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The 2020s will be the decade that electric vehicles come to the forefront as companies strive to achieve ambitious emissions goals and produce a vehicle you can simply charge in your garage — no different than plugging in your phone overnight for a fresh start tomorrow.
Last month we covered some of the electrical fresh starts (and upgraded old standards) as the calendar turned another year. Soon the 2020s will be gone, and the mainstays of today’s electric vehicles will be old news (or at least old data).
And then who knows what the 2030s will bring?
Here are some notes about what to expect in the following years from some of the largest global manufacturers.
BMW is playing its cards a little closer to the chest in terms of electrification.
Despite the 2012 debut of the i3 BEV, BMW is letting the market stabilize a bit before committing massive amounts of immediate resources. The all-electric i4 sedan and iX have met with rave reviews, and the German automaker is more committed to ICE vehicles and PHEVs than many other OEMs.
Nonetheless, the brand is confident in the debut of its newest electric offerings, and though it sees 50% of its sales volume by 2030 to be electric, it plans to unveil its “Neue Klasse” of next-gen battery, new-look EVs in 2025.
Similar to BMW, Daimler AG (owner of Mercedes-Benz) plans to go all-electric by the end of the decade, biding its time, investing in R&D, and ensuring its global infrastructure is ready for the switch to all-electric.
Daimler recently approved a €60 billion electric investment plan through 2026 in preparation to go all-electric by 2030, and for now, Daimler is happy to produce eight electric vehicles at seven locations over three continents.
Ford Motor Company
Ford plans to invest over $22 billion through 2025 to help lead North American electrification. Ford has four EV manufacturing plants in North America and has invested more than $700 million into its new Rouge Electric Vehicle Center in Michigan. Ford is the only American OEM committed to reducing CO2 emissions in line with the Paris Climate Agreement and is partnering with other automakers to help scale in niche markets, including a $500 million investment in Rivian. Ford also hopes to be a major contributor in battery and battery cell technology, including partnering with Solid Power, an industry leader in solid-state batteries for electric vehicles. When the Ford F-150 Lightning debuts this spring, it may change the American pickup truck market.
General Motors plans to have 30 new electric vehicles on the global road by 2025. Thirty. In other words, there isn’t a fleet out there that won’t have some sort of electric option from GM.
Powering the future fleet is Ultium, the modular chassis platform GM developed specifically for its electric vehicles. The drive unit is also modular, enabling front-, rear-, and all-wheel-drive for all manner of vehicles, cargo, and terrain, and GM has partnered with multiple charging vendors to provide ample charging opportunities, and as a longtime North American leading manufacturer, much is expected of GM’s electric future.
Honda is not very concerned about electric vehicles. In October, the automaker revealed plans to introduce 10 EVs in the next five years in the Chinese market. It says its first “volume BEV” for the U.S. will be the Prologue in 2024. Honda maintains an all-electric sales goal by 2040.
Hyundai looks ahead almost 20 years to a carbon-neutral 2045 for all its models. Until then, the brand boasts the largest array of hybrid and electric vehicles, with a vast selection of hybrids from its legacy models.
On the purely electrical front, Hyundai makes gains in the U.S. with the Ioniq 5, Kona Electric, and Ioniq Electric, though they’re only available in a handful of states. Hyundai plans to invest $7.4 billion in the U.S. by 2025 to further its electric ambitions, and with the Ioniq 6 sedan on the horizon, well-received electric luxury marques in the Genesis line, and a large global market share of hybrid and electric vehicles, the South Korean automaker is well poised to scale up in the global electric circuit by mid-decade.
In January 2021, KIA Motors made two announcements: first, it would now go by KIA and debuted a new logo to reflect a more modern aesthetic (and electrical commitment); and second, that it planned to launch eleven dedicated EVs by 2026.
With many soft hybrids available, true electrification has been a slower endeavor than many of its larger competitors. Still, the newest model—the KIA EV6 crossover—recently set an electrification record, traveling across the U.S. with the shortest charging time yet recorded for an EV, making New York City to Los Angeles in just over seven hours, beating the previous world record holder—Tesla—by more than five hours.
If KIA can continue to manufacture, distribute, and sell vehicles as well as it sets records, its future is bright.
Nissan also plans to carve out a large chunk of the electric pie, but not quite yet—while the Leaf and new Ariya spearhead the effort in North America, it won’t be until the end of the decade when Nissan starts rolling out a more robust electric fleet.
In late 2021, Nissan announced a $17.6 billion electric investment over the next five years to galvanize its own rollout of Nissan-branded EVs. Nissan unveiled four sleek concept cars—the Surf-Out, Hang-Out, Chill-Out, and Max Out (a pickup truck, crossover, SUV, and convertible, respectively). Nissan is preparing to manufacture all solid-state batteries in a new plant in Yokohama, Japan, hoping the later rollout with the stronger and faster-charging solid-state batteries will meet a market with open arms. Time will tell, and you know the saying—“Time and [tech] wait for no [manufacturer.]”
Stellantis is a 14-headed hydra of historic North American and European brands and will not have the same sort of electric market share Ford and General Motors plan to in North America for this model year.
Stellantis, however, plans to. And they let everyone know it on EV Day 2021 in July as all 14 brands committed to offering best-in-class electrified vehicles in a €30 billion+ ($36 billion+) investment over the next five years. Stellantis announced it intends to become the market leader in low-emission vehicles (LEVs), targeting over 70% of sales in Europe and 40% in the U.S. to by 2030.
Gauntlet, thrown. During EV Day, Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares said the company plans to electrify 90% of its new models and feature over 50 electrified vehicles for sale in the U.S. and Europe by 2025, with a strong dedication to the Chinese market as well. The plan involves four platforms to support the entire lineup, including those under their commercial vans—a market where they intend to beat Ford with the Ram ProMaster. To help catalyze their modular platforms, Stellantis plans to build five battery “gigafactories” and to produce a solid-state battery by 2026.
Will the newer monster in the market be able to succeed, even if it needs to cull some of its marques and brands? Only time will tell. That’s the thing about hydras—they’re unstoppable unless every head is severed, and as the Jeep and Ram brands continue to find larger global market shares, that’s not going to happen anytime soon.
Tesla’s gonna Tesla and has been Tesla-ing for several years now. With the largest charging infrastructure in the U.S. and an early market lead on high-quality EVs, the world’s most recognized electric car producer hopes to make further gains in this segment with its forthcoming CyberTruck, now delayed until 2023 due to the sheer volume of new technology and the risk of it costing too much. Nonetheless, Tesla saw a record $5.5 billion profit in 2021, fueled by Model 3 and Model Y sales, so though it may miss the early market on electric pickups, the brand continues to innovate and remains a highly profitable, highly visible electric option for fleet and family.
Like Nissan, Toyota’s electric blueprints continue to expand. In December, Toyota vowed to release 30 EVs by 2030 instead of 15 by 2025, trading time for quantity and quality. Toyota also committed to selling 3.5 million EVs by 2030 and to evolve Lexus into an EV-only marque by 2035.
To do all this, it plans to spend over $17.6 billion in battery technology, and the juggernaut has the time, resources, and wherewithal to make good on its future promise. Though it lacks a long-range electric vehicle, Toyota’s CEO Akio Toyoda isn’t worried, and recently called the electric trend “overhyped” in lieu of a world long committed to gasoline. Still, late 2021 saw a renewed commitment from Mr. Toyoda to reduce emissions.
That effort will be led in the U.S. by the bZ4X compact SUV, expected to release midyear.
Volkswagen plans to hit the ground running in 2025 when it debuts its Scalable Systems Platform (SSP), upon which all electric vehicles will be built. VW Group is spending $945 million in R&D and a new facility in Germany as part of a larger $86 billion plan by 2025.
Investing in infrastructure first is key to the Group’s strategy as it plans to scale up its Electrify America offerings and build six battery plants across Europe by 2030, hoping to secure a firm foothold on the global BEV market with low-cost, easy-access battery supply and charging capabilities.
Its ID brand of EVs will number seven once complete, including the Buzz Cargo commercial van.
Volvo has big plans. Per its website, Volvo is “the first major premium car brand to commit to a hybrid or full-electric powertrain” for all models. Every new model launched will have an electric motor, and Volvo estimates that by 2025, 50% of its sales volume will be fully electric and 1 million Volvo EVs will be on the road.
Recharge is the moniker all Volvo pure EVs will carry, led by the XC40 Recharge and more recently the C40 Recharge. Its performance brand, Polestar, has already made huge gains with the Polestar 2, with more breakthroughs to come.
“There will be no Volvo cars without an electric motor,” says the brand. Hard to misinterpret that.
Originally posted on Automotive Fleet


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In a consumer data world that appears increasingly creepy to its subjects, what does the future of email marketing look like?
Filmmakers often spend years developing a concept, writing the content and hiring the right actors before their movie ever makes it into theaters. However, all of that hard work doesn't guarantee that the finished project will be a hit with audiences. It's not over until the reviews are in. The same is true of your email marketing campaigns.
Studies show that some Americans check their email accounts in the middle of the night and many remotely peruse their work accounts on Sunday evening; meaning that the next trend—that consumers are checking their email accounts on-the-go with mobile devices—isn't much of a shock.
While many marketers are keeping track of their social media efforts, they may be tracking the wrong numbers, at least according to the results of an eROI survey of more than 500 B-to-B and B-to-C marketers this past spring.
Data units mined from social networking sites often can be more difficult to categorize than the usual demographic information direct marketers collect in their data mining expeditions. However, keeping the minefield for data mining in mind, social networking sites are still replete with veins of consumer-insight gold. According to experts, marketers should extract that treasure, but carefully.
Banfield, The Pet Hospital, is a business so enamored with its 2 million four-legged patients that it capitalizes the letter "P" in "pets" on its Web site, in its e-mails—and now on its new mobile site. The Portland, Ore.-based business with locations throughout the U.S., U.K. and Mexico looked through its analytics and noticed that more than 5,000 clients of the two-legged variety were using mobile phones to access Banfield.net.
The two biggest wins for online marketers in 2009 were increased website traffic and increased brand awareness, at least according to an eM+C/eROI survey of 678 online marketers conducted last fall. The findings are included in a recently published whitepaper titled "Online Marketing Trends: What Worked in 2009 and What to Expect in 2010."
Goal: Icebreaker, a Wellington, New Zealand-based outdoor apparel company, wanted to entice U.S.-based consumers to purchase Icebreaker clothing as gifts for their friends and families during the holidays, ultimately driving 2009 holiday sales.
Solution: Partnered with an email marketing agency to create a multipart holiday email marketing campaign promoting its brand to its U.S. list.
Results: The campaign improved Icebreaker's 2009 holiday online sales versus holiday 2008.
Over the past few years, LeanLogistics, an on-demand transportation management solutions provider, has tried to separate itself from the pack by becoming a thought leader to its customers. A key element to this quest has been to distribute whitepapers and other materials that could be downloaded for free to collect leads.

