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Urban Kitchen is closing to make way for British Beer Co.
WORCESTER - Urban Kitchen and Bar, formerly Coral Seafood, will close Friday in preparation for British Beer Co. to move into the Shrewsbury Street location.
Owner George Voyiatzis said the deal happened very quickly and was finalized Tuesday morning. He said a deal for British Beer to open in another location fell through and he was approached three weeks ago about leasing the building at 225 Shrewsbury St. He said the 25-year lease agreement was finalized Tuesday morning. He declined to say how much the lease is worth.
"The opportunity presented itself to me and it made quite a bit of financial sense for us," he said, "especially since it was right around the time my wife said I wasn't home enough and I was telling her I wasn't at Urban Kitchen enough. The problem was that we were both right."
Mr. Voyiatzis said Urban Kitchen will open at 5:30 p.m. Friday for a grand closing party to show his family's appreciation to all the employees and guests who have become their friends over the years. All the food and refreshments will be complimentary. No food can be ordered, he said.
His parents, Theodocious "Ted" and Georgia, opened the original Coral Seafood on Green Street in 1985. It moved to 225 Shrewsbury St. in 2006. Mr. Voyiatzis took the business over in December 2014 after his parents and brother, Jim, retired. At that point, he rebranded the restaurant to Urban Kitchen and Bar.
Selling the business will give him more time with his wife, Eleni, and their 12-year-old daughter and 9-year-old son. He will work 50 to 60 hours a week at Fish, another restaurant he owns. Between the two restaurants, he said, he worked close to 100 hours a week.
Mr. Voyiatzis told his dozen employees about the sale Tuesday night. He said they were encouraged to apply now for positions at British Beer Co. at 120 Worcester Road (Route 9) in Framingham and when it opens on Shrewsbury Street later this year, he said.
Plymouth-based British Beer Co. - modeled after traditional British pubs - opened in 1997. Since then, the company has opened 11 pubs in Massachusetts and two in New Hampshire. The closest one to Worcester is in Framingham.
Gary Simon, principal with British Beer Co., said the bar and much of the furniture and fixtures are made for the company in England. Staff members are sent to work in pubs in London in order to experience the difference between restaurants and pubs, he said.


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Workers at Indian unit's domestic plants suspended for misconduct
The factories near the southern city of Bangalore are Toyota Motor's only vehicle plants in the world's sixth-biggest auto market, where the Japanese manufacturer generates just a sliver of global sales.
"A decision to suspend some of the members pending inquiry, for serious misconduct, was taken earlier in the week. This is in line with the company's rules and regulations," the company said in a statement.
It did not say how many workers were suspended.
On Sunday, Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM), the world's biggest car maker's Indian unit, said some workers had disrupted business as the management, labour union and local government negotiated wages.
The company and the factories' union are currently in discussions through meetings with the state's labour commission.
The company employs about 6,400 people.
The two plants have about 4,000 workers that belong to the union, union president Prasanna Kumar says.

domain: news


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On April 3, 2014, Voncile and Melvin Hill got in their 2002 Ford Super Duty F-250 Crew Cab pickup truck and headed out to pick up a tractor part they needed for their farm. Driving on Georgia Highway 49 in Sumter County, one of the truck’s tires blew out, causing it to roll over into an embankment. As the vehicle overturned, the roof crumpled in, crushing and killing the couple inside. Melvin and Voncile were 74 and 62 years old respectively at the time of their deaths.
Kim and Adam Hill, the deceased couple’s sons, have spent the last several years fighting to hold Ford Motor Company liable for the negligence they believe resulted in the wrongful death of their parents. The lawsuit alleges the multi-billion-dollar auto manufacturing company was aware of a flaw in the design of Super Duty trucks that caused the roof to be dangerously unstable—yet kept the vehicles on the market despite compelling evidence of the hazards posed to consumers.
In August of this year, a jury in a Gwinnett County, Georgia courthouse reached a verdict in the case. The jury found Ford mostly liable for the accident, awarding the Hill brothers $24 million in compensatory damages and further adding $1.7 billion in punitive damages.
While compensatory damages were awarded to compensate the plaintiffs for the economic and noneconomic losses they suffered, the jury’s decision to award punitive damages was a statement that Ford’s actions were grossly, egregiously negligent and deserving of punishment. The high punitive damages award made it clear that the jury was convinced that Ford could have and should have done something to prevent the Hills’ deaths.
This $1.7 billion punitive damages verdict is the largest ever awarded in a Georgia court. But experts are skeptical about whether the award will survive the appeals process. The Ford Motor Company has made it clear that they will not accept the jury’s decision without a fight.
In the days following the verdict’s announcement, Ford company representatives declared in a public statement, “While our sympathies go out to the Hill family, we do not believe the verdict is supported by the evidence, and we plan to appeal.”
Although Ford’s appeal attempts could certainly impact the final award amount, this is not the only factor that may ultimately reduce the $1.7 billion punitive damages verdict to a much lower number. In addition to post-trial motions and appeals, laws such as Georgia’s split-recovery statute allocate 75% of the final punitive damages to the state. It is evident to most experts that the financial award the plaintiffs will eventually receive will be substantially lower than the one recently decided upon by the Georgia jury.
The lawsuit filed by Kim and Adam Hill is not the first of its kind the automaker has faced in recent years. Previous legal actions alleging a dangerous defect in the Ford company’s pickup truck roof design have resulted in confidential settlements of undisclosed amounts.
It’s estimated that about 5.2 million Ford trucks with a roof just like the Hills’ remain on the road today. Analysts and investigators have stated that the evidence proving Ford’s negligence on this issue is strong, and proof that the roof design is inherently hazardous is convincing. The roof’s failure to meet accepted safety standards led the plaintiffs’ lead attorney James E. Butler Jr. to argue that “you might as well drive a convertible.”
The product liability attorneys at Thomas Law Offices continue to remain well-informed of historic cases like this one that shape the landscape of defective product litigation. We use our experience and expertise in this critical area of legal practice to represent victims of corporate negligence nationwide.
If you have questions about a personal injury or fatality you or a loved one suffered due to a faulty product, we are ready to provide the answers you need. Contact our offices for a free case evaluation.


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U.S. Rep. Jackie Walorski (R-Ind.) this week authored a guest post for the RV Industry Association on the Great American Outdoors Act. The House is expected to vote next week on this bipartisan legislation to support RV manufacturers and workers, promote conservation, and revitalize our national parks.
RV Industry Association
Congresswoman Walorski On The Importance Of The Great American Outdoors Act Ahead Of Next Week’s Vote By The House
By Congresswoman Jackie Walorski
July 15, 2020
For generations, our nation’s public lands have been treasured sources of respite, enjoyment, and beauty available to every American. The great outdoors also plays a critical role in our economy, with the $778 billion outdoor recreation industry supporting 5.2 million American jobs.
In northern Indiana, we know that better than most: 80 percent of the nation’s RVs are produced here. It’s why Elkhart, which I represent in Congress, is proud to be known as the “RV Capital of the World.”
… Next week, the House will consider the Great American Outdoors Act, which recently passed the Senate. This legislation will support RV manufacturers and workers, promote conservation, and revitalize our national parks – such as the Indiana Dunes, which last year became Indiana’s first national park.
By investing in long-delayed maintenance projects, the bill will modernize aging infrastructure across our public lands. By permanently funding the Land and Water Conservation Fund, it will protect our nation’s most precious natural resources. And by enhancing access to our nation’s public lands, the Great American Outdoors Act will further drive outdoor tourism and recreation, boosting this vital industry and supporting the jobs of countless hardworking Americans.


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Door-to-door pavers ordered to repay customers and are banned from Kansas
Two door-to-door pavers were banned from doing business in Kansas and were ordered to repay a total of $8,500 to customers in the state.
Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt said Wednesday that George H. Swartz and James J. Swartz were ordered to repay one Lawrence and two Topeka consumers and were permanently prohibited from doing business in the state for violating the Kansas Consumer Protection Act.
The two Swartz men operated under several business names, including All Star Asphalt, All Star Paving, Asphalt Solutions and All Star Asphalt Paving, Schmidt said.
The defendants admitted that they violated the consumer protection act by failing to provide customers with completed receipts, failing to advise customers of their three-day right to cancel services and cashing consumers’ checks in less than five business days, Schmidt said.
Schmidt warns consumers to be cautious about door-to-door home repair sales people claiming to offer good deals.


