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By Helen Yan
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Styrene butadiene rubber (SBR) prices in southeast Asia may bottom out soon and possibly increase from the second half of February, on the back of restocking activities and a rebound in natural rubber (NR) prices, industry sources said on Wednesday.
Expectations that cost of feedstock butadiene (BD) will be on an uptrend will also provide additional support to SBR prices, they said.
On 5 February, non-oil grade 1502 SBR prices were assessed at an average of $1,900/tonne CFR (cost and freight) southeast (SE) Asia, down by $100/tonne from 18 December 2013, according to ICIS data.
“We anticipate the Chinese buyers to re-stock for March cargoes when most of them return from the Lunar New Year holiday next week,” an Asian SBR producer said.
The key Chinese market was closed for seven days – from 31 January to 6 February – for the Lunar New Year holiday, which is also celebrated in other parts of northeast and southeast Asia for a shorter period.
Most downstream local tyre factories in China were shut for up to two weeks encompassing the week-long Lunar New Year celebration.
Demand for SBR has been subdued because of weak economic conditions in Asia, with the Chinese economy slowing down and regional currencies, including the Thai baht, Indonesian rupiah and Malaysian ringgit depreciating against the US dollar.
Apart from weak demand, SBR prices were also dragged down by a 20% slump in the prices of NR – a substitute raw material to SBR in tyre production for the automotive sector – from early January to the first week of February.
Lower NR prices further weakens demand for SBR, as tyre makers in emerging markets have more flexibility in the substitution of these two raw materials in production despite some technical restrictions, industry sources said.
But this week, NR started to recover, with the physical prices of SMR20 grade NR at the Malaysian Rubber Exchange rising by 4. 5% from 7 February to $1,946/tonne FOB (free on board) Malaysia at midday on 12 February.
“SBR prices … will likely go up in March, given that the NR prices have rebounded and that the feedstock BD prices may be on the uptrend,” a tyre maker said.
Feedstock BD prices have been stagnating at $1,490-1,520/tonne CFR northeast (NE) Asia since 17 January, according to ICIS data.
Market players expect BD prices to be on an uptrend in March because of a heavy shutdown schedule at regional crackers from February to June, and amid news of recent outages and turnarounds at facilities in Europe and the US.
These market factors prompted major producers in Asia to raise offers for March SBR shipments to $1,950-2,000/tonne CFR (cost and freight) SE (southeast) Asia, industry sources said.
Read John Richardson and Malini Hariharan’s blog – Asian Chemical Connections


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Get trading recommendations and read reviews on Hacked.com for only $ 39 a month
The Australian central bank has addressed the growing popularity of cryptocurrency as bitcoin in a parliamentary committee testimony .
The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) is joining a growing list of regulatory counterparts around the world to discuss its regulatory position and its views on cryptocurrencies. Earlier this month, the deputy director of the central bank of the Philippines spoke of "the benefit of using virtual currencies like bitcoin" by calling them "fast, close to real time and convenient" .
RBA spokesman Tony Richards said in a testimony before the House Tax and Tax Committee Friday that the central bank had noted "that the members of the Committee had demonstrated 39, interest in digital currencies or cryptocurrencies ". revealed that the authority "has closely followed" the subject of cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology "in recent years."
The central bank did not care about regulating cryptocurrencies as payment instruments, revealed the official.
According to the Bank's payment policy mandate, digital currencies do not currently appear to raise any urgent regulatory issues.
The Australian central bank's position on regulating cryptocurrencies as payment methods contrasts with those of its counterparts in Indonesia and Vietnam who have banned their use as a recognized method of payment.
Richards tackled the "substantial increases" in bitcoin and ether prices while suggesting that their determining factors were "speculative demand" and their use in initial coin offerings, a new form of collection. fundamentally fueled by cryptocurrencies. "The use of bitcoin and other digital currencies as an effective method of payment remains relatively limited in Australia, as elsewhere," adds Richards.
While not revealing any regulatory problems in its use as a means of payment, Richards told the parliamentary committee that cryptocurrencies "can serve as a means of payment in the illicit economy".
"[T] the use of the heir may have implications for tax authorities and raises more important issues for authorities responsible for the prevention and detection of crime," he said. -he declares.
Notably, the central banker admitted that attempts to regulate bitcoin as cryptocurrency are likely to be in vain and, instead, called for regulation of the industry that facilitate it.
The distributed and cross-border nature of digital currencies like bitcoin means that the regulation of the basic protocols of these systems is unlikely to be effective.
Richards highlighted the measures taken by the People's Bank of China, which has implemented paralyzing regulations to effectively close the cryptocurrency exchanges.
The official admitted a lack of understanding of the "longer term prospects" of private digital currencies such as bitcoin. However, the central banker also addressed the scanning potential of the underlying cryptocurrency technology, the blockchain
Richards told the parliamentary committee:
The most important potential is likely to be in areas where workflows involve many different parties without a trusted central entity, and where current practices are quite ineffective. Some frequently used financial sector use cases include correspondent banking and remittances, as well as trade finance.
A month ago, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), the country's securities regulator, issued guidelines for the operators and regulators. start-ups that raise funds through IFAs.
"In some cases, the OIC will only be subject to the general law and Australian consumer laws regarding the provision of services or products," said ASIC. while recognizing the potential of ICOs to raise funds. "In other cases, the OIC may be subject to the Corporations Act."
More recently, the Australian government has revealed legislation encouraging an "improved regulatory sandbox" for start-ups and ICO operators to operate without a full license.
Image of Shutterstock's RBA headquarters in Sydney.

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There are a few scenes that look scripted. The scene where the real footage of Nandamuri Taraka Rao is superimposed with a dupe who fights and catches hold of a snake, had me bursting out in laughter as the disconnect is jarring. This one scene signifies the kind of growth that cinema has seen in terms of technology. … [Read more...] about Mahanati movie review: Keerthy Suresh breathes life into Savitri’s beautiful tragedy
Neighborhood watch movie
Shahid Kapoor celebrated his 39th birthday yesterday with his family and close friends. The actor, who is currently shooting for his upcoming film, ‘Jersey’ in Chandigarh, cut cake on the sets of the film. We got our hands on a video where Shahid is seen all smiles as he cut his two-tier cake amidst people charring and wishing him all around. While people were asking him to make a wish before he blew the candles on his birthday cake, someone suggested he wish for ‘Jersey 400 crore’ and the actor’s reaction is simply unmissable! He was seen flashing the biggest of smiles at the though of the film doing humongous business at the box-office after its release. Check out the video here: Dressed in his casual-but-stylish attire, Shahid looked dapper as ever as he celebrated his working birthday with Mira Rajput and dad Pankaj Kapur by his side. After the super success of ‘Kabir Singh’, Shahid will once again be seen in an official Hindi remake of a … [Read more...] about Watch: Shahid Kapoor’s reaction to ‘Jersey 400 crore’ wish while cutting his birthday cake is simply priceless!
"The first Star Wars, I was in that, that was 22 years ago, and I enjoyed that, because it (CGI) was novel and that was new. I was acting to tennis balls, which were ultimately going to be little fuzzy furry creatures and stuff. That was interesting, acting-wise, to try and make that seem real, but that was the last. It's quite exhausting," he said. … [Read more...] about Liam Neeson says he’s ‘not a fan’ of superhero movies, despite appearing in Batman Begins
A man surnamed Leng, 30, in Qingdao, East China's Shandong province, has created a mini cinema of sorts with cardboard and used clothes. A mobile "IMAX" screen was installed in his makeshift theater. He munched on popcorn and drank soft drinks while watching the recent hit Lost in Russia. … [Read more...] about Qingdao man finds solace in movies amid outbreak
Apple lived up to the hype it generated on the 10th anniversary of the iPhone on Tuesday at its Steve Jobs Theatre by unveiling three flagship phones: iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X. The first two phones, incremental upgrades over last year’s iPhone 7, will be available in India from September 29, with prices starting at Rs 64,000. The iPhone X will be available in India from November 3, with prices starting at Rs 89,000. … [Read more...] about Apple launches iPhone X priced at Rs 89,000, also unveils iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, Watch upgrade


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By Nicole Cobler
WWR Article Summary (tl;dr) Artist Alie Jackson began using Snapchat’s free “Lens Studio” as a resident artist at the women-focused networking collective, Boss Babes. Lens creators like Jackson can make money (think thousands!) by creating unique sponsored lenses.
Austin-based artist Alie Jackson didn’t have any coding or developer experience when she encountered Snapchat’s free “Lens Studio” — a feature that allows users to create their own augmented reality filters.
“Lenses,” as they’re known on Snapchat, are like digital masks. They can overlay different shapes on a user’s face as they look into their smartphone camera.
Jackson, a 32-year-old Austin native, began using the feature as a resident artist at the women-focused networking collective, Boss Babes. Jackson is a resident artist at the nonprofit.
At a Boss Babes augmented reality pop-up show, Jackson created mixed-media collage style paintings. Attendees could unlock a Snapchat code to view her paintings through the AR lenses. (For the unfamiliar, augmented reality refers to technology that superimposes or overlays virtual objects on a real-world environment, such as with Nintendo’s Pokemon Go app.)
“I have a background as a digital designer and art director,” Jackson said. “I’ve also been creating my own paintings and animation and illustration. I wanted to merge those two worlds.”
Through her work on Lens Studio, Jackson applied to become a Snapchat “official lens creator” when the program began in May 2018.
Now, she’s one of about 100 lens creators who make custom augmented reality lenses for the app. Jackson is the only Austin-based official lens creator on Snapchat. Creators’ lenses can be found on “lens explorer” within the Snapchat app or unlocked with the app’s QR codes.
Lens creators like Jackson can make money by creating sponsored lenses. Ben Knutson, a former IT professional who quit his job to make Snapchat lenses full time, told CNN Business that other lens creators on the app charge a minimum of $1,000 for a sponsored lens.
Some creators charge brands as much as $30,000 for more complex lenses, according to Knutson.
Snapchat partnered with Nike’s Jordan brand to create lenses for NBA All-Star Weekend. Snapchat hosted a lens studio workshop in North Carolina that featured Jackson and two other official lens creators who walked participants through the tool and showed off their own All Star Weekend lenses.
More than 500,000 lenses have been created through the Lens Studio and users have played them more than 15 billion times, according to the company. The number of Snapchat users submitting new lenses through the studio each month grew by more than 20% from the previous quarter.
Snap, the parent company of Snapchat, attributed its recent growth to the popularity of its lens studio. Snap CFO said in an earnings call that the AR lenses resulted in 7 million to 9 million of the 13 million daily active users the app added during its second quarter of 2019.
Users who are interested in creating their own lenses can download Snapchat’s lens studio AR creation tool. The Lens Studio website includes tutorials, templates and other tips to help a new creator.
Jackson said her work with Snapchat has helped her grow her brand and clients.
She’s also used her work to teach students at the Austin School of Film through Snapchat’s lens studio software.
“It’s definitely helped as an artist for my own personal work and doing client work,” she said.
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.


