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Brits will be able to fly into Geneva for their Christmas ski trips before travelling on to France, Switzerland advised travel firms today.
Travellers leaving from Britain will be exempt from the 10-day quarantine, which was imposed late on Saturday amid Omicron concerns, provided incoming Brits are headed straight for the border.
Skiworld marketing director Diane Palumbo told City A.M. this morning: “The Swiss have told us that transit through Geneva to France will be allowed as long as the traveller has a negative test… What a day of confusion.”
The much-welcomed clarification brings some festive cheer back to travellers’ winter holiday plans, after a number of Geneva-bound trips were re-routed or cancelled yesterday.
Packaged holiday firm Inghams told City A.M. last night said that it had suspended all its December holidays to Switzerland – as the new Covid-19 variant pulls the travel industry back into uncertainty.
The British Airline Pilots Association (BALPA) added that the latest restrictions have “shattered the fledgling confidence in air travel” for Christmas and new year bookings.


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US retail sales leap past forecasts in September
Americans unexpectedly resumed splashing out on goods and services last month.
According to the Department of Commerce, in seasonally adjusted terms, US retail sales volumes jumped at a month-on-month pace of 0.7% to reach $625.45bn.
That was far better than the 0.3% fall that the consensus was anticipating.
Furthermore, August's 0.7% rise was marked up to 0.9%.
-- More to follow --

domain: news


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Over-the-top video is quickly becoming the premiere way that Americans choose to consume their content, but the trend is also quickly spreading across the pond. Europe is seeing a massive growth in OTT programming popularity, driven in no small part by Netflix. Netflix has successfully dominated the US video market and has now set their sights squarely on Europe.
Netflix CEO Reed Hastings revealed in a recent interview that the company has invested nearly $1.75 billion in European productions, including licensing programming, production of original content and more. Netflix has close to 90 productions currently in development for their European market.
Given the variety of languages spoken around Europe, Netflix has made a concentrated push to provide their European users with a variety of language options. Users currently can select from 13 different languages, with Romanian and Greek getting added in shortly.
At the same event, Hastings provided his take on the importance of the work that Netflix is doing, saying “[They] are making art successful around the world.” Hastings views OTT providers, like Netflix as the future of television, explaining that thanks to the internet OTT companies have the opportunity “…to reinvent television” by giving viewers greater freedom in when, where and how they watch content and by “giving producers access to global audiences.”
Netflix boasts that their European content is watched by approximately 93 million global subscribers, and they expect that number to shoot past the 100 million milestone within the next few months.
A new report studying European television trends by Rethink Technology Research titled The Rise of Paid OTT quantifies the rising popularity of OTT services in Europe. According to the report, OTT subscriptions in Europe are expected to reach $9.8 billion by 2021; that’s an increase of $4.76 billion over the next five years.
The same Rethink Report found that current projections Netflix’s European growth are way to low. In 2016 Netflix had about 19 million European subscribers; Rethink expects that number to jump to 45 million by 2021.
Whether Rethink’s numbers turn out to be correct, or not, one thing is for sure, Netflix is the dominant OTT service in the world. Europe is the next frontier for now, but OTT services show no signs of slowing in popularity around the world.


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NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) — Financial records show that Citi Field revenues have dropped more than 30 percent since the New York Mets ballpark opened in 2009. Premium ticket sales are down almost 50 percent.
The financial documents obtained by Newsday show that concession revenue alone dropped 28 percent since 2009, to $10.9 million in 2011. Newsday reports that parking was down 37 percent, to $7 million.
LISTEN: WCBS 880’s Mike Xirinachs reports
Ticket sales for the 10,635 premium seats declined from $99.3 million in 2009 to $50.6 million through 2011. The seats are about 25 percent of the stadium.
The documents highlight some of team’s financial struggles following the fraud committed by Bernard Madoff. The owners of the Mets are being sued by a bankruptcy trustee trying to recoup some of the $50 billion in Madoff fraud money.
What do you think? Sound off in our comments section below…


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Bubblehouse has announced the first and only marketplace that makes NFTs social, accessible, and eco-friendly.
Artists, musicians, gamers, photographers, chefs, and athletes have a new destination to grow their work: starting today, Bubblehouse is calling all creators to form their own NFT economies on its new platform.
The company has announced the first social, eco-friendly, and accessible NFT marketplace, where creators and collectors can build communities and sell and collect digital NFTs and exclusive experiences (xNFTs) without needing to have any technical knowledge of crypto.
Related | Xtingles Launches The First Global ASMR NFT Marketplace
Currently, there is no easy way to look at other people’s NFT portfolios or their collecting activity. Bubblehouse changes this by letting people showcase what they own, no matter what platform they have purchased the digital assets from.
Furthermore, the app is offering a first-of-its-kind social environment where people can see in real-time what their friends and favorite athletes, celebrities, and influencers are collecting and browse who else is creating similar collections.
What’s interesting about Bubblehouse is that it brings some uniqueness to the game and makes the world of NFTs easy and accessible for all by removing unnecessary crypto mechanics from the backend. These can range from the need for crypto wallets to first owning cryptocurrencies to complete any transaction.
Also, Bubblehouse is the first platform to tokenize physical experiences. With the introduction of Experience NFTs, aka xNFTs, creators are given the ability to sell NFTs in the form of exclusive tickets and experiences.
The platform allows all creators to list and monetize all creative works and experiences. At the same time, collectors also enjoy perks like ownership of non-commercial rights and DM access to creators once they’ve purchased their items.
Finally, Bubblehouse is overcoming the eco-sustainability issue inherent to crypto by using the more eco-friendly Polygon blockchain, which is more than 99% more carbon-efficient than Ethereum. In addition, it is eco-friendly, preserves security, and solves pain points like high gas fees and slow speeds found in unsustainable Blockchains.
Bubblehouse is available to download now for free on iOS and Google Play.
Featured image: Bubblehouse
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Hershey has come out with a vegan version of their Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup. The plant based peanut butter cup will go on sale later this month, and will be the first vegan chocolates sold nationally. Hershey has been test marketing them for more than a year.
The recipe calls for oats instead of milk, and will cost a bit more than regular peanut butter cups.
The bad news is, getting rid of the dairy won’t cut calories.


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Toronto delivery service TasteAway shuts down
After three years of business, TasteAway, a food delivery service known for offering substantial discounts, has gone offline as of Monday, October 5.
We recently wrote about how a number of Toronto restaurant owners alleged they had never received payments after their customers ordered food via TasteAway. Others claimed that when they were compensated, this money came late.
Toronto is filled with an array of online-based delivery services. Perhaps the market has become too saturated to sustain all of them.
Here's TasteAway's full statement from Monday, October 5.
"After three years of our best effort, TasteAway has been forced to cease operations due to insolvency, effective immediately.
Despite initial growth, loyal customers and a talented team we were not able to secure the funding or acquisition necessary to keep the company viable in a fiercely competitive market.
Our offices have been shut down and staff let go. TasteAway is closed for business permanently.
Thank you to all our supporters throughout the years."
Join the conversation Load comments


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Rehacare, the international trade fair gathering for rehabilitation products, has just wrapped in Germany. A major trend at the fair was the increasing number of international exhibitors using Rehacare as a platform to present product concepts and prototypes about to hit the market.
Paravan previewed what is claimed to be the first vehicle for people with mobility impairments that can exit and enter the garage automatically. While not available yet, it has been developed to resolve the problem of narrow garages where wheelchair users cannot exit cars on their own to park or reverse the car out. From South Korea there was a smartwatch with a braille display that can communicate with iOS and Android operating systems so users can retrieve and answer smartphone messages. The device is expected to be released in 2016.
New products that dominated the show were the everyday aids, in particular wheelchairs, mobility, walking and transport. Among these was the AddSeat that sports an innovative glide function which means users do not need to have legs to move forward or backward. The seat also has a parking feature for improved stability when climbing on and off the vehicle.
Another was the Batec Hibrid that offers increased mobility outdoors without relinquishing the wheelchair. The Batec can be easily disconnected and connected even for those with severe disabilities with the Easy-Fix anchor system when manual wheelchair requirements are needed.
The Autolift SR is an aluminium ramp constructed without welding that is foldable, light and robust and features an anti-slip surface. me:go is an all-season electric scooter designed especially for use in wet weather and cold temperature situations with its steel frame and safety glass features. For those undergoing stroke rehabilitation, the Hand of Hope system claims to be the only wearable portable robotic device that helps to move the affected hand using muscle signals. The technology enables stroke survivors to self-initiate and control movement of the weakened muscles.
For the first time visitors were given the opportunity to describe their problems and experiences in procuring aids either by filling out an online questionnaire or using suggestion boxes located in the exhibition halls. This initiative was followed up with a discussion panel that responded to the issues raised in the survey.
There were 754 exhibitors and more than 100 organisations and associations presenting at the show which is held annually.
Photo credit: Messe Dusseldorf


