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I woke up yesterday morning and brought the trash outside as usual, and something occurred for the first time in months – I felt cold. Not to mention that the morning dew had not burned off and the shadows from the trees covered much more ground than I recently noticed. Some people see the fall as relief from the oppressive temperatures of the summer. Not me. Years of positive experiences, fun summers off from school, vacationing, and playing baseball, far outweigh the negatives from a few oppressively hot days during the season. But fall is good too. Halloween, football, baseball playoffs, and apple picking, to mention a few of my favorite activities. And now on to this week’s logistics news:
- Nearly half of Gulf of Mexico oil, gas platforms evacuated ahead of Hurricane Laura
- Dick’s Sporting Goods crushes Wall Street estimates as online sales surge 194%
- Major parcel delivery delays as Australia Post struggles to cope with surge in demand
- Amazon to add more than 1,800 electric vehicles from Mercedes-Benz Vans to its delivery fleet
- Gap sells $130 million in face masks
- XYZ Robotics closes Series A+ funding to scale AI-driven piece picking
- Maersk invests $1m in Australian digital road freight platform Ofload
With Hurricane Laura quickly approaching, nearly half of the oil and gas platforms (production platforms) in the Gulf of Mexico – almost 300 – were evacuated by Wednesday, along with most of the offshore rigs (drilling). The BSEE stated that approximately 84 percent of the current oil production in the Gulf of Mexico has been shut, and that personnel have been evacuated from 10 of the 12 non dynamically positioned rigs in the Gulf, while 8 of the 16 dynamically positioned rigs have been moved out of the storm’s path. Although oil and gas production has been disrupted, it is considered unlikely that it will cause substantial supply shortages due to ample inventories and available supply from alternate sources.
And I thought I was the only one placing online orders from Dick’s Sporting Goods. The company reported that second quarter online sales increased 194 percent. That’s right, almost 3x the online sales from Q2 2019. Including curbside pickup. e-commerce penetration for the second quarter of 2020 accounted for approximately 30% of total net sales. CEO Ed Stack stated ““During this pandemic, the importance of health and fitness has accelerated and participation in socially distant, outdoor activities has increased. There has also been a greater shift toward athletic and active lifestyle product with people spending more time working and exercising at home.”” I guess so. I wouldn’t have guessed these results six months ago. I am interested to learn about Dick’s warehousing and fulfillment strategy to support what may turn out to be a sustained increase in demand.
The Australian state Victoria is currently in a stage 4 coronavirus lockdown and this is causing a surge in parcel delivery volumes and major delivery delays. Parcel volumes for the second week in August were up 186 percent compared to the same period last year. Meanwhile, Australia Post’s facilities in Victoria are not running at full capacity due to the stage 4 restrictions. Although not mentioned in the article, I wonder if the weather (it is winter in Australia) and the resulting increased time indoors has exacerbated the coronavirus outbreak in this more temperate region of the country.
Amazon announced it is adding more than 1,800 electric vehicles from Mercedes-Benz Vans to its delivery fleet in Europe this year. Mercedes-Benz also announced that it has joined The Climate Pledge, a commitment to meet the Paris Agreement 10 years early that was founded by Amazon and Global Optimism. Amazon’s Delivery Service Partners will have access to the new fleet of zero-emission vehicles to make deliveries to customers in Europe this year. More than 1,200 EVs in the order will be for the new Mercedes-Benz eSprinter. The remaining 600 vehicles will be comprised of the manufacturer’s midsize electric van, the eVito
Gap, Inc. announced in its second quarter earnings that it sold $130 million in face masks during the quarter, representing what I consider to be an impressive example of supply chain agility. Company sales for the quarter fell 18 percent from the same period last year. However, e-commerce sales nearly doubled. The Athleta brand achieved the highest growth rate of 6 percent, driven by a 74 percent increase in online sales. Meanwhile, fulfillment costs increased and contributed to a 3.8 percent reduction in gross margin. Interestingly, I recently spoke with an executive from Kindred AI about its robotic sorting solution. Gap is a flagship customer for Kindred AI and I am interested to learn more about Gap’s plans for adapting to the company’s increased direct-to-consumer fulfillment requirements.
XYZ Robotics, a Boston-based robotics company announced that it has closed series A+ funding of close to $20 million to scale it AI-driven piece picking. XYZ Robotics said it recently took only two weeks to integrate, test, and fine-tune a piece-picking station at a leading logistics warehouse. XYZ said it is it combining hardware and software for e-commerce, mixed-load palletizing and depalletizing, and high-speed industrial kitting. Source Code Capital led the Series A+ round, which was oversubscribed by Gaorong Capital and Morningside Capital.
Maersk invested $1 million in digital road freight platform Ofload (formerly called Loadsmile). The company launched earlier this year and its road freight platform tackles inefficient empty container moves and idle time by live-matching cargo owners with small to medium-size transport operators. Ofload has 700 carriers on the platform operating a combined fleet of 15,000 trucks nationwide. Maersk Growth venture partner Jeppe Høier said Ofload’s solution that fits with Maersk’s container logistics integrator strategy.


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WITH the government being accused of not providing “real help” to the ailing automotive industry, one option being discussed to help alleviate the fall in new car sales is the Scrappage Incentive Scheme.
Many countries across Europe have adopted the programme – which not only helps with rising car sales, but also rids the roads of gas-guzzling motors.
Experts say the Scrappage Incentive Scheme for car buyers would help the struggling automotive industry and the UK economy.
But the government is dragging its heels on making a firm decision about the programme, despite it proving to be a huge success in other parts of Europe.
Earlier this month business secretary Peter Mandelson looked poised to introduce a British version of the scheme – which has been either adopted or planned by at least eight of the European Union’s 27 countries. However, no firm decision has yet been made by the UK government, despite calls from leading experts across the country.
Experts believe the scheme would have many benefits, including increasing new car sales, securing more UK jobs in the automotive industry, delivering lower CO2 emissions and lower emissions of other greenhouse gases, reducing the number and severity of accidents and being very cost effective – as higher VAT revenues from increased sales would offset the cost of any incentive offered.
The proposed scheme would mean owners of cars and light commercial vehicles (LCVs) over nine years old could scrap them in return for a £2,000 cash incentive towards a new or nearly new vehicle.
This could bring about a rise in new car sales, helping manufacturers who have been crippled as the credit crunch makes car loans dearer and scarcer, while economic uncertainty deters worried consumers from expensive “big-ticket” purchases.
Last month, sales of new cars were almost 22 per cent below a year earlier, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), while UK manufacturers have shed thousands of jobs.
Lord Mandelson announced a package of support for the industry in January, including a scheme to unlock £1.3 billion of European loans and a government guarantee for up to £1 billion of further loans.
The peer also said he would look at steps to give people who could afford it credit to buy cars.
However, the funding has still not been seen and the whole process has been slow moving.
The new Scrappage Incentive Scheme would not only encourage more people to buy new cars, it would also help the environment as old cars with higher emissions would be taken off the roads.
According to experts at Clean Green Cars, if the incentive was available for cars emitting less than 130g/km of CO2 – the EU target for 2012 – and used to scrap cars which are at least ten years old, it would more than balance the extra CO2 created in manufacturing the new cars.
They claim the scheme would cause a short-term spike in CO2 emissions during manufacturing, but this would be offset within six years because the new cars would emit less of the planet-warming gas.
Paul Everitt, SMMT chief executive, said: “The scrappage incentive scheme is a popular way for government to support the automotive industry and provides good value for money for the tax payer.”

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https://www.thestandard.com.hk/break...tion/4/198150/Travel could resume as soon as January 9, the report said, citing unnamed people from the Guangdong health commission. China will require visitors from Hong Kong to undergo three days of home monitoring, it added.
The resumption of tourism from the mainland would be a boon for Hong Kong’s economy, which has been hobbled by more than two years of Covid-related border restrictions. The city could see an estimated 7.6% boost to its gross domestic product from China’s reopening as exports and tourism income climbs, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. economists said Monday.
In another sign from senior Chinese officials that the country is emerging from its Covid Zero isolation, the country’s ambassador to the US said Monday that it will welcome more international travelers in the “near future.”


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Getting back to business
Since the easing of lockdown at the end of June, many SMEs have been getting back to business.
More than a quarter say they have brought back employees from furlough, however, more than one in 10 say they have not yet reopened.
A third of businesses have seen customer orders increase since the easing of lockdown.
But social distancing guidelines and making workplaces and premises safe, are reducing the ability to take on new business. And more than one in five are experiencing supply chain issues due to temporary or permanent closure of suppliers.


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Illegally or fraudulently acting payment processors are the singularly most important element of scams and fraudulent investment schemes to defraud investors online. We have known this not only since the Wirecard scandal. Unfortunately, there are too many payment processors, especially among the FinTechs, that ignore KYC/AML/CTF regulations or perform negligent checks. Regulators and law enforcement must act much more consistently in this regard and block these companies.
In the last few weeks, we have noticed, based on reports of scam victims and whistleblowers, that more and more payments of scams and investment schemes are processed via Mister Tango. The “Mister Tango” platform (www.mistertango.com) is operated by Secure Nordic Payments UAB, regulated by the Bank of Lithuania. The company was fined by the Lithuanian regulator in October 2019 for non-compliance with money-laundering (AML) regulations and the license was temporarily restricted.
The Bank of Lithuania had previously determined that MisterTango, UAB failed to comply with the requirements of the Republic of Lithuania Law on the Prevention of Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing, yet the company did not take appropriate measures to remove the detected shortcomings.Bank of Lithuania Press Release Oct 25 2019
Evidently, as a result of this regulatory punishment, the company changed its name from Mister Tango UAB to Secure Nordic Payments UAB.
We warn investors not to make payments via dubious providers or scams using this payment processor. The sheer number of reports we have received strongly indicates that Mister Tango is currently increasing its efforts to facilitate scams and investment schemes.
In the event that you have information about Mister Tango and scams involving this payment processor, we request that you share this information with our FinTelegram Research team. Please use our Whistleblower System.


