Akzo Nobel India has informed that its Dutch parent Akzo Nobel NV is conducting a strategic review of its portfolio to redeploy capital towards growing its core coatings businesses. The initial focus will be on its decorative paints business in South Asia and various strategic options will be explored ranging from partnerships or joint ventures through to mergers or divestments.

Inter IKEA reported a 5.3% drop in annual sales, partly due to price cuts with lower raw material costs. As inflation impacts spending, more people are expected to host at home this holiday season. More price reductions are planned for 2025 by Inter IKEA starting from September 1st.

Tupperware Brands has been granted approval to sell its assets to its lenders, enabling the company to exit bankruptcy. Unable to find a buyer to pay off its $818 million debt, Tupperware will transfer its brand name and key assets to investment firms Stonehill Capital Management Partners and Alden Global Capital. The company plans a digital-first, asset-light business model post-bankruptcy.

Britannia Industries reported a 10% drop in profit for the quarter ended September as surging housing costs and low income growth in urban areas led to a slowdown in demand for fast-moving consumer goods. While rural demand has been stable, urban demand has seen a significant downturn, mirroring global trends of consumer confidence returning but wages lagging behind inflation.

Despite severe air pollution in Indian cities, particularly in Delhi-NCR, the market for air purifiers and anti-pollution personal care products remains small. Consumers perceive limited tangible benefits and sales spike only during peak pollution periods. While some growth occurs after Diwali, the overall market remains stagnant, with some companies exiting or scaling back operations.

Indians purchased 220 tonnes of silver during this year's Dhanteras-Diwali. This is the highest amount in two decades. The surge in silver sales is attributed to its rising prices and its appeal as a safe-haven asset. Gold sales, however, declined by 15% this year. Experts predict silver prices will continue to rise.

L'Oreal's third quarter sales rose by 3.4% but missed expectations due to low consumer confidence in China. North Asia sales declined 6.5%. Reduced demand for suncare and dermatological products also slowed growth. Chief Executive Nicolas Hieronimus highlighted the need to excite consumers with new innovations, especially targeting young GenZs.

Benji Gonzalez Social Media BENJI GONZALEZ is a designer and creator based in Southern California. His creative journey began at John F. Kennedy High School (La Palma) where he was […]

On October 13 and 14, Netflix deleted nearly its entire library of Palestinian films and films about Palestinians. Thousands of people on social media have criticized Netflix for removing these films. Netflix claims there was no agenda behind the move and that the collection of films was licensed in 2021 for three years, and the licenses have expired. Meanwhile, over 30 organizations are calling on Netflix to reinstate the content and for a boycott of the streaming giant.

Don't know about you, but I had a pretty rough week so I'm indulging myself with Jinjer and Spiritbox, starting with one of the greatest collabs of the current millenium: Spiritbox - Circle With Me ft. Tatiana Shmayluk of Jinjer

Megan Thee Stallion - TYG (feat. Spiritbox) Jinjer - Who Is Gonna Be The One - Live Spiritbox - The Mara Effect - live Jinjer - Pisces - Live Spiritbox - The Mara Effect - live Jinjer - Just Another We will return to more varied programming next week, probably.

How do women who mud wrestle or take regular mud baths (esp. naked, say at a spa) avoid getting mud in their, er, orifices—or do they avoid it? Would tampons be useful in preventing such an occurrence? Or is that even necessary?

And if mud is allowed into the vagina or anus, does that lead to an increased incidence of infection (whether by yeast or bacteria)? How would one go about (or, ladies, how have you gone about) preventing such resultant infections? And do spas have problems with the transmission of such infections in their mud baths?

I've found an abstract from a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association that found a greater incidence of pustular follicular dermatitis outbreaks among mud-wrestling college students (no joke) at the University of Washington in Seattle—but that doesn't speak to the question of vaginal, anal or urethral irritation stemming from prolonged mud exposure.

(And yes, this is a serious question, I promise—the topic came up during a conversation I was party to a while back about, well, vaginal irritation/infections. Fun stuff, huh?)

