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It appears that the finger-pointing over the slow start of Windows 8 has begun. PC makers ignored Microsoft’s advice to make large numbers of high-end tablets that would show off Windows 8’s new interface and touch capabilities, which left Microsoft executives fuming, reports The Register. (We’ve contacted Microsoft for comment, and will update accordingly.) (Update: Microsoft declined to comment.)
While the launch of a new version of Windows is usually accompanied by a bump in PC sales, the launch of Windows 8 coincided with a 13% year-on-year drop in retail sales of PCs, and was one of the factors that put fourth-place PC maker Acer into the red.
There has been near-unanimous agreement among analysts and PC manufacturers that users have been scared off by Windows 8’s new interface, and that a slow economy has convinced PC buyers to wait to upgrade.
“Microsoft is very frustrated with major OEMs who didn’t build nearly enough touch systems and are now struggling to find parts and ramp up. Microsoft says they provided very specific guidance on what to build,” said The Register’s anonymous source.
PC makers, for their part, have apparently pushed back against Microsoft, arguing that if they had followed the company’s directions, they would now be sitting on a stock of high-end tablets and “convertible” laptops (which can function as both notebook PCs and tablets) that consumers simply don’t want.


text: There's a good chance some strange ads have popped up in your Facebook News Feed. Now, the company wants to give users more clarity about why they're seeing specific ads. In the past, users could click "Why am I seeing this ad?" But the answers were fairly vague. Now, Facebook will share more detailed reasoning, like which of your interests matched you with a specific ad.

domain: news


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Mine operators finding Viasat service a good fit in many locations
Viasat, Ubix to connect more Mexican schools and clinics, contributing to the ‘Internet para Todos’ program
The initiative will benefit schools, clinics and government sites by delivering reliable high-speed internet to areas where connectivity options were previously limited or nonexistent.
Manager of Texas store says adding Managed Wi-Fi is an easy way to to offer public Wi-Fi while maintaining the security of their business network.
Business internet service from Viasat is delivered via satellite, a technology that enables us to service business locations in many areas where other ISPs don't go.


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Walmart Inc chief merchandising officer Charles Redfield is stepping down after just over a year in the role, according to an internal memo seen by Reuters on Friday, at a time the retailer is navigating a tightening spending environment.
Redfield will assume an advisory role supporting the US business effective 1 May, John Furner, CEO Walmart US wrote in a memo to US-based associates on Friday, without naming a successor.
Consumer Spending Power
The rejig comes at a time when inflation has eroded consumer spending power, denting Walmart's business and prompting the retailer to take up a cautious stance on 2023.
Data from the Commerce Department on Friday also showed US retail sales fell more than expected in March.
At its investor meeting last week, Walmart said that inflation continues to pressure its business, with shoppers buying more lower-margin groceries and cutting back purchases of higher-margin items like clothing and home goods.
The world's largest retailer by sales in February forecast annual earnings below estimates, and has been trying to ease the hit to margins by leaning on automation and technology.
Redfield started his Walmart career as a cashier at Sam's Club and has been with the company for 32 years.
He had led the US food and grocery business since 2015 prior to taking up his role as chief merchandising officer.
He was also integral in working with suppliers to lower product prices amid sky-rocketing inflation over the past several months, Furner said in the memo.
The Wall Street Journal first reported the news on Friday.


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There were, despite continued economic uncertainty in many Western markets and concerns over slowing growth in the East, signs that M&A acti...
Zetar's decision to accept a bid from Germany's Zertus raised eyebrows but the UK confectioner and snack firm, frustrated at not being able...
Kinnerton, the UK chocolate maker owned by German confectioner Zertus, has expanded the line of products sold under its Just free-from brand in the UK market.
UK confectioner Kinnerton has entered into a licensing deal with Unilever that will see ice cream brands including Magnum and Cornetto launched into confectionery.
The IGD's annual convention attracts the leading executives from the UK FMCG sector and last week they heard the likes of Tesco, Sainsbury's, Unilever and Heinz discuss the economy, multichannel strategies, labelling and innovation. Elsewhere, Wal-Mart outlined its expansion plans for next year, Mars called on the chocolate sector to co-operate more on sustainable cocoa (which it said would cost billions) and Kellogg revealed the possible financial impact of its latest recall.
This week, the chief executives of Tesco, Sainsbury's and Marks and Spencer, convened in London for the IGD's annual convention where the likes of Philip Clarke, Justin King and Marc Bolland discussed the key issues facing the industry. Elsewhere, William Jackson Food Group expressed its delight at securing ownership of Abel & Cole, German food company Zertus bought confectioner Zetar, while Paramount Foods went into the hands of administrators.
German food company Zertus has struck a deal to buy UK confectioner and snack firm Zetar.
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- Ferrero insists Nutella not pulled from shelves
- UK's Bakkavor plays down IPO "speculation"
- Dairy giant Muller appoints new CFO, COO
- Kellogg announces new "nutritious" line-up
- PepsiCo launches Walkers Mediterranean in UK


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Renfe's initiative to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the birth of the first AVE between Madrid and Seville, which was put into circulation on April 21, 1992, is becoming a focus of complaints and protests. Users who want to take advantage of the offer of 15 euros per ticket have to wait hours to buy them.
Renfe had sold until 1:00 p.m. this Friday about 28,000 tickets at 15 euros each, within the framework of the promotion that it has launched to sell up to 100,000 AVE and long-distance tickets and that will last until April 24, according to Renfe sources have informed Europa Press.
🎆 🎇 ✨ Celebrate with us the anniversary of the AVE 🚄 and travel for only 1⃣ 5⃣ euros each way! Buy from this Friday morning until this Sunday your tickets for the months of July, August and September.
— Renfe (@Renfe) April 21, 2022
The tickets in this offer are for travel in the three summer months, between July 1 and September 30, to all national destinations.
The avalanche of users on the Renfe website has caused the purchase of tickets to translate into a wait of hours. The company advises customers trying to buy a trip of the number of users ahead and if the wait is more than an hour. Some people have shown the waiting screens on various social networks where Renfe explains that there are more than 160,000 people waiting to buy a ticket.
– Rubén Sánchez (@RubenSanchezTW) April 22, 2022
Some travelers have protested on the networks because they believed that the offer was for these months, but Renfe tickets at 15 euros are only for trips during the months of July, August and September.
Other users have begun to complain that once the waiting screen disappears they cannot access the purchase of the ticket at 15 euros because the website gives an error.
After 3 hours of waiting to buy some renfe tickets, it gives an error 500 and the queue is reset. GG
– Manuel S. Lemos (@ManuelS_Lemos) April 22, 2022
The Renfe website is one of the most visited in all of Spain. Despite the fact that the complaints have accumulated for more than twelve years, since the possibility of buying tickets online has been active, this problem has not been solved when there are high consumption peaks, as has happened in this case. end of 2019 the train company opened a tender for 700,000 euros to renew renfe.com. The problems continue.


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While Huawei may no longer be as relevant in the West as it used to be before being placed on the US Entity List, the company is still working hard at churning out new handsets that can mostly be found in its home country of China, as well as other parts of Asia where the brand is still pretty popular.
The company, like pretty much all other smartphone makers, is expected to release a new flagship phone this year and it will most likely come in the form of the Huawei P60. There is currently no word on when the handset will be released, but thanks to renders created by Hoilndi, we might have an idea of what to expect in terms of design.
Now, we can’t be sure if these renders are supposed to be an accurate representation of the real thing, or if it might simply be an artist’s concept so take it with a grain of salt. But what’s interesting is that if it’s true, it seems that the P60 could come with a rather interesting camera design which features a gold ring in the middle of the camera module.
In the middle of the ring is what is presumably the main camera module, with secondary cameras flanking either side. We’re not sure what the ring is supposed to accomplish and if it might be a ring flash unit or simply a design choice. Other than that, the rest of the phone looks pretty standard as far as smartphone designs are concerned.
Like we said, Huawei has yet to confirm when the handset will be officially announced, so we’ll just have to wait and see.


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- May 14, 2004
- 17,026 (3.43/day)
|Video Card(s)||GTX 1080|
|Display(s)||30" 2560x1600 + 19" 1280x1024|
Digitimes has info that AMD's dual core CPUs will be priced similar to the high-end single-core parts.
Show full news post
The entry-level Opteron 865 processor will be priced at US$1,514, the same level as the high-end single-core Opteron 852, while the 870 will be priced at US$2,149 and the 875 will be priced at US$2,649, according to the motherboard makers.


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Comments on: Astraware Releases High Res GTS Racing Game
Astraware and Pazzazz Games have released an update to their popular game, GTS Racing Challenge. The new version includes high resolution graphics and enhanced audio.
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- I got one -Tuckermaclain
- RE: Don't we have this already? -Tuckermaclain
- RE: Palm brand will return in 2018, with devices built by TCL -richf
- RE: Palm brand will return in 2018, with devices built by TCL -dmitrygr
- Palm phone on HDblog -palmato
- Palm PVG100 -hgoldner
- RE: Like Deja Vu -PacManFoo
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In a report released today, Soumit Roy from JonesTrading reiterated a Buy rating on Surface Oncology (SURF – Research Report), with a price target of $18.00. The company’s shares closed last Friday at $7.95.
Surface Oncology has an analyst consensus of Strong Buy, with a price target consensus of $16.25.
Based on Surface Oncology’s latest earnings release for the quarter ending December 31, the company reported a quarterly revenue of $87.57 million and net profit of $67.35 million. In comparison, last year the company earned revenue of $439K and had a GAAP net loss of $15.95 million.
TipRanks has tracked 36,000 company insiders and found that a few of them are better than others when it comes to timing their transactions. See which 3 stocks are most likely to make moves following their insider activities.
Surface Oncology, Inc. is a clinical-stage immuno-oncology company, which focuses on biological pathways critical to the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment and the development of next-generation cancer therapies. The company was founded by David S. Grayzel in 2014 and is headquartered in Cambridge, MA.