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The group has offered $200 million, a massive premium for the company that had revenue of just $22.5 million in 2011, the last time they released financial data.
It is clear, with the offer, that Samsung has committed to the future of OLED displays, as the market is set to see huge growth in the coming years. The global market for the displays is estimated to jump to to $25.9 billion in revenue by 2018, up from $4.9 billion last year.
Samsung already owns a 10 percent stake in Novaled, as the lighting and display maker mainly makes their OLEDs for Samsung.
Written by: Andre Yoskowitz @ 31 Jul 2013 20:38


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SAN JOSE, Calif., March 24, 2004 — Microsoft Corp. today announced XNA (TM) , a powerful next-generation software development platform. XNA empowers developers to deliver breakthrough games while combating rising production costs and ever-increasing hardware complexity. Games for future iterations of all Microsoft® game platforms — including Windows® , Xbox®
and Windows Mobile (TM) -based devices — will be unleashed by tools and technologies from the XNA development platform.
XNA is the catalyst for a new ecosystem of interchangeable, interoperable software tools and technologies from Microsoft, middleware and game development companies. By integrating software innovations across Microsoft platforms and across the industry, XNA forms a common environment that liberates developers from spending too much time writing mundane, repetitive boilerplate code. Instead, XNA frees game creators to spend their time where it matters most –on the creativity that differentiates their games.
“Software will be the single most important force in digital entertainment over the next decade,” said Bill Gates, founder and chief software architect of Microsoft. “XNA underscores Microsoft’s commitment to the game industry and our desire to work with partners to take the industry to the next level.”
The industrywide XNA initiative will be unveiled today in a keynote speech delivered by Microsoft’s Robbie Bach, senior vice president of the Home and Entertainment Division, and J Allard, corporate vice president, Xbox platform, and chief XNA architect, to hundreds of game developers at the annual Game Developers Conference in San Jose, Calif. In the speech, Bach will outline some of the challenges that game developers will face in the near future.
“Silicon advancements and new features like high-definition and pervasive broadband will send game development costs skyrocketing,” Bach is expected to tell conference attendees. “The video game industry must band together to find a solution that ensures vitality and sustainability for years to come, while responding to consumer desires for bigger, better games.”
As part of the XNA unveiling, Microsoft also announced Allard’s responsibility for overseeing and driving the XNA initiative companywide. “At the heart of XNA is choice. No game today is built with just one tool, and no game tomorrow will be either,” Allard said. “By creating an environment where software innovations flourish and work together, XNA will allow game developers to redefine what’s possible in games and give gamers the freedom to pursue their own paths. XNA closes the gap between what gamers want and what developers dream.”
Illustrating the potential of the XNA development platform, Microsoft will make a series of announcements about its own video game tools and technologies in four key areas: online, input, graphics and audio.
In response to strong customer demand, Xbox Live (TM) development tools for functionality such as billing, security, login, friends and matchmaking will be made available to Windows developers. The tools will make it easier to create the same social, unified online gaming experiences on Windows that game players have come to expect on Xbox.
On the input front, as part of XNA, Microsoft will develop a common controller reference design and unify input APIs and button standards across multiple platforms. The result will be a family of common controllers for Windows and Xbox game players. In addition, the move will fuel a whole new wave of compelling, cross-platform input devices from peripheral manufacturers.
In graphics and audio, many tools such as PIX (an analysis tool) and XACT (an audio authoring tool) — previously available only to Xbox developers — now will be available on Windows as part of the XNA development platform. Likewise, innovations from Windows such as High-Level Shader Language (HLSL) will come to Xbox. The DirectX® API and the Visual Studio®
development system will continue to be the baseline environment for both platforms. Collectively, these tools and technologies will enable movie-quality graphics while forming the impetus for new software that will help developers cope with the looming complexity of high-definition video and audio.
“On the PC we have tools like HLSL. On Xbox we have tools like PIX. These are both really powerful, and XNA combines the power of the PC and the power of the console into a best-of-breed platform,” said Gabe Newell, founder and managing director of Valve Software LLC.
More than 20 game development and middleware companies already have recognized that XNA will drive advancements in the industry. David Lau-Kee, chief executive officer of Criterion Software, said, “We are pleased to see that Microsoft shares our vision of helping developers make better games, faster, through use of their favorite middleware. We look forward to leveraging XNA in the RenderWare tool chain to implement Windows- and Xbox-specific features.”
“Because it’s software, we can add new and improved XNA tools consistently, spurring continuous innovation in games. Developers won’t have to wait for new silicon to enjoy the latest advances,” said Dean Lester, general manager of Windows Graphics and Gaming Technologies at Microsoft. “The benefit to gamers will be dramatic leaps in production quality and gameplay for the next-generation Xbox and the next generation of Windows. And it starts today.”
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.
Microsoft, XNA, Windows, Xbox, Windows Mobile, Xbox Live, DirectX and Visual Studio are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.
The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.
Note to editors: If you are interested in viewing additional information on Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft Web page at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/ on Microsoft’s corporate information pages. Web links, telephone numbers and titles were correct at time of publication, but may since have changed. For additional assistance, journalists and analysts may contact Microsoft’s Rapid Response Team or other appropriate contacts listed at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/contactpr.asp .
Microsoft XNA Support Sheet
The XNA development platform will serve as the foundation for future game platforms from Microsoft, including Windows, Xbox and Windows Mobile-based devices. Video games on future iterations of Microsoft game platforms will be powered by tools and technologies from the XNA ecosystem. XNA dramatically improves the way games are produced, helping contain skyrocketing development costs by reducing the amount of time developers spend writing mundane, repetitive boilerplate code for complex new hardware. The XNA ecosystem integrates new and existing tools and technologies from Microsoft and its partners so that developers can make better games faster.
“Alias heartily supports XNA. XNA will pave a single path for deployment of rich content from Maya across multiple Microsoft game platform environments such as Windows-based PCs and the Xbox.”
Geoff Foulds, Global Games and Interactive Marketing Manager, Alias Systems
“Anything that makes the game developer’s job easier, and removes some of the risk and some of the trial and error, is a good thing. We can concentrate on what makes a game good — gameplay, content and visuals — and not worry about fighting the hardware.”
Jez San, Founder and CEO, Argonaut Games PLC
“We’re excited to have been involved with XNA since its conception. We design hardware for developers so they get the high performance they expect under all circumstances, but it’s equally important to provide software tools that remove the barriers to creating great content. The combination of ATI’s hardware and Microsoft’s XNA software will let game developers concentrate on what’s most important: making blockbuster games.”
Andy Thompson, Director of Strategic Marketing, ATI Technologies Inc.
“We are pleased to see that Microsoft shares our vision of helping developers make better games, faster, through use of their favorite middleware. We look forward to leveraging XNA in the RenderWare tool chain to implement Windows- and Xbox-specific features.”
David Lau-Kee, CEO, Criterion Software
“XNA is a great software solution that provides efficient tools, middleware and production pipelines to create better games faster. We fully approve and support this next-generation strategy, as effectiveness has been our ultimate goal since the establishment of Crytek and the development of CryENGINE middleware.”
Cevat Yerli, President and CEO, Crytek GmbH
“Discreet is excited to support game developers though Microsoft’s new XNA initiative announced today. With the largest registered install base of 3-D animation software in the world, Discreet 3ds max software has been an integral creation tool for Microsoft Xbox game developers — and the new XNA middleware platform will assist them in bringing high-quality games to market faster.”
Marc Petit, Vice President, Product Development, Discreet (a division of Autodesk Inc.)
“It’s the age-old problem of game development: how much time do you spend on your tools and technology and how much time do you spend on your game design? The better the tools and technology, the better — and faster — you can make your game. The more Microsoft does to provide developers with tools, the easier it is for game developers to develop better games.”
Tim Sweeney, Founder and President, Epic Games
“We are extremely excited about XNA, both as a middleware provider and as a game developer. Tools are the only chance for future success in this industry, and never has this been more true than now. As we move into next-generation development, the expectations of gamers and the abilities of hardware open almost limitless possibilities for content creators. Without the right tools, developers will not be able to keep up with the pace — XNA is what the industry needs right now.”
Julian Eggebrecht, President, Factor 5 LLC
“Havok, as the leading supplier of physics middleware for the game industry, believes that only through increasingly sophisticated software components and tools that integrate seamlessly with each other can the power of the next generation of entertainment platform be leveraged by game developers. The XNA initiative is important for the industry in that it represents a commitment to providing the software infrastructure to make this happen. We are looking forward to leveraging XNA technology and participating in its success.”
Dr. Steven Collins, Chief Technical Officer, Havok
“I want more of those up-front tools and more technology that we could use right away and learn from, because what we try to do is hire all creative people to figure out that answer. If I have to devote a lot of resources to technology, that’s fewer resources that we can devote to creating a great game.”
Brett Bourbin, Director of Technology, High Voltage Software
“If the right tools are available, we can worry about building the game and not building the software.”
Marc Lutz, Chief Technical Officer, Ketsujin Studios
“XNA will enhance NDL in delivering Gamebryo’s industry-leading cross-platform 3-D graphics engine and tools.”
John Austin, CEO, NDL
“Microsoft’s introduction of XNA presents an exciting opportunity for game developers to not only maintain a unified development environment while creating stunning content for multiple platforms, but to also focus on taking full advantage of the latest graphics technologies and shading effects to express their creative visions to the fullest. For NVIDIA, the availability of XNA presents a particularly exciting opportunity as our graphics technology continues to extend into new markets, such as handheld computing, where developers will be able to create and deliver 3-D gaming experiences like never before seen.”
Mark Daly, Vice President of Content Development, NVIDIA
“The best thing a console provider can provide is a complete, robust environment where all the redundant generic stuff is taken care of. That frees us developers to work on the cool, specialized features that are going to make each of our games innovative.”
David Wu, President and Technology Director, Pseudo Interactive Inc.
“We are extremely excited by the new XNA technology introduced by Microsoft. XNA empowers Quazal with tools to drive innovation even further on both Microsoft Windows and Xbox. In the end, Microsoft XNA is the starting point of a revolution that will bring game development to the next level.”
Martin Lavoie, Chief Technology Officer, Quazal Technologies Inc.
“Developers have demanded an easier way to develop games, and Microsoft has responded. With HLSL and now with the XNA development environment, the process of writing shaders and creating visually stunning content is more accessible and simplified than ever before. Right Hemisphere shares Microsoft’s goal to streamline the production pipeline for artists and programmers. Our Deep Exploration software is included in every Xbox developer kit so that assets may be created in most any application and previewed in real time on Xbox. What this does is allow for a smoother, less disruptive development process in which artists, engineers and programmers can focus on their core tasks and work more freely and independently of each other. Together, XNA and our WYSIWYG software take away some of the constraints and disruptions burdening the 3-D content creation process.”
Michael Lynch, CEO, Right Hemisphere
“For tools and middleware developers like Secret Level, having our tools work across platforms is key. Good tools and middleware solutions will be vital on the next generation of game machines, and XNA is just what we need to support the development of cross-platform games simultaneously.”
Reeve S. Thompson, Director of Production, Secret Level
“Today’s developers demand the most advanced and flexible tools in order to produce out-of-this-world games. In unifying the Windows and Xbox development tools under the XNA software system, developers can now save time by designing multiplatform games, and focus on creating amazing content. Combined with SOFTIMAGE|XSI, they can make better games, faster than ever before.”
Gareth Morgan, Senior Product Manager, Softimage Co. (a subsidiary of Avid Technology Inc.)
“At Touchdown, we have always been committed to providing tools that help developers focus on game content rather than technology development. We’re looking forward to XNA, which will further expand the value of middleware to game developers.”
Jeffrey Hutt, Technical Director, Touchdown Entertainment Inc.
“On the PC we have tools like HLSL. On Xbox, we have tools like PIX. These are both really powerful, and XNA combines the power of the PC and the power of the console into a best-of-breed platform.”
Gabe Newell, Founder and Managing Director, Valve
“XNA allows us to leverage some of the great tools we’ve come to rely on for Xbox development for PC games as well. We are excited about this, both as a developer whose games often bridge between the console and Windows worlds, and as a middleware licensor supporting teams working with both platforms. This is going to be a win-win for everyone.”
Tobi Saulnier, Vice President, Product Development, Vicarious Visions Inc.
“Virtools is proud to join the XNA program. We will provide even stronger middleware for the next generation, capable of dramatically easing the development effort and accelerating the time to market of high-quality games on powerful future platforms.”
Bertrand Duplat, President and CTO, Virtools Canada Inc.
“Software makes all the difference. I believe with this next generation, hardware is not going to matter as much as it has in the past. It’s about software tools.”