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WUHAN, Jan. 20 – Central China’s Hubei Province, once hit hard by COVID-19, saw an 8.8 per cent growth in foreign trade in 2020, according to customs figures.
The total import and export value of the province reached 429.41 billion yuan (about 66.3 billion U.S. dollars) last year, according to customs in the provincial capital Wuhan.
The total value of Wuhan’s foreign trade reached 270.43 billion yuan, accounting for 63 per cent of the province.
Hubei’s trade volume with the European Union and U.S increased by 17.1 per cent and 22.8 per cent, respectively, last year, and the province’s trade volume with the ASEAN dropped 5.6 per cent year on year.
The foreign trade by private enterprises in Hubei totaled 255.47 billion yuan, a 20.9-per cent growth year on year, accounting for 59.5 per cent of the province’s total.
The total value of import and export of cross-border e-commerce grew 67.1 percent.
Hubei’s exports of textiles, clothing and agricultural products experienced robust growth in 2020, surging by 332.9 per cent, 25.8 per cent and 12.3 per cent, respectively.
The growth of imports was boosted by semiconductor manufacturing equipment, integrated circuits and consumer goods, which rose by 25.8 per cent, 22 per cent and 45.3 per cent, respectively, year on year.
Building on its effective containment of COVID-19, China has rolled out a raft of measures to stabilise foreign trade and investment. (Zinhua/NAN)


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Don’t wanna dye from heart disease – stop drinking sugary beverages!
A new science article published on March 18 in the American Heart Association’s journal Circulation shows that sugar-sweetened drinks – when consumed frequently – increase your risk of a premature death from cardiovascular diseases. It also seems, although to a lesser extend, that a lot of sugary drinks can promote cancer as well.
Sugar caused premature deaths
The researchers examined data from 37,716 men and 80,647 women, and tried to find an association between their drinking habits – primarily sugar-sweetened beverages or artificially sweetened beverages – and death.
The study results show that people who drank more sugar-sweetened drinks like soda and sports drinks for example, had a higher risk of death from cardiovascular diseases. The researchers also found that substitution of a sugary drink per day with an artificially sweetened drink, slightly lowered the death risk.
Artificial sweeteners are not much better than sugar
Nevertheless, drinking lots of artificially sweetened drinks is not a solution at all, like the study shows. Especially in women, the effect of artificial sweeteners had deleterious effects: The participating women who drank more than four drinks sweetened with artificial sweeteners a day had a higher risk of dying from varied cardiovascular diseases again.
Although, like the researchers state, the latter finding was not as strong as the death risk associated with sugary drinks and the data have to be verified in further studies, being careful with consuming artificially sweetened drinks is not a bad idea.
Water instead of sugar extends your life
Vasanti Malik, Sc.D., who is the lead author of the scientific article and a research scientist in the Department of Nutrition at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston, Massachusetts, said: „Drinking water in place of sugary drinks is a healthy choice that could contribute to longevity, and diet soda should only be used helping frequent consumers of sugary drinks cutting back their consumption.“
Since Robert Lustig, MD at the University of California, published its renowned video called Sugar: the bitter truth, the message that too much sugar is not good for our health, in fact it makes us sick, has reached the public. Especially in the U.S., which have had the highest consumption rate of sugar sweetened soft drinks over a long period of time, people seem to wake up now.
American food is making the world thicker and sicker
According to new consumption data, American people have been drinking fewer sugary drinks in the last years. Despite of this good news, soda drinks and other sugary drinks are still representing the single largest source of added sugar in the diets of the U.S. population. And another bad news has to be considered, although the consumption in the U.S. seems to shrink, it is rising around the world. In each country where American food begun its triumphal march, people are getting slowly thicker and sicker.
Did you know, that the thickest country all over the world is Saudi Arabia? And according to the WHO (World Health Organization) the obesity rates in the EU are rising from year to year as well. Currently, more than half (51.6 %) of all European adults are overweight, 35.7 % are considered pre-obese, and 15.9 % are already suffering from a substantial obesity.
Besides cardiovascular diseases, obesity and its negative health consequences like diabetes and the metabolic syndrome, for instance, are on the rise globally. The link between extensive sugar consumption and weight gain as well as health problems related with weight gain has been studied extensively.
Actually, there is no doubt that too much sugar in our diet can lead to all these health problems mentioned above. But now, this new study gives us a first clue that too much sugar-sweetened beverages or artificially sweetened beverages could even be linked to premature mortality.
Artificial sweetener only to start your transition
Although there is some indication that a large quantity of artificially sweetened drinks could increase your risk of dying from cardiovascular diseases, The American Heart Association recently issued a science advisory on artificially sweetened drinks.
The note concludes that artificially sweetened drinks may be a useful strategy for adults, who are habitually high consumers of sugary drinks and want to make the transition to water.
How reasonable is a sugar tax?
Much more worried about sugary drinks is Walter Willett, professor of epidemiology and nutrition. According to him, the data provide further support to limit the marketing of sugary beverages, especially for children and young people, the professor suggests.
He also is in favour of the implementation of a soda tax, because the current price would not include the costs of treating the health consequences of excess sugar consumption. Whether a soda tax could fix this problem is however highly disputed, especially before the background that sugar seems to have a similar addictive potential like many drugs. If you are addicted to sugar, „saying no“ is not that easy.
I have to cite Robert Lustig again, who said it so right in one of his many presentations: „Did Nancy Reagans „Just say no“ really help her to stop drinking alcohol?“ Obviously not!
The conclusion of this new study seems to be clear: Limit your sugary drinks and try to replace most of them by pure water. You don’t have to give up your sweet habits all at once, but limiting your consumption, especially of sweet drinks – sugary or artificially sweetened -, is a really good idea to start with. Let’s start today, stay healthy and live longer!


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Cybersecurity researchers have discovered a new piece of malware for Android that serves up ads. Malware detected as Android/Trojan.FakeAdsBlock has already spread across more than 500 devices. It remains hidden on Android devices. Funnily enough, this malware poses as an ad blocker. In spite of that, it serves up a host of ads. Researchers at Malwarebytes explain how easily it can spread. As soon as the app is installed, it asks for permission to 'Allow display over other apps.' If you allow this, it will be able to display all the ads it serves.
Later on, it will ask for a Connection request to 'set up a VPN connection that allows it to monitor network traffic.' Chances are users will most likely tap 'OK.' since establishing a VPN connection is not unusual for an ad blocker. But this is where things get interesting. The app doesn’t actually connect to any VPN. Instead, tapping 'OK' allows the malware to run in the background at all times.
Then it will request to add a home screen widget. Raising suspicion, the added widget will be nowhere to be found. More often than not, it will be added to a new home screen page. The fake ad blocker app contains a lot of random characters and strings to show the app is legit and the app is doing its job of blocking ads. But in reality, that is not the case at all.
It will be very difficult to find any clue that the app is working including blank notification box, a blank icon in the app settings and more. Tapping on these blank options seeks permission to 'Install unknown apps' so that it could allow for the installation of even more malware. To make things worse, the app even sends ads in notifications.
"Needless to say, this stealthy Android malware that plasters users with vulgar ads is not what folks are looking for when they download an ad blocker. Unfortunately, we have already counted over 500 detections of Android/Trojan.FakeAdsBlock," Malwarebytes said in its blog post.
"Moreover, we collected over 1,800 samples in our Mobile Intelligence System of FakeAdsBlock, leading us to believe that infection rates are quite high. On the positive side, Malwarebytes for Android removed more than 500 infections that are otherwise exceedingly difficult to remove manually," Malwarebytes added.
Protecting against mobile malware is of paramount importance. All you need to do is beware of third-party app stores and have a backup in case apps like Ads Blocker have your data deleted or compromised.


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Wednesday morning, National Public Radio reported that the recent revelations about NSA surveillance have led to skyrocketing book sales of George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four:
As of this morning, Amazon sales of George Orwell’s dystopian novel 1984 had jumped 6,021 percent in just 24 hours, to No. 213 on Amazon’s bestseller list. As NPR’s Alan Greenblatt recently pointed out, many people have found uncomfortable resonances between Orwell’s “Big Brother” state and the news that broke last week of U.S. government surveillance programs. The news can often be a major driver of book sales: In 2008, sales of Ayn Rand’s conservative classic Atlas Shrugged spiked during the banking industry bailouts.
Now, we don’t want to claim that Special Collections had advance knowledge of Snowden’s whistle-blowing plans. It may just be a coincidence that when this all happened, public services staff member Margaret Hrabe was in the process of preparing our latest mini-exhibition: Dystopian Fiction: Trapped in a Nightmare Future, now on view in the First Floor Gallery. Featuring Orwell’s masterpiece as well as many other landmark dystopias–and a handful of utopias for balance–this latest visual feast may offer you some alternatives for your summer’s reading list if your local bookstore is all sold-out of Nineteen Eighty-Four. Stop by and take a gander.
We’ll be watching.