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Software test company, TestPlant has released, EggPlant, a product that it claims greatly speeds up the testing process by allowing a system to be tested by another computer. The company has also taken out a US patent for the process, in recognition of the unique approach said the company.
The product works by allowing EggPlant to 'see' the screen on the system under test recognising icons, buttons, message boxes, prompts, text, backgrounds and colours. By creating a visual depiction of the screen, eggPlant can intelligently search and compare while signalling test success or failure.
EggPlant enables testing to be carried out without the need for human intervention, which could flawed when it comes to dealing with a large number of repetitive tasks. EggPlant uses intelligent image-recognition algorithms to 'see' the screen on the system being tested and can pass or fail the version being tested.
The award of a US patent is an endorsement of the innovative nature of the product, said George Mac, CEO of TestPlant. "This is the first example in years that a complete and current product in the $2.4bn global test tool marketplace has been recognised by the US Patent and Trademark Office as being sufficiently novel and innovative to deserve this distinction. It's a great demonstration of our leadership and technical expertise in a market that many consider dominated by giants such as HP, IBM, Micro Focus and Microsoft.


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The retail giant reported first quarter revenue of $138.3 billion, an increase of $3.7 billion, or 2.7% from the year prior. Operating income during the first three months of the year increased 26.8%. Total net income reached $2.73 billion, or $0.97 per share. Adjusted earnings per share of $1.69 exceeded analysts’ expectations of $1.21 and the $1.118 figure from a year ago.
Like many other retailers, Walmart’s sales were boosted by stimulus payments to Americans in March, which led to more spending. Consolidated operating income was $6.9 billion, an increase of 32.3%.
“This was a strong quarter,” Doug McMillon, Walmart president and CEO, said in a statement. “Every segment performed well, and we’re encouraged by traffic and grocery market share trends. Our optimism is higher than it was at the beginning of the year. In the U.S., customers clearly want to get out and shop. We have a strong position as our store environment improves and eCommerce continues to grow. Stimulus in the U.S. had an impact, and the second half has more uncertainty than a typical year.”
Walmart’s eCommerce saw huge growth during the quarter, with sales rising 37%. Over the last two years, eCommerce sales have more than doubled. Sam’s Club sales rose 7.2%, while eCommerce sales jumped 47%. Additionally, membership income increased 12.7%, with the number of members reaching a new all-time high.
“We anticipate continued pent-up demand throughout 2021,” McMillon said. “Our results reflect the continued hard work and commitment our associates have shown throughout the pandemic - serving others and helping provide vaccines - and we’re grateful to them.”
Walmart is the world’s largest retailer, operating more than 10,500 stores and clubs under 48 banners in 24 countries and eCommerce websites.


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Food writers attack use of GM food
MORE than 100 leading food writers are backing a campaign by Greenpeace for a ban on genetically-modified (GM) food.
The campaign is a further blow to the pioneers of GM crops such as Monsanto, which has come under attack in the UK for its attempts to push the products.
The food writers intervention marks the latest round in the public relations battle over GM crops.
Last week, a report by a House of Lords committee said that the potential benefits of GM food greatly outweighed the risks. Greenpeace attacked the finding.
- Lords GM food report “biased”, FWi, 22 January, 1999
- Lords give go-ahead for GM crops, FWi, 21 January, 1999
- The Times 26/01/99 page 10
- Financial Times 26/01/99 page 7
- The Guardian 26/01/99 page 6 (News In Brief)
- The Daily Telegraph 26/01/99 page 4 (In Brief)


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Cargo turnover at Ventspils Port decreased by 24% in January-May
The port’s spokeswoman, Inga Ievina, told LETA that transit of oil products and coal had declined steeply year-on-year, affecting the total cargo turnover at Ventspils.
The cargo turnover of Ventspils Nafta Terminals contracted by 1.5 million tons or 27% to less than half of the terminal’s capacity, and the cargo turnover of Baltic Coal Terminal was down 609,000 tons or 45% compared to January-May 2015, also to less than half of the terminal’s capacity.
Kalija Parks reloaded just 95,000 tons in the first five months of 2016, although its monthly capacity is 500-600 thousand tons. Cargo turnover fell 32% year-on-year at Ventspils Tirdzniecibas Osta and 60% at Ventall Terminals. Cargo handling by Ventbunkers dropped 3% with the terminal operating at barely one-third of its capacity.
Ventspils Grain Terminal improved its performance compared to last year, reloading 192,000 tons of grain in January-May this year, but still uses only one-third of its capacity.
Ventplac increased cargo handling by 19% or 33,000 tons year-on-year, using half of its capacity, Ventamonjaks Serviss reloaded by 15% more cargos than in January-May 2015, and Ventamonjaks showed a 13% increase in cargo turnover.
The amount of freight carried by ferries continued growing and, as a result, Noord Natie Ventspils Terminals raised its cargo turnover by 63,000 tons or 6%.
A new quay leased to Eurohome Latvia became operational at Ventspils port in April and the first cargo – 52,000 tons of cast iron – was shipped from it in May.
Although the Ventspils port has to reckon with a significant reduction of its income due to performance of certain terminals, it nevertheless plans investments in infrastructure also in 2016 with EUR 8 million earmarked for the investment program in the port’s budget. Some of the projects will be co-financed by the EU Cohesion Fund.
In May 2015, cargo turnover at Ventspils port was 1.4 million tons.
Source: The Baltic Course


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WILMINGTON, MA — The Wilmington Farmers Market will be open this Sunday, August 2, from 10am to 1pm, on the Swain Green, across from the Town Common, at 140 Middlesex Avenue.
Here’s the Market’s vendor lineup for this Sunday, August 2:
- Chef Mike’s BBQ Sauce
- Cookie Lady Treats
- Farmer Dave’s
- Foxboro Cheese
- Gaouette Farm
- KC StYleS
- Lanni Orchards
- Lyndell’s Bakery
- Moonlight Farm
- National Sharpening
- Seafood Express
In addition, children can make a “ball in the bottle game” at the Kids Table!
Learn more about the Market from their website. Like their Facebook page. Follow them on Twitter.
Planning on going? Feel free to send any photos to firstname.lastname@example.org!
Like Wilmington Apple on Facebook! Follow Wilmington Apple on Twitter! Subscribe to Wilmington Apple’s daily email newsletter HERE! Got a comment, question, photo, press release, or news tip? Email email@example.com!


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- Dairy farming is one of the biggest businesses in New Zealand, with the dairy industry being the country’s top export earner.
- During the year ended March 2020, exports from the dairy industry surpassed travel industry exports, a first in almost five years.
- Global dairy prices have rebounded as demand from China, and other Asian economies surged.
- Multinational dairy company, Fonterra revised the price range of its 2019/20 and 2020/21 forecast Farmgate Milk driven by improved demand.
- Synlait Milk is now a Certified B Corporation™, indicating that it meets the standards for environmental performance & public clarity, among others.
Dairy farming is a key business in New Zealand with the industry contributing significantly to the export revenues. According to StatsNZ, dairy products generated export revenues of NZ$16.2 billion for the year ended 31 March 2020, the biggest export earner for the Kiwis. Interestingly, the number of cows and the number of people living in the country are almost the same. The average number of cows on a farm is more than 400, with some having over 1,500 cows.
As per a report published by the New Zealand government, in 2019, more than 40,000 people were employed in the dairy industry. Out of these 40,000 people, 35,000 people are working on farms.
While many industries in New Zealand experienced pressure on their business during the COVID-19 pandemic, it was the dairy industry which held up the total exports during the period and surpassed travel exports in revenue for the first time in the last five years.
The dairy industry has witnessed an improvement in exports led by strong demand from Asian markets, particularly China, as the economies recover from the pandemic.
In this backdrop, let us look at two such NZX-listed companies from the dairy industry, which are under discussion and find out the reasons for the same.
Fonterra Co-operative Group Limited (NZX:FCG)
Fonterra Co-operative Group Limited is a global dairy business owned by over 13k dairy farmers in New Zealand. It is the leading exporter of dairy goods in the world.
Fonterra Co-operative Group came was under discussion after an announcement last week related to the revised price range of its 2019/20 and 2020/21 forecast Farmgate Milk.
The 2019/20 forecast Farmgate Milk Price range, which was earlier in the range of NZ$7.10 to NZ$7.30 per kgMS, is now in between NZ$7.10 to NZ$7.20 per kgMS. The mid-point off which farmers are paid got reduced from NZ$ 7.20 per kgMS to NZ$7.15 per kgMS.
The 2020/21 forecast Farmgate Milk Price range, which was earlier in the range of NZ$5.40 to NZ$6.90 per kgMS is now in between NZ$5.90 to NZ$6.90 per kgMS. The mid-point off which farmers are paid has improved from NZ$6.40 per kgMS to NZ$6.15 per kgMS.
According to FCG’s Chairperson Mr John Monaghan, the lessening of the 2019/20 milk price toward the lower end of the earlier range was due to the strengthening of the NZ$ and US$ over the last 2 months.
The Co-operative will declare the final 2019/20 Farmgate Milk Price as a component of its Yearly Result during September 2020.
Mr Monaghan commenting on the 2020/21 forecast Farmgate Milk Price range stated that the lift to the bottom end of the range was due to improved market conditions in China. Post the initial jolt from the COVID-19 crisis, the dairy intake in China is regaining with additional people spending on food. There was a growth in marketing movement as they look to lift up on the sales losses experienced during the lockdown.
In the US and EU, the support measures of the government are holding up the milk production plus the dairy commodity prices despite the disruption from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Interesting Read: Fonterra Increases Farmgate Milk Prices as Demand from China Rises
On 24 July 2020, FCG stock closed NZ$3.860, down 0.52%. The Company has a market cap of NZ$6.22 billion.
Synlait Milk Limited (NZX:SML)
Synlait Milk Limited comprises of skilled and sustainable farming methods with state-of-the-art production practices to manufacture a variety of nutritional milk items that give actual benefits for human health & wellbeing.
On 29 June 2020, the Company released an announcement where it highlighted its strategic decision to evaluate people and planet to the same level of profit recognised. The Company is currently a Certified B Corporation™ (B Corp™).
B Corp™ is an international group of for-profit leaders that guarantees to use the business as a force for good. With this certification, the Company has joined over 3,300 B Corp™ businesses that operate in 150 countries across 71 nations who have commenced strict assessment procedure to turn out to be a Certified B Corporations™. The evaluation estimates the constant impact of the business on its workers, community and suppliers, clients, governance, & the environment.
In this assessment, there was a group of over 30 Synlait employees who were involved to accomplish the comprehensive B Impact AssessmentTM, which took more than a year time. Further, the Company’s accreditation will be evaluated every 3 years. These assessments would be used to make any positive changes within the Company.
On 24 July 2020, SML stock closed at NZ$7.180, in line with the previous close. The Company has a market cap of NZ$1.29 billion.


