text:
By Jonny Lupsha, Wondrium Staff Writer
CVS Pharmacy has announced it will sell hemp-derived CBD products in 800 stores, according to NBC News. Products include topical products like creams, sprays, and salves that contain the non-psychoactive substance cannibidiol, a close relative to the marijuana plant. National opinions of hemp and CBD are rapidly changing.
Alabama, California, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, and Tennessee will be the flagship states to carry CBD-based products at 800 of the drugstore chain’s locations, the NBC article said. The cannibidiol products are limited to skin treatment products, rather than including food, in accordance with a statement by the FDA reiterating the illegality of introducing a drug into the food supply. The statement said that hemp would be removed from the Controlled Substances Act, but “just as important for the FDA and our commitment to protect and promote the public health is what the law didn’t change: Congress explicitly preserved the agency’s current authority to regulate products containing cannabis or cannabis-derived compounds under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and section 351 of the Public Health Service Act.” Still, this change is representative of the growing interest in —and understanding of—cannabis and cannabis-derived products and compounds on the national market.
CBD Oil – A Crash Course in Cannabis Terminology
The Latin name for the cannabis plant is Cannabis sativa. So where did the term “marijuana” come from? “The cannabis plant became known as marijuana in the 1900s, using the Spanish word to make a distinction from the hemp plant used to make rope,” said Dr. Roy Benaroch, Adjunct Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the Emory University School of Medicine. Next, cannabinoids refer to a group of dozens of varying chemicals found within the cannabis plant.
“Although there are dozens of biologically active cannabinoids, the two found in the highest concentration are THC—that’s short for tetrahydrocannabinol—and cannabidiol, often abbreviated CBD,” Dr. Benaroch said. “THC is the psychoactive compound.” Whether ingested or smoked, THC is the chemical in cannabis that produces the mind- or perception-altering effect in users. On the other hand, CBD “has been shown in animal and other early studies in the 1970s and 1980s to have anti-seizure properties,” Dr. Benaroch said.
To be clear, the lotions, roll-ons, and sprays that CVS will be selling are derived from CBD—cannabidiol, the non-psychoactive chemical—as opposed to THC, which is the chemical that gets users high.
Medical Marijuana: Separating Fact from Fiction
Websites and magazines often make grandiose claims about marijuana being some kind of miracle cure for various illnesses. Although CBD has proven useful for some patients with epilepsy and chronic pain, many special-interest publications and mainstream media have been guilty of exaggerating its possibilities.
For example, Dr. Benaroch said he encountered a headline on a website that claimed over 90 percent of medical marijuana patients benefited from the treatment. Some cursory research led Dr. Benaroch to several other websites with similar headlines—but the sources they cited were all either one another or a specific article they misinterpreted from the Jerusalem Post. “Now, the Jerusalem Post is a legit, professional news organization, and their article never mentions the 90 percent figure quoted in those blog headlines,” Dr. Benaroch said. “The article only says that ‘most users benefit,’ not 90 percent. Even the Jerusalem Post article is sourced from a presentation at a meeting, a presentation that hasn’t been published in peer-reviewed literature.”
However, studies have shown some promise, if not as much as certain websites claim. “A New England Journal study from 2017 used a randomized, controlled design to look at CBD for children with one specific, very difficult kind of epilepsy called Dravet Syndrome,” Dr. Benaroch said. “In this study, adding CBD to the usual medical regimen was significantly more effective than placebo, providing the first really solid evidence for CBD in seizure disorders.”
Doctors and other researchers are making progress studying and experimenting with various chemicals in marijuana as a medical agent, including its potential applications for seizures, anxiety, chronic pain, and more. The recent announcement from CVS is indicative of the increasing interest in marijuana for non-recreational purposes, although clearly some of its practical uses are still exaggerated and oversold. Only time will tell which medical advancements can be made with the substance and which are wishful thinking.
Dr. Roy Benaroch contributed to this article. Dr. Benaroch is Adjunct Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the Emory University School of Medicine. He earned his B.S. in Engineering at Tulane University, followed by his M.D. at Emory University.


text:
Uruguay struggling to move past whitefish “overdependence”
For many years, Uruguay’s fishing sector was a small but productive part of the country’s economy, delivering consistent returns by focusing on the country’s abundant whitefish resources.
However, by the 2000s, Uruguay’s whitefish production was facing increased worldwide competition, according to Santiago Caro Ros, a communications and institutional relations specialist with DINARA-MGAP, a governmental body with oversight over fishing and agriculture.
“Too much competition from around the world – especially Alaskan pollock and Asian pangasius – reduced prices of Uruguayan products,” Caro Ros told SeafoodSource at Seafood Expo Global last month. “This forced many of our companies to close and we are still recovering from this regression in our market.”
In the 2000s, Uruguay received a second hit to its whitefish sector when a series of protectionist moves made by African countries hurt Uruguay’s exports there.
“It was a solid business, but these changes in policies hurt our exports again and caused another deterioration in the market,” Caro Ros said.
While Uruguay received a vote of confidence from fast-growing Canadian firm Cooke Aquaculture when it purchased Fripur, a Uruguayan seafood exporter, in December 2016, Caro Ros acknowledged the government believes the best path forward for the country’s seafood industry is diversification.
Caro Ros points to companies like San Gregorio de Polanco, a new caviar company farming sturgeon in the Rio Negro in the central part of the country, as holding the greatest promise for the future of Uruguay seafood.
“Before them and a few other companies started up in the last few years, aquaculture in Uruguay practically didn’t exist,” Caro Ros said. “Small but ambitious companies [like San Gregorio de Polanco] are starting up in Uruguay and have a bright future.”
Andrew Rynkowski, the production manager for Polanco Caviar, said the company currently has annual production capabilities of 10 tons of caviar and 700 tons of sturgeon meat. In an effort to attain a high quality for its products – and in part due to its isolation – the company has developed an entire breeding cycle on-site, where it raises sturgeon from spawning to slaughter, using its own proprietary feed. Rynkowski said executives from Polanco Caviar visited caviar production sites across Europe, including Russian, Poland, Germany, the Czech Republic and Italy, to learn as much as possible about the industry before starting up in 2010.
“The quality of our water is very high, and we’ve attained a good growth of the animals,” Rynkowski said. “We knew we could do well at the site we chose, but it took time because we needed to put in the work of learning from others who have more experience.”
Caro Ros said other fisheries-focused start-ups in Uruguay are working on development of less-utilized wild-caught fish, including merluza (hake) and corvina (drum).
“We are fortunate because we have no problems with our resources. We have good management and we haven’t faced shortages or the collapse of fisheries like in other countries,” Caro Ros said. “But it’s going to take work to recover from the setbacks we’ve had. The government is eager to continue to work with our national companies to reverse negative trends and recuperate our industry.”

domain: news


text:
China's economy is slowing and growth in 2014 could fall short of the government's official target, according to a CNNMoney survey of economists.
Nigeria is now Africa's largest economy thanks to a long overdue 'rebasing' of GDP. Founder of Zenith Bank Group Jim Ovia discusses the risks and rewards of investing in the country.
Italian Finance Minister Pier Carlo Padoan discusses the European economy, high unemployment and major political reforms in Italy.
|Apple profit soars but iPads slump|
|Is this Apple's new iWatch?|
|Dark Mail will hide everything in your email|
|New China food scandal hits McDonald's, KFC|
|Premarkets: 4 things to know before the open|


text:
Music Gear News
Blink-182 begin writing new album
Hoppus confirmed that the San Diego trio were currently working on the follow-up to 2011's Neighborhoods, but said that fans would have to wait at least a year before they got their hands on the new record.
The bassist told NME: "Early next week I go back to Los Angeles to record an iTunes session for Blink-182, and we're starting to write the new record right now. We're going to tour Australia in February with Blink [so the] proper tour and the new album probably won't happen for about a year."
It will be Blink's seventh record since their first album, Cheshire Cat, was released in 1994, and their second since returning from hiatus in 2009.
The band also announced that they had split with major record label Interscope and would now be performing as an unsigned group.
Guitarist Tom DeLonge broke the news on his Twitter account tweeting: "Freedom!! Blink as of today, is now an independent Artist!!!!!"
The trio completed a UK tour in the summer, including two intimate shows in Manchester's Apollo and London's Brixton Academy.
Posted by LB.Posted on 25 Oct 2012 09:57 to category : Band / Celebrity News
Related Music News
Iconic Motorhead bass player Lemmy is set to be commemorated with limited edition stamp run.
Andrew Tkaczyk takes to the drums again for the first time since November 2015 who had lost his leg following a road-traffic accident.
Can you vote for your favourite band?
The drum world mourns the loss of innovator, pioneer and drum icon Remo D Belli.
Tributes pour in for one of the most entertaining artists of modern times.
Steve Winwood takes delivery of Nord C2D in preparation for tour with Steely Dan.
Recent Music News
Fender guitar has release image of new signature model for guitar legend.
To celebrate four decades of BOSS, the effects manufacturing giant is set to run four days of recommended offers on selected Boss products over the weekend of 27 - 30th May until 23:59pm on the 30th May 2016.
UK Postal service mark 50 years of Pink Floyd with special Pink Floyd stamp set.
Source Audio effects, renowned for innovation and quality, are now available via Gear4music.
Universal Audio is now offering free plug-ins in a limited time offer with the purchase of any new Apollo rackmount audio interface.
We're proud to announce that Akron, Ohio pedal manufacturer, EarthQuaker Devices is now part of the extensive stompbox effects range at Gear4music.


