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Sending a letter in Germany used to be such a simple thing. You put your letter in an envelope, slapped on a stamp, and popped it in the familiar yellow Deutsche Post mailbox. End of story.
But not for much longer. Deutsche Post is about to lose its monopoly on the postal service. And after that, customers will be able to choose from new green, red and blue postboxes on the street as well as old yellow.
As part of a European Union move to introduce greater competition in letter delivery services, Germany on Jan. 1, 2008 will abolish Deutsche Post's exclusive right to deliver letters under 50 grams -- the last monopoly left for what used to be the only game in town.
Putting their Stamp on the Business
Firms are lining up to get a piece of the action -- and it is considerable. Around 72 million letters are posted each working day in Germany -- almost one for each member of the population -- and the domestic letter delivery market is worth a total of €23 billion ($31.4 billion) a year, according to the German Association for Post, Information Technology and Telecommunication (DVPT). Delivery of letters under 50 grams -- the segment affected by the end of Deutsche Post's monopoly next year -- accounts for just over €10 billion of that total.
Deutsche Post's competitors have been multiplying -- and growing in strength -- over the last few years as the postal services market has become incrementally liberalized. The former monopolist currently has a staggering 750 competitors for letter delivery, who have about a 10 percent share of the market for letters under 50 grams. At the moment they can only deliver this class of letters under strict conditions -- for example, they must offer extra services, such as collecting mail directly from the sender.
Most of the competing firms are small regional operators. In terms of the big boys, analysts expect that only one or two companies will be able to succeed in competing with Deutsche Post on the national level. The contenders are Luxembourg-based Pin Group, whose green-clad employees are already a familiar sight in Berlin, and TNT Post, a joint venture between the former Dutch monopolist TNT Post BV and the German Hermes Logistics Group.
Both groups are currently building up their postal networks in Germany, buying up regional operators and integrating them under their brands to ensure blanket coverage.
And Deutsche Post is taking them seriously. The firm has warned analysts that it could lose up to 20 percent of its market share by 2009 or later. To cover lost revenues in the future, it is expanding into other European markets and offering value-added products such as direct marketing services.
The company is also slashing costs. And in an industry where personnel costs make up 60 percent of total expenditures, that can easily translate into job losses -- which is why tens of thousands of Deutsche Post employees took to the streets in Berlin in May to call for the company's monopoly to be retained if other EU states did not open their markets.
Deutsche Post spokesman Dirk Klasen told SPIEGEL ONLINE that the firm is hoping to avoid making any job cuts. But if the company can't make up its lost market share elsewhere, then heads will have to roll. And 20 percent lost market share means 20 percent fewer staff -- in other words, 30,000 jobs from Deutsche Post's 150,000 staff in Germany are potentially at risk.
There is little love lost between the former monopolist and the new competitors. For Deutsche Post, the newcomers are money-grabbing exploiters, while the new kids in town see Deutsche Post as a lumbering dinosaur with high prices and outdated bureaucracy.
All the companies say that they just want a level playing field -- but they differ about what that means. In the Deutsche Post corner, Klasen complains about competitors engaging in "wage dumping." "Many of our competitors pay very low wages of €5-€6 per hour," he says, pointing out that an employee starting out at Deutsche Post makes €10.40 an hour. Similarly, German services union Ver.di recently accused TNT Post of using "child labor when it advertised for teenage delivery workers in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia.
Klasen would like to see a minimum wage introduced in the letter delivery sector to ensure fair competition. Germany already has minimum wages in certain industry sectors but not across the board. Chancellor Angela Merkel's government recently decided against introducing a national minimum wage.
He is also critical of a recent European Union decision to postpone complete market liberalization until 2011 -- two years later than the European Commission had proposed. "It's not fair if we have an open market here in Germany but France or Spain close their markets to foreign competition," he says. Deutsche Post is already present in the letter delivery market in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands and has plans to expand into other countries.
Meanwhile the competition complains about unfair advantages for the former monopolist. They bemoan the fact that Deutsche Post's letter services are currently exempt from value-added (sales) tax, because of the company's obligation to provide a "universal service" -- in other words, to guarantee that a letter will arrive to any address in Germany.
'We Want the Same Conditions as Deutsche Post'
"We just want to operate under the same conditions as Deutsche Post," Pin Group CEO Günter Thiel told SPIEGEL ONLINE. Pin may be disappointed though -- according to a report Monday in SPIEGEL, the German Finance Ministry plans to keep the tax break for Deutsche Post even after market liberalization.
First Past the Post
Irrespective of how level or not it becomes, the playing field is certain to be a bloody one. All the big players are busy planning their strategies for the postal free-for-all and looking for creative ways to make more money. One company in the city of Bremen, for example, is trying to attract customers on the move by providing special postboxes in buses and trains.
And Pin is looking at innovative ways to expand its outlets. SPIEGEL reported recently that the company is in talks with the Sparkasse banking group with the aim to opening up counters in bank branches where customers can use postal services. Pin is not commenting on the ongoing negotiations, however.
The company could certainly do with a few more branches. Although Thiel says Pin's goal -- as part of its plans to achieve "two-digit" market share -- is to have a network "at least as dense" as that of Deutsche Post's, the company still has some way to go. Founded in 1999, Pin Group currently has over 7,000 employees in Germany and delivers about 2.3 million pieces of post everyday. The company has around 500 branches in Germany, while Deutsche Post has a massive 12,500 -- and, with an eye to taking on the competition, has just announced plans to open another 600.
A Race to the Bottom?
The one thing that everyone is agrees on is that services will be cheaper after market liberalization. "We are assuming that prices will come down," says Elmar Müller from the German Association for Post, Information Technology and Telecommunication (DVPT), which represents the interests of consumers.
Mind you, the difference in price for letter delivery will only be a few cents -- which means that for private individuals, the changes may not actually mean that much, seeing as an average German household only spends €4.50 a month on letter post. But for business and institutional customers with large volumes of mail, a few cents saved on each letter makes a big difference -- which is why Pin has already snared desirable customers such as the city of Berlin.
Müller told SPIEGEL ONLINE that he fears a race to the bottom. He says a price war between competitors would lead to a decline in quality, given that letter delivery is so labor intensive. "If you pay badly, then it's difficult to get good staff," he says. "We hope customers will not just differentiate on price but also on quality and reliability, and we hope companies do not compete with price dumping in order to make a quick profit."
However, Thiel has another explanation for Pin's prices, which he says are up to 20 percent lower than Deutsche Post's on average. He attributes Pin's low prices to synergies with the company's shareholders -- German publishing giant Axel Springer recently acquired a majority stake -- and the company having lower administration costs and lean management. "We don't have the same 'civil servant' apparatus as Deutsche Post," he says.
It is a charge that Klasen vehemently rejects. "That might have been true 20 years ago, but things have changed a lot since then," he says. The majority of the company is now privately owned, he points out, and the company only has 60,000 civil servants left, out of 520,000 staff worldwide. "If we had a 'civil servant' culture, then we couldn't compete on the global market," he says.
But before everyone gets too excited about the profits to be made from letter delivery, they should bear in mind that the letter delivery market won't grow forever. Klasen points out that letter post is being replaced internationally by e-mail and mobile phone text messages, as part of a trend known as electronic substitution.
"It's the same sized pie," he says. "It won't get bigger."


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- Another accolade for Nissan as it scoops top award from Motability Operations
- Nissan praised for its flexible approach and new NV200 Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle (WAV)
- Success in Motability reflected in a 60% increase in sales last year compared with 2008
Nissan has another trophy to add to the cabinet, as Britain’s largest car builder is hailed Motability Supplier of the Year in the over 10,000 registrations per year category at the fifth annual Supplier Awards presented by Motability Operations.
As the company which operates the Motability car, powered wheelchair and scooter scheme, Motability Operations recognises the people and businesses who deliver outstanding choice, excellence and customer satisfaction to over half a million customers. The Supplier Awards cover all areas of the Motability Operations business.
Mike Betts, chief executive, Motability Operations, explains what set Nissan apart from the competition: “Nissan’s flexible approach to its partnership with Motability Operations was praised with judges particularly noting efforts to reduce administration, customer support, and changes to save time for customers. Highly effective customer service completes the range of first-class achievements for Nissan in the last year, and they prove to be an excellent winner at the Motability Operations Supplier Awards.”
Judges were also impressed with Nissan’s work with Motability Operations to produce a new Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle to the market. The award-winning NV200 MPV formed the perfect basis for such a vehicle thanks to its class leading interior capacity, compact exterior dimensions and affordable prices.
The success of the NV200 has helped Nissan to achieve significant increases in sales in the Motability sector. A huge 60% sales increase last year compared with 2008 resulted in an 11% market share for Nissan – and this figure is on target to rise once again in 2010. Proving the strength in depth of Nissan’s versatile range, it’s the Qashqai that accounts for 70% of Nissan’s Motability sales while the versatile Note is also a popular choice.
Nissan Motor (GB) Ltd’s MD, Paul Willcox comments: “We are delighted to receive an award for the efforts we’ve made in the Motability sector. It’s been an area of particular focus over the past year and we have reaped the rewards both in terms of sales success and customer satisfaction. We look forward to working with Motability Operations in the future.”
The Motability Operations Supplier Awards took place at a business lunch on 16 July at Brocket Hall in Hertfordshire and were hosted by BBC newsreader Huw Edwards.

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The Sidetrade tracker, which shows the week-by-week payment behaviour of more than 3.7 million businesses in six European countries, has highlighted the British industries gravely impacted by payment delays tied to the coronavirus crisis.
Note that finance, insurance, real estate, as well as ICT are areas where late payment rate [in the UK] was already high prior to the pandemic: 56% and 53%, respectively,” said Sidetrade, which also tracks unpaid invoices in France, Spain, Italy, Belgium, and the Netherlands
38% unpaid invoices as of May 25, 2020, the UK has seen a slight improvement in customer-supplier relations. This is the first positive effect of lockdown exit.
In the ICT (information, communication, technology) world, 60% of invoices are over 10 days overdue, while the same is true for 55% of invoices in leisure and hospitality.