In a place where an act as simple as reading the Quran can be an act of defiance, the Taliban has banned women from hearing other women's voices in its latest attempt to impose their version of Islamic law on Afghanistan, including mandating that women refrain from performing Takbir—an Islamic expression of faith—and from reciting the Quran aloud, even in the presence of other women.

The UN and Amnesty have stated that the oppression of Afghan women, made prisoners in their homes, unable to speak, has erased women from all spheres of life. Girls born in the 20 years free of Taliban rule went to school and learned of their mothers' experience of repression, only to lose the ability to attend school with the Taliban's return in 2021. Women lost their ability to work, learn, travel alone, or receive healthcare and became "faceless, voiceless shadows" in a brutal apartheid against women.

What makes the Taliban's ideology so uniquely repressive of women?

"What sets the Taliban apart from other Islamic groups," Moheq added, "are the tribal codes of Afghanistan also embedded in the Taliban's ideology." A fundamental part of the tribal codes is defining a narrow place for women: They exists as the property of men and for the honor of men. For example, Moheq explained, "the rape of a woman is not seen as wrong because she was raped, but because she represents the honor of a man," and that is what was violated.

The Taliban's ideology was strong enough to draw manpower from the country's tribal areas for long enough to outlast the United States and the Western-backed government in Kabul. In return, as the primary manpower of the Taliban comes from tribal areas of the country, they further reinforce the Taliban's conservative culture, including the continued exclusion of women.

Among more than 7,500 Afghans living in the country with access to mobile and internet services, the survey found, 66% said they agreed or strongly agreed that human rights for women were a top priority for the future of Afghanistan. Nearly half, or 45% of those, strongly supported the Taliban's control of the country.

Audity Music, LLC is seeking strong pop and R&B music for the Korean pop music market. Audity has close relationships with the major record labels and music publishers in Korea, including S.M. Entertainment, JYP, YG. We receive high value and exclusive leads in the Korean market and have direct access to top A&Rs and decision-makers. If we like your song(s), they will make it to the right hands.

We are pitching music currently for urgent projects, including Girls Generation, SHINee, EXO, f(x), Lee Hi, Taeyeon, Taemin, Super Junior and many more. We offer prime access to these opportunities for our writers and producers as well as co-write opportunities with writers and producers with previous success in the K-pop market.

Please note: Although this DropBox will remain open for a while, we have urgent song leads monthly, so please do not hesitate to submit.

Audity Music, LLC is a progressive and forward-thinking songwriting/production, music publishing, music management and music consulting company. We currently operate out of Los Angeles, California, Tokyo, Japan, and Seoul, South Korea.

Audity Music, LLC is seeking strong pop and R&B-leaning music for the J-Pop music market. Japanese is the second largest music market in the world, and not far behind America in terms of annual revenue. It is a unique and complex market that Audity has been able to explore thanks to our having been on the ground living there and in neighboring Korea. Audity has close relationships with the major record labels and music publishers in Japan, including AVEX, Sony, Fuji Pacific, and others. We receive high value and not easily accessible leads in the Japanese market and have direct access to top A&Rs and decision-makers. If we like your song(s), they will make it to the right hands.

We are pitching music currently for major projects in Japan. We offer prime access to these opportunities for our writers and producers as well as co-write opportunities with writers and producers with previous and current success in the J-pop market. Also, for the right writers/producers with the right credentials and talent, we have access to the largest J-Pop camp in the world which takes place in Sweden. We are looking to hear the best of the best in pop music. And, we are looking to hear your grasp of the J-Pop sound, which many Western writers find difficult to achieve. If you have undeniable Western pop music, it can be adapted for the J-Pop market. So, please just send your best! If we like it, we can discuss next steps and also help you develop your "J-Pop ear".

Note: Although this DropBox will remain open for a while, we have song leads monthly, so do not hesitate to submit through Music Xray. Please do not contact Audity Music directly.

Audity Music, LLC is a progressive and forward-thinking songwriting/production, music publishing, music management and music consulting company. We currently operate out of Los Angeles, California, Tokyo, Japan, and Seoul, South Korea.

Seeking anthemic female vocal pop songs. Tracks with a drive, energy, epic chorus - think Florence, Goldfrapp, Adele, Feist, Lorde, Sia, HAIM.