text:
Kenya is seeking the help of governors to boost exports of raw bananas and broccoli to South Korea. The exports have failed to grow despite the Asian nation exempting the two Kenyan goods from its stringent quality tests.
In 2018, South Korea’s Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency (APQA) exempted raw bananas and broccoli from Kenya from pest risk tests as it moved to meet rising local demand for bananas, which make up to 50 per cent of its fruit imports, amid soaring prices of apples and other home-grown fruits.
The Pest Risk Analysis (PRA) tests on fruits, vegetables and plants check for the presence of pests, a confirmation which leads to the goods being destroyed, returned to the exporter or banned.
But with the waiver, Kenyan exporters now only require a clearance certificate from local authorities to get their produce to South Korea.
Trade PS Johnson Weru, however, notes that despite this exemption, exporters are yet to increase their sales to the South Korean market, and he is seeking the assistance of county governors to arrest the situation.
“One of the major outcomes of the bilateral consultations (between Kenya and South Korea) was information to the effect that the Korean government had granted market access authorisation for Kenya to export unripe bananas and broccoli to South Korea,” Mr Weru said.
In the letter to the Council of Governors chief executive officer Jacqueline Mogeni, Mr Weru requests her to lobby counties that produce the two products to ramp up their production and seek clearance certificates at the plants health inspectorate for export. “These two products do not require Pest Risk Analysis (PRA). However, the products should be accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate from Kenya’s competent authorities. In spite of this offer, we have noted that the volume of exports of these two products is dismally small,” the PS said.
Pests and diseases
The quality checks for pests and diseases for horticultural produce and plants meant for export from Kenya are done by the Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service.
Counties that produce green bananas include Kisii, Nyamira, Bungoma, Kakamega, Murang’a, Nyeri, Kericho and Kirinyaga.
But most banana farmers produce the fruits small-scale, which means that the bananas are mostly consumed locally especially in major towns, with fewer farmers producing enough quantity or quality to favourably compete in the cut-throat international banana market.


text:
Ulster jumped to the top of the table in relation to the value of agricultural land -- and even showed a rise in value last year.
Agricultural land sold at auction in the province made on average €12,994/ac in the past year, up from €10,286/ac the previous year, the Farming Independent annual land price survey has revealed.
However, there were only nine farms sold under the hammer that were reported in the national farming press for the past 12 months, a decrease of two on the previous year.
A total of 172.77ac was sold in Ulster's Republic counties in the past year for a total of €2,244,000. All these sales were in counties Cavan and Monaghan, while there were no Donegal auction sales reported in the national farming press.
The prices paid for individual farms ranged from €7,500/ac to €21,588/ac.
The first of these was the average price paid for a 24ac non-residential farm at Tullyco, Cootehill, Co Cavan, which sold at auction in March for €180,000.
The highest price achieved was for 12.97ac at Maghernakill, Castleblaney, Co Monaghan, which sold under the hammer for €280,000. This equates to almost €21,500/ac. The property included a derelict residence.
One of the most substantial sales in the province during the year was the 30ac residential holding sale at Antiduff, Ballyhaise, Co Cavan, which was sold in auction in June for €465,000 (€15,500/ac).
Farmers were the buyers of at least five of the properties that sold at auction, but this information was not available for the other auction sales.
Four of the farms sold were of 20ac or under.


text:
February 25, 2011
Google decided to make significant changes in its search algorithms, with lower-quality website ranking is low, such that only contain little content and instead directs users to a full page ad. These modifications have seen quite a dramatic impact in the realm of online search. Once observed, some websites that previously ranked high in searches with certain keywords, have plummeted in the results list. While some social networking sites, news sites and retail sites rose rank.
Some sites even protest because of his rank reduced, but they feel good quality. This example experienced by WiseGeeks.com site, which used to hire writers to produce quality content. Therefore, they want to ask Google how to get up again rank. Study of the research ranking Sistrix online search, found several websites has increased due to modification of Google’s rankings. For example networking site LinkedIn.com and Facebook.com. News sites like Fox News and the New York Daily News also experienced surges.


text:
Nearly five months after expanding to Westbury, Bango Bowls has added a second location in the Nassau area and seventh overall.
What the company is calling its New Hyde Park store opened last week at 271-16 Union Turnpike, just across the border in Queens. And a grand opening party with the New Hyde Park Chamber of Commerce is in the works.
Bango Bowls, which started in Massapequa Park in 2017, now operates seven locations in Nassau, Suffolk, Queens and Westchester counties. All full-service spots, the stores serves salads, warm grain bowls, poke bowls, acai bowls, flaninis and avocado toast. Click here for the full menu.
“Our commitment to providing delicious, healthy food options is matched only by our enthusiasm to immerse ourselves in the community and support our neighbors at Long Island Jewish Medical Center,” he added.
The New Hyde Park Bango Bowls is located at the corner of Lakeville Drive and Union Turnpike, next to LIJ Medical Center.
Bango Bowls is open seven days a week, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
The company, Thorman said, will also soon start offering franchise opportunities, with the ultimate goal of opening hundreds of locations across the Northeast. This is a corporate location.
The other Long Island Bango Bowls are in Bay Shore, East Setauket and Westbury, which opened in December. The Westchester spots are located in Larchmont and Scarsdale.
“We can’t wait to share the Bango Bowls experience with our new customers and continue to serve our existing ones, said Thorman. “Here’s to a bright future ahead!”


text:
In a new twist to its REC TwinPeak range of panels, the Norwegian company REC has just announced a new 72-cell polycrystalline module which has become the most powerful on the market, according to the company, with a nominal output power of 350 Wp (peak power).
REC TwinPeak 2s 72 is the new multi-crystalline solar panel proposal which, in addition to improving power and performance compared to previous products in the range, reduces panel weight by up to 22 kilos, which is about four below the average for this type of structure, which facilitates its handling and shortens installation times.
These panels integrate different technologies under development by REC, in particular larger cells to increase production; cells with PERC technology to increase adoption light; a junction box that allows the panels to have an innovative design and a best performance in shaded conditions; as well as other advancements to minimize energy loss.
The panel, with 1000 and 1500 V configuration, completely avoids the Induced Potential Degradation (PID), which minimizes losses in difficult climatic conditions such as excessive temperature or humidity.
REC TwinPeak 2s 72 “It meets the needs of our industrial and commercial customers, as well as those of large size, who demand large size, lighter and high power panels.”Says Cemil Seber, Vice President of Global Marketing at REC, of this new proposition, the latest in a line that started working years ago and introduced its first product to the market in early 2015, during the launch of the TwinPeak REC 60 cells panel, awarded with the Intersolar prize. Since then, the company has offered three other solutions, to which is now added this 72-cell panel, with a linear nominal power guarantee of up to 25 years.
More information in REC TwinPeak 2s 72.


text:
If the last 5 years has taught us anything, it is that data breaches are inevitable. Users still make errors, systems are still vulnerable and cyber-criminals’ hunger for hacking shows no sign of being satisfied.
It would be wrong to say that all data is of equal value, but a loss of data of any type has potentially wide ranging implications for any organisation and its stakeholders.
The consequences of a data breach go beyond simple business disruption to include a loss of intellectual property, competitive advantage, corporate knowledge, brand equity, customer loyalty and trust. Worse still, a data loss could result in lost revenue, breach of compliance regulations and, under the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR), some serious financial penalties.
Whilst the GDPR is an EU-specific initiative, data integrity is very much a global issue; with similarly strict regulations soon to be introduced in the US and across Asia. In the US, for example, new healthcare data protection regulations expose negligent individuals to criminal proceedings. In an increasingly digitised and connected world, data has become the currency of business.
In November, Tesco Bank announced a data breach in the UK. Thousands of customer accounts were illegally accessed and money was withdrawn. The hackers were careful to remove just enough money to make it worth their while, but not so much has to draw immediate attention to themselves.
Although the true nature of the breach may not have been confirmed as we write this, it seems to have been made possible by contactless payments made through smartphones. The UK news was full of sensational stories of “unprecedented loss of financial data”. Sorry to say, this was not as rare an incident as you might think.
In February of 2016, the Bank of Bangladesh suffered a similar breach. This time it was $81million removed from customer accounts by hackers who managed to subvert the SWIFT system. What made the headlines for this breach was that SWIFT was previously seen as a closed, trusted network for global financial institutions.
Cyber-criminals are becoming increasingly sophisticated in their attacks and banking data is a high priority target, because of the potential for financial gain. On average, it takes more than 12 months for data breaches to come to light, so hackers have plenty of time to exploit their ill-gotten gains.
GDPR’s Impact – A reality-check for executives and boards
Embarrassing as this incident was for Tesco Bank, it could have been much, much worse. To their credit, Tesco seem to have been quick to act. 24 hours of disruption to digital transactions and things seem to have been brought back under control. But what was the impact of that 24 hours?
A day’s lost revenue might not seem like too big a deal, but then there was the loss of trust in the brand and the fact that they had to pay back the £2.5 million that was taken from their customers’ accounts. So, the damage mounts up.
£2.5 million doesn’t really seem like a lot of money to a major financial institution and Tesco might think they have escaped without punishment – assuming there is no subsequent financial penalty applied. However, if this had taken place when the new European GDPR legislation was being enforced, it would have been a different story altogether.
We have mentioned the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) in previous posts. But, for the uninitiated, here is a very brief overview.
First proposed in January 2012, and approved in April 2016, the GDPR is designed to unify data protection rules across Europe and set out compliance obligations for the movement of data; both within the EU and between EU member states and their global partners.
Set to become law in May 2018, one of the major talking points of the legislation has been the hefty financial penalties proposed as a result of non-compliance. Organisations suffering a data breach can expect to be fined up to 4% of their annual turnover. Not profit. Turnover. (or €20 million, whichever is greater).
This means Tesco Bank could have been facing a GDPR imposed penalty of an eye-watering £1.9 billion. Now, businesses have been accused of not taking data breaches seriously in the past as the cost of prevention outweighed the cost of repair. Not anymore. With this level of fine on the horizon, everyone is sitting up and paying attention.
The strict nature of the financial penalties proposed under the GDPR is already influencing data protection regulations around the world. Whilst ‘zero-tolerance’ might not be the words people are using, it’s a fairly accurate description of the way we’re headed. We will all be watching with interest as the rest of the world formalizes its approach to data protection in the digital era.
Senetas is a leading developer and manufacturer of certified high-assurance encryption hardware; dedicated to protecting network transmitted data without compromising performance.
Senetas high-assurance Layer 2 Metro and Carrier Ethernet encryptors protect sensitive network data in transit. They have been trusted to protect network data for Cloud and data centre services, Big Data applications, financial transactions, CCTV networks, infrastructure and SCADA control systems in more than 35 countries.


