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Here’s how you can get your cannabis products delivered in Greater Victoria
Covering Langford, Colwood, View Royal and Esquimalt!
Jim Belushi will headline a three-day cannabis expo coming to Victoria this June
Grab your best buds!
Downtown Victoria’s newest dispensary now offers delivery services
In partnership with the Songhees Nation.
Vancouver Island’s largest dispensary also offers cannabis education
Do you know your strains?
Vancouver Island’s largest cannabis retailer has donated over $250k to local charities
And they just celebrated their 6th anniversary!
Win a ‘Fly & Dine’ package to celebrate Vancouver Island’s newest cannabis shop (CONTEST)
The Easter bunny wants to bring you something special this year!
Victoria Cannabis Buyers Club threatened with eviction
The club said they may have no choice but to involve Dr. Bonnie Henry
420 things to do in and around Victoria this Monday, April 20th
Like visit your favourite dispensary!
Victoria’s newest licensed cannabis dispensary is still open in Vic West
From 9:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Monday-Saturday!
Victoria’s newest licensed cannabis dispensary is now open in Vic West
They're tucked away, but have free parking!
Victoria cannabis stores will start selling edibles by late December
The BC government has now made the new products available to retailers and customers online.
Victoria cannabis dispensary shut down after police raid
Supporters and employees are marching to the legislature to protest the closure
Cannabis edibles are now legal in BC but will not hit the shelves until...
Due to Health Canada regulations
Cannabis use in Canadians aged 65 and older has nearly doubled since legalization (REPORT)
Around 4.9 million Canadians have reported using cannabis between mid-May to mid-June, 2019.
BC wants licensed cannabis suppliers to pitch edible product designs ahead of legalization
Cannabis edibles, beverages, and extracts will be legal in December 2019.
Victoria’s newest licensed cannabis dispensary opens this Saturday
The first 50 customers to walk through the door will get free merch!
Arizona Iced Tea is creating its own brand of cannabis infused products for Canada
When’s the last time you cracked open a tall green can?
Province shuts down unlicensed cannabis dispensary near Mayfair (UPDATED)
The closure occurred Wednesday morning.
Edible marijuana products will be on the shelves across Canada in December 2019
Just in time for Christmas!
Victoria’s newest cannabis dispensary is opening on Gorge Road East this Saturday
They've got giveaways!
Canada needs better cannabis waste guidelines to prevent Greenhouse Gas emissions (OPINION)
Unclear guidelines have forced processing facilities to turn to make-shift methods
Everything you need to know about becoming a craft cannabis grower in BC
Thinking of entering the business of BC bud? 🤔
Langford driver fined for having nearly one ounce of cannabis within arms reach
“These laws are aimed to protect the public by preventing impaired driving.”
Province approves Victoria’s first private cannabis dispensary
It’s been 5-months since cannabis has been legalized.
Victoria staff seek Council approval for five cannabis dispensaries
More recreational cannabis retailers could be on the way for Victoria
View Royal on track to legalize distribution of recreational cannabis
“We want to make sure we do it right.”
Shoppers Drug Mart is officially Canada’s newest licensed cannabis retailer
But you won't find an eighth of weed on the shelves anytime soon
Oak Bay youth fined $230 for driving with cannabis in his vehicle
While he wasn't impaired, he had unsealed cannabis in his vehicle
BC Cannabis Stores made over 21,000 sales in first week of operations
About half of those sales were made in the first 2 days
19 trippy Netflix movies to watch after consuming some dank legal cannabis
Never leave your couch/bed again 😎
BC made more than 10,000 cannabis sales in first 2 days
Some products have already sold out
Canadian government will pardon people with prior cannabis possession convictions
People who served time for possessing under 30 grams of cannabis will be eligible for pardons
This FREE seminar will teach you how to use cannabis to control pain
Thinking of replacing your prescription with cannabis treatment? 🤔
The cost of legal weed in British Columbia has been unveiled
Starting at midnight, BC residents can order marijuana online.
Here’s where you can legally buy and smoke cannabis in Greater Victoria
It's almost time to legally light up, Canada!
Here’s what you need to know about flying with cannabis in Canada
Cannabis will be legalized in Canada on Wednesday
This cannabis activist will be giving away free joints on October 17th
How are you celebrating legalization day?
22 cannabis regulations in BC you need to know about before legalization
Everything consumers and producers need to know before October 17th
Child taken to the hospital after eating cannabis gummy bears on Vancouver Island
She was air-lifted to a hospital and is expected to make a full recovery
Victoria MP introduces bill to remove criminal records for minor cannabis possession
“This bill is about righting past wrongs, and it will help hundreds of thousands of Canadians to get on with their lives.”
The first of 3 FREE cannabis educational seminars in Victoria is this Thursday
Learn what cannabis can do for your mind and body ☮
Trees Dispensary is hosting 3 FREE cannabis education seminars
It’s high time Victoria had some proper education on cannabis
Shoppers Drug Mart acquires cannabis license from Health Canada
Patients who need medical marijuana can soon fill their prescriptions at their local Shoppers
Cannabis 101: What you need to know to consume responsibly
Sativa or Indica? THC or CBD? Joints or edibles? 🤔


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Store owner dons gown, gives cross-border shoppers ‘dressing’ down
Darting in and out through the jam of cars at the U.S. border, shopkeeper Christen Haines wasn’t sure what reaction she’d get from the horde of drivers squeezing over the line to empty their credit cards.
The masses were being drawn into the States last Friday to take advantage of the new cross-border shopping rules, which more than doubled what people can bring back into Canada.
Haines, however — who runs the Kids Supply consignment clothing store in Steveston — said it pure coincidence she and her staff were on the scene that day, dressed in their finery and handing out flyers encouraging drivers to shop local.
“We didn’t quite intend to do it on the same day; we had been planning this since February and were just waiting on a good weather day to do it,” said Haines, who was “stunned” by the TV coverage her stunt received.
“One person at the border said ‘you can’t beat the price I’m going to get in the States.’ They were going for a bridal gown and were going to spend a few hundred bucks.
“I have three new bridal gowns in the store for $75 each. But they wouldn’t know because they hadn’t bothered to check.”
Haines said she’s been inundated with phone calls and random hugs from people since she tore it up at the border.
Although business picked up significantly on Wednesday, she’s not sure if the flyers and media coverage are the cause.
“I’ve no problem with people going south to shop, but just not exclusively,” said Haines, who employs three part-time assistants in her store, which sells kids and adults clothing, both used and new.
The new cross-border shopping rules allow Canadians to buy up to $200 after an overnight trip, four times the previous amount.
The limit has doubled from $400 to $800 for people on a jaunt of between two and seven days, while the limit for those gone for more than a week increases from $750 to $800.
“Before the rules changed, there were still a lot of people that manipulated the system, so you have to wonder how much they will now spend,” said Haines.
Global TV turned Haines’ border stunt into a protest story, according to Haines. “It wasn’t a protect, we just wanted to give people a shake and get them to at least think about us before going over the line.
“There are so many great deals in our shop, but people don’t even bother looking.”
Rubbing salt into the wound, Haines said former customers she hasn’t seen for years waltz into her store, mention they do all their shopping cross-border and then ask for sponsorship for their kids’ sports team.
“I’m not a vengeful or spiteful person, but I have a hard time not saying “Are you kiddin’ me?” said Haines.
“If they scratched my back, I might just scratch theirs once in a while. I’m not sure that some people can quite connect the dots when it comes to these things.
“Another person, who shops over the border, came in after a long absence and remarked that her neighbour doesn’t seem to work in the store anymore. I thought to myself, ‘Target doesn’t employ people here’.”
Haines said business has definitely slowed over the last couple of years and is more erratic than ever before.
“It’s totally unpredictable now,” she said.
“Although holidays are way down, they’re very quiet. Everyone just goes over the border now on those days.”

domain: news


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February 26, 2020
NFU calls for Britain not to compromise food safety in trade deals
The National Farmers Union (NFU) said Brexit-bound Britain should not compromise its food safety and animal welfare standards in negotiating trade deals with the United States and other countries, reported Reuters.
Minette Batters, National Farmers Union president said a specialist body of experts should be created to monitor agriculture and food trade regulations.
At the union's annual conference, Batters said there is support for this export body in the government, but the Department of International Trade has posed challenges.
As Britain has left the European Union, it is currently negotiating trade deals with other countries such as the United States, but the different food safety and animal welfare standards has posed an issue.
This includes the use of antimicrobial washes on poultry and growth hormone use in beef production in the United States. Both are prohibited by the European Union.
Batters said while Britain has banned battery cage egg production in 2012, it is still prevalent in some countries. Additionally, antibiotics use for growth promotion is still allowed in Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, India, Japan and Malaysia.
A spokesman for UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the country will continue to maintain its high food safety standards when negotiating trade deals.
Britain is currently negotiating a trade deal with the EU, and the bloc is pressuring Britain to also uphold its food safety standards.