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South Korean technology developers have produced a GPS navigation system that contains a mini projector, that can project its maps on to suitable surfaces.
The Maptor is a hand-held device – around the same size as a conventional torch – that can eliminate squinting at tiny three or four inch screens, while providing the same navigational capabilities as other modern GPS systems. While allowing for much larger display capabilities, it also lets users share their results and navigational information.
The Maptor integrates a tiny GPS module into it, which that is able to pinpoint the user’s existing location and then map it against the map database to which it is remotely connected, like a conventional GPS system. The mini projector is also Bluetooth capable, which allows users to keep their maps up to date by downloading new ones, without requiring fussy cables.
The device is made out of biodegradable plastic PLA (Polylactic acid) material, which makes it particularly environmentally friendly. While the Maptor is currently only a concept design – not even on general release in its native South Korea – many mapping experts have commended its novel approach to navigation with minimal intricacies and have said similar devices could be produced for the consumer market within two years.


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PTC has today announced its presence at the National Retail Federation’s (NRF) annual event, Retail’s Big Show, from January 16th to 18th. A major fixture in the retail calendar, NRF is a must-attend event for brands and retailers looking for the latest cutting-edge retail technologies. PTC’s Retail Business Unit (located at booth #6703) will showcase FlexPLM V12 — with its modern, visual, and fully-responsive user interface — alongside a suite of digital product creation, sustainability, and supply chain solutions.
Brands and retailers can schedule an interactive tour of the PTC booth by clicking here
This year’s in-person NRF show —taking place for the first time since 2020 —will feature three full days of content and promises to provide attendees with all the contacts and networking opportunities to accelerate and propel their businesses into the next chapter of retail. Key events topics include: supply chain connectivity and collaboration; sustainability; AI, blockchain and machine learning; international business growth and leadership.
“We are thrilled to show the full scope of our ever-evolving retail digital transformation solutions at NRF,” says Bill Brewster, Senior Vice President and General Manager of PTC’s Retail Business Unit. “From interactive demonstrations to best practices and unique insights, visitors to our booth will learn how to use digital technologies like PLM, 3D, AI and AR to accelerate their design, product development and go-to-market processes, become more agile, improve their sustainability credentials, connect their supply chain operations, and make better, data-driven decisions. And as always, PTC’s team of retail experts will be on-hand to demonstrate why our solutions are being used by the most demanding brands and retailers on an unmatched scale every day.”
As part of this large-scale experience, PTC will also be demonstrating its latest release of FlexPLM, that features several customer-driven updates, including: additional UI/UX enhancements to improve materials useability, further support for visual collaboration and providing visual feedback and digital product creation with even easier 3D asset management.
Rounding out the capabilities on show will be PTC’s industry-first integration between FlexPLM and sustainability insights platform, Higg. Through this best-in-class integration, sourcing managers now have the information they need to select the most environmentally friendly suppliers for manufacturing, and product designers and developers can better understand the environmental impact of the materials they choose to incorporate into their products.
“NRF provides brands and retailers with a world-class platform to access the tools that will help them to thrive in a new, post-pandemic, digital era,” continued Brewster. “PTC is proud to be part of that conversation, and we look forward to showing visitors to NRF 2022 what makes our Retail PLM and other solutions special: useability, scalability, security, the ability to manage countless product categories and multinational complex supply chains as standard, and the opportunity to turn some truly unique technologies into an advantage in terms of speed to market, agility, and creativity – every area that counts in the retail market of today.”
About PTC Retail
PTC (NASDAQ: PTC) leads the PLM industry for retail, footwear and apparel. Since introducing the world’s first fully-web-based PLM solution, we have become a trusted PLM partner to over 150 iconic apparel, footwear, fashion, and retail customers and more than 1,500 brands that use our FlexPLM platform to create amazing products. Today, in excess of 226,000 people use PTC FlexPLM on a daily basis – with more than 57,000 of them in the global supply chain. We support them with a worldwide team of dedicated retail experts, on the ground in every major fashion hub. For further information, email email@example.com or visit: ptc.com | LinkedIn | Instagram |Twitter


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It has been just about a year since I last wrote about the battle between Brick and Mortar and Online and Device sales. And what a difference a year makes. Unfortunately a perfect storm of changes is challenging most physical store chains.
Recent retail chain earning reports offer spending clues: “American shoppers are willing to spend on their homes and buy new clothes, just not at traditional department stores.
Discount chains like TJX haven’t been the only companies taking share from department stores. Online retailers, particularly Amazon.com Inc., have also made inroads. Morgan Stanley analysts estimate that department stores in aggregate lost $348 million dollars in apparel revenue in the recently completed quarter, while Amazon likely grew its apparel sales by $1.4 billion in the period”.
During a recent Retail Marketing Society (RMS) breakfast featuring retail icon Allen Questrom, interviewed by The Robin Report founder and CEO Robin Lewis, said this: “I believe the big problem is that there are far too many stores: 23 square feet of shopping space for every person in America and store growth is five to 10 times our population growth.”
In fact a recent Wall Street Journal article calculated the number of stores that needed to close to bring back productivity levels to those achieved in 2006:
Many stores have been overhauling their businesses as they aim to cater to shoppers increasingly buying more online or heading more often to off-price stores to get deals. But the changing behavior could be accelerating, forcing those who don’t change fast enough to be left in the dust.
So in addition to trimming the number of outlets, major stores also need to experiment and change.
Target’s is testing new store experiences. For example, Target’s Connect Home space in San Francisco showcases how shoppers can use “smart” technology for the home like baby monitors and sprinklers. It had huge success with its Wonderland temporary store in Manhattan last holiday season. “These are learning labs that we can scale,” says Target’s Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer Casey Carl.
Target is also testing some new concepts in 25 LA stores. “Some of the enhancements include sleeker apparel fixtures, a better-lit fresh produce section that emphasizes organics, dedicated service stations for people to quickly pick up online orders, as well as the addition of specialists in key departments to help provide product knowledge.”
Meanwhile, a number of online-only retailers are now expanding with physical stores, but don’t expect to walk out with the products you buy. Andy Dunn, founder and CEO of Bonobos, which sells men’s clothes that boast a better fit, now operates 21 physical stores that are called “Guideshops.” There, customers can get fitted, and they will be able to order the items and have them delivered to their home.
One area Sam’s is working on is to become a destination for caregivers. Sam’s Club has a website for caregivers to be a one-stop destination where they can find information on everything from stress management to shopping for specific products that facilitate care such as lift chairs to getting automatic prescription refills to save time.
Retailers have implemented Omni-Channel initiatives enabling customers to shop in store, on the web and of course with their phones and tablets. Logistics has been difficult and costly as retailers to start shipping merchandise from the store to shoppers’ homes. Stores had enough problems making sure they had the right inventory in the store at the right time — and the right number of workers based on customer traffic. They now need to try new approaches to workload management, matching tasks to available resources.
A CNBC report relates Allen Questrom contention that retailers may be shifting too many resources from their brick-and-mortar stores to online retail, hurting service levels in the stores that still bring in the lion’s share of sales. “You cannot give up the bricks and mortar experience, because a customer has to come into the store and be excited. She has to see things that make her (or him) want to buy,” he said.
Finally interesting alliances are starting to bubble up. The rise of Amazon.com Inc. as a new destination for apparel shoppers hasn’t gone unnoticed at the headquarters of Gap Inc. The apparel chain’s chief executive, Art Peck, told shareholders that Gap is open to selling its merchandise on Amazon or other third parties in the U.S.
“To not be considering Amazon and others would be in my view delusional,” Mr. Peck said recently in response to an investor’s question at the annual shareholder meeting. “We are always considering all of our opportunities beyond our traditional mix of channels and stores.”