The songs must be 100% owned by the writer/writers. Pop-Up Music is a PRS registered music library and publisher located in London. We pride ourselves in providing undiscovered music and bespoke music for advertising, film, TV, gaming and corporate. We look forward to your submissions - many thanks.

- Mark Garfield / Pop-Up Music Uk Limited

Deal Type: Catalog Inclusion
Decision Maker: We are the final decision maker
Deal Structure: Non-Exclusive
Compensation: $500+ / TBD based on placement
Song Quality: Fully mastered, Broadcast ready
Similar Sounding Artists: Florence , Goldfrapp , Adele, Feist, Lorde, Sia, HAIM

We are seeking indie rock/pop female vocal songs. A good reference would be in the style of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Big powerful vocals with 'that something really special' quality.

The songs must be 100% owned by the writer/writers.

Pop-Up Music is a PRS registered music library and publisher located in London. We pride ourselves in providing undiscovered music and bespoke music for advertising, film, TV, gaming and corporate.

Thanks, Pop-Up Music.

Deal Type: Catalog Inclusion
Decision Maker: I'm the final decision maker
Deal Structure: Non-Exclusive
Compensation: Negotiable
Song Quality: Rough Mixes, Fully mastered, Broadcast ready
Similar Sounding Artists: Yeah Yeah Yeahs

In this week’s lesson, when Jesus arrives in Jerusalem, He has a series of six controversies with the religious leaders. The religious leaders come to confront, confound, and defeat Jesus, but they never succeed. Part of this week’s lesson will include analyzing just what it is that brings people into opposition to God and consideration of what Christians can do to break through prejudice and speak to the hearts of those resisting the Spirit’s call.

In our triumphant return to posting podcasts at the turn of the month, Jess and I talk about time management and reminders, complicated conversational dynamics, the assassination of JFK (but only very briefly), and a bunch of somewhat more MetaFilter-centric things. We time-managed our way up to about 93 minutes. Also I play a euphonium.

Helpful Links

Podcast Feed
Subscribe with iTunes
Direct mp3 download

Misc
- talkin' about fake cash which led to an old MeFi post
- Chicken in the Corn
- hey it's cranberry jelly
- twitter discussion about trauma dumping
- CALENDRICAL
- jessamyn did some filing

Jobs
- Greasemonkey (or other) script to enable downloads by jessamyn
- Shop at arch salvage store in Portland, OR for me by arnicae
- Full Stack Developer by jchan

Projects
- Skittish, a playful space for online events by waxpancake
- The Fucking Bible (warning: 7.5 MB) by ignignokt
- The Stick Princess by Peach
- I finally got my Murder Ballads book back into print! by Paul Slade
- Princess Unlimited by yankeefog
- "How to Sous Vide," a helpful cookbook by veggieboy
- Formula Non (2009 - 2019) An Alternative F1 Photo Project by lawrencium

MetaFilter
- "The real Pacific Princess had a crew of 373, rather than 6" by jessamyn
- a comment by cortex
- a fluegelhorn is probably not a fluegelhorn, and vice versa by cortex
- Film shows McD's trained new staff in proper use of Vulcan death pinch by not_on_display
- Islands in the Stream by dorothy hawk
- Divorced, beheaded, live! by Lorc
- at the world you've left / and the things you know by fight or flight
- Why so many people undercharge for their work by Bella Donna
- Those who exist, have existed, or will exist in the vicinity of Omelas by brainwane
- "the distance between reader and character or narrator" by brainwane

Ask MeFi
- a comment by brainwane
- Where did the "Rock and Roll Ending" come from? by bondcliff
- Why would I use a hot glue gun instead of just glue? by trevor_case
- Tennis Pro decoded opponent's body language and serve? by umber vowel
- How do you manage your time? by unicorn chaser
- Then we'll take it higher - pop songs that are actually protest songs by Frowner
- Waltham, MA ca. 1988 - 1990: Manufacturer of Geiger-Mueller Detectors? by ZenMasterThis
- Seeking reputable carbon offset programs by Osrinith
- Fun classic rock songs (Grateful Dead & more) to walk down the aisle to by Neely O'Hara
- logistics! by everybody had matching towels

MetaTalk
- How MeFi (and other providers) deal with trust & safety issues by brainwane
- Obit post: Speedlime by Pallas Athena
- Newsletter 3: The Handovering by Eyebrows McGee
- MetaFilter Gift Swap 2021 THANK YOU! by mochapickle
- Mefi Art & Makers Group, Update by Glinn

I love podcasts, woo woo woo! I love podcasts, how 'bout you? Here's episode 181, with jessamyn and I contemplating the idea of a week and a month and talking about misc. MetaFilterian stuff. Runs about 90 minutes.

