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Judging by the preponderance of retail sales offers throughout November in my email inbox, the rise and rise of ‘Black Friday’ should completely randomise the precise timing of this year’s Christmas retail spending. Similarly for those who think about financial markets, the three percent rise in pan-European indices during the eleventh month of this year – particularly when mated with the very low levels of volatility seen across the prices of many asset classes during the month – appears to have also pulled forward the traditional ‘Santa rally’.
October historically has always been a big month for investors. In my formative years back in the 1980s during one October, there was a major market crash (and weirdly simultaneously in the U.K. an extreme weather event in southern England), meanwhile those interested in older historical events will recall the events of October 1929 and the infamous capital market events back then. A lot has happened in the month of October that has just passed and whilst it is unlikely the history books will remember the tenth month of 2019 assertively, for investors thinking about prospects over the next year, it may have been critical.
Celebrating the 25-year anniversary of the Academy Award-winning movie Forrest Gump, we revisit many of the movie’s themes which remain relevant in today’s world. Forrest Gump’s mother always said that “Life was like a box of chocolates.” This memorable observation could just as easily be applied to the financial markets, as you never know what volatility-inducing headline you’re going to get next.
With ‘fast fashion’ being so prevalent in today’s world, perhaps we should not be surprised that Oscar Wilde’s dictum looks a little slow as the world only racked up four successively positive months before a reversal. May 2019 will not go down in the financial market almanacs as anything other than a shabby month, with the regional pan-European share index falling around 5% and more than reversing any gains seen earlier in the quarter. Broadly speaking, this performance pattern in May – supplemented by the compression of sovereign bond yields – was repeated all over the world.
Thinking about everyone’s favourite subject, it was striking to read that a well-known UK consumer confidence index indicator released in the last few days was flat for the third month in a row, with an accompanying write-up that included the comment that ‘despite political carry-on in the Westminster bubble with the clock ticking on Britain’s eventual departure from the EU, consumers are holding firm and remain unshaken by the daily headlines of turmoil and intrigue’. Too right that there is a real and breathing UK economy still out there… and that the ongoing Brexit debate does not need to exclusively define the UK economy and its prospects.
If you had to sum up why world, ex-US, financial markets typically underperformed during 2018 then economic growth, currency movements, and trade talk uncertainties would be the three most influential headwinds. Simply put, U.S. economic growth surprised on the upside whilst other major economies did not, the dollar appreciated against most other currencies, and concerns about essential future trading relations impacted the more export-focused European and emerging markets last year. In order for international markets to gain momentum over the U.S. in 2019, these concerns need to be quelled.
I realise the title above sounds a little like a famous advert from the 1990s (other telecoms operators are available) but, at least during the last month, the world’s political and economic leaders have continued to talk. And talking is just what they need to do. Of course making a few decisions is even better… so thank goodness the season of perpetual hope is almost upon us. More on the global financial markets Christmas presents wish list later.


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Marketers have been urged to make understanding their customers their overriding objective.
According to Thomas Delabriere, Vice-President of Marketing at Mars in the Middle East, Turkey and Africa, placing customers at the heart of what a brand does is often talked about at many organisations.
However, he said this is frequently as far as it goes, with this approach never actually being adopted.
Mr Delabriere put this down partly to the fact that a marketer must juggle many different priorities during a typical day.
Nevertheless, he insisted that knowing what drives their customers must come ahead of anything else if they are to get the best results.
“Be obsessed about understanding your consumers,” Mr Delabriere commented.
“Bombarded by multiple requests, torn between priorities, you need to exercise your sense of focus to cut off the noise.”
He stated that if marketers can do this, they will be able to perform “the mission that is the most important one for your function”.
Mr Delabriere, who hails from France, added that he is now based in Dubai and works across all the Middle Eastern and African markets.
As a result, achieving a detailed understanding of the consumers he is targeting is “definitely” one of his “top priorities”.
Be obsessed about understanding customers, says Mars’ Thomas Delabriere, Marketing Magazine

domain: news


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Retail - Investment
Bulgaria's Fantastico Group Announces Solar Panel Project, Logistics Hub
Bulgarian retailer Fantastico Group has announced an investment into a photovoltaic project that will enable the business to generate its own solar energy....
Fortenova Group Invested €125m In The Business In 2021
Fortenova Group has invested €125 million in the business in 2021 and plans to invest another €130 million in the forthcoming period.


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"We'd all like to be having better numbers and better performance right now," says Steve Ekdahl, director of brand marketing for Holiday Inn Express, based in Atlanta. "But our brand has always been all about smart value, and so our messaging resonates even more in difficult times. We want to make sure we're out there in the media."
The new ads are part of same campaign the hotel chain has been running since 1998, positioning it as an affordable alternative for smart people. "They're everyday heroes," he says. "In terms of demographics, we're aimed at frequent business travelers, from 25 to 54, and it skews male.
But we really think of them in terms of psychographics--they're the kind of travelers who say: 'Why should I pay for business meeting space I'm not going to use?' or 'Why should I have to tip someone $2 to move my roll-y bag six feet?' We have people staying with us who could afford to stay anywhere, but like that we're a bargain. And we have travelers who aren't making much money yet and wish they were staying at a W, but are pragmatic and rational about their budgets right now. These ads target anyone with that value mindset, in what we hope is a refreshing and unexpected way."
One ad, for example, features a fan fainting at a Cal Ripken Jr. book signing. A bystander--a doctor--offers to help and is rebuffed. Instead, the security guard demands someone smarter: "Did anyone stay in a Holiday Inn Express last night?" In another, astonished parents watch a newborn cut her own umbilical cord and then recall--"We did stay in a Holiday Inn Express," the dad says. "About nine months ago," chimes in mom. (Fallon, Minneapolis is the agency.)
It's true that the ads stand out because they resonate with Generation Next, the younger consumer that so many hotels are trying to woo, says David Brudney, a hospitality consultant in Carlsbad, Calif. "I don't see any other chains playing off the hip-hop generation. But they also appeal to the kind of Baby Boomers who consider themselves on the edge," he says--a good spot to be in with so many consumers trading down in hotel brands.
Brudney expects that trading-down trend to continue, as more corporate travel departments confront what he calls the "AIG Factor." During the recent AIG bailout furor, it didn't help the troubled insurer's image much that top executives were photographed at a corporate retreat in a super-swanky resort. "That's going to continue to hurt upscale properties," he says.
The rapidly growing Holiday Inn Express--opening about two hotels a week with more than 1,600 so far in the Americas--is owned by the Intercontinental Hotel Group, which through its Holiday Inn, InterContinetal, Crowne Plaza and other brands is the world's largest hotel company, ranked by number of rooms.


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Suzuki Motor Corporation has achieved a major milestone with the news that the company reached accumulated worldwide automobile sales of 50 million units in March 2013.
The new SX4 is a direct development of the head-turning S-Cross concept unveiled at last year’s Paris expo
Launching a new vehicle usually entails a significant investment in a lavish event to mark the arrival of the latest model
Suzuki Auto South Africa is supporting the innovative initiative of a Tshwane school to create better, more responsible and more safety conscious young drivers
The global success of Suzuki’s Swift continues unabated, with worldwide cumulative sales of the subcompact hatchback reaching the three-million mark in January 2013
The series model of Suzuki’s all-new C-segment crossover will be making its world premiere at the 2013 Geneva International Motor Show, which will be held from 5th to 17th March 2013
Suzuki GB PLC is pleased to announce record year on year sales in the UK with a closing figure of 24,880 units, representing a growth of 24 per cent over 2011’s full calendar year...
Suzuki’s uniquely versatile SX4 leisure hatchback has undergone a series of updates. The changes are aimed at enhancing the cosmetic appeal of the vehicle, while also improving the interior execution.
Suzuki Auto South Africa has added a Special Edition model to its line-up of Swift compact hatchback models
Suzuki Auto South Africa has announced a series of updates to its popular Grand Vitara compact SUV


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Microsoft Dynamics 365 is at the Forefront of the Retail Revolution
Retail Armageddon is upon us – or at least, that’s what the media headlines keep proclaiming. History, however, paints a different picture. The retail environments of the 1980s and 1990s have set the stage for where we are today. While some may claim retail is dying – particularly brick-and-mortar stores – in fact, it is simply another progression towards an industry which increasingly leverages technology, such as Dynamics 365, to manage their customer relationships, business data, and improve overall customer experiences.
Retail is changing, but it is far from dying. To fully grasp where the industry is headed, it is important to first look at where it has been. Upon further look, it will become apparent the adoption Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Retail, has been integral to success.


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Award Finalist for Illinois Family Business of the Year
We are excited to announce that Semler Industries was nominated for Loyola’s Illinois Family Business of the Year Award in 2012. The company qualified for the small business category.
On Tuesday, August 28th, 2012 there was a Nominee’s Reception at Beane Hall, Lewis Tower on the Loyola downtown campus. The event shared a variety of financial and business continuity opportunities and then announced the finalists. Semler Industries was selected as one of three small businesses finalists! The Awards Gala will be on November 27th at the Four Points Hotel. We are keeping our fingers crossed and looking forward to buy literature essay the evening.
We are proud to have been nominated and now a finalist and wish to express gratitude for the customers, suppliers and employees that have worked together for over 100 years.