text: The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 187.73 points, or 1.5 percent on Friday, closing above 13, 000 for the first time since May 7. It rallied to a close of 13,075.66 ... The same record high temperatures and drought threatening to decimate this year's corn crop may actually be good news for jalapenos that grow more flavorful with heat, experts say, reports the Huffington Post/AP. "Peppers really like hot weather," said Irwin Goldman, a horticulture professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison ... The National Football League has finalized its deal with Pepsi for its sponsorship of the Super Bowl halftime show in a multiyear deal, reports USA Today/AP. Last year's halftime show was viewed by 114 million people, according to Nielsen, about 3 million more than watched the game itself ... McDonald's unveiled new outfits for all of its British workers, which Wayne Hemmingway, the designer, said were inspired by American TV show Mad Men and the mod movement will be rolled out to all 87,500 workers in the UK this autumn, reports The Telegraph. The main "crew", who work behind the counters flipping burgers and frying chips, will wear polo shirts, in mustard yellow for the men and "gherkin green" for the women. Customer care assistants get check shirts with green dark green trousers or skits. Managers will be in black and white, with skinny ties, but female managers get a mustard yellow neck scarf and pencil skirt ... Coca-Cola, PepsiCo and other makers and sellers of soft drinks have formed New Yorkers for Beverage Choice, a group fighting a plan to restrict the size of sweetened drinks sold in New York City restaurants, theaters and other venues, reports USA Today. The American Beverage Association is funding and leading the effort, which includes petitions, airplane banners, ads on movie marquees, and radio spots that ask, "Are we going to let our mayor tell us what size beverage to buy?" ... Smithfield Foods, synonymous with Virginia ham and pork, and Dannon defied the traditional supply chain with proprietary quick-service storefronts, reports QSR. Taste of Smithfield opened in Smithfield, Va., while Dannon unveiled the Yogurt Culture C. in Manhattan.Both restaurants were conceived for the purpose of enhancing their brand's mission, not necessarily to compete head-on with other quick serves, say representatives from each company ... Coffee giant Starbucks aims to capitalize on the growing premium juice market with the opening of two Evolution Fresh units in Seattle and a third in San Francisco, reports USA Today. Starbucks paid $30 million to buy the brand last year, and opened its first Evolution Fresh juice and food store in Bellevue, Wash., in March ... Frito-Lay North America is launching the "Do Us A Flavor" potato chip contest, reports Candy & Snack Today. Frito-Lay explains similar contests in other countries drew winning flavors such as Late Night Kebob, Mastana Mango and Walkie Talkie Chicken. Through October 6, the company now is asking U.S. consumers to suggest the next Lay's flavor at facebook.com/lays or by text message for a chance to win $1 million or one percent of the product's net sales in 2013, and the winning flavor will be revealed in May 2013 when the brand's 75th anniversary is celebrated ... Amid concern that gluten-free products lack nutrition, food-makers could look to flour made from byproducts of apples and oranges, according to a study funded by the Irish Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, reports BakeryAndSnacks.com (France). "Food scientists have shown dietary and vegetable byproducts to be untapped sources of nutrients such as dietary fiber and phytochemicals," researchers said. Joh. A. Benckiser, a privately-held investment firm, has agreed to acquire Peet's Coffee & Tea, Inc. for $73.50 per share in cash, or a total of approximately $1 billion. Once the transaction closes Peet's will become privately owned and will continue to be operated by the company's current management team and employees ... Seven Kellogg Co. bakeries in the U.S. earned the Environmental Protection Agency's Energy Star certification, a designation that places them in the top 25 percent of similar facilities nationwide for energy efficiency, reports Sosland Morning Brief. Last year, the E.P.A. awarded these same facilities the first-ever Energy Star certification for bakeries that demonstrate best-in-class energy performance. The Energy Star-certified bakeries include Kellogg's bakeries in Augusta and Columbus, Ga.; Raleigh and Charlotte, N.C.; Cincinnati; and Florence and Louisville, Ky. ... The world's second biggest hamburger chain Burger King launched several pork, beef and chicken sandwiches as limited time offers, reports CBS News. And for a sweet ending, the company is offering a bacon sundae - vanilla soft serve with fudge, caramel, bacon crumbles and a piece of bacon. The salty-sweet dessert clocks in at 510 calories, 18g of fat and 61g of sugar.


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NEW YORK (AP) - The body of a naked woman with her throat slashed has been found at a luxury hotel on the south end of New York City's Central Park.
Police say investigators were at the Jumeirah (joo-MEER'-ah) Essex House hotel on Saturday looking into the woman's death. They say the woman appears to be in her 30s but haven't disclosed any other details.
The body was found Saturday afternoon in a condo at the Manhattan hotel, which is near Broadway and upscale Fifth Avenue shops such as Tiffany & Co. and Bergdorf Goodman.
The hotel says in a statement its "heartfelt condolences go out to the victim's family."
The 44-story art deco landmark features hundreds of luxury rooms and suites up to 2,500 square feet. It opened in 1931
Copyright 2015 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.


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ASBOs for dogs, TV programmes to train tubby terriers… It seems our pets are becoming increasingly unruly but are our beloved furry friends really naughtier than ever, or is it just a media myth?
Petplan, the UK’s leading pet insurance provider, needs your help to find out. This week, National Pet Week, sees the launch of Pet Watch. This first ever national census into pet behaviour will provide the most comprehensive insight into the UK’s pets, alongside attitudes towards our own and other people’s four legged friends.
How often do barking dogs and screeching cats keep us awake at night? Are our own pets bullied by other neighbourhood animals? And would we slap an ASBO on a local pet if we could? As much as we are a nation of animal lovers, what are our ‘pet hates’? All this will be revealed through Pet Watch.
‘Alongside the unusual pet stories we have seen in recent news reports, Petplan has seen a significant rise in injury related claims in 2005. We feel duty bound to find out what is really behind this. Are British pets so pampered that they are now trying to rule the streets as well as their own roost? Pet Watch is designed to uncover all the mysteries of the pet world,’ comments Petplan’s Fiona Pinkney.
To take part in Pet Watch, visit petplan.co.uk/petwatch and record your observations.


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The Acquisition wil be satisfied by payment of $12.5m in cash, the issuance of $833,467 in common shares of the Company
good natured Products announced that on December 1, 2020, through a wholly owned subsidiary, it has entered into a definitive agreement (the “Definitive Agreement”) to acquire IPF Holdings Inc. dba Integrated Packaging Films (“IPF”), a leading rollstock sheet extruder with over 20 years’ experience, for consideration of approximately $16.7 million (the “Acquisition”). The Acquisition wil be satisfied by payment of $12.5 million in cash, the issuance of $833,467 in common shares of the Company (“Common Shares”) at a deemed price of $0.47 per Common Share, and the issuance of a $3.3 million vendor take-back note, subject to customary working capital adjustments. All dollar figures in this release are in Canadian dollars unless noted otherwise.
Founded in 1997 by the Mechar family, IPF is located in Ayr, Ontario and is a manufacturer of high quality, rigid plastic sheets used to create a variety of products, including thermoformed packaging. IPF’s customers serve a diverse set of end markets, including electronics, retail, industrial, food and medical packaging. IPF currently serves nearly 100 customers from a dedicated 32,000 square foot leased facility on 2.9 acres of land. Customers are primarily located in the northeast and midwest United States and Eastern Canada.
“Building on our 50% revenue growth year to date through September 30, 2020, this transaction marks another significant milestone in the Company’s growth trajectory. The Acquisition diversifies and strengthens our industrial business group with the addition of nearly 100 customers, as well as entry into the medical and electronic industrial rollstock segment, and contributes approximately $17.0 million in annual sales,” said Paul Antoniadis, CEO of good natured®. “The Acquisition of IPF strategically complements our recent acquisition of Shepherd Thermoforming and Packaging in May 2020 and represents good natured®’s ability to deliver on our acquisition strategy that underpins our organic growth business model.”
Paul added: “We’re delighted to welcome the Mechar family and the entire IPF team to the good natured team! We share a common vision to be leaders in the development and adoption of sustainable, planet-friendly packaging solutions in North America, so the combination of our collective expertise, people and manufacturing capability further positions the Company to execute against this ambition.”
“We are very excited to partner with good natured® and continue the legacy of our business that was started in 1997,” said Bill Mechar, President and Founder of IPF. Co-owner Mark Faber, former CEO of CM Packaging Group, Inc. added: “Joining together with good natured is a strong strategic fit and will accelerate IPF’s ability to meet the growing demand for plant-based products and broadens the product offering to our existing thermoforming customers.”
Source: Company Press Release


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Google Android N Debuts In September; Leading Smartphone Makers In Line To Receive The Update!By Vinny, UniversityHerald Reporter
Android users rejoice! The much-awaited Android N will be released in September this year.
Several users who have been testing the upcoming Android mobile operating system on various devices in its beta phase are reportedly happy. The search engine giant, Google published a schedule for the beta preview and the final build launch.
May: Android N developer preview 3 (beta)
June: Android N developer preview 4 (SDK and APIs)
July: Android N developer preview 5 (near-final build)
August - September: Final Android 7.0 AOSP build
The program dubbed "Android N Developer Preview," gives users everything they need to test as well as optimize their apps for the upcoming Android N.
If reports doing rounds are anything to go by, the much-awaited Android N operating system will first land on Nexus devices.
Android N for HTC, LG, Huawei, BlackBerry and Samsung
Citing that the HTC One M9 received the Android M (Marshmallow) update in December last year, they are speculations that hint HTC 10 will receive Android N update in December this year.
LG has been very fast when it comes to updates. The Korean electronics giant is reportedly set to take the wraps off the latest Android N operating system on its devices during Christmas, according to reports on Yibada.
Huawei, on the other hand usually updates its devices with Android M one month after its release. The Chinese smartphone maker will reportedly update its Mate line in November 2016. Reports further hint that the Huawei Mate 8 and Huawei P9 are all set to get the update during December.
BlackBerry, however was slow with its Android M update. The popular Canadian telecommunication and wireless equipment company is more focused on getting Google's platform and enhancing the overall experience of using the software on its latest PRIV model. The company will reportedly roll out Android N to its BlackBerry phones by 2017.
Samsung took 5 months to unravel its first Android M update. After Android Marshmallow made its debut in September, the popular South Korean smartphone maker came up with its first update to the Verizon's Galaxy Note 5 in March 2016.
Samsung Galaxy S7 is reportedly scheduled to get the Android N update by 2017.


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On Monday, Chipotle Mexican Grill opened its first Lincoln store with a drive-thru.
The location, in a former Taco Bell at 7133 Pioneers Blvd., is part of a new concept for Chipotle, called "Chipotlane." Rather than driving up to a menu board and using an intercom to order and then driving to a window to get their food, customers order ahead using the company's website or app and then pick up their order in the drive-thru.
"These formats continue to perform very well and are helping enhance guest access and convenience, as well as increase new restaurant sales, margins and returns," Chipotle said in a news release announcing its first-quarter earnings.
Chipotle has found success with the concept and is rapidly rolling it out. Though only about 7% of Chipotle locations had a Chipotlane as of March 31, more than 60% of the stores the company has opened since the start of 2020 have one.
And that percentage appears to be growing.
Erin Wolford, Chipotle's senior director of external communications, said the company expects that about 70% of the approximately 200 new locations it plans to open this year will have a Chipotlane.
Chipotle is among a number of restaurant companies both large and small that have learned the value of drive-thrus.
Many restaurants already were embracing drive-thrus before COVID-19, but the pandemic turbocharged the move for some.
Even before the pandemic, drive-thru visits had grown, with 39% of people saying they visited a drive-thru more in 2019 than they did in 2018, according to the National Restaurant Association. And they are continuing to grow.
As of April, the number of people who had used a restaurant drive-thru was 36% higher than it was in April 2020, according to a survey from Bluedot. In addition, the survey found nine out of 10 diners had visited a drive-thru in the past month.
Drive-thrus have long been a staple for fast-food restaurants such as McDonald's and Burger King, but they are now being embraced by fast-casual and coffee chains as well.
For years, none of the three Panera Bread locations in Lincoln had drive-thrus. But in early 2019, the chain opened two new locations with drive-thrus -- at 62nd and O streets and 14th Street and Pine Lake Road -- to replace locations nearby.
Scooters Coffee is another chain that has embraced the drive-thru. Last fall, it closed two of its stores downtown because they lacked a drive-thru. Most of its new locations in Lincoln and elsewhere now are kiosk-style buildings that have little if any seating and do most of their business through their drive-thru windows.
"More and more people are drinking coffee every year, and to be able to serve these people we need drive-thrus," said Jason Metcalf, the franchisee for Scooters in Lincoln.
Metcalf said people are also busier than ever and appreciate not having to leave their car to get their coffee.
Reach the writer at 402-473-2647 or firstname.lastname@example.org.
On Twitter @LincolnBizBuzz.


