Even as 2020 begins its slow recession into the rear view mirror of daily life, it nonetheless succeeds in finding ways to unsettle and discourage. During the purgatory of social isolation – be it quarantine, lockdown, or shelter-in-place – many of us have benefited from the easy company of man’s best friend, our faithful dog. […]
Author Archives: Berkshire Corporation
11
Jan
Jan
In our other annual review over at Cleanroom News, we may have already mentioned the apparent cognitive dissonance of pairing ‘Top 5’ and ‘2020’ in any single sentence. But here we are, doing it again! And, as much as we too feel the relief of closing the door on the back of that most challenging […]
23
Dec
Dec
Welcome to the ‘holiday season’ – a temporary period of celebration in what has been a bleak year. Although it’s a time to relax and seek respite from the on-going stresses of 2020, news from the FDA hints at the need for continued vigilance. According to the agency, a new food-borne threat has been identified, […]
09
Dec
Dec
Sometimes, when we discuss cleanroom technologies and contamination controlled environments, it’s a challenge not to fall headlong down the research rabbit hole of quirks, intriguing snippets, and absorbing information. And today’s topic is no different. As usual we’ll be chasing our intellectual curiosity in addressing some controversial questions regarding cleanroom-based research, but we’ll also be […]
30
Nov
Nov
Happy Thanksgiving to all our North American readers! Yes, despite this year being challenging in so many ways, it is a great time to take stock of the things that were good in our lives, even if they were occasioned by a whole slew of viral chaos. Perhaps we got to turn neighbor into friends, […]
11
Nov
Nov
COVID, COVID, COVID, COVID…that’s all anyone’s talking about! Not here at Food Contact Surfaces – well, not completely anyhow. Although we continue to reflect on the current reality of living under the shadow of the virus, we’re also consciously looking forward – after all, the daily experience of quarantining, mask-wearing, and social distancing can eat […]
28
Oct
Oct
Just when you start to think that life couldn’t get any more challenging in the time of the pandemic, 2020 turns out to be ‘the gift that keeps giving.’ And we heartily wish it would just stop. Not only has it felt like a full decade since shelter-in-place, quarantine, social distancing, mask wearing, and loss […]
14
Oct
Oct
Although it seems like 2020 has already been about 5 years long (with an abundance of social media memes to reinforce this impression) it is, actually, only October and we still have the final quarter to go. It all begs the question: will this ‘challenging’ year never end? With that in mind and in a […]
30
Sep
Sep
It’s hard to dispute the assertion that the past nine months have ushered in a fundamental shift within our society. We’ve seen quarantining and lockdowns, shelter-in-place and shutdowns, social distancing and masks, re-openings and patio dining, not to mention national shortages of ‘essential grocery store items’…you know what we’re driving at here. We’ve also […]
16
Sep
Sep
Following the burst of the economic bubble in the early 2000s, a new economic indicator arose: the Lipstick Index. Coined by Leonard Lauder, the former chairman of Estee Lauder, the concept is that economic hardship drives increased sales of lipstick as consumers turn away from costly items and towards inexpensive fripperies. With no particularly strong […]