it now costs $2,000 a year to have a dog
John Matarese reports on the rising cost of man's best friend
What Chefs Buy at the Grocery Store
We're about to make your trip to the grocery store a little less of a hot mess thanks to the help of chef, Michael Rusconi ( Rusconi's…


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We are expecting an update to Android any day now, something we should see unveiled at Google I/O in a couple of months time. But, it looks like Google is going to bake in much more powerful and ever-present voice commands into its mobile OS.
The Mountain View-based giant is reportedly trying out a new "OK Google everywhere" feature that would be an always-listening feature, responding to your voice and commands. If you're looking through photos for example, you could say: "OK Google, share this photo". Not only that, but there are more changes rumored to be baked into the next release of Android.
On top of the improved "OK Google" commands, we should expect a new navigation bar that will replace the home button with a "Google" item. Tapping this would start a search without having to utter a word. When you need to go back to the main screen, you could use the "recents" key, too.
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Septieme Largeur has officially launched its new SS2022 collection. It is actually quite different for them this year. They kept it very classic and concise. A
Most shoe companies have the standard accompanying accessories: Shoe trees, shoe polish, shoelaces and if you are lucky, belts too. But not Septieme Largeur.
We are excited to announce we have taken delivery of some new colours to add to our belt?collection ready for the Summer! There are 4 new colours to choose


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In last week’s Bloomberg Businessweek Jobs Issue, the magazine dived into one of the hottest topic around jobs: Automation and Technology. As we all are very aware, industry such as manufacturing, which doesn’t require much of formal education, has been losing its jobs to machines and cheap overseas labors. However, according to this data, one of the best paid, bachelor’s-degree-required, and most vulnerable occupations to the automation are accountants and auditors.
With +1.2 million people employed, accountants and auditors group is the biggest job category that requires bachelor’s degree and is more than 90% likely to be automated. Insurance underwriters, with 99% probability to be computerized, is the most likely to be automated job category that requires bachelor’s degree. Other bachelor’s degree required job categories that are vulnerable to automation include loan officers, credit analysts, compensation and benefits managers, and technical writers.
Companies Disrupting Big 4 and Accounting Industry
All of the industries and jobs that are at risk to be replaced by technology have companies who are applying or trying to apply their technology to disrupt the traditional industry leaders. For instance, laborers and freight, stock and material movers group, which employs over 2.5 million people and 85% at risk of computerization, is soon to lose their job to autonomous car developing companies such as Uber Technologies, Alphabet, Apple, Tesla and drone developing company such as Amazon. With 97 percent probability of computerization, 3.5 million cashiers are at risk to lose their jobs to online retailers and newly brick-and-mortar Amazon. Insurance underwriters are losing their jobs to start-ups like Lemonade Insurance and Oscar Health. 2.5 million waiters and waitresses are losing their jobs to countless food delivery startups. Hotel workers and taxi drivers are losing their jobs to those sharing economy goliaths–Airbnb and Uber Technologies.
So the question is, where are companies disrupting accounting and auditing industry, especially the Big 4 who have dominated the market for decades? According to AngelList, a startup that helps you seek startups, there are 746 accounting start-ups around the world, with $3.6 million average valuations. I am not sure yet which one of them would be disrupting Big 4 and accounting industries, but also looking at CB Insights’ recently published Fintech 250 lists and EAAS lists (“Expert Automation & Augmentation Software”), I got to get a glimpse of the potential Airbnb of accounting and auditing.
Here are few companies that caught my eyes:
SMACC is a German Fintect that, according to AngelList description, “applies artificial intelligence and machine learning technology to help SMBs master their everyday financial tasks.” Using startup buzzwords like AI and machine learning, SMACC is trying to convince the world that they can revolutionize the world of how accounting has been done up until now.
AppZen is a California-based startup that provides “the world’s first artificial intelligence powered solution for travel and entertainment expense report creation, compliance, and audit.” The company’s AI can audit in real-time 100% of the expenses and examine for the possible fraud, misuse, or violation of the law. And, AI will assign a “risk score” to every report so that auditors can focus their time on the fraction of expense reports that are high-risk.
Freee is a Tokyo-based accounting SaaS company which was founded by former Google employee Daisuke Sasaki. The company’s software can sync with bank accounts and credit card accounts and automatically categorizes income and spending through text analysis. All users have to do to create financial statement is to review what freee has created and click approve. By August 2015, the company’s software attracted about 380,000 customers, according to this article. With a total of seven funding rounds and $84.5 million in their pocket, freee is the most resourceful startup in this list, yet the article says we shouldn’t count on seeing them abroad soon.
Which company will grow to disrupt the accounting industry and keep executives at Big 4 accounting firms stay up at night? I am very thrilled for their future, and hopefully, they will bring some excitement to the industry.
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- The Wall Street Journal•2 hours ago
U.S. business leaders are optimistic that President-elect Donald Trump will boost economic and job growth, said John Chambers, executive chairman of Cisco Systems.
- Investopedia•8 hours ago
Former Cisco CEO John Chambers says he doubled down on the market after Trump was elected.
- TheStreet.com•8 hours ago
The sale represents a haircut from a 2015 fundraising that valued SimpliVity at more than $1 billion.
CSCO : Summary for Cisco Systems, Inc. - Yahoo Finance
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In Differdange, the implementation of the FUSILLI project is at full speed. In the last months, the city has mobilized multiple departments to create the Kondel Lab—a dedicated spot for local organic food production and education, catering to childcare services, youth centers, and citizens.
The Kondel Lab and its Educational Mission:
Pedagogical Garden and Workshops
At the heart of the Kondel Lab lies Differdange’s first-ever public educational garden—a space designed to cultivate knowledge and inspire young citizens to embrace organic gardening practices. Starting from May 2024, the Kondel Lab is currently offering gardening workshops called ‘’From Seed to Plate’’. The activity was designed by the city’s lead gardener and teachers in order to empower children with information about vegetables production. The workshops are open to kids from all seven childcare centers of the city, and will reach more than 100 children throughout Summer 2023.
First group of kids at the Kondel Lab Pedagogical Garden
Expanding Local and Organic Vegetable Production
One of the primary objectives of the Kondel Lab is to expand the city’s public production of local and organic vegetables. Since only a very small share of organic vegetables consumed in the country are produced locally, there is a need to foster public-funded production initiatives. Differdange aims to increase its organic vegetable production by 100% in the next two years, converting an unexploited plot of land into a new organic site. This expansion will contribute mainly to school’s kitchens and social supermarkets, making a difference for children and underprivileged households.
Kondel Lab’s upcoming organic site
Sabrina Zumbo: A Driving Force in Differdange’s Organic Food Production
Sabrina Zumbo, a dedicated organic gardener, joined Differdange’s as a civil servant in 2021 after years of freelance work. With the implementation of the FUSILLI project and the creation of the Kondel Lab, Sabrina foresees a positive impact on her work. She expects these initiatives to provide greater visibility to the public organic production of the city and its educational potential. Additionally, Sabrina looks forward to the improved resources and gardening personnel available, enabling a more efficiently work method. Through FUSILLI and the Kondel Lab, Sabrina is poised to continue playing a pivotal role in promoting sustainable practices in the city’s organic food production efforts.
Sabrina Zumbo at the Kondel Lab main organic production site
The creation of the Kondel Lab exemplifies the city’s dedication to implement FUSILLI’s objectives. By establishing a hub for organic food production and education, Differdange is taking significant steps towards building a more environmentally conscious and self-reliant community. As the Kondel Lab opens its doors to children, the city is getting closer to offering all its residents the chance to learn about healthy eating and gardening.