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Mumbai, India, July 23, 2012 --(PR.com
)-- Kiran Gems Private Limited, the world’s largest manufacturer of white diamonds below 1 carat, has added just another feather in its cap. Recently the company had been awarded as the Highest Exporter of white Diamonds from India by Indian Diamond and Color-stone Association (IDCA), for its excellent export performance in the previous fiscal. The award was presented to Mr. Mavji Patel, Managing Director Kiran Gems Private Limited, during IDCA’s reception at 28th Annual Gala Event during the JCK Las Vegas show on Saturday, June 2nd- 2012.
Kiran had also bagged the highest Exporter award in DTC category for the same period from GJEPC. On this achievement Mr. Mavji Patel said that “We perform and award comes by, focus is the performance.” Recently Kiran had ramped up its production facilities to boost its production and achieve best quality standards. Sarin had also recognized Kiran singularly for the highest number of Sarin Machines installed in its production units, the highest in the diamond industry. A grand new 200,000 Sq Ft state of the art factory is underway and is in its final stages. This new factory is in Vaishali, Surat and is scheduled to operational by the end of this year. On completion, this new factory would serve as the diamond manufacturing head quarter for the Kiran Group.
Besides production of loose diamonds, Kiran has also expanded its reach through expansion in China. Kiran has opened offices in Shanghai and Shenzhen to cater to the increasing needs of its customers in China. In jewellery, Kiran had recently added India market to its portfolio and has plans to offer best of the fashion and bridal jewellery products. Kiran has a long standing experience in the same domain for the international market, working with some of the biggest retailers of the world.
About the Company:
“Kiran” is one of the world’s foremost diamond jewelry manufacturers. Focusing on its core-strengths of manufacturing, KIRAN has carved a prime niche for itself in the mass luxury segment. Kiran has 121 specialised dedicated factories and 24,000 skilled craftsmen and professionals, India’s largest provider of employment opportunities in Diamond industry, adding value to the diamonds and jewels it creates. With a massive annual production of over 1.47 M carats of polished diamonds, Kiran, with its worldwide offices in Mumbai(HO), Antwerp, Dubai, Hong Kong and New York, facilitates the growth of over 1000 excelling jewellery businesses worldwide.
More information about the company can be found at: www.kirangems.com


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SANTA ANA, Calif. — She was leafing through dresses one day at Sears. Katy Norton, 36, of Laguna Beach, Calif., has 3-year-old twins and money to spend. And she's a sports fan.
Sears wants her.
The company is pouring $10 million into the Women's National Basketball Association to make friendly connections with women like Norton, who represent 70 percent of its customer base. So is General Motors, Lee Jeans, Nike and Reebok.
Women's sports are hot and advertisers are jockeying to position themselves as benefactors of sweaty, struggling sports pioneers. They see the WNBA and women's sports in general as fertile advertising ground.
"We want to focus on the core customer, women with families," said John Lebbad, director of promotions for Sears. "If you go to an NBA game, it's business guys. For the WNBA, it's families and moms with kids. These women (players) are role models, not just to little girls, but little boys."
Gone are the days when the Women's Tennis Association was beholden to the Phillip Morris Co., which put big money into the Virginia Slims Tour when no one else would. Although some fans are concerned the WNBA is doing too much to please Madison Avenue, advertisers like what they're seeing.
Some women's basketball fans say the play and the pay of the WNBA is inferior to that of the less heralded American Basketball League. Still, the WNBA has doubled attendance projections--averaging 9,277 a game. TV ratings are respectable.
Men's sports became a billion-dollar empire because advertisers realized games were the easiest way to get men's attention. Sports ads reach 50 percent of male America, said Rick Burton at the University of Oregon.
Marketers use other vehicles--door-to-door sales, shopping-mall displays and soap operas--to get their message to women.
Title IX in 1972 put women's sports on the radar. Now those women who played sports in high school and college are career women and homemakers, making about 80 percent of a household's purchasing decisions. That's why GM signed a three-year WNBA deal and started pushing Buick Regals during WNBA TV timeouts.
"When you get General Motors responding, it makes Ford's ears perk up," said Rachel Zuk, of the Women's Sports Foundation. "The competitive nature helps women's sports."
Pick up Glamour or Self magazine. Watch the WNBA ads on TV. Clearly, the league, and its advertisers, are selling more than basketball. They're signing on with a movement; women's sports are politically correct.
Take Sears' TV ad: "To all those players who stood their ground in a changing world and yelled `Gimme the ball,' " a female voice intones, "Sears proudly answers, `Catch.' " Reebok and Nike try to outdo each other in Title IX patriotism.
An eight-page Glamour spread features WNBA players such as Lisa Leslie of the Los Angeles Sparks and Ruthie Bolton-Holifield of the Sacramento Monarchs, looking sweatily statuesque, often with a bit of makeup.
While the ads have won praise from members of the Women's Sports Foundation and the National Organization for Women, some contend the WNBA has gone too far to win the hearts of advertisers who tend to embrace sex appeal.
"Sport is not a look," said Mickey Davis, women's athletic director at Long Beach City College. The WNBA "is doing what the experts feel they should put out there. It's demeaning. I don't know if this is the way to promote a new sport."
The ads tend to star the athletes who look like models, said Art Taylor, associate director for Northeastern University's Center for the Study of Sport and Society. "You have a problem when the season comes and you realize they're not all models," he said. "You can't sell it one way and deliver it another." The league "should be playing off the ability and specialness of athletes," he said.
American society probably wouldn't listen to that pitch alone, said Leslie, a member of the gold-medal-winning 1996 Olympic team. She, Rebecca Lobo and Sheryl Swoopes signed separate personal-services contracts to promote the league. "We have to come up with a different strategy, concentrate on the appeal of the woman," said Leslie, a model who said she tries to emphasize femininity along with athleticism.
"Men tend to notice things like looks that go with sex appeal. I'd like to see more advertisements emphasizing our skills. But you have to identify with the player first, so you see my face, you see Ruthie's (Bolton-Holifield's) face. Then you can identify with the Sparks."


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Turner Media Innovations has created an integrated sponsorship package for the Lego Star Wars products supporting Star Wars: The Clone Wars, the animated series airing in the UK on Cartoon Network from 14th February.
The deal will also cover the dedicated Clone Wars area on cartoonnetwork.co.uk. To coincide with the key Easter Holiday period, an on-air call to action will drive viewers to a customised competition area hosted on a Lego Star Wars microsite.
"We have identified a unique opportunity to create an engaging and interactive on-air and online sponsorship campaign in conjunction with the creative team at Turner Media Innovations," said Tara Heath, Lego Star Wars Senior Brand Manager.
"Driving an even stronger association between Lego and the Star Wars brand, the campaign utilises the unique Lego assets to deliver an impactful and fun creative while communicating the new Lego range."
Andrew Mallandaine, Client Services Director at Turner Media Innovations added: "We’re delighted to have secured Lego Star Wars as the exclusive sponsor of Star Wars: The Clone Wars on Cartoon Network. This is a remarkable series produced by Lucasfilm Animation and the campaign offers excellent brand association aimed at the product’s target audience. Using Lego assets, Turner Media Innovations conceived all 3D creative and scripts in-house, producing an exciting campaign for the new Star Wars range."


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Watch the Throne 2 anybody?
Read more after the jump.
It is being reported that Jay Z and Beyonce have a collaborative album on the way. According to a reliable source, the album is set to be released in late 2014 or early 2015. And seeing as how both dropped their latest albums in unpredictable fashion (Jay Z through Samsung and Beyonce without prior announcement or promotion) it’s a safe bet they’re going to cause mass hysteria when they drop this one on the world. Whenever that is.
This exciting news arrives just as the power couple’s hugely successful “On the Run” Tour has wrapped up this past weekend.
Source: E! Online


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Kingston, Jamaica –Jamaica Promotions Corporation (JAMPRO) in partnership with Jamaica’s Ministry of Agriculture & Fisheries and Fresh Produce Consortium (FPC) will be leading a Jamaican delegation on a fresh produce trade mission to London, England from February 10-15, 2015. The mission aims to promote Jamaican fresh produce for export to the UK market.
The delegation which includes The Honourable Derrick Kellier, Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Donovan Stanberry, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture & Fisheries and JAMPRO Vice President of Export and Market Development, Robert Scott will meet with buyers and stakeholders in the UK market to encourage export of Jamaican fresh produce. The mission will culminate in the FPC’s Annual Gala Dinner at the Savoy Hotel in London on February 14, where exotic Jamaican produce will be served to over 300 leaders and potential clients in the UK Fresh Produce Sector.
In 2011, JAMPRO’s European Regional Office created the fresh produce export initiative to target European importers of exotic fruits and vegetables. The initiative has contributed to a major increase in fresh produce exports from Jamaica to Europe. The agency also developed a strong relationship with the UK’s leading fresh produce association, the FPC. With support from Caribbean Export Development Agency, JAMPRO invited the FPC to Expo Jamaica 2014 on an inward market visit, resulting in new contracts for Jamaican fresh produce exporters and valuable support for this trade mission to the UK market.
JAMPRO and the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries are working in concert with farmers and exporters to secure contracts for the export of sweet potato, yam, and mangoes as well as facilitating the first delivery of Jamaican bananas to the UK since 2009. Laurence Jones, JAMPRO European Regional Manager stated that there is more to be done to ensure that more Jamaican fresh produce reaches its destination, ”JAMPRO is pleased with the significant increase in exports to Europe, but we are aware of challenges facing Jamaican exporters of fresh produce. We have observed an increase in the number of ‘Interceptions’ at European ports by fresh produce regulators because some produce does not meet regulatory standards. JAMPRO is working closely with the UK regulatory (DEFRA) and the Jamaican Ministry of Agriculture Plant and Quarantine Department to address this issue and implement an action plan to reduce these occurrences.”
JAMPRO has continuously targeted the European market for the export of fresh produce and other products and will continue its partnership with the Fresh Produce Consortium. The agency’s European Regional Office in London looks forward to receiving enquiries from Jamaican fresh produce exporters, facilitating new export contracts on their behalf, and bring more Jamaican fresh produce to market.