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On March 20th, at a Mercure hotel in Gdańsk, the Gala of the “Orły Wprost” award was held. The event was attended by representatives of AS-PL, who received the prize on behalf of the company Board.
AS-PL was among the nominees in the category of Business Leader. For the second time, the company was appreciated by the organizers of the competition as one of the most dynamically developing companies in the Pomeranian Voivodeship.
On March 2 and 3 in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the 6th edition of the "Buy from the first hand" exhibition took place. The event was attended by representatives of the AS-PL company, who presented the offer to invited guests throughout the weekend.
On January 31th 2019, the results of the prestigious “Diamenty Forbesa” ranking, have been published.
It is prepared by the editors of the Polish edition of “Forbes” and the business analysts from Bisnode Poland.


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Home Depot (NYSE:HD) should produce stronger-than-projected sales in the wake of Hurricane Harvey, especially after the company’s management reported in a recent earnings call that its financial performance in the first half of 2017 had topped expectations.
While the hearts and prayers of people far and wide go out to all of those affected by the storm, it is likely that this catastrophic weather will boost the financial performance of both Home Depot and Lowe’s (NYSE:LOW) in the second half of this year as affected residences and businesses are repaired in the weeks and months ahead. Even though Lowe’s shares fell nearly 3.1% to an intraday low of $70.76 on Aug. 23 after the company posted weaker-than-forecasted second-quarter fiscal 2017 results, it rebounded to top $74.50 on Aug. 31 after the storm.
Ironically, the management of Lowe’s (NYSE:LOW) said during its recent earnings call that the first half of the year was not as good as expected. That report caused Lowe’s management to reduce the number of stores it planned to open during the year from 35 to 25 and cut its own full year financial guidance.
Despite what both Home Depot and Lowe’s management teams thought just a few weeks ago, their full year predictions and forecasts now will need to be adjusted to factor in the effects of Hurricane Harvey. For example, as early as Sunday, Aug. 27, both brands had locations in Houston open and selling large volumes of small ticket items such as bottled water, tarps and straps, as well as larger ticket items such as fans, blowers, air conditioning units and, of course, generators.
Those sales will be followed by additional spending when the flood waters are gone and the mud is cleaned. However, some parts of Houston received more than 50-inches of rain, which caused massive flooding. Then the reservoirs around the city began to overfill and led to even more flooding. One report from Fannie Mae indicted that 36,000 single-family homes sat in the immediate area affected by the storm.
In the Houston area, only 17% of the homeowners in the eight counties most affected have flood insurance. That means the bulk of homeowners will need financial assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) or will be forced to pay money out of their own pockets, if they have the available cash, to fix and rebuild their homes. Since most of those rehabs will not covered by insurance, it’s safe to assume a large portion of the work will be done by individual homeowners, or “Do It Yourselfer’s,” which is a core customer base of Home Depot and Lowe’s.
One Washington Post reporter interviewed a lawyer in Houston on Tuesday and learned she already had started tearing drywall out of her house to help prevent mold. On a large scale, early estimates of the damage to homeowners is expected to approach roughly $30 billion.
If Home Depot and Lowe’s split about half of that business, each company would gain a 2% to 5% revenue increase companywide due to the increased demand for their products and services in Texas. This means that if locations around the rest of the country can continue to add a few percentage points of growth, results over the next few quarters could be much better than management at each company expected at the end of the second quarter.
Home Depot and Lowe’s have a huge opportunity ahead of them and investors who have the foresight to see it and buy shares in the companies strategically may collect some nice gains.
At the time of this writing, Matt Thalman owned shares of Home Depot. Follow him on Twitter at @mthalman5513.


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Cruise news with Cruise Radio
Doug Parker from Cruise Radio and I review cruise news from the past week.
Highlights from this past week include:
- Princess Cruises raises gratuities
- Carnival orders new ships
- Royal Caribbean crew member dies in lifeboat drill
- MSC delays private island opening to 2018
- Fathom adds more Cuba sailings
- Holland America adds another ship to Alaska in 2017.
Just press the play button and listen.


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Having money deducted from a GTA Online player's account is nothing new -- it's been seen several times in the past whenever a player supposedly had ill-gotten money in their accounts. Hacking and other exploits are the main methods that players use to gain extra money without doing the necessary missions or forking over real-world money, circumstances where it makes sense that they'd have their dubious earnings removed.
But recently, some players are claiming that they're totally guilt-free and shouldn't have had their money touched at all. One user who has been a member of the GTA forums since 2010 claims that they did receive modded money a long time ago back in a previous update, but after grinding their way up to quite a bit of cash, their account has taken a hit after a recent correction pulled a lot of money out. Almost $8.5 million in in-game currency was stripped from GTA Online player SkylineGTRFreak, and it appears that the player is not alone.
Another user replied to the forums post about the alleged corrections and said that they're account also took a blow of just over $12.5 million, leaving them with only $250,000 to work with. Players are even saying that they'll quit the game if their money isn't returned, indicating that they truly feel as though they've done nothing to justify the deductions.
Regarding the reoccurring situation of players having money stripped from their accounts, Rockstar Games posted an explanation back in June that was updated just two days ago, an update that indicates Rockstar is back on the hunt for ill-gotten money.
"We are aware of cheaters who are manipulating the in-game funds and RP levels for themselves and other players in GTA Online," the answer reads. "In an effort to create a fair gameplay environment for all players, we routinely perform security sweeps for any illegitimately gained GTA$ and/or adjusted RP levels. Players who have had their accounts affected should see corrections being made. GTA$ purchased via Shark Cards will remain on the account and are not affected by illegitimately gained in-game money removal."
Players can always fill out a support ticket to Rockstar if they think that money has been reclaimed unjustly, but it'll likely vary on a case-by-case basis whether you'll be reimbursed or not.


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According to a new analyst report, shortages of the Wii and particularly the PlayStation 3 could continue far into 2007 in North America, as the companies struggle to fulfil continuing major demand for the next-gen consoles.
A new Reuters report
on the relative unavailability of the consoles cites American Technology Research analyst PJ McNealy suggesting that the PlayStation 3 will likely remain scarce through the June 2007 quarter in the U.S. "They have to launch in Europe, and they're stretched," commented McNealy.
McNealy also noted that Sony's target of 1 million by the end of 2006 might only translate to 600,000 to 800,000 units at retail by the end of December, since some may have shipped but would still not have arrived in stores. He did not address whether Sony has missed the milestone or not.
According to the piece, Wii shortages are less extreme, with more reaching stores on a regular basis, though they quickly sell out when they do. McNealy suggested that Wii shortages could ease in the March 2007 quarter in North America.
The most recent update
on Nintendo sales in the U.S. indicated that over 600,000 units were sold in the first eight days in the Americas, but retracted a statement that "well over 1 million" Wiis would be available by the end of the year, casting uncertainty over an exact target figure.


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TV channels demand free-to-air future for HD on Freeview
Ofcom must act to prevent subs-service domination
Broadcasters the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Five, along with manufacturers Sony, Samsung, Toshiba and Alba, and Dixons owner DSGI have begun lobbying UK regulator Ofcom to guarantee bandwidth on the Freeview digital TV system for HD broadcasts. And they want consumers to help.
Centered on the HDforAll website, the campaign calls for punters to register their demand for free-to-air HD TV on Freeview, and to contact Ofcom to express their views.
It's an argument about bandwidth. The HDforAll coalition maintains that HD can't be delivered over Freeview's existing spectrum without dropping a number of services that are currently available on the network. There's simply not enough space for all the standard-definition channels and HD ones too.
When the analogue channels are turned off by 2012, there'll be room aplenty for HD services, but the HDforAll folks don't want to wait that long and, more to the point, fear that broadcasters with deeper pockets will be able to outbid the free-to-air channels in the auction Ofcom is proposing to host to divvy up the spectrum made available by the digital switchover.
Now, we'd note that there are plenty of channels we'd happily ditch to make room for HD: Freeview bandwidth is already taken up with too many scrambled channels you have to pay for, running contrary to the whole freeview ethos, not to mention the various channels existing only to offer viewers cheap jewellery...
HDforAll appears to want to avoid that particular debate, preferring to push Ofcom to ensure free-to-air HD TV has a future. While the group didn't say as much explicitly, it's clear they want Ofcom to give them a place at the table no matter what. Given the 9m homes have Freeview receivers, and the system has been promoted so strongly as the main way for consumers to 'go digital', it should get one.


