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This week we mainly focus on the challenges and opportunities for de-carbonizing the economy. We conclude with electric vehicle (EV) news from Tesla and Ford. By the way, for those who have not kept an eye on their calendars, this is National Drive Electric Week in the US. https://driveelectricweek.org/
Decarbonizing: The focus of many industries like ours is on the mitigation of carbon emissions. A World Resources Institute (WRI) report points out that while mitigation is necessary, it not sufficient to stay within the Paris Agreement’s targets. Instead, we will also need to move to net negative emissions—the removal of more carbon from the atmosphere than is being produced. WRI has published a series of 3 papers looking at options for the US to create a net negative carbon emissions’ economy: CarbonShot: Creating Options for Carbon Removal at Scale in the United States.
MIT has also looked at the issue of deep de-carbonization, releasing a study on cost-effective solutions to bring down global carbon. Focusing on costs, it concludes it will be necessary to use low carbon solutions (natural gas, nuclear energy, hydro and carbon sequestration) in combination with “variable renewable resources” (solar and wind), and “fast burst resources” (batteries and demand pricing). MIT estimates that this approach will reduce decarbonization costs by 62%. Cell.com (“The Role of Firm Low-Carbon Electricity Resources in Deep Decarbonization of Power Generation”.)
We have discussed various projections for peak demand for oil; the International Energy Agency predicts peak oil in 2040, whereas BP’s central forecast is mid 2030’s. DNV GL, an energy advisory firm, released a report that peak oil will occur 10 years earlier than BP’s forecast. Central to DNV’s forecast is that:
- EV’s will reach price parity with the internal combustion engine (ICE) by 2023 and represent 50% of new car sales by 2033;
- Non-fossil fuels will represent 50% of global energy production by 2050;
- Natural gas will be the largest energy source by 2026; and
- Wind and solar will meet two-thirds of global energy demand by mid-century.
Echoing the WRI report, they conclude that even this accelerated timetable will not be enough to keep rising temperatures within the Paris Agreement. Bloomberg News (“Oil Demand Seen Peaking by 2023 While Climate Targets Missed”.)
Reducing carbon emissions is often seen as costly to the economy and jobs—a zero sum game between the environment and the economy. A report by the Global Commission on the Economy and Climate, backed by the World Bank’s CEO, seeks to rebut that argument. It concludes that political leaders are vastly underestimating the benefits of the green economy:
- Quicker action on climate change could add $2 trillion a year to the global economy over the next decade;
- Increasing investment in renewables would add $26 trillion to global output by 2030.
Business Insider (“The world economy could grow $26 trillion in a decade if governments and businesses focus on climate change”)
Dead Man Walking
Forbes posits seven reasons why the ICE is on borrowed time:
- China Says So. China wants to move to an EV future and be the center for EV production. As the World’s largest car market (and growing), OEM’s have read the writing on the wall and are responding to demand.
- Battery Costs are Falling. Batteries are a significant component of the overall cost of an EV. By 2020, battery prices will have fallen 90% in 10 years and will keep falling.
- Battery Capacity is Increasing. Lithium Ion battery energy capacity has been increasing by 5-8% per annum. The solid-state batteries, when they come on line, will significantly up that capacity and charge significantly faster.
- EV’s last a long time. While limited to Tesla experience, after 160,000 miles, EV batteries still have 91% capacity. The promise of solid-state batteries is to significantly increase battery life.
- EV are more reliable. The average ICE has over 2,000 moving parts. An EV has 20. The main maintenance items on an EV are tires and brakes. With regenerative braking, brakes wear considerably slower than those on an ICE.
- Cheaper to Fuel. EV’s are significantly more energy efficient than ICE’s and in no state in the US is gasoline cheaper than electricity (even Hawaii)—on average, EV’s are half the cost to run versus an ICE.
- Resale Value. If all the above is true, then prices for second hand ICE’s will fall over the next 3-4 years. We are seeing some evidence of this already—Telsa’s have one of the best resale values in the used car market.
Forbes (“Seven Reasons Why The Internal Combustion Engine Is A Dead Man Walking [Updated]”.)
Those seven reasons are all true. But don’t underestimate that EV’s are also more fun to drive. The new Tesla roadster goes 0-60 mph in 1.9 seconds, has a range of 600 miles and a top speed of 250 mph. Tesla Roadster Enough car to satisfy any petrol head.
While the press continues to report on senior management defections at Tesla and Elon Musk smoking dope (literally), the Telsa 3 moved into the top spot for US car sales in August by revenues and fifth by number of units sold.
Ford is finally putting some teeth behind its already announced $11 billion investment in EV’s. It announced that its first flagship EV will be the Mustang Mach 1. Struggling in the key markets of Europe and China and seeing little growth outside of SUV’s and pick-up trucks, Ford previously announced that it was going to terminate production of all sedans other than the Mustang. It has not announced many details of its planned restructuring and EV strategy, but by picking the Mustang as its entry into EV’s, it is picking a low risk model to get started.
The Verge (“Ford’s big electric push will start with this Mustang-style crossover”.)


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FRANKFORT, Ky. (LEX 18) — During his Thursday press conference, Gov. Andy Beshear announced that 1,880 new cases of COVID-19 were reported in Kentucky.
"Those are the lowest new cases for at least four weeks," Gov. Beshear said. "We are currently running below in numbers of new cases what we had last week, which again was our fourth straight week, a record, of decreasing cases."
Thursday's positivity rate is 7.08%.
"That is the lowest since November 6," Gov. Beshear noted of the positivity rate. "That is good news."
Gov. Beshear also announced 36 new coronavirus-related deaths, bringing Kentucky's coronavirus-related death total to 4,211.
"Like just about every one of the days we've had for the last week, we've had declining cases, but we still have stubborning high deaths," Gov. Beshear said.
The governor also announced more vaccine sites in Kentucky. They include 10 new Kroger store locations, 15 new Walmart store locations, and 125 federal pharmacy program sites at Walgreens and Good Neighbor independent pharmacies.
The Kroger store locations include:
Ashland: 711 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Ashland: 370 Diederich Rd.
Brandenburg: 568 River Ridge Plaza
Campbellsville: 399 Campbellsville Bypass
Carrollton: 2549 Highway 227
Elizabethtown: 3040 Dolphin Dr.
London: 1730 W. Hwy. 192
Maysville: 381 Market Square Dr.
Murray: 808 N. 12th St.
Paducah: 3141 Park Ave.
Appointments are required. Go to kroger.com/covidvaccine to schedule an appointment.
The Walmart store locations include:
Berea: 120 Jill Dr.
Campbellsville: 725 Campbellsville Bypass
Carrollton: 200 Floyd Dr.
Central City: 1725 West Everly Brothers Blvd.
Corbin: 60 S. Stewart Rd.
Crestwood: 6501 Veterans Memorial Parkway
La Grange: 1015 New Moody Ln.
Mayfield: 1225 Paris Rd.
Paducah: 3220 Irvin Cobb Dr.
Paintsville: 470 N. Mayo Trail
Richmond: 820 Eastern Bypass
Shelbyville: 500 Taylorsville Rd.
Shepherdsville: 545 Conestoga Parkway Lot 1
Tompkinsville: 1650 Edmonton Rd.
Winchester: 1859 Bypass Rd.
Appointments are required. Go to walmart.com/covidvaccine to schedule an appointment.

domain: news


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On his maiden visit to India, Apple CEO Tim Cook launched an ambitious plan to tap into India’s startup ecosystem with an app ‘design and development’ centre in Bengaluru. The move is aimed at supporting developers in India creating innovative mobile apps for its iOS platform.
India is home to one of the most vibrant and entrepreneurial iOS development communities in the world. With the opening of this new facility in Bengaluru, we are giving developers access to tools which will help them create innovative apps for customers around the world.Tim Cook, CEO, Apple
Cook arrived in India on Tuesday and is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other officials as part of his trip. He is also expected to meet Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, who is trying to attract big-ticket investments for his state.
Sources told NDTV that Cook is expected to announce a new digital maps centre in Hyderabad.
Tim Cook began his visit to India by making a trip to Mumbai’s Siddhivinayak Temple.
There are rumours that actor Shah Rukh Khan is planning to throw a big party for him, after Cook expressed a desire to meet him.
His visit to India comes at a time when the US technology giant is hit by slower growth in global sales of its flagship products – iPhone, iPad and Mac.
The Apple CEO is flying to the country from China, where Apple announced a $1 billion investment in the local ride-hailing app Didi Chuxing.
The trip signifies how significant Indian market has become for Apple. Cook is coming here to announce technology for the future.Vishal Tripathi, Research Director, Gartner


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Tickets for individual games will be sold the week of the game online and at the high school campuses.
New this year all varsity football tickets will be sold online or at the gate.
The tickets can be purchased via tGoFan.co or via the GoFan app:
https://gofan.co/app/school/TX17782 (Magnolia High)
https://gofan.co/app/school/TX67276 (Magnolia West)