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FDA guidelines unsettle compounding pharmacies
A new set of proposed compounding pharmacy guidelines issued by FDA last week has set off a round of concern among compounders.
A new set of proposed compounding pharmacy guidelines issued by FDA last week has set off a round of concern among compounders. FDA maintains the guidelines are "critical to protecting public health," but Scott Karolchyk of QmedRx, a compounder based in Maitland, FL, argues warns "if these [guidelines] go into effect, a lot of pharmacies face onerous restrictions. And limiting good compounding pharmacies only hurts patients and their access to medications." One stipulation affects only traditional compounding pharmacies that cater to individual patients and comprise the majority of compounders. The cap could actually be a more restrictive 5% if a state fails to sign an agreement with FDA. Traditional compounders believe that even a 30% cap is too restrictive and that some patients may not be able to obtain medicines as easily because not every compounder makes the same medications. The other stipulation that alarms some compounders concerns expiration dates for repackaging biologics. The guideline would require a biologic that is mixed or diluted by a traditional compounder to be administered to a patient within 4 hours unless microbial testing is done. In that case, there would be a 24-hour time limit.


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The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has issued fresh guidelines for companies producing and marketing breastmilk substitutes.
The agency has warned that such companies should not take advantage of the lockdown to promote their products.
in a statement signed by the Director-General of NAFDAC, Professor Mojisola Adeyeye, the agency asked companies and individuals who may want to make donations of palliatives at these critical times to desist from including breastmilk substitutes in their packages.
Citing relevant codes of the World Health Organisation on the marketing of breastmilk substitutes, the NAFDAC DG insisted that the new directives are to ensure that the health of infants is not compromised at this time.
The agency also encouraged nursing mothers to continue with exclusive breastfeeding especially now, to build a strong immune system in their babies


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LG, few hours ago, announced 3 new tablets in the G Pad Series, And this are the G Pad 7.0, G Pad 8.0, and the G Pad 10.1…
“Unlike smartphones, tablets are not one size fits all. So we designed the G Pad Series for a diverse target audience, some who prioritize portability while others want the best multimedia experience possible.”
Dr. Jong-seok Park – President And CEO- LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company
With this new tablets, consumers will now have an option to choose which of the 4 tablets from the company would they buy..
We all know that LG unveiled its first tablet last year.., the G Pad 8.3 which is a very promising High-end tablet, but also an expensive tablet..
This 3 tablets might be their affordable tablets.. And if that happen, then there will be a big competetion between LG and the companies who make affordable tablets..
The G Pad 7.0 is designed to be held using one hand, that’s why LG claimed this device currently as the smallest tablet the’ve made.
The G Pad 8.0 is said to give a great multimedia experience.. And also said to feature a very smooth multitasking..
The G Pad 10.1 will currently be their biggest tablet.. It is rumored to feature a large battery capacity..
This devices will come with LG’s UX Features such as the Knock Code, and the QPair 2.0
This 3 new device will be unveiled at the MedPI 2014 which is one of the biggest IT/Tech trade show in Europe.. The event will be on May 13 up to May 16 at monaco..
Stay tuned to Filipinews™ for the upcoming updates of the LG G Pad Series..
© 2014 Filipinews™


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Why would the owner of a marketing company be dumpster diving for food? You could find Rob Greenfield behind your local grocery with his bike propped against the dumpster while he looks for food. He has now completed two rides across America eating primarily from dumpsters. This isn’t a case of extreme cheapskates; Rob’s goal with these rides is to draw attention to how much food is wasted in America.
On his website, he lists these statistics:
- We throw away 165 billion dollars worth of food per year in America. That’s more than the budgets for America’s national parks, public libraries, federal prisons, veteran’s health care, the FBI, and the FDA combined.
- About 50 million of our 317 million Americans are food insecure yet we produce enough food to feed over 500 million Americans.
- Just to create just the amount of food that ends up in the landfills we waste enough water to meet the domestic water needs of every American citizen.
With as many as one in every seven American households being reported as food insecure and one in four children living in food insecure homes, the fact that we waste so much food on a daily basis is concerning. Charity Sub reports that 96 billion pounds of food are thrown away each year by restaurants, retailers, farmers, and individual households. In each major city that he visited on his ride, Greenfield created a demonstration with food collected from local dumpsters. He states that in a single night, he can collect from dumpsters enough food to feed hundreds of people in any given city. (more…)
Would you buy expired or ugly food? That’s the question being posed by the former president of Trader Joe’s, Doug Rauch.
The food in his new store wouldn’t actually be expired, but instead would be food that is past its “sell-by” date, making it unusable for sale in traditional grocery stores.
His store, The Daily Table, is set to open in Dorchester, Massachusetts in May and will be part grocery store and part cafe. It will specialize in making healthy, inexpensive food available to those who might not otherwise have access.
“When I run down to meetings in the city in Boston,” Rauch told Salon. “I’d say most families know that their kids need to eat better. Most families know that they’re not giving their kids the nutrition they need. But they just can’t afford it, they don’t have an option.”
You either have it or you don’t: that animal instinct that causes your insides to die little when you waste a bite of food.
I have it. Blame it on my family. Growing up in a home that heartily encouraged a happy plate, I’ve been programmed to take only what I can eat and finish it all – licking my plate when necessary.
Clearly, it hasn’t worn off. Today as an adult, I still can’t stand to throw away food. It’s so wasteful. I will likely forever view it as money gone in the trash. But you know what? That’s not such a bad thing because it makes me more conscious of the money I spend on food and how I can avoid waste.
Another reason not to waste food? It can be healthier for your waistline. Here’s how.


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When the Lenovo A6000 going to launch in India and what will be its price?
Want to know the launch date and price details of Lenovo A6000 in India? Read this post to know the details.
The Lenovo A6000 smartphone was launched at the CES 2015 on Thursday. Lenovo has confirmed that the A6000 will be going to launch soon in India via online partner Flipkart. The smartphone is going to compete against Redmi Note 4G and Micromax Yu Yureka. So when the smartphone will launch in India and what will be its price?


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BILLABONG - up 1¢, or 1.33 per cent, to 76¢. Surfwear retailer Billabong deadline date on decision on takeover offers.
LEIGHTON HOLDINGS - up 4¢, 0.91 per cent to $20.66. Construction giant Leighton will offload 70 per cent its phone and internet assets to a Canadian pension fund.
NUFARM - down 68¢, or 14.25 per cent to $4.09. Shares in Nufarm have plunged in early trading on the Australian Securities Exchange, after the agricultural chemicals supplier's profit fell 53 per cent.


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Mubarak Zeb Khan
Pakistan’s exports to Saudi Arabia were $446.18 million in 2019-20 while imports stood at $1,735.81m.
It was the second consecutive month that the tax collection surpassed it projection.
Effective May 24, local brand owners can begin using the Madrid System to protect their trademarks in 123 territories.
The duty was collected from expatriates and travellers on import of mobile phones under baggage.
The growth was only seen in the value-added textile products during the July-January period of 2020-21.
Official says Pakistan has complied with the six reccomendations and submitted details to FATF secretariat.
During the week, 25 items recorded an increase, 8 showed decline and 18 unchanged.
Tender issued to ensure arrival of consignment by Eid.
The share of the food items in the total import bill reached 15.84pc this year from 11.16pc last year.
The system will be rolled out from July 1 in a bid to enhance revenue collection.
The top revenue spinners are concentrated in items including POL, natural gas, palm oil, bituminous coal and polypropylene.
Double-digit growth comes on the back of higher automobile and cement production.
Prime Minister Imran Khan had approved the plan in a cabinet meeting held on Nov 29, 2018,
The e-commerce market size posted a growth of over 35pc in the first quarter of the fiscal year.
In FY20, the country’s trade deficit had narrowed to $23.099bn from $31.820bn.
Duty collection grew 40.19pc to Rs194.813bn in 7MFY21.
Industrial activities booming as duty-free imports surge.
“Our cumulative exports for seven months of FY21 are showing a rising trend," says PM’s aide Razak Dawood.
ISLAMABAD: The month of January saw a deeper deceleration in prices of consumer products as inflation eased to 5.7...
January records double-digit growth year-on-year.


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March Madness 2022 – Sweet Sixteen female and male players heavily involved in NIL deals
It’s been less than a year since the NCAA said college athletes could enjoy their name, image and likeness (NIL) — and college basketball stars have been signing deals left and right ever since. This includes several Sweet 16 athletes from the NCAA men’s and women’s tournaments.
Check your support here!
According to data from Opendorse, female basketball players earned the second highest compensation of all NIL deals (19%), only behind college football players (51%) and ahead of male basketball players male academics (15%).
And it makes sense. The 2021 NCAA women’s title game between Stanford and Arizona drew 4.1 million viewers – the most since 2014. This year, the women’s tournament finally has the same branding as the men’s. Viewership grew 15% in the first two rounds, and the second jumped 25% on 2021according to ESPN PR.
The Sweet Sixteen has its share of major endorsements from both the female and male side.
Bueckers, a UConn star point guard, signed his first endorsement deal with footwear and apparel marketplace platform StockX in November 2021. According to a company spokesperson, the multi-year deal means that she will become “the centerpiece” of StockX’s upcoming focus on women. sports and basketball.
A few weeks later, she became the first college athlete to sign a sponsorship deal with Gatorade.
Bueckers, which also has a deal with CashApp, filed a trademark for “PAIGE BUCKETS” last year through agency Wasserman, which represents her.
Purdue Boilermaker seniors both have sponsorship deals with VIDSIG and Cameo, apps that allow the purchase of personalized video messages.
Stefanovic has also entered into paid partnerships with Napleton Italian Car Imports in Indianapolis and Dutch Farms, a Chicago-based dairy and deli company.
Williams, a guard at UConn, is sponsored by two of the most typical student brands.
In addition to posting content sponsored by Maruchan Ramen, Williams has also posted content in collaboration with Wings Over – a favorite of chicken wings and tenders lovers – and vitamin maker Goli Nutrition.
The Gonzaga star is infamous for his mustache – so it’s no surprise he has a sponsorship deal with Dollar Shave Club.
Timme also has its own merchandise, a deal with Walker’s Furniture & Mattress in Washington and Northern Quest, a casino in Spokane.
Another UConn star, Fudd is looking to follow Stephen Curry’s shoes. Fudd has signed on to be part of his brand SC30 Inc., the athlete-run organization that handles Curry’s off-court activities.
“As I continue to focus on becoming the best player and student I can be in college, I also look forward to expanding my understanding of business and life beyond basketball,” said Fudd said in December. “This partnership with Steph and his SC30 team will help me achieve that. I’m really excited about everything we do together in the future.”
Fudd has also posted sponsored content from Chipotle and Bartleby, an online homework helper.
A projected top three pick in the NBA Draft (ESPN+), Banchero recently signed a deal with Yahoo Sports to support their March Madness fantasy tournament. Banchero, Duke’s top scorer, also has sponsorship deals with nBA2K, Panini Trading Cards and JD Sports, a British sportswear company.
The South Carolina All-American confirmed his first endorsement deal with Bojangles, a fast-food chain based in Charlotte, North Carolina and popular in the Carolinas, in August.
The center also has sponsorships with Crocs and Bose.