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12 Oct 2016, 10:26 am
Guests can avail unmatched discounts and fares on key sectors within India starting from base fares of INR 396, the company said in a statement.
The four-day special fare offer is effective from Oct 4 – 7, and valid for travel from Nov 8onwards on the airlines’ select domestic network.
The offer is valid only on Jet Airways direct flights within India and available on first-come-first serve basis.
Jayaraj Shanmugam, Chief Commercial Officer, Jet Airways, said: "This exciting limited-period offer is our way of joining the festive celebrations, together with our guests, their families and loved ones. It will be an opportunity to experience the Joy of Flying and Jet Airways’ renowned signature Indian hospitality at unbeatable prices.”
- Etihad Airways to launch Osaka flights, connecting culturally vibrant city to global network
- Akasa Air commences operations from Kolkata
- Air India and Vistara enter Interline Partnership
- Air India launches non-stop flight from Amritsar to London Gatwick
- Scoot will steadily increase weekly flights to and from China; will ramp up frequencies for summer travel demands
- IndiGo introduces exclusive flights between Bengaluru-Kolhapur, additional flights from Coimbatore to Kolhapur
- Qantas connects Australia with Southern India directly with inaugural flight to Bengaluru from Sydney
- Cathay Pacific to commence direct flights from Bengaluru to Hong Kong
- Independence Day: OYO announces stays at slashed prices
- Rakesh Jhunjhunwala's Akasa Air to start domestic flights from Aug 7
Abu Dhabi/UAE: Etihad Airways announced its plans to launch five weekly flights to Osaka, Japan, starting from October 1, 2023. This move will establish a vital link between one of the world's most culturally vibrant cities and Etihad's extensive global network.
Kolkata: Akasa Air, a new airline operating in India, on Thursday commenced its operations from Kolkata.
Gurugram/IBNS: Air India, one of India’s leading airlines and a Star Alliance member, has entered an interline partnership with full-service carrier, Vistara (a joint venture of Tata and Singapore Airlines).


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Streaming video coming soon to Amazon
Friday, May 30, 2008/
Amazon is planning to accelerate its progress from internet bookstore to all-round online entertainment megalith by introducing streaming video to the site, its chief executive says.
Dow Jones reports that Amazon boss Jeff Bezos told the D: All Things Digital conference in San Diego on Wednesday that Amazon will launch a streaming video service in the next few weeks.
“We are working on a new version of video on demand, a ‘for-pay’ streaming service we will release in the next couple of weeks. The streaming service will start instantly and it’s a la carte, for-pay,” Bezos said.
Amazon already has a downloadable video service on the site and recently launched the Kindle, a digital reading device designed to make it more attractive to download reading material.
“We’re very serious about the video business, but it is much more difficult because there are so many market participants,” Bezos said.
Read more about Amazon
Lunchtime singing and awards for failure: The best perks from Australia's most innovative companies Amantha Imber Inventium founder
Your future customers: How to crack the gen Z code Simon Slade Affilorama co-founder
Four stupid business decisions that burnt through $1 million Ian Whitworth Scene Change co-founder
Why corporate content will send your customers running Luke Buesnel Story League director
How to write the perfect job advertisement Alex Hattingh Employment Hero chief people officer
How to outshine the millions of websites ranking poorly on Google Adam Rowles Inbound Marketing founder


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LAKELAND, Fla. — Food banks have been stretched thin as more and more families have turned to those organizations with greater need during the coronavirus pandemic.
Publix announced it'll donate about 1.3 million pounds of food during the next several weeks at six of Florida's largest food banks. About 342,000 pounds of pasta, canned vegetables, canned beans, cereal and boxed potatoes will be sent over just to Feeding Tampa Bay.
Now's the time to help, the grocery chain says, as more than 2.7 million people in Florida are struggling with hunger. That's about one in eight people.
The pandemic has worsened the situation and now, the holidays are in full swing.
"When we heard from food banks that they were facing a critical food shortage, we knew that, as a food retailer, we had another opportunity to help," Publix CEO Todd Jones said in a news release. "With 90 years of relationships and expertise, we are able to mobilize quickly — sourcing, purchasing and transporting what these food banks need most — and bring hope and nourishment this holiday season."
Feeding Northeast Florida, Feeding South Florida, Harry Chapin Food Bank, Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida and Treasure Coast Food Bank join Feeding Tampa Bay in receiving the donations.
Publix said this latest program is in addition to one launched in April. Since then, the company has bought surplus produce and milk from farmers and donated it to food banks.
- Precautionary boil water notice issued for some in northwest Hillsborough County
- Tampa Police detective suspended, charged with 2 counts tampering with evidence
- Mitch McConnell congratulates Joe Biden as president-elect
- Florida will stay open, Gov. DeSantis says, as White House panel urges strict COVID-19 measures
- Florida's Johnson speaking, calling teammates via FaceTime
- Here's where to see Christmas lights around Tampa Bay
►Breaking news and weather alerts: Get the free 10 Tampa Bay app
►Stay In the Know! Sign up now for the Brightside Blend Newsletter


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WASHINGTON, Jan. 8, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) is celebrating the organization's 40th anniversary in 2015. The organization was founded in 1975 by a group of women entrepreneurs who joined together to remove obstacles and create opportunities for other women entrepreneurs across the country. Today, NAWBO boasts 5,000 members and 60 chapters nationwide and is the only member organization representing women entrepreneurs in all sectors, sizes and stages of their business development.
Bank of America will serve as the NAWBO 40th anniversary sponsor, hosting receptions celebrating the 40th anniversary, and will be the presenting sponsor at the 2015 NAWBO Women's Business Conference.
"Women business owners have come a long way since 1975 thanks in large part to the NAWBO leaders who came before us. Though the challenges may change, what has remained the same over the last 40 years is the community and sisterhood that NAWBO offers to all of its members," said Darla Beggs, NAWBO National Board Chair. "Our relationship with Bank of America is one of our most long-standing and truly beneficial collaborations because it is based on our mutual commitment to serving women entrepreneurs. We are fortunate to have them as a colleague in our efforts and to have them serve as the sponsor of our 40thanniversary. Bank of America is always in the corner of women business owners and their support for NAWBO has been unwavering."
"We are honored to serve as sponsor for NAWBO's 40th anniversary throughout 2015. Their exceptional work over the past 40 years has made it possible for thousands of women to start and grow their own businesses," said Jill Calabrese Bain, Small Business National Sales Executive for Bank of America. "Investing in women to connect them to the resources, networks and mentoring they need to help them achieve success is a special area of focus for Bank of America, and we look forward to continuing to work with our friends at NAWBO to help make that happen."
During its 40 years, NAWBO has made an impact on several fronts. The organization was integrally involved in the passage of H.R. 5050, which among other things created the National Women's Business Council and abolished requirements that a female entrepreneur obtain a male co-signatory for her business loan; led and participated in multiple international business exchanges; has served as a data resource to help the federal government better understand and meet the needs of women business owners; and organized and participated in public policy summits in Washington, DC to ensure the perspective of women business owners is heard.
"Statistics show that when women entrepreneurs do well, they pass it on to others by creating new jobs, giving back to their communities and advocating for policies around the globe to help others to succeed," continued Beggs. "At NAWBO, our mission is to provide women entrepreneurs with greater access to the tools they need to grow their businesses. This year, in conjunction with our 40th anniversary, we will roll out a series of programs and events designed to empower women entrepreneurs and showcase the expertise and experiences that our members bring to the table."
NAWBO will host a series of events across the country in conjunction with their 40th anniversary. The celebration will culminate at their annual Women's Business Conference, which will be held September 27-29, 2015, in San Antonio, Texas.
To learn more about NAWBO's 40th anniversary, click here.
To learn more about the 2015 Women's Business Conference, click here.
Founded in 1975, the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) is the unified voice of America's more than 9.1 million women-owned businesses representing the fastest growing segment of the economy. NAWBO is the only dues-based organization representing the interests of all women entrepreneurs across all industries. NAWBO develops programs that help navigate women entrepreneurs through the various stages of their business growth.
Bank of America
Bank of America is one of the world's largest financial institutions, serving individual consumers, small businesses, middle-market businesses and large corporations with a full range of banking, investing, asset management and other financial and risk management products and services. The company provides unmatched convenience in the United States, serving approximately 48 million consumer and small business relationships with approximately 4,900 retail banking offices and approximately 15,700 ATMs and award-winning online banking with 31 million active users and more than 16 million mobile users. Bank of America is among the world's leading wealth management companies and is a global leader in corporate and investment banking and trading across a broad range of asset classes, serving corporations, governments, institutions and individuals around the world. Bank of America offers industry-leading support to approximately 3 million small business owners through a suite of innovative, easy-to-use online products and services. The company serves clients through operations in more than 40 countries. Bank of America Corporation stock (NYSE: BAC) is listed on the New York Stock Exchange. www.bankofamerica.com
CONTACT: Joy Lutes
SOURCE National Association of Women Business Owners