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- Multiple Chinese internet company have discussed avoiding cryptocurrency, amid announcement of Facebook’s Libra initiative.
- Blockchain technology is still a subject of interest for the Chinese economy.
Facebook’s new Libra project will be bringing cryptocurrency to social media towards the beginning of next year, and there are plenty of onlookers. While the internet giants in China are definitely watching what Facebook is doing right now, it doesn’t look like those people will be doing the same.
The CEO of Tencent, Pony Ma, commented that the determining factor of how effective the Libra initiative will be is based on regulation, more than anything else. Tencent is the parent company of WeChat, a social messaging and payments app that has been mentioned frequently with Facebook’s crypto initiative.
During a private discussion on WeChat, Ma commented,
“The technology [of Facebook] is already mature enough, so it’s not difficult [to implement]. Now it just depends on whether it can obtain regulatory approval.”
Once a screenshot was posted to the platform for the public, Tencent confirmed that it was authentic. Though Tencent did not offer any other comments on this statement, they pointed CoinDesk to a comment that Ma made last year about cryptocurrency.
In March 2018, Ma said,
“The greatness of blockchain technology depends on how it’s used. Issuing initial coin offerings or digital currencies still bear too much risks … Tencent will not issue a coin and does not consider to be involved in that.”
The CEO of Ant Financial, Eric Jing, stated last year that his firm would not be getting involved with cryptocurrency, but blockchain technology is a different story. A spokesperson discussed the matter with CoinDesk, saying,
“Our stance on this hasn’t changed.”
These comments were made just a few hours before Facebook made their official statement on Libra. Even though Ant Financial, the operator for AliPay, is working to get involved with overseas markets, they are using partnerships with various payment providers in different regions to provide services to customers.
Even though much of the attention from these payment providers is on the regulatory state of the country, the reasons for not getting involved with cryptocurrency could go deeper. Yan Meng, who works with the Chinese Software Developer Network (CSDN) as the vice president, believes that the user base that Facebook has around the world almost makes the creation of global payments network with the crypto industry necessary. Otherwise, their path would be much more traditional, which the platform appears to want to avoid.
“Facebook just can’t do a global payments network via traditional methods, which require applying for a license and preparing foreign exchange reserves with local banking, one market after another.”
These payment methods may not even be an option for payment firms in China, considering that there’s one economy and one fiat currency to be used.
The mobile payment market reached over $41 trillion last year in China, according to data gathered by the People’s Bank of China. Over 90% of the market comes directly from Alipay and WeChat Pay, which have payment services available in Japan, South Korea, Singapore, and another overseas market.
“The advantage of WeChat and AliPay is they have already gained a significant number of users from just one giant economy that accounts for 20 percent of the world’s population. China has already had a well-established payments settlement network so there may not be real demand for having a crypto stablecoin now.”
Facebook is not an available service for typical internet users in the Chinese economy. So far, with the launch of Libra being about a year way, it is unclear if China will have access to Libra.
- Source: First Appeared Here
- Published Time: 2019-06-20 02:24:46
The views and opinions expressed in the article Facebook’s Trek into Crypto Will Not Be Joined by China-Based Payment Firms do not reflect that of 48coins, nor of its originally published source. Article does not constitute financial advice. Kindly proceed with caution and always do your own research.
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Soaring prices for expensive new electric vehicles could finally be cooling off after months of pressure, and prospective buyers can thank Elon Musk for that.
The chief executive of Tesla lowered the entry point for his most popular vehicles at the start of the year in order to reduce rising inventories and reverse two straight quarters of sales volumes that fell short of Wall Street’s expectations.
Domestic rival Ford is now upping the stakes with its own price cuts for the Mustang Mach-E crossover, America’s third-bestselling EV.
Chief executive Jim Farley said manufacturing costs per unit would drop by ramping production to 130,000 units in 2023, an increase of two-thirds from the 78,000 built last year. The improved economies of scale, he argued, allow the company to pass the savings on to the customer.
“At Ford we want to make EVs more accessible, so we’re increasing Mustang Mach-E production and reducing prices across the Mach-E lineup,” he posted to Twitter on Monday.
The premium GT performance and California Route 1 versions of the crossover saw steep cuts of 8% or more. By comparison, the price of Ford’s entry rear-wheel drive and all-wheel drive versions that qualify for President Biden’s federal EV tax credits were only trimmed, now starting at $45,995 excluding items like destination fees.
In contrast to Musk, Farley extended the deal to those buyers who had placed an order for a Mustang Mach-E after Jan. 1, even if they have already taken delivery.
When Tesla slashed its prices at the start of this month, only new customers could take advantage of the offer. Those who had rushed to lock in a special $7,500 discount on vehicles delivered in December were less fortunate.
“We want our customers to know they made the right decision by choosing a Mustang Mach-E,“ said Ford’s Marin Gjaja, sales and marketing boss for the carmaker’s EV division, in a statement on Monday.
Ford’s generosity does have its limits, though: The company said nothing about cutting prices for the F-150 Lightning truck.
That is at least in part because Tesla currently has no electric pickup that can peel customers away from Ford. Musk expects to launch the Cybertruck later this year with volume production slated for 2024. Until then, Ford only has to worry about the Rivian R1T fishing in its pond.
Tough competition in the Mustang Mach-E’s segment
By comparison, the popular EV crossover segment, where the Mach-E is positioned, is far more crowded with the Hyundai Ioniq 5, the Kia EV6, and Volkswagen ID4 already competing for customers.
With just over 28,000 vehicles sold through the first nine months of last year, the Mustang Mach-E did manage to defend its third-place finish in the U.S. EV market, according to a quarterly report by Kelley Blue Book.
Although it is exceeded by two Teslas alone, the Mustang Mach-E’s distance to second place is a chasm more than a gap: Tesla’s Model 3 sedan surpassed sales of 156,000 during the same period, while the roomier Model Y came within striking distance of the 200,000 mark.
Now that Musk has lowered the entry point for both of his core volume cars, the pressure is on Ford and all other rivals to offer a compelling reason why a consumer should reach for their models instead of one from the industry leader.
This month’s EV price cuts by Tesla and Ford come on the heels of red-hot demand for new cars in general and EVs in particular.
Pandemic-related factory closures in 2020, combined with an acute shortage of automotive microchips in 2021, conspired to drive prices higher as the supply of new vehicles dried up. Finally global inflation more broadly surged last year, exacerbated by sky-high energy prices after resource-rich Russia invaded Ukraine last February.
As a result, average selling prices soared to a historic high of $49,507 in December, nearly 2%, or $927, over November levels. EVs were a noticeable exception as Tesla offered rebates toward the end of last month.
With auto loan rates hitting a new 20-year high, according to Cox Automotive, the average American needed to work longer than ever to afford the purchase of a new car.
Learn how to navigate and strengthen trust in your business with The Trust Factor, a weekly newsletter examining what leaders need to succeed. Sign up here.


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Upscale tour and cruise operator Tauck announced plans Wednesday for restarting operations in Europe, Africa and Latin America over the next few months.
The company said it will reopen in stages, beginning with select departures of its Iceland and Aegean small-ship ocean cruises in June and July. Also scheduled for July are the resumption of the company’s cruises in the Galapagos Islands as well as its Tauck Bridges family adventure in Costa Rica.
Tauck’s guided safaris in eastern and southern Africa will resume in August, as will its land tours in Spain, France and Portugal and select river cruise sailings on the Rhone and Seine in France and the Douro in Portugal.
By early fall, and as border rules permit, the company plans to restart cruises on the Rhine, Main and Danube rivers as well as the bulk of its remaining European land tours.
Itineraries will be added to an “Open for Travel” page on Tauck’s website as they return to the company’s active roster.
Avalon said it will restart its river cruises on July 20 on the Seine with its Paris-Normandy itinerary. Sailings on the Rhine will restart Aug. 7, followed by cruises on the upper Danube on Aug. 10, France’s Rhone River on Aug. 31 and the Moselle on Sept. 10. Lower Danube cruises will resume Sept. 10.
Source: Read Full Article


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Lower Water Levels in Rhine River
Amid the unusual hot and dry weather, water levels in the Rhine River have lowered down. Low water level is making it difficult for vessels to navigate through critical European shipping route when fully loaded.
Rhine River is an important shipping route for economy because;
- It is a major route from products like grains to chemicals and coals. The river flows from Swiss Alps to North Sea through German industrial heartlands.
- It acts as a significant link between industrial producers and global export terminals in North Sea ports including Rotterdam and Amsterdam.
- But the water level is constantly decreasing. At the checkpoint of kaub, waterline level was 32 centimetres on August 15, 2022 as compared to 42 centimetres in previous week.
When water levels decrease, cargo vessels are forced to sail with lower load in order to avoid them running aground. Due to reduced water level, loading has reduced to about a quarter of regular amount for some shippers. Due to this, ships are required to transfer consignments that would fit into one vessel.
Preferred Water Level:
No specific water level has been put forward at which shipping stops. The river is not closed by authorities. Only vessel owners decide whether they can operate safely.
Impact of Lower Water Level:
The shipping hurdles due to low water level will further downgrade the German economy which is in trouble due to high inflation, high has prices and supply chain disruptions. Low water levels will might increase the costs of chemicals companies and encourage production cuts. To avoid this situation, companies are shipping more goods via road and rail routes.
Category: International / World Current Affairs


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Yodel names new CEO
Yodel's new CEO will be replacing outgoing Andrew Peeler in September. Mike Hancox was previously CEO at Ideal Shopping Direct and had held the same role at Otto Group UK.
Yodel executive chairman, John Hughes, commented: "We are pleased to announce the appointment of Mike Hancox, a highly accomplished CEO with outstanding management skills and an excellent knowledge of both retail and logistics industries. We look forward to him joining the business and becoming a driving force in Yodel's future success." Hughes went on to thank Andrew Peeler for his hard work.