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Israeli start-up Mobli Media Inc is taking on Internet giants Google, Facebook and Yahoo with an innovative online search tool to find the latest photos and videos across social media, the company said on Monday.
Mobli, which is backed by Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim and big-name US celebrity investors Leonardo DiCaprio, Serena Williams, Lance Armstrong and Tobey Maguire, has raised more than $90 million in funding.
The company's EyeIn service allows users to search for pictures and video clips taken by people at concerts, sports events, demonstrations or natural disasters as they post images on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, a unit of Facebook.
Its real-time, location-based search marks a new twist on a well-established category that typically returns a flood of photos or videos based on popularity or other ranking methods or requires users to wade through separate social media feeds to find relevant images.
Top photo sites include photo-sharing pioneer Flickr, a unit of Yahoo, Google Image Search and Facebook, as well as Facebook’s Instagram photo-sharing site.
EyeIn is available as a search website, a downloadable mobile app or as an add-on for publishers to install within their own websites to complement text and other information. Partners for the add-on include AOL Inc's Huffington Post.
EyeIn can scan a story on a news website to calculate what the event is about and create an album of photos that will update itself as the event unfolds.
Mobli will partner some of Slim's companies, though Hogeg would not disclose names. Slim, who owns telecoms group America Movil, is the largest shareholder of New York Times Co.
Other investors in Mobli company include Vic Lee, co-founder of Chinese Internet firm Tencent, and Kazakh businessman Kenges Rakishev, who invested $22 million. Other investor stakes were not disclosed.
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The surviving Beatles and relatives of the band's late members have begun legal action against record company EMI to get royalties allegedly worth £30m.
The Beatles made a global impact on the pop music market
Sir Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and relations of George Harrison and John Lennon claim EMI owes record royalties to their company Apple Corps.
The band have issued legal proceedings in the High Court in London and the Supreme Court in New York.
EMI said it welcomed "full financial transparency" with its artists.
The band allege EMI owes more than £30m in record royalties to Apple, which was allegedly uncovered during an audit of Apple accounts.
Legal proceedings were issued on Thursday in the High Court in London and the Supreme Court in New York.
Apple Corp chief Neil Aspinall said: "We have tried to reach a settlement through good faith negotiations and regret that our efforts have been in vain.
"Despite very clear provisions in our contracts, EMI persist in ignoring their obligations and duty to account fairly and with transparency.
"Apple and the Beatles are, once again, left with no choice but to sue EMI."
The Beatles' last legal battle with EMI was in 1991, when Apple won a High Court ruling preventing the firm releasing a box set of two albums.
The current negotiations over the alleged unpaid royalties have been under way for more than two years, an Apple spokeswoman said.
An EMI spokeswoman said it was not unusual for artists to request an audit of their record label accounts.
"We have no problem with it as we like to have full financial transparency with our artists," she added.
"Sometimes there are differences of opinion, not least when record contracts are complex.
"Sometimes artists resort to the courts or mediation, and 99 times out of 100 the problems are resolved amicably for a small proportion of the claim.
"EMI has offered to go to mediation but, sadly, Apple rejected that offer."
The spokeswoman added the company had no comment to make about the ongoing litigation.


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The future of wearables, which includes activity trackers, smartwatches, smartglasses and embedded sensors in clothing, is quickly evolving and changing to reflect technological advances and new products available in the marketplace.
At CES 2016, there was a plethora of wearable devices dominating the scene, particularly fitness trackers, sensors, smartwatches, virtual reality and augmented reality headsets, also known as smartglasses. Health-related wearables, particularly those for seniors and babies, and for monitoring sleep and health conditions, constituted a large segment of the new devices on display.
Several industry experts shared their predictions on what we can expect to see in the next 12 months in each of these categories.
A transitional year ahead
John Haggard, CEO of Nymi, said, “2016 is gearing up to be another transitional year for wearables. In 2014, we saw the introduction of several new wearable technologies and form factors to the market, led by fitness trackers. This past year, we’ve experienced the broader commercialization of many fitness trackers and smartwatches, with adoption rapidly climbing. 2015 was the year where companies started talking about having a wearables strategy which indicates that wearable tech is here to stay.”
“In 2016, we’re going to see continued consolidation in the market, with single-function devices taking a back seat to devices that feature a useful stack of applications,” Haggard said.
There will be a definite shift in the marketplace, according to Liz Dickinson, CEO of Mio Global, which manufacturers the Mio line of heart rate wearable tech.
“We will see a lot of exits from the smartwatch category – either through bankruptcy or acquisition. Meta watch, perhaps Pebble. The fitness band category will see significant price erosion. New entrants like Xiaomi and others will cause fitness and activity band manufacturers to diversify through fashion partnerships. Significantly more fashion brands will enter the activity tracking space. Activity bands will start to deliver more information than just steps, sleep and calories. It is likely they will start to specialize and deliver deeper analytics for functions like swimming, biking and other activity specific applications,” Dickinson said.
Brian Ballard, CEO of APX Labs, said “The biggest thing is we’ve gone from hype to momentum to traction in 2016. It’s where rubber meets the road in enterprise adoption. We’ve seen all the major vendors double down on enterprise. Whether smartglasses or wearables. Watches and fitness trackers are the ones that span both categories.”
Ballard predicted that one megatrend will be the collision between the Internet of Things and wearable devices as many major companies are considering how wearables will benefit their manufacturing facilities.
In 2015, industry analysts expected smartglasses to realize $1 billion in annual costs savings in the field services industry, and they estimate the market will grow to $6 billion in 2016, Ballard said.
“I think monocular smartglasses are going to really fly this year in enterprise. I think you’re going to see true augmented reality glasses like Microsoft HoloLens and cousins like Epson’s glasses bridging gap between the two,” Ballard said. “We are seeing some early adoption trends that we think will take off around HoloLens, biometric authentication, token, and wearable IoT sensors.”
AR glasses are particularly beneficial in the enterprise. Dan Ledger, principal for Endeavour Partners, said, “We’re getting to a point now where Google Glass came out a few years ago and ran its course and Google is working on its new iteration of that and Microsoft has some incredible products. The stuff that in five years you will look back and say, ‘I never imagined we were going to be able to do this and create these type of experiences.'”
Smartglasses will be a hot commodity for back-end operations in particular, according to J.P. Gownder, vice president and principal analyst at Forrester.
“Smartglass pilots for back-end operations (like pick-and-pack work) will outnumber customer-facing pilots (for customer service) three to one. Top verticals will include oil and gas, utilities, manufacturing, transportation, warehousing, and logistics, where they will deploy smartglasses to workers in order to drive operational excellence. Vendors will include Atheer Labs, Epson Moverio, Vuzix, XOEye, and others — but most especially Microsoft, whose HoloLens will be released for enterprises sometime in 2016,” Gownder said.
Health programs at work spurring growth
More companies are offering health programs where employees get discounts if they track their activity with a wearable device, and this is opening up opportunity for manufacturers.
A Tech Pro Research report showed that 47% of companies surveyed are using, or planning to adopt wearables within their organization this year. Among those using them, smart watches, sensors and headsets were the three top categories of devices being used, or considered.
Ledger said, “One of the things we’re seeing is a huge explosion in employer wellness programs that are continuing to help drive both adoption and engagement on wearable products. These programs wrap another layer of incentives around the experience so people have more to gain by sticking to their wearable devices. We’re going to continue to see an increase in these corporate programs.”
“The established and more premium activity trackers are starting to feel that, one, if you are well aligned with these programs that it’s a good thing. Some of these companies do a lot of wholesale business with employers selling hundreds or thousands of activity trackers vs. selling them one by one to retail channels. What’s also starting to happen now is that we get these more sophisticated offerings, the type of activity tracker you have becomes less important,” Ledger said.
“If you go to Amazon, you’re starting to see the emergence of all these off brand activity trackers that have the same chips as the high end ones and they’re selling for $20 or $25. The world is getting a little trickier for those more established players,” he said.
Consumer wearables on the rise
The Consumer Technology Association, as previously reported in TechRepublic, predicts that 38 million wearables will be sold this year, with smartwatches and fitness trackers making up the bulk of the sales. The combined revenue from fitness trackers and smartwatches is $4.9 billion.
As for smartwatches, despite their popularity, Ledger said, he thinks they serve mostly as a second screen for a smartphone. “They’re mostly products of convenience at this point. If I lost my Apple Watch my life wouldn’t change dramatically. This device saves me a few minutes of time every day,” he said.
In 2016, “Smartwatches will still have a good audience but they’re not yet at a point where they’re universally useful to people. They still require a lot of maintenance and charging every night. For a lot of people it’s still kind of a novelty. A fun thing to have, it saves you a few minutes of time every day but it’s not nearly as essential of a device as smartphones and for some people an activity tracker,” Ledger said.
Gownder said, “Smartwatches will continue to grow, but they’ll also continue to disappoint some people. They’re never destined to become as common as smartphones, but too many people expect them to be. Instead, they’ll become a common smartphone accessory that reaches 25 million people globally by the end of 2016.”
The consumer demand for smartwatches can be finicky, and investors just as much so, as evidenced by the significant drop in Fitbit’s stock price after the company announced its new Fitbit Blaze smartwatch at CES 2016 and investors were underwhelmed.
This year will see more seniors wearing tech, and CES 2016 offered dozens of new devices for seniors, as reported in TechRepublic.
Ted Leonsis, former CEO of AOL and current founder and partner of Revolution Growth. Leonsis said in 2016, “an Internet of Things wearable industry will emerge to monitor the elderly. As the population ages and people live longer, a health care industry that monitors people living alone will become a major new category for investment.”
“Quick advancements in wearables for elderly are needed as the world population is aging at an unprecedented rate – it’s been reported that by 2050, 2 billion people will be over 60. And those individuals will have grown accustomed to technology being a part of their daily lives, unlike previous generations,” Leonsis said.
Invisible sensors in clothing are also increasing, with Samsung debuting a new line of clothing at CES 2016, including a men’s suit, belt, golf shirt and athletic wear.
“Clothing-based wearables will continue to grow. On the fitness side, companies like Athos will find a home with elite athletes and at gyms. OMSignal’s fitness monitoring, already available in Ralph Lauren’s Polo Tech shirt, will become more common. Smart workout clothing and undergarments will begin to gain market awareness by the end of 2016,” Gownder said.
What to do with all that data
IoT machines are feeding live data into the enterprise, and giving the workforce access to that data in real time is essential. “Glasses are high performing way to do it. Bluetooth beaconing is an awesome idea but if you don’t have a way for employees to engage in it you don’t have the ‘so what’ factor. We look at wearables as the missing mate to IoT,” Ballard said.
“One of our investors is General Electric. Look at the trends they’re pushing with Predix [Cloud] being a massive industrial cloud solution with data flowing through. When you have a workforce that’s engaged with those systems you can get real time operational systems that work,” Ballard said.
Ledger said there is an issue with the massive amounts of data being collected.
“The industry is really struggling to figure out what to do with that data. If you are an athlete and you do training it’s helpful to have a watch that does heartrate tracking. Athletes know how to use that information to determine their readiness to train and to help measure exertion levels during workouts. The average consumer who has a Fitbit has no idea what that information can be used for. And there isn’t contextual information to help them,” Ledger said.
The vast amount of data being collected means that privacy and security measures will also need to be in place to protect consumers and the enterprise from malicious threats.
Sam Rehman, CEO of Arxan Technologies, said, “We can expect to see a much more meaningful advancement in the rigor of security requirements laid down by the regulators in 2016. This is partly due to accelerated advancements in public-private threat intel-sharing, and the regulators’ acknowledgement of the need to seek out cutting-edge threat data and security best practices from the organizations that are on the front lines of defending against them. For example, in IoT, the FDA is making significant improvements in beefing up minimum security requirements for medical devices including wearables, which could otherwise pose grave safety risks to people, care providers, and medical device manufacturers that depend on their trusted operation. Since the vertical markets are so intimately interconnected, we will also see more teeth behind enforcement of security requirements.”
Despite the range of opinions on the future of wearables, one thing is for sure. There will definitely be change in 2016 as the industry evolves and matures and both the enterprise and consumers figure out how wearables will fit into their worlds.


