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TOKYO (Oct. 10)—Bridgestone Corp. has struck a deal with an unidentified Ukrainian tire maker for that firm to make passenger tires for Bridgestone to sell in Russia. Further details were unavailable from Bridgestone at this time. Press reports from Tokyo put the contract at 200,000 units a year, starting in 2003. There are three tire makers in Ukraine: Dneproshina in Dneprotovosk, and Rosava and Valsa in Belaya Tserkov. All three have capacity for passenger tires, but only Rosava and Valsa have radial capacity, according to available information.
Bridgestone, Ukrainian tire firm ink deal
Rubber & Plastics News wants to hear from its readers. If you want to express your opinion on a story or issue, email your letter to Editor Bruce Meyer at [email protected].


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COVID-19 has sped up consumer interest in buying directly from brands, but even before the pandemic, changes in traditional retail and wholesale environments combined with robust technologies have pointed to DTC.
For brands frustrated with the traditional retail model, in which retail stores and sales reps determine the future of their products, they can adopt DTC to take ownership of their most important assets — their consumers.
This new article uncovers how the wealth of actionable insights provided by a CDP help CPGs become confident in their understanding of their consumers, communicate effectively with them, and meet their evolving needs while attaining differentiation in the marketplace. The article explores:
- The new shopping environment
- Options beyond “owning” the consumer relationship
- The beauty of a CDP
- Steps to take when anticipating a CDP transformation
Table of contents
A New Shopping Environment
Beyond Owning the Consumer Relationship
The Missing Link
A Channel for Engagement, Learning and Data
Anticipating a CDP Transformation
As consumers continue to shift to online shopping, agile consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies are moving to court consumers directly.
In fact, according to a Digital Shelf Institute report, between 2015 and 2019, $3.3 billion was invested in CPGs with a direct-to-consumer (DTC) component. According to The Food Institute, some of the best-known CPG food companies are pivoting to DTC models, including PepsiCo, Kraft Heinz and Nestlé. With the outbreak of coronavirus in 2020, a DTC play is becoming even more attractive because consumers’ path to purchase has shifted and may continue to do so as the retail landscape evolves.
But these companies have still another incentive for embracing DTC: changes in how third-party data and cookies are being managed. Currently, CPG companies rely on third-party data to collect information on consumers that informs how they direct their daily digital marketing investments. But CPGs are being impacted by the European Union’s stricter enforcement of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) on technology vendors that offer third-party data services. With a secular trend toward more privacy regulations, third-party data is no longer dependable.
Nor are cookies. CPG advertisers have long relied on cookies to deliver personalized marketing. But between Google’s January 2020 announcement that it will phase out third-party cookies in its Chrome browser by 2022 — something Safari and Firefox already do — and Apple’s announcement that it will strengthen consumer privacy controls in iOS14 by reducing the efficacy of the Identifier for Advertisers (IDFA) technology, cookies by 2021, too, are no longer dependable.
“It is absolutely crucial to develop first-party data sources,” said Sir Martin Sorrell, executive chairman of S4 Capital. “And in order to do that you have to build your direct-to-consumer initiatives.”
Moving to DTC may be a brilliant strategy, but CPG companies — from startup DTC businesses to well-established brands dipping a toe into the DTC waters — may be doing so without the technology necessary to integrate and manage the scale, volume and level of granularity of consumer data they’re going to need.
Even more challenging is that this data is coming from multiple sources — including websites, apps, third-party review sites, social media, retailers and DMPs — and so needs to be unified and actionable. DTC is all about offering a value proposition based on consumer relationships. For longtime CPG companies, consumers have been habitually buying the brand through a retailer, whether it’s their local grocery store, big-box store or Amazon. What’s their impetus to head over to your website to buy snacks or cereal or shampoo? Your holistic knowledge of your consumers, which informs you how best to communicate with them and directly acquire them, relies on a robust data strategy that facilitates the kind of analysis that leads to clear, actionable engagement strategies. You won’t get this first-party data from your retail partners. These are insights you need to access directly and then analyze to find your potential consumers, acquire them, drive engagement, and determine both the best channels and marketing strategies to achieve DTC success.
A customer data platform (CDP), such as Treasure Data’s CDP, enables the unification of data from a variety of sources. It can collect, unify and analyze customer data and facilitate flexible data activation — all to enable campaign and other strategic needs. In short, if you want to maximize the value of and optimize your investment in DTC, you absolutely need a CDP.
A New Shopping Environment
Long before coronavirus, consumers had already been avidly shopping online, shaking up the traditional brick-and-mortar retail establishment. Additionally, traditional retailers, who have a wealth of customer data, have been creating private-brand labels that compete with their CPG partners’ brands. And, CPG companies also have been facing competition from agile DTC-native startups in their space. Think Blue Apron, Harry’s and Thrive Causemetics. Add to that, some CPG companies’ longtime retail partners are disappearing as brick-and-mortar retailers struggle and close. With an eye toward the future, some established CPG companies decided to initiate a DTC strategy to complement their traditional retail channels.
The retail landscape has only gotten more complicated with the pandemic. Not only are brick-and-mortar stores slipping away, many wholesale CPG customers in the entertainment and travel-and-leisure sectors have dried up since March 2020, such as hotels, restaurants, theme parks and sports facilities.
For example, Modern Retail noted in April 2020 that Coca-Cola had announced its global volume had sunk 25% at the beginning of the month. With almost half of the company’s sales coming from theaters, vending machines, shows, musicals and other events — as well as restaurants — the company has taken a huge wholesale hit.
Beyond Owning the Consumer Relationship
Coronavirus may be speeding up consumer interest in buying directly from brands, but even before the pandemic, all the changes in the traditional retail and wholesale environment combined with robust technologies have pointed to DTC.
For brands growing frustrated with the traditional retail model, in which retail stores and sales reps determine the future of their products, they can adopt DTC to take ownership of their most important assets — their consumers. This move, done right, transforms them into the kind of nimble, relevant companies that are better suited to thrive in today’s customer-centric, data-focused consumer market. With DTC, they eschew the middleman to own the customer relationship themselves — every element of the customer journey. CPGs create the customer experience and become the direct influencer of the brand.
Potentially, CPGs then gain the leverage to increase customer lifetime value and brand loyalty — and with that, higher sales and margins. But building a DTC channel or launching a DTC-native retail operation goes beyond owning the relationship with the consumer.
For one thing, it can also reduce some headaches of the traditional supply chain. The Blueprint points out that the centuries-old CPG tradition — which has relied on finding efficiencies between supplier, manufacturer, wholesaler, retailer and distributor — is becoming less relevant. The Blueprint notes that the sales process is now less onerous and less dependent on third parties. Instead, it’s more focused on direct marketing and more customized to the end consumer.
There’s another related issue that Barb Renner, vice chairman and U.S. consumer products leader at Deloitte LLP, has contemplated: costs to CPGs and retailers post-COVID.
“CPGs are obviously trying to figure out where their margins are going to be, and COVID brings on additional costs — employee bonuses, PPE and added costs in the plants and warehouses. Retailers have had additional costs, as well, including in-store employee wages, PPE and other sanitation costs. Right now, retailers are trying to figure out if they have assets that maybe CPGs would be willing to pay for — mostly consumer information. So the question will be — for cost reasons, for consumer loyalty and for other reasons — will CPGs have the need to have that direct-to-consumer strategy for at least portions of the business? What will be the demand post-COVID, and how do you make your bets on that?” Renner said.
The Missing Link
CPG companies will quickly find that data collection alone isn’t enough to succeed in DTC. They need a strong technology — a customer data platform — that helps them get actionable insights from the consumer data they’re collecting to build winning strategies.
While digitally native DTC companies rely on expertise in harnessing data and analytics to succeed, traditionally larger, established companies that have been selling in traditional retail spaces have been at least one step removed from their end consumer, McCarty said.
“Even once they started selling online, they sold through companies like Amazon, with yet another intermediary between them and the shopper,” he said. “CPGs may now want to have the relationship with their consumers, but they don’t know how to achieve it. They’re limited by their processes being predicated on scale.”
Some established CPGs have realized they need to use technology to be more agile and connect directly with consumers globally.
Unilever PLC is using consumer data to transform its model. It’s pushing to digital, using artificial intelligence to predict demand, co-creating new brands with consumers and targeting customers only with products they want, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence. The company had collected 900 million individual records as of January 2019, up from 200 million in 2018.
The pandemic may have shaken up CPG companies to put them on that same path.
“Even pre-COVID, CPG companies were interested in getting consumer data and having insights,” Renner said. “There’s always been a lot of consumer data at CPG companies. With COVID, companies are making investments in digital and other capabilities, such as machine learning, so they can get those insights in a very different way than they got them before.”
The beauty of a CDP is that it can integrate and unify data from many sources, not only first-party but also second- and third-party data. A consumer’s interaction with the brand across multiple channels are connected and attributed to the same person, allowing CPGs to recognize their customers as individuals, and truly understand each engagement journey. With this holistic data, CPGs can model lookalike audiences, then use those to find, acquire, and engage with new consumers on different channels, thus growing their first-party data. Ultimately, with a CDP, businesses can build out a more comprehensive and expansive customer profile data set with the additional benefit of being able to adhere more easily to privacy regulations because they control the data, not their partners.
A Channel for Engagement, Learning and Data
A savvy CPG company can do some fascinating things with a CDP. Yes, it enables precision marketing so you can develop new ways to successfully target and reach consumers. It can give companies the insights necessary to build an inviting website or do outreach on social media or know what platforms or even specific television shows to place ads on. And, McCarty said, it can give CPGs the tools to test out market research and inform operations.
“Let’s say you make shampoo and your market research says sage is the next new big scent/flavor trend,” he explained. “If your company is thinking about making a sage-scented shampoo, you’d need to set up a test market. In the past, perhaps you’d work with your sales team to collaborate with Kroger in a geographic market to do a test run. But now you could also offer it on your website to see how well it performs.” 11
Selling direct to consumers with the support of a CDP can also help inform in real time demand planning and supply chain planning for a new product instead of waiting for distribution reports or point-of-sale data, McCarty said.
“You’re capturing this data live to better inform all these other decisions, whether it’s a new flavor or market trend or supply chain capabilities,” he said.
And, he added, CPGs could even test out pricing strategies and learn how much elasticity you have by dialing it up and dialing it down, then measuring it.
“CPG companies need to think about DTC as less of a channel for revenue,” McCarty said. “Think of it as a channel for engagement and learning and data, facilitated by a CDP. And if you think about it using that mindset, you’re going to look at it using a different set of KPIs. Being able to see in real time the sales velocity of different products is potentially worth something above and beyond just the margin on the products you’re selling.”
Anticipating a CDP Transformation
Any CPG company planning to adopt a CDP should start by identifying the highest value use case you want to execute in 90, 180 and 360 days, said Treasure Data’s Thomas Kurian. “You’ll want to align your use cases to measurable KPIs so you can track your progress and make real-time adjustments.”
A CPG company should look for a CDP that can unify first-party data with demographic information, such as income, occupation, gender, ethnicity and more — as well as weather data, data on interests, and meaningful holidays and events. These all help marketers create a more comprehensive customer profile so they can target offers and promotions effectively.
While deploying new technology can often disrupt an organization’s systems, a CDP vendor should be able to integrate all your data sources for marketers to use in less than 90 days. A CDP built on a schema-less architecture will give you the most flexibility in data integration — existing data sources, campaign activation channels and tools can be integrated quickly, alleviating the need to keep investing in continuous support to get your data into the CDP and to activate campaigns. In fact, a CDP partner should be able to add or remove martech solutions with minimal disruption or data-unification issues, and also allow you to use the CDP as a tool to onboard customer-related artificial intelligence.
A proof of concept can be achieved in weeks because a CDP sits next to existing systems and doesn’t change workflows. Once the CDP is selected and installed, CPGs will want to train their marketers to use the CDP to activate campaigns in various channels, including journey orchestration — and support them with data scientists who can run machine learning for advanced applications such as next best action, Kurian suggested.
“The nice thing about a CDP — or at least Treasure Data’s CDP — is that we pre-built connectors to over 150 other marketing solutions so analysis of your current technologies and tools isn’t really a requirement and doesn’t demand upgrades. With a flexible, schema-less architecture, Treasure Data’s CDP gives you the freedom to switch data sources and activation channels without fear of being painted into a corner.” McCarty said. “The key thing would be to determine that unifying data that you have — especially the data coming from a DTC website that has been launched — will provide new insights and value. It really comes down to determining the use cases.”
As CPG companies rethink what they sell and how they sell it, a sophisticated CDP can help make the transformation to DTC a value move. CPG businesses that view their future success as being strictly DTC or include DTC as part of a larger, multichannel strategy can’t succeed unless they have robust first-party consumer data at their disposal. And they can’t succeed if all that data isn’t available, unified and automated in a way that helps the business easily segment, analyze and then act on it. The best CDP technology will enable both startup and established CPG businesses to acquire and act on the consumer insights they need to adopt a DTC strategy. With the wealth of actionable insights provided by a CDP, CPGs can be confident that they understand their consumers, know the best channels to communicate with them, and can efficiently meet their evolving needs and desires while attaining differentiation in the marketplace.
Source: Custom content for Treasure Data