text:
04 Jul Germany’s Federal Cartel Office Launches Probe on Facebook “Extorting” Personal Data
Facebook is under suspicion of compelling its users to provide information for targeted ad placement.
Germany’s Federal Cartel Office has launched a probe investigating if Facebook is indeed using its influence to force users into accepting terms and conditions they may not fully comprehend.
A lawyer at Heuking Kühn Lueer Wojtekm, Frederik Wiemer, accused Menlo-based Facebook Inc. of ‘extorting’ information from users. And that those who disagree will be denied service and access to the social network community.
The German inquiry is set to test the boundaries of the European Union’s antitrust law that issued penalties to several U.S companies including a fining Apple Inc €13bn in back taxes and more recently a €2.4bn fine after suspected anti-competitive behavior from Google.


text:
from the taking-it-with-you dept.
QuePasaCalabaza writes "The FCC has approved a bill 5-0 that allows consumers to take their land line phone numbers and carry them over to thier wireless phones. USA Today has one of the first scoops on this ruling. The official news release [Word|PDF] is there."
MAC user's dynamic debugging list evaluator? Never heard of that.


text:
Ambassador of China Li Jiming to Bangladesh wants to see a Chinese commercial bank in Bangladesh which he thinks will help to foster financial cooperation between the two nations.
He urged the Bangladesh government to facilitate setting up a Chinese commercial bank in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh China Chamber of Commerce and Industries (BCCCI) and Research and Policy Integration for Development (RAPID) jointly organised the seminar styled as “Making the most of market access in China: What needs to be done?”
Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi was the chief guest while Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Li Jiming and Export Promotion Buro Vice Chairman AHM Ahsan were the special guests on the occasion.
BCCCI president Gazi Golam Murtaza chaired the session. Acting General Secretary Al Mamun Mridha delivered the address of welcome.
RAPID chairman Dr Mohammad Abdur Razzaque made a keynote presentation in the session conducted by RAPID executive director Dr Abu Eusuf.
The envoy told the meeting that the Chinese economic zone in Chattogram is awaiting the government approval as the infrastructure is ready to accommodate industries.
Ambassador Li Jiming hoped that Bangladesh would become a member of RCEP and boost its international trade in cooperation with the neighbouring countries.
Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) is a proposed agreement between the member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and its free trade agreement (FTA) partners.
In his speech, Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi said the government is working together with its Chinese counterpart to reduce the trade gap between the two countries.
“We are looking for a possible area of free trade agreement for long term relationship in bilateral trade. It will create a win-win situation for both sides,” he said.
The minister urged the local businesses to focus on branding as the young generation in China is adopting branded products in their changing lifestyle.
In his presentation, RAPID chairman Dr Razzaque said China belongs to the second largest economy of the world with a volume of $20 trillion where the import size is $ 2.7 trillion.
“If Bangladesh can meet only 1 percent of the Chinese import needs, our export earnings will stand at $27 billion from one single market. We need to gradually focus on different cities of the country,” he said.
BCCCI president Gazi Golam Murtaza said Bangladesh is lucky to get China as a development partner which becomes the world's second largest economy.
“We need to focus on export diversification to tap the potentials of the Chinese market. The country has announced duty waivers for Bangladeshi products,” he said. China declared to grant duty-free access to 98 percent of Bangladeshi products including 383 new products, especially leather and leather-made goods.


text:
Feature26 April 2017
Mahindra says the KUV100 is a ‘young SUV’. Young it may be, but how much of an SUV is it, really?
Tata Motors says the Hexa is a bit of both; a people mover and a sports utility vehicle. So in this big car brawl, we pit the crossover against a formidable rival – the Toyota Innova
The famed jewellers to the Maharajas have pulled out all stops to display the Maharajas’ automotive jewels


text:
After months of trouble with a hostile takeover as the climax, popular TV-torrent distribution group EZTV called it quits last month.
In the ten years since its founding the group had built up a reputation of quality and consistency, but today it is no longer active.
Instead, EZTV’s domain is now run by an outsider who pretends that nothing has changed. On the site’s homepage people still see the latest TV-torrents.
Initially these torrents were imported from other groups, but recently a person pretending to be EZTV’s Novaking announced that they had started releasing their own torrents again.
“We have a great news for you. [eztv] has started releasing torrents again. No more nested/unneeded files/folders you have complained about. The same quality like before.”
While unsuspecting users might fall for the impersonation, people in the know have cut their ties with the site. The Pirate Bay and KickassTorrents, for example, are warning their users to look our for fake files and have disabled or suspended the official EZTV account.
But it’s not only the torrent experts who have seen through the facade, Google has too.
For many years the EZTV.it domain (later EZTV.ch) was the top listed result when searching for the term EZTV using Google. This is no surprise, considering that there are hundreds of thousands of backlinks to the site.
Interestingly, however, the “official” domain has now been completely stripped from the top results. Even several pages down the EZTV.ch domain doesn’t appear.
It’s worth noting that the main EZTV.ch domain was removed following a takedown notice from Lionsgate. However, usually other pages on the same domain quickly take its place, as happened to ExtraTorrent and others.
The absence of the EZTV domain is remarkable and stands out when comparing it to other search engines.
For example, roughly a week ago both Bing and DuckDuckGo continued to place EZTV.ch on top. Today, both search engines still show the domain among the top results, although no longer in first place.
With the site no longer being the top result in Google and elsewhere, search traffic to EZTV is minimal.
Whether the site’s total traffic will also go down in the long run has yet to be seen. For now the site is still among the most popular torrent sites on the Internet, and many users either don’t know or don’t care who runs the show.


text:
With concerns mounting about water supply throughout the state, the Florida Beverage Association (FBA) is partnering with the Santa Rosa County UF/IFAS Extension Office to promote citizen protection of local water.
FBA presented the extension office with a grant for $12,000 July 26 to implement new Green Infrastructure/Water Tours and Rain Barrel Workshops.
Read the full article in the Aug. 9 issue of Navarre Press.
Visit www.navarrepress.com/subscribe to view subscription options.
Sign up to receive the online edition of Navarre Press for 30 days free!
Go to http://navarrepress.fl.newsmemory.com/ then click on the drop down bar and select base rates.


text:
BEIJING, Oct. 7 (Xinhua) -- China's auto parts and components manufacturer Changshu TONGRUN AUTO ACCESSORY CO., LTD.(Changrun) held a groundbreaking ceremony recently for its production base in Thailand, marking enhancement of the company's strategic layout of integrating international market resources, reported Xinhua-run China Securities Journal.
According to previous announcements, the company intends to invest an amount of not exceeding 26 million U.S. dollars to build Torin Thailand production base project, with planned construction period of 12 months.
The project will mainly produce automobile supporting jacks, hydraulic jacks, and other automobile maintenance equipment and vehicle supporting products, which will be exported to Australia and Southeast Asia and other international markets.
Changrun said that the construction of the project is conducive to the company to better meet the needs of customers in the international market, and improve the company's core competitiveness.
Besides, the company believes that in the future, the downstream market demand will continue to grow with the expanding domestic and overseas vehicle market. Changrun will gradually increase the variety of its products, and build an auto part products ecosystem to provide customers with efficient, convenient products and services.
(Edited by Bao Nuomin with Xinhua Silk Road, email@example.com)


text:
RAPAPORT… South Africa’s finance minister Trevor Manuel tabled a bill June 19, 2007, to reduce the export levy on rough diamonds from 15 to 5 percent. Manuel also made the government’s intentions clear, following local press reports claiming the government was siding with some producers, that no concessions would be made on behalf of large producers.
The bill comes as part of a general amendment to the country’s diamond mining laws designed to encourage growth in the local diamond polishing sector. South Africa has traditionally been one of the world’s largest diamond producers with most of the rough leaving the country for polishing elsewhere.
Manuel noted that while the duty was set at 15 percent under the Diamonds Act of 1986 –as a mechanism to facilitate adequate and regular supplies of rough diamonds to local cutters and polishers– “the act of 1986 was only partially successful in this regard.” The 1986 laws were updated in 2005.
In a speech to Parliament explaining the proposed bill, he said the 1986 Act provided for relatively generous exemptions which limited its success.
“The proposed Diamond Levy Bills 2007 reduce the export levy on rough diamonds to 5 percent, but tighten the relief provisions, thereby laying a foundation for increased effectiveness,” Manuel said. “It should also be noted that the reduced 5 percent rate was not intended to undermine the power of the levy as an [export] deterrent.”
While diamond producers were concerned the tax would encourage smuggling, Manuel said the 5 percent levy would be “high enough to deter unpolished exports without hidden benefits of smuggling.”
He explained that according to informal police estimates, diamond smuggling costs are between 2.5 and 5 percent of gross diamond values and therefore, the current 15 percent rate merely enhances smuggling.
As a general rule, the updated diamond laws state that all rough diamonds intended for export must be offered via a tender process at a Diamond Export and Exchange Centre (DEEC) for sale.
Manuel explained that under the new exemption structure presented by the Export Levy Bill, the minister of Minerals and Energy may waive the requirement to offer all rough diamonds on the DEEC for larger producers. For practical reasons, he said, the tendering process is not overwhelmed by large volumes of very small rough diamonds.
This exemption would occur if the minister believes that 40 percent of the large producer’s total gross sales over the course of a year will go to local diamond beneficiators, and that the producer’s total gross sales in the same period exceeds R3 billion.
Medium size producers will not receive a waiver from the DEEC tendering process, but can obtain relief from the levy if 15 percent of its annual gross sales goes to local diamond beneficiators, and if its gross sales within the year do not exceed R3 billion per annum.
Small producers will receive relief from the export levy without any prerequisite of sales to local diamond beneficiators, provided that its total sales do not exceed R20 million per annum, and provided that anti-avoidance measures exist to prevent small producers from splitting sales across several controlled companies for purposes of avoiding the levy.
Manuel also explained that the bill provides allowance for local beneficiators to export diamonds purchased as long as the company cut and polishes 80 percent of its diamonds purchased. The remaining 20 percent would be subject to the tendering process of the DEEC.
“The proposed relief measures ensure that the local supply of rough diamonds is commensurate with local demand,” Manuel told Parliament. “No reason exists to force diamonds onto the local market beyond local capacity.”
“The core element of these incentives is to encourage producers to supply the local market with rough diamonds so that they can export the remainder free from the levy,” he said.