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Empiraa’s latest market research study surveyed 618 business owners, entrepreneurs, CEO’s and managers in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and explored the current challenges facing them in 2023.
The findings provide vital learnings as businesses evolve with changing markets in 2024.
Technology integration proves a crucial hurdle
- A staggering 89% of businesses face challenges in integrating new technology, with smaller businesses (0-25 employees) feeling the impact more severely.
- This highlights a critical need for guidance as businesses look to transform their businesses towards digital solutions.
People and Culture is a balancing act
- 70% of businesses find hiring new team members challenging, and yet only 33% are very satisfied with their current team.
- With three-quarters of businesses looking to improve company culture, there’s a clear focus on creating positive and productive work environments with the right people.
Planning for the Future
- 63% of businesses recognize the need to diversify their products/services in the near future, with 15% considering it urgent, underlining the importance of innovation and adaptability.
- Only 28% of all business owners surveyed were happy with the level of visibility they had over their business. This decreased the lower the surveyor’s position was. This points to the need for robust business planning that the whole organisation is across as well as the ability to anticipate and respond to market changes.
What do these stats mean?
Technology is by far the most challenging area for the majority of SMEs. The stats show that small businesses are at risk of falling behind because of their inability to adapt with their rapidly changing industry.
Businesses may need to look to implementation services that help educate them on the platforms and services they are using so they are adequately trained to use those technologies to their full capabilities. Ultimately those that manage to adapt to the new tech will have a competitive edge against their competitors.
The current challenges of hiring people has been a topic of conversation for many months and the results from our survey back that up. Finding skilled employees that are competent for the role being asked of them and are also a great cultural fit for the team is a big challenge. There is a strong correlation between a great team and good workplace culture so SMEs should continue to look for the right people for their workplace. Managing your people and resources so that staff are not overworked and have clear guidelines for their role requirements can all help increase good culture. Businesses should look at these types of processes over performative acts like team lunches and “fun” team activities.
63% of SMEs say they need to diversify their products/services in the near future and another 15% said urgently. With unforeseen market changes being the most challenging aspects for businesses to plan for, the study shows that businesses need to be prepared but also have the ability to be agile and adapt quickly when needed.
40% of businesses surveyed don’t have internal marketing teams and yet 64% of those people listed lack of expertise as their biggest marketing challenge. It seems that many SMEs cannot see value in having in-house marketing, and yet they are struggling to market their businesses and create a strategy around how to do so. The answer to that problem seems simple. With an area of business that can be subjective in what success looks like, SMEs will need to get their head around the value good marketing can create that does not always correlate with profit.


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NEXT STAGE: Redesign in 2021
The 2022 Subaru BRZ marks the first redesign for the coupe. Under the hood is a naturally aspirated 2.4-liter, four-cylinder boxer engine with 228 hp and 184 pound-feet of torque. The engine replaces the coupe’s previous 2.0-liter four-cylinder with 205 hp and 156 pound-feet of torque. While the latest BRZ’s general shape and stance resembles the outgoing model, most of the body panels and exterior elements are smoother compared with the previous generation. Inside, there’s a more refined interior which is highlighted by a 7-inch digital dashboard. Subaru, which skipped a 2021 model year BRZ, said U.S. deliveries of the 2022 model will begin in early fall 2021.


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Distribution centers and jobbers couldn’t possibly afford to stock every single part that a truck owner might need at a given point in time. The massive inventory would tie up far too much space and capital. The best they can do is play a numbers game, focusing on parts used in the widest volume of vehicles, and trying to limit investments in the components that are likely to gather dust on a storage rack.
Everyone else has to wait.
But imagine a day when parts are emailed – rather than shipped — on demand.
Daimler’s Mercedes-Benz Trucks division has delivered us a step closer to that reality. This summer, European teams began using a 3D printer to create the metal thermostat cover for Unimog trucks that haven’t been produced for about 15 years. The part was made by spreading powdered aluminum and silicon in layers, fusing everything in place using a process known as Selective Laser Melting.
Daimler reports that the final product delivers the same functionality, reliability, durability, and cost-effectiveness as its traditionally produced counterpart. It’s only a matter of time before the process is used to make peripheral metal engine parts, in-engine parts, cooling system components, transmissions, axles or chassis, the company says.
With a broad network of printers, additive manufacturing like this could decentralize production, shorten delivery times, and reduce warehousing and distribution costs. Manufacturers, meanwhile, can use the process to refine and test evermore complex prototypes, in part because 3D printing builds things from the inside out.
This isn’t about printing a component while you wait at a parts counter, and mass-produced parts will always be cheaper, but 3D printing certainly makes it easier to source otherwise-rare components. Rather than building massive quantities at a time, manufacturers could create smaller batches, always with the latest upgrades to address things like recalls that have emerged. There’s no limit to the potential of customizing different parts, either.
It is hardly the fodder of science fiction. On the F1 racing circuit, WilliamsF1 partnered with German’s EOS to print gearbox casings and other parts for races. Companies from Audi to Honda are finding new ways to integrate the tools into their general manufacturing processes. Here in Canada, Kor Ecologic unveiled the prototype of a car that featured an entire body created with a 3D printer. And as reported in our August edition, Michelin has a vision of using a 3D printer to replenish or update tire treads.
There’s no limit to how far afield parts production might spread. In one recent test of 3D printing, NASA actually transmitted the file for a 4.48 x 1.29-inch ratchet wrench to the International Space Station. Four hours later, the final product was in hand.
It’s clearly a space-age concept that has a place here on earth.
Have your say
This is a moderated forum. Comments will no longer be published unless they are accompanied by a first and last name and a verifiable email address. (Today's Trucking will not publish or share the email address.) Profane language and content deemed to be libelous, racist, or threatening in nature will not be published under any circumstances.


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Washington Trust's Commercial Real Estate Group provided $13.5 million to Commack CHI for the refinancing and property improvements of a 143-room Hampton Inn located in Commack, New York
The other Target stores due to close are in Greenfield, Wisconsin; Chicago; Commack, New York
; and Cordova, Tennessee.
Killed were Captain Mark Weber, 29, of Colorado Springs, Colorado; Captain Andreas O'Keeffe, 37, of Center Moriches, New York; Captain Christopher Zanetis, 37, of Long Island City, New York; Master Sergeant Christopher Raguso, 39, of Commack, New York
; Staff Sergeant Dashan Briggs, 30, of Port Jefferson Station, New York; Master Sergeant William Posch, 36, of Indialantic, Florida; and Staff Sergeant Carl Enis, 31, of Tallahassee, Florida.
Members of a US Air Force carry team move the flag-draped transfer case holding the remains of Air Force Master Sergeant Christopher J Raguso of Commack, New York
, who was killed on an Iraq mission, to a transfer vehicle during a dignified transfer at Dover Air Force Base in Dover, Delaware.
Also, its 20 employees will relocate to the nearby Autologic offices in Commack, New York
within 90 days after closing.
The German Apple Ring Cake was purchased from the King Kullen grocery located in Commack, New York
DiMotta says that at Cloverwood, and similar projects such as the Gurwin Jewish Geriatric Center in Commack, New York
, elements for safety are increasingly important.
Belco Pipe Restoration, a Nu Flow licensee in Commack, New York
, recently lined 2,000 feet of a 8”-wide potable water main using spin casting technology.
Mazor Outstanding Female Jewish High School Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award, an honor that cannot be acronymed and is given out by the Jewish Sports Hall of Fame (which does exist and is in Commack, New York
Micrographs were captured using a digital camera (Accu-Scope[R], model 122CU, Commack, New York
) in conjunction with the software program Micrometrics (Micrometrics[R] Commack, New York
) (http://www.micrometrics.net/), which allowed capture of high quality digital images, and the ability to make detailed measurements of the perimeter and surface area of the anal plates.
SCMEA is proud to announce that the Massed Horn Ensemble performance at last year's Day of Horn has been officially certified by Guinness World Records as the "Worlds Largest Horn Ensemble." Guinness writes: "The largest horn ensemble was achieved by 264 French Hornists at an event organized by Suffolk County Music Educators Association (USA) at the 5th Annual Day of Horn in Commack, New York
, USA on 15 January 2010." See scmea.org/hornday.


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Wed, 21 Feb 2018 11:45:10 GMT
Today, people live an average of 34 years more than previous generations. However, society still views older people with prejudice.
Amplifon, global leader in hearing solutions and services – presents its video manifesto, Old or not old? Through a positive attitude and emotional tone, the video manages to eliminate barriers to using hearing aids by normalizing them.
The message is not only aimed at Amplifon clients and this new generation of older people, but society itself, since it presents old age as a stage in life to continue being active and doing the things we love.
“This new campaign arises from an insight validated through research with consumers all around Europe: it came to light a strong and unambiguous need to lead/accompany the new generation of consumers not only through a Hearing products offering and cutting-edge services, but also with a communication style showing a target that is active protagonist of their own life,” says Chiara Fracassi, Corporate Brand & Customer Experience Director. “Moreover, the communication platform puts together, for the very first time, the firepower of the Amplifon Group, leveraging on a joint creative and production effort, pursuing the ambition of making Amplifon a pioneer brand of the New Generation.”
Amplifon was founded over 60 years ago and it has grown to become one of Italy's most important multinationals. Amplifon is active in 22 countries across 5 continents.
“The day we started working for Amplifon we decided that the brand had to have a much more relevant role for society than just a distributor of hearing aids. It is not a campaign of brilliant executions or viral pieces, but LISTENING TO THE NEW GENERATION is a platform for all of us to become aware that old age is no longer a place to hide in a corner in the last years of life. From a creative point of view, it has undoubtedly been one of the processes in which we have learned the most, and not only in terms of advertising.
This campaign aims to give our fathers and mothers the place they deserve within society, but also so that all of us who have not yet reached that point in our lives, begin to imagine our future from a different perspective” says Nacho Oñate and Nestor Garcia, Executive Creative Directors of LOLA MullenLowe Barcelona.
The Manifesto has been released on television in Italy and will soon be released in several countries across Europe as part of an integrated campaign.view more - CreativeLOLA MullenLowe, Wed, 21 Feb 2018 11:45:10 GMT


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An online electronics retailer announced recently that they were the victim of a data breach, which lasted almost two months.
Mohu, an online company that offers an alternative to cable television through selling high definition television antennas, announced last month that their systems were hacked, resulting in the exposure of credit card information belonging to about 2,500 customers.
Mohu officials said that it discovered malicious code on their website, gomohu.com, and removed it the same day. A brief initial investigation revealed that customers who made purchases between June 2 and July 28 were at risk of data theft.
"Mohu values your privacy and deeply regrets that this incident occurred," the company stated in a letter to afflicted customers.
According to the letter, the data that was compromised was extensive and included names, addresses, emails, phone numbers and credit card numbers, expiration dates and CVV security codes. Typically, only part of this information is ever compromised. The fact that all of it was exposed suggests that Mohu's security measures were initially lacking, which resulted in the breach.
SC Magazine repots that one Mohu customer had to cancel his credit card as, after the breach, it was sued multiple times in Europe before his issuer notified him of the activity.
Following the attack, Mohu, a division of antenna manufacturer GreenWave Scientific, implemented security measures to prevent a similar hack from occurring in the future and is conducting a full investigation into the matter.
Mohu recommends that customers continuously monitor their credit for any abnormalities and report suspicious charges to their bank. Those affected are being offered free credit monitoring and identity protection services.
Companies that have yet to develop their own disaster recovery strategy can partner with a business continuity consultant with extensive experience in these issues.