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In its most ambitious effort yet to blend the personal computer, the television and the Internet, Microsoft Corporation said today that it would spend $425 million to acquire WebTV Networks Inc., a Palo Alto, Calif. start-up company that delivers Internet information directly to television sets.
The announcement, which was made this afternoon from a convention of television broadcasters in Las Vegas, Nev., is one of a series of maneuvers the software giant is making in an effort to extend its reach from the personal computer, which has found its way into almost 40 percent of American homes, to the television, which has pride of place in 98 percent of all homes in the country.
The company also said today that it was planning to add software to permit its Windows operating system to be used in a new hybrid computer-TV, called a PC-Theater, which computer makers -- including Compaq -- plan to produce within the next few months.
On Monday, Microsoft also is to announce with the Intel Corporation and the Compaq Computer Corporation their technical plans for digital interactive computer-TV's, plans they hope will become a standard adopted by broadcasters.
Today's announcement came just a few days after a Federal Communications Commission decision setting a nine-year timetable for the nation's transition from analog to digital television. It is a milestone in the challenge to the world's television manufacturers by the computer indsutry, which hopes to take over a substantial part of the new $150 billion market for digital televisions over the next decade.
The F.C.C. in December modified the proposed standard for digital television to ease the computer industry's entry into this market.
''This strikes me as a baccarat table bet on the merger of PC and TV,'' said David Readerman, a computer industry analyst at Montgomery Securities in San Francisco. ''Microsoft believes it needs some momentum and presence on the TV side and they're doing it through a device that would move the standards in their direction.''
Founded 20 months ago by computer engineers who are veterans of Apple Computer Inc. and General Magic Inc., WebTV began offering its Internet service last Christmas with two consumer electronics licensees, Sony Corporation and Philips Electronics N.V. The company has been given high marks for designing a $300 set-top box that connects to a telephone line and allows television users to Web-surf and send and receive electronic mail.
However, there have been mixed reports on the company's initial success. Steve Perlman, WebTV's co-founder and chief executive, said the company was unwilling to disclose the current number of subscribers beyond saying that the number was significantly more than 50,000.
Retailers have reported in recent weeks that sales have been disappointing, compared with the expectations originally raised by the manufacturers.
Microsoft executives, however, seemed unfazed by the fact that WebTV is still tiny compared to on-line giants like America Online or even Microsoft's own MSN Internet service.
''We find that the computer and broadcast industries are both at a crossroads moving forward,'' said Craig Mundie, Microsoft's senior vice president for consumer platforms. ''We want to take the PC and its progeny and see those things penetrate much more deeply into homes.''
Microsoft and Paul Allen, Microsoft's co-founder and a Microsoft board member, were both already investors in WebTV, and Mr. Perlman said that as the two companies discussed sharing technologies they realized that they shared a common technological vision.


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CNN’s streaming product is getting closer to launch, with mobile users of CNN.com getting messages marketing CNN+.
CNN will exclusively air “We Love NYC: The Homecoming Concert” Aug 21 at 5pm ET across its platforms. The special will air live worldwide on CNN, CNN International, CNN en Español, CNN.com and CNNgo. Coverage begins 4pm ET with anchor Anderson Cooper conducting a series of interviews and highlighting New York frontline workers. — Season […]


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After being announced in May 2012 as B.C.’s newest statutory holiday, the first B.C. Family Day will take place on Monday, February 11, 2013.
Sun Peaks Resort Corporation (SPRC) was one of the voices of the B.C. tourism industry actively involved in the decision process.
“If you have (Family Day) the same time as (Alberta’s holidays and the USA’s Presidents’ Day) you limit the options for the local people to come to your resort,” said Darcy Alexander, general manager of SPRC. “So we made our suggestions to the minister of tourism and to the premier and they decided that they would have a public poll online.”
The result of the poll was overwhelmingly in favour of the second Monday of February.
“We’re very pleased with the holiday going forward. We’re going to try and turn it into a big celebration for B.C. residents to come out and enjoy their local resorts,” Alexander said.
However, despite this glowing endorsement, there were calls from independent MLAs and businesses outside the tourism and hospitality industries that argued the holiday will increase labour costs and result in a loss of productivity.
But Christopher Nicolson, president of Tourism Sun Peaks, claims that the holiday is about something more important than business.
“It’s exactly what it’s intended to be . . . trying to align with the provincial government’s desire for supporting health, and supporting lifestyle, and supporting families. And the ski industry as a whole has come together and supported that.”
B.C. residents will have access to 50 per cent discount on the price of Alpine lift tickets at a host of ski resorts, including Sun Peaks, for B.C. Family Day only. Proof of residency is required.
Family Day is now B.C.’s 10th statutory holiday joining Alberta, Ontario and Saskatchewan to host the holiday.


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(Yicai Global) Feb. 28 -- China has expressed strong dissatisfaction with the U.S. Department of Commerce's anti-dumping ruling against its aluminum foil. It criticized the U.S. for disregarding the World Trade Organization rules and seriously damaging the interests of Chinese aluminum foil exporters.
China will take necessary measures to safeguard its own legitimate rights and interests in response to the erroneous practice of the U.S., said Wang Hejun, director of trade remedy and investigation bureau at the ministry of Commerce, today.
The U.S. Department of Commerce continued to treat China as a "non-market economy country" according to its domestic laws and applied the "alternative country" approach to levy an abnormally high level of anti-dumping duty ranging from 48.64 percent to 106.09 percent, Wang criticized.
In the countervailing duty investigation, the U.S. Department of Commerce wrongly identified Chinese raw materials suppliers and financial institutions as "public units," and levied a high countervailing duty rate of 17.14 percent to 80.97 percent without any evidence, Wang added.
The U.S. aluminum producers voluntarily gave up on the production of lower-value aluminum foil more than 20 years ago and have started producing more profitable aluminum products. As a result, the decline in aluminum foil output and the reduction of the market share in the U.S. are the results of those companies' commercial choice rather than imported aluminum foil, Wang emphasized.
The unreasonable and excessive use of trade remedies by the U.S. side cannot help bring about the revival of the U.S. aluminum foil industry, but instead will affect employment over there and hurt the welfare of the vast number of consumers, Wang said.
The U.S. Department of Commerce yesterday released its final ruling on the investigations of anti-dumping and countervailing duty against aluminum foil products from China, imposing steep duties on such imports, with dumping margins ranging from 48.64 percent to 106.09 percent and anti-subsidy rates of 17.14 percent to 80.97 percent.


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Safe against a chain reaction?
Japan’s calamity continues to affect world energy prices and disrupt supply chains.india Updated: Mar 22, 2011 22:56 IST
The aftershocks of the March 11 earthquake in Japan are being felt in the world economy primarily through higher energy prices. Crisil Research estimates that with Japan shutting down 12.4 gigawatt of nuclear power capacity and Germany another 7.4 gigawatt, the price of liquefied natural gas could climb by as much as 50% over the next three months as the world’s third and fourth largest economies switch to alternative sources of primary energy. Coal prices are likely to fall till the Japanese steel mills — the country accounts for a quarter of the world’s coking coal trade — start rolling again while crude oil prices are held hostage by the crisis in West Asia, a Japanese switchover to oil will not have a significant impact. Refinery shutdowns in Japan, accounting for 9% of Asian capacity, have pushed up margins in Asia. But oil refiners elsewhere in the continent will have to grapple with high crude oil prices.
The second transmission mechanism is through Japan’s position in the global supply chains of a host of industries from cars to computer chips. General Motors has already halted production at a Louisiana truck plant because of a shortage of parts from Japan. Moody’s Investor Service points out that carmakers in the US have two months of inventories. But the 4.4 million cars sold by Japanese manufacturers remain vulnerable to seeing entire production lines grinding to a halt for the want of the proverbial pin from Japan. Similarly, US semiconductor manufacturers like Intel, AMD and Texas Instruments source a tenth of their revenue from Japan, which is the world’s largest supplier of raw silicon wafers. Likewise, over 40% of the world’s NAND flash memory chips used in mobile electronic devices such as smartphones and tablets are made in Japan. Already, spot prices of NAND memory chips have shot up by 20%. Again, Japan controls 90% of the global output of the basic resin used in integrated circuit chips and printed circuit boards.
India’s direct exposure to the Japanese disaster is likely to be limited on the trade account because our big exports to the country comprise natural resources like iron, which will be back in demand once reconstruction begins in the second half of this year. The immediate trade disruption as the Japanese industrial complex shuts down is unlikely to be prolonged. Japanese investments into India, however, may face a longer-term squeeze as the country restores its devastated infrastructure.