text:
The company is shifting gears from its usual Patch Tuesday to push out optional patches. But why now, and for what reason?
An apparent slip during an Advanced Micro Devices conference call on Friday may have spilled the beans on the launch date for the next generation of Windows.
YouTube is rolling out a new design for its video player. Learn how you can get the new look right now in Chrome and Firefox.
The European Commission opens a legal case that could change how Google search works -- and impose a massive fine. It also begins an inquiry about Android.
Few users remember to take this important step, which can really save the day if your computer gets hosed.
Technically Incorrect: Some of Hertz's NeverLost systems now have cameras and mics -- which the company claims it doesn't intend to use at this time.
Have a Windows Phone device and want to test out Windows 10 on it? Now you can.
Apple's new watch has some secrets and some quirks you may not know about. Here are the most interesting tidbits I've found over my time wearing one so far.
Sling TV is a new $20-per-month live TV package with 16 channels, including ESPN, AMC, TNT, CNN, History, HDTV and the Disney Channel. How does it work, how can you get it -- and will it let you quit cable?
Think an iDevice is the only way to see HBO's new streaming service? Think again. For $9.99 you can sling it just about anywhere -- for three months.


text:
Housing and accommodation comes at a premium price in many parts of the country. However what must be among the UK's cheapest short term rental accommodation has been revealed in Sheerness on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent.
The sleeping quarters cost just £8 a night but there is something unusual about the location. The accommodation is not the average bedroom, in fact it's not a room at all.
The 'bed' being offered on 'Airbnb' is actually the back seat of a car. Find out more by watching a report from Jenna Verdicchio.


text:
The Inflation Situation
Can inflation continue to decline, and what will drive it down?
Editor’s note: with major central banks meeting over the coming weeks and all eyes on interest rates, we offer some perspective on where inflation has been, and where it is going.
A few years ago, I went on a hike through the Wicklow mountains south of Dublin. The views were spectacular, especially of Guinness Lake; imported white sand at the foot of the water makes it look like a perfectly poured pint. We enjoyed one or two at the end of our trek.
We struggled on the ascent, but when we passed the peak, I assumed that the hard work was done. My hosts cautioned, however, that the trail can get bumpy on the way down. I was urged to watch my step and not relax until we had returned to ground level.
I was thinking of that adventure as I contemplated the trek we’ve experienced with inflation during the past three years. The price level took a steep climb, creating some rocky times for consumers. But the other side of the mountain has seemed surprisingly smooth. As leading central banks get back to business this month, they will have to watch their steps: there could still be some bumps on the path back to price stability.
In some ways, the orderly decline of inflation has not come as a surprise. Price surges of 2021 and 2022 were largely due to supply shocks, which have eased. Global production and shipping chains have largely returned to pre-pandemic efficiency, creating deflation in the prices of many goods. We are monitoring the impact of Red Sea shipping disruptions, but they are unlikely to have a substantial impact on inflation.
Oil and gas prices received a shock from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Shortages threatened Europe, but the development of alternate sources (along with the blessing of a mild 2023 winter) took the edge off. Energy costs in the major economic centers are generally lower than they were a year ago; oil prices have remained restrained in spite of the hostilities in the Middle East.
The final supply shock involved the global labor market. As we discussed in our piece examining the economic aftermath of COVID-19, the pandemic impaired some workers and prompted others to leave the labor market. Immigration was interrupted for an extended time, impacting those industries where newcomers find their first opportunities. Today, labor force participation and immigration are back to or above 2019 levels.
To certain degree, inflation has settled down by itself. The economist Paul Krugman has termed this the “long transitory” story; disruptions to the supply side of the global economy took a long time to cure, but eventually did so. In light of this, Krugman has suggested that monetary policy should not have been tightened as vigorously as it was, and that it should be eased promptly.
IT IS NOT CLEAR HOW MUCH MONETARY POLICY CAN BE CREDITED FOR TAMING INFLATION.
Defenders of central banks respond that interest rate hikes took the edge off the massive amounts of pandemic-era fiscal stimulus that was implemented in major markets. Further, the tone taken by monetary policy helped to keep inflation expectations well-anchored. Given the role of expectations in the evolution of actual inflation, this has been an important achievement.
We’ll never know how inflation would have evolved in the absence of restrictive monetary policy. But central banks were not willing to take the chance of finding out. Their targets and their credibility were at stake. They seemed willing to risk a recession to preserve their reputations.
Fortunately, that price has yet to be paid. Economic growth in the United States has been robust; while results have been more mixed in Europe, a downturn has yet to set in. Amazingly, levels of unemployment have risen only slightly from their low points. To date, progress on prices has not come at the expense of jobs.
One reason for this is the long lags associated with monetary policy in this cycle. Households were the beneficiaries of substantial stimulus payments, which were used to reduce debt. Homeowners locked in low rates on their mortgages; corporations did the same with their bonds. With borrowing now increasing and debt rollover and repricing gathering steam, easier monetary policy would help reduce the weight of higher interest rates.
Prospects of getting inflation all the way down to the target level of 2% in each center will hinge critically on the following factors:
· In the United States, shelter costs are something of a holdout in the rapid retreat of inflation. The biggest component of American inflation indices, housing costs have been held high by shortages of dwellings in many parts of the country. Inflation in this category has come down, but has been stuck near 6% for the past several months.
· In the United Kingdom, the wage/price spiral needs to be broken. Labor shortages and outsized increases in the costs of living empowered workers, many of whom took to striking to improve their lots. Wage growth in Britain has peaked, but it remains elevated. This will tend to keep pressure on prices, especially for services.
· In the eurozone, the demand side of the economy will be key. Economic growth in the euro area has been stagnant for much of the year; forecasters are expecting better things ahead, as consumer sentiment and real incomes improve. The pace of disinflation will depend on how quickly household spending ramps up.
These areas will bear close watching. Central bankers will want to ensure that progress on the price level is sustainable. But the risks to inflation are more balanced than they were a year ago.
INTEREST RATE CUTS SHOULD START IN THE SECOND QUARTER.
Interest rates in the U.S., U.K. and the euro area are deeply restrictive. Given the lags involved with monetary policy, central banks will not wait for inflation to reach 2% before starting to ease. We think the European Central Bank will be the first to move in that direction, with the Fed and the Bank of England to follow by midyear. More details on these expectations can be found in our latest U.S. forecast and our latest global forecast.
My Irish trail guides proved prescient. The route down the other side of the mountain was filled with rocky outcroppings, threatening to sprain a poorly placed ankle. But with patience and good guidance, we reached our target safely. And that was cause for a toast.
A key signal of inflation’s remaining progress will be wage gains. Labor is a major cost for every employer; for firms in the knowledge economy, salaries represent the majority of costs. When input costs rise, firms must either absorb them through lower margins, or pass them on through higher prices. While most material input costs have settled after the pandemic surge, wages are still increasing at a rate that could add to inflation.
The pandemic gave new power to workers, and it has endured. As COVID spread, some employers used their traditional recessionary playbook and cut headcount; unemployment rates surged worldwide starting in spring 2020. But this was not a traditional recession. Demand in many sectors did not abate, and firms were quickly short-staffed. Workers were not readily available: many retired; some fell ill or stayed distanced to avoid severe COVID outcomes; others relocated or took time to attend to family obligations. Wages rose to attract and retain the limited supply of workers, and that trend has remained in place. In addition, unions have undertaken strikes to make up for the wage gains that their members did not receive due to longer-term labor agreements.
Wage gains sound great. Who doesn’t want a raise? But ongoing gains carry the important risk of sparking a wage-price spiral, as we observed in the discussion of the U.K. above. When wages do not keep pace with inflation, consumers fall behind in real terms, but lower demand should help to keep price gains in check. The risk of a spiral remains as long as wage gains are elevated.
Wage growth is holding firm. U.S. average hourly earnings rose by a tenth to 4.1% year over year in December, arresting a five-month decline. Earnings trends in Canada and across Europe have also entered an uneven trajectory, not supporting a steady disinflationary trend.
The recent IMF World Economic Outlook observed that “Wage growth tends to rise with inflation expectations and fall with labor market slack.” As mentioned above, inflation expectations have stayed fairly well anchored, adding to hopes that wage pressures will abate. But labor market slack is nowhere in sight, with unemployment rates holding low, layoffs staying muted, and job openings still relatively abundant.
Salaried workers in the U.S. are learning of their annual increases now, and spring wage negotiations in Europe may cause another uptick in labor costs. The raises will be welcomed, but not if they raise the risk of more inflation.
WAGE GROWTH WILL KEEP PRESSURE ON THE PRICES OF MANY SERVICES.
Rapid increases in commodity costs, particularly food and energy, have been among the main drivers of global inflation since 2021. Disruptions caused by the pandemic, the war in Ukraine, export bans and extreme weather events have shocked the supply chains that feed the world. Moscow’s blockade of Ukraine’s Black Sea ports had a profound impact, cutting off one of the world’s largest grain exporters at a time when demand was starting to recover. Surging transportation costs on the back of disruptions at ports and the energy shock all added to the expense of getting groceries onto shelves.
Closer international linkages in the global food system over the past two decades resulted in a stronger pass-through of global developments to local markets. These developments added 5 and 6 percentage points to global food inflation in 2021 and 2022, respectively, pushing increases in the costs of living to multi-decade highs.
But as has been the case with energy markets, the supply and prices of groceries have calmed in the past 12 months. Last year, global food costs posted the biggest annual drop since 2015. After peaking in March 2022, global agricultural food commodity prices have declined by 26% as of December 2023.
Food costs are heavily influenced by the prices of cultivated crops. As economies emerged from COVID lockdowns, growers were able to ramp up output of agricultural commodities. A deal allowing grains to be exported out of Ukraine along with a bumper crop in Russia last year were helpful in bringing agricultural prices down. Wheat prices dropped to a near three-year low in late 2023. Moderating transport and storage costs have also eased the pressure on food supply chains.
Lower import or wholesale prices of groceries have been feeding through to supermarket shelves. Food inflation in high-income nations, like the U.S. and Europe, has more than halved from the peak of 16.2% year over year in November 2022 to below 6.5% at the end of last year.
Though falling, food inflation remains elevated in many parts of the world, especially Europe. Some inflationary pressures in the price base of food producers and retailers are still present. Adverse weather conditions (like El Niño) are impacting the harvest of key consumables such as sugar. Wages gains and energy costs are moderating, but they are still above pre-COVID and pre-war levels in Europe. Wages, on average, account for a little over 10% of the costs of food manufacturing in the continent. This explains why grocery inflation is higher in Europe than America, where it is returning to more normal rates.
FOOD PRICES HAVE THE POWER TO INFLUENCE INFLATION EXPECTATIONS AND, IN TURN, MONETARY POLICY DECISIONS.
Global price shocks only partially translated into higher domestic prices of essentials in the U.S., owing to its relatively low share of imported agricultural food commodities. While the strong domestic supply insulated American households from the worst effects of external shocks, higher demand for U.S. food exports still pushed up prices meaningfully.
Generally, central banks do not react to price swings in commodities like food. Commodity prices are volatile and beyond the influence of monetary policy. But for consumers, food prices are a tangible and immediate experience of inflation. A sustained period of higher costs can affect expectations of future inflation, leading to a self-fulfilling inflationary spiral. The sharp cooling in food prices not only offers a welcome reprieve to households, but to central bankers as well.
Information is not intended to be and should not be construed as an offer, solicitation or recommendation with respect to any transaction and should not be treated as legal advice, investment advice or tax advice. Under no circumstances should you rely upon this information as a substitute for obtaining specific legal or tax advice from your own professional legal or tax advisors. Information is subject to change based on market or other conditions and is not intended to influence your investment decisions.
© 2024 Northern Trust Corporation. Head Office: 50 South La Salle Street, Chicago, Illinois 60603 U.S.A. Incorporated with limited liability in the U.S. Products and services provided by subsidiaries of Northern Trust Corporation may vary in different markets and are offered in accordance with local regulation. For legal and regulatory information about individual market offices, visit northerntrust.com/terms-and-conditions.
A message from Advisor Perspectives and VettaFi: To learn more about this and other topics, check out our podcasts.


