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Hong Kong Retail Sales Slip in December
Hong Kong retail sales remained weak in December, even as the overall rate of decline improved from the previous month.
Retail sales of jewelry, watches, clocks and valuable gifts decreased 3% year on year to HKD 3.71 billion ($473.5 million) for the month, the municipality’s Census and Statistics Department reported Friday. However, the overall figure was an improvement on November’s 8% decrease, as the government began to ease travel restrictions and social-distancing measures toward the end of the month. Sales across all retail categories rose 1.1% to HKD 33.66 billion ($4.3 billion).
“The value of total retail sales reverted to a year-on-year increase…in December alongside improved economic sentiment and the further relaxation of social-distancing measures,” a government spokesperson said. “For the fourth quarter as a whole, there was a small increase of 0.4%. Yet, reflecting the severe impact of the fifth wave of the local epidemic in early 2022, the value of total retail sales fell mildly…for the year as a whole.”
Hard-luxury sales gained 0.3% for the full year to HKD 38.89 billion ($4.96 billion) in 2022, while annual sales in all retail categories fell 0.9% to 349.93 billion ($44.66 billion).
Hong Kong retail sales rely strongly on purchases from overseas visitors, primarily from China. However, tourism in the region has been halted due to quarantine and travel restrictions related to Covid-19. On January 8, 2023, China lifted its quarantine requirement for inbound travelers. Meanwhile, Hong Kong removed its restrictions at the end of December. In the last month of the year, the number of visitors to Hong Kong jumped to 160,578 compared to 9,448 during the same period in 2021.
“Looking ahead, the return of economic activities from the epidemic to normalcy and an expected increase in inbound visitors should bode well for retail sales performance,” the spokesperson added. “Improved labor-market conditions will provide further support.”
Image: The Mong kok shopping district in Hong Kong. (Shutterstock)


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Nvidia is working on new AI-based image quality and scaling technology. Its next pilot, slated for release on January 14, features what Nvidia calls DLDSR (Deep Learning Dynamic Super Resolution). It’s quite different from Nvidia’s current and hugely popular scaling solution, DLSS. DLDSR renders a game at a higher resolution and therefore more detail using the Tensor cores of an RTX GPU before reverting to your monitor’s resolution. This means that you will get improved picture quality with higher details and smoother edges.
Nvidia posted a screenshot showing three images side by side, one in native 1080p, one in DSR at 4K> 1080p and one in DLDSR at 1620p> 1080p. Looking at the image, the boxes with Peterson written on them look sharper on the DSR image and even better on the DLDSR image. And at 145 FPS for native shooting versus 143 for DLDSR shooting, the performance impact is negligible.
Tips and advice
How to buy a graphics card: Tips for Buying a Graphics Card in the Arid Silicon Landscape of 2021
Since this is driver-level technology, Nvidia says it “works in most games” and that any RTX GPU with Tensor cores will support DLDSR.
At the same time, Nvidia announced a partnership with Pascal Gilcher, a modder and author of the ReShade Ray Tracing Filter to produce three Freestyle filters for its GeForce Experience tool. Nvidia claims these filters apply lighting and shadow enhancements that look as good as an actual remastered experience. This is a bold statement. It will be interesting to see how the technology works on a wide variety of games.
The technology for upscaling and downscaling images is developing rapidly, along with the acronyms to describe them. DLSS continues to evolve, and there’s also RSR or Radeon Super Resolution from AMD. Intel is also working on its own XeSS technology.
The DLDSR and the new Freestyle will be included in the Nvidia driver which will be available on January 14.

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Community Farmers Markets, the nonprofit organization behind Grant Park and East Atlanta Village farmers markets, partnered with Atlanta food cooperative Urban Recipe to provide free, shelf-stable food at five MARTA pop-up market locations each week.
In addition to fresh produce for purchase at the organization’s MARTA markets this winter, the new partnership with Urban Recipe now allows Community Farmers Markets to offer free non-perishable food items at station farm stands in West End, Five Points, Bankhead, College Park, and Hamilton E. Holmes.
“Due to the partnership with Urban Recipe, Fresh MARTA Market customers will also be able to choose additional shelf-stable items, including rice, oats, pasta, and canned foods, free of charge, to supplement their purchase of fresh produce,” a press release states.
Community Farmers Markets began hosting weekly pop-up farm stands five years ago at MARTA stations within neighborhoods where access to fresh produce and groceries is limited. Pop-up markets operate Tuesday through Friday at a different MARTA station each day and accept cash, credit and debit, along with EBT and SNAP, which is doubled.


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Myer, David Jones merger doubtful
As the cracks widen in
While Myer remains keen to pursue a merger, Mr Brookes said the proposal was only one growth option and it had a well-established five-point plan that would deliver sales and profit growth in 2015.
“If it doesn’t go ahead, if nothing happens in the next six months, we have two new stores, the Myer Melbourne extension, three refurbishments, an exceptional opportunity to improve the department store business and a robust and growing online business," Mr Brookes said after reporting an 8.1 per cent fall in net profit to $81 million for the six months ending January.
“We are not standing still waiting for anything to happen with a DJs merger. We are focusing on all the aspects of the five-point plan," he said. “There’s no shortage of things to do and that’s where our focus is."
Myer’s results shed further light on why Australia’s largest department store chain is keen to merge with its major rival, creating a combined group with annual sales around $5 billion and more than 100 stores.
The result was better than expected in some respects – second-quarter sales exceeded forecasts and costs rose at a slower rate. However, second-quarter sales would have been flat if Myer had not decided to invest more in markdowns, discounts and offers to loyalty card members the week before Christmas after patchy sales during November and the first three weeks of December.
The move helped to boost top-line sales, but came at the expense of gross margins.
Earnings will fall this year for the fourth consecutive year and sales have been going backwards since 2009 despite investment in new stores, new IT systems and online platforms, direct sourcing, exclusive brands and better loyalty programs.
Myer is doing the right thing
“You are doing everything you can to engage customers and cut costs but EBIT this year may be down 20 per cent," Mr Courtney said.
Mr Brookes said the five-point plan remained on track but the results had been masked by heavy investment and fast-rising labour costs, most of which would not be repeated.
Revenue growth over the last few years had been “thwarted" by store closures and a decision to exit categories such as white goods, music and DVDs.
“A lot of these are self-imposed," Mr Brookes said. “In 2006 the business was losing $66 million so we needed to go through this enormous rebuild.
“There’s plenty of life left in the corpse and there’s fantastic opportunities going ahead."
However, rising costs and flat margins will counter sales growth in the second half of 2014 and Mr
Merger proposal raises eyebrows
Arnhem Investment Management fund manager Martin Duncan is not confident that all the levers will come together next year, although he agrees cost pressures will ease.
“They’re fighting a losing battle. They are having to buy sales through discounting at their stocktake sale and providing costly benefits to their loyalty card members," Mr Duncan said.
“At the same time, their core operating costs such as labour and rent keep rising. The equation simply does not work. With these trends continuing, net profit will just go lower."
Myer believes a merger with David Jones would generate $85 million in annual synergies within three years and create $900 million of value for shareholders. But David Jones chief
David Jones has appointed strategic advisers to review the merger proposal, but analysts are becoming increasingly sceptical about the likelihood of a deal.
“We believe there is little chance that a merger will eventuate," said Merrill Lynch.
“Given we see little probability of a deal eventuating, we do not believe the current share price can be sustained."
Myer shares fell 5.2 per cent to $2.52 and are now 4.2 per cent lower than they were when it revealed its proposed merger terms in January. David Jones’s shares, which have risen 15 per cent since January, fell 3.6 per cent to $3.20.
Mr Brookes declined to say what if any premium Myer could afford to pay to win over the David Jones board and shareholders.
“We put what we think was a compelling proposal and we are really pleased they’re going to evaluate it," he said.
The Australian Financial Review


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While the future for Twinkies, Zingers, Donettes and Wonder Bread remains uncertain, Hostess products continue to fly off stores’ shelves.
At the Hostess Wonder Bread Bakery Outlet in Glendora, a steady stream of customers came in for what may be their last stash of Hostess products.
Half of the store’s shelves are nearly bare. Much to the dismay of some local shoppers, the store was out of Twinkies Monday afternoon.
But that didn’t stop customer Chris Scott, who drove to Glendora from Pomona to buy three bags of Donettes, Cupcakes and other Hostess goodies all for $15.
For Scott, the prospect of never again tasting one of his favorite childhood treats, and the deep discount deals on Hostess products, will keep him coming back to the Hostess store in Glendora as long as the Donettes and Ding Dongs are available.
“It’s horrible, a travesty that they’re going out of business,” said Scott. “Hopefully, they still will make the Twinkies.”
The Hostess Wonder Bread Bakery Outlet, located at 905 E. Arrow Hwy, recently opened its doors in Glendora. Store employees would not comment on the future of the location or availability of products, but the store remains open even as Hostess moves to shut down operations in response to employee strikes.
On Monday, a bankruptcy court judge ruled that parties had not gone through private mediation, stalling Hostess’ attempts to liquidate and sell off assets.
But the Twinkies, Ho Ho’s, Zingers and Ding Dongs may live to see another day. Several firms, including the Florida-based Sun Capital Partners Inc., are rumored to be interested in acquiring Hostess.
Still, the threat of a Hostess shutdown has sparked a craze for all things Hostess nationwide. The Huffington Post reports that one eBay seller is auctioning off a full box of Twinkies at a starting price of $200,000 (shipping included).
CNN Money reports a lunch box featuring "Twinkie the Kid," a cartoon cowboy character that bears a resemblance to the iconic yellow cake, fetched a winning bid of $690 on Friday.
According to a Friday press release from Hostess, the wind down means the closure of 33 bakeries, 565 distribution centers, approximately 5,500 delivery routes and 570 bakery outlet stores throughout the United States.
“We deeply regret the necessity of today’s decision, but we do not have the financial resources to weather an extended nationwide strike,” said Gregory F. Rayburn, chief executive officer. “Hostess Brands will move promptly to lay off most of its 18,500-member workforce and focus on selling its assets to the highest bidders.”