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Bain Capital is reportedly looking for new backers for its Chinese data center operator ChinData.
The US-based investment is looking for partners to buy some of the company’s assets, according to a report from Bloomberg.
It plans to continue charging maintenance and operation fees on the sites, and will use the cash from the sale of the ownership rights to fund expansion plans for ChinData, the report said, quoting two people familiar with the company’s thinking.
A Bain spokesperson declined to come on the report when approached by Bloomberg.
ChinData operates more than 17 data centers across China, Malaysia, and Thailand, with its non-Chinese facilities operated by subsidiary Bridge Data Centres. It derives most of its income from China, and TikTok parent company ByteDance is a major customer.
Founded in 2015, the company was purchased by Bain in 2019 from Wangsu Science & Technology Co. and merged with Bridge Data Centres, which was already part of the Bain portfolio. The combined company went public in 2020, with Bain retaining a 42 percent stake, and other companies including SK Holdings buying in.
However, last year Bain took ChinData private again in a $3.16 billion merger deal, which saw the data center operator combined with two wholly-owned Bain subsidiaries, BCPE Chivalry Bidco Limited, and BCPE Chivalry Merger Sub Limited.
ChinData was in demand at the time, with local operators GDS and EQT-backed EdgeConneX said to have been considering offers, while state-back China Merchants had a $3.4 billion bid for the company rebuffed.
Since then, ChinData has been expanding its offering, including the launch of a set of full-stack modular products for hyperscale data center builders, ranging from integrated power systems to prefabricated buildings.


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Instantly releasing the new update versions. Fourth macOS 10.12.5 was released by Apple just before a week ago. But now macOS 10.12.5 fifth version is also rolling out. Apple recently made it available for developers. So, public version will roll out soon as it will always made available couple of days after the developer version.
The Fifth version of Sierra 10.12.5 beta will be made available on Mac App Store. This upcoming Sierra 10.12.5 beta version follows the macOS 10.12.4 which feature the Aplle color night mode on Mac for the first time. And you might all know that Apple is running developers betas for iOS 10.3.2, watchOS 10.2.2 and tvOS 10.2.1. From 9TO5 Mac report.
According to some tech reports this update is going to be considered as a minor update to fix bugs and security improvement as the company is going to launch a new update 10.13 follow by the latest updates later at the end of year.
According to 9TO5Mac, Apple will unveil the update macOS 10.13 on June 5th at WWDC 2017.


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The age-old language barrier is now a thing of the past, thanks to the Mymanu CLIK – the world’s first language recognition and live translation in-ear earphones. Users can converse with speakers of other languages, with the in-ear earphones translating any one of 37 languages into the wearer’s native tongue, in real time.
Being Bluetooth enabled and wireless, users will be able to take part in 1-2-1 and conference style conversation at a distance.
Incorporating APTX, Mymanu CLIK also enable users to listen to their favourite music. The earbuds are compatible with Apple and Android-based mobile devices, allowing users to make and receive phone calls and text at the touch of a finger and receive aural alerts.
Company founder, Danny Manu, said, “We’re incredibly proud to be the first and only company in the world to develop and demonstrate language recognising and translating in-ear earphones. When we first started developing this incredible product, back in 2012, our dream was to make language barriers a thing of the past - we’re now well on the way to achieving that goal.”
The launch of Mymanu CLIK follows the launch of the Mymanu Translate app earlier this month....


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xiaomi is going to release the concept smartphone with a crazy amount of specs. And an even crazier display it looks like Samsung.when we talking about Samsung, they are bringing a much-needed feature to their in-display fingerprint scanners on the S10. Also, we have some more leaks that show us pretty much everything else we probably didn’t know about the pixel, and by the time we get that announcement from Google. I don’t even think we should get a decision we should go directly to the hands-on for all the rest of us to have some coverage on it. All right let me explain the way it goes because these 2020 phones have a lot more innovations.
Now let’s talk about Android 10 and which smartphone manufacturers are adopting it. Because at the moment you could pretty much only get it on the pixel. Except that changes are coming one plus, Samsung, Huawei have pretty much confirmed that their new series would come with Android 10 pre-installed some phones like 2019 and 2018 flagship will receive android 10. also we have a post about Huawei’s Android 10 phones. Read it here( if the link does not work.commet down). Android 10 has new box design icons and dark mode in every app. even in the third-party apps.
Mac Pro and trade war
I can’t wait now a fascinating twist with this whole. You know trade war that’s happening between China and the United States is obviously. How Huawei is being affected like the case of Apple with the tariffs and everything. We have decided to cave in and be like you know what I’m not going to be part of this problem. The company has decided to move its production of the Mac Pro to the United States because of this trade war. You remember it was going to be assembled in China because particular vital components were in China, but now it will be constructed in Austin, Texas. In the same factory, they’ve been using for the Mac Pro since 2013. The parts will be made in 36 different states supporting 450,000 jobs according to the statement you know to a certain degree I’m happy that this is happening that you know that there’s production in the United States period but then again.
Xiaomi Mi mix alpha
xiaomi now ready to release their new crazy flagship device. It is available in January 2020. With 108 megapixel Samsung camera senor with two other cameras. One of them is a 20-megapixel ultrawide camera, and the last camera is 12 megapixels 2x telephoto camera. This phones camera system is excellent at the time. The main good thing about this phone is 180.6% screen to body ratio display. There are 65.6% to 67.7% screen to body ration in iPhone 8 and 8 plus. That is a perfect display when we were comparing this with iPhone 8 and 8 plus. also the display of this phone is Flexible Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen technology.
Also, this phone is very durable. This phone is made from Titanium alloy frame (TC4) and sapphire glass. This phone has 4050Mah Battery with 40-watt fast charging, and when we talk about security, this phone has an in-display optical fingerprint sensor for more protection. This is a 2020 phone, because of that, this is a 5g phone. The best thing about this phone is this phone, this is the first phone, which has 1080p super slow motion with 960 fps video and this phone is the first phone with 8K video recording function. you can record up to 8k 30fps or 4k 60fps or 1080p 960fps.
Xiaomi Mi MIx Alpha has 12gb DDR 4 ram and 512gb of UHF 3.0 storage. That is the fastest storage system in a smartphone. Also Alpha comes with snapdragon 855 plus chip. These specs are the most potent specifications in 2019. This phone has only one colour, and that is black. The phone comes with android 10 with MiUi 11, and it also has a premium price of $2000 or more. i think this will be $2500 for the base model.
Samsung galaxy s11 and s11 plus
Samsung Galaxy S11 rumours and leaks have started to pour in. We have some new information about the Galaxy S11 release date and a few leaks that reveal radical camera improvements of the upcoming Galaxy S11 and S11 Plus. We do not have any Galaxy S11 official videos yet, but we know that the release date for the Galaxy S11 Plus will be February 2020. Galaxy S11 and S11 Plus are bringing radical camera improvements. The latest leak confirms the ridiculous upgrade that will blow your mind.
Samsung Galaxy S11 and Galaxy S11 Plus could have 100x zoom camera according to new information. The Galaxy S11 and Galaxy S11+ could also come with secondary 10x optical zoom lens and 108MP sensor. Samsung will unveil the S11 early next year. The Galaxy S11 rumours also say the camera will have laser autofocus for better and quicker focus. Also, s11 must have four or cameras and that it for now,
Huawei Mate 30 pro
If this have google updates, this will be the best phone in 2019. Here is why, The Huawei Mate 30 Pro features 6.53″ OLED Horizon Display, Quad Cameras, that is 40MP Primary, 40MP Cine Ultra-wide, 8MP Telephoto, 3D Depth Sensor, and when we were talking about the video it has 7680fps Slow-Motion, 4K 60fps recording with electrical and software stabilization feature. Also, this phone is powered by Kirin 990 4G or 5G, 8GB RAM and 256GB storage, this Huawei mate 30 pro has 4500 mAh massive Battery, and Huawei SuperCharge 40W Wired fast charging and 27W Wireless fast charging. Also, this has Reverse wireless charging, phone with EMUI10 on Android 10 and without google apps. This phone has not volume buttons because mate 30 pro has an edge to edge display like Samsung.
and new 2019 iPhone
This year there is first-ever iPhones called “pro”. The first iPhone to be called Pro. It Shoots with all-new 12-megapixel Ultra-Wide camera with 4k 60fps recording, 12-megapixel Wide camera with 4k 60fps recording, and 12-megapixel 2x Telephoto cameras with 4k 60fps recording. Take photos in drastically lower light with new first-ever Night mode.apple said that “it captures the highest-quality video of any smartphone” and that is true. All these features powered by A13 Bionic chip, the fastest chip in an Apple smartphone, and with an unprecedented leap in battery life. Oh, and also it’s water-resistant up to 4 meters for 30 minutes.