text: Jaguar has officially pulled the curtains back on the latest member of their luxury automobile family. The XFR-S Sportbrake will be on display for the world to see at next month’s Geneva Auto Show. The high performance sportswagon is aimed squarely at Mercedes and Audi who have comparable wagons in this segment. The XFR-S Sportbrake boasts a Supercharged 5.0-liter V-8 engine with a top speed of roughly 186 mph and 542 horsepower. Look for the XFR-S Sportbrake to make its European debut in April with a base price of approximately $138,000.


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Climbing nimbly down a 4-foot embankment into a 3-acre bed of tangled cranberry vines, Ray Habelman Jr. smiles with satisfaction before bending low to examine this year's holiday season crop.
"These berries are mature, but need a few more days on the vine for a little more color," says Habelman, 36, as he plucks a handful of the bite-size fruit on his family's farm in Tomah, Wis. (pop. 8,419). "People like to see a pretty, red berry."
A fourth-generation cranberry farmer in the heart of Wisconsin's cranberry country, Habelman is among 240 growers in his state who harvest more than half of the nation's cranberry crop.
Last year, Wisconsin grew 446 million pounds of the native fruit, most of which was pressed into juices or canned as sauces. However, Habelman Brothers Co., with about 700 acres of cranberry vines, is the nation's largest single grower of fresh cranberries. The farm produces 9 million pounds that end up in bags in grocery stores across the United States, Canada and Europe.
"We've always been about fresh cranberries, all the way back to 1907," says Ray Habelman Sr., 61, citing the 12-acre bed first planted by his grandfather, John Habelman. "We just enjoy knowing that our cranberries are on so many tables at Thanksgiving and Christmas."
A Thanksgiving tradition
Every autumn, some 18,000 acres of Wisconsin wetlands turn into a sea of red as farmers harvest the tart little berries, just like the ones believed served during the first Thanksgiving feast in Plymouth Colony in 1621.
Native to North America, cranberries were an item of trade and a symbol of peace for American Indians who picked them long before Europeans arrived in the New World. They used the berries as a fabric dye and healing agent, and ate them fresh, ground or mashed with cornmeal and baked into bread. With small pink blossoms that resemble the head and bill of a sandhill crane, the berries originally were called crane berries.
America's first commercial grower was Henry Hall, a Revolutionary War sea captain and farmer in Dennis, Mass., who noticed how wild cranberries were larger and juicier when winter storms blew sand over the vines. He developed other cultivation techniques and launched the industry in Massachusetts in the early 1800s.
In 1860, New Yorker Edward Sacket traveled to Wisconsin and began to cultivate wild cranberry vines near Berlin (pop. 5,305). Other growers soon followed and the industry grew, thanks to Wisconsin's cool temperatures, acidic soils and an abundance of open land and water. By the 1990s, Wisconsin had become the nation's top cranberry producer, followed by Massachusetts, New Jersey, Washington and Oregon.
"We have all the resources needed for growing cranberries," says Tom Lochner, executive director of the Wisconsin State Cranberry Growers Association, formed in 1887 and one of the nation's oldest farm organizations. "We have the perfect climate and the perfect topography."
Today, cranberries are the state's No. 1 fruit crop. No wonder that in 2004, a group of fifth-grade students from Kenosha County convinced the Wisconsin Legislature to make cranberries the official state fruit.
Tending the vines
"The biggest misconception about cranberries is that we grow them in water," Ray Jr. says. "It does take a lot of water, but what most people see is when we flood the beds for a wet harvest."
Because cranberries contain small pockets of air, they both float and bounceproperties that are important for harvesting and sorting. After a raking machine knocks the fruit from their vines, the beds are flooded and the floating berries are corralled on the water. Later in sorting machines, firm berries bounce off a series of sloped panels onto a conveyor belt for packing, while softer berries tumble into containers to be processed as juice. Some farms have computerized optical scanners for faster sorting, though hand sorting remains part of the process as well.
The harvest, held from late September to early November, culminates a year-round process. In the winter, farmers protect the perennial vines from sub-zero temperatures by covering the beds with a layer of ice. They spray the vines with water in the spring and early summer to protect against frost, then pollinate the blossoms with rented bees and irrigate and fertilize vines in the summer.
"They're a finicky berry," Ray Jr. says. "It's difficult to grow a good crop, and so easy to mess up and destroy everything."
Even though fresh cranberries are mouth-puckeringly tart, cranberry sales have grown sweeter with each decade. Markets have expanded far beyond fresh fruit, with about 80 percent of today's berries sold for juices.
This year, Americans will consume 400 million pounds of cranberries, about 25 percent during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. But the fruit is more than a seasonal side dish to turkey and stuffing. Development of sweetened-dried cranberries in the last decade has led to hundreds of new year-round uses, from summer salads and cereals to trail mixes and candy bars.
"It's an incredibly versatile fruit," says Jere Downing, executive director of the Cranberry Institute in East Wareham, Mass., noting that the United States grows about 85 percent of the world's supply, and Canada provides most of the rest.
Science also has been good to the industry. Research shows that the low-calorie berry is packed with antioxidants and has properties that protect the body from harmful bacteria. Cranberries long have been associated with urinary tract health, in addition to protecting against cancer and heart disease.
"When I was little, my father always told me, 'Eat your cranberries, they're good for you.' And turns out that they are!" laughs Nodji Van Wychen, 61, a third-generation grower in Warrens (pop. 286), the Cranberry Capital of Wisconsin.
While Van Wychen sells fresh cranberries and cranberry wine at her family farm, her husband, Jim, 61, supervises the annual harvest. Wearing hip waders, he walks on harvested vines through thousands of floating cranberriesan experience he describes as "kind of like walking in Jell-O."
There's satisfaction among cranberry growers, however, in seeing Wisconsin celebrated beyond its cheese, beer and the Green Bay Packers football team. "We're finally getting our due," Jim says. "People are really beginning to appreciate both the economic and health values of the cranberry."


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Mar 2, 2015 Netflix doesn't carry ads, but its original shows have a lot of product placement.
Feb 20, 2015 25 years into the Photoshop era, we know that what we see... could be a fake.
Feb 20, 2015 The president confronts tech companies on the tension between security and privacy
Dec 26, 2014 Cannabrand helps its clients market cannabis and sell products in states where marijuana is legal
Dec 15, 2014 Women's global economic and social issues are entering the age of big data.
Dec 9, 2014 Their new investment could make the Kochs more powerful than the RNC or DNC.
Dec 3, 2014 Retailers are using what they learn online to sell you stuff in the store.
Nov 20, 2014 In a culture shift, new apps and sites help users protect and erase private data.
Nov 18, 2014 ABC's "Good Morning America" nails the a.m. formula while NBC's "Today" struggles.


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Apple 30 Nov
Cupertino tech giant Apple was last year reportedly considering to launch its new service in competition to Google’s Chromecast and in a recent happening in this regard, CEO of Apple Tim Cook put more fuel to the fire and shared in an interview with CNBC’s Mad Money show that the company is aiming to introduce new ‘services’ in 2019.
While the chief didn’t share any particulars of the information as to what the services would be, the host tried linking the dots and asked if Apple was working on any services in healthcare or mobile payments as well and it’s long-discussed TV service that everyone talked about since long.
This story got even more interesting considering the mysterious announcements at CES 2019 by TV manufacturers, propagating how they would be supporting Apple’s AirPlay 2 and HomeKit to let the users stream content from their iPhone, iPad, and Macs. Even from the TV manufacturers running Google and Samsung’s version of casting technology were welcoming ‘something’ new coming from Apple’s side.
Earlier there it was all over in the tech news how Apple has been heavily investing in TV content with over a billion dollars poured into the reportedly upcoming streaming service from Apple. Apart from rumors floating around the streaming service, Tim Cook also addressed the concerns regarding low iPhone XR sales as expecting where he defended Apple’s position stating that it’s still the most popular iPhone since the recent launch of Apple products took place.