Helpful Links

Podcast Feed
Subscribe with iTunes
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Misc
- my penance for being late getting this up is reusing last months experimental horn version of the original podcast theme even though it hurts to listen to now
- rabbit rabbit, apparently
- 181 is a palindromic prime
- I haven't gone back to figure out if I started doing the podcast at episode 34 or earlier, but god it's been a while either way
- Jessamyn, when the reference didn't land

Projects
- The year I won a year's supply of cheese by jessamyn
- The Rocinante, my hand-painted ship model from The Expanse by rachaelfaith
- The 885 films I saw and reviewed in 2021 by growabrain
- Birdsong Audio Separation by kaibutsu
- So I made a Wordle clone (with some extra features) by RustyBrooks
- Return to the Planet: a Zine Celebrating the 25th Anniversary of FFVII by subdee

MetaFilter
- "Life's hard enough, and I'm looking to make people feel better" by jessamyn
- WKRIP by guiseroom
- No More Waiting For The End Of Time by chavenet
- Up to 30 stitches per inch! No bobbins! Quiet! by metaquarry
- What came first? Or last, or in between? by brainwane
- A Brief History of Windfuckers by oulipian
- Ex-NM labor official shares real world experience: capitalism sucks by wenestvedt
- "There are as many forms of love as there are moments in time." by oulipian
- JEOPARDAMY! by Going To Maine
- Look at the quality of this 3D animation by They sucked his brains out!
- "It's like people who try to clone their dogs" by jessamyn
- Free thread! by cortex
- Free Thread Returns by cortex
- Free Thread Forever by cortex
- Free Thread & Robin by cortex

Ask MetaFilter
- HELP, there's an elk in my freezer! by MonkeyToes
- What was that music video with the giant blue butt sculpture? by mermaidcafe
- what's that song? by peppercorn
- What's that weird instrument: The Beatles: Get Back edition by 2N2222
- When was Van Halen's 1984 album released? by Short End Of A Wishbone
- Help identify this mystery object? by scody
- What do they call a stupid SOB in your neck of the woods? by Gotanda
- Rock music puns? by OrangeVelour
- Do I need a bank with a real building I can go to? by DMelanogaster
- Parsing Amazon reviews by Cozybee

MetaTalk
- Introduce yourself! by cortex
- Our favorite under-loved comments of 2021 by MonkeyToes
- a comment by kimberussell

Sophie Mackintosh wrote her first novel, The Water Cure , while she was also working a full time office job. It was a success — longlisted for the Man Booker prize in 2018. So she left the day job to write her second novel, Blue Ticket. And as she did in her first book, Mackintosh has created a world in Blue Ticket that explores themes of gender, power and family. "On the day of the first period, teenage girls are assigned a blue ticket or white ticket through a lottery system," Mackintosh says. "The blue ticket means you can't have children and a white ticket means that you can. And this one decision that they make very early on in their lives kind of dictates the rest of their life and follows them around." Interview Highlights On the protagonist, Calla, a blue-ticket woman So I had decided — for a long time I decided I wasn't going to have children, and I was very firm on this. And then when I kind of reached my late 20s, I found myself experiencing something which I imagine a lot

Copyright 2020 Northern Public Radio. To see more, visit Northern Public Radio . NOEL KING, HOST: All right. Here's a story about unexpected consequences. People are buying fewer lottery tickets because of the pandemic, which is bad for convenience stores and gas stations. But it also means hundreds of millions fewer dollars for school funding. Peter Medlin of member station WNIJ in DeKalb, Ill., explains what's going on. PETER MEDLIN, BYLINE: Last year, the Illinois Lottery set records sales. Proceeds from Powerball tickets to scratch-offs contributed $731 million to public education. That translates to more than 10% of the state's funding for school districts. But the receipts don't look nearly as good this year. With more strict reopening guidelines, sales have plummeted. And revenue has nosedived nearly $90 million during the pandemic. Victor Matheson teaches economics at the College of the Holy Cross in Massachusetts, where he researches sports and the lottery. VICTOR MATHESON: So