domain: news


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We like to think that all of our great action figures and statues from DC Collectibles are created with the comic book fan in mind, but our new DC Comics Icons Action Figure line really takes that notion to a new level. Much like our popular line of DC Comics Icons statues, the lower-priced Icons action figures are based on very specific eras from DC Comics history that many of our fans will know and recognize.
From the world of the CW show, ARROW collects the all-new digital adventures in print for the first time, inspired by the hit TV series!
As comic fans eagerly await the October 10 premiere of the new CW show ARROW, we have news that will make the countdown even more exciting. DC Entertainment is producing a new, weekly digital comic book based on the show that will also debut on October 10.


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Government commits £246m to battery technologies
Fri 21 April 2017 | Back to news list
The Government has announced the availability of funding of £246m over four years through the ‘Faraday Challenge’ to help UK businesses seize the opportunities presented by the transition to a low carbon economy, aiming to propel the UK into a world-leading position in the design, development and manufacture of batteries for electric vehicles.
Business Secretary Greg Clark announced the funding as part of the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund (ISCF), which will commit over £1 billion to research and innovation in specific areas identified in the government’s Industrial Strategy.
Greg Clark said: “Through the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund we will provide an enormous boost to our world-class research and development sector, to help turn brilliant British innovations into new businesses and good jobs.
Innovate UK will manage the deployment of the funds and has begun by selecting an initial £10 million worth of projects across the entire ISCF starting in 2017 to 2018. Thirty-five projects have been selected for funding. However the full list of companies and project allocations will not be released until after the June 8 General Election.
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text: On September 5, coffee chain La Colombe will launch a new, vegan latte made with the base of Oatly’s oat milk in cans at its 30 cafés, as well as on Amazon and at select retailers, including Wegman’s and Harris Teeter. The new Oatmilk Draft Latte will be available in Original, Vanilla, and Caramel flavors in 9-ounce cans for a suggested retail price of $3.49. The lattes are made using La Colombe’s proprietary process of infusing beverages with nitrous oxide which creates a unique creamy texture. “We are always innovating—pushing the limit to create great tasting beverages that are also healthy and environmentally conscious,” La Colombe CEO and Co-Founder Todd Carmichael said. “In this case, we are balancing our carbon footprint by using grain-based milks that are the most efficient and environmental way of producing a milk alternative. Oatmilk, in particular, also has all those special properties that make it react well with the nitrous, creating a deliciously frothy latte.” In 2017, La Colombe was the first specialty coffee roaster to partner with Oatly, adding the Oatmilk Draft Latte to its on-tap, in-store menu in 2018. In addition to its new ready-to-drink Oatmilk Draft Lattes, the company offers a coconut milk-based latte in original and mocha flavors.


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Hedge Funds |
In Trying to Save Darden,
a Board Sealed Its Own Demise
Steven Davidoff Solomon
30, 2014 6:45 pm
futile nobility seem mostly confined to the movies these days. And yet the
directors of Darden Restaurants, the owner of Olive Garden and other
quintessentially American restaurant chains, may have decided that they
would rather commit corporate suicide than give in to the demands of two
activist shareholders, Starboard Value and the Barington Capital Group. It
would be touching if it didn’t appear to be so inexplicably foolish.
For almost a
year, Darden has paid a steep price for refusing to meet Starboard and
Barington’s sometimes shifting demands. Clarence Otis Jr., Darden’s chief
executive and chairman, announced in July he was resigning, eight of
Darden’s directors have agreed to step down, and the four remaining board
members are engaged in an uphill contest to keep their seats. Against this
onslaught, the Darden directors, who once refused to speak to the
shareholder activists, have been reduced to pleading with Starboard to
negotiate a face-saving resolution.
One has to
wonder how the Darden board allowed the situation to get to this point.
Starboard announced that it had taken a 5.6 percent position in Darden a few
months after Barington announced its 2.8 percent stake. Starboard proposed
spinning off Olive Garden, Red Lobster and LongHorn Steakhouse into a
company separate from Darden’s higher-growth chains like Capital Grille. It
also suggested the usual dash of corporate reorganization because of the
company’s poor results.
nothing unusual about this; shareholder activists love to propose spinoffs
as a way to earn a quick buck. But Darden and Mr. Otis had performed well
until the financial crisis. The company had only recently begun to
underperform while being accused of overpaying its executives.
there was room for compromise, familiar terrain for companies dealing with
the increasing prevalence of shareholder activists.
also has a history of not appreciating criticism, to put it politely. Mr.
Otis, for example, has been accused of barring analysts who were overly
negative in their views from participating in future Darden events.
was that Darden’s board initially tried to ignore the activists, refusing to
speak to them. The company also adopted a host of unfriendly measures to
fight off the activists, including bylaws intended to inhibit shareholder
nominations of new directors.
the Darden board’s most controversial move was to propose spinning off Red
Lobster, but not Olive Garden, as a stand-alone company.
led by Starboard protested this maneuver, arguing that it would sacrifice
value by leaving Red Lobster too small to survive while failing to
capitalize on its real estate. Fifty-seven percent of Darden’s shareholders
called a special meeting to vote on the Red Lobster spinoff. It would not
take a rocket scientist to figure out that if those shareholders made the
effort to call for such a meeting, they most likely did not favor the idea.
It was at
this point that the Darden directors may have drunk their metaphorical
shareholder meeting on the spinoff, Darden’s board agreed abruptly in May to
sell Red Lobster for $2.1 billion to Golden Gate Capital.
This was a
stick in the eye for shareholders. In a situation that seemed ripe for
compromise, the sale of Red Lobster only infuriated the protesting Darden
shareholders led by Starboard. Starboard complained that the deal was at a
fire sale price because $1.5 billion of the value was for Red Lobster’s real
estate, thus valuing the nation’s pre-eminent fast seafood chain at only
$600 million with a tax bill that was $500 million. Starboard has asserted
that after payments related to debt, the proceeds from the actual Red
Lobster business were only $21 million, a fact that Darden heatedly
prompted Starboard to try to replace all of Darden’s directors.
board has been on the appeasement trail ever since, overhauling corporate
governance, appearing to push out Mr. Otis and then desperately pleading
with Starboard to negotiate while offering it four seats and proposing to
add four new independent directors for a fresh perspective. The company’s
argument has essentially devolved into one that says, “We don’t want too
much change at Darden, so please keep at least four of us.” It’s not the
best defense, frankly, to say that the reason you should stay is because you
is why the Darden board would sell Red Lobster so rashly, knowing there was
a strong possibility it would end up in the mess it finds itself in right
now. After all, the board was aware that a majority of Darden’s shareholders
most likely opposed the sale.
last few months, I have spoken to several people close to Darden. They tell
a uniform tale: The board felt that Red Lobster was a melting ice cube and
that if it didn’t sell quickly, it would not get a good price. Moreover, the
directors felt that the board’s fiduciary duties required them to sell Red
Lobster at the time. Darden also tried to make the sale contingent on
shareholder approval, but Golden Gate, as might be expected, refused, so
nothing more could be done.
spent a lot of money on advisers with stellar reputations, including Goldman
Sachs for financial advice and the law firm Wachtell Lipton Rosen & Katz for
legal advice. But the directors’ justification is still puzzling to me.
that a board is forced to sell something because of fiduciary duties may be
warranted, but that would mean no alternatives existed, like in the sale of
Bear Stearns to JPMorgan Chase. That was the only option for Bear Stearns to
corporate law, the sale of an asset like Red Lobster is the board’s
decision, and it has wide latitude to sell or not. I certainly know of no
case that would support the Darden board’s contention that it had no choice.
In fact, one of the seminal cases in corporate law involves the sale of the
TransUnion Corporation in the 1980s to the Pritzkers. In that case, the
lawyer for TransUnion told the directors that if they refused to agree to
the sale, they could be held personally liable for passing up on the bid. A
court found the directors personally liable for following that lawyer’s
advice. Since then, lawyers have been careful to avoid this type of
know what was discussed in the Darden boardroom, but one hopes it wasn’t
phrased the way the directors seem to say it was. We will most likely never
know what caused the board to take this inexplicable path, particularly
because anyone who has watched the shareholder movement over the last few
years could have predicted an all-consuming shareholder backlash.
for a comment, a representative of Darden pointed me to a previous statement
that the decision to sell was about maximizing value. “After careful
evaluation,” the statement said, “the board was certain that halting a
robust Red Lobster sale process midcourse would have negative consequences
for the value” received for Red Lobster.
event, it doesn’t appear from the evidence that Red Lobster needed to be
sold immediately. Institutional Shareholder Services, the big proxy advisory
firm, called the Red Lobster sale “very close to a giveaway.” The Darden
board has also not benefited from the fact that Red Lobster’s management
said in a document prepared by Red Lobster’s buyer related to the financing
of the acquisition
that it believed that the chain’s
problems “are temporary in nature.”
battle with Darden, Starboard, whose stake is now at 8.8 percent, seems to
have momentum. I.S.S. and the other main proxy adviser, Glass Lewis, have
taken the unusual step of recommending that all of the directors be thrown
out at the shareholder meeting, which is scheduled for Monday.
last-minute, face-saving compromise, the likelihood of a full-scale ouster
raises the glaring question: Why would the board pointlessly and perhaps
foolishly invite its own demise?
Steven Davidoff Solomon, a professor of law at
the University of California, Berkeley, is the author of “Gods
at War: Shotgun Takeovers, Government by Deal and the Private Equity
firstname.lastname@example.org | Twitter:
The New York Times Company


