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Gulf: Then & Now
Growth plans expected to refresh brand, Petrowski says
NEWTON, Mass. -- Gulf Oil LP CEO Joseph Petrowski has big plans for the New England oil company. Those plans recently hitched a ride on the Massachusetts Turnpike, where Gulf is rebranding 11 gas stations with the debut of its new Gulf Sunrise Gasoline & Retail Centers concept featuring the Gulf Express convenience stores.
Yesterday, Gulf senior vice president and chief marketing officer Rick Dery, the executive behind the concept, detailed that conversion process and new image for CSP Daily News. Today, Petrowski puts that deal in the larger context [image-nocss] of the company's past, present and future.
The Massachusetts Turnpike switch from Exxon to Gulf was driven first because Gulf in New England is the stronger brand name, and a brand name that will have some permanence. Our right to use the Exxon name was going to expire in 2010, which is not that far away, and there is no indication that ExxonMobil will re-license the use of that name to us beyond 2010, so we thought it prudent at this time to switch to Gulf, he told CSP Daily News. Because we don't have to pay a royalty, we're able to lower our costs on supplying gasoline to the turnpike locations. That's always a good thing. And then this was an opportunity in concert with the Turnpike to refurbish the stations.
He added, We've been in the process of reimaging Gulf, but we haven't changed the orange disk. We've got over 100 years of equity in it, but it's a question of brightening up, of freshening up the image.
Many of Gulf's marketers are now facing the challenge of developing an alternative to the traditional two-bay service station, which is becoming an endangered species. We think there is a lot of value long term in developing a brand name and developing a slate of services to deliver a convenience-store format to our customers that will make them strong competitors, less reliant on gasoline margins.
Petrowski noted the importance of having a clean image at the turnpike sites. The Massachusetts Turnpike locations are very visible marquee locations going along Route 90 from the New York state border all the way to Boston, he said. We're going to put a lot of money and a lot of effort into making those as nice a shopping experience and fueling experience as possible.
Gulf's strategy is to grow its current network of about 1,800 Gulf-branded and about 600 Exxon-branded locations to well over 2,500 and close to 3,000 stations over the next five years, Petrowski said. Not only are we going to grow the number of sites, but also we're hoping to have better sites.
Although the company has removed its flag from locations in specific areas or because they are not up to the standard it wants, it has also sought out tremendous operators with great locations such as Christy's Markets. In mid-July, Gulf announced that Christy's of Cape Cod LLC would begin rebranding its 15-station portfolio from CITGO to Gulf Oil this summer.
It's a lot better for our image --- more than just the number of sites, but having those sites and having a person of higher quality like Christy's give you a stamp of approval, helps the brand, said Petrowski. It was somewhat coincidental with Christy's and the Massachusetts Turnpikethe two weren't relatedbut it's a concerted effort on our part to say, 'We're going to get more sites, and the sites we're going to get are going to be excellent locations, strong businesses on the property, run by businesspeople that we know and trust. We're proud of the Christy's [deal], and there are more to come. We're working all the time to convince the better locations to come over.
Current plans for branded sites call for the company to stay from Ohio in the West to Delaware in the South, up to the Canadian border. Petrowski said there are areas in Pennsylvania, Ohio and Upstate New York where there is a lot of room for growth. There will be less growth in areas that already have a concentration of Gulf stations, such as Massachusetts and New York. But it only has 52 sites in Rhode Island; he expects that can rise, but no more than 20 to 25 locations.
The company has 73 Gulf sites in Vermont, and he hopes to grow to 100. It has 275 in Massachusetts and 265 in New Jersey, with less room for growth. For those areas, it's more about working with the facilities that you've got to pump more gasoline and have ancillary businesses on site that really carry the property and make the owner successful and make Gulf successful.
He explained some of the history of the company, from what was once the fifth-largest U.S. corporation and an integrated oil company to being a brand-name licenser. Chevron bought Gulf and kept its drilling and refining and kept the downstream assets west of the Mississippi and in the Upper Midwest. It sold the southern part to BP.
Gulf had a tremendous concentration in the Southeast in the Atlanta region alone. Those all became BPs, including the terminals. The Northeast portion, including the brand name, is what we purchased, so Gulf today --- we're a substantial corporation with $6 billion in sales, but we are regionally limited and not vertically integrated.
He added, We're not the same Gulf from 1985. Do we hope some day to grow to those levels? That would be unrealistic, but I think we have a considerable amount of growth, and we have expanded our operations on an unbranded basis.
He said the company is now in Maryland, and soon will be in the Carolinas. So we'll have product and supply and possibly terminals down into the Southeast, which is our next target area of expansion, he said. But we are not owners of the brand name in that Southeast region, so today we could not market under the Gulf brand name; we would use our unbranded Great Island Energy or lease or distribute under a competitor's brand name.
Gulf Oil --- owned by the Haseotes family, which also separately owns the Cumberland Farms chain (one of Gulf's biggest customers) --- is a totally downstream company that distributes motor fuels through a network of more than 2,400 branded stations, 12 proprietary oil terminals and a network of more than 50 other supply terminals.
Click here to read Dery's interview in CSP Daily News.


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If you have not seen the LePad by Lenovo, just imagine a iPhone 3GS that has been supersized and given a huge 10 inch capacative screen.
The first time Lenovo announced it’s tablet, the first ever by the giant Chinese computer company, was all the way back in January 2010. At that time it was sporting a 1.3Ghz Snap Dragon CPU and running a custom version of Android 2.2 called LeOS!
It’s unsure what nearly a year and a half of extra development time has brought the LePad, but what we do know is that it will be available in China from March and then globally from June.
Gizchina News of the week
The LePad is quite unique in that the tablet portion of the device can be used individually, or connected to a clamshell netbook design. However, when the Lepad is in its shell the tablet turns into a monitor running Windows 7 from the case!
Rumored specs claim the LePad will get 32Gb of storage, Android 2.2 (poss 3.0) and an Atom CPU for when it is in netbook mode.
More news as we get it, in the meantime why not follow us on Twitter.

domain: news


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Jacob Sommer, Marc Zwillinger, Brian Kyuhoon No
More and more states/cities are trying to regulate disruptors like Airbnb, or scooter companies by issuing regulations that require companies to broadly disclose customer lists to municipal or state government without the need for formal legal process. These regulations are in the name of “consumer protection,” but have the effect of giving governments unprecedented access to consumer information without any showing of need or probable cause. On this panel we will discuss how to recognize these types of problematic regulatory efforts, and how to push back on these regulations in the name of privacy.
Jacob Sommer, Shareholder, ZwillGen
Marc Zwillinger, Founder, ZwillGen
Brian Kyuhoon No, Head of Public Policy, Spin


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Pocketstock leads the mobile photography rush – iPhone App
Pocketstock, the innovative stock photography company, has launched its new iPhone app and opened the market up to billions of new stock shooters.
“It’s the very first commercial stock photography app that will allow contributors to shoot, add metadata: captions, keywords, model and property releases, without leaving the app” says Russell Glenister, CEO of Pocketstock. He adds, “It’s possible for a contributor now to shoot an image and have it live on our site for sale within 30 minutes. When I got into the industry it took 3 months and for many stock shooters, it still takes a month for their images to go live at other agencies.”
The app, which will soon be followed by an Andriod version was 6 months in the making and has all the sophistication of a camera on steroids. “If you can imagine your Canon Mark II being able to shoot and handle all the image essentials, such as model releases, that’s what we have created. It’s going to change the way images are supplied and opens up the door to billions of potential new images. It’s crowd sourcing gone mad”, Tavis Wright, Head of Creative at Pocketstock pointed out with great enthusiasm.
Contributors will earn a minimum of 35% of the royalties Pocketstock makes from their phone images. “This market is going be huge”, Russell Glenister said. “It feels like the Wild West and we are driving the first vehicle to arrive”, he continued, rather worryingly for the present stock photography agencies who make their money from traditional supply.
This is the revolution the stock photography industry has been waiting for. It’s going to reignite a really stagnant supply chain and open up the World to “Local Content on a Global Scale” as Pocketstocks strapline promises.
Launched in 2012, by stock photography industry legend and former image100 CEO and founder Russell Glenister, Pocketstock has quickly emerged as a disruptive change agent in the stock photo industry. Headquartered in London, UK, and with offices in New York City, NY, Pocketstock offers exclusive local content on a truly global scale through a royalty free license – to stock photo buyers worldwide. It sells millions of images and uploads over 50,000 new images every week.


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As every year, the end of May always belongs to Overwatch. This year Blizzard Entertainment is celebrating second Overwatch anniversary encouraging over 40 million players to play. With this occasion, I prepared for you Overwatch Anniversary Quiz. Are you able to solve those questions?
Blizzard Entertainment company is strongly focusing on game development and culture and esport sheath. Only this year Blizzard has broken a record in exclusive agreement with Twitch.TV platform for broadcasting esport events. In addition, there are exclusive license agreements with Nerf and LEGO companies for creating and distributing Overwatch guns and LEGO bricks. Right now Overwatch has already more than 40 million players worldwide.
Just a few days ago, Blizzard launched its Overwatch Anniversary event, during which players will have the opportunity to win over 190 cosmetics items. However, exceptionally this year, each player has a chance to win items from all previous seasonal events.
I thought that this is a great idea to convince you to solve my quiz and check if you’re ready for this.