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Wiz Khalifa made a major career move. The rapper has signed a modeling contract with a major agency. IMG Models announced today that the rapper would be representing them worldwide.
Khalifa is obviously known for his music, but he has dabbled in the style world. He previously launched his Taylor Gang line and collaborated with brands like Converse and Diamond Supply Co. Not to mention, the numerous streetwear co-signs in his videos.
No word as to what his first gig will be, but we look forward to seeing it.


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The Atlanta-based cryptocurrency payment processing business Bitpay is now getting included with payroll services. The company revealed the launch of Bitpay Send, a mass payment service that makes it possible for companies of all sizes to pay employees, affiliates, and freelance specialists.
Bitcoin and cryptocurrency payment services supplier Bitpay has actually revealed the launch of a new item called Bitpay Send. The new platform is called a mass payment service and it intends to aid companies and other kinds of companies pay employees in crypto.
In addition to the Bitpay Send launch, the company also detailed that the business Adgate Media now leverages the mass payment system. Adgate gets in touch with digital marketer affiliates that reward users for engagement.
“We have great deals of affiliates who desired to be paid in bitcoin, specifically those who are based outside North America and Europe where gain access to to savings account is tough,” stated Dan Sapozhnikov Adgate‘s President. “One of our greatest obstacles is that we did not desire to purchase and hold crypto and having Bitpay handle that danger was an essential aspect in picking Bitpay Send,” he included.
Sapozhnikov even more stated:
With Bitpay Send, we are able to get our affiliates paid in a matter of minutes and not days.
Bitpay’s service will take on companies like Bitwage, a company that also provides facilities to pay a business’s employees with digital properties like BTC, and BCH. In order to take advantage of the new Bitpay Send, users put on’t require a savings account to take advantage of the platform.
However, Bitpay Send users will require gain access to to a crypto possession wallet and have a Bitpay ID. The business statement states the company will charge a 1% cost for processing cross-border payments.
“Blockchain payment adoption is growing since it provides a simple method to send out and get payments on an international scale,” stated Stephen Pair, CEO of Bitpay. “Traditional global payment approaches are troublesome, pricey, and sluggish. With Bitpay Send, companies can make mass payments without having to buy, own or handle crypto and their receivers get payments quicker and at a lower expense,” the executive included.
Bitpay’s system enables for payments in BTC, BCH, ETH, XRP, and a couple of stablecoin properties too. The Bitpay Send statement also specifies that “Customers offer all essential background information for Know-Your-Customer policies.”
“Bitpay Send makes it possible for companies to make payroll payments, assist in consumer cashout demands, pay independent specialists or affiliates, problem benefits or refunds and economically settle with market sellers,” the company’s item launch declarations conclude. “The business funds payments in fiat and leverages the blockchain to send out pre-tax payments without having to own or deal with digital currency, getting rid of fundamental direct exposure to its volatility or danger.”
What do you consider Bitpay offering payroll services for companies who desire to pay in crypto properties? Let us understand what you consider this topic in the comments area below.
Thank you for visiting our site. You can get the latest Information and Editorials on our site regarding bitcoins.


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Retail giant eyes former Williston driving range for first Vermont store
Sept. 29, 2011
By Adam White
As the last state in the country without a Target department store, Vermont has long been in the corporation’s big, red bulls-eye. Last week, the Minneapolis-based retailer moved closer to bagging a prime location in Williston.
Representatives from Target Corporation met with town officials on Sept. 23 and presented plans for a retail store at the former driving range property at 6180 Williston Rd.
“They showed us three or four site plan ideas, looking down from a bird’s eye view,” town planner Ken Belliveau said.
Belliveau confirmed that the meeting also involved town manager Rick McGuire and public works director Bruce Hoar. Target was reportedly represented by Regional Real Estate Manager Tom Carrico and Senior Development Manager Katie Rivard, while representatives from Vanasse Hangen Brustlin — a consulting firm with an office in North Ferrisburgh — also attended.
Belliveau also confirmed that a meeting took place last month involving town officials, Carrico and Rivard and Al and Nicole Senecal, representatives from Omega Real Estate — which owns the parcel of land being targeted for the project. Belliveau said that at last week’s meeting, Carrico indicated that some negotiations regarding the property had taken place between Target and Omega.
“Tom said something along the lines of, ‘we think we’ve reached a deal with the Senecals,’” Belliveau said.
Target spokesperson Eddie Baeb declined to discuss any specifics of the land negotiations or proposed store project. He cited the company’s policy of waiting to comment on any new store development until nine to 12 months before that store’s opening date.
“Target has long been interested in having a store in Vermont,” Baeb said. “However, at this time, we have no additional information to share.”
Nicole Senecal of Omega Real Estate confirmed that her company has been in contact with Target concerning the property, but declined to discuss negotiations. Repeated calls to Jeff Nelson at Vanasse Hangen Brustlin were not returned.
The project would need to clear a number of planning hurdles before progressing into even the first stages of construction. The site being examined is currently zoned as mixed-use residential, requiring developers to bring the project through Williston’s specific plan process.
Changes to a parcel’s zoning typically require that five of a possible nine criteria for public benefit, as outlined in Chapter 9 of the town’s by-laws, be met. Some of those criteria are job creation/retention, preservation of open spaces and the creation of affordable housing.
“The Planning Commission has to be able to determine that their specific plan has the potential to meet enough of those criteria,” Belliveau said. “They have already started to think about how they would meet that five of nine.”
One way is apparently through the creation of affordable housing. Belliveau said at least one of the proposed site plan ideas included the construction of apartments along the western side of the property, parallel to the existing Maple Tree housing buildings. The site — which comprises two parcels of land totaling 17.2 acres — previously received approval for an approximately 120-unit housing development referred to as Cottonwood.
Belliveau also foresees traffic issues and public perception as being potential challenges. Indications are that a formal traffic study has yet to be conducted in connection with the project, but even loose estimates of trip numbers discussed at the two meetings raised concerns, according to Belliveau.
“It’s a good distance from Exit 12 (off Interstate 89) to the former driving range property,” Belliveau said. “A lot of trips would be coming from there.”
Belliveau also said “initial public perception (of the project) will be key.” He made reference to public opposition to Walmart in Williston in the early 1990s, when a group called Citizens for Responsible Growth took its battle against the retail giant into the courtroom.
A survey of customers shopping at the Williston Walmart on a recent afternoon revealed differing views of the two retailers. Sierra Ouellette of South Burlington said Target “isn’t really any different than Walmart, other than the name.” Sarah Hamilton of Bristol disagreed, saying that she would “happily” choose Target if given a choice.
“They have a better selection, and much better quality,” Hamilton said. “I only shop (at Walmart) because I have to.”
Gordon Cameron of Burlington said he has “never set foot in a Target,” but welcomes the idea of another big-box retailer leveling the playing field for shoppers.
“It would create competition, which would hopefully drive prices down,” Cameron said. “The customer usually wins in situations like that.”
Belliveau said Target’s representatives have been receptive to holding “more meetings at the staff level, before anything gets filed.” He added that while no time frame has been determined for any portion of the project, he would not expect construction to begin for “several years.”
“It’s going to be a lot of work for everyone involved, but it will be interesting to see how it plays out,” Belliveau said.


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Woman kicked by giraffe pays fine, apologizes to zoo
Copyright 2013 by WISN.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Hot Dog on a Stick just got a new lease on life.
The popular West Coast corndog chain was rescued from bankruptcy via a $12.2 million deal, Thursday.
The buyer, Global Franchise Group, also owns Great American Cookies, Pretzelmaker, MaggieMoo's and Mar...


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Although we’ve been anticipating it for a few weeks now, Louis Vuitton has officially confirmed that Nicolas Ghesquière will succeed Marc Jacobs as the label’s artistic director of women’s collections. Taking his position immediately, Ghesquière will present his first collection for the French luxury brand in March. Regarding the appointment, Vuitton said would bring “a modern creative vision to the house’s women’s collections, building on the values of refinement, savoir faire and extreme quality.” For his part, Ghesquière said, “Louis Vuitton has always incarnated for me the symbol of ultimate luxury, innovation and exploration. I am very honored of the mission that I am entrusted with and proud to join the history of this great maison. We share common values and a vision.”
The Frenchman could help Vuitton in its journey to develop a more upscale and elite reputation after years of rapid global expansion and a heavy reliance on monogram canvas with his exacting, couture-like approach.
During his time at Balenciaga, Ghesquière helped create an aura of hyper-exclusivity by creating rapid-fire shows for an elite audience and taking an experimental approach to fashion that ultimately influenced other runways and made him a popular figure among editors and retailers.
It’ll be interesting to see what the renowned fashion designer contributes to the storied fashion house, but for now we’ll just have to wait and see.


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Vestberg Vows to Continue Ericsson Transformation
Ericsson AB will accelerate cost cuts after posting sales that missed analysts’ estimates, as Chief Executive Officer Hans Vestberg battles waning demand for mobile-network gear. Ericsson said it will reduce research and development spending and try to reap efficiency gains from a new company structure. Second-quarter sales fell 11 percent to 54.1 billion kronor ($6.3 billion) as phone carriers in Europe, Russia and Brazil curbed investments in wireless equipment. Analysts predicted a 9 percent drop to 55.2 billion kronor on average. Ericsson CEO Hans Vestberg discusses with Bloomberg's Manus Cranny on "The Pulse."
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Trump to Release 'Very Powerful' Tax Plan Tomorrow
04:18 - President Donald Trump outlined some details of his tax plan Tuesday as he spoke with a bipartisan group of House Ways and Means Committee members at the White House. (Source: Bloomberg)


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Two fast sedans make supercars look like super chumps
Read This Article
Audi has announced it will be adding more models to quell the U.S.
This is the one America has been waiting to see: the 2013 Audi A3 Sportback, an A3 with five doors, an A3 we'll probably see—nominally modified—sold on these shores.
Audi prices the all-new A3 sedan, targeting the recently-launched Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class.


