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It’s a celebration of all things meat. Well, it’s a celebration of all things Barbeque, it’s just that ‘meat week’ rolls off the tongue. The DC edition of the smokiest, food-based festival begins this Sunday and runs for 8 glorious days. We spoke with DC Meat Week Captain (Captain is a much better title than Organizer or Boss or Festival Person, Captain sounds like it’s fun) Mike Bober to preview the festivities.
What is Meat Week?
Meat Week is a national celebration of all things smoked, at least as far as meats go, it’s a celebration of barbecue in it’s finest forms.
DC is now in it’s 5th year and we are celebrating the best and a few of the newest barbecue joints in and around Washington, with a week long, night after night, opportunity to get out and taste some good barbecue.
In addition to celebrating barbeque restaurants, you also have one night at a barbeque truck…
Mr. P’s Ribs and Fish for quite awhile was operating out of a bus, a converted school bus in the parking lot of a shopping plaza on Rhode Island Avenue northeast. They’ve actually, I guess you could say upgraded, to a new bus, and that new bus is at the corner of 6th and Rhode Island avenues northwest, so it’s in a different quadrant of town, but you’re still getting classic old school barbecue from a school bus.
Mr. P’s celebrates Meat Week on Saturday, February 1. Here’s the full schedule:
Can you taste the difference?
I’m not gonna lie I haven’t been to the new bus yet, I’m waiting to check out the new bus with the rest of Meat Week.
You are friends with DC Meat-Free Week?
I think we’re frenemies, I think at the end of the day DC Meat-Free Week is a direct response to DC Meat Week, I think it wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for that fact that we started up 5 years ago, but ultimately we have nothing but love for them, and we enjoy some really good meatless meals as well, this just happens to be the one week of the year where we really like to celebrate our barbecue.
Are any of the restaurants gluten free?
I can’t speak for the restaurants on that, I can tell you that barbecue in and of itself it’s just meat and smoke, it’s inherently gluten free, there’s no gluten in meat, but I can’t speak to the gluten free or gluten fullness of any restaurants full menu.
How much weight do you gain during Meat Week?
If I’m doing it right, none. It’s a matter of control, just because you’re eating barbecue 8 nights a week doesn’t mean you have to go home and fall into a food coma each time. It’s about making sure to really focus your energy on the high value stuff and not just eating everything in front of you because it’s there. Meat Week is about celebrating the best, not about the most.
What’s your biggest complaint about the festival?
Honestly there’s a frustration around having to explain that Meat Week is all about barbeque, and not about meat at large. And really that goes back to the history of Meat Week nationally. It was founded in Florida 10 years ago by two folks who received the two-word phrase ‘Meat Week’ from a random word generator, and kind of took that as a calling to go out and celebrate for a week, and from that meat week was born as a celebration of barbeque, but because of it’s origin they couldn’t just go back and rename it ‘Barbeque Week.’
The other thing is a lot of people don’t realize is that DC is just one of many chapters across the country that is doing meat week the same week every year, this is our 5th anniversary, but we have folks up in Baltimore that have been doing it even 2 years longer than we have. And then there are chapters as far west as Los Angeles to New York and Massachusetts.
Are there any barbeque joints in Baltimore or local places you love but aren’t participating in Meat Week?
I think DC and Baltimore are both really fortunate that the folks who run KBQ, used to be in Bowie, it has closed their original location, and are now in Latham, MD and I’d say anyone in DC or Baltimore that hasn’t made it to KBQ owes it to themselves to check it out, we didn’t include them in this years Meat Week because there was some uncertainty whether or not they’d be fully open by the time meat week rolled around, but I would say there’s a high likelihood that they will be included in future events.
The schedule had TBA for the Sunday, February 2 event. Has that been planned?
It’s not that it’s TBA, it’s that the national prescription is that Meat Week run for 8 days. Here in DC on Super Bowl Sunday, we’ve found there’s not really a lot of appetite for people to have a structured event, so the 8th day of Meat Week is probably best described as leftovers day, or else go out and celebrate at the Super Bowl party of your choosing and just make sure you eat some barbeque there.
Do you have a favorite leftover BBQ recipe?
What event are you most excited about?
The biggest and the best and biggest event this year is gonna be our second annual Food Truck Faceoff on Friday Night. It’s at Living Social 918 F St. space, it’s got 5 of the area food trucks competing, and on top of that we’re also gonna have exhibitors there doing sauce, rub, butchering, knife skills, and charcoal demonstrations.
It is indoors?
It is an indoor event, you’ll be going around from floor to floor of the space, sampling beef, pork, and a side from each of the trucks and voting on favorites. We’re actually going to be blessed this year because it is the 10 year anniversary of Meat Week, the national founders are doing a cross country tour, and stopping at the more active chapters, they’re going to be with us the night of the Food Truck Faceoff, so they get to see our big event in person, and they’re going to be on site for anyone who actually wants to meet the founders of the feast.
Meat Week begins this Sunday at Urban Bar-B-Que Company. Visit the Meat Week site for more information. Here’s Ron Swanson eating a BBQ chicken leg.


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DeAngelo describes new HD Supply brand strategy
Atlanta-based HD Supply launched a refreshed brand approach that is described as a simplified and unified approach to representing the industrial distributor’s business units and their areas of expertise.
The names of the company’s Facilities Maintenance, Waterworks and Power Solutions business units will remain unchanged. But HD Supply White Cap, Crown Bolt, Creative touch Interiors and Repair & Remodel have been rebranded as HD Supply Construction & Industrial, HD Supply Hardware Solutions, HD Supply Interior Solutions and HD Supply Home Improvement Solutions.
“We partnered with a third party to confirm with our customers that HD Supply is a well-recognized brand strongly associated with our knowledgeable and experienced associates that provide solutions to enable our customers’ success,” said Joe DeAngelo, CEO. “As we evolve, especially now as a more visible public company, we want to be widely recognized as one team that works hard every day to build and maintain our North American cities while supporting the careers and families of our associates and trade professionals.”
TRI Pointe Homes gets 5 new board members
In accordance with its recent expansion in joining forces with Weyerhaeuser Real Estate Company, TRI Pointe Homes, Inc. added five new members to its board of directors.
Former Weyerhaeuser and WRECO CEO Daniel Fulton, Starwood Capital Group senior managing director Christopher Graham, former Weyerhaeuser SVP Wood Products Lawrence Burrows, former BRE Properties CEO Constance Moore and Dean Bradley Osborne partner Kristin Gannon are the newest directors on the company’s board.
In turn, the terms of J. Marc Perrin, Richard Bronson and Wade Cable have all expired, making the net change effectively plus two. The board now stands at nine members.
“We are extremely pleased to welcome Dan, Chris, Larry, Connie and Kristin to our board of directors," said CEO Douglas Bauer. "Our new board members bring executive leadership, operational experience and deep industry connections to the board room.”
Marcone Canada hires president
Appliance parts distributor Marcone Canada hired Peter Szachlewicz as its first president.
Marcone Supply, the company’s U.S. counterpart, established a presence in Canada with its 2010 buyout of APWagner. Since that time, Marcone Canada has experienced growth in both its retail and wholesale operations, the company said, selling authorized OEM appliance parts, HVAC components and property maintenance supplies.
Szachlewicz comes to Vaughan, Ontario-based Marcone Canada with 15 years of sales and executive experience in the appliance business, serving as GM of Small Appliances at Electrolux Home Care Products and brand and product sales manager at the Whirlpool Corporation before that.
“Because of the quick expansion we’ve seen throughout North America and our plans to push further, it was time to bring in some expert talent at the highest level to guide Marcone Canada going forward,” said Dave Cook, SVP of Marcone Supply. “Peter has experience, commitment and deep roots to Canada and this industry — exactly what we were looking for in a president.”
“I’m excited about joining Marcone Canada and honored to be leading a great group of people,” said Szachlewicz. “We have an exciting opportunity to bring innovative services and solutions to the appliance business. I look forward to growing our business in Canada, and more importantly, to helping our customers grow as well.”

