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There are more than 2,100 Waffle House restaurants in the U.S., with most located in the Southeast.
The iconic chain of 24/7 diners also has a food truck.
For the right price, it could be catering your next special event.
On its website, Waffle House promotes the food truck, while also splashing some cold water on those expecting to see the waffle on wheels at their next food truck jamboree. Don’t.
Waffle House calls the food truck its “most popular addition,” but says it is “for private events only.”
It lists those potential events as weddings, birthday parties, tailgating, family reunions, corporate events, and Bar and Bat Mitzvahs — among other possibilities.
The truck has been spotted on the campus of Auburn University, the British Open and movie premieres. It also made headlines when it was part of the catering for an Atlanta couples wedding.
“When he told me he was in love with Waffle House, I knew he was the guy for me,” Katherine Sheely said of her husband Scott, per the “Today” show.
So when the couple, originally from South Carolina and Mississippi, tied the knot they had the Waffle House food truck on hand to feed their guests at the reception, according to the “Today” show. The newlyweds even drove up to the truck’s takeout window in a Rolls Royce.
“We can pull up and cook your desired menu choices for you and your guests,” is how Waffle House promoted the food truck.
The price is based on the menu items selected, and how much food is ordered, according to Waffle House’s website. There are additional fees for the rental and for mileage the truck covers, which can include “lodging fees” for employees if the truck travels very far outside of Georgia.
For those curious if the food truck has entered the lexicon of Waffle House storm barometer, the answer is yes, it has.
FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate has used Waffle Houses to determine how bad storms, particularly hurricanes, are impacting an area.
“If you get there and the Waffle House is closed? That’s really bad. That’s where you go to work,” was how Fugate described the informal measurement, according to the Wall Street Journal.
When he learned about the food truck, Fugate added it to his scale.
“If they are responding with the Waffle House food truck because a store is closed due to a disaster — it’s red,” Fugate tweeted.
The FEMA administrator was not the only person to post on social media after discovering that Waffle House has a food truck.
Many rejoiced, while some began their quest to find it, and one person even mounted a campaign to have his town open a Waffle House so it would be eligible to get a visit from the food truck.


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Two critical trade routes, the Panama Canal and the Suez Canal, are at the center of these disruptions. Low water levels at the Panama Canal are restricting the number of ships passing through, while attacks by Yemen's Houthi rebels in the Red Sea are impeding shipping.
For U.S. importers, such as Palmetto Tile Distributors in South Carolina, unexpected impacts have emerged. Even though some products don't typically pass through the Panama Canal, disruptions in the canal affect shipments indirectly, causing delays and backlogs.
Similarly, on the other side of the globe, businesses like Sahadi Fine Foods in Brooklyn, New York, are feeling the pinch. Shipping traffic has been diverted away from the Red Sea, leading to increased costs for imports like Greek olive oil and Lebanese hummus. Shippers are forced to pay additional fees, adding strain to already tight budgets.
As a result of these challenges, some companies are reconsidering their shipping strategies. Adam Miller, the founder and owner of Revel Bikes in Colorado, highlighted the dilemma of increased air freight costs as an alternative to sea shipping. Despite the higher expenses, some businesses are opting for air freight to maintain reliable deliveries and meet customer expectations.
In a significant development for global trade, numerous cargo ships voyaging from Asia to Europe are steering clear of the Red Sea and the Suez Canal due to persistent attacks and hijackings by Houthi militants in response to the Israel-Hamas conflict.
The International Chamber of Shipping, a major trade group, reports that these incidents are causing substantial disruptions, leading to heightened costs and delays across the supply chain.
In the face of these obstacles, businesses are adapting their approaches, ordering more stock to compensate for delays and exploring alternative transportation methods. The hope is that as geopolitical situations stabilize, particularly in the Red Sea region, the shipping industry will see a return to smoother operations. Until then, businesses must navigate these turbulent waters to ensure a steady and reliable supply chain.

domain: news


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Republicans in the US state of North Carolina are getting creamed on social media for their weird new attack on President Joe Biden.
The state’s GOP tweeted a link to a story on inflation and highlighted a line about a restaurant that claimed to have spent an extra $200 a week on mayonnaise. Naturally, the party blamed it on Biden:
Bidenflation strikes Winston-Salem, NC.
“I am paying $200 more a week in mayonnaise.”https://t.co/Hlq4VkpSyf
— NCGOP (@NCGOP) August 10, 2021
However, the article quoted experts who blamed the coronavirus pandemic for recent inflation. And the Biden administration said the price increases were a short-term effect of reopening the economy after a year of closures and shutdowns that will eventually settle.
The article also noted that the price index was up by 5.4 percent. Some Twitter users did the math and calculated that at that rate, a restaurant would have to be spending about $3,700 a week on mayo in order to pay an additional $200 a week for the condiment.
A search of e-commerce sites showed that mayo could be had for $10 to $15 a gallon, depending on the brand, meaning the restaurant would be smearing about 250 to 370 gallons a week.
That’s a lot of mayo, as Twitter users were quick to point out:
What designer drug is “mayonnaise” code for? https://t.co/U2doCdAR4H
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) August 11, 2021
Somebody’s eating WAY too much mayonnaise. https://t.co/apAe6ZdhAH
— Jonah Blank (@JonahBlank) August 10, 2021
And yet Biden REFUSES to open up the Strategic Mayonnaise Reserve! https://t.co/msP4G20QwB
— Matt Murchison 💛🐝 (@MattMurchison) August 11, 2021
“Experts blame inflated prices on high demand due to the pandemic”
Who was President when the pandemic began?
— Pé (@4everNeverTrump) August 10, 2021
This economy is rough on my fast-casual all mayonnaise restaurant https://t.co/um0YDvYOei
— JP Lyninger ⚜🌹 (@JPLyninger) August 11, 2021
As a chef and line cook in a former life, I can confirm that no restaurant uses anything even close to the quantity of mayo this idiot claims to use.
— Honorary Doctor John (@JohnAvignone) August 10, 2021
Just imagine the heroic amounts of mayo this restaurant must be going through https://t.co/R6F1jSkIJl
— Tom Gara (@tomgara) August 11, 2021
You aren’t supposed to inject it directly into a vein https://t.co/KS4fdI2UwI
— Jessica Nutt (@JessicaNutt96) August 11, 2021
oh yeah well i’m paying $1000 more a week in mayonnaise https://t.co/ozrmQwcPlt
— trans bernie (@saoirsegowan) August 11, 2021
Oh my, mayoflation!!!! 🙊🙊
Forget gold, bitcoin, uranium… mine the mayo!!! https://t.co/6Bfg33XA7g
— Cyber Wizard (@DoctorWizard2) August 11, 2021
I thought I was the only one https://t.co/87T9KLzcxH
— Joshua Pugh (@JPughMI) August 11, 2021
I love Duke’s, but was not aware that it was legal tender in North Carolina. https://t.co/Hj0cKJIx19
— eastsidekate (@eastsidekate) August 11, 2021


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Lubricant demand in Brazil jumped to 399,000 metric tons for the first four months of this year, a 5 percent increase compared to the same period of 2018. The results buoyed expectations for the market, which swelled slightly in 2018 after four years of big declines.
Calumet Specialty Products Partners L.P. sold its year-old investment in Biosynthetic Technologies in March, according to Calumets first quarter earnings report. Biosynthetic Technologies is a startup that converts plant oils into synthetic base stocks using proprietary technology.
Calumet Specialty Product Partners L.P. reported net income of more than $16 million for the first quarter, much improved from a net loss in the year-earlier period. Moove - Cosans lubricants production and distribution arm - posted large increases in net revenue and net income for the quarter.
Brazils government is considering a proposed overhaul of its regulations of chemicals - a step that would be in line with the growing numbers of nations giving greater scrutiny to chemicals and which would create new requirements for lubricant companies and others that use them.
The sidelining of base oil plants operated by Venezuelas national oil company may be crippling that nations lubricant industry, but markets elsewhere in South America are managing comfortably, industry insiders and observers say, thanks to dependence on other sources and plentiful supplies from the United States.
Croda International is seeing the fruits of its strategic investments in Brazil, with subsidiary Croda do Brasil completing the first full-year of operations at its specialty polymer site - which can produce surfactants used in lubricant applications - in the southeastern Brazilian state of Sao Paulo.
After several years of tribulation, Brazils economy is making a much-awaited recovery. An economist said recently that that recovery is of great interest to the nations lubricant market and - given its status as far the largest and most populated country in Latin America - to those of neighboring countries.
Base oil imports to Brazil have increased sharply in 2018, jumping 38 percent in the first five months of the year compared to the same period of 2017, according to a speaker at an industry conference in Rio de Janeiro last month.
After several years of decline, Brazil's lubricant industry is showing signs of reviving, according to speakers at an industry conference in Rio de Janeiro last week. Sales from January through April increased 5.9 percent year over year, and demand is forecast to rise an average of 2 percent annually for the next four years.
Petrobras blending plant in Duque de Caxias, Brazil, will be one of the worlds five largest when an expansion there is completed in 2020, the company said last week. Brazils largest lube supplier intends to use that capacity to boost sales both at home and abroad.
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It's time to check the settings app for a software update again. The firm maintained its Overweight rating and $196 price target on Apple stock in the note that included the results of the survey and explained why the stock is pressured right now. We have seen countless of reports that tips tens of millions of consumers have been holding out for iPhone X, these Apple loyal fans have been patiently waiting get their hands on the first radically redesigned iPhone since dating back in 2014. Additionally, over two-thirds expect to purchase the watch with cellular functionality, putting upward pressure on ASPs. As for the iPad Pro models for 2018, we still do not have a clear idea as to when Apple plans to update that lineup.
We are not pointing about the top sides on either edge of the "notch" located at the top of the iPhone X's OLED Super Retina display, but it is indeed annoying too. See support.apple.com for more information. In the year-ago period, Apple reported revenue of $46.9 billion and gross margin of 38%. She feels that there's significant pent-up demand for the iPhone, a bullish argument we've been hearing for at least a year. The thing that is doubting about the upcoming release of the iPhone X is that Apple has already released the iPhone 8. Further, 14% of non-iPhone users plan to switch, versus 12% previously.
The most common phishing attacks are usually deployed via e-mail and are designed to trick the victim into clicking a malware-infected link or giving up their details which can be used to burrow into their digital life.
Meanwhile, the Apple iPhone X, the company's flagship smartphone for 2017 is all set for public release on November 3, just a few weeks from now. This year's models include the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus, as well as the company's 10th anniversary, fully redesigned edition known as iPhone X (pronounced "iPhone Ten"). He feels that the Trump administration's policy changes could be a major stepping stone to helping Apple stock push the company toward a $1 trillion valuation.
- Canciller dominicano rumbo a Chile a Foro SICA-Chile
- Detenido gerente de Banesco en Amazonas por ilícitos financieros
- Trump firma orden ejecutiva y se lanza contra Obamacare
- Nomina Trump a experta cibernética al Departamento de Seguridad Interna
- Cuatro reos se fugaron esta madrugada de la cárcel de San Felipe
- Pastrana pidió juicio de indignidad contra Juan Manuel Santos
- Técnico del Porto explota contra Osorio
- "No tardes, conéctate hoy" lema del Día Mundial de la Artritis
- Trump May Visit The DMZ On His Trip To Korea
- Tiendas Martí causa polémica por evitar beso gay en filmación