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China’s planned export controls on gallium have caused frantic stockpiling of speciality semiconductor wafers made from the metal, according to the world’s largest gallium buyer.
Freiberger Compound Materials relies almost entirely on Chinese suppliers for its gallium needs to make wafers that go into mobile phone radio signal amplifiers and optical electronics.
Consuming an estimated 10% of global gallium output, the company has found itself at the centre of turmoil following China’s surprise announcement to control exports of gallium and germanium products from Aug. 1.
“My clients are not relaxed about this at all. There’s now a burst of orders being placed to increase inventory levels. The industry is very much on edge,” chief executive Michael Harz told Reuters.
Chinese gallium companies have driven most rivals elsewhere out of the market by undercutting them on price over the last decade.
Freiberger, with annual sales of 70-80 million euros ($77-$88 million) and a 65% market share in gallium arsenide wafers for smartphone power amplifiers, competes with Japan’s Sumitomo Electric and a number of smaller Chinese manufacturers.
Red LEDs and red light sensors are another major use for gallium arsenide.
The group, which traces its roots to a state-owned electronics factory in the former East Germany, has several months’ worth of gallium in stock because it had long anticipated some form of trade crisis and has little else it can do to react, Harz said.
Automakers are also in a dilemma over whether they can continue to rely on a metal which had been seen as a game changer for electric vehicles.
Harz said his Chinese suppliers were providing authorities with data needed to obtain export licences.
They have estimated that deliveries will stop when the export controls take effect on Aug. 1 and resume about a month later when licence requests have been processed, though no reliable information is available.
Harz does not believe that China will disrupt gallium trade flows over the next few years because that would quickly damage its own electronics industry.
The CEO added he viewed China’s move for now as “sabre rattling”, because the world’s leading makers of power amplifiers, which boost radio signals so that smartphones can communicate with cell towers, are based in the United States.
Freiberger consumes several dozens of tons of gallium per year, making the raw material its largest single cost. Reuters


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There's a lot to like about VMware.
The company is a virtualization leader, drives the software-defined movement and has a hybrid data center strategy that's an enabler to the enterprise cloud. The company meanwhile is playing the open source game often because it makes sense.
The catch is that VMware's business model is increasingly looking like every other enterprise giant you know. The playbook goes like this: Land the customers, become entrenched and then live off maintenance revenue.
The first quarter results from VMware tell the tale. The company delivered solid results as usual for the first quarter. The outlook from the company wasn't too shabby either. VMware's product cycle is solid too.
What gives me pause is that VMware resembles many of the enterprise software giants from yesteryear. In the first quarter, VMware reported license revenue growth of $576 million, up 3 percent from a year ago. Services revenue, which is barely mentioned in VMware's earnings release or conference call, was $935 million, up from $799 million a year ago.
Do the math and VMware is deriving 62 percent of its sales from services (also known as maintenance), up from 59 percent a year ago.
VMware's outlook also conveniently forgets services sales.
This formula for VMware, billed as a next-generation cloud company, reveals that the company may be more akin to a last-generation enterprise software vendor. License growth -- 6 percent at constant currency -- is slowing, but maintenance is rocking.
What's somewhat comical about VMware's presentation is that the word "maintenance" is rarely if ever mentioned. In fact, you won't find maintenance in VMware's earnings conference call transcript. Even the term "services" is only mentioned in reference to what the company is delivering and enabling on the product front.
The runaround on terms like services and maintenance actually forced me to look up an SEC filing for VMware. In regulatory filings, VMware detailed what the services revenue line is all about.
In its recent 10-K, the company noted:
"Of our total services revenues in 2014, 88 percent comprised software maintenance revenues and the remaining 12 percent was comprised of professional services revenues, including training."
Fair enough. But VMware's revenue is decidedly "enterprise software 1.0." And who can blame it? The model kicks some serious booty and has landed $7.23 billion in cash and equivalents in the bank.
Actually, VMware customers seem content with being locked in a bit. VMware works open source well, plays with other clouds and is recasting the data center. There's a lot to like. What's surprising is that VMware has to gloss over maintenance revenue as if it's a bad thing. Oracle, Microsoft and SAP have been working the maintenance cash cow for years.
It's not a crime. Maintenance as a term, however, just doesn't play to VMware's core shtick as a cloud player.


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ChromaDex Ordered To Pay Elysium’s Attorney Fees
Judge Says ‘Never Any Serious Question’ ChromaDex’s Patent Claims Were Invalid
“So lacking in substance that it ‘stands out’ from the dozens of [patent infringement] challenges I have encountered as a judge in the last five years,” says Colm Connolly, Delaware district chief judge. His ruling doesn’t end the firms’ litigation as related cases continue in federal courts in California and New York.
You may also be interested in...
Firm emphasizes TV advertising spending and Walmart-related commercial launching in March in its earnings briefing. “We could go much broader than just sort of a male fitness sports-related cohort. We think it's a much broader-based market than that,” says CEO Robert Fried.
California federal court jury found both breached contracts: Elysium failed to pay for nicotinamide riboside and pterostilbene it ordered and received, while ChromaDex violated pricing provision in supply agreement.
Supreme Court unanimously holds that DNA isolated from the human body cannot be patented but cDNA, which is created in a laboratory, can be; says Myriad “did not create anything.”


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Cardinal Scale Mfg. Co. says its new SnapStream is the only NTEP legal-for-trade wireless truck scale system on the market for commercial applications. It allows a scale to send weight data wirelessly to an indicator, which, in turn, wirelessly sends ...
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Mazda has confirmed the pricing, specification and CO2 emissions for its new CX-30 compact SUV.
The CX-30 may not be the obvious choice, but it has a lot of positive attributes.
The CX-30 bridges the gap between the CX-3 and CX-5 for a mid-size SUV, giving Mazda a full line up for the first time.
Fleet News offers a range of reports, whitepapers, in-depth features and manufacturer brochures to enhance fleet decision-makers' understanding of key issues and products.
Fleet News is published monthly, in print and digital formats.
Register now to see if you qualify for a free subscription.


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Tim Cook news
As sales of the new iPhone X started in Asia and Australia on Friday, Apple has reported an annual profit rise of 5.8 per cent in 2017 to $48.3 billion.
Apple India revenue doubles on-year for Sept quarter, most iPhone SE models sold in India made locally
Almost all of the iPhone SE that Apple sold in India has been made locally, Tim Cook, chief executive officer of Apple told analysts over a conference call
Positive reviews for the new device and expectations that many users are on the verge of upgrading from older iPhones
She knows Independence Day is August 15th, not July 4th, and wishes listeners “Happy Diwali and a prosperous New Year!"
Cook and Zuckerberg are on the advisory board of the Tsinghua School of Economics and Management.
After a US Senator wrote to Apple CEO Tim Cook, conveying concerns on users' security with Face ID biometric security in iPhone X, Apple has responded to him, detailing Face ID's built-in security features.
When it comes to coding, every leading programming language in the world warrants that the programmer is adept in English.
Apple names former Honeywell exec as new general counsel
A similar response was noticed in the US after reviewers spoke less of the device's innovation earlier this month and the queues outside Apple stores were shorter than previous years.
Reliance's buyback option on latest iPhones may boost Apple's India presence
Customers can enrol for the upgrade programme that will return 70% of what they pay for the new iPhones if they take up a Jio connection.
Akash Ambani, son of Reliance Industries Ltd Chairman Mukesh Ambani, on Friday launched the new iPhone 8 and 8 Plus at Reliance Jio's headquarters in Navi Mumbai.
The weak turnout for the latest iPhone has partly been due to poor reviews.
Beneath all its telegraphed products, the tech giant's advances in semiconductor technology consistently wowed observers:
A day after Apple announced facial recognition system to unlock iPhone X, a US senator has written a letter to CEO Tim Cook, conveying concerns on users' privacy and security.
CUPERTINO: Apple has made a luxury iPhone that punctuates its technological swagger with a high-priced exclamation point.And that exclamation point appears to be a sign of things to come.
The watch with cellular connectivity will be available in nine countries on September 22 starting at $399.


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Bulgaria Business Intelligence would like to bring to your attention the new monthly electronic edition of the InvestBulgaria Agency.
Each month we will bring to your attention information about:
- Bulgarian Investment Agency - events, initiatives and current projects;
- Economic news and key indicators related to business, investment and trade;
- Investment opportunities of a municipality;
- Foreign Chambers of Commerce in Bulgaria;
- Macroeconomic indicators;
- Upcoming events.
We are confident that the newsletter is another step towards the establishment of Bulgaria as an attractive and safe business destination.
CEO of IBA
|Newsletter January 2014|
|Newsletter February 2014|
|Newsletter March 2014|
|Newsletter April 2014|
|Newsletter May 2014|
|Newsletter June 2014|
|Newsletter July 2014|
|Newsletter August 2014|


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Flipkart would create over 20 lakh jobs through its marketplace and ancillary services in 2015 said it on Wednesday. Also, the company in its announcement said that 60 per cent of the job will be created in the logistics and warehousing sectors.
The leading e-shop also said that,within 2015, Tier II and Tier III cities will cover over 50-60 per cent of the employment.
Generation of employment across the domestic e-commerce ecosystem will contribute rapid development of employment across the sectors.
The sellers are the vital role in creation of jobs across India and the maximum employment would be created from sellers of home products, apparels, mobile accessories and small appliances. Consequently, based on that over half a million jobs were created in the e-commerce space alone, last year.
According to Ankit Nagori, SVP, Marketplace, Flipkart. told that present e-commerce has emerged as one of the key drivers of economy als, lot of generation of employment opportunities were developed. And he added that, Sellers on our marketplace are direct responsible for employment within their own communities. To the fact, e-commerce facilities like merchandising, buying, packaging have generated more than 75,000 jobs in the last one year. It is planning to build training program to 40 cities in the next six months.


