text:
Is Cryptocurrency legal?
India currently has no special legislation to regulate virtual currencies and cryptocurrency. However, they have a 30% tax under the Income Tax amendment to enable taxation on virtual assets and currencies. With the launch of the digital rupee, we are moving a step further towards adapting to the virtual revolution. However, the legal status of cryptocurrency differs from country to country.
Difference between digital currency and cryptocurrency
Digital currency is often confused with cryptocurrency. A digital currency has features similar to the actual currency. For instance, the digital rupee or digital dollar is a digital currency, meaning real currency available in a digital format. Digital currency can be used for all kinds of monetary transactions.
Cryptocurrencies do not have legal tender status. This means crypto cannot be used to purchase and sell goods and services. Cryptocurrency is an investment similar to gold or any other bond. Simply put, Cryptocurrency is not money.
Legal Status of Cryptocurrency in India
The Indian government has repeatedly gone back and forth on legalising cryptocurrency. However, some actions taken by the authorities indicate the intent to provide and recognise the cryptocurrency’s legal status slowly. Cryptocurrency has yet to be a regulated payment mode in India.
At Union Budget 2022, our finance minister announced that any gain from virtual digital asset transfer, including NFTs and cryptocurrencies, would be taxed at 30 per cent, and 1% would be deducted at the source. However, he stated that taxation on virtual assets does not imply legalising cryptocurrencies.
While this may be controversial, the government hasn’t recognised the income earned from cryptocurrency as a criminal charge. Hence, we can safely assume that the government indirectly agrees that income from cryptocurrency is revenue generated from a lawful source, and there is no ban on it.
Why is Cryptocurrency a problem for the Government?
While cryptocurrencies have many advantages and are gaining popularity, there are a few constraints to legalising them from the government’s perspective.
- The decentralised nature of cryptocurrency makes it more difficult for the government to trace it.
- Since Cryptocurrency is fairly new, the general population is unaware of its security features, making them more prone to fraud.
- Crypto prices are highly volatile, with huge jumps and drops. It is not best suited for people who invest heavily following the trend.
The U.S. President’s Impact
In March 2022, the U.S. President, Joe Biden, signed an EO (Executive Order) acknowledging the existence of cryptocurrency. It marked a significant moment in the history of cryptocurrencies. This step was considered a drive to take Bitcoin, Ethereum, and other crypto coins closer to becoming a legitimate financial option.
Mr Biden’s order directed the U.S. treasury department and Federal Reserve to explore the impact of cryptocurrency on national security and financial stability. Mr Biden’s executive order has been widely accepted and anticipated by the finance industry as a positive move towards the future.
Although cryptocurrency is considered a volatile form of money, it reached its all-time high in 2021, partially due to wider acceptance by more companies in payment. A few athletes and politicians are now receiving salaries in crypto. Wall Street has created ETFs (Exchanged-traded funds) around crypto futures.
After the price of Bitcoin, Ethereum, and many more skyrocketed, crypto tokens made splashy moves. Despite the risky wild price swings, nearly 40 million people in the U.S. have invested in cryptocurrencies. Coinbase got listed on NASDAQ in 2021, and crypto.com aired with massive web traffic.
Elon Musk Effect
The interest shown in the cryptocurrency market by Tesla CEO Elon Musk, which was back by the move to purchase $1.5 billion worth of Bitcoin, provided the token another boost. Bitcoin is now an acceptable form of payment for a growing number of retailers and online marketplaces, including PayPal, Microsoft, Rakuten, Tesla, and The Home Depot. Recently, Goldman Sachs has provide a cash loan that is back by Bitcoin.
Launch of the Digital Rupee (CBDC)
The Reserve Bank of India launched the pilot of its digital currency, CBDC, on December 1, 2022. CBDC is categorise as legal tender in a digital format. It is commonly known as the digital rupee and will be exchangeable at par with existing currencies. Digital Rupee is also acceptable for payments and a safe store of value.
Digital Rupee is similar to the currently issued banknotes. Still, it aims at creating an additional option to use money. It is expect to facilitate easy digital transactions. The RBI also views CBDC as a way to stabilize the financial system of our economy.
“Digital Rupee is fiat currency in a different avatar.”
CBDC is the digital twin of regular paper currency and is exchangeable with cash. However, it is not a decentralize asset like cryptocurrency, as the central bank of India regulates it. Unlike cryptocurrency, Digital Rupee can be use as legal tender to buy anything.
Need for Digital Rupee
The RBI aims to push India ahead in the virtual currency race with the launch of the Digital Rupee. The growing importance and worldwide acceptance of cryptocurrency increased the need to launch our digital presence. Here is why it was the need of the hour.
- Blockchain technology will allow easy ledger maintenance and real-time tracking.
- The digital rupee will increase the transparency and efficiency of money.
- Payment without intermediaries.
- Reduce demand for cash and strengthen the government’s vision towards a cashless economy.
- The payment system will be available to customers 24/7.
- Convenient cross-border transfers, making them less challenging and inexpensive.
- Lower transaction costs.
- More mobile than currency notes and will save printing, distributing, and storing costs.
- Keeping up with the times of cashless-digital financial framework and making operations seamless.
- Safer because it is centralize and back by the RBI.
Crypto trading platforms like LotusX are witnessing a giant volume leap of investors. We all know an unregulated market is highly volatile and risky for investors. However, introducing the Crypto Bill, the Digital Rupee, and the taxation of gains from the transfer of digital assets are all favourable steps towards regulating cryptocurrency. The launch of Digital currency will strengthen the underlying technology of cryptocurrency.


text:
The #SwapTheMop campaign aimed to get the public to swap their mop for Kärcher’s new Cordless Floor Care range.
PR firm The Academy examined the brand's Experian audience data to understand more about their passion points and life situation, as a way of generating excitement in the campaign.
They found older audiences would engage with Downton Abbey, which was popular during the campaign’s launch as it coincided with the release of the film.
Family audiences would engage with Cinderella, as the popular pantomime protagonist would traditionally use a mop during her daily chores.
While younger audiences would be more engaged by 'Cleanfluencers' – popular social media channels with six-figure followers who predominantly talk to their fans about cleaning products and methods.
The brief required all PR activations to run alongside a TV campaign.
The campaign generated over 30 pieces of PR coverage, including 10 national hits across print and online, leveraging the power of Downton Abbey to hit both news and showbiz pages.
The social films also achieved over 100,000 views and thousands of social mentions, plus the social content directly created over 10,000 click-throughs to Kärcher’s online web shop, a third of which came exclusively from Downton Abbey fans.
Mitch Kaye, CEO and co-founder of The Academy, said: "Connecting cleaning to popular culture requires strong creativity, good timing, and the backing of a really smart client. Downton Abbey has some of the most iconic hard floors on TV and is the perfect setting to launch Kärcher’s new Hard Floor Cleaners. A simple idea which used the excitement around the cinematic release to bring Hard Floor Cleaning to Hollywood."

domain: news


text:
Xiaomi Blackshark Surfaces Online – Gets The Best Ever AnTuTu Score!
China’s social media site Weibo has thrown up an AnTuTu listing of a mysterious smartphone with the codename Blackshark.
Recently Xiaomi has invested in a new venture called Blackshark, and as per the portal’s Weibo account, its a smartphone maker. So the gaming smartphone maker could be a new Xiaomi sub-brand. China’s social media site Weibo has thrown up an AnTuTu listing of a mysterious smartphone with the codename Blackshark. There are speculations that it is a high-end device from Xioami, possibly even the Mi 7!
The Razer Phone remains the only gamer-centric smartphone in the market currently. If it indeed releases, the Blackshark is going to be the very first gaming smartphone from the Xiaomi gaming sub-brand of the same name.
Xiaomi Blackshark – Leaked Specifications
As per the AnTuTu listing, the Xiaomi Blackshark will get powered by Qualcomm’s latest flagship chipset, the octa-core Snapdragon 845, coupled with 8GB of RAM. The listing has also revealed the key details of the upcoming Xiaomi Blackshark smartphone.
Xiaomi Blackshark will feature an 18:9 widescreen ratio, Full HD+ display with a screen resolution of 1080 x 2160 pixels and will be running latest Android 8.0 Oreo out of the box. The device will pair the Snapdragon 845 with Adreno 630 GPU, and 8GB of RAM with 32GB of onboard storage.
Earlier reports had suggested that the Xiaomi Blackshark will flaunt an aviation-class cooling system and will sport an integrated DSP (Digital Signal Processor), programmed for a specific purpose.
The Blackshark from Xiaomi managed to score a whopping 270,680 in the AnTuTu benchmark which is higher than the scores achieved by the other Snapdragon 845 powered devices, like the Galaxy S9 Plus.
When we talk Antutu, Apple is the king. No current Android processor has been able to comfortably cross the 200,000 mark, until now. Xiaomi Blackshark has beaten Samsung Galaxy S9’s score of 265,267 quite easily.
Xiaomi Vs Razer – The Gaming Smartphone King?
Reports suggest that Xiaomi will put up the Blackshark against the likes of Razer. Last year, the popular gaming laptop brand, Razer ventured into the world of smartphones and launched the famous gamer-centric Razer Phone with high-end internals. Xiaomi is reportedly looking to grab some attention in the gaming smartphone segment, though nothing is official as of now.
Now that the scores are out, the Blackshark with Snapdragon 845, 8GB RAM and all the high-end internals, it can give the Razer Phone a run for its money.
At the moment there’s no official word as to when the Xiaomi Blackshark will get to see the light of the day, but on the other side, Xiaomi is gearing up for the upcoming launch of its bezel-less flagship Mi MIX 2S.