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Diesel engine maker Cummins Inc. has an unlikely friend who has boosted their business: The EPA.
The New York Times reports on how Cummins learned to adapt to new and demanding diesel engine emission regulations. Cleaner diesel engines have a wider market in pickup trucks and sports utility vehicles. The business increase has Cummins expanding their manufacturing and hiring more workers. Even Cummins’s competitor, Caterpillar, has seen an improvement in their business due to new clean diesel technology.
Some analysts believe that the increased sales of diesel engines might be short lived, but for now, clean engines are generating big sales.
Looking for a 2007 truck with a Cummins engine? Check out the selection on Truck Trader Online


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Online shopping sees steady growth in rural China
BEIJING -- Online shopping continued to report healthy growth in rural China thanks to governmental promotion of rural e-commerce, the Ministry of Commerce (MOC) said Thursday.
Online transactions in rural areas rose 36.6 percent year on year in the first three months to reach 250.43 billion yuan ($36.3 billion), according to the MOC.
Online retail sales related to rural tourism, catering and recreation increased 36.1 percent, 78.2 percent and 100.5 percent year on year, respectively.
MOC data showed that online retail sales in rural areas reached 894.54 billion yuan last year.
Booming rural e-commerce has played a positive role in boosting rural economic development, increasing farmers' income and improving their lives, according to the MOC.
The MOC vowed to continue promoting rural e-commerce, and efforts will be made to strengthen resource sharing, financing and credit services.
To boost rural e-commerce, China plans to hook up more villages to broadband and expedite construction of logistics infrastructure.
The world's largest and fastest-growing e-commerce market is expected to see transactions totaling more than 40 trillion yuan by 2020, up from 21.8 trillion yuan in 2015, according to the 2016-2020 e-commerce development plan released last year.


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LONDON (The Deal) -- European stock indices tumbled on Thursday, refusing to follow U.S. markets higher after Federal Reserve minutes on Wednesday stoked optimism about the monetary outlook.
Weaker-than-expected French consumer price data, disappointing industrial output figures for both France and Italy, and troubles at Portugal's largest listed bank added to the sense of gloom, which engulfed several companies reporting positive figures. In the U.K. the trade deficit unexpectedly widened in May, reigniting the usual worries about Britain's economic imbalance.
The Bank of England meets Thursday to set rates and is expected to confirm that it will leave the benchmark rate unchanged at 0.5%.
In London, the FTSE 100 was down 0.74% at 6,668.08 and in Frankfurt the DAX fell 1.28% to 9,682.37. In Paris, the CAC 40 declined 1.43% to 4,297.65.
Luxury clothing maker Burberry Group was a rare gainer, after first-quarter sales grew more than expected. Encouragingly the company posted double-digit growth in Asia Pacific, allaying fears about a Chinese slowdown, as well in North America, though it did warn of "increasing currency headwinds."
But bike and car parts retailer Halfords Group ceded early gains to trade down after posting strong first-quarter sales figures, including 7.9% growth in same-store retail sales. Recruitment services company Hays also fell despite strong quarterly figures.
But EQT Partners AB-backed catering company SSP Group rose about 6% on its debut after pricing its IPO shares at 210 pence to attain a market value of 997 million pounds ($1.7 billion), at the low end of expectations.
In Lisbon, Banco Espirito Santo tumbled after a wealth management affiliate delayed payments on debt. Moody's Investors Service on Wednesday downgraded Espirito Santo Financial Group SA, Banco Espirito's 25% owner and the parent of the troubled wealth management business, and put Banco Espirito debt on review for a downgrade.
In Frankfurt, Deutsche Lufthansa led the DAX and European airlines lower, declining about 4%.
In Tokyo, the Nikkei closed down 0.56% at 15,216.47 and in Hong Kong the Hang Seng rose 0.27% to close at 23,238.99 as mainland Chinese indices fell following disappoint export data.


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HOLIDAYMAKERS looking to visit the USA or Europe should make the most of the pound’s three-month high against the euro and dollar in recent days.
The man behind sterling’s latest surge is Brexit minister David Davis, who announced the Government would consider making payments to the EU budget in return for access to EU markets.
The announcement on Thursday pushed the value of the pound up around 1.3 per cent against the euro to above €1.1940.
Against the US dollar, the pound also rose over 1.3 per cent towards the $1.2700 mark.
Mr Davis said he wanted to “get the best possible access for goods and services to the European market” after the UK leaves the EU.
Alexandra Russell-Oliver, an analyst at Caxton FX, said: “The pound later reversed some of these gains.
“Sterling strengthened over 1.0 per cent against the Canadian, New Zealand and Australian dollars.”
At present, the pound is up around 0.26 per cent against the dollar at £1.2625, and up 0.42 per cent to €1.1866.
As anyone who picked up currency to go abroad this summer may know, the pound lost around 16 per cent of its value in Brexit’s immediate aftermath, making going abroad expensive.
In October, a ‘flash crash’ saw the pound reach a 31-year lows.
Now, the pound is down 9 per cent on its pre-referendum levels, but there’s clearly some way to go before it reaches these lofty pre-Brexit peaks again.
What’s more, over the next few months, the pound’s fluctuations look set to continue.
Prime Minister Theresa May has vowed to trigger the Article 50 process to leave the EU by the end of March, even if the Government loses a Supreme Court Appeal next week.
It’s these sort of pinch-point dates that consumers should be looking out for, as any movements in the pound can have a real impact on everyday living costs.
What does the rise in the pound mean?
Reading about the pound’s fluctuations may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but these movements have an impact on pretty much everyone, as The Sun Online’s round-up reveals.
Whether you're interested or not, what's happening in currency markets affects how much money you get when exchanging money for a holiday, how much petrol costs and how much the cost of your favourite food costs down at the supermarket.
Brits going abroad
In Brexit’s immediate aftermath, British holidaymakers will have seen their cash stretch far less than it did before.
At one stage, at some costly airport bureaux de change, holidaymakers were struggling to get €1 for their £1.
The situation has, for now, improved, meaning your pound will go further on trips to places like the USA and Europe.
Dan Brocklebank, a director at investment management firm Orbis, told The Sun Online: “Anyone lucky enough to be contemplating some winter sun in the run up to Christmas will find things a bit cheaper overseas than they were over the summer.
“But your pounds will still go further in Europe than over the pond. Think Tenerife rather than Tennessee.”
To get the best currency rates, use price comparison tools like the one available on MoneySavingExpert’s website.
While the pound has slumped against the dollar in recent months, the cost of petrol for consumers in the UK has been going up.
Summing up the impact of the value of the pound at the pumps, Luke Bosdett, of the AA, said: “In short, had the pound held its pre-referendum level, petrol would be 6p a litre cheaper now.
“Add VAT at the pump, and you’re looking at 7.2p a litre cheaper.”
The average cost of petrol is currently around 113.96p a litre, compared to 116.36p a litre for diesel, the AA added.
Sadly, the cost of fuel is unlikely to fall any time soon.
Earlier this week, the Saudi-led oil cartel Opec struck a deal to cut oil production for the first time in eight years.
Opec’s deal sent oil prices surging, which means only one thing, higher prices at the pumps for British motorists.
As anyone with a taste for Marmite will know, some of the world’s biggest food and drink suppliers claim the falling value of the pound has increased their costs.
This means UK shoppers face paying more for their favourite brands in supermarkets.
Rehan Ansari, Caxton FX’s head of options, told The Sun Online: “If the pound falls against a basket of currencies then the cost of purchasing products from abroad will rise.
“Suppliers will be forced to pass these additional costs on to consumers, which means supermarket produce will become more expensive.
“A stronger pound helps our purchasing power from abroad, while a weaker pound increases the cost of the products that we pay for.”
Next year, prices in supermarkets are likely to go up. The Bank of England sees inflation rising to around 2.7 per cent, up from the current rate of 0.9 per cent.
Tourists coming to the UK
The weakening value of the pound saw tourists flock to the UK in their droves this summer, making the most of a cheaper holiday.
Budget airline Ryanair saw a big rise in the number of American and Chinese holidaymakers coming to Europe and then flying to the UK to shop.
With the value of the pound now rising again, tourists face poorer value for money on a festive trip to the UK.
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Since the passage of the Cannabis Act in October of 2018, which officially legalized marijuana in all Canadian territories, there has been a lot of important news to keep up with for folks in the cannabis industry. For marijuana growers, producers and entrepreneurs, the Cannabis Act has brought along with it all of the usual red tape and legal bureaucracy that is expected to come along with a groundbreaking piece of regulation. This includes the ongoing battle over how cannabis can be advertised and marketed to customers in Canada, as well as all of the normal guidelines that need to be established regarding how exactly cannabis can be bought and sold. Even for companies that are based in the United States, there has been a lot to keep up with. As the world moves closer to a global cannabis marketplace, the variety of laws and regulations that are being debated and implemented in Canada are bound to effect a much larger marketplace. For MMG and our clients, one piece of recent news is of particular importance.
Shortly before the start of the New Year, Health Canada launched a “public consultation on draft regulations” for a whole host of cannabis products. In layman’s terms, this means that Health Canada, which is the equivalent of the United States Department of Health, is reaching out to the scientific and business communities to find the best ways to introduce cannabis products to the market in ways that are safe and healthy. This new fact-finding mission is particularly concerned with edibles and extracts, as well as creams and ointments. In the case of edibles, Health Canada is suggesting that products be limited to 10 milligrams of active THC per serving. For creams and topical applications, the suggested upper limit is 1,000 milligrams. As more research is done, these suggested dosages could change.
In addition to trying to establish reasonable limits on the strength of cannabis products, the main concern of Health Canada’s program is to introduce marijuana in ways that ensure deterrence for children and young adults. The Canadian Minister of Health was quoted as saying “These proposed regulations under the Cannabis Act support our overarching goal of keeping cannabis out of the hands of youth and protecting public health and safety.” This goal is clearly tied in to much of the advertising legislation that Canada has put in place for the cannabis industry, which prohibits the use of cartoons and celebrity endorsements to sell products. For edibles and creams, the Canadian government is hoping to ensure that companies are using plain, child-resistant packaging so that children do not inadvertently come into contact with cannabis products. We ensure that our clients’ products are packaged in accordance with their use as health products, and are designed to not attract curious hands. It makes sense that Canada would want to steer the future of cannabis advertising away from many of the mistakes that have been made in the past with alcohol and tobacco. Looking back in time, there is no way that Joe Camel was really a good idea.
We’re constantly watching legal progress and more information from the Canadian government in the coming years, as well forward movement from many US states that are likely to follow suit with legalization. In the meantime, there is plenty of positive news for the cannabis industry to hang its hat on. Results of a University of Michigan study were recently published concerning the relationship between the use of medical marijuana against other prescription drugs. 2.1 million Americans currently hold medical marijuana prescriptions, and among those sampled for the study, 42 percent reported quitting another prescription drug in favor of medical cannabis. Another 38 percent of surveyed patients reported decreasing their dosage of another prescription drug. Results from studies such as these continue to pour into the consciousness of everyday people who have for years been misled regarding the medical applications of cannabis. The results continue to affirm what we at MMG and so many other people have known for years, that cannabis offers effective treatment for inflammation, joint deterioration, muscle aches, anxiety and a whole host of other maladies.
Studies such as these are likely to continue shedding light on the uses of marijuana. Thirty percent of participants in the Michigan University survey noted they have not told their primary care physicians that they are using medical cannabis as a treatment. This also fails to take into account the hundreds of thousands or millions of people across the United States who use cannabis for medical applications without legal permission. As we move toward a more open dialogue with the medical community, benefits will continue to come to light.