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Valve founder Gabe Newell says that the Half-Life developer is indeed working on their next gaming engine, confirming earlier rumors spurred by references to 'Source 2' in their code.
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GERMANY: Metro reports rise in Q3 profit, sales
German retail giant Metro has posted a 14% rise in third-quarter net income, despite clothing sales being hit by the hot summer weather in Europe.
Metro reported net profit of €59.3m (US$68.0m) for the third quarter, compared with €51.9m a year earlier, reported Dow Jones News. EBIT rose 12.4% to €211.3m.
Sales edged up to €12.8bn from €12.36bn. Foreign sales accounted for 48.4% of sales in the quarter, compared with 46.8% in the year-ago period, reflecting the group's internationalisation efforts.
Metro said it had extended its sales network to 2,339 outlets worldwide at the end of the third quarter, during which it opened 23 new stores. The company operated in 27 countries at the end of the quarter.
Companies: Metro Group
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Losing access to your social media account has to be one of the most frustrating outcomes to date, especially with all the memories backed…
The past few days have seen a few leaks pertaining to Razer’s upcoming smartphone, as well as a 1 November reveal date touted by the firm.
Benchmark tests have purportedly found their way online too, showing a phone with a Snapdragon 835 processor, 2560×1440 display and a mammoth 8GB of RAM.
The last stat has gained a ton of headlines, even though phones with 6GB or 8GB of RAM aren’t really doing much with that. Heck, VR and video editing might be the only real uses for 6GB or 8GB of RAM at this point.
In any event, aside from the RAM, it seems like your bog-standard flagship smartphone for 2017. Snapdragon 835, 1440p display, 64GB of storage… The same setup as the Nokia 8 (review) then.
But we are expecting a gaming emphasis from Razer, as the teaser image above shows. After all, the company’s bread and butter is its gaming machines and accessories. The real question is what form the gaming features will take.
A gaming-focused phone?
An educated guess might be that it packs the ability to stream PC games to the smartphone. It wouldn’t be the first Android gadget to adopt this tech, with the Nvidia Shield family of devices streaming games from PC. We could also see Nextbit, the mobile brand acquired by Razer, having an influence in this department, owing to their cloud expertise.
In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if we see an entirely cloud-based gaming subscription service on the Razer smartphone. And there are already a few services in this arena, such as PlayStation Now, the indie-focused Jump and Utomik.
In the event of the phone streaming more traditional games, we’d expect a controller peripheral to be available as well — either as an optional accessory or pre-packaged.
Of course, we can’t rule out the possibility that the new phone doesn’t have any meaningful gaming features beyond the overhyped RAM count.
Either way, we’ll need to wait for 1 November for a full reveal. Here’s hoping the phone has more to it than just a few LEDs.


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The Office of Trade and Industry of Indragiri Hilir Regency is still considering opening the Wadai Market in Ramadan 1442.
This was conveyed by the Secretary of Disdagtri Inhil Regency, Wanhar when met by the media in his office on Tuesday, March 30, 2021.
“Because it is still in a pandemic period, we cannot confirm whether the Wadai market will be held or not. There is no decision yet,” he said.
Regarding the Covid-19 pandemic, the Office of Trade and Industry of Indragiri Hilir has not focused on the Wadai market discussion.
Reflecting on last year, his party has eliminated this market activity.
“Like last year, the sellers can sell in their respective places, because it avoids the crowd,” he concluded.


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Aston Martin is known for their luxurious and fast cars, such as the Vantage model which reaches a top speed of 195mph and can go from 0-60 in 3.6 seconds.
With both speed and beautiful designs, Aston Martin produces high end sport cars with an average price of $150,000.
Some models, such as the 2019 DBS Superleggera, go for upwards of $300,000.
Although these luxurious sport cars are wanted by many, not as many people purchase Aston Martin’s cars.
In July 2019, Aston Martin’s stock was $12.80 and on February 4, 2020, theirstock was valued at $6.15.
The reason for this sharp decline is due to Aston Martin having to cuttheir production forecast for 2019 by 10% because dealers had too many cars in their showrooms.
Although Aston Martin fell on the line of shutting down its production for good. Luckily for them, Canadian billionaire Lawrence Stroll, and other investors rescued Aston Martin with $650 million.
This investment will potentially help Aston Martin stay afloat for another few years.
With Strolls involvement, the company hopes to start production of the SUV models to help increase overall sales.
With an SUV model, there will be a larger audience for consumers whomay not want the Vantage Model mentioned above.
Aston has reportedly received around 1,800 orders for the SUV model which retails for $75,600, and the company hopes to start producing these models by the end of the second quarter.


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The California Consumer Privacy Act is fast approaching. The landmark privacy law, known as CCPA, goes into effect Jan. 1 and changes the way businesses collect information about California residents, similar to GDPR in Europe.
Seattle startup Integris Software is riding this trend with software that helps companies manage personal information data and meet compliance mandates. A new SEC filing reveals that the company just raised another $3 million.
Investors in this round include existing backers Workday Ventures, Madrona Venture Group, Amplify Partners, and Aspect Ventures, which led an earlier $10 million round last year.
“This funding round will help Integris Software meet the accelerating demand to help more customers prepare for the CCPA deadline, have a real-time understanding of their data, and be ready to respond quickly and confidently to Data Subject Requests to remain in compliance with regulations,” said Integris Software CEO Kristina Bergman.
Integris Software aims to help companies set up best practices in data privacy. The 30-person company uses machine learning and other technology to map a company’s sensitive data, apply regulatory obligations, and automate actions like encryption and deletion. Integris, which opened a second office in Vancouver, B.C. earlier this year, has raised $16 million to date.
A recent study found that companies could spend up to $55 billion in initial compliance costs for CCPA.
Bergman, previously a principal at Ignition Partners and a manager at Microsoft, co-founded Integris with Raghu Gollamudi, who is now CTO. Former CTO and co-founder Uma Raghavan moved to an advisory role; another co-founder, veteran entrepreneur Frank Martinez, is no longer with the company.
Integris Software is similar to fellow Seattle-area privacy startup Preclusion, which just graduated from Y Combinator. Other competitors include BigID and OneTrust.


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France's Vivendi offers to buy Dailymotion - report.
3 May 2013 a[euro]" French telecommunications and media group Vivendi SA (EPA:VIV) has made a proposal to acquire online video platform Dailymotion SA from France Telecom SA (EPA:FTE), local news website Wansquare reported today.
Furthermore, a group that includes Xavier Niel, founder of Iliad SA (EPA:ILD), as well as Matthieu Pigasse of Lazard Ltd (NYSE:LAZ) and industrialist Pierre Berge has made a separate offer. The value of this second bid, however, is significantly below what US digital media major Yahoo! Inc (NASDAQ:YHOO) had previously offered, Wansquare added.
France Telecom was eager to sell a 75% stake in Dailymotion to Yahoo!, but an objection by French industry minister Arnaud Montebourg put an end to their discussions. The minister was worried that the country would lose control over one of its best start-ups and for this reason pushed the US company to acquire just a 50% interest in the business.
According to a prior report by the Wall Street Journal, France Telecom-Orange and Yahoo! already had a non-binding deal that valued the website at USD300m (EUR229m) before the minister intervened.
Later, Les Echos quoted France Telecom CEO Stephane Richard as saying that his company was still in a search for a Dailymotion partner that would assist in expanding the business outside of Europe.Country: FranceSector: Media, IT/Online ServicesTarget: Dailymotion SABuyer: Vivendi SA, Pierre Berge, Matthieu Pigasse, Xavier NielVendor: France Telecom SAType: Corporate acquisitionStatus: Bidding, Speculation
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SEOUL, Aug. 28 (Yonhap) -- Prices of vegetables, fruits and other agricultural products are likely to surge as powerful Typhoon Bolaven reduces the harvest of farm produce, officials said Tuesday.
Bolaven, the strongest typhoon in almost a decade, hit the western part of the country, bringing fierce winds and high waves earlier in the day, destroying hundreds of orchards in South Korea and leading to premature fruit drops.
"It is difficult to estimate the damage at the moment," said an official at the agriculture ministry. "Prices of fruits and vegetables are hit hardest among others, and the harvests are likely to drop."
Prices of vegetables and other fresh foods in South Korea were already high in the wake of unusual heat waves that hit the country late last month.
Global prices of agricultural products, especially corn and wheat, also soared recently due to reduced harvests in the U.S. and other countries following severe droughts in their major farming areas.
South Korea depends heavily on imports for its corn and wheat, which is raising concerns the price hikes in global markets could lead to food price increases in the domestic market.
Food prices are likely to increase further in the run-up to Chuseok, one of the nation's biggest traditional holidays, as demand for food will grow as people prepare special foods and buy presents for friends and relatives, officials said. Chuseok falls on Sept. 29 this year.
South Korea's consumer prices grew 1.5 percent in July, their slowest pace in 12 years, as the slowing global economy drove down costs of crude oil and other products by cutting overall demand.
July's reading marks the slowest growth since May 2000 when consumer prices gained 1.1 percent. It also marks the first time in three years that inflation has fallen into the 1-percent range.
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- (News Focus) FTA with EU helps S. Korea muddle through economic slump
- S. Korea cautions against drastic policy change amid prolonged eurozone crisis
- Big morale-booster for 'Queen of Elections' in S. Korean polls


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Third Party Page Management Comes To Google+
Google+ pages for brands & businesses were announced last week, and Google has been busy rolling out supporting features. Yesterday, Google began displaying select Google+ pages in the search results. Today it has been announced that Google+ partnered with six companies to create Google+ page management tools.
The selected companies are:


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What’s happening on Boxing Day?
Boxing Day is Australia’s iconic shopping holiday, which attracts hundreds of thousands of buyers as well as billions in sales each year! It has its roots in an English tradition where servants and tradesmen would receive Christmas-boxes from their bosses or employers on the day after Christmas. However, over the years it has evolved into one of the largest shopping seasons in the country, as retailers sell their left over Christmas sales stock at lucrative discounts. Not only that, shops would also open very early in the morning, just to entice the customers. It’s not just a big day for consumers, but also a big day for retailers.
New Opportunities This Year!
In 2014, Boxing Day cashed in more than 2 billion dollars in sales, breaking all previous records. In Sydney, many even set up camps outside stores the day before, just to secure their favourite discounts. Many others travelled from places like Wollongong, arriving as early as Christmas day itself.
This year, the NSW government has deregulated trading laws enabling many more shops to open on Boxing Day. “The opportunity for local shops to open their doors for such a major day of trading cannot be underestimated,” cites Ms. Berejiklian, treasurer of NSW. Also, according to the Australian Retailers Association (ARA), the deregulation is “a windfall for the majority of NSW retail businesses.” Indeed, with more shops open, attracting tens of thousands of new shoppers who never before were able to join this mass sales event, this presents a perfect new opportunity for retailers!
How Can You Take Part?
Are you thinking of taking advantage of the sales season with some casual leasing or opening a pop-up shop and grabbing the newly opened opportunities? The timing is just right to be part of the huge Christmas and Boxing Day shopping season. Get your brand out there to attract new customers and make some extra revenue.
Visit CasualLeasingAustralia.com to book a pop-up space today and maximise your sales on Boxing Day!
Treasury of NSW—“Win for Western Sydney and Regional NSW as Boxing Day trading law passes” http://www.treasury.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0009/126972/20151111_Gladys_Berejiklian_med_rel_-_Win_for_Western_Sydney_and_regiona….pdf
The Sydney Morning Herald—“The Debate: Should all shops be allowed to open on Boxing Day?” http://www.smh.com.au/comment/the-debate-should-all-shops-be-allowed-to-open-on-boxing-day-20151021-gkezex.html
ARA—“NSW Boxing Day trade a windfall for retailers” http://www.retail.org.au/ArticleDetails/tabid/232/ArticleID/903/NSW-Boxing-Day-trade-a-windfall-for-retailers.aspx
ABC—“Australians expected to spend more than $2 billion at Boxing Day sales; shoppers camp overnight to secure a bargain” http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-12-26/australians-expected-to-spend-$2b-at-boxing-day-sales/5988640


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BOLTONLANDING-It was three days of inspiration, adventure and friendship for the almost 200 women who attended the Girlfriends Getaway this weekend.
The event, sponsored by the Bolton Landing Chamber of Commerce, was held Friday, May 13 through Sunday, May 15 at The Sagamore Resort. The attendance was about double the number at last year's debut edition.
Keynote speakers Marcie Frasier, of YNN News, and Benita Zahn, of WNYT News Channel 13, both delivered powerful talks on the importance of listening to one's inner strength and the need to take care of yourself not just physically, but also mentally and emotionally.
"How long do we hang onto things that don't nurture us, or feed us?" Zahn asked. "Every morning take a little look - What's in your heart that's not allowing you to bring something else or someone else in?"
For the second year since it was founded, the event drew women of all ages and backgrounds from across the Northeast to Bolton, where they could participate in a variety of fitness classes, like Zumba, and learn how to tap into their inner voice with workshops like meditation.
But it wasn't all a matter of attending serious seminars. The women had plenty of time just to relax and take a little time to have fun with their friends, as well as meet new ones.
Many were treated to makeovers during cocktail hour - and then Saturday, they enjoyed a fashion show featuring some of the most popular women's, men's and children's outfits to be seen this summer.
Each night local restaurants were filled with attendees taking advantage of the special meals offered. Many of the women stayed well into the night talking, sharing laughs and listening to live music.
Girlfriends Getaway organizer Wauneata Waller said she was pleased with this year's event and the positive energy the women brought to the town even when Mother Nature threw them a "curve ball" of intermittent rain. She said she heard plenty of rave reviews and feedback about the presenters, the workshops, the luncheon, the fashion show and no one complained about the weather.
"My real reward came when I visited the downtown businesses Saturday evening and I kept running into our 'girlfriends' while they were shopping, dining and taking photos," she said. "They had smiles on their faces the entire weekend."
Waller credited the event's success to the participation of local businesses and individuals - in the fashion show, by donating coupons and items for the welcome bags, extending business hours, offering refreshments, and providing services like kayaking, paddleboarding and hiking.
"This is a real community effort," she said.
Michelle Maskaly is a multimedia journalist and social media freelancer.


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Not many people took it seriously when Mercedes-Benz thought of making a pickup truck and all of them are even confused now that it’s actually happening.
Earlier this year we saw that the lineup of 2017 was leaked from Mercedes-Benz and the pickup truck was in pipeline. Earlier this week, there is also confirmation about an unveiling of the same model on 25th of October in flesh this year.
The unveiling of this final concept will happen in the country of Volvo, Sweeden. But this will be the concept and not the production version of same. To see the final production version we will have to wait a little longer, maybe till the end of this year.
Mercedes-Benz Pickup Truck Name?
The pickup truck from Mercedes-Benz will be called as GLT-Class and it will also spawn the Nissan Navara NP300 body on the ladder frame. This same body on the ladder is also featured by Renault Alaskan, a clear conclusion of this new pickup truck will have a proven design.
Under the hood, Mercedes-Benz will put a 3 liter turbocharged diesel motor to pull this beast and of course, a 4X4 system will be in place. We imagine that this will be the best pickup truck in the market in its class.
Mercedes-Benz has released a teaser video of this new pickup truck and it doesn’t tell us more than this will be the sexiest pickup truck in the market. The front end of the truck features a very aggressive design of Mercedes-Benz that is also followed in current day Mercedes cars and SUVS.


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For the past few months, Facebook has been charting what appears to be a serious decline in original sharing on its platform; Now the company is turning to its users to find out why they’re no longer sharing as much as they once did.
Facebook has recently begun surveying its users about their motivations for sharing things about their personal lives, and where else they might be sharing such information if not to Facebook. Multiple reports last month declared that the volume of "original sharing" — i.e. content people post on their own instead of simply regurgitating others' via the 'share' button — is falling on Facebook.
Original sharing is a serious issue for Facebook since its core product, News Feed, literally runs on the content published to it. If people post less there, it opens up the door to social competitors to flank the company.
Not surprisingly, Snapchat was prominently listed as an alternative posting destination. The threshold to post is much lower on Snapchat thanks its disappearing content feature.
Here's the full survey along with a bit of commentary:
Question 1: Would you post something like this now?
Facebook didn't pick a popular post for this survey, or even a particularly interesting one. Instead, it chose a low-effort post I dropped on a friend's wall for his birthday. Whenever I visit Facebook's 'On This Day' feature, I'm reminded of how often I used to post these simple one-liners (and not just for special occasions). Now, I'm careful to only post when I've got something good. So it's no surprise Facebook chose to query me about a post like this.
Question 2: But why?
I answered that I would share a similar post now — after all, it was a birthday wish. But Facebook is gathering qualitative feedback to help it understand why we do what we do.
Question 3: Do you even SnapChat, bro?
Look at Snapchat. It's number 2 on the list here just behind Instagram. That's above Facebook's giant messaging products WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger. Tells you all you need to know.
Question 4: Pick a category, any category
A question like this could be useful in determining what type of stuff people like to share. Facebook has recently been prompting users to share updates about the latest sports game or holidays. Data gathered from surveys like this one could be used to inform those prompts.
Question 5: Has your original sharing level declined?
The money question.
Question 6: A deeper look into your motivation
This question seems to be probing possible motivations for sharing less. Do we no longer want to post sad things? Or is it that we're less comfortable sharing personal information on the network. Or both?
And a thank you
Facebook had not responded to a request for comment at the time of publication.


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Fashion retailer In The Style has released a charity t-shirt to raise money for the NHS.
Available in UK sizes 6-24, the simple white tee features the slogan ‘Not All Heroes Wear Capes’ in a blue print. Retailing at £10 each, 100% of the profits from this t-shirt will go to NHS Charities Together, a charity supporting workers and volunteers of the NHS.
In The Style has also got a number of their favourite fashion queens involved in the campaign. In a cool promo video, the likes of Jacqueline Jossa, Saffron Barker, Lottie Tomlinson, Gemma Collins, Shaughna Phillips, Billie Faiers, Samantha Faiers, Charlotte Crosby and more can be seen modelling the t-shirt.
In The Style’s NHS charity t-shirt follows on from the release of their recent ‘stay at home’ loungewear collections, offering comfortable clothing with relatable slogans which are ideal for current lockdown conditions.
Shop the Not All Heroes Wear Capes charity tee here.


