FORT MYERS, Fla., Aug 11, 2008 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- FoxElectronics, a leading global supplier of frequency controlsolutions, now offers HCMOS oscillators with 2.5-volt operation andtighter stability options of 15 ppm (F547), 10 ppm (F549) and 8 ppm(F54S), with phase noise of -140 BC/Hz at a 10 kHz offset and ajitter period of 3 ps (RMS), making the series ideal forcommunication equipment, data transfer and test and measurementequipment applications, where reduced current and heat generationare required.

From www.chinatopsupplier.com

Monsoon rains in the Indian state of Kerala often bring increasedrisk of landslides. What can be done to warn nearby communitiesthat a landslide is imminent

One answer is to use a wireless sensor network to monitorgeological conditions. Wireless sensors are becoming popularbecause the sensor nodes are small, simple and cheap and require nocabling to connect them together and to the control centre. Theycan be used for numerous purposes and are well suited toenvironmental monitoring.

There are downsides, though. Sensors and communication links canfail, and the nodes rely on battery power. Large networks canbecome congested with many sensors reporting at the same time tothe same control centre.

However, what matters is not so much the reliability of theindividual sensors but the reliability of the network as a whole.Does this system reliably monitor air pollution in the city centreDoes that system reliability measure weather conditions on themotorway bridge

Biological analogy

From www.chinatopsupplier.com

SUNNYVALE, USA: It has been a month now since Apple released itsmuch hyped and anticipated

3G iPhone. Demand is still strong for the new iPhone as there are stilllines outside of Apple stores to buy the precious idle.

Teardowns of the iPhone started the day it came out, withrevelations of who the key

semiconductor suppliers were.  As is typical, the Xtal and oscillator contentwas overlooked in these teardowns, and CS&A is here to remedythat.

Fig. 1 shows the main board of the Apple iPhone with the Xtal andoscillator content identified.

Fig. 1

There are five xtal and oscillator components: (2) 32kHz Xtals, (1)MHz Xtal, and (2) TCXOs.  A quick calculation of market pricingshows close to $3 worth of Xtal and oscillator content.There aretwo TCXOs in the iPhone.  One TCXO is a cellular reference at26MHz, and drives the Infineon RF transceiver.

While in a GSM handset, a high-stability MHz Xtal is used as the RFreference,

W-CDMA

From www.chinatopsupplier.com

FORT MYERS, Fla., July 25, 2008 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ ----FoxElectronics, a leading global supplier of frequency controlsolutions, has authorized Euroquartz, Somerset, UK, to offer thefull range of Fox's patented XpressO configurable oscillators tothe European markets. The deal provides an established and highlyreliable second source for these unique oscillators throughoutEurope.

Introduced in the United States in January of 2007, the costeffective XpressO oscillators have rapidly become the frequencycontrol device of choice for those requiring high performanceoscillators with custom frequencies of 0.75 MHz to 1350 MHz,stabilities as tight as +/- 20 ppm and jitter and phase noisecharacteristics comparable to or better than fixed frequencyoscillators. Versions of the XpressO oscillators include HCMOS,LVDS and LVPECL for both XO and VCXO in 7.0 mm x 5.0 mm and 5.0 mmx 3.2 mm ceramic packages. All versions are available in 3.3 V or2.5 V.

From www.chinatopsupplier.com

Pound May Extend Decline to $1.8300 in Two Weeks, Forecast Says

By Ron Harui

Aug. 25 (Bloomberg) -- The British pound may extend its decline to$1.8300 in the next two weeks after the currency closed on Aug. 22below so-called support at $1.8620, said Pak Lai Ng, a technical analyst at Forecast Pte Ltd. in Singapore.

Support at $1.8620 was a 61.8 percent retracement of the pound'srise from the November 2005 low of $1.7049 to the November 2007high of $2.1161, based on a series of numbers known as the Fibonacci sequence. Support is where buy orders may be clustered.

The pound is extending the big move down from November,'' Ngsaid. ``The move looks pretty impulsive.''

The pound fell to $1.8438 at 1:30 p.m. in Tokyo from $1.8527 in NewYork on Aug. 22. It reached $1.8413, the lowest since July 26,2006. The currency has dropped 13 percent since touching a 261/2-year high of $2.1161 on Nov. 9.

The $1.8300 level is a 38.2 percent Fibonacci retracement of thecurrency's advance from the June 2001 low of $1.3682 to theNovember 2007 high, according to Ng.

Momentum indicators such as the stochastic oscillator chart signalthe pound may continue to weaken even as they show the currency is``a bit oversold,'' Ng said. ``It could stay oversold for a longtime.''

From www.chinatopsupplier.com

The oscillators feature 2.5V operation and require up to 50% lesscurrent than traditional 3.3V models, resulting in less current andheat generation.

In addition, the oscillator series feature significantly low levelsof jitter and phase noise by employing noise reducing DSM technology and low noise architecture.

The LVPECL and LVDS oscillators feature application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) for accurate performance, decreased cost and increasedflexibility.

Designed to benefit engineers and purchasing personnel alike, thesehigh-quality, low-cost oscillators offer short lead times and areguaranteed to be shipped within 24 hours for samples and within 10days maximum for production quantities.

The LVPECL and LVDS oscillators offer a frequency range of 0.75MHzto 1.0GHz and stabilities as tight as +/-20ppm and operate attemperatures of -20 to +70C or +/-25ppm for -40 to +85C.

The RoHS-compliant series is constructed of gold over nickeltermination finish and features industry-standard packagingincluding footprint and pinout.

In addition, the series offers Fox's patented serial identificationsystem with comprehensive traceability to ensure quality control

From www.chinatopsupplier.com

According to the company, the RoHS-compliant series has a neat goldover nickel termination finish and is packed with footprint andpin-out. In addition, the series offers Fox's patented serialidentification system with comprehensive traceability to ensurequality control by tracing any product back to its originalmanufacturing lot.