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Toshiba and Canon set SED production to Q4 ‘07
Last week Canon and Toshiba jointly announced plans to begin mass production of SED displays in July 2007. This puts a launch date into the fourth quarter of '07 for the new TV technology. In a press release the Toshiba / Canon alliance said they expect sales of the new display to be bolstered by overall growth of the flat panel television market. Their intention is to put the new SED TVs on the market in time for the Beijing Olympics - seeing the international event as a promotional opportunity.
SED stands for Surface-conduction Electron-emitter Display an upcoming flat panel display technology developed in a joint venture by Toshiba and Canon. SED promises to be even thinner, cheaper and more energy efficient than LCD. As a fixed pixel display it should offer high contrast that rivals both LCD and Plasma. A prototype of the new display was demonstrated to rave reviews in September 2004 at CEATEC, a Japanese consumer electronics trade show. But since that time we've only heard about delays in its release.
A spokeswoman for Toshiba said of the manufacturing delays: "Price falls in the flat TVs have been much steeper than we had anticipated… We would like to work further on rationalization of production and cost cuts before an actual launch."
Any new display technology is going to be challenged by what is almost commodity-level pricing in today's flat panel market.
Koichi Hariya an analyst from Mizuho Securities has doubts about the viability of a new display technology being thrust into such a competitive market in late 2007. Prices for an average 40" LCD or Plasma have already dropped 36% and 31% respectively and the decline is expected to continue into the future. Hariya says that by the time SED hits the market. "...flat TVs from such companies as Matsushita, Sony, Samsung and Sharp will have been on store shelves for quite a few years."
Toshiba and Canon plans to invest 200 billion yen (that's $1.70 billion US dollars) on the development of SED. In contrast Sharp alone plans to invest 200 billion yen on a new LCD plant. Matsushita, the company that manufactures Panasonic will invest about 180 billion yen to build the world's largest plasma factory in January. Both of these new plants will help further reduce the cost of new plasma and LCD displays.
Whether or not SED ever makes it to production in 2007, a new display faces tough competition from well developed TV technologies that have earned the trust of consumers.
Special Thanks to www.hometheaterfocus.com.
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As announced by the developers of Supermassive Games, the game Curator’s Cut and Friends Pass for horror adventure “The Dark Pictures – House of Ashes” is now available to everyone. We’ll tell you what it’s all about.
The popular horror series from Supermassive Games entered its next round last fall with “The Dark Pictures – House of Ashes”.
As the studio announced at the weekend, the Curator Cut on one side and the Friends Card on the other are now open to all. The Curator’s Cut was previously reserved only for those who pre-ordered ‘The Dark Pictures – House of Ashes’ and offers interested players the opportunity to play the campaign in an alternate version after successful completion.
However, with Friends Pass, it is possible to play through the campaign once with someone who does not call “The Dark Pictures – House of Ashes” their own.
Supermassive Games is already working on the next chapter of the horror saga
All current owners of any of the three installments in the series (Man of Medan, Little Hope or House of Ashes) will get free access to the Friends Pass, which allows players to play through this entire game at once with a friend in the multiplayer shared story mode who They don’t own the game,” Friends Pass says.
More news about The Dark Pictures:
The studio continued, “The House of Ashes Curator’s Cut is now free for all.” Originally released as a pre-order bonus DLC, Curator’s Cut can now be unlocked for all players once they beat the game in Cinematic (Normal) mode. The mode allows players to play the game from a different perspective, with different playable characters in specific scenes, new options, and outcomes New, frightening new deaths.”
The developers at Supermassive Games are currently working on the next branch of the “The Dark Pictures” series, called “The Devil in Me” that will be released in the fall of 2022.
More news about Dark Pictures – House of Ash.
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Italian lifestyle brand Lumberjack has been bought by leading Turkish company Ziylan Group, which plans to popularize the brand through new distribution deals.
King Digital Entertainment has appointed a global network of 10 new licensing agents to represent its game franchises.
Italian lifestyle brand Lumberjack has appointed Turkish licensing agency Sinerji to represent its brand worldwide.
Studio 100 is supporting the broadcast of its series “Maya the Bee” in Turkey with a roster of local licensing partners.
©2017 UBM. All rights reserved. A UBM Company.


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An interesting article featured on my newsfeed this week detailing 99 problems faced by the music industry. Though the article is a year old, it paints a gloomy picture for the future of music and all the issues raised are valid. The article has haunted me for a few days but the deeper you delve into the problems the clearer the solutions appear to be.
Firstly, people will always like music.
There will always be a market; the challenge is making music financially viable for the creators. This is where the industry no longer needs to be governed by traditional record labels. Investment does not need to come from those who gain profit from it. Renowned fine-artists over the centuries did not have their work controlled by investment companies (albeit many works were commissioned) and it does not need to be this way for recording artists in order to survive today.
Secondly, accessibility to music is abundant.
As a recording artist in the late eighties and nineties there were limited avenues to push. New artists built their fan-base through gigging, fanzines and the rare demo review in Melody Maker or Sounds. It was considered a compromise to have your track remixed by a dance producer in the hope of your mix being played by club DJ's and finding a way onto the Record Mirror Club Charts.
Today, social media connects a potential global audience for music. New artists can make their music available on Soundcloud and YouTube, build a fan-base on Facebook and Twitter, and sell their music on iTunes and Amazon. Artists can brand their image, target genres and even ask their fans to finance it.
Record companies are more selective with the artists they sign. The aforementioned article states that only the established artists are making revenues for the labels. The new model for record labels is to let the artists do the donkey work. Creating the product is no longer enough; it's a business, and artists must learn and invest marketing time to attract the attention of a major label.
Thirdly, there is no shortage of talent.
There never was. The old model was largely based on luck -- who you know -- regardless of talent. The new model hasn't changed in that sense and record labels still exploit talent shows and television (and recently internet) celebrities for their ready-made audience.
Talent has become more dynamic. It's not enough to be able to play well, write well and perform well. To be successful, artists need to stretch their talent and expanded their creative prowess to brand their product.
There are no longer revenues from direct sales that can enable record companies to invest as openly in new artists as they have done in the past. This isn't a bad thing for the artists. There were hundreds of horror stories throughout the decades of manipulation by record companies, with artists being forced to compromise their artistic integrity to produce commercial product. Artists now have much more control.
Manufacturing costs have fallen. Artists can record quality tracks on a laptop computer and it costs nothing to make a recording available on MP3 format or for streaming, and a track's success is not dependent on CD sales (though undoubtedly this helps major artists).
Many recording artists are also visually creative. Promotional videos are more likely to go viral with an innovative idea or twist and don't have to cost a fortune to produce. The internet is a more effective medium than mainstream cable and as likely to influence sales.
Crowdfunding has helped numerous established artists in recent years but it can also help new artists. The more innovative the pledge perks the more likely funding is to reach beyond the support network of friends and family. There is a growing trend for artists to receive advertising revenue directly through sponsorships and brand associations.
The music industry has 99 problems, but the paradigm shift could present its own solutions. Record labels have been forced to change their business model but the artist's role helps reduce their overheads and offset the diminishing profits from digital sales.
Ultimately, everyone can benefit from these changes.


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New York City Canadian convenience store operator Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. has gone directly to the shareholders of Casey's General Stores Inc. via an open letter on Thursday, ignoring Casey’s rejection of Couche-Tard’s approximately $2.03 billion takeover offer and saying it's willing to up the ante.
In the letter to shareholders, Couche-Tard, which runs Circle K in the U.S., said it would consider raising its $2.02 billion offer if it is allowed to perform a confirmatory due diligence review of Casey's.
Couche-Tard has already made several bids for Casey's, which has maintained the offers are too low. Couche-Tard is arguing that its bid is not much lower than that of 7-Eleven Inc., which has offered $2.04 billion.
Couche-Tard said that Casey's has rejected its request to hold talks, but is willing to have discussions with 7-Eleven. Casey's said on Tuesday that it does not believe talks are necessary on Couche-Tard's current bid.
Casey's annual shareholders’ meeting is scheduled for Sept. 23.