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In an effort to drive efficiencies throughout its stores, Meijer plans to utilize the Hyer platform/app across its 246-store footprint and its Serv-U-Success operation to connect gig workers with identified tasks on hand.
The app allows Meijer to support its workforce needs in real-time, ensuring it can meet consumer demand. Led by a team of retail and consumer product goods experts, the Hyer platform provides organizations and individuals with a unified, easy way to locate, engage and manage independent work.
CEO of Hyer, David Dempsey said, “Hyer is the first integrated, scalable ecosystem for labor on demand in the gig economy. While there are several labor on-demand apps in today’s marketplace, Hyer’s robust app enables Meijer to manage multiple tasks in a single mobile application.”
Since partnering with Hyer, Meijer has been able to better manage the volatility of demand—having the right number of resources that match their needs, according to media reports.
“Across the system, the use experience is fast and simplifies the overall resource management at store level, saving us time and increasing efficiency while simultaneously improving the customer experience,” said Todd Weer, SVP of Stores at Meijer.


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For more than a year, Uber concealed a massive data breach of personal information for 57 million customers and drivers worldwide, the ride-hailing company said Tuesday. Uber paid $100,000 to the two hackers behind the theft to destroy the data and stay mum about the break-in.
The data stolen in October 2016 included names and driver’s license numbers for 7 million drivers, 600,000 in the U.S., and names, email addresses and cell phone numbers for millions of riders. Uber said its forensic experts believe that credit card numbers, bank account numbers, Social Security numbers, dates of birth and trip histories were not compromised. The company said there is no evidence that the hacked data was used for fraudulent purposes.
Cybersecurity experts said Uber’s failure to notify affected individuals and disclose the breach to regulators showed a tremendous shirking of responsibility, and violated a California law requiring businesses to inform the state attorney general and people whose personal information was stolen.
Uber itself acknowledged the same.
“None of this should have happened, and I will not make excuses for it,” wrote Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi in a blog post. The company said it is now notifying regulators, contacting affected individuals and providing a year’s worth of free credit monitoring and identity theft protection to affected drivers. It’s also monitoring affected accounts for fraud protection.
Uber’s board recently discovered the hack after commissioning a probe by an outside law firm. The company this week fired its chief security officer, Joe Sullivan, along with one of his subordinates, for concealing the data breach.
Uber co-founder Travis Kalanick, who was ousted as CEO of the world’s most valuable startup in June, learned of the hack a month after it occurred, at a time when Uber was tussling with regulators over its data security, according to Bloomberg News, which first reported the breach. Kalanick was replaced by Khosrowshahi in August after a scandal-plagued year.
It is the cover-up, rather than the hack itself, that is likely to further tarnish the company’s battered reputation.
“Am I surprised that Uber was broken into?” said Steven Weber, a UC Berkeley professor of information science. “No, I’m not. Some people facetiously say there are two kinds of companies: Those that know they’ve been hacked, and those that don’t know.”
Major companies including Yahoo, Equifax, Target and Anthem have been targeted in recent hacks that uncovered far more information than was gained in the Uber break-in.
But not disclosing the breach is likely to exacerbate the public’s lack of confidence in Uber, Weber said. “Let this be a lesson to other companies that find out they’ve been attacked and want to try to fix the problem without anyone finding out,” Weber said. “People will find out, and when they do, they will be really pissed. It’s better to be honest.”
Weber is also director of Berkeley’s Center for Long-Term Cybersecurity. Sullivan, the former Uber security chief, sits on the center’s advisory board. Weber said the group doesn’t yet know how it will handle the revelations about Sullivan.
Uber’s payment of hush money to hackers sounds shocking, but experts were divided about how egregious it was.
“I hear quiet rumors it happens sometimes, but it raises concerns about encouraging more criminal activity,” said David Wagner, a UC Berkeley professor of computer science.
But Weber said the payout strikes him as similar to paying to remove ransomware from a computer. “If they believed that by paying $100,000 ransom they could verify that the data had been deleted and protect their business and their users, that might have been a plausible thing to do,” he said.
Khosrowshahi is handling the situation appropriately, experts said. His words and actions “sound responsible and mature,” Wagner said. “Good for him about being up front and disclosing the situation.”
Harry Campbell, an Uber driver who runs the Rideshare Guy blog and podcast, said he hadn’t yet received any proactive notice about the breach. His driver app shows a link to “check on my status,” which he clicked. “Sure enough, it looks like I was hacked,” he said in an email. “Seems strange that you have to opt in to find out if you were hacked.” Uber said it is now in the process of emailing affected people.
Mark Simmerman, a senior security engineer at Intivix, an IT consulting firm in San Francisco, said Uber’s breach underscores the need for a national standard for cybersecurity attacks.
The patchwork of state laws regulating data breaches, Simmerman said, have fostered an environment in which companies can be cavalier with customer data and rarely face serious consequences.
“We have really reached a tipping point where a national law needs to be passed with standards and penalties so that when large enterprises have to react, even if they’ve done nothing wrong, they have clear guidance about how they might notify anyone affected by the breach and how to work with law enforcement, if that’s necessary,” he said.
Carolyn Said and Dominic Fracassa are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: email@example.com, firstname.lastname@example.org Twitter: @csaid, @dominicfracassa


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Nigeria’s leading premium Lager, Star, makes at least N120 billion every year, according to Walter Drenth, Marketing Director, Nigerian Breweries PLC.
The revelation came on the night of Wednesday, November 6, as the company unveiled a limited edition series of Star, called Star Music Bottle.
Star is one of NB’s most successful brands, and according to experts, a strong leader in the alcoholic beverage industry.
Mouths opened and tongues wagged, as Drenth made the announcement during his presentation on Wednesday, during the star-studded event which held at Federal Palace hotel in Lagos.
What this means? At least 1.6M bottles are consumed every day at N200 a bottle. And Drenth says the figures are ‘average’.
Most Star drinkers are between 18 to 45, dwelling in urban and rural areas.
Sources say Nigerian Breweries is one of the sector’s highest employers of labour, and have a top 3 national marketing budget.
The limited edition Star Music bottle is supposed to be on sale for just 60 days.


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Last week BMO Capital Markets hosted a fireside call with a number of U.S Midwest-based agriculture commercial lenders. This comes after companies scramble to find inputs as fertilizer purchases are now being rationed due to fears around Russian sanctions.
The first point within the BMO note on the topic is that though grower sentiment remains strong, some people are concerned that crop prices have gotten away from the market. This as a result may possibly lead to a negative impact on demand in 2023. BMO says that they would be more comfortable if corn futures would drop from $6.50/bu to $5.50/bu as a result.
To add to the concerns, BMO says that the commercial lenders are starting to have concerns about the sector heading into an under-supply scenario. This is based on severe drought impacting the US, with up to 70% of winter wheat impacted, as well as issues in Ukraine and Brazil that further impact supply. Though they believe that Russian grain will “likely flow, but under what conditions and discounts remain to be seen, and it won’t likely be without considerable risks on logistics, supply, etc.”
BMO notes that lenders are surprised that roughly 25% of new crop sales are this year’s crop. Though this is in the normal range, they are surprised considering “how elevated new crop prices are.” Lenders have also mentioned that the fertilizer availability seems to not have been affected, though “phosphate inventories deemed low in the retail channel and growers are seen cutting potash and phosphate applications/purchases as much as possible.”
Information for this briefing was found via Sedar and Refinitiv. The author has no securities or affiliations related to this organization. Not a recommendation to buy or sell. Always do additional research and consult a professional before purchasing a security. The author holds no licenses.