From www.chinatopsupplier.com

Growing World Consumption of Electronic Goods Will Continue to Benefit Crystal Oscillator Manufacturers, New Visant StrategiesStudy Finds

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The markets for crystals and crystal oscillators will more thandouble during the next five years due to the increasing demandworldwide for high-end consumer electronic goods and wirelessdevices, according to a new study from Visant Strategies.

Revenues for crystals will grow from $3.1 billion in 2008 to $4.3billion in 2013 while the world market for crystal oscillators willalmost double during the same timeframe, according to the report.

From www.chinatopsupplier.com

Fabric Stock On this page two days ago, Femi Falana examined the legal issuesthrown up by the recent demotion of some police officers by thePolice Service Commission. He submitted, as a lawyer, that theexercise constituted an illegality which should not be permittedby an administration that claims to operate under the rule oflaw. Well, it is left for Falana’s learned friends who may thinkotherwise to join issues with him on point of law.

    The rest of us who are lay men in matters of law should be more  interested in the moral implications of   the   demotion of thesepolice officers including the former Chairman of Economic andFinancial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu. In anycase, there should be an   organic link between the legal systemand the moral and ethical foundations of a society for anymeaningful discussion of how   the people are governed.

    To be sure, the YaAdua administration should not delude itselfthat it is lost on the popular imagination that   the wholeexercise of reviewing recent promotions in the police is acamouflage to deal with the Ribadu Question ultimately.  The editorof this newspaper, Simon Kolawole, has consistently made this pointin the most brilliant manner on this page.  It is just that as itis now well known   that the government of President George Bush inAmerica resolved from Day One that Iraq would be invaded and SaddamHussein would be removed from the Gulf equation, thisadministration knew all along that there would be an answer to theRibadu Question one day and somehow. Forget the pretext that it isa routine matter for   the Police Service Commission. In order notto give the impression that it is an   isolated matter of demotingand humiliating Ribadu, the authorities have gone to the absurdextent   of even insulting the memory of a dead officer, HazIwendi, who died in active service as Commissioner of Police. Onlythe authorities can explain the point they are trying to make byannouncing the post-humous demotion of Iwendi in an utter disregardto the sensibilities of his grieving family. It is even moreunpardonable that, like Falana argued, the same authorities did notestablish any act wrongdoing   on the part of the officer who diedin active service,   as they say. Here was a man whose remains wereburied with the full of honours of a Commissioner of Police and theInspector-General of Police was duly represented at his funeral.But that is how reckless things can go when you want to settle theRibadu Question definitively.  Those who want to rationalise thisofficial absurdity pretend that skipping of ranks is alien to anyof the services in the Nigerian military and law enforcementsystem. People now talk as if the officers in question were thefirst to be rewarded with rapid promotions either in the policeor the armed forces.

    The fundamental issues, however, transcend the legal technicalitiesof demotions in the police or the careers of the affected officersincluding Ribadu. The issues centre on the moral of the exercise,which was prompted by the act of officialdom in desperation tohumiliate Ribadu. That is what should bother us more.  It shouldbother President YarAdua in particular.  The reason is simple.Today there is widespread lamentation in the land about thecollapse in the power sector. There is outrage about the collapseof public schools.  There is anguish about collapse of roads andother elements of infrastructure. There is indeed despair about the  collapse in other departments of   our national life includingthe central   question of human development. That is doubtless badnews. The good news, however, is that  with an administration thatis focussed on action bridges, roads, schools, electricity andhospitals can be fixed in matters of a few years. That is more soif the administration is blessed with   so much easy earnings frompetrodollars as has been the case since the days of formerPresident Olusegun Obasanjo. The trouble, however, is that longafter you must have fixed the material damage it may take a nationseveral more years to tackle the calamity of moral collapse. Thedamage done in the subjective sphere is by far more difficult torepair than the objective ones.

    Intriguingly, the only thing President Umaru YarAdua has saidabout the lingering Ribadu Question is that issues should not bepersonalised; the focus should be about building institutions andthat no one is indispensable. The President is damn right that nomortal is indispensable. Like any other mortal, any Nigerianentrusted with a responsibility can sleep tonight and wake no more.But the issue is not the indispensability of any individual. Whatwe should stress is that Nigeria would be a better country if 50%of chief executives of public and private institutions display thesort of passion, commitment and honesty of purpose that Ribadudisplayed as the man in charge of EFCC.  If Nigeria had beenblessed with a chief electoral officer like Ribadu, we would nothave as many bizarre cases before the electoral tribunals as wehave today.  The cries for electoral reforms would be lessstrident. You could fault Ribadu in terms of methods, but warts andall you could not question his integrity and commitment to thenational assignment he was saddled with. Even those who accused himof being selective by moving against enemies of Obasanjo could notdeclare   those he moved against   innocent. The cases are stillpending in the courts.  So, at best he was only guilty of notmoving against all those he should have moved against. Like anyother human being, Ribadu made his own mistakes and they’re plentyof them.  There are, of course, ways to improve on the performanceof EFCC as Azubuike Ishiekwene enunciated in his important TheTrial of Nuhu Ribadu. But it is difficult to dispute that Ribaduredefined the anti-corruption campaign to the wide acclaim ofNigerians and the larger world. That is why those seek to humiliatesuch a gentleman are actually inflicting a   moral damage on thepsyche of the   society while relishing that they   are on arevenge mission against Ribadu. It is a symptom of a moral crisisfor a society to reward Ribadu for his patriotism and commitmentwith   the sort denigration and harassment being visited on him. Bythis act, the Yar’Adua administration is unwittingly   givingcredence to the legendary cynicism of Nigerians that their countryis not worth dying for. Tragically, that would be an official stampto a perversion of a genuine national orientation.  By brutalisingand persecuting Ribadu, the officialdom is only   saying Nigeria isincapable of producing an authentic hero. They are saying to theyoung ones that the Nigerian moral desert is actually depleted ofreal role models in public life. They are telling the nation thatthe display of extraordinary courage and commitment is a crimepunishable by persecution and humiliation, if not imprisonment orcapital punishment. This is a recipe for a monumental moral crisis.What moral lesson is this administration teaching by humiliating ananti-corruption campaigner who submitted a bribe of millions ofdollars offered him to the treasury while the alleged bribe giveris today a power broker influencing appointments What message isthis administration sending to the system by giving the room for aconvicted fraudster to move against Ribadu to recover hisproperty