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FLINT, Michigan — Flint’s premier technological university is getting tech smart when it comes to reaching young people — by promoting itself through the smart phones in student’s pockets.
Two Kettering University seniors launched Kettering Mobile Thursday, a Web application that will share Kettering news on iPhones, Droids, Blackberries and iPads.
The feature will allow people to get instant directions to campus on the go. Students can check on times and dates of club events while roaming the hallways.
And for Kettering, it’s like the direct-mail marketing of the high-tech world.
“Kettering wanted to get in with the mobile crowd and get younger people to look at Kettering as a technology hot spot,” said senior Matt Gaidica, 23, who created the Web app with business partner and fellow senior Brad Birdsall.
“People are browsing on their phones now so it becomes really important to condense your content as much as you can and deliver the right message in the shortest amount of time. “
Kettering hired Gaidica, an electrical engineering major and Birdsall, a computer science student to create the new application out of their Northville-based Web business Prime Studios. The student entrepreneurs worked with Kettering’s information technology staff.
College-catered apps could be an emerging trend as more colleges market themselves through tech gadgets and younger generations use phones as much for data as calls.
First there was Facebook, then Twitter and now smart phones.
Kettering joins such names as Northwestern University and Notre Dame, which also offer Web applications for their campuses.
And Central Michigan University and Grand Valley State University offer iPhone applications.
While iPhone applications can only be used on Apple products, Web apps — which essentially optimize navigating a Web site on mobile devices — can be used on any smart phone.
“Having information at their fingertips is just really important to the iPhone generation,” Spokeswoman Pat Mroczek said. “It represents a new approach on how we’re going to be telling the Kettering story.
“It’s a trendsetter.”
Kettering senior Harold Dost, 21, said he had only glanced at Kettering Mobile’s features but that he could see it appealing to the college population.
“It seemed much easier to navigate than a traditional Web site,” said Dost, who uses a Blackberry. “More and more people are getting smart phones so going mobile is a good way to reach the younger generation.”


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It is amazing what can happen in a few short years. Two years ago, the Canadian fitness industry was in a crippling state of uncertainty. Now, as we look with unbridled optimism at 2024, one thing is certain: January is poised to be one of the biggest membership drives the fitness industry has ever seen.
Gabriel Hardy, Executive Director of Fitness Industry Council represented Canada at the Fitness Industry Suppliers Association (FISA) East Coast conference in Miami at the beginning of November, where fitness owners, operators and suppliers met for three days to discuss the future of fitness clubs. “The energy was contagious,” says Hardy. “Everyone was talking about a reset: it’s time to begin anew and work together to improve the health of humanity. It is an exciting time to be in the fitness industry.”
Fitness clubs need to be prepared for the influx of new members, look at ways to retain newbies, and get on top of the trends that are poised to fuel the fitness industry in Canada and globally.
Here’s a snapshot of what you are going to see inside the fitness industry in 2024 and what to focus on:
1. Dwell Time (GenZ)
A critical focus area is understanding how long younger members, particularly GenZ, stay in the gym. This metric is essential for tailoring gym experiences to this demographic. Know your numbers, understand your clients, how they act in the gym, when they come, as well as the percentage of each demographic that enters your facility. Generation Z will look at your club as their social spot, so think about creating experiences that bring their fitness and social goals together.
According to Murphy Research reports presented at FISA, GEN Z are the fastest growing demographic in gyms, but millennials are the big spenders. Gym owners have a nuanced approach to the different generations using the gym, understand their life stages and interconnected fitness preferences. Don’t forget the active aging market – boomers and seniors! They will be loyal to you if you have trainers who specialize in active aging. “We need to attract a broader demographic of members to succeed in business,” says Hardy.
Generation Z are highly tuned into climate change, carbon footprints and the impact our fitness facilities have on the environment. Expect to see a growing awareness of environmental issues inside the fitness industry, sustainable activewear, and more recycled materials and cleaner products. Gone are the days of paper promotions and brochures – digital copies, QR codes and eco-friendly ways to market your gym will put you ahead of your competitors.
We get members to join us in January – but do they stay? At FISA, a hot topic was retention and knowing how to retain members. “Most gym owners at FISA said the principal reason people join their gym was friend referral. Help your core supporters bring their close circle to you. Make sure they feel great in your facility, and help create organic growth,” says Hardy.
Dr. Paul Bedford, known globally as the Retention GURU, presented research that underscores the significance of regular visits in ensuring member retention, with a focus on the initial 12 weeks being particularly telling. Dr Bedford will present to FIC members in February 2024, an important presentation you don’t want to miss!
4. Strength is the new KING
Strength training is, inarguably, one of the biggest trends happening now and it is only growing. “At FISA, experts from large chains to municipalities, YMCAs and big franchisors spoke of swapping out cardio equipment for more strength training equipment,” says Hardy. “The benefits of strength training are now being globally recognized – from longevity to weight loss to overall improved health. Our members want more options for ways to flex!”
ACSM’s Recognition: The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) has identified strength training as the number two fitness trend (2023), indicating a significant shift in workout preferences.
5. Tech Takes Over
Technology continues to play a pivotal role in the fitness industry all across the world. The fitness wearable market alone is expected to exceed 33 billion dollars by 2033. But it is more than tracking your workouts: technology is built into fitness equipment, offering immersive and engaging experiences for the end-user. Fitness equipment with embedded technology can also lower operating costs. New applications emerge on the marketplace daily, and technology is able to offer real-time feedback. While club owners are using AI to write blogs and newsletters, the AI coach isn’t a far-off reality, either. The biggest takeaway: “Be ready for all of it,” says Hardy. “Don’t be afraid of the technology – there are many incredible technological advancements for the fitness industry to leverage.”
Recovery is getting the attention it deserves in 2024 – and it isn’t just for athletes anymore. From the rising popularity of cold plunges and ice baths, to infrared technology, percussion massagers, electronic foam rollers, massage chairs and more – there are a plethora of options to help your members embrace recovery. “We are beginning to see ‘recovery zones’ created in fitness facilities,” says Hardy. “And our members want more knowledge and understanding about how recovery will make them healthier and extend their lives.” Expect to see more buzz and demand for yoga and mobility in 2024 and beyond.
“Specialization was a big word at FISA,’” says Hardy. “If your members like to run – they will want to run more and seek running clubs, classes or anything running related. If they want to come in and row, or bike, or lift weights, then they will seek a greater variety of options to do so, and this extends to specialized classes. Functional fitness is still important, but more and more we see people wanting to get more from one aspect of their fitness journey.”
AI and technology in 2024: The role of AI and technology in fitness programming and information dissemination is gaining traction. To ensure our industry is up to speed with the latest advancements, FIC is seeking the best AI experts to present to its members in 2024 – stay tuned!
FIC Attended FISA to promote the Canadian fitness industry in Canada and to meet with new suppliers. As a member of FIC, you are entitled to significant discounts with suppliers and partners. Click here to join FIC.
Fitness Industry Council of Canada (FIC) is the not-for profit trade association that represents the voice of fitness facility operators across Canada. Representing more than 6,000 facilities with more than six-million members nationwide, FIC pursues a legislative agenda in the hope of bettering the fitness industry for both consumers and operators. FIC aims to work with both industry and government to improve the health and physical activity levels of Canadians.


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Central Otago Riesling wins Rangitikei Chicken 2016 Air New Zealand Wine Award
The aromatic 2016 Dry Riesling from Maude Mt Vineyard, Central Otago is this year’s winner of the “Exhibition White or Sparkling Wine” sponsored by Rangitikei Chicken at the 30th Air New Zealand Wine Awards.
Rangitikei’s Anna Thompson says:
“We’re pleased to present the trophy to Maude Mt Vineyard. Maude Mt Vineyards Riesling pairs beautifully with our corn-fed free-range chickens, with the combination of intense acidity and fruit and our succulent chickens. The combination couldn’t be better timed with the festive season just around the corner.”
This is the second year Rangitikei has sponsored the awards and is looking forward to working with the Maude Mt Vineyard to promote their success.
The Air New Zealand Wine Awards is a celebration of excellence in New Zealand wine making and widely considered the country’s most prestigious wine competition. It is owned and organised by New Zealand Winegrowers, the national organisation for the country’s 1,600 grape growers and winemakers.
For more information, wine-matching and recipe inspiration visit our recipe section.


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Newsroom Listing - Initiatives
Consumer confidence among U.S. Hispanics remained mostly stable in the third quarter, despite the supply-chain crisis, increased labor movement activities, and other economic turmoil.
Meet Monica Escaleras, Ph.D., newly selected Chair and Professor in the Economics Department at the FAU College of Business. Her areas of expertise include Decentralization, Business Administration, Business and Economics Polling, Natural Disasters, Political Economy, Agricultural Economics and Corruption.
Lingering issues involving supply chains and the employment outlook are contributing to widespread economic uncertainty, but the U.S. housing market bucks that trend as it continues to sizzle during the COVID-19 pandemic.
FAU Poll: Floridians Favor Vaccine Requirements for Employees but Split on Parents Making the Call on Masks for Schoolchildren
Most Floridians support employers requiring workers be vaccinated against COVID-19, but respondents were split on parents deciding whether their children should wear masks at school, according to a statewide survey of 500 residents by the Florida Atlantic University Business and Economics Polling Initiative (FAU BEPI).
Consumer confidence among U.S. Hispanics fell in the second quarter, though optimism about their overall finances is building as the nation continues its recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Home prices are escalating quickly in Dallas and a handful of other U.S. cities where consumers would be better off financially by renting and reinvesting the money they would otherwise have spent on homeownership.