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Elon Musk, the chairman of SolarCity (SCTY) and CEO of Tesla Motors (TSLA - Get Report) , has another company to take up his time: SpaceX. Although SpaceX is a private company, it still garners a lot of news, and not all of it good.
Case in point: the Sept. 1 explosion of one of its rockets on the launch pad at Cape Canaveral in Florida.
The ensuing investigation has not led to many explanations as to why the rocket suddenly exploded. Musk to took to Twitter, calling the explosion the "most difficult and complex failure we have ever had in 14 years."
Musk added that the "engines were not on and there was no apparent heat source." SpaceX asked the public to send any photos or videos of the explosion to the company in order to aid in the investigation.
Theories on why the rocket blew up range from a simple engineering flaw to fly-by sabotage. Strange as this may sound, the sabotage idea is being fueled by inconclusive video that appears to show an object hurtling past the rocket at around the 10-second mark.
Although not evident in the linked video, Musk cited a "bang" sound in his tweet. At some point we'll learn the source because the truth is out there.
Shares of Samsung (SSNLF) were hitting new all-time highs just last month. However, the company suffered a major blow on reports over the company's new Galaxy Note 7 smartphone. Like that SpaceX rocket, your phone could catch fire.
As a result, Samsung recalled and halted sales of the device. This is terrible news for a company looking to gain traction headed into the holiday season and at a time where Apple (AAPL - Get Report) is getting a lot of hoopla over its recently launched iPhone 7.
As if that wasn't enough, the Federal Aviation Agency Administration warned passengers not to use the faulty Samsung devices on planes or pack them in their checked luggage.
Will loyal Samsung users wait for the fix or will they jump ship to another manufacturer? Will the impact be short term or hit Samsung for a longer period of time? Both are yet to be determined.
Speaking of Apple's new iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, one of the most noteworthy features is the lack of a headphone jack. Customers will receive a headphone adapter that will connect their current wired headphones into the device's lightning charging port. But were there other motivations?
The company cited "courage" as its motive to remove the jack, but profits probably didn't hurt the thesis.
Apple's largest acquisition was of headphone-producer Beats for some $3 billion in 2014. Beats has the highest revenue in the Bluetooth headphones market and that likely encouraged Apple to go through with its removal of the port. The company also created Apple AirPods, which are $159 wireless ear buds for users.
Without Beats' technology, perhaps the device wouldn't have been achieved.
The company is hoping the convenience of the AirPods combined with the lack of a headphone jack will boost sales of the new device. Just don't lose an earpiece for the pricey device.
Shares of Apple closed at $103.13 Friday, down 2.3%.


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The EFL has announced a new three-year partnership with eBay - which will celebrate the businesses powering local communities around all 72 EFL clubs.
Through the launch of ‘Small Businesses United’, the partnership will see eBay donate advertising space at EFL grounds to the small businesses at the heart of their marketplace.
Showing the power of community, 85% of EFL clubs have been supported by a small, local business over the past year, despite financial hardships during the COVID-19 pandemic.
EFL clubs were instrumental in communities during the pandemic, delivering over 1.4 million food parcels, more than 179,000 items of PPE, 22,000 prescriptions and donating over 2,100 laptops and tablets to people facing technology poverty.
EFL club staff and players have had in excess of 527,000 outgoing and incoming conversations with supporters and vulnerable people.
Although the EFL lost £250m when football went behind closed doors, the end of lockdown has seen a huge surge in interest in attending games.
‘Small Businesses United’ will allow eBay sellers to further connect with their local EFL clubs, and see their own brand under the bright stadium lights, now they are back watching their team.
Ben Wright, chief commercial officer of the EFL, said: “The long-term relationship we have agreed with eBay is an exciting addition to the EFL portfolio of official partners, and highlights how we want to support the local businesses who have in turn done so much to help our clubs.
“We are really pleased to be able to support growing businesses through all 72 EFL clubs and the ‘Small Businesses United’ initiative.
“It is a fantastic opportunity for supporters of our clubs to see their own businesses advertised in EFL stadia nationwide, and demonstrates again how the EFL can support positive and impactful local community activation on a national scale.”
Rob Hattrell, SVP and head of eBay Europe, said: “eBay UK and the EFL know local business and football clubs are the backbone of our communities, sharing a history of mutual support that we are so excited to celebrate with 'Small Businesses United'.
“After the financial trials of the pandemic, it is more important than ever for eBay to continue to shine a spotlight on the power of small business, and to champion the sport we know and love.
“The excitement surrounding English football is at a real high this year, and we are seeing that replicated on eBay with huge demand for the equipment needed for the grassroots game.
“This is why we will be looking to extend our support beyond the professional clubs, to further boost local communities - all thanks to the power of eBay’s 300,000 small business sellers.”
Former professional footballer, and television presenter, Dion Dublin commented: “As an ex-footballer, and someone who has run my own businesses, I think it is incredibly important that football clubs work closely with businesses in their surroundings.
“This partnership between the EFL and eBay will help many small businesses to grow in size and will bring a real sense of community to the 72 clubs involved.”
‘Small Businesses United’ launches ahead of the start of the 2021/22 season, which begins as AFC Bournemouth host West Bromwich Albion in Friday night’s Sky Bet Championship curtain-raiser.
All EFL clubs and competitions will be involved in the initiative until the end of the 2023/24 campaign.
To visit City's official eBay store, and get your hands on authentic merchandise, please CLICK HERE.


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HIwassee Structural Products
A STAFF OF 30, INCLUDING SALES, DESIGN, AND MANUFACTURING — TURNS OUT THOUSANDS OF COMPONENTS A YEAR.
“On today’s framing crews,” Beaty says, “we are seeing lower skilled labor. Now, you put an iPad in that guy’s hand with MiTek® VIEWER, and you get real clarity as to how everything should look. It takes any arguments out of the equation…. We can zoom in on the image, show the load path crews view 3D images of their projects.”
COLLABORATE ON ALL KINDS OF PLANS
Hiwassee Builder’s Supply relies on MiTek VIEWER to collaborate on all kinds of plans in today’s custom-home-centric environment.
We already know we’re never going back. MiTek’s SAPPHIRE Viewer is a core part of the future for us.”
Hiwassee Structural Products is a building component manufacturing plant that’ has served the builders and remodelers of Tennessee for five decades. The company uses the SAPPHIRE Component Manufacturer Suite to digitize plans and collaborate in real time – and in 3D – to eliminate errors.
“We get plans in every conceivable form. Sometimes the roof or floor design is drawn on a napkin,” says manager Doug Beaty. “And we are seeing varying wall heights more and more these days, because that’s how people are typically customizing their homes…. no matter what form the designs come to us – CAD, PDF, hand drawn – I can confidently say that 100% of the plans that come to us need some kind of work.”


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Tax Foundation & Rep. Clay Higgins Each Warn Of Potential Impacts From Steel Tariff
The Trump Administration is backing a plan to impose tariffs on steel and aluminum imports. The plan is aimed at making American metal production more competitive at home.
But, Director of State Projects at the nonpartisan Tax Foundation Scott Drenkard says as a port state, the proposal hits Louisiana particularly hard.
“Louisiana is not the biggest state in the country but it is one of the states that would be most impacted by this policy, and it would be about half a billion dollars in total impact in a given year.”
The Tax Foundation estimates the tariffs would cost the US 9 billion dollars a year.
Much of Louisiana’s economy is dependent on the imported goods that crowd our docks. Drenkard says if history holds up, many of those jobs could be at risk.
“The last time in 2002 that the administration placed tariffs on steel imports, an analysis afterwards suggested that 200,000 Americans lost their jobs as a result.”
Drenkard says while some jobs may be saved as a result, consumers would notice a price increase on many of their favorite goods.
“Basically anything that is made of out steel and aluminum is likely to see price increases. I think we’ll all be looking at items that are made out of steel and aluminum and saying, do I really want to pay more for these everyday items?”
The tariffs would tax steel at 25 percent, and aluminum at 10 percent.
Meanwhile, Congressman Clay Higgins (R-LA) is sharing his concerns as well. He authored a letter to President Trump, outlining potential negative impacts on the LNG industry from a proposed tariff on imported steel and aluminum.
The letter notes the $120 billion in private investment projects that have already begun or planned construction in Southwest Louisiana, saying that a new tariff on steel would alter project costs and endanger new project development.
Congressman Higgins issued the following statement:
“I agree with President Trump that we should promote trade policies that place Americans first. However, we must also consider the American industries that rely upon imported steel. We have major industrial growth in South Louisiana from the LNG industry that requires specialty steels, which aren’t available domestically. They have no option but to import those materials in order to complete project construction. A new tariff, or tax, on imported steel would increase the costs of production and alter the economic benefit model for every one of the ongoing and announced projects in our state. I am hopeful the President will take the economic impact of this industry into account as he considers changes in trade policy.”