    In many respects, the anti-corruption campaign is essentially amoral one. It is not just legal matter.  But how can that campaignbe enhanced when the man who redefined the campaign by his courageand commitment is now hounded helplessly like a criminal whilethose who have questions to answer about what they did withpeople’s resources are strutting  the corridors of power andpeddling influence Behold, Nigeria is bedevilled not just withinfrastructural collapse but more enduringly it is at the verge of  moral decay. A lesson from the crisis of human civilizations isthat nations rise or fall not just on the basis of physicaldevelopment, but also more fundamentally on the decline of moralvalues. The forces that shape history are not just material, thereare also moral forces underlining and defining the movement ofhistory. Physical development cannot be in  a moral vacuum. Anation cannot be said to be holistically developing when itblatantly displays a lack of sense of distinguishing between rightand wrong; when there is no line drawn between   decency   andindecency in public life. It is certainly not a index of   moraldevelopment to punish and humiliate an officer who has lifted thenational spirit by showing us the possibilities of moral progressby the way he handled his assignment. It is part of this moralcrisis that those who persecute Ribadu cannot come into the open totell the nation exactly   the  crimes of this police officer.

    To be fair, it is remarkable, that the Nigerian state has hardlyever lost sight of the moral dimension of governance. Even in thecourse of the anti-colonial struggle, the Great Zik of Africa, Dr.Nnamdi Azikiwe, listed moral rearmament among the principles ofthe struggle. General Murtala Mohammed came up with hiscontroversial purge of the civil service of those accused ofcorruption. President Shehu Shagari talked about some ethicalrevolution. General Muhammadu Buhari along with his able deputy,General Tunde   Idiagbon, waged the War Against Indiscipline (WAI).General Ibrahim Babangida, who succeeded Buhari, saw the need tomobilise the creative energies of the people with the establishmentof MAMSER and he put in charge the great mobiliser, Professor JerryGana to spearhead moral re-orientation. It is now hardly rememberedthat even General Sani Abacha, of the looting fame, constituted aplethora of panels to sanitise public institutions including theNNPC. Even those who would never see anything good in theadministration of Obasanjo acknowledged that the EFCC, which heestablished, held the promise to fight corruption. So, virtuallyevery Nigerian administration had its own moral agenda.

    The pertinent question now is that what exactly is the moralarchitecture of the YarAdua administration  The question isurgent for an administration that is perceived to be punishing andpersecuting Ribadu for giving verve to anti-corruption campaign ofhis predecessor. The question is imperative because those who havequestions to answer in court for how they managed people’sresources are the people gloating about Ribadu’s persecution andpeddling influence. They boast that they   are the ones now incharge. Only a nation without values can permit this absurd stateof affairs. Nigeria is too important, as the largest concentrationof the black people, to lack abysmally a moral compass. TheYarAdua administration should stop predending to be oblivious ofthis absurdity. The handling of the Ribadu Question is makingNigeria a laughing stock before the world

    Except we permit a relapse into primitivism, no nation can be  governed in a moral vacuum. That is why YarAdua must earnestlydeal with the moral crisis that the handling of the Ribadu questionportends with a sense of historic mission. If the nation can affordto wait for the YarAdua plan for physical development endlessly,it cannot afford the disturbing sending of signals of a moralcollapse for a moment. The moral damage of such signals will bemore enduring that the neglect of physical development because ofthe negative lessons it teaches the society. Nigeria should not beportrayed as a nation without authentic heroes and a societyutterly lacking in a   moral fabric. This nation must stand up forsome values.

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Fabric Stock By Mary Catherine O'Connor

    Aug. 13, 2008The RFID Lab at Italy's University of Parma> has been attracting an hautecouture crowd. In fact, a representative from Dolce & Gabbana hasjoined the lab's board of advisorsalong with representatives from12 other Italian clothing and accessory manufactures and retailers,who have convened with the lab to learn more about RFID technology and how it can be used to streamline their supply chainprocesses and improve efficiencies. Roberto Montanari, a professorof industrial plants at the university, will address the thirdannual RFID in Fashion conference in New York on Thursday, to discuss two projects thatthe lab has been conducting.

    While the projects are focused on specific business processes, thelab and its fashion board members have seven overall goals, saysMontanari. These goals are to measure the impacts of item-level tagging on retail business processes; determine the mostappropriate tag construction for specific needs; gauge the impact of item-leveltagging on the perceptions and purchasing behavior of consumers whoare the fashion companies' customers; test the performance of thetags; determine the usefulness of RFID as a tool to deter the saleof counterfeit garments to the public; assess the environmentalimpacts of large-scale tagging; and determine whether RFID can bedeployed to effectively reduce shoplifting.

    "The retail board of advisory is made of end users who participatein the projects of the lab and provide matching research funds,"says Montanari. Its members work closely with the lab's staff ofprofessors, Ph.D. candidates and undergrad students who are focusedon the use of RFID throughout the supply chain. Though many of thecompanies represented on the board compete with each other in themarketplace, they see the lab as a way to share the work andrewards of conducting RFID research.

    "I think this is a powerful tool for the fashion industry," saysMontanari. "The benefits that the members hope to gain by usingRFID are strategic, reducing out-of-stocks and fighting counterfeitproducts, for example; operational, things like automatinginventory, automating item counting for receive/shipping; andstore-level benefits, such as improved stock replenishment, bettercustomer service, better product availability, less shoplifting."

    One of the lab's recent pilots involved Coccinelle, a maker of high-end handbags and other accessories. The pilotconsisted of two separate tests: a technology test and afeasibility study, says Montanari.