Editor's note: This is an excerpt of Planet Money 's newsletter. You can sign up here . Timothy A. Clary / AFP via Getty Images Craft beer sales are surging at stores, but craft breweries are still struggling. Cheap beer is surging, but it's still losing market share. That's because the economics of the beer business are complicated. (And that's before you start drinking.) But the beer business can tell us a lot about the last two recessions. Take Natty Light (seriously, take it, we don't want it). Natty Light falls into a category that the beer biz calls "subpremium" — a category filled mostly with beer that closely resembles water. After over a decade of decline, the pandemic has pushed subpremium beer sales up big time. According to data from IRI, a market research company, store sales are up over 11% as compared with the same time period last year (early March to late June). This surge has happened *despite* the shutdown of colleges, frat parties and beer pong. Subpremium beer

French Horn Rebellion makes music that is an irresistible fusion of funky electronic pop and retro flair, where the grooves are as infectious as the melodies are catchy. Hailing from…

Shows the keys in the current scale set in Live. I kept using some of my other devices to see the no...

Miguel Uribe habla sobre la problematica ambiental en la Macarena

Camilo Granada habla sobre la problematica ambiental en la Macarena

Lancheros habla sobre el asesinato de lideres sociales en Colombia

Diego Santos habla sobre el papel de las redes frente al Coronavirus

Santiago Pinzón habla sobre el papel de las redes frente al Coronavirus

Panelistas criticaron respuesta del gobierno ante abusos policiales; creen que actitud se debe a falta de justicia; y de asumir responsabilidades.

Panelistas creen que espectro político tiene matices y que no debería ser blanco o negro. Otros creen que el “centro” puede ser antitécnico.

Algunos panelistas creen que por ser un delincuente no se debe eliminar la libertad de expresión; otros creen que un hombre armado debe ser censurado.

Panelistas analizaron cuáles son las claves de la elección presidencial en Ecuador; también debatieron sobre los cambios de Biden en política internacional.

Panelistas creen que hay grandes retos a nivel territorial; cumplimiento del plan de vacunanción y consensos a nivel político.

Panelistas creen que documento de la JEP y cifra de los 6.402 falsos positivos es una base para lo que viene adelante en materia de imputaciones y de esclarecimiento de la verdad.

Panelistas debatieron sobre el significado del 8M y de las reflexiones que son necesarias. También analizaron las causas de los feminicidios y la necesidad de un cambio cultural.

Panelistas reflexionan sobre algunos cambios sociales que han ocurrido luego de un año de pandemia; creen que no hubo un cambio de fondo como sociedad.

Panelistas creen que estos diálogos pueden solucionar algunos problemas, pero consideran que es necesario tener al gobierno nacional involucrado.

Panelistas consideran que es necesario fortalecer el seguimiento y apoyo a exmilitares en el país

Panelistas consideran que resultados de investigaciones plantean el reto de mejorar en inteligencia militar; trabajar en la seguridad de la frontera y hacer seguimiento a militares retirados.

Panelistas plantean que es el inicio del fin del rol de Estados Unidos como potencia; algunos consideran importante mantener el papel de instituciones internacionales para consolidar sistemas democráticos.

El gerente de Fronteras planteó que se debe ser responsable y no caer en el escenario de estigmatización cuando la criminalidad no tiene pasaporte

Panelistas plantearon que Gaviria podría unir al centro; creen que el Nuevo Liberalismo tiene oportunidades en el Congreso y que en la derecha el panorama sigue siendo poco claro.

Panelistas analizaron la presentación de la nueva reforma tributaria y, debatieron si este texto resuelve los problemas fiscales que tiene hoy el Estado.

Panelistas consideran que discusión debería darse de fondo ante ausencia de la reelección, pero creen que ley sí genera una talanquera a la corrupción en épocas electorales.