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Cloudtail, Appario push brands for higher margins
Amazon’s largest sellers seek 18-20% hike on current margin base as they chase profitability.
Cloudtail India revenue up 25%, touches Rs 8,945 crore
Cloudtail’s growth comes despite a major change in ownership of its holding firm.
Amazon bets on 3rd-party sellers, doubles 2020 India target to $16 billion
The overall volume of sales by these sellers has gone up in the ra...
Amazon seller entity Appario sees revenue of Rs 759 cr, loss of Rs 7 crore in FY18
The filings state that the company started its business during the year ended March 31, 2018 and is “primarily engaged in trading activities on e-commerce website Amazon.in.”
Amazon plans wholesale makeover to become ecommerce FDI compliant
Amazon’s prominent sellers may sell to slew of preferred vendors, who will undertake sales to consumers.
Small e-commerce sellers no less in mega offers
Newly appointed players on Flipkart, Amazon offer items at prices similar to those set by cos such as Cloudtail, Appario.
To keep discounts in play, Flipkart writes a sop story
Etailer incentivises sellers to pass on additional discounts to ‘loyal’ customers on Flipkart Plus.
Key Amazon seller Cloudtail returns in a new avatar
NRN’s Catamaran raises stake in seller to 76%; Amazon’s JV with Patni, Appario, to also rejig ownership.
Small sellers calling it quits on Amazon
Unable to manage logistics after new norms kicked in on Feb 1, fringe sellers are exiting Amazon.
Ecommerce companies Flipkart, Amazon log out of deep discounts
Online marketplaces treading cautiously after February tweak in ecommerce policy.
No iPhones, delivery of Echo speakers will take a month. Amazon hit hard by new ecomm rules
The policy has also affected in-house brands like Solimo and Amazon Basics. All items in these categories are unavailable and there is no communication from Amazon on when it will be back online.
New norms may freeze Flipkart, Amazon models
Big sellers like RetailNet, Super-ComNet and OmniTech Retail on Flipkart and its fashion affiliate Myntra besides Cloudtail and Appario on Amazon India form over 60% of these platforms’ sales.
Small sellers say field is still not level for playing
For many of these sellers, it wasn’t about Flipkart and Amazon having a stake in sellers, but about these sellers getting better deals on shipping and advertising, reducing overheads and allowing them to sell products at lower costs.
Chain of subsidiaries may help skirt curbs for etailers
Amazon and Flipkart may have to create new vendors that do not fall foul of Press Note 2.
Amazon, Flipkart sales fall a third as FDI norms kick in
The curbs bar some of the business practices that foreign funded companies followed.
Copyright © 2019 Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. All rights reserved. For reprint rights: Times Syndication Service


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New Owners Spice Up Restaurant, LazyDelivery.com and Warren Buffet company enters Gainesville Real Estate market.
Gainesville’s La Nopalera is under new ownership after a pair of long-time employees purchased the Mexican restaurant. Brothers Jorge and Mario Arce took over in late December after acquiring the business from Jose Valencia, who owns six La Nopaleras in the Jacksonville area.
Jorge Arce said minor changes were made to improve overall quality and consistency, putting it in line with the original La Nopalera where the Arce brothers worked for 14 years. Food is prepared fresh every day and “nothing is canned or frozen,” Arce said.
“Everything is the same as before,” Jorge Arce said. “But we do have a couple of dishes we wanted to introduce to the menu like shrimp cocktail, churrito and ceviche.”
From the bar, customers can enjoy specials “all day, every day” on all drinks as well as 2-for-1 margaritas until 6 p.m. “We have a very extensive variety of tequila, with top-shelf brands like Patron and Cuervo 1800 to order any type of margarita,” Arce said.
While a “good amount” of customers are college students, Arce stresses that La Nopalera is not a “party place,” adding that there is plenty of private seating in a large indoor dining room or on an outdoor patio that overlooks 34th and Archer. Sporting events can be watch on several 52-inch flat screen TVs, both inside and out.
“We’re a family owned business that caters to local families,” Arce said. “We take into consideration all of the values that are important to us when we take our
family to dinner.”
Speaking of catering, La Nopalera offers services for any size group, whether it’s an office luncheon or a birthday party. “The whole menu is available, anything and everything.”
They’re wasting their degrees by saving people trips to the grocery store.
LazyDelivery.com co-founders Marc Charbel and brothers Manuel and Daniel Zelaya are already bagging more than 100 orders per week since launching the delivery service in late 2013. Charbel earned his master’s degree at UF while Manuel Zelaya graduated from Yale, but both have turned down jobs in their fields to grow LazyDelivery.com.
“When I moved here I didn’t have a car,” Charbel said. “So if I wanted groceries I would have to walk or take a bus. That’s where we saw the need for (the company).”
The company targets “students, busy parents and anyone who doesn’t have time to go get groceries,” and has grown to 11 employees, including eight delivery drivers. “Instant delivery” for deliveries within an hour costs $10 for the first 10 items, plus the grocery bill, while deliveries scheduled in advance cost $7 for the first 10 items. Each additional item is 70 cents.
“It’s a different lifestyle, so some people aren’t used to it,” Charbel said. “The service is available in different cities, but we’ve tried to revolutionize the idea by having instant delivery instead of people having to wait a few days (to get orders delivered).”
The company recently launched a new iOS/iPhone app and have plans to add signs to their delivery fleet.
One local real estate agency was affected when Warren Buffet’s Berkshire Hathaway took over Prudential on Jan. 30. Berkshire Hathaway Trend Realty present by Thomas McIntosh said the Berkshire brand has been the biggest benefit for his team of 50-plus Realtors “being able to hand out a card with the most admired name, according to Forbes.”
With the Internet changing the way buyers search for homes, McIntosh said another benefit has been to the company’s website.
“Warren Buffet has invested a lot to make sure we have all the new technology at out fingertips,” said McIntosh, who open his first firm in 1988. “We’re kind of overwhelmed with it all right now.”


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New Lincoln Pictures
As one of the country’s most storied luxury brands works to reinvent itself for a new generation of customers, our new Lincoln pictures are showing some early fruits of those efforts—with styling cues that originated in the new Lincoln Design Center, which opened recently on the Ford campus in Dearborn, Mich.
There, some 150 dedicated Lincoln designers are working together on a fresh vision for Lincoln, as explained by Raj Nair, vice president of Global Product Development for the Ford Motor Company: “We have spent considerable time to develop strong integrated design, engineering and product programs into a common Product Development vision for Lincoln.
“Lincoln’s advantage is we can build on the company’s tremendous global product development resources and ensure we continually innovate to develop the best technology and apply it to support the unique Lincoln difference.”
Added Max Wolff, the brand’s design director: “We also made it a priority to fit interior and exterior design teams into one space because often they are two separate work streams and therefore, two different sensibilities. Now everyone collaborates on one harmonious vehicle.”
The results of this approach are on display in both the 2014 Lincoln lineup and Autobytel’s new Lincoln pictures, in the form of new signature styling cues like the brand’s panoramic glass roof, providing one of the largest daylight openings in the industry, and the exclusive Lincoln Drive Control technology. That latter system offers Lincoln owners a sophisticated push-button setup for operating basic transmission functions, as well as a notable differentiator from the competition.


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Bear Valley considers becoming a co-op - or vanishing
Updated 6:52 pm, Tuesday, March 18, 2014
Troyer, a Bear Valley (Alpine County) resident, presented the idea to the homeowners association board after a bidder withdrew in September. A small group of skiers and homeowners is now trying to succeed at something that has only worked in one other place in the United States - they want to buy the resort and turn it into Bear Valley Mountain Cooperative.
"Steve Troyer had a sense of what the place is about," said Eric Friedman, the marketing director at Vermont's Mad River Glen, the only other ski resort co-op in the U.S. "The money is within the realm of reality. And they have the passion - the homeowners' future depends on it.
"We'd like to see someone else pull it off."
Bear Valley's mountain and village have been for sale on and off for years, and while serious inquiries have been made and due diligences done, no one has signed the bill of sale.
Thus, the local group's announcement. Should the current owners - a consortium of Dundee Bear Management, TBI Partners and Radar Partners - tire of running a ski area and turn off the power, skiers, homeowners and businesses along Route 4 would suffer. Bear Valley is between Lake Tahoe and Yosemite, about an hour northeast of Angels Camp.
A co-op in Vermont
Troyer and his colleagues have been consulting with Mad River Glen, which has operated as a co-op since 1995 in northern Vermont's Green Mountains. Of the more than 450 ski areas in the U.S., it's the only successful cooperative.
"We get two or three calls a year from other ski areas that want to go co-op," Friedman said. "After the call, I always say, 'They don't have a prayer.' "
The problems often are threefold: a bad business model, not enough money and lack of passion, Friedman said. And all three are required for co-op success.
But after talking with the Bear Valley group, he said, "They were the exceptions, for sure."
Homeowners decided they needed to take action after the mountain almost didn't open in 2012.
"After that questionable season, (the owners) decided to cut their losses; they offered it for sale early in 2013," said Mike Wallenfels, a Bear Valley homeowner and active member of the interim Bear Valley Mountain Cooperative. "There was a long series of due diligence by a potential buyer. But in September, the process was 'on hold.'
"A lot of us homeowners said, 'We'd better step in and do something if we want to save the mountain. We need to take control of this ourselves.' "
That issue of self-control was a factor in the current iteration of Bear Valley. In the mid-1980s, Bay Area developer Chuck Toeniskoetter, then 60, bought up land in and around Bear Valley. Toeniskoetter put together a consortium to buy Bear Valley Mountain Resort from its longtime owners, the Bottomley family.
Started in 1968
The Bottomleys weren't the first owners; Bear Valley began life in 1968 as Mt. Reba Ski Bowl.
When the consortium bought it, it planned to build a lift from the middle of town and construct condominiums.
Toeniskoetter said at the time, "Now it's Bear Valley's turn to come alive."
And it might have - it's among the closest ski areas to Silicon Valley, which can make a big difference in times of heavy traffic or heavy snowfall - but for the dark triumvirate of economy, snow and exhaustion.
The economy went south, and with it went the money to buy that lift and sell many of those condos.
Then, with less snow in recent winters, it has become harder to attract skiers. Today, the upper half of the mountain is open, but the lower half has been closed all winter. While acknowledging the impact of a warming California, Wallenfels noted, "At Bear Valley, most of the skiing is at 7,500 feet and above."
There's a feeling in Bear Valley that after going through endless meetings and forms and committees and agencies to get approval for their development plan, the consortium ran out of steam - exhaustion finally trumped enthusiasm.
"In the past seven years, the partnership has spent a lot of time and money getting the entitlements completed," said Rosie Sundell, Bear Valley's sales and marketing director. "They put together a master plan, getting improvements like lodgings, a lift, restaurants, condos and business space approved. They had to go through the county and the Forest Service. They worked so hard, and it was such a challenging time. Now, they're looking for a fresh team with the energy and enthusiasm to see it through."
Hoping for a discount
According to Wallenfels, current owners were hoping for $8 million for the mountain, village and 10 acres before a previous potential buyer walked. The co-op team hopes they will be the successful suitors - and won't have to pay top dollar.
"There are more than 3,000 season-pass holders, plus local homeowners and businesses along the Highway 4 corridor, plus day skiers from Lodi and Stockton, plus a lot of people from Silicon Valley," Wallenfels said.
"For $2,500, you become a member."
But the co-op cannot yet accept members.
"We've formed a co-op based on the Mad River Glen model," Wallenfels said. "We've incorporated, spread the word, and are waiting for final California ... approval. Until we get that, we can't take money."
Wallenfels was also clear that this is not a hobby operation. "We're going to operate this as a business. We intend to turn a profit. Like Mad River Glen."
What's good and what's bad about a cooperative running a ski resort? Mad River Glen's Friedman is clear about that.
"It's both a great way to run a ski area and a really bad one," he said. "There's a lot that's good. We're making decisions as skiers. We're more about sport than money. People are willing to pitch in because it's really important to them.
"On the other hand, you've got an incredibly passionate group who is into the micromanagement of how big the chocolate chip cookies should be."
How to get involved
Organizers cannot accept co-op members until the state approves the plan, but they can take "donations of seed money for startup costs." For details, go to www.bvmcoop.org.
Jules Older is a freelance writer. Read his blog at http://blog.sfgate.com/ski.