    The technology test used UPM Raflatac's Dog-bone EPC Gen 2 tags to automate the receipt of a small shipment of tagged bagsand shoes as they pass through a read zone on a conveyor belt moving at two different speeds0.192meters per second, which is the speed at which products arecommonly received at the Coccinelle distribution centers, and 0.086meters per second. Impinj RFID reader was mounted over the conveyor with four linked antennas.

    The results were positive, with 100 percent read rates for most ofthe shipments at the slower speed, with the exception of thelargest shipment of shoes18 pairsand one large box of 53 purses,which saw read rates of 99.6 percent and 94.7 percent, respectively. For thetests with the conveyor at 0.192 meters per second, the purses werepacked differently and able to achieve 100 percent reads. Thefootwear shipments were reduced to a maximum of 12 pairs to achievefull readability.

    For the feasibility study, Coccinelle partnered with the lab toestimate the infrastructure investment, operating expenses and costof consumables (tags) to put forth a company-wide tagging project,wherein goods are tagged at the point of manufacturing. It thencompared this with the labor efficiency and other expected benefitsof using the technology. The study predicted that Coccinelle wouldsee a 9 percent return on its investment ROI in less than fouryears, with an internal rate of return of more than 12 percent inthe same time period. But this projection was just for thedistribution centers, says Montanari. It did not factor in theexpected business process improvements the company would see at thestore level and along its supply chain, he says.

    Coccinelle is currently studying the results of the two tests anddetermining its next steps, says Montanari.

    Another of RFID Lab's pilot programs involves Ley Tricot, a contract clothing manufacturer whose clients include Calvin Klein and Trussardi. The lab worked with the company to test whether it could embedRFID tags into clothing labelsrather than merely attaching them tohangtagsin order to better track the items through production andthrough its shipping process. The lab attached a UPM Raflatac EPCGen 2 tag called The Web to a label that was then sewn ontoknitwear and put through industrial laundering and ironingprocesses.

    The laundry processes included submersion in detergent and fabricsoftener and exposure to temperatures of up to 60 degrees Celsiusfor up to two hours. The ironing process exposed tags to 98 degreeCelsius heat for up to 30 seconds at a time.

    These tests showed that the tags could still function after goingthrough the manufacturing process. The next part of the Ley Tricotpilot test involved reading the tags in order to pick orders andship them. (The clothing manufacturer currently uses bar-codedlabels for this process.)

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Fabric Stock Some fashions are like zombies: they just refuse to die. In allgood horror films, the zombie will be shot down, battered over thehead, and buried six feet under. Then it rises from the dead, readyto make you the next victim.

    The cover of the new issue of Vogue features something back fromthe grave. No, not a zombie, but a model in a flesh-coloured dressmade of lace. Lace The ultimate in fuddy-duddy, "wouldn't be seendead in", fabric. And it's not the only "never again" style that'sback on the catwalks and in the shops as the new season's stockarrives.

    Leather trousers are all the rage after years in the fashionwilderness, and bootcuts are back – to the delight of womenfor whom skinny jeans were impossible.

    Some "new" trends for autumn/winter 2008 have barely been away– leggings have been poking out under dresses for about twoyears now – and some were never that fashionable in the firstplace. Pashminas were a Sloane Ranger staple long before and aftertheir moment in the fashion limelight.

    Is this just fashion's circle turning Or is the global creditcrunch allowing us to dig out style from the back of the wardrobe

    For those old enough to remember leather and lace from last timearound (or the time before that), it's time to welcome them back.

    Pashminas

    Rarely will you see a Sloane Ranger (or a political wife) withouther 'poshmina'. This, despite 'Vogue' saying in 1999 that they wereover. 'A pashmina is not fashionable,' agrees Stefan Lindemann of'Grazia'. 'It's a staple. But a Sloane pashmina has fringes. Acashmere wrap does not. And keep the colours neutral.' Cameron Diazgets it right.

    Lace

    It was favoured as edging on Laura Ashley-style flowery dresses inthe Eighties, and was kicked out of the way by power dressing; wasreinvented by Madonna; refused to be pigeon-holed as wedding-dressmaterial/goth staple/granny favourite. Lace. It's resilient. It'sback (again). It will not disappear, says Jo Ellison, featureseditor at 'Vogue', so get used to it. 'Lace will never die becauseits uses are so multifarious,' she says. 'It's an incrediblyversatile fabric. It can look punky, powerful, profane or poetic,depending on how you wear it.' Wear it we will, because designerpowerhouse Miuccia Prada has decreed it the fabric of the moment,as worn by Tilda Swinton.

    Leggings

    Looking back at '80s photographs of Princess Diana, it's easy tolaugh. But Emma Jones of Missoni – which has reintroducedleggings for this season – says: 'They've become a staple.Because leggings cut off at the ankle, the thinnest part, that'svery flattering for the leg.' The actress Lindsay Lohan has her ownleggings line.

    Fringe

    Kate Moss's fringe was a short-lived trend. Now that models AgynessDeyn and Petra Nemcova both have newly cut ones, it's time to askwhy. Nicola Clarke at John Frieda says: 'Find a good hairdresserwho will suggest a suitable fringe that will complement your faceshape.' In other words, don't ask them to copy a picture of asupermodel.

    Leather

    Apparently, Blake Lively, hottest US actress of the moment, will bewearing leather trousers in the next series of 'Gossip Girl', whichmeans all sorts of women will be wearing them soon too. Designershave always liked leather, says Sarah Harris, fashion featureswriter at 'Vogue', though they 'definitely went through a bad patchin the Eighties and early Nineties; they were hard, crunchy andterribly uncomfortable, but Chanel and Versace adored them becausethey empowered.' Favoured by Cilla Black, above, for 2008, they'veevolved, as seen on the Alexander Wang catwalk. 'Think liquoricelegs,' says Harris. 'They have to be spray-on tight and you have tobe reed thin'.

    Interesting Click here to explore further

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Fabric Stock The tech-stock crash at the start of the decade left many investorswith badly burned fingers. After years of soaring valuations andrampant expansion, tech stocks peaked in 2000 and began to fall.Then, to make matters worse, IT budgets were slashed heading intothe 2001 recession. Stock prices  even those of the morerespectable technology firms  collapsed across the sector.