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HARRISBURG, Pa. – April 18, 2017 – TE Connectivity (TE), a world leader in connectivity and sensors, recently extended its ARINC 600 portfolio. In addition to the already existing size 22 press fit contacts, TE now offers size 20, 16 and 12 power contacts as well as press fit quadrax contacts. The addition of these new sizes makes TE among the first in the industry to offer a complete press fit solution for ARINC 600 receptacle connectors.
“By adding new press fit power and quadrax contacts to TE’s ARINC 600 product portfolio, customers can now press fit entire ARINC 600 connectors to the PCB,” said Steve McIntire, senior product manager of global Aerospace, Defense & Marine at TE Connectivity. “This eliminates the soldering process, enabling applied cost savings for our customers.”
The new contacts complement TE’s Next Generation ARINC 600 receptacle connector, which combines stamped and formed contacts with a one-piece insert to reduce cost, size, and weight of connectors for a variety of applications including in-flight entertainment systems, air-to-ground communications, collision avoidance, and many other avionics systems.
For more information on TE’s ARINC 600 press fit power connectors, contact the Product Information Center at 1-800-522-6752 or visit te.com/arinc600.
Learn more about TE’s advanced connectivity solutions for the aerospace, defense and marine industries.
TE, TE Connectivity and the TE connectivity logo are trademarks of the TE Connectivity Ltd. family of companies.
ABOUT TE CONNECTIVITY
TE Connectivity (NYSE: TEL) is a $12 billion global technology leader. Our commitment to innovation enables advancements in transportation, industrial applications, medical technology, energy, data communications, and the home. TE’s unmatched breadth of connectivity and sensor solutions, proven in the harshest of environments, helps build a safer, greener, smarter and more connected world. With 75,000 people – including more than 7,000 engineers – working alongside customers in nearly 150 countries, we help ensure that EVERY CONNECTION COUNTS – www.TE.com.


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Samsung Really Hope you know that Galaxy S21 Ultra has the best camera you can buy on your smartphone today. Nowadays, it is not enough to just praise the photography function of the mobile phone in the comments. You have to meet them at the consumer level. By 2021, what will ordinary people like besides too many streaming media services?This is why Samsung has partnered with Hulu to produce original reality TV shows contact, Among which competitors will face the photography challenge surrounding what you guessed-the Galaxy S21
contact More than just your regular product placement. Samsung and BBH Entertainment (a subsidiary of BBH) created this series together, which is commendable. Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith also participated through Westbrook Media, a digital production they co-founded the company. This is the first phase of Hulu hopes to launch many branded programs on its platform, aiming to completely eliminate the need for skippable ads. Considering Samsung’s love for advertising on Galaxy phones, it’s not surprising to see Samsung being the one who started the program.
If you are interested in previewing the future of streaming, or just want to know the performance of Galaxy S21 Ultra in the brand reality show, contact It debuted on Hulu on April 26. For the best viewing experience, make sure to upgrade to Hulu’s ad-free subscription before watching.


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SCHENECTADY, N.Y. — The Whitney Book Corner, a used bookstore run by the Friends of Schenectady County Public Library (SCPL), held a grand opening and ribbon cutting celebration today for its new retail space at 105 Clinton Street in downtown Schenectady. The new storefront is located at the corner of Liberty and Clinton Streets – directly across from the Karen B. Johnson Central Library, Schenectady City Hall, and near the Schenectady Greenmarket.
Christine Witkowski, Friends of SCPL Board Member, said, “After 20 years of providing quality used books to the Schenectady community, the Whitney Book Corner is thrilled to be opening in a new location. Its proximity to City Hall, the Greenmarket and the Central Library is a plus and will likely attract even more customers.” She added, “Managed entirely by the Friends of SCPL, proceeds from the bookstore are used to fund most County library programs. We are confident the move will allow us to continue this vital support for years to come.”
First opened in 2002 in a building close to the library at the corner of Union and Clinton Streets, the store was named for Patricia Whitney, a volunteer who had managed the Friends’ popular book sales for years and whose bequest was used to get the store up and running. When the Friends were notified in late summer 2021 that the building they occupied was being sold, the hunt for a new location began. Through the help of Schenectady County Metroplex Development Authority, an available retail space in the former Labor Temple building was found. The move was made possible in part from another very generous gift received in 2021 from the estate of Samuel Wait, as well as funding from Metroplex.
“We are very excited to have the Whitney Book Corner stay and grow in downtown Schenectady,” said Ray Gillen, Metroplex Chair. “It was our pleasure to assist with the site search and the successful move to their new space.”
“The Whitney Book Corner is a great asset to downtown in many ways,” said Jim Salengo, executive director of the Downtown Schenectady Improvement Corp. “It’s an extremely popular shop that brings a steady stream of customers to downtown, and it directly supports the outstanding programs at the Central Library, making it one of our signature attractions. We look forward to seeing the Whitney thrive in its new location.”
The Whitney Book Corner will continue to feature a wide selection of fiction, non-fiction, and children’s book titles. Most books are priced less than $5.00. The store will be open seven days a week. For more information, visit https://whitneybookcorner.org/.


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FRENCH National Railways (SNCF) is reportedly exploring the possibility of selling its train leasing business Akiem following the recent successful sale of its wagon leasing business Ermewa for €3.2bn.
According to a report published in French economic magazine Les Echos, SNCF has engaged Rothschild & Co to explore the sale of Akiem, in which SNCF holds 50%. The other shareholder is German company DWS, formerly Deutsche Asset Management.
SNCF is still heavily in debt and sources suggest that TGV services will lose €6bn in 2021 due to traffic restrictions caused by Covid. SNCF president, Mr Jean-Pierre Farandou, told IRJ that first-class travel, which usually provides much of TGV's profits, is still down 40% on pre-COVID levels although leisure travel has recovered well.
Akiem was created as a subsidiary of SNCF in 2008 to take over management of 280 surplus electric and diesel locomotives from the Fret SNCF fleet. The sale of half of Akiem to DWS took place in 2016 and in 2017 Akiem acquired MGW Service, a German locomotive maintenance company. In 2020 Akiem took over the fleet of around 200 locomotives from Macquarie European Rail. Akiem currently owns around 750 locomotives and passenger trains, mainly operating in France and Germany.
SNCF confirmed the sale of Ermewa to a consortium of Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ) and DWS at the end of October.


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Updated from 5:14 p.m. EDT
SAN FRANCISCO --
swung to a loss in the third quarter on hefty restructuring charges but beat Wall Street expectations, thanks to strong demand for its storage and networking chips.
The financial results offered the first signs of progress since LSI completed a
$4 billion all-stock merger with
in April. And company executives stressed that the company would continue to grow its business in the coming quarters, after bottoming out this summer.
"As a more focused company we are now experiencing a significantly higher level of engagement with our customers and substantial increases in design win opportunities," CEO Abhi Talwalkar said in a statement.
Shares of LSI were up roughly 4%, or 28 cents, at $7.37 in extended trading Wednesday.
The Milpitas, Calif.-based company said revenue in the three months ended Sept. 30 totaled $727 million, vs. the $692.5 million expected by analysts polled by Thomson Financial.
LSI posted a loss of $141 million, or 20 cents a share. At this time last year, the company had net income of $43.5 million, or 11 cents a share. The third-quarter loss included $184.7 million in special charges related to restructuring and the spinoff of the company's mobile phone chip business.
Excluding those charges as well as stock compensation expenses, LSI said it earned 6 cents a share, 2 cents better than the average analyst expectation.
Chief Financial Officer Bryon Look said LSI's focus on improving efficiency within the company and maintaining tight spending controls led to substantial reduction in operating expenses in the third quarter.
Semiconductor revenue increased 9.3% sequentially in the third quarter, while storage systems revenue rose 6.6%. LSI said gross margin improved in both business segments, resulting in a total gross margin of 43.4%, excluding special items.
That said, LSI's third-quarter revenue was still 17.5% lower than the combined revenue that LSI and Agere each generated at this time a year ago.
Since the merger with Agere, LSI has taken a number of steps to reshape the business. LSI
divested itself of its consumer business , which makes chips for DVD recorders and set-top boxes to
in August and sold its chip testing and assembly facility in Thailand.
LSI announced Wednesday that it had closed
the sale of its cell phone chip business to
for $450 million.
The company projected fourth-quarter sales between $700 million and $730 million.
While that forecast looks weak in light of the average analyst expectation of $728.7 million, LSI officials noted that Wall Street estimates included a full quarter's worth of revenue from the cell phone chip business. With the sale to Infineon now closed, LSI will record less than a month's worth of mobility business revenue, equivalent to about $27 million, company officials said.
LSI noted that networking and storage systems sales were expected to grow sequentially in the current quarter, while its storage chip business would remain flat.
Adjusted EPS was forecast between 5 cents and 9 cents, vs. the 8 cents expected by analysts.