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The buy now, pay later boom: Why Congressional lawmakers are now paying attention
The buy now, pay later industry is booming. As we first reported last month, it’s changing how people spend money and that’s especially important as you shop this holiday season. Lawmakers are taking notice and asking questions.
In short, BNPL (buy now, pay later) providers offer instant approval, point-of-sale loans through third-party companies like Affirm, Klarna, Afterpay, and Sezzle.
The loans are usually short-term—and unlike most credit cards — interest-free if you make your payments on time and in full.
WINK News Investigative Reporter Celine McArthur has been looking into this new choice at the checkout and explains why lawmakers are now paying closer attention.
Lawmakers on the House Financial Services Committee in Washington DC are playing catch up. They’re asking basic questions about how BNPL works, trying to figure out if they need to step in to protect you from hidden costs and potentially crippling debt that could lead to a nationwide financial crisis.
Buy now, pay later is a 100-billion-dollar industry and its unbridled growth is shaking up the financial world.
“A recent study by McKinsey reports that buy now, pay later fintechs [financial technology comapnies] have diverted between eight to $10 billion in revenue from traditional banks,” says Congressman Stephen Lynch, D-MA.
Congressman Lynch and fellow lawmakers met with a handful of consumer advocates and leaders of financial technology associations—who represent some of the big buy now, pay later providers—to discuss the pros and cons.
“The use of consumer data, the exploitation around spending patterns, the application of lending laws and the potential for unsustainable levels of consumer debt,” says Lynch.
Buy Now, Pay Later—BNPL—advocates explain how this service is different, and potentially more appealing, than traditional credit.
“It is not a revolving debt situation. It is one in which they want to satisfy their obligations in a very timely in a short period of time,” says Penny Lee, CEO, Financial Technology Association. “And so, it gives the consumer the power.”
Consumer advocates lay out what they see as red flags and real risks.
“The top buy now, pay later lenders accounted for nearly 11 million, or 91% of the total consumer loans originated in 2020. If there are problems, their impact will be felt on a wide scale,” says Marisabel Torres, Center for Responsible Lending.
Buyers aren’t limited to how many BNPL platforms they can shop on at once.
“Multiple loans can be difficult to manage and can lead to unaffordable debt loads,” says Lauren Saunders, National Consumer Law Center.
Without federal regulations, they say BNPL providers can change how they operate and use your information at any time.
“Products may not stay free or low cost, or the ultimate business model may be different than it appears,” says Saunders.
Lawmakers asked if children can use these platforms. Here’s how the Financial Technology Association responded:
Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-NY: “Could you legally use the product below the age of 18?”
Penny Lee, FTA: “I’ll have to double-check on that.”
Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-NY: “But would you support regulations that require a minimum age of 18 and older?”
Penny Lee, FTA: “I will confirm with our members as to if there is a minimum age.”
Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-NY: “What should the minimum age be?”
Penny Lee, FTA: “I will refer to the members.”
The FTA members were not part of this hearing. When lawmakers have questions about Facebook, they call in Mark Zuckerberg. The big BNPL providers, including Klarna, Afterpay, Sezzle and Affirm weren’t there to talk specifics.
Lawmakers did admit they need to learn more about the industry before discussing possible regulatory oversight through the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. We will keep you posted on what happens next.


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As of recent, the Dutch Bros straw code has been making waves on social media with many people claiming that it is a disgusting way to get attention. With this article, learn about the controversy and how one man came up with this idea.
After reading this article, you will learn more about the Dutch Bros straw code and what the company has to say about it.
The Dutch Bros straw code has become a very popular topic online in the past few days, so let’s do a breakdown of what happened, why it is controversial, and what might be coming next.
What’s the easiest way to get your point across on social media? The straw code, that’s what! This is a prank that was invented by an employee of the Dutch Bros. Not only is it a simple and creative idea, but has created quite a stir online.
What is the Dutch Bros Straw Code?
The Dutch Bros Straw Code is a social media policy that was created by the Dutch Bros. restaurant chain. The policy prohibits employees from posting any negative comments about their coworkers online. This policy has caused a lot of controversy online, with many people criticizing it as being unfair and arbitrary.
The Dutch Bros Straw Code is a code that baristas can use to communicate with one another about drink requests.
When someone places a drink order at a Dutch Bros, the barista will usually ring it up and tell the customer what drink they need. However, some customers have started using the code to communicate with one another in a more personal way.
For example, a woman might order an iced coffee and tell her friend that she’s going to meet them at the back of the store in five minutes. Her friend would then know not to bother waiting for her, since she won’t be able to get their drink.
This type of communication can be messy, because it’s not always clear who is saying what. Sometimes people are accidentally communicating with other customers, or they’re not being discreet enough and their conversations get overheard.
Some customers have complained about this type of communication on social media, because they feel like it’s invading their privacy. Others have defended it, arguing that it’s just a way for people to communicate without speaking out loud. It’s definitely an interesting topic to think about, and it’ll be interesting to see how it evolves over time.
How do you interpret the Dutch Bros Straw Code?
The Dutch Bros Straw Code refers to a set of social media guidelines developed by the Dutch Bros. chain of coffee shops. The guidelines focus on creating positive customer experiences and preventing online disputes. The code is designed to make interactions between customers and the company more civil and constructive.
Some people believe that the code is a good way to avoid online fights and build trust between customers and businesses. Others argue that the code is too complicated and overly restrictive. Regardless of people’s opinions, it’s clear that the Dutch Bros. Straw Code has sparked some lively social media discussions.
The Dutch Bros Straw Code is a code that employees at Dutch Bros. stores use to communicate during emergencies. It has been controversial because some people have interpreted it to mean that employees are allowed to sexually assault customers.
Some people believe that the code was created to shield employees from sexual assault lawsuits. Others believe that it was created as a way to protect customers from being abused.
Regardless of its original intention, the Dutch Bros Straw Code has caused a lot of social media backlash. Many people believe that it is inappropriate and offensive. They feel that it creates a culture of impunity for employees who abuse their customers.
Where did this trend begin?
The Dutch Bros Straw Code started as a way to communicate with customers in a fun and unique way. It started out as a simple hashtag, which customers could use to ask for special orders or feedback. The hashtag quickly grew in popularity, and Dutch Bros began using it as an official communication tool.
reactions to the straw code trend were mixed. Some people loved the interactive nature of it, while others found it confusing and overwhelming. Ultimately, the straw code was a hit with Dutch Bros’ customers, but it didn’t go over so well with social media critics.
Dutch Bros Straw Code began trending on social media earlier this week after a picture of a customer’s receipt was posted to Twitter. The code, which is an image of two parallel lines with a Dutch Bros. logo in the middle, is meant to show how much the customer’s drink cost. However, some people took the code as an opportunity to post mean comments about other customers and their drinks.
The trend quickly caught on and various social media users shared screenshots of receipts with the Dutch Bros. Straw Code written on them. Some people even wrote profanities next to the code. This has caused Dutch Bros. to issue a statement condemning the trend and asking its customers not to participate in it.
The reaction to Dutch Bros. Straw Code has been mixed, with some people recognizing the funny side of it and others finding it offensive. However, the company does not want its customers to engage in this type of behavior on social media, which could cause serious consequences for its business.
Is there any connection between sororities and the posting of Straw Code memes?
On a recent episode of “Real Housewives of Orange County,” Peggy and Vicki were discussing their sororities. Vicki mentioned that she was part of a Sigma Alpha Epsilon chapter and Peggy said she was in a Delta Gamma sorority. They were discussing which one was better, and Vicki said she thought the SAEs were better because their social media posts looked “messier” than the DGs.
What do you think? Is there a connection between sororities and the posting of Straw Code memes?
There has been a lot of talk lately about the Dutch Bros Straw Code, a term which has been used to describe a series of memes that are often associated with sororities. The Dutch Bros Straw Code refers to a series of memes featuring four cups and a straw, with the caption “Drink code: If you drink all four cups, you can go to the Phi Beta Kappa party.”
While many people seem to think that there is some sort of connection between sororities and the posting of the Straw Code memes, there is no evidence to support this claim. In fact, many people believe that the Straw Code memes originated from 4chan, an online forum that is known for its crude and offensive content.
Regardless of where the Straw Code memes originated from, it is clear that they have caused a lot of controversy online. Some people believe that they are sexist and demeaning towards women. Others argue that they are simply funny jokes that should be left alone.
There has been recent speculation on social media that the Dutch Bros Straw Code, or a drinking game based off of it, is connected to the sorority life at many universities. While there is no hard evidence linking this game to either sororities or fraternities, some students are concerned that it could be associated with negative stereotypes and damaging images of Greek life.
The Dutch Bros Straw Code was first posted on Twitter on October 8th and quickly went viral. The game consists of players taking a drink when a certain phrase is uttered in a movie trailer. The phrase “sorority girls” is commonly used in movie trailers, and as such, the game quickly became known as the “Straw Code” or “Sorority Slurpee”.
While many people found the game funny, others were offended by its content. In particular, many sorority members took offense to the game because it perpetuates negative stereotypes about their chapters. One sorority member said that she had received death threats over the game and that she would no longer go to school because of it.
Some students have argued that the Dutch Bros Straw Code is not actually a drinking game at all but rather
The Dutch Bros Straw Code was an event that occurred on social media and resulted in many messy reactions. The code was a pattern that was used to order drinks at the Dutch Bros. restaurant chain and it caused many people to get upset because they could not figure out how to use it. Some people thought that the code was sexist because it only allowed men to order drinks, while others thought that the code was racist because it did not allow people of color to order drinks. In the end, most people found the code confusing and frustrating, which is likely why it caused so much backlash.
Dutch Bros Straw Code is a new coffee shop that opened up in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The store is unique because it uses a straw code to enter the store.
The straw code was created as a way to prevent theft. It’s a code that you must enter into the store in order to get a drink. The code is also displayed on the front of the store.
The social media reactions to Dutch Bros Straw Code have been mixed. Some people love the new system, while others find it confusing and frustrating.
Overall, Dutch Bros Straw Code is an interesting concept that has received mixed reactions from consumers. It will be interesting to see how it continues to evolve over time.