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It has become a tradition for a certain kind of couple – eloping to Las Vegas to be married by ‘Elvis’.
But there could be heartbreak ahead as the licensing firm that controls Presley’s name and image has ordered chapels in the city to stop using impersonators of The King in themed weddings.
Authentic Brands Group reportedly sent cease-and-desist letters to venues, which are now expected to comply. It spells bad news for Sin City’s wedding industry, which makes £1.6billion a year from couples hoping to find a place to cement their Burning Love.
‘We are a family-run business, and now we’re hanging with the big dogs,’ said Kayla Collins, who operates LasVegasElvisWeddingChapel.com and the Little Chapel of Hearts with her husband.
Elvis Presley impersonator Eryl Prayer poses on the Croisette ahead of the screening of the film “Elvis
‘That’s our bread and butter. I don’t get it. We were just hitting our stride again through COVID, then this happens.’
Clark County Clerk Lynn Goya, who led a marketing campaign promoting Las Vegas as a wedding destination, said the order for chapels to stop using Elvis couldn’t have come at a worse time for the sector.
The city’s wedding industry generates $2 billion a year, and officials say Elvis-themed weddings represent a significant number of the ceremonies performed.
‘It might destroy a portion of our wedding industry. A number of people might lose their livelihood,’ Goya said.
One chapel last weekend had its Elvis impersonator change instead into a leather jacket, jeans and a fedora for a ‘rock `n’ roll’ themed ceremony, the Review-Journal reported.
Graceland Wedding Chapel, which performs 6,400 Elvis-themed weddings per year, has not been served a warning yet, according to manager Rod Musum.
In the cease-and-desist letter, the company said it will halt unauthorized use of ‘Presley’s name, likeness, voice image, and other elements of Elvis Presley’s persona in advertisements, merchandise and otherwise.’ The letter also said ‘Elvis,’ ‘Elvis Presley,’ ‘and ‘The King of Rock and Roll’ are protected trademarks.
Highly successful Elvis and Pricilla tributes, Steve Halliday and Cassandra Fisher, are set to tie the knot after a love-at-first-sight encounter
In a statement Wednesday, Authentic Brands Group said it has strong relationships with Elvis tribute artists and fan festivals. There is ‘no intention to shut down chapels that offer Elvis packages in Las Vegas.’
‘We are seeking to partner with each of these small businesses to ensure that their use of Elvis’ name, image and likeness are officially licensed and authorized by the estate, so they can continue their operations,’ Authentic Brands Group said. ‘Elvis is embedded into the fabric of Las Vegas history.’
Elvis impersonators may need to pack their bags and head elsewhere
The licensing company oversees the estates of big names like movie star Marilyn Monroe and boxer Muhammad Ali and 50 consumer brands.
The order should not translate into legal action against Elvis-themed stage shows in Las Vegas such as ‘All Shook Up’ because impersonating someone for live performances such as shows is considered an exception under Nevada’s right of publicity law, according to Mark Tratos, a local attorney who helped write the statute.
‘An Elvis show is a performer essentially entertaining others by re-creating that person onstage,’ Tratos said.
Presley became indelibly linked to Sin City in the ’60s and ’70s. His 1964 movie, ‘Viva Las Vegas,’ yielded a title track that became the city’s unofficial theme. In July 1969, Presley famously redefined the Vegas residency with his live stage comeback at the Las Vegas International Hotel. What started as a four-week gig turned into more than 600 shows and lasted until December 1976.
Presley himself got married in Las Vegas in 1967 to wife Priscilla, cementing his association with Vegas weddings.
Kent Ripley, whose business is called Elvis Weddings, said he has never run into this issue in 25 years of performing as Elvis.
‘They want to protect the Elvis brand. But what are they protecting by taking Elvis away from the public?’ Ripley asked.


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Novo Nordisk delivered very positive results in the face of the pandemic, which was somewhat expected.
The company did benefit from stockpiling of its products and currency fluctuations, but the overall growth was still strong.
Obesity rates continue to climb, which will likely prove promising for it going forward.
The company has a few promising products in its pipeline, which could help to drive forward growth.
This company could be worth considering as a healthcare play.
On Thursday, May 7, 2020, diabetes-focused pharmaceutical giant Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) announced its first-quarter 2020 earnings results. At first glance, these results appeared rather decent as the company posted considerable year-over-year revenue growth and showed a reasonable profit. Admittedly, this is not really the type of company that would expect to be impacted much by a pandemic as people that require its products are still going to require them no matter what else is going on in the world. A closer look at the company's results does indeed reveal that there was a lot to like here and in fact the company benefited somewhat from the pandemic. It also continues to make progress in a few key growth areas of its business, which is something that we very much like to see.
As my long-time readers are no doubt well aware, it is my usual practice to share the highlights from a company's earnings report before delving into an analysis of its results. This is because these highlights provide a background for the remainder of the article as well as serve as a framework for the resultant analysis. Therefore, here are the highlights from Novo Nordisk's first-quarter 2020 earnings results:
- Novo Nordisk reported net sales of DKK 33.875 billion in the first quarter of 2020. This represents a 15.65% increase over the DKK 29.291 billion that the company had in the prior year quarter.
- Operating profit was DKK 16.302 billion in the most recent quarter. This compares quite favorably to the DKK 14.239 billion in the year-ago quarter.
- Novo Nordisk's oral semaglutide drug Rybelsus continues to make its way through the approval process in the European Union.
- The company reports that various markets stocked up on its medicines due to the outbreak of COVID-19, positively impacting sales.
- Net income was DKK 11.897 billion in the first quarter of 2020. This represents a 13.90% increase over the DKK 10.445 billion in the first quarter of 2019.
It seems essentially certain that the first thing anyone reviewing these results is likely to notice is that every measure of financial performance improved compared to the prior-year quarter. This is something that many other companies have failed to show in the current environment, partly due to the shutdowns that many nations have been imposing to combat the spread of the novel coronavirus. One of the reasons for this year-over-year growth was currency fluctuations. In short, the Danish krone, which Novo Nordisk reports its results in, fell against numerous other currencies over the past year. However, the overwhelming majority of the company's customers are located outside of Denmark and so pay for the company's products using their own respective currencies. When these currencies increase in value against the Danish one, then they convert into greater amounts of kroner when the company calculates its financial results for reporting purposes. With that said though, Novo Nordisk still reported 14% year-over-year sales growth even when we calculate its results using the currencies that its customers actually paid with.
One of the things that several regions around the world did in order to prepare for the COVID-19 pandemic is to increase their stockpiles of medicines and other important products just in case of interruptions to the supply chain. Novo Nordisk benefited from this during the quarter as its products were some of the ones that were stockpiled. This naturally resulted in the company reporting stronger sales growth than it otherwise would have had. It is admittedly somewhat difficult to determine what the exact impact of this was, but the company estimates that about 7% of its sales growth was caused by this stockpiling. Thus, if we exclude this, then the company would have shown about 7% sales growth year-over-year when measured in constant currency, which is still quite respectable, but nowhere near as much as the headline numbers suggest.
In my last article on Novo Nordisk, I discussed how the introduction of the company's new oral semaglutide Rybelsus medication could be a driver of growth for the company. This has indeed proven to be the case as the product has already grabbed an 8.8% share of the GLP-1 analogue market in the United States:
Source: Novo Nordisk
This may partly be due to the overall convenience of it. Unlike other GLP-1 analogues on the market that are taken subcutaneously, Rybelsus is simply ingested. Thus, patients may prefer it to older medications due to the ease of taking it and have started asking their doctors about it. This is a trend that we could very easily see continue in the United States as well as abroad as Novo Nordisk introduces it.
In a previous article, I introduced readers to Saxenda, a reformulation of Novo Nordisk's liraglutide GLP-1 analogue Victoza, that the company has begun marketing as a product to help chronically obese people with at least one other weight-related problem to manage their condition. I also suggested that this could also prove to be a driver of growth for the company. This has also proven to be the case as shown here:
Source: Novo Nordisk
This sales growth was driven by rising demand in both North America and the rest of the world. It seems likely that at least part of this is regulators allowing the company to introduce the product in their countries, which has been a staggered process since Novo Nordisk first developed the product. Saxenda has now been launched in 46 different countries around the world and the company is working to expand this number. It seems likely that the product will continue to see sales growth as the company works at this.
Another thing that could be a driver of growth for both Saxenda and Novo Nordisk's other products is that obesity rates in both the United States and abroad continue to rise. According to The State of Obesity, there were seven states that saw increases in their obesity rates between 2017 and 2018 while other states remained about the same. Logically, the more obese people there are then the more people that will develop weight-related conditions, which is precisely Saxenda's target market. According to the Centers for Disease Control, one such weight-related condition is type-2 diabetes, which obese people are more likely to develop. Naturally then, the more obese people there are then the more people that will develop diabetes and need treatment. This feeds right into Novo Nordisk's primary product line.
We can in fact see this playing out simply by looking at the company's results. As already mentioned, Novo Nordisk saw approximately 77% year-over-year sales growth after adjusting for the impacts of currency fluctuations and the COVID-19 stockpiling. The overwhelming majority of Novo Nordisk's sales come from its diabetes-care products:
Source: Novo Nordisk
Thus we can assume that the majority of the company's sales growth came from these products. This was the case, although insulin sales in North America actually went down. Presumably, this is from diabetic patients converting from insulins to other treatment regimes:
Source: Novo Nordisk
With that said though, we can clearly see that every one of the company's product lines delivered year-over-year growth. This is a good thing as it shows us that there is growing demand for the company's products outside of the diabetes- and obesity-care products that make up the majority of its business. In addition, the company is making an effort to have some diversity to its revenue streams, although it is obviously heavily focused on diabetes.
In conclusion, this was quite a strong quarter for Novo Nordisk. The company performed quite well in the face of the coronavirus outbreak, which was somewhat expected. The growth was not however quite as strong as it appears at first because some of it was driven by stockpiling in preparation for the pandemic. The company's core business does appear quite strong overall and Novo Nordisk continues to be well-positioned for forward growth.
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Ontario residents living outside The Greater Toronto Area will soon be allowed to visit restaurants and bars with outdoor dining space. As first reported by The Toronto Star, the proving is moving forward with plans to reopen many businesses in regions outside of Toronto.
In addition to restaurants and bars with patio space being allowed to open, businesses that have access to parking lots and other outdoor areas will be able to expand outdoor seating area.
— Toronto Star (@TorontoStar) June 8, 2020
“Licensed establishments may create a patio adjacent to their premise or increase the size of their patio once they are permitted to welcome patrons on-site,” the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario wrote in a statement.
“This temporary measure will allow the public to safely enjoy service that meets social distancing requirements and other public health guidelines.”
Premier Doug Ford is expected to rollout more details on the province’s Phase 2 of reopening. Limits on social gatherings of people not from the same household are expected to climb from five people to 10. Many other stores, businesses, and public facilities such as swimming pools are expected to reopen soon, as well… at least outside the GTA.