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USPS: Increased Prices of Stamps and Envelopes
- The United States Postal Service increased the prices of stamps, envelopes, and boxes on Jan. 27.
- The prices of those products jumped by several cents, but some shipments will become cheaper due to other changes.
- For Forever stamps, it's the USPS' largest-ever price increase.
- Analysts estimated that the price change, announced in October, could cost Amazon up to $1.1 billion. UPS and FedEx may also experience a hit.
The United States Postal Service just hiked the prices of Forever stamps by a record amount. The prices for envelopes and boxes also went up.
That will increase how much you pay at the post office, but it's slated to also affect the bottom lines at logistics companies and e-commerce giants like Amazon.
USPS' price change might cost Amazon anywhere from $400 million to $1.1 billion, Credit Suisse said when the price jump was announced in October. UPS and FedEx also use USPS delivery services, and could experience a hit as USPS bumps its prices.
"The Governors (of the Postal Service) believe these new rates will keep the Postal Service competitive while providing the agency with needed revenue," USPS said in the October announcement.
Forever stamps went from 50 cents to 55 cents, though mailing additional announces now cost 15 cents instead of 21 cents. Flat rate boxes are up by 70 cents to $1.05, and padded and regular flat rate envelopes also increased by nearly a dollar. More detailed information on price changes can be found on the USPS website.
In total, mailing services increased by 2.5%. Forever stamps jumped by 10%. The USPS reassess its prices every year and often increases the cost of certain goods, a USPS spokesperson told Business Insider. The prices "are primarily adjusted according to market conditions," USPS said.
The USPS lost $3.9 billion in fiscal year 2018, according to a December 4 report from the Task Force on the United States Postal System. Its cumulative losses are nearing $70 billion.(Source: Business Insider, January 28, 2019)


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Datalight announced today that its popular ROM-DOS has been selected as the operating system for a new line of digital still cameras that include the Canon PowerShot Pro70 that will be available in the USA later this quarter.
This is the second Camera from Canon since spring, 1998 to make use of Datalight's ROM-DOS. ROM-DOS is a fully compatible MS-DOS work-alike.
The incorporation of ROM-DOS into their new line of digital cameras allows Canon to take advantage of a proven technology. As Yukichi Niwa, Advisory Director of the Digital Imaging Business Group of Canon, explained, "Canon's basic philosophy is conventional camera-like full flatness and reliability. We selected Datalight DOS because of its less than 50KB lightness, the file system reliability and because it is a long lasting and well-understood platform."
Datalight has licensed more than one and one-half million units of ROM-DOS over the past five years, making it a veteran operating system for both consumer-level and embedded-system products, and ROM-DOS shipments show no signs of slowing. "Actually, DOS usage is on the increase." stated Tim Gillman, Vice-President of Marketing at Datalight, Inc. "This increase is due primarily to the need for DOS in higher-volume products, especially in the consumer area."
Another reason for high confidence in ROM-DOS is Datalight's level of product support. Datalight is committed to the full support of its DOS for the next five years, longer if the market so demands. This level of support ensures forward compatibility for future products in the years to come, not just for Canon, but for all manufacturers that include Datalight's DOS in their products.
Datalight develops and licenses professional quality system software that includes operating systems and development tools for the Intel Architecture. The company's other products include: FlashFX(TM), a portable and full-featured flash file system; WinLight(TM), a Windows work-alike GUI; Sockets, a TCP/IP stack for ROM-DOS and WinLight and the DL BIOS(TM), designed specifically for AMD processors. Throughout the world, numerous companies, representing various technologies, depend on Datalight software for a multitude of industrial and consumer applications.
How confident are you that you can spot a manipulated photo? A recent study at the University of Warwick shows that many people are pretty bad at it.
If you purchased a Leica TL2, do NOT attach Leica's Visoflex electronic viewfinder. Leica is working on a fix, but for now, it's possible the viewfinder will break your camera.
Google just released Motion Stills for Android. Unlike the iOS version, the Android app uses a redesigned video processing pipeline that processes each frame of a video as it is being recorded, creating instant results.
A huge copyright lawsuit between photography firm VHT and Zillow Group is heating up again, as both sides appeal a court ruling that granted VHT $4 million in damages.
European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Pesquet spent 6 months on board the International Space Station where he worked with Google capturing spheric panorama images that are now available in Street View.
It's official. PDN has confirmed with parent company Aurelius that 94-year-old lighting company Bowens is indeed going out of business.
The newly launched firmware version 1.06 fixes AF-issues that can occur with some lenses that are not officially compatible with the MC-11 converter.
Voyager is a waterproof smart light stick you can control entirely from your phone. The light has already blown past its $300K funding goal on Indiegogo.
2018 is the last year Photokina will take place during the traditional end-of-September dates. In 2019, Photokina will take place from the 8th to the 11th of May.
The Canon IXUS 50 (known as the SD400 Digital ELPH in North America) was one of a string of high-performing, pocketable PowerShots of the mid-2000s. In this week's throwback Thursday, Barney casts his mind back to 2005.
A close look at the EOS 6D II's Raw files suggest its dynamic range has taken a significant step backwards compared with the company's recent DSLRs. We look at how much difference this might make for your photos.
With a full-production review unit in our hands, we've got over 100 production samples from the new Canon EOS 6D Mark II to share.
Need a break from your day? Kick back and watch the making of a somewhat unconventional mojito filmed on Canon's new EOS 6D Mark II.
The Bonfoton Camera Obscura Room Lens can turn any room into a camera obscura, projecting the view from your window onto the walls of your room.
Adobe just released version 2015.12 of Lightroom CC, adding support for several new cameras and lenses, and baking in several important bug fixes while they were at it.
In this interview, Chiara Marinai, photo editor for VanityFair.com, explains exactly what she looks for in new photographers and photo submissions. Take notes.
Massive corporation P&G is being sued by a Cincinnati photographer for serious copyright violations. If the courts rules against P&G, the company could pay as much as $75 million in damages.
Snapchat's camera-equipped 'Spectacles' aren't so difficult to get anymore. You can now pick up a pair through Amazon for $130.
A group of thieves has made away with tens of thousands in camera gear through a carefully orchestrated scam through Venmo and Facebook Marketplace.
A portrait lens from 1910 might be coming back to life if two photographers from Germany succeed in a new Kickstarter project—the latest development in the craze to remake vintage optics.
The updated version of Google Glass is called the Enterprise Edition and, as the name suggests, it's not meant for personal use.
Charles Ommanney was once a photographer for presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, now he's working for Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
Image compression software JPEGmini Pro was just updated to handle files up to 128MB. They're calling it "The 1 Feature Hasselblad Owners
Apple was just granted a patent for a camera system that prods, coaxes and manipulates users into taking better group and solo selfies.
The Canon EOS 6D Mark II is a better camera than its predecessor, but how much better? Should you buy one?
The winners of the 2017 Magnum and LensCulture Photography Awards have been announced. Here are the six photographers who took home the top prize in their respective categories.
A NASA study has confirmed what your ears have been telling you: people HATE drone noise. In fact, it was ranked more annoying than that of "any ground vehicle."
This floating bird video isn't edited in post-production. It's the result of the birds wing flap matching the camera's 20fps frame rate.
Adobe released a major update to Lightroom Mobile for both iOS and Android users today.
Could the future of photo and video storage be... alive? Scientists at Harvard have managed to encode a GIF of a galloping horse into a live sample of E. coli.