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* Pratt & Whitney and Singapore Airlines said they formed a joint venture to overhaul aircraft engines in Singapore.
Pratt will own a 51 percent stake in the venture, which will be built around an engine overhaul shop now operated by SIA Engineering, a subsidiary of Singapore Airlines.
SIA Engineering will provide most of the work force and management, Pratt said. Pratt and SIA already jointly operate three component repair centers in Singapore and Taiwan.
* Chrysler said its U.S. sales fell 4 percent in June from the year-ago month, less than expected, as strong demand for pickup trucks and minivans made up for some of the slump in car sales.
The third-largest U.S. automaker said car sales fell 15 percent to 72,480. Minivan, pickup truck and sport utility vehicle sales rose 2 percent to 147,276.
* Miami-based Royal Caribbean International has awarded $435,000 in marine conservation grants to eight organizations from its new Royal Caribbean Ocean Fund. The grants, announced by Chairman and CEO Richard D. Fain, are part of a three-year, $1 million commitment by the cruise line to assist organizations in work to protect the marine environment.
* Pennzoil rejected a hostile, $6.4 billion cash and stock offer from leading U.S. independent energy company Union Pacific Resources Group, Pennzoil Chairman James Pate said Tuesday.
"This bid is inadequate. ... It comes at a time when Pennzoil is in a position to realize the benefits of major long-term initiatives," Pate said.
Fort Worth, Texas-based Union Pacific Resources in late June launched an $84-per-share cash-and-stock offer for the oil and gas company. At the time of the offer, analysts said the price was so attractive _ nearly $25 a share more than Pennzoil's stock price _ that the company would be hard-pressed to fend off the takeover.
Pate said Pennzoil was not seeking a "white knight" to rescue the company.
* Winn-Dixie Stores increased its cash dividends to 8.5 cents per share per month or $1.02 annually, a 6.25 percent increase over the previous rate of 8 cents per share per month or 96 cents annually, as adjusted for a 2-for-1 stock split in November 1995.
* Fort Lauderdale-based Pediatrix Medical Group expanded its presence in Texas with the cash acquisition of Fort Worth Neonatal Associates, P.A., a physician group practice that operates eight neonatal intensive care units.
* Brazil's trade deficit widened more than expected to $466 million in June, the trade ministry said.
The deficit was up 72 percent from May's shortfall of $271 million. Economists surveyed by Bloomberg News had expected a June shortfall of $430 million.
Until the past two months, Brazil had been registering monthly trade gaps of about $1 billion in 1997. An increase in the export of commodities like coffee and soybeans has narrowed the gap.
* West Palm Beach-based Paxson Communications Corp. announced Tuesday that its Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Lowell "Bud" Paxson was honored with the 1997 William J. Brooks Broadcaster of the Year award by the Florida Association of Broadcasters for his example of exceptional service, dedication and accomplishments within the broadcasting industry.
The award was announced during ceremonies at the 1997 Florida Association of Broadcasters convention in Boca Raton.
* Sony plans to begin direct sales of personal computers in competition with PC makers such as Dell Computer and Gateway 2000, a spokesman said.
One year after it introduced its first PCs into the United States, the Japanese consumer electronics maker is making plans to sell PCs, Trinitron computer monitors and other products directly to consumers, a spokesman for Sony Electronics in San Jose, Calif.
* Motorola will stop making dynamic random-access memory chips, or DRAMs, by year-end and will take pretax charges of about $170 million for getting out of the business.
Motorola will change the structure of its joint ventures with Toshiba and Siemens AG. Motorola's part of the ventures will move to more profitable chips such as microprocessors and integrated circuits.
Motorola is exiting the money-losing business as prices for DRAMs fell about 30 percent in the second quarter, Bloomberg News said.
-- A federal appeals court struck down Federal Communications Commission rules on how to calculate fees that long-distance companies must pay the owners of coin-operated telephones when customers place an 800-number or other free call.
The U.s. Court of Appeals for the Washington D.C. Circuit sided with Cable & Wireless, Sprint, AT&T; and others who argued that a coin call costs a pay-telephone owner significantly more than a free call. For that reason, the companies said, it's not fair to base the rate for a free call on the charge that applies to a coin call.
The case involved new rules the FCC adopted to implement last year's telecommunications deregulation law.


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Electronic Arts CEO Andrew Wilson seemed bullish on NFTs not too long ago, having called them “an important part of the future of [the] industry on a go-forward basis,” but his attitude regarding the trending blockchain technology has seemingly changed.
In an investor’s call yesterday, Wilson was quizzed on his company’s stance regarding NFTs but gave an apprehensive response, stating that NFTs weren’t something that EA was “driving hard on” at the moment. He also likened them to 3D and AR/VR, technologies that were hyped up in the past by venture capitalists and other investors but deemed by some gamers as just passing fads.
Wilson on NFTs (Seeking Alpha):
The way I look at this is, collectability is really built on four key metrics. It’s around high quality content, it’s around scarcity, it’s around proof-of-authenticity and it’s around a group of people that find value in that content.
And we’ve seen that happen in the real world and we’ve seen that happen in a virtual world. We’ve certainly seen that happen in and around our games for some number of years. And I believe that collectability will continue to be an important part of our industry and the games and experiences that we offer our players.
Whether that’s part of the NFT and the blockchain? Well, that remains to be seen. And I think the way we think about it, is we want to deliver the best possible player experience we can. And so we’re going to — we will evaluate that over time. But right now, it’s not something that we’re driving audience.
EA’s Boss Went From Calling NFTs The ‘Future’ To Running Away From Them (Kotaku):
- While EA never rushed to embrace NFTs the way competitors like Square Enix and Ubisoft have, the company was quite bullish on them back in November.
- “Anything that brings more people in and engages those people for more time in a context with the extent that I think it’s a good thing over time,” Wilson said during a second quarter investor call last year.
- “I think that is the very foundation of our live services. I think the play-to-earn or the NFT conversation is still really, really early. And there’s a lot of conversation and [there’s] a lot of hype about it. I do think it will be an important part about the future of our industry on a go-forward basis.”


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After Qualcomm rejected its initial offer, Broadcom still seems aggressive on trying to purchase the chipmaker, now upping its offer price to $121 billion — up from the previous $105 billion buyout price.
The increased offer puts pressure on Qualcomm to succumb to what could be the tech industry's biggest acquisition in history, one that could affect the future of smartphones altogether as Qualcomm's Snapdragon chips power a large percentage of the entire market.
Broadcom Announces New Qualcomm Acquisition Offer
Broadcom is now offering $82 per share, according to its statement, up significantly from the previous $70. Broadcom raised the stakes just a month prior to Qualcomm's annual shareholder meeting, at which it hopes to sweep the entire board clean, as The New York Times reports.
Broadcom says that at $121 billion, this is its "best and final" offer. Should Qualcomm reject it yet again, that would be the end of this whole acquisition story.
"The significantly improved offer, which has been unanimously approved by the Board of Directors of Broadcom, represents a 50% premium over the closing price of Qualcomm common stock on November 2, 2017, the last unaffected trading day prior to media speculation regarding a potential transaction, and a premium of 56% to Qualcomm's unaffected 30-day volume-weighted average price," said Broadcom.
"Any rational board would consider what we've put forward," said Broadcom CEO Hock Tan. Should Qualcomm acquiesce to Broadcom's offer, that would turn it into a tech juggernaut whose products would be present on nearly all smartphones in the whole world. But Qualcomm doesn't seem it'll budge. For starters, Qualcomm's higher-ups aggressively opposes the potential deal. Then there's the matter of it being grounds for an antitrust practice.
However, Tan is confident the deal would pass regulatory investigation.
"We've looked at it hard, we've studied everything," the CEO said in a Bloomberg interview. "There's a very clear road map to completion. We wouldn't have made this bid if we weren't very comfortable."
Qualcomm's management team and board members have unfailingly argued that Broadcom's acquisition is opportunistic since it is occurring during the chipmaker's messy legal battle with Apple, and — more importantly — the offer is too low.
But the newly increased price could convince Qualcomm investors and shareholders to demand that management consider negotiations. Broadcom's offer includes a fee if regulators shoot down the deal, and additional payment if both companies have not reached a transaction for over a year.


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Pothole tracking app is roadtested
An app called 'Street Bump' allows drivers to automatically report potholes is being roadtested by officials in Boston in the United States.
The app's developers say their work has already sparked interest from other cities in the US, Europe, Africa.
Before they even start their trip, drivers using Street Bump fire up the app, then set their smartphones either on the dashboard or in a cup holder. The app takes care of the rest, using the phone's accelerometer - a motion-detector - to sense when a bump is hit. GPS records the location, and the phone transmits it to a remote servers hosted by Amazon Inc's web services division.
The system filters out things like manhole covers and speed bump using a series of algorithms - including one that can tell if the initial motion is up over a speed bump, as opposed to down into a pothole. If at least three people hit a bump in the same spot, the system recognizes it as a pothole.
City officials hope the app might eventually allow them to save money by creating a real-time map of potholes that need to be fixed and eliminating the need to send out city trucks or contract an engineering company to troll hundreds of miles of roadways looking for damage.
Street Bump became available for free in the iTunes store in June, and experts are working on the Android version.