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BakerHostetler is proud to announce that former Federal Trade Commissioner Pamela Jones Harbour has joined BakerHostetler’s Washington D.C. and New York offices. She joins the firm as a partner in the Antitrust and Competition Practice and as a national co-leader of the Privacy and Data Protection team. Harbour is well recognized for her knowledge in the evolving areas of competition and consumer protection law, specifically as they relate to privacy and data security issues. She joins BakerHostetler from Norton Rose Fulbright.
Harbour’s privacy work includes high-level privacy and data protection counsel for national and international clients. She assists clients with data breach notifications, assessments, and audits, and provides strategic advice on data transfers, particularly as it concerns international data transfers and the European Data Privacy Directive. She has advised foreign governments in Asia, India, Europe, Israel, Australia and New Zealand on privacy and competitive implications of online markets and has testified before Congress as an expert witness regarding antitrust and privacy issues. Harbour has represented Microsoft Corp. domestically and abroad on the legal and policy implications of competition and privacy in online markets.
During her nearly seven years as an FTC commissioner, Harbour was known as an outspoken advocate for upholding the letter and spirit of the nation’s antitrust and consumer protection laws. As Commissioner, she formulated the FTC’s substantive agenda which comprised a wide variety of competition and consumer protection matters affecting virtually every economic sector within the U.S. She also served as member of U.S. Delegation to Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and negotiated U.S. interests for implementing a global privacy framework relating to cross-border data transfers. Upon leaving the commission, she received the FTC Award for Distinguished Service in recognition of her exemplary service, as well as the 2010 “Champion of Freedom Award” from the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC), a leading public interest research group focused on privacy protection.
Prior to joining the FTC, Harbour spent a decade working in the New York State Attorney General’s office, where she served as Deputy Attorney General and Assistant Attorney General and was well known for her successful prosecution of national price-fixing conspiracies. As Deputy AAG, Harbour argued State Oil v. Khan, a maximum price fixing case in the U.S. Supreme Court on behalf of 37 amici states and managed over 350 attorneys in the civil division covering antitrust, civil rights, charities, consumer protection, environmental protection, investor protection, and real estate finance.
“The firm’s privacy team is one of the best in the nation and we are excited to add Pamela’s breadth of client work and regulatory experience to the team,” said George A. Stamboulidis, managing partner of BakerHostetler’s NY office. Jeffrey H. Paravano, managing partner of BakerHostetler’s D.C. office, added that “Our clients are growing increasingly attentive toward legal issues at the intersection of privacy, data security and competition – Pamela’s leadership in these fast-changing areas and her insight into the workings of the FTC will help provide strategic direction for our clients.”
“I am delighted to work with the professionals at BakerHostetler,” said Harbour. “This is an exciting time to join the firm’s antitrust and privacy teams, both of which have deep benches, unparalleled experience and excellent practitioners.”
BakerHostetler’s Privacy and Data Protection team – a part of the firm’s intellectual property practice – gains momentum from a recent recognition by Law360 as one of the top five privacy groups in the US, as well as the firm’s recent combination announcement with leading intellectual property law firm Woodcock Washburn. With the addition of Woodcock Washburn’s 68 lawyers, BakerHostetler doubled its current IP practice to nearly 140 lawyers. The combination enhances the firm’s ability to help clients maximize the value of their intellectual property and to continue to provide valuable assistance to leading technology companies and patent-rich universities and research institutions.
Harbour earned her J.D. from Indiana University Bloomington in 1984, and her B.M., with distinction, in Music Performance from the same in 1981. Her bar memberships include the American Bar Association, the New York State Bar, the District of Columbia Bar, and the United States Supreme Court Bar. She has been a member of preeminent industry organizations such as the Loyola University Institute for Consumer Antitrust Studies, Cloud Security Alliance, EPIC, the Center for Democracy & Technology, the Future of Privacy Forum and WiredSafety. She is a prolific speaker and writer on privacy and consumer protection issues and has been called to provide testimony to Congress and international regulatory authorities nearly a dozen times in the past decade.


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After raising a glass on New Year’s Eve, it’s possible you might get a little carried away with the festivities. In case you do, CBS News medical contributor Dr. David Agus joined “CBS This Morning” to discuss the science behind hangovers and how to ease the pain.
Agus explained that a hangover is not a singular reaction to alcohol, but is instead caused by multiple processes happening in your body at once.
“When you drink alcohol, your body metabolizes the acetaldehyde (a chemical created when alcohol is broken down by the liver) and that builds up in the body and doesn’t make you feel good,” he said. “Alcohol is a diuretic, so every glass of alcohol you drink, you pee out three to four times that much, so you dehydrate yourself.”
Agus also explained that alcohol itself is a depressant, so drinking the beverage will make you tired. But when you fall asleep you’ll eventually get a rebound in energy from a hormone called epinephrine (adrenaline), which he says, “will screw up your sleep.”
The doctor told the co-hosts that the best way to a cure a hangover is to avoid it by not drinking, but there are some liquors that are worse offenders than others.
“Congeners are something that’s in liquors -- especially the colored ones,” he said. “So, you have more of a chance of a hangover with the colored liquors. For example, bourbon and scotch are worse than vodka. Red wine, a little bit worse than white.”
While you should watch what you drink and how much you drink, Agus also said you need to drink “lots of fluids” beforehand to prevent a hangover. He suggested sports drinks, coconut water and regular water as the best types of fluids. He said you could also take a pain reliever.
“Maybe take some aspirin or some ibuprofen, both of which can block the inflammatory components of what happens when you drink alcohol,” he said. “You may want to avoid Tylenol, because alcohol and Tylenol are double whammy on the liver.”
For those who are older, unfortunately, hangovers are worse, as is the impact of liquor on the body.
“As we all get older, we don’t metabolize alcohol as much and also, we take a lot of other medicines as we get older and alcohol can interfere with those medicines,” he said. “Alcohol can also have an effect on the heart, so as you get older, we want to drink a little bit less and try to avoid those binges that can cause a hangover.”


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The Middle East Hotel Show to open next week
A line-up of 176 exhibitors from 27 countries will assemble in Dubai next week for the three-day Hotel Show, the specialized hotel supplies showcase to the hospitality industry, organized by Streamline Marketing and taking place at Airport Expo Dubai from May 20-22, 2002.
During the exhibition, developers will reveal plans for 89 hotels to be built as part of The Palm development, the three-billion dollar project in Dubai to construct two islands which will be visible from space, in one of the most ambitious tourism ventures ever undertaken, according to Joanne Evans, Streamline Marketing director.
Exhibitors include manufacturers in audio visual, video conferencing and sound systems, architecture and building, interior design and supplies, landscaping, uniforms, management and reservations systems, fitness and spa equipment, and other products and services vital to a hotel’s day-to-day running. — (menareport.com)
© 2002 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)


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Mixed economic news sent the markets sideways again today. Initial jobless claims dropped by 3,000 last week, according to the Labor Department, but the reported figure of 382,000 was above expectations. There hasn't been much of a change in jobless claims, and it is unlikely we'll see much change in the unemployment rate in two weeks.
While jobless claims improved slightly, the amount of household debt rose at the fastest rate in four years, and manufacturing continued to contract in the Philadelphia region. These are both negative long-term signs for the economy, and they show just how uncertain matters are right now.
Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) is one of the Dow's leaders after a German court found that Motorola Mobility infringed on its patents. The Google-owned company might have to pull devices from stores if it doesn't agree to a licensing deal in the country. This is an incremental win for Microsoft in mobile.
Hewlett-Packard (NYSE:HPQ) and Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) both declined more than 1.5% today, leading the losers on the Dow. HP said this morning that is wasn't looking for buyers for its Electronic Data Systems outsourcing business, but rumors that it was shopping the business have sent investors fleeing. This unit has already been slashed since it was bought in 2008, and more cuts are coming in HP's announced layoffs. Caterpillar, on the hand, is lower because of unimpressive economic news and is returning to pre-central-bank-stimulus levels of a few weeks ago.
A deeper look
So are Microsoft and Caterpillar worth buying in the current environment? We take a deep look in our premium reports on the stocks. Find out more about Microsoft by clicking here and Caterpillar by clicking here.


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Apps and the technology that brings them to us are constantly changing. For most, this isn't too big of a deal, and high demand keeps our favorite offerings up-to-date and widely available. Unfortunately, this isn't always the case within the Windows ecosystem. We've seen countless Windows 10 Mobile apps drop support and close up shop, and there are quite a few Windows 10 apps that likewise seem to suffer the same fate.
Universal Windows Platform (UWP) apps, those that work across devices in the Windows ecosystem, still seem like part of an answer to the app gap ― developers can reach a much wider audience without having to build five or six different apps ― but even they've taken a bit of a back seat to the emerging Progressive Web Apps (PWA) that operate through a browser like Microsoft Edge.
Windows Central forum member Ed the new guy recently created a thread in our Windows 10 hub asking what the future holds for the Microsoft Store after seeing a favorite app end support in a country where Windows is the dominant OS.
Ed the new guy surmises that the app developers took a good long look at statistics and saw that usage doesn't match up with Android and iOS, not making it worth the continued Windows support. This led to the line of thought that the Microsoft Store, as it exists now, might not have much of a future if things continue this way. In a reply to the original post PWAs are mentioned, and indeed their success will help the Microsoft Store as long as it stays on top of indexing the latest and greatest.
What do you think about the future of the Microsoft Store? Is the proper indexing of PWAs a key to future success? Will UWP apps remain in the mix? Does the store even need to offer apps to remain relevant? Drop by the thread and share your opinion!
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Cale Hunt brings to Windows Central more than eight years of experience writing about laptops, PCs, accessories, games, and beyond.