    The next few years saw a recovery, but the bad times are back. Nowthat the global economy is slowing again, Aim-listed IT stocks havebeen hammered  sold off by fund managers who fear IT budgetswill be slashed, just as in 2001. But what the market is ignoringis the extent to which technology has become a part of the fabricof the economy over the last ten years. A recent YouGov survey of15 million broadband users in Britain found that only one in tenpeople would consider giving up their connection to economiseduring the downturn. Nearly a third said they’d give upcigarettes and alcohol before they cancelled their broadbandconnection.

    Private equity and the big technology groups have recognised this and they’ve been quick to take advantage of cheap prices inthe sector to snap up small IT companies with strong balancesheets. There were 440 takeover deals in the sector over the pastyear, according to data provider Capital IQ, accounting for about14% of all merger and acquisition activity. That consolidation willcontinue. Spending on IT should also hold up well. In fact, GoldmanSachs expects that IT spending will rise by 5% this year. Sure,it’s hardly the stuff of the tech boom  but when you considerthat most sectors will see spending cuts over the next few years,any growth is impressive.

    So who is doing all that spending Well, just about anyone whowants to cuts costs or streamline their businesses ahead of therecession, says Paul Hill in his

Precision Guided Investments

 newsletter. A car manufacturer, for example, could outsource thehandling of customer orders to a software firm. In fact, accordingto Edison Investment Research, global revenues from outsourcingsoftware services are set to grow to $11.5bn by 2011, from $5.1bntoday.

    But it’s IT spending in defensive sectors  healthcare andutilities, for example  that will be most insulated from marketturmoil, says Malar Velaigam in Investors Chronicle. According toresearch group Computer Economics, IT budgets for utilities and theenergy sector are expected to grow by 8% this year, with healthcareexpected to see a 3% jump in IT spending. This makes sense. Afterall, a company such as Customvis, which makes the only solid-state laser surgical device for thecorrection of eyesight, is not about to be taken off the operatingtable, recession or no. And in the energy sector, ViaLogy, whose signal-processing technology helps determine the size ofdeposits left behind in abandoned oil wells, isn’t about to loseits market.

(Article continues below)

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Fabric Stock Complaints about Australasia's largest catalogue retailer, EziBuy,using misleading labelling and advertising have had continuingconsequences on both sides of the Tasman.

    Despite a settlement 12 months ago with the Commerce Commission inNew Zealand over wrongly labelled "mohair" throws, the retailerallegedly went on to sell cashmere pashmina shawls which wereactually cotton polyester.

    Ezibuy initially ran into problems when it advertised and sold anacrylic/mohair throw as a "mohair throw" with "pure mohair pile"for 12 months from October 2005.

    In September 2006 the label was altered to say "mohair pile woveninto a wool acrylic nylon base" but the outer packaging stilldescribed the product as a mohair throw.

    Over 11,000 were sold in New Zealand up to December 2006, buttesting showed it was 40 percent acrylic, 20 percent nylon, 30percent mohair and 10 percent wool.

    Ezibuy promised the commission that all future stock would beaccurately labelled and packaged, but later was charged afterallegedly selling the pashmina shawls as cashmere rather than acotton mix.

    It is expected to appear in Auckland District Court on September 3on charges of breaching the Fair Trading Act.

    Founded by brothers Peter and Gerard Gillespie in 1978, EziBuy hassales of about $150 million and employs about 650 people to sellclothing and home wares throughout New Zealand and Australia viathe internet, and mail catalogues.

    EziBuy also has 10 stores in New Zealand.

    Its contact centre, distribution centre and administration are runout of Palmerston North and its merchandising, marketing, financecorporate services and supply chain operations from Auckland.

    In Australia, EziBuy has just cut a deal with the commission'slocal counterpart, the Australian Competition and ConsumerCommission (ACCC) and offered refunds to Australian purchasers ofboth its mohair throws and pashmina shawls after acknowledging itsfabric labelling and advertising may have been misleading anddeceptive.

    The ACCC said in a statement released today that it accepted anundertaking from EziBuy over labelling and advertising of theitems.

    The ACCC said that it had accepted a court-enforceable undertakingfrom EziBuy that:

    * all future advertising will accurately describe the composition,quality or standard of the product range;

    * corrective advertising will be published in two catalogues, andcorrective advertising placed on its Australian website;

    * it has re-labelled all current stock and new season stock of thethrows;

    * offer refunds to misled customers;

    * will run a trade practices compliance programme for two years.

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Fabric Stock • Breaking news and award winning multimedia

•New York Times newspaper articles

•Arts & Dining reviews

•Online Classifieds

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Fabric Stock BEATING THE DOWNTURN:

 Better infrastructure and disposal of State firms can bring socialand economic benefits, writes

PHILIP LYNCH

    THE CURRENT economic difficulties are very real and serious and arenow impacting on the "real economy".

    Global issues - the credit crunch, spiralling energy costs, foodinflation - have all seemingly conspired in a manner thatconstricts our ability to deal with our own domestic issues, butthen this is the price of a being part of a truly global economy.

    In the midst of increasingly constant negativity, we must remainfocused on all the positives Ireland Inc has going for it in thisglobal economy. We must remain focused on where we have come from,what it took to get us to where we are and what we must do now toposition ourselves into the future.

    Ireland is a vastly different place today from its historicalcounterpart and is well equipped to deal with the issues that itfaces. These issues require both short-term and long-termsolutions.

    The role of Government is central to how the current situation isdealt with.

    Only the Government can put in place the structures, give thedirection and, most importantly of all, give the leadership nowurgently needed.

    Confronting and dealing with the issues that our relatively small,open economy faces is central to how Ireland functions in thedecades ahead.

    There are a number of initiatives that I believe could, ifintroduced, have a fundamental influence over how effectively wedeal with the problems that we face:

    1. National critical infrastructure, including relevant surplushousing stock, should be purchased at a discount by the NationalPension Reserve Board.

    Such a move would fundamentally increase the supply of social andaffordable housing at an appropriate time.