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The number of cigarettes that the largest cigarette companies in the United States sold to wholesalers and retailers nationwide increased from 202.9 billion in 2019 to 203.7 billion in 2020, according to the most recent Federal Trade Commission Cigarette Report. This represents the first time annual cigarette sales have increased in 20 years.
According to the 2020 Smokeless Tobacco Report, smokeless tobacco sales increased from 126.0 million pounds in 2019 to 126.9 million pounds in 2020. The revenue from those sales rose from $4.53 billion in 2019 to $4.82 billion in 2020. For the first time, the Commission is reporting sales of nicotine lozenges or nicotine pouches not containing tobacco. In 2020, the companies sold 140.7 million units of such products in the United States, for $420.5 million.
The amount spent on cigarette advertising and promotion increased from $7.62 billion in 2019 to $7.84 billion in 2020. Price discounts paid to cigarette retailers ($6.07 billion) and wholesalers ($876 million) were the two largest expenditure categories in 2020. Combined spending on price discounts accounted for 88.5 percent of industry spending.
Spending on advertising and promotion by the major manufacturers of smokeless tobacco products in the U.S. decreased from $576.1 million in 2019 to $567.3 million in 2020. As with cigarettes, price discounts made up the two largest spending categories, with $296.6 million paid to retailers and $83.5 million paid to wholesalers. Combined spending on price discounts totaled $380.1 million – or 67.4 percent of all spending in 2020, up from the $376.0 million spent in 2019.
For the first time, the 2020 data include information on the flavors of the companies’ smokeless tobacco products. Menthol flavored smokeless tobacco products comprised more than half of all sales revenues (54.5 percent); tobacco flavored products (that is, no added flavor) comprised 43.4 percent; and fruit flavored smokeless tobacco products comprised 2.5 percent.
The Commission has issued the Cigarette Report periodically since 1967 and the Smokeless Tobacco Report periodically since 1987. Given the concerning trends highlighted in this report, including the first increase in cigarette sales in two decades, the Commission will continue to expand its approach in reporting shifts in the tobacco industry. The FTC also will use the newly captured data regarding smokeless tobacco products to align the Commission’s enforcement efforts with the emergent realities in the tobacco industry.
The Commission vote to issue the reports was 5-0.
The Federal Trade Commission works to promote competition and protect and educate consumers. Learn more about consumer topics at consumer.ftc.gov, or report fraud, scams, and bad business practices at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Follow the FTC on social media, read consumer alerts and the business blog, and sign up to get the latest FTC news and alerts.


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Take some of the fear out of trick-or-treating for food allergy families by joining the Teal Pumpkin Project™.
According to Food Allergy Research and Education (FARE), 15 million Americans have food allergies. One in every 13 children (that’s individuals under the age of 18) has a food allergy.
Keeping those numbers in mind, you can imagine that Halloween–the time of year when people can’t stop shoving candy in kids’ faces–can be downright scary for families dealing with food allergies.
But FARE doesn’t just dole out scary food allergy statistics; it’s also the force behind the Teal Pumpkin Project™, a nationwide effort to raise food allergy awareness and to make sure all kids head home on Halloween night with their trick-or-treat buckets full of fun and (most importantly) safe goodies.
The Teal Pumpkin Project™ project launched in 2014, and last Halloween season households from 50 states and seven countries took part, proudly displaying teal1 pumpkins on their porches for all to see. As of now, more than 100,000 homes are set to participate this Halloween, and we hope you’ll join in. As local artist and food allergy mom Tiffany Glass Ferreira explains it, the efforts of those participating in The Teal Pumpkin Project™ don’t go unnoticed.
Tiffany even wrote an Our House about being a food allergy parent!
“Teal pumpkins show support and understanding for trick-or-treaters navigating the holiday with food allergies,” she says. “It delights my kids to see a house displaying the signal…that their treats are safe for them.”
Here’s how you and yours can take part in The Teal Pumpkin Project™ this Halloween…
- Take the pledge, so FARE knows you’re in!
- Paint a pumpkin teal and set it out on your porch on Halloween (and/or post one of the printable signs available on the FARE website).
- Stock up on gobs and gobs of non-food items to pass out to the trick-or-treaters when it comes time for them to darken your doorway. Some ideas, courtesy of FARE:
- Glow sticks, bracelets, or necklaces
- Pencils, pens, crayons or markers
- Halloween erasers or pencil toppers
- Mini Slinkies
- Whistles, kazoos, or noisemakers
- Bouncy balls
- Finger puppets or novelty toys
- Spider rings
- Vampire fangs
- Mini notepads
- Playing cards
- Teal is the color of food allergy awareness–and has been for almost 20 years. The more you know, guys! ↩


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Walgreens was one of the first retailers to put COVID-19 measures in place when the pandemic began, but things have changed since March. More inventory is now available, COVID-19 testing has expanded, and vaccines are on the way! Here’s what Walgreens is trying to do to keep you safe.
By the way, here at the Krazy Coupon Lady, we’re staying on top of the Walgreens weekly ad and madly trying to find all the Walgreens deals. We know how important saving money is, especially right now! To be the first to hear about hot Walgreens deals, download the Krazy Coupon Lady app.
What are Walgreens hours?
Walgreens has resumed normal operating hours after adjusting them at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic.
Find the hours for a Walgreens near you.
Walgreens senior shopping hours
Walgreens doesn’t offer dedicated senior shopping hours anymore, but if you’re a senior, try to shop as early as possible in the morning, as that’s when the store is less crowded.
Also, Walgreens offers Senior’s Day on the first Tuesday of every month. On these days, seniors can get 20% off eligible items. If you’d like to shop online at Walgreens.com on Senior’s Day, use SENIOR20 at checkout.
Can I get a COVID-19 test or vaccine at Walgreens?
Yes, you can get a Walgreens coronavirus test. Walgreens offers drive-through testing at over 70% of their locations nationwide. In fact, your test is free if you qualify for testing based on CDC COVID-19 testing criteria.
As for the vaccine, both Walgreens and CVS COVID-19 vaccines will be available within 24 – 48 hours after the drugstores receive doses — as of right now, stores haven’t received doses yet.
Healthcare workers and long-term care facility residents will be the first ones eligible for vaccines and Walgreens will prioritize these.
Find the most current Walgreens COVID-19 vaccine information.
Does Walgreens have product limits?
Remember in the spring when toilet paper and hand sanitizer disappeared from the planet? Things are better now, but in order to prevent another shortage, Walgreens has product limits on a few items.
Good news is product limits aren’t as strict as they were at Walgreens at the start of the pandemic.
Shoppers are only allowed to purchase one item per product category (per person) listed below:
- rubbing alcohol
- hydrogen peroxide
These items have two-per-person limits:
- first-aid antiseptic
- disinfectant wipes and cleaners
- paper towels
- toilet paper
- facial tissue
Gloves have a four-per-person limit right now.
Walgreens supply restocks
Walgreens supplies are back to their normal stocking schedules, after experiencing some hiccups last spring as Walgreens restocked every day in order to keep products available for customers.
There’s been no change to Walgreens’ return policy since the coronavirus outbreak. As long as you have your receipt, you can return items within 30 days of purchase — for online and in-store purchases.
See the full Walgreens return policy here.
Do I have to go into a Walgreens pharmacy for my prescriptions?
No. Instead of going into a Walgreens pharmacy to speak with someone about non-emergency, medication-related topics, you can chat with a professional 24/7 at Walgreens.com or through the Walgreens app. To access this feature in the Walgreens app, tap on “Find Care” at the bottom of your mobile device.
You can also pick up your prescription through Walgreens pharmacy drive-thru or choose delivery as soon as the next day. Walgreens R/X delivery is free. Speaking of which…
Does Walgreens offer curbside pickup and delivery?
Walgreens 30-minute Curbside Pickup
A brand new feature that showed up when Walgreens launched MyWalgreens, their new loyalty program, is 30-minute curbside pickup.
When you sign up for MyWalgreens, you get access to free and super-fast curbside pickup — 30 minutes!
Plus, get 20% off a $25 purchase by using EASY20 when you place a curbside order in the Walgreens app.
To help you stay home during the coronavirus pandemic, Walgreens delivery is now free with no minimum purchase requirement.
You also have the option to ship to the store.
Is Walgreens hiring?
Yes. Walgreens is actively hiring for 35,000 positions including nurses, pharmacists and other health-care workers in order to efficiently distribute the COVID-19 vaccine to residents in long-term care homes.
This is in addition to the 9,500 temporary jobs Walgreens filled when the pandemic first began.
View all openings on the Walgreens careers page.
How do I coupon at Walgreens?
From Walgreens photo coupons to diaper and toilet paper deals, the Krazy Coupon Lady is all about finding the best ways to save at Walgreens. No, really — we stack all the discounts at Walgreens: Walgreens Cash, Register Rewards, manufacturer coupons, store coupons…we heart combining Walgreens coupons so much. We’ll show you how to do it in our ultimate guide, How to Coupon at Walgreens.
You’ll also want to download our free Krazy Coupon Lady app so you get an alert whenever a stellar deal drops. Ready to start saving?
Shop Walgreens deals right now.