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Amazon UK is reportedly going to release more PS5 stock next week following a successful shipment at the end of July.
Sony has been selling plenty of next-gen consoles in 2021 but has not been able to keep up with demand.
The company has managed to sell 10 million units globally, hitting the milestone on July 18.
PlayStation’s Jim Ryan had this to stay about the situation, telling GamesIndustry.biz: “I can’t express enough the deep gratitude we feel for our passionate community of PlayStation fans who have embraced PS5, and the world-class development and publishing partners who bring such incredible gaming experiences to our platforms.
“While PS5 has reached more households faster than any of our previous consoles, we still have a lot of work ahead of us as demand for PS5 continues to outstrip supply.
“I want gamers to know that while we continue to face unique challenges throughout the world that affect our industry and many others, improving inventory levels remains a top priority for SIE.”
Meanwhile, gamers in the UK will get their next chance to buy a PlayStation 5 console in early August.
That’s the news shared by PS5 Instant on Twitter, who reliably predicted this week’s Amazon restock.
According to the latest news, the PS5 restock will happen sometime around August 3, although this remains a prediction for now.
This means there could be delays on the current dates and times being shared online.
This big stock update will be followed by another from GAME, with the PS5 Stock Alert account telling its followers this week:
“The release dates on the GAME bundles page has been updated to 20th August. This indicates a possible restock on the 11th of August for customers to pre-order online.”
These are expected to be followed by other restock dates from leading UK retailers, including Currys, Argos and ASDA.
Knowing when a PS5 restock is happening can be vital but it’s also worth knowing how each retailer handles its shipments.
And here are a few examples of how best to try and buy a PlayStation 5 console from leading UK retailers:
AMAZON UK: Amazon UK runs better under strain but still comes with a few kinks worth mentioning. Having an account set up with your card details is a good start, and gamers should also try adding a console to their wishlist before checking out. More stock is expected during early August.
ARGOS: The Argos website is notorious for crashing and being unable to complete purchases when site traffic is high. Stock trackers suggest using the mobile Argos app and keeping an eye on local store listings.
GAME: GAME is a UK retailer that offers the most regular stock updates for PS5 consoles. However, console hunters have been warned to use Guest Checkout, as this option is less likely to crash when completing a purchase. The next PS5 stock is expected around August 11.
Published at Thu, 29 Jul 2021 06:01:00 +0000


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An upcoming comic book depicting Taylor Swift's life and her rise to fame is set to release next month
Fans can't get enough of Taylor Swift, who is currently on the South American leg of her Eras Tour.
Swifties can now learn more about the 33-year-old singer in a new comic book by TidalWave Comics.
The Cruel Summer singer features in the comic as a part of the Female Force series on “accomplished and influential figures” across literature, business, entertainment, politics and more as per Reuters.
It is set to release next month on December 13, which is also Swift's birthday.
The 22-page comic book will be available in digital, paperback and hardcover with two covers.
The author, Eric M. Esquivel said, “Of course Taylor Swift deserves her own comic book.” “She wears colourful tights and fights corporate villains who try to use their money to control her.


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OSHKOSH, Wisc. (TheStreet) -- The deals that truck-maker Oshkosh (OSK) has cut with the Pentagon to produce all-terrain vehicles for the wars in Iraq and, much more increasingly, Afghanistan have started to show on the company's bottom line.Oshkosh reported fiscal fourth-quarter results that easily topped expectations, and investors snapped up the company's shares, which were trading on heavy volume recently at $35.12, up 10.3%, or $3.29. Oshkosh said its adjusted profit in the fiscal fourth-quarter, taking into account a slew of items (inventory benefits, a tax benefit and gains from discontinued operations), came to 27 cents a share. Analysts were expecting EPS of 16 cents. Still, the company's defense deals could not totally offset the slump in the construction industry, for which Oshkosh builds heavy machinery. Revenue in the period fell to $1.49 billion from $1.85 billion a year ago. But the top line did surpass Wall Street's target of $1.4 billion in revenue. Including all the one-time gains, Oshkosh had net income of $140.3 million, or $1.68 a share, up almost three-fold from the year-ago period's $53.7 million, or 72 cents a share.
Highlighting the boom in its war business, Oshkosh said fourth-quarter sales in its defense-contracting segment soared nearly 55% from a year ago, to $855.4 million. In what Oshkosh calls its "access equipment" segment -- which refers to cherry-pickers and vertical lifts and the like -- sales plunged 58% to $311 million. Indeed, Oshkosh saw declines in all its business units aside from defense: sales of garbage trucks and compacting equipment fell 40.4% to $130.4 million, while sales of fire trucks and emergency vehicles dropped 16.7%. -- Written by Scott Eden in New York Follow TheStreet.com on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.


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Click here for more editions of TrendWire.
|February 20, 2008 • Volume 22, Number 4 • http://www.foodchannel.com
IN THIS EDITION
The New York City Department of Health is getting a lot of press about its recent decision (pdf) to require chains (by its definition, a chain is defined as those operating 15 or more locations nationwide) to include calorie information on their menus and menu boards—despite the fact that most restaurants affected by the requirement already include the information on their websites, food wrappers or in brochures in the restaurants. The Department of Health believes that’s not enough.
“Providing calorie information is a public health intervention to help address the rapidly growing twin epidemics of obesity and diabetes. Providing clear and comprehensible point-of-purchase calorie information allows consumers to make more informed and healthier food choices in restaurants,” according to a statement at its website. Chain restaurants are targeted because, per its findings, nearly 40% of meals in the city are consumed there, and these meals represent a disproportional amount of high-calorie foods associated with obesity. The regulations are set to take effect March 31, 2008.
The Department of Health points to the success of Subway restaurants’ (http://www.subway.com) voluntary posting of calorie information as a model. During what the Department of Health calls its “interview and receipt studies,” customers were interviewed outside of 47 randomly chosen Subway restaurant locations throughout the city. Subway had voluntarily posted nutritional Information for some of its products on a sticker placed on a display case near the cash register. The study determined that 30% of the customers claim to have seen the information. Those customers who saw calorie information purchased items containing 48 fewer calories on average than those who did not see it. Not all customers said the calorie information influenced their decision. Those customers who said calorie information did affect their selection ordered items with 92 fewer calories on average. Based on this information, the Department of Health estimates that if this same reduction in calories holds true in other restaurants covered under this new requirement, it will result in at least 150,000 fewer New Yorkers becoming obese, and at least 30,000 fewer cases of diabetes.
Many nationally recognized health organizations support the menu labeling requirement, including the American Cancer Society (http://www.cancer.org), American Heart Association (http://www.americanheart.org), and the American Medical Association (http://www.ama-assn.org/). The National Restaurant Association (NRA) does not. It threw its support behind the New York State Restaurant Association (http://www.nysra.org), which is fighting the decision in the courts, saying, “The New York City [Department] of Health has once again pushed forward a misguided regulation that would punish the city’s restaurants, many of which are already providing comprehensive and accurate nutrition information to customers in convenient ways, both in the restaurant and on the Web,” said John Gay, senior vice president for government affairs and public policy at the National Restaurant Association in a statement at the NRA website (http://www.restaurant.org).
Here are some state and local governments currently looking to enact similar legislation to require chain restaurants to label their menus and menu boards:
Last year these local or state governments proposed similar legislation, but it was defeated in 2007:
The state of Mississippi is considering taking this issue a step further. Two State Representatives have proposed legislation to ban obese people from eating in restaurants. Restaurants could be in danger of losing their licenses if they violate the law and serve people with a Body Mass Index (or BMI) rating over 30. No word yet on how they would actually take this measurement from prospective customers. Critics have speculated that they could install scales at the doors of restaurants, or perhaps build slimmer doors that only healthy-weight people could fit through. In all seriousness, the reps that proposed the bill aren’t at all confident that it will pass, but they’re trying to bring awareness to the obesity problem. Continue to watch for different tacks, from the sublime to the ridiculous, to combat this growing health crisis.


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Last year, we heard a rumor that Jeep was developing a new 2.0-liter turbo four-cylinder engine for the all-new 2018 Wrangler. Last night, The Truth About Cars, and subsequently, the people at JL Wrangler Forums uncovered a document on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's website that seems to indicate this engine will kick out an astonishing 368 hp. From a two-liter engine, that's an outrageous amount of horsepower—especially in an off-roader like the Wrangler.
Sadly, this won't be the case. A source familiar with the 2018 Wrangler tells Road & Track that this figure is dead wrong.
Shown above, a speculative rendering of what the 2018 Wrangler Unlimited could look like.
We were skeptical when we first saw this horsepower figure. A 368-horse 2.0-liter would make the Wrangler the second most powerful four-cylinder car on the market, just behind the 375-hp 2.0-liter turbo in the Mercedes-AMG CLA and GLA 45. Such a Jeep engine, if it existed, would out-muscle the 2.0-liter turbocharged engines in the 362-hp Volvo S60 and V60 Polestar, as well as the 350-hp Porsche 718 Boxster S and Cayman S. It'd also significantly out-muscle the current Wrangler's 285-hp 3.6-liter Pentastar V6, an engine that's expected to be offered in the next-gen model.
Previously, we reported that the Wrangler's new turbo four could make around 300 horsepower—still a lot for a 2.0-liter, but not unreasonable. With the all-new JL-generation Wrangler set to debut at the LA Auto Show in late November, we don't have long to wait to find out exactly how much power this new 4x4 will make.
Update 10/11/17 3:13 pm: It looks like FCA removed the Wrangler's horsepower from that NHTSA document.