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- Panera Bread will launch delivery service at 34 New Jersey locations starting this spring. The company plans to hire hundreds of additional employees to deliver food, reported NJ.com Panera Bread's refrigerated soups exceeded $100 million in retail sales in 2017, growing nearly 27% for the year. The company attributes the growth to its commitment to 100% clean food. Its broccoli cheddar soup is the top seller across its restaurants and grocery retailers, reported St. Louis Business Journal
- The Trump Administration invited trade officials to develop a list of tariffs on Chinese products. The yet-to-be specified tariffs are designed to address what the administration believes are unfair Chinese trade practices. The EU and six other countries will be temporarily exempted from U.S. steel and aluminum tariffs. Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Mexico and South Korea would be exempted along with the EU from the 25% steel and 10% aluminum tariffs, reported BBC
- Meanwhile, China plans to impose tariffs on up to $3 billion worth of products from the U.S. to make up for losses caused by U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum products. The first category is expected to impose a 15% tariff, and involves $977 million in U.S. exports to China, including fresh fruit, dried fruit, nut products and ginseng. The second category proposes a 25% tariff covering almost $2 billion of U.S. exports to China, including pork and pork products and recycled aluminum, reported CNN
- An investor lawsuit against Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. was dismissed. The lawsuit claimed the company concealed food safety risks, causing its stock to drop after outbreaks of foodborne illnesses in 2014 and 2015. The judge ruled that while the outbreaks were cause for concern, the lawsuit failed to support its claim that Chipotle defrauded investors, reported Reuters.
- Amazon is searching for bigger Whole Foods Market locations that can serve as grocery stores and distribution centers for online orders, according to a person familiar with the matter. The company wants to convert parking lot areas into stalls for Amazon delivery contractors to load orders and has reportedly asked one of its landlords to create the stalls at some stores, reported Bloomberg. Amazon was granted a patent for a delivery drone that can respond to human gestures. Depending on a person's gesture, the drone can adjust its behavior that would distinguish the drone interacting with bystanders versus customers waiting on their doorsteps, reported Press Herald.
- ShopRite rolled out a line of Chef's Menu meal kits across its six-state footprint. All of the meals meet USDA-recommended dietary guidelines and have been approved by ShopRite's corporate and in-store dietitians, reported Progressive Grocer.
- Easter spending is expected to total $18.2 billion in 2018, with $5.7 billion of that being spent on food, according to data from the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights & Analytics. This year's spending is slightly less than the $18.4 billion spent in 2017, but the second-highest level on record, reported CBS Philly.
- Food trucks generated an estimated $2.7 billion in revenue in 2017, up from $650 million in 2014, according to a study of industry regulations released by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation. The study found the "most friendly" cities for food trucks are Portland, OR, Denver, CO, Orlando, FL, Philadelphia, PA, and Indianapolis, IN, while the "most challenging" are Boston, MA, Washington, DC, San Francisco, CA, Minneapolis, MN, and Seattle, WA, reported PBS.
- Sales of mushrooms jumped 9.7% in January 2018 when compared to the same period the previous year, according to the American Mushroom Institute. The institute notes mushroom producers are working to increase yields but supply cannot currently meet demand due to "The Blend" initiative to combine mushrooms with meat for burgers and other dishes, reported The Packer
- Sugar sweetened beverages could be linked to a higher risk of heart disease, according to a study presented at an American Heart Association meeting. The study indicated that adults over the age of 45 who drank an average of 24-oz. or more of sugar-sweetened beverages every day had more than double the risk of dying from heart disease over a six-year study period when compared to those who had 1-oz. or less per day, reported HealthDay
- More than a dozen Whole Foods Market executives and senior managers have left since Amazon acquired the chain, according to former employees and recruiters. People who have left include leaders of the bakery, produce, sustainability and local foods divisions. However, executives from both Amazon and Whole Foods claim the two companies share a customer focus, are fitting together well and have made great strides in the merger in a short time, reported The Wall Street Journal.
- About 45% of c-store consumers report purchasing breakfast at a convenience store at least once per month, according to Technomic's Q4 2017 Convenience Store Consumer MarketBrief. Sixty-five percent of 35- to 44-year-old c-store consumers report purchasing breakfast at least once per month, while 60% of 18- to 24-year-olds said the same, reported Convenience Store News
- Plant-based monounsaturated fats are associated with a lower risk of dying from heart disease and other causes than animal-based monounsaturated fats, according to a study from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The researchers found people who ate a lot of plant-based monounsaturated fats, like those found in vegetable oils, avocados, nuts and seeds, had a 16% lower risk of dying compared to those with lower intakes, while those who ate a lot of animal fats had a 21% higher risk, reported Time.
- Monsanto Co. will fund Pairwise Plants, which aims to develop crops using gene editing technology. Monsanto will invest $100 million in Pairwise over the next five years to finance research on gene editing tools and Pairwise will research how to use the tools to alter commodity crops, including corn, soy, wheat, cotton and canola, exclusively for Monsanto, reported St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
- The Trump administration aims to limit warnings labels on unhealthy food in the U.S., Mexico and Canada as part of the NAFTA negotiations, according to people familiar with the matter. Officials in Mexico and Canada are discussing adding easy-to-understand symbols that warn consumers of health risks, but the U.S. is reportedly moving to limit the ability of any NAFTA member to require consumer warnings on the front of packaged foods, reported The New York Times on the Web.
- McDonald's committed to cut greenhouse gas emissions 36% by 2030 from 2015 levels. To accomplish this goal the company will add LED lights and more efficient equipment, including grill and fryers. Additionally, McDonald's plans to make changes to beef production and has suppliers experimenting with paddock-style grazing practices, reported Bloomberg
- Atlantic Sapphire is constructing a $130 million facility to hatch, grow and process salmon in Homestead, FL. The company predicts annual output at the 380,000-sq. ft. center will be about 90,000 metric tons by 2027, or about 10% of the U.S. market, reported Bradenton Herald.
- Four in 10 U.S. consumers actively avoid MSG, despite multiple studies that have shown MSG does not produce numbness, weakness or heart palpitations as previously thought, according to the International Food Information Council. Other top ingredients consumers try to avoid include added sugars, sodium, preservatives and artificial colors and flavors, reported The Washington Post.
- A federal judge denied Post Foods' motion to dismiss the bulk of claims in a proposed consumer class action lawsuit alleging the company made false or misleading claims by advertising its sweetened products as "healthy." The judge ruled that while some of the company's labeling statements were true, they overall could still convey a false or misleading impression, reported Reuters.
- Ocean Spray asked FDA for permission to use a health claim that drinking cranberry juice reduces urinary tract infections for women. FDA decided it will not consider an authorized health claim, but will consider the statement for a qualified health claim, which requires a lower standard of scientific evidence and requires the company to use circumspect language, noting that the evidence is inconclusive, reported Washington Post.
- The best-selling item at the Amazon Go store has been chicken sandwiches, followed by meal kits and fresh fruit, according to the vice president of Amazon Go. One of the biggest challenges of the technology has reportedly been having the computers discern products that look similar, like a sugar-free drink versus the regular version, reported CBS News.
- The number of Americans drinking a daily cup of coffee is at the highest level since 2012, with demand continuing to get a boost from at-home consumption and gourmet drinks, according to the National Coffee Association. Almost 80% of those surveyed said they had had a cup of coffee at home the previous day, while coffee consumed at cafes and other out-of-home locations totaled 36%. Demand for gourmet coffee continued to get a boost from younger drinkers, with 48% of Millennials saying they had a gourmet cup of coffee the day before, reported Reuters.
- Scallop prices in the U.S. are poised to decline due to a potential increase in the amount fishermen are allowed to bring to shore. Fishermen have received slightly less money for scallops at the docks in recent years, falling to about $12 per pound in 2016, with consumers expected to start seeing that price drop in restaurants and grocery stores this year, reported Press Herald
- Spices may help convince high school students to eat more vegetables during lunchtime, according to a study from Pennsylvania State University and the McCormick Science Institute. When asked to choose between plain vegetables and vegetables seasoned with spice blends, students preferred the spicy versions for corn and peas, broccoli, vegetable dip, black beans with corn, and cauliflower. Most students surveyed said the taste, the serving size, and the food's appearance were very important characteristics of school meals, reported Reuters.
- For the legions of people wishing they could smell like they rubbed their heads in their breakfast, just like the glory days of their diaper-rocking youth, their day has come: Cheese- and bacon-scented hair products are real, and you can buy them now.
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A worldwide brand survey has shown that Aldi, Google and Ikea are among the companies which are best understood by consumers.
Design consultancy Siegel+Gale asked over 14,000 respondents across nine countries to rate 857 different brands, to form its Global Brand Simplicity Index 2017.
People provided answers based around their perceptions of brands, such as how familiar they were with them, how recently they had used them, the simplicity or complexity of a brand’s marketing and communications, and how easy the brands’ products and services were to use.
The brand simplicity score was then calculated using these answers, and looking at how brands within the same industry compared. Data was compared from both people who use a brand and those who do not, though precedence was given to user experience, says Siegel+Gale.
Respondents were asked across the US, UK, Germany, Sweden, China, Middle East, India and Japan.
The “simplest” brand across all countries was found to be Aldi, followed by Lidl, Google, Netflix, Ikea, Amazon, KFC, YouTube, McDonald’s and Subway.
Aldi was recognised for its “simple, consistent store layouts” alongside affordability and a “stress-free” customer experience, while Google was recognised as having a “pristine and no-nonsense homepage” and an “intuitive” user experience. Its changing logo also demonstrates “personality” and “a sense of humour”.
Ikea was recognised for its “minimalist” designs and variety of products, while Amazon was noted for its two-click online user shopping experience.
The most confusing – or least simple – brand was found to be insurance company AXA, followed by Aviva, Bupa, Linkedin, Avis, MetLife, Hertz, HSBC, Ryanair and Budget. These brands were seen to be “complex”, “misleading”, “confusing” and “opaque” by consumers.
In the UK, Amazon topped the brand simplicity index, while health insurance company AXA PPP Healthcare came last.
The research also found that 64% of consumers worldwide are willing to pay more for simpler user experiences, and 61% are more likely to recommend a brand because of its ease of use.
Howard Belk, chief creative officer at Siegel+Gale says the research shows that “brands that embrace simplicity are more profitable”.
The last few years have seen several brands moving towards more straightforward user experiences and simpler designs, such as the Co-op and Kodak reverting to older forms of their logos to communicate the heritage of their brand, and Instagram and Deliveroo going for flatter, more minimal aesthetics and quicker, fewer-click user experiences.