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With its financial restructuring now complete, Damon’s Grill is launching a strategy to rebuild the chain, according to president and C.E.O. Carl T. Howard.
Since being acquired in April of last year by Alliance Development Group Holdings, LLC, Damon’s has closed under-performing restaurants and sold its 19 company-owned locations to a new Pittsburgh-based franchisee, Damon’s Management Group, LLC. Damon’s Management Group is continuing to operate the restaurants under the Damon’s brand and plans to open several new locations. The company recently took control of restaurants in Pittsburgh, Columbus, Cleveland and several other cities.
“We believe that Damon’s Grill has a tremendous amount of potential,” said Mike Sabatini, president of DMG. “Pittsburgh has always been a great market for Damon’s, and we plan to expand our presence here with at least three new restaurants, as well as, in other cities.”
Earlier this year Damon’s completed seven sale-leasebacks on most of its remaining real estate holdings to Servant Investments, LLC. “Now that our debt is significantly reduced, we are in a much better position to focus on Damon’s future,” Howard said. “Since being acquired by Alliance, we’ve been working on a number of important initiatives, but now we will be able to devote our full attention to rebuilding the brand.”
Howard said that the first step in Damon’s growth strategy will be to reposition the chain to offer guests better value and a dining experience that is different from its competitors. “We will continue to be a sports-themed casual restaurant, but there will be major changes to our facilities and menu that will improve our traffic, frequency and profitability,” said Howard.
Damon’s is working with several of the nation’s top restaurant consulting firms, including Technomic and W.D. Partners, on its repositioning strategy, which includes developing a new prototype to debut in late 2007. Designed to appeal to a broader guest base and be more cost-effective to build and operate, the restaurant will feature new audio-video technology and a brighter environment.
The repositioning strategy also entails extensive menu changes, which are already underway. “Technomic found that to attract a greater array of guests and increase frequency, our menu needs a greater breadth of appeal,” said Jon Quinn, director of Marketing.
Damon’s has already started revamping its menu, having recently introduced a two-tier kid’s menu featuring healthier entrées and side items for younger children and ‘tweens. A number of new adult menu items, including several salads and entrees under 600 calories, has just been launched. Damon’s also has retained San Francisco-based The Culinary Edge to develop its new menu.
Damon’s intends to expand almost exclusively through franchising, using Alliance’s development expertise to build new locations. The company expects to open between 10 and 15 new franchised restaurants within the next two years. Two new company-owned restaurants are on the drawing board for Columbus, although sites have not been selected.
“The new Columbus restaurants will provide a setting for us to test new prototypes, food and service programs, and ensure we maintain an operators’ perspective,” Howard added.
Damon’s also plans to sell its Columbus headquarters office and relocate the executive and franchise support offices to its nearby Learning Center, which will be expanded.
“We have a lot of work ahead, and although we have experienced several difficult years, for the first time there is a sense of excitement and enthusiasm among our staff and our franchisees,” Howard said. “There’s no question, Damon’s best days are ahead of us.”


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A Spoonful of Sugar? A Case for Customized Cancer Treatment
Technological and medical innovation in recent years has opened many new lines of research and development in the healthcare industry. Developments in medicines and devices have begun to yield new treatments offering hope to many cancer sufferers, and many more are predicted to emerge in the coming decade. This case looks specifically at the development of customized treatments for cancer, focusing particularly on the market potential of such innovations and the challenges the industry might expect to encounter going forward.


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INDIANAPOLIS — The House passed a measure yesterday that would eliminate price controls and other regulation of local phone service, a move proponents say would spur investment and opponents claim will mean higher bills.
The 85-14 House vote signals that phone deregulation has its best shot of becoming law since the state’s major phone companies began pushing the issue years ago. The Senate last week overwhelmingly approved similar legislation.
“It’s a strong sign that there’s broad consensus for telecommunications reform,” said Sen. Brandt Hershman, R-Wheatfield, the author of the Senate bill. “But we do have some differences to work out.”
Both bills eliminate the price controls that have kept local phone rates low — in some cases artificially low — although the bills work on different timetables. Both prohibit companies from charging customers on a per-call basis, the so-called “local measured service” that customer advocates shun.
But Senate Bill 260 also eliminates the need for companies that want to provide video service — essentially cable television — to negotiate one by one with individual communities. Instead, the bill creates a statewide video franchise that allows companies to pick and choose where they want to do business.
That’s important to the traditional phone companies, such as AT&T (formerly SBC and Ameritech) that want to upgrade their telecommunications networks to provide television services as well as higher-speed Internet.
The House bill originally included that language as well, but lawmakers later voted to remove it.
“We’re disappointed that the absence of a statewide video franchising system in the bill will hinder the implementation of broadband services and put Indiana at a competitive disadvantage,” said John Koppin, president of the Indiana Telecommunications Association.
Yesterday the author of the House bill, Rep. Mike Murphy, R-Indianapolis, said he plans to work with the Indiana Association of Cities and Towns, which believes the cable provisions strip them of power, to make them more comfortable with the idea.
“There’s going to be a ton of investment in Indiana” if lawmakers can free companies from regulation, Murphy said.
The bills are backed by business groups and a few lesser-known consumer organizations, including OASIS, a national nonprofit education group for older adults, and FreedomWorks, a national organization with more than 12,000 members in Indiana that promotes lower taxes and less government.
But other, more traditional consumer groups — including AARP of Indiana and the Citizens Action Coalition — oppose the bill. They say it will cause customers’ bills to increase.
Yesterday Rep. Matt Pierce, D-Bloomington, quoted an Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission order from December that found competition isn’t pervasive enough in the basic telephone market to justify deregulation of the industry.
And when it is, he said, the commission can act.
“The IURC at any time … can eliminate any regulation that they think is unnecessary,” Pierce said. “It can completely deregulate the industry if — as experts — they think there’s enough competition.”
Rep. Win Moses, D-Fort Wayne, warned that the legislation will mean that customers pay more.
“Anytime you talk about deregulation, it means raising rates,” Moses said.
But Rep. Ed Mahern, D-Indianapolis, said eliminating regulation will encourage more companies to invest in the state and provide customers with more choices.
“Anytime there’s competition, it’s shown that rates will come down,” Mahern said.


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Here’s a great story about a veterinarian who has discovered a great way to make a big difference in the animal world. Dr. Glenn Buckley has practiced in his hometown of Akron, New York (outside Buffalo) for years, and he recently teamed up with his computer-technician brother, Scott, to start an online pet pharmacy with a twist. Modeled on the Newman’s Own model, the Buckleys are using their professional skills to help others:
As a veterinarian I was able to help one pet at a time. Through Pet Rescue Rx we can help so many more. I have seen first hand the need of animal shelters both large and small to continue the amazing job they do. Pet Rescue Rx will provide continuing financial support to shelters from the purchases you make. 100% of the net profits will be given to shelters selected by our customers. So you can directly support the shelter of your choice.
Paul Newman’s company has raised more than $380 million over the past 30-odd years. Let’s hope that Dr. Buckley’s experiment can provide similar (although obviously smaller-scale) benefits for shelters around the country.


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1. Celine Dion launches a new clothing line, “Celinununu,” and some are calling it satanic.
2. Russia announces they plan to build a base on the moon shortly after the USA announces they are also planning on revisiting the moon. Moon wars!
3. A picture of a giant cow in Australia goes viral.
4. Feel-good marketing.
Unmetal shirts: https://unmetal.bigcartel.com/
Website: https://kromedomeradio.com/ Subreddit: https://bit.ly/2DjZtF4
Facebook: https://bit.ly/2OKr04r Twitter: https://bit.ly/2L6HgdH Instagram: https://bit.ly/2OODUhP


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Surprise loser in loans insurance probe
A THREATENED crackdown on insurance policies aimed at protecting borrowers who can't meet loan repayments could cut £380m from the value of Prudential.
The insurer might end up as the surprise loser in an Office of Fair Trading investigation into payment protection insurance (PPI), investment analysts have warned.
Analysts have also tipped Lloyds TSB as a potential loser as sales of controversial PPI account for a significant percentage of profits. The OFT said last week it would investigate PPI, often sold by banks alongside credit cards, personal loans and mortgages.
The policies are supposed to insure borrowers against job loss or problems that might stop them repaying loans. They have long been controversial: banks make huge profits on them, but few people ever need to claim and those who do often find they are not covered.
The OFT said there was a high risk that the products, which bring £5.4bn a year in premiums for banks, do not benefit consumers.
Prudential's huge exposure comes through Egg. Pru owns 80% of the internet bank and is buying back the remaining 20%.
Investment bank Keefe, Bruyette & Woods estimates that Egg made £77m in pre-tax profits from PPI policies in the first half. One-third of this could be under threat, which could wipe about £380m, or 17p a share, from the market value of the Pru. The insurer said: 'This is speculative research about something that might happen in a few years. Obviously we will co-operate with the OFT study.'
Lloyds TSB is thought to be the bank most exposed to the PPI market. Most big lending banks such as Barclays earn about 10% of profits from PPI. But Lloyds TSB makes about £450m, or 14% of its profits, from the policies, according to investment bank Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein.
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Avery Dennison Corporation
Balavigna Weaving Mills Pvt Ltd
The biggest challenge that the weaving industry faces is high price
We are spending double digit figures on R&D
‘Indian footwear market is nascent and largely a trend follower’
Founded in 1974, Italian firm Zaitex SpA is one of the leading suppliers...
Italy-based Cibitex is a manufacturer of textile finishing machinery,...
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Bebop Sensors' smart fabrics allows for a new level of interaction between ...
Supreme Corporation manufactures innovative specialty yarns and safety...
From May 14 to 17, international exhibitors will present the entire...
Whistling Woods International School of Fashion

A lack of upgraded courses in costume designing and fashion as per...
Divvya and Nidhhi Gambhir
Divvya and Nidhhi Gambhir started their career with the launch of...
The creations by Aprajita Toor were born out of a deep desire to create...