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Launched in 2011, the Pakistan Advertisers Society (PAS) Awards have evolved from a strictly advertising occasion to an established calendar event backed by solid sponsorships that go beyond attracting the luminaries of only the advertising and marketing industry. Along the way it has become a credible platform to showcase the best the industry has to offer. The progress has been the result of improvements in judging methodologies, greater willingness by brands to share campaign data and results, and to some extent better advertising. As a result, since 2011, entry submissions have gone up by over 200% (from 98 in 2011 to 296 in 2016).
This progress largely explains why this year, the PAS launched a campaign called #MyWarFace aimed at further encouraging industry participation. The campaign, which includes an online video, print ads and email shots, was launched in the first week of January. According to Qamar Abbas, Executive Director, PAS, “we want to take the PAS Awards to the next level, and one of the ways to do this is to encourage competition by getting more entries.”
Developed and executed by Ogilvy & Mather (O&M) Pakistan, the campaign is based on the theme of a battleground where each player (client or agency) gears up to face the competition head on, “aggressively inciting other players in the game to bring forward their best work.”
Commenting on the tone of the campaign, which, compared to previous communication by the PAS, is much more aggressive, Abbas says that “it is a competition and agencies and clients are in it to win. This is not the time to be humble about their achievements; encouraging competition benefits the industry.”
The campaign is based on the theme of a battleground where each player (client or agency) gears up to face the competition head on.
Instead of hiring models, PAS decided to make industry professionals the face of the campaign. Hence the presence of Fahd Ashraf (Director Marketing, Reckitt Benckiser), Fariyha Subhani (Director, Home and Personal Care, Unilever Pakistan), Muzakir Ijaz (GM, O&M), Naveed Asghar (CMO, HBL), Sadaf Zarrar (Head of IMC, Coca-Cola), Seema Jaffer (CEO, Bond Advertising), Salman Butt (Director Marketing, PepsiCo) and Zulfiqar Ansari (Head of Marketing, Tapal) among many others. According to Abbas, in making the selection, the criteria was to give more prominence to clients, who are the “backbone that funds and forms the ad industry,” apart from covering all major categories. Convincing such heavyweights to participate, Abbas says, was surprisingly easy.
“We knew the agencies would be up for it, as they are usually more relaxed about experimenting, yet we were pleasantly surprised when even heads of major companies not only agreed to participate in the campaign, they also pitched in their own ideas and feedback.”
Naved Qureshi, GM Karachi, O&M, adds that “we also wanted to break the stereotype of a ‘stiff’ CEO or MD, and although we had a rough storyboard, a lot of the actual shoot (done by Kohi Marri) was done impromptu.”
In this regard, he relates how Naveed Asghar was all pumped up about the shoot and even brought a boxing glove from his car to bring in aspects of his own personality to the campaign, and how Fariyha Subhani suggested putting ‘tribal’ marks on her face to add to the battleground theme.
Abbas says that apart from adding a level of authenticity and giving much-deserved limelight to industry professionals, part of the strategic motive was to boost the virality of the campaign. “When you see an industry person you know, it becomes a discussion point and you may even share the video.”
The plan is now to extend the theme of #MyWarFace to the social media campaign that will announce the Award categories, the jury panel and the short-listed nominees and then carry it through to the build up of the Awards themselves.
According to Abbas, an aspect that the campaign did not address (and one of the biggest challenges the PAS faces) is the fact that most agencies still do not adhere to the submission rules and often enter “sub-standard written case studies,” which often results in the disqualification of the entry. Rather than addressing this in the campaign, PAS will conduct in-person sessions and workshops to guide participants on following the correct submission methodology. “We did not want to bombard the #MyWarFace communication with too many messages; the single core objective here was to attract more entries.”
When it comes to an award ceremony that advocates the effectiveness and measurability of campaigns, there are two main measurement parameters. The first is the number of entries received and the second is the level of talkability and awareness generated. However, as Abbas says, the number of entries also depends on how much advertising a particular year has rolled out.
Commenting on the awareness generated by #MyWarFace, Abbas confirms that “on Facebook alone, the campaign had a total reach of approximately 45,361 and was shared by around 28 people. ”
Abbas hopes to enter the campaign in international award ceremonies, such as Cannes Lions, Effies and Spikes. “It would be a huge boost for the Awards, adding to the credibility and also motivating the PAS Awards’ organising team.”


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As a startup entrepreneur, Candice Galek, founder and CEO of online swimwear retailer Bikini Luxe, is building a presence on every popular social network: Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and even LinkedIn, where the majority of users wear business suits.
This is proving problematic. Galek has been receiving some flak for a LinkedIn post titled “Is This Appropriate For LinkedIn?” which raked in more than 40,000 views within a month (higher than some of Bill Gates’ LinkedIn posts). It’s easy to understand why: The seemingly deliberately provocative post featured a risque photo of Miss Universe contender Natalie Roser modeling one of Galek’s products. As requested, Bikini Luxe received a lot of feedback, including more than 500 comments on it. Many of them wanted the image taken down, some even suggesting Galek to “Please go back to Facebook.”
“Even though I’m not offended by Candice’s post, I understand why others are. Candice should look to another social network to make this sort of promotion aside from LinkedIn,” Jason Parks, owner of agency The Media Captain, told Digiday.
LinkedIn seems to agree. The platform momentarily erased Galek’s updates to the post and also randomly deleted her profile picture (apparently mistaking her for the model in the swimsuit), without notifying her. But bikinis are Galek’s business, so one could argue that LinkedIn is exactly where Galek’s post belongs. When pressed by Digiday, LinkedIn declined to get specific. “We ask that our members adhere to LinkedIn’s community guidelines and user agreement when deciding whether something is appropriate to share on the platform,” the network wrote in a statement.
There’s lots of reading. Simply put, the platform requires users to “Be Real,” “Be Professional,” “Be Nice” as well as respect other users’ and LinkedIn’s rights. The company may change or discontinue any of its services and it can’t “promise to store or keep showing any information and content you’ve posted.”
A source who is familiar with LinkedIn told Digiday that the platform uses a set of signals to determine if a piece of content is appropriate. One of them is the number of people who have flagged the content, but it’s unclear how many is too many. “If only five users flagged my content while 500 liked it, a minority is ruining my LinkedIn posts,” said Galek. LinkedIn has since reinstated the post in its entirety.
But as so often happens with censorship, LinkedIn’s takedown was a bit of a boon for Bikini Luxe. While there’s no comprehensive analytics to measure LinkedIn performance, Galek told Digiday that from March to date, Bikini Luxe’s LinkedIn traffic was higher than its main traffic driver Pinterest, where it usually receives more than a million impressions per month. “My personal updates are getting more comments than 95 percent of Bill Gates’ posts. He has five million followers while I only have 25,000 on LinkedIn,” she said.
Dale Ferreira, digital marketing consultant for SconeTent, thinks that Galek’s move is smart – whether the flurry of controversy was intentional or not – since her brand is getting more coverage from the removal of the image than the image itself. “That being said, we have to be so careful as content marketers to not be offensive in an age where we live in a world of hyper sensitive humans,” said Ferreira.
Although Galek’s bikini post went viral, The Media Captain’s Parks points out that LinkedIn isn’t really a marketing destination for consumer brands anyway. Instead, LinkedIn is more of a platform for networking, where brands recruit talent and promote their company culture.
“For most B2C brands, LinkedIn is not their first choice,” said Parks. “I think Candice knew that this bikini photo would be racy and out of the ordinary for LinkedIn.”
The swimwear entrepreneur told Digiday that in spite of the hiccup, she will continue using LinkedIn as a marketing platform. “I have gained so many connections since I wrote the post,” said Galek. “People who have a job and are financially stable are more likely to buy.”
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Lunch is one of the favorite times of the day for McNicholas students. Lunch is a time to get a break from class, catch up with friends and eat.
Students have favorites in the lunchroom. Chicken tenders, mac and cheese and the cheeseburgers were among the top contenders.
Senior Trenton Casey said mac and cheese was his favorite although this was not a popular item chosen by the students.
The biggest debate was between the chicken tenders. Students have mixed feelings about this meal.
Luke Carville, senior, said his favorite was the chicken tenders “They are just so good.” Carville continued, “Even if they are not good that day, I just drown them in ranch. “They should serve them more often.”
Junior Michael Barreto also believes chicken tenders are the best when they are good. “Thats the best item when it is made well
.” Continued Barreto.
Senior Logan Kohl says the chicken tenders “Aren’t as good as they once were.”
Students made some suggestions on what they believe should be added to the lunch menu.
Casey said that they should add the Philly cheesesteak. Kohl wants the “spicy chicken sandwich from last year.” “The sandwich last year was absolutely gas.” Carville wants “Lettuce wraps” for the menu. Barreto “They need to serve sushi.”


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The South Australian state government has provided premium food and wine projects with a boost in the latest state budget.
As reported by the Weekly Times Now, $2.5 m in funds will be distributed over a three year period to encourage and increase exports of the states food and wine to emerging markets in China.
A further $2.7 m will be used to fund food and wine projects in regional areas of SA including Murraylands and the Limestone Coast.
SA premier and treasurer Jay Weatherill believes that the boost in funding will maximise export opportunities and support the production of quality food and wine in the state.
The boost and will also be extended to include the development of Chinese food centres to showcase SA’s world class produce.
"We want to maximise the significant opportunities opened by the signing of Memoranda of Understanding with Shandong and the Fujian Province in China last year," he said.
Additional funding of $1 m over a four year period will also be used for fruit fly prevention work.