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With wide eyes and mouths agape, dozens of children from infants to pre-teens gathered around Santa’s chair, eager to get a glimpse of the man himself.
But before the appearance to mark the start of the holiday season, the children and their parents — along with other curious shoppers — watched a show of acrobatic elves Saturday morning at the newly renovated Glendale Galleria.
The mix of circus-like performances and holiday cheer permeated the sprawling mall, as the 1.5 million-square-foot center buzzed with early holiday crowds who were greeted to stilt-walkers outside the Galleria’s shiny new Central Avenue facade, across from the Americana at Brand.
“We’re getting a lot of smiles, a lot of pictures and a lot of high-fives,” said Paul Newman, standing 10 feet high, laughing as shoppers gathered around him for photos. “It’s a lot of fun.”
After the arrival of Santa, the mall shifted gears to accommodate a slightly older crowd, as hundreds of teens lined the entrance to the PacSun store upstairs awaiting a meet-and-greet with Kendall and Kylie Jenner, stars of reality-TV show “Keeping Up With the Kardashians.”
On the main floor, shoppers stopped to gape at a collection of models on pedestals, live mannequins for mall retailers from Ann Taylor, Banana Republic and others.
All of the events and performances marked day two of the official unveiling of the new look of the 37-year-old mall, its red-brick exterior long a fixture of downtown Glendale architecture.
The renovations began in early 2012, and include lighter interior walls and floors, the addition of eye-catching chandeliers to brighten up the sky-lit rotundas and sleek new exterior signage.
Part of the renovation includes the opening of Bloomingdale’s, marked with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and speeches Friday, which kicked off the three-day-long grand opening weekend.
The addition is said to be a departure from other of the chain’s high-end department stores, according to the company’s designers.
“We were able to design a space that echoes the local Hollywood glamour, but with a unique and modern approach, utilizing luxe materials, dramatic aesthetics, and many decorative elements that haven’t been used before,” said Jack Hruska, executive vice president of creative services at Bloomingdale’s, in a statement last week.
In addition to the anchor retailer, the mall has also added 32 new stores, including BCBG Max Azaria, Kitson and Silver Jeans Co.
Although a final price tag for the upgrades was not immediately disclosed, reports and early filings by owner General Growth Properties Inc. last year put the cost in the neighborhood of $57 million.
But as crowds wandered easily between the mall and the neighboring Americana, most shoppers said the upgrades made a big improvement.
“It’s really beautiful, it looks really good,” said Robert Kalestian, a Los Feliz resident who said he frequently visits both the Galleria and the Americana to shop, and brought his wife and daughter to the mall Saturday.
“We’ll definitely be going back and forth between this and the Americana,” he said.
The events continue Sunday, with DJ violinist Jennifer Spingola performing at 11; a culinary demonstration at the new 9021Pho location; and a performance art set at 2 p.m.


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Home being readied for October debut?
The PS3's free social-networking world, Home, could finally be set for launch within the next couple of months - word on the street suggesting that a release at the end of October could be on the roster.
PS3 Fanboy cite a forum post from a Home Manager, who reveals that the PS3's forthcoming 2.50 firmware update will fix some of the freezes and connection issues being experienced by current Home beta testers.
Home 1.0, the first open release of the service, is of course scheduled to arrive alongside the 2.50 firmware update, the Manager in question stating: "2.5 is what we're waiting for and 'October' is what I've heard, later October is my guess."
More Home launch news very soon.
- New Destiny trailer teases interesting new stuff coming with The Dark Below
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- Dark Souls II is heading to PS4, Xbox One and DirectX 11 PC next year
- Square Enix boss promises a brand new console RPG reveal next month
- Ubisoft reveals there will be no release day reviews for The Crew
- Surprise! Tales From The Borderlands episode one is out today
- StarCraft 2 pro-player expelled from Fragbite Masters tournament for Twitter rape comment about a female opponent


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Flipkart Plans To Add Video Streaming, Says CEO Krishnamurthy
Flipkart plans to offer a video streaming service to attract more loyal users as cheap data has triggered an explosion in the online consumption of soaps to movies.
“Our customer segment today is heavily skewed towards 18-35 age group, and that audience watches a lot of video, both in terms of time spent, frequency, and it is disproportionately high,” Kalyan Krishnamurthy, group chief executive officer at Flipkart, told BloombergQuint in an interview. “Do we want to have a partnership with leading players in the industry to offer some of the services in video? We probably want to do that.” He said it could be in the form of acquisitions or partnerships.
Flipkart, recently acquired by Walmart Inc., already has some ties with Hotstar as it launched a video advertisement platform with Star India’s streaming service. Hotstar is also one of the partners for Flipkart’s customer loyalty program, Flipkart Plus.
The online retailer’s interest in content comes as India’s streaming market, according to a report by Boston Consulting Group, is expected to touch $5 billion by 2023. That’s driven by low 4G costs—a fallout of a bruising tariff war triggered by the telecom arm of India’s richest man Mukesh Ambani. Netflix, Hotsar, AltBalaji and many such services are already available. Flipkart’s biggest rival Amazon bundles in content with its Prime membership, one of the biggest contributors to its sales.
Krishnamurthy, however, said Flipkart won’t build a video content platform on its own from scratch. “We are not a content company as a DNA.”
Flipkart has had an eventful 2018. Walmart brought more than 77 percent stake of the company for about $16 billion. Sachin Bansal exited the company at the time. His fellow co-Founder Binny Bansal (not related) left last month following an investigation into alleged sexual assault though he denied it and Walmart didn’t find evidence to corroborate allegations.
Krishnamurthy, who has been running day-to-day operations at Flipkart for about two years, said that won’t impact the online retailer. Flipkart’s business is not dependent on one person, he said, adding that Binny is still involved in the company as a board member. “He is there for advice and any kind of mentorship our leaders want.”
Flipkart’s Grocery Push
Flipkart, which launched its grocery unit Flipkart Supermarket after a pilot of more than six months, hasn’t expanded beyond four cities.
Krishnamurthy said the retailer understands the opportunity is massive. So far, it has been learning experience for the company, he said. “We are operating in four cities and are looking to add one more.”
It’s up against the likes of Amazon India, Alibaba-backed BigBasket and SoftBank-backed Grofers. Even brick-and-mortar player D-Mart, operated by Avenue Supermarts Ltd., is running a pilot to deliver products ordered online and Ambani’s Reliance Retail Ltd. is also betting on a network of kirana stores to go online.
That doesn’t bother Krishnamurthy. “If you crack the model, it doesn’t matter who competitors are or what they are doing.”


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Apple Will Replace Your iPhone Battery Even If It’s In Perfect Condition
Apple are reportedly replacing the batteries of iPhones even if they’re in ‘perfect condition’.
It comes after news broke at the end of 2017 stating the tech giant purposefully slows down old iPhone models, to ‘push people into buying newer models’.
Apple was also reported to have been hit by ‘several lawsuits’ in the process.
The company issued an apology to customers and said it would cut the price of battery replacement services.
The discount was intended for ‘anyone with an iPhone 6 or later, whose battery needs to be replaced’, writes Daily Dot.
Although it might sound like a great benefit, people were left confused by the memo – with several iPhone users saying their devices were ‘rejected’ after passing diagnostic tests at the stores Genius Bars.
To avoid even more backlash, Apple will now reportedly replace the battery of ‘any iPhone 6 or newer model’, even if it passes the diagnostic test determining whether a device can hold ’80 percent of its original battery capacity after 500 complete charging cycles’.
This would mean iPhone X owners can get a battery replacement for just $29.
Apple were in the news a lot during December as they confirmed the news they ‘slow down previous models in order to extend their lifespan by saving battery life’.
As batteries age they become less effective but many users were unhappy with the claims, believing the company actually wants to force people to upgrade their phones.
In their statement last week, Apple admitted:
Lithium-ion batteries become less capable of supplying peak current demands when in cold conditions, [when they] have a low battery charge or as they age over time, which can result in the device unexpectedly shutting down to protect its electronic components.
Last year, we released a feature for iPhone 6, iPhone 6s and iPhone SE to smooth out the instantaneous peaks only when needed to prevent the device from unexpectedly shutting during these conditions.
We’ve now extended that feature to iPhone 7 with iOS 11.2 and plan to add support for other products in the future.
Our goal is to deliver the best experience for customers.
Now the firm is facing eight different lawsuits with one seeking an astonishing $999 billion.
All the lawsuits have been filed in different federal courts over the past week, with customers complaining about the company’s lack of transparency and deliberate hindering of their phones’ performance.
People are also alleging Apple attempted to conceal the battery issue rather than offer up a solution to such an easy replacement.
Although it’s currently unclear how successful these lawsuits will be, as long as legal ongoings continue, Apple will be using their best lawyers to attempt to provide a strong defence.
People have previously won claims against the company and with decent attorneys, these lawsuits may have a chance?
Oh dear Apple.


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The government is also examining a proposal on opening up of FDI for all good manufactured in India. Foreign companies will be able to sell products easily if this gets a green signal.
Foreign food retailers may soon be allowed sell locally made personal care products up to 25 percent of their total merchandise sales, reports The Economic Times.
The report says that all the concerned ministries - Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, food processing ministry and finance ministry – are discussing the matter of opening up the food retail sector. DIPP will float a cabinet note once the guidelines are finalised.
Moneycontrol had reported in March that the the government may allow limited sale of beauty and personal care products in global giants' food retail outlets as part of plans to ease rules for multinationals to open stores in the country.
The move on allowing multi-brand non-food retail, once implemented, will effectively open up India’s lucrative USD 10 billion home and personal care (HPC) market for foreign deep-discount retailers, bringing them in direct competition with consumer goods companies such as Godrej, Dabur, Colgate-Palmolive and yoga guru Baba Ramdev-promoted Patanjali Ayurved
"Government has still to make up its mind about easing the rules for personal care items. The proposal is on the table and a final decision is yet to be taken," a senior government official told ET.
In 2016, the government had allowed foreign food retailers to sell locally manufactured products, but had asked them to carry more of daily use items to improve viability.
The government is also examining a proposal on opening up of FDI for all good manufactured in India, adds the ET report. Foreign companies will be able to sell products easily if this gets a green signal.
On lines of its ‘Make in India’ campaign, the proposal will boost investments in the retail sector. Bolstering manufacturing is a part of the government’s strategy to create more jobs in India.Till now, Amazon is the only big retailer who has shown interest in entering the food retail business in India. The company has sought approval to invest nearly Rs 3,500 crore over five years to sell own privately-labled food articles, which will be sourced and packaged locally.Are you happy with your current monthly income? Do you know you can double it without working extra hours or asking for a raise? Rahul Shah, one of the India's leading expert on wealth building, has created a strategy which makes it possible... in just a short few years. You can know his secrets in his FREE video series airing between 12th to 17th December. You can reserve your free seat here.