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Earlier this month, Saber Interactive said it was hard at work on an update for its Switch port of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Complete Edition. While it was originally thought to be a minor update, a recent comment from the developer suggests it might be a lot bigger.
In response to a question on its official VK social Media page, Saber said the update would be "worth the wait" for Switch owners, which is a rather interesting comment to make for a game released last October.
According to Wccftech, modders previously discovered additional graphics options in the month of the game's Nintendo release, which has led to theories that these options could be made available to everyone at some point in the near future.
What updates would you personally like to see for the Switch version of Witcher 3? Comment down below.


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Smartphone word is full applications. Android is Adroid for its applications and Apple shot up to its fame due the numerous exclusive apps. However, Microsoft has started to promote its new Windows OS more vividly lately, but now the giant has announced a move that would help them garner numbers.
Microsoft Corp. is looking at developing numerous applications for the next version of its Windows operating system and for that it has lined up design firms, recruited interns and sent engineers on an around-the-world road show to help developers get them built, according to AdAge.
This move will certainly give Microsoft a power to compete with contemporaries but unlike Google and Apple, it does not have developers queuing at its door with a ready proposal.
As Microsoft struggles to keep up with a technology landscape that is moving beyond personal computers into a future defined by mobile devices, the company is under pressure to gain a toehold in tablets. Demand for these handheld machines is driven by apps, which Gartner predicts will generate $58 billion in sales in 2014 says AdAge.
The company has said for the first time that it plans to have machines with the operating system on store shelves by year-end holidays with a revamped version of its flagship software Windows 8.
It is said that the new machine designed by Microsoft will be comparable to iPad with 200,000 apps and will not support the older apps forcing the company to start all over again. Hence the steer!
AdAge further reports that for much of February, app developers could come to Building 20 at Microsoft's Redmond, Washington campus and turn their app over to a Windows engineer who tries it out and provides feedback. Now Microsoft has taken that program on the road, visiting 87 cities, including New York, Paris and Guangzhou, China and developers who are earlier in the process those with an idea yet no app can attend a different program called an App Acceleration Lab to get advice on shaping their product.
Another Microsoft-led effort has been in place since September. The company has trained more than 80 design firms to aid or build apps for developers who aren't familiar with Windows' new design or design in general, said Catherine Brooker, a spokeswoman for Microsoft.
Unlike with Windows Phone, Microsoft is not paying app developers to build for Windows 8 it has encouraged its own employees to write apps by waiving so-called moonlighting restrictions on workers, which keep staff from writing apps on their own time. With traditional PCs, it wasn't hard to convince developers to build programs for Windows, the dominant operating system.
Microsoft's tablet challenge is harder. It must win over app firms and developers that grew up building programs for smartphones and tablets, where Microsoft has little and no share, respectively.
Unlike the old apps that don't work with some Windows 8 devices, the new ones will be available not only to buyers of tablets, but also to the more than 300 million buyers of Windows PCs. That won over SigFig, a maker of a program that lets users track investments.
Facebook Inc., the largest social network, has no plans to make a Windows 8 app even though it makes apps for the iOS and Android.
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Exports of Indonesian crude palm oil (CPO) and its derivatives increased 45.8 percent month-on-month (m/m) to 2.47 million metric tons in October 2014 primarily supported by the zero export tariff that was implemented by the Indonesian government per 1 October. Indonesia has a mechanism that when the average CPO price (which is calculated using international and local CPO prices) drop below USD $750 per metric ton, the export tax is scrapped. In early September, Malaysia had already implemented a zero CPO export tax.
Palm oil futures in Kuala Lumpur had touched 1,914 ringgit (approximately USD $572) per metric ton in early September 2014, the lowest since March 2009, and thus Malaysia (later followed by Indonesia) scrapped export taxes for CPO in an effort to boost sluggish CPO prices. Malaysian authorities have already announced that the zero export tariff will be maintained up to the year-end. Indonesian authorities, however, have not confirmed yet whether the 0 percent export tax will be extended into December (as this decision depends on the aforementioned price-mechanism) but chances are very slim that the government’s benchmark CPO price will exceed the USD $750 per metric ton level in December. Considering that there are still ample reserves of palm oil in Indonesia and Malaysia (on the back of strong production in 2013 and 2014) as well as other vegetable oils (soy, rapeseed and sunseed), we expect that the benchmark CPO price may touch USD $750 per ton again after March 2015. Indonesia’s Trade Ministry set its November 2014 benchmark CPO price at USD $665 per metric ton.
Although the performance of Indonesia’s palm oil export in October is good on a month-on-month basis, it can be labelled sluggish when compared to the export performance last year. In the first ten months of 2014, Indonesia’s overall CPO export stood at 17.5 million metric tons, a mere two percentage point improvement from the same period in 2013 (17.2 million metric tons).
Indonesia's October CPO export performance was not only supported by the 0 percent export tariff but also due to a sharp rebound in CPO demand from China, Indonesia’s second-largest CPO customer (after India). Exports to China improved as Indonesian palm oil producers now meet China's recently-introduced new regulations regarding pesticide residue. As a result, Indonesian CPO exports increased 390 percent m/m to 275.9 thousand tons in October 2014. Meanwhile, CPO demand from India also grew sharply in October. According to data from the Indonesian Palm Oil Association (Gapki), Indonesian CPO exports to India grew 140 percent m/m to 733.6 thousand tons in October. The main factor that explains this growth is the looming Indian import tariff hike for edible oils. The government of India plans to raise this import tax from 2.5 percent to 10 percent soon. Therefore - ahead of its implementation - Indian importers boost CPO imports to take advantage of the current lower import duties.
Indonesian CPO export to the USA declined sharply in October (95 percent m/m to 3.2 thousand tons) due to the abundant soybean supply in the world’s largest economy. Soybean oil and palm oil dominate the global market, accounting for about 60 percent of the world’s total edible oils production, and, as both commodities can substitute each other, food processors can alternate between the two commodities depending on favourable prices.
Indonesian Palm Oil Export in 2014:
Source: Indonesian Palm Oil Association (Gapki)
There are a number of signs that point to improving global CPO prices in the coming months. Firstly, drought in several important CPO producing regions of Indonesia (Sumatra and Kalimantan) managed to curb recent CPO production rates, thus resulting in the country’s declining CPO reserves. Secondly, drought in Brazil (an important soybean producer) in October causes expectation about declining soybean output (which should boost soybean prices and thus make CPO a more attractive alternative). Thirdly, Indonesian CPO exports are expected to decline as domestic biofuel demand increases. In August 2013, the Indonesian government introduced an ambitious program that stipulates a higher mandatory content of fatty acid methyl ester (made from palm oil) in biodiesel products (the mandatory content was raised from 7.5 percent to 10 percent). This program was launched in a bid to curb costly oil imports (the main reason for the country’s wide current account deficit). As a result of this program, domestic palm-based biodiesel demand is expected to rise to 1.6 million tons in 2014, to 4.2 million tons in 2015, and to 8.85 million tons in 2016, thus curbing the global CPO supply. Lastly, palm oil enters the biological down-cycle in 2015, implying that production growth may not be as strong as it has been in 2013 and 2014.
The world’s palm oil output is dominated by Indonesia and Malaysia. Together, both countries account for between 85 to 90 percent of total global palm oil production. Indonesia is currently the world’s largest producer and exporter of palm oil.
Indonesian Palm Oil Production and Export:
(million metric tons)
(million metric tons)
(in USD billion)
¹ indicates forecast
Sources: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Indonesian Palm Oil Producers Association (Gapki) and Indonesian Ministry of Agriculture


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Frankfurt, Sep 23, 2015 —
Today, the IFR has published World Robotics 2015 and the impressive forecast of global robot installations between 2015 and 2018. By 2018, annual sales of industrial robots will reach 400,000 units.
Today, the IFR has published World Robotics 2015 and the impressive forecast of global robot installations between 2015 and 2018. By 2018, annual sales of industrial robots will reach 400,000 units. This is almost twice as much as the sales volume in 2014. The main driver of this development is the global competition of industrial production. Within this context, the rapid automation in China represents a unique development in the history of robotics. The number of industrial robots sold increased by 56 percent alone last year in comparison to 2013. China is the largest and fastest growing robotics market in the world. The potential remains enormous despite the recent economic downturn. By 2018, more than one-in-three of the global supply of industrial robots will be installed in the Republic of China. In July, the Chinese robot exhibition CIROS 2015 demonstrated the increasing strength of Chinese robot suppliers. But also international robot suppliers have set up more production facilities, and have expand their service platform in China.
Breathtaking advancements and innovative technological developments in industrial manufacturing will guarantee a continued substantial increase of robot installations, not only in China. One of these innovations is the human-robot collaboration. It will have a breakthrough in the coming years. The vision is that industrial robots support workers in a variety of tasks, improve manufacturing quality and processes, and increase productivity. They can also assist an aging workforce, e.g. in physically demanding tasks. This enables people to keep their jobs and remain in the workforce. It will also take some pressure off the negative effects of demographic shifts.
The International Symposium on Robotics, the ISR 2016, from 21-22 June 2016 at the Automatica in Munich will be an excellent opportunity to learn more about technological innovations in the robotics industry. The topic of the symposium will be: Robotics in the area of digitalization. The Call for Papers has just been published.
From 2-5 December, we will meet at the iREX 2015 in Tokyo. The theme is “RT - Making a Future with Robots”, symbolizing the hope that robot technology will advance in leaps & bounds and play a major role in our future. During the exhibit, robot technology and products from both Japan and countries across the globe will be on display and will be a place which offers even more technical interaction and business discussions.