text:
Xiaomi brings Mi 10 and Mi 10 Pro to Europe
Xiaomi has introduced its flagship Mi 10 series with Mi 10 and Mi 10 Pro smartphones for global markets. The company held an online event to launch and talk about these phones. Both the phones were announced last month in China. So, we already know the specs.
Both Mi 10 and Mi 10 Pro come with curved 6.67-inch AMOLED displays offering 90Hz refresh rate and tall 19.5:9 aspect ratio. The only difference in the display is that the display of Mi 10 Pro is brighter. Both the phones pack the same Snapdragon 865 chipset and comes with the X55 5G modem for offering 5G connectivity.
There’s 108 megapixels primary camera in both the phones but other sensors are not the same. In Mi 10 Pro, it has 108 megapixels primary camera, 20 megapixels ultra-wide camera, 12-megapixel telephoto camera and 8 megapixels super-telephoto camera.
The Mi 10 features 108-megapixel primary camera, 13-megapixels secondary ultra-wide camera, 2 megapixels depth camera and 2 megapixels macro camera.
Both the phones can record 8K videos and support both OIS and EIS. 20 megapixels Selfie camera is the same in both the phones.
Mi 10 packs 4,780 mAh battery while the Mi 10 Pro comes with a 4,500 mAh battery. Mi 10 supports 30W fast charging while Mi 10 Pro manages up to 50W fast charging. Both the phones also support 30W wireless and 5W reverse wireless charging.
Mi 10 starts at €799 and the price of Mi 10 Pro is Mi 10 Pro. It will be available in Italy, Germany, and France from April 7th. Pre-orders in Italy and Germany begins from March 28th. In Spain and the Benelux region, it will be available starting April 15th with pre-orders starting from April 1st.


text:
Vast volumes of data, combined with analytics and intelligent automation, are making it possible to deliver responsive, personalised customer service like never before. The potential benefits for businesses and customers alike are huge… but there’s a risk that needs paying attention to as well.
Information that’s valuable to you as a business is also valuable to others. In recent years, we’ve seen the number of large-scale data breaches skyrocket at organisations of all kinds: banks, hospitals, retailers, social networking sites and many more. Government surveillance and law-enforcement agencies are also eyeing business user data as an information source for investigations and legal actions.
This means any enterprise that values its customers must also value its customer data, and take as much precaution as possible to safeguard it.
Just last month, vast databases of user information were found for sale on the so-called “dark Web.” They included more than 640 million passwords taken via “mega breaches” of sites that included LinkedIn, Fling, Tumblr and even MySpace.
“[I]f this indeed is a trend, where does it end?” information security expert Troy Hunt asked in a recent blog post. “What more is in store that we haven’t already seen? And for that matter, even if these events don’t all correlate to the same source and we’re merely looking at coincidental timing of releases, how many more are there in the ‘mega’ category that are simply sitting there in the clutches of various unknown parties?”
Earlier this year, Apple found itself facing a different challenge concerning user data. It landed in a head-to-head battle with the U.S. Justice Department, which wanted the company to create a new operating system so it could access protected data on an iPhone confiscated in connection with a mass shooting in California last year. Apple was fighting a court order to do, and narrowly escaped only after the Federal Bureau of Investigation found a third-party group that was able to break into the phone without Apple’s help.
In an open letter to customers, Apple CEO Tim Cook noted that the wealth of information people have on their smartphones “needs to be protected from hackers and criminals who want to access it, steal it, and use it without our knowledge or permission … Compromising the security of our personal information can ultimately put our personal safety at risk. That is why encryption has become so important to all of us.”
Meanwhile, threats from ransomware — which locks organisations out of their own data until they pay the hacker group responsible — have reached levels some are calling an “epidemic.” A new report from Citrix and Censuswide on the phenomenon found that 20 percent of mid-sized to large businesses in the UK don’t have any plans for dealing with a ransomware attack, and that 48 percent of businesses don’t back up their data daily.
“Today’s threat landscape is more advanced, more determined and better equipped than ever before to exploit the weaknesses of organisations — many of which house a potential data goldmine,” said Chris Mayers, Citrix’s chief security architect.
For enterprises with large volumes of important and often sensitive customer data, the lesson should be clear: if information is important enough to hold onto, it’s important enough to protect… and any business that wants to keep the customers it has had better value and keep safe their information.


text:
In 2021, the mobile industry in sub-Saharan Africa maintained incredible strength against the impacts of Covid-19 and experienced steady growth. Digital solutions have provided influential support for businesses, enhancing their transition into adopting a mobile-first approach to tackle most of the daily challenges across sectors, with fintech applications dominating this rise.
According to the Mobile Economy Report, 615 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa will subscribe to mobile services by 2025, that’s equivalent to 50% of the region’s population. As we advance towards the end of Q1 2022 year, let us explore three key trends for mobile apps in Africa this year.
- Investment in mobile applications will improve
A report by AppsFlyer and Google showed a booming African mobile app market, boosted by a growing fintech space, the COVID-19 pandemic, amongst other factors.
They analysed over 6,000 apps and 2 billion installs across South Africa, Nigeria, and Kenya, between Q1 2020 and Q1 2021 and reported that the African mobile app market showed strong growth, with overall installs increasing by 41%. Nigeria showed the highest growth, with a 43% uplift, followed by 37% in South Africa, and 29% in Kenya.
- Growth in mobile commerce will drive customer experience
Industries like fintech will maintain exponential growth in Africa as more consumers, especially non-tech-savvy shoppers become increasingly familiar with online shopping and payment via mobile applications.
- Fintech will become more common
By the end of 2021, there were 548 million registered accounts across various fintech apps in the Sub-Saharan Africa region. These apps bid convenience to consumers, as they provide the basic infrastructure needed and easy access to a wide range of services.
Expect to see businesses thrive and expand the capabilities with these apps through embedding their business processes into the provided suite of features.
The BillsnPay app is a digital solution app that provides significant support for business owners, enhancing their transition into adopting a mobile-first approach to tackle most of the daily billing challenges, handling requests, and customer management as seamlessly as possible.


text:
November 14, 2019
The company has been on the back foot since its former CEO was accused of mismanagement.
Nissan Motor Co. has reported a massive 85 percent decline in operating profits — an area that indicates the strength or weakness of a company’s main business — in its midterm consolidated financial report for the half fiscal year ending in September.
The pursuit of increased sales has harmed profitability, delaying the development of new Nissan models. That in turn has resulted in fewer sales — a vicious cycle the automaker is struggling to escape from.
Nissan Motor’s deteriorating business performance may affect its three-way partnership with Renault SA, the French automaker that is its largest shareholder, and Mitsubishi Motors Corp.
Failed strategy by Ghosn
Nissan Corporate Vice President Stephen Ma, who will become chief financial officer on Dec. 1, emphasized the company’s reform efforts at a press conference held Tuesday about the company’s financial report. Nissan Motor is not seeking the conventional goal of market share and sales numbers, Ma said, but is trying to improve the quality of its sales.
However, these efforts are not bearing sufficient fruit. Nissan’s sluggish sales are the result of a strategy aimed at drastically increasing sales that was pursued by former Chairman Carlos Ghosn.
Starting in 2013, Nissan opened new factories in countries such as Mexico, Brazil and Indonesia, with the goal of expanding sales in emerging countries. When sales did not rise as expected, the company sought to make up for this by offering excessive discounts in North America, which had been a solid market for Nissan. However, this strategy damaged the carmaker’s brand image.
The sharp drop in profits in the latest financial report was largely due to reduced incentives given to dealers to fund the discounted sales. Nissan sold 6.9 percent fewer units in the North American region, which makes up for one-third of its sales.
New models delayed
In North America, the length of time until a new model is introduced, which had been slightly less than four years, ballooned for a time to about five years.
With the exception of minicars, Nissan has not released a new model in Japan for more than two years since it rolled out its revamped Leaf electric car in 2017.
The company has just launched a restructuring plan to go back on the offensive.
In July, it announced that 14 production bases around the world would be halted and its workforce would be cut by about 12,500 people. The company expects operating profits to improve to ¥300 billion in total by cutting labor and other fixed costs and reducing sales costs.
It also plans to reduce the time until new models are released to 2½ to three years by rolling out at least 20 models around the world by fiscal 2022. This effort is to be focused on EVs.
Competition heating up
Yet for all these efforts, Nissan is facing an increasingly severe business environment.
The automobile industry is striving to develop next-generation vehicles with connected, autonomous, shared and electric technologies.
With automakers in urgent need of funding for the future, Nissan’s ratio of operating profits to net sales, which reflects the company’s ability to earn, stands at only 0.6 percent. This is compared to 9.2 percent for Toyota Motor Corp. and 6.1 percent for Honda Motor Co.
The question of integration
Nissan partners Renault and Mitsubishi have both experienced deteriorating business performance, which has put the tripartite alliance in trouble.
Renault is Nissan’s largest shareholder, and may seek to deepen the alliance in an attempt to get more out of it.
Renault has a 43.4 percent stake in Nissan, and dividends and other earnings from Nissan stock support Renault’s profits. Thus when Nissan’s business deteriorates, it further hurts Renault.
The man holding the key to the alliance is Jean-Dominique Senard, Ghosn’s successor as chairman of Renault.
In April, Senard approached Nissan out of the blue about a business integration. He believed a merger would accelerate decision-making and strengthen the management base.
When Nissan refused, Senard looked to merge with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV, a major U.S. and European automaker.
This effort did not pan out due to Senard’s failure to win Nissan’s approval and other factors. FCA later chose to merge with Groupe PSA, the French auto giant formerly known as PSA Peugeot Citroen.
Parties related to Nissan are wary that Senard, who lowered Renault’s business performance and was unable to conclude the merger with FCA, will again bring up integration with Nissan in an effort to “regain territory.”Speech


text:
Murgitroyd ranks Gold for Scotland in World Trademark Review 1000
Jacqueline McKay, Mike Vettese, Christian Finn
More good news – We are delighted to share that the Trade Mark Team in Scotland was awarded Gold in the latest WTR 1000 rankings.
Congratulations to Jacqueline McKay (Director, Trade Marks, Glasgow), Mike Vettese (Director, Trade Marks, Aberdeen) and Chris Finn (Director, Trade Marks, Glasgow and Dublin) who have all been recognised!
The WTR 1000 states:
“Headquartered in Glasgow, Murgitroyd has a deep footprint in Scotland and enviable geographical reach thanks to a network of offices in 16 strategic locations around the world. It breaks into the gold tier this year thanks to overwhelmingly positive reports from competitors, which highlight its “big presence”, “impressive client base” and “well-established team” featuring the likes of Jacqueline McKay, Christian Finn and Mike Vettese. IP all-rounder McKay has some of Scotland’s biggest brands under his care; while Finn began his career as a trademark attorney career in 1994 after previously practising law in Zimbabwe. Aberdeen-based Vettese is a WTR 1000debutant who lays claim to be the only trademark attorney working for any company permanently based north of Scotland’s central belt; the music, media and entertainment industries are his playgrounds.”
For more information, visit Murgitroyd’s profile on World Trademark Review’s website.