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North Face offers immersive experience on Fifth Avenue
The great outdoors has come to Fifth Avenue — courtesy of The North Face.
The retailer, a division of VF Corp., is opening a two-level, 20,000-sq.-ft. flagship in the old Manufacturers Trust Company building, a New York City landmark of modernist architecture. (The official opening date is Oct. 26.)
Though the canyons outside the expansive windows on the second floor of store are formed by skyscrapers and not rock bluffs, North Face’s VP of direct-to-consumer retail Erik Searles finds the airy atmosphere a fitting backdrop for the high-end camping and climbing gear on display.
“This is our biggest full-price brick-and-mortar store outside of Chicago and Anchorage, and it is meant to showcase the North Face brand,” Searles said during a pre-opening tour he gave to Chain Store Age. “We expect people to walk into the store and experience how they will engage with North Face in the outdoors.”
The store offers an immersive brand experience including an interactive climbing wall, community seating and a custom embroidery service called “Lot, Stock and Barrel.” The service is likely to engage passersby on busy Fifth Avenue as the first thing one sees in the front window when approaching the shop from the north are embroiderers on sewing machines weaving intricate designs into down jackets and the like.
“We have 20 designs we’ve created that can be sewn into the garment without compromising its functionality,” Searles said. “We want people to be able to customize the product, to go a little wild with it.”
The retailer was not allowed to make any changes to walls or floors in the building because of its landmark status. But it is capitalizing on the situation by treating the space like a natural outdoor setting and using it to display its gear as it would in the wild. To that end, the second floor will feature a “base camp” patterned after the kind set up by top climbers and a “campsite” where visitors can relax with a cup of coffee and access Wi-Fi. Fitting rooms sit mid-floor and are constructed of pipe and the same fabric used in North Face tents.
“You’ll come up the escalator and you’ll feel you’re in the outdoors,” Searles said.
To ensure the brand-authentic experience, most of the items in the store were created using the same high-quality materials that North Face products are designed with. The fitting rooms, for example, are constructed of the same fabric and nylon and aluminum poles used to make North Face tents.
North Face will debut its new high-performance Summit Series merchandise line at the store, and intends to use the high-profile New York platform to debut other new products as they emerge.
The retailer signed an eight-year sub-lease for the space with previous tenant Joe Fresh, an apparel brand owned by Canadian grocer Loblaw Companies. The brand entered the United States in 2012, opening freestanding stores and in-store shops at J.C. Penney. But Joe Fresh never gained traction with U.S. shoppers, and the company shuttered its last U.S. store in spring 2016.
The store’s design was a collaborative effort design between SET Creative, New York City, and North Face. The retailer also worked with Sargenti Architects, Paramus, New Jersey.
SPECS reveals opening keynote speakers
SPECS 2017, the “Retail Event for Store Innovation,” announced that three of the nation’s top financial experts will open the program at the 53rd annual SPECS conference, which will be held March 12-14 at the Gaylord Palms in Kissimmee (Orlando), Florida.
Headlining the “SPECS Economic Summit: The U.S. Economy in 2017” are Steve Forbes, chairman and editor-in-chief of Forbes Media; Mark Zandi, chief economist of Moody Analytics; and moderator Ron Insana, CNBC and MSNBC commentator and nationally acclaimed business journalist. The presentation, scheduled for Monday, March 13, at 8 am, will provide a balanced, 360-degree view of the economic challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.
The keynoter for the Tuesday program will be announced next week.
SPECS 2017, exclusively produced by Chain Store Age, is a diverse, dynamic and engaging window into the world of retail, offering an annual opportunity for education and networking. A lineup of more than 30 workshops and sessions will cover topics and issues that impact store design, construction and maintenance.
To review the preliminary agenda and to register for SPECS 2017, click here.
Report: Target to test vertical farming — in its stores
Target Corp. is planning to test an agricultural process that involves growing plants indoors in precisely programmed conditions.
The discounter plans to test vertical farms within select U.S. stores, according Business Insider. The idea grew out of the Food + Future CoLab, a collaboration between Target, Ideo and the MIT Media Lab.
“The idea is that by next spring, we’ll have in-store growing environments,” Casey Carl, Target’s chief strategy and innovation officer, told Business Insider.
Click here to read more.


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Selected applicants will begin vending at weekend outdoor market this Spring.Media Contacts Barry Margeson: (202) 689 – 4031
(Washington, DC) – Today, the Department of Real Estate Services (DRES) announced a call for applications for new vendors to join Eastern Market’s weekend market. Specifically, Eastern Market is seeking artists and crafts persons; prepared food vendors; farmers; importers of handcrafted and indigenous goods; and antique/vintage dealers. Space is limited for these competitive and exciting new openings.
“I’m excited to welcome applications from new vendors to further expand the creative economy at the vibrant Eastern Market,” said Brian Hanlon, Interim Director of the Department of Real Estate Services. “This is an exciting opportunity for regional artists, collectors, growers and cooks to share their craft and passion at a truly historic District establishment.”
Eastern Market is Washington, DC’s oldest continually operated fresh food public market. Located in the heart of the historic Capitol Hill neighborhood, Eastern Market is DC’s destination for fresh food, hand-made arts and crafts, and community events. For over 137 years, Eastern Market has served as a community hub, connecting neighbors, families, and visitors.
For more information about Eastern Market and to apply, please visit http://www.easternmarket-dc.org. Applications and instructions are located on the “News” page of the website. A non-refundable application fee of $30.00 must be paid at the time of application. Applications are due by 5pm EDT on March 31, 2011.


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BlackBerry’s Quarterly Loss Sends Investors Running
Since BlackBerry (NASDAQ:BBRY) announced in November that its new platform — BB10 — was finally, truly going to be released in January, shares of the smartphone maker have gained 78 percent. It is clear that the company’s future is dependent on the success of that new mobile operating system, its first new product launch in more than 18 months.
But a great deal of that runup is because many investors are still betting against BlackBerry. As of June 14, nearly 35 percent of shares were held by short-sellers who think that the company will fail. That is very large percentage.
The company arguably invented the smartphone with its BlackBerry, and the device dominated the market for several years after its release in 2003. But with the launch of more complex devices, like Apple’s (NASDAQ:AAPL) iPhone and phones run on Google’s (NASDAQ:GOOG) Android, its share of the worldwide smartphone market dropped from 20 percent in 2009 to just 5 percent last year.
BlackBerry meant for BB10 and its two new devices — the touch screen Z10 and the Q10, with the mini keyboard favored by many traditional BlackBerry users — would help it carve out a foothold in the smartphone market. The first quarter was meant to be BlackBerry’s first opportunity to prove that it was making a comeback. However, the company’s struggle to compete against Apple’s iPhone and Samsung’s (SSNLF.PK) line of smartphones resulted in a loss of 13 cents per share on sales of $3.1 billion.
Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters had estimated the company would report a profit of 6 cents per share on a revenue of $3.4 billion. This miss pushed BlackBerry’s shares down as much as 25.90 percent to $10.73 in pre-market trading after results were reported Friday.
Even though the new platform was meant to drive the turnaround, BlackBerry hardly mentioned BB10 in the news release. What the company did say was that overall smartphone shipments rose 13 percent to 6.8 million over the quarter, although it did not say how many of those were BlackBerry 10 devices. For analysts, those numbers indicate that sales of the new devices were not as good as they had hoped, and they will be looking for more information about sales during Friday’s conference call.
“Quite frankly, the fear is that with a full quarter of (the new) BlackBerry 10 sales – we haven’t received the BlackBerry 10 unit numbers yet – but certainly it doesn’t bode well for the initial BlackBerry 10 launch, particularly the Z10. But even the outlook for a Q2 loss doesn’t bode well for the Q10 either,” Morningstar analyst Brian Colello told Reuters.
The Z10 only hit store shelves in the critical United States market at the end of March, and the Q10 was not available for sale until after the end of BlackBerry’s first fiscal quarter.
As the company described it, the journey to recovery is just beginning. “During the first quarter, we continued to focus our efforts on the global roll out of the BlackBerry 10 platform,” said Thorsten Heins, President and Chief Executive Officer of BlackBerry, in the earnings release. “We are still in the early stages of this launch, but already, the BlackBerry 10 platform and BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 are proving themselves to customers to be very secure, flexible and dynamic mobile computing solutions.”
Still, BlackBerry said that given the “highly competitive” smartphone market,” it expects to post another loss for the current quarter.
Follow Meghan on Twitter @MFoley_WSCS
Investing Insights: Is T-Mobile the Next Hot Mobile Stock?


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Food and drink price inflation in hospitality hit 15% for the first time in the history of the CGA Prestige Foodservice Price Index in August, the latest data shows.
Droughts, the war in Ukraine and spiralling costs of commodities, energy and labour throughout the supply chain all contributed to the record high. The Index has now recorded double-digit inflation in every month of 2022 since February, with prices increasing nearly 2% from July alone.
Every category of the Index experienced year-on-year inflation, with two key segments—dairy and oils & fats—surpassing 4% month-on-month. Only two —fruit and sugars—registered a small fall in prices from July.
Very dry weather in the UK and European Union had a severe impact on many crops and pastures, though conditions have been more favourable in recent weeks. There has also been some easing in commodity markets and the price of oil, but with energy pricing very uncertain and the Ukraine war continuing, the market is likely to remain volatile for some time. Steep falls in the value of sterling will also push up the cost of imports and fuel inflation.
Prestige Purchasing CEO Shaun Allen said:
“In the months ahead it is likely that we will reach peak inflation, then see some levelling-off, before a gradual fall during next year. But falling inflation does not mean that prices will go down. For at least the full year of 2023 we expect that they will just increase more slowly. With so many other pressures it would be easy for operators to take the eye off the ball of managing supply prices, which in this market could be very costly.”
James Ashurst, client director at CGA by NielsenIQ, said:
“Inflation is having a severe impact on businesses and consumers alike, and foodservice is caught in the eye of a fierce storm. While some pressures may be easing, a tough winter lies ahead. The foodservice sector remains a vibrant contributor to the UK economy, but it deserves urgent, targeted and sustained government support to mitigate inflationary challenges and sustain vulnerable businesses.”