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Amazon-owned home security vendor, Ring, has launched its first indoor camera – its most affordable model to date – plus a new add-on alarm kit to enhance existing systems.
The new Ring Indoor Cam will retail for US$60, with Australian pricing and availability to be confirmed.
The camera is more compact than other models, and seeks to be a discrete out-of-the way security solution.
Ring has also unveiled a revamped version of its Stick Up Cam, which is powered by a battery, wall outlet or solar-power attachment, and boasts 1080p resolution.
The product will launch around US$100, which is said to be at a 30% discount versus the previous model.
The new Ring Retrofit Alarm Kit will retail for US$200 (or US$376 when bundled with an Alarm Hub), and ship to the US later this year. Local pricing and availability is to be confirmed.
The alarm kit allows a user to harness an already installed security system wiring and sensors.
Amazon has also furthered its privacy push, with its ‘Alexa Home Mode’ preventing Ring items from recording when people are in the home.


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N95 Mask Deemed Essential, as Cloth Masks Found IneffectiveDiana
N95 Mask Are More Effective
As mask mandates come rolling back in, the N-95 mask is being strongly advised, as cloth face coverings are not deemed effective enough. Especially with new and more contagious variants of the coronavirus sweeping the nation.
So, what’s the difference between these types of face masks? What is an N-95 mask, and where can you still find N95 masks for sale?
Let’s break down the latest coverage, medical guidance, who has to wear them, the science and data. Plus, where to buy N95 masks.
The Resurgence of COVID
Just when we thought we were done with all of the pandemic mandates and restrictions, they’ve come roaring back with the rampant spread of a new strain of COVID-19.
This new even more contagious variation of COVID seems to have completely reversed any progress already made over the past 18 months.
Have a mask. Be sure you have one that really works.
The Delta Strain
Although even more newly evolved variants of the coronavirus are expected to be spreading undetected so far, Delta has rocked the country again.
Delta seems to have evolved to become far more transmissible than original strains and appears to be impacting all age groups.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recorded an 85% surge in infections in children in the first few days of August alone. That comes after a 19% increase in positive cases among children the previous week.
Hospitals are again reportedly putting a hold on elective surgeries. Some have already seen ERs overwhelmed, and are relying on ambulances as extensions of their facilities to triage patients they don’t have room for.
Sadly, it appears that we are returning to all of the pandemic restrictions of 2020.
Mandating travelers get vaccinations is a hot issue. Though at the time of publishing this it was still possible to travel between most US states.
The FHFA and CFPB recently issued new rules amounting to a new foreclosure moratorium until at least 2022. The first week of August 2021 saw a new eviction ban being put in place through Halloween. Out of fear, too many people would be put outside, when they should be spending more time sheltering at home. Some politicians have even called for blanket help for covering water and electric services and preventing cutoffs.
Major employers like Wells Fargo and Apple have backtracked on plans to return to the office. Or have indefinitely put them on hold.
New mask mandates appear to be the most notable and widespread change.
According to the latest data from the US Census Bureau and CDC on August 5th, 2021, vaccinations appear to have stalled. With only around 50% of the population being vaccinated. Some states are even lower. Texas had only around 30% of its population vaccinated. California and Florida were still under 50%.
That may have plateaued as no amount of bribes seem to be moving the needle. Not scratch-off tickets, free drinks, cash, or free college tuition.
As more concerns about vaccines arise, and a third dose is said to be needed to handle the Deltra strain, officials seem to have a hard time convincing more people to get jabbed. Even despite going door to door.
Regardless of vaccination status, everyone is being told to wear masks again.
National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director, Dr. Francis Collins has even appeared on the news saying that vaccinated parents should be wearing masks in their homes to protect their children.
Unfortunately, while the medical advisers report that vaccinations can reduce chances of death and hospitalizations, they are no replacement for masks. Leading to some perhaps deducing that masks are even more effective than vaccines for stopping the spread of infection.
New Mask Mandates
According to US News & World Report, at least 16 US states and territories have mask mandates. A number expected to dramatically increase in the days ahead. In addition to many local governments instituting their own mandates and laws.
Even cities and businesses in Texas and Florida are installing their own mask mandates. Even while their governors have held out against them.
Top epidemiologist and Biden COVD advisor Michael Osterholm has declared cloth masks ineffective and is urging everyone who doesn’t have one to get N-95 respirator masks.
The Need For A N-95 Mask
Cloth masks which are now sold in most stores are considered to not be very effective at protecting you or others. This includes bandanas, neck gaiters, homemade masks, and ‘fashion’ masks.
They just don’t provide the necessary filtration protection. Most do not wash these masks or throw them away after each use as they should. They do not provide the correct fitting and seal to prevent sucking in even more infected air.
N95 respirators are professional-level masks. They are scientifically tested to specific high-level standards and are approved by NIOSH. The 95 rating specifies that they have been tested and proven to keep out 95% of all airborne particulates, down to 3 microns in size.
N95 masks are not reusable. Except in extreme circumstances. Though top suppliers do offer affordable options.
Those who want to go even further may opt for the ultimate protection of the N99 mask. These respirators keep out 99% of airborne particles.
Why The Delay In This N-95 Mask Recommendation?
The CDC has always recommended N95 respirator masks on its website.
However, in order to reduce buying, and to preserve supplies of N95 masks, including for healthcare professionals, they downplayed how essential they were at the beginning of the pandemic.
Now with this new and even more contagious virus, they appear to have had no choice but to publicly declare them necessary.
Of course, you may even double layer them if you want to be fashionable as well as safe. For example, wearing a designer cloth mask on top of an N95 respirator.
N95 Masks For Sale
Only buy N95 masks for sale that display the official NIOSH mark and an approval number.
The best choice to avoid counterfeits is to purchase them directly from certified manufacturers like bielcor.com.


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In an Iwata Asks interview, Hitoshi Yamagami explains Zangeki no Reginleiv was in development for over three years.
Sandlot’s first Wii game got approved between the summer and fall of 2006, even before the Wii was in stores. Zangeki no Reginleiv finally comes out in Japan next week on February 11.
The interview also mentions there was some debate about the level of violence. In the end, the development team came to a consensus that chopping limbs off was OK because it was against mythological giants and not people. Zangeki no Reginleiv is Nintendo’s first CERO D (think ESRB M) game in Japan. To prevent parents from picking up Zangeki no Reginleiv blindly, Nintendo decided to pack it in a different colored box. Now all Wii games rated CERO C and up are in black boxes.


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For millennia before bong hitting bros and the cowboy culture of today’s emerging industry, women were healers and herbalists, using cannabis for menstrual cramps and labour pain. Today, women are sending the stoner stereotype up in smoke.
Through advocacy, venture creation, and organizing, women are leading the charge to legitimize and celebrate the healing powers of this female plant that has blossomed worldwide alongside human migration.
Last week, Shecosystem brought together a panel of women entrepreneurs to take a look at the industry through a feminist lens and create a safe space to explore the wellness applications of this healing plant. We gathered in a circle, honouring the experience of the diverse crowd – from “cannabis evangelists” to closet consumers, chronic pain sufferers, new moms, industry insiders, and wellness practitioners looking to expand their toolkit.
The cannabis-wellness industry is not just for healers and growers. Women are applying their “straight” skills from other industries to make sure that their stories and needs are represented from the kinds of medical research being done to the way products are marketed.
According to the Canadian Press, women currently make up only 5 per cent of the board seats at publicly traded marijuana producers. With over 80% of household purchasing decisions and over 90% of healthcare decisions being made by women, we have immense power and can shape this industry by getting involved all the way up the chain.
Though their businesses range from an online platform, a dispensary, and event company, the women on our panel shared a similar mission: making space for women’s voices and experiences. Devon Scoble led the panel starting with her experience using cannabis to ease her neuropathic pains, arthritis, and insomnia. As content boss at Hempster, Devon provides education about products and strains and shares recipes, how-to guides, and stories that inspire wellness through healthy cannabis choices.
Tania Cyalume, a chemist and cannabis veteran who has been making edibles for medical patients for over 10 years, first became a patient – and advocate – after an accident which resulted in degenerative lumbar disease. Through her work with the feminist, LGBTQ+ positive dispensary Queens of Cannabis and Bloom High Tea Social Club, she has been building community and helping patients feel comfortable asking questions, not to mention creating jobs for women in weed.
Melody Hassan is applying her skills from the hospitality industry to cultivate educational, stigma-busting events through her business, Cannabuzz. As a Muslim woman, she struggles with the stigma associated with consumption, but is proudly speaking up about weed’s health and wellness benefits.
The evening wrapped up with a cooking demo from Hempster’s Head Chef, Ronnie Fishman – a gorgeous Vietnamese pomelo salad with cannabis infused honey in the dressing (recipe here!). She went over an easy how-to guide for making your own edibles, safe dosing, and food pairing to complement the aromatic terpenes found in different strains.
With legalization on the horizon, cannabis industry events are looking more and more like mainstream business events. As one attendee remarked, “Where there’s money, there are white guys in suits.”
What used to be a subculture of conscious consumers and people on the margins is being flooded by opportunistic players from within the business establishment. An attendee working in the industry noted that she has often been the only woman in the room.
People in the audience commented that there is a need for more places where people can ask honest questions and “come out” in a brave space where their experiences are mirrored by the people around them. They shared stories of fighting with doctors and insurance providers, being told they had to try every alternative including surgery and heavy pharmaceuticals before being covered for a medical marijuana prescription. A new mom shamelessly advocated for using cannabis to relax and get some sleep after a long day caring for a toddler and a 3 month-old.
While the space felt safe and inclusive, questions remained about the equity of the industry. From a feminist perspective, we cannot simply celebrate white women making strides in “rebranding” weed while women of colour continue to deal with the negative consequences associated with cannabis consumption. Black, brown and aboriginal people have been disproportionately criminalized for marijuana related charges in Canada and as weed moves toward legalization, a criminal record means that these people will be shut out of the burgeoning industry.
As a white woman in the audience pointed out, she can freely walk down the street smoking a joint, but for a black woman, this would be much riskier. Devon pointed out that she has had a hard time finding women of colour to feature on Hempster – not because they aren’t out there but because of the risks associated with going public.
Groups are fighting for amnesty for people with marijuana convictions, as well as for lower barriers to entry into this industry. Cannabis Amnesty is urging parliament to pass legislation granting full pardons for people convicted of possessing 30 grams of marijuana or less. Sensible Ontario is advocating for a mixed public-private model that includes legal places to consume. Women like Abi Roach, Annamaria Enenajor and Jodie Emery are among the loudest voices fighting for policies that make the Canadian cannabis industry accessible and safe.
We’re grateful to everyone who came out for this elevated evening and we hope to see more women shaping the industry, policy, and culture of cannabis in Canada!