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Hot on the heels of Friendster's recent face-lift, the onetime social-networking pioneer has found a buyer.
MOL Global, a Malaysian online payment company, has agreed to purchase Friendster, the companies announced late Wednesday. Terms of the deal were not revealed, but rumors last week said a likely asking price would start around US$100 million.
"This combination is a natural progression of our relationship and will be an industry-changing event," Richard Kimber, chief executive officer at Friendster, said in a statement. "The new combined entity gives Friendster the kind of financial backing, retail distribution, and e-commerce infrastructure that will enable us to accelerate our strategy and create a locally relevant, fun experience for our users in Asia, both on and offline."
Kimber confirmed last week that the company was shopping itself to buyers as the social-networking site was unveiling a redesigned site that focused on the Asian youth market. The revamped Friendster site offers a suite of features designed to capitalize on the social-gaming craze: a virtual currency, an array of games, and virtual gifts.
Of Friendster's 115 million registered users worldwide, 75 million are based in Asia, and 90 percent of its traffic comes from the Asia-Pacific region. It started offering translated versions of the site two years ago.
The two companies announced a partnership in October in which MOL would provide a payments platform for Friendster Wallet and Friendster Gift Shop.
Ganesh Kumar Bangah, president and chief executive officer of MOL, will become the group chief executive officer of the combined entity. Kimber, who formerly served as Google's regional managing director in Southeast Asia, will become the non-executive chairman.
This article was first published as a blog post on CNET News.


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Windsor ranks third in Ontario for houses selling the most over asking price
Home buyers in Windsor will have to accept the harsh reality that the listing price of a house will be nowhere near the selling price.
According to a new report from Zoocasa, Windsor ranks third in Ontario for cities where homes are selling the most above their asking price.
The report calculated the percentage difference between the average sold price and the average list price in 29 cities across Ontario for the month of September.
The average listing price of a home in Windsor in September was $389,658 but the average selling price was $453,210, making for a list to sold price difference of 16.3 per cent.
Ottawa topped the list with a 27 per cent difference on average, while Whitby came in second at 16.4 per cent.
“I couldn’t even call it a listing price, I would call it more of a market price,” says Goran Todorovic, Team Goran Remax Care Realty.
Real estate brokers say the listing price doesn’t paint the most accurate picture as it may be used as a marketing tool to drive up demand.
“When you’re looking at real estate, we really want to focus on the sold price,” says Damon Winney, Windsor Essex Association of Realtors President. “The list price from the seller’s perspective is a way to get people to see the property.”
Analysts predict local real estate prices will continue to climb in 2022, but at a steadier pace.
“Low interest rates plus the announcement of immigration coming in,” says Todorovic. “We’re expecting 400,000 new immigrants to come to Canada every year for the next 10 years.”
“I used to say location, location, location with regards to real estate. Now it’s supply, supply, supply,” says Winney.
However, there may be relief for buyers in the short term. Todorovic expects the local market to stay stagnant for the next few months given the possibly layoffs coming to Windsor Assembly.
“There’s possibly a hiccup coming our way, a slight adjustment in the market due to some recent announcements in the auto industry,” Todorovic says. “This is a good time for buyers to get in.”
Currently, the average selling price of a home in Windsor is just over $552,000.


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“If a Domino’s and a KFC can come from abroad to India, then it is our aspiration to be an Indian brand going abroad,” he told ET Panache on the side-lines of a recent awards event. “Today I can visualize a Wow! Momo in Times Square, say 10 years from now.”
Recently Daryani moved one step closer to his New York dream with Tiger Global Management investing Rs. 130 crore in Wow! Momo Foods. The company, which owns and operates Wow! Momo and Wow! China, currently has 282 outlets of Wow! Momo and 11 outlets of Wow! China across 15 cities.
Dream It, Achieve It Daryani, who is a big believer in visualising what you want, has been encouraging his team for years to think global. “In everything you do, you have to give your team that sense that we have to go global.”
To help with this, Daryani often borrows a line from Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar.
“I have this thing where I keep telling my team whenever we’re stressed out that ‘Friends, Romans and country men, we have to take Wow! Momo from India to Rome. So let’s make it bigger, bigger and bigger.’”
Does it work? “It just lightens the mood.”
On the Bucket List Besides New York, what’s on Daryani’s bucket list?
“If I had to think a future apart from Wow! Momo, maybe 20 or 30 years from now, one thing I’d want to do is build cancer hospitals. We’re (currently) working on this concept where every plate of momos that we sell, you contribute Rs. 1 to building cancer hospitals. So I think by the time I’m sixty I should be able to achieve that.”
India’s elevated core inflation, which strips volatile food and fuel prices from the headline, has kept borrowing costs high. Even though the RBI’s mandate is focused on managing headline consumer prices, core inflation has made its way into policy deliberations. The indicator has stayed above 6% for 17 straight months.
New Delhi, Mar 14 (PTI) American toy and clothing retailer Toys 'R' Us is said to have shut within 24 hours a store it opened in Hyderabad to mark its second entry into India over some legal complexities with the mall owner, sources said.


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NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Not even a year ago, Carl Weinberg, the founder and chief economist of High Frequency Economics, declared in an interview with Barron's that Europe was in a depression. But, as detailed in a recent article in TheStreet, current manufacturing data show that the continent is recovering. Investors could profit from the rebound via stocks headquartered in Europe, such as Royal Dutch Shell (RDS.A), Unilever (UL) and Siemens (SI), among many others.
In particular, the energy sector for Europe is very promising.
The continent is starting to move toward allowing fracking for oil and natural gas. Spain just revised laws to permit fracking. And Britain and Poland already allow fracking. That is bullish for Repsol (PINK:REPPY), the major oil company that is based in Spain. It is also good news for Royal Dutch Shell, the second largest oil and natural gas entity in the world and the biggest in Europe. Small-cap firms such as Octagon 88 (OTC:OCTX), headquartered in Switzerland, will also benefit. Europe is the second largest market for natural gas in the world. The more energy it produces and the less it imports, the more job-creating capital stays at home, and the better its balance-of-payments position becomes.
Companies in the consumer sector will also gain.
Britain's Unilever and Switzerland's Nestle (OTC:NSRGY) are two of the biggest and best consumer corporations to be found. Many of their brands are easily recognizable. Nestle's chocolate speaks for itself. Unilever's many popular products include Dove, Lipton and Vaseline. Unilever even owns the counterculture pride of Vermont, Ben & Jerry's (I guess we all sell out to The Man eventually). Both of these blue chips are not only strong in Europe, but also around the world.


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Tracy Skeans, the Chief Operating Officer and Chief People Officer of Yum! Brands, knows the importance of staying open to possibilities. “Early on in my career, I was presented with an opportunity to shift my career path from finance to human resources,” she recalled in a recent interview. "I ultimately said ‘yes’ to the risks and new challenges in front of me, and that decision led to even more exciting and rewarding opportunities.”
Considering her success in business leadership over the years, Skeans appears to have made the right decision by embracing the uncertain path. Today, in her dual position as COO and CPO, she has her hands in many sectors of Yum! Brands – the owner of household names like KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, and more. Reporting directly to CEO David Gibbs, Skeans oversees global cross-brand collaboration while also being responsible for food safety, human resources, business transformation, equality, and communications. On top of that, she was one of the main figures that helped steer Yum! through the pandemic, while also positioning the company for the future by continuing to make acquisitions, increasing its digital acceleration, and focusing on diversity and inclusivity from top to bottom.
Skeans, who has been with the company for 20+ years, previously served as chief transformation and people officer, a role she held from 2016-2021. Under her stewardship, Yum! integrated The Habit Burger Grill and Heartstyles – a team member leadership development program. In 2019, she also played a central role in the spinoff of Yum China. Additionally, during the pandemic, her leadership was vital in mobilizing Yum! and its brands to protect the health, safety, and engagement of corporate and restaurant teams.
Before Yum!, Skeans was president of Pizza Hut International, which at the time was a business of more than 5,900 restaurants across more than 85 countries. In 2013, as Pizza Hut's chief people officer, Skeans was one of the primary architects of the separation of Yum! Restaurants International into the global brand divisions of KFC and Pizza Hut. Prior to her HR leadership roles, she spent the first half of her career in finance roles, including strategic planning, asset development, and accounting, at Pizza Hut.
In addition to her executive roles at Yum!, Skeans serves on the board of directors for the Brown-Forman Corporation and the Women’s Foodservice Forum. She holds an MBA from the Katz School of Business at the University of Pittsburgh and a Bachelor of Science in accounting from Lehigh University.


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ONTARIO – The Convention Center, L.A./Ontario International Airport, corporate office buildings and the new Citizens Business Bank Arena have something in common – people.
And whether it’s for business or pleasure, those people have made this city a hotbed of hotel construction.
In fact, an average of three new hotels have come to Ontario each of the past five years, according to Jerry Blum, the city’s planning director.
The hotel growth is in line with the city’s vision for Ontario to be the next “urban center” in the Inland Empire, Mayor Paul Leon said.
“You have to have the hotels for the demand,” he said.
The population of San Bernardino and Riverside counties is about 3 million, and it is expected to reach 5 million in the next decade, Leon said.
In the past five years, Ontario has become the hub for industrial office space in the Inland Empire.
That has resulted in business travelers staying in the area while they are in town for meetings, Blum said.
Karen Pedersen, general manager of the newly opened Country Inn and Suites on the south side of Ontario Mills, said she has worked for hotels in Ontario for 16 years.
Besides the businesses, she said, there are other attractions that bring business to the hotels.
Ontario Mills brings busloads of tourists almost on a daily basis, which can result in reservations for neighboring hotels, she said.
In the future, the Guasti Center, a water park, and the Piemonte Project will be additional attractions.
“That raises the bar a little and offers an alternative to Los Angeles,” Pedersen said.
When Auto Club Speedway in Fontana holds a NASCAR race, all Ontario hotels are booked for weeks before and after the race, Blum said.
“It’s very hard to create activity in the Inland Empire to the level the city of Ontario has as a destination,” Pedersen said.
Even with all the new hotels popping up – Hotel Indigo is another that opened its doors in the past year – there is no concern of oversaturation.
“Hotels are a regional market. If we say we’re saturated, they will go to Chino, Montclair,” Blum said.
The recession has put the brakes on business for some hotels, but Pedersen said the attraction that will help hotels is the opening of the arena.
“The arena is huge for the Inland Empire,” she said. “This primarily is a corporate-filled market, and we are filled Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.”
With 125 yearly events planned that can attract 7,000 to 11,000 fans, the arena can fill empty rooms on the weekend for many area hotels, Pedersen said.
There are still plans for more hotels to come in the new year. The only thing that will change is the completion date on them, Blum said.
“People travel and they will need a place to stay. All these continue to drive the need for hotels,” Blum said.