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McColl's plans share suspension as crisis talks continue
McColl's Retail said it would miss the deadline for publishing its annual results at the end of May and that it expected to suspend its shares from 1 June.
The troubled convenience store group said its annual report would be delayed because it was still in talks with lenders and other parties about a financial rescue.
McColl's warned in April that it was in financial difficulty caused by weak trading, soaring costs, high debt and supply chain problems. It said a potential rescue could leave shareholders with nothing. The company operates convenience stores under its own name and the Morrisons Daily brand.
In an update on Tuesday the company said: "As the end of May is the latest time permitted for publication of the FY21 results under the Financial Conduct Authority's … rules, the company is expecting, following consultation with the FCA in due course, to request that the listing of the company's ordinary shares of 1 pence each be temporarily suspended with effect from 7:30am on 1 June 2022".


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Monday, September 19th, 2022
Kate Farms has secured $75 million in Series C funding, the Santa Barbara-based meal replacement company announced Sept. 19, taking its venture capital total well over $150 million.
The latest round was led by Novo Holdings, a leading life science investor, with additional funding from current investors Kaiser Permanente Ventures, Goldman Sachs Asset Management, Main Street Advisors and existing individual investors.
In 2020, Kate Farms closed both a $60 billion Series B round and a $23 million Series A round.
“Despite the challenging global economic environment, I’m pleased that Novo Holdings and our existing investors appreciate the significant potential of plant-based nutrition and Kate Farms’ leadership in this rapidly growing market,” Kate Farms CEO Brett Matthews said in a news release. “Our brand has deeply held values, which means that finding the right investment partners is a critical choice for us. Novo Holdings’ investment in Kate Farms will allow us to develop more innovative products, enter new markets and continue to serve the patients who depend on us for their nutrition, as well as thousands of healthcare providers.”
Kate Farms produces plant-based organic formulas for tube and oral feeding for people suffering from chronic illnesses or acute conditions.
Its products are now available in more than 95% of hospitals around the country and are covered by Medicare, Medicaid and more than 2,000 private insurance plans, the company said.
Kate Farms was founded by Richard and Michelle Laver in 2011, when the two were intent on helping their young daughter, Kate, who was born with cerebral palsy. Matthews has been the CEO since 2015.
“Michelle and I started Kate Farms to help our daughter Kate who was failing to thrive,” Richard Laver said in the company’s news release. “This investment from Novo Holdings and other notable investors is a milestone and a market validator that the product we created for Kate has helped so many.”
The Series C round will help Kate Farms develop new products and enter new channels, the company said.
Since the first quarter of 2021, Kate Farms has launched 13 new products. It plans to open a manufacturing facility in Goleta later this month.


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Corsicana Mattress is investing more than $8.6 million to establish a new factory located at 755 S 500 West in La Porte, Indiana. The 165,000-square-foot facility—expected to open in December—will house the company’s domestic boxed-bed manufacturing and is expected to employ 350 people.
“We have had significant growth in our boxed bed business and require a facility that is appropriately equipped with well-trained employees to provide the manufacturing efficiency to support that growth,” said Michael Thompson, chief executive officer of Corsicana Mattress. “Indiana was a great location for us and the local, regional and state agencies we worked with have been very helpful and welcoming throughout this process.”
While awaiting the new facility, which is being retrofitted for Corsicana, the company has opened a temporary location on Woodland Avenue in Michigan City, Indiana, where it will begin hiring and training new employees.
When the permanent facility opens in December, the company is expected to be producing more than 1,500 domestically produced boxed beds per day and will allow the company to reduce lead times for the category and ramp up to same-day shipping. Corsicana manufactures five brands – NightsBridge, Early Bird, Renue, American Bedding and Sleep Inc. – all of which include roll-pack models.
Following an extensive site selection search, Corsicana selected La Porte based on the city’s close proximity to foam suppliers and logistics companies, which will allow the company to keep freight costs to a minimum.
The company will receive up to $2.3 million in conditional tax credits based on the company’s job creation plans from the Indiana Economic Development Corp. The LaPorte County Council and County Commissioners are offering additional incentives that include assistance with employee training.
Corsicana operates a 100,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Aurora, Illinois, which is about 100 miles away from La Porte. The factory in Illinois produces traditional, flat-packed mattresses and will continue operations.
“This was a unified effort by elected officials and our economic development team in successfully luring Corsicana Mattress Manufacturing to bring their operations to La Porte County and with it some 350 new, good-paying jobs. This is a home run for our economic development team,” said Sheila Matias, president of the La Porte County Commissioners.
About Corsicana: Founded in 1971 in Corsicana, Texas, Corsicana Mattress now operates 10 factories across the country and has become one of the mattress industry’s largest manufacturers. The company offers a full range of promotional and step-up products that feature the latest in sleep technology, including innerspring, memory foam and hybrid models. The company also has a mattress-in-a-box line that simplifies delivery. Corsicana leverages its national manufacturing presence to provide industry-leading quality, value, delivery and customer service. Corsicana Mattress is committed to making everyday life better for hardworking Americans by delivering on the promise to provide outstanding sleep at an unbeatable value.


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For all his harsh rhetoric about unfair trade practices by China, President Trump stopped short of taking any punitive actions against Beijing during his first year in office.
That may be about to change, however.
Over the next few weeks, the Trump Administration is expected to release the results of a seven-month investigation into Chinese trade practices, under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, a move that could lead to punitive actions against the country and at worst provoke a trade war that would hurt a lot of US businesses.
"The Trump Administration has made it very clear that it believes that it has the authority under Section 301 to threaten or impose tariffs on China directly over these practices," says Edward Alden, senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.
Section 301 gives the president wide latitude to impose penalties such as reciprocal bans on cross-border investments and tariffs on a wide variety of Chinese goods, he says.
It also could band together with allies to force China's hand at the World Trade Organization. Countries in Asia, Latin America and Europe have long complained about Chinese trade practices such as forced transfers of technology, illegal government subsidies and dumping of low-cost exports in an effort to weaken competitors.
"I think there's a widespread and growing consensus around the world that China is not playing by the rules and that together we as allies and trading partners need to take many, many different kinds of measures to ensure a level playing field," says Trump trade adviser Peter Navarro, a staunch China critic.
Trump has been excoriating China for years, accusing it of blocking access to its markets for foreign companies.
Once in office, he has been slow to match his rhetoric with actions. His administration failed to label China a currency manipulator, even though Trump promised to do so during the campaign.
He may have hesitated in part because he needed Beijing's help with North Korea, and because the prospect of a trade war scares US companies such as Boeing, which earn a lot of money in China.
But a clash seems almost inevitable, given China's outsized role in global trade today.
"If you're concerned about the large US trade deficit, which the president is and has said he is repeatedly, most of that's a China problem," Alden says.
Still, any move to punish China carries risks for the United States and the world as a whole.
The countries of the world have spent decades carefully crafting laws meant to regulate the flow of trade, says Dan Ikenson, director of the Cato Institute's Herbert A. Stiefel Center for Trade Policy Studies. Dispute between nations are meant to be settled at the WTO.
If the US opts to act on its own, it could undermine the infrastructure of global trade in a way that causes more problems than it solves, he says.
"My main concern is that we actually go forward with these unilateral duties, and the rest of the world sees the United States as disavowing the WTO, China retaliates and the costs start to spread across the US economy," he says.
While China has sometimes shown it's willing to change some of its more egregious trade practices, it's also made clear it will go at its own pace.
Too much pressure from Washington is likely to be seen as bullying by Beijing and could invite retaliation against US companies.
But after lobbing so much criticism at China over the years, Trump may feel he has little choice but to take action of some kind.
As Navarro sees it, such action has been a long time coming.
"It's staggering—staggering!—what China does in terms of cheating the international system, and it's refreshing that we finally have a president that's standing up for all the American people and standing up to China on all this."