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In journalism and media industry for more than twenty years, worked for a number of media companies. Business editing, research and PR specialist. Covering industry and science news for Ilesol Pharmaceuticals.
Approximately 2% of the world population suffer from obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), symptoms of which include fear of contamination by dirt or germs, constant checking, repetitive, intrusive thoughts of a somatic, aggressive, or sexual nature, extreme slowness, and an inordinate concern with orderliness and symmetry.
A new, breakthrough study published last month in the Journal of Affective Disorders shows that cannabis could be an efficient potential treatment for OCD. The researchers from Washington State University found that smoking cannabis with higher levels of CBD can quickly reduce symptoms of OCD such as anxiety, compulsions, and intrusive thoughts. However, the relief seems to be temporary, and the symptom reductions for intrusive thoughts lessened over time.
The researchers used the data from an application called Strainprint, which allows cannabis users to report their symptoms, the specific cannabis products and doses used, and the resulting impact those products had on their symptoms.
The analyzed data came from 87 individuals self-identifying with OCD, who tracked the severity of their intrusions, compulsions, and/or anxiety immediately before and after 1,810 cannabis use sessions spanning a period of 31 months.
As a result, the patients reported a 60% reduction in compulsions, a 49% reduction in intrusions, and a 52% reduction in anxiety from before to after inhaling cannabis. Higher concentrations of CBD and higher doses led to larger reductions in compulsions.
The endocannabinoid system (ECS) has been identified as a potential therapeutic target for OCD because it plays important role in anxiety, fear, and repetitive behaviors. This system is heavily distributed throughout the brain with cannabinoid (CB1) receptors found in high densities throughout many of the brain regions involved with OCD. Two primary constituents of the cannabis plant – tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) activate the ECS. That is the reason why scientists place high hopes in this field of research.
There is already significant scientific evidence that cannabis reduces anxiety, one of the main symptoms of OCD. According to a study from 2018, medical cannabis users perceived a 50% reduction in depression and a 58% reduction in anxiety and stress.
A case study conducted by the scientists at the Medical University of Warsaw showed a reduction of obsessions and compulsions of about 70% in a patient suffering from OCD after 20 months of smoking medical cannabis. Also, general relaxation, improved sleep, the concentration at school, and the overall improvement of quality of life were observed.
A 2004 study found that baseline OCD symptoms were related to more frequent cannabis use. The participants who continued to use cannabis during an 18- month follow-up period demonstrated an increase in OCD symptoms, whereas those who remained abstinent showed a decrease in symptoms, indicating cannabis use may aggravate OCD symptoms.
A recent placebo-controlled investigation of the effects of smoked cannabis on symptoms of OCD found that reductions in symptoms were not significantly larger than with placebo, but the sample size was small and the cannabis used was of low potency (THC = 7% and 0.4%).
Other studies on the effects of cannabinoids on OCD have been conducted using synthetic forms of orally administered THC (e.g., dronabinol and nabilone). Three case studies have revealed evidence that 14+ days of treatment with dronabinol, in combination with more traditional medications (e.g., clomipramine), decreased symptom severity in patients with treatment-resistant OCD (Cooper & Grant, 2016; Sachdeva et al., 2015; Schindler et al., 2008).
Trends toward the legalization of cannabis in North America make it particularly important to examine the potential short- and long-term effects of cannabis on mental health. However, while changes in laws have increased public access to a wide variety of cannabis-based products, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) continues to classify cannabis as a Schedule 1 illicit drug. As a result of the strict regulation of cannabis by the U.S. federal government, all researchers at federally funded institutions must undergo lengthy legal and ethical approval processes before they can administer cannabis to humans. Additionally, per federal regulations, researchers administering cannabis must use cannabis supplied by the National Institute of Drug Abuse. This research-grade cannabis is far less potent (rarely exceeding 10% THC) than the high potency products available to consumers through statewide legal cannabis markets. Cannabis flower exceeding 20% THC and cannabis concentrate containing over 60% THC are presently dominating the recreational cannabis markets. These federal restrictions have dramatically stalled the progress of research and have left the scientists with an impoverished understanding of the potential therapeutic effects of cannabis on OCD.


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While everyone is eagerly anticipating the 2015 E3, a slew of smaller Pokemon-related events have emerged this past week, including two distribution events for Japan.
Recently, a brand new Pokemon Center opened at the Sogo Hiroshima Shop, with its mascot being Pikachu and a shiny Red Gyarados.
In celebration of that, one of the distribution events is a special shiny Gyarados event that will run from June 26 to August 31.
According to Serebii, the event is for “Pokemon X,” “Pokemon Y,” “Pokemon Omega Ruby,” and “Pokemon Alpha Sapphire,” and will be available across all Pokemon Centers and Pokemon stores.
One of the other Pokemon distribution events coming up this summer is in collaboration with Pokemon Lab.
Reportedly, a serial code will be distributed between July 8 and Oct.
12 for the Kanto starters Bulbasaur, Charmander and Squirtle.
In order to do so, Pokemon fans must reportedly complete a mission at the event matching Pokemon with their silhouettes and footprints.
Success at the mission will give you the code.
But don’t worry, there is also good news for international Pokemon fans.
According to the official Nintendo website, a brand new Nintendo 3DS game is arriving this winter titled “Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon.” “Players can look forward to even greater, randomly created dungeons that change each time they enter,” says the press release.
“In ‘Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon,’ players will battle alongside Legendary and Mythical Pokemon to save the world in a sweeping tale of adventure and mystery.” With nine title already released for the “Mystery Dungeon” series, what else will this super-sized version of the game bring?


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BOSTON (CBS.MW) -- Guidant's third-quarter profit dropped because of acquisition charges, but the medical device maker on Thursday raised its full-year profit forecast amid strong defibrillator sales.
Guidant said profit, excluding a one-time charge related to a technology acquisition, was $183 million, or 58 cents per share. Analysts, on average, had expected Guidant to earn 56 cents per share, according to Reuters Research.
Guidant shares added 61 cents to $48.50.
Guidant said revenue increased 15.3 percent to $937.8 million. Analysts had been expecting revenue of $930.4 million, according to Reuters Research.
Guidant said worldwide sales of its implantable defibrillators rose 48 percent to $385 million.
For the full year, Guidant said it now expects to earn, before special items, between $2.36 per share and $2.41 per share. The company had been expected to earn $2.33 per share, according to Reuters Research.
The company has experienced some product-related difficulties recently. Guidant said last week that it is voluntarily recalling certain of its cardiovascular stents because of a manufacturing-related problem.
Guidant in June agreed to plead guilty to 10 federal felony counts and pay $92 million for failing to report problems with the device used to for abdominal aortic aneurysms. Guidant has stopped making that device, called the Ancure Endograft System.
Separately, Baxter International
Deerfield, Ill.-based Baxter had been expected to earn 48 cents per share, according to the average estimate of analysts polled by Reuters Research.
Baxter also forecast lower-than-expected 2003 profit, saying it now sees earnings between $1.65 and $1.75 per share. Analysts, on average, had expected $1.92 per share, according to Reuters Research.
Baxter shares shed 45 cents to $29.66.
Baxter said third-quarter sales were up 9 percent to $2.2 billion, which was in line with analysts' expectations.
Baxter has been struggling because of tough competition for its blood plasma products. The medical products company has a well-established business marketing plasma products, including so-called Factor VIII used in the treatment of the bleeding disorder hemophilia. But competition has put pressure on prices.
The company hopes its recently approved hemophilia treatment, Advate, will help drive growth.


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GameInformer has released a new comparison video between the 2021 and the 2020 versions of Halo Infinite’s campaign mode. GameInformer was able to play the same level that MS showcased back in E3 2020, so you can now get a glimpse at its graphical improvements.
Unfortunately, GameInformer did not do a good job of recreating the scenarios of the E3 2020 demo. The only “proper” comparison is the cut-scene at the beginning of the video. The video then turns into a playthrough of different sections between the 2021 and the 2020 versions.
To be honest, other YouTubers have done a better job at comparing the 2021 and the 2020 versions of Halo Infinite. And that’s without having any access at all to the game itself. So yeah, it’s a somehow disappointing comparison video. Still, and since some Halo Infinite fans may be interested in it, we’ve decided to share it.
Halo Infinite is coming to PC on December 8th.
John is the founder and Editor in Chief at DSOGaming. He is a PC gaming fan and highly supports the modding and indie communities. Before creating DSOGaming, John worked on numerous gaming websites. While he is a die-hard PC gamer, his gaming roots can be found on consoles. John loved – and still does – the 16-bit consoles, and considers SNES to be one of the best consoles. Still, the PC platform won him over consoles. That was mainly due to 3DFX and its iconic dedicated 3D accelerator graphics card, Voodoo 2. John has also written a higher degree thesis on the “The Evolution of PC graphics cards.”


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The March consumer credit headline was a disappointment, increasing by just $7.97 billion, on expectations of a $15.6 billion increase, with the February total revised lower to $18.14 billion. So far so bad. It gets worse when one peeks beneath the surface and finds that discretionary consumer credit in the form of credit card and other revolving loans posted its first decline of 2013, dropping by $1.7 billion, the biggest decline since December's 2.1 billion. So what rose: why debt for purchases of Government Motors and student loans of course, which increased by $9.676 billion in March. In other words: the student bubble keeps getting bigger, more and more GM cars are being bought on subprime credit, while the vast majority of Americans can't even afford to charge toilet paper purchases as the discretionary deleveraging continues.
In the last year, of the $157 billion in total debt issued, $152.6 billion, or 97.5%, is in the form of non-revolving credit. Consumer credit created? A whopping 2.5% of the total or $4 billion.
Finally, who is the primary source of all this free credit? Why Uncle Sam of course (and all US taxpayers by implication, when the student and second subprime car bubble pops of course).