text:
At-home tests, once considered an anomaly, became de rigueur during the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, as COVID-19 testing rates decline from their pandemic peak, diagnostic companies businesses are seeing an opportunity in direct-to-consumer testing.
“Never before has the general population been more aware of in vitro diagnostics and the relevance of our industry than in the last two years with COVID-19,” said Jenna Urquhart, head of new franchise business development for Siemens Healthineers, “Thanks to the prevalence of rapid antigen tests, people have learned that it is possible to collect a sample, run a test, and receive results in minutes, all in the comfort of their own homes.”
Four of the largest diagnostics firms surveyed by MedTech Dive said they plan to continue offering COVID-19 testing and will add other types of at-home tests. Some companies said they see an opportunity in detecting other infectious diseases, while others expect increasing demand from patients managing chronic health conditions.
To read more, CLICK HERE.


text:
Watch full charts of Cryptocurrency (Digital Currency) online at forumtravelling.us. Get latest Bitcoin Price, Market updates trading news and more. Find the latest Bitcoin USD (BTC-USD) price quote, history, news and other vital information to help You can now buy, sell, and hold cryptocurrency on Venmo. Shares of any stock related to cryptocurrencies had a rough start to the week Monday and some were down over 10%. Bitcoin (CRYPTO:BTC).
: Bitcoin stocks today
|FREE MADDEN 20 COINS GENERATOR||125|
|Bitcoin stocks today||This makes for an easy way to gain continual exposure to the crypto space. Gone are the days that the automaker is on the brink of a liquidity crisis. Some economists have fretted that inflation might pick up as the Fed takes a patient stance and as the government spends heavily on pandemic relief. At one bitcoin stocks today, miners worried about the cost of doing business. With that said, Grayscale is also quite volatile, which is not surprising given its underlying asset. For some investors, buying into a holding like Grayscale is simply bitcoin stocks today easier way. Hisako Ueno contributed reporting.|
|Bitcoin stocks today||711|


text:
Irish game developers 9th Impact are aiming to reignite the cult classic 1990s cartoon Biker Mice from Mars with a new fully-licensed mobile game, with the help of a Kickstarter campaign.
Anyone who grew up during the 1990s will fondly remember their time spent watching some of the best and, frankly, most out-there cartoons created during that period, like Cadillacs and Dinosaurs, Rocko’s Modern Life and The Tick.
One not included in that list of course is Biker Mice from Mars, which, to explain the plot, followed three anthropomorphic mice — Throttle, Modo and Vinnie — who fled to Earth after Mars was taken over by the evil alien Plutarkians.
The show became a huge favourite across its three seasons between 1993 and 1996, and there was even a short-lived attempt to recreate it in 2007.
And now it is attempting to return once again, but with the unlikely saviours being based not in the biker mice’s hometown of Chicago, but Galway, where the 9th Impact team are based, and it has created a Kickstarter page to help it finish the project.
The game itself, Biker Mice from Mars: Rock ‘n’ Ride, has been in development for more than a year and will put you in the driving seat of one of the characters on a forward-scrolling adventure through the streets of Chicago.
“We are huge fans of the Biker Mice from Mars series which we grew up watching on Saturday mornings in the ’90s,” the company’s Kickstarter page says.
“Now that we’re all grown up (sort of) we’ve become game designers, developers and business people. We’ve put all of these skills together in our own company and started building games.”
With a target of €20,000, 9th Impact went to the trouble of making sure a game with the Biker Mice from Mars name would all be above board and, following long discussions, co-founder Mark Quick travelled out to New York to meet with the show’s creator, Rick Ungar, who agreed to grant 9th Impact the rights ahead of several other international companies.
Clearly excited about the project, lead game developer at 9th Impact, Finn Krewer, said: “Biker Mice was my absolute favourite show as a kid and developing a Biker Mice game is a dream come true. For me, working with the models of Throttle, Modo and Vinny every day is like getting to hang out with your favourite celebrities.”
The team says that most of the design work has been completed, and all that’s left are some final touches and the necessary public testing before its expected launch in December on both Android and iOS.
“I now have to ensure that the game is deserving of the Biker Mice name and captures the magic that made the original series so great,” said Krewer. “The best way for us to know that we’re getting things right is to ask the real fans. We are asking for their input now and together we’ll make this an awesome game.”
Until then, let’s marvel in the brilliance that was the intro to the original 1990s show.