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Investors Wrongfully Condemn Two Profitable Tech Giants Bearing Steep Labor Costs
We are entering a new era.
Every company is short on labor and the workers they do have are unionizing to demand higher wages, which has created a surge in employer compensation costs in key industries.
We’ve already seen the effects of this in docks and warehouses across the US, with the Transportation Department teaming up with California ports to prevent future snarls by pumping $5 billion into the industry.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average employee costs $40 per hour worked to retain – that includes wages, paid leave, and insurance costs. And workers are making it very clear that they want more, with new motions to unionize appearing every week, Starbucks being the latest.
On top of the inflation risk that this climate creates, we’ll see companies struggle under the weight of their own employees’ demands as they are unable to stock their shelves. From what I’ve seen this week, any company that recognizes these struggles will see investor backlash – but a lot of it isn’t warranted.
For example, I’m watching Apple Inc. (AAPL) after its stock dropped 4% during the first hour of last Friday’s session.
The company reported its fourth-quarter results with solid revenue. It earned $89.4 billion, which was up 29% over the same quarter last year, yet investors are still selling off.
The biggest concern for these nervous-ninnies appears to be AAPL’s commentary regarding the ongoing chip shortage’s impact on the company and future iPhone 13 sales.
It’s not like the company had a bad quarter. On the contrary, they set records these past three months in all of its geographic segments and product categories, despite everything going on with the supply chain.
So, to be frank, I’m not concerned about iPhone sales numbers. Demand for the product is robust, and once the chip shortage is resolved the company will bounce back in line with or above analyst expectations.
All the sell-off is doing is giving us an in. I think the stock could trade even lower before making another push.
If shares of AAPL trade back down to $139.00 by the end of November 2021, buy the AAPL December 17, 2021 Call $140/$145 Call Spread for $2.40 or less.
Plan on exiting the AAPL December 17, 2021 Call $140/$145 Call Spread for a 100% profit, or if shares of AAPL close below $135.00.
Then there’s Amazon.com Inc (AMZN).
I wrote about the company just last week advising you to buy in – and my position on that hasn’t changed.
The company reported its third-quarter results after the markets closed on Thursday and, just like AAPL, it missed analyst expectations by about $1.2 billion and share values dropped 4%.
After investing in itself to satisfy customer demand during the pandemic, the company now expects to incur several billion dollars of additional costs as it tries to manage labor supply shortages, increased wage costs, global supply chain issues, and increased freight and shipping costs.
With all that additional spending, I think the company might barely make a profit at all, by the end of the next quarter.
All that uncertainty (as well as a fair amount of regulatory chatter coming out of Washington) is showing up in the stock’s performance.
After hitting a 12-month (intraday) high of $3773.08 on July 13, 2021, the stock has been in a downward wedge pattern with support at $3175.00 and lower highs of $3549.99 on September 9, 2021, and $3400.37 on October 20, 2021.
I think we could see another move down to its recent support (at $3175.00) as we make our way through the holiday season.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not “bearish” on Amazon over the long term, I just think we have a chance to make a quick profit if the stock trades back down to its support in the near term.
I like buying the AMZN December 17, 2021 $3185/$3180 Put Spread for $1.75 or less (they’re currently trading at $1.40). Plan on exiting the AMZN December 17, 2021 $3185/$3180 Put Spread for a 100% (or more) profit, or if AMZN trades back up to $3371.00 (or more).
That’s what I’m watching. What’s on your list this? Let me know at firstname.lastname@example.org.
I’ll see you tomorrow,


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Android 12L is now obtainable in beta on suitable Pixel units, permitting customers to check out the upcoming replace which is designed to profit customers with massive shows. The Android 12L replace is designed for tablets, foldable telephones, and different units which assist Android apps with large screens like Chromebooks. Google had beforehand introduced in October that beta releases have been anticipated to start in December. House owners of Pixel 3a and newer fashions can now check out the Android 12L beta on their smartphones.
The brand new Android 12L beta is now obtainable for Google Pixel smartphones, going again to the Pixel 3a, the corporate introduced on the Android Builders weblog. Whereas solely Pixel units are at present supported, Lenovo Tab P12 Professional homeowners may also have the ability to take a look at the upcoming replace, due to a partnership with Lenovo. Sadly, smartphone customers won’t be able to reap the benefits of all of the options within the replace, particularly those designed for greater shows.
Customers who’ve beforehand enrolled within the Android 12 Beta programme will mechanically get the Android 12L replace, based on the corporate. Builders who’ve put in Android Studio on their computer systems can even check out the upcoming Android 12L replace at this time. As most of the options of Android 12L are geared in direction of units with massive screens, Google says the simplest method to take a look at these is to put in the replace on the Android Emulator.
Android 12L might be the primary time that Google has centered on optimising Android apps for bigger screens for the reason that arrival of the tablet-focussed Android Honeycomb greater than 9 years in the past. The interface on Android 12 has been revamped and optimised to work on bigger screens, such because the Current Apps display, which reveals the earlier app as a big card, and different apps to the left in smaller playing cards.
Equally, notifications at the moment are situated to the fitting aspect, whereas fast toggles and brightness controls are on the left aspect. The upcoming Android 12L replace may additionally pack in just a few options, together with a brand new taskbar that resembles the one on Home windows 11 or macOS, with assist for shortcuts. Customers can even drag and drop apps into split-screen mode from the taskbar.
Google has additionally added new Jetpack software programming interfaces (APIs) for builders to adapt their apps to higher work on greater shows and apps just like the Google Play Retailer are more likely to get redesigned upgrades to work with bigger shows. The steady model of Android 12L is predicted to reach on suitable units in Spring 2022.


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Toys R Us posts loss on costs and international weakness
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Toys R Us Inc TOY.UL, which is looking to go public, reported a quarterly loss on higher costs and weakness in its international business.
The world's largest dedicated toy retailer said its net loss was $14 million in the fiscal second quarter, compared with a net profit of $27 million a year earlier.
Sales were almost flat at $2.6 billion, while total operating costs rose 8.2 percent.
The company, which operates stores under its namesake brand and the Babies R Us and FAO Schwarz chains, said same-store sales rose by 0.6 percent in the domestic segment, while those at its international unit fell 3.2 percent.
Demand was strong for toys and seasonal categories at the New Jersey-based retailer, while sales of entertainment products like video games and related software was weak.
Toys R Us was taken private in 2005 by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts KKR.AS, Bain Capital and Vornado Realty Trust (VNO.N) in a $6.6 billion deal. It recently filed to raise as much as $800 million in an initial public offering.
The retailer is fighting a tough war against industry behemoths like Wal-Mart Stores Inc (WMT.N), Amazon.com Inc (AMZN.O) and Target Corp (TGT.N). Toymakers like Hasbro Inc HAS.N and Mattel Inc (MAT.O) are also making a bigger push to sell directly.
The latest entrants to the toy market include book store chains such as Borders Group BGP.N and Barnes & Noble (BKS.N), which recently said they would dedicate more store space to toys.
In a bid to win shoppers ahead of the key holiday shopping season, Toys R Us is opening about 600 pop-up stores in the United States this year. That is more than six times what the toy retailer opened last year. It already operates 587 full-size Toys R Us stores.
The company will also bring some cheer to the ailing jobs market by hiring about 10,000 temporary workers to staff these stores.
The company, which spent more on payroll costs and rent expenses in the latest second quarter, plans to boost its capital spending to about $396 million in fiscal 2010 as it remodels existing stores and opens new stores.
(Reporting by Dhanya Skariachan; Editing by Gary Hill and Richard Chang)
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Travel livestream startup Qinker netted eight figures in yuan for its Series A investment round from Frees Fund. With a strong foundation on Douyin, Qinker will use the new funds to ramp up its presence on other livestreaming platforms like Alibaba’s Taobao Live and Kuaishou.
Founded in Shanghai in 2014, Qinker originally expanded the sales channels of online travel booking platforms (OTAs) before becoming a core supplier of data analysis services for companies like Trip.com (then Ctrip) and Qunar in 2018. Following the pandemic, the company embraced the tourism industry’s transition to livestreaming as a way to connect with and sell travel experiences to potential customers. To pursue this new direction, Qinker trimmed its headcount from nearly 200 employees at the end of 2019 to around 40.
Qinker joined Douyin in January 2021 and quickly became the top travel e-commerce brand on the popular short-video platform. It has grown the gross merchandize value of services sold on its Douyin livestreams from less than RMB 100,000 (USD 15,500) in January to over RMB 10 million (USD 1,550,000) in May, setting a GMV target of RMB 300 million (USD 46.5 million) for 2021.
Selling travel services through livestream generates high-frequency user engagement due to its entertaining nature, leading to more sales opportunities than OTAs, said Qinker’s co-founder and COO Zhang Hongliang. Despite a lower conversion rate than OTAs, livestreaming broadcasts’ greater front-end traffic is encompassing more of the travel industry. The total value of the livestreaming travel market reached RMB 5 billion (USD 774 million) in 2020, up 161% year-on-year from 2019, according to a report from Analysys.
KrASIA Connection features translated and adapted content published by 36Kr. This article was originally written by Paopao for 36Kr.