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SINGAPORE, April 14 (Xinhua) -- Singapore announced on Monday that it will launched a new two-rating classification system for video games from April 28.
The move will be introduced to allow consumers, especially parents, to make informed choices about the video games available in the market, said the Board of Film Censors (BFC) under the Media Development Authority (MDA) in a statement on MDA's website.
The new video games ratings include Mature 18 (M18) and Age Advisory. Both categories will carry rating stickers.
M18 is a restricted category for persons 18 years old and above with retailers required to conduct an age check at the point of sales.
Age Advisory is suitable for persons 16 years old and above. It is an advisory category to assist consumers in making informed choices. While retailers need not conduct age checks at the point of sale, they are encouraged to exercise responsibility by not selling these games to those below 16 years of age.
Under the content guidelines, "games with content which contains moderate level of violence, portrayal of implied sexual activity, nudity without details, coarse language and depiction of illegal drug use" may be required to carry an Age Advisory label.
"Games with mature themes, or which contain realistic depictions of violence and drug use, nudity and frequent use of strong coarse language" will be classified as M18.
Games that do not fall into the either categories are approved for general consumption and won't carry any rating stickers.
The new guidelines build upon the interim M18 rating, which was introduced in November 2007.
The authorities said the video games classification system was developed over a two-year period involving detailed research and consultation.


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British supercar maker Aston Martin Lagonda (AML -1.25%) said on Feb. 28 that its adjusted operating profit rose 18% in 2018, to 146.9 million British pounds ($195.4 million). Revenue rose 25% from the company's 2017 result, to 1.096 billion pounds ($1.46 billion), on a 26% increase in wholesale shipments driven by strong demand for the two newest Aston Martins.
The results were in line with Aston Martin's upbeat previous guidance. But the company gave cautious guidance for 2019 on concerns about the potential effects of a British exit from the European Union, and its shares fell sharply after its earnings report was released.
Aston Martin Lagonda earnings: The raw numbers
Aston Martin reports its results in British pounds. As of Feb. 28, 1 British pound = about $1.33.
|Revenue||1.096 billion pounds||876 million pounds||25%|
|Adjusted EBITDA||247.3 million pounds||206.5 million pounds||20%|
|Adjusted EBITDA margin||22.6%||23.6%||(1.0 ppts)|
|Adjusted EBIT||146.9 million pounds||124.5 million pounds||18%|
|Adjusted EBIT margin||13.4%||14.2%||(0.8 ppts)|
|EBIT||72.8 million pounds||148.8 million pounds||(51%)|
|Net income (loss)||(57.1 million pounds)||76.8 million pounds||133.9 million pounds lower|
How Aston Martin fared in 2018
2018 might have been one of the most important years in Aston Martin's century-plus-long history. Aston Martin generated all-time-record revenue on a big year-over-year increase in sales, it launched two new core models, it brought two new factories closer to completion -- and it went public.
During the company's earnings presentation, CFO Mark Wilson pointed out more good news. Sales grew year over year in all regions, driving a 20% increase in adjusted EBITDA -- and giving the historically Europe-focused company better global sales balance. In particular, sales were up 31% in China year over year despite that market's slump -- a number that showed the strength of the Aston Martin brand, Wilson said.
Check out the latest earnings call transcripts for the companies we cover.
Wilson also noted that return on invested capital, a new metric for the company, was 12.8% despite heavy spending on future products. Like old rival Ferrari (RACE 1.45%), Aston Martin is using high-priced limited-production special models to help boost margin and returns. (Think production runs in the neighborhood of 20 or 30, with seven-figure price tags.)
But unlike Ferrari, Aston Martin's specials aren't all high-tech wonders. On the contrary: Aston Martin's elaborate factory-restoration facility, called Aston Martin Works, has the ability to build brand-new copies of some of its historic models from the 1960s -- and it has been doing exactly that.
So why did the company's nonadjusted earnings fall sharply year over year? The answer has to do with costs related to Aston Martin's initial public offering in October. The company took 136 million pounds' worth of one-time charges related to the IPO, including a 47-million-pound charge for interest on shares that became due when they converted to publicly traded stock, and 61.2 million pounds related to long-term employee incentives granted before the company went public.
What Aston Martin's CEO said about the year
CEO Andy Palmer noted that Aston Martin's sales in China have more than doubled over the past two years and pointed out that there's still an opportunity for significant further growth in the world's largest new-vehicle market.
While there has been some well-publicised recent softness in the Chinese economy, our new product portfolio and frankly the strengthening of both local team and our dealer network in China, has seen us absolutely buck this trend. Our local team has allowed us to homologate our cars under the new China 6 emissions regulations in December, which has meant that we didn't have to build stock in China in the same way that most of our competitors had to.
Sales of luxury cars have grown 5%, to 495 billion pounds last year. Chinese consumers contributed 33% to the total global luxury spend, with the luxury car segment in China, including the SUV, seeing a record +26% year on year growth. This shows us how important China is as part of our future, particularly when we're about to launch the DBX.
(The DBX is a new Aston Martin luxury-sports SUV that is expected to launch later this year.)
Looking ahead: Aston Martin Lagonda's guidance for 2019
Aston Martin expects further growth in sales in 2019, but its adjusted EBITDA margin could be lower year over year as it ramps up to launch more new models and deals with the possibility of higher costs if the United Kingdom leaves the European Union. For the full year, it currently expects:
- Wholesale shipments of 7,100 to 7,300 vehicles;
- Adjusted EBITDA margin of about 24%;
- Adjusted EBIT margin of about 13%;
- Capital expenditures and research-and-development spending totaling between 320 million pounds and 340 million pounds.
Its medium-term targets are unchanged:
- Annual wholesale shipments of about 14,000;
- Adjusted EBITDA margin of greater than 30%;
- Adjusted EBIT margin of greater than 20%.