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A 6-hectare plot has already been provided for Huhtamäki's new production site, and the total investment in the construction and launch of the plant will account for 1.4 billion rubles. The announced production capacity of the company reaches 130 million packs per year.
Huhtamaki, Finnish food packaging and disposable tableware manufacturer, prepares to launch a new fiber packaging plant in Alabuga Special Economic Zone, Tatarstan, the production is expected to begin in 2022, the company said on Friday.
The Finnish food packaging and disposable tableware production giant Huhtamaki is increasing its production capacity at its plant in Ivanteevka, Moscow Region, with a new manufacturing and storage facility built, according to the Finnish-Russian Chamber of Commerce.
Finnish company Huhtamaki, which is a leading specialist in the production of food packaging for food products, beverages and disposable dishes, plans to expand its production in the Moscow region, said Moscow Region Governor Andrey Vorobyev.
Three new residents of the Titanium Valley special economic zone in the Urals are expected to invest more than RUB1 billion in the creation of production facilities, reports the Information Policy Department of the Sverdlovsk Region.
The Finnish Huhtamaki will expand production in the Alabuga SEZ in 2020 and transfer catering from plastic to paper. The company's plans were disclose right before the Finnish Business goes Kazan forum by Evgeniy Osipenko, CEO of Huhtamaki Foodservice Alabuga, the factory of disposable tableware and paper packaging. The news was reported by the press-office of the Alabuga SEZ.
The Finnish company specializing in the production of food packaging and disposable tableware plans to invest 3.2 billion rubles in the development of production in the Moscow Region, according to the press release by Deputy Prime Minister of the Moscow Region Denis Butsaev.
The Finnish Huhtamaki producing carton packaging will invest RUB 3.2 bln in expansion of its production in the Moscow Region, according to the press-office of the Ministry of Investments of the Moscow Region.
Finnish Huhtamaki intends to launch additional production in the territory of the Moscow Region, Denis Butsayev, Deputy Chairman of the Moscow Region Government and Minister of Investments and Innovations, said.
It was discussed today that in the event of support from the government of the Moscow Region in provision of additional volumes of gas the company (Huhtamaki) will be ready to invest RUB 0.5 bln more at the next stage of construction, Butsayev said.
Huhtamaki Molded Fiber of Finland launched its seventh production line for environmentally friendly egg packaging in Ivanteevka in the vicinity of Moscow. Investments into construction of the new line and warehousing facility exceeded RUB 700 mm. The plant is the largest company enterprise in Eastern Europe and the largest egg packaging producer in Russia and CIS.
I am happy to announce inauguration of the new egg packaging production line in the Huhtamaki Milded Fiber division. We are inaugurating a new line due to, among other things, the increasing demand for our products among the clients. We thank them all for this. The new line will create 20 new jobs. It all started with our opening of a small production facility in Ivanteevka. Now, we are inaugurating our seventh line. I am very grateful to our clients for their staying with us," the company executive noted.
Finland-based Huhtamaki, a food packaging and tableware company, is to build a plant in Alabuga special economic zone in Tatarstan, Russia.
The new plant will supply McDonalds restaurants in the Volga area, Western Siberia, Kazakhstan and the Urals. The plant is expected to be operational at the end of 2015. The company will invest about $40 million. It also runs a plant in Moscow.
T: +358 106867000
Contact: Mr Jukka Moisio, Chairman & CEO
Huhtamaki serves the consumer packaging industry through three sectors: fast-moving consumer goods, food service and fresh foods. Its products include plastic and paper cups, packaging for dairy products, frozen meals, fresh produce, delicatessen items and disposable tableware.


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Leisure travel company $ALGT said that its Feb. 2016 passenger count rose 21% to 795,768 vs. Feb. 2015. The company said that its total system, which includes scheduled service and fixed fee contracts, passenger count rose 20.2% to 802,908 vs. Feb. 2015. For March 2016, $ALGT expects scheduled departures and ASMs to be more than 12% respectively.
I haven’t seen a drop in banks like this in a long time. Looks like $WFC is still facing pressures from its sales practices scandal..!!
Helping President-elect's America first focus, $WMT set to create 10,000 retail jobs in the US in 2017.
Looks like Trump has his eyes on the $MON and Bayer merger next. He had a meeting with the CEOs and apparently got job promises from them.
$FHN shares have dropped after its earnings missed analysts’ expectations. I’m worried whether the stock will slide further.


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Can athletes bulk up on a vegan diet?
Days after sitting during the national anthem to protest police shootings of African American men, 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick was thrust into the spotlight for another controversial choice — his vegan diet.
Kaepernick weighed in at around 225 pounds before he left the field to undergo procedures for his shoulder, knee and thumb earlier this year. Unable to work out for several months, he lost a significant amount of weight and muscle mass — a change that was not lost on fans. He recently announced that he has been following a vegan diet and not consuming animal products for the last 10 months.
Kaepernick told The Sacramento Bee that he feels good on the diet and that it has not hindered his ability to put on weight. Still, fans have questioned and even criticized the lifestyle change on social media, worried that without eating meat, he won’t be able to put on the pounds he needs to get back in the game.
The concern is unfounded, supporters of the plant-based diet say. They cite other professional football players who eat vegan or mostly vegan, including Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers and defensive lineman David Carter, formerly of the Dallas Cowboys, who calls himself “the 300-pound vegan” on Instagram.
Matt Ruscigno, a Los Angeles dietitian with a master’s in public health and co-author of a book called “No Meat Athlete,” said he has been following Kaepernick’s journey closely and believes that the quarterback, like anyone on a meatless diet, can get the protein required to build muscle mass by choosing the right combination of foods.
A lot of people lose weight when they first go vegan because they replace meat and butter with salads and don’t necessarily know where to find calorically dense foods, Ruscigno said. But if they seek out more high-calorie, high-protein foods and eat them in greater quantities, he said, they won’t have any trouble gaining it back.
“As soon as you mention plant-based and sports, everyone gets concerned about protein, but it comes from a place where people don’t understand nutrition,” he said. “We associate protein with animal products. But the best sources of plant-based proteins are beans, whole grains, nuts and seeds. Even vegetables have protein. It’s just a matter of eating enough.”
NFL player Carter once told media outlets that he consumed 10,000 calories per day in rice, beans, cashew cheese, hemp protein, fruits and veggies. Ruscigno tells his vegan clients to try rice and beans with avocado and salsa, or stir-fried vegetables in brown rice with tofu and peanut sauce.
While most people on a vegan diet don’t need a protein supplement to stay healthy, Ruscigno recommends that those trying to bulk up add a protein shake made from pea, hemp or soy.
“Everyone, vegans especially, need to eat a varied diet,” he said. “You can be a lazy omnivore and get plenty of protein. Colin does have to work a little bit harder to get enough protein, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t possible once he works it out.”
However, Dr. Ed J. Hendricks, a bariatric physician at the Center for Weight Management in Sacramento and Roseville, disagrees with that advice.
“It’s my opinion that vegan diets are dangerous to your health,” he said. “Vegetable protein is not of the same quality as protein found in meat and eggs and animal products. It doesn’t have the same amino acid mix. While it’s possible to eat enough protein to maintain your muscle mass, someone like Colin Kaepernick probably needs more protein than he’s able to get on a vegan diet.”
The problem, Hendricks said, is that people trying to bulk up on rice and beans will gain weight from the carbohydrates before they get enough protein to build muscles. They end up overweight and without much strength, he said.
When Sacramento bodybuilder Jonna Edwinson first started giving up animal products seven years ago, she had to work hard to find the right balance of carbs and proteins, she said. She took a break from shows for four years while she let her body adjust to veganism and found protein supplements she liked. When she started competing again in 2013, she actually had far more muscle mass than when she was eating animal products, and by 2015 she was winning competitions, she said.
“Most body builders will be on a high-protein, low-carb diet,” she said. “You can’t really do that on a vegan diet — most of the high-protein foods like quinoa have high carbs as well. It’s important to do enough cardio to keep your protein up but keep the weight down.”
Edwinson, 31, now competes in natural figure competitions with the World Natural Bodybuilding Federation and is sponsored by Vega, a vegan protein supplement company. Her diet consists of protein shakes, grains, beans, greens and nut butters.
“I had more energy, my skin cleared up,” she said of her appearance after going vegan. “It just showed that I didn’t need animal products to put on the muscle mass.”