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More from Coolsmartphone
- HTC Desire 816 – Up close
- Skype for WinMo vanishing, coming back soon?
- Those two new HP handsets – exclusive to Vodafone
- LG Nexus devices have reportedly been handed out for testing
- Galaxy Nexus: My first Android phone
- Tizen OS. Do we need another OS?
- Get yourself a HUD, bud
- LG VR for G3 brings 3D 2U for free


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There’s a battle going on, and the stakes are high. No, this battle isn’t being fought between armies for land or resources; instead it’s between large corporations as they jostle for position in the cloud computing landscape. Only in this fight, there’s one clear leader while the rest are desperately trying to play catch up. Amazon has become the undisputed king of cloud computing, and the competition at the moment really isn’t close. Estimates put the revenue for Amazon Web Service (AWS) at $3.4 billion in 2013 alone, and some analysts even believe the company’s cloud services could eventually outpace its retail business. While Amazon may be the current reigning and defending champion in the cloud, can that lead hold up over time? It’s a question many are asking as they consider the possibility of Amazon one day cornering the cloud computing market.
Amazon has a lot of clear advantages going for it that not only helped it get a massive foothold on the market but could give it an even bigger share in the years to come. For one thing, Amazon was the first major player in cloud computing, and being the pioneer certainly has its benefits. Back in 2006 when many people were still asking, “What is cloud computing?”, Amazon rented out data centers to companies willing to pay to use them. The business of the cloud only grew from there, but that early start helped Amazon make inroads with a large variety of companies that needed their services while also creating a huge gap between the company and its competition. Even combined, Amazon’s leading rivals can’t match the business the online giant pulls in each year.
Beyond being a pioneer, Amazon has established strong relationships with many other major businesses during its time at the top of the cloud. According to some estimates, about one out of every three people visits a site hosted by AWS each day, even if they don’t realize it. If you’ve watched a streaming movie on Netflix, you’ve used an AWS site. If you listen to music on Spotify, you’re listening to music on an Amazon server. Posting a pin on Pinterest means posting a pin thanks to Amazon. Those lists on BuzzFeed are all hosted with AWS. Combine that with close ties to government institutions like the CIA and the U.S. Navy and it becomes clear that Amazon has a definite advantage by locking up companies and organizations that rely on its services.
Most of these companies likely won’t go to other cloud providers in part because Amazon has basically developed the language of the cloud. With so much software out there and a variety of different operating systems, a common language was needed so computers could communicate with cloud servers. By creating an application programming interface, Amazon made it so developers and engineers need to be familiar with the company’s programming language to more effectively code for their own businesses’ products and services. Moving to a different cloud provider would require engineers learn and become familiar with a different language, which is something most companies don’t want to do.
The advantages Amazon has are clear, but what are its rivals doing to compete? Google is perhaps the closest competitor, and it has tried to compete by slashing the prices of its own cloud services. But Amazon has answered that move by cutting prices as well. Instead, Google will likely have to focus on its massive infrastructure advantage to offer new and innovative services that Amazon does not currently have. The basic idea is to focus more on developing better technology to make up the ground lost in the early cloud battles. Microsoft is another competitor that is aiming to take some of Amazon’s business by concentrating on its already close relationship with the business IT culture. In all cases, competitors are counting on the fact that the cloud market continues to expand rapidly, opening new opportunities to stake claims and grab precious market share.
So can Amazon truly corner the cloud market? At the moment, Amazon appears unbeatable, but considering the way technology changes markets, it would be premature to say an Amazon-only world for the cloud is inevitable. Remember, only a couple decades ago it seemed like Microsoft had virtually no competition in the computer realm. Things change rapidly in business, and all it takes is for a revolutionary innovation to take off and elevate one of Amazon’s competitors. But that’s all in the future. For now, Amazon is well ahead of the pack and looks to stay that way for some time to come.


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Humanity is experiencing a data explosion. Though the global population is expected to grow 15 per cent from 2015 to 2025, the amount of data we create annually is forecast to surge over fifteenfold in the same period. This is due to the world becoming increasingly connected with our rising use of social media, e-commerce and sharing platforms, as well as the fast-growing number of connected devices on our bodies and appliances.
This phenomenon of data creation is in turn playing a key role in catalysing the emergence of artificial intelligence. While AI has been studied for over 50 years, one critical component that has been missing for AI's effective development until now is the availability of massive data sets that AI algorithms require as inputs for iteratively learning patterns and associations.


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BP has launched a new customer loyalty programme, BPme Rewards, to replace Nectar.
BPme Rewards offers customers the option to earn and redeem BPme Rewards Points, with the choice of using either a digital card on the BPme app or a physical card, to collect points.
Nicola Grady-Smith, BP retail operations director UK, said: “BPme Rewards is our exciting new personalised loyalty programme that allows customers to earn points on fuel and in-store purchases at BP’s UK forecourts, with double the points on BP Ultimate fuels. Customers can choose between spending their points for fuels, in store, or on a range of offers available online.”
Customers will earn points on both their fuel and shop purchases, including M&S products, and double points on BP Ultimate fuels. They collect 1 point per pound on every in-store purchase, and up to 2 points per litre on fuels. Customers can choose to redeem a treat or save points for fuels purchases, a range of items from the online catalogue or vouchers from Amazon or M&S. Redemption is available with as little as 200 points, the equivalent of £1, and customers receive a registration bonus of 250 points.
BP said the new loyalty scheme would also benefit its dealers because the double bonus for premium fuels would drive premium fuel sales, and it also expected an increase in shop sales, due to in-store redemption offers.
Howard Nunn, UK sales manager, added: “Our dealer partners told us they wanted a loyalty programme that allows customers to spend their points in-store on their products. BPme Rewards does just that, with personalised offers to encourage customers into stores for a range of convenient and high-quality products.”
Through the BPme app and BPme Rewards website customers can collect additional bonus points through targeted and personalised offers and promotions.
Last November Esso announced that it would be changing its loyalty scheme from Tesco Clubcard to Nectar on June 1 this year, and BP said it would be replacing Nectar with a new loyalty programme.


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Square Enix planning game announcement in virtual world
Members of the Square Enix Members fan site to be witness to new title unveiling.
Worlds will collide in early July as Square Enix tries something new in its Members Virtual World 3D space. The company today announced plans for a game announcement event, to be held in the virtual space in early July and attended by a select few members.
Square Enix's Members Virtual World is a 3D virtual world exclusively accessible by members of the Square Enix Members fan club. Players make use of a personalized avatar to navigate through the virtual world, which has been designed in the theme of a town from the company's Wii Chocobo Mysterious Dungeon title.
This unique event, titled Theater Special Preview, will be held on July 8. Only 800 people will be admitted. Square Enix will select participants via raffle from applications received between June 12 and June 23.
The timing of the event coincides with an update to the world which adds new areas and chat features. Also included in the update is a new theater area which allows users to view streaming footage of new Square Enix titles. The announcement event will presumably use this theater functionality.


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SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Dell Inc. shares fell 6% in late trading after the top PC maker reported second-quarter sales that missed Wall Street estimates by almost $300 million and issued a third-quarter sales forecast that also fell just shy of analyst expectations. Dell fell to $37.20 a share.
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John Lewis has today (Friday, October 9) announced plans to open a new department store in Cheltenham in 2017.
With a combined investment of over £30m from John Lewis, BlackRock and Cheltenham Borough Council, the proposal will see the Beechwood shopping centre (owned by BlackRock) in Cheltenham transformed into a John Lewis department store.
Creating up to 250 jobs and offering more than 115,000sq ft of selling space across two floors, the shop will showcase fashion, home and consumer electronics concepts in a contemporary setting.
Tim Harrison, director of store development at John Lewis, said: “Cheltenham has long been a sought-after location for us and we’re delighted to be able to expand our reach to customers across the region for the first time. This new shop will provide more convenient access to our inspiring products and great service, and we’re looking forward to becoming part of the local community.”
John Benham, vice president of real estate at Blackrock, added: “This development improves Cheltenham as a shopping destination, increasing footfall within the town centre and encouraging other retailers to the area. At the same time, this ensures the long term viability of the site, creating long-term returns for our investors by improving the building and securing a high quality brand as a tenant.”
John Lewis operates 45 John Lewis shops across the UK (32 department stores, 11 John Lewis at home and shops at St Pancras International and Heathrow Terminal 2) as well as johnlewis.com. John Lewis typically stocks more than 350,000 separate lines in its department stores across fashion, home and technology. Johnlewis.com stocks over 280,000 products.


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Ready State co-founders Kabeer Mamnoon, Ian Clazie, and Steven Wong. Credit: Todd Johnson, San Francisco Business Times
When Airbnb requested proposals from marketing agencies last December, the company demanded more than the winning agency’s ideas—it wanted its people.
The online vacation rental site wanted agency staff “embedded” at its San Francisco headquarters, working side by side with Airbnb’s own creative team, as well as product people and engineers. It was a daunting prospect for many agencies, but San Francisco-based Ready State leaped at the chance.
“We needed a different kind of agency,” said Allen Mask, Airbnb’s global product marketing lead. “Our product is something that moves and changes quickly, and we needed people here.”
Ready State placed two people at the Brannan Street offices right away; now more than a half-dozen agency employees work there. One Ready State designer at Airbnb, Mask said, just flew to Paris to film an Airbnb marketing video with the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Previously, that designer, Claire Hartinger, spent weeks developing an internal presentation for a company roadshow. Not as glamorous, perhaps, but vital for Airbnb.
“They’re not just trying to build a portfolio; they care about what’s good for our business,” Mask said of Ready State. “Usually, what agencies want to do is, pick the video and skip the presentation.”
Ready State’s commitment to its clients has paid off. The San Francisco marketing agency has grown its revenue 1,555 percent in its three years of life. In addition to Airbnb, its biggest clients include Google and Hewlett Packard Enterprise, where it has also embedded employees.
When Chief Executive Kabeer Mamnoon, Chief Marketing Officer Steven Wong, and Chief Creative Officer Ian Clazie founded Ready State in 2013, they wanted to fill the gap between the outdated services the industry offered and new marketing needs.
“The writers were trained to make shiny things shinier,” Clazie said. “We wanted to create content that people actually want to read.”
The agency uses a journalistic and business analytics approach to find compelling stories and creatively bring them to life. The agency produces blog posts, articles, videos, statistics, and other content; it also provides marketing strategy and design services.
“You can’t buy attention anymore; you have to earn it,” Mamnoon said. “We founded the firm on these principles. We thought that the companies that would appreciate that the most were small, nimble startups. We found out that it was really attractive to big brand names.”
One year after its founding, Ready State left its Palo Alto digs and moved to San Francisco. The founders chose a quirky 1908 building in North Beach that in the 1940s hosted the Paper Doll gay nightclub.
“San Francisco is where the talent pool is,” Mamnoon said.
The agency’s future plans include hiring more employees, adding to its roster of clients, and possibly opening offices in other cities. Ready State wants to diversify its client base, which is heavily tech-related, and expand into sectors such as government, consumer packaged goods, food and beverages, and even health care.
Mamnoon sees opportunities down the line in combining content and real-time data to create “highly tailored” campaigns that focus on one person’s experience with a brand.
“The future of marketing is data,” Mamnoon said. “We want to make sense of the data and deliver the experience, the ability to sense and respond in real time.”
This is an edited reprint of the article, "After embedding employees with clients, marketing agency's revenue skyrockets," by the San Francisco Business Times, which has ranked Ready State No. 2 on its Fast 100 list.