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By Jena Sauber
St. Joseph News-Press, Mo.
WWR Article Summary (tl;dr) Rebecca Lobina, director of the Small Business and Technology Development Center in St. Joseph Missouri says there is “a lot of momentum” for business development in St. Joseph. Lobina describes how a smaller community is doing its part to foster entrepreneurship.
St. Joseph News-Press, Mo.
Korey Massey, owner and manager of The Mark-It, gets to see her fair share of small business start-ups.
“We have a lot of people who are just starting out their businesses and come in here for shirts or something like that,” Massey said, “and they ask us a lot of questions like ‘What do you suggest we get involved in?'”
The Mark-It is one of a growing number of local businesses in St. Joseph, creating what Rebecca Lobina, director of the Small Business and Technology Development Center, calls “a lot of momentum.”
Multiple St. Joseph agencies, including the SBTDC and the Heartland Foundation, are working toward supporting and developing the growth of small businesses in community and surrounding areas.
“Instead of people leaving to start their business or going to work for somebody else, they’ve decided to stay here and start their own businesses here,” Lobina said. “We have an environment here that has a lot right here in somebody’s backyard that does help make us more successful.”
In fall 2016, a FiveThirtyEight report ranked St. Joseph fifth in the nation for the number of start-up businesses launched since 2014, with 171. The U.S. Business Administration estimates that there were approximately 23 million small businesses across the country as of 2015, an increase of 49 percent since 1982.
“Small businesses are the ones that are here to stay,” Lobina said. “They are the ones that their corporate decisions are made right here in St. Joseph. Those businesses that only have five, 10, 20 employees, they are more likely to stay local and continue to grow and support other local companies.”
In the last three years, the St. Joseph Small Business and Technology Development Center, a partnership program between Northwest Missouri State University, the Small Business Association and the St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce, has helped secure almost $17 million dollars in small business funding for local ventures, Lobina said.
“You need to be aware of finances,” Massey said. “I think that’s a big thing people struggle with. Have someone who can mentor you and set you in your ways. I would get a mentor, someone who can help you out if you ever have any questions on anything. It’s always helpful.”
The Small Business and Technology Development Center assists with the start up to the maintenance of a business, including market research, financing, tax planning, strategic planning and other needs. Being able to provide education and resources is key, Lobina said.
“We’ve had a 76 percent success rate of our businesses,” she said. “When you look at the national standards, one in 10 make it. If we are working with these people, more than seven out of 10 make it. That’s a big difference.”
Supporting local businesses is vital to a community’s survival, said Judith Sabbert, president of the Heartland Foundation.
The nonprofit’s pilot program, Think Ahead Works, is scheduled to open in King City, Missouri, in May.
The community space will occupy two existing, remodeled storefronts and serve entrepreneurs and small business owners. One side will include space for “office hoteling” for area business owners.
“That’s kind of a new concept that you see growing all across the county. Typically, it happens in larger communities,” Sabbert said. “It’s shared space for ‘co-working.’ It could be for remote workers. It could be for people with home-based businesses or a one-man shop that needs a place to do their work.”
The ultimate goal is to turn the other half of the space into a satellite location of the emPowerU program based in St. Joseph, Sabbert said. They also will operate a social enterprise that will offer internship and externship opportunities as well as products and services for sale.
“We hope that we’ll be able to demonstrate that creative spaces like that can work, and hopefully we can be an inspiration to other smaller communities to take a look at their empty storefront to create something similar in terms of hoteling space or other kinds of ventures and enterprises that might be possible,” Sabbert said.
Since its launch just over two years ago, the Center for Entrepreneurship, a division of the Missouri Western State University Steven L. Craig School of Business, has helped more than 300 interested entrepreneurs with business basics, said Annette Weeks, director of the program. More than 80 percent of the efforts are based in St. Joseph and the surrounding communities.
“We want to assist them to show them how important they are to the community and to the university, so that is where we saw a need and are focusing our efforts,” Weeks said.
The Center for Entrepreneurship will host the “Road to Success” Entrepreneurship Week March 27 through 31. The Small Business and Technology Development Center will hold a “Meet the Lenders” event from 1 to 4 p.m. Thursday, April 6, at the Green Acres Building with bank representatives and information on loans. All events are free and open to the public.
“I would really like to see the momentum continue in St. Joseph with even more support for existing businesses and entrepreneurs getting started,” Lobina said. “I would really like to see people continue to support local and put their dollars there. I would really like to see more of a community awareness of how important it is to support locally.”


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Monday, May 18, 2015
Morgan Stanley has lowered its growth forecast for global smartphone shipments in 2015, citing weaker than expected markets in China and South America.
Taiwan's HTC Corp. has no plans to launch a downsized version of its One M9 flagship smartphone because the market is witnessing a move towards larger screen sizes.
Sunday, May 17, 2015
Chinese yuan-dominated deposits held by banks operating in Taiwan hit a new high as of the end of April, according to the Central Bank of the Republic of China.
Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. (鴻海), the world's largest contract electronics maker, got a boost to its earnings from an improvement in its product portfolio, which brought better-than-expected results for the first quarter of this year, market analysts said Saturday.
Taiwan is likely to post negative growth in export orders for April, mainly due to a slowdown in the global handheld device market, the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) said Saturday.
Integrated circuit design companies in Taiwan have increased wages in a bid to to prevent brain drain, as competitors in China have been recruiting Taiwanese talent, market analysts said Saturday.
Taiwan Ratings (中華信評), a local partner of Standard & Poor's Ratings, has affirmed the credit ratings of CTBC Financial Holding Co. (中信金), which recently decided to acquire a life insurance company.
The U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) has found that Taiwan's steel nail exporters have not been violating U.S. anti-subsidy rules, the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) said Saturday.
Saturday, May 16, 2015
Local fast food chains will take the biggest hit if an outbreak of bird flu in the United States worsens, as it could require a comprehensive ban on chicken imports from that country, the Council of Agriculture (COA) said Friday.
Wistron Corp. (緯創), one of Taiwan's leading contract electronics makers, said Friday that its net profit for the first quarter rose more than 24 percent from a quarter earlier thanks to a fall in operating costs.


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What better way to ruin the mood ahead of Fitbit’s upcoming IPO than a massive lawsuit? That’s exactly what the company’s biggest rival, Jawbone, did when it accused Fitbit of “systematically plundering Jawbone employees” and stealing “critical trade secrets and intellectual property” from Jawbone.
Close to what should be one of the biggest events of Fitbit’s life — its initial public offering of stock — the maker of wearable health trackers is facing an unexpected challenge: a lawsuit from one of its biggest competitors. Jawbone sued Fitbit in California State Court here on Wednesday, accusing its rival of “systematically plundering” confidential information by hiring Jawbone employees who improperly downloaded sensitive materials shortly before leaving. “This case arises out of the clandestine efforts of Fitbit to steal talent, trade secrets and intellectual property from its chief competitor,” lawyers for Jawbone wrote in the complaint. The legal action is an unusual twist for Fitbit, which this month filed for an initial public offering, a move meant to take advantage of huge demand for wearable devices. Fitbit’s trackers, as well as a range of offerings like Jawbone’s Up bands and the Apple Watch, have drawn users eager to document and quantify ever more aspects of their health.


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USPS warns against using blue drop boxes
ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - United States Postal Service officials have issued a warning to avoid sending valuables through blue mail drop boxes.
According to officials, it is important to put your mail in before the last collection of the day to make sure letters aren’t stolen overnight.
Officials say a more secure option is to hand your mail to a postal carrier or take it directly to the post office.
It is important to avoid sending any cash through the mail during the holiday season.
“The consequences for mail theft can be up to five years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine for your first offense,” said Paul Shade, United States Postal Inspector.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service says if you believe that you’re a victim of mail theft, report the issue to officials online and contact your local police department.
Copyright 2022 WANF. All rights reserved.


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Did Apple Just Do That? Charging Upgrade for iOS Devices Gets Leaked
With the excitement around the next iteration of the Apple iOS 16 coming up in June, a recent support document posted by Apple reveals that another change is in the works. Apple smartphone, smartwatch and tablet users may be able to charge their devices much more conveniently than before, thanks to what may be an upcoming dual USB-C 35W charger. The change is expected to move Apple closer to Android device makers in making quick charges a norm for their users.
9to5Mac.com reported on 8 April 2022 that the impending change is mentioned deep in a support document Apple posted, and then quickly removed. The document specifically mentions something called “the Apple 35W Dual USB-C Port Power Adapter” and how to charge devices using it. If such a device is in the works, the site reported, this will be a milestone for Apple, which has never released a dual USB-C charger of any kind. It potentially lets users charge various combinations of the company’s devices with enough wattage to accommodate their power demands.
The report came with a couple of caveats, though. The fact that Apple took down the document shortly after posting it may mean that the device may have been in the works but eventually scrapped. And of course, we do not know when the new charger will be released, if ever. The report noted that this may also confirm some rumours that Apple was entering the market for GaN (gallium nitride) chargers with USB-C ports. GaN chargers for iOS devices and Macs are faster than the USB-C wall chargers Apple currently sells, and they are currently available from third-party suppliers.
The apparent leak comes as Apple watchers are looking forward to the launch of the iPhone 14 and 14 Pro later this year. Also, Apple’s announcement of the WWDC 2022 dates (10-16 June) means that we will hear more in June about their upcoming iOS 16 update. So far, the only credible rumours at this time are that models older than the iPhone 7 will not be able to upgrade to it and that the new iPhone 14 models will have it installed.
However, a new wall charger that promises to deliver faster charging for multiple devices may well be a huge game-changer for Apple. More users of electronic devices, including smartphones and tablets, rely on apps and other features that consume power like one quickly drains a glass of water when in 40°C weather. Device makers and other third-party vendors have been working on ways people can charge their devices and not lose a lot of time in the process. For example, there has been a strong market for fast charging devices and associated chargers in recent years, as evidenced in this review from the New York Times. According to this device manufacturer, the industry charging power standard is 5W and fast charging devices and chargers supposedly aim to exceed that.
If industry-leader Apple is finally embracing the fast charging future, however, would anything above 5W be the new normal soon? We will see, and until then, our high-capacity battery packs and GaN wall chargers will be there just in case.
A leaked support document, which Apple quickly pulled after posting for some time, reveals that the company may be preparing to launch a new dual USB-C 35W wall charger sometime in the future.
The new wall charger, if it is indeed happening, will mark Apple’s first major entry in the “fast charging” charger field, possibly gaining ground from third-party vendors making such devices for its iOS products.
The news comes as Apple has announced dates for the upcoming WWDC 2022 conference (6-10 June), where more details of the iOS 16 upgrade will be disclosed.


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Singtel wins Singapore Retailers Association's Achievement in Customer Excellence (ACE) Platinum award
Singapore, 31 January 2017 - Singtel has won the Singapore Retailers Association’s Achievement in Customer Excellence (ACE) Platinum award, coming out tops in the telecommunications sector. ACE is Singapore’s first omni-channel award for the retail industry that covers brick and mortar stores, social media engagement, shopping websites, and more. It aims to set industry benchmarks for service delivery across sales platforms.
ACE performance evaluations are conducted via mystery shoppers, who are sent to retailers’ outlets and online stores to assess key service attributes including staff appearance, product presentation, email responsiveness and etiquette.
According to the judging panel, Singtel stood out from four other competitors for its elevated in-store service experience. Singtel achieved top placing for its proactive approaches to in-store greetings, professionalism and warmth in wrapping up transactions, complemented by in-store design and ambience.
Singtel was also lauded for its customer-centric innovations such as Book-a-Store-Appointment and Collect @ Store. Singtel’s Book-a-Store-Appointment allows customers to book their preferred appointment times with Singtel Shops via singtel.com or My Singtel app. With the recently launched Collect @ Store, customers who purchase their devices on singtelshop.com can now enjoy same-day pick up at any Singtel Shop.
Mr Yuen Kuan Moon, Chief Executive Officer, Consumer Singapore, Singtel, said, “We are pleased to earn industry recognition with SRA’s Platinum ACE award. In addition to our immersive in-store journey and excellent service, we also offer our digitally savvy customers convenient buying options, such as Collect @ Store. Singtel will continue to invest in integrating all channels to deliver a truly omni- channel solution that will provide our customers with an enhanced seamless online and offline shopping experience.”
Mr Anthony Gan, Executive Director, Singapore Retailers Association (SRA) said, “Retail service excellence must grow in tandem with today’s well-heeled and sophisticated customers, who will accept no less than good customer service. Singtel, as the leading telco in Singapore, has taken the lead to revolutionise and elevate customer experience in its commendable retail transformation efforts. Its drive towards service excellence has borne fruit with Singtel reaping the SRA Platinum ACE (SRA’s mystery shopping programme) across two straight cycles of SRA ACE Programme. SRA congratulates Singtel and is happy to partner Singtel in its journey to service excellence.”
Singtel has eight Singtel Shops and 58 Singtel Exclusive Retailers located across Singapore. In the digital space, Singtel offers online shopping via singtelshop.com and innovative services such as Collect @ Store and Book-a-Store-Appointment so customers can shop and collect their purchases at their convenience.