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German battery component maker Frötek-Kunststofftechnik announced a generational change with the appointment of Sascha Brothuhn as CEO from June.
He joined the company in 2004 and became head of battery component sales in 2006 and VP of sales in 2011.
Bernhard and Barbara Fröhlich founded Frötek in 1985 as a consulting company for plastics manufacturers. They have since retired, most recently Bernhard in April.
They handed over a global company with four manufacturing sites in Germany, and one in each of Hungary, Ukraine, China and the US. Turnover is some €80 million ($87 million) with 700 employees. It makes components for all types of industrial and starter batteries, as well as automotive parts, bus bars and harnesses used in e-mobility applications and technical plastic parts.
The founders’ son, Martin Fröhlich, was promoted to president of the Frötek group in 2007.
Sascha Brothuhn said: “We currently see the market in a difficult situation. Uncertainties such as the war in Ukraine, rising interest rates, rising inflation, labour shortages, to name just a few, are affecting end-customer behaviour which ends in lower consumption and investments. However, the future is promising: Frötek develops and produces parts for industrial batteries which are needed to store energy.”
Photo: Sascha Brothuhn takes over as CEO


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Formby Post Office has delayed it's opening until next week
The main Post Office shop on Brows Lane in Formby was due to open it's doors today at 1pm butunfortunately, they are now unable to reopen as scheduled. They are now working towards reopening early next week. They have apologised for any inconvenience this has caused.
The Post Office will open a newly modernised main branch at Formby Post Office, 68 Brows Lane, Formby. The Post Office in Formby village closed on Wednesday 12th October to undergo modernisation and refurbishment, plans which have been delayed from the origional planned June revamp.
When the Chapel Lane branch re-opens, which we have now been told is early next week, it will have four counter positions including three screened fortress positions and a Post Office serving point at the retail counter.
This branch will from then on be open from 9am to 5.30pm Monday to Saturday. The opening hours which will increase by an extra three and a half hours of Post Office service on Saturday afternoon will offer more choice of times for customers to visit. The new-look Formby Post Office will be delighted to welcome customers to the newly refurbished branch. Local residents and small business customers will be able to access a wide range of Post Office and mails services, including international parcels, Special Delivery, Local Collect and home shopping returns, make cash withdrawals from a Post Office Card Account, send funds abroad using Moneygram, pay bills, buy holiday money, get insurance, mortgages and savings and top up mobile phones. As the traditional banking network declines, customers for the majority (99%) of UK banks can use their post office for online banking cash deposits and withdrawals and bill payments.
Julie Kemp the Post Office area manager said: "We are making it easier for customers to get their cash, send and to collect their mail and do their banking because we know how important these services are to local residents. We are confident that this vibrant new-style post office at the heart of the local community will meet customer needs."
She went on to say "This modernisation is part of a major investment programme, the largest in our hisory".


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A few highlights from around the web that made it into our feeds this week.
The mystery behind the outbreak in vaping-related lung illnesses is still unfolding, but the CDC has made a few important discoveries. Investigators in Illinois and Wisconsin interviewed 86 patients, and 66 percent said they had vaped THC products labeled as Dank Vapes. (THC is the psychoactive ingredient in cannabis)
"Dank Vapes appears to be the most prominent in a class of largely counterfeit brands, with common packaging that is easily available online and that is used by distributors to market THC-containing cartridges," the CDC report states. Young consumers are often buying these products ‘off the street’ or online and assume the products are commercial grade, but the packaging can be very deceiving. (From npr.org)
“A tragic crime. A medical breakthrough. A last chance at life.”
It’s not every day you get to read a thrilling story centered around a surgical procedure, and this one has it all. The riveting true saga begins with a heart leaving the scene of a horrific crime in 1986 and follows its journey to save the life of Eva Bailey.
The story is rich in surgical history and paints a beautiful picture of early open-heart surgery in the United States. Eva’s surgeon Edward LeFrak, MD, still stays in touch and calls every December on her transplant anniversary. At 33 years, Eva is now one of the longest-living heart transplant recipients on the planet. (From washingtonpost.com)
“Music therapy can make the difference between withdrawal and awareness, between isolation and interaction, between chronic pain and comfort — between demoralization and dignity.”
—Barbara Crowe, former president of the National Association for Music Therapy
Music is a stress reliever, it's used to recover speech, improve walking, and assist in the retrieval of memories—lighting up neurons between the right and left hemispheres of the brain. Programs in music therapy do not use a one-size-fits-all approach. For some, it’s therapeutic to create music, for others, listening can be transformative. This uplifting article explores the ways in which music therapists help people heal. (From nytimes.com)
Also check out:
- What We’re Reading: 09/27/19
- What We’re Reading: 09/20/19
- What We’re Reading: 09/13/19
- What We’re Reading: 09/06/19
- What We’re Reading: 08/30/19
- What We’re Reading: 08/19/19


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BUFFALO, New York — There are more incentives on the way from Washington with the goal to get drivers to shift to electric vehicles. So 2 On Your Side looked at some questions on how things may happen here in Western New York and the impact on the car-buying public.
If you cruise around the car dealerships in this area the lots appear to be fairly full again even if it's a lot of used cars.
But what about the electric vehicles now being pushed with climate change policies from many of our national leaders?
Well, there is apparently another supply chain issue according to Paul Stasiak who is President of the Niagara Frontier Auto Dealers Association. He says "It's really battery availability for these vehicles. I think you read the paper every day - every manufacturer is investing billions to bring these products to market."
And then price. Many would-be buyers feel they're still too expensive with sticker costs in the $40 to 50 thousand and up range. While there are some cheaper models and some manufacturers like GM and Honda are working together to try and come up with more affordable EVs in competition with Tesla, prices may stay higher for now. Stasiak points out, "The more they produce, the more price sensitive they become. I think every vehicle right now is in short supply so you don't see incentives. It's hard to get a gauge on the price of an EV because they're just - we're still years away from a volume quantity."
So Congress included tax credit incentives of $7,500 to buy an EV in the latest version of what's called the Inflation Reduction Act which passed in the U.S. Senate and is now under consideration in the U.S. House of Representatives.
"These tax incentives and the talk of tax incentives are going to drive more attention and awareness. So as there are more incentives, more government awareness, and government support to push this initiative - consumers will follow that track," Stasiak said.
However, the Associated Press reports many EV purchases may not qualify for such credits because the batteries must be made in the US with minerals mined or recycled here.
And some car manufacturers claim those rules get more stringent in years to come since the vast majority of the batteries are currently produced in China with lithium mined outside the US.
Car companies like GM are trying to build EV car battery plants in Ohio and elsewhere but it's a potential roadblock for now. There are also efforts to open more lithium mines in the US but ironically there are environmental concerns.
Stasiak told us, "I don't think there's any manufacturer that can meet the demand because of the raw material availability of battery production. So it's a good problem for Ford and General Motors and Cadillac and BMW to have. They got people willing to buy 'em and trying to find a way to get 'em. So the order pipeline will be here for years I believe."
We asked if that's the lithium you're talking about - primarily the product item that they need?
Stasiak actually suggests people consider for now buying a hybrid vehicle with a blend of gas and electric for power.