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In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, supply chain problems have become pervasive. In fact, things are getting so bad that many fear they could imperil the all-important holiday shopping season this year.
“My wife came up to me and said, ‘We have to start Christmas shopping right now,’” said John Petricola, senior managing director of Southeast development with the Rockefeller Group, who moderated a panel discussion on supply chain challenges this week at NAIOP’s CRE.Converge in Miami Beach, Florida. “When that happens, you know we have problems in the supply chain.”
Michael Landsburg, chief development officer with NFI Real Estate, said there are currently 70 cargo ships anchored off the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, California. A month ago, there were about 40.
“Those boats are waiting for two to three weeks,” he said. “If you haven’t done your Christmas shopping, it may be too late. Trying to deliver is incredibly challenging right now.”
Landsburg noted that issues could continue for some time at West Coast ports. For example, he said that the contract for the longshoreman union in Los Angeles and Long Beach is up for renewal next year.
“There is some thought that it might not be the smoothest negotiation,” he said. “It remains to be seen. There could be some impacts into next summer.”
Meanwhile, costs are skyrocketing right now. Landsburg said that before the pandemic, the price to ship a container from China to Long Beach was about $1,500. Today, he said he’s seeing some quotes as high as $25,000.
“We should have been thinking about these things a while back, but here we are,” said Will McIntosh, global head of research with USAA Real Estate. “It’s kind of hard to change plans when you’re in the middle of it. I think about what happens when you bring those goods off the ship. Now you’ve got to bring them east. That has its own set of problems. For example, there’s a shortage of truck drivers.”
Landsburg echoed those sentiments. He noted that while costs have gone up about 30% in the red-hot industrial real estate market, the costs for other factors in logistics like transportation are going up just as fast or faster.
“Are you sending them by truck? All the costs have gone up and the availability has gone down,” he said. “Total transportation makes up about 50% of costs. That affects where distribution centers go. It may be a smaller percentage, but it matters. The challenge is planning. Right now, it’s hard to look out six months to a year.”
Reshoring and nearshoring have been major topics of discussion in the logistics industry for the past few months. Rising labor costs in China and ongoing supply chain issues have made a case for greater reshoring of manufacturing. Today, Mexico can produce goods for about 25% of what it costs to manufacture in China, and with far fewer transportation issues thanks to its 1,954-mile-long border with the U.S.
“You’re going to see more companies moving back this way and looking for suppliers that are closer to the consumer,” McIntosh said.
Later, McIntosh shared an anecdote to illustrate his point. A Utah-based company that manufactures hot tubs gets parts from seven countries and 14 states. The firm estimates that there are 188,000 miles of travel to assemble a hot tub in Utah. In recent months, supply chain issues have gotten so bad that the company had to charter flights to pick up parts.
“It went from taking a few weeks to make a hot tub to six months,” he said.
According to Joe Dunlap, managing director of supply chain advisory for CBRE, many businesses are trying to pursue a supply chain policy that’s been dubbed “China plus one.”
“If you were a company that had consolidated its sourcing to one country, you’re in trouble,” he said. “So, you should have suppliers in other countries. Generally, it would be China plus another Asian country, but it could be anywhere in the world.”
Labor issues are another problem, Landsburg said.
“When it comes to locating your facilities, you could get your transportation right and your facilities right, but you can’t find the labor force,” he said.
That’s where automation could step in to fill the gaps. Landsburg said NFI Real Estate has been working on adaptable technology with a focus on flexible automation that can move from facility to facility depending on need. And further down the road, technology could really take off, he said.
“Imagine driverless tractor trailers being operated by remote drivers like a video game,” he said. “In the future, this kind of job could appeal to technologically inclined younger workers.”
And finally, many companies could scale back on the longstanding practice of “just in time” inventory management, in which goods are shipped only when they’re needed. Instead, they might focus on “just in case” inventory management, in which companies keep larger inventories on hand. McIntosh said many companies are already doing that. “When we look at industrial space demand right now, we’re looking at inventory space,” he said. “Walmart’s inventory up is 20%. Target’s up 26%. And Home Depot’s is up 40%.”


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Whole Foods nutritionist's tip to shop healthy and save money: Buy frozen
Lindsey Kane, MS, RD, a healthy eating specialist for Whole Foods Market, is tired of hearing "Healthy eating is too expensive." Among her tips for shoppers: Head to the frozen food department. "This is the ultimate unsung hero of the grocery store. It's where fresh stays fresh!"
Contaminated bean sprouts sicken more than 100
Food Quality News
Salmonella from bean sprouts has sickened more than 100 people from 12 states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Related: Another sprout outbreak: We need a warning label, Marler says (Food Poison Journal)
USDA: Thaw in relations with Cuba positive for US agriculture
Exports of U.S. agricultural products such as wheat, rice, soybeans and meat products stand to gain from a surprise U.S. move toward repairing relations with Cuba, agriculture industry officials said Wednesday.
Related: US food industry welcomes plan to normalize US-Cuba relations (Food Production Daily)
| Looking for similar articles? Search here, keyword AG EXPORTS.|
Cuba decision: Bet by Obama that Cold War politics have turned corner
The Washington Post
President Barack Obama's surprising move toward normalizing relations with Cuba amounts to a big bet that the nation — and, particularly, the crucial swing state of Florida — has turned a political corner from the Cold War era.
How Republicans could stop Obama's Cuba play (Politico)
Could Obama's Cuba policy help Democrats in 2016? (The Wall Street Journal)
GOP hopefuls bash Obama on Cuba moves (The Hill)
Winners and losers of lame duck
The final days of the 113th Congress were dominated by a bruising fight over government funding that nearly led to a shutdown. Here's who won and lost in the post-election scramble.
'Worst Congress ever,' by the numbers
Google "worst Congress ever" and you'll get nearly 5.4 million results — many of them scathing takes on two years of dysfunction, partisan warfare and all-around mayhem on Capitol Hill.
China approves delayed GMO imports as US ties warm
China has approved the import of a genetically modified corn strain it blocked last year, causing market turmoil, and has given clearance to biotech soybeans that had been waiting years for clearance, in a sign of improving relations with the United States.
Lamex Agrifoods is part of the Lamex Food Group with equity investments in processing facilities in Greece, Serbia and Chile, offering dual seasonality of fruit items. Our factories process the finest ORGANIC and CONVENTIONAL IQF Raspberries, Blackberries, Peaches, Apricots, Dark Sweet Cherries, Blueberries, Blackberries, Tart Cherries and more!
GMO labeling opponents contributing to candidates, PACs
The campaign against Oregon's Measure 92, which would have required labels on genetically modified food, was the most expensive in the state's history, with 99.9 percent of campaign contributions coming from out of state. As of Thursday, the No on 92 Coalition had reported raising $20.9 million, more than twice as much as supporters' $9.9 million.
Tropical deforestation threatens global food production
Tropical deforestation in the southern hemisphere is accelerating global warming and threatening world food production by distorting rainfall patterns across Europe, China and the U.S. Midwest, according to a study released Thursday.
Tim Hortons, Burger King name new executive team
Oakville, Ontario–based Restaurant Brands International, formed by the merger of Tim Hortons and Burger King, has announced its new leadership team and board of directors.
Merger of 2 meat industry associations takes effect Jan. 1
Food Safety News
NAMI is the product of the merger of the 108-year-old American Meat Institute and the North American Meat Association, with origins dating back to 1942. The merger combines into one the two large meat industry organizations that have been that sector's impact players on all issues, including food safety.
Kellogg outbids Abraaj for 3rd time in race for Bisco
Breakfast cereal maker Kellogg Co. has again raised its bid for Egyptian snack maker Bisco Misr, outbidding private equity group Abraaj for the third time and snatching the lead in a $140 million takeover battle.
McCain Foods looks at expanding distribution network
Food & Hospitality World
McCain Foods, producers of frozen french fries and appetizers, is expanding its distribution network in India, as well as improving availability of its products.
Del Monte Pacific to delever after jumbo LBO
Philippine canned juice maker Del Monte Pacific Limited is planning to meet investors at the beginning of next year ahead of a rare offshore preference share offering of $360 million, according to sources close to the transaction.
Modified sensors could detect food spoilage
Food Quality News
Sensors that can be read by a smartphone have been created and could be used to combat food spoilage, according to the developers.
Cold plasma a weapon against chemical, heat-resistant spores
Food Production Daily
Cold plasma on the basis of nitrogen gas can inactivate chemical-resistant and heat-resistant spores on food and packaging, according to researchers at Wageningen UR (University and Research Centre).
Videos reveal 5 common food safety mistakes
Food Safety News
A team led by Christine Bruhn, Ph.D., food safety expert and Institute of Food Technologists spokesperson, recently videotaped 120 consumers as they prepared a chicken and a salad in their homes.
Missed our previous issues? See which articles your colleagues read most.
7701 Las Colinas Ridge, Ste. 800, Irving, TX 75063


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The integrated development of the textile industry of Turkmenistan, which has practically inexhaustible textile raw materials, is aimed at solving the strategic tasks of import substitution and increasing export-oriented products. The country creates new high-tech enterprises for the processing of such row materials.
The Ministry of the Textile Industry of Turkmenistan is carrying out large-scale work to increase production volumes with the rational use of local raw materials.
According to the TDH news agency, President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov during a Cabinet of Ministers meeting on Friday noted that the textile industry, one of the main areas of the national economy, has set important tasks to increase production, create new enterprises equipped with high-tech equipment, the main goal of which is - production of a wide range of competitive products using local raw materials.
In this regard, in order to further strengthen the material and technical base of the domestic textile industry, the Head of State signed a Resolution.
According to the document, the Ministry of Textile Industry is authorized to conclude a contract with an Italian Cormatex SRL company for the purchase of equipment (with the condition of carrying out all work on its delivery to Turkmenistan, installation and onsite adjustment).
The new equipment will be supplied in order to establish a wool spinning production line in the Bayramali Textile Complex, designed to produce 130 tons of yarn from camel and goat wool per year, and for a workshop, which will be opened at the Dashoguz Cotton Spinning Mill, for processing cotton and wool waste and annually producing 7200 tons of wood and insulation materials used in furniture production and construction.