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|Bid||28.66 x 4000|
|Ask||28.86 x 900|
|Day's range||28.50 - 29.06|
|52-week range||22.64 - 34.30|
|Beta (5Y monthly)||0.70|
|PE ratio (TTM)||N/A|
|Forward dividend & yield||1.31 (4.79%)|
|Ex-dividend date||12 May 2022|
|1y target est||N/A|
Yahoo Finance reporter Dani Romero explains how millions of California residents will receive tax rebates due to the effects of inflation and record-high gas prices on the state.
The move aims to curtail the Kremlin, which is benefiting from rocketing energy prices, cutting off its means of financing the invasion of Ukraine.
Trying to predict how current world events will impact on companies and sectors is not easy. Fortunately, large companies like BP (LON:BP.) are well covered by...


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(CHICAGO — August 23, 2018) — BLASTmedia, a national B2B SaaS PR agency, is announcing a partnership with TechStars Chicago. The B2B SaaS PR agency, which launched a dedicated tech startup PR program earlier this year, is the official PR partner for the Chicago Techstars accelerator program to advise the 2018 Class of Techstars Chicago.
“Accelerating the growth of startups is something that’s near and dear to our hearts,” explained Chris Lucas, BLASTmedia VP and tech startup PR program lead. “Our startup program was designed for B2B SaaS startups that need market awareness and a thought leadership presence now. Working with Techstars Chicago allows our team the chance to connect with and bring that value to additional companies in one of the fastest growing startup ecosystems — the midwest.” Read More


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Homosexual hookup ad sample
being posted at certain
Washington, D.C. metro
(CNSNews.com)-- The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) in Washington, D.C. is currently running an advertisement for Squirt.org, an app that helps homosexuals find hookup partners. But the WMATA refuses to run religious or political ads.
A Metro representative said the Squirt.org ads could not be removed because regulating ad content violates the advertiser’s First Amendment rights, even though religious, political and advocacy-related ads are banned according to Metro policy because of their content.
The Squirt.org advertisement features two men, one looking at the camera while the other loosens the first one's tie and whispers in his ear. The caption reads, “Your place or mine?”
“The advertiser purchased a total of five ads in three stations through August 7. Metro has not received any customer complaints to date,” said Metro spokesperson Morgan Dye.
However, a petition by CitizenGO reveals that, at press time, 1,624 people objected to the ad.
“Not only does the advertised website encourage homosexual hookups and video chats, it also provides an avenue for interested customers to find a ‘casual’ sexual encounter in a public place, such as a bar or a public restroom,” said CitizenGO’s English language Campaign Director Caroline Craddock.
“This activity, commonly known as ‘cruising,’ invites criminal activity such as indecent exposure and illegal prostitution,” Craddock continued.
Dye said that the First Amendment right to free speech prevents WMATA from regulating ad content.
“Metro advertising space has been ruled by the courts as a public forum protected by the First Amendment of the Constitution, and we may not decline ads based on their content, provided that they conform with our Board-approved ad policy,” Dye said.
However, WMATA banned all ads with religious, political, or advocacy-related content from the Metro in May 2015, which according to NBC was a response to a proposed ad featuring a cartoon of the Prophet Muhammed.
The ban was made permanent in November 2015.
When CNSNews.com presented this apparent contradiction to the WMATA Board of Directors at their meeting on July 28, they did not comment.


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According to CVG, the Nintendo 3DS is rumored to hit shelves this October. For those of you that don’t know, the 3DS was announced recently and is considered to be the successor of the Nintendo DS system. It is a highly improved system, using the technology of 3D graphics without the use of glasses, and presumed to use the power of the Gamecube. An inside source has commented on the plans:
“It’s a surprise – we were expecting it much closer to Christmas. But I suppose it gives Nintendo the opportunity to get it front and centre in people’s minds nice and early. In my experience, you don’t launch a product that early to Christmas unless you’re confident in it – and going to spend a lot of money on it. We’re reassured that Nintendo is going to give it some decent backing in Q4.”
CVG reports that it has confirmation from multiple industry sources.
Nintendo plans to show the device off at this year’s E3 Expo, which will take place between June 15-17.


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GN Netcom's Jabra arm is gearing up to launch a new partner incentive program with online training solutions for resellers.
GN Netcom’s Mike Powrie, General Manager Sales, ANZ, has been promoted to Regional Managing Director ANZ. His focus for the next 12 months is to build Jabra’s growth in the ANZ region.
“The Jabra brand brings to Australia a tradition of superior technology, ease of use, and seamless integration into the latest unified communications technologies," he said. "For this reason, many leading Australian businesses across all market segments have integrated the Jabra product family throughout their organisations. I plan to work even more closely with our channel partners to continue to deliver the best audio experience in Australia.”
Jabra has also revealed that several new channel initiatives will be delivered in the next six months.
It will launch a new partner incentive program, online training solutions for resellers, enhanced sales and technical support and marketing initiatives designed to further support Jabra’s Australian partners.


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Dine Out for Life on Thursday
If you were looking for an excuse, any excuse to go out to dinner this week, here’s a great one: the foodie fundraiser Dining Out for Life this Thursday, April 29. The premise is simple: dine at any of the participating restaurants this Thursday and one-third of the proceeds from the day go to ActionAIDS, which funnels the proceeds into education, testing and essential services for those with the HIV/AIDS.
Over 200 restaurants in the region are participating in this year’s event – including all Starr restaurants (except for the brand new El Rey and SquareBurger) and all of Jose Garces’ joints (minus Garces Trading Company). Newer restaurants like Square 1682 in the Hotel Palomar have signed up, along with some of the city’s top independent spots like Fork, Southwark, and Zahav, plus BYOs Mercato and Bindi. While dinner service is the focus, proceeds are donated from the entire day, so you can also Dine Out for Life during the daytime at participating restaurants that offer lunch service.
Last year, Dining Out for Life in Philly raised $290,000; this year – which marks the 20th anniversary of the event – state budget cuts affecting local prevention services will make those dollars even more necessary. For a full list of participating restaurants and to make reservations, visit the Dining Out for Life website.


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Child Of Light coming to the PS Vita
Ubisoft has announced that their new 2D RPG Child Of Light will be getting released on the PS Vita.
The exquisitely-drawn new adventure has already drawn numerous accolades including from our own Jen Allen after it released on PC, current and next-gen consoles and Wii U last month.
Child Of Light is already available on the PC, PS4, PS3, Xbox One, Xbox 360 and Wii U. It will be released on PS Vita on July the 2nd.
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- Trevor looks even more ravaged by time and crystal meth in these new GTA V PC screens
- Visuals are key to the PS4's success according to Nielsen's latest survey
- Sledgehammer considering revisiting classic multiplayer maps for Call Of Duty: Advanced Warfare
- New ToeJam & Earl game comes to Kickstarter
- Free login campaign announced as Final Fantasy XIV tops 4 million registered users