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PRE-REGISTRATIONS have opened to take part in the 2019 Garage Sale Trail.
The trail, which takes place in October, is an annual event which encourages residents to reuse their items and reduce waste by hosting and attending garage sales.
The Frankston Treasure Chest at the Frankston Regional Recycling and Recovery Centre hosted a sale for the trail last year. The centre’s gatehouse operator Di Shingles said “it’s a brilliant event and will stop a lot of reusable items from entering landfill. We often find ourselves drowning in possessions we don’t use anymore, so we end up throwing them out with little thought about where they end up.”
“It’s important to remember that your unwanted items could be a treasure for someone else. Not everything has to end up in landfill,” she said.
Langwarrin resident John Stoermer said “I come to the Treasure Chest every day to see what I can find and there’s always little hidden gems to be found.”
Frankston mayor Michael O’Reilly said “whether you’re a household, a student, community group, a whole street, school or even a local business, you can fundraise for a cause or make yourself a few extra dollars.”
“This is council’s second Garage Sale Trail, last year taking an outstanding achievement award for its involvement and ranking 12 out of 150 councils participating,” he said.
“We had a mammoth 213 garage sale events registered in Frankston City last year with 5,802 people taking part equating to 531 kilograms of items being reused and saved from landfill per event.”
Registrations at garagesaletrail.com.au


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- Story Highlights
- Cheap Booze: In NZ you can get a glass of wine for less than a small bottle of water.
Alcohol Cheaper than Water in New Zealand
N.Z. researchers have found that a drink of easily found bargain priced wine is, on average, less than the price of a 250ml bottle of water.
In New Zealand, you can get a glass of inexpensive wine for 62 cents, but if it’s a bottle of water you’re after, you’ll have to pony up a bit more – 67 cents, on average.
Public Health researchers at Otago University performed the pricing study, and they say that having alcohol available at very low prices isn’t necessarily the best way to encourage responsible drinking and minimize the ills of binge drinking.
Otago U. Associate Professor Nick Wilson, commented, saying, “Our analysis suggests alcohol is now probably the cheapest recreational drug in New Zealand and has become increasingly affordable, at the same time as concern about binge drinking culture has grown. International scientific evidence strongly indicates that cheap alcohol is a factor in promoting binge drinking by young people, and in increasing the overall size of the health and social harm from alcohol misuse.”
The researchers say that overproduction of domestic wine has led to some very low prices. They recommend minimum pricing on certain drinks, such as wine and alcohol-pops, as an effective way for government policy makers to reduce the harms of binge drinking on society at large.
The full research results have been published in the current edition of The New Zealand Medical Journal.


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TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — A recent outbreak of norovirus has been tied to some raw oysters sold in Florida. The virus has been recorded in at least 13 states, with the oysters originating in Canada.
Since the start of the outbreak, Florida, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, Nevada, New York, Oregon, Texas, and Washington have all reported restaurants and store locations that received the affected oysters.
Due to the virus, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has begun an investigation to determine where exactly the oysters came from, and retailers have been told not to serve or sell oysters harvested in certain locations of Baynes Sound, British Columbia, Canada.
So, what is norovirus?
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, norovirus is a contagious virus that causes vomiting and diarrhea in those who are infected. Anyone can get sick from it, according to the CDC, from a variety of sources.
The CDC reports having direct contact with someone already infected with norovirus, consuming contaminated food or water, or touching contaminated surfaces and then putting your unwashed hands in your mouth are all ways to get norovirus.
Patients infected with norovirus can also experience nausea and stomach pain. The federal agency says outbreaks are common and that the virus spreads rapidly and easily, and can happen at any time, but are most common from November to April.
The best way to protect yourself from getting norovirus, according to the CDC is to:
- Wash your hands often
- Rinse fruits and vegetables
- Cook shellfish thoroughly
- Stay home when sick and for two days after symptoms stop
- Avoid preparing food for others when sick and for two days after symptoms stop
If you do get norovirus, it’s important not to cook or prepare food for others, or provide healthcare to others while you are sick, and for at least two days after. The CDC said this includes sick workers in restaurants, schools, daycares, long-term care facilities, and other places where exposure is possible.
It’s important to not just clean surfaces but also soiled or dirty laundry worn while infected with the norovirus. When washing clothes or linens that could have been contaminated with vomit or feces, the CDC urges patients or caregivers to wear rubber or disposable gloves, wash at the hottest temperature possible in the washing machine, and dry on high to ensure safety.
For two weeks after you start feeling better, you should still be vigilant. The CDC said the virus can still be present in feces or vomit before and after you get sick, so keep washing your hands, clean surfaces and use hand sanitizer. Make sure to disinfect surfaces with a chlorine bleach solution and “routinely clean and sanitize kitchen utensils, counters, and surfaces before preparing food.”


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If you were hoping to see some SuperSpeed USB 3.0 announcements at this year's CES, you're in luck. Toshiba has your back and on Monday trotted out its new TransMemory-EX series of USB 3.0-compliant flash memory products that take advantage of the SuperSpeed specification with read and write speeds of up 22 times and 18 times (respectively) faster than USB 2.0.
Equipped with Toshiba's DDR NAND flash memory, the TransMemory-EX series shovels data to and fro at up to 220MB/s (read performance) and up to 94MB/s (write performance), and does so while never consuming more than 300 mA of power, making them some of the lowest power USB flash drives in the industry, according to Toshiba.
To put that kind of speed into perspective, Toshiba says you can transfer a 25GB video in about five minutes, whereas it would take you half-an-hour on previous USB 2.0 model drives.
"Today’s consumers have a need for speed, and they want a truly interactive experience," noted Brian Kumagai , senior business development manager, NAND flash memory products for TAEC. "Devices and peripherals are becoming faster and faster, and the USB transfer speed needs to increase in order to keep up. Eventually, all motherboards and laptops will be designed with USB 3.0 ports, allowing for consumers to take advantage of the increased speed and improved performance it offers."
First-run models will ship in 32GB and 64GB capacities. We're awaiting word from Toshiba on price and availabilty.
EDIT: We're told the 32GB model will cost $102 and the 64GB model $192.
Image Credit: Toshiba


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United States : Developers get their hack on with the Sabre Dev Studio hackathon [TendersInfo (India)]
(TendersInfo (India) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Sabre Corporation is hosting a hackathon to challenge developers to create apps that could revolutionize the travel industry. The hackathon, to be held on Aug. 1-2, is a 24-hour, non-stop challenge for developers to use Sabre s new APIs along with other open technology providers in order to create a working application prototype.
Built on a patent-pending shopping platform, Sabre s new mobile friendly, sub-second response time shopping and intelligence APIs enable developers to build new capabilities for the travel industry. First prize winner will receive $15,000 in cash and credits for use of Sabre APIs. Developers can register at the Sabre Dev Studio site.
The travel industry is one of the largest and fastest growing segments of the world economy, generating nearly $7 trillion in annual spend last year, and the industry is expected to grow by four percent this year alone. The hackathon is a great opportunity for developers to learn and participate in this fast growing industry, said Greg Webb, president of Sabre Travel Network. Coming on the heels of the Sabre Dev Studio launch, this hackathon is another step in our vision to help drive fast-paced innovation for travelers and travel companies.
Sabre is proud to partner with Tnooz, a leading travel technology news source, and LaunchDFW, the leading Dallas/Fort Worth technology start up and entrepreneurship news provider, to promote the event to developers. Judges for the competition are: Jennifer Conley Co-founder and Vice President of Programming The Dallas Entrepreneur Center Andrew Levi, Founder and CTO of Blue Calypso, Inc (OTC:BCYP) Chris Roche Principal, Business Development for Bottle Rocket Apps Jake Smith Software Engineer, Mashery Ben Vinod Chief Scientist, Sabre Corporation
The Sabre hackathon comprises four challenges for developers to choose from, each emphasizing a different opportunity based on current trends in the travel industry: Social Swagger focuses on the current movement toward integrating social media and travel through technology. Travel in a Non-Travel World focuses on the opportunity to integrate travel with other online vertical markets to create new consumer value. Mine your own business is centered on data mining and the need for applications offering personalized solutions rather than mass market content. The API Alchemist calls for developers to use three or more API s in order to make a unique application or a new user experience.
While there is a cash prize for contestants, perhaps the greatest prize is the opportunity to create an app that changes the world of travel through the use of Sabre Dev Studio, said Webb. Developers from the US and Canada are welcome to enter the competition and teams of up to five people are permitted.
(c) 2014 Euclid Infotech Pvt. Ltd. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info).
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Do you know if your getting the most from social media? This week’s infographic (via Pagemodo) breaks down the stats on what social media means really to your small business.
With a reported 53% of businesses now using social media and 88% percent of brands reporting that the biggest benefit of going social is increased exposure, social media is all the rage in internet marketing. While getting the word out about your business or organization may be one of the biggest benefits of platforms like Facebook and Twitter , the biggest challenge in social media still lies in understanding your brand’s social impact and measuring ROI.
As the infographic shows, social media can make a huge impact on your web traffic. Dell Computers found that they received a %300 increase in traffic from Twitter and Facebook during the life of a campaign. Social media can also boost SEO as reported in a 2010 study that showed search engine rankings increased 8% following a successful social campaign. And, If bottom-line ROI concerns you the most, Dell also reported that Twitter Generated $1 million in revenue in six months and $3 million over the course of a single campaign.