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The second generation Galaxy A5 has been leaking a lot lately, so maybe it will get official soon.
The device is manufactured by Japan-based OEM Freetel, and will go on sale in the country on November 30.
Users from Germany, the Netherlands, and Spain are reporting on Reddit that their bank accounts have been charged.
The new model involves giving more freedom to divisions, so profitable areas do not get bogged down by poor mobile sales.
The device comes with 16MP/8MP camera combo and a large 4000mAh battery.
That's good news especially for those planning to purchase the Lumia 950 XL given that the device isn't available to order online currently.
The much-rumored device is supposed to be Nokia's first after having sold its smartphone business to Microsoft.
The release comes around two weeks after T-Mobile started selling this particular color version.
This tablet is going to be the much-delayed successor to the original Shield Tablet with a Tegra K1 chipset.
The new software release focuses on various SD card related improvements.
The handset was spotted on the OEM's Iran website, confirming almost all its specs.
The leaked specs reveal a solid mid-range device, possibly an answer to the new Xiaomi Redmi Note 3.
Front and rear 2MP cameras, both with an LED flash, in this latest Series 30+ feature phone.
The LG Ray is aimed at 3G markets and will come with an easy to swallow price tag.
For three days, you can purchase the OnePlus 2 without an invite in India.
The device received Bluetooth certification last week and was also recently spotted on AnTuTu.
Those planning to order to the phone now are out of luck as the handset is currently out of stock at Microsoft Store.
© 2000-2015 GSMArena.com


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Epic apologizes for releasing Fortnite’s Gunner Pet, offers refunds
Epic Games has pulled Fortnite’s new Gunner Pet from sale and is refunding all purchases following complaints that it is too similar to a previous Battle Pass item.
The Gunner Pet was priced at 1,000 V-Bucks, but is basically just a reskin of the Bonsey back bling included in the season six pass. Anyone who purchased the pet will be getting their 1,000 V-Bucks back “within the next couple of days” along with an additional 200 V-Bucks.
“We should not have released the Gunner Pet and apologize for doing so,” the developer wrote in a post on Reddit. “Within the next couple of days, all purchases of Gunner will be refunded for the full amount of 1000 V-bucks as well as an additional 200 V-bucks and the Pet will be removed from the Locker.
“Anyone who purchased Gunner and refunds it prior to this make-good will instead receive 200 V-bucks and a replacement Refund Token that can be put towards any eligible items that were purchased within the past 30 days.”
Yesterday, Epic released a new update for Fortnite that brought back the Retail Row location and Fiends.
Fortnite is available now on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, PC, iOS, and Android.
Matt is one of the longest-serving members of the EGMNOW team. An ability to go many hours without sleep and a quick wit make him ideal for his role as associate editor at EGMNOW.com. He often thinks back to the days when the very idea of this career seemed like nothing but an impossible dream.


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The weird and wonderful has been unleashed at a wearable art competition.
Art Couture NZ brought its first fashion show to life in Tai Tapu attracting about 150 people through the door.
The show judged by designer Loretta Sloan and artists Steve Henderson and Blanche Fryer featured about 29 designs from residents both in Selwyn and beyond.
Organiser Kim Strange said the show has received a lot of postive feedback and is already looking at possible venues and dates for next year’s show.
“We are just looking at venues because we will need to go bigger,” she said.
Mrs Strange said people were stunned at the quality of the garments and people’s creativity.
“It was just nice watching everyone’s faces. You just saw everyone getting a lot of pleasure from it . . . we have got very clever people,” she said.
The competition hosted by Christchurch city councillor Anne Galloway had costumes ranging from a phoenix-styled dress to futuristic-themed.
Mrs Strange said several Lincoln High School students went to the show and will enter next year.
The audience also had the chance to mix with the designers and models at supper time.
“People were able to see the outfits up close and go and talk to the designers to see how they made them . . . they seemed to enjoy that,” Mrs Strange said.
Winners of Art Couture NZ’s first wearable arts competition categories:
•Students under 20 – Lincoln resident Amie Parker for “The Futuristic Dress Code.”
•Garments using recycled materials – Auckland resident Leanne Day for “Madame Bride.”
•Open category – Upper Riccarton resident Linda Crooks for “A Window on Christchurch.”
•Hardware catergory – Lincoln resident Lee Parker for “Phoenix.”
•Sow’s Ear using a mix of provided materials – Weedons resident Tracey Hollands for “Jesticulate.”
•Supreme winner: Auckland resident Leanne Day for “Madame Bride.”


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It’s awful quiet at Louisville’s landmark record store, ear X-tacy.
The store, which has come close to closure twice in the past year and eight months, reportedly did not open today. The shop’s Twitter account, http://twitter.com/earxtc, has vanished, and its Facebook page has been quiet since late Friday morning—unusual, given the high amount of online and onsite activity.
Although rumors of John Timmons’ shop definitely may be premature, many people are concerned.
“The lights were off. But it certainly wasn't open today. I tried to pick up a CD I ordered. On Wednesday they told me it would be there on Saturday to pick up,” reports one Facebook commenter, Cherise Mingus. Twitter has also been abuzz with people asking what’s going on.
Placards listing the store's hours of operation have been removed.
It is known that at least two employees are on vacation this week; let’s hope that someone just forgot to pay the light bill. Or got a little too friendly with the zombies at Thursday night’s Zombie Prom, held at the store.
Ear X-tacy opened in 1985 and has several Highlands locations before settling south of the Douglass Loop at 2226 Bardstown Road in June of 2010.
More on this story as it develops.
UPDATE 12:50 P.M. Sunday: Ear X-tacy remains closed today and will issue a statement tomorrow, Monday, October 31.


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projected healthy earnings, saying its third-quarter results will top Wall Street's estimate and full-year earnings could also come in above forecasts.
The company estimated third-quarter earnings per share will be in the mid- to upper-70-cent range, above analysts' mean estimate of 72 cents. Comparable earnings a year earlier were 76 cents a share.
Wyeth also reiterated its forecast for full-year earnings of $2.80 to $2.90 a share, excluding charges, but noted that 2005 results will "more than likely" meet or exceed the top end of that range if current trends continue. Analysts polled by Thomson First Call have a mean estimate for earnings of $2.92 a share.
Wyeth had already raised its full-year targets in June from its original guidance of $2.70 to $2.80 a share. The Madison, N.J., company's forecasts exclude restructuring charges and a planned charge related to repatriating earnings under the American Jobs Creation Act.
For 2006, Wyeth expects earnings will rise in the high single-digit range from 2005, assuming an adjustment of about 17 cents a share related to expensing stock options. According to First Call, analysts project 2006 earnings of $3.12 a share.
Wyeth shares recently changed hands at $46.27, up 20 cents, or 0.4%, after hours.