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LEGO Marvel Super Heroes – Asgard Screens
Thor, Cap, and Wolverine battle Loki on Asgard in these new screens from the upcoming LEGO Marvel Super Heroes.
TT Games and Marvel have released new screens for the upcoming LEGO Marvel Super Heroes, showcasing a battle on Thor’s homeworld of Asgard. Thor is joined by Captain America, The Human Torch, and Wolverine as they attempt to stop The Destroyer, an armored weapon controlled by Thor’s mischievous brother Loki. Thor and Captain America appear to be dressed in their attire from last year’s The Avengers – hopefully LEGO Marvel Super Heroes will continue the tradition of having multiple unlockable costumes for each super hero. Despite being rendered in the classic LEGO style, Thor‘s homeworld of Asgard looks absolutely breathtaking. With TT Games’ resume of fun LEGO titles, this is a game Marvel fans will definitely want to watch out for.
LEGO Marvel Super Heroes features an original story crossing the entire Marvel Universe. Players take control of Iron Man, Spider-Man, the Hulk, Captain America, Wolverine and many more Marvel characters as they unite to stop Loki and a host of other Marvel villains from assembling a super-weapon capable of destroying the world. Players will chase down Cosmic Bricks as they travel across LEGO Manhattan and visit key locations from the Marvel Universe, such as Stark Tower, Asteroid M, a Hydra base and the X-Mansion. Set for release this fall, the game will be available for Xbox 360®, PlayStation®3, Wii U™, Nintendo DS™, Nintendo 3DS™, PlayStation® Vita, and PC.


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“This partnership gives millions of Brazilians access to the digital economy, allowing businesses worldwide to provide secure and seamless payment experiences for their global customers in Brazil,” said EBANX’s VP of Products, Erika Daguani.
NuPay is now available to over 7 million Nubank clients in Brazil and over 1,600 EBANX clients worldwide. The platform offers additional spending limits based on the users’ profile and credit score, enabling consumers to shop at NuPay-enabled stores without affecting their Nubank credit card limit.
“Latin America is one of the fastest growing markets in the world and offers endless opportunities in ecommerce. We believe the best way to address this opportunity is through different payment methods adapted to customer preferences,” added Daguani.
Read more on Tech LA


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Secret City Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram serving Oak Ridge TN offers great low prices, rebates, and incentives for new Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram & used Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram cars, vans and SUVs to all of our neighbors in Oak Ridge, Knoxville, Lenoir City, Alcoa, and Sevierville.
Also in 1916, the Dodge Brothers' vehicles won acclaim for durability while in service with the U.S. Army's Pancho Villa Expedition into Mexico 10 One notable instance was in May when the 6th Infantry received a reported sighting of Julio Cárdenas , one of Villa's most trusted subordinates.
But it's pretty clear that Marchionne's game plan before he retires in 2019 is to complete an arc for FCA that began in 2009, when Fiat took the bankrupt Chrysler off the US federal government's hands. Significantly, officials at rival Ford this month noted that SUV sales in the U.S. have gone from 28 percent to 40 percent of the American market since 2006, and forecast that could hit 50 percent in five years.
None of the other infotainment units pictured bear the 7:07 timestamp, but if you want something other than chronometric evidence, look no further than the Hellcat-powered Ram Rebel TRX concept truck the company revealed back in 2016. In January 2012, with the start of production still four months away, 5 percent of Chrysler's stock was transferred from the UAW's retiree health care trust to Fiat.
The fear was that if Chrysler went under, the national security of the country would be compromised by the loss of a manufacturer for tanks, trucks and other vehicles. The bulk of Fiat Chrysler's global profits are generated by Jeep S.U.V.s and Ram pickups sold in the American market, and the company has lagged far behind competitors in pursuing advanced technology for autonomous and electrified vehicles.
4 years ago a company driver could easy make over 80,000 a year driveing a compnay car hauler. The Dodges, with 10% of the company, led a successful shareholders' lawsuit that resulted in Ford buying them out for $25 million. Many in Congress accused the automakers of not operating competitively for years The companies had delayed making alternative energy vehicles.
Our certified service technicians will keep your Chrysler, octane red challenger Dodge, Jeep, Ram running like the day you bought it. So bring your vehicle in for your next service appointment and treat yourself and your new Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram or pre-owned Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram the way you both deserve.
But qualifying for the exemption requires foundations to meet a complicated, three-part test, written into the tax code, to ensure the company-nonprofit relationship isn't a tax dodge—which is only going to add pages to the tax code and provide more business for tax lawyers.
With three and a half decades in the auto business, Secret City Chrysler Dodge Jeep RAM is the only place to go for your next vehicle purchase. Marchionne has also hinted at spinning off FCA brands, including Jeep. MY THOUGHTS IS DODGE SHOULD RECALL THEIR CARS, PAY BACK THE MONEY WE ALL SPENT ON THEM, AND RECYCLE THEM INTO SARDINE CANS.
Metro Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram has been serving the West end of Ottawa for over 30 years. Since nothing makes sense in the car world, Jeep is not Chrysler's cash cow at the moment. Given that so many FCA products are made better and cheaper by the firm's competitors, Marchionne could be an industry hero by dismantling a company the world doesn't need.
However, when FCA begins manufacturing the Giorgio-based Dodge cars, it could mean the end of the line for the Chrysler 300 sedan. Wickes Furniture is going out of business and losing all of its stores, Wickes, a 37-year-old retailer that targets middle-income customers, filed for bankruptcy protection last month.


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Coming on the heels of fairly bullish data on retail sales and industrial production, Thursday's reports also hinted job growth may be picking up slightly. "The data ..
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Jobless claims increased by 2,000 to 304,000 in the week ended April 12 from a revised 302,000 the prior period that was the lowest since September 2007, a Labor Department re ..