text:
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has published the first assessment of food crime in the UK.
Article continues below
Food and drink is a 200 billion pounds industry in the UK and like any major industry, it’s vulnerable to a wide range of criminal activity. Unlike many industries, the crimes are often undetected or unreported.
While data suggests that over half of the food consumed in the UK originates here, the UK food system has significant international links with the extent differing markedly between products.
The domestic supply of dairy and eggs, for example, accounts for 85% whilst 84% of meat and meat preparation is home produced.
Almost half of cereal and cereal preparations are produced here but only 22% of fruit and vegetables. Other EU Member States provided 28% of UK food in 2013, with five accounting for roughly a fifth of this.
The total value of food and drink exports from the UK was 18.8bn pounds in 2014.
Data suggest a greater level of consumer concern about the safety of food imported into the UK. 65% of consumers expressed concerns about imported food with 42% raising concerns about food produced in the UK.
Significantly, both levels of concern increased between 2012 and 2014. These data also suggest greater levels of consumer concern with regards to meat both imported and UK-produced than for fruit and vegetables. This may be partly attributable to the impact on consumer confidence of the horse meat incident of 2013.
The international scale and complexity of the UK food economy leaves it vulnerable to global climate events and compels us to understand their impact on supply chains and markets.
The current El Nino climate event is predicted to continue through the winter of 2015; scientists from the University of Reading observe that this has the potential to "disrupt global food markets".
Coffee plantations in Brazil are understood to be already on the brink of failure and reduced rainfall in Australia could affect bananas and sugarcane crops as well as cattle.
More precise data on affected harvests will serve as a valuable indicator of areas of increased food-related criminal risk in the year ahead where supply is impaired but demand remains unchanged.
Reporting by the Food and Agriculture Organisation in October 2015 suggested El Nino has led to price increases in sugar and vegetable oils, owing to anticipated weather events affecting crops in Brazil and Indonesia.
Throughout this report, a number of the identified areas of focus include international supply routes and commodity origins. These include honey for which the major suppliers outside the EU are China and New Zealand, whose Manuka product attracts particular attention.
The origin of olive oil imported into the UK is predominantly Spain and Italy; issues affecting harvests in just these two countries, therefore, may impact significantly both on the supply and pricing of olive oils in the UK, but also on the likely prevalence of fraud and adulteration of these products.
International trends within non-compliances can also be pertinent, for example countries such as Turkey or Egypt, whose produce generates a large number of safety alerts due to pesticide residues or similar issues.
These issues in themselves may not be food crime, but can pinpoint countries whose producers have stronger incentives to circumvent controls and continue to sell their product.
What is less clear is whether this lack of confidence is based on fears of criminal threats to food, or is a manifestation of more general concerns relating to food safety and authenticity.
The vast majority of food safety incidents that occur are assessed to be the result of error or recklessness rather than dishonesty.
Although there are no available estimates for the UK, a global loss rate for all type of fraud (of which food fraud is only one component) is estimated at 3.4%11 of expenditure.
Separately, in 2013 the National Fraud Authority estimated the loss to the UK economy from all types of fraud to be 52bn pounds (or 3% of GDP).
The size of the UK food, drink and catering sector is around 196bn pounds or 11% of the economy – so even a tiny percentage prevalence could amount to a substantial sum of money.
The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) estimates the share of global trade made up by counterfeiting and piracy stood at 2% in 2007, which if applied to the value of UK food and drink trade excluding catering suggests a potential scale of 1.17bn pounds. ■


text:
You are here
Retail sales little changed on reluctance to splurge
SALES at US retailers were little changed in April, starting the second quarter on a weak note as Americans remained reluctant to splurge.
The reading followed a revised 1.1 per cent gain in March that was the biggest in a year and larger than previously estimated,
- CALL +65 6388 3838
- EMAIL firstname.lastname@example.org


text:
I am asking the management of the cable TV company Flow to upgrade their operations in managing the crowds especially during month-end when customers gather to make bill payments.
Because of the closure of the Lotto outlets there will be a bigger influx of people at their offices. I am referring particularly to the office at the Nicholas Court building on Independence Square, Port of Spain, where there is a breakdown in crowd management and internal problems when it comes to customer payments.
I shall highlight the following: 1. Long lines along Abercombry Street going south towards South Quay; 2. The office opens at 8 a.m. and service is granted to cash-paying customers and those with a bank card that is calibrated with Flow paying machines (for those who are aware of that facility); 3. Those paying with bank cards are only accommodated from 9 a.m. This is the main reason for crowd clusters on the pavement and in front of the compound.
Flow ought to adjust its customer-payment arrangement during this pandemic. First, use its screens to inform customers of changes and secondly, have a better crowd control system, more so when it is raining.


text:
For my second visit to the GEOINT Exposition, my expectations are a bit higher this time around.
Last year, I was amazed at the range of security applications and solutions showcased so I’m excited to see the latest and greatest products out there at the USA’s largest intelligence event of the year.
I’m also always interested to see the variety of ways our data here at exactEarth is being used across so many platforms. As a data services company, there is no greater satisfaction to learn about the plethora of ways customers are using our data for so many different and unique applications. With the bulk of the Expo agenda concentrating on Geospatial interoperability and creating new standards for open source information sharing, I think this is a great time to be in the business we’re in. This year the Expo is also offering Tech Talks focused solely on interoperability and as newly appointed OGC members, I’ll definitely be interested in attending those sessions.
Also, I heard this year with the Expo being held in Orlando, they’re offering free shuttles to Disney. Who can beat that?


text:
Drop in hotel earnings as Ryder Cup effect wears off; ROOMS RATES FALL AFTER TOP PRICES FOR EVENT.
DESPITE occupancy levels holding up, Welsh hoteliers experienced a significant fall in room yields in September compared to last year, shows latest research by PKF Hotel Consultancy Services.
While the 78% occupancy level in September 2010 was maintained, the average room rate in Welsh hotels fell 12.3% from pounds 63.74 to pounds 55.92 this year.
This large fall impacted upon room yield which saw a 12.3% fall from pounds 49.74 in September 2010 to pounds 43.62 this year."
The situation was particularly challenging for Cardiff hoteliers in September, with a drop in occupancy of 4.1% from 83.2% in 2010 to 79.8% in September.
Coupled with a significant 10.1% reduction in room rate from pounds 76.63 to pounds 68.88 year on year, Cardiff hotels also suffered from an overall decrease of 13.8% in their rooms yield from pounds 63.78 to pounds 54.97.
Swansea hotels also experienced a tough month during September - despite occupancy levels being up 3.4% from 76.8% in 2010 to 79.4% in September this year. Hoteliers in the city saw room rates fell 5.2% from pounds 60.68 to pounds 57.55. Overall, this saw the rooms yield fall by 1.9% from pounds 46.60 pounds 45.69 in September this year.
Tim Smith, partner in charge at the Cardiff office of PKF accountants and business advisers said: "The latest results are disappointing and suggest that Welsh hoteliers are being forced to slash their rates in order to attract visitors who are increasingly on the look-out for last minute deals and discounted rates. However, we should bear in mind that the latest statistics are being compared with figures from September last year when hotels in Wales were beginning to see the halo effect of the Ryder Cup Golf Tournament. The tournament, held in Newport at the beginning of October, allowed hotels in South Wales to command increased room rates.
"The industry will need to assess how best to respond to growing concerns about the health of the economy, the uncertain future of the eurozone, and declining consumer and business confidence."
For the UK as a whole occupancy went up from 78.1% in September 2010 to 79.8%, while room rates fell less than 0.1% from pounds 65.61 to pounds 65.58. This resulted in a boost to rooms yield, of 2.1% from pounds 51.28 to pounds 52.35.
* Welsh hotels saw a fall in room yields in September compared with last year when top prices were asked close to the Ryder Cup


text:
It seems the next big Google Nexus product is soon to arrive on the big stage. After the launch of Google Nexus 5 and Nexus 7, it is the turn of the second generation Google Nexus 10 tablet. The first ever image of Google Nexus 10 2 was leaked online by a Reddit user working for Telefonica, a Spanish operator. Here are some predictions as per the leaked images:
Google Nexus 10 Tablet Features
- Google Nexus 10 tablet will have a single speaker above the display in landscape mode. The device will
- Google Nexus 10 will be available in black and white colours from 22 November 2013 and the WiFi+cellular device will cost 299 pounds.
- It will feature a full HD display with resolution 1920 X 1080p.
- Quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor and 2GB RAM will make it effective for multi tasking.
- The internal storage facility right up till 32GB is expected, with the option of external flash storage.
- Battery of 9500mAh capacity is expected to accentuate the battery life and performance of Google Nexus 10 2 tablet.
- With the Android 4.4 KitKat OS update on cards, no doubt Nexus 10 2 is set to do well in the markets.
OS Stability With Cleanest Android Versions
Google Nexus 10 2 is reported to be manufactured by LG; the first generation Google Nexus 10 tabletwas manufactured by Samsung. With the latest version of Google play store set to release, many new changes will be seen by Android aficionados. There will be proper segregation of apps according to the device being used. Also, there are certain reports that state the tech giant is going to release its first smartwatch, to be named Gem, later this year.


text:
An update on the latest RTE app for Amazon Prime Video has been released.
The update comes ahead of the launch of the new Amazon Prime app in the UK, Ireland and Australia on Wednesday.
It comes ahead with the arrival of the Amazon Video app for Android and iOS in the US and Canada.
A lot of the news on the new app comes ahead at the end of the video above, which features a series of Amazon Prime video trailers for the new version of the app.
This update to the Amazon Prime App includes:Amazon Video:The new Amazon Video (formerly known as Prime Video) app has a completely redesigned interface, allowing you to watch all of the content you love at your fingertips, including new series, movies and documentaries.
It is the first time Amazon has made this kind of a change to the app, which is why we’re excited to announce that Amazon Video has made it’s way to Amazon Prime Instant Video.
New series:The latest RTF series available on Amazon Prime for free to Amazon Video subscribers is “The Legend of Zagorod”.
It follows the adventures of the most popular characters in the Saga of Heroes.
The latest RTV series is “Journey to the West” and is available for free for Amazon Video members.
The new RTV shows are all based on the same plot and will feature a similar cast.
The Amazon Video App for Android includes the following new series:Tales of the Crypt:The classic adventure series, Tales of the Tomb has returned to the new Prime Video app.
It features all the action and excitement of the original series with brand new special features, including an original score and the ability to watch trailers for all episodes.
Told in an original voiceover by Alan Tudyk.
A Legend Reborn:The sequel to “The Legends of Zagonod”, “A Legend of the Dead”, is available to Amazon TV subscribers for free.
It tells the story of the great hero and his quest to restore the fallen kingdom of Zogorod, and brings together some of the greatest actors in the world in an epic quest.
Amazon Prime Video also includes a brand new series called “The Rise of the Witch Doctor”, which features the adventures and exploits of the legendary witch doctor, Alastair MacNaughton.
The series is available in a variety of formats, including on Amazon Instant Video, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV and Google Chromecast devices.
It also includes an exclusive “Adventure Time” special feature that will be available on Roku and Apple TV devices.
Amazon Video now offers the following original series on Roku:Rocco Coltrane:A legendary Irish songwriter, composer and arranger who won an Oscar for his contributions to music for “The Magic Flute”, Rancoccoltrane’s music has been described as “uncompromisingly beautiful” by NPR.
He was inducted into the Irish National Music Hall of Fame in 2005.
Rochester, New York:A classic jazz recording from the 1930s that has never been released on vinyl.
This new album is available on Apple TV and Amazon Fire TVs, as well as streaming on the Amazon Appstore and iTunes.
Amazon has also released new original music videos for “Cats,” “Hippie Hippie” and “Wanna Be a Millionaire” to stream on Amazon Video.
You can stream the new music videos on Apple TVs and Amazon Instant Videos.
Amazon also released the music video for the hit song “Love Me Do” by The Who.
The video is available as an exclusive download for Amazon Instant TV subscribers in the United States, Ireland, Canada and Australia.