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The major convenience store chains are opening new stores even though the nation’s growing manpower shortage is making it increasingly difficult to maintain 24-hour operations.
Some of them are overcoming the shortages, which include part-time staff, by promoting automation. But one big chain has begun closing some branches late at night when traffic is slow.
As competition grows, how each company adjusts to the labor shortage may reflect their differing management styles, experts say.
FamilyMart Co. has experimented with closing outlets late at night or switching to vending machine-based operations. FamilyMart President Takashi Sawada says 24-hour operations aren’t necessary at some stores.
Lawson Inc. has developed a system that lets customers conduct transactions at unattended checkout counters late at night using a smartphone app. It will test the system this spring.
Convenience stores can also serve as disaster response and crime prevention bases because they are open 24 hours, Lawson President Sadanobu Takemasu says.
Industry leader Seven-Eleven Japan Co. plans to maintain round-the-clock operations as well.
“The best measure (against the labor shortage) is to prepare a good working environment,” Seven-Eleven Japan President Kazuki Furuya says.
“We’re not running short of staff,” Furuya said, expressing confidence in the company’s ability to secure manpower.
There are disadvantages to closing late at night, including with deliveries, Furuya said.
In the meantime, Secoma Co., which runs Seicomart, the largest convenience store chain in Hokkaido, only lets a quarter of its stores run all night. In fact, about half of its stores were closed on New Year’s Day.
Secoma, based in Sapporo, makes good working environments and flexible schedules its priority to deal with fluctuating demand, a company official said.


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BENEO will use this year’s Food Ingredients Europe (FiE) exhibition in Frankfurt, Germany, to celebrate the young company’s 10-year anniversary. Originally launched at FiE 2007 in London, BENEO has since focused on delivering better nutrition and health for people and animals.
This year, BENEO will once again exhibit at FiE Booth #F61, Hall 8, and showcase a range of new functional ingredient product concepts.
BENEO offers functional ingredients derived from chicory roots, beet sugar, rice and wheat. BENEO is the ideal partner to help improve a product in its nutritional and technological characteristics. Key nutritional benefits are “less fat,” “less sugar,” “less calories,” “added fiber,” “gluten-free” and dairy alternatives.
Its ingredients relate to energy management, digestive, bone and dental health. Key technological benefits focus on taste and texture improvements.
In addition, to mark its anniversary, BENEO will be inviting visitors to get involved in a surprise activity and birthday celebration at its stand. In keeping with the 10-year anniversary theme, Mintel director of Innovation and Insight, David Jago, will share a special presentation about what to expect from the next decade’s food and beverage trends.
“We are proud to have met and exceeded customer expectations over the past decade. FiE 2017 provides us with the perfect platform to celebrate the company’s accomplishments,” notes Dominique Speleers, a member of BENEO’s executive board. “The combination of strong science, consistently high quality products and services, and a committed team of employees, has helped BENEO differentiate itself. Working in close collaboration with our customers over the last 10 years, we have been able to create many successful healthy products that look and taste great, and are looking forward to an exciting future for the organization.”
During the 10 years since BENEO was formed by the established and highly specialized industry players, Orafti, Palatinit and Remy, the company’s influence has continually grown. It is now represented in more than 75 countries and has more than 900 employees in seven offices and five production sites.
Today, the BENEO-Institute and BENEO-Technology Center, which were created shortly after BENEO’s inception, offer customers and the wider industry insights into nutrition science, legislation and provide expert advice on application technology. BENEO’s continued investment in scientific research substantiates the technical and nutritional effectiveness of its functional ingredients and has resulted in a remarkable range of EFSA health claim approvals being awarded.
BENEO is a division of the Südzucker Group, employs almost 900 people and has production units in Belgium, Chile, Germany and Italy.
For further information on BENEO and its ingredients, please visit: www.beneo.com and www.beneonews.com or follow BENEO on Twitter: @_BENEO or LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/beneo.


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Jun 5, 2015 Prices soar 200 percent since April for bakeries, restaurants and manufacturers.
May 28, 2015 Apps make it easy for restaurants and patrons to charge for a last-minute table.
Apr 30, 2015 Billions of dollars are being invested in new online systems for ordering takeout.
Apr 27, 2015 Animals raised on a GMO-free diet are too hard to come by.
Apr 17, 2015 Tacos take time to make these days.
Mar 4, 2015 FEMA has coined a "Waffle House Index" to indicate the severity of a disaster.
Jan 6, 2015 One negative restaurant review in a newspaper can do more harm than you might think.
Oct 21, 2014 Where is McDonald's place in the low-cost, fast food market?
Oct 8, 2014 Americans leave bigger tips than in the past and it could be all about appearance.
Sep 26, 2014 Joe Weisenthal from Business Insider and FT’s Shannon Bond chat about the week’s news. Click play above to hear them break down the NFL in pop culture and the market effects of climate change.


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Get a full rundown of who will be playing when as Knotfest holds court for the first time at Banc of California Stadium.
Arguably one of the most anticipated events of the rock music calendar, Slipknot will mark their return to Los Angeles and punctuate the 2021 Knotfest itinerary with a historic gathering on November 5th at the brand new home of their iconic festival at Banc of California stadium.
For the first time ever, the festival will take place within the boundary lines of Los Angeles proper – with Slipknot delivering their unleashing their love dominance amid the backdrop of the skyscrapers and palms trees of the City of Angels.
Adding to the spectacle of seminal counter culture event, Slipknot has also tapped top-tier support in what has the makings of a monumental day of music, art and community. Heading the multi-generational roster of support includes appearances from the like of Bring Me the Horizon, Killswitch Engage, Fever 333, Code Orange, Vended, and special guests, Cherry Bombs.
To ensure that fans are well prepared and arrive with enough time to catch the totality of the production from start to finish, Knotfest is publishing the day’s set times that begin with the eagerly-anticipated Los Angeles debut of Vended and proceed with zero lulls throughout.
In an effort to increase the reach of Knotfest and share the compelling experience of a Slipknot set with a global audience simultaneously, Knotfest Los Angeles will now be streaming live on November 5th. The broadcast will feature a full set from Slipknot, plus select appearances from Killswitch Engage, Fever 333, Code Orange, Vended and special guests Cherry Bombs.
In addition to the live streaming component, Knotfest has released special edition merch bundles specific to the Los Angeles event. The options include a commemorative ticket, a specially designed Knotfest L.A. event tee, a concert poster, and two different hoodie designs, one of which will be revealed at Knotfest Los Angeles.
KNOTFEST PREMIUM Members with special $12 Tickets. Not a member? JOIN HERE
Early Bird Livestream tickets on sale now exclusively at knotfest.veeps.com.
Limited festival tickets for Knotfest Los Angeles are still available – HERE


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Jan 14, 2008 (From the CalCars-News archive)
We've been watching the race among automakers shape up, and hearing about competition among batterymakers; this page 2 Wall Street Journal article looks at the trend for top venture capital firms to invest in plug-in hybrid and all-electric cars.
Electric-Car Firms Get Star Investors
By NORIHIKO SHIROUZU and REBECCA BUCKMAN
January 14, 2008; Page A2
DETROIT -- The race to develop an electric car is heating up and drawing increasing interest from the same venture-capital investors who helped build Silicon Valley.
The latest entrant is expected to be announced today at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit when Fisker Automotive Inc. unveils an $80,000 battery-powered luxury car it aims to begin delivering in late 2009. The Fisker Karma, a so-called plug-in hybrid, can go 50 miles on electricity before a small gasoline engine kicks in to generate electricity to charge a lithium-ion battery pack on board. The company has backing from Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, perhaps Silicon Valley's best-known venture-capital firm and a backer of household tech names such as Netscape Communications, Amazon.com Inc. and Google Inc.
The announcement comes at a show in which auto makers are scrambling to offer alternatives to traditional gasoline-fueled vehicles. Auto makers also announced plans for next-generation diesel-powered cars and efforts to develop more ethanol-based fuels. (See related article1.)
CAPTION: The Fisker Karma is a plug-in hybrid sports sedan set to begin delivery in late 2009.
The luxury-electric-car deal, finalized last week in Irvine, Calif., where Fisker Automotive is based, is one of the first deals in which former Vice President Al Gore provided advice for Kleiner, which Mr. Gore joined in November as a partner. Mr. Gore wasn't heavily involved in the Fisker deal, although "he wants to order" a car, said Kleiner Managing Partner Ray Lane.
The precise size of the investment in Fisker wasn't disclosed, but Mr. Lane said it was more than $10 million and "one of our bigger investments." Mr. Lane, the former No. 2 executive at software company Oracle Corp., will join Fisker's board.
Thanks to Kleiner's investment, "we have all the capital we need to move forward according to the plan," said Henrik Fisker, a Danish-born former BMW AG and Aston Martin designer and now chief executive of the company he helped set up last year. Palo Alto Investors, a venture-capital concern, invested in Fisker in an earlier round of fund raising. "We're still going to raise money later in the year, but we don't see that as a big issue," Mr. Fisker said.
Mr. Fisker's vision is to sell 15,000 electric cars a year. Mr. Fisker said the Karma is environmentally responsible and capable of going 125 miles per hour, consistently. It can hit a speed of 60 mph in 5.8 seconds, equivalent to the performance of a gasoline-powered V8 sports sedan, he said.
Entrepreneurs across Silicon Valley are starting all sorts of green companies, from solar to biofuel to geothermal outfits, because they see a potentially vast market for alternative energy amid rising oil prices and increasing worries about global warming.
Silicon Valley money is backing an array of green-car projects that include little-known upstart companies such as Aptera Motors Inc. and Phoenix Motorcars Inc., both southern California companies. Tesla Motors Inc., the high-profile company that is close to shipping a $98,000 electric sports car, has raised $105 million from investors, including VantagePoint Venture Partners, Technology Partners, and Draper Fisher Jurvetson.
Former tech executive Shai Agassi, formerly the products chief at German software behemoth SAP AG, announced last year that he was turning his energies toward electric cars. Mr. Agassi, who runs Project Better Place, a start-up based in Silicon Valley, has raised $200 million for a venture that would sell electric cars designed by auto makers such as France's Renault SA and set up a network of stations where drivers could charge or replace batteries.
When his company first invested in Tesla two years ago, "I think people were really questioning, 'Would we ever have electric cars? Would they be viable?"' said Stephan Dolezalek, a managing director at VantagePoint Venture Partners. Now, he says, "it's no longer about will we, it's about when." Vantage Point has invested in Mr. Agassi's new company.
Venture-capital concerns are searching for new sources of profit as it has become tougher to take public traditional technology companies, such as business-software and telecom companies, after the collapse of the dot-com stock boom. Kleiner has said about a third of its money is going into green-tech start-ups.
Big auto makers are rushing to develop their own electric cars, and it would be an embarrassment to them if they are beaten to the market by a start-up. General Motors Corp. has a working prototype of its Concept Chevy Volt and will hype its progress this week. Toyota Motor Corp. will show its plug-in hybrid based on the Prius, while Chrysler LLC will unveil three battery-powered concept cars.
Mr. Fisker believes his company is a couple of years ahead of bigger rivals because the design of the car has been finalized. "The car we're showing in Detroit is not your usual show car; it's actually a preview of the production car you can buy," Mr. Fisker said.
The Karma, Mr. Fisker said, will use lithium-ion batteries, the most-promising next-generation energy-storage technology for automotive use so far. Some of those batteries, however, have been found to overheat. In 2006 and 2007, reports surfaced that lithium-ion batteries for laptops and cellphones were catching fire, leading to several recalls.
Mr. Fisker wouldn't say what kind of lithium-ion battery the Karma will use, but he said safety concerns have all been "resolved."