    This would have the added benefit of reducing the oversupply ofhousing. While it could be criticised as a back-door recapitalisingfor the banks, I would argue that the social benefits and savingsto the exchequer should be the primary focus.

    Furthermore, the National Pensions Fund should increase itsallocation to infrastructural projects that are not centrallyfunded via the NDP or Transport 21. In addition, key projects thatare central to Ireland's growth in the years ahead should beundertaken, including:

    • a rail link to Dublin airport, Metro North and Metro West;

    • increased power generation using wind, solar and water;

    • health facilities for an ageing population.

    2. The Government should initiate the process of withdrawing fromdirect involvement in businesses that no longer fit with Stateownership and as a result free up funding for infrastructure thatis fundamental to our long-term competitiveness.This should be doneat the same time as critical infrastructure projects are beingdeveloped.

    This would involve the orderly disposal to private-sectorinterests, both Irish and non-Irish, of the Dublin AirportAuthority; Bord Gáis Éireann; Bord na Móna; the ESB;Irish Rail, Dublin Bus and Coillte.

    There is no longer any need for the Government to be directlyinvolved in these businesses. Indeed, much comment has been made onthe need for reform within the public sector. I believe that thiswould be a fundamental move in the direction of such reform.

    For example, Coillte should be sold back to the farmers of Irelandas part of a new drive to restart our ailing agriculture and foodsectors.

    The orderly privatisation of these businesses - all of them withconsiderable growth potential - would raise substantial funding forother public-sector projects that are in need of furtherexpenditure, eg healthcare, education, research and development.

    3.The time has come for those that are described as tax exiles tobe encouraged back to Ireland.

    There are several highly successful Irish individuals who do notreside in Ireland. These are individuals who have become globalplayers in various businesses and have succeeded at the highestlevels.

    These are individuals who have enormous energy, ability, contactsand vision.

    At a time when Ireland needs to refocus on its creativity and addvalue, the Government should encourage these key individuals toreturn to Ireland with an innovative set of proposals including arequest that they pay a defined contribution to the RevenueCommissioners and further increase their level of investment inIreland in sectors of their expertise.

    4. Taoiseach Brian Cowen should immediately appoint a nationaleconomic taskforce to address the issues of greatest and mosturgent economic importance made up of:

    • some of Ireland's most successful entrepreneurs;

    • Cabinet Ministers in economic portfolios;

    • a select number of senior and retired civil servants.

    I would also recommend that Charlie McCreevy be asked to stand downas EU commissioner and return to become the chairman of theproposed economic task force.

    In addition, I would suggest that both Ray MacSharry and Alan Dukesbe appointed to this proposed taskforce.

    I would envisage that the task force would make a series ofimmediate recommendations within a four-week period and a series oflonger-term recommendations over the next six months.

    The support of Fine Gael, Labour and Opposition parties should beenlisted for what would be a Tallaght Strategy 2.

    The notion that always and ultimately "the market will or shoulddecide" is flawed.

    We have seen how selfish market forces are driving up the price ofoil and driving down the stock markets. It is the role ofGovernment to give direction and leadership. We are all well usedto, and generally welcome, political initiatives that are designedfor the greater good.

    Let us be clear that many of our problems are deep-rooted, whilecertain recent spikes - food prices, energy prices and interestrates - have accelerated the need for reform and remedial action.

    In recent months, the price of oil has soared to levels that indecades past would have prompted predictions of global meltdown.

    But what is Ireland doing about reducing its dependence on oil Weneed an aggressive strategy, supported by incentives, to rapidlygear up on green energy production. We have the wind and the waterto become increasingly self-sufficient in energy.

    The technologies exist to allow all buildings - industrial anddomestic - to be built and operated using optimum green energy.Ireland could dramatically reduce its dependence on oil.

    A major issue for families is the constant increase in food prices,foods that are largely imported.

    Ireland has some of the finest land in Europe and yet every yearless and less food is produced by Irish farmers. Why Because thereare more incentives for Irish farmers not to farm.

    Farming in Ireland needs to be radically overhauled to put ourenormous land resource back to work.

    In addition, our land should be more effectively worked to becomepart of a national plan to generate more green energy.

    The financial and social benefits of such an initiative would bevery significant and they would also help to maintain a veryimportant element of Ireland's social fabric.

    Finally, while we must maintain our competitiveness, it isimportant that families on low incomes do not suffer from a payfreeze for all.

    Many people derived little or no benefit from the buoyant economicperiod. The larger pay sacrifices should be made by those whobenefited most in the recent past.

    Any economic downturn can have widespread financial consequences,but it is when the social dynamic for families and individuals isinterfered with that it can have the greatest consequences, forexample, the loss of a job or the inability to provide forchildren.

    For this reason, economic initiatives must not lose sight of thesocial and community implications for our fellow citizens.

    • Philip Lynch is chief executive of One51, the investmentand advisory group with interests in environmental services,renewable energy, food and property.

    Tomorrow: Denis O'Brien of Digicel, Communicorp Group andIndependent News Media

    © 2008 The Irish Times

    This article appears in the print edition of the Irish Times

http://www.appareltextile-china.com/

Fabric Stock CVS Caremark Corp. of Rhode Island, the nation's largest drugstorechain based on sales, yesterday announced an agreement to acquireCalifornia-based Longs, which has 521 stores in four states,including 39 in Hawai'i, for $2.9 billion.

    The deal, if completed as expected in the fourth quarter, will giveCVS an instant lead in Hawai'i where close rival Walgreens lastyear opened the first of 30 to 40 planned stores aimed at goinghead-to-head with the much-smaller Longs.

    But while Longs is being absorbed by a company known for acquiringother chains and making them CVS stores, CVS said it will maintainthe Longs name in Hawai'i.

    "We will leave the Hawai'i (stores) as Longs," Tom Ryan, CVSchairman, president and CEO, said in a conference call with stockanalysts. "In fact, the Hawaiians feel that Longs is kind of aHawai'i homegrown chain and maybe is domiciled there."