text:
iFood, the largest online food delivery platform in Latin America, has acquired SpoonRocket’s technology. This marks the 15th acquisition in two years for iFood, and will continue to bolster the company’s dominance of Brazil’s on-demand economy. The company plans to use SpoonRocket’s robust logistics technology to optimize delivery time, enhance the restaurant-to-consumer experience, and continue its rapid expansion in Latin America and other emerging economies.
Founded in 2013 by Felipe Fioravante, iFood has dominated the Latin America online food delivery market and despite a weakening economy in Brazil, iFood has propelled local businesses by helping more than 10,000 restaurants connect with customers in 100 Brazilian cities, ultimately accounting for $138 million worth of restaurant transactions in 2015. To date, iFood has doubled its growth year-over-year and in the last 18 months, alone, iFood acquired Brazilian food delivery competitors Central do Delivery, Papa Rango, Alakarte and others, and raised $50 million from Movile and JUST EAT for a total of $61.9 million.
“Brazil has one of the strongest delivery cultures and as one of the top five delivery markets globally, we’re ultimately contributing to the boost in the Brazil economy. As we look to expand beyond Latin America, this acquisition will further propel our leadership and affords us the opportunity to grow and take advantage of SpoonRocket’s unparalleled logistics technology,” says Felipe Fioravante, CEO and founder of iFood.
SpoonRocket was launched in 2013 by co-founders Steven Hsiao and Anson Tsui, when they saw an opportunity to deliver healthy, fast and high-quality meals to the San Francisco Bay Area, Seattle and San Diego. Since its inception, SpoonRocket has received several accolades including Best Food Delivery for San Francisco Magazine and Best Food Delivery for East Bay Express.
“We are very happy to have found a home for our technology with iFood. Even though SpoonRocket did not work out, I do believe we have one of the best food delivery systems in the world and it is amazing to see it live on through iFood,” said Anson Tsui, co-founder of SpoonRocket.
Faced with massive competition in SpoonRocket’s home city of San Francisco, SpoonRocket ceased operations on March 15, 2016. The terms of the deal are undisclosed.


text:
In the future, German online fashion retailer Zalando wants to ship clothes from every physical store and has launched a trial project in Berlin for interested retailers.
Central fashion hub
“The idea is simple: if you are looking for a fashion product, we will point you into the store's direction", CEO Robert Gentz said in a FD interview. "You can then choose to actually visit that store or you ask us to ship you the item. We are now trialing this idea with Bodycheck's collection in Berlin."
The system is Zalando's next step into becoming fashion's central hub. Currently, clothing brands can already sell their collections on Zalando, but the online retailer would like to take it one step further and offer physical stores' product range as well.
To make that happen, Zalando will invest heavily into systems that make it possible for both brands and stores to sell on Zalando. This year's investment will be 200 million euro, which is 5 % of the company's total turnover. Last year, the company only invested 60 million euro.


text:
Cheshire-based Dinex Exhausts says it expects to sell more than 20,000 exhaust products to help operators meet Transport for London's (TfL) enhanced emission regulations prior to the 3 January 2012 deadline.
After this deadline, any commercial vehicle with a GVW of 3.5 tonnes or greater must meet at least Euro-4 emissions standards to enter London's Low Emission Zone (LLEZ).
A TfL spokesperson says the change will mean approximately 75,000 current vehicles will become 'non-compliant' after the deadline.
However, operators running HGVs with Euro-3 engines, who will incur a substantial fine after 3 January, can retrofit particulate traps to meet the minimum standard.
Rogier van der Ouderaa, general manager of Dinex Exhausts (which sells particulate traps), is running a marketing campaign to coincide with TfL's countdown to the deadline. He says the company wants to make sure that operators do something with vehicles that become non-compliant sooner rather than later.
"This year, 2011, is the year to sell them [retrofit exhausts]. We expect to sell 20,000 to 25,000 this year. Come December we could see a real rush, hopefully it (the TfL campaign) will even out the rush," he says.
Anyone driving into London with non-compliant vans must pay a £100 daily charge or risk a £500 penalty, while owners of HGVs have to pay a £200 daily charge or risk a £1,000 penalty.
Liverpool port has promised to sort out the chaos that has blighted its operations over the last few months, following a meeting with the ... more
Simon Oliphant has been appointed the new chairman of the BVRLA, following the trade body's AGM earlier this week. He replaces Peter ... more
Strike action due to take place next week by HGV testers working for the DVSA has narrowly been avoided, after the two sides agreed to a ... more


text:
Burger King is making a new and bold move in terms of advertisements. They are now proudly advertising a moldy whopper and many want to know why. The reason behind it is actually pretty telling for the fast-food giant. It is to show that this new whopper is made with no preservatives, colors, or flavors from artificial sources in the U.S. The new menu item is already available in more than 400 restaurants in the country.
What’s even more exciting is that Burger King has removed colors and flavors from artificial sources from all core menu sandwiches and sides in the U.S. Burger King confirms this news in a recent tweet.
Check out the video for the moldy whopper
the beauty of real food is that it gets ugly. that’s why we are rolling out a whopper free from artificial preservatives. coming by the end of 2020 to all restaurants in the U.S. pic.twitter.com/yQL6kAYZrY
— Burger King (@BurgerKing) February 19, 2020
“The beauty of real food is that it gets ugly. That’s why we are rolling out a whopper free from artificial preservatives. Coming by the end of 2020 to all restaurants in the U.S.,” they write.
Fernando Machado, Restaurant Brands International Global Chief Marketing Officer, has also released a statement on the new menu item. “At Burger King restaurants, we believe that real food tastes better,” he says. ”That’s why we are working hard to remove preservatives, colors and flavors from artificial sources from the food we serve in all countries around the world.”
The Internet responds
The advertisement released on social media shows a time-lapse of the whopper. It starts at day 1, looking delicious as ever, and as the days go on, mold continues to grow. By day 34, mold has completely overtaken the sandwich and a line reads, “The beauty of no artificial preservatives.”
The advertisement is being met with mixed reviews. One person writes, “I was going to get BK today for lunch, I am earnestly not now because this made it look disgusting. I just saw a whopper commercial on TV, now this undid that. Free advice- delete this tweet.” Another says, “I can’t decide if this is brilliant or like, gross. Either way, now I’m hungry.”
What do you think of Burger King’s new ad for the new whopper?


text:
The glory of Fergana pomegranates grows
Fergana region is carrying out large-scale activity on developing cultivation of pomegranates, creating high-yielding and climate-appropriate varieties.
Scientific and practical school of pomegranate production takes its origins in Kuva, its experience was studied throughout Asia. Today, 470 farms of Kuva district are engaged in growing pomegranate on 1,800 hectares. Creation of new pomegranate plantations on 835 hectares has begun.
“Fargona anorchilik” LLC also implements a new project. More than 10 varieties of pomegranate are grown on 300 hectares of land of the agrofirm, specialized in cultivation, processing and export of finished products, as well as providing ecotourism services. This year more than 200 thousand pomegranate seedlings were prepared. From 2019, it is planned to organize the procurement and delivery of 10 million pomegranate seedlings to customers per year. Dozens of countries, including South Korea, Malaysia, Iran, Chile and Azerbaijan have shown great interest in studying the experience of Fergana pomegranate production. By 2025, it is planned to increase the area of pomegranate plantations to two thousand hectares.
M. Suleymanov, UzA


text:
New South Wales Premier Dominic Perrottet has announced additional financial support measures for small to medium businesses.
The Summer Holiday Stock Guarantee grant is part of the Economic Recovery Strategy and aims to give business owners the ‘confidence’ to navigate reopening and the months that follow.
Eligible businesses with a turnover rate between $75,000 and $50 million can apply for a grant of up to $20,000 to compensate for loss of perishable stock or claim $10,000 for reduced capacity to sell non-perishable items in the event of a local lockdown.
“Now that we’ve reached the 70 per cent double vaccination target, it’s wonderful to see businesses reopening their doors and welcoming back customers,” said Premier Perrottet.
“These measures will give businesses and workers confidence to purchase stock and invest for the future knowing their doors will remain open as we get our economy firing again.”
Small businesses will also be able to claim road user tolls under the Small Business Fees and Charges rebate, which has been increased from $1,500 to $2,000.
“The rebate can be used to offset NSW and local government fees and charges and adding tolls to the list of claimable charges is going to make a massive difference to many small business owners who use vehicles for work,” said Minister for Finance and Small Business Damien Tudehope.
“It hasn’t been an easy ride for businesses across the state and now we are reopening, this should give them some assurance that we will be there for them every step of the way.”
Additional information on the stock guarantee and rebate will be available shortly.
Image Credit: Swillhouse


text:
Government has “missed an opportunity” after rejecting calls from the Environmental Audit Committee to lower VAT on recycled products, the results of an opinion poll have found.
In its report on how to create a more circular economy, the cross-party EAC called for lower VAT on recycled products, a phased-in requirement for new products to be recyclable and greater standardisation of waste collection services, including a ban on food waste being sent to landfill.
The EAC said Government has its “head in the sand” after the response to its July report saw the rejection of its recommendations (See CIWM Journal Online story).
Environmental Audit Committee Chair, Joan Walley MP, said: “The disposable society simply isn’t sustainable in the twenty-first century. Innovative companies in the UK, like B&Q and M&S, recognise this and are already demonstrating that using resources less wastefully is the future of business.
“Yet our Government seems to have its head in the sand and is refusing to take basic steps to reduce the amount of food and resources we waste.”
A CIWM Journal Online poll asked visitors to the website whether the Government, indeed, does have its “head in the sand”.
The results found the majority of respondents (58 percent) were of the opinion that “Yes. It’s yet another missed opportunity”.
Forty-two percent of respondents were of the opinion that “there is no necessity at this stage for tax allowance changes”.
CIWM Journal Online’s latest poll is asking whether the European Commission will come good on its promise to deliver more ambitious circular economy plan in 2015. To have your say respond to our poll on the HOME PAGE.