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CleverstiX.com is delighted to reveal the launch of it’s own dedicated Amazon Store Page!
Having received an invitation from the global marketplace giant to design and upload the web entry it has now been published with demonstration videos and promo pictures featured.
And now, to celebrate the launch, we are extending these reductions on Amazon into December. Visit the new page via this link now to benefit from these exclusive offers!:


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NGK blockchain which launch in October is promoting the implementation of blockchain application
Recently, there is good news that everyone is excited about, that is, the NGK blockchain will be launched in October. By then, NGK will uphold its own goals and apply blockchain to medical, service, food, finance, and games and other fields to accelerate the implementation of applications.
01 NGK blockchain implemented in the medical industry
With the continuous improvement of medical technology, many patients’ diseases have been well treated. However, there are still some problems in the medical field, such as conflicts between doctors and patients, misdiagnosis by doctors, and wrong diagnosis of the patient, causing the patient to aggravate the condition or even die. This kind of lawsuit is difficult to judge because it takes a lot of time to look through the medical records and collection of evidence. It may be that when the patient or the patient’s family has obtained the evidence, the doctor who treated the patient has been expelled from the hospital and hid. In this case, if the technology of the NGK blockchain distributed ledger is being used and integrate it into the medical platform, and upload the information of all patients and related doctors on the chain, thenm there is no need to spend massive amount of time to investigate and collect evidence. It may only be within a short period of time that you can see the relevant medical records and inquire about the doctor’s relevant information. This will reduce the contradiction between doctors and patients, and will also help promote the development of the medical industry.
02 NGK blockchain implemented in the food industry
From raw materials to reaching consumers, the operation requires a lot of complicated processes during this period. Although there is traceability in the traditional operations, human participation is involved in every process which it is prone to emerge false information and lack of transparency. The NGK blockchain has the characteristics of fairness and transparency. From production to processing, to transportation, until reaching consumers, the information at every step is uploaded to the chain. Consumers able to clearly see through the data in every process before the food arrives, and the whole process is transparent.
03 NGK blockchain implemented in the gaming industry
The gaming industry has always been the hottest industry and is welcomed by many people. However, black-box operations occur from time to time, and many people who participate in the gaming industry often lose money in the end. The dealer will always win. By applying the NGK blockchain to the gaming industry, uploading gaming company information to the chain, and each company’s operations on the chain, it could avoid the risk of gaming companies’ dark-box operations. Once it traced that the gaming company is doing tricks behind the scenes, it will put the gaming company’s information and the information of the company’s related management personnel on the chain to reduce its credibility.
04 NGK blockchain implemented in the agriculture industry
By using the NGK blockchain to record crop growth data throughout the process can provide transparent, credible and tradable data for bulk futures and insurance, and digitize the agricultural economy. It can also improve food safety, from seed to farm, from factory to market where the whole process is recorded on the chain. The information is open, transparent, and traceable, providing a guarantee for agricultural food safety.
The launch of the NGK blockchain has now entered the countdown. It is believed that the launch of the NGK blockchain will accelerate the implementation of the blockchain and thus promote the development of various industries.


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We all know that BlackBerry QNX is the most secure OS for embedded things in cars. Now we hear news that I still prefer to say that it is only a rumor, mainly because until now no one has confirmed it.
The report says that 2 car manufacturers are working and testing with BlackBerry on a new product, Scanner for cars to alert if the car has been hacked. The software also can install new updates directly into the car and keep it up to date. The scanner will alert the driver that the car has been hacked or someone has tried to hack the car and will tell the driver to stop the car.
We know that the security in autonomous cars is top priority and until the industry can solve the Cyber issues in those cars and will be able to sell secure cars to customers, no one will allow those cars to get on the road out of testing.
The 2 big car makers, Aston Martin and Range Rover, are reportedly already testing it as it can be in the market next year. The post is speaking about the revenue for every product but it’s much to early to even speak about it.


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Gaming and lottery supplier GTECH has been awarded a ten-year deal to continue providing its lottery services to the Belgian National Lottery (Loterie Nationale), which is expected to generate approximately €125m in revenue for the company over the contract period.
The company’s subsidiary, GTECH Global Services Corporation, has been granted an online gaming system, terminals, and integration contract to provide end-to-end services for the lottery.
The proposed contract, which is expected to commence this month, follows a competitive negotiated procurement process and is based on an IT services model. GTECH expects to receive approximately €125m in revenues over the ten-year term.
GTECH International president and CEO Walter Bugno said the award was “significant” for GTECH as it allows the company to build upon the existing relationship with the Belgian National Lottery which dates back to 1993 when it deployed the lottery’s first gaming system.
“Working together with the lottery, we have created customer-focused innovations and new games, and, as a partner, we have gained a deep understanding of the Belgian marketplace as it exists today, and determined what the right path is for the future,” said Bugno. “GTECH looks forward to transitioning from the current contract to the new IT services model and upgrading the lottery’s operating systems and its retailers with our latest product solutions and services that will create greater efficiencies and drive even higher sales growth.”
The IT services model aims to drive services quality and to closely align GTECH’s services with the business requirements of the lottery. It calls for the set-up of integrated business tools, end-to-end processes based on IT industry standard practices (ITIL), and the establishment of a governance organization responsible for managing operations for the NLB.
“Time-to-market is extremely important in today’s business environment, and the same holds true for the lottery business,” said Roger Malevé, operations and procurement director for Loterie Nationale. “This services arrangement with GTECH will allow us to introduce innovations more rapidly and be better prepared in the longer term to grow the business in a competitive marketplace.
“The business alignment through the governance model is key in this model and will allow us to translate new technology into innovative services for our players and to become a more attractive and socially responsible gaming provider.”
GTECH will provide the lottery with gaming technology, performance driven services, and an integrated business environment. The company will provide its Enterprise Series (ES) central system solution and replace the lottery’s existing terminal base with 5,550 Altura GT1200 terminals.
GTECH will also deploy mobile and handheld terminals as well as self-service ticket checkers. The company already provides its interactive gaming system to the lottery, allowing it to sell traditional lottery style games to players over the internet.
The company said that the new contract will strengthen its presence in Belgium and in Europe. The gaming operations and maintenance will be delivered from GTECH’s operations center in Warsaw, Poland.
Shares in GTECH S.p.A (Co. Data) (MIL:GTK) are currently trading at €21.16 per share in Milan this morning.


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CFS urges public not to consume a kind of Italian sausage suspected to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes
The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department today (November 16) urged the public not to consume a kind of sausage imported from Italy due to possible contamination with Listeria monocytogenes, a pathogen. The trade should stop using or selling the product concerned immediately if they possess it.
Details of the product are as follows:
Product name: Mortadella Bologna IGP con pistacchio
Brand: Casa Modena
Place of origin: Italy
Importer: Angliss Hong Kong Food Service Ltd
Use-by date: November 28, 2018
"The CFS received a notification from the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) of the European Commission that the above-mentioned product might have been contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes and is being recalled. According to the information provided by the RASFF, a local importer, Angliss Hong Kong Food Service Ltd, had imported a small quantity of the affected product into Hong Kong," a spokesman for the CFS said.
The CFS immediately contacted the importer concerned for follow-up. Preliminary investigation showed that the importer had imported 10.96 kilograms of the affected product and all of them were sold. The importer has initiated a recall according to the CFS' advice. Enquiries about the recall can be made to the importer's hotline at 2494 2128 during office hours.
"Listeria monocytogenes can be easily destroyed by cooking but can survive and multiply at refrigerator temperature. Most healthy individuals do not develop symptoms or only have mild symptoms like fever, muscle pain, headache, nausea, vomiting or diarrhoea when infected. However, severe complications such as septicemia, meningitis or even death may occur in newborns, the elderly and those with a weaker immune system. Although infected pregnant women may just experience mild symptoms generally, the infection of Listeria monocytogenes may cause miscarriage, infant death, preterm birth, or severe infection in newborns," the spokesman said.
The CFS will alert the trade to the incident, and will continue to closely monitor the case and take appropriate follow-up action. Investigation is ongoing.
Ends/Friday, November 16, 2018


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ID@Xbox Trailer: Dozens of Indie Greats Coming to Xbox One
At Gamescom 2014, Microsoft unveiled a massive lineup of indie titles coming to the Xbox One via the ID@Xbox program, and just about all of them are worth your attention.
A multitude of self-publishing indie developers have been given the greenlight to bring their titles over to Xbox One. This new ID@Xbox Trailer features a number of good-looking games made by smaller studios. Blues and Bullets, Cuphead, Dungeon of the Endless, Fruit Ninja Kinect 2, Funk of Titans, Ghost of a Tale, Goat Simulator, Gunscape, Massive Chalice, Inside, Knight Squad, Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime, #Idarb, No Time to Explain, Plague Inc: Evolved, Rivals of Aether, Smite, Slashdash, Space Engineers, Spectra, Pneuma: Breath of Life, Threes!, The Escapists, Volgarr the Viking, Speedrunners and Superhot have all been confirmed to be coming to Xbox One. Hopefully, some of these greats will be released via Xbox Live's Games With Gold program, giving them to us for free, dependent on the month of course.
Unfortunately, there has yet to be any sort of time frame mentioned as to when we can expect these indie games to be hitting the Xbox One. In particular, we can't wait for Cuphead, Goat Simulator, Superhot and Fruit Ninja Kinect 2, but we're very interested in these other titles. Prior to this trailer's unveiling at Gamescom, Phil Spencer mentioned that bundle deals will be coming to the Xbox One's online marketplace. Hopefully, we'll be able to score a group of these indie titles for a decent price. We'll provide more details on these potential bundle deals once more information is available.