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From left: Work.lk DevOps Engineer Ishantha Udara, Work.lk Business Development Executive Chamara Sanjaya, Work.lk Founder Anjana Ratnayake, SLT Chief Marketing Officer Prabhath Dahanayake, SLT Deputy Chief Marketing Officer Upali Jayakody, SLT DGM Charles Ranaweera, and SLT Engineer Kaumadee Sooriyaarachchi
Sri Lanka Telecom (SLT), the leading ICT and digital solutions provider in the country was proud to announce the company’s recent tie up with work.lk, the pioneering online freelance marketplace in Sri Lanka, to increase convenience to the general public in finding essential services online, whilst also empowering the freelance community in the country to find freelance jobs easily.
The memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the two companies was signed recently at SLT head office premises in Colombo Fort, by authorised signatories, Work.lk Head/Founder Anjana Ratnayake and SLT Chief Marketing Officer Prabhath Dahanayake. Several other officials from both companies participated for the agreement signing.
The recently launched www.work.lk, which is the first freelance website in Sri Lanka, is an online marketplace designed by EFutureTech Systems Ltd. It enables people to easily hire any type of workers for a job including skilled labour such as plumbers or electricians or even professionals such as auditors or IT professionals without any hassle. It enables job requirements to be published on the website free of charge, allowing interested parties to bid for the job or call the client.
Alternatively customers have the option of searching through the work.lk database for suitable professionals/freelancers. It also provides a platform where freelancers can advertise themselves by registering their profiles with work.lk, which is also available free of charge. This provides the ability for professional freelancers, or even students, housewives or others to earn an extra income by marketing and advertising their skills through the work.lk website.
Under the MoU, SLT will facilitate its customers by providing the required platform which will enable them to subscribe for work.lk services by choosing the ‘Pay with SLT’ option. Using this payment option, SLT customers are assured of subscribing and paying for services of work.lk in the most convenient and secured manner.
This partnership is in line with SLT’s vision of becoming Sri Lanka’s preferred digital lifestyle partner by the year 2022 and is part of a series of endeavours embarked on by the company to introduce innovative digital services to enhance living standards of citizens of Sri Lanka. SLT Chief Marketing Officer Prabhath Dahanayake gave his comments concerning the MoU saying, “We keep and act upon our promise to be the national ICT and digital services provider to the nation. This is one such initiative that we have embarked on to fulfil our promise to the nation, by enabling and facilitating digital lifestyles for the citizens of Sri Lanka. SLT invites start-ups, students and educational institutes as well as others with innovative and creative ideas to partner with us so that we can support and empower you to take your innovative ideas to the nation.”
Work.lk Head and Founder Anjana Ratnayake also gave his comments saying, “At Work.lk, our vision is to create an efficient and user-friendly market place for those who need services or providers of services in Sri Lanka. At present, we already have over 20,000 skilled professionals registered with us. We are indeed delighted to partner with Sri Lanka Telecom for Work.lk. This partnership will provide us access to SLT’s large customer base that spans across all parts of Sri Lanka, which will enable us to successfully expand our services to households across the country, enabling us to serve and empower more people in Sri Lanka, no matter what part of the island they live in.”


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Hey, folks, did you hear that Google Stadia is doing fine? You probably didn’t. Actually, you probably thought the opposite, what with the the platform having lost its first-party development outfit altogether and the biggest new feature added being a search bar (and when your product is made by Google, a search feature would seem likely to be your first addition). But developer marketing lead Nate Ahearn has spoken to GamesIndustry.biz, and he says the service is “alive and well”:
We’re well on our way to over 100 new games launching on Stadia in 2021, and we’re continuing to make Stadia a great place to play games on devices you already own. […] I’d tell any non-believers to take notice of how we’re continuing to put our words into action, as we grow the Stadia Makers program and partner with AAA studios like Capcom, EA, Square Enix, Ubisoft and others.
Ahearn also states that no additional pressure is being put on the mobile studios which now represent the only form of exclusivity the platform has and that the team continues to move forward introducing new features like the aforementioned search bar. He didn’t choose to comment on the installed base, however, which suggests that perhaps all of the other warning signs about the cloud-based service may not be entirely non-indicative.
• Former Stadia first-party developers claim Google balked at the investment required to make first-party development work
• Google’s Stadia monetizes game engagement, pressuring studios to keep players around
• Stadia’s developer marketing lead insists that the platform is doing fine
• Stadia’s vice president and head of product quietly leaves Google
• Google Stadia hypes up the addition of a search bar and other quality-of-life additions coming soon
• Insiders expose Google Stadia’s rushed release, poor hiring practices, and stymied studios
• MMO Business Roundup: Stadia’s and Bethsoft’s class-actions, Epic’s lockbox settlement, and CDPR’s DMCA takedowns
• MMO Business Roundup: Stadia’s bungle, Axie Infinity’s $1.5M in-game property
• COVID-19 roundup: Game spending shoots up, Stadia Pro goes free, and GDC tries again
• Google Stadia apparently has offered insufficient incentives for devs on the platform
• Google Stadia is coming to more phones as its head of gamer experiences literally says, ‘This is fine’
• Google has fallen radio silent for 40 days after Stadia’s launch
• Google counters accusations that Stadia’s 4K quality was ‘exaggerated’
• Google Stadia’s launch day might have arrived, but the future of cloud gaming hasn’t
• Stadia holds an AMA that confirms a laundry list of features that won’t be available at launch
• Leaderboard: Are you all-in for Google Stadia?
• The Daily Grind: So, do you think Google’s Stadia will revolutionize gaming?
• Google is launching Stadia, a ‘game platform for everyone’ in a ‘new era of gaming,’ this year


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Silicon Valley is pouring more money into Internet security companies than ever before.
The next generation of tech-savvy kids review the Apple Watch with mixed results in the latest "Kids React" video from The Fine Brothers.
NASA is reportedly working on technology that could take us to the moon faster than a cross-country flight.
Google's technology could pave the way for the cable providers to finally get wireless right.
Spotify offers a free music tier that delivers a good portion of the service's paid subscription version. And that's exactly the problem.
The power of the Internet makes a takeout joint in Kona, Hawaii, one of the highest-reviewed US restaurants on Yelp.
Feature-rich cameras and an attractive build help push Cricket's prepaid Samsung Galaxy Grand Prime past other budget rivals that also cost under $200.
The game maker ends a strong year thanks to its popular shooter franchise, while it also looks ahead to capitalize on the much-hyped Star Wars revival.
A special edition of Vienna-based Vangardist seeks to get people talking about HIV and AIDS, but at least one reader "was too scared to pick it up."
The past year of debate and strife in cities nationwide has pushed law enforcement agencies to begin adopting body cameras. The result: shares of body camera makers are soaring.