text:
The collapse of Surfair Global Logistics has left more than 80 unsecured creditors facing losses amounting to over £1.1m, according to a report by the firm’s administrator Milner Boardman & Partners. The Derbyshire-based company’s Irish distribution partners were hit particularly hard when it went into voluntary liquidation last month. Dublin-based Landbridge Logistics is owed £125,858, Enniskillen logistics company A1 Transport is facing losses of £119,502 and PMP Transport of Armargh and Lurgan-based Woolsey Freight are seeking repayments of £65,652 and £49,936 respectively. Surfair’s […]
Pallet networks have so far failed to heed a call by Palletline to join it in reducing maximum pallet weights on tail-lift deliveries – though a number of them say they are considering the issue.
Sheffield-based DBL Logistics has predicted a record £3.5m turnover in its next financial year, following its expansion into a brand-new 33,500ft² Tinsley Park site.
Having achieved record volume last year 2013 is set to be another record breaker, with the UK’s nine pallet networks on course to handle the most pallets through their systems that they have ever done since the launch of the concept two decades ago.


text:
Scooter Braun's Co. Claims Lady Gaga's Ex-Manager Hiding Cash to Dodge $14 Mil Debt
Scooter Braun's Co. States Lady Gaga's Ex-Mgr. Hiding Cash To Dodge $14 Mil Debt
10/10/2018 12:28 PM PT
10/11 -- A rep for Scooter's company fired back, "Not only are these statements factual but there is documentation to back everything up as fact. We have no interest in Troy Carter's history of games or slander. We as a company just want to recover the millions of dollars owed to us by Troy Carter which he has repeatedly promised to pay but never has." The statement goes on ... "Blanket statements to protect his image are absurd at the juncture."
2:52 PM PT -- Troy's representation tells TMZ ... "This is yet another litigation tactic by Ithaca. These claims are not accurate both legally and factually."
Scooter Braun's company claims Lady Gaga's former manager has been hiding millions of dollars he got from Gaga over a bitter parting of the ways ... money the company says is rightfully theirs.
Scooter's company has sued music manager Troy Carter, claiming it gave him millions of dollars in a business deal. The docs say Carter promised he'd pay back the company back when Troy settled a mega-lawsuit with an artist, who fired him without giving him all the money he was owed.
According to new legal docs filed by Scooter's company, Troy scored $10.8 million in his settlement -- which we know was with Gaga.
Troy paid Scooter's company more than $3 million and admits he owes more, but the question is how much. Scooter's company says Troy still owes him more than $14.5 million, but the company agreed to accept $10 mil to make it go away and still hasn't gotten it.
According to the new legal docs, Carter hasn't fully paid -- despite numerous broken promises that the money was on the way -- but Troy was still able to shell out $730k for a painting. Troy allegedly deliberately overpaid on the painting so Scooter's company couldn't get its hands on the money. Short story ... the company thinks it's just revenge.
Scooter's company is now asking the judge for an order prohibiting Troy from draining his bank account until the debt is paid.
We reached out to Carter ... so far, no word back.


text:
Aston Martin Drops Vanquish Name, Revives DBS Superleggera with Teaser
The nameplate returns after six yearsby Ciprian Florea, on
Aston Martin is in the middle of an important reorganization process that involves brand-new models and technology, as well as finding ways to bring more profits to the company. Having already launched the new-generation Vantage and the DB11 as a replacement for the iconic DB9, the British firm still has a crossover to launch, but more importantly, it needs to update the Rapide and Vanquish models. While the Rapide might not get a successor, Aston Martin will continue to offer a flagship grand tourer, but the next-generation model will drop the Vanquish nameplate in favor of the DBS Superleggera. More specifically, Aston Martin is reviving the DBS, which replaced the Vanquish between 2007 and 2012, and it’s also reviving its collaboration with Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera of Milan, Italy.
The DBS name goes a long way back, having been used for the first time in 1967.
The DBS name goes a long way back, having been used for the first time in 1967. The first DBS was also a two-door grand tourer and replaced the iconic DB6. The nameplate disappeared in 1972 when the British firm rolled out the first-generation Vantage. The "DBS" badge remained dormant until 2007 when it was revived for the super GT that replaced the first-generation Vanquish. It was discontinued again after five years, replaced by the second-gen Vanquish. It’s six years later, and Aston Martin is doing the switch again.
But unlike its predecessors, the new DBS will also carry a "Superleggera" badge, as the grand tourer will pay homage to Carrozzeria Touring, the company that helped design the famous DB4, DB5, and DB6 models. Aston Martin says that a "Superleggera" badge will "once again adorn the bonnet of an Aston Martin," while the name also provides "a hint as to what can be expected of this upcoming model." Well, it will certainly benefit from lightweight construction, but it remains to be seen if it will be lighter than the outgoing Vanquish with all the technology that is used in modern cars nowadays.
Aston Martin also promises that the DBS Superleggera "will feature the highest levels of performance, craftsmanship, and design."
Aston Martin also promises that the DBS Superleggera "will feature the highest levels of performance, craftsmanship, and design." Far from surprising, as the DBS is simply forced to deliver the best performance out there as a replacement for the range-topping Vanquish. With the V-12 mounted in the DB11 rated at 600 horsepower, the new DBS will probably arrive with at least 650 horsepower on tap.
Further details will be revealed in the second quarter of 2018, so we should find out more by the end of June. A public debut could happen by the end of the year, most likely at the 2018 Paris Motor Show in October.
Read our full review on the 1970 Aston martin DBS.
Read our full review on the 2012 Aston Martin DBS Coupe.
Read more Aston Martin news.


text:
Hertz on the fast lane in Mideast
Hertz car rental services are continuing to expand across the Middle East, where the world's largest car rental company is represented by franchise operations in Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the UAE and Yemen.There have been numerous Hertz developments throughout the region in recent months, including the opening of more new branches, fleet expansions, and the introduction of a wide range of car rental benefits for Hertz customers, who also have easy access to Hertz general sales agents in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. Among the latest Hertz developments was the opening by Hertz UAE of its first branch in Abu Dhabi. The new branch in Ali Sultan Al Hamly Building, Al Falah Street, adjacent to the Ministry of Finance and Industry building, became the 66th Hertz outlet in the region. In expanding its network of Hertz branches to eight, Hertz UAE expects Abu Dhabi to generate a substantial part of its overall car rental business, and is already planning to introduce more Hertz outlets in the emirate. "Abu Dhabi should contribute a significant proportion of our business once we've fully developed our operations there," said Nitin Sapre, Hertz UAE sales and marketing manager, Al-Futtaim Sons. Hertz UAE expects car leasing to form a significant part of the overall business in Abu Dhabi, with the major segments for leasing being government owned oil and gas companies, oil field suppliers, defence companies, the engineering and project sectors, IT and electronics companies, and other multinationals. The Abu Dhabi branch was the 31st new Hertz outlet to open in the Middle East in just over 18 months. Al Futtaim-Sons also operates five Hertz branches in Dubai, as well as two in Sharjah. In Yemen, Universal Rent a Car, the Hertz franchisee, signed a three-year leasing agreement to provide a fleet of vehicles for use by SabaFon, the Lebanese-based company providing the first GSM mobile phone services in the country. In Jordan, Shakhshir Rent a Car, the Hertz International franchisee, has added two Mercedes stretch limousines to its car rental fleet in response to a growing demand for luxury chauffeur-driven vehicles. Hertz Jordan now operates 12 branches across the country following the recent opening of a branch at the Sheraton Amman Al Nabil Hotel & Towers, and has a new website, www.hertz.com.jo "We've built in a variety of different car rental options and packages which allow visitors to plan their own personalised leisure visit," said Najati Shakhshir, general manager of Shakhshir Rent a Car. Among the car rental services available through the website is a car and driver touring programme linked to Jordan's major historical sites. This uses drivers who speak a variety of languages, and are specially trained to make touring an interesting, enjoyable and comfortable experience. Hertz Bahrain now has a third branch on the island, at the Diplomat Radisson SAS hotel. The branch is conveniently located in a boutique outlet just inside the hotel's entrance, allowing guests privacy when making car rental bookings. A number of Hertz promotions are in place across the region. Almana Motors Rent A Car, the Hertz international franchisee in Qatar, is offering a 30 per cent discount on car rental rack rates for HSBC and Doha Bank Visa cardholders. In Saudi Arabia, business and leisure travellers are taking advantage of reduced Hertz car rental charges in the Kingdom, and overseas, by using a new privilege card also guaranteeing rapid rental services. Hertz Saudi Arabia's Special Partner Card guarantees special membership discounts for car rentals made at each of the 16 Hertz locations across the Kingdom, and worldwide. By calling a dedicated reservation number when making car rentals, cardholders receive immediate quotations and confirmations, while also qualifying for additional promotional offers. Hertz Saudi Arabia has also introduced a new VIP level of car rental benefits for Saudi American Bank (SAMBA) credit card holders. SAMBA credit cardholders making car rental bookings at any Hertz location in the Kingdom can now enjoy around 40 per cent discount, excluding insurance and extra mileage. Hertz aims to continue on its course of offering customers more new Hertz branches, bigger car rental fleets with a wider range of new models, enhanced customer service, and a growing number of brand loyalty programmes offering a comprehensive range of customer benefits.