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British jewellery brand Scream Pretty has expanded internationally with a launch into the Australian market.
Founded in 2016 by sisters Lucy Lee and Jessica Pearce, Scream Pretty has built up a loyal UK customer brand, with pieces designed for women that like to add edge to their everyday style.
Designed with the ethos be seen. be heard. scream pretty, the new dedicated Australian e-commerce site follows a natural progression in the international strategy for the rapidly growing brand.
Co-founder, Lucy Lee says of the launch: “Scream Pretty are thrilled to launch in Australia. The last three years have seen fabulous growth for the brand in the UK and we see huge potential for our exciting designs in this new market– the curated ear, and layered styles are already in demand for Australian consumers. The ability for Scream Pretty to deliver quickly and directly to customers with efficient, localised marketing and customer service will build the confidence of the discerning Australian consumer.
“This is an incredibly exciting time for Scream Pretty, we are expanding into more and more boutiques across the UK and have some great partnerships in the pipeline for 2020 and beyond!”
Scream Pretty Australia will be spearheaded by Sydney-based distributor Polly Teller. After 18 years in the magazine industry across London and New York, Teller launched a successful Yoga Accessories brand into the Australian wellness market. Buoyed by this success Teller is ready to use her e-commerce experience and creative prowess to make Scream Pretty Australia a red hot success.
She comments; “From the office to the beach, the multi-pierced ear and ‘more is more’ jewellery vibe is seen on women across Australia. Scream Pretty is a natural fit for the demand in the market, and offers that extra sass missing in the local bo-ho centric jewellery brands.”


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Nordstrom plans to open a new Rack location in Manhattan at 855 Sixth Avenue and 31 Street, two blocks from Herald Square.
The new off-price store will be the second Nordstrom Rack to debut in Manhattan. The company also plans to open a Manhattan flagship Nordstrom department store in 2019.
Nordstrom stated that it has scheduled the new 46,500-square-foot Rack store to open in fall 2017 on the first three floors of a newly constructed office/residential tower.
“We are thrilled to announce a second Nordstrom Rack store in Manhattan,” said Karen McKibbin, president of Nordstrom Rack. “Having a store near Herald Square, one of the most iconic shopping destinations in the world, is very exciting for us, and we look forward to offering visitors and residents of New York an additional location to shop with us.”


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Kolmar Korea is to become a formidable player in the pharmaceutical industry by taking over CJ HealthCare, industry watchers said Wednesday.
CJ Cheiljedang, which owns the drugmaker 100 percent, said on Tuesday that it signed a deal with Kolmar Korea to sell CJ HealthCare to the cosmetics manufacturer.
After selecting Kolmar Korea as the preferred bidder earlier in the day, CJ Cheiljedang immediately agreed to sell the drugmaker for 1.31 trillion won ($1.1 billion). CJ Cheiljedang will dispose of CJ HealthCare stocks and investment securities on April 6.
Through the acquisition of CJ HealthCare, Kolmar Korea will beef up its capacity to develop new drugs and expand sales networks and continue the manufacturing and development of existing drugs.
Kolmar Korea’s annual revenue was about 200 billion won last year. Acquiring CJ HealthCare with 500 billion won yearly sales will make Kolmar become a large drugmaker. Some pharmaceutical sources predict that Kolmar Korea will be able to post 1 trillion won in sales in the future.
Kolmark Korea said it planned to enhance pharmaceutical business through CJ HealthCare takeover and become one of the top five local makers centering on new drug development by 2022.
The company also plans to expand its R&D capabilities to commercialize a new drug within the next 10 years, to become a globally competitive drugmaker.
Kolmar Korea aims to secure the largest production capacity in the Korean pharmaceutical industry by utilizing its two factories and three plants of CJ HealthCare.
The company also said it promised CJ HealthCare’s independent management to ensure long-term, stable growth, rather than to seek short-term results.
“If our contract manufacturing organization(CMO) business integrates with CJ HealthCare’s business in prescription drugs, health, and beauty products, our company will be able to become a comprehensive pharmaceutical firm,” said an official at Kolmar Korea.
He went on to say, “With the successful acquisition, our company has a balance in three areas -- cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and healthy food. This platform, although rare in the world, will boost our global competitiveness.”
<© Korea Biomedical Review, All rights reserved.>


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The Peeple app, founded by 96 Talents CEO Julia Cordray and co-founder Nicole McCullough has already received a lot of criticism even before the people-rating app is released.
The upcoming app has people wondering what is the app’s primary purpose. This was one of the questions Humber College Business professor, Dr. Youssef A. Youssef had before he would decide if he wants to sign up for it.
“I would like to learn about it,” said Youssef. “You have a lot of tools that rate people already… you can rate people on social media now a days”.
Youssef noted most employers refer to social media before hiring new employees to get an idea of their personality. He said the app could thus be harmful to many employment-seekers if an adversary decided they wanted to go through the process of creating a fake Facebook account and using a disposable phone to stain someone’s professional image.
Cordray responded to concerns like these through her interview with Entrepreneur Magazine in November.
“You’re not anonymous on our platform,” Cordray told Entrepreneur. “You can block users and report users. You have full control over what goes on your profile.”
Cordray said Peeple utilizes some of the more popular social media platforms.
“You will be able to share your professional profile on Facebook, Twitter, email or text, ” she said.
Though consumers will be able to post their Peeple profiles on their other social media outlets, the app exclusively allows users to make a more educated decision of who they can choose to hire, work with, live next to, or even date through the recommendations and reviews of others.
However, some students likeHumber Business management student Henry Tran, 18, wouldn’t try it unless his friends suggested it to him. “What’s the point?” Tran asked.
He said the social and business mixed components make it hard for the app to be considered 100 per-cent reliable from a marketing perspective.
Cordray said users who try to hide any negative reviews will have a recommendation score. “I suggest you look at all recommendations they received on their profile and all recommendations they wrote about others which can be seen at the bottom of their profile.”
This rating system is determined by every recommendation received whether it is shown on the profile or not.
“All recommendations whether posted live or not affect the person’s recommendation score. Look at their overall score,” said Cordray.
The recommendation score will be composed of five elements not yet revealed to the public.
In response to the harsh critiques, some adjustments have been made to the app, including the opt-in patch that means someone cannot be forced onto the app by someone else. Even if a profile were created for a person without their permission, they would receive a text to confirm the authenticity and would always have the option to deactivate.
Though the Federation of Canadian Brazilian Businesses President does trust reviews on websites such as Ebay, Trip Advisor and Amazon, Youssef said he would need to get a better understanding of the business model before deciding on using the app himself.
A new feature Cordray announced is the ‘Nearby’ tab that will allow users to find other Peeple handlers in their proximity, allowing for networking specific to that person’s preferences. As the app is intended for social purposes as well, someone could find their romantic match at their favourite corner coffee store just by using Peeple’s ‘Nearby’ tool.
For business experts like Youssef however, the social and professional combination for the app is concerning. As dozens of dating sites tailored to specific demographics already exist, Youssef is curious to see what primary function Peeple users will refer to the app for.
As an accommodation to the updates the app was pushed back to a possible late December or early January, opposed to mid-November. Youssef said statistics show that a lot of relationships end at the end of the year, so the release could lead to a greater initial download response for those looking for a new method of online dating in their area. Though many are interested in actually trying the app before dismissing it as useless, the early negative attention has inspired a change.org petition to stop the release.