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NEW ANALYSIS SUGGESTS CAR MARKET RECOVERY WILL BE LED BY SPECIALIST ONLINE CAR SUPERMARKETS
Mixed signals from car buyers suggest a cautious road ahead for the UK car market – but with specialist online sellers leading the recovery.
Analysis of post-lockdown sales performance by the online car supermarket BuyaCar.co.uk reveals the highest demand in the company’s 18-year history and new research suggests that the COVID-19 crisis has driven much of it.
The lifting of lockdown has seen an explosion of interest in car-buying across the board, but with BuyaCar recording faster growth in June this year than in the same month last year.
Now the latest research into motorists’ future buying plans suggests that more than one in ten are already planning to buy their next car online – with the coronavirus crisis named by most of them as a reason.
The contrast is stark between the enthusiasm for buying cars online, taking advantage of home delivery and contactless handover, and figures that show many more motorists than usual taking a ‘wait and see’ approach to their next car change.
BuyaCar.co.uk asked motorists about their future buying intentions* and learned that a record number are planning to buy their next car online, rather than from a traditional dealer. COVID-19 risk was named as the reason for their choice by almost one in ten of the 356 motorists who took part in the research.
The research also reveals a dramatic change in general car buying plans compared to the picture three years ago, when motorists were last asked when they plan to change their car.
Currently 71% of car buyers don’t plan to change their car during the coming 12 months – in stark contrast to the picture in 2017, when half of all motorists questioned said they would change theirs during the year ahead.
The research is conducted amongst known regular car buyers – known as ‘in-market’ consumers – who use every type of car sales channel, from traditional dealers through to online-only specialists such as BuyaCar and Cazoo.
In 2017 only one in four motorists said they would not return to the market for two years or more. In the latest research that figure rose to nearly half.
Andy Oldham, Chief Executive of BuyaCar.co.uk, said:
“This is the first time we have established a clear independent link between COVID-related concerns or restrictions and an increased appetite for buying cars online, from the safety and comfort of your own home.”
“We knew, from our experience of maintaining emergency deliveries for key workers and other essential drivers during lockdown, that online car sales were providing a unique benefit to people who were unable to go out in the usual way to buy a car. But now we have the evidence that people intend to buy online, whether or not there are any further lockdown restrictions.”
“The scale and speed of our own car sales recovery has surprised us, but the evidence we have now found about future buying plans suggests that it is more than just the release of pent-up demand following the lockdown. The evidence now points to recovery of Britain’s car market in general being led by the online specialists.”
Since 2002 BuyaCar.co.uk has been the pioneer of digital motor retail, with more than 20,000 sales to date. Having led the way as an online car marketplace, BuyaCar.co.uk is now Brtain’s most popular online car supermarket.* . Buyacar has refined the digital approach to achieve dramatic and consistent growth which also bucks all normal seasonal and general market trends. The company has innovated to become a used car retailer in its own right, rather than follow the typical online model of lead generators who appear to offer cars for retail sale that will actually be sold by 3rd parties.
BuyaCar.co.uk brings the interests of customers and dealers together. The company handles the marketing and sales process, buying cars directly from dealerships when orders are placed and collecting them for delivery to the customer’s door. Partner websites include sister titles Auto Express, Carbuyer and Evo, as well as Parkers.co.uk, bringing valuable promotional opportunities in front of six million in-market car buyers.
*Organic traffic to BuyaCar.co.uk independently measured by SimilarWeb.


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If your insurance has ever stopped covering a prescription drug or you don’t have coverage at all, you know how quickly costs can mount. Americans spent, on average, $758 out of pocket for medication in 2012, according to a recent Consumer Reports...
An explosion of cheap generic substitutes for widely used prescription drugs last year helped drive the first decline in pharmaceutical spending in the U.S. in nearly six decades. Drug makers often lament what they call the patent cliff, which is when...
What makes Viagra so interesting? On Monday, my colleague Chad Terhune wrote about Pfizer’s plan to begin selling its little blue pills directly to patients on the company’s website. And within a couple of hours, the story was listed among ...
It started with a search over the Internet: "How to write a pain killer prescription." With information gained from the search and a page from his doctor's prescription pad, Boca Raton Police say Jason Ian Bayne, 44, of Delray Beach, walked into a Boca...
Tags: Statins (drugs), Pain, Vicodin (drug), Delray Beach
If you take Lipitor, Actos, or Lexapro, new generics of these and other big-name drugs could be a real money saver. But are you saving as much as you should? Consumer Reports has discovered just because you're buying a generic drug doesn't mean you're...
Tags: Target, Consumers, Walmart, Diabetes, Lexapro (drug)
Los Angeles TimesIt’s been known for a long time that eating grapefruit and taking certain prescription oral medications — including the cholesterol drugs atorvastatin, lovastatin and simvastatin as well as some cancer and heart drugs — don’t mix. ...
A manufacturer of a popular cholesterol-reducing medication has recalled more than 40 batches of the product after warning that they may contain small particles of glass. Ranbaxy Pharmaceuticals Inc. says it is calling back bottles of its 10-, 20- and...
KTLA NewsNEW JERSEY (KTLA) -- A generic form of the cholesterol lowering drug Lipitor has been recalled after some batches were found to contain pieces of glass. Indian pharmaceutical company Ranbaxy announced the voluntary recall on their website Friday,...
Drug maker Ranbaxy Laboratories Inc. has recalled some of its generic version of Lipitor in the U.S. after finding small glass particles in some batches. The Indian company's recall of atorvastatin calcium, a generic form of Pfizer Inc.'s top-selling...
Alzheimer's disease is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States. There is currently no cure, and the only available drug treatments, while masking the initial symptoms — memory loss, difficulties with problem solving and temporal and...
Tags: AIDS, Lobbying, Research, Alzheimer's Association, Symptoms
FOX 17 Web ProducerWalker based grocery chain Meijer has announced that a generic substitute for the drug Lipitor will be available for free at all Meijer pharmacy locations. Meijer says they will be the first retailer in the Midwest to offer the generic cholesterol...
That statin pill you take each day to keep your cholesterol in check may reduce your risk of cancer, too, according to a study in Israel. The study examined data collected from 202,648 adults, ages 21 and older, who were enrolled in an HMO from 1998 to...
May 12, 2013 |Story| Herald Mail
May 9, 2013 |Story| Los Angeles Times
May 6, 2013 |Story| Los Angeles Times
Apr 24, 2013 |Story| South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Apr 15, 2013 |Story| WSBT-TV
Nov 26, 2012 |Story| Los Angeles Times
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Sep 5, 2012 |Story| Chicago Tribune
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General Motors’ Chevrolet brand launched the “Chevy Baseball” iPhone application this month. Gaming firm Freeverse and agency Small Planet Digital created the app, which has sweepstakes and data collection functions. Chevy’s advertising AOR Campbell Ewald contributed to the effort.
The program is a simulation baseball game, featuring branded billboards and voiceover ads for Chevy, similar to announcements at a real game. The baseball tie-in is a natural fit for the brand, because Chevy is a core sponsor of Major League Baseball, said Ryan Zemmin, digital manager at Chevy.
“This is a way of getting our fans aware of our engagement with baseball in the digital space,” he said. “It is an organic way to deliver content to people wherever they are.”
Chevy’s goal is to acquire new customers and retain loyal ones.
“The demographic of the folks who are walking around with iPhones in their pocket is a consumer demographic that is highly attractive to a lot of leading brands,” said Gavin Fraser, CEO of Small Planet Digital.
To enter the contest, consumers must disclose their e-mail addresses. Chevy will remarket to entrants through e-mail.
Playing the game, consumers can access the “Chevy Dugout,” where they can learn about vehicles, locate and click-to-call a dealer, and enter to win a trip to the 2010 All Star Game, which is scheduled to take place on July 13 in Anaheim, CA. Players can also send virtual postcards to social networks and share their scores through online scoreboards.
Zemmin said the opportunity to win tickets to one of baseball’s marquee events is an incentive for consumers to download the application.
Chevy has an existing mobile-enabled website, but Chevy Baseball is only the company’s second mobile application. Its first, “Chevy iReveal,” was a location-based augmented reality scavenger hunt program built for the South by Southwest conference.
“As mobile changes and continues to grow, we continue to expand our presence,” said Zemmin. “We are going to continue to develop applications that will engage our customers.”
Although many brands believe iPhone games are more engaging than other channels, Chevy will be challenged by the fact that there are more than 100,000 applications available for the iPhone, including hundreds of baseball-themed games, said Julie Ask, VP and principal analyst at Forrester Research.
“Branded content can work great on the iPhone. Games or utility applications do well because they provide utility, even if the utility is entertainment, but there are lots of them out there,” she said. “One of the challenges for Chevy is what can they offer that ESPN or Fox Sports isn’t going to offer?”
Ask explained that the program could also appeal to consumers because it is free. However, it is still competing against thousands of other no-cost applications.
“The exposure could be very favorable for the brand, but they are competing with a lot of other free stuff,” remarked Ask.