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By Sue Mitchell and James Thomson
Woolworths's three-year plan to reinvigorate profit growth and the future of its loss-making home improvement chain are in doubt after the architect of these strategies, chief executive Grant O'Brien, fell on his sword following a deterioration in sales over the past few months.
The supermarket giant on Wednesday said it had launched a global search for a new chief executive after Mr O'Brien, 53, told chairman Ralph Waters he intended to retire after less than four years in the job.
Woolworths's shares, which have fallen 13 per cent this year, jumped 50¢ to $27.34 by early afternoon trade, even though Woolworths downgraded profit guidance for the second time in four months and said recent grocery price cuts had failed to boost sales in supermarkets.
Mr O'Brien, who joined Woolworths 28 years ago as a part-time shelf stacker while studying accountancy, will remain in the role until a suitable replacement can be found, possibly until November or January. He will stay an employee of Woolworths until he turns 55 in July next year - taking almost six months of long service leave - so he can take up his entitlements under the company's generous defined benefits superannuation scheme.
While Mr O'Brien had been under pressure because of weakening sales in Woolworths' earnings engine room, food and liquor, and growing losses at Masters, his announcement took analysts and investors by surprise.
Barely four weeks ago Mr O'Brien outlined a plan to revitalise Woolworths's core food and liquor business over the next three years by slashing costs by more than $500 million, trimming capital expenditure and pouring the savings into lowering grocery prices and improving service in more than 900 supermarkets.
The strategic review, which also involved Woolworths diverting capital away from its loss-making Masters business and the underperforming Big W chain and pumping it into food and liquor, was triggered by poor food and grocery sales in December and January.
Woolworths said the disappointing sales trend in the third quarter had continued in the fourth quarter, even though Woolworths has invested more than $125 million into reducing grocery prices since January.
Woolworths said there had been "no improvement in May and June to date", with sales in the fourth quarter to date running 0.7 per cent below the previous year, adjusted for the Easter trading period.
Woolworths downgraded its full-year profit forecast for the second time in four months, saying it now expected to deliver a flat full-year profit for 2014-15, in line with last year's result of $2.45 billion. After one-off costs and writedowns of $270 million, net profit would fall to around $2.15 billion.
After outlining plans in May to cut 400 jobs, Woolworths now plans to take the job losses to 1200 across support functions, its supply chain and non-customer facing store positions.
The $270 million in writedowns and one-off costs include $180 million to $200 million of "business transformation costs", up to $50 million in redundancy costs and up to $40 million of costs associated with a review of its property portfolio.
However, speaking to journalists on Wednesday Mr O'Brien said he took full responsibility for Woolworths's performance and now felt it was in the best interests of the company for new leadership to see the strategic plan to fruition.
"What we announced at investor day was a plan we saw for the company for the next three to five years," said Mr O'Brien. "I'm coming into my fifth year. I never planned to be around for a further three to five years. It's critical for the company that they have a CEO who will be here for the duration of the execution of those plans. That's not me."
Mr O'Brien said he had been considering his position since unveiling the strategic review and "recently" told chairman Ralph Waters.
"The decision is something Ive thought carefully about," he said.
Mr O'Brien will not be seeking another executive role after leaving Woolworths and has previously said he hopes to work in the not-for-profit sector.
Mr Waters said the board remained committed to the strategy unveiled in May but the new CEO would be free to implement his own plans.
"I don't think any CEO worth their salt would take the job with handcuffs on," Mr Waters said.
"If they have a different view from the current strategy ... they'd need to convince the board to change direction," he said.
"We wouldn't be putting handcuffs on any one who takes this job. You wouldn't get a decent quality CEO to accept the job on any other basis."
This means the new CEO would be free to scrap Mr O'Brien's food and liquor strategy, close or sell the home improvement business, which has racked up losses of more than $500 million over the last three years, or divest the underperforming BIG W chain.
Mr Waters said Woolworths would be prepared to consider a CEO without supermarket experience and possibly without retail experience, but rejected suggestions that Woolworths would repeat Coles' mistake of appointing an executive such as John Fletcher, who famously admitted he hadn't walked into a supermarket in 25 years.
"We're looking for the best leader for one of the top 10 companies in Australia and we are open to suggestions irrespective of their backgrounds," he said.
Under Mr Fletcher's rein, Coles went backwards for five years but has since been turned around by a largely UK-led management team and has bene outperforming Woolworths on same-store sales growth since 2009.
Mr Waters also said Woolworths would not longer issue profit guidance, revealing that management's attempt to maintain previous guidance late last year had contributed to the problems in supermarkets by stopping Woolworths from doing what it needed to do to reverse falling sales.
"The driving factor in December and January was to make that guidance so they could hold their heads up high, it wasn't about making incentives," said Mr Waters, saying there was no need to change remuneration incentives for senior executives.
"They were captive to their own guidance."
Mr Waters also shocked analysts by revealing that the Woolworths board did not meet from early December until late January and was unaware of the extent of the downturn in food sales in those months.
"The decisions taken in December and January were unknown to the board until we met in late January - that's a little bit unusual," he said.
"Going forward the board expects to be considerably more involved, we wont replace management, but it will be more involved until we have a new CEO appointed."
Mr Waters and Mr O'Brien rejected suggestions the company could lose momentum while the search for a new CEO was underway.
"I might be retiring as CEO but I'll be the CEO until such time as agreed with the board or theres a successor in place - when I get out of bed tomorrow I'll have the same focus I have today," Mr O'Brien said.
Mr Waters said Woolworths had signed a transition and separation deed to ensure a smooth and orderly transition. Mr O'Brien would be on deck to handle day to day issues leaving divisional heads to run their businesses and execute their strategies.
Under new supermarkets mananaging director Brad Banducci - who is considered a leading candidate for the role of CEO - Woolworths has put in place a raft of new sales and customer measures to give it more visibility and better analyse the factors behind same-store sales growth.
Mr Waters - who insisted in November that the market was overly pessimistic about Woolworths' prospects - said he had no immediate plans to step down from the board, as board stability was critical at a time of management upheaval.
"You won't have to lever me out of Woolworths in the fullness of time," he said, "but we do not think in the middle of this process to have further change is beneficial for this company."
The company also confirmed that its director of group retail services, Penny Winn, will depart the company to become a non-executive director - one of more than five senior executives to leave in recent months.
One small bright spot for the company was the improving sales in its home improvement division. Across the department, sales are up 19.8 per cent in the first quarter so far and 17.7 per cent in the Masters business.
However, same-store sales at BIG W plunged 12.1 per cent in the fourth quarter as the launch of a new merchandising system hurt stock availability.
Woolworths said it was pleased with the performance of the Masters stores, about 20 per cent of which have been refurbished, with new ranges and new store layouts.
Mr O'Brien dismissed suggestions that Woolworths shoud pull the plug rather than contginue to invest capital into a business that is forecast to lose $200 million this year.
"We have a very clear plan and thta's got to be given time to prove the concept," he said.
Fund managers believe there is scope for private equity or trade buyers to buy Masters on the cheap, in the same way that Anchorage Capital Partners paid $94 million for Dick Smith in 2012, only to float it two years later for more than $500 million.


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The U.S. Department of Justice filed a complaint Friday alleging that drug manufacturer
The DOJ claims the company paid tens of millions of dollars to
In a press release, the Department of Justice said that the New Brunswick, N.J.-based
J&J allegedly provided kickbacks to Omnicare through rebates, millions of dollars in exchange for data the pharmacy never provided and large grants for education. The government claims these payments were intended to convince Omnicare to recommend the anti-psychotic drug.
“Kickbacks such as those alleged here distort the judgments of health care professionals and put profits ahead of sound medical treatment,” said Tony West, assistant Attorney General for the civil division of the DOJ.
The complaint comes on the heels of a major drug recall of several of J&J's over-the-counter products, including Tylenol, Motrin and Rolaids after consumers reported unusual smells. The FDA sent J&J's McNeil Consumer Healthcare Products division a warning letter for violating manufacturing standards and failing to report and investigate the problem in a timely way.
The Jan. 15 allegations from the DOJ are not the first over teh use and recommendation of Risperdal. On Jan. 8, a Philadelphia law firm filed a complaint on behalf of 10 boys who experienced severe side effects while using the drug, including the growth of breasts.
In December 2006, unsealed papers in a whistleblower lawsuit alleged that Janssen Pharmaceutica, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, misled Texas officials to increase sales of the drug.
The Texas suit, which was joined by Attorney General Greg Abott, claims Janssen and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, an independent charity endowed by J&J's co-founder, made millions of dollars in grants to the Texas health department to aid in the implementation of new treatment guidelines which, along with “deceptive” marketing by the drug company, supposedly increased sales of the anti-psychotic.
In 2007, Johnson & Johnson reported that it received subpoenas from federal prosecutors in Boston, Philadelphia and San Francisco relating to the sale and marketing of three drugs, including Risperdal. The company said it was cooperating with the subpoenas.
Sales of Risperdal in the U.S. totaled $10 billion from 2001 to 2005.
Shares of Johnson & Johnson fell by more than 1% Friday. Shares of competitors
The Associated Press contributed to this article.


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The once pleased cell phone brand has been pushed to the side by Android handsets from different makers, and even from inside Motorola with the Motorola Moto X. In an endeavor to kick off the DROID line, Verizon is presently offering the Motorola DROID MAXX 16GB.
The new variant of the DROID MAXX is accessible in polished red, and dark with chrome, and accompanies 16 GB of local stockpiling. The OG Motorola DROID MAXX comes in dark just, and characteristics 32 GB of memory. Since the new units have an easier measure of capacity, Verizon has brought down the cost of the Motorola DROID MAXX 16 GB to $99 with a marked two-year agreement, or $499 off-contract. That is a $50 and $100 reserve funds separately, from the 32 GB adaptation of the telephone.
The Motorola DROID MAXX accompanies a 3500mah battery for what Motorola says is 48 hour battery life, and was propelled last August. While accessible online now, it will be in Verizon stores on April 22nd.