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LAS VEGAS: JUST WHEN YOU THOUGHT this year's CES might be VR-free, HTC goes and unveils its new 'Vive Cosmos' virtual reality headset.
Teased briefly during the firm's CES press conference on Monday, the Cosmos is a standalone VR headset; it doesn't require external sensors and comes with two front-facing cameras, two side-facing cameras and a pair of fully tracked motion controllers.
Interestingly, HTC says the headset can be powered via a PC or "other methods," hinting that customers can will be able to tap into the power of the smartphones for using the Cosmos on the go.
HTC hasn't told us much else about its next-gen mainstream VR headset, beyond the fact the face-worn gadget will offer "absolute comfort" and "easy setup".
"We found that over 85 per cent of VR intenders believe that ease of use and set up is the most important factor to consider while purchasing a headset," Daniel O'Brien, GM of HTC Vive swooned.
"We believe Cosmos will make VR more easily accessible to those who may not have invested in VR before and also be a superior experience for VR enthusiasts."
There's no word on how much the HTC Vive Cosmos will cost, but it'll be released in early 2019.
HTC also debuted the Vive Pro Eye on Monday, a VR headset that uses built-in eye tracking. This will enable foveated rendering - a feature that enables reduced processing and clearer images that focus on the areas where you're looking, and will allow businesses and developers to "gather more data about their training environments" and 'help optimize computer and VR performance".
Again, HTC stayed tight-lipped on the headset's full specifications, but it's promising that the Pro Eye will deliver boosted VR interaction speeds and more efficient CPU and GPU usage compared to its last-gen professional-grade VR headset.
And finally, HTC announced that it's partnering with Mozilla to make Firefox Reality the default browser on Vive headsets.
"This year, Vive has set out to bring everyday computing tasks into VR for the first time," said HTC Vive vice president Michael Almeraris.
"Through our exciting and innovative collaboration with Mozilla, we're closing the gap in XR computing, empowering Vive users to get more content in their headset, while enabling developers to quickly create content for consumers. µ
Stay alive and it'll find you
Chrome and punishment


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UW-Green Bay Prof. Aniruddha Pangarkar featured in WalletHub
Professor Aniruddha Pangarkar was featured in WalletHub’s recent article about Cell Phone Savings Calculator. He answered questions including:
‘To what extent does the secondary market for cell phones (e.g., eBay) alter the price comparison for no-contract plans,’ and ‘to what extent do major carriers differ in terms of the breadth and strength of their wireless networks? Are there any differences in terms of security?’ Expert answers are included in the article which you can find here. Prof. Pangarkar is an assistant professor of marketing at the Austin E. Cofrin School of Business.


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More brands join Brands & Retail Winter 24
Brands & Retail Conference has confirmed more brands are joining Mattel, BBC Studios and Retail Monster at Winter 24 conference on the 7th February in Birmingham.
Two Daughters Entertainment, all3media and Penguin Ventures will be taking slots to present to the VIP audience which so far includes, Primark, Boots, Sainsburys, ASDA and more prominent licensees and retailers being confirmed.
“I am delighted Hasbro are confirmed as headline sponsors and supporting Winter 24, and to get everyone more excited there will be a special party for the VIP audience to close the event. I will be sharing more details as we go along, and it should be a lot of fun. I now only have five unreserved slots left for Winter 24 so if you are a brand please get in touch soon to secure a place,” says Ryan Beaird – Event Director.
Registration for the VIP audience has now started, and we encourage retailers and licensees to secure two seats for the event.
The current lineup and brand slot availability can be viewed at www.BrandsRetail.uk/feb24


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The incident occurred in late April at a Lululemon store in Peachtree Corners, Georgia.
Lululemon’s CEO, Calvin McDonald, has defended the company’s decision to terminate the employment of two individuals who intervened during a robbery at one of its stores
Cellphone footage captured the moment two individuals wearing hoodies and face masks rushed into the store, grabbing armloads of merchandise near the entrance before fleeing. A female employee was seen near the entrance, but it remains unclear whether the footage was recorded by a customer or an employee.
McDonald, in an interview with CNBC, stated that Lululemon maintains a zero-tolerance policy for employee engagement during thefts, prioritizing the safety of both the team and customers. He emphasized that merchandise is replaceable, while lives are not. The CEO argued that the two employees knowingly violated company policy by interacting with the thieves and even following them outside the store. Ultimately, three men involved in the theft were apprehended.
The decision to terminate the employees has drawn criticism, particularly from conservative media outlets
However, Read Hayes, a criminologist at the University of Florida and director of the Loss Prevention Research Council, highlighted the delicate balance faced by retailers in such situations. Hayes emphasized the potential risks of confronting aggressive and violent criminals, citing cases where employees have lost their lives during intervention attempts.
Lululemon released a statement reiterating its absolute zero-tolerance policy for employee engagement that could endanger individuals. The company emphasized its long-standing safety protocols and the importance of prioritizing employee well-being over merchandise. The statement clarified that the terminated employees were not fired for contacting the police, as they were permitted to do so when necessary. Lululemon referenced the risks employees face and mentioned other retailers that have witnessed injuries or fatalities among staff or security personnel during theft intervention efforts.


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From the looks of it, Microsoft has to deal with yet another lawsuit as the company is now being sued by a group of gamers over the planned massive Activision-Blizzard deal.
Earlier this month, the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) filed suit to block Microsoft’s planned merger with Activision-Blizzard. “The Federal Trade Commission is seeking to prevent tech giant Microsoft from acquiring Activision Blizzard, Inc., a leading video game developer in the video game industry, that would enable Microsoft to suppress competitors to its Xbox game consoles, fast-growing subscription content and cloud gaming business,” it read.Reads the FTC reasoning behind the lawsuit.
Two weeks later, Microsoft is now being sued by several gamers who feel the planned $69 billion deal will give the company “unparalleled prestige” in the gaming industry. As such, the group of players wants to prevent the planned merger. An antitrust lawsuit against Microsoft (not Activision-Blizzard), was filed in San Francisco yesterday by a total of ten plaintiffs who claim to play multiple Activision-Blizzard titles across, for the most part, different platforms. While some of the plaintiffs only use their PlayStation console to play Activision-Blizzard games, others also claim they only use their Xbox console.
“Microsoft already controls one of the most popular and largest video game ecosystems,” the suit says. “The proposed acquisition will give Microsoft an unparalleled position in the gaming industry, placing it with the largest number of must-have games and popular franchises.”
The lawsuit lists all of Microsoft’s acquisitions and mergers from 2014 through the acquisition of Zenimax Media (Bethesda) in 2020. Interestingly, the lawsuit indicates that Rare was acquired in 2022, although this is likely an error. On the date this transaction was completed in 2002 .
Prosecutors write that “The proposed acquisition of Activision-Blizzard by Microsoft poses a significant threat to Plaintiffs, and to the general public, as the proposed acquisition may substantially reduce competition in each of the relevant product markets, and may cause loss to Plaintiffs, and the public at large, in the form of price higher, lower innovation, lower creativity, lower consumer choice, lower output, and other potential anticompetitive effects, thus depriving plaintiffs, and the public at large, of the beneficial benefits of competition.”
The combination of players also indicates less competition in the labor market since employees have fewer options among employers if the transaction is completed. “This is particularly troubling given that Activision Blizzard is currently mired in lawsuits from employees and from the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing, alleging it engaged in widespread gender discrimination and sexual harassment,” the plaintiffs add.
The suit is definitely an interesting read and we suggest reading it in full here.
In a statement to Bloomberg Law yesterday, a Microsoft spokesperson defended the planned merger.
“This deal will expand competition and create more opportunities for gamers and game developers as we strive to bring more games to more people,” Microsoft’s statement read.
It remains to be seen where things go next for Microsoft’s planned $69 billion mega-deal, but apparently, this isn’t the last we hear about the critically-discussed deal.