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Vivox has figured out something good: gamers like to chat. The gamer voice chat company is announcing today that it had 45 million users in 2010, up 150 percent from 18.5 million at the end of 2009.
While voice chat companies may seem old hat, the Vivox success shows that focusing on a passionate group of users and serving them well has its rewards.
Gamers use Vivox to chat with each other over the internet while playing online games such as World of Tanks, a popular new online World War II tank battle game. In fact, the gamers now chat for 3 billion minutes a month.
The numbers grew fast in 2010 because Vivox was integrated into a number of games from companies such as Wargaming.net, IMVU, Runewalker Entertainment and Bigpoint.com. The companies integrate the voice chat so that users can all talk to each other on a kind of party line and plan their strategies together. To do that, gamers need a high-quality solution and they don’t really want to download a separate application, said Monty Sharma, vice president of product management and marketing at Vivox. He said the company is adding new users at a rate of 2.5 million a month.
Sharma predicted the company could grow at least 100 percent in 2011. Much of the growth this year could come from Sony PlayStation 3 players, Sharma said. One of the most recent popular games to use it is DC Universe Online.
The trend is being validated around the web. When Google Voice integrated with Gmail, it processed 10 million calls in its first week, said Rob Seaver, chief executive of Vivox. Vivox makes money through audio advertising and virtual goods offers. Other partners using Vivox include Sony Online Entertainment, CCP Games, Linden Lab, and Nexon.
Natick, Mass.-based Vivox has raised $21 million in three rounds from investors including IDG Ventures, Benchmark Capital, Canaan Partners and GrandBanks Capital. Vivox has 38 employees. Rivals include Dolby, Skype, Teamspeak and Ventrilo.


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The Kansas City Star (Missouri)
KANSAS CITY, MO — The head of the Federal Trade Commission is facing questions about her use of incorrect information underplaying the effect of hot fuel on consumers.
Deborah Platt Majoras, the FTC’s chairwoman, writing to a congressman from California, questioned whether the effect of hot fuel on individual consumers was significant enough for the FTC to consider the practice deceptive.
The effect, she said, was “very small.”
But that conclusion was based on information in the letter that a 20-degree difference in temperature would result in the volume of a 20-gallon fill-up fluctuating by just 6 tablespoons.
In fact, that measurement underplayed the effect by more than 90 percent, according to figures from the National Institute of Standards and Technology. The actual effect of that much temperature fluctuation is more than a quart for a 20-gallon tank.
The House Domestic Policy Subcommittee, in a letter sent Friday to the FTC, said the magnitude of the error raised serious questions about the opinions expressed in the Majoras letter. The subcommittee’s letter concluded by echoing Majoras’s suggestion in her letter that Congress gather more facts about hot fuel before considering reform proposals.
“It would have been wise for the FTC to heed its own advice,” wrote Rep. Dennis Kucinich, the subcommittee’s chairman.
A spokesman for the FTC said the agency, which regulates many issues affecting the oil industry, was reviewing the data in the letter sent by Majoras and would not comment until that review was completed.
Majoras’ misstatement goes to the heart of the hot fuel issue.
Fuel expands and contracts depending on temperature. At the longtime industry standard of 60 degrees, the 231-cubic-inch U.S. gallon puts out a certain amount of energy. But fuel is often sold at much higher temperatures, causing the fuel to expand and the amount of energy to decline for each gallon dispensed.
Fuel temperatures during the summer can exceed 100 degrees in many states.
At other stages in the fuel-delivery chain, the industry routinely adjusts volume for temperature change using the 60-degree industry standard. But retail pumps in America make no adjustment for changes in the volume caused by temperature, so consumers get only 231 cubic inches per gallon, regardless of temperature.
In a series of stories beginning last year, The Kansas City Star estimated that hot fuel cost consumers an estimated $2.3 billion annually.
The appointment of Majoras as FTC chairman in 2004 raised concerns at the time because of her previous work as a private attorney for Chevron Corp. The FTC typically is the agency that investigates allegations of manipulation of gas prices.
The federal agency, however, routinely dismisses such allegations as unfounded. It has opposed a federal gas-price gouging law, and last month released a study that it had found no evidence of manipulation causing gas price spikes during summer 2006.
The FTC’s hot fuel letter was seen by some as the latest evidence that the agency routinely sides with industry, this time without even a formal study.
“A letter like this seals the reputation of the FTC as the defense department for Big Oil,” said Judy Dugan, research director for The Foundation for Taxpayer & Consumer Rights.
Rep. Darrell Issa, a California Republican, on July 13 wrote Majoras soliciting the views of the FTC or its staff on the desirability of legislation to fix hot fuel. Issa, an opponent of a fix, said he or his staff could provide additional information if it would be of use to the FTC. It was unclear whether additional information was provided.
Majoras responded in a letter dated Aug. 28, although it was not released by Issa until Thursday. In a news release, Issa said that while Democrats were saying hot fuel was a massive fraud, the FTC had concluded that a fill-up with 80-degree fuel would affect the volume by only 6 tablespoons of fuel.
“While pursuing hot fuels, Democrats have fudged numbers,” Issa said in a prepared statement.
A spokesman for Issa said Friday that he would wait for a third party to judge the accuracy of the information in the FTC letter.
Much of the Majoras letter hinged on its example of the 20-gallon fill-up and its effect of only 6 tablespoons. The effect would have to be substantial for the FTC to intervene, according to the letter, and fixing the problem might not be justified if the benefit was found to be so small.
The reference to 6 tablespoons came from discussions between FTC staff and state weights-and-measures officials, according to the letter.
The chairman of the National Conference on Weights and Measures, a group that represents state weights and measures departments, could not be reached Friday.
A few state officials said they had not provided the information and had been trying unsuccessfully to find out who did.
The subcommittee, which found out about the letter on Thursday, made an inquiry about its accuracy to the National Institute of Standards and Technology. The response, on the same day, was that the effect, instead of 6 tablespoons, was 0.276 gallons — or a little more than a quart.
Kucinich said the FTC letter would be part of the subcommittee’s ongoing investigation of hot fuel.
“I hereby request a briefing from you at your earliest opportunity to discuss the basis for the opinions you have expressed in your letter,” he said in his letter to Majoras.


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Japanese role-playing fans rejoice – Namco Bandai appears to be bringing the latest entry in the popular Tales franchise stateside.
Tales of Xillia is the thirteenth proper entry in the series and is exclusive to the PlayStation 3. It launched in the latter half of Japan last year with no word on whether or not gamers in the west would get a chance to experience it for themselves.
Fortunately, according to a report from Siliconera, there’s still hope for those outside of Japan, as the publisher has trademarked the title for the US. Consequently, this comes hot off the heels of a similar move by Namco Bandai in the UK, which should come as no surprise given the franchise’s popularity among western gamers.
Not only that, but the marketing boss of Namco Bandai UK, Lee Kirton recently tweeted that a big announcement is coming in April. Gee, I wonder what that might be…


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Samsung today announced that its Samsung TV Plus, its free streaming video service available on Samsung Smart TVs, is now live in Brazil and Australia. The service partners with 300 broadcast networks worldwide for more than 740 channels and is now available in 12 countries.
Samsung TV Plus is free and comes pre-installed on Samsung TVs dating back to 2016. It's also available on select Samsung Galaxy smartphones in the United States, such as the Galaxy S9, S10 and S10, the Galaxy Note 9, Note 10 and Note 20, the Galaxy Fold, and the Galaxy Z Flip.
In addition to Brazil and Australia, Samsung TV Plus is available in the United States, Canada, the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Austria, Switzerland and in Samsung's home nation of Korea.
Samsung TV Plus will expand to more markets in 2021, the company said, including Mexico, India, Sweden and more countries in Europe. Samsung also said to expect "added functionality and additional devices to become available in the coming months." (The latest smartphone in Samsung's lineup — the Samsung Galaxy S21 — is expected to be announced in January 2021.)
“Throughout the pandemic, we have seen how consumers spend time at home and how much they value access to great media content,” Seline Sangsook Han, Senior Vice President of the Visual Display Business at Samsung Electronics, said in a press release. “We have seen TVs become the center of entertainment — from being a source of news to a streaming on-demand partner. With our latest expansion into new markets and content line-up, we hope that TV Plus continues to be a premium at-home destination for Samsung Smart TV users all over the world.”
Samsung also has announced that its new line of QLED televisions will support HDR10+ Adaptive, which will adjust for brighter rooms. Look for more Samsung TV news coming out of the virtual CES event in early January.
Phil spent his 20s in the newsroom of the Pensacola (Fla.) News Journal, his 30s on the road for AndroidCentral.com and Mobile Nations, is the Dad part of Modern Dad, and is editor of WhatToWatch.com.
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The supermarkets currently operate under the Joyce family’s independent brand and will be rebranded and designed as Tesco stores during 2022 on a phased basis. The acquisition is still subject to the approval of the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC).
Staff at the supermarkets will become Tesco Ireland employees when the deal is complete.
As part of its commitment to Irish agri-food, Tesco also said it will engage with suppliers to the Joyce business to identify and develop opportunities.
Patrick C Joyce started the family business in Headford in 1951 with a small grocery store and followed this with a travelling shop and then developed into a general supermarket.
Pat Joyce took over the business in 1988 and since then nine more supermarkets have been opened in Knocknacarra, Athenry, Tuam, Inverin, Ballybane, Fr Griffin Road, Doughiska, Oranmore and Oughterard. The group employs more than 500 people.
Tesco Ireland chief executive Kari Daniels said the deal is part of the company’s strategic ambition to bring its quality and value to more customers:
“I look forward to bringing Tesco to more communities in Galway in the year ahead – this agreement provides a great platform for us to bring our value, quality and range of products to more customers,” Ms Daniels said.
“Pat Joyce, the management and wider team at Joyce’s Supermarkets have built a fantastic business over many years and there are great aspects of the Joyce business that can complement our Tesco offering,” she added.
Pat Joyce, Managing Director of Joyce’s Supermarkets, said the deal was a historic moment for his business.
“We have carefully considered the opportunity and are very pleased to pass our business on to an established brand in Tesco that promotes quality and excellence across its business, and which has an established presence in the Irish market,” he said.
“Should this acquisition be approved, I believe the move will be of significant benefit to them, and I would look forward to continuing our work well into next year as part of a transition period,” he added.
Tesco Ireland has 151 stores nationwide and five in Galway. It employs over 13,000 people in cities and towns around Ireland and partners with over 490 Irish suppliers