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During an interview for GamerLiveTV, Nintendo executive Scott Moffit gave a slight hint at a possible Metroid game for Nintendo’s new console, Wii U:
With Metroid Blast, you get to enjoy that franchise while the developers are, you know, thinking and imagining what could be possible with Metroid on Wii U.
He also said something similar about The Legend of Zelda series and its Nintendo Land minigame The Legend of Zelda: Battle Quest, mentioning that “all can’t wait to see what a Zelda experience might look like in high definition” and “there could be a lot of new features added with the GamePad.”
While the quote doesn’t confirm that Metroid is actually in development for Wii U, it shows that the possibility for a new entry is certainly there.
Source: GamerLiveTV (quotes are near end of the video)


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Hillsborough’s Mystery Brewing will close at the end of the month.
The brewery announced the Oct. 31 closing on its Facebook page Thursday afternoon in a post signed by brewer and founder Erik Lars Myers.
“We’re enormously proud of the community that has grown up around Mystery, and we’ll miss being here every day for Hillsborough,” Myers said in the post.
Mystery Brewing is made up of a production brewery in a warehouse on the banks of the Eno River and a brewpub on South Nash Street in Hillsborough. Though the bar has been successful, Myers said, the production and distribution side of the business isn’t moving enough beer to be sustainable.
“We’ve had a hard time getting all the ends to meet,” Myers said in an interview. “The pub and restaurant are doing really, really well, but there’s a deficit in distribution. It just doesn’t make sense to keep kicking the can down the road.”
Myers said he told the brewery and pub’s staff about the impending closure at the beginning of October. Mystery closing its doors will put 26 people out of work, but Myers said his focus in the last days of the business is helping employees find new jobs in the local beer industry.
“I’ve tried to be straightforward with everyone from the beginning,” Myers said. “Everyone who’s been here has been seeing this path for a while; they’re not really surprised.”
Mystery opened in 2012 after a successful Kickstarter campaign raised $44,000. The brewery was influential in the rise of Triangle beer, and its tallboy cans could be found statewide in bottle shops and on grocery store shelves. At one time, Myers served as president of the North Carolina Craft Brewers Guild.
In a beer world dominated by IPAs, Mystery largely focused elsewhere, developing a following for Belgian-style ales and saisons as well as stouts and dark English ales. Most of its beers are only around seasonally, with the pale ale (the Golden Hind) and the Belgian white ale (the Orbiter) available year-round.
Mystery’s beers collected state and national awards, including a gold for Orpheus in Belgian dubbel category in the 2016 U.S. Open Beer Championship.
But craft beer shifted from the time Mystery opened to today. Myers said most breweries were part of a restaurant brewpub operation just a few years ago, and he saw space for a small production craft brewery. Unfortunately, he said, others saw that too, and recently, the trend has swung back to breweries running taprooms, banking on beer tourism without the costly overhead of distribution.
“We made the best decisions we could with the information we had at the time,” Myers said. “If I could go back and be just a brewpub, that would be great. But I don’t think we would have survived that way.”
Mystery said the last weekend will be spent trying to go out the right way. He said Mystery will tap some cellared kegs he had been saving for special occasions.
“It’s a sad thing that’s happening right now, but I want to thank all the employees and people who have made it what it is,” Myers said. “They’re all going on in the local industry, and I hope people will continue to support them.”
Mystery’s closing comes within a day of Raleigh’s Oak & Dagger announcing it will close the bar side of its operations, but continue brewing beer elsewhere. Oak & Dagger will close its Seaboard Station pub on Sunday, Oct. 28.


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The Galaxy S8 currently sports the best display on the mobile market, but that may change when Apple unveils the anniversary edition of the iPhone next month. The phone, which is being called the iPhone 8 at the moment, is rumored to sport an OLED display, and with that display will come a new world of potential UI changes. We’ve seen many renders of the anticipated phone over past months, but this latest one poses a unique question: what, if any, UI changes will Apple make to leverage OLED’s key benefit?
All signs, including a recent solid discovery, point toward the iPhone 8 (or iPhone Pro, if you prefer) featuring an edge-to-edge display not unlike what is found on the Galaxy S8. At the same time, the phone is expected to have a large display, and with such large displays come navigation troubles. Trying to stretch your thumb to the top of the display on any large handset, including the biggest current iPhones, is impossible.
A long editorial recently published on Medium highlighted this issue, and posed a question about whether Apple should (or will) replace the iOS navbar design with something more thumb-friendly. That post itself went on to inspire a new set of concept renders imagining different ways Apple may tweak the iOS user interface…and in ways that may be specifically facilitated by the inclusion of OLED.
Taking recently to his blog, product designer Max Rudberg published his concept images that show different ways Apple could change up iOS. One, as shown above, features a ‘notch’ at the top of the phone wherein certain icons, like battery and WiFi, are nestled alongside the front camera and ear piece.
The second shows that same general idea, but with the entire upper portion darkened so that it appears to be solid. Both feature a back arrow and menu/category selector on the bottom where the user’s thumb could easily reach them.
The third concept image is the same, but it likewise darkens the bottom portion of the display so that it is seemingly solid, though the back button and category selector remain. Though there’s nothing to say that Apple will implement anything that resembles any of these concepts, it is interesting to see some of the popular UI tweak suggestions in a realistic form.


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Joelle Johnson, campaign manager for Healthy Food Access at the Center for Science in the Public Interest, and Alliance CEO Kathy Webb co-authored an editorial published by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette on Thursday, June 16, 2022. Please read the full text below:
“When members of the Senate Agriculture Committee gather at Arkansas State University on Friday for the second Farm Bill field hearing, strengthening nutrition security through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, ought to be at the top of lawmakers’ list of priorities.
The covid-19 pandemic drove record high rates of food insecurity, and unfortunately those hardships have persisted into 2022. At its peak in December 2020, 30 million families could not afford enough food to eat. And while boosts to social safety net programs kept food insecurity rates in the U.S. constant between 2019 and 2020, rates increased among Black and Latine households. Even with a long-overdue SNAP benefit increase, unemployment is still above pre-pandemic levels, and grocery prices are 10 percent higher than they were last March.
Food insecurity is a major contributor to U.S. health expenditures, which have risen since 1970 from 6.9 percent to 17.7 percent. It is estimated that food-insecure adults pay $1,834 more in health expenditures–a cost that disproportionately burdens Black, Latine, and Indigenous households due to longstanding structural racism.
And if that’s not enough for families to deal with, there are even more factors at play within our food system that are driving health disparities and making us sick. Food manufacturers spend $14 billion annually on advertising, the majority of which promotes fast food, sugary drinks, candy, and unhealthy snacks. These promotions disproportionately target low-income communities and communities of color.
The USDA defines nutrition security as “all Americans having consistent access to the safe, healthy, affordable foods essential to optimal health and well-being.” SNAP–the nation’s largest federally funded nutrition assistance program–is well-positioned to help families experiencing food insecurity better access nutritious food.
If the pandemic taught us anything, it is that Congress is capable of making significant resources available to strengthen our country’s food infrastructure. As Congress considers the 2023 Farm Bill, lawmakers have an opportunity to make a meaningful, long-term investment in nutrition security for families that have been struggling for far too long.
This past year, SNAP participant focus groups conducted by the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance found that there is broad agreement that SNAP policy needs to do more to support healthy eating for those who use the program.
One SNAP participant pointed out how price affects the nutritional quality of their food purchases: “When you got to stretch [your benefits], you will buy the cheapest thing. It’d be bologna, hot dogs, you know, a lot of processed foods … because you’re trying to stretch your stamps out for the end of the month.”
Based on feedback from SNAP participants in Arkansas and elsewhere, we call on Congress to make the following changes to SNAP:
Improve SNAP benefit adequacy by at minimum protecting the Thrifty Food Plan update and at best replacing it with the Low-Cost Food Plan as the basis for SNAP allotments.
Make purchasing fruits and vegetables easier by strengthening GusNIP fruit and vegetable incentives. Congress should increase funds to expand the program, remove grant-match requirements, and invest in strategies such as EBT integration to make the program more effective.
Increase access to SNAP grocery delivery by raising awareness for online grocery shopping options while simultaneously creating a technical assistance center to expand retailer participation. Waiving delivery and service fees for SNAP orders that exceed a minimum amount would lower the burden of food costs on shoppers and encourage more retailers to participate.
Improve shopping environments through re-examining the retailer application process, strengthening stocking standards to improve staple food availability, and reducing commercial marketing of foods that do not align with the latest Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
Invest $100 million in projects that increase access to healthy food without increased stigma. Demonstration projects should test strategies such as marketing guidelines for retailers, including hot and prepared foods, exploring further benefit boosts, and testing incentives for nutritious food combined with disincentives for ultra-processed foods.
Coming on the heels of one of our nation’s worst economic and health crises, and with an administration that is motivated to advance health equity, the 2023 Farm Bill is the perfect opportunity to put forth science-based and participant-informed changes to SNAP that will meaningfully improve nutrition security.
These are changes that should have been put in place long ago, but as the saying goes, “in the midst of every crisis lies a great opportunity.” This is Congress’ great opportunity. Let’s hope they seize it.”
Joelle Johnson is the campaign manager for Healthy Food Access at the Center for Science in the Public Interest and focuses on SNAP and the charitable food system. Kathy Webb is the CEO at Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance, which works with food banks, hunger-relief agencies, volunteers and corporate partners to provide food, education and advocacy to Arkansas’ hungry. She previously served in the Arkansas Legislature and co-founded the AR Legislative Hunger Caucus.