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As 2015 approaches planning ahead is vital
- The survey also finds that half of business leaders are unable to describe their business objectives for the next 12 months “off the top of their head”.
- only 16% of business leaders spend the majority of their time planning for growth;
- nearly half (47%) of business leaders are not working regularly, or at all, on their business strategy;
- 36% only revisit their business plans occasionally;
- 3% don’t even have a business plan.
Business owners are unsure how to grow their business according to the report, with 44% saying that a key challenge is knowing how to grow and with 30% saying that defining a clear strategy for growth is an obstacle.
The ‘Working On Not In’ report from GrowthAccelerator shows that this is made more difficult for the business leaders who do not have enough time to step back from the day-to-day to focus on a long-term strategy.
Simon Littlewood, director at GrowthAccelerator, said: “For business leaders, knowing the best way to achieve growth is a sizeable challenge and an added pressure in changeable economic times. This, combined with the time-consuming demands of ensuring a business is running smoothly on a day-to-day basis, means looking forward with longer term planning can slip down the to-do list, but it is essential for success.”
Meanwhile, new research by digital marketing agency, Engineered Marketing, finds that the majority (64%) of UK small businesses do not have a documented marketing plan. And women in business are more likely to ‘wing it’ than their male counterparts, with 70% of women saying they did not have a marketing plan compared to just 62.2% of men.


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KH 3D at Jump Festa!
As we all know, this year’s Jump Festa convention features some hands-on looks at Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance, and with that comes a lot of new news. We have recently learned that a new trailer has officially been announced for KH 3D, featuring some rather interesting things about the upcoming title. Though the trailer has not been released to the public yet (and when it does, you can bet we’ll post it here), we do know a bit about it:
– The trailer is roughly 8 minutes long!
– Kairi, Namine, Roxas, Xion, Axel, Terra, Vanitas, DiZ, Pete, and Maleficent make appearances
– The trailer also features a new world based on the recent Disney film, Tron Legacy
– Rhyme, Joshua, Beat, and Shiki from The World Ends With You appear in the trailer
We’ve also learned that Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance has been confirmed for a March 2012 release in Japan, though the exact date has yet to be determined. This being the case, we’re probably looking at Fall 2012 for an international release, though nothing is certain.
We’ll post more news from Jump Festa as it becomes available, and be on the lookout for our follow-up article featuring the official Jump Festa Trailer when it is released some time in the near future!


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No Man's Sky creator apologises for YouTube copyright strikes, vows to get it sorted
Sony's latest YouTube copyright raid caught many honest No Man's Sky channels in its path, but creator Sean Murray has said he will sort it out.
Sony has been taking down Twitch livestreams and YouTube videos that show leaked No Man's Sky footage captured from early copies all day now.
The publisher even, bizarrely, placed copyright strikes on channels that were merely discussing the game, without actually showing any unofficial footage.
Many fans, including YouTuber Steven Thomas, whose channel is dedicated to all things No Man's Sky, were caught in this raid without having done anything wrong.
This prompted creator Sean Murray to apologise to everyone who's been falsely hit on Twitter earlier. Murray even directly mentioned Thomas and another YouTuber in his tweet, promising to "get this sorted."
really sorry @xXxCobra @StevenKThomas - we'll get this sorted
— Sean Murray (@NoMansSky) August 8, 2016
Hopefully this means Steven Thomas's channel will be back in action soon, so he could host his 24-hour charity livestream.
If you're looking for early footage (officially) yourself, Sean Murray is currently streaming the early moments of the game on Twitch.
No Man’s Sky is out on PS4 August 9 in the US, and August 10 in the UK. The PC version goes live worldwide on August 12.


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But hair loss is traumatic for many people, according to a Consumer Reports survey of more than 8,000 subscribers.
"We asked people a broad spectrum of questions as to what worked and what didn't when it came to treating pattern baldness," said Tod Marks, senior editor at Consumer Reports.
"When it came to Finasteride, 27 percent of those men we surveyed said it was very effective, and another 41 percent said it was somewhat effective. So there's more hope with Finasteride than there is with almost anything else," Marks said.
"Only four percent of those surveyed said it was very effective at treating hair loss," Marks said.
Dr. Robert Bernstein, a hair restoration specialist, says he treats many patients for baldness.
"Of the two, Propecia is a lot more effective. But we use both in many patients," said Dr. Bernstein.
And for hiding hair loss, wearing a wig or toupee won the most praise. You could also shave your head like Bruce Willis.
Losing your hair affects women, too. But Propecia isn't approved for women - and in fact, it can pose a serious danger to women of childbearing age. Experts found that women who attribute their hair loss to stress found changing their diet and exercise was relatively effective.


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LAS VEGAS (AP) - Imagine a world in which your garage door opens automatically as you pull into the driveway. The living room lights and heater turn on - perhaps the oven starts warming up, too. In the so-called "smart home," cars, appliances and other devices all have sensors and Internet connectivity to think and act for themselves, and make your life easier.
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Petco said Monday it has removed all remaining Chinese-made dog and cat treats from its website and stores nationwide because of concerns they have sickened thousands of pets and killed 1,000 dogs in the U.S. since 2007.
WASHINGTON (AP) - The first 50-state report on the latest sign-up season under President Barack Obama's health care law shows that more than 4 million people selected plans for the first time or re-enrolled in what the administration called "an encouraging start."
WASHINGTON (AP) - Impressed with an improving economy, American consumers are feeling more confident, a private survey showed.
RICHMOND (AP) - Chevron has allowed a California county agency to oversee its investigation into a refinery flare that brought large flames and steam visible for miles in the San Francisco Bay Area.
NEW YORK (AP) - White Castle is offering a vegetarian version of its famous sliders, but they're not necessarily for dieters.
PASADENA (AP) - A federal appeals court has sided with juice maker POM Wonderful in a lawsuit over another beverage company's use of the term "pom."
WASHINGTON (AP) - U.S. home prices rose in October at a slightly slower pace, as real estate sales have fallen and affordability has increasingly become a challenge for potential buyers.
BEIJING (AP) - Chinese access to Google Inc.'s email service has been blocked amid government efforts to limit or possibly ban access to the U.S. company's services, which are popular among Chinese seeking to avoid government monitoring.
WASHINGTON (AP) - Tax filing season will start on time this year despite a last-minute tax law passed by Congress, the IRS said Monday.
HONOLULU (AP) - Scammers who fraudulently advertise Hawaii rental properties have ripped off hundreds if not thousands of visitors to the state, according to Honolulu police, who say it's difficult to prosecute the con artists because most of them operate out of state.
WASHINGTON (AP) - Being uninsured in America will cost you more in 2015.
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Obama administration is on the verge of proposing long-awaited rules for commercial drone operations in U.S. skies, but key decisions on how much access to grant drones are likely to come from Congress next year.
ATLANTA (AP) - As the holiday shopping season winds down, FedEx, UPS and online retailers are using the last few days to try to avoid the problems that occurred last year when severe winter weather and a surge in late orders from shoppers caused delivery delays.
WASHINGTON (AP) - North Korea experienced sweeping and progressively worse Internet outages extending into Monday, with one computer expert saying the country's online access is "totally down." The White House and the State Department declined to say whether the U.S. government was responsible.
WASHINGTON (AP) - America's biggest tobacco companies asked a federal appeals court Monday to set aside a series of court-ordered advertisements saying they lied about the dangers of smoking.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Aiming to undercut Apple's latest hit service, Google is teaming up with three major U.S. wireless carriers to prod more people into using its mobile wallet.
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) - A royal flush led to a king-sized payout for a New Jersey man playing cards online in the state's largest-ever Internet gambling jackpot.
LOS ANGELES (AP) - How to keep the "modern" in "Modern Family" in its sixth season? Create an episode that plays out completely on a computer and in the realm of social media.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Did the National Security Agency plant spyware deep in the hard drives of thousands of computers used by foreign governments, banks and other surveillance targets around the world?
WEST SACRAMENTO - Raley's Supermarkets marked its 80th year on Sunday.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - How many remotes does it take to watch television, stream Netflix or record your favorite show on DVR?
WASHINGTON (AP) - The makers of a twice-rejected pill designed to boost sexual desire in women are hoping a yearlong lobbying push by politicians, women's groups and consumer advocates will move their much-debated drug onto the market.
MENLO PARK (AP) - Facebook is making it easier to plan for your online afterlife.
LOS ANGELES (AP) - It's early for many Americans still sloshing through winter to plan their gardens, home improvements and spring sports leagues, but stores gearing up for warmer weather are fretting that they won't have some products to sell due to a labor crisis at West Coast seaports.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Zynga Inc. (ZNGA) on Thursday reported a loss of $45.1 million in its fourth quarter.
NEW YORK (AP) - A wave of deals in the online travel industry has increasingly put some familiar names under two corporate umbrellas: Expedia and Priceline.
WASHINGTON (AP) - Pressured by Congress, the IRS said Wednesday it is changing its policies and apologizing for seizing banks accounts from otherwise law-abiding business owners simply because they structured bank transactions to avoid federal reporting requirements.
FREMONT (AP) - Electric car maker Tesla Motors' fourth-quarter loss widened to $107.6 million because of the impact of the strong dollar and a delay in shipments of its new all-wheel-drive Model S sedan.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - FireEye Inc., the high-profile computer security company called in to investigate massive hacks at Sony Pictures and Anthem, reported fourth-quarter earnings Wednesday that show its business is growing but profit so far remains elusive.