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Last week was a reasonably subdued one for the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO). The benchmark index ended the period 9.8 points or 0.2% lower than where it started it at 6,167 points.
A busy five days await investors next week. Here are five things to watch:
ASX futures pointing higher.
The Australian share market looks set to start the week on a positive note. According to the latest SPI futures, the ASX 200 is expected to open 18 points higher on Monday. This follows a reasonably positive end to the week on Wall Street, which saw the Dow Jones fall 0.1%, but the S&P 500 rise 0.35% and the Nasdaq push 0.4% higher.
Coles first quarter update.
The Coles Group Ltd (ASX: COL) share price will be one to watch on Wednesday when it releases its first quarter sales update. Expectations are high for the supermarket giant, with the market expecting supermarket same store sales growth of ~7% for the quarter. According to a note out of Goldman Sachs, it expects total first quarter sales of $9,365 million, up 7.7% on the prior corresponding period.
Fortescue production update.
The Fortescue Metals Group Limited (ASX: FMG) share price could be on the move on Thursday when it hands in its first quarter production update. Goldman Sachs has forecast a 10% quarter on quarter decline in iron ore shipments to 42.5MT. This is expected to be achieved with a lofty realised selling price of US$102 per tonne and a lowly unit cost of US$13.70 per tonne.
ANZ full year results.
Also on watch on Thursday will be the Australia and New Zealand Banking GrpLtd (ASX: ANZ) share price when it releases its full year results. Another note out of Goldman Sachs reveals that it expects the bank’s second half cash earnings (from continued operations) to be down 8% to $2,670 million. The broker has also pencilled in a final partially franked dividend of 40 cents per share.
Annual general meetings.
It will be another busy week of annual general meetings. Among the most notable meetings are Blackmores Limited (ASX: BKL) and Corporate Travel Management Ltd (ASX: CTD) on Tuesday. This will be followed by Super Retail Group Ltd (ASX: SUL) and Vocus Group Ltd (ASX: VOC) on Wednesday, JB Hi-Fi Limited (ASX: JBH) on Thursday, and Carsales.Com Ltd (ASX: CAR) on Friday. These companies are likely to release trading updates at their meetings.


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We've improved Slashdot's video section; now you can view our video interviews, product close-ups and site visits with all the usual Slashdot options to comment, share, etc. No more walled garden! It's a work in progress -- we hope you'll check it out (Learn more about the recent updates).
chill writes "The journal Nature is reporting that South Korean manufacturer Samsung Electronics announced this week that it has begun mass production of a new kind of memory chip that stores information by melting and freezing tiny crystals. Known as phase-change memory (PCM), the idea was first proposed by physicists in the 1960s. With transistor-equivalent cells only 20 nm wide, switching time is around 16 ns. The first target market is cell phones, but the companies behind the technology see applications in PCs, servers and other devices as well." Link to Original Source
Put your best foot forward. Or just call in and say you're sick.


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Maybe it should come as no surprise.
Women shoppers would rather deal with women sales people at the dealership, reports a new car-buying guide from JoinWomenDrivers.com.
However, while women represent nearly half of car buyers and influence most purchases, only about 8 percent of front-line dealership positions are held by women, according to the report, co-authored by Anne Fleming, president and car buying advocate at JoinWomenDrivers.com.
“Almost universally, women rated their satisfaction scores higher when dealing with female sales advisers,” said the JoinWomenDrivers.com report, which was drawn from a national survey based on 3,013 car dealer reviews at the website. “Ultimately, the results gathered by [the survey] illustrate the need for significant culture shifts to address consumer experience concerns.”
The car-buying guide suggested dealerships should hire and place more women on their sales teams and train male employees in the behaviors and outcomes most desired by women shoppers.
Perception and reality
If perception, indeed, is the shopper’s version of reality, then the gender gap is significant.
Women who responded to the survey reported that they felt a lot more relaxed and a little more confident when dealing with a female sales adviser. They also indicated they were less apprehensive and felt less “overwhelmed” with a saleswoman.
“It’s natural for buyers to be apprehensive and nervous about buying a car, as it is a top buying decision in any person’s life,” said the guide. “The adviser can make a big difference.”
“Women consultants were rated higher in each part of creating a successful relationship – trustworthiness, being respectful, likable and understanding,” according to the JoinWomenDrivers.com report. “Price is very important, but women rate that lower, because they believe they can buy the same car elsewhere for within a relatively narrow price margin.”
“Of note is that the satisfaction with the successful sales consultant also translates directly to the satisfaction with that dealership,” said the car-buying guide, “even though [the shopper] might have only worked with one woman during the entire dealership journey.”
The ability of a sales adviser to listen and not apply sales pressure also are valued by women shoppers.
“If a woman feels the consultant isn’t listening, she will simply find someone who will,” said the report. And “an approach that is perceived as high-pressure will send most consumers off to another dealership before the deal is done. … A successful sales consultant with a high EQ [Emotional Quotient] understands their job is to assist and guide the shopper, not convince.”
And, yet, one of the simplest behaviors turns out to be one of the biggest issues, with more than four in 10 survey respondents expressing dissatisfaction with the way they were greeted in the first place.
But it was the one area where women were “slightly more satisfied” with male sales advisers.


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Here we have a pretty good indication of what the next Mercedes-Benz E-Class will look like.
But don’t expect any radical design departures. Instead, look forward to a sleek vehicle inspired by the S-Class, with CLS-style headlamps.
There will be at least three variants of 2.2 and 3.0-litre diesel engines as well as petrol units ranging from 1.8 to 6.3 litres.
The finished car is expected to be launched at the Geneva Motor Show next year, and arrive in UK showrooms next summer, with prices starting at around £29,000.


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BONSOY IS BACK
Thursday, 29 April 2010
Bonsoy, the leading soy milk enjoyed by baristas and consumers around the globe, has returned, reformulated, to cafes across Australia.
The soy milk drink, which was been a favourite among Australian coffee drinkers for more than 25 years, is being redistributed to cafes following its reformulation.
Fully tested and approved by Australian food regulators, the reformulated product has been distributed to cafes in NSW and Victoria for sale in limited quantities, according to Spiral Foods Director James Wilson.
“We’ve been inundated by loyal Bonsoy drinkers who have been asking when Bonsoy will be back. We’re pleased to announce the reformulated product is now available,” said Wilson.
“For more than 30 years Spiral Foods has been committed to providing healthy, natural food products and we have worked with the producers of Bonsoy to reformulate the product and return it to cafes and stores as soon as possible,” Mr Wilson added.
The new formula resulted in the removal of kombu, a seaweed extract that contains naturally occurring iodine.
“We have thoroughly tested the new product and have worked with the producers to ensure it fully satisfies Bonsoy drinkers in terms of taste and texture,” Mr Wilson said.
Bonsoy will be available in limited quantities through cafes before a full roll-out to consumers, through health food stores and supermarkets, later this year.
Mr Wilson said he was delighted by the positive response to product taste testing among cafe owners and customers.
“We’ve carried out taste tests with over 30 cafe owners and baristas stocking the new product in Sydney. The findings have been overwhelmingly positive - 100% gave it the thumbs up, claiming they liked or loved the new product. Everyone involved believed it made a great cup of coffee and would recommend it to their customers.”
“We’re pleased to have Bonsoy back with a great tasting, creamy soy milk,” said Jaraya Wood, Manager at Journeys Bookstore and Cafe in Annandale.
“It’s great and much preferred over other soy milks,” added Renee Byrne, Co-owner of Le Monde Cafe in Surry Hills. “It tastes a little lighter than before. I’m very happy with this product.”
“The reason that I love Bonsoy is that it is made with whole organic soy beans that have been prepared according to ancient and traditional Japanese principals,” Mr Griffiths said
“Bonsoy is a great source of high level vegetable protein and still has that delicious creamy taste and smooth texture that is loved by so many, including myself. It is also low in fat and free of cholesterol. Bonsoy is a nutritious and enjoyable addition to a well balanced and wholefood diet.”
Customers can find their nearest stockist of the reformulated product on Spiral Foods website www.spiralfoods.com.au.
For more information please contact:


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Dairy and nutritional ingredients firm Glanbia has confirmed two strategic acquisitions that will enhance its performance nutrition division by bringing a greater focus on plant-based foods and direct-to-consumer sales.
Reckitt Benckiser Group plc (RB) has confirmed it is in ‘advanced negotiations’ to acquire all Mead Johnson Nutrition shares for $90 each in cash, valuing Mead Johnson’s entire share capital at approximately $16.7bn.
Infant nutrition company Mead Johnson saw sales in Asia – its largest region – slip 9% year-on-year, 5% on a constant dollar basis, to $1.856bn – although the company recorded ‘strong sales growth’ in its key China market.
Indian-based but global-facing herbals player OmniActive Health Technologies has won a $35 million (€33m) investment from venture capitalist Everstone Group, as it pursues expansion and acquisition targets.
Oxford researchers behind a novel performance-enhancing ketone drink get around an email a day from sports teams hoping to buy the product – and another 20-30 unnamed professional teams have already been involved in research trials with the product.