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I had a nice list of movie dates planned when 2020 loomed in. And the year looked good at thr beginning. I mean 2020 came in heavy with blockbusters like Bad Boys for Life, Sonic the Hedgehog and Invisible Man. Usually we get crap movies all over the place **cough** Fantasy Island **cough** which I won’t lie wasn’t complete shit. But when paired with the former as well as well as the flicks we were promised, yeah it’s not worth 10-12 bucks.
That being said, 2020 was turning out to be a formidable year for Hollywood.
And then boom… Coronavirus happened.
2020 now in the 4th quarter and coming to a close, it’s a sure bet that the cinemas have taken a really big blow much like a lot of other things in 2020. Despite theatres’ attempt to make a comeback with limited seating and social distancing efforts, it seems that Hollywood lost the battle against Covid-19.
Regal theaters recently shut their doors yet again worldwide due to lack of ticket sales and the resurgence of infection cases. AMC theatres, determined to stay in the fight, have begun renting their theatre spaces to the public. All of that seems futile because moviegoers just didn’t have the urge or courage to take the risk to go out.
If the releases of Tenet and The New Mutants have taught us anything, it’s that 2020 was a bust for the cinema industry.
Wonder Woman 1984 for example, which was originally set for a 2019 release had several postponements this year. It has bounced from a release date of June 5, to August 14, to October 2, to now Christmas 2020.
While most of us settled for what cable and streaming giants like Netflix had to offer, the rest of us movie buffs were able to see many of the new movies online. Although many movies slated for theatrical release this year settled for On-Demand streaming, other flicks are holding out for a 2021 release to theatres. Here’s a some titles just to name a few. This list only includes films that are completed. Those that had delayed filming this year that were originally otherwise set to release in 2021 or 2022 will not be included.
Released to On demand on September 18 from April 24 to August 20.
Moved from April 17 to February 19, 2021.
Premiered on Disney+ on June 12 from May 29.
The Artist’s Wife
Moved from April 3 to a TBD date.
A Quiet Place Part II
Moved from March 8 to September 6 then to April 23 2021.
Moved from May 11 to November 6 to May 7, 2021.
Moved from July 17 to April 9, 2021.
Released to video on demand on May 1 from March 20.
Initially pushed from June 12 to September 25 to October 16 but is now set to release on an undetermined date in 2021.
Charm City Kings
Released to On Demand on October 8 after a previous release date of April 10 to August 21.
Moved from March 20 to November 13.
Moved from December 23 to May 28, 2021.
Moved from October 9 to October 23 to December 18.
Released to video on demand.
Moved from December 18 to October 1, 2021.
The Empty Man
Moved from August 7 to December 4.
Escape Room 2
Moved from August 14 to January 1, 2021.
Moved from November 6 to February 12, 2021 to November 5, 2021.
Everybody’s Talking About Jamie
Moved from fall 2020 to January 22, 2021.
Moved from May 22 to April 2, 2021.
Moved from July 3 to December 11.
The French Dispatch
Delayed until 2021 after moving from July 24 to October 16 release date.
The Forever Purge
Moved from July 10 to July 9, 2021.
Moved from July 10 to March 5, 2021.
Godzilla vs. Kong
Moved from November 20 to May 21, 2021.
Headed to HBO Max.
Released to Apple TV in July from June 12.
Moved from October 16 to October 15, 2021.
In the Heights
Moved from June 26 to June 18, 2021.
Moved from May 29 to a June 26 to VOD release.
Moved from July 24 to July 30, 2021.
Moved from November 21 to November 25, 2021.
The King’s Man
Moved from September 18 to February 2021.
Last Night in Soho
Moved from its September 25 release to April 23, 2021.
Released to Netflix on May 22 from April 3.
Moved from August 14 to an unreleased date.
The Many Saints of Newark
Moved from Septemberr 25 to March 12, 2021.
Minions: Rise of Gru
Moved from July 3 to July 2, 2021.
Moved from July 31 to March 19, 2021.
Premiered on Disney+ on September 4 after going from March 27 to July 24 to August 21.
Premiered in Amazon Prime on April 17.
Moved from December 25 to December 22, 2021.
No Time to Die
Moved from April 10, to November 25 to April 2, 2021.
Moved from August 14 to February 26, 2021.
The Personal History of David Copperfield
Moved from May 8 to August 14.
Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway
Moved from August 7 to January 15, 2021.
Moved from September 25 to date TBD.
Raya and the Last Dragon
Moved from November 25 to March 12, 2021.
Ron’s Gone Wrong
Moved from November 6 to February 26, 2021, to April 23, 2021.
Moved from May 8 to a release date TBD.
Released on video on demand instead of a theatrical release on May 15.
The Secret Garden
Released on from April 17 to August 14, 2020.
Spiral: From the Book of Saw
Moved from May 15 2020 to May 20, 2021.
Moved from June 19, to November 20, 2020.
Tom & Jerry
Moved from December 23, to March 5, 2021.
The Tomorrow War
Moved from December 25, to July 23, 2021.
Top Gun: Maverick
Moved from June 24, to December 23, then July 2, 2021.
Moved from March 20, 2020, and released to Video on Demand on July 3.
Moved from March 5, 2021, to August 8, 2021, then to July 16, 2021.
Released on July 10, 2020.
Venom: Let There Be Carnage
Moved from October 2, to June 25, 2021.
West Side Story
Moved from December 18, to December 10, 2021.
Moved from September 18 to October 2, 2020.
The Woman in the Window
Moved from May 15, to a date TBD.
Moved from a theatrical release on March 27, to a video on demand release on May 5, 2020.
What flick were you looking forward to see in theaters this year?? Anything here I missed? Leave a commenbelow
Let’s hope 2021 is a more promising year for movie theatres in 2021!
Until Next Time Kiddies,
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The New Zealand government has agreed a negotiating mandate to upgrade the Free Trade Agreement with China that "will deliver thousands of jobs and be worth billions to our economy," Trade Minister Todd McClay said on Thursday.
"China is a significant trading partner. Our FTA with China has helped New Zealand companies stay in business during the GFC (Global Financial Crisis) and keeps Kiwis in jobs," the minister said in a statement.
"We currently have 24 billion NZ dollars (17.3 billion U.S. dollars) of two-way trade with this large economy and impressive growth in education, tourism and goods exports," McClay said.
"Trade means jobs," he said, adding that 8,500 jobs are created in New Zealand from every billion dollars of exports.
New Zealand and China have been engaged in renewed talks to upgrade an existing FTA signed on 2008 in a bid to further boost the two-way trade between the two countries.
Upgrading the FTA with China will increase trade and deliver more jobs in every region and every city of the country, McClay said, adding that the upgrade priorities for the government include a better deal for dairy, forestry and wood processing exporters, new rules to enhance online and digital trade and better measures to deal with non-tariff barriers.
"We want to free up access and continue to level the playing field for Kiwi exporters," he said, adding that New Zealand has set a joint target of 30 billion NZ dollars (21.6 billion U.S. dollars) of two-way trade with China by 2020.
"The upgrade will make it easier for us to hit this significant target. We are committed to delivering for New Zealanders," said the minister.


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News & Events
Rock the Boat Shortlisted for Children’s Publisher of the Year at the IPG Awards 2023.
22nd February, 2023
We are pleased to announce that Rock the Boat has been Shortlisted for 2023 Children’s Publisher of the Year at the IPG Awards.
The Independent Publishing Awards recognise the success of the indie sector. Oneworld is shortlisted for its children’s and Young Adult imprint, Rock the Boat, for the second year in a row. The judges liked its ambitious publishing that embraces under-represented authors and important topics. Engagement with customers, including via a new website and TikTok, were excellent.
The judges said: “Rock the Boat is doing some very bold publishing and making it work. Diversity has been at the heart of everything they do from the start.”
The winners will be announce on at the 2023 Independent Publishing Awards Lunch on Wednesday 22 March.
We are delighted that Oneworld has been shortlisted for Trade Publisher of the Year at the IPG Awards 2023. You can learn more about this shortlisting here.
Find out more about the IPG Awards here.