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April 18, 2004 |
After a two-year lull, start-ups seem to be back in fashion in the advertising world. And the fashion has spread to the media specialist arena as well. A few months ago, Meenakshi, the former CEO of Carat India, set up her own media audit firm. This month, Tapan Pal, the former president and CEO of Zenith Optimedia has launched his own media planning and buying agency, Absolute Media. The new shop will have a strategic tie-up with Delhi-based advertising agency InCommunications (Inc)
April 23, 2003
Bajaj Consumer Care Ltd. has shifted its advertising and AOR (Agency of Record) account from Leo Burnett to FCB Ulka. With this move, Bajaj Consumer Care is looking to revive its two flagship brands?Bajaj Brahmi Amla and Bajaj Almond Drops Hair oil, a newspaper report said. While Bajaj Almond Drops does not have a campaign running at present, in the case of Bajaj Brahmi Amla, there is a running commercial that uses the Ghanana song from the film, Lagaan, to communicate the benefit of "faster and thicker" hair.
June 3, 2011 |
NEW DELHI: Percept Media, the media planning and buying arm of entertainment marketing firm Percept Ltd on Friday said it has inked a strategic alliance with Pointlogic - an integrated marketing communications firm. Under the alliance, Percept and Pointlogic will launch integrated services to deliver better returns-on-investments for marketers across traditional advertising and social media, Percept said in a statement. The services will include mapping returns-on-investment of media spends, determining budgets, insights into effects of marketing decisions like price and distribution, and so on. Percept Media CEO Shripad Kulkarni said in a statement: "This alliance will help brands to review effectiveness of their past campaigns and optimize future communications.
March 2, 2004 |
NEW DELHI: Home and outdoor appliance major Electrolux Kelvinator Ltd (EKL), a subsidiary of the Electrolux Group has appointed Optimum Media Solutions (OMS), the media specialist company of Mudra Communications, as its media planning and buying agency. The business is pegged to be in tune of Rs 20-30 crore. The business moves from Group M's Maximize India. The creative business of Electrolux worth Rs 35 crore is already with advertising agency, Mudra, which had won the business in late November last year.
December 22, 2003 |
With mass advertisers shifting their focus towards non traditional media to improve their top lines, the media planning and buying specialist Group M India (part of WPP Group) is increasingly investing in developing expertise in non traditional media solutions. In an interview with Economictimes.com, Ashutosh Srivastava, the managing director of Group M Mindshare India informs that the non traditional media is going to contribute two-third of Group M's business globally by year 2007.
April 24, 2002 |
HE'S BEEN in the driver's ? or at least the navigator's seat ? of the Volkswagen Beetle's ad strategy. So what James Best has to say on the cult of the brand comes from personal experience ? and some strategic insight, too. A sneak preview: "Cults display an intensity of relationship between the user and the brand itself. They are brands which polarise attitudes and where meaning is created by difference, by being distinctive. They cannot be all things to all people. They must exclude some people.
April 24, 2009 |
NEW DELHI: The media industry, among the first to see revenue dry up due to the economic slowdown, is expected to be one of the major beneficiaries of this election for which ad spend is pegged at around Rs 800 crore. Experts say the total advertisement spending by the political parties would be around Rs 800 crore. The Congress and the BJP alone could spend over Rs 400 crore on ads on television, radio and newspapers. The major political parties are spending a significant portion of their poll budget on advertisements.
June 16, 2010 |
NEW DELHI: A bitter, no-holds-barred fight has erupted between Reckitt Benckiser and the advertising industry over the consumer goods company's decision to impose a string of riders, including a demand for payments, on a media buying pitch. Some of the country's biggest media buying agencies have rejected Reckitt's demands for up to Rs 4 lakh while making a pitch and compensation for a drop in television ratings, saying these are not only unprecedented but also 'unacceptable and ridiculous'.
February 21, 2007 |
Through the last couple of years, clients and media agencies have been struggling with the move away from exposure-driven models of media measurement. Engagement remains the next big buzzword, and agencies are going further afield than ever before to be able to quantify this rather obtuse concept. For Starcom, the answer appears to be a combination of disciplines, throwing classic account planning and media planning into the mix, overseen by people with fairly atypical backgrounds — research and anthropology, to name just a couple.
August 1, 2003 |
Media planning and buying, considered ad agencies' lifeline to the future, is facing a serious talent crunch. Middle-level managers, seeing little scope for growth apart from poor remuneration, are dumping their jobs for 'different' callings. Surprisingly, media buying agencies blame themselves for their plight. "Except for poaching talent from one another, we have done little to develop new talent pools," says Chintamani Rao, head Universal McCann, the media specialist arm of McCann Erickson.


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Arby’s Restaurant Group said on Wednesday that its same-store sales rose 9.6 percent in the third quarter ended Sept. 30, as the chain’s product pipeline and edgy marketing kept the company’s momentum going for a 20th consecutive quarter.
Arby’s sales outperformed the quick-service restaurant category by 7.4 percentage points, according to category data from the research firm NPD Group. That was the 11th straight quarter the 3,300-unit Atlanta-based concept outperformed its peers.
It was also the 20th straight quarter of same-store sales growth for the chain, which is owned by Roark Capital.
“Arby’s momentum in 2015 is driven by our proven formula of product innovation, breakthrough marketing and ‘make it right’ service culture,” Paul Brown, CEO of Arby’s, said in a statement. “I’m particularly pleased that the majority of our sales growth this quarter was driven by an increase in transactions, a key indicator of a vibrant and growing brand.
“We continue to see our long-time Arby’s fans visit our restaurants more often, in addition to new guests experiencing our deli-inspired delicious sandwiches for the first time.”
Arby’s has generated strong sales in recent years on the back of a product pipeline that has produced a string of winning sandwiches, including the brisket sandwich and, more recently, its sliders. The chain recently said it sold 29 million sliders in September, or about 1 million per day — including nearly 1,500 one day at a single location in Alabama.
The company also cited its “brand visibility,” which included a “Vegetarian Support hotline” to “protect vegetarians from the urges of the brand’s new Brown Sugar Bacon.” The chain also took advantage of constant ribbing from former Daily Show Host Jon Stewart during his recent retirement.
In addition, Arby’s said the company’s training program has improved service. And the chain has kicked off its remodeling program, and is on track to remodel 160 locations and build 60 new restaurants this year.
The chain’s goal is to generate $4 billion in systemwide sales by the end of 2018. For the first nine months of the year, the chain’s same-store sales have risen 8.9 percent.


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Electronic Arts and National Football League Join Forces on Largest Esports Event in Madden NFL Franchise History
It’s a testament to the growth of esports that the NFL joined forces with EA Games to launch a half-time show for the Madden Bowl Final.
Electronic Arts Inc. and the NFL showcased the entertainment power of esports with the EA SPORTS Ultimate Madden Bowl Final this week.
The event marked the end of the Madden NFL 22 Championship Series and is the biggest Madden NFL esports event in franchise history with record media distribution for the competition.
The premiere of the Ultimate Madden Bowl Halftime Show featured Madden NFL 22 soundtrack artist and multi-platinum musician Moneybagg Yo, along with special guest Blocboy JB, as they elevate the esports event.
“I’ve played Madden all my life and have always been a fan of their legendary soundtracks,” said Moneybagg Yo. “Now, to have the opportunity to perform in the first-ever Ultimate Madden Bowl Halftime Show is a full-circle moment for me, and I’m grateful for the platform.”
The Ultimate Madden Bowl Final was available on EA Madden NFL Twitch, Madden NFL Championship Series YouTube, NFL YouTube, Watch ESPN, and the ESPN App. Additionally, in a first-of-its-kind partnership, anyone could listen live on the iHeartRadio App EA SPORTS Madden NFL channel for free. Also for the first time, fans watched through the eyes of football greats as Chargers’ Derwin James Jr., Ravens’ Marquise “Hollywood” Brown, and ESPN NFL analyst Marcus Spears headlining a special exclusive broadcast on @NFL Twitter, as well as the free ad-supported NFL Channel available on VIZIO WatchFree+, Tubi+, Peacock, and Pluto TV.
Following the Feb. 8 broadcasts, EA SPORTS and ESPN kick off Super Bowl LVI weekend with the exclusive Ultimate Madden Bowl ESPN Special, a unique presentation of the esports final. ESPN will air the broadcast on Friday, Feb. 11, at 8:30 pm ET, which marks the Madden NFL Championship Series debut on the channel. The program will re-air once again on Sunday, Feb. 13, at 9 am ET.
“Competition and entertainment are at the root of EA’s long-term belief in the power of esports,” said Anthony Stevenson, Senior Vice President of Strategic Growth Brand for Electronic Arts. “It’s amazing to celebrate our Madden NFL Championship Series finale with such incredible partners, talent, and distribution.”
“The Ultimate Madden Bowl athlete broadcast provides a first-ever opportunity to bring a Madden NFL esports storyline to the NFL fan in a way told by some of their favorite NFL players and Legends,” said Joe Ruggiero, Senior Vice President of Consumer Products at the NFL. “Working with EA provides the opportunity to connect with the next generation of fans who have consistently shown a desire to engage in interactive, digital experiences. Tonight’s Ultimate Madden Bowl cast is the perfect example of an authentic way we are customizing esports content with the NFL fan in mind.”
Live from the Madden NFL Championship Series state-of-the-art virtual set, the Ultimate Madden Bowl Final broadcast pitted 7th-ranked Wesley vs. top-seeded Henry with a $1 million prize purse majority share on the line. NFL Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez voiced the show open, reprising the role he served throughout the Ultimate Madden Bowl competition.
Madden NFL 22 is developed in Orlando and Madrid by EA Tiburon and is available worldwide for Sony PlayStation4, Sony PlayStation5, Microsoft Xbox One, Microsoft Xbox Series X|S, PC via Origin and Steam, and Google Stadia.