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GameStop (NYSE: GME) is adding another fold to its used video games business, and it's probably not one that investors should be celebrating. On Nov. 19, the company will roll out a program that lets members rent used video games. Subscribers to the PowerPass service will have the opportunity to take a used title from the store, come back and swap it out for a different one, and repeat this process as many times as they like within a six-month period.
Even better for consumers, they'll even get to keep the last game that they have rented through the service, and it all costs only $60. That sounds like a pretty sweet deal for GameStop customers, but it's one that the company's shareholders are right to be apprehensive about.
PowerPass shows used-game weakness
GameStop's stock has slumped roughly 5% following the announcement of its rental service on Oct. 27 and now trades in the range of five-year lows. It's not hard to see why. On some level, the PowerPass program is an admission that the outlook for its used software business is worse than previously anticipated. Even more troubling, the service could actually further weaken the segment and accelerate its decline.
New and used software sales are GameStop's core profit drivers, and both are under threat as more consumers opt to purchase games through digital downloads. Similar to the way that downloading and streaming reshaped the home entertainment industry and rendered outfits like Blockbuster irrelevant, digital distribution is gradually hollowing out the video game retail business.
From a long-term vantage, this transition appears to be inevitable, and there's not much that GameStop or other retailers can do to stop it. On the other hand, how fast this transition takes place and how the affected businesses operate in the meantime remain crucial questions. GameStop needs its video game business to remain as sturdy as possible while the company shifts to growth segments like collectibles, mobile hardware, and wireless service sales. Any move from the retailer that could speed the decline of its software sales deserves intense scrutiny.
There's a real threat that GameStop is devaluing its used game business with programs like PowerPass. Granted, the retailer likely has more insight into inventory trends and other facets that indicate whether its new rental service can be a fruitful development, but there's the dangerous potential for a backfire here.
Last fiscal year, GameStop's pre-owned and value video game products segment accounted for 26% of sales and 46% of gross profit. The PowerPass program could also put a dent in its new-game sales. Used copies generally hit shelves shortly after a game's release, so members of the program won't have to wait long until the biggest new games are available for rental. Combined new and used software sales accounted for 55% of sales and 80% of profits last year, so it's crucial that GameStop has made a smart calculation by getting into the rental business.
What's the upside?
It's possible that the PowerPass program will encourage more traffic at the company's stores. Last quarter saw same-store sales traffic decline 8.9% year over year, and limiting further declines is an important priority.
If subscription members regularly travel to its stores to swap out their rented game, the company will have the opportunity to pitch preorders for upcoming software and hardware and also convert sales in other categories. This could be a boon as the company aims to increase sales of pop-culture collectibles at its stores.
Change isn't always good
Efforts to keep up with the impact of digital sales on its core software businesses should generally be welcomed, but GameStop's new program could actually offer too much value. At the very least, it highlights the retailer's precarious position.
As someone who has been eyeing GameStop as a potential buy based on its hefty dividend yield (now at roughly 8%) and solid performance for its growth businesses, the introduction of the PowerPass rental program makes me less bullish on the company, even after recent sell-offs.
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Communications Manager for the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), James Lartey, says owner of Mama Gee empire is currently being investigated for flouting FDA laws.
Elizabeth Torgbor aka Mama Gee, who operates Mama Gee empire sells sex enhancement drugs, and attraction sprays and oils has been arrested by the Food and Drugs Authority together with personnel from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).
Mama Gee also sells herbal “concoctions” for vaginal douching which tightens the vaginal walls.
Speaking to Ekourba Gyasi on Atinka AM Drive Thursday Morning, Communications Manager for the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), James Lartey said the authority upon information from undisclosed sources stormed the premises of Mama Gee in Madina and asked her to stop operations with immediate effect.
He added that the lady in question ignored this warning and continued to sell the drugs which led to her arrest Wednesday.
He cautioned users of the such products to be mindful of their health and think twice when consuming products that can have dire consequences on their health.
“In order for you to manufacture any product, you need to be regulated and registered. For any producer to advertise a product, it needs the approval of the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) it does not matter the platform on which it will be advertised…she is selling products that has not been approved and her claims cannot be substantiated, we will investigate and take necessary actions” he added.
He revealed that samples of the drugs have been submitted with the police for laboratory investigations to take place.
Ghana | Atinkaonline.com | Vivian Adu Boatemaa


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(Le Mars) — Do you look at food labels when selecting your food items? An Iowa State University Extension State Food Nutritionist and professor of Food Sciences says rather than looking at the cover label of a food item, consumers should turn to the back or the side of the package and read the ingredients
label. Ruth Litchfield was the speaker at the Dine At The County Line event held last evening. Litchfield says food companies tend to mislead consumers into thinking the product may be healthier based on the cover labeling.
Litchfield tells of an example of deceptive labeling found on two separate fruit snacks.
The Food Science instructor says many times food companies will make a statement to play on the consumer’s emotions when purchasing a food product.
She points to poultry products as an example when companies say their poultry contains no antibiotics, when in fact no poultry products contain antibiotics because it is against the law to do so.
Another tactic food companies may use in their labeling is to say their product is GMO free, meaning their product does not contain any Genetically Modified Organisms. Litchfield says only ten crops have been approved to be genetically modified, and when food companies make the claim, it is merely
a sales tactic.
Litchfield says food labeling can be informative for a consumer, but it can also be confusing.
The goal, or mission, of the Dine At The County Line is to provide accurate information about food production to influential consumers such as teachers, health officials, and elected political officials. Litchfield praised the efforts of the organizers of the “Dine At The County Line” for creating the platform that allows conversations to take place regarding food production.
Nearly 130 people attended last evening’s “Dine At The County Line” event held on a picturesque farm owned by Lowell and Judy Vos between Le Mars and Lawton.


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Orbit International Corp. reported second-quarter net income dropped to $199,000 from $917,000 a year ago as net sales dropped to $7.5 million from $8.3 million.
The Hauppauge-based maker of electronic components took a $1.2 million net loss for the first six months of its fiscal year, dropping into the red, compared to $1.4 million profit over the same time period last year.
The loss was due to a $1.2 million one-time charge related to employment contract provisions triggered by the departure of Chief Operating Officer Bruce Reissman in July. Excluding the charge, Orbit eked out an $18,000 profit for the first six months of its fiscal year.
The company’s second-quarter sales fell due to lower shipments from its power group and instrument division, where the firm said revenue was affected by customer delivery schedules favoring the second half of the year.
Orbit also experienced lower gross margins at its electronics and power groups than a year ago, resulting from a change in product mix and lower sales.
“As expected, our 2012 quarterly operating performance has been uneven,” CEO Mitchell Binder said. “As a result of our backlog and projected delivery schedules, we continue to project better operating results in the second half of the year.”
But Binder said based on results so far, even excluding charges related to Reisman’s departure, Orbit still expects results for 2012 to be slightly lower than the prior year.
More breaking news
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- Yahoo plays catch-up in messaging with video texting app
- Microsoft debuts Windows 10: Why it’s being given away free
- Inked: Recent Long Island real estate deals
- Q & A with Robert Scott


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[the-post-grid id=”495″ title=”Blog”]
Think nothing can take the place of a juicy, perfectly cooked burger? Try a plate of fried grasshoppers.
Okay, so they won’t exactly taste the same — and it may be tough to even stomach the thought of munching on bugs. But experts say that nutritionally speaking, they’re a good substitute for beef, and may be a valuable food source of the future.
The idea of eating insects isn’t new. They’ve long been included in traditional diets of cultures around the world, and a 2013 report from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations noted that more than 1,900 insect species have been documented as food sources globally.
Americans aren’t so keen on consuming the critters, but bugs have crept into some Western food products in recent years. Cricket flour, for example, has become a popular ingredient in the high-protein, low-carb Paleo diet. (One tester’s verdict on crickets in chocolate chip cookies? Tastes like walnuts!)
Read Amanda MacMillan‘s Huffington Post article here
Water beetles the size of a Post-It note are on the menu at Nue, a trendy restaurant on Capitol Hill. They’re full-bodied, winged, and you have to suck the meat from their abdomens.
Nearby at Poquitos, an upscale Mexican restaurant, are spicy chapulines, or grasshoppers, that taste vaguely of flour.
And down the hill, about once a year, The Carlile Room has snails on the menu. These are fancy snails, $76 for 8 ounces, and they are raised lovingly at a modest escargotiere on the Olympic Peninsula run by Ric Brewer.
“We’re eating bugs every day whether we know it or not — might as well do it purposefully,” Brewer said. “It’s growing but not quite a huge industry yet. It will be as traditional protein prices go up.”
Some Seattle chefs are experimenting with bugs – full of protein, low in fat, they say – at restaurants across Seattle. Some of these aren’t too surprising (grasshoppers), but others ask more of their diners, like the water beetle, which looks like a cockroach and tastes like an apple Jolly Rancher dipped in salt.
Read the rest of Ruby de Luna & Jenna Montgomery‘s article on kuow.org


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Auchan Retail has been a committed retailer for 55 years. We change with the world around us. One of our driving ambition is to change people’s lives, by meeting the needs of today’s purchase- and health-conscious consumers looking for an omni-channel shopping experience.
We gain our customers’ trust by offering exclusive, high-quality and healthy products. We trust our employees to give each customer their very best and the very best of Auchan Retail.
We count on innovation and digital technology to build a unique customer relationship and reinvent the retail trade. Our openness to new ways of thinking and doing provides opportunities for our employees to enhance their skills.
Tomorrow, we see ourselves as a retail champion in each of our countries, recognised by our customers as a retailer that is both responsible and attentive to their needs and by our employees as a top employer.
Our latest news
Auchan categorically denies opening new shops in Russia
Following the publication by Reuters of a false information that has now been taken up by several European media, Auchan categorically denies the opening of a new shop in Russia.
Auchan Retail’s position
After reading the investigation carried out by Le Monde, the press groups BellingCat and The Insider, Auchan Retail wishes to comment and categorically denies the facts reported by this investigation and their interpretation.
The Auchan Foundation honors one year of actions around its vocation: “Good accessible food that brings people together”.
On the occasion of the World Food Day, the Auchan Foundation honors one year of actions around its vocation: "Good accessible food that brings people together".(…)
Auchan Retail reaffirms its commitment in the fight against plastic pollution
Auchan Retail reaffirms its commitment in the fight against plastic pollution and considers unfounded the position of 3 non-governmental organizations on the non-respect of its duty of care on this subject.
Travelling the world
Auchan Retail has operations in 13 countries across 3 continents.
Who we are?
Auchan has been a committed retailer for 55 years, a changing retailer in a changing world. Our ambition now is to meet today’s purchase- and health-conscious omni-channel consumers, with the goal of bringing change to their lives!