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Vikas Khanvelkar, Managing Director, DesignTech Systems Ltd. with Fabio Esposito, President, Solidscape Inc during launch in Mumbai
DesignTech Systems Ltd has announced a strategic partnership with Solidscape, for the distribution of high precision 3D Printers for manufacturing of wax patterns in India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Maldives, Sri Lanka and Bhutan. According to the agreement, DesignTech will develop the infrastructure to support the expansion and adoption of 3D printing custom manufacturing solutions.
Solidscape 3D printers are known for their ability to produce ultra-fine feature details and are considered a premier technology for applications like custom jewellery manufacturing, high precision casting, and advanced biomedical research.
According to the 2016 Wohlers Report, the worldwide 3D printing industry is expected to grow from $8.8 billion in revenue in 2017 to $26.5 billion by 2021. India is emerging as a preferred global destination for product design, engineering and manufacturing, which makes it a strategically important country for 3D printing. The Indian government is focussing on building robust infrastructure to boost manufacturing and the manufacturing industry in India is also investing in upgrading their R&D facilities to match the global standards of excellence
“DesignTech Systems Ltd’s strong business reputation and broad footprint throughout India is ideal to support Solidscape’s growth plan,” stated Fabio Esposito, President, Solidscape Inc. “Having a world-class partner that can deliver top quality high precision 3D printing solutions for custom manufacturing, sales and service throughout India was our strategic goal. DesignTech Systems is the perfect partner to respond to customer demands for on time, on quality and cost value delivered.”
Vikas Khanvelkar, Managing Director, DesignTech Systems Ltd. said, “We have, ever since our inception in 1998, worked on helping engineering industry in India migrate and make a transition from using the conventional methodology, to adopting digitised, validated and process-oriented approach of building and developing products. DesignTech Systems in that sense can be considered a pioneer in promoting the CAD/CAM/CAE technology amongst the engineering industry and SMEs in India. Solidscape is a world leader in high precision 3D printers for custom manufacturing. Their 3D printing accuracy and precision is unmatched. And we are thrilled to forge an alliance with them.”
“Solidscape high precision 3D printers produce the most accurate, detailed models with the industry’s highest quality surface finish. The models are printed with uniquely developed build materials that are specifically formulated for 100 per cent metal castability. This is used primarily for investment casting (lost wax) but is also superior in the creation of moulds and tooling for manufacturing. The system also creates a dissolvable support structure automatically thus allowing for the most intricate, unimaginable 3D printed models to be created,” a statement issued by DesignTech said.
It adds, “Solidscape 3D printers eliminate the need for cleaning and post processing as it dramatically reduces the manufacturing workflow while maintaining quality, detailed wax patterns that are ready for casting. Superior casting properties include fast meltout, no ash or residue, and no thermal expansion.”
Solidscape 3D printers find applications in industries such as jewellery, automotive, industrial automation, wearable fashion, toys industry and education.


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HARTFORD — Pharmacies offer a slew of perks to customers who enroll in prescription-drug rewards programs.
But in exchange for all those discounts and goodies, consumers are sometimes required to sign away their right to medical privacy guaranteed under federal law.
State lawmakers want to ensure that participants in rewards programs know that. "Some of our constituents may be unaware that they're waiving their HIPAA rights," said Sen. Paul Doyle, D-Wethersfield.
On Tuesday, the Senate unanimously passed a bill that requires pharmacies to notify consumers, in plain language, about their medical privacy if they waive their rights under the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. The measure, which still need to go to the House, also mandates that pharmacies disclose which third parties will have access to the consumers' medical information.
Doyle called the bill fair and said it is "a good piece of legislation that will provide information and knowledge to the consumer."
The HIPAA law, passed by Congress in 1996, gives consumers the right to keep their medical information private and sets rules on who can receive such information. Medical providers who violate the law face steep fines and the possibility of prison terms.
Both CVS and Target Pharmacy require participants in their rewards programs to sign HIPAA authorization forms, although neither company defines what "HIPAA authorization" is on their websites.
Senate Bill 208 does not prohibit these types of rewards programs, Doyle said.
"But it's making the consumer aware [that] if they opt in and become a participant, what they can be giving up," he said. In some cases, pharmacies can provide medical records to third parties, who would use them for marketing, he added.
Sen. Kevin Witkos, R-Canton, urged consumers to contact their pharmacies to learn exactly how their reward programs work.
"I couldn't imagine … that when you signed up for a rewards program at your pharmacy that you actually somewhere in the small print, you said, 'Go ahead, you can market the medications that I'm getting from you' to people who may want to … sell me more things or for advertisements, etc.," Witkos said. "This bill goes the distance to advocate for more disclosure for consumers."
Commercial Text Messages
In other action, the Senate also gave unanimous approval Tuesday to a bill that adds unsolicited commercial text messages to the state's "Do Not Call" registry.
Doyle said the bill is an attempt to modernize the registry as communication moves from phone calls to texts.
"Over the last five or 10 years, text messages have become much more popular," he said.
Under some data plans, consumers are assessed a charge for every text message they receive. "It can cost you money in addition to being an annoyance," Doyle said. "This bill updates our 'Do Not Call' registry by incorporating in text messages as a prohibited activity if the consumer opts [in.]"
Senate Bill 209 also sharply increases the fines for those who contact people on the "Do Not Call" list, from $11,000 per violation to $20,000 per violation.
In addition, it requires telecommunications providers to give notice to consumers twice a year about how to sign up for the "Do Not Call" list and how to can file a complaint with state regulators.
The House has not yet taken action on the bill.


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500,000 Orange customers in France and the UK are now equipped with NFC phones, the mobile network operator has told NFC World.
- Rail passengers pilot Bluetooth and geolocation service for ticket-free travel
- Chinese to get cash using face recognition ATMs
- Consumers to personalise makeup and perfume with electronic ink and NFC packaging
- Next iPhone to include facial or gesture recognition?
- Test for European Central Bank mobile P2P platform


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A couple of years ago Microsoft went on a warpath suing dozens of device makers who were using Android and infringing on its patents, often using a patent troll named Rockstar. It sued Google, Barnes & Noble, Nokia, HTC and others, forcing competitors to collectively cough up billions in licensing fees.
Many of those device makers now pay Microsoft a certain fee for each handset sold, believe it or not, and that's how — at least a few years ago — Microsoft was making more off of Android than it did Windows Phone. Few people knew just how many patents Microsoft owned that gave it so much control over Android device makers, until now.
China's Ministry of Commerce was worried about Microsoft's acquisition of Nokia a few months back, mainly because it was concerned that Microsoft was going to try to attack even more device makers once it owned Nokia's treasure trove of patents, too. It was so concerned that it dug deeper and eventually published a list a huge list of the mobile patents Microsoft owns — 310 in total that cover everything from extensible file systems to data synchronization and radio interfaces. Ars Technica even spotted a few new patents, including one tied to customer local search and locating a user using a wireless network with "environmentally profiled data."
Just perusing the list makes it seem awfully hard to create a smartphone that doesn't infringe on one of the patents, which is why Microsoft is able to negotiate licensing deals with so many OEMs (apparently more than 70 percent of Android devices on the market are sold by companies who license Microsoft's tech).
China's Ministry of Commerce wants Microsoft to be more transparent on its patents, Ars Technica said, which is why it's publishing this list of data that should otherwise be public. Will it change the way Microsoft operates? The company has said it's fighting to be more transparent, so perhaps it will. Check out the full list of patents at China's site.
The Galaxy S20 Ultra's Space Zoom camera is amazing and a bit creepy
The Galaxy S20 Ultra supports up to 100X zoom, which Samsung calls Space Zoom, but is it any good? Can a phone really product usable photos at 100x zoom? We've got our Galaxy S20 Ultra already so join us to find out!
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What's the best phone of 2019? Is it the iPhone 11 Pro, Pixel 4 or OnePlus 7T? What about the best laptop, games console, tablet and more? Vote NOW in the Reader's Choice awards and win BIG in time for the holidays!
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Here are the products announced at IFA 2019 that were worthy of our Best of IFA 2019 awards. Also featuring MrMobile's single best product at the show!
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On June 19th, at 1 pm EST, Bluefin will host an educational webinar on PCI-Validated Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE) for Campus Payments and its role in devaluing card data, securing your systems, and reducing PCI compliance scope.
Paying for tuition, books, athletics and even meals on campus has changed drastically in the last 20 years. Gone are the days of quarterly checks sent in the mail for semester payments or dining plans. Today, parents and students require the convenience of paying online, over the phone, and in person.
But as electronic payment acceptance in universities has risen – so too has fraudsters’ interest in the vast amounts of data that universities are now processing through multiple departments and locations. According to Gemalto’s Breach Level Index, in 2016 there were 157 data breaches in education. The leading cause – 60% of the breaches – was malicious software (malware).
There are two security paths that colleges and universities can take in the fight against malware: Defend the Data or Devalue the Data. With the Defend the Data approach, educational institutions build stronger, higher and more expensive walls of security around their systems and data.
With the Devalue the Data approach, universities and educational institutions employ security technology to devalue the cardholder data before it reaches their point-of-sale systems, rendering the data useless to hackers if it is exposed.
The webinar will provide a detailed overview on the state of data breaches, current payment security technologies, the role of PCI-validated P2PE in protecting card data, validated vs. non-validated solutions, and the scope reduction and cost savings of PCI P2PE. Specifically, it will cover:
- The current state of payment security
- How malware operates to steal credit card data
- The role of EMV (chip cards), Tokenization and P2PE
- The origin of PCI-validated P2PE and how it differs from non-validated solutions
- PCI-validated P2PE scope reduction and cost benefits
- UC San Diego Case Study
- Bluefin P2PE Education Partners
You can register for the webinar here.