text:
Apple iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c go on sale in 35 countries today, to reach 100 countries by end-2014
posted by Victor H. / Oct 25, 2013, 3:51 AM
The new iPhones are now coming to countries mostly in Europe, but also Korea, New Zealand, Taiwan and Thailand among others. Apple will add another 11 new launch countries on November 1st. Altogether, at the beginning of November, just a month and a half after the official unveiling, the new iPhones will be available in over 50 markets and by the end of the year that number is expected to grow to 100.
Here is the full list of countries that get the new iPhones today, on October 25:
On November 1st, the following countries will get Apple’s new iPhone 5s and 5c:
It’s worth mentioning that Apple has adjusted (raised) iPhone prices a tiny bit in some European markets due to changes in the values of currencies.
- Display 4.0" 640 x 1136 pixels
- Camera 8 MP / 1.2 MP front
- Processor Apple A7, Dual-core, 1300 MHz
- Storage 64 GB
- Battery 1570 mAh(10h 3G talk time)
Posts: 459; Member since: Sep 14, 2013
Over here in New Zealand, the iPhone will be so OP (overpriced, what else were you thinking?). Even the current iPhone 5 retails for $800 USD base model, so I expect the 5c to be $750 at least.
posted on Oct 25, 2013, 4:42 AM 1
Posts: 5611; Member since: Feb 10, 2013
Dude have you seen PB Tech's prices, especially for the gold versions, they are ridiculous. For example the gold 16 GB iPhone 5S is currently $1,493.85, that's about the same as the 11" MacBook Air. http://www.pbtech.co.nz/index.
posted on Oct 25, 2013, 5:49 AM 1
Posts: 418; Member since: Mar 30, 2010
That's because you're so far from the rest of the world. Things affordable in the US are always significantly more expensive in NZ and Australia. I work with some Aussies and they'd rather shop in London than shop in Australia it's that much more expensive.
posted on Oct 25, 2013, 6:05 AM 0
Send a warning to post author
Send a warning to Selected user.
The user has 0 warnings currently.
Next warning will result in ban!
Ban user and delete all posts
Message to PhoneArena moderator (optional):


text:
Whenever it comes to Android launchers, Nova Launcher is undoubtedly the best among all. Today, the launcher has turned 5. Yes! It has been five years since Nova launcher was launched for Android and in these five years, it has proven itself to be the best Android launcher. Today, on this particular occasion, the company has released the stable version of Nova Launcher 5.0 after a lot of beta versions. The new update, as expected, comes with a lot of updates and it features a lot of Pixel launcher features.
WHAT’S NEW IN NOVA LAUNCHER 5.0?
Here are the new features that come with the Nova Launcher 5.0 –
- Swipe to open drawer (a la Pixel Launcher)
- Pixel style search bar
- New search view, with tabs for Frequent, Recent, and New/Updated apps
- “Timeout” screen lock method
- New double-tap-swipe gestures
- Android 7.1 launcher shortcuts
- Dock backgrounds to draw under navbar
- Quick start to quickly change major settings (Nova Settings > Backup > Quick start)
Well, if the beta versions had some issues with your phone, then its time to say hello to the final stable build of the Nova Launcher 5.0. To download and install it on your phone, click the button below. Also, the updated app is now available on the Play Store so you can download it from there too. The minimum Android version is 4.1 Jellybean, and the build is targeted at Android 7.1 Nougat.
Like DroidHolic on Facebook
5G Variant of Samsung Galaxy S10 has six cameras in total
Next year in February, Samsung is launching the Galaxy S10 lineup that is expected to feature S10 Lite, S10 and...
CEO Jerry Shen resigns as Asus shifts focus to power users & gamers
2018 was a great year for the smartphone division of Asus. The company launched phones in every price segment, and...
Huawei Nova 4 press renders leaked, 48MP main camera confirmed
Samsung is the first to announce a phone with a display hole for the front camera, and Huawei is the...
MediaTek Helio P90 announced with 2nd Gen APU & IMG PowerVR GPU
As expected, the MediaTek Helio P90 was announced in China today, and this chipset comes with some huge improvements over...
MediaTek Helio P70 vs Snapdragon 660 – The battle of the mid-rangers
MediaTek Helio P70 is already here, and we have Realme U1 as the first smartphone featuring this chipset. But, how...
Vivo NEX Dual Display Edition has triple cameras & two screens
Nope, it’s not the NEX 2 or 2nd Generation Vivo NEX. The company launched its latest NEX-series phone named Vivo...
Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 & Max M2 launched in India
Finally, the much awaited Zenfones launched in India today, and it looks like Asus just killed almost every phone priced...


text:
BERLIN (Reuters) - Audi said it expects stronger volume growth in the second half of the year after a rebound in Chinese deliveries brought about a 1 percent gain in June sales to 170,650 cars.
“After a difficult first half of the year, we are expecting a stronger second half given the current order position,” sales chief Dietmar Voggenreiter said on Friday in an emailed statement.
Six-month sales were down 4.7 percent to 908,950 luxury cars and sport-utility vehicles. Deliveries in China bounced back 1.7 percent in June after a dispute between management and dealers in Audi’s largest market was resolved in May.
Reporting by Andreas Cremer; Editing by Edward Taylor


text:
Bob DeRodes, executive vice president and chief information officer (CIO) of The Home Depot Inc., admits that the home improvement company, North America's second largest retailer and a Fortune 13 company, hasn't been on the cutting edge of information technology. "Four years ago when I joined this company and walked the sales floors, I found one networked PC in the stores," DeRodes said in round-table panel at SAP AG's recent Sapphire user event in Boston. "And when our chairman asked if he could send e-mail to our associates and was told no, he asked why not and was told the necessary infrastructure didn't exist."
This is a company that is expanding at the rate of one new store nearly every 24 hours (it has more than 2,000 stores today) and is driven by the motto "stock it high and watch it fly." Technology information wasn't a priority in most of the company's nearly 26-year history.
That's changing, largely because of the group's unwieldy size.
Three years and US$1 billion later, Home Depot is "stringing cable from here to shining sea" and investing in new technology not only in its front-end retail operations but also in back-office activities such as inventory and supply-chain management "where we still don't have a great deal of visibility," said DeRodes in a post-Sapphire telephone interview.
In Boston, Home Depot agreed not only to license all SAP products that the Atlanta company needs to become a global retailer, but also to collaborate with the business software vendor in the development of new applications for the retail sector.
"As the retail industry changes, we want to stay on the leading edge, as does SAP," said DeRodes. "They now have a global customer who can give them the requirements. Together, we can both stay out front."
Time will tell if that will be the case, but the fast-talking CIO appears confident about the progress he and his technology partners, including SAP, are making in a program he calls "digitizing the Depot."
Is DeRodes concerned about being used as a possible guinea pig for some of SAP's new technology, such as its Enterprise Service Architecture (ESA) and Business Process Platform (BPP)? If so, he's not letting on.
"We think ESA is the right direction," he said. "Architectures have been moving slowly in this direction for the past five years. And when a company with the breadth and depth of SAP adopts this, it becomes more of a standard in the industry. ESA will help us with speed to market and will provide greater flexibility, which didn't exist in the more monolithic architectures."
SAP views ESA as a way for customers to easily craft end-to-end workflows over multiple applications. Central to this technology is the NetWeaver integration platform and later BPP, a progression of NetWeaver, that will allow customers to integrate their mySAP Business Suite software with third-party or homegrown applications.
Whether Home Depot will install BPP right from the start or run NetWeaver is a "timing question," according to DeRodes. If the product is ready, the company is keen to be an early adopter to avoid upgrades down the road. "We've talked about this," he said. "It's a desired step for both of us."
As for pricing -- a core merchandising process -- DeRodes expects SAP technology, especially its new business analytics product, to help the retailer change and adjust prices more effectively to meet the needs of individual stores.
But the CIO is less excited about using a "value-based" pricing model for purchasing SAP software, an option the Walldorf, Germany, vendor is currently studying. "This is a big idea for them," he said. "Whether it's a big idea for customers is another issue. Frankly, the whole idea scares the hell out of me."
Home Depot has established its own pricing arrangement with SAP because, as DeRodes was quick to point out: "We wanted to feel good about the value we're getting today and in the long term."
Other technology companies, such as Accenture Ltd. and IBM Corp., are already offering valued-based pricing, and are willing to lower their base fees significantly and "bet that their products will deliver value," he said. "It can be a win-win situation; it's not always negative. But you have to be really smart. This is no place for naïve buyers."
Speaking about pricing and ways to lower software costs, DeRodes doesn't see many opportunities for open source in business application areas such as ERP (enterprise resource planning). "Linux has proven that it can work well in university settings and in the entrepreneurial world," he said. "But for Fortune 100 and even 200 companies, I think it has less promise. We wouldn't place a bet for our shareholders on bulletin-board software. Big companies need big software companies."
Looking ahead, DeRodes sees the big challenges for Home Depot in "tooling and training" its workforce in SAP technology. Although the company has been using SAP financial software for nearly seven years, it's now planning a much broader use that will require a greater effort from staff. "There will be a challenge in learning how to do multiple concurrent major SAP implementations," he said. "Other big companies have faced a similar challenge and done well. We can learn from them."
DeRodes expects SAP technology to drive Home Depot's business transformation. "That's what we're after," he said. "We have our work cut out for us." -- IDG News Service
Join the CIO New Zealand group on LinkedIn. The group is open to CIOs, IT Directors, COOs, CTOs and senior IT managers.


text:
Toyota Canada plants to get $1.4B upgrade
Federal government and Ontario each pitching in $110 million.
Toyota’s Cambridge plant to build RAV4, replace work on Corolla
Automaker is moving the operation’s lucrative Corolla production to Mexico.
Toyota global recall involves 6.76M vehicles
A variety of problems cited, nearly 30 models involved including RAV4, Corolla and Matrix.
Toyota remains top automaker in first half
Global sales at 4.91 million vehicles, outpaces GM.
Toyota recalls 7.4 million vehicles worldwide over faulty window switch
Recalls affects cars produced from 2005 through 2010, including 240,000 in Canada.