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Garrett Motion–the global differentiated technology provider–has announced an expanded distribution channel through a new agreement with Holley Performance. This strategic relationship will allow Garrett Motion to strengthen its presence to better serve the performance enthusiast’s needs, the company stated. “We are thrilled to welcome Holley Performance as an official performance distributor,” said Kari Bye of
In less than two years since listing as a public company, Switzerland-based auto parts manufacturer, Garret Motion, has voluntarily filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Following its spinoff from parent Honeywell International Inc. and the harsh impact of the Coronavirus, Garrett Motion’s bankruptcy filing will protect capital and long-term business sustainability. The company has proposed a $2.1
Garrett Motion Inc. has announced that Sean Deason has been named Chief Financial Officer (CFO). Deason will relocate to the company’s global headquarters in Switzerland. Previously, Deason was the CFO of WABCO Holdings Inc., a global supplier of advanced technologies for commercial vehicles. Deason will assume responsibilities as the principal financial officer of Garrett from
Garrett has launched a new line of turbochargers that are close to the BorgWarner EFR turbochargers – the G25 series.
Honeywell has announced its Transportation Systems business will rebrand itself “Garrett – Advancing Motion” upon successful completion of the previously announced spin off, which is expected to close before the end of the third quarter.
The company is also providing a conversion program to allow drivers to upgrade current turbos to meet new SFI specs. Building on the success of its popular drag racing turbochargers, Honeywell Turbo Technologies, through its Garrett Aftermarket Performance division, has created a range of new SFI 61.1 Spec turbochargers for use in accordance with new


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Traditionally, Black Friday—the day after Thanksgiving—is the biggest shopping day of the year. But intense competition, earlier promotions, and changing consumer shopping habits have changed the dynamic.
In-store spending on Thanksgiving and Black Friday fell 10 percent from last year, according to data from ShopperTrak. Black Friday sales were down by more than $1 billion, from $11.6 billion in 2014 to $10.4 billion this year.
Online fared better, as e-retailers tracked by Adobe Systems Inc. reported online sales increasing 14 percent from 2014, to $4.45 billion, between Thursday, Nov. 25, and Friday.
Some major retailers also received a boost from an unexpected source—China.
No, not from the thousands of Chinese tourists meandering through Macy’s Herald Square flagship store. Many U.S. retailers are establishing an online presence in China, selling and shipping American goods directly to Chinese online shoppers.
Around 60 percent of Chinese consumers shop online, compared to just over 30 percent in 2009, according to the most recent data from Statista. A recent Nielsen study found that Chinese online shoppers are willing to spend significantly more on cross-border purchases than domestically, especially “affluent and well-educated young people.”
U.S. retailers are wasting no time to take advantage. A group of U.S. retail firms partnered with Chinese online payment systems to allow Chinese shoppers to order goods from abroad directly. Retailers Gap and Gilt partnered with Alibaba Group’s AliPay ePass online payment system, while American department stores Bloomingdale’s, Macy’s, and Saks Fifth Avenue have signed up with Borderfree to localize their online shopping portals.
Some companies listed directly on Chinese websites. Over the summer, Macy’s became the first U.S. department store to set up an online storefront on Tmall, Alibaba’s popular online shopping website.
Luxury flash sale site Gilt enlisted Alipay to attract Chinese shoppers, adding several additional new services specifically for China customers.
Impetus to Shop Abroad
Online shopping traditionally has been a self-contained affair due to customs, currency complexities, tariffs, and expensive and slow shipping. But according to a recent survey by Alibaba’s Taobao that has studied Chinese online shopping trends since 2005, the number of countries and regions with online shops selling goods directly to China has increased drastically over the last 10 years.
The electronic border between China and the rest of the world has been blurring in recent years through international partnerships. Both Alibaba and JD.com built global platforms allowing foreign online shops to ship to consumers in China, while the Chinese government has set up certain warehouse zones in Shanghai, Hangzhou, and Guangzhou for faster processing and lower taxes.
Top categories of goods shipping to China include cosmetics and skin care products. In recent years, niche and hard-to-find products such as local food specialties and wines have also been popular.
The biggest impetus for Chinese shoppers ordering goods abroad is concerns about quality and counterfeit products from domestic vendors. A recent official Chinese survey found that almost 40 percent of products sold online in China were either counterfeit or of subpar quality.
Alibaba itself faced lawsuits from luxury goods companies that said its platforms condone sales of counterfeit goods, though in recent years the company said it stepped up the policing of such misbehavior. This is also a major driver for affluent Chinese shoppers moving from Alibaba’s Taobao—which sells goods from smaller retailers—to Tmall, which hosts online storefronts set up by brands directly.
Online Retail Optimism
While economists believe China’s actual economic growth figures remain far lower than official estimates, one pocket of optimism lies in the consumer sector, especially for online shopping.
Consulting firm McKinsey’s September 2015 E-Commerce Sentiment Survey sought to study the attitudes of 1,200 Chinese consumers in the aftermath of the summer stock market correction that saw many Chinese stocks lose a third of their value. They were asked how they feel about the economy and how their purchasing decisions might be affected by stock market gyrations.
“For some segments of Chinese consumers, the recent economic turmoil appears to have had little impact,” McKinsey said.
“Heavy online shoppers, people in their 30s, and consumers living in Tier-1 cities are among the most optimistic: approximately 10 percent more consumers in these groups said they are confident about where the economy is heading and appear less jittery about the prospect of an economic slowdown in the immediate future.”
Alibaba said it sold products worth more than 91 billion yuan ($14 billion) on Nov. 11, China’s “Cyber Monday” festival, its busiest online shopping day of the year. While Alibaba’s 2015 sales on the day were 50 percent higher than last year, heavier discounts and promotions were in place this year.


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XPEL Senior Vice President Moreau to RetireOctober 18th, 2023 by Casey Flores
After more than eight years with XPEL, Mat Moreau, senior vice president of sales and product, will retire from the company, effective October 31.
According to an SEC filing, “Mr. Moreau’s departure is not the result of any material disagreement with the company regarding its operations, policies, or practices.”
The company does not plan to fill Mr. Moreau’s position at this time.


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Facebook will start letting advertisers bid on ad placements in real time, Bloomberg reports, tapping into a new source of revenue for the social network. Real-time ad bidding, where advertisers place ads based on a viewer’s browser history, is a technique that advertisers are familiar with. Google has been using the method for some years now, but this is Facebook’s first pop at it. The new “Facebook Exchange” will roll out in the next few weeks with eight firms on board at the start. Advertisers will be able to target Facebookers using a combination of their own user data and data from third parties. Since going public, Facebook has been under pressure to demonstrate new ways to make money. Taking a page out of Google’s book, this is one step in that direction.
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US electric vehicle startup Rivian has just begun delivering the first versions of its R1T pickup truck to customers. Like many startups in the EV field, Rivian has decided to list as a public company to raise finances as it ramps up its production and supply network. Unlike EV players including Polestar, QuantumScape or ChargePoint that all opted to list via a special purpose acquisition company (Spac), Rivian has sought its own IPO. This obliges the company to submit documents to the SEC with financial information and details of its business model.
The latter revelation is particularly interesting, as pointed out in MotorTrend, because Rivian believes it can earn up to $15,500 per vehicle through baked-in subscription services over a ten-year period. This would mirror a trend towards subscription over ownership that’s already emerging in the auto industry, and has already become common elsewhere, particularly in the entertainment industry.
Rivian’s proposed subscription services break down as $10,000 over the decade for semi-autonomous driving capabilities or around $83 per month. Rivian states that it will offer a level 3 autonomous system in its models, enabling owners to take their eyes off the road in certain scenarios while the vehicle handles the driving task. In addition, Rivian expects to be able to earn $5,500 over the decade via additional services including infotainment, connectivity and diagnostic features – that would equate to roughly $46 per month.
Subscription services have already begun to spring up across the auto industry. Notably, Tesla’s level 2 Full Self-Driving option can be purchased on its own for $10,000, or can be subscribed to for $199 per month ($99 for buyers that selected the company’s now-discontinued Enhanced Autopilot option).
General Motors also offers its level 2 autonomous system, Super Cruise, as a $25-per-month subscription service. GM plans to roll out a more advanced version of this system called Ultra Cruise from 2023 on certain high-end models, claiming it will eventually cover 95% of all driving scenarios. Ultra Cruise’s monthly cost is likely to be significantly higher than Super Cruise.
Subscription services are tempting for automotive OEMs because they represent a continued source of income long after they build a vehicle in the first place. It also expands the earning potential for automakers beyond the vehicle’s first owner, allowing them to sell services to subsequent owners throughout a vehicle’s lifetime.
What remains to be seen, however, is how customers will respond to subscription services being built in from the factory. Automakers and service providers must demonstrate that these subscription services add strong additional value to the vehicle, with many appearing to be lining up semi-autonomous driving features as the main selling point. In addition, they must convince buyers that these services should be considered as software purchases – akin to an app or a computer program – because buyers are more familiar with the concept of paying for a license to use software, than they are with the idea of subscribing to a hardware-based vehicle feature.
There is a risk that customers might reject the subscription approach as automakers begin to put more services behind paywalls. Many vehicle buyers are committed to the idea that they own the vehicle once they purchase it, and may resent the fact they automaker equips that vehicle with the hardware needed for semi-autonomous driving, for example, but simply deactivates it via software until the customer pays the mandated fee to unlock it.