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A nasal spray that can protect against Covid-19 is now ‘ready for use in humans
A nasal spray that can provide effective protection against Covid-19 is now ready for use in humans, according to researchers.
Inhibiting the infection
Researchers conducted experiments designed to test the ability of the nasal solution to inhibit infection.
While the study has not yet been peer-reviewed, findings have shown that cell-virus cultures inhibited the infection up to 48 hours after being treated with the solution, and when diluted many times.
The spray is composed of two polysaccharide polymers, the first of which is an antiviral agent called carrageenan, commonly used in foods as a thickening agent. The second is a solution called gellan, which was selected for its ability to stick to cells inside the nose.
The gellan is an important component as it is able to be sprayed into fine droplets inside the nose. Once inside, it covers the surface evenly and stays where it was directed, rather than sliding downwards and out of the nose.
The materials are already widely used in medical devices, medicines and some food products, meaning that the normally complex process of taking a new product to market is much simpler.
As such, the spray could be commercially available very quickly.
Lead author on the paper, Dr Richard Moakes, said: “This spray is made from readily available products that are already being used in food products and medicines and we purposely built these conditions into our design process.
“It means that, with the right partners, we could start mass production within weeks.”
How does it work?
The spray works by catching and coating the virus inside the nose from where it can usually be removed, such as by either nose-blowing or swallowing.
Because the virus is trapped in the thick coating of the spray, it is prevented from being uptaken by the body. This means that the viral load in the body will be reduced and if virus particles are passed on to another person via a sneeze or cough, that person is less likely to be infected.
However, the product will not replace existing measures, such as wearing masks and handwashing, which are still vital to preventing the spread of the virus, but it will add a second layer of protection and help to slow virus transmission.
The team believe the spray could be particularly useful in areas where crowding is less avoidable, such as aeroplanes or classrooms, and with regular application, it could significantly reduce the spread of the disease.


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Combustion of fuel in vehicles has always been among the top contributors to air pollution and emission of greenhouse gases that harm the planet’s atmosphere. But Unioil Petroleum Philippines, Inc. wants to prove that players in the gasoline industry can initiate changes in business practices and development of products to become environmentally responsible.
“‘Doing Our Part’ is a campaign that aims to make everyone realize that change in society need not be difficult,” said Unioil President Kenneth Pundanera during the recent launch of the company’s latest initiative. “Change begins with regular individuals in small but meaningful decisions, which when collectively and consciously done will lead to much greater results.”
“It’s not solely an environmental campaign. Rather, it is a campaign that aims to inspire any kind of action that helps build a better world,” he continued. Through ‘Doing Our Part,’ Unioil encourages everyone to be more conscious of his/her decisions, which may pose impact to the surroundings. The independent oil retailer has pioneered in adopting these four innovative ways to become an environment advocate in its industry.
First to adopt Euro 5 fuel standards in PH
“Unioil has constantly been the industry leader in bringing the cleanest fuels to the market, having been the first to bring the key air compliant Euro 2 fuels in 2002, Euro 4 fuels in 2013, and Euro 5 fuels in 2017,” said Unioil Chief Financial Officer Janice Co Roxas-Chua.
In September, the company became the first to shift its entire fuel lineup to comply with Euro 5 standard requirements. “After we shifted our entire lineup with Euro 5 standards, we became the first and still the only company in the Philippines to introduce Euro 5 diesel, Euro 5 regular gasoline, and Euro 5 premium gasoline—the cleanest range of high performance fuel,” Pundanera emphasized.
Euro 5 standard fuels contain maximum sulfur content of 10 parts per million compared to Euro 4 standard’s 50 parts per million. Thus, it is five times cleaner. Sulfur is among the main pollutants in fuel as it transforms into sulfur dioxide, which when retained in the atmosphere causes smog and acid rain. By using Euro 5 fuels, you could significantly lower your car’s harmful emissions by up to 77% without spending more.
“Doing Our Part starts with the realization that we have the power of choice. Let’s start by using the cleanest range of high performance fuels,” Puntanera said.
Air quality monitoring in gas stations
Since the launch of Unioil’s Airvisual project in 2016, air quality monitoring devices have already been installed in the company’s 27 out of 60 gas stations across the country.
Such devices utilize advanced laser technology that allows measurement volume of particulate matter (PM) 2.5 in the air—mini-particles that are 20 times smaller than the human hair strand. This is a very significant measure of air quality since particles of such size could enter the human lungs.
The Airvisual monitoring devices transmit live air quality data to the web, making it possible for just about anyone to check out air quality conditions in cities through a downloadable smartphone app. “Soon, we hope to share our air monitoring results through DENR’s own quality monitoring site, thereby increasing the number of air quality monitors in our cities,” said Pundanera.
First hybrid gasoline station in the country
This year, Unioil launched its first hybrid gasoline station—the one located along Congressional Avenue in Quezon City. The service station is the company’s and the country’s first to be partially powered by the sun, which is among the cleanest and most efficient energy sources available from nature.
To make this happen, a Smartflower solar system panel was installed in the store. Smartflower is a globally recognized brand for intelligent solar energy solutions with the unique sun-tracking technology that automatically makes adjustments based on sun’s movement throughout the day. Despite its higher cost, it is up to 40% more efficient in producing energy compared to conventional stationary panels. A Smartflower unit also helps reduce Unioil’s carbon foot print by up to 4.7 metric tons annually, which is equivalent to planting about 5,000 trees.
The country’s first electric vehicle charging station
“Alternative energy is the single biggest threat to the profitability of the oil industry. Yet, we are the first in the industry to fully embrace it,” said Roxas-Chua. “We are the first to open a vehicle charging station in one of our retail stations (in Quezon City) and we plan to build 15 more by 2018.”
According to Pundanera, putting up such electric vehicle charging stations is the company’s way of promoting the use of electric vehicles, which produce much less emission compared to conventional fuel-combustion cars. “Installed side by side with the Smartflower solar panels, we believe the next step forward is to harness the sun’s energy to power our vehicles,” he said.


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WHAT IS THE DIMENSION OF THE CHINESE ECONOMY?
Since reforms focused on market opening began in 1978, China has experienced the longest sustained growth in
history, resulting in spectacular
social development and taking more than 800 million people out of poverty. You do want to know more about The Chinese Economy by continuing to read this article. The Chinese economy.
Today, China is the second largest economy in the world and plays an increasingly relevant role in the international economic landscape.
In 2016, the GDP of the Chinese economy
reached USD 11.1 trillion, representing annual growth of 6.7%.
In recent years, the growth of the Chinese economy has moderated: according to international monetary fund estimates, its GDP is
expected to grow to 6.6% in 2017 and to 6.2% in 2018.
This is causing the Chinese authorities to focus on ensuring sustainable growth and facilitating
the transition to an economy based on higher value-added sectors.
Despite being one of the world’s leading economies, China had a per capita income of USD 13,900 in 2016 and continues to be classified by the OECD as a middle-income
WHAT IS THE ACTUAL SIZE OF The Chinese economy.?
When considering the Chinese market, it is necessary to take into account the strong inequalities that
have been generated between the different provincesand between rural and urban environments during
China’s development process.
We must consider potential consumers of
imported products not to all people in China, but to the urban middle class,which is estimated to currently
amount to around 225 million.
In this regard, account must be taken of the rapid growth that this middle class
In 2000, only 5 million people were considered middle class, while by 2020 the figure is expected to rise to 500 million. If so, china’s middle class would in itself be the third largest market in the world.
Among the most
populous cities are Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou( Guangzhou); very close to the latter, there are also other important urban population centers, such as Hong Kong, Shenzhenand


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Here is a list of products that are set to get cheaper and those that are going to get more expensive as a result of the announcements made by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman at the Union Budget 2022.
Items That Will Become Cheaper
This is the TL;DR version:
Gemstones and diamonds
Mobile phones and mobile phone parts
Domestic electronic wearable devices
Electronic smart meters
And here are the details:
Cut and polished diamonds: Customs duty on cut and polished diamonds and gemstones is being reduced to 5 percent. A simply sawn diamond will attract nil customs duty.
Mobile phone parts: Duty concessions will be given to the transformer of mobile phone chargers, the camera lens of the mobile camera module, and certain other items.
Wearables and hearables: Customs duty rates are being calibrated to provide a graded rate structure to facilitate domestic manufacturing of wearable devices, hearable devices, and 28 electronic smart meters.
Steel scrap: The customs duty exemption given to steel scrap last year is being extended for another year to provide relief to MSME secondary steel producers.
Items That Will Become Costlier
All imported items
Umbrellas - Duty on umbrellas is being raised to 20 percent. The exemption to parts of umbrellas is being withdrawn.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)


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Red Lantern completed its last dinner service last night, Sunday, December 9th at 235 Shrewsbury Street in Worcester. One block away, British Beer Company, located at 225 Shrewsbury Street, recently announced that it is also closing up shop to make room for the future home of Mexicali Mexican Grill.
With 54 new common victualer licenses awarded in Worcester during 2017 alone, closings are not unusual. The common victualer license permits establishments to cook, prepare, and serve food, making it a good indication of the volume of new eateries opening in any given year. According to the Massachusetts Restaurant Association, restaurants added 88,000 jobs across the US in October 2017.


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MindLab, a cross-ministerial innovation unit in Denmark, hosted the seminar titled ‘How Public Design?’ for the second time on 2 and 3 September.
This event gathered a distinguished group of decision-makers, researchers, experts and consultants of social change. As the previous event, the theme itself was subject to continuous reflection: what was ‘how public design’ actually referring to? Most of the participants could agree that we were talking about a particular kind of ‘human-centered design’ approach. But was it a specific kind of thinking, process or method? Was it about exploring and characterizing a specific mentality or even personality as a ‘public designer’? Or was ‘public design’ perhaps a way of reframing ‘public sector change’ or ‘public policy’?
A reflection by Jesper Christiansen.
We are an international experience design consultancy helping companies and organisations to innovate their products, services and processes by putting people and their experiences first.
Patient-centricity is one of the defining issues facing clinical trials in the pharma industry. The past few years have seen a growing awareness by pharmaceutical companies of the importance of patient-centricity – but they have also illustrated that not everyone is clear on just what patient-centricity is, or how to achieve it. After using UX […]
Every year, the Energy-efficient Buildings (EeB) Public Private Partnership (PPP) publishes the EeB PPP project review – a round-up of energy-efficiency projects that have been co-funded by two European Commission schemes. This year, the print and digital booklet design was done by Experientia, in particular by our talented visual and interaction designer Dohun Jang. Experientia […]
One of the things we do here at Experientia that really sets us apart from other UX agencies is behavioral modeling. Our cognitive and behavioral models go beyond the standard customer journeys and personas (both useful tools, and often preliminary steps to behavioral modeling) to create frameworks that can be used to make people more […]
Arti Mulchand reports in the Straits Times, Singapore’s main newspaper, on Experientia’s “Design for Ageing Gracefully” project: Putting faces to end-users early in the design process is changing the way designers and organisations are approaching products aimed at Singapore’s growing elderly demographic. Experientia’s ethnographic study, which was commissioned by DesignSingapore Council in a collaboration with […]
Experientia is pleased to announce that we’ve started 2016 with a brand new website. Experientia’s now officially 10 years old, and we decided that the best way to celebrate is by building a new website that showcases our growth – with new projects, new people in the staff, and two new locations in Lausanne and […]