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A deal to open the UK’s largest Primark store in a Birmingham shopping centre is close to completion.
The chain, owned by Associated Biscuits, is eyeing the Pavilions Shopping Centre in High Street as a centre for its expansion in Birmingham.
It is thought the plans include a giant 200,000sq ft store which would take over most of the Pavilions. Remaining space in the centre would be sub-let to other outlets. Retailers currently in the Pavilions include Marks & Spencer, H&M and Waterstones.
The shopping centre is owned by the UBS Triton Property fund and a deal is believed to be close to completion. Confirmation is expected within days. No details have been revealed about any possible cost or timespan.
See our gallery of Birmingham's stylish shoppers
Primark has been looking for a large store in Birmingham for some time and the new store will be three times the size of its existing site close to New Street Station.
Primark has 269 stores around the world covering almost 10m sq ft of selling space. The company has successfully expanded into France, Spain and Germany. Earlier this year it revealed that it would open in the US with a store in Boston, Massachusetts. The Primark in Boston is scheduled to open by the end of next year and the retailer is in talks about securing other sites.
The UBS Triton Property Fund is being advised by Savills and Kitchen La Frenais Morgan.


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BAINBRIDGE - Bioplastics company Danimer Scientific has received a US$400,000 grant from the United Soybean Board to expand the company’s evaluation of high-oleic soybean oil (HOSO) as a feedstock in the production of PHA biodegradable biopolymer.
The grant marks the continuation of Danimer’s collaboration with the United Soybean Board after the successful completion of a one-year project to develop a practical model for using HOSO as a feedstock in manufacturing Nodax, Danimer’s signature PHA, which is used to create a wide variety of products. The second year of the project will focus on scaling up the use of HOSO on a commercial level.
“HOSO is readily available material in the United States, likely making it a viable and cost-effective feedstock in the production of Nodax,” said Phil Van Trump, Chief Science and Technology Officer of Danimer. “We are pleased with the results of our first year collaborating with the United Soybean Board, and we thank them for their continued partnership in finding sustainable ways to meet rising demand for biodegradable products.”
High-oleic soybeans are grown exclusively in the U.S., and the oil produced from the crop provides increased functionality and improved shelf life for applications across the food and manufacturing industries.
“The first year of our research has produced excellent results that show HOSO is a viable feedstock in the manufacture of Nodax,” said Carol Leggett, PhD, Director of Microbiology at Danimer. “As we continue to expand the commercial production of Nodax, HOSO is expected to serve as a valuable tool to strengthen our supply chain and bottom line. The progress we’ve made to this point would not have been possible without the collaboration of the Omni Tech International, SmithBucklin, and the United Soybean Board and their farmer members.”
Earlier this year, Danimer announced plans to double the anticipated capacity of Nodax PHA from 125 million to 250 million finished pounds. Currently in the pre-construction engineering stage, the plant will now come online in two phases, with an initial three fermenters expected to be operational in mid-2023 and a second three in early 2024.
Nodax PHA was initially developed at Procter & Gamble and has many advantages as a new plastic, and not least for nonwoven products. It shows rapid biodegradation under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions and has polyolefin-like thermo-mechanical properties in terms of strength, flexibility, ductility, toughness and elasticity, and polyester-like physical properties in terms of compatibility with additives and other fibres in polymer blends
Properly compounded Nodax resins can be spun into fibres in a manner very similar to polypropylene, to make totally bio and marine degradable nonwoven products.


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Renzi acknowledged the result of the exit polls following the referendum on Sunday, which showed the “no front” ahead almost 60 percent.
• Luisa Zargani
Senate Passes Jobs Bill, Bush Unveils Tax Plan
WASHINGTON — The House is set to follow the Senate’s lead today and pass an extension of unemployment insurance benefits expected to inject $7 billion into the economy — the first step in Congress’ effort to stimulate flagging...
Fashion's most famous potato is coming to New York, as Paris' Caviar Kaspia is opening a TriBeCa pop-up for three delicious months, starting December 7...Better get your #NYFW reservation now. 📷: @caviarkaspia #wwdeye
Pragmatic, reality-based clothing that are also interesting and beautiful - @josephaltuzarra's pre-fall collection checked all the boxes of a pre-collection dream. See all the looks from @altuzarra's new collection on WWD.com.


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Windows 95 not that much of a big deal, manager says
SEATTLE (AP) Windows 95: Microsoft's masterwork. If the hype proves true, it will quake the industry, change how people work and play, validate Bill Gate's vision, smite his competitors and not incidently, earn him a few more billion dollars.
Or maybe, as one Microsoft manager suggests, it's only software.
Never in the short history of personal computers has this much attention been focused on one product. For more than a year its release was delayed from early 1994 to late 1994 to this August Windows 95 has been awaited by the tens of millions of computer owners who now use, and occasionally curse, Microsoft's existing Windows operating system.
The dramatic tension could not have been orchestrated more effectively if the delays had been planned.
"There's nothing like this," says Fred Langa, editorial director of Windows Magazine.
Windows 95 is a good product, he says, but it will be hard for Microsoft to meet expectations built over the past year and a half.
Compounding the problem is Microsoft's dominance in a take-no-prisoners industry.
"It's like Microsoft got in the position IBM was in several years ago," Langa said. "The company everyone loves to hate. The big bad bully."
Windows 95 has been the focus of hundreds of newspaper and magazine articles and countless conversations. And it's inspired nightmares for other software companies, both those competing directly and those with new products tailored to Windows 95 and relying on its quick migration to millions of machines.
"It's clear that the hype factor for Windows 95 got out of hand," allows Brad Silverberg, Microsoft senior vice president.
"It's just software. It's not a cure for cancer, it doesn't grow hair.
"It's not a floor wax, it's not a dessert topping. It's just Windows."
Well, yes. But Windows is the core product of the world's largest personal-computer software company. It runs on eight out of 10 of the world's PCs.
Microsoft's executive vice president, Steve Ballmer, has summarized the company's fundamental strategy as "Windows! Windows! Windows!" The company hires "technical evangelists" to encourage its use and has spent $70 million in the past year just to promote Windows 95.
The new product will be on the street by Aug. 24, Microsoft vows.
That's critical for the scores of companies making products keyed to the system. If it's much later, they'll miss the Christmas market in an industry increasingly driven by home computer sales.
Already, more than 45 computer manufacturers say they'lll pre-install Windows 95.
Gates says flatly that Windows 95 will be a hit, and a huge one.
"There's no doubt in our minds that Windows 95 will ship in big quantities," he told a recent gathering of software reviewers here.
Dataquest, an industry tracking company in San Jose, Calif., estimates Microsoft will ship more than 29 million copies of Windows 95 this year.
Windows in all its forms will account for about 75 percent of PC operating system shipments this year, Dataquest says.
Operating systems provide personal computers with the basic tools for managing data. Windows has been a runaway success since Version 3 was introduced in 1990, helping make Gates one of the richest people on the planet.
Windows 95 is faster, easier to use and more powerful.
It's a 32-bit operating system, which means it can run much more detailed programs than the 16-bit 1990 version, and can run more than one program at the same time.


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China's Didi facing record fine, weeks after US listing: report
Chinese regulators could hit ride-hailing giant Didi Chuxing with a more severe punishment than Alibaba's record fine, just weeks after its contentious New York initial public offering, a report said.
Despite pushback from China against the move, Didi on June 30 went ahead with its debut in New York, surging 10 percent. However, just days later Beijing announced a probe into the company citing cybersecurity concerns, and ordered its app be removed from stores.
The move sent the firm's shares plummeting and raised concerns about its business outlook.
And its problems got worse earlier this month when officials from seven departments, including the ministry of public security, were sent to the firm for on-site cybersecurity investigations.
Didi's decision to go public despite Beijing's displeasure has been seen as a challenge to the leadership, Bloomberg News reported Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter.
Regulators are now considering potential punishments that could include a huge fine, suspension of certain operations, or the introduction of a state-owned investor, the report added.
The reprimand could even force a delisting or withdrawal of Didi's US shares, it added.
The people said they expected Beijing to impose harsher sanctions on Didi than it did on Alibaba.
Regulators in April hit e-commerce titan Alibaba with a record $2.78 billion fine over practices deemed to be an abuse of its dominant market position, and have since expanded their clampdown to other companies.
Didi's shares closed 11 percent down in New York on Thursday and are now almost 30 percent off their IPO price.
China's regulators generally supported the idea of an IPO, but had expressed concerns about Didi's data security practices, according to Bloomberg.
Officials had urged Didi to ensure the security of its data before proceeding in the United States, or to shift the listing to Hong Kong or the mainland instead.
China has launched investigations into several other US-listed Chinese tech companies as it beefs up its network security regime and tries to rein in some of its massively influential and popular tech apps.
© 2021 AFP


text: Raising product prices without driving away customers is something of an art, especially for food companies, which are battling to stem sliding margins caused by surging raw materials prices and the government's guarded policies to control prices. China Yurun Food Group, one of the country's biggest pork-product makers, is a master of such an art. The Hong Kong-listed, Nanjing-based company, whose business is split among chilled, frozen pork and other processed meat products, this month reported net profit growth of 78.6 per cent for the year ended December, despite a 63.5 per cent jump in the price of pig meat - its key raw material - during the same period. The surge in pig meat prices last year was driven by a supply shortage after an outbreak of blue ear disease, and farmers' reluctance to rear pigs in previous years as they could not make much money when the price of feed was high, and many were lured to work in cities. Yurun's gross profit margin fell to 14.1 per cent from 15.4 per cent a year earlier, but the company was less affected by rising materials costs and a tighter supply of pigs than its peers. Chairman Zhu Yicai said Yurun raised its selling prices almost daily following the change of pig meat prices, and as the percentage of this price rise was less than 1 per cent each time, 'the impact on customers was minimal'. And the practice also helped the meat-processor to minimise any possible price increase caps from the government, Mr Zhu said. In January, the National Development and Reform Commission stipulated that distributors of food commodities or food items needed to seek approval before revising selling prices. But Mr Zhu explained that their price rises had not violated regulations since the NDRC rule requested food and beverage companies seek approval for price rises which exceed 4 per cent the first time, 6 per cent in 10 days and 10 per cent in a month. With this practice, the accumulated selling price increments for the company's chilled pork were 81.1 per cent and frozen pork 67.7 per cent over the past year. Tiffany Feng, an analyst with Guotai Junan Securities (Hong Kong), said the fragmented meat industry was also less vulnerable to government price caps than the dairy, edible oil and instant noodle sectors, which were dominated by a few leaders. The top three players -Yurun, Shenzhen-listed Henan Shuanghui Industry Group and Shandong-based People's Food - only represent an aggregate 5 per cent of the total pork processing industry. Small and medium-sized companies account for around 90 per cent of the total 448,000 industry players scattered around the nation. By comparison, the mainland's diary industry is dominated by China Mengniu Dairy, Inner Mongolia Yili Industrial Group and Bright Dairy and Food, which account for more than 60 per cent of the liquid milk market. Despite the tight supply of pigs, the volume of pigs Yurun slaughtered for chilled and frozen meat grew by 12 per cent last year. Meanwhile, its rival Shuanghui saw a 27.61 per cent slump in volume because of the shortage. 'The difference [in volume of pigs slaughtered], especially in this unfavorable business environment, has shown that Yurun has better management skills than Shuanghui,' said Ms Feng.