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DIRTY PROJECTORS TO RELEASE 'THE SOCIALITES' REMIXES
Dirty Projectors | 02/04/13
Dirty Projectors are set to release "The Socialites" Remixes 12", an unreleased set of remixes of the standout track from last year’s critically acclaimed Swing Lo Magellan album. The white label 12" vinyl features remixes from Joe Goddard, AlunaGeorge and FaltyDL, and will be available digitally and physically on 13th May 2013. Listen to an exclusive stream of Joe Goddard's remix HERE and pre-order the 12" (RUG524T), HERE.
The tracklisting is as follows:
A) Joe Goddard Remix
B1) AlunaGeorge Remix
B2) Falty DL Remix


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In spite of fall, Boston will soon be extra leafy, thanks to two new Sweetgreen restaurants opening their doors this week. The Washington, DC-based chain brings its 11th and 12th Massachusetts locations to life on Tuesday, November 7, and Thursday, November 9, at 47 Northern Ave. (Seaport District) and 60 State St. (Downtown Boston), respectively.
To celebrate Sweetgreen’s arrival in both the Seaport and downtown, the salad chain has partnered with Flour Bakery to offer a free mini sticky bun to the first 200 customers on each opening day. In Seaport, the restaurant has bleacher-style seating and an open kitchen, while the downtown restaurant’s design aims to cater to online orders. Sales from both locations on opening day will be donated to Fresh Truck, which serves as a mobile market for underserved areas in Boston.
Both restaurants opening this week open at 10:30 a.m. Sweetgreen’s not stopping with these two openings, either: There are several more locations on the way, including one in Boston’s Post Office Square and others in Dedham (at Legacy Place), Wellesley, and Brookline’s Coolidge Corner.
• Sweetgreen Coverage on Eater [EBOS]


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Volkswagen is recalling approximately 168,000 of its vehicles due to a possibility that the cars’ fuel lines can leak and start a fire.
The recall covers the 2009–12 Jetta and Jetta SportWagen, the 2010–12 Golf and the 2010-12 Audi A3, all of which are powered by Volkswagen’s Turbocharged Direct Injection (TDI) engine.
Volkswagen reported to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that after receiving reports of fuel-line leaks, it began an investigation early last year and found this summer that a fuel injection pulse could “coincide with the natural frequency of the injector line No. 2,” to crack the fuel line. The NHTSA launched its own inquiry in August. A Volkswagen spokesperson told The New York Times the automaker was not aware of any fires that had resulted from the problem.
Have you been harmed by a defective car or other dangerous product? Contact the personal injury attorneys at Hodes Milman toll-free at (949) 640-8222, or submit the contact form on our website, hodesmilman.com. We’ve achieved million-dollar verdicts in product liability actions on behalf of our clients.


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The Jakarta Post
The country's second-largest sea gateway, Tanjung Perak Port in Surabaya, East Java, recorded 300 percent growth in the number of cruise ship passengers arriving at the port in 2014.
State-owned port operator PT Pelabuhan Indonesia III (Pelindo III) spokesman Edi Priyanto said the number of cruise ship tourists throughout 2014 totaled 7,218 people, up from 1,762 tourists in 2013.
'We recorded a significant increase in the number of cruise ship tourists last year as 11 liners made stops at Tanjung Perak, while in 2013 the number of [cruise] ships [at the port] was only three,' Edi said on Thursday.
He said improvements in infrastructure and services encouraged more liners to call at the port in 2014.
The company is committed to further upgrading the port in order to lure more cruise ships to Surabaya, and in turn help the central government develop local tourism.
Pelindo III recently launched a new cruise terminal, Gapura Surya Nusantara terminal, to cater to the needs of liners.
In addition, Edi said two cruise ships would make stops at Tanjung Perak in January.
Today, the Crystal Symphony liner arrived from the Bahamas, bringing 700 passengers and 300 crew.
The passengers enjoyed a one-day city tour, visiting a number of places of interest across Surabaya. (***)


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Personal lubricants are defined by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as Class II medical devices. As such, they require clinical testing before commercialization.
Currently, this involves conducting a Rabbit Vaginal Irritation (RVI) Test, which is the most commonly used method to assess the potential of a personal lubricant to cause irritation.
During the test, rabbits are exposed to lubricants for at least five days before being euthanized and dissected.
“The goal [of the project] is to validate a three-dimensional human tissue model so the FDA can use data from that method, instead of the RVI, to determine biocompatibility,” Erin Hill, president of the Institute for In Vitro Sciences, Inc. (IIVS) told Outsourcing-Pharma.com.
"We have been successful in the past in bringing consortia of industry together with regulatory bodies to design non-animal testing approaches that meet both of their needs," she added.
The project is the result of collaboration between IIVS, industry, the PETA International Science Consortium Ltd., and the Consumer Healthcare Products Association (CHPA).
An FDA spokesperson told us the project has received the go-ahead from the agency as part of its effort to modernize the tests used to develop and evaluate medical devices. The FDA recently issued a guidance on its new program to assess medical device development tools, such as the one being developed by IIVS.
“IIVS has a long history of standardizing and validating non-animal models for industry and regulatory decision making. IIVS scientists – who are very familiar with the 3D reconstructed human vaginal tissue models, contacted manufacturers to see if they would be interested in such a project,” said Hill.
“Several manufacturers would like to register personal lubricants without the use of animals,” she added.
IIVS will serve as the project’s technical lead and will design the testing strategy.
If the method is proved successful and receives FDA approval, the in vitro tissue models will be made available for industry use.


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A Canadian company has agreed to acquire Greenville-based Span-America Medical Systems Inc. for $109.5 million Canadian dollars ($80.2 million).
The deal, an all-cash tender offer, will be for $29 per share, according to news releases from both companies. The deal is expected to close by the end of the second quarter.
Savaria Corp., based in Laval, Quebec, “provides accessibility solutions for the elderly and physically challenged to increase their mobility and independence.” Its equipment line includes stair lifts, vertical and inclined wheelchair lifts and elevators for home and commercial use.
“The acquisition of Span-America provides Savaria with much greater scale while advancing our strategic plan of attaining CA$500 million in revenue within five years,” Savaria CEO, President and Chairman Marcel Bourassa said in the news release from Savaria. “In addition, the financing commitment will enable Savaria to maintain a strong balance sheet with the financial flexibility to pursue additional acquisition opportunities as they may arise.”
Tom Henrion, chairman of the Span-America board of directors, said in the news release from Span-America that the board unanimously approved the deal and felt the price “represents an immediate and substantial cash value as well as a significant premium over our stock price.”
“We believe it fully values the company for our shareholders,” Henrion said. “Savaria’s offer reflects the value that our management and employee team has created for our shareholders.”
The share price is a 33% premium to Span-America’s closing share price on the Nasdaq on April 28. According to Savaria, it will finance the acquisition with cash on hand and a new, CA$110 million revolving credit facility from the National Bank of Canada, as well as CA$27.8 million in a private equity offering.
According to Savaria’s news release, the facility in Greenville will allow Savaria to manufacture certain accessibility products for sale into the U.S. market.
Span-America produces mattress systems and other products for medical facilities across North America. Its corporate headquarters is located in Greenville and the company has a distribution center in Salt Lake City. The company has approximately 130 employees in Greenville and 250 overall.


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An enormous 2020 acquired even higher this week for Tesla Inc (NASDAQ: (TSLA)) buyers after Tesla was confirmed will probably be added to the S&P 500 index. Tesla shares hit new all-time highs of $508.61 this week following the S&P 500 information in one of many worst weeks of the 12 months for Tesla brief sellers.
Previous to Friday’s 1.9% drop, Tesla brief sellers had already taken a $four billion loss to date this week, based on S3 Companions analyst Ihor Dusaniwsky.
On Thursday, Dusaniwsky mentioned Tesla stays probably the most closely shorted stock on the earth with greater than $22 billion in brief curiosity. That quantity of brief curiosity is greater than $10 billion greater than the second most shorted stock, Alibaba Group Holding Ltd – ADR (NYSE: (BA)(BA)). Alibaba has solely $12 billion in brief curiosity.
Associated Hyperlink: Josh Brown Loves GM Proper Now: ‘They’re Going From A Combustion Engine Big To An Electrical Big’
Horrendous Week For Shorts: Primarily based on S3’s numbers, Tesla brief sellers added greater than $four billion to their 2020 losses this week.
Following this week’s good points, Tesla shares are up greater than 487% 12 months thus far, and brief sellers have been taking a pounding all 12 months. As of the shut on Thursday, Tesla brief sellers have endured $30.Three billion in mark-to-market losses in 2020, based on S3.
The large losses are forcing some Tesla brief sellers to exit their positions. S3 reported that Tesla’s brief curiosity has dropped by $3.Three billion over the previous 30 days. Dusaniwsky mentioned he expects that pattern to proceed into 12 months’s finish.
Fintech Zoom’s Take: Tesla’s market cap has grown to be almost the scale of the whole legacy auto market even if Tesla represents solely a small fraction of worldwide auto gross sales, so it’s comprehensible why brief sellers are annoyed.
On Friday’s Fintech Zoom PreMarket Prep, Ritholtz Wealth Administration CEO Josh Brown mentioned merchants ought to anticipate the valuation hole between Tesla and legacy automaker General Motors Firm ((NYSE: GM)) to finally slim sooner or later.
© 2020 Fintech Zoom.com. Fintech Zoom doesn’t present funding recommendation. All rights reserved.


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Soul and Vibe Interactive have announced that Rockstar Games co-founder Jamie King will join the publisher's Advisory Board. Over the course of his career, King has been Take-Two Interactive's director of development, as well as the founder and chief creative officer of Def Jam Rapstar developer 4MM Games.
"We are very excited to have Jamie on board with Soul and Vibe. He knows how to conceptualize game experiences and transform them into hugely successful franchises. He also knows how to leverage licensed brands into valuable transmedia properties. Jamie has a wealth of experience managing numerous developments simultaneously and his network of talent is global," stated Soul and Vibe's CEO Peter Anthony Chiodo. "As a co-founder of Rockstar Games, he has played a key role in shaping gaming, contributing to the growth of one of the most influential publishing labels in our industry. We are honored that he sees Soul and Vibe as an opportunity to further shape our industry's future."
"The gaming industry is at a dynamic junction right now. Within the disruption, we see huge opportunities for creative and nimble companies that break free from traditional practices. Chiodo and I share a common vision for how the gaming industry is evolving and how we can play a dominant role in its future. Soul and Vibe will represent a new face in interactive publishing and it's been a while since I've seen an opportunity this promising. I'm very excited to contribute my energy to help drive Soul and Vibe's inevitable success," said King.
Soul and Vibe's stock closed at $0.32 today, up 6.67 percent higher than its closing price on Friday.