text:
Pupils from two local primary schools helped to officially open the new Co-operative food store on Kinmundy Road, Peterhead on Thursday, January 15.
Youngsters from Dales Park and Clerkhill School joined store manager Wendy Youngson to open the store, which has created 16 new jobs.
The schools each received a £100 donation as a thank you for their help.
The new convenience store has a sales area of around 2,000 sq ft, and has been designed to make it easy and enjoyable for shoppers to pick up all the ingredients necessary to produce fantastic meals, with ideas and tips on every aisle.
It offers customers a wide selection of fresh and chilled products, The Co-operative’s premium Truly Irresistible range, delicious ready meals, in-store bakery and an extensive wine range, including champagne. The store will also offer popular services including the National Lottery and Paypoint.
The new store will be a hub for the community, with a “community pioneer”, Andrea Austin, appointed as part of a new programme that sees a member of the store team with an additional remit to foster a strong involvement in community activity, from volunteering opportunities to helping develop solutions to meet local needs.
Wendy said: “We’re excited about welcoming customers into our new store.
“The Co-operative is a community retailer and we are committed to playing a real role in local life.
“I’m delighted to welcome children from Dales Park and Clerkhill Primary Schools to share in our special day, and to play a key role in the opening.”


text:
The most minimal evaluated MacBook actually is likewise theorized to be reported.
Following the uncover of its Apple Watch and iPad models in September, just as its huge number of iPhone 12s and HomPod smaller than usual in October, bits of gossip are currently flowing that Apple will divulge its inevitable Silicon-fueled Macs this November.
It was initially expressed by the organization during WWDC 2020 that new Macs would show up in 2020, and since none still can’t seem to come, many theorize the authoritatively uncovering is expected one month from now. As indicated by a notable Apple knowledge Jon Prosser, Apple will hold this extraordinary function on November 17. The function will cover the declaration of new Macs, one of which will be the forthcoming Apple Silicon chip, supplanting the incorporation of Intel processors. The most minimal cost MacBook is likewise scheduled to be declared at this function.
It is supposed that Apple Silicon Mac will be dispatched in a long-concealed 12-inch configuration, and PCs outfitted with ARM Mac processors will utilize TSMC 5 nanometer measure innovation. Along these lines, Apple can keep the expense of every processor at $75 USD, around one-fourth of the processor gave by Intel, which was initially a fixed accomplice.
Prosser says Apple will declare the function on November 10, seven days in front of the genuine function, which is a comparative methodology the organization has taken in the last couple months.
In related news, Apple specialists have started to acknowledge that the iPhone will never include a USB-C port.


text:
YELLOW SPRINGS, Ohio (WDTN) – Despite Ohio voters approving the legalization of recreational cannabis, don’t expect it to be on the market right away.
As of 9:30 p.m. Tuesday, the “Yes” votes were winning, 55.5%-45.5%. In becoming the 24th state to legalize recreational marijuana, the initiative’s passage ends a nearly 90-year-long ban in Ohio, with the exception of medical marijuana.
“We don’t expect retail sales to start until Q4 of 2024,” said Joe Chek, facility director at the Cresco Labs facility in Yellow Springs.
Growing facilities in the state are planning for the potential legalization with expansions to their grow operations.
“So, for us, we know that we would be amongst the first groups to begin supplying that material and in an adult use market since we’re already operating,” said Chek.
Even though Issue 2 passed, cannabis is illegal at the federal level. This means that marijuana cannot be imported or exported from the state through the Interstate Commerce Act.
Every plant must be grown in Ohio.
“We can start growing, you know, as soon as the legislature passes or as soon as the initiative passes. But we still have to wait out the growth life cycle of the plant, which is a number of weeks. It’s just a matter of when we would put those plants in the ground is going to depend on when the initiative passes,” said Chek.
The life cycle of the plant can take up to 4 months from seed to harvest.
Unlike Issue 1, if passed, the state legislature can amend or repeal the issue as a whole. This has growers holding back from starting on the day it is legalized.
According to the language of Issue 2, recreational cannabis would become legal 30 days after the election.
“It is going to depend on when the initiative passes. And then as we start to see language come out from the state, we’ll get a sense of when the state is ready to turn things on. You don’t want to do too much in advance of that because you never know,” said Chek.
Back in September, Gov. Mike DeWine expressed his opposition to Issue 2. If passed,


text:
pointing fingers: ocean plastic is tragedy of the commons
But who is the problem?
It depends on who you ask.
The problem of damage to the marine ecosystem more than $ 13b per year seems to be more of a large-
More massive government action than people like you and me.
But should we expect the government to bear those costs?
After all, it is the company that created most of the plastic packaging, they are the company that \"put it outside.
\"Again, they only use plastic packaging because consumers pay them.
If consumers stop voting for plastic packaging in their dollars, or if they ask the government to encourage change, there won\'t be so much plastic waste.
Again, waste and recycling companies are part of the problem.
We often read stories about America now. S. -
Entities at headquarters have charged excessive fees for the services of municipalities.
The companies accused the city of saying that the materials the city sent them were too contaminated.
The waste disposal company also blamed the recycling company.
Because they don\'t pay enough.
Let\'s not exclude investors.
Can\'t they work by actively investing in problem-solving businesses, stripping or withholding funds from businesses that are part of the problem? And so it goes.
Marine plastic seems to be a problem for everyone, so no one is really a problem.
Simplifying complex challenges to simple heroes and villains is just a way to give up personal responsibility, which clearly shifts our focus on more resources for the marine plastic crisis.
Marine plastics is a system problem that requires a comprehensive system solution where each participant can play an important role.
The figure is estimated to be trillions of dollars, but not yet in 2012.
5% of the development funds are for solid waste management.
The real question, therefore, is not who should be blamed, but how can these different actors redistribute their resources and actions to address the crisis in a mutually complementary manner?
Let\'s take the government as an example.
Governments tend to tax or ban rather than invest in critical infrastructure or improve health facilities, which cost more money.
Efforts to ban one-time use of plastic such as straws or plastic bags, while very effective in raising public awareness of the problem of marine plastic, are of little help in solving it.
In fact, unfortunately, these disposable plastics account for less than 1% of marine plastics.
In addition, banning something can lead to the use of another method, which can lead to negative external factors of its own.
Picking out a product or material to tax or ban it does not help us to manage waste better.
Consumer brands and plastic companies are clearly the easiest targets.
It can be said that businesses decide that consumers end up using more packaging than any other actor.
They need to improve the packaging design and increase the demand for recycled materials to facilitate the circular economy.
Indeed, when the Allen MacArthur Foundation announced a global commitment to the new plastic economy, many of them agreed to do so, and some promised to spend $100 on circulating capital.
Promises don\'t change the outcome, but it\'s a good start.
What about consumers?
It\'s easy to blame companies and governments for not doing enough, but consumers have to recognize that they play a key role in this issue and thus address it.
It is essential to change the company\'s approach, but the power of the wallet cannot be overemphasized.
Consumers can change their spending habits, buy more durable products, reuse packaging, and force companies to develop better plastic practices.
In fact, in many South and Southeast Asian countries that leak the most plastic into the ocean,
National companies account for only a small part of the market.
Giving up the lower cost plastic packaging will only be replaced by smaller or local players who are not on the activist radar screen.
The recycler accused the brand of not paying enough for the recycled material, or the city of paying enough.
But recyclers can and should do more. In the U. S.
For example, the recycling infrastructure was built decades ago and we didn\'t invest enough money to adapt to new types of plastics like flexible plastics.
These solutions are not enough without silver bullets.
In order to convert plastic waste into resources, we need to adopt a range of solutions: from public policies and corporate commitments to changes in financial incentives and human behavior.
Some of these solutions-such as the development of plastic alternatives-may take considerable time to scale.
I think we can now develop better recycling and better waste management technologies and practices in two areas.
For example, in South and Southeast Asia, where capital flows, 45% of the plastic waste flowing into our oceans each year comes from five countries in the region, mainly because of the region\'s rapid economic growth, basic waste management and recycling infrastructure are lagging behind.
This delta provides valuable opportunities for innovation, investment and economic development to encourage new recycling and waste management industries and entrepreneurs to flourish.
But we still have a long way to go.
In order to achieve this goal, we must stop blaming and work together with global capabilities to resolve this crisis.
Time is not on our side.