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A cooperative agreement between BNSF and Kansas City Southern has resulted in the launch of a new cross-border intermodal service. This joint initiative originated in result of rival Union Pacific Railroad’s own cross-border network.
BNSF and KCS revealed their plan to launch a five-days-a-week service connecting the BNSF Chicago and Dallas/Fort Worth markets to the KCS consumer and industrial regions on the Southern de México network.
The new service is focused on transporting foods, beverages, appliances and other cross-border deliverables. This stemming from KCS acknowledgement that Union Pacific had won over market share competition last year with its own cross-border initiative.
The Northbound end of the BNSF-KCS service will operate from Toluca, San Luis Potosí, or Monterrey, Mexico, to Dallas/Fort Worth or Chicago, where the two lines will meet. The Southbound service will then from Chicago or Dallas/Fort Worth to Laredo, Texas, or to Monterrey, San Luis Potosí, or Toluca, Mexico.
Users of the service will be able to connect with existing BNSF regions from Dallas/Fort Worth or Chicago locations, as well as the option to connect to railroads that reach northeastern tracks and Canadian markets.
Katie Farmer, vice president of consumer products at BNSF, stated, “These new services leverage our strong intermodal product and KCS’ expertise south of the border to enhance customers’ supply chain efficiency into and out of Mexico.”
The new service promises competitive “truck-like” intermodal transit times. Basis of this claim is derived from the intermodal rail shipments; entities using this line will not have to stop at the border for clearance from customs. Rather, the shipments, traveling in-bond, will be able to clear customs at Mexican origins and final destinations.
This new service unveils during a tumultuous time for trade between the US and Mexico. With the new administration taking office, President-elect Trump made his opinion clear about a reexamination of North America Free Trade Agreement during the infancy of his presidential tenure.


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The International Consumer Electronics Show is the largest technology exposition in the world. All of the latest and greatest advancements in the digital world are revealed at the event which takes place in Las Vegas. Despite there being some thrilling new inventions and breakthroughs this year, one subject took center stage: digital eye strain. During CES this week, The Vision Council released their 2016 Digital Eye Strain Report which was quickly picked up and reported on by numerous media outlets. From their survey of 10,000 adults, The Vision Council found that 70% of Americans suffer from some form of digital eye strain, while nine out of 10 of those people use electronic devices for two or more hours a day. They also reported that 27% of Americans do not know computer eyewear can protect against digital eye strain.
In an interview with CBS News, one technology sales expert who spends a lot of time in front of his laptop confessed that he experienced many symptoms of digital eye strain. These symptoms include headaches, eye strain, blurred vision, dry eyes, and more. It wasn’t until he purchased prescription glasses designed to help alleviate the negative effects of blue light and digital eye strain that he was finally able to experience relief.
Yes, there are prescription options out there to help you avoid digital eye strain, but they don’t include GUNNAR Optiks’ patented lens technology. With our eyewear, you not only find relief from digital eye strain, but you’re also protected against the negative effects of blue light while the shape of our glasses help keep your eyes from drying out. The bottom line: we’re here to help protect your eyes so you can better focus on what needs to get done whether you wear prescription glasses or not.


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e-cigarettes that resemble flash drives cause concern
JUUL brand e-cigarettes reportedly used by youth in Rhinelander
FOR THE STAR JOURNAL
There is a new tobacco product on the scene, and the Oneida County Health Department is warning parents to be on the lookout. JUUL e-cigarettes are small and resemble a USB flash drive, which health officials say makes them easy to hide from parents and teachers.
They can reportedly be charged in a computer just like a flash drive, so students could have them in the classroom without the teacher knowing. In a press release dated Feb. 1, Community Health Specialist Corie Zelazoski said the Rhinelander FACT group, which is an advocacy group that educates peers on the dangers of tobacco and nicotine replacement products, have said these products are being used by youth in our community.
Zelazoski stated that one of the most concerning things about these products is they are marketed as safe and directly at young people. She added that the “industry uses flavors like cool mint, fruit medley and crème bruule as a successful strategy in getting youth to use new tobacco products.”
A JUUL company spokesperson said in response that JUUL “strongly condemns” the use of its product by minors, and its intended use is to offer adults a “better alternative to “combustible cigarettes.”
“Our goal is to further reduce the number of minors who possess or use tobacco products, including vapor products, and to find ways to keep young people from ever trying these products, We approach this with a combination of education, enforcement, technology and partnership with others who are focused on this issued, including lawmakers, educators and our business partners,” stated a company spokesperson.
“We encourage parents to talk with their children about the dangers of nicotine. As a company we also continuously seek ways to contribute to this dialogue and knowledge base.”
Zelazoski further stated that flavored tobacco products are often the very first tobacco product a young person tries. Statistically, that is true for at least 80 percent of kids who have used tobacco. In addition, two out of three young tobacco users say they use tobacco products because “they come in flavors I like.” https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/tobaccoischanging/know-issues.htm
Wisconsin recently launched a new campaign called “Tobacco is Changing” to raise awareness of how candy flavors and deceptive packaging are successfully luring kids into a lifetime of addiction. The Northwoods Tobacco Free Coalition (NWTFC) and the Rhinelander FACT group are committed to educating parents, teachers, youth, and community members on the dangers of these products.
More information about the Tobacco is Changing campaign and local tobacco prevention efforts can be found at tobaccoischanging.com. More information about JUUL can be found at juullabs.com.


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Amazon Alexa: Expert demonstrates three features
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Websites are scrambling to restore their websites after a huge data connection failure which has left a number of websites suddenly offline. Fashion and lifestyle websites Etsy and Depop are among a number of high profile websites which have done down, including news outlets, Government websites and ecommerce sites.
Other websites which have gone down include retail giant Amazon, news websites the Guardian and the Independent, eBay and the HMRC website.
Users of sites have been hit by error messages when trying to gain access to the websites.
Attempts to access The New York Times and the Financial Time’s websites have been met with a white screen and a “Error 503 service unavailable” statement.
The message indicates that the server cannot handle requests at present.
When will Etsy and Depop be back up?
Etsy and Depop have not yet updated their social media accounts to inform users of the site when services will be able to resume.
Source: Read Full Article


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by Kevin Griffin og our London office writing in cybercruises.com
We reported that Rhapsody of the Seas was at Sembawang Shipyard in Singapore for a $54 million mid-life refit, and that Minerva and Costa neoRomantica had re-emerged from theirs. In the case of Costa neoRomantica, which also received major structural modifications, the bill came to €90 million (about $118 million).
These refits usually involve tens of millions in investment per ship and many weeks in drydock to achieve them. Sometimes there are external signs of the changes, as when balconies and new decks are added, sometimes all the changes are internal as in the “Solsticization” projects at Celebrity.
Recently came news of an even more ambitious plan from Carnival Cruise Lines. Carnival Destiny, which was the first 100,000-tonner when she was launched at Venice in 1996, will be going to Fincantieri for an even bigger mid-life refit, out of which she will emerge in April 2013 with a new name – Carnival Sunshine. (Is Carnival trying to steal some thunder from Royal Caribbean’s “Project Sunshine” ships on order at Meyer Werft for delivery in 2014 and 2015?)
Costing $155 million, somewhat like Costa neoRomantica, Carnival Sunshine will get an extra deck and two new deck extensions as well as new staterooms (182 compared to neoRomantica’s 111), but unlike the neoRomantica she will not need saddlebag balconies as the Destiny class have their lifeboats installed at a lower level.
This month, the “new” 3.006-berth Carnival Sunshine will enter cruise service in the Mediterranean, departing in October for a new base at New Orleans, where she will replace the 2,974-berth Carnival Conquest. The Conquest was the first ship to be built with the extra deck that Carnival Sunshine will now have and Costa’s Costa Concordia class are sister ships. This investment is part of the $500 million FunShip 2.0 programme, which also includes more modest updates to Carnival Liberty last year and Carnival Glory and Conquest later this year.
Features found on the line’s newest ships, including Guy’s Burger Joint, the Blue Iguana Tequila Bar, Fahrenheit 555 extra-tariff steak house, Italian Cucina del Capitano, Red Frog Pub, EA Sports Bar and Hasbro Game Show will be incorporated into the new design, as will a casual dining option in the Lido restaurant, a coffee bar, the Havana Bar Cuban lounge with Latin music and a Sunshine Bar in the atrium. Interiors will be by PartnerShip Design.
The best-known recent example of this type of work is the $140 million “Solsticization” of Celebrity Cruises’ four Millennium class ships, with the first upgrade completed on the Celebrity Constellation in 2010. Averaging $35 million per ship, Celebrity Infinity completed Solsticization in December 2011, Celebrity Summit last month, and Celebrity Millennium will complete the project when she emerges from the Grand Bahamas Shipyard in May.
The Summit, redelivered last month, received Aqua Class veranda staterooms with access to a new Mediterranean-themed restaurant, Blu. Also added was Qsine, the specialty restaurant that debuted on Celebrity Eclipse.
Also new to Summit is the Celebrity iLounge, where passengers can buy the latest Apple products, and the line’s famous Martini Bar, complete with frosted countertop, plus Cellar Masters wine bar where patrons can buy wines by the glass.
Cafe al Bacio and Gelateria have been added, along with a creperie, Bistro on Five. Suites have gained verandas, new furniture and more sumptuous appointments. Extra ocean-view and inside staterooms have also been added, and all accommodations have been outfitted with fresh carpet, upholstery and bedding, as well as flat-screen televisions.
Finally, we mentioned the Rhapsody of the Seas going to Sembawang for a $54 million makeover (see last week for the actual updates) as part of Royal Caribbean’s $300 million Royal Advantage program. Radiance and Splendour of the Seas were completed last year and after Rhapsody, they will be joined by the Grandeur and Serenade of the Seas this May and November.
And it’s not just the mainstream lines. Crystal Cruises has spent well in excess of $50 million recently on upgrading its soon-to-be-all-inclusive Crystal Serenity and Crystal Symphony.
Indeed, while new orders for cruise ships may have slowed down since the onset of the recession there is a very good market for shipyards to be updating cruise ships that are now ten and fifteen years old in order to bring them into line with their newer fleetmates.