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“By the time this vehicle goes into production, we think the core software that drives our AVs will be at a superhuman level of performance and safer than the average human driver," said Cruise co-founder Kyle Vogt
NASCAR team owner Rick Hendrick paid US$3 million in a charity auction by Barrett-Jackson in Scottsdale, Arizona, for the first 2020 Chevrolet Corvette C8 Stingray with all proceeds going to Detroit Children's Fund.
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and Foxconn Technology, maker of the Apple iPhone and MacBook, are in preliminary joint venture talks to build an electric vehicle for China. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles is in merger talks with Groupe PSA, the owner of the Peugeot and Citroën vehicle brands
The popularity of the Lamborghini Super SUV Urus resulted in almost 5,000 sales in 12 months, which is close to Lamborghini's total sales in 2018.
Musk said the sledgehammer that bounced off the door had caused an unseen crack in the base of the glass, which had subsequently led to the windows smashing when they were hit with a steel ball.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk tweeted there were 146,000 orders for the new Cybertruck, its first pick up truck model which has now risen to 187,000 in a bid to try and deflect the embarrassment of the Los Angeles launch when a steel ball shattered the armoured unbreakable windows.
Volkswagen CEO Herbert Diess praised Elon Musk for showing that electric cars are capable of competing with vehicles powered by fossil fuels. Volkswagen has announced plans to invest €30 billion (US$33 billion) to electrify its entire product lineup over the next four years.
Limited to just 100 examples worldwide, the luxury English sports car maker’s first foray into two-wheel territory with the AMB 001 is relentlessly beautiful - and pricey
Only nine of the Lamborginis exist worldwide and it was auctioned off for a record-breaking figure.


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Criterion Games General Manager Matt Webster revealed in an official blog that video game Need for Speed Heat will be the first EA game to have crossplay feature with their help.
Webster revealed that their development team will be back at the helm for the development of Need for Speed. Through their hard work, the team has announced that the crossplay feature will be implemented on the new game tomorrow, June 9. This will be EA’s first game to have such a feature in a game in history.
Players can join others regardless of platform: PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. After the latest update, they can do so and can search for friends who are playing on other systems. A new EA Friends tab has been installed in the Party Menu to see who is online at that time.
On June 16, the game will remove EA Access and Origin Access Basic Vault, which will give all subscribers the chance to play in Palm City. Criterion wants to offer players more options in how the series can be discovered. They will also release the game on Steam together with 2016 Need for Speed and Need for Speed Rivals. The cross-play feature will work on PC via Origin and Steam, PS4, Xbox One, and subscribers.


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Last week, the Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission voted to ban most marijuana advertising in the state.
According to media reports, the Commission's new rules prohibit all television, radio, and outdoor advertising for marijuana. Most online advertising will also be prohibited, though the rules apparently permit online ads to age-verified users. Print advertising will only be permitted in publications where at least 85% of the readership is over eighteen years old.
The Baltimore Business Journal reported that the industry plans to fight the decision, which is subject to review by the Maryland General Assembly.


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The Ghana Mobile Congress (GMC 2018), a platform connecting people in the world of mobile, internet and technology, will soon be drawing to a close.
The month-long programme, which began November 29 2018 in Accra, will end on December 29 2018 with an award show.
The programme organised by BizGroNet in partnership with the media, Ghanaian government and investors was themed “Connecting Africa to Create Jobs”.
GMC 2018 aims to connect Ghana to Africa, to create sustainable jobs in mobile, internet and technology, and to enhance the strategic, national priority, by promoting, facilitating and empowering existing industry players and startups.
Forums have been held at the programme to address topics in five general categories; Job Creation, Technology, Policies, Business Opportunities, and Digital Life.
The event also gathered industry experts and leaders, to provide insights into the current and future developments of the African and global telecom ecosystem, and the ICT industry.
GMC 2018 has out together trade shows, conferences and plans to go it with a bang with a startup awards ceremony for companies in the technology sector.


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Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Ltd. on Saturday said it has launched antiviral drug Favipiravir, under the brand name FabiFlu, for the treatment of patients with mild to moderate COVID-19 at a price of about Rs 103 per tablet.
The drug will be available as a 200 mg tablet at a maximum retail price of Rs 3,500 for a strip of 34 tablets, the drugmaker said. FabiFlu is the first oral favipiravir-approved medication in India for the treatment of COVID-19, it said in a statement. It is a prescription-based medication, with recommended dose being 1,800 mg twice daily on day one, followed by 800 mg twice daily up to day 14, it said.
The recommended dose of Favipiravir is 1,800 mg twice daily on day one, followed by 800 mg twice daily up to day 14. It is a prescription-based medicine. The drug will be available both through hospitals and the retail channel, Glenmark said.
The tablets are being produced by the company at its Baddi facility in Himachal Pradesh. The drug will be available both through hospitals and the retail channel, Glenmark said. The Mumbai-based firm had on Friday received the manufacturing and marketing approval from the Drugs Controller General of India.
“This approval comes at a time when cases in India are spiralling like never before, putting a tremendous pressure on our healthcare system,” Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Chairman and MD Glenn Saldanha said in the statement.
The company hopes that the availability of an effective treatment such as FabiFlu will considerably help assuage this pressure, and offer patients in India a much needed and timely therapy option, he added.
“Glenmark will work closely with the government and medical community to make FabiFlu quickly accessible to patients across the country,” he added.
Glenmark was the first company in India to receive the drug regulator’s approval to conduct phase-3 clinical trial of Favipiravir antiviral tablets for COVID-19 patients.
Considering a minimum of two strips per patient, Glenmark will be able to provide FabiFlu for about 82,500 patients in the first month itself.
Last month, Glenmark also announced that it is conducting another clinical trial to evaluate the efficacy of two antivirals Favipiravir and Umifenovir as a combination therapy in moderate hospitalised adult COVID-19 patients in India.
India on Saturday saw another record spike of 14,516 new new COVID-19 cases in a single day, pushing the tally to 3,95,048, while the death toll rose to 12,948 with 375 new fatalities, according to Union Health Ministry data.


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Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. The current uncertain economy, coupled with rising inflation, is driving consumers to seek money-saving tactics, including cashback rewards, discounts, and online coupons. Economic pressures are driving the broad adoption of shopping rewards programs, which are “crossing the chasm” from coupon clippers and
(Bloomberg) — Before the world began to grasp the truth about Sam Bankman-Fried — before the panic, the investigations and, at last, the brutal collapse — an inkling of doom began to spread through his convoluted crypto empire. Most Read from Bloomberg All across FTX, the exchange that had transformed
Consumers can take steps now to prepare for the winter and conserve energy. “It’s November — there’s still time to get ready,” Mr. Wolfe said. Heating contractors are typically less busy right now, he said, before temperatures plummet. The most widely recommended step: Schedule a professional checkup of your heating
Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger recently has been buying up shares of the chip giant that he helms, but he has spent far more for shares of recently spun-off Mobileye which is developing autonomous driving technologies. Gelsinger paid $2.5 million on Oct. 28 for 120,000 Mobileye (ticker: MBLY) shares at the
Polestar 3 Courtesy: Polestar Swedish electric-vehicle maker Polestar said Friday that its third-quarter operating loss narrowed from a year ago as revenue more than doubled, and it confirmed that it still expects to deliver 50,000 vehicles in 2022. But the company warned that higher costs and supply-chain issues will continue
This article first appeared in the Morning Brief. Get the Morning Brief sent directly to your inbox every Monday to Friday by 6:30 a.m. ET. Subscribe Friday, November 11, 2022 Today’s newsletter is by Jared Blikre, a reporter focused on the markets on Yahoo Finance. Follow him on Twitter @SPYJared.
People shop for bread at a supermarket in Monterey Park, California on Oct. 19, 2022. Frederic J. Brown | Afp | Getty Images Inflation was cooler than expected in October, although household staples such as shelter, food and energy remained among the largest contributors to consumer prices still rising at
Rivian electric pickup trucks sit in a parking lot at a Rivian service center on May 09, 2022 in South San Francisco, California. Justin Sullivan | Getty Images Electric vehicle maker Rivian Automotive on Wednesday reaffirmed its 25,000-vehicle production target for 2022, but said it plans to spend less to


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California Gov. Gavin Newsom moved five more counties from the most restrictive purple tier to the less restrictive red tier.
Those counties include Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Amador, Orange, and Placer.
The purple tier is imposed when the COVID-19 positivity rate is consistently above 8%. Counties where the positivity rate has been between 5%-8% are permitted to move to the red tier.
In the red tier, retail operations can increase from 25% capacity to 50%, and church and other cultural ceremonies can operate with 25% capacity or 100 people, whichever is fewer. Museums, mall food courts, and gyms can reopen at reduced capacity, and personal services such as barbershops and salons can open indoor operations with restrictions.
Bars and nightclubs that do not serve food and movie theaters must remain closed. Indoor dining is also prohibited.
In counties that remain in the red tier for two weeks, schools can open for in-person instruction.


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And now a word from our trencherman cousin, Eater Boston, on the culinary goings-on across the Hub.
CAMBRIDGE—Eater speaks with the manager of Bondir for the second installment of Gatekeepers, our interview series with the people that stand between you and the hardest won reservations in town. When Bon Appetit named Bondir one of the ten best new restaurants of 2011 in the U.S., things got crazy.
TBD—O Ya talent will soon be opening a late night ramen pop-up (temporary restaurant) and even promises friendly prices. What could be better? Industry testing begins this weekend, opening dates and locations have yet to be announced.
NORTH END—Mare is now closed, but the restaurant plans to reopen as the re-conceptualized Mare Oyster Bar in February. What with Neptune, that means two oyster bars for a neighborhood better known for cannoli.
EAST BOSTON—The Chicago-based Potbelly Sandwich Shop is making its first foray into New England with an upcoming location at Logan. The news was leaked after a job posting appeared on Craigslist, which also said that there would be "shops," as in more than one.