    Wendy Ramos, a housewife from Kalihi, said she's glad that CVSwon't end the long history of Longs in Hawai'i.

    "That's smart thinking," she said. "It's a name we all know. Longsis Longs."

    Many kama'aina mistakenly believe that Longs, started in 1938 bybrothers Joe and Tom Long in Oakland, Calif., originated inHawai'i. But even those who know of the company's Mainland originsoften regard Longs as part of the fabric of Hawai'i a familiarplace to buy everything from rubber slippers to crack seed to sweetbread.

    "I think Longs is synonymous with Hawai'i," said Rolland Harvest,assistant chief with the Honolulu Fire Department.

    Harvest, who said Longs stores on the Mainland feel different thanthey do in Hawai'i, said the kama'aina essence of Longs comeslargely from local employees and their history with the company.

    Ryan said Longs will continue to be managed locally.

    "Hawai'i is a completely different market," he said. "We're notgoing in and cookie-cuttering it, so to speak."

stronger presence

    Ryan said the company plans to convert the roughly 450 Longs storesin California to the CVS name along with a handful of stores inNevada and Arizona.

    CVS said it is acquiring Longs in large part to give it animmediate presence in 10 major markets where CVS doesn't havestores, including Hawai'i, Northern California and CentralCalifornia.

    "Longs' store network in these regions is excellent and is one thatwould take a decade or more for us to replicate through (buildingstores)," Ryan said in a statement.

    CVS, established in 1963 as a single store selling health andbeauty products in Lowell, Mass., has grown rapidly in the past twodecades primarily by acquiring large chains. Since 1990, CVS hasacquired roughly 5,000 of the 6,300 stores it has today.

    Last year CVS also merged with prescription benefits managementfirm Caremark Rx Inc. to become a broader pharmacy servicesprovider with combined annual revenue of $80 billion.

    CVS said it will integrate its pharmacy services with Longssubsidiary Rx America, which offers prescription benefitsmanagement services to about 8 million members and prescriptiondrug plan benefits to about 450,000 Medicare beneficiaries.

    The acquisition is expected to result in savings of about $100million next year and $140 million to $150 million in 2010 throughpurchasing efficiencies and reduced expenses, CVS said. The companydoesn't plan to close any Hawai'i stores.

    Warren F. Bryant, chairman, president and CEO of Longs, in astatement said selling the publicly traded company to CVS wouldbenefit shareholders financially and help stores thrive in thefuture.

    "Given the changing industry landscape, we believe this combinationis the logical next step for Longs," he said. "We believe this willpresent excellent opportunities for our employees and ensure thatour customers continue to receive excellent pharmacy care andhigh-quality products."

walgreens rivalry

    Walgreens, which has roughly as many stores as CVS, opened itsfirst Hawai'i store last November on Ke'eaumoku Street, and expectsto open two more stores in Kane'ohe and Kailua in late November orearly December, followed by two more stores in Kalihi and Lahaina,Maui, early next year.

    Longs plans to open at least two new stores one in Upcountry Mauiand one in Pearl City at retail centers under construction.

    CVS is acquiring Longs for $71.50 per share in cash plus theassumption of debt. The stock purchase price represented a 32percent premium over Longs shares that closed yesterday at $54.04before the purchase agreement was announced. In after-hourstrading, Longs stock traded as high as $70.20 suggesting investorsanticipate the sale will be completed.

    CVS shares fell 49 cents, or 1.27 percent, to $38.05 yesterdaybefore the Longs announcement.

    The transaction is subject to at least two-thirds of theoutstanding Longs shares being tendered, as well as federalantitrust review and other customary closing conditions.

    Reach Andrew Gomes at

agomes@honoluluadvertiser.com

http://www.appareltextile-china.com/

apple onion chutney At Small Plates, if you don ’ t like one tapa, you ’ llsurely like the next.

    We loved “two killer B’s on a bun” - twomini-burgers on homemade herbed buns, accompanied by jicama andfennel slaw ($8). Larger than sliders - three bites, instead of one- the burger selection changes daily. Ours were topped withcaramelized onions and blue cheese and were excellent with Dijonmustard and homemade chunky ketchup.

    An enthusiastic thumbs-up for Jamaican jerk chicken ($9), rubbed inallspice. The pleasantly peppery chicken comes with a colorfulsalsa of papaya, red bell pepper and onion, one of severalvibrantly hued relishes that appear on many plates.

    You almost need sunglasses to view the Day-Glo yellow, applesaffron chutney served with the beef satay ($8). Deep purpledroplets of lingonberry coulis and vividly orange roasted babycarrots decorate sassily seasoned Cajun braised rabbit ($10).

    A thin, emerald-green, herby crepe rolled around lemonthyme-scented ricotta ($9) is lovely with a side of sauteedbroccolini. Sesame and soy soba noodles ($10) topped with a trio ofcrunchy, coconut-crusted shrimp is equally good.

    Beef satay, soaked in coconut milk and curry spices, is as good asyou’d find in Bangkok. It’s great dunked into piquantpeanut sauce.

    One of the few non-tapas offerings, an entree paella for two ($24),is generous enough for three. It’s a bowl of saffron ricestudded with chicken, garlicky andouille sausage, mussels andsnails. It couldn’t be simpler - or more satisfying.

    Not everything is as accomplished.

    Crumb-dusted, blue cheese raclette ($9) isn’t the gooeymelted cheese I expected - but more like a blue cheese pudding,topped with roasted tomato and surrounded by slices of fingerlingpotatoes. Grilled Japanese eggplant ($8), topped with feta and pinenuts and dappled with tomato sauce, might have been better had theeggplant not been undercooked.

    And New Bedford seared scallops ($11/$22) is an odd pairing ofshellfish, mushy black sticky rice, dried cranberries, caperberries and buerre blanc. The scallops are unhappily overwhelmed bythe superfluous additions.