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GREENVILLE — The EUM Church Women’s Ministry is excited to announce its annual Holiday Boutique on Nov. 12, from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. at the EUM Worship Center, 1451 Sater St., Greenville (corner of Sater Street & Sebring-Warner Road).
The Holiday Boutique is designed for artisans and home-based-business people of Darke County to connect with each other, build relationships, market their products and services or do their Christmas shopping all in a unique and festive setting. Vendor slots are open to those in the community who have in-home or family businesses, and/or offer woman or child related services.
Because they want to give back to the community, attendees and vendors will be asked to bring an item for the Pregnancy Help Center such as diapers, formula, baby clothes, etc.
If you have a home-based business and would like more information about reserving a booth at the Holiday Boutique, contact Cindy Crawford at 548-3211, ext 213 or [email protected].
For more information on Holiday Boutique other events, visit www.eumchurch.org.
Jeff Harper is Lead Pastor at EUM Church. The contemporary worship summer service times are Saturday at 6:30 p.m. and Sunday at 9 and 10:30 a.m. at the Worship Center, 1451 Sater St., Greenville. A traditional worship service is Sunday 9:45 a.m. at the Downtown Campus, 111 Devor St., Greenville. Children’s Ministry is available for kids birth through grade six, and youth in grades seven through 12 at the 9 and 10:30 a.m. Contemporary services. The Downtown Campus houses the offices. For more information, visit www.eumchurch.org or call 937-548-3211.


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CITIC Capital Partners, the private equity arm of CITIC Capital Holdings Limited, is looking to raise ¥25 billion ($250 million; €220 million) for its third Japan-focused fund.
CITIC Capital Japan Partners III, which was launched in the fourth quarter of 2015 and has a hard-cap of ¥30 billion, will make investments in Japanese consumer, healthcare, and industrials companies seeking to expand in China.
The fund is understood to be on track for a final closing by the end of the year, with capital coming from most of its existing limited partners.
Investors in CITIC Capital’s funds include the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank, and Temasek Holdings, according to PEI data.
CITIC Capital declined to comment on the fundraising.
The fund will focus on deals in the consumer and services sectors to capture the growing consumption demands of China’s rising middle class. Three investments have already been made from the fund – women’s clothing retailer Mark Styler, footwear company Akakura, and an undisclosed healthcare company.
According to Hironobu Nakano, CITIC Capital’s senior managing director and head of Japan, the firm’s earlier Japan focused funds are “performing very well”. Japan Growth Partners, its 2005-vintage vehicle that raised ¥20 billion, has realised three investments and returned more than 2.5 times invested capital. Meanwhile, 2010-vintage CITIC Capital Japan Partners II, which raised ¥18.2 billion, against a ¥30 billion target, has returned more than 3 times invested capital, according to Nakano.
The firm’s investments include food and beverage manufacturer Pokka Corporation, polymer parts manufacturer Polymatech, and car audio systems parts producer Shinwa International.
In May this year, CITIC Capital sold its 67.1 percent stake in packaging firm Tri-Wall to Osaka-based packaging manufacturer Rengo Company for an undisclosed sum.
In March, the firm launched CITIC Capital China Partners III, a China-focused fund which aims to raise $1.5 billion, of which $1.2 billion will be raised in US dollars and $300 million in renminbi, according to PEI data.
CITIC Capital manages over $5.8 billion across private equity, real estate and venture capital funds.


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For quite some time, Google has been running tests on a navigation bar for Android P. Many followers have suggested that it looks like the UI and new gestures on the iPhone X. The new navigation bar was released accidentally in one of Google’s Android Developers Blog posts.
While the navigation bar was quickly and swiftly cropped out of the screenshot, the cached copy of the post reveals the full picture of the screenshot including the navigation bar. Going by the shot, Google seems to have shown the door to the multitasking button. There is a change in the center home button too, which now looks pill-shaped and far smaller.
In a report by 9to5google, it was highlighted that the new navigation bar being tested by Google is very similar to the one on iPhone X. The swipe up gesture is said to open up the multitasking pane. It is not clear if the new pill-shaped home button is the same that was spotted in a leaked image of Moto X5 sometime back.
Some argue that the purported home button is just an identifier like the iPhone X, used to swipe up for added controls. Google seems to be including the back button controls also in Android P (follow link to the developer preview of Android P).
As of now, Google is only testing the navigation bar. Moreover, the company has a history of testing different navigation bars and never implementing them on shipped phones. A report by The Verge suggests that Google is still supporting screen notches like iPhone X with the new and updated Android P. An enhanced navigation bar powered by human gestures will give Android developers a broader spectrum to make better use of displays without bezels.
Google’s I/O 2018 will start on the May 8th in Mountain View. Both Android users and developers will be expecting a lot more on Android P in the conference.


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Note: Shortly before the publishing of this post, Brian Veerasammy left Millwood for a new employment opportunity. Millwood is proud to have been a part of his journey and we wish him the best on his new path .
The past two years have been a wild ride for the global economy. Prices for many products and commodities have been fluctuating greatly since the onset of the pandemic, and lumber has been one of the starkest examples.
This article is guest authored by Jason Dorney, regional sales director for Millwood’s CORE division , which specializes in sediment and erosion control products and services.
Modex 2022 is around the corner, and the Millwood team couldn’t be more excited. After a two-year hiatus from in-person trade shows, we are ready to head to Modex 2022 to reconnect with customers and friends in the industry.
On February 18, the Rescue Mission of the Mahoning Valley held its annual benefit dinner . In keeping with tradition, several Millwood team members from our corporate office and Vienna, OH facility attended.
The best time for companies across the globe to focus on environmental sustainability was about 20 years ago, but the second best time is now. For the past decade or so, many companies’ sustainability efforts have gone from being an afterthought to a priority. “Going green” is no longer a bonus for business es but an expectation.
Each change of season presents its own set of challenges on construction sites. As the weather begins to get warmer in late winter and early spring, melting snow runoff can lead to issues on your site and must be addressed.
It’s been a long two years since Millwood has attended an in-person trade show, and we are thrilled to be getting back to it at Modex 2022 from March 28-31! If you’re gearing up for your first trade show (or you’re just a bit rusty after the pandemic) and aren’t sure what to expect, these tips will help make your experience a success.
Millwood’s CORE Erosion Control Services division recently welcomed two new team members and hopes to expand even further as the year progresses. Darryl Main and Thomas Agee were brought on as sales managers to help CORE best meet the needs of their growing customer base. They will also help the team manage new customers in new markets as the division grows and develops.
Now a month deep into 2022, many of us are wondering what the next eleven months will hold for the supply chain industry. High prices of materials like wood and steel , a complicated labor market, pandemic restrictions, transportation issues and more all pressed against one another in such a way that the world was launched into a global supply chain crisis seemingly overnight.
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Popular action camera maker GoPro has announced the recall of its new Karma drone over safety concerns. The Karma drone was launched in September along with two new cameras amid much fanfare.
The $799 Karma drone was recalled after reports of several units losing power during operation. Owners of Karma can return their units to GoPro for a full refund.
“Safety is our top priority,” said GoPro CEO Nicholas Woodman. “A very small number of Karma owners have reported incidents of power failure during operation. We have moved quickly to recall all units of Karma and provide a full refund while we investigate the issue.”
GoPro said it is working with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and Federal Aviation Administration for smooth return and refund process.
If you purchased Karma from the GoPro website, you can reach the phone helpline to initiate the refund. For purchases that were made through Best Buy, you need to reach them directly. Not just the drone, users will also get refund for Karma-related accessories you may have purchased.
GoPro first announced that it planned to make its own drone in May 2015 and had planned for it to go on sale in the first half of this year. By mid-September GoPro unveiled Karma while introducing new Hero5 cameras.
The commercial foldable drones went on sale 0n October 23. It was priced at priced at $799 and boasted of simple joystick, touch-screen controls, and an image-stabilizing grip to hold Hero cameras. The drone’s stabiliser can also be attached to a handheld grip.
Some 2,500 Karma drones have been sold since the launch. The recall saw GoPro’s shares decline to 6% in after-hours trading on Tuesday.