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Whether beginner or professional these 5 easy steps will help you trade bitcoins for profit and learn different strategies.


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Halifax loses 70,000 over bank charge hike
More than 70,000 furious Halifax customers have applied to open current accounts at rival banks in protest at new £1-a-day overdraft charges.
Gone: Thousands of customers have forsaken Halifax over its overdraft charges
HSBC, Abbey and Nationwide BS are understood to have seen tens of thousands of customers stampeding to switch their main account from Halifax.
The bank, which is 43% owned by the taxpayer, is facing the exodus after scrapping overdraft interest and imposing daily fees to those not in credit.
Customers who ask permission to go into the red are charged £1 a day. Those who take an unauthorised overdraft pay £5 a day.
When the changes were announced in October, many threatened to quit.
Money Mail readers told how suddenly they were facing charges of several hundred pounds a year just for having a small borrowing limit.
Halifax has an estimated 10m of the UK's 54m current accounts. About 3.24m current accounts are moved from one bank to another in any year.
One industry insider has suggested Halifax is likely to have lost as many as 70,000 accounts.
The actual figure could be higher because this would not reflect second accounts that people have closed without opening a new one.
It was not until a fortnight ago, when charges started to be applied every day, that many customers took action. Latest reports suggest that more than half of all customers switching in the UK are leaving Halifax.
Competition in the current account market is fierce. Building a base of customers you can sell products to is seen as a key way to boost a bank's profits. And it's a battle that is hotting up. Santander, which includes Abbey and Alliance & Leicester, has opened more than one million new accounts this year.
Halifax says many customers have opened its Reward Account this year. A spokesman says: 'If any customer is in any doubt, they should get in touch so we can ensure they are in the best account.'
• Our first story on Halifax's new charges attracted unprecedented anger from readers with nearly 150 comments, and counting. Read the comments
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‘Whilst commercial production is not a turn key solution, internal combustion fuel engines are ready to roll’
Supporters of e-fuels argue that they offer a means to reduce the CO₂ emissions of the existing passenger car fleet without the need to replace every vehicle with an electric one. However, critics highlight that manufacturing e-fuels is currently very expensive and energy-intensive. It requires about five times more renewable electricity to power an ICE vehicle with e-fuels compared to a battery-electric vehicle.
Governmental and Regulatory Position on E-Fuels
The European Union recently passed a landmark law aiming to end sales of CO₂-emitting cars by 2035. However, Germany and several other countries have opposed this law, demanding that new cars with internal combustion engines running on e-fuels be allowed after 2035. This opposition has temporarily halted the implementation of this ambitious climate policy.
In response to this opposition, the European Commission has proposed a compromise that would allow carmakers to register new cars in the EU only if they can run on climate-neutral e-fuels. The draft proposal also includes requirements for technology that prevents the use of non-carbon-neutral fuels, emphasizing the importance of decarbonizing the transportation sector.
Industry Support for E-Fuels
Major players in the automotive industry, including Bosch, ZF, Mahle, and carmakers like Porsche, Piech, and Mazda, have shown support for e-fuels. These companies are members of the eFuel Alliance, an industry lobby group, demonstrating their commitment to exploring and developing this technology. Porsche, for instance, has invested in e-fuel producer HIF Global, emphasizing the potential of e-fuels as a sustainable solution for transportation.
Conclusion: Driving Toward a Sustainable Future
In conclusion, while electric vehicles undoubtedly offer inherent efficiency advantages over combustion engines powered by synthetic or e-fuels, it is crucial to acknowledge that a significant number of internal combustion vehicles will still be on the road after 2030. E-fuels have the potential to make these vehicles greener, bridging the gap during the transition to fully electric transportation.
Dr. Karl Dums, Porsche's head of e-fuels, believes that economies of scale and technological advancements could make e-fuels competitive with fossil fuels by the end of the decade. Additionally, e-fuels offer a means to store surplus renewable energy and facilitate its export using existing infrastructure. This is especially relevant in regions like Chile, where renewable energy production can exceed demand.
Ultimately, consumers are driven by the desire for sustainable outcomes while recognizing the need for a just transition that is pragmatic rather than tumultuous. Synthetic fuels, including e-fuels, have the potential to serve as a bridge in this journey toward a more sustainable and affordable future for all.


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2017 Ford EcoSport facelift is turning out to be a rage even before the official launch as the buyers booked the first 123 SUVs on Amazon India website too quickly on November 5, 2017. Ford India had announced that a limited 123 units of the new sub-compact SUV would be up for exclusive booking on Amazon for 24 hours, starting midnight of November 5. Such was the excitement and anticipation amidst the customers, that the bookings had to be suspended by 10 AM as all the allotted 123 units had been booked by then.
“Much like its predecessor, Ford is set to create history and reset the bar on quality and customer value yet again with the all-new Ford EcoSport,” said Rahul Gautam, Vice President - Marketing at Ford India. Majority of the 123 bookings were made for range-topping Titanium grade with the all-new 1.5L Dragon petrol engine and 6-speed automatic transmission. In addition, the new Lightning Blue color emerged as yet another customer favorite in these bookings. The bookings amount at Amazon India website was Rs. 10,000. The 2017 Ford EcoSport facelift would be launched on November 9, 2017 in the Indian market. The SUV would boast of a plethora of cosmetic updates at the outside as well inside, while debuting the new petrol engine.
“The overwhelming response on Amazon is a reflection of trust people have in the brand EcoSport. Our compact SUV will continue to offer unmatched value for money and we are confident that customers will be impressed with its host of class-leading features,” he added. As for features, the 2017 EcoSport facelift would get projector headlamps, new instrument cluster and 8-inch high-resolution floating SYNC 3 touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The top-end variants would get upto 6-airbags as standard safety features. The new petrol engine in question would churn out best-in-segment top power of 121bhp while returning a fuel efficiency of 17kmpl (ARAI Specified).


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So far 2017 has seen some exciting developments in the world of photo apps as well as apps that integrate photography. Using state-of-the-art technology and experimenting in other visual areas, it’s now easier than ever for photographers to improve on their skills and techniques.
These newly improved apps also allow photographers to interact with social media users, introducing their brand and work to a wider audience.
If you’re a photographer who’s looking to create a greater online presence, it’s time to brush up on what’s ‘in’ when it comes to apps.
Social media app, Snapchat, has revolutionised the way we interact with one another through instant photo messages. Since the selfie trend is popular with a huge number of social media users, the app’s many filters and interactive videos have enabled it to grow phenomenally through exposure outside of the app itself. Users frequently use Snapchat filters to enhance their own images and then post those photos in other places such as Facebook.
There are more than 10 million daily users on Snapchat. This has led to new technology called ‘Spectacles’ being developed to use alongside this image app.
Spectacles are glasses that have been designed with photography in mind. The glasses have a built-in camera that allows the user to take a photo from their perspective and then upload it instantly to Snapchat using wifi.
This new photo app trend is ideal for photographers who want to develop street style and lifestyle photography by taking images directly from their perspective. It’s also a great way to live stream their work while interacting with online users and gaining more social media followers.
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A trend that continues to be huge this year is the comeback of film photography. There was a popular surge for Instax cameras as the demand for portable, printable pictures grew. And with the arrival of the new Leica Sofort, it’s clear the trend for instant film is here to stay this year.
Since retro instant cameras are bang-on-trend, mobiles apps such as VSCO and Filmborn have been developed to allow photographers to see colours and images in a filmic sense. VSCO allows users to upload their images from both iOS and Android instantly, while Filmborn introduces film to a new generation of photographers in a digital way.
These photo apps are ideal for those who are new to photography and want to have a digital-led approach. It’s also a good bridge for photographers who want to dabble in film and try to learn a new visual element.
The biggest image app trend right now has to be the integration of video into apps. Last year Snapchat dominated social media with its 15 second videos and variety of filters and graphic masks, however, going into 2017 it’s all about Instagram!
Where 15 second videos are now too short to tell your story, Instagram has expanded the video options allowing users up to 60 seconds of play time. The app has recently gone one step further and now offers users a live streaming option just like Facebook, Periscope and Youtube.
These longer stories/videos give photographers more options on how they can engage with their audience. Could you think about giving snapshots into styling, props and processes to build up your Instagram following?
What photo app trends are you loving? Do you use any of the apps we’ve mentioned above? Let us know in the comments section.