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Samsung Electronics will launch the Samsung Flip, its 60-inch range interactive digital flipchart, in Europe next year, aimed at the education sector there.
Chemtronics, which contract-produces the flipcharts, will likely benefit from the expanded sales plan.
Samsung’s Visual Display (VD) business plans to ship around tens of thousands of Samsung Flip next year.
Samsung Flip supports touch. It looks like a kiosk but supports file sharing from notebooks, smartphones and other devices. It also supports Wi-Fi, NFC, HDMI and USB standards. Data on the chart can be shared via email or the cloud.
It also has a Passive Pen which acts like a marker for white boards. Taking out the pen from Samsung Flip will activate it. Consumers can also use their hands to erase texts on the display. Drawings on the chart are also automatically saved around every minute.
Samsung is reacting to increasing demand for digital devices in education in Europe.
Chemtronics is the exclusive OEM for the units heading for Europe. South Korean analysts expect Chemtronics’ sales to jump 20% this year compared to 2019 to 495 billion won. Samsung Flip production will likely contribute to this growth.
Samsung will likely expand its OEMs for the Flip next year when shipment increases.
Samsung unveiled the first 55-inch UHD resolution Samsung Flip at CES in 2018. It launched Samsung Flip 2 last year in 55-inch and 65-inch sizes.


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Japanese reports are claiming that Microsoft has made the decision to slash the price of the Xbox in the country, in an attempt to compete with the rejuvenated PlayStation, which enjoyed a retail snip last week.
According to one report in the Nihon Shimbun, a price slash to 16,800 yen is planned for the stand-alone machine. The story also claims that a bundle entitled ?Xbox Platinum Package? will be announced later this week, which comprises an Xbox, console overlay sticker, two pads, a DVD kit and Project Gotham Racing 2 for 19.800 yen
The prices work out at around £90 for the stand-alone and £110 for the bundle, truly impressive value.
In other news, we can reveal that senior Microsoft strategists have been in meetings late into the night over the past two days, discussing the future of the Xbox in Europe. We report this only due to the seriousness of the discussion, the level of those attending and the fact that at this critical point in the Xbox?s lifespan, serious decisions are being made in something of a rushed manner.
We?ll keep you fully updated on all Xbox matters, worldwide.


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ViacomCBS reported its fourth-quarter financials on Wednesday, which includes the studio getting to 19.2 million U.S. streaming subscribers, up 71 percent year-over-year.
As of Sept. 30, the company had already reached 17.9 million domestic streaming subscribers. The latest quarterly performance is ahead of the 18 million U.S. streaming customers the studio had forecast this summer after an original forecast of 16 million. ViacomCBS’ global streaming subscriber base grew to 30 million, up 56 percent year-over-year.
ViacomCBS also saw a return to advertising revenue growth, up 4 percent to $3.14 billion on higher streaming and political advertising during the latest quarter. That followed a 6 percent decline in the third quarter and a 27 percent decrease in the second quarter amid pandemic challenges.
The company, created in December 2019 via the recombination of Viacom and CBS Corp., reported CBS All-Access and Showtime’s streaming service saw their best quarters ever for new customer sign-ups. And Pluto TV grew its global monthly active users to 43 million.
ViacomCBS reported overall revenues up 3 percent to $6.87 billion, in part on higher affiliate revenue. For the three months to Dec. 31, 2020, the studio swung to a profit of $810 million, or $1.27 per-share, compared to a year-earlier loss of $258 million, or a per-share loss of 49 cents. The adjusted per-share earnings was $1.04, compared to a year-earlier 92 cents.
ViacomCBS’ TV entertainment revenues was virtually unchanged at $3.11 billion, against a year-earlier $3.12 billion. A decline in theatrical revenue saw the filmed entertainment division post overall revenues down 18 percent to $514 million.
The company’s big U.S. subscription streaming services are CBS All Access and Showtime OTT. Advertising-supported streamer Pluto TV’s domestic users have also continued to grow, as have the company’s streaming and digital revenue.
ViacomCBS, led by CEO Bob Bakish, has been increasing its focus on the streaming business, similar to other Hollywood giants.
It had previously indicated the studio would beef up its CBS All Access subscription streaming service and rebrand it as Paramount+ in the U.S. on March 4.
In Canada, the rebrand will also happen then, with additional content in that country coming later in the year. Paramount+ will also launch in Latin America on March 4, in Scandinavia on March 25 and in Australia mid-year.
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The demand for delivery services has increased in the city due to the community quarantine brought about by COVID-19 pandemic, and online retailers have been trying to respond to the demand.
In a press statement, Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc. (DCCCII) President John Carlo Tria said: “A number of delivery and courier service providers like Errands Davao have told us that they are facing is the shortage of riders due to the overwhelming demand from customers, or are limiting their services since they cannot cater to the large demand.”
Tria said the situation has also created an opportunity for farmers to profit from the rising demand and for motorcycle drivers to have a source of income during the community quarantine.
“This is good for our farmers as we enter the harvest season. They will have steady customers as demand continues to rise to meet supply, and good for our restaurants,” he said. “We encourage those who own motorcycles to take advantage of this opportunity to apply for jobs
in these companies.”
He acknowledged the importance of markets during the time of the pandemic since they provide the surging demand for basic needs and prime commodities of the people that is why they should continue running.
For these businesses, one way of responding to the rising demands is by utilizing social media or any online platform for delivery services as said in the advisory of DCCCII posted on their Facebook page.
DCCCII encouraged businesses to make use of the technology in their operations amid the pandemic by using social media, online channels, and delivery services.
One of the businesses that heeded to their call is the New City Commercial Center (NCCC) supermarket which will be having their groceries delivered to their customer’s houses to provide convenience and safety while providing services.
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June 16, 2015 By Jackie Strawbridge
A longtime vinyl collector hopes to bring Astoria’s audiophiles together with a new record shop.
HiFi Records, located at 23-19 Steinway St., is slated to open by early July according to owner Javier Velazquez.
“I’ve always wanted to open a record store,” said Velazquez, an Astoria resident who has been collecting since he inherited some of his sister’s records as a kid. “It’s a labor of love.”
HiFi Records’ inventory builds on the personal collection Velazquez has acquired over his life, spanning rock, indie and alternative, jazz, pop, blues, R&B and more. The store will also include new pressings from many contemporary artists, including Courtney Barnett, Future Islands and Lana Del Rey.
For Velazquez, listening to and buying records offers a different, “more intimate” way to engage with music than downloading MP3s.
“[Downloading] is great, I do it as well – I enjoy music in any form that I can get it. But a music store brings people together,” he said. “You can exchange ideas, you can talk about music, you can discover new music, and I think it’s really great. I think it’s going to be very good for the community.”
He said he picked the Steinway Street location because it caters to many collectors’ tendency to “gravitate to a place that’s a little more off the beaten path.”
“Usually people that want to go seek out vinyl records like an atmosphere that’s a little more quiet,” he said. “It gives them time to relax, sink in.”
Aside from perusing the collection, HiFi Records customers will also be able to listen to records at the store, pick up music accessories and sell their own records.
The shop will also have a 10-seat café area serving coffee and espresso.
Velazquez said he hopes to soft-open within the next month, with an opening party to follow.


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- 2 min read
Why blocking ads on Google Chrome may soon be a problem
Google recently announced that soon it will roll out Manifest V3 and that may not be good news for those who use ad blockers. In a blog post, Google said that Chrome will take a gradual and experimental approach to turning off Manifest V2 to ensure a smooth end-user experience during the phase-out process.
What is Manifest V3?
In a blog post, Google said that Chrome will take a gradual and experimental approach to turning off Manifest V2 to ensure a smooth end-user experience during the phase-out process. “We would like to make sure developers have the information they need, with plenty of time to transition to the new manifest version and to roll out changes to their users,” said the company.
What is the timeline for Manifest V3?
Google has made it clear that Starting in January in Chrome 112, Chrome may run experiments to turn off support for Manifest V2 extensions in Canary, Dev, and Beta channels. Further, starting in June in Chrome 115, Chrome may run experiments to turn off support for Manifest V2 extensions in all channels, including stable channel. In June 2023, the Chrome Web Store will no longer allow Manifest V2 items to be published — which means the old extensions will stop working. From January 2024, if developers of extensions haven’t moved to Manifest V3, the older extensions will all be removed from Chrome Web Store.
Why is this a problem for ad blockers?
According to a report by Ars Technica, ad blockers will become useless once this version is rolled out. The report says that a lot of ad blockers end up relying on an API called webRequest, which is present in Chrome. With Manifest V3, developers will have no choice but to use an API called declarativeNetRequest, which as per the report, will “force them to use a blocklist of specific URLs”. Essentially, Google will create a list of blocked URLs and that list is restricted to just 30,000 entries. Ad-blockers to work effectively come with a list of over 300,000 entries. Many privacy groups have been up in arms against Google’s move to Manifest V3.
Electronic Frontier Foundation, a privacy advocacy group, in a blog post dated December 2021, said that “Manifest V3 is another example of the inherent conflict of interest that comes from Google controlling both the dominant web browser and one of the largest internet advertising networks.”
The privacy group believes that the move to Manifest V3 will will restrict the capabilities of web extensions — “especially those that are designed to monitor, modify, and compute alongside the conversation your browser has with the websites you visit.”