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HERE’S WHAT’S SCARY: MY NEIGHBOR WAITING TO BUY HIS MERCEDES!
You have no idea how scary that is!
My neighbor grew up poor in Boston, played college football at the highest levels, and is now a very successful enterprise software salesman.
He is also very cheap – so cheap in fact that he went without a car for six months because he heard car prices might come down.
Was it worth it? Probably not. Could he have afforded any car he wanted? Definitely. But – his need to get the absolute best possible deal overcame all other considerations.
And, for good or bad, that same mentality drives most American consumers.
SO – what is really, really scary is the prospect of most American consumers waiting to buy big-ticket items because they think prices will continue to fall – making those items much cheaper later on.
And DEFLATION, or the consistent falling of consumer prices, fosters that mentality – every time.
Consumers waiting to buy things en masse is so bad because almost 70% of America’s GDP is comprised of consumer spending.
So – a sharp drop off in consumer spending could spiral the U.S. into a major recession or even a depression like we saw in the 1930s.
Policymakers fear deflation more than inflation because of the potential spiral it creates – with employers cutting costs and laying off people, consumers spending even less because they have less money, consumers saving more (and spending less) because they are scared, and companies investing less as well.
SO WHY DO I THINK DEFLATION IS LIKELY NOW?
Because so many of the macro guys who correctly called the recent drops in inflation are now predicting deflation.
This excellent Twitter thread by Andreas Larsen is just one example. Larsen carefully explains that we are already seeing significant deflation in many parts of the economy – outside of housing. He points to energy costs, supply chains untangling, falling goods prices, and plummeting shipping costs, among other things.
Barry Habib and Jeff Snider both like to remind us that the Fed is missing the mark with labor markets too, as the Fed’s data is too old (“the Fed is looking in the rearview mirror”) and they are missing obvious negative trends now.
SO – even though Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen penned a WSJ Op-Ed today, explaining that the economy is back! 😊 Most of the smart money vehemently disagrees with her.
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR MORTGAGES AND REAL ESTATE?
When the Fed sees obvious signs of deflation, it will panic and cut rates (probably to zero).
That of course will be great for the mortgage industry, as it will spark one more refi boom (assuming “liquidity” does not dry up to the point where even refi’s are hard to come by – but that is another blog topic).
And low rates also tend to be very good for real estate, as we have all seen and are seeing, as today’s lower rates are bringing buyers back to the market in large numbers.
BUT – if the economy gets too slow and unemployment climbs too much, a huge number of potential buyers could be forced from the market if they lose their ability to qualify for financing (or just want to hunker down and save money).
I might finally add that this is somewhat short-term – as I think Congress will start raining down stimulus again if the economy gets too slow, and then we could very likely see inflation return.
It’s all about timing. But, early 2023 will be all about deflation or at least sharply declining inflation – and lower rates.
Founder | JVM Lending
(855) 855-4491 | DRE# 1197176, NMLS# 310167


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Reusable eco-bags, often touted as greener alternatives to plastic bags, may not be that environmentally friendly after all. Experts have warned that their prevalence may soon be counterproductive to green aims.
"If a reusable bag is used just once and then thrown away, then... it may not be the more environmentally friendly option," said environmental group World Wide Fund for Nature Singapore's chief executive Elaine Tan.
The problem, ironically, is the bags' popularity. When there are so many lying around, they are rarely reused sufficiently.
Nurse Magdeline Koh, 54, has close to 30 such bags. "Even though I try to re-use these bags, it's impossible," she said.
For the bags to be truly environmentally friendly, they must be used many times.
For a standard reusable bag to have a lower carbon footprint than a high-density polyethylene plastic bag, it must be re-used at least 11 times, according to a 2011 study by Britain's Environment Agency.
It gets worse for cotton reusable bags. They should be re-used at least 131 times.
Yet, consumers keep buying and receiving more such bags.
Supermarket chain NTUC FairPrice, for instance, said it has seen a more than 20 per cent increase in the number of reusable bags sold last year, compared to 2013.
Instead of paper bags, many companies also prefer to issue reusables now.
Avid runner Darren Ang, 32, said organisers of fitness events, for example, are giving out more such bags.
"They used to give out sling bags, but switched to reusable bags three to four years ago," he said.
The health, safety and environment head at an oil and gas company has more than 30 such bags, all from corporate events.
The National Environment Agency said it does not regulate the distribution of reusable bags.
To make things worse, the various green agencies in Singapore have differing views on the best way to discard extra bags.
While one said it could be grouped with your recycled trash, another said it should be thrown away with regular rubbish.
But the upside is that the abundance of reusable bags has slowed the growth in the number of plastic bags.
Singapore uses about three billion plastic bags each year, a figure which has remained constant over the past five years, said Singapore Environment Council's resident environmental engineer Kavickumar Muruganathan.
FairPrice said it helped save more than eight million plastic bags in 2013, up from 7.2 million in 2012.
Its Green Rewards Scheme, which gives customers who take along their own bags a 10-cent rebate for a minimum purchase of $10, gave out $410,000 in rebates in 2013, up from $360,000 the year before.
For Mr Ang, who keeps four to five reusable bags in his car for weekly grocery trips, using them helps minimise the negative environmental impact of plastic bags.
"Seeing sea creatures entangled in plastic bags and fishing lines during a coastal clean-up in 2008 really (affected) me," he said.
"By carrying reusable bags, I hope to change the misconception that such bags are only for 'aunties'."
What to do with the extra bags
NATIONAL ENVIRONMENT AGENCY: "The different types of reusable bags can be put into the blue recycling bins provided at residential estates. With appropriate technology, these bags could be recycled into new products."
WORLD WIDE FUND FOR NATURE SINGAPORE: "Consumers must first start the habit of reducing plastic bag use and replacing it with reusable bags. Recycling comes as the last option when reusable bags reach their end of life."
SINGAPORE ENVIRONMENT COUNCIL: "Reusable bags made from canvas and woven synthetic fibre should be disposed of in general waste bins as they cannot be recycled in most instances.
"Singaporeans should also develop the simple habit of carrying with them a reusable bag, which is lightweight and foldable, at all times, in the same way they would carry a pack of tissues with them."
WASTE MANAGEMENT AND RECYCLING ASSOCIATION OF SINGAPORE: "Bags made from canvas, synthetic plastic fibres and cotton can be recycled. Households should place bags they no longer want in the recycling bins below each block. The waste collectors will pick these up for sorting."
This article was first published on Jan 02, 2015.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.


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3 Ways SMBs Can Persuade Customers to Buy During the Holiday Season
COVID-19 has significantly accelerated the growth of ecommerce, forcing businesses to up their online game.
According to ShipStation research, online spending continues to rise, with 42% of consumers expecting to spend more in 2021 than they did in 2020.
With more consumers shopping online than ever before, and with the peak sales season almost upon us, businesses need to start preparing now for the post-pandemic holiday rush.
To help plan for the upcoming post-pandemic holiday season, ShipStation has launched a new eBook, The Ultimate SMB Holiday Prep Guide: A Month-by-Month Checklist After an Unprecedented Year.
The guide is based on survey findings conducted by ShipStation and Kickstart Communications from more than 2,000 online shoppers around the world including the US, Canada, UK, and Australia.
Consumers Support Local Post-Pandemic
Not only are businesses navigating the new normal of online demand, but they are also having to adapt to the expectations and behaviours of the post-pandemic shopper.
In ShipStation’s survey, 62% of respondents stated COVID-19 has pushed them to buy items online that they would typically only purchase in-store before the pandemic.
In addition, the survey highlighted how COVID-19 has shaped ecommerce buyer behaviours, including a newfound commitment from consumers to support local and independent businesses. Here’s what we found:
- 74% of respondents said that COVID-19 made them more aware of small, local, and independent brands they can support.
- 68% said they have spent more with small, local, and independent businesses in the last year than they did pre-COVID to show support.
- 70% of respondents stated they now have more faith in small, local, and independent businesses delivering items on time over big-box retailers, who appear more likely to experience supply-chain and shipping challenges.
How to Capitalise on the Shift to Support Local
As you can see, consumers are increasingly looking to shop small ahead of this year’s holiday season. Here’s three ways to capitalise on the shift to support local and turn a website visitor into a customer.
1. Free Shipping
Consumer delivery expectations for ecommerce are changing quickly and becoming more demanding by the day.
A merchant who delivers on time, automates refunds and returns, plans appropriately for demand, and accurately tracks inventory across channels will stand out.
In ShipStation’s survey, 62% of respondents stated free shipping as the top reason for transitioning from a website visitor to customer.
The best way to offer free shipping without ruining margins is by offering free shipping over a certain spend, such as free shipping for orders over $75.
In fact, 91% of shoppers will spend more to reach free-shipping thresholds, so this promo also drives sales.
2. Easy-to-Understand Costs
When preparing for the post-pandemic holiday season, transparency is key.
In ShipStation’s survey, 43% of small/local/independent-business-centric shoppers agree small businesses are more trustworthy than big-box retailers.
With this in mind, it’s vital to ensure that during the busiest shopping period of the year, real-time shipping rates, and accurate delivery timelines are available to the customer at checkout.
According to ShipStation, 48% of respondents stated easy to understand costs, such as taxes, shipping, returns, would persuade them to shop with small and independent retailers.
84% said visibility into shipment status is important when shopping with small, local, and/or independent brands. This will especially apply during peak season.
In addition, 63% will turn to large retailers when small/local/independent retailers have unclear shipping or return policies.
To be transparent with taxes and shipping costs, at a minimum, add a “+ shipping” line at checkout.
If you charge different shipping rates based on location or methods, consider including a shipping calculator on your product pages.
3. A simplified checkout process
During peak, purchases must be as frictionless as possible. Put simply, make finding products easy and make buying products easy.
According to ShipStation, 47% of online shoppers are persuaded to shop with a retailer that offers a simple check out process.
Having a usable and effective user experience is the key to ensuring that your customers see the purchase through.
Customers want a single checkout page, not a long chain of confusing steps. Include a short summary of completed steps on your payment page so customers can check their payment and shipping information without backtracking.
Additionally, include one-click payment options and consider offering instalment payments if you sell big-ticket items.
ShipStation has worked with its partners and merchants to provide actionable insights so you can go into the holiday season with confidence and a clear checklist for how to better strategise on, engage, support, and win over customers.
Download The Ultimate SMB Holiday Prep Guide: A Month-by-Month Checklist After an Unprecedented Year to learn more.


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huge thank-you for participating!
We attended the EXPO PACK Mexico 2018 trade fair, a major food and beverage industry
event held in Mexico from June 5 th to 8 th of this year, at the Adepta pavilion. SERVINOX was
also in Frankfurt, Germany, for ACHEMA, a major event for the chemical, cosmetics and
pharmaceutical industries and their suppliers, from June 11 th to 15 th , at the Business France
pavilion. It was a real pleasure for us to be able to talk with you about our plans, and we
would like to thank you for the trust you have placed in us. These two events bring our "2018
trade fair" season to a close.
Next up: CFIA Rennes in March 2019!