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USA TODAY International Edition
FIAT CHRYSLER TO CLOSE VIPER FACTORY IN DETROIT
Automaker says it will offer jobs to all 87 workers at plant
Fiat Chrysler will close the Detroit factory where workers made the small- volume Dodge Viper supercar by hand.
The Italian- American automaker informed Michigan government officials the plant would close Aug. 31 and that it would offer jobs to all of the workers there, according to a letter that surfaced Wednesday.
The plant, built in 1966 and acquired by Chrysler in 1995, now employs about 87 people, according to the letter. The company had announced in 2016 that Vi- per production would end after the 2017 model year, putting the 392,000- square- foot factory’s future in jeopardy.
The facility’s closure leaves the Motor City with only one assembly plant completely inside its borders: Fiat Chrysler’s factory on Jefferson Avenue. General Motors also owns a plant that straddles the border of Detroit and Hamtramck.
GM remains headquartered in downtown Detroit and the city has many automotive suppliers, but its heritage as a major source of vehicle assembly ended many years ago with the globalization of the auto industry.
Fiat Chrysler spokeswoman Jodi Tinson said the outcome should not come as a surprise. The company’s 2015 contract with the United Auto Workers union outlined that no new product would replace the Viper at the plant after the vehicle was discontinued. The company is “just following the law” by filing documentation with the government, Tinson said.
The Viper factory, known locally as the Conner Assembly Plant for the street where it’s lo- cated, has had a turbulent past. It was idled in July 2010 after the Viper was temporarily discontinued following Chrysler’s brush with death during its 2009 bankruptcy.
Fiat Chrysler renovated and reopened the plant in December 2012 after redesigning and reviving the Viper. But sales failed to meet projections of 1,500 units per year, and the company was forced to lower the price.
Over the years, the plant’s products included the Prowler, Viper 10- cylinder engines, the SRT10 Roadster and the SRT10 Coupe. Altogether, the company made more than 25,400 Vipers at the plant from 1992 through 2016. The vehicle hits the end of the road on its 25th anniversary.


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FinTech: Post-COVID-19, Fintech To Emerge Stronger, Says Dubai Future Foundation
A special report from the Dubai Future Foundation (DFF) examines the post-COVID scenario for Fintechs.
“Life after Covid-19: Financial Technologies,” a report issued by the Dubai Future Foundation, examines the impact of the pandemic on the UAE and the Arab world, and in particular, the fintech sector. The report reassuringly concludes that the sector would emerge stronger from the crisis as people take to digital services to run their lives. (Dubai Future Foundation)
“Global expectations indicate that the financial technologies industry is widely expected to emerge stronger from the challenging risks of the pandemic as people turn to digital services,” said DFF. “This sector will successfully overcome the crisis thanks to its efficiency, reliability, and clear ability to influence the global economic system.”
Fintechs outperform during the COVID-19 crisis
The report observed that compared to stricken sectors such as tourism, aviation, and retail, Fintech has instead benefited from lockdowns, social distancing, and shelter in place rules. Whereas the airline and US retail industries could lose $250 billion and $430 billion as a result of the outbreak, the story is quite the reverse for fintechs. Financial apps are breaking download records, while payment processors and stock brokerages are enjoying record signups.
Digital currencies and fintechs
The shortcomings of the current physical currency system as well as the banking industry for the rapid distribution of fiscal stimulus have come to the forefront. On the other hand, digital currencies can be rapidly sent to vulnerable groups during a crisis such as COVID-19. These include people without bank accounts. Fintechs offer an alternative that is quick, inexpensive, and easier to transact. Again, fintechs achieve financial inclusion very efficiently. Already, central banks are experimenting with digital currencies. For example, the UAE and Saudi Arabia are running a pilot program for a shared digital currency.
Banks and other financial intermediaries
The report observes that COVID-19 measures make it difficult for customers to undertake physical branch banking. As such, banks and other financial intermediaries should take steps to augment their digital platforms and services and make them available at lower costs.
This will “allow the advantages of financial technology – increased speed, reduced cost – to start to translate into market-wide inefficiencies and ease financial stress.”
Related Story: FinTech: Crystal Ball for 2020 (KPMG’s Report)
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Founded by the original Bekins family at the turn of the 20th century, Bekins Northwest is a leader in storage services as well as residential, commercial and international moves. With a staff boasting more than 85 years of combined experience in the moving industry, Bekins Northwest continually strives to raise the standards to provide customers with the best possible service in the industry. Having left Bekins to become affiliated with another van line about ten years ago, we’re proud to announce the company has rejoined Bekins Van Lines as a prime interstate agent.
“We are so pleased that Bekins Northwest has come back home to Bekins Van Lines,” said Mark Kirschner, CEO of Wheaton World Wide Moving | Bekins Van Lines. “With such a stellar service reputation and long and storied history in the moving industry, it’s exciting to add them as a partner in our network.”
With four agency locations available, much of Washington State has access to this moving company, including destinations such as Seattle, Tacoma, Yakima and Pasco. Bekins Northwest has had the opportunity to move many of Washington’s largest employers, including the state government and is also the Official Mover for NFL team, the Seattle Seahawks.
The addition of Bekins Northwest means more drivers and a bigger service capacity, allowing both Bekins Van Lines and Bekins Northwest to reach more customers than ever before. Maintaining excellent customer service and a knowledge and expertise in the moving industry will allow this partnership to flourish.


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Exchanges and commisisaries are fighting an uphill battle to bring in customers amid mounting pressure from retailers such as Walmart, Home Depot and Target, which are building emotional ties with military shoppers by donating to and supporting the military community in high-profile ways. (Kevin Gaddie / Air Force)
No other retailer cares more about or does more for troops and their families than commissaries and exchanges, military retailers say.
But they are fighting an uphill battle to get that message across amid mounting pressure from retailers such as Walmart, Home Depot and Target, which are building emotional ties with military shoppers by donating to and supporting the military community in high-profile ways.
For years, military retailers have seen big-box discount stores setting up outside military installations. About 70 percent of troops and families live off base, and about 60 percent of authorized shoppers do not shop at military stores. But now, military retailers see a newly emerging appeal to military shoppers.
"We've allowed other companies and other organizations to position themselves in the hearts and minds of our military community," said Cindy Whitman Lacy, chief operating officer of the Marine Corps Exchange, at the recent American Logistics Association commissary meeting in Norfolk, Va. "We've allowed them to market to our military community that they actually do more, and perhaps … care more."
Several commercial retailers are involved in the Joining Forces initiative launched by first lady Michelle Obama and Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden. The initiative encourages Americans to support military families.
As part of a tour highlighting community support for military families, the two recently attended a baby shower at Camp Lejeune, N.C., for expectant mothers. Whitman Lacy noted that Obama and Biden gave the mothers gift certificates for cribs at Pier 1 Imports and for diapers and baby formula at Walmart or grocery stores outside the gate.
The local commissary and exchange, and their industry partners, were not included.
Many Joining Forces initiatives are already embedded within the military resale community but aren't communicated effectively, Whitman Lacy said. In addition to customer discounts and hundreds of millions of dollars of contributions to morale, welfare and recreation programs, the military resale system hires many military family members, and its industry partners contribute millions of dollars to scholarships for military children and other causes.
"Why would an installation commander go outside the gate to a retailer to sponsor an event and bypass the entire infrastructure of the military resale program on the base?" said Patrick Nixon, ALA president and former director of the Defense Commissary Agency.
These concerns could result in even more benefits for troops and families.
Nixon suggested that perhaps a new, broad, "enticing" messaging strategy is needed to draw shoppers back to the base.
"Just talking about how much money we give back to the community doesn't create an emotional bond," Whitman Lacy added.