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Tourism businesses hit by back-to-back visitor wipeouts during their peak summer seasons require financial assistance to survive with extraordinary run of bad luck of bushfires then coronavirus, according to businesses owners, industry and political representatives.
Many towns located within striking distance of the NSW-Victorian border were cleared of tourists by the Black Summer bushfires over the previous summer. And it happened again this summer when the Victorian government triggered an exodus of visitors to NSW as it announced a snap border lockdown with 24 hours notice.
The tourism industry says businesses in border communities like Echuca and Moama, on opposites sides of the Murray River, will need ongoing financial assistance in the wake of coronavirus. Credit:Visit Victoria/Robert Blackburn
Katrina Woods, owner of the Broken Oar Bar and Grill at Pambula on the NSW South Coast, less than an hour's drive from the Victorian border, said the timing of the border lockdown on New Year's Eve was "heartbreaking".
"Our businesses here are so seasonal. Our summer trade gets us through the rest of the year," Ms Woods said.
The local caravan park went from 100 per cent full to just 10 per cent capacity overnight, she said.
"New Year's Day is our busiest of the year. We were stocked to the hilt, but we had to throw so much out and we will never get that money back.
"The emotional toll of the last 12 months is enormous. It's still an amazing business, but my husband and I are emotionally so drained we've made the decision to put it on the market and regroup as a family."
Ms Woods said government support after the Black Summer fires, particularly to help meet rent payments, "100 per cent got us through" but this time around she doesn't know how "we'll carry through for the rest of the year".
Eden-Monaro MP Kristy McBain, whose electorate includes the tourism hotspots of the far south coast and NSW Snowy Mountains, said it had been "harrowing for businesses to lose their peak season two years in a row".
"Now is the time we need to really support those regions that are doing it tough. We've had floods, drought, bushfires, COVID and two border closures," Ms McBain said.
Eden-Monaro MP Kristy McBain, pictured with Labor leader Anthony Albanese, says businesses urgently need support.Credit:Wolter Peeters.
"I've had many accommodation providers, retail, and hospitality owners contact me and say they have to make some tough decisions on their businesses.
"We need to figure out how best to assist them, whether its through tourist travel vouchers, or business tax incentives, we need everything on the table."
The Murray River twin towns of Echuca and Moama have been particularly hard hit by border closures.
Moama contains many of the region's larger resorts and attractions. While it is geographically in NSW, it relies on Victorians for about 80 per cent of its tourists. The larger town of Echuca, on the Victorian side, houses many of Moama's hospitality staff, who face uncertain futures.
In late November, the local operators were celebrating the NSW government's decision to reopen the border to Victoria after 20 weeks of what locals termed a "multifaceted debacle".
Barely five weeks later, on New Year's Eve, it was Victoria's turn to close its borders to NSW.
Chief executive of Echuca Moama Tourism Kathryn Mackenzie said the latest closure could be the final straw for some operators unless the government provided financial relief.
"These are good businesses. They're not borderline businesses. They're robust. But these lockdowns with NSW and now Victoria it's just ravaging the destination," Ms Mackenzie said.
"Our operators were fully booked for January. One resort had 221 people in self-contained cabins. Now it's empty. Motels were full, now they're empty. Another operator just this week told me they've given back $400,000 in cancellations."
Victoria Tourism Industry Council chief executive Felicia Mariani said the industry needed targeted assistance beyond March, when JobSeeker is scheduled to end.
"We need some kind of targeted relief package that recognises the tourism industry was the first to be hit with all of the issues around coronavirus and that we will absolutely be the last industry to come out," Ms Mariani said.
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Cookie Monster: Band of Outsiders’ Scott Sternberg sures loves his cookies! [The Cut]
MAC attack. Get the Fall 2010 MAC runway makeup looks now (before fashion week, that is). [Racked NY]
To a tee. Alexander Wang is taking his T by Alexander Wang campaign to the streets! [fashionista]
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The Lawn Solutions Australia ad for Sir Walter turf, featuring the animated sausage with a weird face has been called out for promoting bullying, with the Ad Standards Board demanding the ad be altered.
In the 60-second version of the ad, a man is having a party, but when one guest realises the grass is not in fact ‘DNA certified Sir Walter’, he throws grass at the host’s face, sprinkles it through his hair and pushes it into his mouth, before all other party guests run for their lives in fear of bad turf.
Oh, and there’s also the creepy talking sausage. You can watch it here:
The complaints made claimed the ad “promotes and encourages physical bullying and peer pressure during a familiar social activity”, and “uses aggression, personal space invasion and humiliation to make the point”, effectively implying that if you “do the ‘right’ thing then people will like you, and if you don’t then you will be socially isolated and excluded”.
“The way the product is advertised is meant to be funny but it comes across as a form of bullying. Shoving grass in someone’s mouth is not acceptable for any reason.”
Directed by Daniel Pront, and based on an original concept from incumbent production company Louder Than Words, the ad was aimed at showing the potentially catastrophic consequences of making the wrong choice.
Louder Than Words executive producer Andrew McLean said, “They had a new story to tell, so the creative had to be really different from what had been done in the past, without straying off brand.
“We started with the backyard BBQ concept, and Daniel worked with us to take it to the level we wanted it to get to. Daniel, our staff and crew really worked hard to make this commercial something special, and the end result is certainly a testament to their efforts.”
But the ASB had a different take on it, and considered that while exaggerated scenes of guests fleeing the party, the dead lawn and the talking sausage were humorous and unrealistic depictions, the scene where the man has grass pushed into his mouth and face could be viewed as a realistic act of violence.
“The Board noted that bullying type behaviour is of strong community concern and considered that the issue is being trivialised in the advertisement,” it stated.
“The Board considered that the advertisement did present violence that was not justifiable in the context of the product being advertised.”
As a result, ASB has demanded the advertisers, Lawn Solutions Australia, to modify the ad to remove the scene of grass-in-face which caused concern, before seeking approval to return to air.
OOH transit company Adflow has announced the success of the first phase of its regional expansion program. Adflow’s regional footprint has increased by 60 per cent to now include 65 regional locations. With 9.1 million people living regionally in Australia (growth of 1.1 per cent experienced in the 19/20 Financial year) and most regional centres […]
Freshworks, a leading software company, has started trading on the Nasdaq Global Select Market, marking an important milestone for the company. The company priced its IPO at US$36 per share (AU$49.76), raising about US$1 billion (AU$1.4B), resulting in a total market capitalisation of AU$13.7 billion (US$10B). Freshworks, which was founded in India, has strong roots […]
Black Friday Cyber Monday (BFCM) is the biggest player in the holiday shopping game and Google’s most recent research suggests consumer interest for the peak sales season starts much earlier than retailers may realise. The pandemic has fundamentally changed buyer behaviour over peak sales season, with Google suggesting that global consumer interest in Black Friday […]
Awindependent PR Agency Agent99 has added The Distilled Spirits Council of the US (DISCUS) to its client roster, alongside thought leader and commercial property specialist, Helen Tarrant. DISCUS is a national trade association representing U.S. producers, marketers, and exporters of distilled spirits. The account was won following a competitive pitch earlier this year. DISCUS has […]
Melbourne-based independent creative agency, By All Means, has today released limited edition ‘Locktown’ t-shirts to create a positive, artistic commemoration of their city, while shining a spotlight on the significant impact of lockdown on the mental health of Victorians. After 235 days under strict stay-at-home orders, Melbourne today claims the unenviable crown from Buenos Aires […]
Global marketing agency, Komodo, has announced it will be launching a dedicated TikTok arm to the business in Australia, following a series of key industry hires and new creators signed to their roster. The agency, who partners brands with social influencers across the globe, aims to bring a new dimension to influencer marketing by assisting brands […]
According to Fifth Dimension CEO Lyndall Spooner, whether you like roller coasters or not, we have all been riding ‘Dashed Hopes’ the COVID-19 emotional roller coaster for over 18 months and many of us have turned to online retail therapy to cope. Spooner uses the analogy of an emotional roller coaster to depict consumers’ […]
Underscoring its ongoing commitment to team care and wellbeing, during and beyond the pandemic, Havas Village Australia has introduced be together – a reconnection initiative to enable staff to reconnect with loved ones for longer when domestic and international borders reopen. The initiative, which reflects the Havas core value ‘Better Together’, gives staff from Host/Havas, […]
Global ecommerce and marketplace specialist Pattern has ranked a group of 50 brands selling on Amazon.com.au based on a set of best practice criteria it has developed. Pet brand Zenify topped the ranking in Pattern’s Amazon Australia Benchmarking Report, scoring 82 per cent of the possible marks against a set of criteria designed to measure […]
Fifth Dimension Consulting has announced the expansion of its executive leadership team in response to the organisation’s significant growth over the last 18 months. Lyndall Spooner has moved from the position of managing director to the role of chief executive officer (CEO). As CEO, she will lead Fifth Dimensions’ innovation arm, as well as the […]


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Premier Paper has announced the addition of Touchshield, an innovative anti-microbial film, to its portfolio of products.
Produced by UK based media manufacturer G-Tec Paper and Film, Touchshield is a range of protective, anti-microbial, self-adhesive film products that have been designed to prevent the spread of bacteria and viruses.
Primarily comprised of a clear, watermarked film, Touchshield has a specially developed germ-fighting top coating that utilises silver ion technology and offers up to 99 per cent protection against bacteria (certified to ISO 22196) and 93.41 per cent against viruses (certified to ISO 21702). Touchshield can be installed, bubble-free, to everyday items such as handrails, workstations and desks; to create safe, clean and COVID secure surfaces and environments.
Touchshield is available throughout the UK from Premier’s network of branches.