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Brewsters Releases Brewer’s Dozen Sampler Pack
On April 9, 2015 At 1:00 pm
Responses : Comments are off for this post
EDMONTON, AB – The Alberta arm of prairie brewpub chain Brewsters Brewing has announced the release of a new sampler pack.
Brewsters Brewer’s Dozen is a 12-pack featuring three bottles each of Wild West Wheat Ale, Rig Pig Pale Ale, Hammerhead Red Ale and River City Raspberry Ale.
The Brewer’s Dozen pack is available now at select liquor stores and all Brewsters locations in Alberta.


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|Bodmer’s Stoves has been located in
this stone building since 1976.
Ed and Nancy Bodmer opened a wood stove story in the mid 1970s when they discovered Ashley stoves beat out all the cheaply made stoves on the market. That led to more than four decades selling wood stoves – and experiencing the ups and downs in wood heating in America. Ed and Nancy typify the older generation of stove retailers who spanned the transition from the inefficient, uncertified stoves, to the far more efficient and cleaner ones today.
Unfortunately, by far the biggest heyday for stove sales was in the late 70s and early 80s prior to EPA emission regulations, leaving the country saddled with millions of polluting and inefficient stoves. Retailers like Ed Bodmer have spent decades of their lives helping with the transition to cleaner stoves.
Their store, is also home to Bodmer’s Pottery, run by Nancy and is located in an old, stone building Buckeystown, 10 miles south of Frederick in rural Maryland. We called Ed to talk to him about his experiences over the years and heard many intriguing stories.
Selling a stove store in 2019
“Actually, I didn’t want to sell this year. I wanted to wait until 2020 when I turned 75, but this guy really wanted to the business,” Ed recalled in a phone interview. This guy owns a local heating company and he called Jotul and Vermont Castings to become a dealer. Both of those companies said no, because Ed Bodmer had that territory. So, his only recourse was to buy out Ed, along with all his inventory.
Getting started in the 1970s
“We kind of fell into the business, like many others, when we were just looking for a good woodstove for our own home,” Ed said. They started with Ashley and grew to represent many big-name brands like Pacific Energy, Jotul and Vermont Casting. “We like the kind of people who are willing to cut their own wood and grow their own food,” Ed recalled. That culture was popular in the late 60s and 70s and there is a resurgence in local food today, if not heating with cord wood.
High and lows, and diversifying the business
“The high points in our business were the late 70s, after the oil embargo and after Hurricane Katrina,” Ed said. Katrina was a Category 5 storm that was still strong as it moved north through western Maryland in August of 2005, just before the stove buying season. Another high point that took the Bodmer’s by surprise was the Y2K scare in 2,000, when people thought computer bugs related to the date change from one century to the next may cause major power outages and other societal breakdowns. The lows were the mid 1980s after the oil embargo ended and fossil fuel prices went back down during what was then called the “oil glut.”
Ed and his wife Nancy focused on running a good business from August to February so that they could have time to garden, travel and enjoy life. They decided not to diversify into patio and barbecue products and instead focused on their core product: stoves.
The ups and downs with pellet stoves
Bodmers carried pellet stoves for many years, but demand was not consistent, and they got out of the pellet stove business several years ago. They carried the top brands, including Harman, but even so, the repair issues were always so much higher than with wood stoves. “I’d sell a wood stove and didn’t see the person for another 20 years, when they came back to buy a newer one,” Ed recalled.
|Nancy Bodner ran a successful
pottery business out the store.
Cat vs. non-cat and first time vs. repeat customers
Ed was very interested in our question about what percent of buyers were replacing older stoves compared to first time stove buyers. “I’d say it’s about 50-50,” Ed told us. Bodmers had a lot of repeat customers, but unlike retailers of most consumer goods, the stove buyer only comes back every 20 – 30 years. But that meant a lot to Ed, and he really enjoyed those customers who he had sold to in the 1980s or 1990s. A lot of them who bought one of the original catalytic Vermont Castings wanted another catalytic Vermont Castings. Ed told us that a lot of his customers did their research and knew that a catalytic stove would give a longer burn and higher efficiency, and that is what they wanted. “So, we always sold a lot of catalytic stoves,” he said.
The 50% of his customers who were first time buyers also got a wood heat lesson from Ed, to ensure that they knew how to use the stove well. “We don’t have a lot of young customers,” Ed said. “Most were between 30 and 60, but one guy and his wife both in their 70s just bought a new stove because they love the heat and couldn’t live without it.”
The Maryland stove rebate program
Ed said that the Maryland stove rebate program was not that much of an incentive for his customers, many of whom did not want to pull a permit and or have the professionally installed. Bodmers used to do installations in house but has used an independent installer for the last 6 years. (The Maryland rebate program is far more used by pellet stove buyers because they get a much higher rebate.)
Inventory and the 2020 EPA emission standards
Ed told us that he had very little inventory that was not 2020 compliant and it would not be hard to get rid of it before June 2020. Bodmer’s is not an HPPA member currently but has been in the past. By staying in close touch with the manufacturers of the stoves he sells, he has stayed abreast of all the recent changes the industry is going through. He said that ordering and receiving new stoves has become even easier these days, and he could order a few Vermont Castings, for example, and have them in the store quickly. He also didn’t seem too worried about June 2020, when the stricter emission standards kick in. “I heard Jotul just won a Vesta award for an upgraded Oslo and I look forward to seeing that” Ed told us. He currently has an older Oslo in his home. The only question Ed had about the 2020 deadline was whether there would be another a price increase, which would be hard for some of his price sensitive customers.


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It’s a couple of days after a hurricane and most of the danger has passed. Now the fight is against discomfort and misery.
There’s no electricity yet, which means no hot meals, no gasoline, no cash from the ATM. And it’s a day without air conditioning in the stifling Florida summer. Cell phone batteries are dying — and it’s hard to get a signal anyway.
One thing fixes most of the misery: electricity. Even if your house doesn’t have power, it helps when there’s electricity somewhere — maybe a nearby restaurant, or a store with cold bottled water, maybe even a bar with cold beer.
For all that government does to help people and get the basics done after a storm — performing rescues, clearing roads, fixing red lights — it’s only when the businesses get going again that life begins to seem normal.
“You might not have your air, but you can go out and drive somewhere and get something to eat with the kids because they’re going nuts,” said Richard Walker, a West Palm Beach businessman who has been thinking a lot in the last couple of years about the power outages caused by hurricanes. “People have got to get food and people have got to get fuel.”
After seeing the inconvenience faced by his community after two years of hurricanes, Walker started Power To Go, a company that provides mobile generators for businesses, primarily restaurants and gas stations.
“In 2004, we sold over 460 generators,” Walker said. “In 2005, we sold over a thousand.” This year he’ll exceed that by the middle of hurricane season.
Hurricanes can wreak havoc on Florida’s electric system. While many new powerlines are underground, older ones are still strung above ground and falling trees can bring them down. For example, Hurricane Wilma last October knocked out electricity to more than 6 million people across South Florida. Many were without power for more than two weeks.
Companies claim to be better prepared
The power companies say they’re better prepared than ever to deal with hurricanes and moving to make their infrastructure more sturdy, hoping to do their part to get things back on after a storm.
But many businesses won’t be waiting for the utilities. Stung by being without power for more than two weeks after last year’s Hurricane Wilma, many are going to businesses like Walker’s to make sure they can get back up and running quickly.
Some say they don’t want to lose loyal customers. And like many people after a disaster, they feel a certain kinship with their community — they want to be able to help.
“I’ve been in business for a long time in South Florida,” said Max Alvarez of Miami, who owns about 50 gas stations around the region — and who has for years made sure he’s had enough generators to get them all running as soon as he can get gasoline after a hurricane.
The quicker he can start selling the gas, the better for everyone, Alvarez said, noting that he tries to make sure he can open so he can provide fuel for power company trucks, police cars and ambulances.
But businessowners also admit it’s in their economic best interest as well. If they can’t open, they can’t make money.
“If I’m in the business to generate a profit, and if I determine that having a generator is going to help do that, of course I’m going to go buy a generator,” Alvarez said.
A new state law will eventually require owners with multiple gas stations like Alvarez to have mobile generators. But like Alvarez, many gas station owners already have moved to get hold of generators.
Generators in high demand
Jim Smith, president of Florida Petroleum Marketers and Convenience Store Association, which represents mostly small gas stations, said his membership — about 60 percent of those in Florida — is now about 20 percent generator capable, meaning they could easily switch to generator power. Many of those actually have contracts for generators, he said.
“A majority of those generators are going to be portable,” Smith said, meaning they can be moved to stations that have been hit, rather than being stuck at a station that may not need it.
That doesn’t take into account the major oil company-owned stations, most of which have access to generators now.
And generator power is becoming the norm at big retailers that have the items people need after a storm.
Publix, for example, has a goal of having generators at about 400 of its stores this year.
Home Depot — where people may go for repair supplies as soon as the winds die down — has long had generators in all its Florida stores, said company vice president Bob Puzon.
“As long as we have 10 associates in the store we can open immediately,” Puzon said.
Smith cautioned that just because businesses like gas stations have power doesn’t mean hurricanes will no longer be a problem. Hurricanes, can wipe out days of fuel delivery, meaning some stations won’t have gas to pump.
It can be the same for restaurants, which may not be able to get food deliveries.
“We can’t lull the citizens of the state into a false sense of security that everything’s going to be normal, it’s not,” Smith said.