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The campus of Washington State University in Southeast Washington’s agricultural region looks like a typical land-grant university. The connected mix of art-deco, modern, and post-modern buildings that collectively house the College of Engineering and Architecture hide a strange and incredible secret: that the researchers inside are close to making human-compatible ceramic bone grafts and custom-made prostheses and implants. In short, they’re building cyborgs in Palouse.
In the same way that commercial 3D printing has changed product design and prototyping, these researchers are creating a way to build body parts. Their cheap, iterative designs take the best of the 3D-printing industry and add novel materials like resorbable ceramic powders and titanium. The resulting artificial body parts can then be placed on humans, creating some of the most complex chimeras in existence.
“Using 3D-printing technology, and optimum material chemistry, one can control the geometry and shape of the scaffold and bone-like material chemistry at the same time. We can control the resorption and dissolution kinetics in a controlled manner that can be used based on application need. If you can resorp the scaffold, then the ultimate result would be for the natural healing to replace the scaffold and need for a second surgery, as is needed with current technologies,” explains Dr. Bose on a recent visit to her office.
The calcium phosphate-based ceramic bone grafts, for low-load-bearing bones, and titanium prostheses, for high-load-bearing applications, that the MRG is making are not ready for human use yet, but Dr. Bose and Dr. Bandyopadhyay both think 3D-printing technology will have a place in medicine.
At the Materials Research Group, Dr. Bose, Dr. Bandyopadhyay, and their graduate students run an impressive, interdisciplinary program. Dr. Bandyopadhyay stated that their work is “primarily an engineering-based solution to a biological problem.” The work, according to Dr. Bose, combines chemistry, materials characterization, materials processing and biological characterization.
When asked if we might see 3D printers in hospitals, ready to make custom grafts and prostheses, Dr. Bandyopadhyay says simply that “Co-location is not required.” He tells a story of working with CAD files generated from an MRI that he received from a neurosurgeon in India. Dr. Bandyopadhyay had never met the surgeon or the patient, but using the CAD files, he was able to print a custom titanium plate for a large section of the patient’s skull that was destroyed in a motorcycle crash.
“It takes one to two days to print a piece like that, and it takes up to one to two days to stabilize a patient after major trauma,” said Dr. Bandyopadhyay.
“Use of 3D printing can be used in a much broader sense, we can also develop a remedy or structure for a defect-specific or patient-specific bone defect. If the doctor provides a scan, we can convert it to a CAD file and make the bone scaffold specific to the defect size or shape,” said Dr. Bose. With current bone graft and prosthesis manufacturing methods, making a device from a patient specific image or out of an unusual material, due to a patient allergy to chromium for example, is prohibitively expensive and time consuming. Dr. Bose and Dr. Bandyopadhyay are working on making 3D printers into a cheaper, faster and more precise manufacturing methods.
The Group also works with WSU professors of veterinary medicine for testing the viability of their grafts and prostheses. Graduate students work on all aspects of the research, from imaging to CAD to 3D printing to veterinary surgery, explains Dr. Bandyopadhyay.
A walk through the Materials Research Group’s labs reveals the sequence of the process for printing and testing the ceramic and metal. The first room holds several 3D printers, one for ceramic powder and polymer binder, one for metal powder and one for just polymer. The next room houses a plasma sprayer for further refining products with additional coatings. And finally, a room for cell culture, where cells are grown for introduction to printed objects. Seeing where each of these phases happens gives an appreciation of how much Dr. Bose and Dr. Bandyopadhyay have accomplished since 1998.
But what about using 3D printers to build living things, with cell-based inks? A number of researchers at universities and private companies are doing just that.
Looking to revolutionize how doctors obtain organs and tissues, specialists in regenerative medicine are using 3D printers with cell-based ink in conjunction with existing tissue culture techniques to create organs and tissues that could save, extend, and improve patients’ lives. 3D printers with ink containing cultured cells deposit at least one type of cell on a protein scaffold or within a mold made of a dissolvable gel. When the printed tissues are kept in an environment with temperature and oxygen levels resembling those inside a living animal, the natural embryonic development processes make cells grow together, just as happens in living animals.
Professor Gabor Forgacs, of the University of Missouri-Columbia’s Biological Physics department, founded San Diego-based company Organovo in 2007. Organovo began operations in 2009, seeking to use 3D-printing technology in regenerative medicine.
Organovo uses 3D printers to assemble 2D layers of cellular material corralled within a mold of non-invasive gel. Cellular self-assembly takes over and leads to the 2D layers flowing together, leaving the tissue with the desired shape and function. The non-invasive gel allows Organovo to print and grow tissue without using a protein scaffold for printed cells to adhere to and grow on. Protein scaffolds, whether made from an existing organ stripped of its cells or created in a lab, have been a staple of other efforts to cultivate organs and tissues.
On April 22, 2013, Organovo announced that it had created the world’s “first fully cellular 3D bioprinted liver tissue.” This multicellular material is able to perform many functions of a natural liver, including cholesterol biosynthesis, enzymatic activities, and production of other compounds. Organovo stated the liver tissue is up to 500 microns and 20 cells thick, and exhibits “tissue-like cellular density.”
Organovo has developed its own 3D printer and software package for scaffold-free bioprinting, the NovoGen MMX Bioprinter. While Organovo has yet to produce any tissue that has gone into a patient, pharmaceutical researchers are already using the NovoGen MMX Bioprinter to create human tissues for drug development and disease modeling. In February 2013, Organovo and ZenBio announced a partnership for using ZenBio’s expertise in providing human cell solutions with Organovo’s printing technology. Organovo offers training and support to companies that purchase the printer. In December 2012, Organovo announced a collaboration with Autodesk “to create the first 3D design software for bioprinting.”
Besides Organovo, several universities have been developing 3D bioprinting technology. Chief among these are the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine (WFIRM), Cornell University and the University of Iowa.
WFIRM was the first facility in the world to transplant a lab-grown organ into a human. Dr. Anthony Atala, chair and director of the institute as well as the head of the Wake Forest Urology Department, has transplanted “hundreds” of lab-grown bladders into patients since the early 2000s. WFIRM does not use a printer for these bladders; rather they use a biopsy from the patient’s bladder to culture cells around a scaffold, and then incubate the bladder in a chamber whose temperature and oxygen level are meant to mimic conditions inside a healthy human.
WFIRM has now pioneered use of printers in its regenerative medicine labs. Researchers have used a modified inkjet printer, with solution of cells in the ink cartridge, to print organs, including a mouse heart. WFIRM researchers have developed techniques to grow large areas of skin from human foreskins, and are now developing a vial-based scan-and-print system to apply skin cells to burns that would normally require taking skin grafts from other areas on a patient’s body. In lab experiments, wounds on mice treated with printed skin cells healed in three weeks, versus five weeks for mice not treated with the printed skin.
Now, WFIRM is combining its expertise in culturing cells and using inkjet printers with cell-based inks to use 3D printers to create major organs with multiple tissue types. The 3D printer uses morphometric models based on CT scans. Dr. Atala brought one of WFIRM’s customized 3D printers to a 2011 TED Talk and presented a human kidney that was printed backstage. While the organ Dr. Atala presented in his talk is not suitable for transplant, it shows the amazing potential of 3D printers to create organs for transplants that do not require a finding and transporting an organ from a donor. Since a 3D printer can use ink created from a patient’s own cells, donor compatibility issues and threats to transplanted organs from the patient’s immune system will disappear.
The University of Iowa’s Biomanufacturing Laboratory, part of the Mechanical and Industrial Department, has Dr. Ibrahim Ozbolat using the world’s only multi-arm 3D bio-printer to make organs. The multi-arm printer, developed at the University of Iowa’s Center for Computer Aided Design’s Advanced Manufacturing Technology group, or AMTech, can print complex structures using different kinds of cells simultaneously. For example, one arm can print vascular tissue while another arm prints tissue specific to the organ being printed, such as the glucose-sensitive pancreatic tissue.
Ozbolat is a co-director at AMTech, and he hopes to print usable organs within five to ten years. AMTech is currently focusing on creating pancreatic tissue, using an interdisciplinary team that includes specialists in medicine, biology, anatomy, mechanical engineering, robotics and computer aided design. According to Ozbolat, creating blood vessels is essential to printing any tissue that is more than one centimeter thick, to keep cells from dying.
At Cornell University, Dr. Lawrence Bonassar of the Biomedical Engineering Department recently made news when his lab used a 3D printer to create a human earlobe. The process begins by scanning the patient’s head in order to create a computer model of the ear’s shape. This model then directs a 3D printer using a cell-based ink to print the ear. Ears are a good option for printing, because cartilage does not require a blood supply.
Stepping away from medical uses for 3D bioprinting, Professor Gabor Forgacs of Organovo and his son Andras founded Modern Meadow with Dr. Francoise Marga and Dr. Karoly Jakab in 2011. The Columbia, Mo.-based company wants to use 3D printers and other processes that allow for large-scale production to make meat and leather. Modern Meadow’s founders believe that meat and leather printed from lab-grown cells can provide safer, more environmentally friendly animal products than farming and ranching.
Modern Meadow’s process starts with a biopsy from a healthy animal, taking skin for leather, or muscle, fat and other tissues for meat. Modern Meadow claims that cultured meat requires 99 percent less land, 96 percent less water and 45 percent less energy than meat from livestock. In addition, cultured meat produces 96 percent less greenhouse gas emissions, and does not risk spreading livestock-borne disease.
“If we can get this technology right, and if we can mainstream it, then it supports a different, positive vision from science fiction, one where we can locally grow on-demand, cruelty free, sustainably abundant amounts of meat and leather in a way that can protect and preserve our future on this planet and beyond.”
Modern Meadow has made some meat and leather in their labs, but the products are far from ready for the marketplace. Modern Meadow’s plan is to test-market higher-end fashion products and gourmet meat before broadening into lower-priced markets as Modern Meadow’s production costs decrease and its reputation grows. Modern Meadow expects leather products to be ready before meat. Aside from the regulatory, cultural and engineering challenges to selling engineered meat, Gabor Forgacs explains in this TED Talk, where he eats a bite-sized morsel of printed pork, that Modern Meadow is still fine-tuning the fat content and electrical stimulation of muscle tissue during development that are necessary to make lab-grown meat taste like farm-raised meat.
This is just the beginning. Andras Forgacs explained in a Reddit IAMA, “Real steak is a big stretch. It won’t be the first product since steak is very hard to make for now. Instead, the first wave of meat products to be made with this approach will likely be minced meats (burgers, sausages, etc.) and pates (goose liver pate, etc.). Also seafood is an early possibility since the texture requires may be easier to achieve than premium cuts.”
Andras Forgacs closes a 2013 Solve for X presentation by summing up Modern Meadow’s goal nicely. “If we can get this technology right, and if we can mainstream it, then it supports a different, positive vision from science fiction, one where we can locally grow on-demand, cruelty free, sustainably, abundant amounts of meat and leather in a way that can protect and preserve our future on this planet and beyond.”
You won’t be eating a steak that comes from a 3D printer in 2013 or 2014, nor will you have a kidney, pancreas or bone graft from a 3D printer. But a number of academics and entrepreneurs are working on promising projects with 3D bioprinting that may well revolutionize our food industry and organ-transplant system within the next decade. It’s just a matter of time that some of us will be listening to the music of the spheres with our strange and revolutionary 3D-printed ears.
[Image: AFP Photo/Cornell University/Lindsay France]