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ISLAMABAD: The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has averted a major attempt at data breach by timely stopping infection to the FBR’s computers through a USB device.
Details of the incident revealed that the security incident occurred due to an infected USB drive used in FBR House (Room 571). The high-severity malware on the USB was blocked on the PC, hence, a major data breach or systems has been averted.
Upon the FBR’s investigation, it was revealed that the end-user (FBR staff/officer) had taken the USB drive to a local print shop in the market for printing of infection (file) at that shop and this infection was brought back on the FBR network. It is once again highly recommended to either block or limit the usage of USB drives on PCs, within, FBR offices across the count between officers and for printing purposes and plan for an automated Data Learn Protection (DIP) solution to be implemented, the FBR’s IT security officials said.
NTISB warns of cyber attacks on Independence Day
According to a security circular issued by the FBR, the chief information security officer (CISO), the FBR has reported that the Crowd strike agent (cyber security product) successfully blocked high-severity malware detected on the USB device that was attached with FBR’s network, which could lead to a major data breach in FBR’s system.
The use of USBs carries significant and extremely serious risks. In addition to the obvious possibility of exposure to malware and viruses, it can also lead to unauthorised access, data leakage and vulnerabilities caused by outdated software. In this regard, it is strongly recommended that the usage of USB devices on official PCs within the FBR computer network be avoided in order to prevent potential security threats.
This issues with the approval of Member (IT), the FBR added.


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CHICAGO (MarketWatch) — Moody’s Investor Service raised its rating outlook on New York Times Co. debt to stable from positive Tuesday, citing the newspaper publisher’s agreement to sell its About Group to IAC/Interactive Corp. for $300 million.
IAC IACI, +0.00% said late Sunday that its Ask.com unit has entered into a deal to acquire 100% of the About Group from New York Times NYT, +0.60% for $300 million in cash. About.com’s content features nearly 1,000 topic sites, moderated by individual writers known as “guides.” All told, About.com attracts around 100 million unique users per month.
Moody’s said the transaction will increase New York Times’ gross debt-to-EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) leverage to about 5.7 times and add to its “already sizable cash position” of $570 million as of late June. The rating service expects the company to use the proceeds from the About sale to reduce debt, make investments or acquisitions and — eventually — give money back to shareholders in the form of a modest dividend, it said.
The company “may be comfortable holding a sizable cash position until economic uncertainty diminishes,” Moody’s said.
Strategically, the deal offers a chance for new Chief Executive Mark Thompson to focus on the company’s primary digital imperative: NYTimes.com, the online home of its flagship newspaper.
“This is right in line with the way New York Times has been peeling back for the past several years,” said Ken Doctor, a senior analyst at Outsell Inc.
In early 2007 the company sold its nine television stations to private-equity firm Oak Hill Capital Partners for $575 million in cash. Two years later, it sold its classical FM radio station, WQXR, for $45 million.
Last year New York Times sold 16 of the newspapers in its Regional Media Group to Halifax Media Holdings for $143 million.
New York Times has worked hard to make a success of its plan to charge for access to its online editions at a time when readers are increasingly turning to the Web for news and information. See blog post: Pay walls catching on with more newspapers.
More than 530,000 customers who don’t have subscriptions to the print edition have opted to pay $15 a month for digital subscription packages, e-readers and replica editions of the Times and the International Herald Tribune. The pay wall, launched in March 2011, kicks in once visitors have had free access to 10 digital articles. See related blog post: N.Y. Times halves free views of news stories.
“There’s just been an increasing effort to stay focused on one of the few global brands in media, the New York Times,” Doctor went on. “If you have one of those, you have to take full advantage of it.
“This latest sale also helps the new CEO concentrate on the core assets. You don’t want to have to spend valuable executive time trying to learn the ins and outs of About.com,” Doctor asserted.
Earlier this month, New York Times Co. named outgoing BBC director-general Thompson as the replacement for longtime CEO Janet Robinson effective in November. Much of Thompson’s reputation rests with his role in establishing a sophisticated digital profile for the BBC, via PCs, tablets, and mobile phones as well as in the realm of social media.
Times Co. Chairman Arthur Sulzberger Jr. knows that even as strong a brand as his flagship paper must master all of these platforms if it is to have sustained future, especially as print advertising revenues across the industry have been in steep decline for more than four years.
For IAC, the acquisition of About.com from New York Times Co. is a “natural fit” with the Barry Diller–led company, analysts said.
“This is a company with a history of wringing every bit of value out of its assets,” said Colin Gillis, technology analyst at BGC Partners. “About.com is a natural fit for Ask.com. It has one of the best revenue-sharing agreements with Google, and that’s going to go help add to the value of About.com.”
The About Group is slated to join IAC’s search and applications reporting segment, joining Ask.com, Dictionary.com, Mindspark, nRelate, and Pronto.
In a statement, IAC Chief Executive Greg Blatt said the sites’ content will help differentiate Ask.com from its competitors, while Ask.com’s search technology will help more readers find that content.


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MANHATTAN BEACH, CA: Bill Gates-backed plant-based protein food company Beyond Meat has selected M Booth as its PR agency partner.
The company, founded in 2009, chose the agency based on a recommendation by “someone in the PR world who we had high confidence in,” said Ethan Brown, founder and CEO of Beyond Meat.
Prior to bringing on the Next Fifteen agency last month, the brand worked with Boulder, CO-based boutique Talk Shop Agency for 18 months.
Brown said his company needed a larger agency as it expands its footprint nationally.
Hilary Martin, president of Talk Shop Agency, said her team enjoyed working with Beyond Meat because of the company's mission to “improve people's health, the environment, and animal welfare.”
“Beyond Meat makes outstanding plant-based foods. In terms of PR, it is always fun to work with brands that truly please and surprise famous food reporters and influencers,” she added, in a statement.
The company is planning a national launch this year for its meat-free products, which are available in specialty grocery stores such as Whole Foods.
Brown said M Booth will help Beyond Meat increase brand awareness as it launches nationally by tapping into media interest to generate buzz among consumers. The firm will also advise on social media.
Contract length and budget information were not disclosed.
In addition to Bill Gates, Beyond Meat is backed by investors such as Twitter co-founders Biz Stone and Evan Williams, the Humane Society of the United States, and venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers.
It was named one of Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies of 2014.
Earlier this month, Beyond Meat, which launched its meat-free chicken strips a year ago, began to roll out its beef-free crumbles product.
M Booth also was named agency partner for the Global Organization for EPA and DHA, the trade organization for manufacturers and marketers of EPA and DHA Omega-3 fatty acids.
The firm will handle communications for the organization that highlight the healthy aspects of Omega-3 fatty acids for the heart, brain, and infant development.
M Booth's Better4You practice, led by SVP Rich Goldblatt, is handling both accounts.


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Lock Supplies is celebrating their 5th Anniversary, which commemorates 5 rewarding and challenging years in business. This is a huge milestone for the Adelaide, South Australia-based supplier of locks, safes and locksmith services, which has provided lock services to homes and business owners and anyone wanting to protect their valuables since 2013.
Lock Supplies got it’s start in 2013 when founder John Paget saw the need for quality lock supplies, particularly safes and keysafes.
One of the earliest challenges Lock Supplies faced was building brand awareness across Adelaide.
While every business of course faces challenges, some, like Lock Supplies are fortunate enough to enjoy real successes, wins and victories too. One such victory came when they were featured in a local newspaper, the piece was about the importance of having quality locks and named Lock Supplies as a trusted supplier.
John, founder at Lock Supplies was also quoted when discussing another big win. “One of the high points of Lock Supplies history was when we contracted to supply a large development with top quality locks, their main concern was security and safe storage of sensitive items. We were able to advise and supply the best locks for their needs and they were very happy customers.”
Lock Supplies Founder, John Paget says “We’re delighted to be celebrating our 5 Year Anniversary. I believe the secret to getting this far in business today is hard work and determination, and doing right by your customers”.
Lock Supplies currently consists of 5 employees and has big plans for the upcoming year. One of their core objectives is to expand their team to supply all of Australia .
Lock Supplies would also like to thank friends, customers and all its partners for their well wishes on this happy occasion.
More information on the business can be found at http://www.locksupplies.com.au/
Release ID: 205258


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Last year, Fenner Drives introduced a novel 3D printing material that has considerable elasticity. It is useful for printing seals, gaskets, custom plugs and flexible hinges. Apparently Fenner is having enough success that it has launched the … [Read more...] about A new source for flexible 3D printing materials
Recently we wrote about a new 3D printing material that is highly flexible. From Fenner Drives, NinjaFlex is an extrudable thermoplastic elastomer filament for such 3D printers as MakerBot, Airwolf, and RepRap. Recently, Fenner Drives released a … [Read more...] about How does NinjaFlex 3D printing flexible material work?


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|McDonald's "Honest Abe fry" auction ends Feb. 12.
NEW YORK (CNN/Money) -
Fast-food king McDonald's ran a jokey commercial on the Super Bowl about a french fry shaped like Abraham Lincoln. Now someone is apparently bidding $50,200 for the "Honest Abe" fry.
The two-part tongue-in-cheek ad features a couple who go to a McDonald's (Research) one night for dinner and make the impossible discovery of a french fry resembling the nation's sixteenth president.
Word of the "Lincoln"-looking fry spreads fast around the neighborhood. The couple quickly decide to capitalize on the "prized possession" and put the fry up for auction.
This is where the line between reality and fiction gets blurred.
Oak Brook, Ill.-based McDonald's actually put the fry up for auction on Yahoo!Auctions last Sunday, right after the second Lincoln Fry ad ran.
A quick check of the auction's site Wednesday showed 499 bids already in place for the item and another three days to go before the auction ends on Feb. 12, the birthday of Abe Lincoln.
But is this for real?
McDonald's is putting in a lot of effort to promote the fry. It has its own Web site, www.lincolnfry.com, which even features a fake blog.
The person who places the highest serious bid, however, won't get an actual potato fry but a non-edible one-of-a kind replica of the one that appeared in the Super Bowl commercials.
"We encourage only those with genuine and serious interest in the auction to place their bids," said Bill Whitman, a spokesman for McDonald's. The company said it will donate all proceeds from its winning bid to Ronald McDonald House charities.