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BCC and HCL Technologies having been working on a new report – Digital Transformation: Unlocking the potential of Global Britain.
The report focuses on how government, industry and the workforce can come together to embrace growing digital transformation.
Click here to read
Anubhav Mehrotra, SVP & Head of Financial Services – UK & Ireland, HCL Technologies
In the last two years, the world has faced an unprecedented crisis that resulted in new and unique challenges – not just for businesses but for the entire socio-economic system. The pandemic brought about massive disruption but the technology space kept growing. It acted as the ‘corona-warrior’ for the entire economy, uncovering various innovative solutions and ensuring continuation of activities. Consequently, digital adoption has taken a quantum leap at all levels, and nations have risen up to creating a digitally enhanced ecosystem in their respective countries.
Global digital transformation leapfrogged 7 years in a matter of months, a study by McKinsey & Company has found. Businesses across different industries demonstrate agility and success through their digital initiatives.
The UK economy has realised the pivotal role technology can play to aid in the nation’s recovery and growth, as set out in the Government’s recent Technology Innovation Strategy. The sector thrives in the UK, attracting good talent and huge investments. The UK attacted over £6 bn in venture capital investment last year, outperforming Europe.
The UK economy has turned to technology as a key driver of growth. Government, industry, and workforces now need to integrate technologies including Artificial Intelligence (AI); Internet of Things (IoT); 5G connectivity; and Cloud computing.
Digital Transformation – The Road to Recovery for the UK Economy
Digital initiation offers enormous opportunities including:
The growth potential is immense for industries with legacy digital infrastructures such as fintech and retailers, but also for logistic and delivery sectors. During the pandemic, various sectors accelerated their digital transformation journeys. UNCTAD, in its Report on COVID-19 and E-Commerce: A Global Review, has stated that the share of e-commerce in total retail sales in UK rose from 20.3 to 31.3 per cent.
The Workforce Institute at UKG, found that the pandemic propelled 87% of the UK workforce into new ways of working underpinned by digital technology. 86% of those surveyed appreciated the advantages digital initiatives bring to work processes.
Digital technologies, digital growth, and an effective data strategy will support the post pandemic recovery. These initiatives allow data to drive digital transformation, innovation, and boost economic growth.
“The importance of digital technologies is essential to understand. Focussing on digital growth allows the UK Government to drive digital transformation, innovation. Boosting growth across the economy.” – Anubhav Mehrotra, SVP & Head of Financial Services – UK & Ireland, HCL Technologies.
HCL’s range of services for accelerating Digitalisation in UK
HCL can play a major role in supporting UK government, businesses and local institutions to transition to a state-of-the-art digitized economy. HCL, a global innovator of digital transformation, can strengthen critical game-changing technologies reinforcing growth aspirations for the economy and redefining technology for business advantage. We deliver modern and resilient solutions to our customers through rapid digital transformation capabilities.
HCL’s transformative technologies help enable faster development in sectors including Data Analytics, Financial Services, Cloud, Cyber Security, Engineering & R&D Services, Digital Process Operations, Application Services, Digital Engineering, amongst others. The growth of these areas would immensely facilitate the transition of UK as a global digital economy.
At HCL, we have always believed that technology and people working together can generate positive change that will advance the world to the next stage. Our offerings in the above defined areas, armed with our core belief of innovation through digital transformation will strengthen the business environment and foster socio-economic development in UK, going forward.
 Government of UK, Retrieved from Government Technology Innovation Strategy – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Have your say.
Let us know your opinions
Marcus Mason, Head of Business, Education and Skills at the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), comments on the publication of the government’s Digital Strategy
Posted on 01/03/2017 in
Giving his full reaction to the Budget, Dr Adam Marshall, Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), said:
Posted on 08/03/2017 in


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World Travel and Tourism Council in collaboration with Oxford Economics, STR, and Forward Keys recently released its Travel and Tourism Economic
Impact 2020 for the Asia Pacific, South Asia, and India, which quantifies the economic and employment impact of travel and tourism. The annual report was extracted post a detailed survey which covered 185 countries and 25 regions of the world. The Council believes that the correct government support and policies can result in significant job creations, eradicate poverty, result in economic growth, and upgrade infrastructure.
The key highlights of the Travel and Tourism Economic Impact 2020 for the Asia Pacific mentioned that the travel and tourism industry grew by 3.5% and the sector contributed to 10.3% of the total Asia Pacific GDP region. The travel and tourism industry contributes 182.2 million jobs in the region. The report further added that 81% of travelers displayed characteristics of leisure spending, whereas 74% of travelers were domestic tourists.
Concerning its research in the South Asia region, the study concluded that 1 in 4 new jobs was created by the travel and tour industry in the last five years; this has resulted in 47.7 million jobs created in total. The highest outbound departure was to Saudi Arabia as part of its state-driven ‘Vision 2030’ which features revised visa policies for international leisure tourism. Furthermore, visitors spend US$40.3 billion while traveling to other countries in the region.
For India, the report featured the following findings:
- The travel and tourism industry contributed to 6.8% of the total economy amounting to INR.16,681 billion.
- It generated 39,82,18,000 jobs which translate to 8.0% of the total employment of the Indian economy.
- INR 2,130.5 billion were spent in visitor spend
- Significant inbound arrivals to India were from Bangladesh (12%)
- Whereas a majority of Indians traveled to the United Arab Emirates (13%)
- 94% of Indians exhibited leisure spending and 83% of this was on domestic spending.
- India ranked 10th in the world in terms of the nation’s travel and tourism sector contributing to the GDP
- Additionally, India’s travel and tourism sector’s contribution to generating employment ranked second after China.
WTTC’s report attributed these figures to several countries deciding to revise their visa policies, the continued rise in middle-class households, low unemployment rates, countries’ attractiveness as a destination, and the strength of the nation’s currency.
To access the detailed reports please visit https://wttc.org/Research/Economic-Impact.


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Unilever in Streets battle on min. conditions
The Australian Manufacturing Workers Union has urged Australian consumers to boycott Streets’ ice cream brands.
Streets are the producers of the popular Paddle Pop, Golden Gaytime, Magnum and Cornetto ice creams.
The boycott comes after negotiations between Streets and the company’s owner Unilever about a new Enterprise Bargaining Agreement broke down.
The Australian Manufacturing Workers Union (AMWU) announced the boycott because of a potential 46 per cent pay cut for factory workers in Minto, New South Wales.
Unilever denied that a new agreement would result in a 46 per cent drop in workers’ pay
An in-principle agreement with the unions was reached after 16 months of negotiations but was voted down by employees.
Streets workers oppose reversion to minimum award rates
Unilever has applied to Fair Work Australia to terminate the current enterprise agreement it has in place for its workers.
“Streets and Unilever have decided to hit the nuclear button and given workers no choice,” AMWU Secretary Steve Murphy said.
Unilever Australia & New Zealand general manager of ice cream Anthony Toovey disagreed, saying that if anyone has their finger on the nuclear button it is the union.
“We want to keep making Streets locally but the current situation is just not sustainable,” he said.
The “nuclear option” that Murphy and Toovey refer to is in reference to section 225 of the Fair Work Act.
This allows employers to apply for enterprise Bargaining Agreements that have reached their nominal expiry date to be terminated.
This returns workers to minimum award rates.
This scenario would not be unprecedented in Australia, as the Fair Work Commission has recently granted these termination applications.
Such cases include CFMEU v AGL in 2017 and AMWU v Griffin Coal in 2016.
Australian manufacturing is too expensive
Unilever released a statement announcing that it wished “to create more flexible working conditions and enhance the competitiveness and viability of the factory.”
“It is currently 30 per cent cheaper to import a Magnum from Europe, including 16,000 kilometres of frozen transport rather than make it at Minto,” Unilever said.
Streets ice cream was founded in the 1920s in the Wollongong suburb of Corrimal.
The company launched its popular Paddle Pop ice cream in the 1950s, which is the world’s best-selling ice cream per capita.
- Streets bring back Bionic Bubble Gum Paddle Pop
- Arnott’s slices into war with Unilever’s mint slice ice cream
Dairy-lovers around the nation are invited to put their palates to the test and apply for the chanc...
Select Harvests’ Managing Director, Paul Thompson, is pleased to announce the following update on c...
Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce has announced a $50 million Export and Regional Wine Support Pac...
Disadvantaged groups would not be unfairly punished if a sugar tax was applied to drinks sold in Aus...
Concerns over fish mislabeling have been raised again after allegations were made claiming a Melbour...
Australians may not have the money for department stores and jewellery this Christmas, but will be i...
Australia’s leading food rescue organisation, OzHarvest is opening a new food market – The OzHarves...
Murray Goulburn dairy co-operative, owner of the Devondale brand, has achieved a net profit after ta...


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The age old reputation of the Auto Cool company has come under severe scrutiny when a class action lawsuit was filed against the company. The lawsuit charged the company of false promise it made under an advertising campaign. The advt. promises that the Auto Cool would keep the interior of your car nice and cool, even if it sat out in the blistering heat.
The class action accuses the advt of false promise as it does not work as advertised. Now the lawsuit is waiting for a settlement approval from the court. The company has offered a settlement for the lawsuit.
If you bought Auto Cool, you could be be in line for a $10 gift certificate, which allows you to buy more stuff from the same guys that brought you Auto Cool in the first place.


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Vietnam exported 6.32 billion USD worth of commodities in the first
half of May, a decrease of 9.5 percent compared over the previous
fortnight, the General Department of Customs reported.
the country's imported goods were worth 8.19 billion USD, an increase
of 34.7 percent compared to the second half of April.
the country's trade deficit was 1.87 billion USD for the first two weeks
of May. This compares to a trade deficit of 3.7 billion USD from the
beginning of the year.


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Enjoy the Music.com, an industry leader in consumer electronics information plus equipment and music reviews for over 20 years, is pleased to announce our Android audiophile application for mobile phone devices. With tens of millions of Android phones having been sold worldwide since October 2008, it is without a doubt a major player in the mobile market. All major mobile phone service providers offer a variety of Android devices, including compact smartphones and large tablets. Enjoy the Music.com was the world's first and only audiophile magazine with a WAP site many years ago during the wireless Internet infancy. Today, the move to go mobile and be available everywhere has once again brought Enjoy the Music.com to expand our reach to audiophiles worldwide. The new Android application provides easy access to our daily industry news, high-end audio consumer electronics equipment reviews, show report and much more.
"It brings me joy to announce Enjoy the Music.com's new Android application for audiophiles" said editor Steven R. Rochlin. "The fast growing popularity of the Android operating system on a wide variety of mobile devices proves that enthusiastic and tech savvy consumers want devices they can use to get the information they desire right now. Our new application makes the information they seek for high-end audio devices only a few taps away. Naturally our daily industry news and monthly equipment reviews plus show reports will keep them coming back often."
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