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Apple chief executive Steve Jobs is taking a six-month leave from the company due to "complex" health issues, and the rapture is coming tomorrow. OK, perhaps not the latter, but that's what one might think given the extreme and exaggerated public response to the news. More than they care about Jobs, though, people care about Apple. The company's phoenix-like tale holds a special but scary place in our hearts, and most of us would hate to see Apple fall to the same, dark place it was in the mid-1990s when the decisions of leaders who were not Steve Jobs nearly drove the company out of business and into oblivion.
But worry not, Apple fans. Jobs's (hopefully temporary) leave doesn't mean the company is doomed. Apple's as much on track for long-term success as it has ever been, and it's likely to remain successful for some time to come.
There are some things for which Jobs is essential. For one, Apple has allowed his larger-than-life reputation to become synonymous with the entire company. But this penchant for attention and showmanship only accentuates what Apple already offers: interesting and innovative products that people love to use. Jobs may be known for hand-picking certain devices or features in the company's product lines, but Apple has learned its managerial lesson from the first time Jobs left between 1985 and 1997 as a result of a power struggle – it would be a massive failure on the part of Apple if all of its eggs were in one basket. There are other people who work at Apple, and these executives, managers and engineers are some of the best in the world.
The general public isn't very familiar with the leadership that Jobs is leaving in charge for the next six months, so it's natural that there's some fear that Apple is left with a leadership vacuum. For now, Tim Cook, Apple's chief operating officer, is holding the reins while Jobs takes his leave, leading day-to-day operations in much the same way he already has been. Jonathan Ive, the king of Apple design, is practically an icon himself and will continue to wrangle the design team into creating products that we don't even know we need yet. And finally, Phil Schiller, the perfectly loveable senior vice-president of worldwide product marketing, demonstrated in his Macworld Expo '09 keynote last week that he, too, is capable of taking the stage with authority.
All three of these men – plus a plethora of elves behind the curtain – have worked closely with Jobs for many years, have all taken the stage with him in the past and will continue to keep things running in his absence just like the Apple we already know and love.
That's not to say things won't change if Jobs decides he likes having free time again and elects not to return in late June as promised (an unlikely, but possible, outcome). To be sure, cloning technology is not yet sophisticated enough to ensure that an exact replica of Jobs will take his place and that nothing will be different. In this event, there will undoubtedly be subtle changes in company culture, products and attitude over the next several years as whoever takes over exercises his or her own judgment.
The important part will be to find a person who is capable of acting in the spirit of Jobs – perfectionism and vision included – but with enough confidence to make those kinds of decisions without second guessing. That is, after all, what Jobs himself does. But whatever these changes may encompass, they are likely to be fairly minor to the casual observer. For the next six months, Apple will remain exactly the same. And for the foreseeable future, Apple will continue to make great products that most of its target audience will fall all over themselves to buy.
Truth be told, attempting to predict the far future is always a difficult endeavour, but one thing is for sure: Steve Jobs as an iconic leader will surely be missed if he decides to make his temporary leave more permanent. Should this happen, it would signal the end of an era, but not an end to Apple.


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What you need to know
- The LG Velvet has finally launched on T-Mobile.
- It'll go on sale from September 10 for $24.50 a month or $588 at full retail price.
- LG is swapping out the Snapdragon 765 for a MediaTek Dimensity 1000 chip.
LG is finally bringing the Velvet to T-Mobile after launching on AT&T and Verizon earlier this year. The smartphone will make a debut in Aurora Gray and Pink White to match the carrier's colors, but it'll also have something else to set it aside. T-Mobile's Velvet will be dropping the Snapdragon 765G processor for MediaTek's Dimensity 1000C, a new member of the Dimensity 1000 series built for the U.S. market.
The Dimensity 1000 series was announced late in 2019, with President Joe Chen saying:
While the Dimensity 1000 chip has shipped in phones outside the U.S. like the Redmi K30 Ultra, this is the first time it'll be powering a relatively mainstream phone which already has a widely reviewed Snapdragon model. T-Mobile and MediaTek collaborated on this device, with the latter adding features like dual-display support to accomodate the Velvet.
Dr. Yenchi Lee, Deputy General Manager of MediaTek's Wireless Communications Business Unit. said:
T-Mobile is offering the Velvet for $24.50 a month or $588 if you'd prefer to pay full retail.
The LG Velvet is a revamp of LG's mobile line. It's thoughtfully designed both when it comes to hardware and software. It still has its flaws, but the price makes those easy to overlook.
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Erik Kabik / Life & Style
Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2014 | 11:02 a.m.
In the new issue of Life & Style on newsstands now, former “Peepshow” at Planet Hollywood star Holly Madison provided Las Vegas-based photographer Erik Kabik with an exclusive tour inside her dream closet.
“It’s bigger than my first apartment!” Holly told the magazine of her Kim Irvine-designed space. “It’s so big and airy. It’s like walking into my own personal store!”
The 500-square-foot space was inspired by the Petit Trianon at Versailles — and Disney’s Cinderella.
“I love Disney!” raved Holly, who has several beaded clutches featuring the classic characters. “I love beading and sparkle. I have a lot of costumey-type pieces that I’ve hoarded and hung onto from my burlesque shows.”
Holly plans to save them for her 16-month-old daughter Rainbow Aurora with husband Pasquale Rotella.
Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world’s premier platinum playground.
Follow Robin Leach on Twitter at Twitter.com/Robin_Leach.
Follow Vegas DeLuxe on Twitter at Twitter.com/vegasdeluxe.
Follow Sun A&E Senior Editor Don Chareunsy on Twitter at Twitter.com/VDLXEditorDon.
Catering to the young and modern crowd, Planet Hollywood is a one-stop shop for entertainment with its massive shopping mall, slew of restaurants, spacious casino and clubs.
The ambiance of the casino is retro-chic meets high-tech with black granite floors throughout and colorful LED lights throughout the space. The theme carries into the 100,000 square-foot casino with 250 flat screens topping off slot machines. The casino is also home to 87 tables, a sports book and a poker room.
There's also the Miracle Mile Shops, one Vegas' largest malls, with 140 stores including BCBG Max Azaria, bebe, Urban Outfitters and The Discovery Channel Store.
Following an afternoon of shopping, guests can satisfy their appetites at one of the gourmet restaurants in Planet Hollywood, like the non-traditional approach to steakhouses at Strip House or check out the exotic Far East motif at KOI restaurant and lounge. And if guests are still looking for more, they can spend the after hours at Privé, Triq or Krave nightclubs.
Perhaps one of the resorts biggest attractions came in March with the addition of "Peepshow." The naughty twist on the story of Little Bo Peep is modern-day spin on the run-of-the-mill Vegas topless review. The "Peepshow" stage has seen visiting celebs like Scary Spice Mel B, "Dancing with the Stars" Kelly Monaco and Playboy's Holly Madison.


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Christmas on the Pecos sold out for first two nights of season
One of Carlsbad’s most popular holiday attractions is sold out for the first two days of operations.
Christmas on the Pecos opened Friday for its 26th year, offering holiday boat tours on the Pecos River.
Those who did reserve their spots ahead of time were treated to the bright colors and sights of several backyard Christmas displays during the 45-minute ride.
But for Friday and Saturday, there were no seats left.
More than 100 homeowners decorated their backyards for the tours with themes such as a Christmas in the desert and the North Pole.
Millions of lights are used to illuminate backyards, docks and islands along the banks of the Pecos.
Tourism Director at the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce Lisa Boeke said the event is popular because of its uniqueness in a desert community.
“It’s different for southeast New Mexico because it’s a boat tour,” she said. “People are kind of amazed that there is a river here.”
The event’s popularity has grown over the years, she said, with many visitors traveling from out of state, as far away as New York, to attend.
“It’s meant to bring more people into Carlsbad,” Boeke said. “A lot of places have car tours, but there aren’t very many boat tours around here.”
Tours are held throughout each week and weekend until Dec. 31, with no tours on Christmas Eve.
Weekends are the most popular, and thus carry a pricier ticket.
Boeke said tickets usually sell out, and encouraged those interested to make reservations in advance for Friday and Saturday tours.
All tickets on Friday and Saturday are $20 for adults and $15 for children.
Sunday through Thursday tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for children.
From Sunday through Thursday, Eddy County residents can get discounted tickets directly from the Chamber of Commerce for $12 per adult and $5 per child.
“We try to give back to the local community,” Boeke said.
This year, Boeke said there will be about five to 10 new displays in backyards.
“It’s a different Christmas experience,” she said.
Tickets can be purchased online at christmasonthepecos.com or in person at the ticket office, 711 Muscatel Avenue, each day starting at 4:30 p.m.
Christmas on the Pecos’ fleet consists of three boats.
The Bella Sera seats 40, while Noelle seats 42. Bella Notte seats just 15 people.
The vessels leave the dock at 5:30 p.m. each night, with times continuing until about 9:30 p.m. on weekends and 7 p.m. on weeknights.
Adrian Hedden can be reached at 575-628-5516, email@example.com or @AdrianHedden on Twitter.


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A West Virginia man was sentenced to federal prison for a five year long diesel engine repair scheme that duped at least 81 truckers and forced some small time operators out of business.
Forty-seven year old Carl Steven Spencer Jr (a.k.a. Steve Spencer) was sentenced to nine months in federal prison and two years federal probation after entering a guilty plea to one count of wire fraud as part of a plea deal. The judge also ordered Spencer to pay $189,000 in restitution.
Man Dupes Small Time Truckers Across U.S. And Canada For 5 Years
According to Fenton Police Chief Rick Aro, Spencer had been operating his engine repair scam out of Fenton since 2011. Reports say that truckers from the U.S. and Canada unknowingly sent Spencer their engines for remanufacture along with either two-thirds or full payment. Many truckers never saw their engines or their money ever again.
Some of those that did get their engines back said that Spencer had simply given it a fresh paint job and then sent it back.
Here’s what one trucker wrote about his experiences with Spencer on the website “Rip Off Report” in 2014:
This company is running a Bait and Switch scheme.
The owner has no shortage of people accusing him of ripping them off. He ripped me off good
Here is what he does.
1. Lets say you want him to build you a C-12 Engine.
2. The owner says he can get in done in ten days ( NOT !!!
3. He takes your money . Goes out and buys an old C-10 Engine Block, Power washes it. Paints it. Puts used parts in it. Gives it to you and it doesn’t even work.
4. The he ducks your phone calls and denies everything.
5. He screwed my company good this way.
6. Cost my company 100 k in expenses for his little scam.
7. RUN FROM HIM.
Spencer’s scheme operated under various company names, including National Diesel Engine, Midwest Engine and Superior Diesel Reman.
Bait And Switch Scheme Forces Some Truckers Out Of Business
Most of Spencer’s known 81 victims were small, family owned trucking companies, some of which went out of business as a result of the scheme.
Spencer blamed a slow economy for forcing him to scheme truckers to make a living, but when the FBI executed a search warrant at his home, they found evidence that the money swindled from truckers had gone to support a lavish lifestyle. Notably, the FBI found 38 designer watches in Spencer’s possession.
Spencer will serve his sentence at Morgantown Federal Penitentiary in West Virginia