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National fast-casual brand Noodles & Company plans to open new franchise locations in Fayetteville, Rogers and Bentonville.
The restaurant chain this week announced an expansion that includes a total of four locations in Northwest Arkansas as part of a franchise partnership with Pavan and Navi Sandhu. The couple last year opened a Culver’s franchise in Rogers, which was the first of that brand’s locations in Arkansas.
Founded in Denver Colo. in 1995, Noodles & Company has over 460 locations across 30 states.
Aside from the new Arkansas locations, the company this week announced a plan to add 20 new restaurants in the Dallas market as part of a plan focused on expansions in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Texas, and Oklahoma.
The company is known for a wide variety of pasta dishes like macaroni and cheese, spaghetti, Asian and Italian noodle bowls and stuffed pasta. The menu also includes soups, salads, potstickers, meatballs, breads and desserts.


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India’s largest glass-lined equipment manufacturer, GMM-Pfaudlers announced an offer for sale shares of Rs 1,433 crores. The current promoters plan to divest 28 percent of their stakes in a bid to reduce their holding size in the company.
Recently GMM Pfaudler announced that it’s going to buy a controlling stake in parent company Pfaudler Inc. And the announcement of GMM Pfaudler offer for sale came just after it. The offer will open for retail investors on September 22 and for institutional investors on September 23. All three current promoters, the US-based Pfaudler Inc., Millars Machinery Co. Pvt. Ltd., and Urmi Patel, will participate in the activity.
The shares will launch in a price band of Rs 3,500 apiece – at 33 percent discount from the company’s present-day share price, which is Rs 5,203. The company share price rose threefold in this year even when NIFTY 500 experienced drawdown of 5.67 percent. The promoters thought it is the right time to capitalise when investor confidence is high.
Key Points To Note
In August the Indian unit announced its plans to acquire 54 percent stakes in parent Pfaudler Group. Current Pfaudler Group owns the technology used by the Indian company. Buying the majority stakes in the parent company will give GMM Pfaudler ownership over the technology and control of USD 280 million business across the globe, which is close to 30 percent of total global volume. GMM Pfaduler is the leading manufacturer of glass-coated steel equipment in India, and post-acquisition it will become a significant global player as well.
The acquisition will cost $27.43 million or nearly Rs 202 crores which the company said will fund through internal accruals and debts.
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- Tesla CEO Elon Musk is once again feuding with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
- The billionaire tweeted early Tuesday that "something is broken" at the stock regulator.
- On Monday, the SEC accused Musk of violating his agreement stemming from last year’s attempt to take the company private.
Just hours after the US’s top stock market regulator asked a federal judge to hold him in contempt, Tesla CEO Elon Musk tweeted that "something is broken" with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
"This has now happened several times," he tweeted at 4:25 a.m. local time Tuesday. "Something is broken with SEC oversight."
The SEC on Monday said Musk had misled investors by tweeting about Tesla’s expected 2019 production targets. The agency alleges it was in violation of the terms of a settlement he and the SEC reached last fall over a misleading tweet about taking the company private, and it asked a judge to hold him in contempt of the federal court that approved that settlement.
Musk tweeted last week that the company would make 500,000 cars this year but then backtracked a few hours later, lowering the number to 400,000. Bloomberg News reported Monday that the company’s designated securities counsel drafted the follow-up response after seeing Musk’s first tweet.
"Musk did not seek or receive pre-approval prior to publishing this tweet, which was inaccurate and disseminated to over 24 million people," the SEC said in a filing with the US District Court for the Southern District of New York. "Musk has thus violated the court’s final judgment by engaging in the very conduct that the pre-approval provision of the final judgment was designed to prevent."
A Tesla representative on Monday declined to comment on the SEC filing.
"SEC forgot to read Tesla earnings transcript, which clearly states 350k to 500k. How embarrassing …," Musk tweeted Monday evening after the SEC filing was made.
"I have great respect for judges," he added. "It’s not perfect, but, in general, we should be very glad of the US justice system."
Shares of Tesla opened down about 2.9% on Tuesday, near $290. The stock is likely to keep heading down, too, Wall Street analysts said Tuesday.
"Regardless of the outcome of this new legal headache for both Elon Musk and Tesla," Jeff Osborne, an analyst at Cowen, told clients. "We view it as a negative distraction for a company that needs to execute at this critical juncture."
- The CEO of China’s largest electric-car company compares Tesla to high fashion — and says his company is the ‘girl next door’
- A Florida man died after his Tesla Model S crashed and caught fire
- A truck driver protest that was supposed to rock Indianapolis had fewer than 80 trucks — and it’s a worrying sign for the vulnerable group of workers


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A new release from the National Advertising Division (NAD) of the BBB (Better Business Bureau) National Programs calls on T-Mobile for the latest marketing ads that can mislead customers about 5G networks.
The ad in question can convince T-Mobile’s customers that the combined network of T-Mobile and Sprint has brought immediate benefits to them.
T-Mobile revealed its ambition to “build America’s largest 5G network,” and “T-Mobile’s 5G network is more” than its competitors’ 5G network. ” Towers, engineers, and coverage will increase. ” These will come as a result of the merger, but in the future, they will be tense.
The allegations in question after the merger with T-Mobile’s Spring 5G service, which appeared in online and television advertising, were challenged by Verizon Communications, Inc.
[…] However, NAD portrayed the benefits of the Sprint-T-Mobile merger and the rapid firing of magenta and yellow beams from tower to tower, passing through server rooms and vast landscapes throughout the city at high speeds. He asserted about the combination of images and concluded that the engineers were introducing the technology. Consumers using upgrades and smartphones and conference calls reasonably convey an unsupported message that the advertised benefits of the merger will be imminently realized by consumers.
NAD recommends that T-Mobile change the wording of its ads so that it doesn’t suggest that the benefits of the Sprint merger will be immediate. T-Mobile supports NAD recommendations: “Get the best 5G network”, “Unprecedented … 5G network that offers reliability and the highest capacity ever. Correct claims such as “Build a”. I support these claims.


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TTAC Sunday News Round-up: Belgian Commodore, Planes Vs Automobiles, and You Should Thank a Trucker
A Belgian named Guido is looking to save the Commodore and part of the Australian auto manufacturing industry from its ultimate demise.
That, and Pak, not Paki, is probably the more correct term, flying vs. driving, austerity pain for Porsche employees, you should thank a trucker and more … after the break!
‘Project Erich’ is a last ditch effort to save the Holden Commodore
Belgian automotive engineer turned businessman Guido Dumarey believes he and his company can acquire the Holden Commodore and its Zeta platform to crank out premium vehicles after GM’s exit from Australian manufacturing.
But there’s one big problem: He’s running out of time.
According to Motoring.com.au, the businessman plans to acquire the Commodore and the Elizabeth plant where it is built.
One of Dumarey’s businesses already supplies transmissions to General Motors for the V-6 Commodore, so he isn’t a complete outsider. Motoring.com.au also says Dumarey has “made a specialty out of buying businesses in financial strife, or earmarked for closure, and resuscitating them.”
Pak is probably better than Paki
This isn’t so much news as it is a continuation of Aaron Cole’s piece on the usage of the word “Jap” in automotive circles.
In India, they have Maruti-Suzuki. But in Pakistan, Suzuki is incorporated as Pak Suzuki. In fact, that name is prominently displayed in many of its advertisements.
So, there you have it. Pak = totally cool. Paki = probably way less than kinda okay.
Want to save the environment? You should fly or drive a Prius
According to Green Car Reports, the modern airliner has all but left the automobile in the dust when it comes to environmentally friendly, long-distance travel.
Using some math, the amount of energy used by modern planes is about half of that used by modern automobiles when you calculate it by passenger mile.
Or, if you don’t like flying, drive a Prius. That’s the only gasoline-powered vehicle on sale today that equals the energy efficiency of a commercial jet, says the report.
Porsche needs to make cuts to build the Mission E, and employees seem okay with that
A report from German Automobilwoche explains Porsche must make cuts and get concessions from workers in order to produce the Mission E. Employees, for their part, are okay with that. Solidarity!
Those concessions will mean more high-tech jobs at Porsche in the long run and a zero-emission vehicle for Porsche showrooms to take on the Tesla Model S.
Now, all they have to do is not screw it up.
Long-haul trucks aren’t autonomous yet, so you should thank a trucker
All those gifts you gave your loved ones over the holiday season were delivered by those ultimate road warriors who probably spent Christmas without their families this year. They’re our truckers. And we should all thank them.
This year, the trucking trade has gotten even more intense as retailers are now relying on teams of drivers to pilot the trucks and wares to their eventual destinations, reports The Wall Street Journal:
That has raised the profile of the small subset of truck drivers who spend weeks or even months away from home, crisscrossing the country, taking turns sleeping in cramped compartments at the rear of the truck cab and then taking the wheel, and stopping only for showers or short breaks.
“The goal would be for this truck to never stop,” said Gary Helms, a 57-year-old driver, who spoke while his partner was behind the wheel. Mr. Helms—who has hauled freight for companies including Amazon.com Inc., Wal-Mart Stores Inc., and FedEx Corp.—was on his way to New York from South Carolina with his current partner, after originally picking a shipment up from California.
Seriously, truckers are the true heroes of the retail holiday season.
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- Inside Looking Out Enforcing laws? It is so yesterday! Welcome to California!
- Lou_BC You'd think cops would have an understanding of the laws they are supposed to enforce.
- Merlyn I’m on my second Spark and love it! I can pass any car I’ve never had a problem going up a hill it does just fine. As for cargo I can fit three suitcases, two book bags and still have the front seat for a passenger. Not sure what point this guy is trying to make. I have hand free phone service and Sirius radio plug in my phone and have navigation. I would buy another spark in a heartbeat.
- Buickman I won't own one and I'll be happy!
- Jeanbaptiste Ever since y’all started sending your damn geese down here we’re just been waiting for one of you to show up.
The Taurus lured the whole industry to suppository styling bringing us years of ugly cars. what's wrong with a car having corners anyway?
"The Mission E is truly a zero-emission vehicle.*" *When parked


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Premium Bandai has announced the next Pokemon that’s going to be part of the Pokemon PC Cushion series.
The next Pokemon is none other than Ghost type Pokemon Gengar, who has seen its popularity increase over the years. The Pokemon PC Cushion Gengar set comes with a Gengar plush that’s 42cm tall, as well as a keyboard arm rest for Gengar or yourself to rest your arms on.
Here are some practical examples of what you can do with the Gengar PC Cushion:
Pokemon PC Cushion Gengar launches December 2020 exclusively at Premium Bandai. NintendoSoup Store is now taking international pre-orders as well.
What do you think?