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Diageo owned rum brand Captain Morgan has developed a comedy short sending up the New Year fitness regime with a parody that features its iconic pirate ambassador.
The tongue in cheek infomercial sees the brand’s mascot extolling the many and varied virtues of striking the familiar Captain Morgan pose (one leg raised as if standing on a Keg) in “the most intense full body fitness program ever created by a pirate”.
“Pirates are know for three things,” says Captain Morgan reclining in a chair, “looting, pillaging and developing high-intensity, low-impact resistance training programs”. A series of warnings at the beginning of the video states thatworkout should not be attempted whilst "wearing tight fitting European swimming trunks” or when “working in a mine with hazardous gases”.
The comedic promotion forms part of the brand’s year-long ‘One Million Poses’ campaign on Facebook; a social media quest to see one million fans of the rum brand striking the iconic Captain Morgan pose and telling their own personal stories.
Every time someone uploads a pose the brand donates $1 to the ‘First Mate Fund’, which supports responsible drinking initiatives and other programs that benefit communities, thereby aiding the brand in exercise its corporate social responsibility.
The campaign was kick started with ‘The World’s Largest Pose,’ a 180 ft. mosaic comprised of 500 people stretching across the pitch at New Meadowlands Stadium.
The brand also entered into an endorsement deal with Victoria’s Secret Angel and model Marissa Miller last year, who then went on to represent the brand in a series of Pirates of the Caribbean style sword fighting ads and at various events as the Captain’s first mate.


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As a follow-up to its mammoth Screamadelica reissue box set, Primal Scream this May will release a live DVD and Blu-ray capturing its first full-album performance of that classic 1991 collection — a concert staged last Nov. 26 in London, which has now kicked off months of touring behind the reissue.
The aptly-titled “Screamadelica Live” is due out in the U.K. on May 30 on Blu-ray and Region 2 DVD, and while a full tracklist has yet to be unveiled, you can see the setlist for the concert — featuring a brass section and gospel choir — here. Above, you can see Bobbie Gillespie and Co. running through “Movin’ On Up” in a preview of the DVD/Blu-ray release (via Creation Records: Doin’ It For the Kids).
PREVIOUSLY ON SLICING UP EYEBALLS
- Primal Scream taps Kevin Shields to remaster ‘Screamadelica’ for box set
- Primal Scream to perform ‘Screamadelica’ on 20th anniversary U.K., Australian tours
- Primal Scream to perform ‘Screamadelica’ live in London this November


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The Flame in the Flood receiving a physical release on Switch
The first physical release from Super Rare Games was Human: Fall Flat. Today, the company pulled back the curtain on its next physical edition. This one also happens to be from Curve Digital.
The Flame in the Flood is getting the physical treatment. Similar to Human: Fall Flat, only 5,000 copies will be produced worldwide.
Orders are already up on Super Rare Games’ website here.


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Revenue-based financing platform Recur Club has launched Regreen Fund, a sustainable finance program dedicated to investing in startups actively working towards a greener and more sustainable future.
With an initial commitment of $10 million, Recur Club aims to support and empower environmentally conscious startups in India and their innovative products and services.
Regreen Fund will provide selected companies with access to growth capital without equity dilution, enabling them to scale their operations, accelerate product development, and expand their market reach.
Founded in 2021 by Abhinav Sherwal and Eklavya Gupta, Recur Club assesses its customer’s key metrics by integrating with its accounting, billing and subscription management systems. It works with all companies with predictable annual revenue from existing customers of at least $100k.
On Friday, the United Nation Environment Programme (UNEP) in partnership with Massive Earth Foundation (MEF) launched LowCarbon. Earth (LCE) 2023, a climate tech accelerator focused on startups solving for climate change and pollution.


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The next piece of new post-launch content has been added to Overwatch in the form of a new map, Horizon Lunar Colony. The patch is now live for PC, Xbox…
As expected Nintendo completely focused on new Nintendo Switch games during their E3 2017 Nintendo Spotlight video. We got new trailers for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild…
E3 2017 officially starts Tuesday, June 13. As in previous years all the major publishers will be presenting press conferences and media showcases in the days leading up to the biggest video game event of the world.
For this year’s E3 we’re expecting news on: Super Mario Odyssey, XCOM 2 expansion, Star Wars Battlefront II, Far Cry 5, Assassin’s Creed: Origins, new Bethesda announcements, Project Scorpio, and most of the games Sony showed last year that have yet to come out.
Here is the full schedule of conferences and links to where you can watch them.
Note that once again Nintendo will be presenting a pre-recorded Nintendo Spotlight in lieu of a live conference. It will be followed by Nintendo Treehouse live streaming.
Saturday, June 10
Sunday, June 11
Devolver Digital will have an E3 press conference this year. Please stay tuned for a time and date. pic.twitter.com/WoHiOaio4G
— Devolver Digital (@devolverdigital) May 16, 2017
Monday, June 12
Tuesday, June 13
Popular collectible card game Magic: The Gathering will be getting the AAA RPG treatment. A new video game is in development by MMORPG developer Cryptic Studios and online publisher Perfect World Entertainment. It’s planned for both PC and console. No release date has been announced.
Perfect World, Cryptic Studios, and M:TG creators Wizards of the Coast have previously collaborated with the Neverwinter MMORPG. Neverwinter found success as a free-to-play MMORPG with micro-transactions and boasts 15 million players. This new Magic: The Gathering title extends their licensing partnership.
“This game is an exciting part of Wizards of the Coast’s Magic Digital Next initiative to extend gameplay beyond the tabletop, and we’re proud to work with the talented team at Perfect World Entertainment and Cryptic Studios to bring the Magic: The Gathering Multiverse to life,” said David Schwartz, Wizards of the Coast Vice President of Digital Publishing.
Magic: The Gathering is the World of Warcraft of CCGs – oft imitated but still the juggernaut of the genre. Players take on the role of Planeswalkers and summon creatures and cast spells to defeat their opponent. The upcoming RPG will “allow fans of the game to fully immerse themselves in the Multiverse, the rich fantasy world in which Magic: The Gathering takes place.”
“It’s Magic: The Gathering like you’ve never experienced before,” said Bryan Huang, CEO of Perfect World Entertainment. “We are ecstatic about the direction of the game Cryptic has been shaping. It’s always been a dream of ours to bring Magic’s Planeswalkers to a modern RPG.”
Gearbox’s hero shooter Battleborn had its servers go down this week, and when they returned the developer announced the game’s new free-to-play feature. It’s called the Free Trial and offers…
After reaching the million dollar mark only 36 hours into its 30-day campaign, Ashes of Creation has closed out its crowdfunding campaign with over $3.2 million in funding. Over 19,000 backers contributed to indie team Intrepid Studios’ debut. It has become the most funded MMORPG on Kickstarter of all time.
“This is simply stunning. We cannot thank the fans of Ashes of Creation enough for their support. We promise we won’t let you down, and we’re absolutely thrilled to find so many like-minded gamers who want to see the MMORPG genre truly move forward.” – Steven Sharif, CEO and Creative Director of Intrepid Studios.
Every stretch goal on the Kickstarter page was unlocked, including new mounts, naval content, and a new secondary world underneath the surface called the Underrealm.
Ashes of Creation promises a player-driven, reactive MMORPG built by veterans of the genre. Features include PVP castle sieges, regional economy, and towns and cities that are built up by local players. It will use an old-school monthly subscription model. It’s planned for closed Alpha later this year, with Beta and possible release later next year.
The Kickstarter page mentions that Ashes of Creation has private backing. Three million sounds like a lot of money, but it’s a drop in the bucket for game development – particularly a massively ambitious MMORPG.
If you missed the Kickstarter campaign and are still interested in backing (and earning backer rewards), Intrepid Studios will keep crowdsourcing open throughout the month of June via their website. However no more stretch goals will be announced at this point.
Ashes of Creation is tentatively schedule for Beta and release late next year.


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Here are the news events that the search engine Baidu says most captured Internet users' attention in 2015:
Dua Lipa, 'Dua Lipa'
The fear was over downward mobility and cultural changes; the anger was against immigrants and indifferent elites.
China and its southern neighbour failed to come to an agreement on cross-border trade last month during Vietnamese president Truong Tan Sang's state visit to China, where he met with his counterpart Xi Jiping.
As a result, business investment in key areas such as equipment has been historically weak for a U.S. recovery. A slowly improving jobs picture and rising household wealth could spark a virtuous cycle of stronger consumer spending, increased business confidence and rising investment. If it doesn't, the year could be another letdown.
Completed module 1?


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The Gettys Group has launched Populate Procurement, the new name and brand platform for its procurement services group. The announcement reflects the efforts of the firm to strengthen its interior design, development, branding, and procurement identities as well.
“Over our thirty-plus years serving the hospitality industry, we have continuously innovated and diversified our company through new services, project types, geographic focus, and investment,” says the firm’s chairman and CEO Roger G. Hill. “This has included procuring FF&E for projects where Gettys was not the interior designer—a segment of work that has grown to nearly 50% of the procurement projects we take on. It was time to allow procurement to flourish under its own banner.”
“Populate Procurement represents our next step forward at The Gettys Group Companies,” adds Andrew Fay, president of the company. “We have evolved into a family of complementary brands, each with unique strengths and values. What is not changing is our dedication to delivering unmatched experiences for our clients and their guests.”