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The Bay Area has always been considered food heaven. And now it is home to the nation’s Food Court.
Dozens of class-action lawsuits have piled up on the plates of Northern California’s federal judges targeting the food industry for misleading the public in labeling on everything from yogurt to potato chips — fueled by hungry lawyers and consumers with heartburn from browsing the grocery aisles.
Part of a nationwide legal strategy to change the industry’s marketing ways, the same lawyers who took on Big Tobacco have taken on Big Food in California and about a half-dozen other states. Whether they make claims against Hershey’s for hyping the healthy ingredients of its dark chocolates or go after Bumble Bee tuna for touting its omega-3s, the lawsuits primarily assert that food makers bamboozle the public with labels about the overall health benefits or downsides of their goods.
The Bay Area, with its health-conscious, foodie culture and liberal judiciary, is ground zero for this legal food fight. Hundreds of millions of dollars could be on the line if the cases succeed. Consumers seek millions of dollars in damages in each case and orders to force food companies to redo labels on many products, a costly prospect for an industry that considers the legal claims a misguided, lawyer-driven feeding frenzy to pry settlements and legal fees from their profits.
For shoppers such as Nancy Lanovaz, a Los Gatos woman who has sued Twinings Tea arguing that its labels carry false claims about antioxidant benefits, the cases are a simple recipe to force food manufacturers to be honest about the contents of their products.
“If a company chooses to mislead the public, they should be held accountable,” she said. “I feel like I’m an average shopper. I just don’t like dishonesty.”
The lawsuits, not surprisingly, have given the $900 billion-a-year food industry indigestion. Companies ranging from Procter & Gamble to Ben & Jerry’s to ConAgra have joined forces and assembled a legal team to fight lawsuits they say are “hypertechnical” assertions cooked up by plaintiffs’ lawyers looking to cash in.
Indeed, the lawsuits are cookie-cutter complaints, identical in form except for the specifics of the products involved. They do not claim any health injury, but instead argue that many consumers would not buy those Doritos or Ocean Spray juices if they weren’t deceived.
“Pour in the complaint and out comes a complaint,” said William Stern, a San Francisco lawyer who is helping lead the industry’s courtroom defense. “They all sound the same. And some of these are just laughable.”
Thus far, however, the Bay Area’s federal judges have not laughed them out of court, rejecting the industry’s efforts to get the suits dismissed at early stages. At the same time, the judges clearly are struggling to determine whether there truly is any substance to the labeling claims and who might be in the right.
“Both parties appear to agree this case is a David-vs.-Goliath battle,” San Jose U.S. Magistrate Judge Paul Grewal wrote in one recent case against Nestlé. “Where they disagree is which party is the Goliath and which is the David.”
San Jose lawyer Pierce Gore, who has filed most of the lawsuits in the Bay Area, certainly believes his side is the underdog taking on the powerful food industry. He maintains the misleading food packaging violates California’s strict consumer protection laws.
In his corner office, he has stacked all the food items he’s targeted on shelves along one wall that he calls his “product wall of shame.” Everything from a bag of Cheetos to Chobani yogurt is lined up neatly.
Just last week, he sued the makers of Rold Gold pretzels over their “fat free,” “low fat,” and “All Natural” labels. As with the other lawsuits, the pretzel case focuses on the healthy claims in bold on the front of packaging, while unhealthy ingredients, such as the high sodium levels, are buried in fine print on the back — allegedly in violation of both California law and federal food packaging regulations.
“You don’t have to lie to be profitable,” Gore said. “This is much larger than tobacco. Not everybody smokes. But everybody eats.”
Some legal experts, such as John Banzhaf, a Georgetown University law professor who favors the lawsuits, believe the claims are a logical outgrowth of suits that target the industry for contributing to the nation’s obesity problem.
“People are concerned about what they are eating … and want to make sure what they are getting contains what they want,” he said. “One of the ways to get there is through lawsuits.”
Food companies, however, say the lawsuits have a bad aroma and are designed to get them to roll over and settle with lawyers hoping for handsome fee awards. A few have settled around the country, including one case last week for $9 million against PepsiCo over its Naked Juice product, which had billed itself as all natural when it contained synthetic ingredients such as sweeteners.
But a San Francisco judge last year rejected a rare $7.5 million settlement in a case against ice cream makers Dreyers and Ben & Jerry’s, primarily over claims of having all-natural ingredients, because so few people came forward for a share of the money while the lawyers stood to make nearly $2 million. Most cases are far from settling as the two sides have hunkered down to fight it out in court.
“Socially, you could say making the companies correctly label supports (these lawsuits),” said Byron Stier, a Southwestern Law School professor. “The question is whether there is a significant wrong that is worth all the attention and fees and court time.”
Lanovaz, who has abandoned Twinings tea after 20 years, decided it is worth her time to help stir the legal pot.
“I took on the companies so they would tell me the products they are selling are what they are,” she said.
Howard Mintz covers legal affairs. Contact him at 408-286-0236. Follow him at Twitter.com/hmintz.


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Tag - N95 8GB
Nokia on Monday revealed that it has acquired Plazes, a small German software startup. The deal gives access to a self-titled social activity app and website that adds both time and location to short, Twitter-like updates; users can not only pinpoint their present locations while they supply a short text message but also coordinate events for the future, setting a future event with a map marker that lets friends coordinate meetups in advance.
The launch of the iPhone 3G in Canada should also see Rogers introduce new rates that may reflect a greater dependence on mobile data but will also encourage higher rates per user, according to statements made by Rogers Wireless president Nadir Mohamed at the Canadian Telecom Summit. The senior official notes that new plans are coming within the next two weeks that will accommodate more frequent data use by a wider number of devices, which most understand will include the Apple device and the BlackBerry Bold.
Nokia has often saved its best smartphones for Europe -- and it's a move that has cost the company North American marketshare as the iPhone and other devices pass it by. The N95 8GB North America Model (NAM), however, is evidence that the company is making amends for slacking off, especially now that the phone is finally available through an official carrier (in the form of Rogers Wireless) and has all its features exposed. Putting this penultimate version of the N95 through its paces reveals a very powerful and flexible phone that nonetheless feels somewhat hamstrung by Nokia's legacy; click ahead for the full review and learn whether the phone can stand up well against Apple and other fierce competitors.
Omnivision today said it has developed a new camera sensor that should radically improve the quality of photography from cellphones. A variant of the company's OmniBSI chip technology allows the company to fill each individual pixel on the sensor with much more light than previously possible by literally flipping the sensor upside down and lighting its back. In doing so, the company says it can pack a much more dense sensor into the same space as an equivalent model. An eight-megapixel sensor can already fit in the space occupied by a three-megapixel sensor today, the company says.
Although available for awhile in Europe and for a short span of time as an unlocked phone in North America, the Nokia N95 8GB is finally available officially from a carrier on the latter continent, courtesy of Rogers Wireless in Canada. Electronista has just received its review unit and is putting the smartphone through its first paces, but already has early opinions for those looking to buy the premium smartphone, whether on Rogers or not.
Rogers today confirmed one of two key rumors concerning its phone lineup for the spring by announcing it would carry the Nokia N95 8GB. The Canadian provider is the first in North America to officially stock the smartphone and takes advantage of the phone's 3G support for more than is possible on AT&T in the US, including Rogers' VISION two-way video calling service (courtesy of its front camera) and access to the carrier's music store and video streaming services.
Motorola is developing a movie store for its phones, claims UK trade magazine New Media Age (registration required for full article). An alleged source at partner studio Paramount says that Motorola is in the "late stages" of offering a service that would offer full-length movies pre-formatted for Motorola's more media-friendly devices. Paramount is currently the only studio known to be involved, though others are allegedly in talks to add their own catalogs.
Sling Media on Thursday said it would expand SlingPlayer Mobile to add support for phones running the UIQ operating system. The new version will allow some Sony-Ericsson and Motorola phones to stream and remotely control Slingbox devices at home whenever the device is connected to either a 3G or Wi-Fi network. The initial lineup will include the P1i (pictured) and P990i smartphones, the M600i, as well as the W950i and W960i Walkman phones. Motorola's RIZR Z8 is also included, Sling said. The updated version of the software will be available in the summer and will sell for $30 to first-time users but will also be downloadable for free for existing owners.
Fully half of all phones shipped in the world will be music-capable within three years, according to a study by MultiMedia Intelligence. The research group estimates that while the cellphone market will largely remain flat, with 941 million phones being sold in 2011, about 50 percent of those devices will have at least some level music playback. This includes both high-end devices as well any phone that offers at least support for non-ringtone music files and a memory slot, the company said.
Nokia on Tuesday shipped out revisions to a pair of its most successful phones. The N82 now ships in black and provides a subtler look than the silver version that has until today been the only choice for the smartphone. The 5-megapixel camera with Xenon flash, GPS, Europe-focused 3G, and Wi-Fi all come through from the original model. The Finnish cellphone producer sees the updated N82 arriving in stores within three to four weeks at a price of 400 Euros ($631) in its home continent, but also sells the device in the US as an unlocked device for use with AT&T or T-Mobile.


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Vodacom has refuted claims circulating in social media and online platforms that hackers are withdrawing money from M-Pesa without the concent of owners.
The mobile phone company said in a statement that the claims are false aiming at frustrating M-Pesa customers and damage the image of the company.
“The circulating message, that aims at misleading our customers and general public...Vodacom warns its over 9 million M-Pesa customers against acting upon this unscrupulous message (and any others like it) for it has not originated from the Company, the statement reads in part.
According to the statement, the claims indicate that hackers are at work withdrawing money from individuals’ M-Pesa Accounts without the account owners’ consent. “We urge our customers to confidently continue using our M-Pesa services and to contact our Call Centre whenever they need assistance.
We also wish to remind our customers to keep safe their PIN numbers and not share them with anyone.
” M-Pesa is a mobile money wallet that allows customers to store their money, send money anywhere affordably and get airtime benefits.