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Everybody has been talking about Bitcoin lately.
You’ve probably heard about this cryptocurrency for the longest time now. However, nobody has talked about it much until the past few months. If the future is cashless, then BitCoin just might be the key. And since people have been starting to go purchasing using crypto, one question comes to mind: Can you buy a car with a BitCoin?
The Answer Is – You Can Actually Buy A Car Using BitCoin
In fact, there are already quite a lot of people who are doing such even before Elon Musk became the poster boy of using cryptocurrency. A certain Christopher Basha, a car dealer based in Georgia, was already steps ahead with buying cars using BitCoin long before Mr. Musk endorsed doing so. But, is it difficult to do? Not really, according to Basha. “Someone bought a pizza with bitcoin. Buying a car with bitcoin didn’t seem that crazy,” he said in a report by US News.
Since 2015, he’s been accepting payments using the fabled cryptocurrency. However, nobody really bothered to pay in such a way that he completely forgot about it. It was only two years after that one customer bought four vehicles from him worth more than $150,000. It is reported that in 2017, Bitcoin prices went up in the stock market. Since then, he receives customers buying cars using bitcoins from time to time – even more so now that the bitcoin prices are going up since late last year.
Basha’s dealership is only just one of a small group of car dealerships that accept bitcoin and other types of cryptocurrencies as a payment mode. If people think that Tesla’s head honcho initially started this “revolution”, these people got it wrong. These dealerships were already accepting cryptos long before Tesla announced that they purchased $1.5 billion of the cryptocurrency. Yes, Tesla is going to start accepting bitcoins as a valid currency.
Smoothing Out The Process, Bit By Bit
Now that you know that you can buy a car with a bitcoin, the next question should be: are there any issues when you do? Unfortunately, there are. But perhaps in time, these problems would be all sorted out.
One problem when you allow crypto transactions is its risk factor. Basha said that every time he gets crypto as payment, he needs to convert it immediately. Although bitcoin’s price can go up, there’s an uncertain possibility that it would crash just as fast. So for those dealerships who can’t afford to gamble, then bitcoin should be converted fast.
Just when the conversion isn’t a hassle enough, forgetting the password is another thing. Basha shared that one time he forgot the password of his bitcoin account. He also said that when he wasn’t able to remember the password, he freaked out.
Maybe in the near future, bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies will become bigger than they already are in the present. But until then, you may just have to rely on cash or credit to purchase your next vehicle. Although you can buy a car using bitcoin, you probably need to hold on to it for a little bit.


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Milk is essential for India’s kitchens, and we reach our customers’ doors every day with healthy products – that’s how we’re succeeding
Tabling dairy and fresh farm produce to end customers in ‘Bharat’, Ranchi-based Puresh Daily has caused a lot of excitement within the Indian angel investment network. The food-tech startup has raised ₹1.2 crores in its seed round from Dhianu Das of Alfa ventures and Agility Venture Partners.
Puresh daily offers subscription for milk produce, tabling produce from their eight franchise farms to 1200 subscribers in three cities namely Ranchi, Ramgarh and Bokaro. They offer chemical-free products through value chains augmented by AI. This allows them to provide traceable logistics, green packaging and smart payment options.
“We’re charged with the investors’ confidence, as they oversubscribed our startup during this seed round. With these funds, we will expand our product base to at least ten tier-II more cities, to 20,000 subscribers and partner with different entrepreneurs”, said Manish Piyush, Founder at Puresh Daily. The BITS & IIM-alumni handles marketing and business development for their brand. Having worked in many different parts of the world, Piyush brings in 14+ years of leadership experience as a TAS officer at the TATA Group.
How has the business shaped up so far? Unlike other companies which suffered during the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting lockdowns in 2020, the demand for milk and fresh produce shot up as essential items. Manish and Aditya, the co-founders saw high growth within the year and expect their expansion journey to reflect the same.
“Milk is essential for India’s kitchens, and we reach our customers’ doors every day with healthy products – that’s how we’re succeeding”, added Piyush.
“We expect the Farm to Home space to explode in the coming months. Biggies like Tatas & Reliance are entering the market through investments and acquisitions too. By incubating our business model at Ranchi, we’ve proved that consumers from the so-called ‘Bharat’ are ready and willing to pay a premium for such services”, said Aditya Kumar, a B- Tech from BITS and 14+ years of experience of handling critical projects in TATA Motors. He takes technology, finance and product development for the brand.
Kumar explained that they would invest a significant part of their capital in business development, technology and brand building. They also expect to scale to different tier-II cities and metros. “We also want to invest our time and resources in innovation in products and packaging”, he added.
“Dairy has been a growing sector, and the pandemic has only given fuel to the fire of Direct to Home milk delivery models. Founders Manish and Aditya solve genuine farm management issues, even as they pour quality, pure milk for customers in sustainable packaging like glass bottles. And we are happy to invest in Puresh to take the movement farther”, Deepanker Agarwal, Director at Ajanta Bottles Pvt Ltd and a lead investor in Puresh Daily.
Angel investor network Agility is backing further investment into Puresh Daily, citing a solid team and their investors’ proven track record. “First, milk is a recession-free business, capable of growth in COVID times. It’s also highly unorganised, with several dairy farms in dire need of upgradation and market reach. Their idea has enormous potential”, said Prashant Narang, founder, Agility Venture Partners.
Source: Business World


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The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele, has ordered the immediate release of N3.5bn as rebate to 150 exporters who participated in the race to $200bn scheme.
This was one of the outcomes of the Bankers’ Committee meeting held in Abuja on Thursday.
Speaking during a virtual press conference after the Committee’s meeting, the Managing Director of Fidelity Bank, Nneka Onyeali-Okpe said that the rebate to the exporters will be paid quarterly.
She said, “The CBN Governor during the meeting announced the immediate release of N3.5bn incentive to various exporters under the RT200bn programme.
“This rebate we just announced will be paid quarterly to exporters who qualify. All this is to ensure that we boost the foreign exchange that goes into the country.”
Responding to questions from journalists, the Managing Director disclosed that 150 exporters were going to benefit from the rebate this quarter.
She also said that through the programme $60m has been injected into the economy since February when the scheme was launched.
“According to data from the CBN, $60m has come into the country since the programme commenced in February.
“For the number of beneficiaries of N3.5bn, there are 150 customers at various levels and some under the finished goods and some under the semi finished goods,” she added.
The MD explained that only Plateau State has concluded plans to establish non-oil exports terminal in line with the CBN’s plan to reduce the challenges of exporters at the ports.
“Only state government that has concluded its plans to establish such ports. All other state governments are at different levels of engagement.
“This project is only one month old and getting an export processing zone running is not very easy, so we expect that will take a little more time”, she added.
Meanwhile, the Managing Director of Guaranty Trust Bank, Mariam Olusanya, revealed that e-naira wallet downloads have risen to 756,000 in six months.
She said, “Since it was launched, we have seen 756,000 downloads of the app. In terms of consumer wallets we have seen 165,000 downloads and 2,800 merchant wallet downloads.”
She added that members of the Committee will continue to push for the adoption of e-naira across the country.


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Former Dragon’s Den star and CEO of Outsourcery Piers Linney has commended the new Enterprise Bill from Sajid Javid.
The new business secretary this week pledged to save at least £10bn over the next five years through deregulation.
Linney welcomed the move, saying: “Many of the most innovative developments in the technology space come from smaller enterprises, so the government’s move to focus business de-regulation on the needs of SME’s is particularly encouraging.”
The Dragon believes that innovation is being stifled by red tape and it’s on the government to start addressing the issue.
“UK entrepreneurs have some of the best ideas in the world but too often they get stuck at the starting line and we lose out to more flexible markets like the US,” Linney said. “The more that can be done to support smaller enterprises during those vital early stages as they fight to get off the ground, the better.”
The business secretary also announced the launch of a Small Business Conciliation Service, which will help settle late payment disputes between small and large businesses.
“Today’s announcement by the Business Secretary, alongside the continued push by the Cabinet Office to open up government contracts to SMEs, all point to some important developments for the tech industry in the UK in the coming years,” Linney concluded.