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CarMax (NYSE: KMX) reported fourth-quarter 2022 financial results before the opening bell on Tuesday.
The company reported a 48.8% increase in Q4 revenues to $7.7 billion, beating the Wall Street consensus.
Earnings of $160 million or $0.98 per share were weaker compared to $210 or $1.27 per share in the same quarter of the previous year.
Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ: SBUX) reported first quarter 2023 earnings results today. Consolidated net revenues increased 8% year-over-year to $8.7 billion, in line with projections. Global comparable store sales increased
Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOGL, GOOG) on Thursday reported a 1% increase in fourth-quarter 2022 revenues, with strong contributions from the cloud business. The company, which owns the largest internet search
Harley-Davidson, Inc. (NYSE: HOG) reported fourth quarter 2022 earnings results today. Revenue increased 12% year-over-year to $1.14 billion. Net income attributable to Harley-Davidson, Inc. rose 94% YoY to $42 million,


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New plugin will help content creators and editors reach a new level of efficiency THOUSAND OAKS, Calif., Sept. 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- GrayMeta will give content creators and editors at IBC Show 2018 an up-close look at how they can streamline ...
New plugin will help content creators and editors reach a new level of efficiency
THOUSAND OAKS, Calif., Sept. 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- GrayMeta will give content creators and editors at IBC Show 2018 an up-close look at how they can streamline their workflows in Adobe® Premiere® Pro CC with a new plugin that provides metadata created by artificial intelligence.
GrayMeta’s new plugin enables users to take advantage of deep insights created by artificial intelligence and machine learning. The metadata from those insights makes it possible to build content faster in Adobe Premiere Pro CC, Adobe’s professional video editing and production software, part of Adobe Creative Cloud®.
“Adobe Premiere Pro CC is the industry-leading video editing software that enables professionals to create amazing content,” Sue Skidmore said. “By supercharging the creative process with insights provided by the GrayMeta AI-Powered Plug-in, content creators can be more efficient than ever.”
The plugin introduces a new level of efficiency to media workflows. It allows content creators and editors to quickly find specific content within their digital assets, and drag and drop editable, trimmed clips into the Adobe Premiere Pro CC sequence. This can make the content building process quicker.
“We’ve seen users create content in a fraction of the time, compared to scrubbing through content manually,” said John Motz, GrayMeta’s chief technology officer. “It’s an extraordinary time-saver.”
The new plugin takes advantage of data created by the GrayMeta Platform, which uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to build rich insights about video. The metadata from the GrayMeta Platform is loaded with details about people, landmarks, logos, objects and specific moments in the content that users can access via the GrayMeta API, the web UI and now Adobe Premiere Pro CC.
GrayMeta will demonstrate the new plugin for Adobe Premiere Pro CC at the IBC conference in Amsterdam from Sept. 14–18, 2018, at Booth D53 in Hall 7.
GrayMeta is a forward-thinking data company that powers automated metadata collection and represents a new way of extracting metadata across the enterprise. The GrayMeta Platform offers the freedom to extract, store, update and add intelligence to metadata, which expands searchability across more applications, turning information into valuable data. For more information about GrayMeta, visit graymeta.com
Adobe at IBC 2018
At IBC 2018, Adobe will reveal new video features coming soon to Adobe® Creative Cloud® that bring creative power, production efficiency, and connected tools for broadcasters, brands, filmmakers, and online content creators. The upcoming release will include new production tools for motion graphics, color, audio, animation and immersive content. IBC attendees can see the features, available later this year, at the Adobe stand (#7.B35). For more information, visit www.adobe.com.
Chief Marketing Officer
Source(s) : GrayMeta Inc.
THOUSAND OAKS, Calif., April 02, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- GrayMeta, the leading provider of professional media players and metadata solutions for content owners and creators, will be providing a sneak peek of the newest addition to Iris ...
Curio™, by GrayMeta now enables customers to easily find and license 5 decades of fashion footage.THOUSAND OAKS, Calif., Dec. 04, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Videofashion, the world’s premier provider of fashion content, just announced ...


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UberEATS is launching soon in Louisville - but it needs your help first
So what's the deal with UberEATS? And why does Bozeman, Montana, have it but Louisville doesn't?
Aren't we a foodie city?
No matter. It looks like everything will change soon because this week the food delivery service said it's got plans to launch here.
UberEATS, owned by ride-sharing company Uber, is a separate app that allows people to order food from participating restaurants and have it delivered wherever they please.
According to a press release, UberEATS will be hiring additional drivers to pick up and deliver food.
To order on UberEATS, customers must download the app, find their desired restaurant and add what they'd like to order to their cart.
At checkout, customers will see their estimated delivery times (the average is 35 minutes) and price, including taxes and a booking fee, according to the app's website. Once an order is placed, customers will be able to track their delivery through the app.
Before UberEATS starts here, the company is asking Louisvillians to let it know which restaurants they want to order from.
Take a three-question survey at ubereats.com.
Reach reporter Bailey Loosemore at 502-582-4646 or firstname.lastname@example.org.


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In the more than three-month-old supermarket strike in Southern California, the unions are making strategy moves even as the chains reportedly consider dramatic actions that would change the nature of the game being played between the two sides.
- Published reports say that the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) union is working to organize a weekend demonstration of civil disobedience that will attempt to shut down a single Vons store by forming a human chain around it.
The event is tied to the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday on Monday, and reportedly will be attended by local politicians and religious leaders, in addition to union members.
Vons is owned by Safeway, and always has been the prime target of UFCW actions since the strike/lockout affecting more than 70,000 employees began on October 11, 2003. The dispute is over compensation and health benefits issues, with little or no progress made in the few bargaining sessions that have been held.
- The Los Angeles Times reports this morning that there is some strategy disagreement among the seven United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) locals that are involved in the four-month-old strike lockout affecting Southern California's three biggest supermarket chains - Safeway's Vons, Kroger's Ralphs, and Albertsons.
Mostly, the argument has been over how to handle Ralphs, which generally has been perceived as the least intransigent of the three chains. Pickets were removed from the Ralphs stores on October 31, but some of the locals apparently wanted to start picketing the chain again to remind consumers that it was involved in the labor strife.
The solution to the disagreement was to simply let the locals handle things the way they wished. Some decided not to return pickets to Ralphs, while others decided to picket store loading docks.
- Meanwhile, the Los Angeles County Employees Retirement Assn., which holds stock totaling $25 million in Safeway, Kroger, and Albertsons - has voted to urge the chains to solve the labor dispute, echoing a similar move made by the California Public Employees' Retirement System.
- KC's View:
- While we've generally had the feeling from talking to folks in Southern California that there was absolutely no progress being made, the sense we've had lately is that things may be coming to a head fairly soon…not in the sense of successful negotiations, but in terms of the chains taking some sort of action that will change the game.
The biggest speculation - and we've gotten this from a number of sources - is that the chains are looking to very shortly do whatever is necessary to decertify their Southern California stores and convert them to non-union operations. That could mean closing down operations for a period of time and then reopening them, an option that reportedly is on the table at Albertsons. Or, it also could mean changing the name on the door so as to make a clean break with the past - a solution that reportedly has been considered by Kroger, sources told MNB.
What seems to be fluid at this point in the timetable for such dramatic moves - though we're also told that mid-February is considered to be a kind of "tipping point" at which time the chains might feel not just empowered, but compelled to do something drastic.
Hard to know how decertification efforts might play out in Southern California. But just the knowledge that these possibilities are on the table no doubt puts pressure on the UFCW to figure out a compromise. And as much as civil disobedience might be the kind of drama that it feels can illustrate its cause, it isn’t going to help feed strikers' families and put their kinds through school and pay their mortgages.
The heat is on.


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SIMA appeals Finance Minister to reject the ADD recommended by DGTR on Viscose Staple Fibre to sustain the survival of VSF value chain
The Hon’ble Prime Minister has been taking various path breaking policy initiatives to address the raw material structural issues, especially the manmade fibres, the future growth engine of the Indian textile industry by removing the anti-dumping duties (ADD) levied on various raw materials including PTA and MEG, polyester staple fibres, acrylic fibre and viscose staple fibre. However, based on the appeal made by the Associations of MMF industry, Customs, Excise and Service Tax Appellate Tribunal (CESTAT), New Delhi had remanded the matter to DGTR to re-examine and consequently, the Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR) has now recommended to levy 0.512 USD per kg anti-dumping duty on the Viscose Staple Fibre imported from Indonesia.
In a Press Release issued here today, Mr. Ravi Sam, Chairman, The Southern India Mills’ Association (SIMA), has appealed to the Hon’ble Union Finance Minister to reject the unrealistic recommendation made by DGTR and ensure the survival of MSME spinning mills, decentralized powerloom and handloom sector and also the garment sector. He has stated that the ADD levy gives a protection to the tune of 26% to the indigenous VSF manufacturer. He has pointed out that majority of the imported raw material, machinery, etc., attract only 5% to 7.5% basic customs duty while such an abnormal protection is totally unwarranted and on the contrary, this would greatly affect the entire VSF value chain. He said that over two lakh powerlooms in the State of Tamil Nadu had diverted to VSF fabric manufacturing and enabling value added exports. He has said that the powerloom sector had to import million kgs. of VSF spun yarn from Indonesia when the VSF attracted anti-dumping duty and after the removal of ADD, the import had reduced kgs. per month. He has pointed out that ADD levy would again make the fabric manufacturers to switch over to imports that would have serious impact on the MSME spinning mills. Mr. Ravi Sam has said that majority of the MSME spinning mills could blend Viscose Staple Fibre with the cotton to the tune of 10 to 15% and sustain their competitiveness which would be eroded with the recommended ADD.
SIMA Chairman has stated that the indigenous VSF fibre manufacturer is not in a position to meet the growing demands of the VSF value chain, rationing their supply and affecting the potential growth of the industry. He has added that the indigenous fibre manufacturer has been supplying the fibre only to less than 300 spinning mills, while the country has around 4000 spinning mills. He has pointed out that any spinning mill in the country could buy any quantity of polyester staple fibre at an internationally competitive rate. After the removal of ADD on VSF, any SSI spinning unit or open end spinning unit could also buy VSF staple fibre at international price and cater to the needs of handloom and power loom sector, says Mr. Ravi Sam. With the imposition of ADD, this raw material availability would again become scarce resulting in industrial unrest. Against this background, SIMA chairman has appealed to the Hon’ble Union Minister of Finance to reject the abnormal ADD rate recommended by the DGTR. He has pointed out that the DGTR could have restricted the ADD to the level of 0.1 to 0.15 USD that would have enabled win-win strategy for the entire value chain.


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