text:
- About Us
- Local Savings
- Green Editions
- Legal Notices
- Weekly Ads
Connect with Us
Adult businesses: Are all treated equally?
Federal Way may eventually be without any adult-oriented business inside city limits.
But that likely wont happen before 2005.
Records obtained by the Federal Way Mirror indicate the city has entered into confidential agreements with T&A Plus Video and Video Blue adult video stores operating on Pacific Highway South in north Federal Way allowing the retailers to stay put even in violation of city zoning codes.
City Manager David H. Moseley signed the agreement in September 2000, a month after new zoning codes went into effect, but more than 10 months before the end of an extended period to comply with the new regulations ended last August.
But what may be most remarkable about the agreement is not who signed it, but who didnt.
Conspicuously absent are representatives of strip club Déjà Vu, which shut down its Federal Way facility last summer after its extension to comply with zoning code changes ended.
Jack Burns, an Eastside attorney for Déjà Vu, had mounted a series of court challenges to the city code after the club was zoned out of its longstanding City Center location on Pacific Highway. Déjà Vu lost the first two rounds of court challenges, which contended the zoning code was unconstitutional and posed financial hardship on the company to relocate. The case is presently in front of the U.S. District Court of Appeals Ninth Circuit, which is unlikely to hear it before next winter.
Burns called the city deals with the video stores a double-standard, because the businesses have five years to move while Déjà Vu had just one.
He also said he was bothered by the confidentiality clause of the agreement.
If he had known of the the agreement, he said he would have raised the issue of unfair treatment before U.S. District Court Judge Marsha Pechman. It was Pechman who upheld the city ordinance and later denied the clubs appeal.
Burns said the city may have singled out Déjà Vu because of its legal challenges.
We were litigating and we were doing it fairly aggressively, Burns said.
Burns added the issues for the other retailers were precisely the same. If the city was serious about ousting adult-oriented retailers, it could have taken them on as well, he said.
The additional cost of the litigation would have been almost inconsequential, he said.
But City Attorney Bob Sterbank has a different take.
He said the city had tried to strike a compromise with Déjà Vu early on, but was constantly faced with pie-in-the-sky requests and legal challenges.
If thats what theyre saying, they are complaining about a problem thats entirely of their own making, Sterbank said. They were unwilling to agree to any reasonable period (to move or close the business).
The club wanted 10 years to relocate and for the city to suspend its laws affecting the conduct of exotic dancers, So that they could do whatever they wanted inside the business, Sterbank said.
In effect, dancers would have been permitted to simulate sexual acts and get closer than 4 feet of patrons actions that are now expressly prohibited in city code.
Needless to say, we felt that position was unreasonable, Sterbank said.
Last month, Sterbank was able to have Déjà Vus city business license rescinded a move that would preclude the strip club from reopening even if owners win a court challenge.
In its agreement with the adult video stores, the city cannot force the stores to move from their sites before Feb. 13, 2005. The city also stipulates it wont release company tax returns or other financial documents filed with the city before allowing the companies a chance to object to their release in court.
The video stores, for their part, agreed to move to the south side of Federal Way or to cease business in the city by Feb. 13, 2005
And both parties agreed to dismiss lawsuits stemming from the dispute, and to keep the matter entirely confidential.
(T)he parties shall state only that the matter has been settled, without disclosing terms of the Agreement, and wont make any public disparaging comments about the other, the documents state.
Sterbank defended the confidentiality provisions of the agreement, saying they could prevent a business from harming the citys reputation and head off future lawsuits.
Those types of provisions are as much for publics protection from slanderous comments as anything else, he said.
Joe Feuerstein, president of Video Blue, Inc. declined to comment for this story. Phone messages left for Robert Bacon, vice-president of T&A Plus, Inc were not returned. Neither were phone messages left for officials of Déjà Vu Everett-Federal Way.
Originally, the revisions to city code could have forced out retailer Lovers Package, which operates a store on South 320th Street But Sherri Moury, president of Peekay Marketing which owns Lovers Package stores, said the city has since relented and is not forcing the store to move or shut down.
Moury said her store was not an adult entertainment establishment comparable to a strip club. Unlike Déjà Vu, customers make purchases and go home. Its a little differ


text:
India’s appetite for all things fashion has grown tremendously over the last few years and the country is closing in on becoming the world’s sixth largest fashion market, slated to be worth nearly US $ 60 billion by 2022. Having read customers’ nerves, the apparel retail brands are extending their brand offerings into the accessory category. According to many experts, Team AOI spoke to, the organised accessories segment has a great potential and the market is young with promises of growth.
With Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic impacting the industry, the economy and general sentiments of people around the world, the state of Madhya Pradesh (India) is keeping its spirits high and boosting investors. The State Government organised a round table conference recently in Delhi where various apparel and textile firms announced investments of more than Rs. 3,250 Cr. in this state.
An initiative to make all fashion good, Amsterdam-based ‘Fashion for Good’ is creating collaborative innovation by bringing brands, manufacturers and retailers together with the start-ups in helping them grow


text:
COLUMBUS, Ind. (March 29, 2021) – Toyota Material Handling North America (TMHNA) will launch a two-brand, one-channel distribution trial program with the dealer networks of its two main group companies – Toyota Material Handling and The Raymond Corporation – in an effort to address the evolving needs of customers.
Effective May 1, 2021, Raymond Handling Consultants, LLC (RHC) and Southern States Toyotalift (SST) will be managed as one organization representing both the Toyota and Raymond brands.
Both RHC and SST have existing locations in three major Florida markets – Tampa, Orlando and Jacksonville – and both dealers have enthusiastically supported the new partnership.
“We believe that this consolidation will deepen our relationships with existing customers and attract many new customers by utilizing the combined strengths and additional synergies created by bringing the two strong brands under one organization,” said TMHNA president and CEO Brett Wood, who is also a senior executive officer for TMHNA’s parent company, Toyota Industries Corporation (TICO).
“As we see the market evolving, it’s more important than ever to provide the widest selection of products, solutions, and expertise to help our customers become as efficient as possible,” said Toyota Material Handling president and CEO Jeff Rufener. “We will study the impact of this trial carefully and expect to learn a lot about how we can deliver a better customer experience.”
TMHNA anticipates this consolidation will benefit customers in areas such as: improved customer support with better coverage, more technicians and other support resources; best-in-class products and systems solutions; additional rental, systems, automation and parts opportunities for customers; and streamlined product support and centralized administration operations.
“Our mission with this trial is to determine whether a two-brand, one-channel strategy in North America will allow us to more effectively leverage our strengths to better serve our customers,” said Michael Field, president and CEO for The Raymond Corporation. “Bringing together the two best brands in material handling represents an opportunity to further build upon our strong dealership network in North America.”
About Toyota Material Handling North America
Toyota Material Handling North America (TMHNA), the industry leader in forklift sales, is composed of two main group companies: Toyota Material Handling, Inc. and The Raymond Corporation. One in three forklifts sold in North America is either a Toyota or Raymond product. With nearly 2.5 million square feet of manufacturing space, TMHNA is composed of five manufacturing plant locations: Columbus, Indiana; Greene, New York; Muscatine, Iowa; East Chicago, Indiana and Oakville, Ontario, Canada that produce racking products and more than 1,500 forklifts per week. With an annual revenue of over $4 billion, TMHNA has more than 10,000 associates and more than 300 dealer locations to support Toyota and Raymond customers throughout North America.


text:
The company also reported that the employee was laid off because of a tweet in which he allegedly divulged confidential information.
Former Nintendo QA Mackenzie Clifton shared with Axios publishing details on how he was fired from the company. According to the employee, at a corporate meeting in January 2022, he asked Nintendo of America President Doug Bowser what he thought about the trend in which game company testers are unionizing.
Clifton reported that the issue was not taken up at the meeting. On the same day, the head of the contracting firm Aston Carter had a short conversation with an employee, during which he called his question “unsuccessful”. He also urged Clifton to direct all such questions to him rather than asking them directly to Nintendo management.
The QA employee stated that this response puzzled and annoyed him, but the employee took no further action. Despite this, less than a month later, the specialist was fired from the company.
Nintendo reported that Clifton had been made redundant for leaking confidential information. When an employee demanded an explanation, the company showed him a tweet dated February 16, 2022, in which the employee wrote about the development of one of the games.
Clifton disagreed with this reason for being fired and filed a complaint against Nintendo of America with the U.S. National Labor Relations Board. The employee believes that he was laid off precisely because he asked an uncomfortable question for management about trade unions. As Clifton noted, he did not invite other employees to unite, but only asked Bowser’s opinion on the trend in the gaming industry.
The former QA specialist also shared with Axios details about his work at the company. According to him, he received his first contract position in 2018, and at first everything was fine. So, one of the managers noticed that Clifton plays well in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate in breaks. After that, the employee was transferred to testing the fighting game, in which he achieved great success.
However, when Clifton got into trouble, including severe depression from college, his bosses openly expressed their frustration with his position. In addition, Nintendo refused to add the names of Clifton and other QA specialists to the credits of Super Smash Bros. ultimate. According to the employee, he was very upset and even brought to suicidal thoughts, as he carefully worked on the game for several years.
Clifton said he filed a complaint against Nintendo and Aston Carter to draw attention to the situation of his former colleagues and other testers.


text:
February 11, 1996
In recent years, it's been white, black and almond that have dominated the facades of major appliances. And while all three are expected to continue to hang tough, watch out for stainless. It's quickly emerging as a popular color for major appliances. Stainless styling seems to be particularly strong on the West Coast and in Europe, said Larry Yoder, senior industrial designer for Amana Refrigeration Inc. "Stainless has an attractive, professional look associated with gourmet kitchens ... giving it...


text:
Less than three weeks after we first mentioned Brooklyn-based Carrot Creative’s partnership with online organic marketplace Farmigo, the agency has returned to warm the cockles this holiday season a new collaborative effort dubbed “The 12 Days of GIFing.” Launched yesterday and running through 12 days, natch, the campaign is part Christmas carol, part gifting for the Food Bank of New York, which will receive proceeds in the form of food provided by New York-area farmers.
Carrot CEO Mike Germano tells us, “”The goal of our card this year is to spread cheer to our friends and fans while helping out our fellow NYers, who need extra attention now more than ever. Through our existing relationship with Farmigo, we’ve created a way for people to donate fresh food from local farmers to those who are hungry this Holiday season, and for the next 12 months. As a social agency, we’re all about community; this Holiday, we hope you’ll help us support ours.”
The main draw of the campaign, though, appears to be the the GIFs on the site itself, which will activate some tunes via a simple mouseover. It can be annoying, distracting, etc., but at least your karma points will rise.