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Gyft has said that, beginning on Oct. 3 and lasting through Dec. 18 of last year, two cloud providers used by the company were infiltrated by “an unknown party” and user info was downloaded.
In a release by the company on Friday (Feb. 5), Gyft, a digital gift card service that utilizes bitcoin, said that though the data had been viewed and downloaded, no evidence has emerged that the information has been used to commit any malfeasance. No Gyft accounts were accessed nor were any unauthorized purchases made; at present, there isn’t any evidence that information was used “improperly,” the company said.
In listing the types of information “potentially accessed from the cloud providers,” Gyft said the data could have included names, dates of birth, contact information and gift card numbers. In this last item, the company cautioned in the release, “gift card numbers could have been used to make unauthorized purchases. In addition, Gyft login credentials may have been compromised. An unauthorized party who acquired credentials could have accessed a Gyft account and used any gift cards in the account with unused balances, reward points or a Coinbase-enabled account to purchase additional gift cards.”
However, the company noted that none of the credit cards stored within the Gyft accounts were compromised, as full card numbers are not actually visible in Gyft accounts.
The company said that after uncovering the security incident, Gyft sought to prevent further unauthorized access by requiring potentially affected users to reset passwords; the firm also logged out other users who may have been affected. Gyft recommended further that users examine Coinbase transactions dating back to Oct. 2015 and also monitor gift cards that may have been in the Gyft account before Jan. 8 of this year.


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Despite fewer home sales, the average price of a New York City apartment has been pushed up by very wealthy buyers.
Sales like the $92 million apartment at 220 Central Park South last December have skewed the numbers, according to the latest data.
“New luxury development has a significant impact on the market,” said Laura Tomana, senior economist at the Real Estate Board of New York. “You have to take that into account when you’re looking at average numbers.”
According to the REBNY Residential Sales report for Q4 2019 released today, the average price of a city apartment was $985,000.
While the price went above $1 million throughout much of 2019, that’s still a five percent increase year over year from Q4 2018 when it was $938,000. The five-year average is $949,000 and five years ago (Q4 2014) the average citywide home was $841,000.
At 220 Central Park South alone, where units go for $35,000-$10,000 psf, there were 22 closings last quarter. The quarter before, there was one closing for $122 million. Earlier last year, hedge funder Ken Griffin paid a record breaking $238 million for a penthouse there.
If 220 CPS were removed from the equation, the average price of a home in New York City last quarter would have been $910,000 ($75,000 less).
At the same time, the total amount of money paid for home sales has declined to $9.9 billion – its lowest since Q4 2014. This is a 4.5 percent decrease year-over-year.
However, Tomana said REBNY is optimistic about the sales market based on a recent report it issued on broker confidence.
“We’re seeing renewed confidence from brokers about the year ahead,” she said.
Additionally, recent reports compiled by brokerages have indicated home sales are inching their way back up.
In terms of unit types, condos did better last quarter than co-ops and one-to-three family homes and the reason for this, REBNY found, is a supply issue.
There are simply more new condos and not many new co-ops and one-to-three family homes. Money paid for condos went up by nine percent year-over-year to $3.5B and average price went up by 10 percent.
Co-op sales declined in terms of the amount paid by 25 percent year-over-year to $1.8B. The average sales price of such units citywide decreased 10 percent to $688K. Staten Island is the only borough that experienced an increase in total sales consideration (20 percent), while transactions declined 17 percent year-over-year citywide.
The total amount paid for one-to-three family dwellings declined 15 percent year-over-year to $4.5B. The average sales price of such units decreased one percent to $833K. Manhattan was the borough with the greatest decline in average sales price, falling by 29 percent over the period while Brooklyn experienced a decline of eight percent. The average sales price remained relatively flat in the other three boroughs.
The REBNY report also shows that the amount of money for all the sales last quarter declined in every borough except the Bronx where it remained flat. Manhattan declined by two percent, Brooklyn by five percent, Queens by six percent, and Staten Island by 19 percent.
Citywide residential transactions decreased year-over-year by nine percent with a total 10,057 transactions – the lowest since Q1 2013. The total number of transactions also declined in each of the five boroughs.
Overall, transactions declined for homes valued at every price level. The volume of transactions for units under $1M declined by 10 percent. For units ranged $1M-$3M, the number of transactions decreased by four percent, while transactions in the $3M-$5M range decreased by 14 percent. Units over $5M decreased by 36 percent.
“New York’s residential market continues to adjust to a changing landscape,” said Paimaan Lodhi, Senior Vice President at REBNY. “Although citywide residential sales fell nine percent last quarter from the previous year, New York’s economy remains strong and we expect the market to stabilize.”