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Revamped bar reopens with burger brand link-up to make town 'party central'
- Credit: Nick Lane Marketing
A Lowestoft pub and bar has reopened after a revamp and a new link-up with a popular Norwich burger brand.
The Harbour, which was bought by Moss and Co in spring and underwent a refurbishment programme, is teaming up with Fupburger, which started in Norwich in July 2019 and has become a firm favourite with food-lovers.
It is currently based at The Dog House on the city's St George's Street.
The Harbour, based at Bridge House in Lowestoft, opposite the Royal Norfolk and Suffolk Yacht Club, reopens with a new round bar, a list of craft beers and a cocktail mixologist, as well The Hatch, which will serve takeaway coffee and tea.
It is part of a trend which its owner believes is seeing Lowestoft become "party central", with the venue also home to DJ booths, a dance floor and flower wall, as well as plans for live bands and late night entertainment.
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David Moss, its owner, said the business was expanding and that it was looking to buy freehold venues across the region looking for a quick sale.
"The opportunity to purchase The Harbour was too good to miss, especially given its location, the inward investment into the town and a trend that is seeing Lowestoft becoming party central in a shift away from Oulton Broad where one of our other pubs is located," he said.
- 1 Spectacle of light with 'Norfolk's biggest ever firework display' announced
- 2 Rare Airbus Beluga XL spotted over Norfolk
- 3 Man struck repeatedly on head with motorcylcle helmet in Norfolk attack
- 4 Main road reopens more than six hours after 'serious' crash
- 5 Man dies after 'medical incident' on Yarmouth seafront
- 6 Petrol stations close nationally as HGV driver crisis worsens
- 7 Norfolk man in a relationship with teen he abducted, court told
- 8 Huge seaside home with indoor pool for sale for £600,000
- 9 Five takeaways planned to open in Norfolk
- 10 Closures near A11 roundabout after crash involving motorcycle and van
He added: “We are extremely thrilled to have Tom and the guys from Fupburger onboard, with proper burgers that really are something special and worth experiencing."
Tom Shiers, founder of Fupburger, said: “Our burgers are all about the quality of ingredients from local produce, and you can taste it. We are a positive product of a global pandemic, if there is such a thing?
"Without it I'd still be a roadie and still have to travel down to London for a decent burger. If it doesn't make a mess, it ain't worth eating."
Moss and Co also runs The Bell at Carlton Colville, The Village Maid at Lound, The Jolly Sailors at Pakefield, The Commodore at Oulton Broad and The Angel at Wangford.
National Hospitality Day falls on Saturday, September 18 and has been launched by charities Hospitality Action, The Drinks Trust, Springboard and Licensed Trade Charity in a bid to support the industry.
It encourages people to book a table at their favourite restaurant to support them after a challenging 18 months.
If you’re unable to get out and about, you can donate to any of the charities involved by visiting nationalhospitalityday.org.uk
If you’re a business, National Hospitality Day has a raft of promotional material available to help you get started promoting September 18.


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Yamaha’s XSR900 has been in line for an update ever since the launch of the all-new MT-09 a year ago. Now the firm has taken the wraps off the new model and it’s a huge step forward from the old one both in terms of technology and appearance.
The XSR900′s formula has always been to take the structure of the MT-09, including its CP3 triple engine and aluminum frame, and wrap it in bodywork that’s vaguely retro without being a tribute to a specific model. For 2022 that recipe isn’t changed but the ingredients have all been renewed.
Related: 2021 Yamaha MT-09 First Ride
The engine is now the latest, 889cc version of the CP3 instead of the previous 846cc unit, and with the extra capacity comes another 4 hp, taking it to 117.3 bhp at 10,000 rpm. Torque is up too, from 64.2 pound-feet to 68.6 pound-feet, peaking at 7,000 rpm instead of the previous 8,500 rpm.
As well as the new engine, the latest XSR900 gets the cast alloy Deltabox frame from the MT-09, with varying wall thickness to help get the best mix of weight, flex, and rigidity, as well as the same spin-forged wheels that first arrived on the MT-09, reducing both rotating and unsprung mass for a boost in performance and handling.
However, the chassis isn’t a direct carryover. For the XSR900 Yamaha has added a much longer swingarm to the mix, increasing the wheelbase from 56.7 inches to 58.9 inches, while the overall length is up from 81.7 inches to 84.4 inches. Above the new swingarm sits a subframe that’s designed specifically for the XSR900, carrying a cafe-racer-style seat with an exaggerated hump behind the rider’s perch, along with extended, foldaway passenger footpegs for anyone brave enough to clamber onto the pillion pad.
While the longer wheelbase might not suggest sharper handling, Yamaha expects the new XSR900 to be quicker turning than its predecessor thanks to the lightweight wheels and a head pipe that’s mounted more than an inch lower than the old bike’s, dropping the top yoke and bars in the process and reducing steering inertia by 14 percent. The bike is 4.4 pounds lighter than its predecessor too, with a curb mass of 426 pounds.
When it comes to styling, Yamaha has taken the switch to a Deltabox frame as a cue to bring the bike’s appearance forward by a decade. Where the previous XSR900 was arguably loosely inspired by 1970s designs, the 2022 model is intended to be a 1980s throwback.
It’s not a slavish replica of any particular model, but the tank shape is reminiscent of older Yamahas while hiding the same acoustically tuned airbox as used on the MT-09. Underneath, the exhaust is unaltered too, and while the belly-mounted pipe is unlike anything from the 1980s, at least it means there’s no bulky side-mounted muffler to mar the bike’s appearance.
Overall, the bike’s profile is a big step forward from the previous XSR900. The old model’s headlight always looked a little too high, but the lower-slung chassis of the new one solves that problem. Visually, the rider’s seat is mounted much further back too—a change that gives a more genuine representation of older bikes and also probably accounts for the need for a longer swingarm to make sure the center of gravity isn’t biased too far rearward.
Swingarm aside, the suspension and brakes come straight from the MT-09, with a KYB fork and matching shock, allied to radial calipers operated via a Brembo radial master cylinder. The technology, too, is like the MT-09′s, with a high overall specification including a six-axis IMU that allows the use of cornering traction control, cornering ABS, and Yamaha’s slide control system, with a variety of user-selectable settings. The power delivery can also be tailored, with four modes to choose from, and there’s a bidirectional quickshifter as standard along with an assist-and-slipper clutch. Cruise control and anti-wheelie are both standard, along with a small, 3.5-inch color TFT display. In Europe, the bike is set to reach dealers in February next year, along with a range of accessories including an optional fly screen and Akrapovič exhaust.


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Overview of the Russia-Ukraine war
Within a few days of Russia’s invasion of Ukrainian territory, countries around the world imposed sanctions while providing humanitarian assistance to the Ukrainian people. Even as peace talks continue, there is widespread global uncertainty about the future of business. As an emerging player in the global IT industry, the Russia-Ukraine war is likely to have far-reaching consequences for Indian IT firms with delivery centers in and around Ukraine.
As the Russia-Ukraine war worsens, India’s information technology (IT) service providers are waiting to make strategic decisions, such as shifting service or delivery locations from Eastern Europe to India and have activated business continuity plans in countries such as Hungary, Poland, and Romania.
How Indian Firms are tackling the situation?
According to data compiled from the quarterly earnings reports of top Indian IT service companies, Europe is the second most important client region for Indian software service providers. It accounts for 20-25 percent of total business. More than 80% of this revenue comes from Western Europe. Whilst the Eastern part of the region has recently emerged as a key strategic delivery center location. Where IT firms have begun to confirm their appearance.
To improve their delivery capabilities, many Indian engineering firms began acquiring Eastern European firms in the banking, utilities, and energy sectors. Many of these firms are dealing with supply issues. As a result of ongoing disputes, which could have a significant impact on operations and even cause deals to fall through. As European businesses rethink their strategies and finances. This has serious implications for Indian IT firms looking to expand their software start-up ecosystem. In terms of industry verticals, sectors such as banking, automotive, oil, energy, and utilities in Europe, particularly those with high exposure to Russia, may face supply issues, potentially delaying new deals for Indian IT companies.
Russia-Ukraine war- Impact on Jobs
The situation is also concerning in terms of jobs. In the near future, European IT service providers are likely to take a break or reduce hiring. Potentially leaving many skilled Indian candidates unemployed or competing fiercely for India/US-based jobs.
Many global IT projects that were previously outsourced to Ukraine and other East European countries (which are quickly gaining a reputation as a hub of tech talent) are likely to be relocated to India, increasing demand.
Although existing deals are unlikely to be significantly impacted by Europe’s ongoing crisis. The new deal pipeline may face pressures as enterprises across the area rebalance their spending and slow down on digitalization initiatives in the short term.
There will be a surge in the requirement for local talent. This will short term as a result of a lot of businesses shifting to India. It will create many employment opportunities for skilled people.
Currently, IT firms are concerned about the long-term influence of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The top brands have all stated their commitment to maintaining high levels of service delivery. While also assisting employees affected by the conflict. The highest priority is to provide personal and professional support to Ukrainian employees while ensuring continuous delivery of services. Firms with a European presence, for example, can establish offshore delivery centers in and around Ukraine to absorb workers displaced by the conflict.
They can also collaborate with Ukrainian vendors. This is to create safe alternative channels for product transport and delivery in order to keep business flowing. From a humanitarian standpoint, much can be done. This will give financial assistance to millions of workers and emergency supplies to employees, service partners, and their family members currently living in Ukraine.
Russia-Ukraine war Impact on Chip Industry
The Russia-Ukraine conflicts will also affect the supply chains of the global semiconductor industry, which were severely disrupted during the COVID-19 period, and may face further setbacks.
The conflict may have a particular impact on the supply of neon gas and palladium, which are used in the processes for chip production.
Shortage of Raw Material
The photolithography process, which is the most prevalent method for creating integrated circuits, uses neon gas. The neon gas is specifically employed in the laser devices that cut integrated circuits.
However, in order to be used in the semiconductor sector, neon gas must have a purity of 99.99 percent. Making it a rare commodity. Incas and Cryoin, two Ukrainian businesses, produce more than half of semiconductor-grade neon.
Palladium is utilized in semiconductor and electrical production for a variety of purposes. It’s used to coat electrodes that aid in the control of electrical flow. It’s also used in the plating of microprocessors and printed circuit boards. Which is an important step in the chip manufacturing process. Russia supplies about half of the world’s palladium. And the many trade sanctions imposed on Moscow threaten to limit the element’s availability.
Russia supplies over 40% of the global supply of palladium. And Ukraine produces 70% of the global supply of neon. We can expect the global chip shortage to worsen if the military conflict continues.
As resources exported from the Russia-Ukraine war are critical for semiconductor manufacturing. This includes the rare gas neon, the chemical C4F6, and metals such as palladium, nickel, platinum, rhodium, and titanium.
What would happen in the chip industry
Granted, technology has progressed tremendously since 2015. And chipmakers have stocked up on resources in anticipation of increased demand during the epidemic. But inventory can only last so long. Expect the chip shortage to worsen if an agreement isn’t reached in the coming months. And sectors that rely on them to be similarly impacted.
“According to Moody’s Analytics, “many automakers, electronic device manufacturers, phone producers, and other sectors that are highly depended on chips for their goods to work face significant concerns.”
According to a Reuters story, even though estimates on how many neon chipmakers have on hand vary greatly, everyone agrees that if the issue continues, production will suffer.
This will very certainly result in additional supply chain limitations and the inability to build the finished product for many major customers.”