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T-Mobile HTC Sensation 4G Due By June 15
T-Mobile’s biggest and baddest Android phone to date, the Sensation 4G, is due in stores on or before June 15th. The HTC handset runs Android 2.3 and features powerful specs such as a dual-core 1.2GHz processor, 8-megapixel camera, and a gorgeous 4.3-inch qHD display. Other details include a front-facing VGA camera, 8GB pre-loaded microSD card, and DLNA support. The Sensation 4G runs $199.99 after a $50 mail-in-rebate with a two-year service agreement.
In terms of software, the HTC phone comes loaded with a handful of goodies:
- HTC Watch: A library of the latest, premium movies and TV shows available for rent or purchase using innovative progressive download technology
- HTC Listen: A VIP pass to a library of millions of songs with the freedom to transfer purchases to another device or computer
- T-Mobile TV: A free selection of live and on-demand TV including news, sports and kids programming, plus full episodes of popular shows
- T-Mobile Video Chat powered by Qik: Video conversations with friends and family through T-Mobile’s network and over Wi-Fi
- Slacker Radio: Free, personalized radio with over 150 genre stations and the ability to create your own stations
Find more information on the Sensation 4G at T-Mobile.com
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We first talked about the lawsuit between Google and Oracle a while back, to refresh your memory, Oracle after acquiring Sun Micro filed suit against Google saying that the search giant infringed on their Java property a total of seven times. Back in Android’s beginning, Google decided to write their own Java machine, Dalvik to avoid licensing fees. Indeed one of the reasons that Oracle bought Sun Micro was that they could bleed Google of some large amounts, as stated by past Sun employees who were part of the process of sale to Oracle. Now the latest salvo in the ongoing court case has been fired at Google. The target? 50% of their ad revenues on the Android mobile platform.
Another day, another Nexus article. First it was the “Nexus Two“, and now it’s the “Nexus S”. According to the guys over at Phandroid, the Nexus S appeared on BestBuy
A few weeks back, we first reported on an update that was rumored for the Droid Incredible. While it might not be the Froyo update you guys were hoping for,


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Melissa Blake is a woman with a genetic bone disorder called Freeman-Sheldon Syndrome. She always had the dream to be a model but was told it would never be a reality because of her disability. Years later, she got to model at New York Fashion Week.
Melissa Blake is a journalist who covers stories on disabilities, relationships, lifestyle, and pop culture. Blake was born with Freeman-Sheldon Syndrome, a genetic bone and muscular disorder.
The journalist has had about 26 surgeries on her knees, hands, hips, and spine. Despite the challenges of her condition, Blake always dreamed of being a model. She said she grew up reading all the famous glossy magazines but never saw people who looked like her.
However, when Blake was a teenager, someone shut down her dreams and told her she would never become a model because she was disabled. The negative remarks stayed with her for many years.
The discouragement was more than a way of shutting down her dreams. It was also heartbreaking that it perpetuated the narrowed thinking of disabled people not having a place in the fashion and beauty industry.
Blake did not know that she would soon become one of the people who helped change the narrative of disabled people in the fashion industry. Twenty years later, the 42-year-old saw her dream become a reality.
She walked the runway during New York Fashion Week and modeled the new adaptive clothing line for Zappos. Since Blake was modeling during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, she got to be part of a big transitional moment in the world.
Although the journalist agreed that the pandemic was a vulnerable time for disabled people, leaving them with limited access to health care and other necessities, she emphasized that a reformation of beauty standards was long awaited. So she was proud to be one of the faces of this change in the fashion world.
The journalist was thrilled about the moment and seeing the fashion industry become more inclusive. Looking back at how beauty magazines only represented a certain type of woman, she was pleased to see non-profit organizations like Runway of Dreams started by Mindy Scheier.
Scheier’s son was born with muscular dystrophy. When he got older, he wanted to wear clothes similar to people his age but realized that he struggled with the buttons and zips on them.
It became clear that there was not enough clothing that was functional and fashionable for disabled people. Therefore, Scheier’s organization uses events like New York Fashion Week to promote inclusive clothing. Although Blake looks up to people like Scheier, she also uses her Blog, “So About What I Said…” to speak about the experience of finding love as a person living with disabilities.
She has shared her insights with other trusted sites like Psychology Today. The title is also about allowing people to go back and explain or rectify wrong things that could have been said at the wrong time.
During the last round of trollgate, people said that I should be banned from posting photos of myself because I’m too ugly. So I’d just like to commemorate the occasion with these 3 selfies… 📸😉👋🏻 pic.twitter.com/9ZuSYFOtwv— Melissa Blake (@melissablake) September 7, 2019
Blake is constantly standing up to online bullies. In 2019, the blogger shared three pictures. In the caption, she said “During the last round of trollgate, people said that I should be banned from posting photos of myself because I’m too ugly,” to spite the negative commenters.
Her tweet went viral, and three years later, Blake looked back at it and commemorated it with another clap back, “Because of you, I blossomed instead of withered, took up space instead of hid. I’m still standing…and rolling!” she wrote.
🎉 HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY VIRAL TWEET 🎉— Melissa Blake (@melissablake) September 8, 2021
Can’t believe my viral tweet turned two years old today! The most unexpected moment and I’d like to thank the trolls…
Because of you, I blossomed instead of withered, took up space instead of hid. I’m still standing…and rolling! 📸❤✨ pic.twitter.com/V15uWIWMOT
Regardless of what people say about her, Blake is determined to create inclusive spaces through her various platforms and award-winning blog.
Here is a story about a woman who felt ugly but grew up to be a model with a 100lb foot.


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The Labor Department said Wednesday that the producer price index, which measures the cost of goods and services before they reach the consumer, rose 0.4 percent last month. The increase follows a 0.2 percent decrease in May.
Airbus has advised airliners to test noisy doors on the world's largest passenger airliner, the A380, after identifying a problem with the door seal that could lead to a drop in cabin pressure.
The United Arab Emirates, already home to the world's tallest tower, is now reaching for the stars, with plans to send the first Arab spaceship to Mars in 2021.
The modest gain underscored manufacturing's role in helping return the economy to growth after a grim first quarter.
3M will take full control of its Sumitomo subsidiary by acquiring the 25 percent of the company that it doesn't already own for $885 million.
BMW is expanding a recall of its most popular models to fix a growing air bag problem that is hitting much of the auto industry.
The company said Tuesday that prices for ingredients such as cocoa, dairy and nuts have risen since the beginning of the year, and it expects increases for packaging, fuel and other costs.
General Motors has proposed investing $27 million at a southern Indiana casting plant for machinery, equipment and tooling needed to produce aluminum engine blocks.
Toyota Motor Corp. said it expects to delay the delivery of about 23,000 vehicles by up to a month while it cleans up soot spewed from a Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corp. plant in central Japan.
Mulally, 68, retired from Ford at the end of June. Over the winter, he was rumored to be in the running for the top job at Microsoft Corp., but it went to an internal candidate.
Apple is teaming up with former nemesis IBM in an attempt to sell more iPhones and iPads to corporate customers and government agencies.
Tennessee leaders downplayed the often public wrangling over organized labor's role at Volkswagen's Chattanooga factory, focusing on the company's recent announcement that it would add a new line there to produce a seven-passenger SUV.
Small business owners in Delaware are eligible for an expanded tax credit with the signing of a new law by Gov. Jack Markell.
Frito-Lay, the snack division of PepsiCo Inc., will announce on Wednesday the coffee-flavored chips as one of the four finalists for its second annual "Do Us a Flavor" contest in the U.S.
The U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration has agreed to pay $1 million to settle a lawsuit over the deaths of two miners in a 2006 fire at an underground coal mine in West Virginia, according to court documents.
The aircraft-leasing firm CIT Group Inc. has ordered 10 Boeing 787 passenger jets with a list price of $2.5 billion, Boeing said Tuesday.
New York state is teaming with General Electric and other companies on a $500 million initiative to spur research and development in miniature electronic components.
With some no bigger than a hummingbird, the hottest things at this week's Farnborough International Airshow are tiny compared with the titans of the sky, such as the Airbus 380 or the Boeing Dreamliner.
Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen said Tuesday that the economic recovery is not yet complete and for that reason the Fed intends to keep providing significant support to boost growth and improve labor market conditions.
That frosty tide of smooth, golden brown craft beer has finally come in, and it's helping to quench this drought-stricken state's thirst for jobs and economic development.


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The Globe and Mail: Canada’s aging work force at root of national labour shortage
CBC: Everything inflation: It’s not just gas and food anymore — and wages aren’t keeping up
Financial Post: Businesses expect slower sales in short term as cost, labour issues persist: survey
Businesses expect subdued sales in the short term as they face continued cost and labour pressures, despite slowing inflation, according to a survey by the Canadian Chamber of Commerce.
The Sudbury Star: Expect some pain in 2023, economist tells Sudbury chamber
With record high inflation and rising inflation rates, economist Stephen Tapp isn’t anticipating a painless solution to 2023’s likely recession.