text:
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg testifies on Capitol Hill Wednesday about data misuse. Follow live updates.
Pressed by Ted Cruz on Political Leanings, Mark Zuckerberg Says No Bias at Facebook
Durbin Gets Personal to Make a Point About Privacy
Mark Zuckerberg Defends the Messenger Kids App
A Tense Exchange Involving Palantir
Cambridge Analytica Defends Itself
Sen. Graham Hits on Sensitive Topic : Is Facebook a Monopoly?
Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas dug in on a long-running complaint of some conservatives -- that Facebook is biased against conservative organizations and companies, naming content from Chik-Fil-A among others that he said had been taken down by the service.
Mr. Zuckerberg acknowledged the concern, saying Silicon Valley is an "extremely left leaning place" and that he tries to make sure the company doesn't "have bias in the work that we do."
Mr. Cruz cut him off, and asks him if Facebook has ever taken down posts from Planned Parenthood or other progressive leaning posts. Mr. Zuckerberg says he isn't aware of any such takedowns, but doesn't rule it out. He tries to move the focus to items like terrorism-related content and self-harm that few object to censoring.
Mr. Cruz then seized on Mr. Zuckerberg's remark that "we don't ask people their political affiliation when they are hired." The senator presses him on the departure from Facebook of Palmer Luckey, a virtual-realty executive who supported Donald Trump. Mr. Zuckerberg said it was a personnel matter, but he could say that Mr. Luckey's departure had nothing to do with his politics.
What hotel did you say at last night? Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) asked. And who have you been messaging with?
The senator’s blunt personal questions of Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg were designed to underline a point about the right to privacy.
After a pause and a bit of a chuckle rising from the audience in the Senate hearing room, Mr. Zuckerberg answered “no” to each question.
Sen. Durbin said the issues Facebook faces are “all about” the right to privacy and the limits of privacy and how much people give up to be connected to each other.
Mr. Zuckerberg responded that “everyone should have control over how their information is used." He added that users control how much they share publicly about the information and photos they post to the service.
Facebook can't see what users do on other apps not owned by Facebook unless those users specifically opt in, Mr. Zuckerberg said.
What he didn't say is Facebook in 2013 acquired a mobile-analytics company called Onavo that gives Facebook a peek into the activity of its rivals.
Facebook's use of Onavo data lets it measure what people do on their phones beyond Facebook's own suite of apps, according to previous reports by the Journal. The data has been crucial in helping Facebook track rivals and scope out new product categories.
Mark Zuckerberg defended the new Messenger Kids service, saying the company developed it after requests from "thousands" of parents and that it collects a minimum of information, which isn't shared with third parties.
Messenger Kids is a stand-alone chat and messaging app that allows children to send texts, messages and videos to a list of contacts their parents have approved. Parents can download the app on a child’s tablet computer or smartphone and activate and control it from their own Facebook account, including who is on the child’s contact list.
When the service was announced last December, child-development experts said they were concerned by the product, which could present dangers with the messages children see, and the way they could get hooked on social media.
Sen. Cantwell's exchange with Mr. Zuckerberg took on a sharper -- at times, more mysterious -- tone than his Q&A with other senators.
In between moments of silence, the senator asked how familiar Mr. Zuckerberg is with Palantir Technologies, a data-mining firm that counts venture capitalist and Facebook board member Peter Thiel among its founders.
She asked, Do you know who Palantir is?
Zuckerberg: I do.
She followed: Some people have referred to them as a Stanford Analytica a reference to Cambridge Analytica. Do you agree?
Zuckerberg: Senator, I have not heard that.
Then a direct ask from Cantwell: Do you think Palantir ever scraped data from Facebook?
Zuckerberg: Senator, I'm not aware of that.
Cambridge Analytica is watching Zuckerberg's testimony too. The data firm hit back at comments in the hearing saying the company had improperly obtained information about Facebook's users ahead of the 2016 U.S. election.
"We did not hack Facebook or break any laws," Cambridge Analytica said in a post on Twitter. Instead, the firm said SCL Elections, its politics division, licensed data from a company that obtained the data via a tool provided by Facebook -- something that was "a common practice at the time," Cambridge said.
Cambridge Analytica said it deleted thee data when Facebook said it violated its terms of service, and that an independent audit is working to verify this.
Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, a colorful speaker, says that if consumers have a problem with their Ford car, they can buy a Chevy next. He asks whether Facebook users have such alternatives.
"Is there real competition you face?" he asks.
After Mr. Zuckerberg says that the average American uses eight different apps to stay in touch with their friends, Mr. Graham drops the metaphors and gets straight to the point.
"You don't think you have a monopoly?" he asks -- a line of questioning that could potentially open up all sorts of intervention from antitrust regulators.
"It certainly doesn't feel like that to me," Mr. Zuckerberg replies.
Mark Zuckerberg wants senators and the world to know: “I started it in my dorm room.”
In his first hour of testimony before the Senate Judiciary and Commerce Committees, the Facebook CEO mentioned at least three times that he had started the now billion-user company in his dorm room at Harvard University.
Mr. Zuckerberg ran into trouble with school officials over privacy and other issues, as reported by the Harvard Crimson at the time.
Mr. Zuckerberg prepared for his testimony team by consulting with advisers and strategists, including from the WilmerHale law firm, whose practices include data security, cybersecurity and privacy law, among other things.
While it’s not clear what they coached him to do, Mr. Zuckerberg has been eager to share personal details about the company's humble beginnings. Sen. John Thune (R., S.D.) called Mr. Zuckerberg in some ways the embodiment of the American dream.
The 33-year-old is wearing a Facebook-blue tie at the hearing.
Mark Zuckerberg was asked if Facebook officials have been interviewed by Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who is investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election. Mr. Zuckerberg said they have been, but said he hasn't been interviewed himself.
It was reported last year that Facebook handed over to Mr. Mueller detailed records about the Russian ad purchases on its platform.
Sen. Maria Cantwell (D., Wash.) grills Mr. Zuckerberg about how committed Facebook is to dealing with problems like influence campaigns carried out through the social-media company's platform.
"I believe you have all the talent," she says. "My question is whether you have all the will to solve this problem ."
When asked whether Facebook will include a paid version of its service, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg responded: "there will always be a version of Facebook that is free."
In not rejecting the possibility of a paid product, Mr. Zuckerberg's comments could be interpreted as endorsing the idea that Facebook might experiment with a version of its social network that relies on subscription revenue instead of advertising.
The issue had bubbled up after Facebook executive Sheryl Sandberg said in an NBC News interview last week that allowing users to opt-out of all data collection wasn't coinsistent with a free service. “We don’t have an opt-out at the highest level,” she said. “That would be a paid product.”
Some viewers took that as a signal that Facebook was mulling some sort of paid service.
Good point on Hatch, Siobhan.
I couldn't tell if the senator was delivering some sarcasm by calling Mr. Zuckerberg's testimony some of the toughest scrutiny since the Microsoft hearings of years ago.
But one cultural reference was clear: Drawing on time-honored inspiration from the classic movie "Casablanca," Sen. Hatch threw cold water on people who profess to be "shocked, shocked!" that Facebook, a free service, runs ads based on user data.
"Nothing in life is free," Mr. Hatch said.
Sen. Orrin Hatch (R., Utah) sounds protective of Facebook and other tech companies: "These great web sites that don't charge for value, they extract value in some other way. There's nothing wrong with that as long as they're upfront about what they're doing."
He also warns his fellow lawmakers: "Whenever a controversy like this rises there's always a danger that Congress's response will be to step in and overregulate."
Facebook was aware of new operations trying to push messages related to elections "right around the time" of the 2016 election, Zuckerberg said.
The CEO has come under fire for delays between when Facebook first became aware of Russian-backed efforts to influence the 2016 U.S. election and when the company disclosed this information to its users.
Mr. Nelson, the Florida senator, persists in questioning Mr. Zuckerberg about why Facebook didn't tell the 87 million people who were affected when it learned in 2015 that Cambridge Analytica had bought data from a Facebook app developer.
"We did take action," Mr. Zuckerberg said, adding that Facebook demanded that both Cambridge and the app developer delete and stop using any data. "We should have followed up with them."
Mr. Nelson asks whether Facebook told the Federal Trade Commission about the issue. Under a consent decree finalized in 2012, Facebook agreed to get user consent for collecting personal data and sharing it with others.
Mr. Zuckerberg's response is the same -- Facebook had already take action so didn't think notification was necessary.
Zuckerberg said Facebook has grappled with how long to make its privacy policies, which spell out to users how the social network uses their data.
Longer policies provide more information, but deter users from looking at them. "We don't expect that most people will want to go through and read a full legal document."
Privacy experts, however, have said thorough terms of service documents are important because they provide the basis for how regulators and lawmakers will hold companies accountable.
Facebook recently released a new terms of service that describes how it uses data to customize posts and ads users see, the circumstances under which it shares data, and the information it collects when users sync their contacts.
Democratic Sens. Dianne Feinstein of California and Bill Nelson of Florida are asking why Facebook did not act sooner to notify its users that their data had been misused.
Academic researcher Aleksandr Kogan and his company Global Science Research created an app called "thisisyourdigitallife" in 2013. The app gathered up not only data from its users but from their Facebook friends, as well. Facebook banned such practices in 2014 but gave existing apps one more year to cease.
Mr. Kogan transferred the data to Cambridge Analytica. News reports throughout 2015 and 2016 documented how candidates including presidential hopefuls Ted Cruz and Donald Trump were using Cambridge Analytica.
The company “appears not to have taken significant steps to address it until this year,” Sen. Feinstein said.
Sen. Nelson said he wants Mr. Zuckerberg to explain why the company did not notify 87 million users that their personal information was taken “for unauthorized political purposes” until news reports earlier this year.
Mark Zuckerberg is on the Senate hot seat but Apple has already been dragged into the fray. During Senator's opening remarks, Apple was mentioned among the tech companies that collect data on users. The mention is likely to generate some angst in Cupertino. Apple has tried to draw a distinction between its approach to data collection and tech peers like Google and Facebook. It often disassociates data from users and keeps voice data from Siri for less time than peers. But the mention of Apple in opening remarks shows those distinctions can be lost in a broad look at data collection without regard for how it's done or how the data is used.
Mr. Grassley asks a question that lots of lawmakers have: how many companies beyond Cambridge Analytica improperly shared user information?
Mr. Zuckerberg already said in prepared testimony that Facebook is investigating every app that had access to a large amount of information before the company tightened its policies in 2014. As previously reported, Facebook puts a figure on how many apps that might be at tens of thousands.
Mr. Zuckerberg said Facebook is now not just working to connect people, but to make sure those connections are positive. Previously, he hasn't emphasized making sure his company is used for good.
"Across the board, we have a responsibility to not just build tools, but to make sure those tools are used for good," he said at the Senate hearing.
Facebook isn't alone in focusing on making sure their tools aren't used for nefarious purposes. Twitter, for example, has put out a call for a third party to come up with metrics that could measure the health of conversations happening on the platform.