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How far is Bangladesh from achieving self-sufficiency in the dairy industry?
The Bangladesh government has a strong focus on the development of the dairy sector for the latter to achieve self-sufficiency by increasing milk production with acceptable quality. The recently approved Livestock and Dairy Development Project (LDDP) could be seen as a strong reflection of the government's attempt to develop the sector. The Department of Livestock Services (DLS) has been implementing this mega project. The current DLS has highly efficient personnel who are working hard to develop the dairy sector but the DLS needs authentic information and cooperation from all stakeholders of the dairy value chain. Keeping this in mind, the recent developments in relation to tariff increase by a segment of the dairy farmers and their activities (demonstration in the streets) are the key concerns for the dairy sector at present.
According to DLS (2018), Bangladesh produces 9.4 million tonnes of milk (against the requirement of 15.04 million tonnes) in a year and according to International Farm Comparison Network (IFCN), total milk production in Bangladesh stands at 8.08 million tonnes. This implies that Bangladesh produces only 63 percent of the total requirement (while as per IFCN it is 54 percent). As per BBS (2018), Bangladesh imports 0.11 million tonnes of milk.
So, how far is Bangladesh from achieving self-sufficiency? If we take into account the outlook for 2030, Bangladesh needs additional six million tonnes of milk. With the current deficit of six million tonnes and additional requirement of six million tonnes, in the next 12 years, Bangladesh needs to produce 12 million tonnes of milk. With the current rate of production, will Bangladesh be able to produce an additional one million tonne per year? The lack of land availability, limited feed and fodder, and lower milk production efficiency are key constraints for increasing milk production. Achieving self-sufficiency would be quite challenging for Bangladesh unless we take a holistic approach to increase milk production.
Recently, several news outlets published news regarding increasing dairy tariff which seemed to be their sole concern. However, tariff-related activities were not linked with the real developments. There is a controversy surrounding the dairy chain—whether tariff reduction or tariff increase is an effective way to develop the dairy sector.
Tariff reduction is associated with increasing overall national welfare and consumer benefits, and decreased farm incomes of small-scale household farms. The current skimmed milk powder import tariff is 25 percent. In the proposed budget for FY2019-2020, it has remained about the same but farmers are demanding a tariff increase to 50 percent. They believe that it would be a safeguard for dairy farmers.
But in reality, if we want to increase dairy farmers' income, decreasing the cost of milk production would be a more effective method. Bangladesh dairy farmers get a milk price that is 37 percent higher compared to the global average, and even then, small-scale farmers are barely profiting as their cost of milk production is relatively high. Thus the only means to decrease the cost of milk production is to increase production management efficiency instead of relying on increase of milk price or tariff. Increasing the tariff might be good for the farmers but it will not solve the issues of decreasing costs and improving the quality of milk. On the other hand, increasing the tariff will have strong negative effects on consumers and will prevent access to affordable nutrition for the poor and lower-income people.
While consumer interests are a central concern in the developed world, the recent developments in Bangladesh during pre- and post-budget point to some issues that could work against consumer interests. Consumers in Bangladesh are a silent decision-maker. Due to increasing liquid milk price along with the prevalence of low-quality milk, reduction in milk consumption is a real possibility. At the 20th International Farm Comparison Network (IFCN) dairy conference that was held in Berlin from June 15-19, 2019, 85 dairy researchers were present from 48 countries including EU, US, Latin America, Oceania, Africa and Asia. It was emphasised that due to quality issues and high milk price, consumers are now moving toward "alternative milk and milk products". This will have strong implications for dairy farmers and processors. They have no option but to take into consideration the real interests of the consumers if the dairy sector is to survive.
Recently, a study was conducted to find out whether an increase or decrease in tariff will have an effect on dairy sector competitiveness. The study showed clearly that decreasing tariff by 10 percent can cause a loss to the small-scale (household) farmers (loss of Tk 924 crore per year) but will not affect medium- (family farm) and large-scale farmers (business farms). On the other hand, with a 10 percent tariff, consumers, and the country as a whole, will be greatly benefited (gain of Tk 12,887 crore per year) and it will also lead to an increase in the consumption of milk. Currently, milk consumption is decreasing for which the main barrier is high liquid milk price and low quality of liquid milk. Consumers are losing trust in liquid milk.
International dairy companies and dairy importers must focus on the development of the local dairy sector on the one hand and on the other, the government has to ensure fair business growth. At the same time, the government's first priority should be to preserve local interests.
In order to develop the country's dairy sector, it is necessary for all stakeholders to work together. Each and everyone is vital to the process and has to play a specific role to contribute to the sector's progress. The farmers have a responsibility to increase efficiency, reduce costs of milk production and take the necessary steps to avoid adulteration of milk. The processors must too play a role in not only collecting milk but also paying a price that is justified. Above all, the quality of milk is what it comes down to as far as consumer satisfaction is concerned. The processors, therefore, have to create a link between farmers and consumers. Researchers and the academia have a responsibility to define the strategies for the government so that the government can take the necessary steps to develop the dairy sector. The government is the main body through which all kinds of development activities will take place. Keeping this in mind, the Integrated Dairy Research Network (IDRN) was established in the Department of Animal Nutrition in Bangladesh Agricultural University last year in collaboration with International Farm Comparison Network (IFCN), Germany. The IDRN is working to bring all key dairy stakeholders in a single platform so that decisions related to the development of the dairy sector can be made on a consensus basis.
Thus, it is quite clear that only emphasising upon milk tariff reduction is not an effective way to develop the dairy sector. The government has to ensure that all stakeholders live up to their responsibilities. Increasing the tariff may provide benefits to a certain segment of farmers but there is a real risk that the country may face a lack of investment and nutritional security may also be under threat. As a result, consumers' welfare will be ignored. Achieving self-sufficiency can only be possible when and if all the stakeholders work together and respect each other's position in the dairy value chain and work towards a common goal.
Dr Mohammad Mohi Uddin is Associate Professor and Network Coordinator, Integrated Dairy Research Network, Department of Animal Nutrition, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh, and Senior Livestock Economist, International Farm Comparison Network (IFCN), Germany. Email:firstname.lastname@example.org
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Navin Raheja, managing director Raheja Developers, says, We have achieved more than what we had envisaged this Diwali. We had launched a project called Raheja Shillas in Gurgaon, thinking that it will take around two months to sell approximately 70% to 80% of the project. But, with the realty market showing positive signs of revival, we sold the project in only 10 days. He also added, The inaugural discount was being offered initially. But the rush was such that we had to withdraw the discount immediately. Despite this, the project was sold out 90%. We plan to sell the remaining 10% at the time of possession.
The second quarter of the financial year 2009-10 has seen the real estate market recording stability in terms of pricing. Niranjan Hiranandani, managing director, Hiranandani Constructions, told FE, Diwali has fueled the demand further. A greater number of enquiries by end users have been recorded for residential properties. We feel that during Q3 2009-10, the real estate market demand will witness a demand growth of 35%.
Many builders feel they recorded profits starting from Navratri itself. Abhishek Lodha, director, Lodha Group says, We have witnessed a rise of over 35% in demand and sales conversion for properties which include Lodha Bellisimo in Central Mumbai and Bela Casa in Dombivali. This can be attributed to various factors such as overall growth in the economy, including reasonable home loan rates at which end buyers can afford to buy properties. This is because realty prices have dipped over the corresponding period last year.
Shivom Group has set itself a target of selling 1.5 crore worth of apartments at Shiv Aum Gardens in Karjat where prices range between Rs 10 and Rs 12 lakh. Amardeep Gambhir, managing director, Shivom Group says, Since the past one week, our Karjat project has generated many enquiries and we have completed three deals. This Diwali has been better than Diwali last year and we hope to achieve the target in the next 15 days. Shivom Group has recently announced that it will provide customers a range of exclusive offers to choose from, for bookings made at Shiv Aum Gardens, Karjat this Diwali. Buyers will be given the opportunity to choose between a free Bajaj motorcyle, free stamp duty registration, a free modular kitchen or a free lifetime club house membership for all apartments booked at Shiv Aum Gardens, Karjat until October 31, 2009.


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The publication of the domestic regulations and guidance on the implementation of the food information to consumers Regulation (EU) 1169/2011 (the FIC Regulation) was expected much earlier this year. The general labelling requirements under the FIC Regulation will take effect on 13 December this year and food businesses are understandably anxious in the absence of certainty and clarity surrounding key aspects of the implementation of these provisions. Earlier this month, no doubt in recognition of the level of anxiety shown, Defra circulated a draft version of the guidance. The draft has not, however, been published or made available on the Defra web site and it adds some 16 pages to the guidance published in November 2012.
The Food Standards Agency’s (FSA) public consultation on the future availability of raw drinking milk comes to a close in a few days on 30 April. Artisan Food Law has covered many different issues surrounding raw milk over the last 12 months and more, so now seems a good time to bring some key ones together and provide, in no particular order, 10 good reasons for securing the future of raw milk.
A few days of the FSA’s public consultation remain. If you are one of the 77% of people who support the continued sale and availability of raw drinking milk, even if you would personally not choose to drink it, you have a brief opportunity left to let the FSA know. Simply send a note to Freddie Lachhman at the FSA, either by e-mail to RDM@foodstandards.gsi.gov.uk or write to him at: Food Hygiene Policy, Food Standards Agency, 1st Floor, Aviation House, 125 Kingsway, London WC2B 6BH.
Make sure the message gets through by 30 April that raw drinking milk is here to stay and the choice whether to consume it must be one which is real and meaningful.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) publishes four food law codes of practice which are for use by the food authorities in England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland. These are statutory codes of practice which, in England, is issued under section 40 of the Food Safety Act 1990 and the Food Safety and Hygiene (England) Regulations 2013.
Food authorities are required have regard to the relevant code in the discharge of their duties or risk successful challenge to their decisions or actions, and evidence being ruled inadmissible by a court. It is, therefore, essential that food businesses are at least aware of their content in their dealings with local enforcement authorities. The codes for England and Wales have recently been updated and came into force on 6 April 2014, replacing earlier versions dated April 2012.
On 31 March the Food Standards Agency (FSA) hosted an open meeting for anyone interested in the future of raw drinking milk. The FSA has been reviewing the regulations on raw milk for the last two years and this meeting was a part of the public consultation which runs until 30 April.
There have been no reported outbreaks of illness associated with raw drinking milk in the UK since 2002 while throughout this period well in excess of 10 million litres of raw drinking milk has been consumed. The absence of any reported outbreak is no accident or coincidence but a credit to the high standards of production applied by today’s raw milk producers. This formed the background to the discussion.
Survey data commissioned by the Food Standards Agency revealed that 77% of those surveyed supported continued sales of raw drinking milk and while 20% expressed interest in buying or consuming raw milk only 3% do so regularly. In short there is significant unmet consumer demand which raw milk vending machines could do much to meet.
The FSA, however, has a problem with raw milk vending machines. “Selfridges' raw milk dispenser 'contravenes food hygiene regulations'” was the news headline back in December 2011 which broke shortly before the FSA decided, in March 2012, that it would undertake a review of the regulations governing the sale of raw drinking milk.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has announced the public consultation stage following a policy review of sales of raw drinking milk. The consultation pack which accompanied the announcement last Thursday, 30 January, extends to 191 pages of detailed information and sets out four options for the future. The good news is that the FSA has expressed a preference for continuing raw milk sales under the fourth of the following four options:
Option 1: Do nothing
Option 2: All milk to be pasteurised prior to sale
Option 3: Allow sales of raw drinking milk from all outlets
Option 4: Introduce measures to harmonise and clarify current controls.
In short, in a choice between the status quo, either extreme and somewhere in the middle, a whisker away from the status quo it is the last of these which is preferred by the FSA at this stage.
Burgers cooked ‘as you like them’ are back on the menu at Davy’s Wine Bars and Restaurants after two years of legal wrangling with Westminster City Council. The Artisan Food Law Blog provided the background to this story back in December 2012 and we can now bring you up to date.
In July last year Davy’s secured the right to serve rare burgers and in a second case, heard on 17 December last month, Westminster offered no evidence and the prosecution was dropped. It is the reasoning of the court set out in the judgement handed down last July which provides interesting reading.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is about to embark on a review of controls over the availability of raw drinking milk which has grown and is growing in popularity. Recent sales of raw milk using a vending machine and online sales have been criticised by the FSA as ‘not in keeping with the spirit’ of the law. This is one issue likely to feature prominently in the review.
The FSA appears to be set on tightening up the law, which may well make it much harder to buy raw milk, but is the FSA’s view correct or misguided?