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WATCH: Australian firm unveils high-speed flying race car
Alauda Aeronautics, a pioneering Australian startup, has revealed the Airspeeder Mk4, a race car that takes off and lands vertically (VTOL).
According to the company, the car is capable of accelerating to a maximum speed of 360 km/h in just 30 seconds from a standstill.
Unlike its remotely-piloted predecessor, the Mk3, Mk4 is designed to be driven or piloted by a human operator.
The Airspeeder is powered by a “Thunderstrike Hydrogen Turbogenerator,” which utilizes hydrogen fuel to generate power for the batteries and engines. The generator is capable of producing up to 1,340 horsepower and has a range of over 300 kilometers on a single charge.
A flight controller, which independently adjusts four rotor pairs in a gimbaled thrust system, assists the Mk4’s pilot. According to Alauda, the Mk4 has a handling that resembles a jet fighter or an F1 car more than a multi-copter.
According to Matt Pearson, CEO of Alauda Aeronautics, eVTOLs (electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicles) are already a trillion-dollar industry, and a significant market for private flying cars is expected to emerge in the near future.
Pearson predicts that once the production costs of VOTL cars are reduced, they will become more common commercial vehicles. He also believes that the potential for individuals to own and operate their flying cars is enormous, much like private cars outnumber taxis by about 300 to one.
Overall, the Airspeeder Mk4 is a remarkable achievement that demonstrates how rapidly the flying car industry is advancing. Its creators hope that it will be an exciting addition to the future of racing, transportation, and private aviation.


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CatchFood app launches early as a public service during COVID-19 crisis
A new five free mobile application has been launched to help Middle East to get pick up ordering during the coronavirus emergency. The app, CatchFood Online, will help restaurant owners manage online orders and dispatch deliveries food.
The app has been developed for the restaurant and Small Business in middle east as Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Jordan,and Iraq, on-demand technology service provider.
“We were planning to launch our app this summer, but the current coronavirus crisis has pushed our team to an early release,”catchfood Online Founder and CEO Ahmad A. Najar said. “The service will be free during this crisis. We only ask the public to stay at home and check the menus to order through the free service.”
Catchfood Online has an active of registering 500 restaurants in three weeks.
“The app is a public service in the Middle east,” restaurant and Small Business. Founder catch food. “ We encourage restaurant owners to contact the team of catch food Online ordering, upload their menu and start using the app and website. It is an easy way to bring all restaurant to the digital on-demand world and the safest way is to order food online from home”
Restaurant owners can register for free by visiting the website by the catchfood.com register a new merchant. People can download the catchfood Online mobile app from Google Play or the App Store or by visiting catch food.
“We are happy to help the restaurants to active this service,” Ahmad A. Najar Founder and CEO. “catchfood seeks to become a partner in solving on-demand ordering pick up and delivery issues during this moment of crisis.”


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|By Marketwired .||
|January 13, 2014 09:03 AM EST||
CHICAGO, IL -- (Marketwired) -- 01/13/14 -- This year at the 43rd Annual Barrett-Jackson Auction in Scottsdale, AZ, attendees will have the opportunity to see some original, eye-catching cars and even enter for the chance to take one home! To celebrate the nationwide launch of its new STA-BIL® 360 degrees Protection Ethanol Fuel Treatment and Stabilizer ("STA-BIL 360 degrees"), STA-BIL® is partnering with Velocity TV's hit show, Car Fix, to kick off the "STA-BIL 360 degrees Custom Car Sweepstakes." One lucky person will win a reimagined custom 1971 Chevrolet Camaro, built by Car Fix hosts, Jared Zimmerman and Lou Santiago. Winner will also win a trip for two to the 2014 SEMA Show in Las Vegas, where the car will be presented to them.
"We love dreaming up new ways to rebuild cars and had a blast getting our hands dirty rebuilding the 1971 Camaro for the STA-BIL 360 degrees sweepstakes," said Jared Zimmerman. "This muscle car is indescribably beautiful with every detail considered, and the winner is going to have one hot ride to cruise around in!"
The dramatic rebuilding of the Camaro will be featured on Car Fix in a four-part series that will air on Velocity TV in February. Viewers will have the opportunity to witness the Camaro's hands-on transformation into a muscle dream car. The custom 1971 Chevrolet Camaro Muscle Car will be on display at Barrett-Jackson at the Gold Eagle Co. booth, located on Rig Row outside WestWorld pavilion near the pre-staging lanes for fans to enjoy. Plus, Car Fix host, Jared Zimmerman, will make an appearance at the booth on Saturday, January 18 from 12-3 pm to talk with fans about the car build and sign autographs from 12-12:30 pm.
"We're proud to partner with Car Fix and its hosts, Jared and Lou, to create the ultimate muscle car in celebration of our new STA-BIL 360 degrees formula and are really impressed with the result," said Marc Blackman, president and CEO of Gold Eagle Co. "Rolling out at stores nationwide this month, STA-BIL 360 degrees delivers the first ever comprehensive corrosion protection, ensuring classic car lovers can rest easy knowing their engines will be running at peak performance for years to come."
To keep engines in great shape, STA-BIL 360 degrees is the first ethanol treatment to deliver comprehensive corrosion protection above and below the fuel line through revolutionary, new chemistry. To meet the demands of consumers seeking ultimate performance, STA-BIL scientists developed this innovative product to deliver comprehensive corrosion protection. When added to fuel, STA-BIL 360 degrees releases a vapor inside the fuel system that coats all metal parts including the fuel tank, fuel sending unit, valves, carburetor, fuel injectors and intake manifold. Offering 360 degrees corrosion protection, STA-BIL 360 degrees is safe and recommended for use in all types of gasoline from ethanol-free fuel to E85 blends.
The STA-BIL 360 degrees Custom Car Sweepstakes will run from now through August 31, 2014. The winner will be announced live on a special 2 hour airing of Car Fix on Saturday, October 11, and the car will be officially presented to the winner at SEMA 2014. To enter the sweepstakes, visit http://velocity.com/customcarsweeps to complete the online entry form. To find or learn more about STA-BIL 360 degrees and other STA-BIL products, please visit sta-bil360.com, sta-bil.com or facebook.com/STABILBrand. Car Fix airs on Velocity. For programming information, please visit Velocity.com.
About Gold Eagle Co.
For more than 80 years, Gold Eagle® Co. has been an industry pioneer in the production and distribution of aftermarket fluids and additives. We create products that help preserve, protect and enhance the performance of engines everywhere. We are a leader in the product development, manufacturing, marketing, and distribution of branded engine performance and maintenance chemicals. Privately held and headquartered in Chicago, Gold Eagle Co. is the manufacturer of leading brands, including STA-BIL® Fuel Stabilizer, HEET® Gas-Line Antifreeze, NO LEAK® Treatments, 104+® Octane Boost, Start Your Engines!®, DieselPower!® Diesel Additives, 303® Aerospace Protectant and 303® Fabric Guard. To view our complete line of Gold Eagle products or learn more about the Company, please visit http://www.goldeagle.com or "like" our STA-BIL, 303 Products, Start Your Engines! or Engine Answerman pages on Facebook. For product questions, please call us at 800-621-1251 or follow us on Twitter @GoldEagleHelp.
All trademarks, service marks and trade names, including STA-BIL®, HEET®, Start Your Engines! ®, NO LEAK®, ALUMASEAL®, Gold Eagle®, DieselPower! ®, Golden Touch®, 104+®, Cool Rides Online® and 303® Products used herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of Gold Eagle Co. The aforesaid families of related marks, images and symbols are the exclusive properties and trademarks of Gold Eagle Co. Any other product or company names mentioned herein are the trademarks of their respective owners.
About The Barrett-Jackson Auction Company
Established in 1971 and headquartered in Scottsdale, Ariz., Barrett-Jackson, the world's leading collector car auction and automotive lifestyle event, specializes in providing products and services to astute classic and collector car owners and automotive enthusiasts around the world. The company produces The World's Greatest Collector Car Auctions in Scottsdale, Ariz., Palm Beach, Fla., Reno Tahoe, Nev. and Las Vegas, Nev., where hundreds of world's most sought-after, unique and valuable automobiles cross the block in front of a global audience. Barrett-Jackson also endorses a one-of-a-kind collector car insurance offering for collector vehicles and other valued belongings. With an unprecedented expert staff, including Craig Jackson, Steve Davis and Gary Bennett who have over 130 years of combined experience in the automotive field, Barrett-Jackson offers the most diverse and desirable inventory accompanied with trustworthy and transparent customer service. More information about Barrett-Jackson, including details on expanded television coverage on the FOX family of networks which includes the National Geographic channel, can be found at www.barrett-jackson.com, or by calling (480) 421-6694. 'Like' us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter @Barrett_Jackson.
Image Available: http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/frame_mw?attachid=2493819
Gold Eagle Co.
As pervasive as cloud technology is -- and as persuasive as the arguments are for using it -- the cloud has its limits. Some companies will always have security concerns about storing data in the cloud and certain high-transaction applications will always be better suited for on-premises storage. Those statements were among the bottom-line takeaways delivered at Cloud Expo this week, a three day, bi-annual event focused on cloud technologies, adoption and associated challenges.
Apr. 27, 2017 08:45 AM EDT Reads: 4,007
The age of Digital Disruption is evolving into the next era – Digital Cohesion, an age in which applications securely self-assemble and deliver predictive services that continuously adapt to user behavior. Information from devices, sensors and applications around us will drive services seamlessly across mobile and fixed devices/infrastructure. This evolution is happening now in software defined services and secure networking. Four key drivers – Performance, Economics, Interoperability and Trust ...
Apr. 27, 2017 08:45 AM EDT Reads: 694
SYS-CON Events announced today that Hitachi, the leading provider the Internet of Things and Digital Transformation, will exhibit at SYS-CON's 20th International Cloud Expo®, which will take place on June 6-8, 2017, at the Javits Center in New York City, NY. Hitachi Data Systems, a wholly owned subsidiary of Hitachi, Ltd., offers an integrated portfolio of services and solutions that enable digital transformation through enhanced data management, governance, mobility and analytics. We help globa...
Apr. 27, 2017 08:45 AM EDT Reads: 1,220
DevOps is often described as a combination of technology and culture. Without both, DevOps isn't complete. However, applying the culture to outdated technology is a recipe for disaster; as response times grow and connections between teams are delayed by technology, the culture will die. A Nutanix Enterprise Cloud has many benefits that provide the needed base for a true DevOps paradigm. In his Day 3 Keynote at 20th Cloud Expo, Chris Brown, a Solutions Marketing Manager at Nutanix, will explore t...
Apr. 27, 2017 08:45 AM EDT Reads: 755
DevOps is often described as a combination of technology and culture. Without both, DevOps isn't complete. However, applying the culture to outdated technology is a recipe for disaster; as response times grow and connections between teams are delayed by technology, the culture will die. A Nutanix Enterprise Cloud has many benefits that provide the needed base for a true DevOps paradigm.
Apr. 27, 2017 08:00 AM EDT Reads: 977
SYS-CON Events announced today that Hitachi Data Systems, a wholly owned subsidiary of Hitachi LTD., will exhibit at SYS-CON's 20th International Cloud Expo®, which will take place on June 6-8, 2017, at the Javits Center in New York City. Hitachi Data Systems (HDS) will be featuring the Hitachi Content Platform (HCP) portfolio. This is the industry’s only offering that allows organizations to bring together object storage, file sync and share, cloud storage gateways, and sophisticated search an...
Apr. 27, 2017 08:00 AM EDT Reads: 575
While some vendors scramble to create and sell you a fancy solution for monitoring your spanking new Amazon Lambdas, hear how you can do it on the cheap using just built-in Java APIs yourself. By exploiting a little-known fact that Lambdas aren’t exactly single threaded, you can effectively identify hot spots in your serverless code. In his session at 20th Cloud Expo, David Martin, Principal Product Owner at CA Technologies, will give a live demonstration and code walkthrough, showing how to o...
Apr. 27, 2017 07:15 AM EDT Reads: 591
SYS-CON Events announced today that CollabNet, a global leader in enterprise software development, release automation and DevOps solutions, will be a Bronze Sponsor of SYS-CON's 20th International Cloud Expo®, taking place from June 6-8, 2017, at the Javits Center in New York City, NY. CollabNet offers a broad range of solutions with the mission of helping modern organizations deliver quality software at speed. The company’s latest innovation, the DevOps Lifecycle Manager (DLM), supports Value S...
Apr. 27, 2017 07:00 AM EDT Reads: 1,072
"Peak 10 is a national cloud data center solutions managed services provider, and part of that is disaster recovery. We see a growing trend in the industry where companies are coming to us looking for assistance in their DR strategy," stated Andrew Cole, Director of Solutions Engineering at Peak 10, in this SYS-CON.tv interview at 18th Cloud Expo, held June 7-9, 2016, at the Javits Center in New York City, NY.
Apr. 27, 2017 06:30 AM EDT Reads: 11,751
@GonzalezCarmen has been ranked the Number One Influencer and @ThingsExpo has been named the Number One Brand in the “M2M 2016: Top 100 Influencers and Brands” by Analytic. Onalytica analyzed tweets over the last 6 months mentioning the keywords M2M OR “Machine to Machine.” They then identified the top 100 most influential brands and individuals leading the discussion on Twitter.
Apr. 27, 2017 05:30 AM EDT Reads: 1,214
SYS-CON Events announced today that Juniper Networks (NYSE: JNPR), an industry leader in automated, scalable and secure networks, will exhibit at SYS-CON's 20th International Cloud Expo®, which will take place on June 6-8, 2017, at the Javits Center in New York City, NY. Juniper Networks challenges the status quo with products, solutions and services that transform the economics of networking. The company co-innovates with customers and partners to deliver automated, scalable and secure network...
Apr. 27, 2017 05:15 AM EDT Reads: 1,376
SYS-CON Events announced today that Super Micro Computer, Inc., a global leader in compute, storage and networking technologies, will exhibit at SYS-CON's 20th International Cloud Expo®, which will take place on June 6-8, 2017, at the Javits Center in New York City, NY. Supermicro (NASDAQ: SMCI), the leading innovator in high-performance, high-efficiency server technology, is a premier provider of advanced server Building Block Solutions® for Data Center, Cloud Computing, Enterprise IT, Hadoop/...
Apr. 27, 2017 05:00 AM EDT Reads: 2,291
Amazon has gradually rolled out parts of its IoT offerings in the last year, but these are just the tip of the iceberg. In addition to optimizing their back-end AWS offerings, Amazon is laying the ground work to be a major force in IoT – especially in the connected home and office. Amazon is extending its reach by building on its dominant Cloud IoT platform, its Dash Button strategy, recently announced Replenishment Services, the Echo/Alexa voice recognition control platform, the 6-7 strategic...
Apr. 27, 2017 04:45 AM EDT Reads: 5,436
Judith Hurwitz is president and CEO of Hurwitz & Associates, a Needham, Mass., research and consulting firm focused on emerging technology, including big data, cognitive computing and governance. She is co-author of the book Cognitive Computing and Big Data Analytics, published in 2015. Her Cloud Expo session, "What Is the Business Imperative for Cognitive Computing?" is scheduled for Wednesday, June 8, at 8:40 a.m. In it, she puts cognitive computing into perspective with its value to the busin...
Apr. 27, 2017 03:45 AM EDT Reads: 3,715
The explosion of new web/cloud/IoT-based applications and the data they generate are transforming our world right before our eyes. In this rush to adopt these new technologies, organizations are often ignoring fundamental questions concerning who owns the data and failing to ask for permission to conduct invasive surveillance of their customers. Organizations that are not transparent about how their systems gather data telemetry without offering shared data ownership risk product rejection, regu...
Apr. 27, 2017 03:45 AM EDT Reads: 1,578