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AUSTRALIA’S busiest donut maker has exported its first shipment of roasted coffee to mainland China as part of its international expansion plans.
Donut King will export 288 kilograms of its DK Royal Bean coffee blend to be used by four stores in Shanghai China, owned by China licensee Mak Brands Limited.
DK Royal Bean coffee is developed at Retail Food Group’s coffee roasting facility in Sydney, called Caffe Coffee. It is used in all Donut King outlets and features a blend of international beans.
The first shipment will provide more than 23,000 shots of espresso, with additional shipments expected to follow later this year. It is part of a strategy by the Gold Coast-based, ASX-listed brand manager Retail Food Group Limited (RFG) to open more than 20 Donut King outlets in China by 2014.
“It’s such an important part of our business that we’ve invested in the creation of own coffee blend, DK Royal Bean, designed to match the taste preferences of our customers,” says Donut King national marketing manager Tracey Catterall.
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DTI 'makes headway' in Iceland probe
THE DTI is making headway with its investigation into share dealings by former Iceland boss Malcolm Walker. In recent weeks, it has quizzed a handful of Walker's former associates and advisers, including Charterhouse Securities and ABN Amro, who were brokers to Iceland at the time of the deals.
The inspectors - barrister Ronald Lindsay and accountant Peter Thornton - told them the probe is focusing purely on whether insider dealing took place. Walker's supporters had hoped that the DTI would embark on a wider investigation into practices at Iceland.
'They are asking us fairly basic questions. They want to know exactly who knew what and when, with regard to Malcolm's share sale,' said one who was interviewed. The inspectors requested certain documents.
Walker has not been called in to see the inspectors so far. 'I cannot talk about that,' he said. He quit Iceland in January, after a furore over his sale of £13.5m of shares when they were close to a 346p all-time high. Weeks later, the price halved when Iceland revealed sales had slumped.
Walker maintains he had no idea Iceland might not hit its targets when he sold the shares. Friends say he may claim sales data were inconclusive, a lack of information-or simply admit that he took his eye off the ball. Making a mistake may be undesirable for an executive, but is not an offence.
Very few insider dealing investigations go to court because it is difficult to prove that an individual was in possession of price-sensitive information when dealing.
The Financial Services Authority's listing arm is pressing ahead with its own investigation into the share sale.
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There’s simply no excuse anymore. Amazon just doesn’t seem to care about Southeast Asia. Well, what else would explain the fact that it has yet to enter this particular market?
It speaks volumes about the demand for Amazon products — especially in Singapore where I live — when recently even Groupon Singapore jumped onto the ship to offer the Kindle Paperwhite for sale at S$219 (US$172), a mark-up of over 40 percent on the listed price of US$119 on Amazon. The Groupon Singapore deal is now sold out.
With the demand for Amazon’s Kindle products comes the natural demand for e-books. Yet, you can’t buy a book directly from Amazon in this part of the world (I know because I own an old-gen Kindle, acquired for an inflated price via a third-party retailer). It’s a hugely convoluted process that I suspect many people don’t have knowledge of — first you must register a US postal address, then top up a gift card and finally use a VPN to download the books you bought.
Trying to outsmart the system this way though has its risks — Amazon may just eventually suspend your account.
Yet instead of taking the (easier) way out and downloading pirated books for free, a lot of friends I’ve spoken with in Singapore actually take the effort to bypass the system so they get their hands on legal e-books.
The Kindle ecosystem is just an illustration of the opportunities Amazon is missing out on in Singapore, as well as the surrounding Southeast Asian region. There is definitely demand building in the region, which was once considered a backwater for technology and mobile adoption.
Other e-commerce operators
In the absence of Amazon, eBay and other giant US retailers in Southeast Asia, e-commerce concepts and operators have stepped in to plug the gap — and Amazon would do well to step in before all these other options are enshrined into consumers’ practices here.
F-commerce, a concept that has failed to ignite in the West, is taking off in Southeast Asia — particularly in countries like Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam.
At the same time, Amazon alternatives are sprouting up in the form of e-commerce operators targeted at the region. One of the more well-known ones would be Lazada — an Amazon-like marketplace service started by German startup incubator Rocket Internet. Lazada closed a whopping $100 million round of investment in June last year, which is testimony to the high demand (and potential) of e-commerce in this region.
Even Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba has jumped onto the e-commerce boat in Southeast Asia. It launched its Taobao marketplace in Singapore in September last year, creating a regional landing page for Southeast Asia, and a dual-language registration page. This came after Chinese e-commerce rival Jingdong announced a strategic partnership with IT products group iKnow to launch JD.com’s Singapore site and pick-up stations for purchases made online.
Japanese e-commerce juggernaut Rakuten also officially launched in Singapore just last month.
Investors have recognized too that e-commerce is the largest bottleneck in Southeast Asia. A team of seasoned entrepreneurs in Thailand, from Ardent Capital, have dedicated their resources to building aCommerce, an ambitious project to develop an end-to-end platform — including analytics and marketing services — for retailers looking to tap into the potential of Southeast Asia.
Steps in Asia
It’s not like Amazon doesn’t know the importance of Asia and hasn’t successfully maneuvered challenges to set up shop in the most challenging parts of Asia — India and China.
Amazon took over Joyo in 2004 to set up its seventh regional website in China. However, its Kindle launch in the country was plagued with problems, as the company sought to stave off challenges related to rampant piracy that has made Chinese consumers unused to paying for digital content. Yet Amazon went all out to tackle this issue and in June the company’s devices finally landed on China’s shores.
In India, Amazon managed to overcome the hurdle of restrictions on foreign direct investment (FDI) that puts limits on selling goods direct to consumers — in June last year it launched its flagship Marketplace business in India and subsequently began listing its Kindle tablets and e-readers for sale.
Amazon has also obviously taken note of Southeast Asia. In June 2013, it offered free shipping to Singapore for orders above US$125, excluding taxes — but the Kindle and its e-books were still not made available to consumers in the country.
Amazon’s online retail side could do well in Asia just via offering free shipping and not having a localized platform, but the stickiness of the Kindle platform would likely give the company an advantage against its competitors — and the demand in this part of the world for an ecosystem with an e-reader and e-books is simply unmet.
Furthermore, Kindle tablets are well-priced and in turn, well-positioned for the Southeast Asian market.
In September 2013, the company launched 7-inch and 8.9-inch versions of the Kindle Fire HDX — with the 7-inch models starting at $229 (for 16GB) and $329 for an LTE-compatible device while the 8.9-inch variant costs upwards of $349, or $479 for the LTE-version.
A GfK Asia report from July 2013 noted that the market for tablets is seeing a surge in Southeast Asia, doubling over a year to reach an estimated 6.1 million units — with three tablets bought for every four laptops sold in the region.
All these factors are seemingly prepping an easy entry for Amazon into Southeast Asia — what is it waiting for?
Possible reasons for Amazon staying out
It seems like Southeast Asia’s key problem — fragmentation — could be what’s stopping Amazon from marching into the region. Conquering China and India is a no-brainer since their individual populations number more than a billion each. Southeast Asia may be huge too — with a cumulative population of over 600 million people — but it is made up of pockets of different countries, and the hassle in terms of having to set up separate logistics and deal with individual legal problems may have well put Amazon off expanding in the region.
However, it can’t be denied that Amazon has a ready (and I would argue, willing) target market in Southeast Asia — and consumers would surely thank the company for stepping in to take up the herculean task of bringing its highly-demanded products and e-commerce ecosystem to the region.
Amazon, Southeast Asia is simply sitting here waiting for you.


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HMD Global, the company the now operates the Nokia phone brand, has announced that the iconic Nokia 3310 will go on sale at key retailers in leading malls nationwide.
With its unparalleled month-long standby time, the Nokia 3310 is now in a sleek modern polycarbonate casing. Users can talk all day, send text messages, take pictures, listen to music, and get hooked once more on the original mobile gaming hit ?Snake?, all on a single charge.
Available in four colors ? Warm Red and Yellow, both with a gloss finish, and Dark Blue and Grey both with a matte finish ? the Nokia 3310 will be available for P2,490.
HMD Global also announced that its new smartphones, Nokia 3, Nokia 5 and Nokia 6, are now available for pre-order in key retailers across the country with an on sale date of July 14.


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INDIANAPOLIS, Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Veteran Pro Bowl running back Melvin Gordon has partnered with Lids, the leading sports retailer announced today. With the partnership, Lids will unveil new Melvin Gordon customizations – available at all retail locations with a Custom Zone by Lids as of today. Gordon is also working with Lids’ creative team on his own hat design, set to be released later this year, and will be featured in a series of branded content.
“I have been a member of the #LidsLoyal since I was a kid,” said Gordon. “Going to the mall and getting a new hat from Lids has always been a special experience. To be able to partner with such an iconic retailer and ultimately create my own custom hat design is really special to me.”
Gordon – the first NFL player Lids has formally partnered with – initially teamed up with the retailer in October 2019, when the football star joined the company as a Store Associate and its first #HAThlete in a viral campaign called Employee of the Month.
“Melvin Gordon is an incredible athlete on the football field but we are more excited to partner with him because of his longtime affinity for headwear and for our brand,” said Tom Ripley, Chairman and CEO of Lids Sports Group. “We decided to make Melvin the first NFL player Lids partnered with because, among other things, he kept sharing pictures of himself at Lids on social media. He’s clearly passionate about our business and has been a member of the Lids loyalty program since he was a child. We are eager to share that passion with our customers through his customizations, hat design, and our content.”
Lids is the largest retailer of hats in North America, with over 28 million sold per year across their 1,200 locations. Beyond hats, Lids is the largest brick and mortar retailer of licensed sports product in North America and has a fast-growing non-sports branded business.
Lids Sports Group is the largest licensed sports retailer in North America, selling fan and fashion-oriented headwear and apparel across the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico through over 1,200 retail locations. Indianapolis-based Lids Sports Group carries officially-licensed and branded gear aimed at empowering customers to represent their unique and individual style, team, passion and fun. Lids Sports Group operates stores under the Lids, Locker Room by Lids, Fanzz, Yankees Clubhouse Shops, Dodgers Clubhouse, Cardinals Clubhouse, and numerous other nameplates. Lids also has locations within select Macy’s department stores nationwide. To find a retail location near you visit blog.lids.com or join the #LidsLoyal on Instagram (@lids), Facebook (@lids), Twitter (@lids), or LinkedIn.


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allowing banking services to dispensaries is better for both businesses and customers, taking into consideration the amount of money that is being processed on a daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly basis.
Denver, CO (PRWEB) July 19, 2014
In a recent report by ABC News, the House of Representatives voted this past Wednesday to make marijuana banking services more accessible to marijuana businesses. The approval comes in wake of successful marijuana legalization in states such as Colorado, and point out the major concern that many dispensaries have in dealing with a cash majority industry. Since marijuana is still illegal according to federal law, many banks have been apprehensive in doing business with marijuana dispensaries in fear of being convicted of money laundering, which can lead to lengthy prison terms.
In a statement from Representative Ed Perlmutter of Colorado to ABC News, "They are operating in cash, which creates its own potential for crime, robbery, assault, and battery." According to Perlmutter, besides the blatant crime, money is not being tracked properly in the public and private sectors, which is leading to tax evasion and other illegalities. Perlmutter hopes that the new approval will shine a light on the current situation, and decrease the current trend of marijuana dispensaries that deal only in cash.
Marijuana advocates like Tom Angell are bringing transparency to the new legislation in relation to the federal government. Angell told ABC News that "whereas the federal government once stood in the way of marijuana reform at every opportunity, the changing politics of this issue are such that more politicians are now working to accommodate popular state laws so that they can be implemented effectively." This frame of thought comes after many in the industry would expect the federal government to be even more malign towards marijuana legislation; however, it appears as though the opposite is true for now. The symbolic gesture of passing the marijuana vote demonstrates to many, another positive shift in public sentiment towards the future of medical cannabis.
A representative of A&A Packaging takes heed to the recent approval and noted that "allowing banking services to dispensaries is better for both businesses and customers, taking into consideration the amount of money that is being processed on a daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly basis." The representative went on to say how the legislation will help to reduce the crime associated with dealing with a cash only system, as this is a major issue facing the industry at the moment. With years of experience in the industry, A&A Packaging has worked hand in hand with dispensaries and the changing regulatory guidelines for the industry, in order to ensure that it's products are distributed with government standards.
A&A Packaging is an industry leader and wholesale supplier for the medical and recreational marijuana supplies markets. A&A's packaging products have all been tested and certified to the child resistancy standards of the CSPC and ASTM. They offer an array of product lines and brand names in the wholesale dispensary and smokeshop markets .To learn more about how A&A Packaging can assist with the growth of your collective business, call (888) 315-2453 or visit their website at http://www.marijuanapackaging.com.
For additional information on this report by the ABC News, visit the article published on 7/16/2014: http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/house-supports-easier-marijuana-related-banking-24588337