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League of Legends Wild Rift coming to iOS, revealed by Apple
League of Legends Wild Rift will be coming to iOS, as Apple revealed during a recent iPhone 12 event.
It came as a surprise to many fans when Wild Rift was featured on the official Apple event stream during the announcement of the new iPhone 12. During the short sequence, it was announced that Wild Rift will be available on iOS, while the iPhone 12 will run the game with some of the best mobile graphics and 5G network available, according to Apple.
The new iPhone is powered by the Apple A14 Bionic CPU and is up to 40% faster than the previous A12, Apple has said. This will hopefully make the Wild Rift game experience smooth on the new iPhone, so iOS fans can also enjoy the highly anticipated mobile game.
Wild Rift is coming to the iPhone 12
The iPhone 12 release event hit a peak viewership of over 3 million on Facebook, YouTube, Twitch, and VK Live combined. Viewers from all over the world saw the presentation and the game in action, which should be the perfect advertisement for the new mobile game.
Wild Rift will be just like the original League of Legends in many ways, with Summoner’s Rift as its battleground and familiar champions. Not every champion will be available from release, but Riot will be adding more as the game develops. Some champion mechanics will also be different from those found in the PC game, such as Ashe’s Enchanted Crystal Arrow (R) that will be controllable across the map. The mechanical changes are made so that everything is better suited for mobile and won’t feel out of place on the new platform.
Riot has also made a completely new interface for the game, to allow players to control their champion and abilities as effectively as possible.
Wild Rift is currently in its closed beta in selected countries and will likely be available for play sooner rather than later. There is no official release date on the game yet, but announcing it alongside the iPhone 12 might indicate that the game is almost ready. Wild Rift will also be available on Android.
The iPhone 12 is set to release on October 23
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Weekly Outlook, Dec. 20 – 24, 2021: Top Economic Events to Watch This Week
Arslan Butt • 3 min read
The broad US dollar remained under pressure on Friday and will end this week on a bearish note as investors digest the Bank of England’s (BOE) unexpected interest rate hike and the European Central Bank’s (ECB) shift to a more hawkish attitude. Major central banks revealed plans to dismantle pandemic-era support, resulting in the Bank of England startling markets with a rate hike.
The divergent paths they took highlighted deep uncertainty about how the fast-spreading Omicron coronavirus variant will affect the global economy. Meanwhile, the Fed’s most recent policy decision, issued on Wednesday, was hawkish. The central bank will speed up its asset-tightening program, which will end in March 2022, with three quarter-point rate hikes expected that year. The US Dollar Index, which measures the dollar’s value against a basket of other currencies, fell 0.03 percent to 95.990.
Looking ahead to the coming week, the series of retail sales, the minutes of the Monetary Policy Meeting, and CB Consumer Confidence are likely to generate enough news to keep the markets moving. Apart from that, geopolitical and Omicron coronavirus variant headlines will be actively monitored, as they may significantly determine market risk levels.
The Top Economic Events to Watch This Week
1 – China PBoC Interest Rate Decision – Monday – 01:30 GMT
On Monday, December 20th, at 01:30 GMT, the People’s Bank of China will make an interest rate decision. The People’s Bank of China announces its interest rate decision. It is beneficial, or “bullish,” for the CNY if the PBoC is hawkish about the economy’s inflationary prospects and raises interest rates. Similarly, it is negative or bearish if the PBoC has a dovish outlook on the Chinese economy and maintains or lowers the interest rate. The next China PBoC Interest Rate Decision has no consensus, and the previous divergence was non-existent.
ACTUAL: 3.85 %
Mon Nov 22nd, 2021 01:30
2 – Monetary Policy Meeting Minutes – Tuesday – 0:30 GMT
Australian Monetary Policy Meeting Minutes: These minutes, usually published two weeks following the interest rate decision, provide a detailed description of the policy discussion, including differences of opinion. In addition, they keep records of the votes of the committee’s members. As a result, if the RBA is pessimistic about the Australian economy’s inflationary prospects, markets expect a rate hike, which tends to support the AUD currency. Conversely, if the RBA is pessimistic about the Australian economy’s inflationary trajectory, markets expect a rate drop, interpreted as a bearish or negative sentiment for the AUD currency.
3 – CB Consumer Confidence – Wednesday – 15:00 GMT
The Consumer Confidence Index for the United States will be released on Wednesday, December 22nd, at 15:00 GMT. The Conference Board, which measures people’s confidence in economic activity, has issued this information. A high level of consumer confidence indicates economic growth, while a low level indicates an economic slump. In simple terms, a high reading indicates that the USD currency is positive or bullish, while a low value indicates that the USD currency is negative or bullish.
Due to restrictions from the Conference Board, our Economic Calendar does not provide these figures.
Tue November 30th, 2021 15:00
4- CAD Gross Domestic Product (MoM) – Thursday- 13:30 GMT
On Thursday, December 23rd, at 13:30 GMT, Canada’s Gross Domestic Product (MoM) will be released. Statistics Canada’s Gross Domestic Product measures the total value of all products and services produced in Canada. The GDP is a broad indicator of economic activity and health in Canada. In general, a rising trend is considered favourable for the CAD, while a falling trend is considered bad (or bearish). The next Canadian Gross Domestic Product (MoM) consensus is unknown, as the previous divergence was non-existent.
ACTUAL: 0.1 %
Tue Nov 30th, 2021 13:30
5 – US Core Personal Consumption Expenditures – Price Index (MoM) – Thursday – 13:30 GMT
On Thursday, December 23rd, at 13:30 GMT, the US Core Personal Consumption Expenditures – Price Index (MoM) will be released. The US Bureau of Economic Analysis issued Core Personal Consumption Expenditures, an average amount of money spent by consumers in a month. To capture an accurate expenditure measurement, “core” removes seasonally volatile consumables such as food and energy and is an important inflation indicator. A high reading indicates that the USD is bullish, while a low reading indicates that the USD is bearish. The next United States Core Personal Consumption Expenditures Price Index (MoM) is expected to be 0.4, with the previous deviation being non-existent.
Wed November 24th, 2021 15:00
6 – Australia Retail Sales – Friday – 00:30 GMT
On Friday, December 24th, at 24:30 GMT, Australia’s retail sales s.a. (MoM) will occur. The Australian Bureau of Statistics’ Retail Sales report is a survey of items sold by retailers based on a sample of retail outlets of various types and sizes and is used to gauge the pace of the Australian economy. It depicts the short- and medium-term performance of the retail sector. Positive economic growth predicts optimistic AUD trends, but a low reading is considered negative or bearish. The following Australia Retail Sales s.a. (MoM) consensus is unknown, and the most recent divergence was 2.79297.
ACTUAL: 4.9 %
CONS: 2.5 %
Fri November 26th, 2021 24:30


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Dropbox has bought SnapJoy, a photo aggregator that launched a year-and-a-half ago. The recent purchase helps Dropbox enhance its position as a photography as well as a general file sharing.
SnapJoy is a service that allows user to link to a number of popular online photo-sharing services such as Flickr, Picasa, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
As a fellow Y Combinator company, we’ve always admired Dropbox and loved their product. From the moment we met the founders, it was clear we shared a common goal. By combining forces with their amazing team, we can leverage the technology and scale of their platform and focus on what matters — delivering an incredible photo experience to over 100 million people.


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UK: Jobs at risk as Waitrose ends distribution contract
The end date for the contract is 31 May, but Waitrose said this will be extended to 1 September
Around 400 jobs could be at risk after UK upmarket retailer Waitrose ended its contract at a facility in Lincolnshire.
Waitrose said it has decided not to renew its contract with the owner of the Bardon-based facility Kuehne and Nagel due to having increased space at other bases in Kent, Berkshire and Milton Keynes. The lease is owned by the retailer but the staff are employed by the global logistics company.
"We have been building capacity in our supply chain across the country in recent times to meet the needs of our growing branch network," a spokesperson for the retailer said.
"We've added space in our distribution centre in Aylesford in Kent, a new chilled warehouse in Bracknell, Berkshire and increased fresh food capacity at Brinklow distribution centre in Milton Keynes. We've also opened the new Celestia non-food facility in Milton Keynes."
The end date for the contract is 31 May, but Waitrose said this will be extended to 1 September.
A spokeswoman for Kuehne and Nagel said it is in the process of consulting with staff.
"While this is ongoing it would be inappropriate to discuss further. "Our relationship with Waitrose continues at a number of other distribution centre sites namely Theale in Berkshire and Celestia and Brinklow in Milton Keynes."
We have identified 5 issues that will be crucial to the convenience store format in 2020....
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Orange Hair Is Trending in Hollywood — and It's Just What the Colorist Ordered
Orange Hair Is Trending in Hollywood — and It’s Just What the Colorist Ordered
Wilma Flintstone’s calypso-orange hair may have made the bed rock back in 1960, but the fiery hue is officially setting Hollywood ablaze again nearly six decades later — both on and off the big screen.
From the soft apricot shade that Lady Gaga’s character wore in A Star Is Born to Rita Ora’s punchier iteration, it seems celebs can’t get enough of the It color of the moment. “Orange is a natural progression from the millennial pink hair we’ve been seeing recently,” said colorist Stephanie Brown of the Eddie Arthur Salon in NYC. “It also brings out the best in your eyes: orange makes blue and green eyes pop, while it enhances the warmth in brown.”
It’s true: orange — despite being impossibly difficult to rhyme — has earned its spot among the stars. You can see why (plus exactly how to pull it off yourself) ahead.
Source: Read Full Article


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They can be returned to store for a full refund.
The deal is only available for a limited time.
Aldi relaunches BBQ Pizza Oven whilst stocks last – and it’s available in stores today (for just £39.99)
Get hot, freshly made pizza from your back garden - in as little as 10 minutes.
Essential reading in the countdown to Easter.
'There should be a law against the manufacturing of these bad boys!'
Jodie's boyfriend Graham took a closer look and claimed one of the insects bit his finger.
The cheap item helps 'make life easier'.
But how does it taste?
Have an Easter Sundae on Easter Sunday.
It's good news for Aldi employees.
An unexpected winner was crowned the 'ultimate' caterpillar cake...
An iconic Aldi product has a brand new look.
It will make shopping at Aldi more convenient...
Shops cost £37.51 less than the most expensive supermarket.
These deals are blooming brilliant for Mother's Day...
Could we see costs of baby formula drop even more?
Aldi shoppers are going wild over the Easter tipple!


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POSTED: Sunday, August 4, 2013 - 4:42pm
UPDATED: Sunday, August 4, 2013 - 4:49pm
Tyler (KETK) — It's that time of year again!
Parents are trying to find the best deals for Back-to-School shopping.
Experts suggest, parents create a budget then make a shopping.
The National Retail Federation reports, parents are making adjustments to their Back-to-School plan because of the economy.
A NRF survey shows, parents will spend on average $634.78 on shoes, clothes, supplies and electronics, which is slightly down from 2012.
Parents are expected to shop at discount stores and even shop online to get the best buys.
Experts say, the cart fills up fast and it adds up, so it's important to be cautious.
KETK spoke to East Texans about Back-to-School shopping, a few parents tell KETK, by having a budget it has definitely controlled their spending.