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Popular Illinois Pizza Joint Just Celebrated Serving Three Million Pizzas
How many pizzas have you eaten in your life? 50? 60? Can you imagine eating millions of pizzas? One Rockford restaurant is celebrating serving over three million.
Pizza. It's the best. But really, it is. How many times do you worry about what to eat for dinner or about what to serve to a party an you're just like, 'let's order a pizza.'
It's the answer to most of life's problems and it's delicious and makes great leftovers.
Here in Rockford we are blessed with a ton of delicious pizza places, it's one of the first things I realized when I moved here in 2016, holy cow the pizza in Rockford is amazing!
And one of the most amazing pizza restaurants in the Stateline is celebrating serving over three millions pizzas.
Read that again. Not three million slices, no, three million pizzas.
That restaurant is Capri.
In celebration of the three million pizza milestone, Yackle Tees is selling Capri t-shirts honoring the man who started it all, Vito Grisanzio.
For 60 years, he's owned Capri and his birthday is coming up, May 26, which is when you can pick up your shirt if you want to get in on the pizza celebrating fun.
You need to get that order in by next Wednesday, May 18 and you can place your order here.
And if you just want to order a pizza, you can do that here. I could go for a number 22 right now.


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Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout became an instant sensation when it launched for PS4 and PC last year, and earlier this year, Mediatonic confirmed that the battle royale title would be coming to both the Nintendo Switch and Xbox consoles in Summer 2021. Soon afterward, both versions were delayed, and since then, there have been no updates on when the game will arrive for the platforms.
As it turns out, it won’t be in 2021. In an update published on the official Fall Guys website talking about the launch of the game’s sixth season, Mediatonic confirmed that the game’s Switch, Xbox Series X/S, and Xbox One versions won’t be arriving until 2022, but provided assurances that those versions are one of the studio’s top development priorities. Contrary to what some rumours are saying though, the Switch and Xbox launch isn’t tied to the launch of season 6.
“We know everyone’s excited about Fall Guys coming to Nintendo Switch and Xbox, with good reason,” Mediatonic wrote. “There’s been a lot of speculation on social media connecting these new console releases to the Season 6 launch and we want to clarify that that’s not the case so no one’s left confused looking for the game on these platforms. Thank you for being patient with us, it’s one of our top priorities in active development and we can’t wait to share more details with you in 2022.”
With no details on when in 2022 the game will arrive on additional consoles, or when exactly we can expect details on that, for now, all we can do is wait. Those who’re already playing Fall Guys on PlayStation and PC, however, can dive into season 6, which is now live.
Share Your Thoughts Below (Always follow our comments policy!)


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In the nearest future, the FashionNet market concept will be presented to the project office of the National Technology Initiative (NTI) for consideration by an interdepartmental working group. Projects implemented in this market will require no public funding, according to the participants in the meeting of the FashionNet working group, which was held on October 22 in Moscow during the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Russia.
“As part of the implementation of the National Technology Initiative, the government will provide funding for seven of eight roadmaps adopted. The roadmap that uses virtually no public funding is EnergyNet. Their main demand is reducing administrative barriers and providing organizational support to projects. Based on the concept presented for discussion, FashionNet pretends to be the second NTI market that expects to do without public funding. We understand that there are many commercial players here, who are ready to participate in its development,” stated Oleg Teplov, the Co-Chairman of the NTI’s Committee for Project Coordination and Control.
The FashionNet market concept provides for creating a site to bring together manufacturers of clothing, accessories, jewelry; designers and creative players of the industry.
It is expected that by 2035 the annual volume of the FashionNet network market will reach $ 2.8 trillion. According to the authors of the concept, the main added value in the new market will be due to generating a creative and technological product. The FashionNet working group believe that one of the key tasks will be creating a new generation of design entrepreneurs.
“The fashion market is highly competitive: those manufacturing companies who cannot survive without state support are the least viable in this industry. That’s why, we consider the budget funding the least important part of support in the new market. The key object of our interest is creativity. FashionNet is an open site; we are working with all stakeholders, including the beneficiaries of the suggested program: designers, brands, factories, and universities,” explained by Aleksandr Shumsky, the Chairman of the Russian Chamber of Fashion, a Co-Director of the FashionNet working group.


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In this Q&A, 30A founder Mike Ragsdale itemizes what he thinks his industry is doing wrong and how 30A, by making community paramount, has become the top revenue-producing site among independents.
Eight-year-old 30A is one of the top revenue producers among Internet news pure-plays – hitting $2.2 million last year and projected to reach $3 million in 2017. It attains numbers that elude some daily newspapers because its revenue streams include everything from a radio station to events to retail shops, as CEO Mike Ragsdale explains in this Q & A.
Founder and CEO Mike Ragsdale explains why diversification is such an important element of 30A’s fast growth into what is now a multimillion-dollar operation. He also explains how community news sites that don’t have a tropical beachfront to boast about can create their own unique, revenue-generating brands.
Mike Ragsdale’s 30A is successfully covering the Santa Rosa Beach communities in Florida, covering daily minutiae while capturing what’s special about the place. The site is also pulling in seven figures. Can others learn from him?
There are encouraging and even bullish numbers in the performance of independent community news sites as reported in the 2015 “Michele’s List” survey. But other numbers indicate that “indies” are having a difficult time generating enough revenue to ensure stability.
Gordon Borrell minced no words in Street Fight recently when he talked about content and audience in the revenue-hot digital space that his new annual local media report pinpoints. He said: “It’s so much not about readers. It’s so much more about consumers. So those folks who are trying to develop hyperlocal sites around good […]
Mike Ragsdale’s 30A.com, serving the Gulf Coast beach communities of Santa Rosa in Northwest Florida, is much more than a website. It’s an “international brand” that includes a digital radio station and a retail operation that sells everything from to T-shirts to beach chairs to beer…
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology…… Google Maps gets better integration with Uber and OpenTable (Mashable)… Walmart Brings Product Search To The In-Store Experience (Search Engine Land)… Amazon Tries Out Taxi Deliveries In California Cities (CNBC)…


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The team behind a popular Lord Mayor’s Appeal fundraiser are taking part of their event online after coronavirus scuppered plans.
Without the pandemic, Saturday 5 September would have marked the latest edition of DragonFest, a charity dragon boat paddle across the waves of Fairlop Waters.
But while hopes of an exciting race weekend were sunk, the accompanying fanfare is still afloat – and heading online.
DragonFest Online Shopping Village (dragonfest.org.uk) is to host nearly 200 designer brands, offering a present, gift or treat for every occasion.
A free discounted voucher book will allow users to shop, save and give 10% to the Lord Mayor’s Appeal. Discount vouchers are valid for 12 months and new brands will be featured each month.
Mastermind behind the annual event, Lady Lenzie, said: “Now, more than ever there is a need to promote corporate responsibility to support the work of the Lord Mayor’s Appeal and its charity partners, particularly at a time when so many people have suffered loss, loneliness and depression due to the pandemic.
“The Appeal’s aim is to promote a healthy City, a fair City and a skilled City.
“Next year’s DragonFest is set to be the biggest and best yet, with 60 boats competing, each with 16 paddlers and one drummer, fighting to win the coveted Lord Mayor’s Cup. Team places can be booked now, and the new date for your diary will soon be posted online.”
DragonFest 2021 will take place, as ever, in the picturesque Fairlop Waters Country Park in Barkingside, one of London’s largest country parks.
A full day of activities will be on offer for family and friends, as well as those taking up their paddles to do battle. A feast of entertainment, music, designers, artisans and handmade crafts, and the world food zone delivered by Peckish will all feature alongside the fiercely competitive dragon boat racing.
Dragon boat racing has become the world’s fastest growing water sport, with boats that are visually spectacular, colourful, and exciting for competitors and spectators.
No previous experience is required and safety and technique briefings form an integral part of the event experience.
DragonFest raises funds annually for the Lord Mayor’s Appeal. The Appeal continues the work begun in 2018, alongside its charity partners Place2Be, OnSide, Youth Zones, Duke of Edinburgh Award, and Samaritans.
The Lord Mayor will attend the event, present awards, and enjoy what promises to be an action packed and diverse extravaganza.
Sponsors for 2020 include The Brooke Consultancy, My Rooms, and Luxury Italian Living.


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BAGHDAD -- A consortium made up of BP PLC and China National Petroleum Corp. finalized an agreement to develop southern Iraq's giant Rumaila oil field, having won the contract in the country's historic oil-field auction over the summer.
The deal is a coup for the British super major, which holds the biggest stake in the venture. But it also makes the Chinese oil company the dominant foreign player so far in Iraq's promising oil patch, following another big development deal in Iraq signed last year by CNPC.
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Stats will still be visible in YouTube Studio
American video-sharing platform YouTube has announced that it is experimenting with hiding dislikes on creators’ videos to discourage “dislike mobs” from “deliberately downvoting videos” from creators and channels.
As per The Verge, the experiment is a different implementation than the solutions the company had previously discussed, but it is similar to other attempts by platforms like Instagram which have taken to nip targeted attacks in the bud.
In the current setup, stats for both likes and dislikes are visible in a creator’s individual YouTube Studio page, but only likes will be displayed publicly on a video.
In a support article explaining the test, YouTube said that dislikes can negatively impact a creator’s well-being and “may motivate a targeted campaign of dislikes on a creator’s video.”
👍👎 In response to creator feedback around well-being and targeted dislike campaigns, we're testing a few new designs that don't show the public dislike count. If you're part of this small experiment, you might spot one of these designs in the coming weeks (example below!). pic.twitter.com/aemrIcnrbx— YouTube (@YouTube) March 30, 2021
Creators rely on likes and dislikes as a form of feedback to guide their creative output and to create new content.
When YouTube first announced it was looking into addressing problems with dislikes, it was considering three ideas: hiding the numbers for both likes and dislikes, adding more friction to disliking something through requiring extra interaction, or removing likes and dislikes entirely.
Photo-sharing application Instagram experimented with a similar kind of test when it decided to hide likes on posts. Obviously, likes are inherently positive, but chasing a high like count can have its own negative impact on creators whose livelihoods depend on closely monitoring how their posts are appearing.
YouTube isn’t testing hiding dislikes on all creators’ videos, but if you notice them on your page or you have an opinion as a viewer, YouTube is collecting feedback on its site.