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Panasonic outlines growth and sustainability at Chillventa
Panasonic was on a mission to deliver technology innovations for a better world at Chillventa 2018 in Nuremburg. Celebrating 60 years of heating and cooling expertise, the business turned the focus to more environmentally-friendly solutions to deliver highly efficient HVACR in the commercial and residential markets. Gaining its place in the refrigeration world, the spotlight was on Panasonic’s latest cold chain solution, the CO2 VF Series.
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For all its laid-back attitude, Tel Aviv can be a very pricey city. A decent cup of coffee can cost you more than US$4, while an iced coffee to soothe the sweltering summer heat will set you back over US$5. At least that’s how it used be, before Cofix entered the market, toppling prices and shaking the fundamentals of Israel’s food industry.
Founded in 2013 by Avi Katz, the café offered a radically simple model: a solid cup of joe for a single coin – ILS5 (roughly US$1.30). But it wasn’t just the coffee it was offering for super-cheap prices, it was the entire menu. Everything, from booze to bagels, health bars to prepackaged pastas and freshly squeezed carrot juice, could be bought with the Israeli equivalent of a dollar bill.
Riding on the coattails of cost-of-living protests, it barged into a market hungry for on-the-go, low-cost options. As franchises began sprouting up, it forced almost all of Israel’s coffee chains to slash their prices dramatically. Recently it has even expanded to supermarkets and shocked its fan base by upping prices across the board by a shekel, but that’s not all it has in store.
First Tel Aviv, then the world?
Israel’s coffee market is famously rough. Pricey chains like Starbucks that usually flourish in big cities withered in Israel, where a strong café culture can turn a big brand name into a big liability.
Now, after succeeding where others have failed – with over 150 stores and countless similarly styled but even cheaper spinoffs – Cofix hopes to export its no-frills kiosks to other urban hubs.
Said to be planning its UK launch as well, Cofix is currently taking Moscow by storm, bringing its game to one of Starbucks’ home courts and offering coffee for a mere US$0.80, while the standard cost for a cup is closer to US$4 or more.
The bargain chain reportedly hopes to have as many as 100 stores operating in Russia by the end of 2018 – and its CEO said last year he thinks the current economic conditions in the country make it ripe for Cofix to swell to well over 1,000 branches. If what happened in Israel is any indication, it seems the coffee is about to get a whole lot cheaper.


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Organized criminals believed to be based in Eastern Europe are robbing small to midsized US businesses of millions of dollars via an elaborate scheme aided by malicious software . Recent reports reveal that over the past few months, several businesses have fallen victim to unauthorized fund transfers whereby hundreds of thousands of dollars from the businesses’ bank accounts have been transferred to accounts in Europe, and in some cases, to the accounts of willing or unwitting accomplices in the United States.
The web is indeed becoming a dangerous place. These days, your PC could become infected with malware or vulnerable to a hacker attack just by innocently browsing a website or opening an email. Last July 14th, Microsoft released six bulletins with fixes for at least nine known security vulnerabilities that put users at risk in a range of Microsoft products.
As if the scare from the Swine Flu virus were not enough, some opportunistic and malicious hackers have started spreading a computer virus with emails of the same name. Otherwise also known as the Navia.a virus, it seems to have surfaced during the height of the Avian Flu scare.
Cyber-Ark Software, a security solutions company, recently released a survey showing that as much as 35 percent of people within an organization (that’s one out of three) admit to accessing corporate information without authorization. Furthermore, an alarming 74 percent claim they could circumvent the controls currently in place to prevent that access.
Research recently released by antivirus vendors Mcafee and Panda suggest that searching for certain key words on Internet search engines can prove dangerous.Hackers and malware authors have become adept at Search Engine Optimization and are using frequently searched key words to create sites that will rank favorably in search engines, but are a host for malware or phishing attacks.
Tech-savvy criminals have thought of with a new way of scamming us out of our money. In a twist to “ phishing ” (when spoofed websites are used to trick users into surrendering passwords or credit card numbers), “vishing” is when phone calls using spoofed caller ID numbers hide the identity of the caller and trick people into surrendering sensitive information.
Security company Websense released a survey of of 1,300 IT professionals worldwide revealing that although social media or the use of “Web 2.0″ technologies such as blogs , wikis and social networks are already pervasive in business, a majority of IT managers seem ill equipped to manage its use, much less protect against security concerns associated with it.
Last May 14th, reports indicated that hackers had launched a phising attack on Facebook ’s 200 million users, successfully stealing passwords from some. The hackers set up websites designed to look like the Facebook home page. Victims were directed to log back in to the site, but were routed to the fake site instead, unwittingly giving away their passwords.
Looking for a website or online resource for Security Tips and Best Practices? Check out the Federal Trade Commission ’s (FTC) OnGuardOnline program , which the FTC began in partnership with cybersecurity experts, online marketers, consumer advocates, and federal officials in 2005. While there, check out the articles and free resources such as videos, games, and downloadable files to help you guard against Internet fraud , hacking, and other security threats.
PC World posts a nice overview of the highly infectious Conflicker Worm. The Worm is dangerous as it uses several methods of attack. Once one computer in a network is infected, it often has ready access to other vulnerable computers in that network and can spread rapidly.


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Pernod Ricard UK has launched a new brand campaign for Havana Club rum, ‘Cuban mode’.
The multi-million-pound campaign celebrates ‘La Cubanía’, the unique Cuban mindset and collective energy.
Dead Man’s Fingers launches Vanilla variety in clear bottle
It runs across digital, social media, outdoor, as well as across the on- and off-trade. There is also a landmark mural in Shoreditch, east London, made of UV paint which illuminates it at night.
The campaign comes as rum is performing ahead of the total spirits category, with Havana Club growing in value by 2.9%, ahead of the total rum category.
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AKRON—Myers Industries Inc., parent of Myers Tire Supply, reported a surge of 46.9 percent in net income for the second quarter, which ended June 30, on a 12.7 percent jump in sales, compared with the same period from a year ago.
For the first half, Myers' net income rose 3.5 percent to $16.2 million as sales climbed 10.3 percent to $419.0 million, compared with a year ago. Capital expenditures totaled $10.2 million for the six months and are expect to total between $30 million to $35 million for the year, the company said.
The company attributed the income improvement in part to a "second consecutive quarter of significant profit improvement in our Lawn and Garden Segment, which is reflected in the segment's year-over-year increase in adjusted income before taxes of $2.7 million," according to President and CEO John C. Orr. The company recently announced the second phase of restructuring for its Lawn and Garden segment that is expected to produce an annual savings of $8 million. A portion of those savings will begin to be realized in the fourth quarter of 2013, the company said.
Operating income for the Distribution Segment, which includes Myers Tire Supply, fell 10.1 percent to $3.86 million, despite a 3.9 percent increase in sales to $45.9 million for the quarter. The increase in sales was due mostly to sales of new products and market share gains in equipment sales, Myers said.
However, the segment "continues to be impacted by a slow replacement tire market. Costs associated with an upgrade in the segment's information technology system contributed to the decline in adjusted income before taxes year-over-year.""
For the first half, the distribution segment's operating earnings dropped 14.2 percent to $6.7 million as sales edged up 1.9 percent to $88.5 million.


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The top streaming TV device wants to help marketers plan campaigns across traditional and online platforms, so it’s offering comparable Nielsen metrics.
What spot did viewers need to watch one more time? Christopher Walken—with an assist from Justin Timberlake—won the day with strong viewer engagement.
Video campaigns are highly successful for the travel industry, where shoppers can be swayed by an impressive clip and alluring images leave them wanting more.
Ace Metrix analyzed viewer comments to learn what online video ads pushed the creative needle in 2016 and got the biggest reactions from viewers.
What is the state of the video advertising market in 2017? Is programmatic on the rise? And what video content is most effective? A report from Videology asks the experts.
Enough looking back, let’s look forward! Here are a half-dozen bold and visionary predictions about where our industry will go in the coming year.
While viewers find online video ads disruptive, their feelings change if it means they get to enjoy quality content for free. Millennials are the most ad-friendly of all.


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Victoria’s Secret models are hitting the runway again after its popular fashion show took a four-year break.
Chief financial officer Timothy Johnson revealed the news during the company’s 2022 earnings call on Friday, per People.
“We’re going to continue to lean into the marketing spend to invest in the business, both at top-of-funnel and also to support the new version of our fashion show, which is to come later this year,” Johnson said.
The company further said in a statement that it was “always innovating and ideating in all spheres of the business to continue to put our customer at the center of all we do.”
“As we’ve previously shared, our new brand projection and mission will continue to be our guiding principle,” the statement continued. “This will lead us into new spaces like reclaiming one of our best marketing and entertainment properties to date and turning it on its head to reflect who we are today. We’re excited to share more later this year.”
The Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show came under scrutiny and was eventually canceled in 2019 following criticism that it didn’t include a wide range of sizes and body types.
“Fashion is a business of change. We must evolve and change to grow,” CEO Leslie Wexner said in 2019 while announcing the end of the fashion show. “With that in mind, we have decided to rethink the traditional Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show.”
Since then, the company has been promoting models of all different sizes to sell lingerie. But despite these efforts – or perhaps because of them — Victoria’s Secret has suffered financially.
The brand replaced some of its models with soccer star and liberal activist Megan Rapinoe and even included a transgender-identifying man in the mix to appease critics. But none of that worked to restore Victoria’s Secret to its former financial status.
Sales for the lingerie company dropped by 4.5% to $1.5 billion in 2022, representing a decline of 8% compared to the previous year.
“Instead of lowering their prices or improving their quality, they killed the Angel and the entire fantasy along with it,” Evie Magazine editor-in-chief Brittany Martinez previously told The Daily Wire while discussing the brand’s steep decline. “They made a critical mistake many companies have made: they obsessed over their competitors and the media instead of obsessing over their customers.”
The annual fashion show was first held in August 1995. It ran 23 more times in following years, taking a break in 2004.