    The Small Plates wine list is small and smartly priced. But I wishthey stocked a bottle of rose. And why can’t you order thehigh-octane, red wine and triple sec sangria ($7 a glass) by thepitcher

    Desserts ($7) are mostly fine. Light and airy creme caramel. Denseginger peach bread pudding afloat in boozy Southern Wild Turkeysauce. Alas, the daily “Pi” (yes, the mathematicalsymbol Pi) a la mood (ha-ha) was a disappointment. It was a sliceof strawberry cream that had spent too many hours in therefrigerator.

    Service is up and down. One night, our waiter was all competence.Another evening, we sat at a four top with unremoved extrasilverware and glasses. And dirty dishes stayed on the table longafter they’d outlived their welcome. In either case, you eatyour entire meal off the same tiny, square plate - it would be niceif they swapped it for a new plate every so often.

July 29 (apple onion chutney) -- ``Tooks Court Never heard of it, mate,''the London cabbie said as I asked for Vanilla Black, a fine new vegetarian eatery. His satellite-navigation screenspotted an unmarked alley off Chancery Lane, where many law firmsare based.

    A vegetarian restaurant is hard to find, especially a good one.Diners at this hideaway might feel they are being let in on asecret. Vanilla Black won't get passing trade: Nobody walks by,apart from people in legal jobs. Even then, a barrister I know withan office nearby said most of her colleagues are men who loveburgers and would rather starve than eat vegetables.

    My guests included a risk consultant who describes herself as ``adiehard carnivore.'' She found plenty to keep her happy, and ravedabout the sweet-potato vindaloo and saffron risotto.

    Not that Vanilla Black competes with Indian vegetarian chains suchas Rasa. It's more up against gourmet restaurants with garden menussuch as Morgan M and Roussillon. Think vegetarian haute cuisine.

    If you consider that a contradiction in terms, it's time to stopviewing ``veggie'' eateries as bland, boring, and favoring quantityover quality: Vanilla Black's artfully presented creations are morefilling than they may seem.

    One caveat for diet watchers and those with milk allergies: You'dbetter like British cheese. If not, as Brits might say, ``hardcheddar.'' There are alternatives, but there's a lot of cheese onthe menu.

    Apple Galette

    Starters include aged Feta and toasted-orange cake, peach chutneyand green olives; or red-Leicester toastie with homemadepiccalilli. Mains include steamed cabbage and Longmans-maturecheddar with braised beans, port and raisin and potato; or bakedblue Vinney cheese and Bramley-apple galette, with celery crisp andspring onion. Dessert-wine marinated Cornish blue could completethe meal.

    What these dishes have in common, apart from cheese, is anenthusiasm for spicy combinations. Lovers of plain grub may find ita bit too fussy and might like to keep the menu to hand as anaide-memoire, though the friendly staff are happy to elaborate.

    Take, for example, the Hickory smoked duck egg and DuckettsCaerphilly. This turns out to be a lampshade-looking pudding withpomme puree croquette, a work of art that looks too good to eat,served with a pineapple pickle.

    At least the cep creme brulee was simple, and so good I had ittwice. It's a cup of mushroom custard with biscuits and chervilsalad.

    The desserts also pile on the flavors, where one might suffice(typical dish: chocolate parfait, candied pineapple andblackcurrant sorbet), though the brandied apples and crumbleshortbread with vanilla pod ice cream was a delight.

    Girly Place

    ``Maybe Vanilla Black's more of a girly place,'' one of my guestscommented as we left. ``Somewhere to go with girlfriends, orimpress a vegetarian. It's beautiful, just a bit chi-chi.'' Mydictionary defines this as ``ostentatiously stylish; deliberatelychic,'' so she has a point. The menu works best when flavors don'tclash, and combinations are innovative.

    The modern decor is cool white, as if the decorators had just movedout. It's cozy enough. Too bad there's no open space to add to theromance, like the Bleeding Heart's courtyard.

    On my first visit, at 6:30 p.m. on a Wednesday, our table was theonly one taken, and you could hear a pin drop -- a potentialconversation inhibitor.

    The next time, staff were delighted to see a return customer, whichsuggests there weren't many in the first few weeks. I suspect thiswill change. By the third visit last week, the room was gettingbusy. Things need to be warmed by a buzzy atmosphere of the sortyou'll find at the north London vegan restaurant Saf, which also opened recently.

    Good Bottles

    The wine list is impressive, with some good bottles at the lowerend, such as a crisp organic Chilean Sauvignon Novas, CasablancaValley at 17 pounds. Leclerc Briant champagne is 36 pounds abottle.

    After my last anonymous visit, I telephoned the head chef, AndrewDargue. His first Vanilla Black in York, northern England, wonenough acclaim to regularly book out its 28 covers. After he soldit, it became an Indian restaurant. The loss to York's veggies isLondon's gain. He now has 54 covers and feels recommendations willoutweigh the location. (Vanilla Black is closed on weekends.)

    Dargue persuasively describes the food as ``British classics with atwist.'' It's a complicated, seductive case that might lure JamesKavanagh, the crusty lawyer from the television series ``KavanaghQC,'' or wean Rumpole of the Bailey, another stodgy TV character,off his favorite steak-and-kidney puddings.

    Vanilla Black, 17-18 Tooks Court, EC4A 1LB. Telephone+44-207-242-2622 or click on

http://www.vanillablack.co.uk.

    The Bloomberg Questions

    Cost Two courses for 24 pounds, three for 30 pounds for dinner.

    Sound level Can be a little too subdued.

    Date place Yes, for a quiet romantic meal. Not for a livelyouting.

    Inside tip Find it on the map before heading over.

    Special feature No meat in sight.

    Private room No.

    Will I go back Yes.

    Rating ***

    (Mark Beech writes for Bloomberg News. The opinions expressed are his own.)

    To contact the writer of this review: Mark Beech in London at mbeech@bloomberg.net.Last Updated: July 28, 2008 20:29 EDT

apple onion chutney

Those who had carefully tended fruit and vegetables over the pastfew months, or made a miniature garden, or created a homemade toyfor inclusion in the show, were up bright and early on Saturdaymorning, setting up their displays in Preston Village Hall from8am.