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Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment, Amb. Mariam Yalwaji Katagum has said that more States in the country are encouraged and supported to organise investment summits in order to mobilise the investing public to consider Nigeria as a preferred destination.
A statement signed by Comfort Eleojo Unane, Senior Information Officer on behalf of the Assistant Director Information in the Ministry said the Minister said this at the 2021 Commerce and Industry Correspondents Association of Nigeria (CICAN) Annual Conference.
TheFact Nigeria learned that the Minister also said that the Federal Government was committed to improving access to finance for the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in the country.
The conference which took place in Abuja was themed: “The Role of Nigeria’s MSMEs, Export, Commodities, Trade & Investment in stabilising the Post Covid-19 Economy: Issues & Challenges”.
The Minister who was the Special Guest of Honour at the event said: “The Federal Government has, overtime, created platforms to improve access to finance for MSMEs in order to boost production, increase the value of trade, enhance the investment climate, foster innovation and entrepreneurship.
“This is in addition to the deliberate and pragmatic policies geared towards supporting and sustaining small businesses in the country, thereby equipping entrepreneurs to compete globally, especially under the Africa Continental Free Trade Area Agreement (AfCFTA)”
Amb.Katagum also said that in a bid to guarantee continuity in support of MSMEs in the country, the Federal Government harnessed the prime policies of the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) and the National Enterprise Development Programme (NEDEP) into the Nigeria Economic Sustainability Plan (NESP), in order to sustainably create an enabling environment for businesses to thrive.
These policies were aimed at boosting productivity levels of businesses in the country, thereby accelerating the growth of the domestic market and creating profitable connections to regional, continental and global markets.
The Minister revealed that at the last Presidential Retreat for members of the Federal Executive Council, President Muhammadu Buhari underscored the importance of MSMEs as engine of economic growth and pledged that government would do everything possible to support MSMEs, including removing all bottlenecks to MSME’s access to finance.
She pointed out that President Muhammadu Buhari recently inaugurated the National Council on Monitoring and Evaluation of Executive Order 005 on local content which will, among others, be a game changer for MSMEs.
Amb.Katagum also stated other pro-MSME interventions by government, such as the recent approval of the revised National Policy on MSMEs, the planned floating of an MSME Micro Finance Bank by the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), and government’s emphasis on single digit interest credit facility for MSMEs.
Katagum attested to the steadfastness of the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, saying that, the Ministry would continue to proactively engage Commodities Associations with a view to ensuring that challenges mitigating against their operations were tackled, especially now that the country is gradually exiting the Covid-19 pandemic.
She said: “And in the same vein, the Federal Government, through the Federal Ministry of Industry Trade and Investment is expanding its network of collaboration with the State Governments to provide the needed platform for attracting investments.
“In this regard, more States are encouraged and supported to organise investment summits in order to mobilise the investing public to consider Nigeria as a preferred destination.
“The Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, as part of its priority areas has concluded arrangements to facilitate the development of at least one Agro-processing zone in each senatorial district of the Federation.
“In that respect, under the 2021/2022 budget, the Ministry will roll out the development of Agro-Processing in each geopolitical zone under the first phase of the scheme”.
The Minister also said that the present administration was strategically repositioning the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) landscape towards achieving its full potentials with a view to contributing more to the economy.
The Minister appreciated the wide coverage of the Press and urged all members of CICAN and the entire Press to continue in providing the much-needed publicity for all government programmes, projects and policies.
The Conference featured the formal unveiling of the Special Independence Edition of CICAN Industry Tracker Magazine by the Minister.
Other dignitaries in attendance were the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Sector Matters and Secretary of the National Action Committee on AfCFTA, Mr. Francis Anatogu; Director-General, National Automotive Design and Development Council, Mr. Jelani Aliyu; representatives of Heads of Agencies of the Ministry; Ministry’s officials; Resource persons; members of CICAN and other stakeholders.


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in this issue
People & Business :: Energy and Feedstocks
BP sells Texas City refinery to Marathon for $2.5 billion
October 9, 2012 | Kara Sissell
BP says it plans to sell its Texas City, TX refinery and part of its retail and logistics network to Marathon Petroleum for $2.5 billion. BP in 2011 announced plans to divest the 475,000 bbls/day refinery—which employs about 2,150 staff as well as 1,000-3,000 contractors/day—as part of BP’s effort to realign its refining portfolio. The agreement with Marathon does not include BP’s Texas City petrochemicals complex adjacent to the refinery, but the petrochemicals plant will continue to have long-term commercial arrangements with the Texas...
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For Crema, waste is more than a load of garbage
Imagine a mountain of waste. Quite literally. Twenty-five tons of it piling up somewhere each year.
Ben Lehman of Crema did, flipping the switch earlier this month on the popular coffeehouse's self-imposed "zero waste initiative."
That means virtually no trash leaves the restaurant in a dumpster. Customers looking for trash cans inside now find special bins for the detritus of their caffeine-fueled experience. Cups go here, food there, recyclable products over there.
That goes for the back of the house as well. Instead of sending into landfills the 100 pounds of spent grounds generated each day, the grounds are now diverted to composting and destined for gardens.
It could all add up to that mountain of waste, which is why Lehman is especially proud of the broader numbers. Between the almost 8 tons of recycling that local recycling company Earth Savers collects (cardboard boxes and other paper waste), and the 15 to 20 tons of grounds hauled off by small startup Compost Nashville, somewhere between 23 and 28 tons of Crema-generated material gets spun back into a usable form.
"We began thinking about it four years ago," says Lehman of the zero-percent philosophy. "We believe it's the right thing to do. The added expense is built into our cost of doing business, but it's just one aspect of who we are, not a novelty." Lehman says it costs an extra $4,000 to $5000 per year for the services.
It also puts Crema on the leading edge in a part of the country where recycling and composting are still catching up to environmentally ambitious small business owners.
Food Company owner Jackie Daniel says recycling and composting were something she wanted to do a long time ago, but couldn't find affordable services . When Compost Nashville filled that space, she was very happy. "We make everything from scratch, so compostable foods are half our waste," Daniel said. She's still trying to find a viable glass recycling company since Metro Nashville's program does not pick it up.
Trash removal companies aren't exactly adapting to the shift toward recycling, either. Kara Graham of Lockeland Table says waste companies make it difficult by not offering smaller bin options. "They want to rent you the big dumpsters, but the more you recycle and compost, the less you're sending out as trash. It's a balancing act and the industry is slowly catching up."
Lehman of Crema also sees it as an education program, starting with customers. "We want our signage to be clear and make sense," he says, knowing inconvenience and frustration could doom the effort.
For Compost Nashville, Crema is owner Matthew Beadlecomb's largest commercial client, along with Dozen Bakery, Miel and others. "Beadle," as his friends and clients call him, is hopeful his small business list will grow with him and allow him to quit his other job at the Apple Store. For now, the bulk of his client base is residential.
Part of the appeal of Beadlecomb's business is that clients can earn credits and receive compost deliveries in the spring and fall for their own gardens. Most businesses don't have a use for that, but it could be a boon for restaurants that boast their own gardens. Even Crema uses some of their allotted compost for plant boxes decorating their front deck. For businesses that don't take compost, it's donated to community gardens.
Beadlecomb also admits to some frustration with the composting movement. "There's this myth that if a business buys compostable containers or silverware, it's better for the environment. But if it just goes into a landfill and doesn't actually get composted, it's not helping and it's just costing the business more."
Bobby Bandy, whose company Earth Savers also works with Crema, says restaurants are only 12 to 15 percent of his business, but he's hoping to build that by adding composting after an earlier attempt didn't pan out. In the end , he says he sees more good intentions than good actions. "I get it. It costs more. Businesses like Crema built that into the value of their business. What's amazing is that they have outstanding quality, but they're not the most expensive in town either," Bandy said.
Lehman is excited by the program's success at Crema, but admits there is still one trash can left: it's behind the counter for customers who happen to carry in something to throw away that might not be recyclable.
Reach Jim Myers at 615-259-8367 and on Twitter @ReadJimMyers.
What is zero waste?
"Zero waste" is a philosophy gaining popularity among eco-conscious businesses, where almost all trash generated by a business is diverted away from landfills and incinerators and into composting and recycling. According to Ben Lehman of Crema Coffee, "We're using the term loosely to define our goal of taking small steps in a better direction. We estimate we're diverting 95 percent of all our waste (the remaining 5 percent are items from restrooms, and unrecyclable or uncompostable waste brought in by consumers)." The philosophy is also referred to as cradle-to-cradle, which implies items are being re-used and given a new life versus the cradle-to-grave, or end of use, and ending up in landfills.


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The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and North American Produce Sales are warning the public not to consume the Daniella brand Mangoes because they may be contaminated with Salmonella Braenderup bacteria.
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