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Hyrule Warriors will feature multiplayer and longtime Zelda bodyguard Impa as a playable character, Tecmo Koei has revealed to Famitsu.
That news broke in the most recent issue of the weekly Japanese gaming mag(as translated by Siliconera), along with a few other details about Omega Force and Team Ninja’s upcoming Dynasty Warriors–inspired Zelda spinoff. According to the report, the two-player mode will see one player utilizing the Wii U GamePad’s screen while the other uses the television. It’s not clear whether multiplayer will be competitive, cooperative, or something entirely different.
In addition, Famitsu confirmed that Impa would be joining Link on the roster, marking the first time she’s ever been playable in any title. Her design appears to be somewhat inspired by her slender, side-ponytail-rockin’ appearance in Skyward Sword, but with a different outfit and modified look.
Other new gameplay details include that Z-targeting, a mainstay of 3D Zelda games, will be making an appearance, as will Link’s spin attack. While we’ve known that bombs would be represented since the debut trailer in December, it now sounds like they’ll be serving some purpose beyond simply blowing up crowds of enemies. Perhaps, as in the mainline Zelda titles, they’ll be used to access new areas and unlock secrets, though it’ll be interesting to see how that meshes with the hectic, combat-centric gameplay of the Warriors series.
There will apparently also be some degree of character progression and equipment customization, with different weapons having an impact on each character’s playstyle. Heavy weapons, for instance, will prioritize damage, while lighter one-handed gear will enable greater speed.
Hyrule Warriors launches for the Wii U in Japan on August 14. No release date has been announced for North America or Europe, but the game is expected to make an appearance at E3, so it’s not too much of a stretch to imagine we’ll hear something then.


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SAN FRANCISCO, CA—July 14, 2021: Quantcast, a global advertising technology company, today announced that the Quantcast Platform has joined the Gartner Peer Insights Customer First program. The Quantcast Platform is[...]
Quantcast is proud to announce that the IAB Canada has selected Quantcast Choice as its consent management platform.
Valerie Junger will draw on deep tech industry experience to help reinforce business culture and drive Quantcast’s mission to champion a free and open internet
PARIS— May 24 2021: Quantcast announced the appointment of Fabrice Leclerc as its new Managing Director for France
Global advertising technology company Quantcast has appointed Ilda Jamison as its new managing director for Australia and New Zealand.
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The total number of "touch-and-go" transactions has passed the one million mark, according to Barclays and Barclaycard.
The financial service providers have pioneered the use of the technology, which allows customers to hold cards equipped with touch-and-go technology up to a reader to buy goods up to the value of £15 without the need to enter their Pin code.
Since January there has been a 217% rise in monthly contactless transactions, with more than 150,000 processed in September alone, according to the firms.
The statistics reveal there are currently 42,500 payment terminals in shops across the UK and 10 million Barclays and Barclaycard customers have been provided with contactless cards.
The companies estimate that as increasing numbers of retailers and banks commit to the technology, the number of contactless card holders in the UK is likely to reach 12 million by year end.
Several retailers have rolled out contactless terminals, including the Co-operative food stores, coffeeshop chains Eat and Pret A Manger. A trial is also underway at Boots the Chemist.
"The range of retailers offering contactless payments has grown significantly, from supermarkets, to restaurants to coffee shops all offering contactless as a quicker and easier option for their customers," said Dan Wass, current accounts director at Barclays.
"Contactless offers a real alternative for traditional cash transactions, helping to reduce queues and ending consumers' search for the correct change," he added.


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Walmart shareholders haven’t had a great year. Despite a hot market, Walmart stock has been flat and FY 2014 sales were up just 1.6%. But don’t worry: The flat stock performance didn’t hurt pay for Walmart’s top executives! As Gretchen Morgenson of the New York Times wrote this weekend, “when it comes to figuring the performance of top executives, let’s just say the numbers can be made to fib.”
The Times detailed the ways in which Walmart made “adjustments” to various performance measurements, far more than in previous years, to allow executives to meet their performance bars. One specific example given is that of U.S. CEO Bill Simon. Without the adjusted results, Mr. Simon would have missed his target sales growth of 2% for the U.S. unit, which grew by just 1.8%. But with the adjustments, which included discounting the impact of cuts to food stamp benefits, Mr. Simon eked out a 2.03% growth rate and received an additional $1.5 million in compensation. Mr. Simon’s total compensation was $13 million.
But, of course, virtually all other Walmart employees do not benefit from these kinds of “adjustments” when their bonuses are calculated, if they even get bonuses. The Times article quotes Mary Pat Tifft, a 20-year associate from Kenosha, Wisconsin:
“Walmart associates are having their hours cut because of declining sales but executives are still getting their bonuses,” she said. “It’s ridiculous that they can keep receiving their compensation because they keep moving the numbers around.”
What do you think? How are Home Office employees faring? Let us know at email@example.com.


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Coronado Ferry Landing, located at 1st Street and B Avenuein Coronado, is a favorite spot for both tourists and residents of the San Diego region. But you may not be aware of the many ways this waterfront destination is working to make its business practices more sustainable.
From recycling, to energy-efficient lighting fixtures, and sustainable foods, the Coronado Ferry Landing – and its waterfront restaurant Peohe's – are changing the way they do business.
"The Coronado Ferry Landing was built in the 1980's and we feel now is the time to make energy upgrades and updates," said Coronado Ferry Landing Property Manager Denise Schwab.
Both the landing and Peohe's are among the 59 Port of San Diego businesses that make up the Green Business Network.
The Green Business Network is an integrated energy efficiency and sustainability effort spearheaded by the Port of San Diego and San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E). Members of the Network – which include Port tenant restaurants, marinas, hotels and attractions - strive to reduce their environmental impact by taking advantage of free technical assistance, attending monthly training on green business tactics, and sharing best-practices with fellow businesses.
So what makes Coronado Ferry Landing so "green?"
First, they offer an environmentally friendly commuting option to travel across San Diego Bay. Instead of making the drive over the San Diego-Coronado Bridge, it's as easy as taking a quick ferry ride. The ferry is free for morning commuters and includes a roundtrip return ticket.
"The ferry runs from about 5 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. and commuters can park here for free and then ride the commuter ferry over," said Schwab. "The captain will give commuters a voucher to ride back. And this in turn helps the environment because it takes vehicles off the road every day."
In 2009, the Coronado Ferry Landing implemented a recycling program, partnering up with EDCO Recycling and Waste Services. That effort has diverted several tons of trash from landfills. Every shop or restaurant does its part to help preserve the environment and conserve energy.
"By diverting recyclable materials from the landfill during operations, the Ferry Landing and our sub-tenants saved $4,000 in 2010 and $7,000 in 2011 for a total of $11,000," said Schwab.
In addition, the Coronado Ferry Landing has plans to install motion-activated light fixtures beginning in 2013. And when it comes to water conservation, management has installed moisture sensors and sprinkler controllers, drip line irrigation, ultra-low flush toilets in restrooms, and self-metering and lead-free faucets.
"The money we save is reinvested back to into our sub-tenants through our facility improvements," said Schwab.
Peohe's, dubbed as Coronado's tropical island getaway, is the newest member of the Green Business Network. They are working with SDG&E to reduce their environmental impact as well as their utility bills.
Dave Bland, Executive Chef of Peohe's, said the restaurant is also proud to be making sustainable food choices.
"We actually change our menu to ensure that we're serving sustainable fish," Bland said. "And we strive to use local produce and fish that are not only good for consumers but also the planet, reducing fuel usage, and truck traffic to get the food to us."
"Overall I think the Green Business Network has had a positive influence on the shopping center because we've been able to see real savings in electrical and water line items," added Schwab.
Coronado Ferry Landing has over 25 eclectic shops and three premier waterfront restaurants, casual eateries, bicycle rentals, a free public boat dock, and a recreational pier. It was built in 1986.
About the Port:
The Port of San Diego is the fourth largest of the 11 ports in California. It was created by the state legislature in 1962. Since then, it has invested millions of dollars in public improvements in its five member cities – Chula Vista, Coronado, Imperial Beach, National City and San Diego.
The port oversees two maritime cargo terminals, two cruise ship terminals, 17 public parks, the Harbor Police Department and the leases of more than 600 tenant and sub tenant businesses around San Diego Bay.
The Port of San Diego is an economic engine, an environmental steward of San Diego Bay and the surrounding tidelands, and a provider of community services and public safety.