text:
- Subscribe NowLimited Time Offer
Time: 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Place: District Hall
Startup updates: Skyhook, Nanigans
Send this to a friend
Boston location technology firm Skyhook said Wednesday it's introduced a new "Always-On" feature to its product, which will allow apps to check to user location twice a minute without impacting the device's battery life.
Skyhook's system handles half a billion location requests every day, from the 100 million mobile devices that use Skyhook technology.
The company said it has also introduced an airplane-tracking feature, which lets apps use location at 40,000 feet.
Founded in 2003, Skyhook has raised $17 million in venture capital from backers including Bain Capital Ventures, RRE Ventures, Intel Capital and CommonAngels. Skyhook CEO and founder Ted Morgan told me in May that the company had launched its first product outside of location services — a data intelligence product — with a handful of customers.
Nanigans adds Harvard stats professor as advisor
The company said the new advisor is Edoardo M. Airoldi, assistant professor of statistics at Harvard University, whose appointment "expands Nanigans' big data team and further positions the company as a global leader in data-driven advertising," the company said.
Airoldi joins a technical advisory team that also includes Harvard's David C. Parkes, who specializes in the intersection of computer science and economics and became an advisor in April.
Nanigans' services are used to optimize advertising — boost winning ads and ditch losing ones — automatically on Facebook. The company has raised $3.7 million from investors including Avalon Ventures, and has customers including Joss & Main and Wayfair.
If you are commenting using a Facebook account, your profile information may be displayed with your comment depending on your privacy settings. By leaving the 'Post to Facebook' box selected, your comment will be published to your Facebook profile in addition to the space below.
Work For: ChannelAdvisor ChannelAdvisor | Morrisville, NC
Manufacturing Skyworks Solutions, Inc. | Woburn, MA
Senior Associate, Dissemination/Implementation Center for Social Innovation | Needham Heights, MA
Sr. Employment Specialist Providence College | Providence, RI
Trade and Investment Officer (Healthcare) British Consualte-General, Boston | Cambridge, MA
- Most popular
- Former Boston Mayor Thomas Menino, dead at 71
- 10 Boston-area companies that could go public soon (slide show)
- Duchenne mom: 'The only ones who are going to suffer are the kids'
- Five things you should know about Citizens, the region's biggest bank
- Gottlieb: It's full steam ahead for Partners HealthCare
- Here's why Chris Garabedian remains the best CEO to head Sarepta
- Meet the 14 startups in this year's inaugural Harvard Launch Lab
- Uber CEO's big missed opportunity at MassChallenge awards ceremony
- Meet the startup winners of the 2014 MassChallenge class
- The biggest banks in Massachusetts: B of A pads its lead (BBJ
The BBJ’s Startups & Venture Capital Daily covers the region’s exciting venture-funded sector, from the teams of innovators with the ideas to the VCs who provide the funding.


text:
Mahindra Mojo 300 production ready variant: Images and details
Production ready Mahindra Mojo motorcycle was on display at the 2014 Auto Expo. First showcased back in 2010, Mojo is expected to be launched in India later this year. Price was revealed, but considering the growing competition, Mahindra Two Wheelers will price the Mojo aggressively once launched.
Mahindra Two Wheelers brought the much awaited 300cc Mojo premium bike to the Auto Expo and officially announced it’s launch for later this year. The upcoming Mojo gets a liquid cooled, 4 stroke single cylinder engine offering 27 bhp output at 8000 rpm and 25 Nm torque at 6500 rpm, mated to a 6 speed transmission. It receives disc brakes, USD forks and Pirelli Sport Demon tyres while it also gets a digital speedometer with analogue tachometer with shift light and low fuel warning indicators.
Mojo weighs a total of 165 kgs thus giving it a power to weight ratio of 164 hp per ton. Once launched the new Mojo 300cc will compete against the likes of Duke 390, Honda CBR 250R and Ninja 300R. Scan through the image gallery of Mojo below.


text:
FILM LOVERS can enjoy a first ever drive-in movie event at the Tesco Extra store in Oldham on Sunday, March 5.
The American-style event is being held by the store on Huddersfield Road to say thank you to customers, and will feature ‘Bridget Jones’s Baby’ on a large screen in the carpark.
In a first for Tesco’s Oldham Extra, customers will be able to enjoy the film from the comfort of their own cars with the sound playing through their car speakers.
Andrew Brown, store manager, said: “We are delighted to be able to confirm the new date for the drive-in cinema and hope our customers can join us for what should be a fantastic evening of entertainment.
“We wanted an opportunity to say thanks to our customers and thought this was something exciting and a little bit different for everyone to enjoy.
“‘Bridget Jones’s Baby’ is such a fun film and we can’t wait to welcome the local community to the store to watch it.
“A trip to the cinema isn’t complete without popcorn and a drink to wash it down with. Luckily colleagues will be handing these out everyone who attends, so visitors only to need to bring themselves, their car and a blanket to keep warm.”
Customers should arrive from 5pm and the event is scheduled to begin at 6pm or once the car park is full.
Entry to the free event will be on a first come, first served basis and so it is recommended to arrive early to avoid disappointment. The film is certified as a 15 and so admission will not be granted to anyone under this age.
The event will be weather permitting and in case of high winds will have to be cancelled.


text:
The salmonella problem bedeviling a couple of major Iowa egg producers apparently hasn’t ruffled any feathers among the eight commercial producers here in Michigan. No Michigan eggs have been subject to recall.
So far, the only impact felt here has been a spike in wholesale egg prices, but the head of Michigan’s largest egg-laying operation says even that probably won’t last long.
“I think it’s only temporary because at the moment, when you take a whole bunch of product off the shelf, there’s an immediate vacuum that has to be filled,” said Stephen Herbruck, CEO/president of Herbruck Poultry Ranch in Saranac, which markets about 1.6 billion eggs a year. He said last week that the wholesale price for a dozen eggs had jumped about 30 cents shortly after the recall of suspect eggs began in mid-August. About 550 million were recalled as of last week, none from production facilities in Michigan.
As to whether or not egg demand in general will drop due to consumer fears, Herbruck said it is “probably a little too early to know.”
The salmonella problem in Iowa is the result of human failure, said Herbruck. All egg producers “need an all-encompassing food safety quality assurance program in place, and we’ve been doing that for over 10 years, specifically on salmonella since it became a public issue back in the late 1990s,” he said.
Egg supply and demand “is reasonably well in balance right now. We think (the salmonella scare out west) might cause consumers to choose to use a few less eggs, so we think demand might drop off a little bit, but we don’t really see it as having much impact here in Michigan,” said George House, executive director of the Michigan Allied Poultry Industries Inc., a producers association.
Michigan egg producers “are not so big, by national standards, but are big relative to other livestock entities in Michigan, like hogs, beef and dairy,” said House. An MSU poultry expert said the two leading egg production states are Iowa and Ohio, in that order.
There are only eight commercial-sized producers in Michigan, said House. All but one are located in West Michigan. One is in the Thumb.
“Those eight producers have about 10 million laying hens,” he said.
Nationwide, the commercial laying flock numbers about 265 million birds, said House, and the top 50 to 70 egg producers control about 85 percent of production.
House said Michigan’s annual egg production probably has a total value of $110 million to $115 million, but “it’s actually growing — the bird numbers have been going up. Also, every year, you get a little bit more efficient than you were the year before.”
With 6 million birds of its own and marketing the eggs from another 1.5 million birds, Herbruck Poultry Ranch is far and away the largest egg producer in Michigan. The company has about 400 employees, according to Herbruck, whose partners include his three brothers and their sister.
Herbruck said the Michigan egg industry has been consolidating into fewer but larger operations for the past 20 years. “It’s a pretty specialized industry, a pretty small club at this time,” he said.
House said the industry requires “a very high investment to get in.”
Herbruck did not reveal Herbruck Poultry Ranch’s annual revenue, nor how much it has invested in facilities, but he described the investment as “a lot.”
“When you have bad times, you get what is called a test of capital,” said House, regarding the economics of commercial egg production. “That means, ‘Can I stay in business longer than you can?’ Who can withstand loss the longest?”
Darrin M. Karcher, who holds a doctorate degree and is a poultry extension specialist at Michigan State University, said he has been told that there were a couple hundred commercial egg producers in Michigan about 50 years ago.
“It became more vital that you become larger” in order to stay in business, he said, and egg production does seem to him to be a marginal enterprise driven by volume.
“You’re only talking a couple of cents here and there when you look at your profits,” he said. Even a half-cent increase in certain costs can be a major concern for the producers, he added, and by far the largest cost factor is feed, which is somewhere between 60 and 65 percent of the total operating cost.
“When you see huge swings in the grain market, you can guess that’s really influencing prices the consumer ultimately sees in the store,” said Karcher.
House said one of the factors in egg production is the size of the laying flocks. “If we get too many birds, then we’ve got overproduction and the bottom drops out.”
Today an increasing number of U.S. producers of eggs and meat are relying on exports to offset overproduction at home. House said exported eggs usually go to the Far East, and compared to other types of animal protein, travel very well. U.S. producers wash their eggs and apply a fine coat of mineral oil to slow down the movement of air through the shell, which keeps the egg fresh for a longer time.
If held at the right temperature and cared for properly, an egg can safely be kept much longer in storage than most people realize, said House — so much longer that many consumers wouldn’t feel comfortable eating it.
“One of the unique things about eggs in the U.S. is, we’re the only part of the world that actually refrigerates eggs. No other country in the world refrigerates eggs; they just leave them at room temperature,” he said.
Because American producers and retailers refrigerate eggs in shipment and storage, “that’s part of the reason that we have a very good egg supply here in the U.S. and can ship them all over.”
Egg professionals like Karcher, House and Herbruck are quick to point out that no other animal protein produced in the U.S. can compete with the low cost of the egg — which made egg production almost immune to the effects of the 2008-2009 recession.
“In terms of per serving of protein, (eggs) are the cheapest, and milk isn’t far behind,” said House.