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The Realme C21Y smartphone has a triple rear camera setup with a primary 13-megapixel primary sensor, a 2-megapixel black and white sensor, and a 2-megapixel macro shooter.
Smartphone manufacturer Realme India is going to launch its new smartphone Realme C21Y in India. The company has confirmed on its official website that this phone will be introduced on Realme.com on 23 August. For information, let us tell you that Realme C21Y was introduced in Vietnam last month.Also Read: Download your Aadhaar easily by just clicking on a link know the complete process here
It has a triple camera setup in the rear in which the main camera is 13 megapixels. Along with this, a 5 megapixel selfie camera has been given in it. This smartphone is powered by Unisoc T610 SoC and has a 5000mAh battery. Along with this, fingerprint scanner is also available in the back.Also Read: EPFO adds More Than 12 lakh net subscribers in June 2021 know the all details
The company has confirmed the launch of this phone through a press release and has also created a microsite on Realme.com. It has been confirmed from this page that the phone will be launched in Cross Blue and Cross Black color options and will cost the same as the Vietnam model.Also Read: Fixed Deposit bank or post office who offers the highest interest know the details before investing
Talking about the price of Realme C21Y in Vietnam, the price of 3GB + 32GB model is VND 3,240,000 (approximately Rs 10,500). At the same time, the price of 4GB + 64GB model is VND 3,710,000 (approximately Rs 12,000).
Specifications of Realme C21Y
Realme C21Y runs on Realme UI based on Android 10 and has a 6.5-inch HD + (720×1,600 pixels) display. The smartphone is powered by the octa-core Unisoc T610 SoC paired with Mali-G52 GPU. It has a maximum of 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage which can be expanded via microSD card.Also Read: PM-Kusum Scheme: Now farmers will earn money by selling electricity to the government, know how much will be the rate
This smartphone has a triple rear camera, in which the first 13 megapixel primary sensor, 2 megapixel black and white sensor and 2 megapixel macro shooter camera. On the front, it has a 5-megapixel selfie shooter. To give power to the phone, it has a 5000mAh battery which supports reverse wired charging.Also Read: LG Electronics successfully tests 6 G data transmission
Apart from this, for connectivity, it gets LTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth v5, GPS, 3.5mm headphone jack and a Micro-USB Type C port for charging. Apart from this, a fingerprint scanner has also been given in its back.


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IRON MAIDEN And Crew Members Take On Indy Eleven In Friendly Soccer Match; Video Report Available
August 25, 2019, 8 months ago
On August 23rd, members of Iron Maiden and their crew kept up the on-tour tradition of playing a soccer match against local talent. During the Indianapolis stop they took on members of the Indy Eleven. Check out the WISH TV report featuring an interview with bassist Steve Harris below.
Thanks to @indyeleven for taking on Steve and the gang at their amazing facility yesterday!— Iron Maiden (@IronMaiden) 24. August 2019
Play the game - https://t.co/yeMJj2moQQ | See the show - https://t.co/6oiqtB43sQ
#IronMaiden #BePartOfTheLegacy #LegacyOfTheBeastTour #Football #Indianapolis #IndyEleven pic.twitter.com/095RRHHttg
Iron Maiden and Robinsons Brewery have announced a new limited edition label for their award-winning Trooper beer, which will be arriving on shelves from October and will be available until the end of November.
The beer, which scooped a silver medal at the recent International Beer Challenge has been a smash hit for Robinsons and Iron Maiden since launching in 2013. The beer has, to-date, sold over 25 million pints in over 50 countries around the world.
Mexico’s Dia de los Muertos (Day Of The Dead) is celebrated annually. The holiday celebrates the dead and is a time for people to honour their ancestors and loved ones who have passed away and invite those spirits back into their homes to be part of the family once more. The practice goes back thousands of years in Latin American cultures.
One of the most popular parts of the holiday is people turning themselves into skeletons adorning their appearance with flowers and bright colours. As a result, the sugar skull has become an icon of the Day Of The Dead and one that Trooper has now paid homage with a new look for Iron Maiden’s legendary mascot Eddie in full Day Of The Dead costume.
Trooper Brand Manager, Sam Kennerley, said: “We are delighted to be bringing our loyal drinkers a new, limited edition, look for our award-winning Trooper. The timing couldn’t be more ideal with Day Of The Dead just around the corner and Iron Maiden continuing on their sell-out Legacy Of The Beast world tour with stadium & arena shows, fittingly, in Mexico and also Brazil (Including 100,000 people at Rock In Rio), Chile & Argentina in September & October. We hope that our drinkers will enjoy the tribute we have paid to Mexico’s time-honoured tradition and will pick up a bottle whilst it is available between October and November.”
Trooper Limited Edition Day of the Dead will be available from October to November 2019 in cask, bottle and through export listings (for more info on how to stock for export please contact email@example.com).


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In line with the company’s vision to provide products with high quality and safety standards, Pfizer Consumer Healthcare has launched two new ranges of multivitamins and minerals.
The official products unveiling took place during the opening ceremony of the 88th Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria’s (PSN) annual conference which held on November 10, 2015 at the International Conference Centre, Abuja.
While addressing newsmen, Sue Cartwright, Pfizer’s marketing manager (Southern & West Africa) explained that Centrum range of multivitamins is scientifically formulated to help fill nutritional gaps in diets, enhance multiple health benefits to help unlock energy, strengthen immunity as well as support healthy eyes and brain development.
She further highlighted that the products are tailored to different ages and lifestyle; children, women, men, pregnant women and adults over 50 years. Keeping in mind that dietary supplements are not intended to diagnose, cure or prevent any disease but rather help consumers attain the recommended dietary allowance.
“Although we are treating our entry as a launch, Centrum is already available in the country via informal means (suitcase trade, temporary import permits). We have been in the market since 1968 and over these years, a lot of science and technology have gone into it.
“Centrum is the most clinically studied multivitamin brand with over 100,000 patient years of exposure in clinical studies in the world,” she said.
During a presentation on the second product, Caltrate, Cartwright disclosed that it is equally a scientifically formulated calcium supplement for adults and the elderly to support calcium and vitamin D deficiencies as well as assists in osteoporosis treatment.
“It is the World’s No.1 selling calcium supplement with vitamin D for calcium absorption, helping to support strong and healthy bones.
On her assessment of the Nigerian pharmaceutical market, the Pfizer marketing manager declared that it seems like a complex one because of the huge presence of drugs.
“But I think it is very exciting. There are a lot of variants coming in. Secondly I must admit that working with Nigerian pharmacists too is quite exciting. However we are positive about the huge opportunities awaiting us,” she noted.
On measures taken to avert counterfeiting of Centrum and Caltrate, Cartwright announced that both Pfizer and WWCVL teams are working closely with NAFDAC on the possibility of introducing the Mobile Authentication Service (MAS) technology.
She was also quick to point out that since the products are imported into the country directly from abroad, there is no reported case of counterfeit yet.
“However we have got people on the ground to assess the problem better. We (Pfizer team and WWCVL management) will be working together with Nigerian healthcare workers – doctors, pharmacists, nurses and we will be going directly to the consumers through newspapers, radio, television and digital media,” she concluded.
In a related development, Zikhona Spelman, a qualified South African dietician also addressed pharmacists on the role of nutritional supplements in the new millennium.
“It is pertinent to note that people are not eating the way they are supposed to. Besides, the nutritional value of food has changed over time. This is where nutritional value comes in. However such supplements are not meant to replace your normal meal,” she stressed.
The dietician further harped on the need for multivitamins, specifically the ones with B Complex, to be taken in the morning.
According to her, they are meant to extract energy from food.
“You need energy during the day hence the need to take them in the morning. Otherwise the purpose of taking it either in the evening or any other time would be defeated.
But calcium is totally a different case. It has big molecular structure which can interfere with absorption and other nutrients. This is why serious physicians canvass that you take multivitamin in the morning and calcium in the evening,” she said.
Pfizer is one of the world’s premier pharmaceutical companies, committed to applying science and global resources to improve health and well-being at every stage of life.
It has its operating affiliate office in Nigeria with two of the world’s leading multivitamins and minerals – Centrum and Caltrate (both approved by NAFDAC).
In attendance at the official launch were Uloaku Atueyi, brand manager (Nigeria); Deepak Kanwar, WWCVL sales manager; Pharm. Bruno Nwankwo, chairman, Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN); Pharm. Lere Baale, director of Business School of Netherlands; Mazi Sam Ohuabunwa, former Neimeth Pharmaceuticals Plc CEO and Pharm. Ade Popoola, chairman, PSN Board of Fellows.
Others were Rukiyat Odekunle, director of Procurement, Federal Ministry of Health; Pharm. Ifeanyi Atueyi, managing director of Pharmanews Limited; Pharm. Lawrence Anyafulu, a PSN Fellow; Pharm. Ike Onyechi, managing director of Alpha Pharmacy; directors of pharmaceutical services and other relevant stakeholders.


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A class action lawsuit (http://tinyurl.com/pss99mc) filed in the U.S. District Court, Eastern Division of New York, claims Apple engages in planned obsolescence and knew of potential compatibility issues iPhone 4s owners upgraded to iOS 9.
“The update significantly slowed down their iPhones and interfered with the normal usage of the device, leaving Plaintiff with a difficult choice: use a slow and buggy device that disrupts everyday life or spend hundreds of dollars to buy a new phone,” the lawsuit reads. “Apple explicitly represented to the public that iOS 9 is compatible with and supports the iPhone 4S. And Apple failed to warn iPhone 4S owners that the update may or will significantly interfere with the device’s performance.”
Those filing the class action lawsuit want: the “maximum amount” of award or damages the law allows, an order enjoining Apple’s unlawful practices and corrected advertisements about iOS 9, and, of course, an award of attorney’s fees.