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Jumia, an online retailer started two years ago, is poised to expand into Cameroon, Uganda and Ghana to take advantage of a huge hunger for its services in those markets, it emerged late on Monday.
Jumia is an African online shopping site where consumers can buy and browse through a variety of items including electronics, fashion, home appliances, kid’s items and more.
Established in 2012, Jumia is often described as an e-commerce start-up aimed to imitate Amazon’s feat by delivering a wide range of items across Africa.
Jumia already has operations in Nigeria, Egypt, Ivory Coast, Morocco and Kenya. It sells up to 100,000 diverse stuffs from its local depots.
The firm set up shop in Uganda earlier this year, according to Reuters. The Ghana and Cameroon operations are poised to open in the next couple of weeks, Reuters reported, citing Jumia spokesman.
“We know we are early. We are coming to markets which are not as mature in terms of Internet penetration and Internet savviness but still there is a big appetite for this service,” Reuters quoted Jumia co-founder, Sacha Poignonnec, as saying.
International consulting corporation, McKinsey, has guessed that almost 16 percent of sub-Saharan Africans are linked to the internet while Europe had 75 percent of its people connected to the net.
McKinsey has said an increase in the number of Africans exposed to the Internet will assist African e-commerce sales to rise to $75 billion by 2025, thereby bolstering Jumia’s business. (VENTURES AFRICA)


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Google doesn’t know what its brand means.
Is Chrome, Android and Google Docs leaving Google confused?
Google may be building up a nice portfolio of products and services – Chrome OS, Android, Search, and Docs – but, according to John Battelle, all is not well in camp Google.
Google has expanded on its search engine roots and now, according to Battelle, “Google doesn’t know what its brand means.” He proposes that Google is now a software company, and a widespread “Pepsi” to several of the original, “Coke” brands of the software world (Android vs. iPhone; Google Docs vs. Microsoft Office; Google Chrome vs. Internet Explorer.)
It is true that Google have never been a forceful brand advertiser, but Battelle argues that this was never an issue before, as Google’s search engine service was the brand builder. Now, Google’s hesitance to advertise, signals that Google isn’t quite sure of what it’s advertising. “You can’t do brand advertising if you can’t say what the brand means,” Battelle explains.
Google certainly isn’t ‘just’ a search engine anymore but, when you factor in Android, Docs, and Google’s own Chrome browser, it is possible to see why some people are struggling to define the Google brand.


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Bloomberg Línea — Jeff Bezos-backed startup NotCo has raised $70 million in a Series D extension led by Princeville Capital, and the Chilean non-meat-and-dairy foods producer says the funds will be used toward building a new business unit focused on companies’ deals, as a continuation of the strategy that spawned the joint venture with Kraft Heinz announced in February.
Mercado Libre’s founder and CEO Marcos Galperin also participated in the extension that kept NotCo’s valuation flat at $1.5 billion.
In an interview with Bloomberg Línea, NotCo’s co-founder and CEO Matías Muchnick said the startup wasn’t fundraising, but decided to take the term sheet from Princeville Capital, which was looking to add a plant-based company to its portfolio.
In July 2021, NotCo raised $235 million, and Muchnick says a lot of that is still in the company’s bank account. The startup had “more than 18 months of runway,” he said, and it didn’t make sense for them to seek fundraising.
“But we started to announce things. We announced the Kraft Heinz deal, we announced the Shake Shack partnership, and we announced the Starbucks partnership. That allowed NotCo to grow a lot in terms of real economic value. Many investors wanted to invest in NotCo in Series B, C, and D, and they couldn’t get there in time or the size of the investment was too big,” Muchnick said.
The CEO explains that he accepted the new investor because the board believes 2023 and 2024 will bring a lot of uncertainty and companies will need to fundraise in the next year because they don’t have enough runway since raising funds in 2021.
“Instead of going back to actively fundraising next year without knowing if we can raise the valuation or anything, we said ‘why don’t we secure the cash today and we stay out of the market for the next five years?’,” Muchnick said.
NotCo says it will put its efforts into becoming a profitable company prior to an IPO in 2026.
New B2B options
After the Kraft Heinz announcement, the company says it got a lot of inquiries from many companies to start doing the “NotVersions” of their own products.
Now, NotCo wants to capitalize on licensing agreements. “A percentage of net sales of a brand that can place a product globally from one day to another, why not do it?,” Muchnick asks.
It is not a white-label effort, because it is established that NotCo has to be on the front of the package of every product, but it’s a co-branding strategy, he said.
“The Kraft Heinz deal consisted of two dimensions. One is R&D (research and development) and the other is branding. We were talking as a brand to people that Kraft Heinz couldn’t talk to as GenZs, millennials. They wanted to keep the brand because the NotCo concept made sense to the people that they need to start talking to. They want access to the brand too. So it’s not like we are pushing the brand itself, it is being pulled by these big companies that like the concept.”
Muchnick says the Kraft Heinz deal has exclusivity, only “in certain products in certain regions in the world,” so the company can strike up deals with other corporations.
“What we want to do going forward is not only potentially creating joint ventures, but also licensing agreements, because joint ventures are really complex. You have a share of governance, people coming from one side and the other side, so you need to align a new culture with a whole new company.”
The Chilean startup expects this strategy will bring revenues at a high gross margin.
Muchnick says NotCo will launch five new categories with the joint venture with Kraft Heinz in 2023, and intends to convert Latin America into a profitable operation.
“We need to make structures more efficient, we need to select products that really move the needle, a lot of product and management as well. That means that we need to grow significantly in Brazil, and Mexico, besides growing the US business significantly.”
In Brazil, NotCo still is very much concentrated in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, and it has not announced a large partnership with multinationals as it has in other Latin American countries to allow the firm to enter the mainstream market, but rather has only struck up burger partnerships.
In Chile, the company has teamed up with Starbucks, Burger King, and Papa John’s. In Argentina, it has deals with Burger King and Freddo.
Without providing figures, Muchnick says NotCo is growing revenues two-to-threefold every year and will focus on amplifying partnerships in Brazil to reach better distribution.
The firm says it is not planning any layoffs but rather will maintain the hiring freeze policy even though new money came in.
“It’s important to behave according to reality. It’s not because we raised the money that we are going to start spending like crazy.”
A tough period for plant-based firms
According to Dealogic data, NotCo’s US peer Beyond Meat’s IPO was one of the most successful in more than two decades. However, after nailing a valuation of $10 billion in 2019, the company has been losing money and growing its debt.
Beyond Meat is trading down 83% this year. Asked about how to surf the environment that has been cruel to benchmarks, Muchnick quoted Brazilian racing driver Ayrton Senna, saying: “It is very difficult to outcompete cars on a sunny day. I can only do that on a rainy day”.
“These are rainy days. We need to stay away from the shadows of what our comparables are. And they are not really our peers when you see that the P&L of NotCo looks very different from the P&L of Beyond. We grow, and they don’t. We innovate, but they lack innovation. There are a lot of decisions that they have made because they became a public company and that weren’t very good in terms of the consumer,” Muchnick said.
“I think we are learning what not to do, focusing on R&D and developing technology. And opening this business unit that is driving revenues at an 85% gross margin is definitely what we need to keep on doing which will lead us into a potential IPO in 2026 in a way better situation of all these companies,” he added.
Muchnick doesn’t disclose the expenses tied to R&D, but says that out of the the 415 people working at NotCo, almost 200 are working in technology and R&D.
The market for plant-based sales has been declining, and there is consumer uncertainty about the actual benefits of these products, given the amount of sodium and the fact that it is ultra-processed.
Asked about this, Muchnick said the recession is one of the factors of discontinued growth as the price of plant-based products is always consistently higher.
“In a recessive environment, clearly the products that are going to be hammered are the premium products. People are budgeting for more inexpensive products.”
If the biggest factor affecting plant-based products is pricing, deals like the Kraft Heinz one give NotCo the ability to get to the supermarket with price points that are competitive with products containing animal-based foods, Muchnick said.
“There are people that are concerned about the healthiness of plant-based, but it’s not as mainstream as the media likes to put it. Generally, when you buy meat it doesn’t come with salt. When you put it on a barbecue you add a lot of salt to it. So it’s kind of a comparison that doesn’t make any sense,” he said.
“Getting into the healthiness of things, I sometimes feel like we live in a world that is upside down, like that movie ‘Don’t Look Up’. The consumer might be a little confused right now with the geopolitical thing, politics everywhere are very complex. 2021 was an easier world for people to focus on sustainability, now it’s harder because it affects your budget,” Muchnick said, adding that sustainability didn’t stop being important because global warming hasn’t stopped.
“You can care about sustainability and you can care about health. And when we talk about health, there is nothing more proven by science that eating plants is way better for human health than animal protein. There are a lot of studies that connect the process of aging to meat consumption too. I think it was Peter McGuinness, the CEO of Impossible Foods, that said that we have failed in marketing. We haven’t communicated it as well. I fully agree with that statement, we need to make more evident what is true and what is not,” Muchnick said.


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TOLEDO, Ohio — Anyone grocery shopping Thursday may have noticed the surge of last-minute shoppers picking up some final necessities for the table.
The store director of the Meijer in Sylvania Township, Steve Krout, shared the 10 most forgotten items shoppers come in for, with some being key ingredients to a traditional Thanksgiving meal.
Krout said a lot of customers buy vegetable trays, as they are always a good snack before the meal and for watching football.
Other last-second grabs are cream cheese, butter, milk and mashed potatoes. He said on the day before Thanksgiving, butter is Meijer's most-sold item in the store.
Shredded cheese, eggs, soft drinks and canned veggies rounded out the list.
Krout said this year, a lot of families are having larger gatherings in person than in previous years, which requires more mouths to feed and seats to fill.
"We've seen people buy even an extra turkey to entertain because they are going to have a larger family presence this season in their holiday homes," he said.
"We have over 400 food pantries we serve in our footprint, and it's through our SimplyGive Program as well that we have been able to raise over $75,000 for those in need in our communities," he said.
The Meijer in Sylvania Township will open at 6 a.m. on Friday. But like many stores, the focus will be on Black Friday's surge of customers.