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The E2E Profit 100 profiles the companies who have flourished and continued to grow, despite the challenging economy and rapidly changing business environment.
The list features companies across a wide range of industries, including finance, technology, energy, manufacturing and steel. The profit growth figures are not just respectable, but at the top end of the list recorded at nearly 5000%.
The theme that has evolved for the top-performing businesses is the ability to respond to change and a belief in giving superb service to customers. Given the economy, inflation rates and rapidly rising interest rates, increasing profit is a challenge, even for the most well-established businesses. While well-known brand names are disappearing, it’s a testament to the companies that have been listed that they are flourishing despite the odds.
The companies featured in the E2E Profit 100 include:
American Golf who are a leading UK and European golf retailer providing in-store support and a strong online presence delivering a range of golfing products for all ages.
Waterstones, which employs more than 3,000 superb booksellers across more than 280 bookshops, and has cemented itself as one of the greatest booksellers with strong high street presence and plans for further expansion.
Utilita Energy’s mission is to support the people who need it most. Their watchword is ‘fairness’ and with 20 years of experience, they are focused on delivering a flexible service that is good for people’s budgets and good for the planet.
Other industries represented feature automotive, healthcare, property, recruitment and construction, demonstrating that there is no defining industry where profits are being made. In most cases, success can be attributed to businesses using technology in partnership with excellent customer service and the willingness to flex to changing market needs.
The E2E Profit 100 is the sixth and final success track to be revealed this year. The first was the E2E Female 100 in March, followed by the E2E Tech 100 in April, the E2E International 100 in May, the E2E Job Creation 100 in July and the E2E Dynamic 100 in September.
Shalini Khemka CBE, Chief Executive of E2E and the inspiration behind the 100 tracks, said: “ The companies featured on the track are an inspiration to UK business. Despite turbulent times both in the UK and globally, the companies featured have generated a profit consistently. The six tracks we’ve featured in The Independent this year have highlighted the driving force of the UK economy: our scale-up entrepreneurs. Every single company featured this year has performed outstandingly, and it has been our privilege to highlight their exceptional work.”
All the E2E 100 tracks are compiled with data drawn from independent research carried out by Go Live Data and Experian.
The launch will be celebrated at the House of Lords with a celebrated list of guests as well as representatives of many of the companies that feature in the Profit 100.
See the full E2E Profit 100 here.
The Mention Sources Can Contact is to remove/Changing this articles


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Lots of happy news today, Rilakkuma lovers!
A special Wonderland cake is out, its pudding flavored with caramel inside. Our favorite Rila-friendly retailers like Ito Yokado and Lawson will stock them ^^ it looks like a food version of the Umeda 2012 anniversary plushie! ^.-
Speaking of food, how would you like to dine at Rilakkuma cafe? Harajuku will host a basement level, Rila-decorated cafe for about 6 weeks (until mid September) they anticipate long waits to get in..I will check it out and post pics if I can go!
We fiiiinally get the new Rilakkuma lottery! As usual, 500 yen for a ticket ^^
Last but not least, san-x has released the Aloha playset in the net shop! Nice chance for those of us who didn’t pre-order before!


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According to the security firm Sophos, cyber criminals are exploiting the Google+ brand and sending out bogus Google+ invitations. The false Google+ Invitation looks exactly like the real Google+ Invite, but by clicking on it, the links leads to a pharmacy website set up to sell the likes of Viagra, Cialis and Levitra to the unwary.
Google announced its social networking site Google+ on Jun 28, but limited its access. Google sent out access to a limited group as the new platform is on trial mode. But, some of the users who granted the access found bugs to send more invites to their friends. Click to read more on Google+.
Anyhow, Google was working on the bugs and it seems like it has fixed some of the loopholes for sending more invitations. Google+ offers brand new features including live video chat and more security features. Read Google+ Tips & Tricks.
Google+ was Google's latest tool to beat the Facebook, which controls the social networking market with nearly 700 million active users. Google is planning to launch the public version of Google+ in near future. Read Google+ review here.
Google+ is Google's third dive to social networking market after the break down of Orkut, Buzz and Wave. Even though Orkut still maintains around 100 million users, it's future is in dilemma. Interestingly, let's wait and see what Google will decide on multiple social networking platform.


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This afternoon the Food and Drug Administration gave its official approval of food coming from cloned animals and their offspring. In its final report, totaling nearly 1,000 pages, the agency stated that it had taken all moral, religious and scientific factors into account, and concluded that food from cloned animals is just as safe as food coming from ordinary animals.
There are currently 600 or so cloned animals in the United States, and officials note it may be several years before milk or meat from cloned animals even is ready for the consumer market. Because they’re so expensive to produce, most of them right now are only used for breeding purposes.
“Many farmers and ranchers are already using other assisted reproductive technologies, such as artificial insemination, embryo transplant, and in-vitro fertilization to produce superior animals,” said Bruce Knight, under secretary for marketing and regulatory programs with the USDA, which supported the FDA in its announcement. “Cloning is another breeding technology that has evolved and has now been demonstrated to be safe.”
Let's see how consumers demonstrate their support.


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NVIDIA (NVDA) Working to Abandon $40 Billion Arm Takeover - Bloomberg
- Wall Street ends lower as Cisco and Apple sink
- A Recession Could Push S&P 500 to 3360 - Goldman Sachs
- Palo Alto Networks Shares Surge 11% on Q3 Earnings Beat and Raise
- Twitter (TWTR) Says Musk Deal Not 'On-Hold', Won't Renegotiate Price
- After-Hours Stock Movers 05/19: Palo Alto Ramps on Strong Results; Ross Stores Plunges (more...)
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Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) is “quietly” preparing to abandon its takeover of Arm after the tech giant barely made any progress in obtaining approval for the $40 billion acquisition, according to the report by Bloomberg, citing sources familiar with the matter. Nvidia is not being optimistic about closing the deal, the report adds. Softbank Group (OTC: SFTBY), the owner of Arm, is reportedly making preparations for Arm’s initial public offering (IPO) as the deal with Nvidia is unlikely to happen.
If the deal goes through, the takeover of Arm would be the largest semiconductor transaction ever. Quickly after its announcement in September 2020, regulators and the chip industry voiced their criticism regarding the deal, while the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) sued to stop the takeover in December, arguing Nvidia would gain too much power in the market if it owned Arm’s chip designs.
Regulators in China are also opposing the deal and are likely to block the deal if it wins approval in other regions, said one of the sources.
Even though the deal is currently looking unlikely, no final decisions have been made yet. Nvidia and Arm continue their talks with regulators about the deal, with both companies remaining publicly committed to the deal.
“We continue to hold the views expressed in detail in our latest regulatory filings -- that this transaction provides an opportunity to accelerate Arm and boost competition and innovation,” Bob Sherbin, Nvidia spokesman, told Bloomberg.
“We remain hopeful that the transaction will be approved,” a SoftBank spokesperson commented.
Nvidia is already the biggest U.S. company in the chip industry, with a market cap of nearly $585 billion. Closing the deal with Arm would mark another significant triumph for the semiconductor giant.
Multiple tech giants including Microsoft, Amazon, Intel, and Qualcomm are opposing the deal, and have provided global regulators with information that they believe is enough to block the deal.
By Senad Karaahmetovic | [email protected]
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Paying taxes with BTC could be done with the technology of the Binance exchange.
It is the first city in Latin America, after El Salvador, to formalize this initiative.
The city of Rio de Janeiro has promised to accept bitcoin (BTC) and cryptocurrencies for the payment of taxes, through an alliance with the Binance exchange.
As announced by Changpen Zhao, CEO of Binance, and seconded by Eduardo Paesmayor of Rio de Janeiro, the city will receive taxes in BTC and other cryptocurrencies. In line with this initiative, Zhao indicated that Binance would open a commercial office in Rio de Janeiro.
According to the official statement from the mayor of Rio de Janeiro, bitcoin and cryptocurrencies could be regulated beyond the payment of taxes to other public services, as well as contemplating the use of non-fungible tokens (NFT) in cultural activities.
“We will stimulate the circulation of cryptocurrencies, integrating them in the payment of taxes, as in the case of IPTU [Impuesto sobre Propiedad y Terrenos Urbanos]and, in the future, this may be extended to services such as taxi rides, for example.
Going further, we will use these crypto assets to stimulate the arts, culture and tourism, through NFTs, and create a strong and responsible governance policy to evaluate the realization of crypto investments.”
Pedro Paulo, secretary of the mayor’s office of Rio de Janeiro
Although not specified, it is likely that they use a service developed by Binance, or other companies in the industry, both for receiving payments and converting them to the national currency, the Brazilian real.
Chicão Bulhões, Secretary of Economic Development of Rio de Janeiro, stated that they want to develop an ecosystem of cryptocurrency companies in the city, according to the official statement.
“We want to transform Rio into the country’s technology and innovation capital. With this step, we remain at the forefront and show the world that the city is open to investments in the sector. In addition to already having a solid ecosystem in the field of cryptocurrencies, the city has great potential to grow even more, due to the large number of universities and research centers installed here.
The cryptocurrency universe is another important segment with great potential to further develop Rio’s economy in this area of innovation and technology.”
Chicão Bulhões, Secretary of Economic Development of Rio de Janeiro.
For his part, local deputy Pedro Paulo confirmed on Twitter than paying taxes with cryptocurrencies in Rio de Janeiro will start in 2023. He also pointed out that the municipality is studying the possibility of investing in cryptoactive funds.
In January of this year, the mayor of Rio de Janeiro had already assured 1% of the mayor’s treasury would be in BTC, and even announced that he would launch his own cryptocurrency called RioCoin, CriptoNoticias reported.
On that occasion, he even spoke with Francis Suárez, his peer in the city of Miami, USA, who has also been enormously interested in Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies. In fact, in Miami there is also a proposal to accept taxes in Bitcoin.
More cities join the adoption of Bitcoin
Similarly, other initiatives seek to bring bitcoin and cryptocurrencies to various parts of Latin America. Such is the case of the municipality of Ilopango, in El Salvador, where the local mayor is encouraging people to pay their taxes through Chivo, the bitcoin wallet developed by the national government of that country.
The declaration of Bitcoin as legal tender in El Salvador, the announcement of the construction of Bitcoin City in that country, and the success story of the town of El Zonte as an example of the adoption of Bitcoin, in turn inspire other citadels in Costa Rica, Guatemala, Ecuador, Brazil other countries in the region, where various communities integrate this cryptocurrency as part of their economy.