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Consumer advocates lauded the program's goals but are wary that its size will make it difficult to ensure that the money is well-spent.
Cheryl Cox, a policy analyst for the Division of Ratepayer Advocates, the PUC's in-house watchdog agency, said the key will be in an upcoming decision on how to measure what utilities do.
“There's a lot more oversight and checks and balances going forward,” Cox said. “We've got the right strategic approach. . . . We don't have any kind of methodology to demonstrate the money we're spending is worth it in the long run.”
Mindy Spatt, spokeswoman for The Utility Reform Network in San Francisco, agreed that oversight is essential.
“If the PUC does not hold the utilities accountable, this could just become a $3 billion slush fund,” Spatt said. “If we get what we're paying for, we'll get a lot.”
Earlier efficiency efforts have had hiccups.
Spatt cited subsidies for compact, fluorescent light bulbs as an example. She said the utilities made the devices too inexpensive, compared with prices in the rest of the country. As a result, she said, “these light bulbs people subsidized were being sold on eBay.”
And because there was no way to follow up, the utilities got credit for the energy-saving devices that ended up elsewhere, Cox said.
That credit is important to the investors who own the four utilities participating in the program: SDG&E, its sister company Southern California Gas Co., Southern California Edison and Pacific Gas and Electric Co.
Depending on how close the companies get to their goals, their shareholders get 9 percent to 12 percent of the money earmarked for energy savings.
“It's hundreds of millions of dollars for them,” Cox said.


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Facebook is looking for new, and more inventive, ways of monetizing their 1 billion users, but they could come at the cost of the advertisers who provide Facebook with the majority of their money.
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- Thirty-nine percent of dairy cows in ‘drought' areas
- O’Brien to succeed Gallagher as head of DMI
- Multichannel checkoff campaign launched to reach Gen Z
- Stonyfield to take in some Northeast farms facing contract terminations
- Agropur adding Wisconsin cheese production capacity
- CDI building UHT-ELS fluid plant
- USDA grant to fund algae dairy feed research
- The number of the week: Dairy consumption
- Coming up: PVMAP details; September uniform prices and PPDs
Nearly four in 10 U.S. dairy cows were located in “drought areas” at the start of October, according to the USDA’s World Agricultural Outlook Board. The latest U.S. Drought Monitor map (Figure 1) indicates about 39% of U.S. dairy cows were in drought areas as of Oct. 5, down about 3% from a month earlier and well below the peak of 63% last June.
The weekly U.S. Drought Monitor maps overlay areas experiencing drought with major production areas for hay, alfalfa hay, corn, soybeans and other crops, as well as primary dairy and beef cattle areas.
Of additional concern to dairy and beef producers, about 39% of U.S. hay-producing acreage was considered under drought conditions at the start of October, up 3% from early September. The area of drought-impacted alfalfa acreage improved 1% over the past month but still stands at 62%. Improving conditions in southwestern Minnesota, Virgina and West Virginia were offset by worsening drought in Oklahoma, northern Texas and portions of Colorado.
Barbara O’Brien was unanimously approved by the Dairy Management Inc. (DMI) board of directors to succeed Tom Gallagher as CEO, effective immediately. Gallagher will remain as an adviser to O’Brien as needed through July 31, 2022.
O’Brien plans to tap the expertise of DMI staff, along with input from farmers and industry leaders, to seek ideas and contributions that magnify the checkoff’s impact and create efficiencies on behalf of farmer and importer owners.
DMI unveiled a youth-centric dairy promotion campaign to engage Gen Z consumers (ages 10 to 24). Launched Oct. 13, the “Reset Yourself with Dairy” campaign uses a variety of media channels and marketing strategies, including gaming, social media influencers and digital content.
The strategy centers on four aspects of dairy’s wellness benefits that checkoff-led consumer research found resonates and drives purchase decisions with members of Gen Z: immunity, calm, energy and digestive health.
Dairy content will appear on Spotify, where Gen Z heads for music and podcasts, as well as across YouTube and Google video searches and via television streaming providers including Hulu, Roku and Vevo.
There will be continued outreach to the gaming community, working with Twitch, and the content will be available on TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat. The effort also includes a partnership with Kroger Digital and Instacart for content to appear in their retail apps and mobile sites.
In addition to these virtual strategies, the campaign will have activations on about 400 college campuses, including on TV screens in recreation centers and cafeterias.
Stonyfield Organic, a maker of organic yogurt based in New Hampshire, announced plans to invite some of the 89 Northeast organic dairy farmers whose milk supply contracts with Horizon are being terminated to join their direct supply program.
In August, Horizon Organic, a subsidiary of Danone, notified dairy producers in four states – New York, Vermont, Maine and New Hampshire – that their milk supply contracts would not be renewed beyond August 2022. Read: Northeast officials seeking options for organic producers.
“The potential loss of 89 organic family farms would be a devastating loss for our region and our environment,” said Gary Hirshberg, Stonyfield co-founder. “When we heard about the contract terminations, we knew we had to step up and help as many farms as we possibly could, beginning with our initial commitment to take a group of these farms into our program."
According to a Stonyfield press release, the company has launched an internal task force to work with state departments of agriculture, nonprofit organizations, retailers and institutional food customers to find ways to keep more of the farms in business.
Agropur Dairy Cooperative will build a new $168 million cheese production facility in northeastern Wisconsin. The 210,000-square-foot facility, under construction on 24.5 acres in the village of Little Chute, will more than double Agropur’s annual milk processing capacity in the area – from 300 million to 750 million pounds. About 85% of that milk will come from within 40 miles of the plant.
Agropur is the largest dairy cooperative in North America and one of the top 20 dairy producers in the world. In Wisconsin, it already operates facilities in La Crosse, Appleton, Little Chute, Weyauwega and Luxemburg. The Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) will support the expansion with up to $4.5 million in business tax credits.
California Dairies Inc. (CDI) held a groundbreaking ceremony, Sept. 29, on a new Valley Natural Beverages fluid milk processing facility. The 220,000-square-foot facility, located on a 30-acre site in northern Kern County, is expected to be fully operational in 2023. The facility will produce ultra-high-temperature (UHT) and extended shelf-life (ESL) milk products.
The project is being built in a region of California with significant milk production but no local processing facilities, according to CDI. The investment will significantly reduce the transportation distances of milk produced in Kern County, and renewable energy sources and waste conservation are key priorities in the facility and operational design.
CDI is the largest dairy farmer-owned cooperative in California and the second largest in the U.S. Its 300 dairy farmer owners produce about 17 billion pounds of milk annually, approximately 40% of California’s total. That milk is processed into butter, fluid milk products and milk powders.
The USDA announced a third round of National Institute of Food and Agriculture’s (NIFA) Sustainable Agricultural Systems program grants. The $146 million outlay will fund 15 projects aimed at ag sustainability, climate change, food production and nutrition.
One project is specifically targeting dairy. A $10 million project, conducted in partnership with Colby College, Waterville, Maine, will research algae feed additives for dairy cows, assessing the impact at the animal-, farm- and community-level. The project will include developing integrated public outreach programs to enhance milk production, mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and recover nutrients.
For the third consecutive year, 2020 U.S. per-capita dairy consumption increased, up 3 pounds from 2019 to 655 pounds per person. Read: Dairy’s 2020 gains were steady in a year that was anything but from the National Milk Producers Federation and watch for Progressive Dairy’s annual statistical summary online and in the Nov. 7, 2021, issue of the magazine.
Watch for these updates on Progressive Dairy’s website later this week:
- The USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) has posted a 12-minute webinar with details for dairy producers who may be eligible for payments under the Pandemic Market Volatility Assistance Program (PMVAP). If contacted this month, a critical first step for eligible dairy farmers is to certify that they meet USDA adjusted gross income (AGI) requirements with their milk handler or cooperative.
- Federal Milk Marketing Order (FMMO) administrators reported September 2021 uniform milk prices, producer price differentials and milk pooling data during the week of Oct. 11. After a tumultus, pandemic-induced period that saw extreme price volatility and dramatically negative PPDs, September’s numbers are almost ho-hum.
- Progressive Dairy
- Email Dave Natzke