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News on Supplement continually updated from thousands of sources around the net.
Lower your risk of experiencing PMS symptoms by replacing unhealthy cravings, and adding these seven healthy foods - from pumpkin seeds to quinoa - to your diet today.
Cheese is often one of the most difficult foods for a new vegan to give up, and might also be one of the culinary delights that keeps some people from pursuing a plant-based diet.
Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome is a viral respiratory illness that is caused by the coronavirus MERS-CoV, and it currently has a 36 percent fatality rate in humans.
Not that you need another reason to eat your fruits and veggies, but we're going to give you one anyway.
We've already explored 23 insanely easy ways to eat healthier every day. Here, we offer 12 additional healthy tricks you can put up your sleeve.
The Ache: Whether from morning sickness, chemotherapy or a bad trip in a car or a boat, nausea is a common complaint.
Health Advisor is a regular column where contributors share their knowledge in fields ranging from fitness to psychology, pediatrics to aging.
If you can't fit into your designer jeans, should you blame your genes? Well, maybe.
But does decaf really have no caffeine? What's the difference between "decaffeinated" and "naturally decaffeinated"? And are the chemicals used to strip the caffeine from coffee safe? FDA regulations specify that for coffee to bear a decaffeinated label, 97 percent of the original caffeine must be removed from the beans.
U.S. high schools and middle schools should start classes later in the morning to allow kids some much-needed sleep, a leading group of pediatricians is urging.
MARMITE could soon be back on the shelves in Danish shops after a British expat launched an application to market the spread in the Scandinavian country.
In order to defeat cancer and ensure there is no recurrence, the body must be brought into balance and the immune system rebuilt and fine tuned.
Cholesterol doesn't sound like a humorous topic. But when Cedric the Entertainer joined Dr. Mehmet Oz on his Aug. 22 talk show , LDL became a subject for some witty commentary as Dr. Oz revealed a weight loss plan to reduce your cholesterol.
This week, let us talk about calcium. It is an important mineral that helps in the functioning of the heart and formation of bones and teeth.
If there's one food that no one -- not your doctor, your nutritionist or even your mother -- will tell you to eat less of, it's leafy greens.
About four years ago - 10 years after her husband, B.J. Lawrence, died - Lawrence started to forget her clothes were dirty.
Updated: Wed Aug 27, 2014 12:24 am
Copyright © 2014 Topix LLC


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(CNN NEWSOURCE) — Doughnut lovers are salivating over Krispy Kreme’s new and upcoming delivery service.
Starting Saturday, Krispy Kreme will start a nationwide delivery service. You have to be near one of the 350 U.S. locations though. In most cases, you have to be 10 miles from a shop.
Orders can be placed on the Krispy Kreme app or website and there’s a $5 fee.
Saturday is actually “Leap Day,” so to kick off its new delivery service, Krispy Kreme will deliver free doughnuts to hospital staff and parents of Leap Day babies within 10 miles of shops.
You can go to krispykreme.com for more details.
- Officers get down and dirty to save deaf and blind dog from sewer
- At Rushmore, Trump to say protesters seek to ‘defame’ heroes
- WATCH: How a farmer picks the perfect watermelon for the Fourth of July
- Police: Girl filmed while being attacked by group on North Tonawanda school property
- 19 train cars derailed on way to Macon, re-railing underway


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Although the product he manufactures is quickly discarded by most consumers with hardly a thought, Len Inglese has produced enough cardboard pizza circles over two decades to finance a 140,000-square-foot plant in Huntley.
Besides the cardboard rounds that accompany frozen pizzas, Inglese Box Co. also makes some of the boxes those pizzas come in. Roughly 95 percent of the company's output comprises the flat circles, from 7 to 20 inches in diameter.
"I'm guessing we make about 65 million a year," Inglese said. "If you have a frozen pizza in your freezer, chances are it's sitting on one of my circles."
Inglese's pizza-circle story began in 1981 after he was laid off as a salesman for a major box company.
"They asked if I wanted to go on commission instead of salary. I said no, and that was that," Inglese said.
Confident of his sales skills, "I started selling boxes out of my father's two-car garage," Inglese said. "I was a one-man show: salesman, bookkeeper, truck driver, secretary. Everything."
After about eight years, Inglese hired help, enlarged his facilities and marketed his products to an expanding customer base. Now, he and 24 employees serve customers coast-to-coast.
"The only fast food that outsells pizza is hamburgers," said Jeremy White, executive editor of Pizza Today, an industry journal.
White said frozen pizza accounts for 17 percent of the nation's pizza consumption; about 30 percent is sold in restaurants and the balance is about evenly divided between delivery and carryout.
Frozen pizza sales top $2.6 billion annually, said Julie Henderson, vice president of communications for the National Frozen and Refrigerated Foods Association. And the number keeps rising, with dollar sales up 7.1 percent over the last year and unit sales up nearly 5 percent, she said.
Henderson attributes the increase in sales to "manufacturers' willingness to produce higher-quality products that are able to compete with restaurants."
Inglese is braced for more sales.
"I plan to grow our business a good 20 percent this year," he said.
The company recently moved from a 100,000-square-foot plant in Bedford Park to the new location.