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Cadbury delivered stocks of Creme Eggs in the last week of December to selected retailers. A new TV campaign, comprising four different ads called Goo Dares Wins kicked off on New Year's Day.
The confectioner also launched a website where people can sign up to take dares, linking up to Cadbury's ongoing Spots V Stripes Olympic tie-up.
Cadbury said it intended the marketing support to lead to Creme Egg sales at Easter beating last year's increase of 6.2% to £48.9m [IRI 12w/e 24 April 2010].
"Cadbury Creme Eggs are one of the UK's favourite pieces of confectionery and we think they could possibly also be the biggest-selling if they were on sale all year round," claimed Tesco seasonal confectionery buyer James Waugh.
Cadbury Easter brand manager Kate Knight said the company rejected the idea of selling the eggs all year round "because of the excitement created by their limited availability".
Cadbury introduced Twisted bars in 2008 as an all-year solution.


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NEW DELHI: German luxury car maker Audi today launched its new sedan A3 priced between Rs 22.95 lakh and Rs 32.66 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi).
The company is betting big on the new model to stretch its leadership in the Indian market and is targeting a new segment of the compact luxury sedan besides tapping repeat buyers.
"We think this is the right product for self driven, young customers in urban environment. Besides, we are also looking to those existing Audi customers who are looking for second car with the A3. We expect 15 per cent of our total sales to come from this model," Audi India Head Joe King told .
He said the A3 is expected to join the compact SUV Q3, sedans A4 and A6 as the company's growth drivers in India. The A3 is available in both petrol and diesel variants.
The petrol variant powered by a 1.8-litre engine will come at a price of Rs 28.95 lakh.
The diesel version of the A3 with a 2-litre engine comes in four variants priced at Rs 22.95 lakh, Rs 25.95 lakh, Rs 29.95 lakh and Rs 32.66 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi).
Commenting on sales growth, King said: "As expected in the first half of the year, the industry growth was flat but we expect sales to pick up in the second half. As for Audi we are looking at double digit growth this year, which will be another record year for us."
In 2013, Audi sold 10,002 units in India, becoming the first luxury car maker to cross the 10,000-unit milestone and stay as the number one ahead of German rivals Mercedes (9,003 units) and BMW (7,327 units).
In India, the luxury car market has seen the likes of hatchbacks A Class and B Class from Mercedes and 1 Series from BMW that has improved the affordability range with prices starting just above Rs 20 lakh.
Betting big on the A3, Audi India has already started local production of the model from VW group firm Skoda's Aurangabad plant.
The A3 is the first model from the Audi stable to be locally produced before being launched in India. Other models, such as sedans A6 and A4; SUVs Q5, Q7 and Q3 which are locally produced now were imported as completely built units (CBUs) at the time of launch.
King said the local production of the Audi A3 Sedan in India is continuation of the company's growth strategy and consistent focus on the Indian market.
When asked if this strategy would be continued with other future products, he said: "That's something we will consider as we expand our product portfolio here in India."
The annual capacity at the plant for all Audi models is more than 14,000 units in a one-shift operation.
Copyright © 2009 - 2024 Franchise India Holdings Ltd


text: By substantial majorities, the Vermont legislature recently passed a bill to require labels on “genetically modified” foods. Gov. Peter Shumlin signed it into law on Thursday. Everyone paying attention expects a lawsuit (which VT is certain to lose). What is this all about? Spoiler alert: It’s not about safety, it’s not about choice, and it’s not about transparency. It’s about special interests abusing the power of the state to promote their ideology at the expense of safe food, more sustainable agriculture and lower prices. It should first be noted that all food, produced by whatever method, is genetically modified by any definition that respects the facts of nature. Genetic modification is the essential and unavoidable foundation of life, and all the techniques biotechnologists use are derived directly from what we find happening everywhere in nature. Given this, the overbroad definition of “genetic modification” enshrined in the bill will make enforcement difficult, to say the least, and is even less scientifically sound than those laws decreeing pi to be 3.00 to secure the compelling state interest in making geometry calculations more convenient. Second, there is an overwhelming global scientific consensus on the safety of biotech improved crops and foods. This consensus is reflected in numerous examples, including the fact that the European Union has spent more than 300 million Euros over 25 years on 131 studies involving more than 400 research groups, leading them to conclude “the use of more precise technology and the greater regulatory scrutiny probably make [GM foods] even safer than conventional plants and foods.” Despite this, some continue to claim this or that scientific study has found a specific safety issue with GMOs, or even go so far to argue that anti-GMO findings have been censored. But these advocates fail to recognize that numerous studies, both pro- and con-GMO, have been rigorously reviewed by the scientific community, with nearly all claiming a safety issue being rejected or ignored because of multiple failures in experimental design and analysis. Indeed, the most widely cited such paper was actually retracted by the publisher, after being repudiated by every competent scientific and regulatory body around the world. Failed by the science, GMO labeling proponents have turned to the claim that labels are required to secure a “right to choose.” But freedom to choose is already secured through multiple paths. The USDA Organic label prohibits the use of biotechnology in organic production, and the NonGMO Project provides similar assurances. There is even a smartphone app that allows consumers to scan a product bar code in the grocery store aisle to learn if it includes GM ingredients or not. So an additional label mandated by the state would add little to consumer choice and provide no additional information to the public that is not already available from a variety of sources. In the end, every other argument having failed, the claim becomes one of “a right to know.” Because who could possibly object to giving consumers information? But, despite claims to the contrary, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has had that covered for years. Government regulations already require that if a food produced through “genetic modification” (or any other production method) has been changed in any way relevant to health, safety, or nutrition, that it must be indicated on the label. But the FDA goes a step further than Vermont by requiring that food labels be “accurate, informative, and not misleading.” Furthermore, FDA has found that since genetic modification in and of itself does not impact the safety or nutrition of a food, labels specifically designed to denote genetic modification are unnecessary. And herein lies an important point. Biotech opponents have failed to ban GMOs outright and failed to get national labels through FDA, so now they are turning to state campaigns to attack GM foods. The Vermont legislation is not a locally grown product. It’s part of a nationwide campaign to push similar legislation in states across the nation. Leaders of this effort have been very clear about their true objectives. Andrew Kimbrell of the marvelously misnamed Center for Food Safety has said, “We are going to force them to label this food. If we have it labeled, then we can organize people not to buy it.” Jeffrey Smith, of the equally misleading Institute for Responsible Technology, has stated, “By avoiding GMOs, you contribute to the tipping point of consumer rejection, forcing them out of our food supply.” And the Organic Consumers Association’s Ronnie Cummins says,“The burning question for all of us then becomes how – and how quickly – can we move healthy, organic products from a 4.2 percent market niche to the dominant force in American food and farming? The first step is to change our labeling laws.” These ideologues also believe that labeling will make it easier to bully food manufacturing companies into avoiding GM ingredients. And the sponsors of the VT legislation have openly embraced this cynical approach. In other words, the Vermont legislation is nothing but an extension of the fear-based marketing campaign that has driven the growth of organic foods. It is not a reasoned policy effort to improve consumer knowledge or safety. It’s easy for these folks to be for organic foods but also easy for them to forget that organic foods are largely a luxury item that upper-income Americans might consume but most working Americans do not, for the simple reason that organic foods cost between 20 and 100 percent more than non-organics. It is why upscale stores like Whole Foods are almost all located in the wealthiest of neighborhoods. To protect the environmental benefits, food abundance and lower prices that have been delivered by seeds and crops improved through biotechnology, policymakers need to reject this special-interest rent-seeking and roll back the attempts to pass Vermont-style bills in additional states, as both The New York Times and Los Angeles Times have urged, and FDA’s commissioner has recently reaffirmed. This will be the best way to truly protect food safety and actual consumer choice.


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Port Harcourt – Dr. Chukwuemeka Oluoha, Executive Director, Abia Primary Healthcare Development Agency, has said that the proposed ban of the packaging of sachet water in cellophane was in the interest of public health.
Oluoha in Port Harcourt on Tuesday said that the plastic material used in packaging pure water was not good for products meant for consumption.
He said when a plastic material was exposed to high temperatures it dissolved gradually and released potentially dangerous cancer causing substances, called oxidants.
“The public, subsequently, drinks these without knowing because it is not seen,“ Oluoha said. He said that the pure water sachets affected the environment because of they were non-bio-degradable materials.
“Besides, pure water sachets are not well disposed of in our environment and left unattended, they accumulate because they are not bio-degradable.
“This causes environmental nuisance and because it traps water, this can interfere with long-term fertility of the soil,“ the health director said.
Oluoha commended the government for the proposed ban but urged it to develop an alternative packaging with non-cellophane biodegradable properties.
“Before embarking on the ban, government should develop an alternative packaging so that the pure water producers will remain in business,’’ he said. Also Miss Uche Okekearu, a Pharmacologist, said that although pure water business had helped greatly, in the creation of jobs, public health should not be compromised.
“Sometimes, when you drink pure water, it has a terrible taste which is caused by the place it is kept; if stored in a food fridge or smelly fridge, it will have foul taste.
“If you store a pure water bag on bare floor, the ones at the base of the bag will have odour with bad taste and the way the package is presented can cause water borne diseases.
“This is because, if the seller’s hand is dirty, the buyer is bound to drink in such dirt while sucking in the water; all sides of the pure water packaging are exposed to dirt,“ she said. Mr Maurice Okon, a pure water seller, said that every government policy should have the interest of the citizen at heart.
Okon said that he was not against the ban but that the government should develop an alternative that would be simple and affordable for the producers to remain in business.
“As we are talking about health, we are also talking about security and life; these people in pure water business are not criminals and most of them are employers of labour.
“Government should be careful not to turn them into something else in their quest for survival since a healthy person can become sick due to insecurity or die due to crime,“ he said. (NAN)