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Google offers website help for small businesses in Conn.
Google is looking to help small businesses in Connecticut create their own websites.
Sen. Christopher S. Murphy, D-Conn., and Rep. Jim Himes, D-4th District, announced Tuesday that the online search engine company will bring its "Get Your Business Online" program to the state on May 27 from 1 to 4 p.m. at Dolce Norwalk, 32 Weed Ave. in Norwalk.
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- Coca-Cola sells more drinks but soda dips
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Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced Friday that he will abandon his tumultuous $44 billion offer to buy Twitter after the company failed to provide enough information about the number of fake accounts. Twitter, on the other hand, threatened to sue the billionaire. While the exact details of Twitter's litigatory proceedings are not known, the social media platform could pursue a $1 billion breakup fee (for the abandoned proceedings) with a trial court in Delaware which frequently handles business disputes among the many corporations, including Twitter.
Last month, Twitter had offered billionaire Elon Musk full access to its firehose of raw data on hundreds of millions of daily tweets. The problem of fake accounts is well-known to Twitter and its investors. The company has disclosed its bot estimates to the US Securities and Exchange Commission for years, while also cautioning that its estimate might be too low.
On Thursday, Twitter sought to shed more light on how it counts spam accounts in a briefing with journalists and company executives. Twitter said it removes 1 million spam accounts each day. The accounts represent well below 5 per cent of its active user base each quarter. To calculate how many accounts are malicious spam, Twitter said it reviews "thousands of accounts" sampled at random, using both public and private data such as IP addresses, phone numbers, geolocation and how the account behaves when it is active, to determine whether an account is real.
Understanding the legal battle
In his latest SEC filing, Musk said he has sought the data and information necessary to “make an independent assessment of the prevalence of fake or spam accounts on Twitter’s platform”. "This information is fundamental to Twitter’s business and financial performance and is necessary to consummate the transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement because it is needed to ensure Twitter’s satisfaction of the conditions to closing, to facilitate financing and financial planning for the transaction, and to engage in transition planning for the business. Twitter has failed or refused to provide this information," the filing claimed.
Musk's lawyer also alleged that Twitter broke the agreement when it fired its revenue product leader and general manager of consumers and laid off a third of its talent-acquisition team. The sale agreement, he wrote, required Twitter to "seek and obtain consent" if it deviated from conducting normal business. Twitter was required to "preserve substantially intact the material components of its current business organisation", the letter said.
What can Twitter do? The chair of Twitter's board, Bret Taylor, tweeted that the board is "committed to closing the transaction on the price and terms agreed upon" with Musk and "plans to pursue legal action to enforce the merger agreement. We are confident we will prevail in the Delaware Court of Chancery." Twitter will most probably pursue the $1 billion in reparations.
A timeline of events
Musk, a mercurial entrepreneur, has long been taking Twitter to task, saying the company wasn't living up to its potential as a platform for free speech. Musk had accumulated 9 per cent of Twitter stock and turned the company's biggest shareholder. Only Vanguard Group's suite of mutual funds and ETFs controlled more Twitter shares. Twitter had then announced that Musk would be joining in the board of directors, but it did not materialise.
Instead, Musk launched a takeover bid, proposing to buy the remaining shares of Twitter that he doesn't already own. He had offered $54.20 per share of Twitter's stock. He called that price his best and final offer. "I invested in Twitter as I believe in its potential to be the platform for free speech around the globe, and I believe free speech is a societal imperative for a functioning democracy," Musk said in his regulatory filing. "However, since making my investment, I now realise the company will neither thrive nor serve this societal imperative in its current form. Twitter needs to be transformed as a private company," he had said.


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Report: Now Lagging, IP Phone Sales Poised For Takeoff
Annual IP phone shipments will grow from 10 million units in 2006 to 164 million units in 2010.
VoIP services have been taking off in recent months, but IP phones have been lagging. That's going to change, according to In-Stat, which said Tuesday that growth in IP phones will begin in 2008.
In a research report titled "IP Phones Invade the Home and Office," the market research firm predicted total IP phone annual shipments will explode from 10 million units in 2006 to 164 million units in 2010.
"The migration to IP phones will coincide with the adoption of next-generation business and consumer applications such as presence-enabled calling features," said Keith Nissen, an In-Stat analyst, in a statement.
The market research firm said that currently just 40% of IP PBX seats are configured with IP phones. Cisco Systems dominates the business IP phone market with a 43% share of the market, while Avaya -- with 12% of the market -- is in second place.
How Enterprises Are Attacking the IT Security EnterpriseTo learn more about what organizations are doing to tackle attacks and threats we surveyed a group of 300 IT and infosec professionals to find out what their biggest IT security challenges are and what they're doing to defend against today's threats. Download the report to see what they're saying.
Digital Transformation Myths & TruthsTransformation is on every IT organization's to-do list, but effectively transforming IT means a major shift in technology as well as business models and culture. In this IT Trend Report, we examine some of the misconceptions of digital transformation and look at steps you can take to succeed technically and culturally.


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World Travel Market London 2016 will commemorate two key responsible tourism anniversaries; 20 years of responsible tourism and 10 years of World Responsible Tourism Days.
The South African Government’s 1996 white paper; The Development and Promotion of Tourism in South Africa is widely heralded as the start of responsible tourism. The white paper looked at how the post-apartheid South Africa can benefit from tourism and proposes responsible tourism as the key guiding principle to build the sector. The paper puts responsible and sustainable tourism at the centre of its overall strategy, making sure both the country’s natural resources are protected and not over exploited or over commercialised while also making sure all its citizens benefit from an increase in tourists. It also puts an emphasis on tourists to respect the environment and culture of the country.
Furthermore in 2007 WTM London rebranded its Environmental Awareness Day to World Responsible Tourism Day, broadening the agenda of the day’s programme. WRTD, which will take place this year on Tuesday 8 November, is now the largest day of responsible tourism action in the world. Nearly 2,000 delegates attend the responsible tourism programme at WTM London, organised by Manchester University Responsible Tourism Professor Harold Goodwin.
This year’s programme will explore how well the travel industry has embraced responsible tourism, celebrate best practice and ask if responsible tourism has come of age after 20 years, while also attempting to predict what the industry will look like in 2036.
Goodwin said: “I have been working in the field of responsible tourism for the past two decades and have seen great changes in the way the industry has embraced and adopted responsible travel practices.
“Since 2007 WTM London has been the event where the industry has discussed, debated and promoted responsible tourism. This year’s programme will debate if enough progress has been made in responsible tourism and ask what more can be done.”
WTM London is the event where the travel and tourism industry conducts its business deals. Buyers from the WTM Buyers Club have a combined purchasing responsibility of £22.6 billion (£15.8bn) and sign deals at the event worth $3.6 billion (£2.5bn).
WTM London 2016 will be revamped as a three-day event from Monday 7 – Wednesday 9 November, with opening hours extended from 10am – 7pm for all three days.
Notes to Editors:
To view the 1996 South African White Paper: The Development and Promotion of Tourism in South Africa visit http://www.polity.org.za/polity/govdocs/white_papers/tourism.html
About World Travel Market London
WTM London, the leading global event for the travel industry, is the must-attend three-day business-to-business exhibition for the worldwide travel and tourism industry.
Almost 50,000 senior travel industry professionals, government ministers and international press, embark on ExCeL – London every November to network, negotiate and discover the latest industry opinion and trends at WTM London.
WTM London is the event where the travel industry conducts and concludes its deals. WTM London will generate around £2.5 billion of travel industry contracts.
WTM London is part of Reed Travel Exhibition’s World Travel Market events, which also includes Arabian Travel Market, World Travel Market Latin America and World Travel Market Africa. www.wtmworld.com
Reed Travel Exhibitions
Reed Travel Exhibitions (RTE) is the world’s leading provider of exhibitions in the travel and tourism industry. Its wide-ranging portfolio of events around the globe covers leisure travel, luxury travel, meetings, incentives and business travel, as well as golf, ski and spa travel.
RTE, which organises more than 22 events around the world, includes three divisions; World Travel Market, IBTM Events and International Luxury Travel Market.
RTE is a business unit of Reed Exhibitions.
About Reed Exhibitions
Reed Exhibitions is the world’s leading events organiser, with more than 500 events in 43 countries. In 2014 Reed brought together more than seven million event participants from around the world generating billions of dollars in business. Today Reed events are held throughout the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Asia Pacific and Africa and organised by 41 fully staffed offices. Reed Exhibitions serves 43 industry sectors with trade and consumer events. It is part of the RELX Group plc, a world-leading provider of information solutions for professional customers across industries.
If you would rather not receive future communications from World Travel Market, let us know by clicking here.
World Travel Market, Gateway House, Richmond, . TW9 1DN United Kingdom