text:
The Indian government may review its stance on Chinese investments to help global firms looking to relocate to the country, CNBC-TV18 reported on Friday, citing government sources.
Several global companies are exploring a China Plus One strategy to avoid supply chain bottlenecks as the world’s second largest economy grapples with a surge in COVID-19 infections.
Multinational companies are keen to pursue manufacturing in India, but want to continue existing Chinese joint ventures, CNBC-TV18 reported.
IPhone maker Apple wants China’s BYD to be allowed to sign a joint venture with an Indian company to move iPad production to the country and the government might consider the move, the report said.
The government might allow joint ventures with Chinese companies in sectors where India does not have technical expertise, the report said.
India and China have maintained frosty relations following the worst border clash between the neighbouring countries since 1962 in June 2020.
Following the clash, India has blocked the nation from participating in government tenders, compelled Chinese companies investing in the country to seek approvals and banned dozens of Chinese apps. Reuters


text:
British-based online shopping marketplace app Depop has announced plans to further expand into Europe in 2020. The company raised $62 million U.S. in a Series C round led by U.S. based investor General Atlantic in June.
It will use these funds to launch in more European countries and to expand in North America, which already accounts for about 30% of its revenue and users.
Depop is a shopping app that’s used by around a third of 15- to 24-year-olds in the U.K, which represents about 60% of its total revenue. Sales on the app increased by 85% in 2018.
Millennials are using the app to set up their own businesses selling second-hand items. It allows them to easily upload photos, market through social media and run their business with just a smartphone. Depop is a mobile marketplace with a focus on fashion.
“One of the things that excite me the most about Depop is the empowering of young people to build a business in an easy way,” CEO Maria Raga told PA Media. “We’re making it extra easy for them to get the ball rolling and it’s up to them to take it to the next level.”
Depop has grown its user base to more than 15 million since launching in 2012.


text:
Microsoft recently revealed its advanced AI-powered tool, Windows Copilot, at the Build 2023 developer conference. Windows Copilot is designed to make the user experience on Windows 11 much simpler and more efficient. The feature utilizes Bing chat, ChatGPT, and the Bing AI engine to provide users with a local search engine to help them automate various tasks.
Windows Copilot will be available in June for the Windows Insider program with more users gaining access in the coming weeks. The copilot sidebar will be situated on the taskbar offering easy access to users. The AI engine can take requests such as the weather in the area, the latest sports scores, and more. The copilot also works similarly to Alexa and Siri like personal assistants and can even aid in customizing settings in certain apps. Windows Copilot also allows third-party plugins to work and lets the AI system use the data scraped from them.
Microsoft is certainly making a great push to increase the capabilities of its AI systems and Windows Copilot is no different. Microsoft also has its own plugin store to allow AI plugins to work seamlessly and make sure they offer information from third-party platforms directly. Windows Copilot also supports features such as summarizing texts, taking screenshots, managing snap assist and more. All of these features make the Windows Copilot experience much more useful, allowing users to interact with their computer in a much more natural and intuitive way.
Microsoft is continuing to make strides in the AI field and Windows Copilot is certainly going to be a great way to fully make use of the Bing AI engine. It will be exciting to see how the Windows Copilot feature develops and what else comes from Microsoft in the future.


text:
Get in touch: send your photos, videos, news & views by texting YORK to 80360 or send an email»
Flying the flag for the home-grown tomato
10:05am Saturday 19th May 2012 in Letters
I WAS interested to read in your 50 years ago column that “Tomato growing in England was doomed” (The Press, May 11) and am pleased to confirm that the UK tomato industry still exists.
May 21 to 27 marks British Tomato Week. Packs should be specially labelled and growers will be displaying in Parliament to highlight our home-grown industry. Unfortunately, most tomatoes are imported, so you do have to look out for the British product. There are still 34 growers in the UK producing great tasting fruit, many in Yorkshire and the north east.
The report 50 years ago believed it would be considered archaic to grow tomatoes in heated glasshouses when they could be grown outdoors in the sun and flown from Italy in hours.
This could not be further from the truth.
While there are great growers in Spain, Italy and Portugal, they don’t grow in plastic greenhouses and their product then spends up to a week on the road to get here. A home-grown tomato is in your kitchen before a Spanish tomato has even reached the Barcelona bypass.
I hope that in 50 years time you are able to report about the great home-grown industry we have, a large degree of which is based within 50 miles of York.
Nigel Bartle, Chairman, British Tomato Growers Association, Earlsborough Terrace, York.


text:
PPAI’s Brazil Connects With Chicagoland Suppliers
PPAI Business Development Account Manager Connie Brazil has been on the road recently visiting industry suppliers in Chicago, Illinois, and the surrounding area. She met with staff at numerous companies, including Lion Circle (PPAI 112372, S6) and Richardson Seating Company (PPAI 232090, S3) in Chicago, Pinch Provisions (PPAI 739476, S1) in Elk Grove Village, Orbus Exhibit & Display Group (PPAI 428128, S7) in Woodridge, Replogle Globes (PPAI 112845, S2) in Hillside and Qpromo (PPAI 344904, S1) in Buffalo Grove, to learn more about their businesses, their outlook on the industry and how PPAI can work better with them.
At Pinch Provisions, Brazil spoke with Paul Killian and Georgette and Stephanie Kaplan. The company has been in business for 15 years, offering design-led, high-quality emergency kits to the retail market. It launched its corporate gift line one year ago. Killian says, “What’s next for us is determined by our distributors,” with Georgette Kaplan adding, “We’re trying to catch our corporate line up with our retail line. One business is 15 years old and one is a year old, so we’re working to catch up with what our distributors are asking for.”
Brazil met with Rich Carollo at Lion Circle. The supplier has been in business for more than a century, and manufactures its products in the U.S. Carollo says, “Being around for 100 years, we really understand what it takes to be a supplier in the promotional products business, and what it takes to make sure end users get what they want.”
The staff at Orbus Exhibit & Display Group, including Natalie Whited and Kelly Yuen, shared with Brazil the supplier’s commitment to recycling 90 percent of its waste and its annual university where distributors are invited to the company’s facility to learn. Whited says, “One of the differentiating factors regarding Orbus is that we truly try to be a business partner to our distributors and help them build their business, such as education on how to sell our products. We also take a lot of pride in our marketing materials to create good tools for distributors.”
Replogle Globes has been in business since 1930, and Dell Torgerson, Joseph Wright and Clayton Chang shared the company’s story with Brazil during her visit there. Wright says, “We are a unique company with a unique product. Globes are something people love to engage with. They remember them and love them as a keepsake item.”
Scott Lichtenstein of Richardson Seating Company showed Brazil around the supplier’s facility. He says, “We’re a 45-year-old American manufacturer of promotional furniture. Being a diverse manufacturer of furniture allows us to be bigger and better. Our facility here allows us to do pretty much everything, and we have 60 staff onsite.”
Brazil wrapped up her time in Illinois with a visit to Qpromo. Nate Bettinger, director of sales, national accounts, says, “Qpromo has been focusing our line to a specialized niche, realizing that there’s an opportunity for domestic-produced, high-quality products of various materials. These allow for higher margins, lower inventory risk, and more focus on the ecommerce platform and being a better partner to our distributors.”


text:
Mae Rim deputy district official Boonyarit Nipawanit has taken action against food shops that overcharge tourists.
The action was taken after a number of tourists sent complaints to the Damrongtham Center in the northern Thai province of Chiang Mai that many food shops have overcharged tourists, sanook.com reported yesterday (Dec 5, 2020).
In a random check on five food shops, the center found that a plate of ‘somtam’ is priced at 150 baht. ‘Namprik Ong’ and ‘Namprik Noom’ with cooked vegetables are sold for 200 baht.
A 600 cc bottle of drinking water is also more expensive than what is sold in the market.


text:
West Michigan's first heart transplant recipient released a book Thursday that chronicles his journey.
The book comes out just over a year since Rahn Bentley's transplant at the Fred and Lena Meijer Heart Center.
To celebrate the anniversary Bentley is releasing a book, called “Off to See the Wizard.” The author was on hand at the Spectrum Health gift shop today signing copies.
In the book, Bentley talks about his experience with progressive heart failure, and what it meant to receive such a lifesaving gift.
"You can’t thank someone enough, when they do that for you,” said Bentley, “in fact the experience I had with the family that donated my heart, they came forward right away and I think it helps the family heal. It gives them a legacy."
Bentley’s book only costs about $10.00 and all proceeds benefit the Sallie Bender Guild and Spectrum Health Butterworth Hospital.
Copies of the book can be purchased at thewizardfoundationdot.org.