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Back in 2001, when Salih Hodzov made the move to the UK and began working as a fruit picker at WB Chambers, the minimum wage stood at a modest £3.70 per hour—a significant leap from the meager monthly wage of approximately €35 in his home country, Bulgaria. "Next year, the UK minimum wage will be £11.44 per hour. The sales prices haven’t gone up, so logically, there shouldn’t be a soft fruit grower left in the UK. But we’re still here, and are even pretty optimistic," Salih, now the Chief Operating Officer of WB Chambers, shared during the Soft Fruit Congress in Rotterdam last Tuesday.
As one of the largest soft fruit companies in the UK, boasting over 350 hectares of production land, WB Chambers employs around 1700 people during the picking season—most of whom hail from countries other than the UK. “It’s not just the pickers: our company is built on workers like me. Most people, unless in finance, administration, or commerce, originate from different countries," says Salih, adding that approximately 350 of the 1000 inhabitants of his own former home village currently work for WB Chambers.
Looking back on his early days in the UK, Salih admits that he initially held a romanticized view of the work. “I imagined I would be going to a little farm, work in a lively field, with a lot of sun and smiling people. But when arriving in the UK, that image disappeared rapidly: we woke up early, worked long hours, and it was hard.” Despite the initial shock, Salih appreciates the opportunities the experience provided, especially considering his background under communism.
Today, the work remains demanding, but improvements have been made. Salih notes enhanced information dissemination, better training, and more prepared management for new workers, adding improvement of this also became a necessity as the workers are the backbone of the company. "Pickers are seen as low-skilled workers, but who can harvest 22 to 30 kg per hour during 2 to 3 months per year? That’s what’s required to make us sustainable as a company – and that’s not low-skill labor. It might not be academic labor, but it is still high-skill labor," Salih emphasized.
Acknowledging the value of experienced workers, he insists that treating employees well is essential for the sustainability of farm businesses. “Treating people good is a necessity for farm businesses especially when returnees are 25-30 % more productive than the newcomers. We continue to improve our accommodation standards, and ensure workers are treated fairly, otherwise they will not stay.”
Showcase positive practices
When asked if Brexit intensified these challenges, Salih shares a nuanced perspective, asserting that labor issues are global, not confined to Brexit-related concerns. "It might be a controversial vision, but I don’t think the labor problem is a Brexit-only problem," Salih says. “There’s labor problems everywhere: Spain, Morocco, Peru. Even in Bulgaria we do not have Bulgarian people working on the farms. After 22 years of working in the industry in the UK, my own two children do not want to work on the farm. We are not good at selling the farm work as a career to people, and finding enthusiastic people is hard without the right PR, Brexit or not.”
Despite being occasionally associated with exploitation scandals, Salih urges the soft fruit industry to showcase its positive practices and opportunities for workers, as a lot of good work is being done. "As an industry, we offer opportunities for employee development; alongside the positive work in our workers being well treated and respected. That’s something we need to advertise more."
WB Chambers remains optimistic about growth despite high labor costs and recruitment challenges. “We’re a resilient industry, or maybe we’re stupidly optimistic,” Salih says, anticipating advancements in new varieties and growing systems as the key to the industry's future success. With 72 new varieties in trial, WB Chambers is committed to innovation. "In my opinion, the revolution in raspberries still has to happen," Salih asserts, focusing on factors like fruit size, ease of picking, longer seasons, and improved shelf life. Notably, he points out that raspberries, historically weighing 3.5 grams, now reach 10 grams, significantly enhancing speed and efficiency.
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Reprints from the 3/7/2016 Philadelphia Inquirer article:
“The reason for the accelerating shift online is the expanding penetration of online sales across more categories,” said Frank Badillo of MacroSavvy… “As that penetration reaches a critical mass — double-digit market share and higher — then the impact on the largest brick-and-mortar retailers in that category becomes much more evident.”
The winner amid all of this: the shopper.
Especially “those who are omni-shoppers and who know which retail channel and retailer is the best fit for their needs,” Badillo said.
The Columbus Dispatch article is found here.
The Detroit News article is found here.
The Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette article is found here.


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The gaming community has seen games thrive on the iOS App Store, Google Play and Facebook for a plethora of reasons; however, one of the biggest reasons for Candy Crush Saga's success is altogether new.
It's because of all the candy.
That's according to Tommy Palm, the "games guru" — that's his official position — at Candy Crush developer King, who told Polygon that the game's sugar-coated aesthetic helped it find purchase among the game's enormous population of players.
"One thing is the candy thing worked really well," Palm said. "People love candy; all ages. It works, and fits the game. It's a really great theme for a game like this."
During a GDC Europe panel, Palm explained that the game's focus on sweets was a no-brainer, given the delicacy's prominence across the world. There are many, many match-3 games on all three platforms (some of which were even developed by King), but none have been as successful or as saccharine as Candy Crush Saga.
"We saw that early on, when we tried it on our website," Palm said. "We could see how popular it became, especially —we have a lot of women, 25 to 55-years old, and it went really well for that target audience. I think that's the key to why it became such an enormous success. It fits for the whole family, so everybody can play it together."
Candy Crush Saga has found success — to the tune of 600 million plays and, according to the most recent figures from analysis site Think Gaming, over $800,000 a day — despite the fact that it utilizes free-to-pay monetization tactics that are quickly falling out of vogue. Players have a maximum of five attempts they can use on one of the game's hundreds of puzzles in a sitting. If they fail, they lose one of those lives; if they run out entirely, they can either pay to earn more, or wait 30 minutes for one of those lives to respawn.
That kind of time-gating has become decreasingly popular in the free-to-play market, with most devs favoring vanity items or progression-boosting perks. Despite King's going against the grain, Candy Crush Saga certainly isn't hurting because of its business model; in addition, Palm said that a majority of those who have finished the game haven't paid for extra lives.
"The game was designed from the beginning so you can make it to the end without ever having to pay."
"From the start, we focused a lot on the player experience," Palm said. "You have five lives from the start, in a row. You have five fails on any given level, and then you have to wait 30 minutes to get another, to refill a life. The game was designed from the beginning so you can make it to the end without ever having to pay. So, we tried that from beginning. Also, we've gone out and said that of all the people who are on the last level ... 70 percent of the players there didn't pay to get there."
Candy Crush Saga is the most successful game in King's catalog of hundreds of titles. Many of those games live on King's site; that's the easiest place for those games to go, free from the constraints of hardware or the complexities of what Palm called "the social envelope." Candy Crush is the latest one of those games to be taken from the King test bed up to the major leagues, so to speak, and is only the second of King's games to go cross-platform to mobile devices as well.
It's a success, but Palm was hesitant to talk about what potential future the franchise may have. The game has a rigorous update schedule, with the developers churning out around 10 new puzzles ever two weeks, Palm said during the panel. They're also able to adjust the difficulty of the game's more trying puzzles — King specifically reduced the difficulty of the "notorious" Level 65, a puzzle which singlehandedly led to a 40 percent retention drop.
When asked if the game could possibly come to consoles, Palm wasn't ready to rule anything out.
"I don't think we're excluding any of those," Palm said. "We're very much looking into seeing what players are asking for, what platforms to go to next. We'll probably wait to see that there's a substantial audience there first. I mean, if you look at the last generation of consoles, they're pretty small when compared to smartphones and tablets, how many players are right there right now."


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The opposite problem is actually more frequent: people wanting more than their rations
The Iraqi government's Ministerial Council approved a plan to discontinue the distribution of the food rations
program as of March 2013, and pay an amount of money to the Iraqi nationals instead.
Observers say that a ration
card system would be an ideal way to deal with price hikes.
Finally, because so many Americans still fail to realize that we ration
care through price barriers, the powerful anti-rationing rhetoric of today effectively twists an "inconvenient truth" into a convenient lie for political and/or financial gain.
But then who is responsible for issuing bogus ration
cards and how many are fake?
They should be adding products to the ration
book, not taking away from it," said Roberto Rodriguez, a 55-year-old delivery man buying rice, sugar and coffee at an official store in Havana's Vedado neighborhood.
His comments emerged in the very week that one of the world's most heroic and inspirational politicians was sentenced to another 18 months of living on rations
Beret hungry: Soldiers get a taste of the new ration
packs; FOOD FOR HEROES The Army's new multi-climate 24-hour rations
include 16 items: TISSUES; ENERGY DRINK; FRUIT DRINK; TABASCO SAUCE; NUTS WITH FRUIT; CONDIMENTS; PASTA LUNCHTIME POUCH; MUESLI; BAXTERS FRUIT IN SYRUP; SWEETS; HOT CHOCOLATE DRINK; MAIN MEAL OF CURRY OR PASTA; LUCOZADE BAR; ENERGY BAR; FRUIT BAR; OAT BISCUITS
FRONTLINE Merseyside troops fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan have not been provided with any fresh rations
for 40 days.
Private users received a basic ration
of petrol with supplementary allowances for people living in rural areas and people who used their car for work.
It is also worth mentioning that bread was not rationed
until after the war was over.
Samuel Hinkle, Hershey's chief chemist at the time and a future company president, said Logan asked Hershey to develop "a kind of survival ration
." The resulting chocolate bar, with greater nutritional value and a higher melting point than usual, was the beginning of what came to be called a D Ration


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Whataburger is developing a new design for its restaurants.Photo: Courtesy of Whataburger
Did anyone have this on their 2020 bingo card?
This week, iconic Texas fast-food chain Whataburger announced it is making updates to its restaurants' design, including getting rid of the roof's signature 'A' shape.
The renovation rollout started with a location in Whataburger's headquarters of San Antonio. The orange and white color scheme remains, but the roof is as flat as a pancake. It is so generic in its flatness, in fact, that some commenters even went as far as to compare it to — a Wendy's. The horror!
Even by Whataburger's own admission, the reactions have been mixed. James Turcotte, the company's senior vice president of real estate, told CultureMap: "As in all things, some people seem to love it and some had some maybe less-favorable comments. But you know, that’s just the internet, I guess."
Indeed, the internet had some thoughts. Let's start with who's to blame, a long-time favorite pastime on Twitter. The consensus among tweeters points to "Chicago" or the general "Midwest." In June 2019, a Chicago-based investment company bought a majority stake in the Texas-born Whataburger. Much ire ensued.
On HoustonChronicle.com: Whataburger sells majority ownership stake to Chicago investment firm
"Sorry but that ain't Texan... that’s what happens when a Chicago company steps in," said one Twitter user about the new redesign.
Some critics lamented this news in a year already so filled with tragedy. "2020 just keeps on screwing us," said another tweeter.
One user called the new design "boring and bland" and advised Whataburger to "find a new architect." Another said it was "a complete slap in the face" and suggested the company was "appealing to non-Texans."
Thoughtful analysis of the issue was provided in another corner of Twitter: "@Whataburger is putting on a new face that doesn't compare to its iconic A-frame restaurants, which portray a uniqueness and differentiation from other burger joints. Maybe more modern, but it diminishes the appeal and brand equity the company commands from the curb."
The company announcement also mentioned Whataburger's expansion into new markets with the opening of restaurants in Tennessee and Kansas City. The chain currently has restaurants in 10 states. It will also begin franchising for the first time in nearly 20 years. To one tweeter, this last development is "the end of Whataburger as we know it."
Many other commenters said these changes are tolerable, as long as the food stays the same.
"Just don't mess with the honey BBQ chicken strip sandwich and we're good," warned one fan.


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2009 is record year for Vt. maple syrup producers
2009 has proven to be a record-setting year for maple syrup production in Vermont.
According to federal data released last week, Vermont produced 920,000 gallons of maple syrup this year. That's a 30 percent increase over 2008 and the highest since the U.S. Department of Agriculture began tracking production in 1944.
Vermont produced a third of the nation's maple syrup in 2009.


text: For nearly 15 years, Dodge has been known for building trucks that are macho first and comfortable second (or maybe third or fourth). But with its vastly improved Ram pickup, Dodge is proving its trucks aren’t just about big rig road presence and Hemi V-8s but also extraordinarily comfortable interiors and clever new features such as storage compartments incorporated into the bed. Even better, the ride quality promises to set new standards in the segment, thanks to the fitment of a relatively sophisticated coil-spring rear suspension in place of conventional leaf springs. And the Ram certainly hasn’t gone soft in the styling department. Its big, snarling reverse-angle nose makes an even stronger statement than ever before, and it’s hiding a more powerful, 380-hp Hemi. Watch out, F-150.


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Apple reported its Q2 2013 earnings today, saying it made $9.2 billion in net profit.
When Samsung reported earnings for the same quarter a few weeks ago, it posted $8.33 billion in operating profit, although didn't provide net profit numbers.
Apple did post strong iPhone sales numbers for last quarter. It sold 31 million units, a record for the June quarter. But it missed expectations for iPad numbers, selling 14.6 million.
An earlier version of this said Samsung made more profit last quarter, but it was comparing Samsung's operating profit to Apple's. We apologize for the error.


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MojoKid writes "The PC demo for Codemasters' upcoming DirectX 11 racing title, Dirt 2, has just hit the web and is available for download. Dirt 2 is a highly-anticipated racing sim that also happens to feature leading-edge graphic effects. In addition to a DirectX 9 code path, Dirt 2 also utilizes a number of DirectX 11 features, like hardware-tessellated dynamic water, an animated crowd and dynamic cloth effects, in addition to DirectCompute 11-accelerated high-definition ambient occlusion (HADO), full floating-point high dynamic range (HDR) lighting, and full-screen resolution post processing. Performance-wise, DX11 didn't take its toll as much as you'd expect this early on in its adoption cycle." Bit-tech also took a look at the graphical differences, arriving at this conclusion: "You'd need a seriously keen eye and brown paper envelope full of cash from one of the creators of Dirt 2 to notice any real difference between textures in the two versions of DirectX."
volume4 writes "The South African Department of Home Affairs has begun rolling out security enhanced passports to new applicants from this week. A facility in Pretoria which prints the new passports was officially opened last week by the minister of home affairs, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula. The new passports have an embedded RFID chip which stores the owner's biometric information, including personal details, a high-resolution colour photograph and fingerprint information."
An anonymous reader writes: It's not enough for Microsoft to make UAC the most user-protection implementation on the planet, now they're also forcing Administrators to use it. Windows Vista makes it impossible for Administrators to add network printers to a local machine if UAC is disabled. Instead: "The only workaround available to date is to re-enable UAC, restart the PC, add the printer, go through the UAC prompts, disable UAC, and then restart once more."
lonesometrainer writes: "Innotek's virtualization solution VirtualBox is available in a free/opensource and a commercial variant. Unlike XEN or KVM (Paravirtualiziers) and more like VMWare it emulates the hardware available in the VMs (by making use of Qemu). Innotek is no newbie in the virtualization market as they developed the VirtualPC solution together with Connectix. German magazine Heise seems to be pretty satisfied with the product overall (original article in german, google translation). Host systems may be Windows 2000, XP, 2003 Server or 32-bit Linux systems (Innotek is currently working on support for Mac OSX and 64-bit Linux). A wide range of guest systems is supported."
Rob writes: Increased use of free and open source software in Europe could increase the region's competitiveness with the US, according to a European Commission study. "Given Europe's historically lower ability to create new software businesses compared to the US, due to restricted venture capital and risk tolerance, the high share of European FLOSS developers provides a unique opportunity to create new software businesses and reach towards the Lisbon goals of making Europe the most competitive knowledge economy by 2010," states the report.
Geo Kentraci writes: Apple is putting out a call for engineers to join its ranks in an effort to beef up its iPhone as it seeks to push its iPhone out the door by June. Beyond its hunt for computer geeks and hipster iPod project managers, Apple is listing jobs for a number of software and hardware engineers, as well as quality control testers, for its recently debuted iPhone. The company is looking to add 33 positions to its iPhone ranks, ranging from electronic engineers to an engineering project manager for its camera feature to a telephony embedded software engineer to develop more middleware features to add to its library.
The infamous Super Columbine Massacre role-playing game is in the news again after being slammed from Slamdance. But is the game sick or is it a serious examination of the massacre? Unlike most knee-jerk critics, Clive Thompson actually plays the game to find out.
Link to Original Source
Link to Original Source
Kawahee writes: "Coming off previous
/. coverage of The Pirate Bay's intentions to purchase Sealand following it being put up for sale, The Pirate Bay has revealed on it's website www.buysealand.com that it has entered into negotiations with Sealand. From the post:
BuySealand.com is also now sporting a donation meter, and as of the 15th of January it stands at USD $13,714."The Government of Sealand has initiated negotiation. Tomorrow, the ACFI and Government of Sealand will sit down in the SMTP chambers of the Internets to discuss the future of the micronation.
— We welcome the request and hopefully we can settle on a price. But knowing how hard non-kopimistic people can be to negotiate with, we will go with Plan B if they're not willing to meet our demands, press officer of ACFI says.
MattSparkes writes: "It seems that 3D silicon chips, allowing designers to fit more components into a smaller space, could soon be made far easier to create with a little inspiration from a classic children's toy. "Silicon wafers covered with matching patterns of Lego-like teeth and holes could aid the development of 3D electronics, say UK researchers." Crucially, this technique can make use of existing machinery."
jasoncart writes: "Traditionally, gaming's calendar year of expos, conventions, and trade shows doesn't generally kick off in earnest until March's fanfare arrival of the Game Developer's Conference (GDC) in San Francisco, which thus opens the floodgates for a host of industry platform events. However, before July's new-fangled E3 Media and Business Summit (the now scaled back, renamed, and invitation-only E3 of legend) shifts into view alongside August's Penny Arcade Expo (PAX), September's Tokyo Game Show (TGS), and the newly announced and ESA-endorsed Entertainment for All Expo in October (previously known as the Gamepro Expo), it falls to January's annual Consumer Electronics Show to whet our collective appetites-at least where related hardware is concerned."
John Carmichael writes: Tags are everywhere now. Not just blogs, but famous news sites, corporate press bulletins, forums, and even Slashdot. That's why it's such a shame that they're rendered almost entirely useless by the lack of a tagging standard with which tags from various sites and tag aggregators like Technorati and Del.icio.us can compare and relate tags to one another.
I have to say, it would be nice to just learn one way of tagging content and using it everywhere.Depending on where you go and who you ask, tags are implemented differently, and even defined in their own unique way. Even more importantly, tags were meant to be universal and compatible: a medium of sharing and conveying info across the blogosphere — the very embodiment of a semantic web. Unfortunately, they're not. Far from it, tags create more discord and confusion than they do minimize it.


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Amazon jumped into the smartphone fray Wednesday, unveiling the Fire Phone at a press event in Seattle. See also: how to get Amazon Fire Phone in the UK and Amazon Fire Phone release date, price and specs.
In taking the wraps off the much-anticipated phone, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos said it was built out of premium materials. The Fire Phone features Gorilla Glass 3 on both sides, along with a 4.7-inch LCD screen. The phone has a rubberized frame and aluminum buttons.
We'll have more details on the Fire Phone--including a spec breakdown and its pricing and availability--as the Amazon press event continues.


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UK shopping centre investment volumes predicted to hit £6.5bn
Global real estate services provider Savills has forecast an increase in total transaction volumes in the UK shopping centre market.
Savills is predicting that volumes could rise to £6.5bn by the end of 2015, an increase from £6.44bn in 2014. In the first half of the year, £1.634bn were transacted across 32 deals, but this looks set to increase in the second quarter with 28 shopping centres under offer (worth c.£1.25bn), 48 in the market (worth c.£2.24bn) and 18 being prepared for sale (worth c.£750m), the company said.
Increased demand and the sector's popularity with investors has led average net yields to fall from 8.02% to 7.21% year-on-year. The recognition among investors of the premium value of shopping centres in London has also led to "extremely strong bidding."
Nick Hart, head of UK and European shopping centre investment at Savills, comments: “There are a number of significant disposals coming through such as Dundrum Shopping Centre in Dublin, Festival Place in Basingstoke and a stake in Birmingham’s Merry Hill which we believe will see transaction volumes rise to 2006 levels before the end of this year.”
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